#and also it doesn't feel like his arc is done bc he still needs to work on his issues before he's ready to accept the idea that he's lovabl

[parachellum]

I don't have another fandom blog, so I'm just putting this here, but I'm putting it under a cut so it doesn't fucking blast anyone's dash like the color of the rainbow post. But feel free to ignore this bc this is not sams related lmao

But anyways, I have Thoughts about Stolitz from Helluva Boss and nowhere to put them so I'm putting them out to the void and yeah, sorry, it is long as fuck 😔. My general opinion is that I do like the ship, I find it compelling and I want to study it under a microscope, but I do think the show doesn't really execute it well.

First of all, the show establishes them to be in a business/transactional relationship, but suddenly shows that they want genuine intimacy with each other? Like, where did that appear? Before episode 6, I mean. Episode 6 is the first time that the series shows that they both may like each other, but before this, they don't hang out in a particularly "romantic" way or even get to know each other. It's just constant sexually aggressive flirting from Stolas and Blitzo being annoyed. And you can argue that episode 5 shows that Blitzo may like Stolas because he chooses to save him over teaming up with Striker, but I don't think it does a particularly good job of it. We don't really see them appreciate each other as people, so the foundation and defining quality of Stolitz so far is still majorly transactional sex. Which is to say there's not really a foundation for a romantic attraction or any implication that there's something that draws them towards each other beyond business and sex.

Then Ep 6 happens and I like... Honestly, I can accept how they portrayed Stolitz with Blitzo in his hallucination scene, I can see why Blitzo would want to be with Stolas beyond "fuck him to keep the grimoire and keep IMP open". Similarly with Stolas with his focus episode in S2 EP1, which kind of explains why he wants Blitzo beyond physical, but I don't think the show does enough to justify them feeling *genuine* affection. At best, I think they show that they're using each other for personal emotional gain rather than caring about each other. And there needs to be more development to show the transition from that to romantic attraction.

I think Stolitz has the potential to be a ship that showcases how two people navigate their own emotional baggage and inability to communicate properly to change themselves to actually get a proper relationship (which I think is what most people find appealing? Not the actual relationship as presented in the show, but the "I can fix him/them" fantasy of it), but I do think the series doesn't develop it well enough or went through with it too fast.

Like, in Blitzo's hallucination scene, I can buy that he may want Stolas beyond a transactional relationship, but not because he really loves him. I don't think the scene frames Stolas as his "ideal lover" as most people seem to read it. Rather it shows Blitzo's awareness of the power dynamic, but also the fact that Blitzo craves recognition and praise from people, especially authority figures, which Stolas is. Compared to Blitzo, Stolas is far more powerful and successful as well as a Prince; that he would give Blitzo attention even though Blitzo is an imp is probably like catnip to Blitzo. On the other hand, when Blitzo climbs up the stairs, we see 1) Stolas' feathers cleans up all the gunk and 2) Blitzo is also cleaned from the mud/paint and his clothes transform to his work suit. Blitzo creating his own business despite being an imp has shown to have garnered him respect (like with Striker), but it's also only because of Stolas that he can even recreate his own identity to be this respectable boss figure; I think there is a sense of debt that Blitzo feels towards Stolas. But the main point seems to be that while he feels indebted and trapped by Stolas' attraction to him, it's also because of Stolas that he himself feels "clean" and "worthy"

All in all, rather than genuine romantic attraction, it feels more like Blitzo likes Stolas because of how he wants a solution to his own insecurities and sees that being provided by Stolas, as well as the fact that he may want approval from such an authority figure-- especially one that doesn't seem to be chased off by his usual front of crassness or pushing people away. Like a "I want to date the people I envy" type of deal. It also seems like Stolas is the only person Blitzo is currently having sexual relations with? Or at least on the regular, so that probably adds to the confusion between projecting his emotional baggage and attraction.

For Stolas, in the S2 Ep1, it felt more like he's projecting a memory of happiness onto Blitzo rather than genuinely liking Blitzo. One of the most impactful moments in Stolas' childhood is the day he met Blitzo; it's a moment of genuine joy and connection, and from the way he recognizes Blitzo immediately, it's clear he obsesses over that, especially in his loveless marriage. From the way the show then presents Stella and his time at the party, it doesn't look like he made any more meaningful bonds with other people. Stolas, I think, even mentions it himself: he's been waiting to feel this kind of passion and it feels even more meaningful that it comes from "his very first friend". It feels more like a desperate attempt to latch onto just one relationship in which he feels he's not trapped within his own social status as well as to relive his past when he felt happier and less weighed down by his obligations to marriage and social appearance. I think he does feel that he can be his true self around Blitzo, but it's less because of who Blitzo is as a person and more because of what sentimental nostalgic value Stolas has projected onto Blitzo/what Blitzo represents to Stolas.

Like, they're both essentially using each other to deal with their own insecurities/baggage (short of actually addressing it and/or getting therapy) and not really caring about each other as people. But I think it would be compelling to see them work through that to either break off from this mutually toxic relationship or work on themselves to commit to an actually healthy relationship.

But then the show tries to jump to them already having romantic feelings without doing the dirty work of dissecting their insecurities and showing how that develops into genuine affection for each other. To me at least, Stolas saving Blitzo in Ep6 doesn't really show he loves Blitzo; to be more specific, that his desire to escape his own aristocratic life and marriage through Blitzo has transformed into love I think you can still argue that he just doesn't want to lose his only outlet of self-expression, or what having sex with Blitzo does *for him*.

On the other hand. I can definitely see the transition happening in Ep 7 when Stolas realizes he's hurt Blitzo and wants to end the transactional relationship to make Blitzo happy. But! The point still stands that I don't think the show really makes it clear what the trigger for that transition was, what about Blitzo made him see Blitzo as a person rather than tool to deal with his own trauma? What made him treat this outing/date more seriously and with more emotional investment than the monthly sex or the time at Loo Loo Land, etc?

I know it's now getting Stolas to address the power imbalance part by getting a crystal for Blitzo so that their transactional relationship will be dissolved, but it doesn't actually address the fact that Stolas' attraction towards Blitzo kind of amounts to (or should amount to) him just wanting to feel better about his own life rather than Blitzo, like does he even know who Blitzo is?? Outside of sex and work?? I don't think so. And if he does, the show doesn't show that, so it's kind of a moot point.

Although, for Blitzo, it's in-character that he's still confusing his own hang-ups with romantic attraction, because he still hasn't really gotten over his coping mechanisms or worked on himself. The show still shows that he's constantly coming onto other people to make himself feel better rather than thinking about what the other people *need*; for example, Loona as a 22yo doesn't need the overprotective and doting father in her life, but that is the type of father Blitzo *wants* to be. He's thinking about his own childhood and daddy issues and the father he wished he had instead of what will actually help and match Loona. Similarly, he completely ignores all the boundaries sets by his sister and hunts her down for reconciliation because he wants to patch things up and not because she needs him in her life; she just wants to move on from him.

However, I do still think HB probably should've shown Blitzo and Stolas interacting with each other beyond the "Stolas aggressively comes onto Blitzo and Blitzo gets irritated" dynamic and allowed them to have moments where they realize qualities about the other that makes them go "maybe he isn't so bad after all" or "he's someone I'd like to know more about". For me, to make this relationship work or be viable, there has to be something genuine about their dynamic despite the miscommunications and transactional set-up, because that should be the real foundation of their romantic attraction.

BUT I also acknowledge that this is an indie animation series, so they deserve some slack. Especially since the time between video uploads can take months. I doubt they want to release an episode to their fans and audience only for it to develop a character arc by a micro-inch. I can see why they want to make the pacing a bit faster and hit the main beats of the ship development. And I probably just feel this way because I binged all the published episodes recently instead of waiting out the hiatus like a true fan. In any case, I still like Stolitz and would pay my fucking soul to get them to talk to each other like actual adults.

[7thblackbird]

18/2 RATS Martyn's stream Recap

So a lot happened today so I need to write this. I really recommend everyone to watch Martyn's stream bc wtf

So for the most part of the stream Martyn was building the stage for the Rats Awards (which will take place on Friday, although he won't be there bc Timmy is visiting) until the last 20 minutes or so. "Building stream" he said "Just chilling" he said.

Meanwhile, Apo is looking for the murderer of his giant plush goose wife (who Martyn destroyed at the beginning of the smp for materials). He talks to Eloise, who only tells them who was around that day; however, they then follow her and hear her talking to Martyn, so he suspects him.

Therefore Apo goes talk to Ren (who wasn't streaming, was just building the ship) and tells him about it. Ren accepts to go with him and confront Martyn, and that if he's the murderer the whole situation will be decided by a duel. So they tell Martyn to accompany them to the library, where Apo tells him about the situation and Martyn admits to be the killer but defends himself saying that he didn't know about it being Apo's, that he didn't know Apo that much at that point anyway, that it's only a plushie and that he needed the material to build Ren's desk so it was captain's orders. Ren intervenes and says that they should duel bc that's how stuff is decided in the high seas. However, Martyn doesn't have his knife bc he lended it to Eloise a bit earlier (which makes him think that she is in with the set up) so he easily loses and dies (although honestly, Apo is pretty good at pvp he might have won anyway idk). Which leads to a lore intermission with the bright green screen and a 3 lives -> 2 lives countdown.

When he wakes up he goes retake his stuff and he's pretty pissed off so when he meets Ren in the office he lashes out for just standing there and letting him be killed. Ren tries to justify himself and tells him that he fought well but Martyn is still angry. Atp he is also tired for all their previous issues (with Ren's obsession with sangrías and for not listening to him), tells him that he shouldn't have invited so many people to the crew and that he shouldn't be the captain, and threatens to mutiny. So Ren, in the craziest plot twist of the season, tells him that he doesn't understand the role of a captain and that those rats are necessary bc he will be trading some of them for cargo in a port. And Martyn is so fucking thrown back for that he is like "ooooh. damn. bye bye."

He then briefly confronts Eloise who says he wasn't expecting Apo to go that far but I feel like Martyn is in his Blondbeard 2.0 arc now

So that's the whole thing. The Ren thing is so crazy, not even ccMartyn was expecting that. Also, Martyn always uses the music in his streams so well, it's smth that always wows me. Btw I am writing this just after the stream ended and hadn't had time to check Apo or Eloise's povs yet, so if someone wants to correct me on smth tell me and I will make changes

Edit: apparently Apo listened to the end of the Ren-Martyn conversation and confronted the captain but Ren is like nope and tries to deflect by reminding him that he has killed Martyn and that "justice" has been done. So Apo also knows about the rat trafficking thing. I am not including it in this post bc it's getting looong but Apo also has had their own interesting lore going on about having an identity crisis and why they did what they did, so go watch that as well!

[miwiheroes]

Day 37: Lightning Flashes

(so starting my analysis posts again has been a long time coming but im no longer titling it doing it every other day until s5 becauseeeee uh its just so much pressure so im doing it whenever i want bc thats much less embarrassing... also i'll still be updating my google slides with these posts)

So there is much, much to unpack about the love monologue scene so I'll be breaking it down in approx. 4 different posts. An establishing thing to know about this scene is that the monologue was never meant to feel like a totally positive thing for every character. From the beginning end of the season, the viewer is supposed to want the same thing as El -- for Mike to tell El that he loves her. However, I think by the love monologue, by the time that he actually does the thing that he wants: the viewer is no longer supposed to feel totally satisfied.

This is in keeping with the theme at the end of Season 4 -- they did not win against Vecna this time. And it's not just an unhappy ending for Max, Lucas, everyone in Hawkins, it's also an unhappy ending for Will, Mike and El. Well, I wouldn't say totally unhappy, but it's definitely not a successful ending for anybody, which is supposed to be a tonal shift after the endings of the other seasons which are all very "everything is solved and seems okay but there's still more to be done."

So: The writers need to try to make it seem less like a satisfying ending that the viewer is supposed to want. Instead, it has a slightly darker tone as a result of Will's feelings, the fact Will's feelings are fuelling the monologue, El's arc and of course the cinematography.

This is the moment after Mike says I love you:

With a lightning flash placed right at that moment (may I remind you, that this is all intentionally placed and there is absolutely no chance this is a coincidence, hello??) the viewer is supposed to be led to believe that this isn't the satisfying culmination of their story that had been expected beforehand. El's face does not look shocked, even.

I never expected her to look happy especially when she's literally tied up like this, but looking upset/ pensive throughout pretty much the whole monologue while there are lightning flashes, and the vines continue to tighten around her neck. They only begin to rescind after she looks over at Max, and when Mike reminds her to fight.

That, paired with the lightning, this confirms without even needing to hear what Mike has to say that this isn't supposed to be satisfying or relieving. This isn't supposed to be a romantic, intimate moment. Lightning doesn't do anything but forebode something dangerous. Having it as a background noise during a love monologue is a choice by itself, but having it ring loud and clear straight after Mike saying that he loves her - it's almost like the lightning is begging for the audience to recognise that this is a bad thing for both El and Mike.

Will telling Mike to say these words were a mistake - a misbelief and a self-sacrifice that was taken too far and ultimately will lead to more harm in the future.

I will talk more about other people being in the shots of Mike in my next post, as there is much to say about that - but I want to quickly compare the 'intimacy' from the monologue in S4 and the intimacy in Mike's monologue from S2.

Season 4: Lightning continues to flash, there is a lot going on with El being tied up and the red lighting, and while Mike is the obvious focal point of the shots, Will and Jonathan are cut back to, reminding you of their presence in the scene.

Season 2: There is no other sound other than Mike's talking and Will's breathing, the lighting is extremely stark to cause a sense of tension and urgency that Mike feels, no other characters are in shot or cut back to despite being in the shed. Will is in danger but his facial expression is still soft.

So for anyone that even tries to tell me that the love monologue completely trumps Byler probably needs to rewatch to get rid of their delusions because this is definitely not supposed to be a happy ending, it is not supposed to be satisfying in the least. I honestly don't think anyone was satisfied back in 2022 watching this unless they had the bias of already being a mileven fan from before S4. There were obviously other factors that go into this feeling of unsatisfaction in this ending, but the lighting and the non-intimacy feeling of this scene is super telling.

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[spoilers below cut]

*GASP*

...

how come the Team does this to me? They get me every. single. time. chat, I don't even want to click on the episode BUT I HAVE TO KNOW IF MY THEORY WAS RIGHT OH WHYYYY

(the following is my live reaction:)

starting off already? well no complaints from me

it's giving "Trust No One" from WOTFI 2023 arc

PFFT HAHAHHAHAHAHA

ok ok ik it's supposed to be serious, but that "wha happen?" audio clip from Mickey Mouse Shorts really caught me off-guard. Who in the Team did that? I want to say thank you

anyway, Mario dude you gotta tell everything, especially to Karen

...well, the minecraft part isn't wrong but he's not telling the whole story

omg 4 really is doing the same thing as 3 did a year ago

which is crazy considering that 4 wasn't in 3's interrogation on Mario. They're so cosmically linked that they came up with the same interrogation method, well it's also Mario we're talking about

yeah, we'll let Karen do the rest

might as well give in, Mario. it ain't worth hiding any secrets

...4?

he's so silly I love him 💙

idk 4, maybe you should be an inspiring VA (4 would be the type of parent who would do all the characters' voices when reading bedtime stories 😌↕️)

oh. oh holy shit.

well at least you're getting it out of your system, Karen. but I do feel genuinely concerned you. I still understand but worried.

the shadows making it look like she's stabbing Mario isn't helping with my concerns

...what was that?

*wheeze* no 4, it's not the IRS

OH we got a sniper here, folks. WPNZ?

AND A ROBOTIC HAND? yeah, we're not just guessing anymore. the anon from my inbox who said that WPNZ may be a cyborg, you nailed it man

Ain't no way, Mario died (he literally cannot)

THE GMOD GUN IS BACK

HOLY SHIT nice save Karen

it's confirmed: 4 doesn't pay his taxes

Mario: "I am..." [*Invincible title card*]

he still got the walkie-talkie.... what the hell did WPNZ say to him?

YEP now we're putting the pieces together

*wheeze* Mario what was that run?

pull some strings, you say? perhaps... CONNECTIONS?

GET EM GIRLS /ref

secretive, ay?

what's with the dark room?

*flashback* I just remembered a traumatizing experience in my past, hang on I have to stim and I'll feel better. /ref

damn Mario ok

oh wait, I recognize this animation style. Anaidon, did you work on this scene? :D

PFFT THE DISTRACTION DANCE FROM THE HENRY STICKMAN SERIES OMG

I did not see that coming, ok who in the Team did that bc that was good haha. nostalgia go brrrrrrrrrr

No, WPNZ, it really did work ngl

oh shit

yep it's a cyborg hand if it's compatible with an actual arm

Gear up, it's for a swell battle!!!

FLAMETHROWER?! even Mario's not liking this

no, 4! this isn't Mario, it's Mr. WPNZ

😦

*pauses episode* ...chat, can you do something for me?

hold me back, and don't let go until I'm done. ready?

*ahem*

...WPNZ YOU SON OF A BITCH WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU AND I SWEAR YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LIVE TO SEE TOMORROW— *10 minutes and a nuke explosion later*

ok I'm good.

4 I'm going to need you to wake up buddy. c'mon you can't die, especially not you. 4 don't do this to me, you can't. you faced way worse stuff before, this can't hold you down now. your friends, your family, they're waiting for you to come back home. you can't leave them. 4 please

WE GOT A PULSE OH THANK GOD

IT'S A WEAK ONE THO, WE NEED TO GET HIM TO A DOCTOR NOW

I KNOW YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO, IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT 😭

at least Karen could finally get some answers

...a surprise?! OH HELL NO that guy nearly got them killed for ENTERING, it's a trap for sure

LET'S GO GET YOUR KIDS BACK but do be careful, we still don't know what we're up against

😭

get 4 outta there!! oh god, is the Crew gonna see 4 in critical condition? Beeg4? *head in hands*

I swear the Team is out to get me (also Mario carrying out 4 strangely reminded me of a scene from a fic I read long ago)

and ofc the whole building on fire goddammit

(btw that fall reminded me of the insomniac spider-man teasers ifykyk)

no Karen, hun you aren't. you're like one of the best parents of the entire show

you're trying to be better and give your kids the life you didn't get to have, that pretty much makes you a good parent overall

YEAH LOCK IN

alright, the moment of truth

huh? radio interference?

I FUCKIN KNEW IT YEP IT'S CONFIRMED

MR. WPNZ IS KAREN'S EX LOVER AND FATHER OF THE KIDS

(well nicc, looks like you get you keep your script after all)

oh, so he's pretty much a psycho, good to know *starts curb-stomping him*

I TOLD YOU ALL THE "HALF PINTS* NICKNAME WAS TOO SPECIFIC

what kinda monster? oh the mentally-messed-up yandere ass one, yeah that kinda monster

HE'S AT THEIR HOUSE?! FUCKFUCKFUCK

ok yeah I see how it is. violence isn't enough, time to commit crimes :)

no, don't end it there. please don't

*flips desk* AND THE MUTED-COLOR CREDITS OH C'MON

looks like I got something else right, it was a mini-arc. it's all within the math

Congrats to daekim_26 for your art being featured at the end credits! 🎉 hey, I recognize this, Ben reblogged this over on Twitter. ig the Team really liked your art

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

I. I'm just speechless omg. Like what am I supposed to say to that? Shadow, is this what you meant when you said we're not prepared for this? I need to walk out a sec, hang on.

ok I'm back. I guess first off, Team, wow. What an episode, it is absolutely insane how good it all was. Especially the writing and the voice acting for Karen, it tugged on my heart strings. And Anaidon, I KNEW YOU ANIMATED THAT SCENE haha!

Genuninely, bravo 👏👏👏 and my calculations were right after all

Actually, for me to post my theory hours before the episode was dropped, I'm surprised how much I got it right. Most of it, yeah, though I didn't expect how insane Mr. WPNZ is. More so doing it for himself and not the corporation, but still a lot of dedication was put into this. And he got a robotic arm! Not exactly like Clench (who has a mind of its own and can talk) but definitely advanced. So, the point could still stand that the tech, skills, and resources were based on his job at Hitman Inc.

Poor Karen, you can tell she's been very desperate in finding her kids by the voice acting alone. You can't blame her for going to these lengths. Like I said, understandable, but I do still feel concerned for her. And then, her psycho ex on top of everything smh, I won't be able to handle it.

And you can't even blame Mario either. He did the mission thinking it would help Karen, and Mr. WPNZ told him what to do. Then with the prosthetic taking Mario's arm, it wasn't even him. It was WPNZ, but I do feel like Mario's going to feel so guilty for what he did to 4.

Wrong things for the right reason 😔↕️

Speaking of 4, NO NOT MY BOY. Chat, I'm not okay. Like I knew he wasn't going to die, he's literally one of the main characters, but my heart dropped at that scene. Through the floor and 6 feet underground. I did ask for 4 angst, yes, but damn. Can you imagine how the Crew would react? Since 3 & 4 are cosmically linked, would 3 feel that 4's in critical condition? Oh Beeg, 4's his dad dude. Beeg may be pretty tough but he still cares for 4, hope he gets a bit of revenge for it. (and a sprinkle of mar4 angst)

...am I going to bring in goop!4 into this?

Who do you take me for? ofc I am. As I mentioned, the parasite would still be in 4, and because of what happened to him, it might be the necessary trigger for it to activate. After everything that had happened to him, the explosion really knocked him out. This is taken seriously, this mini-arc starts really close to the IGBP anniversary.... I wouldn't be surprised if the Team tease for the future goop!4 arc. Not immediately after the Hitman arc, far later. Baby steps, chat. If the Team drops at least ONE frame, a SECOND, about goop!4, I'll take it!

Anyway, since it is a mini-arc, we're not getting another teaser or a trailer. BUT we are getting an episode special, so we'll have to look out for that. In meantime, that's all from me. I'll see yall next time and remember, folks: numbers always go first!

man, Ben. I gotta say, the thumbnail you made, it was a cool reference to the Parasite movie poster. Awesome job!

...huh.

[iamnmbr3]

I hate it when people say Ginny "deserved better" when it comes to the way she was written and portrayed in canon. I'm sorry but no she didn't deserve better. She was a barely there Mary Sue character who existed primarily to be the future wife of Harry and link to him joining the Weasley family. She was also supposed to be this very powerful witch but again it never paid off. She didn't amount to anything. She turned out to be a big nothing burger of a character.

Idk. I do think she deserves better, though I definitely get where you're coming from. Ginny as a character really annoys me from book 6 on. Book 6 and 7 Ginny feels like a shallow and annoying Mary Sue and also is just kinda mean and I hate that she never gets called on her bad behavior. As soon as I feel like a story is trying to shove a character down my throat and insist that I love them and that they are flawless, I kinda feel turned off by the character and I want to hate them out of spite. Ginny's pettiness and stuff like her being pretty awful to Fleur and getting angry at Harry for even saying something nice about Fleur even though he has no romantic interest in her just really rubs me the wrong way. Especially bc these flaws are ignored and even glorified by the story. Plus there's not much there with her character.

She feels like this kinda wish fulfillment empty vessel. And I hate that she gets touted as this perfect girl for Harry when their romance feels so empty and her character feels so un-compelling - which is honestly pretty unusual because generally the characters in HP are really interesting, even the ones we only hear a little about.

Now that said, I still do actually feel that she deserves better. What do I mean by that? Well, first of all, in-universe she ends up with someone who frankly, doesn't pay much attention to her. Harry barely knows anything about Ginny and never makes her his priority. Even in the epilogue it feels like he barely even consulted her on naming their children. He never really views her as an equal or respects her opinion. And she seems to feel pressured to act a certain way to please him. Like not crying in front of him because it might bother him, but apparently having been extremely upset after their breakup according to Ron etc. I don't think they are really compatible or have a deep or substantive relationship and I think that's sad and she (or anyone in that situation) deserves better.

Also from a more Doylist POV she deserved better because her character had so much potential. I actually loved Ginny in book 5. She has a lot of growth but also still feels connected to who she was in the first 4 books. She doesn't need to be amazing and perfect at everything. She's human and real. She catches a snitch by luck because it was slow and her competitor looked away at the wrong moment - and she has the humility to notice and admit this. And it doesn't matter. Harry's professional-level good at Quidditch. She's good at other things. Also Harry and Ginny actually have a deeper and more trusting relationship in that book than in book 6, but I digress. She doesn't need to suddenly be an amazing seeker and an amazing chaser and be #NotLikeOtherGirls and super into Quidditch (even tho she wasn't in book 4) to be likable but book 6 makes her all these things and it just takes away from the real and human and flawed and empathetic and actually funny Ginny we have in book 5.

Also her whole backstory from book 2 was really promising. She and Harry could've bonded over both having had Voldemort inside their heads. She could've provided critical insights about Tom Riddle since she spent a year essentially being pen pals with him. She could've had an epic arc where in book 7 she took on a more central role in the fight and ultimately got to face her childhood monster and destroy a Horcrux. Also there was just a lot to explore with her dealing with the trauma from book 2. She could've done so much. But nope. She just gets reduced to Love Interest TM. So yeah we had this really great character who was just coming into her own in book 5 and had all this amazing potential and then gets absolutely torpedoed by JKR bc she doesn't know how to write romance. And I do think that's a shame.

Now I ship drarry and I think that's always going to be the most interesting and well set up relationship for Harry to be in. But I think Harry and Ginny getting together the way they did is realistic but I think they would then realize they aren't really a good match - they don't know each other and both are more attracted to the idea of each other than anything else. I think them realizing this and working through it would be something interesting to explore in an 8th year fic.

[bibibbon]

Tin foil hat moment here. I do think hori sabotage his mc, Izu, but also sabotaged LoV as well. All to make the abusers look better and what is infuriating is how...he didn't even accomplish that.

Saw a post talking how LoV are a bunch of losers bc they couldn't win, even when they had all the advantages Possum aka Shig come across as pathetic (even dabi and I agree bc like what was his goal? Ok, kill himself and Endy but what was he doing to reach said goal? Was necessary be with LoV for that?)

And like we all talk about Izu defending Endy was bs, I totally agree. And it makes Izu look bad.

But you know who else looks awful? Dabi.

Yes, he is a villain and no, not every villain needs to be "this sweet guy that if you give a hug he will be a good guy" but dabi wanting to murder his entire family for no reason ...dabi now being the bad seed all along makes Endy looks bad.

And hell, even am is ruined (rich coming from someone who does call him an idiot) bc he seems to be more fond of bk and shoto, guys who have quirk, over his heir (no, not saying am is quirkcist. I'm saying he is a horrible mentor for Izu and in the end, preferred those have easy quirks to deal with ....like the am iron suit was bad, but it does feel like he sees them as better heroes and may not be intentional but ouch)

I hope I'm making sense here.

Izu and LoV were sabotaged for the sake of their abusers. Bk in the end is the hero with an agency and Izu is a teacher who people, in the fake friend class, ignored for 8 years until he is useful again.

MHA is so grim without people realizing.

I'm kind impressed. Many webcomics who want to be edgy, who show people being viciously murder on first chapter can't reach this level of dispair MHA has...and MHA is "a happy story"

Wow

Hi @mikeellee 👋

The series has a lot of mixed messaging, and this could be summed up to a lot of reasons and various factors . Yes, I feel like you can argue that one of them is the favouritism of certain characters.

The narrative treats izuku horribly but also frames it in a way where things are supposed to not look bad for izuku and that they're actually somehow good for him?!?! @lacunammmm points this out the best in their posts and how the narrative doesn't seem to properly develop izuku or give him proper consequences.

Due to this, I won't be focusing on the narrative treatment that izuku gets because I feel like many before me have done that, and I have covered it in some other posts.

Rant

But why?!?! Why make izuku lose his arms if he is going to regain them in less than a chapter? Foreshadowing? Trying to give the chara ter actual concequences except they're not long-lasting, and izuku never learns to be incredibly self-deprecating? What was the point? Also, why didn't Izuku receive some acknowledgement or canonical consequences for the way he was using his quirk and the lasting impact it must have had on his body? Like the boy was using blackwhip and actively merging it with his body molecules and muscles just to keep moving. He was quite literally controlling his body like a puppet, and there's somehow no long-lasting consequences?

Hori, this is what happens when you use your main character as a mouthpiece and essentially forget all the previous characterisation you gave him as an individual massacring your protagonist!

Now getting onto what I mostly want to talk about, and that's the League of Villains!

Horikoshi fails the league of villains multiple times and I think the most evident time is during the peak of the MVA arc when they gave access to all the resources imaginable to truly achieve their goal of destorying the status quo.

They had a good chunk of resources. Actually, they had a lot of resources that they could have used in so many ways to beat the heroes yet didn't do any of that and still failed because the plot demanded them to do so. Don't even get me started on how bad this missed opportunity is that it makes Shigaraki look like a static character who never learns how to be a good leader and develop a goal outside of just destorying things but learning that he like Stain also despises the status quo and would do anything to change it for the better even if his methods are unethical and extreme.

All of the villains in the League of Villains' goals were tied to the status quo and how they felt trapped by it or wanted to destroy it.

This idea stands for dabi as well, who joins the league for the sole purpose of wanting to destroy the status quo and make Stain's words of a world full of true heroes a reality. The messaging also stands for toga and spinner who all admire Stain as well.

In the end, the destruction of the status quo is what brought this team together even if they might be separated in what that destruction looks like and what they want from it.

Dabi is an interesting character to me that gets done dirty by horikoshi. Hot take, but I find Dabi's hatred towards his entire family interesting because it shows so much of touya in the same breath. Dabi sought the validation of his father until it killed him. He went back thinking that there was a place for him just to see with new eyes the dysfunctionality of his household, and with that, he grew to hate everything about it, even the victims of Enji's abuse. His main goal is to prove enji wrong and kill him even if it costs his life. dabi has a complicated relationship with the rest of the family, or he should have if they were well written. Before the incident, Touya had an unfavourable relationship with fuyumi most likely tainted by his mysgonsitic views towards women, which were most likely instilled in him by enji. Natsou was the only one he truly respected and liked enough to truly confide in while he slowly grew to hate shoto due to what shoto represented. A huge part of dabi's arc should have been him growing to be the opposite of enji, to hate all that enji represents and all that enji is and through that his view of his family members changes. This isn't to say that he should love all of them as I still think that there deserves to be relationships coated with hate and guilt such as dabi and fuyumi or dabi and shoto.

Dabi is a man who would have grown to hate enji and would have been an interesting contrast to fuyumi the women who wants a normal family, who wants to and has desperately tried to fit in the status quo contrasted with the man who lost everything trying to do so and now wants enji's head on a plate.

Dabi and Natsou would be a relationship filled with grief. Natsou knows touya the most and the aspects of touya are forever intertwined in his relationship with natosu. I imagine that in a desperate attempt to erase the past Dabi may try and cut natsou off most likely during his encounter with ending until he relaises that he can't and that there will always be touya in Dabi.

Dabi and shoto is as classic as it gets. The failure and the success. Two sides of the same coin that are ever so separated until they choose to bridge the gap or don't it's up to them.

Dabi and rei may be the most complex of them all to me. Especially due to the emotions it has, the guilt that caused them to go insane, the pain, the grief, the hatred, the love that they have for one another. It's all so much, and a lot of it is bitter but with a hint of hope, hope for reconciliation for the better that can only be achieved after enji's demise in the eyes of dabi.

[cringe6fail6star6]

We all agree that next chapter comes out n MC must ask if the kid saw anyone opening the ark of covenant right? That they should be responsible adult and do something about it? Maybe look inside it just to make sure?

I heard a lot of theories about Minhyeok being like a fragment of God bc God wanted to always be near Solomon/Solomons descendants and stuff. Love the theory 100/100 kind of theory, love it.

But what they gonna do with the kid? Does the kid require devil energy? If not is there a substitute devils didn't know/didn't tell MC about? What if the kid is an angel in disguise? What if the kid doesn't understand devils language, or any beside Korean, so now MC needs to be translator for the kid? Sure devils can understand any language, but kid doesn't, so we should help him. I feel like they should go on shopping spree for kids clothing and stuff.

I just imagine a situation where they take the kid in until they figure out what to do and MC picks the kid up and just walks with him on their back. Kid is tired, if anyone in the party whines about it we should tell them off and to go pester Valefor for help. There's so many possibilities for cute dynamics and comedic situations!!!! Arghhh why the next chapter so far awayyyyyy.

Wait if the kid is Minhyeok how can we get human energy? Are we asking Minsyeok next? Find an alternative, that's for sure. What are the chances that when we see Solomon again, he just pops confetti at us with "Congrats on the kid!"? Pls it would be so funny. Grandpa is always happy seeing his grandkids no matter what generation.

The devils are fighting for MCs attention already, and then they see just some child getting all of it will probably feel like torture. But also consider! MC is a good(ish) parent to that random kid - means they'll be a good parent for the devils n their own kid. If we meet Asmo while this arc happening, H scene will be like 5 episodes, I'm sure of it.

MC humming a tune they heard from Mom Kim to the kid in the dead of night to lull him to sleep, bc nightmares with angels r horrible, n now they have to live with knowledge there's Foras humming the same tune when they're alone. I swear it feels like he's taunting us even tho he just thought it was cute. I just realized that Glasyabolas probably will tease the kid so much.

I'm sure Bimet might give the kid his phone, so he plays games while waiting for MC to be done with errands. Mini Minhyeok hiding behind Valefor every time he hears Glasyabolas or Orias coming closer awwwww. I think Barbatos probably knows how to make flower crowns and teaches him how to make it, too. Levi is conflicted, but he doesn't hang a child if he comes into his office without asking. Gamigin n kid playing tag before Gamigin trips over himself, getting laughed at, or worse, pitied by the child.

Kid napping in MC bed bc comfort and now MC has new phone wallpapers.

Omg the moment this thing is known all of hell is just "CHILD OF SOLOMON HAS A KID???" Oh, Lilith, the online forums about to come to life just to argue. MC gets phone call after phone call from devils they already met and a few more who just learned that. MC gets a headache, mini Minhyeok shows the drawing he was doing for the last 15 minutes while they were on a phone call and it's just him MC n maybe Solomon in the background with shitily spelt "grandpa" in korean. Cuteness aggression will kill me, I swear.

Imagine Orias attempting to draw shit like this to win a few affection points from MC n IT WORKS?? MC fawns over it and pets him on the head bc they think its cute no matter what he drew? Funnier if not and MC just stares at him like he's weird (he is). Still accept the drawing tho.

[gachagon]

Love your Eden’s Garden analyses my dude. Seriously, you’ve tackled aspects of certain characters I hadn’t even considered. I agree about Eloise being one of the blackened, girl is hiding nerves of steel behind a thin layer of shyness. I also think she’s gonna be connected to Desmond as the thing he guards and trusts the most (in reference to what was described in his blackmail). Upon further analysis, Desmond strikes me as someone who wants people to trust him, but has issues trusting others, outside of maybe Eloise. In a nutshell, he wants people to trust him without him putting his trust in other people. That’s his hypocrisy, in my mind at least.

I’m also gonna keep an eye on Grace in the chapter(s) going forward, in addition to Diana and Kai. Her silence after Eva’s execution speaks volumes. Mayhaps she’ll be going through a character arc? I feel like even SHE thought that execution was way too cruel.

On to my questions though! Out of curiosity, with what you’ve said about students’ deaths being linked to their hypocrisies, who do you think is the least hypocritical in the cast? By extension, who do you think is most likely to survive and/or die, at least within the next chapter or two?

Thanks so much lol I'm glad people ave enjoyed my thoughts so far and I've loved hearing everyone else's opinions and theories as well this whole week!

As to answer your question, I've got to say I think the "least" Hypocritical student so far is actually a controversial opinion of mine since I've noticed lots of people don't like his character T_T

It's Kai Monteago. (Note: I have NOT done everyone's FTE's yet but I'm gonna watch each one for this update soon!)

Now, this does not mean I don't think Kai lies or is a hypocrite, just that I think out of everyone on the cast so far he's the one who's the most honest about how he actually feels.

If Wolfgang is the most Hypocritical person because he hides everything he's feeling and doesn't let anyone know what he's actually thinking, then I think Kai is the least hypocritical out of the student body (minus Damon & Diana bc I think they're both being set up obviously as the protag and antag) because he's so honest about everything about himself and doesn't actually feel the need to hide his own insecurities, worries, fears, and anxieties.

Whenever anything goes remotely bad, Kai is always the first out of the cast to admit he didn't actually trust anyone, he's also the only one who's outwardly always wary of others and nervous. He just doesn't like thinking about the potential for someone murdering him or someone winding up dead. But it's pretty clear just from how he acts in his FTE's, trial, and body discovery that he not only doesn't trust anyone there but that he's not afraid to admit that openly when shit hits the fan.

For Kai, it seems like he's fully aware of the situation and thus knows that just agreeing with whatever the rest of the cast is talking about will keep him safe. He obviously is still a bit of a hypocrite because he's judging the ones who openly admit to not trusting other people, but he's also the first of the cast to always admit he had reservations about trusting them to begin with.

In a way, I can't exactly say Kai is a bad person because of his hypocrisy. He's only been an Ultimate for like 1-2 years, which is way less time than most of the student body. All of this is very new to him, he reminds me of Makoto in that sense where he was someone who would've never thought they'd be an Ultimate, or someone who became one by chance. Even the story he shares of how he became The Ultimate Influencer makes me believe that it really was just dumb luck that he got his title.

And he's only really falling in line because he obviously sees the way everyone treats you when you don't agree with the majority opinion, even if that majority opinion is rooted in rationality. In a way, it makes sense that Kai would act this way because he's an Influencer and has to deal with widespread groupthink about himself daily lol Any small action he did in the outside world was scrutinized and judged by an invisible audience, so now when he's in a situation like this he just goes with whatever will make the most people like him.

Though I can definitely see Kai breaking out of that kind of mindset the more he becomes friends with other people, and now that Wolfgang is gone, I definitely think the rest of them will act more freely instead of looking towards a leader of sorts. This is also why I think Kai will be the "support" character for Damon that we thought Eva would be. Kai is the one person left now who's wholly honest about himself, meaning he and Damon can become friends quicker that way and potentially work on investigations.

Also the two of them have very similar talents in the sense that "anyone could do this". But their ideas about their talents are swapped. Someone mentioned earlier that they think Damon might hate being a Debater or that he has some kind of insecurity rooted in the fact that he's a Debater. And I kind of agree. Where as Kai is wholly proud of his title as the Ultimate Influencer, Damon is very insecure about being seen as the Ultimate Debater and makes up for it with a big ego.

He doesn't let anyone look down on him for being an internet personality, and doesn't let lies about his past or things people wouldn't know about anyways (like the scandal he mentions in his FTE) get to him. But Damon flounders when someone even remotely challenges the idea of his talent being "useless" to society. In truth, the both of them are like foils and will probably be paired more often especially since they share a room together.

[viquipo]

No bc I'm so mad rn I usually post my rants on ig stories but I need the tumblrites to tell me if I'm crazy or what. Jwcc/ct spoilers WHATEVER

First of all I want to preface this by saying that this is just my opinion on the matter, I'm not saying your headcanons are "wrong" or whatever tf, it's a kids cartoon where they unironically use terms like "fam". You can play with the characters however you'd like.

That being said, this is why TO ME it does not makes sense for Ben to be anything other than gay. Again, if you think he's bi or straight or anything else that's cool. I'm also leaning towards the opinion that he does actually have a girlfriend. I don't think the shows gonna pull a 180 on it because, realistically, 2 queer characters is already a lot for a DreamWorks kids show. As much as I'd like it not to be.

But, since the beginning, Ben has been very clearly coded as exclusively into men to me. Before finally going into it, I remind everyone on here that I'm a lesbian. I have felt an affinity with his character specifically for the experience of only liking the same gender. I might be totally projecting.

Ok, so.

1. The arc Ben goes through during the show is yes, one of self discovery, but also one of self acceptance. He changes a lot from the start of s1, but he also comes to terms with stuff himself or other people didn't like about him. He doesn't throw the dork pouch away or tells Kenji to keep it, the first thing he does when he takes it back from Kenji is put on hand sanitizer. He is covered in dirt, he's not afraid of filth anymore, but he still does that action because it's part of who he is as a person. He also becomes very unashamed at the things he does. He went from being embarrassed of his carob bars to eating grubs in front of people who he knows think it's gross. He knows himself as he is and he accepts it. To me (and to lots of other people) this works very well as a gay metaphor, and pairs up pretty nicely with the whole "jungle boy? Jungle MAN" arc being a trans metaphor. But how does this make Ben uniquely into men?

Well, it doesn't. But I think this next one does.

2. Enter Yasmina. She's pretty, she's smart, athletic, funny, all that good stuff. I'm not saying that means every wlm character should automatically be into her, but it certainly helps. Now forgive me if I don't remember specific episodes/seasons, but we all remember that episode where Ben convinces himself that Yaz is in love with him for some reason. When he "rejects" her, he says : "I'm just now starting to find myself". That's cool, cause I'm pretty sure Ben's " finding himself " personality wise was over and done a couple of seasons ago. To me, that is a really good hint at him dealing with his gayness.

3. He's also the first person Yasmina talks to about her feelings for Sammy. Now, in this particular context, the options for Yaz to talk to were Darius, Brooklynn, or Ben. It would initially seem to make more sense for her to confide in Brooklynn, since the two of them are far closer than her and Ben, and it also wouldn't be the first time she brings up Sammy as a romantic interest for Yaz (see: everyone tweaking abt that one line back in like s2). So why does Yasmina, a very private and reserved person, choose Ben to talk to about her same sex crush? She has probably gathered from the previous conversation that Ben relates to her struggle in a unique way in which Brooklynn just can't. Ben seems very receptive of what Yaz is saying ("feelings, am I right?") and it seems like he REALLY gets where she's coming from.

4. This is one I don't see talked about a lot, and maybe it's just cause I'm too out of the loop with the fandom, but I want to examine it as well. It's when Ben decides to not actually stay on the island. Everyone (except Sammy) already knew he wasn't going to stay in the end, but still didn't force him out. I think this is especially clear in a line Darius says when they reunite on the boat that goes something like "you needed to figure it out on your own" *smile hand on shoulder combo*. No explanation needed I think

I am diagnosed with autism did you guys know what

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

what do you think jason's life would be like if he had been taken in by someone other than bruce? as in bruce researches a good foster home instead of sending him to maa gunn's or something and he gets to be raised by a relatively normal foster family? what job would he work? what would he major in (i know english is a popular answer but i would also love to hear your opinions on other subjects for him)? if we're talking pre crisis then maybe nocturna (maybe even harvey bullock) but what about post crisis?

idc what bruce's life would be like without jason, i just wanna know how jason's life would pan out without bruce being too involved, i don't like the "he would have died without bruce finding him" route some people take because the possibilities seem endless

HI HI HI!!!!!!!!

There is SO MUCH potential there for him!! So many possibilities to think about it's so so fun..

Personally, I enjoy making it so Jason never dies or becomes something like a crime lord under anyone's care except Bruce's- even including other heros. It is a small joy I give myself

Sooo much potential with what families could adopt him.. like.. awahh there's just so many branches and opportunities for him...

Different families for Jason is really interesting to think about. I think he'd be very against it at first in a way he wasn't against Bruce. Like other than Bruce (literally batman taking him in + gave him the gotham child fantasy dream of being Robin, etc) and Sheila (2 years of having to live with Batman and without friends + connection to his parents) Jason is rather against new parental figures in his life. I MEAN. ok so Nocturna did kinda kidnap him and Catwoman took Bruce's attention which he does hate but like. I stand by this. He does NOT mesh well with being freshly adopted, he's very independent and sees himself grown. But also I will say this is like. A minor conflict overall. A brief bit of tension. He will not start fine with it but Jason is rather desperate for attention and care and I think having his needs met would smooth things out. He is fiercely loyal once he starts liking you but he's gotta start liking you.

On the other hand. I do think Jason would have a rougher time with siblings. Like. It is undeniable Jason gets pretty jealous, certainly in pre-crisis. Dick didn't have issue bc he doesn't live with Bruce and Jason looks up to Dick (though Jason certainly has complicated feelings about him) like I don't think he'd quite know how to deal with it. I can see it being less of an issue than it would be with Bruce (his attachment to B + his isolation from fellow heros + his isolation from fellow kids) but I dunno. I think it should definitely be a point of note even for a little bit. Especially once he gets attached to a parent- potential siblings would be something Jason would tackle with. He's been an only child all his life and he CRAVES attention. He told Julia to move out he hated Catwoman he hangs out with other people when Bruce isn't giving him attention to prove himself or get back at Bruce LIKE. There's gonna be a curve for him. And I think unpleasant feelings will definitely arise if he isn't the favorite but another kid is or if the other kid is taken somewhere and he isn't.

I know fans like putting him in a caretaker role and I do think Jason would take it up if he felt it needed, but I want, more than anything, for a no Bruce au to allow him to be a child

Now this is very largely pre-crisis and I DO fully believe he'd do much better if less isolated and dependent on someone like Bruce for connection and attention. But I still think this should be a conflict early on at least. Like an early arc. A development to be done. Something to keep in mind and all that.

He ran away from Bruce to go back to his original connections BOTH in pre and post when he wasn't getting what he needed (i cheer him on). We hope his new family doesn't reach that point- though for them it might be more of him going to sit in his old home and talk to his old neighbors. I think itd be an interesting point to think about how a different life would lead to him facing Sheila, I can't see him being fine with leaving it alone just unanswered once he learns about her. Maybe he'd be older. Maybe he finds her somewhere else. Maybe he never physically finds her but something online. Maybe he tries but can't find anything. Maybe the search is done by another. But I don't see him leaving it fully alone once he knows. But that's enough about Sheila, she's a bit too associated with his end and feels like it all going down the same path anyway than I care for in this ramble, though there are thoughts to be had on it

He should run away a little bit though. I do think the main conflict of a better life should have him dealing with independence and attention. Being taken care of and having a new family. Not to the circus or a different country but yeah like his old home. Sorry I keep just like repeating this I'm not sure I'm getting the thoughts to paper like a want so I just end up saying it again lol. It gets better and there WILL be better communication and he WILL be doing better than with Bruce but yknow?? If his story has any or initial conflict it will be this or have this somewhere at its core

I think, what's really important to me, is that Jason is a FAST learner. Hes so fast in lost days. If I made him into a pony his special talent would be being a fast learner. It's not like super relevant here I guess but it colors all I do

I also really love the civilian moments we get with Jason, I've made a (still barebones) highschool au with them, and I'm bringing them here too! Jason does extra credit work, he's asks whoever his guardian is to quiz him on the way to school sometimes, he does one of the school's sports (soccer is what's stated/implied, but I heavily associate Jason with baseball + to me that one panel of him playing is equal to one off text saying soccer) HE GOES TO AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS he works on plays/theater, either as a performer or behind the stage, I think both work well. I want him to THRIVE. I want him doing well and doing everything without Robin holding him back. I do not know how on earth he does theater and baseball but he's doing it anyway. I THINK one panel implied him with some sort of class presidency or something along those lines but I CANNOT find it again or know For Sure it was Jason saying it but something to think about maybe perhaps,though its not important to me. I mentioned it in my headcanons post but I definitely see Jason as just.. someone who is doing things all the time. He loves learning and gaining new skills and just doing things, it's real fun

I think Jason really genuinely enjoys school and he'd be able to do way more without Robin on his shoulders. The chance to be able to go back after having to drop out I'd say is really important to him

I imagine he wouldn't so deeply be labeled as boring if he got to do everything he wanted. Though it could still happen. He'd probably have more friends without Robin looming over and affecting him. Any siblings if his age I can see him kinda gravitating towards but kinda weird about if they have their own friends while he's still new in school, whether he joins into the group or forges his own could be an interesting storyline. On his own his friendgroup would be 3 max, not including himself, he does a little bit maybe have a need to dominate it out of a need for attention. I mean. Not like. Dominate it. But like??? He has a mild need to be better than the others in it. Competitive in a probably not very noticeable but happening in his own mind way.

I still haven't made it far in RHATO so how he does in a group/team dynamic thats on more equal ground is not something I've not really yet read or become familiar with in comics. And RHATO is after significant vigilante and Bruce influence. And written by lobdell. The titans team ups have him feeling lacking or like a substitute- Eddie was rather equal but the story deeply short- Annual 12 boys seems older than him but there might be something there about how they sorta brought him to their pack and that probably making him feel special and the leg up he has on them in grades and not getting in trouble. I wiped the intricacies of Countdown dynamics from my memories other than Jason being miserable and kicked down the whole time and being written as more of a generic asshole template character than himself

English is a popular subject but if I may be so real, I'm personally not a fan of it! Farthest I go is librarian or maybe even book store employee, which delight me, but going further is kinda like giving a character who just happens to enjoy drawing an art degree you know? Jason really absolutely enjoys books, but I can't see it as a teaching or studied thing. If he wrote a novel it wouldn't be his job. Just something he'd do. If he got a degree for it it'd be less out of need and more of just sorta Wanting to and having the time and funds

For jobs. I remain I sucker for mechanic or local theater- again in production or behind the scenes or both for theater. Jason loves knowing things and loves having his hands on things so definitely just sorta blue collar jobs I can see him leaning towards or Knowing how to do. I can also see him working for local businesses or in the back of a restaurant somewhere. There's also of course sports. Jason is a fascinating character who's really hard for me to pin in one spot, he has alot of options and he wants to do things. Job or jobs also might depend on the money situation of himself and family. But overall it's not actually that deeply different from how I imagine his canon self. Except ☝️ he can do more because there's no mask to haunt him or potential people he's failing to save. AND. I'm sticking acrobat in here. No Dick to compare to no adrenaline lost no clown murders- I'm giving him back his circus option. ...Now might be a good time to mention I casually mix pre and post crisis together when talking Jason because I think both matter.

He would rather avoid working at a zoo

MAJORS. If money is no obstacle and if not stopped I think he'd dip his toes in alot when it comes to college. I do think he would've like, gotten or earned a scholarship. Majors... I don't know too much about that really, engineering I suppose. Although, if adopted by Natalia there's also an option for astronomy, meteorology, or maybe aviation, I can see her encouraging a love of the sky in him.

Natalia I can see adopting him, rather than a Bruce Wayne plot it being the right place and time where she sees a kid on the streets that reminds her so much of her past self. Fucks with the timeline a bit but maybe have Anton in jail and escaped it already to keep the adoption timeline in place. Anton continues to want to kill a 12 year old. Maybe they become theives together, maybe Natalia takes to a less extravagant life with Jason around, maybe both. Awahh so many possibilities with this alone.... Thieves would probably put him in the direction of Bats like those Stray aus... OH! I'm. So wouldn't be stopped from all the thief tropes I like. It is Disguise and Drama time

BULLOCK!! awahhaahgh he was so important to Jason's story as Robin and I LOVE it and I WANT their friendship but oughh how does it go about now... Harvey adopting Jason would be a REALLY fascinating angle to explore... but without adoption.... Harvey should be a cop Jason decides to bother. Either a Knight Jason messing with him during heists or just a regular Todd who believes in acab. They could meet in a Jason running away plot. They could meet at the theater (does Harvey go for plays or is he more movies? I figure both could work?) They could warm up as Bullock goes through his character development. Ideal world Harvey quits the force. I struggle to see their friendship being quite as strong- or maybe that's just because it'd be in a different direction from solving cases..

Detail not gone in and I can't remember her name if she had one but I AM imagining Jason having a closer relationship with the lady that saved his n his parents things in A Death In The Family. And generally with more neighbors and people in the alley. I mean- this woman we've never heard of before was holding onto those things for him for maybe 2 years? I want Jason to feel more connected there and to its community, people who knew his parents before. Yknow?

Whoever adopts him tries to take him to see and visit Willis Also. May not succeed but they try

No matter what he DOES try to help if he feels no one else will so maybe he could still be a vigilante. Maybe he's offered a different world by a different hero- maybe on the magic he has

WAIT... I'm. Paramedic or doctor Jason...maybe firefighter. An everyday hero could be a fun direction. Firefighter spinning around in my head considering Jason died in an explosion and it's said from smoke inhalation...

I like to think he'd have a firmer sense of self, that he would've had a nice life with more friends and a more communicative family. I think he would've delved into school and pursued interests and passions for himself. Could've lived the rest of his childhood as a child instead of someone whos accepted as grown and old and pushed further into it. Vigilantism wouldn't be wholly off the table i dont think- but it wouldn't be all that's on it. And he'd get his own identity, never seen as a copy and never becomes a ghost or a warning. Maybe its not all sunshine and rainbows but fuck he's alive and happy and has his own name and knew he was loved.

This is a bit of a ramble bdjsbsks, endless possibilities but ah.. I also wanted him to be a happy...

[lost-inanotherlife]

7, 13, and 17 for the salty asks!

thank u for taking pity on me 🌷🌷😂 i just love sending&answering asks 😊

okay, let's gooo! let's see these salty asks!

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

Yep! I was a huuuge Charlie Pace fan, like he was my second favourite character, I just liked him a lot! On a 20-years-later rewatch though? Ahem, well! Turns out that I don't really like Charlie after all. I found myself making too many excuses for the things I didn't like in his character so eventually I had to give up ad admit defeat: Charlie is a bit of a dick. Ngl, I think the writers didn't handle the drug addiction storyline particularly well. I dunno, I find his arc too all over the place, not to mention that its finale message is so dark: if you follow the "recovery" storyline then you have a character who can't really recover, the only way to be "forgiven" is through self-sacrifice which... dangerous message. If you follow the "Charlie is a dick not bc of drugs but bc of his personality + backstory" then you also have the story of a character that can't  be "saved" bc he's "inerehently" off-putting and weird and a bit of a dick, which is also a dangerous message.

I'm not trying to be a moralist but the show does have, at time, a very evangelical vibe that I feel like I need to go against it and say my piece about it, lol. Incidentally, I think this is also why the show definitely toned down (read: did its best to make us forget about it) Jack's suicidality, drug AND alcohol abuse. If you connect the dots the final message of the show is absolutely bone-chilling.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I think Desmond and Penny's love story is... okay, ig. I used to see their love story as the epitome of all love stories but on rewatch it's just... okay. I know, I know, EYE know... it's all very Odyssey-coded and I do like that a lot but... it's also very male-centric and, ngl, I don't understand why Des is so hung up on getting Charles' approval. I mean, YES he has big issues with masculine figures of authority, that much is clear, but why? You gotta give me a reason, brotha. On Penny's side... look, I understand that her name is Penelope but is she a character or an archetype? The Waiting Wife/Lover has to have a personality too and you gotta write it bc I can't do your job as well, writers. Lol.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

I would have completely changed Michael and Walter's stories in S3. Not sure how, maybe I would've killed off Michael while he was trying to save his son and Walt was left to live with the Others like Alex did (he wouldn't know Michael was killed by them or something). I dunno, I'm spitballing now but I'm furious with how they've handled their story. Look, writing children is difficult bc the actors obviously grow up more rapidly than the story but still... they kinda forgot about him while Michael "becoming" Kevin Johnson doesn't make an ounce of sense. Me not like at all. I wouldn't want Michael to die/be killed at all but I understand that, in his case, sacrificing himself for his son DOES make sense bc his story is a story about a HUUUGE sacrifice done in the name of his son's well-being and it's complex and hard and difficult to watch but it's  also so raw and real. I just hate how they introduced something so good and then turned it into something so bad.

thank u so much for this ask, i'm not thinking about 3000 more things about this show hahahah 😘

[sunnymainecoonx]

I'm curious about several of ur little things... (specifically 3, 4, 5 and 6 tbh) 😔😔 (pls talk about them . if u want)

Sighs I guess I have to😔 20 giraffes being sent to ur house atm

Aanywas. 3- dream needs therapy

I have.... a problem. With dream specifically. You see- I. I can't see him happy in any way whatsoever. For.. probably 3 years neow all I see is his life getting worse with a bad ending- all I see is dream angst- that's a problem!11 Basically I can't imagine him with a sense of self. He was used for child labour when he was a kid- but at that time, Nightmare was there to humanise him. But then the trauma happens and for whatever reason Dream continues to do labour- except neow it's in the entire multiverse which is way too much pressure. Due to the way Dream grew up, he feels he needs to help with no breaks, and Nightmare is no longer there to make him take breaks. All Dream does neow is help others nonstop- leaving no time to spend on himself. So yeh. No sense of self. I don't think I have more to share-

4- Dreamtale rehabilitation arc

For unspecified reasons, Nightmare wants to become better. Ofc Dream is the only one willing to give him a chance- so he's there to like. Rehabilitate Nightmare. Nightmares still very narcissistic tho so. There's issues. Anyways Nightmare has to learn to deal with the consequences of his actions, bc his actions against the multiverse cannot be justified. He used to be hated without reason, making what he did to the villagers feel justified, but his actions against the multiverse couldn't be justified bc the multiverse hadn't done anything to nightmare and that sucks. For nightmare anyways. Dream has to teach Nightmare to be nicer and everything. So they get to spend quality time.

Anyways during this time Nightmare realises Dream's bad habits of not taking care of himself. So there happens this parallel thing where Dream teaches Nightmare to be nicer to others, and Nightmare teaches Dream to be nicer to himself. They also realise how different the other is. For so long they only got to see each other in battle, and never saw each other beyond that. And they've changed a lot since last they met. This part is more of a re-introduction thing. They decide they're strangers and just introduce themselves over again as if they actually were strangers(they basically are-). There was more but I got distracted and forgor the rest-

5. Flower AU

An undertale AU... that isn't focused on the multiverse!??!?!?! I've always wanted to make an undertale AU that is-- an UNDERTALE au- so we have the monsters the humans and the underground. Honestly I don't remember too much, but what I do remember.. I don't remember the deal but the monsters all have flowers growing on them. I think it was a curse of some kind? According to old dialogue made for the AU-they're not supposed to have the flowers. Either way, they're normalised and I don't think it hurts them.. The general concept is simple. All monsters have a specific type of flower. I have a list for that- other than that it constantly changes,, the story.. the characters... I never took the time to figure it all out... papyrus is a royal guard tho. That's the. Only certain change-

6. S-s-s-s-s-school!?

School AU.. it's really for the nostalgia. I love love loved Wattpad school fics. ..can't find any good ones anymore tho. Not like I can find any new Wattpad fics at all- I've had like. 3 school AUs before but the most recent one.... follows Cross. Cross rich family yes, except his parents are divorced and his mom took his siblings and he stays with his dad. Anyways Cross lives at place. He goes to school and is best bros with Epic. But then out of NOWHERE his dad says they're gonna move(for some reason the place they were gonna move to got very specifically named Monvera). Cross doesn't get to say goodbye to Epic properly- and just has a quick rushed call before Cross has to hurry packing up. Anyways. Yeah it's just Cross going to a new school. There's also this second thing- ab Epic being depressed. He had. Issues or smth. And they get worse with Cross leaving. While Cross is getting new friends he starts forgetting ab Epic. Yeh. I don't remember more tho ngl

[betweenthescarletmoon]

Hey 👋

So I saw your reblog and post about jayce, and I just wanted to say you managed to genuinely encapsulate what I was thinking about jayce and just how weirdly the fandom treats him and I am so happy about your post!!!

I wanna bring another discussion point to this. What do you think season 2 jayce's arc would have been had arcane not lost its political messaging because I was totally under the impression that after season 1, jayce was going to boarden his views and understand a lot more about zaun and the undercity through his interactions with other characters like ekko, jinx and vi. I thought we were gonna get jayce leaving politics and high society and going back to his roots as a labourer, understanding his original dream to help the people with hextech and improve lives. I thought we were gonna go back to jayce, who has a family that owns a forge factory and that the show was gonna go and link It back to renni and her kid. I thought we were gonna see jayce comment on the zaun child labour.

I thought so much more was going to happen but it didn't. In the end we didn't even get jayce introspection on the weapons he made and its not even clear why he made them (I have my theory as to why) and we don't get his reaction to cait gassing zaun because I can tell you for a matter of fact jayce wouldn't have been cool with that not after he found out what the hexgates were doing to the undercity and not after he came out from the AU where he had to consume pollution that included the grey daily (I fully believe that when jayce came back he was dying from all that pollution)

Jayce is a creator destined to die young and suffer a fate similar to his father

Thank you for letting me ramble

oh man you COOKED with this!!

i gotta say, this rapid-fire hype train after every weekend for s2 didn't help me think much about what could've been, but your ideas are so wonderful that i'm now even angrier that they reduced him to just viktor without properly expanding on his grief and his guilt about it ifywim? like, he lost cassandra too, he almost lost mel, i do see why he would lose that Very New unlearning of his biases after surviving perhaps the most traumatic event of his life before the Anomaly. i loooooove the opening sequence of s2. his shock and dissociation were absolutely delicious. but it's strange that we don't see any more of how that trauma affects him or mel.

i also feel so confused as to why nobody cared that the de facto Head Councilor and Man of Progress disappeared before publicly resigning. yeah we get it man, you love Viktor, but the people needed leadership, and the fact that they all just moved ON?? from him??? without a single explanation? they didn't even extend a notice to him about the meetings, nor mentioned that he was a "coward" in them bc they obviously didn't like him except for mel, etc.

i think what i was most excited about was that, given jayce is not a politician (and it would've been cool to explore him being forced to be a man he isn't given that's his whole s1 arc), but a man who sees the world through the people he cares about, it would've been so awesome for him to learn to work together with vi and ekko to help zaun. i still love his apocalypse arc, but i think it came too fast, too conveniently, and by separating him and ekko even in act 3 it just falls apart for me kinda.

and you're so right. not a SINGLE mention of renni's child? [points at the writers] what have you done to my boy? even just a quiet, short scene of vi and jayce just...processing, as he stares at the weapon that took the kid's life, but saved his, would've probably sent the message home as to why he once again, thanks to fear and trauma, he makes the weapons despite his massive guilt. it would've been nice for us to see him give vi and cait the weapons, and there we can see that he either isn't allowed to know what they'll do but he trusts them, or doesn't want to know bc he's sick of being aware of all this violence in a more selfish way haha. so many possibilities to express his moral dilemma and how the precarious growth he'd built started to fall apart, not JUST because of viktor, but because he is once again faced with the violence he thought for a long time was coming for him from zaun. it is a prejudice, viktor did call him out for it, but in jayce's mind, it could've been proven. he was attacked TWICE by the people he accidentally hurt the most (bc jinx is who she is thanks to hextech), but is he going to be aware of that, or think that all of zaun is out to get him now? a big part of him is his paranoia, to the point that his cave scene sountrack is called that, so it could've been a great theme to foreshadow from the very beginning. if we did all this, then that would explain what they had going for him in this season in a way that didn't erase his character the way they did

i loveee your points on ethical production and labor, and how that would question even his own name's business. all those hints about his father never went anywhere, and they could have if that was explored. but sadly i don't think there would've been enough time for that with the plot they set in motion of the anomaly and multiverse. (despite how i have grown to accept the multiverse ret-con of the mage, and that i adore ep7, it still irks me that we cannot let the multiverse rest, especially in a story that used to be so grounded in our social reality). also yeah i would've loved a bit more portrayal of his new disabilities!! how he struggles now even with his brace, and what that illness/corruption consisted of. but then he died so it doesn't matter :')

i think i've mainly been coping by writing fanfiction. a lot of my gripes with the season are going to be tackled in my ghosts in the hearth series. it may not be exactly what you're looking for bc it takes place after act 2 but i needed it for my sanity XD

thank you for sharing your thoughts! let's be moots :D

[agentoffangirling]

I've done the pros, now here is my cons post about TDP s7. As always, spoilers below

For being hyped up as a major threat, Aaravos didn't do that much. Most of his power is in his words, but he's literally the most powerful mage in the world, with all forms of magic mastered and no need to do incantations for any of them. And yet, he does very little magic in the season (in reference to how much his magic was hyped) and only monologues for the finale. Like. You can do so much. Why are you letting these ants get their way? Why are you bothering with them?

I somewhat dislike how they got rid of Aaravos as well. I agree with several other people when they say we were "cheated", bc there was so much marketing around Callum using dark magic. His arc was leading up to him using dark magic, that's what was foretold from the start. And it's kinda disappointing that they don't go through with it

To add onto my last point slightly, there wasn't enough death for a season finale. I know a lot of y'all are going "death? it's a kids show!" (absolutely not, kid me would be crying at the scenes they show), but we expected there to be some element of sacrifice. While Zubeia's death was incredibly sad and I mourn the death of the other Archdragons, no one else was particularly hurt. Most characters were left unscathed, further adding to the "cheating" part

Claudia should have died. I don't mean that in a bad way, like a "oh I hate her so much!!", no, she just doesn't have anything else to do. Viren's dead and everyone else has left her; her loved ones are what she was doing the whole Aaravos thing for, and clearly, no one wanted to stick around for that. There just isn't much of a reason for her to stay alive anymore and I think it cheapens her to be a puppet of Aaravos forever. Furthermore, her dying would be an excellent way to complete the "doomed siblings" trope. It would all come full circle

I dislike how the show tried to portray Ezran in the wrong for locking up Runaan. At that time, they all still believed Harrow was dead and that Runaan killed him-- if I was in Ezran's position, trust me, I would do much worse. Ezran was right to feel angry and vengeful and I don't think he necessarily should've forgiven him at the end

Filler. To make it clear, I am not anti-filler, and I think shows nowadays trying to remove filler is to their detriment. But TDP has always had a problem with having filler that just. Completely stops the story. And you would think that in a season finale, they would get rid of that to focus entirely on the big threat. But they don't. The scenes of Callum watching the Moonshadow kids are cute, and I love him bonding with Ethari and Runaan, but I can't think much of a reason for these scenes to exist. That time could've been better used to develop other parts of the story and the "meeting the parents" would fit better for the epilogue, not the middle of the season

There was also a ton of exposition dumped on us this season. Again, a problem TDP has been dealing with, but imagine instead of us being told everything about the mage wars and the Orphan Queen, that time used on filler is instead used on a flashback at the beginning of the episode showing how she rallied the troops together. That would be so badass!

These are very few grievances compared to my pros post, like I said, I was content watching this season and I enjoyed it greatly. There's just a couple things they could've done better

[tboyquackity]

@carosbee : 🐺 - Should Wilbur get a redemption arc?

-

ok iwill try to be brief (1/80000). i think this is actually a rlly complicated question w plentiful angles but if ihad to condense MY personal thesis: i think practically everyone deserves redemption, and cwil is no exception. if it was up to me, he'd never see the ppl he hurt again. but the ppl tht love him will always love him. idk if he deserves that. but they do. so if he's gnna come back, v v v bar to the floor least he cn do i acknowledge how truly, truly, truly fucked a lot of wht he did to them was + needs to put an unbelievable amnt of work to deserve their grace and forgiveness no if ands or buts. let me explain ☝️ rest under cut bcs i'm the humble hating nutjob. warning fr cwil "crit" + cwil "neg" (in quotations bcs these r just his canon actions) but i do wnna be transparent that this talks abt said shitter actions n if thts too much fr you yr welcome to scroll away :] gen this isn't a slight do what ygotta! also warnings fr canon typical toxicity and suicide

cwil is capable of being. extremely monumentally cruel. and this isn't a unique trait, many of the dsmp characters are, but the consistency and selfish root and target of his actions iit's like. i feel like i'm in a mass gaslighting campaign or smthng i like never see ppl rlly look at the shit he's done and contend w what it means.

objectively, he's a antagonist in all this, there's really no arguing here. in the pogtopia-manburg war, he's a bad guy who wants to blow up the crowd w him multiple times. in revival, he's a tense force tht imposes on people. the full quote isn't "ctubbo doesn't wnna be like cschlatt." it's "ctubbo doesn't wnna be like cschlatt, and ctommy doesnt wnna be like cwilbur." they're both on the hitlist, like. what does tht say. but, of course, crucially, fr both, he's also a victim. his antagonist role doesn't mean he's not sympathetic, it doesn't mean he wasn't being set up, it doesn't mean he wasn't sick and scared and delusional, it doesn't mean that nov16 wasn't a deeply horrifying suicide attempt. it's all awful and terrible, and he didn't deserve that. and tht can coexist w the fact that the totality of his targets, the power he wields over them, how conditional the remorse he shows can be.* (i won't even get into his wack ass apology streams.) like. you surely get what i'm saying. all those actions he chose to do can be awful too. it can just be two things.

*and ithink thts wht makes ghostbur so effective,,,at least did b4 those stupid ass retcons but idgaf, if it spits in the face of its own internal consistency and lore and betrays the core of the characters, idon't have to hold onto it. so taking this as it was written: ghostbur says he wants to distance himself frm alivebur. the point of that is alivebur n ghostbur ARE the same person. even if it's blurry, even if the intricacies of limbo make things harder to explain. but tht fractured sense of self, a coping mechanism to even be able to live w yrself...he wants to seperate himself in the sense of separating his actions, not wanting to be hated, not wanting the weight of it on his shoulders...there's a Lottttt of scenes where ycn p easily parse tht ghostbur DOES remember more thn he lets on, he just doesnt wnna look at it. he cant bare to. it's tragic.

i'm bringing this up bcs up to this point, iwas v much still on the guys side even if he was. intense smtimes, to put it mildly. ycould rlly feel tht sense of remorse and pain and iwas like ok...this will all. mean smthng. but for it to do that, it needs to contend! it needs to take his mistakes seriously while understanding the pain that lead to them, it needs accountability and sympathy and an actual point, and instead it delivers on fuck all. it wants to have its cake and eat it too, telling us the audience oh! isn't he sooo sad! please extend your understanding! while still having him over and over do worse and worse actions tht "being sad" don't erase. while not wanting that understanding to extend to the people he harms.

and it doubles down on that all through the revival arc.

if i may be so bold. ithnk ppl smtimes overstate or overlean on cwil mental illness as sm barrier. it's always this nebulous third thing tht conveniently absolves him of everything,,,even the smallest, more coherent moments robbed of their agency bcs its more palatable fr him to be sm poor baby woobie rather than sm jackass who smtimes just makes the wrong fucking choice. which imo is the more interesting version of the character, as is for all characters!

and ithnk tht v revival arc then also recontextalizes his earlier actions...ythink its just the circumstances, it's largely, maybe, probably just that, maybe, and sure, he's being selfish and shitty, and awful, and he's still responsible fr a lot of it, but he's struggling, he's hurt, it's fucking SAD! i feel for the guy, it all just fucking sucks!! and that hope is still there. and then you're forced to see tht it WASN'T like sixty flukes, it wasn't just this continuous, continuous set of mistakes, it wasn't smthing he... cwilbur just fucking sucks. ok? he just fucking sucks sometimes. he'd short sighted and self serving and places his own needs above others. over and over and over.

he abandoned his son b4 and after revival. he disowned fundy, mocked him for his spy efforts, fucking. waterboarded him? even if it's more comedic on his end, this was a v serious moment fr cfundy! and tht never comes to fruition bcs cwil Doesn't Respect Him. can you imagine if any other character did this? he watches his kid kill himself infront of him, just like his own dad did to him, and then left him behind. never checked on him again despite saying thts all HE wanted fr HIMSELF. cwil got revived and he never even looked for cfund, despite cfundy counting on it, preparing fr a grand total of nothing. even cq feels so bad abt it, he lies to cfundy's face to spare his feelings abt the fact cwil has been popping into lnv to see everyone BUT cfundy. wow.

he CHOSE to scapegoat tubbo, demean him, and physically punish him fr disagreeing him on nov16! he wanted the destruction to hurt ctommy the most specifically, but whn ctommy rejected being on stage in the middle of a pre-planned ctech attack, he was more than happy to settle fr ctubbo!! LOL. (and i'll get into how he treats ctommy more just hold on a second.). cwil was more than happy to put this kid in this position knowing ctech would shoot him in the face. which is the second time he's done that. btw. three if we wnna count the pit and a different target. which i do. LOL. you're a good kid, and an even better spy. i'm going to put you in a position i instigated and i consider dangerous for my own gain. you're not a coward, tubbo, are you? give the signal so i can blow up the crowd with you inside it. 😁🔫 guys.

ctubbo has his batch of "safe targets", ppl he cn talk to and confront knowing they won't hurt him, and cwilbur just isn't one of these people. he made the kid CRY upon revival. he put him in a position where his feelings were more important thn ctubbos grief and fear, both b4 and after death, GETS HIS HUSBAND KILLED over literally nothing, then gives him the empty gesture of an empty country after, smthng ctubbo never wanted, who stays quiet and small and yessiring all the way, in a direct parallel to all the other times he's disrespected him, as well the country being a parallel to the time he set it up fr him to get shot in the face. twice. need i mention. smthng tht perma-killed cschlatt. btw. which iwill get to ☝️ as cschlatt and cwil are canonical parallels, and it provides insight to my point here. they r v v v important and crucial to eachothers arcs, and yet the way they're treated by the larger fanon is completely different and erm. well. like. ido fear it's relevant.

ppl looove to invent shit fr cschlatt, say he's this n that, crazy n volatile, take scenes where he's doing fuck all and interpreting it in the most bad faith way possible to reverse engineer a point. it's shitty n bad fr a multitude of reasons, which i've touched on quite a few times, but it bcs extra stupid bcs erm. uhm! cwil is actually the one doing all that shit. like. on screen. on screen! HE'S the one who actually had a son, who he abandoned and is awful to! HE'S the one who HIT TOMMY fr disobeying him in a srs context like ihave the clip of ywnna act crazy!!! cn you imagine another character doing shit like this? HE PERMA-KILLED JACK W HIS OWN TWO HANDS IN A PARANOIA EP! which again, that paranoia and illness- it's awful, it's sad, he's not well, same as other characters but. like. is there nothing to unpack here? he never apologizes to the guy! he never feels bad! he never visited him whn he came back! he didn't pass it off (like he was capable of doing w the pit), he didn't perma-die in the grief/confusion of it then ask in genuine shock how smone else let that happen and then forget he ordered the execution in the first place, fully thinking the person was still alive. cwil just did it. and nobody cares! what does that mean? how am i supposed to feel abt that?

and tommy oughwmmy goddddd. how much sympathy am i supposed to feel when he spent the entire month ctommy was trapped alongside him in limbo, in SENSORY DEPRIVATION, insulting him, demeaning him, saying he deserved to be dead and this is all there is and leaving the kid horrified of him, of himself. cschlatt is right there with them, w the same disorders he has, and he's perfectly capable of leaving the kid alone and still being held in a "looking up to" status by ctommy even up to the last streams. how am i supposed to feel when he set sm shit abt pogtopia up to hurt ctommy the most as possible? insulting him demeaning him? ctommy says himself tht cwil scares him, tht he wants to protect others frm the manipulation he recognizes he's done to him, admits in a moment of panic tht he's actually v hurt cwil threw away his sacrifice w his discs back in the day fr his ego! he himself says this b4 cutting himself off! and none of this even scratches the SURFACE of wht cwil is willing to do to this kid he considers an extention of himself.

on that point. why is it so easy fr ppl to discard that on an objective level, cwil wanted ctommy to "understand wht he feels", and tht means becoming goddamn suicidal. he wanted to break him down, he wanted to twist the knife, he was willing to say anything and do anything as long as ctommy suffered so HE could feel justified in his OWN suffering. this sweet little boy who fights for him and does anything he asks, who looks up to him like he's his world, who puts himself in danger over and over again as long as he can make cwilbur safe and happy. EVERYTHING ctommy does is fr him. and cwil chooses HIM to lash out on. he finds every angle to humiliate and isolate this boy who he raised like oughmny god! this isn't a partners conflict w ppl of the same age w no real power over eachother, this is a grown ass man who can't stop punching down at the kid HE raised tht HE made his family tht HE made unspeakably codependent on him!

how am i to take him manipulating ctommy into not entering lnv, to not hang out w smbody who has proven over n over again to be in ctommys corner in a "him vs me" framing? smone who point blank calls out and gets incredibly upset on ctommys behalf fr the awful things cwil does to him? why SPECIFICALLY is smone like that a threat to cwil? is weaponizing the pit tht HE built and HE encouraged to paint cq as crazy, whn he's canonically v weak not a threat and not willing to hurt ctommy in any srs context, while HE was the one who pushed an actual dangerous fuckhead to beat him into the ground? (and again, this parallels the festival, ik he's manic and sick, but then tell me why he did it another time before and another after!!) wht abt the time he forced ctommy into the prison in sm elaborate plan to make HIMSELF feel better, destroying ctommy's most important property on a lie so the kid CRIES CONVINCINGLY ENOUGH HYSTERICALLY ENOUGH? actively putting a target on ctommys back then ABANDONING HIM COMPLETELY, LEAVING CTOMS SOBBING AND BEGGING FR HIM TO NOT LEAVE HIM TO THAT? are we actually SERIOUS?

so what, are all these things RLLY abt just cwil hurting Himself? none of this is allowed to be his fault, none of it affects the other characters? is this framing of his entire character actually worth something out of a deliberately obtuse way to declaw whtever he does? no guys, it isn't him hurting others, its just at himself! like 1. you cannot do both things at the same time, and 2. does tht suddenly erase the v real damage he does to them? 3. IT'S NOT EVEN TRUE.

and b4 iget sm beastly ghoul on my house, lemme be clear. ☝️ i thnk mental illness objectively changes how smones actions should be read and taken as, and i DO think mental illness cn just be an "excuse", whatever the hell tht means fr some. it's all case by case. like sorry if smone is so delusional they don't know wtf is happening, there's no reason to punish them bcs WHY. wht do you gain frm hurting smone who can't see the full picture in that way. and yes, ik sm ppl cn cling onto things a touch too much but. yget what msaying, right?

the point i'm trying to make here is tht even tho thts my belief, i still v much think the ppl affected are allowed to feel as they may. a car accident may be an accident, but the ppl injured are still injured. and i think if ycrash a car you should maybe pay the damn insurance! or accept you did it! or at the v least feel sm kinda bad abt it in a way tht isn't exclusively self pity! like fawk!!! and esp when you do it COHERENTLY! ON PURPOSE! SELFISHLY AND CONSTANTLY AND MALICIOUSLY!!! LIKE FAWKKKKK!!!!!

so to close my thesis, again. i do think he's still, still, despite everything, despite EVERYTHING, i think he can be redeemed. if it was up to me, he should heal on his own goddamn time, his own new set of people, and he'd never fucking see these kids again i swearrr to god i'd kill him. and i didnt even touch on other ppl he acts crazy to!but. idk. it's crucial tht these like sweet-hearted, warm-hearted, forgiving, family first, the love was there, we choose eachother ass little freaks would still accept him into their life, even if it took sm work, even tho ithink they'd be better off never seeing his ugly ass again. so i'll just stand over him w pliers and if he does anything crazy mgnna start prying out his knuckle bones one by one i'm 100% srs. and i personally will never ever ever ever be fucking w him again. EVER.

[lemonhemlock]

I love Larys this season and his scenes with Aegon that's all. Compelling and Matthew Needham is quite a force. Well and Rhaena hunting down Sheepstealer is good. Nothing else is fun.

i agree about larys with the one caveat i'm going to list below

larys is probably the one green character who makes the most sense, both that his characterisation is consistent AND the way others view him and his reactions to that MAKE SENSE. larys is still larysing but when aemond proves to be a contrarian he switches back to aegon. for once, aemond's shenanigans get proper consequences from his small councilors.

how does alicent not have any leverages against being dismissed when she is the one hightower representative left? sure, aemond sends back for otto, but do you think the story frames that as compensation for dismissing alicent or did the writers feel obligated to bring him back bc he needs to have his death scene? not one braincell was put into this. daemon does shit in the riverlands and the riverlords STAND UP and bully him back. he also has a big scary dragon and they don't give a shit, so it CAN be done, the writers know deep down how to do this, IF THEY CAREF

why is tyland not putting his foot down and demanding something for house lannister? his brother has a bunch of maiden daughters and daeron is unmarried and has a dragon. the frey lord and lady negociated with jace for their support, jeyne arryn is PISSED that she didn't get what she wanted

what the hell is ironrod even doing? he threw in his lot with aemond but aemond doesn't seem to like him or even give a shit about him so why doesn't he have some kind of reaction. i guess the discussion with larys could have been a step in the right direction because you can say he is testing out the waters to see if he can curry favour with aemond by offering up intel OR if he could forge an alliance with larys and go from there

and this is where i have an issue with the writing bc, on the one hand, they are categorically NOT portraying larys as incompetent, but they are also inadvertently making him SO BAD at his job by making these stupid changes from the book. another symptom of wanting to have one's cake and eat it too. the city is in lockdown but rhaenyra can sneak in, no problem, elenda can not only sneak in, she can access an entire network of pro-rhaenyra agents larys somehow knows nothing about, can raise literal riots, can recruit dragonseeds (why do you even need dragonseeds from KL when you're living on dragonstone?!), rhaenyra's food can reach the population somehow even though there are checkpoints at every entry, the dragonseeds can leave by boat and LARYS KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ANY OF THIS 🧍and no one even thinks to ask him 'hey wtf is going on? you're kinda fired'. but they can't, can they? they can't get rid of larys because he is important to the plot and they need him in the thick of things!

there's a dumbass post circulating now in which someone ✨generously✨ gives people permission to complain about the show but without bringing that "boring book" (FB) into discussion for a comparative analysis. because apparently the book is bad but somehow not bad enough to keep watching tv media derived from it 🤡

the problem with HotD is that it makes FB the pinnacle of logic and storytelling. it doesn't fix any problems, it compounds them. this shit with larys would not fly in the book bc it is dumb as fuck! so you can't help but compare it to the book where these things did not have to be explained away by waving a magic wand or getting a lobotomy

this post is long enough as it is and other people have already explained the problem with the rhaena storyline, so i won't get into it right now, but, in a nutshell: her story can make sense in a void, she get a semblance of an arc: she wanted a dragon and now she will get one and goes on a journey of re-defining her identity, i suppose, after having been dismissed as not sufficiently targaryen as a result of her being dragonless. so, it's the classic problem of making sense in a watsonian way, in the context of the show, but in a doylist way it's Not The Best because they have to delete the only canonically POC low-born character. so we lose that perspective in a show that already prioritizes the highborn

larys has the same problem with him being a sexual deviant directly connected to his disability. as an individual character, it can be explained and justified, but as representation for disabled people (who suffer from a severe lack of representation in media as is), it's Not Great