#and none of them are ever shown to be valued less than the romantic relationships?

[rosetyler42]

Ah, yes. One of the MANY reasons I think Drac is Greyrose. (It's SURPRISINGLY appropriate once you realize it. Right down to the "late fanger" talk in HT2.)

Draw your characters dancing~

[my-mt-heart]

I second your answers regarding why Donnie is not happening! They are so good and in line with the actual arc of the characters. May I add?

A. Some Carylers try to rationalize Donnie not happening because TWD is on its final season and there isn't enough time to build a romance. I submit to you, even if the show had 10 more seasons lined up, a romance between Daryl and Connie still would not happen.

B. Because the Connie character was not written to be a romantic interest for Daryl at any point. She was turned into a catalyst for romance between two other characters. If Connie announced she met someone at the Commonwealth or started up a romance with Virgil, Daryl would be genuinely happy for her. Seriously, there would be not one shred of buried jealously in him. If anything, it would probably encourage his pursuit of happiness with Carol. This is the proper response family and friends give when you tell them you found someone special. That was not the reaction at all Daryl gave Carol with Ezekiel. He clearly was not happy with that arrangement at all, but out of love for her, valuing her own happiness above his, and unsure of his own self being worthy enough for her, he stayed silent. Now if I am wrong, send me any information that proves Daryl is harboring secret feelings for Connie. Because from where I'm standing (and I have pretty good visibility on my hill) I'm seeing Daryl harbor secret feelings for Carol. And it's not even a secret really, since every other character aside from Carol sees how Daryl feels about her, including Connie. The woman was an investigative journalist, right? You think she can't tell Daryl and Carol have something special? Even if she DID like Daryl that way, has she ever shown anything in her character to make us believe that she could be a "homewrecker"?

D. I have an educated guess as to how the Daryl/Connie reunion will play out. I want to withhold from making a full post on it, so I can see how accurate I was. Or maybe I should just make a post anyway? I don't know. But I will say that Daryl is not going to react like "Thank God, you're alive! Now I get my chance to be with you, O my sweet Connie. Your skin shimmers like the sun. How canst that be? For thou art the sun. And I, your orbiting star." Nope. Sorry. Knowing Daryl, during and after the initial shock wears off, he is going to want to know the following: How? Where and when? WHO? Answer: All roads lead to Carol. I can't say it will happen exactly as I have it written here because this show is a glutton for subtlety, but yes.

A. I would argue that episode space isn't the real issue. The truth of the matter is the show could squeeze in a Donnie relationship in a handful of episode or less if it really wanted to. The problem is stakes. There are none. It shouldn't be a big secret that Daryl is leaving with Carol by the end, which requires it's own build-up. Why waste precious run-time on a Daryl and Connie relationship if it can't go anywhere, a fair amount of the audience knows it, and it's only going to piss off viewers who otherwise would be guaranteed to watch the spinoff?

I think that rationalization of there not being enough time could also stem from the idea that it takes Daryl a crazy long time to be comfortable enough with someone to be in a relationship with them (per Angela Kang), and Daryl and Connie haven't known each other that long. So unless they're going to do a time skip of a few years rather than a few weeks, then by Angela's logic a relationship can't happen.

All of that aside, I totally agree if Carol's already won Daryl's heart and Carol is physically and emotionally present in his life, it doesn't matter how many more seasons or how many more years Daryl gets to know Connie. It ain't happening.

B. I've always maintained that Daryl's and Connie's relationship was the product of needing to write LR out while needing to build tension between Carol and Daryl and while also taking advantage of audience reception. If you look carefully at all of Daryl's and Connie's "flirty" scenes, you'll notice a lot of missing emotional cues. That's on purpose. The idea is to make us (and Carol) believe there might be something there without pushing too far because, ultimately, there isn't anything more than friendship or a familial bond.

I'm not expecting Connie and Virgil to become a thing (is he even going to be around) or for another partner to come along, but I do buy that the reaction wouldn't be angsty like it was for Carol and Ezekiel. You rightfully pointed out that Daryl would never stand in the way of Carol's happiness. I'd just like to add that Carol would never stand in the way of Daryl's either. She also cares about his happiness more than her own, hence why we may see her smiling at Daryl's and Connie's reunion (though I have a suspicion it's going to be more nuanced than that).

C. You should post your predictions! I'd love to read. I for one don't believe it's going to resemble terminus. I think the tone is going to be light-hearted with an emphasis on the relief/joy of it all as opposed to the heavy emotions we got during Daryl's and Carol's reunion. IMO, Connie and Daryl have not earned a big, emotional reunion. They're just not there with each other. Now that you mention it, it is interesting that Daryl supposedly tells her he has so many questions and she says "For me?" because that could easily be a lead-in to the role Carol played even if we don't hear them talk about it and they just pan to Carol in that moment. But see, this is where actually watching the episode will come in handy.

Sheesh, I said I wouldn't comment on the reunion before I watched it, and here I am chatting away lol

[phynali]

Canonization and Fandom Purity Culture

I wrote a 1k-word twitter thread (as proof that I am Not made for Twitter and it’s goddamn 240-character limit) and am pasting it here with edits and updates (it’s now 2k words). 

I have thoughts to share (which I know have been stated more eloquently before by others) about this trend of demanding/obsessing that certain ships become "canon" and how it overlaps with the rise of fandom purity culture.

Under the cut.

Here in 2021 there is a seemingly large and certainly loud and active contingent of online fandoms who desire (or even demand) "canon validation" for a given interpretation of a source material. This is more true with shipping than anywhere else.

First, it is important to note that the trend is not limited to queer ships or to any single fandom. In the past few years I've seen it for Riverdale, Voltron, Supernatural (perhaps most extreme?), The 100, etc., and less recent with the MCU, Sherlock, Teen Wolf, Hawaii 5-0, etc. It is a broad trend across ships, fandoms, and mediums.

So if it is more common for queer ships, it is hardly unique to them. Similarly, pretending that it is about queer representation is a clever misdirect to disguise the fact that it is most often about ships and shipping wars. If you ever need proof of that, consider that a character can be queer without being in a given relationship or reciprocating another character's affections. Thus a call for more/better queer rep itself is very different than a call for specific ships to be made canon.

Also note that when audiences frame it as wanting to recognize a specific *character* as queer, it is almost always in the context of a ship. Litmus test: would making that character queer but having them *explicitly reject* the other half of the ship be seen as a betrayal?

(Note: none or this is to say we shouldn't push for more queer rep and more *quality and well-written* queer rep! Just that that isn't what I'm talking about here, and not what seeking canon validation for a specific interpretation or a specific ship is almost ever about.)

Why does this matter?

the language of representation and social justice should not be co-opted to prop up ship wars

it is reciprocal with a trend toward increasing toxicity in transformative fandom spaces

Number 1 here is self-explanatory (I hope). Let's chat about 2.

Demands for canon validation correlate with a rise in fanpol / fandom purity culture. What is fandom purity culture (and fandom policing)? This toxic mentality is about justifying one's shipping preferences and aiming to be pure (non-problematic) in your fictional appetites regarding romance and sex.

Note that this purity culture is so named as it arises linearly from American Protestantism, conservative puritanical anxiety around thought crimes, and overlaps in many ways with terf ideologies and regressively anti-kink paradigms.

It goes like this: problematic content is "gross" and therefore morally reprehensible. Much like how queer sex/relationships get labelled as "gross" (Other) and thus morally sinful, or how kink gets labelled as "harmful" and thus morally wrong. The Problematic label is applied by fanpol to ships with offset age or power dynamics, complicated histories, and anything they choose to label as "harmful". As such, they would decry my comparison here to queerphobia itself as also being harmful, because their (completely fictional) targets are ~actually~ evil.

(The irony of this is completely lost on them).

This mode of interacting with creative works leaves no room to explore dark or erotic themes or dynamics which may exist in fiction but not healthily in reality. Gothic romance is verboten. Even breathe the word incest and you will be labelled a monster (nevermind Greek tragedy or GoT).

As with most puritanical bullshit, fanpol ideology only applies these beliefs to sex and never to violence/murder/etc, proving what lies at its core. It also demands its American-based values be applied to all fictional periods and places as the One True Moral Standard. It evangelizes – look no further than how these people try to recruit others to their cause, aim to elevate themselves as righteous, and try to persuade (‘save’) others from their degenerate ways of thinking. 

“See the light” they promise “here are our callouts and blog posts to convince you. Decry your past sins of problematic shipping, be baptized by our in-group adulation and welcome, and then go forth and send hate to others until they too see the light.” In many ways “get therapy” by the antis is akin to “I’ll pray for you” by the Christian-right (and ultimately ironic).

(Although it has been pointed out to me that these fans are likely not themselves specifically ex-evangelicals, but rather those who have brushed up with evangelical norms and modes of thinking without specifically being victims of it. In many ways they are more simply conservative Christian in temperament and attitude without necessarily being raised into religion by belief).

What this has to do with canon validation is that these fans look to canon for approval, for Truth. On the one hand, if it is in the canon then it must be good / pure or at least acceptable. The authority (canon) has deemed it thus. It is safe and acceptable to discuss and to enjoy watching or consuming. In this way, validation from canon means a measure of safety from being Bad and Problematic. 

For example, where a GoT fan could discuss Cersei/Jaime's (toxic, interesting) dynamic in depth as it related to the canon, fans who shipped Jon/Sansa (healthy, interesting) were Gross and Bad. The canon as Truth provided a safety net, a launch point. "It's GRRM, not me, who is problematic." It wasn’t okay to ship the problematic bad gross incest ship, but it being in the canon material meant it was open for discussion, for nuance, for “this adds an interesting layer to the story” which is denied to all non-canon ships labelled as problematic.

(Note: there are of course people who have zero interest in watching GoT for a whole slew of very valid reasons, including but not limited to the incest. That’s a different to this trend. A less charged example might be The Umbrella Academy, where a brother canonically is in love with his sister and antis still praise the show, but if you dare to ship any of the potential incest ships then you are the one who is disgusting).

On the other hand, a very interesting alternate (or additional) explanation for this phenomenon was raised to me on twitter. (These ideas aren’t mine originally, but I wholly endorse them as a big part of what is likely going on): Namely, as with authoritarian individuals in general, they see themselves as right and correct, but the canon (which has not yet validated their ship) is not correct, and is in fact problematic, and so they can save the canon from itself.

As mentioned, these fanpol types see their interpretation as Good and Pure. So if they can push (demand, bully) the canon into conforming to their worldview and validating their interpretation, then they have shown the (sinful) creators the light and led them to the righteous path. This only works if the canon allows itself to saved though, otherwise the creators remain Evil for spurning them.

How is this different from fans simply hoping for their ship to be canon?

For a second here, let’s rewind to the 90s (since Whedon has been in the news recently). This “I want it to be canon��� thing isn’t 100% new, of course. We saw this trend then for the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it was different then. At the time, fans who hoped for a ship to be canon might have been cheering for a problematic one to begin with (Buffy/Spike). So shipping was still present, minus vocal fanpol.

(And Buffy fans learned that canon validation...can leave a lot to be desired. A heavy lesson was learned about the ways that fan desires can play out horrifically in canon, and how some things are best left out of the hands of canon-writers).

These days, this is still largely true. Many fans hope for their ships to go canon, as they always have. There are tropes like “will they/won’t they” that TV shows may even be designed around, which a certain narrative anticipation and a very deliberate build up to that.

But while shipping *hopes* occur for many fans, almost all ships fans that *demand* to go canon and obsess over are now the ones deemed as Unproblematic, or as Less Problematic. I’m talking here about the ships that aren’t necessarily an explicit will/won’t they dynamic but do have some canon dynamic that leads them to being shipped, but which the creators aren’t necessarily deliberately teasing and building up a romantic end-game for.

These ships often have fans who are happy to stick to fandom, but there has also been a huge uptick in the portion of fans who are approaching shipping with an explicit lens of “will they go canon?” and “don’t you want them to be canon?” and now even “they have to go canon” and “the canon is wrong if they don’t make this ship canon”, to a final end-point of “if the ship doesn’t go canon, the source material is Wrong and Bad.”

These latter opinions are the one we see more by extreme fans (‘stans’), hardcore shippers, but especially by fanpol-types, the ones who embrace fandom purity culture at least to some extent.

Why them?

In pushing for canon validation, fanpol types seek to elevate their (pure) interpretation of canon. As mentioned above, it’s validation of their authority, a safety-net, and a way to save the canon from itself if only they can bully the canon into validating their right and good interpretation. 

There’s also another reason, which is that canon validation is a tool to bludgeon those seen as problematic. They can use it to denounce other (problematic) ships as Not Being Canon and therefore highlight their own as Right and Good, because it is represented in the True Meaning of the Work.

Canon validation then is a cudgel sought by virtuous crusaders to wield against their unclean enemies. It is an ideological pursuit. It is organised around identity and in groups sometimes as insular as cults.

How does this happen?

Fanpol tend to be younger or more vulnerable fans, susceptible to authoritarian manipulators. As many have highlighted before, authoritarian groups and exclusionary ideologies like terfs are very good at using websites like tumblr to mobilize others around their organizing beliefs. Fanpol tend to feel legitimate discomfort, but instead of taking responsibility for their media engagement, ringleaders stoke and help them direct their discomfort as anger onto others; “I feel ashamed and uncomfortable, and therefore you should be held accountable for my emotions.” Authoritarian communities endorse social dominance orientations, deference to ringleaders, and obedient faith to the principles those ringleaders endorse.

As these fans attach more and more of their identity to a given media (or ship), and derive more and more validation and more of their belongingness needs from this fanpol community, they also become more and more anxious about being excluding from this group. This is because such communities have rigid rules and very conditional bases for social acceptance. Question or "betray" the organizing ideology and be punished or excommunicated. If that is all you have, you are left with nothing. Being labelled problematic then is a social death.

What this means is that these fans cannot accept all interpretations of a media as equally valid: to do so Betrays the ideology. It promises exclusion. And, in line with a perspective around ‘saving’ canon and leading others into the light – forcing and bending the canon to their will is what will make it Good (and therefore acceptable to enjoy, and therefore proof of them as righteous by having saved others). As was also pointed out to me on twitter, endorsement from canon or its creators also satiates that deep need they have for authority figures to approve of them.

Due to all of this, these fans come to obsess over canon validation of their own interpretation. In a way, they have no other option but to do so. They need this validation -- as their weapon, as their authority, as their safety net, as their approval, as their evangelical mission of saviorship.

Canon validation is proof: I am Good. I am Right(eous). I am Safe.

(In many ways, I do ache for some of these people, so wrapped up in toxic communities and mindsets and so afraid to step out of line for fear of swift retribution, policing their own thoughts and art against the encroaching possibility that anything be less than pure. It’s not healthy, it’s never going to be healthy.)

In the end, people are going to write their own stories. You are well within your rights to critique those stories, to hate them, to interpret them how you will, but you can never control their story (it's theirs).

Some final notes:

This trend may be partially to do with queer ships now being *able* to go canon where before so no such expectation would exist. Similarly, social media has made this easier to vocalize. Still, who makes these demands and the underlying reasons are telling. There are also many legitimate critiques of censorship, queerbaiting (nebulous discussions to be had here), and homophobia in media to be had, and which may front specific ships in their critique. But critique is distinct from asking that canon validate one's own interpretation.

[silentauroriamthereal]

So, I watched Happiest Season yesterday, and I have thoughts. A lot of thoughts. Spoilers abound and this is long, so I’ll put this under a cut. 

Happiest Season: a review

You have to ask yourself how “happy” a happy ending really is when you glance down at the time bar on the film and see that there’s less than fifteen minutes left and none of the story’s problems have been even remotely resolved.

Skip to the closing credits, and I hadn’t changed my mind. This is a “happy” ending where a great deal of the problems in the plot were left either completely unresolved, or whose happiness wasn’t earned – wasn’t properly fleshed out, developed, supported, or in fact, even happy.

What an incredibly toxic family the Caldwells are. Let’s start with them: there are three daughters. Sloan has apparently cemented her parents’ permanent disappointment by having left a promising legal career in favour of raising a family. Side tangent: are we really still having this discussion, in 2020? This binary choice between family OR career? Besides, Sloan evidently developed a different, and very lucrative career. I also strongly dislike the way the perception of her marriage ending is portrayed as a failure. Her awful parents both resent her having left the legal field, yet have refused to now see her as anything other than a parent, ignoring her new career choice and, it seems, literally anything else about her. Then we have Jane, who is overtly abused. Treated as lesser than anyone else in the family apart from technical support with malfunctioning printers, Jane is constantly criticized, chastised, literally told to not put herself in the centre of the family for a holiday photo. I was horrified and devastated by the wanton destruction of her painting at the end, too. I’m happy for her that her book got published and that she found success there, but I hate that this brutal, completely unnecessary destruction of her art happened and was totally overlooked.

I’m going to come back to Harper, because there’s a LOT to say there.

The way the parents, Tipper and Ted, treated Abby, was appalling from start to finish. Leaving aside the ENTIRE question of the secret girlfriend thing, if my family ever treated a friend or even distant acquaintance the way the Caldwells treated Abby, I would be furious with them. I used to frequently bring friends who were international students or just on their own for the holidays to my parents’ place for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas festivities. These people were so, so, so incredibly rude to Abby, from ignoring her when she first arrived to giving her a terrible bedroom with a door that doesn’t lock, to walking in on her multiple times while she was changing or in bed – that level of complete disrespect infuriated me! Just allowing those awful kids to be in her private space without any sort of discipline, consequences, or apologies was unacceptable. The way they treated Abby after those same kids – which she was stuck with, without any sort of request to watch them – planted that necklace on her, was unacceptable. The utter lack of apology for having literally accused her of theft, for accusing her multiple times after that – WOW. Treating Abby as though she was the unexpected, extra guest at the restaurant that first night, and giving the ex-boyfriend the parents kept shoving on Harper the proper one was unacceptable.

Then there’s how Harper treated Abby. Let’s start with the restaurant: first of all, had my parents pulled that stunt on my friend/guest/secret girlfriend, I would have let them know then and there that it wasn’t okay. And then I would have, I don’t know, asked the staff to bring a proper chair, and if that turned out to be impossible, I would have insisted that she take mine instead, and sat on the little chair myself. Asking anyone to closet themselves is an act of violence, and watching that as a member of the LGBTQ2+ community was actively harmful to witness. Again, a lot of the crap that Harper subjected Abby to would have been awful no matter WHO Abby was: you don’t abandon your guest to hang out with old friends. If they’re ready to go home, then you go home with them. It’s basic hospitality. Considering that Abby was Harper’s partner, that’s a whole extra layer of harm. THEN add the ex-boyfriend, a horribly-treated ex-girlfriend, and toxic old friends to the mix, and you have something beyond appalling. Adding this stuff on top of not standing up for Abby to her family, not insisting that she be given somewhere proper to sleep during her time in her parents’ house, not insisting that she be treated with the most basic respect, not defending her during the whole jewellery theft situation, and even going along with the parents’ de-invitation to that dinner – that’s inexcusable. You don’t treat other people that way, much less your partner. Then add Harper calling Abby controlling, while simultaneously having the nerve to get angry about Abby spending time with Riley, which is possibly the only good thing that happened for Abby during that entire, awful trip – yeah. I was finished with Harper by that point.

Harper also actively participated in the way her sisters were constantly put down by their parents. The responsibility of being the privileged favourite is to use your status to bring others up. Harper doesn’t appear to have any sort of spine or courage whatsoever. It was only after she was forcibly outed by Sloan – and such was her privilege that the parents believed that it was a “malicious” lie rather than a “shocking” secret – that Harper even admitted the truth, and that was only after forcing Abby to watch her deny it yet it again. While I did love John (the gay best friend)’s entire speech about someone’s love not being the same thing as being ready to come out, there is nonetheless a ton of harm in forcing your partner watch that. It does affect them. It does disavow their identity at the same time, when they’re in a relationship with you. Her pattern of behaviour of throwing other people under the bus, like Riley, is very much intact.

I completely comprehend Harper’s fear of being rejected by her family. Apparently it was a well-founded fear, based on her awful, awful parents. That’s one of the reasons why the ending didn’t resonate for me at all: it wasn’t earned. Harper’s turn-around from being completely unwilling to have her parents know the truth to claiming that Abby was the only thing that mattered to her, came out of nowhere. It wasn’t a supported development. It happened too quickly. Similarly, the parents both going from being just about the worst parents on the planet to having a VERY sudden change of heart and behaviour, just happened unbelievably quickly. There was no questioning the entire history of their practises or what was wrong with them, no questioning how they’d treated any of their kids. The whole “consequence” for Ted was deciding, of his own accord, not to align himself with a politician who would force Harper to zip it – sorry, continue to zip it – about her identity. He shouldn’t have aligned himself with that woman in the first place. No one ever apologized to Abby about the way they treated her from start to finish, from patronizing her for being an orphan or the constant lack of respect shown her, to the false accusations of theft. Not a single part of it was atoned for at any point. Even Tipper being so disgusted with Abby’s ipad photography skills was disgusting. You just don’t talk to other human beings that way, and there was no resolution for me on any of this. There were also no consequences for Sloan’s horrific, SUPER-public outing of Harper, for Harper’s destruction of Jane’s painting, for the kids’ planting of the necklace on Abby, or for anyone’s horrendous treatment of Abby in general.

So yes: when you’re less than fifteen minutes out from the end of a supposed romantic comedy that was more upsetting to watch than entertaining or funny, and you’re actively rooting for the main character to walk away from her so-called partner and her toxic family, that’s not good. I’m not sold on the “romance” aspect, either. John (Dan Levy’s character) was the only good part of this movie, for me, and that’s overlooking his completely rude ignoring while on his phone at the beginning, or his negligent care of the animals he was supposed to be taking care of. (Gross, again – animals’ lives have value, too, and if my pet sitter killed my pet through negligence while I was away, I would be furious!) But his point about “sticking it to the patriarchy” in terms of Abby asking Ted for his permission/blessing to marry Harper was spot on. For all the hype about this being a progressive, lesbian, holiday rom-com, this film managed to perpetuate a lot of gross aspects of straight, white, misogynistic, heteronormative culture, like women being the property of their fathers and needing to obtain a male parent’s “permission” to marry another human being. The only person’s “permission” that was needed here was Harper’s, and then it’s not about permission – it’s about two adults making a consensual decision to commit themselves to each other. It’s great if you have the support of family – aka, BOTH parents, on BOTH sides – but that support is a bonus, not a prerequisite. Perpetuating the false dichotomy of family vs career for women only, is a harmful one to keep perpetuating. That question is never asked of men.

I was honestly kind of disgusted that Abby chose to stay with Harper by the end. I get it, but it definitely didn’t leave me with warm, romantic feelings. It left me with the deflated feeling I invariably experience whenever a woman makes the choice to be the bigger person and submit herself to a damaging situation or relationship. Mostly what I’m left with is anger that no one spoke up for Abby at any point, even John. That, and anger and sorrow over Jane’s painting. So yeah: it wasn’t as bad as bury your gays, but it also wasn’t really a happy ending for me, or super enjoyable to watch. Do better, Hollywood. Do a lot better.

[bemused-writer]

VNC Chapter 44 Analysis

Well, I think the main takeaway most people had with this chapter is that Vanitas is a lot less collected than we all thought. And I completely agree. XD Clearly, I've given this fellow too much credit in my fanfic.

Anyhow, it almost goes without saying that we learned a lot about Vanitas in this chapter, but we also learned a surprisingly large amount about Roland, so let's dig in.

The first thing that struck me as noteworthy was Noé's complete and utter overreaction. We already knew that he never really had to do things for himself with Louis and Dominique constantly taking care of him when he was young. For example, Mochizuki pointed out that they always helped him clean his room, and he is now terrible at being tidy. In other words, Noé was a touch spoiled. This is relevant because it explains why he has never had to take care of an ill person once in his life, so if Vanitas says he can't continue on then, by Noé's logic, he really must be dying.

Thus, it's completely fair when Manet and Nox wonder if these two are children; they're both certainly acting like it. XD

Still, Noé is coming from a place of genuine concern; he's never seen Vanitas act like this just like we haven't.

Before I move on, one thing I'd like to point out is the difference between Noé and Luca's reaction to the people they care about acting oddly. Luca immediately goes to someone he knows Jeanne trusts--a friend in other words. Meanwhile, Noé goes to the nearest authority figure he can find: Count Orlok. I think this is telling on both their parts.

Luca is someone who was raised to be the authority figure. While he doesn't like it even remotely, he knows he has to solve things for himself. He probably also knows the value of going to someone you know you can trust; he's surrounded by the aristocracy and he knows you can't trust just anyone with delicate information.

Noé has blind faith in authority figures on the other hand. He obeys Teacher without question, accepts Ruthven's presence in his hotel room as something he has a right to do in chapter 19, and he always listens to Dominique no matter what. Both she and Teacher are the ones that choose what his clothes look like according to the extra in the back of volume 3.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that Noé is very comfortable, accustomed even, to other people making decisions for him. He's not the one who has chosen most anything in his life, and I think this attitude started when he was very young. Certainly being sold as a slave and accepting that whoever bought him would be his "master" was a mindset he probably had to develop to survive and he may not have fully grown out of it. I'm sure it was only compounded by being surrounded by people who doted on him and protected him and made sure he never even had to make a decision for himself. His attitude is born of a very strange mix of neglect and indulgence.

In other words, Noé has a lot of potential problems he needs to sort out, and I'm sure his independence is going to be one of them.

Getting back on track, all of this is to say it's not surprising Noé goes to Count Orlok when he can't find Amelia. In theory, he could have tracked Dante down, someone Vanitas sort-of trusts, but he doesn't. It could because it would have been too hard to find him, but personally I don't think it even crossed his mind. He doesn't know what to do; someone else is supposed to handle these matters.

As for Vanitas, he is a complete wreck in this chapter. XD I think Vanitas is the kind of character that likes to act like he's calm, collected, and definitely knows what he's doing. It's even easy for us, the readers, to think the same because he has the book, he has the powers, he knows all about vampires when even the vampire protagonist doesn't, so it would make sense.

But all of that ignores the fact that Vanitas has also shown some definite signs of being slightly unhinged in awkward social situations from the very start. How does he befriend Noé? He stalks him all across Paris. How does he react when Noé gets closer to understanding him? He draws a dagger at him and tells him to go away. Alternatively, he calls him a slur and tries to make him leave. How does he handle Dominique accusing him of loving VotBM? He goes on a full-blown rant in the middle of a vampiric ball and generally makes a fool of himself.

So, the fact that he's a complete mess when he realizes he has genuine affection for someone is actually a lot less surprising in this context. Vanitas is trying to be someone he isn't. In other words, all that pompous know-how is a complete facade. 8D

So, in line with him making a fool of himself at the ball, he proceeds to make a fool of himself in front of Orlok, Nox, and Manet and, frankly, Noé.

Manet understandably wasn't expecting this information, but what's more interesting is that it confirms the fact that Vanitas really hadn't told Noé a thing after Gévaudan. The fact that he has now snapped and is telling everyone in the whole room shows just how affected he was. But what's also interesting is that he only starts to talk about this when there are other people. He couldn't just tell Noé himself. Perhaps because he thinks Noé won't have any advice?

And this is the definition of oversharing. XD Even Noé looks like he's wondering what on earth Vanitas is saying.

Honestly, this is more the kind of awkward, wildly inappropriate confession I might expect from Noé except that Noé would have the sense to only say something like this to someone he trusts, like when he told Dominique he thought Vanitas's blood smelled good. Still not the most tactful thing, but a whole lot better than describing, in some detail, the torrid affair you're having to a room full of people you barely know. 8D

As a side note, this pretty much confirms what I was saying in my last meta: Vanitas didn't enjoy Jeanne drinking his blood previously, at least not all that much. This time he did, and that definitely shows a shift in their relationship. As for how all of that works, it could be because Jeanne is fonder of him as well. Perhaps a vampire's toxin is in tune with that kind of thing? Unfortunately, we just don't know enough at this point to say.

Regardless, it means that when Vanitas went on that long rant to Jeanne in chapter 12 about how great it felt when she drank his blood and how they were definitely compatible, was yet more lying. It's kind of, possibly, true now though, hence his freakout.

Anyway, Orlok and co. decided Vanitas's "emergency" really wasn't that much of an emergency and they were understandably kicked out. I like that they were apparently very careful with Murr and included some treats for him as well. They really do love that cat. Knowing what we kind of know about Murr now I have to wonder: is this some kind of elaborate manipulation...?

But Noé, apparently still taking Vanitas's malady very seriously despite all that weird stuff about Jeanne, is not content with being kicked out.

I suppose the point here is that, despite knowing what Vanitas said was improper, he still isn't quite catching the gravity of things, and he's still convinced Vanitas is dying rather than having an existential breakdown over love.

Meanwhile, Vanitas is walking around in a haze in Paris, thinking about Jeanne, her smile, and the promise he made her. We get a look at his face, and I think it actually gives some pretty solid insight into what he's thinking:

He clenches his fist, his face is flushed, and he looks worried, distressed. The problem here isn't just that he cares about someone and doesn't know how to deal with it. No, it's actually much worse than that: he cares about someone and he promised he'd kill her if she ever lost herself and Vanitas, cursed with a certain understanding of just how bad things can get, knows he might actually have to keep this promise, a promise he may now regret making.

So, he's flustered because he cares, frightened because he cares, but also terrified because he knows things can only go badly from here. And, more than anything else, he knows he might actually be in love.

It only makes sense he'd think of Noé's original question here. It's not just that Noé is the one who's been trying to figure all this out (not Vanitas), but Vanitas knows Noé is the reason he's gotten into this much "trouble" in the first place. Opening up, caring about people, making promises he might not be able to keep... He is definitely blaming Noé for all of that. I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a way of blaming Noé for his romantic entanglement as well, which may be the actual reason he's avoided talking to Noé: he blames him, but he's also supremely embarrassed.

And in the midst of all this confusion and pain who is added to the picture? None other than our one and only Roland!

I think that might be my favorite image of the whole chapter. XD

Earlier in this meta I mentioned that we almost learn more about Roland in this chapter than anyone else, and it's thanks to Vanitas's exchange with him that we do!

The first thing we learn about Roland is something we've already had inklings of in earlier chapters: he's far more tactful and calculative than he would have people believe. He refers to Vanitas as "Vincent" and says Olivier is his coworker. Immediately, he has established that, for one, he's very good with details. He remembers exactly how Vanitas introduced himself and Noé when they first met. Furthermore, he knows Vanitas likely doesn't want to get further entangled in chasseur affairs, so he lets him know that he isn't with a random friend: this is someone potentially dangerous to Vanitas.

Not that it does much good because Vanitas isn't exactly thinking clearly.

This one, singular statement from Olivier is surprisingly revealing! I'd had a headcanon that Roland has had past relationships and it turns out that is absolutely true. Apparently, Olivier not only knows about them, he doesn't care, provided Roland isn't out and about doing anything else. He doesn't say what, specifically, because Vanitas is there, but we already know he's worried about what Roland is doing with the chasseurs and whether he's going to betray the Church. Not so much because he thinks Roland is wrong, exactly, but because he doesn't want any trouble for himself.

These two have an odd relationship. XD Olivier clearly understands the way Roland is, accepts it even, but he draws the line at Roland dragging everyone else into his schemes, hence why he offered to buy Vanitas the coffee in the first place.

Anyway, Vanitas ignores all that because Olivier brought up the only subject he cares about and wants advice on: women.

This is my other favorite image from this chapter. His face is the perfect encapsulation of "What are you doing? I was just trying to get you out of trouble and now you're sitting down? You're going to stay?!" The fixed grin, the panic. This is a thing of beauty.

Naturally, things only get more awkward because that's just the trajectory Vanitas has set for himself in this chapter.

I also just want to point out that the smoking, the string of relationships, the casual dining, the flying, the actual job, all point to Roland being a fair amount older than Noé and Vanitas. Probably mid-20s about? I'm sure that he and Olivier are the same age, regardless, though potentially from different class backgrounds. Olivier is decked out in aristocratic garb and Roland is dressed for flying. That doesn't necessarily mean he's poorer, but the impression I get from him is that he's probably middle class at most. I think there was an extra that mentioned he supports his siblings? I'm not sure now.

Anyway, after those 15 minutes of awkward rambling, Vanitas finally gets around to the question he's been meaning to ask. Apparently, Roland knows all about it.

There's kind of a lot to cover in those three images. Roland has not only had past relationships, he's had several. Judging by Olivier's remark, they've all been remarkably short. One has to wonder if we're talking one-night-stand kind of short or it-lasted-for-a-week-before-my-preaching-became-too-much kind of short. Maybe Mochizuki will enlighten us someday. XD

But the most interesting thing is how hesitant Roland is to discuss Olivier's relationships and how Olivier doesn't even deign Vanitas's question with an answer. Yes, he's popular, but no, he's not going to talk about who he's with and neither is Roland. When Roland says "I'm one thing, but Olivier...?" it could mean a few things: he thinks it makes sense for himself to be "promiscuous" but the thought of Olivier being the same is impossible. Personally, I find this the most likely for now. Alternatively, it's one thing to casually discuss his own affairs, but gossiping about a friend goes against his code of honor and Vanitas is kind of asking a personal question. There is also a third possibility that Roland can't imagine Olivier with a woman. Olivier's popular, but he's not interested. Naturally, Roland wouldn't announce that to the world and it isn't particularly relevant to Vanitas's question anyway.

Whatever the reason, it subtly demonstrates how well the two know each other.

Vanitas finally gets to the heart of things, and it fits in with what I thought happened:

This really was the first time Vanitas saw Jeanne for who she was, as an actual person, and not just someone he can mess with. Before that particular moment, he truly knew nothing of Jeanne. Now, he's finally had a glimpse of her actual personality and it's incredibly genuine, forthright, and strong. Of course, now that he sees that, how can he not find her at least a little appealing? And how can he not now be forced to reckon with his past behavior? He was horrid, there's no getting around it. Regret isn't something Vanitas handles well along with, apparently, emotions in general. Hence his next dilemma:

And at long last, Noé is finally seeing what the problem actually is. He didn't piece it together at Orlok's, but he's now hearing it from Vanitas directly. It's no wonder Noé surreptitiously sits away so he can listen. This whole time he's been wanting Vanitas to explain things to him, not just about the cold, but about love as well.

Roland is trying to be helpful here but, let's be honest, Vanitas is dropping a lot on him out of the blue, so I think it's understandable that he's a little confused right now.

And we finally get to the heart of the whole thing: Vanitas thinks he's a disgusting person. Someone like Jeanne definitely shouldn't love him because the only kind of person who could love him is someone who is as awful as he is and he's now been confronted with the fact that maybe Jeanne isn't. There relationship has a ton of issues, don't get me wrong, but Vanitas isn't seeing that; he's seeing that Jeanne has been kind to him, seems to care about him, and that definitely isn't the kind of person who would love him. Not genuinely.

The whole thing gets even more confusing if we take into account that his decidedly romantic moment with Jeanne reminded him of VotBM. They weren't having a romantic moment, but the discussion of affection, of hugs, were directly intertwined. Until we know more about VotBM I can't say if she was motherly or if things were decidedly more questionable there, but Vanitas must have gotten his twisted ideas about relationships from someone. Did VotBM have a bad relationship with someone? Did his past trauma simply color everything else in his life?

Olivier and Roland are understandably concerned, but it's Noé here that really stands out. He's pieced something together about Vanitas and now understands him a little bit better. After each arc, he and Vanitas have had a small conversation that brings them closer, but so far they haven't had that in this particular arc. My guess is it will be in the next chapter or the one after (since this one was labeled "part 1") and the arc will be wrapped up for good. There is, genuinely, a lot of stuff they need to cover about Gévaudan, Vanitas's relationship with Jeanne, and what they're doing next. There's also the small matter of Noé's injuries....

So, these two are going to have a lot to cover and Roland knows that right now, what Vanitas needs, is someone to talk to that he properly trusts. I almost wonder if he timed his dramatic God speech just so Noé could chase after him to begin with.

This really reads as "Go to him, Gilbert" and that amuses me.

Roland knew Noé was there the whole time (he's observant as we've mentioned) and he knows he and Vanitas have a powerful bond. He himself was inspired so much by it he changed his views on vampires completely. So, logically, he knows Noé needs to talk to Vanitas.

But Roland's motivations are still a bit harder to describe.

This much makes sense. The fact that he's had a string of lovers and doesn't seem particularly dejected by his constant breakups makes it obvious he wasn't particularly attached to any of them. He speaks about love as if he knows what it is, but he's never been that invested in a person to our knowledge. The only person we've seen him spend any length of time with is Olivier and they have a complicated relationship at best. Are we to assume he at least has an attachment to him? He threatened him before, but he also seems fond of him, and Olivier at least seems comfortable around Roland in turn.

And yet, Roland speaks of attachment as if it's a foreign thing to him. We know he has family, we know he has Olivier, he even has God, but like Olivier said: he believes in himself as a follower of God more than God Himself. Perhaps it's best said that the only thing we really know about Roland is that he's confident in himself, his own morals and beliefs.

And I think that's how Vanitas fits into Roland's worldview to a certain extent. Vanitas is a project of sorts: Roland wants to save him, very much in the religious and physical sense, and he knows Vanitas is in danger every day at least physically. Perhaps he worries for his soul as well, not necessarily that he's going to Hell, but that he has lost himself and could "shatter" at any moment.

Oddly, Noé isn't brought up in this conversation whatsoever even though the person Roland showers with blatant affection is Noé, not Vanitas. This could very likely be because he knows Vanitas isn't receptive to that kind of thing; it's a tactic that works great with Noé, but definitely not with his companion and Roland is above all a calculative person.

And that's all I've got for now! I do like that Roland and Olivier dropped their serious conversation about an actual Vampire Eradication Unit to deal with Vanitas's love life. That's pretty supportive. XD Also, there's a Vampire Eradication Unit that Gano is a part of and if that isn't one of the main plot points of the next arc it will be soon enough.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing how Jeanne handled things. It looks like she's done at least moderately better than Vanitas, but most people would. XD

[panvani]

I would love some Leo thoughts, if you dont mind! <3

How I feel about this character

REALLY FUCKING FUNNY. MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DOOMER OTAKU PROPHET MASTER WHO TAKES PLEASURE IN WATCHING ME GAMBLE MY LIFE’S SAVINGS FOR A GACHA JPG

Ultimately I have less to say abt most of the child characters in PH but there’s a lot to say abt how Leo relates to Glen as an entity... the thing is Lacie Knew that in order for society to be restructured to no longer isolate Abyss/to end the oppression of the Children of Ill Omen Glen would need to incarnate without being directly cursed by Jury... meaning that she knew her brother would need to be killed/the Baskervilles destroyed..................... but that’s about Lacie

Mostly he was a traumatized child who was WAY in over his head and like Vincent unreasonably believed that it would be better for his loved ones to have never met him at all than to suffer his existence. Which is why their relationship is so important lol (and why I’m honestly more invested in Vincent and Leo’s relationship than Leo and Elliot’s... we love it when characters are foils)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Elliot tho I’m not really an ElliLeo person I think ultimately the point w their relationship was that Leo’s complete inability to function without Elliot around was... a problem. And actually this is something I can talk about in my controversial opinions section

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I used to not care about Vincent and Leo’s relationship much but now I think about it a lot it’s so so so good that they’re friends who love each other very much it is literally the funniest shit ever

Their relationship reminds me of Oz and Echo’s in a lot of ways in that they both felt as though they were in the same boat except in this case the two of them made an agreement to actively hack at the base of the ship while it was in the open ocean. Their relationship is Leo going hey wait if we keep doing this Vincent is going to die and I kind of love him actually and this would suck

It’s actually ultimately all words to VINCENT that gets through to Leo, ironically, because he understands Vincent as someone very similar to himself. And while none of these things really got through to Vincent because he finds himself to be fundamentally unworthy of existence it got through to Leo because it allowed him to recontextualize his feelings to be about someone else who he genuinely cared about. It’s good I’ve been thinking abt them a lot recently

My unpopular opinion about this character

ElliLeo is not a bad ship if you ship it that is fine I think it was the least evil outcome for being by far the most popular PH ship. However a LOT of ElliLeo stuff romanticizes Leo’s obsession and emotional dependency on Elliot despite Leo’s arc being about learning to actually see value in his own life outside of his worth to others.

That also comes back to the Glen thing (you see it most strongly in Gil) because the whole process is to convince the person in question they shouldn’t be allowed agency or allowed to want things for themselves. They’re all very deliberately taught that they have no worth outside of their “Master” (when first taught this it’s Glen [as the mouthpiece of the Jury] but the clear implication is that it eventually switches to the Jury itself) because it’s easy to continue the self destructive, oppressive structures Glen is made to enforce if Glen feels he has no power to end them. This feeling still exists without the Jury’s direct intervention, though, because of how being Glen also attracts misfortune to one’s person. Leo sooner convinced himself he was insane than start meaningful conflict with Elliot because he felt he had no place as an active participant in his reality.

And then there’s the whole matter of Leo’s feelings for Elliot being compared to Vincent’s feelings for Gil ad NO. LEO’S FEELINGS FOR ELLIOT WERE NOT UNHEALTHY ON THE LEVEL THAT VINCENT’S FEELINGS FOR GIL WERE, but the point being made on the whole is that obsession with another person without any sort of self worth is analogous to suicide. Ultimately, Leo’s love for Elliot came from a genuine respect and admiration for him as a person, and I don’t want to imply that it’s on the level of Vincent’s feelings for Gil, which are themselves an act of self harm. It’s just... the very obvious conclusion trying to be communicated is that Leo’s obsession with Elliot after his death was unhealthy and self destructive.

Elliot and Leo’s relationship definitely wasn’t inherently unhealthy. It was built on mutual respect and admiration and a desire to see the other and be treated as an equal. I just really hate the way the fandom romanticizes Leo’s dependence on Elliot when it’s something the narrative very deliberately condemns.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Wish Leo and Vincent had been shown to actually interact a few more times than they were because their relationship is incredibly important to the both of them but they get like 3 really really intense conversations and nothing else

[samrosemodblog]

I already know the sexuality headcanons for the Dazzlings, Sci-Twi and Sunset in AA, but what are your sexuality headcanons for the other EQG characters?

I mean, usually if I don’t have any particular headcanon for anyone’s sexuality, I pretty much default to them being bi/pan. It just makes it a lot easier in the long run for me if the characters are flexible either for shipping or porn. No real need to have gender or sexuality politics with any fictional character if everything is a-ok from the beginning.

That being said, even as a non-cis-het person myself, I recognize that the vast majority of people around me either ARE Cishet, or lean strongly that way even if they have some interest in others of the same gender/sex. 

For instance, I considered myself straight for the longest time because I had no interest in Men, long before I knew about being Bi-Gender. However, I did eventually find two different men who I was like “Oh, you know what? Dating these two is actually a semi-attractive proposition. I’m still not like, super-sexually attracted to them, but romantically? Hell yeah!” And even then, with me currently dating both 1 girl and 1 guy respectively, I wouldn’t call myself traditionally attracted to Men, and for most people that would generally translate to as ‘Still straight but with an exception’.

So really, I don’t do a whole lot of “Oh this person is straight, this person is gay, they’re trans, etc etc” like I know a lot of people around me who are also LGBT do, I just tend to go with what feels right.

The idea of locking a character out from being shipped/together with another person because of gender or sexuality doesn’t really gel with me, simply because, well, the internet is the internet and they’ll do whatever they want anyway, but also just that, doing so limits story telling and fandom potential. Why limit characters to something so arbitrary?

Usually because it’s more relatable to the individual who is doing so, but as I said, that’s not really how I flow.

But I suppose this isn’t really an answer to the question. So to give a more ‘definitive’ answer for you on how I feel, here’s what I would headcanon for the other Main 7, plus whoever else crops up in my head:

Pinkie Pie I would generally be openly Pan. Gender or sexuality don’t matter to her as long as she can make you happy. Also the most likely to have an open relationship and see sex as fun and something to celebrate, not shun or be shamed of. Sex to her would not lessen a woman’s ‘value’.

Rarity would probably be my ‘Straight girl with an Exception’ clause. She’s the one seen to be the MOST boy crazy, and I don’t think it’s because ‘She’s confused/conditioned’ or anything like that. I think she genuinely loves boys and would happily have taken a partner. Especially in EQG though, I think Applejack would be her exception. The one girl she’s like “Oh heavens yes I would totally date her!” 

Rainbow Dash is probably Bi, but leans more heavily towards girls. Its easy to look at her having the pride flag for hair and think she’s the gayest character to ever gay, but honestly I really could see her going either way. For Rainbow Dash, I find it more a matter of finding someone either compatible, or a balancing foil to her. Someone has to make sure Rainbow’s not hurting herself in a way that also doesn’t annoy or upset her.

Fluttershy is the one I would likely make the most traditionally lesbian, if for no other reason than to ensure the FlutterDash shipping. Funnily enough though, it definitely feels like Fluttershy has the MOST straight ships of any of the main girls, and here I am doing the opposite. I guess most people just see her quiet, shy nature as being the most likely to be the ‘traditional home maker’ and as such would have a working husband while she takes care of the home. Straight definitely works for her, but FlutterDash is my 4ever OTP, so yeah, I would go this route personally.

Applejack is interesting as I think it changes depending on the universe. MLP, she’s absolutely straight in my book, and looking for a hard working man that would work beside her on the farm for the rest of her life and make sure the next generation of Apple Family is just as large as her family was. In EQG, I would also make her ‘Straight with an Exception’, that exception being Rarity. There’s less to tie AJ down to the traditional farm life and requiring her to build up a family, so it just feels a lot more natural that way.

Starlight Glimmer I would classify Demisexual. No clear attraction to either side, but if you form a close knit bond with her, she’s much more likely to feel romantic and sexual attraction to her. This is what would say make StarTrix work better than StarBurst, since it was shown just how MUCH Starlight and Sunburst had drifted apart over the years.

Trixie ...Honestly I feel like Trixie would best fit the flamboyant lesbian more than anyone lol. Like she is surprisingly shy and private in her down time, but for an audience she’s always putting on a show, being axtravagent, and she would absolutely be the kind of person to paint her cutie mark on her lovers face for a show to tell the audience ‘By the way, she’s mine so back off’. 

Mind you, in SSD Sunset is a pure Lesbian with SciTwi being Bi, and in my own headcanons Sunset is Bi as hell, and SciTwi would likely just be straight lol. Princess Twilight is the one I would more likely have be Bi/Pan and make the duplicates be varied greatly for that.

So I hope that answers the question, and also explains how none of these ‘answers’ are strict or definitive. Ship whoever you want, make them any gender/sexuality you want, because fan content is all about making content that YOU want to see and YOU relate to! There are very few ways to do that wrong, and almost all of them involve hurting real people.

[glamrockqueen]

incoherently written music history #1: billie eilish is the gen z taylor swift and here’s why

don’t laugh at me for making my first history rambling start from 2006 okay i promise i’ll be taking these further back eventually

this particular claim was made in a conversation i had with a friend a few weeks ago and i figured what better way to start off my new tumblr experience right

these pictures of almost identical scenes were taken almost exactly ten years apart. how did both of these ladies become mega-stars and redefine their respective genres as teenagers and what do they have in common? let’s discuss.

for starters, female singer-songwriters are not a new phenomenon. alanis morissette, tori amos, annie lennox, kate bush, the list goes on. so why were taylor and billie good representatives of the late 00s and late 10s respectively?

taylor swift released her self-titled debut album in 2006 as a country singer/songwriter at the age of 16 which is pretty impressive! and billie eilish released her debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? last year in 2019 at the age of 17.

although there are plenty of young singers/songwriters, not many of them can reach this level of success. and at first glance (just look at the covers of taylor’s lover and billie’s album, for example) they seem like opposites. but they actually have quite a bit in common!

both started their careers with an audience that is primarily composed of young girls

both wrote or cowrote the songs on their albums

both perfectly capture the mood of the time periods in which they became popular

while taylor debuted in 2006, in my opinion, she didn’t become a superstar until the release of fearless in 2008. considering this was now 12-14 years ago, the process of becoming a superstar was different than it was just last year. taylor was originally signed as a songwriter with sony/atv (the youngest EVER to do so at age 14) and literally built the big machine label with her success when she signed with them. with the rise of streaming and widespread usage of the internet for listening to music (which didn’t exist in 2006-2008 when all music was individually purchased), billie entered the public eye when she released ocean eyes on soundcloud and rose to megastardom within a few years, with a pretty astonishing speed. the picture of taylor swift with her grammys was taken in 2010, a full four years after her debut album was released while billie won all those awards for her debut album in the same year it was released. the rise of such platforms can certainly accelerate the path to superstardom, and it certainly did in this case.

the important note here is that for both, the audience heavily relates to the emotions in the music and the authenticity of the songwriting. taylor’s music suits the early 00s and the young millennials/zillennials well. in the mid to late 2000s, music was upbeat. pop punk and emo pop/rock like fall out boy, panic! at the disco, and my chemical romance were at their peak (just remember early tumblr), and a lot of pop and pop adjacent music was generally happy and fast paced. taylor brought country music to the previously untapped market of teenage girls (and eventually other young female country singers like kacey musgraves, kelsea ballerini, maren morris, etc became popular, almost certainly because taylor proved young women could be successful in the genre) even as she transitioned into a pop artist. she succeeded as a teenage girl in an extremely male dominated genre (in fact, to this day, many country stations are not allowed to play two songs by female artists in a row).

taylor’s greatest strength is still considered to be her songwriting, and many of her lyrics are second to none in terms of modern mainstream artists. her fans appreciate the vulnerability and pure emotion of songs like all too well and dear john, even though they’re generally less well known than many of her hits. even through multiple genre shifts, her storytelling still shines through and feels authentic even if occasionally interspersed with more lighthearted moments like me! or we are never ever getting back together. in fact, the recent folklore album appears to be a return to the very thing that brought her to prominence in the first place, with its focus on lyrics and real instrumentation rather than her recent more synth-heavy pop sound.

people related to her music because it felt like they were getting a glimpse into her diary, and that authenticity wasn’t necessarily present in pop music at the time. she appealed to the hopeless romantics (especially during the fearless and speak now eras) and was definitely relatable to the teenage girls of the 00s. taylor captured the hope and heartbreak of teenagers in such an elegant way, and many of her fans still feel closely connected to her and have a sense of “growing up with her”, even if they’ve never met her in person because of the evolution of her persona and storytelling (and also her former use of tumblr). her songwriting talents are what initially drew fans to her and why she has a such a loyal base of fans even fourteen years after the release of her first music.

however, things are different now than they were even ten years ago. young people are sad and angry and billie captures these emotions in her music. today’s teenagers are not interested in sparkles and ball gowns or sundresses and cowboy boots, but would rather wear oversized tshirts/hoodies and march in protests. they were looking for someone who dresses uniquely and who takes pride in being different. it’s clear to see even through gen z humour that happiness is generally a thing of the past. pop music has gotten slower, more melancholy, more indie-oriented, and hip hop/rap and edm-inspired music is currently topping the charts rather than bubbly pop or rock. billie represents and possibly started the trend of “bedroom pop” (as her album was quite literally recorded in a bedroom) and its more relaxed, lofi sound. with this in mind, taylor has been and continues to be a master of trends and versatility, including releasing the 1989 album before retro nostalgia became popular, as well as including elements of every conceivable genre, including hip hop (throughout all of reputation), pop punk (paper rings is essentially a pop punk song, and i will defend this claim), rock, indie, and even folk and funk in her music. 

this shift almost resembles the way punk and grunge were rejections of mainstream rock at the time; people are looking for something new and “fresh”, and for many young gen z girls, that took the form of billie eilish, since she captures the emotions they’re feeling just like taylor did for millennials. in fact, billie can almost be seen as the punk to taylor’s classic rock. the way billie can speak to this audience is remarkably similar to the way taylor spoke to the underserved market of teenage girls who like country music and fairytale romances (and reminiscent of early rock’s roots in genres that were neglected by mainstream pop radio at the time until being succeeded by activist punk music that rejected the theatrics and fancy production of 70s rock in favour of a DIY ethos). both were appropriate for their target audience.

in short, taylor’s brand wouldn’t have worked in 2019 and billie’s brand likely wouldn’t have worked in 2006, but they suit the atmosphere of their actual time periods. we can no more expect a star of the 00s to represent the teenagers of the current era any more than we can expect a star of the 80s to do the same. however, their popularity comes from the same sort of energy - young people wanting something outside of the contemporary mainstream that feels new and expresses the emotions they may not have been able to express themselves. while taylor represents teenage dreams, billie represents teenage rebellion and loneliness.

in addition, both have been politically active, as well as advocating for change in the music industry. taylor has a long history of fighting for artists’ rights, including not releasing her music to apple music until they agreed to pay artists during the three month trial period, the feud with spotify, and now her struggle to gain control of the masters for her first six albums. she has also expressed support for democratic politicians and social movements like black lives matter, despite people close to her expressing concerns that it would cause damage to her image or career. billie has also been vocal in supporting progressive causes, which again shows that she is a perfect representative of gen z stardom as young fans expect the celebrities they support to use their platform to speak about important issues.

the most important thing that links these two artists together is the impression of being genuine and relatable, especially for an audience of young women who feel as if their voices have not been heard or are not valued by the mainstream. another interesting note is that fans of both artists are/were mocked for being fans, which is almost certainly rooted in misogyny and the dismissal/trivialization of things that are enjoyed by teenage girls. neither of them are taken as seriously as they deserve to be.

for years, taylor’s music was generalized as only being about her ex boyfriends, and that opinion is still widespread, despite the fact she has incredible songs that weren’t written about romantic relationships. since the beginning, taylor and her fans have been relentlessly mocked and dismissed. taylor was bullied online to such an extent in 2016 that she disappeared from the public eye and released the reputation album in order to take back the narrative after being accused of lying and being a “snake” even though it was later shown that she had, in fact, been truthful about the situation. billie’s fans have also been mocked in the past, even though both artists have been revolutionizing pop music and will likely continue doing so. they have also expressed their strong support for each other in the past!

it’s truly past time that people recognize the power of young women to change the music industry and society as a whole. taylor and billie are good examples of a constantly changing music scene, and how the “faces” of music can be drastically different depending on generations and the demands of society and the industry. taylor and billie are both trailblazing trendsetters who have successfully tapped into the unique energy of youth in their own ways, and the way they seem almost like night and day shows just how different millennials and gen z are as teenagers.

[ziracona]

reading your tags on my ask makes me feel super sad for Kate now :(((( idk why exactly but I always felt like she was best friends with David and Laurie and I loved that idea of the fighters being besties, cause none of them are super hardcore people but actually really sweet and compassionate now I really want something for Kate to make her end a happier one :c (though I was glad she didn't end up in a relationship especially cause she was The Hot One) (1/2)

Ah—I didn’t mean to do that—I mean I feel bad for Kate myself, but I don’t mean to make her outcome sound dismal. I think she’s very definitively headed in a good direction at the end of ILM, just she has much less kind of...reached that specific place? Than any of the others. And she absolutely is best friends with David and Laurie! I’m glad you got the sense—she definitely was/is. Just, Laurie isn’t a very demonstrative person, and David isn’t either in the way that say, Meg is, and Kate’s family and her friends growing up were too, and Kate herself would be a very present and demonstratively affectionate person, so she’s actually dear and incredibly valuable to David and Laurie (to the point I wouldn’t even be surprised if a few years post-fic the three of them became a poly relationship or something), just they are similar in ways they show friendship and can absorb it, and very different from Kate, so she doesn’t realize she’s as important to them as she is. Which is sad. Because while she thinks she’s just kind of a friend but not an important one to most of them, she’s actually way more valued than she knows. The poor fool just has always been around (and is herself) the most demonstratively loving & affectionate and extroverted/present people, and straight up can’t tell. 😔 Tbh, I think Jake considers her one of his closest friends too, after like Dwight, Meg, Nea, Claudette, and Ace, it’s probably Kate (or maybe Kate & Adam, now that they live in the same house as Adam 24/7). Kate, David, and Laurie are very, very different people in how they show their core traits, but very very similar in what those traits are, so they definitely did gravitate together and are/were best friends. David went with Laurie to Haddonfield to keep her safe, and Laurie spent a ton of time with just Michael even though he was just across the street—not because he lost value to her, but because the order things had to be done was help Michael first, everything else second. I think/hope it’s evident from her solo sections before she’s hanging out with David again that she wants to and cares about him, and from David’s that Kate is someone he specifically misses, worries about, and considers a kindred soul/the person who most understands him.

Just the way they are by nature, David and Laurie read their affection easier even though it’s more understated and understood than spoken and shown in a constant way, and my poor girl Kate just doesn’t know. And so she doesn’t think she is important in the same way, and tries to be okay with it. David and Laurie wouldn’t like, ever pick up on this, because they (like most people) would expect others pick up cues they would, and Kate wouldn’t tell them because to her that would be like, “Hey Laurie it makes me sad that I’m not as important to you as you are to me,” and terrible and being a bad friend and Kate would never do that. Would be way more understanding than that, and is willing to love people more than they love her be you can’t control if people love you, but that doesn’t make your devotion to them invaluable—which is an incredibly kind and good thing about her. Together the lack of noticing and lack of talking could present a huge problem, but they’ve got like 90 friends and Kate will eventually tell someone, and even if it’s someone with as little context as Joey, that person will talk to her friends, and things will sort out. I truly think she can only be fine after a while post-fic, even if she’s the most rough off at its end by far, because people will find out she can’t tell how they feel, and when they do, they will make sure that changes. (Poor bitch got Laurie [trauma afraid to like anyone dead inside trying to learn to live again], David [I will protect people first & foremost & can’t wait to see my mates again : ( but I’m sure it’ll be great when I do—they know I care : ) and I know they do : )], Jake [if I express vulnerability or too much attachment to another human being I will die], Quentin [im dealing with so much trauma and 16 people want my time every day and if you don’t call me I will never call you bc I will pass out on my bed not bc I don’t care but bc my head is a depression pit trying to fix and it holds 0 storage not being actively called upon by an outside force I’m so sorry I suck im trying I’m trying TnT when do I get to be better again?], and Meg [i am insecure and think other people will always get tired of me, so if I’m not feeling pretty damn assured, I will assume I’m not as important to you as you are to me and be sad about it and worry and try to figure out next steps, probably overthink, and mess up :’-] ] as her best friends. But they’ll work it out once someone has the damn sense to just fkn communicate.

So don’t worry too much about Kate! I feel really bad for her because her whole kind of worldview crisis is rough and she’s going through a lot while feeling very alone, and her feelings are rough to deal with, but she is super valued by her best friends, and I’m not sure how fast it will happen, but someone will talk to her eventually and then people will fix the lack of communication and she will be okay. Might take a while to convince, but she will get there. (Also yeah—if Kate ever dates someone it’ll be a few years post-fic at least & not bc she’s the hot one, but bc somebody just really loves her & she loves them back, and they decide a romantic relationship is what they want that to look like : )

[savrenim]

What's the red blue gold system?

the red/blue/gold system was this old old system that my fiance came up with when she was originally thinking about alternate forms of relationships and polyamory and how it fit into her own life. she has since moved to more refined systems that work better for her needs in her life but I have always always loved the red blue gold system and so have stolen it and use it forever 

(and I also love so much that no matter what systems she’s moved to, we’re golds, she adds gold to her system and she always still calls me her gold and I still call her my gold, because a gold is a promise that you always keep)

essentially, the red/blue/gold system is kind of a….way to break down both romantic priorities as well as what people are fundamentally getting from a potential romantic situation? there are three different relationship types. they are all, within the system, considered equally valid and equally important and prioritized, that’s going to be the refrain. and this kind of….as an ideal, I ask you to imagine this system as how a whole society approaches relationships and not one lone polyamorous person making boxes type deal, because what makes the red/ blue/ gold system work isn’t the boxes, they’re pretty banal boxes when you break it down, it’s the values that come with it of thinking about what sort of things you would respect and cherish and how you would prioritize things if hey this was the norm instead

your red is someone that you connect with on a physical level. this can be straight-up physical attraction, chemistry, and sex. this can also just be a really good dance partner, a really good sparring partner, someone that you have deep built up physical trust with, a cuddle bud, someone you like to touch. reds are generally considered a fairly personal thing, but they’re not taboo or an embarrassment for other people to know whatsoever, it’s just your own business. and while re deep-seated physical trust that is a deep bond that can take years to build and lasts forever type deal, reds are also the relationships that usually flare the fastest and then flare out the fastest.

(I think that’s maybe what I love the most about red – of red, blue, and gold, red are kind of the most temporary. their passion burns the brightest and then it burns out, and they are considered just as important and just as valid as the other relationships, but there’s also no attempt to force that flare to last longer than it lasts. the fact that something is finite is equally valid, it doesn’t take away from the relationship and it doesn’t take away from the relationship’s importance. something doesn’t have to be forever to matter. it can matter so much and be gone tomorrow and that won’t invalidate how much it mattered today. I kind of think that’s one of the most unhealthy things about modern relationships, every single relationship in your life has to be forever for it to matter and the ones that don’t stay must not have mattered and that’s just…too much. I dunno. the hardest thing of some of my teenage to adult years was drifting away from certain people and realizing the things and people that were the most important to me weren’t as relevant to the me I’d become anymore but that doesn’t make them any less important to who I was and that all of the people that I love more than anything in the world right now I can hold on to them as much as I want because I love them but some of them will go, I don’t have to be afraid if they go, they can go, people come and go and change and the world changes and that doesn’t make my love matter any less. and, like, as someone who is asexual, that is what red means to me, and why it is so important to me for it to be in the system even though I don’t much ever have a personal use for a red – it’s that understanding of the global picture, love means what it means even when it isn’t meant to last.)

your blue is someone that you connect with on an emotional and intellectual level. they’re the person that you’re excited to share your projects with, can talk for hours about your hyperfixations or stories or emotions or anything, they’re the person that you call for advice, they’re the person who would be there helping you hide the body, they’re honestly kind of just a “best friend” if best friend were given the emotional significance of a romantic partner in society and the “best” bit weren’t really limited to one. and blues are kind of where all my emotions lie, like…..there are a solid, uuuh, five? maybe six? people that I certainly love in a blue way and, like, I would die for my friends but also I would make long-term commitments for them. I would write a novel with them.  I would strongly consider where I am living and taking a job because I care about being around them. I spend all of my free time talking with them, or making things with them, or caring deeply about the things that they are making, I want to protect them and the things that they care about, I want to be a part of what they create, and that’s…. that’s kind of what blue means to me? every single way that you can find to tell your friends you are just as important to me as anyone or anything else, you are someone that I want in my life forever, I’m going to make things with you that I can keep with me forever and even when you’re gone I’ll remember you and love you and if you’ll come back I’ll be here, the years we spent as friends have built me as who I am as a person and I like to think that I’ve seen you grow and change to and no matter what happens, I will always owe you all the tears I’ve cried on your shoulder, all the dumb advice that you’ve given me at two in the morning, all the diner runs and places you’ve shown me and the places that were important to me that I got to show you and the things that we’ve taught each other and the hugs and the dumb memes and the inside jokes and you know me as well as I know myself and for as long as you know me, for as long as you are you and I am me – and I know, I know that may not be forever, but I still love you – I still love you, and you are my blue. 

(because after all, friends leave too sometimes. that doesn’t make the friendship any less important. no one has to stay, it’s not about needing people to stay, it’s about loving what you have and building what you have without needing to grasp and choke it, this is enough, I love you and I love what I have with you and it is enough, god I wish we lived in a world where I could tell my friends just how much I loved them and they would know what I meant, that’s what blue means to me: that when I tell my friends I love them, they know what I mean) 

and gold is a promise that you always keep

a gold is an alliance, a political alliance, it’s like it was almost written perfectly for the setting that grew around this whole system that there is now maybe like a ~15 book series that I gotta write, but gold is an ancient pillar of a high fantasy world that happened when both me and my fiance went “what if instead of going uuurgh we wished marriage could mean what it meant for princesses and nobles and take on that weight” we realized that hey, it could, if it was between the two of us. gold is a promise between nobility, a joining of names, of fates, of public image. it’s good and nice to love your gold, but it’s better nicer to like them to trust them and work well with them, you pick your gold pragmatically because after any sort of emotional affection ebbs and wanes, once a goldbond has been made, it is forvever: forever in the eyes of fate, your names are one; forever in the eyes of the public, your crowning achievements and your greatest failures are one; to take a gold is to take someone in to that which you are known to the world, and so it is now you against the world – your gold is the single person that you always know you can rely on, because they can no more easily betray you than they can betray themselves. they are the single person who will always be there, not because they cannot run away, but because wherever they go they take your name with them.

a gold relationship lasts forever because it is a conscious choice, at the start of the relationship, to make something that cannot be broken. it is a political maneuver, one that can only be done once and never undone. your gold isn’t the one that you’re having sex with. they’re maybe not the person that you trust with your inner thoughts and emotions all the time, or talk with the most, or spend time with the most. you might not live with them. that doesn’t matter. they are your gold and in times when you need one another, you work together as one.

because there is something to be said for stability, there is something to be said for the faith of having something in your life and knowing that it’s going to be there tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and the day after that day and that it’s okay if you change and if they change because you made the choice to keep this here through changes, keep this no matter what, we’ve got each other’s backs when we need it, that beyond attraction, beyond love, there is choice. choice is what makes a gold, what imbues it with the power of a reliability beyond love, a gold is built. 

and they’re all equally important – red, blue, gold. none is better than the other, none means more than the other, just different, different needs, different time frames, different ways of connecting, different goals. and they make sense for me and what I want in my life and are kind of the best way of trying to explain how I see love, so I keep it around, the good red/blue/gold system, even though I’m pretty sure I’m literally the only person on the planet who uses it

[septic-dr-schneep]

JSE Profile - Jackieboy Man

VITALS

Name: Jackie Benson McLoughlin

Aliases: Jackieboy Man

Gender: Male

Birthdate: July 10, 2016

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Straight

Relationship: None

 Hair: Green-Brown

Eyes: Blue (Silver when using powers)

Height: 6 ft.

Weight: Approx. 185 lbs.

Build: Taller and more well-toned than the rest of them; his muscles are clearly more defined than theirs but occasionally he’ll have a little bit of chub around the stomach because of all the sugary foods he loves

Languages: English, intermediate German, sign language, multiple codes

 PERSONALITY

Jackie is a dedicated, sacrificial leader who would lay down his life for his family in a heartbeat. He values fairness and is a skilled peacekeeper and negotiator. At his best he’s warm and loyal, energetic, playful and passionate. At his worst he’s stubborn, overbearing and single-minded, taking far too much responsibility on himself. He might abuse his authority at times if he thinks it will keep the others safe.

Powers:

- Flight

- Superhuman strength

- Superhuman speed

- Superior agility

- Enhanced hearing

- X-ray vision

- Hacking/Coding Skills

 RELATIONSHIPS

Jack: His “father”. Jackie knows Jack may not like to be thought of that way, but he thinks it regardless. He has endless respect for everything Jack has accomplished and the way he leads. Now, he entirely blames himself for Jack’s coma. He can rarely ever bring himself to visit his hospital bed; the guilt breaks his heart.

Antisepticeye: Jackie doesn’t truly hate anyone except Anti. When Jackie was first born, he naively tried to get close to him, thinking that he could be redeemed with a positive influence. Now that he’s seen everything Anti has done, Jackie doesn’t hold any hope for him. He’s accepted that one day he’ll have to kill him (He secretly fears that day.)

Marvin: His trusted confidant and “lieutenant” of sorts. Marvin was born when Jackie was drowning in loneliness; he was a bit overenthusiastic when showing his affection for Marvin but eventually they settled into a warm, solemn understanding of each other. Marvin is the one he confides his stresses and fears in when he doesn’t want to burden the others. Jackie considers him an equal; if anything ever happened to him, he trusts Marvin to lead in his place.

Schneep: His platonic soulmate, in every sense of the word. Jackie would completely fall apart without him. He knows Henrik better than Henrik knows himself and nine times out of ten can tell exactly what he needs in the moment. He has unshakeable faith, admiration and gratitude for him (and guilt for relying on him too much sometimes). Henrik has been the one treated to most of Jackie’s tender and intimate moments.

Chase: His heart and moral compass. Chase keeps Jackie grounded and can lift his spirits from almost anything, sometimes without even knowing it. They act like the quintessential brothers when they’re together, teasing and roughhousing. Jackie feels a lot of responsibility to set an example for him. When he’s checking himself and his priorities, one of his first thoughts is that Chase needs someone worthy to look up to.

Jameson: His honorary sidekick-in-training. While they had a shaky start to their relationship, Jackie has come to be very protective of him. He is proud of how far Jameson has come in learning to take care of himself but always quietly worries that it won’t be enough. He’s been Jameson’s main source of education and warning on the threats they face, especially Anti.

The Community: He loves the community, but it’s a bittersweet, pained love. He finds it hard to interact with us, given that we’ve shown very little trust in him or the others and there’s a large portion of puppets who don’t understand or don’t care that they’re being used to hurt him and his family.

FUN FACTS:

- He can’t sing very well but he’s a pretty great dancer (pole dancing included)

- He can fall asleep almost anywhere – and he snores. It’s loud and obnoxious but the others forgive him because he works so hard; he deserves the sleep. Unfortunately he has more nightmares than he’d care to admit

- When he gets angry, he simmers quietly but you can see it in his eyes. He knows that he scares the others when he’s angry, so he tries to get away from the situation to cool down. If he’s kept there too long he’ll bark at them to back off. He’s only screamed at them once or twice

- He needs glasses and/or contacts but refuses to wear them. His mask has vision enhancements built into it, so he wears his mask 90% of the time. When he’s out of costume and in the view of civilians, he just lets his vision be blurry

- He cannot hold his liquor in the slightest. When he gets drunk, he becomes a loud, dramatic emotional mess who weeps over the others to let them know he loves them

- There is a ton of knockoff Jackieboy merchandise circulating through the city. Jackie is pretty embarrassed about it so naturally the others buy as much as they can to wear and tease him about

- He tolerates way more ogling and groping and sexual harassment than he ever should, especially during photoshoots and “meet-and-greets” with citizens

- That being said, he has no sense of his brothers’ personal space. He is constantly touching, hugging, carrying and cuddling them – not just to show his affection but as a subconscious way of reassuring himself that they’re near him and they’re safe

- He’s the only one who always calls Schneep by his first name

- He had a brief stint with a girlfriend who was a writer. Of course it wasn’t long before he learned that she was a writer for the newspaper and Marvin and Henrik warned him to break it off fast before she deduced his identity

- Some of his biggest fears are weakness, inadequacy, being used, thunderstorms, and dentists

- He has killed at least eight people, some of them by accident, but he feels some measure of guilt for each one regardless of how evil they were

 TIMELINE

- Born on July 10, 2016 and met Jack shortly after

- Jack taught him about the world / helped him discover and hone his powers

- Relocated to the city Jack created for him to live in and protect, Elvery Heights

- First meeting / First attack by Anti

- Spent several years (in Ego time) gaining the city’s trust and establishing himself as a hero, while struggling with immense feelings of loneliness and isolation

- Marvin was born. Jackie did everything he could to help him build his identity but there were still things he couldn’t/wouldn’t trust him with, such as his injuries

- Another attack by Anti left him critically wounded / Schneep was born. They became really close over the course of his recovery and later Jackie tutored him in English

- Served as the best man at Henrik’s wedding

- When Henrik isolated himself after his divorce, Jackie self-medicated and developed an addiction to his painkillers

- Lost Marvin’s and Henrik’s trust

- Chase was born / Jackie rehabilitated and reconciled with the others

- Served as a groomsman in Chase’s wedding / Often played with and babysat his kids

- Rushed Chase to Henrik for surgery after his suicide attempt / Served as the first and strongest advocate to get Chase into therapy

- Anti’s Halloween attack on Jack (Say Goodbye)

- Jackie and Henrik began feeling/researching the effects (nausea, headaches, phantom pains, irrational paranoia about each other’s safety) of their unexpected soul bond

- Arrived too late to save Henrik from Anti’s August attack (Kill Jacksepticeye) / Found and stabilized Jack, who was in critical condition. Jack lapsed into a coma

- Physically and emotionally deteriorated at alarming rates over Henrik’s nine-month absence. He essentially resigned his duty as a hero and spent most of his time scouring the city for Anti

- Jameson was born. Jackie wanted nothing to do with him, thinking he was a puppet/distraction from finding Henrik but eventually Jameson managed to earn his trust and friendship

- Henrik returned and he and Jackie began recovering together, even while utilizing some less-than-healthy methods

- Jackie was put under mind control by a supervillain / attacked Henrik during a treatment

- Isolated himself from the others for fear of hurting them again / was captured and corrupted by Shawn Flynn. He was debased to an ink creature/guard dog and lost any concept of who he was 

- Detoxed for three days after the others found him and then recovered for an additional week

- Two or three months of relative peace

- In Time Of Need 

- Has since been hidden away. His location is unknown

[esaliuram]

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME.   juvia lockser NICKNAME / ALIAS.  juvi, the rain woman. GENDER. female HEIGHT.    5′5 AGE.   18 / 19 ZODIAC.   pisces LANGUAGES.   sinean, fiorean / russian , english

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR.  blue   EYE COLOR.    blue SKIN TONE.     pale. BODY TYPE.   curvy ACCENT. moderately heavy! a russian sounding one FACE CLAIM.  alexandra daddario DOMINANT HAND.   right. POSTURE.  juvia often has a very rigid posture when standing / sitting up right.  SCARS.  she has a ton! the biggest & most substantial being on her stomach from her fight against invel. TATTOOS.  aside from her guildmark, she has none.  BIRTHMARKS.   none. MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).  probably her hair? which is a soft, almost 

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH.   juvia was born in sin! HOMETOWN.   dozhad , sin.  MANNER OF BIRTH. juvia was born during one of the worst rain storms in memorable history - in a safe home her mother & father fled to during the beginnings of the storm. it was not a pleasant experience for anyone &&  juvia was born screaming.  FIRST WORDS.    her first word, was cold. hoping to communicate that she was cold. her first sentence was one that she’d heard her parents say so often it may as well have been her name, “the fucking rain.”  SIBLINGS.   she has two half siblings a boy &&& a girl, from her father Rurick’s new marriage - but Juvia does not know of them & likely never will.  PARENTS.   Nadia Vodnaya && Rurick Lockser  PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.  Rurick left when Juvia was very young &&& juvia remembers so very little of him. sometimes, when she felt so sick with loneliness she could do nothing but fantasize of impossible things, she would try to draw his face. he always looked different in every drawing. nadia, juvia remembers better, but most of all she remembers watching her mothers blue head disappear into a crowd of foreign strangers. her parents may have helped her get through her most vulnerable years - but they did not raise her. the casual cruelty of children, the careful neglect of overwhelmed adults that did not understand her, the bone deep longing for acceptance, the monster of isolation - those are the things that raised juvia lockser. 

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION.    professional mage. CURRENT RESIDENCE.   magnolia, fiore. she lives in fairy hills. CLOSE FRIENDS. gray fullbuster, gajeel redfox, cana alberona, lucy heartifilia.  RELATIONSHIP STATUS.   single FINANCIAL STATUS.   really well off, actually. juvia has a lot of money saved up from her time taking.....less than savory jobs as an s-class mage at phantom lord && does not spend her money earned at fairy tail recklessly.  RELIGIOUS STATUS.    none. VICES.     her truest vice is her own self violence. she values herself & her feelings so little - she really will accept nothing but scraps of decency like they are weighted in gold. 

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.        bisexual!     ROMANTIC ORIENTATION.       biromantic! LOVE LANGUAGE.    all of them. quality time, gifts, words of affirmation.  RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.   juvia is very, very, very, lacking in confidence in relationships. she does not ever expect any romantic feelings returned & truly is grateful if shown even the slightest bits of kindness. she won’t really put up with true mistreatment  - but will only remove herself from such a situation, not blame the other person. juvia cannot imagine anyone really loving her in return && as such - she does not expect it. her love is free of any price, for she doesn’t even expect friendship in return for it. juvia is happiest when she is able to feel useful to those she loves, feel as though she is “proving” to them that she is worth keeping around. it’s why she forged so many skills in so many fields in all her time alone. so she can have something more than herself, which she does not think is much, to offer to others. juvia wants only to do what she can to make others happy, she rarely thinks of what could make her happy outside of that.  

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. head above water by avril lavigne.  HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.   juvia, having had to occupy herself by herself for a grand majority of her childhood has a lot of skills. particularly skills that she felt might make people like her more. she cooks / bakes, she draws / paints, she even took up dancing - though not in any official training sort of way, she likes sewing && makes her own clothes a lot of the time, but also makes little figures & stuffed animals.  MENTAL ILLNESSES.  social anxiety, ptsd, depression.  PHYSICAL ILLNESSES. none.  LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. right brained PHOBIAS. isolation. abandonment. losing control over her magic again,  SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. juvia varies from a high five on a good day, to a low one or two on a bad day.  VULNERABILITIES. juvia is very desperate to “fit in” & be accepted, that in hand with her low opinion of herself can make it extremely easy to take advantage of her. she has gotten good at picking out insincerity, as she’s been mocked with her desperation to have friends many times before, but if someone played the part well enough - she’d give her whole world for 

[zenosanalytic]

The Paradox of Oceans

I liked The Shape of Water, but my reaction to it was more thoughtful that ecstatic. It’s more than a Good Film; it is a Beautiful Film, in Every Respect.

It’s not the movie I thought it would be, it is only partially the movie it was marketed as, and I understand how this could get in the way of either seeing what the film is doing, or appreciating it. One of the things del Toro is best at as a director is taking what people typically consider schlock(especially horror), and turning it into deeply sensitive examinations of emotions and the human condition. To Wit: a big deal has been made of TSoW being a “monster-fucking” movie; about del Toro’s interest in a movie where “the monster gets the girl”. Eliza and the Amphibian Man certainly DO get naked for some all-but-filmed sexytimes(Twice no less owo), but it doesn’t end up being the interspecies love-film it was sold as. That’s unfortunate in that I continue to want to see that movie, but irrelevant(to me) in that the movie it IS, is still Excellent. Fundamentally, The Shape of Water is a movie about companionship, and the monster-fucking and romance, such that it is, only works to serve that theme alongside other examples and examinations of intimacy, connection, and feeling. The Shape of Water is, most centrally, about the search and desire for Companionship and Acknowledgement; not JUST to have someone, but to See and Be Seen, to Hear and Be Heard, to Touch and to Be Touched. To be Accepted rather than Denied and Rejected.

Eliza feels the world refuses to see her instead of her disability; that she lives in its shadow. The Amphibian Man is homeless, friendless, surrounded by incomprehensible enemies who refuse to acknowledge him or communicate, who torment him physically and care nothing for his feelings, in the charge of a man who reviles him as an offense precisely because of his difference from him, and revels in the pain and anguish he causes “The Asset”(he is, quite literally, commodified!). Giles feels abandoned and rejected by the one person he thought he had a true connection with -his old lover, a person(I got the sense) he had dedicated years and possibly decades to, but who is determined to remain in the closet, and who asked him to quit his old job at their ad agency to preserve that closeting- clinging to him by the end of a thin, slippery line, desperate to keep that connection alive in a dangerous world now turned upside down where he understands nothing, has no-one(but Eliza) and where anyone, no matter how fair their smile, could secretly revile him for his love. Zelda is locked in a dying marriage with a man who has shut himself off from her, and from all those human connections that are the sinew of any vibrant relationship, because he has given up on himself. Dimitri has left home out of patriotism and idealism to live as someone he is not, with his only lifeline back to his true Self and true Ideals a pair of brutish, criminal fools who care about as little for those things as they do for his safety. All these people are alone. All these people desperately don’t want to be; want a real, reciprocal connection. All these people are reaching out in what variously pitiable ways they have available to them. The Shape of Water is a film that asks you to empathize. It is a film that asks you to reach back. It is a film that asks you to be human.

Which is its central, and powerful, irony, I think, because it’s also a film where the main protagonist, the most humane of them, is very likely not human in the biological sense, though this is only possibly confirmed at the very end. At the opening of the movie we see that Eliza has six “scratches” on her neck, three to each side, that look like nothing so much as gills. This lays down a marker that slowly, very slowly, pays out through the film, as Eliza’s growing connection with AM opens up her life and unlocks her true nature. The film is skillfully cagey about it though; Eliza is associated with water from the opening scenes, starts to show a preternatural affinity for water as the story proceeds(she knows exactly when the rainy season will start, and controls drops of rain on a bus window), but the nature of the film makes you question the reality of any of this. There’s a whimsicality to the film(Eliza’s dancing, the old music, the set design, Eliza’s daily routine montages) which makes the experience of watching it rather Amelie-esque. As a result, I found myself wondering if this was real magical realism, or just the imaginative, quirky, not-really-magical kind so common in movies from the early 00s. But she DOES call when the rains will arrive; she DOES fill a whole bathroom, implausibly, with water in an apartment with rickety walls, flyapart doors, and floors that you can see light through. At the same time(quite literally :p), AM displays truly magical abilities, establishing miracles are possible in this world, and in doing so suggesting yet another connection between Eliza and him. There’s one particular fantasy sequence where the movie suddenly becomes one of Eliza’s dancing musicals for a moment, a part I found kind of jarring and didn’t really like until writing about the film, just now, made sense of it :p :p This isn’t done in such a way that you feel wrong drawing your own conclusions before the end, but the reality of the magic and the unreality of Eliza’s fantasies are kept in such a (non-stressful)tension that it truly remains up in the air until the very end(and even the end is somewhat ambiguous).

Rather than being an interspecies romance, I saw this as a modern child-theft fairy-tale in reverse; a story NOT about the human-child taken by a Witch or the Fairies, but of the “changeling” left-behind(though in this film I’d say there was more of a “separated” or “taken” feel) and their recovery. The typical taken child is forced into a life of drudgery, is insulted and mistreated, denied emotional fulfillment and acknowledgement, finds a way to fulfill these needs with small, similarly oppressed allies, and finally finds her way home through her own pluck and wisdom, the immeasurable help of the seemingly powerless, and sometimes the love of a mysterious male hero of her own age, and from her own world. Eliza walks this same path, but rather than being taken back to the world of humanity, she is taken from it back to the waters she was found in. Eliza not only attains equal acknowledgement and romantic fulfillment in AM, she is “brought home” by him; quite literally healed of the injuries -emotional, social and physical- her forced sojourn among the humans caused her[1]. There are a thousand ways she could have come to be “lost” among the humans, but that she is “found” through her journey with AM and brought to a place and belonging she recognizes as “home” was, to me at least, unmistakable.

And it is equally unmistakable, given the central position of Companionship and Connection, why the villain is who he is, and why that person is considered the true “monster” by it. Strickland(as wonderfully named as he is played by Michael Shannon) is a man who has built his life around rejecting others, and any attempt at real connection they make. He is the classic “1950s Man”: obsessed with Male Will and emotionally dead by choice through its application; valuing only those relationships which can advance his career or ego; taking pleasure only in the practice and display of power, and the ability of that to humiliate others. Strickland is a man who can never truly be home because he rejects the idea of home, of belonging, of ever being so “weak” as to care for or need another person. And this emotional deadness -which the movie aptly shows is a choice, done by his own hand(there’s even a scene of him reading The Power of Positive Thinking which is not only a wonderful skewering of the character’s type and his era, but also of the US’s current president; Donald grew up in the church of the vile conman who wrote that book)- is just as aptly shown to be his REAL weakness and true undoing. He never suspects that Eliza and Zelda, mere “piss-wipers”, could have had anything to do with AM’s escape, instead chasing the fantasy of a Soviet Strike-Team; he focuses so much on his career and gratification, and is so willfully oblivious to his own body(scarfing his pain-pills just as greedily as his candy), that he doesn’t notice that two of his fingers -recently bitten off by AM and surgically reattached- are going gangrenous. The audience sitting in the theater watches them redden, turn purple, turn black, but he doesn’t take notice until almost the end of the film. There’s a particularly symbolic scene involving them where he tears the fingers off solely for effect, for no better purpose than to frighten and intimidate, driving home absolutely how self-destructive, and ultimately disdainful of self and life, this man and his inhumane philosophy are.

TSoW was also a rather religious movie, thematically, which surprised me since none of the reviews and reactions to it that I’ve read brought this up. The Bible is a thin but strong line within this film; the Old Testament textually, and the New more in theme and by reference. The story of Sampson and Delilah is brought up twice at important moments. The film closes on a reference(I’m pretty sure) to the Song of Songs(though maybe it’s Psalms). Strickland’s hatred of AM is driven by the conviction that humans are made in god’s image and AM is not, making him an “affront”(to what Strickland doesn’t say, but I would argue to himself, which is the only “god” Strickland cares about). The obvious idolatry of this, the transformation of the human form into the divine(and the philosophical relation of that thinking to Olympian philosophies, it should be said), is totally missed by Strickland, as it tends to be by Christians; the movie is openly disdainful of his position. AM can heal injury, rise from the dead, and(possibly, depending on how you read the ending) resurrect others; actions clearly analogous to Joshua’s miracles. Strickland sneeringly mentions that the humans who lived with AM “worshiped him as some kind of god”, as evidenced by their leaving such “divine sacrifices” as... food to eat, and plants and stones that he found beautiful near the lagoon they pulled him from. I found myself wondering if he felt beatified by being invited to a neighbor’s weekend grillup. At the end of the film, seeing AM rise from the dead, Strickland, in horror, says “you really ARE a God!” right before AM kills him, which ought to tell us how serious his earlier professions to Christianity truly were. AM never claims to be god, of course, or even A god, and neither do any of those who help him ever see anything other than a being who can think, understand, and feel just as well as they do. It’s a notable point: the only “Pious” people in the film -the only ones who make a point of publicizing their faith and god and identifying themselves through it- are all the bad guys; quibbling over profanity as they carry out the most profane actions. The protagonists never bring religion and god up, until Giles’ narration at the end.

They are, I suppose, content to merely live a message of love, and to journey to, and in, and with love, rather than shouting their profession from the street-corners.

OK: that’s a pretty religiojudgemental way to end this, especially for an atheist, but it was just too good a line for me to resist X| Hope this review was entertaining/edifying ^u^ ^u^

[1]Two other potentially constructive analogies/critical avenues: 1)Tarzan. Eliza is stranded in Civilization by accident as a baby, grows within that strange world, mastering its ways as best her unsuited abilities allow her, then “saved” from it, and brought back to the “wild” of the Sea by one of her kind also brought there by his own tragedy. 2) The Little Mermaid. Eliza grows up, voiceless on land, denied love; one day she finds a Prince from the Sea on Land, taken there against his will; she decides to befriend him, and he returns her acknowledgement; she discovers a plot against his life and, out of friendship, saves him; a romance blossoms from this; in the end, she is “redeemed” and healed, body and soul, when he returns her to the ocean where she belongs.

[driftingglass]

aaaa i read why you love Katsuki and Izuku's dynamic! Can you also tell as why you love Killua and Gon's? *w*

[ WARNING: Discussion of the Hunter X Hunter anime/manga/characters below. If you haven’t read the manga or watched the anime and don’t want any spoilers of any kind, do not read. ]

*Holds breath.*

HOLY. Oh damn. This. THIS is where it gets real, my friends.

Anon. You have no idea how pumped I am to answer this. I’ve got it all ready to go, and please, if it’s a bit scrambled at times… that’s just how my brain is. All composed of bunny trails and dumb theories that may or may not be connected.

Alright. Here it goes. 

Why do I love KilluGon? 

Or… why do I love the dynamic between Killua and Gon in general?

As I’ve stated in my response to another Anon about why I love the dynamic between Katsuki and Izuku from Boku No Hero Academia, my love for a ship is constructed based on a few important details.

It depends on whether or not I respect and intensely admire both characters involved in the ship, and whether or not I find their dynamic interesting, with or without evidence to support a romantic inclination.

Now, in order for me to dive into the reasons why I just… honestly, adore Killua and Gon as individual characters as well as the ship, I have to pinpoint my connection for respecting them to the manga/anime as a whole.

Hunter X Hunter is my favorite anime of all time. 

Now, there is a reason I’m pointing this out, as seemingly unneeded it may appear. For, the main core reasons why I adore Killua and Gon as characters and their ship so much is connected to the overall appeal of the anime/manga in general.

It’s common sense to those who have watched Hunter X Hunter (and if you haven’t… what are you even doing with your life?) that numerous traditional shōnen manga tropes are either inverted, discarded entirely, purposefully subverted, or deconstructed within a story that contains arcs with no conclusion, but rather a continuous, streamlined story. 

As far as my personal experience, I started watching Hunter X Hunter with little to no expectations. I was completely blown away with what I received, and almost all of that is owed to the reasons I listed above out of pure respect, awe, and wonder at how the mangaka has been able to craft a story that’s so complex and rewarding with characters that face continuous hardships, growth, and struggles that we can relate to. 

I consider both Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck to be two of the greatest anime characters ever created, especially when considering the shōnen demographic.

Those who have watched the anime and read the manga know that both characters subvert traditional tropes presented in their storylines as well as their personalities. 

The author has taken numerous risks with showing his star characters in incredibly twisted circumstances that presents them in extremely nontraditional (and even, at times, antagonistic) ways. I love the risk factor taken with this series.

Now, without including any spoilers in this post, I can safely say that Gon Freecss, in particular, is one of the greatest deconstructions of any character-specific category I have ever seen. 

And Killua, while incredibly complex and going through tremendous character development alongside Gon, introduces traits that are highlighted in the other that the reader/watcher would never expect upon entering the show/manga for the first time. 

Alright. So. I want to make one thing abundantly clear with this ship. 

Many people consider Killua Zoldyck to be canonically in love with Gon Freecss. 

I respect that opinion, and I’ve entertained the idea myself, particularly with the dialogue choices, artistic liberties taken in the 2011 anime, and the reputation the author has in general of subverting shōnen tropes in his other works.

However… I do not believe that we have enough evidence to actually pinpoint Killua being romantically interested in Gon, simply because of the genre in particular. At least, for this very moment in the manga and where the anime ended. 

I do think that the potential is there, but it depends on where the story will be heading in that regard.

Could I be wrong? Absolutely. 

Could I be right? Yeah. I could. 

But, that’s a discussion for another time. 

Does this make their dynamic any less human, complex, or phenomenal? 

Absolutely not. Not in any way, shape, or form.

It’s because of the fact that we’re not sure about the possible romantic undertones between Killua and Gon that we have the freedom to deconstruct, theorize, and discuss these characters in general. 

And, this is only made possible through fantastic writing, characterization, and the undeniable one-of-a-kind friendship and connection formed between two incredibly flawed, damaged, and different characters. 

Gon and Killua go through the unimaginable and demonstrate the true essence of friendship with elements that are so human and complicated that it’s just… so impressive, that it’s able to be conveyed at all in an anime.

There are specific aspects that make their parallels all the more interesting. As I’ve noticed myself, and my two OTPs, I tend to ship characters that have very fascinating parallels and have “foil”-like connections to one another. 

Gon and Killua are not foils, as far as I can tell, but they do challenge and push each other to reach the ultimate goal, and it’s due to their mutual companionship that they are able to face the struggles they come across.

Similar to my other post regarding the dynamic between Katsuki and Izuku, I would like to present more complicated bulleted lists showcasing the inner complexities that balance Gon and Killua as well. 

So, hopefully this helps.

Let’s Focus on Gon Freecss First.

Gon, for all intensive purposes, is very simpleminded and driven mostly by a slightly skewed form of logic that is only understandable to him, both morally and culturally.

He is ambitious and ultimately one-track-minded, very driven towards a goal that could either cost him or others’ lives. 

Because of these factors, Gon is ultimately a bit of a selfish character, despite his normally good intentions. He is very much driven by his emotions.

Again, Gon’s logic is a bit skewed, though in a way that is far more complex than some give him credit for. It’s shown often in the 2011 anime, with his judgment and, at times, butting heads with Killua’s far more perceptive views on certain situations. 

Gon’s logic is based on what he sees as a genuine fact brought to attention by what he sees as the path towards success and growth. 

Both he and Killua are extremely hard workers and have been ground to the bone to achieve the strength they have.

Gon acts primarily on adrenaline and instinct, in definite contrast to Killua’s personality elements. 

Because of these factors, Gon seeks the balance to his temperament and recklessness through Killua’s (rather ironic) stability and caution. Of course, the over-reliance between the two leads to catastrophic consequences, which all ties back to the elements of them both that are, ultimately, human.

Now, Let’s Focus on Killua Zoldyck.

Killua, as stated above, has been referenced in the 2011 anime to be the offset to Gon’s temperament. In other words, he’s very much the person who calms the other down and redirects his outbursts towards something else.

At times, Killua demonstrates the need to assert control in their dynamic, which Gon does not have a problem with despite the intense way that they can, while unintentionally, take advantage of one another’s weaknesses while simultaneously boosting one another’s strengths. 

Killua is cautious, analytical, observant, and both outwardly cocky and insecure. He is also, above all things, loyal. 

Despite the intense nature of his character, the only person who rather effortlessly breaks down Killua’s walls and introduces him to a new understanding of the world is, in fact, Gon. 

Killua’s loyalty is, arguably, the main factor of his character that roots himself to Gon. No matter the situation, he will pull through for Gon. Gon is, essentially, his world. 

Killua comes from a rather twisted family background with traces of moral ambiguity and questionable relations to his parents and siblings. 

Gon is an only child and is seeking his father, while Killua seeks his family companionship in Gon and values the other’s perspective to a point that is both freeing for him as a person and damaging. 

Another thing needed to be made clear with discussing the gray, less-than-pleasing aspect of their friendship…

None of these discussed personality traits and reasons excuse any elements of their relationship that are damaging, because there’s plenty of pain in what happens between them. But, that’s part of what makes it all fascinating. 

And, I think that’s what it all comes down to. Despite the craziness in their world, in the two of them as characters individually and the indescribable, believable connection they have, one thing is made abundantly clear. 

Killua and Gon’s relationship is the most complex, fleshed out, beautifully presented, tragic and fulfilling dynamic between characters I’ve seen in an anime. Ever. 

This is, of course, my opinion. But there is something that needs to be said with Killua and Gon and their inseparable connection. 

It’s because of Gon that Killua knows he must take a step forward and grow on his own while being apart. It’s because of Killua that Gon has reached the milestones he has, that he’s even alive. 

The both of them balance each other out, survive together, challenge each other, suffer through the worst of the worst, and still remain steadfast in a companionship that is so brutally human and complex that I will forever laud the two of them (and their fantastic ship) for existing in the first place. 

I love them as best friends. I love them as characters. I love them as romantic interests because I’ve never been so convinced that it could happen not only in theoretical discussion, but also in the canon universe. 

And that is something that I don’t think will ever be repeated. 

Gon and Killua are the epitome of complex, relatable friendship that treads the lines of the ugly and the beautiful in the best possible ways. These factors make their dynamic breathtaking, awe-inspiring, tragic, wonderful and human in both platonic and romantic ways. 

*Releases breath.*

Believe it or not, I could say more, but… those are the overarching reasons. Anyone who hasn’t seen Hunter X Hunter needs to just watch it right now and experience it for themselves. No amount of words can express the justice of these two. Ever.

THANK YOU ANON. 

[recentanimenews]

How One Piece Became An Anime About Love (But Not Romance)

  If a group of characters get together in a fictional setting, we inevitably start wondering which ones will make out. We can't help it. After years of seeing them in sitcoms and movies, concepts like the "Will They/Won't They" couple and the "Forbidden Relationship" are embedded in our pop-culture consciousness. Two good-looking people bicker in the sitcom's pilot episode? They'll kiss by the season finale. The quirky co-worker seems determined to get the solemn, nerdy employee to live a little bit? You can already hear the wedding bells.

  This feeling extends to anime, too, and we've watched it happen a lot: Vegeta got with Bulma, Hinata got with Naruto, Ichigo got with Orihime. But there is a certain anime series that has shied away from grand displays of romance like this, despite being entirely about how we need to love one another. And if you've read the title of this article, you know what that series is: One Piece.

    Now, One Piece is not entirely romance-less. Creator Eiichiro Oda has said that since One Piece is for young boys, there will be no relationships among the members of the Straw Hat Crew, so much of the "romance" that does show up is of the goofy, unrequited variety. Most notably this occurs with Sanji and, well, every woman that he meets on the Grand Line, because no matter what, Sanji gonna Sanji, apparently. The chef's declarations of love are frequent, but luckily, very few people have even slightly entertained him on the prospect of matrimony. And so Sanji is left where he should be, with his heart on his sleeve (and his eyes.)

  But Oda has also said that the crew is "in love" with adventure, and while they definitely embrace the thrill and danger and fulfillment that comes with sailing around and discovering new places and dismantling Shichibukai dictatorships, they're also very much in love with each other. And that's one of the most important messages of One Piece as a whole—How one of the best loves you can have is a love for your friends. 

  Throughout One Piece, the Straw Hats have constantly shown their affection for each other, whether it's through literal embraces (If Luffy hasn't seen you in a while, he can and will throw his whole body at you) or openness (The Straw Hats freely cry around each other all the time, as their captain has made it clear through phrases like "Say you want to live!" and "Say what you really want!" that, above all things, he values emotional honesty). 

      They're also willing to stand up for each other in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, pushing past their weaknesses because they know they're needed and valued. Heck, Usopp's entire character arc thus far is based around his acknowledgment that his crew loves him unconditionally, thus making him braver at times than he ever thought he could be. Robin's arc is built around her once thinking that no one would ever accept her or even want her on this earth, and now she knows, absolutely, that the Straw Hats will never let her down. 

  Many of them have announced that Luffy WILL be King of the Pirates, and what is that if not love? It's certainly devotion against all odds. And that's why I'm uncomfortable with anyone that tries to make a huge stink about how their love for their friends is different from their romantic love. Like, duh, of course, it is. I don't need the reason why I'm not buying roses for my boy Jon (Though if you want roses, bro, I got you) but I am buying them for my wife explained to me. But it's also the kind of thing that keeps dudes from hugging and instead places them in this weird handshake purgatory. It's the kind of thing that makes people unsure of what they can share with others. It traps people in this mindset that if they can't talk about something with their romantic partner, then they just can't talk about it at all.

  We often use the phrase "It takes a village" when referring to child-rearing because it can be tough and it's great for a kid to have so much help and positive influence. But it's also applicable to the emotional upkeep of an adult person, and you could use the phrase "It takes a crew" and apply it to One Piece. Because none of the members of the Straw Hats would have the amount of inner strength that they do without the love of the others. And I know that the love and support of my own friends has been incredible for me, and I can only hope to return it to them. 

    In short, while One Piece may not have a lot of what we typically consider "romance" in fiction, it is truly a tale about love. And I hope that, by reading it, you become more open to sharing yours. Presumably by getting all of your friends to read and watch One Piece. Nothing says "I adore you" like some dope anime.

  What is your favorite declaration in One Piece? What is the most important message that you've taken from this silly, awesome pirate manga? Let me know in the comments!

    ------------------

  Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

    By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[pbc13]

“The universe shows its true face when it asks for help, we show ours by how we respond.”

Jodie Whittaker is the new Doctor in Doctor Who. The news is everywhere. A shape changing alien is going to change shape again. But it's different this time. Because now she's a woman! After 54 years of the show presenting the character as a man suddenly she's a woman.

It's change! And not a moment too soon! The very root of Doctor Who. Change is the reason it has lasted for such an improbable amount of time – let's be honest shows about lunatics fighting papier-mache monsters aren't supposed to be this good, or mean this much. And yet somehow this one has transcended the naff set dressing and absurd stories and become something on a par with billion dollar franchises from America. And it is has done so because of it's heart(s). It has done so because it embraces new and it embraces different. Because it rejects prejudice. And because it changes. All the time.

But change is hard, and we all process it in vastly different ways.

Some of us - most of us, I think - have accepted Jodie Whittaker into the Doctor Who family with open arms. She is a new Doctor and we have been through this many times before. And it is always exciting and nerve-racking.  

Others, though, are less positive. Among the blatant sexism and privilege and predictions of doom that can be safely ignored are a few with honest doubts. How can the show still be the same?

“Never be cruel. And never be cowardly. And if you are, always make amends.” - The Twelfth Doctor.  

My first instinct was to deride all of these people. To dismiss their opinions as archaic and to hope they go away. But perhaps I can try to help them instead. Because it is what The Doctor would do. He'd hope that amongst all the hate and negativity there are a few who just need a little help. And I hope I can do that.

I think about Doctor Who a lot you see. Too much perhaps. Probably more than you do. Okay, maybe not you... but definitely you. And all that thinking and weighing up of it's values and themes has led me to accepting The Doctor as a woman without even a moments hesitation. It has never occurred to me that it would be anything other than fascinating and exciting. There are political and social reasons why it is a great statement too; ones The Doctor would champion. Ones that other people are better placed to dissect and put into perspective.

Maybe I should prefix all of this by saying I am a white, working-class 30-year-old man who is a bit weird. And when I say a bit I mean quite a lot. This is only important because I am right in the stereotypical profile of a Doctor Who fan. Our fandom is far wider than that of course, but it is still the overriding image of Doctor Who fans, rightly or wrongly. All I can speak of is my own relationship with the show.

One important part of that relationship is that I have never related to or loved The Doctor because he, like me, is a white man. That has never been a characteristic that felt important at all. The important part is that he is a bit weird. He is an outsider. Someone who turns up and faces scorn and derision only to earn respect by being the cleverest and kindest person in the universe. We can all aspire to that! That doesn't preclude anyone. He is a hero to so many diverse people precisely because he doesn't represent anything but being a good-hearted individual. Whatever our race, religion or gender most of us can relate to being different to some degree and looking in from the outside. We can all aspire to be cleverer and kinder. We can all hope to be braver and more willing to stand up for what we believe in.

And yet to so many, it seems, his gender is the crux of his powers. Beyond his personality and his compassion it seems manliness was a factor that is more important than I ever expected it was. There is an idea that he is commanding and takes control because of his innate man-powers. As a man who has always been surrounded by very intelligent and commanding women this was an idea that was alien to me. I have always known women to be intelligent, capable and brave. Yet I have seen it crop up as the basis of many arguments against a female Doctor.

All the ideas that The Doctor can't canonically be a female are wrong, we know that (Hello, Missy. I love you.) The Jane Bond or Mr Marple arguments are irrelevant. But this idea, from actual fans, that The Doctor can't be 'in charge' any more are also dead wrong. And because they come from real fans I believe I can allay these fears and assure you Doctor Who is still Doctor Who. It would be easy to dismiss it as sexist and move on. But the world has created this skewed vision of men and women, and ignoring it will only exacerbate it.

So if you are a genuine fan then I offer this;

The Doctor has never taken charge and been commanding because he is a man. The Doctor takes charge because he is the cleverest being in the universe. The Doctor becomes a leader because he shows himself to know more than everyone else. And even then the leadership The Doctor earns is always challenged and fought against. That won't change. Nothing has to change. The role has never been rooted in male-specific traits. The Doctor's permanent characteristics, the ones that exist across all incarnations are; kindness, bravery, intelligence and being mysterious. None of those things are gender specific. I appreciate that you might struggle to picture The Doctor as a woman. But think about this: What is it that you like about The Doctor? Picture it, recall a specific moment or a particular scene. Imagine it as vividly as you can; and then ask yourself honestly 'is that only possible of a man?' The answer is almost certainly 'no'.

Of course sometimes the Thirteenth Doctor will turn up to eras and societies in which women are second-class. In which she will have things other than her weirdness and buffoonery to overcome. And of course in these situations a male incarnation might have a small advantage. But I would argue strongly that The Doctor's sex has never been a factor in his own mind. And this is the secret of the show. We see a man taking control and put that alongside all the other patriarchal images of man-power we are shown. We see The Doctor and assume he is strong because he is a man. But The Doctor doesn't think that way. He is taking control because he's clever. That will still be the case with Thirteen.

The Doctor is a character that has always had to face and overcome derision and scorn from people who see him as different and out of place. A grumpy and weak-looking old man; a cosmic tramp who plays a bloody recorder; a preening dandy in a velvet jacket; a daft wide-eyed idiot in a fourteen-foot scarf; an unassuming cricketer; a twat in a technicolour jacket; a buffoon with an umbrella; a romantic; a miserable northern sailor, a skinny weirdo with cool hair; a big chinned, big haired man-child; an angry magician. The Doctor has always been at an immediate disadvantage when trying to take charge. Being a man probably helped gain him a platform in some cases, I am not denying that privilege. But being a woman will stand as just another barrier for the character to kick down using her brain. She will have many interesting quirks and eccentricities to distract people with. She is more than up to this task! She will be doing what she has always been doing. Proving that everyone's first impressions are wrong.

And yet I don't believe her gender should be ignored either. I simply think the underlying theme will be that competence and intelligence are what is important. That is the message the show has always sent us, and should always be sending. Kindness, compassion, intelligence and bravery are what save us. Not violence and prejudice. And that will continue to be true; only now perhaps sometimes it will be presented through the filter of her being a woman.

I will end with this;

I hope that anyone who is against the idea is just experiencing the usual 'New Doctor anxiety' and will come out the other side. In four or five years you will probably be devastated when she announces she is leaving. It is a familiar cycle we all go through. It is part of the struggle of our fandom!

What I really wish is that anyone who is struggling with Thirteen's gender could feel the joy I am feeling about it. But if you aren't all I can do is offer encouragement. I truly hope you realise the show is still what it always was and it is still for you. The Doctor is still The Doctor.

“It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.” - Jodie Whittaker.