#i didn't hate the show like i thought i would but it definitely had flaws in it's execution

[iguessitsjustme]

Be My Favorite - Episode 12 Thoughts

Oh look I’m watching it the day it airs for the finale. My predictions are: Max deserves better and Pear deserves better. I made myself some nachos and I bought chocolate earlier that’s not chillin in my freezer so let’s goooo:

-I was actually sick last week while watching the episode. Just a cold but I still have a cough and I think it’s so funny. Art imitates my life I guess lol

-Listening to the background vocals for the first time on this opening and holy shit way to go Krist hot damn I’m impressed. 

-I actually agree with Kawi about fame. It’s not everything and privacy concerns are so valid. 

-I’m still lost on this time travel thing. Do they inhabit their 17 year old bodies? Is it like a possession? What’s happening? I want answers I’ll never get. Wait are they even 17 at this point or are they older? Like early 20s?

-Dear BMF, I appreciate you giving the audience the roller coaster experience however I have severe motion sickness and now I feel ill so thanks for that. 

-I do like that they hold onto each others hands when they need support. I wish we had better build up to these moments though. 

-How long are these two gonna stare at each other? I get it but it’s boring to watch.

-Max my beloved. I missed you. 

-I’m glad Pear found someone who makes her happy. She deserves her happy ending more than any other character. 

-Did this show just give Not a happy ending of being a famous author cause I’m gonna go dive into some concrete. Dear lord we suffered him and yet there he remained. 

-WHY WAS THAT GUITAR SO CLOSE TO THE WATER?

-Also put that down before I scream. 

-There have been way too many montages in this show. 

-Seriously move that guitar before my blood pressure rises even more. 

-This was a perfectly passable show. Which is more than I can say about most Jittirain shows. 

-Max definitely deserved better. Where is his show? Where is his boyfriend?

[dunmeshistash]

Why did Milsiril help with Mithrun's recovery?

Since people seemed to be interested in the post I made about why she adopted Kabru I wanted to write my thoughts about her helping Mithrun too.

I think with Mithrun it gets a little trickier tho, both because Mithrun himself doesn't speak much about his past and because most of it we get from a third party account. I'll also try to discuss based on what I see people say about their relationship although is probably gonna be shorter than Kabru's (came back to say it's not shorter), tw for self-harm because of Mithrun recovery drawings.

1 - So Mithrun could become a canary again

This is the theory I see the most often, probably it's whats on the main story, as far as I'm remembering there's no other mentions of Milsiril related to Mithrun besides the role she plays in sparing his life.

That story isn't reliable tho, Mithrun constantly points out that Kabru is glossing over details and Kabru himself is depicted as cooking (as the kids say) a good story that resonates with an audience.

So we can't really trust that this framing is objectively true

But even so taking just what happened, without the context Kabru added, what she did was spare his life once she realized he still had a hint of desire to exist within him.

Kabru lies (or rather embelishes a lot) when he says "and from that point onward, Mithrun lived only to slay demons. He ate even he had no desire to eat. He lived on even though he had no desire to live." he was useless for 20 years after this so 'saving him cause he will be useful later' isn't really too accurate. Milsiril also wasn't involved with his rehab until Utaya 18~19 years later so it definitely wasn't for this that she helped.

2 - So Mithrun could avenge Utaya by defeating the demon (She winded him up and set him on a path, you know, like a doll)

I think this one is kinda mean, I've seen people speak as if she only helped him after Utaya because she wanted to use him to defeat the demon. But there's no evidence Milsiril even cares about the demon or that she wants vengeance. My girl literally ran away and decided to look away instead of continuing to fight (and I can't blame her)

This, as far as I understand, is based both on the above section and on this part from her adventurer's bible extra

She shows up to visit him and brings up the demon, and then sets him up to go after it, but once again I think it relies on an unkind interpretation of her character; you gotta assume she has unseen ulterior motives already before the comic even starts, since this whole comic is talking about how she completely misinterpreted who Mithrun was when they were in the same squad, and how she feels he's actually someone she would get along with. If you know Milsiril, you know she only gets along with other misfits, she's acknowledging Mithrun as someone who was broken like her even before his desires were eaten.

This is the complete comic

"I always hated you. You were beautiful and perfect, and everybody loved you. You didn't seem to have a single worry or flaw.

But when I saw the dungeon you'd built, I was startled. It was such a warped, convoluted place built from inferiority, jealousy, lies and anger.

I wish I'd tried really talking to you. We might have hit off pretty well. Too late now, I guess"

She acknowledges him as a human being, when before she only saw him as the embodiment of the people that bullied her. And right after that she talks about the demon. There's no indication for a wish of vengeance anywhere in this comic, I'd even say the demon and the dungeons are barely important to what Milsiril is thinking, there's only belated compassion.

3 - Cause he was a new "project"

Related to the reasons pointed out in my Kabru post, people assume Milsiril is the type of person that wants/needs to feel superior to someone, or to put on an altruistic front or what have you. And that interpretation also leaks into how they see her helping Mithrun. I said the main reasons why I don't think she's that type of person on the other post so I wont repeat. But I don't think Mithrun is a "project" at all.

This was right after she fought on Utaya, I imagine a little after or a little before she took in Kabru, so she "had a project" already if you're gonna go with that wording. She was also finally free from the canaries and she had no obligation towards Mithrun. She also only went back to him decades after she spared his life, my assumption is that she did it because she finally could. She couldn't have guessed when she spared his life that 19 years later she would be free from the canaries and that Mithrun still wouldn't have been recovered and would have been needing her.

4 - And finally, why did she spare his life? Why did she help him recover?

This one isn't as straight foward as Kabru's adoption to me. I imagine the fact he had the potential to still be useful could be one of the reasons she spared Mithrun at first, but I also think that he newfound empathy she developed for him when she saw his dungeon might have been part of it, that seeing he still had some sort of drive and desire made her have hope he could still live.

Milsiril really seems like the type of person that likes to nurture, while I wouldn't say this makes her a "softie" and not able to execute him (I'm sure she could do a mercy kill) I think that soft side made her want to give him a chance. There's no proof for any of that ofc, and Kui confirmed in a QnA Mithrun wasn't arrested or executed because they were desperate for people to be in the canaries. (The choice probably wasn't only on her)

Now why she helped him? I think it's because she saw he could be helped.

She says herself she's only visiting, probably to check on him

"They said you've fully recovered but you might as well be a corpse." so by this point I think his body has recovered and he has managed to stabilize? But as this extra from the daydream hour shows he needed 24/7 care to stay alive in those first 18 years

Like she said he might as well be a corpse, he'd be in bed all day and have servants keeping him from dying, he would have fits where he would harm himself, he had no way to go on. It even says that even things that could remind him of his time as dungeon lord weren't allowed so he was probably being kept away from demon mentions (after all I doubt servants even knew about a demon)

But then when she mentions the demon he immediately gets up

She's surprised so I don't think she expected that, and she goes and uses that reaction to help him "Then first eat this. If you finish it all I'll take you to a dungeon again"

Rather than using him to fight the demon I think she's using the demon to help him live. Here's what his bio says

"After Mithrun was recused from the dungeon, he spent a while on the verge of death. However, with time and rehabilitation he gradually became able to lead a normal life again. The Utaya incident was the event that roused him. He thought, 'If I'd been there, I know I could have dealt with the demon somehow' and he resolved to return to active duty. (...)"

So it worked, Milsiril might have been there to help with his rehab but it was the Utaya situation that finally was able to motivate him to find a way to live and rejoin the canaries, so I think rather than setting him up to kill she realized it could be used to help him.

Which isn't a perfect solution, as you might know by the ending, his fate was to die either way: either he would die trying to kill the demon or he would defeat it and die because he had nothing else to live for.

But it was what Milsiril could do for him at that moment and it was how she managed to help him go forwards.

And that's my thoughts about Milsiril and Mithrun, I don't think they as big in each other's lives in canon as some people assume, there's barely a mention of Milsiril on his profile and she's barely named in his backstory. But they were both people that left a mark on each other's existence if only for a short time.

But I don't think Milsiril was just doing charity when helping Mithrun either, I imagine she did it because she saw herself in past Mithrun, and wanted to help him because of it.

Also side note, this extra:

That's past Mithrun saying she has ulterior motives, he isn't reliable and thinks badly of everyone. So ofc he thinks gloomy Milsiril is suspicious for helping, him doesn't mean it's true

Disclaimer again I'm a Milsiril stan so I'm very charitable in my interpretations of her, but hopefully you can see there's no indication she is someone who would use a sick person for revenge with the sources I've attached.

[pomogando]

IM BEGGING YOU. MORE ILLUMINA X READER PRETTY PLEAASE??? ^_^

How to Be a Human Being

Illumina doesn't want to admit he wants your attention

No real warnings, romance intended, Illumina is trying REALLY hard for you even if it doesn't seem like it. I hope I did him justice

Word count: 1,176

He doesn't understand your fascination with these.. Vile creatures.

You found it when you came home from work, just sitting on your bed. It was almost as if it was waiting for you. You didn't give it a second thought as you excitedly took it as your own. It reminded you of your favorite person after all.

This insulting mimicry of him was small and fat, eerily enough having his lone horn and wing along with his usual uninterested expression.

Illumina would never admit he was bothered by these pests. He would never expose that he had such childish feelings. He didn't want to show that type of weakness in front of anyone. Especially not you.

What's even more bothersome is that the damned beast seems to hate him for no clear reason, usually trying to nip his arm or growling if he spoke to you. When you weren't looking, he took the opportunity to berate it harshly, not that the beast seemed to care.

Yet despite all the flaws Illumina could dutifully list to you, you still thought they were the cutest thing.

That was the worst part. You loved them. He can't even get rid of them because the last thing he wants is to hear you upset at him. You were too nervous to talk to him as is.

That bothered him even more. He never minded when mortals couldn't look him in the eyes. He even relished in it, but you? Why were you scared of him? Maybe he was scared, too. Not that he would ever admit that. Definitely not. He'd die before he admitted he wanted your attention.

So, despite how badly he wanted to rip the marshmallow-like creature in half, he tolerated it for you. No matter how many times it nicked at his legs or purposefully got in the way of him trying to speak to you.

He didn't understand why he felt these useless feelings of jealousy. It's not like they could do anything to him. He was clearly better than this beast. You prefer him, he'd think.

...he still hates it. How childish.

He hated it even more as he watched you try to groom it. It squirmed in your grasp and whined as you tried to brush its silky fur. Your black shirt covered in white shed. "Calm down!" You scolded, "You're fine!" Not that it listened. It squealed while trying to escape your grasp. He didn't understand how you tolerated such bratty behavior.

At the sight of him, it immediately settled down in your lap. Illumina presumed it was to show off how much "better" it was compared to him. He huffed in annoyance.

Your voice brightened the room for him. "I didn't even notice you, lumi." You smiled at him. A moment of silence made you do a double take, thinking you said something wrong. "I-Illumina, I mean. Sorry, I've been scrambled recently.." You spoke nervously.

"I assume it's because of your new houseguest." He looked down at the critter, which was now attempting to bury itself into your shirt.

"How haven't you grown tired of it, I wonder." He leaned down to your level. Your eyes met his, he liked those small moments. You tilted your head. "Tired of them?" You questioned, softly pulling the creature's cheeks. That made him even more annoyed.

Sure, Illumina mentioned he didn't like physical touch, but why didn't you do it anyway? He knew it was irrational, but the least you could do was read his mind. Now you're replacing him with this putrid animal. How offensive to his very being that it was getting your affection.

"A pretentious yet unsightly creature.." He continued, cringing at it on your lap, licking its back leg (or at least, attempting to with its chubby body)."It doesn't even care about you. It doesn't listen." He bit his tongue back, almost adding how he could be better company. He didn't want to feel these types of feelings. They were insignificant and made him want to tear his heart out.

You got up and stood up next to him. The pale creature climbing off your lap and scurrying to his side. He still towered over you, making his wing flutter in a strange feeling. "I feel like you're too harsh to it. It's sweet in its own way."

He blinked, narrowing his eyes. "It's just a small freeloader," he felt the bean nip at his toga, making him even more agitated. "It has no respect for anyone." He lightly shook his leg to try and discourage the bean.

"That's not true. It just gets peckish when hungry. It turns into a cuddlebug once it's full." you said happily. "You should see, I took a video of it climbing into my bed when I wasn't paying attention." He felt stupid at how jealous he felt at these pests. He wasn't even paying attention as you looked through your gallery for the forsaken video.

You were about to show him the video when he spoke up, your phone falling to your side. "I just don't get it. Why would you love something that's like that? It's not like you need it when you have me-" His emotions spilled out without him thinking.

Your eyes widened as a small giggle left your lips. He paused. His cheeks turned pink, and it was very noticeable on his pale skin.

Illumina was used to mortals cowering at his feet, pathetic yet satisfying.

Yet here he was watching you laugh at his own foolishness. You loved him. How embarrassing for him.

Anyone else and he would've been quick to shut it down, but he liked your laugh. You rarely laughed around him.

He hadn't realized when the bean vanished. He was too focused on you. He didn't even notice he felt full again, as if a part of him had been separated for as long as the bean existed.

"It's.. I didn't know if you would enjoy that kind of thing." You spoke softly, making him feel even more flustered. "I mean, you're a deity, I'm just a.." You trailed off from your own embarrassment.

He hesitated to open his mouth. This was hard for him to say. You could tell by how Illumina looked as if he wanted to pull his hair out.

He fumbled his words, "perhaps, the wretched beasts MIGHT'VE been a subconscious manifestation of mine." He hated feeling like a fool in front of you, but he wasn't entirely against it. "And.. perhaps... I should be a bit more open with you about my own feelings."

"..I wish for you to treat me like any other mortal." He finally spoke, for once looking away from you. "Despite my own actions."

"..please."

He wasn't sure why he felt as if he felt like he needed to show how much power he held. He was scared of you seeing him as anyone else. But he also wanted it.

You put your hands on his cheeks, smiling. The touch made him jolt.

Illumina also smiled.

[euseokz]

@ eunseok — i’m so much better than him baby, let me prove it to you . . cws : none, i think . wc : 1.2k+ . genre : angst & some fluff

EX-BOYFRIEND! EUNSEOK who, even after you’ve been broken up for months, is still utterly obsessed with you.

he still thinks about you regularly, randomly texts you asking if you wanna hang out even if he knows you’ll always just tell him that the point of breaking up is that you don’t wanna be together anymore — as if he doesn’t already know that. he still hopes that you will come back to him, that you’ll ask him if he wants to give each other another chance, all his dreams getting crushed when he got word you were going out with someone else, one of his closest friends at that.

eunseok didn’t know if he was sadder because you had moved on from him so fast (you guys had been broken up for months at that point, so you definitely wouldn’t call that fast), or angrier that you had chosen sungchan of all people.

sungchan was nice, sure. eunseok obviously liked him, otherwise they wouldn’t be friends, but as your boyfriend? sungchan had to have been one of the worst choices he could think of — so, to give himself some peace of mind (and because he was butthurt and wanted to know what sungchan had that he didn’t), eunseok decided to confront you about it, showing up at your doorstep one late night, coincidentally wearing what he knew was one of your favorite shirts of his and the cologne you always used to compliment him on.

you were surprised to see him, after all, any contact he had attempted after your break-up was through text, he had never tried to actually see you again, but as soon as he opened his mouth you knew what had given him enough motivation to break the only boundary you had actually set. you still let him in, curious as to what he had to say, and that was probably your first mistake of the night, because he then went on a rant about all of sungchan’s flaws, even the ones that were completely irrelevant to you if you did become his girlfriend — something that to you still seemed so far off because you had only gone on one date, one short date that ended with you wondering why you even accepted to go on it in the first place, something that eunseok clearly didn’t know and that you didn't plan on telling him any time soon, too entertained by his desperate rambling.

eventually you did stop him, telling him that he was overreacting, that it wasn’t that serious, but then he got a look on his eyes that told you that he wasn’t joking, that to him it was that serious, the thought of you with anyone else seemingly truthfully affecting him for some reason. you assumed he would have moved on by now, that his constant pestering of your messages was something he only did as a source of entertainment since he had always enjoyed teasing you, but apparently not. eunseok still had feelings for you, and that was something you hadn’t considered, because why would he? you had broken up with him, not even giving him a full reason beyond that you wanted different things at that moment… he should hate you, so why did he still have feelings for you? when you asked him about it, eunseok himself couldn’t give you an answer, because he also didn’t know why he still felt the same way towards you after so long, why he still loved you just as much as he did months ago. sure, at first he resented you a bit, but he got over it faster than he would ever care to admit, immediately going back to loving you and wanting you back more than he had ever wanted anything else. maybe it was pathetic, but could you blame him? eunseok loved you more than he had ever loved anyone else, and to him you had always been the one, so how could he ever just forget about you? just move on as if nothing serious had ever happened between you two? that was utterly impossible, and you should have known that, he thought.

eunseok would always want you back, and when the thought that maybe he wouldn’t ever have you again crossed his mind, he had to run to you to try to prove that he was worthy of your love, that you would always be the one for him.

his confession touched you, and if you were being honest, you did miss eunseok at points, how could you not? he treated you better than anyone else ever had, made you feel things no one ever could, so why should you not still be a bit hung up on him, even if you were the one that wanted to break things up in the first place? you had never considered going back to him though, fixed on the fact that if you ever felt that you should leave him then that must have been a sign — but now, with him standing in the middle of your house, you couldn’t help but wonder if breaking things off hadn’t just been a huge mistake on your part, or maybe a step you needed to take to truly realize just how much you also loved him, because just as much as you thought that eunseok shouldn’t have feelings for you anymore, you also knew the same applied to you. you shouldn't love eunseok anymore, and you genuinely thought that you didn’t, that you were just at a point where you liked him over some fond, past memories, but that was clearly not the case, because if it was, you wouldn’t be wanting to run to his arms the second you saw him, and you wouldn’t want to kiss him as much as you wanted in that second. maybe eunseok was pathetic for still wanting you back, but then you were at the same level as him, and definitely in no position to judge.

as much embarrassment as it gave you to admit it, you told the man before you that you might also feel the same towards him, that you might still want him even if you don’t want to admit it, and to say that a look of pure glee took over eunseok’s face was probably an understatement, the realization that there was still hope for you two something that made him all too happy, way happier than he thought he would walk out of your house feeling at least. he wanted to pick you up, to envelop you in a tight embrace and promise to never let you go this time, but he held himself back, aware that wasn’t the time to do such things. so, instead, he smiled at you, that sweet smile you had unknowingly missed — that emotion, the one related to missing your ex, one you quickly realized you had been ignoring for far too long — and promised that he would do better this time, that he wouldn’t do anything that would ever even make you want to consider leaving him again, his honesty making you chuckle as you walked him towards you couch, ready to actually sit down and have a proper conversation.

[nyxtsu]

Yap session about Zane~Chan

Zana/Zane~Chan gets a lot of hate as a ship, but I think it's the healthiest romance in the series.

I personally don't think it's THAT rushed, maybe towards the end, but they didn't just come out of nowhere, it was set up in s2 and they had moments here and there in seasons after that. It was clear even before Starlight that it was set up to be something in the future. But that's besides the point. Their relationship shows healthy communication and growth between two people, and an overall good representation of how a relationship should be. It shows mistakes and flaws within the relationship, and how it's important to communicate and try to fix these things.

Despite how Nana is in relationships, and despite how Zane had never been in a relationship before, it's surprisingly the most mature romance we see.

In the beginning, we see Nana sort of trying to rush things, like she's known to do. Zane tells her that it's okay to go slow and that it's best for them. She takes this criticism and tries to better herself. Zane comes out of his shell a bit more thanks to Nana. In the 'Nana accidentally kissing Garroth' thing, Zane showed true maturity in the way he handled that. He was sad at first, but once Nana explained, he said he believed her. He believed her because he trusted her. That kind of trust is so important in relationships. I think they both truly try to understand each other, because they genuinely care. I think that's a great representation of problems within relationships and working past them. For a Minecraft roleplay.

A lot of Zane's growth as a character was on his own or with the help of Aphmau at the beginning of Mystreet, but we definitely see even more of it in his relationship with Nana. This is how it should be! A character going through self improvement on their own, throughout a series. We see him grow as a character, we got more lore as we went on, saw him warm up to the people around him, etc.

But Nana... my babygirl... what did they do to you...

In Starlight, Nana felt like a character thrown in there as a love interest for Zane. Her character didn't have much growth or depth before that, and all of a sudden in Starlight she's telling her deepest darkest secrets to Zane. While I think that they really did grow closer in "Aphmau's Year", and I do not think she was wrong for suddenly telling him about her past, it felt like bad writing on Jessons part. It just gives the feeling of "oh lets finally give this female character some depth so she can be with this male character." If that makes sense. I wish she had that growth or that lore was revealed earlier on, not just for her relationship with Zane.

So, of course Zana has its faults here and there, but I don't think it's because of their relationship dynamic or anything, I think it's the fault of bad writing (especially on Nana's part). If their story had more thought put into it, and the writers weren't so focused on one ship(Aarmau), it would have been much better. I still think it's great, and I love them, but it could have been better.

Nonetheless, they have a healthy relationship, and they send a good message to the young audience about how things work in relationships. They don't have a very suspicious age gap! And they don't punch each other or sexualize each other to a concerning degree!! Stares at Aarmau and Travelyn.

[minamorsart]

What , And how did you start pairing lotura, And Plance .?

Ooooh boy am I excited to answer this!!! This is going to be a long answer, hope you don't mind! Because I have some specific memories about these two ships, particularly lotura, that I would absolutely love to share with you!

Prepare for a long read! Hehe

Starting with lotura, when season 3 came out and Lotor made his debut, of course I was all 👀👀👀 Because that day something awoke in 19 year old me that I didn't realize could ever be awoken lol. And I wish I could remember exactly what my reaction was to his cat-and-mouse chase with Allura in the episode "The Hunted", but at the time I must not have considered the idea of them ever going in the direction of a romance. Looking back now though, how could I have been so blind??! That chase scene is HOT. I mean just look at them!!! Look at Lotor especially woah mama 😳

Season 4 was mediocre to me at the time, I will confess, for a lot of different reasons. But then season 5, man... SEASON 5!!!! I remember it was March 3rd, 2018. I wasn't keeping up with the show anymore, but I just so happened to see an article online that said season 5 had been released the day before on Netflix. I told my sister and we decided, "eh, let's watch at least the first episode."

And we watched the first episode, alright. And then another, and then another and another until we watched all six episodes in one sitting. We were both blown away! Lotor... Allura... together???? 😲

Their adventures, their chemistry, their clear attraction to one another... I was OBSESSED!!! I shipped them hardcore after that. They were and are still my #1 OTP, and it's because of them that I really tried to work hard and improve my art! I wanted to draw them all the time, making mini comics and AUs, and while their tragic ending actually left me in tears and I was upset for a really long time, I can now say that I have been able to heal and move on from it--eh, mostly anyway, haha.

It still hurts, but 5 years later I feel that I've matured and come to a greater understanding and acceptance. I have come to really appreciate how perfect they are for each other, both aesthetically of course (cuz lookit that sexual dimorphism babeyyy) as well as the many, many things they have in common. I have also come to appreciate their flaws, their imperfections, and the mistakes they made regarding each other and their relationship. They may have gotten a sad ending, but they were still truly equals in every way. It's just beautiful, and my love for them now is stronger than ever :')

For Lance and Pidge on the other hand, it's not quite as clear as when I started shipping them! I remember rolling my eyes at Lance and Allura's first meeting, like "okay Lance is one of THESE guys, here we go 🙄"

Other than that I didn't really ship Lance or Pidge with anyone! If I'm recalling correctly, I don't think it wasn't until after season 6 that I started shipping them together. I remember reading metas and analyses of their relationship that people were making in anticipation for season 7's release, and the more I thought about it, the more I started to really like the idea of Lance and Pidge getting together! And there are definitely subtle hints throughout the earlier seasons of Pidge's feelings for Lance, as well as their fun chemistry with one another, like the episode "Space Mall"!

The hints are not so subtle to me now, but back then it wasn't until I watched season 7 that I actually became hopeful that they could be a couple! I especially loved the moments when Pidge indirectly called Lance "cute, in a creepy, hideous sort of way" lol, and when Lance become very protective over Pidge in such a way that I don't think we ever saw him react before! I was honestly taken aback by that moment!

And again, their ending was definitely less than satisfactory, particularly Lance's ending (still hate it with a passion), but just like with Lotura's relationship, I have also come to appreciate many things about Plance's relationship today. While Lotor and Allura have so much in common and are able to reach an understanding with each other that they can't with anyone else, it would seem at first that Pidge and Lance are far too different to be compatible. And it is true that they are very different, but for one, that can be a good thing! The foundations of some relationships are built off of their differences. It can make someone more compassionate and more open-minded when they have a willingness to accept and appreciate the differences they have with their partner, and a willingness to take a genuine interest in the things that their partner is passionate about, even if they don't completely understand.

And two, at the same time, Pidge and Lance DO have things in common! They both love their families, both have a stronger connection to Earth compared to the other paladins, and they are able to bond with one another over fun pastimes such as video games! How cute is that??!

And just like with Lotor and Allura, I also love Pidge and Lance for their flaws. It did take me a while to come around to Lance, because while he has his funny moments and one-liners, I also found him very annoying at times lol. But I think the fact that he can be really annoying honestly makes him the most realistic character in Voltron. Not necessarily the most relatable, at least not for me, but definitely the most human! Because there are people in our real lives that we love and cherish deeply, but they absolutely have their moments where you go, "ugh, you're so annoying and it really frustrates me when you act this way" but we still wouldn't trade them for the world 🥰

And just to draw one last comparison between Lotura and Plance, I especially LOVE how incredibly different the two pairings are even from each other! To me, Lotor and Allura are sexy and passionate, while Pidge and Lance are pure and fun! They're all so unique and special in their own ways, and they bring so much to the table, both for their characters and for their relationships.

I can't help but write essays every time I get asks, I'm so sorry lol 😭 There's so much more I could say about these guys, but I think I'd better stop here haha! I had a lot of fun writing about Lotura and Plance, and I hope you had just as much fun reading this! I really love these characters a lot. I'm so incredibly grateful that they exist, even if in the form of fiction, and I'm even MORE grateful that my love for them has continued to grow over the years. Thank you so much for the ask!!!! 💖💜💙💚

Oh and one last thing: we were robbed of a lot of different potential interactions with a lot of different characters, but I have to say it would have been fun to see more of Lotor and Lance interacting with each other! Lance was always acting out due to his jealousy, while Lotor on the other hand mostly just ignored him lol.

[gaylordscooter]

Note This Down So I Don't Forget

Blue closed his journal and tucked it under his arm. He just finished up his entry on Epic Sans. He didn't actually know too much about him so he had to consult Cross.

It wasn't like he could talk to the source when he was missing.

Speaking of him missing, Blue turned his head, and saw the mistakenly-dubbed “protector of the universe” peeking over his shoulder to look at the journal.

He rolled his eyelights once he noticed Blue’s gaze on him. “I don't see the point in making an entry about that one.”

Blue squinted at him. “Because you killed him?”

Ink gasped dramatically, “Whaaat? Nooo!” He cleared his throat, putting on a serious face. “I didn't do that.”

“Sure.”

“You don't believe meeee!” He whined and draped himself over Blue’s shoulders.

“I’ll believe you when he’s found.” He shrugged him off.

“When he's found, you and I probably won't even remember this conversation!” Ink pointed out. He was shocked by his own words, regretting them the second he said them. It was meant to be playful banter but…

Blue deflated, looking like his namesake. He tightened his hold on his journal. His eyelights darted away. “Right,” he huffed.

Guilt showed through his eyelights. “I didn't mean it like that.” How else could he have meant it? Their horrible memories had them having the same conversations over and over like they were new each time. There was a reason they both wrote stuff down.

Writing stuff down could only do so much.

“it's true,” Blue said in a quiet voice.

Ink hated when he talked in all lowercase, because most of the time it meant he was sad or tired. Well, hate’s a strong word for someone like him. Speaking about someone like him, his faulty memory had a clear cut reason that made sense. He did this. He ripped his soul apart. He signed up for this, really.

But Blue? He didn't even get to choose. It wasn't his fault his universe decided to go on and erase itself.

“It's not your fault,” Ink said.

Blue looked surprised when he looked back at Ink, and then his expression melted into something more like concern. “No, no, Ink it isn’t either of our faults. You don't choose to have a shitty memory,” he almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought process. Really, forgetting stuff on purpose is hard!

“Well, I kinda did!” he argued. “Ripped my soul right in half, damning the consequences.”

Blue sputtered, looking even more concerned now. “You didn't know the consequences!” he yelled. He looked shocked at the volume of his own voice, but he continued, “You were just a kid! Looking for any way out. Even if you technically caused it doesn't mean it's your fault.”

Ink was confused. “But when I don't do anything to stop something it's my fault, how the hell does that work?!”

“That's not true either, people are just looking for someone to blame—”

“And! Epic was supposed to die! Why’s that my fault?!” Ink shouted.

Blue was stunned into silence. He studied Ink’s eyelights, they were changing too rapidly to discern any single emotion.

“I just…can't understand. Why are you my friend? I’m not a good…” he trailed off. “I’m not good. Do you think I learn anything from your kindness? I still do the same things. I still don't care. I’m going to keep sticking to what the creators want, okay?”

Blue sighed, “I know that.”

“So why don't you just leave like everyone else? Why stay friends with me when you know I’m going to disappoint you?!”

Blue put his hands on Ink’s cheeks making sure they made eye contact. “You don't disappoint me!” He looked distressed. “I’m not leaving you. I know you have your flaws but that doesn't mean you're bad.”

Ink scoffed, “A lot of people would disagree…”

“Well, they don't understand you, so their opinion doesn't count,” Blue asserted.

Right, because Blue totally understood him. Now that he thought about it, he kinda did…He definitely understood him more than anyone else. There were a lot less misunderstandings with him and it was always easier to explain things to him.

Why did he bother being so patient with him? It's not like he deserved it. Was it because he rescued him from his crumbling universe? That might've been it.

Of course his only friends were the “monster who literally couldn't hate anyone” and “monster whose life he saved”.

He was very likable, couldn't you tell?

“Hey Ink?” Blue’s voice dragged him back to reality.

He blinked, adjusting his demeanor so that he didn't look as pathetic as he felt. “Yeah, Blue?”

“Can I write something down on your scarf?”

“Oh!” he couldn't help but exclaim. No one else has ever done that before. There wasn't a reason to. He couldn't imagine what Blue had in mind. Leave it to him to catch him off guard sometimes.

He was the only one who did.

“So is that a no?”

“Yes—No? I mean—yes you can. Write on my scarf. But there's not that many blank spaces left.” He grabbed one of the tails of his scarf, scrutinizing for any free spaces. “What do you want to put, anyway?”

Blue grabbed his pen and clicked it. “A little reminder from me about how much I care about you.”

Ink’s sockets widened. Wordlessly he handed his scarf over to Blue, pointing to where he could write.

Blue used his journal as support underneath as he wrote. Once he finished, he signed his name below with a smiley face drawn next to it. “There you go.”

He looked down at his scarf and read his message.

“I’m glad we're best friends - Blue :)”

Ink was never one to get emotional, but for once a smile was able to come to him naturally. “Aw, cute,” he said. No, that wasn't enough, say what you want to say, you bozo. “I’m glad we're best friends too.”

[34saveme34]

So, when did 3 fall for 4? Also a "tiny" 3 analysis, and other stuff because what the fuck is OP on - the Post

Now let me preface this by my credentials, if you are not aware of my expertise. Which is countless posts about 34, mainly 3, I saw ALL the episodes with 3 in it, and in general I think I could be classified as an overanalyzer in the fandom. Like, I don't like to be overconfident of anything but I think I earned that title.

Now, onto the topic as I'm sure I had convinced you I am qualified.

3 and his love for 4. It existed in many ways. The funny thing about SMG4 canon is it's- quite- not as clearcut. It's obviously not a fnaf security breach major blunder but things don't always align.

Regardless, I think we can say, 3 loved 4 in many ways. If we concentrated on that, I think we could say he fell at first sight. But when I say fell for 4 I don't just mean a crush or simple infatuation, I mean fell for him so hard he could imagine a future beside him, as much as he lets himself daydream, like he didn't only want him for his good looks or fame, but for who he is, deeply. I'm talking when he fell for him so hard, he could not only view him as a crush to long for but someone he wanted to connect with so so badly.

And the first time he fell, it wasn't that. It was a sort of obsession. A one sided rivalry at first. Because he was jealous, he wanted to be like 4. It's- a very toxic form of love. And it indeed persisted for long, for so so long because he felt overshadowed by him with everything. Which is so interesting to me because it makes it feel like there weren't anybody else in that school. But there- definitely was. It's a school afterall. So, his obsession in that regard was definitely unhealthy. And due to something he didn't realise then.

And then like, if we try to apply classic times to modern stuff, he fell for him for his looks as well. I don't think much time passed for that as well. I just genuinely think he had the most homoerotic one sided rivalry with 4 which went unaddressed for so long it blew in their face and 4 started caring about it more.

You know, I just realised. Really stupid that I realise this while writing my analysis but I'm a honest man so I tell you that I just thought of this. We- never exactly see how memewarts was like from 4's perspective. Like maaaaaaybe the slight idea he didn't hate it because he never mentioned hating going there. The things we see of it could definitely be the worst moments or exaggerations. And it makes me realise that- I don't know exactly how memewarts was like for them, I don't even know if what we know about it is all there is to it. Because I think it's less 3 being this unhealthy and more that maybe it wasn't a one sided rivalry. Maybe 4 was just thinking it was more friendly while 3 was actively coping with his self esteem dropping from it. And if I remember right, he was actually failing at school. Probably why he went to get a psychology degree, that maybe he could learn something to better himself but that didn't work lol. Especially because right after this, his more unhealthy but honestly not one without reason obsession came. Which I'm guessing was when 4 started youtube. And yknow, after everything he went through beside him, of course the rivalry reignited and they started all over again more heated and homoerotic than ever. And then he like, had a phase of trying to be a villain in general but always went back to 4 in a way. Like sure, he talks about ruling over the world but when you strip it back it's always about how he wants to be better than 4. NO I'M NOT SAYING IT'S THE ONLY REASON. 3 has a rotten moral compass, I don't think he would be really against ruling the world if it wasn't for 4, but 4 is definitely a big motivator. Because he felt like nothing, he wanted everything so badly. To make the feeling go away. Which is why, even with its flaws, youtube arc is so immaculate. It shows him going through it, going through what 4 goes through and understanding. and I mean REALLY understanding. Because of It's Gotta Be Perfect, we know it affects him to this day.

And this is WHY when they meet the next time, he was so much chiller. Not just because the graveyard let him turn over a new leaf, but because he really understood. However things were still kind of- unsure with the 2.

I think a sliver of hope to connect, different from falling so hard that not connecting is unimabinable

in that it isn't about wanting to connect so badly, but a bit of "he isn't so bad afterall"

which was the 10 year anni movie, which is also really really awesome

Like, 3 wasn't letting go of his petty rivarly still but it became a lot less- heated. In the angst way. He could appreciate 4 from a new angle, one no one else could. Even at this point, like it was only brought up in Perfect but I promise you, I think even around these times if they just spent a little more time together, he would've been able to deliver those beautiful lines. You know the ones. I think Perfect easily would've been reasonable after Revelations. Because like, I'll be real, Lawsuit was all mainly plot and less- lore. No hate though, I like Lawsuit. AND not just because of mar4. I just had a thought that if I included here, it would get too much. Might make another ramble post after this one.

Anyways, to be back on topic. They were acquaintences with deep connections by like, middle or so of, but especially later in Genesis.

And actually, there's a really. And I mean REALLY important moment in genesis for them. Many actually but one SO SO important to 3 it might keep him up at night.

YEAH BABY

I'M MAKING THE CASE WITH MY F A V OU R I TE EPISODE THAT'S RIGHT.

I'm not saying he fell at this point. 3 in 2024 and further is so deep in the gay soup it's crazy.

I'm saying the moment they used the meme energy together was when he fell so hard. He wanted to connect so blissfully for the first time with 4. Things fell in place so well. He probably wanted this to last forever. It was probably the first time he could just- ignore the anguish and the grief he had when concerning 4. He fell for him badly then. And what else is my proof for this? You say if you aren't easily convinced.

And of course, what kind of deranged poster would I be if I didn't include further evidence of my very absolutely outragous idea!

I think 4 was less in like, deeply love at this point- but 3 was. 3 was so deep at this point. Look at that expression. That expression of "I'm really opening up to the person I hated the most because when I stop and think about it he isn't so awful and- FUCK I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM but I'm managing (not) (he's lying)"

while 4 is like. wow. this guy who was so bitter then. as a friend. I want it REALLY badly for some reason <- proceeds to not think too hard about it right now. It's very sweet anyways. Especially with Mario's line after because he's right. I wish they continued with Mario teasing them about it. I know all of us unhealthy lovers of Cosmology miss that tiny part of it. I know THAT'S why there's so many fics where Mario almost openly talks about these bitches being gay asf. And he is right each time.

Anyways while I'm at it and because I can't stop yapping about it.

I do think 4 kind of- fell here- or well started to and it slowly started to seep into him. Which is why I think Mario was also teasing him about it. I mean, Mario IS his best friend, as someone who also loves mar4, when it comes to like, general knowledge, I think, even when we consider 3, Mario is actually unbeatable. Like I think if like, 4 held a quiz for Who Is His Best friend with the crew, 3 and Mario would be the finalists and Mario would win. (they should make this into a real episode UGHGHGGGH) He knows 4 so well. Which is ALSO why his whole teasing is important. Especially because he isn't THAT stupid. I think he moreso often but not all the time lacks common sense. Like he lacks smarts when the plot demands.

Anyways, Mario aside, I'm saying Mario knew 4 fell for 3 earlier than 4 himself knew. (throwback to forced to hold hands, I think he's just waiting for something at this point because he then so easily took the idea that they're dating. he FUCKIN knooooooooooows ALSO THE HI TWITTER THING. He's tired of it at this point but he KNOWS)

But I think 4 realised his feelings when

when it hit 4 so badly that he snapped out of something awful.

Perfect.

it was then that he knew. Then that he realised how much 3 cared for him, through all of that that he- he let it out in a way. He let himself put his guard down finally. He wasn't being a bitch now. He saw just how much 3 cared about him and that care finally let him realise like, full on. anyways petition for a reverse situation where 4 can show how deeply he cares for 3. I don't even care if it makes 34 canon, I just want 3 to be weeping to see how much he means to 4. I want him to know so badly, for him to see it. We deserve it, as the collective fandom. I want it to be Trash Friends but on steroids. Like my fanfic Se- [*BANG* I am hit with with a flying stainless steel pan, cold on the floor]

[the-power-of-stuff]

The Live-Action Sukka Manifesto that I Just Couldn't Keep in My Head

So I've been marinating in my live-action Sukka thoughts for the past three days, and when someone sent me an anon asking if I had any thoughts about the changes, at first I went, "DO I EVER?!" and proceeded to dump my entire brain on the page.

But then I worried maybe the anon wouldn't want to see my entire brain and figured I'd make my own post with my Many, Many Thoughts, and reel it in a bit when I answer the ask. And then link here if they're interested in the dissertation.

I'll put all the excessive details and spoilery stuff under a cut, but I'll start by saying, I didn't hate it! And I was afraid that I would.

There were things that I was bummed or had mixed feelings about, but there was also a lot that I genuinely enjoyed. All the Sukka interactions were cute and still had some decent character development, and I had fun with the episode overall (I've watched it thrice mind you, and definitely have not given the rest of the series that kind of attention). And I didn't necessarily dislike the differences from the original; I think I've just taken more of a "that was an interesting interpretation" approach.

But I better start that cut now, because I'm about to go on and on about this. I'd love to know what others think, though!! Even if the opinions aren't the same as mine! Please feel free to comment, reblog, shoot me an ask. If nothing else, I'm excited that the LA has gotten people talking about ATLA again.

So, I want to start with Suki’s characterization, which overall I found to be delightful, even if it was a bit of a watered-down version of her animated self.

In the original show, Suki is confident, sassy, and doesn’t take shit from anybody. She’s proud to the point of almost being arrogant, and even a little mean. What we get in the LA is someone who’s still confident in terms of her status and her skills, and still proud of her heritage and her role in her community, but with significantly less sass. And while LA Suki still seems like someone who wouldn’t take anyone’s shit, we don’t actually see LA Suki deal with that much shit from anyone (because Sokka isn’t really giving her any). 

There is one moment in the show where her interaction with Sokka is a little contentious, which is when he tries to relate to her as a fellow guardian of his people. I think Suki’s question to Sokka about how is he protecting his village if he’s not there is meant to be a challenge to his swagger. However, the line is delivered with a softness that makes it seem as though Suki is, at least in part, genuinely curious. (This curiosity makes even more sense when we consider the fact that Suki’s eventually going to leave Kyoshi Island so she and her Warriors can take part in the war effort, and that she will have to contend with the question of “how do you do that without abandoning your people?” when coming to that decision. The LA lays a lot more of this groundwork than the animated show did: Suki outwardly expressing her desire to see the world, her mother’s secretive looks every time Suki gazes longingly at Sokka the possibilities…)

Compare these two moments, for example. These are both scenes where Suki expresses disbelief at Sokka's claims about his warrior-hood. But in the LA, Suki speaks rather quietly and mildly, in contrast to the brash sarcasm of her animated counterpart. LA Suki is also tilting her head down and away, looking at Sokka indirectly. OG Suki is leaning in close, getting in his face, smirking derisively with her hands on her hips.  

I think there’s something to be said about the LA in general smoothing away certain personality traits that could be seen as negatives but that are actually strengths that are so narratively well-developed they occasionally show up as flaws (for instance, Katara’s fury, or lack thereof). Animated Suki is prideful and stubborn; she berates Sokka until he gives her sad puppy-dog eyes and has zero hesitation about making an example of him in front of her whole class. It’s a little ruthless, but these traits are also 1) what gets through Sokka’s thick skull (he, too, is prideful and stubborn), and 2) what makes her such a dedicated ambassador of Kyoshi and such a strong leader of the island’s Warriors at such a young age. I feel like the LA writers were afraid of making any of the protagonists seem too abrasive—everyone in the LA has had their edges sanded down, including Zuko, including Aang—and in general this tends to lead to less realistic representations of humanity and conflict, less satisfying character development arcs, and fewer opportunities for reflection and learning. 

That being said! I went into watching the LA with negative expectations about what we would see in terms of character development, and thus was pleasantly surprised. 

The LA removed the need for Suki to be as ruthlessly stubborn as she is in the animated show because LA Sokka’s skull is not so thick (and I'll get into that a bit more later). So what we get instead is a sheltered Suki with a helicopter mom who is so hilariously awkward that she has no idea how to interact with other humans. And, to be honest, I enjoyed this version of her so much that I even thought to myself, “I wish I’d thought of that!”

Suki is a straight-up weirdo in the LA and I love that for her. The way she puts Sokka in a chokehold and then looks at him after she sets him free like, “That was good flirting, yes? Would you like to be my boyfriend now?” And then her disappointment when Sokka walks away as if she’s thinking, “Why didn’t that go well, I thought boys loved getting put in chokeholds?” She is so precious, I just want to put her in my pocket. And this characterization might even be more broadly relatable than a super-confident Suki brimming with sass. Who among us hasn’t made a complete fool of ourselves in front of a crush by coming on way too strong and having no idea how to flirt? I mean…real. 

And because Sokka is also mostly just making a fool of himself trying to impress a pretty and talented peer (instead of covering up his insecurities by wrapping himself in misogyny) this leaves room for the two of them to be attracted to each other right off the bat and for their interactions to be more overtly romantic throughout the entire episode. Which, avid shipper that I am, I have to admit I have been gobbling up for the past three days straight. This episode was an IV drip of romantic tropes hooked straight to every Sukka shipper’s veins. 

Shy glances from across the room? Check.

Walking in on the other person half-naked? Check. (Y’all, Suki looks Sokka up and down for a FULL TWENTY SECONDS yes I timed it from the moment she appears in the background, yes you should count it to see how long that really is. Talk about awkward.) 

Tripping so they end up falling into each other’s arms? Check.

Wide-eyed shock that turns into surprise thirst after being pinned to the ground? Check.

Shooting each other satisfied smirks as they kick ass side-by-side? Check.

Jumping in front of literal fire for each other? Check and check!

Like, I could live off this for the rest of the year. 

But look, there’s a lot that I love about the way Sokka and Suki’s relationship is portrayed in this episode besides those romantically indulgent tension-creating moments, and it has to do with Suki’s admiration and validation of Sokka. 

Suki really looked at this boy with his mouth stuffed half-full of steamed bun and went, “Must have.”

With the removal of overt sexism from this episode (for better or worse), the story focused much more heavily on Sokka’s development as a leader. He still has that sort of posturing display of self-confidence that comes from inexperience and trying too hard to prove oneself (“Ferociously…deadly tiger whales…”), and while at first Suki seems put off by this and his attempts to liken himself to her (“I’m not just a warrior, I’m a Kyoshi warrior”) it doesn’t take her long to decide (*cough*after seeing him shirtless*cough*) that she doesn’t actually mind this behavior (and in fact maybe she kind of likes it because maybe it means he likes her and maybe it means she can show him how much she likes him by slicing the tops off all those melons with her fan). She seems genuinely interested in his boomerang and impressed that he hunts, and then later, she immediately takes interest in training him in the Kyoshi Warrior style. 

After they spar, she casually refers back to the fact that he’s his village’s protector, and this time, she does it without the disbelief and defensiveness. Because he’s finally stopped posturing. He opened himself up and gave himself over to Suki’s expertise, and in that way he proved that he has the will and desire—the heart—of a warrior. And Suki tells him so while touching him gently and gazing at him longingly in the soft golden glow of the late-afternoon sun. And as a die-hard Sokka stan, I love seeing him loved and appreciated like this. Adamantly. Ardently. The Sokka cheerleader in my head is going wild. “YEESSSS!! Our boy deserves this!!” Because we know that, in the animated show, he goes through a lot more struggle and self-doubt before he receives this kind of external validation. And while we also know that this makes for an incredibly satisfying growth arc, I gotta admit that it’s a fun bit of indulgence to watch Suki talk Sokka up directly to his face and then want to kiss him really bad. Y’know. As a treat.

That said, I'm very attached to and appreciative of the way their relationship is framed in the animated series. I love that their respect and affection for each other grows even after the disaster that is their first few interactions. In the LA, they are drawn to each other immediately, and the only barrier seems to be a bit of awkward stepping-in-it-ness. In the original, they have legitimate conflict, and they both have to give a little—Sokka becomes more humble, Suki becomes more tender—before they get to that point of potential romantic interest. And I think it says a lot about Sokka’s character and his desire to learn and grow that he is willing to humble himself in front of someone who, as far as he’s seen, has very little regard for him (slash has a good deal of animosity towards him). Giving himself over to Suki’s expertise costs him more in the animated show. But once he does, he and Suki learn and grow together. He shows Suki who he really is, shows her how dedicated and determined (and fun and a quick learner) he is, to the point that, by the end of the episode, she can allow herself to be vulnerable with him. And she does validate him in the original Kyoshi Warriors episode, just less directly than the LA. Her kiss on his cheek and “...but I’m a girl, too” is about forgiveness and acceptance and acknowledgement and respect, as much as or even more than it is about affection. There’s a little bit of romance, too, but it’s just little baby seeds of it, and it feels very natural to let those seeds germinate over time until we see Suki again later in the series. 

Which brings me to the live-action kiss. 

I’ll be honest, I was a little on the fence about the kiss. I want Sokka and Suki to kiss as much as possible in every conceivable universe. So there’s a part of me that was banging on the table and whistling with obscene joy. But the other part of me thought it was too much too soon. However, my hesitance pre-supposes some things about the second season (not least of which that there will be one), namely that it will handle the reunion with Suki and crossing the Serpent’s Pass anything like how it was done in the original. (Of course, one thing we now know for certain can't happen in a hypothetical LA season 2 is Suki pranking Sokka at the ferry station because he doesn't recognize her without her makeup. Do I love the expression on LA Sokka's face the first time he sees Suki's? Yes. Am I sad that this completely ruins their whole "You don't remember me? Maybe you'll remember this!" game? Also yes. But truthfully, I don't know if LA Suki would've been up to the prank, anyway. Not sassy enough. ;))

The Serpent’s Pass is one of my favorite episodes of all time, and that moment on the bluffs when Sokka and Suki are talking around Sokka’s loss, with the moon shining down on them all the while, and they almost kiss with the moon hanging between them in the background, and then Sokka pulls away without any other explanation besides, “I can’t”? That scene is so absurdly powerful and beautiful and an amazing moment of character development for them both, and I feel like it loses a lot of impact if they’ve already made out once. The fact that they kiss for the first time after that moonlit moment, when Sokka realizes that Suki doesn’t need protecting the way he thought she did, and in fact she was there to protect him, and he can finally just let go of this burden that he’s been carrying with him since Suki first mentioned she was joining them (slash since his dad put him in charge of an entire village at 13), and then and only then can he open his heart to what he feels for Suki, and in fact opens it so wide that he just cannot help but jam his mouth onto hers before she’s even finished talking…? I mean. C’mon. That’s poetry. But, again…loses impact if they’ve already had a first kiss.

But who knows what, if anything, they’ll actually do with that storyline. So for now, I’ll just enjoy my live-action Sukka kiss because, honestly, dream come true.    

Or almost a dream come true. Because there's a huge camelephant in the room that I haven't addressed yet, isn't there? The lack of Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform...

And I don’t think we can talk about the omission of Sokka’s Kyoshi Warrior uniform without talking about the omission of Sokka’s sexism. Because if Sokka isn’t sexist, then why do you have to put him in the dress and makeup of traditionally female warriors to make a point about how women are strong and capable, too? So here’s what I’ll say about that (and I know there’s a lot that people have said already, so I’ll try not to belabor the point.) I don’t think leaving out Sokka’s sexism was necessarily a detriment to his character arc. I do think, however, that leaving out Sokka’s sexism was a detriment to the message the show was trying to convey about sexism. 

Now, in the Northern Water Tribe episodes, the LA still gives us a message about fighting against the kind of systemic, institutionalized sexism that you might not be surprised to encounter within a very old-fashioned society or from a very old-fashioned gray-haired man. But what about the off-the-cuff, everyday kind of sexism that you might experience from an otherwise good person who is close to you? A person who loves you and would do anything for you but who gets carried away teasing you about “girly” things because of intrinsically-held biases that they’re not even that conscious of having? 

I think it’s important and meaningful for male and female audiences alike, and everyone in between, to see these different forms of sexism and misogyny—to see them, to recognize those behaviors in others and in ourselves, to be able to name them, and to have examples of fighting against them. We see the former kind—institutionalized, systemic—in Pakku. And we did see the latter kind—familiar, personal—in Sokka. And now that’s lost.

Not only that, but there’s the form of sexism that says boys aren’t allowed to do feminine things lest they relinquish their maleness. And in the animated show, we got to see Sokka combating this form of sexism, too. Not only does Suki show him that girls can be fierce warriors as well as boys, but he learns that wearing makeup and a dress does not make him any less of a young man.  

So, yes, I think the lack of Sokka in Kyoshi Warrior garb was a missed opportunity. And not just because Sokka looked really good in uniform and we all should have had the chance to see that, including and especially Suki. 

Alright, this is more than long enough, so I'll leave off with a moment from the LA that gave me great pleasure.

I needed this moment, y'all. And I was so afraid it wouldn't happen. I needed Sokka being protective, I needed him using his newfound Kyoshi Warrior skills to fight, and I needed him jumping in front of fire for the girl who'd taught him. If we couldn't have Sokka in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform, at least we had this.

[evaglass]

I like how real the characters of BES feel

I feel like this for many of the characters, especially Taigen.

I know many people highly disliked Taigen at the beginning, including myself, but he grew on me. I really enjoy how Taigen's growth is being handled, and I look forward to see more of the growth he goes through in the future.

I know now opinions on him are mixed, especially in regards to Mizu. I've seen people hoping they both get together, and I've also seen other people still hate him. In my opinion, I would like for them to be together, but not just yet as they still have some growth they need go through as people.

Flaws aren't only just small imperfections, nor do they easily go away at the flick of a lightswitch; flaws can really hold a person and their mindset back. Many of the characters are very flawed, some more than others, but some of them were able to start to grow from them.

Taigen is heavily flawed, especially at the start of the series. In the beginning, he is prestended as arrogant, stubborn, a bit selfish, closed-minded, cocky, etc, but he also he also had some redeeming qualities. Taigen holds honour very highly, and although the bushido code is flawed and in the show, many of the people who subscribe to that code are shown to be hypocritical, but Taigen leans more towards to honour aspect of it.

Taigen is also starting to show remorse on how he used to treat Mizu, and the way it's depicted feels realistic. He doesn't get on his knees and apologizes, but he starts treating Mizu with more respect and like a close acquaintance.

Now, I want to talk about the way Taigen reacted after Mizu told him about finding out about Fowler's plan to overthrow the Shogun and not telling him immediately when she could have; I want to talk about that whole scene in general. Usually, people take sides in that situation, but I can understand why Taigen was upset, but I can tell Mizu didn't withhold that information on purpose. Mizu was healing from her injuries. She was distracted trying to make new steel for a sword because hers broke, and she was overwhelmed. Like I said before, I can understand why Taigen was mad because they needed to move as quickly as possible, and even though Mizu was planning to go after Fowler once she had made a new sword time was of the essence around that moment, and in Taigen's mind he started to think that Mizu was possibly the traditional definition of 'honourable', and when that wasn't the case he lashes out.

What Taigen said to Mizu before he left to defend the Shogun was harsh stating "you really are a demon," and promising to kill her, saying it in tone like he's defeating a terrible beast, he wasn't right at all for saying that but it feels realistic; that scene was supposed to highlight both of their flaws. When people are really mad, they sometimes say harsh things to people around them, especially in the heat of the moment, and eventually, once they start to calm down, they soon start to regret what they said.

Taigen also soon sees how hypocritical many of the people he respected and said to subscribe to the bushido were, which must have been kind of difficult to digest. To Taigen, being a great samurai meant very much to him as it separated him from his broken background. Taigen came from a lower working-class upbringing with an abusive alcoholic father; it's pretty clear he wasn't gonna be a stable kid or much of an emotionally stable adult. It makes sense at the end of the season he wanted to be happy rather than just achieve greatness; the greatness he thought he wanted stems from people whom he used to respect, people who were shown to be corrupted and hypocritical. Taigen thought greatness would be the thing that would make him whole, but he realized it wouldn't make him happy.

Taigen grew a lot throughout the first season, but growth isn't exactly linear, and he has a lot more growth to go through, but that's what's so great about his character because it makes you want to see where he goes next.

[mvrtaiswriting]

The man. x Roronoa Zoro ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

I  love him. that’s it. this is relatively short but it’s cute and i definitely think it’s worth it!

warnings: mention of zoro scars but it's super fluff

feel free to reblog, like, and leave a comment. i would very much appreciate it. if you enjoy my works, click here to read more or buy me a coffee.

A part of Zoro hated the scar on his eye, the way it cut right through his face. To an extent, it made him proud; he looked scarier and more intimidating than ever. He guessed his enemies took him more seriously, since his body showed scars that should have killed him - instead, he survived, and got stronger. On the other hand, however, he thought his scar took his charm away - and although it wasn’t a problem at first, now it mattered. Losing his eyesight didn’t worry him, but the subtle fear of you not liking him anymore crippled in his heart every now and then. 

Staring at himself in the mirror, Zoro observed his reflection. Running an hand on his cheeks, he felt his newly regrown beard tickling the palm of his rough hand. He appreciated his strong features, the way his hair was starting to become greyer on his temple. How could this be the face of the man you fell in love with? You were so beautiful, you felt almost unreachable at first. So when you confessed your feelings to him, he was truly surprised. He was aware of his flaws, physical and non - he would come across as a brute sometimes, he thought himself as someone who was only capable of pushing people away by simply existing. And when that didn’t happen with you, he didn’t know how to process it; maybe his brain wasn’t wired for this type of things. He had to gradually learn what it meant to be loved and understand that feeling butterflies in his stomach was a good sign, not something to worry about. 

With you, for the first time, Zoro learnt what fear was. He never truly cared about all the risk a battle could comprise, he would simply jump in - he had faith in his crew mates and knew they’d be just fine. And he trusted you, too - but for some reason, it was different with you. He wanted to protect you, using his own body as a shield, ready to fight and take whatever damage. He hated to see you fight, there was no reason for you to be so exposed to danger.

Memories of the first time you got seriously injured in a battle were still vivid in Zoro’s mind; he remembered the way Chopper cried while trying to rescue you, the sleepless nights Zoro spent next to your bed hoping you would open your eyes. Losing you was his biggest nightmare, the simple thought of it hunted him continuously - and there were so many ways in which that could have happened. You were his most precious treasure, his one piece. For all he knew, this could have been the biggest treasure to ever exist - love. You. What could have been more valuable than this? 

Zoro was called back to reality when your arms wrapped around his torso, your face now resting against his muscular back. 

“Appreciating art?” you smirked, leaving a kiss on his shoulder. He only sniffed in response, letting his hand reach yours, intertwining his fingers with yours. He looked at you from the reflection in the mirror, a small smirk appearing on his face. 

“Art?” he repeated sarcastically, lifting one of your hands to his lips and leaving a soft kiss on your knuckles. You nodded in response, moving in front of him. Easily lifting you up, Zoro made you sit on the border of the sink, your figure now blocking him from seeing his reflection on the mirror. 

“That’s a better view.” he weakly smiled, leaving a kiss on your forehead. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked, placing your head on his naked chest, running your fingers along the scar on his torso. 

Surprised by your touch, Zoro’s muscles stiffened for a second. It didn't bother him when you touched his scars, but the sweet coincidence made his heart skip a beat for a second. Moments before he was focusing on the way his scars ruined his image, worrying whether you found him attractive regardless of them, fearing his appearance could make you slip between his fingers. And now you were there, delicately touching his scars with love - as if they were a masterpiece that needed to be handled with care.

“It’s nothing.” Zoro leaned towards you, brushing his nose against yours. “Really.” he added, looking at you with his only good eye. It always felt like Zoro could see right through you, staring at the deepest meanders of your soul. 

“Is it something we can fix spending the rest of the day under the covers?” you asked again, finally kissing him. You felt Zoro��s smile through the kiss, already lifting you up and making his way to your room. 

“Oh, definitely..” he whispered in between kisses. 

“The man you are, Roronoa Zoro..” you smirked, closing the door behind your back, shutting the rest of the world outside. 

[darcytaylor]

I don't understand why they keep ragging on Luke in spaces where he can see it. What's the end goal here? For him to snap and quit the show? People aren't thinking.

The whole situation has been very weird and emotionally charged. I tried to stay away from any of what was happening yesterday. (although I was sent things and have an idea of what is going on)

I think people had an image of who they thought Luke was and since it is not aligning with who he actually is, people are angry. When people are angry people do and say things that maybe shouldn't be said and done.

People's inability to realize that who they created in their mind is not entirely who Luke is (which doesn't have to be a bad thing), is causing outrage. People don't like to be duped, I think people think they were duped.

I have stated multiple times on this blog that people are flawed, people make mistakes, people are nuanced, people can be a bunch of things at once, people can be contradictory in personality, people are complex. All of which Luke is, all of which humans are.

Do I think that Luke hooking up with young adults is a charming trait? No, definitely not. Can I clearly see some questionable actions? Yes, I do have eyes. Do I think that Luke should have kept that shit on his private social media account? Yes, he definitely should have and could have.

But does this actually effect me in any way? No, I don't know the man, and all of us only see a very small part of who he actually is. It shouldn't come to a shock to know that Luke isn't perfect, he's not that version of who they created in their mind.

I know that Nicola has described Luke as being a certain way (people have clung to this), but then people also need to realize that he also has some bad qualities (obviously Nicola wouldn't state those publicly, why would she do that?). I always try to keep in mind that people are good and at the same time people are bad, everybody has both qualities in them.

There is also the belief that if someone who you are a fan of gets any hate, people need to come to their rescue (and vice versa), and while I do think that it is okay to show support or even lack thereof (within reason), this is what riles up every part of any fandom. If people didn't have people to engage with, or people who rile them up, they would get bored and move on.

You have two different groups with opposite opinions, fighting to make their voices the loudest, wanting people to hear them and not the other way around. But this ultimately makes the whole situation loud and for anybody to hear and read. Sometimes coming to someones defence is only going to cause more issues. It's going to create that dialogue and create a space for people to spiral.

So for people who like Luke and for people who don't like Luke, lets all just take a step back and breathe. If you see something you don't like, maybe try not to engage.

I also think that Luke has been trained and told about this aspect of his career. He has been told and has probably seen things like this happen. I don't think that this is what would make Luke quit the show, but I do believe that this will make him less inclined to post or engage with fans on social media.

I actually think that is a good thing (yay for having a positive) in Luke's situation, because it may also filter down into his friend group and relationship and have them stop with the social media games.

[starlight-bread-blog]

I Watched The First Two Episodes of Hazbin Hotel

Overall I wasn't bored. It's a fun show from the little I've seen. I have thoughts and notes I'd like to give so here's how this is gonna go:

🔵 Is for things I liked/would like to be expanded upon in the show's future.

🔴 Is for things I disliked ranging from nitpicks and just general critisisms.

Whenever something about Angel Dust's trauma I will come up, I'll mark "————" at the beginning & ending so you can avoid the topic if you'd like.

So let's dive right in!<3

🔴 I am so confused. This is narrarated by Charlie. And her goal is to redeem sinners so they can enter Heaven to save their lives. But she also knows that Heaven doesn't kill sinners to stop over-population, it's just plain evil. So, what are we doing here again?

🔴 This is the first time her relationship with her father is mentioned in the show. And it's done though a joke made by Alastor in a commercial he made. (Also, how would he know about Charlie's "daddy issues"? This isn't common knowledge as far as I know).

————

🔴 WHAT THE FUCK? I'M SORRY. WHAT THE FUCK? I hate being this negative in the beginning but WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. I don't want to discuss this line any more than the shock I felt while hearing it. Next.

————

🔴 Everyone already talked about how the camera work is crap and I agree. But here's an idea: If they wanted to make something grandiose, why not make a classic musical number that's completely unrealistic, and then make the reality of Hell clash with it?

🔴 This scene could be cut off mostly entirely. The point here is to show how awful Adam is, and the second the talking's over, we get a better song that does just that.

🔵 At first I was gonna make this a critisism, but all it did was making me ask questions, which is good in a first episode. This has me wondering about the characterization of Heaven and how it came to be. I can accept them being a shitty bureaucracy who only appear good, but this is some Saturday Morning Cartoon villian stuff. I'm very curious about this.

🔵 Niffty couldn't say her lines and just stared at the camera and was completely unaware of the fact that she did a shitty job. How come? I wonder what they'll do with it.

🔴 This is edited. The scene didn't go like this. We cut from the hotel to the Vees before we see Alastor's counter-attack. They cut to a really long section of the episode, in the middle of something that could be dealt with in a second. I wasn't as invested as I could have been in the introduction of the Vees, because I kept waiting to come back to Alastor.

🔵 I'd like to know why Charlie is so naive. Optimistic? Yeah, makes sense. But naive? Now that's interesting to know. She clearly goes outside and sees how sinners aren't the safest people (ie Happy Day in Hell), so you think that spending eternity with them would get her acquainted with the culture and make her adjust her behaviors. But she's still looking at the guy who just tried to kill her and goes "Oh, hello again". I'm dying to know why she's like that.

————

🔵 I see where this is going<3 Despite it all, Angel Dust clearly still loves acting. So when he'll escape Val, he'll show his theatrical side by improvising and acting for Charlie<3

🔵 Despite Angel Dust not adoring the hotel, it's very much a safe place for him. A safe the Vees, from Valentino. Now, someone who worked for them just a second before getting discovered, is in. Can't wait to see more of this.

————

🔵 I liked the rivalry of Alastor and Vox. I liked how Vox is this perfect big shot, yet crumbles about Alastor when he's barely trying. Definitely a highlight.

To Summarize...

🔴 6 negatives 🔵 6 positives

I enjoyed myself a fair bit. Most of the negatives are either nitpicks or won't matter in five eps. It had some flaws but it's a start.

[yumenotambourin]

do all 3 mouses for the character ask or im shaving elfilis 🪒🪒🪒

I'M SORRY I WAS TRAVELING YESTERDAY AM I STILL IN TIME TO SAVE THEM???

🩷First impression🩵

Elfilin

Very cute! I thought he was quite bland before release already, but I was like 100% sure that it was because the twist was gonna be that he was mass produced.

And then after finishing the game I had a little phase in which I hated him because he was super fucking plot important, yet he didn't do anything and this made me angry, lol

Forgo

As soon as my eyes landed on it, I thought it was Elfilin after some horrific experimentations. But then they showed the actual Elfilin lmao. I thought it was really cute and I didn't want to fight it, thank god it transformed before we fought it. Then I was just awestruck.

Also my mom randomly asked me what it was and I didn't know what to say so I just said something like "a mental parasite species"

Elfilis

The first thought that crossed my mind after seeing them was "oh god they have my exact favorite color scheme I'm gonna be obsessed with them, aren't I?". Breathtakingly beautiful, of an angelicity(?) never seen before from Kirby. Throughout April 2022, I occasionally woke up in the morning wondering wether they were just a dream. The fact that something like them existed in the Kirby universe was astonishing to me.

🩷Impression now🩵

Elfilin

I still think he's severely underdeveloped, but I'm more cool with that now. He's cute and silly and fun, he's a nice contrast to Forgo, and generally an adorable sidekick. Tho I wish there was more of him.

Forgo

Baby. It's very cute, strikes pretty well the balance between creepy and goober, and the superior gemini in my opinion. I like putting it in situations :3

Elfilis

A MOUS!!! As magnificent as the first time I saw them. Except they're now my muse, my guardian angel. My view of them has kinda shifted from "stereotypical perfect lifeform" to "the embodiment of life itself", which kinda recontextualizes them, especially given how hard each mous fought to stay alive, and I find that very inspirational.

I love Elfilis.

🩷Favorite moment🩵

They don't have that many moments so uuuuh

Elfilin

Finding the Light! Perfect way to end the mouces' arc, and goes to show how much of a sweetheart he is.

Forgo

The iconic "everything shall be consumed" is iconic

Elfilis

The only thing that they do, their boss fight 😭 it's stunning and I find myself replaying it more often than normal

🩷Idea for a story🩵

Elfilin

Definitely a plotline where they tackle that he can learn something from Elfilis and/or Forgo as well. I don't like how y'all treat him like he's perfect.

Forgo

I'd like to see it getting used to living a normal happy life :3 the baby has suffered enough

Elfilis

ELFILIS PROLOGUE PLEASE!!! About how they attacked earth and stuff and their capture and maybe even Neichel cameo!!!

(I will not let you forget about Neichel)

🩷Unpopular opinion🩵

Elfilin

As I said before, I hate when people make him out to be this little goody-two-shoes without a single flaw who's juts the embodiment of niceness and kindness and will always do the right thing. Like no??? It's not all black and white! Let him be a proper multilayered character! Let him make mistakes and learn from others! Let him learn from his literal other half!!!

Forgo

Whenever someone says that Forgo is Elfilis an angel loses their wings. Starting from the fact that the game heavily implies if not downright states (I'm on plane I can't check I forgor) that Elfilis = Forgo + Elfilin, why would anyone choose to take two different characters in different situations with likely two different outlooks (ELFILIS WAS SPLIT INTO TWO FOR THE ENTIRE FUCKING PLOT!!! ELFILIS HAS THE HERO OF THE STORY INSIDE THEM!!!) and reduce them to a single, more limited being? Plus, most people with this headcanon are also the "Elfilis/Forgo is pure evil and an irredeemable monster!!!!" people who also really piss me off. Like yeah okay YOU chose to headcanon the traumatized baby and the insane mous as the same character. YOU are the one taking away all the nuance they could possibly have. Also as I said before THATS A TRAUMATIZED BABY!!!

Elfilis

I strongly dislike the headcanon that Elfilis absorbs other creatures into their dna. I feel like it ruins a lot of the charm they have, at least for me, by making their ethereal presentation be stolen from other creatures rather than it just being who they are. Also, while I am a Good Elfilis defender, I love the idea of them destroying planets for fun. It just goes to cement how otherworldy and above it all this creature is. So yeah, I feel like this headcanon takes away a lot of their appeal for me personally.

I also don't like when people make them always angry and grumpy, like do you realize half of them is Elfilin?

🩷Favorite relationship🩵

This is entirely headcanon-based as the mouces don't really interact with anyone besides Elfilin with Kirby

Elfilis and Elfilin and Elfilis and Forgo. More than the three of them together, I prefer each baby mous with Elfilis on their own.

I'm gonna briefly summarize my hc dynamics for them cause I love mice.

Elfilis and Elfilin - Elfilin

As I said before, Elfilin's feelings on his big sibling are very conflicted. On one hand, he feels safe with them, and looks up to them. On the other hand, he fears them. The fact that they just wipe out planets without second thought disturbs him. Although he'd never admit it to himself because he loves them so much. Elfilis, however, is very much aware of Elfilin's feelings. And as much as they're devastated by the guilt of having hurt their little ones so much, they dismss Elfilin's compassion as naivete due to his young age and time spent with the beasts. They're sure he will outgrow it one day and see his superiority, ans in the meantime they remind him that he's their little one and that they'll always love him.

Elfilis and Forgo - Forgo

Forgo sees itself as nothing but a temporary form of Elfilis, unworthy of being seen as anything but. And it's not taking this whole "coexisting with the actual Elfilis" all that well. If the actual Elfilis exists, what purpose does Forgo have? This sends them down an existential crisis. Elfilis doesn't like that. And they're desperate to help it break free from these beliefs. Also, Forgo always saw Elfilis in a very idolized way, as a ruthless monstrous destroyer. But that's not all there is to Elfilis, they can be a little silly sometimes. And Forgo is SEVERELY disappointed. It often calls them an idiot and then feels bad about it because nobody should be reproaching the almighty Fecto Elfilis. Also it exclusively refers to them as "Great One".

🩷Favorite headcanon🩵

Elfilin

Can I be honest? No fucking clue. Maybe that Elfilis teaches him how to fight?

Forgo

I'll make it quick so as not to repeat myself, that it sees itself as nothing more than a temporary form of Elfilis.

Elfilis

The idea that they have no motivation is very important to me. Specifically that they do things purely out of enjoyment. That they're just a force beyond our comprehension who sees everything as insignificant and is just trying to have fun.

ALSO THAT THEY LOVE EACHOTHER VERY MUCH!!!

[doverstar]

Hello hello I was told by your lovely sister, one of my favorite people on the planet, to send you the same question I asked her to see what else you could say about it, since you write a lot of fanfiction and are more familiar with it than she said she was, so here I am!

I wanted to ask about fanfiction. I've really been thinking about that post Artist made about how a lot of fanfiction can be just used as a form of escapism, and not in a good way like Tolkien described it, but as a 'I hate life so I'm gonna read and write extensively about fictional characters rather than working hard/trying to improve my own life' Which I really want to avoid and not do. In the past I've certainly fallen into that trap- I would get so caught up in writing Marvel or Percy Jackson or Harry Potter fanfiction (not to toot my own horn, but was objectively good and I do think grew my skills a lot as a writer and character analyzer) that I would spend every free moment and many of ones when I really should've been working on school or chores or spending time with my actual family reading and writing it. I was probably doing that 5-8 hours a day when I was 11/12. (Yikes) Thankfully, my parents smacked some sense into me lol. It really just goes to show you how, for lack of a better term, soul-consuming, that these kind of fantasy pursuits can really be. Thankfully, I don't do that any more. I actively limit myself to a max of 3 hours of reading and writing fanfiction over the course of a week, which is a big improvement.

So yay! Now I have a definte separation from writing fanfiction to improve my writing and writing it to waste time because all of my energy is focused on it to the point where it is in my every thought. Good! Growth!

But now my new thing is this- I want to make sure that any and all fanfiction I write has a definite point. I want it to point to good things and have clear messages and blue flowers and point to Jesus, even if it isn't specifically a 'Christian' fanfiction.

But how do I go about this trying to intentionally bring in blue flowers and good messages and beautiful themes, and not just only write it for my entertainment because its a piece of media I love? How to I make sure to firstly know what themes I can bring in, and then do it in such a way that's well-written, while also being able to have those fun moments and situations that are both in the piece of media and I've thought up?

And finally, last thing, is I'm wrestling through if I should continue writing fanfiction to 'fix' a story (which is why I started a Percy Jackson and Marvel fanfictions, I wanted to take the parts of each story I didn't like and were poorly done and make them better) rather than make my own point with it. For most of the fanfiction writing I've ever done, my goal was to improve it, to act like a ghostwriting editor the author hired to fix their fundamentally flawed story. But now I'm realizing that I was spending so much time and effort (which don't get me wrong, I do not fully regret, I really do think that I've gotten far better at fiction writing through this) and I didn't even add any more goodness or morals to the story in a way that made it more soul-sustaining and truly good. I wanted to add a lot of bits that made be as a reader squeal and get happy over which... I don't think is bad per say, but its not what I want my fanfiction to be like any more. With my writing, I absolutely do want to improve on the source material, yes, but I also want to figure out what sort of themes and goodness I'm going for with it. So should I continue writing these large projects (cause each piece covers several books/movies) for improvement and also try to expand on the good ideas and themes the authors had, even bringing in my own, or should I just set it aside as that was great, but now I need to focus on making writing morally good and not just for entertainment?

I know a big part of this is wisdom and descretion- things that God has blessed me with but I know I always can pursue more of. So I know a absolute perfect answer to this question will require time and experience. But after sorting through my word-vomiting (sorry lol), what would you say to all of this? Thank you!! <3 I love you and your blog so much btw!

Golly, what a question! I haven't seen what Arti answered yet - I've been at work - but I'm on break now, so I can give it a try! I bet I'll end up saying a lot of what she said, making this an unnecessary and VERY LONG read, but here goes-

I do write a lot of fanfiction, and I have been since I was 8 (aka for a long, long time, gosh I'm old-). I wrestle with a lot of what you've described! I've been on the brink of quitting fanfiction altogether lately; there will come a time when I need to "grow up" in that area and commit to only writing what's just mine. I do have original stories, original worlds, original characters, but like you, when I want to practice and learn, I turn to fanfiction. It's a wonderful platform in that sense!

I would say you're right on the money when it comes to what the Lord has gifted you with. You should use wisdom, and you should use discretion. Your writing should be used to point to what's true, and there should be intention in no matter what you're creating. We're not only called to glorify God, we're called to excellence. Everything we do should be done to the best of our ability!

And what you believe, if you really believe it - about what's true, about how we ought to live and what's important - is definitely going to bleed through into whatever you write. It's the truth, and you've found it, and it can't help coming out. Making something (writing in particular) requires pieces of us, and if that's the case, then our Christianity (for lack of a better phrase) is going to show up in our stories. Even if the characters belong to someone else.

If you find yourself writing a story just to squeal over a ship, just to get secondhand butterflies when the male lead's being dreamy, just to vent some sort of difficult emotion you're dealing with or live vicariously through a character, you should close the laptop. I've written plenty of things that make me feel happy or excited (like you said, that's not bad!) but if that's the only reason you're writing it, it's a waste. And on another, semi-related note, a lot of people only write fanfiction to indulge in emotional pornography. It's not as steep a slope as you might think. When my father-in-law gets just a little drunk every night before bed, it's still sin. It doesn't matter how much or how long it lasts. He's still drunk, and he shouldn't be. So be careful! (she said, to herself, often-)

As for writing just to fix a story - if it's bothering you, and you see what they ought to have done, I say go for it, and here's why: it's teaching you something. It's you figuring out why what the source material did was dissatisfying, and it's you figuring out how your alternative is better. You're essentially teaching yourself what not to do. Now, if you want to write it and fix it and you want to keep the focus on good things, true things, there's still a way to do that. Work out what was good and true already about the source material and draw from that when it comes to theme.

I use a Notes document. I'm not talking about the Notes app on smartphones, I'm saying I open a Word document (or whatever your equivalent is!) for every single thing I write (fanfiction, original, etc.) and I entitle it "[Insert Story Title Here] - Notes.doc" and then I word-vomit at myself. I write at the top what the theme of my writing is going to be this time, and why, and underneath that I explain to myself where I see those good and true themes in the source material and how I'm going to magnify them and use them to point to the truth (specifically some Christian truths) in my story now. I figure out how it will all work and feel canon and then I move on to the pre-write for each chapter. It's good practice, it's great fun, and it keeps me on course when I start to drift into self-indulgence during the writing process. It's fun to visit Atlantica and Stars Hollow and get inside Caitlin Snow's head and show the world why I think Rose Tyler is the best thing to ever happen to Doctor Who - but all of those things can pull me away from the messages I'm trying to communicate.

Fanfiction should not be escapism. I cannot write when I am freaking out. I cannot write when I'm miserable, or angry, or fighting with someone. When I'm low emotionally and my spirit is scratched, I can't complete a single sentence. I can't. I think the Lord did that in me for a reason. I don't use fanfiction to escape reality or to deal with reality. When I was younger, I considered a day when I wasn't writing to be a wasted day. I needed to write. I needed to make something. But I prioritized that over reality, and yes, that is sin. I wasn't escaping, but I was idolizing, and that's wrong. I'm impressed by your self-inflicted limits! I could've done with that at 12 myself.

Fanfiction shouldn't be all self-indulgence, either. Yes, you ought to have some fun when you're making things. But have self-control! I love writing fanfiction and drawing and editing videos. I love it. It's so much fun to me. I get genuine joy out of it. And when I look at something I'm making, I say to myself, "Self, is this a waste of time? Does that part need to be in there or are you just playing?" And then I examine my motives and I examine the thing I'm worried about and I determine whether or not it takes you out of the story or draws you away from the themes (in writing specifically) or if it's okay to add because it's pleasant and matches one of the good, lovely, honorable, etc. things that are true in life that God allows us to have and enjoy, because He's just that good. And then I have to either say to myself, "Self, this is fattening," and delete it, or I say to myself "Hey, dolphins twirl," and leave it in, making sure I'm still on course.

Dolphins twirl! Why? We don't know why they twirl! God does. God made them twirl. God made them animals that play. He didn't have to do that! He didn't have to make the leaves change color. He looked at His creation and called it good when He was finished (you know, before we ruined it). He took pleasure in creating. We can too - as long as it's not pulling us or our readers off course. My husband doesn't have to be a good dancer to fit the biblical picture of a man I ought to marry - but he is a good dancer, on top of fitting what I should have been looking for biblically, and God knew that, and God did that, and I get to enjoy it and enjoying it is not wrong. Dolphins twirl!

Like I said, I'm close myself to putting fanfiction aside on the whole, because I can tell, probably because of the Lord, that it's nearly time for that. It's time to look up and make something more real, for more real reasons. If you're thinking it's about time for that for you, too, pray about it. Writing fanfiction is like anything else fun the Lord has blessed us with (everything good comes from God) - it's fun and good as long as you aren't misusing it. Everything in moderation. People take stories they love and characters they connect to and go and interact with them through fanfiction in a bad way, for bad reasons (or just reasons that are useless to man and beast), and I've done that before myself. I've been one of them. But it's not wrong to expand on the good and true things in stories we love, the things that are in line with what we know God invented, and it's not wrong to hone your craft and learn how to use what you've been given with excellence, so that when the time comes for you to write your own story that points to God, you're ready!

You don't want to be wasting your time or the talents you've been given. I say keep thinking about it, and remember why you do what you do. Stay on course! That's my advice.

Thanks for asking me!

[innocentimouto]

Do you think the show/franchise should acknowledge that Jet Is one of Iroh’s victims?

Do you mean because the Rough Rhinos were under Iroh's command (or at least their leader was)?

At first I thought no, just because the show moved on from Iroh's flaws and never gave us anything in terms of his victims. I don't see them doing it, let alone doing it right. Also Jet would get even more hate.

But say they could do it right. Then yes, it would be incredible. Even if Jet still died, so long as it was made clear to characters like the Gaang or Zuko and Iroh that he was one of Iroh's victims, I would be happy.

Whatever opinions there are about Jet's actions in war, he did something. He was resourceful and strong; he could have fled somewhere else or survived on his own (however long that would last considering the war). But he chose to help others.

Iroh never did that. I don't think Iroh helped Zuko either, but say he did. One, that's not great when Zuko was invading Sokka and Katara's home or when capturing the avatar. Two, Iroh still never helped anyone in the war against the Fire Nation until the very end.

It makes sense for a character like Jet to be the one to hate Iroh and make it clear that just because the man is elderly and kind doesn't mean he didn't do horrible things in war and then became content with doing nothing to fix it.

It even fits within the storyline. They met on the way to BSS. Zuko's arc needs to go somewhere. Iroh's arc has been stagnant for a while. Jet's trauma hasn't been properly conveyed. Having Jet bring up what Iroh has done, in detail, possibly with victims from Iroh's siege against BSS, would be a great way to force Iroh to be confronted with his actions and forced to give his thoughts on it.

Does he care? Does he care beyond feeling remorse? Has he ever thought about helping people against the Fire Nation?

It also helps Zuko's arc. He's still on the Fire Nation's side, but he's seen the other nations are just regular people. Would having Iroh state whatever his views are on this affect Zuko? If Iroh just brushed it all away with a small shake of the head and some words about letting anger go, would that make Zuko uncomfortable? Because now he has faces to possible victims. And Jet is great with words and can definitely hurt people with them, so I doubt he would stay quiet at whatever Iroh would say.

Or would Zuko simply not care and side with Iroh because he's always known what Iroh had done? Zuko burned a village down himself. Only thing he's done lately is complain about poverty.

It could go either way for them, but I think things would be clear with the Gaang. If confronted with Jet's words, and neither Zuko nor Iroh care or offer much in return, I don't think the Gaang would be that receptive to accepting Zuko later.

The Gaang has never heard Zuko say the Fire Nation propaganda he was fed all his life. I doubt they would forget it if he somehow justified the Air Nomads being massacred. I doubt Sokka, Aang, or Katara would be okay if he justified waterbenders being killed.

Calling someone a peasant or trying to kill them is one thing, but hearing someone explain to you why your people were wiped out and that it was right is not something most people will forget.

(Also we can get development with Toph and her thoughts on the war. And Suki wouldn't get her words about her village being destroyed turned into a joke. Also Haru, because fellow earth kingdom kid who most likely heard terrifying tales of the Dragon of the West.)

And seeing their reactions---horror, grief, rage, pain---no matter how behind Zuko could be on his arc, that would stay with him. He's a teenager. He's hotheaded and selfish and entitled. But he's not a monster. He feels emotions. And while I disagree strongly that he had a good redemption arc, by BSS, he at least had some doubts about some things.

It's an established way to bring Iroh's character back to morally flawed, which is good. Too many things are canon for Iroh to be anything better than that. He learned firebending from the dragons, but still continued killing innocent people? He stood by while Zuko got burned? He let Ozai take the throne without ever challenging him despite being the rightful heir and supposedly realizing the war was wrong?

Iroh had the best chance to at least slow the Fire Nation before Aang appeared. The thing about Iroh is that he's always been content to sit back and not do anything. He wanted Zuko to make tea with him within the walls while the war was coming to a close and we're expected to believe he cares about the wellbeing of other nations? About the war itself? Iroh was one of the strongest firebenders in the world. He had a responsibility to at least atone for the deaths he caused, if not outright confront Ozai.

If you meant that Jet got brainwashed because of Iroh and then eventually killed?

I don't really blame Iroh for Jet's death. I strongly side-eye Iroh for acting completely innocent about what Jet was rightfully saying despite Iroh supposedly regretful for his actions in the war and yet not caring at all that he got an innocent kid arrested by police that everyone knew were capable of making people disappear.