#she's still the worst^tm

[dxisiesdukes]

introducing our resident mean girl/bad bitch...well re-introducing. it’s me kip again (friendly reminder, they/them), this is miss deiji and her updated intro and sorts. i’ve realized i’ll have to go update some of their profiles too. but here is her profile, kprofile, and pinterest! bellow is her organized info!

—— welcome to infinite entertainment! it's HWANG ‘DAISY’ DEIJI, who is the LEADER of BRAVEHEART. i’ve heard whispers that the 27 year old is pretty INDEPENDENT but lowkey HEDONISTIC. also, doesn’t he remind you of SEO SOOJIN ?

pre-debut

she was born april 11th, 1997 to hwang song-dok and choi nanseolheon in seoul, south korea

while her parents were very successful (her mother a surgeon and her father a high merit professor/author and a big active contributor to academia). she comes from chaebol old money as well that dates back to her family's original settlement in the centralized and urban area of seoul.

she’s the oldest of four, and very much treated like so. her parents put a lot of emphasis on her role as the eldest daughter. she learned a lot of her ‘homemaking skills’ early.

she and her parents have a tumultuous relationship, they can be a bit over bearing even now on wanting her to be successful. once ‘the littles’ were born, deiji was casted off, left to meet high expectations. her mother seemed to be in competition with her girls while doting on the youngest and only boy. leaving daisy to make sure they had their basic needs. at times even his, her parents so caught up with spoiling that actual parenting took a back seat.

this pushed her need for successful rebellion. she became her own woman and going by her own rules while her parents struggled to reign her in. sneaking out a lot and engaging in things much too high above her age level.

she grew up fast taking care of them and herself, and in turn lost a lot of having a childhood making sure her siblings had theirs.

from a young age she was forced to be a role model and the pinnacle of perfection, even when she was slightly mediocre in a lot of things. this led to strenuous schedules and constant practice, deiji pushing for a perfection in things she couldn’t exactly reach.

she was enrolled in ballet, voice lessons as well as some instrumental lessons (guitar, piano, and violin) around the age of 5 or 6 or so. there were often etiquette lessons as well

her time in ballet led to a lot of issues with her body image, even worse when she was continuing the practice abroad. she developed body dysmorphia and bulimia early on in her ballet career, though over her years as an idol she’s been working on a better weight image and relationship with food. while she found so many issues wrong with her coming from ballet, she did adore it and found it as an escape from the constant competition her mom had her placed under

when she entered her last few years of middle school she was sent to study at brighton college in brighton, england. at brighton she began a lot of healthy and unhealthy habits. she found a love of theater and and singing, and even gaming (now becoming her favorite past times), but also other things like taking drugs to cram for school, and smoking cigarettes (a habit she’s working on quitting)

she graduated brighton at age seventeen, her parents instantly pushed for her to do something to ‘make them proud’ bc they were tired of her sitting on her ass after graduating and college wasn’t an option, she did well in academia but had no desire to continue it.

in her need to become better than ‘them’ (her parents) and prove them wrong she went for the thing that would sate her needs to be desired and yearned for, while keeping her in a fast pace life style of scheduling that she’d grown used to growing up. coming across a national audition video for vibe productions on youtube, deiji submitted a video of her doing ballet, a performance from her dance days, and a small clip of her singing. she ultimately was asked to come audition for the company and landed a spot as a trainee.

her trainee days she fell into the natural routine of taking over being ‘the top spot’ she was ‘good’ at everything but all the other girls excelled in those categories. and yet they seemed cower beneath her, leaving daisy to take on the ‘regina george’ persona early on. she pushed to be SEEN by the company

a big issue with deiji during her trainee days is that she was ‘good’ at everything, but not outwardly phenomenal, something she dealt with growing up. 

at debut

debuted at 19 (trained for a little less than a year and has the shortest trainee period out of the group which adds to fans distastes to her as leader and center as they don’t feel like she’s worked as long or as hard as the other girls, her pretty face being the reason she made her positions in the group.)

she’s a lead vocalist and lead rapper, visual and center in the group, official place holders would be jennie, onda/aisha and karina roles, mostly center just for visual effect 

while she won them over with her striking visuals, often deiji was painted as the ‘mean girl’ before she ever really opened her mouth. netizens often commented on her rbf or the way she walked or talked, and in most moments she was the target of ridicule, fake bullying scandals and the works

despite that, she gained a quick crown for being a good leader over all, and quickly after was well known for her brother also joining the industry following her own debut

during career 

she often did and still does get ridiculed for the family she came from. often said that she’s a shit idol and only debuted bc she was pretty and rich

one thing about deiji is that she is a PERFORMER, this comes from her theater background and is essentially why she ended up in her spot in braveheart as her ability to put on a show with more hip hoppy moves (due to bravehearts concept and ballet/contemporary/lyrical being her only dance experience) overshadowed her lack of skills.

her expressions and sensualness when performing is what she’s known for today as an idol. as well as being extremely poised and ‘naturally idol’ trained. this meaning her a ability to connect with fans, cameras, staffs etc. she’s also notated for her perfect posture and the way she holds herself in schedules. 

but the constant spotlight that came with more negatives than positives daisy found herself in the secret party scene. there have been multiple instances where blurry photos of her in some dim seoul night club has surfaced and her slight addiction to c*caine began to emerge.

even still daisy put up a brave face, just as before with her family, even if she had to squeeze bl*od from her palms in order to make it through.

over time she’s grown to be very vocal about any mistreatment and things that her group gets, will address a hate comment and will not let hosts/mcs ask inappropriate questions, speak up about inappropriate styling for younger members etc etc.

during her career as her friendship with michelle became public she had been dubbed the dragon princess to her ice queen, and boy does she live up to that title

infinite tour

key moments of the infinite tour could include a big scandal that was narrowly avoided, deiji was photographed dancing proactively with another woman at a club on tour, and while the photos didn’t get much of a chance to circulate, she ended up in the hotseat with company and truthfully still slightly is.

this lead to her having doubts about herself and the group, feeling as if her insidious need to not feel anything and run away from her problems through booze, sex and drugs was ruining the group’s reputation.

there were many attempts to get sober on tour, but most if not all fell through. she’s still working on it.

during the tour she debuted in her first official subunit v!olet with a groupmate and a tidal member, the group has a rebellious, creepy, rock sound and allows her to explore her other talents when it comes to her ability to play instruments.

she also released two solo eps both on her birthday each year of the tour xoxo and lowlife princess

canons/personality tidbits & quirks

she’s an aries (sun), sagittarius (moon), and leo (rising) (i am not sorry for this full fire big three)

27 years of age

often the english fronter and mom of the band, fans love her british accent.

she’s gonna take care of you, no one is sick or sad around her.

she can come off as a bit cold, or head strong but the independence she has is the reason for it, she’ll be a softie for the right people. often goes viral for when she goes off on staff/stands up for the treatment of her members and other female idols. 

super active on the braveheart socials and often does vlives just vibing to music, cooking/eating and gaming

bisexual, liberal, feminist queen, openly supportive to all demographics out loud.

she cares a LOT a LOT about her image, not in a pristine and perfect way, but the perception of herself to others. she’s often well dressed/put together and is rarely seen outside with a hair out of place even if dressed down, poised when sitting, eats “prettily” etc etc.

when things get mad mentally she tends to go on benders especially when touring as foreigners may not know her, i apologize she sucks. thought like i said before, she was working on this. she’s already known as infinites party girl and sometimes it does bother her.

her favorite games are fortnite, animal crossing, cod and valorant (very original i know) she also has a segment where she plays scary games on console and pc. she travels constantly with her switch and laptop and headset.

as much as ballet was traumatizing to her she still finds it as a place of comfort and often practices new and old routines if she has time

she is currently in some form of relationship thing with her best friend

she is the global brand ambassador for porsche, tiffany & co. and chanel , is the only foreign ambassador of porche

fans find her british accent endearing but notes that her demeanor changes drastically if she’s speaking in english

overall deiji is a very cher horowitz type of girl. call it a coping mechanism or her true evil she doesnt care as long as she wins the game. she struggles a lot internally but it takes a special type of person to see that underneath her mask. its when the mask slips that she turns to other means of gratification but she is trying hard to move forward with out the opinions of others weighing so heavily on how she lives her life. in truth she loves being an idol but is on a long bus to self destruction. picture her as your hedonistic socialite. the smile is always gleaming but there’s a sinister glint in her eye, if you don’t hold a special place in her heart. she’s known to have a knack for treating others like they’re beneath her even if she doesn’t intend to which pays homage to how deeply ingrained her socialite life is into her.

updates post tour

deiji is now working on some more solo work that is going to be a big deal for her. 

she’s begun working on her relationship with food as well as drugs somewhat seriously.

she plans on doing more twitch streams for the fans and getting back into gaming on her channel now that she has the time and her set up back

 diligently preparing for v!olet’s next comeback.

she actually kind of finds the reality tv aspect kind of cool and is wondering what type of interest this will bring for her groups and the others.

more updates as the post tour plot goes on!

connections/wanted plots

♡ almost is never enough; this an ex-situationship plot, (m/f/nb)  they were on their way to really being something but it just never quite got there, very much the one that got away.

♡   needy; growing up deiji was very much unable to be a child or person with ‘needs’, this included affection and things due to her parents neglect, it kind of made her suck in a way, but she does /can be needy and you allow her to be comfy enough to do that for her, this causes her to be attached to you.

♡ popular; your muse takes their craft seriously, and the idea that someone slipped through the cracks possibly for their connections makes you wary of deiji as an artist and idol. It’s led to some tension that’s starting to pour into the public world more and more as it festers

♡ when the party’s over; deiji knows when she spirals i can be a bit hard, not only on her but on you as her friend as well, and yet you’re always there to pick her up when she’s past out over a toilet. (seonhwa)

♡ god is a woman; daisy has a number of destructive coping mechanisms and you are one of them. whenever the going gets tough she finds herself at your door, in your bed, in your head. its all sweet nothings off course, and maybe you hang on every word she says, only for you to become nothing more than a simple acquaintance when its all done. but beneath it all she appreciates you being there, being and option and though she may not show it she considers you a backbone for her when hers begins to waver.

♡ industry bff/childhood bff

♡ teacher/mentor that helps her hone in her skills

♡ mother figure (since her mother was barely one at all)

♡ a frenemy that see right through her ‘perfect’ bs

muse overviews and analysis

♡. character study #1 - 'the trouble of youth'♡. character study #2 - 'the stage' ♡. the muse as zodiac signs ♡. favorite stage outfits: blackpink / everglow / aespa  ♡. general task #1 ♡. character study #3 - 'the idol': photoset 1 / 2 / 3 / analysis & viral moments ♡. through the eras - hwang ‘daisy’ deiji ♡. playlist #1 - diary of a mad ballerina  (subject to be replaced/updated) ♡. muse tag+

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

varric's death is actually great for the rook!addie agenda

[talentforlying]

john and his niece going for a walk, arm-in-arm, so gemma can confide in him about her ghost problem without worrying her mum......i'm severely unwell about them.

[plumbogs]

i believe the whole "beau broke is constantly being told to not end up like his brother despite the fact that dustin basically did over half the parenting" thing is probably not good for his mental health.

[unnonexistence]

just started reading book 3 in this series and page 1 is taking no prisoners hgdshdslk

[lisbonsteresa]

[through gritted teeth] i am so normal about this

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also quite the illustration in wags being like "'not asking permission' - wags" and plowing through someone expressing a physical boundary but he was already intending to use physical violence & violation & assumed corresponding distress as a tool to get his way....amidst the typicality, "correctness," permissibility of all that around here like five times an hour

[kayspaceprince]

.

[opalbestcharacter]

whether or not the show ends with this season or gets another, i'm just imagining an epilogue scene that's just basically going through some sort of family photo album showing Miri growing up and Kazuki and Rei with her throughout the years

[gaycentral]

Confession

Summary: In the heat of the moment, JJ confesses her love for Spencer despite being married. Spencer has a confession of his own.

@delusionaldeadgirl @yomamacrusty

Warnings: Uhhhh JJ’s kind of a jerk in this (sorry JJ ily but you shouldn’t have done that when you’re married), kinda suggestive for a second there but nothing happens? Spencer gets mean for a second there, Protective Husband Mode (tm) I clearly don’t know how to write relationships please be nice to me.

Things had been…tense, to say the least. JJ still wondered why she’d done it, she was a married woman, she had kids. She loved Will, no doubt about it, but Spencer?

Spencer was different. She’d known him for a decade now, and even after everything he’d gone through, he was still him, even if changed. Brilliant and kind, gentle and warm and unbelievably loving. He had so much love to give, and he held it inside, a tight ball in his chest that seemed ready to burst.

Perhaps that’s why she did it. She wanted some of that love from him. It was foolish, she knew that, it was selfish. It was unfair to Will, to Spencer, to herself. But, much to her own dismay, she didn’t care. She wanted so desperately to hear him say it back, to take her in his arms, to hold her and love her the way she’d always wanted him to, even if it wasn’t realistic.

But she still hoped.

“JJ.” Spencer’s usual soft cadence broke the tense silence of the break room as he stood in the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets, his shoulders hunched and his eyes trained intently on her. JJ felt her heart speed up. Was this it? Was her outlandish fantasy not so outlandish after all? She watched him, absorbed him. His big brown eyes as he gazed at her, the familiar pinch in his brow, his messy curls that always looked so unfairly soft.

Spencer took a few steps forward, but he didn’t get as close as she wanted him to, maintaining a respectful distance, and JJ felt the familiar ache of yearning. Closer, she begged internally. Please.

“Yes?” She finally opted as a response, the glint in her eyes betraying the growing feeling of excitement. She knew Spencer quite well, or she thought she did, and he certainly seemed nervous. Nervous enough for a confession.

“I have something to tell you.” Spencer finally said, one of his hands pulling something she couldn’t see from under his collar, attached to the chain of a necklace, and rubbing his thumb over it in a self-soothing motion. “I should have told you before.”

This was it, JJ thought to herself, her inner voice was almost squealing with excitement. Her breath caught in anticipation, and a smile began to grow on her face.

“I know.” She said, perhaps rather presumptuously, too impatient for him to say it, and she said those oh-so-dangerous words once again. “I love you too.”

The air hung between them for a moment, and when Spencer didn’t say it back, JJ’s smile began to fade. Oh no. Was she too presumptuous? Was Spencer not ready to say it? Had she ruined everything? Oh god, what if he was already in a relationship?

“No.” Spencer shook his head, a frown creasing his features in a way that made JJ’s stomach twist uncomfortably. “JJ, I’m married.”

JJ’s heart stopped. Her worst fear confirmed. No. No…that didn’t make sense, where was the ring? She’d never met his spouse, he’d never spoken of them. Was this a trick? A lie? Surely he was kidding. He’d break out into his infectious smile and say it back, any time now.

“I’ve been married for years. And I love them more than anything.” His hand opened and he showed JJ the wedding ring, noticing her bewilderment. “I wear it around my neck so I don’t lose it. It’s easier to hide from prying eyes that way.”

JJ felt as though she were listening to him speak underwater, her head swimming with confusion, with anger, with grief. No, no, no. This wasn’t fair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted something for myself.” Spencer’s face was still marred by a frown, and he tucked the ring necklace back under his collar. “You’re not entitled to know about every part of my life.”

It wasn’t fair to him, but this made JJ angrier, and she began to speak before thinking. “Who is it? Some…some stand in for me? I know you felt something for me once! They’re just a replacement because you couldn’t have me!”

To say Spencer was shocked by her outburst was the understatement of the century. The gentleness and patience he often associated with JJ had seemingly vanished, morphing into bitterness, lashing out from embarrassment and jealousy.

JJ looked past Spencer for a moment, and locked eyes with you. You. Of course. How had she been so blind? Of course it was you who had snatched Spencer up, who’d taken his affection for yourself.

You were staring her down, brow furrowed deeply and gaze sharp with a glare. You’d been listening in. Spencer had told you he wanted to deal with this on his own, and you respected his wishes…but that didn’t mean you weren’t weighing the consequences of throwing your stapler at her.

“They’re not a replacement.” That rare, dangerous edge to Spencer’s voice made it’s return, this time directed at JJ, which had never happened before. “I had a crush on you, what, ten years ago? That’s all. That’s it. Nothing more.”

He stepped closer to JJ, brow deeply furrowed and a darkness in his eyes that made her shrink, her insults dying in her throat.

“I’m a patient man, so I’ll only warn you once. Don’t ever talk about them like that again. You don’t want to find out what will happen the next time.”

The mosh frightening part was that his threat could be entirely genuine. Prison had changed him, rage festered in him like a disease, a rage that hadn’t existed before. And he was clever, so very clever, he didn’t need to lay a finger on JJ to hurt her. He never would.

Spencer abruptly left the break room, storming out of the bullpen, and you quickly followed, too worried about him to bother giving JJ one last withering glare. Although it did cross your mind.

It took a bit of searching, but you found him in the men’s bathroom. His hands clutched the counter, his tie loose, his head hung over the sink. You frown, hearing his deep breaths as he tried to calm himself.

You slowly approach before wrapping your arms around his waist from behind, and he meets your gaze in the mirror, his muscles noticeably relaxing beneath your hold, his grip on the counter loosening as lets out a heavy sigh.

He turns in your arms until he can hold you properly, his chin resting atop your head, the two of you gently swaying side to side as you hold each other. His eyes slip closed in a moment of peace, and he dips his head slightly to press a kiss to your forehead.

“So…you threatened JJ for me?” Despite the question, you keep your tone playful, trying to lighten the mood and you hear Spencer groan.

“You heard that?” He mumbled, shame causing his cheeks to burn. He knew he’d stepped over a line, and he regretted it, but a part of him didn’t. A part of him thought it was deserved.

“Yup. And I know I shouldn’t encourage that, but it was very sweet that you stood up for me…and a bit of a turn on. Just so you know.” Not letting go of him, you tilt your head up to meet his eyes, smiling up at him, taking joy in his surprised laugh and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.

“I suppose I’ll have to keep that in mind.” His tone was warm, affectionate, watching you intently as you straightened his tie for him, the grin fading into a soft smile.

“You know that JJ was wrong, right? None of that stuff she said is true.” He worried that maybe you’d taken her words to heart—or worse, that it was something you truly believed long before today.

“I know.” You smile up at him, hands moving from his tie to rest on his chest, the fabric of his suit jacket smooth beneath your palms. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be alright.” Spencer assured you, but his fingers curled lightly around your wrists, pulling you back into him, placing a soft kiss on your lips before resting his cheek on top of your head. “I’d just like to stay like this for a few more minutes.”

“I can work with that.”

[zukosdualdao]

so, this post was originally born from a post i saw a couple of months ago that was deriding people for criticizing katara’s main role in lok being a healer when that was never all she wanted to do but liking the scene where she heals zuko in sozin's comet. at the time i thought about responding directly and decided against it, but i have since scanned through transcripts of every instance (i could find; it's possible i could be missing something) of katara healing someone in the show and how they respond. (you know, like a normal and well-adjusted individual. lmao.)

anyway, aside from katara explicitly stating that she doesn’t only want to be a healer, another aspect of why people don’t like that this is how her story goes in lok is because of the way healing is treated in the atla narrative.

Katara: Aang, you're burned! Let me help you. [Katara heals the burn on Aang's arm.] Aang: Wow, that's good water. Sokka: When did you learn that? Katara: I guess I always knew. Sokka: [Sarcastically.] Oh ... Well then thanks for all the first aid over the years. Like when I fell into the greaseberry bramble. [Angrily.] Or that time I had two fishhooks in my thumb!

this comes, of course, after aang accidentally burns katara and she learns she can heal through her waterbending by healing her own hands. then (after comforting aang despite being the one who got hurt, not that i'm bitter), she heals aang after he gets burned in his fight with zhao. and like... there's not so much as a cursory thanks in this scene.

to be clear, because i can already hear some responses in my head and i am making a preemptive strike: i'm not saying that when other characters don't thank katara for her healing, they're like, the worst people ever for not doing so or there aren't other ways at different times where they show their appreciation. what i am saying is that it feels like this sets up a long pattern of katara's healing specifically being taken for granted, and it makes me especially uncomfortable when i see her healing as a sort of metaphorical parallel to the emotional labor often expected of her in the show, especially because this and being The Avatar's Girlfriend/Wife is more or less what she's relegated to in post-canon.

also, i have to note sokka's line here. i don't want to come down on him too hard for this, because it's obviously being written humorously (and does genuinely make me laugh, for what it's worth, if just for the inherent ridiculous nature of two fishhooks), but his sarcastically saying thanks for all the help over the years when katara says she always knew (which is supposed to be her saying it just somehow instinctively came to her) does feel like another mark in this pattern. but i also really read this as sokka trying to lighten the mood after a Difficult (TM) day, so i cut both him and the writers some slack for it.

Meanwhile, back at the Outer Wall, Katara attempts to heal a member of the Terra Team. General Sung: What's wrong with him? He doesn't look injured. Katara: His chi is blocked. [Stops healing.] Who did this to you?

i find it interesting that katara has sort of naturally fallen into a token team healer role, to the degree that we don't even see them ask for her help or her agree to it; it's just automatically assumed that she will. and i mean, on the one hand, it's fairly standard to have an Assumed Healer in a fantasy action setting like this, where people will get hurt in combat and therefore the narrative needs someone whose job is to help them. the problem for me is that the show kicked up such a fuss about how women shouldn't just be allowed to be healers, and yet it's still the role no one but katara ever fills. aang is also a waterbender! why couldn't she have taught him healing, too? i genuinely think it would have added a lot to the story, but katara is The Girl (TM), so healing is what she (and only she) does, what's expected of her, and again, with very rare thanks for it.

Katara stares open-mouthed at Jet, her hands hovering near her mouth in shock. Snapping out of it, she withdraws water from her water skin, with which she covers her hands, and it begins to glow as she kneels down next to him. Cut to a shot from over her shoulder, with Jet glancing at her while she rubs her hands over his chest in an attempt to heal him. After rubbing his chest three times, the glow fades, the water stains Jet's clothing, and Katara looks back over her shoulder toward the rest of the group. Katara: This isn't good. Smellerbee: You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet. Katara: We're not going to leave you. Longshot: There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader. They stare at Longshot in surprise. Jet: Don't worry, Katara. I'll be fine. [Smiles a little.]

Cut to a closer shot of Katara placing Aang's body on Appa. Katara opens the vial around her neck and uses water healing on Aang's wounded back. The rest of Team Avatar, Kuei, and Bosco all look sadly and in anticipation. The glowing from the spirit water stops, and Katara starts crying, assuming that it was not enough to save Aang. Aang's tattoos glow for a second and Aang groans. Katara, overcome with joy that Aang is alive, looks at him, who smiles a little, and she holds him closer.

writing about these together because i have less to say about them. i'm definitely not going to fault jet for not thanking katara when she tries to heal him as he literally lay dying, or aang for not having the mind to do so after she brings him back. but i am still going to fault the narrative for putting her in a position where healing is just inherently expected from her and yet very rarely allowing her to feel the emotional toll of that or to feel constricted by it. and when she does struggle against the weight of it (not necessarily of being a healer, but of being expected to be kind and good and uncomplicated with no room for other aspects of her identity, which are very tangled up in why she is The Healer) in episodes like the runaway or in the southern raiders, she just... does not receive a lot of support from the people she should be most able to rely on.

Katara: Maybe we should go upstairs. [Helping Aang up.] You need a healing session. Back in Aang's room on the ship. Katara bends some water onto the scar left by Azula's lightning attack. Katara: Tell me where the pain feels most intense. Aang: Mmm, a little higher. Uhhh! Aang briefly flashes back to the battle at Old Ba Sing Se where he rose into the Avatar State, then back to reality. Aang: Wow, you're definitely in the right area there.

not much to say here, it's just another instance where it would have been so easy to slip one thank you in, and the writers just... do not. the reason i think it bothers me so much with aang specifically is because katara is supposed to be both aang's physical healer and his emotional crutch in a way that she's not written as being for, say, toph or sokka. he's sometimes shown appreciation for her emotional support, but he still comes to rely on and expect it in ways that do not always feel healthy, and knowing that, it bothers me that he shows even less appreciation for her healing, because it's just what katara is there for.

A figure resembling the Painted Lady glides over the water on a carpet of fog and enters the village. She steps into a hut where several people are sleeping on the floor, and bends over each of them in turn, healing them with a blue glow. Her last patient is the mother of the little boy seen earlier, her son sleeping at her side. He wakes as the Painted Lady turns to go and silently follows her out the door. Little boy: Thank you, Painted Lady.

this is a genuinely sweet scene in which katara does receive appreciation and genuine thanks for her healing, but i think it's also worth noting that katara is not being recognized as herself here. still, i am genuinely very glad that it's included in the episode because (again, unless i am missing something) it is the first time katara gets thanked for her healing.

The scene cuts to show Appa landing on the edge of the battlefield. Sokka and Katara help Hakoda onto the ground, and Katara starts trying to heal him. Katara: How does that feel, Dad? Hakoda: Ah, a little, better. I need, to get back to the troops. [Attempts to stand but is too weak to.] Ahh! Katara: You're hurt, badly. You can't fight anymore. Hakoda: Everyone's counting on me to lead this mission Katara, I won't let them down. [Attempts to stand again but can't.] Ahh! Sokka: Can't you heal him any faster?

they're in a high intensity situation, and sokka is Stressed because hakoda is supposed to lead the mission, so i, like, Get It, but "can't you heal him any faster?" does strike me as another moment in which katara's healing is being taken for granted. i think it's something that would bother me a lot less if this was an isolated incident in the writing, but *gestures vaguely at whole post*.

Sokka: [Brightening.] Dad! [Rising and approaching the two.] You're on your feet again. Hakoda: [Sitting down; somewhat weakly.] Thanks to your sister.

that being said, in the next hakoda and katara scene, there is this very sweet moment, where hakoda might not be thanking katara directly but is showing a lot of appreciation and admiration for her skill in healing (and though she's not in the dialogue i included, she's around to hear it, which makes me happy.)

Katara: It's gonna take a while for your feet to get better. [Stops healing.] I wish I could have worked on them sooner. Toph: Yeah, me too.

once again, i'm not gonna fault toph for wishing katara could have healed her feet sooner, because she's been in pain all night, but the writers could have very easily (as they could have in any of these scenes!) chosen to include a perfunctory 'thanks' here, and they just didn't. i know this is getting repetitive, but i swear it's because it's largely more me being mad at the writers than the characters, lmao.

there are also a couple of scenes in which katara doesn't heal anyone, but her healing gets brought up by aang.

Aang: He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy? [Appa groans and Aang pulls out Appa's purple tongue.] His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?

to be fair, aang asks here, and it's not like aang gets defensive or angry when katara says appa needs medicine (and also to be fair, appa's not even actually sick, lmao, katara's being slightly trickstery), but it's another instance where katara is automatically positioned as the person who is and should be responsible for healing.

Aang: [Chuckles.] Well, not over over. I mean there's always Katara and a little Spirit Water action, [Turns to Katara.] am I right? Katara: Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you. Aang: [Disappointed.] Oh.

i actually don't mind this so much as a writing moment, as i think it's a lot more intentional wrt aang not always conceptualizing the reality of the violence he’s facing. still, it’s another instance of katara’s ability to heal and care for him being taken for granted, and i find it especially notable it’s in of the last significant moments they share together (the other being an argument as katara urges him not to run away from the reality of their situation with ozai) before they spend the rest of the finale separate until they’re kissing without a word at the end.

and then there is the zutara healing scene, where katara heals zuko after he interferes and takes azula’s lightning to the chest when she’s aiming for katara.

Cut to Katara as she rolls Zuko on to his back and begins healing him. Zuko opens his eyes, feeling the pain lessen, and smiles weakly at Katara, who smiles back as she sheds a tear.

Zuko: Thank you, Katara.

Katara: I think I'm the one who should be thanking you.

it seems fair to me to say that one of the reasons the motifs of healing in the zutara are dynamic are so appreciated by their fans is because of how it contrasts to a lot of moments where the work katara does with her healing is under-appreciated. for one thing, it happens as part of a mutual exchange—katara heals zuko after he gets hurt saving her. (this also somewhat calls back to their scenes together in the crystal caves in the tcod, where she offers to heal his scar after they are trapped together and zuko extends her empathy.) it’s based in reciprocity. it’s also, as shown here, one of the few moments of explicit, heartfelt appreciation and thanks given for katara’s healing.

[royalarchivist]

Ramon had a cute idea for the Huevitos (members of Fit's community) to fill the #ramonbday tag with art and kind messages so he can show them to Fit for his birthday (February 1st), so here's my contribution! I have over 800 Fit-related clips, so it was hard to choose just a few fun moments from stream :'D

Even though the QSMP server won't be open until February 3rd, we still have a few more days to share messages, art, etc. – so if you'd like to post something for Ramon to potentially include in Fit's birthday surprise, make sure to post it by January 31st and use the tag #ramonbday!

[ Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

–

Fit: I can't believe I'm a homosexual now.

–

FitMC 2023 - 2024 Highlights

–

Vegetta: Leonarda, give me the picture.

Fit: Leonarda, you should give him a picture.

Vegetta: It's for saving your life!

Fit: [Picks up the photo she dropped] Oh, now I have it. [Sees its a photo of Vegetta and Melissa in their stripper outfits] Oh. Oh my.

–

Fit: It's a life experience Tubbo, you know? Aren't you glad you–

Tubbo: "Life experience" deez nuts, you bald bastard.

–

Fit: Ok, I'm looking through the bars– There's like, yeah–

Pac: [Falls off the wall] AAAAA–

–

Fit: [Dumping his wild cats in the Bakery] I'll just– I'll just release them in here. Screw it. What's the worst that could happen?

[The next day]

The big cats are still, uh– [Sees the cats mauling the Baker] Oh my god. They do NOT like the Baker

–

Jaiden: Fit, you're just a guy, right?

Fit: I'm just a dude. I'm just like– I'm just like the generic RPG protagonist. Like, human male, warrior. Like, it's– I'm as vanilla as you can get

-

Fit: Sneeg– shut up, I'm doing gay roleplay right now!

–

Fit: Tubbo, if you want to disable mines, you are disrespecting the entire Hispanic community.

–

Fit: What are you doin' staring at me, Baldy? Yeah, you think you're hot sht?

[The Binary Monster shows up]

Fit: OH, FCK–

–

Fit: The oldest anarchy server in Minecraft.

Fit: The youngest gay roleplay server in Minecraft.

–

Fit: [While playing "Hide and Seek" with Ramon] If he moves, then I know that was the spot.

Ramon: [Stares at him as the Metal Gear Solid "discovered by an enemy" vwing! sound plays]

Fit: [Cackles] WHERE YOU GOIN' BOY? WHERE YOU GOIN' BOY?

–

Fit: To be a turtle in the Arctic, you hate to see it. Yeah, you know this turtle is... not so different from me. It's living in a place that's trying to KILL it.

–

Tubbo: [To Pac] Just lay down. [Starts Casualonas-ing] This is for you.

Fit: [Immediately equips his weapon]

Tubbo: This is for you, king.

Pac: [Laughs] Fit - you see this?

Fit: [Shoots Tubbo, who starts screaming] I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Uh-

Tubbo: Ok, ok, well he–

Fit: Misfire, misfire, misfire!

Tubbo: He wasn't- he wasn't- OW OW OW!

Fit: Misfire!

–

Fit: Sometimes- it's not about doing the right thing, Phil – it's about doing the more entertaining thing. Right?

Phil: PFTTTTT–

Fit: They banned my ass. They're like, "Why are you talking to Pac like that?" That's unacceptable on this family-friendly Christian Minecraft server (TM). Like– "We can't be having any of that." "Can't be having any of THAT."

–

Cucurucho: [Slowly turns to stare at Fit while Pac is talking to him]

Fit: [Silently starts cracking up]

Pac: Ok Cucurucho, I'm gonna be waiting for your response

–

[Fit putting up art that Ramon drew]

Foolish: Boo it if it's bad!

Fit: Heyyyyyy! That's actually –

Foolish: Oh! Wait, that's– That's actually pretty good, what the fck.

Fit: Ramon, you weren't supposed to actually try. This is incredible!

[They both laugh]

–

Pac: Yeah, yeah! I was–

Tubbo: Everyone goes through their dick phase.

Fit: Yeah...

Pac: Yeah, everyone does.

Fit: Oh? Oh– is that so, Tubbo? Yeah?

Tubbo: Everyone- everyone–

Fit: When did you go through your dick phase? [Laughs]

Tubbo: I'd argue I'm in my dick phase right now.

Fit: Uh, you know, speakin' of spruce– you know Bruce Lee, right?

Phil: Yeah?

Fit: If Bruce Lee was a plant, he'd be Spruce Tree.

Phil: [Disappointed grumbling]

Fit: [Laughs]

[Fit gets kicked off the server]

Fit: [Laughs even harder]

[essaytime]

I feel like a goddess summoned to her temple.

@cto10121

[natequarter]

for the doctor it's just like. gender is completely unknown, not irrelevant, but unknown to time lord society (they aren't agender, because they don't have the construct of gender in the first place). on the other hand, 20th century brits are pretty big fans of this whole gender thing, and you can't get away from it. the doctor gets assigned a gender somewhat against his will but goes along with it, in a camp sort of way, because why not. but then romana (no exposure to earth culture) (thinks earth culture is a bit stupid actually) (fabulous dress sense) turns up and he shoots himself in the foot by cracking a joke which is funny To Him And Him Alone (the silliness of the length of time lord names, a Gallifreyan (TM) sort of joke vs the incongruity of fred as an ostensibly "male" name for an ostensibly "female" person, a Human sort of joke (you see brigadier i have learnt to recognise gender now :D :D :D)) but because romana is a bit naive and also as previously mentioned knows fuck all about humans and also also has never been called romana, to her memory, only mana, and thinks romana is a bit of a stupid name actually, she takes him at face value and goes along with the bit. (she does so like to go along with his bits.) and is still doing this ridiculous bit hundreds of years on, except it never really clicks for her Why the bit is funny, because once again she has no concept of gender. maybe if dr. who didn't have the worst sense of humour ever we wouldn't be in this situation right now (romana straight up crossdressing as a man, not that she knows what a man is, and driving the doctor up the wall in the process because He Gets It and it's causing him all sorts of trouble now)

[number1villainstan]

I just saw Dune Part 2 (2024) with some friends so here are some Thoughts i guess

I feel like on the whole these movies are trying to either downplay or cut out a lot of the misogyny/sexism in the book, although Herbert's view of gender roles is so pervasive in the book that it's hard to change without completely changing the worldbuilding (the Bene Gesserit especially) and/or certain characters and getting second-order effects that weaken or change the main plot. But they did a good job at least making it much less in-your-face and offensive than in the book. One of Chani's lines is about how "men and women are equal" in the Fremen, and while I don't really think that's supported by how the movie depicts Fremen I can see and respect where they're coming from

It's still a very male-dominated movie, but it's honestly pretty faithful to the book, and like--what are you gonna do? It's Dune. You can't exactly just genderbend Paul and get the same story, at least not when the Bene Gesserit are still what they are

wait now i'm thinking about an AU where the Kwisatz Haderach turns out to be a trans man. ideally you'd get both the canon critiques of white savior mythos/the Messiah trope and a deconstruction of the sexism and strict gender roles of the society of the Dune universe. also ideally you'd get a whole bunch of other queer characters in the same AU. you could also do an AU where the Kwisatz Haderach/a potential Kwisatz Haderach turns out to be a trans woman, or even nonbinary, but i feel like those would make for very different stories cuz AGAB/ASAB seems to matter like A Lot in the Dune universe

the movies did manage to completely get rid of the homophobic parts of the Harkonnens' characterization though. i did like that

although it was still using disability/deformity as shorthand for Ugly Evil Guy which :/

but enough about the Problematic Elements(TM) let's talk about the actual story

Chani was a lot more politically and generally assertive in the movie than I remember her being in the book, although it's been A While and she was also very much a Main Character who had thoughts and opinions and importance outside of the male characters she was affiliated with (as much as anyone can escape the political black hole that is Muad'dib but) AND! she actively advocated for Fremen self-governance in the beginning! although she didn't keep it up cuz she got sucked into the Paul black hole. this may have happened in the book it has been like two years since i read the first book and it was very disjointed reading cuz College(TM). I also liked the ending part, where it was implied that Chani was leaving, on her own, because she was angry with Paul, which implies More Character Development. (Also they didn't seem to do the Fremen polygamy/concubines thing in the movie, which was a good call, i feel like that part of the book was maybe informed by anti-Arab racism)

Jessica was incredible, of course. Love me a good ruthless woman. Her main character trait/motivation was definitely Paul's Mother but her main personality trait seems to be incredible ruthlessness. there is no madonna/whore complex to be found here no sir

(i may be wrong about that part but eh)

And of course the Harkonnen Blood reveal. the story definitely sets up Atreides as The Good Guys (fair, just, merciful, looking out for and caring about the people under their rule) and the Harkonnens as The Bad Guys (cruel, unjust, power-hungry and traitorous), which makes the reveal that Jessica and Paul have Harkonnen blood an incredible symbol of Paul's corruption arc. He goes from "I must do anything possible to avoid the holy war" (the Atreides way) to "CONQUER ARRAKIS AND ELIMINATE ANYONE WHO STANDS IN MY WAY" (the Harkonnen way) over the course of...technically years, in the book, although that wasn't super well communicated in the movie I feel--in the movie it was only months, cuz Alia hadn't been born yet by the end. And right before we see the worst of it we end up learning that Jessica, his mother, was a daughter of Baron Harkonnen. Jesus fuck.

there's definitely some Not Great elements about using ancestors/blood to determine morality but still

princess irulan was introduced! as an independent character and actor in her own right oh my god! although she still falls prey to the sexism infusing the original material

the dune books (at least the first two) are in this weird state where there are very strict and specific roles/walks of life that female characters are allowed in (domestic/family life and religion) and men dominate Everything Else and nobody every questions that, not to mention the whole thing about how apparently even the very female religion/psychic field is supposed to be dominated eventually by This One Man who can do it better than all the women, and yet all of the female characters are well-developed and feel like people. ykno aside from the complete lack of protest in being shoved into a sexist role

anyways irulan got more development than i remember from the books, i loved that, and that we got her POV too. these movies are really working to uplift and spotlight the female perspectives that were often somewhat sidelined in the books and i love that

also stilgar's (blind?) faith REALLY came through which i liked

overall, yeah, the movie was great. it's very faithful to the spirit of Dune while addressing some of its flaws/datedness--it understands what its message is and what it's saying, and the way it's constructed really hammers home the critiques of imperialism and racism the original was built on

I think this is gonna end up a trilogy, based on only the first book, and it very much seems like the third (and final?) movie is going to specifically focus on the war against the Great Houses after the Emperor falls, which iirc was kinda glossed over in the book/between Dune and Dune: Messiah. I can't wait to see what they do with it

[lisbonsteresa]

just started weeping