#an anti hero actively does both good and bad. an anti hero thinks firstly of themsevles

[enbysiriusblack]

dorcas meadowes and sirius black are the anti hero marauder characters.

[ceoofanticatradora]

We need more anti C//A who are Adora stans (like you seem to be) so that people can understand that C///A is bad for Adora. Heck C//A is bad for Catra too, but the shippers don't seem to realize it. If Catra had been able to let Adora go maybe she could have healed instead of her festering and the abuse may have ended instead of escalated.

Hello Dear, welcome on my Blog and a big thank you for your message! Firstly I wanna apologize that this response is reaching you more than three full days, almost four later. Just real life getting into the way of my online presence (at least I got my A-Levels admission!) but I assure you that replying to you was on my To Do List the entire time. And while I could've typed something quick, I thought you deserved a full length response just as much as the person before you received. That goes for anyone really to ask/write me anything in the future.

Adora is a character that has flaws, her own interests, things she struggles with/is insecure about etc. but she also still works on being better (up to Season 5). This makes her relatable, fleshed out and overall three dimensional. Overall for me that makes Adora very likeable. Which is funny because when I first watched the show I thought of her as too goofy and felt like she as a character was overall just flat. Her character design did not speak to me either, the ponytail with the weird hair poof and these pointy shoulders of her jacket just really were not my taste. Isn't it amazing how perceptions can change?

As you can guess from that description I did not always stan Adora and she's probably still not my favorite character but over the almost two years I've been in this fandom I've grown rather fond of her. Other important characters to me are Kyle (a very relatable comfort character of mine, he learned to stand up for himself and others and I support that, f*ck Season 5 for barely acknowledging his existence), Lonnie (apart from treating Kyle badly (which I really do NOT support or excuse) I really love her, man, some women just do me like that, I mean she really stood up to Catra like that), Entrapta (I'm autistic too! It's great to have some representation, seeing the ableism/treatment she experiences in the show is not so much though), Seahawk (I don't even know why, I have some issues with his behavior towards Mermista at times but overall I love this dork), Scorpia (she reminds me of myself so much and I really wanna give her hugs, I'm so glad she chose to no longer let Catra treat her like that even though I will be forever salty she just immediately forgave her), Peekablue (I can explain this even less than Seahawk, especially since it was not even really him in the end but his existence somehow helped me cope with Season 5, without him I probably would've left this fandom ... and also my favorite color is blue) and Double Trouble (now there's enough people already critcizing how they're not exactly great Non-binary representation but this dramatic lizard will forever be in my heart, that reality check they gave Catra, basically slapping her in the face with facts was satisfying as h*ck, also I like lizards overall).

Now there's plenty of characters I like, dislike (or even hate) or am simply indifferent about but after all this is not a tier list but me talking about Adora, Catra and Catradora. Adora started off as this girl that was so sure what she was doing is right but once she was taught differently she was willing to leave everything she knew (except Catra, because she valued her despite everything) behind. And not only that, she broke out of the abuse cycle that Catra tried so hard to keep upright. And that is exactly what makes Adora such a good role model. She teaches children (or people) that:

Your past doesn't define what/who you are or what/who you can become

-> Adora used to be a Horde soldier and did not know where she came from, but nonetheless she found herself a family and became a hero that saved thousands of people

You can always change your mind and start a new life if you feel disappointed in what you are doing/who you are as a person

-> Basically the exact same point, Adora started a new life as she saw what the Horde really was and changed her mind about who to fight for

You deserve love too, be it platonic or romantic (or se*ual???) (If you're aro and/or ace just ignore the part that does not work for you)

-> While Adora for various reasons thought her only use was to please others and meet their needs and expectations (mostly due to Shadow Weaver and Catra) she learned to accept that she too deserves love and validation (if the love aspect would not have been focused on it being romantic love so she could smooch Catra in the finale this would've been a billion times better because she got love from her friends that showed her her real value)

You can walk away from something/someone, that does not make you egoistic/selfish

-> Adora walked away from the Horde, after Catra stubbornly refused to come with her despite many offers (basically Catra broke the promise, not Adora) from her too and that did not make her a "traitor" or "selfish", h*ck, Adora in the end did this for a bigger purpose too, even if part of it was her not wanting to live with such wrong morals

Your opinions, feelings etc. about a person/something can change and that is perfectly fine and valid, being able to change is part of what makes someone human

-> Adora's views on many things changed throughout the show: The Horde and the Rebellion, the First Ones, Catra, being She-Ra, herself, her priorities and so on ... she actually makes use of her brain, which is why Catra saying "Don't you ge it?" or calling her an idiot and dumb never sat right with me, she's a realistic character for shifting with her thoughts, feelings etc. and sometimes just does not fully think things through

You don't have to let other people treat you like sh*t (just because they have some issues they never worked through does not give them any right to let it out on you)

-> This point is obviously centered mostly around Catra and her abusing Adora almost every chance she gets, which is why Adora standing up for herself and not letting Catra blame her for her own decisions and mistakes is so important, "You made your choice, now live with it" is one of the most powerful lines throughout all the five Seasons

Now I'm sure there is still more to Adora's character than what I just listed and unfortunately almost all the points basically got pushed aside, well, Adora as a character got pushed aside in Season 5. All her growth, the things that made me love her, see her as great role model for so many people robbed of their value for the sake of making everything revolve around Catra. That brings me to her and how you are absolutely right that Catradora is harmful to both characters. Of course Adora is affected most by it in the end but Catra too is obviously suffering under the fandoms obsession and just the overall idea of them being romantically involved.

Just like with Adora the stans make almost everything about Catra over her relationship with Adora. She too can barely exist outside of it and if she wasn't the fan favorite she'd most likely would too be mostly in Fanarts that include Adora and not just her (if you google "Catra Fanart" most content is still Catra and Catra only but here and there Catradora still peaks through). But for whatever reason the fandom still views her more as her own person as the other ones? Catrouble and Scorptra Shippers might actually still get less hate than Glimmadora Shippers (I'm not denying they don't get any, they most certaintly do) which is just plain hypocricy and favorism. Kinda like the: A woman needs to be loyal to her husband and her husband only but if the husband wants to be active with other women that is perfectly fine because "that is just how men are" or how i like to call it ... sexism. Now in this case they are both women so it's not sexism but yo do get my point.

But much more importantly, Catra has an unhealthy obsession with Adora. Signs of that are for example:

Constantly talking about Adora, even when said person is not around (to Shadow Weaver, Scorpia etc.)

Obsessing over having control over Adora like in that one Episode "Are you kidding? I finally got control over Adora, I'm not giving that up!"

Building her entire character and her actions around Adora "We need to take Adora down", "Adora left me", "I'd rather see the whole world end than see you win!", also shown in Season 5 where she states she does save Glimmer only for Adora and not for Glimmer or to do the right thing

Getting aggressive or very emotional over Adora like clawing the wall, having nightmares etc. (destructive behavior towards herself and others)

Having no or barely any characteristics outside of her relationship with Adora like, we don't know her interests or likes and dislikes outside of being evil, obsessed with Adora, being abused by Shadow Weaver ...

Trying to force Adora to meet her needs and expectations regardless of Adora's owns

Sacrificing her oppurtunity to be happy in the Crimson Waste for the sake of her Adora obsession and being better than her at all costs

So yes, you were very right with saying that not putting Catra in a relationship with Adora would've benefited both characters. Catra could've learned to exist on her own, develop interests and a life outside of Adora. Learn to accept herself and eventually come to terms with her childhood abuse. She could've been free and not "the abusive cat girl that ended up with the person she unhealthily obsessed over to the point of no return" she kinda is now. Even if we ignore the whole "dating your long term abuser" part from Adora's side and "being rewarded" for horrible behavior, Catra alone is not giving a good example to people watching. As much as I dislike Catra, disdain her even, an ending where she is dependent on Adora, unable to stand on her own two legs after she led armies in war is not what I would wish for her, even with a decent redemption arc (that she did not get).

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Haley you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Cassius Mulciber.

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Welcome back Haley! It’s always so nice to be able to welcome back previous members and we’re absolutely thrilled to have you back in our little family! It’s so clear that you have such a strong connection to the character and interpret him so well. We can’t wait to see what you do with him now that you’re back with us!  *your fc change to Chris Wood has been accepted. Please note that it is not our usual policy to switch poc faceclaims to a white faceclaim but an exception was made as it was an old member returning to us.

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Haley, 21, She/her, EST, America

ACTIVITY

Like most people in the group, I work and go to school but I have lots of free time around those things. 7/10

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Alexis told me about the roleplay forever ago and then I was in it for a while and had to leave, now I’m back again.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Remus and Sirius, I truly identify with them both equally. I’ve always been the weird, quiet kid who seemed too secretive and was bullied. But I also am a rebel who eventually learned how to stand up for myself and others. I’m like the stereotypical parts of both their characters combined.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I can’t think of anything else. :)

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Cassius Mulciber

Cassius: derived from Latin cassus “empty, vain”.

Asmodeus: From Hebrew Ashmedai, which itself is derived from Avestan aēšma-daēva meaning “demon of wrath” (this is my headcanon for his middle name)

Mulciber: the architect of pandemonium, taken from Paradise Lost

FACE CLAIM

Okay, so I know you all have Cassius’s FC listed as Christian Navarro. I’m aware he’s a POC FC, but I wanted to ask if there was anyway I could go back to Chris Wood since he was my original Cassius and to me, he fits the character the best. I feel it would vastly help my muse to have Chris Wood as the FC because I’ve always written him better with that face. I understand if you don’t want me to make that change and if I need to keep Christian Navarro, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

Cassius and I have a history. He became my muse in September of 2016. I picked him up as a character originally to challenge myself because I didn’t usually write dark characters. I used to love writing the anti-hero or heroic characters who did horrible things for good reasons. I found a new love in writing darker characters. There’s a certain power in a character who has no morals. He would slit a man’s throat and then fuck someone next to his corpse without a second thought. He has no boundaries. There are no lines he won’t cross. The things he does, he does for himself. He’s a Death Eater but I believe he made the decision to join the group because of what they do, not who they follow. I will play him more in that light than as if he was another completely blind follower of Voldemort.

Cassius is a complex and deeply conflicted character. I made the comment before that I believe he has bipolar disorder, though of course it is undiagnosed due to the nature of the era and the wizarding world’s lack of science. (I have bipolar disorder and it has leaked it’s way into my writing.) His lack of a conscience and ability to charm his way out of all situations, started when he was young. His father raised him to be that way, frequently using pain as a teaching mechanism. As stated in his bio, he fits into the war like he was born for it. In another life, maybe he wouldn’t have been so perfectly formed for war but with the way his childhood went he was destined to fight this battle.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

I have no specific anti-ships and the only ship I have is Cassius and Augustus, but chemistry is the biggest thing for me. Because he’s a purist he wouldn’t be with anyone who wasn’t pure blooded. He also wouldn’t be quick to jump into a relationship. He’s generally more of a one night stand type person, however, he develops attachments to people and will continue having a friendly/sexual relation with them. Whenever things get too serious though, he backs off.

As far as sexuality, he is pansexual. He doesn’t care what genitals a person has or how they identify themselves, what he cares about is if the person is attractive and if they interest him. His pronouns are he/him, if you can’t tell by my extensive use of them already in this application haha. He is a cis male.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

I have a lot of things on my blog (this will be the same one I use for the rp if accepted).

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it: 

“I want a spell that causes people to drop their guard. I’m sure there are a multitude of potions that do the same thing, but I’ve always been bad with potions. A spell would be so much more convenient. The spell itself would be “fiduciam” which is Latin for trust.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

 “Augustus Rookwood, he’s the only person I would trust to be alone in the forest with me. As for the object, I know it may sound odd but I would take a gun. They’re surprisingly useful considering they’re muggle made.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make? 

“Decisions that revolve around my emotions. Some choices are easy, they’re clear and precise and the logical answer seems almost the only answer. As soon as the heart is involved, however, it becomes difficult to decide because no matter what the logical answer is, it’s hard to hurt yourself to do what needs to be done.“

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

 “That I was weak. I am many things but weak is not and will never be one of them.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

Cassius is thriving. Firstly, it’s the first time in a while that his friends (or himself) aren’t being held captive or tortured. He has never hidden his disdain for non-purebloods, so the plan to cleanse them from the planet pleases him. What doesn’t please him however is the sinking feeling he has in his stomach. Things are going too well for them and he’s waiting on that to change because nothing ever stays positive for long. For the time being I feel that he’s just going to enjoy himself in the Death Eater ruled world and take some time to be happy that his friends are alive and healthy and NOT captured. Though he’s constantly gonna be looking for things to go wrong.

WRITING SAMPLE

July 3rd, 1974

Cassius stood in the frigid night air, waiting for his father to join him just outside the Mulciber Estate property line. He knew this was death eater business, but beyond that he didn’t know anything about what they were doing that night. His father had made promise after promise that they would soon take the required steps for Cassius to receive his dark mark, but so far they had done nothing. Eyes focused on the stars in the sky above him, he didn’t hear Gerard Mulciber walk up behind him and the hand placed on his shoulder caused him to jump slightly. Thankfully his father’s grip on his shoulder was tight as he apparated the both of them away from their estate.

The dark alleyway formed around them, coming into focus as they reached their destination. Gerard turned, walking through a doorway hidden by magic, he absorbed into the brick the way students did as they raced to board the Hogwarts Express. Cassius followed behind him, pulling his wand from his pocket just in case he had occasion to use it. As he emerged into the room he was taken aback by the sight before him. The girl magically bound and gagged in a chair at the center of the room caught his attention first, but it didn’t take long for him to notice the masked figures that stood against the walls. Their dark cloaks pulled heavily towards the ground, eerily quiet as they remained still and unmoving, no rustling to be heard. Cassius suddenly felt tiny, insignificant, he felt surrounded and closed in, despite the fact that there were only four death eaters in the room, including his father.

“What is this?” He said with an angry glance towards Gerard.

A stinging pain ran through his head as Gerard smacked him on the back of his skull. “The fact that you’re too idiotic to figure it out on your own should be the first sign that you’re unworthy of the mark. Unfortunately, they don’t agree,” Gerard spat angrily, gesturing towards the death eaters who stood around them. Cassius’ eyes traced around each figure trying to identify any of them, but he couldn’t. A hand gently rested against his back, the feeling was almost as shocking as the smack had been. “The girl,” his father said as he gestured towards the poor girl in the middle of the room, “she’s a muggleborn, so are her siblings.” As if on cue a large cloaked and masked death eater walked through the door, a young girl on his left and a boy on his right, neither could be older than eight. “You’re going to kill her in front of them.”

Cassius’ blood ran cold and he couldn’t stop the chills that ran across his skin. He’d done many terrible things while at Hogwarts but murder was not anywhere on that list. “I know this is supposed to be a challenge for me but shouldn’t I be allowed to decide what I do? Since the whole point is for me to prove myself?” His voice was shakier than he anticipated, but he just hoped his father wouldn’t take notice.

“Fine, do what you want, but the end result must be the same. The girl will die and you will be the cause.” Gerard shoved his son forward viciously, forcing him towards the girl.

Cassius tightened his grip on his wand, acting as if all of this was perfectly normal. He couldn’t show weakness, couldn’t show how terrified he was. There had to be a way for him to do this and flaunt his strength while trying to keep calm. He took a calming breath before allowing the incantation to slip from his lips. “Imperio,” the familiar spell came out easily, the motions flowing through his wrist naturally. It was a spell he had used often at Hogwarts during his free time. The unforgivable curse canceled out the weaker spells that bound her to the chair and Cassius watch with satisfaction as the girl rose from her seat and walked over to stand in front of him. He pulled a small folding knife from his pocket and gave it to her before forcing her to turn and move to her siblings’ side. She moved the knife to rest against the other girl’s throat.

For a moment, Cassius felt guilty. How could he do this? How could he force someone to kill their sister? But he knew he had no choice. Trying not to linger on bad thoughts he flicked his wand and the girl dragged the knife across her sister’s throat. She crumpled to the ground hands around her throat but he didn’t dwell on her despite the fact that she would live for the next several minutes. Moving his puppet over to stand in front of the boy, he had her drop the knife and pull out her wand. With the tip pressed against her brother’s chest, it didn’t take a genius to know what he would do next. As the killing curse slid from the girl’s mouth, a flash of green lit the room and the boy collapsed onto the ground. Cassius felt disgusted with himself. He was dizzy and ill and didn’t know if he was going to make it through this without being sick.

He pushed his illness aside, knowing he still had to kill the girl. He had to get creative, no simple killing curse was going to satisfy these men. They wouldn’t accept the same method of killing twice. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he forced her to turn her wand on herself a small incantation falling from her lips. “Incendio.” As the flames quickly engulfed her body, Cassius realized this had been a mistake. Her screams filled the small room drowning out all other sound and thought. Quietly, praying his father wouldn’t hear him, he hissed out the killing curse, the flash of green hidden within the flames. Her body dropped to the floor and he flicked his wrist, putting out the flames.

“It’s done.” It had lasted no longer than two minutes, but he felt like it had been a lifetime.

Without comment or even gesture, all the death eaters apparated from the room, apparating the bodies away with them. Cassius was left standing alone in the empty room with his father. Pride and excitement filled his chest. Was that it? Had he passed their tests? Did he get to be a death eater now? As he turned to face Gerard, his stomach dropped, dread and panic replacing his earlier emotions. Gerard glared down at him, anger and disappointment painting his features. “You didn’t kill anyone. She did and when you finally had the balls to kill her it was only to put her out of her misery. You are pathetic and weak. If it were up to me I would never make you a death eater.” Cassius kept his mouth shut allowing his father to finish. “You had better promise me that from now on you’ll kill without mercy and without fear. Otherwise, you will have something new to fear.”

Swallowing his pride, Cassius bowed his head slightly, “I promise, Father.” Little did he know that promise was going to haunt him for years to come.

[darkcloud-kcalifornia]

Pony time again. Honestly, there was no avoiding spoilers that Chrysalis was going to be in this one if you were on pony sites. But oh well.  I’ve managed to avoid any other spoilers other than the TV synopsis, which tells me it’s about REVENGE!!! and that the title is “The Mean 6” and thus likely makes use of shapeshifters in the guise of the Mane 6.  Again.  Uh… pretty sure Starlight might realize something is up if she already dealt with that plan.  Oh well. Maybe things will be different. Let us see.

* The photographer is collecting hairs of the Mane 6.  Oh hi, Chrysalis.  So, sympathetic magic mind control?  Clones?

* Chrysalis wanted to be able to stare at Dash’s butt in private.

* This is my shocked face.

* Wait, she’s planning on making clones so she can use the Elements of Harmony?  Um… it’s not a DNA lock.  The Elements don’t work if you’re not actually representing the Element. Discord even planned on that.  The only reason it didn’t work was Twilight managed to unbrainwash the others, not because he got the mechanics wrong.  Maybe she’s planning on having the clones be friendly towards each other?  And would they even work on somepony who’s, you know, in harmony?  And even if she does manage to do something she’s apparently unaware that the Pillars are back as well.  Sure, they’re not as powerful as the Elements at purification and stuff like that, but they’re very experienced in monster battles.

I don’t think Chrysalis has thought her evil plan all the way through.

* Wait, she’s planning on making a new hive only using the pony tribes?  Does she mean she’s going to change them into Changelings, or just that she’s going to rule them and she thinks of “area and subjects I control” as “hive”?

* On the plus side, love those runes.

* I feel ya, Starlight. Actually I do enjoy nature walks, but when it comes time to sleep give me an actual bed please.

* Man, the evil clones both look and act like they’ve been Discord-ed.  Seriously, they should not be able to use the Elements like this.

* Even Evil Sparkle is pointing out flaws in the plan now.

* Ooh, burn by Evil Sparkle. Aww… does the big bad bug need some friends?

* Honestly the smell of roses doesn’t do much for me.  Other flowers, sure, but roses are just meh.  Or maybe that’s because I’ve had rose bushes all around me growing up.  Seriously, I still have one right outside my window.

* Also, OW OW OW HOW IS PINKIE NOT IN AGONY ROLLING OVER ROSE BUSHES?!

* Curse your sudden yet inevitable betrayal!  Anyway, this seems like it’s going towards some of the group getting mixed up and ponies just confusing the odd behavior for grumpiness.

* Evil Twilight seems to have realized that she’s speaking to the real Pinkie.  Sadly Pinkie hasn’t realized she’s talking to an evil clone, who is terrible at hiding that.

* I notice Rarity didn’t say it’s not like Pinkie to disappear like this.

* I expect to see fanart of Jerome the Squirrel once I browse Derpibooru after this.

* Heh, Chrysalis’ eye twitch.

* Fluttershy has to do some rep rebuilding here.  And speak to mama and papa bird about what they say in front of their kids.

* Evil Rarity is getting in touch with her inner Gollum.

* GAH!  Don’t remind us of the Rainbow Power!  Oh wait, there’s another front on which Chrysaslis’ plan falls short.  The Elements have access to Harmony power outside of the physical Elements.

* So many hurt feelings from misunderstandings.  Though seriously how long until they start questioning things here?

* Well at least AJ and RD realize something here is screwy.

* Ah the great apology session.  For stuff done by evil clones.  OK girls, you have two supposed geniuses in this group, put together the pieces…

* Chrysalis, you fool, never bring up something you can’t put back down.  On the other hand, hey, nice show of power from Evil Sparkle.

* The Tree of Harmony was not putting up with that crap.  Though the way they glowed black makes me wonder if that was supposed to be the Elements getting corrupted or something.  Which doesn’t make much sense, because if that was the case that would have happened back when Discord made them act like that!

* And so the episode ends with… the villain being defeating without the heroes even doing anything. Well that was anti-climatic.

 Well that’s the end of the episode.  Honestly this felt a bit disappointing.  Firstly because none of the good guys really got a chance to shine outside of being friends to each other.  Secondly because there wasn’t any great humor in there besides Chrysalis’ frustration. Thirdly because the evil plot foiled itself without the heroes even being aware of it.  Fourthly this actually kinda diminishes Chrysalis’ rep as a villain if she can be so easily bested that the heroes don’t even have to actively try.  And finally because they squandered the opportunity of having evil clones of the heroes by just unceremoniously killing them off.  I won’t say this was a horrible episode, but this does not impress.

[carrionkat]

Response for kateofthecanals

Here ya go, @kateofthecanals

I don’t really use Tumblr all that much so I apologize for any formatting hiccups or errors in courtesy.

Well, since I agree with literally all of your positive points (especially how Rey and Kylo’s visions could be the same, just viewed from a different perspective), and this is already getting too long I’m just going to address your negatives!

- The turning point for me, going from “YES YES YES!” to “oh…” was immediately after the team-up in the throne room, when I quickly realized that Kylo didn’t kill Snoke because he suddenly “woke up”, and he didn’t do it for Rey… he did it so that HE could be the HBIC.

I actually read the scene differently. Conflict is the central theme of Kylo’s character, so I saw him as undecided up until he realizes that he will never be out from under Snoke’s boot. He wants to be free to decide who he is and the path his destiny will take (as seen in his “let the past die” speech) and he can’t do that while Snoke lives. I think it’s less about taking charge of the First Order, and more about killing the monster who has been pulling his strings since he was an infant. And I think Snoke demanding he kill Rey is what wakes him up, in that it makes him realize that he will never be allowed to make a meaningful choice while Snoke lives. He doesn’t want to kill Rey (in fact he wants her to be a part of the future he creates). He achieves avoiding this by killing the person making her death a possibility.

- I was really bummed when Snoke “revealed” that he was the one who facilitated the Force-bond between Kylo and Rey, but I was relieved to see this wasn’t the case after all at the end when Kylo and Rey had that one last Force-encounter. But again, what was this actually worth in the end? She closed the door on him. It was established in this film, via Luke, that a Force user can close themselves off to the Force. Who’s to say Rey won’t do the same to Kylo? That she will find a way to cut him off completely? There’s literally nothing stopping her, because she has clearly given up on him…

 This is going to be a steep hill to get over, but I think a grand enough gesture from Kylo could get through to Rey. Once she knew what happened to him as a child with Luke, she forgave him for a whole lotta bad. If he were to, say, sabotage the First Order or release a prisoner or something that showed he was still conflicted, I think that could change her mind.

 - … as has everyone else. And with good reason, tbh. The moment Kylo threw Rey under the bus for Snoke’s death, declared himself new Supreme Leader, and went fucking buckwild on Luke, I knew all hope for redemption was gone. Even Leia was like, “nope, I was wrong, he’s lost for good.” Basically what I got out of this movie was, Rey and Kylo “flirt” with the other sides of the Force for a hot second but then just ultimately decide that they belong where they were in the first place. Gee wow what awesome character development…

 I think there was actually development here. Kylo has gone from puppet to free being. His personality beyond that is still malleable. The Dark is what he knows and it’s what he’s been trying to be since childhood, so it’s the path he follows, for now. I’m not sold that it will be the one he continues to follow, however. I also think the hopelessness of the situation is supposed to parallel Empire Strikes Back. We’re supposed to feel grim. This is our heroes’ lowest point; we’re only going up from here.

Also, he despises Luke for good reason. Him going buckwild on Luke isn’t really a condemnation of his entire character. His uncle, who he trusted and loved, tried to kill him. That’s gonna leave some damage. His rage isn’t born out of a hatred for Luke’s ideologies or of hatred of the Light, it’s born out of having his trust broken in the most cruel way possible. Maybe even resentment that Luke’s actions drove him into Snoke’s less-than-kind tutelage, but that’s probably reaching.

 - The revelation of Rey’s parents was just so… banal. I felt like this was thrown in there just to put the question to rest, without any additional thought or exploration, even though that was made such a HUGE deal of in TFA. But, nah, they were “nobodies”, end of story, case closed, that’s all she wrote. It was never even explained how Kylo knew about Rey’s parents!!

 The way I thought Kylo knew is because Rey knew, the whole time, and was just in denial about it. He sees it through their connection. She sees herself in the Dark part of the temple because she already knows the answer. (Also her saying she was “unafraid” while stuck in the Dark says something, but we’ll see if it gets followed up on).

 - I’ve seen people claim that this movie “shuts down” anti arguments for good and that is simply not the case. There is still plenty of ammo from this movie they can use, chief among them Kylo’s cringeworthy statement to Rey that “You’re nobody. But not to me.”

 Oof, yeah, I actively cringed when he said that. Someone’s been reading PUA shit. But if you want to dig for excuses you can bring up that Kylo has literally zero positive interactions with anyone except Rey, and is thusly a social moron who has forgotten what kindness is. What he’s saying is what Rey feels (that she’s nobody), followed up by what he feels (that she’s somebody) and with no pretty trimmings about it. It’s still a really shitty thing to say and I wish that line wasn’t there.

 - I’m glad everyone’s happy that Kylo didn’t actually KILL Leia (which I knew he wouldn’t) but I dunno how many brownie points he gets considering he still let those other fighters take her out…

 He does seem a little shocked when the other fighter’s shots connect, so maybe he was so focused on making a choice that he didn’t realize the fighter’s were taking the shot? Still, I agree with you.

 - And he barely even flinched when Snoke was torturing Rey. You’d think that, I don’t know, since they have a Force-bond and everything, that he would have been able to feel her pain or something???

 Yeah, some kind of reaction would have been nice. I thought I saw him trembling, but I can’t remember it very clearly so I would have to rewatch.

 - During Kylo’s attack on Crait, at a certain point (around the time Luke shows up), Rey just, like, disappears, completely, and doesn’t show up again until the very end to do her rock-lifting trick. Firstly, where the hell was she that whole time, but more importantly, wouldn’t it have been kind of awesome if, like, she could sense what was happening between Kylo and Luke and using their Force-bond try to talk him out of it? And see him actually STRUGGLE with it because he’s still torn between wanting to be with her and wanting to be the Big Bad? Buuuut no, because at that point, both their minds were made up, and Rey had given up on him anyway.

 Rey’s part (or lack thereof) in that battle seemed really messy narratively. There’s no reason for them to be flying over the mountains in the Falcon; they have no reason to believe that the rest of the Resistance is trying to flee the base. Why aren’t they back there in the action? Why don’t they try to blow the cannon up? Or take out the Walkers? The bond that Rey has with Kylo AND the student/teacher one she has with Luke are both just left dangling there. The Kylo/Luke confrontation is incredibly tense and I loved so many things about it, but it does feel like substance was cut for style there.

 - On a more technical level, I was really disappointed by how the Force-bond sequences were filmed. I expected way more from Rian Johnson; this was something any first-year film student could have come up with. Now, I’m not claiming to be “better than Rian Johnson”, but in my headcanons of Rey and Kylo’s Force-conversations, there was a noticeable atmospheric shift – some sort of visual cue that something “different” was going on… Instead of just this basic cutting back and forth between them in their respective locales. Meh.

 There was a bit of an audio cue (the sound warped) but a bit of blur around the edges or color shift or something would have been a nice visual cue.

 - I didn’t find Rose that memorable, sorry. And her whole mission with Finn, much like the Kylo/Rey storyline, ended up being completely pointless, thanks to Admiral Holdo needlessly keeping vital info about her plans from Poe. WHY??? All of it was just an elaborate excuse to send Finn off on another adventure where he would end up back with the First Order so he could finish off Phasma, period. Like, yeah, there was that little hint at the very end that those kids who took care of the fathiers would, like, have something to do with the Resistance in the next movie, but honestly that could have just been a little meta commentary about how kids have been inspired by the Star Wars franchise over these past 40 years. Which is nice and all, but Finn and Rose’s mission was still pointless.

 Agreed; it felt like the weakest part of the movie to me. I wanted to like Rose and Finn, but I kinda ended up resenting that their (ultimately) pointless story was taking so much time away from what I thought were more interesting plot lines.

 I think the last bit was meta commentary, as well as showing that Luke’s words are true; he isn’t the last of the lightside. It’s not just Rey who will succeed him, it’s every child who has heard his story and strives to be good because of it.

 - Same with Holdo. So here’s this lady who just shows up out of nowhere, keeps vital information from Poe for no good goddamn reason, thereby forcing him to come up with his own plan and send Finn & Rose on a wild goose chase, and then suddenly we’re supposed to buy this close, intimate relationship she has with Leia so that we’ll feel all wistful when she decides to go on a suicide mission to protect the Resistance?? That should have been Leia, tbh… and not just for cheap emotional impact. At that point, Leia believed both the cause and her son to be lost and really had nothing else to lose at that point, and it would have been well within her personality to take out as many motherfuckers as she could to go down with her. Holdo should have been set up as Leia’s heir apparent going forward, and Leia going all kamikaze on the First Order would have been an interesting parallel to Luke also sacrificing himself to protect the ones he loved. AND it would have solved the whole issue of how to move forward in the story after Carrie’s death. I mean, we know that Leia was supposed to play a big part in Episode 9, but we’ll never know what that was supposed to be anyway…

I feel Holdo’s story was weakened by that last interaction with Leia and where she says she liked Poe. If she stuck to the opinion she voiced earlier about him being a liability, maybe cautioned Leia about his recklessness, it makes her character more consistent. She’s presented as being kind of “by the rules” as opposed to Poe’s casual improvisation. If they kept her mindset as “he’s an idiot who can’t take orders and that’s an issue; the chain of command exists for a reason; we can’t have everyone second guessing every decision I make and that’s why I didn’t tell him” it wouldn’t feel as wishy-washy. Maybe it could have even worked as a lesson for Poe.

I like that Leia didn’t die here. It helps keep that idea of hope alive. While the reasons you point out for her doing Holdo’s maneuver make sense on a personal level, Leia being alive gives the Resistance hope, and it gives the audience hope.

For some of my personal thoughts on where Kylo and Rey could end up going from here...

Where we leave Kylo he's still in strife. He's gotten everything he's wanted: eliminating his 'weakness,' eclipsing Vader in power (after all, Vader didn’t survive the Sith ideal of killing his master) but it will not bring him any sort of joy. He's lonely and lost, not power-mad, and becoming Supreme Leader is only going to isolate him more. His force bond with Rey is still intact, despite her metaphorically closing the door on him. Their interactions haven’t been intentional, yet they still happen, because they’re both lonely and long for understanding. That’s not going to change for Kylo, even if it does for Rey. That could be a piece of what causes him to change.

Kylo Ren doesn’t give a shit about the First Order, not really. He isn’t making rousing speeches about the necessity of the cause like Hux; his actions are all concerned with Snoke’s orders and his own internal strife. He doesn’t want to lead the First Order because he believes in it, he’s leading to use it as a tool. He wants to destroy his past so he can finally shape his own destiny and decide for himself who he wants to be. He’s been shaped by others all his life; now he’s free of that. Snoke, the biggest influence in his life, is gone. He couldn’t kill Leia when he had the chance. He is pulled to Rey over and over. He seems to feel regret at the end when he finds Han’s dice. The question is, who will be created by this situation? Will it be enough to pull him, maybe not entirely to the light, but into the grey?

Snoke made a comment that I think/hope will come to be very relevant. Something to the effect of “darkness rises, and light to meet it.” The Force strives to create balance. The more dark there is, the more light there must be. But trying to balance two extremes causes tension and strife. They try to eliminate one another, and the pendulum swings wildly between the two. The true way to create balance, is to move towards the middle. I think that’s what the point of Luke’s arc was. Luke’s fear of the Dark helped create Kylo Ren from Ben. His adherence to an order that gave rise to Sidious and pushed his own father into Dark caused it to happen again. This makes it clear that the Jedi order of old doesn’t work anymore.

The Jedi were a defunct order. They swung the pendulum to far to the “Light” and demanded impossible things: emotionless, passionless, unquestioning devotion. Does any of that sound like Rey? Emotion drives everything she does! To eliminate her emotions, to make her a Jedi, it would destroy her entire character. If they do that they’re throwing out all the themes and messages they built up over Last Jedi. Same thing if Kylo stays entirely Dark. I think (hope) that they both come to realize that neither of them actually wants the destruction of the other. Maybe Rey reads those texts that made it onto the Falcon and realizes that she can’t follow the Jedi ideals. Maybe those old texts contain the idea of grey Jedi instead of the Light/Dark dichotomy; after all, there was a shrine to the Dark on the island, so the founders of the temple couldn’t have rejected it entirely.

They’ve set up plenty of signs that point to the emergence of grey Jedi instead of the Sith and the Light. They could end up pulling the rug out from under us and just make IX flat “good” vs evil with no nuance, but that would be ignoring all the work done in Last Jedi, and it would be messy story telling to not follow the cues that they already laid.

And honestly is Kylo goes grey there’s no reason why he and Rey wouldn’t end up together. Force bonds are powerful things, and their awareness of one another is almost painful. Rey would have to shut herself off from the Force to cut off her awareness of him, and is she really going to do that? Maybe she will for a time, but that’s not a long-term solution.

So while there are no steadfast assurances that we will get what we want from IX, I would say that the necessary groundwork for what we want has already been laid.

Oh! Another thought. Kylo’s “rule the galaxy at my side” is the SAME EXACT THING Vader offered Luke (but, like, without the romantic undertones). Like Luke, Rey rejected his offer. But Vader was still redeemed in the end. If Kylo’s story continues his mirroring of Vader, we will get a redemption. The real question is, will we get it without Kylo dying?

[tuchimuchibrainvomit]

Sonic Forces Review — It Wears Its Heart On Its Sleeve

Sonic Forces, an interactive movie with some short puzzles and reflex challenges. It’s the junk food to it’s four-course partner, Sonic Mania, but that isn’t a bad thing.

**SPOILERS AHOY**

Now, this is not a derogatory usage of “Interactive Movie”. But after completing Sonic Forces, this is kind of how I interpreted it. It’s something that has it’s appeal, but in modern gaming conventions doesn’t really fit in.

During my time, I kept thinking back to Asura’s Wrath — a game that was more like an interactive movie, kind of dubbing it as “Anti-Game”.

Like Anti-Film, Anti-Game tries to break and subvert the conventional definitions of a game, and as I journeyed through it, I started to interpret Forces as a bit like that. But I realized I was thinking way too hard and just found a lot to enjoy about Sonic Forces in it’s off-beat nature and spectacle.

In fact, I was about to do an active study into thinking whether Modern Sonic as a game series is Anti-Game in it’s own right or not...

My reasoning was factoring Sonic Team’s constant experimentation and liberative design philosophy — in where the games can change up in an instant to play against any established status quo. But I realized how hyperbolic that was and there was just not enough information readily available to articulate for or against that notion. In the end, it’s up to the individual’s interpretation. But man, it was an interesting hypothesis to the state of gaming and Sonic being a rebel, just as he was in the 90’s...

But anecdotes aside, let’s dive in an see what Sonic Forces had to offer...

Firstly, what I liked.

The Avatar: I felt that a lot of love was put into the idea of the Avatar and their stages have the most in terms of experimentation with different Wispon power-ups and junctions of exploration, even if the levels themselves were relatively short and some Wispons *coughcoughDRILLcoughcough* can be frustrating and poorly implemented.

Music: Seeing that Kenichi Tokoi was a main composer and his soundtrack from the Sonic Riders series could be felt throughout Force’s energized, electronic soundtrack. It feels like a very different soundtrack for Sonic and one that I felt was welcomed. I personally loved the Avatar OST, which had a blend of electronic drum and bass with lyrical tones that created something very different than standard fare.

The Story: While fan-fiction levels of cringe — especially in execution, it had an interesting point of character development for the newly implemented Avatar. You see the character go from cowardly civilian to a hero standing beside Sonic. Something about that made me warm up to the custom character and what they had to offer. I also really enjoyed the connection to Mania, making them what I called Phantom Ruby Saga.

Shadow DLC: While short, I really thought Shadow’s story and level-design is more along the lines of what I wanted Modern Sonic to be. The story is your edge cringe of Sonic’s yore, but it was enough to make me laugh and admittedly, the last part caught me off-guard.

Next, what I didn’t like or found problematic.

Classic Sonic: Just frustrating. I didn’t like him much in Generations and Sonic Mania did him so well, that it really showed how I’d prefer Forces without Classic Sonic. A more balanced focus on Modern Sonic and the Avatar could’ve made it stronger. I think I’m just sick of Classic Sonic, and ready for Sega to let him go.

Modern Sonic: Rather uneventful. He was more fun than his classic counterpart, but overall the Sonics felt like less of the focus compared to the Avatar. I enjoyed the sprints of Sonic and the reflex challenges, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. Once again, I feel that ridding Classic Sonic from gameplay would allow more focus on Modern Sonic’s spurts.

The Story: Overall, it was not for me. It felt like it was going to a Sonic Adventure 2 place with this goofy story but dark atmosphere looming, but it started taking itself too seriously that it became campy and cringey. And in execution, it got a little ridiculous when there is a “War” scene which looks more like an amateur Machinima film.

The Bosses: A bit of a mixed bag, with most of them being short and repetitive. I did enjoy the Avatar vs Infinite boss, his powers and noticeably trippy aspects made it quite the difficult fight to figure out and once I figured it out, he wasn’t too much of a hassle. Kudos, goes to the Death Egg Robot, only Mania has been able to make that boss fun.

But the main point of this review is the point of contention for everyone on all sides:

The Gameplay and Level Design

Honestly, the levels are short — most lasting about 2 minutes. For many people, that’s too short and I can see where they are coming from. After the healthy bulk of 9 levels with 2 Acts in Generations to 30+ short, concise levels was a major departure. Though, I feel game length is not really a credit to a games benefit or detriment. It’s just the length of the experience. And personally, I liked having 30+ short mini levels that had their own little gameplay gimmick to mess with than 4-8 minute levels that just go on. Both have merits in different ways.

To that point, I didn’t mind the length with the Red Rings returning. Showing that I missed things and can go back — I feel that shorter level design in Sonic works better when it has hidden goodies. But that’s just my opinion, they can be linear and a bit over reliant on spectacle and QTEs but I’ll say that I didn’t have to care about QTEs since you can just mash them and make it through, they are not really invasive. Now, if a death depended on my skill at a QTE, I’d be more frustrated — but it was not for me. So I’m indifferent to the QTEs in Forces.

My favorite levels were most definitely the Metropolis City with the Avatar and the Death Egg Level with Modern Sonic. It was a lot to take in and kept me guessing to figure out how to survive the tight platforming and reversed physics as well as just having a fun little spectacle for a minute or two is fine by me.

... But in summation, I feel Sonic Forces just wanted to be a spectacle. It wasn’t trying to be the next revolutionary title for Sonic, but a fun, arcade-y romp with your own character and Sonic. Each level being a short puzzle to figure out where to go and what to find and concluding.

— And that, I think it does a good job at just that. I found that somewhat charming.

If you’re expecting something deeper or to get you into Sonic — stick with Mania or get Mario Odyssey. If I were to compare them, Sonic Mania and Mario Odyssey are the stronger of the three games. Mania’s more tightly designed in gameplay and level design and Odyssey is more open-ended.

However, Sonic Forces wears its heart and intention on it’s sleeve and knows what it is. It will have it’s die-hard fans and haters — and that’s OK.

It’s got a $40 price tag and I felt that I received $40 experience, along with the free DLC from Pre-Order. I’m not one to judge a game as good or bad based on my own opinions. I can only weigh the pros and cons of my experience to create an interpretation — and Sonic Forces let me do that and be satiated. If you’re a Sonic fan, you’ll probably like it.

If you have $40 to blow and and are curious, give Forces a shot. I like that it knows what it is and it was enjoyable romp for me. Or if you have $60, get Mania and Forces — play them back to back.

Sonic Mania is like a full course meal and Forces a dessert, you may be too full for dessert or not a dessert guy, but taste it and see how you feel. The two complement each other in this way that I can’t explain in words other than Antithesis — it’s a satisfying feeling that left me full of Sonic for the year.

I have a hypothesis before we go. I was wondering that with the lower price tag, did this game had a much lower budget compared to it’s older siblings? It doesn’t feel unfinished, or rushed but something that was weighed down by factors be it a newer dev team or a lower budget. Either way, it was ambitious with the Avatar design and that I can appreciate from an outsider looking in. Perhaps with more time, I’ll get more information about the development cycle. It’s just a hypothesis and my interpretation of it all.

In conclusion, Sonic Forces truly is a B-Movie experience wrapped up in a Sonic game, and it’s enjoyable for fans or people wanting to see what Sonic is up to. Nothing spectacular, but nothing awful either — Just a cute way to kill some hours.

I’d love to see what Sega can do with the Avatar and Modern Sonic in the future, and see them try things iin a more avant-garde manner. Sonic has always been a bit of an oddball, off-beat series that I’d love to see taken to an artistic extreme. This felt like another step in Sonic’s never-ending journey to continue forward. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll get more off-beat as time goes on.

Anyway, I need to go back to Persona 5 and break more chips into that thing! I know, I’m very behind, I just got to the second palace... sigh...

Always bloom proudly, guys!

 — TUCHI OUT!!

[sharkiegorath]

@almaviva90​ thanks for mentioning That Article, the only thing that can make me write coherently rn

I mean, God, if it’d just been called an underwhelming/bad show that would’ve been, like,  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, it’s your opinion, buddy. But personal bias aside, singling Finn out of all the characters in the series, especially the Scotland Yard arc, is??? It’s compounded by how the article doesn’t actually give any reason for why he’s included, unless you count ‘he’s like this one iconic character except not I guess’. So I’d like to examine the subconscious processes behind why Finn is listed as a Great Character while everyone else - cast and character - is disregarded, especially since positive reviews pinpointed the ensemble effort.

anyway I took this as an opportunity to Go the Fuck Off suddenly synthesizing loose scraps of information I’ve had for some time so bear in mind

“The folks who did stick with it mostly stayed onboard for Bertie Carvel’s Finn”??? Where are you getting this information? Since 2014, positive reviews and tweets mentioned the ensemble. For mediocre-to-negative audience reactions, I’d say there was a 50/50 split between people saying they only continued to watch for Bertie versus only continuing to watch for Brit. I’m pretty sure social media suggested there were more people who started watching for one actor then ended up immersed in the overall series.

Anyway.  Anyway.

The reason the article loosely gives for Finn's impressiveness is silly in the first place. Yeah, he's superficially like Malcolm Tucker, they're both spin doctors who go on shouty elaborate tangents. If it's been done before, why's it interesting? What distinguishes Finn so much that he's not just a clone in a different, allegedly weaker setting - which shouldn’t be worth listing - and how can he simultaneously be so similar that the explanation relies on preexisting knowledge of Tucker? 'He's even less charming' isn't a good reason, because intensifying one trait doesn't necessarily make a distinct character. (And based on what I've seen, isn't Finn less intense?)

Oh, and the fun thing is, that implied reason why he’s a stand-out character isn’t that accurate in the first place.

Firstly: we’re socially conditioned to identify with nominally straight white men, even (especially?) when they’re jerks. We create justifications for them in the absence of explicit excuses; we perceive complexity while oversimplifying other characters, even if we feel positively about them. But I’ve seen enough mediocre TV to think Finn is above-average. Until Ep. 5, I was partially willing to view him as complex because I believed everyone else was complex, and everyone else had interesting dynamics with him. I watched along with the original C4 airing. In terms of ‘sticking it through’, no, I didn’t watch just for Finn, and I had only watched the pilot for Bertie. Finn didn’t seem *that* important in the first two episodes of the main series, it looked like he might leave in the third, and his characterisation from the fourth onwards was tied to the overall plot. It was only subsequent marketing that gave away his prominence.

The article mentions (and dismisses) Bertie Carvel’s own opinion on Finn. (Which may have been paraphrased by the interviewer, but was probably still sympathetic.) He's realistic about his characters' flaws, including unambiguously sympathetic protagonists, including those who try to take advantage of institutional injustice. For him to say something along the lines of Finn not being that bad, Finn probably isn't. Babylon takes place over around a month, under uniquely stressful events. Since Liz's escalating issues make her act 2edgier and more unpleasant than usual, I think it's fair to infer that Finn is also not acting entirely like 'himself'; we don't have anywhere near the amount of context about his personal life as we do for Liz or Richard, but we do see his seemingly stable preexisting workplace relationships. Whether any of that justifies his behaviour is up to personal interpretation.

In Babylon, lack/introduction of context is juxtaposed with the transparency debate. (Actual Critic Genevieve Valentine also noted the narrative style, I'm not desperately bullshitting here.) It's ironic having characters argue about transparency when they aren't honest about themselves. It's not a mystery show, but mundane-yet-important details about main characters' personal lives are revealed suddenly, sometimes as surprises to the audience but not to other characters, sometimes as shocks to everyone. When characters learn more about each other and adjust their opinions, they themselves become more sympathetic in the process because it parallels audience reaction. I'm insistent that the series - specifically the Scotland Yard arc - is a team effort because otherwise Finn is just an asshole bouncing lines off people who don't verbally respond half of the time, and that's amazingly boring.

There isn't much evidence that Richard is a good person or Commissioner besides the word of his best friend and an infatuated woman he barely knows. He mistreats both of them in some way. He’s not mean to his family, but he's mentioned and shown as verbally abusive towards subordinates. Delgado may have had a point, since every other hint he gives to Liz is reliable. Yet the overall audience is probably more inclined to perceive Finn as the most-likely-to-be-abusive character, even though the only evidence is A) his interactions with Liz (who's matched him since day one; arguments aren't inherently abusive and they’ve started to Calm TF Down by the end) and B) his annoyance with Tom, which only peaks in the last two episodes.

Why does this happen? Because early on, Mia says Finn is an ‘arsehole’ - never mind how they usually seem to get along. (The only time they clash, his anger isn't actually directed at her.) No one paints a heroic picture of Finn; he describes himself through fictional villains or less-than-anti-heroes. He's not charismatic like Richard. He uses big words and has a severe gum addiction. Those 'undesirable traits' are subconsciously associated with being a white collar villain, while the obviously wrong actions of police characters aren’t as strongly vilified.

Audiences are so conditioned to expect certain story beats or clichés that we automatically assume they exist, or that there's a strong connection between things that aren't inherently linked. It happens with Liz, who might be negatively viewed the way Finn views her, or through a stereotypically rose-tinted ‘strong female character’ lens. It happens with Finn...who becomes most prominent as he’s part of the arcs of white women and a Black man. In his specific case, is that why the other characters aren't interesting, while he mysteriously pops out like a fucking daffodil in the middle of a desert? After Richard dies, only Finn could possibly fit what the protagonist of a satire 'should' look like, if you shut one eye and thought satires can't be humanist and pretended you didn't see certain scenes and turned off your deductive reasoning.

The worst things about Finn are his casual -ism’s and active role in the institution. I wonder if they’re the Bad Things identified by people who view him as an archetypal career-driven sadist, or if they come to mind at all. He’s not manipulative or a jerk as a default, he’s not motivated by money or power for its own sake. He’s arrogant and abrasive - that’s the rule in his setting, not the exception. Yet he mentally registers as a flat archetype at the cost of recognising his actual pressing issues. Not seeing his deeper issues undermines his dynamic with almost every other character - which, if you’re using him as a reference point, maybe explains why they might not appear as compelling, just maaaaybe. 

The trickiness of contextualization is specifically linked to Finn, who’s implied to have some sort of literary background. (Thanks, inexplicable Shakespeare bust!) In another interview, Bertie says Finn would describe himself as a ‘realist’. Finn occasionally brings up facts, but his concept of realism revolves around how other people construct their own fiction. (A neat thing about how Liz and Finn usually communicate: she ‘sells’ ideas, he gives mini narratives.)

It’s impossible to guard Richard while being honest about him or the police. Finn is opposed to Liz’s policies because their ‘story’ doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. He also romanticizes the job, but it’s in a Byronic way instead of straightforward heroism; he knows the truth is ugly and gives people more reasons to hate them, so he thinks they might as well control the narrative while they can. He frames his job as a gritty morally grey drama to justify himself - but it’s the wrong ‘genre’ and he fails to salvage their image anyway. Liz and Inglis have idealized, somewhat self-righteous perceptions of the institution, but they don’t use it to justify really bad things; their morality overrides conventional logic several times and it turns out to be the right thing, or the least wrong thing. They’re the only ones who remotely gain something they want by the end.

The emotional climax or whatever of Finn’s largely background arc is quietly admitting that he needs Liz, that her approach might be better than his, and encouraging Inglis’s interest in transparency - an interest that’ll likely have a long-term impact. Finn’s cynicism begins to recede and it’s largely dependent on them; he represents the shifting status quo, he’s an indication that they succeeded in some way. So he’s quite obviously not static and he can’t exist as effectively as an isolated entity therefore, bite me, Digital Spy.

[madewithpastels]

ELEANOR & PARK

reviews <kinda>

HELLO WORLD, I have been kinda busy, and started neglecting this blog, but NO NO NO NO. i will never ever abandon you, even tho’ it takes time to write some more. So, why did i start writing again? it’s interesting, because my hi-skool friend, just recently asked me about reviews / thoughts about ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by JENNIVER NIVEN, which was..it was supposed to be my first book to review, but i ended up with http://madewithpastels.tumblr.com/post/165868138226/fangirl-by-rainbow-rowell this one instead, hehe. tho’ i finished the book first. SO, LET’S GET BACK TO ELEANOR & PARK. i bought Eleanor & Park both with Fan Girl (all books by Rainbow Rowell); i started reading BOTH and finished Eleanor & Park earlier (it happened when i kinda felt bored with Fan Girl, so i kinda pause, and wanted to reading Eleanor & Park as fast as i could) because i just couldn’t bare with it... so here’s my long reviews....be prepared to snoooooozeeeee zzzzz haha

Eleanor & Park Eleanor & park is a coming of age story, where two misfits people ended up meeting on each other in such a mysterious magical way, well it’s on school bus, actually ha-ha, set in 1986, Nebraska. 

There are two main characters with dual narratives, firstly is Eleanor, whom is somewhat has ginger red hair, white pale -freckled face (um, actually i don’t remember her looks, but judging from all the fan-arts & from my imagination too that she has freckles) along with fully figure body, yep, even the author itself, Rowell doesn’t hesitate to reconfirm that Eleanor is actually f.a.t aka fat. How fat is she? Um (i don’t think it’s really that important or matter), because a lot of fans asking these kind of several questions that involve with “body issues” so i guess that’s why Rainbow Rowell putting statements here 

(click the link)

http://www.rainbowrowell.com/news/2015/4/7/is-eleanor-fat-or-does-eleanor-just-think-shes-fat

So far, i have rarely seen or heard this kind of representation, means that it’s a bold decision & good set examples that the girl has low self esteem but at the same time, she doesn’t care the way she dressed up and how her hair grows curly and other physique’s problem, etc. She realised that it’s her own attractiveness. I think Eleanor is unique. Although, i once read an interview somewhere that Eleanor is nobody’s character or not inspired by actual or real characters. In my opinion, Rainbow puts “a little bit” of her elements; Rainbow is curly, active, creative (needless to say), from her appeals; she has fully figure (looking from her photos around internet) and she said that this book was inspired by her childhood high-school, check out her interview:

http://www.rainbowrowell.com/news/2015/4/7/why-is-park-korean

especially on the bus. I figured, that was her kinda motivation or inspirations to make this book happening.

Secondly, what makes it more fascinating ; the other main character is an Asian guy, meaning Park. He’s part of the cool kids, and pretty much befriended with the leader pack (or he’s also kinda being the leader as well) along with other white kids. I like the fact that Nebraska where the town is probably like have the least asians, but this novel makes it, seemingly normal or make sense; like putting Park as a cool kid. Park is also biracial (he gets the Korean gene from his mother’s side & American dad). Park is super unique, he reminds me the guy from Scott Pilgrim vs The World (you know him & ramona, the blue hair— still no clue? Another link:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irmhi9flGMM

He’s also a COMIC NERD (again, see...another Rowell’s elements, she also writes for marvel YA’s anti hero “The Runaways” you guys can streaming on HULU or HOOQ,i assumed..she’s definitely a fan-girl too) there’s an Xmen scenes, i like it very much, cant tell ya, no spoilers) 

and he plays in a band? (Um wait, he plays guitar-but not in a band, i just made it up) He writes song playlist: http://www.rainbowrowell.com/news/eleanor-park-all-the-playlists-all-the-music YEP WE CAN HEAR IT TOO <3to Eleanor (um, somehow this thing is kinda overrated, reminds me of 500 days of summer, but still cute tho’ hahaha). Um just to make sure, Eleanor & Park is way different than Fan Girl, it has somewhat “The Fault in Our Stars” vibes, it’s like a dark-emo-less comedy-still cute *again*-love story. It’s more like..... i don’t know, maybe “self-explanatory” it’s more emphasised on this YA’s theme. There’s a scene where Park once questioned himself whether he’s gay or not because of his “wimpy-nerd” or different looks when he was a kid & having those unrequited love stories or not to have feelings towards girl or just being confused or whatever i guess.He also idolises David Bowie, a legendary-icon. See..what I’m trying to say, that i guess...Rowell’s want to explain that it’s not just girls but also boys do that too, well some boys..it’s normal thing to do to talk or sharing thoughts about gender or being “fluid”.

Here’s another fan-art picture Park wears eyeliner. This scene is so memorable. i was HOOOOKEDDDD <3

Overall, i like Eleanor & Park a bit than Fan Girl (despite all the tedious long-some unnecessary details plus the book is 100 pages *i dunno the exact numbers* thicker than Eleanor & Park, this is one the best Fan Girl things hahaha) I begin to wonder for these books, they both have commons of course it’s a coming of age story, and the girls always have difficult family backgrounds. Not in financially (well i dunno) well they both come from middle up family but disturbing family, especially with “father figures” i wonder what makes Rainbow Rowell to put those essences & emotions to each of stories. Is it based on her personal experiences or probably her circles? I know that life is not all about fairy tales, but i think it’s more intriguing to have those “imbalances”. It’s something that you have to compromise with.

Lastly, there’s a bunch of scenes that makes you feel “aaaaaawwww” well there’s also some boring details (not that boring, but a bit of cheeeesssy parts, and still fine “OK” haha) especially those love, life quotes or whatever, which some of them, still truly inspiring and a lot of unexpected plot twists and be prepared to cry, laugh, hurt. Enjoy reading Eleanor & Park!

and....despite all the news here

https://www.hypable.com/rainbow-rowell-says-eleanor-and-park-movie-isnt-happening/

that is somewhat not going to happen BUT, still....

My next post will be my fan casting, d’0h hahahahahha  xoxo

PS, THERE’S AN UPDATE 

A SEQUEL, WE HOPE!!!! <i dont actually care if this book is going to be trilogy, but if they are going to be filmed, i hope it’s only ONE-SHOW, seriously,don’t make it into like Hunger Games, issa bad enough already>

https://www.candymag.com/all-access/is-rainbow-rowell-writing-an-eleanor-and-park-sequel-a00005-20170522

Sent from my iPhone