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armageddon-generation · 8 months ago

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Empire of Death was bad and cemented several fundemental flaws in this season.

I watched this in the theatre, and the contrast between everyone's excitement before Empire, and their universal disappointment leaving the theatre was super disheartening. I'm gonna try to articulate my problems with episode, and how they're linked to fundenental structural issues of this season.

SPOILERS BELOW:

Sutekh

The moment the UNIT characters died the story was robbed of any stakes. (Also? Kate and Ibrahim?? During Pride month?? Disgusting)

Sutekh was pointless, big CGI spectacle who was barely there. Saying he's been latched onto the TARDIS since Pyramids of Mars was such an asspull. Why couldn't he have latched on during Wild Blue Yonder? wouldn't that make much more sense??

You're telling me the guy who holds all life in contempt is invested enough in learning the identity of Ruby's mum he willingly reveals himself??

And then they defeat him by dragging him through the Vortex just like before, which it's been explicitly stated *didn't work* last time? He just *lets* Ruby leash him??

The 'death of death is life' bit, and the idea of the Doctor representing life as a Ying to Sutekh's Yang, is a cool concept just jammed in there with no real buildup or depth.

The issue is bringing Sutekh back takes so much effort- a literal, clunky clipshow of Pyramids of Mars, a whole episode spent building up to the reveal of a silly anagram entirely unrekated to Sutekh's previous appearance. And it just... amounts to nothing. What a silly way to cap off a season meant to be jumping-on point for brand-new viewers.

Mel was just takingup space. Pointless.

Ruby's Mother

I don't have a problem with the *concept* of Ruby's mum being normal. I really like the idea thematically. The execution was terrible.

First of all it leaves so many unanswered questions (why the snow? Why was time changing? Why was she shadowed? Literally just for the sake of the mystery-box?) and represents the worst thing about this new era- RTD using fantasy logic to handwave any logic at all, and just do whatever he wants without properly justifying it.

Second, I *hate* how easy and simple and neat the reunion is. Ruby seems incapable of getting angry with anyone. She has never once argued with 15, or Carla, or anyone besides that one moment in 73 Yards. She has never expressed any kind of negative feeling towards her mother for abandoning her. And it's fine for her to reach that conclusion! It's just bizzare we never see Ruby struggle with her feelings beyond the shallow goal of wanting to find her.

(Also Carla? Has nothing to say?? Just welcomes that woman in with basically no comment? Carla is a 2D cutout of a person, used as a plot device and otherwise relegated to the single character trait of I Love My Daughter. The children yearn for the ilk of Jackie Tyler, Sylvia Noble, even Francine Jones.)

15 & Ruby

The emotion behind 15 & Ruby's split felt entirely unearned because we've never seen their bond develop. They never argue, never disagree, Ruby hasn't learned anything about herself or grown or changed. The closest we got to that is 73 Yards, which was undone. She was already brave and kind and musical and sure she loved her adoptive family when we met her in Church on Ruby Road.

Similarly, 15 tells us Ruby encouraged him to talk about family in a way he never has, but that was in what, two moments across the season? And they seemed random, unrelated to Ruby being with him. New viewers will assume 15 is just that open anyway- he was discussing fatherhood with a dead man's hologram- and old viewers assumed trauma-dumping was just a new trait of 15's personality, not Ruby-specific.

The problem is we're told Ruby & 15 are best friends but it isn't earned. I liked 15 crying initially but both he and Ruby do it so much (15 cries about 5 times in this one episode) it loses its impact and I'm becoming numb to it. There is no contrast, no downtime.

Season Structural Issues

I think the biggest problem is Season 1's storytelling priorities. It's much more interested in selling *the show* (look at our big budget! And guest stars! And how flexible our format is! Musical episode! The Beatles as props! Bottle episode! Indie folk-horror! Black Mirror! Gay Bridgerton!) it forgot to put effort into developing and investing us in its characters. I liked a lot of the individual stories this year but in retrospect a lot of them feel like they're wasting space that needed to go to essential character and theme setup.

These skewed priorities, combined with the cut down episode count, really impact the pacing of the season. Ruby and 15 were barely together! Even in Rogue they were seperated for most of the story!! We only loop back to a flashback of 15 meeting Carla in Rogue!

This is made worse by the baffling insistence on a 45-minute runtime. We know key sequences were cut from almost every episode, with highlights including:

The Gobin King invading Ruby's flat and her banishing him with scratchcards in The Church on Ruby Road: Her missing 'companion saves the day' moment!

Refrence to the Toymaker in The Church on Ruby Road, which was itself referenced in The Devil's Chord. 'I told you about the Toymaker when we first met' sir, objectively you did not.

The TARDIS jukebox playing the Sugarbabes' Push The Button in the opening scene of Space Babies, hastily cut around in the final edit. This is the setup of a running joke still in the episode, and part of the story's climax. The first encounter with the Bogeyman was also longer, with 15 taking particular interest in its skin

Extended scenes in Abbey Road from The Devil's Chord, including an apparently significant speaking role for Cilla Black, according to her annoyed actress.

Cut dialogue from The Devil's Chord explaining the musoical number was caused by Maestro's power lingering, and that banishing them undid everything they'd done. Fans inferred thos based on the rules established in The Giggle, but again, new fans haven't seen The Giggle and were left clueless.

An opening sequence for The Legend of Ruby Sunday where 15 & Ruby meet Susan as a nanny in 1947 America, a blue-skinned waitress, and an astronaut meeting a colony of giant, sentient ants. At the end of this we actually see 15 decide to go to UNIT for help. In the broadcast version he just sorta shows up.

Really what Empire of Death exposed to me is how emotionally hollow the season was. I enjoy the exoperimentalism, but not at the cost of character. And then in the finale Russell reverts to almost a parody of his RTD1 finales, with the nonsense logic and lack of consequences. All the worst bits of Last of the Time Lords and The Giggle put in a blender.

#doctor who #dw spoilers #empire of death #empire of death spoilers #doctor who spoilers #ncuti gatwa #millie gibson #ruby sunday #fifteenth doctor #rtd2 #rtd critical #doctor who series 14

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mindless-existence1 · 12 days ago

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Mha Valentines

Bakugo, Izuku, Denki, and Tokoyami x reader headcannons/mini fics for Valentines day!

(Sorry this is a bit late right before I posted this it got deleted so I had to re write the whole thing whoops)

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♡Bakugo♡

~For past relationships (if he was in anyone but that's a topic for another day) he wouldn't make a big fuss about valentines day.

~He doesn't hate valentines days he just...hates valentines day.

~That being said I think he just never got the appeal before he got in a serious relationship with you

~All the sudden he sees a stuffed animal that reminds him of you and he cant just leave the store without it. So he goes up to the counter and awkwardly buys the plushie.

~After buying that for you, and keeping it hidden from you, about a week before valentines day he finds your favorite candy that normally is out of stock.

~So yeah sue him when he buys it for you. You'd get fussy if he didn't.

~But all the sudden he has a lot of gifts for you without even trying. So in the privateness of his dorm he gets out the multitude of gifts and your left stunned. Because just a week before Bakugo had made it clear he wasn't doing anything for valentines day.

~Before you can even say anything he blurts out "Jist shut up and accept it dumbass. And don't go run your mouth about it I don't want anyone thinking I'm getting soft."

~Despite his tough guy act yiu don't miss the brightness of his ears.

♡Izuku♡

~Of course the idea, the concept, of Valentines day was amazing to him. But actually execution was terrible for him.

~What was he supposed to do! Make a grand display? Huge fireworks and a large bouquet??

~OK yeah absolutely not he couldn't do that. But something small he could do. Like a dinner or a peice of jewelry.

~He'd spend a long time writing in his notebook the perfect way to ask you out and anything and everything that could go 'wrong'

~Acting like you aren't already together and he hasn't asked you out before and it's worked.

~Day of Valentines, good old February 14 rolls around and with his amazing luck almost everything goes wrong. The store he had a reservation over booked and the delivery service lost your jewelry in the mail.

~Luckily for him you rescue him from his sulking with the suggestion of a picnic. During said picnic the two of you make eachother flower crowns and all he can think is 'this is the most perfect day ever, what did I do to deserve this?'

♡Denki♡

~Very firm believer he loves being over the top.

~Firm believer that he's a form believer no matter how long you've been together you need to re ask to be your partners valentines every year. (Just to make sure of course)

~So he plans and plans and it's really the only thing he's ever truly thought out.

~Learns your favorite flowers (if he didn't already know), makes a big sign with some sort of electricity pun to ask you to be his valentines.

~Forces Gets Sero, Kirishima, and Mina (bakugo would refuse) to keep you out of your dorm so he can prepare it for you and when you finally see all he set up its perfect every year

~One of those guys who gets like a gigantic bouquet just because

~Honestly just he's the opposite of nonchalant, he's a chalant king

~He set up a dinner date and a night in the dorm lego date or smth cute like that, just for the two of u.

♡Tokoyami♡

~This beautiful man doesn't really know what to do.

~To him Valentines day is so funky

~In my mind he's a gift giver and has a love langue of acts of service and quality time man so when valentines comes around he's like....this is what I do all the time?

~Buuuuuuutttttt he'd write a poem for you. I've said before he likes writing stuff about you but this time he actually give it to you

~He writes it all fancy and on some nice paper and gets all flustered when he hands it to you.

~The amount of love he puts into that note nearly bring you to tears.

~Jewelry. He's a bird obviously he likes jewelry. No fr he'd take you to a bead store and you guys get the colors of eachothers eyes.

~So you can go home with your favorite snacks and make bracelets for each other. Yours with a F and his with the first letter of your name.

~OK so dark Shadow might get a little in the way of the date but it's kinda just like if you had your little siblings tag along or smth

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sandsoftide · 3 months ago

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Haven’t seen enough people talking about why timebomb and specifically ekko also suffered from arcane s2 being bad. Spoilers and crit

I’ll say more in depth later when I have gone back and revisited it with a clearer head and let me make it entirely clear I LIKE timebomb in concept. Much like caitvi. Like I see the vision I just don’t like a lot of the creative choices

Ekko in s1 was a REVOLUTIONARY he built the firelights w his own two hands and was sort of a foil to jinx and silco, he hated them but he wasn’t going to roll over to piltover either. He wanted independence but not through exploitation. He was a leader and a caretaker and mature beyond his years bc he was forced to be. And he hates Jinx bc she reminds him of that trauma and he’s betrayed by what she became like there’s SO much there look at it

In s2 he goes “hm my tree is being weird” and then gets sucked into the timey wimey thing and disappears for a whole act and the firelights aren’t even MENTIONED (and ik he wasn’t a major character in s1 either but like, he was still important and relevant to the plot throughout bc of the firelights?)

Then he gets sucked into this au portal (cool concept and cool execution) and falls in love with powder or whatever. And she ISNT JINX. SHE IS NOT THE JINX WE KNOW BC JINX IN MAIN TIMELINE IS FULLY BUILT FROM HER EXPERIENCES AND TRAUMA AND MENTAL ILLNESS. Like what Jayce said to viktor that’s part of her whether it hurts her or not. Her trauma doesn’t define her but it’s a part of her! And then all of a sudden Ekko’s sad bc he misses jinx (who iirc last time he met they had the whole I hate you and I miss you talk and they fought and both thought the other dead or whatever?) and then he’s talking her off the ledge even though he has absolutely no reason to! Because he DOESNT KNOW HER he knows literally nothing she’s done since s1 finale!!! Even the “jinx as a symbol for revolution” stuff from act 1 that went nowhere he would know NOTHING ABOUT bc he basically immediately went to Jayce? And they never did the revolutionary jinx stuff that was implied w the flag waving either so there’s no connection there either

Like a full episode was spent developing timebomb and it was interesting but also contributed nothing bc that is not jinx. She just feels like a mpdg and he doesn’t feel like ekko bc he needs to be in love w her for the plot? So they do absolutely nothing interesting they could for timebomb and still make it the entirety of ekko’s plot while tossing out the firelights and the zaun v. Piltover plotline as a whole

i mean again its hard to say bc this is right. objectively. like the stuff w timebomb was objectively well written. i just feel like it doesnt give ekko the space to be his own character outside of the ship? my point isnt that the stuff was poorly written i actually enjoyed it a lot and i think they did a good job w it i just also feel like it does ekko a disservice to have that be his only plotline and how it doesnt feel like it connects to his character in s1

i feel similarly about other plots in s2, like mel's. like yes this is good stuff! i love seeing mel in the spotlight the black rose magic stuff is interesting in a vacuum but also its totally separate from the interesting thematic roles in s1 that dealt with AGAIN THE CLASS CONFLICT AND POLITICS and dropping that for something different feels. like its a disservice to the characters, i guess?

also by having the timebomb development take place primarily in an au with powder and NOT jinx we dont really get to see jinx's thoughts at all. it feels like a repeat of s1 where someone is trying to save POWDER and not jinx, they dont see her as who she is now but rather who she was or could have been. which couldve been interesting to explore but they clearly werent interested in that ANYWAYS

#tidethought #arcane critical #anti timebomb #<- not actually I like them in concept I just think s2 was bad and s2 being bad impacted them #If this shows up in main tags I’m SO sorry not my intent

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ginxyy · 4 months ago

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Love&Hate

The cliche of loving your enemy and that enemy happens to be Seungcheol.

Every time I step into the magnificent, yet intensely competitive world of HYBE, I can feel my heart racing. I’ve always admired the bright lights of K-Pop, the perfect harmonies, the thrilling choreography. But among all that beauty, there’s one person who brings me…exasperation. Seungcheol. The leader of SEVENTEEN, and my self-appointed nemesis.

Let’s rewind a bit. I’ve been working at HYBE for a little over a year now, assisting in music promotion and marketing, but somehow, my job seems to always orbit around SEVENTEEN. And to make matters worse, I’m good friends with Seungkwan, who insists on dragging me along to their practice sessions. I get it; they’re great, talented, and sometimes even ridiculous, but the chaos that seems to follow Seungcheol and me? Infuriating.

At first, I thought it could evolve into an amicable working relationship, an understanding between two driven individuals. In fact, I remember the first time Seungcheol and I crossed paths. I was in the studio, going over some promotional material, when he barged in, demanding to know why the latest music video concept looked like “a toddler’s art project.” I shot back, "Maybe if you spent less time flexing your ‘leadership’ skills and more time appreciating the creative process, we could actually produce something worthwhile."

From that moment on, our relationship became an absurd contest of wills. I got smarter with my jabs, and he doubled down on his mockery. He would careful to find faults in my work, and I would promptly point out how clueless he was when it came to anything outside of being on stage. The tension was electric; I watched the way his jaw tightened whenever I called him out, how his expressive eyes could smolder with irritation, and bells seemed to ring inside me whenever I bested him in a particularly volatile argument.

It became a running joke among the other members when they found out I had a penchant for clashing with their leader. “You two should just date already,” Seungkwan teased, while others laughed along. I’d always rolled my eyes, but secretly, part of me thought they might be onto something. I mean, in a wild, ironic, twisted kind of way.

But there’s a line between attraction and annoyance and I was doing everything in my power not to cross it. Instead, we fanned the flames of our animosity when everyone least expected it. The insults were sharp, quick, and laughter always followed, but beneath that raucous exterior, simmered a tension that was impossible to ignore.

Then came that fateful night.

All the members had left the practice room, the thunderous claps of the beat fading into an eerie silence. I stood at the rehearsal studio, reorganizing some props and papers, trying not to think of the looming deadline but also of the contained fire that was Seungcheol. Just as I was eliminating the last of our remnants, I heard footsteps echoing on the bright wooden floor.

Seungcheol stepped into the room, his face blank, eyes scanning for some sign of my impending doom. “What are you still doing here?” he asked brusquely, a sharp edge slicing through his usual tone.

I could feel my irritation rising at his condescending demeanor. "Some of us actually take our jobs seriously," I snapped back. "Unlike others who are just a pretty face on stage."

“Are you really going to bring that up?” he said, stepping closer, his voice thick with disbelief. “I'm leading a group of talented individuals! What exactly is it that you do?”

It was becoming all too familiar, our daily sparring sessions. “Executing poorly planned promotional strategies does not entail standing and making grand gestures, Seungcheol,” I shot back, barely noticing the way his breath quickened at my words.

“You wouldn’t get it,” he yelled, the sound cutting through the silence like a knife. “You're just some marketing assistant trying to impress your favorite idol.”

And that was it. Something snapped within me. That was the final straw, and I could feel the anger coursing through my veins, clouding my judgment. “And you’re just a glorified performer letting your ego inflate to dangerous levels,” I screamed back, absolutely done with his arrogance.

There was a moment of silence thick, heavy, and swirling with palpable tension. I thought I could throw a punch at him, maybe grab an object and hurl it in his direction, but instead, I found myself mirrored in Seungcheol’s eyes. His expression shifted, a flash of intense emotion swirling as he stood still, almost contemplative.

And that’s when he did something so astonishing, it sent shockwaves through my body. His hands shot out and grabbed my shoulders, drawing me closer, our breaths coming together in sync. “You’re infuriating!” he growled

seconds before crashing his lips against mine.

I’m not sure how long we stayed like that. It was the kind of kiss that felt like a call to arms, a challenge, and an unbidden attraction igniting like gasoline, burning through every confrontational moment we’d shared before. My anger dissipated, melting into something far deeper, something I hadn’t been prepared for.

But reality crashed back in. I pushed him away, panting, desperately inhaling the scent of adrenaline that lingered between us. “What the hell was that, Seungcheol?”

He looked just as stunned, mouth slightly agape, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know,” he finally confessed. “I—”

“Think this is funny?” I interrupted, my heart pounding in protest. “Is this how you deal with all your enemies?”

“No! Not like this,” he retorted. “I don’t know what came over me. But you have to admit there’s something here.”

The realization hit me like a lightning bolt; I wasn’t ready to dissect, to label it, to change the dynamic we had. “This is a disaster,” I finally said, locking eyes with him for only a heartbeat.

But before I could formulate another coherent thought, he closed the distance again. “Or it could be the beginning of something incredible,” he said quietly.

Seungcheol’s words hung in the air, sending a shiver down my spine. The intensity in his eyes was unmistakable, a fiery determination that seemed to flicker and waver with something else something that mirrored my own unspoken desire.

I felt my pulse quicken as he closed the distance between us again, his gaze dark and unreadable. There was a magnetic pull between us, as if some invisible thread was pulling us together, and I could feel his breath, warm against my skin, stirring something deep within me. My fingers clenched at my sides, grappling with the sudden, intense proximity. But it was futile.

“Fine,” I whispered, my voice almost betraying me. His eyes widened slightly, as if daring me to say more, and a soft smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. But before he could respond, I reached out, grabbing his collar and pulling him to me in a move that surprised us both.

Our mouths collided with a hunger that was barely contained, fierce and fervent, as though we were both trying to pour weeks no, months of pent-up tension into this single moment. His hands slid down my arms and found my waist, pressing firmly, possessively, as if he had no intention of letting me go this time.

The soft glow of the practice room mirrored on the walls seemed to dim as everything narrowed to just the two of us, locked in a dance of passion that was far from choreographed. His touch ignited a fire beneath my skin, his fingers finding their way to the small of my back, pulling me closer still until our bodies were flush against each other. I could feel every inch of him, every breath and every heartbeat as we continued to tangle together.

“You drive me crazy,” he murmured, breaking away just enough to look into my eyes, his gaze hazy yet intense. I could feel his grip tightening on my waist, like he was afraid to let me go, like he was anchoring himself to this moment.

“You think I don’t know that?” I shot back, breathless, trying to muster any trace of the snark I’d used as a shield around him for so long. But it melted away the moment his thumb brushed the side of my face, gentler than I’d ever expected from him. I leaned into his touch instinctively, feeling my own barriers begin to crumble.

His hand found the back of my neck, drawing me to him again, and we crashed together, this time slower, more deliberate. His lips softened against mine, the ferocity giving way to something unexpected and infinitely more dangerous. The world outside faded, and all that mattered was the steady rhythm of his breathing, the warmth of his body pressed against mine, and the realization that this dance was far more potent than any words or glances we’d exchanged before.

He let his hands roam along my sides, his touch searing through the thin fabric, and I felt my own hands glide up his chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall as he struggled to catch his breath. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was risky, that there would be consequences for crossing the line we’d so carefully toed all this time. But for once, I didn’t care. This was exactly where I wanted to be ost in the intensity of his embrace, caught in the electric pull between us.

With a smirk, he leaned in close, his voice low and rough. “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Oh, shut up,” I shot back, before pulling him down to me once more, determined to silence him. And this time, neither of us held back.

Our bodies melded together in the soft glow of the practice room, each movement deliberate, each touch and kiss uncovering something we’d both hidden beneath layers of irritation and competition. It was a rush, a heady mix of passion and release that left me breathless, caught up in the warmth and weight of his touch, the way his lips explored mine with both urgency and reverence. There was no longer any room for words; this was the language we spoke best in that moment raw, unfiltered, honest.

And then, just as quickly as it began, we found ourselves pulling apart, the intensity simmering but settling into a heavy, charged silence. His face hovered close to mine, his breaths mingling with mine as we slowly came down from the shared high, both of us wide-eyed, still caught in the disbelief of what had just happened.

I swallowed hard, staring into his dark, penetrating gaze. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but I couldn’t wait to hear what he’d come up with. The reality was creeping in too quickly, and I needed space to think, to breathe, to process.

So, I slipped out of his grasp, muttering something about needing to go. He didn’t stop me, only watched with that same stunned, contemplative look as I grabbed my bag and left the studio, practically running down the hallway as if to escape the whirlwind of emotion left behind.

The next morning, I made my way to HYBE, a tangled knot of nerves twisted inside me, still replaying everything that had happened in the practice room. I tried to brush it off as an anomaly, an impulsive mistake, but even I couldn’t deny the way my pulse had quickened just thinking about it. Worse still, I had to act normal and pretend nothing had happened. And, knowing Seungkwan, that was going to be harder than ever.

True to form, he found me almost immediately, waving me down with his usual bright grin and practically skipping over, somehow managing to radiate sunshine and chaos before even 9 a.m.

“Y/N!” he called, bounding up to me. “I heard you were working late last night. Everything okay?”

I hesitated, my eyes darting down the hallway. “Um…yeah. Just, you know, a lot to handle.” I attempted a smile, desperately hoping he’d buy it and let me go before I said something incriminating.

But Seungkwan’s brow arched, his curiosity piqued. “Oh, really? And how did you handle it?” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a mischievous whisper. “Maybe with a certain leader we both know?”

I froze, my heart dropping straight to the floor. He couldn’t possibly know, could he? “What are you talking about?”

His grin widened, sly and all-knowing. “Come on, Y/N. You think I haven’t noticed the way you and Seungcheol are constantly butting heads? That kind of tension has to come from somewhere.” He poked my shoulder, his eyes bright. “So…what happened last night?”

I sighed, glancing around to make sure no one was in earshot. “Seungkwan, you can’t tell anyone, okay? Not even the guys. This…this is huge.”

His eyes went wide, practically sparkling with excitement. “I swear, you have my complete and undivided attention. Now spill!”

Taking a deep breath, I leaned in and whispered, “Seungcheol and I…we kissed. Well, more than that. It was… intense.” I felt a flush creeping up my neck, recalling the way his hands had felt on my skin, the way he’d looked at me with that fire in his eyes.

Seungkwan’s reaction was instantaneous. His mouth dropped open, his eyes widening in shock before he broke into an ear-splitting grin, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me excitedly. “Oh my god! You and Seungcheol? I knew it! I knew there was something going on with you two!” He released me, practically dancing in place with his glee. “I am so proud of you! My best friend is finally seeing the light!”

“Seeing the…Seungkwan, calm down!” I hissed, glancing around as he continued his celebratory mini-dance. “It was just one night. It didn’t mean anything at least, I don’t think it did…”

“Oh, it meant something, all right,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me. “You don’t just spend months bickering with someone and then share a random kiss like that.” He crossed his arms, looking me up and down like he was putting together a master plan. “You two are soulmates in denial. This has been a long time coming.”

I rolled my eyes, though a part of me couldn’t deny the flutter in my chest at his words. “Please, Seungkwan. Just because we kissed doesn’t mean we’re destined to be together.”

He shook his head, clearly not taking no for an answer. “No, no, no. I refuse to let you brush this off. I mean, do you know how rare it is to find someone who gets under your skin in just the right way? Who challenges you, makes you better, forces you to be honest?” He crossed his arms, as if daring me to argue with him. “You’re both too stubborn to admit it, but you’re into each other. And now that I have confirmation, it’s my mission to make this happen.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

Seungkwan’s grin turned devilish, his eyes glinting with a gleeful determination. “Easy. I’ll make it impossible for you two to avoid each other. Oh, trust me I have ideas. Lots of ideas.”

Before I could protest, he clapped his hands, already deep in thought, and practically skipped away, muttering to himself about “love at last” and “a love story for the ages.”

I watched him go, a mixture of exasperation and amusement settling over me. But even as I tried to brush it off, I couldn’t ignore the small thrill of excitement tingling at the thought of what lay ahead.

And despite myself, I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.

Over the next few weeks, Seungkwan’s “mission” played out with a maddening intensity. If there was a strategy meeting, Seungcheol and I somehow ended up seated next to each other. If a team was needed to coordinate with SEVENTEEN, Seungkwan somehow made it so that I was the only person available to assist. Even after-hours gatherings were no longer safe. Seungkwan took every possible opportunity to shove us into each other’s orbit, and each time, the tension between us seemed to double.

What began as a flurry of heated glances and subtle touches soon turned into an unbearable itch. Each encounter seemed to build upon the last, a constant, simmering tension that left me on edge, aware of every one of his movements, every fleeting look he’d shoot my way. Seungcheol, for his part, seemed to be caught in the same push and pull, always finding reasons to be near me, to brush past me, his hand grazing my arm in ways that felt anything but accidental.

Then one evening, after another long practice session where Seungkwan “accidentally” forgot to tell me that I was the last one needed to clean up, it happened.

I was gathering my things, mumbling under my breath about Seungkwan’s meddling, when I heard a low voice behind me.

“Y/N.”

I froze, recognizing that voice instantly. Turning slowly, I met Seungcheol’s eyes, dark and intense as they locked onto mine. There was an undeniable heat in his gaze, the kind I’d grown all too familiar with over the past few weeks but had tried my best to ignore. I felt my heart hammer in my chest as he took a step closer, his gaze searing and unyielding.

“Seungcheol,” I murmured, my voice coming out in barely a whisper.

“You know he’s doing this on purpose,” he said, his voice low, rough around the edges. His lips curled into a faint smirk, though his eyes held nothing but intensity. “Our dear friend Seungkwan.”

I nodded, swallowing hard, trying to ignore the butterflies that his proximity was stirring. “Yeah, well, he thinks he’s a matchmaker or something.” I attempted a laugh, but it sounded hollow.

He took another step, and suddenly, I found myself pressed back against the cool wall, his body close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. My breath caught, trapped somewhere between excitement and anticipation, my heart racing as his hand found my waist, holding me firmly in place.

“Maybe he’s right,” he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips for a split second before returning to meet my gaze. His hand came up, his fingers brushing along my neck, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. I could feel his breath, warm against my skin, as he leaned closer, his lips ghosting over the curve of my neck. “You’ve been driving me crazy, Y/N.”

I shivered, his words sending a spark through my veins. “You’re not exactly innocent either,” I managed, though my voice betrayed the effect he was having on me.

He smirked, and before I could utter another word, his mouth found the curve of my neck, pressing a searing kiss to my skin. My hands instinctively found his shoulders, my fingers digging into the firm muscle as he moved his lips against my neck, marking me with a possessive intensity that stole my breath away. Each kiss felt like a claim, a silent declaration of everything we’d been holding back.

“Seungcheol,” I gasped, my fingers clutching him tighter as he continued, his mouth tracing a line from my neck to my collarbone. The world around us faded, and all that remained was the press of his body against mine, the feel of his hands roaming along my sides, the way he left my skin tingling with every touch.

His hand slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, his fingers splaying against my waist, his touch igniting a fire beneath my skin. His eyes met mine, dark and burning with an intensity that mirrored my own desire, and without another word, he crashed his lips against mine.

The kiss was fierce, filled with all the frustration and want we’d kept bottled up for so long. Our lips moved together in a heated dance, desperate and hungry, as though we were both trying to make up for every second we’d spent fighting the inevitable. His hands roamed over my body, pulling me impossibly close, and I melted into him, letting him take control, letting him show me exactly how much he wanted this wanted me.

Time seemed to blur, and before I knew it, he was guiding me toward the nearby couch, his movements deliberate, his touch electrifying. I followed him willingly, lost in the heat of the moment, in the way his hands gripped my waist, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses down my neck, over my shoulder, igniting a blaze that I couldn’t extinguish even if I’d wanted to.

We stumbled onto the couch, a tangled mess of limbs and breathless laughter as we surrendered to the pull that had been building between us for what felt like forever. His hands were everywhere, his touch searing into my skin, leaving me breathless and aching, as though he was determined to memorize every inch of me. Our movements grew frenzied, each kiss deeper, each touch more urgent, and I felt myself getting lost in him, in the way he seemed to know exactly what I needed, in the way he murmured my name against my skin like a prayer.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered no titles, no rivalry, no tension. Just us, tangled together, lost in the heat and intensity of something that had always been there, waiting for the right moment to explode.

The next morning, as the early sunlight streamed through my window, I lay in bed, my mind reeling from everything that had happened. I could still feel the ghost of Seungcheol’s touch, the warmth of his skin against mine, the way he’d held me as if he never wanted to let go. A part of me wanted to overthink it, to analyze every detail, but another part of me the part still basking in the afterglow of last night wanted nothing more than to hold onto the memory for as long as possible.

I didn’t get much time to dwell on it, though, because my phone buzzed with a message from Seungkwan:

Seungkwan: Y/N! You won’t believe what I dreamed last night. You and Seungcheol FINALLY got together! Haha! Just imagine if it were real.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. I had a feeling Seungkwan wouldn’t need to imagine for long.

I stared at Seungkwan’s message, feeling my stomach twist into knots. My heart pounded as I remembered every vivid, heated detail from last night, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Seungkwan pieced things together. It was as if his sixth sense for drama was on high alert. I bit my lip, hesitating before typing a response.

Me: Um, Seungkwan… about that “dream.” It wasn’t exactly a dream…

There was a moment of silence—too long a silence—before my phone exploded with rapid-fire notifications.

Seungkwan: WHAT

Seungkwan: ARE YOU SERIOUS??

Seungkwan: Y/N, this is HUGE. WHERE ARE YOU? I’M COMING TO YOU.

Before I could answer, my door burst open, and Seungkwan, looking entirely too wide-eyed and dramatic for this early in the morning, practically lunged into the room. “Y/N!” he gasped, throwing his hands up in theatrical shock. “I cannot believe this. YOU AND SEUNGCHEOL HOOKED UP?!”

I grabbed his arm, trying to shush him as I dragged him inside and shut the door. “Seungkwan, can you not yell that out loud? We’re not exactly trying to announce it to the world.”

“But, but…” he stammered, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “How am I supposed to stay calm when my two best friends just hooked up? This is epic! This is legendary! How was it? Was it magical? I need every detail!”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “I’m not giving you details, Seungkwan. Just know… it was intense.” I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks, and Seungkwan’s grin grew even wider.

He let out an exaggerated sigh, clapping his hands together. “I knew it. I knew it! All that unresolved tension finally had to go somewhere.” He grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me gently. “Do you know what this means? This is fate, Y/N! You two are meant to be together!”

“Seungkwan, please,” I said, half-laughing, half-panicking. “It was one night. It doesn’t mean anything… at least, I think it doesn’t…”

He shot me an exasperated look. “One night? Are you kidding me? This is just the beginning. We are not leaving this as a one-night thing. Nope, not on my watch.”

Before I could stop him, he grabbed my wrist, practically dragging me out of the room. “Wait, where are we going?”

He turned, a glint of determination in his eye. “To the practice room. We’re going to put an end to this ‘maybe it’s nothing’ nonsense, and we’re going to do it in front of everyone.”

“Seungkwan!” I hissed, trying to pull back, but his grip was surprisingly strong. “You can’t just march me in there like this!”

“Oh, yes I can,” he replied, a wicked grin on his face. “Trust me, you’re going to thank me later.”

A few minutes later, we reached the practice room, and I could already feel the nerves building as I saw SEVENTEEN’s other members scattered around, talking and stretching. They glanced up as we entered, and I tried to shrink back, but Seungkwan had already caught their attention.

“Attention, everyone!” Seungkwan announced, his voice ringing out dramatically, his expression far too smug for my liking. “I have important news!”

A couple of the members groaned, while others raised curious eyebrows, clearly intrigued by Seungkwan’s antics. Then, I saw Seungcheol look up from across the room, his gaze meeting mine. My stomach flipped, and I was sure my cheeks were already burning.

“Seungkwan, what are you doing?” Seungcheol asked, his brow furrowing as he took a step toward us.

Seungkwan threw an arm around my shoulder, pulling me forward. “Our dear Y/N and your fearless leader here had a little rendezvous last night!” He grinned, looking between us like a proud matchmaker. “And I’m here to make sure they take the next step. Seungcheol, ask her out on a date. Properly.”

The room went dead silent. My eyes went wide as I looked up at Seungcheol, my pulse racing. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Seungcheol looked as stunned as I felt, his mouth slightly open, clearly trying to process what was happening.

“Seungkwan!” I whispered, feeling both mortified and strangely thrilled. “You can’t just… make him do that.”

Seungkwan crossed his arms, looking every bit the proud mastermind. “Oh, I think he can. In fact, I think he wants to.”

Seungcheol seemed to snap out of his shock, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Seungkwan, then back at me. I could see a mix of emotions flashing across his face surprise, amusement, something that looked a lot like determination.

Finally, he let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as a faint smile played on his lips. “Guess there’s no getting out of this, huh?” His gaze softened as he looked at me, the teasing edge in his expression giving way to something far more sincere. “Y/N,” he began, taking a step closer, his voice dropping so that only I could hear, “will you go out with me?”

The room collectively held its breath, and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. I wanted to smack Seungkwan for forcing this situation, but I couldn’t deny the thrill that raced through me at Seungcheol’s words, the gentle, honest way he was looking at me.

“Yes,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’d love to.”

Seungkwan cheered, pumping his fists in the air, and the other members burst into laughter and applause, some clapping Seungcheol on the back while others teased me with exaggerated winks and thumbs-up.

Seungcheol leaned in, close enough that only I could hear. “Guess we have Seungkwan to thank for this,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear.

I shivered, feeling a familiar warmth flood through me. “Yeah,” I whispered back, my heart fluttering. “But something tells me we would’ve found our way here anyway.”

He smiled, his eyes glinting with that familiar mischievousness. “Then let’s make it worth the wait.”

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here-for-eddie · 7 months ago

Text

rating the possible solutions to the bt problem in s8

according to my very specific and arbitrary criteria: likeliness of the solution, in-story satisfaction (how would it work in the show) and pettiness factor (how much would it piss off the bt fandom/tommy fans)

Tommy stays, bucktommy endgame

Very unlikely (thank god)

Storyline satisfaction 0/10

Pettiness -1000/10 (they would become insufferable forever)

Buck is single in 08x01, Tommy is never mentioned again

Unlikely

Storyline satisfaction 3/10 (would mean we suffered through 7b for nothing)

Pettiness 10/10

Buck is single in 08x01, bucktommy breakup only mentioned

Possible (happened with natalia)

Storyline satisfaction 5/10 or more (depends on how it would be discussed, what did Buck learn from that relationship)

Pettiness 9/10 (bonus points if it's not due to unavailability of lfj, just Tim deciding he has enough of That Mess)

Buck is single in 08x01, confirms they were only on a few dates and were never in a relationship

Possible

Storyline satisfaction 5/10

Pettiness 11/10 (bucktommies would explode)

Buck experiences buddie summer of infidelity

very unlikely (fortunately for me, because I love this concept in theory but would hate it in the show 🙃)

Storyline satisfaction 2/10

Pettiness 5/10 (would make Tommy the wronged party here, so I'm not vibing with that)

Tommy dies

Unlikely

Storyline satisfaction 0/10 (buck would have to mourn him)

Pettiness 6/10 (their fave would be gone forever but bt would be immortalised as a tragic romance)

They split up because of their incompatibility

likely

storyline satisfaction 7/10

pettiness 7/10 (would mean that Tommy is not the perfect partner they claim he is, but the solution itself is a boring as Tommy)

they split up because Tommy behaves like a jerk to Buck

possible

storyline satisfaction 9/10 (his behaviour in s7 is not brushed aside)

pettiness 9/10 (would contradict all those baffling interpretations of tommy's behaviour being peak romantic in s7)

They spilt up because of Tommy's past and/or present attitudes towards the Gerrard problem

likely

storyline satisfaction 10/10 (it would mean his past behaviour is not brushed aside and forgotten)

pettiness 10/10 (would contradict all those baffling theories and his fans ignoring his past behaviour)

They split up because Buck learns that Eddie was Tommy's first choice

unlikely

storyline satisfaction 9/10 (it would play into Buck's issues)

pettiness 10/10 (as an Eddie fan, I love it when everything is about Eddie)

they split up because Buck realises he is in love with Eddie

likely

storyline satisfaction 13/10 (a logical conclusion to everything that's happened in s7, especially 07x04)

pettiness 7/10

They split up because Tommy realises Buck is in love with Eddie

possible

storyline satisfaction 3/10 (it's something Buck should discover for himself, not have pointed out to him by anyone)

pettiness 5/10 (would mean that Tommy is forever intertwined with the beginnings of buddie, which I'm not vibing with)

They split up because of a threesome with Eddie

very unlikely

storyline satisfaction depends (could be 10/10 if they executed a very specific scenario but I don't really trust them to)

pettiness depends (could be 10/10 hilarious if they managed to convey that Buck was only ever crazy about Eddie)

They split up because Tommy is moving away

possible

storyline satisfaction 8/10 (buck would get to realise there are more important things in LA for him than his relationship with Tommy)

pettiness 4/10 (their relationship would have to be quite serious first)

They split up because Tommy doesn't want children

possible

storyline satisfaction 9/10 (buck would have to think about what he wants and maybe that he already has it)

pettiness 5/10

if you have any more scenarios, let me know!

#911 #Buddie #Because all those roads lead to buddie #911 abc #Anti bucktommy #anti tommy kinard

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redhoodinternaldialectical · 1 year ago

Note

Thoughts on Jason Todd’s choice of weaponry?

:D an ask! Yay!

Oooh, lets see, I'll start with the crowbars because I appear to be like one of three people on the entire planet who actually likes them.

They're a tacky as fuck riff on the fact that Jason's death is central to his character. They overemphasize the manner in which he died, muddy the waters about what part of his death is important to him, and strangely cheapens the manner in which he died through the parody feel of it.

No one seems to really disagree with my analysis here, but I happen to enjoy that about them and think it's very on brand for Jason. What can I say? They're fun!

Best Quality - His Wiggles

This ultra-sharp curved blade used to be his signature character design feature, the way the white streak in his hair is now, and I'm really not sure why it didn't stick!

Best weapon he's ever had, bring it back please!!!!!

The All-Blades

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...

I have mixed feelings about the All-Blades. Like much of Lobdell's work: phenomenal idea, poor execution. Giving the guy who is most known for being morally grey a set of powers that is exclusively based on moral absolutes sucks shit, I gotta be honest, and the trick he pulled on the blood blade was cool but ultimately does nothing to solve those problems.

HOWEVER

I want to love them so fucking badly. A set of glowy soul blades is a dope sicknasty off the chain concept and I wish the well wasn't poisoned with the moral implications and the restrictions to use them only on the "Untitled", a set of enemies that only exist for Jason so far as I can tell. If someone seriously took Jason down a magic based path that removed the DnD alignment chart bullshit, I would be so game to see them come back! Hell I wouldn't even insist on a better cooler design for them!

...though uh, yeah those are the least interesting magic sword designs I've ever seen tbh

Normal Ass Swords

They're alright I guess. Like, there's nothing in it really, but it's not bad?

Guns - Real Bullets

Excellent, evocative yet simple, straightforwards and to the point. It makes hella sense thematically to boot, love this for him, please give him back his pistols and miniguns and shit

Guns - Rubber Bullets

Hate. HATE. hate ick disgusting bad NO.

I just fucking hate rubber bullets, like, as a concept. I refuse to accept "non-lethal" bullets as a valid use of gun, either in real life or in fiction. Guns are for putting many holes in things very fast!!!! If you're gonna use a gun, fucking well own up to that!!! Do not play this silly ass game of pretending that you can change out the material and do the same things as with lead bullets but with the video game status effect of "non-lethal" applied. YOU ARE GIVING PEOPLE SMALL CIRCULAR BRUISES. This is still harmful, yes, ooph ouchie, but it is not even slightly a good use of a gun, you are wasting holster space, and carry weight, and the physical materials used to make it all!!

JUST USE A FUCKING STICK! YOU DON'T RUN OUT OF STICK AMMO!

My belief in his capacity to take out enemies is shattered the instant those fuckers are on panel. Maybe this ain't entirely rational, or realistic to how fights go with rubber bullets IRL, but I hate them so much on principle that I will ignore any counterargument you might have that they'd work. I will die on this hill. Rubber bullets BAD. Please stop making him use this!!

Bombs

Love it, give him more bombs forever

ka-BOOM!!!!

His Brain

This is actually his best weapon - sorry wiggly knife, you're being shunted down to number 2 on a last minute technicality! I think Jason is at his best when he's outsmarting people and making long term fucked up schemes to ruin people's lives.

He's so good at it! It's so fun to watch him do it!

Genuinely a shame that this facet of him was mostly lost after Flashpoint, though to give credit where it is due, in Rebirth Jason did ruin the Penguin's life in an impressively elaborate way, which I did really enjoy. I want to see him be a tactical deliberate menace to one person in specific again idk, that's part of why I do kinda agree that he works better as an antagonist than a protagonist - which it should be noted does not mean I think he works better as a villain necessarily, his ethics aren't what matter here - he's just had his best moments as the schemer, and it's hard to have a protagonist schemer even when you make them ethically the good guy.

I hope you enjoyed my nattering on about Jason's weapons :D thank ye again for ask!

#jason todd #damian's tomfoolery

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bisupergirl · 2 months ago

Note

Can I ask why you don't like Jon Kent? Not that I disagree or anything. It's just that, as someone who really hated Jon's kid years for a lot of reasons (the writing in general, clois having a bio kid at all, etc.), I'm more interested in the opinions of people who hated him from the beginning as opposed to those who are only mad because of the age-up.

i don't like jon because i find the entire concept and execution of his character to be so, so dreadfully boring.

part of what makes him so boring to me is how fully centered around clark he is. he's named after clark's dad, he grows up in a small farm town just like clark, he looks exactly like clark did when he was his age, he's superboy just like clark used to be, he picked up clark's mantle when he came of age and he's carrying the legacy of the house of el on his shoulders—where does lois fit into any of this? there's nothing about jon's character that tells me he's lois lane's son. he's undeniably the son of superman, but what qualities did he gain from his mother? and even when trying to define him as his own character the narrative still centers on clark—what would superman do in this situation? how can jon act in a way differently than clark? it's still all centered around his dad.

and this leads into another reason why jon just sucks to me: i really feel like he doesn't benefit lois's character at all. in the early rebirth era she was relegated to being jon's doting mother and clark's loving wife. sure she got to anonymously write those books tackling corruption or whatever but that never got as much focus as whatever clark and jon were doing as superman and superboy. it's superman and his superson who looks and acts just like him, and then lois also gets to be there sometimes. idk! i think her treatment got better when she was allowed to return to the daily planet, but then obviously her work there doesn't involve jon. so it's either she gets to be an active reporter with interesting stories OR she has to be jon's apple pie baking mother who sits at home waiting for her husband to come back from whatever dangerous mission he's on. not a fan!

additionally—and i've mentioned this before when someone asked me about jon—i feel like most of the appeal of his character (at least for kid!jon) has to do with the supersons friendship with damian and i just don't care. i've lost SO much interest in the batfam over the years and i just can't bring myself to care about superbat jr. don't take this as damian hate btw because i don't hate him at all, the batman & robin series with him and dick is like. one of the first comics i've ever read. and i still have a lot of affection for him, but there's just nothing about his friendship with jon that i find appealing. sorry to damian.

as for aged up jon... i just don't care about him. i actually find kid!jon to be more annoying to look at than teen!jon, but either way i just don't find him super interesting. this is more of an editorial problem than anything else, but i find the way that he's focused on and favored over other more established superfam members to be so, so stupid and annoying.

tl;dr he's boring as fuck and i don't care about any relationship that he has with literally any character. sorry to jon.

#asks #anti jon kent #i think the key to giving clois a bio kid and not having it be so boring is to make them more like lois than clark #ideally they'd be their own very unique character but if you're going to lean more towards one character then have it be lois #i don't care about superman jr #especially if its a boy #girldad clark is real for those wise enough to understand his character #where are you otho.....................

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helenofsparta2 · 4 months ago

Note

kind of related to your post about zoe just now but: what do you think of the hunters in general? I've got a lot of thoughts on them myself.. most of them not that positive lmao lots of "could have been good, but very poor execution" and "sounds cool on the surface, but very questionable when thought about more"

First of all, thank you for the question :)))

Oh god, this might become a slightly longer post, because I have a lot to say about the hunters of Artemis.

From what you’ve written, it sounds like we might have a very similar opinion. I personally think they are one of the worst-written parts of the original Percy Jackson books. I love their idea, I love their basic concept, but their execution was pretty atrocious.

There are four main points regarding them that I want to talk about.

The portrayal of Artemis (though this one is by far not as bad as the others)

2. The behaviour of the huntresses

3. Bianca

4. Lacking Development

Artemis

Now, I know that the gods and goddesses of the Riordan verse, are sanitized caricatures, and shouldn’t be compared to their actual myth versions. I think everyone in this fandom has at least heard some well-founded criticisms regarding the portrayal of Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo or any of the other gods.

I even understand why Rick Riordan made most of the decisions that he did. Obviously, the gods had to be sanitized for a book series primarily aimed at children, and, to be fair to him, even if their characterizations are a far-cry from their myths and sometimes overly stereotypical (Aphrodite), they are fulfilling the roles they have in this story as deeply flawed, but powerful individuals, because of whose careless mistakes and pride demigods, and other ‘lesser’ beings have to suffer.

And I actually do not hate Artemis’ portrayal that much, if we exclude the behavior of her hunt, and the initiation of Bianca. Her taking Annabeth’s place in holding the sky and her loudly arguing against killing Percy and Thalia at the winter solstice was a great portrayal of her being a patron goddess of children, and the idea of including the hunters of Artemis as a group of girls, both from mortal and immortal parents, who have been hurt by the world, and found a safe place with one another is actually really great. Generally, whenever she appears in the books, I have the feeling she is handled with far more graze and respect than a lot of other godly beings.

However, as someone who very much loves Greek mythology, I just want to point out some small parts, which are not entirely accurate, though, again, I understand Rick’s reason for omitting them in the context of what he wanted to do with her character and the hunt , and I acknowledge that even in ancient times, there existed a variety of different interpretations of the gods.

(Please note, that while I read original sources like the works of Diodor, Apollodorus, Hesiod, and Euripides, I am not a classicist, and that my knowledge of the greek gods primarily stems from personal research and my own interest. If anyone knows more about Artemis, please feel free to correct me if necessary)

While Artemis is primarily the goddess of the hunt, and in later interpretations of the moon, she is not only the protector of girls, but the patron goddess of children in general and a goddess closely linked to childbirth.

Yes, she expects her followers to remain chaste, but to say that she is completely against men would be a grave mistake. Male followers of Artemis did exist in mythology, most famously Orion, who later became a constellation, and Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the Amazon Hippolyta.

So, her cold behavior towards Nico and her degrading words towards boys in general is an attribute primarily added by Rick Riordan.

Though, like I said, I understand making certain changes to gods and goddesses, or rather choosing different interpretations of them to have them fulfill a certain role in a book series, so Artemis portrayal itself doesn’t bother me that much.

But if we’re talking about the hunters themselves, things easily take a turn for the worse.

The behavior of the hunters

Now, I understand the hunters point in the story.

A huge theme of Titan’s curse is to explore the difference between old ideals of what heroism entails and the modern take on it, represented through Theseus and Herakles on one side, and Percy on the other. The hunters, and especially Zöe, represent a group, who have suffered through the actions of those old, primarily male heroes, and have developed a strong bias against all boys and men as a result. A bias, Percy is supposed to break in this book.

This, in itself, is a pretty awesome concept. But, like I said, the execution mostly failed.

Most of the Hunters of Artemis in Titan’s curse were written without any nuance, without development and without any sense of self reflection.

To express it plainly, they completely suck. And that hurts to say, especially as someone who is asexual-sex-repulsed and aromantic, because, like I said, they could have been an absolutely amazing part of the overarching story and theme of the book series, but with the way Rick Riordan wrote them, they suck. They’re insufferable. They’re a group of immortal teenagers with a superiority complex, who act the way right-wing republicans and trump supporters think feminists act like.

They’re completely antagonistic towards the campers at camp half-blood for absolutely no good reason, act really childish and immature, and their overwhelming bias against every male character, especially Percy and Nico, is just plain annoying and goes to a point, where it makes them act like absolute idiots and assholes.

Zöe’s behavior at the meeting to decide who should go on the quest to save Artemis is a pretty good representation of everything I dislike about the hunters.

She doesn’t want to take campers with her on the quest, even though the oracle plainly stated that them working together was the only way for them to succeed:

“You’re missing something as usual,” Thalia said. “Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We’re supposed to do this together.”

“No!”, Zoe said. “The Hunters do not need thy help.”

Immediately afterwards, she makes fun of Silena Beauregard (who is around 14 or 15 at the time, might I add.):

“Percy is right,” Silena Beauregard said. “Two campers should go.”

“Oh, I see,” Zoe said sarcastically. “And I suppose you wish to volunteer?”

Silena blushed. “I’m not going anywhere with the hunters. Don’t look at me!”

“A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at,” Zoe scoffed. “What would thy mother say?”

And then, she decisively refuses Percy’s help for the quest, even though he is objectively the best person for the job. I really can’t reiterate enough that Percy is the most accomplished hero present at that meeting. He has successfully led two quests, one to stop a civil war between the gods, the second to recover the golden fleece. Even in comparison to Thalia, Percy is more accomplished and has gained more respect within the mythological world.

As I walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned towards me, their faces filled with respect and gratitude, and as I passed, they knelt, as if I were some kind of hero. (The lightning thief)

Yet Zoe refuses his help to save the goddess she serves and increases so the risk of failure, simply because he is a boy.

“Oh,” Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. “Whoa, yeah. I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn’t mean… I’ll stay. Percy should go in my place.”

“He cannot,” Zoe said. “He’s a boy. I won’t have Hunters travelling with a boy.”

Another huge problem in their characterization is their immortality. Here I want to focus again on their ongoing beef with camp half-blood, because, yes, while the campers also act pretty antagonistic in return, I think it’s important to note that most kids at camp half blood are between the ages of 10 and I’d say maybe 17 years old, while the huntresses are immortal.

Now, it’s obviously possible that most of them are still teenagers and haven’t been part of the hunt for that long, but considering the fact that Zoe is over 3000 years old, and could very well be older than most Olympians, the chance of most hunters being older than at least 30, is pretty high, which makes their behavior seem even more ridiculous.

And obviously the whole situation with Bianca paints the hunters in the worst light possible.

Bianca

There are already some pretty good and detailed posts on tumblr regarding the subject of Bianca and the hunters, so I don’t want to dig into this subject too deeply, because this post is already way too long, but you can’t possibly write about the hunters without mentioning her.

The hunters, especially Zoe and Artemis convinced Bianca to join them in a moment of huge distress. Bianca was a twelve-year-old, vulnerable girl, who just found out she was a demigod, almost got kidnapped by the manticore, and watched a girl fall down a cliff, yet they expect her to swear allegiance to them after only a couple of minutes of knowing them.

They paint her this beautiful picture of having no responsibility and a new family, telling her exactly, what she wanted to hear without giving her even a moment to breathe or give her time to talk to her brother or fully think this through.

I want to point out that at this point in time, Artemis had already decided that she needed to go after the monster alone, and knew, that her hunters would spend some time at camp half-blood. But instead of giving Bianca these couple days/ weeks to accept this new reality of the mythological world and get to know both camp half-blood and the hunters, she wants an answer at this very moment,

Yes, Bianca’s answer was rash, and yes, I do think it’s rather cold that she didn’t first talk to Nico about it, but it’s pretty plain to see that she was overwhelmed and pretty much manipulated during this entire conversation.

Later, Zoe decides to take her with her on the quest, even though Bianca is completely unprepared for it. She is probably, aside from Nico, the most unprepared person in the entirety of camp half-blood to go on a quest.

I don’t think I have to explain how terrible of a decision that was.

The hunters are objectively the worst thing that could have ever happened to Bianca and the main reason why she died.

Lacking Development:

Now, all of this, every single flaw I just pointed out, could have actually worked out, if there would have been some sort of change in the hunters’ way of thinking and an acknowledgement that their opinions on boys and males in general are misguided and lead to more harm than good during the course of the books.

Especially after their actions led to Bianca’s death.

Them seeing how much love Nico had for his sister and how much he suffered from her death could have been a great moment for some character development.

But nothing happened.

Camp half blood and the hunters grieving together at the end of Titan’s curse for both Zoe and Bianca could have resulted in a genuine moment of friendship between the two groups, leading to understanding and change.

But nothing happened.

The only person who took responsibility for Bianca’s death at the end of Titan’s curse was fourteen-year-old Percy. The only person who cared enough about Nico to search for him and make sure he was safe, was Percy. The hunters didn’t care at all. Took no responsibility whatsoever.

All that happened at the end of that book was that Thalia became a huntress, and that Zoe and Artemis acknowledged Percy as a hero.

This, while admittedly, a great moment for Percy’s characterization and also somewhat for the character development of Zoe, had very little effect otherwise.

Because, in the end, Zoe and Artemis treated Percy as if he was the exception. As if they had been only wrong about him, and not boys in general. They didn’t revisit their line of thinking, they didn’t self-reflect and they didn’t acknowledge that their bias was utterly flawed, and that they should treat male demigods generally better.

She (Zöe) grasped it contently. “You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword.”

Then, she (Artemis) turned to me. “You did well,” she said. “For a man.”

Percy Jackson is fundamentally a story about the circle of abuse, and, Percy specifically, breaking that circle, but nothing of note happened with the hunters.

Because even if Zoe had confronted her own bias, (and there is admittedly an argument to be made that she did) she would have been the only hunter to do so. And she died.

Thalia becoming the lieutenant of the hunters as someone who is best friends with Percy and Grover, and who misses Jason more than anything, could have confronted this distorted line of thinking, but the other hunters remain pretty much unchanged in the last Olympian and The Lost Hero.

There were hugs and greetings al around- or at least Thalia was friendly. The other hunters didn’t like being around campers, especially boys, but they didn’t shoot any of us, which for them was a pretty warm welcome. (The last Olympian, chapter 10)

“Oh, no way,” Leo said. “We’ve been sitting in a cave and you get a luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!”

Phoebe sniffed. “Boys,” she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of. (XXXVI Leo, the lost hero.)

Conclusion:

So, yeah. They had huge potential, both as individual characters and as part of the overarching plot and theme of Percy Jackson, but their execution was absolutely abysmal.

The only possible positive thing I could say about them is that they are at least better than the Amazons (though that is not particularly hard)

I hope my rambling was understandable, it's already pretty late:')

#percy jackson #pjo hoo #rick riordan #pjo #hunters of artemis #titan's curse

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bibibbon · 9 months ago

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Lady nagant deserves better by the narrative

Oh I genuinely love the entire concept of lady nagant and what her character is supposed to serve in the story but I hate how it was introduced and executed.

To me it felt like lady nagant was somewhat introduced out of nowhere just to add to the building of worldbuiling and the morality of hero society. It would be better to foreshadow or illude to the existence of heroes like lady nagant earlier onto the series. For example, during hawk's first proper manga introduction and during his arc (where he works for the HPSC) you can have lady nagant name drops or stuff talking about how she used to be his mentor or how she killed a hero in the past because they got into an argument.(it still surprises me how in canon she was never his mentor but he was just her replacement.)

After that she can officially be brought up by hawks during the vigilante arc by hawks who tells izuku everything and how he worries that AFO might of hired her to assassinate him.

I personally really liked lady nagants introduction in the story and her first appearance where horikoshi actually makes her seem like a real threat. He also uses her to increase tension and stakes considering that Izuku at that moment hasn't eaten or slept in well in weeks. From the begining of the interaction it seems like lady nagant wants to already finish this of and doesn't plan on hunting down or fighting Izuku. She gives him the option to resist and die or to simply die without any struggle. Both are undesirable options however, I like this introduction especially after we find out that she never wanted to kill him but was made by AFO as a way to get her "freedom".

During the fight more about lady nagant is revealed. Things that we previously knew about her like how she was put in prison due to her killing another hero because they got into an argument are found to be false. we find out that like her successor she was taken in and trained by the HPSC at a young age to do societies bidding. We also find out that lady nagant killed the previous head of the HPSC because she didn't want to be continue killing, neither did she want to be used as a tool anymore.

An interesting eye opening moment is when lady nagant loses it or well the build up to her losing it. I really liked the contrast between the whole interaction of lady nagant meeting her little fans and her talking to her boss. In one interaction she seems completely innocent and surrounded in a harsh environment in the other she is painted out to be guilty with blood all over her hands. Lady nagants hesitance to interact with the kids shows how she feels her sense of humanity dissipating and how she is losing herself. She reaches towards the children with her right hand, yet it is her right hand that has taken so many lives but it is also her right hand that the former HPSC leader tells her that protects lives and does societies evil bidding. Lady nagant's perspective also shows us how she was coaxed into believing that what she did was right and honourable yet as she continued to do it that belief started to falter and she could only remember the screams of the lives she has taken. She ends up seeking I guess what you could call affirmation that she is in the right and that her work helps others yet that doesn't help and she ends up killing the guy who gives it to her. This simply allows us to see the cruelty and the negative side of the hero system and how it directly effects the heroes themselves.

I think lady nagants character design and her quirk are both very interesting concepts that hori came up with. Her quirk makes it so that she is a literal tool, a master rifle weilder and a dangerous one at that. Throughout the story she is consistently objectified and dehumanised with people only seeing the potential that her power has or the dangers it has. Lady nagant from previous flashbacks we are shown that she used to have long hair now this could be due to her needing her own hair for her quirk use. However, we now see her with short hair and this shows that maybe the people in charge in the prison and all cut her hair of so she wouldn't use her quirk. Also it's a striking difference from her long hair look which could show the change within her and her character. Lady nagants hero costume is very plain which is something she needs when it comes to her line of work and I think it's interesting as that contrasts with the outfit she is in when she goes to hunt down Izuku midoriya. She is in somewhat brighter colours almost as if letting her identity seep in through but not fully so. Lady nagant also has purple/pink hair (this is definitely me digging too much into this) which could be symbolic of something.

Pink: within Japanese culture pink is seen as a colour of mourning and it symbolises the young fallen soldiers in the full bloom of life. Others also see pink as a colour of innocence.

Purple: purple is naturally seen as a colour that symbolises spirituality, mystery and devotion.

Now you can argue that some of these can apply to lady nagant and her character design but Iam digging way too deep.

Lady nagant is honestly our first in depth introduction to the horrible acts of the HPSC and I liked the moments the manga was focusing on that and her own views on the current system. It's stated that she doesn't like izuku because she thinks that he is disillusioned and ignorant by the system. While fighting Izuku we clearly see her try to understand this and how some of her ideas about him slowly melt away.

Lady nagant at first is right to assume that izuku is ignorant and is simply being led by the "phony education system" as she goes to describe it. From the information that she already received from people like AFO and overhaul she thinks that he is simply another carbon copy of the ignorant hero society that she despises. She thinks that izuku is naive which is a belief that easily crumbles away as she recognises that he (like her) has a lot of secrets to hide for example both have more than one quirk and ironically both are sought after due to their quirks. What interests lady nagant about izuku is his beliefs. Izuku believes that he as a hero should reach out and help people. He doesn't try and beat them down for being villains but he tries to see the best in everyone while also acknowledging their actions. (Respectfully, I have my own problems with Izukus development but this isn't about him).

Her whole fight and relationship with Izuku is interesting and I wish we got to see her maybe take on a mentor type role for izuku. I feel like it would be a lot more interesting if we got to see them interact more. Especially because I like lady nagants views and how she knows that the path that izuku picked is a "difficult and nuanced one".

Lady nagant and hawks interactions and relationship would be further reinforced if she was his mentor. I think there is something so ironic in lady nagant training a child who would come to replace her role in that society. I really enjoyed the parallels that horikoshi put with lady nagant and hawks. I have mixed feelings when it comes to lady nagant and hawk's conversation when she is heavily injured. The introduction to it is basically hawks catching her limp body and saying something along the lines of "Iam your replacement". Now this goes to honestly dehumanise both characters and show us just how cruel the hero system is. However, I am not a huge fan of it just because how the hell are you introducing yourself to a dying woman who just got exploded as her replacement?!?!

The conversation goes to futher depict these characters as pawns of their own fates and reinforces the parallels between them. Lady nagant notices the hope in hawk's eyes and asks him how he still manages to have such hope in such a terrible society. Iam not a fan of hawks response where he simply says ,"Iam an optimistic guy" but I would of let it be if after lady nagant received medical treatment she brings that conversation back up again to hawks and we see glimpses of their conversation both exchanging stories and all. Hawks seems to acknowledge that really one of the only reasons that he didn't become like lady nagant is because he held onto hope and had people around him like tokoyami.

Also something that Interests me is lady nagants relationship with overhaul. It seems that simply drags him around and that they both accompany eachother to the fight. Lady nagant doesn't particularly hate overhaul but she doesn't care for him and is willing to use him as bait so she can't complete her job in killing Izuku midoriya. Personally, I would of liked to see more on how they met and their relationship. They could be an interesting duo that simply happend due to their own desires, lady nagants desire for freedom and overhauls for his boss. Also something that really stood out to me is how technically overhaul would of slowed down lady nagant yet she simply let him stay by her side? Seemed interesting to me.

Personally, I would write it so that they both obviously meet in prison and overhaul and her are cellmates or in similar cells. They end up sharing stories and all and when it comes to them breaking out they end up breaking out together. They end up using eachother for their own gain in the end.

Lady nagant obviously goes on to redeem herself but the ending that she receives leaves an incredibly bitter taste in my mouth. She is obviously still very traumatised and chooses to stay in prison and in all honesty I can see where this ending is coming from but I feel like an ending where she helps hawks from the sidelines while being let out do prison and being allowed to explore the world/live her life disconnected from heroes and the system would be the best for her. Lady nagants character also holds hope for change and believes that what Izuku showed them would help change the world but the problem is what Izuku showed them was just regular hero work, it wasn't necessarily anything unique or new so I would rewrite it so that izuku does show the world something, physically shows the villain kindness and physically shows that he is trying his best in helping people's while trying to give victims a voice at the same time.

In conclusion, I actually enjoyed lady nagants character I just wish that the narrative itself built up her character way before her introduction. I also wish that her character relationships were explored a lot more, like how did this happen to her? Where were her parents? How old was she when she became a fully fledged hero? And have her relationship with characters (izuku, hawks and overhaul) actually receive more build up and attention.

#mha critical #bnha critical #mha #hori is a bad writer #horikoshi critical #bhna critical #bnha #lady nagant #my hero acedamia #my hero academia #i love lady nagant #lady nagant deserves better #mha lady nagant #i wish hori gave us more of her #rewrite #rewrite i guess

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fandomsfordays21 · 2 months ago

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This is no hate to any Hazbin Hotel fans but I just need to say this.

I think the thing that's the most disappointing about the bad writing in Hazbin Hotel is how they executed the whole "Heaven is corrupt" thing and also how they executed the "Rebellious angel who saw the corruption and was shunned for it."

I fucking LOVE both of these tropes. I would even go as far as to say they are my favorites. But HH was just... So underwhelming with it.

Vaggie just feels so one dimensional and her being cast out of Heaven just didn't have any impact on me in the way it should have. Not to mention how Adam and the other angels are written. There were so many opportunities for Adam's character and his motivations for being a part of exterminations. For example, it could be because he holds a grudge against Lucifer because of Lilith and the apple, or because he has been conditioned to see himself as a higher being because of his status as the first man so he sees others as being lesser. But no. They didn't do that. Adam is like the adult show version of the bully/mean girl trope in kids shows.

Gabriel ULTRAKILL is a good example of what Vaggie or Adam could have been. (I know I'm talking about ULTRAKILL again cut me some slack).

He was conditioned to believe everything the council told him and that the things he was doing were "God's will" even though God had long since left. He literally killed Minos again despite Minos just wanting his citizens to live in peace because the Council wanted the denizens of Hell to live through their punishments. He was a loyal soldier through and through, doing everything he was told to do without question. Then, once he loses to V1 for the first time, he is immediately shunned by heaven just because he failed once. And they only leave him with the options of dying or proving himself useful again. Once he loses to V1 the second time, though, he takes the time to think and realizes the manipulation of the council and kills them in order to make a point to the rest of heaven. He's definitely going to die now, but he's fine with that because he is dying by his own rules.

See how that's so much better than Vaggie's lazy backstory of, "I didn't want to kill a child and heaven was mad." Or Adam's, "I'm just a dick and I kill people because it's fun."

I know that people have their own tastes in terms of storytelling and themes, but I think this is just really upsetting for me because HH has such an interesting concept and I feel like Vivzy really missed the mark on it with the bad plot and character writing. HH is just one of those pieces of media where you can read fanfiction of much better quality than the source.

(And we're not even taking into account the parallels between Minos and Charlie and how the idea of what sins deserve punishment are handled because that's a whole different can of worms and I'm already really upset that Vivzy can't seem to execute certain themes as well as a fucking Doom inspired FPS can.)

#ramblings #hazbin hotel #ultrakill #gabriel ultrakill #hazbin hotel adam #vaggie hazbin hotel #vivziepop

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sly-s-n0nfusion · 1 month ago

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Sly's personal ✨Octopath rankings✨

So I've been into Octopath since the year it came out as a franchise basically and I recently finished the second game so I felt like ranking both games' characters and stories based on my likings. Remember that all opinions are valid and if I didn't enjoy your favorite character or story as much as you did it's fine :) also, there aren’t characters or stories I actually disliked with two exceptions so I’m mostly being kind- but honest.

May do spoilers so I'll put them under a cut

Ot1

Stories

Olberic - His story has to be my favorite because of its impeccably functional structure and climax. I am a sucker for redemption stories and I think they nailed every chapter of it. They even made me like the arena chapter even though I'm not a fan of tournament arcs. It's a very well-executed emotional story and it had me hooked since the beginning (also loving the “plot twist” that his final chapter boss is NOT Erhardt, which is what everyone is expecting since chapter 1)

Cyrus - A compelling mystery story with some plot twist I liked and actually interesting pieces of lore in it. What I liked the most about it (if we ignore Therese's blatant deus ex machina moment in his ch3) is that you can't really tell what will happen when you go into one of his chapters. Also has probably the best ch4 with some of the rawest lines ever against Lucia

Alfyn - Loved his chapter 3 to death because of the moral ambiguity and also has one of the best side characters (Ogen). Golden boy has to doubt everything he knew in his life and I love that. Has kind of a slow start though

Ophilia - While I think ch2 could be executed much better and made less boring, the circular structure and moral of her story is amazing. The emotional ch4 almost made me tear up

H'aanit - Cute interpretation of a "pupil has to find his mentor" story and has some epic moments like chapter 3. Not much more than that but it was still really enjoyable (bonus mention for Susanna, one of the best npcs)

Primrose - Kinda compelling revenge tale, except that it ends in the most unsatisfying way possible. Has some nice ideas but I felt so empty and broken at the end of her ch4 because she too is empty and broken

Tressa - Not a fan of the "coming of age stories" but I enjoyed her rivalry with Ali and her friendship with Noa, as well as Leon's backstory. No hate, just the more lighthearted stories are not really my cup of tea. Apart from those, it found it pretty boring and probably has the most anticlimactic final boss ever

Therion - The one story I really didn't like because of... many reasons. Like, it really had potential with the whole Dragonstones thing and everything but they executed it in the worst way possible. Also I hate how they tried to make him trust people again thanks to some questionable people like Cordelia and Heathcote... it just didn't feel right and left me asking myself but why though so many times

Characters

Cyrus - I do love every high intelligence - low wisdom character, bonus of they're a dork and kind of naive. Could write a whole essay about him so just know he won my heart he’s been my blorbo for what 3 years now? Almost 4

Olberic - Another trope I love is grumpy and probably depressed characters who just have a heart of gold inside and use their strength to protect the people they love so there you have it. They did a great job of delivering the emotional baggage in his internal monologues

Ophilia - I love how her character gravitates around the concept of love, loss and family. She's so dear to me

H'aanit - I like her view of the world and her stoic personality but I must say that for a main character, her introspective side could've been explored more

Alfyn - Sunshine boy who feels too much. I do like men who are not afraid of crying in front of others

Therion - a bit of a lone wolf stereotype- but I like his dry and sarcastic attitude when he talks to the other members of the party

Tressa - I like that she's a bit hot-headed and I like her enthusiasm. Definitely a character who shines more when she's with other characters though

Primrose - I think they messed up a bit with her characterization sadly because I can't really tell how the real Primrose is supposed to be even after ch4. She's often portrayed as an overly-flirty femme fatale even though it's probably trauma response and often says some... questionable things to the other members of the party in her travel banters, it's hard to get her true personality right. When she's angry, she kinda comes off as cold and distant, too. I think the writers could've done a better job with her

Ot2

Stories

Castti - Hands down the best Octopath Traveler main story ever imo. It was perfect from how the emotions were delivered to the compelling plot, to the climax in her chapter 3 and the bittersweet ending in her chapter 4. So heartbreaking and has a great attention to details, as well as amazing side characters. Perfect under every aspect and I loved the “horror rpg” vibe to it

Osvald - Amazing revenge tale (and kinda mimicking The Count of Montecristo), much more effective than Primrose's and also more heartbreaking and with an ending that's a bit more satisfying (even if the last chapter is definitely the weakest one and could've been handled better for such a good story). Cool plot twists at the right times an a villain that's actually Rotten to the Core (if we ignore the ridiculous laugh Harvey has). His chapter 1 was probably the best Octopath Traveler chapter 1 narration-wise and had me almost crying at his chapter 4 boss

Throné - I wasn't expecting her story to be this good in the slightest but the "getting out of the mafia" tale is well-executed and has some nice side plots for its side characters, as well as some quite shocking twists near the end. Her chapter 1 is also super good and has some pretty good dialogues.

Temenos - I have mixed feelings towards this one because it had so much potential but it definitely needed more time to be done correctly. The mystery plot feels kinda rushed at times (especially in chapter 3 because I think that one is kind of a narrative mess like why is everything happening SO QUICKLY) and one fatal flaw: Kaldena's backstory not being addressed well enough. She is really a character who needed to pop out more in his story. In the end it's probably a matter of pacing but it does have some real big wasted potential. Also another story that like Primrose's leaves you with a really bitter aftertaste except this time it's actually fitting for Temenos' character

Ochette - .....I'm sorry guys this story is literally Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for a good 70% of it. Which doesn’t make it necessarily the worst story but it’s not original either. What I liked though is that it has some real good first and final chapters that got me kind of emotional and also kinda creeped me out. The side "anti-racism plot" could've been articulated better narratively but that's what we got in the end so. Also big wasted potential.

Hikari - I am not a fan of stories in which by chapter 1 you already know how they're going to end and Hikari's was exactly like this. I quite enjoyed the arena chapter and the chapter in Stormhail as well, and some parts of it were very cinematic. Not much more than that

Partitio - DISCLAIMER for the next 2 stories: again, I am not a fan of lighthearted stories because of personal taste, nothing else. I want the drama lol. This is why this one was not my cup of tea. I liked the narrative pace of chapter 1 but after that one it just kinda goes a little overboard with the crazyness idk it felt kinda weird to have a bulldog, a jobless guy and a train as bosses. What I loved were the "scent of commerce" side-stories though because it was really fitting to the time period the game is set in to have the merchant traveler interested in financing new inventions and machines. Also not that compelling overall

Agnea - Guys I'm sorry but this one was a big no for me. Legit had me really bored most of the time (especially didn't like the musical parts and her dialogues-only chapter 3 oh god) and never really got me hooked. I liked how cinematic her final boss battle was though and big w for the lesbians in her story I guess

Characters

Castti - Loved her caring, yet sarcastic attitude. She was such a fun and interesting character to be around (if we ignore how many times the travelers insist on calling her “mom” because she is just so much more) and has traits to her that left me quite surprised

Osvald - I love that for once we have a character that's not always nice to the other party members. I like his sharp tongue and atypical behavior, and him going nonverbal at times. A really interesting take on the scholar character I appreciated a lot (also dilfs lover here sorry not sorry)

Temenos - Mixed feelings for Temenos, again, because he does kinda sound like certain anime characters from my childhood but he is a fun character. Sly, snarky, diffident and secretly very broken inside is always a winning combination

Throné - I liked her a lot. I like the contrast between her kind personality and the gruesome job she's forced to do, and that she wants to redeem herself from everything she had to bear since she was a kid. I love her soft side and that she wants to be the good person she is

Partitio - Alfyn, but better. I can say I'm a fan of his over the top humour and attitude and his kind, generous heart

Agnea - Fun girl! I like her bubbly personality and also that she is stubborn and determined. She’s not a deep character but she is still fun

Ochette - I think her character had wasted potential. Even though I agree that she's fun and quirky, they didn't do a great job of portraying her as part of another whole species because they really kinda just made her personality rotate around liking meat. Also didn't really like how unnecessarily infantilized she was rip but she is still cute and fun

Hikari - .......Hikari likers I'm sorry. Oomfs who are Hikari likers if you’re reading this just know that I think your tastes are valid and I'm the one in the minority because everyone loves Hikari, so sorry for what I'm about to say but he kinda was what ruined his own story for me, as well as being the only traveler I actually dislike. I didn't like his teeth-rotting sweet dialogues and his whole character rotating around the concept of friendship. I didn't like that his one (1) flaw is him being possessed by a demon because of his cursed blood. He's too perfect. Therefore to me he's too uninteresting. Sorry!

Peace ✌️

#octopath traveler #octopath traveler 2 #sly rambles #these are just my personal thoughts #please don’t get offended by the Hikari bashing I know he is Loved #and it’s fine!#said that. I love both games to death

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