#my brain: say no more *gives him a redemption arc in a dream*

[badolmen]

Sometimes you dream about the shitty white supremacist on campus getting the shit kicked out of him by an objectively worse (?) person which a friend neutralizes while you make sure the subjectively worst person in your life doesn’t die before the EMTs show up. And in the dream the dickhead has a crisis over having his life saved by a dyke and a Black guy which is apparently resolved by you three ending up in the most unrealistic but oddly satisfying qpr your dreaming brain has ever attempted.

[bibibbon]

WARNING!!! INCOMING YAPPING SESSION!!! PROCEEDED WITH CAUTION!!!

i could’ve written bakugo so much better just by drawing from personal experience istfg.

it’s sorta implied that inko and mitsuki were friends and thats why bakugo and deku were friends, and i had the same thing with one of my old childhood friends.

out of the two of us she was the ‘izuku’ and i was the ‘bakugo’. she was nice, sweet, and over all just a perfect kid with no obvious flaws. but i was rude, loud, and overall just a very difficult child. and i resented her for being so perfect. when i was maybe 8 or 9 our family’s had a big falling out and i haven’t spoken to her in like 10 years.

now, if we took that and expanded upon it, their story would look something like this.

bakugo always being compared to izuku. ‘izuku is so sweet! why can’t you be like that katsuki?’ and one day deciding ‘well, if i can’t be nice like him, i’m just going to be better than him'

and bakugo didn't even have to become his bully! they could’ve just drifted apart after a big fight and then UA having them come back together!

like c’mon hori please use your brain for two seconds

There are so many ways to write bakugos character differently than what horikoshi did.

I remember coming across an interview where horikoshi says he regrets making bakugo do and say what he did in the beginning of the manga to izuku and bakugo did gain a lot of popularity so after that horikoshi had to change bakugos character and give him a "redemption" arc that wasn't done well because he refused to give izuku agency and actually have Izuku go through complex emotions against bakugo so he just focused on bakugo and how he changed.

However, by doing that horikoshi also forgets to develop bakugos character outside of izuku and so he feels like he is just there attached to almost every arc and izuku instead of being a complex individual character that the fans are supposed to have mixed opinions about.

Your rewrite is a lot more realistic and gives us a proper reason as to why bakugo maybe distant with Izuku that canon doesn't. Realistically, in canon bakugo has everything a good quirk, people admiring him, a healthy body, good family and he is well of however izuku doesn't have that. Izuku is quirkless, with an "impossible" dream (or what others thought was an impossible dream), an absent father, a neglectful mother and he is being bullied.

I do remember talking about some of the wasted potential within bakugos character especially the prototype version of him.

[tenebrius-excellium]

So...Return of the Thief was easily the best book I have read in a long, long time.

~ MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ~

The red-metallic cover. The mystery of the cover illustration. The title alone.

Gen is the main character. He is a king as silly, as vain and as colorful as a parrot, yet he can become so dangerous at times and I love it.

Pheris is annoying as heck but so crucial in giving the book's observant perspective. My respect for him grows towards the end.

Glad to know there was mutual respect between the king and his attendants at last. So much easier to live as a ruler when you actually get along with your closest advisors, isn't it, Gen??? you idiot (fondly)

THE CHASE AROUND THE PALACE IS PRICELESS AND WAS SO MUCH NEEDED TO BREAK UP THE TENSION...GEN DANGLING FROM THE CHANDELIER; IT WAS LIKE AN ACTION MOVIE AND SO MUCH FUN AND SO EPIC AND SO THREATENINGLY FOREBODING TOWARDS THE END. SOOOOOO WELL DONE

The fight. The fight. The fight. The fight. The ritual, gosh. Gen thoroughly gets his ass kicked and it's beautiful and WHY DOES NO ONE IN THE FANDOM TALK ABOUT THIS MORE

The admiration I have for his father, the minister of war -

LOVE that the kings and queens are all close best friends at this point. They need it and they deserve some rest and trust with each other

OF COURSE Gen wants an elephant. Where's the scene where he steals one and rides it to the parley???

HIS WALKING ON THE VERY BRINK OF OVERSTEPPING AND THE HOUSE OF ERONDITES ACTUALLY BEING THE ONES SAVING HIM HNNNNGHHHHH WHAT AN REDEMPTIVE ARC AND HE PROBABLY NEVER COMES TO KNOW OF IT I LOVE IT...

I love how his overdoing it brings him so close to his own downfall, his undoing,,...but he is LOVED and that's what brings him back to his senses. What's that line Eddis said? "I think they have to show their worst selves sometimes in order to be sure that even at their worst they are loved." And it's that love that brings him back to sanity and to the trust that he does not need to know everything. He gives up control for a good relationship with his barons. Incomparable.

Umm I have to admit that I don't get the part where Eugenides lays down his throne and is able to pick it up again a day later. Everyone would have had to lose all respect for him. I don't get it, how did he get away with that and what did it achieve for him? Someone explain pls

Same with the offense that the Pents felt upon Gen almost killing their ambassador. Diplomatic immunity and so forth, yes, but what about the fact that the ambassador basically assaulted the queen??? He at least gravely insulted her. So why didn't they use that as a sustainable argument for the king not apologizing? It's the queen of Attolia, guys. She killed the last man who tried to do that to her. Right?

My lady Whalen Turner managed to describe something visually after all, even though it was the depiction of the dead in the light, sunny mist... my heart wept

I'm pissed that we do not get to know who killed Nahuseresh. That was so personal tbh.

I'm also pissed that we don't know if Aulus and Boagus died. And I feel bad for the attendants. I liked Hilarion and Philologos. Although they got to do what they always dreamed of and what they were there to do in the first place: To defend their king, a king worthy of being died for...

Costis, Kamet and Relius made it...my heart...

Look, the author cannot paint visual images for shit. My brain had to make up three quarters of the movie that played before my inner eye. But it got easier with each new book in the series, since I was already used to the world. Improvise, adapt, overcome, right, and I am very proud of that. But I gotta say, to make up for that lack of imagery, Megan is PHENOMENAL at action sequences. And at writing peace. You know, katharsis. Reconciliation. Reader's satisfaction. Comfort.

Thank you.

The Queen's Thief series will remain a favorite and will surely stay with me for years to come.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 227

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 29 - “Tennis with a Hot Guy in the Highlands!?” Date watched: 25 October 2022 Original air date: 31 August 2008 Screenshots Precure Metamorphose Gallery | Sky Rose Translate Gallery Project info and master list of posts

Hello. I’m the villain.

Note: I am still experimenting with the automatic screenshots. I wasn’t satisfied with taking them every 10 seconds so I changed it to every 5 seconds and added a few custom shots. The gallery is larger than normal as a result of this, but I think it gives a better overview of the episode without as many major gaps as the 10 second rule.

Summer vacation continues with the long-awaited getaway to Karen’s mountain villa! There the girls engage in a variety of activities such as tennis, and tennis, with some tennis for good measure. But not all is as it seems when a mysterious man shows up...

The Plot

The girls travel to Karen’s villa, which is every bit as sprawling and fancy as her private island resort.

Jiiya promises to make a big meal for everyone that night, so Nozomi declares they should get hungry by playing sports.

A new villain named Mucardia shows up at Eternal. Anacondy is much friendlier to him than to Bunbee, and she dispatches him to get the Rose Pact.

Nozomi wants to play on the villa’s tennis courts. Rin points out Nozomi doesn't even play tennis, but she’s gung ho for it anyway, as are the others.

Mucardia appears in the sky and decides to spy on the girls for a while.

The girls aren't very good at tennis but seem to have fun anyway. Then Rin and Karen play a match and it's much more intense.

The fairies watch from a balcony. Kurumi turns to Milk and begins feverishly writing a postcard to Palmier. Nuts sees her working hard nonstop and wants to find a way to help her that doesn't inconvenience her. He begins drafting a new toy.

Mucardia shows up to the tennis court under the name Momoi Kyousuke, claiming to have gotten lost. He takes on Rin and Karen in a doubles tennis match. Meanwhile, Nozomi Urara, and Komachi go after a Palmin.

Kyousuke smooth talks R&K with a magic trick and some flowers before leaving. He secretly turns the whole forest into a Hoshiina. His plan is to take out Rin and Karen (the brains and brawn of the team) and the rest will fall in short order.

When everyone gathers, they complain that the Hoshiina is too big and strong. Dream applies what she learned in tennis and tells them to watch its movements and strike back.

The fight consists mostly of the girls deflecting blows from the monster and landing a few hits on it until Coco helps them perform Rainbow Rose Explosion.

Mucardia remarks that the other cures aren’t so bad, but his real victory is getting close to the team.

After the battle, Nozomi, Urara, and Komachi compliment the flowers that Rin and Karen received before they all go to eat Jiiya’s dinner. The episode closes with a shot of the two flowers in vases against a backdrop of the mountain at sunset.

The Analysis

What I Liked

The girls relaxing (kind of) and having fun playing tennis, in a very slife-of-life moe setting, was so fun. I don’t always like this (my thoughts on Smile will come eventually) but here it works.

Related, the contrast between how Rin and Karen play tennis compared to the others is great. Obviously R&K are experienced players while the rest are amateurs, but everyone has fun with it in their way.

Urara has good form (not technique) despite never actually playing. She says she portrayed a tennis player for a show once, and that might be my favorite joke in the episode.

Compared to the last episode, Princess Crepe is barely in this and has maybe 3 lines of dialog. That’s a win in my book.

Mucardia deciding to scout out the girls and get friendly with them rather than revealing his identity is a good strategy we’ve seen used before by Kiriya, Michiru, and Kaoru. It won’t play out in a redemption arc, but I enjoy it for now.

What I Didn’t Like

When Milk begins writing her letter to Palmier, Syrup complains that he needs a rest. The response to this is odd, with Milk saying she has to keep the citizens of Palmier informed of what’s going on as she’s a caregiver. This is fine as it’s her prerogative but it does nothing to address Syrup’s complaint that he’s being overworked. A practical solution would be for him to just wait and make the delivery the next day or something but this is not discussed.

Once the Hoshiina shows up, the episode drops in quality drastically. Mucardia’s plan was supposedly to take out Rin and Karen individually but he doesn’t even come close.

Normally, in a divide and conquer plot, one of two things will happen: either the singled out group will individually overcome the villain, or they will be pushed to their limit and rescued at the last minute by the rest of the team. In this instance, though, neither happens. Rouge and Aqua aren’t faring well against the monster but the other girls join the fray quickly with a half-hearted “strategy” from Dream

The above issue makes the monster, and Mucardia himself, seem like less of a threat. Anacondy holds him in high regard, and everything about him reads “formidable opponent” and then he underperforms in his debut fight. If it’s intentional, it’s not showcased well.

If a stranger showed up on a huge private resort claiming he got lost while sweet talking some teenagers, I’d be asking a lot more questions than Karen does, and he’d get an escort to the exit rather than just a point in the right direction.

Miscellaneous

Milk appears in her fairy form for the third episode in a row.

The Cures use Rainbow Rose Explosion as their finisher for the second episode in a row.

In the preview of this episode from the last one, Rin is implied by her mannerisms to be infatuated with Momoi Kyousuke. That does not carry over to the actual episode, where both she and Karen agree he was nice and appreciate the flowers he gave them, but nothing more than that.

The girls get some cute athletic clothes during the tennis scene.

Nuts is shown drawing artwork of what will become the Milky Note.

This is the final episode to use “Holding Hands Also Links our Hearts!!” as the ending theme. Next episode it will change to Ganbalance de Dance for the third and final time.

Conclusion

The fight scenes are a staple of this franchise, but I don’t remember feeling this disconnected between the plot and battle scene in a while. It feels obligatory, the monster design is underwhelming and unintimidating, and you could remove the fight entirely and not lose anything from the episode. It peaked at the girls just having fun at the resort, and Mucardia infiltrating to see how they act was a good idea. It might have been better left as a routine monster fight rather than Mucardia trying to divide and conquer right out of the gate. The episode also starts Nuts’s story arc as he struggles with his sense of worth, leading to a new toy. The plot calls back to episode 26 of the previous series, when they went on a summer vacation to Karen’s island resort. It’s a very middle of the road episode compared to the last two which were very good and very bad respectively. I just wanted a litle more substance, even if that substance was pure fluff.

Next time, on Precure Daily, Kurumi and Nozomi have a fight. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 kettei!

[ddarker-dreams]

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID THE TRUTH.

I admit that i enjoyed act 3 but it feels like really rushed i have so much complain with that.

The build up until act 2 was so good it give us so much premise but the final blow si meh. Sorry that i want to share thing long rant with you

1. Why the final talk is with yae, no offense to her but we need ei to explain not to mention she witness khaenriah downfall so she can give us more information, i feel like they do it for the plot armor so they can just keep dragging this

2. So many things that quite inconsistant, the shogun is show no mercy to anyone that even did a little thing outside what she think its right, how come she can still have a talk with signora, when sara is falling like that, and also there is no clarification about sara right now.

The traveler was so done at first they refuse to help thoma and ayaka at the beginning. But they seem so happy and forget everything how come they are not RAGE ( okay maybe this is to bias and personal) when this nation provide nothing about our siblings information and also why they are not mention anything about their problem in ei stroy quest. Its nonsense! She is right in front of youu, ask about your siblings, ask about khaenriah, ask about ukmown god!!. How come they can just forget like that. Also mihoyo really waste the potential about twin things i thing ei will give us so much help bcs of the sympathy that we both rn lost our twin but noooo.

3. Kokomi seem lost some brain cell, she make a very succesfull grand intro but she become meh in act 3, how come a great strategist like her let the sus sponsorship slip just bcs they are desperate, not to mention her screen time is really small and her role seem so unsignificant and it feels lile she is a plain npc.

4. The awesome world quest that we have done doesnt get any mention at all! Inazuma owe us so much with cleansing sakura, thunder sakura, tatarigami, obarashi quest. It has so much potential that yae or ei or anyone else aknowledge what traveler has been done but nooo.

cracks knuckles... i suppose it's time for my promised dissertation. interestingly enough, you touched on a lot of the main issues i had with chapter III.

i think that if i had to pin the main issue, it's a lack of overall cohesiveness? we were jumping all over the place without the chance to ever flesh things out. inazuma is a smaller cast, but i feel like we didn't get to see any of them shine. since i'm most interested in the genshin characters, i'll break down my problems by going over everyone and their (lack) of impact on the story.

was ayaka not questioned or placed under suspicion for being close to thoma before his escape? i wanted to see her broken up over her duties as they relate to the yashiro commission, paired with having someone she genuinely cares about in danger. it would've been an interesting struggle if she was forced to choose one or the other. instead she just kinda took a back seat.

speaking of thoma, i don't even have anything to say, because he just... was there? for .0001 seconds. said "lol this sucks ig" and that's about it. i know we're going to get a story for him in the future since he's a 5* but i'm not getting my hopes up 😭 then in the raiden shogun's character story, man is peachy keen! be upset with the raiden shogun! have some inner conflict! even if it's just using loaded language because he's under surveillance for going against the raiden shogun, that'd be so cool. saying something like,

"Traveler, what's with that expression? Oh please, there's nothing to worry about. We're under the Statue of the Omnipresent God's protection. Nothing bad has ever happened here." *wink*

i also don't know what to say about gorou. he was... there....... i think. what is he fighting for? what are the stakes for him? what makes him place so much trust into kokomi? i'm out of things to say about him because i don't remember anything he did or said.

kokomi... oh kokomi... i was so hyped. so excited. i thought that maybe we could see a foil to the raiden shogun. that she'd have a moment where she's forced to realize, just like her opponent, sacrifices must be made that will hurt people who will never understand why she made them. or maybe something to show her military prowess. but instead she just accepts a mysterious patron's help (?), sees her people aging like the grateful dead from JJBA, and goes oh well. that sucks. what can ya do. oh bye traveler i guess, good luck with that. ????????????? HUH... similar case to thoma where she's gonna get a character story but like. she won't be the leader of the resistance anymore. that was her whole shtick. they took her shtick away. also she forced me to interact with more NPCs whose names i've already forgotten so i'm tilted about that still.

KUJOU SARA... AN INJUSTICE. A DISGRACE. a slap to my woman loving face. the build up was there. yae miko's comments about sara probably knowing the tenryou commission is involved in shady dealings, but is choosing not to think about it. sara being forced to confront reality and challenge her adopted father with the truth. being able to blaze a new path for herself in the process. when she started running to the raiden shogun i was ultra hyped up. sara, a devotee to the shogun for so long, was about to see her god interacting with the same people who led inazuma to this awful state. how would she react? would she stay ignorant, like yae miko so coyly said, choosing to look away in favor of following her god's footsteps? or would she be forced to recognize the raiden shogun isn't as divine as she once thought, and challenge her belief system?

we open the door to see the raiden shogun. the loading screen ensues. the camera pans to the ominous room, clouded in darkness, hinting at the ominous confrontation that is to come. the music takes a serious timbre. and then...

well fuck that potential character arc i guess. (we still don't know what sara made of any of this since she poofed out of existence from the story at this point)

kazuha also was handed a similar treatment. we've been with him for a while longer now. he is our introduction into inazuma, the one who first gets us emotionally involved by regaling us with the bittersweet tale of friendship that led him to becoming a wanted criminal. a kind soul who loves nature yet was dealt a cruel hand by fate, forced to watch his home nation turn into a hostile place, where his dear friend ultimately perished as a result. we get the scene with his friend's vision lighting back up. he parries a block from the raiden shogun, in the same area where his friend was killed by her. the parallels. the drama. except this time, he wasn't too late. he protected the traveler where he "failed" to protect his friend in the past. did he feel redemption at this? or was it a bittersweet reminder of what could've been?

WELL i guess we'll never know because we didn't get to talk to him again 😭 idk who got a bait and switch worse, him or sara. jesus christ mihoyo.

then we have signora. why is the raiden shogun talking to her? does she know about the gnosis being taken, and if she doesn't, what was her plan to get it from the archon? what does she think about scaramouche? and oh, okay, we're fighting here now. good fight + god tier music. pog pog. okay, now we've beaten her up, and raiden shogun wyd— wait no not signora her lore is still on CUPS not YET raiden shogun and— ah she's dead. okay. non nerds who didn't read artifact lore are going to know nothing about her. signora has such an interesting story, and yet... well. ok.

then we get raiden shogun redemption (?) arc. i was hype for this as well, though at that point, idk why i bothered being hype. i knew they were gonna do a cute power of friendship something or another, and i'm good with that, so long as it's executed well. what i was envisioning was like seven different buffs to correspond with the seven different visions, the dreams of those whose ambitions were stolen serving as the spear to penetrate the raiden shogun's heart of stone. maybe a hydro vision giving us extra healing for a time, with the voice acting over it being like,

"Even if the rest of the world forgets us, let our will carry you through this one final time. Succeed where we couldn't, Traveler."

so on and so forth.

but instead we got— you get the idea at this point. why bother spelling it out anymore.

at that point i was surprised the raiden shogun didn't go "oopsie woopsie!! we made a fucky wucky!!!" because that was the vibe i was getting. i love ei, don't get me wrong, but i wanted to see her challenged with what she had done to inazuma in the past year. maybe meeting NPC #2345259 who lost her sister to the vision decree or something, reminding ei of the love she held for her sister... being forced to come to terms with the extent of what she's done in pursuit of eternity.

anyway. please for the love of god mihoyo hire better writers for the main story. that is all i ask. thank you.

[belmottetower]

002 Jamie please!

How I feel about this character:  I have been reading fanfic for about 18 years now. Jamie Tartt and my desperation for more content about him is the thing that finally got me to write my own fic. It is worth nothing that despite my real life day to day meaning I am forever encountering and having to clean up after the decisions made by shitty men, so many of my favourite fictional characters are douchebag men who go on redemption arcs. Maybe because it rarely happen in real life. Anywho. With Jamie I was entertained and intrigued by him right from the start, and then Two Aces happened, and you start to learn more about him underneath the surface, and what led to him to be the person he is. And then in series 2 from very early on you can see him trying to grow and learn and change. I love seeing him becoming the best version of himself, and his relationships with the people around him growing stronger and deeper. I cannot wait to see who season three Jamie is. All the people I ship romantically with this character:  Roy and Keeley Roy My non-romantic OTP for this character:  Dani Sam My unpopular opinion about this character:  I do not see him and Ted as having a father/son relationship. I do not think they are that close, and I do not think they really understand each other all that well. I think Jamie wants to please Ted as his manager because it means he's doing well as a player. I believe Ted is triggered by Jamie because of Ted's guilt and daddy issues. I don't think it goes deeper than that for either of them. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Outside of him coming out and dating Roy or Roy and Keeley (very unlikely) I would LOVE for series three to have a little World Cup arc and for Jamie to be called up to the England team. If they could get a cameo with my fave Gareth Southgate that would be the dream. my OTP: Jamie/Keeley/Roy my cross over ship: I am really struggling with this. Sometimes Jamie/Roy gives me slight Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor vibes just with younger energetic brat and older pretends to be grumpy and unfeeling partner so. Brian Kinney and Jamie Tartt can have a little bit of sex as a little treat. a headcanon fact: I mean the fandom wide headcanon is of course that not only did Jamie have Roy's poster on his wall, but he used to jerk off it, so that one is a given to me too. The other one is very specific to me, but I have basically spite written myself into it. In the show Jamie uses the wrong word a couple of times when quoting a saying or idiom. Because of that there is a real trend for fic to at best have Jamie do so many malapropisms, a ton of which don't even make sense, and at worse write him as basically a brain dead two year old. I really hate it and it is definitely something that tends to lead to me noping out of a fic. However in the show he also correctly references books on three occasions that I remember off top of my head: Jekyll and Hide, A Christmas Carol, and of course Harry Potter. Because of that I wove an entire thematic thread about Jamie becoming a book worm in one of my fic, and it's not just stuck that Jamie does like to read actually, and a pretty fucking varied list of books. And it's now sort of become an actual headcanon for me.

[siena-sevenwits]

Thank you for the tag, @hollers-and-holmes! Sharing my ten favourite male fictional characters is no easy task - not at all, as you could ask me tomorrow and get a different batch of characters entirely! But here's the best some cursory thought can produce. I eliminated fictionalized versions of verifiably historical characters, as well as characters from media other than books (with one exception, just to chop down my options.

In no order:

Sydney Carton (A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens) - Sincere, supremely witty, human, daring, grapples with despair and terrible choices, leading to one of the most incredible redemption arc ever written. He's given me a lot of hope in my rock bottom moments. If I were a man, he'd be my dream role to play on stage.

Schmendrick the Magician (The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle) - I only read the book for the first time last year, but it's one of those books that immediately told my heart, "I am one of your kin; I am one of your clan." And Schmendrick - what a character. I mean - he's a sixty-year-old in the body of a twenty-year-old who wants nothing more than to break his curse so he can go on to be who he actually is. Merry and melancholy at once. Supremely hopeful and wise, yet so full of shame. Sweet and funny and lyrical, and with SO many quotable moments. I love his interactions both with Molly and the Unicorn.

Mr. Carpenter (The Emily of New Moon trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery) The acerbic yet somehow highly empathetic schoolmaster who zeroes in incredibly on the potential of each of his students and gives them the encouragement and tough love they need to actualize it. It's easy to forget what a revolutionary seeming pedagogical method he had in 1910's PEI - spending more time outside the schoolhouse than in, getting the kids to re-enact the battles and beheadings and adventures, making them invent imagination games to solidify their knowledge of poetry and history and myth - and yet also drilling them hard traditionally in things like math. He is tremendously funny and crotchety and sharp in every sense of the word. As a teacher myself, I didn't evolve into quite the same kind of educator, but I think some of his principles did rub off on me, at least in terms of intention.

Tommy Beresford (from the "Tommy and Tuppence" books by Agatha Christie) It feels slightly odd to talk of Tommy without talking of Tuppence, but here we are. Not only is he plucky, humourous, undyingly faithful, and - gosh, enthusiastic! - he's an awesome character to watch in terms of seeing the progression of his marriage, as one of the only characters Agatha Christie let age along with her youth to golden years. James Warwick's portrayal of him in the eighties series only increased my love for him.

Ebenezer Scrooge (from "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens) What can I say? Every Christmas Scrooge helps me aim for true humility and to turn over new leaves. We're all Scrooge.

Robin Hood (from the Robin Hood legendarium) Every single incarnation of him. From authentic ballads of high Middle Ages. From stories and retellings of those stories and retellings of THOSE stories. Howard Pyle and Roger Lancelyn Greene and Jane Yolen and Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn and Richard Greene. "He called the finest archers to a tavern on the green/ They vowed to help the people of the king / They settled all the trouble on the English country scene, / and still found plenty of time to sing!"

Evan MacIan & James Turnbull (from The Ball and the Cross by G. K. Chesterton) I have such a soft spot for these duelists, the one fighting for the honour of Mary and by extension literally everything he believes in, both religious and philosophical, the other fighting for the sake of being *able* to fight an idea out. Their dialogues are hilarious and brain-stretching/world-view-stretching. They are passionate and really two sides of the same coin. And oh, their shenanigans. Gold star for the time they've been imprisoned separately for months, and finally manage to knock something off the wall and find it leaves a tiny finger-sized hole in the concrete, and MacIan's first thought is literally whether they can find a way to duel each other through the hole.

Bilbo Baggins (the works of JRR Tolkien) I read this book eleven times before I was eleven. Frodo and Sam's story speaks to me more - but, what can I say? When I weighed things, it was Bilbo who had to go on this list.

Nick Bottom & Peter Quince (from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare) They made me love Shakespeare when I was six. So hilarious, and relatable and just incredibly well-written.

Nicholas Nickleby (from the eponymous book by Dickens) - OK, this one is a funny choice, because Nicholas admittedly is your typical Dickens young-handsome-protagonist - that is to say, he is the only type of Dickens character who rather than bursting with personality is essentially a blank slate. But I think I love him more for all he represents to me than what I must admit he is. He is the stick that beats Squeers. He is the compassionate hopeful who keeps looking no matter how much his plans fall through. He is the character I was in love with at fourteen when I locked myself in my room and wouldn't come out no matter who bade me because it was my first Dickens book I'd truly read on my own and the work as a whole was so superb. He's the main character of one of the books that helped me remember who I was and what I loved during a bad point in my life, that got me back into theatre and great books and joy and hope. He's the lynchpin of the book that helped me lead some of my dear students to a love of Dickens. He's Nicholas Nickleby.

Count Almaviva ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini) I am tired and want to finish this list. So just - go watch "The Barber of Seville", preferably the one with Cecilia Bartoli and Gino Quilico, and have a blast. David Keubler's Count Almaviva is tremendous fun.

Anyone who wants to, jump in!

[melo-efcarist]

you can just enjoy villains you know that right. no need to jump hoops to justify and try to make them better than they are. morally black characters are not a bad thing, theyre not flat or uninteresting. in fact i could argue morally black characters are even more interesting than morally gray.

i like c! dream because hes a villain, an unapologetic one at that. i want to see him to do more and i also want him to suffer bc hes a horrible person who in no way deserves forgiveness from any of the countless people hes hurt. the only ‘redemption’ he should get is him leaving the server and as far away from everyone as humanly possible.

as for the torture. its a shitty plot line from an objective standpoint simply cause its been going on to long and has had no effect on the narrative other than causing undeserving sympathy for him. im not condeming the prison as a whole bc it gives us amazing sam lore and also tommy losing his last life was an amazing scene, probably one of my favorite dream scenes tbh

i mean what im trying to say is. dream is a villain. and you can enjoy that. morals of your favorite character do not reflect your own

Anon, I'm not denying the fact that he's a villain or that he did shitty actions if that's where you're getting at. Also, have you ever considered that you might be wrong about me and how I view C!Dream? Like, I was a c!dream anti as well, until I actually saw his character in a better light.

The prison arc is a setup for something much more, I reckon, but that's just a small little theory I have inside my head. Like, you're allowed to enjoy his character like that if you want to, but I do find my view on C!Dream more enjoyable now than back in February when I was an anti.

Your little side comment about the prison and torture is something that I (obviously) do not and would not agree with for very much obvious reasons. We do not share the same take on his character. However, you could ask about my view on that another time because it's pretty long, I think, I don't know, brain organization is difficult I just have lots of thoughts about him and the prison.

Morals of my favorite character do in fact not reflect my own, and I understand that. I'm not an idiot; this isn't my first fandom. I don't go out of my way to justify or excuse any actions any character does, and only provide reasoning to it.

The terms "unapologetic" and "irredeemable" when applied to a person - whether fictional or real - is just laughable to me. Call it futile optimism, but people can change. They always can. There are irredeemable actions but that's different from people. I made a post talking about this I'm pretty sure but I'm too lazy to link it.

If you're left here asking "But why? Why would they ever think he's a morally grey character?" Because that's just how I view people in general, everyone's fucked up but you can always make a grey lighter with some white (basic color theory, really). If there's a person that is actually genuinely morally black, then that person can still change, no matter what. It would be hard and incredibly difficult but that person is a person, and people can still change. I'm a pretty hopeful person, you could say.

Like take C!Wilbur for example, or even C!Sam, C!Wilbur's hurt a lot of people, and according to C!Fundy, a shitty father. C!Sam literally gave C!Quackity enchanted netherite tools to hurt C!Dream and said to "Make sure you(Quackity) do it right." The pain that they've caused can't be made up for, but they can still improve as a person because that's just how people are. They make mistakes. They make choices that they think they have to. They make decisions that they think are the best but in reality, aren't.

The last 2 sentences are very much seen in C!Dream as CC!Dream confirmed that C!Dream has that "ends justify the means" mindset which is definitely not okay. Redemption (in writing) is the process of becoming better as a person. It's the process of realizing that you've made a mistake, or a lot of mistakes, and that it's time to change for the better.

C!Dream doesn't want to become better, not now at least. Well, obviously, he doesn't, how the hell would putting him in a prison do that?

A side note, wanting a character to be redeemed is not a bad thing. Like that's literally just a person wanting a character to be less bad. I genuinely don't get why people are so against it when redemption is literally nothing but good. Genuinely, what are the cons here?

A side side note, to say that a person being literally tortured is undeserving of sympathy is uh, is kinda dehumanizing not gonna lie. He's not a monster or an animal that has no weaknesses or emotions. He can still be hurt. "Unnecessary sympathy" sounds a tad bit better, but even then it still sounds kinda iffy. People give sympathy not because it's deserved or earned, but because it's a natural emotion that some people get for some other people. I get that you don't feel sorry for him and all (which is valid), but let other people feel sorry for him at least. Man, I was planning for this to be one of my shorter posts but it ended up just not being that short. I think I worded it all pretty well, I kinda just said the stuff on my mind unfiltered. Anyway,

TL;DR - I still feel sympathy for C!Dream, people can change, and that's what gives me hope in him (hope for everyone really). If you don't like that, then I suggest blocking me instead because well, yeah.

[the-fandomwriter]

ok but logically, it cannot be

quackity, as he is too obviously opposed to schlatt, and turning back to him would be a shitty plot line lmao

wilbur, because no matter what he’s blowing the place to the ground and he honestly doesn’t give a shit about either side, but he wants to stay with tommy

niki, she is too much of a wild card, she’s so adamant about regaining and rebuilding l’manberg, that her joining schlatt would be completely out of character

techno blade, while still plausible, it’s just too goddamn obvious. dream said it’ll be more surprising than eret’s betrayal, which leads me to think it has to be someone from the original cast, perhaps a l’manburgian

george, because he’s just all over the fucking place and too absent to make an actual impact on pogtopia

eret is an impossible traitor, he’s been working too damn hard on his redemption arc (which if he doesn’t get it i will never forgive them)

then we’ve got the ones that it’s (begrudgingly) plausible for them to be the traitor:

tommy, despite being the protagonist of this whole thing, i don’t see it completely impossible for him to be the traitor. what if he’s had enough of being on the rebelling side? but i also don’t think he’d be able to fight against his friends, against tubbo and niki

tubbo. fuck. i hate to say that i find this to be one of the more fitting but terrifying choices. it would make sense, after all that time serving under schlatt, being manipulated and used by schlatt, it would make perfect sense for tubbo to have it in his head that schlatt=good everyone else=bad. but there’s also the pact between him tommy and niki that sorta doesn’t fit into this, unless it’s all a hoax and their friendship is a lie :(

badboyhalo wouldn’t be too unpredictable, i can see why he would strike some as somebody who would betray pogtopia, but i don’t think he’s been directly involved enough to actually betray them and heavily impact them

karl, i don’t really know where he fits in in this whole mess, he doesn’t seem for pogtopia, and he doesn’t seem for manberg, so he’s just an in betweener. i think his betrayal would mostly effect quackity, but again, he hasn’t been involved enough to severely hurt pogtopia. but he’s also just too fucking nice to betray them, he would feel so bad ok yeah maybe he’s more of an “i don’t know” kinda character

so, basically, i think it’s gonna have to be tommy or tubbo:( which i’m not happy wth either but i think they make the most sense

wilbur is also kinda an “i don’t know” character who has the ability to join schlatt, but i don’t think would stoop that low, ya know? idk thinking about this is hurting my heart and my brain :((

[stalactice]

Your top 5 favorite characters in AOT (and why) :)

It took me a bit to think about why these specific characters are my top five. I also can't recall a situation where I liked more than five characters enough to not only fill a top five list, but to debate about who would make the cut. For all of my critiques of snk and Isayma's writing, I will give him props for that at least.

So, in no particular order (but it might as well be in this order):

1. Levi Ackerman

At a glance or strictly from first impressions, Levi looks like a classic example of a Gary-Stu-OP with his ~perfect techniques~ when it comes to slaying titans. However, that initial impression fades really quickly for me when I realize that this guy who is hailed as "Humanity's Strongest" can't save the people he cares about the most. I would say that Levi from a character arc standpoint includes some of Isayama’s best thematic writing—guilt, a loss of ideals, perseverance, even a search for redemption from himself, and finally acceptance—that, in my opinion, speaks to many readers.

It’s the flaws that make him hold up as a character.

2. Reiner Braun

Reiner’s arc always sticks with me because I think it can apply to everyone. Personally, if I were in his place, I would probably feel and do a lot of the same things as he, given his upbringing. What twelve-year-old wouldn’t work himself to the bone and do horrible things if the powers that be promised to protect and provide for his family? The thing that really drives his character home for me is the conflict he feels constantly throughout the series and the resulting grief/depression/ptsd. “Why is Marco being eaten?” still guts me. And then he, like Levi, gets to have his shot at redemption despite believing he is not worthy of it for all the sins he has committed. Yet, he still chooses to do what’s right in the end, wants to be better.

3. Armin Arlert

I’m trying to figure out how to put Armin into words uhhh

Armin’s journey is probably the most like the classic Hero’s Journey of all the snk characters? He’s also incredibly pragmatic and idealistic simultaneously which makes him the most tangible (that’s probably not the right word, but it’s what my brain gave me) of all the snk characters; his face-off with Bertholdt at Wall Maria, for example—his death would lead to the retaking of Wall Maria, at the cost of his dream to see the ocean, but he still believed that there was a peaceful future for humanity beyond his life. Even when he does terrible things, especially in the Marley arc, he still retains a gentleness that makes him stand out throughout the series.

He also tries to beat up birdren when that pigeon insults Mikasa, which is a gold star in my book.

I’m not going to talk about the last chapter because that was wildly out-of-character. It’s not canon.

4. Hanji Zoe

Hanji’s level of grit is among the highest in the series. She faces everything thrown at her head-on, whether it’s tackling the science behind titans or facing death. That’s not to say she’s not scared; she’s said several times she is afraid, but her tenacity keeps her moving forward. She prevents the Survey Corps from stagnating completely in their efforts with inventions and, as commander, effectively rebuilds it from the ground-up after retaking Wall Maria. If only we got to see it...

I wish Isayama gave her more narrative importance, though. She is one of my favorite characters, but most of her contributions to the plot and themes are done off-screen.

I also aspire to have her level of dark humor.

5. Misc.

This is a bit of a cop-out answer, but my number five in this list tends to change every few weeks, depending on which elements of these characters interest me at the time. This week it’s Moblit and his loyalty, steadfastness, and sacrifice. A couple weeks ago it was Jean’s complete progression from start to finish. Before that it was Annie, her ties to family, and what that word meant to her. And it was Mikasa before Annie and Connie before that.

There’s a lot to explore with each of these characters, but I can’t say presently that any one of them speaks more to me than the others.

I’m not sure if all this rambling answered your question, anon, but I hope it was entertaining nonetheless. Thank you for the ask!

put “top 5” anything in my ask

[technospotatoes]

C!SAM - Redeemable Qualities Analysis (Dream SMP)

Hallo! I’m back with another brain rot post for ya’ll instead of doing my schoolwork :] 

Recently, I’ve been doing some thinking and theorizing with some friends on discord following Quackity’s huge lore stream (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you watch it). I woke up this morning with a head full of many thoughts about C!Awesamdude and where his story could take us. Seeing as how there is going to be lots of change in the future with the server, there must be changes in these characters as well-- evil to good, good to evil, and the like. With these changes comes my thought: “can these characters be redeemed?” Here are my thoughts on how this applies to C!Sam.

Please let me know your thoughts and theories, I’d love to discuss with you! As always, strap in, it’s gonna be a long one :]

I hope you enjoy!

Author’s note: I want to start this off by saying that all of the contents being discussed are fictional, and are from the Dream SMP universe. I do not support the actions of these characters, but merely have interest in analyzing them through a lens of psychology and for entertainment purposes. Content of this post will contain spoilers up to 3/25/21 of the DSMP lore. I will also talk about ATLA a little bit ;)

Content warning: mentions of torture, manipulation, death, possible psychological trauma

(pls be safe ily)

What makes a redeemable character? 

  Redeemable characters are some of the most pleasing and favored characters in modern media. Their stories are rich with emotion, and they can even evoke some form of catharsis within the most skeptic consumers. Redeemable characters are memorable and inspiring, and without one, a story can feel empty. Before we apply this character trope to the Dream SMP and C!Sam, we need to answer a basic question in order to fully understand the complexity of redeemable characters and how they are so universally significant. 

What is a redeemable character?

  Simply put, a redeeming character or characteristic counteracts or corrects something negative. From a storytelling standpoint, a redeemable character is someone who has roots in good qualities, turns bad, and has the ability to revert their wrong choices to become a better person. 

Examples of redeemed characters in popular media include: 

Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Boromir - Lord of the Rings

Kylo Ren - Star Wars

Severus Snape - Harry Potter 

  Zuko, for example, starts his story off as the villain. He tirelessly hunts down the protagonist, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal to please his father. However, as the show progresses, we learn that Zuko wasn’t always bad. He was only driven to his path of villainy because of his fear of failure, of his father (the firelord and true antagonist of the show), and of a greater punishment than what he had already received. With the help of his uncle, Zuko learned to push through and accept his past, while also making amends with his wrongs and coming to the realization of who the true enemy was; ultimately choosing peace and unity over destruction and fear.    Zuko’s story is so appealing because it was drawn out. It was raw, it was real, and it was a genuine telling of how damaged people can heal, change, and come to accept themselves. Because he went through the process of redemption, he was not only able to be loved by those around him, but also by his audience-- And I believe that this can be the same case with any redeemable character. 

So how does this relate to C!Sam? How could he possibly be redeemable if he is not evil?

  C!Sam has become increasingly interesting to me in the DSMP lore, and he has shown how complex his character is-- in contrast to many first impressions that people have of him. Based upon his actions from the past, and his willingness to remain neutral in times of conflict, we can conclude that he sustains both “neutral good” and “lawful neutral/good” qualities. This means that Sam is a reliable character, driven by his own personal values, and is devoted to helping others (when he sees fit). Evidence of these qualities emerge…

When he sided with Pogtopia during the Manberg War to maintain good relations with Tommy and Tubbo. 

When he saved Hannah from the Egg

Created Sam Nook to assist Tommy in building his hotel

Built Pandora’s Vault for Dream

Showed concern for Ranboo after one of his denied prison visits

  Sam’s moral code is deeply rooted with good intentions; he keeps an eye out for his friends, maintains his relationships, assists in builds/projects, and also serves as a “stable adult figure” for some of the younger members of the server. In contrast to his logical outward appearance, C!Sam lets his emotions drive his decision making-- which can lead to many severe consequences depending on how he acts. However, recently Sam’s actions indicate that he is experiencing a flip in morals. 

Below are incidents that have led to C!Sam’s recent change in moral code. 

Incident 1: Trapped with the Egg

  Many weeks ago, during the height of character involvement with the Egg lore, C!Sam was lured into a trap by BBH and Antfrost. He spent about a day trapped in close contact with the Egg, and after he was saved by Puffy and Tommy, he was clearly changed. It is likely that the Egg is behind these sudden changes in character motivation for Sam… similarly to how it corrupted BBH, Ant, and Punz. Whether this is the case with Sam is unclear. 

Incident 2: Tommy’s death

  C!Sam and C!Tommy’s relationship within the DSMP lore is one of my favorite things to talk about. After his victory over the disk war and finally landing his nemesis in prison, Tommy was left empty, without much to do. He decided to take upon a new project to incite a new era of peace, and was able to enlist the help of Sam with building his hotel. Throughout this process (and under the watchful eye of Sam Nook), Tommy and Sam were able to develop a bond with each other through their work, along with their interactions at the Prison. 

  Sam has made it clear that he intends to defend Tommy no matter what-- but after his untimely death at the hands of C!Dream, Sam was deeply wounded. He felt as if he failed his promise to keep Tommy safe, and he made it clear that the blame for the “security issue” and C!Tommy’s death should be placed fully on him. No matter how selfless and responsible this makes his character appear, this event will only serve as the basis for severe consequences in moral change in the future. 

Incident 3: Confrontation with Quackity

  Following the large emotional impact of Tommy’s death, C!Sam is very vulnerable, because he is still within the stages of grief. C!Quackity came to Sam for a partnership, to take advantage of Sam while he was low to gain the upper hand. It’s no question that Q’s character is a talented manipulator, we can see that clearly in his interaction with Sam. Q restates again and again that Sam failed, further cementing Sam’s existing guilt and desire for revenge for his failure. Sam gives in to the manipulation, and somewhat reluctantly allows Quackity to torture Dream to get information and to get payback for what he did to Tommy... which completely goes against what his responsibility of Warden entails. 

  As Warden, C!Sam is supposed to uphold the law and rules of visitation, but because of his leniency with Quackity (in breaking the rules) and because he is still emotionally raw, he no longer defends good from evil, but is now biased against it. C!Sam probably wants Dream dead, but as Warden, his opinion shouldn’t matter. Because Sam fully blames himself for failing Tommy, he's lost the "lawful good" in his character, meaning Warden Sam (as a set of morals) truly doesn't exist anymore.

Incident 4: Ponk’s mistake

  To recap a stream briefly, Ponk did a prank on Sam a couple days ago, and stole a few of the expired keycards to Pandora’s Vault. Rightfully, Sam was very angry, and not only took back the keycards, but also imprisoned Ponk. However, where this interaction should have ended, C!Sam only took it to the extreme. (TW!!!!) Out of anger and frustration, C!Sam tortured Ponk for his wrongdoing by setting him on fire, and amputating his arm (END TW!!!). 

  This only proves my point from Incident 3. Warden Sam is fading, only bits and pieces of his morally neutral character remain within him for basic tasks. His encounter with Quackity had a huge impact on his psyche, not only is he allowing the torture of the prison occupants, but he is doing it himself as well. C!Sam is now starting to believe that pain and torture are the only solutions for punishment, which is the complete opposite of what he believed before Dream was imprisoned. 

In short...

  C!Sam is losing his grip on moral and mental stability because of his emotional insecurity due to his psychological trauma. Because of this, I believe that it is entirely possible for Sam’s character to explore the route of evil and unlawful values-- which furthers the possibility for a redemption arc. Even currently, Sam is eligible for redemption as well.

  If C!Sam is willing to acknowledge his wrongs from today and improve himself upon them, he will likely become a more memorable, lovable, and even more human character than we’ve seen in the SMP before. 

SIDENOTE!

IRL Sam recently posted in his discord talking about his character. Here are a few key things to keep in mind as the story goes forward: 

“There is a LOT of things in the plan for me as a character and a very big change is coming about for me as the story moves along.”

I believe this change could be a villain arc, or a turn towards evil that incites the possibility for redemption. 

“My character is playing a role that I think is VITAL for the server and a role that I like to think was a good one for me to pick up and accept.”

You can read the reddit post I referenced for this here (ty to my friend on discord for providing me with the link <3)

TYSM FOR READING!! <3 <3 <3

[producingtrashycontent]

who are your favorite top ten black clover characters & ships? talk about them! ~tat

Ooh this will be fun. I'm not sure I'll have as much to say as some other people who have been asked this question, but I hope it's ok!

Top 10 Black Clover Characters

1. Mereoleona Vermillion

I could rant for hours about how much I love this woman. She's very strong and doesn't give a damn about status, which I love about her. Like almost all the females in Black Clover, she isn't overly sexualized or dependent on a man in some way. I love her character design, her magic, and everything. I think I'm a little obsessed with this woman honestly.

2. Noelle Silva

A typical female shonen character that's part of the main guy's harem. What I love about Noelle is her development. She goes from a royal who hates commoners to a strong female lead that accepts anyone for who they are. I haven't watched all the anime in the world, but from what I've seen, she's gotten the best development of any shonen female. If there's another one out there, please let me know. I love that Noelle's character development isn't over. I can't wait to see where she ends up by the end of the series.

3. Asta

Our gray-clad hero. A typical shonen protagonist with a never give up mentality. I really love that about Asta. Asta's mental strength is off the charts. He was able to dealing with people bullying him his entire life over something he had no control over. And yet, he continues pushing onward to change the dynamics of the Clover Kingdom. What a brave boy. Of course, with mental strength like that, it makes sense his brain can't keep up in other areas. I love how much of a simpleton Asta can be. It makes him more endearing. Asta's character even inspires me to push past my own limits and never give up on my dreams.

4. William Vangeance

A sweet, quiet man with a deadly secret. I love his origin story and how it has affected his life to this day. The main thing I love is how complex his character becomes. From a top captain to a man struggling living with another soul in his body that defies the ideals and people he believes in, William is complex. I couldn't imagine living with another soul in my body for about 15ish years. Dealing with this all alone without going insane marks William as another mentally strong character. Choosing between the mentor that saved you and gave you a new life and the best friend who's shared your body for longer than you've know your mentor must be a very difficult decision to make. I'm not surprised William wasn't able to choose between them. I hope both William and Patry get a good redemption arc.

5. Finral Roulacase

A typical playboy character. He's cute, funny, and relatable. I tend not to like playboy characters, but Finral is different. He believes all women should be worshipped and treated like princesses, and he actually has a backstory. Having a sibling who is better than you in all ways reminds me of Zuko and Azula from Avatar. Despite dealing with his parents disappointment and his sibling's sneering his whole life, Finral never turned evil or tried to get revenge. At first, he ran from his problems, but with the help of the Black Bulls, he conquered his fears and grows stronger each day. I really love this boy.

6. Nozel Silva

LOOKS AT HIM HE'S SO FUCKING CUTE DJJSJDJAJJS! Ok rant over. As a royal, I never expected Nozel to have a reason for treating Noelle the way he did. Granted, I don't approve of it at all, but I love that he's working to change. He's also very stoic and strong. Nozel has a cold exterior that can be broken over time. That's what Asta did to this Silver Eagle. Now, Nozel is rivals with 2 commoners. I love that he's changing to be better with Noelle. I can't surroort how he treated Noelle before, but I love that he's working to change his relationship with her. Also, his braid is so majestic. I had a dream and the whole dream was me staring at Nozel's majestic braid flowing in the breeze. I love this handsome man.

7. Yami Sukehiro

This man. Thiiiiis man. He is glorious. He's funny, smart, grumpy, and strong. I love him for all the reasons everyone else does. The main thing I love about Yami is the vibe he gives off. When I see Yami, I see a shonen protagonist who has completed their journey and gives advice to the newest generation of protagonists. He's such a well-rounded character. I would live a spin-off series of Yami's adventures when he was young. That would really sell.

8. Fuegoleon/Leopold Vermillion

THEY'RE BOTH SO PRECIOUS

Fuegoleon: I love this man. Such an inspiration. Just like his other siblings, he doesn't care about status. My favourite line if his is: "There isn't any shame is being weak. The shame is in staying weak." This line can really apply to anything in life. He also inspires me to do better.

Leopold: BABY. Ahem. I love his spunky personality. He's makes me think of Asta had he been born into a royal family. I love that, even though he's a royal, he has his own issues to deal with: making his own way in life and not having to live in his siblings' shadow. He's just a precious bean that requires protection.

9. Klaus Lunettes/Julius Novachrono

I RAN OUT OF PIC SPACE

Anyway, I love these boys. So good.

Klaus: Mom friends are the best kind of friends. I love that he changed because he witnessed Asta and Yuno's abilities and decided these boys were strong. They weren't cheating in any way. He was the first noble to change his ways and believe is Asta and Yuno, and I really love him for that.

Julius: A man working to change his country. We love that. I love that Julius is working towards a country where everyone tears each other as equals. That's a hard task to take on, yet Julius didn't hesitate and took the challenge head-on. Also he's hot...

10. Dorothy Unsworth/Yuno

I love these babies so much.

Dorothy: Hot, short, and powerful. My spirit animal. She's hella strong and shows us that you don't need to be a big strong man to be a powerful leader. Also, she sleeps a lot, which is something I desire more of in life.

Yuno: UwU baby. Hot, strong, and stoic. What more do you need? I love his HEALTHY rivalry with Asta. It's such a joy to watch him grow side-by-side with Asta. I love him so much that I'm not even sure who I want to become the Wizard King in the end. Can we have them both be Wizard Kings?

I don't have a top 10 list of ships, but I do have ships. I'll just talk about them in no particular order.

Mereoleona x William

I love this ship because opposites attract. But if someone tells me they ship William and Patry, I'm not going to argue. Overall, this ship would make both these characters even better than they are now.

Dorothy x Nozel

I get Hinata/Kageyama vibes from this ship. A small, eager baby with a tall, stoic and distant partner. The main reason I ship this is because of the fact that Dorothy knows about what happened to Acier. Nozel wouldn't tell just anyone about that. He must trust Dorothy a huge amount for her to know that information. A royal wouldn't share his darkest family secret with a lavender-haired witch from another country. Also, after the time skip, they both changed a part of their outfits for feathers of the bird corresponding their squad. They got feathers together!

Finral x Vanessa

After the seabed temple arc, I shipped these two. They have such a wholesome relationship that makes them better people. They're so cute together! What else can I say?

Asta x Noelle

I love how much they help each other become better. Asta is doesn't realize it yet, but he cares about Noelle more than he realizes. Noelle fell for Asta because he was the first person to ever say anything good about her magic. I just love these two. They're so cute!

Yami x Charlotte

I get the same vibes from this as I get from Asta x Noelle. A tsundere and an oblivious protagonist. I love this ship for the same reasons as Asta x Noelle. I won't repeat what I said before, so read the reasoning for Asta x Noelle. I love these two as well!

Grey x Gauche

I love the reasoning for Grey loving Gauche. I totally see Gauche being as protective of Grey as he is with Marie. Grey might help Gauche loosen up a bit with Marie. These two are just really cute, ok.

I can't think of any more ships, but yeah. Those are my favourite black clover characters and my favourite ships.

[sukirichi]

🗣🗣TEAM NAOYA TEAM NAOYA (for earned it)

did satoru really expect y/n to be safe and sound when he transferred THAT huge amount of money to her account?? he said he left to protect her but he didn’t give her any type of closure, not even a text message saying they were done...he straight up ghosted her. the least he could do besides giving a closure would have been keeping an eye (maybe not him directly, but one of his most loyal men) on her, in order to prevent shit like the assault the day she went to the bank.

People were already speculating that his weakness was a girl and if that man from not a so powerful clan from ch.2 managed to get all those pictures of y/n then what make him think people from different clans or even just people who were involved in his world wouldn’t try to find his the rumour of the existence of y/n was true...like he might be the most powerful men but the bitch is kinda dumb

As for Naoya, mc said she’ll still be alive until she’s useful to Naoya but I do think maybe it’s just me that he cares for mc because he’s showing a softer side to mc only. Yes, he wants the power and to control people but if he really wanted y/n just for his brain and bc of the toji situation, then wouldn’t it be easier to keep her as a prisoner and not as a trophy wife (my dream😋)

Cant wait for the next chapters

ps. when you said the story would be angsty, do you mean for satoru right? i want for reader x naoya a happy ending (as much as it could be happy in the type of world they live in)

THIS ASK OMG WAIT IM GONNA GO ON A ROLL AND *RANT* MIGHT NEED THE KEEP READING TAB LMFAO okay let’s talk about Earned It Satoru’s character because HAHAAHAHA he’s got to be one of the most difficult people I’ve had to characterize for this (this is mostly a character analysis, slight spoilerssss, I guess??)

did satoru really expect y/n to be safe and sound when he transferred THAT huge amount of money to her account?? he said he left to protect her but he didn’t give her any type of closure, not even a text message saying they were done...he straight up ghosted her. the least he could do besides giving a closure would have been keeping an eye (maybe not him directly, but one of his most loyal men) on her, in order to prevent shit like the assault the day she went to the bank.

this one is just a huge YESSS and shows a lot about Satoru. So it’s not really a HUGE spoiler but we can all tell Satoru was REALLY overconfident and he’s gotten so reliant on his status, power, influence that he doesn’t really think much about his actions. He’s impulsive and thinks he’s always doing the right thing (he’s not LMAO) and yes exactly! Dude didn’t even give her closure because he really thought he was being a hero, but it’ll show in future chapters how he’d developed in the past seven years and maybe we’ll even get a little sneak peeks of why he’s like this. Yeah, Satoru did NOT think about what could happen at all after he left! In his mind he was focused on “protecting” reader, but as mentioned in chapter one, he’s a super insecure person too that one of the reasons he left is because he didn’t want reader to view him as “unloveable” and he wanted to preserve that. I guess you could say he’s a man child. And LMFAO yes, he could’ve had someone keep an eye on reader, it won’t be a bother to him tbh, but it’ll be explained in future chapters on how he’s realizing the graveness of everything he’s done and how he reacts to it.

People were already speculating that his weakness was a girl and if that man from not a so powerful clan from ch.2 managed to get all those pictures of y/n then what make him think people from different clans or even just people who were involved in his world wouldn’t try to find his the rumour of the existence of y/n was true...like he might be the most powerful men but the bitch is kinda dumb

OKAY SO ABOUT THIS, IT SHOWED THE WEAK CHAIN IN SATORU’S THOUGHT PROCESSES. I really wanted to create a character who is strong and capable of a lot of things, but they’re very...hollow, you could say on the inside, undeveloped. Out of all the characters in this series, Satoru has to be the one who is falling behind in terms of maturity, he’s got a lot to learn. Meanwhile, I’d say the most developed is Naoya, and reader is mostly in the middle. also omg yes! actually the thing is, before the appearance of Naoya, the Gojo clan was considered the biggest and strongest mafia family out there. Their enemies who’d wound up hearing about Satoru’s “weakness” wasn’t going for the offense, they were trying to fish out information because considering Satoru’s defenses, they would do a lot better in learning more than full on using his weakness against him. This was where he failed because he was so confident of everything that he’d forgotten he wasn’t omnipotent - there will be eyes and ears everywhere. Honestly, Reader lasted a long relationship with him and she most definitely could’ve been hurt a long time ago, but it was Satoru’s presence next to her that kept her safe all this time. I mean, DUH, but ofc he doesn’t get that. YES HE’S DUMB THAT’S A FACT HAHAHAHAHA but don’t worry, maybe I’ll write a redemption arc for him HAHAHAHHA. the dude he killed in chapter one, the one who got pictures of reader and satoru, he wasn’t there to hurt reader or satoru at all, he knew he was going to lose, but he symbolized as one of the eventual cracks in Satoru’s plans that soon escalated into a full on downfall and he’s done his job well in taunting Gojo, pushing his weakness without direct contact, and hitting him right where it hurts. Clue: Gojo’s real weakness isn’t Reader! It may look like she is but he’s got a lot more issues than that lmfao 

As for Naoya, mc said she’ll still be alive until she’s useful to Naoya but I do think maybe it’s just me that he cares for mc because he’s showing a softer side to mc only. Yes, he wants the power and to control people but if he really wanted y/n just for his brain and bc of the toji situation, then wouldn’t it be easier to keep her as a prisoner and not as a trophy wife (my dream😋)

I AM CONFLICTED. PART OF ME WANTS TO RESPOND AS THE AUTHOR OF EARNED IT, BUT THE BIGGER PART OF ME WANTS TO SCREAM AS A CERTIFIED NAOYA SIMP BECAUSE PLEASE I’D NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT HIM. Also this isn’t a spoiler so it’s cool if I say this, but Naoya does care for Reader! The only question is why and to what extent. YES OMG I’VE ACTUALLY CONSIDERED THAT WHAT IF READER WAS JUST IMPRISONED BY NAOYA (and he totally could!) but nooo he actually gave reader so many opportunities to get back on her feet and he was there THE. WHOLE. TIME. Honestly though, I still wouldn’t 100% vouch for Naoya, I know he is toxic in his own way and we’re still just getting to his true nature. AS A TROPHY WIFE YES, WELCOME TO THE CLUB, WE’RE GONNA BE THE “NAOYA’S TROPHY WIVES” AND HE’S GONNA MAKE US OUR HAREM LMFAO SIGN ME UP 

ps. when you said the story would be angsty, do you mean for satoru right? i want for reader x naoya a happy ending (as much as it could be happy in the type of world they live in)

I meant EVERYTHING would be angsty, no parties are safe here! I want everyone to crumble and be hurt as much as possible because the only way to ever push someone into evolution is to make sure they’re cornered into a point of extinction or a really threatening situation first. Damn, I sound like a sci-fi movie villain but anyways, as for that happy ending HMMMM we’ll see about it! Looking at the ending I’ve planned out, I don’t know what to feel about it SPSPSPSP but aww I’m so very glad you guys like Naoya! it’s not my intention to make him the better one out of Satoru though (ALTHOUGH HE IS) because the spotlight will still be between Gojo and Reader, Naoya is more like a supporting character but he does have his own beauty! 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS ASK IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SEND ME THIS I’M SO FLATTERED THAT YOU LIKED THE STORIES AND I’M JUST...IM ON CLOUD NINE UWU, THANK YOU SO MUCH NONNIE, I HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY!!! LOVE YOU BUBSS 💕💕💕

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

Things Duggan could do/could have done with Pyro in Marauders:

This list is partially me being bitter, but it’s also just kind of a creative exercise, thinking about the development potential that Pyro has.

1. Redemption arc - This seems obvious.  Pyro is already hanging with the good guys, but is he actually undergoing a redemption arc?  Is he actually changing his views or becoming a better person?  We don’t really know because we barely see anything from his perspective, and it’s usually shallow comic relief when we do.  The groundwork is there to give Pyro a redemption arc.  He was already regretting his actions and questioning the Brotherhood’s methods when he had the Legacy Virus, leading up to him saving Senator Kelly.  Why not follow up on that?  Does he still feel the same way, or is he disillusioned because Kelly was killed right after he saved him?  Are the Marauders (all of whom are better people than Pyro) rubbing off on him a bit?  Maybe he’s starting to enjoy helping others or learning to trust humans?  (Or not?)  In today’s issue, Iceman was confronted by a Reaver that he had previously maimed, which was interesting, but that’s another storyline that I think would also fit Pyro.  Pyro has surely been maiming some people - maybe being confronted with the results of that would help him reconsider his actions.

2. Legacy Virus stuff - Pyro hasn’t said a damn thing about the way he died, and I understand him not wanting to talk about it.  But again, that sparked a semi-redemption arc for Pyro back before he died.  And now he’s on a ship that is taking medicine to humans that need it, and just built a hospital in Madripoor.  Maybe his experience being sick has given him a greater sense of empathy, and a desire to help sick people.  If Masque can find meaning using his powers to help humans, you’d think there would be space for Pyro to say something serious about his Legacy experiences while they are dedicating a new hospital.  Even just a throwaway line.  Hell, Storm was dying of some kind of nano-virus for part of Marauders (although it was never mentioned in the book at all), maybe he could have sympathized with her over that?  Maybe having Yellowjacket inside him - another case in which his body has been invaded by something microscopic that can kill him - triggered some Legacy feelings?  We could have explored that, instead we got a “funny” scene of Magneto pulling Yellowjacket out of Pyro, and Pyro wanting to kill him. 

3. Team bonding - Pyro has been accepted on the team surprisingly quickly.  Faster than I would expect, really.  And of course, he’s small-potatoes evil compared to even some people on the Council, but I’d still expect a little bit of friction between him and his team-mates, given that he used to try to kill them.  Even without that history, he’s still the odd man out on a team that already knows each other, and are friends, or at least former team-mates.  We had that kind of friction with Emma and Storm, why would we not get that friction between Pyro (the former terrorist criminal) and the others?  I would have expected at least a little bit of distrust, followed eventually by some kind of bonding issue where Pyro is more accepted by the team, and in turn accepts his place with them.  Who does he even consider a friend when he refers to them as “his friends”?  He seems to like hanging out with Bishop and Iceman, but we’ve mostly gotten that through wordless background panels and a couple of “funny” scenes.  Do any of them even like him or consider him a “friend,” or do they just tolerate his presence?   

4. Writer - One of the things I find most interesting about Pyro is that he had a whole-ass career before joining the Brotherhood.  He traveled around Southeast Asia, he was a journalist in Indonesia and Vietnam, he wrote romance novels.  And most writers don’t explore that at all, but you’d think it would come up when the Marauder is traveling around the ocean.  Maybe he speaks another language that would be helpful.  Maybe his investigative skills as a journalist come in handy.  Maybe he takes them to an old haunt or meets up with an old contact he knew in Vietnam.  Maybe he spends his spare time writing smutty historical pirate-themed romance.  I would have enjoyed that much more than the goofy “dream sequence” that Emma planted in his head, at least that would have felt like authentic character development rather than something being pushed upon him from the outside.  Most comics writers don’t really get into Pyro’s civilian career, but as a regular on a book, I’d expect it to come up at least once, even as a thowaway line.

5. Brotherhood and past history - Pyro has had absolutely no contact (that we know of) with his old Brotherhood pals.  He doesn’t even mention them.  Why is that?  Why isn’t he hanging around the bar with Blob when the Marauder’s at Krakoa?  Why isn’t he texting Avalanche?  Has he become estranged from them after saving Kelly (which would be an interesting plot point if Duggan developed it), or is he just hanging out with them off panel?  You’d think there would be some mention of his past history at some point.  Even in today’s issue, when he, Iceman and Bishop got attacked by Reavers.  Pyro has a history with Reavers!  He fought them on Muir Island as part of Freedom Force, and the team lost both Stonewall (which happened right in front of Pyro, and he seemed broken up about it) and Destiny (which completely destroyed Mystique).  The Reavers in this issue were not the same ones, they were a new breed, but you’d think Pyro might have something to say about encountering Reavers again. 

6. The gay thing - This is more my own personal preference, but Pyro WAS deliberately queer-coded in his earliest appearances, and John Byrne intended for him to be gay.  They couldn’t openly write him that way back in the day, but nowadays I think no one would bat an eye if Pyro, a fairly minor villain, was somewhere on the LGBT scale.  He wasn’t always queer-coded, but he had an ambiguous relationship with Avalanche, his sexuality was never firmly established (he was never in an open romantic relationship anyone), and he died a lingering, painful death from the virus that was intended to be an AIDS metaphor.  It would be quite interesting to see Pyro as a closeted gay (or bisexual) man resurrected in a world where different sexual orientations are far more accepted, and slowly opening up about it to Bobby and Christian (or even Shinobi).  Not to mention, it would give Bobby and Christian more to do, and Christian could talk about his own traumatic experiences without it being all swept under the rug.

7. Doubts about Krakoa - When the team first met Pyro, he was trying to steal a boat and run off, because he’d realized that his resurrection was mostly just a lab experiment to test the process.  Now he seems to be all-in, and dedicated to the Marauders’ mission.  What changed?  Does he harbor any doubts about the Quiet Council, or is he a true believer now?  Does he EVER talk to Mystique, to whom he used to be extremely loyal?  Pyro can be written as dumb at times, but more frequently he comes across as one of the more intelligent and thoughtful Brotherhood members.  Maybe he’s decided that everything on Krakoa is so new and confusing, he’s just gonna turn his brain off and enjoy his new life?  That would also be fine, if it was actually treated as character development.  

8. Divided loyalties - If I’d expect anyone to betray the team, it would be Pyro.  And that doesn’t necessarily mean I want him to do that, but I’m surprised it hasn’t come up.  You’d think Shinobi or Sebastian Shaw would approach him to act as a mole in exchange for lots and lots of money.  Hell, I half-expected him to be spying for Mystique when he first showed up.  And again, it could still happen, but there’s been no lead up or suggestion of that at all.  I would honestly find it disappointing if Pyro suddenly turned on the team or was revealed to be a spy, because he hasn’t bonded with them well enough for it to be meaningful at all. 

The thing is, any of these ideas could be explored, and still keep Pyro as the comic-relief party animal that Duggan is currently writing.  He wouldn’t even have to have significantly more focus (although some focus would be nice).  This could be accomplished through small scenes, little asides, throwaway lines.  Duggan wastes so much page time setting up “moments” and atmosphere (Kitty and Emma riding horses up to Sebastian’s castle comes to mind).  He spent a whole issue beating up Sebastian Shaw without any other significant plot advancement (then crams all his plot into the issues that feature other characters).  He spent a few pages on a goofy fantasy dream sequence that told us nothing new about Pyro, and again, turned out to a falsely manufactured dream that Emma planted in his mind.  We could have used those pages to show Pyro writing something, or show a different side of him through Yellowjacket’s spying, and it STILL could have been comic-relief.  If Duggan actually wanted to explore Pyro in a more serious way, there’s both the space and potential for it.  He just.....doesn’t. 

Anyway, this is all wishful thinking of what could be.  I’ll just have to write fanfic or something. 

[a-flickering-soul]

do kylux for the ask meme 😳 you + me = mental illness

i love you so much for sending this in this truly is the mortifying ordeal of being known

putting this under a readmore because it is LITCHERALLY 1.2k words because i am literally clawing at the walls of my enclosure about these two

ANYWAYS go ahead and send me a character and i’ll give you some headcanons bc im having fun doing these!!!

Kylo Ren

Sexuality Headcanon: ambiguously queer. Don’t make me think about him having sex he makes me so angry

Gender Headcanon: he Must be a cis man. He has so much mommy issues. He is such an incel. He is so full of toxic masculinity. He must be a cis man.

A ship I have with said character: Kylux. Every single angle you take this ship from it’s funny and good. Canon—they hate each other and want each other dead. AU—they still hate each other but they’re (probably) less fascist and genocidal. It’s just so funny. They are so obsessed with each other. They gaslight each other into love confessions. It’s unreal. I’ve been thinking about Kylux for the past month and I feel like an entire geological age has passed. You can tell I’m a Kylux shipper and a R*ylo anti because I almost exclusively refer to him as Ren instead of Kylo. The gay angel went to superhell for Kylux to go canon in Lego Star Wars (twice) and a kids’ comic book. God mocks me to my face.

A BROTP I have with said character: This got literally shot to shit but post-TFA when a bunch of people headcanoned Rey as Luke’s kid and she and Ren were cousins and he reluctantly babysat her because he was literally ten years older than her (hhhhh.) and they had this weird mildly-contentious relationship as adults where they grudgingly acknowledge they are both the most powerful Force users in the galaxy and are the only ones who mutually understand the legacy they bear and care about each other but also cannot be in the same room together and hold a civil conversation for more than five minutes before resorting to uncomfortable silence. Like when you’re at a family reunion and you’re automatically shunted with the only other kid around your age so you have to make conversation but you are just so fundamentally different there’s nothing to talk about. Unreal.

A NOTP I have with said character: Hhh. R*ylo. I’m one of those evil lesbians who hate that ship viciously and one of my dreams is to be one of the mean antis that that bully a shipper in a story that’s clearly exaggerated or made up and then get cancelled for having good taste.

A random headcanon:  I think he and Phasma used to spar a lot. I keep thinking about the five years he spent on the Finalizer pre-canon and I can’t reasonably justify the Knights of Ren hanging out with him for the entire time on a literal military ship and I like the idea of them being the only people that are reasonably on par physically (I also like how Phasma is an inch taller than him because....whew).

General Opinion over said character: God. He drives me wild. I have a lot of thoughts about him and how good he was in TFA and the pre-canon comics/novels as a really fucking good example of a morally-conflicted villain (especially the comics where it made it really clear that he was very much manipulated and gaslit since like…ten years old). Like! The way he could flip at will from drawing strength from both the light AND dark side of the Force is just!! So cool! The way his strength literally derives from moral conflict is just really interesting to me but….idk the way post-TFA he was thrown into a redemption (Rendemption) arc that hinged on Rey being a literal genuine fascist sympathizer made me just really disappointed. He had a lot of amazing potential to be either a really interesting semi-redeemed Byronic antihero OR a full on unhinged animalistic power-mad villain that Rey has to mercy-kill like a rabid dog. And then. Well. Yeah. I like him a lot in very specific contexts and flat out hate him in most others.

 Armitage Hux

Sexuality Headcanon: gay! He is gay! I have an entire list of reasons why he’s gay and it grows daily! Without a doubt a homosexual! Gay and repressed!

Gender Headcanon: Also a cis guy even though I still do have a lot of half-formed thoughts about gender in the First Order/post-collapse of the Empire society.

A ship I have with said character: Kylux! Again! I’m obsessed with how obsessed Hux is with Ren. He hates him so much it’s unreal. I keep reading the novelizations and thinking so fucking hard about how consumed Hux is with hatred for this one man. He’s so repressed. He’s so damaged. It’s unreal. The brainworms in my head have metamorphosed into moths and they’re flapping their wings so hard they’re disintegrating my grey matter. I think near-daily about how he personally went down to retrieve Ren from the collapse of Starkiller Base and yet would not touch him to drag him to shelter in the Hux graphic novel. Would you take off your glove to check his pulse or would you attempt to feel it through the leather and touch something’s dead skin rather than his living warmth. I’m so deeply unwell.

A BROTP I have with said character: Him and Phasma!!! The way they are on first-name terms with each other….the way one of the few times in the graphic novels you see him smile is when Phasma comes back onto the base…..the way they plotted to kill Brendol together….truly evil mlm/wlw solidarity you simply love to see it

A NOTP I have with said character: Oof I see a lil bit of shipping him with Resistance members (I think I’ve seen him with Rose and also Poe??) and I know TROS made the decision to have him defect from the First Order (out of. again. his obsessive hatred with another man. writing choices.) but it makes me INSANELY uncomfortable seeing people of color being shipped with a literal fascist parody of British colonialism and imperialism lmao like….just ship Kylux bro they’re mutually bad people AND a power couple

A random headcanon: Frankly at this point I joke so much about how much like a sick Victorian orphan he looks like that I could write an entire fake medical file for him but I’ll spare you all and simply say that I am incredibly partial to the headcanon that Hux is a freak that bites string cheese instead of peeling it like a normal person. Also…the implications that he Personally placed the tracker in Ren’s belt rather than someone else, so that he alone could keep tabs on him…..I’m unwell. Enough.

General Opinion over said character: If Ren is a character I love to hate, Hux is a character I hate that I love. I just. I can’t stop thinking about this gay little war criminal. It truly, genuinely baffles the mind how much information there is about him. It triggers that same little part of my brain that goes wild over like. ARGs and stuff. There’s just so much lore. With every new piece of canon or semi-canon information I learn about him I can feel my grip on sanity slipping. He owns a black robe. He has a personal hitman in the First Order ranks to poison people he doesn’t like. He drinks tea. He’s a bastard son. He’s great with kids. He was in charge of a squad of feral orphan child soldiers at five years old. I just. I just don’t get it. I’m enamored with him. His compulsive attention to grooming. His hubris. His ambition. How literally unhinged he is (the “rabid cur” line genuinely lives in my head rent free). The way he systemically killed every single person who saw him weak and abused as a child. There’s just so much to talk about with him. He’s so evil. He’s so fucked up. I love him so deeply. He is such a horrible person and he is so fun to make fun of and he is so fun to think about. God wants there to be a bullet in my head so badly.

[luckycheesefoodie321]

Y’all. YALL. KIPO SEASON 2 is FIREEEEEEEE

Heroes on Fire...

Anyway!

Binge watched Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Season 2 today and y’all it was sooooo good!!

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I was gonna do a cut off but... I can’t be bothered getting my laptop sooo...

LONG POST TOO!!! Plus I have enough spoiler tags I think...

———

First of all... Scarlemagne = Mojo-jojo but with actual redemption arc potential???

They really set homie up as the biggest bad and then the twist mystery that Lio and Scarlemagne are connected at the end of S1... but then every much like The Storm from ATLA, we just DEEP-DIVED into Scarlemagne aka HUGO’s backstory and you’re like “well shit, no fucking wonder he got so damn twisted and hating on humans”

And yknow what even with his convoluted thinking and the terrible things he’s done, I’m really really glad they didn’t go down the whole “I blame Kipo bc I’m jealous she took Lio and Song’s attention away from me and that’s why they left me behind” story line... it’s absolutely fascinating that at no point does Scarlemagne blame Kipo, and even looks at her as a sister... like his line “you’re not the one who rejected me” was so powerful, bc he recognises she was just an innocent baby and sees the same confused child in her that he was when he was left alone on the surface... and twisted though his attempts of making her happy were, he was really reaching out for someone who genuinely cares about him again, and it helps that she’s also the daughter of the two people he once viewed as parental figures... and also Kipo’s just naturally empathetic and sees the good in people...

Then she was willing to sacrifice her humanity for a stadium full of mutes and Lio pulled him out of danger... so I’m reaaaallly hoping they keep this potential redemption going... bc really Hugo and Kipo are perfect mirrors of each other... very Zuko/Aang reminiscent... Hugo the animal experiment that was given human hopes and dreams and abilities, only to be thrust into a confusing and scary place with strange powers, and seemingly betrayed by the people he loves most... Kipo, the human experiment, with typical hopes and dreams but is forced into a confusing and scary place with strange powers, and finds out her whole birth and life has been a lie...

One of them just came out of it better...

Secondly... Kipo’s inner Mega-Jaguar scene = Naruto and the Nine-Tails Fox???

Like slowly learning to control the little bits of power that sneak through... being able to change between forms at will provided there is something anchoring her human half... that whole water/mirror/internal Jaguar sequence?!?!... USING THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP TO GET A GRIP ON HER HUMANITY?!?!

ACCESSING AN EVOLVED FORM OF HERSELF WHISLT THINKING OF THE PEOPLE SHE WANTED TO SAVE?!?!

Yo if that ain’t Naruto idk what is...

Next we have Mom the Monkey...

Wasn’t too hard of a leap to figure out... I probably clocked into it maybe mid ep 1?? Idk what triggered it but yeah don’t think that was meant to be a difficult leap to make... that aside, I like that they didn’t have Song immediately change back or have her wits about her when Mulholland helped free her from the pheromones... she’s been a monkey for 13 years, under the control of Dr Emilia, she hasn’t spoken and she didn’t have little moments to control her powers like Kipo... so figuring out how to change her back is a good ongoing mission to have I think... it also makes the fact that Kipo was the one to get through to her in the first place even more powerful and that’s SO dope...

Lio... yknow what when grown ups in these types of stories have regrets and the children are dealing with their consequences it can be very frustrating... but I like that Lio is more than willing to reflect on his past mistakes (valid tho it was that he had no choice but to grab Kipo and run before Emilia could get to her) and is also willing to ACT ON IT...he gives Kipo’s ideas a chance and its even shown for real when Scarlemagne forced him to tell the truth... Hugo was a child he raised and he doesn’t want to leave him behind anymore... even if he’s done so much bad... I’m also glad they showed Kipo expressing disappointment in her fathers actions, empathy for Hugo’s pain, but that didn’t mean she was suddenly disillusioned to her father and what kind of person he is... that can also be a very frustrating aspect of these types of plot lines...

Benson and his darling potentially mutual crush, Troy? What else can i say but beautiful first awkward teen crush PERFECTION! Both of them blushing when Benson ended up on top of Troy after tackling Troy out of the way of a rampaging Pierre? Troy kissing him on the cheek? Troy helping Benson out of the pit and the same falling in love music playing while Benson gazed up at Troy?? TROY AND BENSON HOLDING HANDS WHILE SCARED AND CLINGING TO EACH OTHER?!?!?

TROY BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY (Latino? Hispanic?) MEANING EVEN MORE POC CHARACTERS AS MAINS LIKE HECK YEAH!!!

Sidenote: a good chunk of the music is like... “rap” music and they always hit during fight scenes and it’s great...

Also: the Kipo title sequence? A bop we must never forget...

SPEAKING OF BOPS WE MUST NEVER FORGET: Heroes on Fire... a karaoke classic I must learn... used with the Power of Friendship can turn a mega mute back to human...

Also also my love and life Jamack??? Continuing to help Kipo out even if he’s a total tsundere about it?!?! LITERALLY CANNOT STOP HIMSELF FROM HELPING HER?!?! I love him... and I want him to join the gang... so bad...

ALSO. The whole second episode was basically about cheese.

Feta. Gouda. Chevre. Fromage.

Idk about that whole... Soothsayer meets the Grey Sisters (Greek mythology? Three sisters, one eye, one tooth? Is that what they’re called?) business with the cheese but whatever it was fun... they were just straight up tossing knives at Kipo to get her latent powers to activate and that was hilarious... also Mr Miyagi moment I guess XD but it means Kipo’s created a whole brain pathway between Herbs in/Herbs out and how she controls her powers and she even mentions that...

Also mega bummed about Ratland burning down...

I also wanna know what was up with the sentient Fun Gus and why it had the mind of a child...

FINALLY: our new big bad - Dr Emilia...

WHAT COMPLETELY TOOK ME BY SURPRISE WAS IT WASNT SCARLEMAGNE WHO PUT HER UNDER HIS CONTROL BUT FRIGGEN THESE CLOAKED HUMANS...Monkey Mom wasn’t a surprise but THAT sure was

We’re really leaning into the one race supremacy theme here huh? But also the reckless and callous treatment of animals and the earth by humans... without regard for how they feel... and after mutating and having and being able to communicate their thoughts and feelings and dreams, Emilia still thinks it would be better to remove that and return them to just animals...

Fascinated to see where they go from here...anyway... go watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts so we can get a season 3 babeyyyyy