#because the war crimes were fictional but the annoyance was real

[utilitycaster]

I feel like a lot of discourse floating around, especially about characters, centers around whether or not those characters are making mentally healthy decisions and admonishing people for pointing out when they're not. The thing is I really don't care if a character is being self-destructive if it's being explored in an interesting manner. Laudna compartmentalizing and Chetney deciding to attune to the cursed sword he was told was bad are both positive story choices, neutral observations, and would probably be bad for both the characters if they were real people, which they aren't. My criticism, at least, occurs when those choices or flaws are not explored in a consistent (which is to say, possessing of the inconsistencies we all as mere mortals have but not getting dropped wholesale) and thoughtful (by which I mean, the creator has clearly thought about it seriously, not that it's pleasant and kind) way.

Which is another way of saying the war crimes are fictional but my annoyance or boredom is real. If I say something is unhealthy I'm not mad that it's setting a bad example or think the characters are bad people because I am not a fucking Victorian. It is, again, a neutral observation, and something that would be toxic irl but is interesting in its fictional exploration will always be superior, as the audience, than dullness of any variety. I may say that a relationship is unhealthy and the fandom is treating it as healthy, in which case the criticism is much more directed to the fandom than the relationship, which still might be interesting as a fictional exploration.

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

where's that post that's like "I'll forgive a fictional character for literal war crimes but god help them if they're annoying" and goes on to say that the crimes are fake but the annoyance is real because omg. i'm reading a book rn where the main character is such an absolute prick and it's deeply off-putting. and i don't wanna be like Protagonists Must Be Morally Good, fuck that, it's just that he's bad in a way that would not make me want to fictionally hang out with him, you know? if they're gonna be morally wrong about stuff it should be in a cool and dramatic way that does not make me think I would immediately leave any party they were at

[charliecoxisdaredevil]

Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun (Chapter 1)

Matthew Murdock x Reader [✨Series] 18+

(minors do not interact w/ explicitly sexual chapters. But if you do, remember fanfic is a safe but fictional space. Always put your safety first in real life, use protection and communicate. It's my goal to always emulate safe and healthy sexual encounters in my writings.)

Series Themes: fluff, enemies to lovers (very flirty enemies), found family trope, age gap *but not craazy ya know?*, smuuuuty smut smut, angst, canonical injuries (realistic, but nothing graphically described), NWH SPOILERS!!

Chapter Themes: best friend!peter vibes, peter gets to be happy because i said so, cocky mf matt murdock, ?alcohol?, ?Italians?, flirty mf matt murdock, sexual themes (no smut)

Description: Murdock & Nelson were looking for a PA, and you were so sure it would be the best job in the world that you practically begged your best friend Peter to put in a good word for you... Until you realized pleasing the Devil would be hard work.

Excerpt: "Being friends with Peter Parker has its own special quirks. Its' ups and downs. Its' Star Wars marathons and near death experiences. I love Peter and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything. Even after all the peril and drama and stupidity of being best friends with a 25 year old boy, nothing has ever made me lose love for our friendship…

But if Matthew Murdock throws one more goddamn file on my desk right at 6pm, before waltzing out of the office; Peter is a dead man."

Chapter 1:

Peter Parker is a dead man.

He’s the one who got me this job. The one who sent me to this hell.

Did I beg for him to get me this job? Okay, yes yes- BUT as my friend he should’ve known that this fucker was going to drive me crazy. Where is that goddamn “spidey-sense” when you actually need it?

And I ask Peter exactly that when I’m across the table from him, sipping on a strong drink after working away three hours of my life for free.

“Well that’s a thing right there you should bring up,” Peter points his beer in my direction across the table.

I pin him with a deserved incredulous look, “What thing?!”

He anxiously hunches over the table and makes twitchy movements with his hands as he tries to articulate a defense, even though we both know this really isn’t his fault.

It’s that fucker Murdock’s.

“The- the working overtime for free thing! You should talk to him and Mr. Nelson about at least getting some kind of compensation. Or- or you know I could talk to them for you! I mean it’s only fair since I got you into this whole mess.”

Poor Peter looks at me with guilty eyes and a very wrinkled forehead, so I reign in my urge to unjustly take my anger out on one of my only friends who did an incredibly big favor for me.

It was my idea to explore non-vigilante career options and it was my suggestion that working for the least corrupt legal group in town would not only keep me fed and give me skills other than crime fighting. Working for attorneys is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of crime.

I smile kindly and put a hand over Peter’s reassuringly, “I’m sorry Pete, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t get me into anything. You did me a huge favor, and you shouldn’t have to solve my problems for me.”

He squeezes my hand in understanding, “Yeah I know… I just can’t help it sometimes. You’re like a sister to me, and I mean I owe so much to Mr. Murdock but- but I mean I can’t believe the type of crap he’s putting you through! He’s always been such a nice guy!”

And I can’t even be mad with Peter’s disbelief that Matthew Murdock could be anything but a godsend. The man saved Peter and Happy from twenty five to life in a federal prison, he’s locked up some of the most despicable people to ever have the audacity to roam the Earth and he does it for next to nothing.

Hell, I thought the man was an angel after everything I’d heard. It’s when we met that I finally saw him for the devil he was.

We sit in contemplative silence for a while, Peter’s still in disbelief while I stew in my annoyance.

“Well, if anything you should tell them to at least wait around for you if they’re gonna make you stay till after dark. It’s not safe for you to be walking home alone so late at night,” Peter looks me over with a paternally furrowed brow and a shake of his head as he takes another swig of his beer.

This pulls an amused smirk and a breathy laugh out of me, “Pete… I think Spider-Girl can handle walking ten blocks by herself. And if she can’t, maybe she should look into a different profession.”

Peter frenetically looks around the bar, like someone in this dive is able to hear me over Måneskin blasting through the ratty speakers or is even slightly interested in a conversation between two worn out, poor but professional looking 20 somethings.

“Would you please take the secret identity thing more seriously,” he manically whispers at me.

I take a long sip of my gin and tonic, “How am I not taking it seriously? C’mon Peter no one can hear us because the music is slowly turning everyone deaf, and I haven’t told anyone else but you!”

“First off, you didn’t tell me. I found out because you thought it was low-key to crawl up the basement walls when the laundry room flooded,” I roll my eyes in annoyance, once again, because he will never let that story go.

“And second, I’m just saying you need to be more careful. This… identity doesn’t affect just you. It affects everyone you love-”

I cut him off to bitterly say, “Well ya know Pete that’s not a very long list, and I’m not too worried about the one person on it because he can also climb walls.”

We sit in silence by my doing for the second time tonight, but this time I don’t budge and stubbornly stare back at him.

Peter’s eyes soften and he’s the first to break the silence this time, “All I’m saying… is that one of these days the wrong person will hear you and it’s going to screw up your life. Forever.”

That look of past tragedy in his eyes makes me drop mine to my fidgeting hands cradled in my lap.

“Believe me. I know.”

I look back up at him in shame from being so insensitive, “I’m sorry Peter… I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

We share a look of truce, “It’s okay… Look. On the bright side, if everything had never happened to me I wouldn't have found you! And I got MJ back,” he smiles and blushes at the thought of her, “and Ned back and everything worked out for me in the end.”

He tiredly sighs, “I just- I just don’t want you to have to work anything out.”

Nodding my head in appreciation and agreement, I take my glass and clink it lightly against his, “Good speech Dad. Aren’t I great practice for when you and MJ have wonderful, mischievous spider-babies?”

Peter spits up some of his beer, “Alright. You’re done. You’re done.”

We both break out in laughs, “God, I’m so sorry for being such a pain tonight. Tomorrow morning I promise I’m gonna go straight to Foggy and Karen and… ugh, Murdock and demand my very much earned overtime.”

A proud smile stretches across Peter’s face and he reaches across the table to clink our glasses again, “Now that I’ll cheers to!”

“Why do the spider-babies not deserve cheers?”

“Oh my god, ENOUGH with the spider-babies!”

~ ~ ~

Waking up in my cramped, frigid apartment the next morning, I have renewed purpose.

I’m not going to let Murdock push me around any longer. I’m going to walk in there, march right up to Foggy and demand fair treatment. He’s a logical and just boss, I’m sure he’ll see my side no problem…

But, if I’ve learned anything from Foggy, bribery with free coffee and pastries to warm the palette is never a bad move.

It’s freezing out today, so I shimmy into my favorite wool pencil skirt. And while squeezing into my nicest turtleneck, I’m reminded of the aching bruise I earned during last night's crime fighting session that takes up most of the real estate on the right side of my back.

What a great reminder to look where I’m swinging next time in case the city decides to plant another new lamp post.

After lots of wincing and groaning, I have successfully dressed myself for the day. I throw on a coat, grab my bag and bumble out of the raggedy apartment building towards my second home, Anton’s Coffee Shop on the corner of 10th Ave and West 42nd Street.

Anton’s is this teeny coffee “shop” that’s more like a broom closet, but it’s the best espresso you can get in fifty blocks and the owner, Tony, always treats me to a free biscotti. Being within a reasonable walking distance to this place is one of the only benefits of moving into Hell's Kitchen when Peter officially moved in with MJ last month.

“Stellina! Come sta?!,” Tony is furiously wiping down the countertop but his sweet face pops up to greet me.

Tony’s a tall, thin man with dark tanned skin, sparkling green eyes and a wonderfully white beard. He’s one of the longest friendships I’ve ever had, and he is absolutely insane.

I take my gloves off and root around in my bag for my wallet, “Morning Tony! I’m good, how’re you?”

But he merely tsk’s me, “Stellina! In Italiano! Per favore!” Tony starts to make my usual coffee order while accosting me.

“Spiacente, spiacente umm… Buongiorno Tony,” he looks up and eagerly nods in encouragement, “Io sono buono e… come sta?”

Tony’s recently started teaching me Italian because I wanted to learn and also because he wants to set me up with a “friend’s son’s cousin’s step-brother.”

He smiles and finishes making my oat milk latte, which he relentlessly bullies me for because “This is not latte?! This is water?!”, but he continues to make the drink for me every morning regardless.

“Very good Stellina! I will make an Italiana out of you someday, eh?” He pops two biscotti in a paper bag and hands me my coffee.

I take the goodies gladly, “Someday, Tony. Now I’ll need three more coffees today if you can, per favore, make another one of my regulars, two double shot lattes and throw in a few more biscotti.”

He gasps comically at me while he gathers more cups, “Dio! Has my stellina made friends?”

I laugh at his dramatics, “No, no these are for my bosses. I need to bribe two of them with your magic caffè so they’ll convince the other to stop being such an ass.”

Tony nods in understanding as he flits around behind the espresso machine, pulling levers like a madman, “Ah and the third coffee,” he holds up a cup and points to it, “this is for the ass?”

“Yeah unfortunately I can’t leave him out. It’ll just give him another reason to make my life, come si dice… hell?”

He’s frothing the milk for Matt’s drink, “Inferno.”

“Inferno,” I say matter of factly as he rings me up and I place the coffees in a cardboard tray.

Tony hums, “Well, nipote, if anyone is making your life un Inferno then they will be hearing from me.” He hands me my change along with my extra biscottis and I smile gratefully at his conviction.

“Thank you Tony,” I tuck the change into his tip jar, “Next time I’ll let you spit in his coffee.”

~ ~ ~

By the time I get to the office I’m still five minutes early, and I’m hoping Murdock has pulled his usual arrogant stunt of strolling in late so I can plead my case to Foggy and Karen alone first.

Before going inside I stand in front of the frosted door, giving myself a firm pep talk. You deserve this. You deserve respect. You’re going to wipe that unfortunately handsome smirk right off of Murdock’s face.

Balancing the tray in one hand I open the door with the other and the smile is wiped right off of my face as I see Matthew lounging front and center. He’s leaned back onto Karen’s desk in his usual well tailored suit that stretches over his broad thighs, and If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was staring right at me with that stupid fucking smirk, like he knew I was about to walk in.

But thankfully he can’t because someone drawing up fate’s design knew this man would cause too much trouble if he had all his senses.

“Ah the chosen one! She brings us sustenance,��� Foggy emerges from the kitchenette to my right and rubs his hands together, “What’d we do to deserve such free tastiness?”

I pop one of the double shots out of the container and hand him the biscotti bag. “Well… I just,” I see Murdock is still phantomly staring through me, still wearing that godforsaken smirk and my conviction crumbles.

“I just thought… it would be a nice pick me up on such a cold day.”

Foggy hmm’s and nods his head as he devours Tony’s legendary almond biscotti and takes the rest of the bag into his office.

As he leaves Karen flies out of the conference room and into the waiting area, “Ooh not shit coffee, thank god!” I pull the other double shot out of my container before handing it over to her, “There’s also some almond biscotti, but you might want to get in there before Foggy inhales them.”

She gasps and scurries into Foggy's office all the while shouting that he’d better save some for her or he’ll have to start killing the spiders in his office himself.

And just like that, suddenly I’m alone. With the asshole.

“So,” here we go, “I see you take after Foggy with the subtle bribery approach,” Matt shoots over his shoulder as he walks through the doorway into his office before settling into his desk chair.

And just like that, I am in Inferno.

I choose to ignore his comment and walk towards the arrogant son of a bitch. I go around to set the third coffee on the desk next to his hand, “Here’s your coffee. It’s a double shot oat milk latte.” He furrows his brow in confusion since he’s never made me be a lackey for his coffee and therefore, has never told me his preference for oat milk. It’s one of the few pieces of my dignity I have left.

“I saw you added an oat milk carton to the fridge,” which is not entirely untrue, but I can’t tell him the real source of my information. That I saw him buy said oat milk at the same bodega Spider-Girl had promised the owner, Señor Flores, she'd watch over while his teenage nephew worked the night shift.

Matthew tilts his head up and a gust of heat from the air vents consumes me in his fresh scent before his hand suddenly yet tenderly grips my wrist. He’s smiling up at me, it almost seems genuine. Grateful.

The thing that makes this man all the more infuriating is how fucking handsome he is.

It’s despicable.

“Don’t I get a cookie too?,” he smiles up at me as his thumb brushes against the inside of my wrist.

My heartbeat picks up and I want to say I’m glad he can’t see the instant flush of my cheeks at his touch, but his smile still seems to grow deeper.

I try to regain my composure and take back control, “That depends. Do you think you’ve earned a cookie?”

He chuckles darkly and leans in, grasping my wrist a bit tighter, “What? Don’t you think I’ve been a good boy?”

Well, if he didn’t know my heart was racing before he can definitely feel it flying off the handle now with his firm grip on my pulse.

My mouth goes dry but my lips are wet, and my present arousal is eerily followed by a subtle flare in Matt’s nostrils and a stuttered rise of his chest. His mouth parts and his tongue interrupts heavy breaths by darting out to wet his flushed lips.

“Matty, stop torturing the office angel and come help me with these opening remarks please!”

Foggy’s distant call from behind his closed office door snaps both of us back to reality and I begin to lean away from him, but Matt still doesn’t release my wrist.

He simply waits, and I finally give in as I wrap one of my biscotti in a napkin and place it on his desk.

“Thank you,” he smiles up at me again but doesn’t move for the biscotti. “It smells so good,” but still doesn’t release me, “I know it tastes even better.”

My eyes widen in disbelief and I lightly gasp at what I think I’m hearing or possibly imagining, but Foggy covers the involuntary sound with another yell for Matt’s assistance.

Matt turns his head towards the door and shouts back, “Coming,” before turning back to face me, “Would you be an angel and transcribe these affidavits for me?”

I stare back at him pulling myself together. But before I can respond he purses his lips, like the most perfect red rose, and rumbles out a husked, “Please?”

My mouth gapes a bit as I try to blink myself back to reality, I nod dumbly before shaking my head like an idiot, “Um, yes! Sorry, yes.”

He releases me finally, and I’m grateful to be able to breathe again. Then he hands me a stack of papers, plucks the coffee from its spot and struts towards Foggy’s office.

Did he just call me an angel? No sorry, was he flirt- No, no way… no way…

I look down at the uneaten biscotti, then back up at Matt’s retreating figure.

No, I’m sorry, did Matthew Motherfucker Murdock just say “please”? To me?

- - -

Let me know if y'all want to be ?tagged? in this series for updates I guess?? I've never uploaded works to tumblr before, so please give me grace. this is a learning experience.

[eddiemunsongf]

i’m tired and i wanna call a horse a horse.

the reason “problems” keep cropping up with edssy (”she has a bf” “theyre just friends!” “theyre both gay!!” “shes a child!!!!!!”) is because there is a much more popular ship with one of the members. end of. i’m not trying to start a ship war here, i don’t want that at all. i’ve just personally seen this play out twice before and i’m not even that involved in fandom.

antis, be honest with yourself: when you were watching the show, did you read chrissy as a child? did you recoil at the scene of the two of them in the woods? did you get online, see people were shipping it, and immediately think ‘but shes a minor!’? or, did it happen the other way around? did you think little of it while watching? did you feel an unfocused annoyance or upset when you first saw the ship online? did you see a callout post saying that the ship was invalid for X reason and feel vindicated?

this problem arises when people moralize their dislike of things. they see something that makes them angry or upset, and because they are a Good Person, they conclude that that thing must be Bad in some way. they look for something wrong with it, so they can feel comfortable hating it. 

what’s more, this corner of the internet has a long-developing problem with anti-critical rhetoric. saying you just don’t like something or that it’s stupid will get you branded as cruel or pretentious. the loophole to that reaction is to say you don’t like something BECAUSE it’s problematic. then you’re not a lame hater, you’re a righteous warrior! plus, it’ll get you attention. outrage works online. i know this. i have a post on here structured like a clapback that got me like 500 easy notes. i knew what i was doing. everyone loves to be vindicated. everyone wants to be in the right.

the thing is, when the lighter callouts get debunked or brushed off, but the original, unfocused dislike remains, people start dredging up more serious crimes to pin on the offending ship/character. and when people start saying a fictional thing is seriously problematic (ie. racist, homophobic, p*dophilic, etc) other people who come across that idea get really, understandably mad. then they start lashing out at or calling out the actors. 

those two cases i mentioned earlier?  both of them ended with the actor of the “third wheel” being harassed to the point of shelving or quitting social media and pulling back from the public considerably. i think one of them quit acting for a while. these were not big names, they were c-list tv actors. their careers suffered visibly.

if you’re reading this and you hate edssy, this is what i want you to know: that’s fine. that’s enough. you can just hate them. hate them because it’s cliche. hate them because princess x rascal is childish and cringy. hate them because youre sick of het ships. hate them cause you’re sick of white ships. hate them because you think eddie is gay. hate them because you think chrissy is gay. hate them because you think one of them sucks and doesn’t deserve the other. hate them because one of them clearly has a better match in another character. that’s all fine. i probably disagree with you, i might even argue with you, but in the end it’s fine. it’s your business.

but please, don’t manufacture reasons why it’s Morally Wrong to like a thing.  even if you don’t directly harrass grace, coming up with and perpetuating these increasingly outlandish gotchas for the ship contributes to a climate that WILL land on her doorstep. she is a real person. there are real consequences to this behaviour.

and finally, i’m asking you to look critically at why it is so appealing to you to come after this ship. is there another ship with one of these characters that is dear to your heart? does edssy feel invalidating to that ship? do you feel any kind of pain when you see edssy content? do you feel angry reading this right now? if the answer to those questions is yes, is it possible that those feelings are a factor in your moral outrage? is it possible those feelings are shaping your perspective of the canon and the people who ship it?

be mindful of your motivations and the consequences of your actions. 

live and let live.

[hayleysayshay]

Kuvira fans must understand that "Kuvira is not correct, and her portrayal as a fascist leader isn’t unrealistic or exaggerated, i’m sorry if people can’t imagine a dictator offering good things and bad things at the same time". like people can like Kuvira all they want, she an interesting character but stop using the excuse that she had gOod InTeNtIoNs, fascism is fascism no matter what the reason for becoming one. Kuvira took advantage of the problems of EK to gain power and control EK at will. she committed a massacre with her robot destroying almost the entire city. (Kuvira only gave up and apologized because Korra stopped her and had no other choice, Kuvira told korra her sad story so that Korra would feel sorry for her).

CONTENT WARNING: This does contain a discussion about concentration camps, Nazis and war crimes. I only use this to explain my position and argue against arguments I have seen.

I think to a certain extent people just like Kuvira and want to defend her because they find her interesting. And I do try and not moralise on people’s choices and characters.

What I do find annoying is the dismissal of legit fair comparisons between fascism and Kuvira’s regime. It’s fair to call Kuvira’s regime fascistic.

I find most of the discourse is around Kuvira’s re-education camps, and whether or not it’s fair to label them concentration camps and say this is inherently fascistic.

People really twist themselves into knots to stop people labelling Kuvira’s actions as fascistic, and this is what I’ve had the greatest annoyance with. I have seen the most discourse with regards to Kuvira’s re-education camps and the use of the term concentration camps. I have written a reply once, but I did delete it as engaging in a discussion directly can perhaps be more pain than it’s worth.

I have seen someone say that it’s not right to call Kuvira’s regime as fascistic as concentration camps are linked to the N@zi regime, and I’ve seen someone else say, and this is of course paraphrasing, ‘they’re similar to camps that America has used so Kuvira can’t be bad’ like...., you think this is a defence for Kuvira and not an indictment of the USA? It isn’t really an argument that Kuvira isn’t bad.

The problem with some of the arguments is that it’s bad history. The concentration camp system in N@zi Germany was never only specific to that period of history. Concentration camps are not specific to one regime. They were started by the British in the Boer war, used by the Americans against Japanese Americans, and are used to describe the Uighur camps in China. There is no universally agreed definition of when a prison becomes a concentration camp, and if there is any difference between a concentration/internment/re-education camp, and what exactly these definitions are.

So no, concentration camps are not unique to fascist regimes, but it is fair to call what we hear of in the legend of korra concentration camps, in all definitions of the term. We can discuss whether or not it’s appropriate to throw out that term ‘concentration camp’ a potentially triggering and highly emotive term in a discussion about a fictional character in fandom spaces, but I don’t think that means the person originally using the term is using the term incorrectly. Kuvira uses these camps to punish people who are bandits (not inherently fascistic), threatens to send people who disagree with her to one (Bolin) so she uses them against political opponents, and then is said by a character that she’s putting bending minorities in them. By all definitions, this is mass internment, these are concentration camps. These camps are used in fascistic regimes. If the shoe fits...

(I do dislike people calling Kuvira a N@zi, that is an ideology that is tied to one specific regime that Kuvira does not have, fascist is a broader term and can be used in different contexts other than N@zi Germany).

No, we don’t know Kuvira’s exact ideology. It is vague. This is a kids show with a million other things happening. We don’t know exactly why or how she motivated herself to do the things she did. Maybe Kuvira did really intend to give up power after consolidating the Earth Empire’s rule including the United Republic. She literally says she thinks she’s better than Wu at the coronation but who knows, but maybe she just hated the monarchy. But this fan speculation. This is not canon.

What is canon:

- Kuvira named her regime the Earth Empire. Pretty imperialistic.

- Kuvira’s goals are achieved primarily through the use of an army. Pretty militaristic.

- Kuvira used her army to conquer states, even states that were unwilling (the state she conquers in the first episode) or completely stable and didn’t need any help to begin with (Zaofu).

- Kuvira expresses an interest and then attempts to conquer the United Republic, a nation state that has been independent for decades, because it was formerly of the Earth Kingdom.

- Kuvira uses a wide range of re-education camps to intern and punish prisoners who commit crimes, oppose her policies, or are bending minorities.

- The Earth Empire uses green, clean uniforms that evoke N@zi uniforms. There is a railway gun clearly inspired by a N@zi railway gun. The creators are intentionally using fascistic imagery to evoke certain feelings.

Kuvira may just be a ‘generic military dictator’ and she might not be truly ‘fascist’ but it’s not incorrect for any viewer to look at the canon events above and conclude she is a fascist. But the main argument against these is either some weird twisting of real history (by dragging in the definitions of concentration camps and fascism) or just saying ‘she had good intentions so can’t be a fascist.’ These arguments never prove anything, they usually just use specific events from history and pretend that these events correlate to general uses of these terms.

Now, if someone really likes Kuvira and wants to redeem her, then fine, I understand, I just wish they would acknowledge that the fascistic points of contention are not inaccurate, and a completely fair reading of the legend of Korra, and saying that ‘she had good intentions’ doesn’t change anything for anyone. I don’t care about her intentions in the past, I’m looking at her actions in the show. I do believe that Kuvira probably did have good intentions setting off. She probably doesn’t consider herself as a bad guy. But it’s fine for people to dislike Kuvira and consider her a fascist. They are not wrong.

I think it’s fine for people to want to redeem this fictional character. People can find characters darker motivations interesting and engaging. This isn’t the same as redeeming real life people who commit war crimes. It’s an interesting story. If the person writing this post or fic does not consider Kuvira a fascist than fine, but that is not anymore canon that Kuvira being a fascist and does not invalidate.

But ‘she isn’t a fascist because she had good intentions’ is just shallow and unconvincing and missing the point. And then falling back onto historical arguments does not prove that Kuvira is not a fascist either. Kuvira’s actions do not exist in a vacuum, they are inspired and pulled from history, and history is also not so exact and precise that it means that Kuvira cannot be labelled as a fascist.

I think I’m approaching this at a slightly different angle from you but I broadly agree- I don’t necessarily think people have to think Kuvira is a fascist, but they shouldn’t get into over long discussions of what is and what isn’t fascism to defend themselves. They’re seeking to define terms that have always been used in circumstances other than WWII. Please just own what you like.

[transbian-uprising]

Some of my own Danganronpa non-despair AU headcanons/imagines this time! (THH edition)

I was inspired, so I decided why not write down some headcanons/imagines/character adjustments for my Danganronpa non-despair AU! I’m gonna be doing this as a series, starting with the THH characters, then the SDR2 characters, then the V3 characters (although I will mention characters from other games in my headcanons). Enjoy!

Makoto Naegi | 苗木誠

He’d definitely lend a listening ear to whoever wanted to vent to him.

When he first comes to Hope’s Peak, he’s such a fanboy over everyone

He has an inferiority complex and self worth issues because he’s surrounded by insanely talented students, but Sayaka and Kyoko quickly help him get over that

He’s pretty good at keyboard, and plays alongside Sayaka a lot

He actually got noticed by Kaede, who offered to teach him, which obviously he was ecstatic about

He’s the only one in Class 78th, and possibly all of Hope’s Peak, who is neurotypical

Sayaka Maizono | 舞園さやか

Her and Makoto are basically best friends

She’s still a total cinnamon roll, but she loves to play little pranks on the rest of Class 78th and have a good laugh over it

She, Ibuki, Leon and Kaede tried to form a music group together but they fell apart really quickly due to their different styles

She has a huge crush on Makoto, but she’s afraid to admit it

Leon Kuwata | 桑田怜恩

He’s almost always the only one in class, just so he can avoid playing baseball

Ibuki taught him guitar and he’s been playing nonstop ever since

He *tries* to get along with Sayaka, but prefers hanging out with Ibuki since they almost always end up playing together

Everyone in Class 78 calls him the Ultimate Guitarist because... reasons

Toko Fukawa | 腐川冬子

She doesn’t have the weird thing for Byakuya in this au

She doesn’t slut shame the girls either

She’s still really shy tho

She initially dislikes Hifumi for writing fanfic, but they eventually bond over their mutual love for writing

She’s also close with Tsumugi, and the two of them collaborated to write a book that was loosely based on Tsumugi’s favorite anime

Genocider Syo is friends with Sonia, but she’s a bit put off by Sonia’s obsession with her and other serial killers

Kiyotaka Ishimaru | 石丸清多夏

Initially, the rest of the class shys away from him because he has a stick up his ass about the rules, but Mondo and Chihiro quickly befriend him

After a while, he loosens up a bit, but he never stops being the Ultimate Moral Compass

He tries to bond with the class by telling jokes, but he’s always super awkward with it and is usually unsuccessful

He’s SUPER gullible — he’ll believe anything anyone tells him, and you better believe Class 78 uses that to their advantage

Once, he dyed his hair white on a dare, and ended up liking it and kept it that way

He also tries to do impressions of his classmates (mostly Mondo) but, again, is painfully bad at it

Everyone actually finds these funny tho

Mondo Oowada | 大和田紋土

He, surprisingly, likes to play card games, which everyone was shocked to find out

Except Celeste, who is fascinated by his interest

He’s very protective of his friends, and will do anything for them

Especially Taka and Chihiro, his two best friends

He’s an amazing hairstylist, and secretly loves to play with and style people’s hair

Everyone in all of Hope’s peak knows to go to him for hair care tips and tricks

He also taught Chihiro how to ride a motorcycle the two of them rode around together a lot, until Taka ratted them out

He still hasn’t forgiven Taka for that

Chihiro Fujisaki | 不二咲千尋

In this au, he’s a bit more open about his gender, but still has loads of insecurities

At first, he’s completely in the closet, but after rumors spread online about him being a boy, he decides to live as himself and goes to Mondo for help

Mondo became his first real friend to him because of this, and him (and eventually Sakura too) helped him become strong

Eventually, he became an honorary member of Mondo’s gang and would often hang out with them in his free time

His hidden talent is being a voice actor, but he’s super embarrassed to talk about it since he’s the Ultimate Programmer

His first voice role was in a video game he developed himself, which led some talent scouts to notice him

He eventually voiced in several anime and video games, some of which he also helped develop

He’s almost as passionate about acting as he is about programming, but the only people he feels comfortable talking about it to are Hifumi and Tsumugi, who both become huge fans of his, and Mondo and Taka

When he found out Junko had created Monokuma, he was fascinated and offered to help her with ironing out all his kinks

He, Chiaki, Mukuro and Miu also created the Exisals in this au, for the sole reason of fooling around

Although, Chihiro himself was a bit intimidated by his creation at first, but after Tsumugi and Junko pressured him to try one out for himself, he fell in love

Yasuhiro Hagakure | 葉隠康比呂

He’s less of a dumbass in this AU, although he still has a tendency to get himself in sticky situations

Celeste and Hifumi played a prank on him by getting him to dress up in the Robo Justice suit and go around scaring people, but it backfired after Hiro fell down the stairs and broke his leg

Being the only one in the class who can, he often buys wine for Celeste and Mondo (and whoever asks, but only those two ever do)

He and Mondo use the same hair gel, so sometimes he’d take Mondo’s without knowing, which would lead to some awkward misunderstandings

Interestingly, he once predicted the world would end and they’d all end up dead, but that never ended up happening

That’s where the “30% accurate” thing came from— before that he was almost always right

He constantly makes jokes about being an old man (even though he’s only in his early twenties)

Hifumi Yamada | 山田一二三

He’s no longer solely attracted to anime characters, but he still loves them very much

He’s also nicer in this au

He’s besties with Tsumugi, and they bond over their love of anime and fiction

He’s also a huge fan of Chihiro’s, after he found out Chihiro was on the development team for his favorite game AND voiced two of his favorite anime characters

Low key has a crush on Celeste

Angie constantly makes jokes about how his first name is just “one two three” in Japanese

Whenever he’s watching an anime Chihiro was in, he’ll hound him with questions about what it was like recording, which Chihiro doesn’t mind because he doesn’t get to talk about his voice work a lot

Someday he wants to write and direct his own anime, and Tsumugi and Toko give him a lot of writing tips

He formed a LARP group with Gundham, Tsumugi, Chihiro, Junko, and Kaito

Celestia Ludenberg

She doesn’t treat Hifumi like a servant in this AU, but she’s still mean af and has a superiority complex

She eventually revealed her true identity to the class after she got inspired by Chihiro, but it didn’t change anything with her classmates

Except Hiro, who constantly made jokes about them having the same name, much to Celeste’s annoyance

She occasionally brings Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg to school with her, but she doesn’t let anyone except Hifumi, Sonia and Gundham pet him

She high-key has a crush on Sonia

She doesn’t actually know how to do her own hair, so she has to get Mondo to do it for her

Sakura Oogami | 大神さくら

She and Tenko become friends SO QUICKLY because of their shared passion for martial arts

She’s still friends with Aoi tho

The three of them hang out together a lot

She and Tenko developed a new form of martial arts combining Neo-Aikido and Sakura’s own style, which they named the Oogami Method

Junko bullied her because of her ripped uniform, but after she explained that nothing would fit her, Junko offered to have one made for her

Kyoko Kirigiri | 霧切響子

She and Shuichi are very close, obviously

She gives Shuichi a lot of pointers on improving his investigative skills, and they work together often to solve cases

She and Makoto still become close, but their friendship is overshadowed by her and Shuichi’s

She notices this after a while, and makes a concerted effort to spend more time with Makoto

She’s less distant in this AU, but she still tries not to show her emotions

Her hair is naturally black in this AU, she dyed it purple after she lost a bet (with Celeste)

Aoi Asahina | 朝日奈葵

In this AU, she doesn’t just love donuts, but she loves all sweets

She was a fan of Junko’s before coming to Hope’s Peak, and the two of them became friends quickly

She and Akane are also close, and everyone jokes that they’re sisters, though in reality they aren’t

She once got recruited by Kaito to be in a play his class was putting on, but she’s such a terrible actor that they gave her part to Junko

She once walked in on Junko and Mukuro testing out Monokuma for the first time, and they were super freaked out, but Aoi was fascinated and wanted to try controlling him

Mukuro was against it, but Junko was cool with it, so she got to in the end

Byakuya Togami | 十神白夜

He and Makoto are both obsessed with true crime, and the two of them actually become friends because of that

They both love digging into Hope’s Peak’s files and his family’s files to find mysteries they could try and solve

Sonia joins them a lot too

He unofficially became the class’s French teacher after they found out he was fluent

He’s nicer in this au, and he’s kind of the dad of the class

When the Imposter was impersonating him, the two of them got into a little mini-war over who was the superior Togami (Twogami surprisingly won that war, albeit barely)

Mukuro Ikusaba | 戦刃むくろ

She’s away from Hope’s Peak A LOT, usually doing soldier things

When she is at Hope’s Peak, she spends most of her time either developing new weapons or looking after Junko

She’s usually the one who has to clean up after Junko’s shenanigans, even though she partakes in them herself

She helps Junko with a lot of her projects, but usually she ends up working on her own things while Junko does her thing

Despite this, she loves working with her sister when she gets the chance

Her proudest achievement is the Exisals, even though she collaborated with Chihiro, Chiaki and Miu to create them

Junko Enoshima | 江ノ島盾子

While she’s obviously not Ultimate Despair in this au, she’s still very chaotic and loves causing shenanigans and playing (mostly) harmless pranks

She’s friends with Sayaka and Kokichi because of this (both she and Sayaka are members of D.I.C.E. too)

She still puts on different personas, but she does it as a joke

She’s actually a very good actress, and she loves to act, but just like Chihiro, that gets overshadowed by her Ultimate talent

She loves to build and create things, just like her sister, which is why she created Monokuma

She uses Monokuma for her pranks a lot

Sometimes she goes through severe depressive episodes where she doesn’t have the energy to leave her home, but she usually uses Monokuma as a sort of telepresence unit so she can still talk to her friends

At first, no one knew that Monokuma was her, but Aoi ended up spilling the beans

She also learned animation from Ryota, and wants to make an anime starring her, Kaito, Tsumugi, Chihiro, Mukuro and Hajime

She loves to share her projects with her friends, and often lets other people control Monokuma or model for her

She gets hurt a LOT, and usually Mikan has to care for her

Her proudest achievement is replacing the Exisals’ weapons with water guns (even though Mukuro did most of the work)

They actually decided to leave them like that afterwards, since the Exisals were only ever used by her friends to mess around in

She suffers from PTSD, and part of that is recurring nightmares that the world ended and all her friends were forced to kill each other

[tsarinastorm]

Season 7-Adam Sackler/Reader-Chapter 1

This is mostly a Sackler/Reader centric fic, but this is the development I would have liked to see in a Girls Season 7.

Words:3.9K

Rating: Explicit/Mature

               You haven’t even arrived at this “party” yet and you already regret agreeing to show up. You begin to think of an excuse: you have a migraine, you have a writing deadline, some other dire situation that requires your immediate attention has occurred. Before you’re able to settle on one excuse, you receive a text from Hannah telling you that the party is in the back room of the bar, and saying that she’s so excited that you’re going to meet her friends.

               You had met Hannah in a writing group, the two of you bonded over the shared habit of bringing snacks to the meetings, to the annoyance of the other group members. She was one of your first and only friends in the city. You have some friends from undergrad and grad school who live in the city, but they were often busy with their own careers and love lives. You couldn’t help but find meeting people in this city of 8 million to be overwhelming. Mostly, you didn’t know how you make real friendships with people who you’d only see occasionally, or where to find people who shared your interests and hobbies.

               You moved to the city six months ago and settled into a classic style apartment in Soho. The apartment was a little bigger than you needed but was a steal because it was being sold by a couple who was in the middle of a divorce and wanted to screw the other over. You’ve authored several books ranging from modern fiction, horror, and a crime/thriller series, which had recently been picked up by a streaming service for a television show. You made enough to make it in New York, but you did some ghostwriting on the side to supplement since you invested your earnings in the apartment. You didn’t feel like you belonged in New York yet, perhaps you’ll be always be the same small town girl no matter how long you’re in the city.

You talked yourself into going to the party because you needed more friends and needed to enjoy the city. Plus, it was to celebrate Hannah’s new article being published. As a fellow writer you understood the struggles to get published and the triumph when you finally do get published. So you put on a little black dress that was neither too dressy nor too casual, told her you’d be there in a few minutes, and headed on the train to Brooklyn. You then grab a cab and head towards Hannah’s party.

               Your cab pulls up around the front, and you make your way into the bar. You’ve figured out that if you feel uncomfortable, you can get a few free drinks and then head out, no big deal. There are signs that point towards the Horvath Party, you casually walk, following the signs until you see Hannah in one of the rooms. Hannah waves and motions for you come towards her.

“Hey, Y/N! I’m so happy you could make it! I’m sure you’ll have a great time and I know you’ll get along with my friends.”

“Thanks for inviting me, Hannah. Congrats again on getting your piece published. It’s always worth the work in the end. Where’s Grover?” You ask as you see several people coming up to you and Hannah. Hannah answers as she hugs an excited brunette who just walked in, “Grover is with the sitter tonight. His Mommy needed a break. But I am texting every half-hour to make sure he’s alright.”

“You deserve a night off, I’m sure he’ll be just fine.” You say as the brunette turns to you. Hannah gestures between the two of you and the other girl as she begins the introductions.

“Y/N, this is my friend Shoshanna, or Shosh for short. Shosh, this is Y/N, the friend I told you about from my writing group.”

               Shosh hugs you and says, “Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to finally meet you. Hannah has told us so much about you and I’ve read you’re books. They’re good, like, really good. I don’t even typically like horror, but I liked yours.”

“Thank you so much! I’ve heard a lot about you too! I love your outfit.”

“The code word is apple for free drinks. But keep it quiet so people don’t take our free drinks. We didn’t pay for everyone.” Hannah adds as she goes to greet another person.

               You and Shosh have spent the last forty-minutes talking about fashion, and travel. Now she was happily giving you the “appropriate” details of her honeymoon. Shosh was super nice and easy to talk to, no wonder she had been friends with Hannah for so long.  When you came back from the bar with your vodka soda, Hannah was talking to another brunette, one less excited than Shosh.

“Marnie, this is Y/N from my writing group. Y/N this is my best friend Marnie.”

“You’re the successful singer/song-writer, right?”

“Yes, only somewhat successful, but yes. By the way, I love your dress, Y/N!”

“I think its super cool that you can sing and put words to music. I have no musical talent whatsoever.”

“Really? You’re such a good writer. How long have you been in the city?”

“Only six months so I’m still figuring it all out.”

“We can totally show you where the best places are, and what to do.” Shosh adds excitedly.

“We should all hang out together sometime. We’re all young, attractive, successful women who should support each other.” Marnie says as she begins telling you the best places to shop, to eat, and to hang out.

“I appreciate it, thank you. I definitely we should hang out. Do you guys ever do brunch?”

“Yeah, I know this place that has the best mimosas.” Marnie says, then Shosh quickly adds, “We should totally go tomorrow morning, you know to help us recover from tonight.”

“Tomorrow would work for me.”

“I’m making the reservation now.” Marnie says while she types into her phone.

“That sounds great, I’m looking forward to it.  Who can turn down a good mimosa,” You say as you notice a very attractive man walk into the room, while the trio of friends continue to chatter amongst themselves. He’s tall with dark, wavy hair and broad shoulders. You immediately lock eyes with him, and smile, he smiles back. You then realize that you’ve totally zoned out of the conversation and finished your drink in record time. So much for playing it cool.

“I need another drink, I’ll be back.”

               ***********************************************************************

               Adam makes his way into the room. He doesn’t know why he’s even there. He and Hannah have been over for some time, and yeah, they were “friends” but why was here when he can’t stand her other friends. He had changed so much since the last time he was subjected to Hannah’s friends, would it be different this time? At least this time, he was free of Jessa that should keep the rest of them from being too hostile. And now, he had a successful run in a production of Machination at St. Anne’s, which lead to the casting director giving him the lead in an adaptation of The Beautiful and The Damned. He had a number of auditions coming up, even a few for Broadway again. He also has a theater friend who wants to turn his short film into a stage play. For the first time in a long time, his life was coming together not falling apart. Except for his love life, as always. He had ended the romantic relationship with Jessa not long after returning to her after being rejected by Hannah. He realized he was looking for something more, something he hadn’t had with Jessa, and something he hadn’t had with Hannah either. But Jessa still comes around, she seems determined not to let him go. So he lets Jessa stay sometimes, because she is a good fuck and he doesn’t have time to find another fuck buddy.

               Then he sees her. She’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, and she looks amazing in that little black dress. Though he’s sure she’d look even better out of that little black dress. Down boy, he thinks to himself, he has to save that for later. But now, be cool. Her eyes lock with his, and she smiles at him. He can’t help but smile back.

“Hey Adam! Good to see you here,” Adam turns and sees the voice behind the comment that takes him out of his trance. It’s Ray and he’s definitely looking at her too. Adam doesn’t like the idea of Ray talking to his woman, or looking at his woman, even if she’s not his woman yet. She will be, he’ll see to that.

“Hey Ray, nice to see you too,” Adam manages to sound normal, not too eager or irritated. He looks for her again, but she’s gone. Oh no, she couldn’t have left yet. Not before he had got her number. He’s so desperate in his search for her, that he doesn’t even notice that Ray’s walked away and Hannah has come up beside him.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Hannah says as she pulls him into an awkward hug. He hugs her back but his eyes still look through the room for his woman. Then he spots her, over at the bar. Now, he just has to get over to her.

“So this is none of my business, but are you and Jessa still a thing?” Of course, Hannah goes straight to the question he doesn’t want to answer, and takes the conversation straight to the person he’d prefer not to think about. He finally answers in the best way he knows how.

“There is no relationship but we still sometimes see each other.”

“You still see each other. I’m not stupid, I know what that means, and it means you still fuck.” Hannah puts her hands on her hips, clearly judging him before continuing, “Does that make you happy? Because believe it or not, you deserve to be happy too.”

               He keeps his eyes on her, his her. Hannah’s talking again before her previous statement has a chance to really sink in.

“By the way, that woman you’re ogling is Y/N, my friend from my writing group. She’s a writer like me. But a very successful one. You should go talk to her. I can’t guarantee that you’re her type, or that she won’t throw her drink on you, but go for it.”

“Really? You sure? She is your friend.” Adam says even though his mind is already made up. He is going to talk to her whether Hannah accepts it or not. But it would be better if Hannah does accept it. He doesn’t want another cold war like the one that happened when he and Jessa hooked up.

“I’m sure. I think she’d be good for you, and that you two might work.” Hannah says and gives him a genuine smile. She then pushes him in the direction of the bar.

                  You order a Malibu Bay Breeze, made up of Malibu rum, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice. Normally that’s the drink you prefer but the vodka soda is slightly better to stave off dehydration and hangover. But now, you feel nervous because you see him make his way towards you and you need the comfort of your favorite drink. He sits down beside you and you turn to look at him.

“Hello, stranger. You know when I’m in a place like this, I can’t help but I feel like I’m in a bad, modern adaptation of a Fitzgerald novel. I’m Y/N”

“Hello beautiful stranger, I’m Adam. I agree, I feel like that at least once a day since I’ve been in New York. But I do find it to be missing Fitzgerald’s wit and introspection. I was worried you managed to sneak out before I got to talk to you.”

“I’m glad you understood the reference, you’d be amazed at the number of people who don’t. Most of them look at me like I have three heads. I’m not going anywhere for a while, I just made my way over to the bar. Do you want a drink? If you’re nice, maybe it’ll even be on me.”

“A seltzer water. I have a degree in comp lit and I’m actor who does mostly stage so I have to understand literary comments. I actually just finished a part in an adaptation of The Beautiful and the Damned”

“Ha, well you know what they say about actors. I’m a writer. Okay, now I have a question: if you could work with any playwright, living or dead, who would it be?” You ask him with a smile on your face. You’re can’t hide your genuine curiosity. He seems like an intellectual guy, well-read, artistic, and clearly a bit offbeat. Those things make you to know his answer.

“Chekhov, he was a truly master of theater. Or Arthur Miller.” He says, confidently taking a swig of his seltzer water, “does that answer suit you?”

“It does. I prefer the Russian greats.  So how do you know Hannah?”

“I’ve known Hannah for years. What about you?” he says the last part in a singsong voice. You can’t help but laugh at his goofy behavior.

“Hannah and I are in the same writing group. She’s one of the first friends I’ve made in the city.”

               You spend the next hour or so (maybe it was longer, you lost track of time) talking about your favorite writers, movies, and awkward moments. Turns out, you have pretty much the same taste in books and film, and you find your eyes tearing up from laughter at some of his stories. His stories are accompanied by full body movements and voice changes, of course. Adam talks about his family, you learn he has a niece that he calls Sample because she’s sample-sized and she was named after his exes. He teases you for being an only child. You can’t remember the last time you enjoyed someone’s company this much. He was interesting, intense, and slightly strange. Nothing at all like your type, and maybe that’s why you liked him. Or maybe it was because you felt he’d give the deep connection and passion you’d always craved. You notice he’s still only drinking seltzer, and you’re on your fourth drink.

“Are you sure you don’t want a real drink? Or are you being a DD?”

“I actually don’t drink. I’ve had a drinking problem in the past so I completely avoid it, and I still go to AA.”

“I’m glad you saw you had a problem and got help. That’s a hard thing to do.” You tell him as you reach out and gently put your hand on his forearm. He looks deep into your eyes, and leans into your touch.

“How long have you been sober?”

“10 years. I started going to AA when I was seventeen.” He says and his rich amber eyes look sad. He looks like he expects you to reject him.

“Well, I’m sorry that it started so early. If you ever need somebody to talk to, here, I’ll give you my number” you say and hold out your hand for his phone. He places it in your hand and he chuckles.

“I am the worst person with technology and shit. I’m not the same over the phone. It took me so fucking long to even get an iphone.”

“That’s okay. You’re probably better off without it anyway.” You smile and he smiles back. He puts his hand on your knee. You notice that 1.) his hand is freaking huge, so that means his dick must be big too, and 2.) You really like him touching you, his hand is hot on your cool skin. You feel a physical spark in your lower stomach that you haven’t felt in a long time: pure sexual attraction. You think you could easily take him home tonight, actually that looks like that’s where this is headed. He leans in towards your face, you can’t tell if he’s going to whisper something in your ear, or if he’s going to kiss you. You feel yourself leaning in, drawn like a moth to the light.

               The moment is ruined when a blonde woman throws her arms around his neck, kisses him on the cheek, and positions herself so she’s practically sitting in his lap. She turns to look at you, and you know you must look shocked because it takes you a minute to acknowledge that she’s even speaking. And you notice that she has a British accent.

“Adam, who’s your friend?” She says in a voice that must be her attempt to be sultry. Adam looks uncomfortable and shifts so she’s no longer in his lap, and he’s not even touching her.

“This is Y/N. She’s an author, a good author who’s wrote bestsellers.”

“I’m Jessa, are you friends with Hannah?” the British blonde asks you and you find her gaze very uncomfortable. You take a sip of your drink before answering.

“Yes, I know her from my writing group.”

“Well then, you should know all about me and Adam. He’s the ex, and I’m the friend who stole him. We’re also the ones who made the movie. I’m sure she’s wrote a lot about us.” Jessa says all of that with a smug smile, clearly proud of the mess she’s just created.

“Oh you’re the Adam? The Adam who moved in another girlfriend while she was in Iowa, who dated her friend, didn’t tell her, and then made a movie basically mocking your relationship?!” You practically yell. What the hell is wrong with these people? Why are they all still around each other?

“That’s him. And that’s us.” Jessa says as she nods. You see red. What they did to Hannah was wrong, and here they are acting like it’s nothing. Jessa’s proud of it. And Adam lied to you about who he was knowing you were a friend of Hannah’s. You had a friend who hooked up with your ex, and it stung. Badly. And that was only a one-time hook up, you could only imagine if it had been a full-fledged relationship.

“Where I come from, you tell people the truth, so I’m going to tell you both the truth. You’re both shitty people for doing that to Hannah and acting like it’s nothing.” You say before grabbing your bag and standing up.

“And I hope I never see either of you again. You must deserve each other.”

               Whatever you had felt towards Adam a few minutes ago had utterly dissipated now. You could never be with someone who did all of that to his ex. If he did it to Hannah, he’d likely do it to you, you remind yourself. Additionally, Hannah was your friend, maybe not a best friend, but still a friend and you refused to do that to her. You storm off from the bar, hopefully to find someone who also thinks this situation makes zero sense. You see Shosh and Marnie standing near the stage and you join them. Marnie speaks first,

“I see you had a great conversation with our local gruesome twosome.”

“That may be one of the most fucked up experiences of my life. Or am I crazy?” You say trying to figure out if you’re over-reacting or not.

“No, that is a totally weird situation.” Shosh says and it makes you feel better.

Then you see a man at the bar who looks familiar, it takes a second for you to recognize him. You can feel the blood run from your face. You realize he’s a guy you hooked up with when you first moved to New York. What was his name? You were so intoxicated that night, you can’t even remember his name, only that it started with a B, and you would have preferred him to remain one of your secrets. Especially when you think of everything that happened a few weeks after the hookup. You watch him even though you don’t want to, and you notice that he is wearing a wedding band. That’s just great. He’s married. You hooked up with a married man, or at the very least he would have had to be engaged then.  You feel your face getting hot, and you go outside to get some air. You bump into Hannah.

“Y/N? Are you alright? You looked really freaked out?”

“Yeah, it’s just I ran into one of my drunk one-night-stands. And he’s married. It just really bothers me.”

“Well, it’s okay. You’ll probably never see him again. It’s not your fault, you didn’t know he was married.” Hannah says while rubbing your arms in an effort to calm you. You give her a hug and you head home.

You see Adam and Jessa in the street fighting about something and you turn your head so you can get away without either of them noticing you.

********************************************************************************

You go to brunch with Hannah, Shosh, and Marnie the next day. You’d been so busy adjusting to the city, you had forgot how much you missed your girlfriends back home. The brunch was just what you needed and you learned some gossip. Hannah says that she has a date coming up. Marnie makes it clear after her track record, she’s happy being single for a while. Shosh, of course, gushes over her husband. You even meet Ray, who owns a local coffee place. However, then you’re filled in on his background with Shosh and Marnie. You were finally feeling like you had now friends in the city, and you were pleased with that. But you couldn’t stop thinking Adam, even though you knew you shouldn’t

You’re back in your apartment, looking for something to do. You then decide to look up Adam Sackler. You scroll through the glowing reviews of his latest plays. Then you come across the movie, Disclosure. You debate whether or not to watch it. You give into your curiosity after a few minutes of debate, and hit play. You watch Adam, the real Adam not an actor playing Adam, spank the actress. Again and again. You should not find it as hot as you do. You can feel yourself getting turned on. You should turn off the movie, and go for a run to clear your mind or a cold shower.

But you give in to your body as your hand sneaks into your pants. Your fingers part your folds before settling on your clit. You begin rubbing in circles. That’s not enough, you need it faster, harder. You start adding more pressure and quicken your pace. You start to imagine that your hands are Adam’s hands. It’s not long before you feel your climax building. You moan as you come hard.

When you come back to reality, you realize that you should feel guilty for touching yourself to a movie starring your friend’s ex-boyfriend about their relationship. However, you manage console yourself by reminding yourself that you can touch yourself as long as you don’t cross the physical line with Adam himself, though you know you’ll dream about him touching you tonight.

[pass-the-bechdel]

La Femme Nikita s01e21 ‘Verdict’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test? 

Yes, twice. 

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Two (25%)

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Six (75%)

Positive Content Rating:

Two

General Episode Quality:

Compelling, despite, well…

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Content note: Discussions of Rape and Rape in the justice system

Passing the Bechdel: Nikita and Maria pass twice during the hostage situation.

Female Characters:

Nikita

Maria Bruner

Male Characters:

Michael

Operations Wolfe

Birkoff

Jovan Mijovich

Zoran Bruner

Alexei Bruner

Midway through the episode, we’re introduced to the episode’s second female character with names and lines, Maria. Maria is the sole survivor of her village, and a witness to the enemy raid that saw everyone else killed, a raid led by, allegedly, Section One client Jovan Mijovich. Despite her male relatives’ desires (they, like most of the village’s adult men, escaped the massacre by being away fighting in the country’s just-ended civil war) she is called to testify against Mijovich during the assassination attempt-turned-impromptu trial. Pushing through the trauma, Maria tells how the women of her village were tortured and killed by the invaders, and how she had to face the worst of the lot, who raped her, mutilated her, and left her for dead.  The crux of the episode, then, is Nikita trying to establish reasonable doubt regarding the identity of Maria’s rapist (Maria cannot conclusively identify him by sight, as she was blinded during the attack) in large part because she needs to—Mijovich’s execution would undo the tenuous peace the country had just recently achieved. 

As premises go, this is a fantastic one, because there are so many sharp edges to it. Nikita having to consider destroying a rape victim and defend her probable rapist in order to ensure a shot at peace? This sort of situation, where there is no simple, easy answer, is the sort the series should have been telling all along. What’s more, it’s a premise tailor made to explore how, when it comes to rape, it is often the victims who are placed on trial, and are placed in a position of proving they are not lying in ways the actual rapists very rarely are.

And yet, while this isn’t a terrible episode, and the story does manage to hit some of those beats…it bugs. It bugs because of old annoyances—again, the series seems to place far too large a premium on equating goodness with innocence—and it bugs because the way it seems to indicate that the writers don’t actually understand how rape works. 

Take, for example, the fact that no one in the episode, including Mijovich or his defense attorney Nikita, actually attempts to dispute the assertion that the assault occurred in the first place. As heartening as it is to see Maria be believed in this manner, it also feels wrong, given the real world and the stakes of the story. And while it’d be one thing for Nikita to assert that she doesn’t go there because there is a line she will not cross, that’s not actually the case. It’s not as if Nikita is attempting to spare Maria harm—her defense strategy consists of gaslighting her, and asserting that her claims don’t count unless they’re made with 100% conviction, which is utter bullshit. 

Then there’s the assertion that Mijovich was the worst of the attackers, because, it is implied, he is the only one that actually raped one of his victims, instead of “just” torturing them, mutilating them, and eventually succeeding in killing them. Not only does this feel discordant—the worst dude is the one who didn’t succeed in killing his victim?—it also feels unrealistic because, it suggests that rape is somehow more rare than physical mutilation, and the province of especially rare evil. Wrong.

It’s not hard to see how it may be tempting to portray rape in this manner—after all, they’re saying rape is monstrous, aren’t they?  And yet, this sort of portrayal both misrepresents rapists, rape survivors, and how rape is seen. Because it’s not just torturers and killers who rape. It’s teenagers and husbands and movie producers.  It’s not just the actual rape that harms the victim—it’s also the aftermath, of having to live in a world that, except in very particular cases, will do anything to deny the fact that harm occurred at all, and is more likely to make the victim pay than it would the attacker. And as long as those details are misrepresented, people privileged enough to not have to consider rape a part of life—which, let’s face it, is mostly dudes—will continue to think of it solely as what we see here—something done by monstrous people and universally condemned by all instead of something that lots of people accept if you don’t specifically identify it as rape, and will work diligently to ensure that the definition of rape becomes increasingly limited.

(See also: racism.) 

Like I said earlier, there are some beats here that ring true. Mijovich, who is presented as charming and fair-minded throughout the episode (he eventually agrees to grant amnesty to the people involved in the assassination attempt) was, it turns out, indeed Maria’s abuser. His privilege, in the end, allows him to escape any sort of long-term consequences. The episode, in the end, isn’t a total loss. But it could have been so much more. 

Other Notes:

If Jovan Mijovich sounds familiar, it is because he was first introduced in episode 2, “Friend”. Yay, continuity! He’s actually a much more bearable character here, at least until the ending: he’s much more sober and less skeevy, which Nikita notes and he remarks is a result of the weight of leadership.

It’s worth noting that this episode also features two other key female characters not listed above. One is a source that tells Michael about Griffin, an assassin who has been hired to kill  Mijovich, before she is killed by a car bomb; the second is Griffin herself. Despite their importance to the plot, both are killed before they get to utter a single word and force the show to pay them at a higher scale (-_-).

Nikita spends most of the episode thinking she is defending an innocent man, since this is what the Section tells her.  Not only does this again make her seem foolish, it also makes for a considerably less interesting episode. We are given reasons for defending Mijovich regardless of his innocence or guilt. Why not take advantage of that and increase the emotional stakes? The only reason I can think of is that the writers are inexplicably committed to “Nikita is innocent” as a narrative.

On that note, it’s worth noting that Maria is the second disabled character in the show, and the second to have innocence as her chief quality, with the episode portraying her as much more reluctant participant in the coup than her male relatives, and willing to put her desires aside for the greater good (there’s the suggestion that she was in fact certain of Mijovich’s culpability, but lied in order to prevent him from being killed).  While the connection is not made as explicit as it was in “Innocent”, it’s still hard not to spot, and this all intersects with her femaleness makes it all the more eyebrow-raising. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: It is worth acknowledging that this episode (which aired in September, 1997) is set in a fictionalised/unspecified country in the Balkans at the same time as the real-life Balkans were in the midst of massive upheaval due to civil war and ethnic cleansing, and it is obvious that the episode draws on that context for its content and themes. As such, it is disturbing that they attempt to paint the massacre of an entire village and the torture/rape of the inhabitants as an isolated event - especially the idea that Mijovich committing a single rape is treated as the only incident of that crime - when the contemporary wars in the region were inciting international horror for the known prevalence of systemic mass rape, mass torture, and the purging of entire villages. Minimising these real-life active atrocities to facilitate a fictional narrative is, at best, disingenuous, but more likely an insult to the suffering of the actual people here marginalised and dismissed.  

[oncethrown]

2x12 You Are Not Your Own Review

Whole Episode Review

So much great stuff. So many problems. So much promise that Shadowhunters is determined to be better than the books.

So much evidence that they might not understand what the initial problems in the book were.

I’m not one of those people who reacts to characters like they are real people, or about the writers “treating a character like that” as though the plot actually happened to a real person. Doing something terrible to a character, or having a character do something awful is not “disrespecting” them— if you deal with the consequences of those plot points and use them to make a plot move forward, instead of just dropping them and running along to the next thing. If a plot point is just a thing that happens, then yeah, it’s a disservice to the character, but you can do really terrible shit to a character if you build it into something interesting plotwise and create character growth from it.

I’m not sure I trust Shadowhunters to accomplish that right now.

Shadowhunters entire premise is based on there being a whole magic world, where Shadowhunters are at the top, and downworlders are underneath them. There are laws in place that are supposed to guarantee some freedom and equality, and everyone knows they are bullshit, but the Shadowhunters don’t care. There’s a villain who embodies the worst of Shadowhunter supremacy ideals… but the Shadowhunters hate him because he killed a bunch of Shadowhunters, not because he threatens the downworld.

The narrative they are trying to push, is that their lead characters, Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Alec, are aware of and against the unfair treatment and oppression of the downworld and in favor of a fairer and more inclusive world. Especially Clary, who as a character from outside the world doesn’t have their ingrained prejudices.

But the writers are failing to a degree that almost seems intentional in the first two episodes.

The Problems:

1. Please Pay No Mind To The Pile Of Dead Downworlders Behind the Curtain

Valentine murdered downworlders en mass inside an Institute and the only time a Shadowhunter has mentioned it is Alec telling Jace that it isn’t his fault. Imogen was brought in to interrogate and torture Valentine— to get the mortal cup back. There has been no nod whatsoever to the Clave attempting to reach out to the downworld. Acknowledge the massacre, assure the leaders of the downworld that they didn’t know the mortal sword had the power to slaughter downworlders. When they bring up that Clary deactivated the sword? It’s done with annoyance that stupid Clary broke the Truth Magic.

Even Luke and Maia’s scene, where Maia is upset that most of the pack got rolled off the Institute floor and probably onto a truck to be dropped into the Hudson for all anyone seems to give a damn, gives Luke the less than compelling emotional reaction of “Meh, more wolves where those losers came from, my nosy gay partner is annoying me right now.”

The show did something catastrophic to a population that it explicitly uses to represent oppressed people, and sidestepped dealing with it further than wringing a Malec moment out of it. There is no emotional impact to dozens (hundred? We don’t know) of dead downworlders.

Everyone of the main Shadowhunter characters (except Jace) is in or has been in a significant romantic relationship with a downworlder, and none of them seem to be thinking about the impact of this massacre in any larger way either.

2. Business as Usual, Side of Evil

Shadowhunters encourage torture. Mundanes call that a war crime, but it’s whatever! Imogen tortures Valentine for information about the Mortal Cup. Imogen wants him dead because he won’t give up the mortal cup. The Clave wants him alive because he might give up the mortal cup if they just keep torturing him.

And then Clary McWhiteSavior handwaves all the torture and dark shit going on in the basement of the building she lives in, because Imogen lost her family… in a warrior culture, where people die all the time and most people lost a lot of family 15 years ago. When Imogen tells Alec that the Clave won’t let her kill Valentine, but she’s going to do it anyway… Alec is concerned… but concerned like a Republican senator, where he’s shocked and dismayed… but isn’t going to do shit about it (other than guard the door until it turns out that maybe it is his body-swapped boyfriend after all).

I get that Valentine is essentially the Shadow world equivalent of a White Supremacist. If he were burning crosses in Mississippi instead of… being menacing on a boat carousel?(seriously, Shadowhunters, figure out your damn aesthetic) I wouldn’t really give a damn about him getting a little bit mysteriously dead during a security tape fritz. (Except of course I would, because those sorts of “mechanical failures” only ever function to excuse the deaths of non-white people, and let killer cops back out on the street. That’s the actual pattern.)

But the Law is the Law. Shadowhunters are supposed to be dispensers of cold justice in strict accordance with ancient tradition. Having Imogen go rogue like that, and DRAG ALEC, ONE OF THE OFFICIAL GOOD GUYS along with her, and at no point have the plot acknowledge that she went off the rails is ludicrous. Even Casserole Clam managed to fit that part in. In the books Imogen breaks the Law to torture Jace, and the narrative kills her for it. It’s not okay for Shadowhunters to just walk away from that point, especially after tying a main character up in the mess.

3. Must Be This White or Male Not To Be An Addict

Season 1 Izzy was the youngest forensic pathologist in New York, a formidable fighter, a loving sister, a good friend, and a total badass. Season 2 Izzy is a frail drug addict who has yet to deliver a line to a man who isn’t playing savior or trying to bone her, or both! She is also the only non-white Shadowhunter from Clary’s stupid pre-credit intro monologue and she’s completely lost control of her sexual and romantic agency (Technically I know Alec has to be Latino… but Matthew Daddario isn’t so I think the point still stands).

Izzy and Meliorn had a relationship lacking the romangst that characterizes everyone else’s smooching time, but that seemed perfectly healthy and functional. Izzy even got to save him from the evil Clave imprisoning him with no evidence in a place that would kill him (remember when that became important in the story? Neither do I, must have gotten cut for more time for Jace and Clary to say sibling words over and over again in case we didn’t hear them the first time) but now she’s drug denning with Raphael until he turns her out in the street to save her life, and then she’s being saved by the mysterious blonde english boy who takes her home to save her life, and she doesn’t think it’s fair for Alec to not like Sebastian just because Alec wishes that he had been the one to save her life. Even Simon, who I have basically no qualms with, gets a scene where he gets to give her information about addiction and be respectful of what she might be needing in recovery, and has family experience and doesn’t judge her.

And it might have seemed sweet if Isabelle’s story line hadn’t stripped her of everything that was cool about her in season 1.  

Gag. Choke. Barf.

4. I Feel Like You Want Me To Think Boy-Touching is Gross

Remember all the hand holding and closeness and casual intimacy between Magnus and Alec in 2A?

No. Cause it wasn’t there.

Other than the greeting kiss in 2x11, every time Alec has touched Magnus like they are two people who are in love and are having and enjoying sex with each other,  it was actually Valentine, and the camera focused on Valentine being super weirded out by it. When it was Magnus touching Alec in Valentine’s body the disgust made sense in the context… but with everything else going on in that plot there’s still a yuck factor to the touch that makes the fact that the only time Alec and Magnus are together, in their own bodies, there is too much hurt and distance for them to touch each other.

5. And Like… I Don’t Want Homophobia in Fiction But…

What is going on culturally with Alec Lightwood The Only Gay Shadowhunter? No one mentions it, no one brings it up. And it would be a really good thing to explore in the current cultural moment. Homophobia (and racism) can be present without being overt. It can affect people’s lives and careers, even with everyone putting on an accepting face.

It could be something that forces Alec to think a little bit more about the wisdom of the Clave, and maybe make him think a little bit about how he was raised to think about downworlders. It would move him out of the dominant culture of his world into a weird gray space where he could learn. Because they gave him the impetus for that in Aldertrees “I loved a werewolf as though she was a person but it turns out she was just a downworlder” speech.

If Jenji Kohan suddenly took over as show runner, it might even be interesting to see Alec learn how not to be a White Gay ManTM, like the assholes joining facist movements because they think their sexuality gives them an excuse to hate Muslims, or the rotten toenail fungus suing the Alamo for hosting an all women screening of Wonder Woman because he can’t handle not being welcome in a space for women when he could go see the fucking moving anywhere else in Texas. (What an asshat).

6. And Since I Brought Up Disrespect

Again, doing bad things to characters isn’t disrespect.

But patterns in the writing for certain characters is.

1. Why is Izzy a pathetic damsel now, repeating the same experience, and the same fucking lines over and over again?

2. Why do Clary and Simon get greeting make outs and Alec and Magnus don’t? Why have we seen Clary and Jace dive into passionate full body kisses with a wide enough lens to see their bodies pressed together and not gotten the same for Magnus and Alec? Why have we gotten a cutesy morning after scene for Clary and Simon, and not gotten anything similar for Magnus and Alec, even in an episode where their fist time having sex was a B plot?

3. Why is Izzy always being put in the position where sex is being exchanged for something? (She goes off to have sex with Meliorn when they all need a backway into the hotel Dumort. Her attempts to get a bite from Raphael are all highly sexualized. Aldertree offered Izzy Yinfen in exchange for “dinner”.

4. Why is it that in the two sex scenes we’ve seen with people fully or mostly nude (Jace and the Seelie girl and Izzy and Meliorn) the woman is so much more sexualized than the man? And why have we only seen this much skin in these casual sexual relationships and not in the main romantic pairings?

5. Why has Clary  never listened to anyone, and never had to experience any real consequences for her actions (with the exception of getting thrown into a rape cage at Iris’s after trying to bring her mother back from the dead). Why does she keep saying she cares about downworlders (and always downworlders of color) and then fucking them over and forgetting about them? She tased Luke, for fuck’s sake, and went on her merry way like a fucking sociopath. 

While Watching Thoughts

Azazel is a good small arc villain. Sinister and handsome and powerful.

Kat Mcnammara is actually good at this cutes-y romcom shit. It comes across much more genuine than everything else she’s asked to do…but somehow it makes me hate Clary more. I like my female leads smart enough to realize that maybe Simon being a Daylighter is super rare, and maybe could mean trouble and maybe there’s a reason for Simon to be jumpy (Vote 1 of this reaction post for Maia as main character)

UUUUGGGGHHHH remember season 1 Izzy, who occasionally  did something other than make doe eyes at men who were actively harming her while she credited them with saving her life?

I would like to see Clary, Jace and Isabelle’s willingness to bring Sebastian onboard obviously tied to him being a Shadowhunter. It would make a lot of the anti-downworld stuff coming up pop more and give Clary’s character something to actually work with going forward-- “He’s a shadowhunter, I’m a shadowhunter, we are part of the shadowhunter club, my mom is dead and my father is evil and jace isn’t my brother, so shadowhunters are my FAMILY”

Valentine trying to do magic is great, Harry’s changed physicality doing Valentine is great. I wish the next day makeup made more sense.

I can’t tell if it’s sweet or needy that Alec marches directly to Magnus’s apartment after that phone call, especially since there was a huge fucking massacre and then they made him summon a greater demon that nearly killed them all?

Umm… okay with the matrix shot.

It’s…not awesome that the most affectionate touch we’ve seen Magnus and Alec have is when it’s being used to freak out Valentine.

Goddamnit Clary. Could you listen for just one fucking time? If only so I don’t have to hear you whine about it when the consequences fuck you over.

Interesting that Valentine thinks to call Dorothea.

I hope they make this Imogene the Sadist thing go somewhere

Please let this be the end of this fucking druggie storyline

Simon is sweet. He would have been a much better main character than Clary. Imagine, instead of this love-struck white girl— witty Jewish boy who deeply cares about people actually like… fucking notices the problems in the Shadow world society. Actually cares. Actually brings it up to the people around him other than just when he needs their help for stuff. (Remembers that Luke is basically his Dad)

This scene makes me wish that Valentine wasn’t the most boring fucking villain. I had no idea Alan was a good actor cause his character is such a mildly menacing blank space. His face when Alec shoves him away. His Magnus voice.

This is not the worst way to introduce the Herondale thing… but I don’t  want this Imogene/Clary scene.

Oh hey- Simon caring about someone again. Caring about the guy who has threatened him multiple times because Isabelle humanized him. Hmmm…. What an interesting trait in a main character brought into a repressive society against their will. Hmmm.

I like Alec trusting Jace with what just happened to him.

I don’t think Magnus actually calls Alec Alexander this often.

Haha. Valentine faking magic.

I hate gratuitous torture scenes. I gave up on Supernatural after the Samandriel thing. This had better be fucking moving toward a point. About the Clave being Nazis.

Please let this episode be the last I need to hear about the incest plot

Whoa. Raphael. This is the only time I’ve ever liked Raphael a little bit.

Oh good. Isabelle being a junkie is a plot point again.

Simon! So Stupid! Don’t wave it at everyone!

Luke knows he’s everyone’s dad.

Again. Make this Imogen thing do something.

Alec… isn’t really going to allow this to happen is he? Not just because it might be Magnus… but because he’s supposed to respect the rules. And like… there should be too much doubt in his mind to go this far. Especially with the weird phone call and visit earlier.

Ooohhoooo This is much better reveal of Jace’s parentage than the books. Buuuuttttt…. Imogen believes the Magnus/Valentine switch with way less evidence than Magnus gave Alec. Not great.

I wonder if this Herondale reveal reads as total left field bullshit if you haven’t read the books? 

Magic has to be harder than that.

Good point Alec. You are now here with the untrained shadowhunter and the random dude who according to his own story, just went rogue. There are real shadowhunters at the institute, where are they.

Ooohhh, Alan got that magnus-move down really well. It’s too bad he has to go back to being a frowny face with a overwrought backstory.

I feel bad for Kat that she got cast to be a cute red head and now that they have real money to work with they can afford people as talented as Alisha and Will. She can’t keep up.

Magnus must be a better fighter than that. What the hell was that?

Like… are they going to talk about the fact that Magnus’s first thought at every point has been protecting people… and Alec is a Shadowhunter… who was just going to guard the door while his boss tortured a prisoner? That’s some dark shit. And it sort of carves Alec down to just another Shadowhunter… another in a long line of the monsters who have hunted Magnus and his friends for centuries. How could Magnus have thought he would be different? Is it naive for him to really have believed that it was possible to love a Shadowhunter?

Alberto could have chemistry with a ketchup stain

Oh good. More incest. I was so very worried we might go four fucking seconds without it.

Is Jace just… hanging out and petting a sword?

So… did Imogen storm into Magnus’s and demand jewelry, probably without apologizing him for the torture and unlawful imprisonment? (Of course she did. Did Alec Say anything?)

We aren’t going to deal with the irony in her statement about what’s good and right… when she was all tortury and rogue murdery? We’re gonna let that go? Okay then. 

[illeity]

Fall 2016 Arbitrary Anime Awards

Arbitrary Anime Awards - Fall  2016

Overall Best: 3-Gatsu no Lion (March Comes in like a Lion)

The world will drag you kicking and screaming, into the light.

If there are two words that will help you understand what makes 3-Gatsu no Lion the very best of Fall 2016, possibly even the Best of the Year are: Light and Gesture.

Rei Kiriyama is a high school student and a professional Shogi player. He also happens to be extremely introverted and touched with Depression: He does well financially and is self-sufficient, but there is something gnawing at him from the inside-out and that "something" reaches through from his past, his family, his relationships to people and to the game that he's dedicated his life to.

But it's no sports anime, by any measure. Shogi is more a thematic fixture that the narrative hooks onto as it spreads inside to out, from Rei's internal world to the outside, and from the outside and back to the world that encompasses Rei. It's a circle in a way and it accomplishes that through the words that I mentioned: Light and Gesture.

Setting and light help create and inform the tone of the current story. At night, the bare emptiness of Rei's sparse apartment seems to keep him inside, and his walks through the city help capture his thoughts. During the day, the world itself seems to withhold the truth from him as he pulls through the brightness, until we get to the light of the Kawamoto household where Rei visits on occasion, the warm light holds him close and the sisters open him up to a world of kindness, but never clings to him: He is free, even encouraged, to leave and find answers after seeking safety and wisdom in their home.

Gesture and framing help slide dialogue smoothly from one point to another and enables the story to have deeply heartbreaking moments which then follow strange character comedy without the tone feeling jarring. They have short scenes which show extreme close-ups of a character's face turning, or a camera focusing on arms as they are raised, or events in the environment like the electrical crackle of the pantograph of a train. They're very short and not quite noticeable, but they help direct a viewer's attention, or help induce a feeling in the moment, but most of all, create rapid meditative spaces that help previous thoughts and feelings collect and maintain them for the next scene.

Combined, it creates a fantastic story rich in sensory experiences that inform  a moment but do not dictate and alongside Rei's internal dialogue, craft a world that is tragic and complicated, but also kind and very much alive. There is enough evidence that the world is cruel and indifferent, but 3-Gatsu no Lion posits the hidden thesis of the world: That it does its best to lead us towards happiness and meaning.

And the samples gifs I provided? They all came from just one episode. Near every episode is an achievement and the show isn’t even finished yet.

Best Drama/ Comedy: Fune wo Amu (The Great Passage)

A dictionary is a ship that navigates an ocean of words.

Based off a novel by Shin Miura, the story is about the development of a dictionary and of two characters, Nitsuya Majime, a linguistics graduate with poor sociability and a passion for words, and Masashi Nishioka, an upbeat salesman who brings new insights to old ideas.

Together, they work out the pitfalls of modern publishing, as their friendship grows and they end up bringing out the best in each other and in other aspects of their lives: relationships, viewpoints, and living.

You may think a "Dictionary Anime" might be the most boring thing in the world, and you'd be wrong, because the greatest strengths of the show are the characters and connections of words to lived experience and a constant visual of an expanse of water that the characters traverse for all time.

Honorable Mention: Bungou Stray Dogs

"The head my err, but never the blood" –Atsushi Nakajima, "Light, Wind, and Dreams"

Originally my Best of the Summer 2016 picks, the second season starts off with a flashback and what is probably the best four episodes of the series, showing how well the series can flex their Crime Drama muscles. The series returns back to the present after that, but is no less for it, as the levity returns and it becomes a tightly scripted war between three factions.

The conceits are still there: Characters named after famous authors and their powers based on one of their works, literary references that avoid making the characters into caricatures and real tension that ramps up every episode as each side plays the other in a war of fists as well as minds. And at the center of it all is Atsushi Nakajima, the tiger, and Kyōka Izumi, the reformed assassin, as they seek redemption and meaning for their existence. A fun watch.

Also, the European and American authors make an appearance here.

Best Cute Girl Anime: Magic of Stella (Sutera no Mahō)

”I’m gonna make my own game, with cute girls and an object oriented programming language.”

Hot off the heels with New Game! from last season, we have yet another Game Development Anime with an all-girl team and this time... it’s in High School again. But unlike New Game! which focus on adulting with a Moe twist, this one focuses more on the process and the creative growth of one Honda Tamaki, the junior member of the strangely named SNS Game Development Club (of which I won’t spoil the meaning).

As illustrator she gains the friendship of the reclusive president, who is also the programmer, the laid-back writer and the sparkly sound designer. And with her best friend, the resident Fujoshi, she goes through the creative process from start to finish, and learns what it takes to reach beyond your grasp.

Best Sci-Fi/ Fantasy: Occultic;Nine

El Psy Congroo

To start off, this is not an anime for everyone. Not because of the themes and violence, but because of the narrative direction the show has taken. A lot of the show's scenes are heavy in exposition and frankly, as a contradiction, I feel that the show would have been a lot empty if they didn't include it in. The story would have been better served in the medium of video games and it just so happens they're making a Visual Novel of it.

So the story centers on the idea that there is no such thing as the occult, or the supernatural and that everything can be explained by science. However, the route the story takes is to try to explain occult phenomena through pseudoscience. Nine individuals are roped into a conspiracy that starts with a murder and progressively involves more and more people as science is linked to mysticism, mathematics, and folklore. It requires repeat viewings to catch references and understand the conclusions they make, but their fast talking exposition to try and cram an ostensibly 24-episode anime into 12 episodes is a turn-off.

For the patient and attentive though, it's a crazy ride.

Best Girl: Tamaki Honda (Sutera no Mahō, Magic of Stella)

Honda Tamaki, for most of her life, has never committed to anything. She breezes through one novelty to the next with much joy, but later realizes that while fun, it did not help her when she joins the SNS Game Development Club as illustrator and begins to doubt her ability. Having grown up with Pulp Manga, she's only been able to draw older middle-aged men. And now surrounded by the necessary "kawaii" atmosphere the Game Development Team is aiming for, she feels lacking even as she pushes on with a drive to improve.

Some characters scream "cute" (to annoyance) but Honda is cute in a very understated way, with untameable cowlicks, a love for her dad, as she is an earnest character with bubbly courage, and an insightful mind, growing aware that there is also a novelty pulling all the stops and giving your all for one good goal.

Best OP: Answer - BUMP OF CHICKEN (March Comes in like a Lion)

If nobody else, I know that all too well.

I’m sure you’ve had an experience where you were solving a puzzle and the answer just comes to you, like a snap of the finger as the pieces snap together perfectly. It’s an amazing feeling, but the song multiplies that feeling to something much more than puzzles to greater elementary questions.

Rei Kiriyama is there, swept along with visual metaphors of being trapped: Submerged in water, thorns, darkness, sleep. But there are also hints of answers, explanations from light, from memories, and from a body possessed to move forward. The song lays out the experience of discovery as a bright pop song that is as celebratory as it confident. 

Best ED: Fighter - BUMP OF CHICKEN (March Comes in like a Lion)

Like a resplendent meteor shower/ Your words enter my ears and catch fire.

So what do you do, now that you have an answer to a question that’s held you back and kept you stuck in the mud? You carry that answer deep in your heart and use it as limitless fuel to propel yourself through life.

We’ve all had people in our lives that have helped us along, whether real or fictional, whether actual people or ideas that are inspired by them, and the ED puts out that feeling beautifully. Whereas the OP was celebratory and confident, the ED is triumphant and hopeful, revealing life as explosions of watercolor and people coming into view when before, it was barren and sparse.

Carry that weight proudly.

[viralhottopics]

Armando Iannucci on Donald Trump: ‘This is the best moment, isn’t it?’

An open letter to the new president, from the creator of Veep and The Thick of It

Even when silent, you sound loud. You are, in fact, an avalanche of contradictions: real and unreal, scary yet amusing, fact and fiction rolled into one like a little rubber Mount Rushmore blown up to actual size by the use of helium. You confuse us. We want to laugh at your stumbles, but are petrified by what those stumbles may lead to. You are the worst person ever; and yet not as bad as Mike Pence.

But you do have a definite sense of purpose. While Hillary Clinton hedged and played the game, you said it straight. Youve been very clear: deport, build, repeal, replace. Everywhere you go, you shatter ossified politics. You slice through frozen convention like an icebreaker: set on a steady forward direction, leaving a stinking slick of oil and dead fish parts in its wake.

It was worth it, though, because of where you are now. This is the best moment, isnt it? Just as youve taken the oath of office, but still not worn down by that office. Frozen in your moment of history. All those doubters, the mewling enemies and haters, are silenced now: you are the 45th president of the US. Thats a fact. Its true.

They used to tease you about your attitude to the truth, didnt they? All your post-reality fictoid-facts, like how global warming was a myth invented by the Chinese, how you respected all women without exception, except the greedy, grasping, ugly ones who were trying to suck you dry, how Obama wasnt born in America, and also how you put everyone right when you said he was.

And that rigged election: you had evidence the election was rigged against you and you were going to lose, and then, when you won it fair and square, you had proof you would have won it even more fairly and squarely had it not been rigged against you so you couldnt win so bigly. And now they say the Russians rigged the election, and you say the election wasnt rigged, it was never rigged, and youve been saying for months: it was never rigged.

Some screwball no-mark in some pointless department will end up saying the wrong thing about China. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Yes, you were mocked nightly by damp-souled liberals who joked you couldnt tell fact from fantasy. Well, guess what? If you now tweeted, I am the 45th president of the United States, not a single person would doubt you. Because its true. Youre the president. Fact! No scientist, no economist, no so-called expert can call you out. You are literally the most important man on Earth, in the solar system, maybe even the galaxy. Right now, everything in the universe revolves around you.

But then comes the hard bit. The bit after this week. The rest of the presidency. Thats the bit others say cant be controlled. Something will go wrong. Some screwball no-mark in some pointless department will answer a letter to an elector, and end up saying the wrong thing about China, or single moms, or car manufacturers, or dyslexia, thinking that theyre echoing your opinion. Then your enemies will report it, and then people will think it came from you. Then your press secretary will deny thats what you meant and blame the no-mark, and name her. Then the no-mark will complain about sexism or bullying or some such artificial crime. Then youll act big, go against expectations, and apologise to that person.

Then some other people, your enemies, will imply youre a pussy. Your staff who attacked her and defended you, will express annoyance that you are contradicting what theyre saying. Then the person you apologised to, well, shell get arrogant and say how upset she was by what happened, and then youll have to tweet what she was really like when you met her, how annoying she was, how shes just looking for a bigger job and a TV contract, and how youre going to ask Congress to look into that department she works for and find out whats going on.

But, even then, it wont go away, and therell be maybe a hundred other little, stupid stories like that which will never leave you alone, all because other people are fools and losers. And so one night, youll tweet something bad about China and single moms and car manufacturers and dyslexics, all in one tweet, and the whole cycle will start all over again, and take up so much time, itll look like that wall will never get built.

And so, for the next four years, youll try to do stuff. With luck, the next eight years. (If your plan comes right, the next 12, even 16 years, too.) But this crap will keep coming up, wont it? This not-smart, so-overrated nonsense from the false media, determined to undermine you. Theyll say youre mishandling foreign affairs, causing conflict and hardship, arousing enmity, bitterness and division. Its all designed to make people not like you, isnt it? But you can get round that. You will tell people, again and again, that they do like you. That everything else theyve heard isnt true. And it will work. It always works.

If a war breaks out, isnt it more efficient to persuade people that it isnt happening? Photograph: John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty Images

You will explain that the things that come from your mouth are not necessarily the things that come from your heart. You will remind people that things are true not when they are real but when you believe them. You will urge the media to concentrate on covering peoples fears and feelings, rather than the dull objects and information that clutter up their potentially beautiful lives.

Why dont crime reporters report that people feel a bit funny about Mexicans? Why dont economists measure how freaked out people are about what might happen to their jobs one day, especially if your enemies were in charge? Why dont the weather people point out, at the end of the show, just how everyone is feeling so much better because of the work youre doing, and how thats making them cope with whatever rain or cloud comes their way? Why dont newscasters show the graphs that prove that anyone who fires a gun in America might well be a Muslim?

Of course, the liberal media will have fun, wont they, doing their little crazy skits about how theres no need for reporters any more because we just have to say whatever it is we think sounds true. Over now to our Chief-Bad-Feeling-About-China correspondent; We join our crime correspondent live outside the home of a suspicious couple new to the neighbourhood who keep themselves to themselves; And thats all weve got time for. Join us tomorrow night at seven for another edition of What The Hells Going On? Unfunny. You havent seen these skits (they havent been written), but theyre just so lame, arent they?

No, how you govern will be so special, and so different from that pathetic portrayal. Youre going to bring into your administration a whole heap of talented people who will oversee a climate change in the way facts are considered. You will bring in financial experts who will reassure everyone that, no matter what the markets say, everyone is, in fact, fine. You will bring in law experts who will prove categorically that anyone who feels their civil liberties are being infringed are themselves infringing the civil liberties of the vast majority who voted to change them. And, above all, you will persuade everyone, especially those who tell you that you polled nearly three million votes fewer than Hillary, that you do have a mandate since you believe you do, and it feels like the vast majority of people believe you do, too. And thats evidence no money can buy.

Thats how you will govern. Properly, effectively. Why, if the economy goes bad, or promised laws arent passed, or a war breaks out, why spend time and money and precious energy dealing with those things? Isnt it more efficient to persuade people that they arent happening? Think what money that would save, putting dollars back in the pocket of every American. You will do a deal with the American people, a great big beautiful deal, the ultimate deal, and they will absolutely love it. What youve done is started a revolution, a movement. Youve taught people to believe not what is empirically true but what is emotionally true, which is a better truth. Youve set free the credulity of the people.

So here is another undeniable fact. Soon the consequences of what you are doing will spread throughout the world. And, once done, they cant be undone. Yes, you will be remembered for a very, very long time. Fact.

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from Armando Iannucci on Donald Trump: ‘This is the best moment, isn’t it?’