#mem speaks (to herself)

[momentofmemory]

i’ve been thinking about how the (good) characters that die in teen wolf and come back to life always get some kind of desirable result out of it—allison, scott, and stiles get to save their parents in 3a, scott discovers the benefactor is a banshee in s4, derek gains the ability to fullshift in s4, and even the chimeras in s5 come back with their forms stable—but when scott dies in 5a he simply.

dies.

no power upgrade. no one saved. not even the glimpse of a loved one.

anyway all that is to say i think 5b scott deserves a tiktok so he can do the 🎶 what doesn’t kill you <close up on gored chest> GIVES YOU TRAUMA 🎶 meme

[momentofmemory]

Hello again! Me in a reblog instead of replies this time, since giving responses was welcomed.

I struggled a bit as to how to arrange this as so many (common) talking points were in your post, but I’m going to try to give short responses to each (you’re welcome to ask for an extensive answer to any, but for one-post’s sake I’ll be shortening or in some cases linking elsewhere for others), and then attempting to provide a bit of background for understanding how the bedrock of fandom’s racism—not even necessarily your own biases!—plays into how all of these interpretations of Scott have risen to “common” knowledge.

1. Scott and Murder

He is perfectly ok with Gerard being dead if it meant that his mother is safe from the threats by Gerard - there’s no evidence, in show or in extra materials, that Scott intended to kill Gerard by switching the pills to Mountain Ash. On the contrary, all it did was ensure Gerard would not be able to accept the bite—if Scott had wanted Gerard dead, switching the pills with cyanide, an offensive poison, would’ve been much simpler than Mountain Ash, a defensive countermeasure.

He is not supposed to guilt trip Stiles for a pure act of self defence - he shouldn’t and he doesn’t! Scott was lied to and told a version of events wherein Stiles did not act in self defense (5x08), and in the rain fight they both missed that the stories were different (5x09). When Stiles tells Scott what actually happened, Scott very gently just says “i know what self-defense is,” alleviating stiles’ misplaced guilt over not understanding his own innocence (due to Stiles’ own very real trauma).

He is perfectly ok with killing Peter if it meant he doesn’t become a werewolf - Scott became a werewolf because Peter attacked and violated his body, something he didn’t ask for and Peter did exclusively for personal gain. Peter was also still actively murdering people, and—somewhat crucially—Scott is willing to consider this plan both bc 1)he’s been threatened with death multiple times because of his forced species change and 2)Derek presents the plan, which Derek knows is a lie. Also, absolutely every character in the narrative wants Peter dead for pretty good reasons at this point, so I’m not really sure why this is here at all.

2. Scott and Derek

He is not supposed to force Derek against his will to bite Gerard - Scott doesn’t; Gerard does. As Gerard says in 2x12, it’s been his plan since day 1 to force Derek to give him the bite—which Derek recognizes will result in Gerard immediately killing all of them so Gerard can become Alpha. Scott apologizes to Derek for what’s to come, because he doesn’t want this to happen either, but thankfully Scott had already realized what Gerard had planned to do—and so had switched the pills not with the intent to kill Gerard, but to protect Derek.

He is not supposed to say “maybe they had a reason to do it” - Scott says this in episode 4, after which the sum total of Scott’s experience with werewolves has been them stalking, hurting, killing, and mind controlling him. Now crucially, Scott was wrong, and Derek was very correctly hurt by this statement. Derek immediately corrects him. Scott never argues against this again—all he does is state that not every Argent can be blamed for what happened, because Allison is literally innocent.

He is not supposed to let Derek die and immediately kiss his back from dead girlfriend - genuinely, why? he didn’t let derek die—derek made an active decision to sacrifice himself to save everyone else (which i think was an incredibly poor writing decision, but it didn’t speak badly of any of the characters). immediately seeking comfort from others after a brush with death is extremely common, which is why everyone else on the field rushes to their loved ones as well. and as soon as Scott and Allison break apart, it’s Scott—no one else—that rushes to comfort Eli.

3. Misc

He is not supposed to abuse Isaac - agreed! i think every scott fan or otherwise hates these scenes and thinks davis should go directly to jail! i also think stiles shouldn’t tell isaac he’s “milking” his abuse in the same episode, or that Derek should literally victim blame Lydia about Peter (3x02). No one sincerely holds Derek or Stiles at fault for these cases, bc they’re 1)isolated and 2)the product of davis being absolutely terrible with trauma, which is why Scott should not be either.

Okay, that was a lot! Thank you for sticking with me thus far.

Now, we get to the more complicated part of where all of these came from.

I don't know how long you've been in teen wolf fandom, but in order to understand it you really have to know how bad it was towards Scott. Like, really, really bad. Headcanons and interpretations don't just happen in a vacuum; they're influenced by the posts we read, the gifsets we see, the fic we enjoy. And during the show's airing, there was an extremely dedicated meta writing group that specialized in taking absolutely anything Scott did and turning it into Scott being The Devil Incarnate—and every pre-movie reason you listed above started with that group, because they were that influential. You do not have to be personally racist to dislike Scott, but most of the anti-scott meta that influences teen wolf fandom today was built on racist interpretations.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of fandom racism as it relates to Teen Wolf, I'd super recommend stitchmediamix's articles in the What Fandom Racism Looks Like series, an older archive of the racism OG scott fandom experienced, or for more general reading (some tw specific, some not), my tag for fandom racism.

Okay!!!!!!!!

I'm a poc.

I can't stress this enough. I'm gonna lose my mind if I see another post about "you are a racist if you don't like Scott McCall". I don't really hate him, he is just not my top fav character.

The trope I hate the most in ensemble cast is-character not being called out or not facing the consequences because of their decisions or the things they do. This perfectly applies to Scott McCall.

He is perfectly ok with killing Peter if it meant he doesn't become a werewolf.

He is perfectly ok with Gerard being dead if it meant that his mother is safe from the threats by Gerard.

But no one says anything on this. Everyone just keeps saying he is a morally goody goody boy which he isn't.

If it is meant to be character development then people should agree that Scott is not perfect which no one addresses in the show.

He is a teenager. Of course he makes stupid decisions but everyone treats him like he is some kinda god in the show that it's very hard to treat him like a normal teenager.

He is not supposed to abuse Isaac.

He is not supposed to force Derek against his will to bite Gerard.

He is not supposed to let Derek die and immediately kiss his back from dead girlfriend.

He is not supposed to say "maybe they had a reason to do it" and honestly everyone that supports this statement is sick to the core. If anything Derek has every reason to be outright angry and kill every living Argent but he doesn't do that but you know what he does? Safely drops his enemy's daughter at her house. And everyone wonders why Derek is a fan favourite next to Stiles.

He is not supposed to guilt trip Stiles for a pure act of self defence.

I can go on and on for the reasons why Scott isn't my fav character but his race is not one of them. I also very recently got to know that he is a poc but he is not my fav character since long back.

[rascheln]

The thing I find both hilarious and infuriating about Oshi no Ko is actually the adults and how they know Aqua is scheming and using and manipulating the girls and all they do is essentially just stand by and watch and simply tell him "you know that's wrong" without actually doing anything about it at best or helping him at worst.

Miyako seems to have made it pretty clear that while she thinks of Ruby as her daughter, the same can't be said for Aqua. She acts like his legal guardian first and foremost, but apart from telling him off for manipulating the girls, she doesn't do any actual parenting. Maybe that's because she thinks Aqua needs to make his own mistakes or that she can't control him anyways, but it still makes her an onlooker to his actions. (Though to be fair, due to her lack of involvement with him she also misses a lot of the shit he pulls and probably thinks he's still relatively harmless. It also doesn't help that he acts much more like an adult and has done his best to hide his trauma, which makes him sort of invisible as a 'problem child.')

Mem-cho in a way tries to subtly get involved when she realizes both Akane and Kana have feelings for Aqua and that he's using both of them. Her conflict is over the feelings of her friends, though, and so she tries to slightly counteract Aqua by helping both girls... But that means she spreads herself too thin. She can't have it both ways, for one girl to be happy the other is going to be miserable and she doesn't have enough of a close relationship and access to Aqua to influence him in a meaningful way.

At the same time, she hides a lot of this drama from both Kana and Akane. She can't tell either of them what she knows about the other, least of all what she's observed about Aqua, without hurting their feelings. She's an outside observer who doesn't have the courage to speak up.

And then there's the director, with the most insight into Aqua's mental state, who could overlook Aqua trying to keep Ruby from becoming an idol because he knows how much that scares Aqua. He knows probably most of the background shit Aqua has been pulling and the connections he's made over time and instead of recognizing Aqua's plans as self destructive, he enables him.

Maybe he does this because just like Miyako he doesn't think he could stop Aqua. Or because he wants revenge, too. But ultimately I find him helping Aqua the most egregious, because what Aqua is doing is reckless, is destroying his still existing personal relationships and is leading him directly towards someone who is clearly very dangerous.

(There's also something to be said about Akane withholding her insights into Ai's murder/Aqua's father multiple times to "protect" Aqua, which technically would have been the right choice in order to keep him from spiraling further but was an incredibly naive thing to do since it was impossible to keep those secrets for long. So it just had the opposite effect of delaying a much worse emotional reaction and heightening Aqua's desperation to get his revenge and making it clear to Akane that while he never trusted her anyways, he now especially doesn't have any reason to confide in her.)

[penguinkyun]

chapter 146 review

i feel a little insane about this chapter. alright not just a bit a lot oh my god we are so back everyone 

before we begin, due to the nature of this chapter including himekawa airi, csa and child abuse along with a murder suicide are going to be mentioned so if you do not feel upto engaging please click off and take care of yourself

lets start with the filming scenes then. so we start with airi trying to reassert control and get into hikaru's head by telling him taiki was his son (horrifying) and how he would return to her because no one would love him (can i strangle her can i please please i really fucking want to this absolute-). this is the lead up to what is essentially the turning point in kamiki's life and hkai relationship: the uehara-himekawa murder suicide.

its so incredibly fucked that right after hikaru asks ai if she'll love him forever (as a direct response to airi manipulating him) she doesnt outright say yes (but she admitted she was trying to be honest and that is such a huge step forward for her) and when he tells uehara, the murder suicide happens. its a string of events very heavily culminating in an absolutely horrible situation for kamiki to find himself in. you can see from that panel of kamiki screaming that he absolutely did not mean for that to happen and it weighs on him. and speaking of weights…the Cut 156: Importance of Life comes right after the scene of the uehara-himekawa murder suicide. doesn't that name sound very Very similar to a certain dialogue? 

honestly its this similarity that has me tentatively putting out an incredibly batshit theory that for some reason, before filming and the final script was produced, aqua and kamiki met and something in that conversation caused a noticeable shift in how kamiki was portrayed in film. because for a film meant to murder someone, its oddly sympathetic isn't it? even to the point ai herself becomes a little less sympathetic. almost like it isn't kamiki's sole responsibility (although he was definitely involved) of the murder of ai and that someone else was pulling the strings as well cough secret villain kaburagi-. 

the shift is obvious in how frill calls it an extremely spiteful script…but once the final script is produced, both mem and kana point out that there is some kindness in the work, and that its difficult to say whether there is hatred or not. very shrimptresting. 

this is also backed up by…how exactly did aqua know all of this? i doubt kamiki would've told anyone else except maybe ai, and the only person who would know all of this down to the exact detail is kamiki himself. 

right this is becoming a full conspiracy theory that deserves its own post so lets move on 

anyway this chapter was so good for hikaru-ruby and ai-aqua parallels because hikaru nearly begging ai to say she loves him and will stay forever is incredibly reminiscent of ruby asking aqua if sensei still likes her and not letting him go out of fear he'd disappear if she did so and how both ai and aqua deflect awkwardly in those conversations out of discomfort with the question being presented to them and out of a desire to not outright lie to kamiki and ruby respectively

sidenote: goddamn the acting in this chapter. frill deserves several many awards for this film

sidenote sidenote: in movie!kamiki flopping onto ai was so adorable askjfsks ruby flopped the same way onto ai (in the bath scene in the volume extra)

and before we get to the next section let me just- 

screams 

kana nation we are so fucking back. 

this really is the start of aqua opening up!!! finally. i wonder what shift caused this given how intent he was on Never Telling Anyone but man am i so happy its happening. aqua being happy for the first time in quite a while like…how many chapters has it been? he's happy for 0.6 seconds!!! he giggled!!! im so happy aqua is actually happy askhfsks

aqua also now has a specific wry smile when talking about his mental health (just like ai has a very specific suffocating smile when shes trying to deflect)

kana’s response to this is honestly incredibly in character in that expression of concern she has seconds before she decides to keep the status quo of bickering esque dialogue that she has with aqua (likely trying not the overwhelm him) but very clearly expressing that she doesn’t want aqua to die and extracting the promise from him that he wouldn’t do so. then proceeding to act extra silly to try and cheer him up. kana i love you

aqua dropping the “i find myself happy when im with you” inhales. please excuse me while i go scream into the void. aquakana lets fucking goooooo. and kana quietly saying it back when aqua leaves? auuuuuughhhh

and finally, the real star of this chapter: KAMIKI’S BACK WITH THE MILK THIS IS NOT A DRILL HES BACK

so many things are interesting about these last few panels because at first i thought ruby was at ai’s grave but on a closer look she’s actually at a shrine? hm. for whom i wonder. did crow girl finally get fed up and tell her to give reverence akfsjsks. 

thing is, i don't think ruby’s in danger. because back in the chapter where kamiki debuted (c.72) he…never actually expresses any hatred or dislike towards her? honestly its rather reads like he’s proud of her and also nino apparently confirmed to kamiki that she wasn’t like ai so if that is his actual motive she’s not in danger of being killed for that. akamengo are the real antagonists of this series for the break next week fr. don’t you love oshi no ko our favourite biweekly manga

so this is an interesting ground for a father-daughter conversation isn’t it? 

[moonsuke]

Oshi no ko manga thoughts (mostly shipping shit)

-

I caught up to the latest chapter of Oshi no Ko last weekend! It’s all I did :)

I’ve to say Aka should probably just stick to relationship focused works and let plot take the backseat. I mean considering Kaguya sama and now OnK which was supposed to have a revenge driven and moralising about the vices of the entertainment industry theme, somehow the ship wars still overshadow everything else lol. I can feel the passion Aka has when he writes the ships and characters interacting portions as compared to the simply plot driven chapters :)

Anyway I went into the manga shipping AquaKana because of the anime, but I’ve read on various platforms the AquaAkane fans saying their ship and Akane are better developed while AquaKana and Kana remain superficial, so I was prepared to be angry and sad at the way the manga goes.

BUT LOL. I should never trust shippers’ takes ever again because Aka’s intentions are very clear right from the start. There was nothing to worry about, in fact as I’m reading all the chapters they just reinforce my KNOWING that AquaKana (even if they don’t end up together) have more romantic chemistry. IF Aqua has to end up with someone, it would have to be Kana. It’s written and set up that way from the beginning.

Right from the start, I see no “superficial” relationship between Aqua and Kana. I really think people are letting their personal feelings affect their objectivity. It’s clear how they always consider and prioritise the other (let’s exclude revenge from the picture🤡). Kana fell in love because of how Aqua always goes out of his way to help her, make her shine and regain her confidence. He always appears at the right moments when she needed someone the most, doing things in the most roundabout yet thoughtful manner that makes her feel special (which she is to him). Aqua fell in “love” (can’t be sure with this dude) because only with Kana can he feel somewhat like his old self again, untainted by revenge which is something he does not even want to seek deep down. With her, his shadows and traumas get chased away (even if just momentarily) by her “light” because their conversations, dynamics and banter just flow so well he can’t help but have fun despite being in the depths of despair just moments ago. All subsequent chapters beyond the anime adaptation just reinforces this. Even in the anime itself, the themes of being the darkness to bring out your light, and being the light to chase away your shadows is prominent for AquaKana. So yea, superficial? How??

(Of course there’s some bumpy drama in the middle but let’s look at the long term storyline/ bigger picture 🤡)

(In fact, the bumpiness was also Aqua choosing to prioritise Kana’s safety just in a very hurtful and fucking cliché manner 🤡🤡)

Kana herself is also a character you can CLEARLY tell is favoured by the writer. You can always tell whenever special care is shown towards a character (like Sasuke 🤡) and for me, I fall for such tactics. Because if the author takes so much care to write this character, isn’t it natural for there to be a special something that you as a fan would pick up on and like? That’s my take anyway, as long as they aren’t a shounen/shoujo protag lol. From how other characters like Akane idolises her, to Aqua making huge sacrifices to protect her, to Mem speaking up for her, to even Ruby wanting to protect her and their friendship. In a way I can see why people would find it obnoxious especially if not enough attention is given to other characters they like. But personally, I don’t mind because I'm lucky enough to have her as a fav lmao.

It’s kinda true that Kana doesn’t receive a lot of development in later chapters, but the thing is most things took a backseat to Aqua’s revenge later on! I’ve seen so many people criticize Kana for focusing only on Aqua (which she does not), but ALL OTHER CHARACTERS ARE REVOLVING AROUND AQUA IN THE LATER CHAPTERS. Akane?? She’s even more Aqua centered. Even Ruby is, after her revenge phase! Kana is too yes, but we do also see her struggles and conflicts with her career plans. Eventually she even made the decision to quit idol work entirely to focus back on acting.

I haven’t seen this criticism much but in a way, Kana can also be deemed a damsel in the sense that she’s the only one of the main cast kept away from the revenge plot line. Aka (and thus Aqua) does not want to taint her with it. I can see how the AquaAkane shippers would find this in their favour because Akane is HIGHLY involved with Aqua’s revenge. Her relationship with Aqua is more “equal”, they’re both scheming and cunning and manipulative and highly intelligent (Akane even more so). It’s a relationship where 2 similar and intellectually compatible people are together and in many other instances I would have supported such a ship and dynamic way more than the other one.

But what’s lacking here… is how not mutual it is when it comes to romantic feelings and chemistry… In fact, I never really felt any attraction between them especially when you compare it to AquaKana. It's mostly gratefulness and maybe guilt. Throughout all of AquaAkane’s (real and fake) dating scenes, Akane was commenting how Aqua is smitten with Kana but is still trying his best to be the best boyfriend for Akane… When Aqua is with Akane, there’s always a sense of duty from him but no passion. He’s settling down for a “normal” and “happy” life in the most generic sense so he’s not just using her for revenge, but also to have a “normal” life as he can’t be near Kana (due to his traumas). She’s his second choice and she knows that but she doesn’t want to delve into why because it would be unpleasant for her. They also “understand” each other but it’s only when it comes to Aqua’s need for revenge and how Akane would go the lengths to help him achieve it. Because she accepts all of his darkness, thus he remains in darkness.

It’s only when they broke up that Akane decided she wants to save Aqua instead. But unlike Kana’s “way” by being her normal self, Akane’s gonna use manipulative tactics (like Aqua would) to steer him away from revenge. Very interesting dynamic but unfortunately just not one that’s favoured in this series.

I mean Aka once tweeted years ago that “Akane is the girl who would take you forward, but Kana is the girl who will bring you back”. Depending on personal preference, either sounds good yes? But it’s clear from Aka’s POV, he prefers the latter. Because “take you forward” in this case means diving further into revenge while “bring you back” means returning to the happy self that you were before all the trauma started. And so that was just further confirmation AquaKana was always meant to be “end game”. It's funny how the princess Saya meta about the "losing heroine" parallels Kana more than Akane (which we were led to believe). Because Saya (and Kana) was the one introduced to be the love interest, yet she got overshadowed later by Tsurugi (revenge plot and thus Akane's involvement). I don't know if its because of Akane (like Tsurugi) being popular amongst the fandom though, but the "losing heroine" term definitely applies to her here.

And now about Akane, I’ve very mixed feelings about her because I just can’t grasp her character well. She’s so different from when she was first introduced as a timid, soft spoken, hardworking genius actress. Very “majime”. Now, she’s not just a genius actress but a genius in general. A genius mastermind. I think her character is cool but also not very well-defined. I don’t think Aka wrote her very well as a character but rather she’s used to further the plot. That's why I can’t fully like her as a character but I appreciate her contributions to the storyline and various scenes. Her hype and badass moments are cool, for both her acting and intellectual prowess. If Aka likes her more, I think she has a lot of potential and would be an interesting main (as opposed to losing) heroine too. It’s just that in this case, he clearly favors Kana.

Another thing about Akane's role in the story I like is how she's THE reliable narrator. We have several instances where we can't trust what other characters are telling us (like Mem and Aqua) because they're unreliable. But when Akane says something, you KNOW its the truth and its how we should be interpreting various scenes. Just another badass moment for her lol, and how Aka uses her.

Ruby too is a very sad case. You can feel how disinterested Aka is in her character it’s not even funny. Her “development” was always based on overly convenient external factors rather than about HER. A god literally came and tell her about sensei’s death and to push her into revenge. Ichigo the director have to make an appearance to help her plan out her revenge. Nothing is really from HER. It’s all outside help. And when she found out Aqua’s true identity, she turned into an obsessed fangirl for a while...

[kyrieeleisonelise]

Ruby the Actress (major Manga spoilers!)

Ruby is probably my favourite character in Oshi No Ko. She’s someone who at first seems really simple and straightforward, but as the story progresses it becomes more clear she’s more complex than that.

In the current arc, a lot of parallels are being drawn between Ruby and Ai, Ai is central to Ruby. As Sarina, Ai was her escape and her idol. As Ruby, Ai was her mother (and still her favourite idol). Ruby both loves Ai, wants Ai to love her and wants to emulate Ai. Ruby is borderline fanatical about Ai. 

But how similar are they?

The narrative has portrayed Ruby both as one of the more honest/straightforward characters, but also asserted that she has been lying/acting this whole time, so what’s the truth?

Ruby isn’t a step-ford smiler and doesn’t have any issue with expressing negative emotions. Whether it’s her initial hostility towards Kana or her nerves before a big show or throwing a childish tantrum about a song. 

It’s hard to imagine Ai being comfortable being this emotionally open around someone. Even when Ai was insulted by a friend on B-Komachi she hardly had any outward emotion, compared to Ruby in the same situation.

Ruby also values honesty even to her own detriment, wanting to honestly do the work out YouTube challenge with Pieon, even though they could of just edited it. Compared to Ai, who felt that being a liar was intrinsic to being a good idol and felt unable to stop lying.

But if Ruby is a sweet, honest and straightforward person, how was she able to change so quickly into someone who was willing to manipulate those around her for the purpose of revenge? Is it a sudden character change or something that was building in her all along?

Even before she was Ruby, Sarina is shown to be a sweet and cheerful girl. I don’t think this was completely an act, but she felt she had to hide her more ‘ugly’ emotions in order to keep her parents love and affection. Even to Gorro she never showed the extent of her hurt and anger about being abandoned by her parents. Crucially, she also lied to herself, unable to face reality that her parents didn’t love her the way she wanted them to. She is unable to face this reality even as Ruby, until she can’t deny it any longer. 

Even though Ruby is ‘cute and honest’ the circumstances of her life necessitated her to lie about important parts of herself; She kept being reincarnated a secret from Ai and everyone around her. She even kept the details of her past life a secret from Aqua. When Ai was killed she had to keep it a secret from the world. This increased her reliance on lies, as in order to protect her own secret and Ai’s, she has to play a ‘role’ and continue to pattern of cutting off unwanted parts of herself. 

Although Ruby was able to overcome Ai’s death to an extent and is able to grieve in a more healthy way than Aqua, she’s obviously still traumatised and harbours a lot of rage and hate for the perpetrator in her heart. Which she keeps mostly hidden. 

Ruby has shown to cope well with Ai’s death, but the fact she is unable to speak to any of her friends about major traumas in her life (one mother abandoning her, another being murdered) probably limits her ability to come to terms with her feelings. The only person she can sort of speak to- Aqua- has his own stuff going on. 

One of the first things Ruby says post time-skip is that she has two big secrets, showing that hiding things have remained central to her life. Whether she wants to or not. 

  Ruby remains cheerful and straightforward post time-skip, and I really don’t think this is all an act. She builds genuine friendships with Mem and Kana, unlike Ai who struggled to make connections with her teammates. Ruby really enjoys being an idol. She wants to fulfil her own and her mother’s dream and be a pure-hearted idol. 

And for a while things are fine. 

Until they’re not and Ruby realises that the person behind her mother’s death is still out there, and they killed the doctor who supported her more than anyone in her previous life. 

It feels like a complete character change. But is it?. Ruby is someone who feels love very strongly, but she also feels hate too.

She begins to be motivated by hate instead of love. With the same single-mindedness she displayed aiming to be an idol, Ruby aims for revenge for both Ai and Gorro. Ruby has always felt incredibly strongly about those she loves; Ai goes without saying. For Gorro, Ruby wanted to become an idol partially to meet him again, even though that was completely improbable. She can be fanatical with things she loves.  

So she is able to cross her own morals in order for revenge. Ichigo agrees to introduce Ruby to Ai’s old contacts if she becomes famous. So motivated by vengeance, Ruby manipulates those around her to become more famous. She’s surprisingly adept at it, because she was already used to having to hide things and put on an act to an extent. She isn’t ‘made of lies’ like Ai felt she was, but Ruby has always been cutting off the uglier and more complicated parts of herself in order to fit the role she wants to play. 

 Ruby becomes super popular. Her personality starts to shift but it’s she hasn’t completely left behind her childish traits. Being a manipulator is another role for her, but there are hints she still isn’t as calculating and serious as she maybe wants to be.

The pedestal Ruby put the idol world on starts to crack, and she starts to confront the ugly part of show biz beneath the glittering veneer. She realises that Ai probably had to lie too to be successful. She starts to realise the truth about things she’s lied to herself about. Idols aren’t always pure and perfect and the world they live in is brutal. Ai was the ideal to Ruby/Sarina, she always tried to emulate her. She wanted to be a pure and innocent idol like she thought Ai was, now she thinks she needs to be a liar like Ai. 

The happy lies Ruby made into part of her identity start to crumble.

Then, Aqua tells the world Ai’s secret in order to save Kana. Ruby see’s this as the ultimate betrayal. She thinks Ai is no longer first in Aqua’s heart and she feels totally alone in the world. Even though she has others around her, Aqua is the only one who can understand the reincarnation and Ai’s death.

All her core beliefs have been squashed; The Idol world is cold and brutal and lead to her mother’s death, Ai wasn’t a perfect innocent idol and had to lie constantly, and now she thinks Aqua has stopped caring about Ai, and loses the bond with the only person who could really understand her. She also has to confront that as Sarina she wasn’t loved by her mother.

At this point she begins questioning her own identity and falling apart. She no longer enjoys being an Idol but feels she have to get revenge. Ruby doesn’t know who Ai is, so she doesn’t know who she is herself. The entanglement with her own identity and Ai’s gets more confusing as she’s playing her in a movie.

She can’t be the perfect innocent idol- nobody can- but she doesn’t enjoy being the liar and manipulator she feels she needs to be to avenge Ai and Gorro.

We see how fragile her sense of identity is; she’s able to convince herself she became an idol to avenge Ai, forgetting that it was her dream across two life times.

It’s only when Aqua reveals who he is and reminds Ruby of who she was prior to her path of vengeance that she’s able to start rebuilding her identity. Finding out Aqua is Gorro helps tether her and bridge the gap between Sarina and Ruby.

Crucially, he reminds Ruby that she is not Ai. She doesn’t have to be her, she’s her own person and she’s good enough a herself.

Ruby still has a lot of struggles to come in the movie arc, but hopefully she’ll continue down the path of becoming her own person; realising she can’t be perfect and she will have dark feelings, but that doesn’t mean her naturally cheerful upbeat personality is a lie either. 

Is Ruby like Ai? I don’t think so. But they both struggle with identity. Ai feels like she’s never been able to form or connect with an identity, Ruby has had so many thrust on her (Sarina, Ruby, ‘Ai’) that it’s confusing to her.

They’re their own people with completely different backgrounds, personalities and quirks. But I do think Ruby’s emotional journey will leave her best placed to understand Ai; Ruby is starting to realise that Ai neither a perfect ideal idol, nor a mysterious master manipulator. She’s more than her idol persona. Ai is a complicated human with her own motivations, fears and issues just like everyone else. 

[thatfeelinwhenyou]

HANDS ON YOU — 026

IN WHICH; ILAND 2 happened and you debuted first place as the leader of LUMIÉRE. Having been told that your group is involved in a lore crossover with ENHYPEN, you navigate work, friendship, and love while trying to make it in an industry filled with animosity and condemnation. When life throws you lemons, you gotta make lemonades chuck it right back!

smau + written (0.3k words)

❥･• chapter 26 — way back home

"Lee Heeseung." He freezes in his tracks upon hearing his full name, a name that come to think about, had never left your lips before.

"Yes?" He turns around sheepishly to face you. The two of you are standing in front of his dorm, and he nervously fidgets with the number pad behind him. "You're hiding something." You squint, and Heeseung mentally curses at your keen leader instincts.

"No, I just want to show you my room!"

"What are you, twelve?"

"Don't ask so many questions." He hurriedly punches in the code to his dorm, opening the door to find the apartment completely pitch black. He gestures for you to enter first, and though suspicious, you don't refuse. "Aren't you off today? Where's the rest of your mem—"

"SURPRISE!" You jump as the lights flicker on, revealing the living room adorned with string lights and balloons spelling out "Sorry" on the wall. It takes a moment for the scene to register—the entirety of ENHYPEN is there, along with your own members, every single one of them.

You stand frozen in the doorway, speechless, as if the whole world has come to a standstill for a moment while you take in the sight before you—your members, who somehow made up while you were away, holding each other with open arms extended to you.

"My arm is starting to hurt. Are you going to bring it in or not?" Ray breaks the silence, flicking her wrist as a sign for you to quickly join in on the Lumière group hug. Just then, you feel two hands rest on your shoulders, relieving them from the tension that had built up over the past two days.

"Go on, they're waiting for you." Heeseung's gentle voice cuts through the white noise filling your ears. In an instant, tears well up in your eyes as you rush into the arms of the people you'd give everything for.

"But how did…?"

Realisation dawns on you, and you whirl around to face the culprit. "So that's why you were acting so strange! You were distracting me!" You point an accusing finger at Heeseung, who shrugs and pouts at the same time.

“I’m sorry Y/N, for being the whiny and childish bitch I am. I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on any of you like that, I hope you know I care about you too, truly.” Ray speaks out and you swear you almost burst into a fit of tears.

“Ray, you already know I’m basically immune to all the shit you say right?” You light-heartedly joke and you heave a sigh of relief when you notice Ray deflates into herself, relieved that she didn’t completely lose you. You’ve always knew that Ray has a soft spot for you and the members, she just never really knows how to express it. Realising maybe that’s why Ray finds confort in Sunghoon and vice versa. They see themselves in each other and no one can understand Ray better than the man who fought 1 vs 6 with his own members. You smile to yourself when you catch him smiling solemnly at the girl, proud of how far she’s come.

"Whose idea was this?" You point to the gigantic balloon-spelled "Sorry," and they all collectively point toward Aejeong, who scrunches her nose.

"I hate all of you."

"We love you too, AJ," Ray laughs, throwing an arm around Aejeong, who looks like she's about to cry.

"I mean it, Y/N. I am so, so sorry for what I did to you. I’m not even going to give you any excuses, I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." You exchange glances with each and every one of your members, knowing deep down that no matter what happens, you’d go to hell and back with them over and over again.

"AJ, how can I forgive you when I never blamed you for anything in the first place?" You pull her into a hug, and the rest of the girls slowly join in, surrounding you with the love and affection that you had missed over the past few days.

“How did this happen?” You pull away, looking back and forth between Ray and Aejeong, their arms tightly wrapped around each other. “We kissed and made up. What about it?" Aejeong playfully pecks Ray's cheek, causing the later to pull away with a jerk.

"Ayo, back up," Sunghoon appears behind Ray, protectively pulling her away from Aejeong. His own members coo at him from the back, finding his protective gesture adorable.

The room erupts in laughter and playful banter as Sunghoon and Ray exchange teasing glances. "Oh, look who's getting all protective now," Jake teases, nudging Sunghoon's shoulder.

Sunghoon tries to maintain a serious expression but fails as a smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "Someone's got to keep this girl in line," he says, giving Ray a mock stern look.

"Hey, I can handle myself just fine," Ray retorts, but her playful tone gives away her amusement. She looks at Sunghoon with a fond smile, appreciating his protective nature.

The members continue to tease Sunghoon and Ray, adding to the lighthearted atmosphere in the room. You can't help but smile as you witness the playful interaction. Seeing your members and ENHYPEN getting along again brings you a sense of relief and happiness.

It's evident that the tension and misunderstandings have been resolved, and now the focus is on rebuilding their bond and enjoying each other's company. Amidst the chaos, you lock eyes with Heeseung who offers you a reassuring smile of his own.

Heeseung's presence in your life is a constant reminder of the importance of empathy, forgiveness, and growth. That no matter how chaotic your surroundings are, even in the middle of the most busiest street, that you’d still somehow find your way to him.

Having taught you that mistakes are opportunities for learning and that unity and understanding can mend even the deepest wounds. With Heeseung by your side, you felt supported and ready to face any challenges that lay ahead, whatever they may be…

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♡。·˚˚· ·˚˚·。♡

authors note: stayc girls, it’s going down(2) btw i apologise for the increase in written chapters. istg i’m trying to avoid writing them but it’s so difficult 🥲

taglist! open. @softiehee @annoyingbitch83 @hoon0logy @aernx @lhees01 @flower0930 @harperwasstaken1 @haechansbbg @renjunoya @heeheesang @spilled-coffee-cup @jwnghyuns @ocyeanicc @neozon3nha @pshchives @casualzo @captivq @suvgs @iea-tsand @yohanabanana @wonyoungsvirus @shinsou-rii

[little-witchys-garden]

“Your jewelry should Introduce you before you even speak “

My Nana would croon out as I watched from her bed as she draped herself in diamonds of all colors rubies, sapphires, opals and emeralds. I’d gaze at her as she slip on her thick shimmering silver bracelets. Putting on priceless rare gem earrings that were so big and heavy I thought her ears might rip off. A jeweled ring on every finger and toe.

" A con, what I'm owed. Use men or they'll use you. My jewelry speaks for me. It's why so many mem desire me but can never have me, but I'll always have them. " she’d purr out as I helped her put on her heavy gem covered necklaces. Gifts from many weak spineless men that she’d never truly love or even care about.

I remember feeling ashamed as my aunt snarled at me for my heirloom ring telling me it was whores jewelry or cutting off friendship bracelets because they were childish. How she’d growl at me for wearing anything that wasn’t pure gold and diamonds even though my parents could never afford such luxuries.

" sluts jewelry" my uncle would hiss while rubbing his chunky gaudy golden rings that put him in debt whenever I wore the simple jewelry I saved up money from mowing lawns so I could have just one piece of jewelry from Hot topic or a thrift shop because it's all I could afford.

“Your jewelry should Introduce you before you even speak “

A saying echoed my whole life.

I follow that saying now but not in the way they'd hope. I wear jewelry that brings me joy and shows the warmth that those that looked upon them never saw it them.

I wear jewelry that speaks of a gentle loving soul, jewelry that sings a song of comfort understanding may it be cheap, handmade, old, thrifted or tacky.

I dawn myself head to toe in shimmering jewelry, always wearing too much, jingling and jangling with each movement.

Jewelry brimming with witchy and magick intentions.

Jewelry gifted to me from a place of lavender love.

Oh yes my jewelry speaks for me just not the way they were hoping.

[aihoshiino]

The other day, I had a random thought about VTubers and OnK.

In Japan, VTubers are often considered a variation or splinter of idol culture. Hololive fans recognize that as a custom more honored in the breach than the observance, but the cultural connection is still there. (Look at the drama preceding Uruha Rushia's termination for a well-known example.)

VTubers also have a pretty obvious element of false persona, both in the typical "this performer is performing a marketable version of themself if not outright pretending to be someone else" sense and the "this performer is not literally an AI with a pink bow" sense.

The point I'm meandering towards is that VTubers have significant overlap with the substance and themes of Oshi no Ko, particularly since both B-Komachis are at least moderately familiar with streaming. (The new more than the old, but I'm sure we've all read 45510.) So it seems like a lot of the OnK cast would develop strong opinions about VTubers once they learned about them.

Do you have any thoughts about that? Whether Ai would envy their ability to cleanly separate their persona from their actual flaws, or Ruby would get snobbish about them being fake idols, or something?

So like the ask about streamers in general, this comes with the caveat that I don't really know shit about VTubers in general apart from things I pick up from being adjacent to VTuber enjoyer friends and also that I have HimeHina songs on my Spotify playlist lol. But I think in terms of least to most Opinionated:

Akane and Kana are probably equally Offline about it in that they know VTubers Exist but that's about it. Kana has like 2 seconds where she considers giving it a try now she has that fat ass gaming PC but the idea just slides right out of her brain because she doesn't really care that much. 

Aqua is also in the "sure, that exists" category but he's probably done editing and clipping work here and there just for some extra cash (since he says he was doing extra work online) and if clips or shorts come up on his feed he might watch one or two in a row but the rest of the time he literally forgets VTubers exist until reminded of them. 

Ai thinks VTubers are pretty cool but in a slightly befuddled 'gosh what will they think of next!' sort of way LMAO. I think it takes her a while to really understand what's going on with them because she gets a bit confused by the avatars and all the wild-ass lore, but when she eventually gets her head around it, she thinks it's a pretty effective way to split your public and private selves.

Mem and the StrawberryPro crew have a healthy respect for them as fellow creators! The agency probably manages a bunch since Miyako mentions them mostly pivoting to net talents and Mem's always on that grind and actually has had IRL collabs with VTubers on the official OnK youtube channel. LMAO

Ruby's last because I think she feels the most strongly and the most positively about them! For all the issues there are with the corpo structure, VTubing at its core (at least in the circles most adjacent to idol culture) is a space that afford opportunities to people who have what it takes but whose barrier to entry is that they don't fit into strictly defined 'mold' of idolhood - but most specific to Ruby, there are lots of 'idols' so to speak in the VTuber space who have disabilities that stand in the way of their taking more traditional roots to idolhood - IronMouse is one of the most famous, but there are plenty of others. I think this would be an incredible thing to see for Ruby who herself was cut off and robbed of her own dreams as Sarina and had absolutely no outlet for her passions or ambitions. I think she'd wholeheartedly support everyone and want to see them succeed! OnK AU where she wants to audition for Hololive or some shit WHEN

[bigblueoctoling]

Cataloguing how The Octolings feel about Octavio

Some amount of this is headcanon, but I always aim for my headcanon to mimic canon.

Marina

I think it's somewhat undeniable that Marina's views on Octavio are skewed. In Side Order, she typically refers to him by "boss" and even goes out of her way to say that he isn't so bad, but I'm rather confident in my point that Marina is lying to herself about how bad it was.

As previously stated, I feel Sheldon's palette is generally intended to imply that Marina disapproves of Octavio's general behaviors with managing the Octarian empire- Forcing impressionable youths down the path of the Octarian military, your standard warlord stuff.

But it's also worth adding onto this that Octavio's palette adds onto this that, in spite of her repressing Octavio's worse aspects, he is still ultimately a terrible leader. Even while seeing him as, at best, a silly old man, he is grossly negligent about the wellbeing of his people.

As one of the head engineers within Octavio's very own unit, it's very clear why Marina would have this bias- while she also suffered as an Octarian, she likely ultimately experienced a slightly less harsh experience, being a brilliant and diligent worker. But then, that only makes Octavio's flaws stand out more.

Acht

Acht seems slightly more actively disillusioned to Octavio, but in the same way Acht was already disillusioned about being a soldier from the beginning. I don't think it outright started as rebellion, but simply a lack of urgency. Someone who wouldn't buy into propaganda, and as such, likely doesn't see the point in training to be the best soldier possible. Still, they comment on Octavio some, and their commentary generally makes it seem as though Octavio is in some respects a parallel to Cuttlefish.

This kind of opens some things up- because, to me, it feels fairly on the nose that Cuttlefish is not meant to be a particularly respect-worthy figure, especially after Octo Expansion. Octavio, much like Cuttlefish, will never change; he's an old codger who's caught up in a long-past war. The operative difference is that Octavio seemingly has political power and Cuttlefish does not. If Cuttlefish had the same amount of power, it's not unlikely that he would behave extremely similarly.

Eight

Most of Eight's identity comes from mem cakes- to me, Eight feels extremely vindictive of the Octarian empire. I have to imagine this is because Eight was not an elite Octarian, nor an engineer- rather than being bumped up in her education like Marina was, Eight was always just going to be a grunt. The language in the mem cakes, to me, feels seeped with anger and catharsis in escaping; her mem cake for Octavio oozes with sarcasm.

Speaking of Eight, looking over the mem cakes again... I have to wonder if the boss Tentacle's description means anything. As previously stated, my going theory for the connection between Acht and Eight is that Eight is a clone. The boss tentacles are specifically cited as a clone of one of Octavio's limbs...

Worth taking note of.

Beyond that, I don't really have much of a conclusion. Octavio is a bad person and if you want him to be redeemed I kind of hate you.

[1533-secrets-from-history]

Valide Afife Nurbanu Sultan Vs Valide Melike Safiye Sultan.

My previous pool showed that as I expected Safiye is regarded as more powerful than Nurbanu. In this post I will compare them in several aspects (difficulties before accession, intelligence, power, influence, reputation, political stability, legacy, wealth, personality,harem management) some of them will be discussed in two aspects: During the tenure as Haseki and Valide.

Let's start with

difficulties before accession: Unlike other mem- bers of kadinlar saltanat those women became favourites of there respective husbands, during their time as prince, therefore it posed some changes for their early status and influence. I would say their situation was kind of reversed. Nurbanu had risky princehood,but her tenure as Haseki was easier without the presence of Valide, while Safiye's time as prince's concubine was without any risks,but she had to compete with Valide Sultan. Both of them had to fight, but Nurbanu had to fight for the lives of her son and husband, while Safiye fought for her power as neither her husband's nor son's life was ever threatened. So I would go to Nurbanu.

Intelligence: I have to do this as some anime showdown and go for "feats and hype". Both of them were very smart women. Nurbanu was said to be wise and unusually intelligent woman, while Safiye's description says that she was wise and sensible. Both of them proved it through their life and while Safiye had great ability to gain power and supporters, Nurbanu showed prudence in not gaining enemies. One of her better strategic decisions includes hiding Selim's body and choosing non-direct approach against Safiye. One can't be denied,both women had great political mind.

Power: As Haseki Nurbanu was undoubtedly more powerful, first and utmost reason is absence of Valide sultan. Nurbanu took all the powers and responsibilities of her predecessor, except for sharing it with her sister-in-law Mihrimah, who acted as de-facto Valide of Selim. However, Nurbanu still outranked and outpowered her, held main power in Topkapi, expanded alinces and adviced to Selim. She, even as merely a cocnubine, enjoyed the privilege of sitting in front of master/husband and speak her mind freely. Greatest indication of her power is building Atik Valide mosque complex. She during her tenure as Haseki received permission to construct a project that was titled as Valide, she herself was mentioned as future Valide or simply Valide-i-atik couple of times. In this regard, she can be consid- erd as one of two "original Hasekis", who were fulfilling all the duties for which title was created in the first place, during her time as Haseki she resived 1100 aspers daily, ridiculously more than any other concubines. In 1571 Selim Married to Nurbanu and dowered her with 110 000 ducats, that would be approximately 9.2 million akches. (Providing the statement that 59 million akches was roughly the same amount as 700 000 ducats)

Nurbanu's tenure as Haseki was much less significant than Nurbanu's. There was Valide, one of the most powerful in history, and she restricted every possible way for her to gain power. She had nothing to say in harem management. First years of their relationship was relatively peaceful as Safiye was still getting used to her new rank,but later she started her attempts to influence Murad, although it was all in vain, because it was clear only person Murad would listen was his mother and no one in the world could oppose her decisions,Nurbanu still became upset by Safiye's actions regarding it as insolent. However, Nurbanu understood Murad's extensive bond with the woman,so despite the fact she could exile Safiye without second thought, it could stain the relationship between mother and son and increase Murad's lust towards his Haseki. So instead she chose much more intellectial approach and forced him to take more concubin- es. Things became even more intense, when ambassador remarked that Haseki sultan should have had greater status than Valide as it was in Europe as consort was closer than the mother. It enraged Nurbanu,banished ambassador from capital and attacked Safiye with greater might, as she had favoured that ambassador and he clearly spoke at her behest.Nurbanu then started to spread rumors that Safiye hired witches and sorcerers to bewitch Murad,many of her close friends and servants were either killed, tortured, exiled or imprisioned to get confessions,Safiye fell from Murad's favour and Nurbanu now banished her without any consequ- ences. Nurbanu died in December of 1583 and Safiye returned from exale in about 1585 when Murad got over his trauma of loss of mother. However, it did not secure her power as Nurbanu's will left Çanfeda hatun as chief harem manager, who restricted Safiye's influence within the harem and remained as supreme authority and de-facto Valide until 1595. While she was restricted in harem by Çanfeda, boundaries were set in political spectre by her husband, who sometimes listens to Safiye,but initially she could not shape events at her liking like Nurbanu and Hurrem could. Safiye also had less stipend, while other consorts had higher then other consorts of Selim(still not anywhere close to Safiye),still they had enough construct their own charity projects.

During their tenure as Valide it seems like Safiye had more direct power over politics. She was overruling her son,while Nurbanu was technically co-ruler,despite being more politically active of the two[her son]. Safiye was even chosen as de facto regent of empire in 1596 and enjoyed undesputable power untile 1600's, when people openly resented Safiye and three major rebellion challenged her rule. First her Kira was killed and Mehmed had to demonstrate her power by restricting her mother's actions from now on Safye was more careful,but still overruling her son, it resulted in two more rebellions, first was successfully restrained,but second caused the death of Safiye's eunuch Gazanfer, whose death broke hell in harem. Everything ended when Mehmed died in 1603 and new Valide Sultan exiled her for good.

Influence: while Safiye's direct power was greater, Nurbanu's overall influence overshadowed hers. Nurbanu had supreme control over Harem and her son and she made herself first registered Valide sultan(about which I will talk in more details in legacy category),which gave her second most powerful position in empire, however she chose not to overrule her son,but rule with him, so his authority and rank would not have been questionable, therefore her influence was great than direct power, but she was directing everything according to her liking, every high ranking position was taken after her approval, Murad was not taking actions before consulting with her, she had direct hand in dismissal and appointment of grand viziers and her influence even extended to foreign politics,was in touch with Catherine de Medici and greatly helped Venice, she promoted merchandise between nations and even stopped the war. As Haseki she was the most trusted advisor of Selim and like her tenure as Valide she had hands in every major decision made, however she was mostly focused on gaining alliances. One of the greates examples of her influence is attending Friday prayers in her son's and husband's stead. This was honour of padisah and harem women were not allowed to do this, even Kösem was not allowed by pashas to do this despite pre-existed precedence, this is the indication that pasha's and people acknowledged and accepted Nurbanu as sort of equal to padisah.

Safiye's influence was also great. As Valide she literally sold high ranking positions in greatest possible prices and when her authority was challenged that formarlly reduced her power,but she continued to influence Mehmed. She even secured her infuence in advance and restricted Mehmed from giving any of his consorts Haseki rank,still two of them acquired their own power. One of them, Handan, won Safiye's power by pretending to be obedient, while Halime was resented from the beginning due to her close relationship with Mehmed undeniably intimidating nature. While, Gazanfer agha was alive he did not let anyone, including Safiye, to demonstrate resentment,but when he was killed hell broke in harem and that is when Safiye and Handan orchestrated the death of Halime's eldest son Mahmud. Her foreign affairs were slightly more important than Nurbanu's. While her mother in law had purely political relationship with France and Venice, Safiye became "online" friend of Elizabeth I of England and the two exchanged gifts on regular basis.

Reputation: Nurbanu wins that one and it's not even a close match. She was loved, respected and admired, still everyone was cautious to remain on her good side, due to her known ruthless side. One indication of this is already mentioned friday prayers. She was also fearsome, when Kapudan killic Ali pasha wanted to start a war against Venice Nurbanu wrote him a letter and warned him to not even dare to say anything about war in front of padisah,after reading it he dropped the letter in horror and when he entered the council, where Murad asked what was the matter he wanted to discuss, he openly admitted that it was no more relevant as Valide Sultan did not approve it. That indicated three things: 1. Nurbanu had reputation that terrified Kapudan pasha 2. if Nurbanu did not want something it was losing it's relevance 3. Pasha's respected her opinions so much that no one protested it.

Safiye's reputation was on the other hand very much stained, in people's eyes she was immoral person, who hired witches and took ambassadors as lovers, none of the were true of course,but existence is evidence of their attitude. She was seen as corupted person, who should not have been allowed to rule. The hatered was spread on her son as well and caused three rebellions.

Political stability: most of this was already answered in previous categories. Nurbanu's rule was undesputable and every opposition was soon ripped out by the root,before it became uncontrollable.

On the other hand, Safiye's tenure was marked by rebelions and death of her servants. Nurbanu is still winner.

Legacy:

Safiye lefts little to no legacy in ottoman empire history. She did almost no charity, her mosque was finished by Turhan and actions were more egoistical rather than on greater scale. Her greatest legacy can be considered friendly relationship with Elizabeth I and their gifts and she was highly likely admired by kosem, who visited her and even named one of her granddaughters Safiye, possible in her honour. So, could she have been role model for young, ambitious Kosem? Who knows,but I personally would not cross out this possibility.

However, Nurbanu had great impact on people, empire and generally her successors.

First things first, she made Valide Sultan legal rank, Ayse Hafsa Sultan was first slave to become Sultan,but she was not Valide Sultan as we know now, she was juts honoured mother of Sultan Suleyman han, who carried status of Sultan. In short, she was just a woman, who carried title Sultan and "Valide part" was just honorific as every noble mothers were called Valide by their children, proper address to her was either effendi or Sultan and she was registered as "mother of Sultan Suleyman han",juts like Hurrem war " mother of shehzade Mehmed" and later " mother of shehzade Selim", however Nurbanu was registered as "Valide Nurbanu Sultan", was addressed as "My Valide" and had second most powerful political rank, something that was effectively used be all of her successive Sultanate of women members. In that sense, she can be considered as virtual co-founder of the era.

Another of her legacy is Atik Valide mosque complex, one of the greatest complexes in Istanbul, she was also first woman in ottoman empire to build Library.

She moved most of the harem in Topkapi and appointed Çanfeda as First Kethuda hatun, who lattered gathered unprecedented wealth and pover, with daily stipend equal to imperial pirncesses'.

She did a lots of charity apart from the mosque having baths, she built more separate baths, fountains and personally met people in her residence yeni kapı, listen their problems and helped them. once she listened commoner herself about problem. That woman asked her to help free her son who was captured in the battle. Nurbanu promised her to help and kept it. she also had adoptive son, whom she raised, gave education, gave rank and even wanted to marry her to her granddaughter, that was failed due to her death. It may stopped her plans of wedding,but certainly did not stop her charity, after her death she freed 150 women of her service, granted 1000 gold each and donated her vast wealth in charitable projects.She was infuletal even in her death: after her death his son broke tradition of isolated mourning and followed her all way to her final path, whole time sobbing.

Wealth: it would be crime not to give that one to Safiye. She had daily stipend of 800 akches for 20 years and 3000 akches for about nine. She had personal Kiras who arranged her business, she also sold high ranking positions and in 1596 got access to 1 billions akches from treasury, though it was only temporary.

Neither Nurbanu was short of money, despite having 1000 akches during first five year as Haseki, 1100 after her marriage and 2000 during her tenure as Valide Sultan, she was also dowered 110 000 dukats abour 9.2 millions akches as I have already said. She, unlike Safiye, also conducted charitable projects Building mosque complex, fountains, Hamams and dinning places. Çanfedas small mosques took 2 million akches, about same amount was spent for fountains, Hamam would have been even more expensive, therefore much greater scale construction projects would definitely worth dozens of millions. During her death Nurbanu's fortune was immense, she freed 150 of her servants and gave them 1000 ducats each( that would mean about 84,500 in ackhes and 12,625,000 in general), about same amount she gave to treasury,but it was only a small portion of her wealth, vast majority of her fortune was donated to charity, that would make her net worth of hundreed of millions. So even if Safiye's wealth was greater, Nurbanu had better use of it.

Personality: Nurbanu was mostly benevolent person and devoted mother, she career deeply about people. While Safiye demonstrated less of it. She had intensions to be charitable, she abandoned it, which means It was not her passion, she was more egoistical and power hungry, still she was careing person and when Esther handali fell ill, she sent gifts, food and doctors to her.

Major difference between those two is that Safiye would do anything to secure power and achieve her deeds, while Nurbanu had her priorities sorted. In a same situation, when their grandsons opposed them, Safiye had him executed, while Nurbanu did everything to save him anyways, which indicates despite her hatred towards Safiye, he lived Mehmed grately and all her efforts to force Murad produce more heirs,was to restrain Safiye as Haseki,but never meant to threat Mehmed, as she could have very well used pregnant concubine to get rid of Safye and Mehmed for good.

Harem management: that would go to Nurbanu. She had complete authority over princely and imperial harems of her son and husband, while Safiye struggled to maintain order after the death of Gazanfer.

That is a reason why I think Nurbanu was more important and more influential figure of the two.

[valiantarcher]

Started a new book off my 2023 reading list and I have a handful of thoughts and reactions on the first few chapters.

“...her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all, and when Mary was born she was handed over to the care of an Ayah, who was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible.”

Ahhh, this is what isfjmel-phleg means when she says Mary is emotionally neglected.

“She pretended she was making a flower-bed...”

This seems thematically important.

“Nobody thought of her, nobody wanted her, and strange things happened of which she knew nothing.”

More neglect.

“The child ate some fruit and biscuits, and being thirsty she drank a glass of wine which stood nearly filled.”

Is this why she doesn’t come down with cholera?? Minimal preparation/risk of contamination with the fruit and biscuits, and wine not water?

“She was making heaps of earth and paths for a garden...”

More playing at the garden.

“Perhaps if her mother had carried her pretty face and her pretty manners oftener into the nursery Mary might have learned some pretty ways too.”

I think this is Mrs. Crawford (or the minister?) recognising the toll of emotional neglect on Mary, though I suppose she could also be recognising the lack of a good role model.

“If she were not so sallow and had a nicer expression . . . her features are rather good. Children alter so much.”

The conversation may be a bit thoughtless but I certainly don’t get any malice from either the officer’s wife or Mrs. Medlock. In fact, Mrs. Medlock strikes me as very capable and just straightforward, if not very comforting or good with children.

“Captain Lennox was my wife’s brother and I am their daughter’s guardian.”

Okay, the relationship between Mr. Craven and Mary’s parents is VERY clear there - how come all the adaptations get it wrong (as I hear)???

“She stopped herself as if she had just remembered something in time.”

Was Mrs. Medlock about to mention Colin??? But good for Mrs. Medlock standing up for Mrs. Craven - and, I think, maybe too for trying to explain a bit about Mr. Craven. But the other interesting thing about this conversation is Mary’s reactions (angry about her parents never caring, sympathetic towards Mr. Craven, thinking Mrs. Craven would’ve been like her own mother, the sudden drying up of sympathy for Mr. Craven) - and the fact that Mary seems to be genre-aware, so to speak, of the story she’s in and she doesn’t like it (ahh, but it will get better!). ;))

“What’s expected of you, Mrs. Medlock,” Mr. Pitcher said, “is that you make sure he’s not disturbed and that he doesn’t see what he doesn’t want to see.”

:O These are the exact same desires that Mrs. Lennox had - not to see or be disturbed by Mary! It’ll all work out in the end, but what an awful start for Mary - she’s right back where she was in India with her own parents.

[seffien]

any headcannons for your agents?

oh plenty, but let me keep it as short as i can

cap'n 3 (real name junko 'jun' ishikawa):

country kid who was entranced by inkopolis plaza's unusual (to her) look

was originally super cheerful and peppy before Various Incidents

very creative, but none of the adults in her life ever appreciated it

likes to draw (doesn't do it much now) and bought a bass guitar during the events of splat 1 because she loved squid squad that much

became suuuper close with gramps and the squid sisters (as a matter of fact, the 'jun' nickname came from marie) bc her own 'family' was. um.

being sanitized kind of ruined her a bit. her left eye is a slightly lighter shade than her other one to this day, and the sanitization gave her memory loss, an aversion to food, and general odd behavior for a while

looks menacing, is really kind of tired and also shy

gave 4 her old agent outfit (cape included) since she didn't really need it anymore

still cannot believe she's the captain

very different from her younger, happier, more awake self, but she tries not to think about that.

agent 4 (real name naoki 'masu' masuda):

parents wanted her to be a prodigy, and the pressure they put on her made her snap and run away. most pre-inkopolis square memories are deeply repressed

basically no one gave a shit about her when she first moved to inkopolis except for the splat 2 promo kid with the black v-neck tee. they're still kinda sorta friends

liked flow because she felt like she cared (and she actually kinda did)

pushes herself way too hard, somewhat self-conscious

got a few injuries during hero mode and was hesitant to let marie patch em up

straight up did not speak until callie got saved. still doesn't really talk much.

her and marie weren't super besties at first, the only reason they ever clicked was because they were both sad loners with negative self-esteem

'masu' came from eight, and she's kind of fond of the nickname

agent 8 (real name emiko 'miko' yamasaki):

marina found her real name in the octarian records seen in that one chat room session

actually was in a few kettles, was not very good

never wanted to fight, always wanted to write (poetry, specifically)

learned inkling from 4 and eventually 3

kept thinking 4's first name was masuda (it isn't.)

did not like going outside when she first arrived to the surface

wasn't an artist, but tended to draw hypothetical mem cakes of people she deemed important, like 3 and 4

smiles to cover up The Internal Suffering, almost no one ever buys it because a) it looks very fake and b) she never holds it. as soon as a stranger disappears, so does the smile

along with 3, callie, and marie, she consistently reminds 4 that she's stronger than she thinks and that she matters and isn't useless

terrifyingly good in turf and ranked, even won a championship that off the hook basically begged her to enter. she got a trophy and still thought 'cool i guess. no big deal.'

works at ammo knights in splat 3, and since she knows a thing or two about wounds n stuff from her time in the army, she's also the crew's medic

new 3 (real name veronika 'ronnie' yamada):

chill, goes with the flow, probably the happiest out of all the agents (not even that happy, it's a low bar to clear)

everyman when it comes to every mode (tableturf, turf, ranked, what have you)

cheers up people she's played with between matches if they're sad

oblivious to hiro's sort of obvious crush on her

barely redesigns her locker, and when they do, it's usually to add a sticker

used a fake ID to play turf in the splat 1 days, was tall for her age around that time. she still feels kinda guilty about it

waved back to deep cut post-RotM

found shiver chilling in the alternan ocean with master mega a few days after the events of RotM, got to pet him

a character who's just kind of. well. there

adopted kid of an inkling and an octoling, literally lived in a cabin in the woods. she's still in contact with them

resting face looks like smash ultimate young link's

steph and her are both acquaintances and besties. acquaintabesties. steph took care of them while they were sick and they took care of steph after she slosher machined her way into muscle atrophy (not actually, thankfully)

has a walkman and a boombox. doesn't even care what's official, just buys things from in-universe eBay

[skyward-floored]

Have you ever considered a story of the boys encountering butterscotch? Or cookies, made by momma malon ofc

“I camf oem m’ mouff!”

“What’d you said Wind?” Four asked mildly, taking an amused bite of the cookie in front of him. “Oh goddesses, this is the best cookie I’ve ever eaten.”

Four sighed in pure bliss, and Wind shook his arms, a wide look in his eyes.

“I faid I camf oem m’ mouff!!” he mumbled frantically, and Hyrule snickered from next to him.

“You put too many butterscotches in your mouth, sailor,” Warriors said with a shake of his head, then leaned over and snatched a cookie from Wind’s plate. “You should’ve known better, they’re pretty sticky.”

“I’s ma ma faw!” Wind said huffily, swiping at the cookie Wild had stolen. “Mamom mamfes mem fo goo!”

“Does anyone have any clue what he’s saying?” Legend said with a snicker, opening his mouth to throw a butterscotch of his own in.

Time walked up, snatching the candy from midair and popping it into his own mouth, much to the veteran’s dismay.

“I believe he said Malon is the best cook in Hyrule,” Time said with a smile, ignoring Legend’s death glare. Malon herself rolled her eyes at her husband, giving him a light flick from next to him.

“And he’s right, these cookies are heavenly,” Sky sighed dreamily, taking another one. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten such delicious cookies.”

“Hey,” Wild pouted, “how about my cookies?”

“When have you ever made cookies?” Twilight asked him in confusion, and Wild shrugged and crossed his arms.

“...well never, but mine would be really good.”

“I fin boff of yo’ ‘ookiff if goof!” Wind said happily.

Everyone turned to stare at the sailor, who smiled at them as best as he could with a mouthful of sticky candy.

“Still no clue what you’re saying.”

Wind sighed, and began to chew more quickly, making a horrible smacking sound as he tried to swallow the mass of candy in his mouth so he could speak again.

“Well I didn’t even know what cookies were until I met you guys,” Hyrule said, chewing on a cookie with sparkles in his eyes. “I think all of them are the best.”

“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Wild said in a horrified voice, and took Hyrule’s shoulder’s seriously in his hands. “Remind me when this is over to bake you an entire sack full of cookies to take home.”

“M’ foo!” Wind said excitedly, jerking forward and accidentally knocking straight into Warriors’ knee.

The captain jerked at the sudden hit, and his elbow shot out directly into Wind’s cheek. Wind made a surprised noise and abruptly spat out the entire wad of candy in his mouth.

Directly onto Legend’s head.

“Sailor!” the veteran yelped, batting fruitlessly at the mass of sticky butterscotch that had just landed in his hair. Wind blushed as the others laughed, and Malon handed Legend a cloth to clean himself off with, which he snatched with a foul look.

“I um, won’t stuff my mouth so full next time,” Wind said sheepishly, and Legend glared, then swiped the rest of the cookies the sailor had had on his plate.

“There won’t be a next time if I have any say in it,” he grumbled.

Then he bit into a cookie, the glare on his face softening a bit as he chewed.

“And I don’t care what you say Champion, no cookie you could make would ever be this fantastic.”

“Hey!”

[balladingbard]

Pandaemonium's End and Its Relation to Families

Spoiler-tagging under the cut, but let's talk a little bit about Erichthonios, Lahabrea, and Athena (because I'm seeing some confusion on Pandaemonium's ending as well as a call to understand just what was going on with Lahabrea and his family.)

Let's be honest - Lahabrea's family had some issues.

Whether it was Athena's quest for godhood, Lahabrea's distancing, and Erichthonios' trauma, I think we can all agree that this family needed to be in therapy, and for all that he went through, Erichthonios really overcame a lot of baggage.

But rather than get into what happened in Pandaemonium's end, I think it best to focus on what it may represent. After all, stories have meanings, and I'd like to offer one of many takes on how I understood the ending.

Pandaemonium...simply put...is about family. The importance of it, the danger of it, and the impact it has on us.

We get a brief glimpse of family life in some side talk from NPC's in the Ancient world. We see the brother/sister duo on Elpis. We see Themis mention his own parents. We see couples fall in love, and marriage exists in the Ancient world. But with Lahabrea, we get our first true glimpse of a family dynamic, and honestly? It's not a good one.

Let's dig a little deeper...

Athena - The Mother

When you think of a mother's role, what do you think of? Probably the nurturer. The comforter. The selfless one who loves their child with all their heart. But when we look at Athena, I think she's supposed to represent the mother who lives only for herself. Yes, she has goals and ambitions like most mothers do, but instead of having her son and husband as partners and supporters to those goals, she uses them as pawns. Instead of being selfless, she is selfish. Instead of being comforting, she is cruel. And instead of guiding Erichthonios in his role to find his own purpose, she seeks to live her own dreams and ambitions through him, regardless of his feelings in the matter.

Lahabrea - The Father

When you think of a father, what do you think of? Probably the protector. The fixer. The selfless one who loves their family with all their heart. But Lahabrea stands out as a parent many of us know too well - the distant one.

Lahabrea is the parent who's always at work but never home. The one who puts his job above all else. But more than that, his distance isn't just because of his devotion to work. It's a cover up for pain. Pain with his marriage to Athena, which became so powerful that he literally ripped a part of his own soul out to seal it away. He is the wounded parent, pushing his loved ones to the side and drowning himself into something else (in this case, his job) so as to numb the pain.

Erichthonios - The Son

Here, we come to the heart of the matter. Erichthonios, the product of two imperfect parents who ended up bearing their burdens as he grew up. These burdens left him to believe that he was worthless, confused about his purpose in life and whether he was meant for anything. But though Erich's journey from "unloved" son to finding his "true" family is probably the gist of his character arc, there's something that Claudien tells Lahabrea after his awakening that really speaks to what was holding Erichthonios back.

Despite focusing on Lahabrea (though we could add Athena to this conversation), Claudien sums up what was going on with Erichthonios. He had scars - perhaps not physical, but certainly emotional- and like anyone who has been through parental trauma, those scars had difficulty healing (if they ever truly healed at all.)

I think this is one of the "unspoken" messages of Pandaemonium. Though the Ancients prized their impact on the Star more than anything, Pandaemonium shows that the true impact was found in the hearts and souls of the people themselves, guided by the people closest to them. Sure, Athena's research was prized in a scholarly sense. Yes, Lahabrea was a powerful and prominent member of the Convocation. But what good was their prowess when they did so much damage at home? Erichthonios spent his entire life trying to find meaning and purpose in all the hurt, and as we saw through his recorded message, he didn't stand with his father in the Final Days. One can't help but wonder if Father and Son truly healed their relationship, or if it was just simple patchwork. Or perhaps more healing could’ve happened had the Final Days not interrupted it.

It just shows how damaged Ancient society had become, elevating the Star and "purpose" as a whole over individuals and their own well-being. It also shows how powerful an influence parents and guardians have over their children. And just like reality, there are some wounds that go so deep that they may take an entire lifetime to heal (and let's be honest - some scars still remain.) But it gives us hope that even though the LahaFam never really did get "fixed", so to speak, healing still took place. Lahabrea faced his past and accepted responsibility. Erichthonios learned the truth and found that he was more than who his parents said he was, and came to see his father in a more endearing light. And even though Athena remained her selfish self (just like some real parents do), Pandaemonium showed that blood doesn't necessarily make a family. As Erichthonios learned, family can be found in friends too, or a time-traveling adventurer masquerading as Azem's familiar.

[oasisofgalaxies]

"sorry i stole your tag" NO this is the website where we're all freaks about our interests. now tell me about rosegold i wanna hear what it is

oh dear lord that is a can of worms but I’d be happy to open it !!!!

Ok SO Rosegold is a story that is shared between me and my friend @ind1c0lite !!! It’s abt to go thru a major rewrite bc the plot is as filled with holes as a Rhode Island interstate and we can’t have that

But the basic concept won’t change SO here we go!!

In Rosegold there exist beings known as Guardians. The Guardians were created by the Universe, who they call Mother. Mother created the Guardians to watch over certain aspects of existence. Each Guardian is assigned an aspect which is called their Domain. A guardian can have up to two Domains and they are usually related to one another in some way.

As creation exists in Mother, destruction exists in the Collective. The Collective are a hivemind, a rolling tide of eldritch flood that exists to destroy. The Universe weaves and the Collective tears. Opposing forces, a sort of yin and yang. The Guardians know that all destruction of Mother’s creations cannot be stopped, but they do their best to keep the Collective at bay.

The Guardians live in a realm called HQ. It exists somewhere outside the mortal plane and therefore can’t be accessed by mortals. HQ is headed by three guardians, who are also our main characters!

(Art by @ind1c0lite)

This is Una, the Guardian of Timelines and Reality! She was the first Guardian to be created by Mother. Because of this, Una takes her job as head Guardian very seriously. She’s stoic, serious, and very dedicated to her duties and to her fellow Guardians. In her free time (which is an amount that is next to nothing) she enjoys collecting and tending to her extensive collection of swords! While she cares deeply for everyone in HQ, she doesn’t open herself up to many people. I can count on one hand how many people she’s let herself be vulnerable around. But even with her closest friends, there’s some secrets that she will never tell.

(Art by @ind1c0lite)

Memento, or Mem for short, is the Guardian of Time and Memory! He was one of he first Guardians created after Una, and is one of the head Guardians in HQ. There is never a dull moment around Mem, he’s a huge dork and is always getting into some kind of shenanigans. He tends to skirt his duties as head Guardian a bit more than his compatriots, but he is capable of buckling down and getting shit done when needed. Mem is extraordinarily loyal and will often rush headfirst into danger in order to protect his friends. As a hobby he enjoys metalworking! He can create some fantastically intricate pieces, and quite thematically he enjoys making pocket watches. Where Mem is, you can trust that Mori is not far behind.

And speaking of, this is Mori! Mori is the Guardian of Life and Death and the third Guardian to be created after Una. I can’t really say third because he and Mem were created at the same time, so it’s hard to put a number to their arrival. The two are basically inseparable and it’s a rare sight to see them apart. Mori has one of the biggest hearts in HQ and cares deeply about his friends and fellow Guardians. He can be a bit of a stickler for the rules which sometimes gets him the reputation of being a bit of a spoilsport, but he means well. Mori tends for HQ’s sprawling gardens which he himself worked tirelessly to cultivate. He spends hours pruning and caring for his flowers. His prized rosebushes are his favorites! His relation to flowers extends outside the gardens as well. Flowers tend to bloom wherever he goes and can be a good way to tell how he’s feeling. If he’s in a particularly bad mood, however, plantlife around him will wilt and wither. Luckily, it’s rare that Mori is ever in a bad mood.

And those are the main three guys!! Our protagonists :D! I don’t want to make this post super long but if u or anyone reading has any questions please feel free to ask I LOVE talking abt Rosegold so so so much hehe