My mental image for Kim Rok Soo
I've seen some art of him and have come to realize the image on the novel cover was supposed to be Earth body, but by the time I saw it I'd already come up with my own opinions on his appearance, so I'm not going to set down my vision either lmao
> KRS grew up initially without proper food so he was likely underweight and didn't grow to his proper size, leading him to have a somewhat malnourished look to him
> This is supported by continued comments about his 20-yo self looking painfully thin
> I gave him bangs at that age mostly because he would have been focused a bit more on looking nice for job reasons, but he still doesn't have the money for nice hair products, so it's still pretty short hair
> Since this is also the body he gets in Central Plains, I decided to show his scammer smile too ahahaha-- How odd that must look to Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk, knowing that on Earth he was incredibly stoic and rarely gave a smile - let alone a big one. I didn't look up proper wuxia outfits so uhhh don't think too hard about the fashion djfjsh
> By age 36 he is healthier with regards to his physique, but a lifetime of being thin would likely mean he still would not be the type to bulk up. Getting large would require concerted bodybuilding effort, which he has no time for, and access to a lot of protein. Even if he had time and resources, it isnt really optimal for his own time management nor his actual needs. KRS is a very practical person, so I see him as someone who would prioritize logical self-sustainment: compact, lean muscle, making it easier on resources to maintain
> He might carry a bigger gun too, but I didn't feel like hanging one on him. It would likely be variable anyway, depending on what kind of monster his team needed to face. I chose to just draw the items he would always carry on him. I think he is also supposed to have a metal panel turned into a shield, which I probably should have drawn but didn't ahaha-
> Thanks to overwork, he generally always looked tired and stoic. I imagine his voice was pretty deadpan unless he speaks of something he has conviction for ("you must eat") or during combat if he has to raise his voice for an urgent command
> This older KRS probably has an electric shaver and just buzzes his hair periodically when it gets long enough. He's not vain, so gorgeous hair isn't a priority. I think to contrast this, the long hair he grows as Cale can be seen as him trying to set down this lifestyle, where his self-maintenance only focused on being combat-ready. It also can be seen as him trying to (pre-emptively) enter his "I am done with work" mentality. Fighting with long hair isn't actually logical, so maybe as he grows it longer, it's like mentally telling himself "it's fine, I'm almost done fighting, soon I can be a slacker" (lol)
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Maybe a hot take I dunno, but I feel like the way Deku handled Shigaraki could've been "justified" or at least a bit easier to accept if Shigaraki had actually killed Bakugou during the final fight.
That, or if Deku only found out Bakugo survived during the epilogue so he could have a moment of self reflection about giving up on saving Shigaraki because he thought someone he cared about got hurt.
Hm. On an emotional and story level, I get it! At first thought, it makes sense - Bakugou on the Heroes' side gets killed by Shigaraki, so narrative karma means Shigaraki has to die too. Would definitely help 'explain' Deku's cold attitude (tho I argue he was already pretty cold before).
But thinking about it more, I feel like it still wouldn't have worked? Shigaraki had already killed a bunch of other heroes and caused lots of destruction - so singling Bakugou out as the justification/last straw for Deku, him essentially killing Shigaraki as revenge for Bakugou, feels unfitting of him as a Hero - too personal, not him acting as impartial law enforcer. I know readers cared much more for Bakugou than Crust, but for the story, this different valuation of lives would look bad. imo.
Plus, Bakugou was truly dead. Shigaraki did kill him! It just didn't stick because of the greatest and weirdest asspull of story history, but that already happened. Bakugou was mangled and Deku did get really mad at that—for two seconds until Mirio spoke to him and Deku calmed down in order to ask about whether Shigaraki was still inside ShigAFO - to focus on his goal of saving Shigaraki.
Bakugou died, and Deku made the decision to still "not ignore the crying child". Which is a point towards him for sticking to wanting save Shigaraki despite this new evil thing Shigaraki has done! (But I guess it's just that his 'save' has always been reliant on his sympathy for a ghost child? Whose name he didn't know, so he had to have called Shigaraki 'Shigaraki', and I guess that made it seem like he wanted to save all of Shigaraki; but even at the moment, it was clear that Deku was focused on The Crying Child, given the visuals and Mirio speaking of Tenko's outburst.)
So while I get what you're going for, whether your first possibility or the second, it still does damage to the story of Deku being a Hero.
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The stereotypical 'harem anime protagonist' revolutionises and disrupts contemporary heterosexual norms in regards to romantic narratives. Rather than envisioning a stereotypically masculine power fantasy, the 'harem anime protagonist' instead cultivates a more realistic perspective, portraying its character as decidedly average in his abilities and looks, if not an outright outsider to normal society. In this way, rather than presenting romance as a quality 'earned' via successful displays of masculine superiority - a one-sided dynamic which all too often relegates women to be nothing more than narrative 'rewards' for the protagonist's achievements, taking the position less of individuals in their own right than of symbolic gatekeepers for hyper-masculine worthiness - it is instead portrayed as the result of burgeoning relationships between persons through quality time spent together.
Instead of expecting said love interests to be 'impressed' by the protagonist's successes (thus putting him on a pedestal above them, and enabling the masculine need to be 'better' than his partner), romantic feelings are nurtured realistically through shared interests and hobbies, and as a result of the protagonist's kindness and interest in helping said women with their life problems. Rather than man as conqueror, and romantic success as signifier of competitive superiority, romantic feelings are naturalised as contextual and mundane - as a normal and everyday fact of life that any person, regardless of social status, may be able to experience through commonplace bonds between relative equals and sincere concern for others' wellbeing.
Likewise, the 'harem anime protagonist' inverts the manic dream girl archetype; rather than existing to kickstart his own character development, the focus is almost entirely on the personalities and circumstances of the female love interest. If the protagonist 'earns' his relationships at all, it is not by displays of dominance or charisma, but through a genuine interest in their lives and willingness to help the women around them achieve their own personal goals. Said goals are often far grander than any the man himself could grasp at, again positioning the men in supportive, even submissive positions; rather than be turned off by this lack of traditional masculinity, the female characters are shown to find these very displays of kindness and supportiveness (typically feminine qualities) attractive, offering a different path for lonely and sensitive young men.
In this essay I w
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cw suicide mention & imagery
original play idea where people seem to live their normal lives but the audience gets the feeling that something’s wrong, there’s a tension and there are things that obviously go unsaid that hang in the air between the characters uncomfortably long enough until the last member of the audience has filled in the blanks in their own way.
there is a figure off to the side, a very young man in a suit, watching them, unmoving and silent, and as the scenes and progress, as characters leave and appear, as the setting changes, the young man is always there. no one interacts with him, but there are moments when they almost do. when the characters stop what they’re doing when they stand close to him, and appear to listen. but there’s nothing.
the sound of TV news reports, all playing over each other, create an uncanny and uncomfortable buzzing that never, never stops, and there are too many to really make out the words. they get more silent the closer they get to the young man in the suit, quieting down to nothing when they stand by him to listen — but the characters seem unaware of the change. so does the young man, statuesque though he is.
then there’s a little girl, covered in dirt, her hair askew, her cheeks rosy — the image of having spent the day outside, playing in the dirt, a smile on her face, her eyes big, as she skips towards the young man and asks, “can we go now? can we play?”
the young man cards his hands through her hair and says, “you go ahead, i’ll be right there.”
but still he stays there, seated.
everything continues as before, but the characters slowly undergo a complete change in character, in routine, in appearance. the old man who wore suits is not dressed in sweats and old, worn out, dirty shirts. the sweet, kindhearted young adult is now quiet and apathetic. the woman who, in the beginning, was talking her friend’s ear off and could barely stand still is unmoving now, staring out into nothingness.
the buzzing and bustling background noise is slowly, gradually getting louder as the characters become increasingly nonverbal and unmoving. the lights dim down.
then all at once, after a crescendo, the noise stops suddenly, the lights turn off completely, before, with warm, yellow light, a woman we’ve seen before — as she stares into nothingness — appears on the stage, slowly approaching the young man as if unsure of her body but undeniable in her grace.
they smile at each other for a moment.
m, whispering: you’re not supposed to be here, not yet
w, cradling his cheeks: i was always supposed to be here long, long before you
m: i know. i’m sorry, i—
w: i know. i forgive you. i’ve always forgiven you
m, after a while: but not yourself
the woman shakes her head.
w: a mother will never forgive herself for burying her child, and a father will forgive himself even less. (a beat) you have such a handsome face.
m: it’s not your fault
w: so beautiful, those eyes, i’ve missed you so much
m: listen to me, it’s not your fault!
w: and your hair! papa would be so glad to know that—
m: mother. mama. listen to me. it’s not your fault
w, tearful and whispering: you were supposed to be fine. you were always supposed to be fine. it was never supposed to be this bad, we were supposed to help, but—
m: i know. i tried, i really did. both times
in that moment, the little girl comes skipping on stage again, approaching them with her wagging ponytail.
g: what are you doing here, mama? will you play with me now? it’s been so long!
the woman gasps, her tears getting the better of her as she falls to her knees and pulls the girl to her chest, who readily returns the hug
w, sobbing, kissing her cheek: hi, baby. yes, i’ll play with you, of course i will. let’s go.
the young man helps his mother up, allowing her to pull him into a hug, and she whispers: “as much as i love her with all my heart, i’m so proud of the young man you’ve grown into. and now i have you both, just as i always did.”
the young man brushes a kiss to her cheek, then lets her go, watching as his mother disappears with the little girl.
m: i have to stay a while. i’ll follow you soon.
(woman and girl, hand in hand, exeunt)
the lights dim, and the buzzing returns, accompanied by the sound of dragging footsteps the audience cannot see, until everything’s back in total darkness. the noise stays. growing louder in increments, leaving the audience uncomfortable and unsure if this was it.
as they quiet down, we hear a man, sobbing uncontrollably, before eerie silence takes his place, too.
the curtain falls.
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the way i wish there could be more good faith analysis and fic about billy having adopted racial prejudice from his dad and then learning to properly recognize it and grow past it in order become a better person.
i wish there was more posts and fics that tackle the bullshit lucas has had to deal with as a black kid in small town indiana because the duffers never even considered it.
but the sheer puritan black and white thinking and performative activism or moral virtue signaling or whatever the fuck that is so pervasive in this fandom means that even the few posts and fics that dare to try and actually tackle racism tend turn it into either a punishment narrative, are depressingly shallow about it, make it about hating and liking the 'right characters', or miss the mark entirely
like i get it, homophobia/transphobia is easier to explore and talk about for most fans. it's complex and multi-layered just like other types of oppression, but so much of fandom is queer and dedicated to shipping and labels that yeah, i can see how talking about it is just. easier for a lot of ppl.
also a lot of fandom is white. and lots of white gays get weird about discussing racism in their spaces. y'know the deal, but i digress.
from what i can see, very few ppl want to explore how racism affects our favorite characters and the stories they live in. i know some ppl are probably afraid of getting it wrong, or they don't know anything about it and don't feel like they should. it's like, my blorbo is queer and so am i, so why wouldn't i talk all day about that? i get it. but it honestly just means a lot when someone tries earnestly. i have read beautiful fics about trans love through hardship by cis authors and such genuine fics about connection in the face of racism's poison by white authors.
there is just SO much untapped potential in exploring lucas and max and billy and patrick and argyle and all the other characters directly and indirectly affected by bigotry and racism within the narrative that never got the acknowledgement it deserved.
plus it's super weird being used as a 'gotcha!' by white fans that hate billy (as if poc fans of billy aren't capable of seeing it for the bullshit it is) or seeing lucas' treatment in the show get brushed aside like it's nothing or how argyle gets sidelined an awful lot in the fandom (and don't even get me started on how messy the classism in this fandom can be, the borderline erasure of eddie's poverty and its effects on who he is as a person in fic is insane sometimes)
anyway. idk if any of this makes sense, but i can count like maybe 3 good fics and maybe a dozen good posts about billy that actually address this in good faith and only maybe a dozen more for every other character i mentioned. and i desperately want more. i am brown and queer and i want healing and love for all of these characters and i am going to have to start churning out more of it myself at this rate.
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