#people saying like ‘i hate this character because he lies and schemes��� and it’s like. Okay???? that’s what he’s supposed to do tho??????

[starbuck]

had a dream last night that someone said they didn’t like one of the characters in [redacted] because he was “too arrogant” and i was SO mad i was like “IMAGINE missing the point this hard. EVERYONE in this film is wrong in some way that’s the entire POINT! why would you expect or even WANT any of these characters to be perfect victims? you’re not even really SUPPOSED to like them - it’s a TRAGEDY!” and now i’m awake and realize that nobody actually said that or probably even would say that but Anyway… Cunt Supremacy.

[gleefullypolin]

Stacy's Tipsy Musing's - Colin Bridgerton Hot Takes - Part 4

Ok boys and girls, we need to have a little chat about Colin Bridgerton.

Part 2 has been out now for a couple of days and there have been a lot of hot takes to come out of the season. A LOT of hot takes. I’m going to break this down into 4 parts. 4 questions that I'm seeing really bad hot takes about Colin.

Now none of this is new, I gotta say before Season 3 aired Colin was a hot button topic anyway. He seemed to be the Bridgerton brother that lots of people love to spew hate takes on anyway. But damn I gotta say its painful seeing the Polin fandom have so many bad takes falling from their lips.

So, I figured...having a little drink tonight, sitting down for Father’s Day (Happy Father’s Day, Colin) I’d give you the opinion on some of these takes that you didn’t ask for...Mine!

Last time we talked about Colin’s entrapment statement to Pen and if he truly meant it.  Question 1, Question 2, Question 3, now lets get to Question 4:

How could Colin refuse to listen to Pen and just jump in to fix the situation with Cressida?

Colin “Hero Complex” Bridgerton to the rescue! This one is the easiest to answer because it has been coded throughout all 3 seasons to his character.

Season 1: Needed to save Marina from ruin. Even after finding out that she lied to him, tricked him, was pregnant with another man’s child, he STILL would have married her if she had told him she loved him. Like the boy had hero written on his chest and wanted to rip his shirt and fly into the sky to save her. He was the star of his own action story until it all came crashing to the ground the moment the damsel told him she didn’t love him. She thought him a foolish child.

Season 2: We have a couple of hero moments in season 2. He’s still stuck on there being a chance at redeeming himself at saving Marina, visiting her to see if she is happy, if there is anything he could have done differently for her. And once again he is told to stop living in a fairytale. The damsel is not in distress.

Our second hero moment comes in Jack Featherington. This time he gets to be the hero; he saves the ladies Featherington from his schemes. He proves him to be a fraud and runs him out of town. He has no idea that Portia is actually in on the scheme or that it has put the Featherington house into its own ruin at this point, but he rushes in to save the day without thinking ahead of anything else. Damsels in distress, Colin to the rescue.

Season 3: Ok, Pen needs to find a husband, Colin to the rescue. Balloon in Pen's path, Colin to the rescue. Pen is in danger, the Queen has advanced on her, and now Cressida is threatening. Colin does not even hear Pen the moment she speaks, all he hears is danger and he begins to act. His wife is in danger, and he will protect her. Hero mode activated. Again, Colin does not think ahead, he only thinks that his purpose is to protect. So he does not stop to listen to reason, he doesn’t hear Pen’s words or even sense, he just takes action.

The action at hand was apparently to go have a therapy session with Cressida Cowper, because that is what he did. A passionate plea with a woman who had no empathy. It was one of the best scenes however, because it was interesting to me that Colin was unable to tell Pen how he was feeling, but he opened up to Cressida and spilled his thoughts. Why? Because he did not care about her judgement, he did not care about her feelings toward him.

He admitted to feeling loss when Pen did not respond to his letters, he admitted to becoming a fraud, a shell, a person who closed himself off to feelings because he lost the person who opened him up to that piece of himself. He spoke of Pen’s treatment, he also tried to separate her once again from Lady Whistledown as if Pen was simply working for the woman and not actually the person holding the quill.

But Cressida was quick to pass her judgment, she clocked his jealousy immediately. He tried to appeal to her about love, family, fairness, and loneliness. Things he incorrectly assumed she would understand, but Colin, just like Eloise, is a sheltered Bridgerton’s who do not always understand how lucky they are, and he misjudged her reaction.

And our hero returned defeated by our villain. He faced the consequences of rushing in without listening to his wife. She thanked him for his counsel and his heart sank. Once again, the damsel did not need him. Once again, his purpose was gone.

It is only when she tells him she does not need him to be her hero, she simply needs him by her side that he understands his purpose. He doesn’t need to rush in to be her hero. He simply needs to love her. Sometimes the damsel saves herself. Colin truly is that wonderful romance hero I dream of.

Stick around for a bonus question....

I can’t believe Colin was going to just take 20,000 pounds from the Bridgerton funds, he doesn’t even have a job to take money from the family?

[gingacat]

my oc twisted from Zira

name: Zakari D'Ekon

birthday: December 8th

age: 17

height: 181 cm

homeland: Sunset Savanna

grade: Sophomore

class: 2-D

club: Board Game Club

best subject: Practical magic

hobbies: Tabletop RPG

pet peeves: Blandness

favorite food: Bunny chow

least favorite food: Chicken

talent: Being delusional

Personality

Don't let his pretty face deceive you, Zakari is weird. He has a wild imagination and tends to believe he is much more than he actually is. He spends most of the time spacing out, which makes people wonder what is this ikemen prince thinking about, but behind that pretty face of his lies a scheming gay. He is always planning "evil" edgy things that he would not really do at all, but he still thinks about it bc idk?? He thinks it's cool and he is a cool edgelord in his mind.

He's delusional and a personal dream of his is to win against Leona. Zakari makes his entire life goal to compete against him, but since Zakari is too prideful to go following Leona around like a fan, he competes against him in "imaginary battles". He also tried the Savanaclaw housewarden position in his mind. 💀

Students can oftentimes find Zakari mumbling to himself or talking to the voices in his head — it's better to leave him alone, he might bite.

Behind this weird ahh persona of his, he's actually a nice guy, but again, he's too prideful to admit.

Background

Surprisingly enough, he had a normal life. His mom was one of the royal guards of the Kingscholar family, and child Zakari would oftentimes encounter child Leona around. They were kind of friends, but Zakari's admiration twisted into a kinda toxic competition with Zakari wanting to be better than Leona.

Zakari might have evolved into a chuunibyou because his life was really just boring, and he was very boring himself (that's what he thinks, but is that the truth???), so he wanted to be a "cool" guy, and maybe have a personality that is interesting.

Trivia

Zakari is quick to lose his temper and does throw a lot of threats around, but he's... a kind soul deep inside. He says he would exterminate all flies from the world, but he wouldn't really hurt a single one.

"Ekon" means strong.

He hates chicken because in his opinion chicken tastes bland — it was his favorite food when he was a kid.

He likes tabletop RPG because he can be the coolest character however he wants.

Zakari believes wearing makeup makes him look less boring, but it's honestly not even for the aesthetic it's just for the competition 😭.

a/n: i changed almost everything about him, but in my opinion this version is better. this personality does not fit his design at all, but ig that's the intention???? 😭

[myths-tournaments]

Awful Characters Round 4 (2/4)

Propaganda under the cut!

BENNY

The first thing that happens in new vegas is that benny fucking shoots your character in the face, steals your shit and leaves you in an open grave. Benny is by all accounts a bastard. He kills you, steals from you, he killed his last boss, he is the single most duplicitous man around. His gang are all about honesty- except him. He's a lying, cheating bastard. The guys who helped him catch you? He skipped on paying them and left them to get shot to death. His new boss, mr.house? He stole his robot, broke it open, got someone to reprogram it and decided to use it to TAKE OVER THE WHOLE OF VEGAS. Benny literally kills people, lies to people, steals their shit and takes charge. That's all benny does. He gets fucking CRUCIFIED if you don't help him out just because so many people fucking hate him. And yet. And yet. Benny is the single most compelling character in the whole game to me. He's just a little guy! He's just there! You can get shot in the head and come back and he goes "what in the goddamn" and then if you try and flirt with him he's like "uhhh sure? Okay?" And leaves you a polite note in the morning. He's fancy. He wears a stupid suit. He has a tiny gun with shitty bullets. He's catholic. He talks like an old timey news presenter. Literally nobody else in the entire game does that. He's got an intelligence of 3. He's my funtime boy. My silly little man. He's so funny. The antagonist in this game is a guy dressed like a tablecloth who looks at all times like a confused dog who doesn't understand what a tv is. And like. He's compelling. He robs from you, shoots you, but…. he never seems to actually wish you harm. He kills and robs and lies but like. He apologises for doing it to you. When he sees you again he doesn't attack you, he's just… confused. He tries to defuse the situation. You can convince him to talk to you, alone, with no guards and it's not that hard. If you spare his life, he doesn't go after you, like. Even if you sleep with him he doesn't take advantage of that and kill you, even if you try to. He… he just leaves. He gives you an apology. If he gets kidnapped by Caesar He just… apologizes again. He tells you his whole plan to take over the city, too. He thinks he'll die, and he wants something of him to survive. He's happy that you made it. And if you let him free, he just… leaves. He knows he's beat, he doesn't want to cause any more trouble. He walks out and leaves. The NCR will kill you if you cross them. The legion will crucify you. House? He'll blow you the fuck up. But benny, the guy who lies and cheats and schemes, he's honest. He's polite. He's… harmless. You can kill him with a single shot if you want. And he can't kill you. He doesn't kill you the first time, and he'll never really hurt you again. Benny just wanted to win. When he knows he's beat he just leaves. No lingering, no harm, he's off, off into the desert heat, and never seen again. Isn't that just insane? like have you ever known an antagonist so polite? He just leaves!! He offers you a drink!! His plan is genuinely probably the best one for the people of new vegas!!! He's. Benny is Benny. Anyway if you want to see some REAL propaganda go to the blog letmebegaytodd and look in the #benny tag. You'll Understand < https://www.tumblr.com/letmebegaytodd/717051175751614464/in-another-life-i-wouldve-really-liked-just> <- look at this shit man

AZULA

Azula explicitly considers herself a monster. She says needlessly cruel things to her brother and friends. She kills the show's twelve-year-old protagonist and masterminds the idea of burning down the entire Earth Kingdom to force them to submit to Fire Nation rule. I have absolutely seen people get called abuse apologists for thinking she's a cool character. But she's also a (canonically) mentally ill fourteen-year-old who was raised by her father to see her ability to be weaponized as her only value. Her mother, arguably the only adult in her life who could have had a positive impact, had a strained relationship with her because she was more difficult than her brother, and then disappeared when she was nine. Her uncle, who was her brother's main healthy role model, took absolutely no interest in her. She watched her father belittle her brother for years and eventually throw him away when he failed to meet his expectations, so that was a threat she was always facing. She really had no chance. And she also has moments that suggest she wants some sort of meaningful connection with another person. She lets her brother take credit for killing the Avatar so he can come back from exile, even though it means she'll be bumped back in the order of succession and offers him advice that seems genuine. Her spiral into a mental breakdown starts when her friends betray her. She's just a much more interesting and multifaceted than a lot of the fandom gives her credit for.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think Lila had real feelings for Adrien (even if based on shallow reasons) or she only wanted to date him to bolster her fame and reputation ? Some people pointed out that in Oni-Chan Lila told the akumatized Kagami that she can't give up on pursuing Adrien cause she's in love with him and her lying detector horn didn't grow after saying that, implying that she was saying the truth about her feelings for him. In Protection she implied again to Kagami that Adrien choosing Marinette over her also hurt her deeply cause she was in love with him, but that could've been just a trick to keep manipulating Kagami by relating to her situation.

In any way this doesn't seem to go in hand with Lila's S5 portrayal where she's presented as a literal psychopath who switches identities and whole families whenever it's convenient to her, which obviously implies that Lila can't feel real emotions to other people if she can so easily jump from a "mom" to another one. So I'm feeling a bit confused if Adrien was also meant to be another pawn in Lila's schemes (whatever they are) or was a genuine connection on her end (even if a twisted one).

I looked at the Oni-Chan transcript because I didn't remember Lila ever saying that and:

Oni-Chan: I forbid you to go anywhere near Adrien. (slices car with bokken) Give up on him and I will spare you. Lila: Adrien? I don't know anyone named Adrien. Oni-Chan: Don't lie to me! Lila: I'm really sorry, but I always get what I want. It's not my fault.

Unless this exchange is wildly different in French or one of the other translations, I think it's a stretch to call this a love confession. Wanting Adrien and being in love with Adrien are not necessarily the same thing. In the context of this episode, I'd actually go so far as to call them wildly different things.

Nothing about this episode makes it feel like Lila is in love with Adrien. She doesn't care about him at all. She cares about what she can get from him. She manipulates her way into his house, kisses him without his consent, and never once tries to score a date. It's all about hurting others (thus her forcing a kiss and sending it out to all of her contacts*), gaining access to Adrien's father, and gaining information on Adrien, thus her invading his privacy by snooping around his room via moments like this:

Lila: Ah, is this your mom? You look so much like her. I look a lot like my mom too you know. Isn't it just crazy how much you and I have in common? (opens one of Adrien's drawers and is disgusted to find Plagg's stash of Camembert)

Seriously, what was she looking for here? Why did she sneak into Adrien's house? This episode is so weird.

So, no, I would not say that Lila was in love with Adrien. There's really not a scrap of evidence that points to that read. She's just the kind of person who will do or say whatever she needs to in order to gain power and/or social clout. The exchange with Kagami in Protection was absolutely supposed to read like manipulation and not a true confession:

Lila: It's not your fault that Marinette hates me for no reason. Just go. (Kagami nods and stands up from the bench) I admire you so much, you know? I don't know how you do it. (giggles) I, too, was in love with the boy once. When he didn't want to see me anymore, I was in pain for so long I couldn't get him out of my head. But you managed to turn your love for Adrien into a friendship. You even helped Marinette get closer to him. If it hadn't been for your big heart, none of what's happening today would be happening today.

One of the many problems with Lila's character is that she never gives us a single true emotion other than rage when her plans fail. She lies left and right, making it impossible to believe a single thing that she says whenever anyone else is on screen.

Because of that, you really can't look at any bit of dialogue and say, "She was being honest here!" because there's nothing in the text to actually back that read. It could turn out that some of her "lies" weren't actually lies - for example, maybe she does look like her mom? - but that wouldn't be a clever twist. It would just be a moment of, "Wait, what, that one was real?"

The reason all of this is a problem is that Lila is now our big bad, but we know absolutely nothing about her even though she's been here since season one. What is her motivation? Outside of her anger that Ladybug outed one of her lies, who knows! Why did she come to Paris? Who knows! How did she trick all these women into thinking that they're her mother? Not a clue and that's a problem.

Generally speaking, the point of introducing a character multiple seasons before they assume their big role is so that you can set them up for that role. Instead, Lila was set up to be nothing more than a petty school bully. You can see this by reading fanfics that feature her. No one looked at canon and said, "Yeah, this is a master manipulator who has multiple moms." There are multiple fics where Lila loses just because someone goes and talks to her mom! And if no one is looking at canon and seeing the potential for Lila to be the master manipulator that the show is now painting her as? Then the potential probably wasn't there. The writers are just shoehorning it in at the last second, completely changing who Lila was written to be.

*The kiss from Oni-Chan is a perfect example of this. Lila steals a kiss and then sends it to all of her contacts in the same episode where she tells Nino:

Lila: He might think I've got a crush on him, just like all those other girls who are constantly hanging all over him.

She's so lucky that the show just forgot about this episode once it was over. In a show where the events of one episode are allowed to effect another, this would absolutely lead to Nino finding out about the photo and asking questions. I think everyone who got that photo would be asking questions, actually. Like wtf was that about Lila? Are you and Adrien dating? And if she claims it's a secret relationship, then anyone with a brain would ask why she sent the photo to so many people. This is just not the way that you write a manipulative character. A true manipulator would take the photo and hide it away for a later date.

EDIT: I apparently didn't read far enough into this script and the ask was about a different moment! Doesn't change my general opinion of Lila's feelings, but my logic is different, so here you go! Sorry about that!

[white-lotus-pavilion]

WAAAIIITTTT

OMG WAAIIITTTT what the actual FUCK! Is happening right now????

Li Jianheng Noooo!!!!

This is so fucked wtf!!! Noooo!!! Li Jianheng noo!!! This is actually such a devastating read like oh my God? And the fact that Mu Ru stabbed him? That is actually so depressing. The fact that he was finally coming into his role as being the emperor after everything he has had to go through only for that to be shifted away from him at the very last minute by somebody who he thinks cares about him!?

That is just devastating.

Oh my God poor Li Jianheng. And now Xiao Chiye is it even allowed to mourn the loss of his brother and the decline of their relationship because of the political nonsense that they have had to go through, because these Nobles are now trying to come for him? Bro cannot catch a break! I was rooting for these two and their friendship so damn hard as I was reading this novel do you have no idea! I personally care more about platonic relationships than romantic ones and whenever I see a platonic relationship getting a lick of nuance and attention I run to it and the fact that they killed off my boy??? He was flawed but that's what made him such an interesting character he was deemed stupid but he was trying to become a better ruler for his people even though he had no idea what he was doing! AUUGHH!!! LI JIANHENG NOOOOO!!!! The devastation I feel right now is immeasurable.

And all this because of the fact that the army of LIBI is seen as treasonous because they don't function the same way is a Noble's function and the eight great clans function is actually so devastating. No wonder why Shen Zechuan hates this very system because it is so messed up. If you don't conform you're screwed. Which honestly is a great parallel to how human beings in general rally against anything that is abnormal in every sense of the word regardless of culture. Absolutely devastating.

And the fact that the death of Li Jianheng perfectly parallels the death of Shen Zechuan's brother is so not funny. Like oh my God. Chapter 96 omg chapter 96.

The fact that this chapter is also the end of volume 1??? I know that for the readers who were reading this novel as it was coming out this chapter must have been insane and also chapter 95 the revelations in that chapter and the truth of what actually happened at the chicia sinkhole… my god!

I'm going to be completely honest I barely understand what happened and all the scheming that was involved but what I did get was that it was all for the sake of money. All of those deaths that 100K death toll was all for the sake of money…

Diabolical.

And now the fact that they are going to frame him for the murder of Li Jianheng?! And the way that Xiao Chiye knew this the entire time but went along with it because he wanted to say goodbye to his brother to his best friend even after all of the trials and tribulations they have gone through in their relationship because of the politics! AUGH!! THE DEVISTATION, THE ATROCITY!!!

Shen Zechuan's betrayal??? HOLY HELL!

Qi Huilian too??? Dear god.

Teachers death??? Shen Zechuan crying??? omg… just omg so much happened in the last three chapters wtf! imma need a explanation and someone to talk about all this with because omg things went o shit so fast. they were too late and now everything's gone to shit… omg…

Qiang Jin Jiu: Ballad of Song and Sword

[pain-in-the-butler]

How do you think Black Butler will end? 😭 Most people think that Sebastian will eat Ciel's soul and that will be it. Which does sound the most likely I guess but I also see people saying that R!Ciel and Undertaker are planning something to save O!Ciel. I hope for this more than Sebastian eating Ciel's soul. And I think it's possible too. I just find it really odd that R!Ciel seems to hate O!Ciel now after everything. Like surely he understands why O!Ciel did what he did? Plus, they did have a special bond too. I just don't think R!Ciel truly hates him

It's hard to say what R!Ciel is capable of understanding at this point, considering he's no longer a living human. It's possible he doesn't have all his memories, or that those memories have been altered. It's also possible he does have his memories but he isn't the person he used to be. People have referred to R!Ciel as yandere, and that seems to be the vibe that Yana is going for. I think R!Ciel does love his brother, but something about that love seems twisted and jagged. Still, I think in the right circumstances, he may be capable of gentleness and honesty again.

Undertaker has explicitly stated he doesn't want to lose any more Phantomhives, so he probably is trying to "save" Ciel, whatever that means for him. We've seen that his actions are slightly counter-intuitive, like he's trying to challenge Ciel by putting him in dangerous situations with the knowledge that Sebastian will come save him. He seems to both admire and dislike Sebastian. He's weird and I won't pretend to understand him.

Ciel is my favorite character in the series, and it will be hard to see him die. It will be harder not to see him die. The story has showed us every step of the way that Ciel is doomed by the narrative, a boy who lives under a false identity and is not capable of preventing his own death but simply of prolonging it. He brushes away all attempts for others to get closer to him. He kills people and lies to his family. He tells himself he's unbothered, but his crimes haunt his dreams and he wakes up screaming. How long can he go on like this, especially when his motivation for living in the first place is revenge?

If we had perhaps seen a steady inclination in Ciel towards love and kindness over the course of the series, I would wonder if he might fight for his life in the end. But instead I feel like Ciel has been a pretty stagnant and unchanging character. I think he did remember how to smile, and he seemed perhaps a tiny bit more comfortable around his friends right before the Blue Cult arc began… but he's also happy to use them in his schemes and refuses to acknowledge that they mean something to him. He doesn't want people to die, but he's still willing to kill. He doesn't live for the sake of life anymore - he lives with the knowledge that his soul will be taken, and sooner rather than later.

Ciel being as unchanging as he’s been is a little boring to me, but it can at least be thematically relevant if his inability to waver off the path of revenge is what ultimately kills him. If Ciel doesn't reach out to anybody, doesn't try to change his fate, and doesn't become more interested in living, than what is the narrative purpose of saving Ciel? What would his being alive mean? If Ciel were a real child, none of this would matter, but he's a character in a story, and if the writing is good, his life or death should serve a greater purpose.

You could say that his survival would mean "everyone deserves to live," but that would be weird because Yana has already showed us via her own storytelling that not everyone in her universe deserves to live. You could say that his survival would play into the story's themes of rebirth, but Ciel already had his "rebirth" moment when he chose to return as his brother. Not to mention, "being alive" is not the same thing as "living." Is it rewarding, again strictly narratively, if Ciel is alive when he no longer knows what it means to live? Isn't that a tragedy all the same, only now it's one that doesn't match the themes Yana's already presented?

This got a little winding, and I'm starting to lose my train of thought here, but ultimately my point is, I think Ciel has to die or else the story unravels and loses its larger meaning. But I know others will feel like Ciel living would give the story meaning instead and I'll happily be disagreed with! I love discussing writing, so please feel free to add a rebuttal. Thank you for the ask!

[fantasma-de-la-cueva]

Guys, I know I had been posting a lot of IE stuff (bc I’m out of noragami stuff and I’m obsesed with magic soccer), but you know what? I’m still going to say this headcanon bc I started to write a fic:

I love to compare Gouenji (specially the Fifth Sector fase) with snakes. Why? Here are some reasons:

1) When he wants to be sneaky and hide or dissapear he just does and is hard to see him unless he wants to be seen (or caught off guard at certain points).

2) Despite what honosuto introducted (no hate, I will always love honosuto fiery boi) he is calm and collected, making me remind that in the chinese zodiac snakes are associated with calm, cold and calculating people. Also, snakes tend to be associated with cunning personalities and Gouenji, specially during the Go 1, had showed this with his hole plan of destroying Fifth from the inside (not only by starting the revolution, but with the ways he used to fuel it more and more, aka: investigating everything he could in the front row while keeping Daigo away from controlling soccer, confirming that Endo was, “indeed”, the person sent by Fifth to be Raimon’s coach, letting Tsurugi to play free soccer after sending him knowing that he would turn at some point, funding educational programs and managing to move a massive amount money behind Daigo’s back, offering stealthy mentorship to Raimon by allowing them to get stronger, putting the team against Teikoku to allow Endo and Kidou reunite and clean Teikoku from Fifth’s influence, therefore allowing the Revolution to have a safe space and all the mental gymnastics, lies, speeches and deceptions he was pulling over everyone inside the organization and Daigo himself to prevent them from investigating what was really happening).

3) Snakes are often represented as malicious in some cultures and stories, in others they are wise creatures that can act as mentors or helpers. Gouenji enters in the “helper” snake category. As a kid he helped the other players to resolve their problems; as adult he pressed on Raimon to make them stronger and resilent, taught Tsurugi the fire tornado and in anime taught Kurosaki the fire storm, raised multiple programs to teach kids to play soccer and prevent the collapse of Japan’s educational system, assisted Raimon during CS and thanks to him Earth could participate in the Grand Celesta Galaxy tournament.

4) Is said that snakes hold the poison and its antidote, that’s why they are related to medicine. Gouenji, during Fifth’s arc hold the poison that was corrupted soccer and had the antidote that was starting the revolution and prevent the collapse of educational system.

5) Snakes are often depicted as symbols of protection, we know how fierce protective Gouenji is, specially when is about people suffering in front of him, the people that matters to him the most and the sport he deeply loves.

6) Snakes are hated by a lot of people and tend to be reducted as nothing but a “dangerous” creatures and sometimes are seen as “evil” in a lot of stories and tales. During Go 1 Gouenji/Ishido is depicted as an intimidating, cruel man that feels pleasure in inflicting pain and terror on everyone and enjoys playing with the victims of his schemes, but the truth is that he is pretty tame compared to his coworkers, subordinates and boss (but we don’t forget how awful it was Tsurugi arrival to Raimon or ordering getting Tenma injuried). He uses the cold and ruthless mask because he has to in order to survive and make his plans work (and is shown that is painful for him to do so), but overall he isn’t as cruel as other characters tend to see him as he doesn’t want to destroy schools that dare to stand against Fifth Sector, he doesn’t like when people gets hurt because of soccer, he doesn’t show any resentment towards the idea of getting dethrowned, he enjoys to watch Raimon struggling in matches because he knows that those moments are what make the team stronge and he made his best to allow his team enjoy real soccer. The thing that makes him look “evil” is that due to his seriousness and determination to save soccer and keep control over Fifth he had resigned to play the bad guy and allowed the organization and its members to commit any crime they could. We know as viewers that is painful for him to be in that position and the characters close to him had shown concern and worriness about his well being because they know and understand his reasons to be like that, but the characters that don’t know are the ones that often trash-talk about how he is evil and doing everything he does for the sake of ambition and talk so much about how they want to make him pay, with very valid reasons. But while for the kids is normal and resonable that they wouldn’t question the adult characters didn’t cared to question or go deeper, thinking that he truly went evil until Endo appeared and investigated why his friend had, aparently, went nuts.

7) Discretion and the way snakes slither to move are often relationated concepts, so, why not?

[patrocles]

i started hotd but had to stop when criston Beat A Gay Man to Death and then just stuck around making snide comments about rhae i got so confused with the fandom shipping him with alicent did i miss something?? im sorry im not in the fandom i just Dont Understand why people like criston in any way that scene was so upsetting and homophobic

(I'm going to use this opportunity to yap a lot about Criston and Alicent, a lot of this is just things i've been mulling over, I'm not shouting down at you specifically, anon. i absolutely understand wanting to stop the show, or any show that makes you uncomfortable)

So I think a lot of nuance is being purposefully removed when people talk about Criston. And I do think the writing of s1 is to blame cus it is super spotty in a lot of places especially in regards to characterization cus it was just rapid-fire pacing. And a similar argument could also be made for how people talk about Alicent.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely not saying anyone has to like Criston (or any character) and I’m definitely not saying that Criston isn’t flawed. (In fact, the opposite— that his flaws are exactly what make him a compelling character)

I mean hell, Daemon killed his wife, treats Rhaena like shit, and groomed Rhaenyra, but no one really questions how or why people enjoy him as a character.

But Alicent and Criston DO have a complex and interesting relationship. And I think there's definitely something to be said about how people talk about them specifically compared to the other Targaryen characters. People who hate Alicent like to reduce her whole character down to her being petty and jealous of Rhaenyra for having "good sex", hypocritical, "white feminist", slept with Nyra's dad so she's a scheming bitch the whole time. Very much removing context and simplifying her down to nothing.

A similar thing can be said for how people talk about Criston. It's very easy to reduce him to just this petty incel lunatic, which feels unfair. Especially when Targaryen characters specifically are given miles of deference and nuance, despite their flaws like Aegon for example.

Going back to the writing, I think what got lost in show translation surrounding him killing Joffrey was circumstances surrounding Criston at the time— again, please don’t think I’m excusing it, I just think context matters— is how serious these characters (particularly Alicent and Criston) believe in the world that they're in. And it's not something that's truly emphasized in the writing.

It's not that Alicent is just jealous of Rhaenyra for "having a good sex life", but she truly believes that Rhaenyra is breaking laws that have existed for everyone else forever. (Having bastards is against the law, bastards inheriting IS against the law, putting a bastard on the throne would be super duper against the law). But what broke their friendship was that Rhaenyra lied about something serious, something Alicent would have protected and defended her over, and that cost her her father, the 1 person who was on her side in some small way. Subsequently, she became untrustworthy to Alicent.

And finally she snaps at Driftmark after years of being gaslit and essentially told that the rules that she's always had to abide by (bc it's the rules everyone else has to abide by) (and the rules that got her pimped out to a leper king and forced to have kids he wouldn't even care about), doesn't apply to Rhaenyra and the final straw is being told that the physical well being of her son doesn't matter as much as the hurt feelings of Rhaenyra's.

Circling back, Criston was fully expecting to die after he told Alicent what happened with Rhaenyra because because he broke his oaths and it's punishable by death— and he knows this has been enforced before. He was crumbling, mentally, believing that everything he worked for is gone only to then have his shame indirectly blackmailed/threatened by some guy he doesn't even know. And he snaps with the intent to commit suicide after. But it wasn't an attack out of homophobia, though. It would have happened regardless of who it was, it just happened to be Joffrey.

Why people like Alicent and Criston because they very much are a unit of non-Targaryens existing within the Targaryen family and will always be considered outsiders. (Criston especially is a racial minority within the world, being part Dornish, and who are not looked at favorably by the rest of the country). They've both tried to be a part of this family as best they can, been used by them. (There's definitely a case to be made, whether people like it or not, about the dubious consent surrounding Rhaenyra using her power to get Criston to sleep with her and whether or not he even had the power to refuse her. And part of what breaks him is knowing the 1 thing he had, his honor, was thrown away for something that didn't matter to Rhaenyra at all, even if she knew the consequences for him too.)

Criston is Alicent's person that's kind of just all hers, which matters a great deal to her after nearly a lifetime of never really having anyone that's on her side, exclusively, and hasn't tried to exploit her for their own personal gain. He's sworn to her and likewise, Alicent gives Criston renewed purpose in life. Even if we don't see it, we can absolutely infer that he stepped in with her children when they were being neglected by Viserys. He's probably the 1 person that Alicent has come to trust completely when it became very evident that she had no one else. In Alicent, Criston has found a sort of salvation, and there's this religious idealization of her. They're basically coworkers and kinda best friends and also kinda co-parents.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that he's her attack dog at the ready, as some people have claimed; the 1 time we to see her actually instruct him to do violence (take Luke's eye), he refuses and he goes to stop her from hurting Rhaenyra before being stopped by Daemon.

So what I mean by all this, is that I genuinely think there are a lot of complex things at work with Criston and his relationship with Alicent. That's not at all to say that you have to ship them and I understand why some people don't. I think it's a bit reductive to say that he's just this violent animal with nothing else interesting to think about.

In summary:

[booksrbetterthanpeople]

The science kids seem to not like the Akuma class barring Nath, but I wanna know what they don't like about Marinette.

Denise: Oh, sit down, honey! Lemme tell you something about Marinette! She says she loves Adrien, but what does she really love about him? I’ll tell you, he’s the heteronormative dream. White, blonde, rich, upper-middle class, and genes a straight girl would kill for! She has her future children planned out! Two boys and one girls! A designer and model with 2.5 kids, now tell me that is not the “American Dream” or some bullshit.

Zoé: They’re right. It’s unsettling that Marinette has the sexes picked out for her kids. I mean, what if one of them turns out trans? Then what? I think she’ll have a breakdown.

Ismael: Or she’ll give one girl away and try again for a boy. Th-this worries us. And back to Adrien, she doesn’t love him. She loves that he’s “perfect,” and thinks she’s the “perfect girl” for him. So much so that she sabotages any girl who shows a shred of interest in him. Resh and I saw her sabotage the Friendship Day thing with Kagami just so she wouldn’t be able to win and hang out with Adrien.

Reshma: It was… Not pretty. What lengths is she willing to go to? Wh-what if Adrien finds a girl he truly loves?

Marc: What about a guy? What if Adrien realizes he’s gay? Who knows what she’ll do? Not only that, but she keeps dragging the girls into her kinda illegal schemes. Didn’t she get them to put up a fake ‘no parking’ sign?

Jean: I also heard something about her having his entire schedule. I thought that was a rumor started by some psycho fangirls who hate her, but now I think they’re just legitimately concerned.

Reshma: And back to this “perfect girl” thing. I saw her team up with Chloé of all people to sabotage Kagami’s chances with Adrien at the movie premiere.

Cosette: That! That is what we’re talking about! She’ll go to great lengths to ruin Adrien’s own happiness just to make herself happy by dating him. And if we could talk about Luka for a moment. What she did to him was unfair. If she was still in love with Adrien, she shouldn’t have been dating him. When Luka got akumatized into Truth and Alya told him Marinette’s biggest secret was her crush on Adrien, he said he already knows about that…

Lacey: So, her obsession over Adrien didn’t fade! And the explanation for her and Luka breaking up was “oh she’s so secretive!” What secret?! That’s she’s obsessed over Adrien?! Like Marc said, that’s not a secret!

Aurore: Now onto her actions regarding Adrien. As we’ve mentioned, she has his schedule. How did she get it? It’s nowhere online! The only explanation is that she stole his assistant’s tablet and got the information off of that!

Simon: I just tried to hack into her tablet, but it’s got one hell of a firewall. And I doubt Marinette has the hacking knowledge to get into it herself. Therefore, we can only assume that she got ahold of Nathalie’s tablet, or even Adrien’s phone, and got the schedule herself.

Mireille: Oh, and then you have Lila. Her only ambition was to expose Lila as a liar simply because she started showing an interest in Adrien. What about the fact that her friends were being lied to? Then she expected them to believe her every word about Lila being a liar simply because they’re friends. She didn’t provide any evidence, and it only made her look even more jealous of her. I mean, if Lila were to be in our class and I knew she was a liar, I wouldn���t go to my friends as a whole, I’d tell Aurore my concerns, and we’d research the facts together.

Zoé: Yeah, that’s right. Marinette lets her jealousy get the best of her. And yes, while we get jealous from time to time, you don’t see Marc sabotaging another boy for showing an interest Nathaniel, or Denise yelling at some girl for being friends with Simon, or Jean teaming up with his worst enemy to make some guy hanging out with Austin look bad in front of him. Because we’re rational!

Jean: It’s just… That’s like her whole character, being a stalker toward Adrien and not caring who she hurts emotionally just to be close to him. It’s unfair to the people around her, and those helping her with her plans are going to get in trouble.

Reshma: It’s is pretty much the reason why we try to distance ourselves away from her, yet she keeps being persistent.

Marc: Yeah, she won’t stop trying to get Nath and I to make more romance manga which are all basically a guide for her life with Adrien, and it’s deeply disturbing how much detail she has us put into them, right down to the exact texture of Adrien’s hair. We lied and told her we had too many commissions coming in to make more comics for her.

Aurore: Last week, she invited Mireille, Reshma, Lacey, Denise, Cosette, Zoé, and I to a sleepover at her place with the girls from her class, and I had to plan one at the last minute just so we didn’t have to go. I don’t feel like being in the same room as Adrien’s schedule.

Cosette: So, in short, that’s why we don’t like Marinette. She’s obsessive, a stalker, insensitive, and prone to some extreme jealousy. Hell, I could be talking to Adrien right now, and she’ll try to sabotage me in some way. And I’m dating Zoé!

Ismael: Yeah, that’s uh… That’s it… So, what now?

Marc: Guys, Nath just texted! Marinette’s coming to our classroom right now!

Denise: *Throws a desk out of the window* Run! Everybody run, now! *Jumps out of the window*

Lacey: *Packing snacks* We’re just gonna… Not be here! *Jumps out of the window, followed by Jean, Reshma, and Aurore*

Ismael: I’ll be in the catacombs! *Drops a smoke bomb and disappears*

Marc: *Pushing a bookshelf to the side to reveal a hole carved in the wall* You saw nothing!

Simon: *On his tablet* Goodbye, everybody! *A small drone flies into the room, grabs Simon by the back of his shirt, and carries him away*

Mireille: *Pulling apart the floorboards, revealing a panic room*

Zoé: Mireille! Take us with you!

Mireille: Get your own, panic room, bro! *Moves the floorboards back into place*

Cosette: YOU COWARD!

Marinette: Zoé! Cosette! Just the two I was looking for!

Cosette: … *Punches a wall* FUCK!… I’m afraid I must go to the nurse at this very moment. For you see, my hand is horribly injured, and Zoé twisted her ankle.

Zoé: I what? *Cosette kicks her ankle* AAAH! Yes! My ankle is twisted!

Marinette: Oh. Okay, well, maybe later, then-

Cosette: I may need stitches and I gotta go to the hospital for a few weeks! Bye! *Grabs Zoé’s hand and pulls her out of the room*

[tabr1-s]

aventurine rant and personal critiques about 2.1's writing below

(to preface... i am biased towards Sunday and his plight, and firmly against the IPC and their plans concerning retaking Penacony. but that's not to say that i support the Family as a whole either.)

why was 80% of the 2.1 quest about Aventurine? isn't that what character stories and companion quests are for?

to begin, the first thing that bothered me was how the game seemed to want the player to believe that Aventurine's offer wasn't forced. examples below:

although it... was forced. you can tell him that you won't associate with the IPC and he will tell you not to worry about it, and just "reconsider it" by talking to your companions (mainly the Navigator, Himeko) at the express (basically implying that our opinion does not matter to him in the slightest). dialogue below:

(now i don't know if it's my personal hatred for being controlled and told what to do that's making me see this differently... but i have talked this over with a friend of mine and they do agree that it Does seem forced. i might be putting myself in an echo chamber by doing this, but at least i'm not alone!)

my point with the above is that the game tries to get you to sympathize with Aventurine from the beginning, and forces your hand when it comes to agreeing to his proposal by making some - frankly - stupid excuses as to why we should trust him. maybe others found them to be convincing/enough, but to me it just seemed like a cheap way to get the story rolling. (also, since when did we become pawns of the IPC? Penacony's debt is none of our business, and, not to get political... but it reminds me of real life sentiments that colonialist people hold about countries that "belonged to them in the past", despite that country having years of history and development since/before then (and i do not care if that country's political system is corrupt, or that they have unpaid debt. that is not an excuse to bring about war and occupation.). also, i sincerely hate how Aventurine wasn't even hiding that he views Robin's death as an opportunity, or, in his words, a "bargaining chip". we're made to sympathize with him and his dead family but he can't read the room and show some genuine sympathy himself, can he?)

...so the story goes on. we get some Welt and Acheron bits, a bit of Black Swan, and some investigation on the front of Himeko, March 7th, and the trailblazer. then the focus falls back on Aventurine. but, for the time being, it's fine - because at least he's alongside Dr. Ratio and their bickering is entertaining.

which leads to the scene where Sunday confronts Aventurine. yes, Sunday is manipulative. he begins by praising Aventurine and buttering him up, seemingly trying to get Aventurine to lower his guard. but let's not forget that Aventurine is also being manipulative - using Sunday's recent close family death as leverage for his own schemes. Sunday knows this, and so calls upon the help of Xipe, the Harmony, to bring the truth to light.

now, Sunday doesn't outright warn him about the consequences of not answering or answering falsely, but the implication is there. Sunday gives Aventurine a chance to come clean. and what does Aventurine do? he lies, basically securing his own fate like that. another example of Sunday giving Aventurine a chance to admit the truth was here:

"it's your last chance to defend your honor". up until the point where he gave Aventurine the box, Aventurine had countless chances to stop betting with his life and do the simplest thing - answer truthfully. but he didn't. so, my question is: why does all the blame fall on Sunday when it was Aventurine who got himself into that predicament in the first place? it also gets implied multiple times that Aventurine wanted that conclusion all along...

...which leads me to the next topic. people viewing him as this "genius mastermind" - when in reality, he's no more than a self-destructive gambler that simply puts faith in his good luck to lead him to the conclusion that he wants. and, honestly? that seems like a very immature mentality to me. there's nothing admirable about him risking it all time and time again, and i'm not sure why exactly i'm meant to sympathize with that part of him. also...

don't be a hypocrite yourself, Aventurine. you also lied and was planning to manipulate from the beginning - them expecting the truth from you shouldn't come as a surprise.

now, i'm not going to fully go into the 2 or so hours of pure Aventurine³ content (or, as my friend put it, "exposition vomit"), other than saying that his story could've definitely been told in a much more concise manner than what we got. i mean, good for the Aventurine fans out there, i'm happy for them. but, writing-wise, that was pretty out of place. in comparison, Acheron's backstory only got implied, and was kept mostly a mystery. you can only find bits and pieces of Sunday and Robin's upbringing by reading the letter Robin sent to her brother, and observing the "concert for two" lightcone in that same room. Firefly says some things about her condition and spends a significant part of the 2.0 quest with Trailblazer, but at least the main character is part of that story. Aventurine's case seemed like a blatant pity party from the writers - from the beginning of 2.1 til the end. now i'm not saying that his backstory isn't tragic; the first time i played through the story i sympathized with him. it was heartbreaking. but that genuinely could've been saved for a companion quest.

another thing i thought was out of place was Aventurine's hatred for the Family. seeing his backstory, i believed that they were leading up to the Family being somehow responsible for his rough upbringing/period of slavery, so that was Aventurine enacting his revenge on them. but that was... not the case. instead, he's only(?) doing this for the IPC, with no true motivation of his own. in other words, why is he trying to bring the Family down so avidly? i'm not convinced that his reasons are good enough for him to cause so much chaos to a nation/organization that has nothing to do with him. if it is purely because of the IPC's whims, then that is not very "free will" of him.

despite all my qualms, i don't hate Aventurine. the Penacony characters are hard to hate in general, for they're all intriguing in their own ways. but i do think i've been a bit too over-exposed to him. maybe i'd go as far as to say that he was overhyped - they could've handled his story better, and not simply thrown everything they had for him in one singular questline right before his release. personally, even with the characters that i have biases towards, i would prefer for their stories to be told through character stories, companion quests, texts, and readables. that way, you find out about the character on your own volition without it feeling forced. and, if their backstories are relevant to the main storyline, you can easily make it brief and showcase what's, well...

relevant.

[cosmics-beings]

semi unpopular opinion? i know i mentioned it before, but i never really liked the vosonian prince/wing lord starscream aus. and i get why now. while i understand why they're so common, to me it just doesn't match starscream as a character, because starscream is a person who isn't born with shit he wants, he has to scheme, steal, and bribe to get what he wants, whether he deserves it or not. that is what makes starscream ambitious, that's what makes his character. the character who is always plotting and always trying to get what he wants, that's why i love him at least.

what he wants and what he thinks he deserves isn't something he's created or born with. he is envious of people who do have that, and when he sees they have it and he wants it, he takes it because he hates being powerless. After all, a character like him has been powerless many times, and knows how easily it can be stripped from it.

in idw, he was cold constructed, scammed, swindled, lied, and cheated to make it to the top. none of that was because he was royalty or born with it.

to me, he is a great pretender. he pretends that he's always been apart of that life, that he was created for it, but he has to fight, and that's what makes him interesting.

he doesn't take things by 'good' means, and it is arguable whether or not he deserves half of what he has, but the point of this post is to say that the wing lord/royality aus IMO just never fit the character presented to us in canon. not that they're bad, i just see how most of the fandom clings on to those aus and tropes for him, and i just always thought that while it matched him from an outside perspective, deep down inside, it wasn't ever a hc that seemed like starscream.

i think, at least in my personal hc for him, the only way he could be winglord or royal is if he killed the royals and took their crowns and their titles. even he murdered the winglords and proclaimed himself one. but it couldn't be something he was given or born with,

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 4-7: Sole Crusher

Finally! Time to say hello to Zoe and get a grip on her character? Is she interesting and adds something new to the table? Or is she just there so there can be a new Bee holder?

This show's still trying to say this is actually Paris and not just a small town imitation while the real Paris is converted to a theme park for tourists? There should be far more tourists than just Zoe then!

Like I feel like Marinette's parents' bakery is the one of the only, if not the only, one in Paris! Is this all because this is a cheap CGI-animated show or something!? They can't render in more people or make more bakery sets?

'The best bakery in Paris' is Marinette's parents'. Of all the bakeries it's the main character's and she isn't even that rich. My theory is getting truer by the second.

The fact that Zoe's father isn't even there makes me believe he isn't there for her life much. My parents would be with me if I was a 14-year-old going to Paris. Or at least one of my parents. I know I doubt Zoe's mom was in her life because she's clearly a deadbeat,

Yup. There she is, the deadbeat.

Oh. He was a deadbeat and Zoe did go to boarding school. As I thought.

Glowing shoes

pffft Zoe hates her at first sight

Also I know this is supposed to show Chloe as someone evil but I can only think about how warped her perception of society is.

pffffffft she's literally in the closet

Also wouldn't it be more practical for Sabrina to do her homework at home or is this just a lousy excuse to demonize Chloe?

This isn't even going to be a good downfall arc, isn't it? Like with the OG of serialized, more serious cartoons, Avatar, had Azula, a rich powerful 14 year old with minion-friends aside her, undergo an downfall arc, but there was still sympathy and understanding to her downfall. I consumed enough spoiler content to know the show treats the main Adult Villain as more sympathetic than Chloe.

Oh right. Audrey cheated on her husband! I forgot all about that while I saw Chloe get worse. Andre should divorce her but he's a bit too much of a pushover.

Marinette believed that!? Isn't she supposed to be good at figuring out liars? Oh, right. She didn't recognize Adrien when he had a fencing mask on.

pffffffffffffffffft "Do you think we can adopt her?"

And the limo's pink as well!

Or did Marinette see through the lies? Or is she just guessing?

Pfft the hyper-scheming

IS THAT TOMOE TSURUGI!? SHE WAS AN ACTRESS!?

pffffffffffffffffffffffffffft this is probably one of the [%@!$] akumas by far. A giantess that gains height by stepping on people.

I wonder how expensive those two otherworldly shots were.

Seriously? Zoe's charm is gold and diamond-themed?

Ivan was the first one to comfort her. I feel like this adds character for him. Good. We barely have any content. Hm. It shows initiative and a physical side to him. Maybe his love language is physical affection?

Well, she has a backstory that ain't half bad, but it feels like she's just here to show how 'irredemable' Chloe is.

[danganronpadedication]

DAY 9: DANGANTOBER

Day 9: Favorite Blackened

It was very hard to choose who my favorite blackened was. There are so many great options, with such interesting murder plans, backstories, and character developments. But, I wanted to pick one that I thought played their trial with cunning and intelligence.

When talking about playing the trial like its a game, the Ultimate Gambler is the one that stands out.

I LOVED Celestia from the beginning of the game. Her aesthetics were so awesome, that gothic lolita mix was just so cute and interesting to look at. Her name rolled off the tongue, her ultimate was intriguing, and her voice was so nice to listen to.

I expected her to have some bite to her, and she DEFINITELY delivered. Her perspective on survivability is adaptability was an interesting perspective to hear, and its the first time its brought up in the series. The only other example of this that comes to mind immediately, is Angie from V3. Over the course of the game, we see more and more of her more aggressive side come out, typically directed towards Hifumi, such as the scene where he makes her milk tea, and she smashes the cup because it wasn't made the exact way she wanted it.

We stan a queen with standards.

In chapter three, Monokuma gives them the next motive, being ten billion yen as a graduation gift for whoever kills next. While the rest of the class starts insisting that no one would kill for money, Celestia begins to scheme. Most blackeneds have a very understandable reason for doing what they did. Leon was self defense, Gundham did it so everyone wouldn't starve, Kaede (erm, Mod Tsumugi are you forgetting-) was trying to kill the mastermind, etc. In their situations, we can still sympathize with them. But Celestia's reasoning? She wants to live in a castle with an army of the best vampire butlers at her beck and call.

God forbid women chase their dreams, she stated that dream with her whole chest and was proud of it too. Goals, minus the murder.

Now, I haven't actually sat down and thought through the intricacies of her plan, since the majority of murder plans in Danganronpa are extra for pretty much no reason, since they're built to be solvable and flawed. But she came with contingency plans.

First, she recruits Hifumi to her cause. Accomplices are allowed, but it's very underused. In fact, this is the first and only case with a real accomplice. The next closest thing to this is Kaito and Kokichi, since they were both in on it, but it still wound up following the same formula as every other trial.

Now, she loses points with me on how she convinces Hifumi to work with her. She tells Hifumi that Kiyotaka cornered her and did bad things to her (which he wouldn't do, not even as Kiyondo). I don't think it's okay to lie about this at all, there's so many other lies she could've come up with to get Hifumi to work with her, even ones that still pitted Hifumi against Taka.

Nevertheless, Hifumi is shocked and upset about what he's been told has happened, and that's further added to by Celestia saying that he hid Alter-Ego, which Hifumi had taken a particular liking to in that chapter. Typical character.ai user (I use character.ai)

Though, I will say, this case makes Hifumi more of a tolerable character, and even though there's a consensus that he's the most hated of THH, I can understand the people that enjoy him.

Hifumi and Celestia set to work on the plan, building the Robo Justice costume (which you KNOW Celestia probably wasn't happy with) and painting the Justice Hammers. They lure Yasuhiro to the Rec Room, knock him out, stuff him in the suit ala FNAF, and stage a photo to make it look like Hifumi and Celestia were attacked by this "mystery assailant". They put him in a locker like an 80s bully, and go about the rest of their plan.

They then get Taka alone in the Equipment room, and Hifumi kills him with one of the justice hammers. They then set up the rest of the false scenes of the crime, Celestia roughing herself up and assuming position in the Rec Room, while Hifumi goes to the library.

Everyone else (who have been running around the school to look for Hifumi, including Byakuya which I think is hilarious), bring Hifumi to the Nurse's Office, and split up.

Scooby Doo ahh chapter.

Hifumi fakes his death in the Nurse's Office while left alone, and the other half of the group finds Taka dead. This makes it look like the body discovery announcement was also for Hifumi, which the timing of that is precise and genius.

While everyone's distracted, Hifumi retrieves Taka's body, and takes him to the art room repository, where Celestia is waiting for him with a mallet to the skull.

Celestia is a trailblazer, the first in Danganronpa history to kill more than one person. She must've really wanted that money lol. I think she would've been caught eventually, she was running things too conveniently, but the game chalks up her being found out to two slip-ups.

One is when only one body had been "discovered", and she says something along the lines of "We're all going to die, just like those guys did", which Makoto thinks is weird because, at the time, only one body was known about. This could've easily been remedied by her saying the names of everyone else who had died so far, and no one would've batted an eye at that explanation.

The second one is Hifumi's miraculous revival in the repository, where he states that the killer is "...Yasuhiro..." before dying. Of course, Celestia tries to explain this away through Yasuhiro Hagakure, but Makoto says that Hifumi only refers to people by their last names, so he'd have said "Hagakure". I don't remember if they explain it, but how did Hifumi find out that Celestia's real name was Taeko Yasuhiro? I doubt she told him.

Finally, she paves the way for the other two chapter three blackeneds, starting to have the series first big meltdown. This is where we really get to see her crazy side shine. I'm a small voice actor, and I voice Celestia for a project. This scene was so, so fun to do, because I got to drop the little accent and just scream into my microphone. Her meltdown is infamous, and this sprite haunts my dreams.

Riddle me this, Batman. Are you a:

"Because, because, because. BECAUSE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE-"

"It's not fair, not fair, not fair, NOT FAIR NOT FAIR NOT FAIR-"

"Apologize, apologize, apologize, go on, apologize, APOLOGIZE-"

Because all three are iconic.

Anyways, even in her death, she's gracious. After being told she's been voted as the blackened, she doesn't start screaming or get angry at anyone. She keeps calm, and speaks to everyone in an amiable tone.

I believe this is a final lie she tells, this time, to herself. Because I don't care who you are, if you have just been told you're going to be executed, you're going to freak out. I think this is her last attempt to maintain a poker face, and go out on her own terms.

You can see it in her stating that, in her next life, she wants to be Marie Antoinette, and after being told that means she'll just be executed again, she just smiles.

''Perhaps we'll meet again, in another life."

To analyze her, despite what she preached about adapting, she was arguably the most desperate person in this entire game. She had a big dream she had been working towards, that she had done so much for, and now she's been trapped in a place that will ensure that dream isn't reached. Of course she wanted to escape by any means necessary. Not only did Monokuma provide a way out, but the means to make her dreams come true in the motive.

I think the money would have been worthless in the aftermath of the Tragedy.

She lied to everyone, and presented herself as the person she wanted to be. She was Taeko Yasuhiro, but she wanted to be Celestia Ludenberg. She denied absolutely everything that would link her back to her actual self, even in the beginning when Makoto asks her if she's actually Japanese or not. The persona of Celestia Ludenberg was the ultimate poker face, and what she aspired to be.

There is a lot of underlying themes of self hatred within her, stating that 'Yashiro is a loser's name', and it's something that should have been explored. It makes her execution even more messed up, since the reason she's initially smiling in her execution, is because it's one that is grand and representative of what she aspired to be. The harpsichord, the method of death which wasn't a death belonging to commonfolk, and even the name "The Burning of the Versailles Witch", all spoke to her lofty, posh dreams. Then, Monokuma mows her down with a fire truck, a common death of a common person.

All in all, she's a bit of a girlboss, a trailblazer when it comes to future blackeneds, and there's so much more that could be discussed about her.

But, let's take comfort in knowing that her cat, Grand Bois Cheri Ludenberg is presumed to be alive and thriving in the Tragedy.

-Mod Tsumugi

PS: GIVE ME SOME IDEAS FOR DANGANTOBER, BECAUSE THE LIST IM WORKING OFF OF HAS SOME DAYS WHERE I CAN'T DO MY REGULARLY SCHEDULED RANTS.

So please, questions are welcome :3

[hollyoaksmusings]

Rank John Paul’s love interests

I’ll probably be flayed for this lol

1. Ste - I know this is controversial haha, but he was my favorite at the time it was airing. They were both so desperate to help each other through some of the heaviest moments in each others’ lives, and I thought the extreme slow burn from literally hating each other to falling in love and their continued friendship has been nice. Also both just such legends on the show, which let them tap into aspects of their families and relationships in nice ways. Great acting. Some of my favorite episodes. I still watch the early episodes of McHay often (the Danny cover-up lol).

2. Craig - the man the myth the legend lol. What is there to say? Groundbreaking and character-defining for both characters and their respective families.

3. Spike? - in the grand scheme of things he wasn’t more than a recurring character so I feel weird even ranking him but he was so sweet and really shepherded John Paul into his first experiences as an out gay person.

4. Danny - maybe another controversial one, but despite the lies they really loved each other and you could tell, I felt.

5. James - on paper, amazing. In execution, just had the strangest storylines thrown at them and they I feel never got a fair shake. I liked when John Paul came back after James shot Mercedes and they hooked up lol. A little fwb thing kind of reignited their chemistry.

6. Scott - soooo sweet. I thought Scott was just really vulnerable and sweet during their relationship in unexpected ways, but John Paul was really not that into him and cheated on him basically immediately with James lol.

7. Lockie - ummmmmm. Also probably unpopular because people liked them together, but I was still holding on to residual McHay hope when they started hooking up and also??? Porsche was introduced so grandiosely as John Paul’s all-time favorite cousin so this betrayal felt so yucky.

8. Kieron - also unpopular!!!! But rewatching this as an adult, Kieron but a lot of pressure on a fairly young John Paul. Like a lot. It was too much. Like stop telling this 18 year old he’s the reason you left the church to try to get him to do things (like marry you?).

9. Doug - I’m going to be honest - I don’t remember their stint very well. I feel like it was defined by Doug still being in love with Ste. Love my fellow American though lol.

10. Carter - eh. Kind of a lot of potential? Amazing acting. Just didn’t quite resolve in a way that felt meaningful enough.

11. George - ACAB and also why is he even on here lol. Both an abusive asshole AND he couldn’t act? RIP.

[rainisawriter]

Cowardly San – San (PSF #1)

Ficography

Genre: Halloween, fluff, angst, non-idol au, cowardly lion au?

Prompt: “I’ve got you.” (@flufftober)

Word Count: 3,504

Pairing: Reader x San

World: Ateez

A/N: This was originally written as an original piece because I wanted to do half original and half fanfiction but I changed my mind as usual and went all fanfics lmao I didn’t have the time or energy to rewrite this so I just edited it and chose San so he might be out of character, don’t come for me Atiny! ò.ó)/

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

Halloween has always been your favorite time of year. You loved scaring people and watching horror movies because you never got scared. Most horror movies were mere comedies to you. In fact, you’ve been kicked out of the movie theater multiple times for laughing during horror flicks.

On the opposite side of the coin, your boyfriend hated Halloween. He was a sensitive man who got scared easily and simply couldn’t stomach horror. San was often bullied during his school years because of this which only made him hate the holiday even more.

It was so bad that, had you started dating him closer to Halloween, he probably would have broken up with you as soon as he learned about your love of all things spooky. As it turns out, though, you met each other at the beginning of the year and he had fallen deeply in love with you by the time he found out.

Last year was your first Halloween together, but he was terrified of you finding out about his secret. He didn’t want you to hate him or, worse, look down on him. He wouldn’t be able to stomach it if you said he wasn’t a man like so many others had before. To combat this, he told you that he had to leave town to be with his sick sister and her three kids.

San’s sister wasn’t sick, but she agreed to play along with his scheme just so he would stop begging. She made sure to scold him for his choice.

“Relationships built on lies won’t last,” she had told him. “And if she can’t accept you for who you are, she’s trash.”

He knew she was right but he had never fallen in love as hard as he had with you. He didn’t want to lose you. He didn’t want you to look down on him.

All year long, he steeled himself to tell you the truth before Halloween arrived. It wasn’t even December yet, he had plenty of time… right? It felt as if he blinked and it was already October again. Where had all the time gone? More importantly, where had his resolve gone?

San stared at the date on his phone, wishing it was incorrect but he knew it wasn’t. 

October 1st, it read.

He could hear you in the kitchen of the apartment you shared, humming the tune of some Halloween song. October was the only month that you woke up before him, simply unable to contain your excitement.

Could he really take that away from you just because he’s a scaredy cat? He feared he would ruin the holiday for you. A groan passed his lips as he covered his face. Why was this so hard? All he had to do was say he didn’t like Halloween. It should be simple!

It wasn’t, though, not for him. In that moment, it felt like the hardest thing he’s ever had to do. 

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he slid out of bed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. There was a loose floorboard at the end of the hall that creaked whenever someone stepped on it, thus alerting you to his presence. 

You smiled brightly at him. “Morning, baby. Spooky season is officially here!”

“Morning,” he mumbled back softly, settling down at the table. He loved the way your eyes sparkled during October, it was the only thing he enjoyed about the month. To him, you were already gorgeous, but you became an absolute goddess when your eyes sparkled. He felt like the luckiest man alive.

You set down a plate of freshly made pancakes on the table and he winced when he saw them. They had been made using Halloween cutters – skulls, hands, creepy looking Jack-o-Lanterns. There was even a cobweb pancake which nearly made him shiver. He hated spiders.

Normally, he would eat two or three pancakes, but there were only two Jack-o-Lantern pancakes and you took one. It was the only shape he could bring himself to eat.

You frowned at him when you noticed this. “Are you okay, babe?”

“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine. Why?” 

“You usually eat more than that.”

“Ah… I’m just not very hungry this morning. Maybe I’m getting a bug or something,” he mumbled, feeling guilty for lying to you again. His sister’s words echoed through his mind again.

You leaned across the table, resting the back of your hand against his forehead. “Hm, you don’t feel warm. We’ll have to keep an eye on it. Let me know if you feel worse, okay?”

San could only nod, eyes focused on the pancake. He suddenly didn’t feel very hungry at all.

“Spirit Halloween opens today. I’m so excited, they have the best decorations.”

He tried not to, but his mind conjured images of the apartment decoded to the nines with all manner of spooky decorations and he couldn’t suppress his shiver. He glanced at you to see if you had noticed, but you were still talking about the store.

“I’ve been saving up all year, too, so I can go all out!”

He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “Is that wise…? I mean, our apartment isn’t very big. If you put too much, we won’t even be able to move.”

“You’re right, but get this. You remember Hongjoong, right? We went to high school together.”

He vaguely remembered the name, but he couldn’t put a face to it.

“Well, he’s going out of town to spend Halloween with his family and he said I could use his house this Halloween. I’m going to throw the best Halloween party ever!”

He tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat as he thought about an over-decorated house filled with people in gruesome costumes. “Oh… how nice of him…”

“Right?” You grinned, unable to sit still. “Do you feel well enough to come with me to the store?”

San’s lips parted and he released a shaky breath as he tried to speak. ‘Just tell her, idiot,’ he told himself in frustration. ‘End this now. Tell her the truth.’

Your grin slowly faded when he didn’t answer, worry battling against your excitement. You rested your hand over his, catching his eye. “Hey, it’s okay. If you’re not feeling well, you can stay here and get some rest. I’m sure Wooyoung won’t mind helping.”

His heart dropped at this. Wooyoung had been crushing on you since the two of you were in middle school and, honestly, he isn’t too sure why you chose him over Wooyoung.

He had always been the cool guy with short hair the color of a raven and striking brown eyes. Like you, he loved to play video games rather than sports. He was also funny, smart and, most importantly, he loved Halloween almost as much as you did.

On the other hand, San was slender with average brown eyes, though he had chosen to dye his brown hair red on your insistence. Instead of virtual games, he played volleyball in high school and liked to run track in his free time. He knew first hand that you loathed exercise and sports, so why had you chosen him? To everyone but you, Wooyoung was the obvious choice.

Yet you had chosen San, your complete opposite, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it was a bet. 

The thought stung at his heart and he shot up from his seat. “I’m gonna go lay down.” He didn’t give you the chance to respond, rushing back down the hall into the bedroom.

You knew something was bothering him, he wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings after all, but you didn’t know what it was. You didn’t want to pressure him, either. You knew that he would come to you when he was ready and yet… you couldn’t help the knot that formed in your gut.

The man you loved was suffering and there was nothing you could do to help him. There’s no worse feeling than that.

You almost decided to stay home instead of going to the store, but you didn’t want to crowd him. He probably just needed space, so you wrote a note and left it on the table before heading out.

Wooyoung was already inside the store when you arrived. He had grabbed a Ghostface mask that was resting atop his head. He grinned when he saw you, pulling you into a tight hug before glancing around.

“Where’s the boyfie?”

Your nose wrinkled at the ridiculous term. “San isn’t feeling well today.”

“Oh, so I finally get you to myself then,” he smirked, his tone flirty.

As usual, you ignored it and just brushed past him, grabbing a cart. He had always been a flirty guy with every female he met and, over the years, you had learned to just ignore him. He would try a few more times before giving up, you knew.

He caught up with you easily, throwing his arm around your neck. “So, are we going for a ‘cute spooky’ theme? A ‘Michael Myers is outside spooky’ theme? Maybe a ‘Freddy’s gonna get you’ theme?” His eyes fell on something at the end of the aisle and he rushed forward to grab it. “Or perhaps~ a ‘killer Barbie’ theme?”

You quirked a brow at the Barbie-themed paper plates he was holding out. “I should kill you for even putting that pink trash in my line of sight.”

Wooyoung laughed loudly as he replaced the item. “No shame in trying, eh?”

“The theme is ‘when you leave this house even hell itself won’t scare you anymore.’”

His eyes glinted mischievously. “Ooo~ My sister is currently dating a therapist. I’ll let him know he’s gonna have a lot of new clients after our party.”

You just snickered at the thought.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

The farther it got into October, the worse San started to feel, to the point that he wondered if he actually was getting sick. People were already pulling pranks on unsuspecting people, usually in the form of scaring the hell out of them. The thought of him minding his own business while shopping for groceries only for someone in a mask to appear and scare him or threaten him… it had his stomach in knots.

He knew what his reaction would be because it had happened many times in the past. He would end up crying, covering his head, and crouching as low to the ground as he could. He hated that that was his reaction and he had tried many times not to react that way.

It wasn’t just the fear eating him up, though. You had been spending less and less time at home, trying to get all of the decorations up and running at your friend’s house. He missed you dearly and, despite himself, he felt jealousy swirling in his gut because he knew that you were with Wooyoung. Every morning, he came to the apartment to pick you up, wearing that stupid mask atop his head.

He would smile at San but never asked how he was feeling or how life was going. Though, San didn’t ask Wooyoung those questions, either.

A sigh passed his lips as he curled up on the sofa, a blanket covering his body, resting over his head like a hood. His eyes focused on the balcony door. The sky was dark, tiny stars shining brightly. You should have been home by now, so where were you? He glanced at his phone for the hundredth time, but no messages had come through. He considered messaging you first, but he didn’t want to bother you or seem clingy.

His eyes lingered on the date. October 25th.

Halloween was just six days away and he was no closer to telling you the truth. For the most part, he was still pretending not to feel well. He honestly felt pathetic. Was he even a man? Had he ever been one? No one else seemed to think so.

His phone dinged with a new message and he nearly dropped it in his haste to check it. It wasn’t from you, it was from his sister.

-> Did you tell her yet?

It was a simple question, but it made him feel all sorts of things, none of them positive. No, of course, he hadn’t. San was a coward in all meanings of the word. All he wanted to do was run away, to hide away from the terrifying world around him.

A frown tugged at his lips as he gazed at a picture of you and him, smiling happily at the camera. “I love you so much… I’m scared of losing you…” Tears stung his eyes but he quickly wiped them away when he heard keys jingling out in the hallway.

The lock on the door clicked and you stepped inside, looking tired but happy. As soon as he saw you, he felt better. For a moment, it felt as if all of his worries and fears disappeared, and he wished he could thank you for it. He couldn’t, of course, because that would mean explaining why he was so worried and filled with fear.

“I’m home,” you called out softly, offering him a tired smile when you saw him.

“Welcome home,” he replied softly, standing up to take your messenger bag and coat. “How was your day?”

“Well, Wooyoung fell down the stairs.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Eh? Is he okay? What happened?”

“He wasn’t paying attention, as usual, and tripped on a string of lights.” You shook your head, falling onto the couch with a sigh. “He broke his arm in two places and sprained his wrist.”

“Damn,” he muttered, sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of you. As much as he didn’t like Wooyoung, he never wanted him to get hurt. And if he’s hurt, then that means – “You’re decorating alone now?”

“Yeah. There’s still so many decorations to put up, I’m not sure I’ll get it done before Halloween.” You threw your head back with a groan. “Man, I was finally going to throw the most badass Halloween party ever! I spent so much on the decorations, too… guess I’ll have to return some of them.”

San chewed on his lower lip. “Maybe, I -” his voice died in his throat, heart racing in his chest.

“Hm?” you looked at him curiously, head tilted to the side.

He swallowed down his nerves, hands curling around the pajama pants he wore. “I can… help you with them…”

Your eyes lit up like Christmas tree lights. “Really? You don’t mind?”

He shook his head no, ignoring the voice screaming at him in the back of his mind.

You smiled, throwing your arms around his neck and yanking him onto the couch with you. “Thank you, baby!”

San smiled softly, wrapping his arms around you. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh, but,” you pushed him back enough so you could see his face, a frown on your own. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know you’re still not feeling well.”

Guilt pooled in his stomach but he did his best to ignore it, offering you a small smile. “Don’t worry, I’m feeling better…”

“I’m glad,” you told him softly before pressing your lips to his. “I’ve been worried about you.”

He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. “Are you hungry? I made dinner.”

“Ooo, what did you make, babe?”

“Your favorite – spaghetti.”

You grinned at this information, throwing your arms around him again. “You’re the best! You’re sick and you’re still taking care of me.”

He hugged you back tightly, fingers curling around your shirt. “I’ll always take care of you…”

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

San had to take several deep breaths when you pulled up in front of the house. The yard was finished already, covered with skeletons crawling out of the ground, gravestones, coffins, and several other items that he wished he hadn’t seen. He kept his eyes on his feet as he followed you inside.

If he could barely stand to look at the decorations, how in the world was he meant to help you put them up?

“Can you finish up in here?” You questioned, motioning toward a small pile of decorations in the corner. “I’ll get started on the kitchen.”

“Okay…”

You sent him a smile before disappearing through the archway.

San took a deep breath, slowly approaching the pile of decorations. The most prominent one was a grim reaper sitting upon a throne. Surely he could just toss them up somewhere and pretend they no longer existed. He doubted that you would go behind him and correct it. Even if you did, he wouldn’t mind.

He was just finishing up when he heard you call from the kitchen.

“Babe, can you bring me the bag that’s in the closet under the stairs?”

“Sure,” he called back before approaching the rounded door. His fingers wrapped around the doorknob, pulling it open. A witch jumped out at him, cackling loudly as her eyes lit up.

San screamed loudly, falling the floor.

You ran into the room with a wide grin on your face, satisfied that you had successfully scared your boyfriend. You thought he would be frustrated at you before laughing, but that wasn’t the case.

He was curled into himself, knees tucked against his chest as he hugged them tightly, soft sobs racking his body. Your grin instantly fell, realizing that something was wrong, and you rushed over to his side.

“Hey,” you rested your hand on his back, brow furrowed. “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Look at me.”

He refused to lift his head from his knees, body trembling under your touch. He never wanted you to see him like this. He felt like a child, not a man.

You slid your arms around him, pulling him into your chest. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

His fingers clutched at your shirt, face buried in your neck. You could feel his tears on your skin, making you tighten your grip on him. Your fingers combed gently through his hair as you shushed him softly.

“I’ve got you,” you repeated, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m right here.””

“I’m s-sorry,” he sobbed.

“Sorry for what? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

He just shook his head, clinging to you tighter. You’re not sure how long the two of you stayed that way before his sobs finally stopped. You thought he had fallen asleep at first.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered softly, voice hoarse.

“What for?” You whispered back, afraid to raise your voice. “Please tell me what’s wrong, baby. You’ve been acting so weird lately, I’m worried.”

He knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer. It was time to face it. San slowly pushed himself away from you, his head lowered and gaze on the ground. His eyes were puffy and red. “I… I’m scared…”

“Of what?”

He wasn’t sure how to explain it so he motioned toward all the decorations. “All of this! I… I don’t like scary things. I – I can’t handle them! I can’t control it, I just… when I get scared, I just… break down. I’m not a man, I’m a damn child! I’m so sorry, I…” Tears stung at his eyes again and he cursed, hands clenching against his thighs.

You reached forward, resting your hand against his warm cheek. Your thumb swiped away the tear that fell from his eye. You felt like a terrible girlfriend. He’s been suffering all this time and you didn’t even realize how bad it was. There you were, going on and on about Halloween and horror movies, completely unaware of how much you were hurting him.

Your lips parted, but you didn’t know what to say. Tears were stinging at your eyes now. “I’m so sorry, Sannie.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “What -”

“This whole time, you were suffering but you bit your tongue to make me happy. All those times I would talk about Halloween or something horror and your mood would change… how could I not notice? God, I’m such a shitty girlfriend.”

“No, you’re not!” He shook his head frantically, moving closer to you. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I… I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid of losing you so I went out of my way to hide it. I lied to you so many times… I understand if you don’t want to be with a coward like me.”

“Idiot,” you scowled, wiping angrily at your tears. “Do you think so little of me? Do you really think I would suddenly fall out of love with you just because you can’t handle scary things? San, you’re the love of my life. If I believed in soulmates… babe, you’d be it.”

His heart felt like it was going to explode from the overwhelming warmth and love he felt. “I love you, too,” he whispered, his lips finding yours.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki