#here they go those problematic faves

[falloutcoys]

tumblr in Midst would go crazy

5 notes

📻 teletherictrash

wait prime adsecla thatch was only 22? he should have been at Bedrock 😔

876 notes

🌌 glittering-un Follow

why's the tripotentiary kinda...

🌟 micadustandmemories

girl i'm sorry but i will NOT hear this one out

23 notes

🌺 miiica Follow

i think we really need to discuss large valor gap relationships. i'm sorry but there's just an unescapable power dynamic there and no, your relationship is not different or special

📻 teletherictrash

it's actually sooo problematic of you to assume that those with caenum can't fully consent to relationships

🌺 miiica Follow

WHERE did i say that in the post???

📻 teletherictrash

don't act like it wasn't implied

🏳️‍🌈 valorousvic

i don't see what the problem is. if anything, the valorous partner should be worried about being used for their valor.

📻 teletherictrash

at least we can all agree you're an idiot

#valor discourse

22,450 notes

🌟 micadustandmemories

who up having caenumous thoughts?

#and before you even ask yes its about the prime consector #who else would it be about

2 notes

⚪ thearchauditor Follow

just a reminder that anything said here can potentially be audited by our notaries. be careful what you post!

🌺 miiica Follow

K

🌟 micadustandmemories

U

🌌 glittering-un Follow

N

📻 teletherictrash

G

🕳️ foldlvr

P

158,730 notes

🪩 loxleegalabracket

#sorry i know these are everyone's faves! the bracket was randomly generated :( #hate to put two bad bitches against each other #loxlee gala #loxlee gala poll #polls

172 notes

🏳️‍🌈 valorousvic

i could fix her...

17 notes

🕳️ foldlvr

in the vault . straight up "baloncing it". and by "it", haha, well. let's justr say. my canum.

[rustingways]

I’m hesitant to wade into the potential discourse here, but I’ve seen a lot of talk about abusers and abuse and excusing abusers and who is enacting the worst violence against whom.

Here’s my thing. Anne Rice does a lot of work (in my opinion) in her novels to show how far removed vampires are from humanity and human morals. I think some of that is shown in relationships like Louis and Claudia’s relationship (post vampirism), or Lestat and Gabrielle’s relationship (post vampirism). I think some of that is shown in great acts of violence (Armand’s proclivity for dungeons, Lestat in That One Scene, Akasha…as a whole). There’s pages and pages and pages of Tale of the Body Thief where Lestat complains about how much being human again sucks ass.

These are beings who, more often than not, murder at least ONE thinking, feeling, sentient person each night to sustain their preternatural bodies. I’m not going to split hairs about their morality towards each other. They’re all mass murdering, blood sucking fiends. They were each conscripted into an inherently violent existence. And not ONLY is their existence inherently violent, the greatest pleasure they experience is intrinsically linked to literal murder. Their joy and their lives are explicitly sustained by death. And they propagate from loneliness and desire, which is frequently suggested to be of greater depths and intensity than the breadth of human experience. And they frequently commit abhorrent acts against each other for those same reasons.

I guess what I’m getting at is, I don’t know if it’s fair to use “who’s your favorite monster” as a litmus test for someone’s morality. Rolin literally described us as “beautifully unwell” like yesterday.*

And I’m not saying we shouldn’t discuss or explore these themes; I think fiction is (generally) a low stakes place to contemplate and analyze these themes. I think it can be a way for victims to explore their trauma in a safe and controlled environment. I think it can be a great opportunity for introspection. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to assume someone is an abuse apologist or something because they enjoy a character who did an awful thing or are a fan of a specific ship.

*((He also described us as “rabid” and I definitely recognize some people are using “I like this character” to condone, vehemently excuse, or deny wrong doings, which isn’t really what I’m talking about here. If you have a favorite vampire, your fave is problematic.))

[adamnablelittledevil]

Only Blood Communion and Interview With the Vampire to go now. I'll make more elaborated posts about my thoughts once I'm done with everything, but here are some of my opinions:

TVA is absolutely my favorite (I've said it before and will say it again: the most purifying cry I had in my life, it destroyed and restored me in the best possible way), TVL, TQOTD and Prince Lestat are also on my top 4, though I don't know where to place the latter on my personal ranking. The others are sort of tied and the order changes according to specific aspects. Like, Blood and Gold covers a lot of eras and places of the world, has multiple interesting characters, so it's fun in the sense there's a lot of stuff to see, even if I'm not a Marius's fan and he isn't the best narrator imo. On the other hand, something like Merrick is more packed, just her, Louis and David (and some Lestat), but I just love her as a character and the whole story of her family. I can't really choose.

Memnoch would be the last because it was the one I struggled with (tho I loved Armand on it), I thought the concept was great and I could've loved it with a more active, intense and eventful execution. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis is second-to-last because most of the plot was dumb to me, the part that made sense was solved in an unconvincing way, I had to do a lot of suspending disbelief even for a supernatural/sci-fi story... But it was nice to have so many characters I love reunited, even if some didn't have lines, it's nice to know they're around and I enjoy the vampires having sort of a healthy little community.

Favorite character is definitely Armand, then Lestat, then Pandora, Maharet, Mekare, Flavius, Merrick, Bianca, Gabrielle, Mona, Benji, Avicus and Petronia (they didn't appear much and did awful brutal stuff, yes, but having an intersex/gender-fluid character was great and they had so much baggage I could empathize with them). Most after Armand and Lestat are tied. I don't know if I'd call Benedict a fave, but I'm somewhat attached to him (and I KNOW about those spoilers). I LOVE Vittorio and Ursula too and I hope they can appear in some shape or form on the show. I don't looooove Antoine, but he's alright to me. He just seems to be a poor/broke dude who wants to live, have friends and dedicate his existence to his hyperfixations and I can relate because same lol. I get him.

Favorite pairings (either as an OTP or brotp): Lesmand (👑👑👑), Pandora and Flavius (👑👑), Maharet and Mekare (👑, they just don't get more crowns because they don't appear as much as I wanted 😔), Armand and Benji and Sybelle (as duos and a trio), Armand and Riccardo, Armand and Bianca (pretty much Armand and everyone that isn't Marius lol), Lestat and Mona (their childish siblings-coded beef entertains me), Maharet and Jesse and Vittorio and Ursula (👑👑). I wish I had seen more of some characters/dynamics, tho.

MAYBE I could tolerate Marius and even love Magnus (he seems to have a sad and interesting story) if all I'd seen of them had been the content of the last trilogy, but given the previous books, I'm not sure I can enjoy Anne's decisions. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Magnus apologizing and Marius's behavior not even being seen as something to apologize for in the first place, but that's for another post.

Some of the books I would've been able to read and love with or without the show, some I only read to get information, but I'm mostly glad I'm equipped with so much of the lore now. That's not to say there aren't problematic things even for the genre that I need to compartmentalize and ignore (to some extent and not completely) for my enjoyment, because there is a lot of that, but it hasn't been a waste of time. And I'm glad I know what can happen in the future, make silly little fancasts and have events to look forward to seeing on the series. Obviously, opinions can change with the next books, when I re-read the novels or even with conversations and discussions... And that makes me excited as well.

[a-sociopath-do-your-research]

Hello Everypony :3

finally doing one of these, lol

💙About me!💜

Welcome to my blog for,,, everything! No sideblogs around here we die like men/j

My name is Oliver, but you can also call me oli! (ive got other names too, but that's the main one, check my pronouns page for the whole list!)

Xe/Void/Fox/It/They pronouns but get silly with it, i dont mind!! (except she/her)

We're a system! We dont talk about it a lot but sometimes it comes up yay!!

important post you should read!

Other important post to read before interacting with my content!!

I write and draw tho i am better at writing, lmao

@inky-drawings is my lovely girlfriend whom i love very much<333

@azamonvoid is my sib from another crib whom if i dont see soon heads will start rolling<3

@lmanburgseulogy SUPER AMAZING person (cough im copying part of the intro from bug), also my twin o7

@willthemicrowave AMAZING DUDE. Tem you're super cool

❌DNIs❌

cc!Wilbur and/or cc!Dream Team supporters. If i ever post about them its the characters.

-> also, if you see me reblogging from someone who supports them, please warn me!

Anyone who engages in discourse, esp syscourse. I do not care, let people live. Any interaction about it will be ignored and/or deleted. This isnt the place for it.

People in poppytwt/blr. I understand some people write it or engage in it to cope, but it personally just makes us uncomfortable. Thank you.

Just in general hateful people. Transphobes, terfs, homophobes, misogyinists misandrists ect ect. It is not that hard to leave people alone, and if you can't, get out.

✨ (main) Fandoms!! ✨

Hermitcraft/Life series!! My faves are Grian, Etho, Impulse, Zed, Jimmy and Mumbo (not in that order)

-> i engage in shipping the characters, quite a lot,,, if it makes you uncomfortable this ain't the place for you lol

DSMP! my mains are sbi (especially twinsduo you will always be famous to me,,,,), and sometimes feral boys!

-> i dont care most of those people are problematic now, my au just took a general outline of the smp then rewrote everything. There is barely any connection w/actual canon

SCU/Slimecicle cinematic universe!! Blame @alliumsmybeloved for this/j

Hollow Knight! Quirrel, Hornet, Hollow and Ghost are my faves!

-> nothing much other than i hate the traitor lord with a burning passion, lol

and many, many more!! Including percy jackson, portal, ect - these are just the ones im hyperfixating on the most lately!!

⚠ Terms and conditions? ⚠

I'm ok with flirting but ask first just to be sure!

autistic silly little guy. Sometimes i get too much, feel free to tell me if i exagerate and get weird!

-> be nice about it tho, please,,,

send asks send asks!!! They're so silly i love em<333

i do take requests on doodles, headcanons, snippets ect!! It just takes me a bit sometimes to answer!

I have a dsmp/hermitcraft/qsmp/ect au im working on, my magnum opus/j, go check it out it's @the-caladrius-au RAAHHH

I write about the characters, never the ccs.

💬Tag guide!💬

#Oli talks! -> silly tag for everything of mine, rambles,art, writing, reblogs (sometimes,,,)

#shift talks! -> like the above but for shift, one of our other alters :3

#Will talks! -> I think you get where I'm going with this

#Olis faves -> fav posts and/or posts i want to look back on!

#Oli writes -> pretty self explanitory, for when i write :3

#Oli draws -> for my art n doodles!

#Mutuals my beloveds -> Moot tag!!! For asks or when i talk with/about my mutuals! (if i forget to put it in a post with you, feel free to tell me!)

#nonnies my beloveds -> anon asks

#Beloveds! -> posts about/with @inky-drawings and/or @azamonvoid

#higgs Field au and #HFAU -> posts about my dsmp x Hermitcraft rewrite au

#the multiverse system -> stuff about our system!

#the horrors saga -> the horrors,,,,,, I just wanna write,,,,

#Twinsduo crumbs -> any and all Twinsduo content because I'm normal about them (lie)

#sillytick -> tag for @cao-tick ::3

#dr.dejekyll -> tag for @genocreative / @hydehydejeykll ::3

-> if i forget to tag things properly feel free to remind me!!!

[plain text under cut]

Hello Everypony :3

finally doing one of these, lol

💙About me!💜

Welcome to my blog for,,, everything! No sideblogs around here we die like men/j

My name is Oliver, but you can also call me oli! (ive got other names too, but that's the main one, check my pronouns page for the whole list!)

They/It/xe pronouns but get silly with it, i dont mind!! (except she/her)

We're a system! We dont talk about it a lot but sometimes it comes up yay!!

important post you should read!

I write and draw tho i am better at writing, lmao

@inky-drawings is my lovely girlfriend whom i love very much<333

@azamonvoid is my sib from another crib whom if i dont see soon heads will start rolling<3

@lmanburgseulogy SUPER AMAZING person (cough im copying part of the intro from bug), also my twin o7

@willthemicrowave AMAZING DUDE. Tem you're super cool

❌DNIs❌

cc!Wilbur and/or cc!Dream Team supporters. If i ever post about them its the characters.

-> also, if you see me reblogging from someone who supports them, please warn me!

Anyone who engages in discourse, esp syscourse. I do not care, let people live. Any interaction about it will be ignored and/or deleted. This isnt the place for it.

People in poppytwt/blr. I understand some people write it or engage in it to cope, but it personally just makes us uncomfortable. Thank you.

Just in general hateful people. Transphobes, terfs, homophobes, misogyinists misandrists ect ect. It is not that hard to leave people alone, and if you can't, get out.

✨ (main) Fandoms!! ✨

Hermitcraft/Life series!! My faves are Grian, Etho, Impulse, Zed, Jimmy and Mumbo (not in that order)

-> i engage in shipping the characters, quite a lot,,, if it makes you uncomfortable this ain't the place for you lol

DSMP! my mains are sbi (especially twinsduo you will always be famous to me,,,,), and sometimes feral boys!

-> i dont care most of those people are problematic now, my au just took a general outline of the smp then rewrote everything. There is barely any connection w/actual canon

SCU/Slimecicle cinematic universe!! Blame @alliumsmybeloved for this/j

Hollow Knight! Quirrel, Hornet, Hollow and Ghost are my faves!

-> nothing much other than i hate the traitor lord with a burning passion, lol

and many, many more!! Including percy jackson, portal, ect - these are just the ones im hyperfixating on the most lately!!

⚠ Terms and conditions? ⚠

I'm ok with flirting but ask first just to be sure!

autistic silly little guy. Sometimes i get too much, feel free to tell me if i exagerate and get weird!

-> be nice about it tho, please,,,

send asks send asks!!! They're so silly i love em<333

i do take requests on doodles, headcanons, snippets ect!! It just takes me a bit sometimes to answer!

I have a dsmp/hermitcraft/qsmp/ect au im working on, my magnum opus/j, go check it out it's @the-caladrius-au RAAHHH

I write about the characters, never the ccs.

💬Tag guide!💬

#Oli talks! -> silly tag for everything of mine, rambles,art, writing, reblogs (sometimes,,,)

#shift talks! -> like the above but for shift, one of our other alters :3

#Will talks! -> I think you get where I'm going with this

#Olis faves -> fav posts and/or posts i want to look back on!

#Oli writes -> pretty self explanitory, for when i write :3

#Oli draws -> for my art n doodles!

#Mutuals my beloveds -> Moot tag!!! For asks or when i talk with/about my mutuals! (if i forget to put it in a post with you, feel free to tell me!)

#nonnies my beloveds -> anon asks

#Beloveds! -> posts about/with @inky-drawings and/or @azamonvoid

#higgs Field au and #HFAU -> posts about my dsmp x Hermitcraft rewrite au

#the multiverse system -> stuff about our system!

#the horrors saga -> the horrors,,,,,, I just wanna write,,,,

#Twinsduo crumbs -> any and all Twinsduo content because I'm normal about them (lie)

#sillytick -> tag for @cao-tick ::3

#dr.dejekyll -> tag for @genocreative / @hydehydejeykll ::3

-> if i forget to tag things properly feel free to remind me!!!

[f1strollinfo]

Hey guys! I moved to Tumblr to post a very informative post which is on my Twitter (this will be word for word almost)

For those of you who do not know, Lance Stroll’s girlfriend Marilou is a Zionist.

She publicly liked Chloe Stroll’s pro-Isr*al singing video, she also has been HEAVILY rumoured to donate to an IDF fund and not only that, her brother publicly showed his support for Isr*al commenting under a propaganda video.

The link for the video of her brother supporting the creator.

Here is the link for said fund Marilou donated to,

Lance is my fave driver, however his silence is truly questionable now seeing his girlfriend and her brother publicly support a horrible country. It isn’t hard to educate yourself on what is going in on the world right now. There are of resources to look at such as Eye On Palestine or Shaun King for those who are in Canada, [edit: however I was told to be accepting of his support but to not look much into him, check comments for why]. I believe bigots like her, her brother + Chloe Stroll deserve to be called out for their actions. I understand that Lance Stroll is some of my followers’ fave driver. You can choose to like him still or be on the fence, it is your choice. But at the end of the day, know that he is silent while his Zionist girlfriend parades around with her WAG status.

I would not be surprised if Lance himself is a Zionist. I understand that drivers “cannot” speak on what’s happening however Lewis did. Lance’s silence is questionable because I could name 10 or more Zionists he is currently linked with. It really is disgusting knowing his entire environment is connected like that. An example of this is his problematic dating life where now his current AND ex girlfriends have all supported a genocide.

Just because Marilou is “sweet” and “cute” doesn’t mean she’s a good person. If you support Marilou, you’re supporting her support the k*llings of innocent and that includes innocent babies.

Here is the link to the thread.

Retweet, Reblog, Share. I don’t care, as long as people are aware and do not forget.

EDITED: Marilou is actively blocking people on Tiktok who call her out because TikTok is assumed as her “safe space” when other social platforms she’s been called out on like Instagram, Twitter, here, etc there’s no problem. Which is weird. Besides that, she is blocking people on TikTok while knowing what other people are saying about her and calling her out for. Yet she chooses to not care.

[epickiya722]

I know people who justify Bakugou and how he behaved because he was being abused. And all I can think was how bullshit that it.

Todoroki was abused, and it was honestly worse, and he didn't do that. Sure he was a hero, but he pushed people away.

I don't mean to trauma dump, but I was neglected and had a unhappy childhood. I didn't go around doing what Bakugou did.

I will say Bakugou did get better, but it really annoys me seeing people justify his behavior in middle school.

...I forgot people do that. Even Bakugou admits that how he behaved is wrong??

It's something that a character will do something wrong and do things to better themselves while also admitting that their previous actions were garbage... that's growth... and the "fans" will make excuses for them.

That actually reminds me of a post I saw so long ago of this person being "anti Midoriya" because Bakugou cried. Mind you they were talking about from season ONE. That time Bakugou confronts Midoriya after their first class battle? Yeah, that part. Apparently, Midoriya was in the wrong for hiding his Quirk away from him even though by that time they weren't even close, Midoriya had to hide his Quirk to protect people, and it wasn't his business.

It's "fans" like that I will never get because shifting the blame onto another character does nothing for the story!

"Fans" giving excuses takes away from that character's development, thinking about it.

Their wrongs should be acknowledged just as much as their rights that way you get a better understanding of that character and why they developed the way they did.

Characters can also be a reflection of how we are. Text to self connection!

There are been people who have been abused and wouldn't treat others the same way. Todoroki is that character here. He was abused and the most he did was be isolated from the class at first.

Now, there was that moment of Endeavor angering him and Sero end up getting the worst of that (every time I think about it, I just cringe because that ice scares me). I get it was a match, but still it just... eh...

The thing with some of these characters is that what happens to them does affect what they do to others. Pointing out the causes shouldn't be used to justify their actions. It's to understanding the story.

Example: Toga had a terrible life and in turn, she ended up the way she did. To point out her bad life isn't to justify her actions, however some people in the fandom probably have does so. Her bad life is the cause that should recognized why she does and behaves the way she does to understand. Not excuses.

But what's crazy is that those same people who will defend Bakugou will condemn Toga. Hmm... I wonder...

No matter their past and what they do later, wrong is wrong. Recognizing that wrong as wrong will help determine what can be done to make a situation better.

I do feel like it's gotten to the point in fandoms that haters of a character will go "if you like this character, you're just like them" so the fans of that character feel like they have to make excuses of their wrong actions. And it sucks.

Then, like the haters, they're not really getting that character's development or ignoring it. Bakugou is one of those characters.

Haters be pressed about people actually liking certain characters instead of just moving on. There are some characters that aggravate me, but I do not care if people like them. Yeah, I would be curious as to why they're like, but I know people will feel the same about my favorites and I just move on because it's a waste of my time.

Excuse my language, folks, but fuck those haters. Acknowledge that your fave have done wrong and this whole "If you like this character you're problematic" is stupid. I'm sorry, it is. "Problematic" is on the list of words I can't stand, have been misused too much and should be taken away from the fandom.

Anyways!

Bakugou knows he was an ass in middle school, no one made excuses for it. No, folks, not even Midoriya because he even comments that what Bakugou said was wrong. It's okay to admit that he was a jerk in middle school and still like him.

Characters are parts of a story, they serve to entertain and tell that story. If you happen to like that character, then the writer has done that job in entertaining you and giving a compelling story.

Okay, I'm rambling here. Sorry about that!

[psifitopia]

Ghost House and the dead

So, it's very likely, given their magic and all the hauntings going on, that citizens of the Neitherworld have fairly easy access to books, music, movies...and television. Hence, Betelgeuse seeing The Exorcist 167 times. They are probably very aware of Lydia and Ghost House.

I believe the show is a hit in the afterlife. I think the ghosts would be very intrigued by this strange, living woman who can see them and stars in her television show. She's a celebrity and a problematic fave.

Because, here's the thing. The living are not supposed to have read the handbook, almost married a ghost, and had ghosts for godparents. And, I think Betelgeuse is notorious enough, and those events strange enough, that Lydia's history with ghosts would be common knowledge. After all, they may be dead, but the ghosts are still people, with human emotions and thought processes.

So, they watch Ghost House and they're rooting for the ghosts, but Lydia is just...charming and sweet and respectful. Sure, she wants to help people, but, unless threatened, she tries to help the ghosts, too.

Still, some ghosts are haters and some are genuinely concerned. Rules are a good thing. Rules protect them from the living, making a trip to the lost souls room less likely. And, sure, Lydia hasn't sent even a single ghost there...yet. But, she's a chaotic element in an afterlife that tries very hard to be orderly. So, imagine the gossip and rumors surrounding her. The intense debates.

And, now, she's actually made an illegal trip into the afterlife and once again almost married that weird bioexorcist guy. I think they'll be heartbroken, if Ghost House really is cancelled.

[autistichalsin]

In light of all the bitching about the upcoming patch, I was so happy to hear you’re also not… mad at Larian, I guess? I was wondering if I’m missing something, because for all its bugs, the game is fine the way it is, to me. More than fine, it’s a great game, the first that really means something to me since Dishonored. Idk, I’m literally over here just vibing, glad I’m not alone in that 😌

I noticed there's been a trend in recent years, I think started by those media that truly DID become horribly disappointing as it went on (last season of GOT, for example), and people started just... like

There is a phase most media get where they are the Best Ever, they Can Do No Wrong. And then one day that phase ends, and suddenly, that media Can Do No Right. Everything is a mistake, everything is wrong, everything is an attempt to cater to one group of fans (who are, of course, the wrong group to cater to) and/or an attempt to spite one group of fans. I think that in this day and age, people sometimes don't understand the difference between consuming media critically, I.E., using critical thinking to understand the themes, plot, and characters, and consuming media critically, I.E. criticizing everything the creators say and do.

So instead of looking for simple explanations, I.E., "different trainings and specialties mean that the division of labor at Larian has a team that works on new animations, but that team is not the same team responsible for bug fixes, so getting new animations from the former isn't why the latter hasn't repaired Polearm Master or Shield Bash or Raphael and Mol's scene yet" they instead assume "Larian only cares about Astarion and Halsin* and are catering to their fans again at the expense of literally everything else"

*The idea that Halsin fans are receiving any kind of special treatment is laughable, but that is very much the accusation being made- i want to see their reaction when they open up patch 6 and see that their fave has new kiss animations too tbh. As for the new scenes datamined for Halsin, those are all in response to complaints made by people who HATE Halsin, not complaints by his fans. A platonic confession scene? A version of the post-breaking the curse scene that doesn't involve flirting? The only two that were made for Halsin fans were fixing his post-Drow dialogue and the ability to go with him at the end, and the latter hasn't been fully implemented yet (you can get a flag saying you chose him, but you don't get to tell him and have him respond yet). But I have seriously digressed.

IDK, it just seems like we're in the phase of fandoms where, since the initial joy of discovering what the game has to offer has worn off, people are getting their dopamine from getting angry instead, and that means making a game of who can have the best hot takes, who or what is the most problematic and deserving of shunning, what have the creators done to fuck over us poor fans, etc.

There are many legitimate criticisms to be made against Larian, I want to be clear here- their treatment of Wyll's character has been horrific, and the interactions between Durge and Astarion should have been given for ALL characters. It is appalling that they have let Minthara's romance be bugged to the point that some people can only trigger it by modding the game because the flags are bugged and that they have allowed Halsin's voice lines to be bugged SINCE LAUNCH causing many to think they don't exist. All of these things deserve to be criticized. But ascribing malice to things like having separate work teams on the game, or the pile-on people started over that "we fixed it so a glitch can't cause Gale to leave your party" patch... Yeah.

It's never a good sign when a fandom starts to collectively chase the high that comes from being The Angriest. It doesn't seem to be as prevalent on here as on Twitter, thankfully (ironically, speaking as someone who was on this site since before Superwholock, the most toxic parts of Tumblr moved to Twitter after the porn ban, and now it's mostly rational people on here) but we are rapidly sliding towards the "do you people even like this game or do you like the version of it you created in your head?" phase of fandom that everyone dreads.

[midnightstargazer]

Why did Regulus join the Death Eaters?

Note: Regulus is my problematic fave, and I love him. I'm starting with the assumption that he did genuinely support the Death Eaters at first, and was not forced to join. However, I'm also assuming he was a bit more complex than the average Death Eater and had some positive qualities, based on the ways Sirius and Kreacher describe him and the circumstances of his death.

under the cut because it's pretty long

Reasons I don't think fit:

Aside from what I've already mentioned, there are a few other potential motives, seen in other Death Eaters, that I don't think fit Regulus at all:

He was willing to turn against Voldemort, so I don't think he had the sort of deep personal loyalty to him that Bellatrix and Barty Jr. had.

He doesn't come across as especially bloodthirsty or prone to cruelty; Sirius and Kreacher's descriptions both suggest quite the opposite. I'm sure he did unpleasant things as a Death Eater and probably rationalized them as being necessary, but I doubt he joined mainly for an excuse to torture and kill people.

Even beyond not being forced to join, I find it hard to believe that he would have joined out of fear, or out of a pragmatic "he's going to win and I want to be on the winning side" sort of sentiment. I mean, come on, he literally chose to die a horrible death rather than keep working for Voldemort once he had turned against him. He was many things, but not a coward.

With that being said, there are three main factors that I think led him to join the Death Eaters:

Accepting his parents' ideology without question

This is literally the first thing we're told about Regulus. When Sirius mentions him to Harry, here's what he says:

"Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them..." (OotP, ch. 6)

This is repeated again in Kreacher's description of him:

"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood." (DH, ch. 10)

In both cases, the two brothers are contrasted, and Regulus's conformity is mentioned in the context of Sirius's rebellion. Orion and Walburga were not Death Eaters, but their views aligned with the Death Eaters' goals, even if they didn't personally get involved in the war. So, by embracing his parents' ideology, Regulus ends up (mostly*) agreeing with the Death Eaters, and by rejecting it, Sirius ends up opposing them.

*I say mostly because, I don't know where Regulus got the idea that Voldemort was going to "bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns" (DH, ch. 10), but that's not standard Death Eater ideology. The Statute of Secrecy is not something they actually talk about much. Regulus's long-term goals would've probably made him better suited to be a follower of Grindelwald.

An "ends justifies the means" mindset

I said before that I didn't think he was a cruel or bloodthirsty person. This comes mainly from Sirius, who describes him as an "idiot" who "got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out" (OotP, ch. 6). Of course, he doesn't know the whole story, but he does know what sort of person his brother was. They grew up together. Sirius thinks he would've been hesitant about the Death Eaters' more extreme actions, and I see no reason not to take his word for it.

There's also the potion. It's hard to imagine the average Death Eater drinking it themselves, given the option to have a house-elf do it instead. Or an Imperiused Muggle, for that matter. Regulus either didn't consider those options or decided against them.

On the other hand, he knew the Death Eaters were violent terrorists when he joined them. His collage of newspaper clippings showed what sort of things they were doing. It couldn't have come as a surprise; it must have been something he was willing to accept.

So I don't think he enjoyed the Death Eaters' methods, but what I do think, is that he was able to excuse and justify them to himself. Including the stuff he participated in. He believed in their ideology, he thought they were going to change the world for the better, and he was okay with using violence to get there.

Personal ambition/desire to prove himself

When Dumbledore talks about Tom Riddle's school friends who became the first Death Eaters, he describes some of them as "the ambitious seeking some shared glory" (HBP, ch. 17) - this is the same sort of mindset that I think made the Death Eaters so appealing to Regulus.

He was in Slytherin, and I don't think that was a mistake. As courageous and self-sacrificing as his death was, it also shows great cunning and ambition. When he realized he was no longer willing to serve Voldemort, he planned out carefully when and how he was going to defy him to cause the most damage possible. If a few things had gone differently - if Kreacher had been able to destroy the locket and it had been the only Horcrux - then his actions could have made a huge impact on the war. And clearly, he wanted to be remembered, or he wouldn't have left a note.

As a younger sibling, Regulus was likely overshadowed by Sirius during their pre-Hogwarts childhood, and when he became the favorite, it was because Sirius had become too defiant and rebellious. He would likely have felt that he had something to prove, as the spare-turned-heir and the brother of a blood traitor.

He's also compared to Percy, who - despite being a Gryffindor - is one of the most ambitious characters in the series. Specifically, the note that he put on his door is described as something Percy might have done. I think this suggests that Regulus's relationship to Sirius was a bit like Percy's to the Weasleys: not completely devoid of affection, but something he would set aside in favor of his own self-interest and ambition. (of course, Percy eventually reconciles with his siblings, which has interesting implications for AUs where Regulus survives his betrayal of Voldemort, but that's another topic)

I imagine Regulus being desperate to prove himself, to live up to his family's expectations and even achieve more than they thought possible. And I think the Death Eaters in his life (Bellatrix, Lucius, possibly his school friends) could easily have used that desire to persuade him into joining.

tl;dr

He did it voluntarily, and not out of fear or pragmatism.

It also seems unlikely that he felt a strong personal loyalty to Voldemort.

He was taught a similar ideology at home and accepted it without question, while Sirius rejected it - leading them to end up on opposite sides of the war

I don't think he was necessarily thrilled with the Death Eaters' methods, but he was aware of them before joining and was willing to accept them, most likely with an "ends justifies the means" mindset

There are hints in canon that he was ambitious, and he likely felt he had something to prove after Sirius ran away and became a blood traitor.

Just my interpretation, but hopefully it makes sense.

[lutethebodies]

Random Observations on My Own Characterization Choices

I don't read or write BG3 fanfic (or any fanfic) so I don't really have A Take on The Discourse, but the analyses about characterization choice (or rather who writes about whom) particularly @mikuchan's ongoing infographic/spreadsheet study, have been a fascinating topic for me to follow—perhaps precisely because of my own laughable ignorance on the subject.

So I thought it might be self-beneficial to publicly interrogate my own characterization choices when creating 5e/BG3 characters. TL;DR: nobody asked for this—it's just something I've been thinking about after dipping my toes into the BG3 fandom for a year, and I have no idea how cringe or performative or problematic or whatever it might be—so I'll refer folks to my pin and leave everything else below the cut.

Anyway, fanfic as a phenomenon is a fairly large cultural knowledge gap for me, despite being Too Online for most of this century. It might be due to my "cover songs" allergy (developed over way too many years playing in bands) of "writing my own songs because I wasn't good enough to cover others' songs."

It's also maybe due to my age (almost 48), but it's more likely because of my gender (male). My wife, for example, is only two years my junior and doesn't have this gap; she is/was an avid multifandom fic reader for years. So when she said, a few years back, something like "I think it's cool that you play as both male and female characters in your D&D sessions" it made me really consider what, and how much, I self-insert into each of these characters—because while I didn't feel like gender was something I'd worried overmuch about here, I probably couldn't be objective about that.

I'm sure this knowledge gap is also due to my other self-reported demographic data points; while I don't enjoy being reduced to any of those in a judgmental sense (I assume no one does), I do appreciate that being a straight cis white male Californian is hobbled with plenty of blind spots and biases and whatnot. All of that feels like a very long and overly-disclaimerish way to say that characterization and the choices or ramifications involved are certainly a big deal to me as someone who likes to worldbuild, via storytelling or maps or song lyrics, and always based on characterization first.

So I guess I'll just jump in now. My IRL D&D group doesn't go for romance-y gameplay, but as people, my characters definitely have preferences, and in my own BG3 sessions I tend to self-insert by playing male characters who pursue m/f relationships. Not always, but it's probably safe to say that that's the reason my cis male bard is the one whom I've played repeatedly (and romanced the same female character repeatedly), as well as why my other male characters (monk, ranger, cleric) also pursue m/f relationships.

I do enjoy playing female characters, and I love my three faves (rogue, ranger, druid), but invariably they also always romance the female companions (Minthara, Shadowheart, Karlach, Lae'zel). I've explored most of the f/f and f/m BG3 romances to see what happens, plot-wise, but I didn't identify with the f/m romances (female Tav with Astarion, Gale, Wyll, or Halsin) and didn't repeat them after doing each once. I'm just…not interested in romancing men, and never have been, and I guess for better and worse that bleeds into how I do things like play video games.

My characters are also all cis. It feels…performatively disrespectful?…to play trans characters when I don't know anything first-hand about being trans. I don't know why that's different than playing characters of a different ethnicity to mine (fictional though they may be), especially when (superficially at least) both ethnicity and gender are only one aspect of anyone's personality and reducing anyone to that feels too simplistic and thus unfair.

Speaking of ethnicity, observers will also likely notice that yes, the character I play the most is a "white" male. It's not necessarily as simple as "because that's who I am IRL," because that character is a fictional person from a fictional world, but I've noticed that what people see superfically is what they judge, especially online and especially these days. My other most-played characters (regardless of gender) are "white"- or "brown"-looking because that's who they are in the world I've built. I do have one "black"-looking character, but haven't yet developed her enough to be her own person, so she hasn't shown up on this blog yet (though I do hope to give her the glory she richly deserves soon). I can go into exhausting detail about the whys and wherefores for each of them, but that's probably best done in another post.

I feel like even breaking all of them down this way is detrimentally reductive, like I'm checking boxes for a quota or something, or out of nebulous cultural/social pressure to be "representative" of the galaxy of humanity that likely most of us don't experience enough of on a daily basis (not to mention that these fantasy folks I play are all humans/elves/half-elves, which is another silly bias that's not relevant here). That pressure is countered by another, equally nebulous cultural edict to "stay in my lane" and not be appropriative of anything anytime for any reason. Both feel legit and so I try to respect both, but honestly both will be jettisoned immediately if adhering to their vagaries feels too performative or (and I hate this word) "inauthentic".

All of this feels suddenly ridiculous and solipsistic, so I maybe shouldn't post it at all or maybe should delete it later, but I feel like it's important to show others that their work fosters reflection in some way. I should also say that I'm most interested in creating characters as compelling people and not necessarily ciphers or avatars for my beliefs or background or attraction preferences or headcanon representation metrics or whatever. They exist to serve purposes in their particular stories or settings. All of these folks are amalgamations of my own original ideas plus bits of other characters from disparate stories/media/etc. that I've loved over decades of absorbing stories, songs, films, and other works of creativity.

And I think that one of the best ways to respond to a work of creativity is with your own creativity. To follow the muse, as it were. Thanks for your patient indulgence.

[missingrache]

Okay okay BULLET POINTS Disco Elysium as katabasis/journey to the underworld because I have no idea how to organize this HERE WE GO!

-My big touchstones here are Hades & Persephone, Orpheus & Eurydice, and My Problematic Fave Odysseus, I know there's stuff I'm gonna miss, putting this here in hopes that other friends at the potluck will supply my deficiencies, hi @binomech hi @selfchiller hi everyone.

-Harry is half dead at our start of the game, post suicide-attempt, we're in purgatory/limbo/"you have to stay here in hell forever" awoken by Kim's Infernal Machine (tm)

-Do we need to bring Dante's Inferno into this I think maybe we do oops -That's also a katabasis -we gotta save that for later I can't start talking about Doralores and Beatrice right now that's a whole different tangent and I haven't read any of it since high school -But also Dante's hell is cold and so is Revachol and so is entropy/the Pale, so is the fimbulwinter that has destroyed the world in the Wirral Untethered game setting

-Anyway we are very firmly established as in An Underworld.

-Harry's amnesia/Drost's amnesia caused by drinking, caused by the Pale, caused by age and trauma, caused by the presence of the phasmid--forgetfulness, generally, regardless of the in-game cause, is Very Much A Thing, and the dead drink of the River Lethe which causes them to forget their past lives

-WATER CROSSINGS! The dead cross the River Styx to enter the underworld, to get to Revachol you gotta cross the bridge it's why there's a giant lorry jam etc, they raised the bridge. Two river crossings, the Styx (river of hatred--ledger of hatred? The one harry dumps his car and his past into probably.) and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness, borders Elysium), cross the bridge into Revachol, cross the channel on Lilienne's boat to the island, the forgotten and forgetting place.

-There are actually 5 rivers and I wonder if we can find the rest of them. (What if the flaming graffiti is the river Phlegethon WHAT IF.)

-My problematic fave Odysseus visits the underworld to speak to the dead/receive prophecies. Our man Harry has EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS with Lely's corpse and does in fact get future knowledge from him.

-But also we're in the underworld already so literally anyone he speaks with could also be interpreted as a ghost, a mirror, a prophecy, some piece of knowledge to take with him when he returns. (ie @selfchiller 's meta about Harry and Klaasje, dead woman walking, and Lely)

-Different sorts of underworld/different mythologies, different...values? Things that happen when you get there? Dante's hell and purgatory--punishment for sins/burning off impurities: SORRY COP Greek underworld/Elysium specifically, not for those who are VIRTUOUS but for those who are especially skilled and famous/possessed of kleos: SUPERSTAR COP

(These are the two copotypes I have played with so far MAYBE THE OTHERS ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIAL HELLS?)

-Orpheus: a performer of laments, beautiful enough that all the underworld stops to listen. Tragic flaw: looking back. -HDB: Says he loves disco and rock and roll but the only music we hear him choose is Sad FM for his boat ride over the pale/over the Lethe and his sad karaoke number, sung for the infernal court of the Whirling in Rags. A man who also has some trouble with looking back/moving forward.

-DORA: Young, beautiful, IN HER SPRING COAT at the bus stop in Harry's happier memories: PERSEPHONE, KORE, the young woman abducted by a cthonic figure--we could call that figure, that Hades stand in, Harry's rewriting of her memory as something Horrid and Terrifying, or we could call it Dolores Dei if you like the parasitic thought form possession theory. Either way Doralores from the final dream is Dread Queen Proserpine, the other mythological aspect of Persephone, who iirc had her own cult? (Apricots, pomegranates, same thing right?)

-Something something Harry and Dionysus and theater/partying/wine/madness and Dionysus also doing a katabasis to go visit Semele in the underworld? Speaking of Greek gods with their own mystery cults.

-Final fun side note unless I remember more things: GILGAMESH. Entirely different epic tradition, but we descend to the underworld in search of a flower of immortality. Peaches of immortality anyone?

-That's it that's what I've got!

[incurable-cough-of-death]

I'm not defending Calypso. I don't agree with her actions either.

I'm just side-eyeing the way the fandom is hating on her and not all the other gods that have caused Odysseus pain and torment on his journey home. Why does she get the worst of the hate?

Yeah, trapped him on her island for 7 years. But this is also the musical that has:

God of Wisdom raising him to be a soldier since childhood (something tumblr is very wishy-washy about if it's good or bad in media)

Demigod Cyclops who kills his men after receiving an apology and a gift of wine

God of the Sea who creates a storm to keep him from going home, killed most of his men, tried to drown him multiple times, threatens to flood his homeland, stalking him for over 10 years to try and kill him for pride at this point

Daughter of a Titan/Witch who turned his men into pigs, tried to kill him with a chimera, tried to "seduce" him and then stab him

Thunder King of the Gods who put him on that island in the first place after killing the remainder of his crew and destroying his boat (there's no way Poseidon wouldn't have gotten to him otherwise), refused to let him go until God of Wisdom is near death

Most of those gods/demigods are either beloved by the fandom or the fandom at least finds fun to make fun of. All I've seen from people who don't like Calypso is downright loathing. And arguably, what the other gods did was far worse than what Calypso did. Why are they all getting so much love while Calypso is treated like a monster? Seriously, I've seen people thirsting after Poseidon more and more every time he appears, and he's actively trying to kill Odysseus! People thirst after Circe but she did just as bad, if not worse, than Calypso. So where's their hatedom?

What's the one thing that those gods don't have in common with Calypso? (Spoilers; Calypso is a dark skinned black woman).

Y'all don't have to like her. I certainly don't. But the level of hate for Epic's Calypso is seriously giving off "I hate black people" vibes more than "I dislike this character and character's actions" vibes.

this is a lot of lmao for me.

First off, it's not that serious, it's literally a fictional piece of media and people are allowed to like who they like and dislike who they dislike and there does not have to be some deep ideological reason for it. Second, as an actual Greek Mythology buff who read the Odyssey for school and drinks problematic fave juice in general not just for Greek Mythology, I have always hated Calypso and always will so that dark-skinned hater bullshit does not apply to me at least.

Big point here: all the characters in Epic are nuanced and have different motivations for their actions and they can all be understandable however it is up to the discretion of the audience to decide who they like or do not like based on their actions. PERSONALLY I do not like Calypso because homegirl heard the man say he was married TWICE and was just like "well that do not matter I want to keep you as my sex toy/'lover' forever" with no regard for his wishes OUT OF THE DESIRE to not be lonely. And that actually makes it worse for me than Polyphemus, Circe, Zeus, or Poseidon because they at least are acting out of defense of their name, dependents, etc. Calypso is just wantonly keeping Odysseus against his will because she can and wants to and believes she knows what's best for him.

(Also for the record, I hate Zeus and am not exactly fond of Poseidon although I enjoy the songs he sings and understand his motivation even if I don't agree with it. I do also enjoy Calypso's songs even though their content makes my skin crawl as a SA survivor.)

I UNDERSTAND Calypso's motivation but I do not sympathize with it, it is selfish and ignorant and entitled and i do not feel sorry for her at all for getting left alone again, she made her bed. She thinks that because Odysseus washed up on her island, that means he's destined to be hers regardless of what he's saying his wishes are.

I think the big thing you're missing here is that Calypso is a thief of autonomy; a BIG THIEF of autonomy. The shit that goes down with Polyphemus, Circe, Poseidon, and Zeus only takes up three years. Then Calypso takes SEVEN YEARS AWAY from Odysseus. She is the lion's portion of why it takes him so long to get back to Ithaca. She keeps him from even leaving the island. At least with the others, he had the ability to move around but Calypso makes even that impossible. Kind of make sense to hate her now?

Also, she is keeping him hostage with the intention of using him for sex out of a twisted notion of love and whether or not she actually does so is up to interpretation. But as one friend from the fandom put it, if the genders were reversed, the fandom would be in agreement that the captor is a terrible person and there'd be few to no fans. And it makes a lot of sense for the haters to just HATE her if she's at the very least a sexual harasser if not a sexual assaulter. End of the day, she's a sexual predator no matter how far she got.

Anyways this is fandom so I'm not genuinely upset if people misinterpret my reasons for hating a character but long essays of BS deserve long replies herego~ Also another fandom friend likes Calypso BECAUSE she's problematic so sit with that for a minute.

[charles-leclerc-official]

For those keeping track here are the current driver standings for the 2024 season

Wettest cat: Charles

Poorest meow meows: Esteban and Pierre

Cinnamon roll: Oscar

Problematic Fave: Carlos

Just a guy: Max

Plotting things: Lando

Plotting more evil things: Fernando

Poorest babygirl: Logan

Unbothered and thriving: Zhou and Kevin

Committing crimes(affectionate): Yuki

Just a guy but British�� : George

Burnt cinnamon roll: Lance

Bothered but going to Ferrari (also British™): Lewis

Attendance award: Sergio

Biting ankles: Valtteri and Nico

Babygirl meow meow: Alex

Bro I just go here: Daniel

[cursedvibes]

Hi..... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series (until now)? Thanks....

No problem. It gives me a great excuse to whip out this image of my top 9 jjk faves

They're not in order here, but compared to other categories, I don't actually have such a hard time ranking characters.

Kenjaku

I've talked about them a bunch, most recently on the last ask about my favourite characters, so I'll just summarize what I love about them: mad scientist + family drama + trans + chill & genre-savvy + Japanese history + body snatcher

2. Yuuji

Also like him for how he's a pretty unusual shonen protagonist. He's not overpowered, he doesn't want to become the jujutsu king/kage/president and almost every shonen mc trope he does exhibit gets punished or beaten out of him. He nontheless doesn't lose his base compassion for people. That compassion is also what will drive him to kill if he has to, something for the few people he actually hates. He's selfless to the point of suicidal. His whole character arc(s) revolves around him finding a satisfying way to die and now being forced to also find a satisfying reason to live (with how jjk is going, I don't think he'll find that but he's not able to die either). His conflicts with the villains are deeply personal, he doesn't just challenge them on the basis of them breaking the law or being some nebulous depiction of a bad person. That's how it starts out, but he can't beat them on that basis alone. He was only able to really hurt Mahito and defeat him after he accepted their personal connection and similarities.

3. Tengen

Problematic conservative grandma. She's really the root of all of the problems in jujutsu society, she's the one who build up the entire basis of the series from world building to the antagonists. Without her Kenjaku wouldn't be who they are right now, they would likely not try to challenge the system and forcefully advance humanity in the way they do and might even be dead for hundreds of years. Gojo wouldn't exist without her either. Riko wouldn't either and she also wouldn't have died the way she did. Same for Yuki. Sukuna might largely be influenced by her as well. She's responsible for so much of what's happening in the series, but gets all too easily overlooked both in-universe and outside. Her whole backstory is so fascinating, her relationship to Kenjaku drives me crazy and I do find her stubborn, kinda grumpy personality quite charming. Also gnc as fuck.

4. Uraume

While in Sukuna's case I really care more about his backstory than him as a person and find his personality not that exciting, it's the opposite for Uraume. I do want that Heian flashback and also see where Uraume came from and how they met Sukuna, but what I really like about them is their personality. At first glance they appear so calm and collected, just a loyal servant without much autonomy, but they're actually so much more. There's so much passion in them, they are so easy to tick off and always ready for violence. Especially in combination with Kenjaku they are so entertaining. I need to see them cook more often. Preferably human. That brief glimpse we got when they prepared Sukuna's bath was so good. The way they pinned down and sliced up those curses without destroying them...I want to see them do the same with humans.

5. Angel

Heian era's craziest paladin. I just love how hypocritical and bloodthirsty she is. She has her sense of justice and right and wrong, she doesn't pretend like everyone has to agree with it, but she will still mercilessly kill everyone in her way or who she just doesn't like for one reason or another. If Kenjaku is a social butterfly, she's a social caterpillar. I miss her just blatently telling the protagonists that she doesn't care about their goals or innocent people dying. She must have been wonderful to witness in politics. I'm really curious how her relationship to the Abe clan looked liked. It's such a shame that all that got toned down, so Sukuna didn't get one-shotted and Gojo could be freed. The volume 24 extra show though that Gege does care about her or at least her technique, giving me some hope that she will actually get something to do again soon. Once we get her backstory, she could easily rank above Uraume. Btw, I want more panels where Angel is just a mouth. No Hana, just that mouth with a monotone background and overly detailed teeth. It looks so fantastically creepy.

Favourite Moments

1. Kenjaku talking to Kogane

It's just such a good moment that does a lot for Kenjaku's characterization, their goals and relationship to Tengen (and arguably also Yuuji). Still feeling pretty ambivalent about ch222, but this was undeniably a highlight. It has had a tight grip on my mind ever since. I could write whole essays about it, starting with the scenary of it all. Kenjaku sitting alone, the only one in focus and the only one in the light, while being in front of a game console with two controllers that remain untouched and without a game running while talking to someone/something that/who can't hear them or can't understand them. Kogane is basically just a computer. It can't give insightful answers or challenge Kenjaku's beliefs, while Tengen has also lost all autonomy and most of her personality I assume. She also can't talk back, probably can't hear them and isn't even there, but Kenjaku still directs their musings at her, knowing she won't/can't answer, but still asking for her input, challenging her and leaving space for what would be her own words. They hate her, but also want her to do better and this scene really shows that while Kenjaku's plans my succeed, they probably won't get what they really want.

2. Yuuji chasing Mahito

Pretty easy pick. I'm really looking forward to seeing this animated soon. It's not just the beautiful imagery or how their roles have now reversed, but also what leads up to it. Yuuji accepts who he is, how he is not so different from Mahito. He discards any pretence of high and mighty reasons for why Mahito should die and embraces his hate. He's not pretending to be any better than Mahito, no "I'm not gonna kill you because I'm not like you", he says with absolute senserity that he will kill Mahito as many times as it takes. He's gonna hunt him down just like Mahito did. It's also the start of Yuuji giving into the role jujutsu society has put him in and starts thinking of himself as a cog, a mere object that serves others and blindly obeys its function (killing curses). I think getting Sukuna out of his body was the start to him evolving past that thinking, but this was a very necessary step. He needs to be broken down before being build back up. It was a great end for Mahito as a character as well.

3. Kenjaku & Tengen get Sukuna's body

This whole scene is so interesting. Like in the first moment it's basically just Kenjaku talking to their hand puppets again, but this time there's a bit more outside input. Ngl, the mere fact that Kenjaku and Tengen are together, talking to each other and working with each other excites me already. There's not much of Tengen's consciousness left and she can't actually refuse anything Kenjaku does, but their interactions were still very fascinating. What's also interesting is how they (both of them) treat Sukuna's corpse. They stroll up to it so casually, as if they have done it in the past. Kenjaku asks Tengen if they can take it and she says yes, but neither of them consider Sukuna and his wishes in all this. Kenjaku even jokes that it's their souvenir for him. It makes me so curious about how they are connected to him and what kind of relationship the three used to have. It gets even better now that we know that Tengen was the one who prepared his corpse (without his knowledge) and Kenjaku was the one who turned Sukuna into a cursed object. These two have clearly passed around Sukuna's corpse between them before. "Do you mind if I take his fingers?" "No, go ahead, I don't need them" This scene gets better and better as the story progresses.

4. MCs meeting Tengen

Speaking of scenes that get better with time, ch145 and 146 have been one of my favourites for a long time. They have to be on this list for how many times I've reread them alone. The more information and backstory we get, the more interesting this whole info dump becomes. There are always little phrases and moments that become a lot more meaning full on a reread. We also got so many hints. Tengen's connection to the Star Plasma Vessels and Six Eyes, Yuki being able to hear the other SPVs, Tengen and Kenjaku's relationship (many hcs were spawned by Tengen casually calling Kenjaku a child and I'm happy to see that many of them are turning out to be true), the first hints at Kenjaku's plan, even though a lot of depth was missing of course and Tengen underestimates some of their reasoning and end goals, and Tengen's utter failure to understand Kenjaku as a person (they aren't even that shy to talk about their reasons, especially to her! grandma please...).

5. Noritoshi preparing to die/visiting his mother

It's this scene of Noritoshi finding his mother again plus the context of her side of the story at the end of the Sakurajima colony and Maki's advice re matricide that really moves me. Probably Noritoshi's best scene so far. I really hope the reason he isn't with the others is because he went back to his mother to finally talk to her openly. I swear, these two are so horrible at communicating. It's so heartbreaking to see Noritoshi lose all will to live and being ready to die in battle to do at least something useful with his life. He dedicated everything to changing the Kamo from within for his mother, only to get kicked out of the clan and find out that his mother has moved on. Everything he has done so far becomes meaningless. However, it is what comes afterwards that makes it even more clear how toxic his mindset was. Noritoshi thinks poetic words about how he's gonna die for his friends, only to be interrupted by Daido and Miyo. It shows that this way of thinking is entirely unnecessary and something he has to break out of. It's what sets him on the right path to reunite with his mother. Kenjaku forced him out of the clan and gave him no way to return. His mother showed him that there is a way to live a happy life despite the abuse both of them suffered from the Kamo clan, it is possible to move on. Daido & Miyo disrupted his suicidal thoughts and took over the fight for him aka he has to rely on others and accept their "help" without giving anythign in return. Maki taught him that there might be a way to reconnect with his mother and that he should ask all the questions he has for her regarding his purpose and name openly. I really didn't care much for Noritoshi before, but this whole arc elevated him so much for me.

[chocolattecheapcooks]

My SetNina Apology to Anime-Onlies

I've rarely been one to like problematic faves. I couldn't understand the Sett hype before I was caught up with the manga and still only after a second read did I see potential in the SetNina ship. That is when both MLs start having the SAME appeal to me.

So I go back and forth with my shipping. Sometimes, I even don't mind who (if any of the MLs) will win. Nina's heart is still divided by vol. 14. And I, as a fan, have usually leant towards either one who at a given point and in my opinion seems to be ahead on the race plotwise.

What bothers me about SetNina is that Sett really starts SO BAD, like many rightfully say "beyond the event horizon", that is incredibly difficult to defend this ship without spoiling some of the source material.

Yes, Sett is a case where FL fixes him with the power of love, EVENTUALLY, and THUS FAR in the manga, THAT IS WORKING.

If you can't deal with that trope, then this anime/manga is not for you.

As for what Sett does in his introduction to Nina - the rape scare and the slashing of Nina's chest showed in the anime's 5th episode of this first season, it's not like every SetNina shipper forgets that and simply cares about his good looks. It even took me a while to find Sett's design attractive.

Back to those highly reprochable actions, which anime-onlies are deeming unpardonable (and they're not wrong), they cannot be justified simply because Sett drew a line and didn't take them to their final conclusion.

From a legal standpoint, as much as "rape scare" doesn't equal rape, and a sword wound with the intention of causing injury but not death doesn't equal murder, from a moral standpoint Sett's drawn his line way off the mark. A romantic lead simply DOES NOT treat ANY GIRL that way.

So why did I cave in and started considering SetNina a viable ship later on? Wasn't he beyond redemption already?

I guess that has to do with the aftermath of AzNina's estrangement and later series of poor choices by both him and her after their reunion, which is rather tragic, but also with Sett's gradual improvement BEFORE and AFTER a certain event which allows him a total RESET of his character.

Much like we don't know what's inside of a black hole but we imagine it contains many possibilities, even perharps time travel or the door to a new universe, I ask anime-onlies to have patience and, if you will, read the source material while bearing in mind that there might be at least a possibility where Sett can "die and be reborn a new man".

Here's another way to see it, from a philosophy that people never stay the same, they either get better or worse: when Sett tries to rape Nina as a joke and wounds her as a warning but then doesn't carry those evil actions to their final conclusion, it shows that he is in a downward spiral as a character in general, meaning he's very close to doing the extreme someday even to any woman. While we don't know if he raped the other potential brides, we can only assume he has treated them the same way he did Nina so far. All we know is that when the killing of a bride was shown, it was done in self-defense.

So what if his spiralling down is only stopped when Nina gets to him?

Indeed, she will cause him to revert from monster to human, and however she manages that, I'm okay with it. I like seeing someone bent on evil and whose destiny was hopeless then be transformed by grace and made able to be good! I do love redemptive stories!!

Again, if that bothers someone because it's a trope where "nice female fixes a toxic male", then take it or leave it.

And if you don't leave but still prefer AzNina, don't quickly judge SetNina shippers before going through the same journey manga readers have!

Finally, power dynamics between Nina and Sett will be more balanced out, too, both in terms of the physical (like Nina training self-defense) and of the supernatural (since it's a fantasy and there's a lore about Nina's origins), but I'll spoil no more. Just mentioned this in case someone don't feel Nina's safe from abuse around Sett even after his reset arc.

[completeoveranalysis]

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Chapitre 190 - Those Who Know The World

Ohohoho I see how it is Clamp.

It’s Gay Vampire Photoshoot Part 2: this time with The Problematic fave of all time.

Aka IN HIS CLUTCHES. 

A lot of the imagery is very similar to last time we did this (187?), so I won’t go back over that, but what I WILL say is having these two pose together here in the final arc with their entire storyline completely unresolved is SUCH a power move! Go Clamp give us nothing!

Then again, the splash text reads something along the lines of:

They knew that the time

when they would see each other once more

was not too far away

So maybe it will happen! Either way you can SEE who's excited about this and who isn't.

It's GOOD. The visible contrast!! Seishirou is cradling Subaru’s arm and leaning into his touch, clearly happy to be there, but Subaru is not mirroring his smile - and their faces aren't aligned either, they're at different angles despite both looking right at the camera. Subaru’s not even trying to touch him - Seishirou is drawing him in, forcing the distance between them to close.

Their visual styles don’t align either - they both wear black with white accents, but Seishirou’s are straight lines while Subaru’s are all curves and angles. They’re mismatched, and it’s easy to see that only one of them actually wants this scenario to occur. And it’s WILD that Seishirou can make even THIS pose look predatory. He’s INSIDE the circle of Subaru’s vampire claws. He’s INCHES away from an accidental finger twitch slicing him right open. Subaru doesn’t even want to BE there, even as he hovers over him like the archetypal vampire predator that his twin was so good at emulating. And EVEN THEN, despite the powerlessness that the position should bring, Seishirou is still completely in control here. HE’S pulling Subaru closer and taking the affection he wants, even though it would traditionally be the other way around.

Poor Subaru!