#flaws and issues and all

[becauseimanicequeen]

I read your hilarious post on your bad taste and couldn't believe you mentioned Xena. That was my favorite show as a child too! We have similar taste in qls too.

What are your favorite ql characters though? I tend to like the darker kind. It would be interesting to read your thoughts.

Have a nice day.

Hi, Anon.

Glad to meet a fellow Xena lover.

When it comes to QL characters, my taste is similar to the QLs in that post you mentioned. I’m usually drawn to the bad bitches. So, here are the…

Bad bitches that have me in a chokehold.

My memory is a bit fucked, but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head right now.

*spoilers ahead, so read at your own peril*

Tan/New (DFF)

Everything started with his brother disappearing and ended with him torturing the people responsible with their worst fears and deepest secrets. All the while having a backup plan knowing his closest ally would turn on him. New is no dumbass. He's a determined, prepared, avenging manipulator. And this bad bitch was determined to avenge his brother (and his own suffering) even if it killed him. I don't know about you, but I love a man who knows what he wants.

Todd (Not Me)

On the topic of manipulation... This prince charming put his lover (you can't convince me they weren't) into a coma while manipulating his lover's twin brother to join a gang whose mission is to take down the man who stands in the way of making Todd the king of Thailand's business world. Master manipulator at its finest (and he's fine as fuck). What's not to love?

Black (Not Me)

He was put into a coma by his lover (again, you can't convince me they weren't) and paid back in the same coin because this bitch is petty as fuck. And I love him for it.

Ai Di (Kiseki: Dear to Me)

This colorful and feisty little shit had me in a chokehold from the first moment I saw him. He runs head-first into fights, can kick ass (and do), and is often manhandled by his "adoptive" brother/best friend/crush while kicking and screaming. And let's not forget he's petty and admits it.

Vegas (KinnPorsche)

This bitch with daddy issues is a walking, talking toxic issue from start to finish in KinnPorsche. He drugged Porsche to assault him (and get under his cousin's skin), killed Tawan whom he only hooked up with to take down his cousin, captured and tortured Pete only to fuck him when the pet hedgehog died, not to forget he sat in Tankhun's seat at the dinner table (I mean, where are his fucking manners? lol)... And this is just a summary. But it's also because of all of this that Vegas is my favorite character in KinnPorsche.

Boston (Only Friends)

He's a slut. That's it. He doesn't need more context. Give me a slut, and a toxic one at that, and I'll love them forever. I know, I've got issues... But so does Boston, which is why I love him.

And the most recent bad bitch to come into my life…

Ming (My Stand-In)

It's too soon for me to say anything substantial about Ming (since only one episode is out and I haven't read the novel). BUT. It took less than an hour for this man to grab me by the throat... and I let him. It took him less than an hour to claim ownership of my soul... and I let him (I even begged him to during the scene in the gif above). This man is trouble. And I love trouble. I won't defend his actions, but I will love him.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I need this bad bitch to break Joe’s heart into a million little pieces (because we all know it’s happening anyway). I need him to be toxic. I need him to be a problem. I need him to the THE PROBLEM.

And when he realizes what he's done, I need him to pay for it by crawling through hell, only to beg on his knees for forgiveness when he realizes Joe is back, and then pay with his own blood when he tries his utmost to stitch Joe’s heart back together. Just give me the pain!

I love every single one of these characters. And I love that I love them.

I know, it’s a me-problem. But at least I'm aware of it.

I’m sure I’ll remember more characters that have me in a chokehold as soon as I hit publish on this. But, at least this is a start for now.

Thanks for your ask.

[bunnieswithknives]

I feel bad for neglecting Hazel so much, I do have many thoughts about her.. and also a mermaid au that im probably not going to do anything with

[stealingyourbones]

Out of all of the people The Ghost King Phantom expected to relate to, it definitely wasn’t the scrawny red headed photographer of the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen has gotten so many temporary superpowers over his time being Superman’s friend. Hell, he once gained a 4th dimensional being’s reality warping abilities when he was given said dimensional being’s powers during a fight. Sure there’s a dozen or so heroes with the same amount of powers he has, but none as suddenly granted to them as a all powerful god that can relate to a teenager.

[dreamofbecoming]

listen i know we all love steve “completely ignorant of queer culture to the point that bisexuality is a surprise” harrington being roasted and educated in turns by robin and eddie, yadda yadda, good stuff. i read “they made a horror version of rocky?” in a fic recently and cackled. also a big fan of “he knew he was bi from the start and just never talked about it�� as a trope, love it excellent well done

but what about steve who realizes after starcourt that the most important person in his life now has this thing that’s a major part of her life that he knows nothing about, and what if he fucks it up? what if he says something ignorant or rude by accident, and hurts her? what if he loses her because he didn’t know the right thing to say? what if he can’t keep her safe because he doesn’t know what to look out for? absolutely fucking not, this steve says

and listen she’d never say anything, because she can tell that he can tell how much she likes teasing him and teaching him things, so he plays dumb, and she thinks it’s very sweet. but she notices when the zines she keeps under her bed that she buys at that one secret bookshop in indy when she can sneak away on family trips start going missing, always one at a time, and replaced in a few days with another disappearing. and she finds the new ones he must have gone to buy the weekend she was at her aunt’s house hidden in the back of his closet when she goes to steal one of his sweaters. and she notices when he slips more of her queerer movie recommendations into his personal take home pile rather than the movie night stack when he thinks she’s not looking.

she doesn’t notice when he drives to indianapolis after she tries to explain to him why she can’t just ask out a cute girl, tries to impress on him the fear attached to every moment of attraction that he simply has never had to feel, but later she finds a crumpled receipt from a diner in one of his jacket pockets when she’s looking for his keys, and the address is across the street from the bar the gorgeous woman at the bookstore told her about, the one she memorized the address of but hasn’t worked up the guts to think about visiting, and she knows he must have gone looking for a place like that, must have been trying to understand, must have been scoping it out to make sure it was somewhere she could feel safe, after she told him she never had.

so when eddie nearly pops a blood vessel when they clock each other and she mentions that steve is the only person she’s ever come out to before, her hackles come up. because she gets it, she does, he’s only known king steve until recently, so it makes sense that he would be afraid, be concerned for her safety.

but steve is her person, and no one- no one- has ever made her feel as protected or as cared for as he does. no one has ever tried as hard to understand her, no one has ever put so much work into making her feel safe and seen and loved. and she thinks maybe even if no one else ever does, that’s ok. because she has steve, and more importantly steve has her, and that means no one gets to question his ally credentials in her presence without a dressing down to remember, no matter how well they mean or how recently they helped save the world.

(and maybe she’s not as surprised as she could be when he figures out bisexuality all on his own, because she’s been reading all the same pamphlets he has, after all. and she’s seen the way he looks at eddie, i mean come on. maybe no one else has noticed, but then, nobody knows steve harrington like she does.)

[trans-androgyne]

Sick to death of people trying to "both sides" discussions about transandrophobia and tme/tma. One "side" says "hey I think all trans people have unique experiences with gendered oppression and should get to talk about them" and the other "side" says "lol no you don't, you all oppress trans women and only they should define your experiences." These aren't equal and if you act like they are at this point I am blocking you on the spot.

[scurvyboy]

Okay, seriously, why do you keep saying Ford hates women????

girl because he does

[bigskydreaming]

Imagine looking at a character whose entire premise is that in every stage of his life, he's made every version of himself into someone that inspires people to such a degree that EVERY SINGLE VERSION OF HIM has people wanting to literally follow in his footsteps in some way or another.....

And coming to the conclusion that like.....the most important things about him are the sum of all his trappings. His entirely homemade developed from scratch could not exist if not for what he already was and brought with him BEFORE crafting this newest version of himself trappings, with his greatest trait throughout all of it being his adaptability; his ability and willingness to roll with the punches and not try to simply weather any opposition or changes to his life but instead reshape himself as needed to better fit INTO whatever new shape his life and the world around him takes. All while managing to carry the most innate, fundamental and necessary aspects of himself from one version to the next. Thus every single version of himself is different but simultaneously every single version of himself is also undeniably the same person.

The strength of this character, to me, will always be that he can be so many versions of himself, he can become so many things, all without ever actually losing or discarding any of the aspects of himself he considers most essential, the things he's not willing to lose or give up just to keep going. Finding that road not taken by most, usually because most never even think to look for it as an option. But one that he's always able to find because the one trick he's mastered in his tumultuous life is threading that needle of not just digging in his heels in an unproductive way but rather being selective about when and where he makes a stand and decides "this is not a thing I'm willing to compromise about" but here are places and ways I can and will change and evolve and adapt in order to make it possible for me to hold onto these parts and keep them as they are.

And that's why its always so mind-boggling to me that so many writers can't seem to think of anything else to do with Dick Grayson other than invent some new reason for him to just....not be that person, or to like just take the character whose most basic fundamental trait he's NOT about to compromise on is willingly giving up his spot in the driver's seat of his own life.....and make him just a passenger in his own life and stories.

Dick Grayson at age nine....at age nineteen...at age twenty nine....the one core thread running through all versions of him is the only way he's standing back and letting you call the shots for him or putting him on the sidelines in some way is over his dead body.

HOW he goes about that, what that looks like, who he becomes and what aspects of himself he plays up at some times and what traits he lets fall by the wayside at other times when they offer less in service to his primary goal here....that changes constantly. He changes constantly.

But those changes are almost always (or at least they used to be/should be IN MY OPINION) made with the intention of keeping certain things about him or his life as consistent as possible.

That's the duality of Dick Grayson that I'm here for. The inherent contradiction of him that COULD allow for endless conflict and breaking new narrative ground in all sorts of ways if mined properly:

His eternal willingness to compromise....but only ever in pursuit of doubling down on the ways he's not willing to compromise.

Forever walking that tightrope in ways that only a kid born and raised in a circus could ever hope to.

[suzukiblu]

Please, cuddling, and TimKon?

. . . I am sorry but also I am NOT sorry for what I have done with this reply, but hey, why don't we all enjoy this one being the only prompt fill from this meme that got a read-more cut??

“Please,” Kon tries, trying not to look–he doesn’t know, weird and needy and like an embarrassment, or whatever. It feels like such a stupid thing to ask for. He knows Tim’s not really a hugger or a touchy-feely guy or whatever and that he likes having his own space and basically always hops out of bed right after sex to go write down all the shit his post-nut clarity made him think of, and the idea of, like, just staying still and actually cuddling or whatever is probably basically literal torture to him, assuming it’s ever even occurred to him at all, just . . . 

Just he’d kind of like to sometimes, maybe? Like–not regularly or whatever, he’s not trying to drive Tim nuts or cut into either his worktime or downtime here, just . . .

Just he’d like to do it sometimes, that’s all. 

Tim’s not the tactile type. Tim isn’t even the eye contact type, unless he’s lying to somebody or at work or just faking it for Robin-mode or whatever. Kon gets that. He’s been, like–careful about that. Not trying to take up too much space or ask for too much attention or mind when Tim doesn’t even look up at him when he– 

He’s been careful about it. 

But he is . . . well. The tactile type. Like . . . kind of, anyway. 

Like–it’s kinda unavoidable, honestly. 

“Oh,” Tim says, blinking at him in just enough bemusement to make him feel even more self-conscious about bringing this shit up to begin with, and Kon tries to keep his expression casual and noncommittal and–and just normal about this. Because he is totally normal about this. He is so normal about this. He is.

He’s also normal about the fact that when he asked Tim if he could talk to him about something, Tim didn’t even put down his tablet. Didn’t even put it to sleep, or actually even look up from it until . . . 

Kon’s normal about that. About all of this. 

(and he definitely never feels kind of weird or a little bit abandoned because Tim can’t EVER just bring his stupid laptop back to bed or at least work on whatever he’s thinking about IN the bedroom at the untouched desk he's got set up in there or even just, like . . . stick around and hang out on the couch with him, or anything like that. he definitely totally ENTIRELY doesn’t ever just feel like a casual fuckbuddy or an easy hookup or a gala-night accessory or just the most immediately convenient option and not actually–not actually any kind of a–not actually something that– 

he doesn’t. 

definitely.)

“Uh,” Kon says, and backpedals awkwardly, because clearly this conversation is not going the way he’d wanted it to and Tim just looks so surprised by it all, like–like it never even occurred to him or something, that maybe . . . that maybe Kon would want anything like that, or like he literally just hasn’t noticed how hard Kon’s been trying to be normal about it, or . . . 

It doesn’t feel very good, the idea he’s been trying so hard to respect Tim’s space and preferences and comfort levels and Tim hasn’t even noticed that he was doing anything at all. 

Especially because Tim usually notices just about everything. 

Maybe Tim’s just never thinking about it. Maybe he gets out of bed so quick because he’s spent the whole time in it thinking about other shit and just putting up with–just– 

“Kon,” Tim says, his voice going a little tight, and Kon just tries not to wince. He didn’t mention any of the complicated stuff he’s been trying not to feel, he just asked if Tim could–if Tim would– 

He didn’t even mention any of the complicated stuff, so it’s, like–not a great sign that Tim’s looking at him like that right now, like he’s said something really serious or upsetting or . . . 

He really shouldn’t have said anything, yeah. 

“Sorry,” he tries stiffly, glancing away and wrapping his hand around his own wrist and digging his fingers into the inside of it. It’s–tactile. Just . . . something tactile. “I know you don’t–sorry. Uh. Just forget it.” 

“Fuck,” Tim mutters for some reason, and Kon feels like such an idiot for saying anything at all, and a worse one for apparently doing it in a way that’s got Tim making that face at him. That face is Robin’s “my utility belt is empty, comms are fried, and the mission just went to shit” face. 

He really fucked this up. It was fine. Everything was fine, and now he’s wrecked it and Tim’s about to say it’s not even that serious, it’s not like it’s even–not like they’re even–and that Kon’s clearly gotten the wrong idea and they should just–just– 

“How long have you felt this way?” Tim asks very, very carefully, like the question’s something fragile, and Kon thinks from literally the first fucking time you left me alone in bed all night so you could go recalibrate some stupid useless specialty sensor that wasn’t even part of your primary gear, like, a WEEK into us sleeping together and says, “I dunno. It’s not–I told you. Forget it. It’s not a big deal.” 

He’s being weird about this. He’s being an asshole about this, actually, because being prepared for literally every single possible contingency ever is the Bats’ whole thing and he got into this knowing Tim wasn’t the touchy-feely type or all that expressive and emotive about–about his feelings, or whatever, and–and it’s not like he even–not like he– 

(he just wants a fucking HUG he didn't have to FUCK him for every now and then, or for Tim to at least exist in the same space as him for longer than the time it takes for the next email from Oracle to come in or next alert from Batman to go off or next self-assigned project to finish processing or–

but that’s not something Tim does, and Kon knew that going in, so–so it’s his own stupid fault if he feels SMALL sometimes, when . . . when there’s always something else, always another problem to solve or place to be or thing to think about, always . . . always something more important than just . . . staying, just for a little bit, and just BEING with–with him. just him. not the team, or either of their families, or . . .)

He knew all this going in, Kon reminds himself. He knew it. If he were this bad at being with literally anyone else, he’d just–he’d just– 

But something about it being Tim means he just . . . can’t. 

Tim’s jaw tightens, and he finally sets down his stupid tablet. 

Only now, though, Kon thinks bitterly, and digs his fingers a little deeper into the inside of his wrist. 

“Kon,” Tim says again, says too carefully again. Like something’s fragile, again. “I–” 

“I said forget it, for fuck’s sake!” Kon snaps too hotly, and maybe hates himself for both doing it and for the stricken look that doing it puts on Tim’s face, and also maybe cheats a bit by super-speeding straight out the balcony door into the night air and not taking his cell or his communicator with him. Or–definitely does, in fact. Definitely that’s cheating. He knows it is. 

He just really can’t stand to hear Tim tell him how he’s fucked up this time right now, though. He just–he tried so fucking hard not to fuck up this time. 

He really, really tried. 

He should’ve known it wouldn’t work, but . . . but he really did try.

[pathetic-gamer]

[peak-dumbass]

*swinging a pocket watch back and forth in front of your face* oOoOoO you think I’m funny OoOoOo you want to watch RiD2015: Combiner Force oOoOoO

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

one of my pet peeves is any attempt in hotd fic to present the driftmark fight as uniquely the fault or evidence of evil in any particular kid/group of kids/color team, like-they were children socially programmed to look down on each other for being girls, bastards, and/or dragonless, were further influenced by their parents' intergenerational baggage, had their navigations of these hierarchies thrown off balance by various forms of extreme trauma, and THEN were given access to sharp objects and living nukes. somebody was going to get seriously hurt at some point, it was inevitable no matter who reacted to what stressor. then the only course of healing modeled by adults on either side of the conflict was bloody revenge, which only exacerbated the issue.

the whole point isn't pointing out extreme moral flaws in these children, it's that they're forced into increasingly violent situations before they can really develop any personalities at all and the adults in their lives are so marked by their own violent upbringings that instead of realizing "hey, our kids being taught to hate each other for the stupidest reasons imaginable resulted in one of them being partially blinded, we need to change how we interact with one another extremely fast before they end up dead" they double down. because hotd doesn't work as a story of good vs evil, despite fans (and show runners) attempting to frame it that way, it's the story of an incredibly sick social hierarchy's self-destruction via how it treats and mistreats its young.

[cluescorner]

I love how The Boy Wonder is characterizing Talia. Like, I have some disagreements (mainly in that I still don't like the idea that her relationship with Bruce was somewhat encouraged by Ra's because like...idk it just feels weird to me. I also don't like that Talia seems pretty chill with murder, since I still think she's most interesting as somebody who kills only when there is no other option) but overall I think it's a pretty good way of showing her as a complicated woman.

She knows her father is cruel and will do things that go too far, but she genuinely believes in his mission and will do whatever she thinks will serve it (another benefit of actually touching on the ecologist angle of the LoA). It's also notable that she only fully betrays Ra's when she knows that HE has compromised his own cause at the altar of ego. Her loyalty to the cause doesn't mean she'll let Ra's do whatever he wants, ESPECIALLY as it pertains to her son.

Her relationship with Damian is also complicated in a way that feels a lot more in-character and reasonable than usual. No matter what her intentions were with the action, she abandoned Damian to Bruce and that HURT HIM. It's given him issues where he constantly strives to not just be good but to be BETTER than the others so that he won't be left again. It can be the right decision for both Damian and herself AND ALSO cause them a lot of pain. She loves him dearly, he is her heart. But just like she puts herself through suffering for a goal she believes is righteous and just, she puts her son (her heart) through that same pain because she believes it is the right thing to do. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.

It gets a bit too self-deprecating at the end for me (I honestly don't think Talia would consider herself unworthy to be proud of Damian), but it shows her with a level of self-awareness and an understanding of her errors. Issue 4 also shows a lot of my favorite traits of Talia's in full force: her perseverance and her confidence in her own moral judgements (if not in her interpersonal relationships).

[sabotourist]

Some thoughts on season 19

This is probably going to be one of the most personal things I ever post on social media. But I have some thoughts.

Sarge and Doc died. Doc wasn't even killed on-screen. Was barely even mentioned until the end. He died having only saved two people in his entire career as a medic. Sarge died, and Donut wasn't even there to see it happen.

Was he off grieving Doc? Was he just doing other stuff? I don't know. But he was gone.

Why was he actually gone? Probably for budget reasons. Time constraints. Studio trouble and issues with the engine or model or whatever else. Writing constraints that forced Donut and Doc into such secondary roles. Into dying off screen. Into not even being there when two people you care so much about die.

But like, how much of that was actually in the narrative's control? They had these limitations to write around, and it put these characters in situations where they couldn't be in narratively satisfying roles.

In some ways, it's the most brutal depiction of what life is like.

When I was 14, I lost touch with my best friend. I just didn't keep my phone on me often at the time. He died. I think, if he had lived, he would have gone on to do some absolutely amazing things. He didn't get to. He called me a couple days before it happened. I didn't see it.

Death isn't fair. But it's not the end.

I think, if the story had had more time, these characters could have had better roles. But life isn't always so kind. Death isn't always so kind. We lose people when we're not looking. We blink and people are gone.

Doc, Sarge, Church, and Tex are dead. Wash was in an institution again. Tucker just went through all that. Grif went back to earth.

That's... that's brutal. Why don't I hate it? On paper, I'd hate it.

I think it might be because it doesn't feel like a goodbye, or even the end. There are loose ends. A lot of them. There's so much pain there, so much healing and moving on to be done. Just because Grif went back to earth doesn't mean he and Simmons don't call all the time. Just because Donut wasn't here to maybe save Sarge doesn't mean he won't be there eventually.

Just because Doc only saved two people doesn't mean it didn't matter.

Life is brutal. Death is brutal. Shit happens. Shit that isn't fair. Whether it's people we love dying, or just studio drama fucking a show.

But... that doesn't mean it's the end.

Doesn't mean Simmons is going to be alone, doesn't mean Doc died for nothing, doesn't mean Sarge's sacrifice meant nothing, doesn't mean Wash or Tucker's lives are ruined, or that Caboose can't have a new best friend.

I like to imagine Donut taking up medical studies after this. Doc saved him. He's going to make damn sure that matters. Maybe Blood Gulch becomes something of a boot camp for some future loser rejects in need of a home that Simmons can guide.

Church, in all his forms, may be gone. But that doesn't mean they're going to be so quick to forget. Leave the past in the past. But still look back from time-to-time. It got you where you were.

Sometimes we pass memories down through stories. Sometimes, just in the choices we make throughout our lives.

But just... unfair things happened. To the show, and to the characters in it. To the people running it. My best friend died when he was 14. Monty Oum died in his prime. Life is tragic. But hey, it's not the end. It's just the start of something new.

Maybe it isn't perfect. Maybe it isn't ideal. Maybe it hurts. Maybe it'll never stop hurting. But it can still be beautiful. it still has meaning.

It may just be a silly show about Halo dudes, but it matters.

Tl;dr: Raven is stupidly sentimental right now

[romans-empire]

It's no secret that Clover and Flowey have a very apparent power imbalance. Especially with Flowey in control of the timeline and acting as Clover's save point. So, it's pretty given that Flowey has the upper hand and most power in this duo. But I don't see anyone ever talking about how Clover goes against this power imbalance in other routes besides the vengeance route.

Starting off with the vengeance route, this is the most cut and dry portrayal of Clover's defiance towards Flowey. After mercilessly going through the Underground, enacting vengeance left and right, and defeating Zenith Martlet, Flowey unintentionally reveals his plan and tries to load another save file only to realize that Clover's taken control of it. Right then and there, the power dynamic shifts, Clover is the one in control and Flowey is the defenseless one. This is further affirmed when Clover kills Flowey as he insults and degrades them as a way to assert control and dominance over them, which obviously doesn't work.

On the topic of the vengeance route, I would like to shine some focus on the overall dynamic here. As much as Clover is following through with Flowey's suggestions of straightforwardly going through the Underground to get to the castle with no regard for anyone, he is not in control of them. He may be getting what he wants but it's in a way that doesn't follow through with his plan. Like Flowey said, Clover was reckless. They attract too much attention with their actions and that won't do for Flowey who wanted to attract as little attention as possible. Even when the two are the most similar in terms of goals and attitude, Clover does not allow Flowey to dictate their actions and when push comes to shove, they will assert their power.

In the neutral route, Clover, no matter what LV they are, defies Flowey by accepting Martlet's offer to live with her. In turn, Flowey kills Martlet and absorbs their soul. We know the psychological horror mindfuckery that is the Meta Flowey fight takes place in Flowey's mind as he tries to make them give up control, yet Clover never does. They resist all the way to the end and even go further by snooping in Flowey's memories. Clover never once gives in or falters to Flowey, they will not allow him to have control over them. They will not give him control over their soul no matter what incomprehensible horrors Flowey throws at them.

In the end, Flowey has to give up and reset the timeline because they would resist Flowey every time. I would like to remind you that it's implied that Flowey did this multiple times and never once did he succeed. For someone who doesn't have much determination to control the timeline, Clover has a lot of determination to resist Flowey in absorbing their soul.

Honestly, out of the three routes, the Pacifist route has the least obvious show of defiance from Clover. It's still there and very much so, but it tends to get overlooked due to the nature of the storyline of the Pacifist route. Clover's defiance comes with their choice to connect with the other characters of the game. Time and time again, Flowey tries to dissuade Clover from interacting and forming bonds with the others. He attempts to isolate them by repeating that he's their only friend and to ditch the others when they accompany Clover, like with Martlet when Clover first crashes from Ava. Flowey tells Clover that they're better than the Wild East and urges them to leave as fast as possible and head straight to the castle. And each time, Clover ignores him and continues to form these bonds anyways.

The last act of defiance against Flowey is Clover's decision to sacrifice their soul. It's indirect sure, but it is possibly the biggest 'fuck you' to Flowey. Clover probably didn't mean it as such but the point still stands. Despite this, Flowey acknowledges them as a friend, recognizes their sacrifice. And so, the power dynamic shifts again, this time to a lesser degree. Of course there's still the Omega Flowey fight but even then Clover goes against him, refusing his control and actions towards torturing the next human that falls.

Overall, despite what some of the fandom believe, Clover is not completely helpless against Flowey. As much as he tells that to himself and even us the player, Flowey is not in control of Clover nor is he so powerful that they cannot fight against him. Clover has a sense of agency that Flowey cannot take away. Clover is free to make their own choices and he cannot stop them. Sure Flowey manipulates them but when has that ever succeed in the long run? When has that ever fully brought Clover to his side? Flowey may be the one with the most power in this relationship but that doesn't stop Clover from wrestling out of his control. Clover is free like a bird and no cage will ever bind them to Flowey.

[bayetea]

I don't like the judo flip in moa as much as the next guy but in my eyes it's largely the result of rick not taking female violence half as seriously as male violence (a result of viewing women as weaker and inferior to men such that their acts of violence don't need to be taken as seriously) and not so much anything about annabeth herself. like I do genuinely feel that annabeth is a complex heroine and definitely one of the better ones in the realm of ya action-adventure fiction produced in the past 25 years but she is still a girl being written by a man and all I'm saying is that her writing clearly reflects that sometimes (more in tags)

[quietwingsinthesky]

the doctor is emotionally manipulative. he’s very good at it, and even better at justifying it both to himself and the people he’s doing it to. he can see when his approval, his affection, is valuable enough to someone that withholding it will be an effective way of getting them to do what he wants. this is one of his best flaws, that he’ll do this to people and do it to them for his own definition of what’s good for them.

(gestures vaguely) twissy.