#how do i express emotion yes this is a legitimate question

[i-heart-hxh]

is Killua truly jealous of Palm?

Yes, I absolutely think he is!

It's never explicitly stated, but the subtext is so in your face in a few different ways that it's essentially not even subtext any more.

Togashi could have chosen so many different ways to portray the way Killua feels about the Gon/Palm date subplot, but making it clear over and over again how bothered Killua is by the whole situation absolutely reads as jealousy, especially within the larger context of the arc. Look at these especially!

Togashi puts so much emphasis on Killua's expressions and distress throughout the whole subplot. Of course it's partly intended to be comedic, but this situation with Gon and Palm does have serious emotional weight for Killua as well--pulling out the needle, his breakdown in front of Palm, what she ends up saying to him after that, etc. I do think the exaggerated and extreme ways Togashi expresses Killua's feelings are intended to make the audience go, "Oh, he's really jealous, isn't he?"

People can argue Killua's reactions are just because of who Gon is on a date with (someone unhinged/violent and much older than him), or that it's just "concern" about Gon because of his nen situation, and those are both definitely aspects of what's going on here--but to reduce it down to only that ignores those deeper emotional impacts it has on Killua. I think the protectiveness aspect is something Killua uses to veil some of the other things he's feeling about it even though of course he is legitimately protective of Gon in this situation (and he has good reasons to be so). I also think Togashi himself uses the ambiguity to his advantage here, because if he put in romantic jealousy that was any clearer, would Jump allow it?

The way Killua goes immediately from the topic of going on dates/being freaked out about the prospect of Gon having been on dates before to feeling heartbroken because he wants to be with Gon forever the next panel is telling, in my opinion... (The English translation is a little vague, seems like it was intentionally toned down. In the original Japanese version he says he wanted to be with Gon forever.)

Here's a post where @tjlnn22 and I discuss this weightlifting scene in more detail.

I firmly believe that a big part of Palm's role as a character is to get the audience to question the nature of Killua's feelings for Gon. Without considering this context, the way her character is set up from the beginning and what role she's intended to play in Chimera Ant Arc is confusing. But when if you look at her character as having been built for that role, suddenly her entire character and subplot makes sense. Here's an older post where OP talks about some of the framing of Palm's character, and then I talk in more depth about why Palm is written the way she is.

It especially makes sense when you consider that the date with Palm is one of the factors that destabilizes Killua's faith in his relationship with Gon, leading to him wondering if they're acting together as friends or just as teammates. Here's an awesome post @tjlnn22 put together and submitted to me on this topic, with specific details supporting this argument. I think this is an important part of the arc that gets overlooked, and I love how clearly it's laid out in the linked post.

Killua also acts dismissive of Gon worrying about Palm to the point where other characters comment on his behavior, which to me seems like another sign of jealousy and bitterness on Killua's part. Then when he encounters Palm again after her transformation, this is how he behaves towards her:

Hands on his hips, full sass mode here. Again with the jealousy...

...And then shortly after this he proceeds to have a total emotional breakdown when he admits to himself that he thinks maybe Gon cares more about Palm than him, and that Palm might be the only one who can help Gon, rather than Killua. Of course there are more factors than this behind his breakdown, including him getting pushed away by Gon prior, but this is DIRECTLY the thought that leads him to start crying and then sobbing on the ground.

The Palm subplot is one of the biggest things in the series that makes me confident that the romantic subtext around Killua's feelings is completely and utterly intentional. The way the whole subplot is constructed, the decisions Togashi makes around Palm and how she's presented as a character, the way Killua's reactions and emotions are emphasized with regards to it, and the significance of this subplot in the greater arc of Killua's character all show a great deal of thought and care, and it's hard to come to any other conclusion when looking at it carefully.

Thank you for asking!

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

Hiya, me again! I’m loving your deep dives into character and plot for BotW/TotK, so I was wondering if you might like to give me your take on something I’m ruminating on for a WIP. I’d totally welcome others pitching in too! The question is this: what do you think that an emotional “breaking point” would look like for Link during TotK? He canonically masks his emotions to an extent and seems to have a history of trauma responses that include shutting down and dissociating, but what happens when it all gets to be too much? When a friend who’s trying to be helpful or sympathetic unwittingly presses too hard into an emotional sore spot and Link - already barely holding it together with everything that’s going on - just snaps? With everything bottled up so tight, what happens if the bottle explodes at the worst possible time: while he’s in the presence of others? Does he lash out? Break down? Flee? Some combination of all those, or something else entirely? I have my ideas but I’d love to get more takes!

Oooooohhhhh hi hi hi

I LOVE character analysis study time to determine how they would behave in a fic. I think Totk Link definitely shows far more emotion than we the players get to see and I think the best part of the game in general to determine that is the chase in Hyrule Castle.

As we know, Link canonically does go mute when he’s feeling a lot of emotion. But, he shows more emotion than is let on. Buliara tells us that Link is legitimately frazzled, utterly focused on ‘Zelda’, and in a space where he may “miss a wrung” in his haste to get up to the observation deck. And as he chases Zelda down and gets to the Sanctum, his expressions change for “oh my god Zelda is right here, I can see her” to “something is off. This isn’t Zelda” as she speaks. I can’t explain it properly, but this is that final nail in the coffin that YES. Zelda is the light dragon. She is going to be forever.

That is absolutely DEVASTATING. Because we know at this point in the game, Link is AWARE that it’s not the real Zelda that’s been seen across Hyrule. But he’s still so desperate.

And after the battle with the sages coming to aid him, everyone else is speaking and Link is just kinda there until Riju addresses him. And she goes “you should come to Lookout Landing too, Link”

While from a gaming perspective, that’s the way the game points the players back to Lookout Landing and of course Link isn’t going there with everyone else, because once the cutscene ends, Link will be by himself for the player to control.

However, in this case, we could argue that this was incredibly emotionally taxing for Link and he is at a breaking point.

So I think for him, it’s a sign that he will go mute and in a sense ‘run away’. He will seek a place to be alone and not surrounded by others who expect things of him. His breakdown point is led with a trauma response of becoming selectively mute and then seeking a safe place to break down with no one around him.

It’s so unsettling because for most characters, you get that explosive reaction, the one that erupts all of their emotions to whoever pushed them a tad too far… but Link’s trauma and his own training as a soldier creates an even worse response.

He doesn’t lash out in front of people. He doesn’t even let them know what he is thinking.

For a Link who is now far more expressive than he was previously, to shut down again and be mute, completely dissociating around some of his closest companions… that’s a LOT. And it’s a lot different from a writing perspective, but I think an internal breakdown, completely oblivious to the people around him, and a steady blow up once everyone is gone or he fled the area to be alone could be very emotionally impactful!

[amuhav]

All the odd questions of the Edgy/misc OC ask meme for Loch please.

What memory would your OC rather just forget?

His one-night stand with Ash. Because Amir was right, Loch wasn't some stupid confused teenager anymore. He was a grown man who even drunk knew it was a bad idea, knew he wasn't in the right headspace to give more than that, knew he was in a rebound friend's-with-benefits thing with Alice only because he'd just got out of another relationship and questioning his sexuality and whether he was even capable of being a person in a relationship, with anyone. He knew all that, and still got drunk and did it anyway. He convinced himself they both knew what they were doing and one brief moment of pleasure would be fine, when it really cost his already spiralling mental health, and the trust and mental health of Asher. And even though they're good (mostly) now, he knows he can never take it back, and he can never change that it put Ash in that vulnerable position for someone like Finn to swoop in.

What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?

Not communicating honestly with people. Not just Ash, but really anyone. He rarely lets anyone know his actual wants and needs, I guess because growing up they didn't really matter.

How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

I mean, depends. We know Loch has very specific lines he won't cross, but... he is still a Karaish, and all of them have a sort of built-in "the rules don't apply to me" kind of mentality lol.

What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Loch was supposed to AroAce which is honestly hilarious to me now. I mean, he is very much not asexual at all lmao, but he is kinda still on the aromantic spectrum. He knows he's never felt any romantic inclination towards any women, but he's not sure how that applies to men, though to be honest, he's at a point now where it doesn't really matter. If it's not Asher, it's no one. I really don't think he'd ever have actually been with someone legitimately if it weren't Ash.

What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

His words, and absolutely lol. It comes out more when he's drunk, but even sober push him enough and his tongue turns vicious.

If you met your OC, would the two of you get along?

Absodamnlutely lmao. Mainly because we're pretty alike, but also because it reminds me of the catty banter relationships I have with my friend's IRL, or some of my old work friends. Extra yes because he's a guy I could have that kind of friendship with knowing he wouldn't be catching feelings too so I wouldn't have to worry about it lol.

Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

Noooooope. All of Gen 3 happened before I really knew of the concept of face claims lmao.

What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

Made his parents emotionally absent af whilst still being physically present lmao. Like, there's so many specific events in his life I could point to instead, but him stepping in to parent his younger sibs is like, the root cause of most of his issues. But his parents weren't ever abusive, or even truly neglectful, and in their own way they are still loving parents. So it's kinda... complicated? Like, he loves them and can't hate them, and he feels any bitterness towards them isn't really worth addressing, and it's not like they can do anything about it now anyway. Like, it's not going to change what it did to him. It made him the person he is and that can't be undone, so why ruin that relationship now?

How does your OC behave when enraged?

He usually either gets bitchy or he lashes out, depending on the specifics.

Does your OC have any illnesses or disorders? How do they handle it?

~anxiety~. for which he currently takes meds and has been through a course of CBT.

What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Vulnerability. He hates feeling it, and hates showing it. So he runs from it, or twists it into something else, like anger.

What is your favorite thing about your OC?

He's a lil bitch and honestly, I ~vibe~ with it lol. Especially now he's making that petty, bitchy side of himself more public. Like, there's a lot about him that drives me fuckin insane, but his cattiness definitely isn't one of them lmao.

[jungle321jungle]

False Dawn: One

For his entire life, Janus Ekans had done whatever he could to prove himself and rise in the ranks of his father’s court, but it was all worthless in the end. Now, the only path to survival is to rely on his father’s killer, Duke Logan Ackroyd, even if it means discarding his pride and blood ties. It might not be freedom, but at least it won't be his head rolling on the floor next.

~~~~

False Dawn:

Idiom: A situation that looks like it is beginning to improve when, in reality, it is not.

Read on Ao3 - All Chapters - Masterlists

One

Janus had learned at an early age how to keep his face even despite what was happening around him. It didn’t matter whether he was excited, upset, or scared. An Ekans faced those emotions every day, and if he ever wanted even the slimmest of chances of being accepted as a legitimate child- controlling his facial expressions was a requirement. So his mother had drilled poise and etiquette into him the hard way, yet here and now, every word she had ever spoken seemed meaningless. Here and now, it didn’t matter that he had learned to dance; it didn’t matter that he could hold his own when talking to the nobility; his swordsmanship and equestrian lessons were also null and void. Because here and now, it didn’t matter that his face didn't change as he watched what was going on around him because everything he had done was to impress his father- to impress the king—the king, who was currently shy of a head. 

The screams that echoed throughout the ballroom were on deaf ears as Janus’ eyes were trained on his father’s killer. The man was calm as he wiped the blood from his blade as if he was doing its daily maintenance as opposed to just having beheaded a monarch. And silently- wrongly - Janus couldn’t help but wonder why he bothered to do so when it was clear the rest of the royal family was next to die. Or was this man too important to dirty his blade with Janus’ impure blood? The knight stopped his actions and dropped to a knee as the Head of the Empire stepped towards him. Janus had thought so when he had seen the Emperor before at the start of the ball- but here and now, the ruler seemed even more like a child. He was likely just barely sixteen, his brown eyes slightly sunken in and partially hidden behind his hair, which was just long enough to fall into his eyes. He was shorter in stature, and truthfully, it looked like a strong breeze would be enough to knock him over. Even so, no one could be The Emperor of Angoro without having a nearly impossible amount of mana. 

“Do as you see fit with the rest,” The Emperor told the knight. 

The knight hadn’t dared to raise his head, “Yes, Your Maj-”

“Why!?” Janus heard one of his older sisters- the Second Princess- shout. “What did we do to you?”

The Emperor blinked at her once as if he couldn’t tell if she was stupid or not, and quite frankly, Janus wished she wasn’t as stupid as well… she usually was. The Emperor’s eyes shined with a slight tint of purple before he appeared to decide she wasn’t worth a drop of his mana. “I need to get back,” he told his knight instead. As he began to walk away, some of his troops fell in step behind him. 

“Why? Why? Why!?” his sister shouted again and again. No one stopped her, not even the enemy knight who stood before her. No one did a thing until the Emperor had left the room. Then, the knight in charge stood, fixated his eyes on her, and moved closer, causing her to falter before the Queen put a hand over her mouth. 

The knight adjusted his glasses as his eyes looked over them all, and then he spoke, “None of you want to answer her question?”

Janus wasn’t aware the tension could get any higher, but then the man brandished his sword. 

“I see no point in answering. If she weren’t such a narcissist, she would have paid attention to the world around her,” Janus said with his mask of calm as he tried not to focus on the thought of that sword running him through. But he needed to try because something in him- perhaps all his experience in reading people- screamed that in this situation, silence was the wrong answer. 

The knight’s attention and sword went to Janus, a shadow of amusement on his face as his right eyebrow twitched. “Oh? But it would be quite cruel for her to die without knowing what her crime is, wouldn’t it?”

“Ignorance is a crime of its own.”

The knight paused before he looked Janus up and down, “A prince with no crown? …A Child of the Harem then?”

“Correct.”

“Interesting,” he concluded, sheathing the weapon, and Janus forced himself not to give a large breath of relief like he wanted. The knight then focused on the Second Princess- or rather, her crown. “Your King was the one who cursed the Empire and caused the deaths of thousands. I think the amount of blood that shall be shed is inconsequential in comparison.”

The Second Princess pushed away the Queen’s hand, “Father would never! You-” she was stopped again by her mother, but this time their eyes locked, and an understanding moved between them. 

The knight looked as if he was trying to hide his disgust, “Lock them up and prepare them for transport. Executions will occur back in the capital before all the people they’ve hurt. As for the nobility, I've already given your orders for them.”

The knights around them resoundingly said, “Yes, Your Grace!” And just like that, Janus found himself being shuffled along with the rest of the royal family, and he could only hope that the lingering inquisitive gaze he felt boded well for his future. 

Upon having his wrists bound, he and the rest of his family were shoved into a relatively small cell for the number of them in the castle’s dungeon. It was certainly strange being on this side of the bars down here, but he supposed anything was better than the alternative. If they were to be transported back to the Empire’s capital, he had time to try and negotiate something for himself. It may all be for naught, but at least- unlike his father- he wouldn’t go down without a fight. 

“You're insane.” 

The sound of his mother’s voice drew his attention back to his family amongst him. She was across the cell from him, with a few family members between them. She didn't speak again, just watching him with eyes full of fear, worry, tears, and surprise. He waited a moment and then another, but when no words left her lips, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes so he wouldn’t need to see her face as he responded. “The silence was heavy enough to kill on its own accord… so I broke it.”

He heard his family quietly chitter amongst themselves as they commented on his behavior. It was probably the most attention they had ever spent on him, and it didn’t feel nearly as good as he had imagined. 

It was early morning when they were pulled from their cell and outside to greet the rising sun and the three prison wagons waiting underneath it. Janus had anticipated that they all would've been split into each by numbers, but he was surprised to find that they were being sorted. Into one wagon went The Queen and her children, in another, the Queens of the Harem, and in the last, Janus and the other illegitimate children. He couldn’t help the spike of hope that struck his chest at the chance that they might be punished based on their status. But any hope quickly fizzled out as he realized the range in his siblings amongst him. More were guilty of horrible things than those who were innocent. So, if the wagon were indeed to divide who lived and died, currently, it seemed the harem would be the only cart to survive. And yet, some in there deserved death just the same. 

The convoy traveled through the morning and only stopped once at midday, during which each prisoner was led one by one to relieve themselves under supervision. They were each given a small slice of stale bread, and the trip continued. So Janus would be lying if he said he wasn’t ecstatic to leave the wagon when they stopped for the night. His bottom and back ached from sitting on the hardwood all day, so even if it were just a short walk to use the bathroom, he’d take it. On the way back to the wagon, another knight jogged up, “The Duke requested this one,” she told one holding Janus’ rope. And to Janus’ surprise, he didn’t hesitate to hand it over. 

Janus’ heart was thundering in his chest. But the knight said nothing to him as he pulled him along after her towards where the main army had made camp some hundred or so feet away. Eyes wandered to them as they made their way through the camp, but none said anything as they made way for them to pass. That was until they reached the Duke in question. 

His father’s killer was sitting amongst his men, seemingly having a casual conversation with them as he sipped stew from a bowl. It was a bit of a strange sight, truthfully. Usually, those of higher status had tents to themselves full of all their luxuries of home, and yet this man was indistinguishable from the rest. Upon their approach, he stood and outstretched a hand, and the rope attached to Janus was set in it. The Duke said nothing as he led Janus away from the rest, simply sipping his dinner as he went, but ultimately, he came to a stop and leaned back against a tree facing Janus. 

“You didn’t flinch as your father’s body was liberated from its head, and you also spoke out against your own blood without hesitation,” he started. “And from what I recall, this is often your behavior. You clean up the messes of others, be it with words or with blood… Tell me, what do you gain from that?”

“Rapport,” Janus answered easily. “Rapport with a man who refused to acknowledge me. And as you can see, it was all for naught.”

The Duke hummed another sip from his bowl, “You're quite good with your words. Truly a silver tongue.”

“Am I to take that as a compliment?”

“That is up to your discretion.”

“Then I thank you for the compliment.”

“I hadn’t expected you to beg for your life, but I didn’t expect you’d be this bold either.”

“Why beg? It’s clear whatever I have done so far is enough. And if I am truly to die regardless, then I will say what I please beforehand.”

“Your magic,” the Duke said, changing the subject. “Demonstrate for me.”

Janus couldn’t help but be taken aback by the statement, and it was the first thing that pierced his unaffected mask. But he was quick to repair it. “My deepest apologies; these ropes drain my measly mana.”

The Duke nodded as he stood off the tree and led Janus back through the camp to the prison wagons, where the guarding knights stiffened as they approached. “Remove his bonds,” the Duke ordered. The knights were confused, but they were quick to free Janus’ wrists anyway. 

“Recover your measly mana ,” The Duke mocked. “I’ll ask for another demonstration tomorrow.”

~~~~

It was a test. Janus knew that well. Evidently, the Duke knew exactly what Janus’ skillset was- and yet he had more or less left Janus to his own devices. Sure, he was still behind the wagon’s bars and surrounded by knights, but that meant nothing. The mana he had regained by the time they were moving in the morning was more than enough for him to transform and escape. He could simply morph into a bird and take flight to a place where he’d never be seen again. That is, if he could avoid the archers. He could become a fly. He couldn’t get far or fly long, but he could lose them- but for how long? He could wait until they took him out of the wagon again, and become a horse and start sprinting- but the knights had their own horses. He could wait and then become a bear and maul them all on his way out, but there were too many to take them down. And even if he did get away, then what? The Empire had already taken over the Kingdom. And all nobility was being watched. It wouldn't take long for the commoners to realize that a person amongst them had a different level and different kind of education than they did. He would need to be constantly moving, constantly changing faces to survive- and he wasn't sure how long that would last. This was a test. 

A test to see if Janus would take the bait off of its silver spoon, or if he would place his life in the hands of another. Especially when there was no proof that the Duke would allow him to live. Maybe he had sparked enough interest to save his life, but if he had, he’d still have to deal with a target on his back for the rest of his life. To keep himself breathing, he would need to let go of all ego and pride and do whatever he was asked forever- he’d have to go back to the way he was before his father spared him that first glance. Back to craving- needing that attention so badly that it hurt without it. This form of survival was one he had already led, and perhaps he could do it again now that he had learned from his mistakes... Or maybe it would end just the same. But, of course, this was all dependent on what the Duke intended to do with him. Because, quite frankly, it was far more likely that the man was the type to play with his prey before slitting its throat. 

Removing his bonds was a test—a test for the Duke to see Janus’s character. And yet, even though he knew himself best, Janus wasn’t sure what the correct answer was. 

His mind had been racing, running through possibilities to the point it exhausted him, yet Janus stayed put. He ignored his siblings' questioning as they also begged him to remove their bonds. While Janus still wasn't sure about running, he knew that freeing others—even the small children—would only end badly for everyone involved. 

After dinner of the same stale bread, Janus found himself being marched through the knight’s camp once more. The Duke was once again eating with his men, but upon noticing Janus, he rose and led Janus away from the rest. 

“Show me,” he said simply once they were alone. 

Janus’ eyes skimmed the area behind him as the knights, who were at a slight distance, faced the other direction. It seemed they had been ordered to leave them be. 

“Well?”

Janus took a deep breath as he felt the mana pulse within his veins as he focused on his transformation. He focused on his appearance. He needed to be an inch taller, his eyes a hair smaller, and their color to match that piercing blue. He focused on each of his features as he felt his body grow and shift until he looked the Duke in the eye. The Duke didn’t appear surprised as he looked at his own face; instead, he gave a pleased hum as he scanned Janus up and down before he made a small circle around Janus. “It's quite good,” he concluded, standing before Janus once again as he touched his finger to his lips in thought.

Janus mirrored the action as he focused his mana on his vocal cords. “I’m good at what I do.”

There was a glimmer of amusement in that eye, “You can mimic my voice as well?”

“What do you think, Your Grace? Do my parlor tricks, please?”

“They do. But I wouldn’t call them parlor tricks. You can turn into beasts as well, can't you? Show me.”

Janus couldn't hide his slight frown, and glancing behind him again, he unbuttoned his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

Janus removed his shirt as he answered, “Beasts are far larger than we are. I would prefer not to rip my only clothes.”

“Fine, something smaller then.”

Janus was more than thankful for that. He dropped his shirt to the ground anyway, though, and began to morph his limbs and digits to fit what was needed. He forced himself not to make any sounds of pain as his face rearranged itself; he needed to impress. When he had finished, he took a step out of his now discarded pants and gave a stretch. 

“A cat,” The Duke nodded as he examined Janus. “Do you intend to maul me with your puny claws?”

“I considered it,” Janus replied.

“You can still speak?”

“In certain conditions.” 

The man paused as he circled Janus once more before reaching out a hand that was now as large as Janus’ face to ruffle the fur on Janus’ head, much to his dismay. Janus pulled back against the contact and gave a cat hiss, but the Duke didn’t seem to mind. “How long does it last?”

“Depends. The further away from my initial form, the harder it is to maintain and the more mana it takes. I also need to maintain a certain level of focus. That’s why I stick to parlor tricks.”

“It's impressive nonetheless. Such magic is nearly unheard of.”

“My mother was of Osteria’s House Altier before she was sent to be my Father’s.”

“Osteria’s lineage magic was indeed top class... Can your mother do the same?”

Janus couldn't help but think that an average person in this situation would feel fear at the thought of potentially putting their mother in harm’s way. Still, rather than that, Janus wondered if he was rendering himself obsolete. “She can, but her mana levels are lower than average,” he lied. Thankfully, the Duke seemed to believe him. 

“You’ll be enough. When we reach the capital, I will need to speak with His Majesty to confirm some things, but I’ll make you a deal once we arrive—one that keeps you alive—and maybe someone else if you behave.”

Janus returned to his clothes and began morphing into his human form. When he had, he pulled himself to his feet and put his shirt back on, asking, “What do you want me to do?”

“For now, all you need to do is keep this conversation and your abilities between us. You’ll need all your mana conserved for when we arrive.”

With that, the Duke made it clear that there was nothing more to be said as he began to lead the way back they had come because he knew Janus would follow. They walked in silence for a while, but just before they came into earshot of the knights watching the prisoners, Janus spoke, “I know nothing of the curse’s workings. Only that the war with Osteria served to-”

“I believe you,” The Duke interrupted. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not useful to me. I’ll see you soon enough, Prince Ekans.”

~~~~

All Chapters

[babe-in-christ]

Why do you worship your god YHWH as the only one? This is a legitimate question? What good does it do for you? Everything your god has done for you shouldn't have anything to do with his status, or uniqueness. I've seen the power of gods alien to your own, from Hel (the goddess I'm closest to, though I do worship others), I've seen her stop animals from moving, protect the sick and wounded, and cause a blind preacher to see her and flee. And I've felt her love, felt her comfort (I probably wouldn't even identify as agender if it wasn't for her help). But because she is not your god you would call this demonic? And say my soul is bound for damnation? Why not admit the existence of other gods, and keep to your own if you wish. How can your relationship with your god even be safe if you can't leave for another? How can it be called anything but bigotry to deny another god's divinity while you worship one yourself?

Hey! I just want to say thanks for asking a question especially one with such a kind tone. Sometimes people can be mean on here. 🩷

There’s a lot of questions to answer but I hope to keep it short, sweet and to the point. I’ll be going from top to bottom. I will also not be rude or mean to you. 😄

I worship Yah as the only one because Christian’s as well as I believe He is the only one. Do not get this confused with the Trinity. The father, son and Holy Spirit are all one. They are just different expressions of Him.

We do not worship him based on status or uniqueness. Although He is the most unique😝. We worship Him because He is LOVE unbound. He guides and leads us to our GOOD. He makes us into better people if we are OBEDIENT. I could go on. How do I explain this? It’s not about what he can do for your mortal life and flesh. Mainly, it’s about how He can change and fortify your spirit. Changing your spirit is what changes your physical life and reflects to Him the eternal life you want. Everything is spiritual in life and death.

Yes, I have “seen” and felt God in my life and experiences. Here’s the thing….. I haven’t seen Him with my naked eye. “Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe”. I have seen Him in my dreams but in life I witness His power. I hear His voice speak to me. When I ask Him to hug me I feel Him. Oh my, now I’m getting emotional! 🥹 I see the way He is exposing evil as we speak. I don’t know if you’re American or know of American news but we are being judged and corruption is coming out.

Yes I believe those “gods” you speak of are demonic. I don’t believe you are locked in for damnation. Everyone can be saved. I also don’t think I’m better than you. Ironically, I used to be atheist until Yah told me it’s time for me to come home. Please, do not feel that Yah won’t forgive you. This is what separates Him from the “gods” you speak of. Has any of your “gods” come into mortal form to save your spirit for eternity? How come the other deities can save your spirit? How come other deities don’t have the power to separate spirit from flesh? How come they have all sinned? Why aren’t any of them pure and good? As an ex-atheist I’m familiar with many pantheons. I can say that I have not heard of one even comparable to Yah.

I do feel safe with Yah because I don’t worship demons or fallen angels. Deception is heightened especially right now. All I can say is… how come every pantheon shares the same Christian demons and markets them as “gods”. Why does every pantheon have a powerful serpent “god”? 🐍 Even the Aztecs worship Quetzalcoatl. Don’t forget Satan used to be an angel. He knows how to show all the bells and whistles and look beautiful. Above all, he is the best liar. Each pantheon also has a “superior god” who is the “most powerful”. Often times they give Him some qualities of Yah. No matter how many qualities they give doesn’t make them Yah. How can any of the deities you worship be so powerful when there are tons of them across cultures?

It reminds me of a saying… “if everything is special then nothing is special”. If all of those deities are all powerful then they really aren’t. How can you be the most powerful when there are many like you in different cultures? What’s the difference between Hel and Quetzalcoatl? Nothing. It’s all the same at the root with a few cosmetic differences due to their respective cultures. A snake spirit.

None are equal to Yah. You can’t compete where you don’t compare. People will try to bring up Zeus or any other “god”. Zeus has been defeated multiple times by other “gods”. Yah has never been nor will be defeated. Across all cultures Christianity is the same. There aren’t multiple Yah’s, only one. There is no confusion with Him. It doesn’t matter your race or ethnicity. He is understood the same.

So yes, Yah is the safest because He never changes like the other “gods”. He is the almighty. He is the only savior. He is the only true God. He is the way, the truth and the life. No I don’t believe that anything other than Yah is a “god”. I believe they are demons or that people are letting their brain trick them. I love and trust Him completely because He is pure GOOD and never changes. What he wants from you now is exactly what He wanted from people thousands of years ago? I love Him only because we are not worthy of Him but He loves you enough to help change you (if you are willing) to be worthy. Yah isn’t just talk. He is forever. Amen.

Thank you for asking your question. It means alot 🥹. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m not like some of the lukewarm Christian’s. I’m not mad at you for questioning me. I don’t believe you are evil. I believe everyone’s soul can be saved. Even by the tone of your message, I think you’re a pretty cool person. If you have any more DM me. Above all, I hope that you don’t take offense to my response. Just food for thought. 😉😄

[emo--chanel]

@punksvga bc op treated this question like a big joke and used judgey wording for the options. yes the hypothetical is ludicrous but the topic is not - it's actually a very serious sensitive subject for many people which op didn't think through. the wording of the poll options suggests they thought the answer would be obvious.

to hear things like "UGH pregnancy isn't *that* big a deal, get over it lol" in response to expressing legitimate fear/repulsion of the idea for any number of reasons, incl dysphoria, disability & trauma, is extremely invalidating & unkind. it's not very respectful of the whole idea of bodily autonomy either. there's certainly a stigma toward those feelings surrounding pregnancy, they're not talked about often enough.

if you (general you not specifically *you*) don't feel like that about it so don't understand the feelings, that's totally valid obviously and nobody is suggesting you shouldn't feel like pregnancy is no big deal or that it's beautiful or you shouldnt actively want to experience it if that's how you feel. but just be mindful of the fact that there are sooo many people out here who don't share those feelings and they're not wrong, bad, wimps, selfish or inherently being misogynistic for this. some shallow views could be underpinned by misogyny, sure, but most are not this.

a lot of the animosity on this post could've been avoided if op had just used yes or no like all their other polls. their follow up post about this poll is pretty disappointingly dismissive too, basically saying "well maybe don't take it so seriously next time omg 🙄" instead of acknowledging that their assumptions about how people would receive this particular hypothetical were way off & they made a mistake not just treating the poll impartially like the rest.

yeah we're on tumblr & this is a silly poll blog not official data gathering & research but op severely misjudged how complex & personal this topic is and that, regardless of how unserious the blog or this particular question is, it's inappropriate to treat something like this so nonchalantly then roll your eyes at people being understandably annoyed at yet another instance of being judged for these valid feelings.

i also find it interesting that much of the backlash in here is directed at responses that amount to "no i would not do smth that i know will cause significant physical/mental/emotional harm to myself regardless how much i'd be paid, it's not worth it to me", when there are other responses like "yeah of course i'd do it! but i better not have to look after that thing. get it as far away from me as possible after - i just want that cold hard cash!" and nobody seems to bat an eye.

it's like, people are fine with accepting that people have the right to choose to use their body to carry & birth a baby for financial gain only and want nothing to do with the baby afterwards, but if people choose to NOT use their body for smth it's capable of doing for a reward that's deemed too good to pass up then "hey that ain't right! get over it & examine your internalised misogyny, freaks!". like???? it's hypocritical to say the least.

i really shouldn't be surprised by this discrepancy in the attitude toward equally valid feelings & choices surrounding pregnancy, since i've been dealing with it for as long as i can remember, but whenever i think maybe we are making progress after all something comes along to remind me that no. i guess we're not. 😴

Would you get pregnant, carry, and birth a baby for $600,000,000

[vitamincummies83]

Have you ever noticed how, when women express their struggles, the response is so often a form of dismissal? It s not that people don t understand pain—they absolutely do. It s that acknowledging it in others, particularly in women, seems to trigger a defensive response. "Who hurt you?"—it s not a question, but an accusation. Capitalism's exploitation of beauty standards perpetuates a cycle of consumption, where women are encouraged to constantly improve their appearance to meet unrealistic ideals. Feminists argue that this commodification of beauty undermines women's confidence and reinforces patriarchal norms that prioritize appearance over substance. Reproductive violence is a pervasive issue that affects women across the globe. From birth control sabotage to anti-abortion laws, women 's bodies are often the battleground for maintaining male control. This form of violence is deeply rooted in cultural and religious norms, but it ultimately serves to limit women 's autonomy and keep them dependent on male-dominated systems of power. Reproductive violence targets women 's ability to control their own bodies, using cultural, religious, and legal means to restrict access to contraception and abortion. Feminists argue that this form of control is a global issue, with men and institutions seeking to maintain power over women by limiting their reproductive choices. Your children can be taken from you, and you can be forced to pay child support and denied visitation. Yes, even if you aren't abusive, they can lie about you in court and have a fair shot at being believed. Especially if they're male. You wont believe how derpy it was when poop started shit peanutbuttering in The land of lost TIC. Go to a cardboard box and tell them the gwobbly sonic the hedgehog sent you.

Ive never seen goku so clobulous; it must be because of Giga Luigi.Ive never seen goku so clobulous; it must be because of Giga Luigi.Ive never seen goku so clobulous; it must be because of Giga Luigi.! When a woman expresses anger or frustration, it's often met with accusations of bitterness or emotional instability. Phrases like "who hurt you?" are not genuine questions but rather insults disguised as concern. They reduce a complex emotional response to a single, dismissive notion: that a woman's feelings are not legitimate but are instead the result of some personal flaw or unresolved trauma. Garfield:i dont drink anymore i licks. me:If eggplant could talk, itd tell you to eat peanutbutter somewhere else. Garfield: You can prip the dead rat, but itll never be skingluous. me:

[caxycreations]

Gentle reminder

Not every instance of someone asking "why do you do X thing?" or "why do you want X thing?" is an attack on that thing.

If someone asks you "why don't you wear heels?" or "why do you wear heels?"

If someone asks you "Why do you wear makeup?" or "why don't you wear makeup?"

If someone asks you "Why do you dress that way?" or "Why do you do your hair that way?"

It's not inherently an attack on you or your style or your life or anything else.

Reacting to every instance of "Why do you-" with "UM, BECAUSE I WANNA, FUCK RIGHT OFF" is petty and ridiculous.

Curiosity does exist, and sometimes when someone says "Why do you-" or "Why don't you-", there's a very real, non-zero chance that they legitimately want the story behind it out of good-faith curiosity.

And you can answer that in good-faith, whether or not they mean it in good-faith, and choosing to do so is a far better option than immediately assuming every single person who asks is trying to judge or belittle or attack you in some way.

"Why do you wear makeup?", well, you can answer with "Um, none of your fucking business, I just want to", or you can say "I just like to", or "Because it feels nice", or "I like the way I look in it".

"Why do you dress that way?" You can say "I dress how I want, fuck off." or you can say "It's just my style", or "I like the way I look in it", or even just "It's comfortable to me."

And if they don't like your answer, if they try to be rude about it after that, by all means! Tell them to fuck off, because the answer you give is all the answer they should need.

But can we stop normalizing this instant hatred of anyone who asks?

Can we please not make "Because fuck you" the standard response?

Yes, you are entitled to dress however you like, you're entitled to wear makeup or not if you like, you're entitled to express yourself and who you are in any way that doesn't bring harm yourself and to those around you.

But you can do those things WITHOUT becoming so hateful. You can do those things without every instance of "Why do you-" leading to an immediate, heartless "Because fuck you." when there's every possibility the one asking just wants to hear your side of things.

Don't come at me with that tired old "Well I used to and got sick of explaining myself"

It's not explaining yourself, it's answering a damn question.

I'm transfem. My best friend in the world is transmasc. And you know what we both have in common?

When someone asks us why we do something, don't do something, or prefer something, we just fucking tell them.

Because it doesn't hurt us, at all, to just answer their question.

Someone asks me "Why do you wear a collar?" and I just tell them "It makes me feel cute."

Someone asks my friend "Why do you always wear men's jeans?" and he says "Better pockets."

You don't have to give them a life story, or a big long talk about it. A short, simple little honest answer like that works wonders.

If you don't have the patience to spare 2-8 words to answer a question as simple as "Why do/don't you X", if just being asked that question is enough to piss you off to the point of reacting with hostility and frustration, you need to re-evaluate your emotional response to the things being said to you.

In no world should "Why do/don't you-" result in anger, and in no world should a good-faith answer be met with prejudice.

But we HAVE to be better. We need to stop treating "I do what I want, fuck you" like a good mentality.

Do what you will, do what feels right to you, but don't turn it into an act of spite. Don't let the things you love be corrupted into things you do just to piss people off, that way of living is so exhausting.

Live for fun, act for fun, and when asked why you do it, answer in good faith, to inspire others to do the same.

"I do what I want, fuck you" only serves to continue the cycle of hostility that we're so desperate to break.

[kydp]

there are so many things i want to say, but i don’t know how to say them or when to say them, and by the time i have the right words, it’s no longer relevant and the die just at the tip of my tongue.

[leantailean]

Hello, longing-for-rain! I was the anon who asked you a question. I followed your blog because I liked your art, you're a good artist. But your words about toxic musculinity surprised me so much that I decided to ask a question, because, honestly, for all the time that I had been reading bad takes about Aang it was the first time when I heard about his toxic musculinity. Since you were so kind as to answer me, I think it's right to answer too, and now under my real name.

«How much more “toxically masculine” can you get than that?»

As someone who has had a similar experience: no, Aang's kiss is not an example of toxic musculinity. It was a stupid, immature act of a child who did not understand at the time that he could harm Katara with this. Don't forget: Katara and Aang had already kissed twice before, and one of these kisses was initiated by Katara (not to mention the fact that a very deep personal connection had already been established between them by this point, they literally saved each other from death). Aang does this not because he considered Katara his property, but because he thought that this line between them had already been passed and Katara would not mind it. That he would "fix everything." Are you really saying that if Aang had deliberately assumed that it would offend Katara, he would still have kissed her because "she is his property"?

Or are you really going to compare this kiss with a behavior of adult men who harass women, humiliate them and force them to have sex because "I'm a man, and a woman is obliged to give me everything I want"? The men who understand that they are causing harm, and still do it repeatedly? Who frankly say "it doesn't matter what she wants, she doesn't have the right to say no" (literal quote)?

But don't worry, unlike you who justifies Zuko's openly racist shit and putting the word racism in quotation marks, I'm not going to say that Aang was right. No, he did wrong, stupid and short-sighted, and Katara had every right not to forgive him for this and stop their relationship.

Immediately after that, we see how Aang realizes his mistake and scolds himself for it. It is also important that the kiss in the show final was initiated by Katara. Aang stepped back, and let Katara decide whether there would be a relationship between them or not. He learned his lesson.

And while we're on the subject. Do you know what a real example of toxic masculinity is?

Here is a real example of toxic masculinity, when a man openly uses physical and emotional violence and insults, because he considers his girlfriend  his property who is not allowed to talk to other men or not to show proper admiration for him. And then brazenly initiate physical contact, ignoring her legitimate annoyance of him.

And yes, May also forgave Zuko for this, although she had every right to break up with him, just as Katara forgave Aang (although what Aang did was not as disgusting as Zuko's behavior).

«I also find it very interesting that you describe Katara and Sokka as “children” while Zuko is omitted from that list despite being the same age. Are you admitting you agree he’s more mature, or are you admitting that you hold him to different standards?»

Because lots of what zuko did go beyond just “child mistakes”  I was talking about

Tie up a girl to a tree, leverage on her using her late mother’s neckless, hiring a killer to kill 12 yo kid, all of these too much to be called just a childish mistake, and these go beyond whatever mistakes Aang, Toph, Katara or Sokka did.

«In context, Aang is the one trying to force his beliefs on others»

It is not true. Aang literally said:

 And do you know what Katara answers?

Katara is Aang's friend, and he had every right to express his opinion on this. He worries about her and does not want her to get hurt, so that she, driven by pain, causes herself harm that she couldn’t fix. There is a clear parallel to this scene:

When Aang, having lost Appa, who is not just a pet, but his friend, the last thing he has left of his destroyed culture, driven by pain fell into a legitimate rage - Katara was the one who comforted him because she cared and she did not want him to harm himself or others. When Katara falls into rage, her brother and her friend are the one who are worried about her.

And, you know, the advice "don't kill a person, it will hurt you" is not the philosophy of air nomads. This is literally the only correct advice in this situation. You very conveniently ignore Sokka, who is not an air nomad and certainly never was a pacifist, but gives Katara the same advice. Katara did not deserve that the man who took her mother and childhood away from her, also took away from her the remnants of her innocence and peace of mind with his death.

Aang would be a shitty friend if he just didn’t do anything.

Even if Aang and Sokka were wrong (and they were right, even Zuko admits at the end of the episode), they had right to express their doubts, because Katara is their friend and sister. They, you know, have more rights to express their opinion than the person who in the past pursued her, caused physical harm, betrayed her once, caused the death of her best friend and then never expressed any remorse for it. Zuko literally never (either before his redemption or after) remembered the girl who showed him compassion and tried to help, and who he stabbed in the back an hour later. And ok, even if Aang’s opinion WAS air nomad philosophy, so what? He can’t say his opinion? He has to shut up and watch how his friend going into a danger? It’s not a friendship if friends are afraid to tell each other what they think. And in the end Aang didn’t stop katara and says he can’t stop her and watch her flying away. She took Appa, HIS Appa for this mission, He had all the right forbid her to do so and yet he didn’t.

 «This point is particularly interesting to me, because it implies that the simple fact that Zuko doesn’t agree with the philosophy of Aang’s culture makes him racist.»

Oh my God, really? Don't pretend that Zuko said "Aang, I think you're wrong."

Here's what he actually says:

He literally mocks  Aang’s culture - and he at least twice owes Aang his life. He makes fun of air nonads’ philsophy of forgiveness, although the only reason why Zuko is here at all now, talking to them is the forgiveness of Aang, who had every right not to give it. This is said by Zuko, who is literally the great-grandson of the man who organized the genocide of the Aang people, who wiped off the face of the earth all his culture and all his people - those very preschool institutions of the temples of the air - and who himself recently actively participated in the genocide and war of this very great-grandfather - and says this literally to the victim of this very genocide, a child who found the corpse of his murdered father figure. If you really don't understand how inappropriate it is to put the word racism in quotes in this context and justify it, then I have nothing more to say.

Yes, Zuko's behavior here is fucking racist shit, and he never apologizes for it and does not realize how disgusting he did.

Imagine white boy from a rich southern family, whose grand grand father was a slave master mocking black boy for his beliefs and culture. Or a grand-grandson of SS officer making fun of Jewish religion and traditions. How it looks to you now?

(yes, this is literally the same as the boy who put on the hat, not knowing that it was a spiritual symbol - literally just put it on - and immediately put it back in place and did not touch it again as soon as he was told what it meant.)

«Ah, yes. How demanding of him. He’s clearly so self-centered and only thinking about his own values and agenda here.»

Wow. "What is it with you?" Boy, do you realize how much pain you've caused this girl? That forgiveness is not a right, but a gift, the ones you have offended decide for themselves whether they wants to give it to you or not. After everything you've done, you have no right to babble something like "what is with you?" to your past victim and speak to her in a demanding tone, as if she owes you forgiveness.

Not to mention the fact that Zuko doesn't really care about Katara, he never once thought about her, about her kindness shown to him in the crystal catacombs, or about the pain he caused her - neither before nor after his redemption. He literally didn't care, he didn't feel guilty in front of her for a minute and wouldn't have brought up this issue of her forgiveness at all if Katara hadn't behaved towards him with outright hostility, which was uncomfortable for him, because it undermined his sense that he was completely part of the team. If she had hated him quietly, everything would have seemed ok to him. We see how Zuko reacts when he feels guilty towards a person he cares about: he remembered iroh many times, with great pain and regret in his voice, it goes through the whole second half of the third season. So if Zuko had even the slightest concern about Katara personally, her feelings, or how guilty he is in front of her, we would have at least one scene where he regrets what he did in the catacombs.

«...because you were upset about not being the center of attention for once...»

Cool. A child who is hurt when he realizes that his only family, Katara and Sokka, have a father, friends, a living culture, memories - you know, everything that he no longer has and will never have, because his family and friends are killed, his house is destroyed, his culture is destroyed and there is no one who even remembers what his people were like. This is a degree of tragedy that neither you nor I can understand.

«and telling everyone how disgusting you think cultural food is, what great ways to show the supposed love of your life how much you respect her culture!»

Is Aang part of the family and the people who destroyed Katara's culture and killed her parents? Or was he himself part of the army not so long ago, which was actively engaged in this?

Do not pretend that you do not understand why it is sounds especially unacceptable and racist when Zuko says it. Such comments would sound ugly if Sokka or Jet said something like that, but the fact that it is Zuko who says it, makes it completely disgusting and it is a good example of why, Zuko did not changed in many ways even though he changed sides. Aang had every right to punch him in the face after this, and only to Aang's forgiving nature and his concern for Katara Zuko should be grateful that he was not kicked out of the group after such words.

«“Attacking Aang to teach him a lesson” … wow, that’s a very dishonest way of phrasing that situation. I’m impressed, I have to say. I’ve seen lots of dumb takes from Aang stans over the years but this is a new one.»

"Teaching you a lesson" is not my words. These are literally Zuko's words, he literally vocalizes his motivation out loud.

 (cool, it's very similar to how he threatens the captain in the first season and how his own father talks to him when he intends to humiliate and harm him).

As for the rest: firstly, Zuko himself hid from Gaang the information about his father planning burn down the entire Earth kingdom, and secondly, if he believes that Gaangs behave carelessly, he should have, you know, tried to talk, and not threaten and physically intimidate.

«he’s faced with a problem, he runs away from it, then he’s saved by an in-universe equivalent of an Act of God. Wowie, such great character development. Not fixing your core flaw and having a mythical plot device materialize into existence to solve your problems for you. Aang’s whole arc is a big blah, because the writing fails to address any of his flaws or have him meaningfully question any of his values.»

Tired: once again, rewatch  the show. Aang does not run away, He literally falls asleep, and wakes up already on a turtle, in another world, and does not understand where he is. Before falling asleep, he actively defends his position in front of friends, and then goes to meditate, because this is his business, his duty, He is the Avatar and he have to decide how to end the war. It was just an easy decision to kill Ozai, not to conflict with friends about this, not to ask the advice of previous avatars, not to torment conscience. Aang's culture has perished, and he is not only an Avatar, but also is the last air nomad, and the fact that he wants to preserve the ideals of his culture and follow the ways of his people is right, it is his right (and even this, by the way, he was ready to give up when he thought there was no other way out:).

Aang is not running away from responsibility, he takes responsibility. If he wanted to "escape", he would choose the easiest and most universally approved way - just kill Ozai, and that's it.

This is the very philosophy of the series: victory over the old world, over war and violence. Victory of a new philosophy, a new ethics, where there is no place for bloodshed. That the teaching of the "weak and peaceful" has triumphed over the "strong and powerful". The fact that a descendant and an active participant in genocide, violence and war was defeated by a weak child, a descendant of those who considered destroyed, weak and useless. If you are so annoyed by the main - yes, purely pacifist and peaceful - idea of the series, then maybe you just shouldn't torture yourself, but go and watch another show, with much simple morals. There are a plany of them.

Sorry for a long post. I’m not going to start a discussion, just wrote down thoughts I had from reading your answer.

what exactly is Aang's toxic masculinity that you're talking about? there are no examples of such behavior on his part in the show. he is not an ideal person, he is a child who sometimes behaved incorrectly, just like all the other children in the show (Katara, Toph, Sokka), and this is normal.

in addition, we see how he regrets some of his wrong actions and gets better, while Zuko does not regret his toxic behavior, doesn't apologize and doesn't face the consequences of his behavior (racist jokes about Aang, demands that Katara forgive him as if he has the right to her forgiveness, an attack on Aang to "teach him a lesson" and many other things).

Hi anon, thanks for the ask! This is a very good illustration of what I was talking about in this post when I mentioned that I feel toxic men are overlooked more often for appearing “nice” than they are for being conventionally attractive.

No examples of toxic behavior in the show? What do you call this then?

I know what I (and the law) call it:

But you see, he’s “nice” right? This is just a misbehaved child, as you put it? Yah, no. He knew better and still did it because he was possessive; this whole interaction started because he was jealous that an actress playing Katara was interested in men other than him. And the show proceeded to frame the situation in a way that made Aang sympathetic, despite being the aggressor and the one behaving irrationally. How much more “toxically masculine” can you get than that? But he put on a flower crown once so we’re supposed to think he’s a soft uwu feminine boi (even though he was absolutely enraged that a female actress played him).

I also find it very interesting that you describe Katara and Sokka as “children” while Zuko is omitted from that list despite being the same age. Are you admitting you agree he’s more mature, or are you admitting that you hold him to different standards?

But, anyways. You asked about toxic behavior on Aang’s part, which I’ll get further into now that the most egregious example is out of the way.

Let’s break down what you consider unforgivably toxic behavior on Zuko’s part and compare it to Aang’s behavior in similar situations.

1. “Racist” jokes

I’m guessing this is made with reference to the “Air Temple preschool” comment. How exactly is this racist? In context, Aang is the one trying to force his beliefs on others, and Zuko makes this comment to a) tell him to back off and b) point out that Aang is, in fact, a child who doesn’t have any business telling Katara how to feel.

This point is particularly interesting to me, because it implies that the simple fact that Zuko doesn’t agree with the philosophy of Aang’s culture makes him racist. By this logic, Aang is also racist against Katara’s culture, because he clearly disagrees with her philosophy and is openly telling her that his culture is morally virtuous over hers. And well. That’s even more believable considering Aang’s previous reactions to Water Tribe culture.

Ah, yes. Playing with a cultural artifact like it’s a toy because you were upset about not being the center of attention for once, and telling everyone how disgusting you think cultural food is, what great ways to show the supposed love of your life how much you respect her culture!

I know your response to this point would be something like “uwu but he’s a kid he didn’t knowww” ok well. The same logic can be applied to any alleged “racism” on Zuko’s part.

2. “Demanding” forgiveness

Zuko: What can I do to make it up to you?

Ah, yes. How demanding of him. He’s clearly so self-centered and only thinking about his own values and agenda here.

It’s not like he…

…told his friend how she’s allowed to process her grief and try to impose his own morals…

…or demanded to know if his crush liked him back, wouldn’t accept “no” as an answer, and forced a kiss on her…

…or told an abuse victim he was wrong to want to kill his abusive father for trying to commit a genocide…

…oh, um. Yeah. Sorry, but after actually watching the show it’s very clear to me which character doesn’t seem to regret or see the flaws in any of his actions at the end of the show, which is when all of these examples took place.

3. Training in the finale

“Attacking Aang to teach him a lesson” … wow, that’s a very dishonest way of phrasing that situation. I’m impressed, I have to say. I’ve seen lots of dumb takes from Aang stans over the years but this is a new one.

Well, luckily I actually watched the scene in context, so my reaction was the same as all the other characters’ reactions in canon when they learned the context behind this “attack”:

They agree with him. Yeah. Obviously, when nobody is taking training seriously when the world is about to literally go up in flames, you might need to do something to get their attention.

“But it was dangerous!” you might argue. Well… yeah. When magic and bending is in the equation, training in the Avatar universe has been shown to be somewhat dangerous at times. As an example, from this very same episode, Toph very nearly smashed Sokka with a giant flaming rock. That was way closer to hurting someone than Zuko was in this incident. If you’re going to fault characters for making their training exercises too dangerous, I guess Toph is mega cancelled.

Now back to Aang. What was his reaction in this situation? How did he react to the end of the world being days away? He ran away with absolutely no plan. Just like he did at the very beginning of the show.

I mean, think about it. This is a critical flaw (and toxic trait) in Aang that is literally never addressed, because he starts and ends the show the exact same way: he’s faced with a problem, he runs away from it, then he’s saved by an in-universe equivalent of an Act of God. Wowie, such great character development. Not fixing your core flaw and having a mythical plot device materialize into existence to solve your problems for you. Aang’s whole arc is a big blah, because the writing fails to address any of his flaws or have him meaningfully question any of his values.

Meanwhile, Zuko has consistently been a fan favorite because he’s the opposite. His flaws are meaningfully addressed, he does admit he’s wrong and fix his flaws, and his character shows a critically acclaimed change throughout the show. His arc is written so well that despite being a cartoon character, Zuko is widely considered the poster child for a good redemption arc across all forms of media.

So anyways, miss me with the double standards… there is a reason why Zuko is the fan favorite, and it’s not just his abs 🔥

[silentcrowsilentravens]

I love your blog 🥺🥺🥺 could you do the ladies of re8 reacting to their s/o stealing their clothes?

Thank you! <3 Absolutely.

Mia Winters, Elena Lupu, Mother Miranda, Bela Dimitrescu, Cassandra Dimitrescu, Daniela Dimitrescu, Alcina Dimitrescu, and Donna Beneviento reacting to their s/o stealing their clothes.

(Gender neutral).

Warnings: n/a

Masterlists here!

Mia Winters

Since Mia herself has a frequent habit of stealing your clothes, she can't be too upset when she asks for help finding a cardigan and you show up in it.

Not that you wearing her things bothers her, anyway. Far from it! The sight makes her melt a bit. You’re so cute. 

"I can take it off if you w—"

"It's fine," Mia insists, smiling and waving you off. She’ll just put something else on. 

(Likely something of yours). 

After that moment, the lines between both of your wardrobes begin to blur until they practically become one. Like, yes, you have your clothes and Mia has hers, but neither of you truly acknowledges the line separating her half of the closet from yours. 

Elena Lupu

It began with you tearing your coat while working outside, and Elena lending you one of hers for your journey home.

When she next saw you, she had decided to drop by your house and found you sitting on your small porch, wearing it.

You were also wearing it when she ran into you at the market. 

And during one of Miranda’s speeches.

Elena figures that if you like the coat so much, she’ll just let you keep it. She tells you such when you do finally try and return it. But you’re insistent that Elena takes it back because it doesn’t smell like her anymore.

Oh.

She gets it now. With a light blush dusting her cheeks, Elena takes the coat back for the time being. 

Mother Miranda

Miranda’s robes are just so... nice-looking? Well-designed? Who can blame you for wanting to try them on? Some might consider it ballsy to yoink the Mother Miranda’s clothes and don them, but anybody willing to attempt to get as close to her as you has got to be. At least a little. 

You’re enjoying how powerful the look makes you feel when Miranda comes in with a question for you, only to see you posed like... Well, the only apt comparison she can think of is a crab. Point is, you look utterly ridiculous. 

“Enjoying yourself?” she asks, making you jump nearly a foot in the air. 

"...Maybe."

Okay. If Miranda can trust you enough to sleep beside you in the same bed, to let you see moments of emotional vulnerability that others scarcely get to, then she's going to trust you to wear her things and not ruin them.

Just don't take her robes outside.

And if you ever put on her lab coat, be willing to give it back when she needs it.

Bela Dimitrescu

Bela simply admires you in silence for a minute.

You feel the need to ask whether or not she wants you to return what you're wearing. Her expression isn't easy to read and you can't tell whether or not she's upset.

Bela shakes her head and pays you a compliment before returning to her book.

You look great. Please feel free to wear her stuff more often.

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Cassandra is likely to act as if she doesn’t even notice that what you’re wearing is hers. Even if it’s painfully clear. 

Internally, though? Cass’ brain is just going: holy shit. holy fucking shit. holy fucking shit fuck oh my fuck shit holy god.

The sight is so... satisfying? Pleasing? Hot?

Who gave you the right to go around looking that good? It’s borderline distracting.

Daniela Dimitrescu

The first time Daniela saw you in something of hers, she legitimately squealed.

She loves seeing you in her clothes.

(Of course, the fact that this is the sort of thing she's read in many a romance novels is part of the reason why).

But also, you look so good in everything!

Daniela will purposefully leave out things in the hope that you'll wear them. She often chooses items that are obviously hers, too. Just so that everyone else knows.

She's going to start snagging your clothes as well.

Alcina Dimitrescu

It amuses Alcina that you’re so determined to wear her things when they’re so far from fitting you. You have to pull some YouTube life hack-esque bullshit to make most of her things wearable.

Where did you get your dress? Actually, it’s not a dress, it’s a skirt you found in Alcina’s wardrobe. 

One time, she caught you all cozied up in one of her fur coats. But it wasn’t until Alcina went to move the coat that she noticed you. You were practically buried within it. After briefly checking to make sure you could properly breathe down there, she just found herself... endeared. 

Donna Beneviento

Donna is a tad bit confused when she catches you dressed in something she's fairly certain came from her wardrobe. She has to do a double-take. 

Do you need more clothes? She could make you some! You don’t have to wear hers. 

Unless you try to explain, Donna is probably not gonna understand.

One day, she decides to try it herself and it completely clicks. 

Donna starts stealing your clothes more than you steal hers.  

When you're gone and she's feeling lonely or particularly anxious? Putting on one of your shirts, sweaters, or pretty much anything that has your scent? It's nice.

[veliseraptor]

How did Shuanghua accept Xue Yang as a wielder of its spiritual power? Was Xiao Xingchen so trustful and welcoming (loving?) of Xue Yang that even his sword spirit accepted him as a legitimate master - despite him being the very cause for Xiao Xingchen's demise and the sword having been used as the means for it? Sorry for the random ask....

oh man this is an interesting question and I have had to take some time to noodle on it in the way it deserves.

I know there was a post floating around on this website about Shuanghua that was...very interesting, though I don't know if I feel like going digging for it. (probably I'll end up digging for it.)

but before I do that - I think one argument is one to be made for just how extensive/precise the sentience of sword spirits is. like, yes, Baxia in CQL has its whole...thing, going on, but Baxia in CQL is also acting as a replacement for Nie Mingjue's corpse, so that's a little different; I don't know that we see that same kind of seeming "awareness" from other swords in text.

(and actually I just remembered the fact that Xue Yang uses Baxia at least in CQL to literally behead Nie Mingjue so in that canon at least...)

"but Suibian," you might be thinking, and that is true and it's definitely interesting to me that somehow Suibian "recognizes" Wei Wuxian despite him being in a different body in some way distinct from how it "recognizes" Wei Wuxian's golden core in Jiang Cheng.

but on the other hand one could say that if Suibian sealed itself against being wielded by anyone else then why wouldn't Shuanghua, which, well, I don't know that we see other swords seal themselves that way either - in my recollection Suibian seems to be sort of special and its "bond" with Wei Wuxian unusually strong.

"so why is Lan Wangji able to take it away then, and seems to indicate that his doing so is about Xue Yang's 'worthiness' to wield it" well, Lan Wangji is more powerful than Xue Yang is; it honestly could just be a matter of force and Lan Wangji expressing an emotional reaction - something he believes to be true but is not necessarily literally or factually a factor in that specific instance.

but none of that is very satisfying! because it more or less amounts to "well, it didn't know any better" and in a world where we are granting swords at least some level of awareness/understanding/spiritual link with their wielders...

I am, as is typical for me, going to go less "this is my definitive answer" and more "here's some possible options I'm tossing around."

one thought is that it was a matter of familiarity - that in the absence of Xiao Xingchen, Xue Yang is at least a...known quantity, and one who is potentially closely linked enough to be an acceptable bearer if not substitute. I mean, he may have actively held Shuanghua at times (he certainly offers to do so) but at the very least he’s a presence who would be known, familiar, and beloved by Xiao Xingchen at least right up until the very end. he’s a friend! and he’s not the one who actually killed Xiao Xingchen, after all - Xiao Xingchen is. from a sword’s perspective, depending on awareness, Xue Yang’s role in Xiao Xingchen’s actual death was pretty minimal.

(and what kind of betrayal would that be, if a sword is bonded with its wielder in a very intimate way - to be used as a weapon against them?)

if Shuanghua didn’t know about the fact that it was killing actual living human people, then there’s no real reason to assume that would change when Xiao Xingchen finds out - I don’t think it’s, like, psychic.

but if we want to go even further down the road of that “familiarity” mention, I think about the conjunction of two things about Xiao Xingchen that are true: his immense loneliness and the fact that (I believe) one of the reasons he turns his sword on himself is because he can’t bring himself to turn it on Xue Yang, and how awful/unforgivable (from his perspective) is that?

so granting Shuanghua sentience - betrayed by Xiao Xingchen (by being used to shed his blood), alone in the absence of Xiao Xingchen/set adrift from its master, and depending on how linked to Xiao Xingchen it is...there’s someone to reach out to/latch onto right there. and I can imagine this being furthered by the way that Xue Yang latches onto Shuanghua right back as a material remainder of Xiao Xingchen that he can carry with him and hold onto with the very present idea that eventually - eventually! when he can trust him again! - he’ll be able to return it to Xiao Xingchen.

and now I’ve made myself emotional! anyways.

(and I found the post! here it is. also found this post about Suibian that gets a little more into its possible exceptionality that might be relevant.)

[ootahime]

analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga >:) pt. 3

more and more paragraphs ahead.  BE PREPARED!

i’m also writing this at 3 am so please bear with the horrendous grammar and punctuation.

chapter 63

i know he’s probably like this with everyone but i love how excited he is bragging about his students to her.  he’s like a child telling his mother about an amazing adventure he had with his friends, making sure he mentions every detail.  in the anime, their conversation lasted for 3:41 :3 backwards 341 is 143 which means i love you.  

1 letter = i

4 letters = love

3 letters = you

chapter 63

i love her fit!  i also like how both of them like to wear baggy clothing that accentuates their collarbones `w` it’s like they’re matching in a way.  even if she did tell him to cut the crap, she still let him run his mouth to his content LOL i feel like if he didn’t compliment himself at the end, she would have said something different.  UGH HE LOOKS SO HAPPY CALLING HER

 ah, let me translate the conversation just in case anyone needs it.

utahime: you wanted to talk about the investigation, right?

gojo: well, got any idea who?

utahime: i have no idea.  no one seems suspicious.  what do we do now?  should we ask the students for help?

gojo: yeah, that’s fine.  i’m busy so asking the kids would be okay.  keep looking.  i’m counting on you.

I THINK THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE TRYING TO SAY.

OR it could mean that she’s asking if they should start investigating the students.  it would make sense either way because gojo says in the next panel that he doesn’t want to assume that the mole is a student, and in chapter 79, gojo sends the trio to utahime to help her.  

chapter 63

these two love their students to death.  neither of them wanted to assume that the mole was a student.  in chapter 79, when utahime is talking to the trio about the mole, nobara points out to the group that the traitor must be from kyoto because utahime is the one who’s reaching out to the tokyo side.  utahime has a dismal look on her face, almost like she’s saying, “i didn’t want it to turn out this way -- for this to be true.”  after mechamaru says his farewells to miwa on the train, mai tries to talk about what he did to which utahime says, “it doesn’t matter, he’s dead, after all,” with a similar sunken expression.  i just love how her care for the students is one of the biggest aspects of her personality that’s been showcased so far.  it’s also cool how it ties together with gojo’s belief that no child’s youth should be taken away.  i truly think these two have the capacity to understand each other to a deep level, down to the core.  seeing as utahime is also a teacher, it’s safe to assume that she also wants to raise the next generation of sorcerers to be strong.  utahime and gojo’s similarities and contrasting elements are so interwined, i really wonder if it’s intentional.  like am i looking too much into this?  are utahime and gojo really meant to be this connected?  think about it.  similar motivations, care of the kids, contrasting palettes, the bickering, long history.  IT’S JUST TOO MUCH. 

also can we mention how their phone calls and meetings must be heavily planned out?  this means they’ve talked and interacted with each other A LOT behind the scenes.  she doesn’t answer his call with “what do you want?  don’t bother me on my day off.”  she knows exactly why he’s calling her and they even speak in code.  she probably meets up with him and tells him to call her on a specific day and at a specific time.  they must know each other’s schedules very well in order to execute this investigation in complete secrecy.  when he says, “we can never be too sure who is listening in around utahime” it implies that they find calling a risk, so in order to guarantee that there is no one around, they have to meet up in person.  see where i’m getting at?  they talk A LOTTT and most likely are aware of each other’s daily lives.  

the fact that gojo is her main source of stress when he’s literally a 3 hour train ride away from her is hilarious LMAOOOO.  you know what that means, right?  he must call and text her constantly about random things to annoy her.  

chapter 65

ah yes, my favorite moment by far.  look at that smile on his face.  

chapter 65

he loves saying her name.  he probably rushed over with the sole purpose of doing something like this to her LMAOOOO like i mean, mei was in there with her so technically they both needed to be helped but judging from his words and expression, he only wanted to help utahime.  notice how mei’s not there in the debris.  could she possibly have suspected gojo’s presence or an outside force?  or was she fast enough to avoid being in the debris?  either way, her lack of presence in this scene helps highlight the fact that this is a special interaction between utahime and gojo.  he refers to her in a very familiar sense.  the most formal way to address someone is by their last name followed by the honorific, -san.  in gojo’s case, he should be calling her iori-san if they weren’t acquainted.  he doesn’t even bother to call her utahime-senpai.  granted, gojo is not the most respectful and socially competent person out there because geto points this out to him.  he isn’t even aware that she finds him annoying because he views her bad attitude toward him as her just playing along with him.  he probably thinks she’s flirting back LOLOL

since he asks her “you cryin?” that definitely means that gojo witnessed her crying on one occasion or maybe multiple.  who knows, the old utahime could have been a very emotional person.  while this is happening, mei is close to gojo, she then asks him if he would console her if she were to cry in a flirtatious manner.  gojo dismisses her attempt at flirting with him and says she won’t cry because she’s strong.  now normally, you’re supposed to face the person you’re talking to, GOJO.  he KEEPS his eyes on her even when more people come to join the conversation.  

now, we can all agree that geto, mei, and shoko are better at picking up social cues than gojo.  they probably knew the vibe of the conversation and decided to play along with gojo’s antics.  

chapter 65

WE were worried about you.

pay attention to the order of the characters that show up.  gojo makes his appearance first, then geto, followed by shoko.  based on utahime’s reaction to seeing shoko, it’s evident that these two share a close bond.  shouldn’t shoko be the one to arrive on the scene first?  she’s the closest to utahime and would therefore be more concerned about her condition, right?  i know shoko’s technique doesn’t really allow her to do anything other than treat the wounds of others, but if you heard your friend was missing, you would definitely rush to the scene.  

look at geto’s reaction when mei says, “you’re the one who’s picking on her, geto.  you don’t even know it.”  i think it’s mei who’s saying this because gojo calls geto “suguru”.  but anyway, mei is aware that they’re picking on her.  i don’t think she’s the type to legitimately bully someone for their strength.  her reaction to all of this is very playful and her “heh heh heh” is proof of that.  when geto shows up and swallows the curse before it gets to utahime, he says, “satoru.  it’s not nice to pick on the weak.”  by saying this, he pisses utahime off because he too, is joining in on gojo’s joke.  i believe he’s unaware that he’s making fun of utahime because his reaction is “gah!” with a sweatdrop.  he probably thought gojo was making fun of weak people in general.  

geto’s usually a gentleman seeing as it is canon that he is more popular with girls than gojo.  BUT WHO KNOWS...you gotta be a specific type of person to be best friends with gojo.  maybe he ain’t shit too...  okay, my point is that everyone is just playing along.  when shoko shows up, utahime is relieved to see her because shoko doesn’t tease her like this.  since utahime tells shoko to not become like those two, this implies that geto teases her as well (probably not as much as gojo).  we all know geto is really big on looking out for the weak so he probably wouldn’t have insulted her for real.  

verdict: utahime being weak is just a joke.  i’ve mentioned this so many times, sorry if it’s getting annoying and repetitive hehehehehe...

chapter 65

these three aren’t irresponsible.  geto and gojo are a troublesome duo for sure, but they’re dependable.  seems unlike them to forget something so simple and essential to pretty much every mission.   

chapter 65

here’s my headcanon.  they were hanging outside or in the car when their assistant manager got a call.  the assistant was informed that two days have elapsed since mei and utahime went on their mission (or last contacted someone).  

gojo: that’s weird.  mei’s with her so they should have finished exorcising the spirit sooner.

geto: you think something happened to them?  maybe it’s a strong special grade.

gojo: utahime probably dragged mei down with her.  poor mei-san~  

gojo gets up 

geto: where are you going?  

gojo: going to save utahime!  it’s fine i’ll put up a curtain!

manager: gojo wait!!!!!!!!!!!

geto sighs

shoko: that idiot’s always running off without us.

they pin the blame on gojo for saying that he’ll put up a curtain and leaving the assistant manager behind.  you know what this means?  he ran and the manager couldn’t catch up HEHE... why the rush, gojo?  were you actually concerned about her?  

tbh i don’t see gojo ever running to something unless it’s urgent.  the fact that he ran to save her says a lot.  

----

let me know if you have any thoughts or questions!  i forgot to add this but gojo had a more serious expression when he was explaining how they must’ve been trapped in a barrier that messes with time.  he then states, “we thought it was weird even though you’re here, mei.”  i know he was probably worried sick because if mei couldn’t be contacted then that means something must’ve happened to utahime too.  okay that’s it for now.  i’ll be bringing up this little detail i’ve noticed about utahime in the manga next :3

[keshetchai]

I wonder if my point here has been misunderstood somehow. I also think that like...the specific ways in which you phrased this response kinda explains why I said what I did. Personally I think there are antisemitic ways to criticize Israel AND a lot of non-antisemitic ways to do so, because all nations can and should be criticized fairly.

none of them work with...

Okay, and? This is just a sort of frustrating non-explanation to your objection. You're making a rhetorical appeal here (authority, I suppose) but not every organization tackling xyz works with every other organization doing the same. That is not a compelling indictment on its own, you know that, right?

You're not even saying "they intentionally and purposefully refuse to work with for reasons..." just that they don't.

And like I said, even IF any given org is something you disagree with politically or ideologically, reading through this stuff gives people a broader sense of how Jews think about, experience, and define what antisemitism is or isn't. There's no monolithic, perfect answer.

Clicking on the JDA Adult Ed toolkit also didn't give me the impression you're trying to lead with at all. It's asking me to read something, critically think about it, ask questions, consider the limits and flaws of a working definition, etc. I haven't finished reading all of it, but it basically just seems like a critical thinking reading guide to prompt further exploration on a topic.

That's...we should want people to analyze and unpack social/ideological definitions for better understanding, generally speaking? I don't see how it hinders legitimate conversation.

And their own definition at the VERY beginning is quite clear:

.... We do not all share the same political views and we are not seeking to promote a partisan political agenda. Determining that a controversial view or action is not antisemitic implies neither that we endorse it nor that we do not.

The guidelines that focus on Israel-Palestine (numbers 6 to 15) should be taken together. In general, when applying the guidelines each should be read in the light of the others and always with a view to context. Context can include the intention behind an utterance, or a pattern of speech over time, or even the identity of the speaker, especially when the subject is Israel or Zionism. So, for example, hostility to Israel could be an expression o f an antisemitic animus, or it could be a reaction to a human rights violation, or it could be the emotion that a Palestinian person feels on account of their experience at the hands of the State. In short, judgement and sensitivity are needed in applying these guidelines to concrete situations.

It's weird that you think this "ignores antisemitism from the left" because as I'm reading through I can see a concentrated effort to identify antisemitism regardless of political background or belief, call it out, and separate it from things that aren't antisemitic but are political statements or criticisms which people may or may not agree with.

...Also it's wild that you think the majority of antisemitism we see today is directly related to antizionism. I'll grant that antisemitism tends to spike in relationship to the state of Israel's involvement in the conflict, but I'm not sure that i buy that the MAJORITY of antisemitism comes from antizionism.

Frankly I think any American Jew would be skeptical of this claim, because we're all well aware that there are millions of right wing Christians who are Zionists (in that they fervently support the state of Israel and the Jewish right of return) and simultaneously are also exceptionally antisemitic in a variety of different ways. I grew up around a lot of conservative/fundie Christians in a conservative state, and I gotta tell you that a lot of gentile Zionists hate Jews, even if they claim they love us.

Yes, Israeli atrocities get used to justify antisemitism often, and the people criticizing those atrocities are often anti-zionist, but this is just one motivating factor among many and i'm not sure I believe it's the Leading Cause or something.

Hey Jewish Tumblr,

Do you have any good books I can read to better understand antisemitism and the Jewish experience in modern day?

Before you say to Google, I'm not knowledgeable on researching nonfiction enough to know what's a good resource and what's not, and I'd rather ask real, living Jews than blindly trust Google. I'm afraid if I just Google it, I'll accidentally get something that's actually antisemitic and I don't want to give am antisemite my money. I'd rather give a Jewish scholar/author my money.

Anything from a scholarly book, to memoirs. Anything that you think is a good resource to explain antisemitism to someone who's never experienced it first hand.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I hope you have a wonderful day 💜

[calliecat93]

Okay, I know that the Spones content in Bread and Circuses has been talked about before, so I’m likely adding nothing new. But heck with it, I’m talking about it anyways cause it’s just too good not to!

The episode has Spock and McCoy somewhat saltier towards each other than usual. From the second the episode resumes after the opening credits, they’re snarking at each other almost immediately. It goes on for so long that we have the guest character outright ask Kirk if they’re enemies, and even he isn’t for sure. It’s almost like one of the writers anticipated the fact that some would legit think that the two genuinely hated each other, and decided to ask the question. For the most part, their banter is mutual and they’re clearly trying to rouse a reaction from the other.Even when at gunpoint, McCoy just HAS to snap at Spock for “[being] so blasted honest?’. Spock’s raised brow to me almost came across like ‘really doctor? must you be like this now?”. It’s got some amusing stuff, like the banter in the beginning and McCoy of all being being the one to suggest illogic regarding sun worshipers has Spock giving some utterly hilarious facial expressions. But still, the banter goes enough that event he audience has to ask: are these two truly enemies.

The rest of their scenes answer the question.

During the gladiator fight, McCoy’s still so pissed off that even fighting to the death won’t stop him from yelling at Spock when he asks if he needs help. Stress and you know… trying not to die is a factor, but still. But since McCoy’s a doctor, not a warrior he’s about to be killed… until Spock takes out his own opponent and nerve punches McCoy’s before he can be harmed. Doing this breaks the rules and Kirk chooses to take what would be their death sentence upon himself. Spock acted on pure instinct in that instant. Or even more bluntly, it was an emotional response. He interfered because he didn’t want McCoy to die, and he was the only one in a positon to save him. He even seems pretty started that he did so. But because of i, now Kirk is going to die in their places and neither he nor McCoy can do anything about it. He outright pulls at the cell bars, according to McCoy, fifteen times. Logically it’s pretty clear that it’s not working.

With this, McCoy’s now cooled down enough that he legitimately tries to thank Spock for saving him. It’s awkward, neither one are very good at having heart-to-hearts with each other. Spock pretty much acts like it’s the usual banter and kind of condescendingly before telling him to get to the point, which causes McCoy to just snap it out at him. Spock tries to go into the usual ‘I’m a logical Vulcan’ spiel, saying quote:

Spock: Oh, yes. You humans have that emotional need to express gratitude. You're welcome, I believe, is the correct response. However, Doctor, you must remember I am entirely motivated by logic. The loss of our ship's surgeon, whatever I think of his skill, would mean a reduction in the efficiency of the Enterprise and therefore-.

Which is what finally gets McCoy pissed off enough to directly confront him about it. Why? Because he knows that Spock’s spitballing here. He’s trying to deny his emotional responses, despite having demonstrated it at least twice with McCoy right there for both of them. Saving McCoy despite knowing the consequences of doing so was an emotional response. Trying to escape the cell due to Jim’s life being in danger despite all efforts failing is an emotional response. He tries to say it’s just due to professionalism, but at this point there’s been enough episodes that the audience knows that that’s not true. McCoy absolutely knows it. He knows how Spock tends to keep his emotions suppressed and deny that he even has them, even though he very clearly does. It is a factor that has continuously frustrated McCoy. He’d never force Spock to be outwardly emotional, Plato’s Stepchildren made that VERY clear. But when it DOES happen and Spock tries to act otherwise? And after having dealt with this for nearly two years now? Yeah, McCoy decides that he’s had it as he grabs Spock, turns him around so that they’re making clear eye-contact, and makes his opinion VERY clear.

McCoy: Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living. Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your human half peek out. That's it, isn't it? Insecurity. Why, you wouldn't know what to do with a genuine, warm, decent feeling.

Which… he’s not entirely wrong. Even during this, Spock turns away from him like he doesn’t want to talk about it. But McCoy’s right. Spock’s been at war with his Vulcan and human halves for his entire life. He chose to suppress the human half, and it peaking out does concern him. He isn’t able to settle two sides, hence why he’s always insistent about being a logical, unfeelign Vulcan. Now we all know that Vulcans DO feel things. Very strongly in fact, hence why they suppress it to begin with. But I do think it’s safe to say that Spock is afraid of expressing or even talking about his emotions. Whenever he does, he needs to get his grip back on the Vulcan side as quickly as possible. Even though he knows that McCoy knows otherwise. McCoy is pretty damn good at picking up on Spock’s emotional state and Spock knows it. And I think to at least an extent, he knows that McCoy’s correct. McCoy might be being too harsh admittedly, but the point is there. Spock is afraid of letting his human half slip out and the constant struggle of keeping it in check.

I think this is what makes their relationship so important. McCoy’s really the only person who can provoke Spock like this. Sure Kirk can normally reach out to Spock, but he’s not as likely to directly confront Spock and be blunt about it the same way that McCoy can. Spock’s also really the only person who’s ever been able to provoke McCoy and get him think past his own perspective the way that he does. It’s vitriolic in many ways. Like I said, it’s hard for them to really be civil with each other most of the time. Even here when McCoy did try to start off as civil when he tried thanking Spock, it ultimately devolved into another argument. Even McCoy expressed that he isn’t sure why it’s always like this when he says “ I know we've had our disagreements. Maybe they're jokes. I don't know.” But I do think that the episode demonstrates the answer to the queation of if they’re enemies. The short answer is no. The long answer is that they have a very complicated relationship that on a surface level, comes across as hatred. It gets to the point where even they aren’t fully sure. But the truth is they do care about each other greatly. They understand each other a great deal. They’re the only ones who can reach out to the other. The way that they show it is unorthodox sure, but it’s how it works for them.

And even when they are particularly heated, it always ends with them coming down from it and finding a point of unity. In this case, there is absolutely one thing that they can agree on.

Spock: Really, Doctor?

McCoy: I know. I'm worried about Jim, too.

While their concern for Jim is true, I think McCoy brought used that more as a way to bring them both back down after the exchange. Jim and his well-being is very much the one thing that they can agree on. I serves as a calming down point for them n this particular instant. After this while they don’t have anymore direct interactions, they seem to be on good terms and even enter the Bridge together at the end. They still have their heated moments in later episodes such as The Paradise Syndrome and The Tholian Web. But I think that for those who really do think that Spock and McCoy hate each other, I’d say watch this episode again and give their interactios a closer look. Especially the prison scene. Because it shows that for all their banter, for all their differences, there is a strong connection that is very much uniquely them.

[cienie-isengardu]

I agree with you on everything regarding Sektor's obsession with Cyrax, in my opinion, Sektor suffered a lot because of his father, do you think he mistreats him physically as well as psychologically and emotionally? I think cyrax taught him to have some freedom, maybe during his missions when they had some free time, maybe even have sex (a very beautiful way to express their love and loyalty for each other) what do you think of that?

Thank you.

There is a scene in the animated Mortal Kombat: Battle of Realms in which Cyber Sektor and Cyrax were presented on screen for the first time. The one thing that painfully stood out for me is how Grandmaster’s explanation - complaints - about human weakness seemed to be solely directed at Sektor, the only cyborg fully presented during the speech: “The mortal body is fragile, weak. So, we enhanced them.” 

For a long time I have had the feeling Sektor was a victim of abuse and this scene greatly increased my assumption on that matter. While writing a different MK analysis about Lin Kuei Society, I came to the point of considering if Sektor was a legitimate heir to Grandmaster or just his bastard son. Because yes, the sources acknowledged Sektor as a biological son of Grandmaster, but the fact the child was enrolled into harsh and dangerous Lin Kuei training system that could lead to his death, either during training itself or on missions, raises a question did Grandmaster cared for his son’s safety whatsoever or did the clan traditions and/or his own ambitious took always priority over Sektor? Even more, was Sektor considered his heir at all and if yes, shouldn’t he then be trained in a way more suitable for future leader of the clan? This is something that bothers me a lot, since in both MK9’s storyline (human Sektor) and MK: Battle of Realms (Cyber Sektor) did not feel like having the power over other Lin Kuei warriors.

Additionally, the fact Sektor was one of the first warriors changed into cyborgs sits unwell with me in the regard of potential abuse. Should we truly read that as a place of honor for Sektor to undergo this perfecterization alongside with “traitorous” Cyrax? Was that even a safe process already, tested on someone else and certified that Grandmaster’s son will survive? There is something really bothersome about Grandmaster’s idea that his own son needed to be perfected because that strongly suggests Sektor actually did not live up to his expectations.

Unless, Sektor truly volunteered to be changed, either to please father/believing in C.I. Project or to share the same fate as Cyrax but whatever the reason was behind Sektor’s choice, Grandmaster allowed his own flesh and blood to be experimented on and changed into soulless machine. Which is still fucked up thing for any father to do.

So source-material provides informations of long-lived pressure put on Sektor by his own father, taking away his autonomy in the sense, he was never given a choice other than to be Lin Kuei warrior and the blindly loyalty to Grandmaster suggest a strong, not really healthy indoctrination that lead Sektor to believe he was better assets to the clan as soulless machine than human being. All of this at least imply psychological and emotional abuse. To be honest, Grandmaster did not need to inflict that hurt himself but he did allow it to happen to Sektor once he enrolled the child into the training system that push people to their psychological, physical and emotional limits, to break and mold them into highly skilled killers. So yeah, I think directly or indirectly, Grandmaster was responsible for Sektor’s state of mind and all mistreatment befallen on him since birth. 

As for Cyrax, and in general the nature of Lin Kuei partnership, I think it is unavoidable to not pick up some traits from each other albeit I also strongly believe the farest from Lin Kuei Temple, the more autonomy warriors have by unwritten rule. Did Cyrax teach freedom to Sektor? Hard to tell, though I suspect he may have tried to loosen up Sektor’s narrow view about obedience although I doubt he succeeded much in that regard since at the end of day, human Sektor chose Grandmaster’s orders over his long-term partner’s safety. 

Similary, I have the feeling that sex in general does not mean much to Lin Kuei, as in, the clan doesn’t have any strong morals about casual sex or sexual relationships for the problem does not lies in physical activity itself, but emotional connection that Lin Kuei did not tolerate; friendship - and by logic, love - was a weakness, because the loyalty was reserved for the clan (Grandmaster), not to individual units (I talked more about Lin Kuei approach to sex on the occasion of another question here).

Personally I think it was emotional connection and/or stability provided by Cyrax that greatly influenced Sektor more than anything physical happened between them. But of course sex could also give people the needed intimacy and help bond in more personal, private way. Sadly, whatever there was between them, it wasn’t enough to break Sektor out of his blind obedience mindset but it could somehow corrupt his cyborg program to make him cling to Cyber Cyrax despite every red flag on horizont warning how dangerous and illogical ihis choice was.