#sometimes i think people really can't handle or even really grasp what a redemption arc is

[sir-adamus]

this isn't directed at anyone specifically, as this is a sentiment i've seen a lot, but i think some people were expecting some kind of catharsis in regards to Neo being punished or just straight up dying in the volume 9 finale because they don't personally like and are therefore dismissive of the character; and then making claims that it was bad writing that she didn't get the shit kicked out of her and was then killed, but instead getting to bow out gracefully and taking the first step to improve on herself and find herself again (which, i have to say, is not a redemption, the claims of 'bad writing' always paint it as such which is weird to me - it's like, the start, at best)

and i've been seeing this sentiment for months and, from the perspective of someone who never really had an issue with the character and liked the way she was handled, every time i've always had the same question of like, is it bad? or do you just not like it? cos let's be real that's been a major, major problem in this fandom for years, and even the people who complain about it coming from the loud vocal minority are often guilty of similar behaviour, just in more 'acceptable' ways

there was this really good post i reblogged the other day, which i'll link here, which basically covers my general feelings on this in regards to media in general, but in specific regard to the show;

a) the main characters' priorities have never been on personal payback, and neither has the show's (which it makes a point with several times, with Yang and Blake giving Adam multiple opportunities to stop and just leave as just an example, which he doesn't take), so there's no reason for them to go after Neo when she's no longer a threat

b) by the time WBY would've had the opportunity to 'punish' Neo for everything she did, Neo was possessed, and in the aftermath of that, was no longer hostile to them because of the events leading up to her getting possessed in the first place

RWB/Y is a show with lots of thematic resonance, we see parallels and layers and one of the major themes in the show is grief, and how you handle it; in the Ever After, Neo serves as a microcosm of Salem - she lost the one positive (though ultimately co-dependent and not particularly healthy) relationship she had after a horrible childhood of isolation and instead of coming to terms with her grief, she dedicates herself to revenge (which was her characterisation click moment when she returned in volume 6, as that return actually gave her motivations and a goal, versus how she was in volumes 2 and 3, where she was just kinda there and didn't have all that much to her) and it consumes her, so when she actually does get that revenge she wanted, instead of there being any kind of catharsis, she's just left hollow and empty because she has nothing left, which leaves her open to getting possessed by the Cat

but after being freed from possession, Neo has no reason to keep fighting because of that prior realisation, and comes to the conclusion that she needs to move on, with the best opportunity to do so being letting the Tree help her. and this is what loops back to the post i linked; Neo is given the option to stop and change and she takes it

does it come too late? sure - but by the same note, better late than never. besides, the Ever After is a fairytale world where the normal rules don't apply, so 'late' isn't as damning as it would've been

[shall-we-go-far-away]

just finished episodes 3 and 4 like five minutes ago so here are my thoughts right after (will probably make a new post once I've rewatched the episode to properly grasp what happened):

1. omg the tension is still sooo intense I can't

2. I would've been so thrown off if I was jihyun because why do you kiss me and then stop talking to me for the rest of the trip?? so props to him for handling it somewhat well, I really liked that jihyun's curiosity for jaewon clearly won and he approached him again instead of staying distant

3. but then again, I'm still a little confused on how they "got back together" because jaewon went from acting like they never talked before to come on, let's have a date at han river like?? what happened in between? that seemed like a really weird cut to me idk

4. staying with jihyun tho, my lovely little jihyun I love him, he's so adorable.. I love the scene when he comes into work and it literally almost looks like he's floating through the bar while mopping and smiling like an absolute fool

5. I really liked that we got a little more insight into jaewon's therapy sessions because it made things that were just assumptions before clearer to the viewer

6. Taehyung?? bro, do you not realize that your "BEST FRIEND" clearly has no interest in getting back with his ex?? he was so annoying in the first two episodes already I really hope at some point jaewon is gonna snap because damn, does he really not get it??

7. Eunji? man, I'm kinda sad Eunji is made into the jealous, mean ex-girlfriend.. maybe she's getting a redemption arc later on but right now her behavior is just not it.. hated how she was behaving in the bar, basically treating jihyun like shit I was really glad the bar owner (I love her, she's great <3) said something

8. Aeri tho, I was a little confused by her behavior at first because she was really pushy (?) but I liked that she ended up clearing things up and making sure that jihyun knew she just wants to be his friend

9. the scene in the library where jihyun was showing jaewon his drawing was sooo cute I gotta admit it must've looked weird from eunji's perspective because why is the guy that just told her to work separately now smiling like an idiot? and them enjoying their ramen at the han river? very wholesome, I have to say tho when jaewon sent jihyun to get coffee I thought he would ditch him for a second because he seemed a little off but he stayed so we're all good

10. jaewon being a little hot and cold with jihyun throughout the episodes irritated me a little at first but it made sense if we think about what he said to his therapist and it also further confirmed that most of his relationships are probably on surface level and not even his "closest friends" actually know him.. so jaewon backing off from jihyun every once in a while was probably just him being scared of letting him come too close (I think?? god, sometimes I think whatever I'm saying here goes right in the opposite direction of what's actually happening but oh well, isn't this what theories are there for?)

(idk but jaewon seems like the type of person that's like "I only hurt the people close to me, so I keep everyone at a distance") -> this really makes me curious about jaewon's and eunji's relationship and how that went because he said they dated for two years

11. I also think both of them are at a point where they know there's mutual interest between them and that they're probably gonna be more than friends considering they were about to kiss again before joon pyo came to the rooftop (I mean can we talk about jaewon's cute little smile right at the end of the episode?? the man is whipped)

[hubakon1368]

#sometimes i think people really can't handle or even really grasp what a redemption arc is #because their usual frame of reference is Zuko who never quite managed to do anything actually awful #a character has to actually be a bad enough person that them improving on themselves would /be/ a redemption #additionally i think people jump the gun a bit on dismissing certain character turns /as/ redemptions #when often it's just the first steps to making a change #actually i think people are just jumping the gun in general #and getting unnecessarily hostile over interpretations they don't agree with #calm down have a snack #it's just a show #you should really just relax

Preserving @sir-adamus' tags.

this isn't directed at anyone specifically, as this is a sentiment i've seen a lot, but i think some people were expecting some kind of catharsis in regards to Neo being punished or just straight up dying in the volume 9 finale because they don't personally like and are therefore dismissive of the character; and then making claims that it was bad writing that she didn't get the shit kicked out of her and was then killed, but instead getting to bow out gracefully and taking the first step to improve on herself and find herself again (which, i have to say, is not a redemption, the claims of 'bad writing' always paint it as such which is weird to me - it's like, the start, at best)

and i've been seeing this sentiment for months and, from the perspective of someone who never really had an issue with the character and liked the way she was handled, every time i've always had the same question of like, is it bad? or do you just not like it? cos let's be real that's been a major, major problem in this fandom for years, and even the people who complain about it coming from the loud vocal minority are often guilty of similar behaviour, just in more 'acceptable' ways

there was this really good post i reblogged the other day, which i'll link here, which basically covers my general feelings on this in regards to media in general, but in specific regard to the show;

a) the main characters' priorities have never been on personal payback, and neither has the show's (which it makes a point with several times, with Yang and Blake giving Adam multiple opportunities to stop and just leave as just an example, which he doesn't take), so there's no reason for them to go after Neo when she's no longer a threat

b) by the time WBY would've had the opportunity to 'punish' Neo for everything she did, Neo was possessed, and in the aftermath of that, was no longer hostile to them because of the events leading up to her getting possessed in the first place

RWB/Y is a show with lots of thematic resonance, we see parallels and layers and one of the major themes in the show is grief, and how you handle it; in the Ever After, Neo serves as a microcosm of Salem - she lost the one positive (though ultimately co-dependent and not particularly healthy) relationship she had after a horrible childhood of isolation and instead of coming to terms with her grief, she dedicates herself to revenge (which was her characterisation click moment when she returned in volume 6, as that return actually gave her motivations and a goal, versus how she was in volumes 2 and 3, where she was just kinda there and didn't have all that much to her) and it consumes her, so when she actually does get that revenge she wanted, instead of there being any kind of catharsis, she's just left hollow and empty because she has nothing left, which leaves her open to getting possessed by the Cat

but after being freed from possession, Neo has no reason to keep fighting because of that prior realisation, and comes to the conclusion that she needs to move on, with the best opportunity to do so being letting the Tree help her. and this is what loops back to the post i linked; Neo is given the option to stop and change and she takes it

does it come too late? sure - but by the same note, better late than never. besides, the Ever After is a fairytale world where the normal rules don't apply, so 'late' isn't as damning as it would've been