#he treats her differently than other women for example…somewhat

[alexiethymia]

just watched beetlejuice beetlejuice at the theaters, and can I just say, I loved it! it definitely didn’t disappoint and was a zany adventure, just like the first one.

and it kinda added layers to betelgeuse in a way. because spoilers I definitely thought they would go the same route for astrid and jeremy, the same way they did for lydia and betelgeuse in that what jeremy wanted was for astrid to marry him so that he could get out. instead it was a more sinister method, and it makes me wonder why betelgeuse never tried it. it can’t be because he doesn’t know about it, because he’s the type of ghost to read the handbook backwards and forwards just so he can find every loophole to exploit. like my head keeps going in circles. especially for the first movie where lydia had initially wanted ‘in’ while he wanted ‘out’, the switcheroo method that jeremy tried with astrid would’ve been perfect then. even in this movie where he already has experience of lydia backing out of their deal, he could have had lydia promise to exchange her soul for his. with how much she wanted to save astrid, I’m sure lydia would have agreed. instead, he just wanted to remarry her. it’s interesting because it means betelgeuse, as putrid, crass, disgusting, and opportunistic as he is, actually seems like he has lines he won’t cross.

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

Aren't you tired of forced romances with no chemistry that only take away from the actually interesting plot? Don't you just want media where romance isn't portrayed as being superior and more important than (queer)platonic relationships?

Well, my exhausted aro ass is too, so here are a few tricks and wisdoms I've gathered over my years of being a-spec (which is all of them) on how to avoid romance (in media) in a very allonormative society 💚🤍🩶🖤

(this is a rec list btw. no I am not shitting on the shows that I tagged, quite the opposite)

1. Middle Grade

I get if you aren't really into that, because it is kind of annoying to be pointed to literal children's literature when all you want is a story that isn't constantly being interrupted by describing the main guy's heated eyes for the twentieth time.

However.

It is true that in middle grade, friendship is always more important than romance. Because, let's face it. Making two eleven year old characters kiss is kinda weird. So even if there is a romance, it isn't very prominent and treated more like friendship and/or a puppy crush. Plus some stories get surprisingly dark?!?!

Examples

- Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), technically a romance in the end, but mostly focused on found family, shenanigans, and finding your own value

- House of Many Ways (DWJ). Yes, again. I really like her books okay? They always have something so fantastical and whimsical about them. This is my other favorite book by her and it has literally no romance at all. Plus a hmc cameo that is so fun !!

- Coraline (Neil Gaiman). Maybe this is cheating because I never actually read it. However. a) the movie traumatized me. b) Wybie was added to the movie, he doesn't exist in the book, so if "power of friendship" isn't your thing this will be great. Probably vibes over plot.

Flyte (Angie Sage). Technically this is the second book, but I never read the first one and still understood everything. Once again, no romance at all. A fun read, which can get surprisingly dark at times.

2. Short Story Collections

Once again, I get it if it isn't your thing. Short stories are - as the name reveals - short. Which means: no worldbuilding, very limited narrator, open ending, no time to really get attached to characters, etc.

But.

The cool thing about collections, is that they always have a certain theme. And as long as the theme is not romance, romance will not be the focus. Even if there is a romantic relationship, it will be used to explore this theme since there simply isn't time for anything else.

Examples:

Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata) This is the book that actually made me figure out: hey! I do actually like short stories !! The main theme is basically about being different and it plays a lot with body horror and the perception of your own body in contrast with how society sees it. There is even a story about two women who platonically live together and raised multiple children!

Canterbury Classics: Classic Tales of Horror (introduction by Ernest Hilbert). As the name suggests, this is a collection of horror short stories, featuring well-known authors such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe or Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As these are classic old tales, the language is a bit complicated at times and you can read them for free on Gutenberg. However, the book is very very pretty and the introduction is very interesting (Origins of the genre, specific tropes and monsters, etc.)

3. Podcasts

PODCASTS!!! If you follow me, you are probably already aware of those. However, in case you don't, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Audiodramas.

The cool thing about Podcasts is that pretty much anyone can do it. All you need is an idea, a mic, a lot of motivation, and you're pretty much set to go. No producers or publishers you need to get approval from. So it is only natural that this medium is filled to the brim with queer creators. Basically every character is somewhat queer. It's awesome.

Examples:

- The Silt Verses. I adore TSV. I listened to the first season like, four times. (the second one is good too but OH MY GOD THE FIRST ONE). And one of the main characters is canonically and explicitly aro!! Sister Carpenter, I love you with my whole being. And the great thing is, it is very clear that the writers love her, too!! There is a lot (like a LOT) of body horror so it isn't for everybody. But if you think you can handle it I really recommend it. (Plus, not any romance plotlines at all !!)

- Wolf 359. This is one of the older ones and it is really good. It's a bunch of restless and very unwell people stuck in a spaceship under the unforgiving rule of capitalism. However bad you imagine it, I can assure you it is worse. But the really cool thing is that there literally isn't any romance at all. Like, there are great m/f friendships but they never even hint towards a romance. Some people are so unused to that that they literally ship the main dude with the fucking robot AI. (don't worry, not an actual romance plot).

- Girl in space. I am sure you will be absolutely shook to know that this one also takes place in space. It is about a girl. In space. Shocking, I know. Except that she has been on her own for well over a year when suddenly a fleet of strange ships arrive and kidnap her. There is also a very asshole-y robot. And questions about what makes us human. And found family!! And a goat. And cheese. Just go listen to it okay. This is also one of the shortest ones of the list, so maybe a good start.

- Malevolent. I have to confess that I personally am not a huge fan of this one? Like the premise is really cool - a detective who wakes up blind and with a demon in his head who can see through the detectives eyes. What the fuck?, you may ask yourself. So does Arthur Lester. Mysteries and other dimensions and a whole lot of pain ensues. Harlan is undeniably an awesome VA and a great writer, but his stories just seem a bit too repetitive to me? Nonetheless I know of lots of people who enjoy it a lot. Trying to define the relationship between Arthur and John (his demon) is perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. (Jk. there are multiple murders and stuff. they've really got other priorities)

- Middle:Below. This is another short one and probably the least famous of this list? It's about this funky lil dude with a ghost roommate and a cat who can talk (.....or can it?). There is a m/f friendship but it never turns into a romance (wow it is possible!!). They all go on adventures on the dimension between life and death. Despite the description, this is literally just a comedy. A bit spooky at best. Reminds me a bit of scarier kids cartoons like gravity falls.

4. "Gay" movies/series in countries with homophobic censorship

Now you may think, "hey that seems like a bit of an asshole move!". And you would be 100% correct in thinking that.

However.

It does also mean that the main relationship of the story can never be explicitly romantic. They can allude to it, they can try to show it. But they can never confirm. So it is very easy to interpret them as having a QPR. (because tbh I don't think I've ever seen one on television.)

Examples:

The Untamed. Look. I am aware that the first episode is so fucking atrocious, all right? And no, the CGI does in fact never get better. And sometimes the translated subtitles are a bit awkward. But I swear that it is so good. Trust me on this one, okay? Just make it through the first ep. It's a wild ride. Lan Zhan I love you. (However the book it is based on (written by a woman) depicts them being in an explicitly romantic relationship, with lots of very inaccurate and badly researched smut, so the fandom pretty much sees them as exclusively romantic.)

- Word of Honor. Very much in the same vein as The Untamed. Except that the first episode is less horrible. And the one dude has a very fruity fan. And they also raise a kid together. And the costumes of the villains are really fun!! I actually never finished this one tbh. I know that the book it is based on has one very extremely terrible ableist plot point, but I don't know if that made it into the show since I never got that far

The Devil Judge. The last two were fantasy, this one is a dystopia. Very tense and interesting. There is a romantic subplot (typical childhood friend vs bad boy love triangle), but he rejects the childhood friend and they can't exactly show him and the "bad boy" (who is actually a judge. and also kinda his sugar daddy) as explicitly romantic for the reason above. They also live in the same house and cook together and take care of a child together. Can totally recommend.

Assassination Classroom. A bunch of students have to kill their teacher who is an alien. that's literally the plot. I cried so hard at the finale. Nagisa and Karma have MASSIVE vibes and you can't convince me otherwise. (There is a romantic subplot that does end in a kiss, but they agree to continue as friends since those were..... extenuating circumstances. The dude very clearly is not into her). Nagisa also very aro-spec coded imo.

5. "Straightbaiting" Anime

Sometimes Anime does this thing (which I personally find very hilarious) where a boy and a girl will have no other romantic involvements or love interests while growing closer and closer, but never get together. A bit like reverse queerbaiting.

Examples:

- Fairy Tail. The ultimate power is friendship anime. That is all you need to know. (I should also perhaps warn you that the end of the last arc (and the sequel series, but we don't talk about that) are huge letdowns. Like the buildup? So good. But....welp. If that doesn't bother you too much and the idea to have a group of people be the main character instead of one person only, this may be the series for you. Just do yourself a favor and skip all the filler arcs

Soul Eater. I really love the vibes of this one. Once again, most of the fandom likes depicting them as explicitly romantic, but they never canonically are. It also reminds me a bit of creepy children cartoons. It is also where the superior fictional school exists, Devon. Frankenstein teaches there (the dude, not the monster). People transform into badass weapons. Nobody can convince me that Make Albarn is not a trans woman. However the ending deviates a bit from the manga, and I personally think the anime one is a bit worse

Noragami. This one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first anime I really watched. This one also has people who transform into weapons, but the vibes are very different. It goes a bit more into Japanese folklore in case that interests you.

Bonus: Canonically Aro/Heavily Aro-Coded Characters

They were not anywhere above because the stories they are in didn't really fit any of the categories. But they exist!

Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts). I adore Wolf. There is also barely any romance. Like, it will seem like it at first, but don't worry, it's only straightbaiting. There is a romance subplot but it's very brief and very much in the background. Overall very good aro show 👍

Isaac (Heartstopper) Very queer show, very high likelihood that you already know of it. The series per se is very romance focused, but as far as I've heard the a-spec rep in S2 is really good

Georgia (Loveless). Actually never read it. But, well. Title pretty self-explanatory dare I say. By the same author as Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)

Chance/Chris and Shadow/Ryan (woe.begone) Are explicitly in a QPR together !! they are also probably the healthiest couple in the podcast lol

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein). Henry is the "a couple of besties!!" to Victor's "we look like a couple <3"

Barbie (Barbie 2023) If you've seen it you know what I mean.

Jo Marsh (Little Women). I never read the book, but Jo in the 2019 movie??? very sus.

I would also recommend checking out Japanese books! I personally think they are much better at writing romance than the western people lol. It's more about knowing each other and sharing your views of the world, thus changing each other and leaving a mark forever, even if the relationship ends. (studio ghibli romance vibes). My favorite Japanese book doesn't have an English translation :(

aber an alle Deutsch-Sprecher*innen: Die Katzen von Shinjuku (Durian Sukegawa) -> og title: Shinjuku no Neko

Can't think of anything else right now, but please leave some of your own recommendations! Hope this helps ^^

[jaydangan]

A talk about proshippers.

(A text about why i dont support proshippers, if you are one, or feel neutral about them, please dont interact with my account, thank you.)

(Theres no need to attack me because of the proshipper tag, i didnt attack anyone.)

⚠️ [TW: mentions of S/A, abuse, suicide,and pedo.] ⚠️ -----------------------------------------

For those who arent familiar with the term, proshippers is a abbreviation of "problematic shippers" and it stands for someone who likes or promotes problematic relationships, such as a minor and a adult, saying that the content is fiction and they do not support it in real life, other terms such as "darkshippers" "comshippers" basically mean the same thing, and many people that indulge in the consumption of these problematic media sometimes use emoji combos to identify eachother on the internet.

Now, where exactly is the problem with it, since they don't support it in real life?

Well, for starters, let me pick one problematic media as a example to set what type of content im talking about.

"Diabolik Lovers" will be my example.

I always loved the dark, """forbidden""" vibe that whole shit had. But something always bothered me, the way there was no consent in this situation made me not be able to like and appreciate the atmosphere because of the brutal and bad situation Yui was going through with no actual type of consent from her, made me furious.

What irritates me is the way the vampires treat her and don't ask anything, this falls to a different audience and ends up romanticizing the lack of consent because it's "just fiction" and this happens a lot with older women or teenagers who come into contact with problematic works like 50 shades of gray, after, 365 days, etc. This also has a lot to do with the sexualization that the world has done of "yanderes" and "no consent" in films or fanfics. The idea of ​​exploring this somewhat non-moralistic side of society has been around since the beginning, of seeing or doing things considered problematic, with analogies such as the story of Adam and Eve itself, which occurs a lot in Diabolik Lovers and which even rubbed off on me a little, but this idea is not new, and even today fiction is seen as a place where there is no morality, something that ended up being in the minds of many young people, and was EXTREMELY sexualized.

The amount of "non-con" or "dub-con" fics there are on the internet is honestly disgusting, and even these romanticized terms were created for these stories that contain rape, an example of this comes from the book Kamasutra itself, where punches, slaps and pinches were forms of affection, and women were encouraged to pretend they didn't like what was happening because men liked this dominant relationship, this idea of ​​forbidden things and even the sexualization of words like "baby" and " daddy" can also curiously come from this book along with many other works, where the man was encouraged to have an even parental stance towards the woman he loves, the thing is that to this day, the romanticization of the lack of consent occurs too much, and is seen as desired by several women and men, and for me at least all of this has a very strict limit.

Having problematic ideas happens, and it's normal, the thing is to understand that it's wrong, because the idea of ​​human curiosity happens, and you just have to study and repress what you know is wrong.

Interesting, right? We've had this since the world has been around, and that's why even though I understand the train of "fiction" thoughts of proshippers, I don't think this is a healthy practice because in the indulgence of these games of "playing too much with the forbidden" and of course, poking a little won't kill you, but this idea of "forbidden" may very well eventually soften your morals.

The amount of times that i've heard that danganronpa will take away my notion of what's wrong and how problematic murder is, happened more times than i can count, but what about the media and stuff like that? Why so much silence?

Keep in mind that i don't support de dehumanization of proshippers, including suicide bait or threats, just block them and move on, don't do to others what you don't want it done to yourself.

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

TLDR: The text discusses the discomfort with the lack of consent in romantically problematic works, which romanticize non-consensual situations. It criticizes how media often normalizes or sexualizes these problematic themes, particularly affecting women and teenagers. The text emphasizes that while curiosity about taboo topics is natural, it's important to recognize and understand the wrongness of these ideas to avoid moral degradation, thus being the motive that the author doesn't support any form of "proship".

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2024 MOVIE LIST

www.tumblr.com/theharpermovieblog

I watched Men (2022)

A rather divisive horror film that I was excited to see, but which I never got around to until now.

After the suicide of her overbearing husband, Harper goes to the country to heal, but finds only danger and derision in the form of the local male population.

Director Alex Garland often gives us well made and wildly plotted films that make his audience think while being entertained. His films "Annihilation" and "Ex Machina" should go down as science fiction classics. With "Men" Garland enters the world of horror through the eyes of a woman.

First off, "Men" has phenomenal acting through and through. Both Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinear give great performances, Kinear getting the chance to play many characters, and he does so extraordinarily.

And, honestly, I adore Jessie Buckley. Her acting is always top notch and she has a deeply charismatic smile and personality which she brings along with her talent. She's also been in a few 'love em or hate em' films. I usually end up loving them.

This film does Remind me ever so slightly of the British teleplay "Robin Redbreast", in which a newly divorced woman moves to the English countryside, finds something off with the locals, and also finds herself somewhat maligned for being an independent woman. Other than the obvious setting similarities, I suppose "Robin Redbreast" reminds me of "Men" because both films are part of a subgenre of horror, in which women's place in society is where the fear comes from. Films like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Stepford Wives" are other good examples.

The main character in "Men", Harper, is lost in the horrific madness of being a woman in a man's world. She is seen as weak. She is blamed for her husband's suicide and told she drove him to it. Her fears over being stalked aren't taken seriously. She is sexualized or ignored with little more than surface level pleasantries to keep her gaslit and feeling unstable. The scariest thing about "Men" is that it's real to a degree. These are things that many, if not all, women deal with.

We are shown all of these horrible things being done to a woman through one actor, as he takes the place of all the men Harper encounters at her house in the country. Using one actor is a way to represent the toxic male culture and attitude toward women. There is no reason to separate these men in any way, because no matter their differences or how they treat Harper on the surface, they all feel the same way toward her and see her as less-than in some way.

The English countryside setting takes us to the old world, what some men consider the more "natural" world where women supposedly knew their place. It's here that Harper not only encounters these men, but also the evil that drives them and forms who they are.

"Men" works as a drama and as a horror film. I'm not sure what certain people's problem with this film is. Perhaps it has too artsy of a third act for some. But, personally, I really don't understand those who don't get it or who don't care to understand it. I enjoyed this movie thoroughly and found it to be extremely well made all around.

And the ending is great. When did people stop liking wildly freaky horror endings?

[dolphin1812]

I was already sad from the last two chapters, so I really wasn’t prepared for this one.

Since Fantine’s death itself just makes me sad, I’ll focus on the differences between Javert and Valjean here. Of course, there are basic differences in notions of morality (obedience to the law vs mercy) and in their attitudes (harsh and triumphant vs calm and melancholy). Javert in particular is described as if he were a beast rather than a person, his lines more “fierce” “roars” than “words.” When he laughs, he bares his gums as if he were a snarling animal. While he is rendered beastly by the narrative, he dehumanizes those around him, calling Fantine a “creature” and often saying “there is [identifier] here” instead of “he is [identifier]” or “she is,” stressing the identity (for example, convict) over the person. This is in stark contrast to Valjean, who refers to the deceased Fantine as a murdered “woman,” emphasizing that over her work as a prostitute. Saying that she was murdered, rather than that she died or was killed, again stresses her personhood; it also makes Javert, an officer of the law, a criminal worse than Valjean ever was. Valjean stole, but murder is a far more gruesome and despicable crime, and we see it first done by the state.

Moreover, even when Valjean’s acts could easily be described with animalistic language (such as any of his feats of strength in this chapter), they’re not. Instead, they’re very deliberate and calculated. After arming himself with a rod, for instance, he walks “slowly” towards Fantine, glancing at Javert so he knows to avoid him. Everything he does comes with a warning, and he never lashes out. He does physically put his hands on Javert once, after Fantine dies and right before he accuses him of murder:

“Jean Valjean laid his hand upon the detaining hand of Javert, and opened it as he would have opened the hand of a baby”

The way he’s able to open Javert’s hand as if he were a baby highlights Valjean’s strength, but also his gentleness; he typically treats children with kindness, and even though we’ve seen him yell at and intimidate children in his worst moments (Petit Gervais, the boy on his way to Arras), he’s never physically harmed them. Although he’s somewhat menacing, then, and definitely intends to intimidate Javert, he doesn’t cause any harm in spite of his ability to do so, unlike Javert, who kills with his presence. 

Their words to each other also say a lot about what they see as the established order in the town. Valjean combines appeals to mercy with offers of money to get his way. When he asks for time to fetch Cosette, he offers to pay Javert; it’s unclear if he means for the costs of the journey or to appease him, but either way, it demonstrates how Valjean has used his wealth as mayor for good, but he’s also gotten used to it being the most effective method for getting his way. I don’t mean to imply he’s corrupt for this, but rather that it’s unfortunate that this is how he’s used to interacting with people. 

Javert, on the other hand, is relishing in the return to the pre-Madeleine order that Valjean’s imprisonment will bring about. He even gloats at Fantine:

“And now there’s the other one! Will you hold your tongue, you hussy? It’s a pretty sort of a place where convicts are magistrates, and where women of the town are cared for like countesses! Ah! But we are going to change all that; it is high time!”

He’s had to go along with Valjean’s orders as long as he was Madeleine, but he know he wasn’t happy about it. Now that he’s out of the way, Javert can return to the form of order that he expects, which brings him a lot of cruel joy. The title of the chapter - “Authority Reasserts its Rights” - sums up the reason for this twisted happiness.

[djsherriff-responses]

Personally, the idea of Jade still being alive and grappling with not only the idea of someone who could be considered her father figure coming onto her, but also dying just quickly would be pretty interesting. Like, especially in this incredibly stressful situation, how would she cope? How would she be able to deal with all this? If the others found out, how would they react about someone they consider a friend (or at least, everyone's beloved frogssasin considered him a friend) doing that?

I'm still mad they did Jade and Pey'j so fucking dirty tho, love the show, hate that this happened

From what I’ve learned from the original BGE, those two were definitely treated the dirtiest by the writing and to be frank I really dread the possibility of them coming back in season two, or that scene having some larger impact on the narrative than first meets the eye

But yeah it would’ve been incredibly interesting if Pey’J died first. Not only would it give Jade an interesting storyline that likely would’ve connect to a lot of vulnerable people (mostly women) who found themselves in similar situations with men they thought they could trust, but the impact it would have on the other characters is worth exploring too (with keeping Jade as the main focus obviously)

Bullfrog would naturally be disgusted and confused by Pey’J’s actions but I think Dolph would have the more interesting reaction to the situation in this hypothetical “Pey’J died but Jade is alive” storyline

I want to make it clear with the comparison I’m about to make is that I do not think Alex is a child predator and that the relationship between him and Dolph is that of two consenting adults who happen to have an age gap

The reason why I think Dolph would have an interesting reaction to Pey’J and Jade’s situation is less to do with Alex specifically and more so about Dolph’s subconscious, aka Dolph’s daddy issues

I pointed out that Alex has a really uncanny resemblance to both of Dolph’s parents and how Dolph’s lack of parental love in his youth heavily impacts how he goes about his romantic and sexual relationships, but I don’t think Dolph is consciously aware that the men he seeks out has such strong similarities to his neglectful parents. If someone were to get pictures of Alex and his parents and point out the similarities, Dolph’s brain would (metaphorically) explode from the realisation

and I think seeing the mess that Jade would have to deal with after Pey’J’s confession and death would bring about a similar awakening of self awareness in Dolph

I think after sorting through his own mental issues somewhat (in the cell he has to live in), Dolph would actually be a great help in comforting Jade about Pey’J, or at least would try to be. Their situations regarding their fathers are drastically different (Pey’J a creep while Dolph’s dad was just not in the picture), but the feelings of betrayal and hurt from the men who were meant to protect them is similar enough that they could at least bond over it. Plus I think Dolph would want to make sure Jade didn’t get into the habits that he got into to cope with those feelings and make sure her dating life is less toxic than his has been , like Dolph basically being the big brother figure to Jade that Dolph wishes he had when he was younger

Again, generally weird there seems to be audience for this type of story among the Laserhawk fandom yet no one seems to be even wanna touch on this very canon example

[aal35]

Looking at and talking about black entertainment in a space with young, socially conscious black people is a different experience than ones that I have had in the past. I've noticed differences in how different people perceive the same piece of media. One example is The Help. I remember it coming out when I was a kid. I knew it was a movie about racism, which was not an appealing topic to me, so I did not think much of it. I also likely was not interested in it because it was not a children’s movie.

My grandmother, on the other hand, loved it and she still quotes it to this day. She talks about the movie often, but she never showed it to me. This has more to do with some of the content in the movie rather than the issue of race. She has shown me multiple movies with racial themes before. When I told her that I watched The Help at school, she was shocked that a teacher would show a PG-13 movie in the classroom. I notice that my grandmother loves any movie or television show with black people in it, no matter how they are portrayed. She does not seem to be bothered by tropes or stereotypes of black people in entertainment. While I don't agree with this, I can understand her feeling that way as she grew up in a less racially inclusive time.

The teacher who showed us The Help in high school was white. I know he meant well by showing us that movie. I think that overall the students in that relatively small class (a mixture of white, Asian, and black) just treated it as a feel-good movie. The general attitude of the school was very liberal, so racism was frowned upon, but I don’t think that most people thought about the movie or its message beyond the surface level.

Being in this class such as this one opens up deeper discussions about movies such as The Help. This is not only because it is a class of black people, but also because we are analyzing content on a college level. I always was a bit put off by how black women were portrayed in the movie. The discussions that we had in class about how black female servants are portrayed in the media are reflected in the movie. I think that it is valuable to be aware that the depictions of black servants are often formulaic, and do not necessarily represent what they really were like.  

A lot of what we discuss in this class is somewhat familiar to me. However, in this class we get a lot more background and context to the pieces. For example, knowing that the book was written by a white person makes me wary. I believe that it is possible that she meant well in writing it, but I also think that there is a possibility that she wanted to further perpetuate some of the stereotypes of black women. Overall, we learn a lot about what is behind the works that we discuss, and we are encouraged to analyze them deeply. I think that this can be valuable.

-Libby

[permettez-moi]

I wasn't going to put my coin in the hat, but here I am.

The whole point of Pauline is for her to be a strong woman. I can't remember the exact details of it, but as far as I can remember Pauline was the one to make the couriers as good as they are now. (Again, going from memory here) she was the one to introduce more female couriers, defeating the image that women were useless and basically giving girls like Alyss a job and future, because let's be honest, there weren't a lot of options for Alyss and Jenny. The scene where Halt stands up for Alyss when the one official dude is being an ass is a perfect example of how women, in general, are treated in the world of RA (Like, canonically, most villains have been somewhat misogynistic, again, as far as memory goes)

And then you have Pauline friggin DuLacy who said 'I want this job and I will get it' turning the whole sector around.

Pauline was always meant to be a strong, smart, stubborn character. If she had changed and become meek and bowed down to Halt, that would've been toxic, as, we all know, Halt is not the absolute darling fandom makes him (I love darling Halt, but let's be real, canon Halt is quite different)

And next to this, Paulines job is literally to, you know, be diplomatic. I can imagine the way she presents herself is quite important for her job. If I am in an art gallery with my partner, and they start fooling around, disturbing what I do, I too would tell them off for it. That isn't toxic, that is communication. And for the wedding scene specifically, what was the better option? To interrupt everything that was going on to kindly tell Halt to behave? Make a scene and big thing out of it? Or to quickly and subtly let him know that she isn't appreciating this by giving him a kick to the shin?

(Besides, Pauline is in fact hella smart, and we know, canonically, that Halt, even though he too, is a stubborn bastard, listens to reason (sometimes) and people who know better. We also know Halt isn't too good socially. Can you blame them for letting Pauline, whose job is socials, lead the way they present and go about outside? Again, if partner and me are in a place the other doesn't know well/ isn't familiar with the proper etiquette, we will follow the other. It's logical. When I spend x-mas in a (semi) strange country with weird customs and a family with different traditions than mine, I did nothing but copy and listen to partner, because that was their space of knowledge. It is normal.

Please learn the meaning of a word before you go tossing it around

I genuinely don't understand why people like haltine, their relationship is pretty toxic, and it was also very forced.

x

[liliaeth]

People have talked a lot about First Kill, and how great it is as lesbian representation. And I love that for any wlw enjoying it as the young adult show it is. It's not great art, it's cheesy, and it's awesome just for that.

But the one thing I haven't seen mentioned even nearly as much, is how good it is for racial representation.

I never watched Vampire Diaries, so can't compare it to that or any of it's off shoots. (except that apparently Bonnie was done dirty, according to my tumblr feed)

I did watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Teen Wolf, and plenty of other fantasy shows. And it's led me to notice how rarely shows like these treat characters of color, and especially black girls and women, as characters in their own right. Characters with feelings and emotions that are just as important as those of the white characters. (esp. those of white men)

Just think about the characters of color in Teen Wolf, to give a most recent example.

Yes, Scott was the main character. But if the show had one flaw, it was that it consistently treated Scott's feelings as less important than those of his white friends. Stiles, Derek, Jackson, Isaac, ... could all whine and complain about the most minor thing, and it would be treated as this big important moment.

But Scott was expected to go through enormous trauma, without complaint, and was supposed to come out of it, primarily caring for his white friends, and how the things he went through, affected the white people around him.

When Boyd died, TW made his death more about him comforting Derek that he did the right thing in biting him, than about the horror of a teenage boy dying.

Davies actively claimed that Mason was 'too good to have permanent consequences from his possession by the Beast'

We got pretty much no interactions between Scott and Hayden after Scott bit her, despite him becoming her alpha, no moment to explore how both of them felt about it. In contrast to all such scenes we got from Liam.

Peter was never called out on what he did to Scott, not even by Scott's mother, and even after Scott literally died, Melissa was more ready to speech on him on what he owed others, than to console him on what had been done to him, and what he just went through.

And that's not even starting on how they treated Kira, let out the actress playing her.

And that's just a few examples.

So when I watched First Kill, I was happily surprised to find how much better this show handled it's non white characters.

From the first episode on.

How they cut the ep in half, showing the same events from two perspectives, first Juliette's and then Calliope's. Giving equal depth and importance to introducing both of them and the different families they came from. What their parents expected of them, and what their hopes and dreams were, and why...

And that was just the first episode.

As the series continued, we learn just as much about both families, different things, sure, but the series shows us what is important to each and why.

Cal isn't expected to be the strong black girl, who is just there to look after Juliette's needs. Cal's own feelings matter just as much.

We see them both fall in love, and why. Sure there's some lust involved at first, but soon that turns to more.

Even Ben, who in any other show would just be 'the black friend', instead is fully fleshed out, and gets to call out his white best friend when he feels she's done him wrong, and when the white boy he has a crush on mistreats him, he says so and breaks it off.

Often with characters like that, (esp. in fanfic), if a char like that were replaced with a teddy bear, you wouldn't notice the difference

But here, Ben is a full fledged individual, with needs, backstory, a plotline that hopefully will be built on more next season)

Cal's brothers get to have their own personality, the studious gentle but driven and dilligent studious older brother, Theo, and the hot hardheaded and somewhat arrogant jock, Apollo.

Both who get storylines of their own. And whose feelings matter.

In this show it isn't just the Fairmonts who get to be three dimensional characters, the Burns family and their friends are equally explored, and it's sad to see just how refreshing that is. (like seriously, there are far too few shows that are like this, Black Lightning is one of the only other ones I can think of)

[majorbaby]

hello I would like to hear your thoughts on himbo trapper

Thank you for the question! it's a long one: TL;DR: I don’t hate himbo Trapper, sometimes I even enjoy it, but I think it’s a shallow interpretation and I’m a bit defensive of him because I think there’s plenty of evidence in the source to support a reading of him as being intelligent. Also I blabbed on about some of the other popular fanon characterizations of him that I see as being similarly flat.

On its face, i’m a fan of the himbo trapper concept and i see where it comes from:

He can’t play solitaire

Hawkeye: “You big, dumb strong silent types”

And imo, the strongest piece of evidence: when it comes to shenanigans/schemes, if he’s not the straight brawn to hawkeye’s brain (requiem for a lightweight), it’s always the case that hawkeye that comes up with the plan and trapper who helps him execute it - too many examples to name because this is practically every single episode they appear in 

And for fun, I’m fine with the stereotype because on the whole, it’s meant to be a positive thing. We have women to thank for taking a masculinized version of the term ‘bimbo’ - which has always been a pejorative hurled at women who are conventionally hot and therefore ‘stupid’, sexually promiscuous or just enticing to men - and immediately elevating it to the point where it’s not just seen as positive, it’s seen as highly desirable. A himbo will treat you right and won’t manipulate you, while also being a hot piece of ass - imo Trapper fits some of that criteria on screen but tbf, he’s also cheating on his wife and I think we’re meant to assume that she’s unaware of that, which I think is somewhat manipulative of him. Idk, I don’t have enough information about that. 

But there’s a few pieces of his characterization that are in direct conflict with the himbo archetype - as a society I think we value STEM a lot, so there’s this general idea that people in the medical field are ‘smarter’ than your average person but at the same time fatphobia, racism, ableism and misogyny are still rampant in medical settings leading to entire populations receiving sub-par care so… I don’t think you must accept that doctor = an intellectual in general. There’s different ways to be smart! Your having gone to medical school clearly doesn’t exempt you from being a critical consumer of all the medical texts you’ve read and being able to situate them in a socio-economic and political context when providing care. 

All of this to preface my saying that: he’s a surgeon. He’s at least intelligent enough in one way to be a surgeon and a good one at that, while recognizing that that isn’t the only thing I’m basing my argument on. 

He’s emotionally intelligent:

In Ceasefire he has the opportunity to gloat about his being right about there being no end to the conflict after having been openly doubtful the whole episode, but he knows that it’s not the time and he even encourages Hawkeye to remain optimistic – a truly  brainrot-inducing moment (affectionate) if there ever was one

Operation Noselift he’s just as earnest as Hawkeye trying to get Private Someguy (id remember his name) to accept himself as he is without going under the knife

Check-up don’t even talk to me about Check-up!!! Trapper could’ve accepted “you let me lean on you” as is. I mean, I think they both know what Hawkeye means by that and so do we the audience but I think his “What?” is making space for Hawkeye to be Hawkeye and spill his guts about his feelings because that is what Hawkeye needs; he does the same with Margaret, albeit while she is drunk off her ass, later on in the episode which is a nice moment for them because she reveals something (she’s playing house with Frank because he’s around) that I don’t think she’s ready to accept for herself, but Trapper listens to her. 

Bombed which gave me Trapper/Margaret brainrot, yeah he starts off hitting on her but he stops when she asks him too and he still picks up that she needs comfort, makes her laugh and reassures her that he’s coming from a good place. That is what I get from his suggestion that they cuddle and I think Margaret does too because she accepts. 

Kim - we learn he can be emotionally vulnerable even with his wife who, up til this point, is represented as something of a thorn in his side at worst, an ambiguous off-screen figure at best. 

These are some of the examples that stand out to me but there are many examples of his good bedside manner and empathy that he freely extends to one-off characters like Young-Hi and George. 

He’s pretty much toe-to-toe with Hawkeye in terms of witty dialogue, it’s just that he doesn’t often get the last word nor the spotlight. The role of the Trapper character is that of a follower to Hawkeye’s lead in their comedic and heroic scenes. Like if he comes off as being not quite as smart as Hawkeye (which I wouldn’t say is the case) then I think it’s a matter of their being deuteragonist and protagonist respectively, and the show playing up the ‘best surgeon in the army’ angle for Hawkeye in part as a way to save him from being disciplined for insubordination multiple times. 

And finally, I think it’s worth mentioning that at the onset of American involvement in the Korean War, the American public was generally supportive. That support eroded over time but I do think that the American government, in the 50s and also to this day, goes to significant lengths to circulate pro-war propaganda and convince its citizens that war is only way. During the Gelbart years (S1-4) there was strong, consistent anti-military messaging that extended to critique of traditional masculinity in general – this frequently manifests in how Trapper and Hawkeye are positioned on moral high ground vs. Frank, Margaret and the military. So like, Trapper was a part of all that. He was, at the very least, in league with the popular ACAB Hawkeye, Queer Hawkeye and general Rabble Rouser Hawkeye that are favourites of the fandom – I think it takes a certain degree of intelligence, whether emotional or intellectual, to resist and undermine state propaganda, especially at your own personal expense. And I’m giving that to Trapper because he was around when the show was aware of itself being specifically anti-US-imperialism, rather than just generally anti-war or even anti-death later on - which isn’t ‘less smart’ it’s just more vague and there’s less of a specific effort made by the state to brainwash citizens into thinking otherwise. There is a moment where Trapper appears to betray his moral and political (i’m using ‘political’ very loosely here) leanings when he goes to (presumably) kill the soldier in Radar’s Report but that is by far the exception not the rule and furthermore I’m not saying that people who are duped by the state and/or corporate entities into buying into the cycle of violence are “stupid” but I do think you have to actively fight against such indoctrination and one of the ways of doing that, aside from just being a compassionate person, is by learning to think critically for yourself. And I’m assuming Trapper has done one or both because he is as consistent as Hawkeye is in living those values. It helps that they have good chemistry and they’re bored and sticking it to the army is fun for them but imo they go pretty far sometimes just ‘for fun’. 

So, Trapper is a technically competent surgeon, is emotionally intelligent and has come to reject some of the values that are pretty well ingrained in the society he’s grown up in. I don’t hate himbo trapper but I don’t think he’s stupid. Far from it. 

Here are my less objective thoughts on the himbo trapper phenomenon and also have some straightforward trapper defense squad messaging: I’m generally interested in pointing out trends in fandom, although I admit that my tolerance for content I don’t vibe with has lessened significantly the more time I’ve been active in mash fandom (we’re coming up on one year of straight obsession) – but from what I can remember about the popular, general portrayals of Trapper in fandom that I don’t see as having much footing in the canon: he’s a himbo, he broke Hawkeye’s heart, he’s homophobic (HATE), he’s hypersexual, he can be violent, he ‘doesn’t do feelings’, he’s not good with words… everyone is entitled to their opinion but the more I reflect on Trapper, the more I watch his episodes, the more I’ve come to question a lot of these interpretations. I’ve already talked about him being a himbo, I’m not convinced he broke Hawkeye’s heart any more than Kyung-Soon or Carlye and I am certain it’s not intended to be a romantic breakup, he’s in league with Hawkeye in George – I’m not telling you what you can and can’t indulge in but, yk Hawkeye actually has a line to the effect of ‘i live with two dudes don’t call me a fairy’ and that’s got way more of a no-homo vibe to it than anything Trapper ever says. 

He’s not any more sexual than Hawkeye is, not even because he has a big dick. Hawkeye and BJ both throw punches at some point and I also wouldn’t argue that that makes them ‘violent’ in general, but Trapper who doesn’t do it at all is the violent one. There are plenty of ways to be vulnerable and forthcoming and emotional without spilling your guts and anyway anyone could read as repressed when you hold them up next to Hawkeye Pierce. An emotionally repressed man could not extend an olive branch to Frank Burns nor could he write his wife an earnest letter in the hopes that he will be able to adopt and raise an orphan child nor could he be shown to have such a clear investment in outcomes during the episodes where there’s no clear, tangible goal to Hawkeye’s schemes. 

This has turned into a critique of some of the more uncharitable interpretations of the character, on the list of which ‘himbo’ isn’t really all that bad. But I still think it flattens his character somewhat, like all these other interpretations do, and I can easily pick out a few examples of his canonical portrayal which challenge it. So while I’m not denouncing it completely because I think it can be fun and in the grand scheme of things, people can like whatever they want to like, I am sometimes inclined to gently push back on it. 

[tutuandscoot]

♥️ Scott and Marie Appreciation Post ♥️

Without possibly being able to know the detailed ins and outs of their relationship, what we do get from moments like these shows what a truly caring relationship they have. The way Marie dotes on him is just so precious and somewhat motherly, and the way Scott is with Marie, the way he hugs and kisses her is also indicative of a more parental vibe- its very different to how his is with T. One of the things I find most attractive about Scott is his femininity- he’s in touch with his more gentle, feminine side and that really shows when he’s with the women in his life-specifically T and Marie. It’s not a “gay” thing, it’s just this more gentle quality, he’s more aware how he interacts with them, again specifically talking about women here, and how they deserve to be treated.

The way they are is just so loving- more than a coach/student relationship (I think) it feels like he really lets his guard down with her, even in these moments when there’s cameras on them and lots of people there watching. Yet there’s still this really beautiful respectfulness about it. Comparing it to T - I often talk about how beautiful it is the way he holds her and leads her, and in a different way there is that same thing with Marie- it’s hard to explain but just the way he hugs her and kisses her is so respectful but at the same time so soft and they really pull each other close, it just always looks like such a loving interaction and he really looks forward to it/relishes in it in a different way to how those interactions are with T- in a more parent/child way where it’s her being the one supporting him- and given their size difference that’s always really sweet with him as this- just naturally, taller guy seeks such loving comfort.

That first one is just so unnecessary but that’s just such a typical mother hen thing to do- like brushing his hair back off his face even though it wasn’t really in the way, and the fact he doesn’t even register it is so soft.

The next one we get a nice double with T and Patch in the foreground- but if you look past them to Marie and Scott- it seems to be a common thing that kiss before and hug- it’s almost as if Marie expects it, in this really sweet way he knows she expects a kiss first then in the hug they pull each other so tight.

This moment from worlds which we don’t get to see in the offical feed I think gives a quite telling insight into their relationship, compared to the other examples here. It’s the slightest contrast but before and after this moment you see him with T and she’ boosting him up with arm pats and back rubs and he’s so mad at himself but still trying to stay strong for her- and I guess is a bit… like he covers it up somewhat how hurt (emotionally/pride) he is by what happened- for example in the bows he throws his arm up a little comically, then in the K+C when the camera is back on them and T leans into him to touch heads and he does that cute little point to her. So what I’m saying is it feels like (again imo) that he’s trying to stay brave for T because she doesn’t dare let him blame himself - that’s kind of their unspoken agreement, but that little moment with Marie it’s like he really lets the guard down and is like ‘why the f*ck did I do that? Why did I do that to her, I let her down’ and he lets that out with Marie because he can’t with T- because she doesn’t see it as him letting her down and won’t let him think that (she does know that’s what he’s thinking but none the less won’t let him kick himself for it- it’s the same way he is with her when she’s made mistakes) in that moment it’s Marie’s job to comfort him and feel how mad he is at himself and later on TS will have their own time to comfort each other in their own way. I could be making all this up but if there is some truth to it I think that’s really important they do have that- I’m sure it’s the same thing T has with Patch, or maybe also with Marie, because they need to feel what they are feeling and have someone there to say acknowledge ‘yeh you screwed up’ because T+S aren’t that for each other- they protect each other from that kind of negative self talk (again this is just imo and based on the way I read these interactions and from what they’ve said about their own dynamic).

I talked about that (4th gif) practice moment a while ago so I wont deep dive but again just that blend or respect but also very caring interactions- kind of as if he’s saying ‘I did a good job’ and she responds like ‘yes my love you did do a good job’. I’m aware that sounds kind of child-like but I had this thought the other day after listening to something (a podcast the context isn’t important) that adults need to be cared for and told they are loved just as much as children do. And I think that applies so much to both TS together- how they care for each other and how Marie and Patch are with them to. It doesn’t take anything away from their strength and independence and maturity, but when there is that love and care it really shows in how they let themselves be so vulnerable and have that safe space created around them to feel that way, and I think with what they do- it being so artistic and them specifically being such an artistically driven team (equally so athletically) that really serves them so well- that they don’t have to put up this guard and be immune from feeling emotion- and so especially for Scott with how naturally emotional he is I think that is really important and served both of them so well throughout their comeback (at anon who asked me about what changed for them with their love of the sport when they moved to Montreal there’s a follow up answer).

The (5th) from SCI kinda shows a lot of these things, firstly with the kisses, it is like she expects it - and he knows she expects it (yes I’m aware cheek kisses are a french/french- Canadian custom so I feel like some of it is that but again we’re talking about their specific relationship). It’s sweet how she gives her one but she’s like (again in the sweetest motherly way) ‘excuse me where’s my second kiss’. It’s kinda like with T how it seems Scott often gets excited to kiss and/or hug her after a skate or in the kiss and cry, like Marie really wants to give him another kiss/she wants another kiss from him and of course he obliges. Then after that, kinda like with the first one she almost mindlessly fixes his collar and he just accepts it/ kinda is not ware of it/just lets it happen coz again it was kinda unnecessary but it goes back to that doting motherly thing they have going on. Then the way she kinda strokes him to is just so freaking soft- she does that often in the K+C where she will latch her arm around him and stroke and pat him- it’s funny coz Scott is so touchy feely with T, Marie is kinda that way with him- I don’t know if there’s anything to that parallel but it’s an interesting thing to point out.

And finally this is again such a super soft moment. There’s just something about the way he goes to hug her, starting with a kiss then pulling her close. Straight after this TS have their Hug and I just find it interesting to compare the two- obviously The Hug is this whole other thing- not just a hug, it’s a ritual that they do a certain way every time, but there’s just subtle differences in comparing it. Even if you don’t compare it to The Hug, just any TS hug- although there is so much love and care and comfort to the way TS hug, there’s both this more ‘best friends’ attitude to it- like they can (not always but can) be a little rougher but there’s also this, slight more sexuality in it (sometime) just because they are comfortable being that way, let alone have to be that way often in their partnering and choreography- but that kind of interaction wouldn’t be appropriate between him and Marie- so I think that’s kind of where there’s a difference but again highlights his femininity in the ways he so respectful, gentle and also receptive to the relationships he has with these women.

I just love their relationship a lot. I’m so happy for him specifically there seemed to be this softer, gentler, more emotionally available space for him when they came back. I think their (TS) relationship with M+P had so much to do with their growth as skaters and artists.

[dontwarnthetadpoles]

But what the writers didn't do was flesh out what happened on those dates in a way that would have proven their compatibility, to make us understand why it's Riley that Buffy wants, and not his best friend Graham (who is equally handsome and strong and brave) or Forrest (esentially because he's black but that's something the show couldn't admit at that time and we have had to wait for season 7 to see her flirting with a black guy). And no, the fact that Riley took the first step towards her doesn't matter, she wasn't that desperate to meet someone after Parker.

This romance was treated like an assignment - it's like the writers were filling out a list of things they need to do to establish Buffy and Riley as a couple, but at an accelerated pace. They literally fast-forwarded their relationship - preventing the emotional progress that came with it and that Buffy and Riley should have experienced as a couple, from being as impactful, from being as captivating as it should have been. In short, their romantic scenes largely lacked the wow effect that should have made us swoon.

I don't understand why, because it's not like Whedon hasn't written a perfect, blissful romance on the show before. He built all the major milestones of Oz and Willow's love story.

In one of his interviews or maybe in the DVD commentary (I'm not sure), he talked about how difficult it was for him to convince viewers to accept Oz as Willow's new boyfriend, after they spent more than a season watching her have an unrequited crush on Xander, for which their shippers still hoped for a happy ending, and yet Whedon did it: he wrote the van scene for them in Innocence.

I can say with certainty that it worked thanks to the effect it had on me: I ship intensely Oz and Willow and i can list even without rewatching the episodes, more than a dozen moments that involved them. Their scenes, little or big, are a dream come true. They embody everything a romantic relationship should be: cute, funny, tender, sweet and passionate, honest, authentic, full of wisdom, with some real mistakes along the way but always engaging and compelling.

While there are many examples I could cite, one of my favorites is how they met and started dating. From the decision to make Oz fall for her at first sight, to let him be in awe of Willow, to the fact he got to see the different sides of her personality before ven talking to her: the invisible girl (when they bumped into each other while she wore her ghost costume in Halloween), the quirky and original schoolgirl in her Inuit costume, the sexy and mysterious stranger in the outfit that Buffy picked for her (in Halloween again). He was impressed by all that she was or could be and was always trying to figure out who was the real her. Every moment of those first steps in their romance has become iconic, in a somewhat nostalgic way.

This path should have been Buffy and Riley's path too. Instead there was a lot of mixed signals coming from Riley.Like the fact that he kept repeating how much special and mysterious Buffy was - Forrest in Hush tried to make him notice that the constant excitement about her specialness was turning into an obsession - but Riley ignored him. In his case, it seemed something that he learnt to repeat ad nauseam to please the girl he wants, or to impress his friends, or even sometimes to convince himself that she was how he wanted her her to be. He never defined what makes her special for him, and yet he seemed fixated on the idea that she was different from all the other women.

When i say their dates weren't fleshed out, i mean:

Their first official date during Something Blue was a picnic which was quickly crashed by a depressed Willow still haunted by Oz's abrupt departure. Buffy spent the rest of the episode holding Spike's hand, sitting comfortably on his lap and kissing him passionately. Indeed, she needed to overcome her attraction to bad boys, but it could have been done during I Remember You on Ats with Angel. Instead of making the crossover the 100th performance of their "impossible tragic love," it could have been a big fight between the ex-lovers that opened her eyes to his bad side. The writers preferred to entrust this subplot to Spike and played it as a joke at the expense of Riley, making him look like a man easily duped (by Buffy who lied to him without shame)

Between Hush and Doomed, there was no date but a bag of mixed impressions. They shared two kisses and a hug during these episodes, but they were more symbolically separated by the tension and conflict between them than they have ever been before. It started at the most basic level with Buffy and Riley struggling to come up with something to say during the conversation they had after she dreamed about the Gentlemen. At this point, their usual civilian selves have clearly reached a limit in terms of the compatibility of their personality and their common interests, and this is the reason why they both wanted to tell the truth as they respectively admitted to Willow and Forrest.

The reveal of their secret identity didn't happen because the plot demanded it (it happened in Hush because it was the episode written by Whedon but Doomed or A New Man offered too many opportunities for this twist) or by the pace of their relationship. If the dialogues in Hush during their walk on the campus established that Buffy was doing a poor job of trying to hide what she did after school, it could hardly be described as the couple reaching the point where it got too hard to lie to each other.

As proved by their dialogues:

RILEY So what have you got going on tonight? BUFFY Patrolling. RILEY Patrolling? BUFFY (quick cover) Uh, petroleum. RILEY Petroleum. BUFFY Uh huh. RILEY Tonight you have crude oil. BUFFY And homework. What about you? RILEY Oh, you know, grading papers... BUFFY Well, that'll be fun. RILEY Not "petroleum" fun, but it passes the time...

Does this seem like the culmination of an unbearable tension that would force them to tell the truth?

Their scenes lacked passion not because of the acting but because of the writing: if they couldn't talk about their respective secret lives, they had nothing else to say, was the message of the screenwriters. And indeed, sharing the slaying became their almost exclusive activity (with sex) after the truth was revealed, and it remained that way for most of season 4.

A New Man established a power imbalance between them and created Riley's insecurities: he realized that not only would Buffy always be physically stronger than him, but she would also lead because that's who she is, and all he could do was follow. The writers offer no solution at this point - he said he liked that she was independent and a leader but he also said he still had hopes of beating her with more practice - until this problem is remembered in season 5 as his main reason for refusing the operation which could save his life because he was convinced that Buffy would not date a normal man, but also because he did not want to be a normal man (which was an attitude more consistent with his military training and competitive spirit).

They finally shared their first sexual connection in The I in team, but this scene is the most uncomfortable to watch: they were supposed to make love, instead it was cut and interspersed between different stages of a group fight scene where they were slaying a demon with other Initiative soldiers. It looked like a performance, like a mise-en-scène written to respond to an aesthetic scripted in advance. A mix of sex appeal and violence that was the opposite of the magic, intimacy, tenderness, sweetness I expected since they were supposed to be the true soul mates that Buffy and Angel don't. couldn't be. And I won't even go into the fact that this special moment was heavily tainted with disgust due to the violation of their privacy by Maggie Walsh, who filmed them...

There's more to say about what happened to them when Maggie died and Faith and Angel showed up, but this post is really already too long.

Bad boys are dangerous: that's the whole point of this trope. It sends a message to society as a whole. This is the wrong choice that many young girls make every day due to their inexperience, lack of emotional maturity and lack of a functioning family to protect them. It seems clear to me that was the message the show wanted to send with Angel and Spike, but for some reason Whedon found it difficult to fully impose that point of view on his own shows, and we were left with the wrong impression about Angel, that he was one of the good guys while Riley was considered a weak version of a hero.

Buffy Rewatch: season 4

I'm not doing this rewatch in order, so i have a lot of thoughts who pop up and often contradict themselves. But i know that i'm not going to write real, full reviews, so it's better than nothing to share them under the form of "shorts" (as much short as i can do, which is not really short) comments.

I really wonder what made Whedon believe that the best way for Buffy to get over Angel, was to create a character (Riley) who was the opposite of Angel in every way, an anti Angel.

Whedon said indeed:

"The important thing for us was to find a character that was the anti-Angel and to have Buffy go through something very different, part of which was the question, 'How do I get over Angel?' That was the same thing the audience was going through. We knew it wasn't going to be easy and it was very hard trying to find somebody. But Marc [Blucas] has a quality that I love very much: he has sort of an un-David-like, firm, strong, trustworthy quality. I always think of him as Gary Cooper."

Source

I mean it seems obvious that to define someone as anti someone else means the influence and hold of the character that is seen negatively is more powerful than ever. An anti Angel means that Angel's shadow never left the show, that he is still haunting Buffy in every way, except she keeps the obsession that he represents at distance with a more positive boyfriend, who she uses like a talisman to keep her thoughts about him from becoming too intrusive.

Why couldn't Riley be himself, a regular and normal guy in appearance but with a double life of demon hunter that matches Buffy's mission, someone that Buffy would have realized she wanted in her life just by living, fighting at his side and learning to love him daily instead of being a reversed image of her ex?

In the anti Angel scenario, even if her relationship with Riley had worked, she still would have been trapped with an improved version of Angel, different but still too close. On the show, the writers didn't make as opposite as Whedon claimed to want them. Actually both men shared many common opinions and personality traits:

a sexist worldview,

the need of being needed as Angel's savior complex proved it on Ats especially with damsels in distress,

insecurities about virility developed during the crossover episode in Ats "I will remember you" where Angel gave up a possible human life at Buffy's side because he couldn't handle to be less strong than her to not be in capacity to protect her).

I don't see how creating with Riley an idealized version of Angel (one who can take her on a picnic, see her in the daylight, who would accept his strength inferiority because he can't do anything about it, one who can have as much sex as Buffy wants, who can marry and have children), someone that Angel could never be because of his personality souled or souless, would fix Buffy's problem of dependency and later of emotional distance/self centeredness?

It feels like the writers were rather presenting us of what Buffy would think to be her ideal man based on her unique romantic relationship with Angel. A Frankenstein version of the Prince Charming not in the sense that Riley is a monster, he's a good man, a brillant man and a hot man, but because he's also in some way closer to what would look like a puppet stitched based on Buffy's preferences and to who life would be given.

The problem is not only Riley's personality, but also the execution of their romance mostly the timing of it.

I think that the writers got it right when they made Buffy hook up, before making Riley her official boyfriend, with guys who are all about sex (Parker) or are bad boys at heart (Spike). In real life, any young/teen girl would have repeated the same mistake few times with other boys similar in looks or darkness/personality to the one she loved deeply and who hurt her, before growing enough to learn from the past. The solution to make her involved with Spike was more credible than to push her in Riley's arms immediately, especially when they had nothing in common in term of interests.

But the timing is all wrong: there is less than 7 episodes between her one night stand with Parker in The Harsh light of Day (4.03) and her picnic and first official date with Riley in Something Blue (4.09). The picnic happened in the same episode as 'the thing" with Spike (i don't know how to call it), and just after an entire episode on Ats where she spent a lot of time in bed with Angel. She almost ruined her relationship with Riley because of Spike (Something Blue), so by the time they had their first kiss, i didn't scream "finally the good guy she deserves" but rather " it's too much romance and disappointment in one season, and he will never make up for it because the show is already creating conflict over his identity."

Conflicts kept piling up indeed during the second half of the season: from the revelation of their secret identities to Buffy's refusal to give a chance to Riley, from her change of mind and full involvement in his life to the point she joined The Initiative for him to the shock of Maggie Walsh's attempt to kill her and Walsh's murder by Adam, from Riley's change in personality due to the effects of The Initiative's medicine on him to Faith's intrusion in their lives etc...

That's a lot to deal with in such a short period, especially when we consider too the fact that despite all those ordeals that they faced together as a couple, Riley never got passed this image that he was less than her ex vampire boyfriends. Diminished by his lesser fighting skills, the lesser danger he represented, his less cool attitude: Buffy called him a doof, Forrest said he's a mama's boy, Willow for his defense argued that "he didn't seem like he could tell a little white lie, let alone a whole bunch of big dirty ones"; though his cool potential changed depending on what the script needed him to be, and based too on his double identity.

Coming after such radical personalities (Angel and Spike) with extreme views and violent actions explain why so many fans see him as bland and boring (which he is not): they can't shake the feeling of being overwhelmed by Angel and Spike, not matter how wrong their values, their feelings, their actions were.

I read a lot that Riley was supposed to be her endgame but i don't see how it would have worked if it was planned to introduce Dawn and kill Joyce since season 2, as the rumor says. That meant Whedon knew very early that Buffy was going to die during season 5. After all that she went through to find the right guy, was Whedon going to pretend that she was leaving behind the love of her life in a grand gesture of sacrifice to save the world? Even though it looked and felt liker rather a suicide, in a season where the accumulation of misery was leading to her death anyway? What would have been the point of getting over Angel if she was not going to survive?

For me who perceives the show mostly from the angle of trauma, to get her past her relationship with Angel was in all cases a necessity because he literally stole her life: he made a mess of it, of her vision of love and she needed to heal.

But it would have required to not treat Riley as someone who was always going to suffer from the comparison, and also to make clear at one point that she chose him over Angel (during one of the crossovers with Ats preferably), and that her decision was definitive in her mind.

Riley really didn't need to be the anti Angel, and the writers shouldn't have taken the risk to fail at delivering this tale of happiness for Buffy (if they really wanted her to be happy) by trying to force on him this fake personality.

No more than they should have let Buffy trapped in the mindset "that real love and passion have to go hand in hand with lots of pain and fighting". that it's "where the fire comes from", questioning the possibility that "a nice safe relationship can be that intense".

Buffy and Riley didn't have nice and safe lives so their relationship couldn't be nice and safe and yet she still had doubts even after she started to date him.

A vision of love on which she was still clinging so strongly that she even blamed Angel for calling her his ex (during the crossover with Ats when Angel came back to Sunnydale after helping Faith, allegedly to apologize), which sent her back right to the regret that she couldn't be with him and which confirmed indirectly that Riley was a default choice.

Which begs the question: what kind of reactions did the writers expect from the fans when they didn't seem to even bother to establish Buffy and Riley's romance as a more desirable relationship for Buffy?

[deadmandairyland]

Hi! I’m here to bring you yet another Danganronpa tier list: the sexuality tier list, which you can find here.

Now I’m going to be honest here: I don’t really have any LGBT headcanons. It’s just not really something I focus on much when it comes to fandoms. Instead I usually just focus on ships, and as a result from that I tend to present a lot of characters as LGBT in fanfictions and posts I’ve made or reblogged. In other words, a massive chunk of my “headcanons” here are a direct result of shipping (as well as information I’ve picked up from the games themselves). That being said, it was interesting to actually think about this for once, so I’m kinda glad I did the tier list. And it gave me an excuse to bring back the rainbow color scheme I usually put in my tier lists for aesthetic reasons.

The original tier list had Straight at the top, but I moved it to the bottom for two reasons. One, this is Tumblr and that’s not what you’re here for. Two, I gave it a neutral color, and having a gray section next to a white section (i.e. the title of the list) like that looked bad to me. I definitely prefer this setup just on aesthetic alone.

Because this is largely based on ships, I feel it needs to be said that representation does not factor into this chart in any way. I know it probably looks bad that the only character in the Lesbian category is one of my least favorite (though NOT hated or even disliked, I should point out) characters in the main series. That has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a lesbian. She’s just a jerk, and usually not in a way that’s at least entertaining enough for me to like her.

Also keep in mind that this is just the main cast of the main series games. If you were to include characters from the DR3 anime, UDG, or the spin-offs, the Gay, Lesbian, and Ace categories would get more rep, certainly. Think Juzo, Yui, Takemichi, that gay guy with the trumpet, etc.

With that said, let’s go through the list:

Gay

Not gonna lie, one of the reasons why Rantaro is here (and not in Ace) is because of ships. Though I do sometimes ship him with girls, canon suggests he’s not interested in dating girls, and most fans seem to headcanon him as either gay or ace because of this, so I respected that. That being said, I also acknowledge he’s a very popular character in mlm ships, and at the time I was putting this together I hadn’t gotten to Taka yet so the Gay tier was still empty, and Byakuya was already sitting in Ace, so all of that swayed me to putting Rantaro here instead of Ace.

Taka was much easier to place here. He strikes me as a closeted gay man who probably doesn’t even realize he is gay. “Hey, let’s all hang out in the bath, guys! Getting naked is essential to form bonds with your fellow man! No need to be ashamed, it’s tradition!"

Lesbian

Again, ships. I only ship Hiyoko with one other character, and as soon as I say that you already know who she is.

Bisexual (Male Preference)

Akane is mostly here to account for any wlw ships I may have of her (e.g. Hina, Sonia maybe). Obviously she has a thing with Nekomaru, so Male Preference.

Chiaki is here for the same reason as Akane. I’ve shipped her with characters like Sonia and Ibuki before, but she really digs Hajime.

Chihiro honestly could have been anywhere in the Bi and Pan sections, but I ultimately went with Male Preference because of ships, specifically the fact that outside of the more... R18 circles of the Interwebs Chihiro tends to be shipped with guys more often than girls. Also doesn’t hurt that my OTP is Naehiro. I mean, have you seen how often Chihiro blushes around Makoto? (There’s more to it than that, as I’ve covered in the past. I’m just trying to add more fuel to the fire.)

Himiko is probably one of the few characters that isn’t here mainly because of ships. I do think she has some attachment towards Tenko, but I also get “I’m uncomfortable around her” vibes from her, and there are moments where she seems to crush on Kokichi (of all people) so that’s why she’s here. Still very much bi, though.

Hina has a crush on Makoto and has a complex around wishing she was more feminine so she can attract boys. So why isn’t she in the Straight section? ...Because Sakura, duh. And Kyoko too. And any other wlw ship you can think of that might work with Hina.

Honestly if it wasn’t for Miu I probably would have considered putting Kokichi in Gay. Again, while shipping plays a big part of my choices here, much like with Rantaro I have no qualms with putting a character in a tier that contradicts any ships I might have with that character, if those ships aren’t something I’m super invested in. This is a very important distinction, because it’s why I let ships sway my hand for so many of these even if I am also okay with going “Just because I ship this doesn’t mean I headcanon it” as I did with Rantaro. And honestly Kokichi’s ship teasing with Himiko does come off as more trollish than a sign that he’s into her, but he really gets into his back-and-forth with Miu, in my personal opinion, and he gets into it far more often with her for that matter. It’s why it’s one of my favorite ships for both of them tbh, and it’s because I like the ship so much that I just can’t ignore it for this sexuality headcanon tier list.

Maki... is here because of ships (e.g. Kaede).

Sakura... is here because of ships (e.g. Hina). ...What, you were expecting me to put a guy in the example? Remember, she has a boyfriend in canon.

Sayaka... is here because of... NOT ships, but DRAT. Yes, really. (”We really got down and dirty, Naegi-kun.”)

Sonia... strikes me as someone who swings both ways. I can’t describe exactly why I feel that way, but yes.

Bisexual (No Preference)

Celeste wants a harem of vampire boys but shipping her with Kyoko is also very popular and honestly i feel like it would fit her character. She’s got a look that says “I could get any ass I want and I know it.”

Ibuki is decked out in blues and pinks, and also I ship her fairly evenly among both boys and girls. She just screams bi icon to me, more so than any other character in the series.

Junko is either bi with no preferences or pan. She is an equal opportunity heart-and-soul-breaker and lust-for-despair machine.

There is no Mukuro in this list, but honestly I would probably put her where I put Junko anyway.

Kaede... is here because of ships (e.g. Miu, Maki)

Honestly I had no idea where to put Kirumi, so I just randomly chose one that I wouldn’t regret later if I ever put more thought into who I shipped her with.

I’m pretty sure Nagito being bisexual has some degree of canon attached to it??? I think??? I’m not entirely sure tbh, but fuck it. I’m doing this for fun anyway, so this doesn’t really matter.

Shuichi, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. I also find him to be more shippable with guys than the other two protags, so IMO he has no preference.

Toko might have a thing or two for pretty boys, but... Komaru, I mean, this isn’t exactly shocking, I don’t think. Probably was closeted before she met Komaru. I mean she did focus on Hina’s boobs a lot in DR1, let’s not forget.

Tsumugi, much like Kirumi, is here because I haven’t put much thought into her ships.

Bisexual (Female Preference)

Gundham has a thing with Sonia in canon, but I can see him being bi. So... yeah, ships again.

Hajime, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Chiaki and Mikan game is just too strong.

Hifumi might claim to only like 2D, but his interest in Chihiro both in human form and computer program form (and the fact that this didn’t go away after the gender reveal) places him here.

Kaito strikes me as a closeted bisexual. The kind that could start any given conversation with “I’m not gay, but...”

Kazuichi also strikes me as a closeted bisexual, only his “I’m not gay, but...” is rooted more in dumbass than it is in systematic homophobia.

Korekiyo... is here because of ships (e.g. Rantaro).

Kyoko is bi as fuck, and I can see her having a preference towards girls in particular. She gets shipped with girls a lot (e.g. Celeste, Hina, Yui, and even Junko and Mukuro), and when she is shipped with boys it’s usually just pretty boys (e.g. Makoto, Byakuya, Ryota, Shuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro). Also note that aside from Makoto and maybe Byakuya, Kyoko’s girl ships are far more popular than her boy ships. Just something I’ve noticed over the years.

Leon... is here because of ships (e.g. Chihiro).

Mahiru is here because I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Hajime in her FTEs, but obviously she tends to get shipped with girls more often (especially Hiyoko), and I agree.

Makoto, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Kyoko, Hina, Sayaka, and Mukuro game is just too strong.

Mikan may be interested in Hajime somewhat, but her obsession with Junko cannot be ignored, no matter how much some of you may want to.

Mondo is another character that strikes me as a closeted bisexual. He is said to strike out all the time with girls, so I do think he’s attracted to women. And I do get some vibes that he’s attracted to Chihiro pre-reveal. And if circumstances had been different, I imagine he probably still would have been post-reveal. But obviously it’s his bond with Taka that I feel cements his sexuality in, at the very least, an mlm category.

Tenko... is here NOT because of ships, but because I’m pretty sure she’s at least sort of interested in Shuichi because of some canon thing... and also I don’t want to put her in Lesbian just because it feels like I’d be stereotyping the Lesbian category if I do that. If we were to compare her to the character that I did put in Lesbian, Hiyoko doesn’t treat people like shit because they’re men, she’s an equal-opportunity asshole. Still not the best representation for lesbians by a long shot, but at least Hiyoko doesn’t follow the stereotype of a man-hating lesbian. She’s just like that, and that’s okay. But putting Tenko there, especially if she’s shown some degree of interest in a male character at some point in the game, just rubs me the wrong way personally, because it would feel like I’m ignoring canon just to stereotype her. But that’s just a personal hang up of mine. No disrespect intended toward anyone who genuinely feels that Tenko is a lesbian. Maybe you see something there that I don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

Pansexual

I don’t remember exactly how her FTEs went, so I’m not going to get into that, but Angie just comes off as pan to me, like gender doesn’t fit into the equation at all for her.

Gonta I can see as either pan or ace. I feel like he wouldn’t care about gender, and honestly the only reason I decided to put him in Pan rather than Ace is because of that scene with Miu.

Imposter is not only pan, they are currently OT3ing it up with Ibuki and Ryota as we speak, and that’s a fact.

Keebo... is mostly here because of ships. A lot of ships, actually. Mostly male ships (Kokichi, Shuichi, Kazuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro) but there’s also Miu to consider. And the Miu game is SO strong that I put him in Pan instead of, say, Male Preference.

Just gonna lump them together because I have the same thing to say about both of them: Miu and Teruteru would **** anything that walks. What did I censor? Well, I’m doing the Nier: Automata thing, so you can put whatever you want in there and trust me, it would probably fit, for better or for worse.

Ace

I know this is an unpopular opinion, because Naegami, but I just don’t think Byakuya is interested in anyone, at least not in that way. He might be fascinated with how common people live, because it’s so foreign to him, but that’s about it.

Straight

Even though I do ship Fuyuhiko with some of the boys, his Peko game is so strong that honestly I can’t see him actually dating anyone aside from Peko outside of some very niche fanfiction.

Honestly, Hiro was another one that I was just like “I have no idea what to do with you.” I think maybe his team up with Kanon made me eventually choose to put him in Straight? I don’t remember. I clearly didn’t put much thought into Hiro.

I really only ship Nekomaru with Akane, so that’s why he’s here. I’m sure if I dive deep enough into my psyche I can pull an mlm ship with Nekomaru in it out of my ass, but like Rantaro that wouldn’t be significant enough to change anything.

Peko is in the same boat as Fuyuhiko. I have shipped her with girls before, but her Fuyuhiko game is just too strong.

Ryoma had a girlfriend once, and as far as I can remember he didn’t really seem interested in anybody in the game, so that’s all I have to go off of for him.

-----

So there you have it. Explanations for literally all of them! Explanations that were definitely not pulled out of my ass as I was typing them, nope, certainly not. Definitely won’t be tagging all of them, but I may tag the ones with the longest entries. And like all the tier lists I’ve done, this was just for fun and honestly any opinion I have for any of these characters could change at a moment’s notice because my brain is fickle like that. Tried my best to make sure that every tier had at least one character in it, but I did so without trying to force characters in places that I personally did not believe they should go. I hope you all enjoyed my dive into this area of fandom that I rarely dive into (the LGBT headcanons, not the ships, obviously). It was a lot of fun, and hopefully it will stay fun and not result in angry anons blasting me for my opinions. I am grateful that this never seems to happen to me, but I’ve seen it happen to others and I know what Tumblr is capable of at its worst. These are just headcanons and a matter of personal opinion, and if you disagree with them, that’s perfectly okay. Your feelings and opinions are also valid.

[bookofmirth]

Keeping reaching out your hand

To preface, this is an elucien, nessian, feysand, and somewhat gwynriel post. Move along if you don’t want to read content in support of all of them.

In acosf one of the most important, recurring themes was the phrase “keep reaching out your hand”. Amren said it first, in chapter 7 in a flashback of a conversation with Cassian. He then thinks about it the following chapter when Nesta tries to make it down the stairs the first time and they snap at each other.

Cassian keeps repeating this phrase to himself until he’s ready to snap and thinks, on page 128 that “keep reaching out your hand was utter bullshit when the person it was extended to could bite hard enough to rip off fingers.”

This phrase is important not only because it serves as motivation for Cassian to keep trying, to not give up on Nesta, but because we can see how others around her either do or don’t try. Does she push them away enough so that they give up and retract? How many hands have been extended to her only to be pulled away when she rejected them time and time again?

As acosf goes, Cassian thinks of the phrase less and less. On page 197, he passes the phrase on to Nesta after she is disappointed that no one has signed up for training. She reached out, and was rejected. Cassian is telling her not to give up. It takes a while for the anyone to sign up, and Nesta repeats the phrase to herself after days have passed, and wonders, “what would it matter [...] if no one bothered to reach back?”

The phrase is phased out of the book at that point because Nesta understands. Feyre had extended her hand to Nesta countless times, Cassian did as well, and now she knows what it feels like to extend a hand and have it refused. She saw the way that Mor is treated by Clotho and everyone else, and can realize that Mor had also been extending her hand (though it was tempered with wariness for Cassian). Amren is the opposite of this, which is ironic since the phrase originated with her. However, she has much less stake in this. Amren knows that the real work has to happen between Nesta, Feyre, Elain, and Cassian, and that other relationships are secondary, so she bows out (with some damn good advice, even if we dislike her).

Eventually the work of holding out one’s hand transfers from Cassian to Nesta as their relationship grows and she stop rejects his help. She then starts doing the work of extending her hand to others, and in that she can empathize with what others have experienced trying to reach out to her, and she can understand the hard work it is to continue trying, to keep being optimistic in spite of disappointment and the fear that no one will accept her help.

Rhys did something similar to Cassian in acotar and acomaf. He had more information than Feyre but he knew that she wasn’t able or willing to deal with it (see: the bond). She was low, and needed someone to help her up, which was the opposite of what Tamlin was capable of doing. It had to be her choice to take Rhys’s hand and leave the Spring Court, her choice to allow him to help her find a place in the Night Court, and her choice to continue taking his extended hand even when she had nightmares and felt guilt over leaving Tamlin and tried to grapple with what she had done in acotar. Feyre rejected him so many times, often reluctantly accepting his assistance, until she realized how valuable it was.

What is Lucien doing, if not reaching out his hand? Not only to Elain, but to Tamlin. He has proven himself the sort of person who can, and will, continue reaching out his hand to help and connect with people who may not realize they need it. We’ve seen countless examples of characters who have tried to connect and then given up. Amren and Mor (temporarily) give up on Nesta and she has to count on others not to give up on her - although she might not realize it at the time. With Lucien, he continues putting up with Tamlin, despite Tamlin’s refusal to accept help. Hell, Rhys even does the same in acofas. It might have been for political reasons, but overall the idea that we don’t give up on other people, that we offer them help when they are down, is central to the story.

Lucien going to Elain and offering gifts has nothing to do with entitlement. It’s his way, maybe the only way he has, of letting her know that he is there to keep reaching out his hand, for whenever she wants to accept it. Accepting his hand isn’t even necessarily romantic. He’s just letting her know that he is there, he waits for a sign, and then he leaves if she doesn’t look willing. It’s the same thing that Rhys did for Feyre in acomaf, and the same thing that Cassian did for Nesta in acowar through acosf. 

It shows Lucien’s character (in the sense of how good a person he is, not character development) that he is willing to keep trying, though he is never accepted, and that he is willing to do this with his friend and his mate alike.

Now, with Gwyn and Az, I’m not sure how/if this pattern could pan out. I can see it being more of a mutual push/pull because they both need to resolve issues from the past, but they also seem to be mutually supportive of one another. Azriel treats Gwyn differently than he treats many of the women he is around. Personally, I think it could be interesting to see him extend his hand to her not because he thinks it’s his job and the thing he is supposed to do, but because he realizes that he can have worth outside of his physical and magic abilities. If he can be emotional support for someone, that will give him the space to be intimate in a way that he typically avoids.

Sometimes, people are worth waiting for. Sometimes, they need that hand to be held out and they don’t know when they will accept it. But that’s when you know that someone is in it for the long haul - when they are willing to put in the effort of waiting until that hand is accepted.

[hamliet]

From Wood to Gold: Alchemy in CFC 178

As requested by @/fallingasaleaf on twitter. :D

So, in CFC 178, there’s an example of literal alchemy. As I’ve said before, alchemy is about, on a physical level, creating the philosopher’s stone (often represented as a red or purple stone). The philosopher’s stone has two main functions: creating the elixir of life (eternal life), and turning base metals into gold. In CFC 178, we see an example of that literally occur... with some extra interesting symbolism that drips thematic implication for the story.

On a basic level, we can see the symbolism--the wooden cross literally transforms to gold with rubies (philosopher’s stone). But what transforms it? 

Well, on a physical level, the girl’s blood and tears. This is a sobering story, because it asks whether the price is worth the gift--is the blessing of wealth really worth the blood and tears of an innocent? 

The innocence here is also a symbol. The girl is an outcast from society (like He Yu) because of being a different race and religion, and is horribly treated: because she is sassy, a creditor forces her to eat hot coals, which kills her and also renders her barely able to speak, presumably. In alchemy, coal is a traditional symbol of the first (black) stage, tears for the second (white) stage, and blood for the final (red) stage. 

Cross

Back to the girl. What seems odd about this cross and stone is that if this were truly intended to be a philosopher’s stone, it’s quite odd that it has “RIP” on it. Doesn’t really square with the concept of an elixir of life very well, does it?

As is to clue us in that something isn’t right, Xie Xue offers her own thoughts here, which we see is somewhat backed up by evidence in the family tree:

Whether true or not, the point is rather the same: instead of being interested in an elixir of life, which brings about healing and rejuvenates the entire world with it (one of the key parts of alchemy is that it’s supposed to multiply, aka spread around the entire world) because that would require more effort, the family seems more interested in the physical: wealth, elixir insofar as physical life is concerned. Hence, we have a recipe for a nihilixir, and it seems almost certain that the Weis are somehow involved with the organization and thus our resident nihilixir, RN-13. 

Adding to this notion is what we know about crosses thus far in CFC. The last cross we saw was the one the Org literally tied Chen Man to, as if instead of focusing on the Christian resurrection symbolism, they are only focusing on the torture/death element.  

It’s half the story, half the point, and half the philosopher’s stone--and without that resurrection and hope that spreads around the world (literally why Christianity works as a symbol here), it’s a hopeless, chaotic, miserable story with miserable implications for the future (like a nihilixir would do in inducing chaos) if it end with a simple “RIP” on a cross. This passage also emphasizes Chen Man’s youth, his innocence, and literally replaces the “rubies” in the story with the blood of an innocent. 

In alchemy, the cross, as Lyndy Abraham sums it up, “contains within it not only the symbol of the dismemberment or sacrifice of the old body and outmoded state, but also the image of the creation of a new state of unity.” I think that in the Org’s quest to control this new state and ensure it is most beneficial to them, they forgot the second part--because they force others to make the sacrifices rather than making it themselves, and because they don’t want to benefit others. They miss the true elixir in Meatbun’s novels--relationships and love, be it platonic, familial, or romantic. 

Blood 

Wei Rong’s aversion to the color red also seems to hint that she’s repulsed by the “red” of her family’s actions--wherein instead of cultivating elixirs to give life to the world, they try to keep it to themselves and sacrifice/abuse others to do so. Plus red is a color repeatedly associated with the organization’s women in particular, as @dangermousie​ noted earlier. 

It also seems clear that Wei Rong is somehow related to RN-13 and thereby Xie Qingcheng’s parents’ deaths and He Yu’s birth. The most obvious answer is that she’s He Yu’s biological mother, but I hope not am not sure why He Yu’s dad would pretend to be his father, since unlike the mom he seems to not be involved with the Org; he just seems to be super self-involved; unless. he is Meng Sheng and Wei Rong was his initial wife, but they switched identities and Lu Zhishu switched with her after she died, but again, this seems far-fetched and needlessly complicated. We’ll see. (Can’t deny it looks fairly likely after this chapter.)

All this focus on red makes it clear we're starting to move into the final red/rubedo (yes the word is related to “ruby”) stage of the story, so. RIP to us I guess! Pain on its way. 

Plus the kid in the red high heels will likely return as the master boss. I seriously wonder if the whole “eternal youth” factor got emphasized in some of the Org’s experiments and the kid paid the price (aka, he’s not a kid at all, but got trapped in “eternal youth”).

Tears

Well... see... tears are supposed to be related to white in alchemy, and water. And... pregnant women (water is associated with pregnancy, obviously) whose tears are said to be a part of growing the stone. 

The Mother unto her Chast Chamber goes... Her weary'd selfe, 'twixt Sheets as white as Snow And there makes Signes of her approaching woe. ...Thus great with Child, 9 months she languished And Bath'd her with the Teares which she had shed For his sweete sake

*sweats and inserts self in front of Xie Xue to protect her* (I don’t think Meatbun is specifically referencing this poem by Ripley, but the imagery of the stone's creation as a pregnancy watered by the tears of a mother draped in white is A Thing in alchemy.)

No, but in reality there are a lot of reasons Xie Xue is important and ways in which she is connected to the original story, and to its alchemical symbolism. Xie Xue’s name literally means snow, and the girl in the story is described as having snow-white wings using the same character as in Xie Xue’s name. The girl is also described as an angel thanks to these wings, but angels aren’t entirely positive in alchemy: wings symbolize volatility. 

Anyways, again, pregnancy is a metaphor in alchemy for the gestation/progress of creating the philosopher’s stone. Hence, philosophical child as the concept of a walking philosopher’s stone. Considering some other elements in this story that seem to be callbacks to what happened around the inciting incident of He Yu’s birth and Xie Qingcheng’s parents’ deaths--namely, that the Wei ancestor who started this hell (intentionally or unintentionally) rescued the girl has almost the exact same backstory as Qin Ciyan (whose name literally means stone) and that Xie Qingcheng has always desperately wanted to become Qin Ciyan... I very much think it’s possible Xie Xue will end up in the same situation as He Yu’s mother and need RN-13 to save her life/her child. However, I have hope Xie Qingcheng and He Yu will save her (and/or Wei Dongheng will; I don’t believe he’s himself involved, or at least doesn’t know the extent of what’s going on). It should be an inverse of the story, not a repeat, and there’s lot of potential ways for this to challenge Xie Qingcheng through his desire to be like Qin Ciyan. 

Anyways, to end on a funny note, that means Xie Qingcheng has a limited number of chapters left to embody this. 

side note mpreg is alchemical, oh god meatbun

(but in all seriousness this pregnant dude is supposed to be Boreas, the Greek god of the North wind and of winter, which not only relates to Snow but is also actually what the “dong” 冬 character in Wei Dongheng’s name means. fun fun fun; anyways I very much think this means the baby will be important and nothing will happen to them but I sweat for the parents). 

[turnaroundroundround]

Opera References in Musical Yuukoku no Moriarty Op. 2

Some thoughts of mine after re-watching Morimyu Op. 2, regarding Irene's arc A Scandal in British Empire, about all the opera references and some random thoughts that come to mind during this arc. Obviously there's a lot more to Morimyu Op. 2, for instance The Two M's and Mycroft's solo (which I often refer to as "the Mycroft Anthem" lol), the entire Baskerville arc, and the train arc, and so on. And there's a whole lot of other things I'd like to discuss about them as well, but maybe just save it for another time. I don't know if anyone has discussed these references before, and I am not entirely a pro in music either. All I have is some basic knowledge on opera and harmony, so these are just some personal impression that came to mind when I watched this arc, so please keep it in mind.

A SCANDAL IN BRITISH EMPIRE

Okay, so the biggest motivation for this post is, obviously, the music throughout the entire Scandal arc. It is heavily influenced by opera, partly because Irene herself is an opera singer, partly also because the masquerade ball itself is also a perfect stage for an opera to be shown. And the opera was not simply brought in to make the music sound good, but also utilising the plot of the opera itself to create more depth and color to the musical. About Opera during the 19th Century Some side notes. Opera has originated and developed from various different kinds of stage ever since the Greek and Romans. I'm not going into details but anyway, by the 19th Century, it's still somewhat of a luxury that is mostly meant for nobles and people with high status. There are millions of stories about nobles coming to the theatre only to enjoy the music and not the play itself, or not really watching anything but waiting to see their favourite opera singer. Like when the other things in the play are going on, they stay in there box or hang out with other nobles, playing cards and all, and when their favourite singer makes her debut, they come to the front of the box and watch her. Then they return to their games when she exits. All the luxuries. Opera is really something that is meant for nobles and those with nothing but time and money on their hand back then. And another thing is (with an image that I quickly searched on Google just now lol) back them before any stages there is always a pit for the orchestra to be in. They are just below the stage so that the music can still reach the audience as equally, but also low enough that they aren't in the way of the audience's view.

By the way, the role of the conductor and stage director back then was somewhat a blur (if I remember it correctly), as the music writer would very often himself direct the entire stage and become the conductor on the performance day. In case something goes wrong, such as actors need more time to adlib, then he knows how to direct the orchestra to play accordingly. It's quite a small detail, but in Op. 3 Liam also refers to himself (yes this is still about Yuumori lol) as the maestro, somewhat very similar to the role of the conductor himself. This reference, as we can see, shows Liam's role behind the scene conducting all the plots and instructions. It's quite a small detail I think, but also quite interesting

By the way, the leading singer, or Prima Donna (as they call Irene), are always sopranos. And the same goes for Irene Adler, all of her songs were written to highlight her soprano voice, like in 大作戦ーDaisakusen or her song with Ms. Hudson

An example from a song that I was reminded of when listening to Cecile!Irene. Of course there are many other songs we can talk about, this is just one of the examples.

Obviously, Irene's song aren't entirely like classical opera songs. They were all arranged to both highlight the opera feature, but also to suit the form of the musical and all the while showing Irene's elegant and gracious manners of a prima donna, and also showing her playful side especially during her duet with Sherlock.

YAMI NO OPERA - DON GIOVANNI BEHIND THE CURTAIN

To understand Don Giovanni references, it's essential to understand the story behind the original opera by Mozart. That being said, the actual plot of the story is quite long and contains so many details it's almost impossible to fit all of them into one post while also comparing them with the one in Morimyu, so this is a link to a more detailed synopsis of the opera. Or you can also read more on wiki. I'll just give some basic details that are referenced and discussed in this post. Overall impression: This opera revolves around a playboy that flirts with women, but lacking in loyalty and commitment to keep any of his promises to them. By the end of the play, after all the sin he has committed, Don Giovanni is engulfed in hell's fire, and punished for his sin. It is very much similar to the story in Morimyu, nobles relying on their wealth and status and have the freedom to do anything as they want, without having to worry about having to bear the consequence. Because of the difference in power and status, it is almost impossible to punish all of them, therefore having a need of a "demon" to punish them with powers that no human have - the role of Moriarty gang within the play.

In this arc, Liam is "directing" a play that is inspired by Don Giovanni. His audience is Irene Adler (and of course us who is watching the entire thing), and the main character is Lorinson who ends up being punished for his crime. Mozart's Don Giovanni is being performed on stage, but at the same time Liam's "Don Giovanni" happens, in the back stage. What we are watching as the main stage is actually the "back stage" of the real story.

In the original play, Don Giovanni was a playboy that flirts with many women. At the beginning of the play, he flirts with a woman called Donna Anna, and her father tried to defend his daughter. They got involved in a duel and Don Giovanni killed the man. Donna Anna mourns and wish to avenger her father.

In Morimyu, the story of Lord Lorinson (pardon me for not knowing both the translation of his title and his name) is added in spite of the original plot in the manga. As far as my Japanese comprehension goes, the story is that Lord Lorinson is also one that uses his status to abduct other women to his pleasure, and ends up treating them poorly.

At one point, a woman came to the Lord of Crime, saying that her daughter has been murdered by the noble and mourns her. She wishes for revenge, and Liam proceed to do so.

Don Giovanni - Act I Finale

During Moran and Louis' fight with Raymond(?), in the section behind the stage we can see the opera theatre with the Finale song going on. The ensemble is still singing as the fight goes on behind them.

In the Finale of Act 1 here, the section that was insert into Morimyu was rather short, and was meant for a dramatic effect than actually showing what's happening in the original opera anyway. But anyway, we can see that as the fight proceeds, the curtain behind also slowly closes, ending the first Act of the opera.

It's clearer here. We can see that as they are fighting there is an entire opera going on at the back. The fact that the ensemble has their back to the audience emphasises how everything we're seeing are all in the backstage, but at the same time it proceeds alongside with all the events in the "mainstage". It's quite a powerful image.

At one point in the opera, Don Giovanni attends a party where he met one of his previous lovers that he betrayed. Then there's some talking and such and more betrayal, and somehow he then decides that he would also flirt with his ex's maid.

There isn't much that I have to say with this reference in the play, only that it is actually Fred disguising as a maid for the purpose of carrying out the plan and scared the sh*t out of Lorinson lol

I couldn't catch all the details from their conversation, but apparently Fred did some kind of stand-in again as the victim who was murdered by Lorinson, also to provoke him and lead him into Liam's trap?

At the end of the opera, Don Giovanni was cornered by the 'devil', drowning him in the flames of hell. However before that happens, the women that Don Giovanni once flirted with (as well as Donna Anna whose father was murdered by Don Giovanni) gathered, chasing after Leporello - Don Giovanni's servant - who exposed him of his guilts and sins.

The song that the women sung in this scene is "Ah, dov'e il perfido?", and there is a very small section at the end of the song that was kind of re-arranged and added to Morimyu. In Morimyu, this is the scene when Lorinson is exposed of what he is done, after that being "punished" by the devil. There is also a scene in the play when Liam mentions 地獄の炎 - Jigoku no Hono (The Flames of Hell) which is a direct reference from the original Don Giovanni. In fact, what he has been telling Lorinson is the story of Don Giovanni and how he ends up being punished - only that when Lorinson realised that, it's already too late.

(A reference from the song in the original play, the section that is used in Morimyu is actually quite short, only starting from around 5:40 within the song in this video)

In Yami no Opera, the song is arranged with Liam's part of the melody above the entire harmony. So it is indeed a proper opera that "Liam" has based on re-arranged to carry out his plan.

While Don Giovanni is happening on stage, there is also another "Don Giovanni" being punished by the devil - Lorinson. We hear part of the original song from the ensemble in the background, and also Liam's version of the punishment along with Lorinson's struggle. And at the same time the ensemble does seem to be focusing on "Don Giovanni" - all of them looking towards Liam's and Lorinson's position. A really impressive scene.

And after that very short section, the play goes on, returning their focus back to Irene Adler and Albert's conversation. There is no "Flames of Hell" erupting in any ways except for Liam's really strong section of the Yami no Opera song. And there's no need for it, I think, as Lorinson has never been the real protagonist like Don Giovanni. Liam only made him a temporary "protagonist" and not solely for the purpose of exposing him, but only as a mean to show Irene the true identity of the Lord of Crime. So there is no point making it more dramatic than it already is.

So...

That's pretty much all that I have to say about Don Giovanni and opera's reference, I think?

Well another thing, maybe, is how much I love the instrumental arrangement for violin and piano in Morimyu. They don't have the privilege of having an entire orchestra, but instead they did as much as they could for the instruments so that they recreate the original opera vibe as well as they possibly can. And the result is, just, extraordinary.

Anyhow, I've heard many of my friends comparing the songs from Op. 2 and Op. 3, seeing that Op. 3 has more of a "flow" in between the songs as all of them were written with harmony such that they have a certain connection to each other.

Not that Op. 2 doesn't do the same thing. However the second Opus does feel more separated, I think, since the music in the 3 different arcs are much more different. For instance the Baskerville arc has a "hunting" vibe to it, describing Moriarty gang's plan to bring down the nobles' game of hurting children, while the final Scandal arc revolves around an opera singer and mostly happens within a masquerade ball. So there is a big difference between the scenes, and obviously a big difference in the music brought to them as well.

Aaaand, that's pretty much all the details I've picked up (and remembered lol) up to this point.

Anyway, I've been watching and re-watching all 3 Opus of Morimyu many times, each time firguring out something else that I haven't noticed before. So if I end up realising some other details within this arc, maybe I'll come back and add to this post.

Thank you for reading ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ

Also, thank you @rikaaki for these beautiful gifs(☆▽☆)