#he’s a very very flawed parent who had to work with his circumstances and you saw him fail in some aspects

[kiingbiing]

-

[norahastuff]

There’s a lot to like about The Winchesters, but I think one of the reasons it hits so hard for me is that it solves my biggest problem with the finale. Personally, I don’t have a problem with tragic endings. The season 5 finale of Spn has a tragic ending, and I think it’s a wonderful feat of storytelling. Aside from the fact that 15x20 tried to pretend it wasn’t tragic and tried to make it seem like Sam and Dean standing alone on a bridge in Heaven was a happy ending, what I hated most about the finale was they had to flatten Dean into a two-dimensional caricature of himself to do it. Aside from maybe the revelation that Dean stood outside Sam’s apartment at Stanford for hours trying to psych himself up to go in because he was nervous Sam would turn him away, there was no moment in the episode that Dean felt like the complex, nuanced character we had come to know and love over the past 15 seasons. He had no desires or characterisation beyond pie, car and Sammy. There was no sign of all the growth we’ve seen from him, no hint of his own needs, wants or sense of self. I mean, he wasn’t even allowed to interact with his own heaven before Sam showed up. Even after his death, he was never allowed to have anything that was just his. 

Look, I’ve said all this a hundred times before – if you look at my 15x20 tag, it’s basically just this sentiment repeated over and over again – so why am I saying it again now? Well, because The Winchesters is fixing that. The mission Dean is on is all his. It’s not about Sam, or pie or whatever surface level bullshit that finale tried to boil Dean down to. He’s going back to the past, he’s meddling in something insane because he sees value in it, and in the process going on a journey to understand himself better. His narration makes it pretty clear that through this quest he’s learning to contextualise his own life and feelings better. The past presents the future, after all (full disclosure, that’s an Ugly Betty episode title that I just really loved and use far too often in casual conversation), and one of the biggest hang ups in Dean’s life was that he was given this mythologised version of events and expected to believe them. Mary was this perfect saintly mother who sat at home baking cookies all day before she was brutally, and through no fault of her own, ripped away from them. John was the perfect mild-mannered husband and father who only slid into anger and obsession after he lost his perfect wife. 

Eventually Dean realises that none of that is true. Mary couldn’t cook. She was a hunter. She was involved in the circumstances that brought about her own death. She was a complicated person, and in the end he got the chance to see that knowing the real her, flaws and all, was infinitely superior to believing the white-washed fairytale about the perfect martyr that John created after she died. There’s also the fact that John was never the perfect husband or father, even before Mary’s death. We get maybe one reference to that in Spn, how in Dean’s heaven in season 5 he remembers John and Mary fighting and John moving out for a few days, but not much else. The focus is very much on how John turned into a neglectful parent and an angry man after Mary’s death. But The Winchesters is working hard to dispel that lie. John always had this anger in him. Mary even calls him out multiple times on how he’s using her and their relationship as an excuse to avoid his issues. She straight up uses those words. There are also references to how raising your kids to be soldiers and being their drill sergeant rather than their parent is one of the worst things a parent can do to their child. 

Anyway, as interesting as it is to see all these things addressed in the Spn universe, what’s so damn satisfying is seeing Dean realise it. Dean’s on a mission to learn more about his past. To understand that our parents and where we come from shapes and moulds the people we become, but it doesn’t have to define us forever if we don’t let it. By accepting his past and finding out the truth about who his parents truly were, he can accept himself and move forward, free of whatever baggage that had been dragging him down for so much of his life.

And the greatest part about all of this, is that Dean’s the one driving this story. It’s not God, or his father or even his duty to take care of Sam which dictated so much of his life and his choices before. This is about Dean’s choices and who he is as a person and what he wants. It’s funny because as little as we saw John Winchester in season 1 of Spn, he was very much the spectre hanging over the story, and the search to find him is what drove much of the plot throughout the season. Much of what his sons were doing was in reaction to him. And now in The Winchesters, Dean himself is the spectre that’s been hanging over the season. He’s the one making the big moves and steering the action. He’s the one everyone, friend and foe alike, is looking for. He’s the one who gave John the note and put this whole thing into motion. After the ending of Spn took away so much of his agency and everything that makes Dean Dean, he’s finally getting it back and then some.

I’m excited to see how the season’s going to end, but I’ll forever be happy that this show gave us Dean being his own person again. He’s the one picking the music this time.

[burning-sol]

I think if I had been a fan of Steven Universe over the course of the series and up to the end of Future, I can see a possibility where I would have had MAD beef with the fandom. By now it seems like opinion has swung around to be more nuanced, so that's relieving, but I can only imagine how much Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz slander would have sent me.

The thing that would have pissed me off the most is that obviously Pink Diamond and Steven likely had similar outbursts of their powers due to trauma, so it would be weird to extend understanding towards Steven but be highly critical of Pink - especially since Steven had far more support in his life than Pink ever did. Pink was abused emotionally, she was punished with solitary confinement, I wouldn't be surprised if she had been abused physically and had the gems around her threatened if she misbehaved.. She was bestowed power by circumstance, she didn't CHOOSE her life anymore than Steven did: it's only by chance that they're victims of trauma who just so happen to have such potentially destructive powers.

There's also something to be put into perspective that like... Pink was the first one to break the cycle of abuse, you know? Pink didn't have a maternal figure there to tell her to be herself or to show unconditional love or to be there to comfort her as she went through hardships, she was alone. First there was Pink, the Crystal Gems came after and they had her, and then STEVEN came after and he had the Crystal Gems.. Who was there for Pink? Expecting her to have been without flaw is an unrealistic expectation considering she didn't have ANY healthy frame of reference.. Pink was one of a kind.

And like, I could continue to rant about a bunch of other things but it really DOES just boil down to the fact that Pink was a victim and it's unfair to withhold understanding from her expecting that JUST because she's a Diamond then she SHOULD know better. Like, that's just not how things WORK.. And you know, if you had asked me as a child (or even still now tbh) to turn against my abusive parents and to go against everything I knew about the world to start a revolution and then fight a war and by the end become someone who was loving and kind to the point nobody could have imagined a version of you that was so flawed?? There are very few people that could have done that. Pink was really brave and she was strong and she tried her BEST goddammit.

Not to say that she should completely lack accountability because.. Obviously not. BUT, again, expecting her to have been pristine and lacking ugliness as a victim of trauma is such an unrealistic expectation.

Also, side note, strange for people to think she intended Steven to go through absolutely everything he did when the entire point is she had Steven because she wanted a baby? Sometimes people have children even when it's against their better judgement and they know giving birth could potentially kill them: people will want children just because.. Like of course it wasn't logical, people don't have babies for logical reasons literally the majority of the time, that's the POINT and that's what Steven has to comes to grips with. "Why did Rose want a baby?" The same reason most parents want a baby even though it may have horrible consequences for the child... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They just wanted to.

Anyways, sorry, that's my tangent.

[azure-firecracker]

ATLA Live Action Episode 6: Overall Thoughts.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It made the least changes from the original, which means I have nothing really to commend it on that the original didn’t already do, but at the same time, I don’t have anything to complain about either. In isolation, it is a very good episode of television. In isolation, it’s the best episode yet, but I have a harder time crediting it because most of the good stuff in here is from the original. Onto the specifics:

This episode continued the trend I don’t love of Aang being just a vessel for cliché heroic lines. I get that the show is supposed to have a more mature tone, and maybe some of Aang’s more childish traits wouldn’t have translated well, but they could have at least put SOMETHING interesting in there.

In terms of the Aang/Roku scene, I didn’t love it. I don’t like this “the avatar must not have friends” dilemma the show is pushing. It’s tired. We’ve seen it in every fantasy show. A variation of this could work as part of Aang’s work, but it doesn’t work as his central conflict. It’s too overdone.

Also, Katara wasn’t in this episode, so I couldn’t get annoyed at them for butchering her character. Definite plus.

Another plus was June! Didn’t love her flirting with Iroh but she was fun and entertaining. Arden Cho did a wonderful job. I hope they bring her back more, she’d be a great recurring fun character to have around.

I did love all the stuff with Zuko. I loved the juxtaposition between younger, idealistic, naive Zuko and current, hardened Zuko. Even though live action Zuko is softer than animated Zuko, this episode really did a good job of showing how he has been hardened by his experiences, relative to what he once was. I liked his conversation with Aang, and how the two clearly have a connection despite their circumstances. I generally like it when those types of stories are played out in a non-romantic context because it’s so rare. A lot of the lines between them were a bit cliché, but they worked (except for the line going right into the flashback where Aang was like “You can’t have always been this way. That one was a little heavy handed).

In terms of the flashback itself:

Younger Zuko seems softer and more naive than animated Zuko, which works with the way we see Zuko here. He had a lot of good lines, especially his line about giving the weak a chance. I know some people didn’t like that he fought back against Ozai in the Agni Kai, but to me it worked. It showed that he was still trying to please his father, and just how willing he was to sacrifice his morals to do it (though not willing enough for Ozai).

Speaking of Ozai, I find it interesting how he’s portrayed here. The original show portrayed him as very uncaring, willing to banish Zuko for disobedience but not really caring if he came back. Here it almost seems like he genuinely thinks this is good parenting, like he genuinely believes this will make Zuko stronger. Obviously he’s still horrible and abusive, but I actually think it works better than the original. It goes hand in hand with how he seems to really think he’s doing the right thing for the world with the FN (because newsflash…that’s what imperialism is!) A villain who really thinks they’re right is always more interesting than one who just wants power and is horrible. I think they could do interesting things with him and I’m intrigued.

Iroh was really sweet in this episode. I liked that he tried to stop Ozai from having the Agni Kai, and that he was with Zuko afterwards. It always puzzled me why he didn’t do that in the first place, and while Iroh having flaws makes sense (he should have flaws!) that particular flaw didn’t seem right, so I liked that addition.

And rounding out the fire family flashback (haha alliteration!) we have Azula. She didn’t really do anything here but the bangs were a great choice! I found it a bit weird that the camera kept zooming in on her expression during Zuko’s burning, but her expression was very neutral. It’s another change I like from the original. I think Azula smiling in the original works and is super interesting, but this show is clearly taking steps to make her more humanized right off the bat, which I appreciate as an Azula stan who has to deal with…many people who don’t see her as human. I’m not sure what to make of her expression, but I did notice that it’s the same one she used when Ozai burned the spy in episode 3 (good job Lizzy Yu!) It seems like a mix of fear and joy and detachment, like she’s trying to relish it but also she knows it could happen to her, but she doesn’t want to admit that, and also she just wants to detach from what’s happening. It can be interpreted in many ways!

One minor thing: I didn’t like that this Agni Kai was outside. The really dark, all red, fiery throne room looked a lot more menacing. And they literally already have that set! Having it outside made it look so much more mundane.

Back to the present:

Blue Spirit escape sequence was great! Again, basically torn from the original so no surprise there. I appreciate that they didn’t feel the need to change everything, and the mask looked great. I also loved Iroh’s last line about the mask being the real you. That’s a theme that could come back for a number of characters (Aang, Zuko, Katara, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee…) And I did get this spoiled, but the addition of Zuko’s crew being the 41st was great. Lovely. Super sweet. A wonderful way to pull at the heartstrings.

I’ll give this episode a 9/10. A very strong episode of television, but I can’t give it a 10 because the strongest stuff is plucked from the OG.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

I've just finished reading 'Unwary'.

This was amazing - thank you for writing and sharing, and thank you for tagging me!

I can certainly sympathize with Theodwyn's view on Eomund. The things that make a man exciting at 20 quite often make him childish and irritating at 40 if he doesn't grow up and move beyond him.

Then we discover, Theodwyn is just as flawed that way herself. Also incapable of heeding the advice of others, not accepting she needs to change and behave more sensibly until it's too late.

I loved the add-on stuff about Thengel. I headcanon Thengel as being a hard, authoritarian father who set high standards and expected obedience (hence why Theoden is so worried about being worthy of his ancestors), and struggled to show love, especially to his kids. I also headcanon that one of the daughters was completely overlooked because she was quieter and plainer than her more glamorous and outgoing siblings. The 'second daughter' name in your story is a great but painful touch.

Would be interesting to see a follow-up from Eomer's perspective. The son who loves his parents unconditionally as a child realizes as an adult how flawed they both were. And perhaps it gives him some painful moments of self-reflection, sitting in vigil over Eowyn in the Halls of Healing after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, accepting that he himself suffers from the same rash stubbornness, and it almost got him killed as well. He tells himself he needs to do better and be better going forward, if he is to be a good King.

Beautifully done. Thank you again, for your lovely work :)

Thank you so very much! What a lovely message!

I think you and I are in a very similar place about Thengel! As someone who’s own father was a damn mess, he never had a good role model for fatherhood and so prioritized easily quantifiable things like discipline and obedience over squishier stuff like feelings, which he would never have imagined talking about with his dad. And since he was essentially forced back to Rohan against his will, I think that would also have made him very particular about wanting to have everything his own way once he was there. (Like an “I’m compensating for my lack of control in being here by overly controlling everything else” kind of deal.)

What you say about the lingering effect of the deaths of Éomund and Théodwyn on Éomer (and Éowyn) is really interesting. I sort of walked up to the edge of that in an earlier story, but I’d like to re-look at that now that I have a clearer sense in my own mind of how things went down with the parents. I wonder how much of the true circumstances of their deaths the kids would have ever been told. Éomund’s death was a matter of military tactics gone bad, so they probably would have learned that over time just from a description of the bare facts. But beyond knowing that their mother became inexplicably ill and died, did they know any more about the context?

It’s really interesting to think about and something I’d love to read more about, too, if anyone else has written (or will write) on that same overall theme!

(Also, have I ever told you that your Éomer “listen up fives, a ten is speaking” gifs are one of my ALL TIME favorite LOTR memes??? ♥️)

[ad-hawkeye]

You can tag this under 50 Shades, but after I read this post from Hoyolab, hoyolab (.) com/#/article/19978642/, if this is true, I am very disappointed about this direction, though it is one I've seen coming. That being said, you've given your thoughts on the writing. In your ideal world, where would the cards post 2nd anniversary have gone, if you had to keep the general situation/environment, but could change up everything else about it?

holy fuck, the way i actually agree with everything in this post. here is the link for those curious, it's a fantastic read tbh.

a few of us in our tot discord have discussed this as well. here are a few brief snippets below.

sorry for the incoherent mess of thoughts below, words are Not coming easy HAHA.

but yeah... like the post said, barbie is a very good way of putting it.

i used to have the same issue with luke. i'm not a huge fan of characters being good at Too Many Things, especially when there's no flaws to balance it out. it really pulls me out of the story. so like. the more you try to impress me with a character, the less impressed i'll be. which. is why i haaaate artem's newer cards.

see, the thing is, the whole reason why i liked artem in the first place is because of how he felt like the down to earth option. he wasn't the childhood friend/undercover agent/detective/stem genius, he wasn't a ceo and son of the richest family in stellis, and he wasn't literal royalty. he was just a lawyer who worked with rosa. he was bad at talking to people. he was a bit of a homebody. he was LAME. completely inexperienced in romance. he was good at his job, but it was obvious he put all of his skill points into being a lawyer and no where else. his abilities with shooting and cooking were both important aspects to his character, but the skills hoyoverse added beyond that just baffle me.

he wasn't cool, but he was kind and genuine.

ever since second anniversary, there has been absolutely no consistency to artem's character whatsoever.

neil gets mentioned less and less even though he was a major part of artem's life AND character. neil was his father figure, since his parents were rarely, if ever, around. and yet, in recent cards, tot constantly goes out of its way to try and convince us artem's parents did nothing wrong. to add to that, we're lucky if neil is even mentioned.

in earlier cards, it was very clear artem was grieving neil's disappearance (see: entwined fate). it was also clear artem's childhood circumstances were extremely lonely and caused him to try and brush off the neglect because he didn't want to stress out his already busy parents (see: loving memories and his dreams of childhood sr)! earlier cards also hinted at traumatic events and a fear of firearms due to how dangerous neil's job as a lawyer was (see: focus fire).

but for god knows what reason, newer cards said well! fuck all of this! artem no longer gives one single shit about neil! also? honestly? the writers seem confused and disoriented by artem downplaying his childhood issues and just made it so he truly Had no issues with his childhood. which. ok. i guess.

in recent months, we have not had one single card where rosa and artem sit down to talk about how artem feels about neil's disappearance. one single card where artem even openly addresses any traumatic experiences. or emotional neglect in childhood.

remember when focus fire mentioned that a disgruntled mafia member held him and neil at gunpoint because he was pissed neil put everyone else in the gang behind bars?? no?? yeah, me neither! because it's never mentioned again! old tot content implies it was incidents like these, the general emotional neglect from his parents, and neil's disappearance that contributed to artem's closed off personality. but man, fuck that! for some reason!

this doesn't even touch upon artem's romantic and sexual inexperience, which has also been entirely undone. he's a sex god now, i guess.

and let us not forget how artem has learned and forgot the same lessons like, several times. artem did we not learn why jealousy and possessiveness are bullshit in atmospherics, por una cabeza, etc...??? are we really back at this again? and it's not even being addressed as a character flaw anymore? okay! okay. fine! whatever.

but okay. i'm getting off track. you asked me an entirely different question! where would i have liked to have seen the cards go? i think the cards following second anniversary are so... well, nothing that you could probably swap out the plots and avoid losing anything of importance.

honestly, i think artem's cards would have shined the best if they stuck to his original character. so when considering the confines we have now:

artem is extremely emotionally repressed. it'd take time for him to come out of his shell. and his early dating cards do begin like this! it's very endearing! several cards could focus on this progression as he becomes more comfortable and relaxed with rosa. progression into being engaged. living with someone for the first time. please.

rosa and artem's dynamic has like, vanished in recent cards. which is a goddamn shame, because their more comfortable dynamics in his railroad, revisiting youth, and snowfallen secrets cards are so charming! they joke around! artem's sense of humor pokes out! they act like real PEOPLE! they're silly! they're nerds! they're equals! i'd keep this dynamic instead of it just being artem flipping back and forth between sex god and "yes i will do whatever you want [insert player name here]"

neil. please, can we focus on neil. what being a lawyer means to artem. how neil influenced that. how artem feels about neil being gone, how artem feels about neil's possible betrayal of the nxx?? he could always have an arc of going through the stages of grief, or learning to look at things through a new lens. being sad neil won't be around for milestones. etc.

the incidents implied in focus fire. okay, being held at gunpoint is pretty uhhh fucking traumatic. did any other events happen bc of neil's status? his parents' statuses? is this why he is so emotionally repressed? is this why he takes the law so seriously?

his parents. can we stop acting like his parents did nothing wrong. please. his parents used to be portrayed under the "well meaning but ultimately very flawed" light, which i adored. it was grey. it was human. maybe artem could learn that it wasnt right of his parents to be so nonexistent in his life. his parents can still love him and make mistakes. maybe he could rebuild his relationship w his parents? maybe once he realizes what he went through wasn't normal, he can be angry, and work through it. idk! anything! please!

more focus on rosa. her studies. her exams. anything. her family. her past. her hobbies. her teaching artem something. rosa talking about her issues. pelase. Please.

it truly feels like his original writers got swapped out, and the new ones have no idea what artem's charm was in the first place. they have no idea how his character even works, so they're just desperately trying to attach Cool Hobbies to him bc they think he's more boring than the other boys when like. that's the fucking point, that IS his charm.

gosh this was so long and i'm sorry if it's like. UNREADABLE or if i totally missed the point but this was like. Freeing to type out. thank you for reaching out anon, it turns out i had more thoughts than i expected!! hope you're having a lovely day! : )

[mikuni14]

Only Friends Ep 5

Sand and Ray This time the episode focused largely on them, their relationship went through a whole stage during this time, from the tentative hope for Something, to the devastating feeling that their relationship is falling apart before their eyes even though they both don't want it to. This ep shed some light on Sand, on being the child of a single parent, a mother who certainly struggled to provide for both of them. The way Sand works all the time and money is an issue in his life. The way he is cynical and disillusioned and has his feet firmly on the ground, while still having his dreams. And how Ray shakes up his life, how Sand gives himself a chance at love, and how it makes him upset that he may be the only one who feels it. Sand is such a good boy, as seen when he stops pouring alcohol into Ray's glass when he tells him about his mother. Ray is a good boy too, just a victim of circumstances. They really have a chance for a good relationship, for me they are the only ones in this series that can actually make it. I was really sad to see the despair in Ray's eyes when he told Sand that he could talk to him if he had any questions about him and their relationship. And when Sand turns his back on him. Sand is a bit unfair I think, because Ray has proven many times that he is invested in their relationship, he even went with him to fight debt collectors! 😭 Sand should talk to him and give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps things would have turned out differently if, to Boston's question: if you don't feel anything about Mew, why are you so upset, Ray would have replied: because what you say will threaten my relationship with Sand. Because maybe I'm wrong, but I think that for Ray the worst thing was that Sand witnessed this argument. I have the impression that Ray is trying and sincerely likes Sand and hopes for a relationship with him. But Ray, the unluckiest boy in the world, once again becomes a victim of circumstances and his feelings and Boston he's probably just his collateral damage.

Mew and Top Top, to me, was sort of detached throughout this episode, and his time with Mew made it seem like he was doing his chores in order to gain bed privileges. I don't know if there's anything less romantic than checking things off someone's list and proving your worth. Mew is still one of the funniest characters for me. Like the fact that he constantly emphasizes that sex is only penetration never fails to make me laugh (when he called Boston to say he wanted to do IT with Top, I wanted to shake him and say, you already did THAT with him ffs!). Mew has an entire ideology built around sex and his virginity, which is very funny because he's obviously just been waiting for the right guy and when he finds him, he wants to do it with him so badly that he ignores potential red flags (Top's reputation and how people constantly hit on him even when they're together, which Mew sees, also the drugs) and even finds excuses to do it with him. For example: because it keeps Top from taking drugs, or, wait for it, it's gonna be good (and also ruins Mew's entire carefully developed ideology and reputation), otherwise Top will get bored with him. 😄 My opinion about Mew remains the same, he's a pathetic, morally questionable, fake character. There's really nothing wrong with waiting for someone you just want to do it with, it's NORMAL. Why make a list, requirements, a trial period, when in the end he chooses, let's be honest, with his heart and 🍆? How is he different, morally better? from the other characters, how is he different from Boston, whom he looks down upon and would like him to change, since Boston also chooses whomever he wants in bed?🤷‍♀️

Nick and Boston Despite their flaws, I must admit that I like them the most. Nick with his determination, ruthlessness in reaching his goal, obsession, even though he is fully aware of what Ton is like, the things he is able to do for him, how far he is able to go for him… I don't know, but as a character Nick is very real and I understand him. The corruption of this toxic love on his otherwise good soul is so realistic. Same with Boston, who is a great character, I love him. Whatever he does, whatever he says, somehow it's always true, which is amazing. He manipulates people with the truth, not lies, confronts them with their own ideas about themselves and others, which understandably always ends in an interesting way, because people are attached to their ideas and do not want the truth about them to come to light. Boston in the final scene when he watches Sand and Ray like a hawk being lovey-dovey was my favorite Boston, it was like watching a loaded shotgun knowing it was about to fire 🤩

I'm curious about Boston in the trailer for the next episode. He looks genuinely upset that Ray probably knows about him and Top in the car (which Ray knows from Sand, which means maybe they finally talked to each other.. I hope). Did Ton want to keep it for himself because he feels something for Top and wants to have this moment for himself, or does he want to keep it because he wants to use it at a convenient moment?🤔

[delusionaid]

Headcanon: Diluc Edition #32b - Praise

I have my own extensive headcanons when it comes to Crepus Ragnvindr that I'll gladly tell to everyone who never asked - and until someone stops me they will tie into my portrayal of Diluc.

CW: questionable parenting style | You'll rarely find a bigger Crepus fan than me and yet this is not a positive post about him. We love our DILFs with flaws okay. Eventually I'll post either my fanfic or meta posts about Crepus which will explain - though not excuse - his treatment of Diluc.

A big theme is the whole topic of praise. When you weed through the (scarce) material we have on Crepus there are a number of discrepancies on various things, which I don't actually primarily blame on any kind of retconning or lack of oversight in a big writer team but rather on unreliable narrators:

the Knights asked Diluc to keep the circumstances of his father's death a secret. Now from what I recall it said that Enoch claimed he didn't want the Ordo's reputation to suffer, however I believe the fact that Crepus used a delusion is part of that too. Also, there's an unspoken history between Crepus and the knights (FOR WHICH I HAVE A HEADCANON HELLO *waves*) that entails the reason for why he was not able to join them in his youth and the ominous underground intelligence network that Diluc later joins and who may have had dealings with Crepus before already. So I'll take anything the Knights have to say about Crepus with a grain of salt - even if Enoch is gone now and I'd trust Varka to tell the truth (because I also hc him a friend of Crepus).

Kaeya is a picture book unreliable narrator and we love him for it. I take everything he says with several grains of salt.

Diluc himself. And this I blame on the way he was raised by Crepus, part of which is the actual content of this meta post.

Tl;dr: there are bits of info that make us believe that Crepus was a warm wonderful caring dad and then there are bits that make him sound quite harsh and distant.

He held regret (or resentment) against the fact that he was not able to join the knights in his time so he pushed Diluc as hard as he could to join the Ordo and rise in their ranks. Diluc is thorough and hard-working and doesn't leave a lot of time for fun times - this is something I hc him to have had in his youth already and never really lost (if anything it got "worse"). It led to Diluc honing his skills and becoming the youngest Cavalry Captain in the history of the Knights - which I place very much in the responsibility of Crepus and his high expectations for Diluc. However Diluc displays few typical signs of youthful arrogance which a young man of his skill might develop naturally when comparing himself to peers and always coming out on top.

--Which is why I think Crepus held him down by denying him the approval Diluc very much craved, despite his remarkable achievements. It would make him work harder to fulfill his father's expectations yet he'd never gain that level of confidence and the sense of achievement (and security) one gets from the praise of a proud parent. Crepus' praise would mean more to him than the positive consequences of his achievements themselves yet he rarely ever - if at all - received it. The resulting desire for praise and approval is something I headcanon Diluc to have to this day, however the one person he craves the approval of is no longer around and no one else can function as a satisfying substitute. This leads to these feelings being repressed and hardly recognizable in Diluc's behavior - unless one is close to him and very perceptive (and perhaps knowledgeable about his history with his father, like e.g. Kaeya would be).

I particularly remember that random drink event in this context because it gave us a rare glimpse into Crepus as a father:

To my understanding, Diluc was quite young in this scenario - but regardless of age it shows that Crepus did not patiently guide Diluc to learning something, he rather pushed him into the cold water a bit and made him figure it out for himself. Like Diluc says - maybe he tested his creativity, but maybe there's a lot more behind this as well. He is testing Diluc's ability to assess what Crepus might want, to assess whether he wants anything specific of him at all, to create something good and valuable without being an expert, to be creative, to muster the courage to try (and fail? Although failure is not REALLY an option, is it?), etc.

Crepus said nothing. Nothing at all. He was "surprised" in a way that even young Diluc could tell - yet he didn't tell him how he felt about it. Whether it was good or bad or what. There is plenty to learn from that behavior if you go at it from a psychological point of view - but it's a rough lesson for a young child. It can create a quite debilitating insecurity about whether one's actions were good and wanted or not and in someone like Diluc it would instill the need to try harder yet next time in the hopes of getting a positive response then.

The bit about "I've never thought about it, I suppose" can be read in various ways; it could ofc go against my thoughts on wanting Crepus' approval, but it could also indicate that Diluc was not consciously aware of the weight he placed on his father's actions and reactions at the time, despite it being very much in focus on a subconscious level.

At this point I also have the headcanon that Diluc would (and still does) excuse his father's behavior in this aspect. Crepus could have been as hard on him or made him feel insecure and not good enough day in day out - Diluc would always accept and excuse it. Acknowledging that the way Crepus raised him led to many of the negative feelings and developments Diluc has as an adult is something he is (still) far away from and really doesn't want to hear. I think he knows, on some level, but knowing and really understanding are two different things.

And finally - and this is not really based in anything other than my angst brain: I imagine that Crepus had a much easier time to praise Kaeya, also in front of Diluc. This did not lead to Diluc resenting Kaeya, however, nor did it lead him to resent his father. Of course he felt jealously on some level but he loved Kaeya and idolized his father so much that he internalized the negative emotions he felt and turned them against himself rather than either one of them. It became yet more fuel to push himself to be better.

Tl;dr: Diluc has the issues.

[iamafanofcartoons]

Character Analysis from R/RWBY: Cinder Fall, borne of abuse and neglect, molded by society.

It should be noted that for all her hatred of Atlas, Cinder sure is alot like an Atlesian herself That whole "I'm the only one that mattered and everyone else are irrelevant" mindset as well as the "Don't think, obey" thing she has for Emerald and Mercury...

Plus her ego which is very Atlesian-brand (which Adam also has, btw).

Kind of like Ironwood under the influence of Mettle and his cultivating the Ace-Ops to obey orders no matter what.

It's not uncommon for people that suffer in a particular way to do the same to others, either out of a sense of entitlement or retribution. All too often someone is hurt, or raised in a certain environment or under circumstances and continue the cycle of abuse.

People can often become what they hate most, when they care more about getting even or getting what they feel they are owed. Maybe because it's all they know, maybe because they feel like if they had to suffer, others should too. It's no excuse, but people have their reasons.

This can be for any number of reasons, but in Cinder's case I think it's primarily three reasons:

She does it to others so it can't happen to her again. This reasoning operates under the idea that somebody has to be on top & doing the abusing; if she's not on top, she’s at the bottom. Obviously this logic is flawed as we've already seen.

She thinks it's "her turn," she's suffered so it's about time she got the chance to do the same things that happened to her to somebody else. This is a common sentiment among a particular breed of bad parent, that "can't wait to have kids, so they can discipline them, like they were growing up."

She thinks acting this way is just how the world works, and it'll get her what she wants. Cinder is largely motivated by fear; she never wants to be who she used to be (in her own mind): weak, scared, and under somebody’s control. This is why she's power hungry; And her upbringing in Atlas, a deeply elitist and hierarchical society, instilled a belief that there always needs to be people at the bottom being crushed under boot. And power and control are how you prevent being those people.

The power and control to accomplish goals is something we also see in Ironwood. Although I'd point out is that Ironwood's belief in Might makes Right, and his need for control are personal traits that resulted from his position, circumstance & personality, not Mettle. Mettle's canonicity being dubious aside, it can't force Ironwood to do anything he doesn't want to do, so it still ultimately comes down to personal discretion. And Ironwood's ideology, and choices are moreso indicative of Atlas's fundamental flaws as a society & culture. Which is also put on full display via Cinder's backstory & character.

Thought it should be mentioned? Hypocrisy is a major component of RWBY antagonists much like also Adam, Salem, Roman, Ironwood and even Raven, save for Tyrian who knows exactly what he's doing and doesn't make any pretense or lie about his personality and goals.

Its why people like Tyrian.  He doesn't hide who and what he is. He knows he's a monster and he full on embraces it.

Cinder is a product of her upbringing. She was raised in Atlas as a slave of the atlesian elite.

And the next person we see who is "raising" her or is simply a mentor is Salem herself. Salem who describes herself like a God. And Salem is who Cinder strives to be.

She wants to be powerful, bc she believes that if she's all powerful no one can hurt again. And bc of this she acts like the 2 people who have/had power over her. The madam and Salem.

I think that’s kinda the whole point of her. She wants to become them. Cinder doesn’t hate that there is a massive power imbalance in society. She simply wants to be on the nicer side of that imbalance. That’s why she doesn’t fight like a freedom fighter or equalizer.

Cinder feels she is entitled to this power because of her suffering and she has “earned” it all. While those who were born there didn’t deserve there power. Cinder basically copes with her past through arrogance and entitlement. It’s why she believe in destiny. She believes what happened to her in her past was destiny and that past destined her for being the most powerful.

Obviously that made her extremely self centered. As she can only ever see her suffering. Which is why she is remorseless. This is also what made her a pretty bad manipulator and what Salem was kinda talking about in volume 5. Before volume 8 cinder could only really control people through force and power. Which is how she controlled the white fang and torchwick. This obviously did not work on neo or watts. She wasn’t even able to keep mercury or emerald on her side.

It’s pretty clear cinder didn’t even see why emerald joined her(she wanted a family). And we did see that cinder didn’t hesitate to threaten them( ie “don’t think, obey”). Had cinder been able to understand the two better she may have been able to keep them along for much longer(act as that family to emerald even if it’s just an act). Mercury is a bit different in that his exact reasons for joining her weren’t clear. But we can see that he ended up leaving her for Salem. My theory is he likely didn’t see cinder as someone he could rely on to protect him in Salems court. As when mercury was under her. His standing in Salems eyes was dependent on cinder actions and as we saw cinders selfishness put her in terrible terms with Salem at times. We clearly saw in volume 6 mercury was terrified of Salem.

Cinder did improve in volume 8 a bit with this. We saw that she actually pretended to prioritize the needs of neo and watts before hers. Which is what made her plan go pretty smoothly. Everyone was motivated to do there part to get something they wanted. This what Salem was talking about in v5 about the usefulness of others. Ofc at her core cinders mindset didn’t really change as in she prioritized herself over everyone which is why she betrayed both of them. The only person she really prioritized over herself was Salem since she gave up her pursuit of power for the relics but this is also likely because she felt this was essential to her survival. So in the end her perspective changed a bit but not much else.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/11rboyw/for_all_her_hatred_of_atlas_cinder_sure_is_alot/

[rollercoasterwords]

i'm currently rereading thtf rn, and in one of the author's notes at the end of the chapter you said that you think voldemort wasn't a good villain. i agree with you on that 100%, and i'd really like to hear all your thoughts on why you think that way.

fun question!!! i am happy 2 discuss w the caveat of course that this is all my subjective opinion etc etc

i feel like the reasons i don't think voldemort is a "good" villain (in terms of storytelling) can sort of be broken into 2 main things

1: voldemort as a character

so by this i mean, without looking at the broader story or wizarding society + how voldemort's character functions like...narratively within the story, just looking at the character itself. characterwise i think voldemort is just....pretty flat.

like, from the way dumbledore describes voldemort as a child, we're basically supposed to view him as a character who has always been fundamentally evil, like he was "born bad." sure, there's some gesturing towards society with the tragic backstory w his parents, growing up in an orphanage, hating his dad, etc. but none of that is fully fleshed out in a way that indicates voldemort might have been good if his circumstances had been different; instead, it's mostly just used to explain why he hates muggles so much. but he's portrayed as sadistic and manipulative from the time he's a child, a kid who has always wanted power and just continues to seek power his entire life. this is just....a boring character, in my opinion. tautological evil doesn't really give us anything to think about, anything to question, anything to pull from the story and relate to real life--because in real life, people aren't just born evil, y'know?

and obviously people can say "oh well it's a kids' story of course it's gonna be simple and black + white when it comes to good + evil!" but honestly i just don't buy that argument. i've encountered plenty of kids' media that is not so boring and black + white with its portrayals of good vs evil (animorphs comes immediately to mind). so! to me it still just feels like a flat + boring character.

2: voldemort as a figural evil

a lot of what i have to say here can be summed up in this quote from harry potter and the leaky genre:

"And herein lies the true fantasy in Harry Potter: that systemic dysfunction can be destroyed because it has been artificially projected onto, and reduced to, one locus: the person of Voldemort."

rao talks about this in his essay very succintly, but basically--in the harry potter universe + the overarching narrative of the story, voldemort functions as a figural symbol onto which all of the systemic issues of wizarding society can be projected + neatly defeated in one fell swoop. throughout the series, we see an abundance of systemic flaws + oppression in the wizarding world, all of which are deeply ingrained and none of which can be boiled down to one single person's individual intent. and yet, voldemort becomes the symbol for Everything That's Wrong, and we are led to believe that if harry potter can just triumph over Evil, then everything will be fixed.

essentially, voldemort becomes a political sleight of hand. our eyes are drawn away from the systemic issues that need to be uprooted and overhauled, and we're so busy watching harry potter embark on his quest to defeat The Bad Guy that by the time the dust settles we're supposed to be satisfied with our nice little happy ending, rather than questioning why harry potter would become a wizard cop working for the ministry of magic when that institution was shown to be fundamentally flawed throughout the course of the series.

this representation of evil is very much rooted in jkr's conservative politics + worldview, and it's something that you'll find throughout a lot of political rhetoric--the idea that there is a specific outside figure or group who is the Source of Evil and a Threat to Good (read: our pre-existing institutions + society), and so we need to focus all our energy on destroying The Bad Guy rather than taking a look at our own flawed institutions and overturning existing oppressive structures. all in all, it's a type of evil/villainy that i do not find compelling in storytelling and that i think is actively bad because of the political narrative it perpetuates. and so that's what i'm getting at when i say that i don't think voldemort is a "good" villain!

[feministsouthpark]

My Top 10 favorite South Park characters

Also known as the top 10 best women, bc of course from a writing standpoint the boys are written with much better understanding, but these are my top 10 characters I'd like to see more of 😊 10. Maggie Yates Ok, so the reasoning is that she's an inspiration to her husband, but she also deserves much better than him. She's better than him even in his hobbies and his job, still her fate is to be the stay-at-home housewife which i find realistic, as a lot of talented women end up this way. I'd like to see her come into her own, but that's hardly Trey's intention with the character. She'll stay our relatable housewife.

9. Sheila Broflovski In the early days of the fandom, especially because of the movie, people see her as the villain. However she is one of the best mothers in the show, even if she's overprotective helicopter parent, her kids are some of the best, and we all know it's not her husband's doing. As you can tell, I especially enjoy her Jersey backstory and the ways she overcame her past and protects her friends now.

8. Sharon Marsh She is the main example of a wife trapped in an awful marriage, which is pretty common in real life. Honestly, when she made an OnlyFans, I was like, go girl! Still, she loves and protects her children even from their father, I'd say considering the circumstances she's doing a very good job at that.

7. Laura Tucker Remember The Magic Bush? She was so real for that. She deserves any recognition and appreciation she gets for being a wonderful wife, mother and woman while being true to herself.

6. Mrs. Helen Tweak TBH For recency bias I might put her in the number four spot, since I underestimated her pretty much all these years. A month before she would be in the place of Maggie as another housewife type, but her performance in The End of Obesity was incredible, her new hair and attitude was fresh and energetic, I'M happy for her finding her independence seemengly away from her restricting husband. Can't wait to see more of her in the future! And also planning to review her past episodes in a new light after the fact.

5. Principal Victoria I wish there were a few more episodes of her even after she is not a principal anymore. She is a strong woman in her own right, her speech in Breast Cancer Show Ever alone earns her a spot on this list.

4. Liane Cartman So the fact about Liane is... She isn't as horrible as a mother as the problems with her child. She can't deal with him that's for sure, but her son is bad on levels she couldn't even imagine. She knows he is uncontrollable and still tries her hardest as a single mother to help him. As a person she is kind and sweet who doesn't deserve this much struggle and her character development over the years has been outstanding.

3. Mayor McDaniels South Park has too few major female characters. Which Trey and Matt try to compensate sometimes, and one of their greatest decisions in the 90s was that the mayor of the titular town would be a woman. She is smart, hard-working and quite possibly living through a rich emotional journey as alluded to in Tweek x Craig, with her possible deceased lover. She also has enough flaws to be funny, like her being vain and dismissive of her town sometimes.

2. Strong Woman She is feminism personified, how could I not love her? And also... Her looks and personality remind me one of my real life heroes, a teacher (the best teacher I ever had -academically speaking as well, no less- ) who introduced me to everything I stand for. I wish I could tell her how much that meant to me, I usually get reminded her through this character. Also, just in-story she is still a great teacher and her dynamic with PC Principal is flawless.

1. Harriet Biggle Not only my favorite character of the whole show, but a severly underrated one as well. She’s like a Desperate Housewives character (specifically a lot like Martha Huber) and she steals every scene she’s in, when she invites Sharon to a “school shooting”, tries to bribe the boys with video games and tries to shoot Eric in the realtor episode all while speaking in a melodic voice never fails to make me laugh. She also has an adopted son who she cares for, so we know she has a lot of heart, still, she has blatant fatphobia which makes her even funnier, I always hope she gets more focus, and am sick of how underappreciated she is as a character.

[frozenmoonshine]

A serious post ahead:

I know it's become super trendy to hate on Takeomi, and I'm guilty of joining the trend myself, after seeing the info in CB#4, but!

It got me thinking about his character, and just how damn unfair Wakui was towards him. He introduced Takeomi with all the hype possible (cocky, sarcastic chainsmoker who was Shinichiro's right hand man, the Vice-Commander of the OG Black Dragon, the so-called "God of War", etc), and signaled very clearly that he's going to be super important to the story (the "3 mysterious Akashi siblings", in Senju's own words), only to completely abandon him in the last arc!

And before you ask, no, I am not defending him in any way, and I am even less of his apologist. This is not about the character's likeability and morality, but about the way he is written.

However, I'm not a (professional) writer, and I can't really talk much about character development, plot resolution, etc. 'cause I don't wanna talk out of my ass about something I'm not competent enough to talk about, but I do think it's more than clear that Wakui did him dirty.

He made us squint at Takeomi, like: "Is he a good guy, is he a bad guy, what is his deal, really?" And it was interesting, it made us think. And then we saw a tiny bit of his backstory, he became slightly more relatable, we realized he isn't inherently evil, but... then there came the chapter 241 and we saw what a shitty brother he was to Haru. And yet again, we were left wondering if Takeomi is someone to hate or not.

But that was it, we were left there, hanging on the cliff of his character arc that never happened for real. We never got to see what had really happened between him and Haruchiyo, and most importantly - why it happened. We can all agree that Takeomi is a horrible big brother, it's just a fact. But I also have a strong impression that there was supposed to be an explanation for his attitude towards Haru. Just like how Taiju was abusive to Hakkai and Yuzuha because he wanted them to become "strong", maybe Takeomi had his own similarly warped idea to make Haruchiyo "toughen up" by being unreasonably harsh and strict towards him.

It is one of my greatest disappointments in the manga, that Takeomi as a character was never expanded on. I'm pretty sure he'd have become one of the most relatable and compelling, if not likeable, characters. We see him being flawed, very flawed, and with very real, mundane flaws, that all of us have to some extent. He's suffering from low self esteem, he's trying to make a name/reputation for himself, he's struggling with the responsibility of parenting two kids who are not his kids but siblings, and at such a young age! If you have younger siblings, you most likely know from personal experience how wrong it is to push older children in the family to parent the younger ones, instead of parents parenting all of them!

And yeah, we could argue now that the Mitsuya were in a very similar situation, but Takashi turned out just fine.

First of all, in real life, every person is an individual, and every person's experience is different, and no family circumstances are the same. And since TR depicts family issues, social issues, and (inter)personal issues in an exceptionally realistic manner (main reason why I love it so much!), same can be said for the Akashi and the Mitsuya. Mama Mitsuya is a single mother, but she seems to be as present in her kids' lives as possible, while working her ass off to provide for them. She seems to be a good parent, and therefore the Mitsuya family is not toxic. They all love and support each other.

And to retrace to the abovementioned hypothesis that "Takashi turned out just fine" - did he, really?! He's in a delinquent biker gang, he ran away from home at least once because he couldn't deal with the pressure, he drew (illegall) graffitti, he got a temple tattoo, spent time in a brothel playing poker... His character is very understated and lowkey, so we don't exactly tend to think of him in that light, but when we look at the facts... he's not as much of an angel as he may seem.

Back to the analysis of Takeomi, his parents are not present in his and his siblings' lives. We never got a single hint about what happened with their mother, and all we know about their father is that he left, so the three of them were brought up by their grandma. And therefore, Takeomi had to shoulder the role of the "father". I wish we got to see at least a glimpse of his perspective on that. A glimpse of his own relationship with his parents. With his grandmother. Or why Shinichiro gave him the nickname 'Rainbringer'. Why he was so obsessed with money and "success", why he felt the need to be famous. Why he pushed Haruchiyo to his limits. So damn many unanswered questions, and it's just one single character! Wakui still owes us countless answers, and I will totally not be bitter about it forever!

Just make Tokyo Revengers 2 and answer everything properly, damn it!

[queenharumiura]

Complete crack but Mage got me into it, 5996.

[My KHR ship game] ||Accepting|| @whiskeysmulti Reminder: This is me just talking in general, so in no way is RP portrayals or anything being considered her. All Neo in her head. Characterizations are based off what I think would be interesting set up for the ship.

Hate it | Am Neutral to it | Ship it | love it! |

Readmore time

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Phew… well… I mean… you and I talk about a lot of stuff so you already know my stance on how I think Mukuro and Chrome are just a unit. A duo, are supposed to be together. So anything that breaks them up is kinda SQUINT to me. Still, the dynamic of 5996 sounds fun to me, lolol so I mean… yeah… I suppose I could ship it lololol. (So much for they are a duo, and they are supposed to be for each other amirite?)

We’ve seen the way that both Gokudera and Chrome have developed as characters throughout the series. He certainly becomes a bit more patient (in regards to the violence) and he is able to open up to more people. He can accept more people into his life and be ready to do what he can for them. He’s a very loyal kind of character who inwardly feels a lot of things, complex emotions but may not be very aware of what the complex emotions mean.

Emotional intelligence a lil slow with him. Chrome has more emotional intelligence I’d say but it is also a bit… flawed in a sense? I think in due time it will heal and be better because it does seem that she’s a bit more wary about people, especially if they extend goodness towards her. Likely due to her experiences in her ‘past life’ meaning her life as Nagi.

The ways in which I think that they can work well together largely stems from the fact of their pasts. Both have some hurtful history when it comes to parents. Gokudera feels his father had his mother killed and he lost his mother on the day of his birthday. Chrome… as we know… was basically being abandoned by her parents if you really think about it. How the mother refused to ‘cut herself for the sake of that child’. Both have the pains of their parents, and this is pretty different from a whole lot of the Vongola crew. Tsuna has a wonderful mother who loves him (yes I’m ignoring Iemitsu, but we know he cares too). Haru has a doting father canonically. We can assume she has a loving mother as well. Yamamoto has a good dad, no idea on mother. The Sasagawas surely have a good relationship with their parents. Lambo basically has Nana now.

These two have pains from their pasts with parents that could possibly let them feel a bit out of place when with the others. It is a bit different when you talk to people who had such a vastly different upbringing than you did from what I personally noticed. Sometimes it can make you feel out of place and it could feel harder to relate. They both may be able to feel more in tune with each other in such circumstances. Like if they ever take a step back because they don’t really know how to act in situations of say… parent teacher conferences, or the days where parents can come in to watch how their children are at school. Both of them may feel out of place there even though Gokudera has Bianchi. I’m not sure if Chrome would have someone stand in. Maybe someone from Kokuyo--?

Anyways I think they could bond in such situations because they get it. They understand how it is. Chrome is a polite girl, reserved, and isn’t too nosey. Her personality isn’t too strong. It does work kind of nicely in the sense that they wouldn’t really have issues of altercations and fights because of having two strong personalities. What I do think is nice is that because of their differences in personalities and vibes, that they could rub off on one another. Gokudera can learn to be more calm and patient. Learn a bit more of her passive kind of attitude, and she can learn how to be more assertive. To be more dominant, and to be more defensive when it comes to herself. Don’t just take whatever nonsense people say to you (looking at you MM).

They could be a good influence on each other. I can see as the right hand, Gokudera would want to look out for all the guardians, and with his general distrust in Mukuro, he would look after her. If he for any reason thinks that Chrome isn’t being treated well, he’d watch out for her. He is a bit awkward about things but he’s also pretty logical and efficient. I could see him dropping hints to the girls so they could check up on Chrome if he worried. If the situation was something that he thought he could deal with, he would step in himself, but more the more emotional affairs, he’d leave that to the girls. He’s considerate in that logical way.

The main source of contention, I suppose, would be Mukuro. He and Chrome are a unit and she does ally herself to him. The biggest character development for her is wanting to stand on her own and be able to stand side by side with Mukuro. To be a warrior alongside him. With that kind of a set up, it is a bit more difficult to have the room to accept someone else into that equation, especially someone who doesn’t quite trust the person you’ve tied yourself to. Makes it a bit more complex.

However, we do know that Gokudera is a pretty stubborn guy, so it is possible that he was worried about Chrome and as the right hand, made it a point to check in on her often. This results in him spending more time with them and he gets to understand Mukuro better and maybe come to terms with the idea that he can sorta trust the guy, and be more or less okay with him due to Chrome’s positive influence of her wanting for everyone to get along. I see her trying her best so that both sides can come together and accept each other. Help Gokudera see that Mukuro isn’t so bad, if you take his entirety into account.

One day that it may work is that though they are a unit and they work great together, Mukuro doesn’t see Chrome as anything past a sister or another extension of himself. IF he were to regard Chrome as such, then I could see there being room for Chrome and Gokudera being able to be a couple, since then it opens her up to seeing people so as long as Mukuro gives the okay. He would care for having someone who can protect Chrome and be there to take care of her. Someone who would be able to understand her pains and be patient enough to work with her through them.

Gokudera has a very protective aspect to his personality so he could protect her fine. He isn’t one to see anyone as lesser because they aren’t skilled, are sickly, are less charismatic, etc. He sees people for who they are and that’s it. That is a great quality to have for a person who may struggle to see their own worth as themselves. It is good for someone who has insecurity issues. It’s good for someone who may doubt themselves, etc. I’d suppose a good way to look at it is that Gokudera doesn’t have expectations for people, he just looks at them for what they are. It’s a lot harder to do than most would think.

You may look at someone and have expectations without realizing it. Like you may think that they may do such and such for you, or that you may want to enjoy writing out certain scenarios with someone and that you hope that they’d be excited about it just as much as you are. You may hope that they’ll like the same ships that you do for example. People just have expectations and hopes for people. Gokudera doesn’t really do that and he looks at people for who they are and what they’ve shown themselves to be.

Tsuna is a bit of a curve ball because Gokudera does seem to have expectations for him based off how he acts, but it’s really based off the feats that Tsuna has done when in dying will mode. He knows and has seen Tsuna do great things. A lot of what he says and boasts Tsuna for aren’t exactly incorrect because Dying will mode Tsuna IS a part of who he is. So yeah, Gokudera is one who sees people for who they are. So he won’t get disappointed or anything if they turn out differently than he thought or came off as weak.

He's a great source of support in that way because you can count on him to just like you for you. He observes and gets to know who people are based on their actions.

His temper sure is a thing, but I think Mukuro could forgive that lol. I think if it came to that kind of a situation, Mukuro would be okay with entrusting Chrome with him when Mukuro wasn’t around to watch over her. I think it’s a good dynamic of two people who could become comfortable with each other, console in each other about their experiences and both try to go down a path of healing. Just journey on the path of healing together and support the other when possible. It’s kinda sweet.

I suppose for some cute ideas/scenarios… hm… like Gokudera letting it go if someone is talking shit about him because it’s not worth his time and energy and Chrome going nope, I’m going to talk to them. Asserting herself because she doesn’t want anyone talking badly about him and she’s not backing down from it. Like lil Chrome putting her foot down to really assert herself for his sake. I feel like that would be a oh, this feels nice, to have someone care this much for me and it comes from someone who normally has a bit more of a passive side. Ahhhh… yes… good food.

AS THE CERTIFIED MUKURO DISDAINER THAT I AM- jk, but imagine a spat between Gokudera and Mukuro and Chrome actually takes Gokudera’s side for once. Mukuro feeling like a brother who got betrayed by his sis, and Gokudera feeling like oh- OH! She took my side, in your FACE, Mukuro! But there’s always that side too where he feels touched that she was willing to take his side against Mukuro because she does value his opinion and his stance on things. It isn’t just her devoted loyalty to Mukuro that makes up who she is. There’s more to her than that. I just find it simple but cute. Mhm mhm. I like small things like that. Sue me.

I… like the idea that Uri is very hissy towards most people and other animals, but she starts to notice that Chrome starts having more of Gokudera’s scent because they spend a lot of time together and so she curiously just walks right up to the girl to sniff her and then gets taken in by her calm and sweet aura. We know Chrome likes cats so it’s like oho, I like this one! She’s very nice! Just curl up to Chrome and hiss at Gokudera. Just rub up against Chrome a lot. If the owl comes around, sucks to SUCK! YOU GO AWAY! You can have Gokudera (for now). So you have Uri just bonding with Chrome and Gokudera and Fukurou having no other choice but to bond together over them losing to Uri. (ehehehehe) Then they just get used to that too and the day Uri notices why is that owl and my master getting along well? He has treats for it too? NOT ON MY PAW!!!! THAT’S MY SPOT! Kekek. Willful Uri. BEST

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I did my best. Again, this is in no way associated to RP and what portrayals I see on dash. This is just a thought exercise based off how I think things could work.

[spacemission13]

Laika Starr Doc

This is a (wip!) doc I made awhile ago dedicated to the development of my comic. Please give it a peek when you can!

DOC

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Preview:

One aspect of his [Marley’s] story I kind of touched on but never really delved into is the importance of motherhood and what it can mean to different people.

In Marley’s case specifically, his mother passed the day he was born and his father labeled him a curse for it. Growing up – and even into his adulthood – Marley puts his mother on a pedestal and dreams about the kind of person she was, and the kind of mother she could have been, had she survived .... He is convinced her death is the root of all of his problems / flaws; that having a mother around would magically make his life and person better.

Marley views motherhood as something up to par with godliness, which is why he earns the subtle white markings throughout his teens [when he spends most of his time thinking about her]. His white fur represents motherhood just as it represents holiness [1], because to him they are equal and in the same

It's kind of interesting, too, when you really delve into Hush’s part in his story. I developed Hush specifically to replicate the same warmth, love, and comfort motherhood is often associated with – and, well – if you really wanted to delve into Hush's religious symbolism and the frequent association they often have with motherhood this discussion could go a little deeper.

They take care of Marley when he's on the brink of death, where he's so out of it he's entirely convinced Hush is his actual mother. When he survives the whole ordeal, he grows additional white fur, both because of his time spent around a holy being AND his lifelong worship of motherhood.

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[additional ramble] … I've been working on the symbolism in his [Marley’s] story some more, and I've added some more to it. 

I think his fur changes over time. When Marley is a young child he has majority black fur, kind of representing his poor childhood experiences [and inherent negative view of the world]. Growing up Marley is pretty pessimistic and a bit of a menace; he doesn't have parents and has to fend for himself which doesn't help whatsoever. In general, he has a very "survival of the fittest" way of living life. SUPER selfish, will kick a grandma for a good meal. 

But he does have a few white markings – that little bit of good within himself, that tiny bit of humanity.

When he gets older Marley meets Hush – even if only briefly – after he joins in on the war and loses his eye [2]. His plane is shot down and he's left stranded but not alone. He doesn't know this person nor where they came from, but he feels safe and relaxed, so accepts their company. 

Kind of a silly fact [that makes way more sense in the actual plot], but Hush's gentle comforting nature really reminds Marley of his mother, not explicitly in a "wow this person looks like my mom" way but mostly a "I am remembering all these moments spent with her that my brain had locked away" kind of way. Motherhood in of itself had its own symbolism in the story.

After this encounter Marley walks away with a LOT more white fur. 50/50. Beforehand Marley had hardly experienced any sort of love or safety, rendering him pretty bitter and hateful towards the world, but Hush's brief moments of care provided a significant [positive] impact on him + his worldview. While I don't think it massively changes who he is as an individual, in terms of personality, for certain the way he thinks and perceives his future.

Still, the circumstances surrounding Marley’s unfortunate life manage to drive him mad, and after merging himself with the universe itself [3], his fur becomes completely white. Not necessarily because he is good, or because he has changed for the better, but because he has become an all-powerful being on-par with Hush or Halo. 

Out of madness and grief Marley tries to alter the world in a way that suits his wants and dreams, but instead is forced to face the reality of his actions and the harm he has brought upon others - his entire life and every action has been fueled by nothing but suffering, selfishness, and the desire to inflict hurt and seek revenge.

Marley's white fur does not represent purity of holiness. In reality it is black as the night – a reflection of humanity's worst -- but bleached white. It is a facade. None of it is real, right down to his own perspective of reality. I guess it perfectly mirrors how Marley views himself... He is awful and cruel, but continuously portrays himself as the victim of every given situation, completely unaware of the truth at hand.

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ex. His time spent with Hush making the markings bigger ; his fur bleaching pure white when he literally becomes a god.

Laikas war-time injury was originally eye related - the change is super recent!

Merging himself with the universe renders him a ‘God’ of sorts, as in this story, the universe is ‘God’; while not necessarily a person, or entirely sentient, it controls everything.

[a-student-out-of-time]

If you want a more analytical take on ‘Queen of Despair’ from me, personally I feel like the reason LINUJ went ‘BTW these two are terrible people’ in the narration is because Iroha’s and Syobai’s actions fall into ‘Pay Evil unto Evil.’ territory. Like oh no they are scamming people that’s bad. But…they’re scamming Despairs who are basically demons incarnate so they basically deserved to get all their money stolen. I feel like he was trying to avoid people developing that mindset. (1/2)

//That’s a different take and one I can see working

//The thing is, while it’s a problem both have as writers, I think LINUJ is actually worse than Kodaka in that respect. While Kodaka doesn’t really present a nuanced view, he at least lets the events of the stories and actions of the characters largely stand on their own. He presents the conflict in extremely good vs. evil terms, to be sure, but that’s more of a lack of nuance

//LINUJ has the problem of being able to present a more nuanced view, then backpedaling and specifying who was wrong, that they’re bad people and that we shouldn’t agree with them.

Some examples:

Kizuna finds out that Yuki and Akane were the masterminds and tries to kill them despite both of them being amnesic of their identities...oh, but she’s a gold-digger and a bully, so we can’t say she was doing the right thing

Syobai was abandoned by his parents in another country, nearly sold into slavery and had to get by through selling whatever he could to survive. Despite becoming a cold-blooded survivor, he still has a sense of honor and takes a stand in favor of helping the others over saving himself...oh, but he’s still human garbage, so we can’t like him.

Kokoro is a genius with Alexithymia who wants to study human emotions, and while she has some darker qualities to her goal, she still has a caring and compassionate side and it was that lack of emotional understanding that sadly got her killed...oh but she’s also an abusive mother and nothing anyone did could’ve gotten her to change.

The Voids are a group of scared, lost, desperate children who are seeking out the power of Utsuro because it’s the only thing that’ll allow them to survive once their Divine Luck flips, and they’ll either return to their old lives or die...oh, but they’re still the masterminds of the game and thus deserve every bad thing that happens to them. They’re fated to die regardless of what anyone does.

//And that’s not even touching on the fact that he completely rewrote his plans for Kanade because of V3′s third chapter, and then talked about how her entire character now revolves around her her creepy obsession with her sister, and how nothing anybody did would’ve changed how she turns out

//I know LINUJ has a very different view on human nature from me, and I’m not gonna say he’s wrong. I’ll stick to my views on storytelling and just say that I don’t much care for stories or authors that feel the need to spell out who you should and shouldn’t be rooting for

//It almost feels disrespectful to fans of those characters if you tell them that they’re wrong for liking them and sympathizing with them, and it exposes a sort of narrative insecurity where you feel like people won’t grasp that what they did was wrong. Not to mention the idea that none of them would ever change, which...I mean, I don’t want to get into it, but that’s not a take on humanity I agree with either.

//Kodaka, for all his flaws as a writer, at least is willing to let people like villainous or morally ambiguous characters, and doesn’t go out of his way to tell you who’s right or wrong, or that they never would’ve changed no matter the circumstance.

//But most of all, it’s a disappointing case of show, don’t tell. If you want me to believe that these characters were bad people incapable of true growth or redemption as people, it’s up to you as the creator to make that abundantly clear in the story itself and not just their character sheet or a Q/A

//Some details can be left as author’s notes, but when it’s core to them as characters or the stories, you need to bring your A-game and make that obvious within the narrative

[michelleelizabethtanner]

why do you think beth shot rio at the end of season 2 when she couldnt do it at the end of season 1? very similar situations: intense, someone that rio beat up, rio taunting beth, him giving her a gun. but in one she could shoot rio and in the other she couldnt

the only difference that i could see making the difference was rio coming at beth. in season 1 he advanced slowly and was obviously more gently while in season 2 he was more aggressive and came towards her suddenly. she almost shocked herself with the first shot so maybe it was reactionary? idk would that panic be the thing that actually made her pull the trigger?

Aw, the shooting. 😢 That was such a traumatic episode. I agree with all your observations, Anon. It was exactly those differences between 2.01 and 2.13 that caused Rio’s downfall. He overshot it. He acted emotionally and he was out of control. 2.01 he was methodical. He challenged her, but with a smile. He advanced slowly. He touched her gently. His voice was stern but comforting. It was a lesson. It was a negotiation. 2.13, he was visibly angry. He challenged her outside her own home, he intentionally scared and disoriented her. He intended to hurt her, not teach her. He wanted her to feel the way she made him feel. And it backfired because she sensed his lack of personal control and it scared her.

There was also another factor. And idk if I can properly formulate my thoughts here. But one of the themes of the show are shifting power dynamics. In season 1 Rio held almost all the cards. Beth had very little power to hurt him. Her little arrest attempt was cute, but ultimately was barely a blip on his radar. Season 2 had a major shift in who held power over whom and in what circumstances. That shift didn’t start with the sex. It started when Rio spared her (and Dean) and offered to teach her. It gave Beth power over him. However dubious, she still felt that shift between them. That cautious belief that he won’t hurt her. It was one of the reasons she knew she would hold enough power over him to initiate a fairly risky sexual scenario between them. And when he gave in to that, it was all the more cemented to her that he wasn’t impervious to a loss of control. It’s almost like a child growing up and beginning to see that the parent they believed was all-knowing, all-capable, is actually flawed.

Throughout season 2 Beth watched Rio make all sorts of unhinged decisions because he was emotional. He showed her in every way he could that he was easily wounded, wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her back to ease his own ego, and wouldn’t help her if she asked after she (in her mind, reasonably) rejected him. To her, her rejection was nothing. Because she herself has been rejected so many times (parents, Dean, society never seeing her as a whole human, Rio…) she didn’t view the hurts she imposed onto Rio as warranting of his tantrums. That’s why she was so upset when he called her “just work” and wouldn’t help her with Turner. She wasn’t able to empathize with him because she herself is so desensitized to rejection.

So taking all that, taking into account Beth’s changed perception of Rio from 2.01 to 2.13, I can see how much scarier the 2.13 moment was for her. She knew she had power over him and that she’d hurt him. She knew he didn’t take rejection well. She knew he was wounded and would punish her. She didn’t know how. And then he brought out the gun. Let’s be honest here. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility for any man to kill any woman over a rejection. Over his hurt ego. And so there Beth was – this man whom she rejected, whose ego was hurt, a man who she knows has killed people, he’s pulling out his gun and he’s smiling at her with his unhinged smile and he’s playing a scary game. This is the very persona he’s intentionally cultivated to try and have power over her (and others.) Gangster Rio. The scary killer. Someone to not recon with. And now the power she’s gained over him is much more serious. It’s now a reason. A reason to not spare her. A reason to not be gentle with her. A reason for her to fight for her life.