#dark!rey meta

[the-force-awakens]

Yes yes yes!!!! Even in the movies, the whole “at least he’s not on fire!” “What’s left of him isn’t on fire!” scene to me felt very much like a friendly/familial bickering, they weren’t being rude or mean to each other, they were both a little shocked at the state of everything and that’s how they communicate

They!!Are!!Friends!!And!!Love!!Each!!Other!!

Yes, exactly! Even when they're bickering, they're both very visibly enjoying themselves. Poe's barely restraining the urge to smile, you can see it in his eyes, and Rey doesn't even try to stop herself from smiling when she whips out the "you're difficult". Poe's also smiling when he approaches her, even as he starts being sarcastic??? Like...they like each other, they just bicker as a love language?

Like these are not the expressions of two people who hate each other. They're exasperated by each other right now, sure, but the banter is so familiar for them by this point that they're also enjoying it underneath the frustration.

It also irks me (but just goes to show how frankly astoundingly little the fandom actually pays attention to these characters/can't read them) because we know what Poe and Rey look like when they're interacting with characters they hate/cannot stand...and that energy is not here?

by contrast, think of poe's expression uh. any time he's dealing with the first order, or his anger with holdo when he believes she's just leading them to their deaths. think of rey's absolute fury at teedo or legitimately any interaction with ren (barring the five minutes she gave him the benefit of the doubt and he instead chose to be the one true dick) - Rey does not minimize her anger or frustration with people. She sure as hell doesn't smile smugly at people she hates and can't stand, she's a feral little sand gremlin and if she doesn't like you, you're gonna fucking know it.

And altho their banter/bickering match does deteriorate into a genuine argument, let's see what else happens here shall we? Poe puts his two cents in ("you're the best fighter we have, we need you. out there, not here") and walks away before it can get any worse, allowing them to cool off. And Rey is visibly okay with this, she doesn't look worried when Poe walks off, instead she just has that "fuck my friend rightfully called me out on my shit that I don't want to unpack yet" look. Like, Rey is the queen of abandonment issues - after knowing Finn for a day, him leaving in tfa was enough to hurtle her into a traumatic flashback turned Force vision; and there's no doubt the throne room made that worse.

And look, I'm also the queen of abandonment issues, it's one reason why I relate so heavily to Rey. Which is why Rey's lack of a reaction to Poe walking away strikes me so profoundly: because Rey isn't afraid he won't come back. It takes a seriously deep level of friendship to achieve that. I experience that with my qpps 99% of the time, and that other 1% is when my anxiety is really awful but even underneath that I know they won't leave me. Rey seems as confident in Poe not leaving her as a friend, as I am my committed platonic life partners. Let that sink in for a minute.

which is just another point for me for my qpp jedistormpilot hc tyvm

What happens after that, is that when Rey decides to leave to find the wayfinder, she isn't surprised when Poe shows up to (as far as she knows, tho we know he and finn were planning on going) say goodbye, and immediately makes sure they're on good terms before she leaves, just in case.

Poe also checks in on her before they leave because he notices she's acting strangely/drinking in the scenery like she won't see it again, and promptly spends...a lot of the movie worrying about her?

He grounds her several times in the novelization(s).......but is also one of the reasons Rey snaps in the desert with Ren and the transport. In the junior novelization (iirc), she thinks about all the horrible things Ren has done to her and her friends, and one of the things she thinks before she loses control is how he tortured Poe. And then (I can't remember in which novelization) it's Poe's voice who snaps her out of her shell-shocked daze following the transport blowing up. In the regular one, he also gently tells her in the ship to go take a minute and he'll take care of the flying so she can just....have a breather and process what happened and doesn't hold what happened against her in the least (which we also see in the movie).

And BONUS points he trusts her instinctively aboard the Steadfast when she gets a Force feeling (I think the line in the novel is something like "when she got that look, a fellow knew he ought just to follow"? Or it may have been another scene I can't remember). Like.....they're friends. I don't know how much more explicit the movie could have made it, unless folks wanted them sharing a secret handshake or wanted them to briefly pause the movie to add a powerpoint presentation text above their heads going "they're friends". They bicker and they argue and they get exasperated with each other, especially over their similarities (because Rey is a lot like Poe), but they genuinely love and care for one another, and to be quite honest saying otherwise is a huge fucking disservice to how much Daisy and Oscar put into crafting their dynamic.

[sk1fanfiction]

so many planned/unfinished fandom projects not enough time

[sunyot]

Cinematic Moments - Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Ask: Is the Sequel Trilogy a Cinderella Story? ATU 510 Word Count: ~600

Folktale Types in Star Wars - Meta Masterpost

So I wrote a few things about how the Skywalker Saga fits into the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Classification of Folk Tales, and I thought I’d link them all in one place. I’ve included the ATU class number for reference and approximate word count so you know how long it might take to read each one!

The Search for the Lost Husband: Reylo as Eros and Psyche ATU 425 Word Count: ~7000

More Search for the Lost Husband: The Burning of the Beast’s Skin in Star Wars ATU 425A-449 (Animal Bridegroom) Word Count: ~1400

The Quest for the Lost Bride: Anidala (and Reylo) as Orpheus and Eurydice ATU 400 Word Count: ~4000

More Quest for the Lost Bride: Sleeping Beauty in Star Wars ATU 410 Word Count: ~1700

There are some other topics I’d like to explore with relation to ATU Folktale Types, so hopefully I’ll have more to add to this in time!

[the1northlanderprincess]

An Undiluted Desire

I saw that a beacon has been lit for someone to discuss Sauron's sultry expression and line delivery about touching the darkness. Now, it may not be as spicy as some others might put it, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Let's get into it!

(gif courtesy of @letthefairyinyoufly)

I honestly can't believe I didn't include this in my meta, especially after watching the clip earlier. This might be blasphemy, but it might be better than the "Not all of it". 🙃🫠 anyway...

So, what I want to focus on first is his expression. He's staring her down, right? Like, it's crazy sharp. How about the rest of his features? Look at his mouth. It's quivering, as if he's feverish. I mean, if we're being honest, he probably is just by being next to her, sharing her space, and sparring with her like he has probably wanted to do since Numenor (okay, I feel like I'm repeating myself here from earlier posts, but whatever, lol). You could probably make the argument that he's staving her off, or trying to hold her down so he can talk to her. However, this is Sauron we're talking about here. Just going by his mouth and his little chin-lift, the guy was just teaming to be physically close to her, which is more obvious when he leans into her after pushing her into the boulder.

Another piece of evidence towards his unrelenting desire is the timbre of his voice. There are little changes in pitch here and there, including slightly high ones, such as when he says "'we". Sauron is also incredibly breathless as he speaks. One such instance is "surely you". He sounds ragged. But it's his tone throughout the whole line that gets me. It's so quiet and intimate. Again, though he's using a lot of energy, there's no reason to be that softspoken. He could use a regular 'inside voice' (forgive my preschool para-ness). Instead, it's this passionate voice that would work for a love confession that isn't made during a life-threatening situation.

So, the conclusion is that I believe Sauron is fighting not just physically, but internally as well. The dude is clearly a goner in his feelings for her. However, he has too much respect for her to express too much tangible affection. Thus locking swords is the way to go. But it's clear he's having a very difficult time holding all that in, because it's very apparent the want is eating at him.

As @rey-jake-therapist has said, it would be cruel if they never let Sauron and Gal kiss once. Heck, even him touching her again, like during the mind palace raft scene. It could be plausible during a s3 mind palace scene, considering we all believe they're more connected now, and he might try to push that new darkness out.

[inkwells-stuff]

Age analysis:

- Meta Liberation Army -

(Please ignore all my spelling mistakes, I overthink too much)

Skeptic/Tomoyasu Chikazoku:

- I've noticed that he really doesn't have any major aging lines or details in his design, although his eye bags and chin details could be seen as his aging, it just seems that they are just part of his face shape and his working habits.

Ex: His eye bags would probably form from his time in front of computers and in dark rooms

My age guess for him would probably be his late 20's, maybe 27 or 28

----------------------

Trumpet/Koku Hanabata:

- Trumpet is very obvious not young, a lot of his dialogue is very formal and he does say "My, is that what the kids are saying these days?" + He's a political party leader, where you would have to be a certain age to legally be a party leader. He very obviously in either his late 30's or early 40's. He also has obvious aging lines in the manga. Eye lines and forehead lines are apparent, but I hate how they took them away in the anime, but all of the MLA got screwed over by Bones

Age Guess: About 42 or 43

----------------------

Curious/Chitose Kizuki:

- It's obvious that she's aged, she has the same eye lines in the manga, so I couldn't find any more description or design for her age. But it's very clear that she is over the age of 30. Eye lines are very common aging factors and by her small flashback with Re-Destro, she was definitely around her 30's cause of Re-Destros design at the point

Age Guess: Around 41, possibly 42

----------------------

Re-Destro/Rikiya Yotsubashi:

- We all know our favorite silly old man. He has very very clear aging lines, along with stress lines as well (his ability side effect). Also considering he's a CEO of Dentrant, the grand commander of the MLA, and his speech pattern, he's finely aged.

Age guess: Around 45, possible 46.

----------------------

Geten:

- Geten is very obviously not aged at all. He has a young character design, but it's said that he never went to school, and ran away from his family young, cause fuck his family (they are so gross and what they did to Rei ruined her life.)

Age guess: Around 20 or 21. I really don't think he's older than that, still very young by MLA standers

[jomamaofficial]

An Empty Vessel pt.2 (Dabi x Fem!Reader Dark Angst)

A/N: Happy holidays my lovely toes. I am so sorry for this delay, my laptop broke down 😃😃. I urge you all to read the TWs and CWs because I have delved into dark topics. As always, my Ask Box is open for any requests or just a conversation. I absolutely adore all of you, and I want to take this time to thank you guys for your support. Seeing your comments and messages motivates me to write :) <3. Please remember to take care of yourselves, and enjoy. As always, I would love to see your thoughts in the comments :). TW: Vague sexual harassment, substance abuse (weed, alcohol, smoking), death and bleeding. CW: SPOILER: Season 6, Dabi’s backstory, PFL, AFO and Shigiraki plot, swearing, vague mentions of intimate acts. Taglist: @marlenemckinnonsleftfoot @sukunasleftkneecap @istoleyourmanho3 @witherfag Masterlist Edit: Part 3 😼😼 Word Count: 2919. Summary: In the stories Rei used to read him, heroes always won. Reality wasn’t a story though. The villains won the Meta Liberation War after 6 years of fighting. With the death of Pro Hero Endeavour, and the reign of All For One, Dabi could finally leave his past as Touya Todoroki. He no longer had family. But what about the past that haunted him to this day. A family that belonged to Dabi, not Touya? One that escaped unborn?

——————————————————————————————————

Musutafu, Japan– it made international headlines. 

The Paranormal Liberation Force finally did it. 

The nation observed a minute of silence for the fall of Pro Hero Endeavour. 

Musutafu was now all for one. And the entire nation would soon suffer the same fate. 

Dabi stretched his neck to the left, stretching his right shoulder as he fought the growing tingles in his body. Chills ran up and down his spine as his eyes followed the tears of rain flooding the dimly-lit road.

He loved how empty this street was: no cars, no news reporters. There were no signs of nagging parents and their brat children, and there were no heroes patrolling the streets, strutting up and down like they owned the place.  

It was just him and the soft sound of the rain which seeped into his socks, staining them with the remains of what was now All For One’s headquarter city. 

Dabi wished to hear the familiar croak of Tomura’s voice: the back and forth banter, the late-night clicks of the video game console. Back when it was just them, the League of Villains. Tomura, Kurogiri, Toga, Twice, and him. Back when he didn’t ruin everything. 

Dabi never told anyone, but there was a tiny part of his soul that withered away when he was near All For One. 

Dabi felt small. He was 5’9; he never felt small. 

But that thing would always tower over him. His slimy touch was forcefully ingrained into Dabi’s skin— that thing touched him like he owned Dabi. 

And Dabi hated the way his mind memorised the way All For One used his crooked fingers to tilt Dabi’s head up to inspect him. 

“Oh he’s a little doll isn’t he, Tomura? Where do you find these pretty boys?”

He hated the way All For One laughed after; it was a broken wheeze that rang murder in Dabi’s mind. 

He watched as All For One forced Tomura to laugh with him, and Tomura’s apologetic eyes wavered when he looked back at Dabi. 

He hated Tomura for laughing that day. 

But he hated that laugh much more; the laugh that tainted the fresh air they stood in. 

Now, Musutafu’s entire air was tainted by that laugh. 

Now… Musutafu belonged to All For One. And Dabi could only hear that broken wheeze. 

It would follow him everywhere. 

So despite the rain’s destructive nature, Dabi allowed the weeping drops of the sky to fill the emptiness inside of him. The cool drops were better than the air. 

Dabi was just an empty vessel. Nowhere to go, no one to go back to. 

-

The Meta Liberation War quenched everyone’s thirst for blood. The dirt was saturated with the blood of heroes and villains alike. 

He found it amusing, he really did as he bore his vacant eyes into the rusting ground. Dabi watched as everyone’s blood mixed together under his foot. 

He raised his eyebrows, and chuckled.

‘All it took was death for them to stick together’. 

Dabi travelled further away from the battle ground, quite deliberate about the steps he took. He counted underneath a shallow breath.

“Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven,” until he reached the sixty-second step. 

His heel pressed against the seeping soil surging scarlet. 

And the world was still. 

So still and silent that the gentle wind snuck up on the thin man, and he let out a broken gasp as his knees gave out. 

The ringing in his ear struck a bitter note. His chest heaved up and down, up and down, and his eyes were blankly fixed on the ground beneath him. Thick, warm blood oozed through the thin cloth that covered his knees. 

Enji Todoroki finally died. And Touya Todoroki was responsible for it. 

Touya Todoroki, after 7 years of persistent efforts, was officially fatherless. 

Finally, it dawned upon him: after 30 long years, Touya Todoroki couldn’t chase him anymore. He could finally find solace in Dabi. 

And Dabi was alone. He had no family. 

-

As the joint finally caught up to him, after four or five rookie puffs, the raven man started asking himself what he was doing here. 

Surrounded by a group of homeless men who he caught rummaging in the dumpster, they were huddled away into the darkness of a dimly lit alleyway. It smelled like shit, offending his heightened state of smell. Flies picked on the waste scattered below them, their constant buzz creating a monotonous flow. 

Dabi peeled his lips open as he felt each individual cell respire on his skin. His heart felt like it was growing inside of him, puncturing his dry lungs, getting louder and faster with each beat.

As a young boy, he saw Enji drink every evening for two years. Dabi used to sneak a sip when he was alone. Dabi was often alone. 

He caught Enji with a lit cigarette in his fingers. Dabi stole one and showed it to his friends. Dabi coughed a lot that day. 

Enji never touched drugs. He was against it. 

Dabi never took drugs; the thought of it never passed him. 

“How does it feel kid?” 

Dabi’s consciousness was dragged back to reality, the bleak colours of his surroundings painting a vibrant picture. 

“I can feel my skin breathing,” he responded, his lower jaw hanging open as he struggled to keep his neck straight. 

Howls of laughter echoed in the distance, but the scarred man took no notice. 

The joint was held to his lips, and Dabi took another puff. 

Dabi wanted to individually itch the surface of his eyes with his nails. It was miserable. 

But the ripple of the individual muscles in his cheeks felt so warm and happy when he smiled. That was less miserable. 

So he kept on smiling, jaw still gaping. His staples pulled against his grafts, but the molecular traces of marijuana in his bloodstream shielded him from the pain. 

Dabi was taken aback– gravity was working exponentially harder against him. A man touched the corner of his lips, the thick and coarse pad of his thumb sending him back, seven years ago.

Oh he’s a little doll isn’t he, Tomura?

“Boy”, the man slurred, “you’re bleeding.”

He shoved his bloodied thumb in Dabi’s face. 

Dabi struggled to focus his gaze on the thumb in front of him, switching between double and triple vision. 

“Can’t feel it,” he mumbled, his reactions delayed as he scooted away from the stranger. 

“Everything’s breathing except these.”

Dabi was mesmerised by the feeling of his grafts against the pads of his fingers. It restored the faint twinkle in his hollow eyes.  

“Why are you all fucked up everywhere, boy?”

It took a few moments to register, but Dabi did respond. 

“Useless mom, dick dad.” 

A unison of delayed ahhhs followed, and Dabi began to feel a knocking pressure trapped in the inner corners of his wide eyes.

“I was never his first choice,” Dabi chuckled. He wasn’t sure if they could hear him. They sure as hell couldn’t understand him, but he was fine with that. 

“I was his first born son. No fuckin’ use. Dropped me like I was a waste of time and money.” 

The offensive smell of the blunt dug him further away from reality. Dabi was content with his own company. 

It would always be just him, forever and always. Because after everyone leaves, you’re left with yourself– your only support. 

The more he delved into his loneliness, the louder he heard his skin breathe, it was deafening. And so the silence on his graft became even louder. 

For a man who was considered dead all his life, Dabi wasn’t used to his living body. Senses upon senses, he was bombarded with the constant reminder that he was still alive. Even his dead, unresponsive skin felt alive. Because it was the absence of feeling that felt different. 

-

Many people would describe euphoria as extreme feelings of bliss and joy. It was this boxed definition that led Dabi to believe that he could never feel euphoria. But in this moment, whilst Dabi sunk deeper into his conscience– his doubts finally quiet, time finally stopped. 

And his body finally let go. 

The familiar bud of the joint met his mouth again, and he inhaled the noxious fumes until he smoked his fears away into the midst of the neverending clouds in the night sky. The full moon gleamed down on his pale skin, bathing his grafts in a lunar embrace. 

Unlike the sun, which beat its scorching rays on his sensitive skin, the moon shyly kissed it, leaving trails of beautiful markings that soothed his aches. 

Dabi’s heart was working overtime. Blood rushed to his scalp, and his body completely shut down. There was one name that his heart called for. 

A name that belonged to the past. The moon shyly casted a glow on that face too, but it averted its lunar eyes when Dabi defiled his past, leaving trails of burns that caused her aches. 

He was wrong. 

Touya Todoroki, after 7 years of persistent efforts, had no family.  

But Dabi? 

Dabi had a family. 

-

Dabi woke up to blue skies and a gentle sun peeking behind the stained curtains. His body was sprawled on the tiny bed, his limbs spilling out the sides, here and there. He blindly groped for his phone in the midst of thin sheets, switching it on to check the time. 

09:23 AM. 

He groaned and threw a dark shirt on top of his eyes, blocking the obnoxious sun as he squirmed to find his sleep. 

Moments passed and all he could focus on was the neverending tick of the clock in the corridor. 

“Fuck it.”

Dabi slipped on some shirt, and put on some shoes, and slammed the door when he left. 

09:36 AM. 

No wonder he could hear the tick, the corridor was ghost-quiet. 

Routinely, Dabi heaved himself over to the bar, scanning the counter for a quick shot.

09:41 AM. 

Toga walked inside the lair, her hands hidden inside the cuffs of her cardigan. Dabi nodded at her as he let out a yawn. 

“Everyone die or summin’?”

Toga stared at him, her eyes glazed. 

Dabi immediately straightened up. 

“Wait, did they actua-”

“She’s gone.”

09:49 AM.

Dabi’s jaw tensed up, gripping the shot glass tighter. 

“Who’s gon-”

His body was jolted back into the counter, the loud glass shrieking as it fell from his hands. 

“Don’t you dare Dabi. Don’t you fucking dare.”

Her eyes were red. Her fist was clenched around the loose cloth that hung on him. 

Dabi averted his eyes from Toga, releasing a shallow breath. 

Toga’s chest hiccuped underneath her cardigan, and she hid her face into his chest, staining it with stale tears. 

“She’s gone,” she repeated, a broken record.  

Dabi clasped his arms around her, his hands patting her head. 

09:59 AM. 

“She left.” 

-

Dabi reached for the flask hidden in his inner pockets. Bony fingers struggled to open it, fine tremors running through his bones. 

‘Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen…’ 

Door number eighteen. A few strides away. But the growing feeling of heaviness in Dabi’s feet warned him: it was going to be a marathon. 

Countless strangers pointed at the lone man in a tattered, thick jacket. Dabi grasped at the wire fence that separated the long stretches of the park and pavement, muttering something underneath his breath.

The sight of free cars strolling past him caught him off guard every single time. He had no sense of time, no sense of direction. 

He was far, far away from Musutafu. 

Here, the air felt fresher. 

It wouldn’t be long before it was infested either. 

But he had to owe All For One some credit. 

His reign of terror gave the PLF members a huge leverage when it came to accessing government files. 

Dabi flipped through piles of kojin bangō, particularly scanning through documents of 27 year-old mothers, registered births and quirk-hybrids, and a certain family name. 

He found everyone’s name, everyone’s identity; no one was safe. 

Yet the name his eyes yearned for was nowhere in sight. 

Countless days and nights were spent silently begging for a lead. On day 18, Dabi finally left the building, clutching onto a piece of paper close to his heart. 

Saira Uchiyama. 

Names didn’t match, but it was the only name that he could trace her back to. 

Dabi took the final steps up the road, feeling lighter than he had in days. 

It was on his right. There was but a sliver of road that separated Dabi and door number eighteen. 

His fingers started picking at the ripping cuticles on his nail bed, and the grown man started to track his breaths. 

He took a step. 

A car honked at him. 

“Watch where you’re going!”

Dabi didn’t draw back. 

He took another step, and another, and another. One more, maybe two. 

He could feel the gravel underneath his boots. Dabi lifted his broken face and a perfect house stared down at him. Pristine brick walls stood proud; the bright toned paint complimented the thriving flora in the yard. It fit in so well with the lines of houses, strong and shielded. 

This was someone’s home. Bonsai trees armed the right side of the yard, some trimmed, others growing wild. 

There were two floors and a garage; more than enough for a perfect family. 

Dabi was stopped by the fence gates that guarded the perimeters. He struggled to get past. 

Encrusted in metal, his eyes laid upon the name beside the door. 

Engraved in gold letters, it read Uchiyama.

He was a step away from Saira Uchiyama’s front door. 

Dabi’s hand reached towards the door handle, but he stopped when he felt the unwelcoming chill of it. 

He eyed the doorbell instead. He fisted his hand that was itching to press it. 

The drowning noises of children’s laughter bled through his skull from the park that was behind him. The drones of parents buying ice cream, and husbands holding their wives’ hands. This was the type of neighbourhood he was in. 

And someone told him. Since when did Dabi develop the need to preserve this? 

He was a lone man, half dead. He was disgusting. He couldn’t find her name. Now he was outside some poor woman’s house. Saira Uchiyama. How would she feel seeing a decaying man waiting outside her front door? How would her husband feel if some uninvited scarred freak asked to meet his wife, hands empty? 

He felt a thick substance roll past his cheek and drip onto the clean welcome mat. 

Dabi pushed his raven locks out of his eyes, biting onto his knuckles as he struggled to maintain a steady breath

His nails moved to pick at the staples underneath his eyes. 

He couldn’t do this. 

‘I can’t fucking do this.’

Through his bloodied waterline, he looked at the doorbell one more time before turning around. 

He couldn’t fucking do this. Dabi didn’t belong here. 

He tried to move forwards but his legs were shackled to the pebbly footpath. His rhythmic heart couldn’t let go. His twisted mind forced him to go. 

His desperate eyes latched onto the bed of perfect flowers on his right. 

Like an open flame, the flowers stole all his attention. Dabi stilled. 

Their indigo petals mirrored the deep colour of his dead skin. He was entranced by the bold opening, the beautiful colour bleeding out and reflecting the glimmering hope that built up in his cerulean eyes. 

-

“What’s your favourite flower Dabi?” Toga asked as she played with her blunt knife, running her thumb across the blade. 

“Typ’a fucking qustion’s that?” 

“God Dabi, don’t you know how to have a civilised conversation with someone. I’m just trying to get to know you better!”

“And asking my favourite flower’s gonna do that?”

“It’s called small talk, Dabi.”

He scoffed, pushing past the young girl to rummage through the cabinets. 

From the corner of his eyes, he picked up on her amber eyes intently pressing him for an answer. 

“For fucks sake. Fine. I’ll do your little small talk”, he gave in, evoking a small squeal from the blonde. 

Dabi considered her question for a minute, pressing his tongue against his cheeks. 

“I saw these flowers once,” he gulped. “They were blue, kinda like flames. My flames. I saw ‘em in one’a those gated areas. I guess they were pretty nice.” 

Toga pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side as she tried to paint a picture in her head. 

“Do you know what they’re called?”

“The fuck would I know? Probably one of those fancy rich flowers grown by fancy rich people,”, he shrugged. 

“I’ll ask the newbie, she’ll know what they are.”

“Have fun talkin’ to lil’ miss know-it-all,” he scoffed, happy as Toga skipped away, leaving him alone. Finally. 

A week later, Dabi found out what they were called as he was sharing a cigarette on the roof. 

“By the way, they’re called Rindou flowers.” 

Dabi quirked up an eyebrow, his lips curled in a sneer. 

“Those flowers you like, they’re called Rindou.”

Dabi’s ears perked up at the small giggle that followed. 

“I guess I could say being ‘miss know-it-all’ isn’t the worst thing, huh?” 

-

Dabi’s chest heaved as he turned around, his pace fast as his hands inched closer to the doorbell. 

Ring. 

The wind stilled. 

He could hear footsteps run down the stairs. 

Click. 

The handle moved. 

The door creaked open. 

It was 09:59 AM. 

——————————————————————————————————

Keep a look out for Part 3, my angst-loving toes. If you would like me to add you to the taglist, please comment or message me :).

Edit: Part 3

[siflshonen]

Todoroki: The Mountain, the Hawk, and the Haunted House Part 1

Link to the Todoroki family presentation: Part 1 | Part 2

Link to the Bakugo presentation 2.0: Part 1 | Part 2 | 1.0: Part 1 | Part 2

Link to the Kirishima presentation 1.0 | 2.0

Link to the Todoroki presentation

Link to the Deku presentation

Link to the Uraraka-Bakugo-Toga presentation

Link to the Shigaraki-All for One presentation

Link to the Spinner-Shigaraki-Bakugo-Deku presentation

Link to the BNHA presentations masterpost

In the online fandom system, domestic abuse offenses are considered especially heinous. In the My Hero Academia fandom, the dedicated fans who create the discourse around these fictitious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the So (you think these) Victims (are the most special characters) Unit, or SVU.

These aren’t their stories.

Whenever a work from one culture or language is brought to another (or even if the work stays in the same culture but transitions from page to screen), the translators, localizers, and creative team handling it can only do so much to help the new audience understand what the original work communicates through subtext or cultural associations by deciding how much of the work to leave out or change. In other words, the team must choose how to fail.

In the case of the Todoroki family, I feel there is much lost in translation. Or, at least, there is much lost if the reader doesn’t share the work’s original cultural background. I’m going to try to make my point with a poem.

Four children are mine

And I love my four children:

An arrow to ward away the darkness

aimed for the light of the dawn;

The winter, who brings the night again, beautiful and longer;

Next the summer,

who returns the sun at its zenith;

And small is the leader with clear sky and dusk rain in his eyes.

Four children are mine

And with four comes death

The arrow flies too high from the bow

The arrow flies but falls to darkness

From a shrine in the mountain, he aims for me.

My son haunts the mountain near the peak

I fear the mountain I cannot climb

I fear the arrow meant for me.

Winter settles quietly

Summer turns away from me

The leader makes a mirror of my heart

I tell my son I love him

And I look in the mirror yet I cannot face it but to watch it crack

My son is my spitting image

I tell my son I love him

I tell my son

Without looking into his eyes,

I tell my son I love him

As the arrow flies.

This poem is about Enji Todoroki and his children - the four he actually fathered and the one for whom he unknowingly acted as a surrogate. The poem vaguely alludes to the meanings of the children’s names with one notable change - for Shoto Todoroki, instead of calling him “charred frozen” - which is basically how his first name is written - I called him “leader”.

When written with different characters in Japanese, “Sho” can mean “leader.” So, while “leader” isn’t the true meaning of Shoto’s name, I decided that it was thematically fitting to use since he’s also the “hero of his family” and leads the way for them to continue into the future. In changing the meaning of Shoto’s name, I chose how to fail. Yes, it’s imperfect, but by putting in the work, I can at least show you how I arrived at the destination to help you better understand what you are reading. Much of what I’m about to write about falls into this category - it’s not exactly the perfect explanation or whole, unaltered, canon truth, but is supplementary information to help you come to your own conclusions.

Anyway, now that I’ve told you the poem is about Enji and his children, it probably comes off a little differently, huh? That’s the power of writing allegories and using recurring motifs. If you have not figured it out already, you’ll learn soon enough what words symbolize each child.

Now, let’s break down this already broken family. There are so many damn Todorokis that I’m going to do something very, very rude and call them each by their first name for the sake of clarity (and also because, frankly, it’s a more honest representation of how I actually feel about these characters.)

What is the Todoroki Family?

The challenges facing the Todoroki family - such as the pressures Enji feels, the disappointment and internal crisis Toya inherits, the social and marital prison in which Rei finds herself trapped, the nature of the public’s feelings of betrayal at the reveal of Enji’s family dysfunction, the social snafus and ugly family dynamics in which Natsuo and Fuyumi are often caught - are distinctly shaped by the series’ Japanese society. There’s a special je ne sais quoi quality to their family drama that feels authentic even to me, and I’m a foreigner to these cultural tropes. It’s a little disturbing.

But, besides a fictional family, what are the Todorokis? What purpose do they serve in the story? What is their purpose within the narrative, and what is the purpose of the narrative in which they exist?

Well, on the one hand, the Todoroki household can function as an allegory for traditional Japanese families, society, and power structures (we could use the word “patriarchy”) crumbling under the pressures of modernity and a changing world, which is similar to how the Shimura household functions in Shigaraki’s backstory, or even the story of All Might’s retirement. On the other hand, they are a case study of a deeply flawed family that, if the magic-powers quirk element was not present, could exist in the real world.

They make for good drama. But every member of the household serves a purpose in the narrative, in the family, and in the meta. Usually, these three things work together for a greater purpose.

What is Enji Todoroki?

I didn’t say, “Who is Enji Todoroki?”. I said, “What is Enji Todoroki?”

If you said, “an asshole and shit father,” well, yeah, you’re sure on to something! But it’s not helpful to disengage with a major character in a work if you want to understand what the hell they’re doing in the narrative. I’m not telling anyone to like Enji, or any Todoroki, but I am asking that you entertain the concepts behind them with an open mind, if not an open heart.

What is Enji Todoroki? Much of this should be obvious in any language, but I’m still going to break it down.

The manga tells us pretty blatantly that he is a man from an older generation struggling to remain relevant in a new and changing world. He is ambitious, prideful, hardworking, hypocritical, and wholly dedicated to his job. He’s the patriarch in a household structure that is no longer relevant and coming apart at the seams. But most of all, Enji is afraid that nothing he does will ever be enough.

What is Enji Todoroki? Enji is someone who tries his hardest at anything he does even when it sends him to ruin.

Enji and Effort; Enji and Enjo

In my Bakugo and Deku presentations, I mention that the concept of talent as a fixed quality is predominantly accepted in the west while a common eastern perspective posits that talent is something developed over time. The distinctly Japanese Enji and his personal conflict over the existence of the “natural born”, western-coded All Might thrusts these implied concepts of talent from subtext (not that they were particularly hard to identify throughout the manga) into blatant text. And I’m not just talking about the moment where Enji thinks to himself, “I have always envied natural-born superheroes.”

The written characters for Enji’s given name means effort. The name also sounds like another word for “fuckin’ honkin’ bigass fire”, Enjo, but for our discussion, Enji means effort. Endeavor, his self-chosen hero name, also implies the application of effort.

Everything about this man is defined by his efforts, even when they are in vain. Everything.

He pours his effort into becoming Japan’s greatest Hero. He pours his efforts into escaping the fate of his father. He pours his efforts into making the most terrible domestic choices possible to try to be enough for his family. He pours his efforts into atoning for his transgressions against his family, and then again for those against society. And it is not enough. He knows it is not enough, it never will be enough. Not one thing he has ever done in his life has been enough for him, enough for his family, enough for society. It is never enough. This is his burden. 

You don’t have to feel bad for him about it, mind you. I’m just telling you that it is, functionally, his core struggle.

Enji poured every bit of himself into looking away from his son Toya and into running away from him. It’s going to take every bit of effort within himself to stand his ground and face his son again, and even then, he is still going to need help. Perhaps that’s pathetic, but even Enji knew he was only going to be a professional Hero, never a superhero.

Enji is a man who believes, who is basically required to believe, who likely cannot continue to exist if he does not believe, that his value and justification for being is defined by his ability to pull himself up by his bootstraps, or to just keep struggling in the endeavor. 

He pours his effort into everything he does and curses his own weaknesses. Even struggling takes effort.

Japan's Burning Soul: Notes on National Pride and Flame Quirks

In my Kirishima presentation, I talk extensively about kouha and their manly aesthetic as it applies to symbols of Japan. What the presentation doesn’t talk about are flame motifs.

In Japan, flames are seen as purifying. They are also seen as manly, and not just in the way Kirishima defines it. There’s several phrases in Japan that talk about stuff like “a burning soul” or even “Japan’s burning soul” or the “blazing spirit” of a Japanese youth. Well, I think these are just about as tacky as they sound but in the same kind of boyish, tacky-cool way most shonen anime can be.

I’m talking about the flame motif on festival jackets. I’m talking about every time Galo from Promare talks about his “flaming firefighter soul”. To some extent, I’m talking about the flames on the Hokage jacket in Naruto (Minato’s and Naruto’s jackets get the flames as a nod to their shared mentor Jiraiya, who is a whole-ass conversation about masculinity in culture, theater, and mythology in and of himself.) These examples are indicative of each of these characters’ pride in their masculinity and in their nationality. Enji’s flame quirk and his constant use of flames as a brand are no exception to this trend.

Some minor characters, and later Dabi, allude to the fact that flame-based quirks are somewhat common in MHA. I’m not completely certain if the prevalence of flame quirks is also meant to indicate that these quirk holders share the same sort of “flaming spirit”, background, national pride, or even miscellaneous political views, but somehow I get the feeling that it does.

These people are, on some level, connected in that they possess the flaming soul of (masculine, old, patriarchal) Japan. The existence of Pro Hero Endeavor is a representation of the traditional, conservative Japan’s soul. All Might may wear red, white, and blue (and yellow like a yellow-haired westerner) to represent a certain set of foreign ideals, but Enji wears the red and the blue with distinctly Japanese pride.

The Colors of a Nation

Red and white, the colors of the Japanese flag, have strong cultural connotations through Japanese architecture, festivals, and shinto practices. (Please keep in mind that colors can mean a lot of things in every culture depending on context, and in Japan, different shades of the same colors can also hold distinct meanings. For example, certain shades of blue are often worn by villains in theater, but blue is not always “evil” or “villainous” by default.) But the color that I personally associate with Japan is blue - specifically, anything dyed with the aizome technique.

Aizome clothing, or clothing dyed with indigo, transitioned from being a nobility-only thing to one of the few colors that commoners could wear starting in the early 1600s - because by then, bright colors were exclusive to the nobility. The indigo dye is also popular for its antibacterial, insect repellent, and flame retardant properties. Firefighters wore it. Samurai wore it under their armor. So it’s not surprising to me that Endeavor’s Hero costume, and that of his son, would use fabric in a particular hue of dark blue.

Also? If you wanted to know? Aizome is used to dye Japanese blue jeans today. Hey, Best Jeanist!

Anyway, Enji is dressed in the color of the common Japanese man, the firefighter, the samurai, the noble laborer or honorable servant - but definitely not of high nobility.

We don’t know a ton about Enji’s background in detail, we know he wasn’t born ungodly rich. We know his father died. We know he went to UA. He made money from his Hero career, and married into a pedigree. Yes, he chose Rei because she had an ice quirk, but got the bonus of clout and old world connections.

So, uh, yes, the marriage of Enji and Rei was one of new money and big ambition married to old nobility and traditional values, and that’s true even when taking the kids out of the equation. But more on Rei and the marriage later.

Unpacking Enji's Envy of All Might

The majority of Japan’s political scene is conservative. (Look at the ideology column in that table, NOT just the name of the party. If you’re a westerner, I realize that identifying which ones are conservative is going to be particularly difficult to do given their translated names.) The Jiminto, or Liberal Democratic Party (again, look at the ideology column, NOT JUST THE NAME OF THE PARTY. Remember that “liberal” and “democratic” can hold different connotations in different countries!) was founded in 1955 and, despite having a nebulous identity beyond being “kinda to the right”, continues to hold a significant majority. Over the years, the party has commonly been seen as reliable, stable, and able to get the job done. Well, except for during those periods of time when the scandals came out.

This is not unlike how the public of MHA saw Endeavor. Well, until the scandals came out.

Now, I do not think it is correct to say that Enji = the Jiminto and leave it at that. (I would, however, call him a personification of Japan’s modern patriarchy, or at least something pretty damn close.) His dogged, openly vocalized grudge against All Might is more extreme than what the majority of the Jiminto might openly express, especially considering their consensus of policy regarding the US. I only want to give some context to the longer-standing political scene of Japan as it affects the modern day.

See, while Japan and the US have had an enduring relationship and are, uh, well, allies now, the older generations of Japan, particularly in rural areas, still hold deep grudges against the States and are bitterly, bitterly angry at the cultural imperialism and the military takeover and the government policy changes and the economic changes and the, well, the everything. Actually, the mutual cycle of envy between the Japanese and US citizens detailed in that Times article is important to remember from both perspectives. There’s old bias against each country lingering in both directions, and, while not a direct reference to how it remains in the Japanese population, understanding how it affected the creation of Japanese internment camps in the US is very illuminating in understanding the public US sentiment about the Japanese before WWII then after it.

When Enji, (or Endeavor), discusses his inferiority complex, he gives away the game and makes the subtext of the rampant western envy present in many of the characters in the work burst out into just plain text.

While Toshinori Yagi is a Japanese man, the power he inherited, or what Enji (and the world) wrongly believed was “natural-born talent” (a western concept), blatantly signals “western power” through his costume and art style (US comics!) and he represents the “band-aid” of temporary western military and socio-political power imposed upon Japan.

The US is considered a superpower, after all.

That said, I do feel that giving the western-appearance clout (and magic quirk) to the Japanese Yagi aptly communicates that there is nothing naturally special about the US or its citizens, or really anyone who has power. All of that misunderstood “special glow” or “flawless perfection” or “incontestable strength” are just appearances, presentation, circumstances, and luck - nothing more and nothing less. Yagi (who is, again, Japanese, so this is a Japanese man displaying the incredible aptitude for superheroism, to Enji’s surprise and probable chagrin) may have had a knack for using the quirk and therefore was the greatest at winning and saving, but he also destroyed himself trying to be the perfectly westernized superhero.

Also, by comparing the obviously westernized Katsuki Bakugo and pridefully Japanese Enji Todoroki, Horikoshi makes his point that a shithead is a shithead regardless of nationality, background, or philosophy. 

At the same time, both characters have the ability to change.

Speaking as someone from the US, I’m conflicted, humbled, creeped out, and very emotional over the fact that Horikoshi has chosen to have a complicated, sometimes critical (early Bakugo’s westernisms are not flattering, and the westernized persona of All Might is an unsustainable, unrealistic, unfair thing that destroyed the man maintaining it), but overall kind, laudable, and compassionate portrayal of characters that stand in for the west.

I’ve heard Horikoshi has been criticized as a “freeaboo” for the open admiration of the west inherent in My Hero Academia. I’ll admit, I think he might be a little bit of one, but I’d be the cat calling the monkey a long-tailed bastard if I didn’t also admit that I’m a bit of a weeaboo. We can be mutually embarrassed about how much we like each other despite everything, I guess.

But back to Enji and Yagi. Enji bitching about All Might and expressing disgust over his “American” presentation and perceived advantage is, um. Well, I could call it an example of him making excuses because Yagi is actually Japanese, but it is true Yagi gained experiences and some training advantages in the US that Enji did not have. And, like, Yagi also got a magic quirk (from another Japanese person.) That’s something.

But I digress. The irony and realities of Enji’s envy and self-deprecation could be debated all day, but it doesn’t lessen the stink of hostility and western envy wafting off of it.

The Significance of Mountains in Japan

You know about Fuji-san, or Mt. Fuji, the largest and most iconic mountain of Japan? Awesome, because it’s Japan’s most famous cultural site and a great case study for how the Japanese view mountains as sacred. People hike Mt. Fuji and other sacred mountains for secular reasons, too, sure, but many do so as a spiritual pilgrimage. It’s a mixed bag, sort of like how, in the west, everyone is impacted by and understands Christmas despite how it’s primarily only modern Christians that have religious traditions regarding it.

Sekoto Peak, the in-story location where Enji sometimes trains and Toya burns himself, doesn’t actually exist and therefore has no real-life associated myths, but Enji’s choice to train on it indicates much about his discipline. It also provides a quiet association between honing his abilities to their pinnacle and his connecting to the understood sacred power of the mountain. There’s a mystical element to it. 

Most, if not all, Japanese mountains are considered sacred in some sense no matter how tall or pretty they are. This is just understood. Many mountains are the sites of one or more Buddhist or Shinto temples.

Ah, and since many mountains are volcanoes, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising to think of them as residences for fire elementals or other kami and spirit figures. Or even demons.

Enji’s view of All Might as standing on the peak of an even higher mountain, or even perhaps BEING a mountain himself that Enji is unable to climb or conquer, is analogous to him realizing he is one insignificant human man in the face of a force of nature. All Might is not unlike a kami (god - though please remember there is a difference in attitude between those that worship and honor a god versus those that worship capital-G God) to Enji in this sense, but it is perhaps more correct to say that Enji sees All Might as someone who was able to make the pilgrimage to the highest peak and reach enlightenment, thereby becoming divine, while Enji himself is incapable (and therefore unworthy. Because he’s not working hard enough, obviously! Or at least, that’s what Enji thinks.)

If you’re a reader in the Christian-based-background west, you’re likely thinking this is like saying Enji sees himself as a filthy, nasty sinner who is going to hell forever. This isn’t NOT sorta kinda partially in the neighborhood, but that would be a much more punitive, permanent, and fixed view than a Buddhist or east Asian perspective. It’s also missing the point. Readers can want whatever they want, but they shouldn’t necessarily expect this story to absolutely intend to make Enji burn in hell forever through outside forces (because he definitely is doing it to himself, at least currently in this lifetime. Burn, asshole.)

Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths

Rather than a Judeo-Christian sensibility, Enji’s story (and Deku’s, and Bakugo’s, and Rei’s, and Shoto’s, and Uraraka’s, and Toga’s, and Shigaraki’s, and…) more closely resembles Buddhist philosophy and the journey of someone coming to understand the four noble truths - and it ties into Enji’s own discovery and understanding of these truths, which is a journey basically every damn character in this series is going through - if not for their own sakes, then for the sake of learning it on behalf of someone else. That link has a detailed writeup, but here’s the brief:

The First Noble Truth (dukkha) - everyone suffers, and suffering is part of the world. Enji knows this one intimately.

The Second Noble Truth (samudaya) - something causes suffering to happen. In Buddhism, most things that cause suffering are related to having desires for material things or status. Enji learns that he and his desires are the major source for his own suffering and for that of his family.

The Third Noble Truth (nirodha) - knowing that suffering can end. Like, in the abstract. This is acknowledging there is a way it can happen even if one doesn’t know what it is yet.

The Fourth Noble Truth (magga) - knowing there is a way to end suffering. This one is about an action plan. Enji’s action plan is to give his family a new home to live in that does not include him. Later, he realizes he must apologize to the public and continue to do the only damn thing he can to contribute meaningfully towards ending their suffering: keep being a pro Hero even if he can’t be a superhero.

Does knowing or doing any of this purify him? Well, sort of, through the fire ‘n flame of the grueling ordeal of fighting All for One notwithstanding whether or not the public and (some of) his kids still hate him afterwards, but nah, not really.

In some ways, this is a nice quality that My Hero Academia has - that characters still want things, are allowed to want things, and their desires are treated as natural. Sometimes heroic, even! The characters’ ensuing suffering is also a natural and realistic consequence, but that’s a-ok - everyone will still plug along and do their best to try and reach a collective enlightenment. A constant state of enlightened perfection is not attainable nor sustainable for the mortal, which is why the concept of enlightenment through an ongoing cycle of rebirth exists rather than in the form of an immediate reward, but that doesn’t mean we should stop in the endeavor of striving for it.

So that’s what Enji Todoroki is: an illustration of how action through atonement is always better than sending someone or pushing someone to send themselves to hell forever, thereby never allowing them the opportunity to escape the wheel of life.

What is Rei Todoroki?

Rei is a daughter of prestige and her family’s last hope to stay relevant. She’s a woman raised in and trapped by the obligations, power, money, and structure of an old society that is doing everything it can to keep from crumbling.

But she’s also complicit in helping to uphold it. Rei is definitely a victim, but she’s also definitely a perpetrator. ‘Cause that’s how it works - people under the thumb of one kind of authority or abuse often perpetuate it and continue the cycle.

Rei’s given name means, as written, cold. It’s simple, but fitting. She is often emotionally unavailable and unable to connect with Enji and her children (especially Toya, but that’s a two-way street.). It’s one of the contributing factors to why she didn’t “see” her son.

Yuki-Onna and Yamato Nadeshiko

A yuki-onna, or snow woman, is a figure from folklore. They are described as beautiful women who appear on cold and snowy nights. The Wikipedia page I linked gives a good picture of the wide variety of yuki-onna stories out there and of the nature of this figure for your reference. But Rei, while a more human character, definitely suggests a yuki-onna. I think the stories that associate the yuki-onna with children, specifically the one where she asks strangers to hold a child (and survive holding it, in which case she generously awards the holder) or associate her with mountains, are the most interesting for this discussion considering the other mythological and cultural associations present in the Todoroki family.

Rei is also a sort of yamato nadeshiko figure, or an idealized Japanese woman. TVtropes did my work for me on this one:

“Being a yamato nadeshiko revolved around the Confucian concepts of Feudal Loyalty and Filial Piety, which…meant acting for the benefit of one's family and obeying and assisting authority figures…Virtues include(d) loyalty, domestic ability, wisdom, maturity, and humility.”

A nadeshiko is, in English, a dianthus. I know it by the colloquial name Sweet William.

The white-edged flowers kinda looks like Fuyumi’s hair, no?

However, Rei is a yamato nadeshiko with a twist! Rei’s character starts out as a doormat, totally broke and unable to handle life in the Todoroki house, and then later finds the resolve and underlying “iron will” to face Enji, the family, and her mistakes again. Women aren’t naturally “perfect” in any sense of the word, ever, and they definitely don’t naturally (or even unnaturally, even through dogged effort) fit the mold of the yamato nadeshiko (at least, not every waking second of their lives.) But they can grow stronger over time, just like everyone else can. Rei becomes more like a “true” yamato nadeshiko after she stops trying so hard to be one for the sake of upholding her marriage and socially-acceptable appearances and instead approaches the situation from a place of collected, experienced resolve.

Yamato, as all these sources’ll tell ya, is an old term for Japan. “Yamato” is the name of the clan that set up the first (and only) Japanese dynasty as well as the name for the actual seat of government they created (and yeah, the Yamato seat was located on a mountain.)  Today, “Yamato” is also the ethnic majority of modern Japan. Wikipedia has the most succinct brief on how Japan, despite its efforts to brand itself as one homogenized and harmonious Yamato people, definitely ain’t one. 

Likewise, the yamato nadeshiko was a propaganda tool to encourage women to behave “correctly” and paint the picture of a desirable Japanese woman. The unreasonable expectation of women to reach the standard of the idealized yamato nadeshiko was, and is, total bullshit.

Miai and Traditional Marriages

It’s old-fashioned, but not scandalous or inherently skeezy that Enji and Rei had an arranged marriage. Miai, or matchmaking meetings, are still a thing today in the real world and would likely continue to be a thing in the analogous-to-the-real-world’s-present future setting MHA presents, especially for someone like pro Hero Enji. He didn’t have the time or interest to date around, and he needed a marriage of business and mutual interest rather than love (and I don’t just mean “marriage of business” for the purpose of producing designer kids, though that is absolutely what he did and everyone involved even knew it.) Rei’s family are also exactly the kind of family that would desire miai to arrange the most mutually beneficial marriage possible - regardless of Enji’s involvement.

In the grand scheme of history, marriages for love being the accepted norm is exceptionally modern, and while love marriages are increasingly common in many places including Japan, they certainly are not “traditional”. Here’s a blog about Japanese marriages written in 2002 that may contain some interesting tidbits bridging the new and old traditions. Here’s a brief history of marriage in Japan.

Also, Enji and Rei were married young. Overall, the Japanese, especially women, are expected to marry young, though the mean age for women at their time of marriage has increased as time has passed. There still exists, especially for Japanese women, an expectation to marry younger, or at least marry while “in their prime”. If you watch anime, you likely already know what a “Christmas cake” is in modern slang. (That article does a fantastic job of illustrating western envy and postwar Japanese cultural shifts using the adoption of the Christmas cake as a case study.) If you don’t know, a Christmas cake is a slang term for an unmarried woman over 25. Because apparently, a day over 25 means she is past her prime for marriage and has  “expired”.

Marriage fulfills certain social obligations even among middle- and lower-class Japanese citizens, but while Rei would not be alone in feeling the pressure to get married for the sake of her family, she would feel it the most acutely because of her status.

Appearances and Divorce in Japanese Society

Rei could divorce Enji, it’s true, if she had his agreement to do so or if she had sufficient evidence to prove it in a Japanese court. Which, good luck. Because while we know Enji was brutal and abusive in training, which parent actually burned Shoto and left a lasting scar? That’s right. Rei did.

So Rei’s divorce likely would have totally fucked her and the children over. For one, she’d be stripped of the Todoroki family name and likely any Todoroki assets, and since she’d be breaking the deal made between Enji and her family, her own family likely would not take her back! 

Divorces are becoming more common in modern Japan, but it’s important to remember that the stinging double-standard of “divorce is okay, except if it’s ONE OF US” that the upper classes (or just the exceptionally proud or wealthy) impose on themselves is brutal. If the public knew Rei had divorced and were given no context - which they wouldn’t get because shaming one’s (ex-)husband and family by sharing those details publicly would be considered crass and unthinkable - the public would likely rip her and the children apart even if they ripped Enji apart, too. 

Remember: keeping up appearances is everything in Japanese society.

Rei living outside the house in a facility for her mental health is already shameful and potentially scandalous enough, and it wouldn’t do her any favors in court regarding custody of the children, anyway. Instead, she chooses the limbo of remaining married, but separated.

The Rindo Flower

Yes, I have read meta about Rei’s favorite flower being a rindo flower. I’ve seen it in this post from @foundouthatdabiistouyatodoroki and on Reddit, as well as just, like, around the fandom. I agree that the flower’s presence is often a stand-in for Toya, but I also think it stands in for the ghost of Enji’s, well, not exactly love, but his affection and promise to Rei made via their marriage.

Remembering that Rei likes a flower and showing that he remembers is kind of, like, the bare minimum, but it’s somethin’, I guess.

The rindo, most likely the Japanese gentian in English, is, well, a gentian.

 The flower’s color suggests the indigo of the aizome dye, a traditional Japanese color, and its meanings include compassion for sorrow, justice, and… victory. When held upside down like Rei presents it during the hospital scene, it implies loss. (The gladiolus, which the article mentions as another flower of victory, is named because the leaves and shape so resemble a sword. Well, to the Romans, the word for “sword”, and was also a euphemism for a dick. Gladiators, or “sword-ers”, were talked about in terms of their masculinity, victories, and how many other things they penetrated with their “swords”. Real classy. Source? All my history classes.)

Considering Rei’s status as a sort of “blue blood”, I think it’s interesting to note that gentians are the flowers that appear on the Minamoto crest (though the crest most likely uses the less-specific-than-the-rindo balloon flower from the same genus.) I don’t know if associating Rei (and her kids) directly with one of Japan’s major noble clans (and the same one that the Tale of Genji centers around) was Horikoshi’s primary intention, but I think the connection is still worth talking about.

As that Wikipedia article can tell you, the Minamoto name was once given to imperial family members who could not inherit the throne through the family line. It’s fitting for Toya, considering how his father decided he couldn’t be a Hero that surpasses All Might despite being the firstborn son who was created for that explicit purpose.

Let’s talk about that, actually.

What is Toya Todoroki | Dabi?

What is Toya? He’s the first son of a wealthy family with noble blood in him who was utterly crushed by the thought of failing to uphold the social obligations into which he was born.

Personally, I consider Toya to be the most fragile major character in the entire series, contested for the spot only by his own father, Shigaraki, and possibly early series Bakugo. 

Toya, or more precisely Dabi, is Enji (and Rei) Todoroki’s very own monster. Instead of a “perfect creation” like intended, he became, well, whatever you want to call Dabi. 

But let’s talk about Toya first.

The Role of Firstborn Sons in Japan

Firstborn sons are fucking important in Japan and in many other eastern cultures. Generally, they are obligated to inherit just about damn near everything and, in return, are tasked with basically all the responsibilities of honoring their parents. A Japanese family isn’t just a series of blood ties, but an institution. This system, called ie, has its own legal rules. Under the ie system, the firstborn son and his wife (who is likely doing most of the caretaking) live with the parents to continue the household. The other kids are expected to marry out or go start their own families.

Of course, not every single family follows these rules, but the social norms and pressures to uphold them exist. This academic paper written in 2007 analyzes why certain children in the birth order may live with (or near) their parents and explores several factors that impact this decision within families (usually related to whether or not the parents are providing childcare for the grandchildren.) Here’s a fun quote from page 3:

“...the first-born child generally lives with or closer to his/her parents than the second-born child, a result which is consistent with both our theoretical model and Japanese social norms. Second, there is one exception. If a first-born child is a female and she has at least one younger brother, then she locates farther away from her parents than her younger brother even though she is a first-born child.”

More on that “second” part in regards to Fuyumi later.

But, like with most cultures, the more traditional (and established and wealthy) a family is, the heavier the predetermined responsibilities of each household member weighs on them. And Enji Todoroki’s family is high-profile. So, you can imagine that the pressure placed on Toya is immense.

The pressure placed on firstborn son Tensei Iida was immense, too, but their family dynamic was totally different. The Iida family was, like, healthy and functional. Wild.

Moving on. So Toya was not only youthfully excited to impress his father and support his family as the firstborn son, but he was also, in a certain sense, socially conditioned to want to do so. 

To me, this is where things get interesting. Toya’s struggle is not against his parents for crushing his dreams of a life beyond what they and their society’s established roles provide him. Instead, it is the opposite. Toya’s parents are ready to shake up the established family formula and free Toya from many of the obligations of firstborn son duties. Toya is not ready for any of that newfangled modern sensibilities nonsense. According to tradition, Toya’s role and life should be set and secure.

When Rei asks Toya if he even wants to be a Hero, she inadvertently makes him grapple with the possibility that carrying on the family business (or at least carrying on the to-be tradition of becoming the Flame Hero and surpassing All Might per his father’s wishes) is not a given. Other choices exist. Rei’s question, while well-meaning, creates a fissure in Toya’s faith in the patriarchal system from which he developed his entire identity.

If Toya, the first son, can’t use his flames, isn’t a Hero, doesn’t inherit, and won’t continue to live with the family, who is he? If he doesn’t fulfill that role and those obligations, is he worth anything to anyone, even himself?

Conventional wisdom says no. He would be a disgrace and a failure even without Enji’s dumbass “create a genetically ideal child to use the ultimate flame quirk to surpass All Might” scheme in the mix. For Toya, it was never about surpassing All Might, not really. It was about fulfilling his household role and showing his father that he was worthy of being in the family.

When Shoto was born, Toya saw that door slam shut. After that, his inability to embrace another way of life leads to his undoing. But he is also, you know. 13.

Toya, through no fault of his own, cannot handle his father’s flames - not his flames of sheer power, not of mindless effort, not of personal fear, not of burning western envy, not of national pride, not of anything. But Enji burdened Toya with them anyway.

Arrows, Hamaya, and All Might

The characters in Toya’s given name mean “lamp (or, like, a light)” and “arrow”. @skyflyinginaction and their mutuals have an early discussion about his name and its possible meanings as well as a discussion about symbolism here that’s fun to read, and I’m always happy to not have to do any more work - er, happy to give credit where it is due for research and thoughts. But I do have more to add.

Arrows and archery have particular connotations in Japan. The ones I most commonly think about are hamaya, or evil-warding arrows, used ceremonially. Hamaya can be purchased at temples to be displayed in the home as luck-bringing or evil-warding items. Of course, the bow is also a significant evil-warding symbol, and the bow and arrow are often meant to appear together as a set of evil-warding objects, but yanno. Whatever works.

Anyway, around the New Year, archery contests and traditions abound as a way to predict the coming year’s fortune or ward off evil. This blog entry details one day of tradition in Ibaraki as well as the associations with masculinity and, erm, promoting fertility.

There’s one more tradition I learned orally, so I can’t source it, though the purpose for it was different than the one I just linked. In the one I was told, the head priest opens the yabusame (horseback archery) ceremony by firing an arrow through the temple gates and off the side of the mountain to slay an invisible demon. The firing coincides with the sun’s placement and becomes, much like Toya’s name suggests, an arrow of light.

In any case, arrows are associated with luck, sons, and warding off evil. I get the sense that the “arrow” in Toya’s name brings all of these cultural associations into play. More specifically, I get the sense that Toya was meant to be the “arrow of leading light” meant to slay the “evil” of the west, All Might, and purify that uppermost and unreachable peak where All Might stands in Enji’s mind. Don’t quote that, though.

‘Course, the “guiding light” or “purifying light” implied by Toya’s name eventually becomes perverted from its original purpose.

Toya’s Cremation

According to the manchild himself, Toya died not when he burned the shit out of himself on Sekoto Peak, but when he thought his family had replaced him. That’s when he says Dabi was born.

The word Dabi means cremation. Heh. The enthusiastic @foundoutthatdabiistouyatodoroki posted about why and how it may be written as something indirect instead of something more direct for the sake of Japanese sensibilities.

I’d also like to point out that Toya’s body was not properly, ritually buried or cremated in any sense or tradition. This is important, since the failure to do so often prevents the spirit from passing on to the afterlife!

Arguably, Toya cremated himself, but not all the way and not in the way that aligns with the intentions and purpose of a kotsuage, or funerary cremation ritual. Also, his family did not pick out his bones - the authorities did when they found a piece of his jaw. That linked article talks more about the significance of the tradition, but put simply: the family didn’t properly mourn Toya, and in doing so, they did not free themselves emotionally of his specter. They also didn’t free Toya from his attachments to them.

This life-to-death stuff is a two-way street, and Toya’s soul was left hanging onto a burned, rotting corpse by the thread of his own grudge. He’s a modern horror story.

Dabi’s Horror Inspirations

That’s right, Dabi fans! It’s time to talk about the well-known Frankenstein allusions present in the character - though I’m pretty sure Horikoshi pulled from the 1931 film and not the book. Whatever. 

As Toya, Enji’s creation was an ice quirk + a fire quirk instead of a (cold) corpse + a reintroduced (hot) spark of life (and later, half of his “father” Victor Frankenstein’s own brain) like Frankenstein’s monster. Frankenstein’s monster’s weakness, at least in the movie, is fire. In the book, fire is still present and double-edged. 

As Dabi, Enji’s creation is a reanimated corpse (wow!) + a twisted sense of self created from Enji’s own will (wow!) who seeks revenge on his creator and family for his loneliness and creation. His weakness is, uh, yeah, it’s still fire.

While Enji is not the one who recreated and revived Toya as Dabi, it is Toya’s grudge (and desire to see and be seen by his father) that keeps him alive. In fact, Dabi is a really cool twist on a yurei or perhaps an ikiryo since he is technically still alive. Still, Dabi most closely seems to follow the patterns of an onryo, which is a more specific form of yurei. These spirits, and the story of one in particular, are the inspiration behind the Japanese Ju-on: The Grudge movies (and then their US-made counterpart.) Here’s a bit from the onryo entry from yokai.com not ‘cause it’s the most academic, but the most succinct:

“Their motive is always the same—vengeance. Onryō are easily powerful enough to kill anyone. However, they prefer letting the object of their hatred live a long life of torment and suffering, watching loved ones die in their stead. Onryō inflict a terrible curse on the people or places that they haunt. This curse can be transmitted to others like a contagious disease, creating a circle of death and destruction far more devastating than any ordinary ghost.”

You may decide that the entry for the gyoro or another yurei suits Dabi better, but surely you see the point that he’s playing the role of some kind of ghost. His eerie blue flame suggests onibi, or resentful spirits taking the form of blue flame. Wikipedia also does me a big favor by mentioning the overlap between onibi and European will o’ wisps, which usually lead people astray towards goals they can’t reach!

It really would have been better for everyone if Toya hadn’t pursued the incredibly hot blue flame, huh? Instead, he just burned out fast. Kinda dissappointing and anticlimactic - like a dragon’s head on a snake’s body.

Yeah, that’s right - Dabi seems to have renamed himself “dissappointment”. Heh. Tweens and teens really are the funniest people on the planet.

The First Son Passed Over for a Second Time

But perhaps the funniest and most horrible detail of the whole manga is the implication that All for One and the doctor took one look at Dabi’s shambling corpse escaping from the nursery and went, “Yeah, let that one go. He’s a little too pathetic to be the next vessel or organ for infinite hatred to fuel our big schemes.” Like, absolutely nobody (except the very family he thought replaced him, and boy, are they a shitshow), not even the villains that seek out pathetic people in order to use them, wanted Dabi.

Dabi is, in many ways, Doctor Garaki’s “First Son” vessel experiment for All for One, and he was passed over in favor of Shigaraki in much the way Toya’s father passed him over for Shoto due to how unsuitable a vessel he is.

When Dabi faces Geten, the ice-quirk user whom ReDestro treats almost like his own successor, who believes that a powerful quirk (and strong sense of individuality with a need to express it) is the only thing that makes someone worthy of living, who exists as his weird mirror with a more weaponized and powerful form of Rei’s ice quirk, I wonder if he thought god was laughing at him. I know his face and skin began splitting apart as if to show his true identity (a dead kid upset at his family) and show a waver in his resolve to stay alive to accomplish his goal, but I’d love to know if he has any ideology outside of his grudge towards his father and family.

If Hawks told Dabi to his stapled face his real reasons for helping Endeavor, what would Dabi say? Heh heh heh. Dabi learned not to trust Rei, Fuyumi, or his own brother Natsuo, so I’m not terribly surprised he never trusted Keigo in the first place.

Keigo, who never thought to watch Dabi. Keigo, who had to ask who Dabi is. Keigo, who also didn’t see him.

Keigo, who wants to take Toya’s place.

But let’s talk about Toya’s other siblings... in part 2!

[kharmii]

The CEO's (ReDestro) adopted son, a delinquent (with a thousand strong henchmen). I call him Geten sir.

Caption: Team VIOLET Child rearing policy.

Dabi: Listen you brat. Discriminate against people based on their individuality. Kill the trash. All humans are trash. They have no cause or aspirations.

To put it in a way for a child's understanding...about dreams and goals. If you try hard, you can change the world.

Kill them all. Kill the ice bastard too.

Geten: Listen carefully, kid. It's not what you look like. The value of life lies in your own strength, and that is directly connected to your heart.

(*Translation: Meta ability is #1 priority. Strengthen your meta ability)

You should wish strongly to protect someone. Kill anyone who gets in the way of the person you want to protect, and while you're there, kill Souen as well.

(Geten is remembering the incident where ReDestro was burned which caused his quirk awakening.)

Dabi pokes Geten hard in the middle of his forehead. (Maybe to loosen the tension there?)

Geten: Huh!? What do you have to say for yourself?

Endeavor: Water....is it a newbie?

(Baby hand) The kanji is weak, but look fire "climbs!". -I see.

Caption: The invisible darkness.

Endeavor: Like an arrow.

Light my way. Become a light.

(Were they read a fortune about baby Touya?)

Rei: Yeah, that's how I read it, but you're not the only one who shines.

Even if it's a faint fire that can't be seen in bright places. On a dark street at night, it's a warm and comforting relief. You don't have to be a hero. Any flame is fine.

Touya, you are the light. People like that person and me wandering in the dark. May it gently shine upon you.

Dabi: Show kindness to the world. Let it go, beacon of light.

(Enji wakes up and stares at the photo of his deceased son. Dabi may not have revealed himself yet, so it was a precognitive vision.)

Art credit: hrak (yaoi), Apocrypha, Dabi / ツイッターログ9【外荼】 - pixiv

[beevean]

I think thats my problem with Frontiers, yes it's an improvement over the 2010s games writing and I'm happy we're finally away from whatever Forces tried to do. But it feels so cynical but to me the final straw was the constant references. It felt too unnatural. After over 10 years of abysmal writing its just ughh

Imma be real with you chief: I think Frontiers' story is worse than all the Pontaff games.

Oh, those have their issues too, but they're issues that honestly never bothered me beyond "eh, wish they did something more with it". Like, I wish they packed more cute meta references in Generations, since that one was actually meant to be a blast from the past. Or I wish Forces didn't miss outright chunks when it came to showing Eggman conquering the world. Or I wish Amy and Knuckles were more than the comic relief in Lost World. Or I wish that the majority of Colors' story wasn't Sonic talking to mute robots, and was more about him and Tails having a fun romp. Yeah, those games have a strong cheesy tone and were either rather fluffy or didn't elaborate much on their concepts, I don't deny it.

But I don't even know what to praise in Frontiers' story. I guess Sonic and Knuckles' homoerotic dynamic? That was funny lol. But the game is just so full of itself I can hardly see through its blatant arrogance. The story does so little and still pretends to fix everything that was wrong with Sonic in the '10s, when in some regards it regresses things.

It's still "Sonic does everything while his friends cheer on the side" which was a big complaint in the "Solo Sonica" era, but now I have to ooh and aah as Amy, Knuckles and Tails go through the same arcs they went through in 1998 which is what passes as "development". Yes, "development" is apparently Amy chewing Sonic out because he's more concerned about his friends' safety and wellbeing than making some random critters happy, or Tails moping around because he's "wildly inconsistent" - tell me how this is better than him actually doing shit in Forces to stop Eggman and his Death Egg, after the infamous "Sonic help me" scene?

Eggman sits on his ass for the majority of the game like in Sonic Heroes because we're back to the era where shitty gods without a personality steal the final boss role (at least Dark Gaia didn't talk :V), but I'm meant to aww because now he's human, now he's fleshed out, see he created a cute daughter for himself! He cares! He's sad for her death/he holds her hand like a cute papa! He's a better character now! Because being a papa was what he always needed! What do you mean that in the Pontaff games he was actually the sole, genuine threat? Something fans used to cheer for when Colors came out?

At least Zor and Infinite are endearing in their own tryhard way (and Infinite was voiced by my dear Liam O'Brien lmao), which is more I can say for The End and especially Sage, the laziest Rei Ayanami ripoff I've ever seen but without a smidge of her tragic personality.

But anyway, thank you for giving me another word to define Frontiers' story with: cynical. Yeah, in a way, it is cynical, in how it was only written to be considered better than the older stupid games, and better in the same way a fanfiction written by a disgruntled fan would be considered. That's what it tried to do, and I can't consider it better than what Forces tried to do, which was simply to appeal to multiple types of fans.

[yukirayu]

(Reposting an old meta from Twitter that I had yet to share here... I won’t use as much CGs here though because the ones I used for the Twitter post are of the... more explicit kind. So... )

All four bad endings are disturbing and haunting, some more than the others. But where disturbing is concerned, Taku's ending takes the cake.

That's saying something when in the other endings, Towa is either customized into Rei's doll, engages in a sadomasochistic and endless tango of sex and violence with Madarame, or loses all agency and succumbs to his mother's influence and turns Fujieda into his thrall.

They all seem a bit more tame compared to being locked up in a room, drugged on a near-daily basis that all neurons in your brain are fried and you constantly hallucinate gruesome hallucinations like pupae crawling through skin and bugs hatching from flesh and blood.

But all that makes it easy to distract you from how, despite the grisly illusions he's seeing, and taking aside the injection bruises that serve as proof of that, it's also in Taku's ending and only his bad ending that Towa never gets another scar or cut across his body.

Yes, Towa feels the sensation of tearing flesh and oozing blood, but it's all in his head. When you look at what's happening in reality, it's only Taku whose body suffers more wounds. Even when he's in the same drug-induced fervor, he still makes sure to never scar Towa.

Their sex can't exactly be called gentle given the high they're in. Yet even with how the hallucinogens made their nerves so sensitive, the loving way Taku holds Towa is similar to how they consummated in the good ending. He's still trying to share his pleasure with Towa.

Even in his insanity, his love for Towa remains, twisted as it became. He wants Towa to never feel fear and unease. So he keeps him happy. Always smiling, always in bliss. When they embrace, he's fervid, but never forceful. Despite his madness, he never seeks to hurt Towa.

Before I get to my next point, let's first remember that Fujieda's Madness ending is an outlier since Fujieda never loses his mind and the ending is ultimately more about Towa (and Maya)'s madness. 

So that leaves the other three love interests.

They all have their own inner darkness. But it's Taku whose inner darkness is the most centered around Towa than it does with Rei and Madarame. Sure, all three bad endings happened because Towa said the wrong words. 

However.

After falling off the deep end, Rei and Madarame sought out Towa more for their self-gratification. Towa becomes one's doll, and the other's dog. 

While Taku's actions were also driven by his own fears from his past, he believed everything he did was for Towa's sake.

As such, his resolve can't really be attributed to self-gratification. In Taku's Madness ending, Towa is emaciated and deranged. His body and mind is acting out of control. It's only a matter of time until he fully gives out. So this doesn't really serve as consolation.

And yet... the fact that there's no fresh scar on any part of Towa's skin, be it from the carve of a blade or the scratch of a nail, shows how Taku's delirium is all about Towa. 

In other words, it's only Towa who can keep him sane... and drive him mad.

[sepublic]

            They should’ve made the Knights of Ren catholic in the Sequel Trilogy. You have the obvious associations and imagery, what with the burning cross and the name, the idea of crusaders, a First Order and everything. We could’ve made them a dark parallel to the Jedi in a way that is different from the Sith, but also still similar.

         Because one of the big critiques of Catholicism is the constant emphasis on repentance, self-flagellation, always apologizing and atoning for who you are; Suffering is Good basically. Which is directly at odds with how the Jedi’s whole mission is to end suffering, given their Buddhist inspirations and all.

         But what distinguishes the Knights of Ren from the Sith is that they’re collectivistic, not individualistic. Whereas the Sith see themselves as the absolute best, masters of their destiny, the Knights of Ren claim to constantly be working in servitude and devotion to some higher, ‘divine’ cause. The Sith know they’re selfish and simply don’t care, whereas the Knights of Ren operate on this false sense of holy righteousness.

         In a way, you could see them being akin to what people accuse the Jedi order of being; A dogmatic organization of emotionally repressed cultists who are made to be inherently ashamed of themselves, and impose their own worldview on the world. It’s meta because we see the Jedi defeat the extremist caricature which others in real life and in-universe accuse them of being; Imagine Rey posting a selfie after defeating the Knights of Ren, captioned “Just beat the Corrupt Jedi Allegations (Literally)!!!”

         They’re like a twisted middleground between the Jedi and Sith… Except they’re still evil by the end of the day. They’re monks, but in a Christian sense, while the Jedi are Buddhist; And with the resurgence of Right-Wing Conservatism that espouses the Bible, that would make the Knights of Ren politically topical, as the villains of each trilogy are meant to be. They’re crusaders and missionaries, seeking to convert the entire galaxy, or else wipe out what doesn’t cooperate. They want everyone, force-sensitive or not, to worship and fear the Force.

         In the wake of Palpatine’s death, they see themselves as reinstating a lost spirituality that Order 66 had nearly wiped out; But they also see the Jedi as hedonistic heretics, and again, they plan to dominate the galaxy. They’re much more transparent about their goals, unlike the Sith of the mainline films, and they intend to convert the new wave of force-sensitives that have been born following Anakin’s redemption, and the final death of the Sith (They do not like the Rule of Two; The more Force, the better).

         They’ve allied with Snoke because both parties need the other; Snoke because he’s lacking in experienced force-sensitives, the Knights of Ren because Snoke has arcane knowledge and an actual army, as well as a program for indoctrinating children. Kylo is like their middle man, a chosen one, basically the Knights’ second coming of Christ or something; But he’s both beholden to them and Snoke, so it’s a bit hard reconciling these loyalties.

         Kylo is like Snoke’s inside man, and whom he can actually communicate with the hostile Knights of Ren through; He sees them as unruly and belligerent, only listening to their chosen leader, and apprehensive to talk to Snoke. While the Knights of Ren are dirty and scarred, Kylo’s uniform and equipment is clean and well-kept; He is an outlier, both as an ascended leader, but also as someone with outside ties.

         Despite being their elected leader, Kylo still has some ways to go; But the Knights of Ren are prepared to worship, support, and prepare him for that position of leadership. Him and Han are a reverse Abraham and Isaac; Not only does the son make the sacrifice of his father, he actually succeeds in going through with it. Each Knight of Ren goes through arduous trials to be knighted and given the prestigious title of Ren; And at the end, they must make a personal sacrifice, to prove their loyalty to their divine cause, and their willingness to prioritize it over all else. They really ARE a cult, insisting on no outside ties, Us VS Them, unlike the Jedi.

         They probably have a REALLY long history, older than even the Sith; Perhaps even older than the Jedi! A long history of persecution, with the earliest followers of the faith being hunted down by anti-Force regimes, and this continuing perhaps as recent as Order 66; So again, more parallels to the Jedi, and helps explain their scrappy, wartorn poverty. Since the Sequel Trilogy teased the idea of the Unknown Regions and the origin of the Jedi being explored, let’s go with that; Perhaps the Knights of Ren are among the very first Force-sensitive sects that emerged.

         Maybe we could even do a twist; The first Jedi was actually a Knight of Ren who realized their ideology sucked and redeemed themselves, as a narrative predecessor to Anakin. This would give the Knights of Ren a particular grudge against the Jedi, who they see as having made things Go Wrong, just when the Ren had begun to make things Go Right. And the Sith have their origins as former Jedi turned dark, so they see the Sith as merely offshoots of the original traitors; This original Jedi is their Judas, a former follower who turned corrupt, and basically sided with those persecuting them (the Romans/anti-Force majority).

        That might be why they generally don’t wield lightsabers; They might associate them with Jedi, especially if it was the first Jedi who introduced the usage of Kyber. Kylo is an exception, since he’s the Chosen One and all that, plus he’s already an outlier and outsider in other ways; Snoke insisted on the lightsaber because he pulls from Jedi and Sith teachings, much to the chagrin of the Knights of Ren. But Snoke believes a well-rounded education is necessary for Kylo’s full potential, and that’s another reason he tolerates the Knights of Ren, since THEY’RE the experts on the Ren. There might be some significance to Kylo’s lightsaber being an outlier even amongst lightsabers, too.

[enrogued]

i watched episode 5 again. i'm having feelings. i'm subjecting you to them.

my rogue playlist is ordered by events in her life. genosha is roughly in the middle, but my god does this playlist slap you in the face with feels at that point (as it should).

meta and partial track list below the cut.

starting of course with happy nation, ace of bass. it was the song playing at the party, it kicks off the events, so to speak. the foreshadowing is...it's there.

Ideas by man and only that will last And over time, we've learned from the past That no man's fit to rule the world alone A man will die, but not his ideas

right before the terror hits we have break me, grace power. this is ultimately rogue's decision to choose gambit over magneto. great. good. painful.

If this breaks me And I'm slashed down the middle At least we gave it our best And we'll throw in the towel I promise, if you promise To not walk away It might break us and rip at the seams I want a love that can run that deep A love that's safe has nothing to lose And if this whole thing breaks At least I got to hold you

we move quickly into i see fire, ed sheeran. obviously written for the hobbit but it fits pretty well here. especially with kurt's presence and his immediate injuries. it's all just a vibe.

And if the night is burning I will cover my eyes For if the dark returns Then my brothers will die And as the sky is falling down It crashed into this lonely town And with that shadow upon the ground I hear my people screaming out

and then we have devil's backbone, the civil wars. this is self explanatory.

Don't care if he's guilty, don't care if he's not He's good and he's bad and he's all that I've got Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please Don't take that sinner from me Oh don't take that sinner from me

doubling down on immediate anguish we have say yes to heaven, lana del rey. for anyone who just loves pain.

If you dance, I'll dance I'll put my red dress on, get it on And if you fight, I'll fight It doesn't matter now, it's all gone I've got my mind on you I got my mind on you Say yes to Heaven Say yes to me Say yes to Heaven Say yes to me

and from there we head into the aftermath with youth, daughter; no rest for the wicked, lykke li; can't go back, former vandal and to culminate at bright eyes- total eclipse of the heart, bonnie tyler.

[montammil]

Is this considered heavy for Lawrence/Charlotte? Or is this about as heavy as either could stand? (Genre: Rock)

Lyrics: Shinedown – How Did You Love Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Would Charlotte like this? Could Lawrence be able to stand this?

(Genre: Deathcore)

Lyrics: Lorna Shore – Sun//Eater Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

I've established in my headcanon/fanon that Lawrence would enjoy this. Charlotte too, but I don't know enough about her psyche yet to develop a full opinion. (I gotta go back and analyze her!)

(Genre: Dark Pop?)

Lyrics: Lana Del Rey – Dark Paradise Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

But yeah, I do think he'd enjoy this because it speaks to his inner fears of his beloved's tragic passing. And even though he is y'know all yandere now I think it's well I interpret it as he is projecting his wife onto (Harper?)

And is trying to rush himself in grief. As well as trying to go back to that peaceful safe feeling that is as referenced in the song "true love".

I don't think he is over his wife at all. But I think he's repressed it (Maybe it could be because he feels inferior for these emotions, since he is a man and y'know how guys are typically raised.) and it's manifesting in these behaviors because his trauma was triggered making him all kidnapper yandere.

Which I think is so interesting because it begs so many questions! Like this isn't a typical response, but it's his and y'know how he lives with it and what he's done/doing...

I think he knows it isn't right and has a guilty conscience. Especially since I imagine since you have made it clear he wasn't always like this. Whereas Charlotte just seems to be like this cause that's just her. There was no catalyst. She just is this way.

Hence her no mercy and quick to kill attitude.

I think you made it clear Lawrence is deeply chasing love, love he lost from his wife, and love he wasn't able to get in his childhood.

Ofc that's how I interrupt him.

Nothing he does is justifiable. But I thought explaining my thought process on him would be helpful in figuring out what is the what's with him.

{Then it turned into a meta 👀}

It is just so interesting how he's so tragically broken. And I thought it was so cool seeing him explored. In the little ways that've been touched upon.

It really makes me wonder how it all plays out, his inner monologue or does he avoid his inner monologue best he can because somewhere in there that guilt is still fresh?

I think I am right because thus far you said I was right on the money so Idk, hoping I'm right this time. At least with some of it.

For the first song, yes!! I think it does give heavy Lawrence/Charlotte vibes!!

For the second song, sadly no, I think Charlotte would sadly not like deathcore very much, BUT this is a song Nathan would like a lot!!

And the third song, yes, he would enjoy this!! He doesn't like modern music much but I do think he'd like Lana Del Rey a lot. I can also see the lyrics really fitting Lawrence with Nadia (his wife).

Everything you analyzed about Lawrence and Nadia is correct! He also does very much project her onto Harper because Nadia and Harper's personalities are very similar.

And Charlotte is just this way because... she's this way. I personally did this also because I just like "villains" having no reason to be evil, they were just born like that lol.

Lawrence's inner monologue is either him justifying every shitty action he makes, or sadly thinking of the past--his mother, Nadia, even Sadie and Nathan, and wondering what he could've done differently while also still justifying his downright cruel actions, hence not really improving his behavior.

He doesn't talk about his emotions to almost anyone because he doesn't like feeling vulnerable, and his feelings are too complicated to even put into words. All his repressed anger and sadness sometimes comes to bite himself and others in the ass for that reason.

But yes, mostly everything, you were exactly right! You seem to have Lawrence's mindset down (and Charlotte's too!!).

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

4/5. Releases 6/6/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Regency romance with a fantasy twist, Shakespeare influences, meddling fairies, and like... a lady duke who's got Gentleman Jack vibes, but on steroids. (If you know, you know.)

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore is entering society with a magical conundrum (perhaps even a soon-to-be-deadly CURSE) following her around. Which is troublesome. But just as troublesome is her run-in with the so-called Duke of Annadale, Georgianna Landrake, a mysterious (and very sexy) woman who's suspected of killing her father and brothers. Fortunately, Georgianna is suspected of being a witch, which is what Maelys might need--however, it turns out she might require the Duke of other things, as well.

Alexis Hall is a brilliant writer and could not possibly displease me with this. Obviously, I enjoyed it a lot. More on that!

Quick Takes:

--The story is framed by an interesting narrative device (think a capricious fairy that follows everyone around spying on them--exactly that). It really serves Hall's unique voice, and adds a bit of style and even more wit to the story. It also does remove you a bit from the leads; you're not in Maelys or Georgianna's heads the way you would be in say, Viola's (A Lady for a Duke) or Peggy's (Something Spectacular). But I still very much felt close to them, and it added a Shakespearian twist to the romance.

--There's so much playing with the Regency romance conventions in this one! Of course, despite not legally being the Duke, Georgianna is referred to as the Duke of Annadale throughout the novel, and God, she makes a great one. Brooding, seductive, intimidating, incredibly dramatic. Hall does a great job of underlining distinctions that separate a sapphic Regency romance from a het Regency romance, while at the same time really showing us that like... you can do both with a lot of these tropes. The amount of times Maelys threw herself at Georgianna while Georgianna steadfastly went "I shall not ravish you" (before doing something sexy that made Maelys throw herself at her again)... perfection.

--The whimsy is strong in this, but so is the drama and the magic and the darkness that comes with that kind of magic? I was really worried there for a minute! There's also a great pondering on the essence (and importance) of a happily ever after towards the end that's delightfully meta and lovely.

--It's not an Alexis Hall book without a great supporting cast (giving the lovers hell while also helping them get together) and this is no exception. You get queer found family vibes (though lighter than in the Something books), as well as a character that MAYBE invented shipping?

--I can't emphasize how good the imagery is with this one; maybe the most compelling I've read from Alexis Hall yet. Like, imagine a heroine beginning the book with a dress that's essentially magically disintegrating, then hiding in the hedges in horror before being rescued by a mysterious, alluring, shadowy woman who offers her a cloak and kisses her hand? GIVE ME FAN ART.

The Sex Stuff:

This one does have sex in it (about three scenes, technically), but it's very subtle and not explicitly written. I've read Alexis Hall's take on the variation of explicitness in his books--and I trust why he did this, as it does serve the narrative device of the book well. But I do wish it had been a little more explicit, as what we do read is BANGIN'. Think like... tied up with ribbon... and light foot stuff (girls can do it too!). I did really enjoy the progression of intimacy in Georgianna and Maelys's relationship, however, and the way in which Georgianna gave without allowing Maelys to give in order to resist showing true vulnerability. Well done.

Another great entry from this author. I hope he stays in the historical or historicalish sphere for a long time to come, because he kills it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[shrinkthisviolet]

OC Masterlist

(Will be updated if I come up with more OCs and/or as needed for lore purposes…though no major spoilers for my AUs are included in these blurbs!)

I make edits for them here (just Morgan and Lucy at the moment, mainly Morgan)

[Main OCs]

Name: Lucy (Skywalker) Kenobi

Fandom: Star Wars

FC: Claudia Jesse

AO3 Link

Tumblr tags = oc: lucy kenobi, lucy kenobi au

Born as the third Skywalker triplet, Lucy is raised by Obi-Wan on Tatooine, and thus, pre-ANH, she's shielded heavily on the Force due to her proximity to Luke Skywalker. Despite Obi-Wan’s misgivings, she befriends Luke and they become like siblings to each other…and thus, in the Rebellion, they always have each other. She also befriends Leia when they briefly meet as children, and Lucy considers Leia her first friend in the Rebellion.

Name: Morgan Wells (birth/legal name: Jessica "Jesse" Morgan Wells)

Fandom: The Flash

FC: Violett Beane

AO3 Link

Tumblr tags = oc: morgan wells, morgan wells au

Born to Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan, Jesse Morgan Wells is "adopted" by Eobard Thawne after he kills her parents and takes on her father’s identity (which is when she starts going by Morgan), with Tina McGee as her godmother who coparents her (and, arguably, has a bigger role in her upbringing than Eowells does). When she's 15, she's struck by the particle accelerator and gets forcefield powers, and at the urging of her then-boyfriend, James, she becomes Central City's first superhero (and later, after the formation of Team Flash, she joins the team). Later in season 1, she realizes she's aroace, though it takes her some time to come to terms with it.

Name: Amelia Rose Parker (later: Amelia Parker Octavius)

Fandom: MCU

FC: Millie Bobby Brown

Tumblr tags: oc: amelia parker

Born 5 years after Peter Parker, Amelia is his beloved little sister for many years, kept intentionally in the dark by Peter, and then also by May, Ned, and MJ. Amelia survives the Snap and bounces around in the foster care system for a while before ending up with Otto and Rosalie Octavius, who foster and later adopt her. After the second Snap brings back her aunt and brother, long believed to be dead, they all struggle to readjust…especially after Amelia finds out that Peter is Spider-Man. Reconciliation, for them, comes too late—moments before a spell that erases Peter from everyone’s memory indefinitely.

Name: Reyna “Rey” Cynthia Ramon

Fandom: The Flash

FC: Nicole Muñoz

Love Interest: Nora West-Allen

Tumblr tags: oc: reyna ramon

The daughter of Cisco Ramon and Cynthia “Charmer” Reynolds, Reyna’s life was anything but normal from the moment she was born, though she was no less loved throughout it. Even after Crisis took the Flash from them and kickstarted rampant anti-meta prejudice, her parents (including her now-stepmother, Kamilla Hwang) were committed to protecting Reyna however they could…which meant training her and giving her Caitlin’s old necklace to wear in case she lost control. Meeting Nora helped, though—only a year younger, Nora was a welcome addition to her life, and the two quickly became inseparable. And of course, neither of them expected to fall in love either 💞

[Side OCs]

Name: Astra Kadar

Fandom: Star Wars (Lucy Kenobi AU)

FC: Emily Carey

Tumblr tags = oc: astra kadar

A skilled Rebel pilot, and Lucy's second friend in the Rebellion. Astra fosters Lucy’s love for flying and matches her wit easily, much to their mutual delight. Having never known her birth parents, Astra grew up with a guardian who cared more for her usefulness than her emotional wellbeing, and who didn’t truly love her. Thus, Lucy’s kindness is a surprise to Astra, especially when directed at people who, in Astra’s view, haven’t earned it.

Name: James Bennet-Evans

Fandom: The Flash (Morgan Wells AU)

FC: Xolo Maridueña

Tumblr tags = oc: james bennet evans

Morgan’s boyfriend during s1, and then her close friend after their reunion in s2. James has a big family full of love (two parents, an aunt and two uncles biologically, 5 cousins). He also befriends Wally West during season 2 when they're roommates at CCU, which is how he's brought back into Morgan's life.

Name: Aminah Hasan

Fandom: The Flash (Morgan Wells AU)

FC: Iman Vellani

Tumblr tags = oc: aminah hasan

Jesse's friend from childhood, who gets roped into the Team Flash stuff after Jesse is kidnapped by Zoom. She later helps form Jesse's superhero team post-s2, after Jesse becomes a speedster (the Flash on E2, Jesse Quick on other Earths). *Aminah hasn’t been introduced in the series yet, but we’ll get there!

Name: Eleanor “Ella” McGee

Fandom: The Flash (Morgan Wells AU, tho undecided if she’ll ever appear)

FC: Gillian Anderson

Tumblr tags: oc: eleanor mcgee

The younger sister of Tina McGee, Ella was often the golden child in their family, a role she resented. She loved Tina incredibly and stood up for her against their parents numerous times…but after her sister left for America and fell out of touch with her not long after, Ella began to resent her more and more for it. At times, she even believed their parents’ words about Tina being the one to drive the division between them—though she was never more than cordial with her parents, in any case. Years later, she’s made a name for herself as a novelist, under the pseudonym Ella Watson.