#tbf it isn't much better with context

[blackpilljesus]

Why I'm no longer a feminist

For context I've been heavily involved in liberal & radical feminist spaces, skirted around marxfems but they're all similar behaviour wise while claiming to be better than others which is what all the below points are based on. All of these apply irrespective of the type of feminism.

Feminism failed - Around 2020/2021 when I was still a feminist, I read an article about how feminism failed and realised it was right. It highlighted how it's been decades of feminism yet it took a pandemic to set women back (women turning to sex work to survive, women quitting their jobs to take care of kids) and it got me thinking. All this pandering to moids, all this work, yet women are always one political disaster away from losing it all. Now tbf it isn't exactly a fair battle with decades of established feminism going up against millenias of oppression but the below points certainly do not help feminism move womens freedom/rights forward.

So much infighting - Nobody is ever a true feminist. Despite everything feminists would say about maIe violence & how it affects womens lives; they'd lash out, smear, or block women that actually hated maIes. I'll never forget being blocked by a big feminist page for saying how women would be better off living without maIes in our lives using their poll data collected on what women would do if maIes didn't exist for 24 hours. They claimed I was being hateful to maIes like come tf on everyone else gets to hate their oppressor but women. Also I've noticed feminists are generally nicer to maIes despite all the abuse but harsher to women they disagree with. Complaining about maIes is just a hobby to them, when a woman more serious comes along they attack that woman more than they attack abusive maIes. Similarly they defend maIes more fiercely than they defend women & girls. Says a lot about their character. I'll expand more on these phenomenons on lower points. Having civil disagreements among feminists is rare (which is what happens when there's no direction) as disagreements will end up in explosive fights full of abuse, smearing, doxxing, etc. It's especially worse as a lot of the time these fights are over moids.

No clear goal or direction - It can't even be agreed among feminists who the movement is for, who is benefitting & being harmed by the system, and the goal. I get that there's usually factions within big ideologies but there's almost no cohesion among feminists which makes it difficult to even discuss let alone advocate so instead of moving forward, feminists go around in circles. Feminism doesn't seem to actually be going anywhere.

Not helpful to marginalised women (in the west) - Despite claims of adopting Intersectionality, marginalised women are often left out of serious mainstream conversations by feminists i.e. black women left out of blm as voices & efforts are focused on marginalised maIes.

Lot of copium - Rather than addressing problems, many feminists want to pretend the problem doesn't exist with a sister circle of women that'll do the same.

Realised how toxic & complicit women are - Even several feminists can be toxic maIe lovers willing to drag any woman & her name through mud for maIes sake. So much enabling behaviour is peddalled in the name of "sisterhood" but let it be a woman that doesn't want anything to do with maIes and feminists have no problem excluding & hating on her. Feminists speak about how women are just too kind & empathetic for their own good which is very misleading. Women are manipulative & also calculative with their actions, they aren't the innocent victims feminists preach them to be (not saying they have to be innocent but it's disingenuous & reckless pretending otherwise). Women (including feminists) will be gentle with maIes but harsher with women; especially women that merely disagree with them. Another issue I have with feminists is that (especially with radfems) they push "men bad women good" agenda when women are also bad. Just because they're oppressed doesn't mean they cant be bad. Whenever women have power (esp over other women) they can be evil. Besides the fact that women still love moids despite everything they do & their "bountless empathy goodwill nature" mostly extends to maIes says a lot about their so-called "goodness".

Realised most of this is just a pass-time until women find & lock in their nigels - Even fierce radical feminists of the 80s that went all out eventually settled down with a moid & kids reflecting on their radfem days as a hobby. I'm not looking to do the same. Many feminists, even the most staunch ones eventually end up bragging about finding a good man that's not like the rest, he's different they're sure of it (said every woman ever). The thing that gets me is that they cant even shut up about their nigel in a space supposedly for women, they want to affirm their ego by flaunting their special nigel to other women then months down the line it's "actually he was a manipulative POS" sure sis.

Saw how common maIe panderering is - each type of feminist accuses the other of pandering to maIes when they all do it, just in different ways and yes this includes radfems which was my last straw. Also many feminists prop up maIe voices even for the most simplest thing, they'll stand behind maIes being treated like crap by other ones for defending women but they wouldn't do that to women. I've realised that for most feminists it isn't about helping women advance irrespective of maIes but reforming maIes for their personal desires which takes me to the next point.

Despite all the complaining, statistics, news, theory, analysis; most feminists want to be with a moid & reproduce at some point completely overlooking everything they preach - I've realised how performative most feminists are. Separatism & the notion of not dating or reproducing with maIes gets so much hate bc these women only want to complain & get dopamine off playing victim. They want to have their cake and eat it and I want to part in that. Gets draining being in these spaces if you actually want nothing to do with moids & their evil. You get attacked for hating or wanting nothing to do with maIes instead of wanting to reform them. It's at a point where I'm agitated seeing the same headlines, discourse, theory, etc repetitively. It's like a pest, it irritates me because nothing will change. Moids will continue to abuse women with no consequences & women (including feminists) will continue to love them. I just dont care anymore. I've noticed the maIe panderers & reformers obsess over the repetitive theory, headlines, stats, etc because they want to change maIes to make it easier to settle down with them. Those of us who see that moids are past the point of redemption & want them gone aren't spending our days dolling out the same stats & theories. Look at many serious separatist/4b et al pages, many of them don't talk about maIes much (second half of this anons ask was questioning why I don't prominently speak about men & misogyny) and this is because we see the pattern, have drawn our conclusions, and now want to move forward. Saw the below photo in my gallery & it sums up this point tho it applies to all feminist communities. Drives you crazy when you're not invested in maIes or forming relationships with them. SN; bear discourse is also an example of this.

Realised that this goes beyond witty one-liners & comebacks - I feel like many feminists have created a culture of who can have the hottest take & it's become a thing of snapping back at maIes sorta like the below video explains rather than caring about women.

At some point when you actually don't care for maIes, you don't feel much & the discourse means nothing. I dont care if their behaviour is social or biological, I dont care if they can be reformed, I don't care if I or my actions dont make sense to moids, I just view them all as threats & want to be safe from their evil. No amount of throwing stats & headlines at moids will get them to change. Even if you "win" debates it doesn't bring material value for women but of course this pads many feminists egos as they've got an interest in changing maIes.

Saviour complex - many feminists have saviour complexes which causes arrogance fuelling many of the problems above. People are more aware than they let on and this includes about misogyny but a lot of feminists care more about looking like heros to feel good about themselves rather than actually helping women & girls. P.S todays set of feminists aren't the first set (or even first 3) of women to have the 'theory' of patriarchy that they do.

Feminism has generally done good work over the years for women but with what I want I dont see feminism achieving it. The light switch flipped for me when I saw that these issues from feminists weren't because of a minority but a majority. This isn't even personal I've seen feminists treat other women like crap for maIe validation. Look at what happened when the depp v heard trial was going on & how several feminists initially sided with depp to prove they can hold "female abusers" accountable & claim moids are victims with the expectation maIes can do the same. Feminists even went against andrea dworkin herself when she was raped. I've realised most women do not want liberation as this will likely come without their happily-ever-after life with maIes so they settle for reformation; however this cant be done without other women also taking hits which is why they'll pull the "we're all in it together bs".

[gffa]

about the anti post, tbf it wasn't in the ship tag so technically not crossing lanes but it was in the character tags and as a babs fan it can still be annoying going in her tag to see that kinda stuff esp cuz a lot of db antis are bigger dick stans and are more critical and negative towards her than him in subtle and not so subtle ways, you know?

anyway thank you for your response! it reminded me why i love their relationship so much! theres so much negativity surrounding this ship that sometimes i begin questioning myself, wondering if they're really that bad and am i missing something?? so its always reassuring seeing others who feel the way i do and view them positively :)

I hear you, it can be really hard to avoid this kind of thing, even when you're trying to stay in your lane and others are trying to stay in their lane, too. And, it really doesn't help when a lot of anti-Dick/Babs people come into our space to be jerks about it. (I don't know if it happens in reverse, I'm not in those spaces enough to tell, I can only say that I haven't seen it any time I wander outside of my corner. But if it does, that's not cool, either.)(Nor do I know the context of the post you saw, for all I know, it could have struck me totally different than it did for you.) And, yeah, honestly, there does have to be room for everyone to like and dislike their own stuff, even if that means we come across posts we find annoying and it means that we find the complaining too much to be around. We have to have a little grace for disagreements, just as people who disagree with us have to have a little grace with us. That said, you know what I find a thousand times more fulfilling? Yelling happily about what I like, because I don't want the entire experience of Thing I Like to be negative and when I see other people having fun, I want to join in on that fun, too--so, I would suggest that any time you feel frustrated by someone being a jerk, find your favorite comic moment or animated series moment or fic you enjoyed reading, and yell very loudly about how great it was and put that in the tag (both characters and ship) because then I'll see something happy when I go through the tag and it'll remind me why I love the ship, too! Or find your favorite Barbara moments and talk about her, because fandom does sometimes overshadow her and I would love to see more about her view of her life and relationships and family! And, honestly, while plenty of people have perfectly valid reasons to dislike a ship--literally ANY ship, this isn't just about Dick/Babs, but it could just as easily apply to Dick/Kory or Dick/Wally or Dick/Roy or Dinah/Babs--there's always going to be a fair amount of ship war nonsense, where criticism isn't even about what the ship is really like, just that it's not the person's OTP. And then who cares! Use that energy to make positive content for the ship because that's a better use of your time! And you deserve to have a nice experience in fandom, too. Dick/Babs is a great pairing, they're adorable and they're flirty and they love each other and they support each other and they're not afraid to have it out with each other when they need to and they just like being around each other. Whether someone OTPs it or just thinks it's fine enough/is a multishipper instead, it's totally great to enjoy a moment of theirs because they can be utterly delightful and nobody's wrong for loving them. 💕

[nomnomnibblenibble]

You're absolutely right, a large portion of Lewis fans use literally anything, in our out of context, to criticize him. They probably think they're being the better person for holding their fav "accountable" like Lewis isn't criticized for merely breathing by every other fandom. To avoid the "cult" allegation they've completely gone over to the other side and complain about every single thing he does. A lot of them are glory hunters tbf so their frustration has been building with Merc's continued failure, they take it out on Lewis as a result. I knew his fans were pathetic when they were crying in the qrts of his Glastonbury festival appearance where he was simply assigned a seat next to Sam Taylor Johnson and calling him names like he personally arranged the seating. When, mind you, he was with Elton John's husband and son. MV is literally involved with a racist, homophobic family, Charles liked several anti blm tweets yet you'll never see their fans act like Lewis fans do. Certain Lewis fans treat him like some common criminal when he's probably one of the nicest athletes around who always owns up to mistakes and improves himself. They always say F1 and other drivers don't deserve him but lbr, many of them don't either. Like wtf are you dragging him for scabbing, he's not a damn actor 😭 Just a pathetic bunch, they need to drop the pretense and support whichever ignorant, bland fool they prefer and let Lewis be

Right, it's like this insane overreaction sometimes. They sound like haters when they constantly hold him to this insane standard.

He's not immune to criticism. He does things I don't like and associates with people I would rather him not. No issue with acknowledging that much.

However, I don't expect Lewis to be absolutely perfect. There's no reason to get upset if he isn't living up to your unwritten expectations. There's no reason to go into deep speculation about who he "really" is. I have a feeling some fans want to be able to have some kind of moral high ground over others so it's like you said they wanna detach from that cult lh label. I also think there is a feeling of superiority some of them get from the idea that "my fave is unproblematic unlike yours...." and get upset if Lewis does something that "embarrasses them".

I know it sounds horrible but leave some stuff alone and keep it pushin - has team lh not been through enough already?

[encrucijada]

What’s the wildest scene you’ve ever written and what song is the soundtrack to that scene?

define "written"

fr i'm bad at this thing you call "writing", especially actually advancing any of my wips so most if not all of them are stuck in 1-3 chapters limbo. so let me tell you about the plot point entirely inspired by me listening to stay awake? by bastille

i have give me the future (album) to thank for much of the vibe of my book keep staring. first with distorted light beam and then with stay awake? which immediately formed the image in my head of a dream version of piedad appearing in adam's head.

this is our thesis statement. later i would pair up stay awake? with drive by halsey to create one big moment between our two leads but i don't think the dubbed "car drive scene" is that wild. i actually don't know if the stay awake? scene is wild either but it's all i have that isn't the ending of any of my books, there's two i can think of that are especially wild (including this one). and they don't really have a soundtrack.

i listened to stay awake? but for a while it was simply a silly amv in my head... until i found this photo of piedad's fc lydia graham (that i used on that one netflix trend: keep staring edition). which i messaged by best friend with "this looks like piedad in one of adam's dreams"

further context: up until this moment adam had been indulging on this dream as a bad coping mechanism. but even a dreamer's dreams have limits and for the dreamers in my world that is not being capable of bringing human beings into the waking world. adam's coping lasts only as long as he's asleep and soon that starts to feel to him like getting poked with red hot metal. so he snaps at dream!piedad, as we see above. a few other responses from them include: "don't i look real?" and "you're mad at me now for being what you wanted?" and "like you ever cared." because when you're a dreamer sometimes your dreams will call you out for manipulating the dreamspace to your liking.

i have plans to have dream!piedad kill adam at some point. and the phrasing of that hopefully tells you it does not affect him in the waking world, aside from a rude awakening and he'll probably be hurting for a few days. i don't know if i want it to happen here, because i don't even know when this scene is going to happen and how much i want to sour whatever thing adam and his bad coping mechanism have going on.

the no death option looks a little like this: adam has an argument with dream!piedad, a full-on fight that has the dreamspace practically bursting at the seams, all the while dream!piedad sways between being that fantasy adam concocted (partly by accident tbf but hey he let it continue) and becoming angrier and angrier with him. but because ✨toxic relationship (yes even in his dreams he has so many issues)✨ it kinda goes nowhere, kiss it better. adam still feels like he's being prodded and prodded. the dreamspace can feel as real as the waking world to a dreamer, to the point most have a hard time discerning whether they've woken up or not sometimes, but there's always that knowledge... that it's fake. adam can dream himself fifteen different realities where he and piedad leave the city and forget everything.

but that doesn't change the real world. the city in keep staring is the result of me listening to dead club city by nothing but thieves so it tilts towards slightly dystopic and maybe a bit sentient. you can't just leave the city, or these characters can't, they're woven into its fabric. the story won't be letting them go that easily. if adam and piedad could just leave and forget, this wouldn't be a tragedy.

which brings us straight into the next chapter. the "car drive scene" chapter. i literally just talked about this on another post's tags but the drive by halsey chapter is from piedad's pov. adam's chapter ends (how? unsure, but we get no hints of what's about to happen) and we open with piedad doing their own thing... only to realise after his outburst in the dream adam drove to piedad's current place and asks if they want to go on a drive.

then the chapter happens and the experience of listening to stay awake? immediately followed by drive is surreal to me specifically because it really does feel like getting the two povs of my characters one after the other

[qprstobin]

With your post about the classism about Eddie vs teenage boys just being gross sometimes.

Another thing that the fandom needs to remember is that hygiene/cleanliness is not an on or off binary thing of either doing loads of multiple step hair/ skin/ shower routines or being the dirtiest human ever.

It usually comes up around Eddie, as if he can't be using cheap hygiene products with a basic routine.

Eddie was a poor teenage boy in the mid eighties, he wasn't doing some 10 step curly girl hair routine. At best he was using the cheapest shampoo on the shelf, but was also likely to use a 3in1 or even body wash as shampoo depending on what he had to hand/could afford.

But some people think that saying Eddie doesn't have a fancy hair routine is the same as saying he's a dirty, gross, stinky guy who never showers or washes his hair.

Let Eddie use the cheap option for haircare! Using the cheap option isn't a bad thing! Not all teenage boy characters have to be like Steve with a fancy routine with expensive hair products.

This is definitely true! tbf I have seen a lot of fics with Eddie using 3in1 or cheap products, though it's mostly in context of like the author bringing it up to ruffle Steve's feathers because he is a hair routine girlie. Regardless, you're so right like it doesn't have to be just one or the other.

Personally I'm always torn because I think Eddie can be a bit of a diva (though that doesn't equal a giant hair routine either lol) but also I know that the Hellfire Club as a whole probably doesn't have great hygiene? We saw how the Party was acting to each other in the summer of s3 I don't think the CC boys are THAT much better. Diva or not, boys are gross! Eddie being the exception amongst his friends though might be a little funny, I'm ngl but that's a different post and argument lol.

You are right though, just people arguing about whether he takes care of his hair "properly" or not becomes some big moral issue T.T I stay out of it because I do not have that type of hair at all and so cannot tell if the wig they give Joe looks well taken care of or not (I have seen both arguments with receipts and I still dk the answer.) Like maybe he doesn't! Maybe he can't afford to, maybe he just hasn't learned how yet he's only 20. Maybe his hair is just like that. Maybe he's just lazy it's not always super deep either ifdjgifdjgs.

Lack of nuance is such a big problem in the fandom.

[daz4i]

Top 5 Nikolai moments (I miss seeing you gush about him)

i miss gushing about him too ;-; so thank you for the opportunity >:3 it's unironically very good for my health. and sorry for the late reply hehehe ���

under a read more if it works bc it's. long (added pics and they take a lot of space :P) also tw for ig some slight gore and blood?? bc it's nikolai lol

1. one of my most favorite lines in the entire manga tbh:

he is the only one who gets me . also what happens next is extremely hot (he gets cut in half) (dw it's coming up later in this post)

2. bird speech:

he is the only one who gets me pt 2. also love seeing him be genuine. in the anime his voice acting is SOOOOOO good it's unreal. also he is so beautiful without his eye cover. look at him

3. the thing that came right before it:

1 god he is so hot when he stabs and goes insane (sorry for the horny on main it will happen again) 2 i just love the duality in this entire scene. this is my take but i think he does feel guilty for killing as he says afterwards, but part of his guilt is because he does enjoy killing and inflicting pain, so his words here^ are genuine, but are in fact his guilt speaking, he just exaggerates his enjoyment, and later expresses his guilt in a more direct way

(also this scene is so much better in the manga, i love his cartoonishness here, the blood splatters, the lines covering his face etc. the anime was very underwhelming in that regard)

4. arm moment (not in the manga yet ;0)

again. stellar voice acting. a very emotional moment, most emotional than we've ever seen him, and he seems so conflicted too! with the new context the most recent manga chapter added to what comes before this moment, it makes it clearer where some of his conflicted feelings come from, as well. i already wrote a whole analysis of this scene on the day the ep came out lol i won't get into it again

5. a two frame combo >:3 (easier to take from the anime. also i think they were well adapted!)

me when i'm normal and well adjusted. and gay

this is kind of a sequel. it was my original #5 bc i straight up forgot abt that^ somehow but it's the same scene so it counts. and i love this frame so so much you have no idea

along with fyodor's jesus imagery and nikolai essentially betraying him. what if i went insane and started biting people. this frame means so much to me you have no idea.......

also bonus frames that just don't have as much emotional impact but i wanna share them bc i love him and this is a post for me to gush about nikolai after all:

this entire page <3 he is such a good actor (unless you subscribe to that one theory that he actually died here and was written back into life with the page or smth. idk) (+ small cameo from my other main bsd f/o teeheehee :3)

unironically one of my fav frames in all of bsd just bc he's so pretty. and i love the ?. you're so right king keep on speaking your truth with no fear.

m. my cover photo. also one of my most favorite frames in the entire manga. also one of the most me coded frames that isn't dazai lol

my boy in his cryptid era

another moment i prefer in the manga sm and i had a very vivid image of how it'll look and sound in the anime and i was kinda disappointed it didn't end up happening (tbf. other nikolai scenes DID end up looking exactly the way i imagined they would lol)

me when i'm having an identity crisis and letting it out on my cat:

ok the last one ik you may be sensitive to bc it is the most gory thing here so i'm giving you a warning to stop scrolling here

(unless you wanna see anyway in which case this is just a warning to prepare you <3)

and another line to actually take up space

this is my equivalent of sfw sasuke

okay there we go:

i need to eat him so fucking bad

and that's all i have to share i think <3 might've ended up using like 80% of his screentime here ngl. worth it. i love him sm

[amothersvow]

>>I said I'd talk about Kaspan and Eliyen, and I WILL talk about Kaspan and Eliyen

This is campaign specific stuff, so I'll put it under the cut

For some context, Kaspan is a PC in our campaign. He's a dhampir with severe memory loss/issues, due to him traversing the Deadlands, which is a very toxic wasteland in the south east of the continent. He can briefly regain memories by consuming human(oid) flesh.

Him and Eliyen met some years ago, when he first became a dhampir and slaughtered everyone in a run down bar. She let him do it and intented on killing him in turn, but when she couldn't, they decided to travel together. They've since figured out that Eliyen's music calms his bloodlust too, and Kaspan as a device that plays some of her songs.

SO

I can only really speak on Eliyen's feelings towards Kaspan, since it's not my place to speak on another player's character.

Eliyen adores Kaspan, ridiculously so, much more than she lets on. She often feels he's the only one who understands her situation; he needs to kill to keep his memory, she needs to kill because of her pact. They're in a similar situation, Eliyen really can't tell anyone else about it without receiving harsh judgement or death right then and there. She clings to Kaspan, as he's been one of the only constants in her life since her pact with Azar. A light, of sorts, a source of comfort. Someone to confide in. Someone who isn't judging her for what she does.

In Eliyen's view, Kaspan kills out of necessity, and she kills for "selfish" reasons; she could just leave her debt as is and take the torture in the afterlife instead of ridding 1000 people of their lives. Yet out of fear of it, she does it anyways. Because of that, she views herself as a monster, as someone to stay away from. And she's so stunned that Kaspan is still with her, because, technically they don't really need each other anymore. Kaspan has the recording of Eliyen's songs to keep his bloodlust at bay, and Eliyen doesn't really need to be protected, she can defend herself just fine. Well, tbf, Eliyen needs Kaspan for emotional support and comfort, but she'd be relatively fine by herself. She just couldn't bring herself to leave him, even if she knows (thinks) he'd be better off without her.

She also doesn't really let on how much she adores Kaspan, partically because she thinks no one could love a monster like her, and partically because Kaspan is probably going to live a lot longer than her. He's ageless, at this point, he might just live forever, while she, now that she had to trade in her elven form for her tiefling one, will live 80 - 100 more years at most. She'll age and wither away and die, and she can't do that to Kaspan. She can't reveal how she feels and then eventually just leave him behind. I think her plan for the time being is fulfill her pact, get her revenge and reunite with her daughter so she can retire.

I've,,, been writing on this for so long I kinda lost the point lmao. Point being, Eliyen really adores Kaspan but would never let it on, not in a way he'd realize. Or maybe she already has, once or twice, but he's just forgotten, which is a thought I really like. The thought of her going "you'll forget in a few days time, and that is fine, just know that I adore you, much more than you may realize" and then she watches as the memory of it fades from him. Idk. I like them, they're a tragic duo, and I think they can only end in tragedy.

[late-night-street-light]

Ok so putting the rest under a break to spare all those who do not want it the insanity

SO! As requested, and since I am sick and therefore have been browsing the lestappen tag way too much the last few days, enjoy my (admittedly a bit over the top) full take on this!

As I said before, Charles likes that they belong to each other, and only each other, while max probably has at least a bit of a praise kink, he wants to be the best and while he doesn't care about the opinion of random people, he does care if it's someone he's close with.

Now together with that, the video is even better if you consider the context of the Belgian gp, and all that has lead up to it.

Max kept getting targeted by sky sports and the media in general, the car has problems, and by trying to squeeze every last drop of speed out of it, he had to take risks and they didn't always pay off. That led to a 'mediocre' performance, which is to say he missed out on podiums in a subpar car, and people took that as max being 'washed' or mad max being back, having never learned anything from the past.

So of course when he has a great race Charles has to reassure of how max is still the one to look out for. Not Lando who is currently ahead of him in points. Not mercedes who managed to get good upgrades and have speedy cars. Nope, it has to be max who did a fantastic job, and did you know he is great in these conditions, and on this track? (Not saying he didn't praise anyone else, or that the other drivers didn't also do well, but charles' focus is very clear)

Now onto the max part, which admittedly isn't as long, but tbf he did only say one sentence

So the whole theme with max is that they're each others first, everyone else second.

And with his answer max told as much. Even if Ferrari hasn't been great, he still respects Charles. That is the only driver he is going to be very careful of while overtaking. And he wants to. That's it honestly. He's telling the world they could've had Charles, he still wants to get Charles. He doesn't talk about anyone else this way, but Charles is his, all his to take if you will (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠). No matter the car, no matter the position, Charles is his rival, and it wouldn't be max if he didn't at least think about going for a w2w fight.

So in conclusion? I might be insane about them, but they will always be more insane about each other!

There's two ways to compliment your fellow racer:

[ghostmartyr]

Historia Isn’t Pregnant and Ymir’s the Father: The Manifesto

I don’t like coming up with solid theories for ongoing series. There’s endless potential for embarrassing myself, being proven wrong, forgetting something already exists that proves me wrong, and on and on it goes.

So while I’ve been saying for a year that Ymir’s stated fate feels off, and therefore incomplete, I’ve not dared to come up with an explanation for what the missing piece could be besides mild conversation starters like her pulling an Athena on Galliard. Besides not wanting to tie myself down to one theory, I honestly wasn’t sure how I thought a misdirection with Ymir played into the larger story, and it needs to.

Even though I am only here for Ymir and Historia, the main plot is not all about them all the time. If there is more to Ymir’s story, it has to be related to more than one plot thread to be worth the trouble.

With the most recent chapter, the in-universe conspiracy theory is that to spare Zeke from being eaten alive the second he steps foot on Paradis, Yelena suggests Historia getting pregnant.

Historia has stated her willingness to inherit the Beast Titan. Yelena is in the room when she does so. She has her own reaction panel to the claim.

The suggested idea, then, is that Yelena approaches the queen in secret, warning her of a scheme her military is in support of, and provides a way out that Historia has given no indication of wanting.

Yelena and her squad are jailed for showing nothing but support for Paradis. Unless she knows for sure that Historia is going to cooperate, that is one reckless way to try to keep Zeke breathing for a bit longer.

Unless she knows for sure that Historia is going to cooperate.

To begin with, there is no indication that the pregnancy is the result of the happy affair Nile is claiming. In every panel Historia has related to it, she shows the same dead eyes that she has in the depth of her depression in the wake of Ymir’s departure. That encourages the idea that there is some other scheme behind it.

There are multiple problems with that.

The most subjective are character reasons.

Historia, more than any other character, knows the pain of being an unwanted child. She also knows what it’s like to watch her mother die. If this is a part of a plan, she has willingly coerced a man into sex to form an undesired child who will watch her die in thirteen years, likely at their own hand to keep the Titan in the royal bloodline.

Historia has defined her monarchy by protecting children like her. Ruining the life of her own child before it’s even begun, all for the sake of nine extra months, is atrocious and inefficient.

Objective problems include that getting pregnant is not as easy as fiction makes it sound. Many people who try to get pregnant fail. Counting on a pregnancy to keep Zeke out of harm’s way is a gamble.

Following that, if the timing is off, and she is still with child at the time Zeke expires, they will have to either find the new Beast Titan before she can inherit it, or offer up someone else to take it and be eaten. Either way commits to killing yet another innocent person in the name of buying nine months of time.

Another aspect of pregnancy is how often people die in childbirth. Historia is the only person alive besides Zeke who can make the Coordinate work. If she dies, when Zeke’s time is up, there is no one left to make use of the Founding Titan’s ability.

Even in a world where Historia is put through the breeding farm tactic, the wise thing to do would be to wait until after she has eaten a Titan; regenerative properties would be the only thing in this world that could guarantee surviving childbirth.

It is a bizarrely dangerous strategy to encourage.

However, the illusion of pregnancy would check off the same boxes. Historia would be just as unavailable to turn into a titan and eat Zeke, only without the risk of her dying and ruining any chance her people have to defend themselves for years to come.

Except Historia’s participation in that illusion would require her sharing the perspective that keeping Zeke alive for as long as possible is in her best interests.

No such reason currently is in place.

In theory, the absence of logic to all of the actions involved in the pregnancy scheme means that there’s something we’re not yet aware of pulling the strings.

Pulling strings is Zeke’s specialty.

When Zeke battles with the Survey Corps in Shiganshina, he is already aware that the Reiss family is the royal line. He refers to King Reiss, not King Fritz. By that point in time, he has met up with Reiner and Bertolt, and Ymir has been escorted off the stage.

So within the same time frame that Zeke comes into contact with Ymir, he has the necessary information to know that Historia, by virtue of being a Reiss (information that Reiner would be inclined to share, given the relevance of “Krista’s” ties to his mission), has royal blood. He would also know, within five seconds of discussing the motives that have landed everyone where they are, that Ymir is critically important to the only other person in the world who has royal blood.

Even if it somehow didn’t come up, Ymir writes Historia a letter she explicitly refers to as a love letter, and no one without Historia’s hangups is going to misinterpret that. As the man in charge, Zeke likely would have read the letter to check for codes before allowing Reiner to proceed with it. It is unlikely he comes out of his brief interaction with Ymir without knowing how much this girl means to her.

Zeke has an established record of picking people off the battlefield for personal use. That is the basis for the Anti-Marley Volunteers.

With Ymir, things are a little more difficult. Reiner and Bertolt are both intending to sacrifice her. Sacrificing her means that there should be a new Jaw Titan very soon after they turn her over. Zeke could present Ymir as a bargaining chip, but that would mean that she would be Marley’s to use. In order to use her for his own gains, no one on Marley’s side can know she’s still alive.

Even then, the matter of transferring the Jaw Titan is a major complication.

Enter Zeke having motivation besides gaining a hostage.

His expiration date isn’t quite as close four years back, but every indication we’ve seen in present day is that he’s lining up his ducks very carefully. He has established goals, and he has been willing to bloody his hands for them since he was a small child. With so much at stake, it’s very inconvenient to have a body that’s due to give out.

Zeke has ties to Marley’s Titan research section. One of his key abilities is tied to the distribution of spinal fluid.

“But when I say eat him, that’s not exactly it... You just need to bite through his spine... and ingest his spinal fluid.” --Rod Reiss, 65

Transferring of Titan powers is done by nomming. That is the simplest way to go about it; the person due to inherit the power has to first transform into a human-hungry monster (one no one outside Paradis has ever dreamed to combat as a simple human), and consuming the previous holder includes consuming their spinal fluid. Also, there’s no risking that the transfer of power doesn’t happen, the way keeping the former holder alive might.

For efficiency’s sake, there isn’t much reason to experiment with the ritual. On Marley’s side, regularly killing off their Warriors means that no Eldian who has been exposed to power and the front lines will stick around to form their own ideas.

Similarly, having multiple people alive on the island aware of its history would not suit the First King’s intent. If someone could survive the transfer of the Founding Titan, they would have the memories of the experience, but without the First King’s will corrupting them.

An endless series of unquestioning sacrifices makes the most sense for everyone.

But if there were a way out, it would be in the interest of someone like Zeke to find it. He’s intending to change the world. He’s going to betray Marley and restore Eldians to some status above dirt. He has his allies, but all of his scheming has involved him as the primary operator. This plan has always been under his control.

Having an expiration date interferes with that.

It’s an in-universe long shot, but Ymir presents a unique opportunity. She matters to the only other human being on the planet who poses a strategic threat to him.

Historia having royal blood means that she is the only suitable replacement for Zeke. Historia’s existence means that Paradis does not need Zeke alive to use the Coordinate. If he was the last person left who could make the Founding Titan’s power run, Paradis would have no choice but to work with him.

He isn’t, though. Historia exists. As long as Historia is alive and physically able, Zeke’s remaining time could drop to zero at any moment. Historia is one of the greatest assets Eldians have in this conflict, and Zeke’s greatest threat.

If he can’t control Historia, he’s a dead man.

Zeke has been working towards Eldia’s restoration since he was seven. He plans ahead.

Ymir gives him leverage.

If she’s still alive.

Which opens the door to an experiment Zeke must have wondered about anyway: Is it possible to survive giving up your Titan?

That’s vital information, and Zeke has the means to find out. If it isn’t, he loses a trump card luck delivered to him in the first place, and Marley regains the Jaw Titan (as long as he’s playing sleeper, Marley having the military power to not keel over is in his interests).

If it’s possible, he has something to hold over the only person who keeps him from his indispensable status. If it’s possible, he will be able to live to continue fighting for Eldia. If it’s possible, he knows one more secret no other side has.

There is no harm in trying. Either throwing vials of spinal fluid into a rampaging wild titan’s mouth works, or it doesn’t, and the rampaging titan noms the whole human anyway. All it takes is having the right people available and in the room during the process. A new Jaw Titan is coming out no matter what, and that’s all Marley cares about.

No one remembers the person they eat to come out of being a mindless titan. Eren only has memories of the event through his father’s eyes, and that’s with the enhanced Founding Titan’s abilities, as well as a blood connection.

If one Shifter goes in, and a different one comes out, there’s no reason to think that the first survived. For hundreds of years, they’ve simply died. It’s unlikely multiple people are in the room for the event; Paradis is the only place in the world that considers individual people going toe to toe with titans. Putting in guards or witnesses just offers up valuable Marleyan lives if something goes wrong, and trusting Eldians with it would be silly. It isn’t like with the Reisses, who have a familial obligation to bear witness to their relative’s passing.

The question remaining then, is if it’s actually possible.

The War Hammer Titan dies gruesomely, and technically, Galliard is the one who deals the final blow. However, Eren is the one to get the lion’s share of her fluids, so he inherits her power.

It’s unlikely that none of her spinal fluid ends up in Galliard’s mouth, but Eren has more of it inside of him than any other living body. He gets the power.

Titan abilities run on plot magic. Specifically, Titan powers use spinal fluid as a conduit to take a ride along Eldian Paths and find their new owner. If a Shifter dies naturally, the Titan will still find a way to live on.

It’s been suggested that individual Titans have some degree of autonomy. King Fritz makes a deal with the Founding Titan. The Attack Titan has its own reputed nature. They might not be as sentient as the person bearing their power, but they exist.

Theoretically, that creates room for a survival instinct.

If a human loses the majority of their spinal fluid to another human, it stands to reason that they won’t be long for this world. If the Titan power waited for the moment of death to signal finding a new bearer, there would be nothing to stop it from going down the usual Paths instead of always, every single time, going to the person who killed the previous holder.

The spinal fluid aspect is essential to a linear inheritance.

Death is what randomizes the process.

In standard practices in the present day, the spinal fluid transference is accompanied by death as a consequence.

The theory is that death is a side effect, not a feature.

The theory this post proposes is that it’s a theory Zeke would be curious about, and Ymir provides him with a willing test subject.

Ymir’s compliance with her death has always stood out as a strange character decision. Besides the fact that her sacrifice buys Bertolt only another two months, and Reiner a lifetime of trauma, it gives Marley a weapon. Marley throws rocks at her and casts her into a living nightmare.

“You’re going to kill yourself, the ultimate act of submission. Is that how much you want to please the people who treated you like a nuisance?!” --Ymir, 40

The reveal of Eren’s power makes Ymir believe that Paradis has a future. She doesn’t necessarily need to remove Historia from the island as quickly as possible. That power is what changes her mind about the state of the world.

In the most recent Titan battle, the one who poses the greatest risk to Eren losing that power is Galliard, using the Jaw Titan. Ymir’s choices draw a direct line to putting the one defense the girl she loves has at risk. The one thing every character who comments on Ymir knows she doesn’t want to do.

Ymir goes back to save Reiner and Bertolt because she has compassion for them. That’s not reason enough to put everything else she cares for in jeopardy, along with giving people she hates something they want. She gives Reiner and Bertolt a bargaining chip to prove they’re good Warriors, but after that, she doesn’t try to escape? The person who is most strongly defined in a chapter where she shouts about another character trying to kill herself just walks straight into an early grave?

Zeke using Ymir as a hostage means several things.

First, she lives. She doesn’t even need to come up with her own escape attempt, the people watching her will do it for her.

Second, she lives. She’s useless dead. Keeping her alive turns into a priority.

Third, she lives. She would, quite appropriately, be freed from Ymir’s Curse. Instead of only a few more years, she gets as many as her body can take.

Fourth, Historia lives. There’s no reason to bargain with someone you want dead. Zeke doesn’t need to be eaten early, but all his plans still involve someone with royal blood being alive. He’s a powerful player invested in Historia’s life.

The only downside is that she’ll be used to manipulate the girl she loves.

That isn’t much of a price to pay.

The final piece to this is that the first part of the outside world we are introduced to is a photograph. An old one, that even people of Eldian blood were permitted. Pictures exist outside of Paradis.

Word of mouth isn’t worth a lot. Trying to bend someone to your will with something you can’t prove is very difficult. Especially when your bargaining chip is someone that was last spotted saying she was about to die.

Photographic evidence is exactly what it sounds like, and the means to provide it are there.

To sum up:

Ymir’s death is dodgy af

Zeke is dodgy af

Historia has zero reason to go along with either version of the pregnancy scheme the narrative has provided

It’s a series about freedom. Why not end it on breaking free from a curse?

This could also be used to establish a different kind of tension than is already present in the grand scheme. Currently, we know that every Shifter is going to die. The manga might not cover that death, but very soon, every single person who has born a Titan power will die, and the person to kill them will die thirteen years later. That is the cycle.

If any of this holds water, it’s possible for every Shifter to live.

That changes the stakes. They don’t have a time limit. If they fall in battle, the time they lose isn’t a few years, it’s a few decades.

It means Eldians have the power to break free from the cycle of violence that has defined their lives.

Most importantly, it means Historia and Ymir can get married.

Thank you for your time.

[urmumlelecksdee]

Just sent someone an ask asking their thoughts on hnk translations and I have OPINIONS

Bortz vs Bort is pretty clear to me it's just Bort. The name of the gem irl is Bort. Some mf making a sub (or maybe dub too idk I haven't heard it) heard the Japanese VAs say "ボルツ," which sounds like "bo-ru-tsu," and decided that their name is now Bortz. But that's like,, not the name lol its Bort. Tbf though googling Bortz comes up wiht a Wiktionary disambiguation page leading to Bort so like idk

---

Kongō vs Adamant is more of a question of translation vs localization. From the hnk wiki:

The kanji used in Kongo (金剛) is derived from the term Vajra, which means both "diamond" and "thunderbolt". A vajra is a symbol representing a force that is both indestructible and able to cut any substance (hence diamond), as well as unstoppable (hence thunderbolt).

So you can see where the word "Adamant" would come from this. The wiki page explains more on the origins of that word but you probably follow from here. While this is a good translation of the word in this context, Kongō isn't an adjective to be translated, it's his NAME! We don't translate characters named Yuki to Snow!

The argument here though is in lost meaning and intent. Kongō's name is such to carry the meaning (along with his figure) that he is one of great strength and formidability. The meaning of his name carries this through. It's like naming a character "Dr. Evil." The meaning of his name is that he's fucking evil. Or Dr. Eggman. He's shaped like an egg.

But this is about MY opinion, and MY opinion is that we should just use his name. I'm not really a fan of changing a character's name in a translation, even if meaning is lost, even in the name of localization. His name is Kongō and I like it that way.

---

And now for the PRONOUNCE! To my understanding, the Japanese language doesn't have gender-neutral pronouns, so the gems use words such as 'boku' and 'ore,' masculine terms, which double as being gender-neutral in languages lacking gender-neutral terms.

One manga translation interprets this as just using he/him pronouns for everyone. This just,, feels like it's missing the point. The gems really aren't that masculine and calling them all 'he' doesn't feel right.

Another translation uses they/them. I like this a lot better. They're all intended to be genderless after all.

But I think the individual gems are more nuanced than that. Diamond and Red Beryl for example are obviously super feminine, there's no argument there and I feel comfortable calling them she. Even the less hyperfem gems like Bort or Cinnabar don't feel androgynous enough to warrant more than a she/her. But we also have gems like Phos and Antarc, who totally feel a they/them and Antarc maybe even a they/he.

Ghost/Caringorm are my favorites to explore this with though. They're just a big trans allegory. Ghost feels feminine, but this "other person inside her" is too gender to be left alone. And when the outer shell is forcibly shredded away from Caringorm (in a really gruesome scene might I add), a much more masculine entity emerges, one that has always been there, fighting for control the whole time. Sound familiar? It's trans as fuck!

But even then Caringorm doesn't feel all the way he/him! They're like a he/they/she with how they act with Aechmea, solidly genderfluid in my eyes.

---

But that's just a the- my thoughts! I'd love to hear someone else's input on this too

[sniperct]

So I finished A Good War, the Horde novella for BFA. And it was... excellent. Well written, with great action and dialogue and characterization. I still have to read Elegy, the Alliance side, but I'm not ready to be emotionally compromised at work.

And it is everything that is good about blizzard's storytelling while also being everything that's BAD about blizzard's storytelling.  The battle as depicted in game was a pale shadow of what was described in the novella. And that pisses me off.

Before Cataclysm, there was a novel called Stormrage. In this novel, they resolved a lot of dangling plot threads and cleansed Teledrassil. This was stuff that should have been in the game. Even in Tides of War, with the destruction of Theramore, we only got to see a small part of what happened in the book. But tbf, I've been complaining about this for 10+ years, I guess some  things never change.

In this novella, the battles, the dialogue, the planning, everything the Horde did should have been in the game. We see the Night Elves fight inch by inch, we see them take down ten horde for every one of their own, they make the Horde pay in blood for Ashenvale and for Darkshore, and why didn't I get to see that in the game, why couldn't my Night Elf defend her home forests with that kind of ferocity?

We see the plan, we see why they chose to invade and what the whole point was. We see the Horde motivated and fighting tooth and nail and pushing through the guerrilla warfare and Sylvanas's decision, while no less terrible, has a lot more context and, while not acceptable as a moral thing to do, was understandable in the context of the battle and the original goal.

Even the scene with Tyrande was a thousand times better than it was shown in game, with Saurfang and Sylvanas predicting how the Night Elves would respond months before they launched the attack. 

This is a video game, blizzard. Show us this stuff, don't just keep it in a book. Give us the level of dialogue I just read, show us that tyrande wasn't actually a coward, show us that Sylvanas isn't entirely crazy. This was in the novella, it made things so much clearer.

But stop putting this stuff in books and outside media when you can tell the story in game. This isn't Overwatch, it's an MMO. TELL US THE STORY OF THE MMO IN THE MMO.

I get that it was a limited time event but I don't see why they couldn't release both the novellas and also make the in game event just as good.

On to Elegy and to see if my theories about tyrande as suppored by the Horde one were right.

[stupendouslightruins]

No, im not trolling, i just didn't think i remembered the show all that well. And tbf, my interpretation still works for me. Zuko doesn't respect iroh, certainly not at the beginning but maybe later on. Youre missing a lot of things in your interpretation, zuko isn't just an abused kid. You can't treat him as just an abused kid. He was raised in a violent nation that values strengh above compassion, where the way to get respect is to fight for it. Hes working on it, and working on the fact he shouldn't treat people that dont fit his definition of respect bad, but he can't unlearn the whole way he learned to view the world without even seeing it is wrong. And that way was to see refusal to fight as weakness, and himself as inherently above iroh just because he's the firelord's son. You can't explain everything as "cognitive dissonance" either. Sometimes people do treat people bad because they like it or consider them inferior. Good characters have flaws. Or are you gonna say Iroh had cognitive dissonance about taking down azula? Sozin had cognitive dissonance about fighting roku? Btw, insecurity and low self esteem cant be healed up in 2 days like oh my dad is actually evil so im not a mistake. It's long lasting. If zuko's ego came from insecurity, he wouln't be able to get rid of it that easily. Instead, its a personality trait (which doesnnt make him inherently bad and doesn't make him terrible) created by his upraising which he makes tremendous efforts to suppress after he learns this is wrong, and to get accepted in the avatar's group. What your examples show me is that zuko loves iroh, in the two first season. And he does. But he doesn't respect him. He goes after him at the springs because he loves him. He follows his teachings because... Well, how much of an idiot would he be if he didn't? Iroh also used to be a strong, respectable general, and zuko recognizes that. It would be stupid to not follow the advice of an older, experimented general, plus what choice has he got? After that, he gets cpngratulated, and of course he appreciate the compliment. He has been told he was weak all his life lmao. Zhao mentions beating zuko in front of Iroh because iroh is an older general and, in context, an off-brand alternative to the Firelord. Zuko wants Iroh to accompany him in book 2 because he loves him and doesn't want to be alone. That is all. Thats not respect When he steals the teapot and gives it to iroh, hes dissapointed and annoyed that his uncle refuses to do what for him is the "best" solution that will make their quality of life better. Again, he doesn't recognise morals as worthy of respect. For the lightning scene, you do got a point. Zuko recognizes and admires strenght, and the destructive power of lightning Then in book 3, zuko realises he has wronged his uncle, his uncle didn't wrong him. So he apologises. Because he loves him and he's trying to do better. I also feel like at this point he doesn't really know on which foot to stand regarding morals, and idolises iroh as the beacon of Good and perfect when he isn't at all. Thats also why he tries to use all his teachings, even the ones that are completely wrong At the end of book 3, no, zuko let his ego talk for him anymore. He self depreciates himself because he feels he has something to make up for (which would be terrible for him if he actually had self esteem issues lmao) Zuko doesn't respect iroh, at the very least at the beginning of the story. It isn't "cognitive dissonance". Iroh just doesn't fit the deal of someone worthy of respect for him. As the story progresses, zuko then developps that weird type of adoration where he idolises his uncle and thinks he's perfect because he feels guilty and like he had been entirely in the wrong before

In your last post you talked a lot about how Zuko respects Iroh. Could you give some examples of that? Because I'm feeling like Zuko doesn't really respect anyone, he (understandably) has an ego and thinks he's above everyone, even if he's working on

It is such a shame that Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) was cancelled after two episodes.

Lol, now that I've got that out of my system, I'm gonna assume you aren't just a troll and treat this like you actually want a serious answer, because it gives me an opportunity to meta about Zuko and Iroh's relationship.

I would say that the Zuko we are introduced to has a pretty big ego, yeah, and thinks he's above everyone else. He's incredibly disrespectful to most everyone he meets, including his long-suffering uncle. When I started the show I knew through cultural osmosis that Zuko would get redeemed, and from the first episode I was like "alright, I'm ready to see how the show is gonna make me like this asshole." I especially did have a negative reaction to the way he treats Iroh in the beginning, because Iroh is one of the first characters I loved. I also was sympathetic to Iroh because I'm an adult, and an adult who works with kids. If any of my students said to me some of the stuff that Zuko says to Iroh I'd be like, yeah, okay, detention for you young man.

It's also pretty clear from early on though that Zuko's ego comes from a deep insecurity and low self-esteem. That doesn't make the things he does any better, and yes he is incredibly disrespectful to Iroh, especially when Iroh contradicts him about his mission. That's also related to his deep insecurity and trauma surrounding his father, of course, because Zuko needs to believe that he can win back his father's acceptance to cope with what his father did to him, but that doesn't excuse it.

He says some incredibly nasty things to Iroh. In the first episode we see him respond angrily when Iroh won't teach him more advanced firebending, and Zuko responds, as he does several times, by trying to imitate his father's brand of coercion and intimidation. Iroh is like, not impressed, and he puts up with a lot of crap from Zuko but he also doesn't let it get to him because he's a responsible adult and he wants to support Zuko in the way he can. Which also means telling him off sometimes because dude.

Zuko thinks Iroh is lazy and a failure, and resents the fact that Iroh is keeping him from what he says he is "more than ready" for, and tries to bully Iroh when he doesn't get his way, but then we see in the third episode, "The Southern Air Temple," Zuko's fight with Zhao. We see that for all Zuko's complaining about Iroh's teaching, he does what Iroh taught him to do, he sticks to his basics, and he wins. Iroh says that Zuko is honorable and we see that Zuko appreciates Iroh's support. It's also implied by the way Zhao mentions humiliating Zuko in front of his uncle that Zuko wants Iroh to be proud of him, that it's obvious to Zhao how close they are.

Another example of the show letting us know that Zuko cares more about his uncle than he lets on is when he threatens to leave Iroh behind in "Winter Solstice" but then comes back for him to find him gone, and goes out of his way to search for him, even setting aside his hunt for Aang. Zuko fights the earthbenders to save Iroh and Iroh compliments his form, to which Zuko says Iroh taught him well. This episode does a lot to develop Zuko as a character and his relationship with Iroh because not only do we see that Zuko cares for his uncle, but that, contrary to his rudeness and dismissiveness in episode one, Zuko does respect Iroh as a teacher and a bender.

There's a lot of examples like this where Zuko says one thing but does another, because Zuko is a character who, at the beginning of the story, carries a lot of cognitive dissonance and guards his real feelings about things. His relationship with Iroh is an example. This isn't very surprising because it's pretty common in child psychology. Especially with kids who have been abused, they will rebel against an authority figure and push back in any way they can to see if they can find a breaking point. Iroh's endlessly patient and supportive but solid and firm presence is something Zuko is not used to and doesn't know how to deal with. But it's very clear that Zuko relies on Iroh as a father and mentor, even when Zuko doesn't realize it yet.

"The Avatar State" in another episode that shows how much Zuko relies on Iroh. At the beginning of the episode Zuko is sitting apart and it's implied that he's not happy with Iroh relaxing and getting a massage, but Zuko also opens up to Iroh about his feelings about his father. Zuko also is dismissive and rude to Iroh again in this episode, criticizing Iroh for collecting shells and also insulting Iroh when Iroh contradicts him about going with Azula, but then Zuko is happy when Iroh goes with him to Azula's ship, and we get that flash of the image of Ozai with his hand on Zuko's shoulder. This tells us that Zuko sees Iroh as the kind of mentor figure that he wishes his father were, even if, again, Zuko doesn't quite realize this yet. There are many other examples like this where Zuko is frustrated by not getting Iroh's approval on something because he wants Iroh to be proud of him. Like when he steals the teapot and gives it to Iroh and Iroh is not interested in stolen items. Zuko's clearly hurt by not having Iroh's approval, which is a big part of why he left Iroh, and Iroh knows that Zuko is struggling to find himself but also still needs his support.

Then you have "Bitter Work," the lightning bending, and Zuko's look of total admiration when Iroh is bending lightning and teaching Zuko a move that he invented himself. Like I said before, it's clear that Zuko respects Iroh as a powerful bender. This is also echoed in that scene in the book two finale when Iroh is about to breathe fire and Zuko has this look of "wow my uncle is going to beat you so bad this is going to be great!"

There's also a lot of little stuff in the Ba Sing Se arc that show that Zuko respects Iroh and values him as a mentor figure. He lets Iroh do his hair for his date with Jin! It looks terrible! Zuko has no idea how to behave on a date so he's like um, uncle said to give you this coupon! Look how smart my uncle is! Of course the culmination of that arc is Zuko's fever and his awakening which gives him a renewed respect for Iroh, and he actually makes an effort to show Iroh how much he values him. He still betrays Iroh in Ba Sing Se but it's not the "I hate you and you smell!" thing that the play portrays it as. One of the reasons Zuko was so confused there was because he felt like his uncle was telling him contradictory things, and he couldn't reconcile his uncle's wisdom with what he'd been taught to believe by Ozai.

But it's finally losing Iroh as that pillar of support that makes Zuko truly realize how much he does value his uncle. It still takes him a while to get there, and he again pushes back against Iroh when Iroh won't talk to him in prison and blames him for his own internal turmoil. But when he does finally get there, it's such a slap in the face to Ozai that Zuko on the Day of Black Sun tells him to his face that Iroh is his real father, that Zuko is going to fall to his knees and beg for Iroh's forgiveness, because Zuko has realized that Iroh is the one who really deserves his respect. Not only does Zuko tell Ozai that he, in fact, did not teach him anything about respect, but the respect Ozai tried to get from his son through cruelty and control is something Zuko will freely give to Iroh.

Then Zuko spends the next several episodes constantly talking about how great Iroh is, how much he misses him, how good he is at making tea and telling jokes, how wise he is, and what an ass he, Zuko, had been to him. He follows Iroh's advice and humbles himself because Iroh always said he didn't think things through enough, he works hard to make himself into someone his uncle would be proud of. Then when he does meet Iroh again he asks for forgiveness, but he says that even if Iroh won't forgive him he would try to make it up to him. He's completely humbled himself and it's so satisfying because it's the fulfilment of their relationship arc, and you can feel the love and respect that these two characters have for each other. And it's directly meant to contrast with what Ozai said about respect, because Ozai is full of shit.

And then Zuko just like automatically assumes that Iroh will be the Fire Lord and Iroh's like "Zuko did you forget that you are the crown prince?" And Zuko, bless his heart, is like "but I made so many mistakes."

I'm sorry, but if you're gonna keep arguing that Zuko, at this point, still "thinks he's above everyone else" then you are just being willfully obtuse.

Not to mention the fact that Zuko's crowning moment as Fire Lord is him giving a speech about how he wants to serve others, to heal the world, and even the applause and praise that he, in the beginning, wanted from others is something he doesn't accept. He tells everyone that Aang is the real hero. And Aang is a hero but like, Zuko is a hero, too, by showing heroic qualities like being selfless and humble and caring towards others. And then his last scene is not him as Fire Lord, but serving tea to everyone dressed in Earth Kingdom clothes.

And who does he serve tea to first? Uncle.

[queen-boo]

SERIES THREE

So we watched the whole of series three today, and here are a couple more gems:

- "Is the Hitcher back by popular demand or by Noel's demand?"

- "Student loans ARE terrifying people to be fair to Howard."

- *he spent the entire episode of Eels squinting at the screen only to exclaim* "OH my god that the man who plays Bob Fossil. Rich? It's Rich! Wow he's pretty."

- *Howard introduces stationary Village* "Okay that's hot."

- "The NHS is really missing a trick here, all they need is some shrinking technology and a submarine."

- "No offence, B, but Noel looks better in a dress than any one I've ever known wear dresses." (tbf I wholly agree with that surmation)

- *jazz cell is related to Howard - second cousin twice removed on your sisters side* "Wait does this mean Howard has a sister?? Cause I wanna know what she's like." (And okay I galaxy-brained. Cause Howard agrees. Yes on my sisters side... So... Where's sister Moon??)

- "That is not how I expected that to go, but I think that sums up my experience with the show so far."

- *the entire opening to power of the crimp with Vince being sad and Howard comforting him was just a combination of my parter yelling things like 'it's so GAY' 'TENDERNESS' and 'Are we gonna see them kiss again?'*

- "Noel with hair that short is something I never want to witness again."

-*tbh there was so much said about crack fox but the general quote to sum it all up was* "Even in the context of what the boosh is... That was WILD."

- "They seem to have rediscovered the fourth wall and how to break it in this season."

- "Once again I want a Saboo and Harrison spin off show please."

- "Howard pretending he isn't already a gay man so deep in the closet is the biggest joke of this series to be honest."

- "B, THE KISS. HOW OFTEN DO THEY JUST TONGUE EACH OTHER. THERE WAS TONGUE."

- "So we're getting a bouncy castle for your next birthday right?"

- "Bouncy Bouncy is genuinely a bop, they should make that a single."

- "Noel proving every item of clothing works on him with that ringmaster outfit."

- "I want Julian screaming as my ringtone."

- "Kinda pissed Howard just left without his boyfriend like that. A bit rude."

- *after realising there were no more episodes* "That's it? There's... There's no more?"

Honestly at this point he is pretty much in love with Howard. Vince is a close second. Rich Fulcher is a man after his own heart and next week I'm going to make him watch the Future Sailors tour (closely followed by Journey of the Childmen)! Fairly sure I've made him a Boosh Fan for sure

The saga continues

Some time ago I made my partner watch series one and two of The Mighty Boosh and documented his reactions.

Well tonight I present to you, my partners thoughts on The Mighty Boosh: Live at Brixton

- "You only fancy Julian for the dad dancing don't you?"

- "Don't we all want Julian's quiche?" (I think he genuinely might also be a lil obsessed with Barratt)

- *in reference to the screaming fanmail* "That is exactly what your fan letters to him would be."

- "So the rabbit's brother is the duracell bunny right?"

- "So the guy who plays Fossil just has an aversion to following a script? I like him."

- "Is it bad that I'm kinda into Noel as a bad guy?"

- "Nabootique is funny. I like that."

- "Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be watching a gorilla rapping about his titties."

- *Julian appears on stage in his furs* "Imagine if he just had a mankini on under there."

- *the coat comes off* "OH I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WOULD BE THOSE PANTS WHY DID I SAY MANKINI WHAT AN IDIOT."

- *as rich spit we had to pause. For about ten minutes. He couldn't breathe. It was a real issue*

- "Tag team put downs. How romantic."

- *as the Yeti dance is taking place* "Platonic comedy partners wrote themselves into some rather romantic situations don't they?"

- "Howard's the kind of man that would be jealous of a Yeti for sure."

- "I relate to Howard, I'm sure the moon wouldn't like me either."

- "Oh my God Matt Berry is back." *pause* "Wait what's in this box. Oh god. Oh no. It's not over yet is it."

- "Julian's falsetto kinda does it for me." (and I mean same)

- "You think they'd just kiss and-" *curtains reopen to the kissing* "WAIT I-- WHAT. REWIND IT I MISSED IT"

Thus concludes our Boosh viewing for the night. We will hopefully be doing s3 tomorrow! He's in for a treat...