#it's perfectly possible to like someone and still think they have severe flaws as a driver

[singsweetmelodies]

i like lando norris - i actually, genuinely do - but it makes me hopping mad that he is now in the conversation to be a world champion

[whetstonefires]

You know, I've been thinking about it, and it is absolutely essential to the narrative that Jiang Cheng is a dick and a trash fire. (Affectionate.)

Like, first of all, if he was a sainted little angel of a shidi the way Jiang Yanli is a shijie, Wei Wuxian's choices would become obvious, sort of impersonal, and boring.

Sure, lots of people wouldn't tear themselves apart for such a person in such a scenario, but they're not the protagonists of novels, are they; in a book you have to justify not doing that. So white lotus Jiang Cheng is off the table.

Jiang Cheng who isn't fragile-and-insecure but also stubborn-as-hell and violently reactive also won't wash.

If he wasn't the kind of person who sincerely tries to die under these circumstances, Wei Wuxian would have had the option of loyally supporting him in a less self-destructive way; if he was someone who could be trusted to handle the revelation without suffering a ruinous fracture of identity, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have been forced to distance himself after the war, because he could have come clean.

If Jiang Cheng wasn't the kind of person who centers on his own pride and hurt feelings and lashes out about it, it would be very hard to set up the lategame scenario where they're 'enemies' in a real, meaningful way, despite still loving each other and Wei Wuxian never wishing Jiang Cheng any ill. Even with Jiang Yanli's death.

And I mean, you could get most of the plot without doing this interesting thematic examination of the classic 'bond between martial brothers severed by one going to the dark side' trope, but I'd argue you'd lose an enormous chunk of the story.

And without Jiang Cheng's weaknesses, Wei Wuxian's motives don't cohere. His weaknesses form the foundation of at least two of the backstory's major turning points.

There's the tantalizing possibility that Wei Wuxian wouldn't have done it, if Jiang Cheng hadn't strangled him while blaming him for everything.

Probably he would have, all else being equal! But neither we nor Jiang Cheng can be sure.

Jiang Cheng sucking a lot, and knowing his own flaws perfectly well without that granting him the ability to do much about them, is heavily load-bearing. Which gives him such a fantastic implied point of view!

[motherstone]

WAVERIDER THOUGHTS

This will be long, and nasty. I may be yapping nonsense myself, and ngl this was all written in a fit of emotion, so it may be biased as all fuck. SPOILERS EVERYWHERE. Read further at your own choice.

Kazu, the neglectful, crappy father of his characters

Yeah, no, it’s been a long-time issue of his. Every new book has a new character. Not much of a problem if you're establishing the world - it’s a big one if you’re ending a story. See, the point of a finale isn’t to get us invested in new characters, it’s about giving a satisfying conclusion to your old. And not necessarily purely conclusive either! Some characters still have some journey to walk, but what matters is that you could read what happened to them, be at peace with how they went.

Kazu wrote the finale as if he’s writing 16 more books.

Let’s see the line-up shall we?

Trellis - has been hyped up being the true king, has been trying to get people stop believing in the false king, would not shut the fuck up about the well-being of the elves for several books.

Ending: Changed his mind last minute and gave up the throne.

Vigo - a flawed mentor. Kinda useless. Tries to be a guiding force and emotional support.

Ending: Dies in the most pointless and jarring way possible.

Aly - has exhibited great leadership qualities, is a good friend to Navin.

Ending: she wasn’t even there.

Etc etc. and that’s THREE of them so far, and it’s disastrous. Their conclusions were poor and nonsensical, the narrative portrays them as foolish and ignorant, and basically just treated their entire journey of 8 books as worthless and with little to no growth. Which is just yonkers. The main players don’t play in the final part, and the supporting casts are pretty much not supporting.

Then there’s the NEW cast.

No, sorry, I can’t stand them. They’re not appealing to me, we barely know anything about them except they’re apparently competent and we’re supposed to accept that they’re gonna be the better, newer generation of the Guardian Council? Because the story says so?

Why put new characters to play a part where your established characters can fill in perfectly? At least those established characters already have something ESTABLISHED, thus the payoff is more impactful ,especially if you fit them properly into the role. I never even gave a crap about Cielis and there needing to be a new Guardian Council, I always got the impression in book 4 that it was supposed to be the waning era of stonekeepers, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE MOTHERSTONE WAS STOLEN, THERE’S LITTLE OF IT LEFT, THERE ISN’T A NEW MOTHERSTONE IN CANON, APPARENTLY ENDED UP FORGOTTEN BY EVERYONE ELSE DESPITE BEING A POWERFUL ARTIFACT, AND STONEKEEPERS ARE TOO DANGEROUS FOR THE WORLD OF ALLEDIA. IN GENERAL.

All in all, the book feels like it’s trying to shove and rub these new guys all over my face, trying to get me to love them.

Gabilan, or just make Gulfen a democracy at this point

I'm gonna be for real though, I don't think Gabilan is the best guy for the job. Just because he was "kinda" right about stonekeepers doesn't mean he's a leader, and I don't think someone who kills people for a living, profits off of war, violates people's minds and steals their memories and ruin their lives, and arrogantly believes he has the judgment and say on who gets to keep which memories would be anyone's first choice to rule the country at its most desperate either. He’s sharp, yes, but moral? He has the moral backbone of a fucking chocolate eclair. A guy like that would not treat the people under him with the right to choose, when so many of his actions involve violating other people. If that’s THEIR next best choice after Trellis, Gulfen is fucked.

It's also kinda frustrating. Gabilan gets ONE reference to how he intends to be King, while Trellis gets references that he's the true king for several books, people desiring he make a better people out of the elves, had enemies trying to kill him to prevent him from taking the throne like the VOICE himself, only for the narrative to never even follow through it? 

The story can't seem to make up its mind either. "Stonekeepers in power are bad because they keep seeking to control others and are bad at maintaining control, so you shouldn't be King. That's why you should get an even higher, greater authority so now you're the leader of the Guardian Council!" 😩 make it make sense? 

Ronin, or how to make supervillains

Kazu has a bad understanding of how people work by how he wrote Ronin. Iffy enough that Ronin is retconned to be alive, her method on raising these stonekeepers is to be heavily scrutinized. I’ll be controversial here, but Ronin sucks as a person.

That’s NOT how you treat people, especially when they’re asking for help, even if they wronged you. That’s prioritizing your pride over what’s needed to be done.

Keeping kids in an isolated area, even with their consent, scaring off locals from their livelihood so you could have THEIR resources instead, and then scaring them into not bothering are all shitty things to do. If I didn’t have context, I’d genuinely think she’s trying to make a cult.

She didn’t create a better generation of youth, she created an ECHO CHAMBER. Their interaction with other people who isn’t them are limited and only under her monitoring, they don’t get to have the support and interaction of a wider community, they have fights, she induces them to lose control on purpose (even for training, that’s basically like having someone HAVE breakdowns so they’d “handle breakdowns better”), the young stonekeepers only interact with HER beliefs and HER teachings.

She’s arrogant as all fuck. 

The worst part is that the narrative doesn’t treat this as bad, just flawed, which is anything but 💀

To use @/gofancyninjaworld analysis, which is semi-realistic ngl, what Ronin did was plant seeds for these kids to be supervillains.

A sense of isolation

It’s bad enough that having overwhelming power alienates stonekeepers from most people, Ronin’s method of training has them explicitly stay in an area where the range of people they could interact with are greatly limited to Ronin and their fellow students. Sure, they interact with some civilians, but in an unbalanced way, purely in a savior and rescuee way, nothing else. This gives them sparse experience in the give-and-take interactions in a society, because for all they know, water only flows downwards.

A sense of superiority. It's not good to be considered 'gifted' and to be set aside from others. 

A sense of entitlement to rule.

Which Ronin further reinforced by planting into their heads that they’re the new Guardian   Council eventually, despite having little experience in leading. What happened to “rejecting a seat on the Council because she felt the responsibility at her age was too great”? And that was when she was an older teen. These guys are younger than she was offered.

Access to the means to do so.

The quarry, their stones, and their inevitable ascension to be the new Council.

So basically all she did was groom overly powerful kids with induced breakdowns, with heads too big for their bodies, with very little connection to the wider world to ground them in their thinking and humanity, basically four bombs that could and would inevitably go off. Cool. Any one of 'em could wind up becoming a totalitarian menace. Y'know how spoiled entitled billionaire bastards exists? It's almost virtually the same process.

Interacting with regular people AS regular people, not just as savior or leader is important. It grounds you. It teaches you there’s a variety of people, who won’t always be the perfect victim, who are not necessarily evil but are bad, who are not intentionally malicious but just incompetent, among other things. Application is the real teacher here - the more exposed you are to other people, the better you’d be able to handle them.

Emily, the monster, the savior, the next Buddha

Can’t make up its mind whether to condemn Emily or if she’s the next best thing since sliced fucking bread. Apparently, self-confidence is her issue, not her arrogance or survivor's guilt.

Not to mention her powers came outta nowhere. It’s like she discovers enlightenment, and that was what allowed her to properly control her powers.

Defeats the entire theme of needing other people and that not every outcome is reliant on ONE person’s actions, BY DOING EVERYTHING BY HERSELF, AGAIN!

God, I wish I could say more, but I skipped some of Emily’s parts because reading it was as tedious and agonizing as threading on cold mud. I can’t help but cringe at every dialogue.

The Voice, or how to NOT make a supervillain

…. I don’t even know what to say. Poor Ikol, a victim of the most indecisive and sloppy writing of  a villain I’ve seen, I actually feel genuinely fucking bad. I don’t even know where to begin with this dude, he’s just one whole confusing set of contradicting depictions and motivations.

Riva, or how to get a restraining order in 2 fucking seconds

If I were Trellis and told me the same words Riva said, I’d bolt as far as quickly as I possibly can away from her. That’s creepy, full stop.

I think this was kazu's way to prevent fans from shipping Emily and Trellis by a.) aging up Trellis because that’s the only explanation I could think of (even though he said a few times on twitter that he's the elf equivalent of 16) and b.) to get him together with Riva.

The way Kazu went about it is too insane for me. "Hey, I had a vision of you and me having babies and you became a great leader, let's get together" 💀 that's no basis for any healthy relationship, or any relationship at all that isn't transactional 😵. What is this?

On the other hand, he doesn't respect Riva as a character at all. A character becoming a love interest and a parent isn't a bad thing in of itself, but he wrote Riva so impactfully and charismatically in book 6 - she's one of the few rare elf characters, and a girl elf character to boot, is an established leader, was the daughter of an immigrant and knows all the hardship that comes with it, not to mention hails from a city that Cielis outcasted and abandoned because of their fear and prejudice but she compassionately takes care of the people there anyway.

There's so many interesting and compelling storylines with the foundations he made Riva with, and he focuses on getting Riva to get Trellis to get together with her 😵 she gets reduced from a character with plenty of potential to a character that exists purely to uplift another. That's just depressing. Riva and Trellis deserve better.

Who? Navin. We all forgot about fucking Navin

Actually, I’m pretty sure Kazu forgot about Navin up until the last second. The fact I forgot until he came up on the page speaks for itself on how bad the writing problem was. He plays almost no parts at all. He doesn’t even GET to be a leader properly. He was there to get punched, didn’t even GET to help Emily or anybody else.

The Ending

……………………………………………………………………………………

If Older Emily could time travel with the Void, why didn’t she just eliminate Ikol herself instead of leaving it to our current Emily? Oh, and Vigo jarringly dies and sacrifices himself in the most pointless way possible.

All in all, Kazu - world’s most terrible chef

BAN HIM FROM THE KITCHEN 🔥🔥💯💯🔊🔊🗣️😩😩 HE CAN'T COOK.

Bad? I knew it was gonna be bad at the cover alone, ut no way I could've predicted it was THIS atrocious. It’s not the medium’s fault either, you can’t claim that the medium limited what Kazu had to say - Kazu created comics for a living. He has more than a decade of experience, made dozens of pages, by now, he knows YOU CAN’T WASTE A PAGE. Every panel is important. It’s not the medium's fault for being short, it’s Kazu’s for being sloppy. 

He has an editor. He has a studio, he has a team, he has several copies of his series, he has claimed he has reread them over and over. He has no excuse to be this inconsistent and directionless. So what the fuck are they doing? Do they just sit there and draw? No quality or consistency check? 

Honestly, if he says it was executive meddling, if he was just tired of Amulet and just wanted it over, if it was because of medical reasons - I could accept all those reasons. I could forgive why the series wound up as it is, they’re all reasons I could understand. A decline in quality on purpose I’d understand because that can be fixed. A better employer, a better work schedule, better accommodations.

What I will not accept, if he genuinely believes this. Is. GOOD. WRITING. BECAUSE IT’S NOT. That’s either a lie, an in-denial belief, or just plain ol’ ignorance. That’s just pure arrogance to me. You drop this slop on my feet, 300 pages of yapped nonsense and try to convince me it’s gold? Fuck no. I deserve better, we deserve better, the kids who read your books deserve better. There’s no fixing that kind of thinking.

Am I too harsh? Yes. But I need to let all of these out. Am I kinda biased and a lil incomprehensible? Yes, but I don't care. If you enjoyed it, good for you! But it’s not for me. For closure, I’m nursing whatever shit I try to fix with a rewrite. Kazu already nuked the playground - might as well take a page from his book and do whatever I want like he did.

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 6

word count - 3.3k warnings - slight bit of innuendo between Morgan and Garcia

Summary: Lina gets struck by (another) one of Cupid's arrows, and experiences the repartee between Morgan and Garcia.

Sitting back down, we work on more files, keeping busy til there's a knock outside the door. Penny spins around and says, "Junior G-man, how goes it?"

"Oh, um, hi Garcia. Is Lina..." Spencer starts.

"Oh, heya Spencer. I'm guessing it's lunchtime?" I say, pulling off my headphones.

He nods and says, "Yeah, if you still want to go."

I smile at him and look over at Penny, who shoos me away while saying, "Go, you two. I'll see you after, Lina?"

As I pick up my purse and stand, I say, "Yup. That you will, Penny." I turn to Spencer and say, "I'm ready when you are." As we walk, I ask him, "So, what exactly should I expect going out for the night with everyone?"

He gives me a tight smile and says, "Well, first time out? A lot of questions. I mean, a lot of questions."

I laugh lightly and say, "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. I'm a relatively open book, and I can't say I'm too terribly interesting."

Spencer nods and says, "That's what most people think about themselves, but I've found that to not be true. I have yet to find someone who wasn't interesting in one way or another."

I look over at him, squinting my eyes as if to determine whether he's just saying that or if it's true, and saying, "Really?"

He gives me a soft smile and says, "Really." I hum in acknowledgment, and we make our way to the cafeteria.

After going through the line, getting our lunches, and finding a place to sit down, we both get situated and pull out our respective books. Reading and eating my lunch, I slowly make my way through the first several pages of Frankenstein.

Attention wavering, I can't help but look up every once in a while to steal a few glances at Spencer. After about the third time, his eyes flick up from the book and he asks, "You ok there?"

Startled and a little embarrassed at getting caught, I stammer out, "I-uh, y-yeah, sorry. I always have a little difficulty first getting into the older books. I eventually wind up getting hooked, there's just...I guess an adjustment period? On getting used to how it's written, I guess I let my mind wander a bit..."

He gives a wry smile as he looks over the book at me. "Yeah, the more modern ones try to make sure you're hooked within the first chapter or so." I nod in agreement, sighing. He sets the book down and starts his lunch.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your focus, too..." I start.

Spencer shakes his head. "You didn't, I'm done with that one," he says, sliding the book back to me.

I chuckle lightly, saying, "Yeah, still not used to that..." while smiling at him.

Giving me a very small smile in return, he asks, "What are you stuck on?" I put a bookmark in place, and continue my lunch.

"Oh, the letters. Got stuck with the beginning of Dracula, too. Didn't get stuck with Call of Cthulhu, though. I guess detailing a terrifying elder being gives the beginning part some 'oomph'." I say with a small laugh.

Spencer nods and says, "That's possible. There's also a substantial amount of time between when Frankenstein and Call of Cthulhu were written."

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "Oh, yeah? What, 19th century vs early 20th century?"

He nods and continues. "Frankenstein was first published in 1818, while Call of Cthulhu came out in 1928."

I shift forward in my seat and say, "Huh, I guess writing styles can really change in 110 years."

"Well, that, and the fact that both Frankenstein and Dracula are written in a genre known as epistolary could make it more difficult for some to get into the story," he says, continuing after he sees my confused look. "Epistolary stories are written as a series of letters or other ways of documented correspondence between the characters."

I nod and ask, "Oh. Was that, like, a really popular style of writing in the 19th century?"

"Actually, it was more popular in the 20th century, with more books published in that style than all the other books printed similarly in the previous years combined," he says, ending with a small frown. "S-sorry, you probably didn't want to know all that..." he says sheepishly, looking down at his tray.

"Um, but...I asked. I just didn't realize you knew so much about it. How do you know so much, Spencer?" I say, smiling at him when he looks up.

"I, um, I read. A lot," he says with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to realize just how much a lot is," I say with a small laugh. He starts laughing too, letting the mirth reach his eyes, with them crinkling as he laughs.

Oh my GOD, he really is adorable... I think to myself, quickly flushing at the thought. Co-worker, Lina, CO-WORKER! I mentally chastise myself. Spencer looks at me expectedly, waiting for...something.

"I'm so sorry, Spence, did you ask me something? I, ah, I got distracted, um, remembering something Penny said to me." I said quickly.

He raises his eyebrows and asks, "Oh, what did she say?"

I force a laugh and say, "Oh, you know just...some girl stuff..." praying he'll believe me.

"Oh, ok. Well, I asked you what other books you were thinking of sharing since you said there's only two more after this one in the series," he says, holding up 'Summer Knight'.

"Oh! Um, yeah, there are two other series I really enjoy. One's about a witch, named Rachel Morgan, and the other is about a guy who's known as Repairman Jack, only he fixes situations, not things. Those are also urban fantasy." I tell him, trying to temper my excitement.

"I, ah, I take it that's one of your favorite genres, hmm?" he says, a small smile on his face.

I blush and nod, adding, "Yeah...that obvious, huh?"

He smiles wider and says, "You know what you like, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I guess not..." I say quietly to myself, as we finish our lunches in relative silence. Setting aside his tray, Spencer pulls out the next book and starts reading. As I finish up, I slide his tray towards me, putting everything on one and placing the empty tray underneath the full one.

As I stand up and go to take the trays, Spencer quickly looks up, brows furrowed. "W-wait, what are you..." he starts.

I wave my hand at him and say, "I got this, relax, Doc." Leaving him there sputtering slightly, I throw our refuse away and put the trays in the spot for them to be taken back.

Sitting back down, Spencer looks at me and says, "You didn't have to do that, you know."

I smile and say, "I know. Habit, I guess."

"Well, thank you, just the same," he says quietly.

Pulling my book to me, I say softly, "You're welcome, Spencer."

The rest of our lunch break is spent reading our respective books, changing only when Spencer closes his and slides it back to me. Looking at the clock, I remark, "I guess it's about time for us to get back, huh?"

Standing up and nodding, Spencer says, "I'm afraid so."

Putting both books in my bag, I stand up as Spencer asks, "Ready?" I nod, and we make our way back to our respective work areas. "Oh, were you going to need any more coffee? I can check to make sure there's still some left..." Spencer starts.

I chuckle and say, "Nah, I'm pretty sure I have enough caffeine in my system to make it til I can get home. But, thank you." He gives me a tight smile, then goes quiet. In the hallway where we part, I turn to him and say, "So, see you for the ride home?"

"I, uh, y-yeah, I'll-I'll see you for the ride home," he says, snapping out of his thoughts.

I raise my eyebrows and ask him, "You ok there?"

"Oh, uh, y-yeah, I'm ok. I'll, uh, I'll see you later, Lina," he says, giving me another quick, tight smile.

"See you, Spence..." I say, watching him start to walk to his desk. I open the door and set my stuff back down. Confused, I sit down with a huff and spin to face Penny. "Hey, Pen, can I ask you something?"

She turns to me and says, "Speak and be heard, sweet cheeks. What's up?"

I take a breath and say, "OK, so. I've been having lunches with Spencer, right? And we've been riding the same train home, so we've been sitting and talking then." Penny nods at me, a grin forming on her face, and I continue. "So, sometimes, it's really, really easy to talk to him, we'll be joking and stuff. But then, sometimes, he just...closes off? Like...like I did or said something wrong?"

Penny hums and says, "Ah, yeah. He does that sometimes. It's not a 'you' thing, don't worry."

I chew my lip and say, "OK, so, what do I do?"

Penny shrugs, an apologetic look on her face, and says, "Just be gentle and patient with him, sweets. That's all you really can do." I look at her, and she continues. "He's still a little stuck in his shell, he's breakin' out of it, though. Trust me." I sigh and pull my stuff from my bag, putting it on the desk.

"I can understand that. Sorry, I guess I just...over-think things..."

She grins and says, "Yeah, well, working here, that'll help 'ya sometimes."

I snort and quip, "Great, who knew anxiety could make you an employee of the month somewhere?" Penny laughs, and I grab another folder, put on my headphones, and get to work.

After working through that and another folder after it, Penny got up and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey, you need any more coffee? I'm gonna take a quick break, wanna come with?" Checking the time, I pause my music and take off my headphones.

"Yeah, I could use a quick stretch of the legs. Thanks, Pen." I say, rolling my shoulders. We walk to the kitchen area, talking while I keep moving around to release tension in my limbs. While in the kitchen, Penny makes a beeline to the cabinet, grabbing a cup and rummaging for a tea bag.

"Huh, there's tea, too. Cool." I say, mostly to myself.

Penny turns with a smile and says, "Yup! You want a cup?"

Smiling, I shake my head and say, "Nah, I'm good. But it's nice to know there's more than just coffee, though."

As Penny goes around the kitchen, making her tea, I lean against the wall and bend forward to stretch my back. Just then, Derek walks in, with Spencer following not far behind. "Keepin' limber there, little mama?" he says, starting another pot of coffee.

Flipping my hair away from my face so I can see, I say, "Yeah, I can only sit in the same position for so long before I gotta move." He chuckles and nods in agreement.

As I stand back up, Spencer says, "It's beneficial to get up and stretch while in the workplace. Staying in the same position all day not only creates muscle tension, but can also contribute to long-term health issues, such as neck, shoulder, and lower back pain, stress, and carpal tunnel syndrome."

Derek glances over at Penelope, who sips her tea and looks back at him, then they both stare at Spencer as he continues. "Ideally, it's recommended that a person has a break for 5-10 minutes for every hour spent at a workstation."

I raise my eyebrows and say, "Huh, I wonder how often anyone actually follows that?"

"Um, statistically, only about 11% of people do some form of stretching exercises, so..." Spencer says, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looks over at Derek and Penelope, who are still staring. "What?" he asks, and Derek shakes his head, while Penny just shrugs and continues sipping her tea.

"So, how've you been doing, Baby Girl?" Derek says, turning to ask Penelope. "Haven't been able to see you much this week. You been avoiding me?" he teases.

Penelope smirks. "Of course not, Sugar. Just been showing Lina the ropes. She's a quick one, though, so unless you all get called to save the day somewhere, I think she's got the hang of it. Which means you, my big, handsome man, can stop by any time you'd like." Penelope says coyly, a big smile on her face.

I lean towards Spencer, and ask quietly, "So, are they dating, or...?"

"Not that I know of, that's just...Morgan and Garcia. That's their 'dynamic'." he says with a shrug, taking a sip of coffee.

Looking at him, I sigh and ask, "How do you get to sleep at night, Doc? Do you sleep?" Spencer looks from his coffee to me, sheepish half-grin, and shrugs.

"I...kinda? I don't really sleep much, so it doesn't bother me..."

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "Oh, you part of the Insomnia Brigade, too?"

He grins and says, "There's a name?"

I giggle and say, "Well, no, that's just what I call it. I've had trouble getting to sleep since I was a kid. I can never seem to turn off my brain."

"Really? Do you happen to know the cause?" he asks, taking another drink of his coffee.

"Ah, yeah, but, it's...kind of a long explanation, and I doubt you'd want to know that much about me..." I say, nervously chuckling.

"Um, maybe another time..." he says, as his eyes follow Penelope as she walks up to me.

"Ready to head back, Lina?" she says, then turns to Spencer. "Sorry, Boy Genius, gotta take her with me. I'm sure you guys can talk more later." Penelope tells him playfully as she starts making her way back.

Slowly following her, I say, "See you, Spence!", receiving a tight-lipped smile from him.

As I catch up with Penelope, she smirks at me, causing me to ask, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You two looked like you were having an interesting conversation..." she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

I laugh and say, "Really? We were talking about insomnia, though."

Looking only slightly deflated, Penelope just gives an, "Oh. Well, looked like more than that from where I was sitting..."

I snort and tell her, "I suppose, but it wasn't that ground-breaking or anything..."

Settling back into our seats, we continue typing up reports until it's time to head home. Packing up our things, we make our way to the elevators, riding down and chatting. As we step out, we stand to the side as Penelope searches for the keys in her purse. As she pulls them out, the elevator opens again, and Derek walks out. "Where's Spencer?" I ask him.

"I think he already left, sorry, Pretty Girl," he says, laughing when he sees me scrunching up my face and frowning. "What, don't like that nickname?" he asks. I shake my head, and he sighs and says, "Alright, not that one. I will find one you'll like, though."

I laugh and say, "Yeah, sure. Just not that one, please." Then I head out to see if I can catch up with Spencer. I make it out of the building and am halfway down the sidewalk when I hear someone calling my name. I turn around to see Spencer running towards me, and I slow to a stop. When he makes his way to me, I say, "Derek said you already left, I was gonna try and catch up with you."

He shakes his head, saying, "I had to go back for this." holding up his satchel.

"Oh," I say feebly. "You like walking with me that much, huh?" I say teasingly. As he flushes, I quickly stammer out, "S-sorry, bad joke, I guess..."

He gets redder and blurts out, "No, no, I do. It's not often I can find someone who lets me finish a thought." I smile at him, and we start walking again. "So, um, I was hoping that, in that case, you'd wait for me, if that happened again?" he asks slowly. I look at him as he quickly adds, "And-and I'd wait for you. I-if that's ok, I mean."

Expression softening, I nod and say, "Yeah, that sounds good, Doc." A thought occurs, and in an unexpectedly bold move, I say to him, "Y'know, if you'd like to talk to me outside of work, I can give you my number, and we can text." Looking at him again, I add, "Or talk on the phone, if you'd really want to. But I'm gonna warn you now, I'm very bad at talking on the phone. Guess it's the computer nerd in me."

In what's quite possibly the longest 5 seconds of my life, I finally hear a quiet, "I'd like that..." from Spencer.

As we get to the station, we sit down, and I hand Spencer my phone. He looks up at me, and I say, "So you can put your number in. Then I can text you, and then you'll have my number." He nods, his fingers going over the buttons methodically. Handing me back my phone, I quickly add his name, then send him a text.

Hi, Spencer. It's me, Lina.

He jumps slightly after a few seconds, then pulls his phone out of his pocket and flips it open. "I take it you don't get many texts..." I say, chewing my lip.

He shakes his head and says, "No, can't say I do..."

I take a quick breath and say, "Well, um, as long as you're cool with it, I can text you now..." he just looks at me and nods. As the train pulls up, we find seats close together. While we wait for the rest of the passengers to board, I ask, "So, you like foreign films and horror movies. Anything else you like to watch?"

He nods again, saying, "I like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, both the new and the old."

Eyebrows raising and a smile growing on my face, I say, "Oh, yeah? I like those, too. Are you excited for the new series of Doctor Who? I can't wait to see more of Ten and Rose, I wonder what kind of things they'll come across."

Spencer's eyes light up, and asks me, "Oh? Do you have a favorite Doctor?"

"I mean, other than the Christmas special, everything I've watched has been from the first series of New Who, so, until I see more from Ten, I guess Nine could count as my favorite?" I say with a half-shrug. Spencer nods and I ask, "Do you have a favorite?"

He gives me a small smile and says, "Um, yeah. The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker."

I smile and say, "I hear he was fun, I hope I can eventually get the chance to watch some of the old stuff."

Spencer says, "I know some of his episodes are on DVD now. I don't have any, but if you know where to buy the discs, I think you'd like them."

I hum and say, "I might do that, thanks, Spence." I look out the window and pull for my stop. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Later, Doc." I say to Spencer as the train slows down.

"I-I'll see you, Lina!" he says, giving me a small wave as I step off the train. Giving him one back, I head home.

Previous chapter

Next chapter

Story Masterlist

[mysticbeaver]

Thus, lets me explain why I don't think Ed's innocent and why I think HE'S guilty of what he does:

He's observant enough to recognize all the flaws of his friends; he calls Edd a nag and a clean-obssessed at least once and he also once commented how Eddy's a misery agressive fireball (which means, to some extent, Ed's aware Eddy's a jerkass and still chooises to follow him).

It's implied several times he acts googball for fun, as a game, and is really conscious about his role as the ditz (''Kevin making a fool of you in front of everyone'' ''Yeah, it's usually me'' or ''Even I am not that dumb''). He would even have confirmed this on the movie.

He knows how to recognize the others feelings and physical pain, at least most of time.

Episodes like ''Postcard from Eds'', ''Brother Can You Spare an Ed'' and ''Jingle Jingle Jangle'' shows he does have a sense of right and wrong, even turning on Eddy if he is going too far.

There more than a few times he used emotional manipulation to get what he wants (''I learned this trick from Sarah'') and he's perfectly able to act to deceive someone (example: A Twist of Ed), hinting he might do have a manipulative side.

So, based on ALL of this, I just can't believe he don't have any conscience of his arounds and is just following Eddy/whatever for pure ignorance. Who can say he isn't conscious about what he and Eddy does, and just likes to play dumb himself to get away more easily? All the occurrences above makes this perfectly possible. Heck, there even some times he was being a dick WITHOUT Eddy's influence (Example: his intended prank on the beginning of Fool on the Ed. Or his arrogance and behavior towards Double D in their game in Your Ed Here).

(And I also I'd like to point out stupidity doesn't mean innocence, contrary to popular belief. It's just a common misconception, but they're not the same. A character can be BOTH stupid and malicious- Patrick Star and Beavis and Butt-head are classic major examples).

Ps: I still love Ed a lot, just to make it clear.

All interesting points, for sure! It's not often people analyze that side of Ed, so kudos to you.

[panda-puma]

I'm a little baffled by your post about the one piece anime, because while I would also recommend people read the manga instead, it still is a vastly more accurate adaption than the opla? like, opla is lovely for what it is, but oda being involved in it doesn't change the fact that they took huuuge liberties that the anime just... doesn't? which is perfectly fine for an adaption, I'm just mentioning it because it sounded like you were focused on the character dynamics, which are just... vastly, vastly different in the manga AND anime vs the live action. I'm thinking about Nami and Sanji in particular (and Usopp as well to a degree), who all kind of feel like watered-down versions of their actual selves (Nami isn't greedy enough, Usopp not cowardly enough, Sanji... well, I'm not saying Sanji being different is a bad thing asdf). Again, perfectly fine for an adaption that doesn't mean to adapt its source material beat for beat, but it just leaves me really confused over how the opla is possibly a more faithful/a better adaption than the anime? Which, as far as I can recall, has severe pacing issues, annoying fillers and leaves out things like the cover stories, but still sticks waaaay closer to the actual story and dynamics as they are in the manga.

(First of all: you can like the Anime. As I said before, I've watched the entire Anime 3 times this last year. But you can enjoy something and still know it's flawed. Very flawed, even.)

Uf, I will try to make this as short as possible xD If i sound dry or "angy", sorry, English is not my first language ^^

What baffles me is that most people really think the Anime of One Piece is a faithful 1 to 1 adaptation, or that everything on it is canon (except the fillers), or that Oda approves the changes they make. For context: it was very common in the 90s/2000s to just take a manga that was doing good and make an animation that took the characters and story and did whatever they wanted with it. One Piece is not the only victim of this treatment.

I respect the animators and Seiyuus, they do their jobs good and are what makes the Anime enjoyable. But I really can not understand the Directors and the changes they decided to make to the characters (and this applies to the whole series, not only 20 years ago).

The changes you see in OPLA are necessary to translate a drawing (Manga) to a series acted by real people. Also, condensing 95 chapters of Manga in 8 episodes and trying to bring the essence of the characters to the screen, translating Japanese funny gags to an International Audience and also having the input of 25 years of Oda thinking "huh, maybe this could have been explained better" it's obviously going to make things change.

The Anime has none of those excuses. It's also a drawing so no need to tone down, supposed to have the same Audience (even tho they really tried to make it for little kids and it shows), they clearly don't have an issue with the length of the series and they don't ask Oda for nearly any of the changes they make!

Pretending Oda being involved or not doesn't matter is just so weird to me. You know all One Piece characters are Oda's OCs, right? He is the original creator of the characters. He knows them better than anyone else. He knows where the story is going, what is acceptable, what is on character and what is not. Just because they are very famous characters it doesn't mean they are not someones Original Characters. He loves them and cares for them. Not respecting him as the only one that can say something is canon or not is completely disrespectful and dehumanizing.

About watering down characters in OPLA: again, they are real people acting the characters. In the Manga they are exaggerated to a comical effect that wouldn't translate as comical if it's real people who do it, it'd just be weird. That's because it's different mediums and different audience. But the core of the characters is very present, just less cartoony. On the other hand, the Anime reduces the characters to just this comical effect, taking away nearly everything else of the characters, making them just gags.

Answering to the specific points you make about OPLA:

Nami not being greedy enough: Nami's greed before Arlong Park Arc is just her trying to save enough to free her people. We don't really see her greed until after she is free. We haven't reached this point yet in OPLA, apart of her wanting to dress nice and enjoy a bath.

Usopp not being cowardly enough: they can not spend 5 minutes of an 50 minute episode showing him screaming around or running away. But they did show him running as first reaction in Kaya's Mansion, twice. They showed him wanting to go back home after encountering Garp. He does say cowardly things all the time, like wanting to leave, stay on the Merry, not fight the Fish Men, running away the second Chu payed attention to him… It's just less cartoony. They are also not showing inner dialogue of the characters, it's just shown by their acting.

Sanji not being a pervert: Not only is Sanji's perversion waaaay exaggerated in the Anime, to an unpalatable degree, it's also a very Japanese Funny Gag that wouldn't translate good to an International Audience. Sanji in the Manga has, on top of everything else, a friendly relationship with Nami. He can talk to her like a human being. They are friends that can agree or disagree without drama, that join forces to fix things very often and act very calm around each other unless something "special" happens and Sanji is lovestruck, but even so, he usually comes back to being normal pretty fast. Of course he likes her and he is attracted to her, but he also sees her as a person... unlike the Anime. This translated to into the Live Action to a man that tries to flirt and has no success, but that can take a no as an answer without being offended. Also, Oda probably wanted to show on the Live Action that the real reason Sanji is on the crew is no other than him following Luffy (that is also a thing that the Anime waters down: Sanji's dedication to Luffy)

The main point is: yes, OPLA is an Alternative Universe where things are shown a bit differently, but the core of the characters is the same. You see them and you see real people, just like in the Manga.

And let's see about the faithfulness of the Anime... just because the Arcs are called the same and things kind of happen the same, it doesn't mean it's a faithful adaptation. The most important thing in a story is the characters and how they interact and react to the world. These are just some differences between the Anime and the Manga that I can think of off the top of my head, just from the East Blue Saga. (without any particular order)

-- Zoro's real backstory (Manga) is that he had been in the Shimotsuki Dojo probably since birth, practicing his 2 Sword Style and only starting the 3 Sword Style to carry Kuina's Soul with him. [((spoilers from Wano: now we know Zoro is also a Shimotsuki, so he was training in his family's Dojo. It also explains why Koushirou gave Kuina's sword to Zoro so easily: they are family, and Zoro would carry the Shimotsuki name to the top of Swordmanship))].

Zoro's backstory in the Anime is completely changed to make it look like he is a random funny kid that came out of nowhere and one day appeared in the Dojo. His signature 3 sword style is also made like he just "wanted to use as many swords as possible".

I don't think it's very necessary to explain why this changes are just... terrible for the character and continuity.

[Edit: the following is not correct! Check the reblog for the correction :D] The Anime also makes Zoro's departure from Shimotsuki Village like something he planned to do, saying goodbye to Kuina's Grave and Koushiro… when in the Manga he literally tells Luffy he was kicking pirates out of his village and he got lost and didn't know how to get back. [/end of incorrect part]

Changing Zoro's character at every turn is something they love to do in the Anime.

--

Usopp in the Manga wants Luffy&co. to meet Kaya, because he cares about her well being. He wants her to make new friends, to be able help them and feel useful doing it. Usopp knows what Kaya needs is contact with the world and tries to bring it to her.

Usopp in the Anime is jealous and secretive of her. He doesn't want the others to go meet her, even knowing they are good people. He'd rather have her to himself.

This is a fatal change to the character of Usopp. He is a kind hearted lovely man that wants what's best for his friend... but the Anime just shows a jealous asshole.

--

In the battle against Cabaji, Zoro cuts his own wound, so his opponent can't use it as an advantage anymore.

In the Anime, he lowers his defense on purpose and lets Cabaji cut his wound.

The first one shows how far he can go to prove himself, also shows he is not at all worried because he doesn't consider Cabaji up to his level. I'm not sure what the second one is supposed to show apart from "children can not see self-harm".

--

Also in Orange Town in Manga, Luffy is fighting as much as possible against the cage he is trapped in, biting the bars. And afterwards he is very worried asking Zoro to leave him and not carry him or he will get worse from his wounds. In the Anime he is just surprised that Zoro can carry him like that. He doesn't really fight his predicament.

The Anime usually shows Luffy as an uncaring friend, which is sad when he is a character that cares so much and has so much empathy.

--

In the Manga, Zeff cuts his own leg and eats it to survive after giving all the food they have to Sanji.

In the Anime, Zeff lost his leg because it got caught in the ships broken pieces, and he had to cut it to survive. (i guess he survived 80 days thanks to the Holy Spirit or something) (again with being palatable to children)

--

In the Manga, the first encounter between Tashigi and Zoro is brief, Zoro gives her back the glasses and carries on (even tho tilted by her looking so similar to Kuina).

In the Anime, Zoro breaks Tashigi's glasses with the shock and she proceeds to be the meanest person ever insulting him in many ways (isn't she supposed to be a good person?) and forcing him to work for her to pay her glasses back, even tho she has no need for the money.

The Anime shows Zoro as a pushover, when in reality he is not. He was "pushed over" by Luffy out of the blue because it is Luffy, not because Zoro would let someone random do that to him. This type of "Zoro gets messed up easily by anyone" is very repeated through the Anime, taking away the importance of his relationship with Luffy and the other few he pays really attention to.

--

In the Manga, Sanji wants to be famous and have his face seen in the Newspaper. That's why he gets mad when Usopp is in Luffy's Wanted Poster and he isn't.

In the Anime, he is already a famous cook. We can see it in one of the many filler in Loguetown, where another cook has been wanting to surpass him for a long time.

[((spoiler of Whole Cake Island: This collides directly with how his Wanted Poster makes his bio Family looks for him to use him, after knowing he is still alive.))]

--

Also in Loguetown, in the Manga Luffy goes directly to the place Roger was executed.

In the Anime they make him get lost a hundred times for comical effect. He also meets Smoker, Buggy and others on the way… taking away all the surprise.

--

In the Manga, Zoro and Luffy are pretty confused with Sanji's romantic reaction to Nami. They don't get why she's getting special treatment. Zoro even wonders if she bewitched him somehow.

In the Anime, as soon as Sanji starts flirting with Nami, Zoro gets irritated and Luffy gets uncomfortable.

In the Anime they try hard to make Zoro have a romance with any girl that shows up, adding reactions that are never present in the Manga.

--

And well, a huge one that needs more elaboration, because it is the core of the Manga: Luffy is shown observing and judging situations and people constantly. Every time something is happening that shows the true nature of people, he is specifically shown paying attention.

In the Anime this is translated as him being an empty headed kid that barely thinks or cares about anyone. He is a shell of a man, who only repeats that he wants to be King of the Pirates...

--

This is a very tiny list of examples that explain themselves without going into extensive detail…

I can go on and on about more changes that make no sense or change characters personalities, but if I do, I will dedicate its own blog to it to not clutter this one. I need bigger posts to explain the changes I see in dynamics between the characters xD

And as I said: if all of these changes were approved by Oda, I would be happy to accept them. But sadly they are not.

So to me, the One Piece Anime is just a fan-made adaptation that takes too many liberties. Or, as Animes are really considered in Japan: just advertisement for the Mangas.

On the other hand, OPLA changes were approved after negotiations and struggles and years of back and forth. Oda was very invested in it, trying to really show his vision and his world as good as possible. That's why i consider the Live Action as a faithful adaptation of the story.

Of course you may not consider these things important, but they are for me. In the end, you are free to enjoy One Piece as you wish! ^^

Anyways, thanks for reading so much! xD This ended up not being short at all, but i controlled myself as much as possible, i swear uvuU

[jean-dieu]

For Raphaël ❤️ Eros 5, Storge 1, Agape 4, Philautia 1

10 years later, I answer these oops. Sorry Dujour and thank you for your patience!!!

EROS 5 - How closely is their opinion of their own beauty (or lack thereof) linked to their confidence? Do they see themselves as more or less worthy of love or sex based on how attractive they feel?

You really had to choose that question for my poor boy did you? Joke apart, Raphaël's opinion on his own beauty is of course link to his infernal traits. That's almost the only thing he can see anyway. It's not even that he sees himself as "ugly" but more cursed. He does think he's less worthy of love and ABSOLUTELY not worthy of sex based on that. His self-consciousness tends to rotate, as he will sometimes be very self-conscious about his fur, then his sharp teeth, then his hooves. Still, Raphaël always strive to maintain a good hygiene and he takes care of himself. Not always perfectly as he still sometimes struggle to maintain properly his hooves and fur but he's always very neat and tidy. When his perception of his heritage gets a bit better and he's able to have more neutral thoughts about it, he feels alright with how he looks like. It's hard to feel self conscious about having too severe features or a butt chin when you're already making big efforts to look past your horns.

STORGE 1 - Did your OC’s parents love them unconditionally? If so then has this helped them feel confident as an adult? If not then how has this affected them? What were the conditions their family attached to their relationship?

They loved Raphaël dearly, unconditionally, as much as their biological children for sure, and this love has always been the backbone of his motivations. When the world was unkind to him, he always knew he would be safe at home among them.

During the crusade, he often writes to them, and he's always delighted to hear how things are in Kenabres for them. He's forever grateful for them, way too much, to the point where even his parents keep telling him they don't except anything back from him.

AGAPE 4 - Does your OC have a religious faith which emphasises the importance of a love for all people? If so then do they try to follow these teachings authentically? Or do they just pay lip-service to them? If not then do they follow a more martial or mercantile faith? Or none at all?

Yes and oooh, he tries his best. You can easily catch him whispering "Sarenrae give me strength" whenever he's talking with someone he wants to punch in the face. He's authentic in his faith for sure, it's not just a mask of virtue he puts on. He believes in his religion wholeheartedly and sincerly. He just doesn't believe in Sarenrae the same way as Tristian for example. Not everyone deserve redemption. Redemption is sought and earned. He will gladly help anyone seeking such a change, but it must come from the heart.

PHILAUTIA 1 - Does your OC have a healthy sense of their own worth and value? Or do they see themselves as failing to live up to their original potential? Perhaps they are convinced of their own sinful or inadequate nature?

This question screams Raphaël so much it's funny.

NO, NO, NO. He doesn't have a healthy sense of his own worth and value. He's cursed, sinful, a mistake, an abomination, and I could go on listing synonyms. He's convinced of his evil nature, but despite it all, he still "fights" it as much as he can. Any of his flaws, he'll attribute them to his infernal lineage, not even questions if hey, maybe some people are just angry by nature and that's about it.

Failing to live up to his potential is something good in his mind because his original potential = becoming a lawful evil being bound to Hells. That's it. That's what destiny has in store for him. It's the reason why he impose such severe rules and principles on himself to distance himself as much as possible from his inevitable fate. That's why he strives so hard to be a parangon of goodness, even if he becomes a martyr while doing so (more like ESPECIALLY if he becomes a martyr because the martyr complex is strong in this one).

He'll eventually realize he's always been incredibely unfair and hard with himself, and he learns to temperate his behaviour. Falling in love with Sosiel has helped a lot for example, as he realizes he's indeed capable of loving someone beside his family, and that his love is as pure as anyone else.

Raphaël will always have to deal with insecurities and rampant fear of succumbing to his blood, but it does get better. He does find a sense of self worth and self love and he learns to accept that while he may be different from humans, that doesn't mean he's some mindless beast ready to strike at any given moment. It's all about balance, and he'll manage to find his inner peace at one point.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Top Three Reasons why NMJ is not a righteousness beacon

Okay screw poking the bear I'll share my possibly controversial Nie Mingjue thoughts below. Long post ahead!

Disclaimer: I don't condone what JGY did to him. At all. I don't condone what JGY did period. But NMJ is not perfectly just and fair in his dealings and I think we should acknowledge that as part of his character (which I love btw, he's very well constructed and having flaws is what makes him interesting)

Number One: NMJ is a hypocrite. The Nie cultivate a path that leads to gradual descent into madness, and is so severe that the resentment built up in their sabers lives on for years.

Knowing all this, NMJ joins the cultivators rallying against WWX and his ghost path of cultivation because it's "corrupting" and "evil" and "unorthodox"? As if your own isn't?! Bffr, Chifeng-Zun.

Number Two. His stance on justice and worth of life is inconsequential

Politically, I understand that defending WWX freeing the Wens would have been problematic, because the Jin made sure there was a consensus of hatred against WWX (and Jiang Cheng did nothing to alleviate any of that when he had the chance to explain why WWX saved the Wens).

And even if the Nie were a great sect as well, the Jin were still most powerful at the time, and the Wen work camp was in their territory (even if the staff was from multiple sects). Plus, NMJ didn't seem to be personally concerned with the fairness of the treatment the Wen had been subjected to... because they were Wens and NMJ had a personal vendetta against them as a collective

Why does this matter? Because NMJ makes it a point to emphasize that he never kills senselessly, for selfish desires or acclaim, and becomes angry enough to be violent when questioned about how he decides who deserves to die by his hand and whether he is certain his reasoning is right (Chapter 10, Volume 2, 7seas).

JGY popped off with this one, even if he rolled down the stairs for it - because he is right. NMJ can't be sure he made the right choice because such a choice is a matter of subjectivity and circumstance. JGY deciding his life is more than important than others' falls exactly in line with that, even if his views don't agree with NMJ's.

And NMJ himself illustrates it as well - he joins in the mob agreeing that the Wens at the work camp deserved to be tortured and killed even if they did not directly contribute to the war:

"Showed mercy how?" Nie Mingjue demanded. "Wasn't the Wen Clan of Qishan the culprit behind the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng's annihilation?"

(...) Nie Mingjue was indifferent to such logic. "She remained silent and raised no objections while the Wen Clan committed atrocities. That is no different from watching from the sidelines"

NMJ himself was merciless and silent to the slaughter of the innocent, even contributed to it - because his own principles told him it was fair to do so. Did he ever listen to anything but those? No. Was it right? Obviously not.

Nowhere in the book is there any Nie convoy sent to scout the Burial Mounds and see that Wei Ying wasn't building an army or a sect or anything the Jin were claiming. Because NMJ couldn't care less, because those were Wens and by his own principles, they needed to die.

And then he parades around as somebody who doesn't kill those who do not deserve it. Very ironic.

Number Three: his judgement comes from a largely privileged position.

Of course he doesn't understand (or even bother to try) what JGY means by his little speech on needing to make sacrifices and following orders to survive in the political realm - because NMJ himself never had to bother with such things.

He was feared and respected from the start as a Sect Leader and had a hard time understanding how life for someone below that rank could be like. He does support JGY as his deputy and writes him a recommendation letter - but that's obviously not enough for someone with JGY's past and the many prejudices against him due to it.

Even as many times as Lan Xichen tries explaining this to NMJ, he only seems to grudgingly listen but not agree. In his worldview, it is merit that should matter when building one's reputation. Reality is entirely different - but how could the son of a noble, sect leader all his life, understand and emphatize with that?

Of course, JGY absolutely did not need to do All That™️, but his struggle to prove himself to his father and the world (backed up by quite a bit of paranoia) becomes clearer if you look at it from the point of view of an outcast with a wretched origin trying to make a name for himself in the world.

NMJ didn't do that. Instead he labeled JGY as a power-hungry, manipulative, self-centered son of a whore and treated him accordingly - distrustfully and suspiciously.

Since JGY was already doing a lot of shady things (re: the Xue Yang issue that NMJ was keen on resolving via execution), having NMJ on his case was the last thing he could have possibly wanted - so, he resorted to the mdzs version of musical arsenic poisoning (because he would have never in the history of ever convinced NMJ he had no ulterior motives).

Again, that does not justify JGY speeding up NMJ's dying process. And JGY fucked around and found out big time about 13 years or so later. But if you look at things his way, what other solution was there for him to not only survive but also thrive in Jinlintai?

Could NMJ have prevented any of JGY's actions? Debatable. Personally, I think not. But he would have probably died later (by not making himself a direct antagonist to JGY and inviting death at his doorstep), and perhaps he could have even managed to prove (at least to Lan Xichen) that JGY wasn't as well-intentioned as he painted himself to be (by running covet investigations or something of the sort).

To conclude, NMJ is symbolic for a privileged class that believes in merit because it has never had to endure prejudice, and that is too divorced from the hardships of the underprivileged to understand them.

[oz-posts]

Hera nickname possibilities part 2

Still focusing on Aimsey sorry, I have decided to delay the Guqqie one until we know what the hell is going on with A! Guqqie.

So... Some stuff happened, and it caused me to rethink several of the names and the importance of some themes, so here are a few I think things have changed for.

Required traits

Knowledge(curiosity as a fatal flaw preferably)- this is difficult, because it's actually surprisingly rare in myths, and often in different contexts as to what we're after.

Violence- this is self explanatory and fortunately very common in myths (in fact in even gcse level Greek and Latin there are at least 7 words for kill/die)

Space association- preferably with the moon, but that's a bit specific, and as most nicknames for Aimsey variants are masculine a bit difficult with Artemis/Diana's whole mainly female hunter group

Asterion

I still quite like this one, though for different reasons.

As I mentioned last time, Asterion is the Minotaur's birth name giving him an obvious link to violence, and as the stepson of king Minos he would have been a prince. There is also perhaps a knowledge connection with the labyrinth, although that one is perhaps a bit of a stretch. Also as the most popular translation of Asterion is literally " little star we have a convenient space connection as well.

Similarly, many people ( even in ancient Greece) felt that the Minotaur may have started off innocent but was warped by his father's rage and his imprisonment in the labyrinth. Which could perhaps mirror how little control A! Aimsey seems to have even in their own curiosity, which instead of reclaiming their own past and fate appears to be amounting to little more than a desperate grab for understanding and control.

Penthius

I hate Penthius.

He is such a a fucking perverted tyrannical foolish asshole and he deserved every bit of what he got " slave to my slaves" (δουλεύοντα δουλείαις ἐμαῖς) Penthius dear those are your people, as king caring for them is your duty you little shit.

But anyways

Firstly, as the main - mortal- character in the bachea he is part of a literal tragedy and we all know these idiots are doomed in every universe so unless they feel like being nice to us for once that's perfect.

If you don't know the story of the bachea I shall leave a summary of the plot at the bottom.

Despite Penthius's overall shittyness the themes fit perfectly. Firstly, as the cousin of Acteon he has a lovely little link with the moon - a very negative one, Artemis killed him, but so what- and with his constant war-mongering with violence as well. He is also royalty, and if you reinterpret his all around pervyness as curiosity that fits too.

He sought knowledge, and it killed him

Narcissus

This is a bit of a stretch here and I know it, but doesn't it just seem like the perfect, very derisive nickname for an alternate universe version of your ex who stabbed you?

Firstly, oh my God the knowledge association, Narcissus was cursed to die when he truly " knew himself" (A! Aimsey's urge to find out what happened to them?) and let's be honest that's probably the best case scenario for our lovely prince. He was literally killed by knowing too much, in this case about himself. Also, as much as we go on and on about the whole " narcissus rejected echo and she died because of his selfishness boo hoo!" Their deaths were very similar, if anything being simply an extension of the cycle of suffering cause by Zeus fucking around and someone else finding out. Oooh cycles... Could be parallel with A!Aimsey following in Tud's footsteps perhaps.

Again a bit of a stretch but I still kinda like it.

Bachea summary

First Dionysus arrives in Thebes and asks everybody to accept and worship him. Nearly everybody is fine with this but the king- Penthius- objects and refuses to believe in his godly power. In response, Dionysus mind controls all of the women of Thebes and they run off to the mountains and literally just sit there, not being a problem or anything.

Dionysus comes to talk to Penthius who tries repeatedly to threaten and insult the completely calm Dionysus. And reveals his preoccupation with sex and completely unfounded belief that the women are having a giant orgy on the mountain.

Penthius decides to attack the women but Dionysus "convinces" him otherwise ( oh look it's our good friend mind control again ) using his desire to be a voyeur to the non-existent mountain orgy. Dionysus then dresses Penthius for slaughter and parades him to the mountain where he is torn apart by his family.

Yay! I love happy endings.

[distopea]

5 Pieces of Fiction that Influenced You as a Writer and Why?

1 - The Departed by Martin Scorsese

I think it is probably my favorite Scorsese movie. I have watched it several times, and I can't hide that I have been profoundly influenced by it for the creation of my mafia world. I won't spoil the plot twist of the story, but it gives you good hints regarding the "harmless" looking like mafia in your neighborhood, along with the secret schemes going on and how everything can snow ball. 

I do believe that it's a very good modern representation of how the mafia has been working in the shadows and in the daylight. Plus, the performance of the actors and the scenario were right on point. It also gives a wonderful perspective regarding how it feels to be an undercover cop, or a spy for the mafia. Plus, the social "pressure" regarding your family affiliation and the expectations of crime lords because you were born in a certain neighbourhood is perfectly represented. 

2 - Journey to the End of the Night by Celine

To be honest, I was traumatized by this book when I was a teenager. It was the first time that I had faced the horror of war and how one tortured author who survived WWII could express his pain and traumatism through a vivid description of terrible events. Far from the usual heroism of the soldiers, reading this pushes you on an overly depressing journey with misery, PTSD, war crimes, cowardice and such... 

For me, this book was a life-changing one. It was an explosion of truth regarding an event that could never be fully exposed and Celine, the author, was truly so good at writing it. It sticks to you like a second skin, and it has pushed me to be more open regarding dark themes and to never underestimate the power of words whenever you wish to shamble someone through a story. 

3 - Hannibal by Brian Fuller

My favorite show, in every way possible. I have been following the show since it aired for the first time, and I was (I am) genuinely obsessed with it. I rewatch it every year. It's truly the most intimate depiction of Hannibal Lecter and his psyche, and I have also rediscovered Will Graham through the interpretation of Hugh Dancy. 

In the book, or in Red Dragon, Graham is far less complex. He's too morally good and there's no sensation of breaking point at all. In this hypnotical dance, not only crime and horror become artistically pleasant, but you support Hannibal through his journey. I can't express how much I find every dialogue and scene so intelligent, and years after the end of the show, I'm still surprised to discover new interpretations and implicit meaning. Truly a masterpiece. 

4 - The Shining by Stephen King

Yes, definitely a classic. We can't say the contrary, even if I'm a little bit lazy for picking such a well-known novel, I have my reasons for this one. It's not about the story at all, but there's something so good and addictive about watching how madness is perceived through the first person. 

What I really adore in this book is basically the inner thoughts of the character, Jack, who's slowly losing perception of what is morally acceptable and what is not. Paranoia is getting the best of his character, and all his flaws are expressed brutally, even if, as the "hero" of the book, he doesn't see what he is doing wrong. His slow change is truly impressive and definitely well written, which is quite inspiring whenever you want to write about someone who doesn't see his own troubles (just like Vex, Marlo, Diego and such...)

5 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Alright, that's my guilty pleasure right here. Whether we talk about the movie (with Keira Knightley), or the book itself, I have watched it hundreds of times and probably read it 5. 

I believe that Jane Austen had a gift for writing bold and impressive women, and the character of Lizzie still feels incredibly modern despite being written centuries ago. She's vivid, profound, mature and yet she has such a huge capacity for self-introspection and understanding of her own flaws. Her relationship with her father has always echoed the one I have with mine and I'm in love with her boldness, her freedom of mind and speech and her everlasting quest for culture, knowledge and humanity. This book has always been inspiring for developing my characters fully, twisting them into my little snow ball until they would feel just natural and palpable... Just like Lizzie can be. 

I'm also always inspired by the people creating around me, but I special shout out to my two pals Rain and Vera for that ❤️

tagged by : @nezumivc103221 (thank you!) tagging: @cantuscorvi ; @royaletiquette ; @tximidity ; @sansloii ; @nvrcmplt and whoever wishes to do it ✨

[normalbrothers]

1, 3, 5 generally, 13 (about polly) for the salty fandom asks >:)

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

i'd guess the main otps in this fandom are tommy/grace, tommy/lizzie and tommy/alfie - which i all understand. the former two are literally consummated relationships in the show and you can see how they got there and the latter is a good dynamic between two male characters (hdhdhd), and i'm interested in/fine with all of them as far as watching pb goes. there are couple of popular tropes/takes assigned to these relationships that i don't really agree with or find fitting for the characters, and they tend to bleed through in fic, so it's kind of a hit and miss often enough, but as far as canon goes, they are all fine to me (in the specific ways they exist, etc), so i do get them (to answer the question as directly as possible) though imho this is one of these questions where it also becomes obvious that pb fandom doesn't really have traditional fandom dynamics where there are several OTP corners/niches of either canon or non-canon relationships (that don't involve tommy, and there are a couple!) that you could argue about; everything is so oversaturated with oc or y/n fic that you don't really have this stuff naturally occur in greater measure. which is sad, honestly.

Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion

sure have! i've grown a little more "lenient" or open-minded or patient about stuff, so it's not something i tend to do right away anymore, but i think there are probably still a couple of opinions i'd unfollow someone for.

Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

"ruined" is a harsh word, but tommy/alfie isn't that interesting to me anymore: most fics are either Margate Fics(tm) or stuck in s2 or just complete aus that have little to do with the characters in the first place and often it's tommy being written as separate/isolated from the family which is always kind of boring to me: i need to know what's happening Over There ! i get why this happens, etc, but it's a shame, since the relationship actually went through a couple of canon developments that could be explored. (THOUGH i do have to say alfie has grown somewhat obnoxious to me in s5/s6, and i ended up not really liking his and tommy's scenes (they are *fine*, but i sort of think it was a mistake to have brought him back after s4 at all, and i think you can see that in these seasons, even if alfie's function is plausible). and that's not quite the fandom's fault, that's kind of on the show/writing to be fair)

Unpopular opinion about XXX character? (Polly)

she's either reduced to the girlboss matriarch who's badass and right about everything (boring) or diminished in her own arc (re: michael) or caricatively mischaracterized as a jealous harpy when it comes to tommy and gr/ace (yawn), and it's all so terrible and doesn't dignify the character at all there's a trend of her being deprived of the complexity she absolutely has in canon (literally thee female lead, and what for!!), when what makes her so good is that she's faulty and flawed and this compelling melting pot of conflicting and contradictory desires and wants and emotions and ambitions and trauma and hypocrisies; and it all plainly plays out for everyone to see! she's as multifaceted as tommy and arthur, and as good and bad, as sympathetic and as hard to like as either of them. obviously, her arc has been tragically cut short, but there's still plenty of it when revisting the show, and her impact is tangible: anyone who's watched s6 probably had that odd moment of going 'oh i know how polly would have felt about that/what polly would have done/said here', that's how good she was, a perfectly realized character potrayed by an extraordinary actress!

[krisravencroft]

An Introduction

I am Kris Ravencroft, author of The Darkwhisper Chronicles.

The Darkwhisper Chronicles is a book series that I am currently working on, and it is not yet released. With the nuances of my writing and storytelling, as well as my protective nature over my creative vision, it is possible my work will be too niche and strict to ever be formally published by a company. If such is the case, then I intend to at least self-publish, unless something catastrophic prevents even that.

I have been simultaneously developing these characters and building this world myself (and for my own entertainment and creative channeling) since my adolescent years: starting roughly between late 2011 and early 2013. It is only recently (roughly a year and a half ago from this post) through changes in my life and the encouragement of a dear friend that I have decided to tell these stories in novel form. If nothing else, doing so would allow me to immortalize my stories in writing and gift them to the friends who have known of them for a long time, but certainly, the temptation to share them with any kindred spirits that might be interested has also driven me forward: especially now that I have reached a place in my life where I am confident I can render these stories with their best possible face.

Currently, I am working on the first nine or so books in the series, seven of which I am -- at present -- writing concurrently. Internally, I dub the nine as "the starter novels/saga" or "The First Wave," as I view all of them to be perfectly valid entry points into the series which will uniquely frame how a reader engages with the rest of them. This is intentional, as with the nature of my storytelling and the diversity of tales to tell, the reader will be exposed to several main characters all at different points in their respective arcs and all driving their entangled stories forward. I currently have over twenty books planned, and in the total absence of padding, my novels are each likely to be between 500 and 900 pages if I can keep myself from going over.

The identity of The Darkwhisper Chronicles is fully fleshed out and that will be palpable in the reading experience, but pinning down how to describe the series is daunting even for me to explain. When reduced to its absolute bare-bones, it is generally an adult high fantasy and gothic horror series -- meant for veterans of the genres -- that also has dramatic (and conscious) shifts in tone, perspective, narration style, and general flavor based on not only the main protagonist of a given novel, but the driving protagonist of a given scene within said novel. These shifts can be from fast-paced and utilitarian to tranquil and contemplative; from heavy and dramatic to light and comical; from adventure to horror; and from swords and sorcery in a medieval backdrop to noir against a diet steampunk backdrop.

It is worth noting that I subscribe fully to the mindset that a protagonist is someone we follow, rather than the hero/good guy/agreeable figure of a narrative, as many of the primary protagonists will be established as flawed people at best and outright villains at worst, and depending on the perspective of the character as it influences my narration, who serves as protagonist and antagonist will shift just as often as the tone and perspective of a story.

These characters -- and the world they live in -- are very near and dear to my heart, and I look forward to eventually being able to share them with others. For now, I am going to keep track of my progress, use this blog to establish that I am well into the project, and when it sees the light of day, I can interact with those who've enjoyed it. In time, I may give updates here, but I am still thinking on it.

I am open to receiving questions, but keep in mind that I will not be sharing crucial information to the development of the series, and I want to ensure that my ideas remain mine with no room for dispute. Prior to the publication of the novels, I ask that none of the information I share here be used in any capacity, unless specifically stated otherwise.

I simply wish to document and share a bit of my journey as I write.

[rainbowsag52]

NaClhv

Theology, philosophy, math, science, and random other things

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2014-12-15

3: normal

logic, math, philosophy

Basic Bayesian reasoning: a better way to think (Part 4)

Have you read the last��several posts? In those posts we began the tale of Alice and Bob, a pair of murder suspects who recently started dating one another. Through their sordid tale, we'll examine Bayesian reasoning, the scientific method, and the so-called fallacy of "affirming the consequent".

Alice and Bob are going through a rough patch in their relationship. One day, Alice accuses Bob of infidelity, and they have this conversation:

Alice: You spent the night at Carol's house last weekend! You're cheating on me with her! 

Bob: What?! How do you figure that? I'm innocent! 

Alice: If you're cheating on me with her, it makes perfect sense that you'd spend the night at her house! 

Bob: Ha! You're "affirming the consequent". You've started from "if [cheating], then [night at Carol's house]", then concluded that "if [night at Carol's house], then [cheating]". This is a logical fallacy, and your argument is invalid. Cheating on you is not the only possible explanation for me spending the night at Carol's. There are other, perfectly innocent explanations - like the fact that Carol threw a party that ran late, and a bunch of us just crashed at her place for the night rather than risk driving home tired and drunk.

Now, let's pause the conversation here for the moment and assess the situation. So far, Bob's logic follows the example in the Wikipedia page on "affirming the consequent". And he certainly seems right - "affirming the consequent" is a fallacy in propositional logic, and Alice can't necessarily conclude that Bob cheated on her just because he spent a night at Carol's house. So, is Alice committing a logical fallacy? And therefore Bob is innocent? Let's continue and see:

Alice: That party happened last weekend, when Carol knew I would be out of town! That makes perfect sense if Carol plotted to have you come without me! 

Bob: That's ridiculous. You're still just "affirming the consequent". You've started from "if [Carol plotting], then [party on that weekend]", then concluded that "if [party on that weekend], then [Carol plotting]". I told you before, this is a logical fallacy. There are many other explanations for why the party might have happened on that weekend. 

Alice: Whenever I ask Carol whether she's seeing anyone, she avoids the question! 

Bob: That's more flawed reasoning. Do I have to explain it to you again? There are other possible explanations why Carol avoids that topic with you. That doesn't mean I'm cheating on you with her.

Alice: But she was always very forthcoming about her dating life before. What would make her so reluctant to talk about it now? 

Bob: I don't know. I suggest you ask her. Many innocent explanations are possible. You're still "affirming the consequent". You've started with a hypothesis - that I'm cheating on you with Carol - and then produced observations that fit with that hypothesis, then used those observations to justify the original hypothesis. That's like saying "The Bible is true because God wrote it, and it says that God exists. Therefore God exists". That kind of silly, circular reasoning is what happens when you "affirm the consequent", and you're using this logical fallacy over and over again to try to say that I've cheated on you.

Well, Bob certainly seems to be right. Alice can't, and shouldn't, conclude that Bob is cheating on her just because Carol is not talking about her dating life, or because the party happened on a certain weekend. After all, "affirming the consequent" is a logically fallacy, isn't it?

Alice: Someone at the party saw you go into Carol's bedroom with her. 

Bob: You're still "affirming the consequent", and it invalidates your conclusion. Your logic is flawed. There are perfectly innocent reasons to go into someone's bedroom. 

Alice: With two bottles of wine. And you closed the door afterwards. 

Bob: Still just "affirming the consequent". What, we're not allowed to drink wine at a party? We're not allowed to close the door when the music is loud out in the living room?

Alice: This was at 10 pm, far before your normal bedtime, far before you're normally tired. 

Bob: It was a crazy party. It wore me out fast. Why do you continue to "affirm the consequent"? Don't you see that you're still just starting with the idea that I'm cheating on you, then using that idea to interpret the events to justify itself? That's circular reasoning. You're saying that just because these are how things would play out IF I were cheating on you, therefore then I MUST be cheating on you. It's a logical fallacy, like I said many times, and you're just using it repeatedly.

Alice: And you didn't come out from the bedroom until the next day. 

Bob: Like I said, we got tired and decided to just sleep off the party rather than risk driving home drunk and exhausted.

Okay... hmm... I mean, "affirming the consequent" is still a logical fallacy, right? It's got a Wikipedia page and everything. How could Alice be right when she's committing this fallacy over and over? I mean... if you heard that your significant other went into a bedroom with someone else, along with two bottles of wine, and stayed behind closed doors until the next day, you wouldn't jump to any conclusions, right? Because you're a logical thinker and you don't want to commit a fallacy?

[tharizdun-03]

The moral of Fruits Basket is "gender and sexual ambiguity and non-conformity can be solved by heterosexual love." Add some romanticization of pedophilic themes, with some poor handling of resolving abusive relationships -- and it's safe to say I did not like the final season.

There's a lot of small things you can talk about, but I think the series has two big issues. How it tackles queerness and how it tackles abusive relationships.

1) Queerness:

Every character with an ambiguous or non-conforming relationship to gender and sexuality is "solved" by the end and they settle with heterosexuality.

Akito and Ritsu are the worst offenders when it comes to the topic of gender. Both characters are non-conforming, their non-conformity is treated as either due to personality flaws and/or trauma from the Zodiac curse, and once these things are solved at the end of the story; they both become cisgender heterosexuals who are perfectly in line with their respective gender roles with no ambiguity or wiggle room whatsoever.

Momiji himself eventually grows up into a fully masculine expression, the narrative treating his gender non-conformity as a "phase he grows out of".

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see someone like Akito overcome her internalized misogyny, but her becoming her true self, a genuine woman, is explicitly tied to her having a feminine appearance.

This isn't a big issue by itself, but combined with how Ritsu and Momiji change how they look to be more gender-conforming, it just adds up to heteronormativity. It's not a one-off thing where we can just say "well, maybe she just wanted longer hair."

This is a pattern that reveals prejudiced thinking.

Obviously, Fruits Basket is a very heterosexual-normative show. And I probably should have realized it'd be really reactionary about this sort of stuff cause it is baked into the premise which is, if I may remind you, that boys and girls can't hug and they can't date -- because of a supernatural curse.

But, if any characters were to be gay… you're good to go?

Literally lol. If you like the same sex in the Sohma family, then any problem with your romantic relationship is just erased. It immediately solves one of the biggest problems they have. And when your literal premise is set up this way, you have reactionary ideas baked into the very fundamentals of your story.

Moving on from the topic of gender to the topic of sexuality. Any homosexuality or bisexuality is portrayed, in the narrative, as a joke. Haru mentioning that he loves Yuki is supposed to be funny, Ayame's whole homo teasing thing is simply for jokes, other boys being attracted to Yuki and how they wish he was a girl, etc.

All of this stems from homophobia.

Homophobia isn't just that you viscerally hate gay people and want to take their rights away. But when your jokes are literally just homosexuality existing when the narrative itself doesn't seem to view homosexual desire as a valid form of desire, as to not be on the same level as heterosexual love, as to just be the butt of jokes -- that stems from homophobic thinking. The narrative teases the audience a lot about queer elements but doesn't consider same-sex relationships as a genuinely valid possibility.

Even just something as simple as Yuki’s non-traditional masculinity is treated as a joke. He’s made the butt of a bunch of jokes throughout the story for being a more feminine-looking guy.

Not once did the narrative include a same-sex relationship, yet it does make several pedophilic relationships canon.

I know what you're about to ask next.

"But Theodor, this was in the 90s. Are you seriously expecting canon LGBT characters? How is this any different from any other show that's queer-baiting a bit? Most anime don't have same-sex relationships. So why get mad about Fruits Basket specifically for it?"

Well, first of all. These things are still issues no matter when it was written, they should still be discussed and acknowledged.

Second of all, we actually had a prime opportunity to include canon LGBT stuff since this is a remake (the author already took away smoking because it's not seen as cool nowadays), so I don't think it being written in the 90s is an excuse cause the remake is done now and has changed other stuff it considered outdated. It simply doesn't think it's homophobic views fall into that category.

Third of all, my biggest reason as to why this bothers me so much isn't the lack of same-sex relationships (I mean, how rare is that in anime?), it's that literally EVERYONE ends up in a heterosexual one.

Literally every single character.

Even side characters we barely know. Barely any character is left properly single. And we make insane leaps where characters who should not even like each other, suddenly have to become another pair even if that's between an adult man and a high school girl.

Even if we ignore the lack of same-sex relationships, cause most anime don't have that, I think it speaks to what a conservative show this is -- that it views the resolutions women should have as getting with men. And every single woman has to end up with a man. Or better yet, has to end up with someone. That's just not traditional thinking, it's straight-up patriarchal and I've never seen a series go this far in pairing everyone up.

2) Resolving abusive relationships:

Shigure is… an unrepentant pedophile? It seems? He's known Akito since she was literally born, is at least six years older than her, first fell in love with her before she was even born through a dream he had foretelling her conception, and throughout her childhood has acted in behavior that is not… proper towards such a young girl.

I think Shigure is a groomer and a predator. I think, even if we were to debate the specifics of what he specifically did as she grew up and whether that qualifies as grooming or not, the series doesn't care to clarify that or even ask the question and instead romanticizes the relationship regardless. Even if we say he did not groom Akito (he straight up does but let's pretend he doesn't), he is still abusive towards her throughout the entire story and the narrative refuses to acknowledge her ending up with Shigure as a bad thing.

I also don't think the show actually handled Akito herself well either. Because she got off scot-free. She has done so much fucked up shit to individual people, but it’s all swept up into a single package of “she was a bad person but is changing for the better now” which misunderstands all of her wrongdoings by treating them as equal when they are not.

Her trying to kill two different people and torturing kids for months in a shed is not equal to her hitting Momiji once. We never see Akito actually answer to any of her victims (maybe Kureno it can be argued she talked to, but I largely blame him for sticking around there and for being an enabler that the story disguises as "kindness" lol) on an individual level. We don't get any scenes of her even reflecting on this.

The one time she admits to Arisa and Saki that she is the one who hurt Tohru; Saki says that Tohru does not blame her and then Arisa GIVES HER A HUG. I am NOT kidding.

I'm sorry, but Akito does not take any proper responsibility or accountability and it is a big failure in resolving the relationship to the single most abusive character in the entire story (who I frankly think is beyond forgiveness. You can't have Kureno sleeping with Akito, and still portray Akito as a lonely little girl who didn't deliberately terrorize children as an adolescent and adult -- it's both sexualizing and infantilizing her character). Akito can not just be met with immediate kindness and understanding.

Because the story does not properly resolve the abuse as specifically individual (instead of just treating it as collective), we don't get any proper heart-to-heart or specific reflections on her actions.

Even with someone like Kureno, whose flaw isn't that he's too nice or that he doesn't abandon Akito, it's that he stays with Akito and just obeys her completely.

That's not "not abandoning", that's enabling abuse. But this isn't something the story decides to really criticize him for. And I could list how almost every single core flaw of these characters was never really properly acknowledged or resolved for what they were. But then we'd be here all day long

I feel that I have to bring it up every time I'm negative about a show (because almost every single time, people paint me as if I'm moralizing people for liking shows I dislike).

You can obviously like Fruits Basket. It is a plenty charming slice-of-life with a good simmering slow burn of a plot about becoming better as a person and overcoming abuse. Most of the characters are charming and well-written.

I have particular issues with the execution of these parts and I speak authoritatively because I have strong feelings. But again, you can like whatever you like and draw whatever positive feelings you want from anything.

Again, shouldn't need to be said, but I feel like I always have to. Despite my annoyances, Fruits Basket probably still holds up very well as a primarily high-school-set shoujo manga that still appeals to a wide audience with a positive message. Unfortunately, it messes up things that I consider to be fundamental blocks that make it not click for me. Oh well, better luck next time.

[volixia669]

I say this as someone who doesn't despise TLOK, but does see its flaws.

They really botched the worldbuilding set up in The Last Airbender. And no, I'm not saying only the fire nation royal family should be able to bend lightning, in universe that's probably just propaganda.

But like. Fire bending is different. Most types of bending, you have to seriously try to kill someone with it as a beginner. Even Katara, who we see drastically improve over the course of the show, was extremely limited in how she could fight in the beginning. It wasn't until she had a scroll and could regularly practice forms, of which a point was made several times that she is putting in an extreme amount of practice, that she began to do serious damage. And still, a lot of that was also creativity.

But firebending? The point that it is extremely easy to hurt and even kill people with standard forms is made. Yes, Aang is a powerhouse, but look at your typical Fire Nation soldier. They're probably more average when it comes to bending, so they're good for a standard. Incidentally, we see them use a few specific forms, fairly basic, but effective. Primarily the ones that look like straight punches. And while we don't SEE any death because kids show, it's HEAVILY implied those forms have killed and maimed MANY. Those forms were used in multiple genocides in this show.

Now let's look at Iroh, Ozai, Zuko, and Azula.

All four of whom allegedly have the potential. But we're shown a contrast.

Iroh focuses on teaching Zuko how to REDIRECT lightning. And it's explained as really fucking hard. You have to control it like water, but if you waver in control, you WILL lose it and you WILL die.

Fire as an element hates being controlled, and lightning even more so.

And you'll notice that the lightning redirection? It's not even complete control. You basically have to capture the lightning, then get it the fuck out of your body as fast as possible. You can't even redirect it back at the other person. There's no time. It's THAT difficult to work with.

As for MAKING lightning? Well, something interesting is supposedly Ozai has the ability, but we rarely if ever see him use it. Hell, to scar Zuko? He uses a basic form. The punch. It's quite likely that while Ozai was given more advanced training, he prefers simple but powerful.

Azula though? Oh she's not just a prodigy. She's a prodigy attempting to show off to a physically abusive parent. So she not only has to do the advance forms, but do them perfectly. And yet.

And yet.

Not only do we see that Azula is practicing for long periods of time, like Katara is, but that it's still difficult.

The animators did a really great job, of showing just how much energy is being "controlled" and how difficult it is to even gather it then point it at someone.

So what does this have to do with Mako in TLOK?

Well sure, if he wants to use lightning, he can! Again, I don't think it's a technique only for the royal family.

The royal family just happens to be powerful enough benders that being able to briefly gather and control lightning is possible.

So they could have Mako lightning bend to show that for one thing, he's powerful, and for another, there's still a lot of propaganda surrounding the royal family circulating.

But Mako being able to control the lightning and not risk killing people with it? That's breaking the worldbuilding. And sure, MAYBE that would be possible. But by a teenager?!

Like, I could see an older Azula MAYBE being skilled enough to stun (which can still seriously fuck up the heart and potentially kill people irl) instead of kill. And I'm talking 50+ older.

But a teenager?!

Who doesn't even have the same power/chi/whatever metric TLOK uses as an AVATAR?!

Nuh-uh.

Doesn't work.

There's so much they could have done, but using lightning to stun Amon, who so much time is spent building up, is just...Extremely anti-climactic AND goes against own world building.

God i still hate how much they underpowered lightning in tlok. Mako shot a lightningbolt straight at Amon's chest. That should have killed him instantly. Aang got a bolt shot at him from way further away into his back and he died. Mako was literally inches away from Amon. And don't come at me with bullshit like "oh Mako made it so his lightning wouldn't kill him" because why on earth would Mako not aim to kill here?

Honestly the way this show maimed both lightning and metalbending is really annoying. I get it, these skills get perfected over time and more and more people start to train to learn them bla bla bla. I'm still allowed to be pissy about it lol

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

hi I usually love ur takes n some of them have literally meant a lot to me when I was struggling to find myself n somewhat still am but not this time. there's absolutely no need to even try to defend the rich texan man jus cus disappointment isn't a new thing for u guys who've been in the fandom for years. horrible behaviour w/ fans need not be normalised under any circumstances n there's just no need to say 'oh the rich white man mustn't have heard the question or the crying he's not like that.' No. Just no. The solution of going in w/ no expectations may be rational but that's not what happened right. We fully expected to be disappointed wrt destiel n I personally expected a full jomophobe panel tbh but not this shit w/ the grieving fan & girl!jack. if ppl are calling him out on being shitty I absolutely don't see the need to call it an overexaggeration on our part. Sorry it got too long. Sorry if I've hurt you in any way, not my intention. I love you and your patience.

okay so i got a lot of asks yesterday, the day Jensen Said The Thing About Jack, far more than i can possibly answer. and while the majority were positive support (and thank you so much to everyone who sent support, i see you and i love you), but i got several hostile, antagonistic asks, and there was a particular reoccurring theme in them that i did not have the cognitive energy to address yesterday.

however, i have now had time to have a good old fashioned shower argument session, so i'm going to write this out, and i'm choosing this ask because it was at least less hostile than others.

here's the thing. basically everyone who was hostile to me used the exact same words: "why are you defending the rich white middle-aged texan man."

they said those words over and over. rich white middle-aged texan man. rich white middle-aged texan man.

now, if you don't know, i happen to be a white person who has lived in texas my entire life, and is closer to middle-aged than i'd prefer. just so we're all starting on the same page here.

while it's a dangerous thing to do on tumblr, i would like to try and deconstruct some of the logic here.

it appears as though the argument to this statement is simply, "this person has multiple axes of privilege, therefore he is wrong by default and everyone agreeing with him is wrong by default." it appears as though the argument is, "a debate on morality and correct vs incorrect is won or lost based on the amount of privilege held by those having the debate".

because, let me make it perfectly clear: i never said that jensen did absolutely nothing wrong. i never "poor baby"d him. i said that he was probably stressed out and anxious and he probably didn't mean it to come out the way it sounded, but i completely understood why people felt grossed out and upset by what he said. i said that i would like for someone to sit him down and explain to him why what he said was gross so he could do better, because i think that he's a sincere person would do better once he knows better. i did not pull the "stop being so mean to my poor little meow meow" routine. i discussed the subject at length, with what i think is a proper degree of nuance.

but every time i wrote 500 words of nuance, somebody else told me "stop defending the rich white middle aged texan man."

and i don't want to get into a whole essay here, but like..... do you people understand that each one of those things are not, in of themselves, bad?

yes, jensen is "rich", but is not wealthy. if you don't know the difference between 10 million and 10 billion, please do some math. he's a c list celebrity, not elon musk. yes, jensen is white. so am i. so is misha. so are lots of quite decent people. yes, jensen is middle aged. are we really gonna get ageist here and act like not being 20 is a character flaw? all of you will be middle aged someday.

yes, jensen is from texas. do you know why texas is shitty? because of gerrymandering and voter suppression, not because the people who live here suck worse than anywhere else. i see people make posts going "lmao he's literally from texas" like it's hilarious. donald trump was born in new york. what's your fucking point?

and yes, jensen is a man. is radfem rhetoric really so pervasive that i need to say that being a man is not bad? i mean like, it's one thing to vent and joke about men as a class, it's another thing entirely to act as though being a man makes you a bad person. men are not bad. men are fucking great. i love men.

and the thing is, i say all of this, but of course you know it already. because two days ago you knew that jensen was a rich white middle-aged texan man, and you still called him "king" and parasocialized like fucking crazy. when you thought he was gonna go out on stage and say "dean wants cas to fuck him in the ass" you LOVED him, you wanted to suck his dick. you didn't care that he was a rich white middle-aged texan.

but, when he didn't say the things you were demanding he say, you turned on him. he wasn't your king anymore. and then he fumbled a lame joke that was, at worst, casually sexist. (i will no longer entertain anyone saying he sexualized a child. if you cannot understand that alex calvert is in his thirties i do not know what to say to you anymore.) and it's completely fair to say "i don't like that joke, it was casually sexist and made me feel gross." that is completely fair.

BUT. with that, you have to admit that you're not upset about jensen being a rich white middle-aged texan man, you're upset about what he said. and, again, that's fair, as long as you're not twisting it into shit it wasn't. anyone who's upset and grossed out by the "a few more glances" comment, i sympathize with you. i'm not excusing the fact that he said it.

so... we're back to the fact that when i was discussing this, i was trying to discuss the morality of what he said, and whether those of us having the discussion were correct or incorrect in what he meant by what he said. and over and over, people responded with the "rich white middle aged texan man".

which, if you've made it this far, brings me to my ultimate point: i don't know how to tell you this, tumblr, but morality and correctness is not determined by privilege.

the most marginalized person in the room is not inherently the most moral person in the room, or the kindest. being gay or Black or disabled or poor doesn't make you a good person. being kind makes you a good person. and i guess this might be controversial on here, but sometimes privileged people are kind, and sometimes marginalized people are unkind assholes.

i was not defending jensen because he's white or a man, but because i think he's kind, and i think the people trashing him were both unkind and incorrect. i am not going to become so fucking brainrotted that i say "kill him" because the him in question is a white man who said one mildly upsetting thing, and i'm not gonna just go along with people who do.

i do not fucking like the way my dash turned so swiftly from kissing jensen's ass when they thought he was gonna say something gay to literally calling for him to be murdered because he said one dumb thing. the way people acted was unkind and cruel and undeserved, and i don't care how marginalized you are, if you are unkind and cruel for sport, i don't like you. you make fandom a terrible place.

i will defend anyone that i think is a kind, genuine person, and i will call out anyone who i think is an unkind asshole. i don't care if you're gay or trans or a person of color, if you're an unkind asshole, i'm not going to stand by you. your oppression is not an excuse for being a shitty ass person.

and before i end this post that DID turn into an essay despite my best efforts, there's one more thing i'd like to bring up that i found... interesting.

as soon as the dash starting going to hell over The Comment, i immediately saw people saying things like "well what do you expect from a straight man." and those people were the SAME people who have spent months making jokes about jensen being "[gunshots]" and gleefully partaking in my cockles masterlist. in other words, these people have spent nigh a year joking around and agreeing that jensen is a queer man.

but the moment he displeased them, he became a straight man again. as if being queer is only reserved for good people (you do know that queer men can be sexist, right?) and straight = bad. as though they were punishing a queer man by calling him straight.

and ultimately, i think my point is that you don't say "(straight) rich white middle-aged texan man" because you think those really are inherently bad things, because you were a fan of jensen five minutes ago. i think you say that so you have an excuse to be mean. just fucking nasty and unkind and violent and disgusting, really.

as long as he's all those things, there's no problem with saying that he should be shot in the head, right? because of course, it would be Wrong and Terrible to say that a poor disabled native lesbian should be shot in the head because she said something that upset you, right? and the difference would be because, uh... because being marginalized inherently makes you Good and being privileged inherently makes you Bad? so as long as the person in question was born under certain circumstances, it's totally cool and funny to make jokes wishing violent death upon them.

and, before anyone comes to tell me i'm a hypocrite, then, for saying rude things about jared, i'm going to explain, if i must, that the reason i hate jared is because he's not only a self-centered bigot, but because he thinks being cruel for sport is funny. do you get my point?

lastly, before i press post, i'm going to say this one more time: jensen absolutely did not hear that girl crying from backstage. i have been in a convention audience and not been able to clearly hear what a questioner said, because they are not mic'd as well as the person onstage. that is not an excuse, that's just a fact. some event coordinator told jensen to round up misha for the next thing on the schedule, jensen did not know what was currently going on, and he came out teasing in a way that would have been perfectly fine if the question was light-hearted, which they usually are. someone asking a question involving how to cope with the death of their abusive father is simply not what is typically happening at convention panels. he didn't. fucking. know.

at this point, i think that you guys actually just enjoy tearing people down and manipulating something into an excuse to be cruel. you view real, actual human people with feelings as toys to be played with, and when they don't dance the way you like, you throw a tantrum. and if that's what you want out of fandom, stop making any pretense of valuing kindness.