#looking at this comic i honestly almost didn't post it because it's way too personal and feels cringe-y on some level

[aamy2100982]

My thoughts on Venom 3. SPOILER ALERT - LONG POST

Let's start with the fact that I saw it in the cinema with Latino Spanish dubbing, so anything lost through translation is not my fault.

Damn, how do I start with all this?

☆ Why doesn't Spiderman appear?

I think based on the post-credits scene of Venom 2, we all assumed that in this new movie Venom and Eddie were going to go into the MCU universe and meet Spider-Man. But for those who saw the movie it was confirmed that that wasn't the case. Now, what's my theory on what happened?

I think the original intention was to give the rights to Venom to the MCU, but for some reason or another they didn't do it. And they decided to continue the story from Sony.

So Venom didn't meet Spiderman because the MCU doesn't have the rights to Venom yet, and Sony hasn't wanted to hand them over yet.

(I don't know, maybe money issues. Sony should make a considerable amount from the Venom movies)

☆ Portals

I actually didn't really like how the interdimensional portals are handled. Venom has never been a character who plays with space-time and the universe on his own (actually a bit in the comics, but not in the movies), so I don't understand how they inexplicably changed universes.

In the post-credits scene of the second movie it was about... connecting to the symbiote hive? But then what? Knull brought them back??

I don't know, I just didn't like that brutal change of plot direction.

☆ I changed my perception of the symbiotes in the movies

So, in the first movie the symbiotes arrive on a meteorite to earth and are captured by the Life Foundation. In this film, the symbiotes are made to look like an invasive species, the kind that goes from planet to planet looking to deplete natural resources. But apparently this wasn't the case.

From what I could understand, the symbiotes were escaping from Knull's awakening, so they weren't trying to invade Earth to drain its resources, but to save themselves from Knull.

This makes Venom look extremely selfish, because during the movie he tells Eddie that his fellow symbiotes only live to harm the Earth and he doesn't want Riot to reach Kyntar to pass this information to other symbiotes who need to escape from Knull and find a home.

There's also the possibility that this was the initial idea (that the symbiotes were an invasive species), but they made last-minute script changes that said otherwise.

☆ There was a Flash Thompson reference in the movie!!

It wasn't a small reference, it was a military man named Thompson and there's an entire scene that was almost too cruel of him losing his legs. I don't know if Sony has any rights to Flash's image, but it would be great to see him in an upcoming movie (if there is one).

☆ Rex was there too!

Does anyone remember Rex?

You know, the military man... who had a symbiote... and the symbiote became fond of him... but then he died and the symbiote stole his identity... You know! Rex!

He doesn't have a symbiote in the movie, and really only has the name and the face, because apart from being a military man and being related to sumbiote he has nothing to do with the one in the comics. It was a nice reference anyway. I personally like Rex the symbiote, even though he had limited appearances. I thought his story was nice.

But I guess it was just a reference in the movie because inventing new characters is not that simple either.

There is also this Doctor Payne

I honestly don't know who she is, I don't know if she was part of the comics or if she's an original character from the movie. I looked up her name, but it seemed like another character that I think has nothing to do with her...

☆ Codex

I didn't like how the codex was treated in the movie and I didn't fully understand how it worked.

I didn't like the way it was handled in general, that the codex only exists while both exist because they died and came back to life... How... only Eddie and Venom were united and were the only symbiote and host who died and came back to life?? In the ENTIRE universe?

And why does the codex disappear/is not visible when Venom isn't encasing Eddie? Shouldn't it still be there since it's stuck in Eddie's spine?

☆ The Hippie Family

They were fun and somewhat endearing characters. But while they were good for moving the plot forward, I didn't care that much about them.

It just helped remind me how sad it makes me that Eddie is a man who wanted to start a family and couldn't because of his own mistakes and mental problems.

☆ The other symbionts

The only comic book-based symbiotes I recognized were (besides Venom) Lasher and Agony. The rest I think were original for the movie.

Honestly, at first I thought the green-water snake-like symbiote was Lasher, but no. (I also didn't realize that the host was the cop from the previous movie until very late, almost after he was killed.)

It would have been great to see the quartet (Scream, Agony, Lasher and Plague. No Riot, because he died lol). But it wasn't that important, because in the end most of them died anyway.

☆ Characters from past movies

So Anne and Dan didn't appear in the movie. I don't have any hard feelings about it, I actually think they would have been a waste of time and their appearance always just brings this... weird geometric love thing where Eddie still has feelings for Anne, Venom... I don't know what Venom feels for Anne, I don't know if he sees her as a friend or has feelings for her too, Anne just sees them as friends and Dan is just constantly there being awkward.

Mrs. Chen was there. I must admit, she looked beautiful in that red dress!

look at that lady!

Honestly, I didn't think her appearance in the film was that important, but I'm not saying they were bad scenes.

☆ Knull

I think Knull was a completely computer-generated character. Understandable because all he does throughout the entire movie is sit down anyway xd

I don't have much to say about him. The design was well done and at least the voice acting in Latino Spanish seemed spectacular to me. Maybe he could have had more participation, but whatever, the movie was fine as it is. Adding more powerful antagonists would have made the movie 3 times longer.

☆ Eddie and Venom's relationship

I hate to use the term. But Eddie is a total Tsundere... Throughout the three movies he just keeps saying that he hates Venom and that he wishes he could go back to normal, now that he's been given the chance he feels empty.

As I know, "Not even death can separate them" or whatever the phrase on the movie poster said, completely lied.

☆ The end.

If I had to describe it in one word... bittersweet.

It was a good ending, dramatic, sentimental. But at the same time it leaves you with that feeling of emptiness, because Venom died and he is a protagonist and therefore he shouldn't die.

In the post-credits scene, a cockroach appears next to the small tube that contained a Venom extract. But it wouldn't make sense, because there wasn't a moving extract of the symbiote and anyway that extract later became who I think is Agony. It had her design but also had Dr. Payne's "hidden powers".

I honestly didn't like the ending at all. That "Well, now everything is like it used to be." BITCH, NO!

Especially since I heard here and there that Tom Hardy wasn't so sure he could continue participating, for reasons I still don't understand, so I'm convinced there will be another part. Either as a movie or a series.

☆ as a theory

I don't think Sony owns the rights to Agent Venom. But in case they do release another Venom, without Eddie Brock, that's my theory.

There was a reference to Flash in the movie and how he lost his legs. So maybe the next movie will be about them going back to Area 51 to look for the remains left after the massacre. Whether it's symbiotes that are still alive or just information they need to start a new area of ​​research.

They find layers of Venom, but he's like a baby, they use their abilities to turn him into a weapon, they give him to Flash Thompson, boom! Agent Venom.

Just a theory, obviously. Maybe the saga will end there and we won't have anything more about Venom until they start another separate saga.

☆

Honestly, I would have preferred them to fight Spiderman. Not so much because of the Spiderman fight, but because that would put them in the same universe as other powerful characters and they would have made a movie with a bigger Knull, similar to what Infinity War was.

You know, with all the characters fighting to save the world, but still having the movie center around Venom. Not exactly like in the comics, where Eddie becomes God (because that went really wrong for the comics), maybe just having him defeated and the symbiotes being free.

☆

ALSO! I think there was a kiss missing in the scene before Venom sacrificed himself, when they were on the fallen helicopter... I really needed it... And it didn't happen... understandable, I mean, there would have been a drama about it, but damn! It was the perfect moment to, at least, get close.

☆ The end of this post

The movie was good... Yeah... yeah, kinda.

I think for those who only watch the movies, or who only watched this movie, they could say that it's pretty good. It's fun, it's not as rushed as movie one, and it has a dramatic ending. I think that in itself it's a good movie.

But from my perspective, where I expect more coherence regarding everything and the extensive universe behind Venom as a character, I did find more plot holes, things that didn't make sense to me and things that I think would have been preferable to what happened.

Would I like to see another movie? Yeah, I think it would be great to really wrap up what happens with Knull and obviously have Venom come back to life, like... Venom? or Agent Venom.

Or even this gives a chance to convert the remaining extracts of the symbiote into Eddie becoming Anti Venom. But I'm just dreaming.

If you took the time to read everything I had to say, please let me know what you think! I'd love to read what you think of the movie or my opinions and theories!

[fanvoidkeith]

Amen to your Toby post honestly. Preach!! Literally they did nothing with him. Jim turned into a troll, Claire turned into a witch and what happened to Toby? They turned him into a joke. The trifecta should’ve been something with aliens. Like alien heritage or I don’t know got his DNA turned into part alien. Like something. He was competent at the end of Trollhunters and they took it all away. Was a joke in 3below, wasn’t there for most of Wizards, and we are not even going to mention what the movie did to him. What happened to all of his character development?? Gone. Because of what? They need a comic relief character except the jokes weren’t even good and didn’t land. It’s been years and I’m still mad over it.

my boy Toby Domzalski deserved way better than what he got... smh (thanks, Anon! i have. strong feelings about this, haha)

YEAH! he was literally part of SEVERAL DIFFERENT GROUPS of badass teenagers who SLAYED VILLAINS and SAVED THE WORLD. MULTIPLE TIMES!!! and then the show execs, after trollhunters ended, were like. nah. he's fat. that's his whole schtick now anymore. which wasn't even funny in the first place, and got even less funny as time when on. (i hated it when they made those jokes, to the point where i wanted to skip over them instead of watching those mini-train-wrecks. i almost did.) he was just a teen guy! they literally gave him so many interests and personality traits! but noOOooOoOo, he's tHe fAt KiD to the show runners. that's ALL he is to them. they never respected him as a character, and it shows.

like i said in my post defending Toby Domzalski yesterday, they literally could've taken all of those jokes out and the arcadia series would be SO MUCH BETTER for it. and i'm angry about it!! it makes me annoyed that they took away his character and what made him cool, and essentially just made him ThE fUnNy OnE for being (mostly) confident in himself. he learned to be a great fighter!! he killed Angor Rot! he banished Morgana to the shadow realm (literally)!!!! and then. NOTHING. all of his fighting capabilities were BASICALLY GONE, along with Troll/Half-Troll Jim and Awesome Witch Claire. UGH.

they were so mean to Toby, i wish they'd done better things with him, instead of shoving him aside for Cooler New Main Characters instead. not that i don't like them, just... i'm disappointed. and i'll be disappointed if i decide to try rewatching Trollhunters or 3Below or Wizards again, and i'll keep being disappointed because i wish he had better opportunities than in canon, which i will probably look for in fanfiction. my poor, underutilized, fictional son- you never got to fully shine, and your true potential lies with the fans.

-

ooooh- THAT ALIEN THING WOULD'VE BEEN SO COOL!! i didn't even think about that, but Toby being part alien would be AWESOME. maybe his Nana or parents could also be part alien? like his parents died in a spaceship crash, and Nana Domzalski was there to help protect and raise him? it would explain Nana's interesting (and mysterious) traits too, lol

also there's a movie??? i'm kinda scared to look it up, lol

-

TL;DR: you're so right, Anon. they totally wasted Toby's character arc that was built up through Trollhunters, and it sucks.

[the-archetype-of-civilization]

More little things I noticed in my third rewatch of ATSV.

-SPOILERS AHEAD-

There was a moment that confused me where Spot was robbing the guy of the ATM and he was setting down some cans for (seemingly) no reason. He was actually placing the ATM on top of the cans so he can roll it out.

I can't confirm if this is what was actually there, but when Uncle Aaron was telling Miles they "gotta roll," there was an acrylic stand of Spider-Man there that looked like Miles Morales Spider-Man (color and all).

When Miles was swinging through 42 NYC, there was an advertisement for "Vulture" something, I'm assuming a company. Messed up.

When Miguel first introduces himself by ramming into Vulture, Gwen gets to the spot and does this really slick landing animation where she kinda just gracefully brushes against the bannister briefly before landing on the ground.

42 Rio being given more hours at the hospital shows just how bad 42 New York has gotten without a Spider-Man. Terrifying.

I think I may have pointed this out on a previous post, but 1610 Uncle Aaron had a lucky black cat while 42 Uncle Aaron had a lucky white cat instead. I also like the parallels of Peter being tied up against a punching bag by Miles in ITSV while Miles is tied up by Uncle Aaron in ATSV.

I find it hilarious that Miles STILL doesn't know about ComicCon and didn't bother to look it up since ITSV when 42 Rio brings up "ComicsCon."

When Hobie is blocking off Miles from walking through to Miguel and Miles bumps into him, there's a tiny skull that appears when they make contact. It might just be a punk thing, but I wonder if it's an omen for the bad thing that's ahead of Miles.

Lego Spider-Man's vocalized "boop boop"s killed me.

I love the reveal when Miles realizes he's in the wrong universe, the camera pulls into his face and twists slightly. Obvious but nonetheless cool film styling of "his world is spinning" aside, I love that it feels like a 40's/50's kind of thing. Like this is something that you would see in The Twilight Zone, it nails the old comic book-y vibes too.

42 Miles' facial posture has his head up high and his chin slightly jutting out and up, like he's this "in-charge," cold, dignified superior while our Miles has his chin straight, sometimes pointed down and his head straight, showing he's trying to appeal to his humanity and trying to be humble and unassuming. It's awesome details like this that I love.

Hearing Spot say that he couldn't get a job because of what happened to him at that deli really hurts, honestly. Even if, in a way, he himself is partially to blame, it sucks that he has to resort to this. And the way he says it, almost in a "well, I can't do anything else so this is the only thing I can do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" kind of way is really saddening, like he's trying to take it in stride and as a matter of fact. As awful as Spot becomes, I still feel bad for him.

Miles has a "#BLM" pin on his backpack. I'm sure people saw it already and it's probably a given, but in a world where media is trying to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible, it's nice to see the studio make a clear stance with a character that absolutely fits the bill.

That title drop for Earth 42 when Uncle Aaron tries to dab up Miles going into slow-mo with the music subdued was dope as fuck.

Miles throwing his arms up when asking when his dad dies ("When does it happen?!") is so on-point and well animated, it feels like something every New Yorker would do (I would personally know, since I am one).

When Gwen asks Jess if she ever made mistakes, Jess' reply, saying "yeah, but I got over it," is pretty toxic. It feeds into Gwen's need to avoid her problems rather than address them and face them, and I think that's why she probably chooses to avoid discussing things about Miles to him directly.

That look of disgust on Miles' face when he's being surrounded by Spider-People ("What is this? Some kind of intervention or something?") was so real.

The long silence between Miles choosing to go into the portal to follow Gwen is so good, I love when the movie speaks for itself rather than the dialogue. You can see the hesitation in Miles' eyes and face and then his determination as he jumps headfirst into the portal. A great character scene and fitting transition into the next act.

The album cover for the soundtrack is so good and comes from the scene where Miles goes into the portal. It feels like a mix of something from a Golden Age comic book cover, Miles' hand opened out towards the camera like he's being thrust into another world. And the colors of the portal and transition to Mumbattan are gorgeous. Fills the 40's/50's vibes I was talking about earlier, too.

Jeff's toast is really well done and I like how heartfelt and real it feels. Makes his anger, unfortunately, justified on Miles, even if Miles was trying to do the right thing for him and Rio in the end.

"I was just cool the whole time" is such a boss line, I love Hobie.

Miguel casually (almost lazily) swinging around rescuing civilians at the Guggenheim whilst talking to Gwen about a serious conversation is unironically cool. And it fits to his character, he's probably done it so many times that it becomes child's play in the end.

"I ain't got Scooby-Doo, mate."

How does Hobie know that Miles should use his palms for those powers? Curious.

"But now...I'm not afraid of anything." I love Miles so much, he's grown and become so strong not just for himself but for others. He's the best Spidey. Full stop.

I love the reversal of reflections for Gwen. At the beginning of the movie, she's in her casual wear but with the reflections always showing her in her Spider outfit. At the end, she comes home in her Spider outfit but with herself in her casual wear in the reflection instead. She started off alone in the world as Spider-Woman and ended feeling like Gwen. Her arc was completed and she's facing herself, the real Gwen Stacy and not Spider-Woman.

I felt bad that the deli clerk got bonked by the bat :( But, at least he's all right.

Miles saying "Don't do that" to the kid licking the subway window is real. That shit is nasty, the windows are the least clean parts of NYC's subway.

I love that both Gwen and Miles use comically deep voices around their respective dads. It's cute.

When the police officer was saying "I think we found our sign" when Gwen webbed them up, George's silent head turn with unamusement was awesome.

I will not have anymore George Stacy slander. Yeah, he made a bad call in seemingly arresting his daughter, but he QUIT his job for her. He loves her that much that he quit being, not just a police officer, but a CAPTAIN, for HER sake.

Speaking of which, when George had his gun pointed at her before she unmasked, he had his gun down the whole time after she unmasked, even while he was re-relaying her her rights. And when she tries to approach him, his gun flinches up a bit but stops.

"Can you go easy on the penguin?"

This is actually a follow-up post, since I said before that I might make another. This movie is too much for me and I love taking it apart.

Edit: I'm sorry for the constant updates and changes/revisions, but I can't stop thinking about this movie.

[natasha-in-space]

Thinking of JaeheeMC where MC wants a cat (shes a cat lover) but esp a sphynx cat cuz she doesnt want jaehee to clean cat fur again and stress her out. The sphynx cat also eventually makes jaehee his favourite person (yeah its a boy bald kitty) and acts territorial with her by hissing at mc whenever she comes close to jaehee esp when he is making biscuits on jaehee.

"...You know, when I said I wanted you two to get along, this is not what I had in mind."

Your words come out as a comical mix of a needy whine and a hushed grumble.

Your approach to adopting your first pet together was as responsible as it could be. Jaehee was an exceptional partner who was always willing to listen to your suggestions and even sacrifice some of her own comfort just to make you happy. Of course, you didn't want to hear any of that. Moving in together meant creating a shared home that is cozy and comfortable for you both, in equal measure! Treating her wants and needs with equal consideration to your own was not a possibility, but a necessity. That's how you viewed it, anyways. You two were now a team, after all.

You came across Beans by chance. With you scrolling through your news feed on one cold winter evening, you noticed a cute little post about a sphinx kitty in need of a loving home. Needless to say, you have fallen in love with those huge doe eyes of his right then and there. And since Beans would not bring any unneeded fur into your household, you didn't have any reservations about showing him to your lovely Jaehee!

Maybe she just saw the sparkle in your eyes, or maybe she genuinely took a liking to him, but either way, she agreed for you two to come and see him for yourselves.

While she was visibly a bit reluctant at first (babysitting Elizabeth the 3rd made her naturally weary of cats), once you two have met Beans in person, she seemed to gradually mellow out towards him. Especially when he gave her a sweet purr when he nudged her hand. Honestly, you were unsure which made your heart pound more: the adorable cat you wanted to grab and take home immediately, or the softest smile on your girlfriend's face.

Beans was certain to become your new family member, no matter what.

You didn't anticipate him becoming your rival for Jaehee's attention, however. To your disappointment.

Observing Beans carefully knead your partner's lap while purring so loudly that even you could hear it, you pout. Even though the musical has been going for almost an hour, he refuses to give up his spot! That doe eyed rascal.

"...Are you jealous?"

Jaehee's laughter is so sweet that you wish you could pull her close to your chest and nuzzle her hair. The reason you can't is because a particularly clingy cat has already beaten you to it. Which is just even more frustrating.

"-Well, maybe I wanna cuddle up to you on your lap as well!" you declare loudly, sending Beans an annoyed glance, and he responds with a smug slow blink that made you want to scream. The little guy had no regrets about what he was doing and was fully aware of it!

As you huff and cross your arms over your chest in defiance, your pout is becoming more and more evident.

That doesn't imply that you didn't love Beans with all your heart, of course.

"You do remember that he's just a cat, right?" Jaehee lightly boops you with the tip of her finger, causing your nose to scrunch up a bit, "There's nothing to be making a fuss about."

You two were too enamored with Jaehee for your own good, that's all. Which was quickly confirmed when you tried to get closer to your girlfriend, only to receive an annoyed growl from the comfortable cat. With a defeated sigh, you plop right back onto the couch, your head hanging low in surrender.

"-Well, he's a cat who's way too cunning for his own good! Look at him! He knows what he's doing!"

"Meow~!"

The little guy had no shame in his tiny and adorable body.

[the-art-of-sanshoku]

1 2 and 8 for the toku questions! ^-^

Okay #1+2 is honestly kind of a long winded answer but I will unapologetically let it be that way (but I will tl;dr toku anime got me interested in toku and the first proper live action toku was Kamen Rider Den-o):

I don't think I really grew up watching any toku like power rangers or godzilla movies or anything I just watched a lot of anime and really liked anime mostly

So the first toku property I watched is technically the Garo 2014 anime

And even though I really liked this show I think at the time I just didn't have an interest in live action toku (although I have checked out the original Garo recently and its cool and I do want to watch more but I'm too rider-brained rn so its on hiatus for now)

After that Kamen Rider was something I kind of thought now and then that I might like just because I thought the aesthetic was kind of cool but honestly I didn't know much about it, and it really was like a super passing thought not really on my mind

But then in 2018 SSSS.Gridman (another anime based on a toku property) came out and I really, really love Gridman (and the sequel dynazenon) and it's vibes and the fights and like everything about it so I became a bit more interested in the genre. I think it helps that the toku roots are a bit more obvious in it than in the Garo anime which felt more like just a cool fantasy show.

At some point I think because I would watch like gridman related clips and the openings and stuff on youtube the algorithm thought it should recommend me tokusatsu stuff and one day this video was on my homepage (or some version of this video) and I clicked it on a whim I didn't even know it was Kamen Rider related until I looked at the comments

And I had somehow never been exposed to the sillier sides of Kamen Rider and honestly still knew almost nothing about it other than like what Ichigo looks like (and actually writing this I realize I watched the first episode of Fuuto Pi in 2022 when it came out just because I checked out a lot of anime premieres at the time- making that the first Kamen Rider I'd watched but I dropped it after that episode) and when I watched this I was like "What the hell this is Kamen Rider? It can be like this?? This is so stupid and fun looking I have to watch it at some point"

But it would still take like a year or two for me to decide and commit on a series and if discord is to be believed I funnily enough started watching kamen rider on april fools day last year, and I eventually decided on den-o partially because of that video kicking things off

And then the toku obsession slowly grew over time and now it's overtaken me, I watch very little anime and read a lot less manga nowadays 😞

#8: Comically obvious from my blog but it's Kuuga which is wild since I really do love my other rider seasons I think they're all like 9-9.5/10's but Kuuga is like an 11 and I'm not even done and it's making its way into my like Top 10 fictional media list. It kind of just hits all my personal biases and clicks with me and I will probably write the world's longest most rambly post on it when I'm done.

Anyway world's longest answers over :))

Ends it with Godai jumpscare

[bellybiologist]

Tallying up the Year

I hope you guys' december (which is almost over already, wtf) is going/has gone well! 2024 is upon us.

This christmas weekend, I mostly found myself thinking about how this year went, and honestly? despite all the things I haven't gotten to do, I still managed to accomplish quite a lot.

Me typing this rambly post out is less anything anyone needs to read, but more to remind myself of Things That Got Done™ than anything else because sometimes... I forget I do be getting shit done! And it's important we remind ourselves of the work we do.

The Things That got Done™

I advocated for my own Health. I scheduled (and went to!) so many doctor and dental appointments this year, holy shit. But, if the last few years have taught me anything, I simply have to put in the effort. I got my colon mostly sorted out, started a new regimen for my skin and hair (after chopping it off) so I'm feeling better, schedule an appointment with the optometrist in January, and even got lots of issues with my teeth fixed. Granted, our broken medical system made it incredibly stressful, and i spent thousands of dollars on the latter that I will be paying off til next july BUT!!!! This section is about the good things.

Started Streaming Again! I've been missing streaming since I stopped way back in I believe 2020. It was a fun way to interact with followers and supporters, so I'm glad I'm back to it on a regular schedule, with many of the old regulars still joining me while I work. Speaking of which:

I finished 43 total stream doodles. While I'm only filling a handful a month, it's definitely adding up! 40+ boys in the span of 5 months is nothing to scoff at, and that's not even considering that I'm doing this alongside normal patreon work.

I finished 39 total commissions this year. I'm definitely still going quite slowly, and I thank everyone who has been extraordinarily patient thus far, but I'm happy to say that my pace has been decent... at least relative to previous years. I got more done in the last 5 months than i did in the roughly year and a half period before 2023!

Replaced SEVERAL appliances that broke down. My computer moniter, my microwave, my refrigerator... all failed on my this year, and it took some work, but I finally managed to get them all replaced! So far, everything is working fine, but next on my agenda is to save up for a new desktop. This one I use for work has been at it since 2017, and it's about time to look into upgrading.

My Google Drive is Looking Nice. It's still not perfect, but I'm still immensely proud of how it's shaping up. There's still some curating of older pieces to do, but I've found a stride where I'm regularly updating it for people to peruse.

=====

Now despite these W's, I still got a long way to go. The things below could be considered resolutions for 2024, but that feels cursed to call them that. They are simply:

Things I Want to GET Done

Adding more YCH Figures. I was definitely expecting to have more to choose from by this point. And I really need to update some of the older ones too, because I think they've aged poorly. I got some neat suggestions and hopefully will find some time this week to showcase them in my discord to collect some feedback before releasing them.

Do more involved pieces/projects. I want to do more things like Comics, or simply pieces that I work on over the course of several sittings, ones where I can experiment and fiddle and practice!!! I rarely ever get to do that these days (I've only finished a few Big Personal Pieces this year), and I need to find time and energy to do them more because those are the things that truly make me feel like I grow as an artist. (and maybe I can find a shading style I actually fucking tolerate.). I also want to get more OC development and stuff done too, cuz I really didn't draw my children a whole lot this year!

Make more fucking Money!!!!! Let's not kid ourselves. I want to get to a point where I'm not just barely meeting the monthly quota. How to get there? I don't know, honestly. Things are so very stacked against artists right now, so it really does feel like the only thing that can be done is Not Give Up. Which I won't do. If/when I go down, I'm making it everyone else's problem. Trust. 😏

Save up to Visit the Boyfriend. I haven't seen him since January 2022! Big goal is to be comfortable enough to where I can fly my ass up there and smooch him. 👏🏽

======

I won't lie, i'm going into 2024 quite anxious and still scraping by by the skin of my teeth (that I'm still paying for). It's going to be a BIG year cuz oh boy, it's election year, there's plenty of family developments i gotta keep an eye on and work to be a part of... not to mention all the horrible stuff going on still (free palestine!).

Here's hoping shit goes our way this coming year! And let's get ,more strikes going so everyone is getting their fucking money!!! :V

[alwaysoc]

Tumblr's searching method for posts while on your account is almost comically inconvenient.

First off, private posts/reblogs made by you don't show up no matter what you search, even if you go by tags. Even if it's recent.

This is my dang account! Why would I want it to be private to ME?

"Well just copy and paste the link of your private posts!"

I don't wanna open up Google Docs every time I do that! Even if I did use this method the whole thing would be a hassle to me personally.

Plus, as far as I can tell, in mobile, you literally CAN NOT get links from private posts. This is especially true if you have a post you didn't reblog, and wrote and made yourself, in which case the share button is nonexistent and you can't go to the OG poster, because you ARE the OG poster, and there's no share link!

It doesn't even really matter if they have tags, are public or not, because even if they do and they are, if they're too old, or buried under too many posts, it seems like they don't show up even if your post is public.

Can't remember any specific tags, but you can recall what the post is about, a sentence, or a specific word?

Too bad! It STILL won't show up if you search for it!

Aaasyuugggg! This is so awful, and I'm very mad!

I was only able to find my public post I was looking for after scrolling for literally 23 minutes! This shouldn't be a thing!

And what's up with not having some kind of filter thingie for your blog? What if I wanna find my first three posts I ever made without scrolling for ages? Why can't I do that? Huh?

What if I wanna see only the posts I'm tagged in? What if I only want to see posts that have tags? Or only posts that aren't reblogs?

If there IS a way to filter, or sort through things, I haven't found it on the mobile app!

"Just use the web version then—"

My computer is in the room where my sleeping Grandma is, do you THINK I want to take time to get it and boot-up my 7+ year potato computer?

(This is the exact reason why I never use the Spotify app on phone (honestly I don't even use it on PC anymore either), because basic things like PICKING A SONG is available on PC with zero restrictions (as long as an ad doesn't play) but you have to go through some kind of 3-minute intermission since the app plays a song you don't give a hoot about and isn't even in your playlist, before your entire playlist shuffles and shoffles around for NO APPARENT REASON!)

I hope there's some kind of convenient addon or thing I just didn't ever catch or something, because this is incredibly annoying!

"Wow! You don't seem to want to compromise at all! That's a massive you-problem! Maybe if you lowered your standards—"

No. This type of thing is over nearly every other fairly-popular app where you interact with others. So why is it such a chore for Tumblr to implement it?

I shouldn't have to be inconvenienced by something that is solved on every-other social platform!

Yes, it is a me problem that I don't want to scroll all over my blog to look for that one post, but this me problem doesn't exist on whatever other social sites I go on!

[brazengears]

Was planning on coloring this but didn’t really have the patience for it

Anyway, I see a lot of posts and also comics going on and on about how to ignore your intrusive thoughts, how dismiss them with a chuckle, how to ‘bash your depression’ or ‘past you’ in the ground, how to be ashamed of it, and... I don’t know. They may be helpful for other people, but for individuals with trauma - like me -  our intrusive thoughts, our mean and bad and selfish thoughts that we would never say or act upon very often are us. They’re us at the time of our trauma. And I don’t want to punch something like that in the face and ignore it by making it an annoying backseat driver. I don’t want to be that violent.

Until very recently I was thinking that on some level I deserved what happened, because I once was a horrible little kid, one of those go-along types that often followed the loudest (and meanest) children because I wanted to desperately belong, though I never really did.

I know now how mean that was, of course. And I strive to be better than that, obviously. But I...still didn’t deserve what happened just because I was a stupid little kid like everyone else.

That moment of vulnerability that let everything spiral out of control, wasn’t deserved, or my fault. And it’s not my fault that the part of me that was so horribly hurt still is in some way a child, and cries for comfort from the people it trusts - and starts shrieking when it doesn’t instantly get said comfort. 

This is the fault of those that caused my trauma.

And it’s going to be difficult, but I guess if I ever want to move forward - to be able to talk about it without instantly breaking into tears - I’ll have to make it my new years resolution: To forgive myself for the fact that I was just a kid, for not knowing any better, for not having any ability to prevent what happened.

And I guess what I’m trying to say in sharing this, in some form, we should all forgive our trauma-originated thoughts and our younger selves. 

We were just kids. And it wasn’t our fault.

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

TIME TO LOVE ROUGE THE BAT

Ok here I am after ranting so much the unfairly treatment for my girl in the other post at last the moment to just list the reasons to love her and appreciate her has come! 🤗🥰

So as I said In the other posts Rouge has been represented as bitchy and cruel in some games and comics and definitely at least in my opinion that portrayal is completely inaccurate so... Well this is my point of view and my understanding of her character, i just hope people agree with me in general, as the second female Sonic character introduced in the games after Amy she deserves some recognition:

1. She is HILARIOUS 😂😂, like really i find her so funny because just like when I said Omega is a brat because he is always picking fights Rouge sometimes does the same too but specially with Knuckles and speaking of him... I really think Rouge is kinda similar to Sonic regarding sense of humor in the way they always mess with people... If they teamed up to tease knuckles our poor echidna would rip apart his own head 😂. I find funny too the way he speaks, her first appearance in SA2 didn't have a strong dub to be honest but in her second appearance in SH improved and you start to appreciate it better... She was such a brat in her interactions in that game 😁 but what i like the most is the sometimes outrageously exaggerated flirtatious accent she uses in games which plot isn't so serious and the way they give her on purpose special words and phrasing with double meaning 😏🤭. She seems to love jokes and pranks, well like Duh it comes with her sneaky nature though not all stealth characters have her perky personally like Spio and Whisper that are more serious but she? She is extremely naughty and I'm all for it.

2. She is actually extremely friendly, like... you can see in Sonic generations for example she was the only team Dark member who was at the party, in fact she is the only member that attended the victory parties at Sonic IDW because she is the sociable one lol and she is also very very very caring, really she is as caring as Amy and is really wholesome when she started being like that... It was like a lesson she learned thanks to Knuckles and Shadow actions in the SA2, the genuine sadness she expressed at the end of that game was really meaningful and often this caring side of her we only get to see it when she is with team Dark because those 2 specially shadow are the ones that put her in a emotional position

She really doesn't get enough credit for her caring side... Remember her sad worried face looking at Shadow in Sonic heroes because he might be a robot and not the original? Remember in Sonic 06 her outraged reaction when she found out what an unfairly future awaits for Shadow? Remember how sad she was at the end of SA2 asking Sonic if he really thought that Shadow was created to be a weapon for vengeance? Also the poorly animated Sonic X gifted us with this👇👇👇

The only single time we saw this stubborn girl cry and that time wasn't for Shadow but because of the fate of our sweet girl Cosmo. Honestly I'm fucking pissed she didn't show more emotions in the Zombot arc of IDW comics🙄🙄🙄 yeah she was upset about Shadow but it was too short! Other characters like... Almost everyone? Cream, Amy, Whisper, Spio, Vector all of them showed more feeling! See? She doesn't get enough screen time...

Look just how proud she looks of him, at least we got this moment.

And another thing, once she is a friend she is a loyal friend, i always liked this moment in Sonic x where she befriended a human named topaz, in this scene Topaz was going to get killed by their own coworkers because there was no time to rescue her but Rouge fucking brakes a gun pointed at her and ask for a minute to rescue her. (A lot of her actions where contradictory in the anime but this one i really loved it cause to me represents perfectly her caring protective nature)

3. Mature momma hen instincts: i know in general we see her being naughty and fooling around and there was a fancomic where she and knuckles had kids and he is the responsable one and looks like he is raising rouge along the kids... But actually as much as she misbehaves like a tricky joyful brat she is really responsable and mature, as the heart of team Dark she is basically the mom or the big sister and often she helps settling arguments between characters in general (unless she provokes the argument for a distraction or for fun but that's another situation)

Also I always prefer when she is the one that makes Shadow see reason unlike in other comics...(check my 2° post). It's also funny when she sighs like she is dealing with children 😂😂

Look how he looks at her 🤗 that's it Shadow listen to your big sis (funny saying that when you are 50 years older) though to be honest I admit this I'm not listening to anyone edge lord kind of Shadow... Yeah Ajjj but I think this time was SEGA'S fault...

Also this hilarious thing... Ironically Rouge is intimidated by a mom🤣🤣🤣 and runs away like a kid in trouble, she mentioned her own mom in various games if I remember correctly...

And she is also perfectly capable of showing respect.

4. Her Shy kind of tsundere nature (I'll be more specific in the Rouge relationship's future posts) , basically she has a cute pure Shy side that started right after Knuckles saved her from lava when she was so embarrassed she acted like a jerk to hide it , in fact she is only like that with him in general 😂 like when sonic tease them both about being a couple in some games but also look at this 👇👇

She is literally one of the only 3 characters in this drawing that are BLUSHING, and in her case she is not being squeezed against anybody in particular, can you imagine if knuckles was dragged in too next to her????🤯🤯🤯 I think she is shy about physical affection she doesn't control! But I love how much expressivity they gave her in her face is like she is holding back the fact that she likes the hug! This fits for her character perfectly! I wish she could have more moments like this i mean not necessarily with shadow or knuckles i think a friendship time with Amy would be good but like getting carried away and hug like best girlfriends like when Amy hugs cream.

Oh my Rouge is really lovely 😍 isn't her? I hope she appears in the next movie and I hope they make a good use of her good traits and do justice for her!!

[warriorsbutnotreally]

I swear there needs to be a trial of sorts to get into starclan. cats like

Onestar, Rainflower, skystar, Mudclaw, , and other cats could be able to redeem themselves or suffer.

Onestar is a terrible person. he did terrible things. he could sit in the dark-forest, realizing what he did was wrong. then maybe Firestar and him could talk at the border and they could make up and Onestar would be allowed into starclan.

Rainflower is a terrible person. what she did to Crookedstar is fucked. but maybe like at the end of crookedstar's promise were the comic is it could have been where when Crookedstar is about to get his lives he and Rainflower talk and Rainflower is allowed into starclan, just for a short while to give him a life. then she would get sent back to the dark-forest. then when Crookedstar dies he would convince starclan to send Rainflower back to the dark-forest. not because he forgives her. but because he doesn't want her to suffer like she made him suffer.

Skystar is a terrible person. I kind of have an au idea where Skystar is made into Cloudstar (they already look similar) so he can first-hand watch his clan get destoryed. but maybe Skystar could live in the dark-forest for a few moons, not that long. he would see One-eye and other evil cats and hate what he has become. so Thunderstar and Greywing then allow him back into the clan.

Mudclaw is a terrible person. I haven't read his manga. but I plan to buy it soon when I have the time to go to barns and noble. but I have the basic idea of it. what Mudclaw did is disloyal and against the code, not in a good way. honestly he was partly right about Onestar. but that does not give him the right to have done that. he could be in the dark-forest for a while until he and Tallstar have a long talk. they forgive each other and then Mudclaw is allowed into starclan.

anyway, sorry for another long post. I agree that Brightflower shouldn't have gone to the dark-forest though (if she really did) she did nothing wrong and was a good mother to Yellowfang. but Brokenstar manipulated her and made her think Yellowfang killed her other kits. that was the only time she snapped at her daugher and it was because of her grief.

I agree that Onestar got off too easily

esp when we consider that Juniperclaw went to hell for almost killing an entire Clan when Onestar did the exact same thing [he was going to let yellowcough kill all of ShadowClan]

in fact

Juniperclaw at least thought he was doing the right thing [he wasn't, but he was convinced he was] and Onestar literally just was upset with ShadowClan

/

Rainflower being in StarClan is my biggest beef with Crookedstar's Promise because after all her abuse towards him

SHE EVEN HAS A CHANCE TO APOLOGIZE TO HIM DURING HIS LEADERSHIP CEREMONY AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN FUCKING SHOW

/

Skystar apparently had a 'redemption'

it was rushed, poorly handled, and doesn't make up for his many, many war crimes, but the Erins don't want us to be mad at him

even though that doesn't erase the harm he did

the kits he was going to kill

the wars he started

the fact that he stood over his own brother, claws out, ready to kill him until Gray Wing started fighting back

like

idk if they were going to redeem him they could've done better

/

Mudclaw is a mixed bag

he's another Juniperclaw situation where only one cat gets punished for putting innocent lives in danger and it's written in a very anti-ShadowClan sorta way

he did believe he was doing the right thing, and technically he was in the right by accordance of the Warrior Code

but he did start a coup, attempt to kill someone who didn't have any beef with him and was betrayed by a worse evil [Hawkfrost]

but idk

I do feel Mudclaw got off a little too freely, but I do believe he could end up in StarClan

he just got there too quickly imo

/

long story short

cat afterlife doesn't make sense

I don't listen to anything Su Susann said about the cats in hell [esp the sudden character murdering of Lilywhisker - who, granted, was a background character without much going for her but you know what I mean]

[goldilocksginger]

So I would like to add on all the analysis I've seen, and mostly loved, on Shigure and Akito's relationship. Yes, it has already been stressed how toxic and unhealthy their relationship is for most of the manga, yet to me, what has been captivating since the revelations of chapters 100 and 101 is how strongly these two actually feel for each other.

Like most, when I started reading Fruits basket I hated Akito with a burning passion-and who could blame me, or anyone else. She was a villain worthy of a shounen manga. Yet, as her personal history started to reveal, chapter by chapter, compassion started to built in. And I think this is exactly what Takaya wanted us to feel.

Additionally, I always thought that the fact that it is, quite shockingly, revealed that Shigure had actually loved her since forever, and is still in love with her, and admits it even though she seems way too far gone,to the point where it makes the reader wonder, what on earth does he see in her that is actually loveable, I think exaclty this is also one other element that invites the reader to feel, if not compassion, curiosity as to what is there in Akito that maybe we hadn't seen up to this point. Cause Shigure is a character we know and love from the very beginning of the manga, and as dark as aspects of himself appear to be, he has been known to be also attentive and even nurturing to the rest of the characters, often showing great insight, a comic relief, as well as someone with a plan.

So, as a reader, I remember first reading chapter 101 and being like "Oh. Huh?". And it made me very curious to see how these two would end up, because honestly till almost the end it didn't look too promising.

Yet, I think the fandom occasionally rushes way to fast to judge Akito and Shigure's relationship as wholly problematic and toxic and label it as such. To me, given that these two people were raised in the same cult and abusive, restricting environment, both of them having to act within the framework of the supernatural curse, as well as the natural hierarchy of the Sohma family, it makes, sadly,perfect sense that they both have very unhealthy coping mechanisms and behaviors.

It's chapter 101 that does it for me, all the magic. The memory of the garden, and the flower and the kiss, the "do you love me?" this innocent love, as opposed to the dark love they are both experiencing for most of the manga. Yet, it's this innocence that somehow still remains, and reveals again in the very end, after they both make their concessions and move towards each other as equals, that I believe is the base of this relationship. And i find it very sweet, and interesting, and certainly human, how innocence and darkness can coexist.

And I really love how Takaya touches the subject of passionate love, but I ll go on about it in another post!

That's all for now, got lengthier than I expected,thank you for reading! Cheers!

[cupcakeshakesnake]

I rate different versions of two POTC characters

Recently I found out that Pirates of the Caribbean has a manga series of its own. And some comic books. And a LEGO game, though that wasn’t as big a surprise and was honestly more pleasant than not.

ANYWAY here I will rate the different Cutler Becketts because it was quite a ride for me.

I will also rate the different Norringtons if I end up feeling like it while writing the post. (Note: I did end up doing this.)

Movie Beckett

The original. 2/10.

Might be a good character story-wise but overall very hateable. Smug asshole.  Everyone loves to hate him. (Which means the actor did a great job.)

If he existed IRL I'd want to be 50000 miles away from him. Apparently his past is really messed up but you don't find out about any of that through the movies. Might have been a better person if he had a better childhood, but then again the same goes for a lot of villains.

On the list of characters I consider interesting, he is right down there in the burning trash dump with Cave Johnson. Maybe even lower. At least he accepted defeat when the time came and went out with some dignity.

Manga Beckett

AbSoLuTe fUcKiNg CyCLe pATh.  0.5/10.

Might as well be the reason I started this post.

Why is he like that. Why does he have eyeliner. Why is he so... anime villain-y.

He's supposed to be someone who keeps his face straight. Why does he seem to be constantly expressing with every single facial muscle that he is batshit insane.

Movie Beckett at least drinks tea like a normal person. This guy looks like he'd shove the entire teacup into his mouth and just munch it whole while staring directly into your eyes. Also his version of Mercer lacks eyebrows for some reason.

He gets half a point because there are some characters who were, unfortunately, butchered even more than him.

Lego Beckett

Gremlin. 5/10.

He's kinda goofy compared to the other three and also absolutely tiny. He literally strains just to see the camera half the time. You cannot help but laugh at this man. He is also considerably less harmful, given the... nature of the Lego world... and that the worst he can do is order that a bunch of fruit (plus the occasional livestock) be thrown at people.

The only regret - quoting @nebbychan - is that they didn't make his wig taller to compensate for height.

That one comic book Beckett 

The not-Beckett. -10/10. Note the minus sign.

That's just not him. There's no way you can convince me that's him.

It feels a bit like the artist went out of their way to emphasize the characters' appearances but this here is not how caricature works. Maybe they were looking at a different person.

That's not him. That's Pirate Extra #23 in a wig.

That being said, Norrington looks pretty horrible in here too - more on that later.

Alright, now for Norrington.

Movie Norrington

The original. 10/10.

An honorable man. People love to love him. Did not deserve what he got.

Not much to say.

Manga Norrington

Evil Twin Nottington (quoting @dirgeofcerberus111). 3/10.

Why does he look like a one-off side villain from the Hobbit movies. He deadass has that evil grin stuck on his face throughout most of the book. And that up top is NOT what he said in the movie.

Instead of anger stemming from the sense of being wronged and losing everything, this man right here is fueled by bloodlust. Dude looks like he'd murder Will Turner in cold blood without the slightest quiver in that manic grin. Set this guy up on the Dutchman and he could throw Davy Jones overboard.

Losing his ship didn’t just make him a wasted drunk; it turned him into an entirely different man on a molecular level.

What is this man.

Lego Norrington

Carrot man. 6/10.

Sorry my dude, it might not be your fault that you were mistakenly delivered a carrot on your promotion day, but I am going to remember you as 'carrot man' because of that nevertheless.

For some reason, he lacks hair save for when he is not wearing a hat. Unlike Beckett’s, his wig is a magic wig that disappears when placed under a hat.

He looks unnecessarily mean-spirited in Dead Man’s Chest. When he gives Davy Jone's heart (which, by the way, wears a miniature hat. Yes, the heart wears a hat) to Beckett, he's not a wrecked man trying to regain some honor and a smidge of his past life. He's like 'Oh yeah give me that admiral sword, hand it right over.'

But he also slaps Davy Jones with a fish and kind of almost survives if it can be called that, so he gets some points.

That one comic book Norrington

Tames Jorringnon. 0/10.

Barely recognizable. Makes me wonder if they kept the wig because otherwise it would be nearly impossible for readers to understand that this is indeed James Norrington, the wig man.

They did somehow remember to take his prominent nose into consideration, but said fuck it to everything else.

Who is this.

No.

-

I tag those who suffered with me: @dirgeofcerberus111, @casual-dark​ @directorhachi​ and @nebbychan​.

[fizzingwizard]

mv season 3 thoughts, no spoilers of course cuz i havent seen it, also pretty empty because of that too honestly, i am totally talking out of my ass here. this is "ive no idea when i'll get to see it so im stressing out instead" lol

i really did my best to avoid spoilers, but after the uk release, ehhh, i stopped being so strict xP i still havent watched much but when i come across gifsets etc I'm no longer avoiding them.

and the thing that worried me since the end of season 2 was this: there is no more canon moomin story after November. of course, there's an endless amount of moomin stories that are ripe for adaptation into the new show - but there isn't a guide for character development. And right from season 1, MV almost immediately made itself all about character development.

so the question was, can the creators of MV come up with an aftermath for November that will still feel true to Moomins? And since they rewrote November to be more suitable for their storyline and target audience, I didn't think that was impossible.

but chances seemed high to me that one of two things would happen: either they wouldn't want to start fan drama and would hold themselves back, creating something bland and forgettable, or they'd throw everything in their own storyline and make something sensational, but not very moominous.

trying to find the line between "being true to the source material" and "being true to our personal vision" is tough any time, but I think it's especially tough with moomins. just because every time I read the novels, i'm struck by tove's way of storytelling. the way she says things but doesnt say them, or is able to take things only so far without any sense of disappointment. she's a master of show-don't-tell.

and speaking as an American, there's just not a lot of show-don't-tell going on in our kids' media anymore. everything has to be frankly stated, summarized, and often moralized by the end of the episode.

in addition, particularly with kids media, everything has to be educational! don't get me wrong, kids learning stuff from their favorite programs is great. but it's every single one. where is the story they can just appreciate? not to mention you can learn plenty from any story if it's a good one. and you get to learn those things yourself, using your own skills and background, when the message isn't shoved down your throat.

needless to say i think american children's media sucks. (eta: feel a need to add i am mostly talking about young kids' media, and i'm aware there are some real standouts.)

moomins isn't american (thank goodness) but... it is modern. and it's being made to appeal to a lot of different people. i loved the first season because i thought it was truly artistic. it had its very own flavor. when i compared it with the comics and the novels, it certainly had a modern twist, but all the characters and plotlines still felt true to me. season 2 didn't reel me in quite as much, but I still enjoyed it a lot, and personally I would say the last four episodes alone carry all the rest. they're just so good.

and i'm afraid that what little i've seen of season 3 doesn't seem to hold up by comparison. the things i've seen and read... don't sound moominous to me. i wonder if, in trying to realize the whole cast more fully, round them out in a way that makes sense post-November, they've thrown away the unique philosophies that are the whole reason I, at least, love them. like the episodes are now relying on common tropes and looking for "lessons" rather than stories. or that feel obligated to create character development by rejecting or changing essential parts of the characters.

but once again i'm very aware that i am talking out of my ass like a fool. i always write my shit out and ive wanted to write this out for weeks but kept telling myself "wait till you see it, it makes no sense when you're just spouting theories" but what can i say. this is what comes of only being able to find clips and screen caps hahaha.

that being said. i dont expect to dislike the season. there's definitely stuff i've seen that i know i'll go gaga for. lots of really cute stuff. it's just that cute isnt enough xP or it wasnt before, anyway. i certainly dont expect the show to be tailored for someone like me (an adult ugghh *muffled groaning*). it isnt and shouldnt be. i just want it to feel quirky and philosophical in that unique moomin way. hopefully i will find out my qualms have been for the most part misplaced :)

[softer-ua]

in regards to what you pointed out a few posts ago, ngl one of my least favorite fandom things is when they make Kaminari the Har Har Stupid Joking ADHD Bi Playboy Who Is Never Serious Trope. like, he's very smart, 'worst in ___ area of a UA course' is very impressive and I don't remember if it even said that or just that he was studying with some other students, worried about his grades overall, calls himself stupid with implied insecurities about it, and didn't think he was very smart compared to the other people in the course. quirk overuse makes him loopy, incoherent, and think everything's funny. and yeah, he's a bit of a flirt and made a few perverted comments and actions that he clearly didn't think through that well. I'm pretty sure he's not ever stated to be bi in the manga because it was written by a coward, so I think people should think more about why they're associating and pairing together the idea of "hot flirty playboy who if legally able would sleep with everyone he meets" with emphasis or joke in the captions of whatever the content is on him being bi. I don't think this is inherently bad, even put together, but the execution feels kind of :/ and shallow. and I mainly just wish they'd pause to consider if there's any reason (subconscious or intentional) why one of those makes them think about the other, and at the very least lean back to see if they're blatantly making those traits centric around each other and tweak how they're showing them a little. Part of this is also because it's basically his fanon sexuality, but then they stick together "oh he's bi and everyone thinks that" and "he's made flirty or perverted comments and actions in canon at some point" and then mentally exaggerate and have this Canon Image of him as *waves hand at above* and I don't think that's happening consciously in most cases but. again. Cookiecutter Bi Party Playboy Who's Made a Date Offer to Everyone In The Building. not a flirty Person or a Playboy who is bi and flirts with more than one genders

I myself headcanon him as adhd and while the exact sexuality depends on my mood I think of/have him as bi in a lot of my content, but it's the same thing with why non adhd people see how he acts and label "adhd!" Especially about comprehension speed and derpy acting and intelligence and attention span jokes/tropes. Again, not bad in and of itself, but the specific parts of his behavior that make them think he's adhd, or that they start making jokes about or Ha Ha ADHD'ing, or that they think is why we project ADHD on him, (which they aren't necessarily wrong about, but like right in a really disrespectful look at how funny this is oh look squirrel way that's only funny when adhd people are doing it and it isn't all mocking like that) when they see other people calling him adhd, are the wrong ones, I think, and it shows in their characterization of him.

I'm not saying that any of those traits are bad in a character, but as a queer adhd girl with very high annual test scores and Gifted Kid Intelligence but extremely poor grades, focus, and brain damage (admittedly nothing like his, it was a longterm passive thing that mainly just made me have a Lot of Really Bad headaches, and closest thing it did to me was make me sluggish and emotional on bad days and also techincally have the potential kill my language bit if left untreated or the surgery messed up, which it didn't, and it won't be a problem again. but even after explaining that it wasn't cancer or any sort of tumor, and after seeing it do very little at all to affect my behavior outside of irritability and performance, because y'know, constant migraines, gone after the surgery but this was before that, Certain People I Was Vaguely Kind Of Acquaintances With started to treat my like I was a fragile glass thing going to to drop dead and revive myself speaking like a comic relief cartoon crazy person at any moment which was. patronizing.) I've since had surgery for, the way the fandom combines them into stereotypes and portrays them really just rubs me the wrong way- "Flirty Bi(tm) Playboy" "Har Har ADHD Can't Focus Or Get Things After They're Explained To Him, He's Still Confused And An Idiot" "Stupid Person With Brain Damage Who Can't Take Care Of Or Think For Themself And Acts Stupid And Funny For People To Laugh At" which tbh is super ableist even and especially when people irl do fit that description, and also reminds me of the Autistic Person Freaking Out And Being Dramatic sense of humor. And I know it's not helped by canon, because it done for comic relief and to limit his powers, but explored more I think it as a limitation could have been used way more interestingly than canon did and also call me biased but that quirk induced brain frying sounds at least as concerning as Izuku's quirk's backlash.

And it's a shame!! Because he's so much more interesting than that! Instead, the fandom gives me the Cookicutter Funny Bi ADHD Flirt Who's An Idiot and I am sad about it.

tbh it reminds me of what happened to percy jackson, esp with the ADHD Idiot Trope thing. which sucks because apparently it originated in the author making up stories around characters like his adhd and dyslexic kid inspired by Greek myths to tell him after running out of actual myths because it was his special interest and he wanted more. and then the series got kind of all over the place and the fandom processed that the adhd and dyslexic main character who does dumb things sometimes but is very combat smart and great at strategizing and leading gets bad grades and has trouble focusing and has, y'know, adhd, and made him the ADHD Idiot and erased his Gifted Kid girl friend's traits and ADHD and dyslexia into No Nonsense Calls Him an Idiot And Thinks He's Stupid And Has To Tell Him What To Do And Manage His Life For Him and honestly that just kind of sucks and it reminds me of what happened to fandom Kaminari. and now that I think of it people have jirou like that around him a lot too.

im fine with you answering this publicly if you want or have something to add but probably tag as ableism and maybe a biphobia mention content warning for people who don't have the energy to deal with thinking about those kinds of negative things rn because I kind of Went Off About It

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences 💚(and double thank you for tag suggestions)💚

I couldn’t agree more that a lot of fandom has messed up Kami’s character, which is why I’ve kinda been posting more about him cause he’s just stuck in my head.

I think a lot of fandoms have trouble with characters like this, people have a hard time with duality in characters and fast/fun posts are easier to make if you flatten a character down.

The did it to Kami, they did it to Percy, they did it to Ron Weasley, they do it to Thor, the list goes on. If being the Smart One ™️ isn’t your thing and you can be goofy than you get pigeonholed into the idiot trope.

I feel for Kami a lot(probably because I have adhd/brain damage too)

It sucks when you’re smart but it’s not the traditional, measurable kind of smart(even if by national comparison Kami technically is).

I got terrible grades growing up, and I pretty much got the absolute lowest gpa you can get and still graduate. But absolutely no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, because I’m not dumb.

(It’s okay if you are “dumb”, I love me a head empty just vibes friend. You’re 100% valid, stil worthy of joining discussions, and should be listened to and taken seriously. This just isn’t about that tho)

I joke sometimes that I’m clever and witty but not smart, because that’s exactly what it feels like.

I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I think I articulate pretty well, I am excellent at finding the humor in things and expressing it in a way that’s funny to others too, and there is almost zero problems I can’t find a work around. And the people in my life love it, and they love to use it.

But eventually everyone in my life finds out that I’m not smart. They see the way I have to pause to Google how to calculate a tip, that I don’t know the name of all 50 states or even where to find them on a map, or I legitimately just can not spell (if you ever see a post where it looks like I used a weird word choice it’s probably because I tried 4 times and autocorrect+Google couldn’t help me and voice to text wasn’t an option)

No one ever questions my intelligence until they find out about my adhd and/or catch me struggling with it. After the mask comes off it’s like they can’t even hear me anymore, nothing I say could be true or matter because I’m now just the goofy accident prone spacy girl. My family literally calls me Spacy

And ya know what sometimes I just let people think that because it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining that I’m dyslexic and that I didn’t have a single geography/history clas until 10th grade and shocker the capital of Iowa doesn’t come up much by then. And it’s easier for me to laugh off losing my keys again than dwell on the fact that sometimes it feels like I’m losing my marbles.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after this post I get a lot more “fact checkers” and push back on anything else I post.(not talking about people who want to genuinely engage,y’all are always welcome, I’m talking those people who don’t wanna look it up themselves but no longer trust me to know what I’m talking about)

Kami is a sweet brilliant boy. He’s in a nationally high ranking school, he loves the weather channel, he’s careful about his quirk that could easily hurt his friends in combat, he has a very high emotional intelligence level, he wears dorky shirts with electricity puns on them, and he pays attention to his friends and remembers a lot of little things about them.

He wants to be a hero and he takes that seriously, and the series has tried time and time again to tell y’all that smiling and laughter are an important part of that. Kami excels at this part! So what if his history grades don’t rival the top of the class, the top 5 students would struggle hard to do what Kami does.

Iida can’t relax, Momos rather shy, Todo struggles with social cues, Midoriya is canonically not funny, and jfc where to even begin with Katsuki. I’m certain they’ll all grow up to be excellent heros in their own right, but none of them are going to bring the level of joy and camaraderie that Denki can. You can’t test that into someone.

Kami also just notices people differently and has any easy way of joining in with them, he doesn’t struggle approaching Katsuki or Shinso. Sure he doesn’t hit the the nail on the head the same way Deku does but he’s the only one who has the guts and skills to try. Also he’s not that kinda friend, he’s not looking to a save these guys but pal around with them

I think Kami 100% realizes what a special case and tough nut to crack Bakugo is, I don’t think he’s just careless or too dumb realize his life’s at stake or whatever.

I think he’s purposely testing Bakugos boundaries all while trying to not be a threat to Katsukis actual ego and calling Bakugo out when he needs it in a way that not to serious. Kami knows how to be just goofy enough that he’s approachable. He’s also keyed in that the way to Bakugo is through Deku, meanwhile everyone else is stuck believing the opposite.

Kami also realized how important music is to Jiro and saw an opportunity to let her display her skills and combin the two worlds she lives, and he wasn’t afraid to get some back lash from her for it.

Like Deku Kami isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. You really can’t teach that level of social ease, you can teach the posture and feed people a couple of lines but it’ll never hit the same. Funny approachable people have spent a lifetime learning the craft, usually out of necessity.

It’s actually what gives me the biggest adhd vibes from him, because adhd is (speculated to be) a dopamine deficiency disorder. People with adhd are constantly trying to raise their dopamine levels, and that means looking for praise and reward and nothing makes the human brain light up faster than postative human connections.

Adhd children struggle a lot with connecting with peers and often find making people laugh a fast way into people’s circles and makes it more likely people will overlook being interrupted or spaced out on.

Also adhd people are pretty much forced by their own brain structures to be genuine in all they do, low dopamine levels make it very hard to do things you don’t enjoy because there no promise of dopamine from the activity and you don’t have enough to spare, plus impulsiveness makes it really hard to not show when you do or don’t enjoy something.

I agree that Kami is also painted as overly perverted at times, he’s a little flirty but in a fun casual way but it’s not the foundation of his personality and it’s really mellowed out over the course of the series.

And while I subscribe to the bi hc from his interactions with Jiro and Shinso, we should all be very mindful that we don’t lump these characteristics together. The are separate facets of his personality that are not dependent on each other in anyway.

Kami deserves all the respect and love, I can’t wait to see our electric king again 🖤⚡️🖤

[andromeda612]

The writer vs the liar

So, remember the prompt from a few days ago? You can chek it here

Well, I made a draft for what would be the whole fic, I'm gonna start it soon and will post it in Ao3, I would make a post when is ready and with every update, if you are interested make me know, so I can tag you.

I apologize for any mistake, english is not my first language, I hope you like it!

After Mari is expelled Nathaniel and Alix are worried and confused, because there is no way Marinette did those things (Alix defended Marinette in Reverser and I like to think that Nathaniel learned his lesson, so they are less likely to believe that Marinette would do anything of what Lila said) but all the mess is confusing. They talk but can't get a good answer. They decide to relax a little in the art club, they can't.

Marc noticing their mood ask what's wrong. So they tell him, and Marc is fast to point out all the wrong things with the whole situation. The "evidence" is circumstancial, superficial and easily planted, Damocles should have called Lila's parents too, no just Marinette's, Lila should had at least some bruises but there is no one, the protocole says that they needed to make an investigation, Mari has the right to prove her innocence, but Damocles just expelled her then and there. So yeah, the school messed up, because that failure in protocole and lack of professionalism can be addressed as neglect.

Thinking a little more they come to the conclusion that Marinette had been framed, but by who and why? If you think about it the only suspect is Lila, after all she was in the middle of the fire, but why would she did that? Marc asks for more background about this girl, because he only knows her because he had seen her sometimes in school and because Rose mentioned her once or twice, Nathaniel nor Alix have ever talked about her, Marinette either (and that interview on the Ladyblog is not that famous, so he missed it)

Alix explains the drama between those two, the seats thing (Marc tells them that it was wrong to move Mari to the back without asking her, maybe Nathaniel never had problem with being alone but he is not Marinette, they admit it was thoughtless from them and make a note to apologize later) and Marinette claming that Lila is a liar.

That catches Marc's atention, he knows Marinette, for him she is like a sister in everything but blood, after all she was the first person who was nice to him in school and despite not knowing in the time being that he has social anxiety she always was patient and kind with him until he was comfortable enough talking to her. Misunderstanding aside, she was the one who introduced him to Nathaniel and the rest of her friends from the art club, and they introduced him with the rest of their friends. Now he has two best friends (Mari and Alix) is dating his other bff (Nathaniel) has other good friends and is working in what he loves with his partner, all thanks to Marinette, so is no wonder that the two of them grew closer.

He knows that Mari hates liars, so if she thinks that this girl is a liar she must has a very good reason. Then Alix says that it just her being jealous because of Adrien. And yes, that may be true, Marinette tends to get jealous of any rival for the boy's affection, and can do crazy and, honestly, pretty bad stuff for him but again, he knows her and knows that at the end Marinette always admits her wrongdoings, apologizes and does better. He also knows that jealousy for itself is not a strong motive for dislike someone that much, because Chloe? is a brat, Kagami? He knows that Marinette actually helped Adrien in a date with her and now both girls are very good friends despite her knowing that Adrien actually is interested in Kagami, so if this Lila is really that good of a person then why Marinette seems to dislike her and think that is a liar? She has to has a reason.

When he says this Alix and Nathaniel have the decency of look ashamed, Marc is right, they (Alix and the girls the most) should have asked for her reasons instead of brush it off as simply jealousy, Marinette is better than that.

With his point clear, Marc asks for more details, maybe they can discover why Marinette thinks Lila is a liar. Again is Alix who talks (Nathaniel never had been one of Lila's admirers and he pays not much attention to the drama) and tells every story Lila told them (I'm not including the napkin incident because either Nathaniel nor Alix were there, Nathaniel was alone in another table and Alix wasn't in the cafeteria at all) and once she is done Marc is fast to point every single hole, contradiction and nonsense in Lila's claims.

Being a writer and a very active reader makes this kind of thing easy for him, it also helps that some of Lila's claims can be debunked with a little knowledge (arthritis doesn't work like that for example) and him has plenty of that, he likes to read about different topics, not just stories and comics, also is the fact that he makes lots of researching for his stories (the comic is not the only thing he writes for) even if they are about fantasy he likes them to be coherent and solid, so if he is going to use some topic he research to support his writing, so yeah he knows a little of many things. He also points out all the times Lila manipulated them so they did things for her, and how.

Now they know the truth, Lila IS a liar and a manipulative one.

HOLY SHIT MARINETTE WAS RIGHT! First they feel bad, they should have listened to her! They are also ashamed because now that they think about it most of the lies are dumb! They are idiots!

Marc is fast to comfort them, after all some of her lies are believable at least from their point of view, their class is not a normal one they have some famous people like Adrien a famous model, Chloe the mayor's daughter, Nathaniel is the ilustrator of one of the most popular comics in Paris, Marinette is Jagged Stone's favorite designer and has been prized by Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgois, Max is a genius with his own AI, there is Kitty Section and the list goes. So, one more student with conections and awesome claims is not that difficult to believe. Also, they are being manipulated, Lila use pity to make herself look vulnerable and fragil, so they would not question her or her claims, she also takes advantage of their kindness. Being fooled and manipulated is not a crime, they are victims too.

That make them feel better, but now they are pissed, because THEY ARE BEING FOOLED, MANIPULATED AND TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF! AND MARINETTE IS EXPELLED AND ALL IS THAT WITCH FAULT!

Marc is pissed too, being the patient and quiet person he is there are just a few things that makes him trully angry, but messing with his loved ones is the top of that list, and that little bitch is messing with all of his friends and his boyfriend! She is not just liying, manipulating and using them, she also gives them false hope with all the false promises she made, they are gonna be hurt once she fails in fulfil them. And MARINETTE IS EXPELLED so yeah, that brat crossed many lines.

For now they decide to talk to Marinette, Alix and Nathaniel need to apologize, and to make her know that the three of them know the truth and are by her side.

Later they discover that Marinette's expulsion is revoked, aparently all was a huge misunderstanding and Lila herself clarified the mess. Yeah, something is off here and they are not going to let their guard down, but at least Mari's name is clean.

The next day they are in the bakery with Marinette's favorite ice cream and two draws made by Alix and Nath, a -forgive-us-for-not-listened-you-and-for-being-bad-friends- gift. Marinette is relieved and actually cries of joy for having her friends by her side and free from Lila's claws, and of course she forgive them, after all they admitted their errors and apologized, also despite the evidence against her they gave her the benefit of the doubt, and for that she is grateful.

They talk and Marinette tells them how she found out the truth the same she told Alya and Nino (Marc tells her that it was not ok to follow Adrien and Lila but unlike them he still listened to her side of the story) she also point out that she ACTUALLY KNOWS Jagged Stone.

But hey! That doesn't mean that Adrien also knows the truth?

Yeah, she also tells them that Adrien is aware of Lila's true nature and also talks about the 'high road' advice. "HE TOLD YOU WHAT?"

But before any of them could get angry with Adrien she explains that he really thought her lies were harmless, also he believed that expose her would be bad because he called her out in a friendly way and still she was akumatized, but now that she was expelled he recognized that his advice was a bad one and that her lies can hurt people, he already apologized to her, and explained that he made a deal with Lila, he will be her friend and she will be a model and in return she will bring Mari back to school. He also admited that the best is to expose her, becasue netiher of them actually believe that Lila is going to let Marinette alone.

That makes them calm down, and forgive Adrien, he apologized to Marinette too and admited his error, also they think that a deal with the devil is punishment enough, and if they think about it, probably the poor boy didn't knew better, but he does now, so it's ok.

Then they learn about the threat in the bathroom and her almost akumatization. And they are even more pissed HOW DARE SHE? They apologize again for making her believe that she couldn't trust them with that. She says is ok, that she didn't take her too seriously, and she has faith in them, and so far they proved her right. Though, Marc wish that she could have talked to him at least, maybe they would have prevented all of this, but it doesn't matter.

Well, now they have one thing clear: they need to take that bitch down. But how? Lila could lie her way out, or twist the situation in her favor, they are trying to come up with a plan, but Marc is quiet, his mind working and then he has an idea.

With a calm and cool tone he says them "Just help me with some research, I'll take care of the rest" and replacing his usual sweet and shy demeanor there is a smirk and a cold determination and confidence in his face that surprise them (Nath actually finds it kind of hot)

They don't know what is he thinking, but they have seen him angry before (and thank god they have never been the cause of it, because Marc is a cinnamon roll but is very scary when is angry) and they know what his wrath is capable of. Whatever his plan is, they know is gonna work and dammit if it doesn't. They almost feel bad for Lila. Almost.

The next days they spend time together doing the investigation (they have some fun time and an awesome sleepover too), and finally they get solid proof to expose Lila, thanks to Marinette they get a video interview with Jagged Stone where the singer claims that he never had met Lila, and thanks to Marc's general knowledge in health and some help from Nathaniel's parents who both are doctors, they also get proof to debunk Lila's claims of illnes or other disabilities (specially the lying disease bullshit) and since Marc is a good researcher they manage to find some interesting stuff, like Mrs. Rossi contact information, is all in the embassy page.

With the investigation done, all what they need to do is wait for the perfect moment to expose the liar, and the oportunity comes two weeks later in the form of a picnic that Bustier's class organize just to hang out together, naturally Marc is invited and helps to organize said picnic, almost all of the class consider him a friend and one of them despite him being in Mendeleiev's class. Mari, Alix and Nathaniel still don't know what is his plan exactly, but they trust him. Adrien is aware of his plan but he doesn't know what exactly is either.

So here they are, in the park, in a cute blanket, with some delicious food and with great company (that doesn't include certain people, aka Chloe and the liar) and of course Lila is charming their friends with other of her lies, it takes all of their willpower to not roll their eyes. And then, listening carefully Marc takes the perfect moment to interrumpt the tale, social anxiety or not, that witch is hurting his beloved ones and he is not going to tolerate it, so even if he never has talked to her, fuck his shyness, that girl is gonna face the consequences for her actions. (It also helps that he is already friends with the rest of his boyfriend's class)

So, to everyone suprise he interrumpts Lila in middle sentence to point out the holes in what she is saying.

Alix, Nathaniel, Marinette and Adrien froze in panic, what is he thinking?! A direct confrontation was a bad idea, wasn't it? Marc locked eyes with the four of them and give a look thay says 'I get this' so they let him be, but now they are really uneasy.

What they didn't know is that the last days until now Marc has been doing more than just research, he was studying his enemy. Marc is a good listener, and being someone who likes to go unnoticed he became a very good observant too, he can notice little details and patterns, also he is a sensible and sympathetic boy so is easy for him to put himself in other's shoes, that combined makes him very good at reading and analysing people. He also made extra research in psychology and behaivor. So now, he knows how Lila works, he knows what to expect and how to answer. It also helps that he is very good with words, not just the ones he writes for his stories, but the ones he says and also he is very good with other's people words, he knows how to use them. That is his plan, he is going to use all his skills and knowledge to trap Lila, she thinks that she is smart and can control the situation, but Marc is going to prove that she can and will lose in her own game. Her lies are gonna be her downfall.

Lila of course tries to make an excuse or another lie to save face, but Marc refutes her again and again, and the rest of the class? Some are confused and others seems thoughtful shit! She is losing control! She tries but this black haired boy seems to be smart, he gets her cornered until the point that she can't lie her way out, and her classmates are starting to look suspicious. She tries to change tactics, the tears worked against Marinette, they will work now. She hides her face in her hands and starts to sob.

"I just was trying to share some of my wonderful experiencies with my friends, so I could give them some advice to help them in the future. Why are you being so mean? I haven't done anything to you! " That make people like Rose or Mylene to softened and go to comfort her, and between her hands she can see Alya ready to confront the boy, but Marc is ready for this kind of tactic, is his turn to make a move.

"I'm sorry but, How does this make me mean? I just pointed some facts because honestly, I'm a bit confused. At first I thought that you just made a little mistake, but then you just said another nonsense! Why would YOU do that?"

And then she is losing the little control she manage to regain. Because no matter how much they want to comfort her, Marc has a point and what he said so far actually makes sense, at least more sense than what she said. The others start to look torn between comfort or question her.

"Well... how would you know that what I said is wrong? Where is your proof?" Lila crosses her arms and look to other side, just to hide the smirk in her face, that would be enough and that annoying nobody will learn to not get in her way.

But, much to her surprise Marc actually has a good answer to that.

"Uh... comon sense? I mean, If I'm being a little honest if you think about it, some of the things you said have no... logic. Also I like to read a lot and about different things, including what you were saying so I know for a fact that some of the things you said are wrong. And my proof? Well a quick search in google is enough to prove me right"

Lila pales, she was not expecting that answer, and to her utter horror she can see some of her classmates typing in their phones, probably fact checking for once, she need to fix this now! She looks around trying to find some sympathy or something that would help, but she only see her classmates reading something in their phones and some of them are starting to frown, then she looks to Marinette and has an idea, this would break her little deal with Adrien but is ok, she wasn't planning to leave the brat alone anyway and her model career is in his father's hands, and she already has him tied around her finger.

So, before anyone could say something she sobs more louder and points a finger to Marinette.

"This is because of Marinette, isn't it? She put you into this! I-" but she couldn't finish because Marc interrumpts her, he also is ready for Lila trying to blame Marinette and he is not having it!

"And what does she has to do with this? Is not her fault that you have your facts wrong" and now the others are starting to narrow their eyes towards her, Damn it! Well she made the baker a threat, is time to fulfil it.

Lila makes the best she can to look pityful and scared. "Well... I didn't want to say this because I thought that nobody would believe me but... Marinette threatened me in the bathroom the day I came back from Achu!" She cries to everybody's shock.

"WHAT?!" Everybody screamed that. Marinette and her we-know-the-truth squad are frozen and can't believed it, THE NERVE OF THIS GIRL!

The rest to their friends are equally stunned, because they just can't believe what Lila said.

Lila using the shock continues with her sob story.

"She cornered me in the bathroom and told me that she would turn all of you against me! And all because she is jealous! And now she is using this boy to make you think that I'm a liar, just like she said!" Lila hug herself in an attempt to look small and is crying full force now.

Marc has to use all his willpower to not scream and call her a hypocrite, but he has a perfect answer for that too.

"Marinette would NEVER do that!" And to Lila's surprise and Marinette's glee is not Marc who says that, is Alya.

"Marinette is the sweetest girl, and she is not a bully!" That was Rose, who walked away from Lila like she burned her. And the rest of the class make their agreement known.

Lila really did NOT expect THAT reaction! They are supose to be comforting her and screaming to Marinette, not defending her! It's ok she can fix it.

"See? Is this why I didn't want to say anything! You don't believe me!"

Marc takes the word again "We know Marinette, we know she has flaws but she is one of the best people we know" again everybody agrees with that.

Lila is getting desperate, this is not what is supose to happen! And where is an akuma when you need it?! But Lila refuses to lose!

"Look I know you all thougth that you knew her and that she was your friend, but the truth is that Marinette is not what she seems to be, she is a manipulative liar and is just using you!"

Again, is not Marc who talks, this time is Kim

"No, you look Lila, I have known Marinette since diapers, and I know she has flaws but she is NOT a bad person"

"Yeah, and using us? She is the one who goes out of her way just to help us! She is a caring friend! Heck! We actually had to convince her that it's ok to pay to her everytime we comission something from her!" That was Nino

"And still, she gives us discounts everytime she can, but jus for the record, we have no problem in paying the whole price, Marinette, your job is awesome and you deserve to be fairly rewarded" that was Ivan, and Marinette gives him a very grateful smile, the rest of her friends agree with him and she smiles to them too.

"But-but" Lila is in trouble, she tries to think fast, but then Max just dig her hole deeper.

"Also, what Marc just said about your story is also true, all the wrong facts and holes, I asked Markov to fact check and the evidence supports Marc, the only conclusion is that you were lying to us!"

Nonononononono NO!

"And since you told us this lie like you did with any other of your stories I wondered What else was a lie? I also asked Markov to confirm every thing that you had said to us, and nearly the 86.65% was a lie"

Marc smiles, the game is going exactly according to his plan, even some of his moves were made by others, he is happy that Marinette has friends with such a faith in her, ready to stand up for her just like she does for them. But he knows that the game is still on, Lila still has some pieces, but Marc already steal her big ones, she just has some pawns to defend her King and Marc has his army intact.

Well fuck, she is doomed, the rest of the class looks ready to attack her... and then she remember her last card, it's a wild card, her lies will not work the same way anymore but she could save face, she will, eventually, come up with something to regain her control.

Well it seems that there is a limit, so I make a part 2

[eradicatetehnormal]

Thinking About Soriku

While it's no longer my OTP, SoRiku is and likely always will among my favorite KH ships. I admit that part of that is because I went in with a bias, due to a fan comic type thing that I read, prior to finishing the first KH game. After playing the games and seeing the community I shipped it more.

To be completely honest though, I didn't really see the ship outside of THE scenes in KH2 and through that symphony of sorcery scene in DDD. It was when I interacted with the community more that I realized how much there was to the ship. How they pointed out details like Riku technically sharing the paopu with Sora and that being the keychain on the combined keyblade dubbed "the gayblade" by the community. How jealous Riku acted in KH1 while suspiciously being more focused on one-upping sora than actually saving Kairi. How Riku did everything in his power to make sure Sora can come back safely in KH2 and 179 days, and of course the entirety of how their relationship is portrayed in DDD, with how Sora is disappointed with having to be separated from Riku and Riku always talking about Sora with almost nothing but positive things to say. All the other pieces of evidence that could point to hints of romantic attraction. From what I hear, people having a better understanding of the ship after interacting with the community is actually kinda common.

Soriku is one of those ships where the implications are subtle. If you're not looking for it, it's blink and you miss it, outside of a couple of stand-out scenes. If you ARE looking for it, it's extremely obvious to the point of almost coming off as intentional, especially post KH2 if you're looking at it from Riku's pov. I bet it's the work of the event planner:

Here's like, the thing with the community though. It's been at odds with a certain other group of shippers and they go at it A LOT, and it can make the community unbearable to be in sometimes. Not to mention how oversensitive some members of the community can be and how unwilling some of them are to live up to their past. The past of Sorikus being yaoi-obsessed fangirls who wrote and drew smut is real is very real and is a legacy that still lives on, even if it's not as bad as it used to be. There were consequently, children who saw that content. I understand Sorikus not wanting to acknowledge that past because

A. a lot of them consider it something that was a part of their cringy teen years and don't want to acknowledge it

and

B. Many Soriku shippers are genuinely queer and either aren't responsible for that content or fit into the prior category

And to be fair, a lot of the times when Kaisos bring this up, they do tend to have bad intentions and try to dismiss their own homophobic behavior, but at the same time if the yaoi side goes unacknowledged, especially when it comes to the older fan content, then it does seem like we aren't owning up to the fact that some of us are fetishy and it can leave and unwanted mark on the community. Also, yeah, going back to what I said earlier. Some of us are over-sensitive and do have a habit of calling people homophobic for saying that Kairi is Sora's most important person on their own platforms, and that's an issue too.

That being said, despite the community I still like the ship and it is still an S-tier pair for me, not GOD-TIER, but S-tier. When I actually remember how good their relationship is in the series, and good some of the fan content is, I can't bring myself to hate it.

Here's the other thing though. What if it actually happened? What if the series ended with Sora and Riku in an embrace saying that they'll always love and be there for each other, and then a strongly implied off-screen kiss? Regardless of how people feel about it, or what the intentions on Square and Disney's part, Sora and Riku ACTUALLY getting together would be a huge fucking deal. Not just for the KH community but for JRPGs and gaming in general. Hell, it'd be a huge mark in Disney history, as they would be among the few confirmed MAIN LGBTQ+ characters in a Disney property. Because of that people. will. riot. There will be many calling it the product of an agenda. There will be idiots saying that this ruined their childhood (which honestly if THAT's their argument, they didn't have a childhood worth ruining) and there will be people angry at Disney and ALL OF JAPAN for "forcing" children to see homosexual content. Probably giving prejudiced conservatives who like to be controversial, leeway to the yaoi argument as means of racism and homophobia. There's also the question of narrative meaning in Kingdom Hearts. First off there's the obvious, which is the writers will have to address Sora's relationship with Kairi else it feels disingenuous, and that can get messy rather quickly, especially because a lot of Kairi's relevancy is linked to her relationship with Sora. Pairing him with Riku can risk undermining his relationship with Kairi and if she doesn't do anything with Aqua and the other characters, can reduce her down to nothing but wasted potential, nostalgia, a cute design, and a cool backstory. As sad as it is, a big part of her appeal is her romantically coded relationship with Sora.

The series has always been about friendship first and foremost before everything else, even if it does value other types of relationships. Sora and Riku are considered by the creators, to be what the series is all about. What does it say about the power of friendship if the two leading characters were in love the entire time? This is less of a narrative issue with Kairi because she was never portrayed to be Sora's friend. She was always written to be a love interest to him in some way. Whereas with Riku, he was always written to either be Sora's rival, or embarrassingly close "friend", at least on a surface level. Sora and Riku getting together romantically could work to undermine the theme of friendship being the most powerful form of magic. Both Kaisos and Soriku's would probably just say "WELL IT CAN BE ABOUT BOTH", but part of what makes it so special in the eyes of many people is that it's NOT about both. That it consistently keeps its friendship theme and never safely comes out of it by making overly big moments with the love interest (except for Kairi single-handedly being the most important person to Sora. Why wouldn't it be Kairi AND Riku). So that initial message getting underplayed can risk taking the series down a peg for a lot of people.