#arc: manslaught / adult. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ladyintree · 9 months ago

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it wouldn’t be the first time she lost it over a mere mention of mikayla— especially one like this, when she’s so easily painted as some kind of monster. she hates it, hates knowing that nothing she can say will ever convince people otherwise, because they’re too interested in their own narratives because they’re far more entertaining than knowing that the girl actually defended herself. but losing it over some man who clearly only wants the rise out of her isn’t going to do her or mikayla any favors— she just hates knowing that she’s already had to deal with him. as much as she hates this, as much as she wants to get away from him, she’d rather she dealt with him than mikayla had to. at least, clearly, mikayla got the last word— but tai still hates to think about what ideas he might’ve gotten in her head before that.

❝ manslaughter, ❞ she corrects with gritted teeth, her eyes narrowed in on him for a moment before she quickly looks away, because every time she defends mikayla, it just feels wrong— not in what she’s saying, but how she’s saying it without her here, because why is she the one defending her when she doesn’t even know what happened from mikayla’s perspective? that’s really all that matters to her, and yet, she doesn’t think she’ll ever get the chance to talk to her about it, because she won’t take it. she’s frustrated when he starts talking about mikayla’s life, because she’s so desperate to know about it, even though she doesn’t feel like she’s earned it. part of her doesn’t think she should allow herself any of it, but he’s here, dangling it in front of her. ❝ what the fuck do you know about her life? ❞ she dismisses, yet the question is still genuine— what does he know?

she scoffs, her hand dragging across her forehead in frustration, also an attempt to ignore the way her heart pounds in her chest. ❝ she’s not fucked up! ❞ she spits, louder now, and she tells herself she’d defend any of them the same way— but this one is too personal, it goes beyond just trying to protect them the way she swore she would. mikayla had no one to defend her when she was a child, a thought that haunted tai when they were together, making her even more desperate to give her that safe place in the worst of places— but she couldn’t do anything for her on the other side, and she’s never stopped regretting it. she just can’t let herself dwell, either, because that’s how she gets stuck. he says her name and it feels worse than any pain she’s endured before— worse than a plane crash, than the concussion that came with it, than the starvation and exhaustion she experienced for months.

she can feel her eyes desperate to well up, but she refuses to give him the satisfaction, clenching her jaw hard and tilting her head up the way she’s trained herself to do whenever conversations about her past started to weigh on her. her name doesn’t deserve to be in his mouth— but it doesn’t deserve to be in hers, either, she knows. ❝ she’s not fucked up, ❞ she repeats, this time forcing her voice to be calmer. ❝ her dad was a piece of shit who— ❞ got what he deserved. but even though she knows that’s the truth, she knows she has to be careful with the way she talks to strangers— they’re all so quick to twist the survivors’ words any chance they get, so she collects herself with a huff and shakes her head. ❝ — she defended herself. that’s it. seems like you and her father have something in common. ❞ they deserved mikayla’s beating.

she scoffs, and for a moment, an amused smile tugs at her face— but it’s empty, filled with frustration more than anything. ❝ you don’t seem like someone who plays nice with strangers, ❞ she points out, her head nodding to their current predicament. he goes on, and she nearly freezes again. it gives her a chill, thinking about mikayla there, like that. she once told her she deserved so much more than she had, that she could make something of herself someday— but now what does mikayla think? ❝ you’re not her fucking type. did you touch her? ❞ she asks as an accusation— no wonder she punched you. ❝ where— what bar? ❞ she blurts before she can stop herself. she doesn’t want to know, because she doesn’t want that information stuck in her head, doesn't want to be tempted, but how could she not ask? ❝ you didn’t get her fired, did you? pigs like you in there, you’re probably not the first one they’ve wanted to punch, ❞ she says, dismissing it as something that any waitress would do with anyone there— because clearly, he’s already decided that mikayla’s awful, but she’s still not accepting that.

he knows he's being a nuisance, and years ago, he would have cared. years ago, he wouldn't have approached her at all, and if he had, he sure as fuck wouldn't have brought up what happened to her and her team— but he's a different man now, one who finds entertainment in interactions like this, making people uncomfortable. that's what resulted him in leaving that bar with a broken nose last week, and it's not that he hasn't learned better: he just doesn't care.

“ probably did, but something tells me she doesn't want another murder charge under her belt. ” that charge is what intrigued him the most about that survivor in particular, though not for the same reasons as most people. most people are nosy, bored— he was interested in mikayla desousa because that could have easily been him: arrested for killing his family, nobody believing that he didn't mean to do it, that he didn't want them dead, the rest of the world seeing him as a monster. the only difference is, he doubts he would have gotten out so soon. “ her life seems shitty enough as it is. ” she looked miserable, though not enough for ace to actually pity her for it; he'd need to be capable of sympathy for that.

he's amused when she claims not to know who he's talking about, because who the fuck else would it be? he doesn't actually know enough about any of the others to realize if there's other possibilities or not. “ come on, don't play dumb. you know who i'm talking about. the fucked up one. the one who bashed her dad's face in. ” he knows her name, but he'd rather lead with that, because it's impressive, the crime scene photos— nothing compared to some of the things he's done, the way he left the body of his abuser, but then, he also wasn't some horribly malnourished teenage girl at the time. “ mikayla desousa, ” he clarifies finally, though he doesn't think he needs to.

ace isn't actually interested in listening to her defend herself, so he stops listening, fishing a cigarette out of his pocket, shoving it between his lips and lighting it. he takes a long drag, almost considering dropping the subject entirely, because it's a little embarrassing, the way someone almost a foot shorter than him broke his nose, but he decides against it. “ actually— i was being nice to her. ” he wasn't, but that's probably already obvious. “ that bar she's working in has her in this tiny little skirt— pretty much a cheerleading uniform with less coverage. anyway, she's fucking hot, so i just told her that. and then she punched me. ” that's not exactly how it went— it took a little more coaxing to get her to actually snap, but the rest of the world's set on painting her as some impulsive, bloodthirsty psychopath, so why can't he?

#incinerace #arc: young adult.#me when i actually have to type out manslaughter: wtf

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chuuae · 3 years ago

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##𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀 , a character analysis involving for the tainted sorrow and an autumn poem.

WARNING !! this analysis will contain spoilers for the bungou stray dogs manga. it will also discuss topics such as domestic abuse, death, smoking, alcoholism, suicide, and mental illness. please do not read if you feel uncomfortable with any of these themes.

DISCLAIMER !! this is not for the purpose of romanticising, shaming, or otherwise glamourising mental illnesses. please take this from someone who also suffers from mental illness. i am merely attempting to analyse. also, i'm not trying to assign each chuuya a sexuality, but i'm literally just going off the poems and what i observe so ...

note. i worked pretty hard on this, and i'm very happy with it. please like or reblog if you can, i would greatly appreciate it. please, share your thoughts on chuuya as well !! he's my favourite if you can't tell- and also fun fact chuuya's bday is the 29th of april, and mine is the 28th !! it's a sign !!!

The poet Nakahara Chuuya [中原中也] was born on the 29th of April in 1907, and died young in 1937 from tuberculosis. He wrote highly symbolic, mostly short poems, that were inspired by his struggles with mental illness and other personal troubles. He was said to be mostly quiet withdrawn and shy in his early life, mostly keeping to himself, though he branched out in rebellion of his strict parents later and made friends with other literary and entertainment figures.

Asagiri Kafka has adapted him into a character in the Bungou Stray Dogs animanga, a Port Mafia executive slash host of a Japanese god of the same name. This character is sarcastic and fairly quick to anger, noticeably short, and has a fond appreciation for high-quality alcohol.

I would like to contrast the author and character of Nakahara Chuuya, also analysing his poems, in the hopes of creating a comprehensive understanding of who he was.

BPhysically, it's easy to say that real-life Chuuya and BSD Chuuya look both similar and different. Comparably, they are both quite short [some sources stated the poet to be only five feet tall] and had a fondness for hats that they nearly constantly wore. Both are young if we, say, compared them at the peak of Chuuya's life and the current BSD arc, and are well-off in some aspects.

However, there's the obvious difference of BSD Chuuya having his long orange hair, whereas real Chuuya had more understated regular dark hair. Additionally, one of them has the ability to manipulate gravity, has committed hundreds of 'crimes' including manslaughter, and hosts a deity named Arahabaki in their body, and the other ... does not.

In all honesty, it initially seems like the character of Chuuya has taken little more than his name, stature, vague fashion sense, and ability from his namesake, but then I conducted a little more research and realised that they were actually far more similar than I had realised, but this requires a more in-depth look into both of their pasts.

Historical Nakahara Chuuya was somewhat of a miracle birth – born after six years of attempts by his parents [who I'm mostly sure were feminists because his dad took his mum's name of Nakahara] in an at-the-time childless town named Yamaguchi, a cause for great successful. His family was quite prominent, with his father being a successful doctor, meaning that Chuuya was expected to become one from childhood. To summarise, his family forced that expectation upon him, forbidding him from playing with children of a "lower class'"and forcing him to undergo an immensely strict education with punishments as harsh as being made to sleep in the barn if he disobeyed. He would even be burnt with a lit cigarette if "prompted", and not even allowed to play in rivers and such for fear that he would drown. Physical abuse followed him from that incredibly young age, leading to a distrust and hatred of his family.

In the same way, manga Chuuya's un-ideal childhood shaped him up to who he became as an adult. He started off life happy, with two ordinary parents, but when he was merged with Arahabaki at the age of seven, he lost his memories, his ordinary childhood, and any sense of support and love for a long time. Notably, this is around the same time that real Chuuya's hellish education began. The parallel to that was the expectation of being a leader to the Sheep, and the "abuse" of living in poverty in his formative years. Once he was taken into the Port Mafia, however, he lost even more of what could be considered a "regular childhood", and was then expected to shelter himself in the same way after becoming an executive. Both were also named "prodigies", and expected to hold to that degree of perfection.

Additionally, a catalyst event that caused them both to lead a path rebelling against the way they'd begun their lives. In both cases, it was by losing someone – real Chuuya's younger brother passed away when he was eight, driving him by grief to discover and compose literature. At thirteen, his poetry was discovered, the same year he entered Junior High and began to rebel against his father in neglecting his studies and classes. For manga Chuuya, it's difficult to say what his catalyst event was, but I think it was most likely losing himself to Arahabaki and then losing most of the people who came into his life after that point.

From that point onwards, in essence, Nakahara Chuuya did his best to disappoint his parents in failing his exams, even though he would receive those harsh punishments each time he did. To him, independence and free will were more important than getting hurt, which is evident in Bungou Stray Dogs as well. This finally led to him being freed from the oppression of his harsh parents, and he was able to study what he wanted, do what he wanted [drink a lot of alcohol and write poetry] and essentially be free.

If I were to cast the greatest similarity between author and character, it would have to be their determination in getting through whatever they suffered. Both of these men were faced with death when they were children, then manipulated by those they wanted to care about, and forced to endure an incredible amount of mental-illness-inducing trauma. And yet, both found outlets [whether it be poetry or combat] to deal with their pain and sadness, and both ultimately got through the most difficult times in their lives and found something to give them purpose. It's perhaps this trait that I admire the most, along with their compassion and love for those close to them.

There is, furthermore, the actual nature of Nakahara Chuuya's poetry. Those following Bungou Stray Dogs would of course know For the Tainted Sorrow, which is a poem on the nature of sorrow or pain, and clearly bears very personal suffering within the lines. One stanza really reminded me of Soukoku [Double Black/Chuuya and Dazai] – For the tainted sorrow, has no desires or wishes; For the tainted sorrow, In langour dreams of death. Chuuya wasn't able to have anything for himself, and he felt tainted by Arahabaki's inhabitance of his body, whereas Dazai wanted death so fervently he was willing to commit suicide. The emotional fragility of Chuuya's poetry is something that also lingers under manga Chuuya's exterior as well, and is one of the most enticing parts of the character.

However, my favourite of Chuuya's poems is one called An Autumn Poem, in three suites. It also led me to believe that he may have had feelings for other men, as it, a) reminded me very strongly again of Dazai, and b) is written like my lovesick poetry. The essence of the poem is the narrator [Chuuya] is very close to a man who he feels is dying, but doesn't know if the man is aware of this. The man is very eccentric and says some strange things [they're a lot like what Dazai would say], and there is some affection from Chuuya towards him. And I, you know, would watch him from this angle. Staring after it, that yellow butterfly – even doing something as innocuous as butterfly watching, Chuuya was admiring this man, with this pure, strong emotion in the poetry, that I find absolutely captivating.

How strange we are before we die … that was Chuuya's final line about the man, and perhaps my favourite of all his poetry. Nakahara Chuuya died young after he'd been able to free himself and write what he wished. In some ways, perhaps the transferral of his personality into Bungou Stray Dogs wasn't as carbon-copy-like as Dazai's, but I found it to be the most interesting. The most important parts of Chuuya as observed by Asagiri are the most fascinating parts of his character, and this comparison is entirely underrated.

#%fae's.essays.#bungou stray dogs #bsd #analysis #bungou stray dogs analysis #bsd analysis #chuuya #nakahara chuuya #chuuya analysis #nakahara chuuya analysis

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linkspooky · 4 years ago

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Who is it who really needs saving?

is the question Dabi asked when Tokoyami came to rescue Hawks in the middle of the raid war arc. Dabi asks this question just after Hawks stabbed twice in the back with the justification that it would save people, despite the fact that Twice was also a victim too, and also someone in need of saving. Dabi’s question is especially poignant because it asks who is hero society invested in saving, a question that is repeated by Twice who believes Hero Society only saves the good victims, and Himiko as well who asks if Heroes save people, then was Twice not a person.

I bring this up because chapter 299/300 end on another parallel between Dabi and Hawks. Both of them have their backs being shown, however, Hawks is already healing due to the nature of his quirk, whereas the permanent burns on Dabi’s skin has already gotten worse. Hawks and Dabi also have opposite goals at this point, Hawks to support Endeavor, and Dabi’s ultimate goal is to bring him down. However, Rei’s words over Endeavor’s panel add another layer of complication to this. “Those regrets and guilt, the rest of those have borne that burden much more than you have.” Endeavor is suffering, but he’s not the one most in need of saving. I believe next chapter rightly, Rei is going to point out that the ones most in need of saving are the ones who suffered the most because of Endeavor’s actions. Endeavor was never the one in need of saving, and in need of redemption in the first place, rather it was Dabi.

1. Started From the Bottom Now We’re Even Lower

Hawks and Dabi are seeming opposites even from their origin points. Hawks was born in a poor household the son to a minor villain, Touya a rich household the son of the number two hero. Hawks family name basically means nothing to the point where the hero commission easily erased it, whereas Dabi’s family name has dominated his entire life. Touya from a young age was given everything he needed to become a hero and his father even encouraged him, while Hawks was on the run from the law and couldn’t even leave his small house without getting yelled at.

At first, Hawks was born with a quirk that both of his parents disapproved of as they constantly asked him what his wings were even for, and seemed disgusted by his mutation. While at the same time, Touya was born with a quirk that his father was happy with, a fire quirk even stronger than his own which Enji thought gave him enough of a potential that he didn’t need to worry about finding an ideal hybrid quirk. He could pass all his techniques onto his firstborn son who seemed eager to learn.

The only real similarity between both of them was that for both children, Endeavor was clearly their favorite hero. Touya was eager to please his father and train with him in order to inherit his hero techniques, and when Endeavor captured Hawks father, it convinced Hawks that heroes were real.

However, both of them experienced a sudden reversal of fate. This is where circumstances for both of them flipped. Touya’s quirk was in fact revealed to be a very harmful hybridization of his parents two quirks, he inherited his father’s flames but even hotter, while at the same time inheriting Rei’s sensitivity to fire which made th overheating flaw even worse on him causing his quirk to deliberately harm his body. Hawks however, is an ideali hybridization of both of his parents quirks. His mother Tomie has a quirk that creates eyeballs and seems ideal for searching, watching and locating things, while his father’s feather quirks on his arms that could sharpen into blades turned into wings on his back that were both capable of searching and detection like his mother’s eyeballs and sharpening into blades like his father’s.

At first it seems destined that Touya was ging to become a hero, while Hawks had no hope for him, but because of the nature of their quirks the opposite happened. When Hawks was young he was able to save a busload of people from crashing which got him recruited by the hero commission. While it’s implied that Touya kept trying to train on his own even after Endeavor stopped the training and abandoned him in favor of Shoto, and because of that Touya had his training accident at Sekoto peek and burned to death.

Dabi and Hawks are seeming opposites, but they’re actually quite similar if you think about it. Both of them grew up in abusive households that are intentionally paralleled, they have controlling and physically violent fathers, and mothers who are coded as mentally ill, Tomie was unfit to take care of a child, and Rei was eventually pushed to a breaking point where she was unable to anymore and then forcibly separated and institutionalized by her husband. Both, also experienced a separation from their mother, Rei was hospitalized around the time Toya finally died, and the Hero Commission promised Tomie support if she cut all ties from him. Both of them also dreamed of becoming heroes, and tried their best to, even Touya after his father rejected him kept training on their own.

The only difference between them is circumstances, Hawks was saved because he was born with a useful quirk, Touya despite his father being the number two hero was never saved.

2. We’re the Heroes, Who Don’t Do Anything

In fact it’s implied that Enji intentionally looked away and forced himself to forget Touya’s suffering. For instance, the first time Touya trains with Enji he’s shown wearing a sleeveless shirt. Every time after that, Touya has long jacket sleeves on. When he’s crying to Natsuo, when he’s pulling out his hair, and the last memory from before his death, every time Touya is shown hiding his arms. We also know that Dabi, has burns that go all the way up his arms which is exactly where his flames emerge from. It’s also the place where Touya burns himself when Enji remembers training with him for the first time.

It’s likely that Touya was walking around with burns up his arms from the training he was inflicting on himself, and Enji simply didn’t notice because his unreliable narrator status, he forgets everything he has done to other members of his family, or intentionally downplays the severity of it in order to avoid the guilt and consequences of his actions. Hence why he can say things like “I never meant to neglect you” to Natsuo, when we saw him call Natsuo and the others failures from Shoto’s perspective, because in Enji’s perspective he’s just a good father who went wrong somewhere along the line, whereas from Natsuo’s perspective he never really acted like a father towards him at all.

Enji only ever sees his own intentions, and not the impact his actions had on others. He only saw his heroic ambitions, and not the way he taught Touya that his only value was his quirk, and then completely tossed him aside as a failure and ignored all his suffering when Touya kept trying to get his attention. That he intentionally neglected Touya until either an accident or a suicide claimed his life.

Either way it’s a running theme that Endeavor hesitates when it comes to saving his own sons. Despite seeing himself as both a hero and a father, he completely fails in both roles to them.

He froze when it came time to save Natsuo from Ending, and the second time when Shoto was begging Endeavor for help against Dabi, Endeavor chose not to do a single thing. In fact the only thing that moved him was Deku’s pep talk that exclusively stoked his ego and called him a good mentor, which caused Endeavor to finally move into action.

Endeavor is a hero in name who has no interest in directly saving others, because his number one priority has always been to stand at the number one spot and feel like he’s accomplished something. He didn’t notice Touya was most likely continuing the training on his own, and was spiraling that badly until after Touya had died, and even after that happened he still continued the training with Shoto like nothing happened, even mentioning that Touya was a small mistake.

When the wounds from Touya’s death were still fresh, it seemed like barely anything more than an afterthought to him. There are some people who even theorize that Enji only believed Touya was always alive because he had never truly faced the guilt of Touya’s death and his role in it, that it was a comfort to him to believe his son was still secretly alive out there.

The signs were obvious that Touya was spiraling, but he was neglected so much that Endeavor the number two hero who prides himself on most cases resolved didn’t notice what was going wrong with his son until he literally burned himself alive, and even then that wasn’t enough to stop him from mistreating his other son and forcing him into painful training.

Touya’s neglect is as much abuse as Shoto’s favoritism and training, that’s the point of the golden child / scapegoat dynamic, they are both being abused. Enji was the only parent in the household, and if his kid was burning himself, and injuring himself all the time and it got to the point where the child literally died because of a lack of adult supervision, Enji could be prosecuted for manslaughter in a court of law. There are cases where adults just, do absolutely nothing for their kids, and those kids sometimes die of neglect, starvation, because of their parents completely failing to take care of them. It’s just as sinister a form of abuse as physical abuse. In both cases a child’s needs aren’t being provided for by their parents.

Dabi is someone who could have been easily saved by his father paying attention to him, and should have been saved by the man who prides himself as the number two hero, but he was left to rot. This is a running theme with Endeavor, he’s a hero who continually fails to save his family.

Dabi’s situation is also a metaphor for hero society at large. Who are the types of people that Hero Society prefers to save? Those who are useful to it like Hawks. It intentionally turns a blind eye to cases like Touya, Tenko or Twice. If Touya did have burns on his arms from training but was able to cover them up just by wearing long sleeves, and Natsuo was the only one who knew then that goes even further to explain Dabi’s specific obsession with discrediting Endeavor.

If Dabi’s father had just acted like a hero, or acted like a father then he would have been saved. If Dabi’s father had noticed the person most in need of saving was right next to him, the incident where he burned to death never would have happened. Which is why Dabi’s grudge is specifically against heroes who do not act like heroes. Heroes who, cannot save anyone because they are too self involved to perform the duty of saving. He shares Stain’s obsession with ideologically pure heroes, that only heroes who put saving others selflessly over everything else should be allowed to exist and the rest are pretenders to the title.

Notice how Dabi pulls on the scars on his face when begging the people to think about this, about who should really be allowed to call themselves heroes.

Dabi’s entire arc revolves around this question. Who are the real victims? Who are the ones that really need to be saved? Dabi is a character of mystery and subversion who is constantly hiding his real feelings.

Dabi is commented on being heartless about Twice’s death, but his actions contradict his words. Dabi goes out of his way trying to avenge Twice even after it’s already too late to save him, even burning up his own body to do so. He tried so hard we see literally there are new scars growing on his back the next time we see him Post-War Arc.

I’d also like to bring up that while Hawks accuses Dabi of feeling nothing about Twice’s death, Hawks is the one who killed him, and who after the fact shows no regret in his actions because he’s completely justified it to himself. He even remembers Twice like he’s some kind of old friend he took inspiration from, and not a person he manipulated into trusting him then killed. My point is it’s a reversal, Hawks is set up as the one who cares about Twice as a friend, but really was only using him. Dabi claims he was only using him, but he’s the one who showed an actual emotional reaction to Twice’s death and made an effort to save him.

If I were to say this is one more point of foiling between Dabi and Hawks. They both don’t see themselves as victims and because of that they deny the victimhood of the other.

Dabi accuses Hawks of becoming a murderer because his father was a murderer. Hawks when he learns the truth about Enji, takes Enji’s side over Dabi’s, believing Endeavor being the true victim in need of help in that situation. This is because Dabi and Hawks both deny their own victimhood, and they project that on each other. Dabi denies his victimhood and pretends to be the villain instead, he’s the villain who is going to take down Endeavor and therefore he’s not suffering. Hawks denies his own victimhood and his abusive past and pretends to be a hero, he’s helping Endeavor become a better hero, so therefore all the abuse Endeavor committed is in the past so therefore he doesn’t have to think about it. Both deny themselves and therefore deny any similarity in one another.

They’re also two people fatally wrapped up in their own circumstances they turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. Dabi assumes that Shoto is “good” and therefore, must have been raised with love and had it better than him and was raised with love. Whereas Hawks assumes that Twice is “good”, and therefore worthy of saving because he helps other people. In both cases, neither Dabi nor Hawks really understand Shoto or Twice, they’re just judging them by their own projected standards. Dabi only understands his childhood as Touya desperately trying to work for Enji’s attention, so Shoto who had Enji’s attention must have had it good. Hawks was saved because of the bus accident where he saved people as a hero, so obviously it makes sense he reach out to try to save another good person who just had bad luck.

Despite the fact that both of them are pretty much emotionally dead and in deep denial of their true feelings.

Dabi has also made a show of how little he cares about Natsuo, while at the same time his most famous line from the pro hero arc is “overthought things and snapped...”

Dabi is also the only one who notices it’s dangerous to bring Tokoyami onto a battlefield. This is when he asks the question, who is it who needs saving.

We learn at around the same time, the hope from the Pro Hero arc was intentionally a set up by Dabi to bring Endeavor down, and show everyone eventually that Endeavor hadn’t truly changed.

These are all small details yes, but keep in mind we’ve really only gotten crumbs of Dabi’s characterization so far because his perspective is one that has deliberately been kept from us. We see his past through almost everyone else’s eyes but his own - because so far the focus has been on Endeavor.

Just like Dabi set up Endeavor’s earlier success only to bring him down, this might also lead to a reversal in the narratives. In 299, Hawks believed Endeavor to be the one in need of help. We are also as an audience set up to believe that the narrative arc will focus around Endeavor’s redemption. This is before the series revealed the circumstances of his son.

However, Endeavor and Dabi are literal opposites. They’re inversions of each other. Dabi pretends he doesn’t care any more for his family and will go out of his way to hurt them, that all he cares about is revenge, but at the same his ideals are heroic. In his actions and ideals he’s the one calling for a better society. Dabi is the most independent and distant from the league it’s true, and so far he’s denied their friendship, but at the same time it’s Dabi who is the most idealistic of the league. Shigaraki wants to destroy the current society, Himiko wants a society that’s easier on her, but it’s Dabi who has the ideals for a society he wants, one where heroes are held to standards and act like Heroes. It’s dabi better than anyone else who makes the standards for mass appeal. Because, deep down Dabi still has heroic aspirations and drive even if it comes from Stain of all people he’s inspired by. He has some sort of ideals, a world he’s trying to create.

Whereas, Endeavor doesn’t have any heroic ideals at all. His idea of being a hero has always centered around fame, status and the ranking of number one. He’s a hero unconcerned with saving people, only defeating villains to prove his strength. Endeavor presents himself outwardly as someone who is trying to do what’s best for his family, and working towards being the best hero he can be but his intentions are revealed to be selfish, at the same time as Enji’s narration is revealed as unreliable. It may have been set up for an inversion all along, with the setup being that Enji is the one who needed to redeem himself, when Dabi was pushed to the background. Around this time Rei also tried to reassure others, that he was trying to carry his regrets with him.

However, as soon as Touya’s identity is revealed, Rei’s stance reverses. Now she properly calls out that, Enji hasn’t been carrying his regrets at al.. Instead, he’s been forcing his family to carry the burden of it while he gets to go play hero in front of the public.

As soon as Touya is revealed to be alive, it’s not Enji who is the center and focus of conversation but rather Touya. In 299, Hawks believes that it’s Endeavor whose in need of saving, but we’re shown that Endeavor only really seems to pity himself in this situation.

It’s Rei who shows up to remind us, who really is in need of saving in this situation. Not Endeavor but rather those who have been burned the most by Endeavor’s actions.

Which may be the ultimate parallel between Hawks and Dabi as well, Hawks can’t see himself as a victim so he can’t realize who the victims who need his help the most is. Whereas, Dabi in the future may receive the change of heart he needs to reopen his heart again and accept others, and therefore learn to accept himself. Dabi is set up for a reconciliation between his two selves, Touya the victim and Dabi the villain. While ultimately, Hawks will intentionally turn his back on Keigo the victim, because he can only ever see himself as a hero.

I’m not suggesting that Dabi is good or Hawks is bad, or the other way around, not something as simple as that but that Dabi is open to change, and this will lead to him eventually opening up to others. Whereas, Hawks who is given practically every opportunity to change, and even escapes killing Twice with no permanent consequences, (his wings are growing back, and he even is freed from the hero commission) chooses to support Endeavor once again. It’s Dabi who calls others to think and reevaluate, and is actively trying to create a change in the world, whereas Hawks only interest is protecting other heroes and not the victims that heroes themselves create. Because in his mind heroes are good and that fact will never change.

Because Dabi is the one trying to create change, while Hawks continues to cling to Endeavor I believe we’ll eventually receive a reversal for both of them. Just as the narrative around Dabi has changed from irredeemable villain to person in need of saving, we may see exactly what was foreshadowed in this panel happening. Dabi walking towards the light, while Hawks falls further and further into the shadows - because it’s Dabi who is looking for that light, while Hawks chooses to remain in the dark. Hawks was saved once, and now he believes that everyone who is good gets saved, unless they are unlucky like Twice. It’s Dabi who knows the truth, that there are heroes who don’t save people, and it’s Dabi who is at least trying to confront that truth head on and change it rather than just ignoring it.

In a way Hawks is someone who has gone blind from looking too closely at Endeavor’s light, whereas because Dabi was failed by Endeavor and fell into the shadows he at least knows the truth about what it’s like for those who don’t get saved, and unlike Hawks can’t keep deluding himself that this is a world where everyone who deserves it gets saved.

#dabi #hawks #toya todoroki #touya todoroki #takami keigo #mha meta #my hero academia meta #my hero academia theory #bnha 299 #bnha 300 #mha 299 #mha 300

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itsclydebitches · 4 years ago

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Rewatching RWBY there's this chilling lack of empathy through the volumes that I used to just wave off. Yang has no empathy for Tai, Blake is just entirely about what Blake needs, Weiss almost kills a woman at a party and her takeaway is 'my dad is mean so I'm going to run away'. Qrow sinks hard into depression in vol. 6 and Ruby's reaction is to yell she's never needed him. No one has EVER helped a civilian. It's so prevelant. Knowing how 7&8 go really changes the earlier writing.

I think there was a great deal of well-written empathy in the early volumes — after all, this cast was designed as the kind, well-meaning heroes — but that care was expressed almost solely within the group itself. Ruby sits by Jaune in the hallway and says "Nope!" to his self doubt. Weiss offers Ruby a hand up after she fails to kill the death stalker. Yang seeks out Blake and gets her to open up about what's bothering her. Now, I want to emphasize that there's nothing inherently wrong with this. It actually makes perfect sense. These are our main characters and they're written as peers co-habiting the same space. Of course whatever emotional growth we get, which automatically includes moments of compassion, would be directed towards each other. Similarly, the dynamics originally introduced — that of teachers and parents — likewise (rightly) puts the burden on the adults to provide the comfort, not the other way around. Port snaps Weiss out of her arrogant mindset. Ozpin reassures Ruby about her leadership worries. Tai is there to support his daughter when she's recovering from a lost limb. That's the natural order of things, so to speak.

The problem, to my mind, begins to occur when the group exits those dynamics. They're no longer students, they're licensed huntsmen. They're no longer kids, but equals who never needed adults in the first place. They're no longer doing things for themselves and their friends on personal downtime, they're doing them for the community at large as a profession (to say nothing of the world-altering war they've insisted on shouldering responsibility for). That's what a huntsmen is meant to be, a defender of the people, not someone who uses that power for personal interests alone. All of this is a huge change from where we started out: cutesy kids going off on comparatively low-stakes adventures because one or more of their teammates are invested, only just beginning to realize that they're signing up for a job where their desires come second (that fireside conversation at Mountain Glenn).

This change invites — demands, really — that the audience read them differently too. Qrow's spiral in Volume 6 is a good example of this. If Ruby is demanding to be treated not just as an equal in terms of maturity and experience, but also as the primary leader of this group, then the viewer expects her to treat her uncle as an equal too, not dismiss his hardship. I've seen numerous fans defend that arc with some version of, "He's her uncle. He's supposed to take care of her. He's failing" but that, according to the show, is no longer the dynamic. Qrow is now just a member of Ruby's team, someone she's responsible for as their leader. It's easiest to see the problem if we switch out Qrow for any of the other members. If Blake developed a drinking problem, do we think Ruby would just shout at her until she magically got over it? If Jaune endangered the group, do we think they'd all be angry about it, rather than trying to figure out the source of what caused the mistake? We don't even need to think hypothetically for that one because we saw it on screen. Jaune attacked Oscar and drove him off, not just threatening him, but arguably endangering the whole team by requiring a search party. Fans have long insisted they had to steal that airship right then because being in Argus was too much of a risk, but if we buy that reading (which I personally don't, but), then that means Jaune made things exponentially worse by forcing them out into that super dangerous city, rather than allowing everyone to stay hidden inside. He made a massive mistake which, according to the logic of Qrow's arc, should be met with frustration, disdain, and eventual demands to get over his anger at Ozpin or ship out. But, of course, he received nothing but concern. Yang was worried about him, not Oscar. The search becomes about his grief for Pyrrha and his team's willingness (as well as Pyrrha's family member) to provide more comfort. Suddenly, the tendency to express care solely towards those within the group becomes a flaw the story won't acknowledge.

And then it spirals. The thing to remember is that no single act here is bad on its own, especially when we consider that yes, we want flawed characters. Rather, it's about the pattern. Ruby is allowed to get mad at Qrow for his behavior and chuck her scroll in frustration. She's human. I'd be crazy frustrated too. However, if Ruby is meant to be written as a caring, sympathetic character, she should not only respond to the situation with frustration, yelling, a refusal to listen, and demands that he follow her lead, no questions asked. We can, and should, acknowledge that Weiss was the victim during that party. Her father was hurting her, the woman was beyond insensitive, Weiss was triggered in regards to a horrific event, and her power acted on its own. However, if we want to write Weiss as a compassionate, mature huntress to-be, she should acknowledge that she nearly killed someone — even an asshole someone — and vow to work on her control because she's not willing to put someone in danger like that ever again. Both of these moments have a "They could have been handled better" response attached to them — the former more-so than the latter imo — but these moments are made far, far worse due to later events in the show, events where the characters are cruel without any justification attached. Weiss didn't mean to attack that woman, but she did mean to ignore Whitely and threaten him with her weapon. So once we see that, it informs our understanding of what came before it. "Oh. The fact that Weiss never reacted to nearly killing someone isn't just a bit of missed potential, it's an early indicator that she... doesn't seem to care. If she endangers people, threatens people... that's fine with her." The group has a right to be frustrated with Qrow. The group did not have the right to magically steal Ozpin's entire life story, assault him, and blame him for the world's problems until he felt his only course of action was to run from them. So when we see that it becomes, "Oh. The fact that the group treated Qrow so poorly isn't just a one-time mistake born of a stressful situation and young adults being out of their depth in regards to alcoholism. They really will just abandon anyone the moment they start making mistakes." Anyone outside of their group, that is.

To say nothing of how all of these moments interconnect. Yang's recovery isn't just about getting used to not having an arm, it's about getting used to having a new one. Weiss' party isn't just about nearly killing someone, it's about not committing manslaughter because someone else stepped in. The Volume 6 arc isn't just about trying to escape with the Relic, it's about trying to get it somewhere safe. Fans frustrated with Ironwood's treatment don't harp on these details out of some desperate attempt to make him look good post-murder spree, rather, they recognize that he's a character that's been around since nearly the beginning, originally written as a good guy, and thus has accumulated a number of key connections with the cast. So when none of those connections are acknowledged during an arc about trust... that makes the group look very uncaring. Yang doesn't care that he gave her the arm, Weiss doesn't care that he saved her from hurting/potentially killing someone, Qrow doesn't care that he's trusted Ironwood for years (in a rival-bros way) and that they've been heading towards him this whole time. And when Ironwood begins to spiral, they don't do anything to try and help him, let alone acknowledge that their own choices, that lack of trust and empathy, had a hand in getting them here. "But it's not their responsibility to fix him!" Isn't it? Even a little? Just as human beings seeing an ally struggling under horrific decisions and circumstances? Sure, they don't have to try... but that doesn't make them look very heroic to my mind. And we can't even shrug that off by simplifying things with, "Well, Ironwood is evil now so who cares about him." They simultaneously don't care about finding Qrow who is missing, then captured. They don't do anything to try and find their missing teammates, with the exception of sending May to do it instead. They don't help the army fight off the grimm. Don't try to make sure Pietro and Maria had portals to escape through. Barely hesitate when the newly resurrected characters goes, "Kill me. That's the easiest thing for everyone." And these are just a few of the big ticket moments. It doesn't even begin to cover all the details we get that paint a picture of, "Wow okay. They just really don't care about people outside the group, huh? I mean, they say they do, in a life-or-death way, but they're not putting forth effort to show it on a daily basis."

And if you pick up on all that, if you acknowledge how much the group has changed based on where they started out, you might wonder when in the world that started. Surely we didn't just flip a switch around Volume 6. So you re-watch early stuff and, sure enough, there are moments that feel like setup for what's to come later. Not intentional setup (quite obviously), but a lack of care towards details across the series that, once the dynamic changed, became far, far more pronounced. Characters should be at least somewhat recognizable from start to finish, especially characters who have only experienced about two years of in-world time, so if we now get to see Ruby blandly commenting on all the people who are dying, or Weiss using her weapon as a means of coercing her little brother into doing what she wants, or Yang and Jaune dismissing Ren until he gives in to their point of view... we're going to look for the beginnings of that behavior early on. As you say, we were able to wave all those little details off due to a number of important factors. Now though? Now they feel like they hold a lot more weight, simply by virtue of that early material proceeding what we have now.

#rwby #rwde #mymetas

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kitabasis · 2 years ago

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In line with this, I think it's significant that most of the characters who side with Miles and/or join the team to save him are young.

There's an experience a lot of young people, particularly (but, I think, not exclusively) those who've been sheltered, have, where you realize "hey! These things that are happening in the world--they are fucked up!" And often you get told by a lot of adults--some of whom had the same fire you had, once, before years passed and they were just too tired and they felt like nothing they did mattered so they gave up---tell you that that's how the world works. You might not realize it now, but you will eventually. You'll grow up. (You'll give up.)

(I'm not going to elaborate on this a whole ton because it's a whole post and a half on it's own, but Oh Boy Is That A Trauma Response.)

But the wonderful thing is, these young Spiderpeople? They aren't all jaded yet--or at the very least, not *as* jaded. You tell them "this is how the world works" and some of them ask "why?" and "how can we change it?"

Pavitr is, I think, an excellent example of this. He thinks being Spider-man is easy because he's been doing it for so little time he's barely had any bad experiences yet.

And the bad experience that was supposed to happen to him, was supposed to jade him? It doesn't. Because he's not alone, because he has the help of someone who doesn't believe it can't be helped.

This is, I think, part of why Gwen's arc was so key to the theming of this movie. She--perhaps because of some underlying genetic predisposition to depression, perhaps because she was incredibly isolated and thus more vulnerable to the fatalist worldview of the Spider Society, perhaps because it's so much easier to have no control over everything because that way you didn't kinda-sorta manslaughter your best and only friend, the universe did---was on her way to becoming one of the jaded, worn-down Spider Society members.

But then Miles happens. Miles, who absolutely refuses to give up. Who doesn't take "because that's the way the world works" as an answer. And his actions, unknowingly, set off a domino chain that ends up saving Gwen's dad.

And in doing so, saves Gwen, too, by making her realize that the "canon" isn't what they thought it was. By making her realize that there is another future, and, in doing so, changing HER future--from one of depressed resignment to one of hope and change.

TL;DR: Gwen's character arc is a key breaking of the cycle of depression and resignment that permeates the Spider Society, and of the idea that growing up means giving up in general, and this change in her future is a proof-of-concept for the idea that the future doesn't have to suck.

Across the spiderverse spoiler talk but

Many mny thoughts but it really comes down to what pavitr said in his cannon event. "I can do both!" Miles says the same thing later, before he's cut off, and the thing is...they can't.

Pavitr wouldn't have been able to save his chief and girlfriend if Miles hadn't jumped in to help. Even though they have this massive spider community, in the end, what they're all fighting for is to Be Alone. Because that's what Spiderman does, they fight alone, no one understands them, expect eachother, but what Miguel has convinced them of is that its SUPPOSED to be that way. They're SUPPOSED to suffer alone, to loose the ones they love, that's just how its SUPPOSED to be. Pavitr was supposed to be alone, and he was supposed to loose someone important to him because of it. But he had Miles, another person to watch his back and do what he can't because he can't DO both.

I also think its interesting that Peter B, Gwen, Penni all bought into Miguel's idea that pain is something you HAVE to go through, you loose the people you love. It happened to me, it happened to them, it'll happen to you. Whwn Miles askea Peter B, 'that happened to you?' Almost as a plea ' you'd make me go through it too?' I think this movie says a lot about how understanding what someone is experiencing isn't enough, when empathy becomes expectation. They've become calloused to the idea of 'Canon deaths' because 'that's what happens.' A scene played for laughs actually highlights it perfectly. The therapist scene. Spiderpatient on the couch crying about Ben, spidertherapsit saying 'and let me guess, he died.'

It's like the heaviness of these deaths have become lost on them. It's what supposed to happen, it's just another dead Chief in a million universes of a million dead chiefs. Just close you eyes and look away while your counterpart goes through what you already have, because it's Supposed to Happen.

#D speaks #spiderverse meta #across the spiderverse #across the spiderverse spoilers #gwen stacy #miles morales #pavitr prabhakar #also yes I do think Gwen's arc is much more interesting if you consider the fact that while obviously she is right to avoid arrest because #She did nothing wrong #she does absolutely have avoidant tendencies #And I would be Shocked if she did not feel like she murdered Peter at least a little #More ATSV rants may be coming in the next few weeks as this movie has made me INSANE #Also I am a trans Gwen and trans Gwen's Peter truther

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itchose · 11 months ago

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he's spent more time looking in the mirror lately than he has in years, picking apart his appearance, convincing himself that he's not ready for this. it's his first job interview that actually feels real, like something he might actually be able to keep, as long as he doesn't fall apart this time. there's only one person he trusts to help him prep, despite how embarrassing it feels, too, because maybe a decade ago, she would've been the first person to make fun of him for how nervous he was— but now, she's the one he trusts most.

❝ could you help me? ❞ the words come out hesitantly, like he already regrets them, but he keeps pushing forward anyway, because @manslaught isn't going to let him drop it there. he rolls his eyes, mostly to himself, before he finally goes on. ❝ my hair's just-— ❞ he hates talking about his appearance, and he would've preferred just taking care of it himself, but that would only risk him looking worse. ❝ it's a fucking mess. gets in my eyes. ❞ intentional, usually, because it means he can hide; it just won't work for his interview. ❝ — could you cut it for me? ❞

#manslaught #thread: travis.#arc: travis / young adult.#reminder that this was YOUR idea

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ladyintree · 9 months ago

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@manslaught said, "you wanted a wife and a kid and a life you could control."

she's not entirely wrong. she's not entirely right, either. she wanted a life she could control, she was desperate for it, because when she was in the wilderness, everything felt like it was out of her control. there was no way out, every attempted exit only backfiring, and worse, she didn't even have control of herself. she didn't know who she was, what she was capable of, what was gong on when she closed her eyes at night. she was so desperate to reclaim herself once they'd been rescued, and more than that, she was desperate to resume the life she left behind. that meant sacrificing mikayla, and while she was never right to do it, she convinced herself for so long that she was on the correct path for herself. she was succeeding in everything she was doing, so it had to be right, but she wasn't just sacrificing mikayla. she was sacrificing the idea of happiness entirely.

❝ i wanted a life i could control. yes, ❞ she agrees, because that part's right, and she wouldn't normally be so apt to say it outright, but it's the rest she's still avoiding talking about. her jaw clenches, and she looks down, her hand tapping at her arm as she crosses it over her chest. she wishes she had a cigarette now, if only to have something else to focus on, because her relationship with mikayla since they reunited has been a series of confrontations and questions that she hadn't prepared for, even though she should have. ❝ you know i couldn't fucking live without that. i couldn't keep going on not knowing what the hell was going to happen. not again. ❞ she brings her hand up, fingertips pressing into her forehead because she knows she doesn't have to explain herself for that. mikayla understands her, she thinks. the rest, she still does.

she takes another deep breath, and she feels guilty for what she's about to say, because she loves sammy. she learned to love him, learned to cherish what it meant to be a mother even if she never wanted to be. that doesn't mean she didn't still have resentment for it, and that always made her feel bad, still believing she would have been better off without children. clearly, her ex-wife thinks so, because tai was never good for them, and there's a reason she's no longer granted any access to him now. she's still trying to figure out where that really leaves her, because there's some freedom in it, relief in knowing she doesn't have to be held back the way she always felt. but she misses him, too. she hates not knowing if she'll ever see him again, or if she'll ever be allowed to speak to him again. she's just trying to find the balance between the relief and the sadness.

❝ yeah, i never wanted to be a mother, ❞ she finally says. they've talked about sammy before, when tai had to tell her about the way she'd scared her family off, how she'd put him in danger, how he knew the other side of her that most people didn't. but this is different, this is admitting something to her that she'd never let her ex-wife hear. ❝ i know that makes me sound like a goddamn horrible person, but-- ❞ she hums, looking back at her and shrugging her shoulders. ❝ i was trying so damn hard, pushing off the conversation every chance i got. thought i could avoid it forever, thought i could win that damn argument, but it got too hard. and i-- i love him, you know? that's my son. i'm his mother, ❞ she says, the words coming out quickly, a slight squeak to her tone, desperate to defend herself even if mikayla isn't accusing her of anything. ❝ but i was fucking horrible at it. and i knew i would be. ❞ and she hated failing. and every time she did, she took it out on the parent who actually wanted what was best. ❝ i don't know what the hell shauna and i were doing, thinking we could be mothers after everything that happened. it's a goddamn disaster, ❞ she mumbles, moving her hands to her hips as she stares back at her.

❝ it freaked you out. right? hearing i was a-- a fucking mom? ❞ she'd never really let herself think about that before. mostly because when she became a mother, it felt like she was forced to close a chapter she wasn't ready to close, and she couldn't let herself think about a world in which her son and her ex-girlfriend existed in the same. now, she has to, she has to explain it to her. she's just been trying so hard not to think about sammy for so long that she was never really sure how to have this conversation. ❝ you're right. i just settled for it. i thought, at least if i had this wife, this son, i had this perfect family. ❞ seemingly, anyway, because she always knew that was only surface-level. it never felt entirely real beyond that. ❝ i thought people could see me and think, 'wow. she really made it. she fucking did it.' ❞ she mocks, rolling her eyes at herself. ❝ they should've left me a long time ago. or i shouldn't have tried to create something that i never belonged in. ❞ but this, with mikayla, that's where she belongs. this is different.

❝ i was just-- i was trying so hard, mikayla. i thought it was the life i was supposed to have. it wasn't, ❞ she whines. ❝ i want to be relieved, you know? i don't have to worry about trying to be a good mom and how much i'm fucking it up anymore. i just -- i miss him, too, ❞ she admits again, her eyes closing as she takes another deep breath. ❝ i want to believe there's a world where you can meet him, he could meet you. we could be happy. no, i don't mean, taking him in. she's right, he's better off without me, but -- forever? i don't know if i can just accept that, mikayla, ❞ she says, feeling herself rambling now, all too evident she's barely figured out how to process this yet, and maybe she's been waiting for a chance to be able to talk it out with her.

#manslaught #arc: adult.#ok you told me to write you an adult starter so. hi #ofc i was going to write this meme first #also no reason to throw shaunaunder the bus???? okay girl #wrote most of this w my eyes closed btw. the only way to cope

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itchose · 10 months ago

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he lets out a breath, because he hopes so, too. he would hope that tai wouldn’t be setting mikayla up for any more hurt— but he doesn’t know what’s going on in their moments alone. all he can do is trust what mikayla tells him. he nods his head slowly, but truthfully, he doesn’t know how any of this really works. he’s only really been with one person, only loved one person, only knew how to be with one person— and the thought of nat dating anyone else, even if he knows it would be for the best, makes him sick, too.

❝ good, ❞ he says quickly, relieved that she’s at least setting her boundaries. his brows furrow when she asks him the dreaded question, though, because he’s terrified of giving her the wrong answer— and he obviously doesn’t know what’s right. ❝ mikayla— ❞ he mumbles, his shoulders slumping. ❝ i— i don’t know how any of this shit works, ❞ he admits, and normally, he wouldn’t allow himself to admit it to anyone. but mikayla knows him better than anyone, maybe even nat, so he feels less afraid to show these parts of himself to her. but he knows he’s not getting off the hook that easily, so he takes a deep breath, bringing his hand to his hair as he thinks. ❝ she’s probably scared, too. right? ❞ he mumbles, glancing back to mikayla. ❝ maybe she doesn’t know how to say it first, when you have every reason to not want her back. ❞ it’s not an accusation, though— just a simple reminder, because he hopes that’s what tai’s thinking about, anyway. ❝ i think — fuck, i don’t know, mikayla, but i think it has to be her. ❞ his stomach twists, because he still feels like he shouldn’t be giving her any advice, but he's trying. ❝ it’s the only way you know for sure she’s in it, too. ❞ and that she’s not just settling, just going off of what mikayla says. he doesn’t know if that’s true, he just knows that his friend deserves to hear it first.

she wishes he wouldn't ask something like that, leading her to question it herself. just minutes ago, she was almost completely sure that tai does feel the same— she still looks at her the same way she did back then, which has to count for something, but she's paranoid anyway. “ i... hope so? ” her brows furrow, trying not to let her doubts get the best of her. “ she was jealous when i went on that date. so i think she does. ” unless it was just some sort of ego thing, annoyed that mikayla could be capable of moving on from her, but she doesn't think that's the case.

“ i want to trust her. ” that doesn't necessarily mean she does, but she's trying to get there, beginning to realize that the only way tai can actually prove her wrong is if mikayla actually gives her the chance. “ i've already told her if she does that shit to me again, she loses me forever. i'm not trying to get hurt again. ” which is true whether mikayla actually gets back together with tai or not. mikayla knows that travis is probably not the ideal person to go to for advice with relationships, but he's one of the only people she has, one of the only people she trusts, so she wants his help anyway. “ what do you think i should do? talk to her or— just hope she does it first? ”

#manslaught #thread: travis.#arc: travis / young adult.#you know how tempting it is for me to let travis tell mikayla she should say something so that i win writing tai- fdkslajfkl

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gch1995 · 3 years ago

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I really enjoyed our discussion last week over how differences in the interpretation of character arcs in SW could be due to class and income disparity.

Namely, that people from wealthy backgrounds cannot identify with the struggles of characters like Anakin and Shmi, who don't have the means to escape from dangerous situations, nor from slavery and bad circumstances.

I think the same applies with younger characters. Honestly, it angers me no end when people in fandom refuse to accept the blatant neglect and dereliction of duty that the Jedi were guilty of in relation to characters like Anakin when they were minors. They seem to forget that these characters are CHILDREN, and that as adults the Jedi had a moral duty to care for them.

They can make excuses all they like about the Order being correct about Anakin being "dangerous", but they forget. This is a 9 year old child, with no money and no means of getting home.

If a group of adults ordered an orphaned child to be thrown out on the street in real life, they'd be up on charges. It would not matter how wise and compassionate they presented themselves to be. You don't do that to a child.

Honestly, I think you have to have kids or a family to be able to understand these things. Or is it just these people are so priveleged they can't identify with disadvantaged kids either, and just think everything "benevolent" organizations like the Jedi do is justified?

I don’t have kids yet, and I actually do come from a background of upper-middle class parents, who were generally decent, so I’ve always had access to good healthcare, good education, food, and shelter.

However, I was born with a disability on my right side, which means I can’t drive myself back-and-forth to and from work easily. My immediate family members have all suffered from substance abuse issues that I’ve seen affect them negatively and hurt others because of those issues without that actually being their intent. No, they’ve never committed manslaughter, murder, or mass murder when abusing those substances, but they’ve gotten aggressive, critical, and moody when on them. It’s not that they’re necessarily bad people, or that it was impossible for them to quit, but it was difficult for them. I think my middle brother still struggles with those substance abuse issues, and he’s stolen money from my parents to get more of it from them before.

So, that may be where some of my sympathy for Anakin comes from, too. He becomes addicted to the force, particularly the dark side of the force, in a very unhealthy way because he’s never gotten the proper therapy to cope with his completely valid desires and negative feelings in a healthy way. I also do know what it feels like to be negatively judged, looked down upon, or underestimated for having something about me that doesn’t fit in with the norm of society as someone with a disability. Being older than the other kids when he started training as a Jedi, being from an abusive background, being from a planet on the outer rims that the Republic didn’t give a shit about helping out of slavery and poverty meant that Anakin and his people were minorities who were considered insignificant to their “greater good,” and thus, being one of the only people in the Jedi Order and Republic, who actually had some capacity to understand that these authority figures, environments, people, and systems, were still deeply messed up, in spite of their good intentions, means that Anakin was a minority, and that is something that I can relate to.

While I’ve never been part of a cult or a slave, nor do I have his learned helplessness in the face of corrupt authority figures, I do know how terrifying it can feel to stand up for what’s right in an environment where everyone else seems to be encouraging conforming to messed up ideals and orders. I’m shy and really hate being yelled at. I value my independence, and I want to be able to be true to myself. I like being able to have my own personal life and relationships on the side of work without having to be oppressed individually, and I bet if I wasn’t able to be myself anymore without fear of losing my job, my family, my friends, and my home, I would probably start breaking inside too.

Either way, even if fans have completely valid reasons to hate Anakin for becoming a monster as an adult, regardless of his shitty background, his limited support system, his obvious signs of C-PTSD/BPD, his learned helplessness, and his limited options for escape, I don’t know why so many people in this fandom continue to undermine the traumatic abuse, grooming, oppression, and neglect he suffered his whole life from the Jedi Council, Sidious, Watto, and the Republic government. They created that emotional/mental instability, and there was no easy escape for him that wasn’t high risk. No, that doesn’t mean Anakin’s entirely innocent for his bad choices and crimes. He was an adult, he had more agency than he believed, he had enough self-awareness to feel guilt, and he was selfish in his desperation. No, that doesn’t mean the entire Jedi Order and Republic deserved to be murdered or that Padme deserved to be hurt and die.

However, Obi Wan and the Jedi Council failed Anakin Skywalker as parents/guardians and space therapist. They were supposed to be there for him as the adults responsible for his guardianship when his mother wasn’t there, but they groomed him as a weapon/tool and emotionally neglected him for their own purposes instead. Therefore, they are complicit in his fall to the dark side, even if their intentions were pure.

It was fucked up for Yoda to be conscripting children from preschool for warfare. It was fucked up that these kids were being taught to completely deny completely valid human desires, individuality, and negative emotions. There’s a reason why Luke succeeded in really reforming the system and being a hero when others failed before him. He had a normal childhood with good guardians who treated him well and nurtured him to grow up to be a good person rather than a good weapon or tool to an order or cause. Aside from his mother, who he got separated from at a young age, there was not one good authority/parental figure who Anakin had throughout his life. Obi Wan usually meant well, but he was still implementing tactics from an abusive and negligent system of Yoda’s that he’d been taught were “correct.”

Moreover, even when Obi Wan had a Jedi master who was a little more progressive and forward thinking for his time in Qui Gonn, the writer of the TPM novelization suggests that this fear of breaking the rules and lack of flexibility in regards to Yoda’s system, while still not entirely his fault, were also deeply ingrained in his personality to the point of being genuine character flaws of narrow-minded stubbornness and a fear of following his heart.

Right here in The Phantom Menace novelization, the narrator says about Obi Wan:

Obi-Wan was young and impatient, headstrong and not yet at one with the Force in the way that Qui-Gon was, but he understood better, he thought, the dangers of overreaching, of taking on too many tasks. Qui-Gon would dare anything when he found a challenge that interested him, even if he risked himself in the undertaking (Brooks, 136).

While I’m of the opinion that Qui Gonn Jinn, while a better choice for teacher/guardian than Obi Wan for Anakin Skywalker, still would have been problematic for him either way because he was part of Yoda’s broken system and supported a Republic that didn’t care about helping out the slaves on the outer rims, this paragraph from TPM highlights all of Obi Wan’s personality flaws that make him less of a good persons than Qui Gonn and put him at odds with Anakin Skywalker as a mentor. He’s too afraid to break the rules. He’s headstrong, which means he’s too cowardly and too stubborn to admit when the rules of Yoda’s institution could be wrong, even when his gut screams at him that he is. He’s too impatient to be kind and considerate when he sees that those rules aren’t being followed exactly. He constantly criticizes and shuts down Anakin when he sees he’s not following the rules of the order exactly, he comes in a little later than he expected, or Anakin tries to share, oftentimes, completely valid individual, feelings, opinions, and thoughts.

You know how fans always go on about how Anakin was too proud to admit he was wrong? Well, sure, sometimes, particularly after he fell to the dark side, but I think Obi Wan was actually worse in a way with his inability to admit that, while well-meaning, a handful of Yoda’s rules and tactics that he implemented on Anakin as his padawan master and closest friend in the Jedi, were wrong. At least Anakin often had moments of enough self-awareness to consider how and why his actions and choices were hurtful, or how and why the Jedi Council and Palpatine could be wrong after he sacrificed his moral compass and personhood to follow them, and he ultimately comes to this full realization for Luke in the end that he was wrong right as he sacrifices his life for him. Obi Wan has some moments of considering the wrongness of Yoda’s system before he died too. However, he ultimately always goes back to defending the fact that it was right to do what he felt was wrong for the “greater good” of the Jedi that Yoda brainwashed him into, and blamed himself for not applying those messed up methods to Anakin to train him to be a Jedi harder. He lives most of his life that way and he dies with that same mindset.

#tragic-fantasy girl #pt star wars #anakin skywalker #darth vader #obi wan critical #jedi council critical

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imdoingthismspaintadventure · 5 years ago

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Worm Interlude 2 -- In which two sisters clean up a street

There were very few things, in Victoria Dallon’s estimation, that were cooler than flying. The invisible forcefield that extended a few millimeters over her skin and clothes just made it better. The field kept the worst of the chill from touching her, but still let her feel the wind on her skin and in her hair. Bugs didn’t splat against her face like they did against car windshields, even when she was pushing eighty miles an hour.

Time for an interlude, it seems we will be getting these between arcs! From the point of view of different characters, to flesh out the world and the story. I always love when stories do that, put us in a point of view different from the main character. If done right, it adds so much richness to the setting.

It seems our interlude protagonist has the power of flight, plus some sort of force field that actively shields her against friction and particles. We learn this in the same paragraph where we also see how much she enjoys using her flight, so we both get characterization and powers at the same time. Nice!

Spotting her target, she whooped and plunged for the ground, gaining speed where anyone else would be slowing down. She hit the asphalt hard enough to crack it and send fragments of it into the air, touching ground with her knee and foot, one arm extended. She stayed in that kneeling position for just heartbeats, letting her platinum curls and the cape that was draped over one of her shoulders flutter in the wake of air that had followed her descent. She met the eyes of her quarry with a steely glare.

Superhero landing!

I would certainly be intimidated if she landed in front of me like that! She gives me lots of superhero vibes in terms of her overall alignment.

She’d practiced that landing for weeks to get it right.

Pfft. Okay she’s also a bit of a dork, and very human.

The man was a twenty something Caucasian with a shaved head, a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans and work boots. He took one look at her and bolted.

You, sir, look like an underling of someone, and the way he nope’d out of there also gave me mook vibes.

Victoria grinned as he disappeared down the far end of the alley. She rose from her kneeling position, dusted herself off and ran her fingers through her hair to tidy it. Then she raised herself a foot off the ground and flew after him at an easy forty five miles an hour.

Classic superman-like superspeed / flight / superendurance is such a nice power to have. I bet you feel like a god.

It didn’t take a minute to catch him, even with the head start she had given him. She flew just past him, grazing him. An instant later, she came to a dead stop, facing him. Again, the wind made for a dramatic flourish as it stirred her hair, her cape and the skirt of her costume.

She’s really theatric with all this, and I kinda love it. I feel like this guy is thoroughly outmatched.

“The woman you attacked was named Andrea Young,” she spoke.

The man looked over his shoulder, as if gauging his escape routes.

Grunt attacked a civilian and they sent the superhero cavalry to make him super regret it?

“Don’t even think about it, fugly,” she told him, “You know I’d catch you, and trust me, I’m already pissed off enough without you wasting my time.”

“I didn’t do anything,” the man snarled.

“Andrea Young!” Victoria raised her voice. As she shouted, she exercised her power. The man quailed as though she’d slapped him. “A black college student was beaten so badly she needed medical attention! Her teeth were knocked out! You’re trying to tell me that you, a skinhead with swollen knuckles, someone who was in the crowd watching paramedics arrive with an expression bordering on glee, you didn’t do anything!?”

Oh so he’s neonazi filth. Ugh.

I was already kinda unsympathetic to him from the start, but now he can choke.

Fuck his shit up, Victoria.

“I didn’t do nothing worth caring about,” he sneered. His bravado was tempered by a second look over his shoulder, as though he’d very much like to be elsewhere right that moment.

Fuck this guy. He’s also cowering like a little bitch and trying to look all brave in front of no one, like an idiot.

She flew forward, her fists catching him by the collar. For just a moment, she contemplated slamming him up against a wall. It would have been fitting and satisfying to shove him hard enough against the brick to crack it, then drop him into the dumpster that sat at the wall’s base.

Taunting a girl who can absolutely ruin his fucking life, maybe not his best idea.

He almost got literally dumpstered.

Instead, she pulled up a little, bringing the two of them to a stop. They were now just high enough above the ground that he’d feel uncomfortable with the height. The dumpster, mostly empty, was directly below him, but she doubted he was paying attention to anything but her.

Ah, threatening him with falling from great heights! The batman strat! Or one of them anyway.

“I think it’s a safe bet to say you’re a member of Empire Eighty-Eight,” she told him, meeting his eyes with a hard stare, “or at least, you’ve got some friends who are. So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to either tell me everything the triple-E’s have been up to, or I’m going to break your arms and legs and then you’re going to tell me everything.”

Empire Eighty-Eight huh? Since the last time I heard the name, I’ve been informed about the 1488 dogwhistle, which I had never heard in spain. So yeah this guy is definitely part of some neonazi group, and is all around human garbage.

The group seems pretty big if it has a lot of unpowered mooks, kind of reminds me of Lung and his boys. I bet them and these guys wouldn’t really get along.

As she spoke, she ratcheted up her power. She knew it was working when he started squirming just to avoid her gaze.

“Fuck you, you can’t touch me. There’s laws against that shit,” he blustered, staring fixedly over one shoulder.

She turned up her power another notch. Her body thrummed with current – waves of energy that anyone in her presence would experience as an emotional charge of awe and admiration. For those with a reason to be afraid of her, it would be a feeling of raw intimidation instead.

Oh so she not only has superman-like powers! She also has an intimidation factor! That is fascinating. It makes her enemies afraid and everyone else feel awe at her presence. ...That sounds a little creepy if it influences normal people but I see how it can give a massive advantage against villains and criminals, in conjunction with her other powers!

“Last chance,” she warned him.

Unfortunately, fear affected everyone differently. For this particular asshole, it just made him dig in his heels and become obstinate. She could see it in his body language before he opened his mouth – this was the sort of guy who reacted to anything that spooked or unsettled him with an almost mindless refusal to bend.

“Lick my hairy, sweaty balls,” he snarled, before punctuating it with a spat, “Cunt.”

It makes sense that someone like him would get defiant in a moment like this. Still probably not the best judgement. Fear (even this artificial one) is usually there for a reason.

She threw him. Since she could bench press a cement mixer, though it was hard to balance something so large and unwieldy, even a casual toss on her part could get some good distance. He flew a good twenty five or thirty yards down the back road before hitting the asphalt, and rolled for another ten.

He was utterly for still for long enough that Victoria had begun to worry that he’d somehow snapped his neck or broken his spine as he’d rolled. She was relieved when he groaned and began to pull himself to his feet.

Damn, with a power like hers she really has to be careful to not accidentally kill someone. If she can throw a grown healthy adult like that, sending him flying across the street, she could just as easily end anyone who doesn’t have super-endurance.

I wonder if that is actually a problem in this world? Accidental manslaughter via a missuse of super-strength.

“Ready to talk?” she asked him, her voice carrying down the alley. She didn’t move forward from where she hovered in the air, but she did let herself drop closer to the ground.

Pressing one hand against his leg to support himself as he straightened up, he raised his other hand and flipped her the bird, then turned and began to limp down the alley.

....what is this guy even doing? She just yeeted your ass to the other side of the street! Since when is pissing dangerous superheroines a good idea??

What was this asshole thinking? That she would just let him go? That, what, she would just bend to his witless lack of self preservation? That she was helpless to do any real harm to him? To top it off, he was going to insult her and try to walk away?

....he IS probably counting on you being a “good guy”, yeah.

But by the way her internal thoughts are going, he may have made a liiitle mistake with all this.

“Screw you too,” she hissed through her teeth. Then she kicked the dumpster below her hard enough to send it flying down the little road. It rotated lazily through the air as it arced towards the retreating figure, the trajectory and rotation barely changing as it knocked him flat. It skidded to a halt three to five yards beyond him, the metal sides of the dumpster squealing and sparking as it scraped against the asphalt.

...did she just throw an entire dumpster on top of him? Like, as a projectile weapon?? Is this poor asshole still alive???

This time, he didn’t get up.

“Fuck,” she swore, “Fuckity fuck fuck.” She flew to him and checked for a pulse. She sighed, and then headed to the nearest street. She found the street address, grabbed her cell from her belt and dialed.

Oh fuck she might have gone and done it. Used excessive force and super-murdered a suspect. What even happens in cases like this, then?

She seemed to be panicking but then calmed down when she checked for a pulse, so he’s probably still alive, even if knocked out.

It seems to have spooked her enough to make a phone call though.

“Hey sis? Yeah, I found him. That’s, uh, sort of the problem. Yeah. Look, I’m sorr- ok, can we talk about this later? Yeah. I’m at Spayder and Rock, there’s this little road that runs behind the buildings. Downtownish, yeah. Yeah? Thanks.”

Victoria returned to the unconscious skinhead, checked his pulse, and listened intently for changes in his breathing. It took a very long five minutes for her sister to arrive.

“Again, Victoria?” the voice disturbed her from her contemplations.

She called her sister for help! Does her sister have superpowers too? Maybe some sort of healing or stasis power, so they can avoid him dying, if he’s in a really critical state?

Again, huh? Oof, is excessive force a thing with you Victoria? She might not be as “purely heroic” as I thought. Seeing a lot of gray here as well. Trigger-happy or reckless heroes can be VERY dangerous in certain settings.

“Use my codename, please,” Victoria told the girl. Her sister was as different from her as night was from day. Where Victoria was beautiful, tall, gorgeous, blonde, Amy was mousy. Victoria’s costume showed off her figure, with a white one-piece dress that came to mid-thigh (with shorts underneath) an over-the shoulder cape, high boots and a golden tiara with spikes radiating from it, vaguely reminiscent of the sun’s rays or the statue of liberty. Amy’s costume, by contrast, was only a shade away from being a burka. Amy wore a robe with a large hood and a scarf that covered the lower half of her face. The robe was alabaster white and had a medic’s red cross on the chest and the back.

Oh I like both of their designs a lot! And the contrast between them!

Victoria is a white and gold goddess with statue of liberty and/or divine motifs, which matches up with both her demeanor so far, and the power itself, especially the fear/adoration part.

Amy, on the other hand, reminds me of a final fantasy white mage, so the possibility of her being a healer is even higher (she even wears a red cross!). Also, just by visual design alone, she may be more introverted in comparison to the extroverted nature of her sister. She is like a star radiating light, while Amy is hiding herself with her clothes.

“Our identities are public,” Amy retorted, pushing the hood back and scarf down to reveal brown frizzy hair and a face with freckles spaced evenly across it.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Victoria replied.

“You want to talk about principles, Glory Girl?” Amy asked, in the most sarcastic tone she could manage, “This is the sixth – sixth! – time you’ve nearly killed someone. That I know about!”

“I’m strong enough to lift a SUV over my head,” Victoria muttered, “It’s hard to hold back all the time.”

Ooh interesting! Ok so a couple of things:

1) Amy looks cute, with her frizzy hair and freckles, in comparison to her sister’s more traditionally “beautiful” look.

2)Their identities are public??. Sooo....is that a thing particular to them, or to a group they belong to?? Cause I don’t remember very well, but I think Armsmaster kept his identity secret, didn’t he??

It’s very interesting that there are superheroes with public identities! I suppose that turns them into celebrities, even in their private lives, but isn’t that dangerous? Aren’t there villains who would attack their homes or families?

3)It seems Glory Girl is indeed a bit sketchy with the way she uses her super-strength, having six close calls with killing someone just because of an excess of force. I wonder if she can learn to regulate just how hard she needs to hit, because that seems dangerous!

“I’m sure Carol would buy that line,” Amy said, making it clear in her tone she wasn’t, “But I know you better than anyone. If you’re having trouble holding back, the problem isn’t here -” she poked Victoria in the bicep. “It’s here-” she jabbed her sister in the forehead, hard. Victoria didn’t even blink.

“Look, can you just fix him?” Victoria pleaded.

“I’m thinking I shouldn’t,” Amy said, quietly.

“What?”

“There’s consequences, Vicky. If I help you now, what’s going to stop you from doing it again? I can call the paramedics. I know some good people from the hospital. They could probably fix him up alright.”

Seems Amy is fed up with her sister dodging responsabilities for her recklessness, and wants her to learn the consequences of her behaviour and hopefully excercise more caution. This also confirms that Amy is indeed some kind of healer. Also is Carol their mother or caretaker??

Hey, hey, hey,” Victoria said, “That’s not funny. He goes to the hospital, people ask questions.”

“Yeah, I’m well aware,” Amy said, her voice hushed.

“This isn’t, like, me getting grounded. I’d get pulled into court on charges of aggravated assault and battery. That doesn’t just fuck with me. It fucks with our family, all of New Wave. Everything we’ve struggled to build.”

On the other hand, facing the consequences could mean that their whole family takes the blame.

New Wave...it seems Amy and Victoria have a whole family of superheroes, like The Incredibles! Is New Wave’s gimmick that the identities are public? The fact that excessive force threatens the founding purpose of the group leads me to think that revealing their identities is an attempt to gain the trust of the general public.

Amy frowned and looked at the fallen man..

“I know you’re not keen on the superhero thing, but you’d really go that far? You’d do that to us? To me?”

Amy pointed a finger at her sister, “That’s not me. It’s not my fault we’re at this point. It’s you. You’re crossing the line, going too far. Which is exactly what people who criticize New Wave are scared of. We’re not government sponsored. We’re not protected or organized or regulated in the same way. Everyone knows who we are under our masks. That means we have to be accountable. The responsible thing for me to do, as a member of this team, is to let the paramedics take him, and let the law do as it sees fit.”

So, New Wave is not government sponsored, like the protectorate is!

On one hand, we have the Protectorate, which is a state-funded professional justice league, with secret identities and constumed antics and such.

On the other, we have New Wave, which is a freelance family of heroes with their identities public and emphasizing accountability and probably a more modern, refreshing approach to superheroing (which kinda goes with the new wave name)

I really like the world building we’ve got going on here. It doesn’t seem to be going that well if Victoria here nearly killed a crook due to an excessive use of force though. At least it seems Amy is more level-headed and wants her sis to also be more careful.

Victoria abruptly pulled Amy into a hug. Amy resisted for a moment, then let her arms go limp at her sides.

“This isn’t just a team, Ames,” Victoria told her, “We’re a family. We’re your family.”

Heh, what Victoria is pulling here is the exact sort of emotional manipulation that a spoiled family member pulls when trying to get away with something scot-free. They’ve got a sister dinamic, that’s for sure!

The man lying just a matter of feet away stirred, then groaned, long and loud.

“My adoptive family,” Amy mumbled into Victoria’s shoulder, “And stop trying to use your frigging power to make me all squee over how amazing you are. Doesn’t work. I’ve been exposed so long I’m immune.”

Oh wow, seems like Victoria was trying literal emotional manipulation by way of her powers, but Amy has been exposed for so long she’s inmmune. So.... one can build an inmmunity to that aspect of her power?

Also it’s a bit disturbing to think of Victoria using her emotional powers to make her family subtly like her more.

And Amy is adopted! She did look very different from Victoria, based on that description we got earlier.

“It hurts,” the man moaned.

“I’m not using my power, dumbass,” Victoria told Amy, letting her go, “I’m hugging my sister. My awesome, caring and merciful sister.”

The man whined, louder, “I can’t move. I feel cold.”

Amy frowned at Victoria, “I’ll heal him. But this is the last time.”

Victoria beamed, “Thank you.”

The bastard deserves it, but it’s kind of funny how nonchalant they are being with his continued pain in the background.

Seems Amy has finally caved-in to her demands and will heal this badly wounded piece of shit. (Victoria totally acts like a spoiled brat who broke a toy during all this, which is a bit terrifying with a power combination like hers)

Amy leaned over the man and touched her hand to his cheek, “Slingshot break to his ribs, fractured clavicle, broken mandible, broken scapula, fractured sternum, bruised lung, broken ulna, broken radius -“

“I get the point,” Victoria said.

“Do you?” Amy asked. Then she sighed, “I wasn’t even halfway down the list. This is going to take a little while. Sit?”

Victoria crossed her legs and assumed a sitting position, floating a half foot above the ground. Amy just knelt where she was and rested her hand on the man’s cheek. The tension went out of his body and he relaxed.

Holy shit, Victoria really pummeled him badly! I guess that’s what happens when a superwoman toys like that with a normal human.

Also Amy can analyze and diagnose what a person has wrong in their body with just a touch? And can remove all pain, also with a single touch? On top of some form of healing?

That is ...incredible. She could revolutionize the world of healthcare and be an incredible professional doctor! Just the analysis part of it alone! It’s just ...so good.

“How’s the woman? Andrea?”

“Better than ever, physically,” Amy replied, “I grew her new teeth, fixed everything from the bruising to the scrapes, and even gave her a head to toe tune-up. Physically, she’ll feel on top of the world, like she had been to a spa and had the best nutritionist, best fitness expert and the best doctor all looking after her for a straight month.”

This power is astonishingly good.

She (and other powers like hers) would save so many lives, just by doing normal medical work.

Can she only heal injuries like these, or can she also do things like grow half a person’s body back, or even make someone younger? The posibilities with her are endless!

“Good,” Victoria said.

“Mentally? Emotionally? It’s up to her to deal with the aftermath of a beating. I can’t affect the brain.”

“Well-” Victoria started to speak.

“Yeah, yeah. Not can’t. Won’t. It’s complicated and I don’t trust myself not to screw something up when I’m tampering with someone’s head. That’s it, that’s all.”

Well it seems she couldn’t cure dementia or parkinson’s disease or any of these blights on humankind. But she’s still amazing!

It’s very interesting to see that it’s not just bam, you’re healed, with her power. She has to actually perform the healing herself. So her power would be ...what? Body scan and manipulation? Organic manipulation? Using the inherent healing sistems of the body as a tool?

Victoria started to say something, then shut her mouth. Even if they weren’t related by blood, they were sisters. Only sisters could have these sorts of recurring arguments. They had gone through a dozen different variations on this argument before. As far as she was concerned, Amy was doing herself a disservice by not practicing using her powers on the brain. It was only a matter of time before her sister found herself in a situation where she needed to do some emergency brain surgery and found herself incapable. Amy, for her part, refused to even discuss it.

Victoria has a more reckless demeanor than her sister. It’s true that Amy being able to cure brain diseases would be incredible, but how would she practice? Would there need to be people used as basically experiments until she gets the hang of it? It seems it would require some not very good means.

Also, Amy does use her powers to do medical stuff it seems! That’s good. I wonder how much certain powers have benefitted humankind in this series.

She didn’t want to raise a sensitive issue when Amy was in the process of doing her a major favor. To change the subject, Victoria asked, “Is it cool if I question him?”

“Might as well,” Amy sighed.

Victoria tapped the man a few times on the forehead to get his attention. He could barely move his head, but his eyes lolled in her direction.

“Ready to answer my questions, or do me and my sister just walk away and leave you like this?”

“I… sue you, he gasped out, then managed an added, “Whore.”

“Try it. I’d just love to see a skinhead with a few broken bones go up against a superheroine whose mom just happens to be one of the best lawyers in Brockton Bay. You know her, right?”

“Brandish,” he said.

Hmm I feel like there is an ethical conversation to be had here. Both in ransoming the healing and in flaunting that they could get away with it because their mom is a lawyer.

Would the Protectorate be ok with doing something like this? Would the citizenship be ok with something like this?

Again, it could be argued that he’s a neonazi scumbag, but what about in more general cases? Or is getting information out of him instrumental in protecting the people and saving lives, and does that justify one’s actions?

Interesting questions to be had, all in all.

“That’s her name in costume. Normally she’s Carol Dallon. She’d kick your ass in court, believe me,” Victoria said. She believed it. What the thug didn’t understand was that even if he lost the case, the media circus that would be stirred up would do more damage than anything else. But she didn’t need to inform him of that. She asked him, “So do I get my sister to leave you as you are, or are you willing to trade some information for relief from months of incredible pain and a lifetime of arthritis and stiffness in your bones?”

So Carol is indeed their mother, and also the superheroine Brandish! ...I don’t have any idea what her powers are based on that name alone.

“And erectile dysfunction,” Amy said, just loud enough for the thug to hear her, “You fractured your ninth vertebra. That’s going to affect all nerve function in extremities below your waist. If I leave you like you are, your toes will always feel a little numb, and you’ll have a hell of a time getting it up, if you know what I mean.”

The skinhead’s eyes widened a fraction, “You’re fucking with me.”

“I have an honorary medical license,” Amy told him, her expression solemn, “I’m not allowed to fuck with you about stuff like that. Hippocratic oath.”

“Isn’t that ‘do no harm’?” the thug asked. Then he groaned, long, loud and with the slightest rattle in his breath, as she removed her hand from his body.

Okay I’m kinda enjoying the way they are messing with him, ethical questions aside. Amy going straight for the erectile dysfunction! And a version of the “If I was an undercover cop, I would be obligated to tell you” kind of gambit.

Would the removing the anesthetic hand to make him comply be considered torture? Hm.

“That’s just the first part of it, like how freedom of speech and the right to bear arms is just the first part of a very long constitution. It doesn’t look like he’s cooperating, Glory Girl. Should we go?”

“Fuck!” the man shouted, then winced, tenderly touching his side with one hand, “I’ll tell you. Please, just… do what you were doing. Touch me and make the pain go away, put me back together. Fix me?”

Amy touched him. He relaxed, and then he started talking.

Looks like they got him to talk! Not so cocky in the end, against these two.

“Empire Eighty-Eight is extending into the Docks on Kaiser’s orders. Lung’s in custody, and whatever happens, the ABB is weaker than it was. That means there’s territory for grabs, and the Empire sure ain’t making progress downtown.”

Seems like Taylor accidentaly created a power vacuum! Due to Lung no longer being there, the ABB is left much weaker and other gangs are rising up to the occasion.

Kaiser huh? That’s the leader of these neonazis? Named after german emperors, so it really fits.

“Why not?” Victoria asked him.

“This guy, Coil. Don’t know what his powers are, but he’s got a private army. Ex-military, all of ’em. At least fifty, Kaiser said, and every one of ’em has top notch gear. Their armor’s better than kevlar. You shoot ’em, they’re back up in a few seconds. ‘Least when you shoot a pig, you can be pretty sure you broke a few ribs. But that’s not the fucked up thing. These guys? They’ve got these lasers hooked up to the machine guns they carry around. If they don’t think bullets are doing it, or if they’re after people who are behind cover, they fire off these purple laser beams that can cut through steel. Tear through any cover you’re standing behind and burn through you too.”

More competition! In the same way that the ABB seems to have an asian theme, and the Empire are neo-nazis, these guys seem to be some sort of paramilitary militia armed to the teeth with high-tech gear, including ...laser weapons?? So these guys are less about superpowers and more about collective strength, tactics and formations? They sound awesome.

Coil makes me think about tesla coils, so maybe some electricity power to go along with the high-tech motif and weird technology?

“Yeah. I know about him. His methods get expensive,” Victoria said, “Top of the line soldiers, top of the line gear.”

The thug nodded weakly, “But even with money to burn, he’s fighting us over Downtown territories. Constant tug of war, neither of us making much headway. Been going on for months. So Kaiser thinks we should take the Docks now that the ABB are on the outs, gain some ground somewhere easier. Don’t know any more than that, as far as his plans.”

Seems this Coil group and the Empire are about equal in power, with the ABB being now weaker but maybe stronger than both of them previously?

“Who else is up to something? Faultline?”

“The bitch with the freaks in her crew? She’s a mercenary, different goals. But maybe. If she wanted to branch out, now would be the time to do it. With her rep, she’d even do alright.”

“Then who? There’s a power vacuum in the docks. Kaiser’s declared he wants to seize it, but I’m willing to bet he’s warned you about others making a play.”

Another new player! She’s a mercenary, with a bunch of ...freaks? Are these like mutants, where the powers change their appearance and they are discriminated against? Seems like an interesting group. Faultline.... maybe some earth or earthquake-related power?

The skinhead laughed, then winced, “Are you dense, girl? Everyone’s going to make a play. It’s not just the major gangs and teams that are looking for a slice of the pie, there. It’s everyone. The Docks are ripe for the taking. The location’s worth as much money as you’d get downtown. It’s the go to place if you want to buy black market. Sex, drugs, violence. And the locals are already used to paying protection money. It’s just a matter of changing who they pay to. The Docks are rich territory, and we’re talking the potential for a full scale fucking war over it.”

He looked up at the blond superheroine and laughed. Her lips set into a firm line.

Dear god Taylor what have you done? Now we have a full-scale gang war that could spread to the whole district thanks to your actions that day. You certainly caused a big splash!

It kinda reminds me of Doflamingo’s speech in One Piece, where there is a power vacuum that is going to make everyone fight in the near future, only that is much much more high scale than this. Still, what a way to change things.

He continued, “You want to know my guess? Empire Eighty Eight is going to take the biggest slice of the Docks, because we’re strong enough to. Coil’s going to stick his thumb in just to spite us, ABB is going to hold on to some. But you’re also going to have a bunch of the little guys trying to take something for themselves. Über and Leet, Circus, the Undersiders, Squealer, Trainwreck, Stain, others you’ve never heard of? They’re going to stake out their ground, and one of two things is going to happen. Either there’s war, in which case civilians get hurt and things get bad for you, or there’s alliances between the various teams and solo villains and shit gets even worse for you.”

Woaah a loot of even more new names! This is worldbuilding, the chapter!

Uber and Leet ...I think they vaguely mentioned them once..? But they apparently were small-fries

Circus is maybe a carnaval or clown-themed villain? Those are always ...fun. I expect a lot of circus gimmicks as their powerset.

The Undersiders are that group of totally innocent teens of which Taylor might or might not be a part of now, and might or might not be planning to eventually betray.

Squealer sounds ...weird. Maybe something animal-based?

Trainwreck maybe summons trains to crash against you. That seems too silly though. (Yukari-approved! )

Stain is obviously from Mha and I don’t know how he jumped to here. On a more serious note, I have no idea what he could be about.

All of these (including our undersiders) seem to be small timers, at least compared to the big three of the ABB, the Empire and the supersoldiers. And also Faultline, which even though she was a mercenary was considered high enough to be counted outside of the smaller ones.

We’re getting to know our underworld landscape here!

He broke into laughter yet again.

“Come on, Panacea,” Victoria said as she stood up, touched ground with her boots and brushed her skirt straight, “We’ve gotten enough.”

“You sure? I’m not done yet,” Amy told her.

“You fixed the bruises and scrapes, broken bones?” Everything that could get her in trouble, in other words.

“Yeah, but I didn’t fix everything,” Amy replied.

“Good enough,” Victoria decided.

“Hey!” the skinhead shouted, “The deal was you’d fix me if I talked! Did you fix my cock?” He tried to struggle to get to his feet, but his legs buckled under him, “Hey! I can’t fuckin’ walk! I’ll fucking sue you!”

Victoria’s expression changed in an instant, and her power flooded out, blindsiding the thug. For an instant, his eyes were like those of a panicked horse, all whites, rolling around, unfocused. She grabbed him by the shirt collar, lifted him up and growled into his ear, her voice just above a whisper, “Try it. My sister just healed you… most of you, with a touch. Did you ever wonder what else she could do? Ever think, maybe, she could break you just as easily? Or change the color of your skin, you racist fuck? I’ll tell you this, I’m not half as scary as my little sister is.”

Seems the skinhead was still being a pest faking not being cured and Victoria had enough. Damn she can be scary, and that’s aside from the ability to literally make him feel fear. I think part of the scary factor to her is that she could very easily break you and she doesn’t really have that much impulse control. Imagine facing down someone like that and thanks to her power having that fear you feel towards her amplified until she is the worst thing in your world.

And that all pales in comparison to her sister. Oh god I hadn’t considered that application of her power! She has organic manipulation, not healing. Healing is just what she chooses to use her power for! She could unmake you with just her continued touch, or give you any sort of illness or deformity. She has one of the greatest and scariest powers so far.

She let him go. He collapsed in a heap on the ground.

As the two sisters walked away, Victoria pulled her cell phone out of a pouch on her belt with her free hand. Turning to Amy, she said, “Thank you.”

“Play safe, Victoria. I can’t bring people back from the dead, and once you’ve gone that far…”

“I’ll be good. I’ll be better,” Victoria promised as she dialed with one hand. She put the phone to her ear, “Hello? Emergency services? Requesting special line. New Wave, Glory Girl. Incapacitated criminal for you to pick up, no powers. No, no rush, I can hold.”

Seems this situation concluded with a minor big problem averted. Glory Girl really should be grateful for the free healer she has to get her out of her excessive use of force! They are cleaning nazis from the streets so they aren’t bad or anything, they are the good guys, just a bit too dangerous sometimes!

Looking over her shoulder, Victoria noted the thug, still floundering and half-crawling, “He’s not going to get up?”

“He’ll be numb from the waist down for another three hours. His left arm will be iffy for about that long, too, so he’s not going to move unless he can drag himself somewhere with just one limb. He’ll also have numb toes for a good month or so, too,” Amy smiled.

“You didn’t actually…”

“No. Nothing was broken, and I didn’t screw up anything, beyond a temporary numbness. But he doesn’t know that. Fear and doubt will complete the effect, and the suggestion becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.”

“Amy!” Victoria laughed, hugging her sister with one arm, “Weren’t you just saying you weren’t going to mess with people’s heads?”

Heh, I really like Amy. And Victoria too, to a degree. She’s a lil bit spoiled, but I imagine getting such awesome powers at a young age warps your perception of things.

We set up a lot of things this chapter, and it seems our protagonist may have destabilized all of the city with her first night in costume! She’s certainly off to a good start!

#Worm #worm parahumans #parahumans liveblog #liveblog #arc 2 #worm interlude 2 #wildbow #parahumans

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