#and tbh i don't mind it. one of the biggest differences between the way child me collected and the way adult me collects is the fact that

[c0rpsedemon]

what does it mean that p much every time there's a mh alumni line of the main ghouls that ppl go crazy over and sell out quickly and then is left in the hands of the scalpers the Only doll i'm able to get my hands on at release is frankie . like it's only happened twice tbf but that's 2/3 of the alumni main ghouls lines and i don't have Any of the reel drama ghouls so like .

[darkurgetrash]

Get to Know Me Tag ~

Hiya! I got tagged in a few different 'get to know me' tags so I thought I'd just combine them here, hehe. Thank you so so much to @dutifullylazybread @weaveandwood @orangekittyenergy and @blackstaff-blast — I really love these tags, both answering and reading others'. What can I say? I'm a gemini.

No pressure tags! ~ @lemonsrosesandlavender @savriea @graysparrowao3 @heytheresunflower

Do you make your bed?: Yes! I'm not a neat-freak, but I consider myself quite neat

Favourite number: When I was a young child someone asked me this and I didn't know what to say so I pretended it was '86'. Since then, that's always just been what I've said… couldn't tell you why lol

What's your job?: Between roles atm, but usually a copywriter

If you could go back to school, would you?: For sure. I was really let down as a kid by the system, if I could go back but with the wisdom I have now, I would love to. As for further education, I loved my undergrad but I can't see myself realistically studying more on account of chronic illnesses

Can you parallel park / Can you drive a manual car?: Nope. I was good at parking and driving back when I was first learning over 10 years ago but never took my test because I got a lot of anxiety driving. I live in London now, so there's no urgent need to learn, but I will have to some day.

Do you think aliens are real?: Yes. Ain't no way we're the only life forms to exist in the whole universe, pleaseee

What's your guilty pleasure?: I love Britney Spears 💁‍♀️

Tattoos?: A small one, on my ankle. Two hands in a reference to Twin Peaks. I also just love the design — even if my tattoo artist did a slightly shoddy job and told me they did the exact same reference on tonnes of people ayyy lmao

Favourite type of music?: Easy answer is indie, though even that is a huuuuge umbrella. Some of my fave musicians are Mitski, Bright Eyes, AURORA, Radiohead, EELS, and Thumpasaurus. Also, a long-time MCR fan.

Do you like puzzles?: I'm wayyy too ADHD for them tbh but I don't mind some types of puzzles, like in video games. But even then, they can't go on for too long, lol

Any phobias?: Crowds are def my biggest one. I’m scared of pretty normal things I’d say, like hornets. I do have a lot of sensory issues though that give a similar feeling, the most unusual being cardboard. Do NOT touch it near me, I WILL scream. And slight trypophobia… 🤢

Favourite childhood sport: Always hated sports and exercise, even as a kid

Do you talk to yourself: I sing to myself (and in general) a lot and have big echolalia, but I don't really talk to myself in the traditional sense. Now my partner on the other hand… he does not stop yapping for even a second in the day.

What movie(s) do you adore?: The immediate go-to's in my brain are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pride and Prejudice (2005), Your Name, and… Shrek. Non-ironically.

Coffee or tea: Earl grey tea with oat milk, please! If not an option, I'll go for an oat milk mocha.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?: I… okay. I don't even know if I should admit this, but it's kinda funny… but remember, I was a CHILD. like, FIVE. My sister wanted to move to Africa and be a mango farmer (???) and I wanted to go with her so I said I wanted to sell shoes there because I saw a gap in the market. 😭😭

Last song I listened to: No You Girls - Franz Ferdinand

Favourite colour: Lavender

Favourite flavour: Depends on what it is, but most likely either chocolate or strawberry

Current obsession: BG3, if y'all couldn't guess. 😂

Last thing I googled: 'Sacrum'. Girly doesn’t know what body parts are called.

Favourite season: Late autumn

Skill I'd like to learn: I'd looove to be able to sew and make clothes but I am the most cack-handed person you will ever meet. I literally got kicked out of textiles class when I was in school because I was so bad they thought I was messing about on purpose 😬…

Best advice: Be cringe, be free. People will either not care or think you're cool for your authenticity.

Currently watching: I don't really watch TV! Still getting through Dungeon Meshi, lol

Currently reading: I've been trying to read 'Interview with a Vampire' since the start of the year, but my brain only has room for BG3 fanfic it would seem… SO, here's a list of my current bookmarks hehe. Special shout-outs to @lemonsrosesandlavender @crystal-overdrive @ghostcouncil @weaveandwood @sinelaborenihilsr2 @dutifullylazybread @notlikeparis

Relationship status: Been in a relationship since 2016! Also, taken by Gale Dekarios in my head. 💜

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Big, BIG sweet tooth.

[devondeal]

6, 12, 14, and 21 for the Star Wars Violence Ask Game!

Thank you wifey! 💙💚 I'm gonna enjoy these

6. Opinion on canon and/or fanon use of the secret child trope? Discuss

I don't mind it. The secret child can be a good trope if the context is right for it. I mean Star Wars is centered on secret child trope pretty much. Where I'm not so into it is the Korkie headcanon that he is Obi Wan and Satine's son. It's a bit too crackhead for me and also it's not my ship so I'm biased against it.

12. Name a common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing.

Anything about Rey tbh. I may not be a big sequels person but anytime the fandom tries reduce her to an overpowered female Luke and say she's unoriginal I roll my eyes.

Like they are nothing alike. Luke got to live comfortably taken care of by his aunt and uncle. He never had to scavage scraps just to be able to eat. And before anyone comes for me, I'm NOT ripping on Luke. He had what anyone should have.

What I'm saying is Rey didn't get to have guardians or a comfortable house or regularly even be able eat. She was abandoned and did what she had to to survive. As for the overpowered thing like she's able to fly ships or fight back, like come on. I repeat, she. was. a. scavanger. She got to know ship parts and as for fighting, she's had to fight dickheads like Teedo and probably worse to keep food, homes, etc. After rewatching TFA, i notice she learns from OBSERVATION. She mimics what others do around. This is a survival skill she had her whole life.

Of course Luke is going to take a little more time to learn things. He was never put in that situation where it was do or die (as any child shouldn't). Rey was and however fast she was at learning a skill is a result of basic survival instincts.

She and Luke ENTIRELY different characters and to say she's a female version of him cuz she's from a desert????? Reductive and a big lack in media literacy tbh.

14. What's the most egregious example of fridging in canon?

God which one? 😅 Fridging is probably one of Star Wars biggest crimes. Leia is the first that comes to mind because she died to redeem her piece of shit son that she did not deserve.

But then again, Anakin's turn to the dark side is also due to fridging with his mother and his wife. Especially with Padme since there's an old version where she actually gets to live a little bit longer with the Rebellion and tried to kill Anakin.

I may not be a big Satine person, but that's fridging too to give Obi Wan angst and more Maul animosity.

I'm still going to say Leia in the sequels though as the most egregious. Because it was so out of nowhere (yes I'm aware that Carrie's death was probably the reason but I don't care. There are better ways to kill off/write out a character than fridging). Her death served no purpose other than Kyle Ron no accountability. Like what in "Jesus died for our sins" is this bullshit? Why must Star Wars' most iconic woman have to go out for a man that did nothing but hurt and betray her? It's insulting tbh.

Edit: Luminara's death was fucking awful too. Like ain't no reason to have it be so horrific. Sigh... can Star Wars like not hate women for once.

21. Best canon example of a healthy relationship in Star Wars

Romantically that is a tough one. Honestly I'm coming up short with this one. Can't say Han and Leia cuz we only see their rocky start and end and nothing in between.

Maybe Kanan and Hera but their relationship kinda got ruined for me when suddenly at the end, he wasnt aware if Hera felt the same about him??? I just thought they were basically married and I'm supposed to be believe they haven't even had that conversation by THAT point in time??? Plus the ghost baby thing creeped me the fuck out. Can Star Wars please stop with the out of nowhere pregnancies please?

So yeah canon romances, nothing comes to mind. In fact Star Wars is kind of built on toxic romance.

The crackhead in me wants to say Owen and Beru 🤣

Ooo! Wait I found my answer! Cal and Merrin from the Jedi games! They are perfect 🥺 Idk what the next game will have in store for them but so far, the way they empower and comfort each other. They accept and love each other's differences. And just adorable all around. Sweet ginger boy with spicy witch lady 👌

[someonetookmyawesomename]

Hi! Sorry if I'm being a bother, but I just finished Son of a Witch and Out of Oz, and I noticed that Liir only refers to Candle as his 'wife' (the family tree in the beginning of the book says otherwise), but he's always very creative with his nicknames for Trism. You're kind of the expert on these things, and I was wondering if you noticed them too.

Oh this isn't any trouble at all! I'm actually happy to see a new person get interested in Liir/Trism!

Anyway, I DID notice that Liir's way of referring to Trism is much more colorful compared to Candle! Though NGL, I haven't read the books in a hot minute 'cause Uni is kicking my ass, so my recollection of details may be hazy, but I'm gonna tell you anyway HAHAHAHAHA

I think Liir refers to Candle as his "wife" because he feels devotion towards her. As the mother of his child, and the first person to care for him when he became an adult, she's played a very big role in his life. He calls her his wife because she's basically the only person he knew who's willing to put up with him and hasn't abandoned him.

Throughout his youth, Liir has struggled with his loneliness and despairs the fact that "Nobody will ever come looking for him". When Candle arrives, he's no longer alone and he finally has someone waiting for him whenever he goes somewhere.

On the other hand, Liir is much more creative and flowery with his thoughts about Trism, because he's completely and utterly besotted. Unlike his feelings for Candle, Liir's feelings for Trism are brought by attraction, not necessarily devotion.

I mean, if you read the books, Liir goes to great lengths to reminisce about Trism's looks. From his blonde hair to his apparently very nice ass (I still think it's hilarious Maguire added this detail), Liir spends an inordinate amount of time admiring Trism's appearance.

Not only that, bur Trism also plays a very impactful role in Liir's life. While Candle may have given Liir the domestic life he always wanted and spent roughly 2 decades with him, Trism is the one who is present during the turning points in Liir's life, not Candle. So it makes sense that Trism takes a lot of space in Liir's head.

Trism was the one who told Liir how to enter the military. He helped him complete his plans. Finally, when liir had to pick sides during the climax of his life, it was Trism who told him to "make his own choices for his own reasons". Basically confronting him head-on with his biggest flaws, his lack of initiative and self-identity.

Unlike Candle who is mainly a comfy person Liir can go home to, Trism is the one pushing him to take action throughout his life. They may not have spent that much time together, but every encounter they have sends their lives spiraling into a completely different direction. That's why I think Trism takes so much real-estate in Liir's mind.

Those are my thoughts anyway. Glad you decided to ask me! I'm flattered you think I'm an expert on this, but I'm really not TBH. I'm just a zoomer who's completely in love with the relationship between a neurotic witch boy and his sexy but really full of himself soldier BF.

I hope I gave a satisfactory answer, and feel free to give your own two cents! Don't worry about being a bother too! Talking about Liir/Trism is a stress-reliever for me!

[strangled-mangoes]

hello! can i ask what your opinion on robrae is? i was 6 years old when TT03 came out & was immediately hooked. it was my favorite show & still is. i rewatch it a few times a year & didn't ship them growing up (i was all about robstar & bbrae).

but as i grew up & got onto tumblr to see varied ships talked about (cyjinx, robrae, cystar, etc), i began to notice the level of understanding between them.

i've noticed a lot of animosity toward the robrae ship specifically in the TT03 fandom & i totally understand why a lot of people see the relationship as purely platonic with more of a brotherly/sisterly type bond. i still ship robstar & bbrae, don't get me wrong! but something about how robin & raven connect on a deeper level & trust one another enough to deadass go into each other's MINDS just makes my heart do funny things. especially raven. & the way robin holds her after she collapses at the beginning of the end part 1?! oh my god. i fall to pieces every time 😭

sooo.. sorry for rambling. they're really special to me & i have nobody else to talk to about it haha. if you don't like them together i totally understand! i want your 100% honest opinion.

hi!!!! u absolutely can! and don’t be sorry for rambling because that’s my favorite thing ever

(also i was 7 & got hooked when i first saw it when it reran in 2012 so we’re basically twinning 😍 (minus the ~10 year difference))

i talked a bit about how i feel about Robrae in my other post about Robstar, but to be fair it was 1. long and 2. written at 3am so it probably wasn’t a very good explanation. but i will still include it here:

it’s true that they grow to be very close with each other, and as the show goes on, they’re shown to care for each other a lot— but it’s not the kind of love that robin and star have. i think my biggest point towards them being siblings is in The End, when robin goes to basically-hell to save raven. when he finds her, she’s physically and mentally younger, and doesn’t even recognize him at first. robin does approach her as her friend, but also treats her as one would with a real child. even when she remembers him, he doesn’t change his behavior with her. i really do think he sees her as his younger sister.

i know that normally they are very close in age, and have similar levels of maturity. but lemme tell u something. i have a younger brother, and we’re very similar to each other. i mean ok his interests r a bit different (he was on a wrestling team during hs while i sat on my computer and studied the tt wiki (which is amazing u should go look at it if u haven’t)). but other than the parts that make us unique (and the fact we aren’t related to each other at all), i often find myself forgetting that he’s younger than me. until we’re sitting in the backseat of our older brother’s car after a long day of walking, and he starts to fall asleep. and he falls to my side. and suddenly my brain starts running a mile a minute, as i realize that because we’re so close he isn’t afraid to sleep beside me. and ok yes this absolutely the brainrot talking but i believe this is how robin was feeling when raven trusted him to save her, to defeat her father— to protect her. of course robin is better trained and therefore didn’t freeze up like i did but whatever!

anyway. i do see them as a sibling relationship BUT i understand your view of them. and i remember that sometimes in the 03 comics, there’d be moments that definitely shipped Robrae. so this is not something to be ashamed of! these are fictional characters with fictional relationships, and therefore we (as the fans) are free to view their stories however we want.

tbh, i the main reason that i will never ship robrae isn’t because im a “diehard Robstar shipper”, but instead because im gay and aromantic, and that puts a wrench in understanding romantic relationships— especially mlw ones. i find myself unable to relate to robrae. the only reason i ship robstar at all is because i know that they’re a great couple, and i remember when i related more to starfire and definitely shipped them as a kid. but now i relate most to robin, and so it’s hard to ship things like robrae. or even robstar, because i find myself unable to tell the difference between liking & caring for someone a lot as a friendship vs liking & caring for someone a lot as a romantic relationship.

i’ve made some posts now about how i see Cyborg & Robin as brothers and best friends… which is true, but sometimes i view them as a romantic pair (Cyrob). i think it’s because i like men that shipping these two together is something i like, versus shipping robrae. of course, my aromanticism still makes it hard to decide once and for all if i see them as friends or as potential partners. shipping is hard :(

anyway. all of this was to say that i understand why you ship Robrae and why i personally don’t. i’m happy that you asked very nicely because as we’re both aware, people have been having robstar/robrae shipping wars since the dawn of time (2003) and are often mean so thank u for being nice and i hope i was too!!!

bonus thing i think is funny:

S4e3 Birthmark

transcript by Alan Back for Titansgo.net, archived on Teen Titans Wiki

i just wanted to share one of my favorite transcript moments with u because it’s robin and raven!!! but it’s unrelated to the rest of the post so here we are, under the cut 💔

[onemillionvolts]

GM CYNO

what if i told you every single question in the ask game should be answered, that or WHO IS THE SEXUEST PERSIN THAT COMES TO MIND IMMEDIATELY

GOOD MORNING HI HI. BET. im gonna do all of them you bet i wont but i will. youre the best for this btw

IMMEDIATELY? PFFFF HOW LONG DO U HAVE LET ME GET MY LIST

0. height

i yam 5 foot 6 (and a half)

1. virgin?

what the fuck did you just call me? /lhj

anyways in my head yes i am and thats what matters isnt it

2. shoe size

i wear 11s and god i wish that thing people say about shoe size was true 🤙

3 + 4 + 5. do you smoke/drink/do drugs

no and i never plan to <33

6. age you get mistaken for

i.. honestly have no answer to this tbh

7 + 8. do you have (and/or want) any tattoos?

i don't have any, i'd like one/some but i'm not really sure what i'd get

9 + 10. do you have/want any piercings

no to both PFFFF i think like... a clip on lip piercing would probably be my personal limit

11. best friend

...ego stroker much, tumblr user wangshu? /t PFFFFF

12. relationship status

harem with fake 2d men single. yeah uh. single

13. biggest turn ons

tbh... i cant think of any off the top of my head that aren't painfully obvious

14. biggest turn offs

ducklips iykyk

15. favorite movie

i'm not kidding when i say step brothers. but if you want a more respectable answer, nightmare before christmas

16. i'll love you if

you aren't an asshole??? i mean ik it's hypocritical of me to say but cmon

17. someone you miss

i've lost a lot of family over the years so probably someone there tbh

18. most traumatic experience

when my ex lived with me and i wish i was joking it was that fucking bad

19. A fact about your personality

which one /hj

i do think.. i overcompensate a lot by trying to be funny bc i dont feel like i HAVE a personality so there's that about me

20. What i hate most about myself

mm thats a toughie it could be the appearance or the voice or the attachment issues or the codependency issues or the jealousy issues or the mood swings or the weak immune system or the several mental illnesses or holy shit this is turning into a pity party

21. what i love most about myself

im an alright writer i guess? and id like to think i'm a good friend

22. what i want to be when i get older

i just wanna write man idc what

23. my relationship with my sibling(s)

i have 0 of them

24. my relationship with my parents

my moms cool but the less said about my dad the better

25. my idea of the perfect date

literally just staying in and watching a movie with snacks and stuff... honestly never thought about it much

26. My biggest pet peeves

UM UM um people who think the world revolves around them people who don't know the difference between their there and they're um people who Unironically Capitalize Every Word Like This oh i could go on

27. a description of the person i like

big hat dumb bowlcut open kimono /j

28. description of the person i dislike the most

um literally jusr my dad so. narcissistic explosive annoying abusive etc etc

29. A reason i've lied to a friend

only time i'm lyin is when i say tiggy ain't best boy 💯

30. what i hate most about work/school

it kinda semi interferes w my night owl ways but otherwise i'm chill

31. what your last text message says

gonna use actual texts cause using disc is too easy 👹 it was just me asking my mom if she wanted a drink from mcdonalds from last sunday

32. what words upset me the most

does this mean like. just words you hate or a phrase/sentence that upsets u...

uh i'll do it both ways. the word bussin makes me want to fall down an abyss a la childe ajax tartaglia

and uh. i hate being told i don't do enough, specifically by people who don't do jack shit in the first place. AGAIN iykyk

33. what words make me feel best abt myself

oh it was the second thing. honestly don't hve an answer to this but i just hold onto any compliment i get for actual years so there's that about me

34. what i find attractive in women

eyes its eyes

35. what i find attractive in men

sense of humor tbh

36. where i would like to live

somewhere close to a big city so that it isn't massively crowded and loud and overwhelming all the time but i'm close enough to stores and hospitals and all that stuff

37. One of my insecurities

i feel like this has already been asked in like 6 different ways.. prolly my body tho

38. my childhood career choice

honestly i've.. always been kinda laughably indecisive about this type of thing. i never wanted to be like, an astronaut or fireman or any of the cliche stuff that kids talk about i.. don't think i ever thought of it actually

39. my favorite ice cream flavor

cookies n cream 👹 specifically like a cookies n cream cheesecake blizzard from like dq or culvers.. that shit is unmatched

40. Who i wish i could be

a mentally stable person or cyno genshin (real)

41. where i want to be right now

in bed <///3

42. the last thing i ate

leftover pizza <3

43. SEXIEST PERSON THAT COMES TO MIND IMMEDIATELY

TIGHNARI FINAL ANSWRR I DONT PERCEIVE REAL PEOPLE

44. a random fact about anything

all odd numbers contain the letter E

GOLLY THIS WAS SO FUN.

[mrknifes]

in regards to your autistic! bruce asks : what is bruce's form of stimming, meltdown triggers, & how does autism affect fatherhood?

I sort of brushed on this in a previous post I made about his autism, but I enjoy these kinds of posts, so I don't mind going more in depth.

Anyways, I think Bruce stims in the following ways: rocking back and forth, flapping his hands, bouncing his leg, "twitching" various other body parts, fidgeting, and chewing on stuff. He doesn't have many verbal stims because he is mostly nonverbal and doesn't like talking.

Occasionally, he enjoys pressure stimming via weighted blanked, or holding onto someone else, but this is a lot more rare. Same thing for sound. Once in a while, he likes playing music really loud. But it's not common.

His main types of stims are all kinetic/movement based.

In order to draw less attention to himself in public, he would most likely wear stim jewelry like these

On the left is a dinosaur spinner ring, and on the right are chew necklaces. I would have posted links instead, but tumblr hates those.

Bruce really doesn't like to openly stim in public because of repetitive trauma caused by people treating him terribly. So when he stims in public it's very discreet. And he tends to mask rather than stim in the first place. Only people he really trusts know that he has autism, and see him stim regularly.

In very, very awful cases where Bruce is in a bad state of mind and cannot stim the way he normally does, he may resort to self harm. (ex: scratching, cutting, etc.) He doesn't really hurt himself as much as he did when he was younger, though. He's recovered a lot as he's grown older.

As for meltdowns, there's a lot of potential triggers, but I think a big one for him is social gatherings. He often has to mask heavily at these events, and they go one for long periods of time. They have a lot of stimuli like lights, loud noise, people touching him, etc. When he was a child, Alfred would often find Bruce hiding and crying underneath tables, because he had a lot of meltdowns. He's figured out ways to handle them better, but he still finds himself near the edge of tears when it's all over. He usually has to recover by laying down in a very dark room, almost always underneath a heavy blanket. If you try talking to him in this state he'll probably bite you tbh. :/// (Jk but he thinks about it.)

Another one would be emotional stimuli. It's one of the reasons why he's nonverbal in the first place. It's really difficult for him to deal with emotions well. It's a lot easier for him to cope through nonverbal communication. Causing him to speak when he's overwhelmed is the #1 way for him to have a meltdown / leads to self-harming. It's one of his biggest struggles.

I think that Bruce's autism definitely causes some difficulties between him and his allistic children (I mean in canon you can already see that Dick & Jason don't always handle Bruce's communication that well.)

Dick has been seen on many occasions commenting on how """bad""" Bruce is at communicating. And Jason... Well we all know how Jason feels about Bruce's differences in communication.

However, you can also see that Dick has gotten used to it over time, and that he has adjusted to the way Bruce doesn't enjoy talking. Even Duke, from the start, understands Bruce without Bruce having to speak too much. I headcanon Tim & Damian are autistic as well, so I imagine there's a mutual understanding between the three of them. And Cass knows sign language, so it's easy for Bruce & her to talk.

Mainly, the hardships lie in conversation, but it's not that big of an issue, and each of his kids accept it over time. I don't imagine anything else would really cause a change in their relationship.

This is all I could think of off the top of my head, but I could always elaborate more. And feel free to send more asks!

[hirakdesherrani]

I was going through your blog, and you seem to criticize Shivaay a lot. But you don't seem to criticize Om as much who is no good either. I know Om started out good but after his character was butchered, there is no difference. At least Shivaay has shown a great character progression, and as of now he is the better man and husband. Not to attack you, 'cos I know everyone has their favs, but Omkara has flaws too.

Okay, so this ask has been licking dust in my inbox for weeks now. At the cost of seeming rude, I didn’t answer it ‘cos I just didn’t know what to reply, and tbh, didn’t feel like replying either.

Anyways, I’ll try now.

First things first anon, this is the first time someone has implied that Omkara is a fav of mine, which is farthest from the truth. Most of the times, I’m accused of hating on him ‘cos I’m blind Gauri stan, who’s white-knighting on her behalf (or so ppl believe). Secondly, LMAO anon, if only you had bothered to go back to posts I made last year, you would’ve seen how much I’ve criticized Om, much more than Shivaay, believe me.

Coming to your statements, lets see.

(Disclaimer: I’m in no way comparing abuse and saying who’s the worst among the two. Both are pathetic and don’t deserve the blessed presence of ‘any’ female in their lives, AniRi toh bahut dur ki baat hai.)

For the Shivaay v/s Omkara thing you mentioned:

As a husband, Shivaay >>>> Omkara. No explanations needed. (Post-their resolution of conflicts)

As a man, Omkara >>>> Shivaay, for the simple reason, that when Gauri told Omkara to GTFO, he accepted her decision and left. Unlike Shivaay, who took it upon himself to decide Gauri’s fate, because he thinks that he knows what’s better for Gauri than Gauri herself, which is damn patronizing. That Gauri chose to forgive Om is her prerogative, Shivaay orchestrating the kidnap was wrong. What if Gauri did not want to return to the Oberoi hellhole, then? Would he have kept her in the Oberoi mansion against her will, just to make his brother happy? I found the whole thing hard to digest, it was funny no doubt, but the underlying message was problematic.

As for character progression, well of course Shivaay has shown greater progression, because in the beginning of the show he’s a damn sociopath. Shivaay starts out as this Lucius Malfoy kinda character, who has rules about blood and lineage, who is proud about his ‘Naam, khoonn, khaandaan’ (just like pureblood nonsense) and calls Annika “road trash” (‘Mudbloods’?). Shivaay starts out from the very bottom, so obviously his growth will be greater. Omkara has his flaws, but as a character he was always better than Shivaay. Even in DBO when he was at the very worst of his graph, he still intervened to save a girl’s life, who he judged and hated, because that was the right thing to do. 

Both Shivaay and Omkara were put in the same situation re: Tia and Gauri. Both of them suspected that Tia and Gauri are lying about the pregnancy, and both had just cause to suspect. However, Shivaay never took any interest in Tia’s pregnancy, which made sense, because Tia was trapping him and he knew the child wasn’t his. It was Annika, in fact, who saved Tia from a miscarriage and actually cared for the baby indirectly, when she had all the reason to hate Tia and the child, because Annika is a kind soul.

Compare this to Omkara, who though acted as the judge, jury and executioner and decided that Gauri was not fit to mother that child (asshole!), but still actively cared for the unborn child who he suspected was not his own. We, as an audience, knew that Shivaay is right in his place, and Omkara is wrong in accusing Gauri. But as characters both Shivaay and Omkara were at the same situation, that is, they were unaware of what the other party had in mind.

Another reason why Shivaay’s character progression or redemption, has better sketched out, is because he is acutely aware of all the wrongs he perpetrated against Annika. Each and every instance, from suspecting Annika of selling the video to the media to the Daksh fiasco, every single misunderstanding has been cleared. But Omkara is not even aware of all the wrongs he committed against Gauri. Till date Omkara does not know the whole truth about Kali Thakur. He still only has a vague idea that he misjudged Gauri, that maybe she was forced into the wedding. The fact that Gauri was kept in chains, she was about to be married to three grooms, they were planning to make her their common sex slave for life, all this is still unknown to him. Even the buamaa truth, that Gauri was not lying when Kali captured Buamaa or even the fact that Gauri was not attempting to drown Buamaa in the swimming pool (for which he called the cops); all this is STILL unknown to him. How can he make reparations for everything he did in DBO, when he doesn’t even know the extent of all his sins in DBO?

And again, at the cost of repeating myself, even at his worst, Omkara did not derive any diabolic pleasure in ruining Gauri’s life. Unlike Shivaay, who put Annika in jail just because she refused to apologize for his arrogance. Annika would still be rotting in prison, if Dadi hadn’t bailed her out and Omkara hadn’t knocked some sense into Shivaay. Shivaay repeatedly fucked with Annika’s life and tried to make her miserable only for his ego. Annika was always at Shivaay’s mercy because Shivaay always used his power to abuse Annika.Contrast this to Omkara, Gauri was never at his mercy. Gauri was held hostage by the situation and had to return to the Oberoi mansion to save his dumb ass, but she was never at Omkara’s mercy. He did not make it a hobby to make her life difficult because that gives him sadistic pleasure. Omkara just wanted to get rid of Gauri and throw her out of his life. Which still makes him an asshole, but in all ways better than Shivaay. It’s just that Shivaay appears better than Omkara during DBO and after, because Shivaay was at the highest point in his character arc that time, while Omkara was at the lowest.

Coming to the last thing you mentioned about character flaws in Omkara. Sure, Omkara has a LOT of character flaws, you’re absolutely right there, anon. And those flaws are there even in IB 2016, its just that the audience puts him on a pedestal without analyzing his character properly, which is why the fall in DBO seems much more evident.

His biggest flaw is that he is STUPID. Like all the other problems and minor flaws emerge because of his sheer stupidity. Okay, that came out wrong. Omkara in the beginning of IB, is a Kalidas kind of character, who cuts the branch on which he is sitting. Unfortunately, stupidity is not seen as a character flaw, so most of the audience let it go. No wonder Om gets conned all the time, by Roop bua, Ishaana, Riddhima, Ranveer, etc. 

Because he is stupid, Omkara cannot understand the nuances of human beings. All his associated flaws, be it seeing things in black and white, or truth and lies, is because he cannot see the ‘grey’ or the ‘in-between’. To see and understand the grey, one needs brains and that Omkara does not possess.

Another thing is that most of the fandom thought that Om is more gender-equal than his brothers. But he has always been pretty misogynist from the beginning. 

Omkara put women in boxes. One was the good but victimized women (Box A): Jahnvi, Annika, even Pinky to an extent, who tolerated a lot of BS from their partners. And the other were women like Riddhima, Ishaana, Tia, who lied or used men for their own benefits (Box B). Of course, the worst was Svetty who was the ‘home breaker’ in his eyes. The first time he was confronted with this issue he chose to break up with Riddhima and Shivaay had to intervene and explain him that people are not good or bad, there is also the grey. The funny thing is that Om, who judged women harshly, never held Shivaay to the same standards. If he judged Shivaay in the same way, then he would have to put him in the category of bad people, which he refused to do. Hypocrisy much?

The second time when Omkara faces a similar choice, is when Mallika ran away from her wedding. Omkara categorically says that what Mallika did was wrong, even though he understands what compelled her. Again in that situation its Annika who makes Shivaay see sense, because Annika is an empathetic person. 

The thing is, whenever Om clashes with a ‘bad’ woman a/c to his judgments, he reacts badly. He was about to hit/get violent with both Ishana and Riddhima when he came to know of their betrayal. In both the cases, his brothers intervened and stopped him. Similarly he manhandles Svetty, after the whole engagement fiasco. 

The audience never held him accountable that time, because these women were wrong/used him. But the point is that even if these women were wrong, Omkara was also wrong in misbehaving with them. Manhandling or threatening assault to any woman is never right. 

This flaw comes in sharp focus only when Omkara meets Gauri, because unlike the other women before her Gauri is blameless. 

You mentioned the butchering anon. I know we all talk about how Omkara did a 360 degree in personality in DBO, even I say that. But in all honesty, he wasn’t butchered in DBO. His dark side which was suppressed in IB, came out in DBO. Like I explained before, Omkara was always violent with women who fell in category B. That coupled with his stupidity, which is why everyone cons him, spelled disaster for his equation with Gauri. 

If I have to be critical, Omkara was butchered badly only four times in the show (IB+DBO). When he throws money at Gauri’s face and crashes his car into her shop, when he leaves her to die at Kali Thakur’s hands after Chulbul reveal (which undid the very fact that he saved her from the villagers in similar situations the first time), when he shows complete lack of regret/guilt after Gauri leaves him post-inspiration argument and when he was drinking hot chocolate and going off to sleep after returning from Bareilly (instead of properly angstying and expressing regret in solitude) 

Coming back to the misogynist flaw, Omkara by the end of DBO did not know in which box to put Gauri in: due to all the lies and what he saw in Bareilly, he wanted to put her in Box B, but Gauri also put her life at stake multiple times to save his ass which confused him. On top of that, Gauri is not like Jahnvi or Annika who will stay with him despite all the shit he pulled. Gauri leaves immediately after the inspiration fuck up, which puzzled Omkara because Jahnvi never left despite the shit Tej did or Annika did not leave despite how Shivaay continued to insult her after their forced wedding. Annika in fact asked Omkara and Rudy to forgive Shivaay for the forced wedding BS that he did. [One reason why Omkara and Rudy misbehaved with Gauri, Soumya and Bhavya was because they internalized Shivaay’s behavior, ‘cos they saw that Annika forgave him despite everything, so they never expected these girls to dump their ass.]

I know a lot of people felt Omkara was OOC in many scenes in DBO. But actually on second thoughts he was like that in IB too, its just that in Ishana’s or Riddhima’s cases it was a one-off incident, but Gauri was forced to continue living in his presence to save him from Svetty and Buamaa, which made Om even more suspicious and thus, even more violent/verbally abusive. 

Baar haal, when you say character progression, sure Shivaay has progressed a lot from where he began. Omkara by comparison, had character flaws which he overcame post-break up with Gauri, when he realizes how wrong his stereotyping has been all this while, and how messed up his ideologies are. He learnt his lesson, and tried to implement that too, when he himself resorted to lies (as Dilpreet) to win back Gauri’s forgiveness. Character progression is more marked in Shivaay’s case because he started as a villain and went on to become a decent human being, whereas Omkara was in general a decent guy, with faulty judgments and anger management issues, which he sorta overcame. Of course, his stupidity cannot be cured. If one is stupid, then when is stupid, iska koi iilaaj nahi hai. Which is why he has a smart brother and wife to take care of him. 

I know you were not ‘attacking’ me for my choices, anon, but I thought to make it clear anyways. And hopefully, after this longass reply, nobody sends me an ask about the Obros, because writing about them just shoots my blood pressure.

[coquetteblossom]

rika going on and on about the darkness and the devil inside her made me sick tbh like 1. it's called mental illness rika lots of people have it and you don't see them starting cults 2. that doesn't excuse your actions or what you did

Oh nonnie, I understand the emotion. 

I would like to admit first that I’m no authority regarding mental illness and my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt, but in all honesty I believe you’re on point, and people with more knowledge than me on this issue agree, as well. 

My issue with Rika is that, regardless of her mental illness, she was perfectly aware of the difference between good and evil, she understood her way of thinking wasn’t good for herself or for others, yet she still refused treatment. Her views weren’t the result of an impulse, they were the result of a particular way of perceiving the world… A perception that she knew was questionable and damaged others, but felt entitled to act upon just because it satisfied her. 

As we see in flashbacks set in the early days of her relationship with V, Rika understood that the thoughts she had were morally reprehensible (by describing them as a ‘devil’ and ‘darkness’ and ‘bad thoughts’), and she was afraid of them and what they’d turn her into. So far, understandable. However, the issue is that she wasn’t afraid of them from a moral standpoint: It’s not that she thought being a bad person is something that people shouldn’t do or that she was afraid of harming others, is that she was afraid giving in to those thoughts would make her unlovable. So, when V proclaimed that he loved her as a whole and that he’d handle any evil she threw his way… She felt loved, therefore her biggest fear had gone away: Being a bad person and doing what she wanted wouldn’t make her unlovable. This is why she despised when V tried to take her to therapy or tried to help her get better, she perceived this as him trying to “change” her; she wanted him to love her, period, she never wanted to erase her ‘darkness’. This put V in an awkward position because he wanted her to continue therapy and get better, but she guilt-tripped him into believing that he was trying to ‘change her’ (or, as she put it, ‘burn her with his light’). V has a weak-will, so he gave in let himself be subdued by Rika’s will. 

So, she refused treatment because, at some point, she didn’t feel the need to change. Why change, if someone (V in this case, but for her it could have been anyone) already said he’d love her as a whole? She wasn’t morally opposed to the evil thoughts her mental illness made her have despite being perfectly aware that they weren’t good ones, because everything in her life was about being loved. This is why she tested V’s love again and again and questioned it time after time.

This is also why she had a mental breakdown when V said it was obsession and not love. Why her crisis had her repeat “You said you loved me” again and again in despair: V’s unconditional love somehow, in her mind, ‘validated’ her to carry on the most obscure desires her mind could conjure: She could blind V, torture him and others, create a cult, destroy Saeran’s mind… Because she never cared about good and evil, she cared about being loved despite enjoying being ‘darkness itself’. 

If you take that ‘love’ away from her… She crumbles, because she is forced to face the weight of her actions and the cost of her morally-questionable decisions without her validation. She was forced to face the person she became. Which is why she became so desperate to get V back (or to get the MC to replace V)… It’s not about loving them, is about having them love her. 

That’s why I cannot defend Rika:

Wanting to be loved? Understandable, even more so despite seeing the abuse she went through as a child.

Using someone else’s “love” to validate herself to do harm, because she felt entitled to do so? Er… 

Manipulating/drugging/torturing others in order to get that ‘rush’ of being worshiped/loved? That’s… Yeah. 

Blaming the person that gave you the “love” you wanted and validated you, simply because you refuse to acknowledge that you chose what to do with such love and validation? Uh… 

So yeah. Understanding Rika’s desire to be loved is cool. 

Justifying what she did to get it? Not… cool.