#the stereotypical main character

[shimmeringweeds]

Pondering the thematic decision to rip the hope from our hands in the season one finale. The show begins soft and balanced. Then emotion comes crashing down hard before the expectation of hope rises again. Up and up and up and up......! just to be snatched away at the literal last minute.

Chasing elusive hope is a major theme of this story. So here I want to explore: how does hope relate to these character's fates?

To play with some thematic personification here, let’s reintroduce the Triple Star Warriors: Courage, obliterating fear (represented by Lu Guang); Justice, rekindling hope (represented by Cheng Xiaoshi); Wisdom, light the way (represented by Qiao Ling.) Do you remember what strongest attack of the Warrior of Justice is? "It's the heart of hope! Give me the power of Justice!"

Season two’s finale showed "Courage” desperately trying to defend "Justice," who is in danger of being lost. Meanwhile "Wisdom" is trapped in thought, keeping her light dim while desperately trying to find the justice, the truth, buried under hard facts.

Desperately. The word "desperation" comes from the Latin "de"-without, and "spes"- hope. 绝望 - the mandarin word for despair, also means “to give up hope.” Falling into despair means you have lost hope. To pick yourself back up out of that bleak darkness, that hole, takes courage. We say, "the only way out is up." But when you have the power to go back in time, accompanied by grief and regrets, how do you know what direction that is?

The hole of despair has multiple paths. Perhaps the only thing you can do by yourself is pick one direction and stubbornly stick to it. You're not wandering. You have a path, and with a little hope, you believe you've picked the right direction.

But actually, every path leads to an exit, good or bad, though all will be difficult to travel. Some are dark and ridden with traps and setbacks to prevent you from moving on. Many twist and turn, going up and down, connecting with other dangerous paths along the way. A few paths are safe but endless and steep. You pick one and you walk, you run, you fall, you get thrown back; but you've come so far you can't possibly start over. You're chasing this hope, specifically, and you want it. The thought of turning around and finding new hope is too much. So you persist. Is this persistence out of courage, or is it out of fear?

Which choice truly overcomes fear? Persisting desperately down a path of traps, facing regrets head on towards the hope and light you chose? or turning away, making peace, and beginning the steep, bittersweet climb towards a new life?

And how many carrots of hope will be dangled and snatched away in the process? How many times are you willing try? Won't giving up and turning around just drive you deeper and deeper into despair?

"The heart of hope. Give me the power of justice." If Cheng Xiaoshi is "Justice," then who is his heart of hope? and vice versa? You know, no one said you had to escape the hole of despair and regrets alone. Sometimes a friend or two jumps down after you.

To pursue justice takes courage. To side with justice takes more courage. In an unjust world, justice cannot exist without courage. Fear prevents justice from acting.

It's a good thing, then, that Courage is dead set on this path to protect Justice. Even better, Justice stands as a heart of hope on one side of Courage, while Wisdom lights the way on his other.

..... but, Justice will always follow the righteous path. Courage cannot determine what that is. Wisdom will always choose to shine her light on Justice and those who choose to follow him, wherever he may go. "Fear" can still guide Courage to look away from Wisdom's light, and betray what Justice stands for.

Justice rekindles hope. And Courage must face whatever hope Justice is want to bring.

[anxiousapplepie]

please...... what are the rose colour stereotypes in rose knights...... how many colours are there....... please reveal the lore......

I was both looking forward to and dreading this question in equal measures. So! *cracks knuckles* Let's do a very quick, very messy introduction to the Rose Color stereotypes and Color lore! Lets start with the basics:

There are 7 primary colors Roses usually fall into - purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, white and black. How a rose becomes any color isn't an exact science, but the common character traits these colors have means anybody can look at a Purple Rose and think "Hm! You're probably confident in your skills" or glance at a Yellow Rose and assume "Bright and happy guy" with some accuracy. These are stereotypes, after all. They don't apply to everybody, but a good portion of them do.

But if we're counting the shades and flavors in-between all the normal 7 colors? You have A LOT of niche vibes and ways a Rose can express themself. And a Rose's color isn't static! It can change hues slowly over years, or radically change from 2 different colors in a matter of days or hours. What triggers a color-change depends on the individual and the circumstances they were in.

Extra types of Roses that fall outside of the usual 7 categories include Green Roses! Roses who are born Green (instead of White) don't have the magic ability to change color. The official stereotype tied with Green isn't so much a character trait, and more like an assumption that someone in your family tree must've been something "not a Rose".* (*Green Roses are guaranteed to have a Dragon in their family history) If a Rose is brown, the assumption is that they are dying for real or their mental/emotional health is a trashcan on fire. Roses who are trying to force themselves to be a different color might also turn brown- but it's more like their colors got blended and muddied together too much, confusing the Rose who's trying too hard to be something they clearly aren't comfortable being.

And of course there's Blue! The color associated with the Impossible, heroes, and prophets. Amongst other things that are high and mighty and have a of weight attached to them! No pressure whatsoever, Lapis. You've got this whole "Prophetic Hero" stereotype thing in the bag! SO YEAH. UH. How's that for an introduction into Rose color lore? Is this a good start? Grief there's so many ideas and lore floating in my head it's hard to pick what sounded important or relevant to your question. But hopefully you got something out of it! Thank you for asking!

[radioactive-earthshine]

NGL I have STRONG opinions about digital releases omitting the letters to the editor section of older comics. I feel like the letters are a part of comic history and should be aggressively preserved.

[berrybore]

Apparently the New Hot Take is that Percy, as a character, is actually bland and not that well written. And while I can understand people’s frustration at Rick’s habit of dropping arcs and plot points like hot potatoes as soon as they become interesting, to boldly declare that all Percy is is his fans projecting on him is the most bad faith reading of the text I have seen. Like if we’re talking about hoo, I can understand where you’re coming from because same, but the entire rrverse, including the pjo series? That’s clowning lol.

[dooodle-bug]

Bro had anyone noticed how tape (legion of stationery (paper mario origami king)) and ten (extension corps(mario and luigi brothership)) are so similar????

The the ourple.... the stylish pompadour.... THEY ARE LITERALLY THE SAME GUY

[maggiecheungs]

“utena is a bit like a shoujo equivalent of evangelion” = a common and inevitable comparison that is admittedly not a bad elevator pitch, giving an idea of utena's symbolism and the genre tropes it engages without requiring an essay-length summary of its plot and themes

“utena is evangelion for the girlies” = SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UPPPP

[keikakudom]

"Did someone call for a doctor - of love?!"

FOP characters are a lil tricky to stylize, and im not quite sure if im satisfied with how i drew cupid yet, but ahah it's a work in progress

[gideonisms]

I become 300% more of both a lover and a hater when I'm on my period. just a time of the month when I have strong opinions I would say

[let-roman-bite-someone]

btw i really really hope that janus's current characterization, with the wine and sass, is just there for the more light-hearted episodes, and that thomas hasn't forgotten the nuance behind his character.

[piosplayhouse]

Rumors are going around on twitter and weibo that starember might have left the tgcf manhua team omg.. they're unfounded right now but can we get a prayer circle going for hoping that it's true!! 🙏🙏🙏I'm so tired of their consistent racism and orientalism being passed around in the manhua space, people have been raising the alarm on it for literal years now

[feralnumberfive]

Sooooo they ended up deciding that vapes exist in TUA but still decided on no cellphones?

[dykedvonte]

I'm probably going to post about this on the MW subreddit, but I still find it pretty hilarious that most fans assume the "struggles" Jimbalaya was dealing with back on Earth were related to criminal acts (usually in order to demonize Curly) meanwhile most of the pieces of clues I've gathered from the HFIM dlc and the QnAs we got about the characters' lives have lead me to believe Jimbalaya's struggles were about poverty.

In the HFIM dlc we're pretty clearly playing a fish version of Jimbalaya, and the whole game is about how a capitalistic system ruins people (fish) and those that climb up help perpetuate the system and those that go down just get eaten. So it's pretty interesting to me that Jimbalaya fish even after consuming other fish and items... keeps going down.

But it was the third QnA that sealed it for me. Curly's hobbies are around a lot of friends and family that he could join interesting things. And of course play snow sports in Winter. Winter snow sports... which let's be honest is a pretty expensive hobby to have. Meanwhile, Jimbalaya can't afford any hobbies other than joining one with Curly.

I think this kinda just adds more fuel for Jimbalaya to both envy yet aspire to be like Curly.

I dunno, it's just fascinating to me watching so many fans claim the "struggles" were so obviously to do with crime when most of the current evidence I noticed seems to point towards money related issues.

-🌟 Anon

I think both are valid and valuable interpretations that’s the MW fandom makes but I think the major problem with it is the severity in which they make Jimmy out to be every factor wrong with men in society.

Like I think it’s interesting to use the idea he has some record, misdemeanors/petty stuff, that has complied to make his life more difficult. It’s all his own doing for his entitlement and general behavior but it can also be used to comment on Capitalism banking on desperation and envy. A lot of his actions are desperate because he knows his crimes on the Tulpar will make it virtually to climb any ladder, anywhere anymore due to their weight. Like in the end the problem is undeniably how the proverbial rat race creates environments that fosters Jimmy’s and creates ineffective systems like Curly represents.

Curly on the other hand benefits from the corporate part of it with his financial freedom, stability and prestige but he too is socially stagnant, deeply unhappy in the identities placed on to him and unrecognizable as anything other than a cog in the machine. I think this goes in tandem with the other members too as the identities placed onto them in the scenario all represent stages in capitalism and class discrepancies: Anya represents largely marginalized identities (particularly women in blue collar fields/harassment) and how they ultimately have to fend for themselves. Daisuke a sort of perception of both a class between Curly and the rest, protected no matter the effects of the establishment due to his home life but at the same time he is the metaphorical future gen, things stripped from him as the older generations squabble amongst themselves in private conversations leaving him unequipped. Then there’s Swansea being sort of those who have lived through it, knowing how it ends but ultimately still lack the skills, resources and want to change it, letting it cycle.

The entire thing with Jimmy circles back to the fandom ultimately wanting easy solutions to the events in the games, a face to blame and a weird black and white thinking to issues that are dangerous to view that way.

[ridiasfangirlings]

In a 80 or 90s movie setting, what would Yata be considered as? Like the sporty type or a nerd or something?

 My first thought was sporty type, but if we’re talking like stereotypical 80s/90s high school movie that wouldn’t really work for Yata since he’s not a mean jock. Though since he’s into skateboards he could be more the ‘rebellious’ kind of character, he’s sporty but he doesn’t like snooty jocks and probably hangs out with the stoners at the skate park all the time. I feel like Yata wouldn’t work as the nerd because he isn’t that smart (Fushimi on the other hand is 100% the stereotypical nerd character who Yata would have to come save from being shoved in a locker) but he’s not a popular kid either, I feel like he’d be more a side character in that sort of movie. A tertiary character might have a crush on him but he doesn’t get a lot of screen time and most of what he has is either smiling nervously or doing skateboard tricks in the background. Also depending on what part of the 90s we’re talking about poor Yata would probably end up with the cringiest dialogue because he’s supposed to be using all the latest slang and makes his character immediately incredibly dated. He walks around in the baggiest clothes and probably takes his skateboard to class, everyone seems fairly friendly with him but at lunch he’s only eating with his nerdy best friend. He could probably be a support character for the lead, likes he’s at table with the main characters and gets to unknowingly dispense simple advice even though he’s not involved in the main plot (while Fushimi sits there glaring because the stupid main characters are ruining his alone time with Misaki).

[fubuwu]

Fuck it. I'm gonna bite the bait just to say that there were many instances where jc clearly trated wwx like a brother/friend in the BOOK, aka the canon text in case anyone was confused or have seemed to have selectively forgotten about.

From the part where jc scoffs at the prospect of wwx getting together with a servant. Laughing and proclaiming that he was treated better than he was (in reference to his own sister peeling his lotus seeds for him which she didn't do for jc).

Then there was him standing up for him on NUMEROUS occasions throughout the book. Such as before the LP Massacre. He could have let his mother beat wwx senseless, but he tried to stop her from doing so, begging and crying even for her to stop and take the punishment for him. Despite the risk it took to do so.

Not to mention the excuses he made to the rest of the cw after the war when he stood up for wwx and shrugged off his casual and overly familiar demeanour.

Then ofc there was the sacrifice he made for wwx (which he didn't have to do as the only male sect heir) whilst they were on the run from the Wens that ultimately led up to the events in the novel..

The Cloud Recesses era.. the part after jfm gave away his dogs and jc steadily welcomed wwx in his life, willing to scare away any dogs that threatened him..

These are all things a nasty, homophobic rich man would NEVER do for his servant if he only saw them as such.

If he was classist as you all seem to think he is, then he would never dream of doing all the above CANON EVENTS for wwx's sake. Js.

These were all in the book. To ignore them, that means you are ignoring mxtx's work and you clearly did not understand the complicated relationship wwx and jc had.

Because it was made clear throughout the text that jc never saw him as a servant. They shared a room, went to school together and made HUGE sacrifices for eachother. So much so, that their relationship pissed of jc's mother.

If you ignore that then you are ignoring a VERY IMPORTANT part of the text. And I have to wonder if y'all only came into the fandom for the mlm relationship between wwx and lwj and not the the story. Clearly, y'all are selectively ignoring some very IMPORTANT facts. Js. This book is MORE than just a bl........

And if that's the case, then you have no place arguing jc canon facts. Js.

[cosmicredcadet]

Some of you guys feel way too comfortable blaming asexuality's existence for all the problems other groups face and it's super obvious that y'all never actually got over the ace exclusionist era and still don't view asexuals with any amount of respect.

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

hate when i see a youtube video that's like 'analyzing why [thing] is bad!' and you watch the video and they just say nothing for twenty minutes