#it’s just that I love when characters have trauma

[wheeloffortune-design]

Artistic maturity

Something I had to learn the hard way is that being an artist or a creative person means you need to have inner growth relative to art. Here are some harsh truths I'm still trying to accept:

You need to take care of your mental health, and deal with your trauma/neurodivergence/mental illness as soon as possible. Because the suffering artist myth is just a myth, there's only so much creativity you can squeeze out of your tortured soul, and generally it's raw but not that good. Get therapy, get better, and you can create more and better things.

You also need to take care of your physical health, because we want to still be doing this when we're 80. When you're young you can make miracles if you skip sleep, but that's not a long term solution. Don't push yourself too hard, and treat this like a marathon. Don't hurt yourself, take care of those wrists, that back, that neck, because once they're hurt, you just can't create like you used to. I had to stop drawing for two years after getting wrists tendinitis. So get enough sleep, sit right, stretch, we're have several decades of this in front of us.

It's fine if you can't find work in a creative field. The world is harsh, capitalism is inescapable, and you need to put food on the table. Having an unrelated day job and working on your projects in your free time is a very smart way to live.

Actually, creative jobs can also drain you of your creative energy and leave you nothing for your personal projects. Creating for other people is work, should be compensated and treated as such, and you shouldn't be told to be grateful to work in a creative industry.

YOUR WORTH IS NOT RELATED TO WHAT YOU MAKE. It's the hardest one to accept. Yes people like us when we make pretty things. But you need to understand that you are still a complete person, worthy of love, if you didn't create a single thing in your life.

Nothing is cringe. Everything is cringe. The weird characters you create at 17 will make wonderful stories when you're 30. Do whatever you want, unashamed, and it will find its public.

When you're young you will try to force a certain style and a certain message in your art, and if will feel wonky and weird. But at some point, your art will get real meaning, your themes will appear by themselves. Embrace your voice and the things you want to say, because no one else can say them.

That fantastic universe you've cultivated for the last decade will never become a story/comic/videogame until you sit down and start working on it for real. No one will do it for you.

And once again, YOUR WORTH IS NOT DEFINED BY WHAT YOU PRODUCE.

Being a creative person comes with its own set of complications, and the sooner you mature in that way, the longer and healthier your creative life will be.

[king571]

Arcane truly flipped the script and broke so many societal norms with its story, characters, and representation. And some of y’all just can’t handle it because "things shouldn’t be this way," right? This is not what you expected. That was the whole point my friends. THAT WAS THE WHOLE STORY.

Their choices were intentionally meant to challenge you and make you uncomfortable. If you can’t open your mind and appreciate the nuances, you’ll always remain unhappy and bitter about it.

Oh and if you don’t know what I am talking about yet, here are some examples:

“Revolutionary Vi, come back!”

“She should’ve followed Jinx instead of being with Caitlyn.”

Because how dare Vi be selfish for once as an older sister? How dare she choose herself over constantly trying fix things for everyone else? How dare she choose to be with Caitlyn, someone she loves and feels safe with. It doesn’t make sense, she has to keep fighting for others. The script is not scripting.

“It was just Caitlyn’s mom, Vi and Jinx have been through so much worse.”

Because Caitlyn’s position and upbringing make her immune to pain and trauma, right? (And yes, I know it wasn’t just her mom.) She’s not allowed to make mistakes because of her privilege—otherwise, the world would hate her. How dare a young woman questions her morals or what’s right, even for a moment? That’s just unacceptable.

“A prison cell?? Really? That doesn’t seem like the right place for this.”

“Caitlyn didn’t even say sorry.”

Because sex can’t be impulsive or messy, right? Queer stories have to follow a perfect script or they aren’t good representation. We have to clean everything and make it perfectly healthy. And, of course, apologies only count when they’re said aloud, because that’s the only form that really matters, right? It’s just not acceptable any other way.

OH AND DO YOU REMEMBER SILCO’S LAST SPEECH:

“We build our own prisons. Bars forged of oaths, codes, commitments. Walls of self-doubt and accepted limitation. We inhabit these cells, these identities, and call them "us."”

Gee I wonder how that connects to all of this..

Honestly, I could go on. English isn’t my first language, but I had to rant about this. I wish I sounded nicer than this but I can’t anymore. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the creative decisions the writers made—many people love Arcane now because of the very things you’re complaining about. Just keep that in mind. The media doesn’t revolve around you or your personal norms or expectations.

[taamlok]

i do actually really resent how the ast*rion fandom turned into trauma olympics. like it was such a negative and sad space where everyone felt pressured to blast descriptions of their abuse experiences to legitimize the decisions they made for a fictional blonde man. at least that was my experience

[fulcrums501st]

silco is a great character. but if your love of silco causes you to hate on vi I’m gonna need you to reevaluate some things

like vi has every reason to hate silco all of which are valid for her to believe. yea she doesn’t get that silco actually cared for jinx. but like bro she was imprisoned?? and like? he killed her family??? why would she ever see him in any way either than that?? she doesn’t know about his political motivations and those don’t justify him trying to kill her family????

vi’s been in prison for years and obviously would assume that jinx became the way she is cuz of silco. and she isn’t even fully wrong to assume that cuz silco raised jinx for years and yea he did let her get to this point. like yea it’s complicated cuz of his own issues and his messed up ideology kinda make him incapable of being a good parent no matter how hard he tries. but vi ain’t giving him the benefit of the doubt and like why tf would your expect her to?? obviously we know that there was some jinx brewing beneath the surface of powder in act1. but how tf was vi supposed to have predicted this?? silco’s parenting undeniably contributed to who jinx became. so vi isn’t even wrong to believe this. not 100% right but not 100% wrong.

and like jinx is so different from vi’s perspective ofc vi is gonna 100% blame silco on that. and like she has a right to. like vi shows up to try and save her sister and silco tries to kill her and yaps about “freeing” jinx. like what is vi supposed to conclude from that other than silco is Mr. evil and a sister- stealer. like yes girl go blow up his factory.

“silco was there when vi abandoned powder” actually what tf are you talking about. vi was 15. experiencing a trauma no one eve should. she invisibly shouldn’t have hit powder but like I completely understand why she fricking did. understandable emotional reaction for a 15 yo. how are we still giving her shit about this?? plus she TRIES TO GO BACK TO POWDER. BUT IS PUT IN PRISON FOR 7 FUCKING YEARS. she walked off to cool off not abandon her sister.

also the point is that silco misunderstands jinx’s situation. he can only see vi “abandoning” jinx as the same betrayal that happened to him. when they’re completely different. silco’s perspective on vi’s motivations and “betrayal” could not be more inaccurate. it makes sense for him to believe that cuz again of his own trauma. but be fr rn he did not asses the situation correctly which is partly why jinx has such conflicting feelings on vi. yes silco was there for jinx, but not cuz vi abandoned her or bc vi was a terrible sister.

silco and vi both want what they think is best for jinx. what they think is best tho is completely incompatible. both of their perspectives are completely understandable and genuine. that’s why jinx feels this pull between the two of them. that’s what makes the dinner party scene so good. cuz neither of them are entirely in the wrong for believing what they do or for wanting what they do.

“silco was right, vi chose caitlyn over jinx”

if this is abt s2 then just no. never cite s2 again when talking about vi. never. Not in my vi arcane.

And even in s1 jinx asking vi to shoot Caitlyn was unfair and messed up as crap. like ofc vi wasn’t gonna do that she has fricking moral compass. vi is put in an impossible position.

silco was right about how vi is still holding out hope that jinx can go back to being the same innocent powder she remembers AND CAN YOU BLAME HER?! she hasn’t seen her sister in 7 YEARS?! she only remembers powder. the memory of powder was the only thing getting her through those 7 years. yeah silco is correct in this assessment but it doesn’t make vi’s hope invalid or selfish, just wishful and optimistic. again, powder was the only thing keeping her going. cuz vi has been separated from the world and the cruel reality of it for 7 fucking years. silco and VI’s perspective are both valid given their experiences.

“vi could never accept jinx, while silco loved jinx unconditionally”

ok and that’s great parenting on a paper but is also lwk part of the problem cuz he enables all of jinx’s messed up and self-destructive behaviors. his unconditional love overrides his capacity for good parenting and discipline. it’s part of what makes their father-daughter relationship codependent and toxic. also vi loves and cares for her sister sm. but her sister becoming a murderer is an insane thing to ask of her to accept. like jinx does so many messed up things in s1. we the audience know why jinx is acting the way she is. but vi has every right to be disturbed by her. like could you imagine being kidnapped and separated from your little innocent sister for 7 years and then coming back and the first thing you see her do is shoot at people and giggle?? all out of her own volition?? I would be a bit taken aback too. It would be weird if vi wasn’t. And even after all of that vi doesn’t give up on her. she literally says “I’m not going to abandon you again” (and do not fucking bring up s2 cuz that was NOT vi)

“vi created jinx” “no silco created jinx”

how tf is this still a discussion?? they both did and neither of them did. jinx was made from terrible circumstance. every single one of her life experiences contributes to who she became. her parents being murdered by enforcers. her living under systemic oppression. her childhood insecurity and feeling like she needed to prove herself to the group. vi encouraging her inventions. the incident. vi “abandoning” her. being raised by silco. killing silco. etc. there isn’t one event that “makes” jinx.

anyway. vi’s hatred of silco is valid given her perspective. and silco’s beliefs also make sense given how messed up he is and they are genuine. but I never wanna see a silco fan hating on vi ever again.

[thewistlingbadger]

Yes Silco hates Vi for what she did to Jinx and for being a dangerous threat to him that is outside of his control and out of fear that he'll lose Jinx to Vi but I also think he hates her because she doesn't fit the narrative he has constructed.

The entire basis of Silco's relationship with Jinx is that they are one in the same. He doesn't take her in because she had nobody, he doesn't take her in because he knows her, he doesn't take her in because he pities her, he takes her in for one reason and one reason alone:

"She left me. She is NOT my sister anymore!"

After she says this Silco looks down at her, looks up at Vander's corpse, and then diverts his attention back to Jinx. Silco takes comforts Jinx, takes her in, and raises her as his own daughter because he used to be her. Her pain over Vi is his pain over Vander. She is the first and only person he has ever met who could possibly understand and relate to his past with his brother.

This huge similarity between them is CRITICAL to their bond and is the foundation for everything when it comes to the two of them as a duo. Silco gives Jinx advice based on his own experiences and traumas. He tells her to let the past die and reinvent herself because it's what HE did after Vander betrayed him. He teaches her to be feared by others because it was what HE did after Vander betrayed him. These two examples were effective for both of them but also toxic. The show draws many visual and narrative parallels between Silco and Jinx to cement their kinship AND they have Silco just flat out say it several times throughout the show.

"Everyone betrays us, Jinx! Vander- HER! They will never understand. It's only us."

Life is entirely subjective and based off your own experiences and interpretations. Constructing a narrative is often a coping device humans will use to try to explain things that they do not truly grasp or understand. For example: If your partner cheats on you, you might construct the narrative that they never loved you in the first place, because you cannot reconcile the nature of your relationship with the fact that they ultimately treated you as disposable.

We see characters in arcane construct narratives to save themselves from heartache all the time. Young Viktor constructs the narrative that Singed is a bad and twisted man because he doesn't understand why Singed would go to the lengths he did to keep Rio alive. Vi constructs the narrative that Silco is keeping Jinx captive because she doesn't understand how else the two of them could be connected and simultaneously alive. Silco constructs the narrative that he was once a weak man because he cannot understand why Vander would mistreat him so harshly and how Silco didn't see it coming.

Silco is of the partial belief that he was betrayed because he was weak and had he not been weak, he wouldn't have been betrayed. At bare minimum he would have been able to defend himself from Vander's attack. Remember, Silco went about a decade without speaking to Vander. He never got his note. He doesn't know the true reason why Vander attacked him and he never gets a true apology either, even after he is finally reunited with Vander. Having to deal with something so painful without being given an explanation or stance of reasoning has resulted in Silco becoming a twisted man, who says shit like "the only way to defeat a superior enemy is to stop at nothing" and "I hated you but you kept my respect."

He passes this way of thinking down to Jinx because to him, they are one in the same. To him she is going to benefit from his advice because he knows what he's talking about. To him the betrayal of their siblings is what binds them and Jinx is the only close bond silco has in his life. Even before Vi's "betrayal" Silco saw the way she was like Vander. So to him those two have also been one in the same for a long time.

But when Vi comes back, she does not behave like Vander. When Vi is reunited with Jinx, the first thing she does is apologize for leaving Jinx. Vander never apologized to Silco for his betrayal, not even when he was given the chance later in life. All he said was that he had never forgiven himself for what he did. Vi continuously fights for Jinx throughout season one. Vander never fought for Silco at all, he completely gave up on him and even when Silco presented him with the opportunity to fight on the same side again, to be brothers again, Vander rejected him. Vi tells Jinx she's willing to walk away from everything as long as she has Jinx with her. Vander couldn't even muster up the courage to fight for his own people. Vi blames herself for what happened to Jinx and tries her best to make amends. Vander never took responsibility for his actions and didn't attempt reconciliation.

Jinx is supposed to be Silco and Vi is supposed to be Vander, but Vi is not Vander. She's a way better sibling and person than Vander ever was and Silco cannot reconcile with this. Because if Jinx is him, and he knows she is, then why did she get to have her sibling back and not Silco? Why did she get the one thing he desperately wanted for the longest of times? Why could Vi forgive Jinx but Vander couldn't forgive Silco? VI is supposed to be the bad, disgraced sibling but she is not. Everything she does post time skip in season 1 is about redeeming herself and putting in the effort to recover a lost relationship.

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 67 analysis // spoilers

“who do you think the author sympathizing with, the monster or victor?” and who should us, the reader, should sympathize with, the mother or the son? skip to loafer is, once again, making us see the two sides of the same coin.

honestly, this was a chapter i had been waiting for a long time. i always wanted to know a little more about how shima saw his mother's role in all of this. not only in the way she treated him, but also how she acted on set and behaved in front of the entire crew. in my mind, shima's mother's role had a certain level of obscurity, something that hadn't been explored very well yet, since he himself needs to understand everything that happened to him over so many years. i still have more questions about her, but that's for the next chapter.

i like how shima's past and present are battling in this chapter — and they don't happen separately, but rather interconnected, as if they were on the same battlefield, even though they are rivals.

the beginning of the chapter resumes the rehearsals for the play for the school festival, and with that we can see a little more of the doubts that shima has regarding his character (the monster) and the play in general. just as shima begins to change and mature, his understanding and absorption of the story also begin to undergo slight changes. he still sees himself very much as the monster and understands all his suffering and can indeed understand where his obsession with his creator comes from, but he also begins to have a notion of a slightly more distant view, of an author who writes two characters full of gray areas.

shima then begins to wonder which character he should sympathize with more: the monster or victor? him or his mother? present or past?

the unfolding of the chapter further interconnects shima's own story with that of the play in which he is so immersed. upon meeting his past (chris and ririka), the present shima, someone who’s ever-considerate as kanechika-senpai would say, feels an immense need to open his eyes and see from the outside; see not only the monster, but also victor. to understand the root of the monster's obsession with his creator and finally open doors to forgive this great scientist who did him so much harm, he sees no other way than to face all the essential elements of his painful past in order to live a peaceful present.

however, what is most painful about all of this is that in order to come face to face with the past and understand the victor’s point of view, shima also needs to acknowledge the pain of the person who hurt him the most throughout his childhood: his mother.

it is not so strange that shima felt empathy or pity for his mother. after all, even though he is still a very closed person, he has always shown himself to be a very empathetic with others, trying to help them as long as he does not need to expose himself too much. with his mother, the person who was by his side for so long, it would be no different.

shima is able to acknowledge the pain that his mother carried for so long. he knows, deep down, that everything he suffered was a consequence of her trauma, of a pressure that she herself could no longer control and ended up emptying all of it on him. this doesn't mean that he has to accept it or not question it at any time, that’s exactly what he is doing now, something that it was so hard for him to do before. when you're a child, the only way to get attention and try to make that person you love so much look at you for real is to commit a destructive act of rebellion; it's to try to run away as much as you can and, as a consequence, be deceived by people with bad intentions, who lead you to a much greater ruin.

he is not an idiot for seeing his mother's side and trying to understand her, but he also does not need to forgive her without thinking and forgetting everything that happened. he is not an idiot for looking at his mother and acknowledging her pain. but he also needs to stop losing himself and finally find the forgiveness he so desperately needs.

searching for the past is talking to the present. meeting taiga again is reopening one of his wounds just so that it can heal properly. for shima to be able to understand frankenstein once and for all, he also needs to embrace his inner monster and try to reconnect once again with the scientist who raised him.

and both the past and the present are also in people. his group of friends is felix's family who welcomed him with so much love and affection. his past is chris and ririka who hug him tightly and cry for him, knowing all the pain that will never go away. the past is being able to stand next to ririka and feel the love of the friend he thought he would never get back because he had done her so wrong. the past is having chris in his life no matter what.

present is the girl he finds under the apple tree, who looks so much like a flower. present is that same girl, who he wants to be like and feel confident enough to walk alongside. present is his group of friends who want to see him do well. present is mukai and an afternoon spent talking about what it means to love someone.

being in the monster's shoes is not just about looking in a mirror, but also about recognizing your reflection. identifying with the character he plays is not just about finding similarities, but also about trying to fix the past that the monster couldn't. facing the scientist on stage is telling his mother that he finally sees her, after so many years. forgiving his mother is not about taking sides, but about understanding that all humans have their own poison.

i believe that now we will finally delve a little deeper into shima's past and understand once and for all what really happened. we will increasingly have this overlap between past and present, between monster and shima, between doctor and his mother, between the play and his reality.

another month another beautiful chapter 💛 can't wait to see what sensei have in mind for the next arc!! thank you so much for reading my analysis and support sensei if you can!!!

[sokkastyles]

I really love the idea of Katara being able to heal some of the pain and nerve damage of Zuko's scar, but not being able to heal the scar completely. Not only do I think this would be an interesting thing narratively for Zuko to cope with as a character (I agree with what you said about him having complicated feelings about this), but I think this would be an interesting thing to explore for Katara's character and her relationship with healing as well. The idea that there are some things that cannot be healed completely but don't necessarily need to be healed either would be an interesting thing for Katara to grapple with too I think. What if Katara had used some of the spirit water (only some) to try to help with Zuko's scar, only to realize she couldn't heal it completely? I imagine that would have given her much more uncertainty when she used the spirit water to heal Aang after he was shot with lightning (I think it also would have been an interesting character note for Aang if he and Zuko had sort of analogous issues, because Aang also now has a scar that cannot heal completely and it's affecting his bending abilities also). I think it's also interesting to wonder how seeing Zuko coping with his issues would help Katara grapple with her traumas, especially if she had tried to help him and it didn't work. I hope this made sense. What are your thoughts on this?

I think the thematically relevant point about scars is that they can't be healed because they ARE a sign of healing, and magicking away the pain doesn't mean it never happened or it didn't hurt when it did. Which just makes me wish Katara had scars on her hands. I'm sure someone could come up with some bullshit about how the reason they didn't scar is because she healed them before they got the chance to scar, but the actual reason is because Katara is a girl and it was her love interest who hurt her and that entire plotline was about his angst and not hers.

[punkeropercyjackson]

why is jinx black coded to you?? is it just hc or did moments from arcane start to influence you?? (not trying to be mean im gen curious its interesting cuz i havent seen anyone else hc her as black)

Her character feels very reflective of black girlhood/womanhood,both misogynoir and the positive aspects ^-^ Zaun is very similar to New York hoods and Jinx's mannerisms,attitude and tastes remind me of my hood friends(i'm dominican homecountry raised but a good hunk of my online friends are hood kids i also look after as an older afropunk)and they brought her relatability up to me first.The explotation throught the years and loss of childhood she faced as a 'dangerous'(read:misguised,hurt,unhelped)kid fresh out of trauma reasonates with me and a lot of other black Arcane fans,especially ones with 'scary' mentally illnesses,and so does how she's only taken seriously when seen as a threat and Timebomb gives black love with the strong solidarity and genuine connection her and Ekko have as contrasted to almost every other 'white' woman x black man ship and Jinx's femininity is very autistic black femme-coded to me specifically as one myself,although i do see her as transfem too since it fits pretty well(i'm tmasc).Her signature nail art is actually a common style on afro-dominicanas i.e the two colors in one set and switching up the order on each nail so i view Timebomb as afrolatina4afrolatino as Ekko's name is greek and it's common for black/latino diaspora parents to give their kids greek names

And for Vi,her adultification despite better avaliable caretakers for Jinx brings on the obvious comparison to the bias towards black older sisters to mind and as a nice contrast to Jinx,she comes off as a stud.And combined with all that,i see Isha as black too to complete the parallels between her and Jinx and she didn't die,that was propaganda and she's happy with her parents Jinx and Ekko and aunties Vi and Sevika🙏🏼Also Jinx had a hair journey from straight hair to an afrobubble ponytail to fantasy butterfly locs with magenta,blue,yellow and brown beads

[danvssomethingorother]

I will argue that it at least seems somewhat like they care if Chris dies or not in 5.

It’s always such a different experience for me going from 4 where you’re on your own Leon, to actually getting back up and rest from bases.

I mean I guess those guys just sorta die but still it always felt like something?

I know there are covert stuff too but I still feel like playing as characters in the BSAA, you do get more from the organization.

Also I will argue that as far as I know Chris wasn’t forced into joining (and might have founded it?) like Leon seemed to have been and I’m not sure how consenting it was for Sherry either considering she was used as black mail.

I don’t doubt Leon would have joined the fight eventually but when someone describes training as “torture that almost killed me” it doesn’t sound like he is allowed to leave…

And adding to the government blackmail, Helena was introduced being blackmailed into being apart of a terrorist attack!

I’m not an expert, I don’t really like 5 or revelations and the even number games are the ones I play the most.

I just think the series makes it more blatantly obvious the US government is evil lol. I don’t even think you can get more unsubtle than the fact that infinite darkness and 6 have final bosses that are government officials!

I never beat 8 but from this post I have seen that the BSAA has decided to take over where the DSO left off on being corrupt as shit. More than they were…

I don’t pit characters trauma against each other. I love Leon and Chris and just think they have different kinds of trauma. Maybe if they remake 5 they can focus more on Chris’s trauma and explore it more. I think the remake of 4 was excellent at taking the things that were just hinted at with Leon and made it front and center that he has been abused by the government.

It’s funny playing 6 and seeing the difference between DSO and BSAA.

Chris and piers - they have back up, medical personnel on the scene. Don’t need to steal vehicles. Weapons are given and I’m sure they get a kiss on the cheek before bed time.

Sherry (and Leon in 4)- here’s a fucking gun. Hope you don’t die. Steal whatever else you need I don’t care. It’s just monsters killing people, not gonna even try to send more people as back up. You are disposable, bitch. Oh and we will treat you like a lab experiment cause you aren’t human to us.

Leon and Helena - government wants them dead. They know too much. Need to go murder their boss before he pins a terrorist attack and murdering the president on them.

I mean I know why Chris is mad at them at the end of the game but in comparison to how the us government and military give a shit about deadly viruses and monsters at least BSAA acts like they care if they die. I feel like revelations and 6 are pointing to the organization to be being as shady as DSO but still in comparison BSAA is full of saints.

[enchantedsword]

i read to many wukong somehow ends up human/mostly human the same way mk does, deaged/amnesia and sick wukong fics and now i want to make one thats a mix of all three, i dont have much but i do have a little.

basically wukong caught the nine headed demon trying to wake and take mk, he tried to stop him but the resulting fight ended in wukongs powers and memories being sealed and regressed in age, the nine headed demon leaves them both in the city, where the eventually are found by pigsy and tang(who are married), wukongs is the same age as mk so its assumed they are half demon twins, since mk looks pretty much fully human, while wukong still has his tail and his peach shaped face mark.

as for the sick wukong part of this, i was thinking since his powers are sealed, i think his immortality is also sealed(i dont know how just pretend it makes sense), a lot of his past injuries have reared up and cause a lot of health problems, the furnace resulting in eye problems making him need glasses, along with lung problems, immune system problems caused buy 500 years under a mountain and being fed molten copper, plus the malnutrition, and highly intense migraines caused by of the circlet

they find out about these medical issues shortly after pigsy and tang takes them both in, it caused a bit of trauma for everyone, and a long string of doctor and hospital visits, never really getting a clear diagnosis, but always being told not to expect a long life for him. wukong grows up with a lot of love and support, but he does have a lot of guilt and self conscience issues about being a burden medically and financially. they also found out early on that his body cant handle hot foods or meats. pigsy and sandy make up for their fight a lot sooner then in canon due to sandy training service cats, and they have get one for wukong.

what no one realizes is that wukong is on a time limit, if they dont unlock his powers at least then he will eventually die because of his health problems

wukong is still his hyperactive and impulsive self(he is definitely audhd) but he does have a lot of limitations due to his health and hes weak because of it(and the fact his powers are sealed), he is howeververy agile and loves to do parkour when hes actually feeling well enough. hes obviously a lot kinder due to being raised by tang and pigsy and growing up with mk, he is still a little shit and a bit of a prankster, never cruel ones though. a little socially awkward since his constant health problems and resulting doctors and hospital visits caused him to miss out on school a lot growing up, mei and mk being his only friends. they met mei around the time they started school, mei being the only one willing to interact with the sick kid and his overprotective brother. pigsy and tang tend to hover a lot, even tho they do try to give wukong independence and encourage mk to have his own outside of wukong. the twins did grow up loving the stories of journey to the west, mks favorite character the story being wukong obviously, but wukongs favorite ends up being both tripitaka and the six eared macaque, i subscribe to the headcanon the wukong views tripitaka as a parental figure and obviously im a shadowpeach shipper.

at the time of canons start wukong is in the hospital due to a scare from a serious case of pneumonia, hes not released until around the time macaque shows up, and yeah everyone from wukongs past knows who he is or has suspicions on who he is, there are a lot of assumptions ranging from hes pretending to not know anything and "playing human" to something happened and he was reincarnated, all in all it takes a long time for all of them(mk and crew included) to realize that with all his powers and immortalies sealed that he will actually die. i really dont have a plan for how any of these confrontations and meetings would go, but i know its all gonna be angsty as hell. also lots of hurt comfort on all sides.

im not sure if i want to keep his name wukong or something with like xiaoyang or something with yang in it, either way his nickname would be sunny(i know its overdone im sorry i like it), im also throwing my headcanons in that hes trans and uses he/they pronouns. i even have a sort of idea of what he would look like by the start of canon, i love long haired haired wukong, so his hair is about shoulder length or a bit past, his outfit is a yellow hoodie with a macaque emblem on the back(boy has a crush and doesnt hide it) a pink skirt(cause i think that would be his favorite color) black leggings because he moves around a lot, and im not sure if i want to give him shoes or have him refuse to wear them. wukong, mk and mei are all about 19/20 around the start of canon.

i think thats everything, if i remember anything else ill just edit this post here

EDIT: i should probably go to bed but someone reminded me of the name shihou(thank you btw,i forget things easily) and now i have a cute/funny little scenario stuck in my head, we all know pigsy is the one that called mk monkie kid when he was found and adding wukong to that pigsy just names him sunny, tang however being the voice of reason on names gives them the legal names of qi xiaotian and qi shihou, named the baby monkey after the baby monkey cause he couldnt think of anything else and he loves jttw and hey if pigsy can name the more human looking one monkie kid and then he can get away with naming one shihou, they both still go by mk and sunny most of the time tho

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite New Manga and Graphic Novels I Read in 2024

I read 114 manga volumes and graphic novels last year! Here’s a link to my Goodreads year in books, which tallies one book from each manga series ( I've arranged it so the manga/gns at the beginning, the novels start with Red, White & Royal Blue) and my storygraph wrap up.  

I have a post for my favorite books of 2024 you can read here! I also have a post on my top 12 anime for 2024 and you can read it here! (Also, since a lot of this is yuri, check out my broader yuri manga rec post here!)

Now let's get to all the new manga, with a little check in on ongoing titles at the bottom!

Love Bullet by inee

When someone who has never had the chance to experience love meets an untimely death, they're given a chance to become a cupid. If they help enough people fall in love, they earn the chance to have another shot at life. Koharu meets her end after her best friend, Aki, confesses her love to her, and she becomes a cupid...

Love Bullet is a brand new yuri with fun characters and a cute art style that feels a little charmingly retro. The concept of modern day cupids using firearms and behaving like sharpshooters in an action movie is so fun, but there's also a beating heart behind it. The tragedy of Koharu's life being cut sort and the bittersweet arc where Koharu tries to help her living best friend deal with her lingering trauma over her sudden death...it's touching and well written. We don't know much about the other cupids yet, but they already have a great dynamic--with Koharu being guided by a kind mentor and being challenged by her boisterous battle loving teammate. And, as befitting a yuri, the way the girls approach their jobs is casually queer, with the "targets" often shown to have both guy and girl options.

It's a story with great potential that seems like it could go a ton of interesting places. It's a little different than the rest of this list that it's not officially out in English yet. The reason it's here is because the author sent out an SOS that the first Japanese volume is struggling in sales, and the international yuri community, excited about the awesome story they've seen so far, rose to the challenge and bought out the first volume in Japanese! So far it's been successful, with volume one even going out of stock for a bit. If you end up reading it (you'll have to rely on scanlation but they're easy to find) or even if you just simply want to support a yuri that's outside the box, I really encourage you to do the same. Here's a document on how to buy the Japanese version. Hopefully, the grassroots support will mean we get an official English release soon!

The Summer You Were There by Yuama

All you lovers of tragic lesbians, this is for you. The manga follows Shizuku, a deeply depressed girl who is so guilty about something in her past she's got some serious suicidal ideation going. But when Kaori, a girl in her class, reads her writing and guesses what's behind it, she challenges Shizuku to a bet where she has to write a novel about a romance between the two of them. Now they're suddenly spending a lot of time together, and Kaori is helping Shizuku unpack her guilt. However, Kaori is struggling too. She's actually very sick, and though she hides it, it's getting worse.

The manga is a heart wrenching meditation on grief and redemption. For very different reasons, both girls think they shouldn't be loved for whatever reason, and both girls are shown they're very, very wrong.

I like how Kaori tries to be the manic pixie dream girl who fixes all of Shizuku's problems, but then Shizuku very firmly says "what the hell. no. You need support too" and they're both allowed to be full characters who find solace in each other. Unlike what certain other media have done with the concept! Shizuku's backstory is also really interesting, and it hits well. It's just a very good, but very sad read.

Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa

Barefoot Gen is a semi-autobiographical manga by Hiroshima survivor Nakazawa Keiji. Nakazawa said the story is taken not just from his life, but those of fellow survivors he talked to and lived with.

The story follows a boy named Gen, depicting how most of his family were killed by the bomb, and how he struggled to survive in a post-war Japan, while surrounded by the horrible effects of radiation poisoning, economic devastation, and American imperialism.

It sticks out from other animanga I've seen about WWII bombings in that it's very critical and angry at the Japanese government, to the point that Gen even calls the Emperor a war criminal. What stands out even more is how direct it is in denouncing of Japan's war crimes against Korea and China, as well as condemning Japanese racism against Koreans. It makes sure you know that Korean POWs and forced laborers also died and suffered because of the bomb, and that the Japanese doctors discriminated against them, forcing Koreans to wait on receiving medical treatment until every Japanese person was treated.

It does a stomach churning, effective job depicting the horror of radiation poisoning and war, and its message is extremely firm: Its the common people who suffer in the wars while those in power exploit them, that war and violence are an endless vicious cycle we must break free from, and nuclear bombing must never happen again.

Though it puts a lot of blame on the Japanese government for entering the war and on citizens for supporting it, the story is also critical of America's cruelty and imperialism, depicting lot of things America did to Japanese citizens post-war we don't get taught-- like soldiers sexually assaulting Japanese women, like getting Japanese labor activists and protestors removed from their jobs, like literally torturing Japanese leftists, like luring Japanese citiizens to treatment centers with promises of medical aid for radiation sickness, only to collect the data and send them off with no help...

Though the manga is brutal, there are moments of comradery and kindness (and a lot of humor). Gen helps a lot of people along the way, and his resilience and message not to give up is the heart of the manga.

It's educational and very direct about subjects that both sides don't want to acknowledge-- both Japanese nationalists and American nationalists do not like it (you can learn more about that here). Despite extremely gruesome content, it's aimed at kids, so it's very blunt and direct in its messages and dialogue. But that can be kind of refreshing.

 It can get a little repetitive on occasion and storylines and characters tend to be introduced very abruptly, but it does keep you rooting for and feeling for the characters all the way through, hoping things will get better for them. I think it's an essential, highly informative and unforgettable read, and everyone should read at least a little bit. Or at the very least, read this interview with Nakazawa. If you can't handle the gruesome imagery of the comic, he describes his experience pretty in depth here, and there's a lot of other insight.

This Monster wants to Eat Me by Sai Naekawa

Hinako is a depressed girl who survived a terrible trauma and has been searching for death ever since. One day she gets approached by, Shiori, a mermaid who wants to eat her…but the thing is, said monster mermaid is a gourmet who wants her to be as delicious as possible, which means she’s going to make her happy first before she eats her (as apparently that enhances her flavor). In the meantime Shiori has to fight off all the other monsters who want to snack on Hinako.

This is TOP TIER yuri horror and a must read for any lover of monster girls. It was custom made for a freak like me, who thinks a hot monster girl covered in the blood of her enemies seductively telling the protagonist she wants to devour her is the stuff dreams are made of.

Shiori, the woman-eating mermaid in question, is a fascinating character right off the bat, always having a hint of menace and inhuman mystery, but showing some potential for genuinely caring for Hinako someday. There's an ongoing mystery of why monsters are so attracted to Hinako that's a good hook, as is the irony of Hinako starting to come alive thanks to a girl who wants to kill her. It's good stuff! And it'll get an anime soon, which I'm praying is worthy of such a cool story.

The Guy She Was Interested Wasn’t a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai

The green yuri! This web manga finally gotten a physical release this year! It tells the story of Mitsuki, a girl who works at a record shop. Her classmate Aya wanders in. Aya doesn't recognize Mitsuki with a face mask and hair hidden by a cap and immediately assumes Mitsuki's a guy. They bond over their mutual love of rock music and slowly start to get closer…and Aya finds her heart is fluttering not only over this mysterious boy, but her female classmate that seems a lot like him...

Despite it's clunky title, this manga makes a premise that could have been painfully cliche and, in the worst case, extremely uncomfortable and makes it work. Mitsuki catches on that Aya thinks she's a guy immediately, and she isn't offended but finds it a bit awkward and has a hard time clearing up the misunderstanding. It never swings into homophobic or transphobic territory imo. It helps that Aya is clearly catching feelings for "girl" Mitsuki along with "guy" Mitsuki from the beginning, subconsciously knowing they're the same person.

The focus of the story is the way their relationship develops through a shared love of Western rock music and it really captures the joy of finding someone who can share your interests and the affection that can spring up for that.

 The characters are very likeable and easy to root for, the art is absolutely gorgeous, and the story as a whole has this laid back, naturalistic feeling while still developing at a good pace. I just really enjoy kicking back with my green yuri, and it's good reputation is well earned!

Maus by Art Spiegelman

This comic about Spiegelman interviewing his father, a Holocaust survivor, and learning his story (with Nazis being represented as cats and Jewish people as mice) is, of course, incredibly well known to the point it feels almost redundant to talk about it. But I did read it cover to cover for the first time last year, and unsurprisingly it's a great piece of art and an important story for anyone to look into.

The parts recounting the Holocaust were heartbreaking and horrifying as expected, and I'd expected that. But the things I hadn't heard as much about was how much the book explored Spiegelman's complicated relationship with his father, and his anxieties as an artist and whether he was the right one to tell this story. It was fascinating to see him struggle with those things, and it added a lot of layers.

The Moon on a Rainy Night by Kuzushiro

One rainy night, Saki runs into Kanon and is immediately intrigued and infatuated with the other girl. When she sees Kanon at school, she discovers Kanon is hard of hearing. Kanon is understandably frustrated at the ableism she tends to endure. But as Saki reaches out and gets to know her, Kanon starts to open up. And Saki, having gone through struggles related to her sexuality in the past, starts getting anxious about her feelings for Kanon...

The Moon on a Rainy Night is just... REALLY good. Kanon is just a great character, and as a lover of stubborn, prickly girls I just find her so charming. She has a lot going on with her, like her interest in music and relationship with her family and various quirks.

One thing I really like is how narrative allows her to be frustrated about the stuff she goes through, allows her to have complex feelings about being disabled, and pays attention the little details. She has to clear up misconceptions she can't hear anything, she points out that only 20 percent of deaf people use sign language (but starts using it when she really relates to a movie and the way the cute actor uses it, which is such a teenager thing to do), the lip reading isn't treated as some magic thing, Kanon has to remind people to look at her or she can't hear them, and she misreads things a fair amount.

I'm not hard of hearing, so I'm far from the authority, but most examples of deaf and/or hard-of-hearing female characters I can think of in anime (okay so there's only like two I can think of, so I don't know if I could say that qualifies as a pattern) are depicted as shy, super sweet and socially naive, so it's refreshing to have a character who brings some variety.

Saki is also such an interesting and relatable character. Her struggles with being gay feel so real, and I especially felt it when she was learning sign language and got bummed out by the heteronormativity of one sign (using "man" and "woman" for marriage). Those things really can bring you down. I also like that Saki finds an adult lesbian who gently supports her, showing the importance of queer community. Above all, Saki is struggling with being in love, and the story is amazing at communicating her adolescent feelings. It's just a fantastic romance and character study, and I hope the upcoming anime does it justice.

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

Wash Day Diaries follows four best friends and their daily lives through interconnected short stories. As the official summary states: "The book takes its title from the wash day experience shared by Black women everywhere of setting aside all plans and responsibilities for a full day of washing, conditioning, and nourishing their hair".

The comic makes a great use of color to reflect the characters' moods, and the girls are drawn vibrantly and distinctively. The peek into the characters' daily lives feels like getting to know some good friends, and there's a great attention to detail, especially with the comic's beautiful step-by-step depiction of how each woman does her hair and what it says about her.

 The comic touches on topics like depression, dementia, and homophobia. Just like real life, these things aren't neatly resolved, but the story does offer some hope and catharsis. It's a pretty quick read, but it's packed with good stuff.

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. by Yu Aoki

I'm going to give myself a little break and just reuse my entry for the anime. (The only difference between them is that the manga flows a bit better than the anime, moving at a faster pace with huge panels suiting the art style and the great action!)

Being a magical girl is no longer the domain of teenagers, and has evolved into an actual career dominated by adult women. Kana becomes a magical girl for a scrappy start up company, and tries her best to navigate working life.

It’s the magical girl story about adult women I’ve been craving for years! Magical girl media often explores the struggles of adolescence and growing up, and this show takes us to the next step by using magical girls to explore what it’s like to be a young woman entering the working world. The focus is one Kana struggling to grow her confidence and accept support from her workplace, but it also has a lot to say about companies exploiting their workers, prizing efficiency and growth over actually taking care of their customers, and it shows how the world could be better than what it is right now. Check out my review here for more detail!

I Married My Female Friend by Shio Usui

A pair of best friends enter a platonic marriage they both agreed to with the promise they’ll divorce if one of them falls in love. But one woman has decidedly not platonic feelings for her wife, and is trying to repress them...

This is a sweet, laid-back story from the creator of Doughnuts Under the Crescent Moon. It has a very slice-of-life feel, with the characters feelings and conflicts developing subtlety. There's a focus on domestic life and the compromises and struggles one makes along the way. It's set in a world where gay marriage is legal in Japan, which is cool to see. If you liked Doughnuts, or are just looking for a chill yuri, I'd check this out!

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

 Himawari House follows the story of Nao, a half-Japanese woman who immigrated to America when she was young. She's now returning to Japan and feels a feels a deep sadness from how disconnected she's gotten from Japan's language and culture. While in Japan, she lives with two other girls, Hyejung and Tina, who are from South Korea and Singapore respectively. They form a friendship as all of them struggle to get used to Japan and deal with language barriers.

We get the interconnected stories of all three girls, and all of them are really interesting in their own way. This story does a lot of cool things with language, for example, showing words fading out when someone can't understand them, giving the reader the same experience the character is having trying to understand the language. It was a fascinating experience. The book does an effective job exploring Nao's feelings of alienation from both America and Japan, while having a lot of other interesting plotlines that made all the characters feel rounded and developed, such as struggles with independence and expectations from parents, trying to navigate romances, and dealing with homesickness. The art is beautiful as well. This is a well crafted and insightful story, that you might find especially great if you're interested in languages, cultures, stories about identity, and stories about Japan.

Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl by Canno

Kiss and White Lily follows multiple lesbian relationships, with its main storyline being about two academic rivals, where one is determined to rank first in class, and the other is an effortless genius who becomes intrigued at the possibility of someone beating her.

The main couple have the kind of messy combative sexual tension I wish we’d see more often in yuri because it’s so good. I just love the drama and mixture of rage and attraction. The manga follows other couples too and while some stories are stronger than others, they're all usually entertaining in some way and its fun to watch the characters grow. The art's also very cute and the characters are vibrant. The ending is really strong too, putting a perfect cap on the story of the main couple especially.

However, big warning for some nonconsensual kisses in early volumes, with Kurosawa being especially pushy. There's also a storyline with...well it does leave you a little wiggle room on whether it's actually incest between a minor and an adult portrayed romantically??? but um. the implication is strong. Fortunately, that's mainly contained to the seventh volume--you can just skip any stories about the sisters.

When the manga is good, it's really good, and that makes up for some of the questionable elements for me, even if I wish they weren't there. You might agree or disagree!

Ongoing and ended titles:

Here's a look at some of the ongoing titles I've been following! You can look at this post for breakdowns of what they're all about and why I recommend them.

I Think My Son is Gay and I Want to Be a Wall both wrapped up with fairly open endings but remained good reads over all. I finally got around to finishing After Hours, a yuri about a girl who gets ditched by her friend at the club, only to meet a cool punk girl who introduces her to the world of DJ-ing. It's a very charming three volume tale, and I love the playful vibe and more natural dialogue, especially for the cool party-girl love interest.

There are several manga that just stay the course as far as being excellent go: Otherside Picnic (which is finally at some of the best parts of the light novels! It's getting real!), Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun, Witch Hat Atelier, A Man and his cat, How Do We Relationship, March Come in Like a Lion, The Summer Hikaru Died and She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat.

For Yuri is my Job, I have to warn for a intense predatory sexual assault scene between an adult antagonist and one of the underage main characters. It's even ambiguous whether the character in question got raped for a few pages (but she wasn't). It's completely framed as a an evil, bad act by the antagonist, but how it was handled was SO intense I'm not sure how I feel about it. Yona of the Dawn has gotten incredibly intense lately and continues extremely slowly but surely approaching the finale. Maybe we'll get it in four years or something.

And that it! I'm going to happily keep reading all these manga, as well as continue checking out some new ones, like Akane-banashi! I hope you enjoyed these recs.

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Older Favorites 9

This week, we're looking at some of our favorite older fics - eleven of them, to be exact. Check them out beneath the cut, and leave a comment or kudos if you like them!

would you stay for a while by eldritch_beau (3937, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek sees the ocean for the first time.

Reccer says: A canon-flavored moment I desperately wish had happened. Beautiful prose and powerful emotion.

Closer Still by MithrilWren (4904, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb and Essek's latest foray into magical experimentation goes awry, leaving them stuck together in a pocket dimension of their own creation. Or, "trapped in an elevator, but make it fantasy".

Reccer says: This was a delicious oneshot that expanded our favorite wizards' research projects, which in turn gave them an uninterrupted opportunity to open up to each other more. Great characterization and use of canon details.

We’re In a Different Kind of Thing Now by Thischarmingand (2668, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek is sixteen (sixty-five, ninety, one hundred and seventeen), and all he wants in the world is...

Reccer says: Sharp writing with a perfectly awful (in the best way) teenaged Essek. I will be back to read and read again as a balm in trying times.

when I fall by darundik (12541, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Overworked corporate shill Essek Thelyss meets PhD student Caleb Widogast and finds there's something to be said for love and friendship.

Reccer says: This is one of my favorite fics. I've reread it several times and I honestly find it very cozy and written with love.

I shine only with the light you gave me by SkyScribbles (4533, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

There are certain things that an Umavi's son should not do, if he wishes to avoid his mother's rage and the disgust of his Den. Dancing with a human is most certainly among them.

Reccer says: Wonderful look at the Kryn Dynasty and its social ladders. Verin is a superstar.

Five Times Teleportation Failed by bob_fish & enemytosleep (10448, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Or the fic where Essek “Teleport Champ” Thelyss spends his free time performing risky teleports For Science while ruminating on what sent him to Aeor in the first place.

Reccer says: The character voice is strong and fills in some missing scenes from Essek’s POV

Lucidian Rim by literalfuckinggarbage (60266, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Pacific Rim but shadowgast, no knowledge of the movie required. Big aliens are appearing and the world made huge mechs to stop them. The mechs need to people who are similar to drive them together.

Reccer says: I've literally read this fic 3 times and it's probably time for my annual re-read. The writing is truly phenomenal the story is great (no idea how close to the movie/book it is since I haven't seen the source material) and very well paced. The mighty nein and vox machina make good appearances as side characters. I love the relationship progression, there's oh no they have to share a room, there's trauma, there's tension, it's great. Putting Essek and Caleb as equals with similar pasts was a good choice and works really well. Read this fic!!! It's incredible :)

Bitter Balm by saturdaysky (3778, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

A conversation after the Nein return to Eiselcross, the day before the expedition. Feelings are hard for the unlovable.

Reccer says: It HURTS but it GOOD

but i didn’t do it right, can i try again, and again? by queenbeetle (53385, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

During a vacation to Nicodranas with the Mighty Nein, Essek and Caleb play out Dynasty Courting rituals at the expense of everyone else. So, nothing out of the normal for them, just more scandalous hand touching

Reccer says: I liked it!

the other things that make us by saturdaysky (13642, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek returns, when he can, to the sanctuary of Caleb's home. The peace of it is a balm against the tedious peril of the road, which has more misery to share than Essek had ever thought. It's nice to have a place where he can lose himself: in a book, in arcane study, in the confusing allure of Caleb's smile. It's nice. And the cats miss him, Caleb says.

Reccer says: I liked it!

And then two for this last one! the breath before the phrase by KmacKatie (175513, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek Thelyss is a leading violinist, his spot as Shadowhand of the Rosohna Philharmonic Orchestra has been uncontested for over a decade. Caleb Widogast is a recent arrival to the city, convinced by his friends to audition for one of the vacant violinist positions. After starting off on the wrong foot, Caleb and Essek get to slowly know each other, discover what brings them joy, create while defying expectations, and find out that what they can produce together may just be better than anything they can do separately.

Reccer 1 says: I liked it! Reccer 2 says: This has to be my favorite AU. The author's knowledge about music shines brilliantly and I've really enjoyed the music recommended to share a sense of the character's performances. Reading this the first time over a year ago now genuinely re-sparked my love for string instruments and I even attended an orchestra performance last year because of it! I enjoyed the world building, how conflict between characters is handled, and the development of Caleb and Essek's relationship. This is a fic I've read more than once.

You can also check out our past older favorite reclists here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring One Shots! One chapter and done, probably not too long.

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[hiraikotsusama]

ATTENTION! THIS IS A RANT POST ABOUT THOR: RAGNAROK

If you are not interested/a Ragnarok fan please skip, or just don't leave negative comments, thank you.

Ok, here we go.

I personally hate how overrated Thor: Ragnarok is.

People only started criticising Waititi's direction after the Love and Thunder flop, and I was honestly flabbergasted, because... They were criticising the exact same things they loved so much in Ragnarok.

For example, they criticised Thor being too stupid and unserious but... He was already an idiot in Ragnarok? Which, by the way, even as a Loki stan, was the thing I hated the most about the movie (I guess the Odinsons just have a tendency of becoming idiotic scapegoats in every modern piece of media that depicts them. Yes, I'm also referencing the Loki series here.)

But moving on.

Another thing that was funny to me was people (rightfully) criticising the lack of seriousness and conflict with such a great villain. And, once again, I was there standing like... It's the SAME THING that happened in Ragnarok?? Like, the movie that's supposed to be about Ragnarok literally only had like 20 minutes of apocalypse/main conflict with Hela/Surtr in it! Most of the goddamn movie takes place on a dumb garbage planet with the Grandmaster (another wasted character) just fucking around. Little side note here, the Grandmaster is supposed to be the Collector's brother (in the comics and cartoon they both collect rare things and people and compete over it, yadda yadda) and yet this isn't referenced in any way? His powers are never shown. Like what? The potential? Wasted like that? UGH.

Also, this movie adds shallow characters. First of all, obviously, the Grandmaster, who I already covered. Then, and here I'm taking a deep breath waiting to get crucified, Valkyrie.

Ok, I'm going to try and explain this one easily. Valkyrie isn't a bad character, ok? I'm already going to say this since I want to clarify it as soon as possible. I don't think she's bad and I don't dislike her. The problem is, she is given a shallow personality and shallow purpose, at least when I look at her. For instance, I appreciated the way her trauma was portrayed, with her drinking and all, but they do joke about it sometimes (too many) and that I do not appreciate. But then. Her personality just... Ends there. And again, this is comprehensible in a way, but what I do not understand is her just switching sides randomly, like she didn't capture and shock Thor just hours before in the movie. That, plus her serving little purpose to the plot is what irks me the most. Like, the main things she does in the movie are:

1. Capturing Thor and bringing him to the GM.

2. Telling them about the only way out of the planet.

3. Being there in the final battle.

And if this was a better written movie, this would make her a necessary character. But in Ragnarok... She isn't.

She catches Thor, then dips. Ok, just have him randomly land in the GM's throne room, or have him getting caught by another rando who then dips.

The escape? Loki has lived with the GM (and his most trusted court members/whatever they are supposed to be) for two weeks. Do you really think that someone like him couldn't gather such a massive piece of info in this time? Or even better, do you think he hasn't noticed the GIANT EINSTEIN-ROSEN BRIDGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY? He is intelligent. That's the point of his character. He would- SHOULD- have figured it out in a matter of days, the only thing stopping him was getting to a decent ship to cross said bridge, and that's what he actually needed his brother (and maybe Hulk, even if his presence was pretty random) for.

The final battle was disappointing, so I'm not even going to comment this one.

All of this to say that, with the way the character/movie was written, Valkyrie could have been removed, a few changes could have been made and the movie would have been the same. Yeah, she's friends with Hulk, which, cool, but once again this bond isn't used in any way besides her joking with him and Bruce. Her character was treated way better in the What If episodes she appeared in.

Then we have Korg. Yeah, I got nothing to say, he's an idiot that used to be a serious/half-important character in comics/series and got severely distorted in this movie like most other characters starring in it. Funnily enough, just like Valkyrie, his character is treated better and is way more useful in What If, which is honestly ironic.

Then, I could talk about the mistreatment of both Thor and Loki's characters but that would take a post the length of the Divine Comedy, so I'll just cut it short and cover the most important points.

Thor and Loki are obviously not appreciated (Loki is disliked more, of course he is), and therefore are written in a very OOC way. Thor turns into a full blabbering idiot and Loki is interpreted as someone whose only purpose is to betray, stab and rule. And that's all I'm going to say for now, even though I might extend the discourse in a future post.

And now, oooh boy, Hela. I loved Hela, I was excited as soon as she appeared on screen. And what happened next? Her brothers got lost in space and we didn't see them interact with her in any way besides her introduction and the short ahh dialogue with Thor in the final battle. I hate this so much. Once again, the movie that's supposed to talk about Ragnarok only shows the conflict in the last 20 minutes of the movie. And we barely see Hela, or at least we don't get to see her as much as we should, given that she's supposed to be the main antagonist of the damn movie. Her character was great, for all that we could see, but she is a walking definition of wasted potential and I despise it.

Now, there is something I do appreciate about the movie, and it's the characterization of Hulk. He finally isn't reduced to a stupid destroyer or dumb beast, and as a huge Hulk fan and Agents of S.M.A.S.H. watcher I liked this. This, and Heimdall being given some scenes and characterization, too. That's it. That's what I liked about the movie.

Now, short list of things I hated to finish the post: Fandral and Volstagg being killed like flies, Hogun meeting a similar fate right after, Sif not even appearing (so much for Sif and the Three Warriors); the constant jokes that were obviously made for an audience of four years olds; Skurge (or whatever his name was) just... Being there? Another useless/misused/mischaracterised character I didn't mention before, because DAMN is this character STUPID; STRANGE just appearing at some point and dipping (like he couldn't help them?? WHY EVEN MAKE HIM SHOW UP AT ALL UGHHH).

I think that's about it for now, thanks for reading this stupid rant. I'm open for constructive criticism and comments, and also for peaceful discussion, so DM me or leave a comment if you feel like interacting.

[mespinozart]

For me, Banyue is such a good representation of generational trauma and how it can be pass down even without meaning to. Because, let's be honest, XL was not the worst caregiver/parental figure, he did his best despite the fact that he was an unwillingly drafted soldier in the middle of a war and (this is hc for me) he was running away when his compass broke and send him the opposite direction, he was running away from Yong'An from what I believe had to be the Golden Banquet. Imagine a more traumatize character to suddenly be dropped the role of parent and how good would they do. To me the kind of person Ban Yue grew up to be was mostly if not all based on her image of XL and the way he taught her how to view the world (even though Pei Xiu had some influence too). She made a huge mistake yes, and who wouldn't have in her shoes. But she repented! She knew what she was doing was wrong but did it anyways because that's what she thought needed to be done to end all the nonsensical violence. She put herself in the dagger to save others just like how XL always did. He never taught her to do that, but just by the understanding she had of him, she connected the dots in her subconscious. She will never be perfect, much less normal, because XL wasn't either. And that's what I loved about their relationship. An old god who's been through the worst, and a young kid who has only seen the worst. Their dynamic it's so bittersweet. Anyway I didn't have a point to make or anything, just babbling.

This came with an unexpected rant but oh well.

It's her year now.

[the-sourwolfs-spark]

S&D and Sterek

No hate to the people who love bottom Derek, but it doesn't seem true to character for me. Or maybe I should say submissive Derek instead, because power bottom Derek does align with how I see him. Derek is traumatized. Like severely traumatized. With Jennifer having him under a spell and with Kate she was an older woman taking advantage of a teenager. Both of these women had all the control and all the power in these relationships, and they used it to hurt Derek, to manipulate him and to hurt those he cares about. I personally don't see him being able to give up that kind of control in a sexual relationship ever again. It's not a trust thing, it's a trauma thing. He trust Stiles completely, but he also cannot allow himself to be put into that headspace. Him being in control is his coping mechanism. It's a healthy coping mechanism. He cannot begin to heal if he is being put back into a place where he is once again giving up control.

I prefer submissive bottom stiles. No it is not because I feminize him or because I think he's less of a man than Derek. Because Stiles is a man, and a strong one too. He's just strong in a different way than Derek. With his mom dying and then his dad subsequently losing himself to the bottom of a bottle, all on top of his ADHD, he had to grow up fast. As a child he had to be a grown up. While his mom is in the hospital and his dad is working, and then his mom's death when he was only 8. I suspect that until Mrs. McCall eventually had to finally step in, that stiles was taking care of everything. From managing the house, to managing himself, to managing his father. Stiles had to take care of everything. At 8 years old. He had to be in control at 8 years old. Even though his dad is not still attached to the bottle he still feels the need to be in control. From watching what his dad eats to keeping the werewolf secret from his dad in order to protect him. I'm quite sure he still does all the cooking and cleaning in the house. So with this I think stiles would crave not being in control with Derek. to let himself follow along in this one aspect of his life. Personally I think he would crave it. Of just letting Derek take control. It would be his own coping mechanism to deal with his own trauma of being parentified as a child.

Thoughts?

[joelmillerisapunk]

✨show your blorbos✨

make a post showcasing all of your blorbos and then tag some friends to do the same!!

tysm @itwasntimethatdidit40 @baronessvonglitter @probablyreadinsmut and @slimybeth69 for the tags <3

I think I got a little deep here ooooopsie 😅😂

Aragon -> Who doesn’t love a brooding, morally complex hero who would risk everything for the greater good?

Samwise Gamgee ->

Listen, Samwise Gamgee is the real hero of Lord of the Rings, and I’m not even going to apologize for it.

Without him, Frodo never would have made it. He just proves that you don’t need to be a king, a warrior, or a legend to make a difference—you just need to be kind, loyal, and willing to fight for what’s right. My love my baby boy he's just so damn sweet 🥺

Joel Miller -> I mean I think we all know about this guy no explanation needed. Pixel and Pedro versions

Arthur Morgan -> He’s everything I didn’t know I needed in a character. Despite everything he’s done, he’s fiercely loyal to the people he loves. His actions may be messy, but they’re always driven by a sense of duty to his gang, and as much as he tries to harden himself against feelings, his kindness breaks through in the most surprising ways. Arthur is constantly giving, even when he has nothing left to give.

David Rose -> He makes me laugh until I cry. David is both the disaster and the love of my life, and I definitely quote him way too often. He gets me

Glenn Sturgis is so pure, it physically hurts. He’s awkward, a little too nice for his own good, and honestly kind of a mess. He’s the kind of guy who wants everyone to be happy, and he genuinely believes in the goodness of people, even when the world around him constantly tries to prove him wrong. There’s something about his unshakable optimism and his genuine care for his employees that makes you just want to protect him at all costs.

Chandler Bing -> There’s just something about his dry humor that gets me every time. He’s the king of one-liners, but underneath that, there’s this sweet, kind heart that cares so much about his friends (and especially Monica—don’t even get me started on how perfect they are)

Benedict Bridgerton -> The artist in a sea of prim and proper aristocrats. He’s the one who sees through the shallow expectations of high society and craves something more meaningful, something real. He’s a dreamer, which same, honestly. His heart is filled with creativity, passion, and a need to find himself outside of his family’s expectations, and I feel that in my soul.

Marceline the Vampire Queen -> First of all, can we talk about how cool she is? I mean, she's a centuries-old vampire with an electric bass, a badass attitude, and a penchant for chaos. She's a walking contradiction, and I am HERE for it. Marceline is fierce, unapologetically herself, and doesn’t take anyone’s crap. But under all that badassery is a deep, complex soul that’s been through more than anyone could imagine. She’s a girl dealing with abandonment, trauma, and a complicated relationship with her father. This show has done so much for me and this character too <3 I love her forever and always

Roger -> Beyond all the wild costumes and absurd antics, Roger is surprisingly deep in his own messed-up way. His loneliness, his need for validation, and his desperation for attention make him such a fascinating character. Yes, he’s self-centered and loves to stir the pot, but he’s also a deeply insecure, lonely alien who just wants to belong. How can you not empathize with that? He’s a mess, but he’s my mess. I love him for it.

Tina Belcher -> Tina is the ultimate awkward queen. Aka me. She’s so unapologetically herself, even when she’s fumbling through social interactions and getting lost in her own thoughts. She’s also brilliant in her own way. She has this fierce, weird confidence that shines through when it counts. She’s not trying to be cool or impress anyone—she’s just doing her thing, and that’s what makes her such a legend.

Donkey -> He’s everything: hilarious, loyal, loving, and just unapologetically himself. He’s chaotic but also full of heart, and I would honestly die for him.

npt: @thundermartini @milla-frenchy @ace-turned-confused @604to647

@sawymredfox @arcanefox207 @gothcsz @almostfoxglove @almostempty

@aurorawritestoescape @evolnoomym @reddedmiller @myownwholewildworld

@persephone-girl @sunshinehaze @sunshineispunk @swankyorange @cxrsed-angel