#and at the same time obviously there has to be space for growth. like. we can't damn people to being the people they were at 24

[finitevariety]

it's wild to me how people get facts and logic very quickly about their faves whilst ignoring how hard it is to ever have evidence of creepy behaviour between you and a stranger you met in person.

Ultimately the nature of interactions is that you can't always provide a citation for everything that happens.

Braun's behaviour at Ray's, in itself, could be just regular consensual fun between adults—though imo a little pathetic because in essence he's created a fan farm from which, on any given night, he can thwap a willing woman's body out of the pile like a salmon from a pen. So, whatever, if we're going facts and logic about this: disregard.

But is it more believable that the tiktoker—a young woman, who has pictures, who knows that by saying this she is inviting a huge amount of negative attention—is lying, or that Nicholas Braun did in fact try to sleep with her despite knowing she was a minor?

Sometimes people allege things that aren't true. Mitski did not, for example, traffic children(!), and that was obvious from the jump. But what about this scenario rings as unbelievable to you? Is it because he's tall and goofy? Did you see him cover Non-Threatening Boys and internalise it as fact? What more evidence should she, or could she, have obtained in that scenario?

Like, sure, the story about him actually sleeping with a different girl the same age is technically hearsay, but this isn't a literal court. I feel pretty fucking comfortable saying that the meat of the tiktoker's story—everything about what happened to her personally—is enough for me to form a conclusion.

[dazzling-raven]

Thoughts and rambles on episode eight! Spoilers below the cut ^^

Alright. Now that I've had a moment to process how everything went down, I have some thoughts. I'm going to try not to write a 5 paragraph essay on the thing, but the one major thing I'd like to say is that the episode is visually phenomenal. Absolutely stunning. Blew my mind. However, it did feel a tad bit rushed.

Now obviously this is the episode where everything hits the fan and nobody really got to sit down and have a ten minute therapy session, but I'm kinda disappointed in how the character arcs were wrapped up. It kinda feels like this episode was a giant boss fight and then nothing else really. Happened. You know? Like the big bad is defeated and we're all happy now. Wich they absolutely deserve after going through that hellstorm, but a little elaboration would have been nice.

That aside though, there were lots of moments in the episode that I loved. Like the bit where N and Uzi were arguing in the spaceship and N said something along the lines of 'I'm so mad at you right now' but then they immediately hug each other and put the argument away for a moment when they weren't being chaced by giant space tentacles. I think this in itself is massive character growth for him, and communicating is key for a good relationship. Wich speaking of.

Nuzi is cannon! We got a confession. Loved that moment. I guess better late than never, right? And their dorky litte handshake mid boss fight? They both have a total of four braincells and they take the other two from their partner whenever one of them is in danger. I love it. Need more of that dynamic.

And V. I feel for V so much in this episode. The scene in the tunnel broke my heart. You cannot tell me that she dosen't at least feel a fondness for their time at the mannor because she was so sad but so relieved when she found out that he was ok. I want more of them so bad. Also I near shrieked with joy when she came in riding the sentinel like a total pro, that's probably one of my favorite little side bits.

Also I really feel for all of you Jessa shippers. I hoped on the Jessa train not too long ago myself, and I was really disappointed with the way they handled J. But at the same time, I think it's hilarious that she canonically died 3 times. Like. How did you even manage that. Even so, her character had a purpose, and I guess she served that purpose.

Also kind of disappointed that Thad, kahn and Lizzy were kind of just. There. But I did love the fact rhat lizzy and V's sentinel had beef from minute one. Girl cannot catch a break.

In all, I thought this episode was amazing. It definitely has it's flaws, but it's a strong episode and one of my favorites. It made me laugh, it tugged on my heartstrings, and it was a phenomenal end to a phenomenal show. So Liam, thank you for telling your story and bringing people together in only the way you knew how.

[sharonisthebettercarter]

Well the comics did a good job squandering any sympathy and shiz for dicklander, and the show too. I only feel bad for his child self. His grown ass can get attacked by rabid kryptonian dogs for all I care.

i disagree.

and look, i ain't gonna tell you how to feel boo, i can't obviously. i can only spew out nonsense and hope i might reach you or someone else who comes along to read my long winded bullshit.

but while both renditions are pieces of shit, i feel so much for comics homie too if not more. he's even more whoobie than show homie but gets dismissed but i digress.

throughout the story, we're made to feel *suspicious* about the claims on homelander or that his story may have more than meets the eye. ennis presents it point blank. he doesn't tell the reader how to feel about homelander, or anything, or anyone. he makes it clear how billy feels, how other characters feel, but he also certainly makes it show that things aren't quite adding up about him and billy's claim. he presents the story and lets *you* the reader feel (which is what real *good* writing does)

BUT it's framed out in a way to make the reader realize he *wasn't* this big bad awful guy he was made out to be, a piece of shit sure, but and not the real monster they were after, that billy was fuckin' wrong (like his dumb ass always is), that his end and final point in the story was manipulated, coerced by outside force, and not truly justified as a result.

leik, this guy got his WHOLE LIFE fucking RUINED, his whole self image, gaslit into fucking oblivion to *believe* he was a bad guy until he *became* a bad guy, after literally never once getting a *choice* for anything, ever, at all, at any point in his whole gotdamn life.

this boi never had a chance... and even after ALL that. people STILL want to control or punish him when he lacks one major vital thing that would warrant him *actually* deserving that.

AGENCY. fucking agency, the answer is agency, homelander has none of it, never has, and still does not have it. (he pretends to but it's not quite the same, the lack of it is what makes him a ticking time bomb)

you seem like someone to really value your own agency so idk, i feel like you should get that??

BUT GOTDAMN LET THE BOI JUST FUCKING BREATHE AT LEAST ONCE PLEASE????

UGH

just try to imagine if every single choice in your life was made *for you* by *someone else*, and that's homelander. and it doesn't stop into adulthood, it just turns into a fucking fucked up conservatorship beside someone who wants to kill you, oh yeah, and stunted growth so you never get a chance to really grow up and feel like or be your own person either.

like i'm not kidding, he might as well be a child STILL in that regard and it is super fucked up how often people exploit and groom him that way. i don't care if he's fucking 16, 40, or in his 70s, the man *ain't* grown like he should be and *needs* the space to actually *grow* before we decide to fucking judge him, else we're no better than his abusers.

and when a kid commits a crime, it's the parents/guardians that are brought up on charges/trial. there is a *reason* for that.

homelander's very clear lack of sanity/mental capacity and vought being his 'guardian'/conservator?? (if he even is a real legal person...) would put him under this spectrum of bullshit, and baby i don't want to say it's ableist not to acknowledge this, but...

i mean if i'm being real, it kinda sorta is...?? wait... HOLD THE--- FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! OH MY FUCKING SATAN--it IS!! and I JUST GOT WHIPLASH FROM WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE BOYS FANDOM WHEN IT COMES TO HOMELANDER.

this motherfucker is *CRIMINALLY INSANE*, emphasis on that last fucking part, in every sense of the word *CLINICALLY*. and when that happens, even the fucking laws in the fucked ol' U.S. of A. DO NOT 'punish' a mofo by regular 'incarceration', they still order institutionalization but with a HOSPITAL for TREATMENT. (granted there are a whole mess of other problems in this country that still do not handle this properly jesus fucking christ--)

ABLEISM! it's fucking ableism that doesn't let fandom recognize this!! EVEN some of the people who claim to love him!!

except THEN make it WORSE on top of everything *because* of the stunted growth and vought AND limited personal agency and... fuck me... UGGGGGGHHHHHHH--

but THAT is homelander. and uh... yeah. yeah, you'd probably lose your gotdamn mind too, i don't think ANYONE could walk out sane, realistically speaking. pain is easy to say we'd walk out clean from, and then we all turn into pussies the *second* it's our turn to deal.

and the whole point of the twist is to rob you of any satisfaction of his death and make you angry at his circumstances rather than at him. again, ennis doesn't explicitly *tell* readers how to feel because it's more of a graphic novel but...

i personally think the show is aiming to recreate this effect because if they can pull it off (and manage to make an entire population feel like utter ableist shitheads for wanting him dead), then they'll be pulling off some kinda magical MAJOR amazing heist of the feels for the ages that will *hopefuly* be enough to push society in some better directions than its current state (man, we really could not have asked for a better time for this series... holy shit--)

as much as it pains me, *this* was why he was killed in the comics. not just for... ugh, sadness, realism... but because it was *part* of the lesson in exemplifying what was actually wrong.

man i am just way too fucking hyper analytical with this shit and also sometimes SO SLOW i--

[heretherebedork]

Hi!

I think I upset you with my reblog and commentary, and I want to apologize. 

My commentary wasn't meant to be "you are WRONG and I am RIGHT". I just wanted to play in the same sandbox with the idea you presented, and I think the way I wrote came across as more absolute declarations instead of wanting to talk more about how Ming still has a long way to go to show that he's changed inside vs his actions and how we the audience interpret it so radically different based on our own ideas/experiences. I don't want to silence opinions or takes. The opinions are the fun part! It really was meant for fun fandom discussion! 

I sincerely apologize. I will not hijack another of your posts. 

"And then Tong gets kicked off a cliff." - Please let me say how much this is the most unifying statement we all agree on. 

I understand that and I do strongly believe that the fandom has conversations to be had and I know it wasn't meant to be how I read it but... yeah.

Thank you.

I'm not... I mean, man, how does a person phrase 'I'm not seriously upset but it bothered me in a way that I know it shouldn't have".

Ming does have a long way to go.

But, and I say this because I don't know how else to say it, your phrasing left no space for that growth. And that was what bothered me. Because you tags definitely implied something very different than the rest of the writing did. The post itself, to me, implied that Ming was entirely wrong and needed to leave Joe alone and that there was no growth or chance of growth. That Ming couldn't bring Joe joy or warmth.

I think the problem is that it's not that I want to shut down the idea of hijacking, that can be fun! But when the hijacking is entirely the opposite point of the post... it's a struggle for me.

And that's why I almost didn't respond. Like... I don't want to say 'don't ever do this!' I just want to say 'don't shut down what you're hijacking'.

Sorry.

But also thank you. Like, I get it. When you put it like you did here, I obviously have no arguments! Like, dear lord, Ming has so much growth to do and he's just started! But he has started. And taking all of his started growth and turning it into a negative is just... making his growth impossible and I've seen enough takes like that.

So anyway.

I'm not saying never hijack or don't talk or don't interact with me. I'm saying... if your entire point disagrees with my point entirely... that's time to make a new post! Because your point is better on it's own without mine.

(Honestly, it feels weird to say this, but your tags talking about your excitement about everyone's response and your post just being a declarative shut down of my happy post really did push me to respond. Because your tags and this both feel so positive and enjoyable and the post itself felt like it was just a refutation to my post.)

[familyabolisher]

can you elaborate your thoughts on 'the bear' show? i keep seeing it all over my dash and it looks interesting but i wanna know what to look out for since you said the politics isn't handled well.

having now watched all of the second season—a major problem sticking out to me is that the show can’t quite decide what tone it wants to strike. in season one, you had these dream sequences intended to communicate carmy’s [in]ability to process his feelings about michael, spliced with an otherwise v realist tone—but the show never really leant into either consistently using a surrealist external world to represent something internal to a character or going straightforwardly realist. season two has, eg., a moment where syd sees the text on the rapidly generating tickets change from table orders to like “fuck” over and over, and, like—it’s the same thing again, it’s the use of an obviously not ‘literal’ physical space communicating the mental headspace of the character whose perspective we briefly occupy, but, like, the show can’t quite commit to the tone that this slightly trickier technique demands, so it just feels awkward and clumsy and like a cheap way of communicating a character’s internal state. i thought the bit in season one where carmy dreams he’s on a cooking show that goes horribly wrong was really tonally effective and an excellent segue into the rest of the episode, but, like, they just kind of pull this conceit out when they need it and ignore it when they don’t. and i wish they’d try to do more with it! shit or get off the pot.

the dialogue is also just … pretty weak at points. there’s a lot of like, characters launching into anecdotes as a technique of exposition, which … i can put up with once or twice, but when it just keeps happening, i can’t help but think of it as lazy writing. season 2 also seemed to spread itself far too thin; we have different episodes dedicated to different secondary characters, which if handled well could be effective—the idea is that they’re a team, that everyone contributes something and everyone has to pull their weight, and we spend time with each individual before seeing how it all comes together at the end. that did kind of half-land in the final episode, but on an individual level, the episodes just weren’t tightly constructed enough for any one storyline to feel complete. tina and marcus in particular felt … underused, underdeveloped, i feel like i barely have more of a sense of their characters than i did at the end of season 1. marcus’ episode especially felt incredibly flat; we learnt (through Dialogue Exposition) about his relationship to his terminally ill mother, which i think worked well enough, but other than that, the process of learning new baking techniques felt half-assed and lacked any real tension, will poulter’s character was completely forgettable. glad we got some pretty shots of copenhagen, but like, what was the point.

ideologically it sucks lol. there’s a chef who’s fired for doing drugs which the narrative is v much fine with, there’s pithy comments about people coming into the restaurant in groups and buying one thing so they can sit around, there’s … just no real sense of the ways in which restaurants are classed spaces, service work is a denigrated form of labour, hospitality is a v abusive industry … richie’s episode in season 2 focuses on him learning some nauseatingly bootlicky hospitality shit as a barometer of Character Growth to the point that i was laughing when i watched it because i couldn’t take it seriously at all. (there’s a line where a manager says that serving fine dining guests can be compared to looking after people in hospital in terms of the level of care you bring to the job … i guess that’s why they call it … Hospitality … and i was just sat there cackling. like, be serious.) there’s just no drive to interrogate the hospitality industry & how the impression of servitude and deference is built into the world of fine dining and what that means, no serious criticism of restaurant work beyond carmy’s flashbacks to chefs being abusive to him that become a discursive dead end when the show doesn’t develop them to tackle the nature of fine dining itself.

my final big problem is that it’s very thematically flimsy. the conceit of the show is that carmy has to interrupt his career as a fine-dining chef to come and work at michael’s v modest sandwich shop whilst emotionally processing his suicide—so it seems pretty clear to me that this would play with tensions between the culture of fine dining and that of a failing sandwich shop, right? like, clashes when the fine dining chef tries to bring fine dining techniques to the new place, in the end we all learn a valuable lesson about what we can all teach each other or whatever? and season 1 does do this, but even at the points where it seems to want to criticise the fine dining industry, by season 2 it seems to have pretty definitively joined the war on fine dining on the side of the fine dining. there’s not really a drive in season 2 to interrogate what it means to turn a neighbourhood sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment; how do regulars feel about this? what about the locals who might now be priced out of it? what about the question of gentrification? none of these are ever really brought to the forefront. in season 1, we got the sense that carmy’s fine dining world was sterile and alien where it wasn’t actively abusive, and the sandwich shop allowed him to escape that world—so why aren’t we asking questions about what kind of restaurant culture is really valuable, what really makes for good hospitality? even in a show that obviously doesn’t want to ask serious questions about restaurants under capitalism, there are all these little channels of negotiation that season 1 seemed to set up only for season 2 to let them drop.

so, yeah. i’m not convinced the show really has a strong sense of direction. season 2 felt very all over the place, and seemed to want to juggle so many things at once that it ended up not really landing any of them.

[girlboypersonthingy]

hi!! i love ur writing sm :D

do u think u could do a pidge x reader where reader is english/history smart and pidge is math/science smart, so they became academic rivals (but they always secretly respected and even admired eachother), never saw eachother after pidge left for the garrison and THEN somehow find themselves together again on the castle ship. (maybe reader helped keith save shiro or sumthing like that?)

kinda a classic academic rivals to lovers thing

i daydream diff scenarios with her too often lol

sorry if i didn’t leave a lot of room for imagination :( but i’d love to see ur take on it if possible!!

THIS IS SO ADORABLE YOUVE GOT TO B KIDDIN ME RN 🥹💚💚💚 I love my little Pigeon girl, they are my fav Paladin by far. Also sorry, I bounce between she/her and they/them for Pidge. Idk it’s a habit…also LEE PLZ FORGIVE ME FOR TAKING NEARLY A YEAR TO GET TO THIS 🥹

Academic Rivals to Lovers w/ Pidge

So it all started when Pidge and you were both new to the garrison. You both kept hearing about this super smart person that was new to school and, in typically cocky fashion, you both assumed everyone was talking about you, as in yourself. But then…Lance started teasing Pidge about how there’s another new crazy intelligent kid and telling her she has competition now.

Immediately upon hearing this, Pidge takes it upon herself to figure out who you are, what your deal is and if she should consider you friend…or foe

The first time you two meet, it’s a bit awkward. It’s sort of like…both your friend groups helped yall finally meet and get to talking. They figured you guys could keep up with each other in convo, both being so smart and well spoken. As your friends all stood around, obviously clueless as to what yall were talking about, your friendly banter quickly escalated to you and Pidge very loudly debating which is more interesting and essential to the evolution of human life and knowledge, English and history OR math and science.

Pidge is probably now yelling something like “HOW ELSE IS HUMANITY GONNA EVOLVE?! SCIENCE AND MATH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR NEW DISCOVERIES AND FUTURE GROWTH AND FINDING OUT WHATS BEYOND EARTH AND-“

And you’re now trying to yell over her “YEAH OKAY OKAY AND HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF !!! HOW WILL HUMANITY EVOLVE UNLESS WE KNOW ABOUT ALL THE HISTORY OF HUMANS AND MISTAKES WEVE MADE AND-“

Everyone else around yall: 🤔😥🫠

From that point on, it became a competition, it was all about who could finish their test first, who could finish their book first, who got the higher grade on their essay or quiz.

Then, Pidge started trying to one up you by learning even more about YOUR fav subjects just to rub it in your face that she’s smarter and better than you in EVERYTHING AND EVERYWAY. (Not really, she’s actually just trying to impress you but also playfully tease you about it)

And guess what…you do the same. Y’all are basically like Keith and Lance with that love hate, frenemies type relationship.

And secretly…yall are pining so hard for each other, not so much annoyed at how smart the other is…but more infatuated with learning more about what the other is really into. You complimented each other well. You had a lot in common while also being total opposites in some aspects.

Pidge finds herself in bed at 2am one night with a book she saw you reading once. It looked fairly interesting and she wanted to see what the hype was about. As she read more and more, she began daydreaming about you as her eyes scanned over page after page, her mind focused solely on you as the words she read seemed blurry, not sticking in her brain…you were taking up too much space in there atm.

You found yourself trying to read about and learn how to code and work on tech. You found yourself totally lost and out of your element. It kinda made you smile…thinking about how she was already a science and tech wiz and now she was really getting into history and English thanks to you. Maybe…she was smarter and…maybe it’s all very important.

Before you could gather the nerve and swallow your pride and go apologize to her for treating her less than kind and being an annoying snob…

Shit hit the fan…

You helped Keith save Shiro, ended up in space in what felt like the blink of an eye and suddenly, you and pidge were attached at the hip.

It was like the severity of the situation and Pidge’s fierce determination completely erased your guys’ past together. Now, it was time to band together for the sake of everyone and everything. For the sake of her family.

You and Pidge began spending A TON of time together, often helping each other with tasks, codes, anything the others needed help with. Y’all were the puzzle solvers, the hackers, the ones Lance and Keith came to when they didn’t understand something, the cutie little nerd duo 🥹

With each time you two hung out, you found yourselves both relaxing more, joking and laughing more around each other, bonding more.

Pidge began coming to you all the time to show you new inventions or test out weird stuff on you. You were kinda flattered she always came to you first.

You began often running to Pidge after every book you’d read from the library in the castle. You’d be all excited about something new you just learned about Altean history, zooming through the halls with a huge smile as you look for your girl.

You bust into the room like “HEEYYYYY! OH MY GODDDD GUESS WHAT!!! Soooo, I just found out-“

Cue you rambling for at least 20 minutes while Pidge just smiles and nods along (occasionally she watches your lips move as you talk, only for a couple seconds before she looks back into your eyes)

As time went on, you found yourself becoming increasingly protective over Pidge, especially when out in battle. You…just like her and don’t wanna see your friend hurt or scared.

The first time she ever got hurt, or even got close to getting caught by the galra, she came back to the castle to see you waiting for them in the lion’s hangar, tears streaming down your face. You thought she would be in worse shape and even tho she looked perfectly fine, you were still distraught.

Y’all never really touched besides playful nudges and when you’d ruffle her messy hair but that day…yeah, you hugged her hard that day….

She was a little confused. No one else was this concerned for her so…why were you so freaked out? She was fine, actually more calm than you were atm.

You were so comforted and lowkey entranced by her soft embrace that you didn’t even notice Pidge was now on their knees, bringing you gently down into the same position, as you squeeze each other tighter down on the floor.

“Geez, (Y/N)…you alright?” she mumbles as she pulls back to look at you, worry present on her face.

“I’m sorry, I just…you’re like my best friend. I don’t know if I can do this without you. You…you need to be more careful!”

She was…frozen…watching your lip quiver.

You called her your best friend. The ‘best’ part really made her stomach drop. She was glad you two were closer now and not in a constant academic battle…and it’s not that she doesn’t consider you her best friend, she just…didn’t know you thought so highly of her.

Your friendship and relationship are a slow burn.

For months upon months, y’all just hang out, stay friends, bond over space tech and space history, occasionally cuddle, once in a while you’ll hold hands. Oh shoot, are yall falling asleep in the same bed? Whoa, wait…she’s started hugging you every single day. OMG SHES SO CLOSE TO YOUR FACE AS SHE LOOKS OVER INTO THE BOOK YOU’RE READING AND D A M N YOU REALLY WANNS KISS HER FRECKLED CHEEK RN, WOULD THAT BE WEIRD???

It’s a slow burn…until it isn’t anymore.

You’re the one to confess to her and Pidge is looking at you like 🫤 “oh uhm…I thought we…already kind of established that we…like each other more than friends…?”

You feel kind of dumb but excited nonetheless!!! SHE LIKES YOU BACK!!!!

The rest of the team is even like “Wait, yall hold hands and sleep in the same bed most nights. You’re not dating yet??? Hello?”

And from then on, you guys are absolutely love sick besties together. Not so much love sick in a physical touchy sense but just very emotionally supportive and kind and sweet to each other.

🥹🥹🥹

[aparticularbandit]

I keep going back to the idea of Monaca finally coming back from outer space and ending up being invited to be a student at the new Hope's Peak Academy.

All of the Warriors of Hope would be invited and would be there, maybe, not just Monaca, but she's the most wary of it. (DR3 implies the other four were helping Komaru and Toko, so maybe they've still kept in touch. Monaca, meanwhile, is both Monaca and has been living her best life in outer space, far away from everyone and everything. Except television, which DR3 implies she somehow still has.)

But like. They're all radically different.

Jataro's still some sort of Ultimate Art because that's the best way he knows to express himself, but he's all willowy and thin and never wears his mask anymore and his hair's kind of long. He's kind of a pretty boy, the exact opposite of himself.

Masaru's maybe the Ultimate Pickpocket because it's all a game to him. Sometimes he gives stuff back, and sometimes he doesn't. But he likes the running, likes the chase. He's not a hero anymore, not a leader, but he's still a little bit Peter Pan, and he never wants to grow up.

Nagisa's maybe the Ultimate Manger - not like Nekomaru because he's not into sports, but corporate positions. He's good at arranging people, good at scheduling, good at making businesses better and more effective. He's best at knowing when people need to take time off, when to let them rest and take a break, and because he's so good at his job, the corporations tend to listen to him. His hair's grown long and bushy, like a fluffy cat's tail, and it's always kept back in a ponytail. At some point in the past several years, he's gotten glasses, and while he knows he's good at his job, he's grown more shrunk into it.

Kotoko, meanwhile, has gone full tilt into her fighter class and become the Ultimate Boxer. She hates gentle, hates it, and having something else to beat up, to rough up, to punch has been a healthy way for her to get all of that negative energy out. (I like to think she and Komaru took a self-defense class together, and she liked it so much she kept going with it.) All of her hair has been chopped short, and she has the band-aid on the side of her face that Masaru used to have across his nose. But it's still a cutesy band-aid; she still loves adorable things. (In fact, it's probably the same bunny-covered band-aid that Junko used on the Steering Committee member.)

And Monaca, herself, is also something other, something different, but she's not necessarily better. She's spent all that time alone and away from everyone and everything. I don't know what her Ultimate might be, but they call her the Ultimate Space Case as a joke. And she still knows just what buttons to push to rile everyone up.

Hope's Peak isn't what it was either, so we get to see what Makoto's done with it. It still focuses primarily on the growth of its Ultimates, but it's more about giving them a safe space to continue to pursue their passions while also making sure they get a well-rounded education. There are other students, too, Talentless ones, but they're not treated any different from the Ultimates. In fact, sometimes the Ultimates are asked to teach on their passions, if they want, and Talentless students go and learn intricate stuff from them to get better at stuff they like. (Kotoko teaches a self-defense class primarily for girls; Masaru is not allowed to teach pick-pocketing, but sometimes he does anyway.)

....

And then, of course, because it's Danganronpa, they somehow find themselves locked in the school and Monokuma shows up to start a Killing Game.

The Warriors of Hope immediately pull a DR2 vs. Nagito bit and tie Monaca up and leave her in one of the rooms because obviously it's her. Everything was good and fine until she showed up, and no one wanted to emulate Junko as much as she did, and she's still kind of a bitch, and no one knows what she's been up to in space, maybe she's been planning this for years!

Except it's not Monaca and Monaca desperately wants to figure out who it is because she's pissed off. How dare whoever this is use Big Sis Junko's legacy this way? (Yes, she still loves Junko. The other Warriors still do, too, but they've got a bit of better perspective on her. She could be good to them and still be a horrible person. It can be complicated. There's no such it can be complicated with Monaca.)

And Monokuma comes to Monaca all tied up and talks with her a bit. Asks her what she would do if it actually was Junko. Which Monaca refuses to believe because Junko is dead, Junko has been dead for years at this point, there's no way she's coming back, no way she's alive. But Monokuma plants enough of a seed of doubt that she's left unsure.

Then the story proceeds from there.

I like to think Monokuma untied Monaca. That would give her a lot of extra suspicion from the Warriors, especially if she's honest and says Monokuma did it. She wants to be honest because that's the only way people will believe her, and maybe Komaru and Makoto do, when she says she's not involved, but Kyoko holds off because she's all investigation mode and the Warriors absolutely refuse, absolutely are certain this is her fault, because it's always her fault. And if she's telling the truth, then she's obviously in cahoots with Monokuma because he's helping her! Also who is the one who still has Monokuma servants? Just Monaca. She has to be doing it!

Excepting that this Monokuma is clearly not Towa City design. Toko has seen them both - the ones Monaca used and the one Junko used - up close and personal - and they're not the same. Monaca's are mass-produced copies of the original, and they're servants. Junko's was an exquisitely designed one-of-a-kind original (she had more than one, but there's no Monokumas like Junko's Monokumas). And these are Junko's Monokumas.

Which leads to concern for the Remnants. Whether they've reverted, whether they're involved somehow. And maybe they're able to contact them (or maybe one of them is there with them, too), and nothing points in that direction either.

And so on.

Despite being dead, I think Junko's still involved somehow. Because it's always Junko, at the end. And because the idea of Monaca specifically having a reunion with some form of Junko is just. a very strong pull here. Of a Junko who can look at Monaca and say she's proud of her and who she's become, who maybe can look at the other Warriors and say the same, although that's less important. (The other Warriors would not want her to be proud of them. Monaca still does.)

Anyway, these are the thoughts. Idk if I'll ever actually long form write the thing (between the Warriors of Hope, Makoto, Kyoko, Komaru, Toko, and maybe a Remnant, that's 10. I don't know who the other six would be, unless I rope in Hiro and/or Hina (who could be teachers at Hope's Peak) and/or more Remnants (which I like less). No Byakuya, although I feel like he's been taking Nagisa under his wing. And while it'd be interesting to rope in new characters, new Ultimates, I don't want to "clearly these don't have plot armor but everyone from canon does" you know? So. That's a thing.)

Just. Thoughts.

[naranjapetrificada]

Fic recs based on what bits of s2 promotion made you go 👀

So obviously we only have a couple days left and I shouldn't have put this off for so long, but I've been making connections between fics I've encountered and questions raised by the teaser, trailer, and BTS video and thought I'd share some of them. Light (extremely light, like you've just emerged from an isolated cave light) s2 spoilers possible, although it's still mostly speculation?

Anyway this obviously got very long, so I'm throwing in a break now so I don't slow your scroll.

Maybe time in nature helps Ed do some healing?

Fallow Land & Bigger Sky, which I can't ever seem to shut up about was such a rewarding and healing read for me. Especially recommended for people who are interested in Ed's inner life, healing journey, and coping mechanisms, maladaptive or otherwise. Also folks who are excited for him to have an animal friend like Stede Bunnet, although in this fic it's a sweet little black lamb that he sometimes carries around in his shirt.

It begins with Ed having spent a year since The Dock living incognito on a remote (but not deserted!) island trying to get his head around everything that happened and looking for something like peace, however he can get it. It's written in an evocative, poetic way and includes some incredibly lovely flashbacks, believable character growth, important realizations, and tender emotional moments. The vibes are more pastoral than castaway, but Ed is still given time and space to do the work he needs to do in rugged, isolated surroundings so it still scratches that itch for me.

[There are definitely some triggers to be aware of but it feels like the author did a good job of mentioning them at the beginning of each chapter.]

Maybe they do some healing together?

There's no need to reinvent the wheel so I'm going to borrow heavily from an earlier post I made about healing and fanfic two make the case for these two:

Brace Yourself and Nestle into Me: The premise is that Ed and Stede figure out that they're into each other around episode 7, and they're deliriously happy to know that they feel the same way about each other. But Stede has some (understandable) sexual dysfunction around being queer thanks to the horrible society that he grew up in. Ed is a darling trying to help him through it all, and along the way he realizes he also has some of his own hangups he needs to work through, and that they can both support each other's healing.

I appreciate that this one doesn't treat healing like a straight line because it never is, and emphasizes that trust can't just be implicit, you really have to talk it through as a crew, even if it's just a crew of two broken middle-aged men who are desperately in love with each other. It also gets into some of the stuff I've been talking about on here about grieving your former selves and the selves you never got to be, which was validating as hell. That sounds heavy and there are concepts that are literally part of modern therapy modalities woven into the story, but there are also warm and loving and hilarious moments too, including this gem:

“Also can you just imagine how proud little horny baby gay Stede would be know you would be to know that whatever he went through, today you’ve got your own ship and are getting completely railed by Blackbeard? I mean, just absolutely dicked down by the most famous pirate in history? He would lose his mind.”

Adrift Between the Dreaming Seas: Based on my usual filtering on ao3 I probably never, ever would have come across this fic if it weren't for a recommendation someone posted here. It's got fantasy elements, allegory, metaphors stacked on metaphors, talking animals, and so many other things that would have kept me from ever discovering it on my own. My life would be poorer for it.

Basically Stede is cursed to be a lighthouse keeper on an island that seems to move around the world. Animals show up and the ones who talk to him are members of the crew, and Ed is an actual kraken. It's all this symbolism about monstrosity and trauma and maladaptive coping and the messiness that is Stede's kindness scraping against his self loathing. I shed tears of many kinds along the way, and it made me think hard about community and recovery and the things we do to and for ourselves and others.

It's just a lovely little gem of a story that made me feel so much so deeply while also making me laugh much more than I was anticipating. I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

Maybe there's a massive, life-altering storm?

A World of Tempestuous Things, which is nearly finished and has been such a rewarding, moving journey to follow as it explores another take on their reunion story. There's the expected angst and misunderstandings, but also wit and warmth and longing and rage and these casually devastating historical asides, some of which still haunt me out of the blue because of the staggering and inescapable nature of the passage of time. Speaking of passages and being haunted, dig if you will, this picture:

so little time to dwell amongst strangers as a citizen of the world will never, ever stop reverberating in my head like a cymbal crash and I guess that's just something I live with now. @lostakasha, you've given me the existentially beautiful prose version of tinnitus.

Maybe Stede's slut party era is finally upon us?

If so, good for him, he deserves it so much.

When the Light Shines In is a missing scene/lightly canon-divergent take on s1e06, if you just like the idea of meeting a jolly version of Drunk Stede (vs that "unhand me or bleed" guy, who is hot in his own way or course but can't beat messy earnest bossy Stede in my opinion). It's set immediately after the fight with Izzy. Ed is patching him up and trying not to vibrate out of his own skin, while Stede is affectionate and chatty and besotted whether he knows it or not, and steadily working his way through a bottle of rum for the pain. So not really related to season 2, but it will still scratch that same itch and make you smile real big.

Well, I Ain't Tactful is actually set during season 2, inspired by the moment in the BTS video where Ed sees Stede getting drunk with his new leather buddies. If you asked yourself what might happen if Ed felt compelled to keep an eye on Sloppy Stede and tuck him in with a glass of water, then this one will be fun. Ed is caring and lovely about it all even while still being a bit mad at him for everything, and Stede is a mess but so sweet and still so, so in love.

Maybe we'll get to see young Ed on Hornigold's ship?

There's no evidence of that so far beyond the whole ghost of Hornigold thing, but it certainly would be a treat. But even if it doesn't, if the idea of more young Ed appeals I cannot possibly recommend the pre-canon Never Shall We Die enough.

Now there's no getting around two crucial things that may be dealbreakers for some people: first, it's long. It's very, very long. Second: it's a WIP. Only one of two I've allowed myself to follow in this fandom so I don't get overwhelmed or bogged down. But!

The writing is so impeccable that it stands head and shoulders above almost everything I've ever read on ao3 and honestly above a lot of commercially published original fiction I've encountered in the same span of time since I've started it. The settings are deliciously (and sometimes, due to the realities of life on a pirate ship, disgustingly) immersive, the action scenes are perfectly paced, and the emotional beats, when they hit, hit hard and ring true and stay with you.

Starting at at age 13, young Ed's growth and development over time is equal parts rewarding and harrowing. Threads are pulled together from canon and from earlier parts of the story to coalesce into a portrait of a living, breathing version of our favorite guy trying to find his place in the world, stumbling along the way, and eventually realizing that if he wants a place he'll have to make it himself. The secondary characters leap off the proverbial page too, and the connections he does or doesn't form with them have interesting, believable fallout for everyone involved.

I mentioned action scenes earlier, but I want to circle back around to them again because NSWD takes Izzy's season 1 comment about Blackbeard being the greatest sailor he's ever known and says the same with its whole chest. I know I'm not alone in hoping to see Incredible Sailor Ed in season 2, but in the mean time this is more than scratching that itch for me. We see Ed set foot on his first ship with no skills beyond attracting (mostly) unwelcome attention and observational skills that become the foundation of his later abilities with the sea and with the art of fuckery. From the outside he looks like a savant but on the inside he builds his skills slowly over time, delighting in learning new things and seeing a plan come together. But best of all, he delights in the skills of others, eagerly learns from them when he can, happily teaches what he can to the few people he trusts, and takes pleasure and pride in their own success.

I could literally keep talking about this fic until the next chapter gets posted, but the good news is that happens regularly! I know it can be tough to trust a WIP but I for one am so thankful for the moment of poor impulse control that led to me starting this one. New chapters come roughly every two weeks, and looking at @tresdem's output elsewhere helps me feel secure that we'll actually get to the end.

[saimota-week-archive]

saimota week 2023 is real babey

boy howdy! this is late and i know it’s late and i am sorry. no graphic to show for myself either. i (mod tox) am just doing a real waddle of shame onto here to give you these prompts.

but hello!! salutations! happy 2023-- saimota week will be running again this year from march 19th through march 25th, so please get excited with me!

here are the prompts:

day one (march 19): shadow / sunlight / intensity day two (march 20): heart / body / intellect day three (march 21): wisterias / evening / sanctuary day four (march 22): fight / resolution / tears day five (march 23): lucid / nightmare / terminal day six (march 24): support / growth / reciprocity day seven (march 25): pre-canon / post-canon / free space

as always, be sure to tag all entries with [ # saimota week 2023 ] and [ # saimota week ] and also make sure that you @ MENTION THIS BLOG so that i can reblog all of your entries. if you post something and the blog doesn’t reblog it within a day, feel free to message me @toxicpineapple and i’ll make sure to get on that for you.

i’ll be putting guidelines + relevant details below the cut. stay tuned for reblogs and annoying countdown posts as the week draws closer, and we’ll look forward to seeing your entries once again!

1. late entries will be accepted and boosted with no end deadline! please feel free to keep posting content with these prompts and for this event long after it has ended, we will happily continue to boost anything that you put out after the fact. additionally, the prompts are guidelines, but their use is not mandatory. you are welcome to interpret the prompts as you’d like, and even disregard the prompts altogether if that suits you best.

2. works featuring saimota in a polyamorous relationship with other characters (for example, romantic training trio, amasaimota, akasaimota, etc) will ABSOLUTELY be accepted! obviously this week is for appreciating the romantic relationship between shuichi and kaito, but it’s okay if the other partners get the same amount of screen time! furthermore, background characters and relationships will also be allowed.

3. works featuring shuichi and kaito in a queer platonic relationship will be permitted. however, as this is a romantic ship week at its heart, please refrain from posting content about their friendship or about them as best friends. it’s okay though if the themes in your works are subtle or not overtly romantic.

4. the unauthorised use, reproduction, or replication of the works of other creators during this week will not be tolerated. this includes but is not limited to plagiarism of fanfiction, tracing, uncredited edits, edits with credit but without permission, parodies of other existing fanworks, et cetera. it’s okay to draw fanart from saimota fics you like unless the author is uncomfortable with it, but it’s not okay to take another person’s hard work and use it for your own clout and if we see you reposting uncredited art we will BLOCK. (”i found it on pinterest” or “the source is right here” are not replacements for sources AND permission.)

5. be respectful towards all other entries and participants in the challenge. if someone who is participating in the week is also hating on your entries we encourage you to let us know and they will be blocked as well. we’re all here to have fun, there’s no need to cause drama.

6. nsfw content will not be accepted for this week. however, if you are a person who has posted nsfw content in the past, you are still allowed to participate in the week even from the blog which has posted such content. please do not use your nsfw account to participate if you have one, though.

7. aus and crossovers are absolutely accepted and encouraged.

8. trans headcanons of any kind, including transfem headcanons, will be accepted. cis genderbends however will not. we do not seek to place judgment on anybody who creates that content, it’s just not the kind of thing we want to see for our event. we invite you to create it on your own time.

that’s all i’ve got! thank you for tuning in, and once again, we look forward to seeing your entries come march! thank you loves! <3

[collectionoftulips]

Thoughts following the most recent episode of The Way Home

There's probably maybe like one other person on here or maybe a few who watch The Way Home and if so, hi!!, and secondly, I hope my regulars will excuse me for talking about another show for a minute. (For those who haven't seen it - I really recommend giving it a watch!) Basically - I've had some thoughts swirling around my head since the latest episode (this is mainly about some of my changing thoughts on who I ship on the show):

(Spoilers for 2x08 of The Way Home and it's mostly Kat-centric thoughts)

In some ways, my thoughts can be summarised by two points and I will make the case for them below: I feel like I have outgrown Elliot/Kat the way they are currently being written and I'm pretty heavily going on the Kat/Thomas ship.

If someone had told me at the end of season one, that I would be finding myself torn between Elliot/Kat and a new ship, I would have said that they are bananas. But after thinking about it some, at least the way the ship is being currently written, I'm not the fan I once was - and I don't think it's entirely because I'm 'intended' to have those feelings at this point of the show.

I really appreciate how this season has really given Elliot more space to grow as an independent character outside of his romantic relationship with Kat, but I think by giving him that space, the show inadvertently, or perhaps too successfully, made a case for why they are not right for each other at this very moment in time. The fundamental issue, to me, is that Elliot has spent so much of his childhood idealising Kat and he has in some ways put her on a pedestal. He knows her, but the way he knows her is so intimately wrapped up in his feelings towards her and that coupled with the weight of their past together, makes it an increasingly less attractive ship because of a few reasons:

a) he knows her very well but it's going to be very difficult disentangle the reality from the fantasy he has grown up with in his head (and being friends with someone is very different from being in a romantic relationship with them) b) she's been put on this pedestal that the only way she can change in his eyes is by disappointing him; she's already got this aura of 'endgame' status in his head c) it's very difficult to see where they get room to grow in a way that allows them both the character growth they both need/deserve, especially given the amount of trauma that especially Kat is going through (Elliot has also been through stuff, but that's mainly in the past that we partly get to see or it's off-screen in the past).

Additionally, seeing Kat going back to the 1812 has really highlighted some aspects of her characterisation that were previously not as prominent; she's spent most of her life blaming herself for Jacob's disappearance and now that she is on the precipice of finding him, she's displaying really a lack of self-preservation and desperation (to the point where she even forgets Alice and Thomas has to literally remind her that she has people depending on her and obviously there's the subtext that he might have feelings for her that I'm now very here for). These things make total sense for Kat as a character, but I don't think any of the people back in her time fully realise the extent of that self-destructive tendency (we also saw a less Jacob-related instance of this in the most recent episode with Kat's idea to go to London and leave Brady, but Elliot was too busy to be all 'this is my shot!' to really notice).

My growing hypothesis since 2x07 is that a lot of Kat's interactions with Thomas is fundamentally fuelled by Thomas' acknowledgement and frustration with Kat's lack of self-preservation (a skill he himself had to learn growing up in the time he is from), a tendency which is also amplified by the fact that Kat is from a different time and doesn't really have the same kind of sense about the scale of danger around certain tasks. I'm might be reading into it, but I was thinking about what was going on during their superdramatic beach scene, when he picks her up and it looks for a moment like he is about to wade out to sea with her. On the surface, of course, Kat's terrified that Jacob might die and also a fear and frustration that she does not know her brother, that even if he survives it might not matter because he might not remember her, that he has grown so much from the little boy that she knew that the fact that she found him might matter very little.

But I was wondering a little about Thomas' reaction regarding that whole scene. He's of course frustrated that she doesn't seem to have much understanding of the extent to which the world that they inhabit is not one that is forgiving or allows one to stay on any kind of moral high ground, but I also thought that probably from his perspective, he's probably getting quite frustrated with Kat. This is a woman who seems to have absolutely no self-preservation, and while he has recently learned that she is a time traveller, that lack of self-preservation runs much deeper than just being ignorant of the time period. She is a woman he clearly deeply respects and admires and has growing feelings for but that regard is seemingly not one she has of herself, and it has to be pretty frustrating for him to see someone whose strength he admires seemingly not respect herself or have such little regard for her own wellbeing. Which is why I think he reacted the way he did, trying to snap her out of the emotional spiral she was going down when she was in a panic trying to grasp at anything to soothe the sense of crisis that was exploding inside her.

In these ways, I sort of feel like the show has propped Thomas up to be the opposite of Elliot; this is not a man who has been in love with Kat Landry a really long time, but one that only recently realised it, and where Elliot sees this idealised 'prize' version of Kat (informed by his childhood), Thomas sees all of Kat's 'flaws' and all of the 'cracks' that she conceals from people in her regular life, and loves appreciates her for those qualities.

While obviously the extent to which they have any future depends on what the writers have decided to do for season two (and for season three), and it is looking pretty bleak, I like the path forward for Kat/Thomas more, as there is more ground to cover there and I think it would be a very different dynamic that I would find refreshing. Hence me going a bit cold on Elliot and Kat (despite that kiss in the most recent episode which felt like the most shoehorned thing ever that had extremely poor build up but that's a rant for a different post) and am now leaning towards the potentially doomed ship of Thomas/Kat.

I don't know if this made any sense, and I'm not sure if anyone is interested in my thoughts on this but it's either ranting about it here or at some point writing fic, so I decided for the former for the time being.

[existential-labrador]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Ted going home and about how he was in the last episode and really trying to understand it. And I think I do now. (Not trying to upset anyone here, sorry if it does, this has just been my processing journey.)

I think it does come back to that idea of him being at peace for me. When I really look back at this season I think, yeah, okay, he’s not been happy, he’s not been himself, he has felt lost. There was that whole scene about the North star early on, I have to accept that Henry, of course, is Ted’s North star.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about my feelings that Ted is going backwards or that he wouldn’t be happy back home but have come to different conclusions now. Firstly, I don’t think he would get back with Michelle, so I’m feeling happier about that.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Ted may be going backwards in terms of location, but he is absolutely not the same person he was when he left Kansas. The show was always about bad fathers right - I know that’s not all it was about - but Ted being a father is such a huge part of who he is and his purpose and meaning and happiness in life. The journey he has been on will allow him to be the father he wants to be which is what will make him happy. I think we’ve been saying the phrase ‘I know he wants to be with his Son but’ a lot, well, I think Ted is one of those people (I hear they actually exist) that considers his child to be his world. To Ted, Henry is not just part of his life, he is his life. I think bearing all of that in mind, it makes absolute sense for him to go home and that he’d be at peace with the decision. I’m not saying Ted isn’t a person outside of Fatherhood, I just think for him this makes sense.

But I’ve also been thinking a lot about the idea that Ted wouldn’t be happy back home and I know this is one I felt strongly about before. But actually, Ted’s healing and growth will allow him to have a healthy relationship with Michelle and be able to co-parent Henry the way he would like. I do think with Dr Jacob out of the picture their relationship could be positive and healthy again (absolutely in a non romantic way!)

I also think it’s easy to tell ourselves Ted wasn’t happy in Kansas but…we don’t actually know that. His marriage was breaking down yes, and obviously his relationship with his Mum is difficult, but he has done so much healing around both of those things and has faced demons and struggles that were internal, regardless of where he was living. He has grown so much.

Outside of that, we don’t know much about his life in Kansas. We don’t know how happy he was there, what his friends and community were like, that stuff may all be amazing and stuff he’s missed. We know how much he’s missed home, we were repeatedly shown this, and not just Henry, his home. Kansas. Remember, Ted left to give Michelle space (and I would say also out of fear around getting close to Henry and all of those things he was running/hiding from) but he probably hadn’t planned to leave before he got that job offer. I’m not sure he wanted to leave. That job offer turned out to be what he needed at the time, but perhaps not what he wanted (to link it back to the song.)

Before I kept thinking about Richmond as the right home for Ted and where he belongs. But when I really think about and look deeper, was it? It was a form of home for him, yes. But did he ever truly settle? I think his accommodation would suggest not.

I’ve also been thinking about the stuff we wouldn’t have seen, the stuff offscreen. How many nights did Ted have dinner alone when Beard was with Jane? How many times did Ted feel lost and out of place when he wasn’t busy working?

I was thinking about the 12 texts and 3 un haha’d gifs whilst feeling annoyed about Tedbecca. But coupling it with her being with Dutch guy (still not okay with this but it’s the choice they made) I wonder if the unanswered texts were designed to show that Ted was feeling a bit left behind and that everyone else was moving on. Think about that night in Amsterdam, he ended up alone because everyone else was busy with their lives and he was drawn to and sought comfort in things that reminded him of home.

I also think there’s a lot to be said for the idea of Ted being needed. He is one of those people that needs to be needed. I guess the Mary Poppins line makes sense to me in this respect, when her work is done and when she isn’t needed any longer, even though people may want her to stay, it’s time to move on.

Ted did all he could for Richmond. He helped those people become the best versions of themselves. They were able to and will still be able to live by the Lasso/Richmond way whether he’s there or not. And I think this is one of the reasons he took a backseat role this season.

I keep thinking, if Ted stayed, but Tedbecca didn’t happen - which clearly the writers never wanted it to - how would his life look? Sure he’d hang out with people and have good times, but they’d all have their own lives and he wouldn’t feel like they really needed him. He would probably still feel alone a lot of the time.

So is that any different to Kansas? He probably has a community and friends there we don’t know about. And sure, he’d feel lonely at times, but perhaps no more than in Richmond, and in Kansas he would be needed by Henry and being able to be the Dad he wants to be. It makes so much sense to me now.

Ignoring Rebecca and soulmates for a second, in terms of everyone else in Richmond, I think it’s easy for us to think Richmond is the first time and place Ted has made these kind of connections with people. But again, like Mary Poppins, we don’t get to see the lives Ted has already touched and will continue to touch. He’s Ted Lasso, I have no doubt he has countless people that he has connected with back home and anywhere he has been for that matter.

In terms of Beard, Brendan Hunt said on the reddit Q&A that Beard and Ted would have had stages of being in and out of each other’s lives. I always assumed Beard had always been around before they came to Richmond, but maybe he wasn’t a regular part of Ted’s life in Kansas so Ted wouldn’t feel bereft of that when he leaves. That’s what I took from that so in that respect, I’m okay.

And obviously, all of this would be different if Tedbecca had happened. That’s a whole other kettle of fish. Obviously I still wish that had happened and believe it should have. But if the writers were never gonna do that, then it would have been sad for Ted to stay. Yes, they would still have been platonic soulmates, but that wouldn’t have been enough for either of them to be personally fulfilled.

Plus, even with Ted gone, people connected like that, soulmates, they will always be in each other’s lives. It’ll just look different now, but I don’t for a second believe Rebecca won’t see Ted again. They’ll probably still talk regularly and visit one another, even if we never see that! He’s not actually Mary Poppins, gone forever!

I still wish he and Rebecca had had a better goodbye and more screen time, but I do think when it comes to that scene in the stands, Ted knew that Rebecca doesn’t actually need him to be okay and to be a boss ass bitch, even though she felt like she did. And he knew she’d come to understand that, so he didn’t need to say anything. I still would have liked more to be said between them but hey.

So yeah, in terms of Ted leaving (some unfulfilled goodbyes aside) I feel at peace. And I think his behaviour in that finale was because he finally felt at peace too.

[confusedraven1]

how fucking cool is it that “bonafacia” seems to truly “die” as soon as jackie says “adios, bonafacia” and burns the wanted poster with her cigar? obviously, it’s meant to show jackie’s satisfaction with fulfilling revenge but it’s also at the point when jim’s truth is revealed and is no longer in hiding. the next episode plays out with them struggling to know who they are and they end up deciding that they like who they’ve found themselves to be with the crew of the revenge, and so they directs them to “just keep calling me jim.”

nana saw jim’s “divine purpose” as bonafacia’s, hence the deadnaming despite using correct pronouns and couldn’t (or wouldn’t) let it go. it shows how well meaning nana is but still gets it really fucking wrong due to her own stubbornness. because of all of this, i think jim feels a bit hopeless up until they go find their tree. a big chunk of their life seems to be over and they seem a little lost. then olu comes and literally “finds” them, and they share their family’s land with him. olu says he can be their family and it reignites that hope in them.

when they say “nana’s right, i have to finish the job. not for her, for me,” it didn’t make sense to me for them to refer to nana, cause, altho they care for people, they are not a people pleaser & clearly didn’t do exactly what she wanted in the first place, so it makes more sense that they’re referring to bonafacia.

alfeo de la vaca was bonafacia’s kill, but, like olu says to stede: “when you kill, a part of you dies as well.” that act killed bonafacia in the crossfire and allowed jim the space to grow and become more of themself. this i think is a sign of their “growing up.” they killed the man that killed their father in front of them as a young child, almost out of a sort of childish, tunnel-visioned vengeance that was only exacerbated and manipulated by nana & her own anger. they now realize they aren’t the only person impacted by the siete gallos, and that they have more sins to answer for than what they did to the jimenez family. you have to dismantle the entire system, not just a figurehead. (“god’s not a fan”)

nana looks sad when she asks olu “where’s bonafacia?” probably realizing her mistakes & knowing her last words to them were “you’re such a disappointment.” it really drives the nail in the metaphorical coffin when olu responds with “gone,” because, really, bonafacia has been gone for a long time. he continues, saying, “they said they’re to finish the job.” i think that’s when it finally hits nana that they aren’t the same person anymore, hence the grief rather than joy/relief.

“siento, mijo. la vida es dolor” is more than a simple apology to olu…it’s an apology to both bonafacia AND jim: an apology for raising them the way she did, and the pain that caused them, & for inadvertently pushing them away when they needed her. she recognizes the strong connection between them and olu & trusts him to pass the message along.

we don’t see jim kill anyone on screen throughout the season and jackie spares them by killing geraldo herself, then tells them to move on. they do decide to let go and, after we’ve seen them pull back the bitter, protective layers of themself (like an orange) we see all the sweetness they’ve harbored inside that we’ve only caught glimpses of before: going back to the revenge, back to olu, allowing themself to love him, whole heartedly agreeing to a talent show, etc.

i am so so excited to see how we’ll get to see jims growth in s2 🍊

(i’m sure a lot of this stuff was probably obvious to a lot of people, especially the trans/nb community, but it’s such fucking good characterization and i love it. i’m continually blown away by the insane subtle details they put into this show 🖤)

[artemisandhersilverbow]

Ok, if you, like me, were in the minority of people who didn’t immediately fall in love with One Dark Window… like, the consistent rave reviews popping up on various algorithms have been simultaneously confusing and making you feel very left out? Well, I’ve got news!

In my humble opinion, Two Twisted Crowns (book 2) is mostly a total knock out. I obvi gotta sit with it longer (I just finished at 3am)… revisit some exceptional quotes that left ya girl blushing (dresses were almost ripped).

Duologies can feel like such a mercy in the fantasy space and looking at the series as a whole, i’d now happily recommend it to anyone not looking to tackle a new 3-6 book series/investment at this time. Also a good one for newbies to the genre. It also isn’t just another copy-paste SJM variant and that almost feels like a rarity with the big new releases.

Book one, I really struggled with the messy (albeit cool on the surface) magic system, the constant rhyme thing felt really hokey and made me struggle to get into the writing (which is mostly very good), the MCs were outshined by the side characters and just weren’t really my type, and the pacing is so odd like - sometimes so slow and sometimes so fast - it’s like, “Wait hi, I need more info please.”

25% into book 2 I genuinely thought, “I think more has already happened in this book than in all of book 1.” And that’s when I realized I was hooked and in for a late night.

Book two is action-packed and the plot is operating on so many levels - thanks in part to more povs. Ironically, part of me was like so grateful I had read book one, even if I didn’t like it, so I “knew the rules,” and could run along this faster-paced, more ambitious book 2.

Obviously I think the magic system, and general world building, was infinitely more successful in TTC. Gillig just used the framework and the lore with a higher level of craft and focus. We scaled back on the goofy rhymes - tho not entirely lol. But I credit the attention paid to the world/magic as a big part to why I read this whole thing in an evening! It felt like a really unsatisfying missing piece from ODW and, clearly, with that amended I more than liked it! I got that unmistakable all-consuming euphoric rush that only binging a great fantasy can give you.

*spoilers ahead*

I would also be fully lying if I said that what made this book work for me wasn’t just… the big focus on Elm and Ione. Yes, I had to google that name pronunciation for my own sanity at a certain point. But within their plot, in particular, I was like “ok, now this is what I call a magic system.” I have no idea why this same concept was just utilized and pulled off so much more successfully in their narrative arc… but it was. I still liked the odyssey into the woods with Ravyn and the Nightmare, but I fully credit Elm and Ione for making me love this book. Did I miss Elspeth a lot… I plead the fifth.

The Elm-Ione romance had everything I was missing in ODW! Like hot, hot tension. Sexy build up. And idk their growth and stories and strength genuinely made THIS tender little reader shed a tear. Their dynamic felt really honest and fresh and different. I’ve been getting a little burnt out by copy and paste romantic plots, in fantasy in particular, so these two took me by surprise. Yeah, I was just kind of floored by their romantic journey.

What can I say, I’m weak for an emotionally intelligent boy who can communicate his need to be topped (and like traumas and other things). Some of their build up tension scenes had me blushing the hardest any book has made me blush in 2023. RIP OFF THAT DRESS BABY!!!

Anyway, if you felt gaslit by the hype around ODW, but you already read it, I’m hear to say that TTC is more than worth it. You’ve already made it that far, what do you have to lose?

Unless your me who is going to be feeling that decision to not go tf to bed!

[shysheeperz]

love ur blog!! I check it out before starting an anime/manga 💞

just wondering do u have any recommendations for complete anime/mangas?

thank u either way!!!

Completed??????

Manga:

Fullmetal Alchemist- the gold standard

Silver Spoon- by the same person who did FMA. Agricultural school stuff. Cute.

Agravity Boys- space sci-fi gag comedy, a wild ride to say the least, I miss my stupid boys

Magu-chan: God of Destruction- cute digimon/pokemon-shaped gods get woken up and mingle with a bunch of middle schoolers. Cute fluff mostly, will occasionally pull at your heartstrings (including the ending)

High School Family: Kokosei Kazoku- comedy/ slice of life, about an entire family attending high school. Has a volleyball arc that rivals the likes in haikyuu!!

Haikyuu!!-sports manga, if you want to cry over boys and their love for the game then this is for you, Boys x Volleyball is the tru otp of the show

Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku- dark historical fantasy, so very, very good. Don't get attached.

Dr. STONE- sci fi, technically the main story is complete. We still have been getting the occasional side chapter or three that continue where the main story left off tho. A very solid shonen jump series. includes one of the best shonen jump dads in the history of ever. Will make u emotional over lightbulbs and stuff. hard not to root for the main cast.

Dr. STONE Reboot: Byakuya- a non-canon little one volume spin-off about byakuya and mainly about a funky lil robot that will make you sob uncontrollably I'd personally say to read up to the end of the Treasure Island arc in the main story first before tackling this one (about ch 140ish)

Dr. STONE 4D Science- a continuation of the main story, only a couple chapters, the ending is a really cruel tease imo and if Inagaki/Boichi don't give us more may they be cursed to lose all their left shoes forever

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Sanji- spin-off of sanji side stories by the duo who did food Wars. ONE PIECE related ofc. Tasty looking food. Sanji too cool for school. One volume.

Astra Lost in Space- space sci fi survival, solid story that deserves more appreciation, the ending is just a tad lackluster in actually showing what a lot of readers would have liked to physically see. By no means ruins the story tho.

Blue Flag (Ao no Flag)- high school, romance, slice of life, boys and gals just trying to figure out life and relationships. Solid.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles- gag comedy that leans a little too much into the shonen battle-esque stuff towards the end imo, but a decently enjoyable time. A mash up of Harry Potter and other various manga like mob, opm, etc.

Mitama Security: Spirit Busters- comedy, axed but I enjoyed it. Goofy fun. nothing spectacular but reading it won't hurt anyone.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes- spin-off of mha obviously, average joe Koichi >>> deku FIGHT ME, the goodest of boys, world building u don't get in the main series, Aizawa's backstory, Knuckleduster is the man the myth the legend.

Chihayafuru- screaming crying throwing up, it's niche it's technically a sports manga, romance, female MC, growth™, love triangle but at the end of the day that's not what's important

My Love Mix-Up!- comedy romance, big big mix-up on who loves who and lots of shenanigans ensue.

Noragami- TECHNICALLY not complete until like 2 days from now when the final chapter releases. my emotions! MY EMOTIONS!!!! 😭

Gintama- comedy/gag with dashes of really good drama

I have no idea what your tastes are, anon, so here's a mix that I've personally enjoyed. Some of them were axed, but technically that makes them complete so I included them :P yes I cheated.

Anime:

There's a lot less of them bc I haven't actually watched a lot of completed series.

Run with the Wind- more boys x sports but this time it's about running. Also the boys are in college. Will trick u into wanting to run.

91 days- ol timey story about VENGEANCE. Set during the prohibition.

Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann- makes you emotional and feel all fuzzy inside, sci fi, mecha

Cowboy Bebop- a classic

Samurai Champloo- also a classic and I actually prefer this one over cowboy bebop tbh, god tier baseball episode

Astra Lost in Space-the anime version, if you'd prefer watching over reading, but I always prefer manga > anime just cause.

FMA 03/FMA BROTHERHOOD- the gold standard. I appreciate both versions. 03 goes the anime original ending root bc obviously the manga wasn't completed yet no biggie.

Mob Psycho 100- MOB!MOB!MOB! and tumblr sexy man reigen arataka

Gintama- animated version alternative lol. The voice actors bring the characters to life.

Obv there are the old school classics like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gundam and all that jazz if you haven't already checked out some of those. Oldies but goodies.

[anuspastor]

So, we all know how DiMA continuously deletes memories, being too scared to face the consequences of his actions, but Nick is not much better. Nick is heavily suicidal, throwing his whole damn life for each and every case he gets assigned to with no second thought in regards to his safety. DiMA had grown in the Institute which allowed zero space for emotional growth, and then being immediately ripped from that environment, going through some heavy ass traumatic shit, and ending with this blank-faced expression, watching the world go by. On the other side you have Nick with zero memories of the Institute. He is addicted to the aftermath of it, clinging to that sense of abandonment like a life line even thought it happened more than a century ago.

And of course you, as the player, have this feeling of accomplishment when it comes to Nick's character quest, but I sincerely wonder whether SS helps him at all. At the end of the day Nick is running after the SS's every, highly-deadly whim, hiding behind this cellophane wall, this fake ideal, of doing it for the greater good, for a friend he cares about. Which is untrue. He is eager to come with you to Fort Hagen (he knows it's extremely well defended), he lets himself be used like a disk player for Kellog's memories (knowing that in the end of the day, he will awake again if lucky), he then gets a sudden spark of adrenaline, wanting to settle this business with Eddie's tapes, but immediately after the confrontation, when he gets minuscule closure, he is somber again and masks it behind this short speech of "I Am No Longer Mentally Ill" and how happy he is to solve crimes with you, but it's obviously bullshit. He's sided specifically with this canon-to-Bethesda equally suicidal spouse who runs around trying to solve everyone's problems because facing their own will result in emotional annihilation.

And on the other spectrum you have DiMA who has no other excuse, no other oblivious ideal, no other greater good that can kill him, so he erases. And erases. And tries to move on; towards a goal that is unclear and keeps him in the same loop.

Neither of them can and will face their struggles, and both deserve the recognition that they are in pain. Neither is better than the other, and both would rather kill both themselves or other to remain buried under a false net of safety. I want to kick them both in the thussies and comfort them at the same time

[flutishly]

When “unliked” doesn’t mean “unlikable”, or, Expanded thoughts on Janine Teagues

I’ve been rewatching Abbott Elementary quite a bit these past few days. It’s not an organized rewatch, but a sporadic, messy mishmash of a few episodes from season 1 and mostly episodes from season 2, in no particular order (and I’ve rewatched some of the same episodes a few times already, even in the same evening). The more I rewatched, the more I found myself recognizing just how much I love Janine - something I’ve already posted about - and recognizing just how much the show leans into the idea that Janine is not well-liked by many (if not most) of her peers. And it got me thinking about the differences between “unliked” characters and “unlikable” characters, particularly in modern television.

At the peak of “peak TV” discourse (ugh), critics and cultural writers loved to talk about antiheros, unlikable (men) characters who were fairly obviously not good people, but compelling protagonists. But Abbott Elementary somewhat flips the script. Janine is a character who is demonstrably unliked by several of her colleagues, with the show’s writing often teasing her directly. And yet she remains the protagonist and the viewer is still clearly supposed to be rooting for her.

Janine’s radical optimism is easily mocked. Her insistence on believing that things can happen by sheer intention is taken down in both plot-direct and -indirect ways. Her tendency to rush to try to fix everything is shown to irritate those around her, though they also depend on it. Her chattiness and outward friendliness exhaust some of her more jaded fellow teachers. Some even go so far as to comment dismissively on how precisely they dislike Janine, whether they’re side characters brought on for one episode or part of the main cast. Ava in particular is often very vocal about her dislike of Janine (even if some of it is obviously performative and there’s a seed of genuine appreciation or admiration at the core of their relationship), but she’s not alone; in season 2, we see numerous occasions of Melissa rather unkindly pillorying Janine or shooting her down. Time and again, we see examples of people simply not liking Janine or not having the patience for her. We see Janine struggling to make friends. We see Janine struggling to connect with fellow teachers. We see Janine struggling to gain recognition for her work. Season 2 in particular is filled with such cases or situations where people are outright mean to Janine, which can often feel especially jarring given the show’s general “feel-good” tone. 

And yet despite all of these obvious textual examples of being “unliked”, Janine is not “unlikable” by any stretch of the imagination. Her intensity is also her greatest asset, which the show demonstrates again and again. Her passion and devotion are looked upon with love by Jacob, Gregory, and even Erica. We see Janine solve problems, do her best to stretch out of her comfort zone, and grow as a person. We see that she’s not trying to change her personality; her growth is about finding space for herself after a lifetime of giving it to others, but this has nothing to do with how she presents herself to the world. (I think this can also be seen in how the show treats her fashion choices, but that’s a bit of a tangent.) 

Janine is a character that the viewer is meant to generally like, whether or not everyone necessarily loves her or sees themselves in her (the way that I rather undeniably do). Janine is still very much the main character of the show and much of the narratives presented surround her relationships with her coworkers, which often do center on their respect for her. The show is not trying to cast her as an antihero or irritating “love to hate her” sort of character. She doesn’t have the cringe factor of a character like Michael Scott of The Office, or even Leslie Knope’s obvious over-the-top humor (though Leslie is probably the closest mapping, at least the Leslie of later, more settled seasons of Parks and Recreation). Earnest characters - and people - are easy to mock in an era of cynicism, but it shouldn’t be the case. 

Yes, I wish that Abbott Elementary could be a bit kinder to Janine, truthfully, and to Jacob as well (though he is much cringier...), but I still appreciate that the show is demonstrating how even when a character is disliked by many around her, there are those who still love and cherish her. That maybe the problem with others disliking Janine has more to do with those characters’ issues than Janine’s personality itself. That being “unliked” says nothing about whether the character - the person - is inherently “unlikable” or worthy of love. And I find this helpful when I look at the fandom too, where it often feels like Janine is forgotten as an independent character and is compelling only in the context of her relationships with others. It almost doesn’t matter how others view or appreciate her character. Ultimately, I will continue to love and appreciate her character for all that she is and all that she represents.