#so like. op is right. in the canon of the show we really don't SEE evidence of cause for concern re:claudia

[cinematicnomad]

#I think this is good analysis but it’s missing a fundamental element #they don’t think she’s fucked up for anything she’s done or will do. they don’t think her life is a tragedy from her actions. #her life is a tragedy bc she’s a child. think about how much independence and autonomy a child has. #she’s 14. barely out of middle school. #(her actress obviously is older. bc a real 14 year old could not provide the necessary level of performance. but TV claudia is 14.) #claudia cannot exist in human society without a parent figure. which means she is eternally tied to a vampire companion by necessity #book claudia is 5 years old. Louis carries her around like a babydoll. brushes her hair and puts ribbons in it. #obviously TV claudia would not put up with that treatment. she has MUCH more autonomy than book claudia. #but Claudia being uniquely cursed is due to her age. and as her maker lestat is responsible for that #and lestat projects his insecurity back at her #armand wants her out of the way and he recognizes her insecurities/weaknesses immediately and plays them up #that’s why he creates the psychological torture of the baby lulu character for her. #madeleine well that’s interesting. TV madeleine is much more well adjusted as a human being. #book madeleine is a doll maker who lost a child. and Claudia is her replacement baby. they match each other’s freak but it’s crazyyy #they never really touch on Claudia’s age in Europe. they show her basically as a functioning adult. #when like. a biggest part of her tragedy is that she CANT leave Louis. she NEEDS an adult body with her to be passably human. #I’m rambling but yeah. it’s her age. #but she’s literally a black 14 year old who can only go out at night #the human world is so fucking dangerous for her (via @punk-pins)

As much as nearly every character she meets tends to act like there's something uniquely broken and wrong with Claudia, at no point does it truly seem to me like there actually really is? I mean, obviously she is extremely fucked up, she straight up went through a serial killer collecting trophies phase, but there's a level of fucked up that's sort of the baseline for every character in the show, and obviously being turned into a vampire as a child puts her at a unique disadvantage. But for all that everyone around her spends their time bemoaning how dreadful and doomed her life is, even Louis who genuinely loves her but also builds so much of his identity around feeling responsible for her Terrible Fate™, I really don't think she's like, fundamentally damaged any more than any of the other vampires are.

But Lestat is so unwilling to be wrong that every time her life hits an inevitable road bump instead of helping her through it he points and says "look! see! she IS a monster, I was right Louis, making her was a mistake!" (and I think he sees his own monstrousness in her but fails to also see her humanity)

And then Armand meets her and sees only someone who will inevitably lose her mind, so of course speeding up the "inevitable" and siding with the coven to plan her death is just a mercy, absolving himself of any blame. (and he projects his own frailty and desire for death onto her, failing to see her strength and her desire for life)

Which makes it so cathartic when she meets Madeleine, admits to her how broken she feels sometimes, and Madeleine's response is just. Well that's normal. Who isn't a little broken these days. Let yourself feel it, move on, let yourself feel it again if you need to. After spending her life having others act as if her emotions are something uniquely dark and worrying, Madeleine's incredibly blase attitude must have been such an incredible breath of fresh air for Claudia!

To spend her whole life being made to feel like something is Wrong™ with her, and then meet someone who's just like, "yeah, and?? Who isn't? Join the club I guess"

Which makes her death so incredibly tragic and frustrating because like. She was fine! She was making a life for herself! She wasn't doomed by her nature, she wasn't "doomed by the narrative" (whatever the fuck that even means), she was doomed for no reason other than that everyone around her (except for Madeleine) preemptively DECIDED she was doomed and never gave her a chance to prove them wrong.

[quibbs126]

Yesterday I saw someone on Twitter mentioning the babyfication of Bumblebee in the fandom, and that's been somewhat of a thought in my mind before, so I figured "eh, might as well write my own thoughts on the matter myself". Though in a tumblr post, since Twitter has a character limit and I don't feel like doing a thread

So yeah, that's what this is

Why does Bumblebee get babyfied so much in the Transformers fandom?

Disclaimer though: I'm only really touching on the shows and movies and how they might contribute to the issue, and only the ones I've seen, so no Unicron Trilogy or RID 2015. And probably not much on the live action movies either since I remember them very little, just design things. I've also not read any of the comics, so they aren't weighing in either

I'm also not claiming I have the definitive answers, just some guesses based on my own understandings. I'm very socially inept, so I could be completely wrong. It's also why I'm not touching on the fandom side much

My friend told me to put a "read more" tab on this after showing her what I was doing, and yeah I probably should. Take note that this is an absolute monster of a post, this took me hours to write. So be warned

But yeah anyways, let's start this

Oh right, I should probably start with what I mean by "babyfied", so we all are on the same page here. The biggest things I think are making Bumblebee a teenager or child, whether in interpretations of canon material, AUs of official series, or people's own versions of the Transformers (though note the most damning one here is the first one, seeing a canon Bee as a kid, specifically when it is not shown that he is one. The third one is completely fine, it just is a symptom I think), and then also basically just making Bumblebee Optimus' son, or Elita's, or Megatron's, or a combination of characters; basically, just making Bumblebee someone's kid

I'll be tackling it in a general order of the shows/movies and how they contribute to the issue, starting with:

G1 cartoon

So in g1, I will admit, I think I can see Bee and Optimus having some sort of father-son relationship, at least in moments; like Attack of the Autobots which is where Optimus and Bumblebee have that iconic little hug

But I mean also, Optimus just kind of generally has paternal vibes in g1, he feels like everyone's dad. I think it might just get magnified with Bumblebee because Bumblebee is small and probably has the "cutest" personality of the Minicars, so it's just him from that group. And also, he's got a cute little Beetle car as his alt, which factors into it

He also does seem to have been written with the idea of him being younger, at least that's how the toy description feels to me

He was also Spike's best Autobot friend, and as I'm pretty sure Spike was supposed to be the young teenage human for the kids to relate to more, that probably helps with his youth factor

Though he is still functionally an adult. But I don't think the problem is as bad here, since let's be real, people mostly remember g1 for the nostalgia, iconic moments, and being the origins of the franchise; people aren't really making g1 AUs outside of that one person with the Orion Pax and Megatron knowing each other AU

So from the start, he's always had this, but I don't think we can call it an issue at this point. But it does bring in some of the main factors in the babyfication of Bee, namely:

He's small, which can give the impression of younger

He generally is one of the younger bots, even if he's still an adult

He tends to be the main friend of a human protagonist, who generally tend to be kids or teenagers

These will show up again, so keep them in mind. Now, let's move onto our next show, 23 years later

Animated

So in Animated, Bumblebee is yet again, one of the youngest members of the main cast, though this is specifically told to us, like how Sentinel, one of Optimus' contemporaries (and TFA OP is meant to be on the younger side of his variations too), was Bee's drill sergeant, as well as just Bee's general behavior

He is also the smallest member of the main cast, which can contribute to the feeling of him being younger

He is also friends with the human protagonist Sari, who is an 8-year-old at the start of the show, and the two of them tend to go along with each other's crazy schemes, rather than Bee trying to be responsible with Sari; that's more Optimus' job.

What I didn't pick up until way later than I probably should have was that Bulkhead is around the same age as Bumblebee, thus making him also one of the youngest members of the cast. Which honestly in retrospect, makes a lot of sense with how he's written, and him also being one of Sari's closest friends. I think why I didn't pick up on it while watching however comes from two things: 1, he's like the biggest member of the main cast, which doesn't immediately make me think he's one of the younger members, even though younger people being big is something they can be (I mean my brother's like 6 feet tall and he's not even 15 yet), and then 2: Transformers Prime Bulkhead, aka the one from the show that might be more popular than TFA, is very much an adult, and that was the Bulkhead I knew. So I didn't know he was supposed to be younger

We'll swing back around to Prime later, I think it's one of the main contributors to the issue, but keep in mind that interpretations from popular series tend to stay in mind and bleed over into other shows and their versions, even if that's not how they are

But back to Bumblebee, things generally aren't super different between this and g1, other than the fact that he and Optimus don't have much of a parent-child dynamic, and that this Bee definitely is on the younger side in canon, though probably still an adult? I'm not sure, but he can't mentally be more than like, very early 20s. But it happening again does reinforce these ideas of Bumblebee as a younger bot

In fanon, I don't know if the TFA side has this much of an issue, at least nowadays? I see him get shipped with Blitzwing and Prowl plenty, and I don't see him as Optimus' kid, other than like one time with the "9 months in my womb" meme, and him being an oplita kid, which might have just been for the joke and also TFA Elita was yellow, so eh. But I'm also not too big on the TFA side of the fandom anyways, so I could be wrong

So before we get to Prime, I just want to sidestep into the movies that were also coming out at the time

Bayverse/live-action movies

Now I can't say much on the writing front with Bee, since I have not seen any of these movies in a hot minute, outside of the first hour and a half of the 2007 movie. I will say though, based on what I saw of Bee there (aka mostly his car shenanigans), that is not a child, that is a sassy little bastard man. Though that could be because Bay was trying to market more to like, teenage boys and trying to make him "cooler"

But anyways, what I wanted to talk about was his design, and how it contributes to the babyfication issue

The Bay movies gave Bumblebee a redesign, looking pretty different from his original design (though that goes for pretty much everyone except Optimus)

The thing I notice most with these movie designs is how round they make him, specifically with his eyes, being so big and round, especially later. While it was probably originally just a reference to bug eyes, it makes him cuter looking, more innocent. I think by Bumblebee, they were trying to capitalize on that in the movie, making him seem cute and non-threatening in certain scenes so Charlie knows he's not a danger. Which makes sense, but it does contribute to the problem here

And in general, he's a lot rounder I think in his design. And while I'm not expert on shape language, I think I can gather that more round shapes leads to him looking more friendly and less threatening and cuter in our minds, and "cuter" leads to "younger". That's why I keep bringing up "cute" by the way, forgot to say earlier. Cuteness tends to be associated with youthfulness and thus younger characters more

And in general with Bumblebee, him being yellow, a bright color more associated with joy and optimism, and thus youth, and generally having a more optimistic and extroverted personality (though not necessarily in the Bay movies, though I can't say for sure) again leads into him being younger. Now it probably came from the fact that bees are yellow, thus he's yellow (and also black), and his personality came from that bright color. Actually the name probably also comes from the yellow color scheme, but you get it. His color scheme and personality lends Bee to being a younger character

Back to Bayverse, it did change Bumblebee's alt mode from a Beetle to a Camaro (again probably to make him "cooler"), and I think since then, Bumblebee's basically always been a sports car, outside of explicitly g1 referencing things. So it does tend to take away the "smaller" aspect of what makes him seem so young, as he's more average sized now. But the youthful connotations don't necessarily go away

This is also (I think) what started the trend of Bumblebee losing his voice, being replaced with either radio/movie clips, or just beeps that the characters can understand. Now while I'm not too sure how this affects him in Bayverse, as I haven't seen much of Bee proper in the movies in a long time (the first half of the first movie is pretty much just car Bee), and since I know he can still talk in some way, it does mean you focus less on his dialogue and how that characterizes him, and more on his appearance and actions (at least in robot mode). Or he just doesn't talk, and you can have your own interpretations of what he's saying. And as mentioned prior, his design tends to make him look cuter, adding to the issue. I'll get more into this in Prime, since I am familiar with Prime, and he doesn't talk at all there

He's also again, I'm pretty sure one of the younger bots, despite probably being an adult. We'll go over that more in Prime

I don't think I have much else to say on these movies, so to go over the general points, this seemed to cause a bit of a shift in Bumblebee's portrayals. He got a bigger alt mode, so he's not tiny anymore, but he got big round eyes that make him seem cuter, rounder features, and he lost his voice, which means you can fill in the gaps in what he's saying in your head

Now, let's get to the real meat of this, and I think the biggest cause of this all:

Prime

I hope I didn't hype this section up too much. But I think this is where all the things conglomerate into the main factors of Bee's babyfication

Bumblebee is not the smallest bot, but the smallest is the female motorcycle bot, as opposed to his sports car, so. He is the youngest Autobot, and bot in general outside of I guess the Predacons, until Smokescreen comes in in Season 2, who is also considered young. He and Optimus have a close relationship, that given their age differences, could be read as paternal. He's got the big round eyes of Bayverse and a generally round design, which we've already discussed as to how it contributes to the problem. He also does not speak at all, only using beeps that we the audience cannot understand, until the finale. His designated human friend is the youngest human companion here, and the most child of them, being only 12. All these factors combine to create the most "baby" Bumblebee so far

(I just added a picture since I felt like I needed to. But there's not much to talk about design-wise that wasn't in the Bay section)

First up, the age thing. I keep saying that Bumblebee is one of the youngest bots in the casts, even though he's technically an adult. This is true, in part because as far as we can see in canon, Transformers don't really have "child" stages, they're just born adults. And they don't really age; or well, they do, it just takes millions and millions of years to do so, so they're functionally immortal. So, they don't really age like us humans, physically and probably mentally too, given they skip the young child years. So I mean like, technically speaking, Bee's an adult, it's not really clear where that translates into our perception, so maybe he's more mentally a child? I don't think I'm making sense here, maybe ignore this section

But he is younger, and particularly in Prime, he's in a team of bots all much older than him. If I were to put them in mental human years, I'd say he and Smokescreen are probably somewhere in their early 20s, while everyone else is probably like, 35+. Bee is notably younger than his peers, and we are made aware of this fact. And this makes him appear even younger than he is

If I were to make a comparison, and maybe this is a bit random, but take Mouthwashing for example. I may never have been super knowledgeable of the fandom, but I am aware that Daisuke is like, 22, while everyone else on the Tulpar is 35+, and that makes him feel so much younger by comparison. He's only just started his adult life, compared to the far more experienced adults around him. And while I didn't see it, I do think I remember seeing people talk about how people kept portraying Daisuke as younger and more innocent than he is when he's a 22-year-old man. I also remember someone comparing the portrayals of Daisuke in the fandom with another character from another series (I think it was Omori?), who was the same age as Daisuke, but because that character is the oldest of the protagonist group, everyone else being children or teenagers, he was portrayed super differently to Daisuke. The other character had to be responsible and make mature decisions, while Daisuke is allowed to be silly and reckless. The point I'm trying to make here is that age, and how a character is portrayed and interpreted, is relative to the characters surrounding them, with the characters on the extremes sometimes getting exacerbated because of it. This is true in real life too, but for the sake of analysis

Bumblebee is the youngest member of the Autobot team (at least until Smokescreen), and thus, he feels even younger as a result. This is probably also helped by the fact that there's no Decepticons around his age either, everyone around Bumblebee is a full-grown adult by comparison. And his close relationship with Optimus, who is meant to be one of the older bots in the group, feels very paternal, which serves to make Bee feel again younger, like he's Optimus' son. Which I like here, but it furthers the issue

And on the topic of him just feeling younger, let's bring up Raf. Bumblebee is again a friend of a human protagonist, but in Prime we have 3 main humans, ranging in ages but all in grade school, and each one has an Autobot they're paired with. And Bumblebee gets Raf, the youngest member at around 12. Due to Raf's youngest member status and technically not being a teenager, he is, as I said before, the most "child" of the group, even if they're all technically children still. I thought he was 10 until I double checked and saw he was 12, and honestly, I feel like he feels younger than Sari did, who was only 8 when we met her. Probably because unlike Sari who had no human friends, Raf does, both of whom are older than him and treat him as such. It's the relative age thing again

But back to Bee, unlike with the other humans and bots, Bee doesn't act as the responsible adult, but more of a friend for Raf, though not nearly as chaotic as TFA Bee and Sari. They aren't causing trouble; they're just having fun and cute moments. There's again, the cuteness factor that probably contributes to the young feeling he brings, but it also serves to make Bumblebee not feel as much as an adult. Arcee is definitely an adult with Jack, and Bulkhead particularly gives me responsible adult vibes with Miko, at least on some occasions where they aren't indulging in fun, reckless behavior and Bulkhead has to get serious with her. They're responsible with the kids, even if they slip up at times, and help them learn things. But Bee doesn't have that with Raf, probably because Bee can't talk and give him the lesson. Raf also doesn't cause much trouble on his own and has Ratchet for that

Which segues me nicely into Bumblebee's lack of voice in this show. This was a carryover from Bayverse, since Hasbro was still trying to have synergy with the movies at that point. But instead of radio clips, he just beeps, with the other bots and Raf just being able to understand him, even though we the audience don't. And because of this, we never know what he's saying, and he also just straight up doesn't have a voice for us to gauge his age with. Thus, it's up to us the audience to fill in the blanks in our imaginations. But with all of the discussed factors of him being cute and young, we can just end up interpreting him as younger because of it. It's also again, probably because he doesn't talk. It's like R2D2 and BB-8, who only speak in beeps, but because they're cute, we see them probably as much cuter than they would be if we knew what they were actually saying (R2 especially)

To maybe go off on a weird tangent, I think child characters tend to be seen more as objects than people, or I guess objectified more, since they don't have fully developed brains and personalities and are less likely to be able to hold their own in a fight. They're things to be protected and loved and angst over, while all they need to do is be there and be cute. I think the lack of voice ties into this in a way, I just don't know how to explain it, other than like, because they took away his voice, we can see him as even cuter and child-like instead of the grown adult he is. Infantalization, that's what I'm trying to say. I think that's term for all of this, but you get what I mean by "babyfication"

Especially because at least for me, when Bumblebee did get his voice back, I started seeing him more as an adult, because he could actually talk and had an adult voice. Yes, him learning to take more of a leadership role in Predacons Rising is also a factor, but him having a voice now is part of it too. But he only got it back in the finale and the movie, so you spend pretty much the entire show with voiceless Bumblebee, and what comes with that

I think that wraps up everything about Prime Bee's portrayal, but now let me get into why I think overall, it was what really caused this baby Bee thing to stick

Like I said prior in the Animated section, the more something's repeated, the more it sticks, and these traits of Bumblebee being the youngest have been consistent throughout the series we've covered. Not to mention, I just think personality wise, this Bee feels the youngest/child-like, though again, it probably has to do with his company and lack of voice. And also, the fact that he's well-behaved, like how people want children to be

So, by this point, this interpretation of Bumblebee is stuck in our minds as how he is, younger than the rest of the team

But I think another big thing is that Transfomers Prime is probably the biggest series in the fandom, at least show-wise. G1 was influential and Animated is still popular, but no show comes close to the amount of popularity I see for Prime stuff, particularly their brand of megop or for their Decepticons in general. The only thing I've seen come close is Transformers One, which is also the newest one and what brought new people in during this wave, so who knows if it'll stick forever. I'm not sure where IDW stands though, because I know that was big too

If I had to attribute Prime's success in the fandom to things, I'd say it's because plenty of people around my age (20s-ish?), who are definitely online and on social media, grew up with Prime (though I will note that Transformers tends to have an older fandom than I'm used to), the fact that for a long time, Prime was easily accessible in its entirety on Netflix, long before the streaming wars (and this is how I watched the show), it generally has good writing and animation, it feels like it had a complete story, unlike Animated which had Season 4 cancelled, and Frank Welker and Peter Cullen were back as Megatron and Optimus, making them feel more "definitive". Among probably other things I'm missing

But the point is, Prime is big, and it'll take a lot to dethrone it, outside of possibly some TF One sequels sticking the landing after the first movie. But that's not certain at the moment

And like I said before, popular interpretations tend to bleed into other series and interpretations, even when they don't entirely fit. There's a reason when people want Knock Out in another show, they basically want more TFP Knock Out, design and character wise, or why Breakdown was in Earthspark without the other Stunticons. Or why people basically try to recreate the g1 backstory when making Skyfire and skystar for their stories, even when I'm not really sure versions of Starscreams would ever be scientists. Why Functionism will show up in fanfics despite something like TF One not really having a place for it outside of the cogless thing. Why people will instinctively ship megop across continuities despite it not working as well in some (*cough cough TFA cough*). Why Megatron and Optimus have largely had the same backstories for ~15 years, with One being probably the most different, but still the same general beats. It happens both in canon and fanon, but it definitely happens

So when Prime Bumblebee is portrayed as young, and probably intentionally, it sticks in our minds that Bumblebee is very young and usually will be. He's like Optimus' son here, especially since he explicitly is younger than him. He's cute and friendly, even if he can get into trouble sometimes. He's just a little guy

And by this point, the franchise was like, 30 years old. There's been a number of series, and a lot of the general staples of the series had been set and remain today. I'd argue Prime is the last of the "foundational" series in this franchise, at least where we are now with it; we could end up going in another direction in the future. So it's gonna be hard to just change how we see the characters here

The shows after

I won't go into each one in detail after this, because let's be real, this is long enough already. And again, I don't think at this stage, anything other than One has left as much of an impact on the fandom/series

We're skipping over RID 2015 since I haven't watched it, but I do think it's one of the shows with the least of this problem. Probably because he is at least initially surrounded by characters his age or younger, so the age relativity isn't a factor

Cyberverse actually has Bumblebee around the same age as Optimus here, not being notably younger, but that holds true for everyone in that series; basically everyone here is the same age, outside of like, Cheetor. I don't interact with the Cyberverse fandom enough to know how it fares with Bee there, but given he's a main character, probably more than Optimus, he's probably doing fine?

Though I have to admit I personally find it weird when Bee gets shipped, because surprise, I too have some amount of the babybee influence on me too. I mention it here because there's genuinely nothing wrong with shipping Bumblebee and Windblade here, if anything it makes so much sense; it's just that I can't get out of my head that Bee is supposed to be younger, and thus, shouldn't be shipped

I know nothing about the War for Cybertron trilogy

Earthspark Bumblebee is another case of being hit with the baby beam the least, which I think is attributed to his role as the Terrans' mentor. Once again, he is put as an older character instead of younger, and even more so than RID because he's the main adult teaching our young child protagonists. The age relativity is working in his favor this time. Most you're gonna get is him being called megop's child of divorce, but those two are old anyways

So far, canon wise, it doesn't seem that bad

But then we get to One, which is where I think the problem is really rearing its ugly head. See, B-127 is never said to be younger than the rest of the quartet, he's assumed to be the same age as them. Heck, you could maybe even see him as a bit older, given his odd knowledge and having been in Sublevel 50 so long. But B is constantly portrayed as younger than the rest, being the child of divorce, but actually more "child" this time, him basically being Optimus and/or Elita's son (Megatron is another parent too), despite no indication of such a bond in the movie outside of just being friends (even less so with Elita, whom he has the least screen time with of the group), or just straight up being made into a child or baby for the rest of the group to parent, despite it taking out a member of the group, especially when again, he is not said to be younger

But it keeps happening to him because it's the new popular series and some are coming in with prior expectations and knowledge of B and his relationships, that Bee must always be baby, and probably because he's very energetic and hyper and probably neurodivergent, which has a history of getting characters infantalized. Not saying everyone who sees him as younger is problematic or ableist for doing so, just that this probably contributes on some level to why it's so widespread

I think I've covered all my points at this rate. Are we finally done? Can I go do my schoolwork? Sorry, just random, I've been here for a while

So, to summarize, why does Bumblebee get babyfied so much?

Because Bee has a long history as being young, he's put around older characters who make him feel younger by comparison, he's got a design that lends him to be seen as cute and young, especially in the most well-known depictions (I mostly mean g1, Bayverse and Prime here), the fact that the show were all of these traits are at their biggest is also the most popular show, and thus influencing people's minds going forward that this is how he should be, even when it doesn't fit so well

And I don't think this mentality around Bee is going away anytime soon, and it isn't necessarily wrong to make Bee a young bot, but I think we should acknowledge that sometimes it's trying to fit a square in a round hole, it just doesn't fit as well, and we need to be mindful of that

[sapphic-agent]

You wanna know who the #1 beneficiary of the tech power creep is in this series? Momo. One thing this mech suit shows is that Momo totally wasted her time trying to beat people with sticks. The idea of trying to create items in a battle as a form of problem solving is stupid, or at best, should be done as a last resort. Her power was always meant for technology. That's the true power in this world. She should have been trying to be Ironman. You know how All Might spent his fortune on the suit, and that was meant to be a limiting factor as to why this tech can't be widely used? Well, guess who has the ability to generate materials with no cost. Even the idea of her inventions requiring studying to make things more complex stops holding water when you look at the torture device she tried to strap Midoriya into during Class A vs Deku. She made that in an instant and it posed an immediate threat. What could she make if she wasn't trying to do it during stressful battles with enemies right in front of her? So, her limiting factor really is her ability to study advanced concepts and have people explain them to her, and most importantly, what an author is willing to let her do. The path forward for her was always to pay people smarter and more educated than her to invent things and then she can have them explain it to her so she can recreate it. If her family had paid the cost to design that Iron Might suit, then she'd pay it. Once. And then be able to use the schematics to create as many of them as she wants. Or better yet, make killer robots except use the tech inside of the suit. Create an entire army of them so she never has to be in any sort of danger at all. Control them remotely. UA has been shown to have advanced AI robots who have personalities. Said bots have enough restraint to never kill any of the kids in the sports festival or entrance exam. This could be used for hero work. This also gets into what a valuable resource Mei Hatsume is and how if you wanted Momo to be a god, you could just have them meet in middle school. Mei just has to design a working device, once, and then Momo can study it and forever use it. What could she come up with, if the idea was that Momo would hide somewhere, perhaps in an APC, while she uses drones and robots to fight at a distance? Energy/food costs for her also aren't a concern. She's clearly able to output more energy than she takes in, given she can create cannons and things that weigh more than her. So she could use up all of her lipids creating a dead meat cube that contains as many calories as she's capable of packing into an object, then eat it. And repeat this process as needed.

This is definitely interesting.

Momo absolutely has the potential to be the most OP in the series. Horikoshi originally wanted to give her quirk to a pro but recognized that someone experienced would nerf the entire story.

I don't necessarily think that making things for problem-solving is the issue; I think it's way more that Horikoshi just didn't have the creativity for it. Like you said the entrapment device she made during 1A vs Izuku was maybe her most effective creation. Instead of disinfectant, imagine she made poison gas and simply knocked Kendo and the other 1B students out (not sure if she can create chemical reactions, but she could theoretically cause one by using components right).

I doubt she would be comfortable doing next to nothing as a hero. I do wish we knew her motivations, but relying purely on her money while doing minimal work doesn't paint a great picture for her. I like that in canon she doesn't rely on her status or wealth for hero work, she relies on her intelligence.

Momo should be an underground hero. She could be the equivalent of Batman (no this isn't my love for Batman over Iron-Man talking), strategizing and having any gadget she needs at her disposal. I would love to see more tech incorporated into her work as a hero. I also wouldn't mind the bo staff if she was allowed to actually use it like a bo staff (seriously she barely does anything with it what's the point of giving it to her. Nah give my girl a sword and let her cut people)

[illamda-spaminations]

I find it so interesting that during the Twisted Hearts OP, when the song goes "I feel you sins all the time", they showed Mycroft and Albert respectively. While Mycroft does not understand/know everything that's going on with the LOC and Moriarty & co., I do believe he understands how Albert feels, especially about taking the punishment on himself.

For example: This scene in MTP, post-Final problem

He understands because he knows Albert and, more importantly, he has been there, it's just the circumstances and the consequences of the decision is very different. The reason he dedicated his life to working for the government was because of his father's involvement in the French Revolution. He wanted to repent on behalf of him, so he decided to take on that punishment, protecting Sherlock in the process. Albert does something very similar, he takes on the atonement so Louis doesn't have to. He believes Louis deserves so much more than punishment; he deserves a fulfilling life, a happy one, or at least as happy as it can get, and above all, the one who should reap the crops William sown [I should REALLY make a separate post on Louis ye gods-].

Mycroft could've let the Moriarty brothers do what they saw fit, as long as he was spared from the brutality, but instead he threatens them. If they don't put the country's future and prosperity first, Mycroft will personally "annihilate" him [his words not mine].

This scene really goes to show that Mycroft is genuinely dedicated to the Empire, he is very intent to serve for the country's future, but it's not blind loyalty, it's him being bound to it, it's the least he could do to make up for his father's sins [sins of the father am I right?] and it's the same for Albert. He and Mycroft love their younger brothers, to the point of sacrificing themselves in order to protect them, to make sure they live as they please, free of guilt. The difference is that Mycroft changed over time, he started to loosen up. The first time we see him outside of his office for non-work related matters was with meeting everyone in the dinner party. And for Albert? Time stopped turning entirely. The moment he entered the tower was the moment he couldn't go back. It was him, his thoughts and the messages from Mycroft to distract him. The only person who could convince him to come out of his prison and start living was William; because William's actions, sins, guilt and will to die was the very reason why Albert chose his punishment.

In comparison, Mycroft's self enforced punishment was lighter to Albert's. While Mycroft has to deal with constant stress [this is not really canon, but considering that he's referred to as the government, yeaaaaa I think he's gonna be stressed af] and grief, Albert had to deal with a spiral towards insanity, grief, religious guilt for the Moriarty plan and his compulsive thoughts. And he's sure as hell isn't going to stand on his own for a while after that.

Another thing [this time it's actually related to my point :0] is exactly when the two show up. Mycroft shows up around the lyrics "I feel your sins" while albert shows up around "all the time", which further proves my point. Since Sherlock and William showing up around the point of "I can't feel your love but I can give you love" basically describes Sherlock's goal of saving William and their relationship in a nutshell.

"I don't know if you see me as a friend but I'll see you like that anyway, and save you, just like what I would do to another friend."

What's not to say the same can be true to Mycroft and Albert?

"I can never truly understand what you are going through, but I will always understand how you feel."

[lets-try-some-writing]

okay but what about robots in disguise?? its not a favorite of mine but it’s still pretty good. russel and his dad are decent lol

Frag that show.

It disrespected TFP on every level and for that it has my eternal hatred and contempt. The humans were annoying, and I HATED how many interesting plot threads there were that were either done poorly or with so little tact that the writing team should have just scrapped it. The designs are tolerable, but I hate how canon TFP characters lost so much of their individuality in their designs (coughtheopticscough). Smokescreen is fricking GONE, which bothers me more than I care to admit. We see the rest of the team enough to be reasonable, but they all appear in ways that don't really make me happy.

Ratchet was done well enough in my opinion. I like his RID design. It suites him. Optimus's design can go die in a hole, they brutalized that mech. Same with Jazz. Frag those stupid shoulder pads.

Grimlock is fun, I appreciate Sideswipe, although his helm hair thingies I think need a redesign to make sense in relation to his alt mode. Strongarm was HORRIBLY underutilized and I hardly saw any character growth in her. Drift and his crew were interesting, but similarly not given much room to grow. I really liked Windblade for the most part, especially the episode where she tries to baby Optimus and comes out having relearned that Op is still a PRIME with MILLIONS OF YEARS OF WAR EXPERIENCE.

The Primes who've done nothing but sit on their rears had NO RIGHT to belittle Optimus at every turn. Nor did the show have the right to make him an idiot for the sake of making Bee look smarter. As @nova--spark has pointed out, the personality Bee got in the show matches Smokescreen better. Bumblebee wouldn't have SUCKED so much at the whole leadership shtick. What happened to all that skill shown in the movie huh? HUH WRITING TEAM????!??!?!

While I am on this train. OPTIMUS DIED SO GOSH DARN LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! He should have stayed deceased, or if they REALLY needed him back, he should have either returned as an Civi or came back with actual issues. Like dang hear me out mate.

Optimus is forcefully returned to life, beats the Fallen with his borrowed power, but then has to actually deal with the consequences of essentially being a walking bomb for a while. Make him start losing plating, make his frame HURT, make him slim down again into the TFP base design. Just, give him a reason to have to sit back and RECOVER. Not this whole half hearted limping around garbage. To add to that, don't baby the mech. Let him stay at base and fulfill the role Ratchet did in TFP. Let him use his knowledge to teach and offer wisdom, plan battles and locate enemies. For Primus's sake he could have gone undercover on Cybertron or something if they really needed him to go be useless elsewhere.

THEY COULD HAVE EVEN HAD AN ARC WITH HIM GIVING THE TEAM A WAKEUP CALL!!! SIdeswipe has no respect for the mission, Grimlock is a fool, Strongarm is too snarky, and Bee in this seems to have largely forgotten about the seriousness except for during key moments. They could have made Optimus a minor antagonist, forcing the team to follow wartime standards since they laid down this plot thread regarding issues between leadership styles and Optimus trying to take control of the operation more than once.

I would have paid money to see Optimus's wartime mentality show itself in the best and worst ways through how he worked with this group of non war vets on a Decepticon capture mission. Maybe even have him use lethal force once or twice, or at least hint at it so that people can be reminded that he is a mech who went to war, killed countless bots, and both drove their people to and saved their people from extinction.

Bee could have had to teach Optimus to calm down. He could have helped eased his leader out of his wartime mindset. Or following that whole council running Cybertron route, Optimus could have had his moment of being very much right when he points out WHY he fought at all and gestures towards the new council. There was SO MUCH potential in this show, so many good threads and interesting Decepticon character that could have given so much depth to the war and the aligned continuity as a whole, but they were almost ALL ignored.

*deep breath*

Alright, sorry about that. I have big feelings in regards to how dirty Optimus was done. Moving on, the Predacons were killed off supposedly and that pisses me off ESPECIALLY because it was done in a fricking offscreen setting. What the hell happened to Predaking??? WHERE DID HE GO????

Starscream's design was rad though, not going to lie.

Where is Shockwave? No seriously where is that fragger? After several years of the map he MUST have an army growing in a tank somewhere.

Soundwave. Why. ARe. YOU. HERE??!?!?!? I love you man but dang you are so out of place. He made sense in the context of trying to get to Megatron, but idk he felt like he deserved better. He should have been the big brain behind the Cons on Earth if you asked me. It would have made everything far more intense, especially if the Cons dont follow Decepticon creed as seen by Soundwave.

The humans were annoying. Sorry they just were.

Fixit is Primus's gift to RID and he's one of the few individuals who makes it less annoying. Idk, I just like him in reasonable doses.

WHERE ARE THE TFP KIDS?! WHY HAS BEE NOT CALLED THEM?? GOOD HEAVENS THERE IS A WHOLE SUBPLOT RIGHT THERE!!!

*yet another deep breath*

Apologies.

To put things simply, I would rather a group of fanfic writers put RID together than whoever the writing team was. They could have made a coherent story with deep characters that actually address the ramifications of millions of years of war and lingering functionalist mindsets. They would have done the lore and the world justice even if there were no main characters popping up.

I think RID has so much potential, but that almost all of it went right down the toilet due to either the higher ups sticking their noses where they don't belong or because the writing team couldn't go two minutes without retconning or otherwise destroying established everything.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[justchillandshipit]

I had so many thoughts about this that I wanted to do a whole post to address them. I don't know the original poster, so if you're on here, please let me know and I'll add any tags you like.

So let's unpack this a little. OP talks about the fact that both Eddie and Buck are going through the Five Stages of Grief. Although Tim, Ryan, & Oliver have not used this phrase, I think the OP is correct and there is canonical evidence to support that this is where they are in their journey, and it will be critical in both of their realizations.

The first two stages are laid out by the OP so I will not repeat everything that he says, but I do want to add some additional detail. If you watched the latest episode, you can see from the episode that Buck and Eddie have successfully passed from the first two stages.

Denial- see the above TikTok. He lays out Buck and Eddie's denial wonderfully.

Anger- again, see the above TikTok. He also lays out their anger wonderfully, but here I would like to add. For buck, the show explicitly demonstrates his anger and what drives it. To a degree, it does the same for Eddie, but there is more canonical proof that the OP is correct in stating that Eddie is projecting. Tim Minear stated in one of the interviews released after the show aired that, "Even Eddie references it at the end: It's like, 'If I know I'm going to get separated from you, maybe I should get mad at you so that then it will hurt less.'"

Bargaining- The OP suggests that the next episode would show Eddie and Buck bargaining in some way. Naturally, the show hasn't aired so we don't know the ways that this may play out, but OP suggests that they may plan out ways that they will still be in touch. Even though the episode hasn't aired, we already have some canonical proof that this happens in the leaked footage where they share a goodbye hug and Buck tells Eddie to call him when he gets there.

Depression - This one is a little more tricky, but OP's suggestion is very plausible. For Buck, released interviews from Oliver Stark and Tim Minear hint that things are still going to be difficult for Buck because he is still living in Eddie's house. However, if you recall, from the BTS footage recently released, the sadness and depression are demonstrably noticeable on Buck's face. For Eddie, we are still at a point where we aren't really shown his POV for his feelings. However, there is reason to believe that episode 13 or 14 is going to be for Eddie and his new life in El Paso. I truly think or desperately hope we will finally get his POV. (meaning we will not just see a brief flicker of emotion. We'll see what he's looking at, how he perceives it, and what's driving him there. I talk all the time about his missing POV so I will not harp on it here. *I do acknowledge we saw a little of his POV in the latest. ex. When Buck said I don't need you either, we saw a play of emotion, and we know exactly what caused it. kudos to the writers who are starting to get it.)

Acceptance - When I initially saw this TikTok, acceptance was the only one I wasn't sure about. However, the OP's take on what acceptance will be for both of them makes logical sense based on everything that has aired so far, interviews, and leaked footage. And one step further, for Buck, Oliver's interview hints that his realization and acceptance may be happening around episode 11. When he talks to Maddie about everything he is feeling. Click here to go to the article and watch the video. Check starting at 2:56.

So there you have it. I don't know how I got so caught up in this one, but yep, I think there is plenty of canonical evidence to support the idea that BOTH Buck and Eddie are experiencing the five stages of grief right now. It is not one-sided. Canon Buddie is coming...eventually. LOL

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode: --This was a great episode to notice during the OP that in the clip right after Muichiro throws the sword and Tanjiro goes rushing forward in a strike presumably with that sword, you can see Yoriichi in the back lined up next to Tanjiro--almost like the pose Tanjiro strikes with Pillars in the OP! (Hmm, how are they going to do that for the Pillar Training Arc?)

--Kanamori, in some not very well-placed exposition, says that Tanjiro asked him to be understanding of Muichiro, and that is why as Muichiro's new swordsmith, he looked into who used to smith his swords. First of all, when? We only saw Tanjiro interact with Kanamori the day or two before this all goes down, but Kanamori already has Muichiro's new sword ready and stashed away in the same shop where Haganezuka is busy putting his life on the line for polishing a sword even before Gyokko shows up. The first we see of Tanjiro even hearing of Kanamori being responsible for Muichiro's sword is when Muichiro woke him up maybe an hour or so ago. This means Tanjiro had to have known this and had an opportunity to talk to Kanamori long before he even witnessed Muichiro in the Swordsmith Village. Perhaps Tanjiro brought it up as general advice to Kanamori who expressed feeling pressure for being assigned to a Pillar, and Tanjiro just wanted to be encouraging to him based on what little impression he had of Muichiro at the Pillar Meeting and whatever he heard from Shinobu (and Shinobu did tell Tanjiro Muichiro's name, at the very least). But also, perhaps Kanamori started this endeavor to understand Muichiro after completing his first sword for him, because Tanjiro only said this to him yesterday? In which case, was this truly a matter of Tanjiro seeing that Muichiro is in need of that kindness, or was it Tanjiro throwing his hands up and saying, "I don't know what to make of him, you try!"

--And that, friends, is how you can dig too deep into canon to find fanfic ideas.

--Kotetsu-kun truly is a brave kid whose response to seeing his friends in pain was to attack instead of run away. I love how close-knit everyone in the village is, they all know (and recognize!) each other by name. --Muichiro is the kind of person who would walk around a modern art museum saying, "I could do that." Kotetsu would be the one saying, "but you didn't." Gyokko, of course, is the worst of modern artists. There must be a modern day AU which Gyokko leans a bean in Chicago and Muichiro starts a "paint the bean pink" event.

--Gyokko deserves some credit here for his cleverness! Although what Muzan would have preferred is Gyokko finding Ubuyashiki or the blue spider lilies, Gyokko has honed in the Corp's weapons and focused his efforts on eliminating those. Maybe he was merely lucky to have found a clue about the village, but he developed a technique, I assume specifically, to deprive swordsmen of their Breath.

--Being taunted for having "a dull life" and an existence with no meaning sure adds weight to that "I was born to be happy" statement. --Kimetsu Academy answered some of my wishes by having Uzui-sensei and Gyokko hang out and talk art, but what I really want is to see Shinobu see those fishes.

--I love the BGM and sound effects for Love Breath. Mitsuri is just so special, you guys. I love hearing her in this Taisho Secret showing off her sword skills to Tanjiro & Nezuko, and a sound that lives in my head rent free is the the sound she made in the previous episode's Kimetsu Academy short as she falls to her knees. --One of my favorite background characters in this whole series is the guy who tried to protect Tecchin by charging at the fish monster with a naginata. ----First, naginata. I have bias. ----Second, such upstanding character! That is not a man who runs away even when the swordsmen have been slain. ----Also, while Tecchin and the other guy who got his head bumped are shameless in fishing for Mitsuri's care and attention, this is the guy who had the view up her skirt and who made no mention of it whatsoever. ----That might be because he was so rightfully distracted by the sight of her sword instead, and he gave us some smoother exposition with which to appreciate it. --Another random thing, but I love the nighttime lighting in this season! The BGM in general feels more experimental and sometimes takes me out of it (opposed to how the Yuukaku spin plunged me deeper into it), but when it slaps, it slaps, like on the new variation as Tanjiro attains a lightsaber Red Blade. Also also, there are a lot of characters in this one with peculiar and kind of old-timey ways of speaking (Kanamori, Tecchin, Hantengu's clones, etc.) that are still distinct from other characters (like Rengoku). I don't know how much of it comes across in translation, but my ears enjoy the extra characterization.

--I love--and the first time I watched this, my friends loved it too--how Nezuko and Tanjiro take turns carrying each other when they lose consciousness. It keeps the pacing fast and desperation high, while also illustrating their bond really well. What also gets me is how Tanjiro frets and tells her to let go of the sword because her fingers will get cut. It doesn't feel like a big concern because we know she's already lost a forearm and being impaled through through the torso and neck tonight, but any reasonable brother doesn't want to see his sister's fingers cut off, much less sliced with a sword at all.

--I love how Sekido is the only demon around here whose perspective is worth anything

--Quickly jumping to the end of the episode to note how we see the base of Aizetsu's neck and the top of his head still intact, so that implies that Genya munched on the bottom half of his head. In general I'm not much into ship content, but I know there is a fandom for Aizetsu and Genya out there, and I do find the idea of it being one-sided infatuation on Aizetsu's part an amusing premise. With that in the back of my mind, I could also imagine Aizetsu mistakenly thinking Genya was going to make out with him and how quickly and shockingly he'd have his hopes dashed. --Okay, so, HINOKAMI KAGURA WITH A RED BLADE AND THE MARK, TIME TO DIAL UP THE ANIMATION

--And they do

--And it's so sad Haganezuka doesn't get to see it --Like, after how much the fight with Rui blew up and the internet collectively lost their minds, we tend to just expect this from Ufotable, so the beauty they accomplish doesn't always stick out because they have to work harder and harder to stand out from what they've already given us, but this attack on Karaku, Urogi, and Sekido is a thing of wonder and it is highly worth appreciating.

--The lighting! The fluid motion and changing camera angles! But also the ability to show changes in expression, and to differentiate Tanjiro in the marked state from his usual state.

--But, again, the timeline has me in knots. Tanjiro says he was "always" thinking about that last strike on Gyutaro and how it felt different, but when would he have had time to do that, since he's spend so much of his wakeful life, like, fighting for his life against a mechanical doll? He's of course had downtime, but given the Taisho Secret in the hand-out at the early Mugen Ressha showings, I suspect comatose Tanjiro spend a lot of time analyzing and replaying that moment and doing image training. --On the first watch, when Tanjiro is thinking about how his will is tied with that of everyone around him, and even if he can't do it, someone else will take over for him, it's easy to get wrapped up in "THAT'S RENGOKU" or "this is foreshadowing all the hands in that truly final battle with Muzan!" but, I can't wait to think back to this scene when he's talking to Giyuu in the next season. Giyuu is the first person he thinks of, but also, Giyuu's hand is absent from among the ones on Tanjiro's back.

[nalyra-dreaming]

In response to this ask: https://www.tumblr.com/nalyra-dreaming/765370193149034496/hey-nalyra-i-was-wondering-does-lestat-have-a

Considering the obvious plans of having the amc series interact with each other at some point I would really like one of the Mayfair witches to have a best friend thing with Lestat. Rowan, since she's already been established and if I'm not mistaken has a fling with Lestat too. Since that whole ass arc has been deleted they could insert her in another way and then have her go back to the MW and have this off screen friendship with Les.

Or Merrick, since he seems to care for her. Instead of killing her off they could keep her and make her a supporting character for the Loustat vs talamasca mess and then have her transition to MW.

Or, if we want to avoid all of that crossover bother, Jesse could be nice. The roots for a friendship with Lestat are there from the qotd movie, as ass as it was. She too would be a nice addition to the Loustat vs talamasca arc Rolin seems to want to make. But who knows. Thoughts?

To be honest I get OP for the question because it's really sad for Lestat to never have a bestie that is just his. Reading fanfics especially, Daniel is always Louis' token bestie while Lestat is always kind of there, alone, or with Armand as a sort of friend which, idk. It’s something that makes you realize just how isolated Lestat, besides Louis, is, and I think a friend that is just his, or is friends with everyone else but very obviously chooses him as a bestie, like Daniel for Louis, would be very nice. So l'd love to know who'd you think would be the perfect fanfic bestie or future bestie for Lestat, since we’re here :)

It would be nice if the show would choose to build up Jesse, Merrick or Rowan, yes, especially, since we can always use more vampiresses or witches, right?^^.

That said, I don't quite see Rowan or Merrick there. IF one of them, then Jesse. He trusts Jesse, and meets with her and David later on, that could be easily be built on (and yes, the movie, I mean... *coughs*).

However, I chewed a bit on this and... I think Lestat could find a real friend - a real friend - in Gregory (Gregory Duff Collingsworth).

Gregory seems to "see" him, in the books at least. It will be interesting if they introduce him in the show, but in the books Gregory is a true ancient, but very much rooted in humanity, and navigating it successfully. And he also cares for Lestat, and offers support, he knows when Lestat needs it, too. I think that there is something there that could be true friendship, eventually. With benefits even, since Gregory shares his blood with Lestat, but for some reason it's not... "that" level.

Gregory is also the head of the pharmaceutical empire that Fareed is also working in/using later on... since Fareed has already been introduced as a doctor I am quite tickled by the possibilities, tbh.

And, agreed - Lestat could use a friend.

And Gregory would be on his level later on - and also laid back enough - to be that.

So, after mulling this over for a while :), I'm going with Gregory, for book canon.

But I'd also like Jesse. I wonder if we'll see her at the end of season 3, since she is at Lestat's concert, too. And later on she'd definitely be on a similar level, too. So...

(Ugh, I cannot wait what the show might do. :))

[bravernificationbeam]

thinking abt how isami, smith, and the audience's central questions in bravern

(isami = who + what is bravern???? smith = what do I want, what's my place in this conflict? [that's just called being 24] the audience = same as isami, who/what is bravern)

are ones whose answers are very obvious but only if you have the right framework. otherwise the answers seem so fantastical that they are inconceivable even as potential solutions (i'll note that even people i've seen who called smithvern before ep 8/9 never quite got the mechanism right.....)

like the op basically screams at you twice that smith is bravern, they really do carry themselves quite similarly ('you sound just like him' isami says haha), bravern slips up. y'know. enough (he's so excited he has to just roll w/ the fact that he as an apparent stranger knows isami's name, this mecha has seen an 80s american sci-fi movie apparently, he speaks fucking english fhdfjjdkfjk HE KNOWS THAT SMITH GETS FULL BODY WAXES.....[I LOVE YOU BRAVERN!!!!!!!]). but like What. how would that even Work. but then you get that one puzzle piece and you realize! OH. THAT'S HOW IT WOULD WORK!!!!! (for me it was seeing that cunus has time travel powers. immediately went 🤨)

likewise. smith's questions. what got me on this track was thinking abt how....when cunus is talking to smith does she even know what she means?

"I've always felt you. [You] had this feeling deep inside that [you] couldn't share with anyone. And it thrilled me."

a lot of deathdrive lore is very mysterious and doesn't make a lot of sense ("always"?), but i get the sense that she means some sort of deep unnameable longing rather than something specific--even if she has had some sort of greater knowledge of what's going on on earth than what the deathdrives gain by being in orbit, i don't know if she could necessarily detangle human emotions like that. whatever, the canon is ambiguous; all i'm trying to say is that i don't think we can determine with certainty whether cunus is talking about an identity desire or a romantic/sexual desire on smith's part--or whether she even knows herself (or, as a deathdrive, would know the difference!)

nonetheless you can tell by smith's reaction that he knows cunus is right about him. he's not totally, exactly sure how, but she really, really is ('the bullies knew i was gay before i did' type ass). and he's just abt to get his puzzle piece to figure it out 😉

so like this is all to say when smith goes up to bravern in ep 2 and asks to pilot him, when he's watching wistfully from the sidelines as bravern and isami save the day it's like. he can't ask to be the robot. that question and the desire behind it are incomprehensible to him. wanting to be isami in that situation is the only answer he can really come to, but it's not quite right and i think smith knows it. it's why smith's reflections on heroism are never quite clear--even from episode one, "this is what i've always wanted to be" girl. which is?? 'i wanted to become like him' GIRL. WHO!

i think that moment when cunus first starts talking to him and he's like 'i think you've got the wrong guy, i think you're looking for...bravern' really speaks well to how he rationalizes what's going on in his head--there's kind of a beat where you think he's going to say isami, so it's this dual moment containing both his crush and his whole Thing (weird envy he doesn't fully understand) surrounding bravern, and it's sooo close (uh yep. she sure was looking for bravern), metatextually it's there! but textually it isn't.

and so then smith, falling from the fucking sky after being time loop resurrection bravernified (god i love this show) can FINALLLYYYYY SEEEEE that he wanted to be the robot!!!!!! AND he loves isami!

as do we the audience! answering both of the central questions at once and finally getting to see that paradigm we weren't quite grasping

and it's all So Queer. and i LOVE that and i LOVE that we as the audience get to go along on this queer narrative journey with sumiisa 💖

[rockymountainqueen2]

Back to the Swamp rundown!

So...

Disney Channel's YouTube account just released a new TOH chibi tiny tale.

And it's a crossover with Amphibia!

Here's my summarization of the events.

It begins with Luz meddling with the good 'ol portal door.

I'm not sure what she's expecting to accomplish, but Eda and King evidently found it interesting enough to watch. Eda even brought popcorn!

But whatever Luz did, it worked!

I have no idea when this is supposed to be occurring within the series timeline by the way. Luz is wearing season one outfit, has access to the portal door, which is also not destroyed.

So, season one, right?

But Eda has her post "Let the pain be shared" silver eye... And her season two dress for that matter!

Ah well, onwards to adventure! Eda is all for it!

King is a bit more... concerned, but comes along too.

Doesn't stop him from being mystified about the wildlife, though.

I guess Luz was trying to get back to The Human Realm?

Because she seems utterly shocked by the sudden realization that man-sized insects means that she can't possibly be on earth, lol.

But luckily for the denizens of the owl house, they've landed in Amphibia! By Wartwood! Right in front of the Plantar family home!

While Anne's friends Marcy and Sasha were visiting no less! What luck!

Anne and Luz formally reunite and introduce their respective families/friends to one another. It's very cute.

Sasha and Eda evidently decided that they just had to have an arm wrestling competition.

Sasha uses the powers gifted to her by the Calamity Box in order to win, lol.

But Eda gets the last laugh!

Then Marcy and King play a board game together.

Annnnnd she also uses her Calamity Box powers to win.

Girls, you do realize that's considered cheating, right?

Hooty also makes an appearance.

I guess he was wondering where everybody went?

Polly proceeds to use him as a jump-rope, lol.

I'm surprised that Hooty isn't more into this, but maybe he was genuinely worried about the people who live inside of him and didn't appreciate being used a kid's plaything after braving the unknown in his best effort to find them. Lol.

Meanwhile, Luz is showing off her sick glyph skills!

...Which I just realized, probably shouldn't work in Amphibia.

Ah well, we wouldn't have gotten this nice moment where she and Anne show off their magical powers to each other otherwise!

After all is said and done, our heroes settle down to have a meal.

I'm reasonably certain that they're eating bugs. Yum, protein.

Hop Pop and Eda are doubtlessly exchanging tips on parenting orphans and their other-dimensional friends, lol.

Throughout this whole adventure, the portal door has been... shrinking?

Because... the writers needed a reason for Luz and Co to have go back to The Demon Realm suddenly?

XD That's my best guess, as I don't recall there ever having been a time limit when it came to using the original portal door. It was kinda OP like that.

Anywho, Luz and Co need to leave immediately. Anne and Luz are quite sad to see one another go.

King really wants to make sure to say goodbye to everybody properly!

To the point he was a little too preoccupied to notice the portal door closing on him.

Also: Hop Pop faints because he thinks he just saw a little kid get decapitated, lol.

Meanwhile, back in the owl house, Luz is sad that she had to say goodbye to Anne. Eda comforts her, it's a sweet sight.

What isn't such a sweet sight is what King looks like minus his skull.

Although King himself is rather nonplussed about the whole thing.

Like mother, like son. Lol.

Luz is completely and totally horrified by the sight of King...

And that's the note that we end on!

Overall, cute little short.

And as a bonus...

XD This is officially canon now.

[beanghostprincess]

headcanon time: i wrote a post about how it’s possible that saboala have been dating for a long time but oda hasn’t told us yet. what if koala was crying over sabo sleeping for three days just because she didn’t want to lose her wonderful boyfriend??? (i know friends can do this but i love them so much as a ship and i want them to be canon so bad adiós)

Look, Oda isn't making it canon because that's how he works. He once said that he believed he wasn't good at writing love stories and, to be honest? Average writer behavior. Imposter syndrome. This man has such a powerful way of telling stories and especially about love (platonic or not. But I'm talking about romance here). And he never says it's romantic but damn he knows how to write. So I wholeheartedly believe Saboala should be canon because look at them. I know I don't have many arguments for this but LOOK AT THEM. THAT'S NOT FRIENDSHIP BEHAVIOR THERE'S SOMETHING THERE. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT. IT'S THE ENERGY THE VIBES. They're giving Usokaya. 100%. Like they're obviously canon but they're not canon and then OPLA literally said "fuck it, Oda we need romance in here we are NETFLIX if there's no romance we die" and Oda said "Usopp and Kaya" without hesitation (Real conversation I literally heard it I was there I was the script). So,, Just believe whatever you want. He's doing the same with Hibari and Koby and at this point I just consider interpreting OP relationships however you want. I think Yamato and Ace was romantic too and we will never know because this man writes romance in the most obvious of ways but never makes anything canon. The closest we've ever been to a canon romance is Sanji and Pudding and that didn't even work out at the end (well, not really? Because, and this is a manga spoiler btw don't keep reading yadda yadda -> She shows up again. She's gonna be important to the plot. I can't believe this is happening in the anime like, in what? Three weeks? Am I right? I think I am. I miss her so bad. Like-- She's so ending up with Sanji. I am not even trying to make an argument or something I just think it should be obvious seeing how the story has progressed. If they don't end up together I'm gonna fail as a writer because it's just so obvious).

Basically, Saboala is pretty much canon in the OP standard for romance.

[onepiece-oc-archives]

How to write Luffy in general without him coming across as stupid? I feel like in the animanga when you can see him, it's different from a story, where a reader (like a friend who wants to read your story) who is not a op fan might be confused about why Luffy is acting this way. I feel I write him too childish sometimes... or Zoro being too dumb... but then again I've been accused once of writing Sanji "too normal" because I had him not fall high over heels for every woman he sees and I left out the nosebleed too. How to find the right way to write the characters?

Hiya, thanks for your question!

To say it in one sentence: There isn't one correct way to write a character. You might not want to write things that directly contradict canon but, at that point, are you even writing the same character anymore?

You're definitely right on the fact that a visual format like anime or manga is different from a story though. For example, I would never write Sanji going 100% heart eyes and spinning around the room like a hurricane without human form because that just doesn't sound believable in a story - at least not in my writing style. If you write a crackfic, you can definitely still do that. I'd say: Write characters the way it feels right for you.

How do you find what's write for you? Well, by engaging with the characters. Preferably the main source material, so the animanga or live action, depending on what universe your story is set in. But it can also be helpful to read some fanfic and think: "Hm, do I agree with this? Does this feel right for me? Or does this just not fit the character in my eyes?" In the end, everyone will have their own interpretation of a character and that's okay - and even appreciated! I mean, it would be boring if we all wrote the exact same things, right?

Now, for some character-specific tips. I'm gonna just give a few of my thoughts on Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, since those are the three you mentioned.

Sanji is a great case of what I mean when I say that some things just don't work out in writing, like I already said. What I like to do for animanga!Sanji is to write him like a lovesick fool but without the physical comedy. Because he is a lovesick fool. Or at least he comes across as one. I can't really go into too much character analysis here without derailing the post and diving into spoilers, but he has his reasons for treating practically every woman like a goddess. So, don't be afraid to show that! It's a vital part of his character, so you can't just leave it out. I mean, imagine someone writes Sanji kicking a woman! He would never do that and has repeatedly said so in canon. Well, not yet in OPLA, but I don't see that as a spoiler. Literally look at him and how he behaves towards Nami and Nojiko. Generally, OPLA is a great example of how to make Sanji work without the physical comedy. He's still an absolute fool for every woman but he's not inhumanly weird. I love OPLA Sanji and I will never stop gushing about that - sorry not sorry <3

Zoro! Like with Sanji, you should keep his main characteristics, which is a lot easier for him that for curly-brows, I'd say. Zoro is blunt about his opinions, he has literally no sense of direction and he likes to sleep a lot. So far so simple. I also wouldn't say he's dumb, though he can come across that way. He just... doesn't care. He cares about getting to slice people and has a very pragmatic approach to a lot of problems. But you've gotta remember that he's also very knowledgeable about some things, mainly about swords and fighting technique. As much as it looks like he just rushes into battle without thinking, his attacks are actually thought-out and precise. Put him in the right situation and he might as well be a genius. Unfortunately, that situation doesn't apply a lot of times, so you're left mainly with his pragmatic side. But that pragmatic side actually does a lot of good for the Straw Hats, especially further down in the story.

And now, Luffy... Luffy is actually stupid. Yeah, I mean it, he's not the most intelligent guy. Not a calculated thought in that boy's brain. If he ever comes up with something like a plan, he comes up with it on the fly - and that's not a bad thing! It creates a contrast between him and the more calculated members of the crew. So, yeah, you don't really have to worry about Luffy coming off as too dumb, but you might not want to make it the main point of the scene too often or make it come off as forced. Think about it, how stupid could a human you meet on the street possibly be? Most people don't say nonsensical things all the time. There is definitely rhyme and reason behind the things that Luffy says and does, but he has his own perception of what "rhyme and reason" is. Also, he might not be smart, but he's emotionally intelligent.

I suppose the only way to really "get good" at writing characters is to get really familiar with them and try to understand how they think. Also, to just do it. There have been so many times where I never even got started on writing stuff because I was scared I wasn't going to do the characters justice - but I figured it out on the way, doing what felt right for me, and those fics have become my most popular yet. So, don't be afraid to experiment a little!

There you go, I hope that helped! Have a lovely day <3

[sokkastyles]

Hey I normally agree with you on things about ATLA, but that post from the user themattress(sorry I dont remember their username, just what they talked about in regards to Azula and who is responsible for shaping her to be the way she was) didn't seem to be wrong at all? Maybe this is my own experiences talking but while Ursa and Iroh aren't entirely guilty for how Azula turned out, there is a level of responsibility there? They're not completely absolved of everything because they were the adults in that situation, Azula was and is the child? Who depends on and looks up to the grown ups in her life and they are the ones who have the responsibility to teach and guide her?

Honestly I really don't get what you didn't connect(? Is that the right word?) or I guess agree with(?) with in that post since it made very much sense to me and I don't think I'm an Azula apologist or whatever that is? I want to understand where you're coming from since to me it feels.. very much like blaming Azula for being the victim of Ozai and the imperialism and fascism in the Fire Nation at the time. These don't absolve her of anything though because her choices to hurt and attempt to kill others are the choices she made, it's just trying to understand why and how she would have ended up the way she did and the adults who were involved and are culpable for it.

Either way, whether we agree or disagree, you're opinions and interpretations are valid too, as are other peoples. I hope you have a good rest of your day! 👋🏼

Okay, first of all, I never said they didn't have a responsibility for her, and you're right that adults do have certain responsibilities towards children, particularly Ursa as Azula's mother. But the ting is, we are shown this responsibility in canon. We are shown Ursa acting as a maternal figure for Azula and trying to teach her right and wrong. That IS her showing responsibility. The OP of that post claimed that Ursa neglected Azula, in ways that just aren't canon. We can say that certain interpretations are "valid" all day long, but the thing is, there are interpretations that can be backed up with canon evidence, and there are interpretations that cannot be backed up with canon evidence. The idea that Ursa neglected Azula is not backed up by any canon evidence.

Further, the OP says a lot of incorrect things about how abuse actually happens, specifically in statements made about Ursa. OP also specifically said that Ursa was "a guilty party." They didn't just say Ursa had a responsibility to Azula, which I agree that she does. They tried to make an argument that she was, actually, just as guilty as Ozai. I should not have to explain why it's victim blaming to say that an abused wife and mother is just as guilty as her abuser for the abuse of her child. There is a WORLD of difference between that and blaming Azula for her abuse, which I never did. Because I never said that Ozai's abuse of Azula was okay. In fact, it was Ursa who was often trying to counteract it. Because Ozai not teaching Azula right from wrong and not teaching her boundaries or how to function socially and just letting her treat people cruelly is abuse, as abusive as the pressure he put on her to be perfect. It's also neglect, neglect of Azula's emotional and social needs. Neglect is a word that I often see lobbed at Ursa, but the thing is, chastising your child isn't neglect. Not giving your child boundaries and rules and not teaching them the tools they need to grow into a happy, healthy person is. Ozai neglected Azula in every way except when he wanted her to be his perfect princess, and that aspect of his abuse is often ignored in order to make these accusations at Ursa, when we have no canon evidence of Ursa's so-called neglect.

Let's also take a closer look at some specific things the OP said.

Ursa gets some leeway for being a victim of Ozai's abuse, but it can only carry her so far. As frightened of Ozai as she was, she was still an adult, and her children were far more vulnerable and at risk from Ozai. And yet Ursa let her fear of Ozai, whom she saw in Azula, and her guilt for inadvertently setting Zuko up for being targeted for abuse by Ozai, cloud her maternal judgement. She focused her energies on Zuko, neglecting Azula save for chiding her when she acted out for attention, and gave Ozai the perfect opportunity to convince Azula that unconditional love was a fantasy. And on top of that, she ended up completely abandoning both her children. Both of Azula's parents sucked.

First of all, where, where oh where in canon, is it stated that Ursa's "fear of Ozai, who she saw in Azula, cloud her judgement." What scenes can you point to from the show to show this? Every scene of Ursa chastising Azula happens because of something Azula specifically did, not because Ursa is afraid of Ozai. Ursa is afraid of Ozai, for good reason, and probably also afraid of what Ozai is turing Azula into, but there's no reason to believe that her judgment was clouded. She's not wrong when she chastises Azula for wishing death upon family members. She's not wrong when she chastises Azula for terrorizing her brother. Her judgment of Azula is not clouded during these scenes. She reacts in the way a parent should react to that situation.

There's also no evidence that she "focused her energies on Zuko." Where is this in the show? Us being shown more scenes of Ursa with Zuko in a flashback from Zuko's perspective is not proof of that. There's no evidence that she neglected Azula. We don't see her excluding Azula in things, and in most of the scenes from Zuko's memory, Azula is there with him and Ursa.

What we do see, and this is where the "favoritism" argument always comes in, is Ursa protecting Azula from Zuko or attempting to mitigate Ozai's and Azula's attempts to exclude or terrorize or mistreat Zuko. And that's where I have to call bullshit, because this logic? Is straight out of the abuser's playbook.

We also have no evidence that Azula "acted out for attention" because she was neglected by her mother. We know why Azula did the things she did. She did them because she was being groomed by Ozai to behave that way. Trying to frame it as something else is ignoring and diminishing and excusing Ozai's abuse. Azula was not cruel because she was acting out for attention, she was cruel because her father made her believe that being cruel was the best way to show your worth, and that other people were weaker than her and deserved to be treated cruelly.

In fact, the show itself contradicts the idea that she was acting out for her mother's attention, since in "Zuko Alone," we see her lie to her mother about her bad behavior twice because she knew her mother would not approve. Azula is smart, and very aware, even as a young child, that her father will enable her behavior and that her mother won't, but that her mother can also be manipulated because of her expectations for Azula. For example, Azula knows that Ursa expects her to be kind to her brother, so she lies to her mother about wanting to play with her brother so she can play a mean trick on him and Mai. Later, she lies to her mother about threatening her brother with Ozai's plan to kill him because she knows Ursa would not approve of that, either. She is not trying to get her mother's attention here, even negative attention. She is trying to hide and get away with bad behavior, specifically the abuse of her brother, which she has been taught by her abuser how to get away with.

Also, the claim OP makes that Ursa "gave Ozai the opportunity" to abuse Zuko and Azula is disgusting. Full stop.

I'm going to address this because this is something that needs to be said. NOBODY should be blamed for "giving abusers the opportunity," and yes, that is just another form of victim blaming. Obviously it's important for adults to be aware of how abusers gain opportunities in order to prevent abuse, and that's why it's vital to talk about these things, but abusers also a very good at finding and making opportunities for themselves. Sometimes abuse happens because of other ways adults in a child's life are negligent, but not always. Sometimes the adults do everything right and it still happens. And in the case of Ursa, I wrote another post about how Ursa was also groomed and how this is actually a really common abusive situation. It's not a reflection of Ursa's negligence or guilt. It is a reflection of Ozai's abusiveness. Period.

I have never and will never blame Azula for being abused, but the thing is, she is already an abuser herself by the time we see her in "Zuko Alone," as I said above, and every time we see Ursa chastise her it's because of her own violent or abusive behavior. Being an abuse victim does not mean she gets free reign to abuse others, even as a child. She especially does not get free reign to abuse other children. Namely her brother, who was also being abused by her father who encouraged her to participate in his abuse. We have no evidence that Ursa didn't care about Azula or didn't try to stop her from being abused. We have evidence that Ursa tried to prevent Azula from abusing Zuko, and that is being used as evidence that she either didn't care or abused Azula herself. This is victim blaming because it is twisting an event where an abuser abused someone and trying to make them the victim. And while Azula is a victim of Ozai, she is not a victim when her mom is telling her not to light her brother on fire.

OP claims that not only did Ursa cause Ozai's abuse of Azula, but that she also caused Ozai's abuse of Zuko. And I could really dig in and talk about how manipulative Ozai is with Ursa. I could get into what we learn from the comics about how Ursa lied about Zuko's parentage because she knew Ozai was reading her letters and how this is often held up as "proof" that she caused Zuko's abuse, and how much people miss the point of that scene. For one, Ozai purposefully sets up Ursa to fail, and then he himself blames Ursa for Zuko's abuse. So like, first of all, I hope anyone who reads that comic and takes away that Ursa "caused" Zuko's abuse realizes that they're agreeing with Ozai, here, which should be your first clue that it's wrong. But second, Ozai does to Ursa exactly what he does to Zuko when he purposefully sets up Zuko to fail an agni kai against him that he didn't know he'd be fighting, and then punishes him for failing.

Abusers know how to do this. They know how to leverage your guilt and do it purposefully. That is one of the reasons why it's so hard to leave an abusive relationship. Ozai also does this to Azula, by making Azula feel guilty for how he made her complicit in his horrible actions, while convincing her that it was actually her mother that made her feel like a monster, when it wasn't. It was Ozai all along.

The whole idea that abuse can be prevented if only all adults "stepped up" is a comfortable fantasy, but it's one that encourages shifting blame away from where it actually lies: with the abusers.

Now, on what OP says about Iroh, their first sentence right off the bat is an example of faulty logic.

Azulon and Iroh are both guilty through inaction. In Azulon's case, he just straight-up didn't give a damn about Azula...her being named after him and being a prodigy at firebending failed to move him in the way Ozai had hoped.

Putting Azulon and Iroh in the same category doesn't make a lot of sense here, unless you consider that OP is trying to reach for that comparison on purpose to show that Iroh is "just as bad," just like they did by putting Ursa and Ozai in the same category. But before we even get into Iroh, they're assessment of Azulon is totally wrong.

OP lists Azulon's flaws as "inaction" and "failure to be moved in the way Ozai had hoped." But like...that's not what happens in the show at all. Azulon didn't ignore Azula despite Ozai's hope that he would be "moved" by her firebending prowess, and that wasn't how Azulon shaped Azula, either. This statement imagines that Azulon could have rescued Azula from Ozai's abuse if only he'd been "moved" enough by her firebending ability. Azulon didn't fail to save Azula because he wasn't moved, he failed to stop Ozai's abuse because for all we know about him, he probably agreed with it. Like Ozai, he also valued power and conquest above all else, which was why Ozai wanted to show off Azula to him in the first place.

I'm not saying Azulon cared about Azula, but the main way he shaped Azula is by being another example of the Fire Nation legacy which she whole-heartedly embraced, one of cruelty and lust for power. He wasn't going to save her no matter how much he was "moved" by her firebending prowess. In fact, if anything, he would have probably seen her the same way Ozai did, as someone he could mold into his perfect weapon.

In contrast to how Azulon helped shape Azula by being another example of the power and control and cruelty she was taught to value, Azula actually resented Iroh long before he turned his back on the Fire Nation for not fitting into that legacy perfectly, as she derides him as "kooky" and "not a real general."

As for Iroh, he knew damn well what kind of a parent his brother was likely to be, but let his own military ambitions and desire to please his father take precedence over any concerns.

Again, where is this stated or shown or even implied in the series? The only thing we know about how Iroh felt about Azula pre-series is that he once got her a gift. How do you get "he had no concerns" from this, exactly? Oh, I know, I know, the doll wasn't good enough. That's not an argument. Adults have responsibilities to children, but "getting exactly the gift they want and ONLY the gift they want" is not one of those responsibilities. I don't know how else to say this. It would actually be an example of irresponsibility if an adult responded to a child destroying a gift in the way Azula did with "oh, you're right honey, let's get you a shiny new, COOLER gift." That's how narcissistic parents create narcissistic children. And, well, we know how that turned out.

As for "he knew damn well what kind of a parent his brother was likely to be..." Again, what even is this argument? That Iroh should have like, gelded Ozai before he had the chance to reproduce? I kid, but for real, it is incredibly insensitive to argue that abuse could have been prevented if only the people involved tried. That is not how it works. No. You do not get to do that. That IS victim blaming. It's the same logic used on victims, and it doesn't become better if it's used on the victim's families or friends or other people close to them, who often are usually victims to a lesser degree. If you really think that's true, say this kind of shit to, for example, the parent of a child who was groomed by a teacher, and I hope you get punched in the face for it. And I say that in the nicest way possible. Because once again, abusers know how to thrive on this logic, and manipulate that misplaced guilt to their advantage. You are only enabling abusers by believing this to be true.

Then, when he finally had the opportunity to help, he only did so for Zuko because he saw in him both his own dead son and a young version of Ozai that he could save from falling to darkness, while in Azula he only saw current Ozai which completely ignores the fact that she's a child. He didn't help her, and she got worse. Especially damning is that even after Zuko betrayed him and he was locked in prison, Iroh still reached out to help Zuko through teaching him he was Avatar Roku's descendant which somehow means the potential for good is inherit in him...yet did no such thing for Azula even when she is also Avatar Roku's descendant whom that theory should also hold true for.

Iroh had a specific opportunity to help Zuko that he did not have with Azula. Azula wasn't burned and banished. Azula also didn't come to visit Iroh in prison or previously show any inclination that she would listen to him like Zuko did. And, as I previously mentioned, Azula also dismisses the idea that the story of Roku and Sozin could have happened any other way than how Fire Nation propaganda says it did.

And again, where is it shown, said, or implied in the story that Iroh saw Azula as only exactly like Ozai? It isn't. It's Azula's actions that we can point to for why Iroh had no opportunity to help her. I can point to where Azula tells Zuko he is dumb for questioning the story of Roku and Sozin to know that she wouldn't be open to hearing it from Iroh. NOT because Iroh wrote her off, but because of her own actions.

And no, none of that is blaming Azula for being abused, because I'm not saying it's her fault Ozai abused her. It's her fault that she became an abuser and an imperialist and never shows an remorse for her actions or desire to be different.

It is NOT anyone's fault that they couldn't change her, especially when she goes from victim to abuser. But I can tell you that abusers are really invested in getting you to believe that they are the victim so they can continue being abusive. That's what's wrong with blaming Iroh or Ursa for not saving Azula.

I get the impulse to "understand" Azula and why she became the way she did, but as I said above, OP is totally wrong about how Azula became the way she did, and twists canon to suit their own narrative when we already have explanations for how and why Azula became the way she did in canon.

Edit: I also forgot to address, but quoted above, that OP blamed Ursa for "abandoning" both her children, when she was literally banished by Ozai, after he manipulated her into doing his dirty work by blackmailing her with her son's life. That is victim blaming and there is no argument where it isn't.

[sichore]

(ノ*°▽°*) and o( ❛ᴗ❛ )o

mj you're so sweeet 🥺 I love yappin about this

1. how i approach characterization: honestly I go all in I'm not sure how else to describe in. for the simple version, assuming this is for fanfiction and there's an active fandom, I see what's the popular characterization and pointedly don't do that LMAO. When I was writing Galaxy Rangers, the fandom was already 20+ years old and had all of... two and a half active participants, including me, so it was my playground. Compare that to MTL, well like... you know.

To explain it in more detail, I want to have a solid grasp of canon and try to achieve a balance of not taking everything at face value while not adding too much that unrealistic for the character. I know the nature of fanfiction is inherently ooc so I strive to make the character recognizable. So it's not just about getting canon right, but paying attention to their syntax, dialect, vernacular. Breaking down why they speak the way they do, what in their background dictates their habits and so on.

Taking Pickles as an example, I leaned hard into him being from Wisconsin, adding 'ope' into his speech even though he never says it in the show. Same thing with him approaching Dethklok as his second project considering he had a whole career before them instead of glossing over it, how that affected the founding, and the dynamics between him and Nathan as a former vs current frontman.

I really just do my best to consider all events from the pov of that character rather than just doing what I want them to do. I don't ever want to write for an established setting and have someone think the names could be changed and the story would be the same.

2. what kinds of tropes and/or aus do I want to explore?

so I pulled away from uhhh everything the past year and only started venturing out again once I (un)fortunately started playing my gacha games. I did privately did some self-reflection and exploring with topics that are more sensitive and taboo just to see how I would and wouldn't explore that in a narrative. Unlearn some shame and not be as afraid of coming off wrong since at the end of the day, I'm writing for myself. I write for an underrepresented niche in fandom as it is (Black women 💖) so I don't need to limit myself because I'm afraid being taken the wrong way. I'm grown. I've got a mortgage. I'm confident in what I choose to write as well as how I'd warn for any content that requires filtering.

(but I'm not gonna like, idk, tag for kissing in smut because??? dude. we can all use some common sense and critical thinking.)

All that to say I have a hilarious idea for a cuckholding fic, as well as arranged/accidental marriage for HSR. If I get back to smut I want to approach it differently and be more visceral and dirty while sticking to the narrative. MTL really was a great change from anime-based media and tropes where everyone and everything is very sanitized and conventionally attractive hehe.

And we went AU crazy in the discord and I'd still like to put out the bits I wrote on Avalon, the siren AU and Deth & Diligence.

[butevensomharewrite]

Character Talk

So, since I'll be posting the last of my major character design vibe things this WIP Wednesday, let's talk about the characters and the general arcs I'm cooking up. These aren't finalised but they are a general vibe as I'm plotting them right now. This got way longer than planned (and all this with the forewarning that it's in progress, so if you wanna give feedback feel free).

Midoriya Izuku: So, baby boy protagonist. I think in general, he's fine, and I don't mind where he ends up, but I do want to do more foreshadowing towards it earlier. Beyond that, his general arc is moving away from his idolisation of people like Bakugou and All Might (and also his weird possessiveness over Bakugou that canon calls out once in not even a joke and then never brings up again? ok), and taking ownership of himself and OFA.

OFA itself is going to be a little different, it still gives you the base power up to your body when it's passed on, but it also merges a quirk from the stockpile into your quirk, probably chosen by instinct based on the moment you first activate it. I think Float (probably), it's easy to hide as a mutation of Inko's quirk, it's got lots of angst potential in the whole Shimura feels side of things. I also want more interactions and time between him and Shigaraki. LoV has a delayed timeline, so I want to build the relationship between him and Shigaraki over a slower period. I'll be introducing Shigaraki probably as early as chapter 2 (the aftermath of the Sludge Villain) with Izuku still being quirkless when they meet and Shigaraki being a little interested in someone who actually does something rather than sitting around for the heroes.

I want Izuku and Bakugou's relationship to develop into something healthier earlier too. I think some of the issues with Izuku's character stem from this idea that him and Bakugou are rivals pushing each other, but they also sort of stagnate in that because Bakugou has no plot of his own, if that makes sense, and because Izuku gets so OP so quickly, the idea that Bakugou is actually rivalling him is laughable. So I want them to actually be able to push each other and let that rivalry actually develop properly. Bakugou is changing earlier, and also All Might (although only Izuku knows it's All Might not Yagi, All Might's assistant) is training them together like once a week, but it's a bit more like amateur therapy and he encourages them to be open and honest about their feelings even if he has to take them out to some forest clearing and let them yell and scream at each other (you know, like the should have done after the Final Exam arc where they both finally snapped and said enough, and then everyone just brushed it off and moved on. You know when Izuku finally got actually mad at Bakugou, and Bakugou actually said he'd rather lose, both totally ooc moments that should have had serious ramifications on both their character arcs? I really thought we were about to do something there Horikoshi, my bad).

Bakugou Katsuki: speaking of rivals. Every time I try to write about Bakugou it gets huge because he's such a mess, I'll try to keep this brief. OK! So! I think the biggest first point is the difference between making Bakugou suffer because he deserves it and that being his redemption, and Bakugou's suffering causing him to reflect. The two are different. If you've seen the rough design vibes, you know Bakugou has a prosthetic pre-UA, and it is that serious injury and the grief and realignment afterwards that helps spark Bakugou's redemption journey. And while he often frames it as a deserved punishment, as do various other people, I'm careful to make sure the narrative doesn't. Because if I have to explain to you why disability/trauma as a punishment is fucked up, I think there's a problem.

Bakugou is supposed to be a sorta monster society created and then abandoned when they realised what they'd done. Very Frankenstein. We need to show that. We need to see Bakugou in situ of people praising him to insane degrees, to society putting Izuku down because he's quirkless and it's for his own good. We need to see what built Bakugou to understand his position. We also need to see Mitsuki being a bad parent more (note bad, not Endeavor levels abusive, there's a difference). In trying to keep him grounded and disciplined she yells, she gives him the odd smack and she picks apart everything he does for even the smallest flaw or weakness and tears him down, and she inadvertently teaches him violence and yelling is the answer, perfection is everything and getting help is weakness that she will then tear into.

Bakugou's arc revolves around what is a hero and we'll use Stain to do that. His ideal of heroism is strength, a hero overcomes all odds no matter what, and he might suck at being a people person but he can make sure the bad guy is beaten even if it costs him himself. Stain, of course, takes offense at Bakugou, but at the same time doesn't see him as entirely without potential (self sacrifice, even framed in the way Bakugou does, is the kind of heroism Stain and All Might preach) and even canon Stain isn't thrilled to kill kids. They're going to explore heroism together, through their ridiculously high standard of All Might or nothing, to the true nature of Bakugou's glory chasing and morals, to frustration over public image heroes like Jeanist, culminating in moving up Bakugou's moment with All Might in the final war (although adjusted slightly) for a Bakugou and Stain team up against AFO.

I also want to expand on Bakugou relationships outside of Midoriya, another area where I think canon could have done more. I think one fo Bakugou (and Midoriya's) biggest problems is the pair of them just can't be separated and it sorta harms them both in and out of universe. He has Kirishima, obviously, but I think even that could use more. There's Kaminari too, who doesn't get enough credit as Bakugou's friend, he was next to him before even Kiri. I want him and Uraraka to interact more too, for both their sakes. I like the idea of the "Bakusquad" but I think it's a fanfic thing that mostly ends up being unhealthy either with Bakugou not caring for them and/or them just being Kirishima's friends, or them ignoring all of Bakugou's boundaries. Early on, I want more of an actual rivalry between Shouto and Bakugou, and I want to expand the Disaster Squad (because talented but awful at peopleing people thrown together is always a great dynamic). And, obviously, if we're keeping the ending, more from both Jeanist and Edgeshot. Edgeshot's sacrifice would have been so much more meaningful if we saw him and Bakugou interact, and/or saw how much Jeanist and Edgeshot liked each other before that one moment.

I also want to take more of a look at the creek scene because as someone with massive anxiety who's actually experience the whole thing where someone offering to help you makes you feel like they're looking down on you, that was fumbled to all hell. Also, for a while it felt like Horikoshi was laying the groundwork for Bakugou realising he was going to become Endeavor if he kept on as part of his arc, and then backed out the further we got into Endeavor's "redemption" so I think it'd like to work that in more.

Todoroki Shouto: family drama, yay! So, obviously Shouto's plot is his family and Dabi. It's another one that I think benefits more from minor changes than a total rewrite. I think the core idea of the Todoroki siblings manifesting varying forms of abuse responses (yes, Fuyumi's response to being in an abusive household is valid, stop acting like it's not, she is the conflict avoidant pacifier reaction) and their family drama spilling into country threatening levels is pretty ok.

So, minor changes, Fuyumi would be a hero, or at least a sidekick. The timelines sort of imply that the first three kids happened on better terms than Shouto, so maybe Fuyumi got training, she's a daddy's girl, she was going to prove herself, and as she grows she gets it into her head that if she can be a good hero maybe she can fix their family. Keep her as a teacher, maybe at UA, they do need more teachers. Dabi, gets ice powers to match Shouto. he's going to be a proper mirror. While Shouto rejects his fire to spite his dad, Dabi still wants Endeavor's attention so only uses his fire. Dabi is also a "vigilante" style villain more in line with Stain earlier on. He wants Endeavor's attention, after all.

Back to Shouto. So, I want to introduce Shouto early, he's in in chapter one, and involved with the Sludge Villain incident. Partly, because I want the main trio trioing early so there's less awkward character shuffling as Bakugou and Shouto seem to take Iida and Uraraka's places, a more even spread rather than ups and downs, I want clear synergy between the three of them in a tough spot so they can work together if they have to (for the record, Shouto is the leader of the main trio, for all Bakugou bitches even in canon he does follow Shouto's orders, Shouto takes control, Izuku is like omg information vomit and Bakugou translates for Shouto and ptoects current quirkless Izuku) (also note this is only allowed to go on as long as it does bc Endeavor is there doing his proud but douchey momager thing), but also I want to establish Shouto's "screw the rules, I'm a hero" attitude nice and early. Because I think we do forget the amount of time Shouto unapologetically is about to throw down with the law because "it's the right thing to do" to the point it makes Midoriya and Iida look law abiding. As mentioned, there's a bit more of an active rivalry between Bakugou and Shouto following the Sports Festival, and also some acknowledgement earlier on that Shouto can be very destructive and prone to overkill without thinking about the consequences.

Uraraka Ochako: my girl! So, I definitely want to give Uraraka some more plot time for a start. As I say, I want there to be a less drastic fall off from early parts to later parts. I want Uraraka involved and there.

So, for a start, we're going to actually deal with the sexism the Sports Festival brought up, Uraraka and Bakugou are going to interact more, be sparring partners, Bakugou is going to treat Uraraka as just another person rather than just a cute girl (the Sports Festival is the first big school event in this timeline, so it's the big turning point for a lot of these things). Since the internships aren't right after the Sports Festival, like in canon, Uraraka wants to work on her martial arts now, and turns to the one person she's sure will teach her properly.

I also think about maybe either swapping her away from Toga as her "main villain" or completely rewriting it. I think the fact that every scene Uraraka's in someone mentions her crush on Izuku, and the fact that her villainy with Toga is frame around crushes and love, doesn't help the idea that she's a shallow love interest, especially with how her money worries were just sorta shuffled away. They made a big deal of "girls can fight boys" in the Sports Festival, and then Uraraka basically only gets girl fights with Toga afterwards, and the whole yandere bisexual girl fight with sexual/romantic undertones isn't the greatest vibe. I'm thinking of perhaps keeping Mustard around, because A, gravity vs gases can be super badass (as anyone who read the original version of Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen can tell you, not the anime hand holding bullshit) and B, because he's their age, and kind brutally merciless, the guy brought a gun with him, and potentially if we extrapolate from his comments about UA being "pampered" maybe we can assign him a similar background.

Kirishima Eijirou: short and sweet here, because Kirishima's whole thing is actually pretty solid but just need expanding. If I swap Toga out with Mustard, or someone else, for Uraraka, Kirishima is where she goes. Now, that doesn't mean I want the same romance angle. I'm not erasing Toga's bisexuality for a straight ship, it wouldn't be a ship, it would be two people dealing with their admiration and finding themselves by becoming like other people.

More in general, I want to focus a little more on Kirishima and Bakugou's relationship, while Bakugou definitely inspires Kirishima, we don't see much of it going the other way, although I think this is partly because we just don't see inside Bakugou's head nearly as often as others. I enjoy his role in the Overhaul Arc, but I also want to bring Uraraka in there more, so I potential Red Riot and Uravity vs Rappa and Tengai (maybe with Fat Gum, maybe not).

Yaoyorozu Momo: oh Momo. I definitely want to expand on Momo. She should be badass but Horikoshi needed her to be nerfed a lot because she solves a lot of problems. So, we play into the fact that's a naïve sheltered rich girl. She's had private tutors and is book smart, she passes tests with flying colours because she knows the correct answer for a controlled environment. We sort of see this in the Battle Trials, where sure, in the context of text, Bakugou was acting out, but as a villain? Half the MHA villains are acting on personal grudges and don't care about environmental damage. A lot of villains aren't rational around heroes, and lbr a lot of minor villains would get out of there when heroes arrived. So there's an interesting potential here that being sheltered as she is, she almost expects that textbooks are completely accurate and villains would behave as she's been taught by her tutors. And come on being flustered when shit doesn't go how you were taught is a common thing, so it's not out of the question.

There's also the Sports Festival, where we see her struggling with her quirk because she got stuck on her preplanned ideas and didn't adapt, and relied on her quirk. And in her suit. The idea that she first wanted nothing, and then went with a suit that offered very little practical defense, she believes her quirk is enough to protect her from everything. So this goes hand in hand with her self confidence issues, in a very similar way to Bakugou. She had confidence, was smacked down hard and realised that real combat isn't the same as lessons, but where Bakugou gets angry and aggressive about getting better, Momo withdraws and doubts, actually in a very similar way to Kirishima. I think her plot will most be entwined with Iida and Shouto as the other two legacy rich types, but I would like to see her with Kirishima doing his good boi stuff and building everyone up too.

There's also Iida, Tsuyu and Kaminari, but this got very long and their arcs aren't quite as solidly formed in my mind, so maybe I'll talk about them another day or maybe drop an ask about specifics and watch me think things through in real time. So this WIP Wednesday is the last round of starting UA character vibes, and then next Wednesday I've got one of my oldest drafts from the Sports Festival queued up.

[spicybylerpolls]

I agree the preferences are definitely relative to will, but also just who byler is? as a switch byler enjoyer I understand anon's points, and ultimately people can hc what they like, but I think it's worth noting that byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with. the writers have written them a certain way, and I personally don't feel a need to "subvert expectations" - personally. same with how public personas don't always =  you are different in the bedroom, that's not the experience for everybody AND there's different ways to view it. for example will being softer in his daily life means to me that he may be a slut in the bedroom, not a raging dom. also, dom/sub is not all that sex is or can be. byler can be neither to a degree.

I don't even think that it's just his Assets that make people see will as a bottom. if this was a ship between two more balanced masc men I'd get how switchvers debates are pointless, but they tell us explicitly that will is not masc and doesn't want to be and his acceptance is learning that he doesn't have to be, and accepting his visibility because he can't change that. wanting to see mike fucked like a bratty bottom uses will as a tool in ways I wouldn't want to because he doesn't like being aggressive (but this is now making fandom deeper and smut fic is usually fantasy, which is why I don't complain I just simply don't read those fics because will is unrecognizable, it's not my cup of tea but it's fine! I'll read eddiemike instead or something) and puts will/byler on the back burner

does the bratty bottom vision go beyond mike in s3, and somewhat s4 though? I see where people get it from 100% but I would gather mike mellows out as he matures, so I don't see that for his long term relationship with will. if it was another more masc guy, or eddie or whatever yeah I could see it better! less bratty, more cheeky and challenging. it's okay that will isn't the partner people might want for mike physically.

they're basically both bottoms in ways, but I agree with you spicybylerpolls, that if will weren't in the picture mike might be more of a switch or bottom with other guys. will is allowed to be a stereotype, which is the other thing people find hard to grasp, but it's fine for him and we can embrace that. even in sfw things.

the point brought up about will topping as a reclamation of control/power has always felt more like an excuse to me? maybe not excuse, but an easy explanation that's never explored. because topping is not only about power, or the only way to have control during sex, that's... really uneducated if people think so. will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him. that's a perfectly fine stereotype and not boring, and wanting to see mike get fucked doesn't erase how that initial dynamic is good in its own way 😭 and people have no issue with a top having no power when it's sub top mike, but will bottoming = bad because he has no power as a sub? it's just not how that works 😅

I enjoy switch byler so much but the way in which people insist mike is the subbiest bottom and get quite rude about how people could possibly see otherwise, when - like you said op - it's clear when will is right there why people enjoy the canon dynamic, and how these are not balanced macho male personalities (no matter how much puberty noah went through that changed will's physique. I rewatch s4 and will is still the softest guy, he's just taller. they purposely tried to hide his growth because that's not their vision for will. finn is also growing bigger too, so) is so unnecessary and shocking to me. byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love? I'm able to enjoy all dynamics while understanding what the creators like for them.

I don't intend to make things deep here, because we all know it's just preference and what we like for our faves, but speaking definitively like "at best"  doesn't make something true so I wanted to offer my two cents!

These are all interesting points! Thanks for adding to the conversation! I fully agree that certain things just are Byler, and as you said, "byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with." 100% true!

And yeah, subverting expectations is not always necessary. Because like you said, "byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love?"

Sometimes people role switch/subvert expectations - not just with the spicy side of byler but with all sides - and it ends up not even looking like them. Especially when the argument is rooted in Will's muscle gain and "buff Byers" which, like, you said is not the original vision for the character. Arguing that Will would top because he's physically stronger than Mike completely loses the plot.

But to play devil's advocate, I say that Will being the soft/gentle/less assertive/sensitive/INFP that he is doesn't necessarily mean he can't also fantasize about to fucking boys/Mike, just like Mike being the assertive/leader/knight in shining armor/more masculine one in canon doesn't mean he can't fantasize about the opposite.

(Like in the same way that a straight guy wanting to fuck his girlfriend also doesn't mean that he can't be soft/gentle/less masculine/less assertive/INFP/sensitive/etc. Even if this isn't in a hyper-masculine/aggressive way like other alpha types, it's still considered "normal" and even expected in straight contexts since, well, that's how straight sex typically works). So why is it different in a gay context? Horniness isn't always 2+2= 4, although it can be.

It honestly seems like a lot of these nuances of this discussion/debate are more about who is more dominant and who is more of the sub rather than their specific positions. One could argue that dom Mike/sub Will would closely link to their canon dynamics.

But even so, I remember one of the earliest polls on here had a high number of people who viewed Will as "domming from the bottom" and Mike as "subbing from the top" which is really interesting and somewhat throws a curve ball in this analysis. Maybe that connects to lots of people using the word "bratty" to describe Mike?

All in all though, when discussing gay sex, especially in fandom, there's always this huge emphasis on binary roles and positions that isn't really present when discussing straight sex, but really is that really fair? Will being more feminine ≠ automatically bottoming and Mike being more masculine ≠ automatically topping because these things aren't necessarily gendered or aligned with personality traits, where one is "the boy" and the other is "the girl" during sex, or at least they don't have to be. They sometimes are, but not always.

Through this lens, even if you view top Mike as more canon compliant, it's hypothetically possible that top Will/bottom Will wouldn't even really be role-switching. It could just be what they naturally gravitate to in the bedroom while still keeping all other aspects of their personality. BUT, like you said, if Will is indeed a bottom, it's 100% true that, "Will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him."

What does everyone else think?