#finally a series that RECOGNIZES the main characters trauma

[frogyourbog]

definitely did not just spend the last three days rapidly digesting all of the hunger games novels and end up sprawled out on my bed at almost 4 in the morning crying because goddamn

[theloganator101]

The Great BNHA Review: The Finale

So in the end... where does this leave us?

A society that really hasn't changed that much, Izuku was alone once again because his hero friends are too busy, and it ends with Izuku being handed a suit to fight alongside them... Reinforcing the fact that Izuku couldn't be a hero on his own without someone handing him something to make him a hero.

What a lackluster and rather bleak ending when you think about it. Because they still have the ranking system so it's once again enticing heroes to compete in a popularity contest to be known, which is why Bakugou is doing poorly and Aizawa admitting that he didn't do shit to curve this behavior.

(Points at Aizawa) Teacher of the Year everyone 🙄

So with the story now completed, what I hope to eventually happen in a few years is for people to truly see the series for what it is. A poorly written story where the main character never grows, the worst anime character hogging all the attention away from things that should be important, and contains harmful messages for preteens-teens if we were to take this at face value.

So let me ask this: Was this story worth telling?

I'm only asking because since it's known that Hori just got tired and wanted to be done and over BNHA as soon as he could. Which I know WOULDN'T have happened if he just pulled a Yana Toboso and just put the manga on hold to truly figure out what he wants to do instead of working on it continuously with only a handful of one week breaks.

His story couldn't explore the themes it established, and what it DID covered, was handled poorly.

And if you want a piece of media that explores what BNHA tried to do, here're some of my recommendations .

The main character being the odd one out? The Owl House.

Family Issues? Gravity Falls.

Discussions on justice and the grey area of good and evil? Death Note.

Hell, Glitch Productions does a better job at developing the romances of their characters than this anime series did in it's entirety!

And trauma being handled in a tasteful manner?

But back to the topic!

The thing is why couldn't we explore these themes and topics that was promised to us? Was anyone REALLY asking for Endeavor to make amends with his family? Did anyone RELLY think that Endeavor's redemption was worth screwing over the Todoroki family members?

This series just wants to have it's cake and eat it too! We want to have cool fight scenes and root for the heroes to win, but we would also want to explore the world they live in and how it functions. And since considering the badly handled topics of the story and the characters themselves are as interesting as caricatures of the tropes they embody to where there's no depth or complexity.

Then you just have a story that GOES NOWHERE!

How much of Hero Society has really changed at the end? It only beckons for the same events that happened throughout the series to happen again! And the people who were horrible, I.E Bakugou and Endeavor, get they want without consequences! None of the major characters go through significant development so it makes it hard to see that they've grown at the end!

So overall, BNHA is an Anime Series that crashed and burned. Something that I hope more people will start to recognize and call it out for both the mistakes of the series and Kohei Horikoshi.

And with that, my career of criticizing BNHA has come to an end. Thank you all for liking my rants and posts, and I truly do hope you'll keep following me for whatever's in store.

So now that's done, I can finally move on to something actually good...

[the-daily-dreamer]

A lot of people say that Aemond not wanting to kill Luke doesn't make any sense.

I would like to know what you think about it since you always have good arguments. 💚

Aww thank you so much!

Ok. So I’ve seen the argument that it makes no sense that Aemond wouldn’t want to kill Lucerys and also that Aemond should have known better when pursuing him so he must’ve been ok with the death.

Personally, I really don’t think Aemond wanted to kill Luc. I mean look at this reaction.

That is an OH SHIT look. It’s clearly unintentional and not what he wanted to do.

However, I also don’t think it’s a bad writing choice that Aemond didn’t want to kill Luc. I think that it’s actually very in character for Aemond based on his characterization this far in the series and also his history.

See, we need to recognize a few main facets about Aemond in order to attempt to understand his motivations and intentions. 1) He is usually the calmer, more rational, and more reliable of the two brothers. 2) He underwent a serious trauma as a child and was bullied (by Lucerys no less). 3) He has a habit of doing ballsy and poorly thought out things as a way to feel superior, more specifically when he’s in an environment where he feels inferior or his trauma is brought up.

And it’s these three points interconnected that all play into why I think it’s perfectly in character for Aemond to not want to have killed Luc.

Aemond’s behavior in normal circumstances is to not create problems like his brother. He doesn’t sneak out or sleep around. He studies and trains. And his mother clearly sees him as the most reliable of all her children. Taking this into account, I don’t think Aemond would want to murder Luc because it would DEFINITELY create problems, especially with a potential war brewing. It just doesn’t fit the character motivations we’ve seen this far to intentionally murder Luc. And that’s why I genuinely don’t think he would.

However, there have been scenes where Aemond does act out. And those scenes are what people use as proof that he would want to kill Luc and why the writing choice is bad. For example, the fight scene when he loses his eye, the toast scene, and most especially, the storm’s end scene before the murder.

All these scenes show a harsher, though rare, side to Aemond. A side of him that is willing to push buttons and intimidate others. But where does this behavior come from?

That’s where the bullying and trauma comes in. Every scene that we see Aemond lash out in has some relation to his mistreatment in the past. The fight scene is his first time feeling powerful in comparison his bullies (the strong boys), and then he only reacts harshly and violently when he his first provoked by them. The toast scene is in direct response to Luc laughing at the pig (a callback to the bullying Aemond faced from the Strongs and Aegon). And the scene at Storm’s End is him seeing Luc again after the dinner.

In all these instances, Aemond is confronted by traumas he has experienced or one of the abusers who did them. He clearly hasn’t handled his trauma the best because he lashes out when confronted with his past. And thus, his reactions tend to aim for making him feel stronger and more powerful than the people who hurt him and made him feel small and inferior.

When he is in the fight scene, he finally has confidence and feels powerful. So when attacked by his bullies, he calls them bastards and threatens them. It makes him feel better to finally overpower them after years of torment. In the toast scene, he has a direct callback to his bullying and clearly no remorse from the boy who stabbed his eye out. He can’t be violent because of the company at the table, so he implies the bastard status of the boys. A subtle way to bring them down and make himself feel big again. In Storm’s End, he finally doesn’t have his mother or any family to stop him, so when Luc appears and he feels that inferiority creep in again, he lashes out and tries to scare and intimidate Luc so he feels better again.

What I’m trying to get at is that after years of torment and being made to feel small and unimportant, Aemond reacts to being confronted with his trauma by trying to reassert himself as better and more powerful and bring his bullies down.

This all culminates in the scene where Luc dies. When Aemond is riding Vhagar, chasing Luc down he’s on top of the world.

He’s laughing and smiling and taunting. He feels powerful and dangerous and is reveling in the fact that the boy who mutilated him is scared shitless of him.

Would he have taken Luc’s eye? Possibly. I wouldn’t be shocked if he genuinely had that intent. But I think his main goal was to scare Luc. To shrink him down and make him feel small, the way he felt as a child being bullied and losing an eye. I don’t think murder is on his mind. It’s superiority. Fighting away the pain he had as a kid.

Genuinely, I don’t think that Aemond not wanting to kill Luc is poorly written. It’s perfectly in character (as far as I’m concerned) for it to be an accident. Aemond is not the type to plan on murdering Luc, based on his usually rational behavior. But, Aemond is also a traumatized kid on the inside and he lashes out. When confronted with his trauma and having Luc there, he responded the way he always does and tried to scare Luc to feel powerful and better about himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t think through that his actions could have far deadlier consequences than he intended. And that’s why he’s so shocked.

[crystalelemental]

A while back, there was a Tumblr poll making the rounds asking gamers a simple question about which is worse, good gameplay/bad story, or bad gameplay/good story. At one point in time, I would've said obviously bad story is worse, because I was a pretentious little shit. As an adult, the answer seems a lot more obvious. If the gameplay is bad, it doesn't matter how good a story is, the full product is intolerable.

Anyway, completely unrelated, but I finished Final Fantasy 8.

FF8 is funny. I remember hating it in the day, and have long considered it the worst in the series, putting it below even FF2. Part of this was, as many in the current climate can identify, a matter of the big internet names of the time dunking on it, and teenagers are ever primed to recite opinions of people they look up to regardless of whether they understand it or not. So my main issue was "Story bad, bad game."

Having replayed it...yeah, no, FF8's story's actually really good. As someone who often considers themselves a character-centric person, FF8 is particularly nice because it really feels like a character-centric narrative.

Squall is great. Possibly my favorite protagonist right now? The story is primarily about connection and expression, centered on Squall's inability to just talk about what he's thinking and feeling with others. He's a fascinating protagonist because, despite all the edgelord accusations, Squall is deeply compassionate from minute one. His problem is not about caring or empathy. He cares greatly, and understands people pretty well. His problem is about opening up to others.

I think how the game presents it is my favorite part. This game involves a lot of internal monologuing from Squall, and his words often betray those thoughts. A good scene example is talking to Cid about protecting Balamb. When asked about his reasons, internally Squall has a laundry list of explanations - not wanting people to get hurt, caring about the people here, etc - but all he outwardly says is something to the effect of "It's my job." This complete disconnect really hits hard when we're switching between seeing his thoughts and seeing what he says.

Squall's reservations largely stem from the trauma of losing others; his parents first, then big sis Ellone. Squall doesn't want to make connections to people who could leave him. He's fearful of being hurt, and so makes himself lonely by refusing to open up to anyone. This is where his foil, Seifer, becomes more interesting.

Seifer is similarly lonely, but while Squall's is self-imposed, Seifer's is externally enforced. Squall is, for all his faults, well liked by his classmates and staff. He's not much for chatting, but his actions generally provide the appearance of a clever, polite, and caring young man. Seifer, comparatively, is an asshole and a moron. He demands to be seen by others and recognized, but everyone he engages with considers him intolerable. He approaches connection to others through authority and control, immediately taunting Zell and making threats about adding people to "the list." Seifer is alone because no one wants to deal with him.

What's interesting to me is that Seifer, much like Squall, cannot articulate himself either. He talks a lot, but he's not exactly honest. He keeps the truth of what he wants as his romantic secret, and when it comes to bear, it turns out his goal is...becoming the sorceress' knight. Now obviously, this isn't his goal. It's just what he has propped up in the moment. What he wanted is connection. Fujin and Raijin care about him, but he only reciprocates as far as his ability to boss them around. Ultimecia gives him a sense of connection, a sense of belonging and purpose, by carrying out her needs. He wants to belong just like Squall, and his reticence and lack of connection through peers puts him in a position he can be manipulated by someone.

Critically, Seifer mirror's Squall's "I don't want friends who will leave me" with this attitude. Fujin and Raijin aren't really important enough to be his friends. His sense of connection has to be bigger, more significant than these meaningless, small-time connections. We get to see this from Squall actively when Seifer is assumed dead. Squall freaks out, horrified at the prospect of people just talking about him loosely in past tense, and fearing what legacy he leaves behind. Squall wants friends, he's not opposed to connection. But he's convinced himself that this only counts if it's guaranteed forever; if it's something special and transcendent.

But...that's not most connections. Most connections are mundane and everyday. Most connections aren't guaranteed to be forever. And coming to terms with the fact that he does deeply care and doesn't want to lose them is his entire journey, and what makes the orphanage scene pop.

Okay, yes, it's a little goofy that all of them are from the same orphanage and no one remembers. It's a little silly to have the GFs be what removes memory. But I think that what it lacks in direct weight it makes up for thematically in spades. Squall doesn't remember these people from his past, in part due to this belief that his connections are more serious, but just as much because of trauma. He held a deep connection to Ellone, but even forgot about her, because the fear of losing others caused him to block out the specifics of those memories. Rinoa calls him on it later; he tries to brush off lack of recollection of something as a side-effect of the GFs, and is told "That's just an excuse, isn't it?" Squall hides away from these memories because they're hard to bear, and willingly severs his own connections for personal safety, symbolized by the Guardian Forces. It's why the ultimate GF summoned by Ultimecia is the one on his ring: Griever. Literally one who is grieving. That safety manifests as grief, a deep sorrow and loneliness for what is lost, unable to look ahead to what can still be. Time Compression, drawing everything to a single point, is collapsing that lived experience to that moment of trauma.

The other cast members don't get nearly the same development. This is very much Squall's personal journey. But I like Rinoa pretty well, as another who is deeply significant to the story. She's just got a fun personality. I could take or leave the rest. Irvine especially doesn't feel like he adds much. They're fine.

It really was staggering to come back to this game, feeling certain that my complaints were with the story being crap, and going...no, actually, this is really well done. That said, it may still be my least favorite in the series, because all the narrative significance in the world will not fix the gameplay.

I'm going to avoid specifics. You probably already know. But the big question that was raised for me here was...what is the intended first playthrough experience here?

The biggest draw, the thing that, as a player, you're going to go for, is GF skills. They require skill points obtained after battle, and you'll want a bunch of different ones, since they augment stats. So more than likely, you might stop and grind some out. Which results in EXP yields, which increases your level, which makes encounters harder before you have spells to Junction, etc. Playing this game like you would any other is immediately and severely punished, with no indication of why or how to avoid it. How are you to know that Card avoids EXP? How are you to know enemies scale to your level? How do you figure any of this out? It feels like a game that requires external knowledge. I've been watching someone play FF5, and they talked about FF8, saying "if you just beat the enemy then they're dead and you continue playing," but man I tried that when I first picked it up. It resulted in a softlock where I could not beat anything I came up against because I didn't understand Junctioning or level scaling. You kinda have to engage with these shitty systems. The remastered version is playable, but only because it has 3x speed and the ability to turn off all random encounters, which is the only reason I made it past Esther, which was about to drive me insane.

I feel like I at least somewhat understand the general vision at certain points in the game. Tutorial bosses all having Cure is a clever way to teach players to use the spells obtained from enemies to manage, and this kind of tutorial continues through the fake president having Esuna to draw while spamming status. There's a late-game boss in Ultimecia's Castle that is basically immune to damage, except for Demi, which can be drawn from it, and another boss that mentions "fearing elements it doesn't use," and it has Tornado and casts lightning, so you hit it with Fire or Ice (or others). Those are neat systems! I kinda like those! But scaled levels and junctioning magic to stats and having limited casts that if you use them the stat boost for junctioning goes down...it's doing too much. It's overly ambitious, and the system starts to break down very early, around the time you find out there are like 50 spells and only 32 slots, and oops some of that stuff you drew is basically useless now.

That's not to say combat is the only thing that drives me nuts. Junctioning also results in several situations where the party changes, but doesn't offer the "swap junction" option, so you have to do that shit manually. Looking at you, Laguna sections. Battle of the Gardens was the worst, because there are like four goddamn party transitions that result in needing to swap junctions, and none of those sections involve fights, but you wouldn't know that unless you'd done it already. It just eats so much time. And all of this is around constant random encounters you can't kill because level scaling, and hard to navigate PS1 maps where I can't tell what is and isn't traversible half the damned time.

FF8 feels like a more extreme FF7. I came away from that game feeling like the story was much better than I recalled, but I considered it the game I'd least like to replay. FF8 is the same but even moreso in both directions. I really enjoyed this story, it's one of my favorites, but I think I'd rather saw my arms off than play it again. So it is...very hard to consider this anything but my bottom of the barrel. It can be a beautifully presented narrative all it wants, but as a wise man once said: "It's a video game! I play the game to play the game!"

[mono-blogs-art]

Tsukutabe Vol 3 English Release, A Review!

A few days ago I was finally able to get my hands on the long awaited third volume of the Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat) manga! Here are some of my thoughts - first, no spoilers, and then under a readmore I'll discuss some specific scenes I really liked.

I was very excited to finally read ahead - since the TV live action adaptation covers the same plot points as the first two volumes of the manga, and since there are basically 0 spoilers floating over from the jp fandom into my periphery, I truly had no idea where it was going. And what can I say but it was an absolute delight.

Like in volume 2, we are keeping a balance of the silly, everyday life of Nomoto & Kasuga and their cooking adventures, interspersed with quite serious, even dark moments in their personal lives. In fact, this volume features probably the darkest scenes in the series yet, more on that in the spoiler section later, but I truly had tears in my eyes for a bit. However I love how the focus when discussing these serious topics is always on the character and their feelings in the moment - how they can recognize what's been in their past, and how they've been able to move on and find happiness again, expressing a desire to do so. They've been hurt in their lives - mostly by their families that they've left behind, or by coworkers and strangers - but they are allowed to work through those feelings, take no shit, and say "No, I deserve better than this." There's also more focus again on LGBT advocacy now, with Nomoto coming out (to herself) at the end of volume 2, we now see her try to get comfortable with the lesbian label and how it affects her. There's also discussion on asexuality and its many shades, which I really appreciated!

The biggest change in volume 3 is the addition of two new characters - Yako-san, one of Nomoto's online friends who starts to become a bigger part of her life when Nomoto starts opening up about her sexuality; and Nagumo Sena, who is their "middle neighbor", the person who moved into the apartment between Nomoto & Kasuga that's been empty for the previous two volumes. Nagumo starts to befriend Kasuga when the two have a run-in. So a lot of the volume we actually see the two new pairs interact, and the focus is away from our main couple for a bit (but not really). Rather than new side characters, Yako and Sena feel more like an extension of the main cast, an extension of their little family, and they are immediately likeable and mash well with the rest. Speaking of family, although it's been a theme before, volume 3 really makes the central theme of "found family" very explicit. And it really warms the heart.

And my favourite part, without giving too much away, Kasuga also again receives chapters with her as the protagonist, rather than having Nomoto be the narrator all the time. This is actually the only thing I really miss in the TV live action, there are only a couple of scenes in there where you can see Kasuga's train of thoughts. The manga gives you much more insight into her inner workings. I'm hoping this will change for season 2 of the show, especially knowing what's in store.

Overall, the third volume brings a lot of fresh turns but stays true to its vibe and feel at heart. And of course it doesn't forget that there's also a love story, with Nomoto & Kasuga inching ever closer to each other. But I think this volume is where the story makes a point to say, Hey, This Isn't A Romance Series - it's a series about healing from past trauma, family, and especially found family, tackling everyday misogyny and homophobia, and all that through the very mundane task of cooking. I can't wait for volume 4 to come out, and season 2 of the live action series of course!!

The biggest thing I wanted to talk about was the conversation Kasuga has with her father on the phone. It's just so fucked up. We've only seen her family in flashbacks up until now, and reading the conversation between the two of them shows how far Kasuga has come in the 10 years since she's left home. Unlike Nomoto, who has a rocky relationship with her family but still keeps in contact, Kasuga has cut herself completely off since she left, and her views on family are central to her storyline. She wants to eat whatever she likes and not be shamed for it, own the things she wants, live in her own space, work a job that she choses. She wants to be herself.

At the same time, Kasuga is also the most family-oriented character. She loves to take care of others, make them feel at home and feel included, and she wants others to care for her too, unconditionally. When she thinks about what she values about "family", and the things she desires, there's only one logical conclusion to come to.

Kasuga's ties to her family also make her the perfect person to bring in Sena to the group. Sena is the total opposite of Kasuga, yet they're able to connect because of their shared traumas connected to food and family. When Kasuga bluntly accepts Sena without a second thought, the two really start to connect and it was just so sweet. Sena's whole backstory really touched me a lot and I definitely cried xD

These are the main two things I really couldn't wait to talk about!!! I really love Sena a lot and I'm excited to see more of her in the next volume. It's also very funny that it takes her, what, a single evening to immediately get that Nomoto and Kasuga have mutual crushes on each other, lmao.

The other new character, Yako-san, is also really fun. She's the confident, take-no-bullshit counterpart to Nomoto, and she proudly identifies as both a lesbian and asexual. Apart from that, we haven't seen much of her and her backstory yet - I'm hoping there'll be more in the future, especially with her in parallel to the main romance (idk if she's also aromantic, but it might be hinted at already?). I can't wait to see!

Those are some assorted thoughts... I really love this series and I appreciate it for the simple yet concise storytelling, and the love Yuzaki-san puts into her characters. They feel like real people, reflecting real insecurities and problems you'd run into in real life, even when it's exaggerated in a comedic manner. Can't wait to see where it goes next!!

[pockethep]

I personally liked the jjk ending and IMO think a lot of the dislike is misinterpretation, nitpciking, and the leaks. I think a lot of Gojo stans are just mad they wasted time theorizing he’d come back and taking it out on the ending. If you didn’t like the ending how would you have written it.

Disliking something doesn’t mean failing to see the intent behind it.

As much as it sucked when Choso died, I still recognized the moment for what it was. One of characters who embodied the meaning of being human (love and redemption) dying to the King of Curses and in that instance all the other characters started to lose their humanity just to win (Yuji going crazy on Sukuna in visceral anger (while not even bothering to call out for Megumi), Yuta putting himself in Gojo’s body, etc.).

I’m not even a Gojo stan but while I did agree with some of the evidence that he could come back I didn’t particularly want him to. More importantly there was no way in hell Gege would bring him back. I’m glad he didn’t come back but the way everything was handled afterwards is what I didn’t like.

To go a step forward, I enjoyed the death. Gojo's status as the strongest and being seen as a weapon to be exploited is one of the most consistent themes within the series. (Honestly the most consistent). The balance of the world literally shifted upon his birth and we get several examples of how this impacted many people (I.E. Toji, the curse users during the HI arc, etc.) His death was to be just as impactful and if he had to face defeat to anyone, it would have had to have been Sukuna.

And 100% agree on the leaks. LEAKS SUCK. I hope no other series allows leaks to pervade their fandom like jjk did. Same thing happened with BNHA, a mistranslated line went wild through the fanbase and ruined a lot of peoples perception. I am glad that the Undead Unluck leaker recognized peak and stopped so they could read weekly when it dropped and that the Kagurabachi leaker got ran out of the fandom and I hope the trend continues.

Now the question.

To be honest I’m not particularly sure how I would have wanted the series to end.

Sorry if you were looking for a straight answer under the "Keep reading" tab.

Not to cop out but I really enjoyed the dream theory by thatpersonperson, however realistically Akutami would have needed a chapter or two to fully accomplish something like that. With the limited time, I don’t think he’d be able to wrap everything up unless it was a longer chapter than normal.

But besides that…I really don’t know.

Walk with me.

I mentioned that my enjoyment for the series waned towards the latter half but, aside from Yuji, Choso, and Maki, one of the main reasons I stayed was because I’ve always been intrigued with the story Akutami was trying to tell. 

Is jjk about the perpetuation of generational trauma? About how soldiers (sorcerers) lose empathy because of the horrors they face? Is it about a cyclical tragedy? Is it about the inescapable nature of fate?

Ending the story on a bittersweet finale is for the best given its subject matter.

So how does this story conclude in a hopeful way? A meaningful one that makes sense given all the loss over the course of the series.

(And hopeful is not synonymous with happy. There was never a point in time where I thought JJK would get an outright happy ending. The Chainsaw Man Part 1 ending might be one of my favorite endings period. But it wasn’t particularly happy, it was hopeful.)

The point I’m trying to make is that taking into account what jjk is and how Gege wrote it, I don’t have a set way I wanted it to end besides that fact that I wanted Gege to give me a reason for the strife and see a few things before it did end.

Like yes, jjk was never going to erase cursed energy or even really do anything to stop children/teens from being drafted into jjk society to fight curses at a young age (Naruto didn’t do it either). But I think it’s still valid to dislike keeping the child soldiers especially when in a very pivotal moment Megumi literally mentioned wanting a peaceful life.

JJK had a chapter literally titled ‘Premature Death’ (Chapter 76) which condemns the exploitation of youth as disposable pawns within jujutsu society and sets forth very important events….yet the series ends with the characters still trapped within that cycle of exploitation. People have been arguing that with the higher ups killed and the Zenin Clan gone, the old age has caved to the new but I would have loved the adults left behind to actually address how jujutsu society would move forward with the void the higher ups left behind. The characters seem to still operate on the ways of the old system. And I understand how changes were shown by not executing the curse users but I guess I wanted more.

The only form of reflection the characters had on the traumatic events of the Sukuna fight was strategy based. And this is what I meant previously by Gege has a very clinical writing style at times. The lack of introspection or rumination after catastrophic and almost world ending events weakens what could have been sincere. There was no proper weight given to everything that just happened. Like Yuji who watched Choso turn to ashes in front of him and Megumi who’s body killed both his Tsumiki and Gojo out of his control while also dealing with the damage from previous attacks. Also from Yuta.

Yuta STILL HAS STITCHES ON HIS HEAD. There was an elephant in the room, a physical reminder and constant weight that was never addressed by him especially. Seeing how it affected him and retroactively affected his relationship with Gojo would have been amazing to see. I think that, although a nice decision in the moment, the follow through of the decision to put Yuta in Gojo's body was incredibly weak.

Also, Megumi only getting a chapter dedicated to his closure with Sukuna, who'd taken his body and killed both his sister, Gojo, and many others...I wanted more.

If you wanted a straight answer on how I would write it, it would have involved time that sadly I know Akutami didn't have and more moments to sit with the characters post-battle. I'm not of the belief that just because I didn't like a thing, I'm automatically better qualified to dictate a straight ending. I just have things I would have liked for said ending. I would have liked more follow through, especially regarding jujutsu society. How are they going to rebuild the system that prevents that exploitation as well as the events that led to the series? Also, I would have liked more discussion on ending the cycle of curses that Geto and Yuki brought up. I knew it wasn't going to be achieved, especially after Yuki died as well as any sign of the merger, but I wanted something it was an interesting in-universe dilemma.

I am glad that you, and many other people, enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s all bad or even terrible I just wasn’t left satisfied. And that's fine, it would've been impossible for such a series to satisfy EVERYONE. Someone else asked me if there was anything I liked and I will say, I did enjoy the final scene with Sukuna.

I like the idea that Yuji did change Sukuna. That ideology Sukuna has in believing in strength crumbles at his defeat by Yuji. In a way Yuji proved himself and his ideology correct in Sukuna’s eyes and so in death Sukuna gives Yuji’s viewpoint a chance. I think its a good ending for Sukuna, who decides to choose walk a path with Uraume. The acknowledgement that he lost was also great, I didn't see that coming.

I will say that the response to the ending is overly volatile. There’s a lot of anger being thrown around on both sides. A lot of people who enjoyed the ending are throwing around “media literacy” and a lot of people who didn’t like the ending are calling those who did “Gege glazers”. I think both sides are overreacting but this is what happens whenever an immensely popular, long-running series ends. **Cough Cough** Naruto and Bleach.

It was to be expected no matter how it ended.

I haven’t seen it as much here (Twitter is hell right now) but I do think people need to calm down. I don’t expect any of what I didn’t like or what I wanted to affect someone else's opinion of it so there isn't a point in screaming at anyone over it.

Anyway I really do hope that whatever Gege writes next, he gets to do it at his own pace without the meddling and deadlines of WSJ and hopefully he gets a monthly series. (And a break)

[shmaptainwrites]

[CH. 1] New Doctor on the Block

Chapter 1: A Warm Welcome

Pairings: Hawkeye Pierce x fem!Reader

Characters: Hawkeye Pierce, Sherman Potter, B.J. Hunnicutt, Radar O'Reilly, Margaret Houlihan, Frank Burns

Summary: Reader is the new surgeon at the 4077th M*A*S*H and finds herself, amidst trying to settle in, constantly butting heads with the chief surgeon.

Warnings: None, (no use of Y/N)

Note: The first chapter is finally up on Tumblr! This is my first MASH fic and I'm writing it as I'm watching the series for the first time, so if there are any major canon deviations that's probably why!

Series Masterlist - NDotB Masterlist

“It’s just when I read your file and saw you were a doctor I thought…” 

“You thought I was a man,” you filled in for the fumbling Colonel. “It’s alright Colonel Potter, you wouldn’t be the first person to have made that assumption, but I’m here to help in any way I can.” 

“What’s your specialty?” he asked, flipping through the pages in your file trying to see if there was anything else he’d missed in his first skim through. 

“Trauma surgery, sir. I worked as a nurse during the last year of the Second World War and when I got back home I applied to any medical school that would have me.” 

“Trauma surgery, must be serendipitous,” he chuckled and you gave him a polite smile. 

“Sir,” the Colonel’s clerk opened the door and stepped inside. 

“Oh Radar why don’t you-,” 

“Bring in Captains Pierce and Hunnicut and Majors Burns and Houlihan to meet the new recruit, already done sir,” 

The door opened wider and the four aforementioned officers stepped inside. The two Captains were both men, one tall with a bright smile and blond hair and the other with straight black hair and tinges of grey scattered throughout. Of the Majors, one was a man of average height and light brown hair while the other, you suspected, was the head nurse with her blond hair pinned behind her ears. 

“Pierce, Hunnicut, Burns, Houlihan, I’d like you to meet our newest recruit.” 

“We don’t normally do meet and greet with the nurses,” the black-haired one smirked. “But it’s a practice I’d love to continue,” he sent a wink at you. “What’s your name, honey?” he took your hand in his to shake but you removed it quickly from his grasp. 

“Doctor,” you responded. 

“What?” The rest of the company looked confused along with him. 

“I am a doctor , Captain. I worked just as hard if not harder for my medical degree and I’d appreciate it if you treated me as such, not like one of your nightly nurse companions.” 

“You’re a doctor?” the head nurse asked. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Her specialty is trauma surgery,” Colonel Potter told the team. 

“Trauma surgery, thank goodness, we couldn’t have handled another Frank,” the blond Captain sighed while the other Major looked like he was about to explode. 

“I take that to be a good thing, Captain?” you asked. 

“Very good. And call me B.J.” 

You chuckled, remembering a faint memory of a young boy named B.J. you'd seen come through the ER for swallowing the key to his father’s new car. 

“Consider it done,” you nodded.

“This is our main team of surgeons in the OR, you’ll be on rotations with them. It’ll be easier if you like them, but if you don’t you still have to work with them regardless.” 

“Work with, we have to live with him on top of working with him.” Pierce pointed to Major Burns. 

“Colonel! Why don’t you say anything to them?! They’re being insubordinate!” 

Colonel Potter sighed and looked over at Major Burns with a hint of contempt. 

“Major, I have better things to do than tell Pierce what to do only for him not to listen to me.” 

“I’m glad I’ve been universally recognized as a lost cause for the army,” Pierce grinned, using a hand to lean on the Colonel’s desk.

“Oh, this is going into my weekly report for the General. If it’s the last thing I do I will get you two in trouble for everything that you do!” 

“That’s a long list Frank, are you sure you can handle it?” B.J. asked. 

Before they could go any further the Colonel jumped in. 

“Captain, since you’re a female officer we’ll have you sharing quarters with Major Houlihan for now. We’ll send out for another tent and set it up for you as soon as it arrives.” 

“Thank you, Colonel, if the rest of you don’t mind I’d like to get settled. Major Houlihan, would you mind showing me the way?” 

“Not at all,” she smiled and placed a hand on your back, leading you out of the room. 

You grabbed your bags and followed the Major out into the camp and around to her quarters which were close to the OR. 

“We’ll get another cot in here for you, but for now you can make yourself at home,” she told you. “I just have to-,” she paused when she saw you pulled out a framed photo from your bag and placed it on one of the empty tables. “Is that your family?” she asked. 

You nodded your head. 

“My husband and kids,” you passed her the frame. 

“They’re adorable, what are their names?” 

“My oldest is Grant,” you pointed to the boy. “He’s eight and my daughter Julia is four.” 

“How precious. It must be hard being away from them.” 

“It is, but they’re in good hands,” you smiled. “You said you had to go somewhere, Major?” 

“Oh, yes, just to… chat with a colleague,” she handed you back the frame and headed out of the tent, leaving you to unpack the rest of your things in silence. 

—

“Hey Frank, nice stitching,” Pierce noted as he walked by the OR table on the way to his own patient. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I really don’t think your glove is going to come out this time, you’ve got it in there good,” he teased and you rolled your eyes. 

“Captain Pierce, maybe you can focus on your bleeding patient instead of poking fun at Major Burns,” you commented while elbow-deep in your own patient. 

“Thank you, Captain. Finally, someone who recognizes good surgical talent and not just flash.” 

“I agree Major,” you nodded, “Although I believe you’re probably referring to yourself which I am not. If this is meatball surgery you’re doing meatloaf surgery.” 

“Ha! Hawkeye, looks like we’ve got some competition,” B.J. chuckled. 

“4-0 silk please nurse,” you looked at who was assisting you. It was still early and you hadn’t had a chance to learn everyone’s names, but you supposed it would come soon enough, after all, it wasn’t like you’d be leaving the war anytime soon. 

After a few more gruelling hours in the OR, all the casualties were finally attended to and you could step out to quickly get something for dinner before they cleared out the mess tent, and hopefully, afterwards, you could take a nice shower and wash all of the blood, dirt and sweat off of your body before crashing into bed and not waking up until you absolutely had to. 

You remembered what it was like to work during the Second World War, but this felt different. You were a doctor now, you had more responsibility to your patients and to the others working in the outfit with you, and on top of that you were a woman. It wasn’t every day you saw a woman surgeon let alone in the army. 

When you stepped inside the mess tent was practically empty aside from one familiar body sitting in the back corner with a cup of coffee and what looked like leftovers from yesterday’s lunch. 

You grabbed yourself a tray and served yourself a few things before going to join your fellow surgeon. Even if you were going to eat in silence you could at least do it in the presence of good company. 

B.J. sipped his coffee and spun a pen in his hand as he looked at a partially written-on paper in front of him. 

“Writing home?” you asked. 

“To my wife,” he nodded. “She sent me a letter with this beauty,” he showed you a picture of a small baby girl in a frilly dress with a bright smile on her face. 

“Oh she’s just adorable,” you cooed. “I still haven’t heard from my family, but I’m sure a letter is on its way.”

“You married?” he asked. 

You nodded your head and showed him the ring you had just put back on after leaving the OR. 

“How the hell did you end up here then?” he asked. 

“My husband’s got a medical condition that prevented him from being drafted, but they needed doctors so they took the next best thing,” 

“So your kids are with him then?” 

“Yeah, mom’s the one bringing in the paycheques for now,” you sighed. “How about you? Got a picture of your wife?” 

B.J. nodded and pulled one out of his pocket. A wedding photo, a smiling couple right outside a chapel. 

“She’s gorgeous,” you smiled. “You got yourself a catch there, B.J.” 

“She’s the light of my life,” he tucked the photo away again. “Her and little Erin. I keep thinking that she’s probably grown up so much since I last saw her and I just wish…” 

“You could be there at home, even just one night to tuck her in, give her a kiss, and read her a bedtime story?” 

“Exactly,” he nodded. “You haven’t even been here that long, how’d you know?” 

“It’s different for mothers,” you shrugged. “I could be away from them for an hour and feel like that. I just hope they always remember how much I love them and when the time comes I’ll be back with them again and I don’t plan on leaving.” 

“Me neither. After this I’d be happy only taking out tonsils for the rest of my life,” he laughed. 

“Man, maybe one day,” you chuckled with him. “But it’ll be back to the hospital for me. Only place that really needs trauma surgery stateside is the ER.” 

“That exciting enough for you?” he asked. 

“I found after coming back from the war, it was going to follow me around anyways. I may as well do something good with the experience.” 

“So this is your second round?” 

You nodded your head. 

“Makes you wonder how they can find so many things to fight about. I thought the end of the Second World War was supposed to bring the Great Peace. But war only brings more violence and war.” 

“I’ll drink to that,” 

You clinked your coffee cups together and further engaged in light chatter while you ate and B.J. continued to write his letter. 

“Any plans for this evening? They're showing a film, Trench Foot Through the Ages if I’m not mistaken,” he chuckled. 

“I’m gonna take a nice shower and fall into my bed and hopefully not get up until late tomorrow morning.” 

“If you think you can sleep through Radar’s rendition of Reveille I think you might be mistaken.” 

“We’ll see about that,” you gave him a sly smile before nodding your head and getting on your way, wondering how you’d ever gotten to a point where you were very happy to see an army cot. 

Tags:

@montyfandomlove

[h-sleepingirl]

Hey! So I watched Evangelion thanks to that post you made listing it as an additional source, and me and my local kink group wanted to know what the fuck you meant by that, if you were willing to elaborate ❤️

LOL, if you haven't already, don't forget to watch the End of Evangelion movie, and then the four Rebuild of Evangelion movies (they are all very important)!

Evangelion is first and foremost a show about identity. Everyone in that show is struggling with who they are -- who they are in relation to their parents, children, romantic partners, friends, and themselves. Everyone is trying to learn how to not define themselves in terms of the people around them -- or at least to accept that that's what they're doing. It’s very Gestalt in some ways.

This culminates especially in the final two episodes. Evangelion’s message is about accepting your identity, accepting that you have an identity to everyone around you, and while it may be painful, understanding that you are also an individual. Every character has this moment at some point during the series -- Shinji, Asuka, and Rei especially.

What am I, then? What the heck am I?! This... it's me! The shape that I show to others. The symbol for me. So is this, and this, and this! They're all just things that represent me! Nothing but things that let people recognize me! What am I, then?

Evangelion is a mirror, and it’s especially very queer -- not just because of the queer content but all of the coming-of-age drama and trauma is wildly queer-coded. Beyond the main three, you also see a relatable show of young adults doing their best to accept responsibility as adults in their jobs, adults who kids suddenly look up to, and adults who are still not really in positions of power like “real” adults.

I see so much of myself in Eva and it has made me introspective in ways that are uncomfortable and also ways that are very good. When I first went to a Quaker meeting -- an hour of silence in a spiritual meetinghouse -- I dove headfirst into introspection about who I was, why I was there, and what I seemed like to everyone around me, and I’m not ashamed to say that I thought to myself, “This is just like Evangelion.” (This is a lot of where SIX DAYS ASLEEP came from.)

I’m SO happy you watched the series because it is really a must-watch classic especially for queer people. I’m not saying you have to do this, but in my opinion it’s better on a rewatch because you know what it’s dishing out to you beforehand and you’re free to look for more subtext -- and look in the mirror it gives you.

Thanks for the ask, tell your local community I said hi :)

[decodamalion]

Malion Series Masterpost:

Everything you need/ want to know about my series!

Here's🔗 where you can find when each book was completed! I will keep this one updated with dates as they come!

Writeblr Intro🔗

Here you can find a link to my tag list post, and all that's really needed to know before looking through this!

Overall Novel Introductions:

Malion 🔗

Malion is the first Novel in my series. It is about a girl who watches everything she has ever known burn to the ground. She is then forced to survive alone in the wild before meeting another person who knows much more about her than she does about herself.

This book includes:

LGBTQ+ Characters, Fantasy creatures, various races (think elves, humans, dwarves ect), servere injuries, trauma, demons, and a royal family.

Malion: Royal Blood 🔗

Malion: Royal Blood (m:rb) is a continuation from Malion's story. This book is about the main character loosing someone very close to her, and her journey through grief and accross the continent to fulfill her loved one's final wish.

This book includes:

Fantasy Creatures, Travel, Gods of my own making, more LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, a royal family, various races, demons, servere injuries and way more gore.

Malion: Up In Flames 🔗

Malion: Up In Flames (m:uif) is book three in the series. This book is about the struggle of dealing with someone else's broken family and the consequences that come with actions that are not thought out. In this book, the main character starts to lose herself just before given the biggest responsibility of her life.

This book includes:

Gods of my own making, various races, magic, demons, torture, different realms, broken families, families being created, dismemberment, trauma and kidnapping.

Sorcery's Hue 🔗

Sorcery's Hue is about a completely different character than the one that was being followed thus far, however it is still a vital part of the series. This time, the reader follows an Osrocan boy turned man by his determination to control his magic and eventually master it. However the people he encounters and trusts turn their backs on him, either intentionally or unintentionally, which leads him down a path of destruction he never wished for.

This book includes:

Magic, LGBTQ+ characters, various races (think fantasy elves, humans ect.), abuse, death, trauma, imprisonment, loss and the death of an infant child.

Malion: The Battle for Skladmir

Malion: The Battle for Skladmir (m:tbfs) is a continuation of m:uif, with the inclusion of the main character of Sorcery's Hue. This time, our main character has settles into the role she was given in m:uif and is doing very well to support those around her, however the resurgence of power in an underground Osrocan city prompts revenge on the main character's family, and a war is declared. With the help of the Gods and the most powerful sorcerer known to Gaia, the main character might have a fighting chance.

This book includes:

LGBTQ+ characters, Gods of my own making, magic, death, trauma, politics, war, demons, a royal family, different realms and various races.

Malion: The Final Foe

Malion: The Final Foe (m:tff) is the final book in the series. It follows the main character as her responsibilities start to change her, and others around her. When her half-brother becomes so different that she doesn't even recognize him, her hand is forced into the most important decision she will ever have to make, which, according to the Gods, may destroy all of the nine realms.

This book includes:

LGBTQ+ characters, Gods of my own making, magic, death, trauma, possession, various races, a royal family, different realms and more

Wordbuilding:

All nine realms:

Gaia

The Beneath

The Celestial Realm

The Realm of the Banished

The Fen

The Crags

The Ice Plains

The Dark Realm

The Unknown

GAIA has three continents, each with their own unique creatures.

Aslen - the smallest continent

Here is a list of creatures and a brief explanation of what each one's is if necessary:

Aslantian - my version of humans.

Merrimos - a large, harmless worm.

Endoran - a massive, Hyena-like beast made completely of magic.

Maratren - a massive deer-like beast made completely of magic.

Osrow - The Middle Child

Deep Osrocan - My 'elves' that live underground.

Wood Osrocan - Osrocan that live in the wooded areas of Osrow.

High Osrocan - Osrocan that live primarily in mountains.

Ileth - nocturnal creatures that have an Aslantian form. The sun hurts them.

Glorpin - bipedal frog-slime with an Aslantian shape. (Credit to my sibling)

Karmaro - The Biggest Continent

Karmarean - Shorter, much stronger Aslantians. They are my 'dwarves'

Kani-Joorlin - A creature with an Aslantian form that can shift into the form of a large, bipedal wolf.

Vulpi-Joorlin - A creature with an Aslantian form that can shift into the form of a large, bipedal fox.

Feli-Joorlin - A creature with an Aslantian form that can shift into the form of a large, bipedal cat.

Vorrem - furry, Giant Endoran. Only one female exists at a time.

Characters:

Main Cast:🔗

Decoda Malion

Alexandrite Schmidter

Kaylum Laidon

Michelle Burns

Elliott J. Ruben

Herross of The Three

Selvan of The Three

Varitran Hue

Side Characters:🔗

Mister Michael Burns

Barbara Burns

Mistyal Burns

Arthur Martin

Baron Malion

Maraline Malion

Elizabeth Malion

Danté Malion

Diamond Blockit

Samuélle Malion

[berryblu-soda]

Plot idea!:

A slice of life show that starts out very chill and normal and says like that for most of it's run, until the very end where something goes catastrophically wrong in the season finale, trauma happens, characters die, etc etc

Except a secondary character gets transported right back to the start, and season 2 is the same series of events we saw in season 1, but now that character is desperately trying to alter the course of fate to no avail, losing a bit of himself in each attempt, it doesnt get nearly as bad as it can before the series ends abruptly though.

after the series ´ends´, it gets a 'reboot' ,but now we get a fresh perspective, with the interesting creative liberty taken of using a different secondary character, the secondary character turned main character from the last series run is still around, but his screentime is reduced considerably. some events play out different from the first season, but that´s to be expected from a reboot, right? the show takes much less time to present the world and the story for the first time, skipping ahead to the dramatic ´´finale´´, and subsequent firstrewind.

and the audience gets to watch a completely new and different character go through the story again, trying to save everyone from the tragedy, failing in some areas the previous one didnt, and doing well in some areas the onter one failed at-

but the audince can catch glimpses of the other secondary character every once in a while, acting and thinking in a distinctive different way, when all the other characters have had practically no change to their personalities, and it dawns on them, through the bits and peices recollected every time said character appears, that it´s *exactly* the same person as the old series, the change of personality more due to the loops chipping away at his stability for who knows how long. and it´s a strange feeling, recognizing someone you used to know almost every detail of, now as a starnger, recognizing them *because* theyre now a stranger

[em0tionl0rd]

I think my mind just melted..

(personal nonsense below the cut)

Only recently did I realize that Daemon, my character, was probably inspired by Mulgarath from my favorite childhood book series; The Spiderwick chronicles.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for a show you may never watch:

_ _ _

My ex made me watch ALL of Mr. Robot, because for Some reason, he thought it would help me understand him better. But I ended up relating to the main character more than he did.

Elliot, in the show Mr. Robot, has an imaginary friend called "Mr. Robot". Mr. Robot is also shown to be an alternative personality of Elliot.

In the episode titled "da3m0ns", it is revealed that; besides being a literal interpretation of a "daemon" in coding language -

"In multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user."

Mr. Robot is also like a "daemon" in mythology -

"Daimons are lesser divinities or spirits, often personifications of abstract concepts, beings of the same nature as both mortals and deities, similar to ghosts, chthonic heroes, spirit guides, forces of nature, or the deities themselves"

(I recognize my character as the latter, because that is how they presented themselves to me) .

Now, I have issues with my father, and my past. Thankfully, I don't share Elliot's specific trauma related to his father.. But I did have a serious falling-out with my dad, where I ran away and refused to see him again. (our relationship is still pretty rocky now that I'm an adult)

Some time later I created a friend and paternal figure in my head. One that I tried very hard to 'imagine' into reality, by one means or another, all because I felt very alone.

This is where I struggled heavily with dissociation from reality, and plunged myself deep into my own fantasies and dreams as a form of escapism from my day-to-day life. A coping mechanism for depression that inevitably had dire mental health consequences. Another reason I can relate to Elliot's character.

I see myself 'slipping' into this other character sometimes. They appear in my dreams. I feel myself become them, in my dreams. We share a body. And this is still something I have a very complicated relationship with to this day.

At one point I was dealing with some pretty serious nightmares that were somewhat a result of this mild psychosis, but they have since been worked through and I don't really have them anymore.

I am, however, haunted by ideas of my father (specifically) and actively have to fight them off.

I made the mistake (out of necessity due to circumstances) of letting him back into my life 4-5 years ago, and have been miserable dealing with his utterly insufferable and obnoxious behavior ever since.

Part of me still really wishes Daemon were real and could (I beg him to) take me away so I can actually be happy and heal and not have to deal with this garbage nonsense anymore.

Before Daemon I had similar imaginations of The Doctor but that's besides the point.

Fantasy boy with a magic box (or muscle car) please whisk me away..

I feel like my life will be better soon enough though. I won't have to deal with my dad anymore, and I will finally be able to live my life and have peace of mind.. (I might add to this in another post)

_ _ _

In the Spiderwick Chronicles, there is a scene where Mulgarath turns into the children's father and tries to deceive them in order to acquire the field guide. It's a trippy sequence.

I have, for the life of me, never been able to understand why I have this distinct fear of things "becoming" like my father. Not that my mom's constant comparing me to him didn't help, because she couldn't face her ex and take responsibility, ever.. But because his behavior literally haunts me and hangs over me wherever I go. Like a hex.

For years, after I ran away as a kid, I would have dreams about being trapped at his house and having to tolerate his behavior and emotional manipulation/abuse. I ended up in an abusive relationship (ironically?) in order to escape him, again, as an adult.

I try to talk to him, now that I am so close to being independent, and he still refuses to understand that he was in the wrong. It's like he's terrified of letting go, desperately clinging on to his own make-believe ideas of reality; Of family, and of his kid(s). Everything he says to me, about me, just feels manipulative, and it's extremely annoying.

_ _ _

There is such a things as subliminal influences, whether we believe in them or not, whether we can see them or not, whether we're even aware of them, or not. No matter how hard we try to fight them, they will still have power over us, somehow, in some way.

I have a tendency to pick up things, forget about them, and somehow they later translate into my work. Especially characters from my childhood that I've mostly forgotten about.

I'm a staunch hater of when people's behavior so obviously directly reflects their influence(s), but it's like even I can't escape that recurrence. And I don't want to be a copy, or a clone. No matter how hard they want me to be like them. No matter how hard they pushed me and bullied me and groomed me to be like them. It's just not fucking fair.

Maybe this is why I relate so much with the villain(s).

_ _ _

In 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' (2024) Christian Slater plays the role of Mulgarath.

It All Comes Full Circle . . .

_ _ _

Anyways, Mathew Lillard's "Steve Ragland" (William Afton in the Five Nights At Freddy's Movie) drawn in street clothes and a ball cap reminds me of Christian Slater as Mr. Robot.

Also Rami Malek, yet again playing a character dealing with severe mental health issues; His role as Joshua in Until Dawn and his interactions with Dr. Hill were like a precursor to the events in Mr. Robot. Another, seemingly 'imagined' personality living in Rami's character's head.. As their mind slips to the brink.

My brain has been deleted. Good night.

[clotpolesonly]

Declan didn't get a redemption arc

he got a recontextualization arc, and he got it within TRC itself, gradually over the course of the whole series but really in the last book. did the Declan chapters of TRK mean nothing to you??

depending on where you began the story, it was about Declan Lynch. he was never a villain; he was with us from the start, even if we didn't recognize it!

ch 28, the first of Declan's actual POV, providing the context of the business he's been forced to run and how deeply steeped in fear he is and has been, at all times, since long before Niall died. how alone he is, how much of a child playing dress up

the car scene with Ronan in 31, absolute goldmine of brotherly feels and reconciliation!!!!

"Declan stopped speaking and closed his eyes; when he did, Ronan could see the brother he'd grown up with instead of the brother he'd grown away from."

"Why didn't you tell me you were up against all these people?" "I was trying to protect you, you little pissant."

the memory of Declan as a little kid dragging Ronan from his burning bedroom, never acknowledged by either of them but it didn't matter because Lynches would always save each other if they had to

and the ORBMASTER scene in 34, where Ronan finally understands that Declan was excluded from all the magic and wonder of the Barns and chooses to give his brother a piece of that magic to take with him

because Declan was never his enemy. he was always just Ronan's brother, another scared dysfunctional kid scrambling to protect and keep hold of his family in the only way he knew how

dreamer trilogy takes it to another level by centering Declan as a true main character and really exploring him in depth, but all of this is true and evident within the original series. Declan didn't need to be redeemed any more than Ronan himself did; Ronan was also angry and aggressive and generally an asshole prone to lashing out while he struggled to process his grief and trauma. Declan was no different, and he didn't need to be made to atone, narratively, for his crimes. we (and, more importantly, Ronan) just needed to see behind the mask enough to recognize that he and Ronan are and always have been two sides of the same coin.

"I liked Declan in The Dreamer Trilogy because he finally got his redemption arc"

Redemption from WHAT

[seaside-and-starry-eyes]

It's been seven years since the final book of The Lunar Chronicles, but after finally talking myself into a series reread I really need to get this book rant off of my chest... Salt warning!

WHY DID WOLF HAVE TO HAVE ALL HIS WORST FEARS COME TO PASS?? Why was it necessary for him to go through such *permanent* physical/mental trauma, pain, and be forced to forever live out his life-long nightmare of being *forced* to complete the wolf-soldier-hybrid operation?? (He didn't even choose to go out and fight in the confrontation that led to his capture. Cinder chose for him. 🥲)

What does this "twist" add to the series? What part of the plot made it necessary in order to make things work? I don't understand why this is a thing. Was this the compromise for not killing off one of the many main characters? I mean, Wolf literally recognizes and switches back to the "good guys" as soon as he sees them. UGH. All the other characters get to walk away fairly (long term) unscathed, but not Wolf. This twist almost ruined the whole series for me the first time I read it in 2015 and time hasn't made it make sense...

Wolf and Scarlet are literally the punching bags/fall guys of the Lunar Chronicles. (I'm sure everyone feels this way about their favorite LC characters, but these are mine, so I'm Salty.)

I've been salty about this for 7 years. Is it just me? 🙈

[unfried-mouth-wheat]

It’s particularly annoying because Luz and Belos are made to parallel eachother. They quite literally go through the same motions, if you think about it! (Enter the isles, become powerful human witch, become one with The Titan)

The main fear Luz exhibits is that there is nothing stopping her from becoming like Belos. We see this very blatantly in her nightmare sequence. And her isn’t unfounded in the sense of similarity! Both were Humans that went to the isles by choice, were unable to leave, had their preconceived ideas tested by the isles, and more! Luz had her image of idealistic fantasy worlds tested, while Belos had his image of how evil witches are tested, both of which being notions that they learned from childhood as a way to cope trauma.

The thing that separates a them isn’t that Luz is good and Belos is evil, it’s that Luz accepts that she was wrong. That what she used as a coping mechanism was wrong, and as such changes the way she thinks to reflect the reality of her situation.

Belos can’t. Belos has been shown time and time again that he refused to let go of the past, refuses to even consider changing his ways, because then that means he has to accept that he was wrong. He would rather keep digging himself into a pit rather than accept that he was digging for no reason.

Luz in the first season is selfish. She is. She lies to her mother to stay in the demon world, she steals Eda’s potion on the chance it will give her magic, she steals Amity’s training wand, and so much more. But each time she’s faced with the consequences of her actions, she learns from them. By the end of the series, Luz is an incredibly self sacrificing character, and I truly feel that this development was a gradual one, but also had a turning point.

The season one finale.

It’s here that Luz sacrifices what she believes to be her only way back home to protect her loved ones. This is where we truly see the shift in her character. Coincidentally, Belos also had a turning point very similar to Luz’, in form of his confrontation with Caleb.

He is given the same choice. He can either sacrifice his hopes of returning home to stay and care for his loved one, or he can continue searching for a way back at his brother’s expense. And it’s here that he cements himself as the villain, as being unable to be redeemed.

Belos would rather continue to search for a way back home than accept that what he believed was wrong, and he’s willing to do this at the demise of Caleb.

And what’s more, he refuses to feel the consequences of that choice by recreating Caleb over, and over, and over. He would rather kill his brother a thousand times over than accept that he was wrong, because maybe, maybe, Caleb will agree with him this time. Because with each Grimwalker comes the chance for him to have his beliefs validated, and he would rather chase that than accept the evidence to the contrary.

Belos refuses to accept that he was wrong, and as such he refuses to change. That is what separates him from Luz. That’s what allows her to rise above every trial the isles have thrown at her while Belos is stuck climbing.

And isn’t that a much more compelling narrative? Luz isn’t the hero because she’s good, she’s the hero because she let herself fail and learn and grow and make connections in spite of adversity. Belos isn’t the villain because he’s evil, he’s the villain because he would rather stay trapped in the past than recognize that he’s wrong. That’s what separates Luz from Belos. Not some nebulous idea of predetermined morality, but her active dedication to growing as a person.

It’s just such a beautiful message, and it’s so incredibly upsetting that it wasn’t fully nor properly executed.

Belos is just born evil *blows you with my mind*

[brewedlove]

How They Are As Parents

Part One | Part Two

Series/Fandom: Vinland Saga

Character (x reader): Thorfinn, Askeladd, Canute, Thorkell, Bjorn

Relationship to Reader: No Reader-Insert (Feel free read as if you are they’re child, though if you’d like).

Reader Specifications: No Reader-Insert / None

Word Count: 751

Warnings: Slight Angst, Mentions of Trauma, Slight Neglect, Slightly Overbearing Parenting, Slight Manga Spoilers

Requested: No

A/N: My motivation gave out maybe 1/3 of the way into writing this so I hope these headcanons are still decent enough. I plan on making a Part 2 with Einar, Snake, and the others eventually when my head doesn’t want to explode. There are no Reader-inserts! These headcanons only talk about the characters and their children who’s appearance, gender, and sex are unspecified. Feel free to put yourself in the position of their children, though if you’d like. (Click the photos for better quality).

UPDATED A/N: If you recognize this piece on a different blog under the name @iwritesinsandsins it’s because Tumblr silenced all my posts there so I’m starting over again. (／ˍ・、)

~

Thorfinn (19+ Years Old)

If Thorfinn continued to carry his younger mindset and grudge against Askeladd into his adult years, he would’ve been a very awkward parent who begrudgingly shows his child(ren) affection on a good day.

Admittedly, he does actually love them but at times wishes that they were born to someone else that’s more suitable and fitting for the role of a parent than he is because he’s so focused on defeating Askeladd but now he’s conflicted on what he really wants with the child(ren) around.

Canonically as an adult, Thorfinn would try to raise his child(ren) in a similar fashion to how his own father taught him and to live a peaceful life away from the traumas of war.

Overall, he’d be a gentle father who teaches his child(ren) to be respectful, strong, and appreciative of what they have while also teaching them that situations do not have to be settled using violence.

Askeladd

Looking at his own childhood, Askeladd does not want to turn out like his father and would actively look out for his child(ren), making sure that they’re not in harm’s way as much as he can given what he does for a living.

He’s torn between wanting to shield them from the flaws of humanity but also expose them to it so that they can toughen up rather than go into the world blindly.

Instead, he’ll settle on subtly teaching them lessons through other people from afar, asking them questions to get them to think on their own instead of him directly telling them the answers.

Overall, Askeladd would still be playful with his child(ren), often teasing them while letting them grow to be more knowledgeable about people and the world around them.

King Canute

Canute understood familial love when Ragnar treated him like his own son instead of Sweyn so he’d want to treat his child(ren) like how Ragnar had raised him.

The main issue with being King is that he’s swamped with royal duties to please the people and nations, and has to be extremely cautious of those that’d want to target him and his child(ren) so it can be hard for him to actually spend time with them.

He feels guilty for having Estrid look after them all the time despite his sister’s reassurance so at the end of the day when he can finally rest, he takes his child(ren) in his arms either his bedroom chambers or theirs and holds them close.

Overall, Canute is a loving father despite his absence but he makes sure to check in with them every day and silently swears to himself that he’ll do his best to make enough time to do whatever his child(ren) wants.

Thorkell

Thorkell is thrilled at the idea of being a father because he wants to teach them so many things but someone has to remind him that child(ren) can’t do what he does, nor can they reach his level at such a young age.

It makes him pouty and leads him to being bored most of the time so he’ll try to find activities that are both fun for him and the child.

As they grow up, Thorkell will slowly incorporate more of his interests onto his child(ren), occasionally praising them when they do something he hadn’t expected of them.

Overall, Thorkell can come off as a little overbearing if his child(ren) isn’t/aren’t used to it or share the same interests but he means well and just wants to have fun with them and have them grow up to be strong like their dad.

Bjorn

Bjorn is the kind of father that would get mad if any of the crewmates hands his child(ren) a weapon and they sometimes like to do it for fun.

He just doesn’t want them to get hurt nor does he want them to fight or even know about the horrors of war and the sorts of missions he goes on with Askeladd’s crew.

They’re not exactly the ideal role models he wants for his child(ren) and genuinely rather have them grow up to live a peaceful life but he will teach them self-defense for when they need it as long as he or Askeladd is the one teaching them.

Overall, Bjorn sometimes lets his paranoia get the best of him when it comes to his child(ren) but he wouldn’t give them up for anything else and wants them to know that they have a dad to rely on.

[lollytea]

Do you think any of Toh's characters will die? Like for example Hunter, Eda, Lilith or Raine

Honestly? No. I don't believe any of them are going to die. I'm almost certain of it. I mean, Belos is absolutely getting slaughtered and it's possible some side characters will be offed but characters like the main kids, Eda, Lilith and Raine, absolutely not. There is no way. Because I just don't think any of those deaths would be narratively satisfying.

There's a ton of reason why I don't think Eda will die, like how she's struggled through so much already. Her breakup with Raine, hurting her father, her estrangement from her sister. All direct results of her curse. But now? She has made great strides in embracing the owlbeast as a part of her, she's reunited with Raine, she's reconciled with Dell, she's adopted King as her son. Eda's arc has gradually branched out into a series of open paths, of things she had once lost finally being possible for her again. Like her story is not complete, its just finally turning in a more postive direction for her. Such a hopeful culmination of things is not gonna lead to her being killed off in the end.

Not to mention that Luz, Eda and King are the heart and soul of this show. It's always gonna come down to the three of them. So wouldn't it just feel wrong if, after everything they've been through together, they don't all come out of this alive? And if Eda dies, how would that effect them? Those kids would never ever be the same. That wouldn't feel right either, would it? A terrible ending for Eda is a terrible ending for them too because their stories are all intertwined. Like c'mon haven't they done ENOUGH to King? Now they gonna turn him into an orphan? Nah.

I suppose I could picture Lilith being the one to die but also I dont think she will. I'd find it a lot more tangible if it weren't for the season 1 finale. Lilith has already made her sacrifice, in sharing half the burden of Eda's curse. And then in Titan Where Art Thou, its shown that she's only now beginning to recognize the deep rooted effects of her cult indoctrination and the idea of therapy is tossed around.

Lilith is nowhere near full recovery. She still has so much left to learn. So I feel like the most logical and poignant ending for her would be to move on with her new historian life, begin to understand the extent of her trauma and learn to forgive herself, all while holding on to the consequence of her actions, as the owlbeast inside her will always be a reminder. Forgive but not forget. However, I do think Lilith will have an important role to play in the finale, probably for Eda's sake. I don't think Lilith will die but I'm pretty sure she's gonna put her life on the line.

There is so much about Raine that screams possible death, considering how they've dedicated themself to this rebellion and are willing to do anything to achieve their goal. Raine definitely has Selfless Hero Who Dies For A Cause vibes. But my main reason for believing that Raine will survive is like. You know Dana Terrace was treated like shit by Disney because of her efforts to include LGBT characters and relationships in her show, something that most likely led to them inevitably pulling the plug on it. So like. You really think she's gonna look at Raine, the first explicitly nonbinary character on Disney Channel and say "Yeah I'm gonna kill them." Get outta here. I absolutely do not believe in that "lgbt people should tell stories of lgbt characters having happy endings for the sake of being good representation." Idea at all. But like. In this case? It is a show for children. Raine's relationship with Eda is absolutely groundbreaking and I think Dana and the crew understand the impact a happy healthy bi trans relationship would be for kids to see.

Hunter? Like OH MY GOD. Hunter's death would be such godawful writing that I'm reeling just thinking about it. Remember the build up to Hollow Mind airing? Everyone was dreading it. We were SCARED because we knew what was going to happen. We knew Hunter was going to learn the truth. But like. Truthfully we were all shaking with excitement. We wanted this. We all knew that this was something Hunter needed to know, we understood that it was crucial to his story. And it absolutely tore everyone's heart out but it was a cathartic kind of tragedy, wasn't it? It wasn't just hurting Hunter for the hell of it. Hollow Mind meant something.

Would killing Hunter mean anything? Like anything at all? Ever since Hunting Palismen, it has been repeatedly established who Hunter is. A severely mistreated and brainwashed boy. But there was always so much hope for him. He was never perceived as a villain who needed a redemption arc, just an abused, love starved kid who needed someone to care about him. He has always wanted a future, he has always wanted to live.

What message would we learn from Hunter dying? That ultimately there was never any point in him attempting to escape his terrible life and build a new happy one from scratch because In the end, despite all his efforts to live, his abuser kills him? That Hunter was never supposed to break this violent cycle of grimwalkers and was always destined to meet the same fate? That his whole story was all for nothing? Man that sounds like an extremely shitty and cynical ending after everything he's gone through.

I think, at its core, Owl House has always been a story about family, hope, healing and deciding your own fate. All of the characters mentioned here have one or more of these themes woven into their arcs. I don't think killing any of them off would be in the spirit of what the show represents and I absolutely do not believe that TOH crew are going to take them away from us.