#and character b initially feels bad! and says it's a misunderstanding and they communicate better through actions!

[penguinloki]

Sometimes I read a fic that contains all of my favorite tropes, is well characterized with a good plot that gives me literal and chest pain because the angst hits just right. And then in the last few paragraphs the writer just fucking ruins it in a way that makes me reconsider my thoughts on prison abolition.

[howlsmovinglibrary]

So i noticed you reblogged a lot of got. I followed you bc of your book reviews. I wonder if you read ASOIAF? It'd be cool for you to review it. And also it'd provide me see your stand towards the writing of the last season, & your perspective towards Arya as retconned Night King slayer, the dull (and abusive) romance bw jnerys, jon's character assassination and the lack of his POV, and the show being Dany's show (at the expense of other chars).

Oh wow anon, it’s very rare that I get asked to go off, but I’m more than happy to take you up on the invitation to rant!

In answer to your first question, I have read the first book of ASOIAF, but unfortunately I personally feel George R.R. Martin’s strength is his plotting, and now that the show has kind of unmasked the plot of those first books I find it difficult to slog through his writing style, just because it’s not suited to me. I got to 100 pages from the end where Ned Stark is wondering whether or not he’s gonna die and was like…I kind of know how this ends.

As for my manifold problems with the writing of this last season, I have them, although they don’t seem to be lined up with yours exactly. I have placed this under the keep reading tag, because Long Post. And Spoilers.

Arya

Ok, so as for the Arya plotline, I actually didn’t mind this. I realise it goes against a lot of the material of the books (which I haven’t read), but I think that however much of a retcon it is it makes a lot of logical consistency within Arya’s storyline itself. I was personally getting to the point, with Arya going around Winterfell and not really doing much, of wondering “why did she go to assassin school again?” I think that her getting to kill the Night King validates a lot of her plot arc, whereas before her training was slowly becoming useless and irrelevant to the current situation the writers had put her in - of course this goes out of the window come the last war.

I would actually argue that this decision, bar its illogical and rushed execution, had elements of why I loved GoT’s more established plot twists. You had a strong fantasy genre trope, the Chosen One, in Jon, and then reality intervenes and breaks it. Jon is trying to fight a fucking huge dragon, and is therefore, logically, preoccupied. So someone else gets the kill. I liked that. I mean, it seems like prophecy has just been UTTERLY DISREGARDED in this entire season rather than twisted or subverted, so I guess if we’re feeling particularly generous (which no one is) it might even be “making a point”.

 And yes, we haven’t seen any of her assassin powers over the course of this season (because the writers are retconning her into a nicer ‘antihero’ and not outright eviscerating psychopath), which makes me wonder why she even has them. But I’m actually ok with her getting the Night King kill.

And I’ll dream of the alternate universe where Arya kills Cersei wearing Jaime’s face, actually utilising her skills, getting her ‘green eyed’ kill, and fulfilling Cersei’s prophecy.

Danaerys

So, I hate Danaerys, but I don’t really agree with your viewpoint of her. I don’t really feel like this became ‘her’ season at all. In fact, I feel like this season was just a lesson in how to gaslight a woman into madness and relegate her entirely from her own fucking story.

I will outright state that, I wanted Danaerys to go Mad Queen. I think her character has had problematic elements from very close to the beginning: regarding her sense of entitlement which is not underpinned by an actual competency in regards to ruling, her idealism, and her tendency as a white character to weaponise the brown people she essentially colonises for her own goals. These are not the reasons D&D give to justify her ‘madness’. In fact, they say she’s always been mad for punishing abusers. It just shows now…because of a bad break up.

Danaerys’ “descent into madness” was so badly written that I get mad just thinking about it. It essentially comprises all the men around her having conversations with each other saying “I think she might go mad”, and then her doing a Bad Thing for no discernable reason. This is 1. BAD WRITING, because SHOW NOT TELL. Also, NARRATIVE CONSISTENCY. If you have to have Tyrion outright narrate what you are retconning as her evil past, which is what he did in the final episode, you have not written a consistent plot. Viewers are not stupid. And 2. It’s just awful in terms of gender. Literally, Dany is a woman who becomes isolated and the men around her pathologise her as mad rather than communicating with her and allowing her the agency to authorise her own existence. It’s like The Yellow Wallpaper. There’s so much gaslighting! Everyone says she’s mad for thinking people will betray her as they betray her in the same breath! Jon says he loves her and then punishes her for desiring him! It’s just absurd. I wanted this to happen and they still fucked it up.

Once her sexual desire is just for her and no longer consumable by the male viewer, because its incestuous, and her ambitions outstrip the men around her, suddenly she’s evil. 

And do not get me started on all the awful racial connotations of her story a) being fuelled by the pointless fridging of the only named black woman and b) being utterly endorsed by all the people of colour within the show unquestioningly while all the ‘good’ white men suddenly have their doubts. The way Dothraki war cries were basically used as background music to signify evil savagery made me sick. They literally weaponised race as a way of connoting fear and evil. The fact that her “evil speech” was basically a straw feminist recycling of her liberation rhetoric in a way to condemn all her thoroughly understandable and initially intentions from the very beginning was just a way to validate every Incel’s fear about SJW discourse. Instead of, I don’t know, CRITICISING HER AS A COLONISER. Maybe unveiling her hypocrisy? Nope! All black people are evil and will never question orders because they have been consistently stripped of their humanity! They are a faceless army of non-whites! And oh yes, all women are evil for wanting to enact violence on those who want to abuse them!

Honestly, I think this season of the show has been as much at the expense of her character as anyone else’s. Because it’s not been written well, or believably, and it feels like a complete reduction of the very real potential she had as a critique of imperialism. She’s just a mad woman. 

Jon

I can’t really talk that much about Jon. I kind of cover it above. I’m not sure if you think Jonaerys is abusive to Dany or to him, I would argue the former because of the gaslighting. 

But I will say, he must’ve taken his refresher course in Stark Honourable Stupidity after actually being competent in Season 7. According to D&D’s logic, if he had simply slept with Dany, a woman he loves, she wouldn’t have gone mad. It’s only in GoT that I can justify incest, but he should’ve taken one for the team. 

And maybe kept secrets better.

Just…the show in general

Really, I’m just so disappointed with the show in general. The plot, like Jaime’s characterisation, is so profoundly circular.

We still have an iron throne. We still have an utterly corrupt council elected through nepotism (although I guess we’re supposed to like them now?) Fuck, we still even have a wall even though ALL THE WHITEWALKERS ARE GONE.

Everything was so rushed and irreverent to the point of incompetency - I mean, everyone has seen the coffee cup. Prophecy and foreshadowing was utterly disregarded (I’ve spared you my Jaime Lannister rant because you didn’t ask), nuance was completely lost. I cannot believe that Cersei’s death was an anticlimax, that she didn’t do anything in that final battle but shed a manly tear, had barely any lines of dialogue despite the fact that she is one of the strongest characters of the entire series. And yet EURON GREYJOY got a triumphant death. It is so disingenuous. I really don’t think the fanbase would’ve been that hard to please but it seems like everything was denied us in the name of ‘subverting expectations’.

And however well shot the battle scenes were, I found it profoundly boring because there was no real motivation to drive the action. It was just screaming, and death, and oh yes some gratuitous rape because that’s what every viewer is here for, right?! I watch Game of Thrones for the character intrigue, not the violence or the blatant misunderstanding of what “authentic medievalism” entails. The fact that I watched the finale of my favourite show and did not cry once - me, who cried four times in a single Critical Role episode - is just a testament to how hollow and heartless the writing became.

[z-neow]

Ship wars and dealing with them

[This post does not intend to upset anyone. If you do feel I’ve said something that hurt your feelings, I apologize, although please make me aware of your opinions it in the comments. I’d love to hear]

Great stories make their audience emotionally invested in the characters.

We come to love some of the characters as if we know them personally, we hope to see them happy, and therefore make settings for this to be so. That’s where shipping and fanfic come onto the table.

I think many people usually ship after they’ve become emotionally invested in a character. And since they want the character to be happy, they put them in a relationship to make them happy. It’s not wrong to feel that way.

Ship wars are take place almost every dark coner in the fan world. When you’re on the inside, they can feel exhausting and awfull. It creates misunderstandings to outsiders about shipping in general.

When creators voice opinions on ship wars, it’s easy to see just how the practice has trickled down to the mainstream about our entertainment. It gives a bad reputation for shipping and shippers in general.

But what can be done to prevent unnecessary ship wars?

We feel upset over someone leaving nasty comments like “hope u die with ur ship” on your art or fan fic, it’s best not to respond right away. You may want to write a response immediately, to get it off your chest, but that is not a good idea. 

I’m guilty of responding immediatly to annoying people online too.

IRL you can say anything you think and feel without censorship, including when you had a bad day and you say something mean. The internet is a space where you can rethink what you want to say, and filter out any mistakes.

I reccomend you take a rest and respond to the comment/post the next day.

Sometimes, your first reaction to a post is a lot about how you’re feeling at the time. Reading it later can bring a new perspective. It could have been written with a different tone in mind than the one you initially heard.

You do have a choice, and you don’t have to respond. You may be too upset to respond in the way that you would like, or it may not be worthy of a response. If the post is inflammatory and the person’s tends to resort to bullying, the best strategy is to ignore them.

I used to think backing out of arguments made me weak. I would get into all sorts of arguments online with my classmates. Although his arguments didn’t make sense anymore, I thought if I stopped replying he’d laugh at me. It would have real life conseqenses since I knew him and that he’d boast that he’s better than me.

It put too much emotional pain on me for it to be important anymore. So I left. I didn’t care afterwards. It didn’t change anything except the fact that some people just love to fight.

On the internet, hardly anyone wins, especially in a ship war. Like a good majority of the voltron fandom said a thousand times before, these conflicts will only make it a bad place and sometimes put enormous pressure on the creators of the fiction (this audiance pressure applies to fanfic writers as well).

 Everyone has their bad days. Some people get upset when they see a pairing they don’t like, and react insensitively, and writes a comment without being patient. It doesn’t mean that they don’t have good intentions. 

You could ask them to clarify what they said, “When you said…did you mean…or, what did you mean by…” or something like that. Give them the benefit of the doubt and the chance to be clear about what they meant.

Keep in mind that the person you may respond to can’t see your emotions. You are not physically or virtually present with them to clarify what you meant, and they can’t see the kindness in your eyes. They must rely entirely on your words to interpret your meaning. This is why it’s important to choose your words carefully and thoughtfully.

On the other hand, some people pick fights no matter how kind and patient you are with them. They quote you out of context, and make all sorts of accusations against you. Don’t take the “bait” by engaging in a struggle with them - they’ll never stop. Sometimes, the best strategy is to have nothing more to do with someone.

 Although I would encourage you to try annd be a peace maker between to fans who are fighting, so as to not escalate the problem. It’s okay to involve yourself to reslove the conflict until you feel like neither party wants to listen.

Think about what you want to accomplish by your communication with them.

I was tempted to write this post because recently on the instagram voltron fandom, I saw someone comment “why do you only post fan art of [ship A]? Why don’t I see more [ship B]?”

Under that comment a fan replied “Why can’t you [ship B] shippers get out of here already? Go get your own fandom space where no one can see you”

Seriously? What the fuck? That’s not nice. I know any fandom can mostly be a great place with awesome people but most of us hate seeing others fight about who’s ship/theories is better.

[kenrik]

For those who anti-/rivamika...

Hi. (Because, I like procrastinating.) 

I. My shipping history! When I was in college, I never would have dreamed shipping or even myself liking a guy 5 years older or younger than me. Yuck. Gross I thought it. Which is why the first time I encountered the ship (Community, Jeff x Annie), I cringed at myself because I thought it was weird for shipping a pair at least 10 years apart in age. 

When I was 14, I shipped Sakura and Sasuke because they were perfect together. Cool guy. Sweet (albeit annoying) girl. Plus, they were in the same age group! And they’re so damn cute together. And Sasuke’s so hawt. 

When I was 12, I shipped Sakuno and Ryoma because Sakuno was so sweet and docile. She is so perfect for the cool Ryoma. 

Looking back, my biases really affected my choice of ships. I thought the cool guy should end up with the cute girl who is so obviously in love with him. Pretty telling of how I saw my gender, isn’t it? (Always protected by the strong guy. Always so in love and sacrificial. No own motivations, no own battles.) But damn, I was a starry-eyed girl. Sue me. 

Then, as does everyone, we grow up. Saw the world. Met loads of people. (Both online and in person.) No one can really tell what makes a relationship. So, regardless of what you ship, it all boils down to personal preference. There is no need to beat the other down. I ship RivaMika because of the potential. (Like all my other ships and my non-existent love life... TMI!!!) hahaha! 

II. How I started. a. EreMika Like mostly everyone else, I sailed the EreMika ship. (See my bias towards straight pairings!) It was the cutest thing seeing these kiddies together in the first episodes. Also, I shipped them because I wanted the girl to get what she wanted - the affection of Eren. 

But gradually, as the story progressed - you have to ask, is that really what’s beneath Mikasa’s overprotective attitude over Eren? You know, amid Mikasa’s great strength, she’s still a kid. Immature and rash. It’s not obvious because as a soldier; she follows direct commands. So, these faults of her character are not that obvious. (It became blatantly evident when she had to act on her own in retrieving Eren from the Female Titan.) 

b. Female Titan - Rivamika Entry. HOOKED. I only came to ship Levi and Mikasa following the events of the Female Titan encounter. Of all the rescue operations I’ve watched, this was the most incredible and badass. I instantly had to ship them because of how awesome they were together. (That was my initial thought. After re-watching/re-reading, I realize that Levi did most of the work...)  III. My misunderstandings. a. Levi and Mikasa's characters. i. How Levi really is. Levi is not an abusive maniac. He does not like beating up children. (He does have a hard hand - but that’s a crutch he got for living most of his life in the depths of the underground hell which threatened to kill every ounce of humanity in him.) 

This character has an incredible backstory. (Just like everyone in this remarkably created universe.) But, his is sadder. He never had a moment of happiness. And that instant, that second he did, it was snatched away from him so easily, so quickly. All his life he’s been surrounded by people who couldn’t care any less about those around them. So, don’t you think it’s remarkable that this man who exudes the overused stereotype of “I don’t give a rat’s ass.”, keeps the patches of his fallen comrades? Helped Mikasa save Eren. (Other than helping Mikasa, he did it so willingly because Eren was a part of his squad. He wouldn’t hold back to rescue whatever tinge was left of them.)

It’s incredible that, with what little this man has, with all that he’s lost (and I’m crying just thinking about how a man who never had anything could lose so much), he continues to fight for humanity. 

So, that’s how Levi really is. He’s a tough guy, no doubt. But those that matter - the traits that count, they’re in him a hundredfold. And this is why I admire his character so much. All the humanity that Erwin and the other’s have lost. Levi gained. It’s a remarkable contrast, isn’t it? I will cry an ocean’s fill the day they kill off Levi. (I say when because I believe they really will.)  ii. How Mikasa really is. Regardless of how much we admire this child, she is what she is - a kid. “Gaki.” as Levi so lovingly puts it. 

She is strong, filled with incomprehensible potential. But, she is immature and rash. She lets her emotions get in the way of her duties. (But as you continue into the plot, you see how she’s developed. She’s more toned down. She is able to distance herself from Eren.) 

But, if you were to rate Mikasa to Levi. Mikasa does not even compare. Mikasa is heartless when it comes to those who are not Eren and Armin. Especially in the first season/first arc of the manga. Remember - she had the gall to blame Levi for Eren’s taking during their chase for the Female Titan. 

“If you did your job, Eren would be safe.” She says something like this with so much spite and loathing - to a man who just fucking lost his entire squad in the most horrendous of ways. This is a man who immediately locked up his own remorse, his own feelings of guilt, to get on with the next goal: Save Eren. 

SO. IDK WHAT THE FUCK YOU SHITS ARE SAYING. I’ve tried locking up feelings before. And trust me, that is not a good practice. SO. Who the hell could fucking understand what’s going through Levi’s head? He doesn’t seem to have a confidant. Nor does he seem to be looking for one. 

Mikasa has Eren and Armin. The 104th. She practically had and has a family. She’s been surrounded by love her entire life. So, to blame Levi. To injure him. 

I gravely think we fans aren’t giving Mikasa the shitloads worth of how horrible she’s been to Levi. From promising to beat him up after what he’s done to Eren during the latter’s trial. To blaming the bereaved man for losing Eren. Those may be two incidents. But, both were crucial to Eren’s well-being. Plus, taking into account that in the first parts of the anime/manga - Levi and Mikasa had little to no interactions to begin with. 

I love Mikasa’s development in the manga. But, considering the fact that Levi saved her ass from getting killed by the Female Titan. That he saved her fricking boyfriend/brother loads of times. That he continues to respect her and mentor her. LEVI is obviously the better character. So, no, in the Rivamika ship, you are not allowed to say Levi is the lucky one. Mikasa is the fortunate one; that Levi understands where her anger/rage came from and is able to move past it. 

b. Rivamika. When you have a wrong understanding of the characters, you tend to have a wrong understanding of the ship as well. Initially, I thought Levi was uncaring. I thought Mikasa was cool and just incredible. I thought Levi would beat Mikasa up - hence my previous fanfics. But damn was I mistaken. 

In the anime, there seems to be zero Rivamika. That’s because it’ll happen in the later arcs. But its there more or less. 

Also. The damn art in the anime (first season) is incomparable to the manga. In the 1st season anime, Levi has a baby-bod. Which is... effin not his dang body. In the manga (as seen above), he’s basically a muscular man. They fixed this in season 2. (Yes!) And in the manga, Mikasa looks younger, less mature than her anime version. --- So if there needs to be a Rivamika image that pops into mind, keep in mind the one on top of this post. 

IV. Rivamika (see: appreciation post)

V. Conclusion: Why I Rivamika. a. Potential i. Caring Levi and a maturing Mikasa I just adore Levi. And I love Mikasa. 

Since I adore Levi - I want him to be happy. I want him to lead a life that has been contrary to what he’s been through his entire life. I want him to gain rather than lose. I want him to live for someone, to fight for someone special to him. I want him to stop seeing himself as an instrument for humanity’s survival. After all, if you’re not fighting for something concrete - then why the hell are you fighting? (Right, Jean? LOL.) I have a penchant for sad characters, for the ‘bad’ characters. I believe they are misunderstood; that they aren’t given the development they need. 

But Levi has everything good in him. So, why shouldn’t he be happy? (This is why I ship him with everyone. LOL.) 

Mikasa, I love. She is just incredible. And, most compatible to Levi. She’s uber powerful. She is most likely to understand Levi. (Remember - Levi has no confidant. I doubt Levi/Erwin/Hange talk about their feelings.... They’re people who get the job done after all. So, no need for the mushy stuff.) But as she is, I think the best bet for her to shed off her feelings for Eren and have her affections swayed by someone else is - maturity and distance. 

In the manga, we already see her development. She’s become Levi’s right hand. She back-ups the man. And she understands him. 

I don’t like thinking my ship as “here’s a Levi.” and “here’s a Mikasa.” now fall in love sort. The way I think Levi will fall in love with Mikasa is companionship and understanding. Tea time talks maybe. Being there when he needs a helping hand. Levi as he is, is and has never been in search of romance. Levi is a simple man with zero input on the topic. He only has this vague idea of love and family in the corner of his mind. Something he doesn't think about because for him, it isn't necessary. It isn't what's in front of him. That being said, I think he's one that could grow affection quietly and be satisfied with this alone. He yearns for nothing, he wants for nothing after all. Heck, the man isn’t in search of a friend even. He’ll grow the affection for certain. But, Rivamika sailing will all be in Mikasa’s wheelhouse. 

And, I think Mikasa will fall for Levi once she freaking matures. I say mature because we can hold it as a fact that she already understands Levi in the manga. So, she needs to mature to shed her old feelings. We slowly see this in Eren and Jean’s brawl, where she just lets them fight. (Good times, good times.) Mikasa will fall for Levi only when she realizes how much he’s done for her, for everyone. She’ll fall in love with him after she realizes how much there is to admire in him, after she reassesses what it means to fall in love with another. 

I don’t understand how this will work in canon. But just imagine the possibilities. One headcanon is - they embark to unknown territory. The protagonists are in separate teams. I see Armin in HQ, dealing with military strategy. I see Mikasa training her own squad. I see Levi and Eren joining the frontlines. (This is where the distance I mentioned could develop. - Mikasa can grow, reassess her feelings.) (But crap, I think she’ll only end up missing Eren... :( ) 

(Speaking about Eren. I don’t think he’ll fall in love with Mikasa. From his character - he obviously isn’t looking for one. And second, he never seemed to be attracted to Mikasa at any point of their relationship. He always saw her as a friend, an unwanted nuisance at times. Annie, I’m pretty sure he fancied at one point or the other. - This works with Rivamika because it gives me room to believe that Mikasa will have to move on.)  (But then again, you can never be certain. He could come out one day saying, “Of course I love you. I always have.” I think his relationship with Mikasa opens this door to a frank and casual confession. :O )

ii. The Indefeasible Ackermans The Ackerman line will certainly continue. It’s impossible to think those genes will be lost to humanity forever. One of the two (assuming there are no others) will procreate with someone. So, why not just put them together? 

(Kidding aside.)

I say potential because of the inherent capabilities of these characters. The trajectory of their stories will reach heights unknown. They’ll be doing remarkable feats, journeys, battles. They will save humanity. The thought of their finding love through all it is so damn romantic, I can’t even begin to describe it. It will just be so incredible and heart-wrenching. (To find love in a hopeless place. HA......... ha. Sorry.)

b. Biases i. How I appreciate my gender. It’s easy to pinpoint flaws in depictions of your gender. So in my ships, I quickly take note of this. I love how in obvious ships (EreAnnie, RivaMika), the women are equally or even stronger. 

I love how confident the men are in their own abilities. That Levi doesn’t give a rat’s ass about his height. That the men’s frustration with getting stronger doesn’t stem from jealousy towards their female counterparts, but the struggle to win a life-long battle. 

When I was younger, it’s so obvious that I liked the girls in my ships to be the under in more ways than one. Although I wanted them to develop, they were never allowed to grow more than their male counterpart. In Rivamika, Mikasa could so easily surpass Levi any day now. I also like the fact that Levi is shorter than Mikasa. That’s how you know a man is confident - that he doesn’t mind living up to such an incredible partner. 

(Oh yea, look! For the first time, it’s the man who sacrifices his time and effort for the woman’s sake.) Love RivaMika so gosh darn much.

ii. What I look for in a relationship. EQUALITY AND RESPECT. (including attraction, love, admiration, trust... all that jazz of course.) You get this in Rivamika if appreciated properly. 

All points taken, Rivamika is awesome. If you don’t think so, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure to ship and let ship. If a ship doesn’t suit your taste, look the other way. Don’t be immature and show us how much time you can afford to waste by ranting about a pairing you hate. (And like that, I just wasted a butt load of time... oh no.) 

END. 

[fauzhee10069]

I've just been idly looking fics from One-Punch Man fandom in Archive of Our Own site. Initially inside the tags of SaiGenos pairing, unintentionally I found many amusing tags about Amai Mask, and this was only from the first page. So I decided to click Amai Mask tag and I search every amusing tags about him.

Out of 87 Works (and probably more) in Amai Mask | Sweet Mask tag, these are the tags I found:

#Amai Mask is a dick or amai is a dick

#Amai Mask is a jackass

#Amai Mask is rich and a bully

#Amai Mask is a little shit (twice)

#arrogant Amai (OK, this is right sometimes but not always)

#Sweet Mask & Tornado are the worst customers (they probably would, but I don’t think they would be rude without reason, for example Tatsumaki: probably she would be rude and pissed out if she gets poor service or feels belittled)

#Amai Mask is a creeper and I stand by that

#Sweet Mask is awful

#Sweet Mask is a douche bag

Wow, so many hate tags about him. Okay well, Amai first appearance both in manga and in anime was not bad at all, just a normal high rank hero and probably also serves as Public Relation in Hero Association. In Anime, Amai calmly congratulated Genos for became an S-Class Hero (he wasn’t even provoked by Genos’ cold nature when the later thought that Amai intended to bully him) and in manga, he accepted Saitama’s promotion to B-Class. Amai ‘s bad impression began to show during Chapter 36 (Punch 36) “Crash” right after Saitama defeated Boros and the S-Class Heroes defeated his minions. Amai came late yet he berates the S-Class heroes for not preventing City A's destruction, even though there was nothing they could have done to prevent it, Atomic Samurai was even pointing out that they only knew of the threat after they got out of the Hero Association HQ and found the city already in shambles. Amai’s attitude not only infuriated the S-Class Heroes but also the readers as well ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Later Amai mercilessly executed some Boros’ remaining minions (who were weak and ready to surrender) and Genos commented that Amai is similar to himself, except that Amai has absolutely no compassion or empathy for the monsters, not even the ones that have surrendered. Some chapters later, Amai was shown defeating a monster (Suppon) mercilessly and got cheered by his fans.

Besides AO3’s hate tags about him, previous reddit survey from OPM section granted him the “Worst Girl” title (based on the poll): 10k Hero Special Survey - RESULTS!!!

And look how TV Tropes describes him, even though the description straightly follows the canon story without any fabrication, the words they used are heavily hinted their dislike to his character XD.

I wonder, just a scene of him being an asshole in the redrawn manga, many people already deem him as unredeemable character, despite other chapters didn’t show him as douchebag. Some fics portrayed him as being normally rude to everyone, cocky and thinking like he is above/better than everyone. I think, Amai is one of many characters that many people misunderstand about him. This doesn’t mean that I’m okay or support what he said in Chapter 36 (when he berated about the S-Class Heroes’ failure), but instead of him just being unreasonable asshole or narcissist, I think what makes him said that is because he is such perfectionist person (his profile in databook also mentioned this). Amai is workaholic, perfectionist and professional to his jobs; FYI that he is a professional hero, a recording artist, a model, and a TV star.  In his drama CD “Amai Mask’s Super Sweet Anguish”, it told the story during his early career, when he was having the first concert of his dome tour, despite his perfect appearance, he has an internal struggle due to the pressure he experiences every time before his live concerts. He has his usual ritual by going to the toilet to give himself a mental pep talk. One day, Amai had a problem and somewhat lost an idea to give the title of his new released song, Saitama accidentally entered the same toilet with Amai who the former thought that he was taking forever with his business. Long story short, Saitama calmed him down and (again) accidentally gave him great idea and finally Amai dropped the title of his new song. Amai who probably thought Saitama as a random crew greatly thanked him for it. So, while being perfectionist and has very high standard to his career, Amai is still a human who might have a moment of weakness sometimes. While normally being arrogant and rude, he doesn’t always behave that way to everyone (perhaps to certain people who he thinks annoying), also he could still feel grateful and thank to the person who helped him. Recent Special Chapter “Star” showed him being professional and perfectionist, Amai was performing a concert with a band in a concert stadium but was interrupted by the arrival of mysterious beings. Not wanting to ruin his concert, Amai continued his show (singing & dancing) while toying with the mysterious beings before eliminating them with a swift slice and uppercut, the audiences believed that it was part of the show. Amai was working well as a performer and as a hero, no one got hurt or scared and the concert was incredible success. The special chapter also showed what he was thought that he loves and appreciates his fans and the crews who helped him, this means that he won’t randomly rude to every person.

When Amai held such high standard to his career, he also expects the other to fulfill his high standard. This what makes his words seem bad and wrong in Chapter 36, he should know that not everyone could reach his standard because everybody has different talent, skills and pace of progression. Also his fault was that he refused to listen and didn’t want to understand what really happened before his late arrival, he ignored Atomic Samurai’s explanation/or perhaps he listened but didn’t believe it since he was too concerned about heroes’ professionalism and public views about them than observing and understanding the situation (I understand it since he acts as PR to HA). I think his disappointment made him overreacted and belittled the heroes, saying that their failure made them unworthy of being in the S-Class. This means that what is currently being shown about him and what I take for his character is that Amai is a workaholic, love his jobs as hero and entertainer, has very high standard to his career (and expects the others to follow his standard), despite this, he is still a human who might have a moment of weakness sometimes. While normally being arrogant and rude, he doesn’t always behave that way to everyone (perhaps to certain people who he thinks annoying), also he could still feel grateful and thank to the person who helped him. Amai really despises the evil (in his views) and would eliminate it with no mercy, very concerns about public view, would be harsh to the person who fails his expectation and (what people tend to forget) loves his fans and greatly appreciates the work of the crews that helped him perform and anyone who doesn’t fail in his eyes/disappoint him, he has his dark side but won’t randomly show it to random people.

He is not so positive but also not entirely negative as a character.

Edited!! Addition from reblogged:

I just re-watched episode 12 (S1E12). When everyone agree that Amai was being an asshole, I could see why he was late and didn’t immediately went to city A to save the world. As Metal Bat responded Amai’s criticism that the later himself was very late, Amai reasoned that since many S-class heroes already gathered in A city, he assumed that they were supposedly capable to handle the threat. He likely thought that perhaps his assistance wasn’t really needed and that’s why he didn’t rush to the spot but cared enough to observe the situation afterwards. He might be not as heroic as Mumen Rider who loves to handle every monsters with any threat levels despite only being C-Class hero or Tatsumaki who loves to chase every monsters and will get bored if not fighting them, but he has reasonable mindset like most people in general. My example of similar mindset is like this: I am an English interpreter, I was on my business trip in neighboring city. Suddenly at the central office came a colleague from England when I was away. Normally, I could helped translate during the business meeting between my boss who could not speak english and that colleague. But I remembered that I am not the only interpreter in central office and there was my friend there who also worked as English interpreter. Therefore, I don’t have to return immediately, no need to cancel my business trip as I believed that my friend already handled the communication between my boss and the foreign colleague.

Amai trusted those S-Class heroes’ capability to handle the threat and that is not really wrong. What is wrong is that his ignorance to believe what the heroes said in which they couldn't prevent the casualties as the attack that happened suddenly was so powerful that it destroyed the whole city in just one attack. He thought that was just their excuse and if I am one of the heroes I would also be annoyed at him just like everyone else LOL. Seems that he is so hard on heroes. I wish he would be more open-minded and trust his fellow heroes in the future.

We will see him more when we almost reach the climax of Garō arc but (spoiler): in the webcomic, Amai mocked the rest of the S-Class heroes for failing to protect humanity, you would probably hate him more XP. Though after Garō arc finished, Amai acknowledges and starts to appreciate Saitama’s beauty of power and probably will become his new fanboy. Sure, he was rude to Sugar Pop Boys boyband newbies, probably because they could be his future rivals in the entertainment world but unworthy as heroes. Perhaps the only hope that could make his character more redeemable and be more understood is when his backstory has been revealed.

It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t portray him bad in any fics we write, no- that’s not my point. We’re free to put any character to antagonist role and protagonist role and in OPM fandom, Amai himself often gets antagonistic roles and only one fic so far gives him a protagonist role. What intrigued me is that there are so many non-functional tags described him as being despicable being in their stories as if the writers really detest him so much, just one chapter & one episode about him being an asshole and he already earned this much hate (especially from manga-only readers) XD. Personally, I’d rather see the fics include him as antagonist with the simple tags like: #evil Amai, #antagonist Amai, #villain Amai, #Amai dislikes/hates__ etc though as a writer they’re free to express and tag their fic with anything in their minds, I just find it funny… that’s all.

I am not Amai’s fangirl, I don’t really like him too but I don’t despise his character either, in fact he is one of the characters that makes me curious and want to know more about him (besides Sonic-Flash’s relationship and Blast’s mysterious identity). I wish for some writers that someday will care enough to portray him in different light, when he becomes more sympathetic but not flawless, when he will be more than just one-dimensional jerk/asshole.

[kikiscastleinthesky]

Smoke & Shadow review

This particular comic  features one of the biggest holes in the sequel to the series. Starting with the fact that the secret Ozai society only wants to remove Zuko from the throne because they think he is traitorous and incompetent; in few words, they want to put Ozai back, and this society is neither well organized nor has its clear objectives, since Ukano from the start of the comic he is been manipulated by Azula. It is seen that he does it for fear of the Kemurikage and not on his own account,  he's a character who doesn't know which side he's on. 

There is not a single dialogue other than removing Zuko and putting Ozai back. That's it?  There is no strategy, nothing is neither politically or economic explained. What benefit would the society have with Ozai? Having their old jobs? Their old pay? Get out from jail? Be named nobility? Go back to the 100 year war? We have already seen what Ozai's reign is like. Apart from going back to the same thing, what else? I'm sure the first thing Ozai would do upon returning to the throne would be to kill Zuko and the avatar. Oh, and Ursa and her family too. And what would happen to his allies? nobody, never thinks about what the new Ozai regime would be like.

Clearly this is all an assumption because there is not even initial communication with Ozai. The great plan is to make riots and kidnap the children. So the people will go against the government and the leader will withdraw. In every country in the world, since the beginning of history there have always been riots and kidnappings and the leader does not withdraw. Ah, but a very different thing is to have a political, economic and military strategy to carry out a coup d'état. 

Now we move to the development of the comic. I’m a little confused, in smoke and shadow p3; Zuko redirects Azula’s lighting, but then immediately gets hit by a freaking lighting at his chest and abdomen. (When I first read it I swear I began to tear my hair because Zuko was doomed) [+pic on that] But…ummm, he just gets knocked to a wall? Uh, writing team, are you sure how lighting works? Then Azula and her team escapes… uh, are we sure we are talking about the same characters? They escaped the freaking avatar, the freaking Fire Lord and the freaking Kyoshi warrior leaders?[+pic on that] Is it the same show were two non-benders and a metal bender took down the entire fire nation air fleet in Sozin’s comet?

And Azula ... oh I didn’t want to talk about this, but Azula as a villain was a total failure, from the beginning, as we had seen in the comic "The search" she doesn’t have any essential development, she’s only there to be the schizophrenic aggressive teenager that you have to take care of. Azula went from being the mastermind that was able to emotionally manipulate her brother and friends to do whatever she wanted, the one that started the drill project to penetrate Ba Sing Se's outer wall, the one that defeated the Kioshi warriors, the one who in disguise gave a damn coup d'état in Ba Sing Se and defeated… to the madwoman who kidnapped children so she could to rule through Zuko's mind. More than being a respectable villain with potential, he became a nuisance and a headache for everyone, before, when I saw Azula, it was like "OMG", now what is she gonna do? Now she is like “ here we come again- while I rub my temples”.

There is a part in the comic where Azula tells Zuko that in 24 hours he has been ruthless like her, that within him, he will always be one of her own and that sooner or later he will be like her and that is why, in a certain sense, she will be Fire Lord. Well in the last hours the only thing we have seen is how Zuko continues to eat from the palm of Mai's hand, and how he throws tantrums with his friend Aang because he doesn't want to do what he says. The only thing he does is fire an officer who disobeyed.

Ok I got lost, first Azula tells that she has accepted she will never become Fire Lord, but after Zuko becomes a psychopath like her, she’ll rule through him. So yes or no? And then she disappears (again). So the children were only stolen because of a complete illogical idea by Azula? all this for something that has no foundation? First, they didn’t turn the country against Zuko, but rather a few citizens of capital city, they didn’t release Ozai, they didn’t communicate with him, nor did they assassinate anyone from his council or his men, and in the end the children will return to their parents and the idea that thanks to the Fire Lord and the avatar, things were solved.

Instead of a plan against him, it seems a plan in favor of him, so that citizens believe that only thanks to them, they are safe. Hell, if my son was kidnapped and the Fire Lord and the Avatar returned him to me I would be their faithful servant until I die.

The worst of the case is that they left a huge hole where Azula could have developed as a character. The last time we saw her was when she told Zuko that he was useless, and she disappeared into the forest (The search). And we see her again when she appears to Ukano for the first time and demands that he start doing something because otherwise the kidnappings will start. Ok here we had a great loss. Azula left without clothes, without food without ANYTHING in the forest, how did she get to the capital city? Magically a map was found? I may not get out from my house frequently, but I'm sure that when you get lost for weeks, you look more like a tramp than yourself. How did she survive? Hunting forest animals with fire bending? How did she found clothes? How did she got to the mental hospital? I didn’t know she had friends in the institution. How did she convince them to join her? Where did they get the sedative from? From the hospital? How did they escape? Why did Zuko never found out that there was a massive flight of patients from the mental hospital? How Azula found out that Ukano was the leader of the society? If it is called a secret society for something? What is Azula’s objective/ benefit for manipulating Ukano? Ukano wants to reinstate Ozai on the throne, while Azula tells him that Ozai has never been part of the plan, but then she already knows that he will never be Fire Lord. ¿?

If I want to understand, if neither she nor Ozai are going to be Fire Lord and if they are not going to give a decent coup d’état, what is the real objective of this? That time when Azula was alone was a great opportunity to either:

a)    Show her as a vicious, ruthless and cruel villain. Show that she had gotten worse and now she evolved to carry out by herself a coup d’état, to see her ruthlessly murder someone. A villain that really scares you, with true psychotic and macabre plans, not the one that makes you roll your eyes every time she makes an appearance.

b)    Give her, her much-deserved redemption arc.

But she doesn't do any of this. All she does is hit people ,be rude,  throw lightning bolts, and manipulate Ukano.

Does she murder someone? No. Does she or the secret society have a political, economic or military strategy? No. Does she make more allies apart from her crazy friends? No. Does she have a real interaction with her allies? No. Does she or the secret society enter the government? No. And out of nowhere she says that she already understood that her destiny had never been to be Fire Lord and miraculously she stops having visions of her mother, that she feels free, more powerful and without that burden.  Hey, all the more reason was it for you to become a better villain or to start your redemption process. Not for you to make this ridiculous plan so that you can rule through Zuko's mind.

All this is a pity, and our wonderful Azula falls into a filler villain who only acts as such to give the supposed meaning of the comic. And since her goal was only to have someone bad to get more comics, Azula disappears again into the haze to never make a mention in LOK again. So I'll assume she went into the same thing as Suki’s and Kei Lo, once they didn't need her she was thrown out.

And I am not mentioning how Zuko and Aang's relationship has severe misunderstandings, they don’t seem best friends and I’ll not mention how Zuko is clinging to a woman who clearly disrespects him and is no longer interested in him, but… Maiko is another analysis.

Sooner or later Ukano breaks down and is going to free the children. But Kiyi discovers that she is a fire bender, and she makes a hole in the wall releasing everyone. (One of the saviours is a 6yo). Oh, I almost forget that all of this happens in a couple of days because in North and South part 2, Kanna says it has just been a couple of days and Aang goes back to the tribe (Don’t worry it was just Azula).

Stars given 2