#and honestly I don't think it has anything to do with like... the skill level or anything

[dirkxcaliborn]

wdym it takes effort to fix things. Can't they just not be bad

[returnofeternity]

hi! i just watched yellowjackets eps 9 and it kinda gave me an idea. how about reader who's known to be a chill and level-headed person by the team suddenly snapped bc r has had enough with shauna's "dictatorship". maybe before the crash r was part of a martial arts team in high school but nobody on the team knows, so when r uses her martial arts skills to pin shauna down and holds a knife to her throat while threatening her, everyone is like "😲". ever since that, maybe no one on the team dares to mess with her (even shauna). also, maybe r and natalie are together and r sort of becomes her guard dog especially since nat becomes the antler queen. i hope it's not too much 😭

this but especially after what she got done to her in the finale....if you know you know 🤭

· · 𖦹 · ·

honestly, you never really put your fighting skills to use out here. it's a shame, because a part of you wished you could show them off, but you never had the opportunity to do anything with them. not even during the first hunt.

when spring came, and you all came up with the idea of capture the bone, though... they came in use a little bit. you were avoided as much as possible during the games because of how often you'd body slam someone, but it was sort of expected because tbh, it riled everyone up! of course you were excited and having fun. no one thought you were a fucking martial artist. even shauna could pin someone down easily.

and there's also the fact that you really just don't wanna get involved. you were level-headed even during heated moments, opting to stay in the back and watch everything unfold. with shauna, it was the tamest it could ever be at first. she was just annoying. doing things to rile people up on purpose. so why should you waste your time on that? you'd just roll your eyes and go back to talking to nat about the punishments she could give her because of her new leadership.

even when shauna was being an ass to nat you'd stay calm. you'd give her a mean look—a warning—but she never thought you were a threat. in fact, she'd just scoff and roll her eyes at you when you pulled nat away, "like a fuckin' dog." she had said.

you even asked nat if she wanted you to do something about shauna, telling her that you could sneak up on her in the night and scare her. she'd always just laugh and shake her head, pulling you back into her arms and sighing, "just leave it."

it was after nat had mercy killed ben, and after you had enough of shauna's bullshit, that you finally snapped. seeing nat get pushed and yelled at by the others, knowing she hates getting yelled at, and seeing shauna's smug little face..... god. you just saw red. you stomped over to where she had dropped the knife she used on ben, no one even paying a sliver of attention to you as shauna slanders nat.

no one even notices you rushing toward shauna until she's pinned to the ground, the bloody knife held to her throat. even lottie, who was just about to intervene, steps back.

"why can't you ever just shut the fuck up?!" you yell at her.

you see a quick flash of surprise in her eyes before it gets replaced with rage, and she manages to wiggle you off and push you back. but you're fast, faster than she thought, and as she tries to get up, you elbow her chest and smoothly pin her down again. you feel a smirk appear on your lips as you hear some of the other girls whisper and gasp.

all she can do is huff and writhe in your strong grip, her nails digging into your wrist to try and hurt you. "get the fuck off!" shauna shouts, annoyed and trying to kick you off. you let her squirm around a bit more, thinking she's making a fool of herself, before holding the knife to her throat again, this time, actually cutting her a bit.

she stares up at you, eyes daring you to do it. she gives you a smirk that almost makes you take her up on that dare. shauna slumps back against the dirt, giving up control. "you won't. you're not that interesting."

maybe she's right, but maybe all you can think about is how nat would feel if you went through with it that causes you to slam the knife down in the dirt instead of in her head. you still manage to stick the knife between her hair and the dirt, making her wince as she tries to move her head. you push harshly against her chest as you get up, looking around at the other girls as if daring them to say anything, before looking back down at shauna.

"if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth closed."

she gives you a look that says "respect. but also, fuck you." as you leave.

she's a bit nicer to nat when helping her butcher ben, that's for sure.

· · 𖦹 · ·

no one dares to even look at you that night. it's just dipped heads and quiet "thank you's" as you pass around the meat to everyone along with nat. hell, even when lottie butchers that poor guy, they think about how you probably could've done worse 😭

⚠️ also finale spoilers below here!!!!!!! ⚠️

that opening scene makes me think of how often the 'raids' probably happened :( they're still fucking terrified of you, and make sure to avoid you when dragging out nat, blaming shauna for it because she just wanted to check the hut again, as if it would redirect your anger back to shauna lmfao. being able to hide whatever you need in your shit, or even on you, because they wouldn't dare check you. even shauna, who has checked you a couple of times, just barely pats you down now.

and defending nat when shauna calls out her name after she says she's not doing the hunt. gawd. staring shauna down as you walk by nat's side, whatever dumb shit she was about to say disappearing from her mouth as you step closer to her. she staressss you down when she asks if there's any more objections, and there's definitely tension between you two. so much fucking tension. a fucked up (freak'd up) part of her wants you to try to kill her again probably.

AND OH MY GOD THE FINAL SCENE 😭😭😭 being in on the plan of switching out hannah. not being able to go up there with her but kissing her goodbye, wishing her well, and telling her you love her before going back to camp with "nat." just fucking smirking so hard when shauna asks you where natalie is after finding out she's been duped. honestly, this is where shauna probably tries to fight you and this is where you get to show your skills for real. telling her that natalie's calling for help as you kick her side and knock away her punches, and all you can do is laugh.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I think it's interesting that the shows problem of "marinette can and will do everything herself unless we decide to f her over" is clear pretty early, but esp in Reflekdoll back in s3... hell it worsened the problem of "cn is kind of a useless teammate" by making him start the ep interfering w lb and spending the rest of it actively struggling.

From what I understand when most shows do some form of "role swap" where the characters were previously dissing each other's roles, both characters in the swap are shown to struggle.

Reflekdoll, on rewatch, doesn't do that. Except I can't really think of a clear way to make Marinette struggle with the role of CN unless it's in her struggling to step back and let others do the work, which she can't do in the context of that episode since she spends all of it making sure Adrien doesn't F Up.

So if we redid reflekdoll to be a swap with a struggle on both sides, how could it be done?

Trope Overview

The power-swap trope is all about learning to appreciate someone else's point of view. That can include the struggles they face, but that's not a requirement. One of the best power swap episodes out there is the Teen Titans episode Switched in which the characters Starfire and Raven switch bodies. This is a problem because Starfire's powers are all about feeling and embracing emotions while Raven's powers are all about controlling and repressing emotions as you can see from this clip that takes place right after the switch:

There is no failed fight to kick this episode off. The girls already fought well together. They don't need to understand each other's powers to be functional teammates. Understanding each other's powers just lets them be better friends and lets the audience get a deeper understanding of the two characters which is exactly what this trope is supposed to do.

Miraculous

Unlike Teen Titans, Miraculous failed the role-switch trope assignment. Adrien kind of learns a lesson in Reflekdoll, but it doesn't change his behavior in other episodes so it's hard to say that this moment of awareness did anything useful for his character. There's also the problem that Marinette learns nothing as we can see here:

Mister Bug: (looks around, trying to figure out how to use his Lucky Charm) Okay, I admit it. It's not easy being a super Ladybug. Lady Noire: (keeping Reflekdoll occupied) And I admit that I like wearing your costume. It's a lot lighter on the shoulders. (They hide behind a chimney)

And here:

Mister Bug: Honestly, I understand why you never have any time to make jokes, m'lady. Lady Noire: We both have our roles, huh Bugaboy? (They jump into separate alleyways.)

This highlights the exact issue anon brought up in their ask: if Adrien continues to joke around and be dismissive of how rough Ladybug has it, then what was the point of all this? if Marinette has nothing to learn, then does Chat Noir even matter? And is there a way to fix this episode to remove those issues?

To be frank, a true fix requires massive rewrites to the entire show because this episode is highlighting an actual issue with the writing. Chat Noir has not been given a clear or important role and he often doesn't take fights seriously enough as we once again see just five episodes later in Oblivio when Chat Noir's flirting and laidback attitude get them hit by the day's akuma:

Nadja:(from a helicopter) Looks like Ladybug and Cat Noir are struggling today. (Ladybug is rapidly spinning her yo-yo to deflect Oblivio's blasts while Cat Noir sits down casually.) Ladybug: And stop calling us a couple!

This means that there's not great option for what Ladybug needs to learn from Chat Noir. The best small change I can come up with is to have her struggle to fight Reflekdoll solo, helping her apricate her partner's fighting and distraction skills. That's no where near the level of lesson Adrien is learning since Ladybug already apricates those skills, but at least it's something.

You could also go the route of having her learn to have more fun, but that's not a great lesson for a superhero charged with defending the city. The fun lesson that would have actual depth is a body switch one where Marinette learns Chat Noir's identity and sees Adrien's life first hand, helping her understand why Chat Noir is so big on having fun. It wouldn't make his actions okay, but it could lead Marinette to better understand his needs so they take time to have fun out of battle. He becomes more serious in fights and she becomes more fun out of them. But then we have identity reveals and canon won't allow that so, while this is the best fix for canon as-is, it's not really one that canon could actually do.

While were on the topic, I'll note that there actually is a fix-it fic for Reflekdoll over on AO3 that you might enjoy. It stays pretty true to the episode, but does a better job of actually letting Adrien learn his lesson while also letting Marinette acknowledge her faults in the episode because she wasn't exactly perfect here. I don't think it solves the issues we were talking about above, but I do think this is probably the best canon could have done without major rewrites and/or an identity reveal.

In an ideal world where the show is fully rebooted and our leads both feel like vital parts of the team, this episode probably would have been something similar to the Teen Titans episode I discussed above. Ladybug and Chat Noir already canonically respect each other's skills, so it's hard to see the need for a lesson around that topic. It would be far more interesting to have an episode on Creation vs Destruction where we learn why Adrien is the best black cat and why Marinette is the best ladybug. An episode where Adrien can't figure out the lucky charm and where Marinette can't control cataclysms because it requires skills that she doesn't have like strong self control and focus. (No, Adrien doesn't really have those in canon, but they are the traits that should define a Destruction wielder. I will die on that hill.)

This new version of the episode wouldn't be about resolving a conflict so much as it would be about helping these two - and the audience - appreciate how they're the only ones who can do what they do.

[shewolfofvilnius]

so i finally made it to the tiefling party in my Tavaria playthrough now that I know Patch 8 didn't brick my save

And honestly Cal's line made me weepy. Rolan and Lia have been fighting since Elturel was dragged into Avernus months ago. Nonstop, at times to the point that Rolan nearly left or Lia nearly told him off for good.

Cal's been the glue holding the three siblings together for months.

Even though he plays it off as a joke, he means it when he says Rolan and Lia aren't getting along, and remember the very first thing we see between the siblings is Lia fighting with Rolan and pleading with him to stay and help protect the Grove. ("What good are blades and spells if you don't bloody use them!?")

But the player did it. Killed the goblins. They're free, they get to go to Baldur's Gate. Someone in this whole terrible nasty universe, be they an old friend (Tavaria) or a complete stranger (most other chars) - someone stuck their neck out for them for the first time in a LONG time.

And Rolan is so fucking happy to get to do the fireworks show for Cal and Lia. The man is positively beaming.

Of course, it's Act 1 Rolan so his speeches before and after are still full of the usual Rolan pretense and bombast. Even when he finally blows the player off (unless u have mods and smooch him), it's because he expects Cal and Lia will want another fireworks show and he's legit thrilled to oblige.

And then there's Lia. Lia is the most underrated NPC in the GAME.

She's the one who first clues you in to the plight of the refugees after Aradin and Zevlor's fight. She's the one who is begging Rolan to stay so they can help. Because they can help. She's the one who, even in the face of a clearly disintegrating relationship with her older brother is BEGGING him to remember his better nature and HELP.

And Lia's been through nightmare after nightmare after nightmare. She's not a prodigy-level wizarding talent like Rolan. She's not the kind of skilled diplomat that could get a Githyanki and a Bugbear to be friends like Cal is (Cal's mediated Lia and Rolan for MONTHS even through Avernus. He can handle anything). She's just a simple ordinary woman from Elturel who still believes in kindness and trying to help people when all hope is lost.

And still believes in the inner good in people. Like Rolan. And like you.

A line that hits WAY harder if you're The Dark Urge. If you've killed a bard. If you already know the Origin's history and truly grasp what a monster you are. If you've heard the constant dialogues and voice blurbs. All you know is carnage. But then here's Lia - the person who has been to hell and back THEN forced out of her home for nothing else than being a tiefling, trying to help everyone she can while keeping one brother's naivete and the other brother's pride/arrogance BOTH in check.

I'm obsessed with this entire family (aided in part by my Durge romancing Rolan and being Lia's childhood BFF). I truly think they're the heart and soul of this game, and I fully, 1000%, consider "Get the Elturian refugees to Baldur's Gate" to be the true plot of this game.

Yes, you're out to save the world, and stop the Absolute cult, and that's important. But so are the individual lives. They matter. People who just want a better life for themselves and you can help them get there.

And sometimes when you're facing down multiple world-ending life-ruining calamities, all you can do is stick together, care for one another, occasionally know when to take the piss out of one another, and just get loved, idiots.

and yes, sometimes it's just fun to smooch the grumpy wizard.

[dangermousie]

The Glory (2025) - final verdict

For those who don't want to read the whole thing, short version: has its issues but overall would recommend.

Now, you may go "but Mousie, you ranted so much recently, really? What changed?" Two things - (1) I adjusted genre expectations and (2) after the nadir of eps 20-25, I found 26-end quite solid and much more to my liking (they moved on from random side characters and back to core relationships; it also helped enormously that FL again started caring for someone(s) who are alive - concubine, stepkid, husband etc.) The drama never returned to true obsession levels of first half for me but it finished well.

Anyway, moving on...

Visually, this drama remained GORGEOUS throughout. I can forgive a lot to a drama this beautifully shot; the look is even more impressive when you know it didn't have a large budget.

The acting was also solid - Chen Duling slowly but steadily went from "oh her ugh" to "oh her yay" for me with every drama and this is no exception. I don't think I'd want to be friends with Hanyan and I don't necessarily like her as a person, but she was wonderfully acted (in addition to being solidly written about which more below.) It was very much her show and the rest, ML included, were basically supporting characters and she carried it off.

The plot was...not great. This writer wanted to get from point A to point B without caring much about the route (Royal Consort's basically offscreen-plotted downfall that took five minutes total is a particular lowlight but the dad's apparently incredible powers - how is he not the prime minister with those skills - were also not great.) But not every drama can be Joy of Life or The Advisors Alliance and compared to something like e.g., Si Jin or Brocade other recent grrlpower dramas, the plot of this one was quite good.

The villain was a weakness because it's boring to have a true sociopath with no complexity or weakness or anything. I suspect the writer just saw him as a stand-in for the patriarchy all these women needed to defeat (the heavy-handed message of this drama was very) but still - a little complexity would help. I do think the men overall were an afterthought in this - the women were all well thought through and whether you liked them or not, logical results of their relationships and circumstances, the men (even the ML) not so much. They were all the equivalent of busty girls in a shounen anime. I do think this is a failure of writing - you can have one-gender focused stories that still make the other appear real people (Joy of Life female characters and Legend of Zhen Huan male characters all feel like real people) but it's honestly not a cardinal sin here since the focus WERE the women and they were written well so I didn't feel the lack most of the time (if only supportings are written meh, it's forgivable.) But the female characters were all intriguing and the story took many of them places I did not expect (the concubine and her daughter? OMG about both of them.)

I ended up buying the ship because they do fit together (and would one really inflict either of these violent schemers on a "normal" person?) but if you want a romance-centric drama, this is obviously not for you. Interestingly, while I ended up liking them and shipping them, I was not rabid the way I thought I'd be and the lack of focus is not really the reason - I was RABID about Kill My Sins protags as a couple and they never even said I Love You let alone kiss or anything. But that's probably because in addition to just preferring LSS x Shawn as actors (they are both huge faves of mine), that drama was a true dual protagonist story - they both were mains in their own lives and narratives which occasionally intersected and were allowed great and equal complexity and life outside the narrative which made me more invested. FYX was hot and psycho and angsty which I love in a fictional man, but he never felt truly fleshed out outside the narrative and interactions/meaning to Hanyan.

I loved loved loved how uncompromisingly bleak this world was and how the characters all stepped in the muck and stayed there (for once, people with trauma did not miraculously come across as saintly and chirpy) and how there were second chances for characters who'd normally not get them (the concubine and her daughter) and how both FL and ML (and concubine etc) did things that I morally disapproved of or that (more shockingly) censors should disapprove of yet it made sense in character and, totally unexpectedly, they were not punished with death by the narrative because people are complex and outcomes are complex and and and.

I also loved that Fu Yunxi was married before and banged his first wife and seems to have liked her. Thank you!!!! (Seeing some peeps on mdl/twitter trying to bend themselves into pretzels to preserve a period adult man's virginity for FL was...well.) I loved that he was a random war orphan, no secret noble identity. I loved that lesbian pirate got to live and hopefully will come back to FL someday. I loved that the happiness at the end was "for now" but sufficient.

Anyway, this is going on and on and on so I am gonna stop on saying I adored that this was a dark story that has been so sadly absent from recent sunshine cdramas and that it had real danger and stakes. It became a surprise hit and I really do think it shows there is hunger for these types of stories; hopefully producers will take note. And I love that the protags were allowed to do all that and yet get a happy ending. That is so so so rare and so so so appreciated.

[empressofthewind]

It says in Volume 13 that Near's ability to complete a blank puzzle is a sign of his intelligence, but honestly I kind of disagree??? Which is not to say that he isn't brilliant, but rather that I don't think that's the main thing the puzzle tells us about him. When he's first shown putting it together, he has a few pieces already selected that he knows will go in the centre. Then he tips it out in Roger's office, and within minutes, it's completed again. This tells me that it's a puzzle he's done over and over, so he knows how the pattern goes and he can finish it from memory alone. The fact that he's able to do this is definitely impressive, but to me, this is more telling of a few things:

A) He likes having something to do with his hands, which is pretty obvious given that he's always seen fidgeting with something.

B) He likes repetitive tasks, which is supported by the hair twirling and the stacking of identical objects.

C) He seems to like activities with that take up a lot of space or have many components for him to play with. In the case of the puzzle, this is shown by him scattering the pieces around him, including behind him. This is also clear in the case of his giant Lego sets or massive L-shaped card towers in the oneshot that fill up the entire room.

D) He likes activities with small or moving parts - which again, is exemplified by the small and numerous pieces of the puzzle, but also with the marble roller coaster, the toy train, and the finger puppets with all their various miniature accessories. He also tends to enjoy taking things apart and rebuilding them, which is seen when he tips out the puzzle, and when he destroys his various towers and Lego structures.

Based on the kinds of activities he does later in the series as well, I don't think he chooses hobbies that are mentally stimulating or writes off hobbies that aren't in line with his skill level. If anything, he tends to pick things that are quite simplistic, like rubber ducks or model trains, that he can use in a range of creative ways or scatter across a large surface area, and will keep his hands occupied while his mental energy is focused elsewhere. Even in the case of the puzzle, a lot of the pieces look like the exact same shape, and if that's true, this would mean each piece can fit in multiple places; so it could actually be a lot simpler to put together than it looks. But regardless, I don't think the mental stimulation is the main purpose of the activity for him. The only activity he seems to find challenging is throwing darts, which he never manages to do successfully.

[gold-pavilion]

Belonging and humanity (some more Ivan thoughts)

There's a big difference between knowing for a fact that you're a human being and getting to FEEL part of humankind. That's a thing that I feel Ivan sorely lacked. Some of his issues can definitely be traced back to it.

There's three things we know for certain about Ivan's early childhood nowadays, so let me start from those:

There were other humans around him in the slums, at least other children (for now it doesn't seem there were adults around, or none who would approach or care for the children).

However, we also know Ivan did not learn social behavior properly; for example, how or when to smile.

Going by the lonely tone of the song Nowhere and its emphasis on having no one, plus the previous point, we can infer there was no meaningful social contact with any people he knew/saw.

Ivan has been described as someone who is always learning to survive and his time in the slums must've been the same, after all; it's most likely that the other kids were competition to him (for food or other resources), threats or simply strangers with whom connections were never made.

That's to say, there were humans around Ivan but no "human community".

And that's the thing: take someone who went through a critical developmental stage with no one to care for or be cared by, learn social behavior with or practice the emotional exercises of understanding and empathy - ask that someone what "being a part of humankind" feels like, and what can he even make of it? It must not mean much more than categorizing a species, no feeling involved. And anyway, what difference does it make if there's anything else to say or not?

It's not like those are easy questions. None of the ALNST cast, with all their limitations, would be able to respond comprehensively.

But it changes things, the differences are there.

There are things that Till knows, from having a mother, learning from her and being enriched emotionally by their interaction, that I don't think he could describe but certainly has within him. Or Hyuna, who had a brother to feel that family bond and sense of community with, learning all sorts of positive social skills and having a heart full of room for empathy as she always looked out for the little Other Person next to her.

Beyond knowing their species, they know what it MEANS to be the rare and amazing human creature from these experiences of connecting, teaching, being taught, holding things in common, giving and receiving love. On an instinctual level they accessed what it feels like to be "part of humankind", which is so cool about them!!

Then you have cases like Mizi being too trusting of aliens because she was raised to feel community with one, Sua being mostly withdrawn because she didn't have a lot of warmth and community around her, Luka who was deprived of everything and then clung too hard to his first proper bond...

And Ivan, with his empty circumstances. There are a million things Ivan didn't learn and doesn't KNOW he lacked.

Of course that with his background he'd end up 1: being defensive by nature, having selfish tendencies, trouble processing emotion and socially weird habits and 2: feeling like a twisted being because of it, which is such a core aspect of his character. A human with less humanity but no idea why or how.

He adapted himself a lot once adopted, of course, and caught up an even bigger lot in his time in Anakt Garden. But I don't think he ever understood why he was "more twisted than others" and honestly, his intelligence and observance doesn't do him any favors on that front; on the contrary, I think it made him more aware of the gaps between him and other people.

And I really have to wonder if his experiences around the segyein are all that different, emotionally speaking.

I mean, of course objectively they have to be, but… his adopted life was a matter of observing his new environment, feeling like an absolute stranger because he's another species, but learning and adapting as quickly as possible in order to make himself a desirable pet that would be kept around. His experience being sent to Anakt and put in a human group was, again, feeling like a stranger because he's different to others of his own species, but learning and adapting as quickly as possible, eventually making himself an "acceptable", charming, absolutely cagey but near-perfect man. He succeeded both times.

He never did get rid of that awareness of being "twisted", though. After all, he also didn't unlearn all his survival patterns or fix the weak spots in his emotional development. As much as he progressed, the sense of not quite belonging and the faint relationship with his own humanity stayed. (With one big exception, but I'll leave that thought for the end of this ramble.)

In a way, I feel like this is exactly what made him so successful in segyein society as far as he lived. So adaptable that beyond being a good pet, he could also be trusted with and hold down an actual job, decent (faked or not, still good) relationships with segyein and, if he had any chance of survival, probably the capacity to live in their society with moderate perks.

Being an adaptable stranger who belonged nowhere in the first place… I think it's what made him more willing, more capable and more okay with mixing with the segyein like that, paired with his intelligence to pull it off.

No human pride to sacrifice. Not much humanity in the first place.

Except for the one noteworthy exception that shifted Ivan's growth: his relationship with Till.

Not only did Till embody things that Ivan lacked, which fascinated him from the start, but through his bond with him Ivan developed a lot of those traits and sensitivities that constitute peak humanity. It's a bit of the "love will make you human" trope, but on god does it apply. Ivan learned to care, to feel and to love, at times selfishly, at times messily. Buth he got pretty good at it; so much that love made him selfless and sacrificial in the end. He became a little more human for the object of his feelings. It didn't't erase all his struggles or fix his issues at large, but it was a lot. Of course he'd die thanking Till.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to get off my chest!

Humanity is a tough theme with Ivan, so I hope my thoughts about it were an interesting read.

The usual disclaimer: I've talked about 1 aspect of Ivan in this post, which does not mean this is all there is to his character or that I aim to invalidate other aspects. Just rotating this one in my head.

[st-just]

as someone who mostly doesn’t read any fiction by sociology majors or queer people who like to construct things, I want to know more of what you think about Cobra Kai. It’s interesting to see someone with a more “academic” relationship to fiction watch and talk about silly pulp stuff that I like.

I admit it’s utterly corny and “non-prestigious” for lack of a better word, but it does somehow speak to me in it’s shameless ‘80s-ness, and I want to know about what this says about me.

(I do like more intelligent fiction as well, but mostly artsy movies. Prestige tv or literary fiction has historically been too much of a time commitment to stay philosophically focused the whole time. I was a voracious reader as a kid, and I’m trying to read Anna Karenina, but the internet has rotted my attention span. I can do a 100 minute art movie, but reading a book chunks at a time is somehow hard to stay engaged with.)

Sorry this has taken so long to answer - was waiting to finish season five and then just forgot

I mean mostly I think it's entertaining trash with some enjoyably scenery-chewing performances and surprisingly good fight choreography? I also respect the utter commitment to the bit, in this world where 'karate' is a pan-Asian marital art that does legitimately give low-level superpowers and also guns don't really seem to exist. The shameless '80s nostalgia bait clashing with the modern setting is also done with enough effort and self-awareness to mostly be really fun. But it's honestly more background noise than anything I'm actually watching with analytical intent.

That said the show's conception of and preoccupation with masculinity is just fascinating for how deeply held and also unselfaware it seems to be?

Like Johny is clearly a comic, pathetic figure, right? Especially in season one, he's a failure of what mature masculinity is supposed to be (deadbeat dad, shitty insecury housing, no steady work or marketable skills, embarrassing piece of shit car, neither a long term relationship nor success when he tries for something casual). His fetishistic attachment to the outward signifiers of '80s machismo is presented as something to laugh at, both because of how outdated they are and because he can't live up to them. But! The show also presents him as having a kind of Quixote-esque nobility about him, and the next five seasons of tv are a long sequence of him basically achieving all the things he was pathetic for lacking in the premier.

More broadly, the show has a very, very clear thesis that the vital core of being a Good Man is a) being able to deploy incredibly violence through personal strength and skill b) but choosing not to do so as a demonstration of restraint and virtue c) unless it's for a just cause or someone is really asking for it. Like, literally every male character with an arc is good at karate! Even the MIT-bound dweeb who was introduced to get shoved into lockers and the annoying brat Ipad baby younger son! The show simply does not care to waste screentime on a guy who can't punch you into a coma.

(There's something almost like, chivalric about the plot beat in season 5 where Daniel has dutifully chosen to give up his vendetta against Silver because protecting his wife and children is more important than abstract principle or glory, and then his wife needs to cajole and convince him to get back in the fight with her blessing. Warrior-aristocrat-ass gender role enactment

(Because it's the 2020s, a select number of women can be warriors too. As long as they're incredibly conventionally attractive, and also never defeat/emasculate any of the really important men. I did actually laugh when the only non-supermodel-hot major female character was written off between seasons with like a single line of explanation))

Besides all that - I mean it's kind of hilarious how the show is so studiously colorblind is filling its supporting cast and has a few relatively prominent asian characters whose race is just literally never important in any way, and then also portrays The Orient like it's 1980 and the closest anyone involved has ever come to Asia is watching a couple horribly dubbed wire-fu movies.

[strawberry-cowmilk]

cooking with the brothers

mc's gender is not mentioned, not proof read

content warnings: none

-----

Lucifer

it doesn't matter what culinary level you're at, lucifer is basically your average masterchef winner and he acts like it

maybe he likes to brag a little, maybe he's wondering if you're impressed by his cooking skill

he also uses ingredients like devildom olive oil that looks like it costs 50 grimm per drop

he is kind of controlling when you're cooking together though

but whatever meal you make, it looks smells and tastes amazing

Mammon

sometimes when you're on cooking duty together you end up having to get akudonald's to serve dinner on time

because you get distracted together

like mammon starts a play fight with spoons, which you join in on meanwhile the food is burning

and mammon kind of never follows a recipe, he mostly does what feels right

he opens the cupboards too and goes 'okay what do we got here' and improvises a meal

Leviathan

he mostly wants to make meals he's seen in anime cafes, or recreate food from his favorite shows and tsl

if you don't got the ingredients he'll improvise a meal with whatever is left, since he doesn't want to go grocery shopping

and while he's cooking he likes to blast really loud music, if you love it he'll blast it even louder

one time satan was trying to read and the music was bothering him, so he stole levi's speaker which made levi chase him and you were in charge of the food alone for a while (average day with the brothers)

Satan

he has a cooking book full of recipes, he gives it to you so you can choose something to make

satan has multiple cooking books actually, one of them is all cat-themed and if anyone would find it in his room he'd get embarrassed and angry at the same time

and one of them is a cooking book with recipes you can make for your cat

anyways, satan goes grocery shopping on time for the ingredients and he's a pretty good cook

he's also very focussed so everything goes smoothly and dinner gets served well on time

Asmodeus

on the day you're on cooking duty together, asmo sends you a ton of devilgram posts with recipes you can make

sometimes he does change the recipes though, like if somebody doesn't like raisins he'll take them out

asmo gets distracted sometimes though, there have been times where he wanted to change the song and took 5 minutes to pick a new one

speaking of music sometimes cooking with him turns into a karaoke and dance party but at some point the food gets finished

Beelzebub

he brings a big bag of chips with him so he can eat those instead of the ingredients for the meal if he gets too hungry

do not let beel sample anything though because there have been times where he's sampled the whole thing (he even warns you about this himself)

he does like to watch you sample the food and tell him what you think of the flavors and all

when the food is finally done and served, he eats it in a whole minute

he's been waiting and you made it together so it's special

Belphegor

he cooks like your average college student during exam season

belphie goes 'hey mc I got some stuff, put it in the microwave and three minutes later we got a meal'

if it's not microwavable it's probably something boxed that's done in under ten minutes

but he's capable of cooking something proper with you, just know you might end up doing more work than him

and when he actually puts in effort, he finds out that cooking together is honestly really fun and relaxing

[sca-nerd]

Hi!! I just attended my first fighter practice with a friend, and I think I’m in love. She leant me enough armor to get a feel for heavy combat, and I sparred with her most recently knighted squire, and it was amazing! What a rush!

Obviously going “all in” is gonna take some time. Kits are expensive, though my friend has mentioned that the barony likes to help newbies make and acquire their first things. But do you have any advice on things I can do now, before I have a kit, to prepare and get better? How do I hold my own as a girl in what tends to be a masculine sport? Also how do you pick a name and an era for your first kit?? There’s so much to consider and history has so many cultures and times! It’s exciting but uhhhh overwhelming.

Anyways, gratitude from the kingdom of Calontir! So excited to be entering this awesome world

YAS QUEEN I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!! Welcome to the family! Fighting is so much fun, regardless of skill level, when you have the right people around you. I'm so excited that you have a good group to support and train with.

While you get your kit together, I highly recommend a pell. This is literally a figure that you can swing a stick at for practice so that you develop muscle memory, strength, and endurance. This can be anything that will take a blow and not move or break and risk putting you in danger. When I was a kid, our pell was a railroad tie buried in the ground with tires stacked on on top of it. I have friends who use 4x4 lumber wrapped in foam (something soft helps you from breaking down your stick too quickly). Don't have a rattan stick or sword yet? Use something of equal weight and length - just don't use it on anything BUT your pell.

The fighter community can be an amazing, wholesome, and empowering community. When it comes to being a female fighter, know that some people will support you and treat you like an equal, and some people will want to make an example of you. Some people will do what they can to make you feel like you belong on the field, and some will do what they can to make themselves feel like you've earned the right to be on the field. Remember that this is YOUR game and YOU get to play it the way YOU want to. Don't be afraid to pick and choose who you want to learn from, train with, and fight. Even in my own local group, there are people that I don't fight in practice because I don't learn from them or their approach to fighting a less skilled fighter. I strongly recommend finding either a fellow female fighter OR someone who has experience training with women in martial arts.

My number one tip for new female fighters. At a practice, you will probably hear a lot of "drive from the hip," or "use your hip," from other experienced fighters. Women usually have a lower center of gravity and can rely on their lower body strength more than their counterparts. My advice is to learn to drop your center of gravity and drive from you KNEES. You get more power with your blows that way. Women are normally better at isolating their hip movements, so driving from the hip isn't always as effective for beginner fighters.

When it comes to choosing your persona - honestly? Take your time! There's no timeline that you have to have one by. Try a couple of names out and see what you like. My persona is 13th c. German because I wanted to honor my family heritage and I thought the 13th c. had the prettiest garb of all the German designs. My kit is definitely NOT 13th c. German. It's all over the place, because I chose pieces that are comfortable to wear, fit my budget, serve their purpose, and that I think look cool. A modge-podge of armor is perfectly period for the same reason it is now: it was expensive, hard to come by, and you used what you could get your hands on if you didn't have someone splashing out the cash to buy you a set of your own.

Sometimes fighters have spare pieces that they sell you on the cheap because they love to see new people get involved. Check Play-it-Again Sports or other pre-owned sport equipment centers for lacrosse or hockey padding (or even rapier equipment sometimes). Also, google pickle barrel armor. It will get you most of your stuff covered, but DO NOT SKIMP ON THE HELMET. This will be the most expensive investment you make as a heavy fighter and you want to make sure it is the real deal, because your safety is important. It might take you longer to acquire because of the cost, but dear lord please don’t go cheap on this. I care about you too much.

I don’t know if this is a thing in other Kingdoms, but here there will be yard sales at events where people just want to thin out the “stuff” they’ve collected over the years. These are a gold mind. There are also Facebook Groups that accomplish the same thing, and you can sometimes make some great scores there.

Some people have been playing for decades and have been able to spend those decades investing time and money into this hobby. You aren't going to be expected to be on their level right away. It's GENUINELY about the journey of getting there, not a race to reach it. Some people don't even want to race and are content with the bare minimum, and they have just as much fun.

As a newcomer, I get that you're excited and ready to race in, but don't worry, you have time for all the things. Play your game, make friends, and have fun. And welcome to the dream!

[heyhoneyfox]

✨PJO/HOO characters playing Stardew Valley in no particular order✨

Leo: it's a miracle his game doesn't crash with how many mods he's put in. He has several completed saves, all on different farms with different spouses. If anyone needs tips on the game, they go to him because they just know he has it all memorized.

Nico: he has a shared save with Will. He avoids the mines and the desert casino at all costs. He's mainly here for the cutscenes, Krobus, and the junimos.

Will: he does all the mining for Nico. He enjoys the grind and he relates heavily to Harvey. Him and Nico argue about whether to get a dog or a cat on the farm.

Percy: I don't think even he knows what he's doing. He didn't know he needed to water his crops, he gifts people random things without meaning to, and he put sap in the luau pot because he forgot to bring an actual ingredient. BUT, he knows every way to piss off Lewis and he takes every opportunity he can to do so.

Annabeth: she plans her farm perfectly and beautifully. She stays in the mines until 1 a.m., she ignores every villager but Linus, and she gets to level 100 of the Skull Cavern within a week of unlocking it.

Piper: I bet she's absolutely in love with Emily. Her main goal is to save her from Clint, and she probably marries Emily on Clint's birthday to REALLY break his heart. Also she probably mastered combat before any other skill.

Frank and Hazel: doing them together because they're a perfect team. They have a shared save and they accidentally speed run the game. Within the first two years, they're married, they've completed the museum, they've finished the community centre and the movie theatre, they've unlocked ginger island, and they're best friends with all the townsfolk. They don't know how they did it, it just happened.

Jason: he does the joja route just for shits and giggles, then gets really sad about it and starts a new save where he does the community centre route and marries Penny.

Reyna: she plays surprisingly normally. Nice and slow moving, not doing anything terribly dramatic, just hanging out and growing her farm. She really likes the casual gameplay.

Grover: he just watches other people play. He feels like he wouldn't enjoy it, but he looks things up on the wiki for his friends while they're playing. He knows all the lore just from the wiki and watching others play.

Thalia: honestly she'd probably use the game to live out all the romance she didn't get to experience, just for fun. She'd date all the bachelorettes at once but end up rooming with Krobus because she couldn't bring herself to choose. She'd also loooove fucking with Lewis tbh

[girldriveroscar]

"not that i even Go Here but u Kinda have to consider in the landolore of it all how he imprinted on Carlos and Danny in those late stage pubescent gay chicken trials.. like they made him feel small and Cute. GIRL AND NEITHER WERE EVEN THAT BIG but the energy of " you're the small one, you're the runt of the pack who we pick on" actually altered the chemistry in lando's brain."-- i think lando just has a bit of a competence kink and likes being the inexperienced one lol i think that's why when oscar won the sprint in 2023 he was the one who kept mentioning it, sure it hurt because his rookie teammate wasn't supposed to win anything before him, but i bet he was obsessed with the fact that oscar is good enough that he had the experience of winning in f1 before him. i also think this is part of the reason why he likes verstappen and is very genuine with his praise for the drivers 😃 i also think he likes that oscar is smarter than him 😶

THIS IS AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE! honestly I could totally understand this from the POV that his praise for others competence developed as a weird form of self assurance. like if max is so good,,,, and im against max then no matter the doubts in my head, the concrete fact remains that I'm performing at a high level and I deserve to be here. I think there's also an element of that comfort that's self sabotaging however, as rewarding himself the comfort of "good but not good enough" gives him this third space to relax from the outside pressure. similar to like... staying in a depressed spiral because its familiar and comfortable- even if it is miserable and you know its bad for you. its like accepting second place because answering the question of am I even capable of more? and finding that no, im not. would be soul crushing. now that's kinda dramatic I fully get that, and im not saying I don't think landos determined/confident I just personally see a pattern in his self criticism when he does start hammering on about other peoples skill or his lack thereof. when he starts getting all self hating/pitying its.... pretty obvious he's there for a minute before recouping. (ie. his post race side we saw on max's stream, his lack of selfies (whole other tangent on how his selfies are contingent on his race wins) and me too yk and me too. im not trying to like shame him LMAO I don't think he's weak, I think that's just like the objective truth that we saw last season and the reality of his ability to cope.

I think where that comfort gets flipped on its head is in comparison to Oscar. or if not specifically with Oscar, then with his teammate (or at the suggestion of a peer outperforming him under the same conditions). Does that Make sense? specifically it makes me think of lewis commenting, oh your car is fast, and him snapping back well you had a fast car once too. its the insinuation that when held to the same standard as another person, if his performance regardless of circumstance is not the extra 1% that keeps him ahead, then his self assurance crumbles and he suddenly needs to deflect/defend/get moody.

which leads into why I think it reaaaally ticks him off when Oscar performs better than him. he's not desperate with max and yet he planned to do it since Brazil with Oscar. say all you want about not caring abt sprint races but holding onto one swap to come back and make a point that you're emotionally and skillfully on par with your younger teammate... sure says something...

there enough plausible deniability for max to perform better regardless of personal skill. he's on a diff team, his environment is diff there's no certainty that its on performance alone that max wins, the sliver of separation there is what keeps him capable of praising max, esp when media rains down on him bc internally he's self justified to say yes max is good (but we aren't running in the same race). a compliment to max does not carry the weight of degradation to himself. but with Oscar.... with Oscar... the conditions are the same. and every gap stings extra because Oscar is younger and less experienced. annnnd as I said I think landos a bit toxic and he likes to press on his bruises for fun hence why he brings it up repeatedly- reopening the wound in a way that brings him immense guilty pleasure.

me pathologizing lando Norris's made up kinks right... right. tldr I think his prefrontal cortex brain hates Oscar doing well but his lizard brain enjoys it: performance wise Oscar puts him in his place (which people struggled to do all his life for rsn outside of his stature) its like Oscar saying. yes im better and not because im bigger its because im more talented than you. n that strokes the degrading part of him that wants to be belittled for something nobody else can take away from him. like for a guy who was Raised on the precedent of "small but mighty" yea anyone could call him small, but not everyone can make him actually feel small. when Oscar places above him, he feels small, and the submissive worm in his brain that enjoys squirming in self pity and pain lights up and rolls around.

[ladykailitha]

You pardon me, I'm getting a little foamy at the mouth about this and if I don't rant about it, I may explode.

Lucas and the Game.

Which game? Both of them. Basketball and D&D. Because honestly I am a little lot weary of Eddie getting the lion share of the blame for what happened that Friday. Like I legit saw someone suggest that the school move the basketball game. Like what now?

Did Eddie make some CHOICEStm? Yes, yes he did. Lucas did not go to the dark side for playing a sport.

HOWEVER!

Lucas made some choices of his own.

Now, my information is 20 years old and I'm doing this based on memory, so if I get things wrong, also know I am from a different state than Indiana.

The play offs and championship games are announced ahead of time. There is no way Lucas was told THAT day that Hawkins was playing in the championship game. He had three days on the inside and a week on the outside of knowing when the game was.

Also take into consideration that the likelihood of Lucas PLAYING in said championship game is astronomical. Like the starting lineup and all the second string players would have to injured or fouled out before he could play. Because he's a freshman. He would have to wait out all the sophomores, juniors, and seniors(grades 10-12 respectively) before the coach would put him in. As opposed to a game that not only would he be playing in, he would be considered a valued member.

But as a club, Hellfire probably had set days they could meet. (Also, also, who the teaching advisor for that club and where the hell were they at any point during that season?)

So for most of the school year, the Hellfire club met on Fridays. Lucas would have known that.

So he had a few days to tell Eddie that he wouldn't be able to make it to the finale of their campaign, and he didn't. Then he didn't have to courage to tell Eddie himself and made Dustin and Mike do it.

So here's Eddie, president of the club (though, I can only imagine he was because no else wanted it, as something tells me I don't think they would have a let a double super senior president of anything), being told he's going to be down a player or be forced to move it. Something the other members of the club didn't want to do.

So why does Lucas's choice matter, but Gareth, Jeff, and the Unnamed Freak's choices don't?

So Eddie has to make a decision. Move it, find a replacement, or cancel it all together.

But since it was Dustin and Mike who brought to his attention THEY can find a replacement.

Because here's the thing about D&D and especially about being a DM. You build the fight based around the characters' abilities, classes, and magical items. And there is a lovely thing called CR or challenge rating. It's based on a party of four but can be adjusted for how many players you have. So a CR 10 would be a monster or fight that would take FOUR level 10 characters to beat. So six players, he would probably throw a CR 12 or 13 because of the extra players.

And if they are down a player it can really fuck things up, because what do you scale back and how?

We don't know what level all the characters were or what their classes were. We know that Lucas HAD played a ranger in the past so lets go with that. And since we know EXACTLY what Erica's character was: a level 14 half-elf rogue, so Lucas was probably of a similar level. And let me tell you TWO complete different skill sets.

Which is probably why the group is decimated at the end. Rangers are long range (heh) and rogues are better up close and personal. If Erica hadn't rolled a natural 20 both her and Dustin would have been dead when Vecna took his turn.

Sorry, I got off track a bit with the D&D stuff. But the purpose of that was to show that Lucas bailing last minute would have fucked things up for Eddie.

So TL;DR is that Lucas chose a game that he would likely be on the bench for for all of the game over a game he was an active participant in, didn't tell Eddie for DAYS and made his friends do it last minute, and then demanded the campaign get moved at the cost of the other members of the club's wants, and all because he wanted to be popular.

So, no. Eddie should NOT apologize for not catering to the wants of one member of his club over the needs of everyone else in said club. Maybe a bit on the traitor thing, but not moving the finale because Lucas thought basketball was more important? Nah...

[fanged-fanfics]

Hi! I really enjoy your writing and I honestly find it super comforting, would it be cool with you if I requested a Syntax and GN! reader fic, only the reader shares hella similar qualities to him (personality and intelligence wise)? Kind of like first impressions, and what Syntax thinks of them over time? I hope you have a good day, also pls don't burn yourself out (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)💞

💚💻 Two of A Kind — Syntax x GN Reader HCs 💻💚

Genres: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆˚｡⋆୨💻୧⋆˚｡⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

- At first, when Syntax noticed how similar you are to him, he didn't react quite that well to it. Anyone who could potentially take his (very much self appointed) title as the smartest member of Spider Queen's Queendom was a threat to him

- Your relationship started out a lot like a rivalry, but a friendly one. He kept trying to show off to you or one-up you, and you just kept meeting him at his level. It frustrated him to no end, but it also gave him motivation to always improve

- He'd make small comments here and there about your skills, but usually disguised as a 'that's why I have to beat them' comment. He'd rant about you to basically anyone who would listen, which more often than not tended to be Hunstman or Spider Queen

- After being teased by both of them, he started just focusing on his next methods to best you. You, you, you. It was always you. Basically every time he did anything, he'd try to think how you would do it, or what comments you'd make. He justified this as mocking, but he realized one day that he was just memorizing all your interests and little quirks

- Poor nerd just ended up confusing himself. He kept telling himself this was all in the spirit of competition, that it was serving him. But he was slowly doubting that. Your ways of matching him stopped being annoying and started to feel... charming. Which, of course, he tried to convince himself he hated

- It was hanging out with you more that really did him in. Being so close to you, learning just how many mannerisms you had in common, it slowly changed his perspective into being endeared rather than frustrated. He wanted to spend more time with you... for the sake of the competitions, of course... totally

- He felt pretty at ease with you after some time together. It was actually refreshing to have someone that he felt understood him, to have a real and meaningful conversation with someone who matched his intelligence. It was very nice, he came to discover

- Pretty soon he was head over bionic spider ega for you. As Huntsman made sure to tell him in length, his crush on you was really obvious, but Syntax always denied it when asked

- He started inventing things for you to use to help you rather than to combat you. A faster computer, a better phone, a specialized app for you, your own bionic enhancements, everything like that. He also began heavily praising all your work, every little accomplishment was suddenly newsworthy to him

- Even though he's used to you two being similar by now, any reciprocation from you has him suttering and flustered like a fool. He likes to act suave and charming, but it's all an act, in reality he gets flustered easily

[maboroshi-no]

Hamefura Anime Blu-ray S2 Vol 2 Special Booklet SS

Series: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Source: Anime BluRay S2 Vol 2 Special Booklet Title / Character: Geordo & Alan Author: Satoru Yamaguchi Synopsis: Geordo and Alan are attending a party at the castle. They are approached by a noble from Jeffrey's faction. Translation: maboroshi-no

Geordo's POV

Noble Lady: You are so charming, Prince Geordo.

When the noble lady I was dancing with told me this with a mesmerized expression and tone, I, Geordo Stuart, returned my usual smile.

A ball at the castle. Entertaining this kind of noble lady was a pain and I wanted to end the dance and part with her immediately, but I couldn't because of my position. But if she had been Katarina, her words and smile would have been greatly welcomed. Speaking of Katarina, after dancing the first piece with me, she was immediately snatched by another man (Keith), and now she was happily dancing with yet another man (Nicol). Honestly, I wanted to get her back immediately but I couldn't ignore the other noble ladies waiting for my dance to end, so I was weathering it with a fabricated smile. I wanted to hurry to Katarina's side. As I was thinking this, the entertainment of the silent noble ladies I was strongly connected with came to an end. I was finally free. I could finally go to Katarina, so I hurriedly stepped forward, but…

Marquis: Hello Prince Geordo. It has been a long time.

A middle-aged man wearing overly gaudy ornaments on his loose fattened body called out to me like this.

Geordo: Yes, Marquis. It has been a long time.

I replied with a smile but inwardly clicked my tongue. It was a pain, but he called out to me.

Marquis: Your dance was splendid.

The marquis said this with a grinning face. He was part of my eldest brother Jeffrey's faction and someone who hated me, so…

Marquis: You are so splendid, Prince Geordo. Dance, swordplay, you can do anything to some extent. But this also means you don't have any outstanding ability.

He spoke a little sarcasm to me at each encounter. But of course, I had no reason to humor such people, so…

Geordo: I am honored by your praise.

When I answered this with a smile, the marquis's face twitched. 

It was a complete waste of time but this marquis was persistent and once caught, I could hardly get away.

Marquis: You can do anything to some extent but anything you do won't exceed that level.

The marquis started throwing remark after remark. I knew very well that I didn't have any outstanding ability nor surpassed others in anything. I was well aware that I could do anything to some extent but only that. After all this time, I wouldn't be bothered by it no matter how much he told me about it. But I just wanted to hurry to Katarina's location, and as I was enduring it with a smile while inwardly shouting at him to end his talk quickly…

Katarina: That's right! Prince Geordo can really do anything!

I heard the voice I had been yearning for coming from right behind me. When I turned around in surprise, Katarina was standing there with a plate of food in her hand. Then, she turned to the marquis, and…

Katarina: It is just as you said! He is skilled at studying, swordplay, and even dancing! 

She passionately spoke with sparkling eyes. Seemingly dumbfounded by Katarina's reaction, the marquis said "Well then, I must excuse myself" and hurriedly ran away.

Geordo: Umm, Katarina.

Could Katarina have said that to repel the marquis's sarcasm? When I looked at her with this question in mind…

Katarina: You are recognized by so many people. You are so amazing, Prince Geordo.

…She said with a grin. It seemed like she didn't have the intent I had imagined. It was Katarina after all, so chances were that she just didn't listen closely to the conversation. Even so, it was thanks to her that my chest felt somewhat refreshed.

Geordo: Thank you, Katarina.

When I said this, Katarina made a puzzled face. Then she suddenly realized something.

Katarina: This dish was so delicious so I wanted to recommend it to you.

After saying this, she offered the plate of food with a smile.

Today too, I was saved by her smile.

Alan's POV

A ball at the castle. I, Alan Stuart, was playing violin on stage as I was asked. When I cast my eyes toward her during it, I met sparkling aqua-blue eyes. I hurriedly looked away, then worried it might look strange, looked at her again. No, even without that, I couldn't help naturally chasing her with my eyes.

Katarina Claes, the fiancée of my older twin brother Geordo, and the one I was secretly in love with. Even so, I had no intention of making her mine. It was just that I couldn't erase my desire to stay even a little by her side, even a little longer. 

When I was little, I was tormented by an inferiority complex due to being inferior to the brilliant Geordo in everything, and then Katarina saved me.

Thanks to her, I was now able to perform my favorite music at ease like this. And seeing Katarina listen to my performance with sparkling eyes gave me tremendous happiness.

After my scheduled musical performance ended, I got off the stage and looked for Katarina. There,

Marquis: Hello, Prince Alan. It has been a long time.

A middle-aged man wearing overly gaudy ornaments on his loose fattened body called out to me like this.

He was a marquis from my eldest brother Jeffrey's faction and a man who made caustic remarks at me whenever we met. I honestly didn't want to get involved with him but since he called me by name from a short distance, I couldn't ignore him.

Alan: It has been a long time.

I replied with just this and tried to leave with a hurriedly said "Well then", but…

Marquis: Aaaah~ Your musical performance was splendid. Your musical talent alone is amazing. But only your musical talent. How about stopping being a prince and becoming a musician instead?

He enthusiastically bombarded me with sarcasm.

I was kinda used to being told things like this by the nobles in my older brothers' factions. It was true that I wasn't as capable as my older brothers, Geordo included. I knew that better than anyone. But it didn't bother me and I had been okay with it ever since she taught me that each person was different. Still, listening to it wasn't pleasant. As I was enduring it while not expecting it to end soon,

Katarina: That's right. Prince Alan's performance was truly splendid!

When I turned around after hearing this carefree voice, Katarina was standing there with a grin.

Katarina: Prince Alan, your performance earlier was truly splendid. Just as this person said, it was better than the ones given by the other musicians.

Katarina said this with sparkling eyes. The marquis never said that, by the way. But since it was her, she most likely got carried away after hearing just bits of our conversation.

Then, Katarina started talking about how splendid my musical performance was. Looking at her, the marquis muttered "again" with a dull face, and maybe because he felt uncomfortable, said "Well then, I must excuse myself" and left in a hurry.

While looking at the marquis leaving,

Katarina: Oh... And I wanted to discuss more about the splendidness of your performance...

Looking at the blank Katarina who was missing the point, I inadvertently broke into laughter.

Alan: Hahaha! As usual, you're amazing!

She gave me a quizzical look, probably because she didn't understand anything. Looking at her puzzled expression, my chest suddenly felt light.

Correction. It wasn't only when we were little, Katarina is still saving me to this day.

Katarina: And so, about your performance earlier…

Katarina praised my performance again with sparkling eyes. Looking at her, I softly whispered in my heart only, "It was because you wanted to listen to it that I gave that musical performance".

[beifong-brainrot]

Referring back to the Mako & Bolin post about being a firebender and earthbender in RC, I think that when taking into account that the Earth Kingdom doesn’t necessarily make a major deal out of earthbending in comparison to the Fire Nation and firebending, and upon applying that Bolin’s character, it creates this interesting picture of his character and what it says about him.

Considering the EK’s neutral perspective of earthbending and the Republic City’s origins with FN settlers having more privilege over the EK residents, the abilities of earthbending may be deemed as menial in comparison to other forms of bending (the stereotypes in regards to firebenders and earthbenders being interconnected to Fire Nationals & Earth Civilians is a whole other case in it of itself). Like I said before on a reblog, earthbending can be well utilized in manual labor, but overall it may not appear as anything special if not honed, used for something such as entertainment (pro-bending), or a sort of gateway to a subset of bending (metalbending & lavabending).

With that being said, I find it intriguing how Bolin seems to be, at least somewhat, proud to be an Earthbender — and it’s perhaps due to figures like Toph Beifong (who he looks up to a whole lot) that he’s proud of being who he is as an earthbending. Furthermore, I think this can add onto how Bolin kind of has a hard time nailing down who he is as a person — trying to figure things for himself as someone who is often a follower.

In some way, I can see how the perceptions of earthbenders within both the RC and the Earth Kingdom can impact Bolin when examining such intersections.

You make a lot of good points! I think Bolin's relation to his earthbending is so interesting, because a lot of people seem to downplay his bending abilities. Bolin is a highly capable earthbender, honestly probably on par with Toph, in my opinion. He utilises both earthbending and firebending techniques in his bending, and actively nerfs himself while lavabending. Like he opts for the lava disk, because if he pulled shit like this?

He'd be a murder machine. Bad guys in the tlok universe should thank their lucky stars that Bolin is a cinnamon roll.

He's able to bend with little to no contact to the earth, he's physically strong even without his bending, he has incredible accuracy, he's incredibly agile on his feet, being one of the only earthbenders to backflip like why does he do that

And I honestly don't find it surprising that Bolin is so skilled. His bending skills are probably one of the things that kept him and Mako alive on the streets, not to mention that his and Mako's income also depended on his bending ability in their probending days.

So I'm not surprised that Bolin has some level of pride in his skills, despite also being a little insecure about them too.

Knowing the love for bending in the Fire Nation and the neutrality towards it in the Earth Kingdom, I wonder about the difference between San and Naoki's approach to their kids bending. We know that a child begining to firebend is a reason to celebrate in the nation.

And I could certainly see Naoki celebrating Mako's bending. But I can also see that sentiment carrying over to Bolin too. We don't know much about Naoki, but she seemed to be a good mother, so I can't really picture her being too biased towards firebending over earthbending.

So it's very likely that, even if Bolin's abilities weren't celebrated outside the home, they were celebrated by the family.

I can see Bolin kinda getting slapped by the harsh reality of people's approach to Earthbending. Of course, I mentioned how Lighting Bolt Zolt could've favoured Mako due to his firebending, plus the City's potential disdain toward earthbenders.

One thing I find interesting is Bolin's hero worship of earthbenders who seem to have elvated over the status quo, and particularly earthbenders who have somehow innovated earthbending. Toza is a probender, which seems to be a relatively new sport, which lead to new techniques developing. And Toph is Toph. She revolutionised the bending art. She's an icon She's a legend and she is the moment.

Bolin: Mako! Do you know who that is? It's Toza, legendary earthbending captain of the Boar-q-pines. He's my hero. What do you think he's doing here?

Bolin: Because it's embarrassing. This isn't the first time I've tried, and I've been wanting to metalbend ever since I heard about Toph. Your grandmother is my biggest hero!

It's possible that Bolin percieves these two as having elevated themselves above the typical stereotype of earthbending being an uncreative, rudimentary bending style that is only based on brute strength and throwing rocks.

Bolin desperately wanting to metalbend is a very interesting and telling part of his character. Beacuse I'm sure that a lot if earthbenders would feel dissapointment over not being able to metalbend, but Bolin is like, genuinely distraught over it. He's ashamed and very uncomfortable on the subject.

It maybe leads me to wonder if he had been pressured to learn to metalbend at some point in his life, maybe by the triple threats, and was unable to do so.

One thing from Bolin that I've always been fascinated by is when Bolin calls metalbending 'not normal'. Because it's such an odd way to phrase it. Also, really funny thing to say right in front of Wing and Wei who eat sleep and breathe metalbending.

Bolin: Mako, metalbending is extremely difficult. No one gets it right away, if they can get it at all! It's not normal!

Of course, it could just be Bolin lashing out or deflecting, but the idea that Bolin doesn't consider metalbending as 'normal' has been latched in my brain. Because it potentially implies that Bolin sees metalbending as a trait that isn't normal. Maybe a trait that is 'above average'.

I think it wouldn't be too out of the blue for Bolin to want to metalbend due to his perception of metalbenders as 'special'. To elevate himself over the potential demeaning he faced as an earthbender. Bolin struggles with his self esteem throughout the show, some of which may come from his role as an earthbender.

I believe Bolin loves his bending, loves earthbending, loves the martial art of earthbending, but he also wants to surpass the stigma of earthbenders being menial labour, or something of the sort. He was excited to connect with his Earth Kingdom Heritage when heading to Ba Sing Se, and downright giddy when in Zaofu. His identity as an earthbender is important to him (let's remember that he had nightmares about his encounter with Amon for days afterwards) but he has incredibly high expectations of himself. I think he sees himself as 'one of the dirteaters', and he wants to evolve past that. Adding to this is his struggle with finding his own identity and his desire to 'find himself'.

I really wish this side of Bolin had been explored more, because I think it has some great potential fod a good story.