#please percieve her she means the world to me

[lightparty-fullparty]

/DrinkTea + /Sneer my beloved <3

[elasticitymudflap]

god, okay. fuck. i hate to say that i really underatand where simon's coming from, like, with his misunderstanding of betty and their relationship. because, well, autism. he's obviously used to being alone and people thinking he's stupid and weird, and is just very passive in his approach to other people in general. i know that feeling. it's a barrier you build around yourself to get through a world that refuses to understand you, and by this point you're so used to getting burned from making social missteps that you eventually stop trying to vocalize your own feelings and desires, so you're perpetually waiting for the other person to make the first move so you can follow:

'this cool girl i met has read my work and is really into it, she's so smart and even sees things in it that i missed! and she really wants to come with me on this next expedition? oh wow, okay, great! i mean, she's so excited about it she basically dropped her own plans and invited herself along, so this is clearly something she really wants to do! who would i be to deny her that?'

'and wow is she ever great! on our expedition together she always knows how to handle obstacles, she doesn't even need my help! i really should be following her lead, she really knows what she's doing so much better than me! i'm so glad she wanted to be here and help me!'

'i can't believe we found the enchiridion together! but she doesn't want to come along with me and take credit for its discovery? even though she helped me out so much and is so incredible and i really really like her- wait!! i shouldn't say that last part!! that would be really weird!! i don't want to make things weird!! she had a good time, and since all of this was her choice i won't try to stop her or make her feel bad or do something she doesn't want to. best to keep it professional.'

'oh hey! she left a note for me in that book i was going to check out, god she's so funny-wait. oh my god, SHE thinks we had something special too??! she says she's going on that trip, but she wishes she could travel the world with me??! she even gave me her address so i can come find her??! okay, mesage received, I GOTTA GO TALK TO HER!!!'

'uh oh, i don't know what to say to her, i obviously said the wrong thing just now and she thinks i don't feel the same way. i know she feels embarassed about the letter. i'll tell her letter was great!! it was incredible!! i want her to know that i want exactly what she wants, and that i feel the same way about her, i'll even say it to her the same way she did!!'

all i'm saying is... from somebody of This specific perspective, i can totally see why he didn't question her not getting on the bus, dropping everything to come with him, and all of her other desicions she made in ooo:

'okay i'm FINALLY going to apologize to betty for how the crown made me scare her away 1000 years ago! wait, hang on, she seems really confused that i'm saying goodbye to her?'

'oh no, we're running out of time but she feels really bad about the fact that she left me!! no, it's okay!! i want you to know that love you, and i forgive you for leaving me!! please don't feel bad about it!!'

to him, betty is unquestionably strong, competent, capable, and confident in everything she does. if she didn't want to do something she simply wouldn't do it, much the same way that he knows she would move heaven and earth if she wanted to make something happen; and who would he be if he didn't give her the chance to let her try? he simply doesn't PERCIEVE her to be insecure, overly self sacrificing, and in need of him to be a lot less passive about her choices, the way that someone from the outside looking in obviously can.

autism4autism couple my FUCKING beloved.

[horizon-verizon]

Can you please tell me what Rhaenyra thought about the smallfolk in the books? About the common people ?

@guiboob

There's no indication that she was as compassionate towards them like Alysanne, Daenerys Stormborn, Daenerys II (of Dorne), Aegon V, and maybe Aegon III were. Neither did she try to have many killed or tortured. She seemed to be as like most other nobles; peasants live in a world separate form her and are under her rule. They aren't a focus in her mind; remember that episode where Mysaria is presenting her plan for the boats to show!Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra was a little taken aback...not bec she had a vendetta against peasants, but bc she genuinely just didn't really think how her appealing to peasants in that way worked for her? That's basically it.

Though she was liked before the taxes for a long time among both commoners and nobles, it wasn't because she did anything for them and exclusively for them but becasue she was a pleasing child and very pretty and was loved well by her parents duting the most prosperous time for the Targs and thus for the rest of the kingdom. They didn't love her for her just as they didn't love Helaena for her. The class difference isolate both people from each other that Rhaenyra never really tried to do much altruistic (relief programs or laws protecting some people's human rights) or intimate stuff to break (as Baela did by befriending many during her mourning post-war)...neither did Helaena nor Alicent.

Basically, she was pretty typical. She lived with the privilege--and the mindset that comes with it--of a typical princeling, male or female. If you prefer your character to be more altruistic and that is a primary element to how you favor them, regardless of time period or one adapted to one, Rhaenyra will not be of your top 10, 15, 20.

This doesn't mean that she'd be an enemy to the smallfolk more than Alicent, Betha Blackwood, Jeyen Arryn, Visenya, Aemon the Pale Prince, Alyssa Velaryon, Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys the Princess who should have been Queen, Jaehaerys II, Oberyn Martell, etc. were.

*1/25/25* EDIT Nettles of course, came up as a percieved threat in conjunction to her/the Dragonseeds all presenting possible threats by being non Tar riders. Rhaenyra's reaction to Nettles' supposed betrayal/taking of her consort is refelctive of the class and possible racial disdain that most nobles have/had and will liekly jump out if said peasant doesn't "stay in their place" and become a real threat to said noble. If Rhaenyra had not lost much or went alone w/her other classist councilor's advice to keep their loyalties, yes she could have slowed down andreassess before trying to arrest the Draonseeds or kill Nettles. It's still her lashing out from a class paradigm, her reasoning form said paradigm. IF we don't care for the theory that the letter was a forgery or that Eustace misrepresented what and how exactly Mysaria convinced Rhaenyra to kill Nettles. *END OF EDIT*

[genshinconfessions]

"Actually, Nahida only takes a smaller form because she's the youngest archon--"

So you're telling me she identifies most with a child body.

"Well, no, see she's just short-"

But you just related her form to her age and how she percieves her age

"Yeah, but she's so mature-"

Because of the trauma. Literally as a result of her trauma. Maybe she could've aged differently and chosen her form as such should she have been given a proper upbringing, but that doesn't change the fact that as of now she Views herself as a Child and Projects The Body Of One.

---- I'm sorry, I can't - with Sigewinne being revealed, I've been seeing more shit sexualizing children and I'm Tired. Lets just put it to rest, okay? Tall body models? Typically adults, no exceptions come to mind. Medium body models? Some young adults and some teenagers.

But characters with the Smallest Model? It's not just short. Look at their proportions. If they were just short, they'd still have similar proportions to the previous models, but they don't. Their heads are largened with softened features and their body shape matches other child models in the game. An argument for body type also doesn't work given Genshin isn't exactly inclusive and such logic would only apply to one of the three model categories. They are children. Stop fucking around with your "AcTUaLly" - It doesn't matter. You are attracted to CHILDREN and need HELP. If not help, then to be on a list. Either check yourself and improve, or at least quit making excuses so the rest of us can ignore you as we so please whilst also redirecting younger members of the community.

Not to mention, those that plea and cry that their "waifus" aren't actually children and are just short adults, typically don't have that reflect in their content created and consumed. Maybe I'd take y'all a little more at face value if y'all actually y'know, drew and wrote what you supposedly believe. Hell, it'd still be a problem if it were Jean or Lisa being sexualized, but drawn and written blatantly as children.

Also, anyone that may want to say "oh, you don't believe in short people" - I DO. I AM a short person. A short asian person who has been infantalized and not treated as an adult. But I have also been a child who was sexualized. And now both intermingle in my life. I am sick and tired of it all. It's all just shitty excuses. Thirst after literally anything else. Work out whatever you have going on with consenting adults instead of projecting it onto public media that has an audience of varying ages Including Minors. Additionally; Venting, coping, and exploring darker topics via fiction is NOT the same as GLORIFYING and INDULGING. That line should be Very Distinct.

(one last point: some people say characters like Dori and Sigewinne are a salesperson and nurse respectively, adult professions, yeah? Well friendly reminder, Barbara is ALSO a nurse. Fischl is an adventurer, and she's no older than 16. We are going by FANTASY LOGIC in which children can wield weapons and explore nations with little to no supervision! The given profession of any character as well as their attire means nothing in that kind of world.)

i'm sorry you've had to go through such things, anon :///

but i agree with you; it's a problem that definitely extends outside of genshin but for some reason, ppl seem so desensitized to it and shrug it off as 'oh waifu go brrrr' which is quite irresponsible imo

i'm a big proponent of 'fiction is fiction and you can think whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm anyone', but in this case, these things DO harm ppl; they harm all the very young children who play genshin and partake in fandom discussions

it's very important for everyone to realize that even if a piece of media is fictional and thinking/saying/doing certain things won't hurt the characters, your actions will absolutely set an example in real life, very possibly harming the younger members of the fandom

the line is quite gray sometimes, in fandom circles, and it might be hard to tell what's 'okay' and what's 'not okay', but i think most ppl have a good sense of what's simply enjoying a character vs sexualizing them

and hence, it becomes our responsibility to call out the things that are disturbing and potentially harmful. even if the original person who did those things won't change, you've at least spread awareness to others and let them know that [whatever the thing was] is unacceptable

katheryne from liyue

[eggbagelz]

OUUUUUUUGH DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT OPINIONS ON EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO THE KILLJOYS.

dr death defying is my fav but the way u jus described motorbaby..... she might take the crown....

okok now i gotta ask- what r ur fav hcs abt any of the killjoys? or what hcs are so stuck in your brain that theyre practically canon to you??? i love ur killjoys sm please i would love to hear you ramble abt them >:]

OH WELL SINCE U ASKED

Actually I've been wanting to talk abt my hcs for a while so THANK U FOR THIS TEE HEE

Anyway! I think like. My interpretations [or hcs i guess] of the 'joys is a lil nonstandard in some ways bc i took the blank slate of their personalities and ran with it GSJSH [so these are all like. Canon to me. Basically. Sorry gerald u never gave ur apocalypse ocs personalities so theyre mine now] basically like. I have some v set hcs on their personalities and main characteristics as a whole

SO!

I like to think that fun ghoul is like. While hes v v chatty and more than a little mischievous hes also EXTREMELY perceptive to the point it's unnerving, and while hes not v good with his own emotions he's fucking insanely good at picking up other people's, as well as like. Tiny details and shit that others wouldn't have noticed. Hes still an idiot tho godbless GKEHSJ. Hes the number one mad gear fanboy. Hes good w explosives but crap with other tech.

Kobra. Ohohohohohohohoooo kobra. Ppl like to hc him as v stoic [which im not implying is a bad hc at all btw!!! Just an observation] but i like to thing hes EXTREMELY emotional and p unpredictable. A v shoot first ask questions later type, and deathly afraid of being percieved as cowardly or weak. Absolutely GARBAGE shot, which is why he has stun gloves. Practically the fucking tech whisperer.Official motorbaby wrangler. Gets astronomical amounts of ass but is terrified of feeling any romantic emotions.Half Japanese, he and poison are fraternal twins!

POISON! Also extremely emotional but has it under sliiightly better control than kobra [lol. "Control." How full's that bottle ur filling ur feelings with now pois?]. Very very good w tactical stuff and planning, likes logic and such. Also v flamboyant and enjoys colour and the life of the zones. Prettiest 'joy in the zones, seriously. Talks a LOT but has absolutely no fucking filter. Extremely sex positive.Abt as emotionally intelligent as a brick. Also half japanese ic the they and kobra being twins thing didnt make it obvious GDJDDJ. Terrified of death but doesnt know it. Romatic feelings for jet are approximately the size of the continent of asia

Jet jet jet jet jet. My sweet girlboy. Lost his entire family in a shootout against bli when he was 14 and now suffers from "i have to keep everyone i love safe at all fucking costs so help me god" disease so bad that its actually a reflex now. Took care of motorbaby the most when she was an infant. Best shot in the zones GODBLESS. Hes got an eye [ha] for beauty and appreciates p much everything the world has to offer as best he can. Trying to be an optimist despite his horrendous anxiety disorder. Spanish is his first language! Doesnt talk much and thinks carefully abt what he says before he says it. Madly in love with poison but has carefully filed that away under "n" for "never touching that ever"

Motorbaby. Stuck halfway between "extremely unchildlike behavior" and being a regular weird little girl. Far too used to violence. LOOOOVES big robots so much her favorite toy is an old mecha action figure ghoul fixed up for her. Impossible not to love, seriously. ADORES her big brothers. High energy but also burns out quickly and has to nap a LOT. Picked up some of the languages the fab four speak aside from english [spanish, italian, and snatches of japanese] but in the manner that means she knows how to swear in four languages. Veeery small

Jet and ghoul are desert boys [tho ghoul wasnt born in the desert and was smuggled out of bat city by his dad when he was a toddler], while kobes and poison are cityboys [escaped when they were both 13]. Jet's the oldest, ghoul's the youngest

I also have some ideas abt zones culture but aside from the talk abt bigotry probably still being rampant in the zones thats smth im saving for my roadtrip au fic tee hee

[docholligay]

Misc Ep 1

Hello! This is about the pilot of Yellowjackets, and ONLY the pilot of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond the first episode, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside  information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading  questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open!

I think the expectation is that you’ll be more interested in the whole idea that these girls end up hunting each other for sport or ritual or whjatever, and, the first episode seems to imply, fucking eating each other. I do think that’s great, and all, as a consequence ofd things, but what I’m mostly into is something that, luckily, at least in this pilot, the show seems into as well: How do these girls become this thing? How does a human being break down? What is it about fear that brings forth ritual, how does ritual sometimes cover or cleanse violence, what is it about humanity that needs ritual as a way of getting both closer to and further from our actions? 

We know this from the get-go. We’re shown this before we get to know any of the girls, before we get to know any of the girls, before we get to reflect on how nice and normal and accomplished we are. It’s not interested in rubbernefcking at normal people becoming something difficult, becoming something that bridges the gap between the new world of a sort of sterilized tribalism, and an old world very obvious and, daresay more honest, level of violence and tribalism. We’ll see if I still feel like that’s part of the discussion in a few episodes. Everything is hard to tell from a pilot.

How do i feel about Natalie? I’m not sure, I don’t really know enough about her. I have a couple mild worries, but I don’t actually have a BASIS for those, when I think about it. All I have is vague vibes, and it’s absolutely unfair to judge something off of a vibe I have based on OTHER narratives. So, I reserve judgement. I definitely want her goddamn Porsche and rifle, that’s for sure. The show, I think, I hope, wants to tell us something with her story. That she percieves a threat and jumps to violence--we see that in the flashback with her, as well. Natalie’s first impulse is to strike. This is not new and this is not news, and maybe, takoing this back to Shauna, it’s showing how MANY of them have never managed to move forward from the person they were while they were a Yellowjacket. 

I had a girl like Laura Lee on cheer squad, and it may not surprise you to know we had a contentious relationship at best, as I often took to sighing and snapping gum while she led prayer. 

Misty. Misty! I was so fucking sure when we saw her in the pep rally we were going to get all that dumb bullshit about how everyone is SO MEAN to the poor nerdy one blah blah wah wah. But no! It’s much more realistic than that. They just don’t want to be friends with her. They ignore her. I love that moment when Nat sees her and then she disappears, because she’s not an entity to them, she’s just a fucking ghost. She’s a nothing. The show takes pains to show that she DOESN’T fucking know how to act socially. She’s the kind of cruel where she would happily sit and watch a rat struggle and drown. When she’s an adult, she’s bitter and vindictive to people who try her. Even a sick old woman. She’s not a nice or good person, and I love so much that the show is like, IMMEDIATELY when we see her as an adult, “If you were looking for an innocent little gumdrop rainbow sad nerd, Misty ain’t it” and that actually will give me space to LIKE Misty. 

So much of the team dynamic feels so authentically like whoever was writing this did time on a high school girls’ sports team, because this is genuinely one of the only things I’ve ever seen that reminds me of cheer, which was far far more “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me” than everyone holding hands and gay kissing and doing it each other’s makeup (It was also that though. Life is complicated) I love that they get into an absolutely bitter fight the night before they leave at the bonfire. Truly enjoyed it. (Tag yourself, I’m Van grabbing another beer before we all have to talk about our feelings.) 

By the by, that whole huge it out bullshit in a secluded part of the party is definitely a shade toward their time in the woods, and Jackie’s approach and i know I basically already went into it, ut I definitely have to mention it again. 

Double by the by: Putting a pin in the whole “best things about each other” for the end of the seasons and I’m hoping someone reminds me because I think we will come BACK to these qualities and see them either revealed or destroyed. 

[kagedbird]

Everyone at my job rags on my coworker Jill. Jill is an older woman, around her sixties, and is very opinionated and not afraid to say what's on her mind.

However, I was raised to be polite to my elders, even if they don't always deserve niceities. I actually really like Jill, because she's clearly a case of "written off as a badgering old lady," instead of someone who is just in need of another to chat to.

I always call her "pretty lady," which sends her in a tizzy. She couldn't understand that I thought she looked lovely in her older age, and was baffled I thought she was in her forties (though pretended to guess she was in her twenties, as is the funny-polite thing to do). I knew she was older than forties, but what older woman wants you to guess her age properly when the world dictates your beauty by that arbitrary number?

I joke all the time that she's lying and has a fake ID to say she's older than she is, and she eats it up. She teaches me how to work things in the store, the best order of operations, and little tid bits about the coworkers and reasons why they annoy her (a lot of it is percieved unprofessionalism, which, the woman had a kid at 17 and has been working since, so I think it's valid for her to have a lot of claims about what is suited for work and what isn't, even if it's just an opinion.)

She's my favourite coworker, even if everyone else dislikes her. They constantly tell me how much they're mad at her or that she's mean, and it kills me inside, because she is sweet, and has been since my day one. She bought me white lindor chocolates because I said I was queasy and we shared them! She's apologized every day since I bought us both cakes at a nearby store and she ate the wrong one in her sickly haze.

Just. Please. If you have someone at your work who is disliked by many, just give them the bare minimum of kindness. Assume good intentions. Be kind. Be kind. Be kind.

if i can impart any one piece of wisdom to y’all, it’s to, whenever possible, assume good intentions

assume people are trying their best, want to be good and treat others well, and that when their behavior doesn’t align with those goals, it’s because of outside factors that are pushing them to their limit

it’s hard to do, it doesn’t always come naturally, but it’s worth it

[two-birds-alone-together]

Helloooooo! #1 and #28 please!

Thank you, dear!

1. Describe your journey this year in three words

Hmmmm.... let's see.

Verbose; diverse; obsessive.

28. A song that relates to one of your creations

GIRL. It's me. The vast majority of my fics are, at the very least, titled after songs.

Just checked--of the 70(!!??) fics I've posted, 63 of them have lyrics for titles)

Alright, let's see... I'll go with the letter writing type, which was inspired by "If I Wrote You" by Dar Williams.

I've been a Dar Williams fan since "The Beauty of the Rain" was featured on Alias. She's in heavy rotation (along with Sara Bareilles and Damien Rice) in my daily music.

"If I Wrote You" inspired me both from several perspectives. I'm... not always great at expressing why so some of it is vibe based. Breakdown below.

Tess:

"I never thought you were the letter writing type" and "You always surprised me" scream Tess to me. They know each other after so long, but there are so many things -- intimate things -- they don't know about each other.

Also, "if I wrote you, you would know me and you would not write me again" strikes me as very Tess because I think it's clear from her argument with Joel at the State House that she is, or at least percieves herself to be, more invested in him than he is in her. I think she's keenly aware that if she were to reveal too much about herself (especially her past), it would close Joel off completely.

I never thought you were the letter writing type Now I see the words you chose, the way you write So I started to write back about the trees and the snow And I saw a bird, couldn't say what it was But I thought you'd know, you always surprised me And if I wrote you, if I wrote you You would know me and you would not write me again

Ellie:

"It's like how you got the night you told me all your dreams" reminds me of sheep ranches on the moon, as well as it wasn't time that did it.

"You knew was the truth was the only way out" seems very Ellie-and-Joel-at-St.-Mary's-in-TLOU 2.

And when the spring came and flooded all the streams It's like how you got the night you told me all your dreams And when the barn roof sagged after an icy bout It's like how you shrugged when you knew The truth was the only way out, but not the only way And if I wrote you, if I wrote you You would know me and you would not write me again

Joel:

"We drew our arms around the bastard sons" reminds me of Joel and Ellie on the road, developing their relationship.

"We never would drink to the chosen ones" makes me think of how Joel sees Ellie as a person, not just a means for a cure.

"The way I left was not the way I planned" Uhhhhh I think this one is self explanatory.

"I'm so happy, I had to tell you / And I love you, and you will not write me again" reminds me of the porch and how much hope Joel must have had at that moment.

We drew our arms around the bastard sons We never would drink to the chosen ones Well you know the way I left was not the way I planned But I thought the world needed love and a steady hand So I'm steady now And I'm so happy, I had to tell you And I love you, and you will not write me again You will not write me again You will not write me again.

(two-birds-alone-together: the definitive fic title collection is on spotify!)

Send me some Artist and Fic Writer EOY Asks!

[harukamitsuki]

Sorry, I keep adding onto this, but I agree completely.

Bakugou didn't experience any actual development. Maybe if Horikoshi acknowledged the emotional abuse, there could have been something, but as it stands, I wouldn't like that as it would enable the Bakugou stans. It would make them go, "See! See! I told you so!", while completely ignoring that he inflicted abuse onto Izuku.

I'm not going to sit here and compare people's trauma. That's wrong.

What I will say is that, again, you're completely right. Mitsuki doesn't seem to gain any pleasure from hurting Bakugou, emotionally-wise, whereas Bakugou did. He grins and laughs and feels powerful, and it's awful.

He likes beating down people who are already weaker than him, just to feel stronger. And there is nothing to convince me that he's changed from this. He still fights with a grin, not because he wants people to feel safe like All Might or Izuku do, but because he enjoys beating people up.

Like I said, the issue is the fact that people use 'he was abused' as an excuse, rather than a reason. I could accept it as a reason, something that influenced him to take such actions, but it's not. Every time this is seen in fanfiction, it's only there to make his abuse towards Izuku feel less, as though it suddenly doesn't matter just because he was abused.

What I'm fine with is: he was abused, but that is not an excuse. It's only a reason. He still should not be forgiven immediately, because that's not a reason to do so. We see this in canon with the League of Villains, like Toga who was psychologically abused by everyone around her. There is a reason as to why she turned to a dark area, but she is not forgiven. Her actions are not pardoned.

This is why I don't like Bakugou stans, and why I don't like people saying he was abused. If written well, I can stand it. But it's never written well.

There was a fanfiction where 1-A is hit with a truth quirk, and it looked really good. Bakugou was revealed to have bullied Izuku visciously for years, and the class reacted by isolating him, and Ochako is particularly upset.

It was going fine until Bakugou revealed that Mitsuki also visciously abused him, and suddenly everyone is okay with him. It's fine to be horrified by that, but then Ochako is painted in a bad light, and everyone forgets that he bullied Izuku.

(I ended up dropping it - I'm not going to say the name, because I'm not that mean or petty. I'm still petty, but not to that extent. If you know what I'm talking about, please don't reveal it. The writing was good, I just didn't like Bakugou enough to stay through that.)

A good example of the type of character Horikoshi wished Bakugou was, is Teruki Hanazawa from Mob Psycho 100. If you don't know, he's introduced a minor antagonist who used his psychic powers to bully people and keep himself on top. Because of his superior powers and strength, he held himself above people. He did this because he was bored. It's not shown as well in the anime, but you can tell in the manga how dull he percieved his life as.

It's not until he fights Mob, who doesn't fight back because he doesn't like using his psychic powers for such means. Hanazawa is confused and views this as Mob looking down on him. His ego can't handle this and he ends up going too far, choking Mob out to the point that he believes he killed him. His victory is hollow.

Then Mob reaches ???%. In his unconscious state, he gets up and his powers get out of control. Hanazawa is initially happy that he made Mob fight back, until he realises that he screwed up. Mob decimates him and he apologises for everything. Up in the air, he has this moment of clarity. The world is large and he is small. His power doesn't mean anything.

He apologises to Mob, and that's the end.

The next time we see him, he's admonishing someone for using their psychic powers willy-nilly. The best part of it: I can believe it. I can believe that, in the time we didn't see him, he internalised the message Mob sent to him. Being powerful does not mean you are strong. Protecting the weak, rather than holding yourself over them, is the mark of the strong.

It's a simpe yet powerful message that Bakugou could never portray, because his arc goes against this message.

'Save to win, and win to save,' is such a bad message. Because saving people should always come first. He'll prioritise beating the villian instead of the child three seconds away from dying because he has to win. His mindset hasn't changed. He started off only caring about winning, and he still only cares about winning.

He doesn't care about saving people, as is the message of heroism. He holds himself over the weak. He looks down on people and thinks 'I'm stronger than them.'

This kind of devolved into a seperate matter entirely, but I stand by it anyhow. Even if Bakugou's abuse was taken seriously, stans needs to realise that it's just a reason, not an excuse.

(Sorry for continuing this already long rant.)

I need Bakugou stans to realise that it's not that I hate him as a person. It's that I hate him as a character.

A lot of my favourite characters are unrepentant assholes, or assholes who are set to or have already been redeemed. Vegeta from DBZ, Ouma Kokichi from DGR: V3, Dio from JoJo, Laxus from Fairy Tail, Greed from FMA: B, Bill from Gravity Falls, and the list that goes on.

If a character is a terrible person, that's fine by me. But if the author tries and fails to redeem them, yet still acts as though they are suddenly this amazing person, that's when I have an issue with it.

Bakugou was originally written to be a minor antagonist, and that would have been fine, if Horikoshi didn't suddenly go "I drew him crying so imma fix him".

Redemption is such a complex yet simple thing to do. So when you try to do it and fail spectacularly, um, yeah, I do not enjoy that character or your writing.

That is my main issue with Bakugou. I do not think he deserved any redemption, not because he's a bad person, but because there is nothing to convince me that he could change.

He gets one scene where he goes, "boohoo I lost and everyone is stronger than me" then cries, and that's supposed to be enough for him to become a better person? That is nowhere near enough.

There was no moment that made me believe he genuinely regretted and took accountability for the abuse he put Izuku through in middle school.

"He changed!" That's not my issue. I don't care that he's changed. I care that I don't believe in it. If there was a plausible reason as to why he changed, then I would be fine with it. Maybe I'd even enjoy him!

The fact that he's changed doesn't mean shit if it's not believable.

"That was in middle school!" Okay. This one pisses me off the most. That was a year pre-canon? Oh, wow, I guess that's completely fine! It's not as if characters are the way they are based on their past. Oh, Itachi killed the Uchiha clan before canon! Okay, maybe comparing a massacre to bullying is a bit unfair. Still, just because it happened a year ago, it doesn't mean it never happened. It doesn't mean that he's changed considerably.

"Izuku doesn't have any lasting damage and forgave him!" And? Just because your friend forgives their bully, it doesn't mean you have to forgive them. And, again, I do not believe Bakugou's apology was good in anyway. He was trash-talking Izuku, blaming All Might for Izuku's behaviour, and didn't accept any culpability for what he did to him. He didn't tell anyone else what he did to Izuku. Also, if Izuku really didn't have any lasting damage from the bullying, then why did Bakugou's apology make him calm down? If he didn't care about the bullying, then why is he so relieved by the apology? BECAUSE HE WAS AFFECTED.

"Bakugou was being abused!" ... NO HE WASN'T!! Mitsuki is not abusive. Yes, she hit him round the back of his head. After he threatened her. Anyone with Asian parents can tell you that her hit does not hurt. Not only is it somewhat normal in Asian families, but it also doesn't hurt. We have no evidence that she is abusive. Horikoshi knows how to set up abusive families, as seen with the Todorokis. This not that. Either way, even if she was, being abused doesn't mean it's okay to abuse others. You can hurt without hurting others.

"It's the school and teacher's fault!" No, it's not. Part of the fault lies with them enabling him, but Bakugou is already fifteen when the series starts. His mother clearly doesn't agree with his attitude. The school is only partially to blame. Bakugou should have learned by himself what is right and what is not. In fact, he clearly does know considering he doesn't want any of that stuff on his records in case U.A. rejects him.

Again. I don't care if he's a terrible person. I care that he's a terrible character.

So the next time someone says that I'm stuck in Season One, take a moment and think about what you're saying. Bad people in fiction are entertaining. Bad characters are not.

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Please tell me there’s a part 3 to amnesia ethan? This is too heartbreakingly good -ohdolans

Part 1 Part 2   

Warnings: angst, language

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm not breaking up with you." Ethan states, making Y/N frown. She sits up, abandoning his chest with a puzzled look she simply couldn't hide.

"I'm sorry, were you planning to?!" Her voice is pitchy, enough to show the underlying anxiety he caused with his words and enough to make him chuckle as he props himself up.

"No. That's what I'm saying, I'm not breaking up with you. Ever. Even if this whole thing goes to shit, I'm never going to pull the cord on us. You'll have to do it because I-I can't."

Raising an eyebrow, she gives him a pointed look, "That's not fair. I don't want to break up with you." Using air quotes, she adds, "Ever", in the same tone Ethan used.

"Well, we'll just have to get married then." Ethan shrugs, plopping back down as she playfully rolls her eyes.

"Guess so. Grayson's gonna be living with us longer than the kids." Joking, she lays back down beside Ethan, ignoring the surprised glances he sent her way.

"We're having kids?!"

"Might as well if we get married." Pecking his cheek, she nestles back onto his chest, enjoying the sound of his heart beating. She doesn't miss when his voice sounds in a whisper.

"I'd like that."

Arms folded, she stood outside Ethan's room, unsure what to do. It's been a few days since she saw him last and it ended in tears and heartbreak. How many times can a heart break before it's beyond help?

A part of her knows she shouldn't take it personally, his words are coated in venom because he's fighting his inner demons and she's practically a stranger, but another part of her is just as angry and frustrated as he seems to be.

Memory loss? This is what marks their end? It's horrible to day, but it feels like he died and someone else woke up in his body. Ethan she loved is gone and she still can't seem to let it go; let him go.

Licking her lips, she swallows thickly before walking into the room once again. Grayson suggested so, but she was reluctant. Ethan's unpredictable at best, even with Grayson, but he's downright cruel to Y/N. At least she percieved it that way.

"I'm really not in the mood today." Ethan mutters, his voice low and tone unmistakably disgruntled.

"Wow, this is a new record. One step in and you already want me out." Y/N tried to laugh it off, keeping her tone light.

He turns to her with eyes slightly widened, lips parting as he takes note of her clothes - most notably his Positivity hoodie.

"I didn't know it's you." Ethan admits, licking his lips before turning away and toward the window he's gotten used to staring at. It was the closest connection to the outside world he's had in almost two months.

"I'm sorry I ran out the other day." She speaks up, determined not to let him wreck her mood. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing he said he didn't realize it was here - would he not still say the same if he did?

"I was being a dick. It's understandable." Ethan glances at her, realizing she'd come closer to him than before. He couldn't help but notice the wary look in her eyes, aware he's the reason why.

"You were reacting to a stranger inserting herself in your life. That's understandable too." She sighs, moving to the wall just inches away from the bed. She leans back on it, folding her arms as her eyes fall on the door, lessening her anxiety. Knowing where the exit is somehow made it easier, but also sad. She never had to think about an exit strategy with Ethan before.

"Except you're not a stranger, are you?" Ethan's eyes are fixed on her, taking every little change in her expression to heart. He didn't want to make her cry again. The sight of her tears left him in pain and just because he didn't remember her didn't mean some part of him didn't care for her, deeply.

Her lips part with his question, eyes meeting his so quickly Ethan's heart jumped. She's taken aback, hopeful and he knows he made a mistake again. He should have worded it better instead of giving her hope he remembered something. Truth be told, he had fuzzy memories of a girl's laugh echoing in his head but he didn't know for sure if it's hers. He doesn't seem to be capable of making her laugh.

"You left a bag here last time and I snooped. I saw the scrapbooks." Scratching his eyebrow, Ethan continues, "I recognized my handwriting on some of the pages. It's so fucking weird."

"Which part?" Y/N tries, afraid she's going to say something wrong and he'd stop talking. It's the first time he's the one keeping the conversation flowing.

"All of it. I read these thing and watch our videos and photos and it's so clear I was smitten with you and then I can't fucking remember a thing. It's like I don't even know who I am anymore."

Wetting her lips, Y/N sighs. "But you do. You're still Ethan Dolan. You are a brother, a son, a creative pain in the ass. Your mind is something to admire, your sarcasm something to enjoy, and while you may be confused now, I still see the man I fell in love with. You're kind and funny and so sweet. You make everyone's lives better just by existing."

Holding out his right hand, Ethan's eyes flickered to Y/N's who focused on his hand with wonder. He could tell she was uncertain about what she should do, but she reached for his hand anyway.

Her shaky fingers run across his palm and they're icy cold to touch. Her bracelet passes the tips of his fingers as hers curl around his wrist. It's impossible to ignore the number 8 and E charms on her bracelet. They signified him. To Y/N, Ethan was her lucky charm. He always will be.

"Why does touching you make me feel like everything will be alright yet your presence here makes me wanna scream for you to leave?" Ethan speaks softly, quietly as if she wasn't meant to hear him, but she does. It pains her to hear his conflicting emotions, even more so knowing they're just the tip of a very deep running iceberg.

"What about my presence unnerves you the most?"

Pulling her hand up to his face, Ethan plants a tender kiss on the back of it, bringing goosebumps to her skin.

"The expectations. I'm supposed to be the Ethan you love and I'm scared I'm not him anymore. I'm scared I never will be and that I'll lose whatever this was between us and it clearly meant a lot to me then." Pausing, he traces his thumb along her wrist, wistfully flicking the letter E.

"It's also the pain and love I see on you. It's like I stole something from you I can never give back."

Sniffling, Y/N swallows thickly. Ethan looks up, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. "See? I always make you cry."

Shaking her head, Y/N giggles. "These are happy tears because I see and hear the Ethan you think is lost."

And that's when Ethan drops her hand. The laugh echoing really is hers. The giggle confirms it. "What if I never get my memories back? What if I don't fall in love with you again?"

Closing her eyes, the tears brimming before fall. "I don't know."

Part 4

[ivyaugustetc]

hello!! i just followed u recently & omg i just love ur writing style!

could i please request a pairing?? i love seeing how different people percieve me.

so my pronouns are she/her, i have bobbed hair to my shoulders, i'm kinda short & i wear glasses (which i can't see without lmao). i'm SUCH a mum friend, always prepared & down for anything. i love photography & just completed my degree in film, i also love the outside & learning new facts to tell my friends. i'm quite shy & reserved but i love making people happy. i love cats!! space, nature & psychology fasinate me!

thank u so much & i hope ur having a lovely day <3

thank you so much!! this is the first one that i've read and immediately been like oh i know EXACTLY how this is gonna go lol. also i love people with film degrees just in general? i can't explain it but i love it. i hope you enjoy this as much as i did!!

ship: i'm shipping you with meeks + i think you, him, and pitts would be the best trio ever <3

notes:

okay let me first of all explain how i got to this conclusion because i had a very specific thought process lol: pitts is the parent of the group, so you two would vibe off of that, but the "always being prepared" and "learning new facts to tell my friends" just scREAMS meeks to me, so here we go :)

i imagine you two first meeting when you're in class together and the teacher is just asking question after question, and the only two people who consistently raise their hands is you and meeks

so the teacher switches off calling on you both and you both give perfect, immaculate answers, to the point where the other can't help but think "i couldn't have said it better myself."

so now meek's interest is piqued

now onto you and pitts ;)

i imagine you two would meet before you and meeks did, so we already got an established friendship before meeks falls head over heels

pitts also loves space and psychology, so you guys always have a shared interest to talk about

idk i mean you're just casual friends! you talk occasionally and wave to each other in the halls, super adorable :)

but then one day meeks sees him wave at you and he's like "???? you know her???" and pitts is like "yeah. she's super nice!"

and now that meeks knows his best friend approves, he falls even more

as much as i love meeks, this boy would not be able to start a conversation with you on his own, but when you get paired up for something in class, it appears he has his opening

i can imagine you slowly warming up to him throughout the conversation and, as you begin to tell him more things about yourself and your interests, his smile just grows as he listens

and he is a GREAT listener

so he remembers all this stuff and introduces you accordingly to the other poets, listing off the things you like with deadly accuracy that makes everybody realize "oh ok so he like. loves her."

((and he does))

HE ALSO LOVES CATS I STG he has one at home and he shows you pictures of him

on your dates i imagine you two just walking around outside, you with your camera, trading random facts back and forth, all while holding hands <3

and every once in a while you let go to take pictures of the nature or something, but you try to sneak meeks into the frame a few times

he thinks he's all slick every time he catches it and puts his hand up to cover his face, but there are a certain few where he doesn't notice, and you catch him on camera

and when you get the film back and show him those pictures, he's at first a bit embarrassed by them

but then you put them on your wall and his heart does happy dances

then one day he steals your camera because he wants to "return the favor"

of course, throughout all of this you become closer with pitts, and now you have a sweet lil bestie trio <3

at the end of the day, it's usually you, meeks, and pitts, sitting and talking about the most random things and wondering how on earth you could've found the world's coolest people so fast

[rxally-borxng]

Perhaps I though too much about distressed clon Luz from @ok-craig-ofthe-loud-tales-go post and wrote something about how I imagine one of Luz and Creepy Luz conversations after the war and everything else. Perhaps.

Random one shot time? Heck yeah!

PD:

Luz = Human Luz. She spent the summer in the camp.

Luz = Clon Luz. She spent the summer in the Boiling Isles.

* * * * *

"So..." Luz hear how Luz coughed behind her. "I guess I should say... I am thou, thou art I?" Muttered shily. Luz blinked and turned around, looking at Luz with severity. "Sorry, not the time for referencial jokes. I- I get it. "

And after those words, the park was silent again. Luz took a deep breath, letting her memories of years ago reached the surface. Or well, Luz's memories because she wasn't real and- And-

This is too mess up.

Luz hugged her legs, trying to keep her breathing steady and her thoughts under control. The last thing she wanted was to lost her cool in front of- of Luz. The real one. The wanted one. The-

Crap, she was crying again.

"Ey." Luz rubbed her eyes hard after Luz's words, in an attemp to wipe away any trace of tears. Then, she noticed how Luz has sit next to her under the tree, leaving a little space between them. "You're okay? "

No.

"Yes. "

Luz hummed, not really conviced about that answer, but choosing not to press the issue.

And again, both of them stayed quiet, glacing at each other without knowing what to say.

This is too awkward, even for me... Well, Luz.

"So... How are the Boiling Isles? "

The question made Luz start babbling shocked. She fixed her eyes on Luz, waiting for her to tell her that she was joking, that what she really wanted to ask was why she was there, ruining her time with mom- No, Luz mom.

But Luz only was smiled encouraging, hinting to Luz that she had no hidden intentions. She was just curious, or at least was trying to look intrigued about the Demon Realm.

"They're..." There were a lot of words to describe the Boiling Isles: impressive, dangerous, mysterious... But for some reason, those weren't the words that came to her mind when she though about the Isles. "Slimy. "

"What? Slimy?" Repeated Luz laughing.

"And stinky. And gross." Told Luz, noticing how she was starting to smile. "But when you look at them, really look at them, they're... Beautiful. In a strange way. "

"Sounds like a- "

"Nice place?" Suggested Luz.

"I was going to say weird, but they look nice too." Said Luz cheerfully.

"Well, they're pretty weird. I mean, have you seen Eda? "

"The old lady who has come with you? "

"Don't let her know that you think she's old, but yep." Answered Luz while she was looking at the other girl, aware that she understood what she was trying to say. "That's Eda. And she lost her head when we met. Literally. "

"You're kidding. "

"Nope. Apparently, be able to separated your body in pieces is one of the most popular sides effects from curses. Or at least, that's what Lilith told me. " Said Luz remembering how excited she was when Lilith was explaining her discoveries about the curse, after spending a few weeks with Gwendolyn.

"Lilith? "

"Eda's sister. She lived with us in The Owl House after she ran away from the Emperor's Coven. "

"Let me guess, the Coven is bad? "

"Pretty bad, but it's the Emperor's fault." Luz scowled. "There's a lot of good people who is part of it. Or was, like Lilith. And well, before we stopped Eda's petrification. And Willow and Gus believed that the Belos was a cool dude. And Amity wanted to join, so... "

"Willow, Gus, Amity... Those are a lot of names. "

"They're amazing. And the best part is that they really like you. I don't want to brag, but they're the best friends you could ask for. "

Luz was about to say something, but chose to shut her mouth, with a serious look in her eyes and Luz percieved how the moment was suddenly broken, not knowing what happened.

"Something is wrong?" Muttered Luz, trying to figurate out what was the matter. And with that question, Luz's seriousness was replaced by concern.

"You don't know? "

"I- "

"You said that they like me." Told Luz with soft voice.

"Because they like you." Answered Luz quickly. She noticed how her heartbeat began to increase and how difficult it was to breath properly.

I don't want to hear it.

"But... I don't know them." Said Luz slowly, with a sad smile.

Please, I don't want to.

"And they don't know me. "

Por favor, para.

"They're not my friends... "

No lo digas, no quiero decirlo. No quiero-

"They're yours. "

"They are not my friends because I'm nothing, okay?" Shouted Luz, squeezing her eyes.

I didn't want to say it... It's still hurt too much.

She didn't want to cry, especially noy when she shouldn't be allowed to. She wasn't real, for fuck sake! Just a defective copy from Luz, a magical puppet that didn't want to think like a puppet, apparently.

What am I doing wrong?

"I..." Luz stopped, taking a deep breath before she could say whatever she wanted to say. Maybe an apologize or... "I didn't stop a petrification spell. "

What?

"What?"

"I said that I didn't stop a petrification spell." Repeated Luz carefully. "And I didn't live with Lilith or Eda in a magical house, and... "

"What... What are you trying to say? I- I don't get it. You- "

"No, not me. You." Interrumped Luz frowing, although she didn't look mad. "I spent my summer learning how to pay bills-" Commented with a small laugh. "While you were out there, hanging out with witches and defeating bad guys with magic."

"Perdón... "

"There's no need for that. Camp... wasn't so bad, but I have to say that living in the Boiling Isles sounds cooler." Told Luz while she playing with a blade of grass. "I met nice people, got more interested in the real world, and... I guess I want to think that I'm more responsible now. But that's my summer, not yours. And the same happen with your summer, that is... Well, yours. "

"But I'm your-" Started to say Luz shily, feeling too lost and scared of what Luz was saying.

"Clon? Yes, but you're not me. "

"I'm your copy. I'm supposed to be you! Not anybody else! "

"But you're not me or anybody else. You are you." Insisted Luz, grabbing Luz's shoulder with one of her hands. "You can looked like me... Well, more less." Laughed Luz, pointing out with her fingers a little scar in Luz's face. "But you're your own person. With your adventures, and your friends, and your problems. And maybe you are my... Doppelganger, but that doesn't mean anything. "

"Luz, I..." Luz gulped with clenched fists, too scared to talk. Or at least, to hear a hopeful answer, one that could make her feel relieved. "I can't do that. "

"Why not? "

"Because I'm not real. I'm fake, a tool and-" Luz groaned when she felt the hit on her shoulder, turning her face angry. "¿A qué ha venido eso? "

"You were being dumb. Again." Luz rolled her eyes, not really affected by her clon's fury. "You're real to me. To Eda, to Lilith, to... Everybody!" Growled tired, too focus on the ground to see how Luz was starting to weep. Or perhaps she just wanted to give Luz a moment without any kind of judgement to express her feelings. "The only one who doesn't believe it is... You. And maybe it's time for you to start doing it. "

"I don't know how." After listening that words, Luz's sour expression turned into a warmer one.

"It's not going to be easy, but... You're were doing fine before all of this." Pointed Luz, obviously talking about the discovery of Luz's true nature. "I'm sure you'll figure out. And in the meantime, we'll be here for you." Said Luz, choosing that moment to stand up and hold out her hand towards Luz.

"Pinky promised?" Joked Luz, hiding pretty bad her fear and gaining a small snort from Luz.

"Pinky promised, Luz." Sweared Luz before she grabbed Luz's hand and helped her getting on her feets.

Both of them stayed quiet, and suddenly Luz broke into laughs.

"What?" Asked Luz, not really understanding what was so funny.

"You called me Luz and I don't know. After all this talk, it feels funny to hear you calling me Luz."

"Now that you mention it, it's really confusing to be Luz and Luz..." Mumbled Luz, beggining to walk back home, where Eda and Camila must have been waiting. "Would you like to be call something else?"

A new name, huh?

Luz kept silent for a moment, before she smiled grateful.

"That would be... Nice. Yeah, I would like that. "

"Okay, so what about... ¿Luzura la Bruja Buena? "

"I think I change my mind. Forget about the new name. "

"Come on! It's a good name."

"No, it's not!"

But it's good start.

* * * * *

If you're here, thank you so much for reading! ❤

Spanish dictionary:

Por favor, para = Please, stop

No lo digas, no quiero decirlo. No quiero = Don't say it, I don't want to say. I don't want to

Perdón = Sorry

La Bruja Buena = The Good Witch

[raguna-blade]

So this just occurred to me to think about but shared symbols in the persona series. I’m sure there are others that I miss, especially relevant to the first two games, and right now i’m looking at just the one, but there should be SOME right?

And in this case the one i’m thinking about is glasses. So in persona 4, the glasses the characters wear are used specifically to be able to see through the fog in the other world, that is to be able to better navigate the world that is hidden and obscured right?

Heck, a critical scene in the game shows the absurd difference wearing them makes early on and Narukami hot flinging them away in the final scene is an indication of him more or less coming to fully understand the situation and having “true” sight of what’s going on around him. Which is cool!

But what’s interesting is that none of the Investigation team actually wear glasses in their day to day which is fine really. It’s as much a design thing as a story beat but what i’m getting at is going into persona 5 then, there can be this expectation that if one is wearing glasses they have a degree of special insight/ability to see things as they really are right? Not strictly, but as part of the same story family it’s not like those symbols disappear as a thing in play strictly, they just wouldn’t be emphasized because that’s not really the theme here.

So it’s interesting to me then that every single character who wears glasses normally in this game (with normal including their metaverse selves should they have one) demonstrably has special insight into the world or events going on, or else just general insight. Literally all of them, i’m not joking.

We’ll go in order here, Phantom Thieves>Allies>Foes>Maruki, and there’s probably more i could go into here but for the moment it’s kinda idle thoughts so forgive that.

Protag: So the thing to note is that his glasses are fake right so that may off the bat give you the vibe that this is wrong but well, that literally doesn’t matter for our purposes here. That Protag definitely has special insight into the world and events however is inarguable. Having been cast out of the standard safety net of society he gets a front row seat to a lot of weird things that aren’t immediately obvious. He see’s through the masks of all of the targets to some greater or lesser degree (admittedly not unique to him, but the thieves as a whole), get’s to understand to workings of the world and how it specifically fails outcasts, has inside knowledge on several of the major players (Shido, Maruki and Akechi most notably) that isn’t immediately obvious that they themselves aren’t aware of all the time, and as seen through the Confidants specifically he’s a remarkable judge of character and an expert and understanding people, something he does consistently.

That his glasses are fake actually, now that I think about it, is actually an interesting trait here. They exist solely to put him under the radar, which actually works so there’s that element of understanding appearances, but the fact that he really DOES NOT actually need the glasses to “see” the world accurately perhaps rolls back to his Designated Role as the Trickster (or at least one of them, We will get to Akechi in a second), and his ability to understand how the world works or specifically does not.

Akechi: Akechi is interesting here because in the real world he doesn’t wear glasses, as Prince!Crow he doesn’t either. So...Where does he wear glasses?

As Black Mask. And notably, they’re red tinted lenses, which actually lines up with another thing here. He does have true insight (and he’s sharp as hell we can’t possibly deny that) but he also, notably, has a crazy distorted view of things. As was kinda pointed out during his whole mental break down in the boat, he didn’t have to do like...any of the fucked up things that he did to achieve his goals. Even if he still wanted to kill his dad or just ruin his life he didn’t have to do it the way he did. He’s, one, literally seeing red, but two for all that his vision is keen it’s also more than a little distorted.

But also, as the other Trickster, the more destructive one at that, he also has keen understanding of the world and how it works, breaks down, and utterly screws over those who fall outside of it. Indeed, his insight is miles better than Our protags given he was more or less kicked out of the system from the get go due to family matters and had to actively claw his way back into the system in the first place. But of course, going back to his red lenses, as opposed to Akira who more or less rejects the system and wants to see it broken down one way or the other, Akechi desires to be part of it despite knowing intimately it’s copious failings. He has the vision and the ability to see but also fails to act on it (a thing he explicitly states more or less)

Futaba: Futaba is perhaps the most straightforward here. Does she have inside knowledge of events? Some, given her understanding of Cognitive Psience for sure, but her talents lean specifically in computer stuff, and the varying ways of getting information and such there. Of everyone here her glasses as symbol match up the cleanest with the Persona 4 use, in that her clear view vision is related to the world of cyberspace and how all of that works. That they carry over into her Rebellion outfit likely has to do with her understanding of cognitive psience as well, which while (relatively) basic is still far better than pretty much everyone else in the cast save 1 or maybe 2. It’s worth pointing out that, if I recall things correctly, she basically was the one who put together that entire escape plan for Joker to not get hot shot in the face.

Sumire: Now here’s a fun one! She doesn’t get her glasses until the very very end of the game, when she stops being Kasumi and starts being herself. Another straightforward one in two ways. One, she is able to actually accurately percieve herself as herself indicating clear and unobstructed vision for her self. Easy peasey, but also, of the group she’s the one who most understands what Maruki is doing and why. Despite having issues with his end game, she also makes it abundantly clear that if it weren’t for what he did she probably would have killed herself. It’s an understanding that the others have a little of, but they also don’t have quite as deeply for as long as it went on with her.

Ohya: Straightforward again. She’s an investigative reporter, and a damn good one. She was on her way to cracking something with Madarame, before the story even began she and her partner had some dirt on Shido (which seems on one hand easy cause Shido is kinda sloppy, but also considering the range of influence he has even getting a bit is wild), knows Kaneshiro as a mafia boss despite him not really being arrested, and yeah she just get’s it. She’s sharp.

It’s also noticeable that her glasses are also distorted, in that they’re sunglasses.That’s not “clear” vision since they shift colors. Obviously, she’s going to see things a bit off, and in her case it’s less general insight and more specific to her present circumstances. Relating to sunglasses, at the start of confidant she’s stuck working entertainment stuff which she hates and isn’t fond of, but she doesn’t feel she has other options or the ability to follow her true passions in journalism. And she’s not...really wrong actually. She does have a correct view of the situation, because if she doesn’t stick to what’s what, she’s going to lose her job, but at the same time the degree of resignation is well also wrong, as she get’s into pretty quickly. She still has options, but at the moment she couldn’t really see em.

That they are amber sunglasses and she’s seemingly a depressed drunk i’m sure has no relation.

Sojiro: Sojiro is straightforward really. He understands the world, how it works, how it breaks down, how various things look, has a keen insight into people and events in general, and has insight on the main villain specifically. He’s not exactly trying to upset things no, but he’s made the system work for him to have a peaceful life with his daughter and ward, which is perhaps super impressive given how absolutely obnoxiously petty Shido is.

Kunikazu Okumura: Very simple, he knows exactly who’s involved with the conspiracy. Also tied with that, as he’s also a member of the conspiracy, is a knowledge of how the world as it is works, for better or worse. Like...It’s fucked up, but unambiguously everything he does do actually does advance his goals. As much as it hurt people, as much as it hurt his daughter, it worked. It’s awful, but it worked.

Shido: So...Shido is interesting. He’s especially interesting in comparison to the last glasses boy Maruki, but Shido is interesting especially because well...

Shido is right? Like, his view of the world as it is is kind of unambiguously correct. People in power have the ability to manipulate and reshape the world as they please, avoid the consequences of their actions, the world really is going to shit, and he has the ability to save whoever he wants, and he has connections and power that would allow him to basically reshape things as he see’s fit.

He’s unambiguously correct in this. He understands the world and the systems at play intimately. He understands the people he works with Intimately, to the extent that not only are their cognitive forms almost indistinguishable from absolutely normal humans, but they behave in ways that don’t even necessarily benefit him even in their assigned roles in the cognitive space. I mean look at the Cleaner. He damn near let the phantom thieves walk if Yusuke would have agreed to be his personal artist, and the moment he got his ass whooped he just left.

It is, frankly, a terrifying amount of insight.

But again, his glasses are off color. His view of the situation is, in some way, incorrect, despite this insight. So where does he go wrong?

Once again, as seems to be the case with all of the tinted glasses now that i think about it, the issue lies in self reflection. His view of the outside world and such is correct, but where he makes his biggest mistake lies in both his view of himself as untouchable (he’s not) and that his method of salvation is at all the only one available, or even perhaps tenable.

The second point is perhaps the more critical one. Had Shido used his connections, insight and knowledge for good he could very easily change the situation that was leading to the disaster that he saw himself saving others from. He could make things better if he wanted to, if he thought to, but his failing is that he didn’t and perhaps couldn’t. And critically, his belief that he and his would be able to be safe on that ship for any period of time when the world around it has been utterly devastated is well...short sighted.

Maruki: Last but not least, Maruki. While his insight isn’t perhaps as broad about things, what he knows and what he talks about is...Well. It’s another version of Salvation for sure, but it’s one that the phantom thieves and I think the players have to argue with. Maruki says it extremely clear, it’s better for you to overcome your hardships yourself, it’s better to face your problems head on and fix them that way....But sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you really just cannot do it, you cannot surmount the challenge no matter how much you may need or want to, sometimes you’re just going to be broken and hurt and in incalculable pain and that’s extremely fucked up.And if that’s the case, if that’s how the world is, shouldn’t it change? If the system is broken, if the way the world is is wrong, shouldn’t it be changed?

It’s not unlike the phantom thieves, although the direction and end goal are different.

[supernowa-art]

i got angry. and when i get angry, i rant. and when i rant, i need to share the rant with the void of social media, just to have an outlet.

if you don't agree with me, i don't care. not looking for discourse.

i watched this video, for context. literally no one cares but idk

https://youtu.be/5uaJ1XyRwrU

Ok this is about to be long so bear with me.

To begin with, why are we still gatekeeping? It's 2020. Queers should stick together instead of debating who's identity is "valid" or not. Let people be who they want to be.

Also, I don't know what your views on trans people are (think you've made videos with trans folk so I'm guessing you're not intentionally being transphobic), but the preferred pronoun law is actually meant to PROTECT trans people. Which is fucking needed. In 2020 alone there have been at least 36 people killed in the US for being trans. There are probably a lot more, considering murdered trans people often get misgendered by the cops and the statistics don't include them. World wide, more than 3000 trans folk have been murdered for being trans in the last 11 years. And again, there's surely a lot more we don't know about.

The preferred pronoun law that you mock is life saving. It keeps trans people from being outed where it would be dangerous to be outed. Most trans people are killed by someone they know. Yes, the law is there to provide an encitement to use trans folk's correct pronouns because it can induce extreme dysphoria to be misgendered, but more importantly, it's there so a trans person's coworker or boss is less likely to mis-gender them and out them.

And the part where you said you can get a fine for misgendering when you make an honest mistake; no, you can't. At least, that's not what the law is for. The law is for repeated misgendering, demanding license or medical proof that you are biologically the gender you identify as, etc.

As you may have already guessed by my passion for this topic, I am myself trans. Non-binary, to be precise.

Now, I know that we as humans love to label things. I love to label things. I love labeling myself! I like knowing other people's labels! When someone identifies as merely "queer", I get this itchy feeling of: "yeah, but what ARE you?"

I get wanting to label things. What I do NOT get is aggresively stating that someone's identity is invalid. Identifying as simply "queer" is fine! If that's what you resonate with, go for it! Does it irk me that I don't know what that means exactly for you? Yes. Does my inherent need to categorise people start shouting for attention? Absolutely. But it's their identity, and that's cool! It is really none of my business, as long as I know what pronouns to use.

Now, I understand the confusion and anger around this. Before I came out as or even knew I was non-binary, I identified as a lesbian. Love being a lesbian! It's great! I really identified with that term, and I still do.

But then I realised I was trans, and thought hey, I'm not a woman, can I still label myself as a lesbian? Should I just say I identify as "attracted to women"? Say I'm gynosexual and confuse everyone including myself?

I went with just calling myself a lesbian, because that is the term I've used about myself for years. When you said that this word is very important to some people, you were right. Where you were wrong, however, was when you implied that it isn't hugely important to us, too.

Because here's the thing: gender and sex are not the same thing, and more importantly, gender and what pronouns you prefer are not always directly correlated. I know this might confuse you. That's totally fine! I'm confused about everything almost all the time, I feel you! But it is how many trans people feel. I get this tingly awesome feeling when someone refers to me as he/him, because I want to be percieved as masculine. I don't feel like a man, but I want to be seen as masculine or androgynous. I use they/them pronouns, because it's easier than explaining that sometimes I want to be called him, but sometimes not, and basically explain my entire gender to someone.

I understand this feels threatening. It feels like someone is taking away your identity that means so much to you, and that you might have endured a lot of hardship for having.

But remember, us trans people have gone through shit, too. I don't mean to in any way compare the two struggles. I don't want to sit here and say "we have it worse", because really, it doesn't really matter. What matters is this: I get misgendered every day. When you're a binary trans, you can pass for being cis and automatically be called what you want. That will never happen for me. Unless someone asks me my pronouns (which is the best, try it), they are going to assume I'm a female. And I don't blame them! I see boobs, I think girl, too.

Now, imagine you have struggled with figuring out yourself for a long time, and you finally, finally find what you are. What you identify with. And then someone says that you can't identify as that, because you don't fit the mould. News flash, I never fit the mould anywhere, ever! The one place I have always felt safe and happy is within the queer community. And that's why gatekeeping fucks me up so much. Because people like me, who have been the weirdo all their life, hating their body and not knowing why, being confused and scared, not daring to come out, not wanting to draw attention to myself, finally find a place to belong. And then you get shut down. It feels awful.

Explaining that gender and pronouns don't have a direct correlation is hard. Because you can't really explain it. It's just a statement. Like: gender and sex aren't the same thing, but even harder, since it's based on experiences and not the fact that is: trans people excist.

Now, I know that this might have been focused more on cis women who use the pronouns he/him. And yes, like you said, pronouns do indeed give a big indication on what gender identity someone has. But it doesn't HAVE to. They might have a weird or bad relationship with their femininity for various reasons, or they might just feel like a woman but not identify with the female pronouns.

For example, I have a gender I know what my feels like. But I can't explain it for the life of me. Try explaining your gender in detail! It's a lot harder than you think, and it gets even harder to explain when the words aren't even invented.

A he/him lesbian is not a man trying to make fun of your identity, I promise. It's someone who either doesn't have any other word to use (like me), feels a strong connection to the word and associated identity (also me), or a woman who doesn't want to be labeled as she/her for various reasons, but who is attracted to other women. We are not here to shit on your identity! Please don't shi on ours!

I know that probably no one will read this absolute monster of a comment, and that's ok. I got so upset I actually teared up a little bit, so I felt like I had to express myself or I would be thinking about it indefinitely.

Please, if anyone's reading: be respectful. Understand that understanding others is hella difficult, but we have to try, and that both gender and sexuality is very fluid and complicated.

I tried to be as respectful as possible, please have the same courtesy if you intend to commt on my comment, so to speak.

Sad but hopeful lesbian signing off!

[life-rewritten]

The Relationship of Tul and Tin- A Chance To Love episode 5 vs The Heirs (a comparison) Part 1/2

Warning!! Massive essay ahead about A chance to love.  I know people hate to read long essays but try give this a go. Breaking down Tul and Tin’s heartbreaking dynamic is just so insane and I want people to see the layer of depth Mame writes her characters, Took me 4 hours to write and edit. So please if  you can read it and let me know your opinon. 

I find it fascinating that the works of two of my favourite authors' work have a lot of connections though they write for two different genres. One is Kim Eun Sook a Korean drama writer with the work known as Heirs (This wasn't her best work, but it's what I will be analysing today) and Two is Mame, a Thai writer with the work A Chance To Love (ACTL). At first, I thought the similarities don't add anything when analysing the show. Still, after episode  5 of ACTL, I ended up running back to the Heirs and realising the amount of analysis derived from putting the two together. We're going to focus on Tin and Tul, two brothers that are placed in the spotlight in episode 5 of ACTL and we're going to try and understand the characterisation of Tul. Is he really evil cold-hearted and cruel for no reason, or is there a part of humanity still with this character. Let's find out.

Let's first summarise the two shows; why they are similar in terms of character breakdown and arc?

THE HEIRS

In Heirs, we're introduced to Tan and Won two brothers who conflict with each other. The first episode starts with Tan tricked into being exiled abroad by his older brother, he realises the reason as he stays abroad, his brother sees him as a competition for the 'throne,' i.e. their father's heritage to the company. Won sees Tan as a dangerous rival, now that he's managed to secure being the president of the company. Story short Tan and Won are half brothers, Won's mum is no longer living in the household. Tan's mum has moved in as the mistress; the father is waiting for Tan to grow and also be involved with the company, Won who loves the company and wants to keep running it does not wish Tan to steal it from him. So even when Tan returns to Korea later and tries to convince his brother, he does not care about the company affairs, Won refuses to speak to him, moves out and keeps Tan at a distance.

Meanwhile, Tan falls in love with his servant's daughter, and Won realises he has to sacrifice his own relationship with also a girl from different status to him for an arranged marriage with one of his father's partners if he wants to keep the company afloat. As the story goes on though Won starts to bond with Tan again and later takes place as his father figure, protecting his brother's new relationship, taking over the company but at the cost of his own true love. He ends up choosing to get engaged to protect both the company and prevent Tan from having to lose his own lover. His ending is bittersweet, but we're happy he and Tan are together again, a team and dedicated brothers.

ACTL (1-5)

A chance to love follows Tin who is in university and has just started to fall for someone not of his status Can. His brother Tul is also a workaholic, with an unknown wife and a five-year-old child and we can tell he also had an exciting relationship with one of his servants who's no longer with him. Tul has a mask on, he smiles and acts on the surface but when he's with Tin although he pretends, he leaves snide marks and triggers Tin who now detests his brother. Tin used to look up to Tul when they were young (again he took his pseudo father figure position) but Tin later realises Tul was out to get rid of him and also send him abroad with a ruined reputation. Because of this Tin is now cold-hearted and does not trust people anymore, and is determined to tear off his brother's mask. Meanwhile, Tul laments about his choices that made him this way, and we see that he also is suffering in the environment he was forced to be in.

See the similarities? Two brothers with two similar type of lovers, who are forced to hate each other because of the environment somebody nurtured them in. I want to go deeper into each of the dynamics and why it's easy to connect it to Tul's arc and answer the question posed in this post,

THE PERCIEVED FIGHT FOR THE ‘THRONE’

The similarities between Tul and Won is the need to succeed to prove they are essential to their family. The family dynamics between the two is simple; they've been tossed aside by the family because of a new arrival by Tin and Tan. For Won he loves to work for the company of his father, his goal is to own it one day, he enjoys the work he does for the family. For Tul, whilst it's not yet clear,  he seems to hate the path he's on, he resents himself and feels alone but believes he deserves it. For both to take over and reach their goals, a sacrifice was made.  Won gets married to a woman who he doesn't want to be with, and Tul also ends up in a relationship he was forced into to provide an heir, also sacrificed himself and happiness in the process.

Both believe that their brothers are in their way, will betray them someday if they're not careful, their younger sibling needs to grow up and actually realise the reality of their oppressive environment. Unfortunately, Tul is more vengeful for this, he's put Tin as a proxy for anger at all that he's had to lose, and he ends up betraying Tin more than the way Won betrays Tan. Another difference is how Won is deadly honest to Tan; he tells him never to return and stay abroad messing around, he warns Tan that he sees him as a rival. Tul pretends to have a mask with Tin, and makes snide comments alluding to their past but doesn't even bother to tell Tin the truth; he continues to hide behind an act which he believes is needed, as Tin needs more evidence that his brother is actually as evil as he found out and show this to the world. Tul has decided to keep that mask and never to let it fall to stay and control family assets and manipulate situations. Won did not have that much anger or energy towards Tan.

THE MOTHER AND STEP MOTHER

Another important thing about these two's differences and similarities is the abandonment of both's mum by the family. Won's mum and himself are not the father's priority (she’s dead), and Tan and his mum (who is the mistress) replace their place. Tan's mum wants Tan to try and fight for his assets and not let anyone steal his home, and she goes through the consequences of being seen as a mistress in the show.

Meanwhile, Tul's foreign mum was hated by his grandmother (They'll reveal this later) and she abused both Tul and his mum before convincing the father to marry a Thai woman (Tin's mum) and give birth to another son. Tin's mum, on the other hand, is selfish and vain and only uses what benefits her, she's actually not as caring as Tan's mum hence why Tin becomes more pressured to be better than his brother. The latter is faking being the family's number one son (in terms of talent, work and reputation). It's revealed, and I will get into this even more later that Tul damaged Tin's standing in the family and Tin's mum didn't care as long as she was still looked favourably by Tul ( more likely to take over the 'throne') 

Again ACTL has a harsher dynamic with Tul, his own mum isn't available to help him with his trauma, and he ends up being in a very abusive environment once she is kicked out and abandoned. Tin, on the other hand, has no love from his mum, or father and also becomes colder than Tan because of his own trauma from his brother and environment.  Tan's mum is actually naïve, gentle and just wants love from the father, her son is her number one treasure. She spoils him despite the stifling environment he's in because of his brother and stepmother and father who fuels that.

The Love Interest

Both brothers also have a similar arc with their love interests, one is darker, but let's focus overall on the meaning. Won is in love with Hyun Ju a tutor for the rich kids similar to the kind of girl Tan falls in love with, she is not of the same status as him, and he and her fight to stay together at first, break up and makeup. Once it seems like everything is right, his father falls into a coma and to save the business, he sacrifices their relationship for the company and his family. Tan, on the other hand, goes through the show always choosing Eun over his money, or society opinions, and chases after her. He gets her to fall for him despite her desperation not to and with the help of his brother later he manages to be with her at the end after having to fight against society, his father, arranged fiancee etc. Eun is his servant's daughter, and they met when they didn't know what the other was, she hates being bought or feeling like she owes a debt, so she tries to avoid Tan as much as possible each time a confession is made. Tul's story has not yet been revealed; however, we can tell he also was in a secret 'taboo' relationship with his servant. Actually, he and Hin have known each other since they were kids, Hin saw the abuse and pain Tul went through and chose to become Tul's 'light/help', they both were traumatised when little by the grandma

. However, we see Tul feel resentful for whatever choice he made (marrying someone or getting someone pregnant) because he also agrees Hin left him because of these decisions, Hin like Hyun Jo is still in love with Tul and can't forget him. Hyun Jo was a victim at the end of Heirs, but from what can be derived from dialogue,  Tul and his wife aren't close anymore, might be divorced once he got his heir, but Hin is no longer with him by his side. The love interest for both Won and Tul actually mirrors the relationship both their brothers later have with people who are similar to their lovers. The difference is Tin, and Tan's relationships are more happier, lighter and linked to idealistic love stories whilst Tul and Won's focus on the reality and truth of the sacrifices they had to make. Tul is going to have more reasons to be jealous of Tin when he discovers he's found himself someone like Hin in his life who is just as loyal and bright. This means because of this jealousy he could be the villain and try ruin TinCan or he could only try to prevent Tin from entering a situation where he'll be unhappy (if he's not actually evil). Either way, Tul will try and stand in the way of TinCan. 

Storyline

Both Tul and Won sacrifice their happiness and actual self for the partaking of their family customs, both to protect the reputation their family has, and to accept the role that they have to be as the oldest son. Won at first is scared of Tan and tries to push him away. Just like Tin, Tan keeps going to Won to try and uncover his mask (however he doesn't resent his brother, he's trying to get his brother to accept him as his brother and be his pseudo father figure).

Tul uses Tin as a proxy for the abuse he suffered, and wants to get revenge on both Tin and Tin's mum for causing his circumstances, Tul's mindset is warped, he's been emotionally, physically and mentally abused and so vengeance and anger is what he clings onto to keep him going, (this even shows up in his consensual sadomasochism relationship with Hin which I'm not sure is going to be similar in the show).

Either way, Tul only chooses to be number one, and take back 'the throne' by ensuring Tin's reputation is ruined, and he's not seen as a threat. He also later gives in when he's forced to marry and get someone pregnant for the sake of his reputation and also ends up hurting Hin. Tul's story is like a continuation of what happened to Won at the end of Heirs (Won however as I said before has more humanity and less trauma so even though he's heartbroken he's mended the relationship with his family, and friends and so is still happy), Tul's chosen to sacrifice and now has the child, but he believes he doesn't have the right ever to be happy and doesn't have the emotional, psychological capacity to believe in trust, love or hope.  He's broken and damaged, and the only person who knows his most authentic self is Hin. Tul might not be like Won in terms of not actually wanting to hurt or ruin Tan, he's determined to ensure Tin doesn't get in his way but shows some conflicting emotions each time Tin comes to him to stand up to him.

So is Tul as evil as we think he is or is he just someone who's layers need to be uncovered to sympathise and understand? I’ll continue this in part 2. Here

[dutifullybitchypeach]

My two cents worth for the first six chapters and some reasoning around IC and Nesta. All my own personal opinion. Read if you want but it's just my general thoughts. Please, please don't flip if you disagree. I love Nesta and the darkness she is in right now and her behaviour is taking over this sassy no nonsense Queen and it needs to change.

THIS INCLUDES SPOILERS.

....................

Is the House of Wind a prison...technically no. Nesta just does not have the ability to fly or winnow. And no one is on standby to be her taxi. She can leave by walking. Amren threw her that challenge on purpose. She's not alone, Az and Cassian live there. And the Priestesses. Yes it has dark memories. Yes. I know that and I take it on board.

On a side note, it's irritating to hear 'I'm not your prisoner" from Nesta (who I like!!!!) I think of Azriel, Feyre, all the Fae Under the Mountain, even Elide 💗. Then again everyone's idea of prison is different. But the fact remains. She CAN leave. It's just bollocks hard. For a reason

But we know it's what she needs. We know that. We don't have to like it. Not one likes the reality. The ultimatum is uncomfortable and harsh. Our way or fuck off. They are not suggesting manual labour or degrading her. They suggest training, food, working in a library, purpose, being part of something. This doesn't sound bad to me. It just sucks it comeing across as an order. But this is Nesta's POV and she doesn't do requests or pretty please. The fact I got riled up reading it is a compliment to Mass. I had to take a major step back and reassess. Nesta sees everything as an attack. And no that is not her fault. Stay with me! I agree people enjoy provoking Nesta ( Rhys, Morrigan, Cassian) and then get affronted when she bites back. At some point I'd enjoy her retaliation akin to her ripping their head off :) And their vow to never go there again.

The IC 'review' is what annoys me. The "we" will decide where you go from here if you play ball. My hope 🤞 is that Nesta will TELL THEM where she will go/what she will do with sass. But right now sitting on a rock instead of trying to train is fucking juvenile (Again I stress I like Nesta). She hates her power as far as I can tell. But she is so low she can't see the wood from the trees. Or the hand that is been given to her.

Does Feyre have a right to be embarrassed. Yes. I'd die of shame if my sister (I have 3 btw) kept at that again and again and again all on my families dime. Without even being polite or respectful to anyone. She's only ever provided for Nesta. Period. Not to mention being a high lady with all the responsibilities that entails. Living her own life (well earned) and well life in general! I mean Jesus, Nesta is not her only priority. She maybe ours lol! But Feyre has 101 things going on. Give her credit. She tried with Nesta several times. Gave her space and time which Nesta wanted while still making the effort to reach out. Nesta needs to acknowledge that. Feyre was bankrolling her self destructive lifestyle and it had to stop.

The whole "your behaviour reflects badly on us". Well yes it does. Nesta doesn't get a free pass. The whole of Pyrithian is rebuilding and our girl is pissing away money. That's not even hers! Her behaviour does undermine the Court, folks must eye roll when IC lay down the law when your sister/ sister in law is prancing around being a with a big fuck you. Everyone is broken and rebuilding. And it's a slap in the face. Is the saving face irrelevant to Nestas issues, yes! But is Feyre allowed to feel fucked over, yes! Sisters say shit when they fight. Arguments are not flawless debates. Their emotive and bring out the worst in people. Feyre darling is feeling the pressure of being high lady and it came out all wrong. Especially when it's your sister acting up.

And Nesta never tried (as far as Feyre can tell) WE know Nesta IS trying, and surviving every day is a battle. But Feyre doesn't. Why would she. Nesta doesn't speak to her. But their relationship is so toxic that it's beyond Feyre to get it. And that is not her fault. NO ONE is perfect. There is only so much responsibility Feyre can CONTINUALLY take.

Rhys being there. I have a feeling that a male will not let his pregnant mate anywhere near someone he is afraid of. It's instinctive. Someone who hasn't trained to control their powers especially. He is on High Lord mode cause guess what he is a High Lord. This is his court and the people in it his responsibility. Not to mention the oncoming drama with the queens on the horizon and general court bullshit. Does he abuse his position of power.... well in this world the HL have the power. Everyone is answerable to one. Even Amren obeys the rules. Nesta doesn't/won't recognize that. Which is rare. They tricked and lied to get her "consent" surprise surprise a dick move from Rhysand/Feyre. We know they will do that for the "greater good". Lie, steal etc all in the name of saving the day. He screwed Morrigan over in front of her ass Father for flip sake! My point is the NC stability is his priority now more than ever if impending fatherhood is on the way. It's no surprise he wants Cassian to take on more responsibility. Nesta is a liability cause she is AWOL. It's worth noting he had this plan for months but Feyre refused preferring to give Nesta space and the opportunity to decide for herself what she wanted. So we could assume if Rhys had his way Amren and Nesta would have still been friends and it would have been far different. Amren would have been by her side. Do I condone his domineering behaviour, no not in a million years. And neither did Feyre. Will he apologise? Probably not he's an arrogant ass. And wanted to control the room. Fact. He wants/needs Nesta on board the team to bolster his ranks. She is that powerful. We KNOW he will do anything to protect his family (baby on the way).

Morrigan and her nasty comment on sending Nesta to The Court of Nightmares. Cassian acknowledges it's an insult but also the truth. That's a harsh fact on how Nesta is percieved right now. But I believe she wouldn't just thrive there, she would CONQUER ;) I don't know if Morrigan is referring to the people that abused her or the "type" of people that live in Hewn City...? Will we give HER the benefit of the doubt... hmmm.

Morrigan and that comment on good people giving Nesta the benefit of the doubt...that's Morrigans issue. She never gave Eris the benefit of the doubt and yet he proved her wrong with Keir. She's all over the place as a result . And she's been lying for 5 centuries. To her family. Cassian said he values the raw honesty that he has with Morrigan. Wow is he going to get a shock some day. Nesta may be a bitch but at least she's an honest one. And Morrigan knows it which must rattle her to no end. Point is Mor isn't supposed to be in this story very much and Nesta never really cared for her opinion anyway. So neither should we. I've checked out of Mor. Knowing she won't give Azriel closure or honesty just makes me not consider her opinion. It suits her to keep Nesta down in the gutter so her lie can continue.

Amren - her behaviour. I have to remind myself Amren is OLD, a stint in the Dungeon is probably a standard response! Her idea after the Summer Court fiasco and the jewels was to go there and crush them. Amren is by nature harsh. Which is why she gets on with Nesta the most. Cassian tells us she cares. Nesta can't see this. Her comment on Nestas sex life in ACOFAS. People ran with that. Fae lifestyles always kind of disgusted her. She wasn't Fae so bodily functions were an alien concept. Now she's Fae she's slightly horrified. Also no one else has much to say on Nesta's bedroom antics. Cause it's a non issue Mass doesn't do slut shaming. So neither should we. Speaking as a woman also here.

Elaine - we know Elaine craves peace and quiet. Confrontation is not her thing. Being there would mean Nesta would use her as a crutch, and I'm not sure Elaine wouldn't cave. Nesta pushed her away on purpose and Elaine choose to try and find some sort of contentment. That's her right and choice. Agree or disagree. She walked away or decided she can't deal with Nestas difficult behaviour. I don't know. Or is she oblivious to the situation ?! Who knows. Elaine is an enigma! It's the first 6 chapters! Right now they are two different people and have been drifting apart since ACOWR. Nesta is a dichotomy of pushing people away and hurt when they stop trying. It's exhausting for the people that have to deal with it. Who are not perfect and have their own issues and lives. Elaine has stepped back from this situation. Because either she recognizes it needs to happen or cannot sway the majority. Though I think Elaine did say something to Feyre, cause when Nesta pressed her she refused to say what Elaine thought. Just that she wasn't there and not part of the issue. Feyre is high handed when it comes to her sisters. Because that's the role they allowed her. Nesta is fighting back. And Feyre takes it personally. Which is only natural. They're sisters.

Cassian! Ah Cassian. He was spectacularly rejected and being around Nesta is a constant reminder. That's enough to make me cringe in a corner. He acknowledges he stayed away cause it hurt too much. He's a soldier and has serious self discipline. He has no idea how his behaviour/comments hurt her until she confronts him. Deliver him a few home truths. Another well deserved kick in the balls. Flirting with Mor, not sure his behaviour there has ever changed. He keeps it normal cause being around Nesta gives him the shakes!! Lol. He is slack jawed after Nesta and wants her badly, passion we know is big thing for them. It ignites them. Raw and real. Recognising Morrigan is aesthetically beautiful is just a fact. We know she's a looker. So what. Meh to this issue some people have.

We know from spoilers they start training and communicating and Mass is a Nessain ship so I'm excited to see this grow and flourish! I've read spoilers here on these two so I've no qualms.

Cassian for me is right. He and others have been through similar situations before so can empathise. But until she answers him back without snapping he won't be able to be that shoulder to lean on or turn too. He's not going to be her Prince though. Nesta is her own Queen!

I've read some spoilers on her friendships and I'm so happy. I've no idea how it will go but it says to me that the IC have a block when it comes to Nesta and don't see her the way others do and Nesta opens up to people who don't have a predisposed prejudice.

Also the IC have no idea how Nesta is going to react at any stage. It's like walking around on eggshells. Why would anyone actively choose to be around someone like that. That and very obvious fact they are BUSY AF. They don't have time to have a daily bollicking from Nesta. Yet all fall in when the plan is announced. Make what you will of that.

Some further musings:

Nesta being reminded she has to be respectful to Clotho and the priestesses is sobering. Like wow, people can't trust you will have basic manners. Again I know this is Feyre saying it but Christ to worry about that. Will be interesting with Gwyn and that friendship and a nice reality check for the IC.

I spent 4 God damn books understanding Rhys motives. He's a prick yes. Which I enjoy. But the bastard people are making him out to be I don't agree. Half of Pyrethian hates/hated him, Nesta hating him won't stress him. Or her for that matter. They have a 2 people they both care about in common and will just have to deal.

Training in Illyria, well Nesta is powerful, training in the mountains is probably damage control if she explodes. And a change of scenery from her prison!

Rhys was controlled for 50 years, Amren escaped worlds to be free. I don't believe they want to control Nesta.

Families are messy and fucked up. The intervention is a perfect example of how arseways it can get.

Azriel being Azriel I'm not sure about anything with him right now. I've read the snippets and spoilers and I'm all over the place. He is one of my favourites. FYI when I say IC I never mean Azriel I don't know why but I always imagine he finds it just plain drama and avoids it at all costs. Nesta is drinking and gambling away her life. Okay! Nesta is now training and we are all on board to help. Okay! Nesta is a powerful Queen and we are all afraid. Okay! Nesta has turned Cassian into a drooling mess and hes ass is hers. Excellent ;)

Sisters! They need to deal and respect each others independence. They are all in the wrong. It's just annoying at this stage. Personally I'll rip into my sisters when I need to but usually get a red mist when anyone else does. Even if they are in the wrong. I have a habit of always defending them.

So overall the angst killed me in the first 6 chapters. Did Rhys dominant shite irritate me? Yes. Do I want Nesta to make it clear she's not a pawn in his/their world? Yes. In spectacular fashion please.

Did Feyre handle it well? No. Does she ever deal with Nesta well? No. Perhaps only when Nesta is more inclined to talk. Which is rare. The ultimatum we know from Cassian sickened Feyre she recognizes it for what it is it but really cannot see any other option. Her fault or a combination of factors you decide. It was hyper tense situation we all just wanted to get through.

Would we be so angry if this was a soft approach headed by Elaine/Feyre/Amren? Would Nesta even react?

Cassian compared Nesta to a sleeping dragon who has just been woken up. Nesta needed a kick in teeth. A major reality check. Life in Pyrethian is hard. This a fae world. She is angry and incensed they have dared to 'interfere' and 'assume' she will be controlled. I want her to tackle her demons, confront her fears her issues with herself and others and live! Live! I've no idea what she wants and can't wait to find out.

***I've read some spoilers on the end. The rumours and the actual basic plot ending. I'm like Mass I love a HEA. And am hopeful I'll be satisfied. I had a similar theory when I heard the pregnancy rumour. A move by Nesta that would never have anyone doubt her.