#i need more arts of meta being a femme fatale

[meta28050]

💔

[phoenixtakaramono]

I believe Cheating Men must die is a great story

It adds wonderful twists in existing tropes and genres. The protag isn't perfect but she's great, she likes eliminating assholes, which is valid

It's also interesting how Su Luxia doesn't have an identity issue since she lives under so many identities but I guess she's hardened for the job

For everyone who hasn't read Cheating Men Must Die (comic "Wan Zha Chao Huang" (万渣朝凰) by Shi Dai Man Wang (时代漫王)), this is an open invitation for y'all to read it. Genre: quick transmigration, revenge story. Basically your ex-cannon fodder MC, Su Luxia, is a System agent who transmigrates (isekais/ world hops) into the bodies of women of each world who are wronged by the Male Lead, Female Lead, another canon fodder, author, etc and changes their fate. I forgot how many chapters of the manhua there are presently but I believe the freshest ones that are still being updated in Mandarin Chinese are over 700+ chapters of art. (The MTL offers English translation, but y'all can also peep at other sites for ENG fantranslations.)

There are a couple of different summaries but I love this summary the best:

Don't you think that all cheating sc*m need to die? Su Luxia, an intern pro working in a transmigration agency, doesn't believe in that. For her, all cheating bastards need to rot in hell before they die. Or else they won't suffer the taste of their own medicine! Using elaborate means, she beats up countless cheating bastards and b*tches. Su Luxia sneers... "People take everything they get for granted. The more they get, the more they don't strive for it. An unrequited love is an example. There is always a sc*m who takes advantage. Since they brought this upon themselves..." She studies her face in the mirror and smirks, "... let them have a taste of their own medicine." System: "You're making that scary face again!" Follow our female main lead, Su Lüxia, who is bound to the Female Lead Counterattack System and transmigrates to several small worlds beating up countless sc*m.

Art bait for y'all who are still hesitating (and some of my favorite arcs, and those that'd surprised me like the arc where she transmigrated into the Second Male Lead):

RE: I have to agree! Ty for the Ask, @bernkastel11! I had a response ready for ya the day I saw this in my inbox and literally typed a long essay with links, but lo and behold tumblr ate it. 😭 But finally I have the motivation for a take 2. Honestly the manhua is a guilty pleasure of mine. The art's great (we definitely see the artist improve over time with each arc...even with the obviously borrowed assets and sometimes janky perspective, hahaha) and I love how Su Luxia is a badass femme fatale (white lotus & green tea b*tch), as well as her friendship with her cute talking hamster System. I also love how the artist is giving variety; it's not all just kicking butt, chewing bubble gum, finding romance. She's become an empress, made a friendship with the exorcist Female Lead, become a mother, led revolutions, survived a death game, became a guy, made a Male Lead yandere and obsess over her to the point of trying to hunt her down in whichever world it is, has some...questionable sapphic overtones, transmigrated into a BL novel, revisited some worlds with reoccurring characters, etc. They satirize a lot of preexisting tropes, and I love it when artists and writers have fun with the meta. I also like how they're slowly expanding on the lore of her interest with previous System agent Zero (the whole reason why Su Luxia became a System agent).

"It's also interesting how Su Luxia doesn't have an identity issue since she lives under so many identities but I guess she's hardened for the job"

The thing about QTs in general is the artist or author usually don't put much emphasis on the consequences of transmigrating so many times into other people's bodies. It's just a staple of the genre (because they're usually portrayed as badass, cunning, and OP, what have you with a strong willpower to assume all these identities, overcome challenges, and not experience dysphoria). So far I think the only writer I can think of off the top of my head that addresses it is: The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration (novel / manhwa). I highly rec it. So far it is one of the few works where they explore that concept of how mentally exhausting it is adopting another person's identity as well as the consequences of "the characters" finding out (it's not your usual "oh, you hopped into my dead daughter's body and assumed her identity? Well la de dah, guess you're my daughter now." No, we're talking about the mother suspecting, finding out, being horrified, and having a mental breakdown trying to exorcise "the evil spirit" who's taken possession of her daughter's body). It also touches on the danger of an ordinary woman transmigrating into the body of a Female Lead in an R18+ novel where the Male Lead is a yandere.

Since you'd mentioned CMMD, I can give you several other links:

Cheating Men Must Die animated audio version of the first few arcs (King of the Phoenix), comes with ENG subs

Mission in Parallel 2022 Chinese short drama (it's the late 1910s socialite arc where she transmigrates as the overweight nightclub owner & wife of the abusive husband who gets seduced by a singer who's also a transmigrator), comes with ENG subs

Cheating Men Must Die (2022)(it's the arc where she transmigrates into the world where she's the villainess and the CEO Male Lead is self-aware, and the author has signed with the evil System trying to kill off Su Luxia so that she herself can transmigrate into the body of her own FL), comes with ENG subs

[starfirexuchiha]

The Flower Meanings behind each P5R Flower Keychain Merch

After pre-ordering the P5R flower keychain merch, I decided delve into the flower meanings that each PT character is associated with in the new flower keychain merch.

I’m going to research into the Hanakotoba (花言葉) meaning of these flowers, the English meanings, and the relevant flower essences to hopefully get the right information. Then I’ll try to connect how they relate to the characters. Understand that what I’ll say may not be 100% right, because this is my own interpretation.

The flower meanings I gotten are based on the Japanese websites and English websites that I looked into. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG POST so please excuse any potential grammar mistakes I may have made.

If I ever have time, I might make separate posts for each Phantom Thief regarding the history, folklore and meta of their flowers.

Ren Amamiya - Red China Asters & White Daisies

China Asters are called 蝦夷菊 (Ezogiku) or in Katakana, エゾギク in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) China Asters in general mean:

追憶 (Recollection)

私はあなたを想うでしょう (I will think of you)

変化 (Change / Shapeshift)

信じる恋 (Believing in Love)

貞節 (Fidelity)

And Red China Asters in particular mean:

変化を好む (I prefer change)

The English meaning of these Asters are:

Patience

Elegance

Daintiness (Gentle and Kind personality)

Afterthought (Remembering someone who is no longer with you / Thinking if things should have happened differently)

Love of variety

And the Red color in an Aster is the color of passion that expresses strong emotions towards these meanings.

So basically China Asters mean Change and Recollection (Remembering something/someone), and “私はあなたを想うでしょう (I will think of you)”.

Note: There are 2 different classifications of Aster flowers. One is the Shion (シオン) Aster. The other is the China (エゾギク) Aster. There is no such thing as a red Shion Aster. China Asters on the other hand, comes with a variety of colors including red. Therefore, the red asters are China Asters.

Shion Asters tend to have the meaning: “君を忘れない (I won’t forget you)”. China Asters tend to have a similar meaning which is: "私はあなたを想うでしょう (I will think of you)”. This indicates remembering someone who is no longer with you, or when they are far away and separated from you. It seems that Asters in general involve remembering someone and not wanting to forget them.

How this connects to Ren:

Since Red Asters in particular mean “change”, I think this refers to how Ren is a “shapeshifter” (from the Beneath the Mask song), since he is a WildCard user who uses different personas and masks. I think the “変化を好む (I prefer change) ” meaning refers to how Ren wanted to reform society as a Phantom Thief.

China Asters in general also mean “recollection”, I think this refers to what happened between Ren and Akechi. Ren deeply regretted how he wasn’t able to save Akechi in the engine room and wanted things to happen differently between them (Like peacefully playing chess with Akechi in his room in the “Bad Ending”).  For Akechi to be present and by his side...that was his wish in the dream world. This can also refer to how Akechi said “If only we had met a few years earlier...”. Recollection is also connected to the "私はあなたを想うでしょう (I will think of you)” meaning. Ren still remembers his promise with Akechi, even after the dream world ended. Akechi was separated from him twice but Ren still carries Akechi’s glove with him, thinking of him.

The meaning of these flowers are probably connected to the meaning of Akechi’s Forget-Me-Nots that I will mention later in this post.

Daisies are called 雛菊 (Hinagiku) or just デイジー (Daisy) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Daisies in general mean:

純潔 (Innocence / Purity)

美人 (Beautiful person)

平和 (Peace / Harmony)

希望 (Hope)

And White Daisies in particular mean:

無邪気 (Innocent)

The English meanings of these Daisies are:

Innocence

New Beginnings

Purity

Harmony

If the Daisy color is White then that specifically means “Innocence” and “Purity”.

How this connects to Ren: 

Ren has his own sense of justice and righteousness, and he believes that what he’s doing is for the greater good. He is the Trickster who brings hope and drives away ruin. Shido falsely accused Ren of assault even though Ren’s innocent. He gotten a criminal record even though he is innocent. Ren started off as a misunderstood hero... and yeah I guess Ren is pretty good-looking too “美人 (Beautiful person)” lol.

Ryuji Sakamoto - Sunflowers & Red Ace Hydrangeas

Sunflowers are called 向日葵 (Himawari) or in katakana ヒマワリ in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Sunflowers mean:

私はあなただけを見つめる (I only have my eyes on you)

あなたを幸福にする (I will make you happy)

崇拝 (Admiration / Adoration)

光輝 (Brightness)

あなたは素晴らしい (You are amazing)

偽りの富 (False Riches)

The English meanings of these Sunflowers are:

Adoration

Faithfulness

Loyalty

Joy & Happiness

So basically Sunflowers mean admiring someone or adoring someone and it also means happiness.

How this connects to Ryuji:

Ryuji is Ren’s best friend, and he also greatly admires Ren for being the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Ryuji is also the type of guy who is loud, cheerful, and optimistic. This can connect to brightness and happiness.

Hydrangeas are called 紫陽花 (Ajisai) or in katakana アジサイ in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Hydrangeas mean:

高慢 (Boastfulness / Arrogance)

冷酷 (Ruthlessness / Cold-Hearted)

謝罪 (Apology)

The English meanings of Hydrangeas are:

Gratitude

Honest Emotions

Vanity

Boastfulness

Desire for forgiveness

Regret

In Japan, Hydrangeas are usually used to express apology for bad behavior. That’s why negative words like 冷酷 (Ruthlessness / Cold-Hearted) and  高慢 (Boastfulness / Arrogance) are associated with it. It’s to apologize for behaving like that.

How this connects to Ryuji:

Ryuji is a delinquent and a troublemaker. However, he’s also the type to apologize for the things he messed up on. One example is Ryuji feeling sorry for his mother because attacking Kamoshida ruined his chances of making things easier for her (like getting an athletic scholarship). Another example is the 3rd Semester where he deeply apologizes to Ren for abandoning him to enjoy the dream world. For 高慢 (Boastfulness / Arrogance), Ryuji wanted to have more fame and recognition as the Phantom Thieves were becoming more popular, but that was until the Okumura incident.

Ann Takamaki - Red Roses & Strawberry Blossoms

“A Beautiful Rose has thorns!” - Ann

Roses are called 薔薇 (Bara) or they can be just called ローズ (Rose) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Roses in general mean:

愛 (Love)

美 (Beauty)

And Red Roses in particular mean:

あなたを愛してます (I love you)

愛情 (Love / Affection)

美 (Beauty) 

情熱 (Passion)

熱烈な恋 (Passionate Love)

The English meanings of Red Roses are pretty much the same: Passionate Love, Romance, and Beauty. Roses are the most well-known flowers across the world.

How this connects to Ann:

Ann is associated with the Lovers Arcana. Ann’s phantom thief attire is also associated around the themes of beauty, lust, and love. This is because her Persona is Carmen, who is a Femme Fatale (An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who is likely to cause distress or disaster to a man who becomes involved with her). Like what Ann said in battle: “A Beautiful Rose has thorns!“

Strawberries are called 苺 (Ichigo) in Japan.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Strawberry Blossoms mean:

尊重と愛情 (Love and Respect)

幸福な家庭 (Happy Family)

あなたは私を喜ばせる (You please me)

先見の明 (Foresight)

完全なる善 (Perfect Goodness)

The English meanings of Strawberry Blossoms are: 

Perfection

Righteousness

Spring / Rebirth

So basically Strawberry Blossoms mean perfection, love, and righteousness.

The essence of a Strawberry Blossom can help those who are going through a mental loop of fear and anxiety. For people who are worrying themselves to exhaustion and tears.

How this connects to Ann:

Ann is very kind, compassionate, and also cheerful when she’s with the Phantom Thieves. When it comes to “righteousness“, Ann has moral values and tends to reflect on whether her’s or the PT’s actions are right or wrong. She also has a strong desire to help those in need. I think “perfection” connects to how Ann is confidant about her physical appearance, but she also wants to be mentally strong and confidant like the female villains she watched.

The essence of a Strawberry Blossom (a mental loop of fear and anxiety) could connect to what Ann was going through during the Kamoshida arc. She worries a lot about Shiho, and was unfortunately put into a situation where she had to deal with Kamoshida’s threats and sexual harassment. This is because she feared that Shiho would lose her position in the volleyball team. This situation was so stressful that she suddenly had to talk to Ren about it at the station.

Yusuke Kitagawa - Nemophilas & Lily of the Valleys

Nemophilas (aka Baby Blue Eyes) are called 瑠璃唐草 (Rurikarakusa) or  just ネモフィラ (Nemophila) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Nemophilas mean:

どこでも成功 (Success everywhere)

あなたを許す (I forgive you)

可憐 (Sweet)

The English meanings of Nemophilas are pretty much the same: Victory and Success.

However...

Nemophilas have essences for anyone who during their childhood, had lack of support from their father figure or had issues with their father figure.

How this connects to Yusuke:

Sure the “success” meaning could probably connect to Yusuke trying to succeed his art career, but I think the Nemophila essence meaning connects to him more. Yusuke did have a father figure in his childhood who is Madarame. Madarame adopted him shortly after his mother’s death. He became corrupted by his distorted desires and treated Yusuke as a tool to help bolster his fame and riches. Yusuke had issues with Madarame‘s abuse and eventually fought against him in the Metaverse.

However Yusuke still have this conflicting case of Stockholm Syndrome towards Madarame and it shows during the 3rd semester. In the dream world, part of Yusuke’s wish was to have Madarame be a supporting and sincere father figure towards him. This can connect to the Nemophila meaning of “feeling supported and loved, especially by male figures”.

One of the birth flower dates for Nemophilas is January 28th, which is Yusuke’s birthday. So these flowers are REALLY for Yusuke!

Lily of the Valleys are called 鈴蘭 (Suzuran) or in katakana スズラン in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Lily of the Valleys mean:

再び幸せが訪れる (Return of Happiness)

純粋 (Purity)

謙遜 (Modesty)

優しさ (Kindness)

The English meanings of Lily of the Valleys are:

Motherhood

Womanhood

Purity

Sweetness

Return of Happiness

You made my life complete

So basically the Lily of the Valley flowers mean “Return of Happiness” but it could also mean “Motherhood”, because this flower is considered to be the perfect flower for the month of May, and Mother’s Day takes place in May. On May 1st, it is a custom to give a loved one Lily of the Valleys.

Lily of the Valley also has essences for those who are yearning or desiring relationships that are unattainable.

How this connects to Yusuke:

The “再び幸せが訪れる (Return of Happiness)“ meaning could refer to Yusuke becoming part of the Phantom Thieves and obtaining new friends. The PTs saved him from Madarame. Note that Yusuke first met the Phantom Thieves on the month of May, and Lily of the Valleys are heavily associated with that month.

I think this also relates to the Sayuri painting. The true form of the Sayuri painting expresses motherhood. The woman in the painting is holding a baby. Yusuke’s mother created this painting of herself happily holding her newborn son in her arms. “Yearning for relationships that are unattainable” could probably refer to how Yusuke deep down yearn for parental love. His biological parents aren’t present in his life and Madarame is a corrupted father figure. I mentioned before that part of Yusuke’s wish in the dream world was to have Madarame be a supporting and sincere father figure towards him.

Makoto Niijima - Canterbury Bells & Pink Tree Peonies

Canterbury Bells (aka Bellflowers), are called カンパニュラ (Campanula) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Canterbury Bells mean:

感謝 (Gratitude)

誠実 (Sincerity)

節操 (Loyalty)

思いを告げる (Telling your Thoughts)

共感 (Sympathy)

The English meanings of Canterbury Bells are:

Gratitude

Humility

Everlasting Love

So basically Canterbury bells mean “Gratitude” and “Telling your Thoughts”.

The essence of Canterbury Bells are for those who are stressed and cannot think for themselves. Canterbury Bells can help clear their minds so that they can stand up for themselves and make their own decisions.

How this connects to Makoto:

Before she joined the Phantom Thieves, Makoto was considered to be an obedient “good girl type of pushover” who followed the rules and couldn’t make her own decisions. During the Kaneshiro arc, so many things were happening to her at once such as the Principal giving her a difficult task, Sae getting angry at her during dinner, and Goro calling her a pushover. All of this really stressed her because her obedience is suffocating her. This connects to the “思いを告げる (Telling your Thoughts)“ meaning because it wasn’t until she entered Kaneshiro’s palace that she was finally able to speak her mind and stand up for herself. 

One of the birth flower dates for Canterbury Bells is April 23rd, which is Makoto’s birthday. So these flowers are REALLY for Makoto!

Tree Peonies are called 牡丹 (Botan) or in katakana ボタン in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Tree Peonies mean:

王者の風格 (Personality of a King)

富貴 (Wealth and Honor)

はにかみ (Bashfulness)

恥じらい (Shyness)

思いやり (Compassion)

The English meanings of Tree Peonies are:

Good Fortune

Bravery

Honor

Nobility

In Japan, Tree Peonies are well-respected and known to be called the “King of Flowers” (花の王様) or the “King of a Hundred Flowers” (百花の王). The reason why they’re called that is because back in history, Tree Peonies were used to decorate throne rooms and royal palaces. That’s why Tree Peonies tend to have meanings relating to royalty and honor.

The essence of Peonies are for those who are overworking themselves and trying to work hard for everything.

How this connects to Makoto:

Makoto’s code name is “Queen”, because of her bossy and strict personality. This also connects to the “王者の風格 (Personality of a King)“ meaning. Makoto’s bossy personality can be a King-like trait. Also a Queen is just a royal female version of a King. Makoto also worked hard to keep her grades in check and studied a lot in order to go to a good college. This could connect to the Peony essence for trying to work hard for everything. Makoto also drove a lot in P5 Strikers and exhausted herself from it. This could mean that Makoto is also the type to overwork herself.

The “はにかみ (Bashfulness)” meaning could probably connect to how Makoto has vulnerable or cute sides to her. She is scared of paranormal activity and have cute buchimaru merch in her room.

Futaba Sakura - Dandelions & Red Carnations

Dandelions are called 蒲公英 (Tanpopo) or in katakana タンポポ in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Dandelions mean:

愛の神託 (Oracle of Love)

神託 (Oracle)

真心の愛 (Sincere Love)

幸福 (Happiness)

別離 (Separation)

The English meanings of Dandelions are:

Happiness

Joy

Youthful Thoughts

Dandelions are known to be a fortune-telling flower which is why words like “神託 (Oracle)” are associated with it. It seems like Dandelions also mean “Happiness” but also “Separation”.

How this connects to Futaba:

Obviously Futaba’s code name is “Oracle”, so all of the “神託 (Oracle)” and  “愛の神託 (Oracle of Love)“ meanings of this flower connects to her. The “別離 (Separation)“ meaning could refer to how Futaba is separated from her mother because her mother died. The “幸福 (Happiness)“ meaning probably refers to how Futaba became happy again and gained new friends after the Phantom Thieves saved her.

One of the birth flower dates for Dandelions is February 19th, which is Futaba’s birthday. So these flowers are REALLY for Futaba!

Carnations are called カーネーション (Carnation) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Carnations in general mean:

無垢で深い愛 (Innocent and Deep Love)

魅惑 (Fascination)

愛情 (Affection)

And Red Carnations in particular mean:

母への愛 (A Mother’s Love)

The English meanings of Carnations are:

Admiration

Love and Affection

Fascination

Distinction

Carnations are known to symbolize Mother’s Day which is why “母への愛 (A Mother’s Love)“ is associated with it. The Red color of that flower in particular are used the most for Mother’s Day.

How this connects to Futaba:

Futaba loves her mother (Wakaba) a lot and she also misses her mother a lot. The whole Futaba Palace arc was about Futaba struggling to overcome her mother’s death. She later realized in her Palace that her mother doesn’t hate her and still loves her. This connects to the “母への愛 (A Mother’s Love)“ meaning. Futaba deep down still hasn’t overcome her mother’s death and it shows in the 3rd semester. Futaba’s wish in the dream world was to have Wakaba still alive. Futaba knew it wasn’t real early on, but she still rolled with it anyway because “If I got to see my mom again, then it was okay...”. She eventually apologized to Ren for this though.

Haru Okumura - Pink Roses & Hypericum Berries

As you already know, in Hanakotoba (花言葉) Roses in general mean:

愛 (Love)

美 (Beauty)

But Pink Roses in particular mean:

しとやか (Graceful / Ladylike)

上品 (Elegant)

可愛い人 (Cute person)

美しい少女 (Beautiful Girl)

誓い (Oath of Love)

感銘 (Deep Impression)

The English meanings of Pink Roses are:

Gratitude

Grace

Joy

Gentleness

Ann’s Red Roses represent passionate love and romance. Haru’s Pink Roses on the other hand, have a different meaning. Pink Roses are more associated with beauty and grace.

How this connects to Haru:

Haru is the “Beauty Thief”, and is associated with the themes of classy elegance, beauty and grace. This is because her Persona is Milady, who is a sophisticated and elegant woman. It’s also because Haru is rich. Haru is familiar with what it’s like to live in a high-class lifestyle.

Hypericum are called ヒペリカム (Hypericum) in Japanese

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Hypericums mean:

きらめき (Sparkle)

悲しみは続かない (Sadness that doesn’t last)

The English meanings of Hypericums are:

Cheerfulness

Inspiration

Antidepressant

Hypericums are usually given to those who are grieving or lost a loved one. They are also known to relieve depression, because the medicine that uses this plant are antidepressants. Hypericums are also used to drive away devils, witches, sorcery, and misfortune. This is the reason why Hypericums have “悲しみは続かない (Sadness that doesn’t last)" as its meaning.

How this connects to Haru:

I think this is connected to how Haru lost her father and she was really sad about it. Hypericums are for those “who are grieving or lost a loved one“. The meaning of “driving away devils, witches, sorcery, and misfortune“ could refer to how Haru had to fight against her father in the Metaverse in order to stop his corruption and save anyone (and herself) who were affected by his distorted desires. Even after the Okumura arc, she still grieved about her father to the point that her wish in the dream world was to have her father alive again.

The “悲しみは続かない (Sadness that doesn’t last)" meaning could refer to Haru joining the Phantom Thieves and not being sad anymore. Her new friends relieved her depression.

Sumire Yoshizawa - Baby’s Breaths & Blue Star Milkweeds

Baby’s Breaths (aka Gypsophilas) are called かすみ草 (Kasumisou) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Baby’s Breaths mean:

清らかな心 (Pure Heart)

無邪気 (Innocence)

親切 (Kindness)

幸福 (Happiness)

永遠の愛 (Everlasting Love)

The English meanings of Baby’s Breaths are:

Everlasting Love

Newborn babies

Innocence

Holy Spirit

Unity

So basically Baby’s Breath mean “Innocence”, “Purity”, and “Everlasting Love”.

How this connects to Sumire:

The name of the flower. In Japanese, Baby’s Breaths are called “Kasumi” (かすみ) in hiragana. The name of Sumire’s twin sister is also in hiragana: かすみ  芳澤 (Kasumi Yoshizawa). It appears that Kasumi is named after the Baby’s Breath flower. Sumire on the other hand, is named after Violets, and Violets are called  すみれ草 (Sumiresou). What is the Hanakotoba meaning of Violets? “白昼夢 (Daydreaming)” and “あなたのことで頭がいっぱい (You Occupy my Thoughts)”.

Kasumi = Baby’s Breaths (Innocence, Pure Heart)

Sumire = Violets (Daydreaming, You Occupy my Thoughts)

Sumire was the first to be affected by Maruki’s power. Her cognition was changed, causing her to believe that she’s Kasumi. This is connected to the “白昼夢 (Daydreaming)” meaning. During her time being Kasumi, she was completely oblivious that she’s not Kasumi. This could connect to the “Innocence” meaning.

It’s also the reason why the Sumire keychain have Baby’s Breaths flowers instead of Violets. This is the Sumire that thinks she’s Kasumi.  

The “永遠の愛 (Everlasting Love)“ meaning could probably refer to the bond between the two sisters.

The Blue Star Milkweeds (aka Tweedias) are called ブルースター (BlueStars) in Japanese. 

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) BlueStars mean:

幸福な愛 (Happy Love)

虹あう心 (Rainbow Hearts)

信じあう心 (Hearts that believe in each other)

The English meaning of BlueStars are:

Faithful Affection

BlueStars are one of the common flowers that are used in weddings in a bride’s bouquet. I guess that’s why meanings like “幸福な愛 (Happy Love)“ and “信じあう心 (Hearts that believe in each other)” are associated with it.

The essence of BlueStars are associated with dream and reality. It helps balance the ability to daydream with the need to keep one foot fully grounded in reality.

How this connects to Sumire:

Sumire’s 3rd tier Persona Ella, represents Cinderella during her wedding day. The blue color of the BlueStars could also refer to the color of Sumire’s 1st Persona, Cendrillon.

But the essence of BlueStars seem to connect to her more. Regarding the Inharmonious Expression, Sumire wasn’t able to accept reality at first, and wanted to stay being Kasumi in the dream world. This could connect to her lack of ability to move forward and her inability to travel to another dimension (Reality). Then during her time in the 3rd semester with the Phantom Thieves and Akechi, Sumire eventually gained the courage to accept herself. She was finally able to keep one foot fully grounded in reality.

Goro Akechi - Lobelias & Pink Forget-Me-Nots

Lobelias are called ロベリア (Lobelia) in Japanese.

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Lobelias mean:

悪意 (Malevolence / Evil Intentions)

謙遜 (Modesty)

いつも愛らしい (Always Charming)

嫌い (Hate)

The English meanings of Lobelias are: 

Distinction

Malevolence

Arrogance

So basically Lobelias symbolizes “Malevolence”. The reason why Lobelias have these negative meanings is because even though these flowers look pretty, they are really toxic flowers that can kill you.

How this connects to Goro:

Goro’s true nature is full of malevolence and hate. He had caused psychotic breakdowns, had killed some people, and had attempted to betray the Phantom Thieves and kill Ren. His hatred comes from his desire for revenge against Shido, because Shido is the one who ruined his life as well as his mother’s. The 3rd semester showed this side of him even more. He is more ruthless, vulgar, aggressive, and wildly feral especially towards shadows. He takes great pleasure in killing them. Goro can also make himself go berserk by using “Call of Chaos” on himself. 

Goro being a murderer and taking pleasure in killing things can connect to how the Lobelia flowers are really toxic and can kill you. 

The “いつも愛らしい (Always Charming)” meaning could refer to how Goro is still pretty and charming despite showing is feral side. Like come on, look at this baby face:

Forget-Me-Nots are called 忘れな草 (Wasurenakusa) in Japanese. 

In Hanakotoba (花言葉) Forget-Me-Nots in general mean:

真実の愛 (True Love)

私を忘れないで (Don’t forget me)

思い出 (Memories)

And Pink Forget-Me-Nots in particular mean: 

真実の友情 (True Friendship)

The English meanings of Forget-Me-Nots are: 

Don’t forget me

Remembrance

True Love

Eternal Love

Desperate Love

Memory of a dead person

The meanings of “True Love” and “Don’t Forget Me” came from legends of tragic romances in medieval times.

The essence of Forget-Me-Nots are for those who never fully resolved their isolation and abandonment issues after experiencing the death of an important family member or friend during childhood.

How this connects to Goro:

The “私を忘れないで (Don’t forget me)” and “Remembrance” meanings refers to what happened between Goro and Ren. Goro made a promise with Ren and gave Ren one of his gloves. But then Goro “died” in the Engine Room and Ren was devastated about it. Ren still kept the glove that Goro gave him and remembers him from it. This can also relate to the meaning of the China Asters that Ren is associated with: "私はあなたを想うでしょう (I will think of you)”, and also relates to “Memory of a dead person”.

The “真実の友情 (True Friendship)” meaning from the Pink Forget-Me-Nots in particular could refer to how in P5R, Goro now has a manual confidant. Ren is able to have an “open and honest relationship” with Goro because of this.

The essence of Forget-Me-Nots also relates to Goro. Goro does indeed have isolation and abandonment issues. He mentioned how he’s an unwanted bastard child, and in the engine room he mentioned how he wanted to be loved. He also deep down wanted to be acknowledged by Shido since Shido is his only biological link. Shido of course took advantage of that. All of this is because during Goro’s childhood, his mother committed suicide, leaving him feeling alone and unwanted. The death of an important family member.

For the ShuAke fans:

Since Forget-Me-Nots gotten their name from tragic romances, this can connect to how ShuAke is a tragic and angsty romance as well. Since they have an “open and honest relationship”, their “真実の友情 (True Friendship)” can turn into “真実の愛 (True Love)” as the story progresses. Also… their flowers communicated to each other like:

Goro: 私を忘れないで (Don’t forget me)

Ren: 私はあなたを想うでしょう。 君を忘れない (I will think of you. I won’t forget you)

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

Whew.... I gotta say, making this post has made me learn a lot about flowers and the flower language. Thanks to this new knowledge, I will consider using the meaning of flowers in my future video projects from now on. Making this post also made me delve into the meta of the other Phantom Thieves and I began to like them more because of it. 

Like I said, my interpretations aren’t 100% correct, so make what you will with this knowledge. 

You’re welcome 👋

[drsilverfish]

DrSilverfish S9 Meta Masterpost

Blog housekeeping cont!

S9 was a bit of a hot mess of a season, in my view, summed up by this quote from my 9x08 Rock and a Hard Place meta-review:

“If you are going to use sexual dub-con as a “metaphor” for Dean’s control of Sam [the Ezekiel/ Gadreeel possession by trickery, and all its season’s assault/ dub-con mirrors] and yet you insist on mixing that with sex jokes and the sexualisation of violence via the camera, an unholy mess is pretty much to be expected...”

Nevertheless, there were some lovely gems of episodes in the season (as well as plenty of queer subtext) and I enjoyed meta-ing it, notwithstanding the grossness of the larger theme. These shone through, for me; Beren’s first episode Heaven Can’t Wait (9x06) is stlll one of my top SPN episodes of all time; Glass’ deeply touching Bad Boys (9x07) was illuminated by Dylan Everett’s excellent performance as young Dean. Robbie Thompson also delivered an awesome happy ending for Charlie Bradbury with her queer Dorothy in Oz, in Slumber Party (9x04) which I insist on considering her true exit from the show (yes, this blog is still repressing Dark Dynasty 10x21 hard). Plus, Robbie’s Metafiction (9x18) was a glorious meta goldmine (I continue to miss Robbie and Edlund in the SPN writers’ room, among other things for their sense of meta fun).

Also, now, looking back on the season from the vantage point of being several years into the future, it is apparent that (however unpleasant it was to live through it at the time, and despite its often problematic execution) what the writers’ room set out to do in S9 was hold up to the light, via the Zeke/ Gadreel possession metaphor, the tragic toxicity of Dean and Sam’s co-dependency. This was a season in which Dean’s care-taking of Sam (a historic responsibility thrust upon him as a child, through no fault of his own) became a violation. The tragic consequence of which, was Dean’s desertion of his angel, whom his heart had wanted so much, and for so long, to have by his side (witness Dean’s long search for Cas in Purgatory in S8 and his “Nobody wants him here more than I do, Okay?” in 9x04) just when (fallen and newly human) Castiel needed him most. 

Yes, Carver took us down a dark road, into the roots of the Winchesters’ psychic dysfunction in S9 (the Mark of Cain narrative of S10 and 11 being the cumulative consequence) so that Dabb could, from the turning point of 11x23, bring us back up, gradually, towards the light. 

S9 Meta

1) 9x01 I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here - Who is Ezekiel, Angel of Death?

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/63578850731/who-is-ezekiel-angel-of-death

2) Who is on the Chessboard in S9? Heaven and Hell and In-Between

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/63742883512/who-is-on-the-chessboard-in-season-9-heaven-and

3) 9x02 Devil May Care and the Metaphysics of Violation (CW: for discussion of rape)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/64225291819/spn-9x02-and-the-metaphysics-of-violation-tw-for

4) 9x03 I’m No Angel 

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/64899857448/drsilverfish-peruses-im-no-angel-9x03-spoilers 

5) Queer Subtext in 9x03 and Its Problematic Execution

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65335878559/queer-siubtext-in-9x03-and-its-problematic 

6) 9x04 Slumber Party Meta-Review

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65562193440/drsilverfishs-slumber-party-9x04-review 

7) Dorothy and Queer-Coding in 9x04 (response to an ask on the previous meta)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65605250789/miles-to-go-before-i-sleep-drsilverfishs-slumber 

8) Dean and Cas and the Violence of Intimacy

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65880351538/art-by-barbara-kruger-no-homo-fist-bumped-the 

9) Sam, Dean and Man’s Best Friend With Benefits

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66177750491/sam-dean-and-mans-best-friend-in-9x05-spoilers 

10) “Bestiality” and 9x05

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66316186054/bestiality-and-9x05-response-to-an-ask

11) Dean and Ezekiel

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66573033478/the-path-of-the-righteous-man-is-beset-on-all

12) DrSilverfish’s Heaven Can’t Wait Destiel-Centric Meta-Review (9x06) 

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66932619155/drsilverfishs-heaven-cant-wait-destiel-centric

13) Nobody Said it Was Easy/ Oh Take Me Back to the Start  - DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x07 Bad Boys

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/67596701624/nobody-said-it-was-easy-oh-take-me-back-to-the

14) Damn Straight Between a Rock and a Hard Place - DrSilverfish 9x08 Meta-Review

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/68292904893/damn-straight-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place

15) Losing Paradise: DrSilverfish’s (Destiel-Centric) Holy Terror 9x09 Meta-Review

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69016033105/losing-paradise-drsilverfishs-destiel-centric

16) Supernatural 9x09 The Little Things (Set Dressing Narrative)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69166320221/supernatural-9x09-the-little-things-spoilers

17) Hail Castiel, Full of Grace: A Meditation on the Nature of Grace in the SPN Universe (9x09)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69291532196/hail-castiel-full-of-grace-meditation-on-the 

18) 9x10 Road Trip and Noir Cinematography

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/76258139601/dean-winchester-walking-away-from-his-brother-and

19) Abaddon and the Femme Fatale (9x10 Road Trip)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/79204466961/victoriavantoch-abaddon-in-9x10-road-trip

20) 9x10 Road Trip - Dean and Cas as Shirley and Laverne

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/81787352715/spn-queer-subtext-instance-no-29996-oh-just

21) A Discussion on Bees, Cain and Castiel with @isthemachinesinging and @x-cetera (latter deactivated) (9x11 First Born)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/74885442456/isthemachinesinging-x-cetera-the-beekeeping

22) Sharp Teeth (9x12) Quick Review

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/74906805501/sharp-teeth-quickie-review-supernatural-9x12

23) DrSilverfish’s Destiel-Centric Captives Meta-Review (9x14)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/78134538414/drsilverfishs-destiel-centric-captives-review

24) So Many Queer Subtext: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews #Thinman (9x15)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/78828364438/so-many-queer-subtext-drsilverfish-reviews-spns

25) 9x16 Blade Runners Illuminated by Blade Runner (1982)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80113492162/how-does-the-spn-9x16-episode-blade-runners

26) The Curse of “Old Donkey Teeth”: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x16 Blade Runners

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80310421877/the-curse-of-old-donkey-teeth-drsilverfish

27) The Jawbone of an Ass: Dean as Sampson (9x16)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80414070819/the-jawbone-of-an-ass-dean-as-samson-spn-9x16

28) Demons Walk Among Us: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x17 Mother’s Little Helper

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80978944870/demons-walk-among-us-drsilverfish-reviews-spns

29) Metatron’s “Metafictional” Spell: The Ingredients (9x18 Metafiction)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/82933467509/metatrons-metafictional-spell-the-ingredients 

30) 19x18 Metafiction - The Trench-Coat and Free Will

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/82948619070/9x18-metafiction-the-trench-coat-and-free

31) Metatron and Robbie Thompson’s Metafictional Send-Up of TPTB (19x18)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83026009934/supernaturals-metatron-has-been-painted-thus

32) What Makes a Story Work? Robbie Goes Meta in Metafiction (9x18) (endnote discussion with @newyeardad )

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83116451392/mixgoldenphoenix-newyeardad-what-makes-a 

33) Metafiction’s Subtextual Boner, FYI (9x18)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83202304892/metafictions-subtextal-boner-fyi-spn-9x18 

34) Note on Castiel/ Jesus Parallels in S9

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83245109970/tw-this-is-a-scene-from-9x03-im-no-angel

35) Spec on Dean Going Full Dark-Side (9x18 Metafiction)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83307390112/why-was-metatron-using-a-very-supernatural

36) Metatron Links Cas to Bisexual Poet Muriel Rukeyser (9x18 Metafiction)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83318897321/muriel-rukeyser-the-us-poet-metatron-quotes-to

37) “Vampiric Stockholm Syndrome”: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews Alex, Annie, Alexis, Ann (9x19) 

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83659732157/vampiric-stockholm-syndrome-dr-silverfish

38) The Godfather with Fangs Lacks Bite: 9x20 Bloodlines

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/84346671959/the-godfather-with-fangs-lacks-bite-spn-9x20

39) 9x21 King of the Damned and Addictions

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85142976459/spn-king-of-the-damned-9x21-and-addictions 

40) 9x21 Gematria and Jacob’s Ladder

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85543224799/jacobs-ladder-by-william-blake-1805-in-9x21 

41) DrSilverfish’s Network Advice for an SPN Spin-Off

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85926475349/drsilverfishs-network-advice-for-an-spn-spin-off 

42) S9 “Love and.... Love”

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85936817759/castielandmoriarty-its-killing-him-to-say

43) DrSilverfish’s Destiel-Centric Musings on Do You Believe in Miracles (9x23)

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86535731704/drsilverfishs-destiel-centric-musings-on-do-you 

44) Beheadings, Democritus, and S9 Demon!Dean Foreshadowing

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86543231314/democritus-meditating-on-the-seat-of-the-soul 

45) Crowley, Queer King of Hell and Seducer of Dean Winchester

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86731441939/crowley-queer-king-of-hell-and-seducer-of-dean 

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

I was wondering Thoughts on Sakamoto and Kitagawa?

Under the cut cause it got a bit long

Ryuji: Really good in the first dungeon and CoOp. A bit of a loudmouth but has great values imo (kinda gets screwed in his CoOp, why is the MC letting him get beat up???? Why do his stupid teammates still feel the need to beat him up???Like what the hell????).

After that.....I get really sour (also I hate his anime adaptation, really fudged up his characterization in the 1st dungeon, he is NOT lecherous towards Anne or any girl during that dungeon, in fact he is downright HORRIFIED of everything in that dungeon). I really love his dedication to the MC (like as a friend he’s just such a great bro), but...well....I like how he was willing to almost get hit by a car to save Makoto (he was annoyed but considering the stupid stuff she was doing it was understandable).....and I’d say I liked how he was willing to help Anne with her “stalker” problem but....he just seemed like he almost didn’t want to be bothered in that scene despite her fears (and knowing what she just went through).....his carefree attitude in that scene left a bad taste in my mouth, esp when he even questions her after looking at Yusuke (who cares what he looks like, he’s been following her for like what? a week? of course only the MC knows this if you talk to her but like she has every right to be worried and he just is so ‘whatever’ with the situation, like he still has her back but his attitude felt like such a 180 slap in the fact just following the first dungeon, and nothing Anne did warranted that annoyance). 

He gets screwed by the writing a lot, like he’s the butt of a joke he doesn’t deserve, or gets beat up for no reason and that’s just.....bad. But he also does some not so great things with the girls, which makes it extra worse considering this is post-dungeon 1..... I like the guy but....I really do question some of Atlus’ writing with him. ;w; Ryuji’s writing deserved better

Yusuke: I hate him. Probably my 3rd most hated (Goro’s right behind him), probably cause, unlike Goro, Yusuke provides absolutely nothing with his skill. Plus I hate his super blunt attitude, just cause “he’s just blunt” doesn’t mean he can be an asshole. I especially hate it when he uses it with his friends. But back to Yusuke being useless (and tbh I actually kinda feel bad Atlus just....forgot about him it feels like). He’s one of the worst tiers in terms of gameplay (he might be better than Goro), and I mean not endgame gameplay (cause by that point everyone is OP and a team structure shouldn’t matter). He’s out damaged by Anne and Ryuji (or even Haru), he has no buff for Ice, Ice isn’t as common as Frei/Fire/Thunder, just cause he has a strength stat doesn’t cover Ryu’s power charge+swift strike/bad beat/other abilities (this is stuff that’s been tested by the gameplay meta scene I’m just the messenger). His agility boost isn’t nearly as good as a defense/attack boost or defense/attack debuff (because att/def is ALWAYS 50% increase/decrease, while the agility it’s only a 50% CHANCE of helping with crits....so it’s not even guaranteed). Plus Mona is a better crit player than Yusuke and he also has healing. Anne/Makoto synergize well with Makoto’s defense buff and Anne’s attack debuff, and Anne/Ryuji(or Haru) just deal more damage. 

That’s just gameplay, what about Yusuke’s actually artist skills? How does that help the PT (I know skill cards, but that’s gameplay, I mean story, and it’s not like they couldn’t do something else with the skill cards I mean P3P/4G didn’t have an artist and they did just fine)? That’s right, it doesn’t. The only time it helps is that one specific puzzle with telling which is the real Sayuri, which is just process of elimination and you have to fight if you get it wrong so it doesn’t matter. He did the thief logo? Well thanks I hate it, sure it’s stylish but Ryuji’s matched better with the cheesy PT genre more (and gdi what do you hate what makes the PT genre good Atlus? ;w; Ryuji’s logo is really the only thing PT in this game I swear). But despite how I feel about the design, it doesn’t do anything useful. Oh but the Shido ship thing right? His big moment? Yeah no still doesn’t do anything, actually he opens his big fat dumb mouth and says another assholery thing, and they get mad at us and fight iirc. His art didn’t stop us from having to fight the mini boss, he just prolonged us getting to that fight (actually on Anne and Haru got their letters from their mini bosses without having to fight them, I mean we were still forced to fight cause P5 sucks like that, but they are the only ones on the team who got their letters using their special skills aka femme fatal and business relations/financial back person (even tho she didn’t back them financially missed opportunity) whatever thing. basically that ‘shining moment’ of his isn’t so shining when he couldn’t even avoid a fight....and there’s really no reason to fight them....it leaves no impact! sorry I have an issue with that part of the dungeon).

I know some people will say he’s (one of) the “level headed” character of the group, but it wasn’t like Anne or Ryuji were going off the rails..... esp in dungeon 2 (I mean I do love how all of them worked together), and it’s not like Mona isn’t there. Tbh I think he could’ve been, I think if Makoto never came along he could’ve been that character, and I think he did a much better job esp since we actually were all utilizing our teammates in dungeon 2. But in the end that didn’t happen....and thus he doesn’t really provide that to the table. 

I also don’t like how he blackmailed the team. Well no, mostly the contents of his blackmail (btw I dislike all the characters who blackmailed the team inb4 someone says “what about” yes yes I dislike them too ok?) Like listen. MC/Ryu were not trespassing until he revoked his invitation to them (aka after he said to never come back there again and Ryuji said “nah we’re coming back” and Yusuke was about to call the police....Yusuke has every right under the law, at THAT moment those two boys were trespassing). The SECOND (ironically it look almost a second for him to switch too) he said he wouldn’t do it as long as Anne nude modeled for him....that’s when it blackmail/extortion and he lost the high ground (and while it led to the funniest scene in the game, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth that Atlus has him 1) stalk Anne and then 2) rope her into his blackmail to get her to nude model for him after the events of dungeon 1). And I know, “Yusuke didn’t know about their record” blah blah, who cares? No one wants the police called on them to begin with. (sorry just a weird counter argument I’ve seen and that annoys me)

I also hate his CoOp, I know what they were going for at the end but like....he had the perfect deal.... “I don’t want to have my work be tainted by money but I need money to live.” and then the deal is like “we’ll give you money regardless, we just want you to live so you can make art but really no pressure it’s all in good faith” and it’s like/????? so perfect???? And he says no????? The boy is gonna starve to death I’m not joking (also I really hate those jokes, more than the Protein and meat ones from P3/4....they are worse imo). I also just don’t care about his relationship with Madarame, it might be because I blame Yusuke for derailing Madarame as a villain. I found Madarame more interesting when it was just about his ideology and exploiting people, but as soon as he was like “I let your mom die Yusuke” it felt like it became all about that and....yeah....

And ok, I know I just shit all over Yusuke for like 5 paragraphs (btw this is just my opinion/personal thoughts on the guy, I’m not the word of god and you can still like him, I’m just being honest with how I feel), but tbh...the game did him dirty too. Gameplay wise, screentime wise. Just everything. I’m sorry Yusuke fans the game did you and your boy dirty. Yusuke deserved better. 

[red-applesith]

I love your meta works! I have a question regarding the interrogation scene in TFA. Why do you think Rey was so calm? Her first question is 'where am I?' and she sounds relatively collected given the circumstances. I imagened myself in her position. Strapped down to a chair, facing a massive guy in a mask. I would expect to be raped and be in utter panic. She only tears up much later. Do you think she's just not as easily scared, or is Ben not as intimidating to her as a 'monster' should be?

Thank you for your kind words!

Daaamn, that’s a REALLY good question! I think there’s much to say about that.

Context

First of all, when watching the movie (or any movie for that matter), it’s essential to make the distinction between what the character knows and what the audience knows.

It’s especially crucial with Star Wars because the audience knows or expects a great deal more than the characters themselves about the world they inhabit. 

And that’s why fans tend to make connections between characters or events that are not connected in-universe.

Recent example: Rey’s parentage.

Rey must be Luke’s daughter!

Jyn Erso is Rey’s mum.

Qi'ra is Han’s love interest, and Rey’s mum, meaning Rey and Kylo are half-siblings!

It doesn’t matter if the timelines don’t align. Fans WANT to find connections and connect the dots.

In movies, especially in The Force Awakens, some things are meant to only make sense to the character at this point of the story (every single line spoken by Kylo Ren for instance) which leave us, the fans, speculating to no end.

However, to speculate, we need specific tools, which brings me to my second point.

What are the tools in our possession as an audience to understand Star Wars?

1. Star Wars legacy and tie-in materialOn top of their knowledge of the Star Wars stories that came before, Star Wars fans have access to supplemental content such as books, games, TV series and an extensive database to feed their theories about a character’s motivations or background. Doesn’t matter if some of that is not canon anymore. Some basic concepts exist.

That’s why Reylo fans correctly predicted the Force bond. We labeled Rey and Kylo the new Bastilla and Revan because the parallels existed and from there, the Force bond made perfect sense.

2. Codes and conventionsIn every form of art, ‘there’s a way to do things,’ codes and conventions that give us some clues about a character’s true feelings or where a story is heading. That’s why some movies are predictable while others have a shocking, unexpected ending. That’s also why ‘genres’ (romantic comedies, horror movies, thrillers, etc…) exist.

In movies, codes are what brings meaning to what’s going on on-screen, while conventions are more about how things are done.

And the truth is, there are many codes and conventions the audience understand instinctively, even if they never studied Media Studies 101.

Why is that? Because those codes emerged over the years, and as the audience saw them on-screen over and over again, they became part of our culture.��For instance, imagine a character in a bathroom opening a medicine cabinet. How many of us expect to see the reflection of a menacing figure in the mirror as soon as the character closes the cabinet? (answer: a lot)

Another good illustration of that phenomenon is that meme:

But I’ll go back to that later; first I want to discuss one last point before getting into the breakdown of the interrogation scene.

3. The viewer’s experience/baggage  

There’s one last tool we use as an audience: Our personal experience/feelings/bias.

That one is the most contentious because for obvious reasons, no two human beings have the same life experience, ambitions, or fears, and art is one of the most subjective human concepts. We all react differently to images and situations (Wonder what fuels nerd wars or ship wars? Look no further.)

Dynamic of the interrogation scene

Okay, let’s get into this for real.

Do I think Rey is afraid of being raped?No

Why?Because I don’t think that rape is a concept she’s ‘aware’ or afraid of.

Okay, some might think this is a bold statement, but let me explain my reasoning.

First of all, in Force Awakens, Rey’s Survival Guide and Before the awakening, we see a glimpse of Rey’s life on Jakku, and we know she’s been pretty much alone all of her life. Despite that, she’s not afraid; Not afraid to rescue BB-8 from Teedo, not afraid to refuse to sell BB-8 to Plutt, not afraid to fight Plutt’s thugs.

>> Rey isn’t afraid to say no to male figures. 

If Jakku were a place where women are sexually exploited or mistreated, Rey would react very differently to these situations, wouldn’t she? She would hide and keep her head down at all time. That’s clearly not the case here.

Now, picture Jakku and Niima Outpost, especially in the movie. It’s hot and dusty, like Tatooine. Plutt is an asshole, like Watto. But do we see slaves in skimpy outfits or any sleazy bar? The answer is no. 

World building 101: Jakku and Rey’s early life is sexless. 

It doesn’t mean Rey is ignorant about sex; it just says she has no reason to associate danger or punishment to sexual violence, she just has no frame of reference for that.

And I believe that’s a very deliberate choice from the writers. In both TFA and TLJ, Rey and women, in general, are not sexualized. Even Bazine, who is the ‘femme fatale spy’ of The Force Awakens is clothed from tip to toe. And when we see boobs in TLJ, we see the Thala sirens and the weird lady in the casino with the floating dog.

(Btw, it’s super interesting because TFA and TLJ draw a lot of parallels with the previous movies obviously, but the exciting thing to study is what is missing.

For instance, even if we don’t know who Maz is, it takes no more than a scene in TFA to understand what she’s not: Maz’s castle is not Jabba’s palace. There are no cruel games, no slave dancing for the male gaze, etc…)

Is the audience afraid on behalf of Rey?Yes

Why?We didn’t grow up on Jakku. For us, sexual violence is real and female suffering and sexual exploitation a staple of our entertainment and culture.

Narrative codes taught us that female characters restrained to metal chairs do not belong to romantic comedies; they belong to horror movies and stories about serial killers. Our brain is conditioned to recognize such patterns, and it’s entirely reasonable to be afraid for Rey at that moment.  

Is Kylo talking about sex?I don’t think so. But I think Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams knew that the audience was going to understand it that way.

Code and conventions:

 ‘That this is not the face of a villain threatening sexually our hero:’

Let’s compare with Javier Bardem’s character, Raul Silva, in Casino Royale 

Code and conventions:

‘Yeah…That’s more like it.’

Codes and conventions are amazing, I love them

Why?In Force Awakens especially, Kylo is the writers’ puppet. His lines are the most meta of them all: What Kylo says and what he means are two very different things.

Is Ben intimidating to Rey?To an extent, yes, but not as much as Kylo/Ben is intimidating to us, the audience, and maybe not for the reasons we think of. Also probably not as much as he’d like to be, to be honest.

Seeing how Rey reacts when she’s with Ben/Kylo is essential to understand her character AND the nature of their relationship.

Now, to analyze her reactions, we need to separate what we know of Kylo Ren at that point and what Rey knows.

We witnessed him killing Lor San Tekka and giving the order to kill the members of the Church of the Force, but Rey didn’t; she doesn’t know who he is, except that he followed her in the Forest and he uses the Force.

Last thing she remembers:

Code and conventions:

That’s not how you carry a prisoner Kylo. What school of villainy did you go to?

Also, as established earlier, Rey isn’t easily frightened.

When Rey wakes up, Kylo is squatting a few meters away, watching her. As far as she’s concerned, she’s not in immediate danger. (Let’s be honest; if she’d opened her eyes and found him sniffing her hair or trying to cop a feel, her reaction might have been different tbh.)

Code and conventions:

Kylo, Y U not doing what you did with Poe??

Next, she initiates the conversation, asking with defiance where she is. 

How she speaks to Kylo isn’t that different to how she speaks to Teedo and Plutt. Perhaps she’s assessing the situation at that moment. How is he going to react? 

Kylo’s response and reaction gives her two clues:

He calls her a guest, not a prisoner.

He answers her question (He doesn’t shout, doesn’t stay silent,  doesn’t ask her to shut up).

From the get-go, Rey is already -relatively- in control.

Code and conventions:

Usually the kidnapper is in control. You’re really bad at your job, Kylo.

Rey, you’re doing great, continue like that.

Next, she mentions the mask. What does Kylo do? He removes it.

Code and conventions: 

Okay… What’s going on there?

Once again, even if she’s retrained, Rey is the one in control.

Once the mask is off, you can sense a shift in her body language. She’s not scared; she’s embarrassed and confused.

Code and conventions:

That is not how you react when you’re scared.

Then, Kylo tries to get into her head and things get tough. That’s when she starts crying. 

Suddenly she’s lost the control. The things she’s never talked to anyone? Kylo is finding out and she’s embarrassed about it. Embarrassed because she’s a very private person, embarrassed because she has secrets, embarrassed because her defiance is a mask, and probably embarrassed because Kylo is cute and she doesn’t know how to process what’s going on.

Some people want to argue that the whole scene is a metaphor for rape, but it’s actually closer to someone finding a teenager’s diary and reading it out loud.

Rey is very private and obviously having her inner thoughts exposed brings back lots of bad memories. 

Arguably, that’s when Kylo discovers her parents:

But as I said earlier, Rey isn’t easily frightened and she fights back.

Code and conventions:

Rey is no damsel in distress or victim! She will have none of your bullshit.

Rey orders Kylo to get out of her head and what happens? He immediately moves away from her. 

That’s where they start fighting mentally and she gets into his head instead

And she wins!

^ That’s the face she sees before Kylo goes running to Snoke. 

Code and conventions:

That guy isn’t a threat.

>> During the whole scene, Rey might be restrained, but she’s the one in control.

So overall, Rey knows that she has nothing to be afraid of when Ben is around because she’s had the upper hand since the beginning. Now that she’s been into his head, she also knows that he’s more afraid than she is.

Also, she still has no idea what he did before they met, nor does she know what he’s about to do. 

Sure, it’s open to personal interpretation but let’s look at Finn and Rey when Han and Ben are talking. 

Finn is scared because he knows Kylo Ren. Rey is curious because she doesn’t think Ben has the guts to kill Han. 

TL;DR: Rey isn’t scared because Kylo isn’t scary to her.

[sorcieresque]

9, 10 ,11!

Are they based off of you, in some way?

i mean at this point it’s no secret that i love both my kids more than life Itself and i very intensely obsess over characters for long periods of time so at this point a lot of both misha’s and daisy’s traits are a case of “does art imitate life or does life imitate art,” (i genuinely get heart-stoppingly excited over birds now for example) but i mentioned earlier that daisy’s frankly unreasonable expectations of her own skill and abilities are also very much my own, and in picking apart her self destructive behaviors i find myself identifying them in me, too. i also relate a lot to her #layers cause, again, i’m obnoxious and have a lot of trouble with the concept of self and its existence or lackthereof, so building yourself as if in a character creator by consciously controlling what you’re into and what you’re like and what traits make you up is something i also do, even if i exaggerate it some daisy. sorry for being meta 

If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

technically not a love interest but she and nick were created and developed a lot together so they’ve always been kind of a package deal. i think the fact that jay and i are compatible irl makes the processes of making nick and daisy compatible very organic and something that we don’t need to do consciously, but from the get-go nick and daisy were going to be in the “same wavelength,” they’re both annoying and weird and smart in the same ways, and have always been aware of that and been able to see each other the way no one else sees them. they were always going to be smartasses, “in love with how smart and witty they are” i think is what their app says, vain and conceited and deeply layered, halves of a unit that works but needs to learn to exist separately 

Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

i mean i always knew i wanted daisy to be mostly into girls on the border of lesbianism so yes. i’m like a kinsey 5.5 and i always project that onto my characters so i guess that also answers the top question. daisy probably allows more space for her attraction to boys than i do, but how much of that is compulsory heterosexuality and her being enamoured with the aesthetics of exaggerated straightness (being a damsel in distress to a gentleman, a femme fatale to a rugged troubled man, a sugar baby to a sugar daddy, you know how it is) and how much of that is sincere is incomprehensible. i think she would need to really, really get to know a guy and form some kind of bond first to maaybe feel attraction to him. sorry arash it’s all lies!!!! daze’s also supposed to be more 50/50 bisexual when he’s a boy, but honestly i’m (and therefore daisy lmao) a huge sucker for the “girl dresses up as a boy to seduce girls” trope so daze’s a little more straight than originally intended, even if he’s also a little bit enamoured with gay boy aesthetics but again, the sincerity of that is a mystery wrapped in an enigma

[cooperjones2020]

Second City, chp. 3

Summary: Sometimes she worries she’s settling — for a smaller job, a smaller city, a smaller life than she’d promised herself — but that was before she found out Jughead Jones lives in Chicago. That was before she found out the final secret of Jason Blossom’s murder.

A/N: As Juggie says, this chapter is a little bit meta. And pretty nerdy. I just have a lot of feelings about books, okay. Also I fudged with canon a little re: Jug’s writing style. So sue me.

ao3-->http://archiveofourown.org/works/11409360/chapters/25755798

Second City one / two

Nobodies Nobody Knows one / two (ao3)

In which Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones drink tequila

When the uber drops her off outside the bar Jughead selected, she buys herself some time by checking her email. She’s already spotted him inside but doesn’t know if he’s seen her, so the email-checking is a precautionary measure.

Though she wouldn’t be surprised if she had any last minutes notes from her boss.

The week thus far has not been kind to her. Cynthia found out she’d twisted the truth about her and Jug’s shared history. Turns out she once dated his agent. Cynthia also loves the idea that she’s the inspiration for Jughead’s heroine and is all over the plaster-Betty’s-picture-on-the-side-of-a-bus idea train.

Betty’s feeling that particularly potent mixture of nauseous because she’s disappointed someone, nervous about seeing Jughead, and migraine-y because she’s been staring at a computer screen all day. The farther the cab had gotten from the Loop, though, the more the nerves had emerged as the heavy favorite for emotion of the night.

She forces herself not to pace as she stares at her phone screen. Public spaces. She feels more comfortable about being around him in public spaces. They’d emailed about maybe doing the interview in either of their apartments, for sake of ease. She’s not ready to see his apartment. Being on the back of his motorcycle had been overwhelming enough. She isn’t ready to saturate herself with even more of him.

The prospect of her apartment is even more terrifying. She is afraid of what he would make of her life, what details and detritus he would weave into a narrative she couldn’t control.

A public space means no home field advantage. And it means an escape hatch, if she needs it.

She can see him inside, sitting in the far corner where the bar top meets the wall. He has his laptop out and a cup of coffee at his elbow, beanie covering his hair but for the one stray curl. If not for the wall of liquor she can see to the right of him, he could be in his booth at Pop’s.

Who drinks coffee at a bar at 8 pm?

Get a hold of yourself, Cooper. If you can’t feel brave, you can at least act like you do.

She goes in.

“Hey — sorry I’m late.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You’re not. And you know it.” Well she’s not early, which is the same thing. She busies herself setting her bag down and getting arranged on the bar stool while she keeps talking.

“How was Riverdale?”

“Great. Weird. They put my book in a special display in the library at Riverdale High. No matter that I didn’t graduate from there.”

“Well, I guess the story does take place there.”

“Yeah. Anyway, JB graduated and no one cried, so gold star for the weekend. I read your piece yesterday.”

His sudden change of topic gives her whiplash, but a sudden puff of warmth smokes in her stomach at his words.

“Oh thanks, you didn’t have to.”

“You know, I actually read it before I saw the byline and I wondered why the voice was so familiar. So which one was your favorite?”

She’s a little bit dazed by the compliment and doesn’t immediately put two and two together for the question.

“Favorite what?”

“Favorite bookstore.”

“Oh, right, duh. Um, Myopic, I think. Though Bookman’s Corner was a close second.”

His eyes crinkle when he smiles. “Good choices. Myopic is one of my favorites too. Did you go into the occult section? They have an armchair in the window in that room on the second floor that overlooks Milwaukee Ave. I wrote a good forty percent of the new book from that spot.”

“No I didn’t see it, I’ll have to go back.”

“You will.” She breaks eye contact when he doesn’t, and turns to the glass of water in front of her.

“Hey, Betts.” He reaches out and touches her hand briefly before retreating. “How about a drink?”

It is by far the least professional thing she’s ever done, but she truly, completely, 100% cross-her-heart-and-hope-to-die does not believe she will make it through this evening without alcohol. As if by magic, or the power of positive thinking, the bartender sets before her something bedecked with cherries and way too colorful to taste like anything other than cough syrup.

She looks at Jughead, wondering if he’d ordered something for her before she came in. But he’s frowning at the glass. The bartender nods to a table past the bar.

“Courtesy a that guy.” They both turn to look, and a man on the far side of room is raising his glass to her. She returns the gesture and, as usual, blushes, before turning her body more fully towards Jughead and crossing her legs. He puts a hand on the back of her chair.

“What a dick. Like he can’t see we’re together. Want me to go talk to him?”

“No, I’m a big girl. I can do it myself.”

“But—”

“No, Jug. I’m not going to let the two of you grunt over me like neanderthals arguing over a piece of meat. If you go over there, he’ll think you’re my boyfriend and that’s why he’ll back off. I don’t want it to be like that. I want him to back off because I say I’m not interested, not because you say so.”

She notices him exhale forcefully.

“Besides, what if he’s my one true love. If I don’t talk to him, I’ll never find out and then I’ll die alone surrounded by cats.”

“Why, Betty Cooper, are you being sarcastic?” An impish sort of mirth springs to his eyes and it makes something ache inside her.

“It’s not like you have the market cornered. I’ll be right back.” She takes her purse to the bathroom, with a pit stop to thank the man, and manages to get away without giving him her number. She’s not sure why—he is cute—but it feels like a betrayal somehow.

When she gets back, the bartender has replaced the frou frou drink with a shot of something clear. Tequila, she thinks, because it’s accompanied by a salt shaker and a wedge of lime resting on a napkin.

“You want to do tequila shots?”

“Liquid courage, Betts,” he says, in an echo of her thoughts from earlier. For a moment she feels guilty, but she’s glad he’s nervous too.

She squints at him and takes the shot, before delicately setting the lime rind back on the napkin. When she turns back, his grin could split his face.

“You’re a bad influence, Jones.”

“Always.”

When the bartender has cleared away the shot glasses in favor of a Goose Island for him and a glass of wine for her, he says, “So we should probably get started?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” She sets up the recorder, thankful it’s a Wednesday and the bar is quiet. He hits the ground running. More verbose that she remembers. Charmingly articulate. She almost wishes they were doing a podcast instead of an article.

“The sequel came as a bit of a surprise. At the end of The Final Fissure, you revealed the murderer. What story is left to tell?”

“I don’t really think of Sweetwater Subtext—that’s the title by the way, nailed down for sure today—Anyway, I don’t think of Sweetwater Subtext as a sequel, though technically it is because some of it takes place later than Final Fissure. I think of them more as companions, separated by genre but connected by story. The Final Fissure is more plot-driven—definitely commercial fiction. Sweetwater Subtext explores more of the motivations of the characters, I’d say it’s more literary.”

“Does that mean it will alienate some of your original readership?”

“I hope not. I don’t think the genre should have anything to do with whether a story is compelling, enjoyable. I think writers—well, more likely critics—tend to underestimate readers. Preferring genre fiction like crime or romance or sci-fi doesn’t say anything about a reader’s abilities, only their interests. Readers have already developed a relationship with these characters, hopefully they care enough about them to want to know more.”

“I was surprised when I first picked up Final Fissure and saw the genre. You gave up on your Philip Marlowe fantasies.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know how much hard boiled crime fiction you’ve read, but it usually doesn’t turn out well for the women. You get to college and take one theory course, and all of a sudden all you can see is the male gaze and the forced dichotomy between the ingenue and the femme fatale.

“Besides, you took over the story pretty early on and your voice—sorry, Betsy’s voice—was pretty insistent.”

Her mouth screws up at the mention of her fictional alter ego. “You just had to pick Betsy, didn’t you? Do you remember our third grade teacher called me that all year, no matter how many times me, or you, or Archie corrected her?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I tried to call her every variation of Elizabeth there is. Eliza stuck for a while but I kept writing ‘Betts’ in spite of myself so calling her Betsy saved me a ton of rewriting and annoyed calls from my editor. Though she found other things to latch onto. She thought ‘Betsy’ was ‘too mid-century, not enough millennial.’”

Betty laughs at his air quotes. “I’ve thought that myself more than once. But you withstood the pressure?”

“Never let it be said that I don’t suffer for my art.”

He pops the toothpick that previously held her frou frou drink cherries into his mouth, and she tries hard not to fixate on the tip of his tongue as it rolls the piece of wood from tooth to tooth. Focus, Cooper. What’s next in her notes?

“One of the big changes this time around must be your relationship to your readers. Have you felt the pressure of people waiting for this story, of what they might want to happen next? Has it affected you, either in your work or in your life?”

“Obviously the story starts in your head. But as soon as it’s printed, readers make it their own. It’s a dialogue in which they define the story—and me as the author, by default—as much as by who they are as by who I am. In the case of The Final Fissure, I was just trying to tell the story. Writing it was as much an act of therapy for me as it was a work of literature for everyone else. I wrote it as a teenager and then sat on it for many years, before I had the emotional distance I needed to edit it into a shape that would hold some broader appeal. This time around, it’s a little bit meta. Sweetwater Subtext is the same narrator coming back to a defining event of his life, trying to understand how it’s shaped him. Final Fissure was for me, but Sweetwater Subtext I did write with a specific audience in mind.”

“Not the audience who’s bought and loved it?”

“No, something a bit narrower than that.”

She doesn’t quite know how to follow-up without asking him who the audience is, but that feels too intimate. So she switches gears.

“If you wrote The Final Fissure in high school, and Sweetwater Subtext in the last couple of years, what did you do in the meantime?”

“I wrote a lot of short fiction. Creative writing at a university pretty much runs on the short story workshop.”

“So should we be looking for a short story collection next?”

“Haha, no. I think I subjected my workshop-mates to enough of the torture that was my short fiction. And it definitely overlapped with the world of The Final Fissure and Sweetwater Subtext.  Some of it got recycled into the two books. Maybe the story of Jason Blossom’s murder is the only story I have in me. Maybe I’ll be writing about it, who I was—who we were—then, for the rest of my life, in one way or another.”

Betty’s afraid to touch the subtext of that statement with a ten-foot pole. She presses the tip of her tongue against the back of her front teeth and wills herself not to flush. Or, if she does, hopes Jug will attribute it to the alcohol.

“Okay…so if the story is basically the same, how else was the writing experience different this time around?”

“In some ways, I think Sweetwater Subtext might have been harder to write — I’ve read The Final Fissure so many times but I also lived it. I’m not sure how to separate fact from fiction, I’m not sure if I know the difference. Sweetwater Subtext is much more internal, there’s much more room for error, interpretation.”

“Did your routine change? Anything in the physical process of how you wrote?”

“Definitely. Being an established author has conveyed a huge privilege on me. The Final Fissure was written in spare time at school or late nights at the diner. I’m still a nighttime writer. I still can’t write at home, I need people around me to observe. But writing gets to be the focus of my day now. I’ve also gotten better at letting other people see my writing. As a teenager, I was obsessive about making it perfect first.”

“Oh I remember.” They’re both facing ahead, so the recorder has a better angle, but she can see him smiling at her out of the corners of her eyes.

“But now, sometimes it’s just get it on the page and send it off, especially if I’m under a deadline. Still, though, I like some feedback if only to reaffirm my own conviction that I’m headed in the right direction. Actually, Archie looked at a few chapters of Sweetwater Subtext pretty early on.”

“Really? I can’t see him as a particularly dedicated editor.”

Jughead’s laugh is big, his head is thrown back and his shoulders shake. “No, definitely not. But it was more feedback on the content I was looking for, than the style. Whether I was crossing a line with anything.”

“Well, color me intrigued.”

“Good.”

She takes a risk. “I’m surprised Archie didn’t tell you I was moving here.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t exactly talk about you.”

It hurts. She knows it shouldn’t. She knows it makes sense. But it does. Because it sounds like ‘I don’t think about you.’

“Right, obviously. That was stupid of me.” Way to ruin it, Betty. “On a related note, what do you owe to the real people upon whom you base your characters?”

“That’s a question I’ve been wrestling with. The best answer I’ve been able to come up with, insufficient as it is, is honesty.”

[machsabre]

My Top Ten Hottest Characters list

Since I’m still in a position where I can’t post new art yet... I thought we'd have a little fun here and talk about some stupid subjects. :)

In all fandoms, there's one subject that we've ALL had conversations about. Be it video games, movies, cartoons, comics, novels, or whatever... It's the thought we've all had.

“Which of these characters is hottest?”

Yup. Deep and intricate thoughts with me all the time, baby. Next generation of philosophy begins right here! Seriously though, while I am a pervert... I consider myself one of the last of the greatest kinds of gentlemanly perverts. With comic art, it's not just how the character is drawn, but their personality as well. It's a lot like real life: Sure, someone can look at Chris Evans abs and say “Oh yeah, I could rub oil on those all day.” But it's not until you see him standing up to the KKK and you're like “Damn dude, marry me.” It's all the same ways with comic characters too.

And it's a difficult discussion to have, when talking about comic book characters, because it requires that you've developed feelings for a fictional character... And for a lot of men suffering from toxic masculinity, that's a bit of a difficult discussion to have. Wait, that's not true. It's really NOT a hard discussion to have, but it requires explaining that it's not just seeing the characters in revealing clothing or less... That much requires no imagination and five minutes on Google with the safe search turned off. But this isn't about fanservice... Which is something I have no issues with, as long as it's respectful to the character in question... But it's getting to KNOW those characters and loving those characters. That's something that's different. That's almost intimate. And let's be honest... There's a LOT of people who have serious problems handling that idea in real life with real people, much less with fictional ones. And naturally, when they have trouble comprehending this, they resort to mockery.

So let's start this stupidity. :)

Doctor Harleen “Harley Quinn” Quinzel: If I wanna see naked Harley Quinn... Trust me, there's NO lack of those images in multiple forms of media. But it's not about just trying to see photoshopped naked pictures of Margot Robbie. Yes, she is attractive, but it's not about that. The Harley Quinn we know from the comics is one of the strongest and most compelling characters in comics. She's more than just eye candy for Joker fan. In many ways, she was one of the first true examinations of an abusive relationship in comics, as well as a wonderful example of overcoming that abusive relationship and becoming a much stronger person for it. Yeah, there was a bit of understandable controversy over her introduction to the Nu52 universe years ago, but let's be honest... We all were already thinking about her in that way ever since Mad Love and the red see-through slip. But as far as character development goes, say whatever you will about her now... She's gone through some immense development, and almost all for the better. From pretty much leaving the villain life behind (and seemingly for good), fully canonizing her LGBT status, as well her open relationship with Poison Ivy, the Gang of Harleys... Which should NOT work, but they do for some reason... And most of all, officially putting her relationship with the Joker squarely in the past. There was a great amount of pride I felt for her when she seriously beat the ever loving shit out of that clown. Hell, my biggest fear for her is that some dumbass writer will decide to shove her and Joker back together again into their abusive relationship... And guess what? That's apparently her biggest fear too.

That's a level of deep meta-writing that's kind of rare in any form of fiction, much less comics and as a result... I don't think it's possible not to love her.

Tank Girl: I've established before that I have this fascinating love for Tank Girl. This shaved head anarchist was one of my first exposures to independent comics and she's stuck with me ever since. I even liked her movie, and the following Vertigo series with her. (Though I'm well aware that we don't talk about such things anymore. What is my fascination with her? Was it because she's this over-the-top crazy sometimes half-naked chick with shaved hair driving a tank around, while chugging beer and and chomping a cigar and firing a machine gun? Is it because she reminds me of this girl from college who I had the hots for but not the courage to actually ask out? Or is it just a case of  just shut up and stop asking stupid questions, and enjoy the British insanity. Honestly, it's probably all three.

Jessica “Spider-Woman” Drew: A few years ago, she was involved with the cover controversy involving Milo Manara, and then later by proxy Frank Cho as well, and I won't lie, I'm a little disappointed in how the creators acted. I'm not upset that they drew what they drew... That's what they're known for. But it's how they reacted to it. And what bothers me the most, is that these people who lashed back at the complaints, including people like that internet personality Maddox and others just didn't seem to get what the whole controversy was about, using the amount of times we've seen Spidey's butt as defense. And it's not that hard to figure out. There was a similar repeat about it last year with the Overwatch character Tracer, where her victory pose has her ass on display in her ugly orange tights. (Sorry, I love her, but they ARE ugly pants!) They changed it, and her butt was still there, but the pose was changed to something more playful and “cheeky”. Some online critics laughed at the “SJWs” because they thought that Blizzard trolled them... They didn't and just like the Spider-Woman cover, they didn't seem to understand what the entire problem was to begin with. There's a ENORMOUS difference between seeing her ass and her showing us her ass. It's all about consent.

Seriously, this is Spider-Woman. She's not this seductive femme fatale, slinking around, luring men into a false sense of security, like Black Cat. She's a former Avenger and SHIELD agent that lives in a shitty apartment, eats cereal out of cups, raves about gelato, punches the shit out of bad guys without thinking, headstrong, sometimes very arrogant and has a C-Lister villain as a nanny. (And now boyfriend.) Yes, she's a total MILF... But as Roger the Porcupine recently said, she's hot for reasons other than her yoga pants and her eyes, though they don't hurt... It's who she is. She's passionate and caring to a level that is somewhat rare in comics today. She's this single mom who couldn't even go out with friends to relax, because she was worried about her new baby. She had a hell of a reason to hate Carol for a long as time because of Civil War II, and she couldn't even remain mad long enough to do that, because she needed her best friend more than she needed her anger. She's handled realistically. She's Jessica Drew. If she wants to show us her ass, she'll show us her ass... And it may be followed up by either a roundhouse kick or a venom blast.

Madelyne “The Goblin Queen” Pryor: When the Inferno storyarc hit in the 80s with these Marc Silvestri covers, featuring this hot red head wearing one of the most revealing skin tight black leather costumes ever, pulling around Magik on a chain... Well, what do you want? I was a teenage boy who just hit puberty. Between her and Circuit Breaker from Transformers, I'm pretty sure I had no hope from there on.

Major Motoko Kusanagi: I know it's hard these days to bring up this character without the topic of Scarlett Johansson coming up, but personally, there's been enough versions of Ghost in the Shell, between the original manga, Stand Alone Complex, the Mamoru Oshii animated movies, Arise and whatever else that I can pretty much just accept the upcoming movie as yet another iteration of the concept as a whole. Hell, the original manga isn't even in that tight of continuity with itself. (Man-Machine Interface is kind of a clusterfuck of a story to be bluntly honest.) And it doesn't help that her creator, Masamune Shirow has kinda gone off the deep end these days. (Don't google this, if you're unaware. ESPECIALLY if you're at work!)

But Major Kusanagi was always fascinating. Bear in mind, that the original manga series came out in 1991, 28 years ago. (As of this writing in 2017.) Here was this cyborg, who wasn't a victim or arm candy or whatever. She was a professional soldier, who never cracked under pressure and was a skilled team leader and never once broke down crying as a drop of the hat. (In early 90s, this was revolutionary in comics.) In fact, the only time I can remember her tearing up in the original comic, she was experiencing a neurotheological experience from deep inside Cyberspace, witnessing the evolution of life from data.

Now there's a whole bunch of other factors that come into play here. It brings up the question, if you are a male and your brain is placed into a body of female specifications, are you still a male? Obviously gender definitions become more fluid, but after your hormones and sexuality being altered, would you still considered yourself a male? For that matter, would this transcend the concept of gender? Now “Ship of Thesus” paradox theories aside, there are more explorations and examinations on this subject in recent days, but in the early 1990s, this was pretty damn revolutionary. And that's just sexuality and gender, and not even bringing up the ideas of implanted memories, spatial perspective, brain hacking and even about Transcendance of Humanity. And Major Kusanagi was pretty much at the center of all this. Philosophically speaking, she kind of got me thinking about the world in a way more than one. That's... Pretty significant.

Kate “Hawkeye” Bishop: Kate Bishop was one of those characters I didn't develop a fondness for until much later after everyone else has. And it came about with Mat Fraction's Hawkeye comic, where she served as partner to “Hawkguy”. But you know when the exact moment happened where I decided this dark haired archer was destined to become one of my favorites? This moment from the Deadpool crossover...

That's it. That's all there is. I love her. She's too damn awesome.

(And in case you're wondering why her BFF and occasional fanshipping America Chavez isn't included here... She's awesome, but I'm still getting to know her. Right now, I'd have placed her at #13, right behind Helena “Huntress” Bertinelli and Clint “Hawkguy” Barton.

Doreen “Squirrel Girl” Green: Seriously, if you had told me even five years ago that Squirrel Girl would be on this list, much less so high on this list... I would have called you insane. And yet, here are. 2017 is weird. Here's this college co-ed, with a squirrel tail and buck teeth, with a weird habit of hanging around squirrels... By all means, she's a internet meme that went too far. You can almost understand why it would be so difficult to bring her into the live action movies. I mean, you can explain away Rocket and Groot: They're aliens. But Squirrel Girl? How the hell do you even begin to try and explain away that there's this girl with powers of squirrel and girl, who has legitimately defeated not only Dr. Doom... TWICE... But Thanos AND Galactus. It's stupid and silly and there's just no realistic way this can possibly work at all...

...And yet it does. It does so brilliantly on a level I never thought possible in comics. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comic by Ryan North and Erica Henderson is one of the most brilliant comics I have ever read and it constantly blows my mind every time. This is a comic where Kraven the Hunter has become Kraven the Hunter of Hunters, as he drives around in the Kra-Van, after befriending Doreen. She's defeated villains using binary math counting. She's gone on lousy dates with sentinels and introduced us to 'superhero truthers”. There was an issue told like a “choose your own adventure” book and another told from the point of view of the pet cat. She has an antagonistic friendship with Iron Man, often bickering with him on Twitter. And that's just in her own book. Over in the U.S. Avengers, she's flying around with Cannonball, with her squirrel friends on jetpacks, while helping a time displaced Dani Cage, who's now the future Captain America fight the Golden Skull and his $kullocracy, who has a helicarrier with a volcano base on it... Jesus, this is all utter nonsense and it works. There's no reason it should work and it does. She's adorable, she's amazing... She's unbeatable.

Dick “Nightwing” Grayson: Hey, I may identify as mostly straight, but I have no probably acknowledging and appreciating the fine ass that belongs to Richard Grayson. I always liked him, to be honest. Even as a kid, I always thought Robin was awesome, so I always liked Nightwing too. To me, he's like the perfect superhero. He's has no superpowers, his hearts always in the right place, he tries hard all the time and is just generally an awesome guy. I actually loved the period of time when he was Batman. The dynamic between hims and Damian was utterly perfect, with a cheerful and upbeat Batman and a dour and pissy Robin. It's a dynamic duo I hope one day returns, because to be honest... This is going to sound insane, but I always think the Batman case is far, far more interesting when Batman is NOT around. I think Bruce's the least interesting of the entire Batfamily. Batman is this unstoppable force... He's this parody that people accuse Squirrel Girl of being, but without the sense of humor. But Grayson? He's flawed. He's not perfect. He screws up and makes mistakes, gets angry, is passionate and loving. He'll get into Bruce's face, and tell him when he's wrong. And Bruce will listen.

He's one of the greatest superheroes ever, and that's why he's up so high on my list.

Also, dat ass.

Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon and Dinah “Black Canary” Drake: I combined these two together for one entry. (Dinah has the top entry, if you're curious.)

Batgirl's always been a favorite of mine. In fact, I love many of her incarnations over the years, frok Barbara, to Stephanie, to Cass to even the unknown original, Bette. (And I even include Charlie in this list, even if it was short lived.) With Barbara, unlike Bruce or Dick. She didn't go through some horrible tragedy to want to fight crime... She just had a strong sense of right and wrong instilled upon her by her father, the Commissioner. To her, it was fun and exciting, though she was well aware of the dangers that came with the cape and cowl. She eventually did experience tragedy at the hands of the Joker with the Killing Joke... Which um... Well, let's just say, I'm not too big of a fan of. The controversies over that story has been brought up so many times, that there's no much else to say about it that others haven't said and said better. It's a good story, but it sucks that Barbara was basically a motivator to enhance the story for Bruce and the clown. But I think we all agree the character development that came out of her when she became Oracle was revolutionary. It was during this time that she teamed up with Black Canary and formed the Birds of Prey, leading to one of the most consistently famous and popular teams of all time. (Especially once Huntress joined in the fun.)

Eventually with the launch of the Nu52, we have her reclaim the mantle of Batgirl... And... Sigh... No offense to Gail Simone, I wasn't too fond of these stories. They seemed overly dark and depressing for the sake of being dark and depressing, at a time I really did NOT want dark and depressing comics. But I did really like that one “Future's End story where she became Bete Noire, and was leading a team of Batgirls. Probably because that was a similar idea I came up with long ago, with a team of Batgirls running around kicking ass.

Then came the Burnside Batgirl stories. I know they were a bit controversial to some people  sneering the words “hipster” around like a slur word and others loving the fun new take and direction with it, I felt firmly in the latter category. I thought the new costume was actually rather well thought out, looking less like a cartoon costume into something more practical. Much like Spider-Woman's new costume, I liked it a lot. I greatly enjoyed the entire run, and currently I'm following the creative team over at Image on their creator owned project Motor Crush. The new creative team on Batgirl I haven't bought yet, mainly due to budgetary reasons. ('m buying a lot more books these days!) But 'm currently waiting for the collection to follow along. However, I have been buying Batgirl and the Birds of Prey... And the reason for it? Well, it involves our #1 spot.

I'm not going to lie. I never hated Black Canary, but she was never a huge favorite of mine. She was just... There. She was to me what I always felt characters like Martian Manhunter or Gambit were: Characters good enough to be awesome on a team, but not awesome enough to support their own book. She showed up in the Burnside Batgirl relaunch as a supporting character who had her van burned and destroyed by Barbara's equipment malfunctioning. They established her as a musician, and I thought “Well, all right.” Like I said, I didn't hate her. I just didn't love her either.

Then her series came out.

Here's the thing about that. A couple years ago, I was in the stages of plotting a comic story for a musician friend of mine, where it was basically a comic story starring her. And I had this neat plot thought out... And then the Black Canary comic came out.

And suddenly I had to scrap that entire project because there's NO WAY I could a comic about a blonde rock musician touring across the states with a young girl in two, protecting her from monsters and evil scientists, as a former rival musician shows up as the antagonist... OH MY GOD, it's the same story!!

Understand, I'm not saying they stole it from me. I'm saying we came up with the same idea... They beat me to doing the story, and they were doing it better than I could have!

Though I was pissed, I kept reading it. I mean, it was a great comic! And they developed Dinah's  character far, FAR better than they ever did for poor Laurel Lance on Arrow. (I know there's a new Dinah now... But that's another issue all together.) This girl was amazing. And then I read a little more into it and found out that she was part of Team 7. Now, Team 7 was one of my favorite parts of the old Wildstorm Universe, and suddenly the idea that she got her powers from the same means that Grifter, Deathstroke, and the others got their powers... The old Gen13 fan in me fell in love this idea! And then I just started to read more and more into her, and found myself really loving Dinah Drake. Much like Jessica Drew, she ain't perfect, but the fighting skills are there. She can hold her own against other superpowered beings, with or without the sonic scream. Hell, in that horrible Injustice comic, her friendship with Harley Quinn was the only really good thing that came out of that.

And just to add to it all, her comic was awesome. It was a musical comic done right. I've heard from so many people saying that “music in comics just does not work, because it is an incompatible medium, and to that, I say “Fuck you, read Black Canary!” The art, while on the surface was sketchy and rough, there was a form of brilliance to it, such as an issue where she fought someone, with the battle overlaid over music bars. And then there was the final issue, where it was a tribute to David Bowie. I was really kinda bummed when it was on the chopping block for Rebirth. But Dinah is currently running around in Birds of Prey again, serving as the rational one between Barbara and the grumpy Helena. And as of recently, she was one of the first recruits by Batman to form a new Justice League comprised of basically the supporting characters of the CW Shows... And Lobo.

And all of that with both Barbara and Dinah isn't even getting into the close friendship the two of them have. You wanna say they're close like sisters or you wanna say they're a lot closer and are in denial about how they feel? Go with whatever you want, because I'm cool with either. I love 'em both, and that's why to me, Babs and D.D. are my top two hottest comic characters.

Next time, I’ll come up with a dumber topic. :P