#they showed very little growth and it was still so very superficial

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Why on earth would you throw in a daddy kink comment like that into this episode - when bucks pseudo dad has literally just woken up from a coma ??

I’m sorry but that was tasteless and if they think I will buy Tommys contrition over who he was at the 118 this late in the day - well I’m sorry but I don’t - it needed to be much earlier.

That was the most surface level date Buck has ever had - he had better deeper conversation with Veronica!

[crooked-wasteland]

Stolen from @pinkandpurple360 anonymous ask.

"Blitz still has a long way to go with character development”

That's great. I can't wait to never see it.

This was an issue I tried working into my Fizzarolli Dissection but it kept feeling less about the character and more an overarching writing issue, so let's just take it here.

Every bit of character development in the series is inconsistent or entirely spontaneous. Stolas being in love with Blitz seemed like a slow burn until out of nowhere in Ozzie's he is so head over heels for Blitz in specific. Asking why Blitz only now is asking him out "after all this time", like he has been waiting on and expecting it despite that never being a thought towards their dynamic before. Going from being entirely obsessed with their sexual contract and seeing Blitz as a sex object to suddenly wanting cuddles on the couch with no strings attached?

That change was never shown in the series. It was never developed. There is no character growth, they merely are different to suit the new direction to the plot.

So again, I'm so glad Blitz has more character development to go through, can't wait for it all to be implied off screen like every other ounce of character we've been gaslight into believing has "grown".

If you never show it on screen, the dynamic, the relationship, the change, it never happened. Loona at the end of Queen Bee seems to get closer to Blitz but the next time we see her she's trying to assault him. We never saw any moment of change following the end of Queen Bee where we felt her character actually develop. Even after calling Blitz dad in the episode, she ignores him in favor of strangers at the party. She expressed clear disgust with Blitz before leaving with him, and her mild softening towards him at the end could just as easily be seen as nothing at all as it could be a character growth.

However growth requires reinforcement. If you never reinforce that moment meant something, it isn't growth, it's a cheap emotional scene to get a reaction from an audience. A short scene of Loona simply telling Blitz good morning to show some kind of change was all that was needed, but it was not as important to establish change in the characters as it was to have the most cringe scene in existence. Priorities.

One of the biggest issues with the series is how blatant the meta agenda of the writing is. They never allow the space to establish characters or change, instead citing these one off moments as “proof” of story when they do not amount to anything at all. There is unfortunately a distinct difference between a story and a scene, and it is painfully obvious by how Medrano and Nylan utilize these scenes that it is entirely for a superficial effect.

The relationship between Fizzarolli and Blitz similarly is extremely vapid and has no foundation to establish what their dynamic actually was growing up. Additionally, the two scenes of them being younger are fundamentally contradictory. Younger Fizz from The Circus is assertive and confrontational. He threatens to punch Blitz for being annoying and not playing the way he wants to play. He's bossy without necessarily being mean and not only knows he's popular, but also how to utilize it as manipulation, seen in how he draws attention to himself to spare Blitz the embarrassment of his failed joke. This Fizzarolli actually lines up also with the Fizz from Ozzie's. It's hard to claim that Ozzie's Fizz was "just an act" when as a literal child he has all the same traits

Then in the Special he is insecure, timid, has very little self esteem and is an anxious people pleaser with a mousy voice. There is nothing to establish this as the same person at all, and all the narrative context clues around his popularity does not support the direction of change this character has experienced. Fizzarolli has only gotten bigger between being what appears to be six years old and what I can only assume to be thirteen based on his cracking pubescent voice and gangly limbs. All we can go on is context clues and extrapolation, but arguing of a non-existent event that humbled Fizzarolli to this extent, while maintaining his stardom prior to ever meeting Mammon, is founded on nothing, when there is a much simpler answer.

His whole personality has taken a 180 turn for the sole purpose of the episode’s narrative. Fizzarolli being the pathetic whump he is in the episode is not founded anywhere else in the show, but we need that so people feel bad for him. There is no confidence in this writing. It shows that instead of believing the character is likeable as a whole for a complex personality, the only way anyone will like him is if he is just the softest jellybean in the bunch.

It is only this way because it suits the episode right here and now. And when his character changes, it isn't founded on any concrete narrative of growth and actions having consequences, but on what the writers need to get the audience to feel a certain way. So I say it again:

That's nice, I can't wait to never see it.

[aishangotome]

Roger Barel: Chapter 4 Premium Story [[Case Study01]]

Chapter 4

♡———♡

People carry many sorrows and regrets in their hearts, as they have lived their lives.

But many people can live with a straight face because they are trying to forget the pain in their hearts.

Because they refuse to face it and try to think of happy things only---.

Kate: I... I'm so frustrated with my weakness...

Roger: Last question. Kate, what do you want to be?

Kate: I...

The things that had been accumulating in my heart like sediment were pulled out by Roger's hand.

The emotions I had been suppressing for so long gushed out like water from a broken faucet... my eyes burned and tears spilled out.

Kate: I want to be... strong.

Kate: Because... I don't want to hate myself.

Kate: And... life is too long to despair.

Roger: ..................

Roger: Pfft, hahahaha!

Kate: Huh?

He suddenly burst out laughing, and I stared at him with tears in my eyes.

Roger: No, it's just that you're so cute when you're crying and talking so hard. Come on, show me your face more.

(Just a moment ago, he was listening to me with such a serious face...!)

Kate: It's so rude of you to laugh at me when I'm crying!

Roger: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't be angry. You're cute.

Kate: Cute?

(What was that all about!)

(Was it seduction? Brainwashing? It's true that Roger provoked me into telling him my true feelings...)

But even a naïve person like me wouldn't be fooled by superficial words like "cute."

Kate: That doesn't make up for laughing at me!

Kate: I'm not crying. I'm just a little teary-eyed!

When I retorted, Roger started laughing again.

Roger: Okay, okay, I get it, I get it.

Roger: As a reward for being honest with me, I'll help you achieve your desire to become stronger.

Roger: Kate, do you know what's important to achieve your desires?

(It's unfair that he's looking at me with those serious eyes again...)

Kate: ...What is it?

Roger: A plan and goal setting with a vision for the future, in other words, a roadmap.

Roger: By the way, a roadmap is an expression that indicates progress.

(...It's suddenly become very business-like.)

Roger: So I came up with the "Robin Growth Map."

Kate: ...Growth Map.

(It still sounds fishy.)

Roger: What's with that slightly withdrawn look?

Roger: I named it after Victor, thinking you'd be happy to cry.

Kate: It's so strange coming from you, Roger. But thank you for your unaccustomed consideration.

Kate: So, what is this "Robin Growth Map"?

Roger: You're my errand girl now.

Kate: It's annoying when you say it outright... but that's right.

Roger: When I judge that you've grown into a strong and good woman, the map will gradually progress.

Roger: In other words, you'll level up.

Kate: Levels...?

Roger: To put it simply, there are five stages: errand girl → pet dog → assistant → partner → lover.

Roger draws a diagram of a staircase in the air with his hand.

Roger: Of course, this comes with Roger's hands-on, attentive guidance.

(So basically, Roger is going to make me a strong and good woman?)

Kate: The growth map certainly seems like an effective method. It's good to have something to aim for.

Kate: But why is the last level lover? It doesn't seem to be related to becoming stronger...

Roger: That's simple. It's because I like strong, good women who can think for themselves.

(It's just Roger's preference!?)

Kate: That's so one-sided! Why do I have to grow into the kind of woman Roger likes?

Kate: Besides, what if I grow according to that and Roger, well... falls for me? I'd be in trouble!

His eyes narrowed provocatively at my firm statement.

Roger: Oh really? What's your reason for being troubled if I fall for you?

Kate: My goal is to successfully complete my duties as a Fairytale Keeper and return to where I came from.

Kate: I have no intention of falling in love until I achieve that.

Roger: You're so serious. That's easy.

Roger: Let's say you grow into a strong and good woman according to the Robin Growth Map.

Roger: I'll be so smitten with you that I'll certify you as my lover.

Roger: If at that time, you have no romantic feelings for me, you can just dump me.

Kate: Huh?

Roger: Don't you think it would feel good to say "I told you so" to me after I've been strung along?

(Well, that...)

Honestly, it would be quite satisfying.

Kate: I... I think so.

Roger: Maybe you can even brag to the Crown that you're a strong woman who can dump me.

(Brag...)

*daydreaming*

Victor: To bring Roger to his knees, what a wonderful Fairytale Keeper you are!

Elbert: ...Cool.

Ellis: Are you happy now that you've become a strong and good woman?

*back to present*

(Oh dear, I feel pretty... no, incredibly good...)

Kate: That sounds... great.

Roger: Kate, are you in or out?

Kate: I'm in! I'll become stronger according to the Robin Growth Map.

Roger: Good answer. It's settled then.

(If I work hard until Roger recognizes me as his lover, I'm sure I can become much stronger than I am now.)

(Huh? ... Wait a minute.)

*flashback*

Roger: However, I believe that romantic feelings do not exist in this world.

Roger: What is called romantic feeling is just a brain malfunction, or a misunderstanding arising from sexual desire.

*flashback over*

If those words are true, Roger shouldn't have any romantic feelings.

(How can I be recognized by such a person!?)

Kate: Wait a minute! I can't agree to be recognized by Roger!

I grab Roger's arm as he starts to walk away.

Roger: What's wrong? You agreed earlier. Are you going through a rebellious phase?

Kate: But Roger, didn't you say the other day that romantic feelings don't exist?

Kate: How can a person like that recognize it?

Roger strokes his chin as if he's also noticed the contradiction.

Roger: It's true that what you say might make sense.

Kate: I've finally become motivated.

Kate: So I really can't accept being given a goal that can't be achieved from the beginning!

Roger: Oh, so you're going to teach me about romantic feelings?

That smile is very provocative--.

(Oh no? I messed up, now...)

I realize that I got caught up in his scheme by buying into his words.

But--.

Kate: All right, I'll teach you what love is!

My competitive spirit interferes with my fear of Roger's provocation.

Roger: Oh, that means you're going to make me fall in love with you. You're so confident.

I slightly regretted my words at Roger's smirk deepening.

(This guy, really...)

The image of Roger as a sensible and mature older brother has completely crumbled and turned to dust.

Kate: Th-That's not what I meant! I meant like, romantic feelings as a concept of love...

Roger: It's the same thing.

The smile on his mischievous lips deepens even more...

Roger: You're going to prove the existence of love to me, huh? Sounds interesting, I'm in.

Roger: You're the one who started this. No giving up halfway, okay?

Kate: Of course, a lady never goes back on her word.

Roger: Oh, I like that. I like strong-willed women. Oh, right.

Roger: I'm known for being a gentlemanly and kind Roger.

Roger: So I'll give you some useful information, since you're going to teach me about love.

Roger: Lend me your ear.

Hesitantly, I move closer, and his lips brush against my ear...

Roger: ...I love crying faces. Yours is no exception.

Kate: Wh-What are you saying?

Just as I thought his face was getting closer, he grabs my chin with his rough hand.

Kate: Roger, let go of me...!

Roger: No way.

I couldn't even close my eyes with his face so close.

Even though I knew his lips were approaching, I still had my eyes open...

Kate: Ah...

I let out a small cry and my shoulders trembled.

Because a soft touch brushed against my eyes.

The warmth of his lips made the corners of my tear-filled eyes feel even cooler.

Roger: ...

I glanced up and saw Roger staring at me. I hurriedly looked down, and his lips touched me again.

Kate: ...

His lips grazed my wet eyelashes, then his tongue scooped up a tear, and his lips pressed against my eyes again.

(He loves crying faces... Does that mean he likes to taste tears like this...?)

I had no idea what Roger was thinking.

But what I couldn't understand even more was this pounding in my chest.

Roger: Itadakimasu.

(...Itadakimasu?)

At that moment, I came to my senses with a start.

Kate: D-Don't just take it without asking! I didn't mean to allow you to go that far...

I pushed him away with all my might, and Roger chuckled, his shoulders shaking.

Roger: Too bad. I was so close.

Kate: It wasn't close at all!

Roger: Is that so? You had such a pleasant look on your face, I thought I could go for it.

Kate: What!?

As Roger peered into my silent face... growl, an embarrassing sound came from my stomach.

Roger: Haha, your stomach seems to be feeling better too. Shall we go eat?

(Ugh, I'm embarrassed, but maybe my stomach saved me...)

If I hadn't said anything, he probably would have noticed how nervous I was.

Kate: Um... Yes, let's go! I'm hungry!

Roger: Oh, right. Ellis told me about a delicious ice cream shop around the corner.

Kate: What? If it's Ellis, who always tells us about delicious restaurants, it must be good!

Kate: I want ice cream! Let's go, Roger!

When I looked at him with sparkling eyes, Roger laughed, his shoulders shaking.

Roger: Heh... Alright, alright, ice cream after dinner. The loser of rock-paper-scissors pays.

With that, Roger started walking with long strides.

Kate: Ah, wait!

As I chased after him, I suddenly remembered the conditions of the "Robin Growth Map" from earlier.

(What if... I fall in love with Roger?)

No one can predict when someone will fall in love with another.

So, it's not impossible, but...

Roger: Hey, keep up. Want me to hold your hand so you don't get lost?

Kate: N-No thanks!

Roger: Really? You're so grumpy. And you're supposed to be teaching me about love.

Kate: I said I'm teaching you the concept of love, not making you fall in love with me!

Roger: Yeah, yeah, you cry and then you yell. You're so busy.

Roger and I falling in love--.

(It's absolutely, absolutely impossible!)

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 5

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[doubledyke]

How do you think would be Edd and Ed's lives in a world where Eddy was never born or they never meet him? Would they indeed be accepted by the other kids, or would they be lonely hermits stuck on their houses (Edd with his experiments and Ed with his sci-fi movies as their only friends respectively)? I bet more on the second option.

oh boy, the question of all time. i guess i'll have to go with the second option to some extent.

ed is unlikely to be truly and wholly accepted by most of the other kids with or without eddy imo. he's smelly and weird, and sarah, who's part of the in-crowd, can't stand him. she's not going to let him join in the reindeer games, and i doubt he'd want to spend more time with her than he already has to, let's be real.

he could very well be perfectly happy with the life of a hermit. like you mentioned, he's got his movies and comics, his models, and a limitless imagination. he doesn't strike me as the type to require much or really any social interaction or validation. he does love being around his friends! edd and eddy that is. he's an extremely sweet person, and very affectionate towards people he cares about. but he could fare just as well being a loner. also, dude can evidently conjure up a tulpa any time he wants (e.g. jib).

he isn't one to hold grudges at all, so if the kids did occasionally need him to effortlessly lift a house or car, he'd happily oblige. that's about the extent of their "acceptance" of ed though. jonny and rolf are the exceptions - i think they'd be buddies with the lump.

it might be a little harder to say for certain with edd, since he puts up so many fronts. i think he may be somewhat accepted - he's clean, smart, and the girls think he's cute. he's good to have around when you need help with homework, or your bike chain slips... or you've got a growth of some sort... but much like big ed, he's pretty strange, on top of being finicky, pretentious, etc.. and he's a buzzkill a lot of the time, which gets old real fast. that being said i think he could easily build a superficial rapport with the kids, though they probably won't be inviting him to any soirees. if i had to choose a kid who might connect most with edd, it'd be jimmy..... so literally exactly what happens in the show.

as far as edd ending up a shut in, i imagine without eddy he probably would spend most of his time on his own, but does venture outdoors. he loves being in nature and looking at bugs, that typa stuff. he'd still do that, just alone i guess. not a farfetched assumption at all. but edd does crave SOME level of social approval and validation. and since he doesn't get it at home, he has to look elsewhere. so without eddy, he would have to manage with a few fair-weather friendships in the neighborhood until he inevitably leaves peach creek and meets people that are more his speed.

there's an argument to be made that despite his need for socialization, he, like ed, would have little to no desire to hang out with the cul-de-sac kids. cuz like, what would they do? it's nearly impossible for me to imagine edd 'playing' with the other kids, since he's 12 going on 45. edd doesn't play, at least not uncritically lmao. he likes to read and do his tinkering and experiments, etc.. at least with ed and eddy he can put those things to some kind of use.

which brings me to my semi-related tangent, and i'll try not to go too far off the rails here, but don't hold your breath.

i feel like this kind of question is prevalent because some people want to imagine that the cul-de-sac would be all sunshine and rainbows if only eddy wasn't around. as if ed and edd are clamoring to hang out with kevin (lol) and the only thing preventing them from being the toasts of the town is eddy? it's really weird seeing as he's basically the main character and there's not a show without their antics. idk what to tell those people except that maybe they need to find another long defunct cartoon to over analyze 😬

not that you're doing this at all anon, but it drives me crazy when people try to absolve edd of wrongdoing and paint him as a trembling victim. i mean, people can do whatever they want, but shitting on eddy is a bit much. plus it strips away a lot of what makes edd interesting.

edd makes a conscious and informed choice every day to hang out with ed and eddy.

i don't personally think it's because he was or necessarily would be outright shunned by the other kids. dare i say, he just likes them lmao.

eddy and edd have a major similarity in their desire to appear more mature than they are:

eddy is shameless in his attempts, whereas edd tries to play it off.

and that's it. that's the show.

kidding, but only a little. essentially, they're both precocious and have probably been exposed to shit that kids shouldn't be exposed to. i think that's the foundation of their friendship, aside from having the same name.

in some ways, eddy IS more "mature" than his peers, in his own greasy way. he's mostly a typical idiot pre-teen, but let's give him some credit here: he knows it's a dog eat dog world and you don't get anywhere in life by whistlin' dixie. he's just trying to get a head start.

edd is complicit and just as culpable as eddy is in their grift. he compulsively voices his disapproval and still not only goes along, but contributes greatly. it appears that a lot of the time his biggest qualm is even that the scams are immoral, but that they're unconvincing.

there could be a few different explanations for that, but "edd is a victim of eddy" simply isn't one of them.

a) edd also wants money, and if that means fleecing people he believes are below him, so be it.

b) edd views these rackets as the preferable, more adult-esque alternative to playing tiddlywinks with his peers.

c) he likes spending time with ed and eddy and that entails running two-bit scams

these aren't mutually exclusive by any means. to me, all three apply at various times in the series.

all that to say, i don't think edd is forced to hang out with ed and eddy because he's just SO outwardly off-putting that the kids wouldn't give him the time of day. that assumes that he even wants their time, y'know. unlike eddy, edd is not "cool-conscious". he doesn't care where he belongs, he's just wants to belong. and he found his sense of belonging with dumb and dumber. it says a lot about him, i think 😂

much like any kid if he really wanted to mesh with the in-crowd, he'd find a way. to act like edd has no other option just comes off as a slight toward the other two eds.

okay anyway, the eds are a package deal. without eddy... there's literally no ed edd n eddy. none of them would develop the way they did if one of them was missing. that's why it's weird to try and guess what would happen if eddy wasn't around. but...

i don't see edd giving ed much of a chance if it weren't for eddy's forcing them to be around each other. he'd get one whiff of the guy and disintegrate into a pile of wood dust. and ed barely understands what edd says, so why would he have ever initiated a conversation if not for eddy standing by to interpret??

of course, edd did a pretty good job at predicting what life would look like for ed and eddy if he ended up as the pretzel legged boy in the sideshow - the sucker quotient does go way down when the signs are misspelled. and as for if it were just edd and eddy, they would've killed each other by the end of season 2.

[glitterpensupremacy]

Time for the problematic Queen!

Chloe MTS

As usual:

1. General Info

2. Personality

3. Key Relationships

4. Character Growth

Edit: I’m so sorry guys I forgot the “read more” 😭

1. General Info

It’s probably pretty obvious by now, but this will be a Chloe-demption Miraculous story. I don’t blame people who don’t really like that or her in general, but that’s the story you’re gonna get here. (Granted, this Chloe will be a bit easier to make a better person than the original, for reasons I’ll go over soon.)

2. Personality

Chloe Bourgeois seems like the typical rich girl: self-centered, superficial, vain, spoiled, not very good at listening to others, melodramatic, mostly mean to other people, and used to getting what she wants.

That being said, there’s a bit more to her than that. Her lack of self control and immaturity is mainly the result of having a father who would hand her whatever she wanted to keep her busy. Similarly, her mother is only interested in the “exceptional”, so Chloe often strives to be more like her. The fact that neither parent really tried to raise her is why she’s so infantile and prone to ridiculing others to feel better about herself.

A different side of Chloe tends to come out around her loved ones. She’s somewhat overbearing and clingy, but will shower those close to her (especially family) in gifts, pet names, and affection. Compared to OG Chloe, (and most other fan made takes on her), she’s a lot softer and more naive (dare I say a little cute). Every once in a while she lets the confident facade drop, becoming quieter and being genuine about how she feels.

3. Key Relationships

Marinette: As I’ve mentioned in the Marinette MTS post, Chloe and Marinette have a friends-to-enemies storyline in the first season. Basically, Chloe’s constant need for attention and favors was too emotionally draining for Marinette, so she broke things off between them, which Chloe does not take well. At all. After spending the larger part of season two trying to antagonize her, Chloe finally understands why Marinette left and leaves her alone. Things are still pretty tense between them, but they can exist in the same room without blowing up (and if Chloe sometimes still misses her ex-best friend? Well she doesn’t! Don’t be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!!!)

Adrien: Chloe and Adrien are also childhood friends, (only they’ve known each other practically since birth while Marinette and Chloe met in their early school years) with Chloe actually being the one to introduce the two. At first, Chloe’s glad that her precious “Mari-roon” and “Adrikins” are getting along; when he decides to keep being Marinette’s friend after she stops hanging out with Chloe, she’s a little less enthused. Adrien also plays a more active role in helping Chloe become a better person, as he’s one of the people with the most knowledge of why she is the way that she is, as well as her better qualities (that and Chloe is determined not to lose him like she lost Marinette, even if she isn’t consciously aware of this yet). It also probably goes without saying that her feelings for Adrien aren’t ever really romantic like in the OG show.

Zoe: Chloe adores her darling baby sister, and tends to bring her wherever she goes. She initially tries to help her younger sister understand how the world issupposed” to work, but when that backfires (due to that pesky traitor Dupain-Cheng and her new friends) she has to remain content with simply showing Zoe off and doing what she can to help her sister succeed in her ambitions. (Due to being more of a people and family pleaser, Zoe doesn’t really do much in Chloe’s redemption, but she is one of the characters who can occasionally get her to play nice.)

Alya: These two don’t really know each other very well at first. To Chloe, Alya’s just the blogger girl who doesn’t properly appreciate the perfect Ladybug! When they interact more often due to being in the same class, things aren’t much better, seeing as their opposite ideals and personalities clash (hardworking vs lazy, integrity vs self-indulgence, etc). They do have to team up against a common enemy though (that being Lila), as well as share the struggles of being the only two superheroes with public identities. By the end of season two, Chloe and Alya become hero partners. (Despite sometimes being annoyed at what a “goody two shoes” Rena can be, Queen Bee can admit that she’s pretty smart, and secretly considers her to be a better hero than she is.)

Other key dynamics include: her parents, Ladybug (and Chat Noir to an extent), Kim, and Sabrina.

4. Character Growth

A lot of Chloe’s development is about learning to care about others and not resort to making other people’s lives more difficult just because she’s unhappy about something. This is mainly through how she interacts with acquaintances (not being as insulting or harming the rest of the class through her schemes) and her friends (learning how to be a good friend is a major part of her character arc). Another aspect of this how she matures.

MTS Chloe’s stunted growth is generally attributed to the lack of involvement that both parents have had throughout her childhood. While she doesn’t completely grow up (which makes sense, seeing as she is still very much a child), she does learn to occasionally think things through beyond the obvious and take certain issues more seriously.

Her familial relationships also factor into this development. She both grows in relation to her family (trying to be a good big sister for Zoe and eventually realizing that Audrey is a terrible mother/person and standing up to her), and inspiring them to change as well (seeing Chloe work to improve herself is one of the motivations for Zoe wanting to be more honest with others, Andre also acknowledges that he’s been a selfish and irresponsible father and works to become a better parent for Chloe and Zoe).

Conclusion

Alright, that’s the general rundown for Chloe. The more whimsical vibes that she has might be a bit disappointing for people who prefer a tougher, sassier mean girl type of Chloe, but hopefully she’s still likable in her own regard.

Up next will be Alya (who will also have an akuma design posted around the same time I have her character notes ready, so keep your eyes peeled if that kinda thing interests you)

[bird-inacage]

Love in the Air: Sky’s Denial of Prapai’s True Intentions

So for the last two episodes now, Sky and Prapai’s conversations have repeatedly revolved around Sky insistence that Prapai is only interested in sex, to Prapai’s attempts to reason there’s more to it than that.

Sky is so adamant in believing Prapai’s intentions are purely superficial because of his own history, which is colouring his judgement. This is incredibly understandable, as Sky has been massively affected by that experience and is still dealing with PTSD. Prapai also arguably poses a high risk prospect because of his own respective history as a playboy and all round flirt. If you were going to hedge your bets on boyfriend material, Prapai would not be the obvious or most secure choice. But these interactions are also a stark reminder that both Sky and Prapai’s assumptions are based on very little at all. Neither of these two people know each well enough to make any sweeping presumptions about one another.

Beyond Sky’s reasoning, there's evident denial too. It’s always easier to remain stubborn to your point of view, because to even consider the alternative is frightening - its a classic case of the unknown. You anticipate what will happen based on your own experiences, even if you understand that nothing is ever guaranteed nor set in stone. There is always the possibility that situations may play out differently to how you would expect, but can you bring yourself to find out?

So what if Prapai is serious? What if Sky admits that he wants Prapai to be serious about him? What does that mean then? There would be more at stake and far more to lose. Sky just cannot afford for that to happen again. 

As much as Prapai puts in a tremendous effort to get Sky to notice him, the irony is that he doesn’t actually need to do much convincing at all, because Sky is already interested. It’s because Sky’s already interested that he’s in constant denial. He’s not ready or comfortable accepting that fact. The more Sky spirals around these thoughts, the more he admonishes himself, because he sees himself falling prey to the same trap. Why has he seemingly learnt nothing? Why is his instinct still to be hopeful and wanting?

On the other hand, Prapai is also starting to turn a corner. His pursuit of Sky was initially driven mostly by curiosity and obsession. Seeking to solve why he had an inability to get Sky off his mind, but with no real conclusions drawn as to why that is. We now start to see the realisation creeping in for Prapai when he poses those questions to Sky “What if I’m serious?” He’s also addressing them to himself. Why does he care so much? Why does he worry? Why does he want this person to know as much about him as he wants to know about them?

Prapai even comments on how he has surprised himself with the strength of his feelings and the lengths he is willing to go to for Sky. It’s caught him off guard as equally as it has for Sky, just for completely different reasons. Whereas Prapai is somewhat perplexed or bemused by the growing revelation around his developing feelings, Sky is fearful and dubious.

I think its very natural to surprise yourself with the capacity you can possess to love someone. After all, it’s only once you do love someone, that you realise how far those depths can stretch.

It is through the act of nursing Sky that Prapai is now showing rather than telling him that he’s interested in more than sex. This act can also be seen as Prapai’s declaration to himself. ‘I do care about you beyond just the one night stand we had together’. I believe this has a considerable bearing on Prapai’s own growth and maturity. For someone who is so used to being written off as an ‘asshole’, it must be nice to prove (even to yourself) that you are genuinely capable of selflessness, and that you’re not such a bad person after all. I think there’s also something to be said about self-fulfilling prophecies. The more you are told that you are an ‘asshole’ or a bad person, the more likely you are to play into that stereotype that others have assigned for you.

At the moment the ball will be in Sky’s court. Whether Sky chooses to confront his and Prapai’s mounting feelings for each other, will take an enormous amount of courage. We obviously know they do, but it will be incredibly validating for Prapai to watch Sky slowly allow himself to reciprocate.

[rainstormcolors]

1, 5, 6, 11 for Yuugi, Mai, and/or Pegasus, as it suits you :')

Thank you for the ask, and I apologize for the delay in answering. Thank you for the unique character choices too.

1. What Pokemon would you compare this character to? (may be replaced with “what Digimon” or other such monsters / critters)

I confess I’m primarily familiar with the first generation of Pokemon, and have passing knowledge of the second generation, and then all the other generations I only know of through osmosis. So my choices here will be skewed by this.

Yugi reminds me of an Eevee some – the idea of inner potential and growth and open future in a seemingly cute package – and maybe of a Nidoran and of a Paras some and even a bit of Venonat (those colors and that Kuriboh-like body). Yugi reminds me of dewy-eyed basic-level Pokemon who will grow.

For Mai, a Sensu Oricorio is what comes to mind. I saw fanart of this lavender bird Pokemon several years ago and it was the Pokemon that sprung right to mind for me as suited for Mai. The lore of this Pokemon doesn’t precisely match Mai, but she seems to seek escape and the tropics and this is a tropical bird.

Pegasus reminds me a little bit of Persian. I think a psychic Pokemon may be a solid choice too but visually Persian fits better. I do think Pegasus, while not exactly being comparable to Psyduck, would on a personal level adore Psyduck. The cartoony comedy of this suffering psychic exploding duck.

5. What is a gentle memory they might have?

I think of Yugi’s grandfather taking little Yugi to the zoo. I think of Yugi’s grandfather showing little Yugi new games that have arrived at their family’s game shop, and sometimes they’d play one together.

For Mai, I think of the fanfiction I wrote for you that mentioned Mai’s father giving her a souvenir sand dollar when she was a little girl before he died.

I think for Pegasus, the memories he harbors of his time with Cyndia dimly glow like embers. He’s lost who he was and those times are faded and dim and surrounded by the dark now, but they’re still there. What is he even doing and why? He lost the “why” a while ago.

6. What part of themself might they resent?

Yugi fears being unable to keep people -- even his friends -- interested and he hates how he feels helpless and so weak, at the beginning of the manga. I think he allows Atem to step up for him a lot because of these fears. He’s afraid of being alone but he also feels selfish for wanting people to stay, most sharply in the case of Atem.

Mai resents how she can’t be as strong and independent and confident as she projects herself to be. She holds herself to a standard she can’t reach and it’s part of the core of her insecurities. She wishes she was strong enough to stand all on her own, without anyone to lean on. She’s lived and breathed that way, and it’s like roots trapped inside a small pot that couldn’t expand, and in turn she struggles to find her footing as she finally maybe begins to want to be friends with others.

I think Pegasus doesn’t really care “who he is” anymore. He doesn’t let himself think about it.

11. What’s a superficial thing you enjoy or dislike about this character?

I like the silly little desk clock that Yugi keeps in his bedroom.

Mai can be very pretty in some of the manga panels. I like her Duelist Kingdom jacket.

Younger me liked in a certain way the “edginess” of Pegasus’ death in the manga. I don’t mean in a gleeful way – rather the bite of it.

Thank you again for the ask and thank you for your patience.

[ericamzdm]

Adora as Audience Surrogate

So, here’s the thing.

A lot of protagonists in kids TV (and elsewhere) aren’t characters; they’re Audience Surrogates^. The things that are presented as characterization - wants, feelings, fears - aren’t actually meant to be descriptive; they’re not trying to paint a picture of a specific fictional person.

Instead, they're a kind of cold read of the intended audience - OG Adora wants to protect the innocent because you, audience member, are kind and brave and would certainly stand up against injustice if you ever saw it. James Bond is cool and calculating because you are clever and level-headed. Bella Swan is clumsy because everyone trips and drops things.

Audience surrogates are a vague collection of positive traits, because the lack of specificity allows a broad swathe of humanity to see themselves in the glossy reflection.

They have foibles (which are harmless and relatable) but no meaningful faults, because very few people see themselves as truly flawed.

They are static, because to change a character who is “just like you” is to make them no longer quite so much like you.

They are unmotivated - either lacking in wants, or wanting an undefined “something more” - to allow the audience to read in their own desires.

They are a generic flattery, a pretty “just like you” hollow shell for the audience to ride around in for a while.^^

And SPoP’s Adora superficially fits that model! She’s the main character. She speaks and acts confidently. Her failure of focus and reflexes in the final moments of evaluation is treated trivially, a harmless foible. People act like she’s always been like this - this charming, heroic, destined figure. She is told that fulfilling that destiny is what she wants, but she clearly wants “something more”.

We, as viewers, have been primed to view her as our surrogate, a Good Person, someone who is just like us. Someone we can project all the positive traits we have or wish we had onto. Someone to inhabit as we live out our fantasies of heroism.

Which leads to a lot of dissonance when, eg, Adora aligns herself with an overtly malicious authority figure, acts intensely threatened by her ex’s success, and, you know, assaults and imprisons said ex for not playing the helpless damsel to her liking.

Because Adora is Super Not an audience surrogate - she is a deconstruction of one.

Adora projects a vague “heroic” persona, not because she’s heroic by authorial fiat, but because she is terrified that failing to do so will result in instant rejection; that without that candy coated shell, she has no value.

Adora is static (over the course of the show she experiences staggeringly little character growth), not because she’s already perfect, but because her refusal/inability to meaningfully examine and process her feelings and beliefs leaves her trapped, endlessly repeating the same harmful, self-destructive behaviours because she thinks the problem was just that she wasn’t doing them hard enough.

Adora presents herself as faultless and blameless, as not having a choice. She insists that she should only be defined by her heroism and righteousness, not her selfishness or hurtfulness. But that is Adora, the character, not the text or the narrative voice. Adora defends herself, excuses herself, grants herself absolution - but the story never does.^^^

Adora is unable to articulate independent wants - but she still has them. They bleed through all of her actions, and are outright stated (As “needs”, “likes” or “fears”) in bits and pieces during her moments of self-insight.

Adora is “hollow”, not because her internality has been excluded from the text to aid audience self-identification, but because within the text she suffers from severe self-alienation. (And she is not just like that; she used to be different - she used to acknowledge the abuse, she tried to fight it - but ultimately, she succumbed to the lie that there could be safety in compliance, in being only what was demanded of her.)

Adora, as a character, is what happens when all the neediness, superficiality, and self-flattery of the audience surrogate is dragged out of the metatext and into the text - and in doing so challenges the audience and the audience’s desire for a simple, self-aggrandizing narrative.

Is this really what we want?

*

^Used in the sense of “A character who the audience (or the children in the audience) doesn't just sympathize with, but are supposed to actively see themselves as.”

^^For the record, this isn’t bad. There’s nothing wrong with audience surrogates as a device, and they can be deeply soothing and enjoyable to read about/watch. But understanding that there’s not a lot of there there, and that the lack is intentional and tactical helps with the media analysis.

^^^Mind, the story also whiffs on closing the loop and explicitly denying her that absolution. It's definitely there in the subtext, driving Adora’s uncertainty and self-loathing right up until the end, but dealing with it - actually processing her feelings - ultimately gets glossed over by the very Have Your Cake and Eat It Too energy of the finale.

[evebestt]

Hiya! Since I really adored what you did with my last request I was wondering if I could send through another prompt for a Farah dowling x female reader where Farah and Queen Luna have this sort of unspoken but very clear competition for readers heart and when Farah sees what she thinks to be queen Luna inching towards the finish line she gets envious/cold but really Farah had readers heart all along❤️

Thank you so much by the way. I really appreciate what you do. Sending peace and love and happiness your way xx.

Hi there! Sorry this took a bit, I rewrote it a couple of times. But I love the prompt! I hope you enjoy 🖤

Send me an ask or a message to request a fic. Search my blog for "prompts" to see lists of prompt ideas.

A/N: honestly unless explicitly stated, just assume that in all my fics, the season one ending that we don't talk about didn't happen. Farah's not even napping, she's still alive and awake and being her wonderful self.

To Find Your Truth

Since the Alfean battle with the Burned Ones, Solaria had indeed dispatched a troop of soldiers to be permanently stationed at the school. Between that and the continual growth of Alfea, it soon became clear that a new position would be needed to coordinate the Alfean and Royal schedules. You had been hired in that position, working as a liaison between Farah and Luna, meaning that you worked very closely with the both of them. You’d been a little overwhelmed by your work at first, working not just with the Headmistress of a powerful school and the Queen of the entire realm, but with two of the most powerful fairies – if not the two most powerful fairies in the realm – but Farah and Luna had both made you feel comfortable in your work.

The women were very different. Farah was quiet and calm, her power cool and still under her pristine surface – but undeniably there. Luna, however, was like a fire, sharp and calculating, her power exuding from her and filling every room she entered, even if it was superficially masked in sweet pastels and warm light. You liked them both, despite the differences, and whatever rumors you heard about them.

And they liked you too. Farah often offered you sweet smiles that she didn’t give to everyone, and your meetings with her would sometimes drift into personal conversation, especially if you had them over lunch together. Luna too made her affection for you known, soft touches on your arm that lingered just a moment longer than a friendly touch would, or heartfelt remarks on how she’d never be able to function without you, all of which never failed to make you blush.

You weren’t quite sure when it became a competition between the two of them. It might have happened the day when Luna astral projected into your office, interrupting a lunch meeting with Farah that had gone long with conversation. You’d both been laughing with Luna’s form had appeared, Farah’s eyes bright with affection as she gazed at you fondly, and although you’d both become entirely professional when Luna appeared, you knew she’d seen the way you looked at each other just as clearly as you’d seen the possessive gleam in her eye.

Though your meeting with Luna after that had gone smoothly, as well as all of your other meetings, you could sense that tension in both of the women, like they both had something to prove.

Or more likely, you realized, like they were both trying to win your heart.

Luna became even more bold with her gentle touches, even going so far as to lay a hand on your cheek one night, smiling softly before she retreated and wished you goodnight, offering you a room in the castle if you didn’t want to make the trip back to Alfea. Even Farah, as composed as she was, was more forward in her advances, eyes flicking to your lips when she paid you compliments, or when you rolled your neck to try and ease a headache, she would merely reach out and touch two fingers to your temple, the pain melting away in seconds.

You could admit that you liked the advances of both of them women, feeling as though you could preen under their attentions. Not only did you have Farah — a legendary fairy in her own right — showing you affection, but the Queen of Solaria as well, making you feel like the star of a period piece, your two handsome, wealthy suitors courting you in their attempts to win your hand. You were content with the flirting and the fantasies of both women, not thinking much about where relationships with either of them would go in fear of complicating things. But one afternoon in your office at Alfea, you realized you’d have to decide just where your heart lay.

Instead of her normal astral projecting, Luna had come to your office in person, needing to update her calendar for you and reconcile her schedule with Farah’s and find time for their combined meetings.

“My quarterly inspection of the troop’s preparations here at Alfea needs to happen in the next couple of weeks — hopefully those can drop to biannual next year — Farah will need to be present for that. It will take an afternoon, when can I make that happen?”

You flipped through the large planner on your desk, Farah’s meetings written in blue, Luna’s in red. “Both you and Ms. Dowling have a free afternoon in two weeks on a Friday — though you have an event that night, ma’am, that you’ll have to—”

“Please,” Luna interrupted with a smile, “how many times have I told you to call me Luna?”

You smiled back. “Too many to count… Luna.” It still felt odd to use the Queen’s given name, but her self satisfied smile as she sat back in her chair did make the odd feeling worth it.

“Good,” she praised. “Now, that’s the Benefactor’s Gala, correct? I’ll only need to make a short appearance and give a speech towards the end, so I’ll have plenty of time to dress. Though—” she came around your desk to study the planner herself, standing so close that you could smell her sweet perfume, “that lunch meeting may run long.” She dropped to her elbows on your desk, hips, clad in a dusky rose pencil skirt, cocked in a tantalizing fashion near your head, and you had to fix your eyes pointedly on your planner. “What about this Wednesday here?”

You went back and forth for a while, pencilling in various events. You couldn’t help but let out a sigh as you wrote the last one, feeling your back ache with the strain of both the work and of feigning nonchalance with Luna’s body so near to yours.

Luna seemed to feel the same, straightening to roll her shoulders, but then surprised you by perching on the arm of your chair, somehow looking effortlessly graceful as she crossed her legs, leaving her balanced on the toe of one of her stilettos. “A queen’s work is never done, hm?”

You laughed softly, not letting your eyes linger on the smooth expanse of her legs. “You wouldn’t be a very good Queen if it was.”

Luna laughed too, rich and smooth, and she looked down at you for a long moment before reaching out and tracing the line of your jaw with one finger. “Lucky I have you, then. To help keep me a good Queen.”

You felt yourself blush, jaw tingling where Luna had touched you. You felt your eyes drift to her lips unconsciously, tracing the smooth, sharp lines. Those lips curved into a smirk, and you blushed further, eyes snapping up to meet Luna’s again, who’s glinted with mirth. She traced the line of your jaw again, slower this time, her hand coming to cup your cheek as her eyes flicked over your features, staring as though she was memorizing you.

Lighting zipped in your stomach when you thought you saw Luna lean towards you, just an inch, but your breath caught, eyes flicking to her lips again as she stroked your cheekbone with her thumb.

A clearing of a throat came from the doorway making you spring back, back hitting the arm of your chair. You blushed even further, your cheeks on fire as you tried to get as far away from Luna as possible, who for her part kept her composure, still perched comfortably on the arm of your chair as she stared at Farah in challenge.

“Farah,” you said, trying to pretend Luna wasn’t there, which was difficult considering where she sat. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t realize we had a meeting today.”

“We didn’t,” Farah said smoothly, still staring cooly at Luna. Her gaze shifted to you then, still cold, and you felt your stomach drop. “I thought I’d stop by to see if you were still here. But if you’re otherwise occupied…” she trailed off, looking at Luna again, and your blush which had started to recede came back in full force, feeling like a student she was disciplining.

“No worries, Farah,” Luna said brightly, looking smug as she stood from her perch. “I should be going anyway.” She turned to you then, giving you a radiant smile. “Thank you for all of your help, dear. You are truly a blessing.” She gave you a wink and then headed for the door, passing closer to Farah than was strictly necessary, and you thought Farah’s hackles would have raised if she had any.

A horribly awkward silence fell over the two of you, and you picked at the edge of your desk, unable to meet Farah’s eyes. She cleared her throat again and you then met her eyes, fighting what felt like the permanent blush in your cheeks.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Farah said softly.

“No, no, it wasn’t interrupting,” you insisted, still feeling like you’d done something wrong, but why? There wasn’t anything owed between you, but still you felt like you’d been caught. “Is there, ah, something I can help you with?”

Farah opened her mouth like she was going to speak, but then closed it, smiling at you. It was a warmer smile than before, but it still didn’t reach her eyes, and you felt your stomach drop again. “No, it was nothing. Have a good night.”

And she turned and left, leaving you alone and still blushing.

Why did you feel so horrible? It was a little embarrassing to be caught nearly kissing the Queen in your office with the door open, but the waves of shame and regret rolling through you seemed unwarranted. You and Luna were both adults, as was Farah, and each was entitled to their fun.

Deep down you knew why, and the longer you thought about it, the more sure you were. Flirting with Luna was fun, sure, but with Farah it was something more. With Farah, it was a beginning, the promise of something more, a calling from somewhere in your soul that told you there was something there, something that could be beautiful if you both just took a chance.

You were in love with Farah Dowling. You’d been a fool to not see it for so long, but now that you did it was undeniable, and you couldn’t bear not to tell her, for her to think a moment longer that you didn’t feel for her the way she must feel for you.

It was late now, and after finding her office empty you headed towards Farah’s cottage, not wanting to wait until the morning to find her. As you waited at her door, you thought about what you’d say, rehearsed several confessions, but when the door opened and Farah stood there, hair loosely braided and face bare of makeup, all words left your head.

“Can I come in?” you asked after a long moment, and Farah nodded, stepping aside.

You were both silent again, Farah obviously waiting for you to start as she moved around you into the living room.

“I, uh, wanted to apologize for… earlier,” you started hesitantly, unsure how receptive Farah would be.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. You and Luna are… close. You shouldn’t have to hide that.”

Her words were kind, but Farah held something back, something in her eyes that belied more hurt than she let on. Sorrow pulled at your chest, and you had to clench your fists to keep from going to her to comfort.

“No, that wouldn’t be something to hide, but I meant that… I just wanted to clarify— and what I wanted to apologize for—“ Hell with it, nothing sounded right but the truth. “I’m in love with you,” you blurted, and Farah’s head popped up, staring at you in surprise.

“I love you,” you continued, “and I need you to know that, because what I’m really trying to apologize for is that it took me nearly kissing Luna to realize it myself. I think my heart has always belonged to you, Farah, and I’m sorry that I played this game for so long when I could have been with you.”

You stopped, taking a deep breath and studying Farah. She looked at you cautiously but otherwise unreadable, and for a moment you thought you’d misread her attraction to you, utterly destroying whatever friendly relationship you had.

And then she smiled. Slowly, but it was a real one, and it lit up her eyes so that you couldn’t help but smile yourself.

“I—“ Farah started, and then trailed off, still smiling. And then, deciding better of words, she closed the gap between you in three steps, took you into her arms, and kissed you.

Luna’s touch had been thrilling, exciting, but Farah’s touch, oh, Farah’s touch felt like coming home. You leaned into her, gripping her waist to keep yourself upright as you melted into the kiss, feeling her warm and soft underneath you. Your head swam with dizzying happiness, feeling like a puzzle whose last piece had just clicked into place — full and complete and radiantly beautiful. You could nearly feel Farah pulsing with the same happiness as she kissed you, making a small noise against your mouth, to which you sighed and opened your mouth to her, tasting her sweet and tender on your tongue.

You stayed close when the kiss ended, Farah running her hands lightly up and down your back, sending pleasant shivers down your spine. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

You smiled, feeling as though you might overflow with happiness, and bumped your nose with hers. “Me too. Even if it took me a while to realize how deeply I felt, I always knew I wanted to kiss you.”

Farah smiled again and then gripped your hips, pulling you closer to her. “I thought, when I saw you and Luna, that I’d waited too long to make the depth of my feelings known. I’m sorry for how brisk I was earlier.”

You shook your head, leaning your forehead against Farah’s. “Thank you. Though I can’t blame you. I don’t know how I would have reacted, in your position, though I know I wouldn’t have liked it.”

“It was certainly a shock,” Farah said, and then huffed out a laugh, pulling your hips closer to her. “I’d been coming to ask you to dinner tonight. Not just as colleagues, but as… friends. Maybe something more. Then seeing you together, I… jealous is too weak a word to describe what I felt.” She shook her head then like she tried to banish the thought, and squeezed your hips gently. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She said it simply enough, but the weight behind her words had you wrapping your arms around her neck. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be with. I mean that.”

Farah let out a soft, contented sigh, and gently cupped your cheeks before kissing you again, filling you with light and love, speaking just as clearly with her kiss as though she’d spoken it in your mind.

I love you, too.

[imperiuswrecked]

It’s so sad the way Magneto interacts with Pietro. I think somewhere in his mind in moments like that part of Magneto’s mind is screaming at him ‘Just comfort and hug your son’ but his completely broken sense of self just rejects it but it’s still nagging at him.

My headcanonesque theory is that Pietro and Magneto’s relationship is so strained because Pietro (before shitty retcon) canonically was supposed to look exactly like a young Magneto in many ways and he sees the version of himself that lost control and lost his family. He’s harsher on Pietro because he just sees a bunch of mistakes.

Pietro was always the most unforgiving or harshest in his language towards Magneto (from my reading) which I think comes to a similar thing. He looks in the mirror and society has told him he looks like the baddie; that Magneto is a part of him and he’ll never cut the bond.

I do think that comes more from Pietro internalising and external superficial view of him from others which is far from reality.

I don’t think the Avengers is a healthy place for Pietro, he 100% is better off in an X Team and around mutants as their world view is not black or white.

Magneto & Quicksilver's messy family relationship is so interesting and sad and I am highly invested in them. Like we know Erik's lost a daughter, he spent years in emotional pain and still blames himself for it, he would see Pietro, who's just as quick to temper as himself, as himself and due to his own inner turmoil he can't separate the fact that Pietro isn't him, he sees all his mistakes and all the mistakes Pietro does as something to be judged and he puts all that on Pietro's shoulders. I personally believe that Erik has lost that ability to sympathize with something so familiar to him because that would mean he would have to acknowledge all over again that he failed Anya, also even though Pietro looks like Erik, I always felt Pietro had more of his mother's personality from what little we know of her we know she had a very caring heart. Wanda and Lorna are safer options for Erik to show emotions to, but the best he can do is be better with his grandkids because they are much more removed from the memory of his own trauma. I always felt that even though Wanda looked more like her mother, she had her father's personality and was more sympathetic to Erik.

This is a very long way to say: It hurts Erik more emotionally to connect with his son because his son is such a strong reminder of himself and his wife and to make a real unfiltered connection with Pietro would mean he would have to face himself/his past and reopen those wounds to a very old pain that he spent years locking behind metal wall.

Pietro in canon looks like a younger version of Erik, this is CANON.

Avengers Origins: The Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver

Pietro has HUGE self esteem issues, but that's rarely talked about, but the hints you get are of him feeling out of place due to his silver/white hair, he doesn't look like the other people of his family.

(I always had the headcanon that Pietro's albinism was something that had him looking paler skinned/lighter complexation than other people of his Romani Family. So Pietro was always out of place, either in his own family (Django & Marya loved him but I'm speaking of reasons why he might have felt out of place with other Romani kids which is why he clung to Wanda when they were kids more because he didn't really have friends his own age.) Anyways, that's just a headcanon.)

So Pietro finds someone who looks like him and it's someone who mentally/emotionally manipulated them as teens and is a bad guy and this man turns out to be his Bio Dad, so he would have even more issues with his looks; he also would have had to deal with people connecting Pietro's features with those of Magneto's and him being his son, he couldn't escape the preconceived notion by other heroes that he was the same as his dad, it's something he struggles with and one of the major points of his character growth: I am not my father, I am who I choose to be.

The Avengers is literally the worst place for him to be, the Avengers simply are not a very nurturing or caring team imo, they don't have connections with Pietro (outside a few members) and they certainly aren't friends with him. Pietro himself knows he is being used by the Avengers for what he can do for them.

All New X-Factor #12

Imo Pietro works better with X-Factor. I would love to see him interact more with other X Teams though.

[seventeenlovesthree]

I’m pretty sure I haven’t been the first person who pointed out this parallel between “Our War Game” and “Last Evolution Kizuna”, as the latter is already famous for using and recycling TONS of old material. However, I saw several gifsets on this very moment and I just wanted to give it a little bit more thought (KIZUNA SPOILERS AHEAD).

On a superficial level, both moments are used as symbolism for Sora’s role in both movies: She is not a part of the fight. On an even more superficial level, both moments make me - personally - pretty sad and mad about the fact that Sora, even after all this time, is always getting the short end of the stick, always being left out... 

On the other hand, as much as I would have loved to see her fight alongside Taichi and Koushirou in OWG as well as helping Taichi and Yamato in Kizuna, since all three of them are actually facing the same fate here... It still makes sense. As much as it hurts, as much as I would like for her to get (more) spotlight, as much as I am convinced that there could be better ways to display her growth...

Sora Takenouchi’s arc is about making her own choices. Finding her own path. In OWG, she makes the choice to NOT give in first while being in a fight with Taichi. Sure, if we take Koushirou’s view on the whole issue, we might also find ourselves saying “That’s so petty”, BUT - they’re 11/12 year olds here. We don’t exactly know how their conversation about the hairclip went down, how Taichi phrased it, how he approached Sora about it. Sora, being the typical big sister or mother type, is obviously expected to be the bigger, more compassionate one and make the first step towards Taichi so they can make up again. But she doesn’t, she wants him to make a move. It is DIFFICULT for her, because the fact that she actually showed up at the door shows that she WANTS to make up. Fics often use this scene either to show her being petty - or the aftermath of her regretting to not have helped the boys, but in the end... It was her choice. 

The same goes for Kizuna - this time, as opposed to OWG, she knows what’s at stake and actively decides not to participate. The viewer already knows that she’s even closer to losing Piyomon than Taichi and Yamato are to losing their partners. The viewer also knows that she is still struggling with finding her own identity, coming to terms with what she wants to do and who she wants to be. Again, we’ve seen that not going is HARD for her. In her previous scene, we saw her holding onto Piyomon, saying that she wants to stay with her, she seems torn -  because, after all, it’s in her nature to help. But she still insists on staying behind, because Mimi said they will have her back, no matter what she decides on. Even if it’s painful.

Both scenes, funnily enough, are in some way, shape or form linked to Taichi - in OWG, obviously, it’s her hesitating to ring the doorbell after hearing him begging her to come over via phone. In Kizuna, she hears Taichi blowing the whistle, indicating that the connection to him and the others is still intact after all.

Sora Takenouchi, the big sister type, the helper, the compassionate one, doesn’t want to be reduced to that role - but all of this is still inside of her. And the fact that both scenes explicitly showed her raising her right hand, THIS close to reaching out, shows that she longs for the connection to the others. 

And as much as it hurts - it shows that she has to stick to what she chose. Whether you’re a 12 or a 22 year old, making choices is difficult sometimes. And sometimes, you may regret them afterwards. But sometimes, staying true to your choices is what you have to do to progress as a person. 

[feisties]

OK NOT TO READ DEEPLY INTO A SILLY LITTLE STILL AND CONFIRM WHAT WE ALL ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE DYNAMICS IN THE LOVE TRIANGLE but notice how the pros associated with ben are all related to who ben is as a PERSON

like im assuming if you are a fan of ben x devi then you are probably really compelled by the fact that devi's attraction to ben has a lot to do with ben as a person. although thus far theyve been put into a lot of adversarial positions, their developing friendship is based on a mutual appreciation for other aspects of each other's personalities, despite having perceptions of each other that were negative and having already known about the other person's flaws.

here it appears that the pros that ben has are "smart", "challenging", and "hella rich". I can concede that hella rich is not a personality trait or an attractive element that is a super central aspect of someone's character, the other pros read more that way. of course devi and ben have had a history of facing off academically, and so it makes sense that she has respect for his intellect, but to appreciate him for being "challenging" is something that i find super interesting. it shows that there's so much more substance to their relationship (as we have already known) and that she can appreciate how he pushes her to be her best, to go outside of her comfort zone, or anywhere in the realm of self growth and betterment.

meanwhile, paxton's pros/cons seem really superficial to me, for obvious reasons. part of me wishes devi and paxton had a deeper connection during s1 so there could be more to work with here, but clearly the benefits she sees w going the paxton route are related to his looks and status. she doesn't see him as a fully fleshed person. his cons reflect this too - one of the cons is a value judgement based off of the character of another person entirely. it just seems like devi still doesn't like paxton for paxton, and doesn't value him as a person but really as a gateway for various rites of passages like first boyfriend, first time having sex, etc.

anyway. to me it seems extremely clear that she has much more of a deeper connection and attraction to ben, and it feels very much like im stating the obvious. but i wanted to geek out over this image bc this is one of the most explicit demonstrations of this difference in her attractions to either character and i'm so excited about the development of both relationships

[nanakah]

about Ishigami, his growth and Miko's role

most people, myself included, thought at some point that Tsubame's rejection (or acceptance) could wrap up Ishigami's arc and even his past's flashbacks neatly, but Osaragi's arc suddenly revealing there was more to his relationship with Miko made me reflect more and think nah...if anything we're halfway there. It also showed glimpses of him already struggling to find his place in the world by quitting his clubs, even though he was successful at them and there was no Ootomo incident yet to undermine his self-image.

It seemed odd that despite everything he went through he still has his "hair=shield/averting eyes" theme going strong, but it makes sense if you consider even though Tsubame helped him see the way to be more accepting of people and cleared his name, his self-esteem still is super low. I spoke of this in my "sutera" meta, but to Ishigami, his life still has been a sucession of failures and almosts. At his core, he still hasn't fully opened up to people or learned to use his vulnerabilities to his advantage.

If I have grabbed your interest thus far, keep reading for more considerations!

Tsubame is kind to anyone and attempted to do good for him, but ultimately he was never fully himself around her, nor she tried/he alllowed her reaching out to the deepest parts of his insecurities. She doesn't show her own flaws to him either and to this day we get the feeling we don't know her well, just the best parts that Ishigami wanted to see. Kaguya, Miyuki and Chika contribute a lot in a sibling-like way, but there's a limit to how much Kaguya in particular can inspire him. Miko however, has scratched a little beneath the surface and has expressed an interest in helping him with that, even if he himself is still avoiding the topic. She's also more relatable to him in the sense that the rest of the stuco has a history of successes in their lives, while he was able to watch Miko's hardships and failures closely. Their panic attacks even look similar and they're always watching the other to provide backup (in a very roundabout way, at least before) when they happen.

While their personalities are fundamentally different, his arc and struggles remind me a lot of Miyamura from Horimiya and today, as I was musing on what is so different about them as of now, I believe it's how Miyamura didn't have a single *traumatic* mistake to get over, so he goes down his development road much faster. Putting it another way, it's ultimately that Ishigami hasn't yet learned to be kind to himself like Miyamura has through Hori. Like Shirogane and Kaguya are through themselves. In Miyamura's case, sympathizing with how Hori despite her strong exterior can be very fragile inside but still support him (fight for him, defend him, accept his true self, not judge him, hear him, make him feel good enough) made him feel compelled to grow stronger to protect her back.

Miko as she was at the beggining of the story couldn't provide Ishigami this sort of stability (and that's where Osaragi's "prettier story"/"you weren't there for him" reasoning fails) even if deep down she wanted to, but now after making many mistakes, learning from them and becoming more flexible, she absolutely can. Both Ishigami and Miko have deeply rooted issues that took them more than just each other to flesh out and develop, but they're very much the missing puzzle piece the other needs.

Miko still very much has room for growth as well, mainly concerning finding a middle ground between her "bad girl" and "good girl" personas that Ishigami can easily see through, as demonstrated by the consolation chapter. She tried being "bad", she attempted lying but was still saying half-truths, because her love of justice isn't just out of parental abandonment issues or loneliness - she does believe them sincerely. The moment Ishigami headpated her and shared genuine, spot-on words of concern and admiration (thus a hint of fondness), it was all over for her trying to keep up the love-warfare upper hand.

That's not actually new - Ishigami has always demonstrated he was able to see glimpses of her true self, be it teasing how she's an otaku or a closet pervert and such, he never fully bought the strait-laced image she aspired to make real. But it did take him being around her more to see she could be sweet to him and as he puts it, that smiling more is not a bad look on her. Miko says to Osaragi your true self only comes through interacting with others, so given how lonely she has always been (and how the one person close to her - Osaragi - was actually keeping things between them superficial because of her own problems), it's no surprise she's only finding out now who she is. Ishigami can help Miko find a better compromise of good/bad after both not following any rules at all for so long and recently learning that hard work can pay off. Miko immersing herself in his hobby will clash with her rigid study schedule sooner or later, and he'll know how to help her with that better than anyone else.

On the other hand, Ishigami's moral compass, romanticism (love for flowers, planing dates etc) and idealism aren't things he is proud of...yet. He protects himself with layers of cynism, especially in his first appearances, but he is always being contradictory and letting it slip how idealistic/pure he is at heart. He also is only now learning to like his outward image with things like fitness/studying and finding out it's not like he never cared about it - it's just that he was scared shitless of failure, thus never even tried hard in the first place to avoid being hurt. And as I have advocated for in the Sutera post, I expect Miko in some level to help him come to terms with seeing good in himself. Heck, even being able to game with her now and showing off how good he is and having her appreciate it is gonna do wonders to make him feel more "adequate". Tsubame's arc had a lot of him changing himself to become "better", but Miko on the other hand is trying to put herself in HIS shoes to maybe go "hey, I like you as you are. I'm trying to understand you more and put effort in for you".

Ishigami and Miko start out watching out for each other behind their backs - which instead of helping their relationship, drives them further apart because they think the other side is showing no appreciation. As the story progresses, they're slowly learning to make each other more aware of their support, and it is making them open up more in general.

They have a strong belief the other wants to be rescued and there is truth in that. Both want help and to be recognized for their efforts, but won't cry out for it. In the unplugged earbuds chapter Ishigami takes it upon himself to protect Miko's reputation in spite of himself, the election arc has him actually putting effort into the campaign just for the sake of protecting her and at first posing as a rival of hers to Shirogane only to reveal he's trying to "make Miko smile", he is constantly fending off men from interacting with her as protection (while also sounding jealous), he was way more protective of her when she was wearing that cast than needed and is now being able to openly headpat her and sounds almost like her "soothing sounds" from the days of yore lol Sure Tsubame seems like his start to becoming "a better man", but all the way back on the election, it was for Miko's sake that we first SEE him putting effort into *anything* without being coerced by anyone to take action.

And while it's more discreet compared to Ishigami's "white knight" attitude, Miko also tries hard to protect him - cheering him on during the sports festival race and wanting to console him before the stuco intervened, telling him he should study (but he thinks it's just nagging), christmas (which I'll elaborate bellow), making sure he was able to graduate middle school by actually confronting school staff and, of course, their very first meeting as recently revealed.

Many people hated the entirety of Osaragi's arc, but 232 gave very juicy info indeed. Ishigami's reason for supporting Miko from the shadows comes from admiration AND part gratitude for her attempting to talk to him and listen to what troubles him, and seeing they actually had a "falling out" argument was game changing.

He looks sad and troubled to have shut her down there, not simply angry, and so does she (there's tears in her eyes when her face is shown in the next page) - despite her black and white sense of justice at this point of the story, she still wanted to listen to him. And even after that outburst she still believed the rumors weren't real, unlike Osaragi sees it - otherwise she wouldn't have made the effort for him to be able to move on to high school. Why would she care, if she truly hated him and thought he was in the wrong?

If any further proof was needed at all that this info is important, I'm happy to say we have more. I noticed the Christmas stairs scene mirrors this exact falling out moment: "Go away"/"Suit yourself"

But this time Miko had already decided to change, had already seen the mess their relationship became the last time she did not reach out to him and thus already had their previous falling out in mind - meaning she decides to chase after him.

I don't like how the scanlations handled this scene because reading the japanese raws, my interpretation was that Miko was sounding "annoying" because she was still kinda drunk/unfiltered and freaking out when talking to Ishigami, not outright berating him like the Jaimini's box translation made it look like. She also sounds too angry after the fall, so I generally thought Viz's version (the panel shown above) was closer to the original.

"I always have to take care of you! You keep putting youself in danger. You can't make it on your own." is a better translation than Jaimini's, and also parallels better what Ishigami is often telling Miko as well (That she keeps putting herself in danger and that he has to be around to keep her in check). But with 232 in mind, I think it misses a nuance of the original line: "ほんとあんたは 私が居ないと危な��かしく駄目ね" - "Honto anta wa watashi ga inaito abunakkashiku dame ne" - while I'm a novice at japanese studies, gathering from what I can read and trying to get a feel of the whole sentence, it's closer to "So it really is dangerous to you if I'm not there/ It's no good if I'm not around you". You can take that as her being full of herself, which is the route Jaimini's goes ("You'd be screwed without me") but that's too hostile - Viz's got the spirit of wanting to protect him better, but the original has an implication that she has "tested not being there"/failed being there before (due to not fully siding with him in middle school) that's absent elsewhere.

IMO the reason Ishigami's "closed his eyes" arc is not over yet is because he hasn't accepted or gotten over or fully learned from his past yet, he simply shut it down. That's why briefly during the sports festival his eyes are in plain view, then go back to their usual for the balloon gag. I'm not sure if Ootomo herself will make a comeback, may or may not - regrets are regrets and sometimes the only solution to them is letting them stay in the past. But the topic of how he saw Miko in middle school and the letter certainly are being set up to still show up in the story.

If I compare him to Miyamura again, he'd still be at the point before Miyamura's haircut - not wanting to face the parts of himself he doesn't like, not quite ready to change. Not quite ready to patch up his own wounds yet and instead silencing everything from his past.

In this sense, Miko does wonders to make him feel more confident even if he hasn't realized it yet, and she's always dropping little hints she'd like him to worry about his future not in a naggy way, but because she genuinely prays for his success. He unconsciously wants Miko to think well of him and it fills him with confidence and a more prideful image of himself he doesn't really display to anyone else, not even Tsubame - like his usages of "ore" (a more manly/confident way of addressing himself) around her (AND HER ALONE):

( I don't like the available translations to the staircase scene either, lol. Zaibatsu has conveyed the tone of the second scene up there perfectly. For the staircase line, I've seen "I'll be there to catch you" and "I'll save you" which are contextually correct, but to me the original "俺が絶対守る" - "I (ore) will absolutely protect you" carries a much more romantic nuance or ambiguity, regardless of him realizing it at that point. It's like, the title to one of the most romantic moments/songs in the CCS Clear card anime ost, for instance. OF COURSE MIKO LOVES HIM. The narrator doesn't overexplain or take apart Ishimiko's interactions like for Prezguya, but all the evidence needed is there. And I gotta add the very next chapter to the staircase one is the "eternal love" x "real love" I'm super fond of that says fate is irrelevant and to find real love you must use your head to realize/understand things, so makes the romantic subtext even greater.)

This whole affair is also making me open my eyes that I should try to study japanese more...of course I'm happy to have translations and scanlators working hard, but there is something inherently lost in adaptations because it robs you of connecting with the author's intentions unless it was the author who wrote the translation in the first place

Thinking back on Ishigami's early "i wanna die/i'm going home/don't look at me" role, it seems unbelievable we're at the point he's now able to directly confront a "stranger" (lololol) or make serious promises with so much confidence.

PLEASE DON'T END SO SOON MANGA, I NEED MORE.

( off-topic kind of, but i'm lazy to make a separate post just for it: Since I mentioned things lost in translation, I saw something on Discord about Ishigami having an unreliable narrator moment in the "compliments" chapter/Iino Miko cannot love part 4 and holy molly, it is true. He first says something akin to "You're just too beautiful" out of context, Miko HEARS IT - and that's why she looks so shocked before asking for clarification - and he DID SAY IT in the speech bubble, but after she's nice to him and he thinks back to what he said he adds a "Your handwriting is just too beautiful" to his flashback. I'm ONTO HIM. ONTO HIM I SAY. It is what he meant, but it's like his mouth betrayed him. Whether it's unconscious or denial...it totally is something. The scanlation completely skips this and had the same line both times it's mentioned.)

[bellamygateoldblog]

My opinion is that a good amount of the fandom doesn’t see El as her own person and only sees her as an extension of Mike even when they try to deny it, and that not being together romantically would be a lot healthier for both of their character growth.

oh this. ive found in my short bursts of exploring the stranger things fandom that far too many el stans for my liking erase or twist everything that makes her HER, or seem to get defensive over characteristics that el DOES have and things that el DOES do. not everyone loves characters the same way, sorry that you can't appreciate el's hot-headedness, intellectual struggles and probable post-institutional syndrome, and tendancy to mimic other people around her as she learns the world, but that's a you problem shawty <3

i think a lot of people just don't care to engage with her character on any deeper level other than thinking she's a cute badass who kicks monster ass, and that's okay. i do get the impression with how they talk about el and mileven, and the type of content they make, that a group of fans simply use el as a self-insert because they find finn cute. i tend to think el does have her own distinct personality, but for those who don't necessarily engage with her character, i can see how she'd come across to them as a semi-clean slate they can project onto.

and actually ive decided to go on a tangent because this just reminded me of something lol and im using this anon as an excuse to try to collect and organise my thoughts. in the conflict scene between mike, max and nancy regarding mike's concerns of treating el like a weapon, nancy was literally projecting in that scene...she's personally dealing with sexism in her own plot and thus applies her own feelings about her own situation to el's, growing defensive over mike's genuine worry, batting it away with 'el knows her own limits. el is her own person' and she's misguided because even though el does know a great deal more about her power than anyone else, she's been shown to be extremely brave, protective and sacrificial (which mike helplessly WATCHED the first time) for the people she cares about and would absolutely exhaust herself and push herself past her own capabilities if it meant saving them for a little bit longer. that's ALSO who el is at her core. a girl who loves deeply.

to me it's not that mileven is 'unhealthy' like they're kids tbh, tho mike has been paralleled to hopper in s3 numerous times with his possessiveness, talk of others "corrupting" her, and typical 80s teenage boy behaviour, for me it's that i don't really like where that dynamic puts mike's character and by extention how other characters have to kind of...revolve around mileven when it's romantically A Thing, as they literally did in season 3. mike is a group leader but in season 3 he really wasn't, mike loves his friends so much but in season 3 he was really slacking on the whole 'i would literally DIE for my friend' thing and was so obsessively preoccupied with girlfriends (while the girls, on the other hand, were living their best single lives) that he shoved aside 2 out of 3 friends etc.

el on the other hand isn't that much affected as a character by having a boyfriend/love interest as far as we can tell, which I really love, however I find it...odd...that she's this really traumatised child with actual powers, she's WEIRD she's not normal, she's no particularly well-adjusted, she's still learning language, context and behaviours and such, she doesn't know who she is or what she likes, she's barely seen the world, but right away she's just acting like a normal teenage girl with unconventional speech patterns trying on clothes, eating ice cream, skipping through the mall, oogling boys and dealing with angsty teen drama, which isn't bad, I'm just wondering where the rest went and why they can't co-exist. a quick shot of el feeling watched and uneasy while she's in the mall surrounded by all those people. something. that's not really a gripe i have with mileven, but just how it's been fitted in with the other elements of the show and how it was so in our faces all season 3. with that being said im in agreement with the metas discussing how season 3 is supposed to be superficial and goofy and emphasises how mileven doesn't really work and has been moving quickly, i think we were supposed to be uncomfortable with that makeout scene watching through the crack in the door where hopper is, being told the kissing is constant, having joyce ask hopper to clarify it's ONLY kissing these 14 year olds doing, that awkward one-sided kiss with mike's eyes wide open, everyone teasing them or expressing frustration towards them, etc. i have no hard feelings for mileven, i don't actually mind it (or i didn't until all that i just mentioned in s3 plus some), i think it's very sweet in s1 and s2. really i don't take major issue with the relationship itself when you remove it from everything else and look at it, i simply just prefer byler. LOL.

[xostrawberry-milkyox]

Heya! I'm not sure if this has been asked before on your blog, but besides Hawks, which other bnha characters are up with him as favourites? :D

Hi! This hasn't been asked yet. While Hawks is obviously my ultimate favorite that I could go on about for days I do have others that I really enjoy.

//warning: graphic violence (Shigaraki's origin)

Endeavor - Endeavor has become one of my favorites because of all the growth he's had as a character. As well as what he represents. He's the only abuser in the series that is trying to atone. We saw Overhaul's react when Eri was mentioned.

Takami Thief and All for One have shown no signs of regret for what they did as well. Kotaro Shimura did at first when he was confronted by his wife. But it's hard to tell how genuine he is considering his reaction to seeing Tenko's quirk activation compared to his wife.

Which reminds me of this statement that basically explains Nao reaching for her son and Kotaro defending himself by hitting Tenko.

Endeavor also now knows his son is a murderer, who tried to kill him. Yet he has a completely different reaction.

Endeavor being the only abuser to atone reflects on real life abuse as well. It is very rare for abusers acknowledge what they've done to their victims and even more rare for them to atone. Endeavor represents how even terrible people are capable of change.

Shouto - Shouto is one of my favorite students. Not only has he also had a lot of development but he is a walking meme. He also represents what healthy coping mechanisms for abuse look like - compared to Dabi. He doesn't let it consume him but he also doesn't simply forgive Endeavor for everything he's been through. Forgiveness is perfectly fine though if it is how the victim chooses to heal which we've seen with other characters.

He wants Endeavor to prove himself. See him become a decent human being. Encouraging him to grow basically. I would say Natsuo might represent healthy ways if someone still feels they can't forgive the abuser at all. With the same concept as Shouto, doesn't let it consume but also doesn't forgive.

Shouto has grown as his own hero. He doesn't let his trauma stop him. Even his mother has said he has been the one taking big steps in restoring his family.

Tokoyami - I admit I didn't start giving more attention to the bird boy until his internship with Hawks. But he grew on me as his own individual character. He's also a walking meme like Shouto so he makes me laugh.

I also love his quirk. Dark Shadow and Fierce Wings are my two favorite quirks in the series because FW is very versatile and DS is not only strong but has a personality of it's own - and it's a funny one.

Mt. Lady - Mt. Lady has become my favorite female character ever since the war arc. I love her growth from being this superficial hero who's only in it for the fame and money to risking her life for others and staying in the downfall of society. So I was very excited at the fact that she will be taking part in the current arc.

Shigaraki - Shigaraki is my favorite out of the villains. His backstory is heartbreaking from the abuse he faced to the way his quirk activated and how confused he was. Not only that he was groomed by AFO - who I think looks at Shigaraki as what he wishes his little brother would've been since he rejected him.

Shigaraki is a prime example of how society has dehumanized heroes. You do not need to be a hero to lead a lost child to a police station to find somewhere safe. Shigaraki shows us how society was far too dependent on heroes that they couldn't even show a lost child common human decency. Which resulted in what he has now become.

[hopeswriting]

I meant to do a post about my thoughts on the Daily Life Arc now that I finished rereading it, but I can't seem to find the time and it's been a while now, and if I keep it up I'll forget what my thoughts are to begin with lol, so here's the long story short:

I know it's a long arc, as in it starts being boring and more or less unbearable past some point, because the "gag of the chapter" format only takes you so far, and not actually very far if Amano's humor doesn't work on you much, if at all. I don't think it's an arc you can reread right away/soon either, lest you feel that one flaw even faster.

And I felt it too, starting with the fourty-something chapters I felt like it was dragging on too much, though to be fair that probably had to do too with the fact I knew things much more interesting were coming after that.

Still, all that said, like, it's an enjoyable arc. Amano's humor happens to work on me, and she does it really well, and I liked reading the arc. There are some chapters where you're really asking yourself why they were written for lol, but even then you read it for the characters, and it somehow keeps you going.

And like, even though I think Amano could have seen the fact the comedy was going to turn repetitive and thus boring at some point, and try to diversify it or something, it's just how comedy/humor/gags works? Some jokes land and some doesn't, but for me at least a lot more of them worked than not.

The DLA is a good enough arc is what I'm saying.

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On than note and on the contrary, of course it's fine if you think it's a bad arc, to each their opinion, but personally I really don't agree it's an unnecessary one.

I'm saying this because apparently it's not uncommon to advice new fans to skip the arc and directly start with the Kokuyo one? (Or so I learned on TV Tropes anyway, this might or might not be still relevent/accurate.)

Now don't get me wrong, the DLA does fail to hook the readers to the story for the reasons stated above, I agree with that, but it literally introduces the main character? And all the other characters, and gets us to know them, and establishes the dynamics between them and why they're the way they are, and, though only in a more or less superficial manner (and more than less) by design of the arc's purpose (not being deep in any way lol), it still gives us an insight into the characters and why they're the way they are. A glimpse into the core of their personality, the "stakes" of their characters, the flaws they have to overcome.

And all that in the context of their daily life, so if you skip it to go directly to the arc that challenges them, you can't appreciate fully how they rise to the challenge, how it shows their growth or reasserts their core values. You can't know how much or what it means, for example, off the top of my head, to have Yamamoto sacrifice his arm to beat Ken, when only a year ago he tried to kill himself over his broken arm. Or Hibari losing against Mukuro, thus telling us how much of a real threat he was. Or Tsuna screaming at Lancia for having hurt his friends, anger on his face, clearly despite himself, that Dame-Tsuna.

All these just wouldn't hit you the same, and it'd be such a shame? I mean I guess the ones who start with the Kokuyo arc go back to read the DLA, or you could compromise like the anime did by splitting the DLA between more serious arcs, but like I said I personally don't find the DLA that bad, so I still wouldn't advice it lol.

Even if, I suppose, it'd mean they might give up on the manga somewhere through the DLA, but like? Some mangas just don't speak to you, and that's fine, and it'd be a little of a shame from my POV as a KHR fan, but still, no big deal.

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I'm still very impressed with how smoothly Amano went from a gag manga to a shonen one, and how she made it so the DLA still fits with the rest. I mean the sudden change in tone/stakes/etc is jarring, sure, but it's all based on stuff she introduced in the DLA, which she presumably came up with with no intention to ever make it something deeper/more meaningful.

It's easy to believe the foreshadowing, and generally speaking the worldbuilding was planned all along, which, again, probably not, and like? Super impressive.

(Though once more don't get me wrong, there are inconsistencies/plot holes in Amano's plotlines and worldbuilding, but not, like, at their seams, if I can say it like that? It's more often in the details, and it's fairly easy to fill in the blanks ourselves.)

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Finally it was a lot of fun to rediscover the characters in a new light, and a bit of a disbelieving surprise tbh.

For context before I started my reread of the manga, all this time I was going with the time I read/watched it years ago plus the times I skimmed it, but mostly by all the fanon I was consuming. And it's not to say fanon is wrong per se, but it latched on one to three character's traits, or slapped an easy character archetype on them easy to "relate" to within, and apparently never looked back lol. And also often dialed up those traits (good or bad) in a very noticeable manner.

What I'm saying is, fanon is, in fact, wrong sometimes zldnslsz, and the characters are much more nuanced even in the DLA! (Which still leaves us at a more or less superficial level, because, you know lol, but still!)

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To name the ones that stood out to me the most:

Nana isn't abused by Iemitsu, nor is she unhappy in her marriage despite Iemitsu being an absent husband (which is not relevent in the context of the DLA, but still, you can tell). She isn't an abusive mother to Tsuna either, and she is literally never an airhead. She literally just isn't, she actually does react very normally to the crazy Reborn brings with him, but much like Yamamoto as long as no one gets hurt (or walks it off), she just brushes it off.

And she has friends she goes listen to piano recitals with, and tries to save on money by eating rests, and gets in two-way arguments with Tsuna, and raises his allowance if he gets better grades to push him to work harder, and all around is just your average mom that really didn't read as just The Mom, if you know what I mean.

She has her flaws, definitely, she's not a great mom, namely is apparently used to call Tsuna Dame-Tsuna, but she's not just that.

She takes care of him, worries over him, and seems to be the only one who hasn't given up on him yet when the story starts. She supports him (though sometimes in a tactless to hurtful way), praises him when he does well, and trusts him to watch over the kids.

She's not that bad is what I'm saying, and 100% redeemable (that is, if you think she needs to be redeemed to begin with, which I actually do think she does, calling Tsuna Dame of all things is just a really shitty thing to do.)

(Though it's interesting to note that she doesn't do it again after what happened with Kyoko iirc, even if she might very well still talk to him in a belittling way at times. I just wish Amano would have commit fully to acknowledge it and resolve it, what with already having made it Kyoko's Dying Will Regret.)

(Edit: I had forgotten but she literally forgets his birthday while preparing someone else's birthday, so I take back that she is 100% redeemable because it's being too nice. But my point still stands.)

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Haru is literally such a fun character, it makes me even more sad now to know what Amano did with her (nothing ansknslq 😭😂).

She's unhinged, has zero impulse control, does not reflect on the consequences of her lack of impulse control as Tsuna points it out, is ready and willing to throw hands at any given moment and is unapologetic of it, and is the one Amano actually calls an airhead.

The only problem she had with the mafia is that she thought Tsuna was forcing it on Reborn, and when she confirmed it was all true she literally didn't even blink at it, and immediately called herself the future Decimo's wife djosdkkd.

On that note she is literally mafia right from her first appearance, is more or less involved in almost all the mafia shenanigans, was right there with Tsuna & Co when they went to destroy the Tomaso's headquarters.

And like?? Amano could just have left it at that if she wasn't going to do anything else/more with it. Haru had so much potential, and not only Amano did nothing with it, she actually watered her down and took away all her distinct character's traits 😭.

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Hibari is so much more feral and playful than his fanon cool, overpowered, quiet badass counterpart. Which I love too, don't get me wrong, but these two sides of him don't have to be exclusive!

He talks and smiles and jokes often, and shows off and casually insults you, and licks the blood away from his lips after having beaten bloody other middle schoolers who dared to defy him (I know this happens in the Kokuyo arc, but it illustrates my point the best).

Not much more to add than that, we should just acknowledge that and put it in our works more often.

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Gokudera is a compelling character from the get go, and as far as the DLA goes, he's the most compelling character second to Tsuna. He's the only one to actually have flashbacks and a backstory. And what stood out to me the most that I don't see often in fanon, is that he's really a good friend.

Yes he has a short fuse and snaps easily and is easy to anger, but he's not always angry. And is seen having and being capable of positive exchanges outside of Tsuna (I'm thinking Yamamoto namely, who's made with Ryohei to be the one he gets angry with the most).

And yes he holds Tsuna on a pedestal and sees him through heavily tinted pink glasses, but even through that he's earnestly a good friend. And tries his best, and is hardworking and overachieving, so much so he messes up without meaning to, but he only ever has honest, straight-forward good intentions behind it all (well, maybe not always lol).

I love him a lot more now is what I'm saying.

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And Tsuna. I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate my thoughts properly, but like... he's just your average teenager. Which of course is his whole thing, and I'm saying it in a very not judgy way whatsoever, but he's often made to be at least a little more than that, namely about his bullying.

Like, it's kind of dramatised in fics? And I'm not going to elaborate on that more because it might come out wrong and I don't want that, but it's just, like—canonically he is just bullied, simple as that. Like many other teenagers are.

And it's all in a "chill" way (for unfortunate lack of a better word, I don't mean to trivialize bullying at all, it's wrong and unfair and never deserved or okay, just so we're clear), and by the time the story starts Tsuna is used to it and has given up fighting against it, and actually finds refuge and a twisted comfort in embracing his Dame-Tsuna's monicker, because at least he's not gonna hit rock bottom deeper than that if he does.

And I'm not actually going anywhere with this, it's just? It hit me how differently canon and fanon portray his bullying.

Back on the note of him being a (below) average teenager, Tsuna is not an uwu pure cinnamon roll too good for this world.

He's literally so quick to judge and criticise, whether in his head or out loud when he knows more the person (namely Haru lol, poor girl), it was actually a bit of a shock tbh lol. He snaps easily, and is lazy, does not want to try even one bit, and is happy to run away from his responsibilities whenever he can.

And not only I'm not saying that in a judgy way this time either, but I'm actually saying it in a good way. He really felt like your average middle schooler, and it was so refreshing to see. That, plus the fact the narrative never holds it against him, let alone punishes him for it even if he's made to grow out of these traits, and it's literally part of his character arc, is kind of unique for the shonen genre (maybe, I'm not exactly a specialist of shonen mangas lol).

And I can see why you'd want to change it in fics, but personally I think it really makes his character's arc even more meaningful.