#but proceeding to defend a character WHO IS NOT A REAL PERSON

[metalcorebarbie]

i do find it so baffling and weird when people start defending fictional characters like they are real people, like, i genuinely do not get the point?

[moeblob]

Ringleader (Fake) : I'm just so cute and tiny! Who can say! Ringleader (Real) : ...wait, he's not bisexual? Fake: what? Real: what?

[fairestwriting]

Hello 👋 could I please request headcanons for leona's fem s/o defending him everytime one of the other characters start making backhanded comments to his face (if you've seen some of the vignettes you'll know what I mean) she doesn't reveal things like he's depressed or anything (tho he is) she just tells them it's shitty of them calling him lazy/selfish constantly without even knowing him personally

[Everyone treats leona like crap and I take personal offense to it >:( ]

You know i make fun of him on a regular basis. but theres a line thats gotta be drawn when it comes to leona bullying. cause damn this guy needs a real Break he cant even have issues in peace

𐙚 Leona Kingscholar

Before you got closer to him, there’s a fair chance the comments didn’t even stand out to you at all. It always felt a little unfair, yes, but not in a way that was particularly shocking, they were all just rude comments like any other. Back when you weren’t quite friends yet, and maybe even at the start of your friendship, you might have interjected with a simple ”hey, he’s not that bad” or "you don’t need to be rude about it”. It was just a gesture of basic politeness then, something the people around you seemed to lack.

But obviously, your perception of those interactions, and the way you see Leona’s situation itself, soon went through a rather radical change. Possibly even before you two started dating, or even before he “told you too much” — His own words, mumbled dismissively but bitterly, the day he came back after spending a weekend with his family and then proceeded to complain for a little longer than usual — As he warmed up to you, you started to notice things about him more. You started to see the spark of actual passion he has in his eyes during his club activities, the level of detail he gets into when analyzing things, the precise way he moved his chess pieces when you two played...

Above all, though, you started to notice how he often looked actually tired when he took part in any of the “slacking” he’s so infamous for. Learning the littlest bit more about his family life just worked as the final piece of the puzzle you’d been putting together without even noticing — And then, other people’s “rudeness” started to sound like something much more cruel. It didn’t help that he never seemed to react to it whenever he overheard others gossiping, or whenever you told him about the things you heard. “Why doesn’t he care?” The thought would echo in your mind for ages, trying to understand him through the tiny slivers of vulnerability he didn’t mean to show.

Now, as his girlfriend, you feel you just can’t let people say whatever they want, and you feel it more strongly than you ever have. ”Why don’t you mind your own business instead of talking about someone you don’t really know?” You snap back on instinct when one of your classmates, who was in Savanaclaw, comments on how lazy their dorm leader is. Their mouth closes instantly, regardless if you’ve made your relationship public or not — You realize that, on top of all the negative treatment Leona got, it was also extremely rare for others to defend him in any way at all. Enough that even a response that simple elicits shock from others.

”You know, it’s crazy to see you hanging out with Leona like that. I never thought I'd see anyone get so excited to spend time with him.” You hear some other day, while spending time in Savanaclaw’s common area, sat right next to Leona, and it just makes your blood boil. He’s just half-glaring at your particularly cocky acquaintance, sighing like he’s heard it a million times before, which you know he probably has. ”Hey, make sure you don’t get too influenced, we don’t need another person who just sleeps all day—”

”Yeah, you’re right. This type of person can be such a pain. I’m so glad I don’t know anyone who’s, you know, actually like that.” You say through grit teeth, just barely holding back aggression, and in the corner of your vision, the subtle flash of surprise in Leona’s face only encourages you to continue. ”Imagine if like, the Magift team had this sort of player in it… the club would be done for.”

They stare at you with wide eyes, having very much picked up on the aggression. The entire room is silent, you refuse to break eye contact, arms firmly crossed. ”Well, I mean…” The student stammers, but then, Leona himself speaks up for once. ”Did you not get her message? You need me to tell you to shut up instead?” He snaps, and they frantically shake their head, eyes fixed on the ground. You feel pride swelling in your chest, almost unable to hold back your smile.

”You know, Herbivore, if I needed a bodyguard I’d already have one.” He tells you later, in that same day. His tone has that snarky edge that feels like his default, but it’s much less pronounced than usual. You can even see a sort of softness in his eyes while he tries to play it cool. But needing and deserving are two different things, you think. As interactions like these repeat, with you defending him every time, you hope your message fully gets through to him, one day.

if you like my work you can support me by commissioning me or tipping me on ko-fi ── ᵎᵎ ✦

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Legal Thrillers

Legal thrillers - a fiction genre that focuses on crimes, courtroom scenes, and the legal system in general.

Legal thriller authors often source their protagonists from the key players in a court of law such as a district attorney, a defense attorney, corporate litigators, personal injury lawyers, judges, and jurors.

Legal thriller novels feature all the same stakes as standard fiction—strong protagonists, rising action, conflict, riveting climaxes—while decidedly orienting themselves in the realm of the law.

For decades, readers have responded to this genre and made legal thriller books continual bestsellers—particularly in the world of mass-market paperbacks.

Common Characteristics of Legal Thrillers

Legal thriller books vary in length and subject matter, but they tend to feature three common elements.

Main characters who work in the legal field: Legal thriller protagonists tend to be judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, or jurors. They can also be citizens accused of crimes or accusing others of crimes. This grounding in the world of courts and the law distinguishes legal thrillers from other genres.

Mystery and twists: Some legal thrillers are murder mysteries, where a killer's identity is unknown for much of the novel. Others feature wrongfully accused people, and readers must delve deep into the book to discover the true perpetrators. Readers are drawn to legal thrillers containing twists and surprises, and these twists usually involve criminal activity.

A sense of justice: Justice tends to be a prevailing theme in legal thrillers. While main characters may strive for other things as well—like romantic fulfillment and personal glory—they are often driven by an overriding need for justice. Sometimes justice takes the form of court verdicts; other times it manifests as revenge on perpetrators.

Tips for Legal Thriller Writers

Legal thrillers' enduring success in the world of new books, mass-market paperbacks, audiobooks, and film adaptations makes it an alluring genre for new writers. Keep the following tips in mind as you write a legal thriller novel of your own.

Research the law. The American legal system encompasses federal law, state and municipal law, and even tenets of English common law. Make sure you have a clear grasp of the laws and court proceedings you choose to feature in your novel.

Focus on story and character. The elements that drive the best legal thriller books are those that drive any good novel. Three-dimensional main characters with relatable emotions, a plot that progresses forward, and a setting that feels grounded all make for a compelling story. Details about civil procedure or criminal law add depth to legal thrillers, but avoid overwhelming the reader with legal minutia.

Write with a plan. Legal thrillers must piece together like a puzzle, such that when a reader gets to the end, the climax feels appropriately set up by the story that preceded it. Too many red herrings or a deus ex machina ending can make for an unsatisfying reading experience. Instead, aim to craft a legal thriller like a puzzle or an architectural blueprint where every component plays a role in the final payoff.

Examples of Legal Thrillers

The best legal thriller books combine the courtroom drama with the real emotions and motivations that drive so much memorable fiction.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960): The modern-day American love affair with legal thrillers can trace its roots back to Lee's 1960 classic. On its surface, it is a coming-of-age story about a young girl, Scout Finch, in a small town. Yet its endurance owes to a legal trial in which Scout's father, Atticus, defends a Black man named Tom Robinson who has been wrongly accused of sexual assault by a white woman. The book remains a mainstay of school reading curricula.

A Time to Kill by John Grisham (1989): John Grisham has penned a number of legal bestsellers including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury, and Sycamore Row. Yet many readers turn to his 1989 debut, A Time to Kill, as a touchstone of contemporary legal thrillers. In it, a Black man named Carl Lee Hailey enacts revenge on two white supremacists who raped his daughter. Carl's murder case is handled by white attorney Jake Brigance, whom Grisham modeled on himself when he was fresh out of law school.

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (1987): Before John Grisham dominated the landscape of legal thrillers, Scott Turow supercharged the genre with this 1987 tale of Rožat "Rusty" Sabich, a prosecutor in fictional Kindle County, Illinois. Accused of the graphic murder of a colleague and one-time lover, Rusty must battle to clear his name and track down the real killer of his colleague.

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (2005): Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller—the half-brother of another Connelly character, LAPD detective Harry Bosch—operates his law practice out of his Lincoln Town Car. Like Atticus Finch, Haller is called upon to save a wrongly accused man, and in doing so he uncovers unspeakable criminal activity.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[qvigleys]

yet again i find myself crying over misty quigley!

(rant incoming because her character means so so very much to me)

i actually cannot tolerate misty slander sorry not sorry. i can recognize some of her moral flaws, of course. but no character in this show is perfect, just like how no human in general is perfect. my love for her is mostly based in how much of myself i see in her, so a lot of this is definitely very biased, and is all just opinions.

the very first scene we see her in is her loudly cheering for a team she’s barely apart of. she is quite literally on the sidelines, yet she shows no jealously or resentment towards those that are fully involved. she’s just genuinely happy to be there, and have some resemblance of closeness to girls her age. don’t even get me started on the phone call scene??? (i will get myself started actually) she is so outwardly bullied, and it is so incredibly sad. bullying is unfortunately just the reality for so many people - myself included, which just makes it all the more real and raw. something that really stood out to me especially was the line about misty wishing someone would do anal to her, and then proceeding to call her “too ugly to find a victim”. SO HEARTBREAKING AND SO REAL. the pure look of defeat on her face actually makes my soul shatter into a billion pieces, because i know that feeling all too well. and the fact that she latches onto crystal so quickly is likely a direct product of not having very many - if any - friends. or at least that’s how i’ve found myself functioning. someone shows her the smallest bit of affection, care, and attention, and she grasps onto it so incredibly hard. to the point where she finds herself sharing her most personal and serious secrets, that she very clearly did not plan on sharing. it was almost automatic for her. she spilled her guts to the first person who would genuinely listen.

her canon backstory so far is very minimal, so a lot of this is just speculation and my own personal thoughts, but i do truly believe misty has very deep familial trauma. shauna’s line in one of the recent episodes about someone or something having warped her (misty) really stuck out to me. specifically the way she starts it with “your parents”, and proceeds to say that someone must have done something really bad to her. this could very well explain so many of her character traits and actions throughout the show.

whenever anyone brings up the rat scene, or her destroying the black box, all i can think about is the fact that we have no context behind either of those!!! the rat scene, while off-putting, could have a much deeper meaning and history behind it that we just don’t know yet. which is why i find it so unfair that people see that one scene and form a negative opinion about her. they’ll see that and call misty a horrible psycho, but then watch taissa be directly responsible for allie breaking her leg and showing next to no remorse, and draw no conclusions from that. (this is not taissa hate - i love tai dearly) as for misty destroying the black box, do you realize the things she must have gone through/must have been feeling in order to even feel the need to do that?? and it’s not like she would have known everything that would proceed to happen over the next nineteen months. it’s not like she wanted people to die, and get eaten, and for them all to descend into madness. i believe she finally thought she could be useful in the wilderness. she would finally have a role to fill, and have something to be good at. something people would praise her for. an environment where people would finally appreciate her, and what she had to offer.

i don’t think it’s fair to judge misty so harshly, while praising other characters (and ignoring/defending their obvious flaws) who have literally done equally as heinous things. after all, this is a show that is literally rooted in cannibalism and forest cults!!!! pick your favourite character that has most definitely done atrocious things, and move on. let’s all hold hands and be nice to each other please and thank you!!!

okay rant over!!! (if you actually read this whole thing you seriously deserve a medal. this is all gibberish, and incoherent nonsense that has been brought on by my insane hyperfixation on misty quigley. there was probably nothing of substance in that whole rant. anyways thank you :-))

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Okay, I’ve been considering it for quite a bit and I think that if Tumblr existed in Japanifornia… most of us would probably not be aware of the series’ main characters.

Like, lawyers just don’t tend to be high-profile publicly-known figures. Even within True Crime communities or the coverage of high-public-interest cases, people don’t tend to focus on the lawyers as much more than a representative of the defendant and the legal system as a whole. And yeah, you can say this is just because real-life lawyers are Boring and if they did the kind of Bonkers Shit AA Lawyers do we would pay attention to them… but we do actually have textual evidence that Japanifornia treats lawyers not-too-differently than real life.

Mia’s murder, and probably the uncovering of all of Bluecorp’s dirty dealing, was highly talked about, but Phoenix’s actions in court went kinda ignored. And note that this is the case where Phoenix literally defended himself and broke the Demon Prosecutor’s five years winning streak, and that wasn’t enough to draw eyes to his part in this whole case. 

And that’s also generally consistent with how characters treat Phoenix throughout the rest of the games. By the AJ Trilogy era, it’s clear that Phoenix has made quite a name for himself… in the legal world. If you are yourself a lawyer or another sort of legal professional or just unusually interested in court proceeding, you know the name ‘Phoenix Wright’ 

But if you’re just a regular person who cares about the law the Regular Amount, you probably have no idea who this is.

So I’d guess most of Japanifornian Tumblr would probably be aware of a lot of the cases in the games, especially considering how many of them concern, like, corporate corruption and organized crime and legal corruption and international politics and the entertainment industry and other such stuff that makes it likely to get national/international news coverage. And also so many of them are so bizarre and wacky and are thus prime meme fodder…

But most people wouldn’t necessarily know the name of the lawyer the Nickel Samurai blackmailed to defend him after he ordered an assassin to kill the Jammin’ Ninja, or even how involved that lawyer actually was in Matt Engarde’s downfall.

But there would probably be a small mini-fandom of Tumblrina Lawyers and other legal nerds who are ABSOLUTELY obsessed with the WAA, and trying to collect any piece of info they can find about their adventures. 

(That’s also another aspect to consider, the general public in Japanifornia does not have full knowledge of everything we get to see in the game. News coverage of the smaller cases would be extremely minimal and very regional - and even the bigger cases probably won’t give you a full line-by-line record of everything that happened in Court. Apollo Justice was, like, the Biggest Phoenix Wright Stan in the Universe and he had very choppy and partial knowledge of the Gramarye Trial. We have to consider that even folks who are trying to keep track of the AA Lawyers in-universe would not get the full picture from the media. And that’s before we get into fake news and rumors.)

And meanwhile, the rest of Tumblr would probably treat that Fandom the same sort of bemused delight we give to, like, the extremely dedicated gimmick blogs. Like, you’d probably see less posts about Phoenix and Co. as you’d see posts memeing about the fact there’s a Tumblr Fandom for ‘some random law agency in Japanifornia’, they’d be like five thousands people in the notes going “There’s a Tumblr Fandom for WHAT? WHY IS THIS THE FIRST TIME I’M HEARING ABOUT THIS??” and then one person from the WAA fandom going “NO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS IS THE GUY WHO UNCOVERED THE PHANTOM HE’S JUMPED OFF A BURNING BRIDGE ONCE YOU LITERALLY TALKED ABOUT A TRIAL HE DID YESTERDAY YOU JUST DON’T KNOW HE WAS INVOLVED”. 

Now, that’s all for the Defense Attorneys. The Prosecutors have a bit more publicity. I mean, Phoenix literally heard about Prosecutor Edgeworth on the news.

But also… I do think this publicity is highly regional. Like, Phoenix ended up stumbling on newspaper coverage of Miles because he lives in the same city as him. I’m guessing that most of the series’ Prosecutors are at least casually known not just to Legal Folks, but also generally to people within Los Angetokyo and people involved in Japanifornian Politics… but also not much outside of that sphere either. Again, the series does establish that they are not that well-known amongst laypeople even when they are famous amongst other lawyers

And are generally recognized by fellow legal professionals and journalists and people involved in criminal activity. So the situation with them won’t be that different than with the WAA, they might be a tad more high-profile, depending on how many Tumblr users are specifically from Japaniforina and wanna make memes about the local politics… but those who will get really invested in their misadventures won’t be that different from the kind of people who’d get really into Phoenix Wright. 

Klavier is the obvious exception. Like most Famous Lawyers, he’s actually primarily famous for something other than law. It’s just that in his case, instead of politics, it’s being a world-famous rock star. There’s plenty of textual evidence that the Gavinners are an actual household name and they’d probably have a pretty sizable Tumblr Fandom, but… well… while I assume any casual Gavinner fan knows that Klavier is also a Prosecutor, I’d guess only the insanely dedicated fans and the Haters looking for something problematic would actually start digging into the records of the cases he worked on. But then again, Tumblr does have a lot of insanely dedicated fans and Haters, so maybe Legal Misadventures Involving Klavier would be kinda mainstream on Japanifornia Tumblr.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Putting aside all of the jokes and technicalities and such…do you think Marinette is a stalker?

Buckle up folks, this is gonna be a long one.

Personal Bias

When I was 14-years-old, a "friend" of mine got a crush on me and I made it clear that I wasn't interested. He then proceeded to follow me around school, often blocking my path so I couldn't go anywhere without talking to him. He knew I was uncomfortable with this, but refused to stop until I got school authorities involved. By the time it was all over, he basically had a school-imposed restraining order where he wasn't allowed to go near me unless he wanted detention.

When I was 16, another "friend" was so upset that I was dating someone who wasn't him that he figured out how to get into my school email and, through that, one of my socials. He proceeded to try to break me and my boyfriend up. He almost succeeded.

When a male friend of mine was around 16, he turned down a girl who had a crush on him. She and her friends proceeded to harass him on a consistent basis because she knew his schedule and used it to trap him in certain spots like when he was waiting for the bus. They wouldn't stop no matter what he did or said. It only stopped when school officials got involved.

When my cousin was in high school, a boy started following her home every day. It got so bad that the cops were called, but they refused to do anything because he wasn't "threatening enough." Her family had to move and switch what school she went to in order to get away from him.

As you may know, I have seen Miraculous. So has my male friend. So has my cousin. We were all some level of fan at one point or another and have talked about the show critically together. Guess who didn't phase any of us?

Marinette.

Stalking 101

Definition One

Stalking is pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress. (Source)

Definition Two

“Stalking is a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear,” according to the Department of Justice. Similar to crimes of sexual violence, stalking is about power and control.

Stalking laws and definitions differ from state to state. Stalking behavior can take many forms including:

Making threats against someone, or that person's family or friends

Non-consensual communication, such as repeated phone calls, emails, text messages, and unwanted gifts

Repeated physical or visual closeness, like waiting for someone to arrive at certain locations, following someone, or watching someone from a distance

Any other behavior used to contact, harass, track, or threaten someone

(Source)

Marinette Overview

When I say that Marinette isn't a stalker, this isn't me blindly defending my favorite character*. It's me considering her against the real-life stalkers I have actually dealt with as well as professional discussion on what stalking is and why it happens. When I look at those and then look at Marinette, she just doesn't fit the label.

"Stalker" is not a synonym for "creep." It's a term for specific patterns and types of behavior. When people use the term "stalker" for her, it never seems to come from some deep nuanced argument about her overall behavior. It comes from a handful of scenes where the writers absolutely take her too far. Those scenes understandably creep some viewers out. If those viewers just called her "creepy," then I wouldn't argue against them. Instead, they slap the "stalker" label on Marinette and call it a day without a second thought. I find that incredibly annoying in an analytical context and incredibly unappealing in a writing context for reasons we'll get to at the end.

That doesn't mean that I agree with Marinette's every action. The writers have made her do some extremely questionable things and I'm happy to criticize those moments! But, while I will happily agree that individual episodes take her too far, the overall picture doesn't fit a stalker even if you take things at face value and pretend that nothing is a joke/ignore that Miraculous is a comedy which is not how good analysis works. Ignoring the fact that Miraculous is a comedy shows poor media literacy and is another reason I can't take the stalker claims seriously.

If Marinette is a stalker, then every adult who showed up at Adrien's house in Party Crasher needs to be arrested because wtf were they doing showing up to a party thrown by unchaperoned 14-year-olds? If we take that episode seriously, then it's super creepy! But it's clearly not meant to be taken seriously because this is a comedy. The adults showing up was just done to make Adrien's party seem insane, not concerning like it would be in the real world. If you can wrap your head around that, but you're also trying to argue that Marinette's behavior in this episode was "problematic," then I just can't take you seriously. Pick a lane. Either all of the jokes are serious character beats or none of them are.

Marinette Analysis

To really dig into this, let's quickly look at a few of Marinette's worst behaviors and talk about why they don't set off my alarm bells for her character being a stalker. As we go over these, I want you to keep two things in mind:

stalking is about patterns of behavior not one-off bad choices

stalkers use stalking as a way to control and own their victims

Following Adrien Around

If Marinette were written as a stalker, she'd be doing this on the daily. She'd follow Adrien home every time we see him go home. She'd be at every one of his outdoor photo shoots. She'd transform into Ladybug and use binoculars to watch him in his room. But she doesn't. Most of the time, Marinette is happily living her life while Adrien lives his. She's more likely to watch his commercials than watch him which is not how stalkers work. That is how you write a fan, not a stalker.

There are a few episodes that do have Marinette follow him around, but it's always done as a way to start the plot and never as a fun little character beat like Marinette making Tikki hats. Even then, I think the Shanghai special is the only time when Marinette just randomly follows him somewhere to be with him (it's her most stalkerish moment, imo, but it's quite notably a one-time thing). Most of the time, there's an inciting incident that leads her to follow him for some reason other than just watching Adrien.

For example, Oni-Chan has Lila being creepy and lying her way into Adrien's home, leading Marinette to follow to see what's going on. That's not stalker behavior. That's comedically exaggerated concerned friend behavior. I could see Alya or Nino doing the same thing if they were allowed to be smart when Lila was around.

Sneaking into Adrien's Home

Once again, this doesn't happen in most episodes. I can only think of four out of 125: Chat Blanc, Party Crasher, Oni-Chan, and Gabriel Agreste. In each of these episodes, Marinette sneaks into the mansion - or tries to sneak into the mansion - because of some sort of mission or special circumstances and not as part of her normal behavior. For example, Chat Blanc is arguably the most questionable of these, but it starts because Marinette's girlfriends challenge her to give Adrien a present and not because Marinette just decided to go to the mansion:

Rose: That's it, Marinette! No more picnics, sleepovers, or going to the movies with us until you give him that gift! You made that hat for Saint Athanasius Day, which is today! How is Adrien's supposed to know you're thinking of him on his fifth name's day if you don't give him your gift? Alya: She's right. Today is the day! All the girls except Marinette: Go, go, go, go, go, go!

But when Marinette gets there, Nathalie won't let her in or allow her to wait. Nathalie doesn't even offer to take the gift, so Marinette sneaks in to leave the present behind. Good behavior? No, but not Marinette going to the mansion of her own volition to creep on Adrien. While this leads to the totally creepy pillow sniff moment, that's pretty much all Marinette does outside of leaving the gift. She doesn't go snooping in Adrien's room like Lila does in Oni-Chan because the point of this episode wasn't to make Marinette look like a villain or a creep. It was about punishing Marinette for using her powers to give Adrien a gift with her name on it as that's too selfish, I guess.

In fact, none of these episodes were trying to make Marinette look like a villain or a creep. Each one made her do something questionable, but only so that the plot would work. No present, no Chat Blanc. No party crashing or fake butler disguise and Marinette isn't there for the akuma. When there's no plot-necessary reason for Marinette to be at the mansion, she isn't. That's not how you write a stalker. For her to be a stalker, she needs a lot more Chat Blanc moments where she just sneaks in to leave him things or sniff his pillow. We need a pattern, not a one-off moment.

Having Adrien's Schedule

I know I'd said I'd take things more seriously than a comedy calls for in this discussion, but it's impossible to take this one even remotely seriously. How would Marinette even have Adrien's schedule for the next three years? Where did she get it? How is she keeping it up to date when things absolutely change on a weekly basis? How is anyone missing that this is a joke, especially when you consider how the show writes Marinette outside of this episode (Gigantitan)?

While Marinette is sometimes shown to know about things like Adrien's fencing schedule, most episodes present Marinette as if she's reacting to things that she just learned about. For example, in Backwarder, she freaks out about Adrien going to England with Kagami for a wedding that would have been on Adrien's schedule for months if not years.

Why would Marinette do that if she has his schedule? If she's a stalker, then as soon as she heard about the wedding, she'd be on a mission to find out if Adrien has a date and if there are any threats in attendance. She'd probably even find a way to stop Kagami from going like messing with her food. But Marinette doesn't do any of that. Instead, she's written as if she just found out about the wedding and is making up a plan on the fly:

Marinette: Girls! We have a very serious situation! (The girls are cuddled up in the couch, all of them except Rose looking extremely tired)Adrien and his father have been invited to the Royal Wedding in England this weekend. Alya: (annoyed and exhausted) That's the “emergency’’ you called us over here for on a Saturday morning? (frowns) Marinette: You don't get it! Kagami and her mother are going too! (paces around the room doing dramatic hand gestures) Which means that Adrien and Kagami will be spending an entire weekend together!

And her plan ends up being to give Adrien a note and hope for the best. Not exactly the obsessive, controlling behavior you'd go for if you were writing a stalker.

This also implies that, at most, she probably knows his weekly routine which isn't weird since that's something he'd talk about to his friends. Like all of Marinette's worst behavior, the "knows his schedule for the next three years thing" was a one-off gag. Please stop obsessing over it. This isn't how characterization works.

(Note from my male friend who I discussed this post with: the line about the schedule did put him on edge because of his experiences, but that quickly passed as Marinette's behavior didn't back up the line from a stalking POV.)

Stealing Adrien's Stuff

I'm pretty sure the only time Marinette steals something from Adrien when she takes his phone in Copy Cat. "I left an embarrassing message and have to delete it" is an established comedic plot that has been done by dozens of shows and not something uniquely chosen for Marinette, but let's ignore that for a moment and pretend that it's a serious character beat and not a comedy doing something silly because it's a comedy and that's how they work.

Even if we remove all that context, Marinette still isn't acting like a stalker. When my stalker hacked into my email, he was doing it in an effort to control me, not to delete an embarrassing message. He read everything he could find and used that to mess with me. It's actually how I discovered he'd done it. He knew too much. Marinette doesn't do anything like that. She deletes her message and then puts the phone back because stealing the phone wasn't about stalking Adrien. It was about fixing her mistake. A stalker would go through the phone to learn everything about her obsession.

Conclution

None of this is meant to say that everything Marinette does is totally fine and I think people are overreacting if her worst moments upset them. I hate many of the choices they've made for her character and think they were total missteps. If a real person was doing the things Marinette does, then I'd be getting psychiatric services involved because this isn't healthy. I could even see it devolving into actual stalking as the early warning signs are there.

However, Marinette's behavior isn't meant to be realistic and taken at face value. She's the fictional star of a comedy where the writers decided to make her failed confessions a running gag so they had to keep coming up with ridiculous situations to put her in based around her crush. That context matters when evaluating her character and deciding if her actions are meant to be as serious as Chat Blanc ending the world or silly as adults at a teenager's party in Party Crasher. For the majority of seasons one to five, it's very clearly Party-Crasher silly. That doesn't mean you need to like the jokes - I certainly don't - it just means that you do need own that they're jokes if you're trying to do any sort of serious analysis of Marinette's character.

I went through several elements of her behavior not to say that she's totally pure and fine, but to show you that people are taking a handful of really bad moments and acting like it's her standard behavior which isn't how large-scale character analysis works. I was also highlighting the difference between a character who is purposely written as a stalker and a character being the victim of a bunch of adult men making massive missteps while trying write a comedy about a teenage girl with a monster crush. If you want to take her behavior seriously in the context of what jokes are appropriate and what ones go too far, then be my guest! But that's not character analysis even if the analysis is focused on Marinette's character. It's a comedy or writing analysis. Any quality analysis of Marinette's character as a whole and how we're supposed to read her has to take the context of her actions into account.

To write Marinette as a real stalker, you have to go a lot further than the writers did. You have to make her worst behavior constant and not just occasional bad calls. You have to make her feel dangerous and change the tone from comedy to horror. You need to have her friends react with concern instead of egging Marinette on or pushing her into situations as if Marinette's behavior is fine. You need to have Tikki being deeply concerned and not just mildly exasperated. Canon doesn't do any of that because the writers don't intend Marinette's behavior to be read as concerning. When you look at the full context of canon, it's glaringly obvious that the problem is that the writers sometimes make poor calls when exaggerating her crush to tell jokes and not intentional elements of Marinette's character that you should take at face value.

Bonus Salt Fic Discussion

I said at the top that I find the stalker Marinette takes "incredibly unappealing in a writing context" and so I'll end with that as that is more nuanced than bad analysis.

Did canon give us a handful of moments that you can really lean on to back a read that Marinette is an unhinged stalker? Yes, it did. I can't say that people are making that shit up. The Shanghai special and Derision are especially solid "proof." Is fanfic often about obsessing over single moments and little details to an absurd degree no matter how insignificant those details are? Yep, I can't deny that either. That's not unique salter behavior.** Does Miraculous have wildly inconsistent characterization for basically every character with more the one appearance, making it so that you have to pick and choose what you're going to embrace as "canon" for you version if you want to be even remotely coherent with your own characterizations? 100%

All of that is why I'm on the record as saying that I get where the Marinette salt is coming from just like I get the Adrien salt and the class salt and so on. It's standard fandom behavior to bash characters you don't like and the salt takes aren't even doing that thing where people make shit up. It's all based on canon because canon keeps making terrible choice after terrible choice! I just don't find it fun because salt fics are all about embracing the worst writing in the show and expanding upon it, which is the exact opposite of what I want to see when I'm reading fic. I read fic to see better versions of canon! I don't want to be reminded of canon's very real problems. Problems I only expect to get worse as time goes on.

I have no doubt that season six will bring with it a bunch of new moments where Marinette and others act terribly. I wouldn't even be shocked if we reach a point where I agree that Marinette's standard behavior makes her feel dangerous because season five's ending certainly set things up to go there. However, for now, the worst label I'd put on her is "creepy" and that's only in the context of specific episodes. Generally speaking, she's fine.

*Btw, Marinette isn't actually my favorite character. My favorites are Alya, Plagg, and Adrien

**As an example of fandom obsessing over a more neutral detail and elevating it beyond anything canon ever dreamed of, I'll draw your attention to the fandom's obsession with Adrien saying that Marinette is "just a friend." I have come across multiple fics that would have you think that's his catch phrase. A pattern which was deeply confusing because I could only recall him saying it once or twice. After some digging, as best I can tell, he says those words four times and it's never even to Marinette's face, which is wild when you think about how many fics have her parroting the line as if he says it to her all the time. I've even had people tell me that he says that line all the time when that's very clearly not the case. I'd say it's weird, but it's probably just a variation of the fact that eye-witness accounts of crimes are notoriously inaccurate. People just don't remember things accurately.

[kikyoupdates]

Changing Plotlines ⭑˚💞⭑ 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟

yandere!ocs x f!reader

yandere, reverse harem, yandere reverse harem, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, isekai

A desperate cry on your deathbed leads to you being given a fresh start at life. You're overjoyed at having finally obtained a healthy body and a real chance at living normally, only to discover that you've been transported into a yandere game, where danger lurks at every corner. Determined to protect your new life at any cost, you vow to stay as far away from the major characters of the game as possible. But things don't always go as planned.

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“Honestly, I thought you would’ve given up by now,” Sergei sighed.

“What? Of course not,” you frowned. “I’ll have you know I’m very serious about this. Look, I’ve even been practicing!”

You proceeded to swing your wooden sword with visible enthusiasm, making cutting motions left, right, and center.

Needless to say, he wasn’t impressed.

Today marked the second day of your lessons with the kind-hearted knight who ended up meeting a gruesome fate. Naturally, you had no intention of getting ahead of yourself. It wasn’t as if you expected to become some sort of prodigy overnight. But every effort counted, and the more you practiced, the better equipped you were to defend yourself if something went awry. After stupidly letting your guard down and helping out Flora, you needed to keep up with your training, now more than ever.

“So?” you huffed, wiping the sweat off your forehead. “What do you think?”

Sergei’s brows were creased. He looked like he was searching for the right words to say.

“I think that you have absolutely no talent with a sword.”

Okay, well he clearly hadn’t found the right words, because ouch.

“You’re so mean,” you whined. “This is only our second lesson! Don’t you think it’s too early to jump to conclusions? Of course I’m not going to be great right off the bat. I’m only a beginner. Were you immensely talented from the get-go?”

“Yes,” Sergei said calmly. “My talent is the whole reason I decided to become a knight.”

“Ugh. Okay, that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to say is that someone can suck at something at the beginning, but that doesn’t mean they can’t improve one day.”

“I agree with that,” Sergei acknowledged. “I’m not saying that you can’t learn, but from what I’ve seen, it’s already quite clear that this isn’t the sort of activity that will come naturally to you. Everyone has different types of skills. Why not take up a hobby that you might be better suited towards? It could save you a lot of frustration, and sword-fighting really isn’t the sort of thing a lady like you will ever have any use for...”

But I can’t learn something else. It’s not like I’m doing this for fun. I need to make sure I’ll have some way of protecting myself.

Obviously, you couldn’t tell him that for you, learning to use a sword was absolutely essential. So, you did what you did best. You lied.

“As I’ve told you before, I am a very prudent woman,” you said.

Sergei snorted. Okay, rude.

“Lately, I keep having nightmares of criminals attacking me in the middle of the night, and I can’t do anything but quiver helplessly. I refuse to be helpless,” you frowned. “I never want to end up in the sort of situation where I just cower in fear and hope for the best. I want to take charge of my life and fight until the very end.”

“This seems to be an ongoing concern of yours,” he remarked, looking a touch concerned. “Being cautious is all well and good, but there is such a thing as worrying too much. If you’re really so afraid, why don’t you just make sure to take a personal guard when you go out in public?”

“Yes, I can do that.”

“So, then...”

“But if they fail to protect me, then I’m right back to square one.”

Sergei shook his head in disbelief. “Alright, alright. If training with a sword will really help to put your worries to rest, then I suppose it’s the least I can do for you. But you really should know that the odds of you getting hurt, especially if you aren’t on your own, are remarkably slim. Infinitesimal, even.”

Ha. You’d be surprised.

“Yes, I know,” you said, mustering a smile. “But this really does make me feel better about the whole thing. I feel powerful, even though I realize I’m far from it yet. And now I have the added challenge of becoming so good that you’ll be forced to eat your words. Hehe.”

“At the very least, your enthusiasm is certainly admirable,” Sergei chuckled.

Right. That was all you had, really. Enthusiasm. And fear. Fear for your life. With such emotions driving you forward, you were certain that you could somehow compensate for your lack of athletic abilities.

As proof of your readiness to train your butt off, you swung your sword several times in quick succession, building up a noticeable burn in your arms. Sergei wasn’t saying anything, just watching you in silence. It didn’t matter if you sucked. Hell, you knew you sucked, but that still wasn’t going to change the fact that you were going to do this, no matter what.

“Lady [Name], please stop,” he eventually said.

You looked back at him in confusion. “Yes? Am I doing something wrong?”

“You’re doing many things wrong, but that’s not what I was getting at. How would you like to try using a real sword today, just to get a feel for it?”

You could hardly contain the grin that burst across your lips. “Really?!”

“It would be good to try,” he nodded. “If the point is to protect yourself, a wooden sword won’t do much to achieve that. It was just to get you a bit familiar with the length and girth of the weapon you’ll be holding. Keep in mind that the real thing will be quite a good deal heavier, though. It will be difficult to adjust to at first.”

“That’s totally fine!” you babbled, eager to finally try out the real thing. You’d never held a sword before. It was difficult to even find swords back in your previous world. All of this was to learn how to protect yourself, but it was still so exciting!

Sergei bit back a smile. “It’s not that amazing. But I have to admit that it’s quite amusing to watch you react so expressively.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re amused. C’mon, gimme!”

“You certainly don’t speak like a noblewoman, though... anyways, here you are. Be careful. Don’t move too suddenly with it.”

He gently placed the hilt of the sword in your hands, with the blade pointed downwards. You couldn’t feel the full weight of it yet, not while Sergei was still gripping it as well.

But then he let go. And the sword fell to the ground.

“Ouchie!” you squealed, frantically shaking your wrist. “My hand nearly broke!”

Sergei clamped a palm over his mouth. “Pfft... n-no, you’re just exaggerating. I did warn you, my lady. Perhaps you were just surprised. Care to try again?”

You grimaced, cheeks glowing bright red. Okay, maybe you were exaggerating just a bit, but that thing was heavy as all hell! In the interest of staying as safe as possible, you knew wielding a sword was practically crucial, but you were slowly realizing that it was an even bigger obstacle than you’d once presumed.

“I can do it,” you huffed, crouching down to pick the sword back up. “It’s okay. I have muscles. Weak, underused ones... but they’re still muscles!”

Sergei was trying not to laugh at you—and failing horribly, at that.

But by some miracle, you managed to pick the sword up. Granted, you had to hold onto it with both hands, and the strain it was placing on your wrists was enough to make your arms shake, but you were actually holding a sword. God, you felt like such a badass!

“I-I’m amazing,” you said, grimacing in between breaths. “Showstopping, incredible, phenomenal. S-Super epic... ugh, I just can’t anymore!”

You dropped the sword once again, sighing in relief. Okay, so it was a work in progress. Strengthening your wrists would likely be crucial. Maybe you could practice by repeatedly opening jars.

“Good effort,” Sergei mused, flashing you a thumbs-up. “It was—pfft! —very entertaining."

“Well, I’m glad one of us enjoyed it,” you eye-rolled.

“Weren’t you going on earlier about how you’d make me eat my words? Surely the weight of the sword isn’t enough to make you quit?”

“I have no intention of quitting,” you reassured. “That being said... is it all possible to make my own sword? One that’s a bit lighter? I’m not as tall or strong as you. I can have one personally customized to better suit me, right?”

Sergei nodded. “Yes, you can have one made by a blacksmith. If you provide him with the rough dimensions of the sword, and what sort of materials you’d like to have used, I’m sure he can craft one that’s more comfortable for you to use. It still won’t be too light, not if you want it to be sturdy enough to deal damage, but you can figure out the details and strike a good balance between what you’d like to achieve.”

“Is there a particular blacksmith you recommend?”

“As a matter of fact, there is. Remind me to write down his name and some other details for you later.”

“Alright. In that case...” You picked up the wooden sword instead of the real one, smiling sheepishly. “Um. Until I have my personal sword made, I’d like to stick with this one, if that’s okay...”

Sergei was clearly holding back the urge to laugh again. “Whatever you say, Lady [Name].”

“Back to training I go,” you hummed. “Watch this! Consecutive wooden sword slashes, but at a dizzying speed. Hyah!”

“Again with the battle cries...”

Even if you were still a noob in the purest sense of the word, over time, your body was bound to adapt. You were intent on getting by through muscle memory alone. Besides, as far as you knew, only two of the yanderes were proficient sword-fighters themselves—namely, Triston and Friedrich. So long as you were armed, and they weren’t, you would probably stand a chance.

Point being, it was best not to skimp on your training. Even if you probably looked like a fool flailing around all over the place.

Still, it was certainly tiring swinging a heavy wooden sword continuously. With every motion, you could feel your arms progressively turning to jelly. Coupled with the fact that it was so hot out, you were really starting to break a sweat.

“Time out,” you groaned, throwing your sword down. You tried to fan yourself off with your hand, but it wasn’t doing much good. This goddamn tunic was making you burn up. It needed to go.

So, you proceeded to get rid of it, stripping your outermost layer and exposing the thin camisole you had underneath. The relief was almost immediate. Granted, it was still hot as hell, but your skin could finally breathe now.

“L-Lady [Name]!” came the horrified splutter. You turned to find Sergei gaping at you in disbelief, several shades redder than he’d been a few seconds ago.

“Yes?” you frowned.

“You can’t just get undressed like that all of a sudden! Please remember that you are in public!”

He looked away in a hurry, and you had to admit, it was kind of cute. In the game, Sergei made every effort to act the part of a knight. He was sometimes guilty of being too serious, although he eventually came to let his guard down around Flora, after falling for her gentleness. From what you recalled, he’d never been much of a joker, yet in the few interactions he’d had with you, you’d already gotten to see him laugh it up plenty of times at your expense. And now he was even blushing. It was refreshing to see such different sides to a character you liked.

But honestly, you didn’t really get what the big deal was. The camisole was pretty thin, sure, but it wasn’t all that revealing. A tiny bit of cleavage and bare shoulders, but that was about it. Back in your world, people showed plenty of skin, so you definitely weren’t used to such an innocent reaction. Your case especially was rather unique. Countless doctors and nurses had seen you butt naked before, so something like this hardly fazed you.

Watching Sergei get increasingly flustered was rather amusing, though.

“You can drop the title, you know,” you chuckled, still fanning yourself off. “Just [Name] is fine.”

“No, I really mustn’t,” he insisted. His face was buried in his palms, and it almost seemed like he was itching to move them out of the way and steal another peek, but his willpower remained undaunted. “This is already quite improper... and you allow me to speak to you so casually in the first place. Now, please, will you get dressed?”

“Aw. But it’s way too hot out. I’d rather keep practicing like this.”

“Lady [Name], what you have on leaves almost nothing to the imagination. Please, for my sake, I’ll ask that you cover up again.”

“Prude,” you muttered under your breath. Alright, alright. You could sort of understand that this was set in a different time period, with different standards and all that, but you were really struggling to feel modest given your previous lived experiences. Guess that was yet another thing you’d have to get used to here.

With a great deal of reluctance, you put your tunic back on, cursing the fact that they didn’t even have air conditioning in this world.

“You can look now,” you announced. “Rest assured that my breasts are back in their rightful place.”

Sergei gritted his teeth, still red as a tomato. “In the name of all that is holy, I am literally begging you to stop.”

“Hehe.”

“Don't hehe me!”

It was safe to say that Sergei was too embarrassed to look you in the eye for the rest of your training session.

Cedric Lightsteel, huh?

You stared down at the piece of paper in your hand. It was the name of the blacksmith Sergei had personally recommended to you. Sergei spoke very highly of him, so you didn’t doubt that he’d be able to craft you the perfect sword. Once you’d obtained a weapon tailored to suit your needs, you were confident that your skills would improve astronomically.

Anyways, things were looking good. As expected, it felt good to plan everything out in the event that you got caught up in something dangerous. Based on the natural progression of the plot, you still had plenty of time until the yanderes began exhibiting their dangerous tendencies—not that you planned on ever seeing any of them again.

There had been a little hiccup with Flora, sure, but you’d ignored her letter. By now, you were confident that she would’ve gotten the message. Even if you did feel really shitty about it.

“Man, I’m pooped,” you yawned, stretching your arms out. Living in a healthy body really was incredible. You’d worked your butt off today, and you were definitely tired, but it still didn’t even come close to the fatigue you experienced every single day back in your old life. Even with minimal activity, you’d been in a perpetual state of exhaustion back then. You slept just about always, lied around doing very little when you were awake, and your body struggled to do even that much.

It almost made you want to cry. The fact that you actually got to live like this now. That was why you needed to hold onto it with all your strength.

You decided to unwind by taking a nice, hot bath. Modern day luxuries were certainly missing in this world, but that just meant that you had more time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. You could even feel some of your vigor returning to you as you soaked in the delightful bubbly water. You’d trained for hours, but with this body, it felt like you’d be good to do the whole thing all over again after just a little bit of rest.

Sighing happily, you eventually decided that you were squeaky clean and stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around your body.

Then, you walked back into your bedroom.

Only to find a strange man sitting on the bed.

“Ah,” he smiled upon locking eyes with you. “Did you have a nice bath? I was waiting for you to finish. Come, let’s have a chat."

Unsurprisingly, you screamed.

More chapters are available on Quotev!

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💞 main masterlist ♡ character appearances

[kob131]

I just saw someone on the main sub who argued that the way Jacques was dealt with “made the protagonists look incompetent”. Namely, they said that all it took was for Willow to stop being a stepford wife, and hand over her video recordings. Jacques was psychologically abusing Willow, and that made her too scared of retaliation to do anything until Weiss helped her break out of that cycle. The people in that subreddit (including the poster) also called Ghira “evil” for starting the WF. Uh, the WF used to be a peaceful organization until violent extremists hijacked it? You know, like how Hitler hijacked the Nazi party, Lenin hijacked the Russian socialist party, and Castro hijacked the Cuba Libre movement? It astounds me how many people forget that plot point. Lastly, they also tried arguing that Nicolas was responsible for the SDC’s bad business practices, that him being hailed as a hero is “bad writing”, and that in a better story, Jacques taking over the SDC would make it morally better. Nicolas personally led all dust mining expeditions, treated his workers fairly, and fundamentally changed the lives of Remnant’s people for the better. The WOR video for the SDC explained this. Why do people on those subreddits spend so much time and energy defending Jacques and demonizing Ghira and Nicolas? It’s ridiculous!

I found the post this time.

1- "They didn't involve any Fanaus in the fall of Jacques!"

I kind of see this since Jacques' abuse of the Fanaus is a major point. But like, this was only really focused on by Fanaus characters in V1. V2 and 3 had Blake focus on the WF. Her story is primarily about the WF. That's more an issue with segmenting the conflict.

2-"If it was this easy, why not film Jacques' abuse of the Fanaus?"

"Jacques: That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."

Because companies can easily side step these issues if the society around them doesn't really care? Especially since its implied Jacques' abuse isn't based on race but on vulnerability. So any accusation of bias falls apart because it's implied ALL his workers suffer.

Also being caught abusing workers is bad. ... Being caught fixing an election with a known criminal is WAY worse.

3- "What are Jacques' crimes?"

The line above and his open abuse of Weiss. Funny how his familial abuse doesn't get mentioned.

"-the show hands us the destruction of the only real villain among the parents of the main cast (weird, considering that Raven genocides villages with her tribe and Ghira started the White Fang) on a silver platter."

I'm just gonna directly quote the guy on this and Willow because no one is gonna believe what I am saying here.

A. Ghira was the leader of the PEACEFUL WF.

And B Raven lost her decoy, got humilated and shouted down by her daughter and proceeded to run off, implied to be scolded by Taiyang.

Gonna go ahead and say the narrative doesn't sympathize with her. Even though her showing regret fundamentally makes her better than Jacques ever was.

Also I found those comments about Willow.

4-

"Jacques going down because the worst Mother in RWBY decided to not being a drunk coward for 5 seconds is so funny to me. For all his useless and braindead plots the mains are also that stupid that if it weren't for that he would have gotten away with it."

Willow being more of a deadbeat than Raven is the funniest thing ever lol.

"I mean say what you will about Raven leaving. Willow stayed and watched Jacques abuse 3 of her kids, totaled her families legacy, mistreat and oppress an entire race and even when she had the cameras and therefore evidence to stop it and let the sufferring continue. She even attacked and nearly killed her own daughter when she tried to leave. Like Raven needs to step her game up if she wants to compete with Willow. Her calous cowardice has had generational worldwide consequences. Like show me Raven trying to kill outright Yang and maybe she'll be in the same league."

Raven actually saves Yang's life at least once, which is more than that deadbeat Willow could fathom doing. Is there actually a single good mom in this show besides Summer Rose who has never appeared in the story proper?

(The italicized words are the OP's)

I'm sorry, are we just gonna forget that Willow was being abused by Jacques and dealing with her own issues, whereas Raven jumped town and never came back despite having a portal to her?

Or that Raven actually used her daughter, her half-sister and her BROTHER as bait/for an exchange just so she can fuck off and hide?

This whole post was a fucking failure and honestly, against my rational side, I'm convinced the reason why this wasn't downvoted to hell is because the critic subreddit probably got linked the post and people missed it.

Also the reason why people defend Jacques? Contrarianism.

'RWBY bad so thing goo because show say thing bad.'

[cherrybomb107]

Okay, so, y’all already know I’m one of “those” Jinx stans(I don’t think she did anything truly monstrous and would defend her with my life). I feel this way for two main reasons: I see myself in her, and my personal biases kick in when it comes to my girl.

Now, I don’t consume fiction to make moralistic judgments of the characters; I’m here to have fun and be entertained. But, because stan culture has affected us all and made fandom discussions so personal and emotionally charged, I’ll bite. There are ppl in this fandom who won’t even call Silco a proper villain because of how nuanced he is. As if two things can’t be true; it is perfectly possible to be both nuanced AND a villain. Yet this same sympathy is not always expressed when talking about Jinx. Why is that?

Answer: misogyny and the demonizing of ppl with mental illness imo. Cause that’s the only plausible explanation I’m willing to accept why so many think of Jinx as a monster for killing cops, gang members, and asshole politicians, yet give all the grace in the world to Silco, who flooded the Lanes with Shimmer, had children working in his factories, was ready and willing to kill Powder before she hugged him, and waxed poetic about revolution when he never had any real plans of helping Zaun. He just wanted to be in charge. Like I said, I don’t consume fiction to make moralist judgments of the characters. But Silco’s actions are WAYYYY worse than Jinx’s, by a long shot.

And to my second point: my personal feelings. Disclaimer: ofc I don’t think killing ppl is right, nor am I an advocate for mindless slaughter. However, that is not what Jinx does. Her views on violence are incredibly warped due to the environment she grew up in. But even still, she NEVER harms innocent, non-combatants, much as some parts of this fandom likes to act like she does. I love the Firelights! I sympathize with their plight! But, they are literally a gang. And the ones that Ekko rolls with(Scar and the others) have inserted themselves into armed conflicts with Jinx before. They have been shown to be willing to use lethal force.

Silco is a drug kingpin. Jinx is his daughter. So no, I don’t think the daughter of a drug lord engaging in armed conflict with gang members makes her “monstrous”. It’s a street fight. Anything goes. If you pull up with bats and fists, and somebody else pull up guns ablazing, I do think that they’re responsible for escalating the conflict. I also think that in a street fight, you can’t pull up on someone and expect them to abide by the rules you set for yourself, yk? To continue this, as I said, the Firelights were willing to use lethal force. In episode six, when they interrupted Vi and Jinx’s reuinion, Scar knocked Vi out cold. He then raised his spear and was about to stab her in the back before Ekko stopped him. They then proceeded to kidnap Vi and Caitlyn. All of this because they followed Vi and THOUGHT that she was working for Silco! Is assaulting, almost killing, and kidnapping someone just because of your suspicions not “monstrous”? Or is it different because the Firelights are the “good guys”?

Now onto the Enforcers. Jinx sees the Enforcers as monsters who killed her parents right in front of her, and brutalized Zaunites all throughout her childhood. I know the show is fictional, but it touches on real life political themes. And our real life experiences inform how we consume fiction. I’m Black, female, queer, and from the US. The Enforcers are incredibly reminiscent of cops in my country. And if you know anything about the history of policing in this country, then you’d understand why I don’t give nary a fuck, nor a shit, nor a damn that Jinx kills Enforcers. Same sentiment applies to the Council. Fuck em🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Tldr: I don’t think killing someone is the worst thing you can do to them. It’s about who you kill and how you do it. Jinx quickly kills cops, gang members, and politicians. I never have, nor will I ever, consider her doing so “monstrous”

[beifong-brainrot]

honestly.... kuvira has irl parallels w putin.

I mean yeah I've compared her to Stalin and WOW IT'S ALMOST LIKE RUSSIA HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME DAMN THING FOR DECADES. Like seriously it's starting to feel like fucking groundhog day man.

And look, I don't want to be the asshole who shames people for liking Kuvira. I like a lot of aspects of Kuvira's character.

She's hot, she's charismaric (mainly due to Zelda Williams but yk) and she's a relatively compelling character. People are allowed to enjoy a villain character without endorsing the shitty stuff those villains do.

But there is a distinction between Kuvira the character and what Kuvira represents/the thinly veiled real life ideologies behind her.

Kuvira as a character is interesting, you know? Fun to talk about. Someone who was abandoned at a young age and proceeded to self sabotage her relationships and became a control freak who fears vulnerability due to that. Pretty standard villain shit. But fun, and there's a little more to her.

Kuvira as a representant of real world ideologies carries much more weight. People catch onto her Nazi imagery, but the Soviet stuff isn't as obvious. A lot of western europeans and Americans, the main demographic of Avatar won't immediately clock those influences behind Kuvira.

To those countries, Soviet occupation of Eastern Bloc countries was just the cold war, the red scare, a looming threat that could cause harm, but was at least not capable of influencing their lives too intimately.

While the countries that were under the power of the Soviet Union still have that memory fresh in their minds. Hell, my mom grew up in the PRL, my uncle was a part of Solidarność. People remember that shit it wasn't that long ago. Reading literature from not that long ago like A Minor Apocalypse or Madame feels surreal. When I read memoirs or just heard stories from my older relatives, I could taste the atmosphere of bleakness, distrust and confusion.

So maybe I'm just more primed to notice how Kuvira's actions play into patterns of Russian aggression. Maybe when Western European and American viewers are more willing to give Kuvira the benefit of the doubt, or see merit in her actions, I'm more willing to look at her through the lenses of the ideologies she represents.

Throughout most of the show, we don't actually see that much of Kuvira as a character. She's more a silent, looming villain in the background and due to her more calculated demeanour, we don't get a lot of insight into her personality until the last two episodes. So maybe it's easier to look at her more as a representant of dangerous ideologies than as a character.

Mind you, I don't think Bryke really thought through the implications of giving Kuvira the aesthetic and ideology they did. Nazis and to a lesser extent, Soviets, have become very much shorthand for "bad guy" in fiction. If they had thought this through, I wanna at least hope that they would have handled Kuvira more carefully.

Because by giving Kuvira a sense of moral ambiguity and the clumsy handling of her character, you have dumbasses ob reddit defending her. I'm genuinely shocked at the amount of Kuvira apologism in the tlok fandom.

But that goes back to the Western Bloc viewers and creators not really being familiar with the history Kuvira embodies. Not fully imagining the perspective of for example the people under her rule. Which is a perspective I am desperate to see, filling out the blanks with the history Kuvira draws from.

Most of B4 is seen through that 'outside perspective' of Korra and Republic City. Not unlike how a huge part of the narrative around the cold war and Ussr is the Cold War and how it affected Western Bloc countries.

Once again, the only characters who are actually part of the Earth Kingdom and have some experience with Kuvira's occupation are the Beifongs. But they are dismissed as biased, irrational, agressive or pushed aside when our heroic USA inserts get the spotilight. The fandom despises Suyin, derides Zaofu for not being the perfect victims. A story we see more and more of nowadays.

Suyin is depicted as "white woman liberalism" depsite being a leader of a community based, anti monarchist city which seems to allow it's citizens to flourish as artists and scientists and also refusing to seize power over a vulnerable country to hand it over to a monarchy she didn't support and then wanting to kill a fascist? But "ooooh Zaofu is culty and Suyin is a bit of a hypocrite" so I guess she's worse then the fucking Hitler Stalin lovechild that threatened to lay seige to her peaceful city.

The Kuvira apologism in the fandom does sometimes give me similar vibes to Putin dickriding from Conservative americans tbh. At least that explains it.

The reason I'm so unsettled by so many people being blind to the ideologies and history Kuvira represents is because that ideology is not dead. It seems like a lot of westerners don't really seem to care about it anymore, but Russia is still commiting a genocide in Ukraine. Hell, it seems like people from countries that aren't close to the conflict kinda forgot that was still a thing. People are fucking dying, homes are being destroyed. And you think Russia will stop at decimating Ukraine? They're already hiring arsonists to cause chaos in Poland, they're not gonna stop.

These ideologies still cause pain and death today. They're not for cheap villains who can be watered down and excused by a sad backstory. And they're certainly not to he excused and supported by edgy fans who somehow didn't realise that the previous show was violently anti fascist.

Love Kuvira as a character, enjoy her, her storylines, her personality. But for the love of God, acknowledge what she represents, who she represents and that it's bad.

Whew that kinda... got a little heavy. I apologise for the rant, I'm just very frustrated. By how Kuvira is woobified and exhonorated hy both fanon and canon, and by current events in the Ukraine and Poland and the rest of the ex-second world countries and the seeming apathy of the rest of the wider world.

Quick note: The terminology in this post may not be fully up to date, since a lot of terms have went out of usage and lost their meaning.

[ordinaryschmuck]

With Doomsday/Secret Wars rumored to lead to an END of the main MCU timeline and beginning a sort of soft core reboot for the franchise, I thought that I’d make a little list of all the ideas and unresolved storylines that the MCU introduced and proceeded to do fuck all with. And likely won’t do anything if that soft reboot is for real. Feel free to add to it if I’ve missed anything.

Mordo gaining a vendetta towards Strange and all sorcerers. Introduced in 2016 through an end credit scene and is barely touched upon outside of a throwaway line from Strange in Multiverse of Madness.

Scorpion wanting to kill Spider-Man. Introduced in a post credit scene where he wants to know who Spider-Man is to get payback for messing HIM up and his weapon’s deal. COULD be resolved in Spider-Man 4, but rumors surrounding THAT movie make it unlikely. At least Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man TRIED to scratch that itch.

Vulture knowing who Spider-Man is. Introduced in the same movie and likely will NEVER come into play again considering how Sony shoved him into Morbius’ universe to form a Sinister Six to fight a Spider-Man THAT DOESN’T EXIST YET! FUCK!

Luke Cage being the biggest crime boss in Harlem. Yeah, we’re going into Defenders territory. All that stuff is considered canon again, unlike Agents of SHIELD, Inhumans, and Runaways (RIP in peace). And in 2018, Luke Cage’s second season ended with him becoming a crime boss in Harlem so can control crime and prevent his neighborhood from turning into the Wild West. This WAS gonna play a role in Season Three, only for the show to get cancelled and for Luke Cage to YET make a return due to Disney prioritizing Daredevil making a return over any other Defender (Which is somewhat valid). This idea COULD make a return through Daredevil: Born Again, but it’s unlikely.

Speaking of ideas that were scrapped due to forced cancellations, let’s just go over all the crazy shit that happened in Iron Fist’s final season. Danny gave his powers to Colleen Wing so SHE can be a better vigilante, Joy Meechum is practically held hostage by a mercenary with multiple personalities, and Danny Rand is traveling the world to learn more about the Iron Fist and SOMEHOW got pistols that have the power of the fist instilled into them! That’s a lot of stuff to leave alone, and showed just how overconfident the writers thought they were getting a Season Three, as the show also got cancelled in 2018. This is a choice made for the better, though, as NO ONE liked Iron Fist. I doubt anyone even tolerated it. However, it means that NONE of these plot lines will likely continue as the show and character were so hated that Disney seems to be erasing the character from the MCU. His show isn’t deleted—YET—but if the rumors are true that Shang-Chi 2 will introduce that Iron Fist from Marvel Rivals, it’s not a good sign for Mr. Rand. Supposedly the mercenary with multiple personalities is a Daredevil villain and Colleen Wing being a vigilante could put her in Kingpin’s Vigilante Taskforce’s crosshairs. Meaning that they MIGHT make appearances or vague references in Daredevil: Born Again, but that’s a VERY BIG might with no potential follow through.

And that’s just the scraps leftover from what you could call the Infinity Saga. You wanna know how much the Multiverse Saga introduced and left alone? Let’s just preface this by saying too much…

White Vision has still fucked off since WandaVision. That happened in 2021, it is now 2025, AND WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM! He MIGHT have a TV show coming out and leaked concept art of Doomsday shows that he MIGHT be just chilling with Star Lord as they jerk off in Grandpa Quill’s basement. And that’s all well and good, but Vision Quest doesn’t exist until a TRAILER does, and concept art is nothing but that: A CONCEPT. Ideas changed all the time, and considering how Marvel THRIVES on surprising people, it’s entirely possible that they’re moving away from that idea. Again, it doesn’t exist until it actually HAPPENS, and it has yet to frickin’ do so.

Shang-Chi’s ten rings summoned SOMETHING. It was implied that he summoned Kang, because they were still setting him up as the next Thanos and some symbols of Kang’s tech looked similar to the rings. However, with Marvel steering AWAY from Kang the Conqueror due to…SEVERAL reasons, that now means Shang-Chi sent a message to someone ELSE. Could be Doom, could be some secret villain in Shang-Chi 2. Who knows. This happened in 2021, and they still haven’t given an answer.

Also, Shang-Chi’s sister restarted her father’s criminal empire. This one more gender inclusive. And we STILL don’t know what came of that and it’s likely this idea will go the way of Baron Mordo’s vendetta. SHANG-CHI WAS SUCH A GOOD MOVIE! WHY DO YOU IGNORE IT, FIEGE?!

Arishem YOINKED The Eternals, threatening to give Earth a final judgment…Yeah, remember that? People have been throwing fit after fit since 2021 that NO MOVIE OR SHOW has mentioned that the Earth was an egg for a Celestial. Yet no one seems to care that The Eternals were pulled away to their home planet to represent Earth and explain if it’s worthy to live while a Celestial dies. Four years and still no response. I guess Marvel’s saving that for a bigger event than Doctor Doom erasing the Multiverse.

Also, Thanos has a brother. Yeah, remember him? He’s played by one of the twinks from One Direction and has YET to become relevant after showing up with Patton Oswalt to team up with the remaining Eternals.

And let’s not forget Circe’s boy toy. REMEMBER HIM?! He was apparently going to be Black Knight, going to grab his ancestral sword before being interrupted by the voice of Blade. And Blade, by the way, has yet to have a movie of his own because Kevin Fiege still doesn’t know HOW TO PRODUCE A MOVIE ABOUT A MAN WHO KILLS VAMPIRES! IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE! JUST HAVE SWORDS, GUNS, AND BUCKETS OF BLOOD, YOU IGNORANT CUCKS…What was I talking about? Oh, yeah, Black Knight. He was GONNA be a character, but didn’t because not a lot of people liked Eternals and Marvel mostly distanced itself from that movie ever since. Man, they REALLY had a lot of faith in this film with how much sequel baiting they did, huh?

A bit of Venom was left behind in the 616 universe. Happened well over three years ago when Eddy Brock was teleported there during his vacation in Mexico. How did that happen when Doctor Strange’s spell brought over people who knew Peter Parker is Spider-Man? No idea, has yet to be explained. Same going for what happened to that bit of Venom. As far as we know, it’s still crawling from Mexico to New York. Whether or not it gets there for Spider-Man 4 or gets COMPLETELY erased by Doomsday, it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Kingpin escaped jail. And this is less of a resolved storyline and more like an unanswered question that has been left ignored since Hawkeye in 2021. Given how it’s a HUGE thing that Daredevil chose to send Kingpin to jail instead of killing him, it doesn’t make sense that him AND his wife are free to roam once again. Granted, this was during that weird phase where Marvel was trying to give Daredevil and his cast a soft reboot and completely ignore the original TV show in its entirety. And those pesky execs would have gotten away with it too, if not for fan outcry and Fiege forcing a creative overhaul on Daredevil: Born Again. Still, it leaves how Kingpin got out of jail a mystery, and so far it feels like a disservice to Matt’s arc in Season Three. I imagine Daredevil: Born Again will address this EVENTUALLY (Because they kind of HAVE to), maybe through a flashback or something. Until then, this is unresolved.

Moon Knight has a third alter. One that’s more violent and apparently more willing to do what Konshu says. This one particularly pisses me off because the show put SO MUCH mystery behind who is, to the point where he stopped the big bad of the season OFF SCREEN to make fans excited when Jake’s name is finally referenced. So the fact that they never addressed this big part of the character because Moon Knight has yet to OFFICIALLY return since 2022 is no short of annoying. I know the character didn’t sell well with Moon Knight fans (And rightfully so, from what I’ve heard), but you can’t beg fans to like this character for six weeks and force them to forget him for three years at this point.

Doctor Strange is cursed by the Darkhold. And I don’t know what’s more insulting. The fact that the MCU has yet to bring up this shocking reveal at the end of his movie, or that the film immediately brushed aside the surprise with a post credit scene that shows he already got over it. Oh, and let’s not forget…

Doctor Strange is teaming up with Clea. Remember that? She showed up, tore a hole into the Dark Dimension, and Doctor Strange got ready to join her as they jumped in for Doctor Strange 3. OR Doomsday. Anyone’s guess at this point…Starting to notice that a lot of these are just sequel baiting moments with no payoff, yet.

Thor is the adoptive father of the living embodiment of Eternity. I know a lot of people want to just FORGET Thor: Love and Thunder, but that’s a big thing. And because a certain director went too silly with the film, it forced Marvel to PROMISE Thor 5 will be more serious. And I’m not sure if Thor’s plucky daughter will fit a serious tone. Nor do I think the Russos will have time to address her existence in Doomsday. It’s a “Wait and see” situation.

Same thing for whether or not Thor 5 will remember that Zeus sent Hercules to vanquish Thor in his honor. Surprisingly, Hercules is a HUGE character in Marvel’s lineup and often a rival to Thor, sometimes being playful or downright antagonist depending on the story. So for Love and Thunder to tease him and the greater MCU to forget him is…a disservice, to say the least.

Ms. Marvel is a mutant. A change so huge that the comics bent over backwards to make her a mutant too. So it’s a little infuriating that the MCU just let this happen and did NOTHING yet to justify it. Maybe when they finally introduce the X-Men, but we’re gonna have to hope Ms. Marvel survives the soft reboot, considering Kevin says they’ll show up AFTER Secret Wars…

Hulk has a son. It’s revealed in the She-Hulk series and the character explicitly told Kevin to save the background info on that for a movie…Still waiting on that movie, by the way. For now, Skarr’s just chilling with She-Hulk in the corner of the MCU Kevin wants you to forget because they made the Neckbeards angry and spent $2 million on a show that depended on making a CGI character look realistic (She never did).

And let’s not forget that Wong busted Abomination out of prison. Guess he’ll be chilling in the Sanctum Santorum for another thirteen to fourteen years before Marvel decides to use that character again.

Oh, and T’Challa had a son too. And I looked at that little bastard, and my mind, cynically, thought that he’s going to be an INVESTMENT for Marvel. They’re going to wait for him to grow up and make HIM the next Black Panther. We just got a LOT more waiting to do. Assuming Marvel chooses to remember HIM.

THE COUNCIL OF KANGS! An idea that Marvel is choosing to ACTIVELY ignore! And not because of the controversy surrounding Kang’s actor. They could have easily recasted him or kept him on and ignored it altogether. I mean, they still keep the guy who plays Ms. Marvel’s dad, why not Majors? No, the only reason they’re ignoring Kang altogether is because Quantumania failed critics and audiences because some idiot thought it was okay to mix an Ant-Man movie and it’s screwball comedy with a sci-fi epic that sets up the next big bad. All while that big bad loses to Ant-Man, Wasp, and their army of giant ants…Who could have guessed that people would hate that. In any case, it forces Marvel to steer clear of the Council of Kangs, being vague about whether or not they’ll address them again, but no official promises yet.

Rhodey MIGHT have been a Skrull since Civil War. Maybe. We have NO idea when he got abducted, but him in a hospital gown heavily implied that they scooped him up when they were doing surgery on his spine. And that COULD be an interesting idea if done right. The problem is that we don’t know if it WILL because Secret Invasion was the absolute BOTTOM OF THE BARREL for the MCU, being so bad that I can guarantee that Marvel will just pretend that the whole thing never happened. I’m calling it, when Armor Wars happens (Whenever the fuck THAT will be), they will never address Rhodey being a Skrull, however long he might have been one.

OH! And, of course, there’s also the fact that there currently exists THE MOST powerful being in the MCU. Yes, let’s not forget that Skrull teenager with the power of every single hero and minion that fought in the final battle in Endgame. Or how she got those powers through bullshit science and the DNA of all those characters inexplicably existing in a single bottle…Have I mentioned that Secret Invasion sucks and is still outdone by an animated series FOR CHILDREN?!

Ms. Marvel is trying to form the Young Avengers—I mean Champions. FUCK! This is going to lead into a TV show and will likely be built up in the background of other shows and movies. Most likely won’t get wrapped up before Doomsday, so let’s hope that it survives the soft reboot in tact.

Monica Rambeau is trapped in another universe. Though, in fairness, given certain casting announcements, it’s very likely this will get addressed in Doomsday. It’s speculation, however, so don’t hold your breath. But for now, it’s still unresolved.

Billy is going to find his brother Tommy after putting his soul in another dead boy with the help of his mother’s grouchy, lesbian neighbor. This will either lead into Champions or another mini-series that will act as WandaVision and Agatha All Along’s spiritual successor. Who knows and who cares as long as it’s GOOD.

And that’s about all I can remember or know about. It is the end of March as I type this, Daredevil: Born Again has YET to finish its first season, and I still haven’t watched Captain America: Brave New World. Regardless, from what I have seen (And sometimes heard), Marvel is starting to be a little SMARTER with its sequel baiting. Every BIG set up is either saved for movies that are going to almost immediately lead into the next big story, and are sometimes saved for quick, fun films. Plus, for the most part, they seem more focused on keeping things a little more self-contained, keeping their attention on making something good for the MOMENT instead of planning for the future.

BUUUUUUUT…look at this list. LOOK AT WHAT’S left! There are a lot of loose ends left untied and so many questions unanswered and the MCU is STILL moving forward to reboot the whole thing because the Multiverse turned out to be a bad investment (It WASN’T. It was just bad PRACTICE). The Infinity Saga left its fair share of stones unturned, but not to THIS great extent. Even if you argue that some things are worth forgetting, look at how much they want you to just let go and move on. Marvel spent too much time introducing new characters and ideas, offered next to NO follow through, and the fans end up suffering because of it.

All I can say is…PLEASE don’t let us down with the next saga.

[hand-picked-star]

The 13th Anniversary Arshi Fiesta

Moodboard : Historical AU

Whispers of the heart | Chapter 24

DISCLAIMER: The story is set in the early 20th century. While I have made efforts to capture the essence of the era, there may be inaccuracies as this is a work of fantasy. I do not own the characters Arnav and Khushi, and this story is purely fictional with no relation to any real individuals, living or dead. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

WARNING: 18+, MATURE CONTENT.

Chapter 24

And at last, the day of prosecution finally arrived. The court was brimming with people.

Arnav as a prosecution lawyer started first, "Your Honor, today we stand before you to seek justice for the countless lives that have been devastated by a criminal conspiracy rooted in greed, brutality, and the complete disregard for human dignity. The defendants in this case are not mere opportunistic criminals. They are orchestrators of a scheme that goes beyond mere dacoity. They preyed upon the innocent, massacred entire families, and took lives in cold blood to satisfy their insatiable hunger for power and wealth."

After a brief pause, he started again, "This case goes beyond punishment. It's about restoring justice for the victims. We ask you to affirm that no one is above the law and that justice will prevail. Thank you."

The the defence lawyer stepped forward, "Your Honor, my prosecutor friend paints my client as a heartless criminal, but we must remember the foundation of our justice system: the presumption of innocence. My client, Mr. Rajjani, is a respected individual who was caught in an unfortunate situation. On the day in question, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His presence was purely incidental. The prosecution's case against him relies on circumstantial evidence and assumptions. We ask you to carefully consider the facts and recognize that Mr. Rajjani is not guilty of the crimes for which he has been accused. Thank you."

"Nice speech, Mr. Patel," Arnav remarked with a nod as Mr. Patel concluded his opening argument.

Mr. Patel adjusted his spectacles, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "For you to learn from it, my friend," he replied smoothly, his tone both genial and slightly teasing. A slight smirk curled in the corner of Arnav's lips.

Mr. Kishori Lal Patel was a distinguished and seasoned lawyer, a man who carried the weight of decades of experience on his shoulders. However, it was disheartening that his expertise was being applied to the defence of someone implicated in such grave and serious offences.

Then, the court proceedings began. The investigating police officer, the medical examiners, and the Registrar of Deeds of the Land Registry Office all of them involving the Tiwari case gave their testimony. And then, to everyone's surprise, Arnav called Mr. Lallan as the state witness to testify in the witness box. Mr. Lallan identified his accomplices and confirmed that Mr. Rajjani was also a member of the group. He also told the court about the involvement of Mr.Lala. Following his testimony, the defence lawyer commenced cross-examination.

"Mr. Lallan, why should we believe that you're not lying just to avoid the death penalty?" the defence lawyer began.

"Objection, speculation."

"I can ask that question, Your Honour." Mr.Patel protested.

"Overruled . Please continue Mr.Patel."

"Thank you Your Honour. Please answer my question Mr.Lallan."

"I am telling the truth."

"Very well. The other accused had never seen each other's faces before. Are you certain you saw my clients, Mr. Rajjani, and Mr. Lala during these attacks?" the defence lawyer asked.

"We all have a similar tattoo on our thighs. You can check him too," Mr. Lallan said eagerly, causing a ripple of whispers to spread through the crowd. This was precisely what Arnav had hoped for, and Mr. Lallan did not disappoint him.

As the judge ordered everyone to expose their thighs and reveal their identical tattoos, the case seemed to be nearing its conclusion. However, Arnav requested one more witness to be brought to the stand. He detailed the pattern of the previous cases and the documents collected from the Land Registry Office to link the cases together, a proof that these events were not purely coincidental. Then he asked the sole survivor to testify. Madumati Ji took her place in the witness box and took her oath.

"Madumati Ji, please tell us what happened that night," Arnav asked, his voice steady and commanding.

"Objection, Relevance."

"Didn't I submit the evidences to link these cases together? " Arnav retorted.

"Overruled, witnesses may answer the question."

"Thank you, your honour. So tell us about the night, Madhumati ji."

"Hayree Nand Kishor, That was a horrible night,''Madumati Ji began, her voice trembling. "I heard Khushi, I mean, Sashi Gupta's daughter screaming in her room, so I rushed to see what was happening. What I saw there.." She took a deep breathbstruggling to continue, "Garima Ji was being assaulted by a man."

"Please be clear, Madumati Ji," Arnav urged, his tone firm but gentle.

"He was forcing himself on her,'' Madumati Ji whispered. ''And another man was approaching Khushi. That man was near the door. They didn't see me. So I grabbed the door bolt and struck him with all my strength. When he fell, I took Khushi and hid with her in a crevice in the kitchen. I don't know how long we stayed there until I heard Mahindar Ji's voice."

"Thank you, Madumati ji. Did you see any of their faces?" Arnav asked softly.

"No, Nand Kishor, their faces were covered with a gamcha, but both had a mark shaped like a star on their thigh."

"Did you inform the police at that time?"

"Yes."

"Anything else, Madhumati ji?"

"Yes, the man who assaulted Garima ji was naked. He had a large black mark on his back, kind of a birthmark. I reported it to the police as well."

"Thank you, Madhumati ji."

"Your Honor, this is a copy of the drawing of the tattoo and Madumati ji's statement from 12 years ago." Arnav handed the documents to the court clerk, who passed them to the judge. The picture displayed a pentagonal star-shaped tattoo."The same tattoo our state witness, Mr.Lallan talked about and also present on our defendants' bodies."

"The court acknowledges the evidence. Defence, you may cross-examine," the judge remarked, indicating the defence lawyer to proceed.

"Madumati Ji, let me ask you a few questions. You mentioned that you didn't see the men's faces because they were covered, correct?" the defence lawyer asked, stepping forward.

"Yes, that's right." eyeing him suspiciously. Her voice was steady despite the tension.

"And this incident happened 12 years ago, is that correct?"

"Are you weak in math, Nand Kishor?"

A ripple of laughter swept through the crowd. Arnav ducked his head to conceal a smile, accustomed to Buaji's antics.

"Silence, please. Madhumati Ji, please answer the question."

"Yes."

"You see, Madhumati Ji, memory can be a tricky thing, especially after such a long time," the defence lawyer said, pausing before continuing. "Are you absolutely certain those marks were star-shaped tattoos and not something else? It was dark, and you were clearly scared. Maybe you saw something else. How can you be so sure?" The defence lawyer pressed, trying to sow doubt.

"Objection, leading question, Your Honor."

"Sustained. Counsel, please refrain from asking leading questions."

"I want to answer that question, Judge shaheeb," Madumati Ji stated firmly, her voice unwavering. "Yes, I was scared that night, but those marks are burned into my memory. And that picture in your hand, I drew it, not today, but 12 years ago. I know what I saw."

"Your Honor, while we respect Madumati Ji's testimony, we ask the court to consider the potential fallibility of her memory due to the traumatic nature of the event and the significant passage of time. Thank you. No more questions," the defence lawyer addressed the judge.

"Thank you, Counselor. We will take that into consideration. Madumati Ji, you may step down," the judge said.

Addressing Arnav, the judge added, "Mr. Raizada, proceed with your next witness."

"Thank you, Your Honor. I request that Madhumati Ji be allowed to remain on the stand a little longer to identify a crucial mark for me."

With the court's permission granted, he continued, ''Your Honor, I now ask permission to question Mr. Shyam Manohar Lala.'' Arnav had previously obtained a court order to bring Mr. Lala to the witness box and to restrict him from leaving the province or the country.

As Arnav approached Mr.Lala, the tension between them became evident. He posed a single question, "Lalaji, how do you respond to the evidence implicating you in this case?"

"I am completely innocent, Your Honor," Mr. Lala retorted. "Ramprasad is lying. They sold their lands to me willingly. They are trying to defame me."

"Why would he do that? Do you have any animosity with him?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you coerced him into lying," Mr.Lala seethed at Arnav.

"Objection, Your Honour, Argumentative." The defence lawyer stated firmly.

"Sustained, Mr.Raizada, please rephrase your question."

But Arnav's eyes twinkled with satisfaction, seeing Mr. Lala growing agitated with each passing second. He leaned forward, a smirk curling on his lips. "It is highly inappropriate to accuse a lawyer of misconduct, especially in court," he said, his tone cool and composed. "However, for the sake of clarity, could you please show us your left thigh?"

"Objection, Your Honor. Unnecessary invasion of privacy and improper line of questioning," the defence lawyer interjected, standing up.

"What kind of insult is this, Your Honor? I have no involvement in this," Mr. Lala insisted, stressing his innocence.

"Then why the hesitation?" Arnav pressed. "We only have a doubt. Lalaji, please assist us in clearing it up."

"Objection overruled. Please show us your thigh, Mr. Lala, and help resolve our doubts," the judge ruled.

Upon the judge's order, Mr.Lala reluctantly exposed his thigh, revealing the pentagonal tattoo. This sight sent a wave of gasps through the courtroom.

"I wish I could stop there, Lalaji," Arnav said with a steely resolve, "but could you please also show us your back?"

As Mr.Lala turned and exposed his back, revealing the distinctive birthmark, Arnav's smirk deepened.

"Madhumati ji, have you seen mark before?" Arnav asked Madhumati ji without turning toward her. His eyes fixed on Mr.Lala.

"YES, YES, that's the mark Judge shaheeb. I will never forget this mark."

Arnav turned to face the judge and said, "That's all, Your Honor."

Khushi sat idly at her office desk, her gaze drifting toward the gloomy sky outside. Today, she felt a deep sense of melancholy that seemed to engulf her. For the past few days, she had been experiencing these sudden bouts of sadness, a feeling of wanting to cry that she couldn't quite explain. With a sigh, she picked up the newspaper for the day.

Shyam Manohar Lala, Mohan Rajjani and 7 others Sentenced to Death for Heinous Crimes in Landmark Verdict

The headline stirred a bittersweet feeling within her. She was present in the courtroom yesterday. It was her first time attending one of Arnav's proceedings, and she couldn't help but think she should have chosen a different case for her debut. She would have relished seeing him in his element under happier circumstances than witnessing this particular trial. But perhaps, she mused, it was simply her destiny to see him fighting for her and her family.

She was undoubtedly relieved that her parents' murderers had been brought to justice, but the resurgence of painful memories cast a sombre shadow over her. She knew she needed to go home and rest. The past few months had been difficult for both her and Arnav. It was a relief that the nightmares had eased down a little bit. Despite this, she felt persistently exhausted. She just felt tired all the time. They would stay in the Rajput Haveli for a few days more, as Dewali was this week. Then they would return back to their home.

But suddenly, after few days, Khushi fell ill and caught a severe case of stomach flu. Amma, Babuji, Bua Ji, and Arnav all scolded her for indulging in too many jalebis, rabri, and golgappas the previous day. Despite their concerns, her condition worsened over the next ten days, showing no signs of improvement. The doctor visited today, diagnosing her as dehydrated and advised them to give her more fluid. How could she keep herself rehydrated when the mere sight of food made her sick?

Suddenly, Buaji's shriek startled everyone. "Arey, Manoroma, have we all lost our marbles, Nand Kishor? Payaliya, go ask Hariprakash to fetch Ganga Tai!"

Upon hearing Buaji's words, everyone suddenly turned their gaze towards Khushi. She felt like a deer caught in headlights and managed a nervous smile. In return, they all smiled back at her as well. Though their smiles were well-natured, but they seemed menacing to her. Khushi pursed her lips, feeling her heart pounding loudly. Out of everyone's sight, she tenderly placed her hand on her stomach. And somehow, she knew. She didn't need Ganga Tai, the local midwife, to tell her what was happening.

"Arnav, uthiye na," Khushi whined, gently shaking Arnav from a deep slumber. Her voice was filled with a mix of desperation and impatience.

"What happened?" Arnav mumbled, his voice muffled as he buried his face deeper into the pillow.

"I want to eat jalebis," her voice rising with a hint of excitement.

Arnav slowly raised his head, squinting at the bedside clock. "It's three in the morning, Khushi. Go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep. The baby wants jalebis."

Arnav sighed deeply, propping himself up on one elbow. "Alright, only on one condition."

Khushi's eyes brightened with hope. "Kya?"

"You have to drink a glass of milk too."

Khushi scrunched up her nose. "But milk is yucky."

Arnav gave her a stern look. "Then I'm going back to sleep."

Khushi's eyes widened in alarm. "No, no, no! Okay, I'll drink the milk. Now please, let's go."

Arnav got up lazily from the bed and turned on the light. Khushi, with a playful pout, spread her arms as if she were a child wanting to be picked up. Chuckling, Arnav gathered her into his arms.

Him, being a father hadn't fully settled in yet. Perhaps it was a gradual process, and with time, he would gain the momentum to fully embrace parenthood.

They had returned from the Rajput Haveli two weeks ago. Though Chachu and Chachi had wanted them to stay at the haveli, it was no longer fitting to live there for an extended period after their marriage. Staying there long-term now seemed inappropriate. Instead, they had brought Buaji to live with them in their house.

As Arnav walked through the corridor with Khushi in his arms, this was the third time that week they were embarking on a midnight mission for jalebis. Soon after her sickness subsided, her cravings for jalebis reared their head. The first time, her craving had been for hot jalebis without chasni. The next, she demanded them with chasni and added countless conditions. They couldn't disturb Gauri ji or Buaji, as the thought of waking them up made Khushi tear up out of guilt. So, the only person left to make the jalebis was him. It felt as though she had no affection for him anymore, only her love for the sweet treat prevailed at that moment.

Khushi had meticulously guided him through the process of making jalebis this past week, and now he had become a pro. His once hesitant hands now moved with precision, swirling the dough in the hot oil with confidence, ensuring each jalebi was crisp and golden and then dipped them in the perfectly sticky, sweet chasni.

They settled on the balcony with a small plate of hot jalebis and a glass of milk. She savoured each piece of jalebis with evident delight.

"Wow, these are sooo good, you've learned to make such delicious jalebis," Khushi praised Arnav in between bites.

"Yeah, if I ever fail as a lawyer, I might just start a stall in the market."

"At least you'd have one loyal customer," Khushi winked, offering him a piece of the sweet delicacy.

Arnav caught Khushi's hand, taking a bite of the offered jalebi. His tongue lightly swept over the tips of her fingers, sending a ripple through her skin. One by one, without breaking eye contact, he polished off all the sweet chasni from her fingers.

"Yeah, you were right. Today's jalebis are extra delicious," he said, winking at her. A lovely redness tinted her flawless skin, which looked radiant under the moonlight.

"Are you trying to correct a past mistake?" Arnav laughed, remembering their childhood moment.

"Maybe."

"Or are you trying to seduce your wife, Mr. Raizada?"

"I can't help it. You're just so irresistible," he leaned in to kiss her lips, enveloping her smile with his own. "And so, so, so sweet." He punctuated each word with a press of his lips against hers.

He kissed her some more. At least he could do that, since the doctors had banned any physical intimacy until her fourth month of pregnancy. Releasing her lips, he said, "Alas, all my seducing will go to waste."

"Serves you right. How shameful it is. Now that I'm pregnant, everyone will know what we do...what we did," she whispered, pursing her lips.

Arnav burst out laughing. She swatted his shoulder lightly, then joined in his laughter as well.

Arnav's birthday was approaching next week, and Khushi wanted to do something special for him, despite his dislike for celebrations. Last year, she had cooked his favourite dishes, but this year she wanted to make a more significant impact. After discovering her influence over him physically, she was determined to come up with something that would truly blow his mind.

However, since she couldn't be intimate with him due to the doctor's restrictions, that plan was off the table. She pondered other ways to make him feel special and happy. Her mind raced with ideas throughout the day. She decided she needed to explore the secluded spots of the library and gather inspiration, so she planned to visit the library to search for ideas and find the perfect setting to surprise him.

She wished for a magical box where she could write, "What is another way to make your husband happy physically when you're pregnant?" and have all the answers appear before her. Life would be so much simpler if someone could provide a straightforward solution.

After a discreet search, Khushi finally found a book that seemed to promise answers. However, as she leafed through it, the content was convoluted and confusing, leaving her more perplexed than enlightened. But she was determined to decode those confusing texts.

It was five minutes to midnight on Arnav's birthday. He had a crucial hearing the next day and was working late in his study. Khushi timidly knocked on the door, causing him to look up from his file.

"What are you doing still staying up?" he asked.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Khushi said shyly.

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her, an amused glint dancing in his eyes as he observed his suddenly shy wife. He raised an eyebrow.

"Happy birthday, Arnav," she said, growing nervous under his silent gaze.

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?"

"I didn't bring a gift."

He extended his hand toward her. She took it, allowing him to pull her close until she stood in front of him, where he sat. He placed a hand gently over her belly.

"You've already given me the best gift in the world," he said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her stomach after placing a tender kiss there. Khushi's fingers tangled in his hair as she smiled.

"I want to try something. Promise me you won't laugh," Khushi whispered, nervously playing with his hair.

"What?" Arnav asked, intrigued.

"Close your eyes."

Instead of following her request, Arnav frowned, his curiosity piqued. Taking a deep breath, Khushi settled on his lap, surprising him. Her legs straddled him as she lowered herself on his body. He instinctively grabbed her waist.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a mix of curiosity and concern in his voice.

"Kuch nehi," she replied softly, her eyes locked onto his. "I just want to kiss you."

And she kissed him once, twice, three times, her lips soft against his. She trailed kisses along his chin, his jaw, his neck. His stubble tickled her sensitive lips. She gently rubbed the back of his neck, massaging his scalp with her fingers. The soothing touch and tender kisses felt nice to him, too nice actually. Her kisses, he could take, but what was becoming unbearable was the way her body moved against him. He grabbed her hips to still her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You're doing it on purpose." he whispered, his voice strained. "Don't start something you can't finish."

Khushi bit her lip to hide her smile, her face flushing slightly. "But I intend to finish,'' she whispered back, kissing him again.

Arnav squinted slightly, trying to gauge her intentions as she slowly slid down his body, kneeling between his legs. Her hands rested on his thighs, then moved a little higher, grazing the growing bulge in his pants. Before she could go further, Arnav caught her hands.

"You don't have to," he murmured, his voice thick, his breathing ragged.

"But you want me to," Khushi replied, her gaze meeting his. Eyes sparkled with mirth.

"How do you know?"

"I can see it in your eyes," she whispered. She pressed her lips together, a ghost of a smile dancing on her face.

"Damn it,'' Arnav exhaled, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I've got the best wife ever. Let's go to our room."

She giggled as he pulled her up by her shoulders and scooped her into his arms. He carried her towards their bedroom, determined to finish what they had started.

At the end of next month, La and NK got married. The way they clicked together from the very beginning, it was inevitable that they would end up together. Khushi couldn’t attend their wedding for obvious reasons, but La and NK assured her that they would visit soon. In fact, they planned to enjoy their honeymoon in India. Khushi was over the moon to have her two best friends with her. Over time, NK and La fell in love with India and its people so much that they decided to stay for an extended period to help Khushi with the foundation.

As her dream regarding the foundation slowly came to fruition, she found herself yearning to focus on her other dreams. Khushi had always dreamed of becoming a writer, but whenever she sat down to write, her ideas felt scattered, elusive, like pieces of a puzzle that just wouldn't fit together. Despite having the time, she struggled to find the focus and direction she needed before. Her thoughts seemed to drift aimlessly, and her creative energy, though abundant, was unfocused.

Then came the unexpected news of her pregnancy, which brought a sense of calm and clarity that she hadn't anticipated. Though the first few weeks were overwhelming, filled with a mix of excitement and anxiety. As her body changed, so did her perspective. The life growing inside her gave her a new sense of purpose and a grounding she hadn't felt before. The scattered thoughts that once filled her mind began to settle, like leaves gently falling into place.

The quiet moments, especially in the early mornings when the world was still asleep, became her sanctuary. The ideas that had once been disjointed started to come together.

As her pregnancy progressed, Khushi found inspiration in the smallest of things-the gentle flutter of the baby's movements, the warm sunlight streaming through the window, the quiet moments of reflection. Each day, she would write a little more, her words a reflection of her journey, filled with the raw emotions of impending motherhood. There were days when the physical toll of pregnancy would slow her down, but she pressed on, driven by the idea that she was creating something lasting, something she could share with her child one day.

Writing became a form of therapy for Khushi, a way to process the changes happening in her life. The book she was crafting wasn't just a story; it was a reflection of her own experiences, fears, hopes, and dreams. Every chapter was infused with the emotions she was feeling-the joy, the uncertainty, the love that was growing each day for the little one she had yet to meet.

As her due date approached, Khushi found herself writing the final chapter, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. The book was a journey, much like her pregnancy, filled with unexpected twists, moments of doubt, and overwhelming joy. When she finally held her first draft in her hand, she realized that the time she had spent writing had not only brought her closer to her dream of being an author but had also prepared her for the beautiful, challenging journey of motherhood.

Her book, once a distant dream, was now a testament to the strength and resilience she had discovered within herself during those nine months. Khushi knew that this was just the beginning of her story-both as a mother and as a writer.

<previous> | <next>

@featheredclover @arshifiesta @phuljari @chutkiandchotte @jalebi-weds-bluetooth @msbhagirathi

[mana-jjk]

spoilers for freaky (2020), slight spoilers for jjk characters?

tw: death mention, serial killer movie xoxo, there is blood and murder but this is also jjk so side eye, and bullying of course because it’s yuuta idk

watched freaky last night because i'm in love with kathryn newton and physically could not stop thinking about yet another inuokko au

nerdy okkotsu yuuta in the festival planning committee who everyone walks all over because he learned to defend himself.

his only close friend is his childhood friend rika and his more recent friend, maki, who he met after she yelled at a group of students trying to offload their work on him, then proceeded to yell at him for not standing up for himself, then yelled at the bystanders staring at them

he isn’t the most popular at school, with students like kashimo constantly ribbing on him, and teachers like naoya (my favorite person to be on the chopping block) always doing his best to publicly humiliate him.

his home life isn’t the worst after moving in with his new guardian, gojo, even if he enjoys telling him to do inane and strange things like joining him to do food runs at 3 in the morning or going to a musical on a festival yet not even removing his sunglasses. yet he can’t help but to feel a strong obligation to the man who took him and his sister in. it’s no small feat to take in the teenaged orphan, several times removed, cousins in on such short notice. that’s why whenever someone asks him about his next steps after graduation, it isn’t something he can easily answer.

just like he can’t really honestly answer why he joined the festival planning committee, specifically when it comes to explaining why he hangs around the garden area, has been caught staring at maki’s friend group several times, and why he’s always taking as much work as possible.

while he may be a lowly base volunteer, there’s always a chance to interact with the quiet and kind student secretary of the committee, inumaki toge.

his crush on the violet eyed boy is an open secret, especially between his friends who are always trying to convince him to say something. yet the most courage he could ever summon was slipping a poem in his shoe locker then proceeding to avoid eye contact yet still sneak glances in their english class. it’s a little too easy to convince himself that the one time they made eye contact and toge smiled, it wasn’t directed at him.

of course that changed when a serial killer stabbed him in the shoulder and the next day he woke up in an abandoned building surrounded by jars filled with brains and an excessive amount of dismembered body parts.

he screamed a little. maybe a lot.

navigating life in the body of kenjaku, even for a few hours, is the most distressing experience of his life, and he did in fact cry a little when megumi’s dogs tried to bite his face off and nobara threw a cup of boba at his face.

meanwhile, kenjaku in yuuta’s body has attempted to stab his sister (and was intercepted by gojo who had an alarming lack of concern), stole gojo’s leather jacket and practically burned yuuta’s sweater vests, brushed off both maki and rika despite the respective threats and confusion respectively, flirted with toge in the middle of class while ignoring utahime’s incredulous face, and may or may not be behind the disappearance of more than one student and teacher.

after scaring the crap out of rika and maki, and also getting the crap beaten out of him, the real yuuta hesitantly agrees to get yuuji, who’s guardian is an officer (nanananamin lol), nobara who was with her girlfriend by default, and megumi (who they didn’t want to leave out), and panda (who knew where kenjaku and the other committee members were), in on what was happening.

thus the shenanigans of the movie ensue, featuring:

• yuuta kind of admiring how kenjaku styled his body but being a little mortified too

• gojo talking to yuuta through a changing room door (100% fucking with him) while he’s hiding from the police

• yuuta and kenjaku trying to convince toge that they’re the real yuuta while toge is slowly backing out of the room

• “I Am Not Yours” poem scene that yuuta memorized because he’s a simp “I am not yours, not lost in you. Not lost, although I long to be.”

• kenjaku tied up in nobara’s apartment - “why is yuuta tied up in our kitchen chair?” “…i’m straight.” “you are a lot of things but straight is not one of them.”

• “let’s kiss when my hand isn’t bigger than your face.”

•yuuta finally growing a backbone and getting his man

idk just see my vision y’all and agree with me immediately

[stillness-in-green]

Minor advisor note: Katana Advisor was in episode S7EP15, for a brief still among the Villains captured...except they got his colors wrongs XD You still know its him from his head shape and neckbrace armor/but they still messed up his color scheme.

So I finally had the free time to go dig this episode up!  I had to watch most of the episode to find the shot you were referring to, and then ducked back to the previous episode as well, as I’d always intended to at least watch Scarecrow’s big speech moment.  Unsurprisingly, I have some thoughts.

Firstly, regarding Katana Advisor, I can only laugh and shake my head.  Great job, Bones—add in a brand new shot of people getting captured, but the only established character whose capture might possibly be relevant has the wrong colors, so you can’t even conclusively say that it’s him.  Impeccable work: Net Zero changes to the material.

(I agree that it’s obviously supposed to be him—that neck brace is very distinct—but I elect to ignore the implication because I will take any crumbs I can find that any given distinct MLA character is still in the wind at the end of the series.  Not that I consider myself beholden to the anime’s garbage take on the MLA anyway, but still.)

That aside, hit the jump for the rest!  There’s one particularly big one—a translation error in one of Scarecrow’s lines that in turn drew my attention to an issue with Viz’s translation of the same line in the manga—that I’ve saved for last.

O I enjoy that the anime makes it even more clear that Spinner did not run over any-damn-body.  Like, that assumption was so omnipresent when people were talking about that chapter in the manga, but it never stood up to a close read of the actual details of the art.  Does it make Pig Nose Guy’s crisis of conscience even more obviously dumb and contrived?  Oh hell yes.  But the hospital plot was that anyway, so I appreciate anything that makes it easier to explain why.

O Speaking of the human chain, chatting about the moment with Nal made me realize a particularly egregious thing about the set-up with the hospital.  So like, the medical staff are willing to risk their lives for their patients, right?  To the point that they’ll do a real damn stupid human chain instead of, say, trying to use all the chairs and benches and desks you’d find in a hospital to put together a fucking barricade, all for the sake of making a point?[1]  But you know who very pointedly is not behind that human chain?  You know who we never see a single person inside the hospital trying to defend?  Kurogiri, that’s who.        I guess the doctors just didn’t count him as a patient who needs to be protected, huh?  Honestly, where is the brave whistle-blower hospital admin who’s going to give a bombshell interview about how Central Hospital begged the Heroes and the police to move Kurogiri somewhere else only to be refused, because one of the Heroes is personally attached to Kurogiri, and also because Hawks and Tsukauchi knew that Villains attacking a hospital would do irreparable damage to their cred, and that would be important for legal proceedings in the aftermath of all this?       1: Not at all how this would go in real life, especially given the conceit that the only patients left in the hospital are those whose condition is so delicate that they can’t be moved.  But I guess  Horikoshi was too busy asking his EMT contact about open-heart surgery on the battlefield to think to ask about hospital procedures in the event of an active terror threat.  Also putting together a barricade inside the hospital would imply that the staff believe there’s any chance the defense force, who are outnumbered 75 to 1, could fail, and we all know from BNHA’s endgame that being proactive in the face of danger voids the Hero Protection Warrantee.  Only those who are patient and wait for help to come actually deserve help; trying to help themselves makes them Villains.

O Scarecrow’s first appearance in the scene is so, so funny.  He just floats downward into the frame.  He’s not rappelling downwards using webbing, he’s not climbing down with his spider legs, he doesn’t have insect wings; he just drifts down like he has some kind of flight quirk.  You know, the dude who will be defeated by knocking him off the roof of a tall building.

Why did you think it would help to knock this guy off a roof, Koda?  He can clearly just hover right back up there.  Perhaps his flight operates under similar principles as hot air balloons?  Did attacking him with birds deprive him of most of his gas?

O WHERE IS HIS GODDAMN SALUTE.

THIS IS NOT THE LIBERATION SALUTE.

O I notice the anime kept the scene with the handgun—including actual bullet sounds!—despite the fact that that plot element goes absolutely nowhere, and in fact they also see fit to add police-issue lightning rifles.  (Which, wow, that sure is a choice.  Love to just make police look worse by electrocuting unarmed civilians.  What, they couldn’t get a good supply of teargas ready in time?)

O It is so, so funny to me that the anime has finally, seven seasons in, started to care about dramatic lighting, but they’re stuck with the fact that the hospital attack happens in broad fucking daylight, before the other battles really start mucking with the weather.  They do their best with a bunch of lit fires, using the orange light and smoke to suggest sunset lighting and distant stars, but that doesn’t change the fact that The BNHA Anime Cloudscape is lurking just beyond the haze.

This becomes extremely clear when the smoke instantly evaporates the red hot second the mob finally stops for good.  Check the before and after here:

Hysterical.  I guess all these people had to do for the light to shine on them was to stop rioting!  Being good civilians who meekly endure their mistreatment and wait for salvation to be handed to them from outside can literally make the sun come out!  Who needs One For All punches to change the weather?  Apparently enough civilians can replicate the effect just by feeling bad enough about themselves.

O I was being fairly annoyed about the BGM scoring Spinner’s internal monologue right before he makes the last push through to Kurogiri.  Like, it was so plainly ominous and scary, emotionally keying the viewer to view Spinner’s reflections as foreboding a horrible change of the tides.  As someone who was mostly grieving for Spinner in that moment, it rubbed me the wrong way pretty badly. 

...And then that music just kept on playing as the POV of the scene switched to Present Mic and I remembered that Spinner’s last push doesn’t actually come until after the incredible bit where Yamada Hizashi confirms that Spinner has been incapacitated and then apparently decides he needs to kill Shirakumo Oboro anyway, just so his existence can no longer trouble their mutual friend.  And that, dear readers, made me way more forgiving of the ominous BGM!

O I would like to give Shimono Hiro, Dabi’s voice actor, a fucking medal for his line deliveries immediately before and after he goes through Kurogiri’s warp.  The laugh when he realizes he’s going to get teleported to his dad is breathy, pervy, a perfect encapsulation into a single two-syllable sound of his deranged anticipation for tormenting Endeavor some more.  Then his, “Otou-san!” as he appears before Endeavor is even better: high-pitched, off-balance, questioning and eager like he can’t believe his good luck.  Truly, Shimono-san understood the fazacon assignment and he delivered.

O The closing sequence is…really strange.  It’s like it’s pretending that it has a visual theme of reaching out to others, hands extended to those in need, and then the viewpoint cuts to a wider angle and you realize all the characters who were reaching out are actually just sinking down through clear water, their arms floating a little above their torsos.  The last shot, of Deku settling to the sea floor and smiling serenely with his eyes closed, is especially bonkers.  Like, what’s the message here?  That no one involved has any agency in what they’re doing, but are just going with the flow established by other people?  Deku reaches rock bottom, at peace with the knowledge that he doesn’t have to try to do hard stuff like “save Shigaraki” anymore because the grown-ups have sorted it all out for him?

I mentioned this in my chat group and Nal pointed me to the lyrics of the song, which use the word rokutousei, “sixth-magnitude star.”  While a bit of research suggests this is actually a not uncommon bit of metaphor in Japanese songs—I found at least five different ones that used it in lyrics, title or both!—personally, I was immediately reminded of Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans’ third intro, Rage of Dust, which uses the same term but with a wholly different emotional tenor, and one that I dearly wish the Heroes could have emulated the energy of. 

The difference is that BNHA’s closer, itself titled Rokutousei, is about the sixth-magnitude star (or rather, the singer who is comparing themselves to it) searching for someone else, with an overarching tone of wistfulness, while IBO’s Rage of Dust is about said star screaming defiance and vowing not to flicker out and die quietly, shouting its existence and will in the face of a system that would as soon grind it into dust without even noticing.  Rather than dust, become stardust, proclaims the song, carrying on the dreams of others.  And that defiance, that refusal to let themselves be exploited by the more powerful figures around them, fits perfectly with the struggles of IBO’s main characters.

And like, okay, sure, Rokutousei having a tone of, “I’ll do it, I guess, I hope, I mean, at least I’ll try, even though there’s such a lot against me, so much so that I’m already feeling wistful about how likely I am to succeed, but at least trying is beautiful and meaningful, right?” is certainly on-brand for BNHA’s endgame and Deku’s failures in particular, but good lord is it ever an odd tone to intentionally strike.

The essential difference between these two sequences: Deku letting himself drift aimlessly, eyes closed, arms lax at his sides vs. Mikazuki stubbornly dragging himself through the dirt with his one good arm, gaze fixed and hand grasping for the giant robot that allows him to fight for his future.

O While I think he performs it perfectly well—indeed, my biased heart found his Yamero, yamero! pretty wrenching!—I still don’t like that Scarecrow is clearly being interpreted by the anime as an older man.  There’s nothing about him that looks especially old, insomuch as we can tell from his physical appearance, and neither is there anything I recognize in his word choice that suggests he’s a crotchety old man, either.  It's a taste call, mainly, but man, I just like it better when he and Spinner and Shouji are all young men with diverging views on their oppression.

O Finally, the sub I watched had a whopper of a different translation of one of Scarecrow’s lines.  @codenamesazanka turned up the raws for me, and we found that while the anime very obviously got it wrong, the Viz translation, too, was pretty eyebrow-raising.  It’s one of those localization moments that leaves with the, “Oh, Caleb Cook, I want to shake your fucking hand….with a joybuzzer,” feeling I periodically had to wrestle with back when I was still doing chapter posts.

The line in question is this one:

Note how blatantly horrible this is, so nakedly manipulative that it stops even being very effective manipulation because no one could possibly say, “Don’t stop to think!” in good faith?  Well, that’s probably because the line wasn’t originally that bald-faced.  Even Translator Sis, who normally more or less agrees with C.Cook’s choices (certainly compared to the fan scanlations!), had a real :grimace_emoji: moment and said it was the kind of translation that could only come from a place of bias against the character.

The Japanese line here is, “Yamero yamero reisei ni naru na!” which would more literally translate to, “Stop, stop!  Don’t calm down!”  The first bit is straightforward: a simple repetition of one word that (particularly as delivered quite well by Scarecrow’s voice actor!) really gets across his desperation and panic that the highly important mission he was spearheading is falling apart in front of him.  It’s much more openly emotional and unchecked than Viz’s, “Enough nonsense!”

The bigger issues is the second part.  Reisei ni naru is basically a verb construction about cooling off, calming down, collecting or recovering oneself when emotions are threatening to cloud one’s judgement—Scarecrow’s line is telling the mob to not do that.  I can certainly see where Caleb was coming from—it’s still a very Bad Guy thing to say!—but there is a clear difference between telling people to not let their passion evaporate and telling them outright not to think.

It feels a bit like a response to a tone policing argument, Shouji begging the crowd to be calm and think rationally because this sort of display of anger isn’t helping.  And Scarecrow frantically tells them not to collect themselves and be rational because what has that rationality ever offered them?  What is it offering them now?  It’s just a prelude to telling them to go back home and endure their pain some more.

In much the same way as the idea of light/shadow/illumination is being argued between Scarecrow and Shouji, similar ideas of emotional temperature are implicit in the kanji used in the characters’ word choices. Netsu, 熱, literally meaning “heat,” is the word Scarecrow uses for the emotions of the crowd, their fevered zeal and passion—Spinner uses the same word later in the chapter when reflecting about how he was swept up by passion and followed Shigaraki. Reisei, conversely, contains the kanji for “cold,” 冷.[2] It's not about thinking or not thinking; it's about ferver vs. composure, passion vs. presence of mind.

2: The same 冷 is the kanji used for Rei's name, incidentally.

Notably, the idea of thinking does come up in the chapter also, and it's very much not Scarecrow telling the crowd not to think. Rather, he exorts them/Pig Nose Guy to think of the mistreatment they've suffered, to think only of that; Pig Nose Guy uses the same verb (考える, kangaeru, meaning to think about, to contemplate, to reflect on) when he replies that he is thinking about it.

Caleb correctly communicates the idea of thinking in that exchange, so it actually reads a bit weird to have Scarecrow, over the course of two pages, go from telling PNG to think to telling him not to. It comes off as Scarecrow's rhetoric failing him so him just desperately flailing for whatever words he can find, even if they blatantly contradict what he literally just said. That instant, hypocritical contradiction is not there in Japanese because he's talking about two different things!

I'm happy to know this—“Don’t stop to think!” is one of the very worst lines in that whole stretch of chapters to me!—but I do wish I'd known it much sooner. I was so cynical about Horikoshi's writing of the erstwhile MLA by that point that it never even occured to me to check the Japanese! So thanks for that, I guess, wild mistranslation by the anime subbers! XD

And thanks as always @shockersalvage for the ask! Who knows when I would have realized, if ever, if you hadn't given me the anime update to go check!

[noir-fem]

PREFACE: this is just MY OPINION on some takes I've seen. This is meant to call out some team black fans who take things way too far and bully people, but I will not condone any kind of bullying or harassment in the comments. We can disagree, we can discuss our disagreements, but what we're not gonna do is bully or threaten people, okay?

Okay.

That being said, this is a friendly reminder that the Targaryens invaded a land that WAS NOT THEIRS then proceeded to take the things that they believed they had a divine right to through force and violence (aka their dragons, which are a metaphor for the weapons of mass destruction used in real wars). This is literally a metaphor for colonizers. GRRM wrote the dance of dragons as an anti-war commentary and made it clear that the Targaryens thinking that they're a divine race who are entitled to do whatever they want at the expense of the common man is a HORRIBLE WAY OF THINKING and this has gone completely over some of yall's heads.

Look, you can like whatever characters you wanna like for whatever reason! Nobody in HOTD is truly a good person, so there's no point in real people fighting with each other over it. But I'm tired of watching team black fans who justify their choice by saying this very thing proceed to bully and harass not only team green fans, but even the team green ACTORS because they don't like what the CHARACTERS did. Like, what happened to all of them being bad people?? And why call REAL people names, harass them, and even threaten them just because of what these FICTIONAL CHARACTERS did????

If it truly doesn't matter who you support because "they're all bad people", then why are you harassing REAL PEOPLE just because they don't like the same war criminals you do? "Both sides do bad things", so what moral high ground do you have over team green fans? One person on here said that some of y'all act like you're actually part of House Targaryen and it's true! If the Targaryens were real people who actually did these things, y'all defending them so staunchly would be worrying to say the least!

I love Aemond as a character, and I can understand his motivation for killing Luke, but I'll never defend him killing Luke because at the end of the day, children getting killed is unexcusable NO MATTER WHAT. I don't want to watch anything horrible happen to Rhaenyra's children any more than I want to watch Blood and Cheese happen to Helaena and her children. I love team green because I think they're interesting characters that I see a lot of myself in and I think that their actions make sense for the time period and circumstances they live in. However, I also look at their actions through a modern lens and would never condone some of the things they've done in real life.

Posting this bc I'm tired of seeing team green fans get called hypocrites while the people who claim to be feminists/progressives worship characters who represent the TOTAL OPPOSITE of feminism without a second thought. I'm tired of seeing certain fans make shitty takes saying that Alicent doing bad things "wouldn't be a problem if she would just own up to it!!", when team black fans go out of their way to justify Blood and Cheese and every other bad thing that their favs do.

Once again, keep the comments civil! if you start bullying or threatening people you're getting blocked and reported :)