#but all the appeal of a flawed character is to see that flaw have consequences on them or spur a character development

[sparrowlucero]

i enjoy ur bird abode thoughts! I was a genuine enjoyer of the show when it was airing, I’m no die hard fan though and love to see ppls personal takes on the overall story/plot. Im curious if you also would agree or have any thoughts on the impacts The Mouse’s cancellation had on the shows ability to be more than it was? srry im not super eloquent with my words, but basically ur response to that ask got me wondering if part of the reason the show like genuinely wasnt all that ground breaking or unique in the end plot wise (other than the villain faces consequences in the end ig) as far as YA/Teen animation goes, was because of The Mouse’s inability to let the writers flesh out the show before gutting it? i have a negative bias toward The Mouse franchise and obviously dont know anything about how writing a show under the eyes of a franchise that big would work, its just smth that rattles around in my head and wanna know what u think!

Well to an extent, but I think it's much more the effect the studio had on how the owl house started out as rather than it not getting a full season at the end - It didn't escape my noticed that the show was initially announced as being a "horror comedy" when it doesn't really seem like either, especially by the second season, and yeah, the original pitch bible is obviously aiming for that much more than the show proper is as it goes along (and is honestly seems quite a bit more funny, weird, and dark, with an overarching plotline about a giant bug being used to religiously suppress people, eda able to cure her curse by killing luz, and one of the major characters being a teen boy awoken from a sleeping curse who ends up being a weird little bigot because he's from the 13th century, among other things)

(side note, i just noticed they actually specifically describe the thing i assumed the show was gonna be about here. huh.) but ultimately the bulk of the show that was actually made seems very influenced by a writing team that was genuinely interested in making a tropey YA fantasy story rather than just being mandated to. I mean even in what aired you can see the show sort of settle in ways that feel less like studio interference and more like, you know, art students creating their ideal fantasy show, like how King is clearly Eda's roommate who's funny because he looks like and sounds like a little dog despite being an adult man at the beginning but by the end they've made him her adopted sad backstory son who's explicitly a child. While I think a third season would have made the show as it existed better, because they clearly didn't get to finish the plot they wanted to (frankly to the point where some major aspects of the show are a bit confusing, I'm still not sure what a grimwalker is), I don't really fault the show for that but also don't think that hypothetical season (which pretty clearly would have been mostly about the magic school teens going to normal school) would suddenly flip around into something that I personally found interesting and subversive. Nor should it, really; again, it being Queernorm Harry Potter thing is clearly the intended appeal of the show, it's not really a flaw but just not a genre I'm personally interested in when compared to what I initially expected the show to be.

HOWEVER I will say they robbed little weird girls of their representation and that can't be forgiven

[randomnameless]

@zeroabyss replied to your post “Reading a certain script and spotting things I...”:

For me this situation is a lot more nuanced than others, since Soren by his own past was treated as an outcast by Laguz as a Branded. It’s not great of course, but he’s an actual victim of prejudice as a child who ended up impacted by that. It’s one of the reasons the Laguz treat Branded is such a flaw of theirs continuing the cycle. Branded as a whole generally don’t like their Laguz side as a result, which we know. Since they can at least “pass” for being human and will be treated as people. Whereas Laguz can tell by instinct alone.

​Indeed, Soren has his own reasons to be prejudiced against the Laguz, and iirc since he was around Gallia when he was young/meet Ike, he already faced the beast laguz's brand of indifference when he was younger - which is why he, most likely, so viciously attacks and insults Mordecai, aka, blue teddy tiger bear, when they first meet.

While his backstory with Laguz is not comparable to Jill's - who was legit raised/indoctrined since her wee days to think they're subhumans so to her it's a natural thing to call them there is no animosity, and who has to "unlearn" what she grew up with - Soren's BG isn't developed at this point (I think? i don't remember if POR supports are chapter timed?) so we have a situation where Ike (the player) is very severe and angry at people who insults and discriminate at the Laguz (Jill and several NPCs), but some members of the cast still insult/discriminate against Laguz, and by the end of this game (FE10 shows some growth!), even doing all optional conversations, they do not grow - which is sort of rich, given how the protagonist wants people to grow out of their initial prejudices and ultimately work together.

Hell, even Shinon, the loudest Laguz "hater" in FE9 gets to support a Laguz, Janaff, and they ultimately sort of make-up, with Shinon wanting to learn more about Janaff's life experiences.

I know Soren's growth will happen in FE10, he will ultimately help Skrimir - a laguz - without calling him a subhuman or any names, and even suffer/tolerate his stupidity.

And yet, in FE9, his behaviour sticks out, maybe more strongly, because he is supposed to be close to Ike and Ike actively fights against any discriminatory prejudices/feelings in his own group.

So while Soren has his own reasons - that explain his behaviour but doesn't justify it in the slightest - FE9 fails to adress and condemn his prejudice like it does to Jill, Shinon, Lethe and even Stefan* - who has a similar background! -, save for that line where Ike gets a minor injury due to Soren insulting Mordecai and Lethe.

Jill talks to Lethe and her character arc is growing past her prejudices, Lethe talks to Jill/Ike and finally accepts to have Beorc allies/friends, Shinon talks to Janaff and sees him at the end of their support as a fellow being with life experiences and not a suhuman anymore, Stefan talks to Mordecai and they ultimately became friends...

I know the devs always intended for Tellius to be a duology, so maybe they reserved his character growth for the second game (I still hope they didn't want to nuke supports as they did from day 1 !) - but as FE9 stands, it's as if we're told "Soren can still be prejudiced as fuck in this game and it won't cause any problems because he will grow in the next game".

Which is... sort of meh tier writing.

*Just like Soren, Stefan is a branded who "insults" Mordecai, but he later talks to him, shares more about his POV and own prejudices (why he thinks Laguz hate Brandeds on a racial level), saying he and Mordecai cannot be friends, until Mordecai says he doesn't give a fig about his universe laws and will befriend Stefan nonetheless.

[olderthannetfic]

There's something low-key irritating to me about people in my comments suggesting I'd like Dungeons & Dragons based on my fantasy AU of canon. Apparently being good at retaining everyone's canon personalities in another setting is something they think would somehow make me good at D&D. Apparently they're under the impression that international politics and generations-long plots to overthrow the royal family would be applicable there. Critical Role Syndrome, I like to call it.

Because the thing is, I did try D&D. Repeatedly. Multiple DMs, multiple cities. I remember trying to get into D&D. No personalities were required. The plot is just "you and your fellow bloodshedders kill all who oppose you and everything else you encounter along the way". There is no wise vizier who has a point keeping the king from flying off the handle. The king and the vizier would just get murdered and the day is saved. There is no prince who's happy to set his father off in order to engineer conditions under which he can plausibly have the man assassinated, make it look like an accident, weep openly and pull his shit together, turning him from failson to beacon of hope and avenger. D&D players would just murder him and move on.

"In Critical Role-" that is not what D&D is like. Too many NPCs survived for it to be remotely comparable, for one thing. For another, only one character had a dark and edgy backstory. And that backstory had actual consequences and the character had flaws as a result. None of that is a part of how people actually play D&D. Actual D&D is about killing everyone and everything in front of you until there is no more great evil in the land. Often this is justified via edgy backstory. Never is it a thing that makes the snarky murderer any different from the other snarky murderers in any noticeable way after the introductions. "But in Critical Role, Percy-" in the real world, no one lets their murdersona mess up or have issues. Percy is to D&D characters as unicorns are to horses in our world: miraculous, and not a thing you'll see again.

The more I get into writing fantasy with a plot, the less I understand why people think D&D would appeal to me. I like setting up the vizier to be framed for murdering the man he's in unrequited love with. I like that the murder will allow the prince to rise to newfound glory only to realize a bit too late that he can't handle the pressure. I don't want to just go "and then the king died and the vizier died and there was magic and explosions! Let me describe the viscera for you! Plot? What's plot?"

D&D is not Critical Role. It's Yandere Simulator: Fantasy + Boys' Night Out Edition.

It's fine to like it. It's fine to love it. Hell, I'll go a step further: I am genuinely glad you have found something that makes you happy that is enjoying renewed popularity online. Particularly during an era where fandom is more fleeting and transient than ever, it's wonderful that you've found something you're into that's sticking around. I mean that sincerely.

But it's illogical to assume anyone into fantasy is into it. Not all sci-fi fans like Star Wars and not all fantasy fans like D&D.

--

[trustywukkiii]

Im such a SUCKER for the characterization of Dungeon Meshi. Ryoko Kui and her editor Hiroi Masaru are incredibly great at subverting character tropes and archetypes with a perfect balance of strengths and weakness.

LAIOS to a bystanding viewer could easily seem like a himbo. He’s strong, a little bigger than average with his BMI at 26, and capable at fighting, but his lack of social skills is a BIG weakness. The thing is, that doesn’t make him unintelligent. Whereas himbos are just handsome goofs, his autistic coding is written so maturely. Although he can’t pick up on social cues, what makes up for it is his knowledge on monsters. His book-smarts sets him apart from the himbo spectrum. Regarding his past as revealed by the Winged Lion, Laios is a fairly flawed man who has complex desires. He just happens to be incredibly appealing. I love Laios.

FALIN, admittedly can be seen as a beacon-of-hope-damsel-in-distress that centers the entire plot and conflict. But what deepens her character is the additional conflict and consequence of resurrecting her, turning her into a Chimera. Her time as a Chimera can place her as morally gray, since she’s not actively thinking on her own accord during the confrontation with Laios’, Toshiro’s and Kabru’s parties. (Should also mention that scene where she doesn’t care where she teleports the crew as long as they were safe, even if it meant at the cost of hurting others.) She may be a beacon of hope, but only to the main cast. During her childhood, she wasn’t praised and treated like a princess by everyone. Falin is a fairly beloved woman in need of saving AND stopping, for she is capable of many scary things.

MARCILLE, oh Marcille is my favorite subversion. So easily can she be seen as the clumsy fanservice nerdy lady who complains about every single thing. But no, she’s metal as all hell. First off, she may be clumsy as is established by Chilchuck, but thank god she’s not sexualized. No fanservice in SIGHT. The only attractive thing I see is her strength in magic. She’s incredibly smart but in a way that is not universally approved. Her ancient magic and selfish nature to resurrect Falin through whatever means makes her so mature and powerful. Plus, her complaints with eating monsters are pretty valid. They’re not out of childishness, and she eventually gets used to it anyway. She is so so so complex in nature. She’s a scary elf lady but also incredibly endearing towards the people she loves the most to the point she can’t EVER comprehend the idea of losing them. Marcille is the epitome of “whatever it takes.”

CHILCHUCK very carefully bypasses that “small but a million times older than you expected” trope in lots of shows/animes. Being a half-foot, he’s usually babied by Marcille and Senshi. Despite this, that man so blatantly acts his age as a father of three: he has a habit of drinking, cusses a lot, acts the most reasonable out of the party, and he’s overall just so.. questionable, considering that “other plans” joke he did about Toshiro towards his party. Despite all these flaws, Chilchuck is just trying to do his job. He’s quite knowledgeable and responsibly when it comes to his work and adventuring with party members. He just happens to be a divorcee father.

SENSHI surprised me the most. He’s set up to be such a knowledgeable father figure to the cast. He’s incredibly caring of the dungeon and the habitants, and he cares for the “young-ins” like a good father should. He could easily pass with that trope, it’s not a bad one, but they decided to dig him deeper with his traumatic past. I’ve read another’s blog that describes him as just another kid at heart who is happy to have friends and it wrecks me. He may act overprotective and help guide the others, but he certainly doesn’t knowing EVERYTHING. Senshi is a man with the sincere intentions of protecting his friends, he just has a misguided sense.

IZUTSUMI I’m sure has been covered already by someone on here but she incredibly stomps away from the catgirl stereotypes of acting cute and cuddly. She’s aggressive, mean and loud. Only time she acts kitty-like is subtly— she likes sleeping on top of Chilchuck. Besides, she doesn’t really want to be a beastman. It’s her whole arc. You would have expected so much fanservice from her if this was a completely different show. Thank god, that’s not the case. Izutsumi is just a kid who knows what she wants albeit not gently, but she’s still a caring individual who is in the journey of exploring her freedom.

And KABRU is a funny case. His first introduction has a beautiful way of setting him up as a perfect leader, y’know, just that average “I’m effortlessly strong and witted and will rid of all evil” trope. Reality is poor Kabru lacks experience. He may have perceptive abilities, but throughout the early parts of DunMeshi, his party is shown to be easily taken down by monsters. Regarding how he and Laios are meant to be each other’s foils, Kabru’s strong advantages come at the price of his lack of knowledge in monsters. He just HATES them. Social cues are his own special interest. Kabru has the valid motivations, he just unfortunately doesn’t have the power to execute them.

This is my own little love letter to Dungeon Meshi. I love the characters so much, and I wanted to give praise to its writing that I can easily tell came from love and care. If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking around! I love rambling about this beautiful world. I’m sure I’ve missed a few facts here and there, so let me know what you all think!

[hotcupoteckla]

I just realized that anyone who thirsts after Ganondorf is already made fun of in totk by Nintendo.

So, BotW had 3 little girls who were in the Voes & you class.

Those 3 grew up to full size by TotK, and others have posted about how they accidentally make fun of Link for being short by their fantasy of the Hero of Hylia being bigger stronger and taller than them & how that would be super dreamy. So they overlook Link being Right There in Every Sense. Like the story is punching Link's ego, and forces you to be humble, because you're powerless to react, but it's also punching up at the trio for how shallow they are in a "if they only knew,who knows if they'd even change their tune" sort of way.

BUT CHECK OUT WHO THAT DESCRIPTION MATCHES!

Who is taller & stronger than the Gerudo Women?! The Demon King!!

Like, the only reason Ganondorf is Such a Threat is because he leads the Gerudo Army. And like ALL of them follow his controlling tyrant ways because of how they THIRST for him. They don't even question him or what he wants, they just line up behind him and blow on their Molduga horns, because they think obedience will be granted security.

If those 3 Gerudo Girls saw Ganondorf & he said "I'm the Real Hero of Hyrule," who do you think they would follow?

The person who matches their fantasy of what heroes look like? The male power fantasy looking fellow? Or the smaller one that doesn't appeal to them to even be noticed in a passing conversation?

What does that make the fan base who are similarly fascinated by Ganondorf, if not eerily similar?

Like, I get that it's a fairy tale, all made up, but that IS the point - we need to critique our own reactions to the media we're consuming & ensuring we are better than even the heroes.

We can't just go off and surround ourselves with "Ganondorf is redeemable because he so chonky", because we will see that in the world around us & believe the same.

I'd understand being drawn to villains when our heroes seem so inhuman with their lack of flaws, but Link is Flawed! (The #of flaws he has could go into its own post, so is a digression from the main point)

Ganondorf is the Villain, and while all the character art of him that I've seen is very talented and beautifully put together, we can appreciate the art without conflating that value with his character's value as a person in this story.

Yes, he is beautiful. But his beauty is awful in every sense, & is only there as another sign of his corruption. He cannot be redeemed, he has chosen this every step of the way. He has no honor, no goodness, he is only power hungry.

Bezos is Ganondorf. Trump with a Work Ethic is Ganondorf. Putin in lifts is Ganondorf.

Would Ganondorf artists make out the above as art worthy?

Zelda writers/the game's story are already calling anyone out in the game for blindly following the biggest hunk of meat man with no matter the consequences attitude.

I'm just asking you to not do so blindly.

[skaruresonic]

see, that's the thing. exactly how would you pull off meta commentary on an interactive medium in a non-interactive medium?

putting aside the fact that the comic never really established Sonic vs. Eggman as a thing - you'd need to be in-the-know to even know this is a thing, and what's more, be dialed into Sonic fandom discourse to know the gist behind "Sonic vs. Eggman is old hat" - how would you use comics to comment on video games when you lack the interactivity needed to acknowledge the player's role in all of this?

it's like. yeah, I guess you could accuse Sonic of having main character syndrome due to....... being the main character......... but what exactly is the point you're trying to make? that Sonic being the main character is wrong when he's literally the only thing standing between the world and Eggman's schemes? that Sonic needs to acknowledge the people he failed to save or prevent from becoming traumatized, even though he's not morally responsible for those deaths or trauma in the first place...? like, how many explosions does he have to leave Eggman behind in before you have to concede that he's done literally all he can?

"Sonic makes the choice to let Eggman go and everyone else reaps the consequences" - no, he doesn't? and hell, sometimes Sonic suffers the most direct consequences of Eggman's schemes, if they aren't just straight up "Eggman trying to kill him." my boy did not spend six months locked in a cell in space just for you to say he's some Pollyanna with his head stuck up his ass.

"Why does he never dwell on things?" - beeeecause he's... Sonic the Hedgehog?

...I don't know, it's just such a cynical view of Sonic, especially compared to ST's view of Sonic as a "fairy"-like being who shows up when needed and dips out when he's done. I can't fathom it being an appealing one if you have any love for the character. Because he does have flaws, but "not dwelling on things" isn't exactly one of them.

[ceasarslegion]

I support u getting back into marvel. Who were ur big fave characters?

We liked Hawkeye, Bucky, and like, pre- Tom Holland Spiderman. Nowadays we r a fan of Bruce lol

Man I have a lot. Deadpool, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel, Daredevil, Black Panther, The Falcon. I don't put Deadpool and Wolverine at the top of the list because of the new movie either, I've been reading Deadpool and the X-Men comics since middle school. I think I connected with them easily because I was always the only Canadian I knew overseas so having two characters of my own nationality meant a lot to me and filled this need for commonality I was lacking. But the one character that I really can not understate the importance of to me is Tony Stark.

Tony was everything to me. I knew exactly how he felt in so many deeply profound ways and I also hide behind this false confidence and sex appeal to push away my own insecurities and traumas. The fact that he was flawed, and that was a feature, not a bug. All I really have in the face of neglect and abuse is my hyper independence, and he used his in the same boat as me to literally build a better version of himself. He's not perfect, he's far from okay, he's a bit broken and rough around the edges, and hey, so am I. Seeing a man like Tony portrayed as a superhero who is not defined by the worst parts of himself means so much to me that I really can't put it into words. And every Iron Man and Avengers film with him released at exactly the right time for me to see it.

Tony will always be special to me. My favourite Iron Man run is International Iron Man, which hammers it all home for me that much more. It's about how Tony was adopted as a PR stunt by the Starks because his birth mother was just too poor to take care of him, and although she loved him, she gave him to this rich family that couldn't conceive because she thought they could give him everything she couldn't, and she wanted her baby to have the world to explore with no barriers to entry. Tony learns about how he was adopted, and sets out to reunite with the mother who loved him more than Howard ever did. It's a deep exploration of identity and how complicated the world is when you're someone like Tony, and they never once portrayed it as his birth mother not loving him, it was the dichotomy between Tony's paths in life being a mother who loved him to the point of letting him go who had nothing to give him, or a father who had no concept of not having who couldn't really care any less about him.

And when MCU Tony got to be the one to save the universe after spending his whole life haunted by his past actions and trying so hard to be a good person (which he already was, he just never accepted it) it hit me real hard man. I don't like that he had to die though, not when he had his little family and life and finally got to be the one to save the world he spent so long trying to be worthy of.

I also got really attached to Tom Holland's Peter Parker as a consequence of this, for obvious reasons. Irondad makes me mentally ill for all the reasons listed above.

All this is also why i dont... really engage with what the fandom has to say about Tony. It makes me want to chew glass that both haters and fans despise both him and everyone who likes him, and seem to make it their goal to completely misunderstand and shit all over his character to the point of saying that he had no right to be mad that Cap lied to him about Bucky killing his parents.

[oatlystrawberryicecream]

Noticed that Jason’s loneliness shows itself when he trying to get in others’ heads. His interest in others’ capacity for the same kind of ruthlessness he’s grown into made me wonder how you think that would relate to the last ask you had about Batfam members who would reach out to him or understand him. For example, Barbara Gordon surrounds herself with people who keep her from going to dark waters. Do you think he would pick and prod at those vulnerabilities to bring her down to his level or do you think his respect for her would keep him from doing that? That interest is what I think would put others off him. Stephanie. Cassandra. Dick.

thank you for such an interesting question!

jason and loneliness: i think he has a strong preference for solitude and that he is actually pretty good about reaching out when he wants company. the ways he reaches out are often dramatic and unhinged, and he will lead with whatever indirect message he thinks will get his foot in the door before he reads the mood and determines if he is safe enough to open up. so it is a toss up whether he will get the companionship and support he wants. but he is good at starting the convo or conflict, whichever it turns out to be this time. he is like a cat that knocks your shit over and then when you scold them jumps on your lap and starts purring and making biscuits.

his enthusiasm at others’ capacity for darkness: everyone acts like jason is uniquely violent but he knows these people are no better than him. jason is discerning in his application of violence! i think regardless of whether he killed garzonas or not he learned what unintended consequences are from the aftermath (the dad’s revenge quest) and so he is pretty deliberate and calculating about that stuff now. all that being said the appeal in seeing other people act on their ruthlessness is to get it to click for them that they dont have anything over him. not everyone would have made the choice to kill captain nazi but everyone can feel ok about him being dead. jason would like for people to get off their high horse and admit it. he has always felt unfairly judged going back to being a kid taken off the streets and dropped into old money luxury, he can never shake the indignity of it, it is just for a different perceived flaw this time. plus like it speaks to the traumatized little boy who as a matter of survival needed to know how the people he was forced to rely on would respond in the worst case scenario. so of course he wants to be prepared for what level of danger he’ll see from them when the tides turn and he’s on the opposing side.

would he try to expose that dark tendency? maybe. i think if something arose that called the more upstanding comic book morality into question he would observe and take note. in some situations he will pointedly remark about how ineffective the dubiously legal vigilante shit is. he is a mouthy guy and his convictions are solid so he cant stop himself sometimes. he knows that not everyone is him and not everyone could live with the choices he has made but he doesn’t think that gives them a right to condemn him. it does not mean they can impose their perspective onto him or expect him to cede and conform for their sake.

for all that we love jason and connect to his story he is an off putting asshole at times. there is a part of him that wants to drag people over to where he is but i think he would rather keep them in his life than be right about them. for me a jason story doesn’t work if he has to constantly overcome his own worldview and ingrained morals to match up to what others want him to be. if it is gonna work i need more flexibility and open mindedness from bat adjacent people.

i dont have much in the way of specific character thoughts here other than he really does let his insecurity take a front seat when it comes to dick and ik it is an elseworld but in dc vs vampires when it was revealed dick was the vamp king jason’s reaction was very telling, also like brothers in blood.

[terramythos]

TAYLOR READS 2024: MORT BY TERRY PRATCHETT

Title: Mort (Discworld) (1987)

Author: Terry Pratchett

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Comedy, Third-Person

Rating: 7/10

Date Began: 1/6/2024

Date Finished: 2/4/2024

Mort, a young man with no clear direction in life, becomes apprenticed to Death himself. While learning the so-called trade, Mort makes a mistake which threatens to rewrite the course of history.

I INVITE YOU INTO MY HOME, he said, I TRAIN YOU, I FEED YOU, I CLOTHE YOU, I GIVE YOU OPPORTUNITIES YOU COULD NOT DREAM OF, AND THUS YOU REPAY ME. YOU SEDUCE MY DAUGHTER FROM ME, YOU NEGLECT THE DUTY, YOU MAKE RIPPLES IN REALITY THAT WILL TAKE A CENTURY TO HEAL. YOUR ILL-TIMED ACTIONS HAVE DOOMED YOUR COMRADES TO OBLIVION. THE GODS WILL DEMAND NOTHING LESS. ALL IN ALL, BOY, NOT A GOOD START TO YOUR FIRST JOB.

For live reading notes, check the reblogs (contains unmarked spoilers).

Content warnings and review (spoiler-free and spoiler versions) under the cut.

Content Warnings: Mentioned -- Suicide, animal abuse. Depicted -- Death (i mean. yeah), animal death, sexual humor, suicidal ideation, fatphobia (kinda).

**SPOILER-FREE REVIEW**

Before I dive into the review, I want to acknowledge that despite several criticisms, I did enjoy reading Mort. It certainly has issues that keep me from rating it higher, but I still recommend it as a fun read despite these flaws.

A major reason for this is the prose. It's difficult to express just how clever Pratchett was as a writer. He has a unique way of presenting scenes and situations which consistently feels fresh and original. Whether it's clever wordplay or a unique spin on tired cliches, he's always catching me off guard in the best way. Saying someone's voice "could have kept milk fresh for a month" instead of "was icy" is one among hundreds of delightful examples. And while there's plenty of witticisms, they feel genuine rather than cynically scripted to appeal to as many people as possible.

Pratchett also doesn't shy away from serious topics despite the general comedic tone, and this contrast makes the grounded parts of the writing all the more poignant. His fantastic style is so omnipresent in his work that to explore it in detail would devour the rest of the review. Even when taking notes while reading I'd have to be selective on WHICH great phrases I wrote down lest I only spend time on them to the exclusion of all else.

One specific thing I like about Pratchett's writing is how specific jokes recur throughout the story but often in ways one doesn't expect. There's a running bit in Mort where characters will call him "boy" or "lad" and he tiredly corrects them with "Mort". As a reader I fully expected him to eventually get fed up and chew someone out for failing to use his name. And… he does! But later the joke is subverted again in a (spoilerific) way I DIDN’T expect, which caught me completely off guard. Setups and payoffs like that are delightful.

**SPOILER REVIEW**

My biggest struggle with Mort is that I found it difficult to care about the plot until the end. There are two things working against Mort's story that made me feel this way.

The first is the main conflict's inciting incident: Mort commits a selfish act and saves the life of a princess who was supposed to die. In doing so, Mort warps reality and the fabric of history itself. The problem is, the only reason he saves Princess Keli is because of a superficial crush on her just from seeing her for a few seconds. The two barely interact before he saves her, and when they do later, there's not any chemistry to make this decision interesting. And yes, I'm aware that this was probably intentional: Mort did something foolish and impulsive and has to deal with the consequences. The problem is that since the rest of the plot hinges on his choice to intervene, and the context around that choice is so lackluster, it brings the entire plot down. I found myself wondering why Mort bothers to keep up the ruse and lie directly to Death when his reason for doing so is so vague and uninteresting. The personal stakes just felt nonexistent to me.

The second issue is how the story is structured. Rather than closely following a standard plot progression, Mort is more like a series of vignettes and scenes loosely tied together. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself; I'd argue Guards! Guards! follows a similar style, and I'm willing to bet much of Pratchett's work does. The problem is when this lack of focus combines with a weak core conflict. Reality being split and history diverging should be compelling, yet I wondered why I should care at all. The main thing that kept me reading was the clever writing and setups in these scenes. So I found the book fun to read but the story mediocre.

To Mort's credit, the stakes get more personal and involved toward the end. I finally found the story and characters compelling when Mort started to become more like Death. It's jarring when his dialogue intermittently switches to Death's unique typeface. This is probably the only time I've had a font choice genuinely catch me off guard-- unexpected Death dialogue is surprising in other Discworld books, but here it serves a different function because it's NOT actually Death speaking. The true love interest Ysabell also gets a lot of characterization toward the end, which is a shame because she's a great character who should have had plot involvement sooner.

Speaking of characters near the end, it seems like Pratchett suddenly realized the book needed a villain in the third act, so randomly assigned the role to side character Albert. So he's evil for a few dozen pages after showing no indication of this before, then the whole incident with him is resolved by Death with zero problems. It's super weird-- in fact, you could probably cut Albert out of the story entirely and nothing would change. Perhaps I'm missing something but I really didn't see the point of this. There is some context suggesting he is an historical figure referenced in other Discworld novels, so maybe it's more interesting if you've read those. However, having only read Guards! Guards!, this obviously fell flat for me. While inter-book references are fun (I was delighted to see The Librarian, for example), I don't think key components of the plot should rely on them, assuming that is the case here.

On the positive side, there are some small details I loved. One is how Pratchett uses the phrase "There is no justice. There is just me," to refer to Death. Because the moment I read it I wondered when we would hear "there is just us" instead, since the pun speaks for itself. So when we DID get that line during an emotional moment of the story I was cheering and hollering and punching the air and shit. It's one of those predictable things that is nevertheless extremely satisfying as a reader.

Another great detail is that every person has a literal book that describes their life until they die, which is constantly being written. While this is true metaphorically, it's a literal thing in Death's domain. Mort the novel closes with Mort the character seeing his own book and reading from it, and this becomes the narration for the last page or so. It's a clever payoff to a mechanic introduced in the novel.

A last thing to note is that there are still some loose ends. This isn't necessarily a criticism since there is a chance they are addressed in future books, but I'm mentioning them for my own benefit. In one early scene, Mort bungles his job so badly that a witch named Goodie Hamstring successfully manipulates him and escapes dying entirely. Considering the emphasis on this scene and the ominous tone, it isn't addressed at all by the end of the book, so it is possible this character shows up elsewhere.

Something not fully explored is the theme of reality. When Mort rescues Princess Keli, he creates a paradox where multiple realities exist, and one has to dominate over the other, which serves as part of the main conflict. Death's realm is not real despite being a major location in the story-- something that's true in a meta sense (Mort being a work of fiction) but also in the context of the story. Then there's implications throughout the book that Mort becomes "more real" the more he behaves like Death. While Death is the final reality of life, obviously, this is presented more in a mechanical way than a philosophical one. At the end of the story Death gives Mort a pearl of reality that Mort created due to the events of the novel, stating that it can be the beginning of a new universe whenever Discworld finally dies. This is… quite the detail to drop at the end. I feel like reality is explored as an in-universe mechanic rather than a metaphorical theme in the story, which is why it doesn't feel conclusive by the end. It makes me wonder, again, if this is going to come up in a later Discworld novel.

**CONCLUSION**

Overall while I had some issues with Mort as a story, as a reading experience I really enjoyed it. I might delve into more of the City Watch storyline next, since I had a great time with Guards! Guards! and want more of those characters.

[suguruhul]

the romance in lyf and why the ending doesn't really align to what it was presented for xy

this is more of a rant than a really well thought argument because every time i think about the ending of this story it pisses me off. this isn't friendly to tushan jing also. AT ALL.

cdramas, especially historical/xianxa dramas, don't have the habit of having an actual layered female protagonist besides the "she's the pretty one, female warrior, intelligent and tatictal fighter", mostly in the recent ones.

xiao yao was a breath of fresh air for me, honestly. just from her introduction, you can grasp exactly the type of character she is. she is lost, without anyone, with the crippling fear of abandonment, longing for love and family, but knows how to prioritize herself, to protect and set aside her feelings because of that. she knows that she is alone in the world. she's firm in both her decisions and feelings without losing her sentimentality.

tong hua gave us three incrible, layered, and interesting main characters with both good and bad characteristics. each character appeals to a different kind of vulnerability, having vastly different backstories and interests. then... we have the fourth one.

among the love interests, while cang xuan is shown to be the more controlling, brain type of character and with the whole palacial backstory, xiang liu is the troubled warrior with a promise to fulfill, and tushan jing is the supposed money genius who was discarded by his own family. they all have their own traumas.

xiao yao is shown to react vastly different to the three of them, with cang xuan holding the highest regard to her at the beginning of the show. as the story progresses, we see his place in her heart slowly waver and sometimes even crumble. xiang liu is the adventure, her deepest desires, which she doesn't dare voice out, the reckless but free spirit, and volatile emotions before anything bad actually happened to her. tushan jing is the sense of security: he appeals to everything she ever wanted, stability, a sense of belonging.

however, out of the three, tushan jing is the one who keeps breaking his word to her the most. and this is what pisses me off about it: xiao yao is introduced as a character which is unforgiving to those who betray her trust mostly because of her abandonment issues and trauma. and tushan jing breaks her trust a lot of times, but her character, someway, somehow, is always tweaked in a way that it isn't done with any other character (even with cang xuan, which is presented to be the most important person in her life) and she ends up forgiving each and any transgression he commits, regardless of the consequences.

tushan jing forms a whole new family without her. he lies, spies and manipulates her emotionally because he knows she only feels comfortable in a position of power in a relationship. he presents himself as an inoffensive person, and every single thing he does is just a slight error done out of worry for her. nothing is ever obsession. nothing is ever against her wishes. he's undecisive and cowardly but still appeals to her with his own insecurity. he presents himself in a position she once was and had no one to help her.

and these are all things she criticizes in the other two main male characters. she hates when cang xuan tries to control her, she hates when xiang liu does things against her wishes.

one could argue it's because of love. but she loved cang xuan. she loved xiang liu, even if she never voiced out. what was so different about tushan jing? well, i will tell you what: the romance, the ending couple, needed to be credible.

so this seemingly flawed, vulnerable, but also questionable decision maker of a character (as the other two male leads are) is painted in an almost innocent like image, just for it to make sense for her character to end up with him. he's at least the lesser evil of the other two. he's "harmless."

in the novel, this distinction is way clearer. a few scenes and moments were tweaked and cut out for the main couple's end to make more sense.

every time i watched xy interact with both cx and xl, it was interesting. you could see new facets to her character, understand her more. the most tension paked scenes were also between them. with tj, he was in the spotlight. she turned backwards for him, for the sake of his happiness and the stability of their love and relationship, just for him not to feel inadequate. and that pissed me off. because the whole thing that made me interested in xiao yao in the first place was how her character had her vulnerability and sensibility but still maintained her worth and sense of self. she learned how to prioritize herself without being selfish or a pushover. it seemed that in her scenes with him, for the sake of the romance, the characterization all went out of the window.

for me, honestly, regardless of shipping and chemistry between the actors (which were both better with cang xuan and xiang liu), xiao yao should've ended up alone. not because i believe "powerful female characters" should end up alone. but because, unfortunately, each romance line had her or one of the male characters sacrifice something that was deeply linked to who they were as people. she was a damaged person who gave herself the well-known "fairy tale ending" because that's how she saw herself attaining happiness.

she ended up with someone who pretended to be pathetic in front of her to appease her ego, but still couldn't be upfront about her, couldn't actually help her in any way that mattered and caused her visible distress because of his meek personality. she ended up with the image of a perfect, nice, and healthy relationship because tushan jing was the only one insecure enough to paint her an image of himself.

the name lost you forever just makes so much sense in that way: cx lost xy, xy lost xl/cx, xy lost a bit of her in the process of finding the "perfect relationship", tj lost his pride.

[k00ps]

(Spoilers for Taxi Driver Season 2)

I meant to post this when I initially finished the show, but I had some issues with Taxi Driver 2 (the kdrama).

It very much seemed like a cash grab compared to the first season and you can tell based on the writing, the characters, the predictable storylines, and don’t even get me started on that random lady who showed up at the end of the show just to save the Rainbow Crew.

But anyways what I want to address is On Ha Joon and his character arc. What it was and how it could’ve been better.

On Ha Joon was by far the most interesting character of that season. He most definitely snatched the spotlight from the other characters on several occasions. He was probably the only character who had any real significant personal change.

His character is a representation of one of the themes that Taxi Driver highlighted the whole show: found family. His experience with the cult and Father is a reflection of Kim Do Gi and his loving found family with the Rainbow Crew. This is consistently shown through the loving, fun, and compassionate nature of the Rainbow Crew, vs the distant relationships based on power, material gain, and fear of the cult family.

I feel Ha Joon’s arc was okay, but had so much potential to be better. Like the setup was right there, so I want to walk through some parts of the show and what I would change.

Ha Joon’s introduction is through his infiltration of the taxi job. He is initially presented as naive, innocent, kind, hard-working, enthusiastic, and attentive. However it is soon revealed to be that he is simply someone who can easily put up a facade. Someone who is cold and calculating, but has the capacity to lose his cool and respond with rage. As the show progresses, he becomes more and more violent and frustrated, willing to take extreme measures to remove anything he feels is in his way. He already knows who the Rainbow Crew are as he’s already done quite a bit of research into them. This is all for the sake of entertainment, but also because they could pose a future problem.

Now I *thought* they would go down the route of having Ha Joon experience what true family feels like, through his interaction with Mr. Jang actually caring about his well-being. He even expressed interested “befriending” Do Gi. However, I guess the writers decided to double down on his role as primary antagonist, because Ha Joon completely rejected these ideas of connection to remain fixed on his current way of life and appeal of Father. I would scrap this.

Instead, I think Ha Joon should have had individual bonding moments with every character of the Rainbow Crew, in addition to group outings. Each interaction would chip away at his idea of what a family is and make him question the dynamic he has in the cult. As he spends more and more time with them, his affinity for them would grow, so much so that he might not even want to harm them anymore. This would even be a good place for him to learn about Kim Do Gi’s fatal flaw (the whistle) through Do Gi being vulnerable, instead of him just breaking into the house and seeing it. Kim Do Gi would now have someone new he can be vulnerable with after so long, looking at Ha Joon as a little brother figure.

Then, as the Rainbow Crew continues to ruin the cult members’ enterprises, the stakes would increase as Father’s frustration increases. This would further put pressure on Ha Joon because he would be put in a position where he has to ruin the people who treated him with love and acceptance, or else be faced with dire consequences.

In addition to this, instead of giving the audience suspense bait through Ha Joon *almost* discovering the Rainbow Cave, I would make him actually discover it. This would *force* the Rainbow Crew to be honest with him, and after some cautious deliberation and arguing, they would be fully transparent. They could even use this moment to make Do Gi a little suspicious of how much Ha Joon actually knows until it’s fully revealed that he is apart of the cult.

Now we move forward to Ha Joon being pressed by Father to the point of “killing” Do Gi. Now instead of parading Ha Joon around like a proud villain, they could use this moment to reveal just how much he cherished his moments with them. The decision he made ended someone’s life and that someone was a person he cared about. Someone he looked up to. In addition to leaving his job at the taxi company having “completed” his mission, the subtext of the scene is that he is also leaving because the guilt of staying is too great. As the cult and Father relish in the happiness of having defeated the problem, he stands there in agony. This agony channels itself into frustration and mild forms of self destruction that get worse as the Black Sun arc progresses. This way, when things go to shit, there is *more* of a reason to blame Ha Joon, because everyone has noticed the obvious changes in his behavior.

At the same time, the Rainbow Crew, and specifically Do Gi, suffer from Ha Joon’s betrayal. They realize Ha Joon is an enemy, and sulk in the fact they let someone like him in. Do Gi especially takes this personally. This would make the reunion at Black Sun be more impactful, because not only would Ha Joon essentially feel relieved that Do Gi is alive, but now Do Gi is forced to treat him like every other villain. There’s is a lot more emotion tied into the scene than before.

Ofc atp the Rainbow Crew still doesn’t know about Father, so they don’t know that Ha Joon’s action are primarily caused from that, though this fact doesn’t remove blame. When they discover this, they feel some sort of sympathy for Ha Joon, but they do not forgive him. This does however, give *more* of a reason for Mr. Jang to do his research on Ha Joon’s past, thus that part of the show remains the same.

The story can also utilize the fact that Ha Joon knows the Rainbow Crew’s base, but is deliberately not mentioning it.

Regardless, we press on with the Prison Arc, the Rainbow Crew getting snatched and Do Gi becoming trapped.

This is where I would add another large change. Ha Joon manipulates the prison cages, but instead of doing it with glee, you can visibly see the internal struggle of having to do this to Do Gi. The warden is a reflection of the audience in this scene, because he can clearly see this struggle while standing in the room. The external struggle of Do Gi fighting, and the internal struggle of Ha Joon and his decisions. When Do Gi reaches the room and reveals the villainous plans were foiled, the culmination of all this internal struggle manifests through Ha Joon pulling the gun on him.. however, he is ultimately unable to pull the trigger. The power of the loving found family peeks its head out, then this theme is further exemplified through Father punishing and essentially removing Ha Joon from the cult.

He is now put in a position of isolation due to his failures, but the subtext is this situation is really due to his inability to commit to either family. Just like the original, he is shunned as the cult members turn their backs on him and Father rejects him. His family that he has known for so long no longer wants or needs him, and in a last act of desperation, he gives Father knowledge of Do Gi’s fatal flaw. Not only would this appeal to Father, but it would also make Father wonder why Ha Joon never used it to begin with.

We continue with the scene of Mr. Jang meeting with Ha Joon and telling him his past. This is a breakthrough turning point for him, as the realization of him being kidnapped and then manipulated to kill his own father would shatter his perception of the cult as his found family. Him killing his own father would be a reflection of him “killing” Do Gi, essentially showing he made the mistake of killing family who loved and supported him not once, but twice. This would firmly push him to the side of the Rainbow Crew, but they would not overtly say this just yet.

We move forward to when the entirety of the Rainbow Crew is captured and about to die. Father looks upon them and laughs, while Ha Joon stands on the side watching one family dominate the other. He is now faced with one last decision that will decide the fate of both of his found families. At the 11th hour, Ha Joon, unable to deny his feelings any longer, would somehow save the Rainbow crew, standing up to Father, and choosing love over power/fear. Do Gi and the others watch as someone they gave all their support to stands up for *them* rather than the other way around. The writers could still have him die in the process if they so choose, essentially having him sacrifice himself for this new found family. He could also use this moment to *choose* to use his original name, with the Rainbow Crew validating him by calling him as such. This would solidify the theme of the power of a found family’s love and what a true found family looks like.

I feel this ending would eliminate the need to have that random lady from Japan save them. It would also require the deletion of that last little showdown between Do Gi and Ha Joon, but that’s the price I’m willing to pay.

Ha Joon was my fav character and I feel he deserved so much better. These changes would present him as a conflicted character, forced to bounce between two families with heavily contrasting dynamics. As his internal struggles grow, so do the consequences of his actions, until he is finally pushed to fight for a family that truly loves him rather than one that uses and manipulates him.

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

I was still pouting about how a show from CN got to have a crossover with Sonic and it wasn't the Powerpuff girls 😤 when suddenly some wonderful marvelous fantastic news popped up!🥳Evil has been defeated! That disgusting PPG live action project is officially CANCELLED 👏🎊🎉THANK GOD😮‍💨 after the gross bullshit garbage vomit 2016 cursed reboot 🤢🤮 I had enough of seeing my girls been tarnished like that, but you know what?

One good thing came of that abomination and that is that our god creator Craig McCracken decided to make a proper reboot by his own professional hands!🥰 A ppg reboot with continuity with begining and ending! You did it so well with kid cosmic so we are putting all our hopes and dreams on you Craig! I'm putting my faith on you don't fail me!😖🙏(If the crossover with sonic happens I'll be very thankful and blessed too🥺🙏 maybe I'm asking too much but if it happened with Ok ko why not?)I'm guessing he saw the 2016 reboot and his heart was broken, his eyes bleed, were set on fire and fell off his face, then he understood that's how all us fans felt and he decided to try heal our souls.

So, to celebrate I'm going to give my analysis of the original Powerpuff girls and my reasons to love them:

BLOSSOM: The nice leader girl: She is like the least favorite in popular polls, but i think she is just really misunderstood, most people don't get the appealing of her character when it comes to her flaws, come on guys be honest do you really want a character perfect without a flaw? NOPE because THEN she would actually be an obnoxious Mary Sue, so let's check those said flaws: she is a proudfull "miss know-it-all perfect", she is smug and arrogant, a tattleteller, bossy, envious, hypocrite, nagging yada yada. Ok first yes, she wants at all costs to be a perfect girl, is a personal achievement and she works hard for it and usually with her good plans, good results and good grades and be praised for being polite she gets her way so she feels pride out of it and that's why she is smug and arrogant and the appeal of this is that she actually is far from being perfect, we saw her fail a lot and not being right all the time, we see her feeling the consequences of being too proud and stubborn refusing to accept she could be wrong, she is bossy but she isn't an indisputable tyrant ruler, her sisters would and will disobey if they disagree with her and she can't stop them, she has been mean but all the sisters had at some point, we all have been mean at some point but it's not a Princess Morebucks kind of character in general she is very nice, she is kind and polite, she wants to do what she thinks is best and right, she means well even when she is wrong and regrets it if she is wrong, she believes in Justice, she likes to learn and that's why she is so smart and a good strategic leader, also even if she is most of the time confident she has lots of insecurities and in her quest of being the perfect girl she wants to be she becomes a drama queen when she fails big and overreacts badly, she can be clumsy, can lie to cover her ass, she is playful and naughty, she makes jokes and pranks, she has no problem showing love (less intense than bubbles and less shy than buttercup), she always looks at bubbles in a fondly way and even if she fights a lot with buttercup they show mutual sisterly love, she is really a very nice girl. Her biggest fear is failure, that's why she is a miss perfect, it's relatable! I remember the special interview when she got sassy because she was called the smart one and she said she didn't like it because the smart one is the "boring" one and then she goes full jealousy over her sisters (i lost it 😂 when she said: "what makes bubbles the cute one?" "I'm cute! Look at this bow!"), Saying she is smart cute and tough the whole package 😂, all three are the whole package but she stands out for being smart.

BUTTERCUP: The jerk with the golden heart, lot of spice our dear childhood tomboy, a girl who liked to show people who is boss💪😎 and could have the roughest attitude while wearing a dress 👊💅, she was an icon for those tomboy girls or girls who had a tomboy phase in childhood, she was a girl who in general liked "boyish" things and sometimes girl things too, she could do both perfectly: a girly giggle and a war battle scream, i can kick your ass wearing a skirt. Often she was mean or even a bully sometimes towards people or her sisters, the one who gets more often in trouble because she is a hot headed impulsive girl, she isn't very polite, misbehaves, is reckless, is stubborn, she could be insensitive, she gets into fights with her sisters easily and gets carried away with the villains, she doesn't consider herself good at school and gets defensive about it but tries hard to prove she could do good as a leader too, she gets angry easily, she can be greedy, selfish... Yeah all that stuff but damn! She is such a really good girl, the contrast of all that with her other side, her vulnerable side... The way she loves just as intensely as her sisters, how despite not liking being a sap she happily let's her dad give her hugs and kisses, she can be brutal but she can feel an intense guilt for her actions and gets sad and frustrated with herself, how much she works hard to look tough and strong that she ends up being too rough and mean... Don't misunderstand my girl, she also learns from her mistakes, she can be extremely friendly, even if she isn't very trusting she gave people second chances, she has a temper but she isn't grumpy all the time, she always tries to have fun with her sisters and friends, is so obvious how much she loves her family and dear she is so shy... Also she is the one who struggles the most with emotions and is on guard with her feelings but she is the one who first got a crush that made her act sweet, shy and dreamy and got her heart broken 💔, the first thing she did? Hug her sisters, yep she is introduced as someone who doesn't like mushy stuff or being affectionate but like I said she has no problem when her dad gives her love and also buttercup herself gives hugs and even kisses when she is happy enough to forget she is suposed to be too tough to be that sweet. How can you not relate with her at some point? How unfair is that she didn't get a special power, at least you could say she is the one with more stamina when it comes to physical strength, i mean the girl likes to punch giant hunks of meat as a hobby, she works out off duty she absolutely deserves the title of the toughest fighter.

BUBBLES: Here she is! My sweet best girl!🥰 Cute and sweet until you cross her! My personal favorite! I can relate to her because when you have a certain personality or tastes sometimes people doesn't takes you seriously, i mean for example people who is energetic and always looks too happy is often misjudged by others as "stupid" or "clueless" as if you could never be serious and they infantilize you (I've been through that) and also because she is the artistic one.

So if Blossom is the brain 🧠 and Buttercup is the muscle 💪 Bubbles is definitely the heart 🩵 of the team, the glue that keeps them together. It's been said that she doesn't deserve her popularity because the show favors her too much or something, like she doesn't get in trouble for her actions, well aside certain episode I'll say that is mostly untrue, she gets reprimanded for her misbehavior as much as her sisters. Then what else? She is a crybaby, she is too naive, oversensitive, too emotional, coward, an airhead, too childish, too loud and also stupid and spoiled WOW, for starters there's nothing wrong with being naive she just want to see the bright side, her sisters have been deceived as well lots of times, even Blossom, she is sensitive and cries a lot but we see her trying and struggling to be strong too, she doesn't hide her emotions and that will make her better at process her feelings than anyone who hides them, also sensitive or emotional she is no pushover, normally she let's someone else defend her because is not in her nature to jump straight into an argument but if there is no one to defend her she will stand up by herself but when it comes to defend others she won't hesitate, she doesn't like when their sisters argue but she doesn't have any problem fighting them if she is provoked, she can be really sassy and her sassiness is hilarious, she likes to tease too and is mischievous, yes Bubbles can be naughty, she is playful and plays cute on purpose to get her way so she isn't stupid (she has her shining moments), she is also a lot more humble than her sisters since she doesn't describe herself as better than them but just AS good as them (or as strong and as mean) anytime when she gets her strength questioned because of her cuteness and whoever underestimated her will soon regret it, she is scared of the dark or bugs or certain monsters, that doesn't make her a coward that makes her brave because she still confronts them regardless and she is really so extra sometimes 😂😂 is so funny! Also she is the most open and affectionate of the trio! She'll hug everyone and she loves so easily (ok on that i can't relate 🙃) she is also energetic, empathetic and positive honestly... Best sweet girl ever!! She really owns the sugar!

See? Characters full of flaws and virtues!! The magic of a three dimensional character well done is just how relatable they are, this three superpowered little girls are just so human. Every reason to love them! And why they deserve respect if you're going to make a reboot of them... So Craig great cartoon Creator we'll leave it in your hands 🙏🥺

[satyricplotter]

balancing how mean i can make dick be in his inner monologue is so tricky. it's no issue with jay because he's mean from the get go, you know? people are used to it, they come to expect it. there's a lot to delve into in that man, but you will wade through oceans of anger to get to it and that makes him mean. i know it, you know, etc. there's a very liberating frankness about it as well in that jason doesn't beat around the bush, so you can trust what he says even if it's a little hurtful. say you have a personal flaw, something you can change but choose not to or simply... don't, and this makes you guilty. if you bring this guilt to jason as a irredeemable flaw, he will simply be like "i have killed people. do better." and it's. well, yeah. it's all a little silly. it's not that he's worse than you so you can be as bad as you like, but more like, there's a kinship there yeah? a kinship in failure, in doing wrong, in thinking badly and speaking worse. he's not going to judge you for making a mistake (he'll judge you for how you clean it up tho), so you can be frank about your mistakes because he will always be upfront about what he thinks is shitty and isn't.

dick.. will not. not if he loves you. if he thinks you're a piece of shit, he will tell you exactly what he thinks of you, probably while he has the heel of his shoe digging on your windpipe. he can be pretty scathing, which i don't think people expect from him. and there's good reason for it, besides the fact that he benefits from being underestimated and thus contrives for it to remain like that. but i think if he thinks there's something wrong with you, he earnestly strives to fix it for you or give you the proper channels to guide you in the journey to bettering yourself or whatever nonsense else. because he wants you to live good and happy, you know? which can be on its own overbearing.

but it also has the unintended consequence of making him really unapproachable if you're not cutthroat and straightforward yourself. if you can't cut through the bullshit, establishing the sort of searing, raw intimacy that lets you both be very, very frank and unafraid to say things roughly, badly, meanly is practically impossible. i genuinely believe that dick is a good man, he is naturally (and works towards being) noble and heroic, and it matters to him that he does good, particularly on a smaller scale. but you can see how keeping that up--couple with his hypercompetence, his good looks, his cleverness--can be incredibly overwhelming if you don't get to see the ugly side of him too.

and there is an ugly side, is my point. the reason this came about is because birdwatcher is a lot of conversations about what makes one person lovable, which necessarily demands exploring the opposite, and what makes one, socially speaking, worthy of scorn is all put very meanly, to say the least. the way i imagine dick's mind works is: he knows this, but he can't echo it, even to acknowledge it. in narrative terms thinking it is equal to saying it because while he's speaking to himself, i'm speaking to you. here the placement of the reader complicates things because i am trying to appeal to you, person who reads this, to find this character interesting both as a character and as a romantic option for yourself, both in and out of the story. those two things have to align at least somewhat. and if i tell you "this character (dick) thinks your outfit is frumpy and unappealing, but he doesn't say it" i am giving you 1) information about this character's tastes 2) information about how he acts, which is vital for the narrative so you get a sense of who he is, BUT ALSO i'm insulting you, through dick's mind, and so is he. because you (in story) are oblivious to his insensitive thoughts but you (in real life) are reading them so! he still comes off insultingly! it's like dating a mind reader.

and i do think dick thinks it. it's a point of pride almost to me that he does. i don't like wimpy characters who only exist to adulate the reader. not only do i think it's boring, but i genuinely think it's a disservice to the character itself. i know the whole point of this is me shoving the man under your nose and going hey wanna have sex with this dude, but, you know. i have a specific way i think dick's mind works and he just. thinks mean shit sometimes! and it's the kind of mundane meanness that rubs you off in the way that egregious acts of villainy don't because you don't come across them that often. the way you can tolerate the mafia boss getting the barrel of his gun up your hole (not a euphemism) but will not stand for the guy at the line for the bar calling you "a little too fat" unprompted, even tho one of these is glaringly worse. again. im not saying dick will think that exactly, or be an asshole in that way, but he will have to acknowledge that people that think like that exist, and it will not be in a *brandishes sword* "what say you about my beloved?!" type of way.

all this to say, if you're the sort of person who dislikes when the character you're reading for is not immediately head over heels, madly in lust with you (a perfectly reasonable viewpoint, you do you baby), im... sorry. lol.

[linkspooky]

Is there anything you feel like was a missed opportunity in JJK, or a slight disappointment on a concept/character you wish the story focused on a bit more?

I would say a slight missed opportunity for me would be to show Utahime investigating who was the traitor. Since it would give us a bit more how Kyoto students and Utahime act around each other. And to show how Utahime sneak around to gather information and play the politics game with in the Jujutsu world a bit.

Another thing that was a slight disappointment for me is the reveal of the taboos with twins. I never really like the notion of twins being one of the same rather than two different people. I really wish they explore Mai a bit more as an individual too. Since I thought the story would show how two people react to the same trauma differently.

I'll start with things I wish the story paid more attention too. Number one I know Gege is kind of utterly uninterested in the school aspect of Jujutsu because he had to change it to an academy setting to appeal to a wider shonen audience but I wish we had spent more time in the Jujutsu College. In particular there are a lot of teachers I wish we had gotten to know better because this is supposed to be a generational story. In particular I would like more focus on Utahime and how she teaches the Kyoto kids because there is a big difference in the Kyoto kids who act like a collective where as the Tokyo kids act like a collection of individuals. There is a lot you could do with the different teaching methods of Utahime and Gojo and how they pass their attitudes and biases onto their students.

In general I wish more had been done with the differences and relationship between Gojo and Utahime. Not as a ship but because they represent very opposite ideals in the Jujutsu World Gojo is more of a radical but that's because he has the power to he. He has power and respect to throw around where Utahime has neither. In comparison Utahime is someone who seems to show more concern for her students and connect to people on an individual basis. You can see this in the difference between gojos relationship with shoko and Utahimes where in the latter's case they are actually close friends.

I bring this up because Utahime could be used as a tool to call out some of Gojos flaws as a teacher. This is apparent in the subtext and the data books but Gojo kind of only takes an interest in strong people it's directly stated in a databook he wouldn't stick his neck out for Yuta if he hadn't seen potential to Yuta. A character I often compare Gojo too is Professor X. I believe Gojo is sincere in his ideals of reforming to the world but whether consciously or not he is still grooming teenagers to he a part of his agenda. And by grooming I mean using his position as an adult to push the towards a certain political agenda. For example take Megumi he doesn't want to be a sorcerer at all. Gojos offer to save Megumi from the Zenin comes on the condition that Megumi owes him and must become a sorcerer because he's a potentially powerful tool for Gojo. He is therefore placed into an unhealthy environment for his mental health like Megumi is downright suicidal at times because his mental health is so neglected. So like there is a dissonance between Gojos good intentions and his actions but there's very little plot consequences in the story for it other than the Tokyo kids having no group cohesion and a hard time cooperating because they are all raised to be super powerful individualist because that's what Gojo thinks is best.

Adding onto what you said the traitor plotline could be drawn out to show the failures in the schooling system that would push koichi to be so desperate he'd make a deal with the devil to gain a healthy body because he can't see any other way to be happy. You could also use gojo and utahimes cooperation to compare and contrast their different methods of teaching. That's just one thing that's on my mind right now.

[lloydfrontera]

i can also see suho writing at least a few "what if the count and his wife never died and Javier kept his family" aus. Just for self-indulgent reasons lmao. Maybe even some "Lloyd still dies but everyone else lives" or "what if Javier's birth family (basically ocs) never died and he got to still go on adventures" lol.

oh. oh that's. that's kinda sad :(

but like if we ignore the massive self-projection and wish fulfillment going on, i think that would actually be a pretty popular genre of fic in the hypothetical "the knight of blood and iron" fandom (i'm just gonna write tkbi now btw i'm tired ajkshdk). like we know in the webcomic that when the author killed off sillurian people were really incensed because it seemed like javier was really Going Through It at that point. and we all know nothing makes fandom more motivated than feeling like their favorite characters are being mistreated aksjhdjksa

and while it's also said that part of the appeal of tkbi is that javier is a very sad and lonely protagonist i have to imagine there's at least a good part of the fandom who wishes to see him get some comfort to offset all the hurt he goes through. so i think there's probably a healthy and thriving fix-it and hurt/comfort community that dedicates itself to write some nice fluffy fics (while also inflicting all new kinds of pain upon him but shhhh it's all good it's normal nothing to see here-)

maybe suho would gravitate more towards the fix-it fics end of the spectrum, instead of the hurt/comfort ones. he'd write these very elaborate aus that explore "what if"s and "for a want of a nail" plots that vary in their degrees of fluffiness but that are almost always about avoiding the early tragedies in javier's life. (eg 'what if javier met count cremo when he was younger', 'what if javier had an imaginary elf friend as a child except it isn't imaginary', 'what if it had been the baroness that rescued javier as a child', 'what if lloyd hadn't been an useless drunk', etc etc)

his habitual readers are always amazed by how detailed his aus can get and how much world building he does and explores, they especially like the ripple effect all of his fics have, how the smallest actions can have many consequences down the line, even if they do think he focuses too much on the beginning of the book when he could explore the latter chapters more. he never does romance and always writes family and friendly relationships and only includes the romantic leads as friends too. but overall his fics are pretty popular within that side of the fandom.

some people do think he has a bit of dislike towards lloyd frontera's character, which showed especially in his 'lloyd frontera dies in the beginning of the book and everything is better because of it' fic but he's otherwise pretty good at hiding it so it's not too much of a flaw. plus, lloyd is a bit of human trash overall :/

his 'the baron and baroness never died and thank's to javier's heroics they were saved from debt' fic is his most popular work but the 'javier's bio family never died' one is a close second. his 'the family still lost the estate but no one died and they all went on adventures' isn't quite as popular but it has a steady following.

there's one that almost doesn't get attention but that everyone that does read it agrees is probably his best one and it's a one shot, 15k, character study, memories, flashbacks, major injuries, implied major character death, open/ambiguous ending, bittersweet ending fic, with a summary that just says "javier is tired. he wants to go home. he can hear them. everyone is waiting for him" and leaves everyone who reads it both in tears and also half wondering if they should ask the author if they need them to pay for a couple therapy sessions (please he needs them so badly)

dang it i got carried away again jkashdksa but yeah! i do love the idea of fanfic writer kim suho i think it's very funny. and also him being a fix it fic writer means he already got a little bit of practice before being isekai'd lmaooo

[tirorah]

PGSM (2003) Is a Story About Human Beings, and I LOVE It

Years ago, I attempted to watch the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon show, or PGSM for short. And I quit because it looked so silly I couldn't maintain my sense of disbelief.

I've learnt not to judge a show by its looks since then. So, when I stumbled across a 20-second PGSM clip two weeks ago, I thought, "Shouldn't I give that another chance?" I'd heard a few interesting things about it, so I decided the answer was yes.

It took me a little while to adjust, sure. Some things still looked ridiculous to me. And yet, with every episode I became more and more emotionally invested. I started to see PGSM for what it truly was: an intricate tapestry of character-driven storytelling.

If you've read my other posts, you know I love characters more than anything. What I also love is an emphasis on narrative consequence and a willingness to explore new and/or interesting ideas, particularly when it's a new entry in an already-established franchise. And it just so happens that PGSM ticks all of these boxes!

In short, this show was made for me.

I'm not going to write about all of the clever things this show does because that would take far too many words. Here's my quick two cents: I think PGSM is excellent. It has flaws, and I think it only appeals to a certain type of viewer. But if you are that type of viewer, like I am, you're likely to be swept off your feet!

So yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but I love this show. It's by far the most fun I've ever had with Sailor Moon. And as is standard by now, I'm going to tell you why I feel that way under the cut.

First, I'll go over how PGSM manages to work at all. Then, I'll outline the theme; the central questions at the heart of the story. Finally, I'm going to illustrate just how well this show pulls off its primary goals---by examining the character arc of a certain old favourite of mine.

[FULL spoiler warning!]

[Word count: ~6,000]

New Kid on The Block

Ever since its inception, Sailor Moon has been an enduring presence in Japanese media and merchandising. Its presence has waxed and waned over the past decades, but it has nevertheless managed to remain incredibly successful. The original 90s manga spawned a concurrently running anime series, musicals, the Crystal anime series in the 2010s, and much more.

The fun effect of all these different versions is that each is its own thing. Even Crystal, which adheres much more closely to the manga than the 90s anime, is still different; a story can't be told the same way in every medium. This is why adaptations are difficult to do and are likely to piss off someone, regardless of intent or execution.

Smack-dab between the original and recent versions, a bold little beast emerged.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon aired from October 2003 to September 2004. Unlike the versions before and since, it's a live-action tokusatsu superhero TV series, like Super Sentai--a show the manga also drew inspiration from. This again marks a significant change when it comes to storytelling possibilities.

PGSM faces several challenges on top of that. It only exists because the musicals were so successful, yet it has a shoestring-looking budget that makes some aspects of the show look underwhelming. The lead actors were young and inexperienced, so it can take a bit for everything to click performance-wise. Lastly, the characters tend to have their faces in full view during action scenes, rendering the use of stunt doubles difficult and therefore limiting choreographic possibilities.

And yet, under the stewardship of writer Kobayashi Yasuko and a ton of passionate and experienced staff, this show found a way to stand shoulder to shoulder with beloved works of the franchise.

Let's examine how.

Limitations, Genre and Theme

If I'd given you a rundown of the obstacles PGSM faced without my glowing praise attached, you'd probably think this show was sent out to die. Maybe it was, I don't know. Perhaps someone at Toei thought it would hoover up some merchandise sales before it fell off a cliff to its pyrotechnic death!

The amazing thing about PGSM is that it takes these challenges and turns them into its greatest strengths. This is a show that understands the constraints it has to operate within. It can't compete on action and special effects, so it hones in on something it can execute well and bring a unique twist to: characters and story.

Its best claim to fame, at least in the little discussion I saw of it, is how it reworks its characters to serve a brand-new spin on a familiar narrative. But I believe this description to be...insufficient. The changes made here go beyond adjusting and emphasising personality traits. This is a paradigm shift; a top-to-bottom overhaul and a tribute to Sailor Moon all at once.

While there's still an overarching story that involves protecting the world from evil and salvaging a doomed romance from a previous life, the real meat of PGSM lies in the rich inner lives of its cast. This shifts the genre to character-driven drama with a dash of soap opera.

As a result, those aforementioned inner lives are established, built upon, and allowed to emerge and clash naturally. All the while, the characters contend with a turbulent new reality which further affects their interpersonal relationships. That in turn shifts the theme to something much more personal: past life versus current life.

What does it mean for your identity to be reborn with memories from a past life? What do you do when that past life has a stranglehold on your current one? Are you doomed to repeat the mistakes of ages past?

And what effect do these challenges have on a person's psyche?

PGSM spends its 49-episode runtime exploring these questions to the fullest. I consider it a true ensemble work, as every major character is relevant to the story and drives it forward at some point. And because each of them is unique, we're shown a full spectrum of viewpoints that are informed by personality traits and emotional baggage.

So, yeah, it's really good. Really damn good.

In fact, to demonstrate just how in-depth and detailed the characterisation is, I'm going to spend the rest of this post analysing my favourite example of a PGSM character arc: the understated and expertly-paced struggles of one Kino Makoto.

Wood and Thunder

A core part of Makoto in every version is her dual nature--possessing both traditionally masculine and feminine characteristics--and how this clashes with societal expectations. With her curly hair and long skirt, she comes across like a typical sukeban (a delinquent girl) of the time. Her imposing height, incredible strength and fighting skills confirm that image.

In truth, the sukeban resemblance is exactly that and nothing more; her hair is naturally curly and her new school doesn't have a uniform in her size. She only uses her strength to protect others. Notably, she has a romantic heart and yearns for a place to belong, perhaps even a person she can belong with.

Absolutely none of that matters to society. Through no fault of her own, people only see one side to her and assume the other doesn't exist. Prejudice and ostracisation follow.

You might think this would cause Makoto to be ashamed of her more masculine traits, but that's not the case. She might feel embarrassed by them at times, or attempt to play up her feminine side to compensate, sure. But in the end, she embraces all of these characteristics and doesn't think it's wrong to be this way. People just refuse to see the feminine side that's openly on display.

So, here we have a character with a compelling set of characteristics that can be utilised in different ways. The approach taken is something that differs per version. But like all things Sailor Moon, Makoto is a product of her time; the sukeban aspect is particularly dated.

As an early 2000s show, PGSM had a chance at a fresh start with this concept. Suffice it to say I was very interested to see how it would update Makoto to a new millennium and modify her without erasing her core traits. What I got was far more than I bargained for.

Makoto's PGSM debut gives us an effective overview of her as a person that hits many familiar beats. She protects Usagi, returns Usagi's friendliness with her own, develops a crush on a guy, and kicks ass both in and out of Senshi guise. She had her heart broken by her senpai at her previous school, but she also felt like something was urging her to come here. Now she knows why: she had comrades to meet.

This looks like a mix of Makoto's introduction in the manga and 90s anime, adapted to modern times. But all that familiarity is distracting you from something. There's actually a big deviation here, and you can see that before she even does anything.

Take a good look at this picture. Obviously the sukeban influence was removed from her design, but that's not the most important detail here. Hopefully you'll notice what I didn't:

There are no rose earrings.

Everything spirals out from there. The Makoto from the 90s was open about her femininity, but the Makoto we meet in PGSM barely shows her feminine side at all. In fact, she takes great pains to hide it.

This affects her character on a fundamental level. When she first appears, she comes across as unusually withdrawn and stoic. As is typical of the character, she swiftly opens up to Usagi and that seems to be the end of aloof Makoto. But that feminine side doesn't surface. She still dresses in unisex clothes that lean more toward masculine than feminine.

Likewise, her flat may have a few plants and a neat kitchen, but they don't take centre stage. There's a skateboard and a hat collection (my beloved!) that are displayed at the entrance. A logical location, but that also means it's the first thing you see when you enter.

So, what gives? Here's the thing: the characters in PGSM are emotionally complex. Much work and care went into characterising all of them. Because of this, the characters feel like real people. They argue, make mistakes, agonise over things... Not to say this isn't the case in other versions, but PGSM takes it further and really emphasises how vulnerable--how tragically human--these characters can be.

That's what is being tied into here. Being mistaken for a tomboy, despite being openly feminine, is an external issue. But for PGSM's Makoto, the conflict is internal. She doesn't want to be seen as feminine. When exposed or questioned, she denies it despite being a terrible liar. If the questioning continues, she actually uses her tomboy image to refute it.

She does this because her feminine side makes her vulnerable. This Makoto has been burned so many times that she's developed abandonment issues. She's one bad experience away from yet another cocktail of intense sadness and deep-seated anger. Sometimes a mere reminder is enough to get her down, too.

No one wants to feel like that. She's learnt the hard way that opening herself up to others puts her at risk. That's why she prefers to play these darker feelings close to her chest.

To demonstrate all of this, her debut episode shows us exactly how bad it can get. It puts her through an especially cruel combination of deception, humiliation and rejection, no punches pulled.

It's at this moment that Makoto has had enough. Taking this risk was a mistake and it should never be repeated. She slams the gate to her wounded heart shut and locks it tight. The walls of her inner fortress become that much higher.

Learning to lower those walls and make another try for happiness is Makoto's character arc in PGSM.

This is why she was shifted so much toward the tomboy archetype. By giving Makoto an emotional incentive to deny a part of herself, PGSM gives her a believable, deeply personal obstacle that can take her the entire show to overcome. She now has to engage with her abandonment issues in order to become the more balanced person we know she can be.

Her powers as Sailor Jupiter also connect to this: there's the explosive power of lightning on one end and the soothing aura of nature on the other. Two distinct halves that each bring their own benefits. But Makoto's starting point is pure lightning.

Multiple times throughout the show, we're shown that nature is trying to communicate with her. But because she starts out as a lightning bolt, she doesn't understand it at all. This is another avenue for self-improvement, and PGSM understands that too; it explicitly ties the awakening of a Senshi's full powers to overcoming a core character flaw.

So, given all of that, how does PGSM build on the devastation she suffered during her debut episode and the emotional consequences left in its wake?

I'm happy to report it does nothing for 24 episodes. Yes, really.

For half of the runtime, Makoto acts as the support of the group; often present, but never centre stage. Sure, she develops a dynamic with each of her new friends, and she even begins to show some of her feminine aspects as that trust grows. The more she does this, the more her affinity with nature subtly increases; she begins to use non-lightning attacks and comes ever so slightly closer to understanding what the wind and trees attempt to tell her.

But when it comes to the story, Makoto doesn't drive most of the events that occur at this point. She becomes involved, or agrees to go along with something, but rare is the instance where something happens directly because of her actions. She contributes, but she's never in the driver's seat. She's the one who helps others become better versions of themselves.

She develops, but she doesn't grow.

This delay is 100% intentional. A Makoto who's only giving, only protecting, is completely fine. There are no lingering issues she needs to deal with because they've been swept under the rug, tucked away behind the walls of her fortress. For all she reveals of herself during this time, her abandonment issues might as well not exist.

This is PGSM's devotion to character-driven storytelling and narrative consequence on full display. As Makoto ignores her emotional baggage, PGSM is likewise content to misdirect you away from it.

Cycle of Fear

It's not until episode 31 that Motoki--the most endearing turtle nerd to have ever lived--unwittingly pokes at Makoto's defences. Up until that moment, she'd first considered him an acquaintance and later a supportive friend. In other words: a safe coexistence.

The moment she realises he has a crush on her, that safety disappears and all her thoroughly-buried insecurities rush to the forefront. Her old stoicism slams into place as the mask we now know it to be and she does her best to avoid eye contact. As brash as she usually is, she now struggles with all her might to seem detached and logical. She has to; the alternative is revealing how anxious this situation makes her. Although Usagi, Ami and Rei have earned her trust, showing that most vulnerable side of herself is still a bridge too far.

She drags herself to the date (probably because Usagi wouldn't let her worm her way out of it) and spends the entire time being awkward in spite of Motoki's oblivious excitement. It's clear that her heart isn't in it, but in typical Makoto fashion, she places the needs of the kind, sensitive Motoki above her own and does her best to let the date die a natural death.

Then, a sudden connection!

Makoto is stunned at first. No one has ever said that to her. As Motoki continues to extol her virtues--half of which are about how incredibly nice she is--she lights up! Aww!

...Only for her insecurities to take over again after an offhand mention of parents by Motoki, because PGSM is a story about fallible human beings. She immediately attempts to leave and is only stopped by a nosey Luna. It's impossible for Motoki not to notice something's off at this point. Keen for clarity, he decides to confess his feelings when they're not surrounded by other people. Makoto rejects him--by denying her femininity.

This is a direct result of Makoto's actions in the first half of the show. When she started to open up to her friends, she could've taken it further and started to navigate her issues. Her friends could've helped her. Instead, she chose to pretend that there was nothing to fix.

Now here she is. Avoidance--her first line of defence--has failed. Her second wall, rationalisation, has also been bypassed. Emotionally cornered, she falls back on the same defence mechanism she used at the start: denial wrapped up in irrational beliefs and low self-esteem.

"I'm really strong and get into fights. People are scared of me. That means I'm actually not feminine at all and what you saw was an anomaly. And because I'm not feminine, I'm not dating material."

By maintaining her tomboy image and denying her feminine attributes, this reasoning allows her to pre-emptively sabotage any blossoming relationship for herself. While this might bring relief in the short term, it's also the very thing that keeps her from happiness. Makoto is the Senshi of courage, but here she demonstrates how afraid she truly is.

Motoki seems to recognise this on some level. To him, Makoto is a strong, confident person. But she's also reserved in a way, and now that the emotional mess underneath is being dragged into the light, it's clear she's like that for a reason. He sees her for who she truly is and he likes what he sees, but she's not in a good enough place, mentally, to see that too. So he does the only thing he can do: he gives her space. He reassures her that she is feminine and then leaves her be.

"Why?"

This is the question that has plagued her for years. Uttered by a young Makoto and echoed by her present self, this representation of her thoughts comes up whenever loss or rejection hits. What matters here is the context: for once, it's Makoto who did the rejecting. She's in control.

So then, why does this still happen?

This is one of the uncommon moments where PGSM engages in subtlety. We don't get a definitive answer here. Makoto asks, "Why?" but we don't know what that refers to in this moment. We have to infer that ourselves.

My reading is as follows: "I rejected him before he could reject me. I removed him from my life before I could lose him. So why does it hurt? Why do I feel sad?"

During the subsequent fight against a powerful Youma, the other Senshi are held up and she ends up cornered and alone. It's an all too familiar scenario. She flashes back to all of the people she's lost.

Motoki shows up too, but he's almost impossible to make out.

At that very moment, the wind picks up around her. She lets out a breath in awe, gazing up at the swaying branches as the wind seems to communicate something. And then she awakens. Although she still summons a lightning attack, it's now taken on a green colour, signifying a new equilibrium.

When the others ask her what triggered it, Makoto naturally tells them the lesson of this episode: that she had to acknowledge her feminine side and truly open herself up to being loved--

--Wha...?

Yeah, you're seeing that right. Makoto just learnt the wrong lesson.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted by this outcome. Deep down, as much as she wants to refute it, Makoto needs companionship, people to belong with. It's a core aspect of her character! It makes no sense for her to gain power from solitude.

However... If you think about it, why wouldn't this be her takeaway? She was alone and she made sure to sabotage her relationship with Motoki before it could go anywhere, so this is the only logical explanation, right? Her powers awakened, so the narrative is proving her correct as well.

Except no, the narrative is simply adhering to the consequences of her actions. By coming to the wrong conclusion, Makoto has once again delayed her growth.

For the next 13 (!) episodes, Makoto seems to be okay again. She easily slips back into her role of casual, friendly and supportive friend. But something's changed: Usagi, Ami and Rei have glimpsed Makoto's scars, and they're not content to let her ignore them.

They attempt to challenge her new outlook, but Makoto's resolve is ironclad. Even when she's forced to reveal her secret identity to Motoki, she still reiterates her rejection of him. What's worse, she now she has an extra defence: her duties as a Senshi. Although Motoki still carries a torch for her, he resigns himself to supporting her as best he can.

Still, despite her determination in this matter, Makoto herself has changed as well. There's conflict and pain present whenever she's forced to acknowledge her decisions. And ever since the start of episode 31, she can't help but look sombre whenever something reminds her of her parents. Somehow, despite her best efforts to repair the holes in her walls, some cracks have remained.

All of this comes to a head when Makoto's character arc collides with Minako's.

Diminishing The Self

Ever since the girls found out they were reborn after their past lives ended in disaster, they've been grappling with PGSM's theme more and more. With their past swiftly squeezing the life out of their present, each of them is forced to form an opinion: How much do their past lives affect their present lives? How much should it affect them in the first place? And what do you do?

Here's our spectrum: On one extreme we have Rei, who's become resentful of her past life and rejects it completely. She asserts that she is her own person and that her past life shouldn't dictate who she is and how she acts now. Makoto's stance is adding fuel to that fire. When Minako counters her coup with one of her own, Rei is kicked out and decides to fight on separately.

At the other extreme stands Minako. Diagnosed with a terminal illness that she has almost no hope of curing, she's completely rejected her present life and is devoted to completing the mission from her past life. She won't be around for much longer and she's determined to save the world as much as possible before she dies. She asserts authority over the Senshi for the sake of the mission.

Usagi and Ami fall between these two polar opposites. Usagi is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess and is literally anchored to the past life through her Silver Crystal. She can't deny that her current existence has been heavily shaped by the past. But she's also determined to prevent a repeat of the past, even if it's the hardest thing she's ever done. She works hard at controlling her emotions and is convinced she and Mamoru will succeed.

Ami's current circumstances don't seem to be shaped as much by her past life, so she's the most neutral out of all of them. But as someone who was turned to evil and emerged a changed person, it's hard to deny: Their lives have been affected by the past and it's necessary to acknowledge that. What to do with that information is something she doesn't have the answer to. She fights alongside Minako and Makoto, but stays in touch with Rei.

Makoto has been firmly in the 'this mission is paramount' camp from the start, but not to the extreme that Minako is. You see, Minako almost always chooses to refer to them by their Senshi monikers. Makoto doesn't; she and her three friends always refer to each other by their present life names, even during battle. This is a conscious change that establishes their current identities as distinct from their past selves.

But remember, Makoto came here because she was meant to. She was meant to meet her comrades. She was destined to be alone, so she could listen to nature and let it lead her to her true purpose in life.

So when Minako tells her she's so devoted to the mission that she will cast aside her life to complete it, Makoto can't help but be stirred. Finally, with Minako's help, she realises that the truth is even simpler than she thought: She's always been alone because her current life isn't what truly matters. She exists to carry out her duties, regardless of the personal cost.

This is the final piece of the puzzle for both her and us. Her shift to a tomboy archetype, her character arc and the theme of the show all combine here.

For years, Makoto has been haunted by something: "Why?" Why was she left to suffer all alone? Why was she abandoned over and over?

Then this Senshi business comes along, and with it comes a duty and moniker from a past life. For Usagi, this upheaval of her identity is upsetting. But for Makoto, it's a comfort. Being a Senshi gives her purpose, stability and even friends. For someone who's sorely lacked all of that for years, this development is nothing short of a godsend.

And so, from the very beginning, she took this newfound 'destiny' and ran with it. This was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she crafted her entire outlook around that. Heartbroken and expelled from school? That was just another way to get her to where she needed to be. Her powers awaken while she's dwelling on how she always ends up alone? Obviously that isolation was also intended.

From there, it's a hop, skip and a jump to what she's doing in this scene: discarding her current identity in favour of her past one. She perfectly expresses this by (in the next episode) copying Minako's statement: she might die, but "Jupiter won't disappear". Kino Makoto is a shell to house Sailor Jupiter, and shells are expendable.

This is Makoto at her most extreme. She's always downplayed her own importance and achievements, and now here she is, downplaying her very existence. No individual, only the greater good.

It doesn't even matter that Minako lied to them about her identity, illness and powers. Makoto understands by this point that a secret can be kept for good reasons; she's done it herself. If anything, Minako's deception and her ensuing burdens feed Makoto's view of her as a martyr and a leader.

By choosing to follow that example, Makoto joins Minako on the very extreme of the thematic (past life versus current life) spectrum. In turn, Minako gains the staunchest of allies--but she fails to realise how thoroughly Makoto has just been primed for the pinnacle of martyrdom.

A powerful Youma attacks. When Makoto, Ami and Luna wound it, Metalia possesses it, scaling its power beyond that of the Senshi to overcome. Minako can't transform. Ami and Luna have been knocked out of their Senshi forms and can't fight anymore.

Metalia is about to win. They're going to fail.

Makoto decides to fulfil her purpose. She grabs hold of the Youma and overloads herself with lightning, creating an explosion that annihilates them both.

Minako calls out to the person--not the Senshi--in front of her.

True Courage

Makoto wakes up in a hotel room, wounded but alive, watched over by Minako. The Youma threw her off at the last second, saving both of their lives. Makoto only laments her failure; she doesn't even seem to care that she almost died. In fact, she outright states that she was meant to be alone so that her possible death wouldn't make anyone sad.

Minako has been horrified by this entire ordeal and that feeling only grows with every sentence Makoto utters. When Makoto explains she was fulfilling her past life's mission, it hits Minako like a ton of bricks: this is her doing. By influencing Makoto in this direction, she almost had Makoto's blood on her hands.

She tries to sway Makoto from a repeat attempt, but is taken aback when Makoto unintentionally throws every single one of her own arguments back in her face. When she claims that her own situation is different, Makoto looks her squarely in the eyes and says, "A life's a life. They're all the same."

Minako doesn't deny it. She can't. How could anyone refuse such a simple, factual statement when it comes from someone as forthright as Makoto?

It proves impossible to change Makoto's mind, so she changes tactics. Rather than challenge Makoto's standpoint directly, she questions one of its cornerstones instead. She does so by revealing that Makoto had muttered Motoki's name in her sleep. Perhaps, she posits, Makoto is more tied to the present than she believes herself to be.

This succeeds in shaking Makoto's beliefs. Minako leaves her to her thoughts, victorious in a way, but her own conviction was caught in the crossfire. While Rei's insistence opened the way, she was also easy to dig in her heels against. Makoto, on the other hand, has fundamentally disproven Minako's views by agreeing with her. In that suicide attack, she saw first-hand the logical endpoint of her own ideology. She's more than a little disturbed.

It's the opening Artemis needs, even though he doesn't know it's there. When he subsequently shows her how much joy and comfort her songs bring to others, she finally realises what she's been missing in herself. Her current life does have value, her achievements do matter, and she shouldn't dismiss them so flippantly. She should love herself, love the person she is now.

In the following battle, she awakens her full powers and transforms. The Senshi are finally united for good.

Now that Minako has admitted to herself that she also resents the past life for what it's done to her, Makoto has become the new extreme on the thematic spectrum. However, Minako's revelation is forcing her to reconcile conflicting truths. She awakened because she was alone. But if Motoki's still on her mind like that, if he's still part of her life like that, then she's not alone. If she's not alone, then her reasoning is intrinsically flawed.

When she sees Motoki in a Youma-induced coma, the question of "Why?" returns for the final time. And then she sees him, clearly this time.

In that moment, she realises all of her beliefs were wrong. She didn't reject Motoki, she lost him through self-sabotage. Foiling a possible relationship didn't work; he'd cracked her armour before then. Their connection was gradually built up over the entire show and came cocooned in comfortable friendship, the only type of connection she did allow.

When that connection touched her heart and stirred something more, that was when she unlocked her full potential. He cares about her, the real her, not the skewed facade she puts on. She's not alone anymore. When she told herself that she was alone and always had been, and the wind rustled the leaves, that was nature calling her out on her self-deception.

But why did that self-deception even occur? She didn't need to draw this conclusion from the start, did she? Unfortunately, she did. That's the final, heartbreaking part: Being a Senshi was the ultimate coping mechanism.

There's a reason this shot is repeated multiple times:

Makoto was constantly looking back at the past, looking for answers. Because her abandonment issues went unresolved, that question of "Why?" was burning a hole in her. She was desperate for a reason, any reason, so she could understand. If her hardship and loneliness were predetermined and in service to this all-important duty, then being a Senshi justified her suffering. She craved that more than anything. No wonder she transformed without even questioning it.

And hey, if that duty meant she had to avoid the type of relationship that terrified her most of all, well... That was a happy coincidence, wasn't it?

Fortunately, for all the trouble her uncompromising, black-and-white outlook has brought her, that same determination also allows her to accept this new truth in an instant. She screwed up big-time, but as long as she lives and breathes, she can work to set things right.

She strokes Motoki's hand and runs off to join the fray--not to throw herself at the enemy through all her lifetimes, but to protect those who are dear to her now. After the fight, she looks at the turtle-shaped charm Motoki bought her and smiles, allowing herself to dream of the future for the first time.

Minako passes away the next episode, but she does so with no regrets. Although grief follows, that final unifying moment, jump-started by Makoto, was enough. Ami, Rei and Makoto head off to the finale together, as a true team, never losing sight of what's important to them.

PGSM is exceedingly compelling to me, and the structure of this character arc exemplifies why. Makoto learns the wrong lesson three times: when she first becomes Sailor Jupiter, when she awakens her full power, and when she embraces Minako's ideology to an unhealthy degree.

Not only does PGSM allow her to miss the mark so spectacularly, it also gives her the time to deny and then address her irrational beliefs in a plausible manner. Moreover, because she and Minako drive each other to unlearn their internalised misconceptions, Makoto gives both Minako and the story one of the last pushes they need.

The last we see of Makoto's new and improved self, in relation to romance, is her final encounter with Motoki in the show. She shows him she's attached his cute turtle charm to her wallet, out there for everyone to see. Motoki treats it with cautious optimism, then relief. It's a deliberate signal: Makoto is open to new possibilities now. Maybe they can try again. They laugh a little, sharing their first comfortable moment together in this context.

Sadly, likely due to a few cut episodes, this is the last we see of them. Makoto's character arc is definitely complete, but because the ending shows the Senshi alone before they meet up with Usagi again, her relationship status with Motoki is left ambiguous.

But not to worry! Due to the success of the show's DVD sales during its runtime, both a special prequel and sequel act were produced! The sequel act is a 1-hour movie that shows us where everyone ended up four years later.

In that time, Makoto has undergone a significant transformation. In the show, her dreams for the future were never even mentioned. But here, we find out she's studying floral design, something that she's obviously passionate about. Reaching for happiness indeed.

On the wardrobe side, she still owns unisex clothes (you see this when she charges off to the action portion of the movie), but otherwise her femininity is on full display. A blouse, an embroidered shirt, even a bright yellow skirt, it's all there. Not to mention the stunning dress she wears at Usagi's wedding. And to symbolise how full-circle we've come, she's even wearing earrings!

Her flat has likewise seen major changes. The skateboard and my beloved hats have been moved to make way for what appears to be storage (a fulfilling life can result in extra possessions!) and a picture of something nature-y on the wall. And the room is now filled with plants!

All of these differences stack up. The flat looks...filled, for lack of a better term. It started out rather sparse in her debut episode, but back then she'd just moved in and probably hadn't finished unpacking yet. However, even after she gained more possessions, there were parts that felt like they had just a little bit of empty space to them. Now the entire space is lavishly furnished!

Speaking of which, there's a large stuffed turtle on her sofa, indicating she and Motoki have pursued their relationship and now live together. This is later confirmed when she takes Motoki's car--which she had the keys for--to save Usagi and Mamoru.

At the very end of the epilogue, Motoki clumsily but earnestly asks Makoto for her hand in marriage. And Makoto, overwhelmed and overjoyed, accepts. She's the only version of the character to have achieved this.

It's immensely satisfying seeing a character brought so low, only for them to soar higher than ever before. This Makoto has undergone an immense personal journey. There's no telling what kinds of challenges she might need to overcome in the years to come, but she's already climbed this mountain. Perhaps there's nothing she can't do. And no matter what, she'll always have someone at her side. She'll never be alone again.

I love it. I love all of it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is my favourite take on Makoto in the franchise. She's the best, and PGSM is the best for treating her with the nuance and maturity she deserves! Bravo!

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That's the end of this post! It was meant to be way shorter, but I suppose that was an exercise in futility. If you made it all the way here, thank you very much!

I know I just said PGSM was the best. This is a subjective statement. PGSM is far and away my favourite incarnation of Sailor Moon, but I hold to what I said at the start: Every version is different, and I think that's great. We all enjoy media differently; the more people that can find a version of Sailor Moon befitting their preferences, the better.

It just so happens that PGSM was made for me! And hey, if you've never watched it before, or you dropped it like I first did, maybe it's worth another try. You never know, it might just be your thing too.

Like a certain person once sang:

~Just like predictable movies and books are boring When life is a little bit off, it might be more fun~