#she deserves better and she is also not a good person. i should adopt her

[puzzling-reeds]

I know this has been talked to death in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's community, but....

This is gonna have spoilers for this almost 20-year-old show. You've been warned. This analysis is also long. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm a heathen who doesn't know what word counts are.

Early-days Jack x Carly is legitimately so cute. Perfect? Nah. But pretty dang good as far as Yu-Gi-Oh romances go.

Briefly recapping: After losing (again) to Yuusei, Jack's ego is obliterated, and he starts to question his past choices. He betrayed his closest friends chasing a life that wound up being so transient, and by the time he meets Carly, Jack's regret over those decisions is at its highest.

As a journalist, Carly has her own reasons for entering Jack's orbit, but she comes to realize he's not as self-absorbed as she initially thought he was. Carly herself is a foil to the old Jack. She's driven in her work but describes herself as someone who finds joy in the success of others. She's a lot closer to Yuusei in that way, as she's willing to put aside her own interests (e.g., getting the scoop on Jack being from Satellite) for the sake of other people (e.g., having a moment of human connection with Jack when he's at his lowest).

In the end, she offers him some advice. She doesn't try to appeal to his ego and instead states that Jack is capable of redemption. He should abandon his past conception of what it means to be a king and instead try to be a "real king," someone who "brings joy to everyone."

After this conversation, Jack resolves to be a better person and leaves with more clarity on who he wants to be, symbolized by him leaving behind his fake glasses at the end. Jack and Carly part with mutual respect and a broader perspective of one another. Even later heading into the Dark Signers arc, Jack expresses worry for Carly despite his secretiveness about the signers, telling her to be careful.

And then Carly

Dies.

Her last thought is of Jack and regretting she couldn't be with him again. That regret allows her to be reborn as a dark signer, and she and Jack rocket toward an eventual clash. Her dream of being together with Jack is corrupted to such a degree that she's willing to embrace the apocalypse and rule over the ashes with Jack. Obviously, this dream contradicts Jack's new character, and he knows the real Carly would feel the same.

Their conversation inspired such a fundamental change in Jack that he's only willing to kill her if he dies with her. Moreover, Carly is presented as Jack's better half. While Jack abandoned the glasses of his earlier disguise from the park, he holds onto Carly's glasses that she lost when she died. He clings to his memory of her and--to a greater degree--her values of compassion and vicarious joy.

Before Jack can activate his trap that'll kill them both, though, Carly activates her own trap that kills her alone. In the moments leading up to her death, we get more insight into Carly's worldview.

Carly's dying wish was to be with Jack, and she's now wracked with guilt for having desired her own happiness that wasn't contingent on the happiness of others. This is Carly's internal philosophy: She is only deserving of secondhand happiness. Obviously, this is an incorrect mindset. If seeking your own happiness is wrong, then no one would ever be happy. Jack makes this point in his following comment. Notably, Jack's point doesn't entirely sink in for Carly before she dies. She continues to view her happiness as subservient to others', adopting a bystander/cheerleader role.

Still, before she dies, Carly finally confesses that she loves Jack. They're able to be together briefly like she wanted before she disappears, leaving behind only her glasses that Jack's kept with him this whole time.

Jack also confesses his own love for Carly and later reiterates that love during his duel with Godwin.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Although they don't have too many conversations together, we get enough insight into Carly and Jack's individual viewpoints on life throughout season two. Since both Yuusei and Carly are foils to Jack, I think it's worth defining how their positions differ.

Jack and Yuusei are foils regarding their ideas of bonds.

Yuusei, through his duels with Kiryuu in the Dark Signers arc, realizes that he has an extreme view of bonds. He was willing to give himself up to the police for Kiryuu, taking credit for his mistakes, and that backfired on Yuusei tremendously. In short, Yuusei's fatal flaw is that he is too self-sacrificing. It's important to note that Yuusei's flaw is apparent during their Team Satisfaction days--before Jack's betrayal. Jack's actions serve to solidify Yuusei's self-sacrificial view rather than create it.

Jack is on the other extreme. Jack is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve his dreams, but after losing to Yuusei twice, Jack starts to see the fault in that logic. His dreams were shallow without friends to share them with. It's only upon talking with Carly that Jack formally resolves to do right by others from then on. He expresses to Godwin that Carly showed him that bonds are inescapable, and during his earlier duel with Carly, Jack is willing to sacrifice himself to be together with her in death--a choice he never would've made before meeting her.

In these ways, both Yuusei and Jack are on opposing sides of this debate, and other characters motivate them to remedy their flawed positions.

Jack and Carly, however, are foils regarding their ideas of happiness.

From her final conversation with Jack in the Dark Signers arc, we learn that Carly is hesitant to pursue happiness for herself, considering it selfish to do so. She celebrates the happiness and successes of others and must learn that it is OK to seek that same happiness for herself. Jack calls her out on this warped perspective at the end, arguing that everyone would be selfish if her viewpoint were reality.

Jack, on the other hand, is originally dismissive of the happiness of other people. He betrays his closest friends in order to leave the Satellite and openly mocks Yuusei when they finally meet again in episodes three and four; he feels no sense of obligation toward the well being of his friends. Carly encourages Jack to be the kind of king that "brings joy to everyone," injecting her own opinion that it is possible to find happiness in the happiness of others.

Another way Jack and Carly impact each other is through how active they are in their own lives. Although Jack is duped by Godwin, he is an active player and wants to view himself as such. He's openly upset at himself for falling for Godwin's appeals to his ego, calling himself a clown for doing so, and strives to take charge of his own destiny.

Carly, conversely, remains an observer in her own life. She is active in her career, yes, but her motivation to become a journalist is grounded in her desire to highlight and celebrate the achievements of others, not due to any personal ambition like Jack. This passiveness is further clarified by Carly and Jack's relationships with destiny. Carly frequently uses her deck as a horoscope, and Misty foretells that Carly will die. Even after Carly becomes a dark signer, Carly proclaims that she and Jack are connected by fate.

During their duel in the Dark Signers arc, Carly's dark signer voice presents itself as an extreme version of this belief: What Carly wants doesn't matter, as she has no autonomy in the face of destiny.

On the other side, Jack is the philosophical opposition. He backs Carly into a corner with his card aptly called "Change Destiny." He says that Carly inspired him to take control of his own life and encourages her to do the same with his "Change Destiny" trap. Carly has to choose whether or not to kill Jack (securing the victory she apparently wants as a dark signer) or benignly restore her own life points. She ultimately chooses the latter, proving Jack's point and his faith in her.

Even when he decides he'd rather die with Carly, Jack frames it to himself as a destiny he's chosen. He wants to go out on his own terms, not as a puppet of fate. In the end, Carly decides the same, saving Jack and encouraging him to save the world.

In these ways, both Carly and Jack's conflicting views push them toward moderating their perspectives. Their contrasting ideas of personal fulfillment and destiny make Carly and Jack's relationship rich for exploration, especially seeing as Carly still has room to grow by the time she dies at the end of the Dark Signers arc. What does her taking control of her own life look like after her revival? Does she pursue her own definition of happiness, and what does personal happiness mean to her?

So, what does happen after the Dark Signers arc?

Carly comes back to life but doesn't remember any of the Dark Signers arc. Occasionally, she feeds Jack convenient plot info or helps him out, but mainly, Carly pines comically for Jack, who wants nothing to do with her all the way through the series finale. :/

WHERE WAS THE "I WAS CHANGED BY THE LOVE OF A WOMAN" ENERGY???? WHERE WAS IT???? DID NONE OF IT MATTER????

Maybe the true clowns were the ones we became along the way.

Jokes aside, we all know this was a missed opportunity. But what could the writers have done?

My Clown Fanon Takes

Frankly, I don't think they would've had to have changed too much. Let Carly keep her memories. Let her and Jack be a couple. They can do cute cameos in the background together or a filler episode or two exploring their relationship while Carly follows leads and Jack duels. But most importantly,

Make 👏 Jack 👏 a simp!

And by simp, I don't mean pathetic. I mean have him actually treat Carly right. Jack has a rough-and-tumble nobility about him, so go the chivalrous route. I'm talking "girlfriend's heels are killing her after scoping out a gala for leads so you lend her your big man shoes and hold her stilettos" type chivalry. I don't say this because I think it'd be cute (as much as it would be), but because I think it's a natural extension of the relationship they already had.

Carly struggles to accept happiness for herself. Jack is learning to find joy in the happiness of others. It'd be fitting to have Jack sacrifice in small, healthy ways because it shows that he cares for Carly and that seeing her happy makes him happy by extension. Carly would obviously still show up to Jack's tournaments, cheer him on, and help him when he was hospitalized during the World Racing Grand Prix, keeping a good give-and-take balance in the relationship.

Similarly, the second point of exploration for Carly's character was ambition. In the beginning of season two, we see that her professional life is in shambles. Her boss sucks. She lives in her car. Keep her as a journalist, but have her pursue a different job. The WRGP is an international tournament, so perhaps expose Carly to global reporting while being at the tournament. Maybe she'd like to work on international projects?

That being considered, how would Carly's revelation impact Jack? By the end of canon, Jack decides to pursue a career in the Ride Ace Dueling league because they send him an invite. Instead, have Carly mention that she'd like to do more global work and give Jack a moment to consider what he'd like from their relationship and what he'd like to do going forward. Ultimately, Jack would be the one to apply for the Ride Ace league so that he can participate in global matches and follow Carly. It'd still be in his wheelhouse (i.e., working his way up from the bottom of a new league to be the king again), but more importantly, it'd be a choice that's in support of Carly rather than Jack's typical moves characterized by his own ambition. Not only would that solidify their devotion by the end of the series, but it would reflect a lot of growth on the part of both Carly and Jack: Carly has taken the reins of her own life and learned to accept joy for herself, and Jack has learned to weigh his own dreams and the dreams of others, finding happiness in supporting the people he cares about without sacrificing his own wants and needs.

Anyway, I fear I've gone on for too long. What are your Jack x Carly thoughts? How would you have carried their relationship into later seasons?

Thanks for reading!

[phoenixyfriend]

Hey have a fun AU I came up with the other day after reading a bunch of fics with related tropes

It's a raised Sith AU. Anakin was found by Sidious well before he was found by Qui-Gon. He was raised by the Sith, is a classically horrible monster stalking about TCW to be Vader (mask and all, just as an intimidation factor instead of life support) while Ventress and Grievous and Dooku do their own things in a different section of the war. He's got a Really Fucking Weird dynamic with Obi-Wan, mostly attempting to kill him etc.

At some point, Palpatine allows Anakin and Padme to meet. The romance that blooms is one that Sheev decides is useful to him, so he lets it happen.*

Padme gets pregnant. Sidious arranges for her death. Anakin loses his entire shit and tries to kill Sidious. Obi-Wan is off trying to save Padme, unaware of Anakin getting his remaining limbs cut off by his this-universe Master. (This is important, because Anakin does remember Obi-Wan trying to save Padme.)

So we have Anakin, who was raised Sith, and just lost the only things that have mattered to him since his mom died when he was a kid, and Palpatine has pushed him further into the Dark than he ever has. Anakin… knows more about the Sith Secrets in this universe.

Anakin finds a Sithly Time Machine. Maybe on Malachor. There's an owl? Whatever.

Anakin, someone who's been Vader for the vast majority of his life, wakes up at age nine. Maybe even younger, like six. His mother is already dead at Sidious's hands. He's already roommates with Maul. He's already being trained as a baby Sith.

Anakin, being a 20 year old war veteran, is much better at escaping than Sidious has planned for. He reprograms a medical droid to take out his slave chip, steals a ship, etc. All the stuff that Maul wasn't very good at, and Anakin was too young for, so Sidious didn't have the preventative measures in place for yet.

Anakin heads for the one place and person he thinks he can trust: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

(Obi-Wan is still a padawan. But this Baby Sith just declared him Adoptive Teen Dad, so.)

@lizasweetling (all indented bits from here will be hers):

Because Sith. Bad for mental health of the user and generally bad for their environs But also baby. And if hes dragging Maul around no doubt the dude is constantly himself confused why he is here Like yeah, Sidious sucked, and this 6-9yo is way powerful and knowledgeable on the dark side (?????) But why are we going to the Jedi? And not even trying to kill them apparently?????

Anakin is very much being affected by Baby Brain and Baby Endocrine System. He cries a lot more than he should.

I WASN'T THINKING OF HIM BRINGING MAUL BUT YEAH. THAT'S. THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.

Jedi Council trying to decide if this is more "Adult Sith got shrunk" or "child got evil man's memories." Vader wants to know why it even MATTERS. (He didn't actually plan on telling them, but he has very little self control right now.)

The first Good Act he does is tell them where to find Ventress and Ky. (In the original timeline, he viewed Ventress as like. Cool older cousin.)

Vader's right, that distinction does not matter Aaaw, she deserves that, that's nice Maybe she will be like 20% less homocidally traumatized

Anakin is furious when Maul and Obi-Wan pick him up under one arm like a package. He is a GROWN MAN he is an ADULT he was a SITH LORD and about to be a FATHER, he is TOO OLD FOR THIS.

They point out that he is Baby.

😂 sorry lord of evil, you're too baby, have a nap and maybe your feel better. Assuming the crisis on Naboo is still happening, and as such the vote of no confidence is right now, it might be a great time to report Sidious as a Sith lord. Post-escape from Sidious, both he and Maul definitely will need a nap. It's that kinda place.

Oh, it's probably at least a year before. Anakin keeps trying to sneak off to kill the man himself, but the Jedi are more ready for his Sneaking than Mustafar was, so he keeps getting caught before he can reach the Senate.

At one point he tries to just CHARGE the place and you get Mace and Obi-Wan sprinting after him. The News captures videos of this very small child getting chased by an older Padawan and a Master and they are mostly yelling for him to PUT DOWN THE SABER.

(Sidious might see him but what's he going to do? Might cause too many problems for Sidious to be aware of Anakin's presence with the Jedi, though. Best not.)

It's probably more expensive on average to hire an assassin on a child, just in general But on a jedi youngling??? If he can even find someone to do that, it will be so very, ridiculously expensive And likely 70%+ upfront payments

Ahsoka definitely seeks him out. Toddler baby child. She adores him for reasons unclear to anyone and everyone.

!!! Baby has baby!! Vader's probably a little thrown by this. Been a while subjectively since someone just loved him. And not even for like, a reason. Baby Vader coerced into sitting obediently for nap by tired kiddo: [The council liked that]

The number of times that vader could only be convinced to nap by Obi-Wan grabbing him, caging him in his own lap, and forced to Sit Quietly until he just fell asleep like that...

He has things to do, he's not tired 😡😡😡💢 (He's 9. Distances are between 150 and 195% longer when measured with steps, he's hungry (subjectively) all the time, and has only middling coordination He so is too tired)

Anakin doesn't know Qui-Gon at all but he keeps getting stuffed into the man's top because he's just. Small enough to fit.

Like the bomb boobs gif, but it's a small child.

the indignity

You just. You can't let him get too self-important.

Vader is Disgusted every time the pediatric healers try to talk down to him like they do to other 6yos.

The difference between this and other "Vader goes back in time to the Jedi" AUs (like Force of Many Sights) is that this Vader has never been a Jedi, and doesn't know anything about them except how they fight when he's trying to kill their friends.

Also Maul's there.

Because even he has a hard time taking himself seriously when hes so easy to manhandle Rest of the time; I am fear, I am death personified As luggage child: I am so small. The tiniest. I crave violence He's probably very annoyed they keep taking away his saber And hey! Obi gets practice not losing his! Woooo!

Something something Anakin clinging to Maul's back (piggy back ride) and chewing on his head or something stupid like that. Perfect height for head biting.

You know, the classic anime head bite

Maul probably has been nominally talked into this because this 9yo is a powerful darksider But he is also the world's most annoying tiny kid Maul would've thought his phenotype would make him immune to this ridiculousness He was wrong At least the teeth are a bit less pointy than his other little brothers'? Appreciating the little things

tfw your unwanted little brother drags you to what you think is a cult but actually they're way less culty than your last two places so you just stick around to keep an eye on the little shit

Anyway. ObiMaul for this one.

They're peers They're tired They just want to sit down and not have to chase this weird little murder child They have a lot in common 😊

They are all just a little bit stupid, I love them.

Qui-Gon is a Cool Mom (throws condoms at them and books it).

Yeah, that's about as much involvement as would be appreciated They probably did a lot of sparring before the tension broke Which did not relieve said tension, generally made it worse (Competence, athleticism, sweat-) Vader is confused, but probably doesn't mind He's probably glad they're distracting each other from stopping assassinating a certain someone (Which- that is 9yo hubris. He would need help to do that)

I still can't decide where on 6yo-9yo he falls but somewhere in there

Babies means easier hiding in shirt, teenie Ahsoka, and longer for him to convince the Jedi council to do a Sith hunt before the Naboo situation

Also longer for Maul and Obi-Wan to faff about being all Tension

* Vaguely inspired by the backstory of Rulebreaker/Wildheart, which is great but significantly more of a romance fic than this.

[amalthea-13]

Blitz Should Have Died

Introduction

Hello all, it is I, Amalthea, the Ultimate Stolas Kinnie and Stan. I want to address someone who recently commented on a post of mines. I will be piggybacking off a point my mutual @cute-little-fly made in the comments and a post they made that works in tandem with a lot of what I am going to talk about here. Give my mootie a follow, they're awesome! (Hi Fly UwU)

Heavily encourage ya'll to read up on this post. They post some great stuff. Anyway, onto my points. While I may echo some of Fly's points, I will be also imputing my own thoughts regarding Mastermind considering my unique perspective, hence the title. Hopefully, this doesn't get me into to much trouble lol.

Blitz Deserved to Die

In one of my posts I addressed the religious symbolism in Mastermind. Vivienne has been noted by Brandon in interviews as an individual who takes Biblical lore very seriously. If you want more information on this please read my Stolas, Mastermind, and Religious Symbolism + Classism Conversation essay, but in short the point of Mastermind is to show how far Stolas has come as a person.

Firstly, he takes on a punishment he didn't deserve. Blitz was guilty according to the narrative and the law. Regardless of how Andre and Stella spun it, he was in fact guilty. It was a deserved punishment according to the law of Hell.

Stolas willingly and selflessly put himself in the line of fire for something he didn't deserve. Again, from the Sins point of view, Stolas was merely coerced into this. (Not canonically), but from their point of view he was a victim.

Stolas could have stuck with that narrative and let Blitz die to protect Octavia from losing himself. He could clean his hands of Blitz and be on his merry way to find another partner or person to fuck.

Blitz's death would have been deserved afterall. It's not entirely Stolas's problem at that point. He doesn't have to do anything, nor is Blitz his priority in life.

Stolas could continue living and finally be rid of Blitz and all his emotional bullshit. Octavia would be happy and have her father!

There you go, Happily Ever After.

Toodles! Amalthea Out!

What? You genuinely think that is what I believe?

Unfortunately for you dear reader, I don't believe any of the above text I just wrote out. However, I thought it'd be interesting for you all to read how a lot of you sound when defending Octavia and saying Stolas "picked Blitz over her". You see how- sadistic that sounds? How cruel it comes off as? Sure, it's the truth, but- I mean is Blitz really that insignificant to me as a writer that I think he should be- written off and killed purely because he was guilty?

Purely for the sake of a character I relate to and understand?

Let's utilize our media literacy skills guys.

Two Things Can be True at Once

Personally, I get why a lot of people defend Via so staunchly, but good GODS it gets annoying when you all imply Blitz deserved to die purely for the sake of Octavia having Stolas in her life. I feel like many of you forget who else would suffer in the situation.

Loona.

While she is in her 20s and completely fine, Blitz is Loona's whole world even if she isn't willing to admit it. He is her ENTIRE support system and therefore, makes Blitz more important than Octavia's comfort.

I apologize if that seems- cruel to say, but in practicality, Octavia can go to the other Sins or Vassago. Literally anyone else.

Who does Loona have? Millie and Moxxie? Two individuals who are about to deal with a baby (maybe) on their hands? She's an adopted child with NO OTHER FAMILY besides Blitz. She doesn't know Barbie Wire at all. Loona has NO ONE.

I ain't saying Octavia's situation is better, but she can easily turn to other people. Paimon even if she truly needed it. Loona has no one. Blitz is literally her everything.

Stolas made a noble sacrifice to protect another girl who needed saving too. It was reckless, it was irrational, it wasn't well thought out, but he did what he had to do.

While I sympathize with Octavia's pain, trust me I know abandonment, I also empathize more with Loona. She was also put in an AWFUL situation, but no one seems to listen to or care for her in this situation.

The reality is, Stolas did what he had to do. I have mentioned before that I do not think Stolas thought he would die. While many may not agree with me, I genuinely think Stolas thought he could get away with just some jail time or even be pardoned to a different trial where he could maybe fight this.

Stolas in my opinion believed his privilege could save him from dying, and look at what happened? He LIVED because of his privilege;

Stolas: Um... *stands up* I mean...aren't you going to....you know...

[Stolas slides a finger across his throat.]

Stolas: Execute me?

Satan: Hah! Aw no, 'course not. You are a Goetia.

Stolas: But I... committed a heinous crime!

Satan: Yeah you did. But, you are demon royalty sooo... your life has actual worth.

Yes, Stolas was incredibly reckless, but he had privilege and utilized it to save a life. Isn't that noble? Isn't that worth celebrating?

The fact Stolas's plan actually worked, if my theory is correct, is beyond astonishing. In one of my reblogs titled Discussing Mastermind and Why I Think Stolas didn't believe He would Die, I discuss the emotional implications further, but I do believe Stolas was banking on his privilege to save him. Maybe he'd be put in jail or whatever, but at least he thought he'd be able to keep Via. He knew he was throwing his life away, but Blitz deserved to be saved too.

I do believe Stolas cares about Via, but he also loves and cares about Blitz. Those two things can coexist, and are why I think he ultimately made the decision he did. In my opinion it wasn't a question of "Octavia or Blitz?" but the question of "His life or your own?" That was the internal dilemma on the table, and without thinking Stolas saved Blitz, but in a situation between his status or his daughter? You all would be rooting for him to pick Octavia. It wasn't about Via, but if Stolas would willingly sacrifice his comfort for people he loves.

Stolas is an abuse victim and sacrificed his physical and emotional well being for Octavia. He does love and care for her.

To anyone who- insists on saying Stolas still doesn't care about Octavia, when he lost his powers and status, what was the first thing he said;

Stolas: [weakly] But, what about my daughter?

After his punishment, Stolas wasn't concerned about Blitz or himself, but worried about Octavia herself. That girl was the only thing on his mind after saving Blitz.

Both of these characters are deeply loved by him, and he has sacrificed everything he has for them. Both physical and emotional. Stolas has sacrificed his blood, sweat, tears, and bones to both Blitz and Octavia and I wish people respected that more.

Blitz Didn't Deserve to Die

As much shit as I give Blitz, despite being known well for being his biggest critic, I did not want him to die. Even if it meant Octavia being comforted by her father's presence.

I wanted nothing more than for them BOTH to walk away unscathed, but a crime was committed and someone had to pay.

And I would hate for Loona to also lose her father- Stolas made a noble sacrifice for not just Blitz, but also for Loona and that should be noted and understood.

Many of you will continue to die on the hill of "he chose Blitz over Via!" and act as if he doesn't love her, but Stolas sacrifices for people everyday.

He gives up parts of himself he shouldn't have to just so people are happy. He sacrifices anything he wants to provide for people's needs. Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, Stolas consistently throws himself in harms way to help those he loves.

I will continue to emphasize it over and over for you all as an audience, but everything he does, he doesn't have to do.

Even for Stella, he tries to remain loyal and even keep things comfortable despite his own suffering and internal turmoil.

Stolas didn't want Blitz to die, and therefore that should be merit enough to understand that Blitz didn't deserve it, even if Octavia remains upset.

Octavia Will Get Over It

I have been in this girl's shoes. While it all- stings and hurts for so long. You learn to move on and that at some point you have to let go.

Unlike Via tho... I went years without closure. For Octavia, closure is just around the corner and in some ran down apartment rented by some red dickhead.

She'll get through her feelings and eventually realize where she and her father need to talk and communicate.

I know saying she'll "get over it" is cruel, but she is a young adult. She has to learn that adults have to at some point choose themselves. That they can't- give of themselves infinitely.

What Stolas and Octavia had wasn't sustainable, the constant- expectation he'd willingly choose her over everyone is simply unrealistic. Stolas needs room to grow and love himself. Via needs to learn some independence and that she will be okay with or without Stolas.

She will be okay.

Conclusion

While this may be- a convoluted post, I do hope you all understand why I push back against this argument so hard. Shoutout to my mootie Fly again. Your original comment inspired this whole mess lol.

Toodles, Amalthea Out!

[agirlwithglam]

what to do when someone makes you feel insecure

✧*. * · ~ thewizardliz 💋💜

✬ i very very very very highly recommend thewizardliz. shes been so helpful to me this past year and if youre not watching her, then what are you doing with your life?? she is the secret which gave me self love and confidence in myself!! i love this woman so much, when she uploads a video my day just brightens☀️.

This post is going to be completely about her video and the points she made. These are just some summaries but it’s best to watch the video bc the way she says it makes all the difference. full credits to this stunning queen for this post. ✬

★ look at the kind of insults someone gives you;

most people hate on others and say nasty things about others because they feel bad about themselves.┊ so what are they insulting you about? your looks, your intelligence, your personality, what is it? remember that "everything someone is insulting you about with no reason- that is something that they are insecure about with themselves." when someone says something to you, understand that it's just a reflection of themselves. and then just pity them and leave bc u dont need that kind of negative energy around you baby💅

★ find yourself. create yourself. KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

"when you know who you are without this person, no one can shake or rock your boat! your boat has to be stable first." you need to learn to be so stable and secure in yourself that whatever comes in, it cannot affect you in anyway! if someone comes up to you and says "you're purple" would you take it seriously? no ofc not!! you may even laugh in their face because you know that you're not purple so whatever anyone says- it does not affect you. so those insults would go 1 ear in, and through the other ear out.

★ never allow anyone to talk down on you.

when you allow someone to talk down at you for the first time, then it wont stop. they will just keep going on and it will only get worse down the line. "toxic people dont get nicer down the line." so once you tell them to stop and they continue, that is officially disrespecting me. you can leave, cut them out of your life.

★ give them a passive aggressive comment back.

(in the video liz gave some examples of things to say back and DAMNN she ate it up!) just adopt the ✨bimbo mentality✨ and act stupid :) example from her video:

someone: "you dont look good today... you look kinda ugly" liz: "aww thankyou, you know i love to look at you and everyday you just give me inspiration to be confident because if you look like that and you can be confident, then i can too."

UMMM OKAYY SHE ATE THAT AND LEFT NO CRUMBS 😋😍

★ are they even worth your time and energy??

absolutely not. those people are WAYYY beneath you honey. walk away. just walk away from these pathetic people. you will find SO MUCH better than them for they are literally UNDER THE BARE MINIMUM. "if someone has to insult you to bring you down, girl you're already above them" also look at the people you're constantly spending your time with. do they help you? do they grow you? do they add ANY kind of value?? no? then why are they still there?? why are YOU still hanging around them??? bc when does your life change? when YOU change.

★ we accept the love that we think we deserve.

why on earth do u think that this is the best you can do?? why do you think that someone who disrespects you is the best you can do? do you really think you're not worthy of the same amount of love you give out?? there are literally people out there who believe that they deserve the best and they get that! but you here are doubting yourself?? huhh?? honey what??

★ what do YOU want?

so many times we're constantly thinking 'how can we make this person happy' , 'what does this person want' , etc etc. but what about you honey? what do you want out of life, out of your relationships, etc.? genuinely, they should actually feel BLESSED to be in the same room as you, to breathe the same air as you. and here you're letting people come and talk down on you? like are you serious? PROTECT YOURSELF.

★ surround yourself with people that grow with you.

people who you surround you with, they should make you feel like the king/ queen of earth! they are meant to hype you up! they should tell you that you're amazing and beautiful! because if you don't then theres no benefit. why be with icky toxic people when you can be with people who will love you the way you love them? "im too pretty to accept this behaviour".

★ lead with your actions, not your words.

its time you stop saying stuff like "im gonna leave if you continue doing this" , "i will do this... i will do that.." no. just leave. you've said it once and they continued? shut up and leave.

start to create your exit plan. i understand that for some people, they arent able to just leave because of problems related to money, health, knowledge, a community etc. so thats why you need to start creating an exit plan.

if its money you need then start thinking: how can i get money? what job? how can i save up to live on my own? if its friends so you don't feel lonely: how can i make friends? can i join a club or a community with people like me? how can i start to meet new people? if its knowledge so you understand more about it: how can i start to educate myself about this? can i go to a library and find a book on this? can i search it up online? is there anyone else who's been through the same think and i can take advice from them?

★ not everyone you lose is a loss.

sometimes a loss is a gain. if people in your life right now have been disrespecting you and now they've left or you've left, thats a gain!! looking back the people i was friends with before- i needed them so i could grow and gain knowledge. and when they stopped being a significant part of my life, that was a gain. "it wasnt a loss, it was a lesson"

"just know that you're the queen of the earth and you can do and get anything you want if you set your mind to it."

"if you have a good heart and pure intentions, then you deserve people with the same intentions and the same heart."

[pollsonmorenichetopics]

Disproportionate Retribution Poll Finals:

Foxy Loxy's (Chicken Little) Disproportionate is:

"She was basically just the school bully and star baseball player and a KID and. Not only did all of her efforts to get the team to the final game get completely forgotten when Chicken Little's FLUKE won the game, but when aliens invaded and she tried to fight back she got ZAPPED AWAY and then LOBOTOMIZED when being zapped back at the end. And the aliens could have fixed that but then Runt goes "no, she's perfect" AND SO SHE STAYS LOBOTOMIZED. FOR BEING MEAN TO THE PROTAGONIST. THAT WAS SO FUCKED UP"

"She was mean to Chicken Little (just like the rest of the town) and just generally self-absorbed. At the end of the movie one of the aliens says that there has been “an error in reconstitution” which caused her brain waves to be scrambled, completely changing her personality. The aliens do offer to turn her back, but Runt likes her better this way and she just stays like that forever I guess.

She was a bully, but I think being completely brainwashed is a slightly over the top punishment (especially since the rest of the town, including the adults, were also pretty horrible to Chicken Little and they got of scot-free)"

"The crime: bullying Chicken Little along with the rest of the town. The punishment: being physically rearranged into having a more "feminine" personality and one of the main characters refusing to let the aliens fix her because he wants a girlfriend. Why it's over the top: aside from the obvious, the rest of the town gets off scot-free for some reason, it's ONLY the tomboy bully who gets rearranged like this."

"She bullied the main character. But her getting lobotomised permanently in the end was way too far, especially since it could've been fixed. The only reason it wasn't was because a boy wanted her to stay that way because he liked it. Also she was a kid and literally the whole town was made up of bullies. She was just the only one to be punished so harshly, and in such a creepy way."

"Okay, in the original story there's a chance she could've deserved bad due to being a much bigger antagonist, but in the Chicken Little movie, she's just a bully and a kid who is mean but also committing zero crimes beyond being mad that Chicken Little won the baseball game or being too mean in her bullying. Naturally, this means that, later in the movie, she's zapped but revealed later to be doing fine, but as a completely different person, her entire identity replaced into someone more girly than her tomboy self and cheery to a fault. An offer is made to bring her back to who she was, but good ol Runt decides that she's perfect like this and lets her entire identity not be restored in favor of having a perfectly palatable girl for himself. They are portrayed romantically after and this is not treated as something awful for her because at least she's not mean now"

"I know she’s a bully to Chicken Little and his friends, so she’s an a-hole for that, but despite this, I honestly don’t think that she deserves her brain staying permanently SCRAMBLED by aliens. It’s so bad to the point that people say that Foxy Loxy experienced a literal lobotomy from the aliens. And Runt of the Litter, one of Chicken Little’s friends, told the alien that they should keep her the way she is and that “she’s perfect”, probably so she can be his girlfriend. Foxy Loxy’s entire personality was warped, turning her feisty competitive sport-loving tomboy self to a partly-crazed feminine girlfriend for Runt."

Danny Fenton's (Danny Phantom) Disproportionate Retribution:

"He cheated on a test and as a result his entire family, all his friends, and the one teacher who genuinely cared about him died in a fast food explosion. He was adopted by his greatest enemy, who he convinced to separate the ghost and human halves of himself to try and lessen the pain, which in retrospect feels a lot like a form of assisted suicide for people who are already dead.

His ghost half killed the human half, fused with his enemy's ghost half, and used their combined power to destroy the entire world. His current fate is indefinite imprisonment in a container the size of a soup thermos. Because he cheated on a test."

"Crime: Cheated on an ungraded test

Punishment: LITERALLY ALL OF HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE KILLED (during a parent teacher meeting at a fast food restaurant?), he's forcibly adopted by his "rival" (aka the adult man who has repeatedly tortured this 14 year old because he wants to kill Danny's dad and marry his mom) only to have his literal humanity ripped out of him- his ghost fuses with his enemy's ghost half, turns evil, and then VIOLENTLY KILLS HUMAN DANNY (and then destroys the entire world)

Sounds excessive? Yeah! Sure, it could just be tragic coincidences so far, but stick with me. We're going to reset the timeline, we can make this better, right???:

TIMELINE 2:

Crime: THOUGHT ABOUT cheating on an UNGRADED test

Punishment: The Master of Time sends ghosts from the future to ASSASSINATE HIM, then is sent to EXECUTE DANNY HIMSELF (BECAUSE CHEATING ON THE TEST IS THE DIRECT CAUSE OF THE END OF THE WORLD APPARENTLY), but then he THROWS DANNY TEN YEARS INTO THE FUTURE OF THE PREVIOUS TIMELINE TO BE FACED WITH HIS ABSOLUTE WORST FEARS MADE REAL: the entire world was ended by HIM, everyone he's ever loved is DEAD, he was told of everything that happened in this timeline including the forcible adoption and his own death at his own ghost's hands, evil future ghost him TORTURES HIM AND TAKES AWAY HIS ONLY MEANS OF GOING HOME, THEN REPLACES HIM AND TRIES TO MURDER HIS FAMILY to ensure the bad future! Meanwhile Danny is being pummeled by the future versions of his rogues gallery because they think he's the evil version that destroyed their afterlives. Anyway he makes it back eventually (after his rival RIPS THE THING TRAPPING HIM OUT OF HIS CHEST WITH A DEVICE THAT COULD KILL HIM) and his family been captured by this impostor wearing his face, and after fighting for his life he finds out he was too late and HAS TO WATCH EVERYONE HE'S EVER LOVED EXPLODE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. Of course then the Master of Time shows up, says it was all a lesson, then resets the timeline to before the test again, leaving Danny with all the memories of what happened to traumatize him into confessing he willingly "stole" the test answers (which he didn't even do, they ended up in his possession due to an accident that only happened BECAUSE HE WAS DEFENDING HIMSELF FROM ONE OF THE FUTURE GHOSTS SENT TO KILL HIM) because he was fully intending to cheat on the test (again, false- his friends accuse and berate him for planning to cheat before he even considered it, which he later only thought about seemingly because he was already being treated as a criminal and he had no time to study since he was busy DEFENDING HIMSELF FROM GHOSTS SENT TO KILL HIM SUPPOSEDLY TO PREVENT THIS SITUATION), because of course that's a proportionate response

Why it's over the top: In what world is physical and psychological torture, kidnapping, repeated attempted murder, permanently traumatizing a child, making them absolutely terrified of themself and setting them up to be their own worst fear, and MORE a reasonable response to ANYTHING, much less a 14 year old kid (who just wants to keep people safe) accidentally acquiring the answer key to an ungraded test?!"

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne

Damian's drawing of people who loves him personally offended me when i saw the lack of Talia (but fucking Ra was there! So ridiculously absurd), Duke, Jason and more importantly in my opinion the lack of STEPHANIE BROWN! Barbara and Rose Wilson never had the bond he had with Stephanie not even Cassandra and im specially Salty about Maya because all the fuss about the "adoptive sister" That showed up right in the messed up new 52 as if Stephanie wasn't literally the fucking first big sister figure he had, this is so insulting giving the fact that STEPHANIE WAS HIS BATGIRL:

The Batman's no-daughter and Damian first big sister, Steph is a Bat member that is placed along Batman's children but she was never adopted and we could say she is kinda in the same position as Barbara, they can only become official daughters if they become daughters in law.

I firmly believe that Damian can't be placed along all the people that personally wronged Stephanie because... Damian has been an arrogant jerk with absolutely every hero he has met, he looked down on his own father at first, the fucking Batman! So he literally didn't discriminate Stephanie, because even if he tried to insult her saying he was disappointed to see she wasn't Cassandra, when he actually met Cassandra he tried to undermine her as well so to me that comparation doesn't have the same weight as when she was constantly compared to other heroes by other certain characters.

The little time they had together in the Batgirl run was way too precious, the teasing and the banter and how they worked together was so good! Stephanie was so good to him! She got him to be able to behave like a kid because she noticed he didn't even know how to play, she got him to play with him in a bouncing castle, she wanted him to smile, they worked together to save Dicks Batman and i always laugh when Damian teases her about "not having a big chest", Damian dear you were so fixated on that for no reason... Maybe Steph was also his first platonic crush... I think the second was Supergirl 😂😂.

(I miss them when they were like this... I miss them everyday 😭😭😭😭)

DCeased wasn't exactly one of my favorite comics regarding plot but it has a special place in my heart for being currently the only alternative universe that represented this sibling relationship as it was always meant to be until the disappointing death that was supposed to be solved by Talia and never happened as if they forgot.

That universe gave us a beautiful present and that was the very first time someone (wonder girl Cassie) officially acknowledged Stephanie as Damians big sister and not to mention the hug! 🥺🥺🥺 he actually let himself being comforted in her arms and hugged her back, when he saw her he even called her "Steph" Not "Brown" Or "Spoiler/Batgirl" and oh my god she became his Robin 🥲 and to me she is just the perfect Robin to his Batman after all... She was also the Batgirl to his Robin.

Another thing i want to point out, when Alfred was murdered Dick still didn't have all his memories, Jason was just too angry and Tim didn't do much, Barbara isn't that close to Damian so I think they totally should have used Stephanie here, Damian really could have used a big sister... Again wasting her character but I guess they wanted to use only the closest people to Alfred and sadly it looks like Steph isn't one... But she is an important person to Damian no matter how much DC wants to erase her, she will never dissapear! I can't believe Barbara and Rose Wilson and that pop out of nowhere post new 52 Maya are in that drawing of people who makes Damian feel loved BUT NOT STEPHANIE!! Even the horrible RA is there?! But not his mother or HIS FIRST AND IN MY OPINION BEST BIG SISTER FIGURE STEPHANIE!!! DC YOU HAVE A LOT TO ATONE FOR 😤😤😤😠😠😠😠

Fortunately the author of the webtoon family Wayne adventures has a better understanding of this and gave us the precious moments they deserve:

In my head this is Stephanie with her 3 best boys, the ex, the little platonic brother that might had or might not had a platonic crush on her and who i think is her very soulmate ❤💜

[julieverne]

Okay so

Maura Isles would never have gotten rid of Bass.

In season 1 we see him in the first and last episodes. She's so worried about him that she takes his heavy ass to work instead of leaving him with his usual sitter. She shields his body with hers (from memory) and he saves her life (she'd have been found if she wasn't crouching to check on her tortoise).

She calls him buddy. She calls him sweetie.

He's her only friend prior to season 1, where Jane and Maura start tentatively friending. He's a misunderstood stand in for her own psyche, for her own maladjusted attempts to fit into society.

She's had him since he was a baby. They grew up together; they both appear to be in their thirties. She's had him for life.

An aside here; I have a bird nearly my own age that I've had for fifteen years. I am disabled and considering giving her up for her sake but finding her a home is difficult because she hates other birds, and fostering her out is hard because people keep carnivores and she also hates men. Recently she started self-canabalising due to my heath condition reducing the amount of time I could spend with her. But I know how much work she is, and how hard it is to find someone who gives parrots the amount of attention they crave. I love her, and if I could give her to a good home I would consider it for her sake. But for mine? Her sweet fluffy face floofing out in scratch anticipation, her little chicken chuckles and honks and sneezes, her little beak taps on my arm before she clambours up it - these fill my days and I would be bereft without her. I suffer, when I travel, because I keep my heart in that bird.

So the insinuation in Jan Nash's season 5 of Rizzoli and Isles that Maura has sufficient human contact and no longer needs her lifetime companion is just rude, on behalf of both Maura and fans of the show.

The assumption that Bass, a house tortoise, with one/two caretakers (the sitter and Angela would also be familiar to him) would adjust to being in a zoo - okay, fine, Maura's working hours are terrible and she's never home, and she's not the most affectionate person with anyone but Jane and sometimes Jo, but to insinuate that simply because he's not a mammal that he has no feelings or routine - that shoving a tortoise into a muddy puddle and not talking to him - is an appropriate way to treat an animal that has been a family member for three decades - is disingenuous.

As for Maura allowing it to happen? She's settled in Boston, she has a permanent house guest that is familiar with him, and she's not the kind of cruel person to abandon something she loves on a whim. The only reason she'd have given him up - and this should have been mentioned in canon - was that he was having behavioural issues, from hormonal to boredom, that he was too large for Maura to safely handle - he's a hecking chonk even at the start - or that something about her home was found to be damaging to tortoise habitation (backed by several sources and cited in professional scientific articles).

Maura loves fiercely and often. She feels abandoned - by her birth and adoptive parents, and Bass was there to see her through, on the nights Jane wasn't there.

Considering Bass was only seen in three episodes of the show (Pilot, When the Gun Goes Bang Bang Bang, Killer in High Heels), the production cost would have been nil if they'd never had him onscreen again. Jo was also only in a handful of episodes, and dog actors are expensive, but dogs don't live as long, so they could have written her out any way other than 'we found her owners after Jane spent five long years bachelor bonding with her dog', but Jane's the kind to give up on people and things, so it's not as hurtful.

Maura has internalised her octracisation by society and harboured it in a tortoise. People don't understand tortoises. She too is misunderstood, so she vibes with Bass on a surface level, but after so many years, he deserved better than 'the zoo'.

Anyway that's my mini Bass thesis I'm tired.

And I added some pictures because he's actually very cute.

There's a thing about people who aren't neurotypical; we bond with things the average person considers ugly, emotionless or cumbersome, because we're often considered those things. Maura sees herself, the outcast Queen of the Dead, in Bass. And being abandoned herself, she would never abandon him.

[reddishwork]

Thoughts on Alicent Reverses the Hourglass post-Chapter 55 (spoilers)

Seeing as Chapter 56 will be a shameless smutfest, I just wanted to write about some of my internal process re my fic. I don't know if that's interesting to anyone, but this is really just a ramble.

The main way that I look at it is who will put their arse on the Pointy Chair 'in the end'. That's the crux of the world and the mainstay of every character within that world. Never mind the fact that only about 14% of them know anything at all about politics, diplomacy and the land's economy! When you consider it though, people do rise to power without understanding any of those things so it does make sense imo.

In the red corner (or is it black/green corner) you have Team Daemon/Alicent. As our main couple, they not only have the readers (mostly) on their side, the support of the Velaryons and the Lannisters and the power to correct time. Not that they use this very usefully. Daemon wouldn't be a great King, in my opinion. He wants it because he is the 'second son' who, despite being the better warrior and stronger personality, got placed as Viserys' second fiddle and so he's coming back for retribution - and also to save Rhaenyra from the claws of an unwanted marriage. At least that's what Alicent and Daemon keep telling themselves. Daemon understands power and strategy, but he is hair-trigger and bad with diplomacy. Alicent's influence would be incredibly useful here and I think Alicent, having learned from the past, would be a decent Queen and proxy ruler. Their chances are looking good so far.

Then we have Aegon the Reborn. We don't really know why he has been given a second chance yet but he's here and he's got better coping skills (and better parents) this time. Too young yet to say what kind of King he would be but we know that the Small(er) Council, Otto, Valery and Larys all prefer him vs Daemon. I suppose that means he preemptively has the Reach at least?

Next is Baelon the Blind, Viserys and Aemma's poor child who was born with a litany of disabilities. He's not exactly got the best cheering squad so far with his mother banished for years and his father uninterested in his general wellbeing - but he does have that 'Rightful Heir' card in his deck, plus the fact that he is due to wed his own sister in true Targaryen fashion.

We also have to consider Rhaenyra herself. She has a claim and we know that, if her brother hadn't been born, Viserys would have supported her. She's been having a rather rough time after her years of punishment at the Sept and having her son ripped from her arms by a woman who hated her on sight. If Rhaenyra claims the throne, she might be able to right the wrongs done to her, but does she want it enough this time around and, without Daemon, does she have the support? (and does she deserve to forget Westeros entirely and fly away on Syrax for some adventure)

Finally, we have the underdog. Jace. Though he doesn't know it, he's the Princess's first son and, although he is a bastard, he has a Blackfyre-like claim to the Iron Throne. Growing up with an adopted mother like Valery will either break him or mold him into someone indestructible and honestly it's the latter. With Alicent and Daemon's Helaena in his future, I, for one, think that they would make a nice King and Queen. It's too bad that his illegitimate parentage would cost him most of his support, as we know how Westeros feels about bastards.

And then there's the will of the witch to consider. She made all of this possible and she might have a pre-ordained ruler already selected.

Who do you think should have it because I'm a bit torn? (Let's face it, it's probably going to be Daemon. Someone fireproof the Reach).

[vindicated-truth]

Jeongje,

I assume Joowon-ah has given you this letter during one of his visits. Said something about including it in the gift he has prepared for you.

You know he now only has a Lieutenant’s salary, right? He lost access to all of his family’s money, because he didn’t listen to me when I warned him that he shouldn’t ruin his life for me.

He’s an idiot.

But he’s an adult with freewill, and it’s still his money, so of course I have no say on what he chooses to spend it on.

Besides, I don’t begrudge him choosing to spend it on you. Contrary to what you might think, I don’t want you to be alone.

I never wanted that for you, Jeongje.

That’s why I’m glad Joowon-ah is making sure you aren’t. Because… I can’t be that person for you.

Not anymore.

It’s why I’m writing you this letter. Because I want you to know why.

Because I’m sorry, Jeongje. I’m sorry because… I can’t forgive you.

And it’s not because I’ve stopped caring for you. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt this much if I did.

I really wish I did.

But the reason why I can’t forgive you is that the forgiveness isn’t mine to give.

The one person who has the right to forgive you is dead.

Because you killed her.

And I’m not saying this because I want to punish you, either. Because contrary to what you might think, I don’t want you to suffer anymore.

You’ve suffered enough. And I know that because I’ve seen that in Joowon-ah, too.

No one deserves to suffer, Jeongje. Not you. Not him.

But the forgiveness isn’t mine to give. It’s Yuyeonie’s.

I’m hurting because I lost a sister. My parents are hurting because they lost their daughter.

And I know you’re hurting too. Because you, too, lost the one you love.

I’ve always known, you know. Both of you had never been good at hiding it. It hurt that you two believed you had to, but—you made her happy, Jeongje. Yuyeonie had never been able to hide that. And to be honest, neither did you. And I can never, ever begrudge how you made each other happy.

Which is why I know… you’re hurting, too.

It’s the one thing you and I have in common, even after all this time.

You and I… we both lost her.

But all our pain, Jeongje… it’s all secondary. None of our pain compares to what she lost.

She lost her life.

She lost a future that should have been hers. You know she wanted to be a lawyer, right? But do you know the kind of lawyer she wanted to be?

She had a very clear vision of the life she wanted for herself. She’d sit at the foot of my bed while I’d practice on my worn-out guitar and she’d regale me tales of how she wanted to be a lawyer who defended women.

Her ideals were way ahead of her time. She said our society was too patriarchal, that it was a society where women didn’t feel safe, and she wanted to change that.

She wanted to be a lawyer so she could be a safe space for all these women who were victims of the cruelty and violence of men. She wanted to be the kind of woman she herself needed.

She would’ve been the kind of woman who could’ve stopped women like her from being killed by men.

Which is why it was such a cruel twist of fate that her life ended precisely like that.

I always wonder, Jeongje… how many women would’ve also been saved had she grown up to be the kind of woman she wanted to be? A woman who protected women?

Would she have been able to protect our Minjeongie too?

Did you know that she had always been wary of Kang Jinmook? She didn’t dare say it directly because I think she might have been scared back then, too. But she would always tell me, casually but consistently, how it might be better for Minjeongie if we adopt her as soon as it was legally possible.

Do you know what I told her back then, Jeongje? That she was being ableist. That she was looking down on Jinmook’s capability as a father just because he was mentally disabled.

Turned out he wasn’t. He was just evil.

And she was right.

Even back then, Jeongje, she was right. And I didn’t listen to her. Her own twin brother didn’t listen to her.

How unforgivable is that?

Can you imagine what our society would’ve been like if someone with her brains and her advocacy had lived to see her dream come true? Can you imagine, Jeongje, how different things would’ve been if only our society listened to women more? If only we listened to our Yuyeonie more?

She could’ve saved so many women, Jeongje. And now—

Now, we’ll never know. Because she’s dead.

We all lost a sister, a daughter, a friend, a lover. None of that compares to what she lost.

She lost her life. She lost her dream. She lost her advocacy. She lost her future.

And that’s the reason why, Jeongje. Why the forgiveness should come from her.

It had never, ever been my right to give.

It’s why I can’t forgive you. Because the one person who has the right to gift you that forgiveness—is dead.

And I’m sorry, Jeongje. I’m sorry because that’s the reason why… I can’t let you back into my life.

Not anymore.

Because I love her, Jeongje. I love her more than anything in the world, more than anyone I’ll ever love in my life.

She’s my twin, Jeongje. I had never known what it’s like to be alone because from the moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb, she had always been there. She had always been beside me. She was the other half of my soul.

Do you know what it feels like to lose the other half your soul?

Then again, maybe you do.

You love her, too.

I don’t know if she would have forgiven you. Fuck, I don’t know if she would have forgiven me. But that’s our punishment, Jeongje. That’s the pain we all have to live with: that we will never know. Because none of us have the right to take that away from her.

The right to forgive.

Because contrary to what you might think—I don’t want to lose you as a friend.

I miss you, more than you could ever know. More than you could ever hope to understand.

But it’s a loss I have to live with. It’s a loss I choose to live with. Because she’s the only one who could have granted you that forgiveness. And we all have to live with never knowing if she ever will.

I can’t let you back into my life, Jeongje—because I don’t know if Yuyeonie would’ve forgiven you for me to let you.

For me to have you back.

I am not the one who has the right to forgive you, so I am also not the one who has the right to punish you.

So please, Jeongje. Don’t suffer anymore. Not for my sake.

Don’t be alone anymore.

Both of you.

Your friend,

Dongsik

—

Dongsik-ah,

Did you know what Lieutenant Han was going to give me? Because you should’ve talked him out of it still, never mind that it’s his money he’s spending. I’m not going to risk your ire by telling you how much he spent, because I actually know how much all of it cost, but I really hope you’re at least treating him to dinner for a month because I can’t imagine how he’d be able to afford to feed himself after this.

Or maybe just let Jaeyi-ya treat him. I’ve heard he’s been frequenting the butcher shop more often lately.

I’m glad. He deserves to be fed.

He deserves to be happy.

He’s a good guy, Dongsik-ah. You know that, right?

You might be wondering why this prince who has fallen from grace keeps going out on a limb for someone like me.

I’ll tell you why, Dongsik-ah. It’s because he’s lonely.

In the kindest way I can tell you this, I don’t think you’ll ever understand Lieutenant Han. And it’s not because he was brought up in a life of luxury and privilege that the rest of us can only imagine.

But because you were loved, Dongsik-ah.

You and Yuyeonie—both of you were brought up in love.

I think that’s part of why I stayed over at your house a lot, even when we were kids. I was drawn to your family, because I badly wished I had a family like yours. You can’t imagine the kind of envy I felt seeing how your parents are.

You had that ridiculous dream of becoming a singer, even though Jihwa-ya kept telling you to your face that you couldn’t hold a tune to save a life. Yet your parents supported your dream all the same, and had never once compared you to Yuyeonie.

You know, I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion she was tone-deaf too, mostly because I couldn’t understand why she’d keep clapping for you every time you'd “perform” for us during family nights.

I’d been a part of your family for that long.

I never had any of that. And I think—that’s why Lieutenant Han is drawn to me.

Because he never experienced that kind of love, either. And he knows what it’s like to be alone.

That’s why he’s making sure I’m not. Even when I deserve to be.

Because he knows exactly what it’s like.

And I don’t think it’s as selfless as you think, Dongsik-ah. I think—he just wants someone to understand what he’s been through, too.

Because you’ll never be that person for him.

Because you were never abused by your parents, Dongsik-ah, the way Lieutenant Han was. And he’s drawn to me, because I’m someone who understands that the most.

Between the both of us though, I honestly believe I still had it better. And this isn’t false modesty or debt of gratitude or anything like that. My mother was evil, too, but in her own way, she did love me.

At the very least, until the very end, she had never abandoned me.

Even when it meant she had to hurt you instead.

That’s something Lieutenant Han never even had.

He never had a family.

And that’s the reason why I’m writing you this letter, in return.

Because you’re right, Dongsik-ah. I don’t belong in your life anymore.

I belong to the past. And I deserve to stay there.

Do you know why, Dongsik-ah?

Because that’s where Yuyeonie is.

You’re right. I don’t know if she would ever forgive me. But that’s okay. I’m not doing this for my forgiveness.

Because you’re right, Dongsik-ah. I did love her. I love her, still, even when she might not want that love anymore, after everything I did.

After everything I failed to do.

But that’s also why, Dongsik-ah. Why I want to stay in the past. Why I choose to stay in the past. Because that’s where she is. That’s how I choose to live the rest of my life.

Immortalizing her memory.

That’s why I gave you that sketchbook. To the best of my ability, Dongsik-ah, until my last breath—this is how I choose to love her.

I will never let her memory die.

This is how I choose to live the rest of my life in penance.

The people who have hurt you, the people who hurt Yuyeonie and your family—we all belong to the past. That’s why we all belong in prison, because it’s keeping us there.

But you, Dongsik-ah—you don’t belong to the past. Not anymore. There’s no more reason for you to stay there.

Because you have a future with him.

And that’s where the problem lies, you see. It’s precisely because he equates himself with me that he thinks he deserves to stay in the past, too.

He was never there, Dongsik-ah. Because his own monster of a father sent him far, far away, where he was forced to look for love in all the wrong places, when he should have already found it first in his own home. His own family.

You and Yuyeonie showed me that.

I don’t think he did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so utterly deprived of it. Starved of it.

Until he found you.

You told me, Dongsik-ah, how you will never love anyone the way you loved Yuyeonie, ever again. And you asked me if I know how it feels like to lose the other half of your soul.

I do, Dongsik-ah. But I don’t think that’s the point.

We weren’t supposed to replace her.

We’re simply allowed to love again.

I’m allowed to have a friend again. One who chooses to starve for a month because he doesn’t know how to love halfway and he always gives it his all in everything he does.

I agree with you, by the way. He is an idiot.

But you know what, Dongsik-ah?

I’ve come to love this idiot, too.

And if I’m allowed to have a friend again… you’re allowed to rebuild the other half of your soul again.

You’re allowed to not let yourself be alone anymore.

You’re allowed to love again.

Dongsik-ah… Han Joowon is like me. But at the same time, he isn’t.

Because he belongs to your future. If you let him.

And this is why I'm writing you this letter, too.

Please don't let my friend starve anymore.

Your friend,

Han Joowon’s friend,

Jeongje

[mylastmoleculeofserotonin]

The Tragic Fall and Potential Redemption of Caitlyn and Jinx

Disclaimers

I really like both of these characters. I think they are both very nuanced and really well written: neither one is completely good or evil, This is not an attack on either of them or those of us who like either/both of them, I’m just discussing their character flaws and their actions at some of the lowest points in their lives.

As an older sister, I probably hold undue sympathy for Jinx, so please keep that in mind when you read this and if you find anything that I overlooked or unfairly glossed over, please let me know!!

I almost exclusively watch animated fantasy kids shows, so my views on fictional characters’ morality has been shaped by that genre.

Now with that out of the way, onto the actual content:

Jinx and Caitlyn’s arcs are quite similar, sharing many of the same major beats: after tragically and traumatically losing a parental figure, they fall into the hands of a powerful and manipulative mentor/parental figure and go on to do horrible things, with Jinx spreading Silco’s shimmer to the citizens of the Undercity and Caitlyn adopting Ambessa’s ruthless tactics in the name of protecting Piltover. However, despite their nearly identical arcs, I have vastly different opinions on what their potential redemption arcs should look like due to a few key differences in their stories and characters.

For starters, Jinx was very young when she lost Vander and fell into Silco’s hands. She was never able to establish a stable identity for herself in her formative preteen and teenage years (until Season 2, which I’ll get to later), as shown by her two different names, how she can’t let Powder drown, and how her hallucinations get worse and more overwhelming every time she’s reminded of her past self. She also wasn’t as invested in Silco’s plans as she was in receiving his praise and affection, which we can see by how she constantly seeks physical affection and words of encouragement from Silco but is also completely willing to disobey him, diverge from his plans, jeopardize his missions and jump ship the moment she finds out that Vi’s alive. This shows how much Silco has corrupted her core motivation of wanting to help people, which we know from the sheer number of times she says some variation of “I want to help” in Act 1 of Season 1, and how everyone always comments on how selfless and helpful she is in the alternate universe.

Meanwhile, Caitlyn was in her early-mid twenties when she fell into Ambessa’s web, and had already formed a stable, if not fully formed, sense of self and purpose. She wants to actively do good and improve the world around her, as evidenced by her decision to break away from politics which and join the enforcers and her subsequent exhaustive efforts to find and dismantle an crime organization, which was then corrupted by Ambessa who got her to seize power and ruthlessly crack down on the Jinxers and crime in the Zaun.

So, what does this mean for their possible redemption arcs?

Because Jinx was very much not her own person until Season 2 and a child for most of her time working for Silco, I believe that all Jinx needs to live a happy, peaceful life is to have some healthy support systems/coping mechanisms and her own sense of self as she does in the alternate universe. And we see in Season 2 how much of a better person she can be with simply the absence of a toxic familial environment: she cares for Isha, rescues many Zaunites from inhumane treatment following their dubiously justified arrests, takes the lead in healing her relationship with Sevika and Vi and then leading the Firelights and other Zaunites to fight for Piltover against Noxus, and I believe she can do so much more good and 100% deserves a chance at a new life with a fresh start.

That’s not to say that Jinx didn’t do bad things and didn’t seriously hurt people. She has been implied to have killed many people and helped get Zaun addicted to shimmer. However, she was a child and dependent on Silco for survival and whatever scraps of sanity she could find. She also knew she was more or less replaceable, which we can see when she was afraid of appearing weak and then stole the hex tech crystal to prove her worth to Silco, and if she left, Silco and a bunch of other Zaunites would have tried to hunt her down. Simply put, she had relatively no power to not go along with Silco and even if she did, Silco would have achieved very similar results regardless. And I do believe that in most cases, children, especially those with mental illnesses, and/or toxic/abusive parental figures, deserve a fresh start and a clean slate when they are able to develop their own identity, ideals and world view, so I really can’t fully blame Jinx for what she did prior to the Season 1 finale. And then, after the dinner scene, I don’t believe she does anything bad enough to disqualify her from redemption: if I remember correctly all she did was try to kill Vi and the task force who were hunting her, kill the three goons who were after Isha who were implied to have enslaved her to work in the mines, and then fire her rocket at the council to start a revolution for independence, which I think is completely justifiable since the under-city had largely been supportive of a revolution since she was a child and a decapitating strike is the quickest and least bloody way to end a war and she only really ended up killing three people who were oppressing them. That just leaves the kidnapping of Vi and Caitlyn and the murder of Silco that she should make amends for, but since Vi never really held it against her and killing Silco was arguably a net positive for both Zaun and Piltover, the only thing that she owes is an apology for Caitlyn, but I don’t think that that’s enough to make her irredeemable.

Caitlyn’s redemption would be a bit more involved since she had a lot of power, and with it, the responsibility to not abuse it. However, she personally used chemical weapons against anyone suspected to have ties to Silco or Jinx, didn’t honor the plea bargains she offered, allowed Noxian troops to arrest and torture anyone with blue hair on the grounds they were affiliated with Jinx, and threatened prisoners with the most inhumane conditions in Stillwater should they not cooperate. Under normal circumstances, that would be an unforgivable breach of power, however, Caitlyn’s circumstances were anything but normal. She had just lost her mother in an unexpected attack on Piltover’s Council which did warrant some sort of response, she was being manipulated by a Noxian mastermind on top of being relatively young and new to politics. All things considered, it could have gone a lot worse which is why I think that Caitlyn deserves the opportunity to make things right.

What I think redemption could look like for Caitlyn is: reforming the justice system and Stillwater, compensating the Jinxers she arrested and the Zaunites who fought with her against Noxus, leading the reconstruction of Zaun and putting it on as equal footing with Piltover as possible (which we do see start to happen), install adequate air and water filtration in Zaun, create government programs and fund community organizations to help people quit Shimmer, research ways to help people heal from the long term affects of shimmer and resign from her role as Commander. I think these actions would help heal the damage she inflicted on Zaun in her time as Commander while also working to make things better for them in the future to reduce the chance of civil war and another ruthless crackdown on Zaun.

My congratulations for making it all the way through my many many thoughts. I find morality and redemption really interesting concepts especially in fiction, and Arcane has so many good characters to discuss those topics with! So please, lmk what you think!!

[matan4il]

911 ep 705 first watch reactions

Of course 911 would "punish" the "You are the boss of you!" guy with an alien hand that attacks him, and does what it wants. Pooor Buck and Eddie paying the price for that...

Okay, love the storyline with Hen and Karen possibly eventually adopting an older girl. Too many shows just find easy, unrealistic ways to give their same sex couples kids, and I am really glad that 911 shows the reality of it, and that it is a more complex struggle for many, that it's an act of continuously choosing to be parents. That's actually an amazing, difficult thing, and it should be faithfully depicted and respected, for all of its heartache, and the little moments of triumph.

Buck and Tommy on a date, and Eddie comes along with Marisol? Love how Buck's bisexual awakening and coming out continues to involve Eddie so much. Tell me they're end game, even if they're not gonna get together right now, without telling me they're...

I did not need to learn Marisol is moving in with Eddie like this, with any build up, or even any sort of insight into the relationship, and nope, that does not bode well for them. IDK how 911 managed to do it, but they have somehow managed to give Eddie a love interest the show is even less invested in than Ana.

And the funniest bit, is that Marisol and Eddie's big development is only there to further Buck's journey anyway.

"You can never have too much closet space" LMAO the way 911 both made me laugh, and feel sorry for poor, baby bi Buck. XD

Hmmm. Were parts of this scene cut out? We don't get to see Eddie on his own date with Marisol, but constantly looking over at Tommy and Buck? Boo. I'm glad we at least got the BTS photos, then. But seriously, why!? That was gonna be so delicious.

Oh, Tommy's breaking up with Buck. I mean, good for him, and he ain't wrong after Buck's "after this, we're gonna go out looking for chicks" reaction, but man do I feel sorry for Buck. Him and Tommy might not be my end game (Buddie forever will be), but I do think this relationship could be good for our baby bi. Tommy being in the same profession, knowing what it's like to have this gap between who you are and the image of guys in your line of work, plus he's got more experience than Buck, is sure of himself, can help our boy figure himself out, and also Buck obviously does like his vibe. He deserves to be with someone he actually likes, not just the first woman willing to be with him that the plot pushed in his way.

Oh, baby Buck. :( You didn't even tell Maddie about Tommy. You really aren't ready it. But also (and as a Buddie shipper, more importantly), Tommy broke things off with Buck, but what is eating him up, is that he lied to Eddie. XD Yeah, this gonna end with wedding bells, sooner or later. On screen, off screen after the show ends with canon Buddie, or only in my head if 911 never dares make Buddie canon, I don't care. That kind of emotional devotion is not something that my hopelessly romantic heart can ignore.

OMG, this is how Buck comes out to Maddie? XD Via random pronoun mention, and as a by product of trying to figure out how to tell Eddie the truth? This is hilarious. lol It really makes it clear that, after all, the issue for Buck really isn't people knowing he is also dating guys (or checking their asses), even when it's the other closest person in the world for him, it's Eddie. Specifically. Buck's ready, even if he doesn't have the exact clear words yet, he's just not ready to tell Eddie. Can't imagine why. XDDD

What was that awkward post-sex scene with Eddie and Marisol? And the issues with her moving in are popping up a second after she has. But yeah, we have no idea who this woman is as a person, she's been a cardboard cut out so far, and then one of the first things we do learn about her, is that she would call her stuff better than Eddie's? Once again, this is not the stuff great romance is made of. Or... even just the stuff any kind of romance is made of.

Wait, Marisol was a nun, and Eddie didn't even know!? This whole ep is telegraphing in the news of how weird and awkward and underdeveloped this r/s is, not just for us as viewers who know nothing about Marisol, but apparently for Eddie as well.

And of course his Catholic guilt is gonna kick in now. I'd care, except 911 has given me absolutely no reason to. Seriously, I care more about Buck and Tommy after just 2 eps, than Eddie and Marisol, even though this is technically her 2nd season on the show.

Of course Buck went to find Eddie, and spotted him at the gym. Forever 201 vibes, with Eddie being the focus of Buck's attention. ^u^

I couldn't care less about Eddie's Catholic guilt crisis, and how it's actually a projection of what his real issues are with Marisol, but it's nice to see that as always, Buck's the one who can tell when something's off, and offer Eddie exactly what he needs (even when that's to talk to someone else, but Buck figures out immediately who the right person to address is), and then they just very naturally switch, because Eddie can also tell when something's off with Buck, and he wants to tell him something. Soulmates. THAT is the stuff that great romance IS made of.

:/ The imagery of Catholic nuns has not been around for over 2,000 years, please stop being ignorant about your own religion, and the very different way it looked in its early days.

Bobby is forgiven, he does give good advice, and his "her ex, the Lord" bit, which prompted that reaction from Eddie, is hilarious. XD

So... when Eddie is having issues with Marisol, he already knows he has to figure out how he feels about her, but instead of doing so, he goes to his safe place... Buck's loft.

Man, Eddie being into Tommy's choice of avoidning relationships with women, and hanging out with boys, after in the past, Eddie had dealt with his Shannon issues by running away from her, and re-enlisting in the army, where he gets to hang out with boys, when we all (Buck included) know why Tommy's "hanging out with boys"... I do like that if they want to (and hopefully they do), this further lays the groundwork for Eddie's own queer realization.

Buck and Eddie helping each other with their respective romantic problems, without realizing they are each other's respective romantic solution is gonna make me chew on my own fists. Again. But I'm not even a little bit surprised that Eddie was totally fine and accepting of Buck being bi, or that the first thing he thought of is how this reflects on them. Because their friendship IS way deeper and closer than normal for platonic friends, and Eddie's little reassurance is also an admission of that.

Man, for a second I was worried they also cut out Eddie in the loft, once more putting his thumb on Buck's pulse point possessively, in a perfect parallel to 303. I would have sued for emotional damages. But yeah, it says so much that the peak of emotional meaningfulness for Buck when coming out is in relation to Eddie, and that the scene itself peaks with Eddie, instead of finishing rushing out to take care of his own romantic business, hurries back to Buck first, to hug him, place his hand on Buck and give him orders. "Sure, you're gonna be dating this guy, but I'm still your real husband."

Well, at least Eddie amitted to himself and Marisol that he doesn't actually know her. But... I have never seen two people being both being so happy about not moving in together, and I'm supposed to think this r/s has a chance? Okay. Suuuure.

The scene with Buck going to Tommy to set things straight ready for something was lovely, it was nice seeing him excited, and get to choose, and hear he's wanted. But since the note Tommy and Buck's storyline in this ep should have ended on, is Buck showing Tommy he's ready enough to let others know he's dating a guy by inviting Tommy to come with Buck to Madney's wedding, then why is the very next scene playing the romantic switch again, making us think Buck's car just arrived at the wedding with him and Tommy, only for Buck and Eddie to walk in together? I see what you did there, 911.

Thank you for reading! If you're looking for more, you can find my s7 reactions tag here, and more of my Buddie meta and content in my pinned post. xoxox

[fightingthetoxicallegations]

Don't get close, I bite.

What's your name?

Theodore. If you have to know. Theodore Woods Commodus Antoninus. M- maybe Jordan. I need to look closer into that.

How old are you?

What is this, a cop report? Always hated those... I'm seventeen.

Who's your godly parent?

Gods, what does it matter? Achlys. Okay? Can I leave now?

Sexuality?

That's creepy. And doesn't matter because I'm taken. Don't touch me.

And your... gender?

The hell- man. I'm a guy. Fuck you if you say otherwise. Just 'cause I wear binders doesn't make me-

Yeah, we get it. Anyway! Thank you!

My family (it's a lot of people):

@the-great-emperor-commodus

My dad. He's the best dad ever. I love him a lot. He's an insane murderous emperor but gods damn is he a good dad. But he's not my dad anymore. He should probably be glad he isn't.

@hasfuckedagod-willfuckoneup

...babbo...? Why would I ever think I deserve to call this man that? Or even be close to him?

@literally-tinker-bell

My sister! She's the best ever and I love her because she's amazing. She made me so many cool things I love her. She's probably doing great, I hope she is.

@another-argo

... You ruined my life. I hope you're happy with your family. No, really, I do. Go and be happy and never talk to me again.

@roryandthethorns

My sister again. She's very annoying sometimes but that's okay because I love her anyway. Haven't talked to her in a while, and I probably never will again- but that's better for her.

@littlest-sunbeam-of-hermes

My sister... again. Look, I have a lot of sisters. And brothers. My dad has a lot of them. I didn't know her that well but I hope she's doing good in school.

@onlymythologypersonincamp

I guess my sister...? My dad kinda married her dad, so- I like to think of her more as a friend though. Hah.. Eve. I guess. She's a really good friend of Argo- I think. I hope she's happy with him :)

@judas-of-eris

Brother! Real cool dude, I think. Haven't talked to him a lot, but he seems cool. Can he stop thinking I'm a sinner? Actually, nevermind. He can think whatever the fuck he wants about me because he'll never see me again

@nikenotnikey

My sister! I dragged her here hah. But her wolf friend gives me weird vibes. I hope the wolf guy isn't influencing them that much. And that whatever happened heals.

@notaeoluschild

My brother, another one. Uh, he's very cool, needs to relax sometimes though. He's got to be better to himself. I hope he'll be happier now

@tearslikeacid

My half-brother from the godly side, I wish I could protect him from everything... I never wanted to leave you- but it's probably for the better. Have fun in life, if that's possible :>

@the-little-tadpole

My daughter, she's such a sweetheart. She's the most precious little thing ever and I'd give her the world. I'm sorry, honey. I promise I'm not leaving you. I promise you won't be forgotten. You're still my daughter, I'll just be somewhere else, okay?

Probably a lot more people that I don't even know about... my dad adopts a lot of children.

My partners (yeah, partnerS, cry about it):

@reluctant-son-of-time

Xan! He's a son of Kronos but I don't mind that because he's awesome and also we are not our parents and if you say we are then you're stupid. He used to be dead but he's not anymore. I love him a lot and I would kill and die for him and ughhh I don't deserve him- I'm sorry, Xan, I hope you understand that I can't be around people. I promise this isn't personal...? I still love you, just- please let me leave?

@reyno-solis-real

My boyfriend as well! He's SUPER fluffy and kind and caring and everything- I could talk on and on about how much I love him and Xan I love you caro I would give you everything you ask for AAA- ...I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I wish I could see you more- I love you so much.

Other people I know:

@daughter-of-thanatosss

...I still don't like you. But you tried to help me with stuff so I guess you're not THAT bad. I hate this I hate this I hate this none of this would've happened if you just staYED OUT OF ARGO'S LIFE OR SOMETHING AND NOW I CAN'T FUCKING TRUST MYSELF AND I HAVE A FEELING IT'S PARTLY YOUR FAULT I HATE YOU

@eleos-the-forgiving-goddess

I kinda have a deal with her...? I don't know. She gave me a cool sword and told me to take care of her shrine and protect her dogs. So. I don't know.

@the-tickle-anon

They're... very particular. They don't exactly... I don't know. They have a one track mind. But- at least they're trying not to be an asshole about their end goal. I hope they learn one day. Maybe. In the very far future.

@bird-brains-and-imperial-gold

Delilah! The super cool and nice and polite harpy! She's the best and I like hanging out with her! Calls me "little boss" :D Stay positive, Delilah ^^

@sick-and-sleepy

That's just Lyssie. Hangs around the palace a lot, is cool. Keeps trying to eat things that'll make her feel bad though, should stop that- I don't want her to get hurt. She's very polite.

Everyone else keeps getting adopted by Commodus. Uh. Yeah.

Ooc under cut!

Heyyy!! @somebody-insertlyric here :p meet my blorbo!! Bit of a rp guide because there WILL be other voices present:

"___" — Theo!

'___' — Andrea (his dead sister) in Theo's mind!

'___' — His dead dad in his mind!

'___' — His dead mom in his mind!

Tags!

#poisoned the mind — general posting tag

#i told you not to waste my time. — ask tag

#leaked poison — end rp tag

#mod spreading the silly disease — ooc posting tag

#mod's... trying to think — me/mod answering asks :>

Special tags!

#i could give you all the time in the world 🧡 — Xan

#barking up the right tree 💚 — Rey

#forgive the unforgiven. ❤️‍🩹 — Eleos

#tickle? me? never. 🪶 — tkl anon

#primordial demigod buddies! 🫂 — Eve

#i don't like you and i don't know why 🪦 — Rose

#do NOT let 'em pounce 🐺 — Logun

Family tags:

#stop tryING TO EAT THINGS THAT WILL KILL YOU— 💉 — Lysanias

#imperial gold family 👑 — general family tag

#dadmodus ⚔️ — Commodus

#my daughter who's such a sweetheart ❣️ — Froggy

#i wish you weren't related to mother. 🧫 — Max

#memory fucker. 🧬 — Argo

#i... haven't been treating you well enough. 💫 — Lucas

#shh they're learning let 'em pounce! 🐾 — Cole

#somehow so similar in terms of trauma?? 🏹 — Sophia

#what's the weather like up there? ☁️ — Wysper

[theslayerbrother]

So there is a lot of Saying of how Jim changed characters Such as Draal Strickler Angor and Nomura to name a few but not that much of how the character changed him (especially his friends and family ) outside of bein Supportive.

edit - there Amazing headcannos by @albentelisa and by a few more so maybe i would return on Something that people already Said

Also i am not a Writer i'm so not calming it's 100% (well Claire mabye hehe) jk.

Let's Start with the easiest and Probably the most loyal person to Jim and the first Person after Jim that was introduce was his BFF Toby. Toby Represent Jim mortality the fact that he Can be hurt and injured because toby very easily get hurt and injured because he only human and not in the best of shape but besides that he is able to Keep going Which is Why Jim kept going able to do things despite being only human.

(i am well aware that Jim was the one who push to toby to Keep going as well was the first but Jim a lot of the time felt a moment of weakness that he isn't good enough and toby Should him that isn't true it Kinda go visa versa)

another thing about toby is his happiness and he have a Positive out Look of things toby and Jim become friends a short time after his father Left Which is Why Jim able to Keep going as much as he did because toby was always being besides him.

that's Also Why the rott movie was bad because it tainted that idea.

but isn't canon still hunts me a lot of the time.

overall Jim became much more happy and Much less angsty that he Should've been without toby.

moving on to Jim's Crash and Jim's Soulmate the Lovely but dorky Claire.

Claire represent Jim's fear especially the ones who relate to Losing his Loved ones and become evil Plus Lacking in Self belief.

thanks to Claire Jim able or have much easier time overcoming his insecurities his Lack of believing in self to do Something risky Such as the final Push in the bathtub Scene (Part of it obviously is the fact that Claire herself is a bit of a Dork lol).

the thing that Claire gave to Jim was her Love and acceptance that she trust him and he totally deserve the Love and care that Claire give him. as he doesn't need to be fear that he always feel accepted with her.

She is also extremely Smart So she can her only Second to Blinky so she help Jim with things that aren't trollhunting related and Very Powerful So She can Protect Jim when ever he need a hand.

Claire is Jim greatest Love and i think that Jim feel a lot more confidence and accepted because of her.

even tho Jim Claimed that he doesn't care about his father but he def need one and Blinky was the Answer. i believe that Blinky Represent Jim desire for family and being a Leader because both of them becomes Leaders Jim become a Leader at part 1 of Season 1 and Blinky at the end of Season 2 after the Death of Vendel both were hurt by a close family relative Jim by his father leaving him and his mother as a little kid. and Blinky by his brother Joining the Side of gunmmar both able to make their own family Jim found toby as best friend and brother then Blinky became his troll Dad and ARRRGHHH his troll brother. Blinky befriend ARRRGHHH and Adopt Jim as his son.

Blinky made Jim the best trollhunter change him and give Jim a Parent figure that's all the Most wholesome.

Jim need a father figure to guide him in trollhunting world and Also being a father in general. Plus Someone to share his Knowledge with.

so Overall Jim need a guidance of mentor and a father and Blinky answer that call

ARRRGHHH is everyone favorite wingman i do think AREGGGGG represent Jim entering a role that can be very well take your whole childhood away. both were enter the role of a Warrior in a young age i believe that ARRRGHHH form @albentelisa worlds he understand Jim as a role of trollhunter the Most and Probably Jim has much better time dealing with being a trollhunter thank to ARRRGHHH

Also his big heart and Adorable Personality help Jim have much better time entering a Strange world of the trolls well and Blinky and Draal Obviously.

Draal is Jim troll brother one of my favorite relationships in the Series

Draal represent Jim defined by his father both were defined by their fathers until they able to break it Jim but overprotecting his mom and have carry all the responsibilities in the house and Draal by following his Dad's Job of being a trollhunter which is Why is He was a rival to Jim at first

Fun fact - i thought that Draal would be an Antagonist for Jim after he defeated him but i glad that he didn't became one and instead became an ally.

Draal was a role model for Jim because Jim understood honor of a Warrior and Also build confidence in Battle as well. Draal was Protector so much that Jim carried his wish and Kill gunmmar by his name and his death consider to be the best one in the Series.

Draal was able to Change Jim make him better as a Person i feel lIke because of Draal i believe that Jim is even honor then he used to before (he had a lot of honor before that but still) better Adjust to the troll world because he had a troll for a brother.

@pinkytoothlesso11 and @rexnanorum @yavannah  @seekerofblades idon't know about the following two these following ones your expert not mine so i feel free to add up if i miss Something.

Barbara is Jim's mom and i think she represent his heart Barbara is Super Compassionate and have a Similar heart to Jim by being a Doctor and helping people both Jim and Barbara were hurt by Jim's father when he let the both of them down.

the Desire to help people so no one will be left out is Something that they both share Jim by being a trolhunter and Barbara being a Doctor.

Jim Learnt form Barbara that he doesn't need to be afraid to share the burden that you carry with your Loved ones. and that lies not matter what the intention behind it can and will damage your relationship with your Loved ones like what happen with them in Season 1.

Thanks to Barbara Jim become more honest Person who will have better time sharing his burden with his Loved ones and put his trust in them.

now to everyone favorite avocado troll nerd dad Mister Strickler. Strickler is one of the few relationships that is more antagonistic cuz Jim and Strickler butt heads a lot in trollhuntes in Season 1.

i feel Like what Strickler represent in Jim is the Desire to be Loved and accepted Sure Jim have toby and Barbara but he bullied and for the first part of trollhunters by the trolls because he was a human and Strickler by being a Changeling both however fortunately get the acceptance and Love Jim by Killing Bular and getting together with Claire and Building a family with Blinky ARRRGHHH and Draal

and While Strickler by getting together with Barbara and creating a family with Jim.

Strickler give further Knowledge about troll history and Changeling history to Jim teach him Combat Moves that Blinky won't teach because they cross his Limit.

Also i feel Like the Credit goes to @pinkytoothlesso11 i feel Like when Jim has a half troll Strickler is one who can understand him the most.

Which is Why at the end thanks to Lovely nerdy Strickler Jim is much easier time handling and Seeking things that others might won't understand.

[lesbian-honey-lemon]

I feel like BH6 the Series could have REALLY handled Karmi better than they did.

They could’ve given her a MUCH more interesting backstory, if she was there the year before (which she would have HAD to be if being the youngest at SFIT was originally her thing) she could have had a very interesting relationship with Tadashi and Callaghan where Callaghan (the dean of students as well as a professor, much like Granville) was much more interested in Baymax than in her work. And it’s not even like Granville because she has the excuse that she’s paying more attention to Hiro because he’s 14 and at college, Callaghan was picking a 20 year old Tadashi over a 15 year old Karmi just bc he’s a robotics student.

And now that Granville’s here, she’s ALSO paying attention to the robotics (and other non-bio) majors over her. Which, as a viewer, is understandable bc Granville herself is more aligned with robotics and tech than biology, but that still doesn’t give her any right to just ignore the other literal child just because she’s a biotech major and she isn’t going to accidentally blow the whole lab up. Granville just dumped Hiro onto Karmi hoping they’d get along, thinking she was unaware of the blatant favoritism going on, hoping Hiro would just adopt her into the nerd gang and make things easier. Granville was completely aware of Karmi’s utter lack of friends and connection from both her peers and any authority figures, and still decided that she didn’t deserve a mentor as much as Hiro did. Which yeah, the bio department should have paid attention to Karmi, but can the fucking dean of students pay attention to more than one genius child at a time? The answer is yes, Granville is fully capable of mentoring more than one student to be functional and ethical people who won’t blow up labs, fight each other, make killer pathogens, or make energy amplifiers.

Meanwhile, Granville didn’t know that the catalyst behind that entire friend group coming together was Tadashi, but Karmi knows this fact very well. She doesn’t want to be with the dead golden boy’s friends and she doesn’t want to be with the new golden boy either. The nerd gang probably wouldn’t want to hang out with Karmi either because she was probably standoffish towards Tadashi too. Or at least, she didn’t acknowledge him if he tried to welcome her into his group. Honey Lemon is probably the only person she would willingly hang out with and talk to (I don’t think anyone can resist her good vibes), Granville should’ve sent her rather than Hiro. Sending Hiro was like rubbing it into her face that she’s not the youngest anymore when it was all she had going for her, even thought Granville didn’t mean that.

Like, they had something good going there with the initial rivalry. Karmi blaming Hiro for Granville favoring him because he’s almost exactly like her old protégé is absolutely understandable. Karmi didn’t know any of Granville’s backstory and probably just thought it was because he’s younger and a robotics major, not because of the whole ‘being very similar to Obake’ thing. But that shit should have been resolved in Season 1. More specifically, in S1 episode 19. She should have had an epiphany in S1 ep 17 that “yeah, Hiro’s not an asshole, Granville and Callaghan had a problem with favoritism of robotics students over everyone else and I should just be fucking mature about it and take it up with Granville instead of picking fights with a 14-year-old over something he has no part in.” They did NOT need to stretch that into S2.

Karmi didn’t deserve to be the series’ punching bag, and she doesn’t deserve to be the fandom’s punching bag either. She’s 16 and at SFIT, she’s just a kid herself, give her a damn break. Of course she’s not going to be emotionally mature about authority figures she deeply respects constantly picking other people over her just bc of their major. She’s 16, of course she’s going to have crushes and write shitty fanfiction, what else do teenagers do?

She’s not some irredeemable bitch, she’s 16 and got fucked over by everyone, the characters, the show, and the fandom.

look at her. she deserved so much better.

[miraculouscriticismshub]

MLB writer's math be like...

ML writer's math is calling Chloe stans r*pist defenders on Twitter for defending Chloe while being silent about the fact that there are some extreme Felix stans who defend Felix's harassment towards LB

ML writer's math is saying Audrey's abuse doesn't excuse Chloe's horrid actions but proceeds to say Felix did nothing wrong and that his actions SHOULD be excused because his dad abused him, therefore making everything Colt's fault

ML writer's math is saying Lukloe is a toxic ship because it adopts the whole good boy fixing the bad girl trope which they say is unhealthy because Luka shouldn't carry the burden of being Chloe's therapist but proceed to make Feligami canon despite it being the exact same concept but reversed. Felix before Kagami was an anti-hero but after they got together, he is redeemed implying Kagami "fixed him"

ML writer's Math is condemning Colt Fathom for abusing and controlling his son and telling us to feel bad for Felix but when Audrey does the same thing to Chloe in Revolution and I repeat "I'm going to take control of your life again" she isn't held accountable as well and this abusive behaviour is treated as punishment and we shouldn't be feeling bad for her. (Disclaimer: NOT defending Colt because both are awful parents and both are terrible but there is a double standard going on. Felix and Chloe both deserve better parents)

ML writer's Math is calling out Felix's father for the abusive scum he is and recognising him as an abuser but refusing to give similar treatment to Gabriel and Andre who despite not being as bad as Colt when it comes to parenting are still rubbish parents. Why is Colt one of the only parents in the show to be held accountable?

ML writer's math (mainly TA) is being quick to slander some toxic Chloe/Lila stans for their problematic behaviour but when some toxic Maribug/Adrichat/Adrienette have also shown signs of toxic behaviour (e.g what happened to the Lila girl) Thomas Astruc stayed Silent on the matter. Surely a serious matter such as taking one's life should've been addressed by him since he sees himself as an activist and good person on Twitter. He should've known about it since the news of the Lila fan was common knowledge among the fanbase (even Cyrus the Great made a video about this)

Disclaimer : These are just common double standards I've seen in the writing and by TA. Comment more double standards if you know any. Please stay respectful when commenting

[youareatragedy]

If you really had to choose which ship would you bet your money on?

I think this will be a long post so here’s your answer, anon. (And so sorry for replying almost 3 months later. SO SO SORRY 😬)

To be honest, I don’t mind all that much if Elain ends up with Azriel, since they’re both kind of fucked up in ways that make them seem deserving of each other. I think Elain is selfish to a degree (maybe even a full-blown opportunist) because she keeps making choices that prioritize her own comfort. Meanwhile, Azriel has been complicit in a lot of bad things, essentially acting as Rhys’ henchman.

That said, these traits are also why I think they’re drawn to each other. It feels like they’re trying to be together simply because it’s convenient.

The mate bond is described as something sacred and important (and definitely not the easiest option), and it seems like Elain doesn’t want to deal with it because it’s uncomfortable for her. Unlike before (when Nesta cared for her while they were poor or when Feyre handed her a comfortable life) no one can “handle” the bond for her. Azriel though, offers her an easy path: becoming another “bat boy’s” partner like her sisters, following in their footsteps, and essentially taking on a version of Feyre’s life. She can just follow Feyre’s lead on how to be with a batboy.

As for Azriel, his desperation is palpable—it reeks through the pages. He just wants to catch up to his brothers. That mate bond he wished for with Mor never happened, even after centuries of waiting. He even seems jealous of his brothers’ bonds. And with three Archeron sisters, it’s like he feels that one of them should be his... right?

It all feels like they’re both looking for the simplest way to find a partner. Yes, there’s a mate bond and it complicates things, but Lucien isn’t some Beron type villain. He’d let Elain go if she wanted to reject the bond. It could be simple for her and Azriel to end up together.

So I guess I don’t like Elriel in any shape or form as an endgame couple for a HEA romance book. To me, they’re entirely convenience based. They also seem to have opposing interests. Don’t give me any bullshit about Azriel being genuinely interested in her gardening plans. That dude was just being polite to someone newly not catatonic. And the biggest issue? I’m already uncomfortable with two brothers paired with two sisters. I don’t need it to be three. Adopted or not, they’re still brothers. No more incest vibes PLEASE.

On the other hand, because of all this, I don’t think Elain deserves Lucien, nor do I think Azriel deserves Gwyn. But I do see more potential in those pairings. I hope their books give them proper development. Hopefully by then, SJM has gone through some good therapy, become a better person, and learned to avoid toxic BS instead of mishandling these characters like she has with others in the past.

If I had to bet, I’d put my money on Elucien and Gwynriel especially since SJM went out of her way to put Gwyn in Azriel’s BC and hasn’t shown Elain even hinting at rejecting the bond with Lucien.

(I just hope Lucien and Gwyn aren’t related so they could potentially end up together. Or maybe Azris, because honestly, we could use a solid enemies-to-lovers arc for a change.)