#thinks he can fit the role or even that only /he/ can.

[erinwantstowrite]

A while ago you liked a comment of mine on TikTok where I said that there should be no second Batman bc having Bruce retire/die means his fight should be over and he should be able to rest properly, (idk if that’s exactly what I said but I think it’s in the ball park) so can I ask what you think about a legacy Batman? And who would you have be the second Batman? Also your art is amazing and I love leap of faith, hope you have a great day

i remember that comment!!!!

i honestly believe that having a "legacy" for every single hero is just,,, boring. the reason this happens is because they are never going to NOT have Batman. how else would they make money??? so they just keep giving us reasons why his mantle has to be there. just like the Joker HAS to always come back, why new characters are always tied in to existing characters somehow, etc.

in a perfect world, we'd get new characters sometimes and overarching storylines that aren't regressed the second we make any headway on character development. we'd have new villains by now that make a name for themselves outside of the original villains, we'd see an impact on our settings and characters, all that jazz. and in this perfect world, we wouldn't have so many legacy mantles

and i mean, like, one of the supers taking up the Superman name? that's cool. they're a family, thematically it works. even with the Flash family, I accept how they do it (though I hardly keep up with their comics)

but Batman?????

STOPPPPP

Every other Batfam member has an arc where they branch away from Bruce and the name, save for Tim and Cass, I think. Tim is... a gray area. I only put him here because he's back to being Robin (because DC can't let go of that money maker!). It's an insult to their characters to put them into the Batman mantle, but in universe, this keeps happening because "Gotham needs Batman."

No! No they do not! They do not need Batman specifically. They need his ideals! His kids do not need to be Batman to have Batman still be around after he's put up the cape or died, because they are that future without the cape! There is no magic tied in to that stupid cowl, they just see it that way because Batman is this larger than life figure. Of course they think their dad is impervious to the world, that the cape that protected them is special, that they need Batman. But that is NOT the case.

Just like with any family, life will move on. The legacy continues through the lessons that the kids learned. In many ways, they are better than Batman because they learned from his mistakes, too. Just like every kid does with their parent.

But they don't want to be Batman. And it's kind of insane to keep putting them in someone else's suit, basically someone else's identity. Dick is a great Batman, but his biggest fear is losing himself in Bruce's shadow. What happened to Jason was because of Batman's failure, and it isn't healthy to put him in the Batman suit. Tim should be allowed to move on from Robin and finally get his own mantle because he has always used someone else's. (Yes I am purposefully forgetting that Drake existed do not remind me.) That and the existence of Gun Batman. Do NOT put him in that suit!!!!!!! Damian is branching out of vigilante life altogether, which is so so so good for him. Him becoming Batman after struggling so much with his identity, purpose, and blood ties, is a spit in the face to character development. I think Duke should get to choose his own name for a hero mantle (because Bruce thought of Signal), and thematically I don't think he fits into the Batman role. He is a shining light the way Robin was, but this time more literal because of his powers. Batman is very human, that's what makes his character. Duke deserves more than being Batman.

The best person for that job is Cass.

Not only does she understand the No Kill Rule in the way that Bruce understands it, she is also his equal or superior in every way. Whether it's her physical abilities, or her intelligence, or her morals, Cass fits the bill. She's one of the strongest members of the Batfam and I think she would be able to take on the burden without crumbling under the pressure or feeling scared of that responsibility. She's fit in to the Batman role before, has mirrored him in many ways, and is also her own character (and man I just really love Cass). She strikes the same amount of fear into people that Batman does, a master of the shadows, the dark, and she has a hope that I think Gotham could need.

But she doesn't need to be Batman to do it. She just has to fill in that role. Sure, she could pick up the name Batman, it won't kill me. But so long as she fills in the space that Bruce left behind, becoming the next leader and mentor, she could be anyone.

I think it's more powerful that way to show that the time has passed. That Bruce's time as a vigilante made an impact. Gotham has changed. His kids have grown up. And the Dark Knight is still there, at home.

[fumifooms]

Kabushuro

Kabru can fix Shuro I think. It’s cute how surprisingly similar they are...

Okay so they're a "we have similar issues" type of duo and the key word is performance.

1) They both treat socializing as a battleground, as a scripted dance there are right and wrong ways to act in, Kabru uses words and social relations as his weapon, especially as someone who was always disempowered otherwise in his life, and Toshiro from his noble background was raised in a very strict stifling way where rules, hierarchy and the importance of social cues were drilled into him. To kabru, being liked was what got him and continues to get him shelter at the island (his landlord even cleans his room for him) and what got and continues to get people to listen to him. To Toshiro, a right conduct is what gets him approval and what upholds the honor of not only him but his entire family and household, it's not just pressure but also his way to feel loved- which never worked with his dad. Kabru's dad left his mother when Kabru was born and Toshiro's father would never take interest in his sons, nothing they could do was grand and impressive enough, preferring instead to travel and horse around despite being a man of great import and military achievements. Community & social success are very important to Kabru and duty and societal approval are very important to Toshiro. Toshiro wants to fit into the expectations placed upon him and Kabru wants to wield social approval to better turn around and change these expectations and that pressure, work towards a society with less need to conform where more people can come to and find a safe home. Toshiro almost dreads his future role, while power couldn't come to Kabru fast enough.

2) They both repress themselves. While Kabru is a malleable tool to even himself, Toshiro's identity and demeanor is rigid, it's just not his own- but something he thought he had to replicate. They both suppress their true selves and their feelings to be more pleasing to the people around them and society and leave very little time for self-care. Neither have people they can truly be themselves with, Kabru not wanting to be vulnerable with anyone even his childhood friend Rin who went through similar trauma, and Toshiro having to be the honorable heir with everyone he interacts with, even feeling like he was betrayed by his mother figure Maizuru he loved when it turned out she also bent her spine for his (in his opinion) good-for-nothing father- he's constantly shadowed by his bodyguards, constantly monitored!!

Like the thing that gives them stress and that gives them validation is sorta the same (achievements & family expectations, understanding and playing people to get to goals) and like……………. Idk

They’re like. Parrot vs parakeet… They share the same cage and Kabru parrot is singing and playing with the enrichment puzzle toys and doing little dances meanwhile Toshiro is huddled in the corner quiet in a ball. Birds are stressed smart animals lol this makes sense to me.

Sooo they're both repressed guys who approach social relationships with a facade and hold the community & world's wellbeing above their own. They do have a lot of differences as well though, like how Kabru is so much more active than passive and paves his own path, meanwhile Toshiro has a hard time leading and tries much more to stay confined in the rigid structure of his life- again being malleable and adaptable vs rigid to a fault. They're both STRESSED and they both hate OPENING UP!

We see Kabru get Toshiro out of his shell a bit :) Though pushing Toshiro to be more active is something we see a couple people do in general, like how Namari dragged him into the "Asivia is causing problems in the party" pre-canon Laios party conversation. But where does this even go from there I hear you ask.

Well thankfully for us, Kabru likes figuring out people and Toshiro does crave some connection, as seen with Falin. Toshiro meeting someone not from the East who is still familiar with eastern customs (okonomiyaki for example), not enough to criticize Toshiro for doing things wrong but enough that Toshiro can relax around him. Knowing his intents get across. It’d be relaxing for Toshiro for sure to be around someone who like, gets social cues almost effortlessly. Kabru would seem to always read him so well even when he can’t express how he’s feeling and, even though it’d also be a bit (lot) scary in a feeling naked and you can’t hide anything from him way, it’d be soothing to know that literally like, that he doesn’t have to put up a front yes (because it'd be useless, Kabru sees A L L)- but also that he doesn’t have to even really communicate verbally almost, which he finds somewhat hard to do. They do still communicate very easily together though! Toshiro is good at picking up on things so he's not oblivious to Kabru's scheming and shrewdness, which makes their relationship easier to both work and be healthy imo.

They gain a sense of complicity pretty quick in canon. Chapter 32 my beloved. I love how he implicitly answers Toshiro's "Is that all?" later with Namari. He borderline opens up more to Toshiro that he's known for a couple days at most than he has to his own party he's known for years.

They just hang out and they tune to each other’s moods and the worries of the rest of the world around them melts a bit... Eventually. When Toshiro starts to actively notice things about Kabru back is when shit gets real on his end like oh... Oh shit…….

Reciprocity is so so interesting to think about especially with Kabru, always. It’s easy when it’s kind of like a play and attending to the other's every need and want just the right way, but then they want you to be part of the equation, what they want is you and not just what you offer them and suddenly it’s…… Not safe, or easy.

Thinking again about my theory that Shuro’s nightmare is just a barely exaggerated day at his house… The dread and suffocation and exhaustion of having eyes and all the weight of honor and behavior constantly follow him wherever he goes, pick his every movement apart. Benichidori style... But like, and how kabru doesn’t need Toshiro to tell him about that nightmare in specific to pick up on his less than ideal childhood. And kabru was in kind of a similar situation of feeling trapped at home by his parent too. Bonding, slowly but surely...

Kabru pulling the same strings he did on Dia’s boyfriend until Shuro’s a tearful mess (still barely holding them back). I do think he’d be a harder challenge, he’s way more repressed, less social and open and in touch with himself, unlike Dia’s fiance who’s all fiery I bet and seemdd to know what was the real issue bothering him… I think it’d be like enrichment for Kabru. Someone to get to know and it’s a lot of back and forth and mutual effort- Kabru’s very used to just, either pushing or receiving a ton in relationships, having people load their feelings and expectations onto him, reserved Toshiro would be refreshing I think. Someone who's not particularly interested in Kabru, and someone who wants to be focused on and looked at just as little as he does. It’s not like Laios where he has important motives to crack his mystery, the stakes are low he can just chill and enjoy trying to figure him out for the sake of genuine curiosity and a lil something in the air whenever they interact. They’re intriguing.

King of staying in his lane looking like a kicked puppy in his noble suit vs king of putting his nose in everyone’s business everywhere for the greater good getting to just have this thing that’s unprofessional and has no reason to be yet feels nice.

They should have regular meetups at the ramen joint, okonomiyaki trio ftw. A mutual letting down of walls in their offwork hours <3 It helps that he's already seen Toshiro at his worst I think. Kabru could even just hit him up sitting with him with a drink for a bit at the ending feast or something and they form a lil friendship :>

In a kabushuro timeline that adheres to post-canon would Toshiro live in Merini or would they be long-distance… Courting through letters and diplomatic travels as ambassadors…… Timeline where Kabru doesn’t become advisor and instead lives as Toshiro’s husband & like second head of the family is interesting… Although Kabru cares about using his politician status for change & greater good. I also do love Toshiro giving up on the heirdom too lowkey. See though the thing is that toshiro is ALSO about greater good, what he & traditions say is anyways, and it's stated that when he becomes the new head of the family things improve in the household- he's a better, more conscientious leader. Advisor x family leader kabushuro where Toshiro pushes for good Wa-Melini relations and an alliance... Every which way is neat

I need a fic where they just self-care and have a slow day hanging out together is the thing. They need a day at the spa (Toshiro needs a day playing in the mud actually but idk they can go to camping spa). Shuro takes a mud bath and realizes he’s entertaining himself by letting the mud drip from his fingers into a little pile on the rim. Even for small habits and stim he'd be super repressed I feel but finding subtle ways to stim king... Would kabru be good at massages? He 1000% knows how to massage out a knot in shoulders, it's a good way to get into people’s good graces... Kabru "I could help you to relax :)" especially if early on and he wants info/to have Toshiro as an ally. Shuro just melts into a puddle because he *really needed* a massage from someone (outside of the family). Didn’t feel like he’d have to continue performing. He knows human anatomy real well and stuff I bet if he tried he could even do acupuncture… Toshiro prob needs to get half-naked which makes him all 😖 but he gets over it and gets comfier the longer it goes on. Kabru’s satisfied/proud when he notices Toshiro’s discomfort get worn down over the minutes until he’s fully relaxed. Thank you @/saccharineomens for the brainstorm <3 God you just know they’d be in a situation where they’re sitting next to each other, having a real heart to heart, and kabru gently puts a comforting hand on Shuro’s leg while nodding sympathetically at him, and Shuro gets a little flustered at what appears to him to be a rather forward move lol.

Kabushuro eventually having the meanest gossip like just absolutely unleashing their pettiness together, I’d love to see it. They've got it in them I know it

The planning plotters...

[hereternalsins]

One day, I won't love you anymore.

- rose ( herdivinemuse via instagram)

Five years of memories. Two years of silence. And now, three months of trying to rebuild what was broken, only to find that some cracks run deeper than time can heal.

She watches him across their favorite café—the same one where they used to spend Sunday mornings years ago. His coffee order hasn't changed: black, no sugar. But something else has. The way he holds himself, perhaps, or the careful distance in his eyes even when he smiles.

"Do you know?" she begins, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup. "In these five years, you've always been perfect and irreplaceable in my heart. But if we continue like this, I feel that... one day, I won't love you anymore."

The words hang between them like frost on a window pane—beautiful in their honesty, terrible in their implications. She watches them land, sees him flinch slightly, the way he always does when truth cuts too close to bone.

They'd thought it would be easier the second time around. After all, they knew each other's stories, could map each other's scars. The muscle memory of loving each other remained intact through those two years apart—the way he still reaches to brush her hair back when she's tired, how she automatically orders extra pickles for his burgers.

But with the familiar rhythms came the old ghosts. His tendency to retreat into silence when troubled. Her habit of expecting him to read her mind. The same misunderstandings that drove them apart the first time now hover at the edges of their reconciliation, waiting to reclaim their territory.

They'd spent those two years apart growing, changing, becoming better versions of themselves. She'd learned to voice her needs instead of hoping they'd be noticed. He'd worked on expressing his emotions instead of bottling them up. But somehow, together, they keep slipping back into their old roles—like actors who know their lines too well to play them differently.

"I still find your coffee cups in my apartment," he says quietly. "From before. I never could bring myself to throw them away."

She nods, understanding the weight of small things kept. She too has a box of memories she couldn't discard—movie tickets, dried flowers, photographs where their smiles still held certainty.

"Maybe that's our problem," she replies. "We're trying to fit new people into an old story."

The truth is, loving him has never been the problem. It's the easiest thing she's ever done, as natural as breathing. But loving someone and being able to build a life with them are different things. The past two years taught her that. They both learned it, separately, in their own ways.

"I don't want to lose you again," he says, reaching across the table. His fingers stop just short of hers, a gesture that encompasses everything wrong with their situation—always almost touching, almost understanding, almost getting it right.

"We're not the same people who fell in love five years ago," she tells him. "And we're not the same people who broke up two years ago either. Maybe we need to stop trying to be."

The afternoon light slants through the café windows, casting long shadows across their table. Outside, the city moves in its endless rhythm, indifferent to the small apocalypse happening over cooling coffee cups.

"Then who are we?" he asks, and there's something like hope in his voice—fragile but present.

She looks at him, really looks at him, seeing both the man she fell in love with and the stranger he's become. "Maybe that's what we need to find out," she says. "Not who we were, or who we think we should be, but who we are now."

The silence that follows feels different from their usual ones—not heavy with unspoken words, but open, waiting. Like a blank page rather than a closed book.

"I meant what I said," she continues softly. "You've been perfect and irreplaceable in my heart. But perfect isn't what I need anymore. I need real. I need now. I need us to stop haunting each other with who we used to be."

He nods slowly, and for the first time in months, his smile reaches his eyes. "Then maybe we should start over," he suggests. "Not from five years ago, or from two years ago, but from right here."

She feels something shift in her chest—not the familiar ache of old love, but something newer, something that tastes like possibility. "Hi," she says, extending her hand across the table. "I'm still learning who I am. Would you like to figure it out together?"

This time, when he reaches for her hand, he doesn't stop short.

[yj-polycule]

Assigning the Batfamily Super Sentai (Power Rangers for my western audience) Colors and Positions based on archetypes in the series and my stupid amount of knowledge for a 50 year old franchise.

Bruce: Mentor Ranger. Think characters like Big One, DekaMaster or Ryu Commander. Been doing this longer than the main team and only really steps in when they need assistance, but isn't always on the battle field. I know a lot of people would default to Red for Bruce, but nah he's long outgrown that.

Dick: Red, but specially the archetype of experienced Red like GokaiRed, ShinkenRed or more recently BoonRed. He's been in the game awhile, definitely longer than the rest of the team and is someone knowledgeable and a natural leader. But also like, sometimes an asshole?? But It's fine he has a heart of gold

Jason: Black. Very much the architype of 'I don't need the rest of you, I can do this all myself' (BoukenBlack, Hachi-Ohger) But also is probably one of the most loyal to the others, even if they won't acknowledge it to anyone else. Typically working behind the scenes from the main team.

Cass: White (Think like Gao White / Shironinger). Very much the heart of the team and lowkey the moral backbone. Typically gets overlooked in favor of the others on the team, but genuinely the most important member of the team.

Tim: Blue but specifically the second in command kind of Blue ( DekaBlue, GokaiBlue, Tonbo Ohger) Very much Ride or Die with the Red, but also isn't scared to call them out on the red's bullshit and will take charge when needed. Probably the most likely to take over as Red in a moments notice.

Steph: Yellow, but the kind of Yellow that radiates 'I'm actually the main character' (OniSister, GokaiYellow, Kamakiri Ohger). She will make you remember her and she will kick your ass in the process. Probably a little unhinged but honestly, you have to respect it, because they are doing the most at any given moment.

Duke: Gold (On the nose I know). My Man Duke gives off Massive 6th Ranger energy, cuz he joins in a bit late but does this man CARRY! Probably a gold who is just doing his own thing but will help when asked, but honestly just leave the king to do his shit and we'll always win (Go-On Gold, Twokaizer, Beet Buster)

Damian: Green. Typically one of the younger members of the team and feels like they have the most to prove (ShinkenGreen, Patren 2gou, RyusolGreen) Can come across as cocky or arrogant but 9/10 times has the skills to back up their claims.

Babs & Alfred both don't fit a specific archetype for Sentai all that much, at least in terms of colors. They both do work well in support roles for the team, be it the civilian that gets their moment or the tech support who gets that one time really cool henshin to stand out and kick ass when needed.

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

Jocks dynamics on Season 5 and comparing them to Henry Bowers gang from IT (and others iconic 80s villains):

This boy below with a blue shirt is the only one that didn't wear their jersey in season 4. I believe he wasn't part of the team at all in Season 4. My theory is that just like Lucas, he is just a black boy trying to fit in; he even did some research and helped them with Eddie's case, just like Lucas. He helped them find the house of that drug dealer named Rick. But he was never seen with them while they were going on a "mission", he just gave them tips and hanged out with them during parties, he doesn't appear in the basketball game, playing or even in the bench, if i remember correctly. His shirt is similar to Lucas blue shirt in episode 2 too, i think they were purposefully making parallels with these two.

We can see Andy and Chance on this paparazzi pic, and supposedly the same guy from season 4, but now he is wearing the jersey below his jacket (we can see the collar from the jersey they use, and some green color too).

Now we have a new jock, a blonde one, that not only resembles Jason (of course), but young Johnny Lawrence from Karate Kid too. This means he will be a big problem, the Duffer Brothers wouldn't cast someone similar to Johnny, a 80s iconic bully, to just make him a random weakling bully (the actor name is Deric Replogle).

He is following Dustin on the school grounds, so he is taking the lead against the actual symbol of the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile, Andy, Chase, and the new teammate are following Mike. When Dustin is at the cemetery, he is the one person more close to him; i think he will do the most damage to Dustin. Chance is there with him, the actor is shaking hands with one of the Duffers. There's no sign of Andy, maybe the actor is behind the camera, or he didn't participate in this scene.

Now i'll explain what i think their conflict will be. Andy is probably the leader now that Jason is dead, and we know he is way more crazy than him; Jason had a twisted idea of justice, but Andy seems to like to inflict pain on others. He made jokes about Chrissy being the one that was murdered, smiled while talking about hunting Eddie, and tackled Erica, a 11-year-old, while threatening to break her arm. Now this new blonde jock could be another violent and sadistic asshole, he looks like Johnny Lawrence, who is someone very dangerous to mess with, and he is the one most close to Dustin after they beat him; this can make both Andy and the blonde to try take the leadership for themselves. The blonde resembles Jason, and this would make Andy feel like an underdog again. I think he actually cared about Jason in some twisted way, but now that he is in a leader role, he won't let anyone take this from him.

We can compare this group with the four core. Andy would be Dustin, the blonde guy would be Mike; both Mike and Dustin are the ones to take the lead a lot of times, and some people tend to discuss who is the real leader of the four core, but they wouldn't care about it. On the other hand, Andy would definitely care about somebody taking him off his leader role, and this blonde jock can be the one. Chance would be Will; both are quieter guys, but Will actually has his own opinion about things and isn't always hiding them; Chance just followed Jason and Andy like a stray dog. The blue shirt guy would be Lucas, as i said. He just wants to find a way to fit in (there's a post here on Tumblr comparing the four core with the original jocks from season 4, but i couldn't find it, if you have it, send it to me so i can put the link right here).

After being challenged by the blonde too many times, Andy would end up killing him, and right after this, he would decide to kill the whole main characters gang for good, after the whole town turned into absolute chaos. He can be influenced by Vecna to do all of this, just like Henry Bowers from IT book and movies. And we know Stranger Things is heavily influenced by IT; Vecna is literally a mix of Pennywise and Freddy Krueger. Pennywise influenced Henry to kill his father, then he made the whole city of Derry be engulfed by a storm. Soon after this, he made Henry and his friends, Victor and Belch, go after the Losers Club. On IT, Henry's main target was Mike, a black kid, and it isn't a reach to say that Lucas, a black teenager, will be Andy's main target too, as he will probably think Lucas killed Jason.

After seeing all this crazy shit happening, the new boy (the one with the blue shirt on season 4, in case you have forgotten, lol) would be scared, as he didn't really want all this to happen, he just wanted to fit in, just like Lucas. Now there are two options that the writers can take, 1: he decides to get the hell of this group just like Lucas on Season 4; 2: he can continue in this hellhole and die with Chance, just like Victor and Belch from IT, to show that not everybody is like Lucas, some people will decide to continue in a bad environment just to fit in; Andy would die later on after having an encounter with the main group, just like Henry Bowers.

Or: Andy could end up being someone like Patrick Hockstetter, a sadistic maniac that ends up having a premature death, then the blonde takes the role of Henry Bowers for himself. But i think the other way is more coherent; Andy is already established as a character (and there's always the chance of this blonde guy being just a random that don't even has lines, but i hope not don't think so, lol).

I think this would be a good way to implement some horror with human villains in the series. If you're going to make a high school bully a villain, make him terrifying, just like Henry Bowers. There's the military like Sullivan and Linda Hamilton character, but i ain't really scared of them; i just know they have resources like guns; they aren't scary at all for me.

I came up with this idea after seeing @will80sbyers posts about these paparazzi pics, thank you!

[princessofxianle]

so, i admit i am biased bc i def gotta be one of the most obnoxious fenglian truthers out there but, cross my heart, even before i became *that* i still read feng xin a little differently...

[fyi this is loooooong]

1. Hua Cheng & Feng Xin care differently

firstly, i do agree that HC and FX are fundementally not the same, their set of values from an outside pov are nearly polar opposites (id prob make their character alignments chaotic nuetral and lawful good respectively) and yes i agree that is the point of their characters. Their relationships w XL are supposed to be foils of one another to prove a point

their values differ but their actions consequently sometimes align, bc yes they care for XL differently, but the common thread is that they do care for Xie Lian

2. Sympathy isnt Empathy

however simply caring does not always mean its done "right" or in the way XL needed during banishment. And yes, this is where FX's actions in the flashback fall short of his intention to help his prince

but it is NOT because he doesn't care. Not at all. It's because, to him, XL isn't human. He's so much "better" than human. He's perfect. He's celestial. He is a god. The strongest of them all. And his actions are always right and just

FX throws XL on the highest pedestal he can imagine and keeps him there, at arms reach, because he believes in him, because he believes thats who XL is. That's what he believes XL deserves. To be above everyone else bc, in FX's eyes, no one will ever compare. Not even himself

and, i agree, THATS the problem

3. Cookie cutter "Taizi Dianxia Xie Lian"

in doing so, in accepting to support XL's dream to ascend, FX reinforces this idea in his mind of how perfect XL is. To him that is the truth. And he has promised to support XL through to the ends his goals. To stand by his side through everything. Ascention, banishment, and everything in between. And when FX tries to encourage XL, he thinks reminding him of how perfect he "is" is the best way

for awhile, this works. Because for the first ~20 yrs of his life, XL never fails. He gracefully falls into this role because he can. Because he fits the shape of the mold around him. But then times start getting tougher. The war. Human face disease. His toppled statue. And then finally his banishment

XL experiences failure, and many of them. And for the first time

FX watches all of this helplessly. So he tries to do the only thing he can. Encourage his pedastaled prince that this failure isnt "him." He's "better than this." And he can ascend again. Because to FX, thats what worked last time

to FX he's only trying to help, but to a suffering XL's ears it only sounds like he has not only failed to be what he once dreamed he'd be, but also begins to believe exactly what you say. That "he [Feng Xin] was never understanding of Xie Lian the person" in the first place

and this is where I disagree

for the greater part of his life, god/prince!XL is not that far off from person!XL. But as soon as those versions start to diverge, if we were to put blame on FX for not "understanding" person!XL (i dont, but hypothetically), there is an equal amount that needs to be pinned on XL as well

because when XL starts to do things that diverge from his old path, he refuses to talk to FX about them. Yes, it's bc of fear that FX wont accept him, but at this point in their story, XL is at one of his peaks as an unreliable narrator, and his fear is palpable in every line of book 4.

but when has FX's actions ever once implied that he'd do anything that would give real grounds to XL's fears? Never. XL may not see this at that moment, but the we, the reader, can.

XL isnt used to failing. XL isn't used to the unknown. He isn't used to not trusting himself. And that skews his whole worldview and its terrifying to him. If he cant trust himself to stay the same, how can he trust FX to? He can't deal with that internal conflict, so he resolves it in the only way he can

he sends FX away

4. Miscommunication™️ is a bitch

yes, XL makes the decision following FX saying "I really don't know why I've followed you all this time." But the conversation that happens immediately preceding this is also very important. And imo, a criminally overlooked core moment for FX as a character

this convo is the first time XL admits his [attempted] theft to FX after months of keeping it a secret. Now, here, FX could've reacted in disgust, or anger, or any of those horrible scenarios XL's mind has concocted to scare him. But he doesn't.

FX is stunned, sure (dont even get me started on how the fandom treats his moments of shock like this like he's an emotionless deadbeat like wtf HE'S HUMAN TOO ...but i digress) but he doesn't react in a way that points a finger at XL. He simply asks him why he avoided theft all this time if in the end, they would resort to it anyway. What was the point to suffer all this time to survive? Why give in now? FX's first thought is seemingly not to judge XL at all. Those questions are posed to try and understand him, not judge him

but these two are kings of miscommunication and the conversation does devolve out of control. Even tho FX is not attacking XL for his actions at all (tho he isnt really helping either), XL starts to get in his head and force FX to witness him turn his own harsh words on himself with statements like how "foolish" he was for ever thinking he could "save the common people", and many other self depricating comments toward what used to be his core beliefs and dreams as prince. And I'm inclined to think thats how he believes FX see's him then too. Broken. Worthless. A liar. And a failure

a failure to be what FX thought he truly was all along

but here's the thing, when FX swore an oath to the crown, specifically to XL, he consequently took on those values and goals as well. FX signed his life away for his prince. Willingly. He never expected to have agency in his own life again. He trusted XL with it. And then here XL is cursing his entire past. A past with FX steadfast and loyal by his side for most all of it. A past XL now claims was all a waste bc he's a worthless fool who couldnt see things "as they are." And FX can't help but ask "when did you become this way?" Not because he rejects him, but because what XL says hurts. An attack on his prince may as well be an attack on him too

XL means to direct it only at himself but he's likely hurt FX too without meaning to. Which brings me to the final classic fenglian™️ point...

5. No one ever gave Feng Xin a chance

I really do believe FX would've stayed

he would've stayed if XL didnt shout at him, "Then stop following" and proceed to slam the door in his face before FX even had a chance to process, and left him like that for 4 hours refusing to speak to him again.

I have often framed it like FX was just following orders when he left (which is true) but what I don't think many will mention is the possibility that FX believed XL simply didn't want him there with him anymore. The things XL says in the point above don't help FX to think otherwise either

But even "direct order"s aside, I still can't recall a time when FX ever intentionally did something against the wishes of what someone close to him wanted. Jian Lan proves this point twice. By first kicking him out during the time while XL went missing for a month during first banishment (to experience the 100 swords) and then 800 yrs later she declines any help from FX when he wants to help take care of her and Cuo Cuo. He offers, but never presses her

he respects the wishes of others unless he has reason to act or think otherwise

6. 800 Years Later

yet no matter how much time passes, FX never stops looking out for XL when he can

FX is now a god. He's Nan Yang. He does not need to answer to anyone except the emporer. He holds no obligation to anyone. And yet, be it...

the merits he subtlely told Ling Wen not to charge XL for

buying back hongjing

being the first to respond to Shi Qingxuan's call for help post ghost city arc and immediately tending to a bloodied XL

threatening and cursing at HC (a ghost heaven knows not to fuck with) to not harm XL after HC kidnaps him from house arrest (and then FX chasing after them himself)

...he cant seem to stop himself from looking out for XL.

And why? What would he gain? I don't know.

Why do we do anything for the people we love? Even if we don't see or speak to them that often anymore.

final notes:

feng xin is simply just "good"

...thank you for coming to my ted talk

and imo his nuance is also very misunderstood - he's not as simple as he seems

but i love him

'why are you being like this? when did. you become this way?' feng xin mumbled. 'i...i really don't know...i'm... why did i follow you all this time--?' 'then stop following,' xie lian said. feng xin couldn't wrap his head around that. 'what?' 'i said, don't follow me anymore,' xie lian repeated.

heaven official's blessing, pg 273

[ilus1on]

this might be extremely unpopular but i think the aizen rhetoric that fixates on godhood is a bit trite

[dykedvonte]

If I was in charge of casting voice actors to Mouthwashing, I would play around with how the game make the player believe that Curly is the one who crashed the ship by casting an actor know for constantly playing villains as him, while Jimmy would be cast with an actor who constantly play heroes.

While I think this is interesting I think a point of the game is that Curly looks and acts like a guy who you couldn’t imagine doing what he did initially.

You get the glimpse of him in the past and while it does give some reasons why he might of done it, you can tell he still wouldn’t. Inversely, while we chalk Jimmy’s behavior and its deterioration on the stress of the situation we learn he’s always been kinda “unpleasant”. I think having like actors that portray that would make sense as it’s the whole joke and deconstruction of the “untwist”. We begin to mistrust Jimmy but we don’t have proof he crashed the ship until near the end.

If anything I think it’s stands more to cast Curly with a typical hero and Jimmy as just some guy. A big part of Jimmy’s character is that he’s supposed to be completely average and sorta plain in comparison to everyone but especially Curly. Despite what people want to say he is designed to look average; a 5/10 mediocre and that’s his biggest issue rather than being a complete failure. He’s just moving along another part of the formation. His job a bit overshadowed even as he’s not even the main pilot. Casting an actor who plays those Everyman common roles only to turn out the reason everything is so bad fits with the theme rather than the typical good guy playing bad role and vice versa.

I think having a typical hero actor for Curly is also very important for the reason he’s incapacitated. These actors are the biggest billed, a reason people go to see the movie so having him basically be cut out of the picture and it forced to follow some joe shmoe is pretty on par for the game. If anything casting Swansea as a typical villain makes more sense as the game winds him up to be more unstable or violent when it’s just not the case, the same with the idea of casting an actress that place ditzy roles for Anya only for us to see how competent she actually is. Not to drag it on but even Daisuke as an actor in mostly silly roles only to be tragic.

I think the casting should play with the idea these are the characters under the lens of a person who fundamentally does not understand them and sees their most annoying aspects to himself vs anything else. Curly is the typically hero to him, Anya some dumb nurse chick, Swansea an untrustworthy grouch and Daisuke some kid. It’s a nice subversion to have them played by those types but not fit the role at all.

[t-u-i-t-c]

Taiya Hando in Bakuage Sentai BoonBoomger 01x48 Your Handle

+ bonus

[sonknuxadow]

the answer to the question of "is vector espio and charmys dad or older brother" is that hes basically charmys dad but to espio he is a secret third thing. some kind of in between of the two options. you cant really fit their relationship into one of the traditional family role boxes but theyre family and thats all that matters. btw.

[scarlettfevor]

Finally got ahold of the audiobook of Penance by Eliza Clark and I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand I love the premise and I feel like it's written well enough to where I feel like the author isn't going to clumsily stumble through her own story and fall on her face at the end like the majority of popular thrillers. But also this story suffers from having someone who hasn't been in school for a long time attempting to write teenagers. The funny thing is that whenever I see a horrible portrayal of teenagers, specifically of zoomers its never like, inaccurate portrayals of slang and trends that most teenagers cringe at, it's extremely unnatural dialogue that I don't understand how even a 30 or 40 year old can't see how awkward and cringe and flat out bad of a portrayal they're doing. You can claim that it's regional differences, even if we were all teenagers once I still don't know what it's like to be a popular mean British girl, but I'm fairly certain that actual popular mean British girls don't go around describing themselves as popular mean girls. The funny thing is that they've mentioned several times that these girls (ok it was actually like one girl but she introduced too many characters and I got confused so I can't even remember the name of the girl who said it) are trying to imitate the mean girls in popular American shows/movies. But I think that it's SO funny how instead of going for the obvious Regina George or maybe the more posh Blair Waldorf, they chose Sharpay Evans....I'm very familiar with the popular mean girl trope because I always love the girls who fall into this category and I can say with 100% certainty that none of these girls act like this either. I don't know what the author is going for but it's very painful to listen to.

[spin-in-time]

Ninjago s1 and s2 i miss you so fucking bad . ;;;;;;;;;;;; i have to rewatch them, My God....

Lloyd and garmadon angst around the s1 finale, I MISS YOU, DO YOU WANT ME TO BAWL MY EYES OUT . ;;;;;

[neixins]

the sword and shield part of the prophecy is soooo vague that i’ll rotate every possible theory inside my silly little head and then go “or it could be smth else”. absolute net zero conclusions reached but i had fun.

[bylertruther]

WAIT i want to complain one last time before i go to bed 💙 smth smth letting the demons out so u can have sweet dreams or whatever after, u kno. ahem. anyway.

girls when their dash is dying and they don't particularly enjoy the direction fandom is headed in bc unfortunately this fandom does move and act like a hegemony / hivemind a majority of the time and the canon compliant content that they do enjoy n look forward to is scarce but it's not like they can even go back to their personal blog for the time being because succession is literally ending forever in three days and hotd is currently filming yes but the tag for 2/3 of their fave characters is literally all either a ship they hate and/or character x reader smut fics and also it's depressing as fuck and the other media content that they enjoy is equally as fucked up which means they'd have no lighthearted Love Conquers All content in their rotation which isn't exactly good and and and—

[005mins]

[katsusks]

small 2am thought but I remember when I was still slowly, but surely catching up to gntm-- considering zura as a favorite never once crossed my mind... really, I was more of shinsengumi gal (with kondo being my main fave) because their gags were fun and their dynamics with a lot of characters intrigued me the most since kyubei's arc, and then the crisis arc. of course as time went on, I did start seeing his appeal (thru owee -> the screwdriver arc -> popularity poll arc in particular)

but the second I reached renho's arc, only then did it click because of his relationship with elizabeth and his ending lines during it.....because like ah! ahhhhhhhh what do you mean the haha funny cringe (mentally) old man has an issue I struggle with too? what do you mean towards the end, the reminder that even in times where he might feel lonely without his pet/partner (that was given to him by one of his friends), he'll still have his friends that will be by his side when he needs them? and what do you mean it was just monday elizabeth who was leaving in the end? what the hell? why did you make my heart hurt over THIS? only to then make me laugh and love zura's character even more during the winter-vacation arc since it happened almost immediately after I finished renho? what the hell is wrong with you?