#i hope i made it clear that i think her ''selfishness'' is not an inherently bad thing lol

[etrosgate]

god i love chika amatori.

it's really interesting for her to at first appear like a typical Demure Shonen Girl, but even within that personality archetype she proves to be a real stand out character through being consistently interesting and important to the narrative with her own mysteries and social circle, in a way this genre's heroines' rarely ever get

such as: the story explicitly stating that the main driving force of the narrative so far (235 chapters and counting!) is in pursuit of HER ambitions, even going so far as to say that the male protags are just there to help out, their own objectives as things to do along the way

AND THEN

like 180 chapters in we have this big revelation that, instead of her combat ability being held back by her being "too soft-hearted" to shoot with real bullets, she's actually being selfish! putting on a facade of weakness because she doesn't want people to hate/fear her for being too strong... playing this balancing act of being strong enough to not be a liability, but weak enough to not be threatening...

and to me that Really resonates with like, just the experience of being a woman in general, and also more metatexually of being a female character (especially in a shonen action series)

like. female characters are despised for being too weak and despised for being too strong, and the line between them is crazy thin and arbitrary. so it's really cool to see that stigma used to subvert your expectations and make world trigger's heroine even more interesting than she already was!!

it is SOOOO satisfying to go back and reread the series with this knowledge completely re-contextualizing your view of her character, and done in a way that never feels like that first read was worthless or that her character was made weaker for the sake of a twist.

not to mention the way this aspect is reinforced by hatohara, a character who ACTUALLY couldn't shoot real bullets because she couldn't handle it, being literally one of the most intriguing characters and skilled combatants in the series. do you realize how insane it is that she only missed a shot ONCE? and she also gets mistakenly viewed as weak-willed by some of the people who were closest to her (ninomiya and ema), something that is tangibly countered.

it's just all so, so good i love her so much

[semisolidmind]

“he won't say it aloud, but...had it been him who'd been found and tended to by reader, azure couldn't be sure he wouldn't have made the same choice as his brothers.”

…Semi, could I persuade you to make a little something (art, fic, headcanons, whatever you wish) for this concept? Please?

If you’d rather not, totally fine. Please feel free to delete this. No worries!

(this got longer than expected:))

he'd try to persuade her, at first.

after she found him in her backyard, in a crater of his own making having fallen from battle, battered and bleeding, after she brought him into her home and cared for him...

...he'd gotten attached.

the two became close, and as azure got stronger he began to realize that he'd have to go home eventually. he and his brotherhood had a job to do, and he couldn't abandon it to play house. but— but he'd become so used to waking up with reader by his side. he'd learned so much about mortal life while living with her, and his sympathies towards humans had grown.

noone had ever treated him as gently as reader had. even knowing what he is, the potential threat he posed to her, she still saved him. he's eternally grateful for her help. azure doesn't want to leave her behind.

the night he decides to leave, he asks her to leave with him, to go with him to his home in camel ridge.

she declines.

she's fine here, she says. it's a very kind offer, but she doesn't mind her work or her employers, and– and what would a handsome demon lord like him want with a human like her, anyway? he should go and be with his brothers, she says (reader internally panics, she'd hoped this wouldn't happen, she'd hoped those stories about demons kidnapping women were fake, she really really hoped she wasn't about to be stolen and potentially eaten—).

azure pauses, standing silent before her. what he wants with her? he can't give a proper answer to that (at least not in polite company), but he wants to show his gratitude. he wants to at least reward reader for her kindness. please, just go with him, he'll give her a good life, he promises.

but reader declines again, stepping back from him. her eyes betray her growing fear.

azure is silent. the gentle, pleading expression has dissapeared from his face, replaced by a cold dissatisfaction.

he didn't want to do it this way.

but he is a demon. and demons are inherently selfish creatures, no matter what noble lies they choose to live by.

azure steps forward. reader steps back.

please don't, she begs, voice wavering. he doesn't respond.

reader doesn't have time to even scream before azure seizes her by the waist, putting her over one broad shoulder. she beats her fists on his back, kicks wildly against the paw holding down her thighs, begs him please, please don't do this. azure solemnly opens a portal gate with his regained powers, stepping through it, carrying reader back to his home.

–––

some time passes.

once reader has better settled into her role as azure lion's..."companion" ("captive" is more fitting, she thinks. or perhaps "pet"), the demon decides to bring her along to a council meeting at the home of the demon army's leader, the monkey king. azure is unsure what his simian comrade will think of reader, but if his closest brothers could come to accept her place at his side, then perhaps wukong could be convinced as well.

the first meeting goes smoothly. perhaps too smoothly, azure thinks with slight bitterness.

he saw the way wukong looked at his human companion throughout the council. he didn't say much beyond asking her name and purpose, but his interest was clear. azure wrote it off as a simple fascination with a mortal companion; it is fairly uncommon for high-ranking demons to keep humans for much beyond servants or food.

azure continued to bring reader along to their council meetings (unable to leave her at home unsupervised), and the monkey king began to speak with her more and more (occasionally running off with her when he wanted to show her some orchard or village on the mountain, to meet his people... the two would be gone for a while). azure didn't think much of it at first beyond a light sense of caution. however, every time reader laughed at wukongs antics, or followed him away from the group...there was a sting in the lion's chest he would hesitate to identify.

he wasn't sure if the king's friendliness was a ploy to harm reader in some way. wukong was known to dislike humans, having dealt with hunters attempting to capture and kill his ilk more than once. so to see him take an avid interest in reader, to seek out her company after the meetings were over and the brotherhood took time for leisure ... azure wasn't sure what to make of it. the infamous monkey king, known for his cruelty, determination, and bloodlust— befriending a human woman.

it sounded ridiculous, even as azure watched it happen before him.

however, when wukong himself approached the lion demon to none-too-subtley ask that he give reader up, the absolute madness of it all struck him.

wukong, in his winding roundabout way, suggests that azure allow reader to stay on flower fruit mountain. see, she and wukong have been talking; she obviously loves it here, she's here all the time during meetings anyways, and she's clearly gotten attached to the monkey citizens... sooooo why not just let her stay? not like there's much for her on camel ridge, he says flippantly.

oh, and not to mention the fact that reader doesn't seem to be all that attached to azure anyway. oh she's his friend, maybe, but that's it. just following him around, speaking when spoken to. she's clearly dissatisfied with her placement. at least wukong plans on wooing her properly; he'll make her his queen, not just a glorified pet.

azure has to restrain the thunderous growl that wants to escape his grit fangs at this absolutely ludicrous suggestion. the jealousy that's been bubbling in his chest begins to seep through to his words. wukong can't just, just—demand reader from him! he hates that he has to word it this way, but he took reader fair and square. finders keepers, by demonic rule. the answer is a resounding no, and a "polite" request that the monkey never bring it up again.

a moment of silence, the two demons staring each other down—before wukong seemingly shrugs it off. oh well, he sighs. so be it.

wukong walks away, calm as can be, not even an aggravated twitch of his tail to indicate his true feelings.

but azure's hackles are raised. he knows wukong well enough to know that he hasn't actually dropped this.

the monkey king is simply biding his time.

---

after azure's vehement refusal, wukong rolls his shoulders and sighs. he tried asking nicely, but if azure won't play fair, then neither will the monkey king.

besides, he's more of a "ask for forgiveness, not permission" kinda guy anyways (and he doesn't expect forgiveness). later on that evening, he signals to macaque (who has also grown quite fond of reader, though more secretively) that it's time to roll out plan b.

because y'know, wukong's been thinkin.' maybe his and azure's interests haven't exactly been lining up lately, and not just in the reader department. the monkey king has noticed that azure and his allies have been changing their minds about this whole conquesting on earth business. they want to pool their forces and take on heaven.

now, wukong knows a thing or two about that, and he knows that even with all the might of the demon armies at their disposal, azure and the gang stand about three quarters of a chance. it doesn't help that the original brotherhood members (namely peng and yellowtusk) have been getting kinda uppity lately.

so, why not hit two birds with one stone? or in this case...one bird, one elephant, and one lion.

wukong has macaque take a lil' trip down to the underworld to steal the scroll of memory, an artifact that allows one to trap anyone in a hell of their own making. the darker-furred demon makes quick work of the assignment.

the monkey king and the six-eared macaque then pay the lords of camel ridge a little visit to announce their...severance from the demon alliance.

---

reader wakes up in an unfamiliar bed.

or rather, an unfamiliar...pile of pillows and blankets? in a pit? in the floor? it's surprisingly comfortable all things considered.

however, a drowsy look around the room tells her this is most definitely not the den of her feline captor, and she certainly isn't in her chambers at the palace in camel ridge; the presence of greenery inside the room clued her in there. her nerves began to rise. where is she?

her question is partially answered by wukong pushing his way inside the room, macaque in tow (both are dressed far more casually than normal, wearing simple pants and robes that she's never seen them in). reader startles, scooting back as they move closer. the boys step into the pit and sit across from her. the two simian demons wish reader good morning and ask how she slept.

reader is too stunned to answer.

macaque laughs at the expression on her face, a fond look overcoming his own as he takes in her sleep-disheveled appearance. you're in the royal chambers in the stone palace, to answer your question, he says. he's sure she wants answers about how she came to be here, and he's about to speak when wukong excitedly talks over him.

something has happened to azure and his brothers, he says. it must have, because the king and the general found reader knocked out in a peach grove not far from the entrance to water curtain cave. they brought her inside, of course, but were unable to wake her. perhaps a sleep spell, macaque suggests.

when the monkeys went to investigate camel ridge, they could find no sign of the brotherhood. the warlords admit they have no idea what could have become of their allies, but insist that reader must stay with them until this mystery is solved. she doesn't mind, right? she'll be well taken care of here, and she's more than welcome to stay in the royal chambers (she'll want the two monkey demons to keep her warm, after all the stone palace can get so cold at night—). the monkey citizens will be excited to see her, they'll be glad to hear she's staying. it'll be great! wukong happily assures.

reader admittedly isn't... unhappy about this arrangement. she doesn't want to be rude, but flower fruit mountain is much more hospitable than the lifeless sandstone of camel ridge. quite frankly she's come to prefer the company of wukong and macaque over her once captor, and the friendly mountain residents over two impassive demon lords.

if reader had to choose into whose hands her chain and collar would be placed—she could think of many worse than these two.

[cloudsbrainpopped]

💚🤍 for captain laserhawk?

Hiii! So. I reread the questions and I think this entire post is about Sarah god bless. I will try to make some points about some other folks but I can’t lie. I do think about her a lot.

💚 - What do people get wrong about your favourite character?

Sarah is not just evil and hot whilst committing crimes against humanity. She is inherently a victim of Eden herself. She was indoctrinated via the propaganda Eden put together through Rayman, who need I remind people, his entire thing was a government ploy aimed at impressionable children (granted, Rayman does actually care for the wellbeing of children but his intent and his actions are not the same thing.) And then there’s the entire military complex and what Eden is capable of, brainwashing for one, memory altering for another. I desperately need a proper breakdown into all of the practices within the government because it cannot just be that. Point is. She looks like she’s been through a bunch of experimentation (ESPECIALLY post Sam’s death. Maybe there’s reason we see much more put into her than anyone else with Eden tech on them. To ensure submission and loyalty. I have my theories but I don’t really have the evidence to back them up as much as possible.) I don’t think she’s just an evil, manipulative and for what it’s worth entirely selfish. I just think what most of who she is or could’ve been has been wholely wiped out of her system. To be fair, she is mostly a system now. And continues a cycle set by systems before her. I feel like she is a weapon slowly losing tap of any and all emotions. And I’m not sure what she’d do if she recognised that. Or if she’d die before that. (This is why I need season 2 soon as. I need it for multiple reasons but if a running theme is character’s recognising their mistakes… uh oh.)

Anyway. My personal speculation aside. She is evil, yes. But not as much as the fandom likes to bring her down to. She does what has to be done to reach her own goals, firmly set in doing that. Who cares about who she takes with her, they’re enemies of state anyway. I feel like Captain Laserhawk as a whole is very clear on who’s unforgivable, whose crimes are reprehensible for the sake of being reprehensible. I don’t get that in Sarah. I see someone desperate for their goals, I see someone stuck in their ways, remorse dead with their family and just… suffering. It’s the methods that bring being evil into it. Although I will not refute the fact that she is fine as fuck. She’s got an undercut, she’s buff, stubborn and has severe father issues. And to be honest I have a thing for most of that when it comes to actual women too so. LMAO… girl I don’t care if you’ve got problems with your father we can share mine.

🤍 - Which character is not as morally bad as people think?

In short. Sarah again but for the reasons listed above. She is not a bitch for the sake of being a bitch. Yeah, she’s a villain and has done absolutely abhorrent shit. But there’s a difference in the fact that she does everything explicitly for her goals. Sometimes I feel like someone would say she kicks stray animals or something because ‘evil’. (She Would Not. She absolutely would not but sometimes it’s just so… flanderised.)

In addition to that. I know this happens in fandom frequently, and fanon will happen but it. Really boils my blood and I’m sure that everyone sitting here has something they’ve seen or the general way a fandom treats a character they like that just. Irritates them but yeah. Also I feel like Dolph deserves an honorary mention for this one. His morals aren’t skewed, they’re for his own goals too but his mental health is naturally in the shitter. I have no idea if that made any sense but I hope what I’ve said has come across alright!

[rippleclan]

I remember the oct 11th vote...ohhhhhhhh BOY. Esther, time to reap what you've sown.

I understand her motivations, but it's clear that she's focusing on what SHE wants, and herself alone, which is completely antithetical to how clans (and most societies tbh) work.

Wanting to be a Cleric, yet refusing to learn medicine. Wanting to be a prophet, yet failing to understand that Starclan and the DF are very, very different from her own Gods.

Her ableism is painfully realistic, which I must applaud! I love when the non-overt forms of bigotry are displayed within media.

And her kits...oh, she's NEVER going to be able to fix their relationship. Being an abusive parent (ableism and bigotry is inherently abusive) is already setting fire to the bridge, and MURDERING TWO PEOPLE? The two highranks of Rippleclan, no less?

The first deputy, Weedfoot? A legendary cat who was a short ways away from retiring? A mother to many, a grandmother to even more? Yeah, she suffered a gore-filled death because of Estherfern.

And yeah, Downstar isn't Dead dead, but if she wasn't blessed with extra lives, she'd be buried with Weedfoot.

TLDR: rest in pieces Estherfern, you've fucked up BAD, and super lucky that you aren't being executed.

I love seeing your responses, you put so much thought into them! My plans for Estherfern aren’t exactly what you’re thinking though. She’s not the focus of that vote.

Because as of Moon 75, Honeybuzz isn’t telling anyone what she did.

It’s similar to the Rapidleaf situation. Right now, Honeybuzz sees no good coming from exposing Estherfern’s mistakes. It takes effort to quiet the apprentices, but a promise of revealing information later has placated them for now. A lot of it comes from what Honeybuzz overheard during Estherfern’s conversation with the Herald (the thing Estherfern summoned). While Estherfern did summon the creature that killed Weedfoot and Downstar, it was far from her intention. She didn’t even realize the connection until the Herald pointed it out to her. She also flat out refused to kill anyone else, wanting her children to love her, not hate her.

Yes, Estherfern was cocky. She thought herself above the others in skill. She thought StarClan and the DF were just afterlives with empowered cats residing there, as nuanced as any other cat. But I wanted to symbolize her realization of these mistakes by having her destroy the summoning den. She is smothering those poor intentions, those mistakes, that selfishness and superior attitude. And Honeybuzz wants to give her a chance.

I’m very happy with the depiction of her ableism. Estherfern has good intentions, fearing for the future and success of her kits if they lack the same strengths as the rest of society, but again, her own self-centered nature made her blind to the supportive community she joined, alongside the ways her kits were working against that. The bridge is burnt, but I wanted to show with the Harvest Moon scene that Estherfern is bringing in new wood, wood from a healthy tree, rather than the sickly wood of that old bridge. She is meeting her children where they are and accepting their differences.

I hope I finish Estherfern’s big arc well, even if it doesn’t go the way you may expect. Thank you for the love!

[blues824]

So I saw your requests were open. Could you write something for a reader who believes humans are inherently flawed? Like they think people are born bad and don't change easy, and are easily swayed by selfish things? These ideas came from things that happened to them as they were growing up. (The reader is also human, and fully acknowledges this, and does there best to be nice to set them apart from the rest? Sorta like Rollo's hatred for magic, but toned down a notch.) Thank you if you decide to write this, and have a nice day!

It’s alright, Anon! I chose the Diasomnia crew because I love writing for Sebek and Malleus. @animusicnerd was so kind as to allow me to use her lore post

Gender-neutral reader.

Malleus Draconia

He learned about your belief when you both were on a walk through the night. He doesn’t quite recall what brought up the topic, but he was saddened to hear you say such things. He believes that everyone has flaws, but it’s one’s duty to either embrace them or reject them.

He understands where you’re coming from, since the things that you experienced weren’t the best example of his beliefs. Those humans were people that rejected their own flaws and projected their own insecurities on you. In fact, the faes back in the Briar Valley felt the same way as you do about humans.

However, his dream is to unite the two. If he can get you to see past the flaws that were bestowed upon humankind, then you both can come together (preferably in matrimony) and show everyone that faes and humans can get along. Not just that, but he could get you to see that you could help solve the problems that your people like to create.

Lilia Vanrouge

You told him about how you believed humankind was inherently flawed when you were learning about the war between humans and fae in Briar Valley, and he was helping you since he was a general in the war. Even though he saw the ferocity firsthand, he didn’t particularly agree on your viewpoint, but he saw where you get that ideology.

In the war against humans, he had seen and learned about the reasoning behind them attacking, and he agreed that their reasoning was absolutely horrible. However, their behavior did not set a precedent for other humans. He believed in Malleus’s dream to unite the two and increase the human population and half-fae population for more diversity.

He hopes that he can get you to see that not all humans are bad (for example, you), and that even though you had bad experiences with them that they aren’t the example you should base humanity as a whole off of. He will be patient since trauma doesn’t go as easy as dirt and grime does with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but he will be there every step of the way to your emotional recovery.

Silver

You at first steered clear of him, and that made him chase you (think of that moment in Sleeping Beauty when Phillip sneaks up on Aurora). Your heart is conflicted because Silver has shown nothing but kindness to you, but your mind is telling you that you can’t trust him.

However, if there was any lesson that Lilia drilled into his son, it was to never give up on the people that you love. So, he begged you through letters (this man stayed up with Sebek so that the poet-in-denial could help the sleepy human write letters that could possibly make you swoon).

Silver is one of the few humans that reside in the Briar Valley, and he knows that he has one fatal flaw: his exhaustion. However, since he was chosen to be a knight of Malleus, he had to have the virtue of a knight to enter knighthood. With this reasoning, you grew closer to him. Now, the two of you can be seen in each other’s arms as he naps and you just bask in his company.

Sebek Zigvolt

You also steered clear of him, but you were also conflicted considering Malleus and Lilia gave you a good impression on faes but you had a bad impression of humankind. As the wise Bo Burnham once said, “a half-good-half-bad-half-boy”. 

He learned about your personal philosophy, and he too was conflicted. He also grew insecure of himself, and tried to lower his tone around you to try and give you a better impression. He tried to convince you that he rejected his human side constantly, but it seems as though it got in his way again.

It was through a poem that he wrote to you that contained a line from your favorite book that really got your attention. You realized that he tried to understand you and even tried to change himself for you, and you saw that maybe people can change. So, you went to him one day and placed a kiss on his cheek, which let him know that you returned his feelings.

[autism-alley]

now that the show is over, i’m slowly revisiting things that are less fundamentally dysfunctional and more symptoms of the overall problems. one of those is hephaestus. the way his disability is so… reduced is. almost incredible. like, they started off on the right foot casting a disabled man, i appreciate that, but the way they utilize hephaestus’ disability, or rather don’t, leaves a lot of room to be desired.

first off, allow me to be annoying by saying he is not there in the book—but i don’t think the decision to add him is inherently a poor choice. it could work.

in the lightning thief, the way the kids get out of his trap is through annabeth’s intelligence in an action-packed scene. in the show, i was alright with the fact they changed the trap—foolishly assuming they were going to actually make something different of equal craftsmanship—but the end result is one of many instances of sacrifice way too early in the series, and an utterly underwhelming solution to that sacrifice—annabeth literally just asks hephaestus to free percy and. he does? i thought she was going to figure out how to reverse the throne’s trap; while she’s not a child of hephaestus, you’d think a child of athena with a passion for architecture would have some understanding of mechanics. it would have been different from the book, maybe not the best approach, but still emotionally satisfying. but alright, we’re… making an emotional appeal to hephaestus. putting aside my feelings about her rant of what exactly it is that makes percy different and worth freeing, why is the show’s hephaestus… so generally underwhelming?

my man was tossed from the fucking heavens by a parent—in pjo it’s hera—they could have visually used that to show hephaestus, like annabeth, does not want to repeat his mother’s cold and selfish ways. but he’s just. alright, first just look at these two guys.

before we get to the meat and potatoes, tell me which of these two guys look like they’ve spent a millennia in a workshop? the guy covered in grease and sweat, dressed in a stain-littered apron, tool belt at his side, muscle built for lifting heavy parts and swinging a hammer century after century? or the man with a neatly brushed, trimmed, washed beard and head of hair, clean hands, remarkably unstained sweater and flannel, crisp, new overalls, and academic-looking glasses? which looks to you like the embodiment of blacksmiths and the flame of the forge? yeah. but that can all be lumped in with my other wardrobe complains of the show, now we get to the section of this post where i would like to tread lightly.

i want to start by saying not all disability is visual, or even overtly visual, but hephaestus’ is and that visual is important to his character and the story. as a disabled person, i love that they cast a disabled actor, but based on how it was handled in the show, i had no idea this man was disabled. i thought he was an able bodied actor, and i am so sorry i came to that conclusion, but i really see no other one i could have come to based purely on what was in the show itself. i had to google who timothy omundson is to know he’s disabled and with what disability (he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his left side in 2017 and has been in recovery ever since—godspeed my man, i hope it helps where it can). i am so glad it was a disabled actor and not an able bodied one, but he’s still not hephaestus. while obviously no mortal has fallen from the heavens, i think they could have made it work, but a man who’s had a stroke and a man who’s had his body crushed are not the same. i am not here to belittle this man’s experiences or say one is more severe, i am saying they are different, and not interchangeable.

regardless, a disability that is visual is no less than one that is invisible and timothy omundson’s paralysis is visual, but it was hidden. it was NOT clear to the audience timothy omundson is paralyzed, or that he is disabled at all. the gods can appear however they choose, but it’s a point that hephaestus generally does not, or his disability is implied to be such a hindrance on him, no matter how he chooses to appear, he cannot escape his disability, how glaringly visible it is. his body itself is a story of how the gods betray each other, how they literally eat each other alive and are so hypocritical about it. think of how impactful the visual of hephaestus is—has a parent ever rejected your existence so violently, your divine body is broken and disfigured for all eternity? it is a brutal establishment of the godly norm as ruthless, cruel, and petty abuse. and the show, for all its talk of how the gods are awful, just did not highlight his disability and its origins it at all.

again, i think including hephaestus in this scene could have worked, but not how the show went about it. imagine. annabeth, desperately fiddling with the throne’s inner workings, makes her emotional appeal to hephaestus. he’s partly obscured by shadow as he stands, watching from afar on the balcony, but we see a gnarled hand grasp the railing. annabeth, still pulling back the machine’s inner workings, tearfully describes how her mother punished her for embarrassing her. as she does, we receive a few close up shots of hephaestus, still leaving him mostly in the dark, but providing peeks at his disfigurements, and a hesitant but pained look in his eyes tells us he is reliving painful memories—a conflicted bead of sweat runs down the side of his face. it wouldn’t cost any more run time to use these shots while annabeth makes her plea to him, and the disability is in the spotlight, the parallel between athena/hera and annabeth/hephaestus is clear as a younger, more hopeful version of this emotionally broken man begs him to help her be different than both their mothers.

free my friend, she says. and for a moment, he just shakes. he opens his mouth, and annabeth—and the audience—lean forward to hear his reply. but then his face crumples with regret and resentment. he is still apart of the same wheel that crushes everyone in their path—if he, a god, could not escape, why would a demigod? why should a demigod?

no, the god of the hammer tells annabeth, you cannot escape.

annabeth, in her hubris, replies, maybe you can’t—and we cut to her hands, tearing away a gear to reveal a switch—realization flashes across her face, and she grasps the trap’s mechanical release. percy is free, and hephaestus, in his misplaced anger, unleashes more of his creations (mechanical spiders!!) after them, mirroring the book as the kids use quick-thinking to escape waterland.

it’s not perfect, but that would work. instead, they finally show a god rather than just talking about them and it’s so underwhelming. and yes, this hephaestus carries a cane, clearly the potential to show front his disability was there, but you cannot throw me table scraps and tell me my frustration at not receiving the feast i was promised is unfounded. it’s laughable. most of the time it’s on screen it’s not in use and there isn’t even reference in the show as to why he carries a cane. casual viewers unfamiliar with the books or greek mythology might mistakenly assume this is just how this god chose to present himself and he doesn’t need this cane, and not that disability is at the core of who this divine figure is. it is NOT clear to the audience this is a disabled character played by a disabled actor. it is, indefensibly, a watered down depiction. what in the book needed to be ‘fixed’ with hephaestus—? this is a disabled god, you dare not give him to me in all his disabled complexity? you dare not show him as he is?

one of the most insulting things you can do to a disabled person is reduce our disability and the show has done it to the greek god of disability, with such a cheap payoff. if they did not want to be true to hephaestus, to his actor, they should not have shown him at all, and maybe—i don’t know, stuck to the book whose narrative makes sense in this scene?

[mandy4ever69420]

you've said before about how Frank's addiction is not a moral failure but that doesn't excuse Frank cause being an addict isn't his only trait. in that same line, I would love to read your opinion on Monica, considering that other than being an addict she's bipolar and has never been properly medicated before as said in the show. maybe a character analysis too as the one you did to Sheila?

i have no idea if i can repeat the style of what i had to say about sheila, it took me by surprise that i had all that in me. but i can tell you my opinions on monica. also i don't know all that much about bipolar, just that it's intense and difficult. disclaimer.

i found her really charming. like i definitely wouldn't want to hang out with her at all ever, but she made episodes good invariably

maybe i want to start by saying here that monica doing so poorly by her children isn't necessarily just because of her illness (though, i mean, it didn't help. i don't think there's a way to be that sick around kids that won't screw with their heads) it's to me because she couldn't allow herself to look past her insecurities to take care of them first. i also want to give monica credit for the possibly the saddest and most evocative line in the entire show: "i don't wanna be me anymore"

i guess part of my belief about her is that her approximately level-headed, clear-minded impulse is to leave. sure, she leaves a lot when she's manic and not thinking clearly. but it's more painful to see her leave after escaping a hospital where she was seeking treatment. so it's her belief that she's inherently harmful that causes the harm. this is also something that ian winds up repeating. horribly enough, the insecurities that he's running from are usually to do with being like her.

crucially, also, she wants to be nice! she wants to think she's nice, but she just wants things to be easy more. this is sort of where the fanciful idea comes from that gets people's hopes up when she's around - that if she's feeling good, maybe she can come heap some love on her kids, and everything wrong will just go away. i remember also after she died, seeing all of her little "i love you!" notes and being struck with how much of a kid-like thing that was to do.

so monica's behavior towards her kids was exacerbated by but not due solely to her bipolar. i mean of course, being sick can't MAKE you treat people badly. it can make it easier though

there's a bit of a personal stance of my own in here: though it's an obligation to try to minimize how much you hurt others, it's never an obligation to get sober or seek treatment. part of my stance on bodily autonomy is that people even have the right to do things that are potentially harmful to themselves. if monica had the resources or motivation to manage her symptoms the hard way and minimize how much she hurt others in the process, she'd have as much right to staying unmedicated as bianca did to not trying to treat her cancer.

it does, however, seem she was at some point following some sort of semi-regular treatment in the past. probably never long enough to get past the hurdle of finding a balance that doesn't make you feel god awful (i have spoken to people about how lithium feels if it's not right for you. fucking brutal, apparently) but when frank complains that she's a zombie or ian expresses resistance to taking meds for the rest of his life i think this indicates she was just, occasionally medicated.

monica is also one of the most static characters in the show - in part because she doesn't have that much screen time compared to how much she influences the plot, and in part just because the instability she brings BECOMES its own form of monotony.

WRT: her wanting things to be easy, i think this is something she shares with frank. it's a slightly different form of selfishness but yields similar results. they really are suited to each other and can understand each other in a handful of ways, even if it mostly manifests in a handful of really painful honeymoon phases.

i remember fiona complained that lip was her "favorite" in season one, and maybe (maybe) it was true pre-series, i think it's more likely that this complaint says more about fiona than monica. that fiona might not see that monica has such favoritism for ian, because to me it seems like fiona shares the same soft spot for ian. it's perfectly well possible that monica's fondness for ian became MUCH stronger when she learned he was gay - because she could pretend he was just like her, so she could sort of play around with the idea of a new version of herself

i also think complaining that lip was monica's favorite was, more than anything, an early parallel between frank and lip. so monica's "favorite" is really none of her kids, no matter how much she loves them, but in fact just her frank, or herself again, when she realizes she can project onto ian.

there are a lot of these, and again, this isn't just about lip's alcoholism. lip has a lot of school-style smarts and is the only one of their children to go to college - we learn later that frank was in and dropped out of college. lip also gets more credit than debbie or liam for being academically successful, because he's a white boy with those traits, like frank. also, lip and frank's chase scenes fit together well. one of the bigger differences between lip and ian is that ian is much more likely to stand his ground for a fight than lip is. there's a vague argument to be made for this being a monica trait (having something in common with a shitty parent doesn't have to be a bad thing!) - she does insist frank apologizes, or she does kick him out of the car when he really pisses her off. also, though, it could just be an ian thing.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

fiona sees a lot of monica and frank throwing aside the well being of their kids to play in their fantasy perfect romance before things fall apart. instead of concluding that peoples kids should be their first priorities, she just concluded that when she was someone's girlfriend she was going to be their first priority. this is kind of what i think bit her in the ass with sean. i understand why she was upset at the wedding but taking offense at sean putting his kid first isn't fair.

jimmysteve, btw, is probably the only love interest who was enough of an asshole in the right way to work with fiona. also! the only kids he prioritized over fiona were her younger siblings. this pissed her off but it was in a context she could appreciate. i'll never get over how stupid of a choice it was to retcon his death. so unsatisfying.

i've seen a lot of really weird debate online about frank and monica's whole deal - like because monica, when she's upset with frank, loves to throw in his face that "he almost destroyed her", and then oddly there's the occasional claim that "monica ruined frank". IMO they're very evenly matched. they have a lot of really similar impulses, and are both some of the most wildly unreliable narrators out there. you can't get the full story, because it doesn't exist objectively.

like monica, also, the most difficult to watch parts of frank's character are the parts where he's kind. you can see so clearly that things didn't have to be this way! he's perfectly capable of extending kindness to people while he's drunk, in the same way monica is capable of care while unmedicated. it's a handful of choices, not an illness or innate state of being that make them act the ways they do.

1 thing shameless does really well is giving me things that make me extremely uncomfortable in parallels that i later decide i adore. the frank/monica to mickey/ian comparison might be at the very top of that list. i just love comparing how well suited both these couples are to one another, how desperate ian is not to be like that because he is so intimately familiar with the pain caused by the fallout of something that intense, the ways that ian and mickey manage to sidestep the things that really made frank/monica so bad for each other.

best comparison here is probably, sorry if this has been said before/better, just watching frank break monica out of the hospital whether she wants it or not VS watching mickey try to get himself locked up just so ian wouldn't be alone in there. monica drives away at the end and she's still alone, ian comes home after his hospitalization and doesn't have to be. this is also just one of those parallels that is so much better viewing the show as a whole and not serialized. my deepest condolences to anyone watching seasons 5-8 live

anyway, all my love to shameless for their horrible complicated fucked up mothers whose children are fully permitted horrible complicated fucked up feelings about. hate her if you want, she's in you, and that's a good thing.

[alicewritingstories]

Febuwhump Day 14: Bloodstained tiles

CW: Blood, injury, aftermath of battle, underage whumpee (Wind)

AO3

---

Warriors had always had a routine of counting after a battle. Counting keeps taken and held. Counting enemy leaders slain or captured. Counting casualties. Those could all be done through reports, but there was one thing he had to count for himself: how many of his closest friends had survived.

It was selfish and didn't help the resentful looks he could always feel on his back, but he had to know for himself.

There was Wild helping to scour the battlefield for useful materials. One. Twilight and Sky helping the medics with triage. Two and three. Time talking to Impa and Zelda. He should be with them, but he waved a greeting and kept walking and counting. Four, five, six. He'd join them when his count was ten or when he was sure it wouldn't be. Four directing a group of men as they moved some rubble. Seven. Legend and Hyrule sitting on a fallen wall, Legend bandaging Hyrule's arm. They both waved and Hyrule gave a reassuring thumbs-up, so Warriors gave one of his own and kept going. Eight and Nine.

As he criss-crossed the battlefield, he couldn't find Wind. When he saw the others again, he asked them, but none of them had seen him either and the search spread as best it could.

Warriors tried to be clear: he wasn't saying Wind's safety should be prioritized. He wasn't saying that small shoulders he'd slung his scarf over in camp and bright eyes that shone with admiration at his stories were inherently worth more than any of his men who had families who loved them. But in his heart he knew that there was a lot of loss he could bear more easily than a gap by the Chain's campfire. Especially if that gap came from the death of Wind, who was so much too young.

There was one place he hadn't looked yet. They'd not needed to call on the nearby Great Fairy for this battle. Her spring lay dark and dormant a little way away and Wind wouldn't even necessarily have known what it was; there hadn't been much time for sightseeing before the Chain was caught up in combat. In fact, he didn't think he'd even pointed it out to any of them.

All the more reason to check it himself.

He hardly dared to hope as he hurried over to the hidden spring and ducked through the entrance. He didn't much like coming to these places and only came when he had to, but this definitely fell into that category.

It was lit by a dim glow that seemed to come from the walls and ceiling themselves. The light was just bright enough for him to see something dark smeared on the tiled floor. He gasped and rushed forward, following the stains down the dark corridor.

In the doorway, there was a much larger puddle. He looked at it for a moment with his heart in his mouth, then followed a smeared trail with his eyes. It led towards the pool at the far end of the room.

He swallowed hard and followed, eyes on the shimmering, ever-moving water, looking for any stain.

Any sign of someone lying at the bottom of the pool.

That had been a lot of blood, especially considering Wind's size. If he'd fallen in…

"Hey, Wars…"

He'd been so focussed on looking for a body under the surface that he'd not even noticed the figure propped up against the side and when Wind's voice broke the silence Warriors startled, his hand going to his sword. Only then did he see the half-shadowed face just under the lip of the pool. Wind was almost entirely submerged, but he was sitting up, smiling weakly.

"Wind!" Warriors dropped to his knees by the side of the pool. "Are you OK? We're searching all over for you!"

"Better than I was…" His voice was weak and hoarse. "I remembered about fairy fountain water having healing powers. I made it to the door and then fairies dragged me the rest of the way." He grinned. "Your fairies are incredible."

Warriors grinned back through the tears in his eyes. "They certainly are."

[mangoisms]

Im just soso obsessed with figuring out tim as a character rn i cant stop thinking abt it (ive always been a jason todd girlie but i read ur fic and that angsty twink latched onto me and refuses to let go)

I think u have a pretty good hold of him, especially bc in present comics writers are so intent on elevating tim in spite of other characters (barbara and her hacking skills for example, or any comparison made btw him and any robin, really) that most portrayals of him are so boring it makes me cry, while you on the other hand took the approach to write about his flaws (which are MANY) while still making him charming and handsome (he is so... !!!!)

To me flaws are also tied to not only the good traits of characters but also their core beliefs and ideals so what can you say abt tim?

I know he can be stupidly arrogant and patronizing at times, that he's always idolized the position and legacy of robin and constantly fights his insecurities with this role and his abilities for the job, that he can also be incredibly selfish or outright mean when it comes to being mindful of other people's feelings for the sake of logic (re when he didnt tell tam abt his dad not being actually dead), but at the same time i cant figure out exactly what he wants to do with his role as robin (or red robin) or why he would want to keep going when his main goals first were just making sure bruce wouldnt go down a dark path, im pretty sure he mentioned not being a vigilante forever but his actual goals remain unclear to me

(Im in the midst of reading his solo robin run but ive read red robin so give me a little room for this, you are definitely free to talk abt more of his comics bc i havent read everything yet and everything im saying should be taken with a grain of salt, video essays and the issues ive read can only get me so far)

He could have gained an inherent desire to help people after all his time as robin and the so fucked up shit that happened to him, maybe as a ways to channel his grief (much like dick and jason and bruce, im thinking abt identity crisis here) after he isnt "needed" as robin anymore, but at the same time that would be so tragic because he was supposed to be different to them, he was supposed to remark the importance of robin's role in helping be "batman's light" and not becoming like batman himself, its just so interesting and im still trying to really understand the extent of his character so id just. Love to get ur thoughts and musings on what fuels tim as a character and how you see him

(I dont have this problem with jason bc his moral conflict is very crystal clear to me and also so freaking juicy, his actions are logical and so understable, granted he also hasnt had as much screentime as tim and i can see when writers just Dont Get Him, misunderstanding the original intent of his character coming back etc etc etc, tim has grown and evolved throughout his tim as robin so this might factor in too)

Anyways sorry for the long post i hope this is alright !!! Loved ur fic to bits and ur writing is a blessing mwah

okay HI i am not exaggerating when i say that i have been thinking about this ask since you sent it HAHA tim is just a parasite in my brain he won't let go...

that's the funny thing about portrayals of him today... i feel like people want to elevate him as a potential batman or a character closest to bruce in terms of intelligence and detective skills, which isn't true at all, i think (because, exactly, you have babs Right There), and of course, narratively, this is all a good thing (this post covers it well, i think). it's in the same vein of people making tim out as the most dangerous person in the batfam, should he ever chose to go down the path, which i can partially blame red robin (2009) for with this panel....

(and i don't think that's true either. he has the potential to be dangerous just like any of the others but i think the ones to really be scared of are babs, dick, and cass but ANYWAY)

in general, red robin 2009 was a bumpy time for tim with bruce's death and his spiraling, but it seemed to really inform what they were going to do with his character. no more time for the civilian life, committing himself much more thoroughly to The Mission like bruce. which is, if you ask me, a negative progression of his character, which isn't bad, exactly, in terms of storytelling, but it feels like all we get are the 'good parts' now -- the intelligence, the status, the resources, and then we don't get to grapple with the consequences.

there were some in red robin 2009 but it was more tim accepting them and making no move to change his actions, which is fine, but now... idk. but i also don't touch modern comics with a ten foot pole so this could just be. Wrong. but that seems like what's going on. so i feel like that's where people get the idea of him being... idk not the Perfect Robin exactly but. you know?

no no yeah i totally agree!

re (because i want to break this down i'm telling you i have Been Thinking About This): at the same time i cant figure out exactly what he wants to do with his role as robin (or red robin) or why he would want to keep going when his main goals first were just making sure bruce wouldnt go down a dark path, im pretty sure he mentioned not being a vigilante forever but his actual goals remain unclear to me

exactly this. he did say that and i've reblogged this at some point i think, showing a panel from robin 1993 where he mentioned he wouldn't be a vigilante forever, then paralleled with that panel i put in earlier from red robin 2009. (there's this post, which touches on another thing about tim trying to set himself apart as having friends and thus not being bruce LOL which is another topic entirely)

i think that was what red robin 2009 was - a negative progression of his character, one that, again, we never really grapple with, especially as dc shoves robin back onto him now.

his motivations are an interesting thing to me, because he did start out coincidentally, saying batman needed a robin but he didn't assume he'd be that robin, it just kind of happened because he was there (well much more went into it but you know?).

but aside from that, i've never gotten the impression tim really does it for people. i mean batman in general has been about the detective work but i think towards the 80s/90s/00s there was a shift to focusing on the people but tim has never really struck me as a hero of the people. he's more about fighting crime than he is about helping people. i think it is partially informed by the genre - re detective comics, etc - but still. he's not like, say, peter parker/spider-man, who is a hero of the people, of the working class. the people are inherent to him as spider-man. tim does it out of duty and responsibility i think, being the light to batman's dark, of course, but he's also very much a teenage boy about being robin - the cool factor, pointedly mentioning he wants to let off steam by knocking around 'criminals' that kind of thing

which doesn't mean he's unfit for it but he operates in an odd grey area as far as his motivation goes, which i think is where we get red robin? he was defined by being robin and he did his job, then he got the boot. so it is very much an identity crisis but we're seeing that negative change as he changes for the worse, for something darker. i mean, yes, red robin 2009 was again bumpy because he was at a very low point in his life but in general, that run was dark for him.

editorial wise, we'd never get to see what they made of it because they did the reboot and started new-52 a few years after. but whether he'd continue being red robin/going down this path, or if he'd shed the identity and go for something lighter... it's hard to say.

i kind of like the thought that he'd change his identity and try to take a lighter approach, try to pull himself from bruce's influence, though with how it's all set it up, it seems fated that he'd end up there. there was red robin 2009, but then there was his sixteenth birthday incident (which sounds bad here and i'd read this before reading it myself but god when i read it it pissed me off so bad... really what turned me off bruce as a 'good' father figure, i can't lie). he ultimately ends up going back and becoming robin and this is the turning point for him where he agrees to enter this mindset that bruce wants him to be in. (this post talks mainly about timsteph but it is also a point to the end about the shift in his character and how that affected his relationships as well)

i mean i know red robin 2009 is marked by the grief of bruce's 'death' and a bunch of other Very Bad Shit but even when we got past that and he had his little 'Let me let in the people who love me because i am Not batman' he then proceeded to go a little surveillance crazy and make a hit list (something like that, it's been a while..) but. yeah.

ultimately, at the core of his character, i think he is good and compassionate and kind, so, even aside from all that (like the birthday incident), i think he would've made his way there eventually. it could maybe be why we see him returning to robin, if we wanted to try and pretend dc making him be robin is a completely normal and logical decision that they actually thought through. like a way to return to the bases and feel it out from there. though i still think they could've just. idk. given him a BREAK from vigilantism to figure it out. i'm a big proponent of civilians and their place amongst vigilantes and superheroes and i feel like tim's due a break, which is why i put that stuff in my fics. i do want to see him step back and try to figure out his life, because at one point, though robin 1993 was arguably defined by the balance between robin and tim drake and had plenty of civilian friends to keep things interesting, we don't see much as far as what he wants to do. which i suppose could be part of his relatability factor that tim drake, the character, was conceived with

but idk at this point they have to give us something 😭 anyway. this got VERY long i am very sorry.. i don't mind long asks either but i might've overshot my response... alas. i also hope i more or less answered your question??? if not feel free to slide back in here and talk to me! i rambled a bit here and it's like. 3am rn i'm scheduling this to post because i wanted to get it all written Now and. yeah.

thank you SO much very happy to hear you're enjoying everything <333 hope you continue to enjoy :**

[okthatsgreat]

ok the new chapter has been released and i can contain myself no longer. ive been going crazy over miu. i hope you know that. something i have been evercurious about is ur exact thoughts on miu's patterns of self destruction & idolization and devaluation of herself and those around her. what are ur thoughts on that. how do u think she's coping with her situation getting worse, and her isolation from probably some of the first connections she's had (we see this in her & makoto's chapters already but it's always interesting to get psychoanalysis from within a work and from it's creator i think!!)

YEA!! YEEEAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33333333

talking about THIS FIC!

OKAY alright so opddmh miu....... godd. when i was originally planning on what i wanted to do with miu the first thing i thought of was what happened immediately after she woke up. dying because of a failed murder plot would definitely affect a person quite a bit LMFAO. like not only would that make her even more paranoid of the classmates she has been confined alongside with but it would also reasonably knock down her confidence by an absolute ton. suddenly the lack of connections she's made with her classmates is made EXTREMELY clear as she's woken up, and it's difficult to suddenly start trying to be friends with them considering what she attempted to do in the simulator and also the fact that she is scared of the majority of them. there is a reason she ran off on her own, after all. this is a miu who is processing trauma and GUILT of an unimaginable caliber, and who is doing it on her own. i thought it was really important that was highlighted-- at the beginning of this fic, she is alone. so there are very few people to look towards in terms of self adjustment.

but at the same time, she DOES want to change, whether thats out of genuine guilt, or shame that her behaviour was televised nationwide. its why she has unconsciously started to look for some sort of moral compass. ive made a few references to her having conversations with kaede (all of these conversations seem to involve kaede telling miu off/telling miu she needs to be better) that have already shaped a lot of mius mindset-- i wanted there to be some sort of showcase of miu attempting to look for some sort of role model even if she doesn't know it/admit it. kaede is somebody she sees as a "good person", so her opinion inherently matters a lot more to her than the opinion of somebody she thinks isn't "good". after she runs off, this mentality shifts to the first person who is able to prove themselves as an upstanding citizen: makoto. miu doesnt fully TRUST him just yet, but she knows that he is a good person based on his actions and also what other people (byakuya) have told her. its not only paranoia about her safety that leads her to ask byakuya all of those questions about makoto, its also a way to gauge just the type of person makoto is.

its also another reason why she compares herself to makoto during her conversations with byakuya. mius confidence has taken a huge beating after the killing game, and i wanted her insecurities about that to be shown throughout her stay at makotos. she doesnt think she DESERVES to be there. miu is still a selfish and self-preserving person, so she is going to grab for any opportunity she can to keep herself safe (she only went with makoto because he had convinced her it would be safer than the smile motel, not because she could trust him). but this doesn't mean she doesn't second guess makotos intentions or her own self worth. miu has this crippling inability to form bonds because she just can not trust that people arent going to leave her lol. she tries to pay makoto back any way she can so that he sees value in her that she can not see in herself, ESPECIALLY now that she is no longer the "genius inventor" that danganronpa made her out to be. miu as a character has always had insecurities about the validities of her own talent and self worth, but now that its been proven fake, she finds it incredibly hard to believe that she brings any sort of value into the naegi household. which, in her mind, makes it so much easier for makoto to want to kick her out. it's this paranoid mess of needing to be safe and wanting to prove herself. she can't believe somebody would want to help her out if shes done nothing for them, because she herself would hardly think to do that if it meant endangering her own life, so it becomes this desperate need to keep herself in line. she wants to be a good person but she can't stand the thought of being hurt again, and a lot of her internal conflict is about the guilt that comes along with that.

anyways tldr miu iruma in opddmh is alone, frightened, and paranoid, and her actions in the simulator have caused her to unconsciously reach for a moral compass to idolise. she wants to be a good person but she also desperately wants to stay safe, because in her eyes it is difficult to imagine a future where these people dont choose to leave her 😃👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

IM SORRY IF THIS DOESNT MAKE SENSE I JUST SORTA VOMITED WORDS LOL!!! <3

[jinxcursed]

HC + her thoughts on being a symbol.

send me  ‘ hc ‘  + a word and i’ll write a headcanon about it | Still Accepting!

Ah ok! The second you sent me this I was so excited about it I have had a lot of thoughts abt this since the trailers were released! I am also ngl I am just gonna full send brain thought all of this so it might be a little incoherent but I will clean it up soon!

Inherently there is one thing that is clear about Jinx, and it is her feeling of being a curse and literally a jinx with her existence. It is even emphasized the first few episodes of this season of the show. She told Isha she was a curse. Jinx herself can not process being a hero. Despite what the people think to her what she did wasn't anything special. It was a plan , they all hate topside, they have all been done dirty and while what she did was acting highly on her emotions they all wanted to do it so why was she so special? If she was Zaun's hero or symbol she would just ruin it anyway right? Just like she ruined things with Silco, with Vi, with Vander and the others.

Being a symbol is not something she ever cared about. It's clear when she is walking through the streets. This is a result of what is happening with the Chembarons and put a huge target on her back and she just did NOT care. That is until she met Isha. At that point it was finally the connection she needed in her life to help establish some sort of stability, and a routine. It's really clear even in the song used when she meets Isha she has completely let go of allowing herself to exist and feel anything. She is literally dead inside. She killed Silco and now totally destroyed the structure of Zaun, which arguably is a good and bad thing.

It isn't until Sevika stresses she can be the force they need to get help and more importantly that ISHA is gone that she's like. Ok, I can go play hero. She genuinely does not care that she is a symbol. Aside from blowing up the council herself, every action done to make her this symbol is Isha. All Jinx wanted was to take care of her, and finally live without the struggles she felt. She didn't feel as heavy. And the only reason she helped Sevika is because Isha made her feel like she could finally FIX things again not destroy them.

Zaun in her eyes doesn't need a hero, it just needs to get rid of everything. And she is gonna ruin all of that because of who she is. And then everything resets at the end of episode 6. She's once again played the big fat hero, which she also tried to do as Powder and it took away everything she really cared about aside from of course, Vi. And now because she embraced being that hero again, just like she tried to as a kid, it triggered her to be a jinx.

On top of that she blames in my eyes the more aggressive nature of the enforcers and Ambessa punishing the people in the lanes and people just trying to live on herself. Again, not helping with the mentality that she is a curse even when she is being hailed as some sort of hero. I do think if she does embrace this hero title in the future it is going to be for selfish reasons, not for the fact that she actually wants to be one. She wants to punish Piltover, she wants to punish the people who took away Isha and Vander and even more so she wants to get revenge for everything they did that pushed her down this path. All she has ever wanted is family and to be cared for as she is without causing issues. Piltover took that from her this time and they are gonna pay the price. She's not a hero she is a jinx and she is going to put that to use to DESTROY them.

She is not a hero or symbol in her eyes, never has been and never will. Even when she did take on Vi & Caitlyn it was never to be a hero, or save Zaun she literally just wanted to get rid of her own problems. And she is very VERY aware of that and leverages it how she can. I think she knows people just needed hope with everything going on but knowing what being herself brings, and knowing she could ruin everyone's lives she didn't care or want to be that.

[lenaellsi]

Thanks for this comment! To be clear, I think your read on Crowley is one that I agree with, and a refreshing change from some of the takes I've seen, which tend to have him as a selfish runner who is only concerned with himself and Aziraphale. I really appreciate that.

But I do want to push back just a little, just because this is a good springboard for a conversation that I'd really like to have about Aziraphale's choice, and why I read it as a significant character moment for him rather than a mutual mistake between him and Crowley. (Again, I am not trying to be hostile at all--just providing my perspective, since I think I see Aziraphale's choice a bit differently.)

What gets me about the "they are both wrong" thing is that--yes, it's true, in a sense. Long term, trying to outwit all of Heaven and Hell is not a viable plan. Neither, as you said, is trying to reform an institution that was built from the ground up specifically for the purpose of eventually destroying humanity. Neither Crowley nor Aziraphale has figured out what to do, and it's hard to blame them. It's an impossible game, with literal God as a player, and She's not on anyone's team but Her own.

But Aziraphale's main mistake, for me, is not just that he wants to go back to Heaven to try to fix it. His solution isn't just institutional reform of a corrupt group; his solution is institutional reform for the group that he believes to be inherently superior.

If the offer to make changes from the top (bottom?) had come from Hell, Aziraphale would not have taken it. He says that outright. And that, along with the "bad guys" line, means that he has two entirely different lessons to learn here--first, the practical reality of the system he is trying to change, and second, the moral reality of the world. Crowley has learned one of these lessons already. He had to; his entire existence disproves the moral reality Aziraphale still believes in.

Classifying this argument as either a miscommunication (which, to be clear, the above reply did not do; I'm just mentioning it as a common interpretation) or as a "both sides" problem discounts that Aziraphale genuinely believes that Hell is made up of "the bad guys." I won't discuss whether Aziraphale thinks this of Crowley himself here, because that's not the point. (TL;DR, I don't think he does--but that comes from Aziraphale's long history of rationalizing Crowley by any means necessary.) But it is still a really, really vital misconception, and it's the driving force of his decision beyond his desire to help humanity.

Really, all of season 2, from the flashbacks to the setup with Gabriel, was written to show us that Aziraphale's decision was based on both his best and worst traits. He is incredibly loving and compassionate and hopeful, yes, but he is also flawed. We saw that this season in his desire to control and change people in ways that better suit his view of the world and his ongoing issue with black and white thinking.

And let me be clear: Aziraphale loves the world. He loves Crowley. He wants so badly to do right by people. I would never, and could never, doubt that, especially after this season. But between Edinburgh, the ball, and the dialogue in the final fifteen, it's very clear that Aziraphale is still unpacking a lot of things that Crowley has already learned.

And that's why the--if you'll excuse the term--demonization of Crowley in certain spaces sits so badly with me. I've written myself on Crowley's missteps in the final fifteen. His temper and his tendency to try to out-clever everyone around him absolutely made their fight worse, and I think it definitely contributed to Aziraphale's insecurities and the way the Metatron manipulated those insecurities. But the core issue of Good and Evil--or the lack thereof--has always been Aziraphale's journey, not Crowley's.

And that's great! Aziraphale will probably have an incredible moment in S3 when he finally breaks from Heaven. I'm looking forward to it. I just want to acknowledge that this was a low point for him, specifically. They have both failed to think of a solution to the comically terrifying scenario of "what if God really was out to get you," but Aziraphale is still living in a world where demons are inherently bad, and Heaven is inherently good, and any problems with that system are just an issue of management. And that's just a different magnitude of mistake than a policy disagreement, in my opinion.

Crowley did not speak out against the Flood and show kindness to the Son of God and risk Satan's wrath to save Job's children and endure decades in Hell for Elspeth and lead a terrified group of humans to safety through a pack of demons and propose stopping the apocalypse for people to say that Aziraphale is the only one of the two of them who is trying to protect humanity. tbh

[worldismyne]

Finn Analysis

I've been wanting to do this for a while sooo, here we go. Strap in folks, this'll be a dusey.

When it comes to interpreting WU characters; I try to take the formspring, doodles, asks, AND the official comic into consideration. Particularly when it comes to authorial intent.

I'm also well aware this is a comedic comic. There's only so serious you're supposed to take these characters. I mean, you look at any character that's supposed to be the butt of the joke (ex: Barney HIMYM) their flaws are over the top so there's catharsis in them having bad things happen to them. We're supposed to be laughing at their antics, not empathizing with them.

That said...

I'm calling death of the author on one of Finn's 'defining' characteristics that's brought up in asks and such. Which is that Finn is unempathetic.

Empathy is the ability to understand other people's feelings. And, yeah he's selfish and unsympathetic about a lot of things. But that's not the same thing. (You can be a dark empath: empathy isn't inherently good :/)

I say this mostly because Finn does good things all the time without taking credit for it. And it's usually a call to action inspired by the emotions of others.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Character Arc so far (Guilty until proven Innocent)

Finn, by design, was just a fancy lad. He was just full of so much hope...

Through a series of one-off gags we find out that he's so freaking happy to have someone listen to him. He's the son of the town's evil witch, having survived attacks from magical creatures and is used to people leaving him.

Harv's a huge jerk in these early issues (sorry buddy) but Finn hangs around him anyway. Because as mean and standoffish as Harv is, this is the closest thing he's had to a friend. Ever.

I mean the guys in his class bully the heck out of him in early issues. But, it's better than being at home alone for the rest of his life so...

Yeah, as soon as he figures out warrior school isn't going to be the answer to all his problems, Finn starts getting jaded and his nastier personality traits start bubbling to the surface. This is a kid who's used to fending for himself, and everyone here has made it clear that they don't like him, they tolerate him.

We get to Harv the Second.

Finn finally gets sick of getting pushed away and goes looking for someone else to wants to hang out with him and...

He does.

Hevvin, as far as we know, is the first person other than Finn's mother that's volunteered to hang out with him. He takes the bait instantly and doesn't question for a second why this person was so willing to follow him around all day. But even that pales in comparison for him to this...

Harv came looking for him.

The kid he's been going to class with and trying to be friends with, actually has shown an interest in what Finn's up to. And Finn, Finn has no idea to handle this. He doubles down on what got Harv following him (making him jealous) and is super confused why doing the same thing twice got two different responses. (tbh I think Finn still hasn't figured out that making people jealous doesn't give him what he wants from them.)

Harv follow's Finn's lead in the confrontation with Hevvin and finally agrees to hang out with Finn outside of class. And after this Finn starts viewing Harv as an actual friend. Heck, the page immediately after this issue, Finn calls Harv a hero.

And Finn gets fixated on this idea of finally having a mutual friendship. He goes from not being able to say what he knows about Harv to literally watching his day-to-day through a crystal ball. It's an over correction to say the least.

Then we come to "There's a Damsel in this Dress" where we see just how profoundly his mother's reputation has affected his ability to make friends in the past. Everytime he's gone anywhere with his mom, it's ended with her making enemies. He's normalized it so much, he just goes through the motions until Harv's the target.

Well crap, we can't have something happen to Harv, then Finn's going to have no one again. And his mom doesn't seem to care about that.

Literally this whole issue, Finn's trying to help Harv break the illusion spell and stay alive without further angering his mom. He succeeds in getting Leenan to let Harv go and nurses him back to health (off screen).

But their relationship is very transactional still. This is about getting through school alive and with good grades. They're allies, but Finn's really happy to at least have that.

And we start to understand why he values this when we're introduced to Darren and Shiel. No one in the palace is on his side. Finn wants these nobles to like him, so badly, but nothing he does works and it devolves into them fighting. Granted Finn thinks it's like, a competitive kind of fighting, not...

Not Darren trying to kill him.

The Tournament is the second time Finn's let his guard down around someone he's trusted and they've turned around and tried to stab him. The deadly kind of stabbing. Even though all Finn's done at this point is just been kind of mouthy and annoying. It's hugely disproportionate to what Finn's done and he's painfully aware of this. But there's nothing he can do about the whole 'sins of the father' issue that's followed him around everywhere he goes.

And to put icing on the cake, Monster Hunt happens and the entire town tries to burn him at the stake. No one tries to stop this. Harv is still trying to make excuses for Hevvin, so Finn sends him off to find the 'truth'. Even Emet and Rhodri, kids he thought he was on good terms with don't make a public show of trying to help him, they just watch as Hevvin goes to light the fire.

It's freaking traumatizing. Caliburry's going to watch him burn, even though he's never met half of these people.

But Harv comes back. Harv puts his life on the line, not just facing off against Hevvin, but facing off against the town. This could get Harv killed. It could ruin his future of becoming a warrior, but he does it anyway.

And for the first time, Finn takes responsibility for putting Harv in danger. There's no excuses, or blame shifting; just a sobering realization that Finn almost got his only friend killed by his own selfishness.

And I think this is key, because after Monster Hunt we see another dramatic shift in Finn's characterization.

Gift giving. Lots of it. With 0 expectation of something in return.

He's tried several time to buy clothes for Harv, but this is the first time he's picked out something because he thought Harv would like it.

Doing things Harv would want to do even though it's BORING.

Giving him huge bills worth of food he can't afford.

Now where have I heard that before...

I'm not saying this from a shipping perspective, I'm saying this from a personality type perspective. We're at the point that Finn feels comfortable enough with another person to try to be genuinely kind to them and show them he cares about him.

This guy, is giving things.

Unfortunately, his epiphany happens alongside Harv's own internal issues. And Harv's reaction is to put up a WALL. He's honestly starting to act like how they did when they first met. Y'know, when Harv tried to leave at the soonest opportunity? Even though Finn is trying his hardest not to be selfish.

And that... that seems to be poking at a well established (and at this point valid) fear that trusting someone is going to lead to bad things happening to Finn.

Which let's just circle back around "The Sleepover" which happens smack dab in the middle of all this, because it's contributing to what's brewing. This issue happens after Darren threatened to kill him and his near burning at the stake, which Darren was there for.

And he still tried to be nice to this guy that's holding him hostage. He tries his level best to smooth this over past grievences and give Darren the benefit of the doubt that if he's just nice enough; maybe, just maybe, it will be enough for Darren to see him as something other than the role Caliburry keeps trying to force him into. He doesn't want to be 'the bad guy'.

It isn't until Darren breaks his favorite harp that Finn snaps and scares the shit out of Darren. And this, dear readers, is why I say Finn 100% doesn't lack empathy.

He knows exactly what Darren's feelings are, he empathizes with Darren's feeling of injustice and knows his worst fears. And for all their fighting in the past, Finn has deliberately avoided anything that had to do with magic or his mother in front of Darren. He's tried to approach Darren as a fellow noble, not 'the witches son'. It's in this momentary lapse of self-control that Finn turns around and uses this knowledge to hurt someone deliberately. Only to feel like crap afterwards.

Say what you want about Finn being an asshat, he's not trying to hurt people on purpose most of the time. He thinks he's helping people when he points out their flaws or engaging in expected noble behavior.

Fatal Flaws

This is kind of a domino effect. So we're starting at the source.

Under socialized...

Finn's been homeschooled his whole life, and boy does it show. Like, I want y'all to remember, the Warrior 101 class is the first time Finn's tried interacting with kids his own age without his mom in the room. He's just, constantly putting his foot in his mouth, and is really bad at reading people's non-verbal ques.

Literally anytime he does something and gets a negative response from it, it's just full on

He knows no fear.

And when you're left alone a lot, you get into these odd habits that you don't realize are weird until other people call you out on it. Which, Finn's never had anyone in his life allowed to criticize him before. Y'know because his mom would kill them.

And even from a noble's standpoint he's breaking all the rules of 'polite society' by treating tailors and farmers and the like as equal to him. Like, yeah, he thinks he's better than them; but not that they're beneath him or not worth his time. He's still trying to impress a bunch of peasants because their opinions matter to him.

It's just very clear he's basing life expectations off of sonnets and sagas and not life experience. And it constantly bites him in the butt.

Trust Issues...

Throughout the series, Finn starts to realize that the only reason the nobles and townspeople have tolerated his presence is because they're scared of his mom.

At first, he treats everyone he meets as a protentional friend, and half of them tried to kill him once they were alone.

So when someone does finally stick around longer than a few days, he immediately jumps to limit testing. People eventually get sick of him and his mom anyway, so just how far can he push them until they finally give up too?

And like, there's tons of these jokey doodle about just how insecure Finn is in his friendship with Harv. There's just this constant question hovering above him not of 'if' but 'when' someone will leave him again.

Rage TM

I mentioned earlier that Finn tries not to be the bad guy. He is, unfortunately, acutely aware that everyone expects him to be a witch when he grows up. Even his own mother.

And he's desperately tried to prove everyone wrong the whole series, but it puts him in this unique conundrum.

If he lashes out, it will just be proof that he's exactly as bad as they say he is.

So puts up with so much verbal and psychological abuse from people, just to avoid being seen as 'evil' or 'hostile'. Sometimes he retaliates with passive-agression, but that's about it. But it's not working. Nothing's changed, and no matter how hard he works, people still hate him and there's no where he can channel this anger without seeming like a threat.

Except with Hevvin.

See, Hevvin is a mortal threat to him, but he's also not human. For most of the series, no one in town knows who he is, and Finn latches on the chance to full dehumanize this sentient creature and just

freaking

vent all this pent up frustration at a 'deserving' target. A safe target. And it seems like these outburst directly correlate with violations of trust. He's the most adamant about killing Hevvin during Harv the Second and Monster Hunt. Which involves the two-fold punch of

-someone trying to kill Finn for no reason

-someone tricking Finn or otherwise not listening to his side.

Strengths

Mediation...

Finn's constantly trying to salvage bridges his mother burns. Like, it's almost a full-time job. His go-to solution to a problem usually isn't violence, it's negotiation.

He's extremely successful if he's able to bargain something. (Saving Rhodri, The Headmaster's Book, even The Sleepover)

It's the talking part that trips him up, because usually Finn gets ahead of himself or is too honest and- just goofs the whole thing up.

Manipulation...

I mentioned a couple of times that empathy, inherently, isn't good. It's what you do with it that matters. Unfortunately, Finn has the potential to get people to do what he wants through manipulation, he's just usually held back by wanting people to like him.

But when it comes to Darren or Hevvin, it's straight up psychological warfare at points. Finn plays Hevvin like a fiddle quite a bit, because he couldn't give a hoot what Hevvin thinks of him.

Emotional Resilience...

Finn's ego may be fragile, but man does this kid just take an emotional beating and then tries to look at the glass half full. Like, I haven't seen a character get rejected so many times, keep going, and not be completely delusional about it.

He's aware everything's unfair, and that his life is constantly in peril, and he keeps dragging his ass to school anyway. Honestly, I think half of his lack of sympathy toward people is (well last Tuesday someone tried to kill me and I still brush my hair, why can't you?). His frame of reference for what daily-stress is, is so far off from other characters. It's no wonder he's so fiercely defensive of where he draws a line in the sand. There's just only so much you can put up with in one day.

What that results in...

ngl a lot of this is a villain backstory in the making, if Finn isn't able to get himself a friend other than Harv. Oooofff, it'd be either a resentful co-dependent relationship or full on anti-social melt down. Likely involving magic.

Thank goodness there's other bards around the corner.

Finn's interest in music outside of preforming is likely what'll help him be able to connect with other people in a way he feels safe.

[kimwxler]

ted lasso 2.11

I don’t usually do this, but I have a lot of thoughts on tonight’s episode, so I’m gonna write (most of) them out. 

I think this episode did a really great job showing some of the problems inherent in Sam and Rebecca’s relationship without a clear and decisive breaking off. We get to see Sam’s POV when he gets her text. He’s still hoping Rebecca will change her mind (the last text from him saying he misses her) and his face drops when all she says is “Have a great night”. That alone is not great for Sam but also something that can happen after any sort of break-up. 

But then we get Rebecca admitting that she’s fully lost objectivity with Sam, and somehow she thinks it’s a good idea to go to his house and say she wants him to stay even though she can’t promise they’ll get back together. I hate that scene, but I think it’s a promising sign that the issues that pop up when you date your employee/boss will be addressed in the next episode. It was a selfish and irresponsible thing for Rebecca to ask, and I don’t think she was trying to manipulate him--she was genuinely trying to follow her heart/gut and seemed to realize after speaking that this was a bad idea. But it was manipulative. I hope the show makes it clear that an issue along these lines is almost inevitable with this kind of dynamic, even if she hadn’t made that exact move. 

However, I really, really don’t want Sam to actually go, because I would miss him so much on the show. I’m hoping there is somehow a really good reason for him to stay while still putting a permanent end to the Sam/Rebecca relationship. I don’t know what to make of the billionaire but he’s a very fun character. 

Obviously, I’m not happy about Nate’s actions. I think they were awful, but at the same time it’s a really fascinating story to me. This show gets uncomfortable, taking us through his ugly emotions and actions but still forcing you to try to understand his POV. Along with Ted, he’s my favorite character to analyze this season.

Nate and Keeley had such a cute dynamic, and the moment where he tries to kiss her shocked me, but didn’t at the same time. It makes sense that he is so insecure and awkward around women that he would crush on her, as one of the only women that he can interact semi-comfortably with who is always nice to him. He even mentioned how wonderful it would be to be loved by Keeley last season! I felt awful for both of them in that scene, but especially Keeley, because she was really opening up to him and I think happy to have a nice friend. Sometimes it feels like she does a lot of emotional support for people the way Ted does, and it kind of felt like from her POV, she could support Nate in dress shopping but was just having fun commiserating as an equal with a friend. 

I also loved seeing Keeley talk about her mom and get an episode semi-focused on her as an individual as well as Roy/Keeley. I am... very worried for Roy/Keeley, and I honestly think them taking a break or still being in a rough patch is more likely than a proposal (as much as I hate to be typing that). But regardless, I know they’ll be okay in the end. The scene where they opened up to each other during the little break in the photoshoot was phenomenal. 

I’m running out of steam so I’ll be briefer from now on. But I really adored the Ted and Sharon plotline and friendship. I love that he gave her an army man and left without saying goodbye as payback, and that he can be kinda rude but in a way that feels more real and uncensored. I really, really love Sharon and just like with Sam, I can’t lose her so this show better work some magic. 

The ending broke my heart but it makes me laugh that reactions towards Trent Crimm the Independent range from fury to love/relief to concern that even telling Ted that much was wrong. I have no emotional attachment to that man so I’m just scared for Ted and nervous about the fallout. I can picture some of the eventual aftermath (Nate either quitting and going to Rupert or getting fired by a furious Rebecca) but not what Ted will do, exactly. 

Speaking of, clearly Rupert is involved/will get involved/etc. I think there’s a great opportunity to set up conflict for Season 3 while giving Nate, Rebecca, and Ted a lot of great material for the finale and having their storylines all intertwined.

Finally, the Ted and Rebecca scene... yeah, it was in-character to me that Ted wouldn’t get upset about Sam and would just lead Rebecca to make her own decision. Part of me wonders if a romantic confession in Ted’s office in Season 3 is too obvious. But they’re giving us the romance in general, I can tell you that much. I also think "see you next year” is semi-foreshadowing that he might try to quit again next episode, or his coming back will in some way be in question. 

[shimurah]

THE PAST NEVER FORGETS

this chapter outright stated a message this arc and story overall send. the league are results of the hero society's deeds and 290 focuses solemnly on one character.

it starts off, unlike everything we've seen so far, a dabi that we never quite saw. sitting with his head bowed in his head, dabi is bracing for the vulnerability he is to expose. he isn't just exposing his father, he is exposing the very deep of himself. weighting all the possible ways his message will be received, the knowledge that there are many chances of not being belived, of being mocked, attacked, etc. in spite of his worry he doesn't back off and drives into who is dabi and how he come to be this way.

the dabi the public eye is used to is this: the notorious 'terrorist' from the league of villains. he is known - which was intentional on dabi's part. it makes sense that dabi would want attention drawn to himself, he's never been shown as trying to hide who he is not, not really. from the moment we see him, he specifically used language that doesn't even suggest, outright tells, dabi is a name he goes by now. looking at his outfit as well, he was carrying the hair dye remover (?) from that moment. he has been ready for this moment the whole time.

he recorded in advance, planned in-depth not only the way he faces his endeavor but the world as well. there is a critical importance in the way the society will take the message, it's crucial that they believe what he is saying in order to destroy endeavour's career. dabi starts with something they are aware of or suppose of him, that he is not innocent. he states having killed more than 30 innocent people, there would be no point in denying in any sense. 1. a big influence in dabi's killings is endeavour. to ruin endeavour reputation, he first had to create the villain he is now. 2. it's true that he not once tried to mask dabi, actually thrilled for being recognized as THE dabi. his notoriously would make it more than difficult for him to play the act of the innocent victim now, which he never even tried to.

why would dabi go for being a villain, with the knowledge that the chances of him being taken seriously are small? did he acknowledge that even as a favorable type of victim his credibility against endeavor's is lower to the ground? personally, i think he made all of his decisions with a clear eye, all plausibilities being taken & judged through and through. by stepping into the shoes of a villain, the scum of the society, his chances spectacularly lower. but by doing so, he is free to rightfully avenge himself.

greed for power, something that as dabi says can lead men into unimaginable depths. endeavour had willingly chosen, not forced by anybody, to walk that path. taking a wife by force even, using her as a tool to create more tools to satisfy himself. what he would do to achieve this can be summoned into one simple word. anything.

dabi was abused both physically and emotionally. a bad constitution that was in the way of him reaching the place his father wanted. the frustration he every day had to go through, likely blaming himself for it, and adding to the mix the way endeavour would encourage him to push his own limits to achieve something greater than himself. the training was something deeply toxic, you simply don't force a kid through something like that. we have seen how it scarred shoto, someone who unlike dabi, had nothing standing in the way of endeavour's goal.

if dabi was an almost perfect, shoto was THE perfect. there is great pressure on the perfect yes, no denying, but there is great pressure on the almost perfect as well. their trauma is equal, dabi's trauma is just as valid as shoto and vice versa. and while their siblings didn't go through the training, their trauma is just as equal.

dabi lived with the knowledge that the only thing he was "created" for was his father's selfish dream. abused children often wonder the reason their parents brought them into this world, why do they exist besides to suffer. as a child, it is absolutely excepted and understandable to desire parental love. even if dabi hated what endeavour put him through, in his heart he would wish to become what his father wanted in order to achieve his love. did he wonder if making endeavour happy would result in his father changing and coming to love him? did he have to grow up and watch that idea shatter, to be tossed aside as something no longer useful, a broken thing?

such things are not something he could simply let go of, even if he was out of that place. like adults no longer in the abusive, toxic environments, that still carry the effects of the abuse they went through. dabi simply cannot move past it, it is not something one is to be asked or excepted to do.

endeavour, on the other hand, is living the dream. even before becoming the no 1, the perfect heir was on his move to the top. he successfully trained shoto into a promising tool that will eventually fulfill the dream and had to watch himself rise in the position he always wanted. it is easy for him to decide to move on, forget of the past, leave everything where they belong. but the past didn't decide that, the past came back to him. he is forced to now deal with the consequences he avoided and denied.

the past never forgets. even if endeavour tossed dabi aside and let him become a past, and then attempted to leave him altogether in the past.

facing one's consequences, often thrown in arguments against the league but i firmly believe in the difference between the two situations. saying they are the same is false. endeavour & the hero society planted the seeds not willed by anybody but themselves.

the league & dabi were forced into reacting. a hand forced is not the same as a hand willingly pushing said hand. the league is more than encouraged to react back, and while not all of their acts have been agreeable, i still stand by that. the flaw is in hrksh's intentional writing, which i won't be driving into as others discussed it very well.

dabi's goal to kill shoto once shoto reached the age and the top is something you cannot deny to be a response to the abuse. is it alright? no, not by any means. there is a complexity here, into which you can't drive in without remembering you are talking about child abuse victims. abuse responses aren't black and white, good and bad. dabi isn't inherently selfish or evil for thinking that.

dancing together in hell, falling together gathered all types of reactions. does dabi intend to die is the question. after some time of thinking, i dare to think and hope that won't be the case. it's true that dabi is in a bad condition, true that his phrasing is suggestive. but from a narrative, logical view, which i ABSOLUTELY don't claim to be hrksh's style up until now, that would be deeply disappointing and sad. a tragedy that would not serve. it's early to speak but for now i personally choose to believe dabi is going to live to at least completely reach his goal. endeavour is an important piece yesm but he is, still, a piece in dabi's game.

[wandaposting]

Hi :)

Do you remember when did Schaefer claim Wanda was inherently selfish? I remember her saying something like she created the hex out of selfish desires, but it made sense with her traumatic experiences. I think selfishness is a side of Wanda that came up after WandaVision. Before WandaVision, I would never have called her selfish. Misguided, spiteful, angry, aggressive, maybe. But I think this idea of making her so selfish because of her pain is actually a terrible message to people with depression. Maybe depression does make appear self-absorbed, but you know, it is within our right and it’s self-preservation.

sure do!

We have this notion that superheroes are good through and through, and I don’t think they are. Wanda is inherently selfish, and I don’t judge her for that. Given her life, how could she not be? She can be spiteful and cruel and functions on an anger thread. She has no twinge of conscience to lock-up this woman exactly where she doesn’t want to be and how she doesn’t want to be.

also relevant:

My assessment of it is that there has been healing and she has reached a level of acceptance of everything that has transpired with Vision. She has integrated her trauma in a way that has given her peace. However, I also think that she has fully stepped into her power and that she’s feeling very confident and very invincible, which is a little bit dangerous. Her life has been about so much self-doubt and so much denial of all things. Denial about what’s happened to her, but also a denial of her essential power. So, I love it for her that she’s embodying it fully. But we all know the saying, “With great power…”

i think mcu is probably just rolling with the take that while wanda isn't 100% an asshole, she's still a deeply flawed character. i doubt we're going to see her feel bad about how she absolutely deleted a bunch of no name kamar taj wizards more than she feels bad about how she's traumatized the 838 kids.

if i wanted to tell an inspiring story about depression as a follow-up to wandavision, i would not have done what MoM did. but it's clear to me that they reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally do not care about the "message" as much as "what if this or that cool shit happened 🤪"

i don't know. i feel silly for having higher hopes 12 months ago. but now i'm just like, they're not taking this seriously at all haha and will never cater to these sides of fandom until they unilaterally decide to do so, so why should i keep writing rants arguing about how X, Y, Z is problematic and bad when i can shitpost instead?

THAT SAID i'm gonna be eating up all those video essays!!!!!