#i'll analyze what he actually says in the big post

[grievedifferent]

i'm going to add it to my unused dialogue post of course but this particular cut dialogue is very interesting. it goes until .43 seconds before it switches to some cut chris & ashley dialogue.

josh is definitely both a) channeling some of his sessions with probably not just dr. hill but other doctors he's seen, as well as b) putting that psych degree to use ... or what he's accomplished so far of it, anyways, so enough to really get that narrative going to torment sam. i think this dialogue is also important to revealing josh's opinion on sam's place in the prank / ie the bystander complex.

josh is studying psych to 1) help himself (understand himself, cope, etc) and 2) to better his movies, which is his main motivation that he provides when asked. why waste the time getting degrees in things he has firsthand experience in ... as well as his father's name on his resume?

additionally: josh's parents always intended for him to work within the industry with them. at their company. under their watch. he was never meant to get deep enough to get lost. he's charismatic, but he's also vulnerable. the industry would destroy him. they're the guard between him and that world.

[sergle]

(re: sssniperwolf and jacksfilms) It's laughable that she escalated it that hard. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure stalking him like that is illegal and it's terrifying regardless, but Jack said in a stream (can't remember which one) that he wasn't about bringing up past controversies of hers or cancelling. And now she shows up outside his house (wtf!!!). Like he was willing to only call her out for stealing and freebooting but she's gone and stalked him and Jack doesn't seem like the type of guy to take that shit. Actual WTF moment from her part. wild

omg long post below bc apparently I have opinions: YES!! THAT'S WHAT'S SO INCREDIBLE ABOUT THIS... Jack has been genuinely diligent about keeping things on-topic in his streams, and hasn't brought up any of her other Stuff, or anything Personal. Despite the fact that she kickstarted the whole thing by making it INCREDIBLY personal and attacking his physical appearance... His goal has been to call out and bring attention to content theft, and he's stuck with it. Dude's also cared about this for years, and she's not the first content thief he's criticized. He just hates the way that freebooting has become so accepted-- to the point where youtube praised her for "coming up with such creative video ideas"? Hey! Ew! Dude wasn't trying to get her cancelled though, there was no smear campaign of her character. He's been rallying to get her to CREDIT the creators that she relies on for all of her content. It would set a precedent for all other "react" channels on the platform for one of the biggest channels on youtube to actually give credit where credit is due. Or, god forbid, get permission first? It's not hard. It's already done the job of making some other people who do "react content" self-analyze whether or not their content is transformative, and to maybe care about crediting the creators they rely on for their genre to work. There is a way to make this kind of video that isn't so slimy. And making fun of her lackluster-at-best reactions is so far from even being a big deal. Bc she literally does just sit there and say nothing. Plus, his goal has a clear End built into it: if she started shouting out the creators she takes content from, and put links directly to their pages in her video descriptions, the job would be done! That's what he's asking her to do. Real bare minimum stuff. It legit would have been easy to steer away from the content theft and to also talk about her history of lying to her audience! her ghosting a dying kid with cancer who was a big fan of hers! the fact that she's been arrested for armed robbery! her history of transphobia! He would also get more clicks that way, which is what she claims is his sole goal- to get more clicks. I'll bring it up though! She's been a terrible person the whole time, and has kept a steady course of manipulating her audience of young children and/or, let's be completely honest, simps- into thinking that she's a Wholesome creator. (And now, into thinking she's an innocent victim.) All of the actual effort put in by her has gone toward optics, not the content she puts out. A carefully constructed online persona, for one, but also literal appearances. Jack totally can't say this, bc she already went off the handle and said the only reason he doesn't like her is bc he Hates To See A Woman Be Successful. But I can! That was a cheap shot for her to use that argument when, for once, it's not applicable! Much the opposite, even! Dudes online wouldn't go to bat for her if she didn't look the way she does. And it weakens any case she'd have against him by making baseless claims like that. She banks hugely on being an attractive woman to get her clicks/following. A massive amount of effort is put into her appearance. The makeup, the lip fillers, putting her hair in little pigtails, the chokers and tube tops, the big non-prescription Nerd Glasses, the thumbnails where she has her mouth open in That Expression?

I don't even have to say anything. But making a weird facial expression and putting your hair in pigtails aren't moral failings. Showing up at someone's real life home (whose address you shouldn't even have access to), filming the front of their house at night, doxxing them to your audience of millions of people? Because you were mad at them online? That is fully scary! Yeah girl I'm pretty sure that Jack can press charges! There is absolutely no way to take the moral highground now that she's literally stalked him, and doxxed his home. She tried to goad him and Erin (Jack's wife) out of the house, also, which creeps me out even more-- because what was she planning to do? The fact that she's been arrested for violent crime before does pop into my mind! lmao! Jack was streaming a game at the time that she was outside his home, and these clips of him, his friends, and Erin reacting in real time to what is genuinely a scary situation have been taken down in case he needs to use them in legal action. Shit is legitimately serious!

[biird-rot]

Leon Kennedy is Autistic: An Analysis by an Autistic Person

DISCLAIMER: This post and all the points I make are highly based on my OWN experiences. I often find parallels between my experiences as a disabled individual and characters I love to help me better cope with and process my feelings. Hate will not be tolerated!!!

Before I get started, I’d like to say that this is not even me scratching the SURFACE of the things I could analyze about Leon and apply to various autistic experiences, this is mostly just the things that resonate with me the most.

Parallel Play/Preferring to Work Alone

It could be attributed to trauma, and the fact he works in a government agency, but Leon has always been the flying solo type. Missions in which it would be better if multiple people worked on it (RE4) HOWEVER! Whenever he does work with others, he often goes off on his own and leaves whoever he's with to deal with what's there (DI, Leon going off immediately after being vaccinated by Rebecca)

Difficulty Communicating/Identifying Emotions

This also plays into the difficulty making friends and maintaining friendships aspect of being autistic. There isn't any direct/obvious representations of this occurring in the franchise, but it can be inferred based upon his interaction with Chris and Rebecca in RE: Vendetta when the two try to recruit Leon on their mission because of the intel he has on the type of BOWs they're dealing with. Speaking of RE: Vendetta, it can also be noted that Leon copes with his inability to cope with/regulate his emotions by drinking, and this is a habit he always had. In fact, he's essentially hung over in RE2, having drunk his feelings away after being broken up with the night before the Raccoon City incident, and he is literally drinking on the job in Damnation. Essentially, he's canonically an alcoholic. As an autistic person, sometimes I would turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with my emotional dysregulation, especially when I was unaware that I was autistic.

Leon isn't a very emotional person in general, again, It could be chalked up to trauma, but lack of emotional expression is also a common experience/trait amongst autistics.

“Inappropriate” Responses to Situations

GODDDD this one is SO prominent in RE4R (hell, even the OG), Infinite Darkness actually everything he's in, I can name at LEAST 2 examples of this. To keep this short, I'll just name ones that I relate painfully hard to, and ones that I find hilarious.

To start, WHENEVR HE JUST SAYS "ok 🧍" in response to an emotional moment. RE2R, when Claire introduces him to Sherry, in RE4R, when Ashley hugs him and expresses her relief that he's okay, and in Infinite Darkness whenever he checks up on Patrick after the White House Outbreak. It never fails to make me lose it because he's just like me fr.

Thists a sillier one, but I want to mention it because it's so mecore.

Thank you to @highball66 for doing the lord's work of translating the Death Island manga yall seriously he’s a legend🙏

When Leon sends selfies of him on missions. That's it. He just sends it to Hunnigan and I think it's great.

Sensory Issues

Okay, I KNOW LEON IS A GOVERNMENT AGENT AND NEEDS SOME LEVEL OF GEAR ON MISSIONS BUT!!!!! Half the time he isn't even wearing a full set, not even a bullet proof vest. HOWEVER, I did notice that one thing he CONSISTENTLY wears (with the exception of a few instances) is GLOVES!!! This is more of a personal headcannon, but I like to think he's sensitive to texture, especially when handling guns and such, so he wears gloves, so it doesn't feel as terrible. To further back up his sensitivity to texture, in Death Island, after the Dylan BOW explodes and splashes water everywhere, Chris doesn't seem to care about being covered in water while Leon is flicking the water off him.

Literal Thinking - Coming off as Rude/Inappropriate Unintentionally

GODDDDD this is another big one, but I’ll only cover the ones that I relate to a lot to save time. Starting with his initial encounter with Jill in Death Island, they’re being chased by lickers and…well..this interaction

Exhibit B: This scene. He’s just so nonchalant about it and I do the exact same thing without like…intentionally being a “smartass” or whatever, I’m just being honest 🧍. Jill’s “Oh😒” at the end of the scene is really what made it hit home, because that’s how people typically react when i have a similar interaction with them

ANOTHER THING!!! All of the instances in which Leon casually asks “so you wanna get dinner?” Or something along those lines. It’s often interpreted as a poor attempt at flirting, but personally, I think he genuinely just wants food, and he doesn’t understand why ppl are like 🤨 when he asks. He just wants a nice dinner with a nice lady :(

Hyper-empathy

Small disclaimer here, autism is a SPECTRUM. And our empathy levels fluctuate every day. In Leon’s case, I see him being hyper-empathetic, much like myself. And being able to empathize so easily with people is incredibly draining. Additionally, a huge thing that is common among autistics is how we tend to respond to people who are sharing their struggles with us sharing our OWN experiences that are similar to theirs, and it often comes off as egocentric and selfish to “make it about us”, but in reality, that’s our way of saying that we understand what you’re going through, and it helps us process how you may be feeling as well. There are many scenes I could pull from, but I want to talk about one specifically in Infinite Darkness since it resonates so much with me:

The scene within ID in which Jason is having a nightmare, and Leon wakes him up, immediately asking him if he wants to talk about it. Jason recalls the nightmare and his trauma about Penamstan to Leon, and says that he has no idea what it was like, and Leon responds talking about his experience in Raccoon City, and how that affected him similarly

Special Interests & Using Media to Communicate Feelings

There are many aspects of this I could talk about, but I’ve already written 10 pages worth already in this post, so I’ll speed through it.

Personally, I think Leon has a special interest in film! He makes several references throughout the franchise, many of which are overlooked. Personally, my favorite reference he makes is in RE: Vendetta to Pulp Fiction (I think) when Chris and Rebecca confront him during his “vacation”

Final Notes/Conclusion

I had to cut a LOT out from my original mini-essay I wrote about this to fit it better on here, and make it not as boring to read lmao, but I hope you enjoyed my silly little analysis! I love being able to relate my experiences to others, fictional or otherwise, as it helps me feel less alone, and be able to process and cope with what makes my disability a…well, a disability. I hope fellow autistics find some solace in this as well, and please let me know your additional thoughts about this topic if you’re a fellow autistic Leon Kennedy headcannoner!!!

[makeste]

So... How was watching that episode?

I meant to do a post on this sooner, as opposed to late on a Friday night hours before the next episode drops (eta: well apparently there's no new ep airing this week after all so that makes my timing slightly less atrocious), but yeah. basically I loved it. it hurt in all the right ways.

music was incredible. no shot it was ever not going to be incredible. Hayashi Yuuki thank you for always making my emotions your bitch.

there are admittedly a couple of moments in the anime which I felt weren't quite as impactful as they were in the manga. one of these is the moment when Jeanist, after seeing that Kacchan is (he thinks) traumatized and crying, immediately shifts gears from trying to hype him back up to return to the battle, and instead starts reassuring him that he's done enough and he doesn't have to fight anymore and they'll figure out a way without him. when I first read that part in the manga it absolutely slaughtered me. it's so rare to see media that stars young adults as the protagonists, and portrays them as capable young warriors, and yet also acknowledges that even so, they're still just kids. and to then surround said kids with adults who aren't dumbed down, and who are actually smart and capable and who are actively looking out for them and trying to protect them even though the kids are more OP than they are.

so to have a character that looks at someone like Bakugou and sees past how powerful and determined and ferocious he is, and instead just sees a kid who has been so incredibly brave and who they've asked so much of already. and to have that character make the on-the-spot decision to pull this kid out of the fight, regardless of the consequences, even if it means they might LOSE, just because he thinks the kid is hurt and scared and past his limits, and he needs someone to look out for him. that moment says everything about what kind of person Jeanist is. just, that one part got to me so much.

BUT, in the anime it all happens much faster and the moment gets kind of lost because Kacchan almost immediately starts doing his Deku-style muttering, and Jeanist quickly realizes that his initial read was wrong and this kid is actually FULLY AND COMPLETELY LOCKED IN MORE THAN EVER. which is exactly what happens in the manga as well, to be fair. but in the manga I got to read and absorb it at my own pace, whereas the anime just keeps on going with no concern over whether you've had enough time to process everything that's going on. and so that moment just kind of slips by, and almost isn't even noticeable unless you're looking out for it. it's not really a complaint, because there isn't really any other way the scene could be adapted, probably. but it does give me a good excuse to write a mini-essay about how much I love it, so yeah.

moving on though, in spite of my wishing we could have somehow lingered on that part a second or two longer, I did absolutely love the reveal of Kacchan mumbling and analyzing Deku-style. the first of many outstanding Okamoto Nobuhiko performances in this episode. full nerd powers activated. we'd already seen him do this in Bakugou Katsuki: Rising as well, but this is where it really stands out and it was awesome.

and by the way, shout out to the Big Three who are fucking great. eventually when I get around to posting my manga recaps for this part of the story, those will get more into their antics. for now though, I'll just say that everything was very well adapted. and the part where poor Mirio is all "???? sorry????" when TomurAFO has his brief little Tenko outburst was everything I hoped it would be, and Mirio's actor absolutely nailed it. like I knew it was coming and was anticipating it, and it still slayed me. easily a top five funniest moment in the whole damn series.

Kacchan standing up and telling Jeanist to look after the others filled me with just as much dread as the first time I read it. and the first time I read it, I had already been spoiled. so what I'm trying to say is, knowing what's about to happen does not in any way lessen the intensity of this moment. if anything it just enhances it.

the reveal of Kacchan's powerup was so incredibly badass. I can't even describe how badass it was. just, BOOM. now you see me, now you don't. LA DEE DA, HERE I AM! and the narration in the background talking about his quirk. chef's kiss.

no matter how many anime characters I see pulling off the omae wa mou shindeiru, I will never, ever tire of it. it's the single most badass thing anyone can ever do. especially when they were being underestimated the entire fucking time, and now all of a sudden they're out here scaring the shit out of the big bad himself. no one is faster than Kacchan. KACCHAN CAN RUN FASTER THAN ALL OF YOU. HE CAN FUCKING FLY!! HE'S BEHIND YOU RIGHT NOW!! GOD I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

and then Nobu hits us with the coup de grace. "Izuku… can I still catch up to you?" fellas is it gay to spend your last thirty seconds of life having an imaginary conversation with your beloved rival even as you're zapping around like a bolt of lightning, kicking more ass than anyone on earth has ever kicked.

and I was already dead by this point, but then the All Might vestige scene kicked in and resuscitated me so I could die again even harder. worth it.

so what really killed me nineteen times during this part was the way that Kacchan sounded so completely and utterly different from how he has ever sounded before. this is a scene that's taking place entirely in his head (or… in OFA land… maybe???? goddammit Horikoshi still owes us an explanation. THAT VESTIGE SHOULD NOT BE THERE I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYBODY SAYS). there's nobody else around. nobody to perform for. nobody to show off or look tough for. it's just him, and this big mysterious yellow All Might ghost thing.

and he sounds like an entirely different person. nervous, shy, sheepish. no crudeness, no insults. just, aw shucks. hand to back of neck. avert eyes. so this is kind of awkward, but... the thing is, I always wanted to... but I was such a brat when we first met... and I just never found the right moment after... anyway yeah I'm sorry and it's really dumb. but I really just. wanted to get your autograph.

just. this is him at his most sincere. this is who he's always been, all along. the one and ONLY time we've ever gotten a glimpse of him with absolutely no walls. and he is NOTHING like what he presents himself as to the outside world. he is sweet, he is gentle, he is self-effacing. he is painfully vulnerable, which is doubtless why he never dares to show this side of himself to anybody, ever. and he is ultimately so calmly accepting of this one last regret during what he believes are his final moments.

anyway. so yeah. it destroyed me. what else is there to say.

and then it happens. and once again, not to shit on the anime at all because this episode was fantastic, but this was another part that seemed much clearer in the manga. particularly that one page where we see that everyone else -- Jeanist; Mirio; Hadou; Tamaki; even Mirko -- tried to save Katsuki from that final blow, but they were all just a split second too late. the anime did its best to show that, but I think it was just harder to convey in that format. whereas the manga did it beautifully in a way that couldn't really be replicated.

but on the other hand, one thing the anime did VERY well was showing Kacchan's ragdoll body just flop lifelessly away afterwards. holy shit. I watched like a half dozen reaction videos to this episode on Youtube, and in most of them the anime viewers didn't quite realize how bad of a hit it was at first… until they showed that. then they were like, D: D: D:

and then last but not least… the image that broke the internet so hard that it spoiled me even in my paranoid social media isolation. Kacchan lying lifelessly on the ground. it's such a well-drawn panel in the manga, and the anime absolutely did it justice. having him be so pale was a wonderful touch. you see him, and you just immediately know. there's no room for doubt at all. it's powerful af. the Youtuber reactors all lost their minds. one woman actually started sobbing. phenomenal cinema.

so yeah! needless to say I thought it was spectacular. pour one out for the anime-onlys though. and now their watch begins.

[birdiebirdjay]

controversial opinions on characters? (specifically harry potter)

hi anon! thanks for the ask :)

hmmmm i have quite a few

i don't like luna lovegood. i think she's very irritating as a person and i would absolutely go batshit if i had to interact with her in real life. she is the wizard equivalent of a flat earther and an anti vaxxer, not a spiritual guide. hermione wasn't narrow minded for doubting her and xeno, they were the narrow minded ones for never questioning their beliefs despite the MOUNTAINS of evidence against them. rahhh she makes me so angry. (i hate that i have to specify, but this isn't misogynistic, i would feel the same if she was a guy.)

lucius malfoy is a relatively harmless guy, he's just slippery. he gives me such peacock vibes. he just wants to show off and look rich and not be questioned. (also he def dotes on narcissa and draco which is adorable to explore in fics <3 i think he would be an amazing father to a little girl and would have loved a daughter which i like exploring in my fics, but that's just a headcanon)

draco is the same way, i feel. iirc he's usually too scared to start shit unless crabbe and goyle are there, he just makes me laugh tbh. of course he does do and say some shitty things but i am just. unable to take him seriously. this may be because i haven't thought about his character in a while, but as of right now, i don't really see him as evil OR a sympathetic little boy. he's just. a little dude. (he is more dangerous than his father though, i'll give him that.) i mean if marauders stans are allowed to glorify james potter and put him on a pedestal, i'm allowed to have this.

percy weasley! i love percy so much, i think this is an uncommon opinion but i don't really know. i think he's amazing, i've already talked about him a lot on my blog so ye :)

i think the weasley family is dysfunctional asf. i don't think i personally can explain it, but this post by @/arkadijxpancakes does a great job of comprehensively analyzing their history and dynamics as well as showing why each weasley is the way they are. super good read!

albus dumbledore: i don't know why this is controversial but i actually think he was a good character, all things considered. yes, he did some bad things, but they were to help save the wizarding world in the end. he set it all up.

severus snape: i think he's awesome, deserved WAY better, and was a traumatized character who is severely overhated. please don't try to fight me on this, you'll just give me a headache.

lily evans: this is a very new opinion of mine but... i don't think she was a great person. i used to wonder 'how could james potter, a shitty little twit twat, end up with such a wonderful and kind and amazing person?' but i've come to realize, she's really not those things. she was kind of a shit friend from what we know. i still think she's very interesting, but not necessarily a good person.

harry potter!! i want to include him because i think that quite frankly he is an awesome little dude but is super underrated and borderline disliked by a big part of the fandom. though i personally feel like he could have been written better in some ways, i still love him tons and i think he deserves more appreciation <33 (also i adore the idea of an oddly specific au where percy and oliver team up to take care of lil tiny first year harry)

neville longbottom: this may be the most controversial one yet but i just don't feel the hype. i feel like he was largely unimportant in the first six books besides as a side character (but it's been a while since i read most of them, so correct me if i'm wrong) and yeah he was cool in the seventh, but like... i still don't feel it. he was pretty boring imo. i think i logically understand why he's loved, but i don't personally relate :/

(canon) james potter: hate him. -100000000/10. he can go die. (OH WAIT HE ALREADY DID!) i'm sorry, i just cannot like him. fanon james is awesome and super cute and lovable, but fanon james is a whole different person than canon james. if we compare young severus to harry, james is dudley dursley in literally every way. rich, privileged, gets away with everything, and loves picking on powerless and vulnerable people for fun. the only difference is that james potter tended to do it with a partner/group, and dudley could do it on his own. oh, and dudley apologized, i guess. it was pretty half assed but we did see him trying to be better with the teacup and stuff. they both suck, obviously, but at least dudley had a slight turning point. maybe i just don't like james because we never saw him be apologetic or regret anything in canon? idk.

cho chang: i honestly really liked her! i thought she and harry could have been super cute ever since i read the third book. now obviously valentines day of 1996 was a disaster, but i still think that if she and harry had met up again after the war and after they had figured themselves out, they could have sort of talked and apologized and moved on and possibly rekindled. idk, this isn't really as ~controversial~ as some of the others because i feel like cho chang is just more forgotten than unpopular or controversial, but i don't see a lot of charry content out there so i'm putting this here :]

one last thing i almost forgot, VIKTOR KRUM IS A FUCKING CREEP!! i used to be more hesitant about voicing this opinion because he's so loved in the fandom, but GOD DAMN he's a creep. as a famous, rich, popular adult, he asks out a 15 year old and is super nice to her and appreciates her intellect and is generally very sweet to her, but that just. that literally just sounds like grooming to me?? wtf?? i mean if i was asked out at 15 by an 18 year old, i would be VERY creeped out. also he comments on how attractive ginny (15 at the time) is at bill's wedding when HE IS IN HIS 20s. he then makes a comment along the lines of 'what's the point of being famous if all the good looking girls are taken?' HEY HERE'S AN IDEA, FIND A WOMAN INSTEAD OF A GIRL??

there's gotta be more controversial opinions i have but no one else comes to mind right now; feel free to request opinions on specific characters! i have a lot of those :]

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Why hello! I don’t see why we can’t keep the Top 5 trend alive in the new year so…

From one chronic rewatcher to another, what are your top 5 most rewatched scenes?

Sorry this took so long, @wen-kexing-apologist! I'm just now getting back to posting a bit more regularly after the holidays got me totally off track, and this question brought up a lot of Thoughts so I've been chipping away at it for weeks.

So, um, this is the best question ever. Except it’s the meanest question ever, because I'm terrible at choosing between things like this.

I am a massive rewatcher, whether you’re talking about whole series, episodes, or scenes. Scenes especially. Why watch an entire thing when you can go right for the best part/s and watch them over and over? This is also one of the reasons I have way too many gifs saved on my phone.

I thought about coming up with a list that was based more on what would make a good post, and/or what would make me look less uncool, than what I actually rewatch the most. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to be honest instead. So at the risk of seeming even more like an Utsukare obsessive and overall one-trick pony, I'm going to talk about the five scenes I think I've actually rewatched the most, even though four of them are from my perennial obsession.

The four Utsukushii Kare scenes are in the order they occur in the series, not from most rewatched to least. Then I'll talk about a fifth scene from another series that I've been pretty vocal about appreciating, and I'll mention some runners-up.

“who do you like, him or me?”

If gif posts are any indication—gifs are the smallest increment of rewatching, after all—some of my favorite scenes to rewatch aren’t that popular with other rewatchers. This one gets gif’ed, sure, as you can see. But it's not as popular a choice for this kind of treatment as a lot of other Utsukare scenes.

There are a few reasons this one is a favorite of mine. One is that I tend to like some jealousy in my romance. I have my theories about why it’s so appealing to me specifically, but I’m not entirely sure how to explain it. I also love a good aggressive shirt-grab. (Utsukare certainly delivers these regularly.) But the main reason I keep coming back to this moment is that in just a few sentences, a bunch of character development happens. Well, I guess it would be more correct to call it character revelation. This is the first time we really see this side of Kiyoi, and in that respect, it foreshadows the big perspective shift that’s just around the corner. The viewer picks up a lot of hints that Kiyoi has feelings for Hira prior to this point (even if Hira remains stubbornly oblivious to them). We’ve even seen Kiyoi kiss Hira already (even if he did push him to the ground a split second later). But this is the first time we see such direct evidence of the strength of his feelings for Hira. Kiyoi is so unguarded for this brief moment. The mask slips and what’s underneath is total desperation.

Hira, of course, misses the real meaning of what Kiyoi is saying despite how obvious it is. Which means it's also the viewers’ first indication of how intensely Hira clings to his favored view of reality in the face of evidence to the contrary.

"sorry I like you"

This is another scene where so much is happening in a short span, all because Kiyoi got desperate enough to talk about all of the unspoken bullshit between him and Hira. As usual, Hira doesn’t get it. But he might be starting to. 

This scene is pretty rough watching in some ways. When this episode first aired and it ended with this scene followed by each of them on their own and feeling terrible, I was a bit of a mess. It was silly of me to worry. There were plenty of favorable signs in the preview for the finale. I knew the novels had a happy ending. But it was just so sad and so real that it got to me anyway. But I also enjoyed it, because for an obsessive analyzer like myself, seeing these important relationship dynamics finally come to the surface in such concentrated form was fascinating. It was also a relief to see things out in the open.

Both leads turn in such great performances here. Yagi Yusei really steps up. It’s even more impressive given his relative lack of acting experience. His performance is so raw and affecting. If he had been less vulnerable, Kiyoi’s point about how contradictory Hira’s actions and statements are could seem like a kind of “gotcha” moment designed to win an argument--like he was pointing out that Hira was hypocritical in a bid to score points. Instead, Yagi shows viewers how deeply being caught in this double bind with Hira has hurt Kiyoi. 

Hagiwara Riku, in contrast, portrays Hira as so confused that he’s basically dissociated. Hira has a really strong tendency to see the world in whatever way suits him, regardless of the truth. Kiyoi’s words force Hira to set his usual narrative aside and see how much clinging to it is hurting the person he claims to love, and it throws him off to such an extent that he seems to be experiencing a form of psychomotor slowing. He looks like he’s moving through molasses. He can’t form sentences, or at times, even words. His normally expressive eyes seem like they’ve shrunk to half their normal size. He’s really come unmoored, and it shows. The more I think about Hagiwara’s work in this scene the more impressed I am by the insight and physical control he had to bring to bear in order for it to work. 

Of course, if I watched this scene on its own habitually, this level of blorbo distress might take a toll on my mental health. Which is why I usually follow it up with…

"I'm not going to kiss you for a while"

I’m busting out the bullet points for this one because otherwise it might take me all day.

This scene works on so many levels!

Well, the main ones are:

Relationship progress! Character growth! 

The whole kiss fakeout thing is hot

Hira gets some payback and frankly, he deserves it

The other highlights for me are: 

Even after repeated viewings and knowing very well what happened in the story, I still feel kind of relieved to see that Kiyoi came back, especially right after rewatching the scene prior to this one. 

When Kiyoi asks Hira why he thinks he came home and he says, “to punch me?" he does it in the most weirdly cute way.

Kiyoi’s absolutely lethal snotty face/voice when he responds to the possibility of punching Hira with “maybe” is so perfect that it's hard not to think that Hira might have a point about this whole King deal. 

Hira apologizes and it’s actually sincere and not just some knee-jerk bullshit. 

The way Hira closes his eyes and waits for Kiyoi to smack him is a rare case of him actually letting go and putting himself in Kiyoi’s hands instead of his usual topping-from-the-bottom thing.

More about the kiss fakeout:

Hagiwara does a great job of telegraphing Hira’s expectant response. In scenes where two characters are going to kiss but get interrupted, it's not uncommon to see a kind of hesitation or other subtle signal that the actor knows the kiss isn't going to happen. But there's none of that here. Hagiwara even does this sort of gulp/swallow thing like he thinks the kiss is going to start any moment. When the kiss doesn't materialize, he nails an absolutely pitifiul sad puppy expression.

Kiyoi’s vulnerable voice and facial expression when he explains about the kissing boundary thing is so sincere and cute. Could he be any more different from season 1 episode 1 Kiyoi?

I’ve written about how the no-kissing-until-Hira-takes-Kiyoi-seriously policy might seem like a controlling move or an inappropriate ultimatum to some viewers but it actually better resembles what Harriet Lerner calls a “bottom line,” resulting in a boundary that is not only justifiable but downright healthy…or almost healthy, at least. It's a bit on the extreme side, and the fakeout part remains a little mean. But they're understandable given what Hira has put Kiyoi through. 

Here's my s2e4 writeup that includes that discussion:

“sorry, Kiyoi”

So, I’ve already written quite a bit about this scene. In one instance, I wrote a propaganda blurb when it was in bl brackets’s kiss bracket.

Here's the original blurb I wrote for @bl-bracket when I nominated the scene, as used in the post where people voted:

Hira and Kiyoi Final Kiss: "It’s an important plot point (because Kiyoi has said he won’t kiss Hira until he stops putting him on a pedestal and now Hira is making progress on that front, and because Hira hasn’t initiated physical stuff in the past, and initiating is itself a way of treating Kiyoi more like an equal). It’s also just a really well-acted and effectively shot kiss, and as a result it communicates so much about the characters and shows a side of their relationship not portrayed elsewhere in the show. And of course, it’s super hot. That includes the kind of weird but suggestive details that are typical of the show, like Hira passing candy/candy spit to Kiyoi through the kiss and then switching into this really distinct sexy voice that makes it sound almost as if he’s changing personalities."

And here's an additional, longer propaganda post I wrote to lobby for votes:

One of the points I tried to make in that post about why this scene is special was that it really does represent a leap forward in how both leads portrayed intimacy in this series. Prior to this scene, viewers had seen a dead fish kiss on graduation day, a more intense makeout situation in the season 1 finale that was shot so impressionistically that it was often hard to tell exactly what the actors were doing, and some interrupted kisses earlier in season 2. And then this happened. Here's a quote from what I wrote previously:

Personally, despite being a fan of both actors and thinking they did amazing work on the series, until I saw this scene I really didn't know if they had it in them, if they could actually pull off something that felt real. But they brought it. They're not holding back. As opposed to more stylized kisses you see in BLs and other romance dramas sometimes, I found it very naturalistic, like the way a couple of real kids in their early 20s would kiss.

So, yeah. I thought it showed real growth on the part of the actors as individuals and as a pairing/team.

This scene also caused me to dig deeper, with the help of some very knowledgeable mutuals, into what “persistent” and “cute” mean in a sexual context in Japan. My main post about that is below.

Noticing Hagiwara's use of Hira's "persistent voice" also helped me to notice something else when I checked out his other work, and that is that he often uses his voice in very different ways in different roles. I recently watched a drama he did before Utsukare and I was struck by this all over again. Again, it shows a really impressive degree of control.

And now, for our one non-Utsukare scene in the top 5:

"I'm trying to seduce you"

I also wrote a nomination blurb about this scene for the kiss bracket. (If you're seeing a pattern here, well, yeah, it's a pattern.) The original voting post here but I'll go ahead and quote it in its entirety since it's pretty short.

This kiss is ridiculously hot and is a culmination of so much that’s been simmering beneath the surface for the entire show up to that point. Togawa has been pining so hard for Nozue for so long that when Nozue gives him a glimmer of hope and then tries to leave, everything he’s been bottling up comes surging out. Kimura Tatsunari exudes a level of desperate lustfulness in this scene that’s as intense as anything I’ve seen in any genre. We’re all familiar with the idea that people look at a person’s mouth when they want to kiss them, but Togawa looks at Nozue’s mouth like he dreams about it every night and sees it every time he closes his eyes. No wonder he feels a need to stick his thumb in there. Takeda Kouhei also communicates so much in this scene. Nozue is shocked and confused but he can’t help but respond to Togawa’s kisses. You can see the gears turning—and refusing to turn—as he tries to make sense of what’s happening—and keeps kissing Togawa back even though he still can’t process it. Togawa’s declaration, “I’ve been trying to seduce you, with everything I have,” is the cherry on top.

There's another bit of subtle physical communication here that I find interesting, and I think you might too, @wen-kexing-apologist. Just recently I've been thinking about the meaning, in kissing scenes, of what for lack of a better term I'll call the head-bonk. By this I mean the thing where one person puts their forehead against the other person's, often with at least a tiny bit of an impact that renders it a bonk rather than, like, just touching them together. Togawa kisses Nozue once, then a second time, and then goes in for a third that Nozue avoids by sinking toward the floor. The third kiss doesn't happen, but when Togawa starts to initiate it he does an absolutely sublime head-bonk. I'm still figuring out what I think about the head-bonk thing. All I know is that, from my vantage point, that little move on Kimura's part practically screams "I've been holding this back for five goddamn years and I can't wait one more second to kiss this person."

Runners-up and honorable mentions:

Semantic Error:

Their first kiss in the restaurant after Jae Young calls Sang Woo "hyung" - I have watched this so much that if I had been asked for my top 6 this would have been #6.

Jae Young demonstrating the features of the "free trial"

Minato’s Laundromat (season 1, of course):

Shin freaking out about Minato being alone with Hanabusa

The washing machine kabedon

The “smelling the sheets” scene

Kiseki (I just watched this for the first time a week or so ago and I have already done so much scene-rewatching it's ridiculous):

That incredibly angsty sex scene with Ai Di and a drunk Chen Yi, you know the one

Chen Yi's confession to a physically restrained Ai Di

The scene at Ai Di's bar where Chen Yi puts him in a double kabedon

Ai Di and Chen Yi's conversation after Ai Di gets out of prison, where he says he fucked Chen Yi "just for fun" and offers to let him do stuff to him as "revenge"

Ai Di trying to scare Chen Yi by stroking his chest and asking him if he wants to "play" and then getting weirded out when Chen Yi asks, "What if I say yes?"

Jheruei and Zongyi's first real kiss and subsequent A+ lap-sitting moment

And as a bonus, here's my most-rewatched non-QL moment:

There's a scene I'm obsessed with in Something in the Rain where Jun Hui comes to Jin A's home and sees her ex-boyfriend there with her and her parents, lobbying to get back together and manhandling her, and he reacts exactly the way you'd expect as someone to who's in love with Jin A. It is tattooed on my brain. If I ever learn to make gifs I am gif'ing the fuck out of that scene.

[yurisorcerer]

I'm not gonna pretend I have anything super new or innovative to say about Mobile Suit Gundam. It's one of the most-analyzed anime ever, and I pale in comparison to some of the people who *have* analyzed it, but here I am, thinking about it regardless.

For context, I am watching this as part of a---as she called it---"comet swap" with my good friend @charaznablespeteevee, where I watch a mecha anime she is obsessed with (Gundam) and she watches one I am obsessed with (Code Geass). I'm not sure if I'm going to write a big long post like this about every episode (since I'm going to *try* to watch at least one per day, that would get quite exhausting), but I am liveblogging it more informally over on the worst website on Earth, if you're willing to put up with that Nazi-infested hellhole long enough to read some posts from yours truly.

In any case, Gundam and Code Geass. are many differences between these, the main ones being that Code Geass is more recent and also not widely hailed as a masterpiece of its form. It does *draw* notably from Gundam though despite having very different artistic aims and a different tone, so watching this makes sense in a way. I spent way too much of my teenagerhood obsessed with Lelouch, and now I'm watching the anime that his archetypal grandfather came from. (Goddess have mercy on my soul.)

My experience with Gundam as a franchise prior to this is very limited, but I do have some. For reference, I have seen all of:

Gundam 00, back when it aired on the SyFy channel when they had an anime block many years ago. I really liked this as a teenager but I don't remember it super well.

The Witch From Mercury, lesbian space combat, with a notable Code Geass staff connection. WFM was not perfect or anything but I loved it a lot and Suletta is very dear to me. I actually bought an Aerial gunpla a few months ago that is currently sitting unassembled in my closet.

the first Gundam 0079 compilation movie. Now, it might seem weird that I've seen this and am now going back to watch the TV series. But, while I remember the general outline of what happened, I was SUPER sick when I watched it, and I only remember what happened really, really vaguely. While I have some idea of the general outline of what's to come, I'm mostly going in genuinely blind.

like 4 or 5 episodes of Victory Gundam, which I liked but kind of fell off of. So we're giving the franchise a proper second go here.

I'm a mecha fan more generally, and I'll get into some of that as I write these, but for now that's the relevant stuff.

Anyway, my main impression of 0079's first episode is actually a structural one. It's REALLY well put together. We introduce the setting, we introduce our main characters, and we introduce the main conflict, all very economically and with a lot of style---more style than some shows with significantly less room to work with manage, in fact---and I'm immediately invested in the fate of our main character, Amuro Ray.

From what I gather here (and a little bit from outside information), my impression is that of a kid who loses his innocence very, very rapidly over the course of this story. Here, the space-hab-thing he lives on is attacked, and he ends up in the cockpit of an experimental superweapon called a Gundam (maybe you've heard of them?). I LOVE how the Gundam is framed here, like some kind of genuinely scary war machine. It's an intentionally othering effect i mostly associate with later mecha anime, especially those with outright monstrous mecha like Evangelion or even The Big O, so to see it here in such a comparatively early series in the genre is impressive.

The episode's climax sees him kill two soldiers from the enemy nation of Zeon, but it's not a triumphant thing, really. He's portrayed as kind of not really knowing what he's doing, flailing around inside this gigantic walking tank / mechanical war god. But then when he *does* figure things out, well, he has to deal with the fact that he just killed two dudes. Going by the cliffhangery ending here, it doesn't seem like his troubles are over, either.

[sirenjose]

So I've been really into your analysis lately and I'm a huge fan now, wanted to ask some questions, feel free to not answer any

1- what was your favourite idv story/event to analyze?

2- your least fav of the latter?

3- are you into anything else besides idv?

4-how do you find the motivation to analyze stuff? I've tried before and it was very draining :')

Thanks for your time, hope you have a lovely day

I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying yourself despite my own low opinion about much of what I put out. I'll do my best to answer!

Hmm I always dislike picking favorites because I'm bad at picking eheh... But the ones I liked most... I honestly enjoy T&I and COA (1-5) even more than the main story. So I think I might pick... Atropos' Ropes for T&I and for COA, thats harder... 3-5 are my faves but I might pick 4 just because of how it felt it had the most story/details given than all the rest. Even the *SONG* had story. I loved it.

Least fave, eh... Orfeo and Zinaida immediately come to mind, though Orfeo I'd say was worse... COA 1 is another primarily because of how DIFFICULT it was for me to figure it out enough to put together an analysis. And I had to rewrite that thing at LEAST 3 times to the point I'm just hoping it's good enough and leaving it alone. Time of Reunion I think is another that comes to mind, mainly because I didn't appreciate how they treated Norton in there, especially in the videos (but at least those aren't canon like the in-game event was). So based on all that, I might say Orfeo if I really had to pick 1. Then rank ToR 2nd and Zinaida/COA1 3rd.

FF14 and Honkai Star Rail especially I'm playing actively these days, but I honestly like a lot of stuff. Like Persona (espeially 4), 999 aka Zero Escape, and Star Ocean Til the End of Time. Least in terms of games.

Hmm... Maybe because the 1st reason I play a game is because of the story, and gameplay is always 2nd to me. If the story and characters are good, that gets me interested. Issue with IDV is we only get bits and pieces. Really need to look deeper to really understand some of the characters. I actually only started analyzing because I challenged myself (partially out of curiosity for the answer) to see if I could prove if Norton wasn't as evil as people thought (based on all the comments I saw when I 1st joined the fandom a long while ago). From there, there was Jose who I wanted to analyze because he honestly had so many plot holes I couldn't (and still can't completely) solve. So I get the most enjoyment analyzing something that doesn't have a clear answer. Which is why I don't always post for every letter. A big part of it is I enjoy history and culture and such, so it's fun for me to learn about different foods, or time periods, or how bad the environment was for miners or sailors back in the day, etc... I dont think I have an easy answer (I can see I'm rambling). Norton I actually only began to like because I was spending so long working on my 1st analysis for him (and my perfectionism made me analyze all of Norton's essences before i could call it finished). Jose was because I love Captain Hook, and then after because of the plot holes that bothered me. Then for others, I think I enjoy making analyses to... try to sometimes change people's opinoions/beliefs. Like with Margaretha or Vera. With Edgar was because I was more interested in his story and him as a character only once I put together all his lore. Sort of goes on from there. I could ramble on but I'm going to get even more guilty. I hope this helps somewhat, but let me know if it doesn't and I'll keep going. Maybe the simple is A) I like history/culture/research, B) I like to convince people that certain characters arent as evil as they think or change beliefs I think aren't quite accurate, C) I like solving puzzles and I love story, D) I already think too hard about literally everything, and combined with my perfectionism, we get analysis

[epickiya722]

I think people took the "hey, you should be aware of issues about the way some stories treat it's female characters" and instead of actually going forward and treating these characters as, well, characters that deserve to be fairly analized

they went backwards and put up impossibly high standards for these female characters and made anything remotely sexual about them regardless of context as "it is evil and bad writing" when they wouldn't ever do the same for the male characters.

They don't even bat an eye for the fact that whole fandoms will absolutely ADORE a guy who is either the most vile asshole in the story or straight up a bland nothing as long as he is generically attractive enough.

Like that's just misogyny but "girlbossed" now.

(I kind of went on a ramble here, I won't lie and I apologize for that. I just.. had a lot to say.)

And I definitely agree with you, Anon.

I made that same point that you stated in this point right here in a post I wrote a while back.

The same people who will say "it's bad writing" are the same people who don't take the time out to analyze a female character.

It's not "bad writing". You just don't want to understand her.

A male character can have the exact same traits as her and can be analyzed and "He's just misunderstood" and adored, but the most that female character can get is the bare minimum from the fandom.

I have my male faves, too, that I like to analyze. But don't the female cast also deserves the attention, too?

Everyone who follows me know I am a big Miruko fan. And I love her more now because over the past... 2 years or so I have written posts about her of why she probably acts the way she does or does the things she do. And it came easy to me.

Mind you, she is a minor character. She doesn't have a lot of screen time and we don't much about her backstory unless you have read Vigilantes where she gets a flashback arc. And even with all the little information she has from canon, analyzing her was fun for me.

Analyzing her actually why it's fun for me when I do so for Yuji.

It's just there.

Let's say a female character is comfortable with her own sexuality and femininity. "Slut, whore, oversexualized". But the same people who apply those terms to male characters in a more positive way.

"Such a slutty waist, look at him so sexy, he's such a whore and I'm here for it".

So let me get straight. A woman can be a sexy character, but a man can even those that aren't even all that sexy.

Again, I'm using Miruko as an example.

People will have grievances over her costume but were so quick to be horny over the male characters wearing that same costume. Which, and I know some of you ain't gonna like, some of them did not look good in.

Also, then what about the male hero costumes or the fact that Shigaraki and Dabi are obvious fanservice now? You're telling me you're okay with the fact that Endeavor and All Might's costumes are super tight but Miruko shows some skin and it's a problem?

Oh, I'll give another example of some fandom misogyny.

Maki Zenin. The JJK fandom be pulling some tomfuckery when it comes to her. "She's such a girlboss". Okay, but you feel sympathize or empathize with her? "Oh my gosh, Sukuna is gonna kill her!" So, let me get this straight. Even though others who have been hit with Black Flash has survived, Maki the one female victim of it is going to die from that one blow? Whose body is pretty much a cheat code against cursed energy? That Maki? That one?

Let's not forget, you can bring her up without someone bringing up Yuta! I wrote a post about her and Nobara and someone goes "At least, Maki loves Yuta, right?" THIS IS NOT ABOUT YUTA!! GOOD GRIEF, CAN THIS BE ABOUT THE FEMALE CHARACTERS FOR ONCE? LIKE, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WITH THAT!!

And Yuki! Sooo... y'all are upset that Gege killed her off, right? Okay, understanding. I like Yuki, too. With that said... um... then why in the fuck did I have to type a Yuki Lives tag for her despite her being dead in the manga since December 2022? Almost 2 years? There are currently 3 fics with that tag and two of them are mine!

Kaori, oh, the fandom doesn't love you enough! I had to type in a tag for her! There was no Itadori Kaori & Itadori Yuji tag! THAT IS STILL HIS MOM?! "But Kenjaku---" Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is still Kaori's body, right? If Choso states he has three parents, then Yuji can, too. Guess what, Kaori is his mother. People love to make sure others know Kenjaku and Suguru are separate people but what about Kaori? You don't think she was her own person?

From Wasuke's words and behavior, I figure she was different than how Kenjaku acted.

Anyways!!

Also, with Delicious in Dungeon! I haven't even watched or read it and I have seen so many posts about how that one helmet guy had a lot of panty shots and loving it, yet I hear about people having problems with Falin and Marcille being sexualized? Makes no sense to me, it just doesn't.

It's like people in fandoms want something involving female characters just to bash those female characters.

Complex female characters - insult them

Female characters is written to have a variety of personalities and backstory - boring, shifts focus to more bland male characters

Female character exist with many characteristics - fandom focuses on one trait and make that her whole personality

Female character just exists - labeled just one single word, not worthy of any attention, post about her and someone will make it about a male character

Just... honestly, I feel like before you call a creator a "misogynist", how about taking a step back and observe how you treat female characters and understand the story in which those female characters come from?

[wildissylupus]

I'm going to say this and I'm going to say this loudly, the reason Kiriko's character is bad is specifically how she's treated in game with her voice lines along with how they have written her bio, hero bio's also mainly being a game thing. The big reason why is because we see more of her character's complexity and how she truly feels about things in "Yokai" and "Where Honor Lives", but that's bad because the casual gamer won't be reading those because they are short stories. The only people who really read them are people who play and interact with Kiriko specifically because of the lore, even then fans will likely only read and analyze the stories that have characters they're invested in. So if your not already a fan of Kiriko or Hanzo your not likely be invested or want to read either of those stories.

Which leads to the major problem of the fact that a majority of Kiriko's voice lines in game aren't used to further characterize her or explore her lore, they are instead used to make her say quips and attempt to make her the "relatable" character that D.Va was. They're basically used to show off "hey, we can right dialogue like the MCU", and in the worst way possible.

Again she has equal/more one-on-one voice lines with Lucio, a character she has no canon connection with, the Genji or Hanzo. Hell the only one-one-one interaction she has with Genji is about them having bowl-cuts, it's basically nothing. The only interactions that, to me, feel fully in character for her are her interactions with Hanzo, Sombra and Pharah. Along with that, if Kiriko is mad at Hanzo for running away, she should also be mad at Genji for doing that same! Hell, I would honestly like to see her be more upset with Genji because if he was with Overwatch he could have helped her and her family. At least Hanzo has come back, at least he's trying to help now!

(I feel like I need to state that this isn't what I actually feel towards Genji, this is more how I feel Kiriko should feel towards Genji)

There's also the fact she should be more hostile towards ex-Blackwatch members in general. Like, why is she joking with Reaper when interacting with him would be a good opportunity to show how she feels towards what Blackwatch did? Why doesn't she have any interactions with Cassidy despite the fact he's admitting to regretting what happened in Hanamura? Why does she only have one one-on-one interaction with Genji despite the two of them being closer then Kiriko and Hanzo? Also why is the interaction about Asa, Kiriko's mother, being someone Dommfists knows with Genji? Why is that interaction not with Kiriko?

Why don't we get more interactions like she has with Hanzo, that show the weight of the sacrifices she's had to make? That show the bitterness she feels about the whole Shimada situations? Interactions like with Sombra where we see she's willing to take anything that will help her fight against the Hashimoto, that she doesn't play games when it comes to her peoples safety? Interactions like the ones with Pharah that both show a competitive side to her and gives us a good look on her moral code?

Why do I need to micromanage what dialogue and interactions I take from her to get a good grasp on her character and what she's like?

The reason I ask all this is because Kiriko is a character I genuinely enjoy and even relate to. Her relationship with her mother reminds me of mine with my own mum. I find the theming of consequence, honor and sacrifice found in her characters story interesting. I see her dynamic with Hanzo, how it parallels Genji and Cassidy, how Hanzo reacts to her in general, and find it compelling.

I'll do a full analysis on Kiriko's character in a different post because someone needs to do her character justice, since whoever is directing and writing the in game dialogue is refusing to.

[astroyongie]

Hi yongie, I really hope you are doing better mentally ❤️

In the time you've been gone I've really missed your posts and ended up going back to read them and found a bunch of asks I'd sent you but never seen the answer to 😭 I guess I couldn't keep up with your updates which is amazing because that I read your Tumblr the same as if I were reading a newspaper lol. Anyway, in one of these you asked me for Jungkook's chart and I ended up not sending it.

-

•I really wanted to know if with his birth time right, he would still be this type that flirts a lot and if he would still cheat if he felt bored??

• Is the description of red flags and how he would be dating based only on the chart or on a little bit of what you know about him in the tarot too? I had this doubt because you and other astrologers here on Tumblr always say that Leo is a sign that is more difficult to cheat on because it is fixed. He also has scorpio and virgo in his chart, usually these signs are not very known for cheating.

• His Venus in Libra is one degrees of Cancer, would that make him more stable and sentimental in a relationship or would he just be more needy and would he cheat more easily for those who paid more attention to him?

•The sun and mercury are also in degrees of scorpio (besides his Mars is also in scorpio), does that count for anything?

• not to mention the houses too

LMAO I've said too much, I'll stop. I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I'm not doubting what you said about JK, I'm just really curious☠️☠️ I'm trying to figure out what makes this doberman an international playboy based on astrology 🩷

Hey love! i will try to answer your questions by actually analyzing Jungkook's chart completely !

Jungkook Birth Chart Analysis :

Moon Leo 1st house: He is unable to hide his true self and his emotions. Jungkook is someone that is very vocal about who he is, and doesn't like to hide what he has inside of him. So he can often come out as someone rude and full of himself, as he is someone that has high self-esteem and knows his worth. He is an exteriorized person, meaning that when he feels happy he shows it with laughter, when he is sad he shows it through crying and quietness and when he is angry he shows it through violence and recklessness. To finish, he also has a big heart, he is funny and naturally charming

Sun Virgo 2nd house: He is a money person, his whole identity and persona is based on how much he has and how much he can show to others. In other words, Jungkook is a hard worker since his image is something very important to him and he wouldn't be able to deal with the fact that he hasn't enough. He has a materialistic personality, but he is also an analyzer and very down to earth.

Mercury Virgo 2nd house: this is also tangled with his personality to say at best, Jungkook, like I said, is someone very materialistic, and he sees people, work,s and his life as such. He can sometimes be very picky with how he talks and has relationships. He wouldn't want to get mentally involved with someone "lower" than him. He has a mind for the business and he is quite smart as well. He plays dumb to get what he wants, but inside his brain, he has a whole plan.

Venus Libra 3rd house: Don't get fooled, this placement makes Jungkook an expert with words. He is able to seduce people through his voice, through the way he expresses himself. Usually, it's very easy for him to make people fall in love and to make a play out of others. Although he is a 50/50 when it comes to being a player in his life, Jungkook can easily get dependent on people that stimulate him mentally. He is able to make you believe whatever he wants.

Mars Scorpio 4th: He is extremely possessive of what is his. He is especially very attracted and protective of people he considered as his family and he would hurt anyone who tries to hurt his loved ones. Jungkook is an emotional actor, and his Moon in 1st House really makes him driven through emotions. He has a hard time controlling his feeling and always acts based on them. He has no chill whatsoever. Also when it comes to sexuality, he is a possessive lover, with kinks that are usually very rough, and harsh and can include pregnancy kinks.

Pluto Sagittarius 5th: He was made to be on stage, Jungkook has an incredible artistic side of himself due to his versatile way of being. He has enough resources to become however he wants, has a huge adaptation capacity and his sociable side also makes him very lucky in love and friendships. Other than that Jungkook is always innovating and changing who he is, adapting himself to the public eye (although this is also valable to his private life)

Neptune Capricorn 6th: Usually Neptune and the 6th house are a blessing and a curse at the same time. His mental health and his physical health are connected, so basically when he isn't in good mental condition, it will show in his physical health and vice versa. Jungkook as a bad habit of trying to control his condition, his life, and his routines but when Neptune is retrograde, he can easily get stuck in unhealthy pattern habits.

Uranus Aquarius 6th: This comes tangled with the Neptune placement because once more it talks about the way he tries to control his daily routines, however, he is always changing and getting new things to do. He just needs to have the perception that he is under control of his life. Also Jungkook doesn't really like routines, so he enjoys innovating and changing his life every now and then, as long as he is the one moving the cords

Jupiter Aquarius 7th: He is extremely lucky in love, he is able to attract people very easily, people fall under his charms like flies and he doesn't need to do much to get them hooked. However Jungkook also is someone that doesn't like to be trapped in relationships, so he gets easily bored of them and he prefers to have several experiences and enjoy his life. He loves love, sex, and relationships in general, he just doesn't like the responsibility that it impacts.

Empty Pisces 8th: This boy might sometimes use sex when he is in deep emotional turmoil. He gets easily upset when things don't go his way. Again this is more dealing with his controlling side. He can get easily desperate and In a bad state when things don't go according to the plan.

Saturn Aries 9th: He has a feverous belief, whether it's on god or any religion, he does believe that there's someone out there. Jungkook also has a very strong manifestation power, he is able tot make his dreams come true, also the Aries energy makes it even more strong when the emotions driven are anger and energy. He really is smart and has the potential to become someone who leads others

Empty Taurus 10th: Once more this placement shows how much money is important to him, how materialistic he is, and also how careless he is with managing his money. He doesn't invest, since he is too attached to loving luxury things, he spends a lot of money just for the public eye to recognize him.

Empty Gemini 11th: To be honest this placement shows two things. First that Jungkook isn't the type to be a very good friend, due to his multiple facets and secondly also he always ends up in friendships with people that are fake with him and usually around him for his positions. It's always relationships of interest

Empty Cancer 12th: He can get depressed and overly emotional easily, he doesn't deal well with stress, sadness and negative feelings in general. He can easily get emotionally overwhelmed by things which can create a whole "mea culpa" from his side.

[aihoshiino]

I know I'm making bold claims here but with 139 and your post on Kamiki being silent for 4 years and not going after Ai after she gave birth makes me think everytime Ai called him, he gave her a chance to get back together with him by asking (thus that's the first thing Ai answers when calling, that she won't get back together) but because Ai rejects everytime, he just snaps. I'm sure Ai is the one who initiated the calls.

I mean, this is the same person who wanted to venge because Ai didn't love him back after all they've been through…so first was when she mostly likely asked him to visit the hospital and the next were for the kids (both times were with Ryo too, wonder how did they know each other, did Hikaru manipulate him?)

So… while this is an interesting idea, I don't think we know enough about Kamiki yet to say for sure that 'revenge against Ai for not loving him' was the basis for his motivations in lashing out against her and as such, it's hard to analyze him from that POV. I'll be up front and say that while I definitely think Ai's "I can't love you" made a huge, negative impact on him, I don't think it was his sole, driving motivation in what ultimately ended up playing out. But like I said, we know so little about him it's hard to say for sure wtf is going on in his weird little brain.

As for the calls, I actually didn't really get the impression he and Ai were speaking all that often? When she calls up Kamiki, she casually refers to him as 'an ex' and says that she was calling him 'on a whim', both of which are weird ways to frame a conversation with someone you speak to on the regular. It's also notable that she explicitly says she was motivated to get in touch with him because she overheard the kids speculating about their dad. If she and Kamiki were regularly in contact with each other prior to this, I definitely think the 'hey, will you meet the kids' convo would have come up prior to this talk. So I don't really think there would've been the opportunity for them to be constantly talking about getting back together.

His association with Ryosuke is also still totally in the dark, huh… I do have a small theory about it but it's kind of a big leap and not one I'm suuuuper comfortable voicing without more in-series evidence just yet but they also just as easily could've met at a B-Komachi concert or something. I guess we'll see as the movie arc plays out!

[lakesbian]

Sorry for the discourse. Once in a reddit comment I called Alec a victim of sexual abuse, do you think that's accurate? A few people went out of their way to tell me that since he was the inflicting those acts (even if he was manipulated into them by his father) he isn't actually a victim. I know this is very specific and loaded but I think Alec being a victim even when he had power over others is a big part of his character. Power over others isn't freedom for him. I'd even say he enjoys having his agency taken away from him, (as in, he likes having someone else to base himself off not in the other way)

first of all you're good this is not Annoying Discourse to me it's just book club. we're literary analyzing right now. second of all:

yes, alec was extremely sexually abused, and despite it being what he talks openly about the least, the impacts it had on his psyche are blatant. unhinged victim-blaming arguments that preteenaged alec was actually totally morally culpable and evil for having sex w/ adults are bizarrely common--see this post for the breakdown refuting them. i do actually disagree w/ one aspect of it in retrospect. minor detail but worth refining regardless because i have to be the most precise alecposter ever or i'll die. read the post for context before you get into my addition to it here, but:

i initially interpreted the "cape groupies" statement as being in reference to child prostitution specifically for his powers, but in hindsight, given the implied chronology of his statement, ward making it explicit that heartbreaker was prostituting his children at extremely young ages (i.e prior to triggers), and alec's propensity for spine-breaking back-bends to avoid acknowledging the severity of the abuse he experienced, i think it's significantly more likely that he wasn't a cape at the time. he's avoiding acknowledging the reality that something he remembers as being one of the only times he was granted any semblance of physical intimacy or care was actually exploitative abuse by implicitly framing it as him being special, powerful, and desirable (a cape) to people who were below him (groupies). w/ the dual benefit that he doesn't have to admit the utter loss of autonomy to himself or the undersiders--he can cope with them thinking he's a horrible person, but he'd really rather not fess up to how badly he's been hurt.

you're also correct that power over others isn't freedom for him--see this post for elaboration on that. to quote myself in said post, "the most core aspect of his trauma is not what was done to him but what he was turned into." he was groomed for 13 straight years to turn into his father, to exist only as an extension of the harm his father causes--when he exerts control over others, it's not freedom for him, it's him being chained to the leash of what was beaten into him as a child. he was a doll being puppeted into puppeting others, and it's not easy to shake off those strings. the time we see him most blatantly exert abusive control over someone--sophia--is during the period in the story where he's telling himself that he doesn't care that all of his teammates (the only people he has in life) like each other more than they like him, the period where he's remembering what his father did to him + projecting the anger he's convinced he doesn't have onto sophia and hurting her for it, and the period where he's (as we retroactively learn through aisha) furiously jealous that other people get to have normal families who care about them and He Doesn't. it's a behavior he (largely unconsciously) wants to leave behind and (also largely unconsciously) falls back into because hurting people to avoid being hurt + to comfort himself was the only coping mechanism he was allowed as a child. it's him having been away from home for 2 years and still waking up and doing the things he was forced to do because sometimes he doesn't know how else to exist.

so yeah, he enjoys someone else calling the ethical shots every now and then, if he likes and trusts them. i go into that a bit here. it's why he starts those weird little conversations where he's trying to figure out what someone believes morally and why. it's why taylor observes that he'll go along with whatever the team decides. it's why he makes a joke about taylor laying down the law and enforcing no human sacrifice when brian is out of a battle. it's why when taylor wants to cram maggots in someone's eyes his final verdict is "if you're okay with it." it's why he thinks it's great that aisha could stab him to death in his sleep. he knows he's fucked up. he doesn't really want to be. so he watches and listens to his team, he fumbles towards being better w/ the little mental notes he unconsciously absorbs, and as much as he's desperate for autonomy and freedom, sometimes that autonomy and freedom comes in the form of being allowed to be the innocuous-looking guy sitting in the back of the room learning what people who weren't groomed into sexually assaulting people when they were ten think is normal. sometimes autonomy and freedom is having people he can trust to make the right calls when he knows he can't trust himself. i wouldn't describe it as "lack of agency," because he's still choosing whether or not to listen (and BOY does he not listen sometimes), but the sentiment you intended is accurate.

ok hope that helps. enjoy the several thousand words of alecposting i just linked you to

[cosmicjoke]

as a big life is strange fan and reading tsuki no uras post levi absolutely picked humanity over erwin

i am not good at explaining my thoughts but ill try

id we only focus on erwin the chpice that levi has to make is more simillar to when max has to choose where to help a chloe in an alternative universe to help "kill" her because she was already dying after a car accident (from what i remember her respiratory system was starting to fail)

so when we only focus on erwin levi choice is choosing to keep someone alive for a selfish reasons or let them rest

and imo armin was still a better choice for humanity and levi saw that clearly

because erwin wouldnt have been the same

and armin was able to abandon his dreams for the sake of humanity on his own without a help from levi like erwin had to

people also say that armins dream was get to the sea but it was much more than that

what he wanted to do was to explore the outside world

Well, first, I'll just say that whatever Isayama drew inspiration from isn't meant to be seen as a 1:1 comparison to his own work, or as analogous to his work. Isayama drew inspiration from multiple sources for AoT, but AoT itself is still an original work unto itself, and needs to be examined separately on its own, and only within its own context, to be properly understood.

Using some other, different work of fiction to inform you of the intent or meaning behind the events, plot or actions of the characters in AoT is a good way lose sight of the actual story itself, and what it's conveying. AoT isn't "Life is Strange", and the events that take place in AoT aren't meant to exactly mirror or convey the same message or meaning as the events of "Life is Strange", or any of the other, numerous works that Isayama drew inspiration from when writing AoT. The only way to properly understand and analyze AoT, or any work of art, is to analyze the work itself, without regard to outside material. People that focus and rely on Isayama's comments in interviews about what inspired him while writing the story only ever do so because they're looking for evidence that doesn't exist in the narrative itself to support whatever biased view they hold about the story and its characters. Isayama saying he was inspired by that scene from "Life is Strange" doesn't mean he intended Levi's choice to 100% mirror or match the meaning or circumstances of that scene. It just means the drama of the scene was something he wanted to capture and convey in his work. He wanted the weight of Levi's choice and the significance of it to come through in the same way. Because there was something just as great at stake as the fate of the world in Isayama's scene, but it wasn't a literal copy of the circumstances of the scene in "Life is Strange". The fate of the world didn't rest on Levi's choice. I'll get into what did rest on Levi's choice in a moment. But the scene from "Life is Strange" is very literally an "end of the world" scenario, in which Max, if she chooses to save Chole, will doom the world to total destruction. If I remember it correctly, the world literally gets torn apart by some super storm or something to that effect. That wasn't what was happening in the scene between Levi and Erwin. It wasn't a "doomsday" scenario, in which, if Levi didn't bring Erwin back to life, the world would be destroyed.

This is what I mean when I say you can't correlate the works Isayama draws inspiration from with the actual events that transpire in his story. They're two, separate things. Further, it doesn't even make sense, because by saving Chole's life, Max destroys the world, whereas, the conceit that some people like to claim with Levi's choice is, by letting Erwin die, Levi "doomed humanity", and this somehow is meant to prove Levi's love because it "places Erwin over humanity". Except, Levi's choice doesn't doom humanity at all. It's the literal preservation of humanity.

What these people don't want to acknowledge, what they can't acknowledge, because it undermines their entire claim that Levi somehow saw Erwin's life as more valuable than all of humanity, is that Levi's choice, at it's core, wasn't about personal love or personal desire, but rather, it was about a rejection of cruelty. It was an entirely selfless act of human compassion. Levi let Erwin die because he refused to place ideological belief over human decency, and that's what truly motivated him in that moment. It wasn't a question, then, of putting a single person over humanity in the name of love, it was a question of not allowing himself to be made cruel in the name of an ideological cause. It wasn't even really about Erwin, in the end, but rather about Levi's own, moral conscience, and doing what he felt in his heart was right. As Levi says again and again, making the choice he'll regret the least. He couldn't bring himself to drag Erwin back into the world, because he knew it would cause him immeasurable suffering, and Levi determined in that moment that no cause, no ideological or philosophical belief, was worth more than any, individual life. That it wasn't the lives of his comrades that had to prove their worthiness to the cause, but the cause that had to prove it's worthiness to those lives. Because there is no such thing as an ideal, Utopian world in which human compassion is absent. If all human compassion is cast aside in the pursuit of an ideal world, then what, exactly, is that ideal world worth? What good is it, really, if in its realization, we lose our humanity and become monsters? Then it's not an ideal world at all. It's only the facade of an ideal world which, at its core, contains an ugly rot.

Levi wasn't willing to give up his humanity for a cause. That's what his choice really boils down to. He wasn't willing to become a monster in the name of an ideology.

And when you understand his choice within that context, you realize that he didn't "doom humanity" with his choice, but rather, he saved humanity. With his choice, he preserved what it means to be human. The great, human capacity for compassion, empathy and mercy.

And Armin himself is also a reflection of that preservation of humanity.

Armin represented, within the narrative of AoT, humanity's hope. And what expresses and encompasses the idea of hope more truly than the concept of compassion?

Compassion and hope are the same thing. There is no hope for humanity without compassion. Humanity isn't worth saving if, in order to do so, all empathy and pity has to be crushed.

Armin's innocence and purity, and his ability to see the world the way it is and yet still believe in its beauty and worth is a reflection of that hope. That he hadn't lost his humanity, that he hadn't become cruel, that he hadn't been corrupted by a dream, all of those qualities, again, represent humanity's hope. They encompass, truly, what humanity needed in order to have a future worth saving. Without compassion, humanity can no longer be defined as such. It doesn't even exist, then.

That's why during Levi's monologue at the end, when he's reflecting on his choice, and he says, "Erwin, I didn't choose you, and I have no regrets about that. I entrusted the future to that kid, because he had the same look in his eyes as all of you.". He literally says it. He entrusted the future to Armin. He trusted in Armin as the right choice. Because of the look in Armin's eyes. Because he saw in Armin's innocence and purity the thing that should define humanity. Not a world without titans, or some idyllic, Utopian society where nothing ever goes wrong. But an ability to see the world as it is, and still believe in its beauty. An ability to see the world as it is, but still believe in its worth. And, most of all, an ability to see the world as it is, in all its brutality and cruelty, and still believe in compassion. To still retain compassion in a cruel world.

Levi's choice was a choice of humanity. It didn't doom anyone. Instead, it refused to sacrifice the one thing that would ensure the survival of humanity as a concept. Because there is no humanity without compassion.

[miracleandplagueau]

So, here's a thing about Marinette.

She is a kind, rather cultured person, agrees to a lot of things, but also knows when to stand her ground and say no. The averagest of average protagonist models you can write with the exception of her obsessive personality trait. About Derision later, but she might possibly be one of the blandest characters I've seen in popular media

While watching Demon Slayer's finale yesterday, I realized something. Marinette is very much like Tanjiro. She can be both kind and badass when needed, be humble and be confident whenever the writers need her to be. Marinette is like Tanjiro -- written to be liked. She wasn't written to be unique or stand out from the crowd nor was she ever supposed to make a breakthrough in how to write a compelling protagonist to root for. She is a vessel. An empty vessel to watch in the background, because once you start analyzing her, it's over for your sanity

But why is she so hated then... She's so kind, so extremely helpful. A person everyone can get along with (famous people count too I suppose), but she also has her own frustrations like deal with brats who apparently targetted her as their victim for no apparent reason!! She has struggl-- It's nothing new. Look at it a little closer, go in depth and tell me that she has a consistent personality. She's more of a big pile of clay that the writers will model and shape according to their mood and how they want a certain storyline to end. Even Chat Noir has more consistent personality than her despite being neglected by both his own father and the writers. I guess more isn't always the merrier.

Is it actually hard to give YOUR PROTAGONIST a DAMN CONFLICT?! HER ONLY CONFLICT IS WHETHER SAYING "HI" TO ADRIEN WILL RUIN THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER. GIVE HER FLAWS GIVE HER CONSEQUENCES MAKE HER LEARN THE LESSON THE HARD WAY

Actually, I take it back. There is one conflict. Well, "conflict" or rather a turning moment for her is when she loses all miraculouses, which is followed by a nasty panic attack. That's it. That's all I could think of from the top of my head.

The only thing that really makes her stand out is her obssessive nature towards Adrien and we got some insight on why in the season 5 episode Derision and you know what I have to say about that? Fucking BULLSHIT. In a very short summary, Marinette crushed on Kim, but he humiliated her whilst working with Chloe. After that event, she decided she will only confess to someone when she knows them through and through. Putting aside the fact that we only then found out that Marinette had a friend that wasn't Alya, It's actually a total asspull in terms of Kim's behavior. Why would Marinette be friendly to Kim in Dark Cupid when he did something like THAT to her? Why is he potrayed as a funny, a little misguided himbo in the friend group - did nobody actually know about what's happened? I mean obviously they had to so why is everyone pretending like everything is fine? Why is SHE pretending everything is fine? Did she forget?! The answer is no, because Derision was not planned from the beginning. Thomas heard that his beloved protagonist isn't liked and went back to the drawing board to cook up some fake depth to her. Despite what I said, I'd actually love to see an episode like that, maybe Chloe IS the bitch we're lead to believe she is and I could've accepted it as a valid explanation to both Marinette behavior and her cruel, unchanging nature....

IF IT WAS IN SEASON ONE OR TWO

Putting a lore piece like that in the final season of the story is actually fucking ridiculous. Do you really expect me to care NOW?! When we're like 15 episodes from the FINALE OF THE SHOW? Na-ah, absolutely fucking not

Everytime I see a post praising Derision for how well written it is my stomach does a fucking cartwheel this is not an exaggeration

Marinette is like Zoe except Marinette is actually an asshole sometimes. It would be good If she was! I want to see an asshole protagonist where I'll have to see them change before I start rooting for them, but Marinette is neither changing, evolving or facing consequences. Using a miraculous for her personal gain and lashing out as Ladybug on Lila? it was a good fucking moment. I found it uncomfortable and embarassing to watch AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. IT HAD LONG LASTING CONSEQUENCES in form of Lila being a menance in return. Then again, I can't exactly praise Lila because she's equally as stupid- sorry, everyone's brains and common sense seem to evaporate when they're in Lila's closest proximity, but that's where they're similar. Everyone seems to lose their awareness when Marinette does her puppy eyes to break into a house too.

She is genuinely getting harder to watch and don't even get me started on season 5 because I've seen the leaks alright

[sandrayofsun]

What Just Happened Pt. 1

Episode 9 of only friends is THAT BITCH!!!!!!!

I don't know if I can fit everything I want into one post but we're going to try. I'll go scene by scene and insert my thoughts and reactions, as always, all opinions are valid, this is just mine!

Also I didn't screenshot everything because I'm lazy, but I got what I thought was most important (hehe)

Let's begin!

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

Starting off with Ray going to talk to Sand to clear things up after everything that went down at the party and Sand looking at him LIKE THIS^^ had my jaw on the floor and my nerves quaking

This whole conversation was tension filled from the moment that Ray walked into that music room. As much as people try to analyze Ray's and Sand's motivations, I'm a simple girl at heart, and I was honestly just kicking my feet and squealing because I live for angsty romance. The distance between them, the simmering anger, the love that bubbles underneath it all IS TOO MUCH FOR ME!!!!

I loved Sand's sarcasm, and the honestly it was a little out of pocket for Ray to go to Sand after everything and say that he "thinks" he understands his feelings more now. I too would've been like ok and???

This part had me in shambles because LOOK AT SAND'S FACE! The man he loves is a total dipshit but also the cutest thing alive (Khaotung privilege is real).

LOOK AT SAND WHEN RAY SHOVES HIM!!! I let out an actual scream because wtf was this like they have such insane chemistry I could feel it in my feet. Pushing each other away, but also not being able to stay away from each other. POETIC.

This was so chef's kiss I can't even begin to explain it. Like this is literally what people write about in books, being so desperate for someone that you kiss like you'll never get to kiss them again. I had to rewatch this like 18 times to get it through my head. (clearly because I've never had this LMAO)

This was then OBVIOUSLY interrupted because in what universe are they not interrupted lol. I will however say that I slightly agree with Top here because Mew and Ray haven't at all communicated on where they stand, but also it's implied that they're "together."

Overall this was an angry, desperate, HOT and important make-out for everyone involved.

moving on!

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

Sand and Nick's Bestie Getaway was honestly one of the highlights of this episode for me. I think a big part of the plot of this show is how all of these "friends" are not actually very good friends to each other. So it is really heartwarming to see a healthy friendship between these two.

I honestly laughed a lot, and I like they're not part of the main friend group because it creates a good comparison.

(I'm treating everything in this part as "one scene")

I loved seeing Sand once again put his foot down. He is having fun with this bestie and he doesn't want to see Ray. TBH it was also just funny watching Ray get shut down but also get incredibly determined to find and see Sand.

This whole part made me laugh hahahah The face Ray makes when Sand hangs up on his is priceless.

We can only upload 30 images at a time, so part two is (here)

Bye!!