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dabihawksluvr · 18 hours ago

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If it was 'healing' any trauma, it's only for the abusers that caused it to begin with. Because every single time I see Endeavor Apologists talk about the Todoroki Family Drama, they defend Endeavor SO hard I wonder if they're the shit inside his own ass.

And I do mean EVERY. Single. Time. That Endeavor is brought up. In any capacity. Or even if he isn't, some little fuck stain will bring him up and shit on others who have any view on the bastard that doesn't make him some radiant god who's shit is speckled gold and should be worshipped like it was holy ground for these gooners.

And I'm not talking about all Endeavor fans, obviously some are chill and very delusionaly sane about this madman. They just happen to like his story and 'character design', but do it in a way where it doesn't shit on other fans who dislike him. Those fans I can tolerate, and to be honest they often make the best Endeavor content (there is at least three creators on TikTok whom I follow that have a 'Good Endeavor' AU and it's heartwarmingly sad to see how his story could've been if it was written better).

But these Endeavor Apologists are the worst in the fandom that I have encountered thus far (though the homophobic IzuOcha shippers are giving them a run for their money). Because not only do they live and breathe Endeavor, they also excuse the abuse he inflicted onto his own wife and kids to the point where they 100% mischaracterize every single family member as the 'abusers' themselves. Which is wild to me, because each family member has their own trauma caused by this half-wit fuckface and it's obvious that people just want an excuse to 'forgive' the man-baby of all his crimes.

And the story agrees with that he should be 'forgiven', which is even WORSE.

Yes, he is a tragic character. I have actually come to enjoy his arc throughout the story, because some Endeavor fans helped me see past the Apologists and actually see the character for who he really is rather than what the gooners sniffing his ass say about him. And I do enjoy seeing these types of stories...but it falls apart when we see his victims never truly get what they deserve in the end, most specifically Shouto. It's not just Endavor's story, but the entire Todoroki Family's. And it just feels like they only focus on Endeavor, making it 'his' journey and everyone else has to pick up the pieces.

But I think the issue is, this is from the viewpoint of Japanese society and their focus on 'family' over the individual. Because every family member did have their own trauma, but in America they would've all 100% split up much sooner than after the 2nd war ended (good on Natsuo and Fuyumi for finally cutting ties but shame on the mom for staying). And though I understand the ultimate fight had to be between Dabi/Touya and the entire family, it just feels...I don't know the right words, it just feels so wrong to me.

Maybe it's my own trauma and experiences with my own mother that make he more sensitive to these topics. But either way, saying that the Todoroki Drama was 'good representation' for abuse victims is so wrong. It's only 'good' for the actual abusers, who will see that drama unfold and be like 'yeah people will forgive me if I hurt them I don't need to change at all' then go online and berate actual victims for not 'fixing' things that same abuser caused them to go through.

But hey, if you wanna fix your own family go ahead. To those of us that can't, maybe actually talk to abuse victims instead of being ignorant and believe in a fantasy resolution to the real problem going on.

My brain won't let me read articles but

Fuck off. MHA doesn't do justice for victims

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #my hero acedamia #boku no hero academia #boku no hero acedamia #bnha critical #mha critical #todoroki family #endeavor #enji todoroki #shouto todoroki #fuyumi todoroki #natsuo todoroki #dabi #touya todoroki

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mightnotfeelrealbutitsok · 1 year ago

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just quickly imagining if Bilbo died instead of Thorin

Here is a broken king. Kings aren’t supposed to be broken, not ones who have toiled and led to regain their kingship, and teetered on the brink of insanity for the sake of it, then fought unfathomable battles. But here is a broken king of that kind. His followers sometimes think there was more king in him before he claimed his title, when he was empowered by embitterment and ambition and he fearlessly sought what his ancestors had lost. He found it but it seems there was a cost. All the wealth of golden halls and the joy of feasts and songs and the pride of the mountain can’t counter it.

He sits on his throne and there’s something vacant in his face. Some believe it’s the Arkenstone; who could be a true king without it? They blame him for leaving his quest half-completed and not taking back that one key article. There was uproar when it went down into the tombs. Why surrender something so hard won? It glimmers useless in the cavernous grey of those deep chambers, while the king keeps his convictionless eyes. Maybe it was a sacrifice of some sort, to honour his forefathers by sharing in their loss. He did not want to be greater than his own father who was made by his own strength, not the stone.

Something else was buried, though few dwarves remember. The stone doesn’t lie unclaimed in the tombs, rather it adorns a certain coffin, laid grandly upon a certain chest. It is strange for such a creature to be valued, not one of their own kind. He is exceptionally small in stature, looking somewhat rough and dirty, but beardless, and wearing alien, unkempt clothes. A hobbit, it is said, and it is a race hardly heard of in the lonely mountain. The one connection between this poor being and the tradition of the tombs it rests in is a coat of chainmail it still wears, since before its death. Mithril is of the highest value amongst the dwarves and yet this precious coat is abandoned down under the floors, left with its brief owner. It is unfortunate that the coat didn’t offered the desired protection; the metal was impenetrable, but the flesh of the neck where the orc struck was none the better for it.

What kind of lines can be drawn between a buried outsider and the distant ways of a king? He wanders his halls with something weighing on him, and in his eyes there can be seen glimpses of a desperation, a wish that he was not there. He is powerful but he has gone quiet. There is the sense that something was cut out of him and he lives with the chronic pain of absence. Few know he loved the hobbit and can’t live with himself for having lost him.

#the hobbit #bagginshield #thilbo #thorin x bilbo #i'm really not even that much of a shipper #this is from the archives #fanfiction #which hardly counts as fanfiction #my writing

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rainbowberriesandcookies · 28 days ago

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"Orihime being afraid of Ichigo's hollow power shows she doesn't fully accept him."

I see this take and similar ones pop up from anti fans of Ichigo and Orihime and try to say that Orihime is bad, in the wrong, etc. for being afraid of his hollowfication powers when her first encounter with a hollow was her brother Sora.

I know the anime did a lot of damage to Orihime's character - especially by taking these scenes out and altering them compared to the manga - but when Ichigo begins to undergo the same process as Sora, it only makes sense that she's afraid.

Not because she's afraid of Ichigo but because what he can become.

And just like Sora said, "It would be [her] fault"

Also - this is to counter the whole "Ichigo and Orihime were never close/barely friends/just acquaintances" that I see floating around often too.

But all in all - Orihime was never afraid of Ichigo. She was afraid of what he could have become.

As Acidwire, Sora targeted Orihime because of her growing bonds with Tatsuki and Ichigo. He even says that he attacked them because they tried to tear him and Orihime apart and that she already knew why.

For clarity - what I'm about to say isn't me saying that Sora was abusive in life and I'm going to specifically try to use his name as a hollow "Acidwire" as much as possible to express the slight separation between Sora as he was while he was alive and Sora as he was when he became Acidwire.

Especially since early on, it established that hollows - while they were once former humans - often end up being twisted versions of the people they once were.

Now onto the point -

The "You already know why" isn't dissimilar from how abusers, manipulators, etc. often talk to their victims when they're angry or upset. It's similar to the silent treatment in a way where it implies that the victim intentionally made the abuser upset.

He references her prayers for him every day helped ease his own suffering before she became friends with Tatsuki and entered high school before she stopped praying for him altogether. He then says how it hurt him that when she got home, all she would talk about was Ichigo.

For one - the fact that Acidwire knows this proves that Ichigo and Orihime were at least already friends by the time the manga started. In contrast to the anime where Ichigo outright says to Rukia that they've "never had a real conversation"

Anyways - this here in and of itself proves Ichigo and Orihime at least knew each other beyond just acquaintances - because they were close enough for Acidwire to notice and be hurt by it.

She tries to defend herself but he cuts her off before attacking Ichigo again

Acidwire tells her to come with him back to when it was just the two of them. In the context of the story, this would basically be him killing her.

However, this is also a tactic abusers use known as isolation.

When she questions why she should go with him and why he'd hurt Ichigo and Tatsuki before saying that the brother she loved would have never done anything like this.

I feel like in the anime, it kinda breezed by these moments which are honestly heartbreaking in hindsight and key for the leadup to why Orihime was afraid when Ichigo would use his hollow mask.

but Acidwire's response to her refusal and saying that the brother she loved would never do this is to not just harm her, but blame her and say that he is going to kill her.

In the time that she's become friends with Ichigo and Tatsuki and slowly grew happier, Acidwire blamed her for his own despair and sadness.

The kind, loving older brother that she had always known became a monster that would kill her and everyone close to her, and it would be her fault that he did because she stopped praying for him.

Here, it shows how Acidwire views Orihime not as a person who should live her own fulfilling life, but as an object who should live for him because he gave up his entire life to raise and protect her.

Once again, not to say that Sora was an abuser or abusive person, but this line of logic is the same one that abusive and toxic parents often use when it comes to emotionally abusing their children. Saying how the sacrificed so much for their children to control how their children live their own lives when the child never asked to be born. Similarly, Orihime didn't ask to be born or ask for Sora to raise her.

Sora did because that's the kind of person that he is, but Acidwire turns these loving traits of Sora's into a manifestation of abuse.

And even though she has nothing to be sorry for... She apologizes to Acidwire because that's the kind of person she is.

It also shows how she puts on a smile so that way others don't have to worry about her. She didn't want Sora to think that she was sad and hurting, she didn't want him to worry about her so she buried and hid her own sadness.

She apologizes to Acidwire for making him sad and (in what she thinks are probably her last moments) says that she loves him and that she didn't mean to hurt him.

As he's slowly regaining himself, Sora admits that he already knew that Orihime was just trying to shield her sadness from him but still wanted her to pray for him because it was only in those moments that her heart was his.

Ichigo then tells him that it's the same, those who die and those who survive are just as sad as the other.

It's in this moment Sora had fully regained himself, enough to know that he couldn't stay in a form like this or else he'd come to hurt Orihime again. If he killed the little sister that he raised like a daughter over his own heartache, would he have been any better than their own abusive parents?

And finally, the two get to say goodbye properly.

Also - a side note - a lot of people criticize Orihime's passive nature and how she never seems to fight or argue with anyone but it's because the one time that she did have a fight with someone, they died and became a monster.

This entire sequence emphasizes why Orihime always tries to reach out to others in need and never argues or fights. She doesn't want her friends or even strangers, to become like how Sora became Acidwire.

Now, Rukia had changed/erased Orihime's memories following this event but it likely didn't work as intended since during the Rukia rescue arc, Orihime mentions that she's been able to see hollows and spirits ever since the encounter with Acidwire.

Now let's go ahead and jump ahead to VL Ichigo -

Going to Hueco Mundo - Ichigo already knew without having to be told or convinced by anyone that Orihime was in danger. Aizen did his best to make it look like Orihime was a traitor to the Soul Society and Ichigo never bought it

It's being put in plainer and plainer terms that Ichigo transformed as a response to Orihime's call for help.

Even if you want to argue that there was a mistranslation or that Ichigo doesn't directly reference Orihime, even if you remove all of the text the sequence of events goes

Orihime's cries

Ichigo began to move and get up - functionally coming back from being dead

Once again, even if you want to remove the text avoid arguing about whether or not it was properly translated - nevermind the fact that in Japanese pronouns are often omitted and there is a big assumption to just know who/what you are talking about -

Even without text, the images show Orihime crying, and Ichigo beginning to come back to life.

Both she and Ulquiorra question whether that is Ichigo

Now that said, I think that Ichigo vs Ulquiorra is one of the most brutal and best fights in the series. Both Uryu and Orihime know that this isn't Ichigo.

Yet remember how it is established that hollows often become twisted versions of the people they once were? This is a power that Ichigo can't control and yet uses it to protect the person who called out to him.

While I don't disagree with the notion that this is also White protecting Ichigo, it doesn't change the fact that Kubo intentionally drew Orihime and Ichigo rising side by side multiple times. Even without text, Kubo places emphasis on her and her cries for help against VL Ichigo - not White or Zangetsu.

And when Uryu tries to bring him back to his senses what does Ichigo do? Put a sword through him.

Once again, even if you want to remove any and all text, Kubo puts VL Ichigo paneled side by side with Orihime, and when Ichigo comes back to his senses

The first person that he sees is Orihime.

As much as I want, I'll save my yapping about Ulquiorra for a separate time.

But for a moment, even if only briefly, his desires to protect were twisted in a way that hurt those around him, and once again - Orihime was the catalyst.

Ichigo says that he didn't want to win like this - showing that he views fights as something more honorable than what White/VL Ichigo had done. His last memory being that he had a hole put in his chest, also shows that he more or less "blacked out" and had no control over his actions.

What is one of the things established when people become hollows?

That they lose control of themselves and their desires are twisted.

The difference between Ichigo and Acidwire is that Ichigo wants to protect Orihime while Acidwire wanted to own her - which is why Ichigo never directly harms Orihime even as he loses control of himself.

But - all of this yapping is to show how from Orihime's perspective, hollowfication and hollow powers aren't good. They turn people into monsters that hurt their friends and loved ones.

It's also established that Orihime is the type of person who will internalize her own thoughts and feelings (it isn't ""hubris"" as some people call it).

Whether or not you want to argue that it was an assumption that Ichigo became a VL because she cried for help, it doesn't change the fact that she still cried for help and that Ichigo became a hollow/VL.

From her own perspective, she blames herself regardless of whether or not you think that it is an assumption on her part that Ichigo became a VL to protect her.

And after all - why wouldn't she blame herself when her first encounter with a hollow - Acidwire - blamed her for the monster that he became?

I know I skipped over him using his mask in the fight with Grimmjow, but I already yap too much and wanted to try to keep an already long post short(er).

Anyway - all of this illustrates the trauma that Orihime has regarding hollows and hollowfication. It's not truly her fault - yet in both instances she blames herself.

And not just Kubo, but Ichigo himself is fully aware of this.

Which is why when he tells her not to worry and that he's still himself is so important - because it shows that Ichigo has learned to control that side of himself while at the same time, being aware that Orihime is someone who has been traumatized by hollows and hollowfication.

Ultimately - she doesn't want Ichigo to become a monster like Sora. For Ichigo, it's growth in his own ability while for Orihime it's comfort in knowing that Ichigo won't lose himself fighting to protect those he cares about.

In short, she isn't afraid of Ichigo - she was scared of him becoming a monster like Sora had.

#rainbow talking #orihime inoue #orihime kurosaki #Ichigo Kurosaki #Bleach #Pro-Orihime #Pro-Orihime Inoue #Pro-Orihime Kurosaki #IchiHime #anywho - I did my best to leave out any romantic or shippy analysis #bc people will try to twist it to say that I'm trying to push a ship when I'm not #I still tag it as the ship bc I'm pretty sure shippers will want to read it #but i'm fending off Orihime slander that has crossed my tl in one way or another #Kubo also really does have a way of writing trauma that is super subtle #Because one can argue that Orihime becoming so kind and compassionate is a result of the trauma she's experienced #even before the start of the main series considering she was 3 when Sora ran away with her #even if she may not remember her parents specifically and only heard about their abuse #studies have shown even if someone doesn't remember it the abuse they experienced still has an impact on them #but all in all this was really more about Orihime #cause even removed of the text #Kubo drew VL Ichigo side by side with Orihime multiple times FOR A REASON #even if you want to argue those reasons aren't romantic #they're still there for a reason and it's to show how much Ichigo DOES care about Orihime #as well as Orihime's own experience with hollows/hollowfication #her hesitation and fear is a sign of trauma and PTSD even if the manga doesn't expressly say that #and it's something that Ichigo acknowledges and that he and Orihime also work past

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momentomori24 · 4 days ago

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During my playthrough, based on the way she said this and Wenona's grossed out reaction afterwards, I could only assume this was an innuendo or weird joke I couldn't understand. So I looked it up today and apparently when adding the two words together it's a pun for "Cunninglinguists" which 💀 Like damn, no wonder everyone was so sure you two were fucking as bunk buddies.

#danganronpa #project eden's garden #grace madison #wolfgang akire #golfgang #i didn't get the joke but when she said it my head first went to “she sounds like she wants to bang him” and it ended up being correct 💀#like girl take the man to dinner first XD #here to collect my “golfgang shipper since the prologue” and “just finished chapter 1 today” stickers #i'm not ok on either front btw #also when they were selecting bunk buddies i was kinda disappointed that they weren't paired but then they swapped later and i was like YES #i thought i was alone on the golfgang ship but i'm so glad we got some food for them this chapter. as much as it hurts now #anyway go play this game. it's good. and hurts #also even tho them fucking is probably just a joke i kinda wish they actually did XD it would be really funny if they actually did. please #momento rambles

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kalinara · 2 days ago

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The one(s) with Baby Scott remind me of that panel that everyone likes to use to make fun of him, or at least AvX.

Folks really do like to make fun of this panel. But they ignore and/or miss the context.

Scott isn't criticizing or attacking Bruce here. He's asking for help. Because he's a child who appeared in a terrifying future to learn that he's (apparently) going to betray everything and everyone he's ever loved. He has learned that HE is the one who is going to kill the man who saved him and gave him everything.

(As much as I hate Xavier, I can't deny that Scott loves him and has good reasons to.)

Fortunately Bruce DOES recognize the context and advises accordingly.

(From the Superior Spider-Man Team Up)

This isn't a funny scene. This is a very quiet, very un-dramatic, but very genuine moment where Bruce Banner is talking a kid out of suicide.

And while the bulk of the blame goes to adult Hank, you can't tell me that moment where Logan holds his claws to his throat in front of a completely silent crowd (with the adult version of at least one of his closest friends), and suggests trading him for Charles Xavier, didn't play a part in this.

I always really wished we got a scene where Bruce actually called Logan and Hank out for this bullshit. But there you go.

It does occur to me that the Hope scene has a weird element of being both a tiny bit heartwarming and also proof that Logan learned nothing.

So Hope is trying to assassinate someone. Maybe. I'm not clear on that. There are lots of angry mutants though, helping her. But she and Scott end up having a confrontation, while she holds him at gunpoint.

I mean, it's not a great situation, but it's also not like Nathan hasn't held his father at gunpoint on a regular basis in the 90s and early 00s. Scott's used to this.

I don't really blame Wolverine for jumping in here though, because generally holding someone at gunpoint is not great. Also, I feel like stabbing was probably not necessary. You COULD have just knocked her over the head. (I mean, IRL, that would probably be bad too. But comics work on the same logic as television and concussions are optional.)

It does however lead to Hope shooting her grandfather in the head. Oops.

That's when you get the part where Logan tries to kill her outright. (Amusingly, for all her earlier monologue about how she and Scott are nothing to each other now that Nathan is dead, she does say "thanks for the powers, Grandpa".)

This part's actually a little heartwarming if you're a shipper:

Fortunately, she ends up using Logan's healing factor and surviving.

As a tangent, I really enjoy seeing the damage done to Wolverine from Hope's borrowed optic blasts. It illustrates how much Scott holds back when he and Logan fight.

Also, tangential bonus:

We can't even really credit Hope's incredible aiming skills for the fact that she managed to shoot his eye out without any sort of damage to the rest of his pretty, pretty face.

The universe just wants to keep this man beautiful. (It doesn't want to face Jean's wrath if it doesn't, perhaps.)

But anyway, it's heartwarming to see Logan actually acknowledge that he cares about Scott. It's also pretty eye-rolling though that he hasn't really learned anything from AvX though. Yet again, he's blaming someone for the accidental (only apparent this time) death of someone he loved, ignoring his own role in the accident, and outright shamelessly attempting to murder a child.

Tsk.

(The Hope, Logan and Scott scans are all from Uncanny X-Men #15)

Logan shouldn't be allowed near children

I know that's a loaded title but I stand by it. There's obviously an element of Flanderisation going on but considering his stated reason for opening the Jean Grey school he is far too eager to murder children.

Why TF is he leaping at children, snarling with his claws out? Check out the frothing drool.

For example, in All-New X-Men, the O5 have just been bought to the future by Hank McCoy. He stops teaching his violence through yelling class and heads out the front, leaping at the 16 year olds with his claws out. Not Hank, who brought them there but clearly traumatised children - while screaming like a lunatic of course. Even if he's not trying to kill them, what purpose does terrifying them serve? He clearly IS trying to kill them, though. I'm sure his students would love to see their headmaster butcher confused children in front of them.

Unsurprisingly, he scares the fuck out of them. In part influenced by constant threats of his violence, the O5 steal the X-Jet and flee, explicitly doubting this guy is an X-Man. His thoughts about the 16 year old Jean Grey... No dude, this isn't the Jean you know. She's a child you've tried to kill. Fucking creep.

This one is great. Young Scott has enough going on without this frothing beast advocating for his immediate execution as punishment for his future self's actions. Out front of the school with literally everyone watching. He's using his authority to advocate for slaughtering a child. Thankfully nobody agrees with him, but this is traumatic, terrifying, and affects Scott especially so badly he runs away.

No wonder he freaks out and leaves. Obviously the headmaster of a school should drop what he's doing, not for his wellbeing but to get his bike back. How is he in charge of anyone's wellbeing or moral instruction? He demands absolute obedience while doing nothing to deserve it. It's all about how Logan feels.

Here he is trying to gut a 15 year old Wiccan for having Scarlet Witch vibes, not for the or last time. I'm a little surprised he remained an Avenger after this. When you have knives for hands everyone looks like a pincushion. Except that's not it, because everyone else is a living weapon too and they mostly manage to be somewhat rational.

Why are his claws out here? Is he trying to kill him? What did he expect after threatening and traumatizing him? Snarling and shouting like an animal - isn't he trying to emulate Chuck here?

I can't remember why he's doing this but it's not the first time he's tried to kill Hope. Didn't work then either.

A 16 year old Jean uses a telepathic projection of the Phoenix to aid Wolverine in a fight. He stupidly thinks it's real and straight up tries to kill her. The bad guys get away. Not sure how many times he has to attempt to kill the Phoenix before he understands it's not an appropriate thing to do, nor is it about him. He's more like Sabertooth than he thinks, except he thinks he's in the right and somehow never gets called out. Logan has advanced senses - how is his instinct to straight up kill her instead of investigating further?

We can do better

I think that once Logan reached a certain point of saturation he became static. The lone wolf that's the best there is at what he does, and what he does is behave so unpleasantly it's hard to believe anyone would want to be near him, let alone allow him to run a school. He says 'bub' a lot and he snikts at the drop of a hat while repeating the same interpersonal drama over and over. I see him as a frequent self insert for the worst kind of toxic masculinity yet he's more popular than ever. No judgement if you like him at all, but I think the character deserves better. Somehow he's still a misunderstood loner despite a lot of people knowing him very well - with the amount of teams and books he's in he has the most active social life in 616. It'll never happen but I'd like to see him retire, as there are several Wolverines better than he..

#logan behavior #scott summers #cyclops #honestly I'd been hoping for an excuse to post these scans but I hadn't thought of a good introduction/frame for them!#bruce banner #lights out

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cheesecake801 · 2 months ago

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Did you know 11/11 is Pocky day ? I drew something for this special day hehe

Bonus with Flint under cut

I think Flint would lose this one. Volkner seems to love Pocky a bit too much to afford to lose lmao.

And then Flint would have to buy him more Pocky (he should've thought before agreeing to Volkner's terms lmao). And as Volkner eats them, Flint would stare with sadness in his eyes.

Maybe then Volkner would share, so all is well that ends well except for the disappointed audience (but it's on them for being nosy)

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dollypopup · 1 year ago

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the more I think about it and rewatch his scenes, the more I cannot help but realize that Colin is coded as a neurodivergent character. At least, I can very clearly see how Luke Newton, a neurodivergent actor, is playing Colin as a neurodivergent character

a special interest in Greek mythology? in traveling? neurodivergent

taking people's word at face value without 'reading between the lines'? neurodivergent

not being able to read Penelope's feelings regardless of how 'obvious' they are? neurodivergent

brain constantly bouncing around from one idea to the next (as in the books)? neurodivergent

not saying the 'right thing' and admitting to having to rehearse important conversations? neurodivergent

all that rejection sensitivity and regret he had well over a year after his engagement blew up? neurodivergent

masking in public? the whole 'charming facade'? neurodivergent

the man straight up STIMS, I mean how often do we see him fidgeting or playing with something? he has an oral fixation like no one's business, always eating, rubbing his mouth, licking his lips

I just can't unsee it

and, one day, i hope our fandom is going to be ready to recognize how many of the things we've unjustly called him an 'idiot' or 'stupid' for is actually just him existing with a neurodivergent brain and how hurtful that can come across to us neurodivergent peeps who identify with him

#colin bridgerton #polin #bridgerton #luke newton himself has ADHD like i'd eat my HAT if he's not playing colin as ND #sure maybe colin doesn't have the words for that in the time period he's in. . .but nd folks have always existed #even when the language for us doesn't #hell. . .even his reaction in S2 when no one is interested in hearing about his travels #TELL ME THAT'S NOT AN ND RESPONSE??? how many of us have infodumped about our special interest #and had no one listen to us? it really does hurt!!! it discourages!!! and we get upset about it just like he did!!!#we stop talking about it *just like he did*#we dismiss it- JUST! LIKE! HE DID!!!!#anyway 'colin bridgerton is an idiot' is my villain origin story #we're leaving that shit in 2023 #colin bridgerton is a chaotic little gremlin is SO much better of a trope #also also cause it's just on my (neurodivergent) brain.#a lot of the polin shippers who have been made to feel unwelcome in polin tend to be colin fans. . .and a lot of us are nd #inch resting #colin is a neurodivergent character #he is my baby boy #and i'm tired of the ableism #and even if he ISN'T explicitly ND- a lot of the behaviors we call him stupid for. . .are relatable to many ND people #and seeing the reaction be a blind 'he's so dumb' is really sad #we're not stupid- our brains just work and process differently #that's all

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adamnablelittledevil · 2 months ago

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Trying to talk to somebody about Louis outside of Lestat and making it very clear to the other person and they still keep talking about loustat. And on the very first reply. It wasn't even, like, a while later the conversation accidentally went to loustat. The person didn't even try, really. SMFH.

#interview with the vampire #the vampire chronicles #anne rice #big (show) loustat shipper and they're my favorite so far but I don't even like to talk about them that much anymore because of this #I admit I'm not the biggest book Louis fan and I don't think he landed right #but even there he interacts with other people like Claudia Armand David Merrick and had some arcs outside loustat #And show Louis is SUCH A FULL AND COMPELLING CHARACTER we can talk about him and his family mental illness race sexuality religion etc etc #It's not even about never including Lestat like I get it that most of his interactions are probably with him so it makes sense #but to never have at least ONE moment when you acknowledge Louis outside of loustat? really? and you say you love him? lol ok #louis de pointe du lac #jacob anderson

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harleiquina · 2 days ago

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Hey! I'm late for the party (because being overworked and underpaid sucks and always ends up in burnout -not fully recovered as of now, just with spare time because its Christmas, I'm working and nobody is calling so I can delve in Tumblr as much as my heart desires-).

First of all... I wrote my original reply around 2 or 3 am because my dog woke me up and I couldn't fall asleep again. So probably I had a point and eventually lead to something else because... sleepy brain goes brr.

About the writing

It is true that between saying it or just leave it out the text, leaving it out of the text is the safer option. There is also the posibility that it was planting an idea that never truly came to be so it is just dangling there with no other purpose... it happened to me a few times that I plant a seed of something in a story and then completely forget about it and sometimes I remember and remove it. I don't know how the time frame and due dates are in the process of creating a comic (if it was written arch per arch or if NG had all planned out and later came up with the different issues) but I guess that is they were going issue per issue -writing, drawing, coloring, formating and eventually printing it- there weren't many options to go back and fix something that didn't worked.

And yes... these were the '90s so... there isn't much to do about it.

In the end of the day, Sandman isn't Hob's story. Maybe there was a chance that if audiences liked him enough there could've been a limited run series of him through time and it didn't happened maybe there was a plan to do so but audiences preffered Death over him (can't blame them). Then the audience could've see him after his meeting with Morpheus and maybe growing a backbone eventually to stop his bussiness with the Slave Trade. We will never know.

Shipping and willingfully-ignorant fans

I'm not into shipping either (I'm not going to deny that in any fandom some edits or fanarts are cute) and in this particular case, even if I understand from where it comes from... I'm so done with it. Maybe if instead of casting the son they would've gone with the father things wouldn't have gone that far 🤣

Mischaracterization is a common phenomena in any fandom, sometimes it could be the main shtick to the plot of one pice of fanfic but when the bee-hive fandom accepts it as official headcanon there is no turning back and you just have to ignore it.

Had fandom had a more accurate-looking Hob they might've reacted differently. I haven't read the comics but I've seen a few panels... and he kind of grosses me out. There is no question there that he was on any easy-way to do money (thief, soldier, slave trader) with little to no remorse. But shippers only see what they want to see and leave any kind of nuance flies out the window.

There are (possibly) many fanfic writers that took Hob's dark past (in general) and did created well grounded stories where he gets to reflect on what he's done and how to atone for it. But fluff is fluff and it gets more views. And I think that's the root of it all... some people just want a cozy coffe-shop AU because they are only in there for the romance, others want to read something that will make them question either the character or themselves, analize how certain events played out or could happen. Pretty much as with movies you have the blockbusters, the historic dramas, the romance and an audience for each one of them.

It might feel like some of them are glossing over a very serious subject that should be treated with respect however there is a different place to tackle those subjects on... hopless romantic fanfics are not the right place.

However there is also those who go full "he did nothing wrong" and this could stem from both options: people who are racist themselves, or people that has no idea of what it being a part of the Slave Trade really means. Given that History is so far back, is easy to "forget" or even imagine the living conditions back then. Of course, those who have grandparents or greatgrandparents that have experienced it in the flesh will not let it fly.

In the end of the day it all depends on whoever is reading. They can be affected by it, shocked, outraged or not... that's how Art works and none of us has the right moral compass to tell others if they should be ashamed or not.

We can tell them to knock it off or at least tag properly, but thats an entirely different can of worms 🤣

Hob Gadling’s Involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade between the 16th and 19th Century

The Fallacy of (clumsily written) Racial Reconciliation or: Is show/Hob really different from comics!Hob

I originally wrote this a while back as a reply to someone else’s post, but since we’ve been discussing “Men of Good Fortune” (comics) and “The Sound of Her Wings” (Netflix) in our community over the past weeks, I’ve expanded on a few points of my original thoughts.

This post discusses difficult topics, systemic racism, questions of social (in)justice and problematic angles in writing. If that’s not your thing, this is the exit sign…

A question that comes up quite frequently is the following:

Is show!Hob different from comics!Hob?

Hob’s conversation with Dream in 1789 (and not just 1789) in the show has been significantly altered (compared to the comics), and it makes it tempting to believe this somehow makes him different regarding the more problematic side of his character.

In the comics, we have a bit of dialogue in 1789 that shows how deeply involved in the slave trade Hob was: “I sort of started it,” said with a hint of, dare I say, pride? And then brushing off Dream’s concerns by saying, “It’s a living.” Twice.

(They changed this to, “It’s just how it’s done”, and a shrug in the show.)

And it’s true: If this had been integrated into the show, it would have painted him in an even worse light. However, I personally think it was the wrong move to leave it out (Ferdinand Kingsley carefully voiced something along those lines as well btw). Because now the show pushed Hob’s whole involvement in the slave trade much more into the direction of, “Oopsie.”

Can we truly take leaving out the above dialogue as a hint that Hob might be a better person in the show? I’d like to really reflect on that--leaving out those comments can’t make him a better person. Even if we change his arc slightly and he “wasn’t that involved.” You’re involved, or you aren’t. There is no, “I tried a bit of slave trading and decided it wasn’t for me.” One could even argue it makes the angle of the show more problematic because it makes the slave trade a “little blip” in his timeline. Things like that can’t be a blip. I personally think the writers made a mistake here, but that’s obviously just my opinion.

If there wasn’t enough space in the show to expand on it (which I get for a side character), I feel they should have left out the slavery arc completely instead of keeping, but then minimising it (that might sound contradictory, but it only does if you don’t look at it too closely). It already didn't sit right with me 30 years ago to use slavery as a side note for showing a white person’s character development without properly examining the damage caused, and it still doesn't sit right with me now. It makes the plight of PoC a plot vehicle to centre white people’s guilt, and I always thought that’s a blind spot only white people have (and I’m white myself, to get that out of the road straightaway).

I’m not saying it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been used narratively. Or that you can’t show remorse and atonement/redemption for the most heinous acts (that’s not the same as forgiveness—I’ll get to that). Or that characters who have committed said acts are irredeemable. But it would have needed to be fleshed out instead of making it a comment in passing. Many books and movies do exactly that. But the point is that it’s never been fleshed out.

“But they had to shorten and streamline it…”—just no. Because to me (and ofc people are free to disagree), that exactly proves the point—centring the white guy while sidelining the people who suffer. I am a bit doubtful we’ll get anything remotely appropriate in the show after what we’ve already seen. Only time will tell, so I’m withholding final judgment at this point. Fact is: It is uncomfortable to watch for people with any sensitivity on the matter.

And yet, there is a lot of focus on leaving out Hob voicing his regret in 1889, since that (again) “would have painted him in a better light.”

While simultaneously regularly failing to mention that he proudly proclaimed he “invented” the triangle trade. Can we really pick and choose his traits like that? Hob is a materialistic opportunist who also has some regrets. That doesn’t mean he can’t exist as a character, or that we’re not allowed to like him (morally grey characters are often the most compelling ones). We don’t need to sanitise him though, or try to erase his problematic traits from canon. The same goes for other characters (yes, I’m looking at you, Dream, and I’m sure we’ll get to that very soon—in fact, we’re possibly starting tomorrow 🫣). If we are talking about Hob’s remorse, we are probably mostly thinking about Sunday Mourning, so I need to bring in issue #73 at this point (this is your spoiler warning if you don’t want to read ahead).

The Fallacy of Racial Reconciliation

Very plainly:

A black woman is used as a vehicle to forgive Hob. And said black woman has been written by a white male author for that sole purpose without giving her anything else to do. I personally think NG got that wrong. It was clumsy and insensitive to POC, and I really hope they change this for the show. It’s a fact that he really wasn’t good with writing black female characters in the whole run—they all get fridged in one way or another, and he even admits it in the Sandman Companion. And then turns around and basically implies that it's all okay now because “nothing bad” happens to Gwen once Morpheus is dead. She is allowed to be a vehicle for the character development of a white guy though. It’s just really insensitive, and I sincerely hope they don't put it in the show this way. And I’m glad that we're seeing hints it might not happen--at least the casting in the show hints at it (from Lucienne, Death and Rose to very likely turning Carla into a white man—we already met Carl, and that’s who he is IMHO).

There is also the not so small fact that Hob is, even in his guilt and shame (shame is always about yourself, and that’s actually very in keeping with his character), not honest with Gwen. The thing about him basically inventing the triangle trade, which he so proudly proclaimed in 1789?

The English who were so good at it? The “Jack” Hawkins he talked about in 1789? That’s actually this dude:

And Hob funded him 200 years before 1789, and enabled Hawkins. Hob was involved in what became the transatlantic slave trade well before 1789–he already funded it when he had money in the 1500s.

He carried that mindset around with him for literal hundreds of years and saw nothing wrong with it until at least (! more about that in a sec) 1789. Dream had to rub his nose in it, otherwise it wouldn’t even have occurred to him (or did it, and he just chose to ignore it--see below).

Hob has been written as a stand-in for humanity, British Imperialism and England over the centuries—with all that entails.

So how honest is he with Gwen? And how long, even after 1789, was he still involved, even after abolition in England (Somerset vs. Stewart declared slavery unlawful in England in 1772, but that wasn't true for the rest of the British Empire. Buying and selling slaves was only made illegal in 1807, while owning slaves only became unlawful with the Abolition Act of 1833, and it took another year to buy out slave owners to actually make it happen)? Because there’s still this:

“It got worse when they did [outlaw the slave trade]. You only needed one voyage in three to make a profit. You could afford to dump your cargo if… you spotted a British Man o’ War.” How does he know? Why does he have these nightmares? We can take a guess…

That’s not someone who tried it for a couple of weeks and then thought, “Sorry, my bad.” That’s someone who has been opportunistically involved from the 1500s and potentially until after slavery was unlawful in England, which it already was when he talked to Dream in 1789. So does his feigned ignorance of, "It's a living/It's how it's done?" really hold? Especially if he potentially kept going, even after that convo with Dream? When I wrote "between the 16th and 19th Century" in the header, that's exactly what I meant...

Guilt and Shame

Yes, what we see above and in all the other panels is guilt and shame. And it reminded me of this:

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And I’d encourage everyone to really listen to what Jasper has to say, and sit with the feelings it brings up. Because I can still remember watching this in the George Floyd aftermath for the first time, and how deeply uncomfortable it made me—because he’s right.

Black people/PoC do not need to forgive and absolve white people from their guilt. They can if they wish to, but that’s their choice, not ours. It’s not for white people to absolve other white people from their guilt around the oppression of PoC. And that’s why it could be argued it’s not for white people to write a black character to do that in their stead either (they can of course, but then they need to live with the fact that people will call them tone-deaf). It could also be argued it is something that cannot be forgiven retrospectively, and white people need to be okay with that. It can only be worked on in the present with a view to the future. And as Jasper also so rightly points out:

The guilt is not even helpful (at least Gwen has the right sentiment there, but it’s still falls incredibly flat over all), and shame only centres ourselves.

Forgiveness vs Redemption

Hob Gadling's regrets don't make everything he did forgivable. I think it actually does the story a disservice if that’s our main takeaway, because this is truly one of the bits of The Sandman that’s written in an extremely tone-deaf manner. NG isn’t the first author who did this, but we can take something good and helpful from this, and that’s engaging with these questions instead of brushing them under the carpet—because that’s what literary analysis is about.

It should be clear that I do see Hob Gadling as narratively important because I see him as a stand-in for humanity, and more specifically, English history. And there is really so much to learn from that.

Writers can get things narratively right but still be emotionally tone-deaf due to their own blind-spots. We don’t need to assume malice, but we also don’t need to leave it entirely unchallenged.

And because of that, we can certainly see Hob as someone who has to live with his conscience, and the consequences of his actions, for the rest of his life and struggles with that (as he should). And maybe we can see him as someone who is now, finally, trying to do the work. Because that is what atonement and redemption actually mean:

Taking action to rectify past wrongs. Actively working against the harm once caused, and preventing it from ever happening again. And I hope that’s what he does, and the signs are there (but there are also still signs that he values covering up his immortality higher than e.g. telling Gwen the truth. And we can find a million excuses for why that is, but ultimately, none of them truly matter).

However, it is not the same as forgiveness from the people we have wronged. Forgiveness is not a prerequisite to redemption, although it can be a part of it if the person who has been wronged chooses to extend it. But the people Hob wronged are dead, while their descendants still need to live with the pain people like Hob caused to this very day. So while I don’t see him as irredeemable, I don’t think he needs to, or even can, be forgiven—especially not by black people (unless they choose to. But it is also fine if they don’t, and again, we need to be okay with that). And we could say, “But Gwen chose to.” To that, I say:

I wonder what Gwen would have said if he had been truly honest with her (which he wasn’t, see below panels). That wouldn’t have been an embrace is my guess…

#the sandman #sandman #hob gadling #cw racism #when you've been pushing this response till you have time and that time is Christmas #I'm still taking calls tho - I had 6 so far and 1hr 15 minutes to go

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maxphilippa · 8 months ago

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maybe one day microknife will be popular again. maybe

#i'm feeling sad about them again #no shame to test/mic shippers ofc. i'm glad you guys are getting the content you want #it's just. sigh.#i really want microknife to have content again and for people to actually care about their friendship #like it doesn't even have to be ship content. just content that recognizes their friendship and doesn't treat them as siblings.#they matter so much to eachother and i am. kind of sad over how people don't care about them.#but oh well

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blorbosinmyheadcentral · 1 year ago

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Really curious to know where in the heck people got this "Caine is an old man" thing from

#rambles #Really. Where is this information from. I know gooseworx revealed all of the humans' ages but there is nothing on Caine or any of the AIs #It makes sense why that is because he's a frickin BOT. Are you going to tell me chatGPT is a middle aged man??#But sure he has a “coded age” or whatever; let's entertain the thought.#He clearly reads as an adult. But OLD???#What supports this???? We don't know how much time people have been in the Digital Circus or how long it has existed #“Years” is too damn vague. There is no specific sense for the passage of time #There's no way to determine his age that way #He could very well be younger than everyone in that place #Then is it his mannerisms??? HE'S A FREAKIN RINGMASTER #Are people just collectively assuming Caine is old just because????#I haven't found ANY basis for this ANYWHERE. GODDD #And it's annoying especially when people use this to justify antagonizing shippers #end rant #*hits edit button* AND ANOTHER THING #Look. Even if Caine IS old. That's okay #Everyone in the show is canonically an adult #I'm just baffled at this because people assume it's an absolute truth when we just. don't know.

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holydrakes · 2 months ago

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Been thinking about why the idea of platonic soulmates 4lyfe Soma give me a huge deal of psychic damage lately and it's not just because I ship these two (hell, I have OTPs whom I don't mind just being platonic soulmates for life, so this is one is a big deal and comes with the way they are both written) because how much it wastes all those romantic undertones they already had within the text.

The fact that overcoming the idea of 'infidelity' is literally part of their arc and it was set since the very beginning with Maka learning to trust Soul and Soul declaring he'd never cheat on her, for this to be truly meaningful they need to enter the relationship where this specific type of commitment is required. And that is for them to become a long-term couple, since if you are simply friends why would the idea of 'infidelity' matter? This is why them being simply platonic soulmates is...ugh. They're already made out of these very specific themes that would be much more meaningful when applied romantically, we gotta use it.

(That said though, I don't mind that SE merely explored this through Maka and Soul having essentially a Pseudo-Romantic Friendship throughout the series. I think it's the most appropriate given their young ages. These kids had basically learned the basics before they become mature enough to enter a more serious relationship in the future. That's why if Ohkubo ever says something stupid like these two ain't meant to be a thing in the future either I'd say fuck that. You fumbled a gold here)

Hell, I've seen canon couples whose platonic soulmatism I'd have easier time to accept, because romance is just irrelevant to what their arc symbolizes for example. The other partnerships in the series made better platonic soulmates for me because of this reason, Black Star and Kid are simply meant be better versions of their fathers who made morally dubious acts in their lives, and their weapons offer them the support they need to balance out their personality traits that'd otherwise lead them to that same dark fate (it helps that their arcs don't involve them avoiding that same path altogether but just tackling it in different ways, Black Star still seeks power but makes it so he wanted to use that power to protect other people, Kid still becomes a Shinigami but decides to be more diplomatic) You can get the point across just by simply having friendship this way.

But Maka and Soul are supposed to be 'a better version of Maka's parents' and I'm not sure how you can thoroughly prove that without actually following them into the path where they specifically failed: which is the romance (it will follow how Black Star and Kid still choose to follow their fathers' paths and just avoid the mistakes they did when threading said path) And then have them face the same problems that might arise by committing themselves into this type of relationship, and see if they are able to handle it better than Maka's parents did. Like I'm sorry, yes SoMa being platonic when they are teens I can accept it, but for them to stay that way for life (like they even got together with other people and stuff) made their relationship feel cheaper than if they actually do get together since that makes it so there's never any real meaning behind Maka trusting Soul as a man who would always be committed to her in every sense of the word (be it as her weapon partner and romantic partner, a line that the 'cool guys don't cheat on their partners' specifically blurred) these two actually call for their relationship to eventually become romantic to come full circle imo.

#I've really come to despise the insistence that these two are strictly platonic lately #because...romance...actually made so much sense to be included into their arc #and even ties everything together #hell I feel like a lot of canon couples aren't even built this well to have an eventual 'romance“#these two on the other hand totally got it #and you are telling me they're only besties for life???#screw that #I'm not saying this as just a SoMa shipper anymore but actually someone who cares about utilizing narrative themes #to its fullest #soul x maka

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