#and now i think i may be undervaluing/underestimating the effort that goes into my work

[fearthefuzzybear]

i might be out of touch

[makeste]

what we could have been

this is a post about the similarities between these old farts

and these lil bubbas

but more importantly, it’s a post about the differences.

so! the manga has recently entered the Internships 2 arc, also known as the Child Soldiers/Todoroki Drama 2.5 arc! so far it is very exciting, and I can’t wait to see how Deku and co. will somehow level up by a factor of 11 just in time to defeat Tomura and his new new upgrade. I assume that this will happen though, since the alternative is... [checks] everyone dies a horrible death. well shit.

anyway, we’ve already had like 12 arcs of All Might being a mentor, but this arc features the first time Endeavor has tried his hand at it! this is of course a universally beloved decision by Horikoshi which everyone in the fandom is very happy about! but I actually do like it, because the Endeavor redemption arc is complicated as fuck and endlessly fascinating to me, and because, truth be told, there is something that even a Certified Son Of A Bitch can still teach these young whippersnappers. even if Endeavor is 99.9% a dick, that 0.01% can still impart something of value. but anyways that’s not what I came here to talk about so let’s move on.

what I want to discuss is the fact that Izuku and Katsuki share very obvious similarities with All Might and Endeavor, and there are very obvious parallels between their respective arcs. Izuku is basically All Might 2.0, whereas Endeavor is presented as a version of what Katsuki could have been. but they are not the same people, either of them, and their paths have started to diverge in ways that are very much for the better. and the reasons for that can all be traced to one simple action, which in turn stemmed from one simple, honest impulse. and I have approximately 10,000 thoughts about it, so here goes.

first let’s briefly touch on those similarities. as far as Izuku and All Might go, their backstories very closely resemble one another. they both started out as quirkless kids who nonetheless held a stubborn idealism and were driven to help others. they’re both incredibly determined and remarkably self-sacrificing. both of them spent the first part of their lives overlooked, undervalued, and underestimated, and they both understand the combination of validation and gut-churning pressure that comes with being chosen as the successor to a great power and a heavy burden. the similarities between them are a large part of why All Might chose Izuku as his successor, despite there being other options on the table. All Might sees himself in Izuku, and that’s part of the reason why they share such a strong bond.

now let’s talk about Endeavor and Katsuki, who share absolutely no bond at all (for now, anyway), but nonetheless hold just as much common ground as their counterparts. they are both fiercely determined and have made it their goal to reach the top. they’re also both foul-tempered with notoriously unfriendly attitudes. and last but not least, they’re both loners who have a tendency to push others away.

one thing that’s interesting is that both Katsuki and Endeavor formerly held strong beliefs about quirks being inextricably tied to strength. Katsuki shunned and scorned Izuku for years because he lacked a quirk. meanwhile Endeavor wrote off 3/4 of his own children because their quirks didn’t develop the way he wanted them to. and it’s only recently that each of them has come to see the error of their ways, which in Endeavor’s case is quite unfortunate, because he’s already well into his forties and has only just now started to con on to the fact that he’s an asshole. whereas Katsuki started this process a whole lot earlier, and as a result is a lot better poised to bounce back from his mistakes and make redemption his bitch.

so segueing now into the “differences” part of this comparative essay, that is Key Difference # 1 for you: Katsuki managed to not waste the next 30 years of his life focusing only on Achieving Strength at the cost of destroying every other positive thing in his life. and while I think there is one reason in particular for this, which I’ll get to shortly, I’ll also go ahead and give Katsuki some of the credit here, because what he did is hard. it’s hard to realize that you have had the wrong way of thinking for your entire life, and to take the steps to get it straightened out. many people are not that open to change. rather than admitting their mistakes, they double down on them and stubbornly defend them. but Katsuki was willing to question everything he’d ever known, and look at it with an open mind, and realize that he was heading down a wrong path. and then he was able to course-correct.

and that takes strength. not the kind of strength he’s so preoccupied with, but an inner strength that he might not have even realized that he has. in this respect he is much stronger than Endeavor, who’s had much more difficulty doing his own course-correcting, although he too is finally starting to figure his shit out (too late to salvage some things, but “better late than never” is a term that still applies here regardless). in my opinion, Katsuki’s willingness to accept his own faults, and to try to change them, is one of the most unexpected and remarkable things about his character, because you wouldn’t necessarily see that coming based on his attitude at the start of the series. anyways, I really like it.

but I did say some of the credit, as opposed to all of it. and the reason for that is because in my opinion, it’s actually Izuku who deserves most of it. but before I explain, let me first backtrack and talk about another aspect of All Might’s character, one he does not share with Izuku.

All Might, like Katsuki and Endeavor, is actually a loner as well. we tend to not notice as much, because he doesn’t really seem to fit the stereotypical profile of a loner-type character; he has a very close bond with Izuku, and he speaks with an earnest and straightforward candor about emotions and subjects that most people wouldn’t be able to discuss with the same sincerity. but it’s true nonetheless. even putting aside this moment in chapter 166 where he outright admits it, there are numerous other little details in the series that show this. he has no family that we know of. only one close friend (and a non-hero at that). at the start of the manga, he was estranged from both his mentor (referring here to Gran, not Nana) and his sidekick. he’s close-lipped about a lot of things, including things he honestly should have been upfront with Izuku about much sooner. and he hides his true self from the world in an effort to preserve that unwaveringly steady image that people have put their trust in.

in the very first chapter of BnHA, All Might makes a speech to Izuku about the reason why he smiles: “to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel.” All Might was the Symbol of Peace, the pillar that society relied on -- but he was a lone pillar. he kept to himself, and made the choice to bear that weight alone. and this had consequences. I’m speaking not only of the chaos after his fall, but of other, subtler impacts as well.

so now, let’s talk about Izuku.

let’s start with Key Difference # 2: Izuku is not a loner. yes, at one point he was alone -- not by choice -- but that isn’t a defining trait of his character. Izuku reaches out. he reaches out to everyone. he makes friends easily. he’s open with his feelings in a way that All Might is not (and which All Might in fact often scolds him for).

boy just puts it out there. he’s not ashamed. but anyways, it’s actually the part about him reaching out to others that I want to talk about. I’ve said in past essays that Izuku has an instinct to save others which surpasses even All Might’s. when he sees someone in pain, his instinct is to reach out. he will do this every time. regardless of whether it’s asked for, and regardless of how often his attempts may be shunned.

and this, right here, is the most important difference between Izuku (and Katsuki), and All Might (and Endeavor). because you see, All Might, for all his strength and sacrifice, always stood alone.

he kept his burden to himself, and never looked back.

but Izuku did.

“I got my quirk from someone else.”

this was in spite of All Might, his hero, telling him in no uncertain terms to not share his secret with anyone else. and in spite of the fact that Katsuki hadn’t been anything close to a friend to him for many years. like, it’s actually wild to think about all of the reasons that Izuku had not to do this. but the fact of the matter is this: that where All Might never turned, never wavered, and never attempted to help anyone else cross that gap, when Izuku saw Katsuki in pain, he acted on the same instinct that has guided him his entire life: he reached.

and that...

...has made all the difference.

Izuku pulled Katsuki across the gap with him. he let him in. he did this with no expectation of reward, or even gratitude. quite the opposite; Katsuki had always rebuffed his attempts to help before, and even in this case, it initially appeared that he had misjudged again, and that he was just lucky that Katsuki didn’t press the matter. it was a move that defied not just common sense, but all of Izuku’s past experience; nothing about their past relationship ever hinted at a hope for common ground in the future. nothing, that is, except a shared dream.

but he reached out anyway. and because of that, Katsuki was eventually able to put two and two together. and when he did, he did something very unexpected: he reached back.

he asked Izuku for help. he did something that Endeavor never managed to do until after All Might had retired and he found himself, at long last, in the number one position, but adrift and without a driver’s manual.

it took a lifetime of failure and the loss of everything he’d been working toward for Endeavor to finally realize he was doing something wrong, and to ask for help. but this isn’t the case with Katsuki. partly because he was able to put his ego aside in this one crucial moment, but even more than that, it was simply because Izuku had never left a gap between them. Katsuki never had to work to build a bridge. Izuku was laying planks behind him every single step of the way. never expecting that Katsuki would actually follow them, but leaving them there for him regardless. leaving this path back open for them to reconcile, should Katsuki ever choose to finally meet him halfway.

and because of that faith, because of his open and giving nature, the end result is that he now has something that All Might never had: a partner. someone to help shoulder that weight. someone else who understands that burden. and someone who is now working together with Izuku with unexpected earnestness.

and so this is Key Difference # 3: whereas All Might and Endeavor were only ever at odds, two opposites on a polarized scale, Izuku and Katsuki are learning to work together. to learn from one another. to share what the other lacks, and to make each other stronger.

incidentally, just in case any part of this essay has come off as me being overly critical of All Might, or pinning the blame on him for the failures of the previous generation, let me assure you that I don’t fault him at all. All Might did what he thought was right, and managed to turn an impossible dream into a shining reality against all odds. the Symbol he became brought about peace for many years and inspired the next generation of heroes. he was not wrong in what he was trying to do; his only flaw was in being so determined to shield others that he ended up taking on too much by himself.

and I’ll say this for All Might too: in the end, he himself realized where he had gone wrong. there’s a reason why, particularly since his retirement, he’s started mentoring Katsuki in addition to Izuku. All Might knows better than anyone else the burden that sits on Izuku’s shoulders, and he knows just how hard it is to go that course alone. I already gave credit to the boys, but let’s go ahead and give All Might some credit as well, because he, too, is now course-correcting. he’s learning from his mistakes, and helping build a new generation that can succeed in building an even brighter future than the one he once sought.

as a certain melty-face scenery-chewing villain once said, “when people know that there will be an end, they entrust.” this series began with the passing of a legacy from one generation to the next. and now in this latest arc, we’re again seeing that theme of entrusting, of the old guard passing down the torch to the young guns. and shockingly, not just with All Might, but Endeavor as well. reluctant though he was at first, he, too, is now doing his best to help guide these kids down the right path. placing his faith in their strength.

I started off this essay by saying that All Might and Endeavor are who Izuku and Katsuki could have been. but now, to conclude things, I think it’s only fitting that I turn that on its head. All Might and Endeavor are not who Katsuki and Izuku could have been. Izuku and Katsuki are who All Might and Endeavor could have been. they are the ideal vision that never came to pass. the brand reimagined. the song remastered. Izuku and Katsuki will be able to reach heights that All Might and Endeavor never achieved, because they were able to shed loneliness and pride in favor of trust and a sincere willingness to learn.

so yeah.

 all hail the new kids.

[illizitaffairs]

Taylor deserves better by fucking everyone

When I think about the success I’ve had, the life I have built, it all comes back to the path Taylor shaped for me. And I’m really fucking tired of holding back my thanks for her and not defending her. 

As a dean’s list post-secondary student studying media, communications and PR I am exhausted of seeing Taylor’s legacy continually beaten and worn - but more so, I am disappointed in myself for not defending her the past couple of years. 

I am fucking exhausted of seeing her work not recognized in the way it should. 

I am fucking sick of this culture of not being able to accept that a strong, young woman is better at this than people who have been in the industry for double the amount of time she’s been alive. 

And I am so, so fucking disappointed in myself for not saying this sooner.

The more educated I become in the background work involved in making Taylor the phenomenon she is, the more I understand the hardship, innovative thinking and uncelebrated strategy involved in her legacy. As a woman, I should be celebrating this. Instead of using my education and voice to defend this, I have done nothing to stop a culture of assumptions, stereotypes and uninformed opinions that clearly hurt her.  

This is my (educated) analysis of how under appreciated Taylor Swift is and how the world (including me) has done her legacy wrong. 

I write this from a class discussing how best to formulate social media cross-promotion, and the importance of shaping trends that your target market will follow versus following trends they establish for themselves. As I listen my anger and frustration is bubbling over. This is what Taylor has done since she was still on myspace. This is what she has continued to do through the cross-promo for anything she has ever released or done.

I don’t have the time to find stats to back up my points, but in summary:

1. Taylor defined cross-promo marketing. Look at what she’s done with Reputation. Millions of people are buying multiple copies of her album and merch to have a higher chance of getting access to pre-sale. Not even to buy the actual tickets! Just to improve their fucking chance at getting in. She’s making millions off of the hope her fans have of seeing her live. This is because of the decade-long career of tours that have sold out in minutes due to other equally-as-successful cross-promo campaigns. This also applies to her reposting photos of fans buying albums on release week - just the chance of getting noticed is enough to make people go out of their way to make a big scene when buying her album. 

PEOPLE. THIS IS LEGACY DEFINING STUFF. The excitement of music-buying or tour ticket purchasing may not be new, but the way the Swift team navigates it and uses social media to push it is iconic. THAT is why she is only artist to sell over 1 million copies of her album during release week. THAT is how she has set so many records. Her strategies are flawless and executed perfectly. It’s like all of what I learn in my degree done right. She deserves a standing ovation for this work. 

2. Taylor has built her career on the only reliable thing in her world: herself. Without going into an entirely separate rant, there is lots of pieces of culture that tie into Taylor’s brand whether she wants there to be or not (you know the article I could @ here). Instead of focusing on those pieces she can’t control, she has shaped her success based on her stories, her perspectives, her world. The choices she chooses to PUBLICLY voice (more on this later) only build on to her brand of self-sufficiency and self-love. This is a strategy that will sustain her for generations to come. By not getting overly controversial about anything she allows herself to only be critiqued for her choices and actions - which she clearly believes in and stands in strong in. We’ve seen that this is a double-edged sword and has opened her to the vicious, personal attacks that have nothing to do with her artistry. These attacks are childish and undermine the strategy behind her. 

This strategy allows her to build a brand that has longevity to it - so long as she stays true to herself and genuine in her work (which! she! has!) she is timeless. 

THAT is why her career is still booming after a decade with little sign or slowing down or losing momentum. THAT is why she will always find supporters. 

Her brand is hers alone to define, and she has yet to attempt to stray or change that. Reputation has proven that she understands this and will continue to own it for as long as she chooses to make music. 

3. She has gone through a media cycle that has spiralled others out of control. And she has turned out fine. The hypocrisy the media has displayed to this point is outstanding. I just love (sarcasm!) how media rips apart people who over publicize their good deeds - they call they fake-feminists and attention-grabbers, and then say the same about Taylor for choosing to keep her efforts quieter. 

It is easy to find hundreds - nay, thousands of good deeds and standings of good will that Taylor has done that she has never publicized. Hospital visits, private donations to fans and organizations both big and small, packages, house visits, school visits - THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. She does wonderful, beautiful things with the position fame has put her in. What qualifies that as shame-worthy?

Which leads me to my next frustration: how many people can honestly understand what it is like to be her? A multi-millionaire with one of the largest young, impressionable followings? She has done remarkably well to not stray into dangerous habits (at least that we know of). She deserves recognition for being one of the only people in the world who understand that. Comparing her to other famous women in the same demographic, how many of them deal with that scale of fan-following and mania? Or wealth? Or both while also being framed as a man-eater, cry-baby or worse?

Most recently, she doesn’t speak out on issues and they dub her as anti-feminism. Yet her sexual assault trial gets little to no coverage the way it should, her donation after the trial got 0 recognition as well. Taylor Swift should be considered a fucking warrior for handling this, and she got absolutely nothing. 

Look at what she’s just done on Jimmy Fallon. No agenda, just a beautiful and genuine offer of love and support to someone in their time of need. That is who Taylor Swift is. That is what Reputation is about. That is what her career should be defined by.

I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since 2009. Middle-school was filled with t-shirts, posters covering my room, demanding only Taylor birthday cards, learning to play guitar and countless other interests. This went on for years. Like many of you, I became “that” Taylor Swift fan. 

But it went beyond my material involvement, Taylor’s example helped shaped me into a strong, self-sufficient and confident person. Throughout those formative high school years where we all struggle to find ourselves I managed to unapologetically strut my talents and personality with minimal struggles with self-love. I credit this to learning early on how to express myself and work through difficult emotions - a lesson learned by watching Taylor’s example.

Honestly, watching her career made me want to understand what makes people successful. Carefully analyzing and watching her over the years is what led me to my dream degree. Now, I’m top of my class and research how to build success like she has. I found my niche, my passion, my path in life because of watching her success. I found something I’m really fucking good at and do work I’m really fucking proud of because of watching the work her team does. I’m so thankful for that.

I never thought Taylor wasn’t worth defending. But like so many young, impressionable women, I was scared of making myself a target. I was scared of defending her while she got dragged for her work. This is where I failed her. I was scared of being outcasted for being a marketing nerd, so I shied away and explored other interests. I wish I had continued to vocalize my support for her the past couple of years rather than shying away. It’s a big regret for me.

Taylor has never shied away from a spotlight that has continually targeted her, framed her poorly, victimized her or shamed and blamed her for playing the victim. She barrelled through establishing her dominance, owning her brand, and then reclaiming it like a fucking queen through Reputation. 

I never had the strength to do this in my life until recently. In my own life, I’m reclaiming my time, reclaiming MY reputation (which, without going into a backstory, has seen it’s own unfair blows recently and has hurt me tremendously), and reclaiming my fucking life because Taylor has shown me, yet again, how to come out on top of struggle.

As a public relations student, I look back on the work Taylor has done and I see her not just as a music icon or role model. I see her marketing intelligence, thorough understanding of her fans and how to reach to them, and how to manage her reputation which has been thrown under the bus and pulled through the mud for over a decade.

As a fan, I see how she’s grown, strengthened and shined through unchartered waters, and how after all these years she is still underestimated, undervalued and under-loved. 

As a woman, I see my sister who needs more support for the brilliancy in which she’s handled the cards she’s been dealt. I see an example set for me and girls after me. Taylor didn’t ask for that when she released Tim McGraw, but she’s done it anyway on her own terms. I value that. I stand by that. I won’t be silent any longer.

I hope there are fans like me out there who see this and agree. I’m tired of being the only fucking person I know who thinks this. And I hope it’s not too late for these words, for my to label myself as a Taylor Swift fan and own it. I just hope I’m not alone in this anymore. (Is the term Swifty or Swifties still a thing? Is that like a ten years ago thing? I’m so out of the loop now.)