#and his hatred for exploitation makes perfect sense!

[smokescreenedforestry]

Honest to god. Honest To God. I might start writing for them again. Thought about the way Emil died and got nailed in the face w an au idea

[kat-likes-writing]

Breaking Cycles, Curses, and Society: An Analysis of the Ending of Jujutsu Kaisen

Introduction 

While reading Jujutsu Kaisen, I had always believed one of the most prominent and overarching themes of the series was the idea of breaking cycles and change. A significant number of characters’ motivations or belief systems were related to this theme in some capacity, Geto, Gojo, Yuki, and even Kenjaku to some extent. While the cycles they wanted to break or change varied, it all tied back to that change in some sense. Even the group of special grade curses that wanted curses to control the planet wanted to change something, believing themselves to be the real humans. For Gojo, after the Hidden Inventory arc, his guiding principle was to change jujutsu society to make life easier for the youth, breaking the cycle of death caused by the jujutsu higher ups and even the clans (Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Chapter 2). 

When I finally read chapter 271 after several days of putting it off, I kept coming back to the idea that it felt almost incomplete (regardless of other things related to the series) and I wasn’t able to place why. Until I started writing down some of my thoughts about the ending and saw that most of my thoughts related back to the themes of breaking cycles and change. In Jujutsu Kaisen, particularly towards the ending chapters, the character development and backstories furthered the themes through motivations and belief systems, the end of various characters arcs left some cycles of change incomplete despite many centering around it, and most importantly, how the ending of the series highlighted the integral themes of change and breaking cycles, or lack thereof in the face of the seemingly never-ending cycle of curses.

Character Motivation & Beliefs 

Since the beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen, change and/or breaking cycles had been essential to many main characters, both as motivators for their actions and their belief systems. Even when Gojo was introduced in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Chapter 1, his main goal was to change the way jujutsu society was organized and how the institution operated, breaking the cycle that resulted in Geto’s defection and Amani’s death. By preventing Yuuta from being executed, he was changing the system which would have had a fifteen-year-old killed without question. Into the main series, it remained his guiding principle, “Protecting the youth,” from becoming Megumi’s guardian to stop him from joining the Zenin clan, becoming a teacher even, and yet again, preventing another fifteen-year-old from being executed without question. Over and over, Gojo went against the old traditions of jujutsu society and the clans. I also think it’s important to mention that Gojo wasn’t perfect by any means in regards to breaking the cycle of death and exploitation of jujutsu sorcerers and even young jujutsu sorcerers. In the end, he was still a teacher at Jujutsu Tech and in some capacity despite his many efforts to protect his students, still participated in the system. Then again, is it possible for him to exist outside of that system? He was born into jujutsu society and from the moment he was born, his techniques dictated his life, so was there ever any way for him to fully escape the system and cycle of violence of jujutsu society?

Yuki and Geto had similar goals of change by ending curses altogether, with completely opposite means of accomplishing that goal. Yuki focused on making all humans jujutsu sorcerers, thus eliminating curses since jujutsu sorcerers’ negative emotions don’t cause curses to form in the first place (jujutsu-kaisen.fandom.com/wiki/Yuki_Tsukumo). After their conversation (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 202), Geto took the opposite approach of planning to eliminate all non-sorcerers and their negative cursed energy to prevent cursed energy altogether. Though Geto’s hatred and beliefs that non-sorcerers are to blame for the creation of curses stems from the trauma he experienced during the Hidden Inventory arc, he still also directs that hatred towards jujutsu sorcerer society as well for being complicit (and actively the reason behind it) with the deaths during the arc and the deaths of his classmates and Amani. Defecting from Jujutsu Tech and becoming a curse user was his way of breaking from the cycle of violence the higher ups and clans maintained for centuries or even longer. Even with these goals in mind, neither character accomplished their goal (for better, in Geto’s case) and the cycle of curses and cycle of violence in jujutsu society remained the same. But it still raises the question, is there a way to end the cycle of curses? Is that even possible? Is it possible to end cursed energy when it comes from human emotions, something that can’t really be stopped? I don’t really know. 

While, to me, I never quite felt like it was clear what Kenjaku’s motivations were or why he did what he did, he still had plans or smaller goals that centered around change and cursed energy. (more citations and chapter references here). In chapters 203-208, while Kenjaku and Yuki were fighting, he revealed part of his plan to make non-sorcerers into a ‘conglomeration.’ Even though he said he didn’t have a reason for doing it, I highly doubt that or find it very hard to believe. His plans spanned over a thousand years and were so detailed that it’s hard to believe he just did it for fun. I do think it could have been elaborate on if we got his backstory, since it seems tied to Tengen’s past as well, along with Sukuna and Uraume. 

Character Arcs

With so many characters’ motivations and beliefs being centered around change and breaking cycles, it also makes sense that change was fundamental to their character arcs as well. Though, in some cases, it seemed like those arcs were incomplete. While, yes, all character arcs involve change of some sort, it is still necessary to look at the change the characters went through. At the beginning of the series, Yuuji believes he is just a cog in the machine to kill curses, yet by his final confrontation with Sukuna (Chapter 267), he says, “Sukuna…it’s time we end this cycle of curses.” But more interestingly, in Chapter 268, Yuuji tells Sukuna, “We’re born into this world unconsciously shouldering curses. What sort of monster you turn into is entirely decided by your luck…Living not by cursing someone, but by existing alongside them.” Even if Sukuna refused this idea at the time, he still ended up walking a different path which I think is worth mentioning. Sukuna’s arc showed the change in his views, going from wanting to kill sorcerers to accepting defeat (chapter 271). I feel like that change is worth looking at, but there isn’t any other time spent on it.  

Though, some character arcs didn’t have the same easy to understand path of change. Megumi’s arc had seemed like it would focus on him breaking his belief he isn’t as important as other people and that he needed to be, as Gojo says, “Be selfish,” (Chapter 77). While his mindset did shift by the end of the series, it doesn't precisely change him focusing more on others first—wanting to live for someone else, rather than because he simply wants to for himself, isn’t a full change. It is understandable, considering everything he had gone through after possession by Sukuna for so many chapters, Tsumiki’s death, and Gojo’s death. But somehow, it felt incomplete in the end, like his growth in his mindset wasn’t complete and that many things that had been building in his arc never came to fruition (for a more in depth look check of KentuckeyFriedMegumi’s fantastic analysis on Megumi’s arc here: https://www.tumblr.com/kentuckyfriedmegumi/762543361266778112/im-pissed-about-the-way-gege-handled-megumis). Similar to Megumi, Nobara’s character arc felt stagnant after she was missing and/or presumed dead for so many chapters, she just simply wasn’t there for any development or change in the ending arcs. 

In all honesty, I’m not sure how I feel about Gojo’s character arc. With his main motivation being changing jujutsu society and finding strong allies in that effort to change society, it seemed incomplete. Maybe he didn’t expect to see it within his lifetime at all and was simply content with the efforts he did make while he was alive. But after he died, I keep thinking; what really changed? Yes, he saved Yuuta, Yuuji, and Megumi in different ways. But how has jujutsu society changed? Most of the higher ups were dead by the time he fought Sukuna, but by the ending there’s already new people to replace them and the clans (besides the Zenin clan) are still operating as they did before, and the students are still going on dangerous missions. Then again, Gojo never laid out his plans of how to change jujutsu society beyond training the next generation—did he plan on eliminating clans, ending the abuse that went on within the clans, or changing the jujutsu regulations altogether—so maybe he was content with leaving it to the next generation. His final conversation with Yuuji seemed to imply so (chapter 270-271).

Change & Breaking Cycles

In spite of these recurring themes, there are times in the series, especially towards the end, where those goals for change and breaking cycles ended up failing or left incomplete in most cases. Chapter 271 focused heavily on a mission where the trio is tracking down a curse user, working together as a group, and giving a slight look into their lives after the series ends. While this was a good way to show how the trio has developed as jujutsu sorcerers since the beginning of the series, I can’t help but to feel as if the ending felt wrong. Ultimately, by having the trio and other students remain at Jujutsu Tech and within an unchanged jujutsu society, what has changed since the beginning of the series? 

For most of the series, it has been discussed over and over about the origin of curses and if it’s possible to end the cycle of curses. Like I mentioned before, for many characters, it ended up becoming their main motivation such as Yuki wanting to make everyone a jujutsu sorcerer, Geto wanting to kill all non-sorcerers to end curses from being formed at all, or even Kenjaku from what he did reveal about his motivations. Yet, even though Yuuji defeated Sukuna who is the King of Curses, none of those motivations or emphasis on ending the cycles of curses actually came to fruition in the end. The main antagonists are gone, Sukuna, Mahito, Jogo, Kenjaku, yet curses themselves remain in the end.

Jujutsu society itself is evil, despite its belief they are the good guys. Twice the higher ups and clans wanted to execute young teenages without considering other possibilities and their rules even regulate that killing people in situations like Yuuta and Yuuji is law. How many people have been executed in similar situations that could have been avoided? The major clans like the Gojo, Zenin, and Kamo clans are all able to get away with crimes and abuse for centuries and in many cases it’s an open secret in jujutsu society, yet no one has tried to stop it. Just the Zenin clan alone could be a whole essay, from the violent sexism and misogyny, superiority, abuse against children (Maki, Mai, and Toji) and anyone deemed lesser than, besides a few exceptions no one tries to stop it. Maki’s destruction and killing of the clan was her quite literally taking things into her own hands after years of abuse. Gojo becoming Megumi’s guardian prevented him from the abuse at the hands of the clan was one of those examples, yet how many other children suffered in the clan? 

The Hidden Inventory arc is a perfect example of this corruption, from the planned death of Amani, Toji and all his baggage that could have been avoided if the Zenin clan was different, sending teenagers on missions far outside of what they should ever handle, and all the deaths that could have been avoided. For several characters, the arc becomes the origin of their motivations and their desire to end cycles—curses, jujutsu society’s corruption. Yet, in the end, all of them fail to complete those goals. 

Fundamentally, all of these themes come into play in chapter 271 and the ending. After so many characters failed at changing anything, whether it be stopping curses from being made, or changing jujutsu society to protect the youth and end the constant cycle of violence, what does that mean for the themes? At first, it might be possible to think that it means change is impossible and curses cannot ever really be eliminated only stopped for the time being. If the ending theme is that it is impossible to break the cycle of curses, which are quite literally the manifestations of humans’ negative emotions, because it’s impossible to get rid of emotions at all, that would be a very grim ending. But this possibility makes me think of the scene between Mahito and Sukuna in 271, Mahito reaffirms that he will never move on while Sukuna said, “Maybe it is time to choose a different path.” (271). 

The interaction was honestly one of the most interesting ones in the chapter, especially when looking at it from the perspective of breaking the cycle of curses. If Sukuna really did choose a different path through reincarnation or to leave the cycle of reincarnation all together does that imply the cycle of curses can be broken? How human are curses, if they are born from humans’ emotions and does that make them possible to change or do they only exist in one state forever? Maybe Sukuna is different since he was once a human. The diverging differences between Mahito and Sukuna are interesting, as Sukuna accepts to leave the world while Mahito does not. Is that supposed to represent there is a chance at ending the whole cycle of curses, with the King of Curses being the first one? Or is the takeaway that Mahito represents that the cycle of curses can never be ended because negative emotions are innate to humanity?

Final Thoughts

Has jujutsu society truly changed from the corrupt institution it was at the beginning of the series? Has it remained the same despite most of the higher ups being killed or eliminated, replaced by the students' former teachers like Kusababe and Mei Mei (Chapter 269-270)? Are they even people trustworthy to be the next generation of higher ups? Especially when Mei Mei profited from many of the disasters throughout the series and her questionable ethics in general, or Kusabae admitting that he firmly believed Yuuji should have been executed? In chapter 269, Kusabae says that the kids have nothing to apologize for or to change, but not even a chapter later, the students are going on missions and dealing with the incarnated sorcerers. Can jujutsu society really have changed if new people are filling the old roles? 

The nature of curses was never fully revealed in the series, only partial explanations or deeper views into curses. Yet, if some curses like Jogo, Hanami, Maito, and Sukuna can speak and have full, complete thoughts and plans, does that make them capable of change? Mahito’s final scenes would argue no, curses are formed by human emotions such as hatred for humanity so they have no capacity to alter that. But Sukuna’s final scenes would argue the opposite, that curses are capable of changing, moving on from the human emotions that created them and are not forever tethered to an existence of destruction and death. Is Sukuna different because he was a curse that was once a human? Yet, other curses are shown to have emotions, being upset at other curses' deaths (such as Jogo’s reaction to Hanami’ death during the Shibuya Arc) and anger and even amusement. Do all curses have the capability to change then?

What does change and breaking cycles ultimately mean in Jujutsu Kaisen? It is possible to truly change a world that is infested with curses in the first place and a society where corruption, violence, and dehumanization is commonplace for thousands of years any more than it is to change our own world? Maybe it mattered more that the characters tried to change it and break those cycles at all even in the face of an impossible task. Maybe that is why so many characters failed at changing and breaking cycles, even when it left their character arcs feeling incomplete, yet they still strove for change despite the impossible task. 

(pls ignore inconsistencies, this is barely edited. this might be slightly incoherent im sorry)

[lucid-fate-if]

Social anxiety? Well that surprised me. Your jokes and the way you usually answer to questions doesn't really show it😄 Let's see now.... for one of the questions....

 Who's a character the ROs cannot stand and why? MC as an answer is not allowed

I am a good con artists, am I right heheheheheheh...(I like the idea of me conning my way through said social anxiety. Makes me feel like a spy but on a Mr.Bean movie.)

NOW PRESENTING TO YOU! : "who the ROs might have issues with and why, excluding the MC" :

1. Dante:

Vie Wobblefang. She’s too intense for him. Her dangerous grin and overbearing personality throw him completely off balance. Dante’s all about positivity, jokes and humor, so her menacing aura makes him uncomfortable.

2. Juno:

Kaisen (blank). He can’t stand his teasing and smug demeanor. Juno appreciates sincerity, and Kaisen’s habit of dropping cryptic, playful comments makes them roll his eyes every time.

3. Fai:

Carmona Greyvine. He avoids conflict, but her manipulative tendencies leave a sour taste in his mouth. Even Fai, with his gentle nature, can sense something off about her.

4. Miokai/Miioni:

King Titus of The Vassal Novs (their father). Miokai/Miioni's disdain for their father runs deep. They see him as a manipulative tyrant who views them as a pawn for his political schemes rather than his child. His constant demands for loyalty and perfection alienate M, fueling their hatred. This isn't just familial bitterness; it’s a deep resentment for being denied an identity outside of the king's shadow.

5. Kaisen:

Addo Everheart. Kaisen finds Addo insufferable, not because of the Governor’s achievements but due to his arrogance and tendency to wield his influence carelessly. Kaisen sees Addo as a hypocrite, someone who preaches stability and order yet turns a blind eye to the suffering of those beneath him. Kaisen’s dislike stems from his own struggles with the fractured state of the Vassal Novs.

6. Vie:

Zephyr Everheart. Vie absolutely despises Zephyr, not for who he is personally, but for what he represents. As the new rising symbol of the Kabot Kingdom’s strength and authority, Zephyr is, to her, the living image of the oppressors who have crushed and exploited the Vaygas District. His disciplined, soldierly demeanor is everything she associates with the kingdoms’ stranglehold on freedom. In her eyes, he’s just another cog in the machine of oppression—a polished sword for rulers who see people like her as expendable.

7. Saeko:

Verna Blackwater (Tournament Host). Saeko has no patience for Verna’s overly polished facade and focus on profit over integrity. To Saeko, Verna represents everything wrong with the tournament system—using combatants as pawns to entertain the masses while maintaining a smiling mask. Saeko values honor in combat, and Verna’s approach cheapens the whole experience.

8. Zephyr:

Aspen Koil (Akiyo’s Uncle). Zephyr harbors a deep dislike for Aspen because he represents the kind of carefree, oblivious lifestyle that ignores the bigger picture. To Zephyr, Aspen embodies the lax side of society that fails to recognize how their inaction allows others to exploit and devour what remains of true order. Aspen’s lack of urgency feels like a betrayal to those who carry the weight of responsibility, leaving Zephyr quietly seething at what he sees as willful ignorance.

9. Akiyo:

Octavia Edwards (Sculptor of every Kabot Tournament winner). Akiyo quietly resents Octavia for her elitist attitude. Octavia’s dismissive remarks about Akiyo’s craft being “simpler” or “less refined” cut deep, and while Akiyo doesn’t openly confront her, they can’t stand her arrogance. It’s not just about art—it’s about how Octavia diminishes anything that doesn’t fit her worldview.

[aquaquadrant]

This new chapter was everything!! Martyn was 100% spying on the Ranch with a spyglass from his floating heart house wasn't he lol? Man was like "I'm getting those 10 diamonds damn it". So much pure fluff!!! Also Tango lashing out when he first fot to the overworld and killing the other hermits is such a good plot point. I am curious is it just that combined with him being from Hels what makes him so convinced no one would ever accept him if they knew "the truth"?

thank you, i’m glad you enjoyed it!! and LOL YEP martyn was in the perfect position to keep an eye on the ranchers, tho he’s lucky the first kiss happened while they were outside or he would’ve missed it 😂

tango initially being somewhat hostile to the hermits is very important to me, as opposed to him immediately accepting their kindness. he’d come from a world where everyone he met was cruel, vicious, and underhanded, and he’d been imprisoned, tortured, and exploited for years, with absolutely no control over anything. ‘lashing out’ is the perfect term for it; he had nothing against the hermits themselves, but he was overwhelmed, hurting, confused, and craving some sense of control and to inflict the same suffering he’d felt on someone else. so he lashed out at them (while keeping his real feelings and motives behind a mask, of course). but luckily for him, the hermits were as patient as they were kind.

part of tango’s deep self-hatred is solely because he’s from hels. he views himself as a completely different kind of player from the others, one that’s inherently ‘bad’ who has to work at being ‘good.’ so for that fact alone, yes, he’s worried he wouldn’t be accepted. but another part of it is due to his own actions; he lied about his arrival and hid his true origin (for almost ten years now!) and spent a lot of time trying to hurt other players (more outright initially, but even later on through his various mini games and death challenges). he’s scared that revealing he’s from hels will cast an ugly light on certain traits of his that the hermits might’ve otherwise overlooked or written off.

this isn’t your everyday self-hatred. this is… advanced self-hatred.

[gremlin2]

gary: future, hate diane king: alone, fear

What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

well! gary might be headed towards a worst case scenario he didnt even know was possible now that shudder is involved. up until now his fear has always been failing at his career, all his hopes have kind of been riding on this new job even though its an unremarkable position, all things considered. but now with shudder his morality is eroding and thats opening up a whole mess of other potential risks

What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

himself 😐😐😐 he is Trying to improve his self-image but it isn't going so well and this is definitely something shudder tries to exploit

How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

diane has always been pretty independent but doesn't like to be alone if that makes sense. like she's confident enough to go to a club or bar by herself and is comfortable in the company of strangers. it's very rare for her to be Totally isolated because she's out on the town as much as possible and her "home" is just whatever van or hotel room she's living out of at the time. there isn't much difference in how she behaves alone vs with other people, though.

What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

this is the perfect segway from the previous question because i think isolation IS her greatest fear. being physically overpowered is also a big one, it's such a rare thing for her to experience bc of her werewolfism that when it Does happen it throws her off very badly. she's just used to feeling invincible most of the time!!

[informl-onthings]

Alright. Here's some information I have at the minute, to explain the case a bit better, I'll tell you about the girl and the whole case.

The girl was 13, she'd been in and out of many foster homes due to her illness she had, something chronic and fatal, that the doctors just could never find a name for.

The last facility she was in before meeting her new foster family was an orphanage that was known for taking care of troubled teens. One that held Octave and Salem in it.

Salem was there due to her troubled behavior, getting into fights, running away, and many other miscellaneous things you can guess. She's as much of a victim in this case as the girl.

Octave was a weird case. He wasn't troubled at all, he was actually the perfect kid from what his previous foster families said- Obedient, quiet, never caused issues. But none of them adopted him for a simple reason: something was...off with him.

The caretakers at the orphanage told me that the girl and Octave were rather close. The girl was said to often be in her room, too sick to spend time with the other kids outside, and Octave was known for staying inside away from other kids due to his anxiety. Of course the two would become quick friends in a situation like that.

She was being adopted by a family. The family was known for having adopted many children, the couple were one of those disgusting people that adopted kids for tax benefits, often aiming for sick kids that were too ill for others to adopt.

The day the family was coming to pick her up, she was found deceased in her bedroom, seemingly having hung herself. Of course, there were many small things that stuck out to me. The chair was too far for someone of her size to kick back, plus, there was no reason for it to be like that.

Not only that, but she had bruises on her wrists as if someone had held her down, and the bruises on her neck didn't make sense with the cause of death. It was obvious someone tried to cover it up, but the local police didn't have any reason to care, she was just another dead orphan.

They did suspect Octave for a few weeks, but there was no way the boy could've done it. He was known for being horrendously weak due to a bad immune system and having a weak body, so there's no way he could've picked her body up, or so the cops said.

Now, though I hate the people who hired me for this job, all they want is pity and to get money from this case, I want to catch the killer despite it. All hints aim towards Octave, he was the last one seen with her, he was known for sleeping in her room due to nightmares- I just can't understand why he would do it. It's the part that confuses me the most.

He had no reason to do such a thing, no hatred towards the girl, no reason to willingly do such a thing. It's the same reason why they dropped Octave's sister's case. No reason for Octave to kill her either.

- Scarlett

“Thank you for your cooperation, miss Scarlett. I have skimmed over this information briefly, as it is not my main object fixation; but I will say that it is not exactly boring either.

No reason, are you certain? It does seem pretty plain to me, by analyzing all the facts it would be difficult to not even form a theory regarding the motive; for you to admit that you have not read over everything that you have sent, or at least not carefully enough to have your own thoughts about it is.. something.

Going back to the murder, it seems quite obvious to me that the main (and perhaps only) motivation for the murder was compassion. Looking back at the information, it is most apparent that it was an act of mercy rather than malice; the girl and Octave were good friends, as you have described, and they cared about each other a great deal.

Now, if Octave knew that his sickly friend was going to be adopted not by people who had her best interest in mind, and who were most likely going to exploit her for their benefit, it’s not unheard of that he would attempt to do something about it; evidently, it’s not the most conventional way of eliminating a problem, but I believe that was his thought process in the moment.

About the bruises, it certainly does point to a struggle, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it was between them; the whole situation seems heavily premeditated, especially since the body was found on the day of the adoption rather than earlier or later.

For Octave to have a sudden burst of homicidal activity towards his only friend is a bit of a senseless narrative to run by, hence why we will be discarding that narrative for the time being, until it becomes relevant or remotely useful.

Suicide, premeditated or not, comes with struggling reflexes of the body that is instinctively actioned to keeping the person alive; it can be loosely compared to post-mortem spasms where the corpse is activating the nervous system for the last time.

For there to be multiple wounds means that the first attempt was unsuccessful (which I speculate to be strangulation); it was attempted a second time and then covered up with the existence of a noose around her that unmistakably pointed to suicide.”

-L.

[nobuverse]

Nobukatsu knew that tone well. It's the same harsh way of speaking his father would give him when he started to panic. Whenever he got too many answers wrong in a row, whenever he would start over something he wasn't supposed to.

It wasn't comforting. It's not like sister's was when he was small - the way she'd smile at him, make him feel silly for thinking that she'd abandon him.

No. This gaze is crushing. He looks up at Ignacio, and all he can see is his father; reprimanding him for crying over his dead pet shrikes. That he shouldn't be crying. That he was a pathetic failure of a son.

He shrinks. He cowers. His hands knock off his hat as they move to protect his head. He does not have any resolve to face him. All he can feel is that familair terror swell up inside of him.

The one, small part of his brain that is still somewhat rational tries to argue with the words he's just barely able to focus on hard enough to understand.

"B-but she..."

But didn't she make things better? Isn't it better that she kept the guilds from exploiting ridiculously high prices? It wasn't perfect - but didn't it help everyone?

'Everything you speak right now is a lie.'

The moment he utters those words, Nobukatsu shuts down. He stops listening to what he's saying. There's no use. He feels an overwhelming sense of hopelessness against the enemy before him. Everything he's saying is a lie - he didn't believe him.

None of it mattered if he didn't believe him. The man's words were little more than static buzzing in his brain, now racing with the thoughts of how he could possibly live without his sister.

"...Don't touch me."

The protest is weak, but this hand on his shoulder - it makes him want to vomit.

He trembles as he hears him laugh. Not with fear, but rage.

"I SAID GET OFF! DON'T TOUCH ME!" rarely does he ever shout - and even then, it's more comparable to a shriek. The anguish of his fear and hatred have made him beyond reasoning with. He has no will to listen to him anymore. No mind for politics or ideals.

He reaches out to shove the other man away as hard as he could possibly muster. To get this filth away, FAR away from him as possible.

"Shut up! Shut up, shut UP!! You don't understand a thing! None of you ever did!"

Ingancio was no longer an induvial at this moment: but rather the representation of all those who'd tried to get to his sister in the past. To use her kindness against her. He'd never let anything happen to her. To them. Not ever again.

He pulls his weapon from thin air in a cloud of golden dust, the matchlock rifle aimed squarely at the commander's chest.

"I'll kill you! If you hurt her again, I'll kill you! I don't care how many times you kill me, I'll keep coming back ! I'll haunt you to the ends of the earth! SO STAY! AWAY!"

"Why do you cry?" he asks tersely. There's a sense of command in that voice. The Eternal Commander had so much sway in his words that it almost set the world aflame in his lifetime. Everything he said is truth, and that truth became manifested into the world.

No, it was more accurate to say that he observed the true nature of the world and gave voice to it. If he had lived in ancient times, the people then would say he had the gift of divination. He knew that if he lived in that time, he would also believe it to be divination, but due to the blessing of his upbringing and the period he was raised, he recognized that he was only a mundane speaker.

Why did his words hold so much gravity, then?

Because he spoke natural law. The truth of the world in its essence, of the systems in place.

"Markets are never free. They are sooner to become the next exploiter, turning even people into a product to be bought and sold. Everything you speak right now is lie. It's not your fault, however. It is an illusion carried by the ghosts of thousands of generations behind you."

He places a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.

But his cold gaze turns soft.

"That's what I tried to undo. Your birth does not define who you are. The societal position placed upon you doesn't define your species-being. It's what you do and what you make with your own hands that is truly yours. What I fought for was exactly to free the people from those bonds, so that no one has to live in bondage, and you are people too. No commoner must be forced to bow, and no noble must be forced to rise. I don't wage the wars you are used to, wars of honor, or pride, or national identity, or any such illusions. My war is class war, and that's an eternal one."

He lets out a nurturing little melody of a laugh.

"I am not on anyone's side but the side of the underclass. If your sister is a fool for transgressing those divides, then she unwittingly, to a degree, was on that side, and I am a stubborn fool, too. I don't have enemies but the automaton of society, you innocent fool. I don't aim a weapon at anyone if they do not enforce the machine's gears. And you must look beyond your failings and see in yourself your true self, divorced from what the machine has dictate. That's the liberation I speak about."

A smile. He supposed to tease the boy would serve to lighten the tension.

"I can't aim Mondragon at someone so cute, anyhow."

[georgiapeach30513]

I Live to Serve Soldier Boy

Summary:  Soldier Boy needs you, and you’ll do good to remember you serve him

Pairings:  Soldier Boy X Reader

Rating:  explicit

Warnings:  explicit language, explicit sexual content, smut, non con/dub con, PIV sex, unprotected sex, bondage, breeding kink, creampie, kidnapping, basement wife tropes, Stockholm Syndrome, 18+ ONLY

Word Count:  2K

Soldier Boy Masterlist

A/N:  For @duhitzdae this came from her amazing idea.  

There was a few reasons why your father told you to go unnoticed, the major one was powers you never quite understood. Never could fully get the hang of them and he feared for you. Marvin, otherwise known as Mother’s Milk, knew there would be people who found out about you. That somehow, someone would learn of these unexplainable powers, and exploit them as if they were their own.

You were told, if you were to be out in public, blend in at all cost. The problem was, you had your father’s enemy number one, who could not get you out of his head. Soldier Boy had seen you out with your father, and he became obsessed.

He wasn’t aware of those green orbs that would glow on your hands. Because your father forbade you to use those powers, you weren’t even sure what they did. Soldier Boy had no idea, and wouldn’t even care. Because you were for him.

It was you that had entranced him. He felt an unexplainable pull towards you, and could not stay away. His green eyes watched you from the distance. Getting closer each time, close enough to smell the intoxicating scent of your perfume. Close enough to see the color of your eyes, and he knew you felt it too.

Soldier Boy could sense that change in you. Getting your own whiff of him had your head twisting around in search for the captivating aroma.

His mouth turns up into a sinister grin, promising you, “Soon, Angel. Soon, you’ll be mine.”

When he followed you to your parents house, and seeing you kiss your father goodbye, he could feel his cock twitch at the sound of your sweet voice saying, “Bye, daddy.”

He knew the hatred that MM had for him, and that made the challenge of getting you that much stronger. Soldier Boy had needs, and even bigger needs since he swore off cheap pussy. He wanted that tangy cherry that settled between your thighs.

He knew that tonight was the night. The night that he made you his, at any cost. You were going to be alone, no roommate. And while he’s thankful, he wants to shun anyone that would dare leave you unattended. You deserved the world, you poor pitiful thing. He knew it was time.

He couldn’t stand to wait anymore. His cock was aching and only your tight pussy could make him feel better. He knew you were going to be a sore mess after he got his hands on you. He couldn’t help it that you held out on him for too long. He needed it. He needed to keep you filled, and claim you. You would make the perfect woman for his sons. So perfect.

You were going about your normal routine, silly girl, you should have changed it up. Soldier Boy knew every move you were going to make. Knew what part of the house you were going to be in.

You didn’t even notice his looming body in your closet as you grab out an oversized shirt. Didn’t feel him walk closer to you as soon as your head hit the pillow. Had no idea he was there until those words that are forever etched in your mind whispered off your lips, “I’ve waited so long for this.”

Your body jerks up in the bed, seeing the man that your dad kept hung on his office wall. Had seen his face your whole life. How were you to know why your dad hated him so much. Steadying your hands out, ready to do…something with your unused powers as he walks closer.

You hold up your hands, your fingers already creating that soft glow, but he only smiles bigger. Making the glowy green orbs around your hand you point them at him. His own eyes matching your orbs, and making them that more vibrant.

“You’re even more precious than I thought. We’re perfect for each other. It’s like you were made just for me,” gritting his teeth you see a heat literally build in his belly, before he stops himself. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want you.”

“I don’t fucking think so.”

He steps right up to you quick. Grabbing at your cheeks, his fingers digging into your sensitive skin, but there isn’t the soft look from before, “You’ll watch your fucking mouth. No wife of mine will talk to me like that.”

You spit in his face, and he wipes the salvia off of him. Twisting his slicked up fingers around in his face, “You wanna play hard to get, hmm? This will be a perfect way to get that cunt good and wet. I wanted you as my wife, but you’ll be perfect for my little fuck doll. Your whore holes only used for my amusement. I’ll have you pumped so full of my cum, eventually it’ll take. Just think of the perfect sons we’ll have. They’ll be unstoppable.”

It finally registers what this man is wanting, but when you try to resist, his free hand grabs ahold of your arm, squeezing it tightly. “You’ll do good to know your place, and that’s laying on your back with your legs spread, cunt warm and wet, so you can take my fat cock. And if that isn’t enough, you can choke on my dick. I really don’t care. Your holes are mine now. Your daddy left you vulnerable. Do you even know how to use your powers, Angel? Do you think you could defeat me? I can fucking kill Homelander. What can you do?”

He throws your body over his shoulder, starting to leave your house. No amount of kicking and screaming helps. It’s like everyone in the city is purposely ignoring you because of the American hero that carries you to some unknown location.

Traveling through the night swiftly before he takes you to his dingy home. Expertly tying you up to the bedposts, spreading your legs apart to do the same. You cry up at him pleading. “Either you give me what I want and comply, or you get tied up, and I take it. Either way, it’s mine. What will it be? I haven’t got all day. I haven’t blown a load in weeks waiting on you.

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Yeah, you do,” he smiles nodding his head. Clearly he knows way more about you, than you know him. “What’s it gonna be?”

Soldier Boy beautifully juggles a knife with his hand. His body stalking over you, before slicing off your clothes. Making this moment almost sensual with the crawling pace he uses with his knife. “You’ll learn. You’ll become molded to my cock, and swollen with my child.”

“Stop,” you plead as he flicks aside the cotton material. The swells of your tits heaving with your breath, and he curiously rubs his fingers over them. Watching with bated breath as your nipples pebble up with his motions. No amount of pleading no, makes him change his mind.

The hand on your wrist moving to your neck as he leans toward. His mouth connecting to your buds, giving each one little nibbles. His tongue flicking over them, before his mouth fully connects. Sucking hard, and had your hands not been bound, you don’t know if you would want to hold on tighter to yourself, or try to push him away.

“You want it, I know you do,” his body moving between your thighs. Using his knees to spread you further apart. Your voice caught in your throat, “There’s a sweet girl.”

Too quickly he pulls his clothes off his body. If this been a different scenario, you would have appreciated Soldier Boy’s beauty. Your eyes rake down his hard body, whimpering when his cocks breaks free. “How have you survived this long without me? Look at cha, you were made just for me.”

His hand slides up your covered slit, and he tilts his head to the side, an animalistic moan crawls up his throat, “If you didn’t want this, why are you so wet? I promise. We’re gonna be so good for each other.”

Crawling into the bed, he rips your panties off, sighing at the sight of your sex. Watching anxiously as he lines himself up to your quivering cunt. A deep chested scream echos out of your mouth when he punches into your tight hole. Giving you no time to adjust as he thrusts into you.

Stretched tight around his thick length, seems his muscles weren’t the only thing enhanced. Biting at your lip as the feral man pleasures himself, using you as his fleshlight. Not even caring how you’re feeling. “You’ll get used to me. And when I break you, I’ll make sure you get something out of this. You will take me. You’ll beg for me.”

His brows furrowed, and his hand grips the bed frame, panting breaths, and long deep stabs into you, yourself right at the edge of release, but then you feel his seed paint thick warm ribbons into your cunt, and you whine up at him.

“It won’t be that easy,” pulling himself out of you, he watches as his spunk leaks out of your core. Popping his neck, he gives you a sly grin, “Don’t go anywhere. I’m gonna get us some water and do this again. I have the best stamina. Don’t worry. After about the third round, you’ll probably pass out and won’t remember how many times I’ve fucked you.”

Your dad and Butcher’s eyes roam around the long hallway. Stealthy and quiet, it had been a couple of years since MM last saw you, and he hadn’t given up. Hadn’t stopped looking, and he’s positive he’s found the location.

Stepping into a bright room, he sees you cradling a little baby. The brightest smile on your face as you coo down to your daughter. He says your name, and you look up at him, “Hey, father. I was wondering when you would see me. Meet your granddaughter Evernie Judith.”

He stares horrified at the almost one year old. Her hands with a soft green glow when she spots him.

“Evie, that’s your grandpa.”

“Where have you been? Whose baby is that?”

“She’s been here,” Soldier Boy steps out of the shadows. Smirking as he comes to stand behind you. His hand presses on your stomach, and that’s when your father finally sees the swelling of your tummy. “I’m hoping this is my boy.”

“Dada,” the baby reaches up towards him, and he holds her with a smile. Her eyes glow, much like Soldier Boy’s powers.

“Is this man scaring sweetheart? I can’t have you scaring my daughter MM.”

Butcher walks through, a gun pointed right at Soldier Boy, and you shriek. Your own body going to cover your family’s. “No! Don’t you hurt them,” Evernie’s eyes glow even brighter, and your hands explode with a green protective shield around you. “Just leave! Your scaring her. She doesn’t do this unless she’s scared. That’s…he’s her daddy.”

“I am,” his hand wraps around your stomach, fingers splaying out on the bump, while Evernie finally calms down. Giving her dad a little giggle. “Her powers are more like mine. Her mother is our sweet shield. Funny how that works out, huh? You wouldn’t try to take me from my family would you? Leave my kids without a father. Who better to help them navigate their powers than me. I think our son is going to be even stronger. And then she’ll give me more sons. Have us a fierce little army.”

“Father, please leave.”

“What did he do to you?”

“He rescued me. I live to serve him now.”

“You heard the woman,” Soldier Boy smiles at the man who had hated him his whole life. “She was in fact made for me. I guess that’s why you kept her hidden from me. I’ll take good care of her.”

“This isn’t over,” he looks over at the baby in Soldier Boy’s arms, as her body starts to glow again. A high pitched screech as she only looks at MM.

“Aye, for fuck’s sake let’s deal with this later. That’s going to be like a fucking bomb, and we won’t live. Let’s get our asses out of here and we’ll deal with the fucking psychopath later.”

Your dad doesn’t want to leave, but a supe that didn’t understand her powers was a dangerous thing. Couldn’t even explain those powers to a baby. She just knew her dad was being threatened, along with her mom. “I’ll be back.”

“I’m sure you will. Evernie’s strength is growing though. Imagine what terrible twos is going to be like. Have fun. We may have our third one on the way by then.”

“I’m where I belong. I live to serve Soldier Boy.”

Masterlist

Taglist:  @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @sstan-hoe @peaches1958 @thedarkplume @pono-pura-vida​  @akshi8278​

[gimme-mor]

ACOTAR THINK PIECE: ELAIN ARCHERON, UNTOUCHABLE

*DISCLAIMER*

This will be a long post.

Please take the time to read this post in its entirety and truly reflect on the message I am trying to send before commenting. My goal is to use my background in Gender and Women’s Studies to deconstruct the comments I have seen on Tumblr and Twitter and bring awareness to the ACOTAR fandom.

The reason I am tagging “Elriel” in this post is to call attention to the arguments in the Elriel fandom that: weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions about Elain’s character and her relationship with Lucien; victimize Elain’s character in fandom discussions; and coddle Elain’s character, which limits fandom discussions about her narrative development and prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions in the same way that the fandom holds other characters accountable for their actions and inactions. It is for these reasons that I WILL NOT remove the “Elriel” tag from this post because all of the above points contribute to the toxic discourse surrounding Elain’s character.

I urge those who use these arguments to understand their implications, why they are problematic, regardless of intent, and reexamine their contributions to the ACOTAR fandom. I WILL NOT tolerate anyone who tries to twist my words and say I am attacking people and their personal shipping preferences. In fact, I AM CRITIQUING THE ARGUMENTS THEMSELVES NOT THE PEOPLE USING THE ARGUMENTS.

Also, I highly encourage the Elriel fandom to read this post because it addresses how the concept of choice as an argument enables arguments to exploit social justice and feminist languge in order to vilify Elucien shippers, among other problematic things.

Elain Archeron is one of the most polarizing characters in the ACOTAR fandom. Though opinions about Elain vary, arguments in the Elriel fandom cite society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters as the reason behind the hate, and this belief is used to provide an explanation as to why other characters in the series are favored over her. In the series, Elain is portrayed in a wholly positive light and this image carries over into the Elriel fandom, painting her character as a good and kind female who has been unfairly wronged and a victim of circumstances that were out of her control. When arguments in the Elriel fandom oppose other viewpoints in the fandom, they fall into one of three categories:

Category 1: Weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions

Maybe people who hate Elain are just jealous of her in a weird way similar to when someone hates the pretty, nice, and charming girl in school just because she is too perfect

Disliking Elain is misogynistic

What happened to feminism? What happened to women supporting women? What happened to she can say no? All of that disappears the second you force Elain to be with Lucien

Elain antis are misogynistic

All Eluciens are Elain antis

Antis claiming they’re feminists when in reality they hate on Elain and Feyre but love Nesta

Elain antis are such sore losers. Y’all were that bunch of people who could not get over being rejected from hanging out with the cool kids so y’all are projecting your hatred towards pretty people now to get validation

I don’t get how Elain’s love for gardening equals boring for some people. I’m sorry your misogyny finds traditionally feminine activities boring

Why are you attacking a female? What did Elain do? Where are your feminist voices?

The fandom is misogynistic towards Elain

If people loved Elain they would ship Elriel

If you hate Elain it says a lot about your feelings toward women

If you hate Elain because she has no “development” then you must hate Azriel because otherwise you’re misogynistic

Eluciens are turned off by the idea of a woman that has the autonomy to reject a man for the simple reason that it is her choice

Eluciens are all about feminism and “it’s HER choice” until it comes down to females not wanting a male

Eluciens don’t respect Elain’s feelings when they ship her with someone that was part of her trauma and makes her feel uncomfortable

The way some Elucien shippers completely disregard how uncomfortable Elain is around Lucien is so hilariously not funny. Prioritizing being mates over Elain’s feelings is just regressive

It’s hard as a fan of Elain to see someone ship her with a person who makes her physically uncomfortable to be around. Wouldn’t you want both characters to be happy to be around each other

Imagine if SJM saw all the awful things her “stans” had to say about Elain

It’s true that we know comparatively little about her, but is she really boring or do you just not value stereotypically feminine traits?

So y’all are just gonna tell me you prefer Elucien over Elriel? Even though Lucien treats Elain as if she’s something that belongs to him? The only reason he wants to be with her is because she’s his mate, he doesn’t respect her, doesn’t treat her as his equal, even though that’s what mates should be? He doesn’t bother to look past what’s on the outside to see her for who she is. And Elain is obviously repulsed by the idea that she should belong to anyone or have no choice in who she can be with. Azriel is her friend and the only person who sees her quiet strength. He has so much faith in her, in her abilities; he’s the one who kept her company when no one else did, he’s the only one who bothered to see her for more than her brokenness. You’re going to tell me you still prefer Elucien over Elriel?

The more I see Gwynriels that ship Elucien out of their hate for Elain, the less I can understand Elain stans that ship Elucien. Pls Elain has made it very clear that she doesn’t want Lucien, why would you ship her with him? Do you hate her too? Smh

The real question would be, if you care and understand Elain why would you ship her with Lucien (where she canonically shrinks when he is near)?

People crying over Helion and Lucien’s mom not getting to be with each other and her being forced into a relationship she didn’t want, but also ship Elucien? Just say you hate Elain

When Elain’s book is out, Gwyn stans will look like clowns and I will laugh because they set her up by shipping her with Azriel just because they hate Elain. Watch them play the victims now because Elriels are clapping back the hate they’ve sent towards Elain

As romantic as wanting girl who is visibly uncomfortable around a guy who caused her trauma to end up with the said guy. Guess their standards for romance are in hell

Category 2: Victimize Elain’s character

Gwynriels only want Gwyn with Azriel because they despise Elain

Gwyn stans and Gwynriels are Elain antis

No one in the books dislike Elain, so why are there so many people who do?

Elain hasn’t done anything wrong or questionable to warrant the hate she gets

Not having Elain’s POV makes it easy for people to be swayed a certain way about her character if you already don’t relate to her in some way

It’s been years since this series came out and we haven’t gotten a lick of an Elain POV, but people still hate her for what? We don’t know her thoughts, dreams, or aspirations

We haven’t even had Elain’s perspective yet and people are passing these judgments off on her

Elain antis who say she’s boring are just cruel when she has obvious symptoms of PTSD like Feyre and Nesta

Gwyn is one of the most overhyped characters and that’s only because most people hate Elain and they couldn’t wait to find a random girl to ship Azriel with

Nesta was abusive to her sisters but Elain (who has only ever been kind) is painted as the villain

From the text we know that Elain is the epitome of feminine stereotypes (gentle, gardening, baking, non confrontational for the most part). Yet people still call her boring or deny that she has any interesting character traits?

You can’t love Nesta and hate Elain

People hate Elain because of internalized misogyny and lack of taste. All the girl does is tend to her garden and mind her business and they treat her worse than Tamlin

Does Gwyn deserve all this support? Of course yes! She is amazing! But where’s that support when Elain was in the same situation as she? Where’s that support for her right now? Why do they idolize Gwyn for her interactions with Azriel and hate Elain for having any interaction with him?

It’s not even a ship war anymore, they just hate Elain

People hate Elain for no reason

Some of y’all don’t like feminine traits and it shows

We know less about Eris and Helion but people don’t call them boring. Why would rejecting femininity make Elain more interesting?

Elain has had a lot forced upon her

The main reason I believe most people love Gwyn so much is to get Azriel away from Elain. It’s not a secret that Elain has been a widely hated character for years so suddenly we get a new female who has a minimal amount of interactions with Azriel and BOOM. New ship that once again doesn’t make sense (just like Azriel x Emerie after ACOFAS)

Elain hasn’t done something so terrible for her to get this hate. At this point some of you are just being misogynistic and you don’t want to accept it. Don’t call yourselves feminists and then say bs like this, it’s embarrassing. She’s pretty and everyone agreed to hate on her

Just a personal feeling, but I feel like a lot of the Elain hate stems from internalized misogyny. That to be a strong female lead, you need to pick up a sword and fight. That to be strong, you need to adapt traditionally masculine traits

Elain is feminine. She is beautiful. She loves to bake and garden. She is docile, quiet, observant, and a people-pleaser. All traditionally feminine traits. Yet for some reason, she’s like the worst in these people’s eyes?

I think also maybe a lot of people can’t relate to her femininity? That her being so beautiful and quiet doesn’t allow for the people who dislike her not to self-insert? Most of the hate stems from people not wanting Elain to be with Azriel. It’s mean, but maybe the people who hate Elain literally just can’t self-insert if they have a story and that’s why they’re vehemently against it?

Poor Elain. The Cauldron dealt her a bad deal. Upon emerging as Fae, she is immediately declared by Lucien as his mate, never mind that she was already engaged to a prick. Her love life is not good

It blows my mind how they really think that they can compare all the shit that Elain gets with some dumb jokes about Gwyn on Twitter (and yes, the “hate” towards her started mostly because Elriels are clapping back, it was bound to happen)

I would think of it as anti-feminist with Elain and Lucien because she has consistently stated that she does not want him so if she was forced to embrace the bond that would be taking away her right to have a choice but with Az she feels comfortable around so if they were mates then Elain would be happy and feel safe which again should be the priority for women to feel safe in their relationships with anything and to not be forced into any type of situation aka the mating bond in this

Category 3: Coddle Elain’s character

Elain has value the way she is, in all her domestic girly glory. Not every character has to be badass

We don’t speak of Elain’s flaws frequently because everyone else already speaks badly of her, mainly in an unfair way

There is definitely something deeper going on with Elain but by no means will she ever be evil or any less feminine. That goes against everything we already know about her

It’s ok to critique Elain because she needs growth but y’all keep forgetting the shit her and her sisters went through

The last “bad” thing Elain did in ACOTAR was not help Feyre when they were impoverished and I’m tired of people acting like she’s a terrible character when it was their father’s responsibility. It happened 4 books ago and Feyre has forgiven both Nesta and Elain

Elain’s character and the evil Elain theory are a great example of the trend where people only consider female characters interesting if they reject femininity

We don’t know enough to hate Elain

Many people want Elain to turn evil (which in my opinion seems to come from a place of internalized misogyny)

However we don’t tend to talk about her faults, at least not publicly, as that has been, and still is, done to death, and I--personally, at least--find it much more fun to theorise about potentially interesting aspects of the overall plot, than dwell on negatives

And ultimately, I would be shocked if Elain has a more karmically-charged story than Nesta, considering that Elain’s “wrongs” are so much less severe and bad than Nesta’s, and Elain has already apologized for them (or paid the price in other ways, like through what Graysen did)

I guess I also think Elain has suffered and been punished enough. I hope her story is about finding hope in terrible situations, and learning to love her new life, and choosing her own path after everything that has been done to her. I don’t think she needs to be punished anymore or face any additional trauma

Also, why is she being judged on her decisions as a human at all? Fae are monsters to humans! They enslaved them for thousands of years, and the Wall was erected to keep them out

Like I’m sorry, but think Elain would want to leave her ONLY FAMILY AND FRIENDS for the Spring Court where she has no one because--oh look, lots of flowers!--is the craziest thing I have ever heard

Her sisters are in the Night Court. Her nephew is in the Night Court. Her closest friends (Nuala and Cerridwen) are in the Night Court. Her love interest is in the Night Court. Her extended family is in the Night Court. Her home is in the Night Court

SJM isn’t going to keep two sisters together and split up the third. Especially not keep Feyre and Nesta together and separate Elain. They were either all going to end up in separate places, or together. Not 2 here and 1 there

Compared to the other female characters in the series, Elain is the only character whose femalehood is at the center of conversations; this is because arguments in the Elriel fandom fixate on it when discussing her character. While Elain, Feyre, Nesta, and Mor are all representations of white womanhood and white beauty, Elain epitomizes the most fragile version of white womanhood. It’s easy to blame society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters when it comes to the discourse surrounding Elain’s character because it: falls in line with the fixation on Elain’s femalehood to silence opposing viewpoints; is a simplistic explanation that fails to tackle the underlying issues with Elain as a character, the same issues that are downplayed in-universe; absolves Elain of her wrongdoings; prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions within the series; and diminishes the impact Elain’s actions and inactions have on those around her. It’s not that Elain is hated in the fandom because she’s a traditional female character; it’s the fact that arguments in the Elriel fandom deflect a critical analysis of Elain’s character because she’s a traditional female character who embodies the ideal white woman in need of protection. White fans and white-aligned fans of color, especially white women, have a tendency to vehemently defend, gatekeep, and coddle white female characters in fandom; this makes it difficult for other fans to engage in critical discussions about these white female characters because they’re viewed as flawless and all around perfect characters despite evidence to the contrary. Since Elain is viewed positively by the other characters in the series, it has rendered her character untouchable to any perceived slight or criticism in fandom discussions because those negative opinions challenge what has been said about her character thus far. And as a result, her character has been placed on a pedestal and implicitly hailed as the epitome of white womanhood; and when she’s criticized, it’s seen as a direct attack against white womanhood. Arguments in the Elriel fandom: exploit feminist language and perpetuate white feminist tactics under the guise of defending Elain’s character; center Elain in conversations about female oppression in the ACOTAR world and uphold white feminist ideologies in their critique of ACOTAR’s patriarchal society; and use the fragile white woman narrative to victimize Elain in Lucien’s presence, playing into racial biases that are associated with white supremacy’s defense of white womanhood.

Feminism is a social movement that seeks to promote equality and equity to all genders, and feminists work toward eradicating gender disparities on a macro-level, in addition to challenging gender biases on a micro-level. As feminism became more mainstream, a flat and oversimplified version of feminism emerged: mainstream feminism. The mainstream feminist movement is meant to represent all women, but rarely does it center conversations around issues that concern most women. The problem with mainstream feminism is that it’s just a popularized version of white feminism. White feminism has relied extensively on an individualized understanding of women’s oppression, exclusively from the lens of privileged white women. White feminism only focuses on the oppression experienced by white, able-bodied, affluent, educated, cishet women; and it views gender as the key mode of privileged white women’s oppression, isolated from the privileges granted by their other social identities. White women can be and are oppressed under the patriarchy but only because they are women; their identity as women does not exempt them from the privileges granted by their whiteness. The term white feminist does not mean any feminist who is white, but refers to feminists who prioritize the concerns of privileged white women as though they are representative of all women. However, the term is not exclusive to white people. Because white feminism is so pervasive, people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds often buy into white feminism, believing that if they work hard enough, they may be able to reap its rewards.

Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism only recognizes the identity of being a woman, assumes that all women share common experiences of gender oppression, fails to address other social identities in relation to overlapping systems of oppression, and disregards privilege in relation to various social identities. Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism is palatable because it doesn’t seek to challenge the systems in place, instead its goal is to succeed within them. Essentially, mainstream feminism and white feminism are extensions of performative feminism. Performative feminism is a type of performative activism that’s used to describe feminist views that are surface level and solely for the benefit of one type of person. It’s a pretense which often has nothing to do with genuine activism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom normalize and promote performative feminism because the topic of feminism is only referenced when discussing Elain. This indicates that these arguments are engaging in disingenuous discourse to push a personal agenda within the ACOTAR fandom, and it becomes more apparent when they use white feminist tactics to shut down opposing viewpoints:

White feminists weaponize and exploit feminist language to silence the opinions of other women, especially when they’re called out for their problematic behaviors

White feminists use the phrase “Women supporting women” to defend other white feminists who exhibit problematic behaviors instead of holding them accountable 

White feminists weaponize phrases like “Women supporting women” and “You just hate women” to attack other women who disagree with them on any given topic

White feminists use phrases like “All women face challenges” and “Stop pitting women against each other” to sidestep conversations about privilege

White feminists divert conversations away from privilege and towards the Trauma Olympics to equate their struggles to the oppression of marginalized people 

White feminists skirt around the realities of other forms of oppression and discrimination, downplaying the experiences of marginalized people

White feminists diminish or ignore the ways in which gender oppression affects other marginalized people

White feminists paint those they harmed as aggressive, mean, or divisive when confronted with the ways they have harmed a marginalized group

White feminists deflect criticism by focusing on the anger or emotions being expressed rather than the issue that is being discussed, invalidating the concerns of marginalized people

White feminists speak over marginalized voices in an attempt to sound “woke”

White feminists get defensive and insist there’s no way they could be a part of the problem because of what they’ve done to help marginalized groups already 

White feminists say they don’t see color in an attempt to obscure racial issues that need to be addressed

White feminists center and victimize themselves in conversations about racism, which derails necessary conversations from taking place

White feminists who are white weaponize the intersectionality of their race and gender to avoid accountability

Feminism is not meant to be approached from an individualistic perspective nor is it only about addressing the experiences of privileged white women, it involves addressing the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and other social identities as well; and it involves addressing how these social identities relate to privilege. Moreover, feminism is not about women upholding complete loyalty to other women because of a shared gender identity, and to claim that it does implies that women should be held to different emotional standards than men. If men are able to dislike and criticize other individual men, real or fictional, without their characters being compromised, why aren’t women granted that same privilege?

It’s clear that SJM set up the ACOTAR world to mirror a patriarchal society, and that the imbalance of power between males and females stems from sexism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom analyze the ACOTAR world through a feminist lens to show how ACOTAR’s patriarchal society, to which the mating bond is innately tied, contributes to female oppression and limits their agency. When choice and free will are emphasized as part of Elain’s arc, they imply that Elain, through the mating bond, experiences female oppression under ACOTAR’s patriarchal society because of her identity as a female with that identity being the focal point of her oppression in the world. Elain is one of the most privileged characters in the ACOTAR world: she’s High Fae; she’s the sister of the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court, which gives her access to wealth and political influence because of that connection; she’s able-bodied; she was magically blessed by the Cauldron; and she lives in Velaris, a place that grants females autonomy and power because of the beliefs of Rhysand and Feyre. Arguments in the Elriel fandom trivialize female oppression in the ACOTAR world because they disregard the fact that Elain’s privileges prevent her from experiencing female oppression in the same way that other marginalized females in the world do. The mating bond being one such example because those around Elain are not forcing the bond on her, instead they’re allowing Elain to reach a decision about the bond for herself; a privilege that other marginalized females in the world probably wouldn’t have. Just because Elain has endured hardships in her life and is a female in a patriarchal society, they do not erase the privileges she holds within the ACOTAR world. The failure to include Elain’s privileges in discussions about Elain being a female in a patriarchal society feeds into white feminist ideologies because white feminism operates from a very narrow perspective; it doesn’t take other intersecting identities into account when it examines gender oppression, leaving no room for discussions about privilege (or lack thereof) in relation to those intersecting identities. When discussing oppression in hierarchical societies, it’s imperative that privilege is also included in the conversation because privilege and oppression are not mutually exclusive; they equally affect the ways in which people navigate those societies through their social identities.

Rather than attributing Elain’s uncomfortability to her new life as a Fae female or the mating bond itself and her trauma to the Cauldron, the King of Hybern, or Ianthe, they’re placed on Lucien to cast his character in a negative light. Moreover, fandom discussions portray Lucien as a possessive character to further emphasize Elain’s discomfort despite the inaccuracy of this characterization in canon. Arguments in the Elriel fandom play into racial biases when it comes to Lucien (a male character of color) because they mischaracterize his character in order to victimize Elain (a white female character), placing her character in the role of the white damsel in distress. In Western society, the concept of womanhood has been conceptualized from a Eurocentric perspective with femininity and feminine attributes favoring white women. It’s the idea that a certain type of femininity is only inherent to white women as they are seen as the embodiment of an ideal womanhood. White womanhood has been a symbol of innocence and purity, and white women have been viewed as fragile beings in need of protection. The reason white womanhood functions within white supremacy is because it’s the same idea that has motivated white men to kill and beat black and brown men. The so-called protection of white women has been used as a justification for the horrific violence committed by white men because black and brown men were stereotyped as aggressive and seen as a threat to the virtue of white women. The white damsel in distress trope considered white women as worthy of protection because of their perceived innocence and purity; women of color were not granted that same treatment because they did not fit into the ideal image of womanhood. Over the years, this trope became a means for white women to exercise limited power in a patriarchal society with white women weaponizing their status as the damsel much to the detriment of black and brown men. It’s through the white damsel in distress trope that white supremacy sustains its dominance in Western society. The misrepresentation of characters of color in fandom, the dismissal of their importance to the overall story, and using them as tools in arguments centered around white characters are the foundation of fandom racism; they’re examples of how racism moves silently in fandom spaces. Instead of examining their behavior and taking constructive criticism from fans of color, white fans will often double down on their bigotry and center their uncomfortability in the conversation when confronted with their complicity in fandom racism. White fans expect fans of color to swallow fandom racism in its many forms in order to not ruin the experience of fandom, dismissing the fact that racism is prevalent in nearly every aspect of society. This mentality ensures that no one is held accountable for the harm they caused and alienates fans of color in fandom spaces.

To reiterate what I mentioned in my first think piece: terms like “oppression”, “the right to choose”, “feminist”, “feminism”, “anti-feminist”, “anti-feminism”, “internalized misogyny”, “misogyny”, “misogynist”, “sexist”, “sexism”, “racist”, “racism”, “classist”, “classism”, “discrimination”, and “patriarchy” are all used in specific ways to draw attention to the plight of marginalized people and challenge those who deny the existence of systems of oppression. Yet these words and their meanings can be twisted to attack, exclude, and invalidate people with differing opinions on any given topic. When social justice and feminist terms are thrown around antagonistically and carelessly to push a personal agenda, it becomes clear that these terms are being used to engage in disingenuous discourse and pursue personal validation rather than being used out of any deep-seated conviction to dismantle systemic oppression. Being an ally, activist, or feminist is not an identity, it’s a practice. It requires: ongoing self-reflection; holding ourselves accountable; listening to marginalized people; educating ourselves; dismantling implicit biases; challenging those around us who are exhibiting problematic behaviors; and action behind our words.

It’s important to be aware of the language that is used within the fandom when defending or critiquing characters and ships. It’s also important to question how an argument is framed and why it’s framed the way that it is to critically examine the intent behind that argument: is it used as a tool to push a personal agenda that reinforces problematic behaviors, or is it used as an opportunity to share, learn, enlighten, and educate?

-----------

Tagging: @spell-cleavers @bookofmirth @m0bulidae @ilya-boltagon

[tomhiddelstonandzaynmalik]

Love at first sight? PROLOGUE

Warren Worthington III x Reader

Word count: 735 words

Summary: the story of two hot headed, reckless, unluky and lonly mutants who’s love story began at the least romantic of places and times.

Warnings: language maybe?

NOTE: THIS IS MY FIRST FIC EVER, BE NICE, AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.

"...And when he saw her, he just knew it was love at first sight."

Bullshit, Warren thought, there is no such thing as love at first sight. The mere idea of it sounded silly to him, to fall madly, deeply in love with someone upon seconds of meeting them. And don't get me wrong, it's not that he didn't believe in love. Only God knows how much he did, to have someone to call yours for the rest of your life, someone to look after, someone to rely on, someone to make life worth living. 

But in all honesty, Warren knew being loved by someone was a luxury he knew he was never going to have, not even with all the money and wealth his family had, and who could blame him for thinking such things? He was a monster, a former Horsman, The Angel of Dead.

His deadly-looking metal wings paired with tattoos that covered not only the back of his head but also his once pristine face were a constant reminder of all the mistakes he'd made, all the lives and all the pain he'd caused when he chose to fight with the wrong side.

Yet the worst part of it all was knowing his soul was tinted forever but not because of Apocalypse only and oh! how much he wished to blame it on him only, but he wasn't the first "bad choice" he'd taken. He just happened to be the worst one only. 

He'd had accepted Charles' offer of a place to live and heal right after Cairo's battle was over. If he was honest to himself, he thought it was nothing but a trick. For him to willingly go to his death sentence disguised as a humble offer had to be the cruellest way to kill him to make him pay for what he'd done. But at the time, he couldn't care any less. A goddam aeroplane had fallen onto him! His chest, legs, head. Fuck! There was not a single part of his body that didn't hurt. A trick or not, this was his only chance. He knew, if he didn't get help right away, there was no way in hell he was going to make it out alive. So there he went, to Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. To be healed and live under the roof of the very same people he'd tried to kill.

Much to his surprise, it wasn't a trick. There wasn't some ulterior motive when Charles offered his help. Charles had seen something in Warren's mind that day not even Warren knew. He had seen someone worthy of redemption. 

It had only been a couple of weeks after having being brought back to life by Hank, after having being welcomed and accommodated at Xavier's, after been given a second chance and a clean slate when Warren left. 

But why? This is what happens when you neglect someone from love at a young age. After his parents turned their back on him when he was only a child, simply because he refused mutilation to fit in with the "perfect human family" the Worthingtons were. All alone he stayed, years of isolation and self-hatred had made him believe unworthy of good things and because life at Xavier's seemed too good to be true. He didn't deserve it! Not the kindest nor the help. Misery was all he deserves. So he went back to the hole where he belonged to before fucking everything up like he was used to do.

And off he went to the only place he knew was the fit for him. 

Cage fighting wasn't reserved for Europe only. If there were mutants around, there had to be a place for humans to exploit them, just for the fun of it. After all, in society's eyes, mutants were nothing more than nature's error. They were abominations, devil's spawns who brought nothing but misfortune to those around them. Everybody knew about this so-called "sport" though it was illegal, no cop was ever going to rail a Cage, some times you could even spot them amongst the crown, cheering up and shouting in amusement whenever a poor soul loosed. 

As he made his way through the hot, dark, smelly and overly crowded for the size of the place. He saw... You.

And suddenly, all those cheesy love songs about "love at first sight" just made sense. 

[itz-darktrax]

The dictionary defines evil as “profoundly immoral and wicked.” In Big Hero 6 The Series there are a few villains who deserve the title of being evil. Because in my eyes being evil means you also dare to hurt or kill people. Those people are Obake Aken, Diane (Di) Amara, and Momakase. Today I’m going to psychoanalyze them to see why they are evil in the first place and why they need help deep down.

First up, Obake. The main antagonist in season 1 is infamous for trying to recreate the great catastrophe. It all started with his days at SFIT. He was a young prodigy just like Hiro. His mentor, the now Professor Granville encouraged him to explore fearlessly. Unfortunately, this caused a fatal accident with an experiment he was doing. Therefore, Obake suffers from a brain injury that causes him to lose the sense of morality or right and wrong. Because of the encouragement from Granville, he tries to destroy Sanfransokyo to get rid of “lower class” people and rebuild the city in his perfect image. When Hiro thwarted his plan to destroy the city with a star, Baymax offered to save Obake from his crumbling lair, but he refused probably because of the saying “A captain always goes down with his ship” and to stew in his failure. You know that Obake’s condition was treatable, but he refused help from Baymax. He took some pride in his little incident and wanted to be the center of unethical knowledge and power. In the end, Obake had good intentions of making incredible breakthroughs but because of not having any limits he meets his demise. He had a lot of potentials. I’m not saying that he is 100% innocent. I’m saying that he needed help. A friend or someone to cope with. He was misguided.

Now, onto Diane Amara. She was Liv Amara’s clone after her Immortality project backfired on her. The clone was engineered to save her no matter the cost. She then posed as the real Liv for several years before she exposed herself to Hiro after he was kidnapped in the city of monsters. During those years posing as Liv, Diane ran Sycorax while trying to cure Liv. Her breakthrough came when Karmi was introduced as an Intern. Diane then exploited her to try to cure Liv without Karmi knowing while getting the supplies herself with the help of the mutated assistant named Chris. When Diane knew that Karmi alone couldn’t cure her she used Karmi to set up a trap to lure Hiro in and force him to save Liv with Karmi’s serum and Hiro’s microrobots. Similarly, to Obake, Diane was also misguided as she did not understand the limits to saving Liv. She biogenetically turned people into monsters to do her dirty work for her. This is what Liv didn’t want. If only Diane knew that. At this point, we know that Diane and her assistant are imprisoned to pay for her actions.

And finally, onto my favorite villain, Momakase. We first see her as one of the better -urm I mean the best sushi chef in Sanfransokyo. She was making food for Krei when it was all a ploy to steal his gravitational disruptor from Krei. She poisoned Krei and promised to give the antidote to him if he revealed the location of the gravity disruptor. So, he complied, and the first half was stolen. Yama then hired her again to steal the other half but was lost when she was captured by Aunt Cass during the food fight. We later find her now employed by Obake because of their mutual hatred of Big Hero 6. Momakase was then sent to Kidnap Karmi and use as bait to lure Big Hero 6 out. Momakase finally had her chance to get revenge on them. Especially Hiro after landing her in jail. Later in the season, she helps Obake carry out the events in countdown to catastrophe.

After Obake’s death, she invests in Sycorax which in return gives her mutated powers to again try to defeat Big Hero 6. Now let’s speed up to the episode named “Hiro The Villain” where Diane is now incarcerated and Momakase is once again out on her own. When learning about the location of the family swords she extorts Hiro to use his technical abilities to help Momakase carry out a heist in Yama’s place. Once the swords are retrieved and they’re about to make their escape, Hiro questions why they stole normal-looking katanas. Momakase then answers with keys to her past. Those swords were her family’s passed down from generation to generation. Gangsters threaten Momakase’s family, and her father traded the swords for their safety. There she says the very reason that she became a villain. “I vowed to never be pushed around again.” And honestly, I relate to that. But first, let me wrap up Momakase. So, at the end of the episode, Hiro and Momakase were caught by Big Hero 6. Where they fought. Hiro urged Momakase to not hurt anyone. Despite that Momakase still attempts to stab Gogo and Wasabi only to be saved by Hiro and his sonic wave Cannon. At the end of the episode when Hiro was exposed and explained himself, the SFPD was alerted to the location. At the time Momakase and BH6 were both fugitives. So, to ensure that Big Hero 6 escapes Momakase diverts the police away from their location and both parties escape successfully. This is the beginning of her journey to becoming an Anti-Hero. Unfortunately, the series didn’t develop that as much but hey that’s what is content creators a here for. The reason we knew she became an antihero is that in season 3 we last see her help Big Hero 6 de chip with mascots with the coordination of Hiro. It’s amazing to see how far she has come from a contracted ninja thief to an anti-hero helping Big Hero 6. God, I miss my knife-wife so much!

Anyways in the last paragraph, I say I relate to Momakase’s reason for being evil. Now let me tell you why. As some of you may know that I’m evil. It’s obvious is it not? If not, then look at my blog’s page and then come back. There now you know. But do you know why? Well, if we’re close friends on discord then you may already know. Evil back story short it’s all because of my parents. They neglect and don’t care about me. They force me to bottle up my feelings and don’t even care about my mental health. They force me to do things I don’t like and insult me every chance they get. This way I’m being “pushed” around by my parents. And it’s the source of all my aggression in rage which I automatically turn into sadistic/murderous impulses. See the relationship?

I conclude with one last statement. Every villain deserves to be loved and helped. Because deep inside they need help. They want to be loved. They feel lost and alone. Most people are criminals because of something happening in their childhood or relationships. Like bad parents as an example. Or some people are just lost or desperate. My point is that we must emphasize with them. They’re humans after all aren’t they? They all want peace and everything nice. No matter how many brutal crimes they may commit. Honey lemon once said, “There is good in everyone”. And I 100% agree.

Let me know your thoughts in a reblog chain or in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

[huskymaine]

LOL... Even while writing this Ask, I simply couldn't stop smiling. Your Kakashi + Jiraiya + Itachi post was totally a Blast and I almost read it 4 times. I just wanted to write all of these as a comment under that post, But it's just Daunting with all those word limit and hence, here I am sending you as an Ask.

Firstly, I crave for posts like these. Like, A Post that could make you think and say, 'Hmmm, I never thought about this... It makes absolute sense'.

Secondly, I wish I should have sent you that ask sooner so that I would've got your response earlier.... Which would have made my life easier... Because couple of days ago, an Itachi stan annoyed the hell out of me and that person was saying... "Jiraiya was a pervert, pedoph*l* and Naruto follows the ideal of this kind of person... How good his Ideal must be?"... Am like... (????).... If Only I had your points few days earlier, I would've totally destroyed that person. Well, Good for them. Unlucky me!!!

Thirdly, Your points about Jiraiya... A+++. Like I inherently knew that he is Harmless (even though I know he is a Pervert... I've seen a fair share of harmful perverts in my life too)... But I don't know why I never felt hatred towards him... And your Answer made me realize... "Oh!!! So this is why I couldn't hate Jiraiya but love him none matter what???". And your last line, "Thank God, The Target was Jiraiya!!" was Chef's Kiss.

Fourthly, I want to re-iterate (Just in case you misunderstood me) that, I don't mind people hating/feeling uncomfortable with Jiraiya for Obvious reasons... They have very valid reason to. But what I don't like is.. People criticizing him for writing Smut but they themselves write R-Rated Headcanons, criticizing Fanfic writers as to why did they made XXX character to be Top/Bottom and claim themselves as Feminist... And preach other people that Jiraiya's ideals are non-sense because he is a Pervert. (Just say you hate Jiraiya and go!!!)

Fifthly, Kakashi's Anime only scene with Sakura might come off as downright sexist for some people... But I was glad that it was not in the Manga back when I read it for the first time (Man, Anime team shitted on so many characters). Even when I was watching the Anime, I felt like it was too OOC from Kakashi's side.. Like I knew that he isn't a person to pry on someone's private affairs. But People calling Kakashi as an Offender for reading Icha Icha is just REACHING.

Sixth and Finally, Your point about Itachi was the best one in that entire post. You could've tagged it under Itachi tags itself because I never felt like you were bashing him for no reason like Sasuke stans does. (Damn, Am I being so obvious that I like Itachi???) Sadly, like you said, that Genjutsu'ing that Girl thing was never brought up by anyone in this fandom and this is the first time I am also hearing it... AND I AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY. Well, he is my absolute favourite still... But I don't like to apologize for him since I'd like to take a Character just like how he was written by the Author. Not my own perfect version. I never criticized him for putting either Kakashi or Sasuke in a Tsukuyomi... Because at the end of the day they are Ninjas and they live to fight. Period. But what Itachi did to that Girl is just plain wrong, no matter what. Even though he did that to exploit Jiraiya's weakness (a thing every Ninjas do to knock out their Opponents) And this also gives me a point to defend Jiraiya in a right way.

Anyways, Thanks for the Response. I totally enjoyed every word of it because it was Thoughtful at the same time it was Very Hilarious too.

Hehe, while reading the ask, I couldn’t stop smiling too.

Ask response for this post,

Firstly, I crave for posts like these. Like, A Post that could make you think and say, 'Hmmm, I never thought about this... It makes absolute sense'.

I am glad that my posts made sense because sometimes when I write meta post my thought gets jumbled and was like “wait, I am getting sidetracked, what am I supposed to talk again?” XD. 

Secondly, I wish I should have sent you that ask sooner so that I would've got your response earlier.... Which would have made my life easier... Because couple of days ago, an Itachi stan annoyed the hell out of me and that person was saying... "Jiraiya was a pervert, pedoph*l* and Naruto follows the ideal of this kind of person... How good his Ideal must be?"... Am like... (????).... If Only I had your points few days earlier, I would've totally destroyed that person. Well, Good for them. Unlucky me!!!

Haha, I know the feeling of frustration when you just lost the momentum on a debate. As I said in my post, Jiraiya’s flaws don’t absolve his goodness. And how good an ideal depends none other on how the recipient live up by the ideal. With the same principle, a supposedly good ideal will look bad if recipient use that ideal to do bad things (case in point, Danzo). Obito gave Kakashi “those who abandon one of their comrade are worse than trash” as a nice but naive 13 years old boy, then after he knows how the world truly rolls he lost his hope and became the bringer of chaos. Does that mean that ideal is not good anymore? If so, why Kakashi still used that ideal to face Obito in 4th War and even taught it to Boruto’s generation? (Anime only, Kakashi hasn’t appeared at all in Boruto manga and days by days I am not sure I want him to).

In the end, that ideal from Obito is what Kakashi believes by heart, gave him hope, helps him on his shinobi lives with his comrades, and became one of Naruto’s motivation as the Savior. That ideal from Jiraiya soothed Naruto while he was reeling by rage because of Jiraiya and Kakashi’s death along with the destruction of his home, also what helped him to save Sasuke and unite the fricking 5 different villages. With that results, how could we say that the ideals are not good just because they came from somewhat problematic individuals? Not to mention we are talking about the very harsh Naruto world that makes everyone are somewhat problematic in one way and another.

(I think even in our real world everyone are problematic at certain degree). 

Thirdly, Your points about Jiraiya... A+++. Like I inherently knew that he is Harmless (even though I know he is a Pervert... I've seen a fair share of harmful perverts in my life too)... But I don't know why I never felt hatred towards him... And your Answer made me realize... "Oh!!! So this is why I couldn't hate Jiraiya but love him none matter what???". And your last line, "Thank God, The Target was Jiraiya!!" was Chef's Kiss.

Thanks for the compliment! And happy that it help you to realize your feeling toward Jiraiya more. On my post, there’s a quote  “A Saint can appear like a Sinner when they stepped on an ant, and a Sinner can appear like a Saint when they put down their murder weapon”, but I think the world is not that black and white. When the Saint stepped on an ant, they’re a Sinner ONLY TO the ant and ONLY WHEN he stepped on the ant. Vice versa for the Sinner part. So I accept Jiraiya’s perviness as one of his flaws but it didn’t make me not appreciating the good sides Jiraiya has.

Fourthly, I want to re-iterate (Just in case you misunderstood me) that, I don't mind people hating/feeling uncomfortable with Jiraiya for Obvious reasons... They have very valid reason to. But what I don't like is.. People criticizing him for writing Smut but they themselves write R-Rated Headcanons, criticizing Fanfic writers as to why did they made XXX character to be Top/Bottom and claim themselves as Feminist... And preach other people that Jiraiya's ideals are non-sense because he is a Pervert. (Just say you hate Jiraiya and go!!!)

Don’t worry, I understand what you’ve meant. I just emphasize that everyone’s tolerance of sexual stuff are different so those who read my post are not obliged to like Jiraiya if his perviness is too uncomfortable for them.

And the hypocrisy, I also understand it completely. Once a comic strip appeared on my dash, comedy comic that went like this : 

Kakashi reads Icha-Icha in front of his students, Sakura protested to Kakashi that reading porn like that makes him look sexist because it objectifying women. Then Kakashi said, “I read it for the men”. The end.

I was like, wait, what? That’s it? Isn’t porn objectifying the men too, but because he “reads it for the men” doesn’t make him “sexist” anymore? Then because I just don’t understand, I read the comments and they’re like “ That’s okay, Kakashi is gay, of course he reads it for the men”. Suffice to say my confusion is deepened. So if Kakashi’s gay (in their interpretation), reading porn for the women is sexist but reading it for the men is not?? Then before I got confused even further, I gave up and just, you know what? Let’s stop thinking about it so serious, the artist just made that comic for fun but the joke clearly flew over my head so let’s just keep scrolling.

There are 2 kind of sex (not gender) so criteria of sexist should apply to both, in my opinion.

Top/Bottom yaoi fanfic are definitely sexualizing men and sometimes even feminize men. I think that’s the truly sexist act, to think that in a relationship there has to be the “woman” one and sometimes equals with the “under” one. People like that don’t deserve to call themselves “feminist” let alone criticizing men for their smut contents.

Fifthly, Kakashi's Anime only scene with Sakura might come off as downright sexist for some people... But I was glad that it was not in the Manga back when I read it for the first time (Man, Anime team shitted on so many characters). Even when I was watching the Anime, I felt like it was too OOC from Kakashi's side.. Like I knew that he isn't a person to pry on someone's private affairs. But People calling Kakashi as an Offender for reading Icha Icha is just REACHING.

Well, just seconds before I made that post, I think that it’s a canon material. I am not manga puritist, because I think anime seldom mischaracterize Kakashi too much, even downright biased toward him (Kakashi vs Obito fight scene is nothing but love confession from animator XD). So I generally saw manga as the prime material, but will accept non-manga material as part of Kakashi’s characterization. For that scene, I kinda equalize it with the time when Kakashi said that Naruto should eat more vegetable or he will die, like he genuinely cares for his students’ health but he’s a little socially inept and sometimes his way of caring can look weird or downright insensitive XD

But yeah reading smut is not a sex offence in any shape or form, but I guess I can’t blame people who think like that too much when the anime generously gave us this kind of scene,

Whereas when Naruto saw Kakashi with his dirty book after 2+ years not seeing each other, his response is happiness because Kakashi doesn’t change at all. Aaanndd then gave him new smut book.

Even Sakura (a girl) hardly bothered by it anymore.

He didn’t harm anyone and he can be as serious as you want with the 18+ book on his hand, leave him and his quirk alone.

Sixth and Finally, Your point about Itachi was the best one in that entire post. You could've tagged it under Itachi tags itself because I never felt like you were bashing him for no reason like Sasuke stans does. (Damn, Am I being so obvious that I like Itachi???) Sadly, like you said, that Genjutsu'ing that Girl thing was never brought up by anyone in this fandom and this is the first time I am also hearing it... AND I AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY. Well, he is my absolute favourite still... But I don't like to apologize for him since I'd like to take a Character just like how he was written by the Author. Not my own perfect version. I never criticized him for putting either Kakashi or Sasuke in a Tsukuyomi... Because at the end of the day they are Ninjas and they live to fight. Period. But what Itachi did to that Girl is just plain wrong, no matter what. Even though he did that to exploit Jiraiya's weakness (a thing every Ninjas do to knock out their Opponents) And this also gives me a point to defend Jiraiya in a right way.

Yeah I add Itachi tag after receiving your ask, little bit hesitant before because I don’t wanna offend anyone since I just wanna make a point for Jiraiya. Also yeah even if I haven’t read your top 10 favorite characters it’s clear that you love Itachi, so I was relieved to know that I didn’t offend you with that post. What Itachi did is indeed something a ninja usually did, a.k.a exploiting the opponent’s weakness, but using defenseless woman as a tool like that is, just like Jiraiya said, not a manly way of doing your things. I know that narratively they are portrayed as ruthless villain of the day as Naruto kidnappers but still on that scene, Itachi and Kisame deserve to have their manhood questioned.

Anyways, Thanks for the Response. I totally enjoyed every word of it because it was Thoughtful at the same time it was Very Hilarious too.

Thanks for your ask and response too!

[curioussubjects]

“Probably think you’re overcompensating:” Perception, Masculinity & Queer!Dean

So I’ve been wanting to write about my particular take on Dean, queerness, and masculinity because all the time I see takes, and I get into discussions, and I keep having to repeat myself. Not exactly an issue except peddling takes via hyperlink is much easier. This post is a bit of a journey, as anything I write tends to be, but the central thread here is fairly straightforward: emotional vulnerability. Most of my understanding of Dean circles around issues of emotional vulnerability and perception, which is not wholly unconnected to my reading of Cas and happiness -- that is, allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable, and accepting your worth is crucial to accurate perceptions of reality. 

In the beginning, we had John Winchester: after Mary died, John “was just a shell.” He became entirely closed off and focused on one thing, and one thing only: finding YED and killing monsters. John actively suppressed his grief over Mary by immersing himself in hunting, a new found mission meant to avenge and protect. The change in John is so marked that in our encounters with younger John lead to his own disgust at the parenting Dean describes, without knowing it’s himself he is censoring. Furthermore, in the Winchester motto being “saving people, hunting things, the family business,” we can see into what drove John in his mission: his guilt in not being able to save Mary, hunting as an outlet for that guilt, the imposition of that mission onto his sons. When Mary died, John’s entire philosophy and modeling of how to be Father and Husband (and Man, really) rested on his ability to be a sword and shield. A protector, unflappable, steady, focused. Someone who should always put the mission first, with little to no distractions. 

Dean, as eldest son and the natural second in command, inherited John’s mission and philosophy. While John was away, Dean was in charge of protecting the family (Sam), and was expected to that steady, unflappable protector. Someone who was in control of their vulnerability and never open to weakness. If John’s mission was to avenge Mary, Dean’s mission was to look out for Sam. Anything that caused Dean to deviate from that was a failure. It meant that Dean failed as A Father (and Husband mirror, not that he was a spouse proxy, but that John projected his own image onto Dean). Crucially, when we see Dean “fail” in the mission of looking out for Sam, they're due to Dean doing something for himself, or even doing something for Sam -- hence how he ended up at Sonny's for shoplifting. because apparently theft is wrong if it's not credit cards scams, thanks John. And in looking out for Sam, we find the first fault line in Dean being able to uphold John’s maxim of being invulnerable because to protecting Sam also meant, to Dean, to shield him from John’s abuse and expectations, it meant that Sam was nurtured, as best Dean could manage. Beyond protecting Sam, however, Dean would also inherit John’s mission should he die in the line of duty. And so Dean did. He was tasked to kill  the YED and even Sam if Sam became a threat. Anything that would make Dean deviate from that single minded mission was to be purged. Or shoved so far down that the mission would not be affected. 

In short, the baseline of duty Dean was operating on was: look out for Sam, look out for the Family, obey orders from the Father, carry out the Mission, avenge mom, kill monsters (noble and good, sure, but still immersed in the revenge mission). Whatever tool you use to carry on another day is acceptable, so long as it is ephemeral and utilitarian. If you need to drink, fuck, etc, in order to keep going so be it, but whatever you do must never impact the mission. College, relationships, picket fences, and dogs, are distractions. They are things that would necessarily take you from The Life. They can only ever be the rewards for completing the Mission. Paradise, if you will.  

Emotional vulnerability, then, that which allows the world to thing touch you that deeply is a distraction. You have to be a shell. You fight, but you also fight because the hunter life is not for others. All in the hopes that one day the mission will be done, and there’s an end of the tunnel with peace and a normal life, which is a lie. Not a lie because hunting is antithetical to happiness, but a lie because the mode of operation created and imposed by John makes it impossible for one to ever reach happiness. Happiness needs a way in. 

But what’s all this have to do with Dean being queer? Well, this has everything to do with how Dean experiences his queerness. A lot of the time I see people thinking of Dean as someone who suppresses, or, even worse, represses his sexuality when neither of those things are true (someone suppresses or represses their queerness doesn’t go around loving queer film, gushing over crushes, and making queer cultural references). Personally, I don’t think Dean represses as his go to coping mechanism (though he does repress, sometimes, like how John wasn’t a good father, actually). Dean is much more likely to suppress his feelings and his trauma: those are his to handle, and his to stow so he can Get the Job Done. But if Dean ever suppressed his bisexuality, which at some point he might have, I’d argue had much more to do unnecessary risks, than something like self-hatred.

Nevertheless, the issue when it comes to queerness, then, wouldn’t be Dean fucking men or being attracted to multiple genders. It wouldn’t wholly be an issue with masculinity either because the Masculine Values™ the Winchesters operate under a very specific to their situation, as I described above. It’s less about manly posturing, and more about being the perfect soldier (and, eventually, commanding officer). However, queerness brings with it queer & homophobia. As such, one’s sexuality could be leveraged as a weakness. It's something that can be exploited, if one allows it to hurt them. It’s also something that could draw attention to oneself, which is a bit dangerous for a hunter. So, for me, if John ever knew about Dean being bi (and with his neglect, he very well might not), his main problem would be with it being unnecessarily dangerous. Taking these issues into account, it makes sense to me that Dean would be uneasy with being perceived as queer because of it being a tactical disadvantage rather than him having an actual problem with being queer. So when we see posturing and overcompensation, when we see Dean lean particularly hard on the more overtly macho sides of his personality, it’s a mask. Incidentally, if Dean ever found himself in queer spaces he wouldn’t be so uneasy to the point of having to lean into the overcompensating mask -- which, of course, is influenced by cultural heteronormativity and all that mess. 

Ultimately, Dean wants to control how he is perceived because it gives him the upper hand. He had to learn to be a chameleon to survive, and he had to develop a thick skin because to show weakness is to fail the mission, and weakness means that you die, or, worse, the one you are meant to protect dies. It’s no wonder that Dean’s character development had little to do with him accepting his queerness (which canon, refreshingly, presents as just a fact of who he is, no fuss), but learning to be emotionally vulnerable. To let love and happiness in. To be who he is completely, without fear, without guilt, without shame, and without self-doubt. That letting himself be happy isn’t a sign of weakness or leading to failure, that it isn’t a gateway for hurt. And none of that, none of it, is about some internalized hatred of his own queerness. Finally, Dean’s freedom and lesson is that the true steadfastness is self-actualization, and really, to quote Cas:

I know. I know how you see yourself, Dean. You see yourself the same way our enemies see you. You're destructive, and you're angry, and you're broken. You're “daddy's blunt instrument.” And you think that hate and anger, that's... That's what drives you, that's who you are. It's not. And everyone who knows you see it. Everything you have ever done, the good and the bad, you have done for love. You raised your little brother for love. You fought for this whole world for love. That is who you are.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

The Thief and the Tinker, Part 2: Out-crafting the Craftsman

Part 1

Part 2

Aaravos: Oh, Viren, I'm terribly sorry, but here our ways must p-

Viren: Thanks for the lift into Xadia, O Great One, but I gotta go. Late for a date. *saunters off*

Aaravos: *furious sparkly elf noises* HOW DARE YOU BREAK UP WITH ME WHEN I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU

Out-crafting the Craftsman

Angst rating: 6/10

So, Viren has met the perfect craftsman, but the perfect craftsman doesn't want the job of crafting a fake Key. Viren needs the power locked away in that vault, though. What's a clever dark mage to do?

Research, of course.

Even if Viren and Ethari met alone in some distant town, Ethari could have been wearing enough clues - his horn cuffs, his necklace - for Viren to piece together the best way to motivate him. Moonshadow elves don't need to say anything out loud if you can read their silent messages, and Viren is good at research. He'd learn as much as he could about Moonshadow elves before meeting Ethari in the first place.

Turning the leader of the Moonshadow assassins into bait is no mean feat, but Viren was up for the task. All he needed was to be patient, and to keep his eyes open. Learning about Runaan would've told Viren that he had married best friends who had a daughter. He might just have asked around in some place like Hollow Wood, where humans were tolerated as long as they behaved and everyone could pretend they weren't there. With careful moves and the right opportunities, and maybe an enterprising ally or two, Viren could learn Runaan's markings, his legends, his exploits.

His weak spots.

Once he knows Runaan's reputation, he'll be able to deduce that destroying Laindrin's reputation would drive Runaan to act, if Viren could manage some heinous crime at the same time. But, how to commit a terrible sin and lure your real target's husband out of the Silvergrove without actually becoming said assassin's victim?

Sarai's last breath. Viren's pragmatism, coming in clutch.

But he doesn't have what he needs to finish the spell that would give them even a chance at killing Thunder, or he'd likely have finished it long ago, for some other purpose. Nine years is a long time to hold off vengeance if you could do it anytime you wanted. He needs a Unicorn's horn, and he doesn't have what it takes to get it.

But Claudia does. Is the fact that she could collect it while Viren couldn't really some kind of virginity thing, or is it more of an innocence thing? Because innocence makes more sense in the context of the TDP world. Claudia had maybe never killed anything before, so her soul was innocent in that way, and the Unicorn would approach her. And Viren patiently taught her how to kill it when it did.

On the other hand, there is the whole creepy purity ring thing and daddy-daughter dances and "save your purity for your father until you can give it to your husband" schtick, and if TDP took that unholy toxicity and added "...unless your dad weaponizes it at a Unicorn first" then who am I to complain, that's brilliant.

Don't worry. We'll get back to Claudia, too.

Now, Viren has what he needs to motivate Harrow to invade Xadia, and he works his emotions relentlessly until Harrow gives in to his hatred. Their two-man ride to the Spire gets Viren right there in the room with Lain and Tiadrin - his next big step. Overhead, Thunder is circling, working up a storm to hatch his son. Did Viren already know about the egg, about this day, or not? I'm guessing yes. Viren wouldn't leave it to chance to go up against one adult dragon instead of two. And destroying the egg keeps him safe. Him, Harrow, Katolis, and all his plans there. Taking Zym was never the goal, and everything that's happened with the egg, the mirror, and Aaravos in the first three seasons may be nothing more than Viren getting slightly sidetracked! Ahgod, that's hilarious, I love it.

Viren gets a very good look at Tiadrin when he captures her in ice, and he's ridiculously smug. Everything's going according to plan.

He's quick to decide to coin Lain and Tiadrin, too. That could have been a spur of the moment decision, because Viren is clever like that. But two things come to mind:

he could've killed them instead of using ice. He could've killed them after he trapped them in ice. He could even have waited another minute for Lain to suffocate to death. He did none of those, though. He trapped them whole, and he acted to save Lain's life when doing nothing would've earned him one less enemy.

casting the coin spell requires a black candle, and that's probably less likely to be among his supplies when he travels than all his various animal pieces - unless he brought one on purpose, because coining Laindrin was his secret plan in going to the Storm Spire all along.

Coins safely in his pouch, Viren fakes the egg's death and retreats to Katolis to await Runaan's vengeful arrival. How do you fake a dead egg anyway? Well, the ashy powder of destroyed Moonshadow bodies is probably indistinguishable from the ashy powder of a destroyed dragon egg. Viren just has to get the volume right and cart the rest away. Wonder what he did with it....

Anyhoo, now Viren has time to try to hatch the real egg in the oven in his dungeon, to no avail. He sends guards into the woods every month on the nights before a full moon, expecting one or more of them to fail to report in come morning, telling him that Moonshadow assassins are going to strike.

He acquired that two-headed soulfang on the way back from the Storm Spire. Did he get it from Nyx? Very possibly! But how convenient it is that he acquired a snake that could save Harrow's life in a way that specifically thwarts Moonshadow assassins, just a day or two after making a move that he knew would endanger it with Moonshadow assassins. Does that mean he made his move to capture Laindrin before it really sank in that his friend Harrow might actually die? Maybe. Between Harrow and power, Viren is hard pressed to choose a favorite. Or maybe he just placed an order with Nyx on the way past the Midnight Desert and picked up his delivery from her on the way back out of Xadia, giving her a few days to find his unusual request in the desert. But Claudia thought of the soul switching spell, not Viren. Right?

Maybe. That's what we saw. Viren seems likelier to have had the idea all along, and he knew Harrow would say no to it, so he didn't mention it. Viren doesn't mention everything to Harrow, and vice versa. He could have planned to bring it up at a critical point and try to emotionally wrestle Harrow into agreeing to it, like he did with killing Thunder. That tactic does seem to work. But when Claudia thought of it too, of course Viren had to say it was a good idea. He'd already had it himself. He took the idea to Harrow, perhaps before he'd found that critical moment, and tried to lean on their emotional bond as he always did. But Harrow wasn't in the right frame of mind, and it blew up in Viren's face.

Whatever happened in that moment, behind closed doors, Viren finally had to choose between friendship and power. From the novelization, it seems clear he chose power. And with friendship out of the way, Viren was more able to focus on his old long-term goal, and its very next step: make sure Runaan survives the battle that he's traveled all this way to fight.

The assassins came, right on schedule. And there was a battle, chaotic and bloody. And Runaan was the only elven survivor. Viren winning again. Claudia helped Viren spare Runaan by stopping Soren on the balcony, and I wonder just how much she knew about her dad's full plan. Wow, for the first time, I can see a way that Claudia's "more practical uses" doesn't actually mean "spell components."

Claudia stopping Soren by saying, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" is the worst pun I've made in a long time. I do apologize. Mostly to Runaan. Yes, I know, there's a hellcoin reserved just for me at this point. I accept my fate.

The mirror seemed like the point of Viren's interrogations in the dungeon, but it was probably just an opportunistic moment for Viren. He'd had a rough time, having to turn on Harrow, not getting crowned Lord Protector, and learning that the princes were still alive out there to ruin his plans. If people started looking at the events in the Storm Spire, learning why the egg suddenly returned home after apparently being destroyed, they might start questioning Laindrin's betrayal, and Runaan's mission, and that kind of talk would reach Ethari really quick. And then he wouldn't listen when Viren finally popped the question.

Viren needs Ethari as off-balance and vulnerable as possible. Not one shred of hope to distract him or give him the strength to refuse Viren's demand. Viren needs Ethari to stare at his pouch of coined Moonshadow elves as if it contains his entire world, to say yes without thinking, and to remain entirely motivated to do everything Viren tells him to, until Viren gets his hands on What's Behind That Magic Lock.

So: the princes have to die. Xadia cannot know the truth, or Viren may lose the ability to control Ethari before he can get to him. (Just... bless Rayla, so so much. She's already foiled Viren's plans once, and her visiting Ethari at least once before Viren can get to him has saved Ethari's sanity, and maybe his life and his soul and all of Xadia, too. That's my girl.)

All this is on Viren's mind as he tries to bandy words with Runaan. It's no wonder, really, that he just threw his hands in the air and gave up on the stubborn bastard. Runaan was always destined for a hellcoin anyway. Might as well just get to it. (Ouch, so sorry Runaan! You're Legit That Hot but you're just a tool in Viren's hands, huh. Don't worry, you're important to Ethari and to us though!)

Viren's got everyone Ethari loves now... except for Rayla. But let's think about this for a second. If Viren's done enough research to learn how Moonshadow assassin society works, he might have expected Rayla to go on the mission too. He might have planned to coin her alongside Runaan, to show her to Ethari too. And the only thing that saved her was her own soft heart, and then Runaan's soft heart. Rayla is the one who got away. Rayla is the Elf Who Lived. And she's about to make it Viren's problem. God, I love her. Gettim, girl.

Viren collects lots of spell components, just in case he ever needs them. Sure, Aaravos pointed out that he could use the assassins' cremains to scare the other kings and queens into war. But getting the crown somehow was already Viren's plan, because he needed the authority to march an army into Xadia - so he could safely find and threaten Ethari.

What better excuse for war than Vengeance For Harrow? Yes, Vengeance for Various Rulers works, too, okay. But Vengeance For Harrow was Plan A. Marching an army into Xadia, seeking the Silvergrove, striking down the horrible assassins who attacked Viren's best friend, who was just avenging his wife, wouldn't you do the same? Good Guy Viren. Protector of Humanity.

Yet here Viren is, falling to his death off the Storm Spire. Why is he so off course? Well, power is very tasty! And Aaravos Drinks and Knows Things. Viren's not really that off course. He's mining Aaravos for power tips and sources as much as Aaravos is mining Viren for uhhh physical matter to grow a body with?? and personal vengeance maybe??? worm food?????? i mean he did die so

Anyway. Viren isn't entirely the pawn he seems to be. And now that he's lost his staff and his hot elven sorcerer playmate, he's probably going to be even more focused on getting to Ethari, in whatever way is fastest and safest for him. He has less power than he's used to, and he won't feel very safe in Xadia. But there's one thing he's had with him all along, because it's got very good plot armor: his bag of Moonshadow coins. It survived Lux Aurea and a wardrobe change and a fall from the Storm Spire, because Viren made sure that it did.

So here's a guess for S4: Viren's going to head straight for Ethari, in the last place he knew him to be: the Silvergrove. And that's where things go very dark, and very smoky.

Part 3

[funknrolll]

Michael Jackson's They Don't Care About Us: The relevancy of the unmatched protest-masterpiece still actual today.

They Don't Care About Us, was perhaps the most monumental and relevant form of audiovisual protest, which force was specifically to draw the attention to social and political issues such as hate, racism, prejudice, police brutality. The form of art is cultivating an ideological allegiance with the greater social plight for minorities. With his art, Michael became the voice of the voiceless, of the oppressed, of the neglected, of the abused. Yes, Michael Jackson was THE voice.

Hi music lovers, today's topic is Michael Jackson's They Don't Care About Us the song and the music video.

It was from September 1994 to March 1995 that Michael recorded and released HIStory, his 5th studio album. The work was one of the artist's most personal artistic outputs, where music turned into a mirror reflecting Michael's deepest sorrows, fears, anger, and frustrations. It was then when Michael let his music speak louder, providing a perfect clap back to all those who questioned and speculated. The album was a double-disc of greatest hits, HIStory Begins, and new material HIStory Continues.

Speaking of They Don't Care About Us, it is the second track on HIStory Continues, following Scream and precedent to Stranger In Moscow. The song is a straightforward response to the ruthless and ubiquitous injustices perpetrated upon him and more in general upon black people by the racist forces of the white cultural hegemony. Extremely compelling is the aura of pure rage and frustration articulated in They Don't Care About Us, both in the record and in the two poignant and groundbreaking music videos (The Prison version and the clip shot in Brazil), released to accompany the track as a single.

Personally, when I began to approach Michael's music, I did not quite understand the real deep meaning and message the song was delivering. However, as I grew up, I developed interest and curiosity regarding the significance of this timeless masterpiece. Particularly the visual interpretation caught my attention. Hence, this article will entail the information I found through my research. The two videoclips released, were, and still are, wildly exhaustive pieces of art, expressly crafted to challenge our very seldom corrupt societies, people's beliefs and mindsets.

Moreover, in these short movies, the artist did not miss the chance to channel his frustrations and rage through his distinct blueprint that turned everything he did into pure gold. There is a broad range of aspects that compose the audiovisual endeavors that are worth discussing. These elements comprehend the lyrics, the human rights violation, racism, and social injustices; all these perspectives are the fulcrum of the whole work. The acute and fierce language contributed to making the artistic output more impactful.

It is now interesting to also analyze They Don't Care About Us from a Post-Colonialism theoretical standpoint. Firstly, for those not familiar with the Post-Colonialism theories, it is a study of all the effects colonialism had on cultures and societies, concerning both European countries, that brutally conquered other nations, and how the lands and populations won responded and most importantly resisted those invasions and trespasses. Furthermore, the study of Post-Colonialism as a body of theory has and is still going through three major stages. The initial one entails the first phase of awareness of the social, psychological, and cultural unjust condition of inequality and exploitation, enforced by being in a colonized state. Secondly, a struggle for ethnic, cultural, political, and economic autonomy begins. As a consequence, there will be a growing awareness of cultural overlap. Eventually, I would say that some of the post-Colonial elements are quite evident in the two music videos.

The song and the two music videos are eloquent protests against racism. Michael speaking in the first person gives a platform to all the voiceless minorities, offering an accurate and poignant depiction of their conditions of merciless oppression, that stripped minorities of their humanity, pride, and most importantly their rights. Related to the concept of racism, with a simple yet efficacious line, Michael addresses the still hugely relevant and actual issue of police abuse and brutality, which is the central theme of the Prison Version short movie. The artistic output was magistrally filmed by the genius Spike Lee, in a real prison in Queens, New York. The opening sequence shows black schoolchildren standing behind a wire fence in the snow, chanting the chorus of the song, providing a visual accompaniment to the introduction we hear on the record. As the beat kicks in, the scene displayed is quite impressive and provocative, because it employs a poignant and immaculate montage of explicit documentary footage.

The clips complementing the short film are retrieved from the footage of the Rodney King beating and subsequent LA riots and the brutal police beatings of African American people. We then witness the swell of an atomic mushroom cloud, followed swiftly by footage of a Japanese child sitting alone and crying amid a devastated Hiroshima. Alongside, we see a close-up image of an African boy face swarming with flies, then the assassination attempt on George Wallace. Subsequently, come on the screen, some pictures of the student rebellion on Tiananmen Square in China, and finally some footage from the Vietnam War. All these footages contribute to making the video so harsh to the point of getting the audience uncomfortable. In the scenes taken in the cell, Michael appears to be haunted by the ghosts of beaten people.

his film stands out for its immediacy and accuracy, yet these clips do not incite destruction nor hatred, but rather the opposite. Indeed, those footages are stressing compassion, a peaceful reaction to a hurtful and horrible situation, and political reunification. Thus, this is another reason why there is not even a trace of violence or sign incitement to hatred or aggressive reactions. Those were not merely television images, but real-life pictures of a horrid reality of human humiliation, abuse, and suffering that sadly surround us everywhere, that break into our everyday lives through television, social media and computer screens. In the video, the tension is palpable yet, the revolt is peaceful and not suppressed by the guards. However, Michael openly expresses his anger with demonstrative insolence. For instance, he sweeps tableware off, hits a guard's baton right in front of his face. Interestingly, the artist is the only prisoner who moves freely and around the dining room, demonstrating against the disregard for human rights and laws by authorities. During the whole short film, Michael tries to convince people to fight for their rights, raising the spirit of protest against oppression and humiliation.

However, in reality, prison riots never end with prisoners slamming fists against the tables or dancing on top of them and, Michael was very well aware of it. The last scene of the video shows the artist free and running up the stairs, glancing back, running away from the penitentiary in a Brazilian favela (might this be the red thread that connects the first short movie with the second video?) while his scream still lingers in the air … Leaving eventually an open question which is asked through ASL American Sign Language: "I don't know what lies ahead… Where will this spirit of struggle lead me, where will it further manifest?" This part honestly gave me chills!

The second version of They Don't Care About Us was shot in Brazil in February 1997, precisely some parts were filmed in the central district of Salvador de Bahia. The footage where Michael is wearing the iconic Olodum t-shirt and dances with Brazilian people was taken in a favela in Rio. However, for the artist, it was quite a struggle to manage to shoot the short movie in Brazil because the local authorities intended to prohibit the filming, expressing their dislike for the project, given that it would have shown the country in an unfavorable light. Yet other authorities approved the project because it would have been an influential means to draw the world's attention to the condition of poverty. Thus, the region might have benefitted from having such a big platform offered by one of the most prominent artists on earth. However, after the Brazilian government allowed to film the video for 20 days, it changed its mind abruptly and reduced, vastly, the filming period to 5 days only. The Brazilian version opens with a girl speaking in Portuguese saying: “Michael, eles nao ligam pra gente.” which means “they don’t care about us.”, then showing the whole favela with an aerial shot. Eventually, Michael gets out of a door and starts performing.

Although this version is still impactful and manages to deliver the message impeccably, I would say that it presents some fundamental differences from the so-called prison version. Indeed, even though some policemen who look stern and indifferent are part of the short movie, in the Brazilian clip, the atmosphere is quite different from the previous one. As a matter of fact, the festive whirlwind of colors, rhythms, and dances are what reminds the audience of the social meaning of the song.

Furthermore, the vivacious and colorful performance is backed by members of the local cultural and musical group: Olodum. The organization was and still is of particular importance as one of its primary purposes was to combat racism and help cultivate a sense of self-pride and affirmed identity among the Afro-Brazilian community in the region. The organization as well provides a springboard for the promotion of civil rights on behalf of all marginalized groups. Hence, it was not a mystery the reason why Michael was aligned with Olodum, to the point that he supported the organization by wearing their merchandise in his short movie. The display of solidarity was reciprocated, through the act of the collective performance of the group’s musicians who contributed with an additional layer of live percussions and vocals, over Michael’s original studio recording.

Moreover, the language as well plays a fundamental role in this creative output. Indeed, the lyrics and the whole message delivered with this piece were not exuding revenge or aggressiveness, which were typically used to fuel accusations and rage. Au contraire, the song is the manifestation of the indignation and the energy of resistance, empowering self-control and fortitude against repressions. Hence, I would say that the song does not contain a single trace of aggressiveness, and its content and energy stay perfectly within boundaries. The language and expressions employed to address the issues are particularly relevant to explain the horrid effects colonialism and post-colonialism have had on the populations affected and thus to protest against the neglect of fundamental human rights.

Furthermore, it is interesting to point out that the element of the language expresses the manifestation of spiritual endurance and disobedience against the oppressors and lying accusers immaculately and, therefore, the dualism between the artist singing in the first person and the "Us" contained in the title and refrain of the song. Although TDCAU is addressing some social and political injustices, it may as well be true that Michael has attempted to convey his frustrations and anger in this piece, turning them into a timeless audiovisual work of art. Arguably, this could as well be the reason why the artist decided to release two variants of the short movie, the prison video featuring a crude and powerful documentary and the flamboyant, colorful Brazilian clip.

Furthermore, another element related to the Post-Colonialism discourse is how the artist and more in general black people and minorities are very seldom victims of unjust and appalling stereotypes that are addressed in the line “Don’t You Black Or White Me". This brief but straightforward segment of the song could be subjected to double interpretation. On the one hand, there is Michael Jackson, a man, a human being, a son, a brother, a father, a friend, who from the day he was born was put under the magnifying lenses of the whole world, his audience and tabloids. Most of the times he was judged, wrongly, bullied I would say, to the point that he could not even enjoy his life anymore without the anxiety of being abused, ridiculed and humiliated by people who did not take a second of their lives to do their research on his works, life, and what he stood for. Therefore, this line, specifically, is how the artist expressed his frustration towards those utterly racist reactions towards him. On the other hand, Michael decided to extend this statement to a broader scale, becoming the brave advocate who gave voice to all the voiceless people who were victims of racism, prejudice, ignorance in all their nuances and degrees.

Moreover, as Michael responded to the critiques received for the straightforward and sharp lyrics during a press release for the New York Times in 1996 " The song, in fact, is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted." He was the voice of the angry and outraged voiceless.

To conclude, They Don’t Care About Us with its first-person narration, the refrain, and the two iconic music videos, the socially and politically challenging lyrics and message, relates to the problems minorities face every day. They don’t really care about us means they, the society, privileged white people, the governments, do not care about the minorities, about the voiceless who have been abused, oppressed, robbed of their rights. They don’t really care about the people. The challenging lyrics and footages in the prison version offer us a chance to reflect on the importance of these topics. Not to mention the actuality of the song, which is remarkably accurate and relatable to the modern world and times we are living in. This artistic output is the greatest, most compelling and influential statement against every injustice perpetrated against all human mankind, and will forever be part of Michael's and the world's legacy. Therefore, the questions my reflection generated are: is this the world we want to live in? Are these the world and the society we want our children to grow up into? Is this the world without prejudice, ignorance, abuse, oppression, no equality, and equity we want for ourselves? And for the white folks like me: are we using our privilege wisely, to uplift, amplify the voices, the needs and wants of our brothers and sisters who are part of minorities and are facing some serious major struggles and discomforts? As Michael asked at the end of the short movie: “ I don’t know what lies ahead… Where will this spirit of struggle further manifest?”

Reflect deeply.

Thank you for your attention💜 Peace. G✨

[entania]

Alternate DRV3 Ending: Mastermind!Shuichi and Naegi’s Son

I’m coming out of retirement for a DRV3 ramble. Replayed the game in quarantine and I have to share this idea: 

I thought the Monokubs were alluding to the idea that the game’s SHSLs were the children/relatives of the 78th class survivors and the 77th class. I mean, if Monokuma can now have kids, wouldn’t it make sense that the OGs would too?

The ending to V3 also sucked. I get the point of it, but oh it sucked. It needed a twist that no one would’ve seen coming that didn’t make us feel bad for being fans of the game. With this all said, IMO here’s how it should have ended: 

Everything Chapters 1-5 goes as normal. In Chapter 6, Tsumugi reveals herself as the mastermind. However, soon after she takes credit for running the whole killing game she is killed by the real mastermind Shuichi Saihara. Yes, our protagonist Shuichi Saihara. 

How could he be the mastermind you ask? Well, we the fans have only seen the side of him that he’s wanted us to see. The whole game he has played the part of the good detective that is out for the truth to protect everyone. In truth, he has helped the remaining survivors to get to this moment, to reveal that the person they’ve trusted the most with their lives, the person who has helped them trial after trial, has actually orchestrated everything with the goal of making them feel the most despair possible when they find out their devoted friend is the one behind it all. He’s the one who killed Rantaro and pinned the blame on Kaede, his so called close friend. He’s manipulated everyone into thinking he was trustworthy, especially Kaede, Kaito and Kokichi who all died having notable degrees of trust in him to do the right thing. 

Why would Shuichi become the mastermind? Simply, he isn’t who we believed he was. The biggest reveal of all is that he’s actually Shuichi Naegi, Naegi and Kirigiri’s son. 

Him being their son alone should make him a remnant of hope. After all, Naegi is the SHSL Hope cinnamon roll and Kirigiri is a driving force behind hope through all that she did as the SHSL Detective in THH and in her work for the Future Foundation. Shuichi, however, unfortunately grew up with an inferiority complex due to his famous parents. He desperately tried to be like them and succeed as a successful detective like his mother, however it pained him that he could never be as good as her no matter how hard he tried due to his tendency to doubt himself. His lack of perfection in his detective skills due to his self doubt costs him the chance to be scouted by Hope’s Peak, a severe blow to his pride. He begged his father to use his role as headmaster to admit him, and while it pained Naegi to do so, he told his son that he could not show any nepotism and overturn Hope’s Peak’s system for him. Naegi tried to tell him that there is no shame in going to a normal school and focusing on his detective skills among others there and Kirigiri agreed with his reasoning. Shuichi felt betrayed by both his parents and developed a hatred of being their son that doesn’t measure up, and that hatred leads him to despair. He meets Tsumugi (likely during one of his visits to Hope’s Peak to see his father) and they develop a toxic friendship. Tsumugi poked at Shuichi’s feelings and learned of his backstory and exploited it by helping him learn more about his parents’ backstories and Junko and Izuru’s actions in a Despair induced light. Shuichi became inspired by the Despair movement and he especially related to Hinata’s desire to have a talent and wanting to measure up to the Hope’s Peak students by any means necessary. He shared his feelings with Tsumugi who convinces him to help her develop the killing game against the best and brightest students Hope’s Peak had to offer. Shuichi fed into Tsumugi’s plotting and reasoning and became unhinged as he realized that the killing game will be the way to get revenge against life that dealt him the hand of being Naegi and Kirigiri’s son, and make his parents and the world feel the same feeling of hopelessness he’s felt all his life. 

Ultimately Shuichi had an ace up his sleeve and plotted Tsumugi’s murder at the end of the game without her realizing it so that he could emerge as the SHSL Mastermind. He reveals to his surviving classmates that he has broadcasted the killing game to the whole world from the spaceship that they are on. His parents are able to send transmissions to the ship and they beg Shuichi to stop and remember who he is. Whether Shuichi listens to them and is able to be redeemed through hope, or elects to execute himself and make his parents feel the worst despair they’ve ever felt is up to the choices of the fans.