#like this isn't even a case of one of those characters who has something stated about them that's just never brought up again

[peaceblank]

Cause I saw several posts about it, and I just re-watched the first spider-man movie. Let’s talk about how canon Peter Parker’s jewishness actually is.

So back in the 60s when Spider-Man was created, you didn’t make your main character jewish if you wanted to get broad appeal and therefore money. Thus a lot of comic creators didn’t make them jewish, despite being jewish themselves. Naturally though your writing is gonna reflect your background due to how that has affected you as a person, so a lot of those characters became coded as jewish. For Spider-Man that came from his co-creator Stan Lee.

Now as more comics are made the comics get handed to new writers. Eventually they have to tackle the issue of exploring the character in different ways, and in doing so have to handle the issue of filling in holes, like what’s their religion. So what do they do, they use generic christianity to fill in the gap because that most closely aligns with what’s seen as a regular guy to the writer, and why would he be jewish. After all, it’s seen as going out of the way to make a character jewish rather than christian narratively speaking in our culture.

So he’s not canonically jewish and never will be because to make him jewish would alienate too many people. You should have seen how flexible a human can be the way I saw fanboys bending over backwards trying to explain why that five second shot in Into the Spider-Verse doesn’t mean Peter B. Parker is jewish.

However that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop people from saying he’s jewish. It was nice to see that clip in Spider-verse, and I’d love even more in the future. In fact ignoring canon you don’t like is a key part of being a comic fan.

But now onto the twist reveal, this was about the Raimiverse the whole time. Yeah that’s right, this is all because I kept seeing posts ragging on the Raimi series for “erasing” his jewishness. Everybody pretending like in the comics Peter is walking around with a tallis when he is the exact same level of jewish as in those movies. You think they’re gonna let the most profitable character Marvel has be jewish? So many posts I see talk about those movies like them not making him jewish was the most horrifying thing and a personal attack. But once again, find no issue with the movies with the actor they like in it because in a few interviews he said the character was jewish, despite being no better about it in the text. I bet if Tom Holland had said in that one interview that yeah, Spider-Man is jewish, instead of being confused about it, everyone would be crawling all over that movie in the exact same way. But he didn’t because as I said, he’s not really jewish in canon or to the broader audience because to do so would detract from that mass appeal in the eyes of Spider-Man’s owners.

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

These are a couple doodles from yesterday, Gideon as a younger teen, before the growth spurt, maybe 14? He's discovered he's a vampire, and has a lot of recovery to do, since he's severely blood deficient.

I'm gonna let myself explode about my vampire gideon ideas, under construction, under the cut: (I don't write fanfiction, I just throw up my ideas on a tumblr post, apparently :'D)

This is what I love about tumblr - it's a place where I can throw the doodles (something that isn't finished *artwork*), and let myself be really delusional about fictional characters. So I'm gonna take a moment to ramble about the ideas I have for Gideon as a vampire.

If you're a fellow Gideon Head, HI THERE... anyway, here's my thought process on a potential vampire-gideon backstory???

I've always liked the idea of gideon being a vampire, and also becoming a much better person when he's older. And that got me thinking, maybe those two things are linked. Maybe the vampire thing is somehow tied into his reformation.

But I tend to lean towards building my ideas off canon (as opposed to making an AU). And if gideon was a vampire, and knew this during the events of the show, it would have come to light at some point. So, either he doesn't know he's a vampire, or he becomes one later. Becoming one later works narratively, but he's already so vampiric, with the white hair, pale skin, sunscreen, evil, etc. So I'm like, let's go with that.

So, gideon has gone his whole life without knowing he's a vampire, and without drinking blood. I'm thinking that being a vampire in this case (my gravity falls fan version of what a vampire would be) wouldn't adhere to typical vampire conventions. You don't NEED to drink blood to survive.

Here's the idea I got yesterday: after the events of weirdmageddon, gideons experience motivated him to become a better person. It was the awakening, basically. But in the subsequent years, he's still a little shit. Maybe he's in juvenile detention, or prison again. But now, he has the self awareness to know that what he's doing is wrong. This is where my ideas get a little fuzzy, so bear with me. Bud has his suspicions, and as a last resort, puts gideon on some sort of mission trip type of cross country trip, when he's in his teens. And along the way, maybe at the end, there's this secret group of vampires that open gideons eyes to what he really is.

Basically??? Without blood, gideon is very evil. He's an evil little shit. This may not be how it is for every vampire. Maybe some grow very sickly without blood, just get hungry, etc. The effects of blood deficiency vary from vampire to vampire. But Gideon becomes very unhinged. And he'd essentially been Blood Hangry for his whole life. That being said, some of it was just his personality that he needed to work through, but drinking some blood helped a LOT. Blood isn't food for him, it's more like his medication.

Once he has that discovery, he spends a long while, I'm thinking maybe even a year, just recovering from the deficiency. He's almost always drinking blood to keep up his levels, and he's very rarely seen in public to keep the vampire thing a secret. That's what these drawings were supposed to be, him in his pseudo bedridden state. This period in his life would be one big blur; mostly spent binge watching soap operas and being all cozy. In contrast to his usual suit + tie, he's dressing for max comfort: sweatpants, sweatshirt, a knit hat over his ridiculously big hair, and always wrapped in a blanket. Not sure if somehow he feels cold when drinking blood?? But for some reason, I feel like he'd always be wearing like 10 layers and laying under a heated blanket or something.

Eventually, he'd only need to drink blood about once a month for maintenance.

Character development wise - even as an adult, Gideon isn't sure if he's truly a good person. Is the blood deficient version of himself the true gideon? Or is this well adjusted man who he truly is? And there's an issue of the chicken and the egg, too. Gideon was born a vampire. Did these genes activate because he was predisposed to being evil? Or did the vampire thing happen by coincidence? Does being a vampire make him evil, or is it the other way around? He doesn't know, and he never will.

The one thing I'm not sure I like about this idea: i'm worried that I'd be writing off his villainous personality as an illness that can be cured with a thing. Obviously, it would be better if he faced that head on, and figured out how to be better. So I'm still grappling with that. But for now, this is an idea I'm entertaining. Of course, I think it would be interesting if there was a plot point where his usual source of ethically sourced human blood was compromised for a time, and he had to grapple with his personality going topsy turvy.

It's actually embarrassing how much I just wrote???? If you've made it this far, wow, I applaud you. I guess this was just my idea of having a good sunday night, writing down my silly thoughts on gideon gosh darn gleeful. Let me know your thoughts too!!!! I'd love to know if you have any ideas, or questions, or ways to strengthen this potential backstory.

[hamliet]

Derry Girls: A Masterclass in Detailed, Thematic Writing

Several years after the end, I finally watched Derry Girls, and it's become one of my favorite shows. Not only for the way it captures the absolutely unhinged aspects of Irish families (askmehowiknow) but for the sheer writing skill.

The vast majority of the episodes are laugh-out-loud hilarious, while also offering insightful commentary on the Troubles and on humanity's foibles as a whole. The characters are allowed to be human and act in unlikable, unsanitized ways, and to still be human and come back from that. (Almost like a metaphor for the Troubles or something.)

The story is also incredibly detailed; for example, when the girls are accused of killing a nun and Erin points out the nun was like, 98 years old and askes "might that shed some light on the situation?" there's an hourglass behind Sister Michael--emphasizing the idea that her time was up. Even more than that... the window is behind the hourglass, literally shining a light on it.

But that's a micro level. On a macro level, I also appreciated the way the story discusses the political backdrop that is part of its premise. Even as Erin, Michelle, James, Clare, and Orla grow up in a place that's been in a state of low-level warfare for decades, they live full lives. In fact, that's kinda the point.

Case in point: episode 4 of the first season, wherein Erin gets an exchange student from Chernobyl. The way the Northern Irish in general treat the Ukrainians is hilariously awful and patronizing, believing that they are giving them a respite from the troubles "over there" while Northern Ireland isn't in a much better state. But, as Sister Michael assures the Ukrainian students, the Irish troubles don't matter because "we're the goodies."

This line gets to the heart of what the episode is saying about political divisions and the way people view an "other." Everyone sees themselves as the "goodies." Because of that, they don't self-examine and wind up hurting the people they see themselves as wanting to help/save with their ignorance. It's a paradoxical egotistical (and frankly teenage) worldview that is also unwilling to look critically at oneself. The focus on their own perceptions over focusing on the actual humanity of the other results in ruining gifts that could come with cross-culture interaction, as seen in how Erin's misunderstandings and petty jealousy of Katya leads to her literally ruining a surprise gift Katya had prepared.

And the end of the episode also comments thematically on the story. One of the Ukrainian boys turns out not to be Ukrainian after all--he's actually Irish and from just down the road. He just didn't know how to say that. The ironic message is clear: despite differences in culture and views, they are actually all human beings, and assumptions make it hard for people to speak. If they could actually talk openly and without presumptions about who is "good" and who is "bad," they could prevent and solve a lot of problems.

This kind of background, symbolic commentary on the Troubles continues in just about every episode of the series. For example, even after the ceasefire, season 3 has an episode where it's discussed how negotiations are stalling, and the entirely of the rest of the episode takes place on a train that stalls between two separate places.

The Troubles are always something affecting their lives, but the only time the Troubles ever become the main story is in the finale episode. Which is also an episode that makes everyone cry. Michelle's brother is finally mentioned for the first time the entire series, yet it doesn't feel like a retcon so much as a recontextualization, and again mirrors how a lot of society (and Michelle's own family) have treated those who murdered others during the conflict.

Erin and James' relationship also works as a metaphor for the Troubles--an Irish Catholic girl and an English boy. Earlier in season 3, after they finally kiss, they're told they can't be together, that it's wrong, and that it'll create problems for everyone around them. Michelle doesn't want things to change. And Erin agrees that it's not good to pursue something.

But, in the final scenes, as Erin prepares to vote in the Good Friday Agreement and talks to James, she directly states she thinks things can't stay the same forever--thereby countering what she said to reject James earlier:

There's a part of me that wishes everything could just stay the same. That we could all just stay like this forever. There's a part of me that doesn't really want to grow up. I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I'm not sure I'm ready for the world. But things can't stay the same, and they shouldn't. No matter how scary it is, we have to move on, and we have to grow up, because things... well, they might just change for the better. So we have to be brave. And if our dreams get broken along the way... we have to make new ones from the pieces.

Symbolically, also, given that we know the outcome of the Good Friday Agreement, I think it's pretty clear Erin and James end up together even if we're not directly shown it.

That the last shot of the episode (besides the funny epilogue) is Grandda Joe, one of the eldest characters, helping his youngest toddler granddaughter Anna leap over a threshold as they leave the voting station, is also incredibly clear in its symbolism.

Erin: People died. Innocent people died, Grandda. They were someone's mother, father, daughter, son. Nothing can ever make that okay. And the people who took those lives, they're just gonna walk free? What if we do it, and it's all for nothing? What if we vote yes and it doesn't even work? Grandda Joe: And what if it does? What if no one else has to die? What if this all becomes a--a ghost story you'll tell your wee-un's some day? A ghost story they'll hardly believe?

I dunno, I think this is a sentiment we need more of in the world. A peaceful future means taking risks and accepting that punitive justice will not be perfectly doled out; however, if you allow more people to be hurt, is that not also injustice? It's a paradox that the story leaves us without a dogmatic answer to (for example, we never find out if Michelle's brother gets released), but it's also hopeful--because we know that the Good Friday Agreement largely worked.

(For further analysis of the final scene, I recommend PillarofGarbage's analysis on YouTube!)

[imustbenuts]

theres a few ??? thing going on in trigun stampede that's explicitly japanese/sino-ish in culture but im entirely not sure what to make of it. 3 things.

Knives' birthname being settled as Kni/Nai,

JuLai's emblem symbolism,

and the Buddha Thread??? thing in ep 11 10

Knives' birthname is Kni and hm! ...無い?

this is specifically a stampede thing. nightow didnt give him this Kni name in his work, so i can only chalk this up to the stampede staff's deliberate decision. if you render it into japanese, it'd be Nai, and the immediate word i can think of is... 無い. meaning, Nothing, or Without.

it fits rather well considering stampede has officially placed an emphasis on his obsessive love towards his brother on his bio on their official site:

my TL:

Vash's twin brother. Possesses a cold and merciless personality. Filled with a hatred for humans, he masterminds an organization with a plan to massacre the entire human species. With abilities beyond human understanding, he has the power to destroy entire planets. He greatly loves his only younger twin brother, Vash to an obsessive degree.

interestingly, the word used for the obsessive love here specifically is 執着 shuuchaku, which has roots/association with the word Abhinivesha. from what i understand it is a mental state, a fear of death, and a desperation to cling onto life so much one becomes ignorant and causes their own suffering. and ignorance is another big core of what makes Knives' character tick.

so i feel like this has some pointers towards Knives, or even child Kni being nothing without his younger brother. (or it could just be a simpler play on the word naive lmao)

meanwhile for Vash there's not really anything japanese that jumps out at me, but some have pointed out his name sounds like the french word Vashe, used for female cattle. extremely passive and born for consumption and theres a lot to dissect in that direction but im not going there! his name is Knife and his brother is a cattle there's catholicism may your brain go brr.

theres more to the nothingness concept in buddhism that doesnt put it squarely in a negative category but lets talk about buddhism later. next:

JuLai's emblem

stared at this for a few seconds and yelled fuck me. this represents the twins, AND its the broken yin yang symbol:

:). hey look at that female thing popping up again--

Knives is evidently the light Yang, and Vash is the dark Yin. ngl this daoist thing is somewhat sexist but lets brush that over 2 thousand year old aspect aside for this post. for stampede's case we can clearly see what theming is going on especially for those in the know of the original work.

Knives is hella assertive to the point of echoing fascist eugenics nonsense, and Vash has that nurturing instinct that seems to pop in whenever there's a human child or people who needs help.

interestingly the planet No Man's Land has too much fugging sun and is too hostile for human life. to survive people have to live in the shade and turn to plants for counters to the harsh, hot celestial sun. so here if Knives is being the sun, hes also being hostile to human life, and meanwhile the feminine looking plants and Vash's personality plus actions are the only thing giving these people at chance at life. (also vash has the power of Dark Matter or something)

obviously, just like JuLai's broken symbol, the balance is completely and utterly out of whack. in daoism a broken balance is thought to cause a lot of suffering. in the finale, Vash doesnt have a single speck of white on him, and Knives doesn't have a single speck of black. this means there isn't a balance and they cant come to an agreement at all.

im gonna also point out here that vash's idea of co-existence even if accepted wouldnt be a permanent solution due to the dependents having limited lifespan. so through this lens, stampede seems to be saying that neither twin's ideas are really effective long term solution, tho Knives is completely unacceptable due to obvious genocidal reasons.

Buddha Thread

studio orange whaaat are you guys cooking over there... ok so. in ep 11, Knives drops Vash into the uhhh The Hell Pool, and Vash tries to get out of it with his wire and hangs for a bit. then we get a scene like this:

Knives proceeds to cut Vash's thread and he drops into The Hell Pool. and then the metaphorical SA scene happens.

i call it Buddha Thread but this can also be known as The Spider's Thread. there exists a story of The Spider's Thread that's very Japanese-Buddhist and well known over there.

the gist of this story is that Buddha lowers a single spider thread to a sinner in the deepest hell as a lifeline to get out, bc this heavy sinner had done a singular good deed of saving a spider he was about to crush with his foot. however, the thread is broken as a result of the sinner's selfishness yelling for the other sinners below him to let go, claiming this thread was his and his alone. the sinner having climbed halfway upwards the thread after great effort plunges back into the pits of hell. buddha having watched all of this reacts with sadness, and the days in paradise carry on as per usual.

and. digest that for a second. and then refer back to Knives and The Fall and this scene that plays later, when Vash's mind wipe begins proper:

fuck. me. knives is framed as a self proclaimed god in the loudest ways on multiple levels.

while these 3 aspect i just broke down explaining do not exist at least overtly in the original trigun, i thought it would be interesting to chew on in light of the overwhelming catholicism existing in the story.

there's some themes im also picking up from the original trigun that might be rooted in either buddhsim or japanese culture such as: the undeniable truth that yearning and hunger is part of the human living experience and to deny it is to deny living. but im not sure what to make of it bc A) not explicitly framed or explored as a buddhsim/japanese idea thing and B) catholicsm obv is the overwhelming theme of the entire work

idk what the heck studio orange is cooking exactly but. hm.

[cy-cyborg]

It will never not be frustrating to me that amputees appear in fiction ALL. THE. TIME. and yet they're almost never acknowledged as such. The Cyberpunk genre is especially guilty of this: amputees and prosthetics becoming a normalised part of life are a defining part of the genre/aesthetic and yet no one even consults with any amputees about how we get represented there. Most writers in those genres don't even consider that giving your characters cybernetic arms and legs means they're an amputee.

CW: Ableism, dehumanisation

This makes it REALLY uncomfortable to engage with stories in the genre because another common aspect of cyberpunk is the idea of losing yourself and becoming something distinctly not-human anymore because you have too many cybernetic augmentations/implants. Shadowrun even has mechanics for this, which state if you get too many prosthetics, which is what cybernetics are 9 times out of 10, your character becomes a monster. These mechanics and discussions surrounding "how many robot bits make you not human anymore" are really, really uncomfortable when you remember this isn't something that's unique to a far-off future setting. Those people you're discussing the humanity of already exist. They're called amputees. If you reframe the question as "how many amputations can you have before you stop being a person" I hope you can see why an amputee like myself is not going to feel safe around you or in your fandoms.

And it's a shame, because I REALLY want to like Cyberpunk. I really, honestly do. I love the aesthetics, I love the idea of big corporations being the villains and the anti-capitalism at the heart of the genre, and I love the idea of prosthetics being not only destigmatised, but desirable. When written from a disability-inclusive lense, it honestly has the potential to be an incredibly uplifting and empowering genre. but as the genre stands right now, it's actively hostile to the very folks who are usually the stars of its stories: amputees, all because people just refuse to acknowledge us.

Cyberpunk isn't the only genre guilty of this, it's common all throughout sci-fi as a whole, but Cyberpunk is the only one where it starts becoming a serious issue due to its rampant dehumanisation of a real group of people. In other sci-fi settings, it's just kind of annoying and while it can be a form of erasure, it's not usually harmful, just...frustrating. Fantasy does it on occasion too, think pirates with a hook and a peg leg, but nowhere near as much.

If you, as an author or creator, use any of these words to describe a character or their tech in a sci-fi setting:

cybernetics/cybernetic enhancements

bionics

robot limbs

cyborgs

augmentations

You are probably writing an amputee. Please, at the very least, acknowledge it, and be mindful that those are real people who actually exist, not just a fantasy group you can speculate about.

edit:

I originally posted this article on my old Tumblr account and lot of people commented/reblogged to tell me that originally in cyberpunk, the "less human the more robot bits you have" only applied to people who opted for their limbs to be replaced by cybernetics, because it was seen as "renting out your body to corporations for money" but people who had to get cybernetics out of necessity weren't impacted. The thing is though, I really don't think that makes it better, for a few reasons. For one, where do you draw the line at "opting" to get a cybernetic prosthetic? This isn't a black and white thing, even in real life. Most amputations are done out of necessity, but there are situations where it's not the only option, just the best one. Talking from personal experience, I lost both my legs below the knee as a baby, that was a pretty clear cut case, I had a blood infection and gangrene and they had to act fast. But the infection caused lasting side effects and impacted my physical body's development and growth. By the time I got to my early 20's it was causing a lot of pain in my right leg, in my knee specifically, and when I got a bone infection in the end of that stump, I chose to have the whole thing amputated up to the knee. They only needed to take a few inches off the end of my stump, but I asked them to go higher, because of the ongoing issues in that knee, issues that would have been made worse by the shortening of the leg. I choose to remove the whole thing, knowing the joint was degrading and I probably would have lost it later in life anyway. Even if it was salvageable, it would mean much more surgery, and I've had enough of those. A boy I played wheelchair basketball with was born with a partially formed leg, it was half the size of his other leg and he wasn't able to use it al all, it was just dead weight, so he opted to get it amputated too for convenience and so he could use a prosthetic on that side. I worked with a girl who's hand didn't form properly in the womb, resulting in a normal palm, but tiny "finger nubs" (her words) with no bones inside. They weren't actively harming her usually, but she opted to get them and the top of her palm amputated after an incident at work where we were tying balloons and one of her nubs got stuck in the knot. She decided to get them amputated because it meant accidents like that would be less likely, and she could use a prosthetic more comfortably. All 3 of these are considered "optional" amputations, so would people like us be penalised in your setting? does it make sense that the technology in your setting can tell the difference, or that corporations would care about the how and why? Even stepping away from medical grey areas, if your character opts for a cybernetic arm because the corporations will financially reward her, and she's struggling to put food on the table without that help, is that really optional?

Don't get me wrong, I do think that idea could work but it would take a lot of work to do well, and most works I've seen don't do the work. Even if they did though, it doesn't change the fact that most modern uses of this trope don't mention that bit or actively ignore it. It doesn't matter in most cyberpunk works I've seen if the amputation was optional or out of necessity, they still are more prone to being seen as "less human" and in most of the sci-fi writing communities I've been part of, the authors are genuinely shocked when I ask them to remember "people with cybernetics are real people already, they're not some far-off-distant future fantasy group, they're just called amputees". Like it didn't even cross their minds. These are the people creating the works in this genre. Even if it wasn't the original intention of the genre, it's still an issue in the modern version of it. Edit 2: Elaborated a little more on why I don't think the "only people who choose it" argument works in the edit. Also, please stop telling me that old cyberpunk doesn't have this issue, I literally address that in the post lol.

[squgs]

I've seen people responding to it being pointed out that Daemon is so obviously a worse person than Alicent or Criston by saying that "at least he isn't a hypocrite" or "at least he doesn't pretend he's better than he is." Which is perhaps accurate, but is really just saying "at least Daemon doesn't make any attempt to be a good person or voice any desire to be better."

This leads me to something I've been noticing: none of the team black characters voice or show any regret for their misdeeds while team green characters do so constantly. Daemon never apologizes or show any regret for any of the brutally evil things he does. Alicent on the other hand is constantly looking apologetic and regretful, even when she didn't do anything like in the case of Larys killing his family.

After the eye incident Alicent is extremely regretful and apologetic for her actions while Rhaenyra isn't at all. In fact Rhaenyra's response is to seek out more power through marrying Daemon so that she can more effectively hurt anyone who states an obvious truth. Her children similarly show no regret for escalating that fight, nor seem at all apologetic for having permanently disfigured Aemond.

The comparison is most striking between Criston and Daemon who have semi similar misbehavior that only Criston acknowledges in any way as bad. First in episode 5 they both smash someone's face in. Daemon's is clearly premeditated and his entire reason for being in the vale, while Criston's was planned at most ten minutes before it was carried out and was a response to an assumed attempt to blackmail him. Daemon has absolutely no shame about the murder, even going so far as to try to claim his victim's inheritance. Criston on the other hand is so ashamed that he tries to kill himself. They both also have incidents of misogynistic language. Criston calls Rhaenyra a cunt once and promptly apologizes. Daemon refers to his first wife as a 'bronze bitch' more than he uses her name and calls Alicent a whore. He does not apologize for any of those instances or show any indication that he doesn't think those are appropriate things to call a woman. Finally in episodes 8 and 9 Criston and Daemon each attack a man from behind after he insults their wife. Neither is their best moment, but again Criston is pretty clearly regretful of it, and it seems like he didn't mean to kill Beesbury and that he just forgot how fragile old people are. Daemon on the other hand clearly intended to murder Vaemond and was happy to quip about it and then chuckle when he's mentioned again.

The one sort of exception to this is Rhaenyra's toast to Alicent in episode 8. She does apologize in that scene. However, she isn't apologizing for mistreating Alicent. All she is apologizing for is not helping to take care of Viserys and not acknowledging her care taking previously, which like it definitely means something that she said that, but implicit in what she says is the idea that it's Alicent's role and duty to be taking care of him. There's kind of an implication that Rhaenyra views Alicent as having redeemed herself through serving Viserys when in reality her care taking is just another facet of Viserys's abuse, abuse that is never acknowledged or apologized for. Still I do love that scene and the way it is beautifully, pathetically, sad that Rhaenyra can only connect and forgive Alicent when she's in her subservient role and that Alicent is so desperate for connection with Rhaenyra that she will accept that barest hint of an apology even in the face of all the evidence that it's meaningless.

Now one would think that some characters regretting their misdeeds would be viewed as a sign of them being better people, but I think it actually has the opposite effect. Because the green characters are shown being regretful, their misdeeds are focused on and emphasized. In episode 5 it's possible to forget that Daemon killed his wife at the start of the episode, because it seems like he's forgotten as well. However it's impossible to forget what Criston does because his actions for the rest of the episode are all a reaction to his shame and horror about having just murdered someone. Then in the next episode when Criston has his one instance of misogyny, the entire show pauses to take note of it and wait for him to apologize (which he does!), but on the numerous occasions when Daemon is misogynistic the show breezes right past it, treating it as just a bad boy Daemon moment. Daemon's misdeeds can be enjoyed without an imediate reminder of how evil he is, letting him be a cool fun badass, while Criston's can't. You can't look at him awkwerdly and regretfully standing over Beesbury's body and say 'oh wow, such a badass male wife he really told Beesbury to keep his Wife's name out of his fucking mouth.' Though to be clear I also very much judge anyone who says that about Daemon killing Vaemond.

This is seen again in the eye incident. For most of the audience that goes into the incident not thinking that Rhaenyra is a significantly worse person than Alicent (a reasonable assumption), Alicent being extremely regretful afterwards while Rhaenyra isn't at all, is an indication that Alicent acted far worse than Rhaenyra did. A misreading that is helped by Rhaenyra's call for violence being couched in the 'sharply questioned' euphemism while Alicent's is stated outright. That is perhaps Alicent's most badass scene where she does her best to stand up to her abuser and those who allow that abuse in defense of their children, going so far as to physically fight back (though Rhaenyra perhaps wasn't the best choice of target), but the audience doesn't have any encouragement to see her badassery, instead we're to wallow in her shame at having fought back and watch her shrink back into herself with the implication that that's what she should be doing.

This pattern shows a fascinating tension between the events portrayed in the show and their framing. The show gives us two groups of people who range from very flawed to evil, but they are framed as a group of heroes and a group of villains. The greens are villains and their actions can only confirm that, while the blacks are heroes and their actions no matter how violent can only provide more evidence of heroism. I don't know how much actual meaning can be made from that tension, I wouldn't even be surprised if it was entirely accidental, but it is at the very least interesting enough to note.

[thr0wnawayy]

How Corrupt Is Hero Society?. Part 2

Nomu and Endeavor, a cause for concern

To add to the today's chatter about Endeavor and his excessive force and how that applies to the rest of MHA's "heroics". I'd like to point something out

It has always been this way

Excessive violence against Nomu isn't anything new, ever since Hori downgraded them into punching bags so the audience wouldnt question the morality of it all.

It does, however bring into light just how desensitized Hero Society is, how they view villains and may display some quirk-ism. Allow me to elaborate.

To the publics knowledge this is a PERSON.

The general public, hell most heroes. Had no fucking clue what a Nomu was. To their knowledge this was just someone with a heavy mutation quirk.

And they just, carry on.

Endeavor's gut instinct here was to burn his head off to stop him from regenerating and no one bats an eye.

But don't worry it gets worse.

Gran Torino is someone the community has dug into countless times for his attitudes towards Shigaraki and belief that "killing is another way to save"

So when Torino does this:

it doesn't really help his case, especially when Endeavor tried to kill that Nomu prior to this by incinerating him alive (almost killing 2 civilians. But I'll get to that)

Such a move would at the very least, sever someone's spine rendering them paralyzed for life. While I can see what Torino was trying to do, the ends do not justify the means here.

I'm not saying the Nomu are innocent, but it's blatantly obvious that they should be aiming to detain them rather than resorting to lethal force right away.

The worst part is the public has no reaction to this. No one asks anything and the authorities sure as hell aren't telling them squat.

We see it again during the Hood Fight and what's worse is that Hood can talk, bringing into question of how sapient is Hood.

Again Endeavor incinerates the Villain and no questions are asked.

Alright remember what I said about the two civilians?. well it gets worse, Firstly, they didn't even know if they were alright until near the end of the Hosu Incident, just letting them run off.

After Endeavor recklessly unleashes a wall of flame, the Nomu absorbs it and processed to reflect the same attack.

(on a second note: Torino and Enji even refer to the Nomu as if they were fighting a Human!?)

What does this mean?. Well that Enji ran into that fight without thinking!.

He didn't even so much as think up a strategy (just like a certain blonde we all know and despise) for what would happen if the opponent just, didn't die.

In Vigilantes he opts to bathe an entire city block in fire because he can't find the Villain (6)

He creates a fucking fire tornado with no thought for collateral damage

(The reactions of his sidekicks concern me, though knowing how Burnin' reacted to Dabi's exposé I'm not suprised.)

Given that he's this destructive and openly antagonistic in public, I don't even want to imagine the state Rei was in after every "training session" spent protecting Shoto.

This is why looking back, I can't say I'm suprised how some of the civilians dove back into worshipping heroes, even after Hawks killed a man and Heroes left them to fend for themselves.

Because as the saying goes

A bird stuck in a cage believes flying to be an illness

_______________________________________

Additional Info:

As pointed out by @gecmi09 (thank you for bringing that up), Endeavor did indeed refer to Crawler and Popstep as villains, as seen here:

I'd like to draw attention to the fact that he is drawn in a similar manner to Number Six, who is also often drawn in a silhouetted fashion, especially when his true colors are exposed.

The two characters are ironically very similar. Both are willing to resort to destructive means if it means achieving their goals.

Both willingly hurt those around/close them and use flawed logic in an attempt to justify their actions.

Both pretend to be something/someone they're not

Both of them brought about their own demise through one of their victims (Dabi and Knuckleduster [who took in Koichi] respectively. Though Six's was more indirect.)

Even though Vigilantes is loosely attached to MHA, I find it interesting that these two characters are so similar. Really makes you think.

[vasito-de-leche]

Do you have any specific queer headcannons of r1999 characters if so which ones and why?

I wrote a bunch of stuff for this post but then tumblr fucked me up and reloaded without saving it so here we are..... rewriting it all over again ... OAUGH. usually I default to seeing everyone as Vaguely Bisexual and Not Cis until stated otherwise, but you asked for specifics so here we go!

6 is aromantic or demiromantic.

On one hand, it's because I love projecting on my faves. On the other hand, it's because he genuinely doesn't feel like the type of person to be interested in relationships. But this isn't something that's tied to any potential disgust, repulsion or even trauma related to his Revelation and struggle against fate -- to me, 6 just doesn't feel romantic attraction. At the very least, nothing strong enough to consider pursuing. It's not in his priorities. I really dislike this specific thing that fandoms do in which every single character who is introverted, or who happens to be alone/isolated (either by chance or by choice) is secretly lonely, touch starved, pining and desperate for attention and romantic love. It feels like such a huge disrespect for their equally important platonic or familial relationships. 6 already holds a lot of love for his own community and his childhood friends, a type of affection that is shown in his subtle and unique ways. I like it when his character focuses on those aspects instead!

Mesmer Jr. is aromantic and asexual.

In her case, she's the opposite of 6. Mesmer Jr.'s trauma and OCD is much too intense for her to even consider the idea of an emotional or physical bond with anyone. She's disgusted at the idea of touching others so casually, and she's afraid at the possibility of allowing a person (someone she logically cannot have any control over) into her life because what if they throw her off her schedule? What if they mess every meticulous thing she's planned for herself and her mental stability? What if she loses her grip? Yes, it's plausible that she may find a partner who works perfectly with the way she needs things to be, and yes, you can headcanon that she heals and her OCD becomes "manageable" enough to have a stable relationship, but personally? I just like it when characters don't get to have stereotypical happy endings in which everything gets better through love and friendship and support -- like, yeah everyone loves to see their faves happy and all but eh... It's a bit of projection on my part! Some people don't get to heal and do all the things their disabilities prevented them from doing, even if we're given all this support and love. Some of us just have to find ways around these things, anything that works for us that makes our lives easier.

Sweetheart is queer but has a complex relationship with love. In a somewhat similar vein, Blonney has gone through every single letter of the LGTBQ+ community.

I tried my best to explain my thoughts on Sweetheart but at this point she deserves her own post because it's honestly a LOT, this single part was just too long so I cut it out entirely. Just trust me when I say she's queer and has a very complex relationship with love. In Blonney's case, we discussed the possibility of her being written as comphet and it got me to think a little about her. I see Blonney as the type of girl who presents as a straight bimbo, following the themes of her character and all, but who has constant crisis after crisis in the privacy of her bedroom, the only place she's allowed to be more than just a blondie. This constant journey questioning her orientations and gender happens entirely in her head and in private. I like to think that she just has these long monologues in her head. Sure, she's identified as straight her whole life, but maybe bisexual works better because there was that one girl she kept meeting under the bleachers. Oh, but maybe she's a lesbian, since all her boyfriends are just huge disappointments and none of them ever make her truly happy. Oh, but maybe that's just because she has bad taste in men, there was that one guy in class who keeps making her laugh after all. Ahh, this would be so much easier if she were a guy, her femininity is mostly performative after all. Ah, but she actually really loves pink and fashion... Nonbinary then? No, she's not the type to pick something so vague, it's one or the other. Oh, how about both? Genderfluid! Etc etc. If you ask her about how she identifies, she'll simply brush you off with a "What's it to you? That's none of your business, creep!" and move on, but this is something very personal to her. So far, she knows she likes being femme presenting and that she likes Jessica!

Eagle is a trans girl.

Have you guys seen those posts going around tumblr about how important it is that trans women exist because they fight for their own womanhood and girlhood in a world that constantly looks down upon feminine things and all women as a whole? Yeah. Yeah. Eagle being a scout that fights so hard to prove herself, the feelings of not belonging into the Boy Scouts and seeing how the Girl Scouts are created eventually, a space for her. The fact that she visits her father's grave so that he can see her grow up.

Kaalaa Baunaa, Oliver Fog, Medicine Pocket and Melania are probably bisexual, but they're super busy with work so they don't have time to address that.

Self-explanatory <3 I do like to think that Kaalaa and Medpoc are more chill about it, Kaalaa because she's a grown ass woman who is very mature, and Medpoc because they genuinely give no fucking shits about dating in general, so who cares about confirming whether they're bisexual or not. Oliver Fog is a little more flustered at the idea of exploring his orientation and whatnot, but it's tolerable. BUT MELANIA? I LOVE to think that she's FULLY aware that the MOMENT she acknowledges her bisexuality, she will have a crisis and then what will she do? She has 3 papers due next week and a heist this weekend, she can't possibly sit there wondering about liking girls! She's got things to do!

And here's the extra round of HCs that don't require that much text to explain or that lean towards being more silly!

Eternity has literally outlived the concept of gender. She/They royalty.

37 has QRPs instead. It Just Works. No one but herself and her partners understand the dynamics, though. As god intended <3

APPLe is a raging bisexual and has been spotted in many gay bars. Regulus is also bisexual.

The world would've been a better place if Bette was a butch lesbian.

Balloon Party and An-An Lee play with gender like its playdough.

Baby Blue is Not Cis and she's Not Straight either because none of that shit matters to her anymore, since she's been disconnected from reality and society for so long. She also doesn't care about labelling herself.

Diggers is trans, but no one can figure out which way exactly. It doesn't help that he refuses to clarify either. The same thing happens with John Titor, except she's very vocal about being a transwoman.

Bunny Bunny is bisexual but she hasn't realized this yet. In similar fashion, Horropedia is bisexual but he just forgets about it sometimes.

Druvis III as a trans woman goes hand in hand with Forget Me Not as a gay man. This is why they're both super divorced.

Leilani is pansexual because she prefers the colors of that specific flag over the bisexual one. Spathodea is pansexual because the personal distinction between pansexuality and bisexuality matters to her.

Tennant is bisexual because she can scam and seduce more people that way.

The Fool is nonbinary. Mf should've been born in the 2020's, I just KNOW he would've loved mirrorgender.

Zima is in the closet not out of shame but out of safety. Just in case.

Sotheby assumes that every girl in the world likes girls. So far no one has been able to prove her wrong because all she does is interact with other sapphic girls.

Pavia is nonbinary out of spite. But I also love transguy Pavia HCs so so so much, give that guy boobs, he would never get top surgery <3

Vertin is nonbinary too but she doesn't care about people knowing about it. She does, however, make the effort to be a little androgynous, as a treat for herself.

Madam Z and Katz absolutely had a Situationship going on during university. Katz was bicurious and Madam Z helped her experiment. Now the Situationship is between Madam Z and Constantine, the latter using Madam Z as a rebound after fumbling her relationship with Vertin's mother <- the machinations in my brain will astonish you.

TTT is genderfluid by virtue of being a picture on a TV, so I like to think she can just shift her appearance. In similar fashion, gender means nothing to Alien T and Voyager because they're aliens.

I specifically love the idea of all of the 1.2 gang joking about how Tooth Fairy is their token straight adult figure -- she's actually bi and asexual, but likes to keep that to herself so the kids can make their little jokes and have fun.

Enigma is gay and homophobic because his self-loathing is just that strong.

Turns out that the push Click needed to explore his own sexuality was getting killed on the battlefield, so now he's free to be gay. perhaps bicurious.

[jerryterry]

There was one inevitable downside (/upside for Tumblr Drama fans?) to all of these poll tournaments coming to Tumblr, and that's "fandom polls being run by people with a massive bias/opinion that they can't help from plastering all over the posts". Like, there's this one New Vegas poll currently running where the OP has a seething hatred for Cass, among others - badmouthing characters in their poll posts, getting into ranting arguments about it. It's inconsequential and funny, and situations like this are a dime a dozen on this site, but seeing this made me want to take a look at this one a lil closer. Because it brushes into something small I've always found interesting about New Vegas: the rumor of homosexuality in the Legion, as well as a wider factor about the writing of companions in general (Under a read-more for length).

OP literally says "If you tell her you're a gay man, she calls you a nazi", so lets take a look at the line they cite for this:

There's multiple points where characters joke about the Legion having similar prominent homosexuality to the actual Romans (which was notable enough that there's straight-up a "Homosexuality in ancient Rome" Wikipedia page). For example:

- Veronica

- Major Knight

What's interesting is that the one character who talks about his direct experience with this subject, Jimmy (a former Legion slave), actually says something that contradicts that last quote:

This opens up the likely possibility that it's NCR propaganda - a homophobic lie to emasculate the enemy. Even if maybe it IS something common in the Legion, it's something frowned upon and is at best a rampant open secret. Either case makes Major Knight's quote provably false.

Regardless, it's a wide non-Legion belief that homosexuality is common and accepted in the Legion. If the source of that rumor IS cooked-up homophobic propaganda, it's interesting that it hasn't worked on the only characters who talk about it. All three of those quotes not only have no ill will toward the idea (Cass immediately states it's not an issue AND notes how common it is behind closed doors), but two of them are mentioned in a context of longing: Veronica's quote is immediately followed by her being angry that only men are allowed to be gay, wishing the same for lesbians. Major Knight's quote is in the context of him having to hide his homosexuality at work -- which sadly makes it clear that the propaganda was likely more effective in general than on the one straight character who mentions it.

I'd say it's funny that OP has a hatred of Cass for being homophobic despite being one of the few characters in-game who makes an explicit statement of not having a problem with homosexuality (I for one would've loved to see Boone - the biggest NCR bootlicker around - make his stance clear on the matter). But admittedly it IS tactless and clumsy to make a backhanded comparison of gayness to the Legion (that statement's obvious expository purpose aside). They also read "there's a lot more of that in the Mojave" to mean "ew, it's not this bad where I come from!", but Major Knight makes it clear that where she comes from is actually MORE supportive. As well as another comment she makes about having slept with women while drunk, which OP construes as likening homosexuality to a drunken mistake.

Like, relax. Yes, "I have no problem with it" isn't the most heartfelt statement of support. But the most Cass' words betray about her is ignorance. I think it's clear she's well-meaning but ignorant, and for the most part intentionally written that way. Most of the companions have intentional personality flaws - Cass is crass, tactless, and stubborn. Arcade is an idealist to a fault (in the game's opinion). Boone is blinded by loyalty to a flawed system despite enacting the worst parts of it. Veronica talks like every line was written by Joss Whedon. The others' flaws are a little more external, but ALL of the companions are intended to be flawed and have pros and cons (while not entirely equal), and all are still intended to be well-meaning people despite this.

It reflects a realism in the nuance of human beings. In general, the writing often tends to rely on this "no black or white, ALWAYS nuance" approach to an almost frustrating degree - like I WISH you could get a better ending for the Followers in a "did everything right" Yes Man ending, even though I know the phrase "did everything right" itself goes against the core philosophy of NV. The poll thing was intended as more of a jumping-off point to talk about some stuff in New Vegas I find interesting rather than a response to that post, but honestly - I know Tumblr has a bit of a problem with seeing nuance, but have a little faith in the writers, will you?

Oh. They... think the game itself pushes the idea that "all fascists are gay"??? How can you be a fan of this game yet have such a low opinion of its writing? Such a lack of critical understanding? This person says "According to my academically trained eye..." and then goes on a series of reaches that critically misunderstand the text in a really unfavorable way, just because they were (understandably) offended by a clumsy offhand statement a character makes and immediately clarifies. And they chose to run a poll despite their open hatred for some of the characters involved (they also seem to hate Boone, for obviously more understandable reasons). Interesting choice.

What's funnier is that OP's open disdain for this character makes it more likely for Cass to win the poll on account of spite votes. Cass would've absolutely been buried by Arcade and Veronica in any other scenario.

Anyway, here's a YouTube comment I found while grabbing these quotes that I found funny:

[Transcripts of screenshotted quotes are available in the alt text]

[lutawolf]

My Personal Weatherman and the D/s element Ep 5

If you haven't read my other episodes, they can be found here.

Here I am, using my data at work to write this. I'm showing the love!

I love the shirt. "Good Times."

Oh, No!! Poor Yoh. His work isn't selling. He writes characters like Segasaki! Hahahah! Love it. Poor baby though. He really needs to do BL mangas. Even with his head in a dark tunnel, Yoh is still tuning in to support Segasaki.

Poor baby. I bet you do like those types of characters. As do we.

"It's as if I'm drowning in the sea, even though I'm dressed. Dark things seeping in, absorbing the blackness. This burdened body is now increasingly heavy. So heavy." And this is depression. Not someone feeling a little down. This is someone sliding into a dark place.

Segasaki comes into a dark home. He says hmmm. Starts turning on lights and looking for Yoh. He starts to fuss when he finds Yoh, but immediately stops when he notices the state his is in. Yes, he complains about the clothes, but it's more offhanded as his personality than getting onto Yoh. Any Dom or parent can tell you this is more of a delay reaction while the brain is processing. He gets Yoh up and to a place where he can care for him.

He tries to talk to him. He checks his head. Then he tries to push Yoh into drinking water.

What's with Doms pushing water? Hydration is a key element in health, especially in play. However, that isn't the case here. Instead, it's about showcasing non-intimate care and concern. It's saying, I know that right now is not sexy time and you need the priority. With lifestyle D/s it's key to know the line between sexual and non-sexual time. So it's essential to show care that is non-sexual. Hydration is the easiest way to do this.

Now, I can hear you guys. You're going, but it was sexual. He used his mouth to give him water. Yeah, we found it sexual, but notice that he didn't go any further. While even Yoh might have been startled enough for it to knock him into the here in now, it was not sexual on Segasaki's part. It was merely a tool in his arsenal. Once he has gotten Yoh in a better place. He then cooks the meal to care for him.

Assignment time. Go back to when Yoh fed Segasaki to now when Segasaki is feeding Yoh. Note the differences and I want you to reblog this with those differences because they are very much there. Even though they are doing the same thing, feeding each other. Caring for each other. You can see the difference between the Dom mentality and the sub mentality.

Okay, so see what I mean about Segasaki using the element of surprise as a tool. Mentioning something sexual, a bath, startles Yoh. It's keeping him in the present.

Do you guys see the huge difference in how a Dom cares for his sub vs how a sub cares for their Dom? Both due it. There is a time and place for one to put the other ahead of themselves, but it doesn't change the dynamic. Because it's about who holds the power of control that defines who is Dom and who is sub.

Yoh confesses what is going on with him. That he failed at manga. Segasaki laughs in relief. Not the best reaction, but I can understand it. I mean, finding your submissive in a state like this, and you don't know if it's something you can fix or if someone has died. You don't know what to do, and you are a creature who does. You are a creature that fixes. And you can't do anything until you know what it is and if you can even fix it. Segasaki is relieved because he thinks this is something he can fix. Yoh doesn't understand this though and Segasaki is a little dumb for not being more aware, but they are both really young. Segasaki is trying.

"You know, by the seaside, the wind direction changes between day and night. When the winds change direction or falls still, it's called nagi or wind shift. Right now, you are in that nagi state. In a little while, a different wind will blow again." aka this too shall pass. Moments in life are temporary, regardless of good or bad. It's all transient. But Luta! Yoh is depressed, you don't see things clearly when depressed. Right, and that is when a Dom becomes more important than you can imagine. That is when we have to be our most confident and reasonable. Subs are not normies, we are their life-line.

Ahhh, Segasaki is melting me here. "Today I get to take care of you. It feels nice."

Poor Yoh is so stupid. "It's like we're a real couple. It seems like you like me." That's because you are, and he does!!! I love how startled Segasaki is by Yoh taking initiative. OMG, my favorite thing about this show besides the characters is how well it showcases the difference between Dom and submissive. They have done an amazing job paralleling scenes, like taking initiative in sex, and showcasing exactly how the power dynamic is. Even though they are doing the exact same thing, you can clearly see that Segasaki always holds the power.

Another day of household chores. Another day of self reflection or self-abuse, as Yoh likes to do.

So basically, you want to bitch about having a perfect boyfriend. You know... I respect this. Go on then. Um, no, you want to talk about the difficulties of unemployment? Uh, sure. I love this bitch. Lay on the real. Together they make a lovely bunch of coconuts.

Aww, these two. I love them. Have you recovered? Yes, thanks to you. You are welcome to feel depressed again. Stupid boys, oh how I adore thee. So cute. Also, isn't Segasaki wearing Yoh's shirt? Hahaha, Yoh trying to figure out how to do a manga based on them without telling Segasaki. If that isn't brat behavior. You aren't suspicious looking at all, Yoh. Segasaki commands him to sit, and in a hurry at that. How many of you did a rewind? Hmmm. Especially with that face and the arm grab. You normies just don't know how well they are nailing this shit. Are we sure these actors don't live the lifestyle???

OMG, this whole scene is giving me chills, and they are multiplying. Normies are watching this and aren't seeing it the way I am, for sure. This is a Brat Tamer and brat doing a push-pull. They are both using their arsenal. Segasaki is using sex and Yoh is using emotions. He is pushing Segasaki in the direction he wants to get what he wants. Yeah, sure he wants Segasaki to understand him better and Segasaki needs to do better, but this is more about them both wanting to get what they want. At least that's how I'm reading it from my experience with brats, and I assure you, I have much experience with brats.

Yes! See! Segasaki read the room and did what I have done. Don't judge me, people. I have that authority. I'm a mother fucking Dom. Don't like it, don't be my submissive. That simple. You can negotiate your guidelines but the deeper D/s relationships, even the BT/b have this type of control.

I'm really looking forward to next week. Loved this episode! Today's review is dedicated to @esinegerp @dimondlite @mlcpopfan @bengiyo @notfreetoday @bouncy-bed-game

[bibibbon]

You know, the loV stans complaining about shig and dabi and toga's ending is a tragedy "poor meow meow" and with a rare dose of people not blaming Izu (it's rare super rare) but forget how....they didn't want to be saved, Ochako, Izu and maybe Shoto(through I think Shoto's case makes a bit more sense) were on a fool's mission.

Izu suffered, suffered, suffered for absolutely nothing.

He didn't saved Shig.

Shiga and Izu don't know each other...it's almost laughable how they are strangers really

Izu get nothing. Monoma gets a statue (not a hater, but come on! Why he get a state and Izu not even a thanks, oh sure lil kids thank him once in a full moon)

Izu has no friends.

And the likelihood of bk being the #1 is still a thing.

Bk won

Izu, the mc, the underdog lost.

If the mc can't have a good ending. Why the fuck the LoV stans thought shig and dabi would have a happy ending?

Just mad...not with the story, but with the fans.

MHA is a shitty story ...with a fandom which has no media literacy

Hi @mikeellee 👋

It's hilarious how underdeveloped the dynamic between Izuku and shigaraki is it's almost like horikoshi forgot about them and then tried to do something to try and fix that in the last war arc by using the whole memeoru sharing thing that mainly shared Shigaraki's memories and barely none of izuku's. The two characters haven't interacted enough to even understand eachother and izuku is still stuck in chapter one (Izuku doesn't actually develop he is an incredibly static character) so how do you expect a static character to save another when izuku can't even save himself?!?!

Iam incredibly critical of both shigaraki and izuku and at least shoto and Dabi or toga and ochako were given slightly more justice than what the main duo was given.

However, even when it comes to the other characters the villains weren't given proper arcs to be saved. I have touched on that aspect a lot on other asks but its incredib easy to make them tragic characters who end up proving a point or characters who end up becoming redeemed but they also need to be properly humanised and developed.

Iam not trying to say that the only characters that can be saved are those who are perfect victims but Iam saying that it's quite difficult to save a character who says they will continue to harm/kill or destroy even after being given another chance.

In the end everyone who isn't bakugo got a bad ending.

[mikuni14]

4 Minutes - Ep 6

Boy, but I loved this episode ✨💖🤩 Happy my favorite theory almost came true, yay!

Everything was great, the realism of what was happening, the behavior of the characters, the aesthetics and visuals, the disintegration of what exists, like families, frienships, lifes, but also relationships that didn't even have a chance to be created and are already falling apart. The breakdown and the heartbreak, the regret for what was lost and for what could have been.

I like that everything that happens has consequences, which as we all know, doesn't always happen in movies and series. And here everything has its consequences, including omissions - because the series clearly shows that although Great is not technically a bad person, his sins of cowardice and failure to act, of not helping the victims, also have to be paid for. (How very DFF of them lol 😍)

I absolutely love Great in this episode, showing him as a lonely young man drifting listlessly and lifelessly through his life, resenting and loathing his family, subconsciously sensing that in addition to the lack of care and affection for him in this family, their obsession with money, something really bad is also happening. A very telling sign about the current state of his mind, soul, mental health is his reaction - or rather - his lack of reaction to the bad events happening in his life, his wallowing in hedonism. And the first real, human connection which he felt with Tyme, with someone who is being torn by some deep inner emotions, who in his revenge, anger, despair, but also those few moments with him when he forgets that he should hate Great - is so SINCERE, which somehow speaks to him, as if he's the first real and raw in his feelings and honest person in his life. And also hot, that helps a lot, I guess? lol

How amazing is the juxtaposition of Great in reality with that of his own visions. It shows that what Great regrets most is the lack of ACTION, the lack of decision-making. The real Great just lets things happen around him, he doesn't think about what's happening before his eyes, he doesn't think about the consequences, not even about how he drives. The real Great isn't a bad person, but he never learned, no one taught him to be responsible for himself and for others, his parents only thought that with money alone they would solve everything and fulfill everything in their and their children's lives. In his visions he "plays" with the ideal of himself as he would like to be: strong, decisive, taking action, being decent and kind, getting the man he wants on his own 😊 The real Great lets Tyme go every time, while in his visions he always chases him.

The series perfectly shows the star-crossed lovers trope in an absolutely amazing way. Great and Tyme are clearly fascinated by each other, they are compatible with each other and in another reality, without all this burden resting on their shoulders, without the soul crushing baggage their parents gave them, they could be a perfect couple madly in love.

Of course we support Tonkla in his revenge, you are doing amazing sweetie! 💯 Go ahead and use Win and Korn as much as you like 😏 (I just hope Title suffered an even worse fate, I mean, he was the second victim in the field by the lighthouse? I don't know if I missed something, it was him right?)

Poor Mio and his back 😧 (This is also a good time to remind everyone how much I love him and miss him. In case anyone didn't know that already 🥺)

I liked the whole episode, but my heart skipped a beat for a second having serious The Untamed flashbacks here:

🥺💖

[hopeful-puffin]

Been doing some rereading sporadically through the series again. And I noticed something interesting while perusing Season 3 in particular. Now this probably isn't anything groundbreaking or earth shattering. From what I can gather, I would be surprised it was entirely intentional as well.

Siren and Fizz are polar opposites.

I know, I know. Swallow your gasps of surprise and stow away those eye rolls. I realized it initially in the obvious differences between how they both view and treat Kappa. Where Siren is gentle, respectful, and worried about, Fizz is possessive, disrespectful, and invasive. Where Siren views Kappa as Kappa, an individual with his own wants, needs, and goals that is not defined by his undesirable title, Fizz only sees said title and what it means for his own benefit.

I could go on and on and on about this until I pass out from exhaustion, but it got me thinking. That can't be their only major difference, right?

Right?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized these two characters are on the opposite end of various spectrums. Case in point; being told "no," particularly from Kappa. When Siren is presented with even a hint of hesitation or discomfort, he immediately backs off with sincere apologies.

He doesn't raise his voice. He even pulls his hands away until Kappa assures him it's okay. Siren maintains this show of respect by asking if he can hold Kappa rather than assuming the confirmation included stronger physical contact.

Fizz, on the other hand, repeatedly gets into Kappa’s bubble, only backing off when someone either makes him (Siren and Fean) or when Kappa flusters him. Despite being repeatedly told "no" to varying degrees, Fizz keeps doing it.

Originally, I chalked this up to being socially unaware or just plain ignorant to social cues that aren't being screamed in his face. That he's just that dense. But then it kept happening.

Don't think Kappa could be clearer short of stating he and Siren are dating. Oh wait. Didn't he already?

Fizz kind of goes quiet at this and avoids it ever coming up again. Going so far as to look and sound disingenuously surprised and perhaps even disappointed when Kappa brings Siren with him to meet with the Flyfin in episode 146.

Which, as we all know, eventually culminates into Kappa telling Fizz off in a much more polite way than I would have been able to handle in this situation. Kudos to Kappa for that.

Oh look. It's the consequences of my own actions. Weird how those keep cropping up at inopportune moments.

And it all came to a head in 165-167. In a display of violence I'm sure I'm not the only one who was surprised by.

Brutality aside, this next panel in particular I feel makes it clear how Fizz truly views Kappa.

Where I had my doubts and concerns were quickly thrown out and confirmed respectively at this very moment. Fizz doesn't see Kappa as an individual. He sees the Beacon as a means to an end; something he can take his anger out on behind closed doors. Where Siren has respect and care, Fizz has possession and hostility.

But this isn't even the first blatant time:

Kappa's value lies only in his title to Fizz. Nothing else should matter, in Fizz's mind, to the coveted Beacon. Honestly, I'm surprised Fizz even calls Kappa by his preferred name. He strikes me as the sort who would deadname a person repeatedly because that's not how he views that individual.

This brings up several more note-worthy differences between Siren and Fizz. Siren handles being told "no" with dignity and consideration for both himself and Kappa. Fizz, on the other hand, resorts to violence and self-righteousness. Hell, even being told "no" by Siren on defense of Kappa not being there to fulfill his dream sets the bastard off into a malicious tirade, all but telling Siren to off himself outright.

At first I thought there was no way Fizz was that damm dense. But, after 166-168, I've come to the conclusion that he really isn't. He's delusional, likely seeing himself as the hero in this story. That Kappa is merely a tool granted to him by God and Siren is just another antagonist getting in his way.

The fact that Fizz resorts to violence like that makes me worried and morbidly curious if he's that way with the other Flyfin, in particular his siblings. Is that why they stay back and let Fizz do whatever he wants? Like disassociating zombies before he unleashes on Kappa? Because he'll lash out on them if they say or do something? Finley, I believe. He is submissive on reflex, even with Siren. He even helps Kappa explain away his illiteracy. It's Fean where I'm unsure. She acts like she has some semblance of control over Fizz (smacking him in my previous example). Still, there is some love between the siblings. Otherwise they wouldn't have gotten so distraught when Siren nearly killed their brother.

But enough about that side-tangent.

Going back a little bit to comment I made earlier, Fizz likely sees himself as a hero trying to save both the Flynfin and the whales (I'm choosing to ignore that last panel in 169 until we get further details). A hero who is met with irritating barriers in the form of the Sluggi baring him from the archive/not wanting to wake the whales and Siren shielding Kappa from Fizz's delusions of grandeur both physically and verbally. Hence Kappa’s accusation that Fizz was trying to get him to push Siren away when he confronts the trio alone.

By contrast, Siren feels immeasurable guilt for not saving his people when he already knows the "cure" to their curse. He doesn't look at his reflection and see a hero worthy of praise and affection. Siren sees someone who is selfish simply for wanting to live despite his people and boyfriend encouraging him to stay alive. Someone who is surrounded by love and support he does not deserve.

I don't think Siren sees himself as a villan, but he certainly could stand to be less harsh himself. Easier said than done, I know. And I love that realism about him.

Both Siren and Fizz want to save their respective people. I don't doubt that. It's one of the only things they have in common. It's a difference of what they are willing to sacrifice in order to reach that lofty goal. Personally? I don't see Fizz as being willing to lay down his life for his own people either, which is rather ironic given his moral high ground shpeal with Siren I touched on earlier.

Last but not least is there willingness to actually be violent. Fizz clearly has zero qualms with it when nobody is around. Siren, on the other hand, seems almost averse to it, outright feeling awkward about using his knife (and even his teeth) initially.

He seems to get over the aversion to use his teeth, but his feelings about his knife linger on.

He is willing to cripple himself (in a way) in order to not make Kappa uncomfortable anymore. Despite it more or less being a heirloom of his father. Siren doesn't even reach for it when he knows Kappa is in danger. You could call this a slip of the mind due to his panic or being in a rush. I like to think knowing Kappa is afraid of it played into this decision as well. And Siren proves once and for all he's not above using his teeth anymore either!

Despite his protective rage, Siren is still shocked to realize how violent he's become.

I didn't sign up for this psychological warfare, but damn if I'm not staying here for it!

Fizz, but contrast, while he has no weapons so to speak, is not above using his fists. Consciously battering someone weaker than him. All too happy to resort to torture even.

This guy is sadistic enough to see that look on Kappa's face and be excited about the mental and physical pain he's about to inflict on his perceived prey. Thank the surface Kappa was able to draw his own blood, which is not a sentence I thought I would ever say.

Compare that to Siren as soon as he realized what Kappa was afraid of:

There is no joy in Siren's eyes as he takes in Kappa’s look of fear. He wants to make things right, going so far as to stow his weapon out of sight before trying to approach Kappa again. When Kappa eventually flees, Siren respects the decision and does not follow despite everything in him screaming to give chase.

Long winded story short, I love the intentional differences between these two.

One last unrelated comparison before I hit the road (because I absolutely love finding these sprinkled throughout this amazing story):

That despite being "imprisoned" by the other, they're both happy. That first panel, by the way, is still one of the most heartbreaking ones to me in the entire comic. Just the implications behind it all, fortified by the later treatment at the hands of Fizz, is just chef's kiss.

Also damn this 30 image limit! I had to remove a few panels, but I hope my point(s) still comes across.

[autistichalsin]

Hi, I hope you're doing well? I love your analysis of Halsin and I like him even more now that I understand him better.

Just recently I saw a post about Halsin degrading (?) himself when he propositions to the player and that he's happy with being just with them but he won't keep them from finding happiness with others. From what I gathered, since he's a mature wood elf, being poly is very much okay for him but I need your expertise here. Is Halsin _really_ ok with being "just" another boyfriend or does he think of himself as not worthy enough to be an "only" boyfriend?

I'm doing alright, just trying to power through this final essay for my epidemiology class! I'm glad to hear you feel like my posts make you understand him better <3333

Hm. So... I want to say this delicately because I don't want to demean those who have this interpretation, but I have noticed that this fandom has a real tendency to try to patholologicize sexual behaviors it deems outside the norm. All three of the characters who consent to polyamory with Halsin- Karlach, Shadowheart, and Astarion- have had many people trying to make it sound like they don't actually consent, and in Astarion's case, trying to link this to his trauma despite canonical evidence to the contrary. It reads like an attempt to infantilize, especially Astarion, and make it seem like anyone who consents to polyamory must have something "wrong with them" to do so; that there has to be a "reason" for polyamorous relationships, and that reason has to be that there's something "wrong" with the characters. They can't say no, they are manifesting trauma, they are afraid to be left single, they are using polyamory as a tool to commit mental/emotional self-harm. Needless to say, I really don't like this.

I like it even less with Halsin, because he is a wood elf. Polyamory is the default for his culture. Treating his social practices like they're the result of him being "broken" is really wrong, to me. Why don't we pathologicize Lae'zel, who comes from a culture that practices polyamory by default, being monogamous? "Maybe her monogamy is because she's too insecure in her attachment to embrace polyamory." "Maybe her trauma with being unvalued in her culture has left her too afraid to understand polyamorous relationships." It never happens, because our culture is monogamous, and therefore people want to explain away deviation from our particular set of norms.

Halsin is "traumatized and poly", not "poly because he's traumatized." The devnotes in the scene where Halsin first explains being poly specifically state, several times, that he's being sincere and that this is a core belief of his. Halsin isn't reluctantly accepting crumbs of affection because he thinks it's all he can get; he loves the player, is secure enough to know it doesn't need to compete with anyone else's love to be special, and is happy to see how the relationship unfolds now that he is free of the Shadow Curse.

He's not degrading himself by entering into such an arrangement; if anything, entering a relationship where he refuses his nature would be a degradation. Monogamy would be the degrading "abandoning who he is to beg for mere scraps of affection" option for Halsin.

I know it all comes back to the "you are all I want" option, but I think people are misinterpreting it. There was a silent "right now" at the end. He didn't mean he would never want another; he meant at that moment, the player was the only one he had his eyes on, but obviously that wasn't true for the player.

People say that Halsin never manifesting that interest later is an indication that he isn't real, but he does manifest it; if rejected at Sharess' Caress, he states his intention to basically go get laid elsewhere. He is receptive to the idea of having a threesome with Mizora one day if the player lightheartedly suggests it ("don't let me talk myself out of a night to remember all the time...")

These aren't committed relationships, no, but Halsin has little contact outside of the group to begin with. And as he says, his heart doesn't stir easily. He is very open to sex, but committed relationships aren't as much a part of his normal life; the player is all but said to be extraordinary for awakening those feelings in him. He hasn't had much room for deep romantic love in his life.

The lines- saying he wants others to enjoy the player, while he only wants the player- are simply reflecting the reality that at this point, the player has another lover, while Halsin has no other people he is interested in. That's all it is.

Again, I think Halsin would find settling for a monogamous relationship to be much more degrading than a polyamorous one, personally.

[besiegedhunter]

Siracusa putting focus on the Infected

For all my theorizing about the next Siracusa event there was one factor that I always felt stumped on and that is Crownslayer's role. For one reason or another it felt like there was no satisfactory role she could play in an event following Il Siracusano's themes.

I took a step back and realized that actually there's reasons for the Infected to be a focus even outside of a Reunion leader's appearance and that's what I want to discuss.

Spoiler warning. But without further ado:

So first thing's first: Il Siracusano. The event quite evidently sets up for a sequel. I don't think I need to say anything besides IS-ST-4 and what it entails, particularly:

Demetri making his own famiglie from the remaining members of the Bellone family

Lappland saying she'll destroy Siracusa (almost certainly starting with her father) and being joined by Zaaro

Projekt Red being present in Siracusa hunting down Fangs

Then lastly Crownslayer who we don't particularly get a clear cut motivation for. She starts with one: getting stronger and finding guidance from her teacher. However Red kills her mentor and nothing is ever stated apart from that. In fact without making this a Crownslayer analysis, I think a point of her story is her being lost and searching for control and purpose. After Reunion fell apart she fell back on her mentor however now she has nothing.

To go off of that, I also think that the options that there could be are rather unlikely as well.

The one plot thread she has connections to is the Signore dei Lupi one and the current round of their game however Crownslayer wasn't a Fang and their mentor was killed meaning she's effectively disconnected from that now.

A case could be made that she might've been made a Fang but there's a lot of reasons why I think it's unlikely. How Red and Bernardo act/say about her and the handling of Zaaro and Lappland, as well as just the nature of Fangs and the game being main ones.

But besides that? Well she could join a mafia family however Crownslayer is quite the righteous person, opposing the Ursus after an atrocity they committed and fighting for the Infected. I'll get more into that later but from it I don't think she'd want to join any mafia, particularly with how they treat the Infected and her being one.

Even with going after Red, is that all her story will entail? The other characters even at this point play heavily into the themes of Siracusa and the world. For Crownslayer, a leader of Reunion from Ursus, to be there and only be involved with Red feels needless.

It's at this point that I turned away from Siracusa just to see what Crownslayer was about and work from there. Obviously the most prominent thing about her is that she's one of Reunion's leaders. One of only three to survive and the only one who isn't involved in the main story and a massive figure.

Let's look at her scene in END8-1:

So I don't know if anyone questions whether she cares for the Infected or just wants revenge, regardless I think this proves that she does and even further to that: she would gather the rest of Reunion and help even those that would hate her and who she hated in the beginning. She could have left them and Reunion just to save her own skin but she went out of her way with this.

And I also think that we see a theme throughout Crownslayer's scenes of her being helpless. Whether that's to stand up against Red, to take revenge on Kal'tsit or to be embroiled in a conspiracy unknowingly. And the way she talks here, she emphasizes her being weak, not thinking like Talulah, this group being worse off with her.

I don't think she's leaving Reunion because she no longer believes in the cause or supporting the Infected. She leaves because of her insecurities and if she's helping the same people she hates then I think she'd feel compelled to get involved if something happened in Siracusa in front of her, especially concerning the Infected.

But is there any reason there would be anything like that in the next event?

Suzuran

The screenshots are from Path of Life, the first event after the 5th anniversary event, and the 4th pv revealed in the 5th anniversary livestream. Both obviously setting up the next Siracusa event but also that we will be seeing it likely focusing on why it says in Suzuran's file that she mustn't meet Lappland.

It also connects Lappland or rather the Saluzzo family to Suzuran's infection:

This is the crux of this topic as at this point it's all but confirmed that the Saluzzo family were the ones responsible for infecting Suzuran and this is the catalyst for Suzuran being separated from her Mother, for coming to Rhodes Island. It's even defined Suzuran's experiences at Rhodes as she's studying under Kal'tsit and the medical department and is heavily involved in Rhodes operations.

Twilight of Wolumonde focuses on her and another medic and protege of Kal'tsit's in Folinic going to this city after the death of a Rhodes Island operator and medic, helping out the Infected in the area. The one in question being murdered, knowing it'd cause an uproar in the Infected and it just so happens that a prominent ex-Reunion member in Mudrock gets involved.

As a character Suzuran is heavily connected to the Infected and in all fairness, while far from how much Suzuran is, so too is Lappland. Arguably she shows the most oripathy lesions of any operator and is stated to have severe oripathy symptoms mentioned outside of her clinical analysis.

We're yet to learn how it is that she got infected, whether it was before or after the Texas family purge and how it influenced her life. For instance she worked with Signora Sicily while Infected and there might be more to Lappland joining Rhodes Island.

That the Saluzzo family have been using Originium as shown by Suzuran's files and the presence of a Reunion leader going into the event focusing on Lappland and Suzuran does feel like it could have legs to stand on.

And I feel you could elaborate on this about the themes and what we see in the Siracusa story so far. To bring Crownslayer up again, I checked Il Siracusano to see how much it mentions weakness and it's mentioned the most by Rubio in his speech. He portrays himself as weak and unlikely to get to the position he's in to inspire Siracusa's citizens that they needn't live under the mafia.

I'd find it interesting if that's similar to the position that Crownslayer will be in. Siracusa is all about the corrupt systems and abuse of authority, both in institutions as well as family systems i.e. schools, homes, businesses. Cases like Suzuran's where originium either is being used as a weapon to infect and ruin someone's life or simply just causing Infection by accident still fit into Siracusa's development and corruption.

The treatment of the Infected easily can play into this. And the lorebook states that how the Infected are treated in Siracusa is that they have to pay insurance for the right to work and it's given to a mafia family's judge and enforced by the mafia. It's very possible that where Il Siracusano was focusing on the order of Siracusa, it's development and it's future.

We could now be seeing a more unfiltered look at the abuse of the mafia on the common people. You have Lappland, seeing the actions of her Father and famiglie. Demetri in the position to make the very same actions and in a position of authority. And Crownslayer who isn't a member of the mafia and looking out for the Infected.

Closing off

There's one other thing that I want to mention but doesn't really fit into the above and that is of course: Red. Because she doesn't particularly fit into this but there's a... ... ... fun detail pertaining to the CN introduction for her:

In her CN introduction she's Infected whereas in game she's Uninfected. There's that ominous "She comes into contact more and more. Warn her." and the fact she's entwined with Crownslayer who spawned this whole post just because she's a leader of Reunion and fights for the Infected.

Whether or not this is actually foreshadowing I don't know. It's not like the CN introductions hardly include the Clinical Analysis and the only other one I can think of was Nearl's which we don't even see in game and spoiled that she's not actually Infected years before Near Light.

But anyway. There's all of this and I think the inevitability either in this event or Red's that Kal'tsit will make her appearance. She's expressed in Lunacub's file that she thinks the Signori's game should end and of course is connected to Crownslayer and would add further onto this topic.

That's all for this topic at the moment. Enjoy what comes to mind about this idea.

[brynnmclean]

saw a post questioning shipping Senua and Thórgestr and started to reblog it with a tag novel-- felt weird about doing that since this is lengthy and potentially derailing, so making my own post instead. Spitballing under the cut:

First off, any time someone is like, "the real reason people ship this is because they find the dude attractive," this is SO funny to me as someone who doesn't find men attractive IRL and has fiercely loved Senua since I played the first game, like-- actually I find the dynamic between those two characters to be compelling and interesting precisely because of all the baggage between them re: their backgrounds, the rough (put mildly!) beginning of their relationship, all the things they don't talk about, and them finding a common enemy/common ground to work with. The explicit parallels between them stated in-game scratched an itch in my brain. The minute they pointed out the dark rot on his arm, it was like, "oh! hello there! NOW I'm interested in whatever your whole deal is" for me. Also, idk man, I too would follow Senua around after she knocked me into the dirt and then showed me a way to fight the giants that I very much wanted to fight instead of appease.

The idea that Thórgestr was part of the Orkney Raid that killed and mutilated Dillion is VERY interesting food for thought, even if I don't personally have that headcanon (surely there are more viking raiding groups than just the Bjorg). I think the Furies or the Shadow said something similar about Fargrimr (his kin murdered yours, you shouldn't save him, etc.) so I completely get that line of thought, but I think the game left it ambiguous enough that it's up for interpretation. Would I read fic with that premise? Yeah, I'd check that out. Could Senua forgive Thorgestr if his people were involved? Sounds fun to explore.

If (ha, when?) I write fic, I'd have to think more about it especially wrt timelines, like when did the Bjorg start specifically raiding for slaves for giant food sacrifices vs. killing people for resources and wealth? How far off are we from the old gods "dying" and the volcano erupting? Was it indeed a different group of raiders who made a deal with Zynbel, attacked Senua's home, and made the sacrifice at that time to Hela?

At the very least, I think there's a time jump between the end of Hellblade I and the beginning of Hellblade II since Senua wasn't alone on that slave ship and at least one of the (brief) survivors knew her by name. I wouldn't mind exploring that gap of time, too.

In any case I do agree that it would take a VERY long time for Senua to consciously catch feelings for anyone let alone Thorgestr with all their collective baggage. The idea of them having a relationship beyond friendship in the far off future of an AU where he survives is the only one that can make sense in my brain, personally. It would take time! Time they didn't get in the game! But I think there are a lot of different roads that could take, and some of them might be healthier than others. Shipping them certainly isn't forgetting or excusing what happened to Dillion-- or even mutually exclusive from still shipping Senua and Dillion. Or, frankly, also shipping Senua and Astridr, because I can see that ship too.

One of the nice things about all the details Ninja Theory didn't expand upon and that they left that ending so open is that the sky's the limit. I'm VERY interested in seeing fandom tackle this game as we get farther from the initial release.