#and her acceptance isn't really a choice.

[vi-is-badass]

Hey I don't know if you remember me. You probably interact with a lot of people on here, but you responded to my thoughts about the idea taht Vi's role in the finale was a subversion of the typical big damn heroes moment and linked this post, so I came over to read it and wanted to possibly start a conversation on this post because I think you voiced a lot of the things I've been thinking since the finale aired.

For one, I want to add a few thoughts to the idea that Vi doesn't have an arc in regards to Jinx because this is inherently my biggest issue with the finale and the final scene between the two sisters.

A big part of this issue is that I don't think the second season really backed up the claims that "Vi always chose Jinx to her own detriment" and that "Vi never would have let Jinx go".

Vi would always choose Jinx to her own detriment.

If this was after season 1 I would agree with this statement but season 2 constantly counters this idea because every time Vi chooses Jinx in season 2 it's framed as the right thing to do: Vi stops Caitlyn from taking the shot, everything in episode 5, Vi freeing Jinx from prison. They all lead to better outcomes and in the case of Vi freeing Jinx from prison, you can argue it's that decision that ultimately led to the world being saved. Not directly clearly but in an indirect way.

Vi simply doesn't choose Jinx to her own detriment in season 2.

2. Vi would never let Jinx go.

This one frustrates me the most because... the show literally has a whole section of the plot dedicated to Vi realizing her sister is her own person with her own life.

They have a whole scene in episode 5 that builds to Vi admitting that Jinx hasn't needed her in a long time. Vi understands by this point that Jinx is her own person and is capable of making her own decisions.

Plus, the scene in the prison cell is meant to be Vi realizing that she's been constantly living for other people and choosing happiness instead. She notably doesn't chase after Jinx and chooses to stay and accept Caitlyn's love instead. She is literally meant to be letting Jinx go in this scene. (This isn't my interpretation. This is literally what Amanda said in an interview)

Now I have a few issues with the framing of this scene because... what exactly was the choice here? Vi thinks she's alone. She thinks Jinx has betrayed her and won't return. What was her other option? Go back to her shitty apartment in the undercity and return to pitfighting? Curl up in the prison cell and give up? There simply isn't a choice between duty and personal happiness which Vi has always been torn between. Like you said, "Do these things really feel like part of her arc or just Vi reacting to circumstances?"

And it's these two big things being what the final decision hinges on that makes the fact that the sisters' final scene was written before they wrote the rest of season 2 incredibly obvious because, with the way they had Vi progress, this ending doesn't make sense for her (to me).

Based on how the second season played out I believe that Vi should have seen Jinx after her "death" to confirm to her and the audience that Jinx is in fact alive and been told by Jinx that she's going to leave Piltover. Vi is left with a choice: she can stay in Piltover and be with Caitlyn or leave with Jinx. In this moment she chooses to let Jinx go.

They both get the ending they need, Jinx is confirmed alive (something I think needed to happen considering her suicidal ideation), and Vi gets an actual moment of growth and completes her arc with her sister.

Vi's arc is about accepting and moving on from the past this would have provided a satisfying conclusion to that arc. She would have gotten an actual choice between the responsibility and happiness that was the intent behind the jail cell scene and fully completed that part of her arc.

Jinx completed her arc, but deserves a chance to live her life and I think having Jinx choose to live after trying to die all season would be more powerful than the tragedy the ambiguity brings to the story.

I kind of want to be positive for a moment because I feel like that sounded really negative and I don't want anyone to think I dislike Arcane. I like the final scene between the sisters when looking at it from the perspective of Jinx's arc.

I feel like the ending on its face is good for Jinx. She finally succeeds in protecting her family, her sister who she loves more than anything, and gets to willingly leave Piltover and the violence it wrought in her life behind to start a new chapter.

Jinx feels like she is a literal curse in the lives of the people she loves. She accidentally killed Mylo, Claggor, and Silco and believes she's the reason Vander and Isha are dead. Yet all she's ever wanted to do was protect them. There's a reason she looks so glad when she's falling. She's happy that she protected her sister and can give her a chance at a future. (that legitimately makes me incredibly emotional)

This is genuinely beautiful in its intent and how it bookends Jinx's arc. Now the framing is again something I have an issue with because of reasons I've already stated above, but the moment when viewed through the lens that Jinx lived is impactful.

For two, I completely agree with the criticism that Warwick felt like barely a goon. The fact that Vi and Jinx's fight with Warwick held no sway over the outcome of the final battle is a genuine criticism. Vi and Jinx could both die in this battle or they could win and it wouldn't change the outcome of the conflict at all.

This is an issue when you have a final battle. This is the last time these characters will have a chance to effect the outcome of the story and the world and yet their conflict ultimately doesn't effect the outcome of said story. You could very literally remove Vi from this conflict and it wouldn't effect the outcome of the conflict or story at all. She's another soldier on the battlefield. One we care about, but not unique in her contributions at all. If she wasn't there the outcome still would have been the same and that's an issue from a writing standpoint, especially for a character that was framed as the protagonist in season 1.

This addition sounds pretty negative but that's because this is centered around the part of the story I felt the writers dropped the ball on the worst. I'm a lot more forgiving about pretty much every other part of the finale. I love Jinx and Ekko's roles in the finale. I genuinely like the resolution to Jayce and Viktor's conflict. And, while I had issues with the execution of Caitlyn and Mel's arcs in the season, I do like their role in the finale.

Whereas with Vi I felt like a lot was dropped with her in the final act even without her lack of impact on the final battle. There were so many threads and arcs that the show set up for her that were left feeling incomplete.

In season one and the first two acts of season 2 Vi is struggling to find her place between the cities of Piltover and Zaun. She doesn't quite fit into either one. In the first season she's alienated from Zaun because she's just gotten out of prison after 7 years and Zaun has changed without her so she doesn't recognize the city or its people. She struggles to find the community she once held dear in a Zaun morphed by the man that killed her family. In the second it's due to her choice to join the strike team. Even if it was with good intentions she still joined their oppressor and became a "traitor". And she doesn't fit into Piltover because of the prejudice held towards Zaunites even though her only real tether after getting out of prison is Caitlyn-- a piltovan.

Unless you want to believe that the answer is simply "by Cailtyn's side" that thread isn't resolved. At least not in a direct way.

She also doesn't know her place in the world. She was never allowed to be an adult and discover what she wants to do or what she wants to be. League lore dictates that it's eventually to be an enforcer, which I guess we can infer she became off-screen either between the meeting and the final battle or between the final battle and the epilogue, but the fact that it's not really addressed and doesn't happen onscreen makes it so I don't really count that.

They don't really allow Vi to move past her guilt and responsibility. She feels responsible for what she did to Powder as a child, she feels responsible for what happened to Mylo and Claggor and Vander at that warehouse, she feels responsible for what happened to Caitlyn and her mother. She feels immense guilt and responsibility due to her parentification as a child and what she perceives to be her failures as a big sister to Jinx. I am a little confused at to how the last act allowed Vi to move past any of this. Maybe I missed something the writer’s implied or something, but I didn’t see what moment or beat was meant to be Vi moving out from under the weight. I get that Jinx tells her that she isn’t Vi’s responsibility (absolving Vi in a sense of the responsibility she feels for her and what Jinx went on to do) but if that’s the conclusion (plus her getting together with Caitlyn) it felt half baked to me.

Why would Vi move past her guilt after all that? Wouldn't the way that Jinx "died" (Jinx isn't dead but Vi believes that Jinx is) just add more guilt onto her shoulders? Wouldn't she view this as another failure on her part? She "made the wrong choice" and Jinx had to sacrifice herself for her as a result. (I don't view it this way but Vi likely does unless she worked through it off-screen)

I know I already posed a solution to this problem earlier in this addition, but I wanted to reiterate that the lack of a choice on Vi's part is ultimately a problem for her character arc.

I've already talked about why having Vi have no impact on the finale doesn't work for me as a subversion of expectations in greater depth here, but my points boil down to 2 things: If it was meant to be a subversion you have to set up the expectation that Vi would be the big damn hero of the finale which the season didn't do because it was constantly pulling the rug out from under her so to speak. And the subversion would need to play a key role in wrapping up her character arc which it also doesn't do.

My issues with the way the show handled Vi in the 3rd act really bother me because *gestures at entire blog* I am very clearly a huge Vi fan. Her character arc in season 1 hit way too close to home and the impact the character had on me very literally changed the course of my life (that is a story for another day haha).

So even though I love the writing for her in the first 2 acts (seriously, I will go to bat for the writing for her in those acts, especially her writing in act 2, which I think is underrated for how well it actually explores her character in fandom discussions) I can't help but feel ultimately let down by her handling in season 2 because I don't think they stuck the landing.

I am interested to hear what you think about this. I genuinely would like to know if you're willing and able to answer. I think you are good at expressing your viewpoint and bringing up a lot of good points that I hadn't necessarily considered.

Vi got robbed by the finale

First, a few words on where I'm coming from. I really enjoyed Vi and felt for her in season 1. I'm a Cait/Vi enjoyer and was looking forward to their resolution. I do not have fundamental objections to Vi becoming an enforcer. I don't have a problem with Caitlyn and Vi having sex in the Jinx cell and I actually think it is one of the better scenes of her arc.

IMO she was great, tragic POV heroine and lead in season 1.

Her status changed in season 2, which is reflected in the screntime distribution (ie both Jinx and Caitlyn having more screentime). This does not have to be a bad thing. You can have good arcs and emotionally resonant stories even as a supporting character.

But the more and more I think about the finale and Act 3, the more I think Vi really got treated badly. And the core is really this:

I've joked that I thought about switching my ship allegiance to Mel/Cait after the finale. I'm not actually serious about it. But it got me to think.

And I came up with the following thesis:

1.) Vi is really, really unimportant and useless in the final fight 2.) That matters because they went with an an action finale

On to a long post discussing Vi's role in the finale and Vi's arcs in Act 1 and 2 and her lack of meaningful arc in Act 3.

Within the finale there's really a clear hierarchy of conflicts.

1.) Viktor is the biggest threat and the most emotionally emphasized climax. Jayce is the action and emotional hero of this threat, Ekko is the supporting cool action hero of this threat.

2.) Ambessa is the second most scary threat. She's not a universe threatening as Viktor, but she's still badass and interesting and she gets a cool and very lengthy action scene associated with her. Mel is the emotional core of this conflict. Cait gets the badass action part of this conflict. Mel and Cait also directly coordinate, increasing the badassery.

3.) Warwick by comparison is barely a goon. He feels like an afterthought. Not like a major threat. Vi and Jinx are "assigned" to him. Jinx is the hero of this already fairly unimportant conflict and I would argue she even gets the bigger emotional punch, even though Vi is clearly affected as well.

I find it striking how different Vi's role in the battle feels to Caitlyn. Caitlyn it feels gets two badass action sequences. First in the smoke, really getting to show of her sharp shooting:

While at the same time, Vi gets her shit kicked in by regular Noxian soldiers and is busy... trying to hold a door? Babysitting the shooting of a rocket?

I've been thinking about it. On paper, there isn't that much of a difference between Cait's sharp shooter sequence and Vi's sequence at the tower.

Both show several people dying around them (though Cait acts calm and professional about it while Vi reacts emotionally). Both have bit player characters stepping in to help execute what they are doing (Steb placing the bomb, Jhin tease guy shooting the rocket). Both have missions that kind of fail (Cait's bomb doesn't go off, the rocket shoots the empty egg thing).

But it still feels like Caitlyn just gets way more glory shots. While Vi gets pushed to the floor, gets rescued by Jinx and Ekko riding to her rescue.

Her big glory shot

In theory should be great. She is punching Warwick to rescue Jinx. But it's shot so far away and turns around so fast into Warwick choking her, we don't feel the impact of her punch at all, even though on paper it is Vi using her gauntlets in a really cool innovative way.

If I compare how the Cait/Ambessa fight goes, yes Cait also gets hurt and thrown to the ground.

But Cait's fight just feels way more badass and Cait like a fundamental part of that conflict. Cait and Mel fight like a well coordinated team while Vi, Jinx and Ekko feel a lot more erratic. Cait is the one who initiates the fight in the first place, Cait is the one who makes a badass sacrifice to open up an essential tactical weakness. Yes, Mel gets the last shot and the emotional payoff, but it still feels very much like Caitlyn's fight too.

Yes in theory, Vi and Jinx go back and forth with saving each other, but it's just much faster and erratic, and *busier*, it just never has the same impact to hit. (I would be very interested in seeing a numbers breakdown, how much screentime is spent on the various different fights but also who has longer scenes before the next cut is)

It just feels like this finale is filled with scene after scene after scene with Vi being shellshocked and helpless and not really being super effective enough to compensate for that. Neither her glory moments, not her emotional moments really get the time to breathe the way this moment does with slo-mo and a song.

Compare Vi hurtling herself at Warwick to save Jinx, versus Jinx hurtling herself at Warwick to save Vi.

Okay, so is this just a dick measuring contest over who gets to be the most badass?

No. It's not a crime for Vi not to be the most effective fighter in the finale. But let's take a step back.

Act 1: Vi is a supporting character, but she has a clear role

I have said before I feel a major difference to season 1 is that rather than Vi being the main driving character, the show switched. Cait is the main character of Act 1, Jinx of Act 2.

Vi has lost her spot as main character, but her role in the story is still very clear. She is there as Cait's partner, her heart, her conscience. She witnesses Cait's distress. She tries to reach out to her. When they have an action scene, they work together and coordinate.

Arcane has action roots. Characters express themselves through their action scenes. That's why it's important who gets what action scene.

Also, while Cait's grief and hate and decisions drive the events of Act 1, Vi has her own arc of having hardened towards Jinx (agreeing Cait should take the shot) and then having that challenged by the end and of course getting an emotionally charged poignant moment when Cait dumps her when Vi takes a stand for Isha (= Vi making a choice).

Act 2: Vi is a supporting character, but she has a clear emotional arc

IMO Jinx is the clear lead character of act 2. She has a clear arc with Isha, befriending Isha, rescuing Isha, losing Isha.

Jinx is also the driving force of the Warwick arc. She encounters Warwick first. She is the one Warwick recognizes first. She puts 2+2 together. She seeks out Vi. She initiates their trip to the mines. She gives Vi the important hint about correctly handling Warwick. Warwick jumps into action ("Don't touch my daughter") to save her. His "death" in this arc is linked to Jinx and Isha.

But Vi still has a nice and satisfying enough arc in Act 2 anyway. She starts at rock bottom and grieving, she gets roped in by Jinx, she is initially suspicious of Jinx, she starts to trust Jinx more, her reunion with Warwick is emotional, they all go and try to help him, Jinx and Vi think about their mother.

Vi also goes from grieving Cait, to fixing her own life a little bit, to re-encountering Cait and teaming up with her again.

The big theme of Vi's arc is trust. She has to get over her fears and trust Jinx's advice on Warwick, just like she has to trust Caitlyn about letting Cait tie her up and play fake prisoner.

Act 3: Jinx has an arc about Vi, but Vi has no arc about Jinx

Jinx's in arc in Act 3 is about deciding to leave Vi. Everything in this arc is to prepare us for it.

Vi is not at all in the first episode. Even though the trigger of that episode was according to Amanda Overton what would happen if Vi had died in the original explosion, and the episode is absolutely respectful of Vi, with much grief and praise about it, in the end the portrayal isn't really about how life is impossible for these characters without Vi.

We get told what's going to happen to Jinx and get emotionally prepared for it, even though we don't know it. Sometimes leaping a step forward means leaving a few things behind. We get prepared for the idea that leaving things behind doesn't have to be a bad thing.

In the next episode, again we are getting prepared for what Jinx wants to do through her vision of Silco. She's going to heroically break the cycle of violence. Also, codes and commitments (like Vi's to Jinx) can be the bars we lock outselves in with. Identities (like the Jinx identity) are the cells we want to break out of.

Jinx then makes her decision. She's going to leave Vi. Vi never giving up on her is perceived to be something negative by her. She sets Vi free, telling her to stop caring about Jinx, telling her to be happy with Cait instead.

In the last episode, Ekko talks her out of killing herself. But Jinx still is determined to leave Vi. She says her goodbye to Vi. She assures Vi that it's not a problem because they will always be close anyway.

She then cuts the ties, lets go of Vi's hand and tumbles down with Warwick (and by most people's logic, fakes her own death and leaves the city).

Jinx has made a decision about Vi, which she executes. But Vi has no say in this decision. That's why she has no arc. She doesn't get to make a decision about her future really.

Even sneaking out to try and save Jinx we find out was prepared for by Caitlyn (and of course we find out that Caitlyn is the one who understands what Jinx did while Vi is still outside of this decision). And yes, she chooses to sleep with Caitlyn and she chooses to live with Caitlyn. But do these things really feel like part of her arc or just Vi reacting to circumstances?

IMO Vi wasn't ready to let Jinx go, that's why Jinx had to do it against Vi's will. That's why Vi doesn't make a real decision in Act 3.

Amanda said they wanted to explore who Vi would be if she didn't have anybody she had to protect and that is a valid and cool idea. But how much time with that did we really get?

And yes I genuinely think that if Vi had gotten a better action role within the finale it would have made a real difference in not making her feel so aimless.

Don't get me wrong. I get why they split it like that. The story required for Vi and Jinx to be paired up, so they can execute the conclusion of their sisters story. And unfortunately, compared to the other threats going on in the finale that story didn't really get the attention and gravitas and time and focus it deserved. (also Vi doesn't have a meaningful enough relationship with Ambessa for it to work for her to be in the Ambessa confrontation)

The problem is also that Vi doesn't really have much of a say in the conclusion of the sisters story. And her future is with Caitlyn.

So if they had found a way to sneak in some Vi and Caitlyn also doing action together or even just have Vi react to Caitlyn's duel or have Caitlyn react to Vi being under attack from Warwick, I think it would have felt more satisfying vis a vis the relationship they are going to have.

Alternatively. I love Ekko. I love that he got a badass fighting moment against Viktor. But in the moment where Jayce flies past Vi, for a moment I thought Vi would switch battlefields and Jayce and Vi would team up again, like they've done a couple of times already. If Vi's identity within the final battle was to be a big damn hero, that would also have imo left us more assured about what her identity is moving forward. Rather than the only thing we have is her being fairly weak in battle, being left out of information loops/not being smart enough to recognize them and being Cait's sweet live in girlfriend.

I don't hate Vi. I don't hate CaitVi. And I actually have some hope that maybe there is a chance that CaitVi as a pair will get to show off their stuff in some other form after all. But yeah, that's why imo season 2 and particularly Act 3 really did Vi a disservice.

(I'm not even suggesting things like Vi's decision to fight for Piltover and seeing so many Zaunites die being given gravitas or her reacting to Sevika being on the council, because I think the writers just have no interest in this topic at all)

[rei-ismyname]

Exceptional X-Men #6 review

Thank fuck this issue was released on the same day as Uncanny #10. I don't really get tired of dunking on that book, but I'd much rather celebrate something positive. Exceptional continues to be the best, and Ewing nails an internal conflict hinging on intersectionality while advancing the team's progression and building towards a BIG BAD.

That's right, a big bad. Maybe not the biggest bad, but a dangerous and versatile dandy that's been racking up a mutant body count for centuries. Yeah, it's Mister Sinister. He's not in this issue, but they haven't been trying very hard to hide it. More on him later, we've got a Danger Room cold open.

It's not clear how much time has passed since the last issue but everyone is growing in confidence and skill. Everyone (including Bobby) is getting along well and it's nice to see them grow as a team. Kate had told Bobby to fuck off and didn't want to talk about the ORCHIS war, but that ended up happening anyway. It's a little jarring for Kate to change her mind there without any kind of further discussion, but this book has earned my trust and it'll likely be addressed later. My assumption is that when Melee accepted Kate warts and all, Kate did the same thing with Bobby. However, Kate turning her back on the X-Men and deconstructing what is and isn't acceptable is the premise of the book. Exceptional is crossing over with X-Manhunt next issue so maybe plans had to change.

After training the teenagers are ravenous so Emma reflexively goes to order food. The kids take the opportunity to assert their independence, explicitly not wanting to be financially dependent on Emma. I love this. It's a very teenage desire to be more adult, but it also touches on an aspect of the X-Men that's been creepy from the start - the power imbalance that being reliant on someone for your survival creates. Whether it's parents, caretakers, partners (often when someone, usually a woman, sacrifices their career to raise children) - that person has power over you and power can be abused. I wrote recently about how Cyclops was 100% dependent on Xavier for ALL his needs as well as feeling personally indebted to him. Same deal with Kitty. If leaving is realistically not an option, are you really making a choice? If leaving as a teenager means you'll be homeless with no income or support system it's not an appealing option. I left an abusive home with no resources a few weeks before my 13th birthday and surviving was incredibly challenging, to put it lightly. The alternative was worse, and my bio parent knew they had that leverage. I'm not equating my situation to Xavier's school, but the power dynamics are similar.

Emma looks taken aback - she's very used to being the X-Men's bank when Warren isn't around, and she may have never thought of it. She was reliant on an abusive father as a teen, but had the power to make her own way. Most don't. It's likely Emma sees her ability to pay as tied to her value to the team too. Kate loves it. I'm sure a big part of it is reflecting on her own teenage years, but there's got to be some pride and joy in seeing these young people advocate for themselves in a way she wasn't able to.

The flipside of that is these poor bastards are Gen Z or even younger. Financial independence is incredibly difficult to achieve by yourself, especially as a mutant. It's an outside context problem for the adults, as they grew up in a time where jobs grew on trees and the certainty of renting forever (without wealthy parents) was unthinkable. The kids don't want to be bankrolled, but they're comfortable asking for support navigating their independence. They want help getting jobs. It's a whole discussion where Emma is pushing back with a dose of realism, and then Kate's housemate Priti strolls in with 3 jobs all at the same place. We should be suspicious of this.

They agree to give it a go and are ushered very quickly into 'internships' at Verate (the app Melee's cousin was using) that are all of a sudden consultant positions. The kids are taken aback but roll with it, and let's be honest - this is weird shit. Priti has shown herself to be a reasonable and conscientious person and she's acting out of character. I think Sinister got to Priti. It certainly fits his MO - he has done shit like this before and he loves fucking with mutants/DNA in general.

They all have a brief meeting before meeting the boss, and Melee suggests Axo use their powers to make a good impression, something Bronze thinks is shady. It's all light-hearted but there's no time to think before they're in yet another meeting. Sheldon Xenos (Greek for 'foreigner') has literal horns but comes across as friendly. The team really improvises to try to learn as to what the hell is going on.

Xenos gives his elevator pitch about a dream that's incredibly vague. Heh, where have I heard that before? Bronze and Melee are not vibing with any of this and ask a few questions before Priti ushers them out to another meeting, leaving Axo alone with Xenos. Not weird or targeted at all.

Axo is pretty open minded as usual, perhaps to the point of naivete here. However, he is a very visible mutant and being able to potentially change or mitigate that clearly has some appeal. He's the only one in the book who has to deal with that specific visibility. Xenos is saying exactly what he wants to hear and Axo is definitely listening.

Once they leave, the other two list all the reasons why an app like this is problematic (just like 23&me. Fuck that shit.) They expect Axo to agree on principle but it's not that simple for him.

He's still keeping an open mind, but he feels a kinship with another visible mutant and shares his reasoning. Considering other people's lived experience can be a really difficult thing to do, especially if it's not something you're educated about. There are so many different ways people experience privilege and oppression - when these axes intersect it can get messy. In this group of young people, Alex has male privilege and won't experience the gendered oppression the others do. Unlike Bronze and Melee, he can't pass as human - something they're mostly unfamiliar with. I have an invisible disability and I'm queer but I have no idea what being a mutant (visible or otherwise) or a woman of colour is like. It's not a competition (at all) - but understanding how other people, even members of the same minority group, experience oppression can be challenging as hell.

The next day we get a taste of what Alex's life as a visible mutant is like. He's used to it, but do you ever really get used to something like that? He's up early for a meeting with Xenos, who is really working him with compliments and gratitude. He makes a vague offer of a job but is cut off by a stranger.

A couple tries to mug them but Axo uses both his powers and his martial training to deescalate. The whole situation is so out of nowhere and dramatic that I have to think it's a set-up for Axo's benefit. Love bombing of sorts. I get the feeling Xenos is a predator wearing the skin of a non-passing mutant to weaponise solidarity while wearing Alex down. Total Sinister move, and pretty uncomfortable abuser behaviour intended to isolate someone.

We get a glimpse of his home life which looks pretty nice! Interested in his well-being and prospects, generally seems like a nice family. His dad seems to think he's behaving strangely, which is telling. The pressure of visibility and Xenos' influence is causing him to withdraw.

It's just a few panels but it seems like Kate is dating Nina. We saw their first date at a soccer match but I think going to her grandma's 90th implies some kind of commitment. Add a kiss on the cheek to that and it's about as much WLW visibility as Marvel is generally willing to show. Have them make out you cowards.

Kate has doubts about the whole thing though Emma says she looks like she's on cloud nine. The doubts are obviously about herself and her ability to be around 'regular' people. People who haven't been a child soldier since they were 13, etc. Kate is a white woman with no visible mutations - while she can walk amongst the normies easily her experiences and trauma make her feel isolated. She asks Emma's opinion but she is not the right person to ask. Emma feels like a dam that's about to burst. She's trying so hard to keep it together but I think she's struggling just as much as Kate. Watch this space.

They don't get to delve any deeper into that (and Emma clearly doesn't want to right now) because the kids are back and want their input. The kids have dug their feet in on their original positions and Kate has reservations. Axo is really getting ganged up on here, the poor guy, and pushes back on these micro aggressions pretty quickly with the fact that he is visible unlike everyone present. Everyone except Emma is fired up, leaving her to play peacemaker and advise Kate that she's pushing boundaries here. Alex is hurting and feeling isolated, he pleads that maybe there are actually altruists in the world. Oof, bad luck that he's in an X-Men book.

This situation and conflict works so well because everyone's position is believable and defensible. Alex is informed by the daily reminder that he's different, something he can't escape. He's explaining it, and he's being heard, but he's not being understood. Take a situation like AvX, where nobody can communicate like an adult without the plot breaking. It's frustrating to read because your intelligence is not being respected. A group of messy mutants all with different values and lives failing to understand the POV of a friend whose life experience is different to theirs feels like a real argument. They all care about each other and have valid concerns, but a failure of understanding leads to breakdown in communication. Plus, their beliefs are in opposition right now and Axo doesn't appreciate being spoken down to.

This book slaps, and this situation is an excellent example of the verisimilitude Ewing manages to give these characters. It's a tragedy in slow motion, but you can see exactly how it happened. Everyone is in character and they've been maneuvered into organic conflict. The final panels of the issue are Xenos paying off and thanking the muggers. It doesn't make Alex's position any less sympathetic, in fact it shows how someone might groom or isolate a vulnerable person without making light of it. Whether Xenos is Sinister or a frontman for him he is working towards his ends. I think Sinister himself in his place would look ridiculous and obvious - Xenos is calculated to appeal to Axo. I'm scared for him. Sinister is a fucking monster.

After Bronze and Melee had their focus issues, Axo's did not disappoint. Taking the thread of Verate that ran through last issue and putting it front and centre makes it feel like a threat that everyone is invested in and underestimating. You can't punch an app. This thread of intersectionality getting in the way of solidarity is compelling and I want more.

Next issue is part of X-Manhunt, and I'm really pumped to hear what Kate and Emma have to say to Charles Xavier (and what he'll have to say for himself - likely nothing). The kids will have never met him, but he's world infamous and they'll have opinions too, we hope. Exceptional X-Men is the best X-Book of From The Ashes by far, and just excellent on its own merit. 🔥🔥

[acourtofthought]

The most annoying anti argument to me is the “Elaine’s choice.” Like Elain made a choice to reject Azriel in that bonus chapter by returning that necklace. If we go by her actions as the e/riels always say, then she doesn’t want to continue anything with Az. But I guess they don’t care about Elian’s choice when it’s negative for their ship.

also I find it very interesting that the e/riels almost kiss happens on the one day that Lucien is in the river house.😬

They really do only care about Elain's "choice" so long as her choice is Az.

Elain's choice was Graysen yet they don't seem to care about that when all they talk about is how Elain was wearing cobalt when first meeting Az. I've never seen a single shipper (from either side) who wants her to reconnect with the guy she actually mourned the loss of. And yes, Graysen struggled accepting her as a fae but, that's a pretty common trope in books. I just finished the Heartless Hunter duology about a Witch / Witch Hunter and the MMC spent nearly the entirety of the series thinking about how he was going to kill her.

Graysen was Elain's choice, she had accepted his proposal in book 2, she boldly declared her love for him in ACOWAR and it was obvious she still missed him in FAS when she was still mourning him and said she didn't want a male or mate. Az ONLY became Elain's "choice" (for a night of fun) in SF .... one book. And barely that. Like half a book, because as you said she returned his necklace and never shed a single tear for him or looked his way again.

So we've got, in canon, 2.5 books where her choice was Graysen and that cannot be denied. A choice where we know she was willing to spend her life with him yet only half of SF where she switched that "choice" up to Az and only received confirmation that she was agreeing to just a taste. No declarations of love or wanting a relationship with him. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Az is the weakest relationship in Elain's story. He wasn't the human she promised herself to, he doesn't have a mating bond with her. He's just the only single guy in her orbit after Nesta told her to go out and fuck strangers and during the time she was fighting against her bond. Right now Sarah has not set up Az and Elain to have any lasting connection to one another, they're as easy for her to undo as anything she's done.

To your last point, yeah that's pretty coincidental isn't it? Elain and Az had an ENTIRE YEAR to hook up. Absolutely nothing was preventing them from slipping away secretly together and since they're both just so good at secret keeping it would have been easier for them to do so without witnesses which they were surrounded by on Solstice. It seems just a bit convenient how they HAD to do it after they both sat in the same room as Lucien all night. (It's giving "I'm trying to prove something" rather than "I actually want you for the right reasons" vibes).

[icantthinkyandere]

Hello there! Can i request some Yandere Ellen Joe, Zhu Yuan and Alexandria Sebastiane x reader (Gender Neutral, Romantic hcs), please?

Shout to the Ellen lover (platonic) in my life. Not to use to Alexandrina's character but I tried my best.

Here's Zhu Yaun stuff I did: link

{Yandere Ellen Joe}

There are three things Ellen cares about. Her friends, her job, and video games. She really only cares about the second one because it allows her to hang out with her friends at the arcade and anywhere else they wanna go to. She doesn't go out of her way to interact with anyone but them, cashiers, and whoever her job needs her to talk to.

The only reason for her to start any interest in anyone is if they're introduced to her by her friends. The relationship going forward heavily depends on whether her friends want to get you two together. Even then, it will take a very long time for her to gain romantic feelings.

One of the best ways to gain her affection is by giving her candy. Obviously, showing someone you care for them is always a good way to do this. But, since Ellen can't function without sugar, making sure she has a lollipop or some hard candy will stick out a lot to her.

This is mainly because she knows her personality can be a turn-off to people who don't understand her or don't take the time to get past her shell and simply write her off as another rude teenager. Realizing that she isn't just helps show her that you can look past her surface level.

She's not used to thinking about romance with everything else on her plate before her job is revealed to her friends. She didn't expect to get a crush on anyone or a real person anytime soon. Or in the future.

She didn't picture anyone's attempt at setting her up with someone would work. The most she pictured with her life was graduating high school, college, her job, friends, and family. Never a partner.

She's never had a crush before, or at least a crush this big before, so she doesn't know how to handle it. She's heard her friends and people talk about romance before, so she knows thinking about them often is normal. But wanting to say, "No you don't," when she gets turned down for a hang-out session at the arcade because you have other plans is a bad thing.

She thinks her feelings are from her inexperience with romantic feelings. She's a little too embarrassed to ask anyone, so she reads romance manga or watches romcom anime/shows/movies when she can.

If the object of her affection is single, she'll take a very long time to confess once she figured out her feelings. First of all, she doesn't know if it's a good idea since she is already worried about her work life infecting her personal life, like with her friends. Second of all, she doesn't know how to confess or how it would come off.

Unless her friends find out, she'll bottle it up until she can't. When they find out, they kindly help her set it up, and if they get the person to confess first, she'll accept. Very awkwardly.

{Yandere Alexandrina Sebastiane}

She is both the best and worst yandere to have.

Best because if you get her attention, she is very kind and caring. To the point that she won't even be a yandere by choice. She analyzes her feelings, realizes they are inappropriate, and puts a stop to them since she doesn't want to upset you.

Bad because if you accept her feelings, her caretaking will go up by a thousand, and she will poison you with her cooking.

One of the ways to put yourself on her radar is by being one of her customers. She's a pretty mysterious woman who most likely spends most of her time at home making puppets so, if you're a regular customer that's the best chance of getting to know her.

Getting her attention this way is even better if you're kind and not weird about her being a maid. Or creepy. Or ghost-like. Or dislike her puppets/dolls. Most of all, she appreciates people who like these things and will ask her questions about the creation process.

She'll never act on her feelings. It's inappropriate to flirt with clients, after all! If she sees them in public, though, well, she already cares about them a lot, and it is her job to take care of them. So, following them a little while won't be too harmful. She already knows where they live anyway!

After the first time, she stalks them because she wants to make sure they are safe, and she scolds herself for her bad behavior. Stalking is bad, and no one should do it.

Unless they want her to, of course, then she'll stalk them 24/7.

Once she believes they've made a good connection and her feelings will be reciprocated, she will confess. She will also confess her yandere thoughts because she doesn't want to find them from you. If it's something that makes them uncomfortable, she wants to make sure she can better herself.

If they don't mind, however, she won't test the limits of what they'll tolerate. She'll just act like a classic yandere from what the internet said about them, with less jealous and murderous tendencies.

She will basically just move in immediately whether that's entirely moving in or just keeping 90% of her stuff there. She already cleaned and cooked as her job while learning the layout of the house. Again, she doesn't test any limits of what she can and can't do. She'll ask what they prefer since they're dating now, and that's different from a job.

Alexandrina still wants to do her job, but she'd love to be the live-in yandere of your dreams. The worst part of her moving in is her Bangboos being around her lover more now will often accidentally expose any of her more negative emotions she tries to hide when she pretends to not have certain yandere aspects. Which will often be threats of them not wanting you to be around other people or let them take care of you.

[positivelybeastly]

There's a humourless little smile on Hank's face, at the acknowledgement of his thanks, that dry little 'you're welcome.'

It's funny, isn't it. The arbitrary lines they draw.

He's saved hundreds, maybe even thousands or million of civilians in his time, and a thanks from them runs off his back like water on a duck. Acknowledging a save from a teammate, again, that's nothing, that's minor, that's expected - and yet this . . . the softer, kinder actions done when the heat of battle has long cooled, the choices made when you're lying in a hospital room with a tube stuck down your throat, that's - trickier.

That's harder to say thank you and you're welcome about. That's real, in a way that the rest of it somehow isn't. It's easy to be glib about the near misses and the galactic scale chaos, but there are moments where it all slows down and it all becomes real, and that's just. Harder, to deal with.

Or maybe it's just him, who struggles with that. Who knows?

"Even if I am welcome, it still bears saying. Thank you." He repeats it, wanting Sage to know, to assert that he means it. It wasn't done lightly, it wasn't a choice that Sage had made on a whim. She needs to know he knows that, that he doesn't think less of her for doing what she thought was right.

So often, that excuse is trotted out and it only comes across as trite, but here? No, it's genuine, and it's worth something. And making sure she knows this is the next best thing he can do, since he can't quite acknowledge that she did the right thing, because that would mean that this . . . this thing, this homunculus he is now, is what he's somehow meant to be.

And he hasn't quite come to grips with that, yet.

He accepts the glass of water, sips, watches her carefully. They've broken new ground, in a way, and this is a little strange for the both of them. You'll have to forgive him for lacking some of his usual gregariousness, but, he's trying, at least.

"Well. It's certainly nice to be wanted, even if thing could always stand to be a little less dire." Emma dead, Scott missing, the school in shock, it's all just a mess. His brain clouds, and he broods for a moment, hoping that no-one is expecting him of all people to be the anchor holding this all together, because he's really quite sure he can't take that kind of pressure.

"Do you have any theories? As to who you think might have done it? I imagine you can't discuss much, given I'm likely still one of your suspects, but, do you think you might be closing in on an answer?"

He is very quiet for a moment, what thoughts are swirling in this overactive mind of his? Logically she knows that she gave him a bit too much context on herself and he might be drawing his own conclusions from what is known of Sage and her past.

She doesn't mind much, even if it feels ever so slightly uncomfortable to be under his solid gaze. She gave him too much information and he is now getting a better read on her. It is uncomfortable to be known and seen as someone who operated from shadows for so long.

At the same time, she wants to bond with him. He is one of the smartest people, with logic and mental skills on par - yet different - from her own. Saving his life didn't yield that result. Working on Emma's puzzle is both to help the former White Queen, and to grow closer to Hank. She can admit that to herself.

"You're welcome," she acknowledges his thanks, and brings over a glass of water for him. He didn't answer her question, but she feels it may be a courtesy to bring him one regardless. He has been hard at work in this room for so long before she even stepped in to help.

She isn't about to pretend that it was nothing and she didn't expect thanks - she did expect some grateful gesture or words from him when she did what she did to save his life. That he never said it before now used to sting.

"Losing you would be too much of a loss for mutantkind. I believe that it wasn't your time to go and the X-Men... need you. We all need you."

She offers the drink of water with a tight smile, as it would feel inappropriate to beam while standing over Emma's shattered diamond body.

[nessvn]

I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABT RAYMONDE

[naamahdarling]

.

[procrastinationaccount]

Production of American Psycho where all the instrumental tracks are just played from yt or spotify and Bateman goes on semi-scripted tangents about each product, and a few nonsensical ads for poisons industrial weapons etc are sprinkled in with increasing frequency as it goes on. Also all the songs are different because I fucking hate what they did with that show.

[randomnameless]

Artbook stuff!

More devnotes (and my own rants lol) about some characters from Elheim : Rosalinde, Linharagos, Lydielle and the Celeste gang! (+ Amalia but I forgot her in the Drankengard/Drakenhold posts...)

Amalia first...

Sense of dominance or not, Amalia is towering the rest of the cast (at 2m30!) wielding a giant sword that is totes not inspired by a certain dark fantasy manga, and uses what is basically a door as a shield. Her strikes are wide (and wild) and she is basically introduced as what we would call a Gotoh unit in the FE fanbase in the chapter she's introduced in (basically coming handy in one of the few defence map of the game) however, unless you recruit her early by using cheese strats, by the time you can finally use her after defeating her in the arena (around early albion or late Bastorias?) she's not that impressive anymore : still a damn good unit, but not breaking the game in half

(especially since she can't access her beserk state)

Plot wise : she's a random who's looking to fight strong fighters, to actually manage to beat her and beat her berserk form (that is basically, her ancestor taking over her body to fight), she only accepts to help Gilbert'n'Alain during the Drakengard campaign for one map because Gilbert promised her that if they survive, he'll reopen the coliseum.

Alain's group can then recruit her by defeating her, and her berserk form, in the coliseum!

Design wise, the armored briefs is, imo, completely ridiculous especially given the otherwise okay-ish designs from Drakengard, but fwiw, I like her knees armor, even if I don't know what they're supposed to represent lol

On to Elheim!

I know, I added the image where she's damaged because we can't talk about Elheim and Rosalinde without sighing about, well, the sexualised designs and the overabundance of camel toes.

I know VW is known for its fanservice designs, but damn if Elheim was hit/designed with a "gotta make them sexy" hammer.

Rosalinde then - "deep brown skin" is used for dark elves in this game, it's nice to have some variation, especially when the "really tanned" persons living in the desert from the earlier setting were only... male.

Gameplay wise, Rosalinde might be one of the best units, an offensive nuke who can cheese the penultimate boss' gimmick even if she has paper thin defenses, imo she's basically a glass canon. I also really like her attacking animations with the lance (her weapon, even if she's a mage!), they're really fluid so while I know it's not really about "gameplay" it totes counts as to why I like to field her lol

Plot wise... Well, it's Elheim, and on paper, Rosalinde isn't that egregious, she's basically asking Alain (or more precisely Yahna) for help to save her country and her sister, who were both taken over by Zenoira - Rosalinde's seiyuu has a certain voice range (?) which really plays well in depicting her being worried and super pissed at Zenoira invading Elheim and brining harm to her people and beloved younger sister, but also manages to play her character being relieved when she realises her friend/retained who sacrificed herself to buy her time didn't die (and is ultimately saved by the party) while maintaining some sort of coldness/aloofness with the party, at least until her sister is safe because she doesn't trust humans (after all, they are the ones who invaded!) - after her sister is rescued though and her rapport convos are unlocked, we learn that she is a pretty playful person, who loves to tease people around, takes her duty seriously and wishes the best for her sister/wants to protect her, feeling like she let her down when she faced the Zenoiran forces alone.

That being said... Rosalinde is shoved in the "potential love interest who has a hands on approach" box and while it's only at the end of Elheim arc, the "love interest" angle really soured me a bit on the character, especially since, unlike Berengaria, Rosalinde can ditch her sister to marry Alain and become queen of Cornia, even when part of her arc has been trying to find allies to rescue her dearest younger twin and save her country :/

So plot wise I'm a bit meh about her, but gameplay wise? She's a beast!

Linaragos is our male elven archer!

"Sexy feel" of the design or not, at least on Pixiv, some artists are having a lot of fun about his lack of, uh, pants (and undies?).

While he looks serious, Linaragos can be playful and even entertains goofballs like Mordon, even if he plays the "only sane man" in their rapport convo when Eltrinde - basically the leader of the elves and a traditional "priestress" - ends up drunk by smelling his glass of wine.

Intimacy dialogue wise, in the loc version, Linaragos basically agrees to become Alain's object of desire so, uh, sure it's not as explicit as Alain and Berengaria kissing on screen, but there's that.

Gameplay wise, Elven Archers are basically support units - their conferal (adding magic damage to an ally's attack!) can be pretty busted, later on they can freeze foes with their arrows, and when they're healed, they heal the entire unit - but they need a bit of work to really shine, granted, given all the possibilities they open, I'm not surprised the game gives us three named characters in this class!

Plot wise, Linaragos leads a small army of elves trying to resist/fight back against Zenoira, but they're severely outnumbered - which echoes one of Alain's rapport conversations with, iirc, Hodrick, where they basically point out that Elheim's demography is quite poor compared to Cornia, which might be explained by the elves having a longer lifespan! - our army helps him, he recognises Rosalinde and agrees to help us free Elheim and save Eltrinde!

Lydielle (Ridiel?) is a half-elf who has the same "elven archer" class as Linaragos and Galadmir, but I liked how the devs apparently picked her haircut and hair color to give a contrast with the "pure-blooded" elves, and also her "cheeky and rebellious" phase, fitting since she's apparently 16 lol

Maybe her wearing red and orange also serves as a contrast with the other elven archers wearing primary green clothes?

I wonder what was the plot mentionned where she would have been one of Morard's agents - we know elves think bestrals (beastmean) are "unclean" which might echo the discrimination she faces by being a half elf?

Speaking of which, I really liked how her subplot - being discriminated against for being a half elf - while apparently being baseless since the playable elves never give her flack for not being a fully blooded elf, is actually illustrated by the NPCs! They are the ones who, for some, look down or straight up resent humans, consider bestrals "unclean" and, in her paralogue, rant about her not being an elf.

It's not given more attention because that's not what the Elheim arc is about, and Lydielle doesn't even have a convo with either Rosalinde or Eltrinde, but it plays with the general theme of "get rid of the common enemy and then rebuild the world to make it better than it used to be". I also love her recruitment conversations with Chloe - they become friends sure, but Chloe manages to convincer her that even if she might die and think her fight would have ultimately have been pointless against the Zenoiran invasion, her actions could still inspire people to take up weapons and even if she cannot be a knight of Elheim due to her half-elf status, she can still help people around.

Too bad she doesnt' have a lot of rapport convos, but fwiw, I like Lydielle.

Celeste is, much like Lydielle, someone who cannot become a knight of Elheim because she's not an elf.

Nonetheless, having been saved/raised by elves, she wants to help them and forms a militia, even as a mere human. Bar being the pure, innocent, naive etc etc human raised/saved/who lived with elves, what's most interesting about Celeste is that 1/she's another griffon knight and those units are busted 2/she actually manages to hire/join forces with former bandits we met, and who have a change of heart and accept to work under her orders.

Bar that, I don't have a lot to say about Celeste :(

Gammel!

Bandit 1, who was introduced in early Cornia, terrorising a village and slaughtering people - Alain'n'co defeated him and he begged for his life, saying that he had to resort to a life of banditry to pay for his sister's medical expenses, or some shady shit like that.

Alain can chose to put him in jail, or to let him go (and return to his sister) - the decision to let him go can be very controversial in fandom spaces, but plot-wise, it could be justified by Josef basically telling Alain that after Zenoira's invasion and ten years of them being in charge in Cornia, people are surviving and some might have turned to banditry because it was the only way to survive in this new world...

Alain's basically encouraged not to execute people, and it works with Gammel because, somehow, meeting a moron lord who doesn't execute him for doing bandit/thief things made him reconsider his life - Celeste apparently saved him and his sister and now he is part of her militia to protect, at least in the map when we recruit them all, elves from former members of his gang who want to sell some to make money. Emulating the moron lord who gave him a chance to start a new life, he doesn't kill his former allies, and instead hopes that they will turn over a new leaf, like he did.

So even if he looks like a traditionnal FE Bandit, Gammel really has a sister - and her existence is referenced in several of his supports, and even here, in the dev notes lol, good for him!

And I like how he continues, in the epilogue, to work with Celeste and Mandrin - judging by the notes, the trio "Celeste Mandrin and Gammel" was designed as some "do not separate" lol, if that "fantasy" (a headcanon?) of them hanging out with Gammel's sister is any indication!

Unit wise, he's a thief/rogue like Travis, aka supposed to be dodge tanks and quite fast, but... yeah :/

and Mandrin!

Gammel's childhood friend, who's also a bandit who attacked Sharon's church (earning Ochlys' eternal ire) and who also can turn over a new leaf if Alain spares him.

He joins in the same map as Gammel and Celeste and also became part of Celeste's group, and the epilogue reveals that he and Gammel's sister are getting along together, much to his chagrin.

Also I like his design even if I can't see the "scorpion" thing the devs mentionned :(

FWIW, I liked how he accepts that Ochlys hates him for trying to sack and pillage the church of Rondmort, even if personality wise, we're still on the "bandit with a heart of gold" thing.

I don't have a lot to say about those two, but Mandrin's class - Hunter - is cool and surpisingly useful - one of the few AOE attacks!

[james-stark-the-writer]

just finished Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and it is a game written by cowards for cowards.

the final twist genuinely ruins the game. it's so stupid as an narrative decision. i hate it so much. it almost makes me understand what the people yelling about The Last Jedi being too subservient to its themes were yelling about (OBVIOUSLY not the ones that were being bigoted and loud and wrong about it, but just the ones who had actual issues with its narrative directions/execution). genuinely, the twist takes what could have been an extremely solid 8.5, maybe a 9/10 game down to a 4/10 game with nothing of interest to say deluding itself into thinking it's saying anything of worth by thoughtlessly repeating patterns as if that's supposed to generate meaning without any real effort of actually committing to that meaning, or seeing the world as anything beyond its basic binary worldview of Good and Bad.

putting that twist in fundamentally cuts the legs out from any actual, interesting and substantive critique it could have leveled at the legal system and our feelings about people on trial and their perceived guilt or innocence, and it just ends up reinforcing it as a power of good that Will Ultimately Prevail In The Search For Truth, as if that is even remotely a thing any legal system is concerned with, especially the one in the game that mostly just stumbles into The Right Choices because it's a game controlled by the player. it's frankly ideologically incoherent to the point of saying nothing because its critique is unfocused and toothless. best it can muster is "maybe some people are corrupt and lying, but if You take Advantage of The System, you can beat them" as if malicious compliance is supposed to change the system. fuck off.

ran out of tags but. i'm serious about this lol, i really hate it as a narrative and ideological choice. the game threatens to say something bold and interesting and then just pulls the rug out from underneath you. it sucks. it's very much like 12 Angry Men in that way, i think, except at least that movie Knows what it's saying and that its basic premise is its ideological downfall, this just doesn't really feel like it says anything much interesting or coherent, ultimately, because the criticism either drowns in the length and comedic nature of it, or just ultimately isn't focused and pointed and nuanced enough to actually say something meaningful. like ik someone's gonna do a "kid's game" thing but hello, kid's shit has always been nuanced and just bc it's "for kids" doesn't mean it has to abide by some binary ass morality that flattens all its interesting critique, especially when you're constantly led, structurally, to the more interesting and nuanced narrative choice only to have a twist completely ruin it and making it all feel like a waste of your time. plenty of things are nuanced and interesting and "for kids" without deflating their themes and messages by writing a stupid twist that undercuts the interesting parts of its arguments.

[wachi-delectrico]

Gonna get spicy for a second and say that everyone loves spewing hate about narcissistic (NPD) parents and how awful parents with personality disorders are, but if someone were to make a post with the exact same cadence about ADHD parents they'd get shot in public at first sight

[flythesail]

Everyone can obviously feel how they want to feel about it but I've always felt the paths the drew crew decide on in the finale are reflective of their arcs

[piracytheorist]

Idk I just really like that Twilight's reaction to being told "Your wife used to be a prostitute!" is to go like

and proceed to say how honourable and worthy of respect her dedication, self-sacrifice and mental fortitude are, and how we're shown he actually means that.

And then my girl Yor sees his reaction and hears his words and for the first time in her life she goes like "This is a man who literally just met me and has no connection to me yet he not only understands my position, he's also willing to bring himself out there and have my back when other people have free bait to judge me" and like damn how important that was to her, to have someone (who doesn't owe his survival to her like Yuri does) actually see her and respect her choices and have the absolute BEST of faiths in her. Like, what Camilla says there has the societal power to make her look like a pariah. Yet this dude comes over and without knowing anything about her, he vouches for her and immediately assumes her reasons were noble and altruistic. And though he doesn't know what profession he's actually vouching for, he's completely right in his assumption about her intentions, and considering how easily the general public judges sex workers, it's no surprise this support gives Yor the courage to believe Loid will understand her and won't think bad of her if she ever disappears on them due to her work, because he's open-minded enough for his first and immediate assumption about her is that she has good intentions.

And I just wanna SCREAM because she has absolutely no idea how little he will judge her about her assassin gig. She already considers herself lucky she's come across someone who is compassionate enough to think the best out of someone who works in a profession that is not considered "morally acceptable" by the public. But she has no idea the actual jackpot she's hit, because his own profession is far more dark and sinister yet he still has the kindness and empathy in his heart to understand people who do the same as he does.

Like, that's it with her character, isn't it? She sacrificed her own youth and morality to help Yuri grow up and be educated, and that caused him to idolize her, and because he was the only family she had left, she has been desperate to not cause any of her ties with him to break. But it also caused her impostor syndrome, and she had no confidence in any of her abilities aside from killing and cleaning up after her work, because she lives in a misogynistic society that is suspicious of unmarried women (like, that judgment alone, considering unmarried men don't experience such scrutiny, can be enough to damage a woman's psyche) and because she has been working under a man cruel enough to hire orphaned teenagers as assassins and nearly kill them in tests of their abilities ever since she was a teenager. For her it was either "I'm either perfect in something or I'm completely useless and I deserve people's judgment". Because if Yuri sees she doesn't have the perfect record, she thinks he will be horrified and she'll lose the ties to her last remaining family. And she will think she deserved that. If her killing skills waver in the slightest, she will be killed, either by enemies or by the Shopkeeper doing his little "tests". And she will think she deserved that. And if she doesn't abide by the society's expectations, she will at best be judged and mocked (for not cooking at home) and at worst get arrested (for being suspected as a spy). And she will think she deserved that.

Yet again, this stranger comes along, is told she's worked a socially shameful profession, knows she's shy and with so few connections that she can't even find someone to act as her pretend boyfriend for a party, and he supports her. And then he finds out how socially unskilled she is, how terrible she is at cooking, how she can't even pretend to kiss him for their mutual benefit, how she has the tendency to get so drunk she accidentally kicks him unconscious... And those things that she considers fatal flaws of her, he says are parts of her that she doesn't need to pretend don't exist. That's who she is, and there's nothing to fix, and she can just accept them without feeling bad or ashamed of it, that pretending she's someone else, someone perfect, will only make her miserable and exhausted.

And like... fuck. How can she not feel glad she got to marry that guy?

And how much will her heart break when she finds out he's a spy and will immediately doubt all the supportive words he's told her? And how astonishing will it be when she finds out that he actually meant pretty much everything he's told her, and that he really resonates with her and believes in her?

(anime only here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[gffa]

Osha's backstory episode of The Acolyte fits perfectly with a headcanon I've had forever about Force-sensitive children in the galaxy--that some children feel called to the Jedi and some do not, and that the Jedi look out for this. We see that destiny exists in the Star Wars universe, the Force calls to people to walk certain paths, but that it's still up to them to decide, you still have to make your own choices. (See: Everything about Anakin Skywalker and how the Jedi never brought that up around him, it was always about personal choice and agency. Yes, he was the Chosen One, but he had to choose his path.) From the moment we first meet her, child Osha didn't want to be a witch, she wanted to see more of the galaxy beyond Brendok, she was immediately entranced by the Jedi when they showed up during the ceremony, like a magnet pulling her to them, that she was drawing the Jedi Order symbol long before they ever got there. It wasn't just a sudden way to get out of there, she was feeling this pull towards them long before she ever even met a Jedi. She's the one who first slips out to meet Sol during the ceremony despite being told to hide, she's the one who goes over to talk to Kelnacca before the test, she's the one who fights against her entire family to say she wants this. She's the one who wants this even before she knows there will be other children like her with the Jedi. We don't see the Jedi giving Mae that same nudge, because the Jedi path wasn't meant for her, she didn't want it, and I love that both here and in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi make sure that this is what the child wants, too, that both prequels and High Republic Jedi are shown to take such care, that it's done with the parents' permission, but also getting a sense of what the Force is or isn't calling this person to do and whether they accept it. But Sol gently pushes Osha, not to tell them what they want to hear, but to tell the truth, do you want this? Do you feel like this is right for you? Just as Qui-Gon made sure Anakin knew being a Jedi was a hard choice, the Jedi want you to be sure, want you to feel called to this, because the Force exists, a mysterious destiny exists in this galaxy. It's still your choice, you have to have agency over your choices, it's not just, "What does the Force want?" but instead Sol asking, "What do you want, Osha?" The narrative is careful to point out Sol telling her about his own testing, that he knew he was different from his family, that he was scared at first, but it was clearly his choice. "But you must have the courage to say what you want." The Force called her here, the Force is something that exists within Star Wars and has a will of its own, and some people are not called to this particular path, I don't think Mae was ever meant to be a Jedi, she never wanted it, she never felt that pull. But Osha, like so many other Force-sensitive children tapping into this giant mystical energy field that has a destiny for you if you want it, they are pulled to it and the Jedi take such care with that. Some are meant to walk the Jedi path and some are not, that's something only each individual can figure out for themselves, and the Jedi do their best to honor both the Force's calling and the person's own choices. And if a child resists and pulls away, they let them go, it wasn't right, it wasn't meant for them. But when a young Force-sensitive is practically vibrating in place with how badly they clearly feel this is meant for them, that's something that exists as a thing that really does happen with the Force.

[lisdens]

i fear some people aren't ready to face the fact that at some point vi had to let go of her parentified-child role because it would also mean understanding that jinx is an adult who makes her own choices and doesn't need protection the same way she needed back when they were kids. vi says so herself ('why did you come get me? you don't actually need my help, you haven't for a long time').

everyone who expected vi to become some sort of leader for zaun didn't understand that the reason she fought so hard in her youth for her family was because what she truly craved for was safety for herself and her loved ones. it's the whole reason she has that conversation with vander back in episode 2 of season 1.

vi going after jinx when caitlyn opens the cell would only reinforce the idea that vi has to step into the role of caregiver/protector again. vi isn't jinx's mom, she's her sister, and she has her own battle against her internal demons.

in fact, she spirals down very quickly once locked inside the cell, which is later reflected when caitlyn finds her; she's certain she screwed up again and she believes she's lost both jinx and caitlyn, and she knows it happened because vi was being herself, by doing something she wouldn't have done during her act1 self.

her fallout with caitlyn happened because caitlyn couldn't accept who vi truly is, so how can vi expect caitlyn to be okay with what she's done, when that was the reason they grew apart in the first place?

because caitlyn chooses vi, she prioritizes her over her revenge. caitlyn lets go of it because she loves vi for who she is, and not despite it.

jinx and vi love each other unconditionally, even if they don't understand each other entirely ('i didn't get to do much of this with my sister, she was more into hitting things'), so how could anyone outside of her family love vi, while simultaneously understanding her?

vi probably just went through ten different scenarios of how caitlyn is going to reject her for it, for showing who she is, and who she's always been.

and what does caitlyn do in response?

by this point caitlyn doesn't believe vi has forgiven her, so the whole 'you've grown a bit predictable' isn't a pickup line to get in her pants.

this is caitlyn's attempt at cracking a joke.

vi's worries are met with a dumb phrase that's meant to cheer her up, the same way vi did back in episode 1 ('thought for sure you were gonna get yourself killed').

she spiraled down believing she had lost everyone, and caitlyn proves her wrong with an easy smile and a reassurance; 'this is who you are, i know it, watch me be more than okay with it'.

this, for vi, must feel so, so freeing.

this is the one thing she's been craving for her whole life; the feeling of safety. i'm me, and i'm safe to exist that way in here.

she spent her entire childhood fighting to provide that stability for her family because she was given no other choice but to step into that role, she pushed her own needs aside to make sure everyone else was okay. and now, her sister is an adult who has survived without vi's protection, who has accomplished a lot of things without her big sister by her side.

now it's vi's turn to crave safety, it's vi's turn to choose and let someone else make her feel safe and reassured.

vi's not a symbol of zaun, that's what characters like sevika and ekko exist for; neither of them were pressured to step in and take that role, they fight for their city because they chose to and because they want to (and, if i might add, they're very good at it!).

she's just a girl who went through some really fucked up things in life and only ever wished for a little stability.

and she finds that in caitlyn, so she chooses it.