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amerricanartwork · 1 year ago

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I saw your lilypad art post, and I got curious: why do you enjoy lilypad? it's not a common RW ship, so I'd be interesting to hear what about it you enjoy!

Hear me out, guys... I must explain myself before I get onto the Lilypad essay.

I made that original comment because, at the time, I wanted to just get the aforementioned headcanons out as soon as possible. Understand, my reluctance wasn't because I didn't want to talk about Lilypad, but rather the exact opposite: I had so many feelings about it, yet had put so little effort into expressing them in a coherent, presentable format that I just knew it'd distract me for the next week or two if I let it rent too much space in my conscious thoughts. But now that little comment has left me with several people asking me to share those thoughts, and, both thankfully and unfortunately, I simply can't resist indulging in thoughts about the characters I love—!

Keep in mind, I haven’t finished Saint campaign yet, and even then I’ve found like less than half the broadcasts in Spearmaster campaign yet, so there’s likely some extra canon info I may be missing that could add to or change some of what I say here. I also apologize if some of what I write here seems really out-of-character. I try not to let my passion for my little headcanons and scenarios make me disregard the canon, but even so, I might slip and think up some weird things occasionally. Nonetheless, I feel like I’ve got enough of the picture to start confidently enjoying this ship, so I’ll talk about it anyway!

As always, feel free to add to these ideas if you can! Without further delay, enjoy this 3381-word essay, with a few initial headcanons sprinkled in, on why I adore Lilypad!

Oh, and just in case, if you couldn’t already tell, major Hunter campaign spoilers below.

Quetzalli on Loving Lilypad

I’m gonna start this out with a preface: I can generally find the appeal in a lot of different ships and the art other fans make for them, but for me to ship something enough to actively draw it and make my own headcanons about it and such (outside of, perhaps, gifts for other people), it usually has to contain a variety of “ship tropes” that I personally fancy. Many of my most-favorite ship tropes tend to be the ones that aren’t just cute, but that carry narrative significance and seem poetic in some way, usually because they can facilitate character arcs in the involved characters. The more of these a ship has, or the more ship tropes I can portray it with without it seeming too out-of-character, and the more I like those specific tropes, the better. This principle is a major reason why I’ve gravitated towards Artimand as my main slugcat ship, but for now, I’m going to focus on which of these I see in Lilypad — in canon content, other fan-portrayals, and my personal headcanons — that, as opposed to other iterator ships, has currently won me over.

I’m gonna describe the main general things I like seeing in this ship. Some of them are more due to fandom portrayals than what’s in the canon, but they all play a big role in my current love for Lilypad.

Synergy

I’ll begin with how I really appreciate just how much synergy Looks to the Moon and No Significant Harassment are shown to have, at least in fan content! I always like seeing pairings where the characters aren’t just romantic, but also work really well together as a team or even just as friends. After all, just because the characters may be romantically in love doesn’t mean they must only show it in explicitly romantic ways. To me, Lilypad strikes me as a relationship where Sig and Moon would make an amazing team in many aspects of their lives, whether it's collaborating on projects, sharing their interests, or trying to maintain order in the rest of their group. And their compliment is just really sweet to me, though I’ll get to that later.

A Shoulder to Lean On/The Lady

One of my favorite ship tropes is “character with a lot of weight on their shoulder who finally gets to lift it off and be ‘normal’ for once when around the other”. I’ve always found it sweet when characters like this, especially ones who are normally very selfless, finally get a chance to indulge and enjoy themselves for once! And once again, this is another thing I imagine in Artimand too, and you could project this onto Trafficlights given Suns’s implied high status, but I think it works especially with Lilypad, given Moon’s role as group senior means she objectively has a lot to manage all the time with no permanent escape from it. Even beyond the whole Five Pebbles rot drama, Moon probably had a lot on her plate just in terms of maintaining order between the rest of the group and setting a good example to the younger generations, especially as the group expanded over time, not to mention trying to find the solution herself. Combine this with how I picture her to be the kind of person who cares a lot about her image as a “proper” and “dignified” leader, and someone who often sacrifices her own desires to promote the group’s welfare, I just find it really soft for her to have someone to lean on, metaphorically (and in a worm-off-the-string scenario, literally), and who better to go to than her best teammate, who knows the power of a good laugh and will stop at nothing to have fun with those he loves? Not to mention, since I headcanon Sig as slightly younger than Moon (2nd gen, specifically), I just find it rather cute in an ironic sense that the older, more serious Moon is soft around the younger, far more chaotic Sig, especially as Moon would go through the realization that she actually kinda likes this little troublemaker!

This also comes back to something I mentioned in the tags of that beepsnort post, which is that one of my other favorite ship tropes is “guy who loves/is good at making people laugh x girl who has a REALLY weird/embarrassing laugh”, and that just works so well with Lilypad! It’s admittedly a very headcanon-based thing for me, but given how I’ve already explained my perception of Moon as very proper and serious, I imagine one of the best ways Sig takes the weight off her shoulders is by being the only person who can consistently make her laugh so hard! And with the beepsnort headcanon it’s even cuter, because of course Moon would be super embarrassed every time she even so much as gives a half-chuckle at one of his jokes, because Sig is relentless when it comes to getting the giggles out of her, and he won’t stop until she’s rolling and shaking on the floor of her chamber, her beepy-snorts filling the room! My GODDD I love this trope so much, and for beings who are inherently such workaholics, I think getting to genuinely relax and have fun for a bit, once she gets over the initial shock and embarrassment, would be something Moon would really come to value.

Inverses Attract/The Tramp

I’ve mentioned it in my last Artimand headcanons post, but one of my absolute all-time favorite ship tropes is the classic “opposites attract”, although I prefer the name “inverses attract”. As I like to portray it, the trope not only involves characters who are opposites personality-wise, but those being opposites of the same core aspect, and ultimately helping balance each other out by offering the other half of the equation to each other (hence the name “inverses”). The trope I just wrote about above is how Sig helps Moon to relax and have fun, but as I try to do with all ships, how does it work the other way too? Well, I really like to imagine Sig learning to be more openly serious and dedicated! Don’t get me wrong, Sig is a hard worker (it’s pretty much the nature of all iterators), but given he seems to pretty strongly reject the quest for the Triple Affirmative, I imagine the next problem would be in him finding a new purpose to strive for. And what better new purpose than in standing by and protecting the group senior he thinks he just might wanna be more than friends with?

It already works because Moon, of course, would work to keep Sig in check and make sure he doesn’t go too overboard with his shenanigans. But just imagine how inspired he’d grow over time seeing Moon work so hard to keep the group together and keep them striving for their purpose, even if he doesn’t agree with it. I imagine it’s why Sig’s methods are still rather controlled rather than purely chaotic, and there’s a reason to his rebellion. Thanks to Moon, rather than slaving away at a seemingly impossible solution until his mind collapses with his structure, he’ll use his talents to, at the very least, keep the local group together as long as possible, because even if they’ll all be gone one day, that doesn’t mean they have to go alone!

It’s why I’m also labeling these two tropes together as “the Lady and the Tramp”, yet another ship dynamic that gets me every time! It’s a specific instance of “inverses attract” where the noble, proper lady finds a taste of freedom and courage from the dangerously charming tramp, who from her finds a new sense of purpose and honor! And in my opinion, Lilypad is most definitely the best opportunity for this dynamic among Rain World ships!

The Fated Couple

Slow-burn couples seem to be pretty popular in many fandoms, but what about a really slow-burn? There’s something just so romantic to me about the idea that Moon and Sig, from the moment they met, have always just clicked so perfectly, and have been by each other’s side so constantly ever since, to the point it seems practically inevitable to everyone (except them of course) that they’ll eventually get together romantically. Of course, there are two main roadblocks to their romance being 1.) their whole objective and purpose for being created is kind-of fundamentally opposed to strong attachments like love (I mean, if Karma 3 is Companionship, wouldn’t romantic love be considered the worst example of that?), and 2.) even if they did reject this purpose, being massive immovable structures with the only humanoid part stuck deep inside a box, a budding romance seemingly couldn’t really go anywhere anyway. In fact, because of these roadblocks much of my Lilypad imaginings take place in the ever-popular “worm-off-the-string” scenario, especially since the next couple of reasons for why I like the ship play a lot into the themes I like to incorporate in this story concept.

However, these issues towards such a romance are also what make it so sweet in the end! Just think of Moon, alone in her chamber, beginning to worry about how she’s actually kinda sorta, maybe, hypothetically, possibly, just a little bit starting to like the carefree and charismatic Gen 2 in the local group as even more than just a work partner and a dear friend, but oh no, that’s indulging in a Karmic Sin, and as group senior she can’t just throw away their purpose like that and set such a bad example to the rest! What’s she gonna do?? And then on the other side, Sig puzzling in his chamber, pining so hard for the group senior yet seemingly unable to confess, because, even disregarding Karma 3 and the fact that giant immobile calculators aren’t about to be snuggling any time soon, why would someone as perfect and powerful as her want someone like him, so dismissive of their core purpose and unorthodox in his methods? Is there even a point in having these feelings at all, when they might very well end up simply fading to dust along with the rest of his structure?

Maybe, they both think, it’d be better to just keep these feelings to themselves and quietly love from a distance. That is, until…

Moon’s Collapse and the Slag Reset Keys

The fourth reason is, of course, the most steeped in canon. It goes back a bit to the “shoulder to lean on” concept, but even aside from that, there is something just so romantic about this on both sides.

Firstly, from Moon’s perspective. There’s no doubt that the collapse must have been very traumatic for Looks to the Moon physically, but I like to think about just how much it’d affect her emotionally, too. I mean, being so painfully destroyed by your own brother, with seemingly nothing that can be done to stop it and no one to help you? And then consider how lonely it must have been in her final moments. The only comfort she does get is from Spearmaster’s visit, and even then she sends him off to go deliver her final words, which has still got to be really depressing. And finally, think about how betrayed she must have felt, trying so hard throughout her operation to help her citizens and the local group and be kind to everyone, only to have it be repaid like this, forced to collapse in on herself, being buried under her own body, unfathomable pain all around, and with not a soul to help her.

So then, think about just how shocking and heartwarming (literally, if you think about it) it must be when that lovable Gen 2, always so playful and carefree normally, is the one to give her a second chance and being her back when all hope seems lost, and using such a unique delivery method no less! I mean COME ON, Sig literally brought her back to life, how could one NOT fall in love with someone who did that for them? It links back to the “shoulder to lean on” idea, in that, for once, someone finally looked out for Moon and gave back to her for all the kindness she gave to the world. Think about this as the moment she truly realizes she’s in love with No Significant Harassment, and how tragic it’d be knowing now, it’s too late to say it. But, even so, if he’s willing to go this far to make sure she’s okay, then maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance her love at least wasn’t alone.

Now, my thoughts about this from No Significant Harassment’s side (which also kinda turned into a mini NSH appreciation paragraph that links back to the earlier Inverses Attract and Lady and the Tramp segment), I think it’s very poetic to see him going out of his way to take his messenger concept, originally used for no more than a trivial prank and at most a very experimental and unfinished alternative communication method, and turning it into a noble last-ditch effort to rescue the one he loves. It doesn’t just clearly show how much he cares for Moon that he worked to save her when no one else did (and if that’s because the odds of being able to do anything seemed very low to the rest of them, that makes it even more sweet) I think it shows off a lot of Sig’s character beyond just being a jokester. Like, I’d seen this kind of personality for Sig in the fandom content before, but this action and the other broadcasts are what first made me truly realize not just that it is based in canon, but that, more importantly he’s not just stupid or unfocused, he’s rebellious. He doesn’t joke around because he just doesn’t care, it’s because he’s independent, he’s got other places he wants to go and plans that don’t fit into what most of his peers are used to. He makes light of the world because he sees what others don’t, and it’s honestly pretty frickin’ funny how blind others can be most of the time (case-in-point: him making a slugcat from a messenger, which no one else thought to do because those creatures seemed too “dull” and “primitive” to ever be capable of such a thing). So think about how significant it must be when he’s openly taking something seriously. This is where that dynamic of the Tramp, and how Sig would benefit from this relationship is really highlighted. I just adore it when the easygoing, carefree character finally finds purpose in their lover, and springs into serious action like they never were before! And it makes sense too given what I said about them not getting together before: seeing Moon collapse would show him directly that even beings as durable as iterators don’t last forever, so if he’s got these feelings for Moon, he’s got to make a move while there’s still a chance! And what better way to show his love than to bring her back when all hope seems lost? Which brings me to the final aspects I’ll talk about here, first of which is…

True Love’s Kiss

Yes, you read that right. The real reason I love the slag reset keys as a plot element so much is not just because it shows Sig’s secret strength of character, not just because it finally gives reward to Moon’s kindness, but because it is a real fairytale come true!

I know this sounds crazy and probably totally unrelated to Rain World, but think about it! You guys have probably seen Snow White and Sleeping Beauty before, or at least one of the two? Isn’t the whole trope that the beautiful princess, fairest maiden in the land, gets cursed through some means or another to die (or in Aurora’s case, fall into an indefinite sleep), which is only undone when the strong and brave prince, riding upon his noble steed, awakens the princess by giving her true love’s kiss? I already love both those movies on their own for various other reasons, but after my description, is this starting to sound familiar in another way?

I mean, with everything I’ve said about Moon in this post so far, there’s no doubt you could perceive her as the “fair princess”, who through unfortunate circumstances is put to a premature and indefinite death. And there’s no doubt Sig fills the role of the brave prince by working to save her with the slag reset keys, which in this metaphor are undoubtedly the “true love’s kiss” that ultimately conquers all, always longed for, and finally delivered! And hey, given Hunter is the one to carry the keys to Moon, a small yet courageous beast who stops at nothing to meet his goals, Sig even has his own “noble steed”! And even if Hunter is technically the one to actually deliver the green neuron, and the death the “princess” succumbs to wasn’t out of genuine malice towards her, I think the sentiment is still there and the parallel is close enough!

But yes, as strange as it may sound, the fairytale parallel is the main reason Lilypad resonates with me so much! Those classic fairytale-esque romance tropes and that poetic storytelling found in Disney’s first feature-length animated films has always been dear to my heart, and is even more so now that I’m older and can truly appreciate the beauty of them. So now, even in my fandom experiences, ships that win my appreciation over all others are often those that manage to embody those classic romance tropes and themes as best as possible, and frankly, even Artimand loses ever-so-slightly to Lilypad in this regard! Or, as I also enjoy calling them, “Lifeline”, for reasons that are probably obvious now.

And it’s even better when you consider…

Some Things Never Change

Another trope I’ve recently begun to love is the idea that some phenomena in the world never truly disappear, but simply manifest in different ways, sometimes unexpected ones. And given the whole Triple Affirmative quest and the Ancients’ mass ascension philosophy, this idea is something I especially love seeing in Rain World content. Even the canon events show this idea, but think about how wonderfully it would work with Lilypad beyond just the slag reset keys, especially taking up that “worm off the string” iterator AU concept some have explored in this fandom already.

Just think about how sweet it would be when Moon and Sig, operating primarily through their puppets now, get to finally hug and kiss and be with each other so directly now! Think of the way Sig would speak to Moon about how, even after her collapse, she's still somehow beautiful as ever, and Moon returning with how even all the trouble the group has faced hasn't put a dent in his charm! And it's even sweeter when you consider it’s against everything their creators stood for! Think of Moon, after everything she’s been through and how much she’s probably changed at this point, now willing to give some of these “worldly attachments” a chance, because you can never truly get rid of them, but she knows better than anyone that you won’t be around to experience them forever, so why not enjoy it while you’ve got the chance? And it’d make sense too, not just for her own benefit, but for Pebbles and the rest of the group’s sake too! She’s always strove to set a good example for them, and since their original quest has left them with nothing but pain and trauma, why not show them that maybe all these attachments aren’t so bad after all?

I just think it’d be really interesting to see Moon joining Sig in that rejection of the Triple Affirmative, and what better way to do that than by finally embracing that love they’ve felt for each other for so long? Because love never truly dies, it just appears in new people. And maybe they don’t have to spend their whole lives as grand iterators, the vast infinitely-advanced mechanical deities who embody perfection in almost every way. Maybe, even just for a bit, they can just be people, falling in love just as their creators did all over again!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

And with that, I think I’m FINALLY done here. HOLY COW, this is easily my longest post yet, and I hope it doesn’t disappoint! Part of the reason it took so long was because I was trying to find the perfect way to express all these ideas without it just spilling out onto the page in some weird half-coherent mess. But eventually I just said “ah screw it, let’s just ramble about this ship and see where it goes!” and my god, did it go far! And I still managed to somewhat organize it, so yay!

But aside from that, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who asked for my thoughts on Lilypad, and everyone who made it to the bottom of this essay! I’ve never really gotten a chance to openly ramble about one of my favorite ships to the rest of the fandom like this, so seeing that some fans, even if it’s ultimately not a huge amount, actually wanted me to do it was such a welcome surprise!

I hope you all enjoyed the drawings and the art! I’ll be around in case someone wants me to write another ship essay or something! And who knows, it’s likely I’ll find more reasons I like Lilypad as time goes on and I see more fan-content and find the rest of those broadcasts! But at least this was a starting point!

Expect more LIlypad content to come in the future, but until now, thanks again for the opportunity!

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solradguy · 3 months ago

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They b calling Sol Badguy a lesbian again. I gotta point aggressively at like Millia. I-No. The curios and such. You’re familiar

I feel like I'm starting to be an obnoxious asshole about the lesbian Sol Badguy thing so I'm going to explain why I don't care for it in greater depth than I have elsewhere so far and then put something brief about it in my pinned. Not exactly a "DNI" because, ultimately, I think those do more harm to the person sharing it than it does to help them (it's an itemized list of things guaranteed to upset the author), but more of a "I'm very tired, please don't" list.

After I post this, I'm done talking about butch/lesbian Sol Badguy.

My elaboration on this might come across as a little mean so if you're a lesbian Sol enjoyer and don't want to read all that, my feelings can be briefly summarized with: I don't like it and people keep making me see it in places blacklists don't work in.

In essence, I don't really care what people headcanon characters as because, in the end, it's just harmless fun. But the reason I don't care is because I generally have control (via blacklisting, unfollowing, etc) over what I do and don't see. I don't like this headcanon for Sol and people keep making me see it; I can't blacklist what shows up in tags or reblog comments in my notifications tab and it feels really mean blocking every single person that does it.

The lesbian/butch Sol thing came from an innocent one-off kinda jokey comment over on Twitter and people ran with it like it was the best thing ever. I think it's annoying, and I just don't like it. That's the surface level basics of my feelings about this.

The deeper part is that fandoms will pick a cis male character to put femme or lesbian identities/labels on over one of the cis female characters—or even one of the canon trans women, if the IP has it, and GG does have a canon trans woman—in almost every case. I have yet to see as many people call any of the women of Guilty Gear butch or lesbian with the same energy people have for Sol.

There are characters in Guilty Gear that would take far less effort and would have so much more to explore with a butch/lesbian identity than Sol does. There are already characters with very, very, solid evidence suggesting they're lesbian or bisexual women. I-No, Millia, and Elphelt are just 3 of them. Arguments could be made for Baiken, Giovanna, May, Bridget, and Jam too. Personality-wise, Baiken or I-No would probably be the closest to Sol if Sol's pricky-outside-but-softer-inside dynamic is appealing.

Jack-O' is also kind of a blank slate in regards to her interests post-Strive. She's resolved her difficulties with being a vessel for Aria and is now open and excited to explore what the world has to offer her and what things in it she might come to love. If one of the pillars of the lesbian Sol headcanon is his relationship with Jack-O', I don't think it would be hard at all shipping Jack-O' with one of the women with the same level of intimacy she's capable of with Sol.

Her and Sol aren't married, you wouldn't have to divorce them to make it work like a post-Overture era relationship with Ky or Dizzy. Maybe Sol is too clingy and it's suffocating to Jack-O' so they separated, or maybe Sol expected Jack-O' to perfectly fill the void Aria had left (maybe he even eventually slips and calls her Aria?) and it just ended up being too weird so he was the one to break it off. There are even a few points throughout Xrd and Strive where Sol straight up just was not very nice to her and maybe she's thought on it and it bothers her. You could even just say (or not say why at all) that they split with no bad feelings and they're just platonic friends now. There is a lot to work with here.

To summarize: I think this headcanon is very surface level, a disservice to Guilty Gear's female cast, and that it would be more interesting and more fun for people if they explored these dynamics with one of the women instead of doing it with one of the men.

Don't let this post and my feelings on lesbian Sol stop you from enjoying it if it is fun for you and brings any sort of fulfillment, but know that I just don't like it and I don't want to have to keep seeing it. I have blacklists and things set up to not see it when I go into tags, this is almost purely localized in my notifications tab. Don't stop posting it in tags or sharing it just because of me. However, I will see it if you tag it or comment it on an original post I made or a post reblogged directly from my blog.

Thank you for reading. Sorry for being kind of a bummer about this headcanon.

#asks

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passports-pls · 1 year ago

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I was very disappointed in the lack of quality Mine playlists so I made my own 🤞

Listen here

you COULD listen to it in your own free time OR you could listen to it alongside my mentally insane directors commentary 😌

(under the cut)

for the sake of this post not getting too long I am grouping all the important songs into different categories pertaining to the different eras of mine tm

Pre-Daigo Misery (Nobody - The Other Woman)

This section is mostly abt Mine being a lonely little weirdo (characterised mostly by the smiths unsurprisingly) and because this era lacks a lot of actual content my notes are less specific between songs

There are actually so many male manipulator songs that fit too perfectly with Mine in this part of his life that I couldn't resist like I'm sorry but creep by radiohead is LITERALLY about him i don't make the rules

Okay but I do find 'Heaven Knowns Im Miserable Now' so funny in this context because I'm sure Mine was forcing himself into the yakuza expecting it to be so much easier to have close connections with these other men compared to his previous 9-5, only to find its almost exactly like his 9-5 just with more crime

'Salvatore' and 'Therefore I Am' are specifically the songs I attach to his bateman-esque grindset and his bubbling hatred for most of the people he works with dsfgf

okay but THE OTHER WOMAN ASWELL. It's literally mine you wouldn't understand. He dedicates so much time to taking care of himself and setting himself up to be an actual catch of a man and yet,, no one gives a shit about him despite all the effort he puts into his lifestyle to appeal to the ppl around him

LIKE??? Kicking and screaming he's so lana del ray coded

Just the sheer depression of this era i feel so bad for him

Yandere-mode activated (Can't Get You Out of My Head - The Killing Moon)

Self explanatory however actually finding songs that pertain to his specific brand of obsession was surprisingly difficult sfdsf

Although I will say that I cope and seethe at the fact that I had to sift through Killing Stalking playlists to settle on most of these songs gfdgsf

Theres such a delicate balance between the right amount of fluff and insanity that very few songs capture without being about literal stalking

like no in this case the stalker fucking won

that and vibes of idolizing Daigo like a god, I think 'Out of Touch' and 'Stolen Dance' do this the best

And freak because I can only imagine in all of Mine's relationships it's always been purely transactional and no ones ever put in the effort to actually talk and get to know Mine in any intimate form.

my poor touch starved blorbo

FEELINGS TM (Romantic Homicide - How to Dissapear)

THIS SECTION I FEEL GREATLY ABOUT

These songs to me are all about how Mine copes with Daigo's hospitalisation and when he wakes up. His whole internal battle surrounding his premature grief and his loss of connection with Daigo because could no longer see him as a truly living thing anymore

'Change' specifically hits when you think about it in this context. Because it's not so much about any real change in Daigo himself it's all about Mine's mental image of him now (because let's be real, Mine was way more in love with the idealised version he had of Daigo more than anything tangible about him)

IFHY is a little more of any iffy choice but I think it still convey's a lot about how conflicted Mine likely felt as well as just continuing his Yandere behaviour just in a much more sinister flavour

Okay but here's where my favourite song of the entire list is

WHITE FLAG BABY

admittedly it's completely self indulgent and ties into the mine-lives theory. But just the guilt and shame Mine felt when he see's that Daigo was indeed alive and that he was going to have to explain the past few weeks to him

yeah i would've thrown myself off that roof as well

also the lyric "I will go down with this ship" paralleling his "everyone abandons ship eventually" line just tickles my brain in the best way

'Door' and 'I Guess' are also just Mine guilt tm as well

'I guess' even more specifically because he's literally attached himself to daigo like a parasite and now he's thinking daigo's gonna break up with him I just AUGH

He KNOWS he's completely fucked up but I don't think he realises how much of a pushover Daigo is just yet and that he would have forgiven him eventually gjfdg

I'll probably update this with more notes as I remember them but for now I hope y'all enjoy the playlist!

#mine yoshitaka #rgg #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza #character playlist #Yakuza 3 #playlist #now I can finally listen to Mine flavoured goodness without gritting my teeth #Spotify

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late-to-the-fandom · 2 years ago

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WIP Wednesday Game

I shamelessly stole this open tag from @kedreeva in an effort to put in more effort today. One sentence a day is great but I need to push myself a little more. So! It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it woks:

* In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

* Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!

* After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

* That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

Tagging: @shipping-through-eternity @mousterian-writes @fluffleforce @velvethopewrites @diaryofomellas @scourge-lover @maidenwychelm @frostedlemonwriter @aurhia @frozen-fountain @tananaphone @laplumedemaureen @vcaudley @darknightfrombeyond @residentdormouse @tomb-bloom-noctem

If you’re reading this, you’re invited! And here’s the link to Kedreeva’s writing discord server from their original post.

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

I’m just posting small snippets of the little progress I’ve made in the last 7 days from the 3 WIPs I’m allowed to work on right now:

1. SU Ch.4: Mortal Reminder

The man arched one sculpted blond eyebrow. "That must have been quite the fall." Renathal’s eyes flicked between the two, surprised at the man’s open disbelief and the Maw Walker’s uncharacteristic scowl. "Climbing the fire escape in the dark,” she slurred. “Lost my footing.” “Lost your footing? You?” “Too much to … drink.”

2. Dragon 4: Ohn’Aran Plains

It was decided fairly early on in their adventure to keep Renathal's identity a secret wherever possible. A high-ranking ruler over a realm of death seemed likely to invoke volatile reactions in the mortals whose lives and land were riddled with it. Thus Elisewin - to the chagrin of Renathal's incorrigible curiousity - had been careful to vet the majority of his questions. Mortals will consider them strange, she insisted. Which was he waited until she was absent to ask the centaur - "What exactly is the purpose of this ritual? I confess, I fail to see any obvious merit."

3. Wend 6: A Conduit for Change

She was less assured, more subdued than her pride typically allowed. And the frustration simmering through Renathal’s anima coalesced into something more. “Was there anything you required?" “Just … to see if you needed help.” No. He was in too dangerous a state for this. He did not have the proper equilibrium necessary to resist what he wanted. “Yes, thank you,” he said anyway.

#tag games #renathal x maw walker

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themetallicnemesis · 2 years ago

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for the ask thing, whichever version of sun wukong you enjoy most

Hmmm to be completly honest im not sure which is the version i enjoy the most, like most wukongs to me are all different brands of a pretty cool guy so it's a bit hard to choose 🤔, so i think i'm just gonna answer for the Lego Wukong and the Jttw Wukong because those are the two i post about and think about the most:

Jttw Sun Wukong:

-How i feel about this character: He's a very complex character, and i like him a lot. Like, i'm bad at putting it exactly into words but even during moments of the story where he's doing wrong, he's still incredibly easy to sympathize with because you can kinda just see where he's coming from you know? He's a guy with a lot of layers that can't really be described as just a "Silly funny monkey" or "impulsive violent fiend" or anything of the sort, because the thing about trying to fit Swk into any kind of labels is that it's pretty much a fruitless task and i love that about him lol. I'm bad with words but yeah all that just makes him feel so real to me, and it's neat to see how different adaptations focus on certain aspects of his personality and each end up feeling a bit different from eachother as a result!

-All the people i ship romantically with this character: I love the Swk/Bull King/Princess Iron Fan dynamic and it's usually the ship i think about the most when it comes to him. And even though i usually see the pilgrims mostly in a platonic light, i also like Zhu Bajie/Swk cause they do have a hell of a fun dynamic. Guess Erlang can also fit in here.

-My non-romantic OTP for this character: Ao Lie. Because they kept calling him Little Dragon when he first appeared on the book i ended up with the image of him in my mind as a very young adult when compared to the other pilgrims. I can see him and Wukong having a very baby sibling and oldest sibling dynamic, and Wukong absolutly plays favorites when it comes to the pilgrims. The favorite is the horse

-My unpopular opnion about this character: Hmmm not really sure if i have one?

-One thing i wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Kinda wish there were more moments where Tang Sanzang was like, you know more decent to him? Just wish they had more nice moments with eachother, because like if Sanzang was a person that actually bonded with him and had his own nice moments as well maybe it would make me more invested on the moments Wukong has to protect him. You know, making it feel as the story goes on that he's starting to protect him less because it's his duty and more because that's a person he genuily has come to care about.

Okay so now the lego man

Lego Wukong:

-How i feel about this character: I feel like both canon and fanon lately has been way too harsh to him and i just want him to have nice things. I deal with that by mostly ignoring the majority of the fandom and just enjoying it with my friends 👍. He's a funny lego man who's going through way more horrors than he should be going through at every single second of his existence. Im holding him gently in my hands and giving him a break

-All the people i ship romantically with this character: I dont think he's a very romance focused guy but i like Swk/Tang/Chef Zhu, they're cute together and Xiaotian can get as many dads as he wants. I also see him and Princess Iron Fan + DBK as exes

-My non-romantic OTP for this character: Xiaojiao. I like thinking that post season 3, after he makes an genuine effort to connect more with Xiaotian's friends, the two of them can actually be really great friends. Just getting to know and spend some time with his great niece :] i can see her introducing him to all sorts of different sleepover games. I also think that even though she and Ao Lie have their differences she still reminds him a lot of him

-My unpopular opnion about this character: Everyone including canon is being too harsh on him, like just have this man have nice things for once. Everyone complains about how he "never tells anyone anything" but how do you expect him to tell anything when hes constantly whisked away by the plot?? Guy only had a single episode on S4 before being whisked away, guy only had 10 fucking minutes of screentime do you really think 10 minutes is enough to tell everyone about all his enemies and traumas??? My second unpopular opnion is Sh#dowp#ach is the bane of my existence.

-One thing i wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Let him actually be friends with the rest of the gang, let him have some screentime hanging out with them!! I think the show would have really benefited from going back to the monster of the week format from season 1 to that, like imagine just having some casual fun episodes but this time Wukong is shown on the noodle shop too!! Guy doesn't even need to be a main focus of the episode even just simple stuff like getting shown some baby monkey videos by Xiaojiao, or talking with Tang about how different parts of the journey actually were like, just you know stuff that makes him feel like part of the gang :].

(Another thing that i fucking wish is my self-fufilling au about Ao Lie actually being still alive all this time but had gotten himself stuck in the scroll, and now that he's out and both of them know the other is not fucking dead now, they can just reunite and be friends again. Does my au have a lot of plot holes? Yes it does, but just let the monkey have this one single win. He deserves to have one of his friends still alive fgdkbdnsbd)

#ask game #lille rambles #monkie kid spoilers #because yeah i did end up touching a bit on season 4 stuff #sun wukong

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into-september · 2 years ago

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MAIN TAG: mlb meta

SHIP STUFF

Put your money on ladynoir, kids

On the merits of imperfection (why ladrien is my favourite side of the love square)

The innage tragedy of ladrien, and why I love it

So here’s the thing: (from the perspective of character growth, reversing the love square makes no sense)

To phrase this better than I did so late at night that it was technically morning: (lukanette is a masterclass in the crucial difference between showing and telling)

The NYC special might’ve sunk lukanette before it ever had the chance to happen

if we’re using “friendship is more important than a celebrity crush” to argue against the love square…

On shipping dynamics within the love square, mainly marichat vs. ladrien

ADRIEN AGRESTE MY BELOVED

Adrien Agreste and the limelight

Adrien Agreste and the question of unmasking

Some speculation about Gabriel’s possible ways out of being Hawkmoth and how they will affect Adrien

To cross your DNA with something reptile (on sentiadrien, because who needs narrative logic when you can have angst)

Being the topic du jour and all (the show has already shown that getting his amok can’t be a ~beautiful metaphor~ for sentiadrien’s freedom)

If sentiadrien is meant to be a commentary on child abuse then someone has no idea how stories work (spoiler: it’s not, because abuse is funny on this show)

SPOILER: I’M A CHLOÉ STAN I GUESS

Ending Chloé’s story as a villain would be a vaste of screentime and that’s why they shouldn’t

This be the verse (let’s just say I’m less than impressed with how early S4 handled the Bourgeois family drama)

Some more Zoé meta

Let’s talk narratological theory to explain why Chloé is an abused child in the text even if the creator insists she isn’t

WHY LUKA ISN’T MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER

Spoiler: Luka Isn’t A Great Character Yet (written in response to some people’s very low standards after “Truth” aired)

In fact he’s so poorly written that he’s pretty much an unintentional parody

Overthinking things (they don’t mean it like that but I saw some uncomfortable sexist themes to Luka’s akuma powers, both times)

Can we please stop blaming Marinette for Luka being a simp

MIXED BAG

Paper faces on parade (comparing and contrasting Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Gabriel Agreste)

On the feminist merits of MLB

The Scarf Came Back (on “Mr. Pigeon 72″ and the meaning of its many callbacks to early S1)

Related: S4 and “Gorizilla”

Jagged Stone is… (a spoiled manchild who’d be an awful parent if he’d stuck around and they were better off without him)

“Gang of Secrets” was underwhelming and that’s a problem

I finally realised where my entire problem with “Gang of Secrets” lies

Right now my main hope for S4 is that I’ll come out of it shipping alyanette like it’s going out of style (this show should’ve put more effort into Alya like three seasons ago)

MLB and the bad rich people

Some observations and a poor attempt at analysing the depiction of wealth in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

No, Marinette isn’t a Mary Sue (because I refuse to acknowledge linguistic drift and “Mary Sue” does not mean what you think it means)

Etymology ragepost, MLB edition

This show just can't up the stakes in battle

NOT REALLY META BUT STILL

Chloé should discover Cat Noir’s identity it’d be great

I also really want Felix to become a gentleman thief

What if all the heroes knew everyone’s identities except Cat Noir’s, wouldn’t that be super fun and not at all heartbreaking

My ideas for the Secret Sibling were way better than who it turned out to be tbh

Did you know that I have a tag devoted to Kagami being a fujoshi

Outline of the Hikaru no Go AU someone else should totally write

“Puppeteer 2″ was a microcosm of the Cat Noir-Ladybug-Nino-Alya mess of S4

Marinette is canonically bi in the Norwegian dub

GOING OFF ON OTHER PEOPLES’ POSTS

The Umbrella Scene Redux in the NYC special wasn’t about Adrien falling for Marinette but a foreshadowing of the importance of friendship going onward

Adrien’s pain lies not in unrequited love, but projecting his abandonement issues onto Ladybug

A small but heartfelt declaration to adrigami

When you have to make your characters repeatedly insist that someone is so totally in love, it’s not coming across as totally convincing to your audience

tl;dr I suspect that the reason marichat is so popular and ladrien is correspondingly disliked is about gender roles, actually

On marichat and ladrien and romance tropes

No really, ladrien is stupid and that’s why I love it

The Reveal is supremely unlikely to happen before the deciding battle against Gabriel and if it does, they won’t get together before it anyway

MLB’s got a bit of a genre problem and that’s why the plot cannot ever move

Chloé is the Loki of the MLB fandom and given how much attention the show proper gave her compared to the rest of the secondary cast, Thomas Astruc has no right to be surprised about it

Chloé can’t be Queen Bee again before she realises that she doesn’t need to be Queen Bee to do good things

More Chloé analysisin’: An irredeemable character wouldn’t need a three-episode storyline to explain her reluctant fall for the villain

Some people finding the sentiadrien narrative a healing parable about emotional abuse does not stop it from functionally annulling the actual emotional abuse the show depicted

#miraculous ladybug #for pinning purposes

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brotherhoodoftheblade · 1 year ago

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Ah, I see! I've been paying zero attention to what's been going on with S7 thus far - other than the gifsets featuring John that end up on my dash periodically, I've been contentedly clueless. lol Although...if they're already nearly five episodes into book 7 and Percy still hasn't shown up (and I think he'd been in the very first chapter of Echo) then he mostly likely won't make an appearance (for S7 at least). :/

Haha, well, I hadn't even heard of the Outlander books until the show came out, and then John became my new favourite character in S3 so when I found out he had his own books series I just excitedly jumped straight into reading them. And then after I'd finished them I went through the OL books just to read John's parts and find out what happened with him afterwards -- which largely proved a disappointing experience, unfortunately.

Though I was gasp-worthy excited when I first started Echo and Percy was unexpectedly introduced! And yeah, having read BotB before he shows up in the OL books makes a huge difference to how readers perceive him. People who haven't read it just take John's assessment of Percy at face value without realizing what an unreliable narrator he is when it comes to him; his perception of Percy is far too strongly coloured by his own personal biases to be taken straightforwardly.

Haha, good, if the Jamie/John ship rests on the bottom of the ocean for you then you'll be far less likely to be offended by my sometimes blunt AF opinions of it. lmao So there was a brief period where I could still see the appeal (or more the interest) of J/J - when I first watched S3, during the years before Claire returned - but then I read the books and THAT experience put SO many nails in that coffin that I doubt I could ever resurrect it, even if I wanted to. And I DON'T. It fundamentally irritates me on so many frigging levels (which I will kindly spare you an essay on lol), so should you ever post your meta on the subject I will be all eyes (although John & Jamie are still estranged throughout Bees so there's no interaction between them). 😂

But YES, the ever perpetual pining on John's part just makes me want to smack him for being a goddamned idiot lacking in self-respect and common sense at this point. smh 😐

My feelings about the situation are pretty succinctly summed up by John in these two scenes. In the first one I still had a great deal of sympathy for John (despite thinking it highly unethical of him to fucking proposition a prisoner of a gaol he's the bloody warden of). But fast-forward 20 years of the same nonsense (and yes perpetuating the done to death stereotype of the gay man in love with his straight best friend - internalized homophobia/bisexually coded elements of the narrative notwithstanding - for literal decades is complete and utter regressive nonsense, and John deserves so much better!) and my initial visceral reaction to John in the second scene was not sympathy but, "Omg, please just get out of my face with your woe-begotten needy cow eyes already!" 🙄

I mean, how exactly am I meant to maintain my sense of empathy for someone who's spent well over TWENTY BLOODY YEARS OF HIS LIFE behaving like a dumbass who's glutton for punishment by building his whole life around a man he knows perfectly well can't/won't ever love him back??? At a certain point I've found myself asking whether someone who's made himself such a martyr to love, rather than actually making a real effort to FIGHT for his own happiness, is in fact truly deserving of happiness.

Certainly he has little to no business whining about his own loneliness and heartache when all he's done is keep digging the hole deeper rather than trying to climb out of it. Sure, you can't control who you love, but you CAN control your own actions, and at a certain point you just have to shake yourself and refuse to keep feeding the fire of an unrequited love and make yourself bloody well move on with your life.

This kind of prolonged fixation isn't remotely romantic to me anymore (if indeed it ever was), it's just ridiculous and tedious. Such high levels of stupidity are just plain beneath John's intelligence, and it's a poor and toxic excuse for gay representation to boot. (Full offense meant, Gabaldon.💀)

(I did give you fair warning that I can be blunt AF about my opinions, did I not? 😂)

So Brianna...yeah, I find her quite easy to like, given what I know of her so far. She's far more my type than Claire, actually. I mean, she's very intelligent (I LOVE that she's an engineer! <3) and passionate, but at the same time she's also much more reserved and tactful. She doesn't just wear all her thoughts and feelings on her face/sleeve, which I personally quite appreciate. I find characters that are so overt as to be easily understood kind of boring. I like characters who make me work to understand what makes them tick, I like a mystery.

Plus, I love red hair on women (just not really on men, sorry not sorry, Jamie :P) and Bree just makes the bi part of my brain pleasantly tingle. lol And 60s!Bree in particular is just...😍

Although, 18th century!Bree isn't without her charm...💕

Sorry. *coughs* What was I saying? Got distracted. lol

Also, I'm probably very much in the minority of liking Brianna more than Claire, if only for the reason that she doesn't viscerally get on my nerves the way Claire does. Don't get me wrong, I actually do really like Claire a good part of the time, but just in terms of personality, she can grate on my nerves. She has an abrasive personality (to me), and people like her always instinctively rub me the wrong way. (Behold the personal bias. lol)

(If I had to psychoanalyze myself, I'd say it stems from self-hatred. I can't stand anyone who seems to share the qualities I dislike most in myself, and I know just being around them brings out the worst in me. I've always been drawn to people who are gentle and sweet in temperament (probably why I love Percy so much, and why he brings out my protective nature), and I feel like I'm the kind of person I most want to be around them, too.

(Another part of the reason I'm drawn to John/Percy over Jamie/John - the latter are far too much alike for my taste, sharing a lot of the same negative qualities, thus ending up locking horns half the time as a result, whereas John and Percy's opposite personalities both challenge the other while balancing each other out and providing much greater scope for personal growth over time.

Contrastingly, what do John and Jamie truly have to learn from each other? They've known each other for over 20 years and Jamie has yet to really learn how to NOT be a homophobe - and, NO, him treating John as the lone honourable exception to his perception of gays generally being depraved, pedophilic perverts does not count as him truly having unlearned his prejudice against them - really the thing Jamie needs most to have learned from his friendship with John.

And as for John...there's honestly nothing he has to learn from Jamie that he didn't already know himself (they already share the same ideals and sense of honour, after all). He's convinced himself that he needs Jamie far more than he actually does, while in reality he's just been using the idealized version he holds of him (as a talisman and as his "North Star") as an unnecessary crutch to lean against rather than take responsibility for leading his own life. At this point, he's long been using Jamie as an excuse to keep his heart on a shelf and away from the risk of further grief and loss...that abyss within himself he so deeply fears.))

But yeah, Brianna generally has a much gentler mien than Claire, but she's no less strong, and possesses greater self-control to boot. <3

(Got carried away there - again xd - but I'm done now, I swear. LOL)

john/percy making me come back to tumblr in 2023 lmao

#my random ramblings #lord john grey #percy wainwright #john x percy #anti john/jamie #anti diana gabaldon #brianna randall mackenzie #sophie skelton #claire beauchamp #cw homophobia

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leggomyayygo · 2 years ago

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i saw your post earlier, and you’re absolutely right. the mileven tag has a lot of issues. first of all is the type of content being posted.

we barely have any active blogs, and the ones that are seem to be more content posting anti-by/ler hate then actually propping up mike and el. like from what i’ve seen, that’s exactly what by/lers make fun of us about, and we’re playing right into their narrative.

next is the cross-tagging. this isn’t entirely our fault, with bigger juggernaut ships mostly to blame. but god it’s so hard to find mileven content like headcanon or fic when it’s drowned out by anti content or unrelated relationships.

honestly that’s all I can think of off the top of my head, but i’d love to hear your thoughts.

Oh hey there!! 🤗

Ight lemme just preface this by saying I'm reeeeeeeeally struggling with word retrieval and transitions today, so I apologize if this is... clunky, lol. 🙈💧

It's a tricky situation for sure! First, we're outnumbered af. That alone puts us at a disadvantage for content output. Factor in that there's generally less of a "need" to generate content of long-canonized ships (for obvious reasons lol), and it's a recipe for a pretty quiet tag. The fact of the matter is that Mileven is and has been canon for several years now. It's only natural that hype would die down. For the most part, Mileven shippers have graduated from the honeymoon stage to having a more quiet and resevered appreciation for the ship. But for those of us who never left, or those whose love has been reinvigorated (me lol), it can be really frustrating when all you want to do is celebrate your ship. So yes, while I do wish there was more positive Mileven content to consume, I get why there's so little of it. A lot of shippers are just content with what canon has provided. 🤷

Now where anti-b*ler content is concerned.... generally I don't mind seeing it myself, but there's definitely exceptions to this and I can see how others would prefer to not see it at all. While I try to avoid the topic of B*ler on my own blog, I sympathize with Mileven shippers who are constantly under fire by trolls and antis who just don't know when to quit. It's really shitty and unnecessary behavior, especially considering how much they outnumber us. I get how choosing to engage with them could very well be giving them what they want, but simultaneously I can understand the frustration and desire to throw it back at them. Plus I'd be lying if I didn't find the content amusing or cathartic at times. I guess it really isn't my place to tell people how to deal with being harassed, but yeah. I agree that it would be better to only tag anti-b*ler. Even if don't mind seeing it, it would make finding actual Mileven content a LOT easier.

As for the cross-tagging..... Yeahhhhh... There's not much I can really add 😂 It's a much bigger issue than us, and aside from telling them to cut it out (a likely futile effort), I really don't know what else can be done on our side. THIS IS WHY WE NEED A "HIDE" BUTTON GODDAMMIT ASKSHDJDK 😤

Some final thoughts:

While there's little we can do solve these issues, one thing we CAN do is just try to engage with other shippers and put out content of our own. If we get the ball rolling, it may inspire others to do the same. Hell, I'm no writer, but because a mutual sent a simple Mileven ask, it got the gears in my head turning and I started writing a wholeass fic 🤣 I also want say that I do believe things are starting to head in a better direction. I've only had this blog for 3 months, but in the time that I've been here, I do believe that I've seen a positive shift. And I mean... we are bringing Mileven Week back this year, so I can't be the only one who thinks this. 😋💕

Anyway, I hope this was the type of response you were looking for! Again, my brain isn't working all that well today but I did my best 😅

Thanks for stopping by!! ✨

#leggomyayygo #ayygo asks!#anon #mileven #lol here I am tagging mileven anyway #maybe we just need a new tag exclusively for mileven fan content?#''mileven positivity'' or something?#would that even take off? lol

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strangertheories · 2 years ago

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My only thing with ronance is that the writers are clearly setting Vicki up to be Robin’s love interest. I’d say if Vicki wasn’t in the picture, particularly in the final scenes of season 4, then there actually would be a good hypothetical possibility for Nancy to resolve things with her boyfriend and with her ex and then date Robin after a time jump. I do think they have chemistry. However, Vicki was introduced as a character for a reason, and while she’s currently a minor character, I don’t think they would just discard her as a love interest for Robin after setting things up between them. It is interesting though because structurally Robin really did serve as an additional love interest for Nancy within the narrative of season 4, especially in volume 1, although that probably wasn’t the duffers intention. But then they threw that out the window in volume 2 by emphasizing stancy. I do think the other anon’s point about less build up with ronance vs. Byler is somewhat valid, because why go through all this effort to complexly queer code Mike for four seasons if they were just gonna have Nancy have a bi awakening without any coding? I do think that’s why it’s unfair to put ships like steddie and ronance in the same category as Byler. But on the flip side, why do queer ships NEED complex justification when straight ships never do and people ship Eddie and Chrissy after their one episode?

Thanks for the ask, anon. I completely get where you're coming from, but I'm assuming you haven't seen my post before the last one. I don't think Ronance is going to be canon and I think that Vickie and Robin are going to end to together. By putting it in the same category as Byler, I explicitly said I didn't think they were equally as likely, just that I have a disappointed but not surprised outlook on both of them, ie I want them both to happen but I'll not be surprised if they don't. I'll copy and paste the quote here:

I'm not saying that they're both going to be canon or that they're equally as likely to be canon, I'm just saying that if it's not I'd view it as a missed opportunity if that makes sense.

Our argument wasn't on if Byler is better than Ronance. The anon said me wanting Ronance to be canon is insulting to Byler and will take away from it, so whilst I get your point with Nancy and queer coding, my point was more than queer Mike and queer Nancy can coexist without taking away from the other's value. If Mike is gay and Nancy is bi, Mike's will have had a much greater build up. But it's not mutually exclusive. I just because I said I want both Ronance and Byler to happen doesn't mean I was saying one is better than the other, just that I like them both.

And on the final sentence, yes. Queer characters and relationships are way more criticized than their straight counterparts. I've seen a lot of people saying that Steve and Eddie is stupid because they barely knew each other, but that's never been said to an Eddie and Chrissy shipper despite the fact they had one conversation. I think pitting Ronance and Byler against each other is just unnecessary. I've written a lot on why I think Ronance should be canon. Not even that it would be, just that it could make sense for the characters. But I don't think someone who shipped Johnathan and Nancy pre S2 would've had to justify Nancy's relationship as much. And no I don't have a bunch of coding to point to Nancy's bisexuality, but proving a character is queer is often based on the assumption that they're automatically straight until proven otherwise, which is kind of why I don't like the point that she can't be bi because Will and Mike have queer coding.

Hope you're doing well, anon (:

#stranger things #byler #ronance #st5 #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #mike wheeler

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catcatb0y · 2 years ago

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I'm not longer a BakuDeku lol. I'd rather ship Bakugou with someone who ACTUALLY lifts him up instead of using him as a footstool.

This ship used to be the best for him and his development- overcoming his past, both of their paths, really.

Bakugou getting wounded and Midoriya coming to his rescue... It's a dead fucking horse. Back when, I would have argued for the merits it had, but seriously five times is too fucking much. Every time it's the fucking same- Bakugou does a ton of work, gets overpowered because he's a fucking child, and then Midoriya swoops in and gets the win. Five times.

It doesn't actually help anything.

He's still battling the exact same inferiority that made him lash out against Midoriya to begin with, but now it's just taken away his own confidence- is that really the best take on his character? Like for years, everyone shit on antis saying that Bakugou needed to be "put in his place," for years we talked about how trauma doesn't make him a better person, but now that him getting shit benefits Midoriya, everyone's gagging for it? Really?

Bakugou's "death" gets dozens of celebration blogs, everyone zooms in on Shigaraki telling Bakugou he's fucking worthless other than his closeness to Midoriya- and everyone wants that to become true! Everyone wants Bakugou to lay there dead while Midoriya gets to be the Hero he always wanted but never put any of the actual effort into achieving before he got All Might's quirk and Bakugou, who has been training for years and wanting that Heroism just as badly... Well, no one cares about that, right?

No one cares about how he was the only one who landed a blow on ShigAfO. No one cares that AfO was scared of Bakugou- that got glossed over. Edgeshot being willing to step in and give up his life for Bakugou got LESS THAN HALF of the posts that Bakugou's "death" did- and... actually I don't remember seeing a single post about it that wasn't booing Edgeshot, talking about how shitty Bakugou should* feel, or making fun of antis.

Huh... Yeah, everything else has been actively forced into my circle, but I had to go out and search for that just to know it fucking happened (and no, it wasn't because I finally blocked enough people, because I still saw everything about Midoriya swooping in- because that's all anyone fucking cares about.)

Oh, and P.S. to all of the shippers: at least pretend to be consistent.

Don't think I missed the way that everyone was cheering and applauding when Bakugou got so much as a fucking paper cut. The whole fandom jumping at the idea of Midoriya swooping in and saving the day because poor widdle Bakugou was over his head. Everyone wanted him to bite shit and go down- congrats, you were right.

Then the moment Midoriya was even POSSIBLY going to get his own breakdown- oh noooo, no, no, we can't have that!!! He's gonna be better than that, right? He already knows and can control his heart, and it's never beem about proving that Bakugou means a lot to Midoriya, it's always been about making Midoriya look better, because that's all anyone cares about, huh?

*Why is it that Bakugou can't get help from another Hero without everyone saying "He's gonna blame himself for bringing the downfall of another Hero T0T just like Kamino!" (Hey, why not 'oh, think of how Bakugou is going to feel knowing that his Heroism was so inspiring, someone thought with was worth their life. How someone has FINALLY- well, not criticized him for fucking one, someone finally acknowledged his worth and importance (outside of Midoriya), and someone finally thought he was worthy of help. Someone finally gave him the support that he's needed this entire time)

But Midoriya showing up- no, he's gotta look pretty. He's gotta be pretty. Look, the Black Whips make a heart!! He's distressed over Bakugou, but it's manageable, so he'll kick Shigaraki's ass and be the victorious Hero!!

If this is the canon that everyone wants, I'm fucking out. Glad your little MeowMeow gets his happy end, but this shit was exactly why I left the Kiri//Baku fandom during the early game- why so many of us CRITICIZED that one sided shipping... but now it's all good and fine, because "BakuDeku is just giving Midoriya what he wants," right? It doesn't matter that the whole thing ends up being shitty to Bakugou. Nah, he deserves that, huh?

To spend his life comparing himself to the kid who got lucky. To never think he's good enough, always trying to make up for *checks notes* being a brat in middle school.

Because that's what BakuDeku is, right?

#asshole posting #I'm fucking tired #I hate this fandom #I hate this series #I fucking hate it here #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers

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faithdevotion · 2 years ago

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2, 3, 4, 6, 18, 19, 25, 35

TRUTHFUL TUESDAY QUESTIONS FROM HERE. @therogueprincedaemon

2. what’s one fandom you refuse to get involved with and why?

Oh man.. there are a few I can think of 😅 especially based on previous experience because I've been here for maaany years now. I refuse to join the m.arv.el/dc one. Way too much toxicity and immaturity that only you can find on comic related fandoms. People are so immature over almost everything there, are petty over duplicates, criticize portrayals as if they were the creators of characters themselves, etc so yeah no. 🤣

3. what’s your favorite thing about your mutuals?

If I had to choose one, I'd go with how they interact with others. I love it. I love the sense of community and I think that's something that everyone should have.

4. what’s one thing that always manages to get under your skin?

Tbh... It's when I feel my muses aren't appreciated. When I've established ships and I feel I only have that excitement for them. I admit It's mostly my fault for not really talking or screaming how much I love them maybe?? but there are some things here and there that just make me feel that. Same applies when I feel I'm the only one invested on establishing connections between characters. It kills my motivation to establish them in the first place because it makes me upset.

6. what’s one thing the rpc has to realize?

As I mentioned before, I've been here for many years and I've seen things. I think the sense of community is different and way less present than years back. How people didn't take this way too seriously and made fun ooc posts and interacted with their mutuals through crack. I miss that. I think the rpc NEEDS to realize you can't have community if you don't build it. I respect if someone doesn't want to befriend their mutuals and all but: don't expect your mutuals or partners to do all the work of sending you stuff, of posting things for you, etc, etc. INTERACT. It's what this is about and no, there's no need to force it. But you want things? Then do your part. I could rant for hours about how much some things scream hypocrisy to me when it comes to it but that's a rant for another day 🤣🤣🤣

18. what’s your favorite trope?

Forbidden love. The passion, the angst... Oh man. Everything about it is fascinating to me tbh.

19. what’s the most overrated plot?

I can't really come up or think of overrated plots other than the damsel in distress ones.. So maybe those I consider to be overrated 🤣🤣😅

25. what’s the worst rule you’ve seen on tumblr?

"I won't ship this and I state my reasons here on it because that's not a ship, it's this and that." No need to diss on a ship people love on your rules man 🤣🤣🤣

35. what’s the biggest problem in the rpc?

Double standards 🙂 people expecting you to read their rules and they don't read yours, people wanting you to send them stuff but they don't, people asking you to respect their ships but they don't respect people's ships, people saying they wamt to write with you yet they don't put effort into writing with you...

I honestly miss the good old days of the rpc. And those were good, I tell you. This? Ugh.. Well, I'll leave this here 😁

#therogueprincedaemon #ooc.#( thanks for sending love ❤️#lowkey felt salty and this helped ease it ahahaha )

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kirric-the-fan · 2 years ago

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Pirate au character focus: Dolores Madrigal

- I've already touched on how her gift (singing/siren's voice/persuasion) affects her love life. She's very much 'the weird kid', because of her gift- being able to magically direct others to do what you want isn't great for friendships (or love interests). There's always been a lot of rumors around her intentions, even among the crew (although this is done very, very, very quietly, out of fear of her ma).

- Her gift is dangerous, but temperamental. If she gets the wording wrong, or accidently catches the wrong person when she sings, it can cause a lot of trouble. She used to go off to a deserted island to practice her singing. (She has accidentally wiped her tía's memory once, and on another occasion, she'd managed to end up captured, but used to powers to sink the ship that had caught her. Except she forgot to get herself released first. The others had to find her and get her out.)

- she loves singing. And dancing, but because of her gift she has to make sure she doesn't sing accidentally, so doesn't sing except to use her gift. She still dances though, now and then, but she wishes she could freely do both.

- Can breathe underwater (mermaid ancestry). She struggles to sing underwater, but it seems doable at short range. It quickly gets distorted though, so she wouldn't be able to sing into a ship.

- She's not as intuitive or invested in the shipwork, or leading aspect as the others, generally staying out of the way when the fighting hits, preferring to let others do the bulk of the work. (Not to say she doesn't do anything- her gift is just too dangerous bc of its area effect. When it comes to defending, she's one of the few Madrigals that doesn't use a sword, although she has used a spear sometimes). But Pepa has always considered Dolores as her eventual replacement, so has always put extra effort into making sure it was Dolores who she taught about everything, Dolores, who she took with her to meet their allies and see how all the captaincy stuff worked. Dolores, not wanting to disappoint her ma, went along with all of it, knowing she had a role to fulfil. If Alma and Pepa have swapped roles in this au, then to a certain extent, so have Isabela and Dolores. Dolores is just glad her ma hasn't pushed her towards an arranged marriage yet.

- Dolores doesn't know about Isabela's wish to lead, but does see her efforts to impress Pepa. She thinks they all just have to be like that (not realising that she herself is doing a lot less than the others, with better results)

- Dolores has a crush on Mariano but can't date him because Pepa disapproves, and also Dolores can't date him without people suspecting she's just using her powers to get him to love her.

- Dolores can come across as a bit harsh sometimes. When you can persuade someone to forget what you just said, you don't need to be as guarded around what you say. She's more prone to spouting harsh truths than most people (but she means well underneath it all).

- She got her own cabin at the front of the ship when she got her gift. Her magical focus became a room- a performance space of sorts. She's one of the few Madrigals associated with a specific room on the Casita.

- As the Captain's daughter she's received preferential treatment throughout her life, and it shows. Also, as the eldest, she gets a comparatively large amount of free reign/free time to do her own thing. She's a lot less likely to get told off for doing something she shouldn't, and takes advantage of that to pursue her own interests (usually away from the ship).

(Got any questions or prompts for the au? My askbox is open! Want more pirate content? Mosey on up to my pinned post here for links to more pirate AU thoughts, stories and drabbles!)

#kirric's encanto pirate au #encanto #Dolores Madrigal

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lordymaru · 4 years ago

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I'm about to refute this entire essay with the simple explanation being:

The only interaction we've seen of these two is when she's a freaking 8 year old. Your self insert shows no boundaries.

And this is probably the last time I'll make a post about the stupidity behind the way the pair is viewed:

Note: I know there's people out there with a brain who ship these two in a more conventional way. In the end you do you, ship whatever you want, no one can prevent you from doing that, just don't be gross about it.

One of the parts being the Significance of their first encounter:

She’s a poor peasant girl who’s suffered immense trauma, suffering, and loneliness. Her initiative to help Sesshomaru came from her generosity

Exactly, she's alone for her family had been killed before her eyes, the villagers treat her like garbage. When she meets Sess he's wounded and simply in a bad state, both mentally and physically. Both of them are, the difference being he's a demon, a powerful one and for him to have ended in such a bad shape only stabbed at his pride- Rin on the other hand is a child, a human tiny child who is vulnerable and to him she poses no threat. Both of them are weak then.

At this point, it’s observable that despite knowing her story, her scars, and her difficulties, humans do not even empathize, let alone sympathize with Rin. It is the feudal era, after all. She’s a young, disabled orphan and the villagers only see her for what she lacks: a voice, a family, and a place of belonging.

Again with your feudal era shit. I can assure you the world is just as ugly today as it was before you and I existed. Next.

When he asks about her bruises, this is the first time anyone had ever afforded her a second glance.

This was a huge step forward for Sess, a huuuuuuge one for he showed interest in another living creature, not just any creature but a human. And for her it was probably like Christmas, for no one had showed her any mercy or interest. Ok you get a point. But oh, boy, how I'm about to spit on the next one:

The audience can see Sesshomaru calculate her body language, recognizing that she is mute. Instead of pressing her further or ignoring her outright, he attempts to comfort her (in his own way), making her feel that it is okay if she chooses not to answer him; that her desire to reply to him should only be a desire, not an obligation. I think, on one hand, that was the first moment of something that would resemble compassion that Sesshomaru had ever administered, trying to put himself in her shoes — if someone had asked him to do something that required, for example, his left arm, he probably would have appreciated them saying “you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to” so to provide him agency for something that he actually cannot do. And the same goes for Rin. He recognizes her disability, maybe even resonates with it and decides to empower her with a choice. Choice is important when it comes to the Sesshomaru/Rin dynamic and it’s a word that will come up often.

Ok why are you comparing the loss of his arm to her not being able to talk? Not all disabilities are the same, you moron. Or am I dumb for thinking this way? If so, feel free to call me out on my lack of common sense kr whatever you wanna call it. Sess physically couldn't do shit with his left arm because well- it was gone! That's a physical disability. Rin had "lost" her voice after what she witnessed and so she wouldn't speak anymore. Have you heard of Psychogenic Dysphonia? If not, you can click here and give it a reading or do your own research. The more you know: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0892199703000158

So you say he "empowers her with a choice" that is "important when it comes to the Sesshomaru/Rin dynamic" let me get this straight, a choice because why? She's a child? A female? Because you said so yourself, it's the Feudal Era after all and therefore women had no choice in life, no voice, no agency, no nothing. So he was being magnanimous then? You know... This is where you start edging into the gr00ming territory. Can't you see? No? Alright, moving on.

BRUH WHAT THE FUCK?! Are you fucking good? See how you self insert? Bye. Next

The next time Sesshomaru sees Rin, it is suggested that he actively sought her, whether it be by curiosity or concern for well-being

He did... It is not suggested, he actually did asdfhkl. For both curiosity and he probably was worried. He also states he wants to test out his sword, what a perfect chance to do so for Rin is pretty much dead and that's the only way to make his sword work. So she was both being a guinea pig and an itch he wasn't quite sure how to scratch. Next.

Silence Rin.

Rin screams endlessly, annoying Sesshomaru. Firstly, this is the first time we hear him call her by her name. Secondly, Sesshomaru is visibly annoyed by her noises, however, he does not tell her to “shut up” as he normally would with Jaken or even InuYasha. He simply says “enough of that Rin, stop it.” (In Japanese he says, “Silence, Rin. You make too much noise.”) Even analyzing the Japanese dialogue, it is evidently softer than Sesshomaru’s usual ‘kisama’ (貴樣) manner of speech that we see depicted usually. This is the first time he’s had a companion who is not a demon, someone with compassion, and who has had his general best interests at heart with no expectations in return. His softer tone is a logical deduction to make.

Ok... "someone with compassion, and who has had his general best interests at heart with no expectations in return." Bruh... As if he would even consider meeting someone's expectations. Are you sure you're talking about Sess? Another thing is, he always speaks in a calm tone, he rarely yells or loses his composure- he had no reason to be rude to her either, you're excusing his regular behavior simply because she ain't Jaken. Anything else?

Rin doesn't change Sesshomaru overnight, it's a gradual and long process

Well duh!!! Just like you don't lose the pounds you gained from eating in one sit 12 donuts a week ago. Stating the obvious and for what? What's exactly your mf point?

The silence part is important, idk how to tell you there is a power imbalance in their relationship from the moment he tells her to be quiet. He didn't say please, he didn't ask her to, he told her to be quiet. Like a parent would, if I could count the times my mom told me to shush.... That's your first indicator he is not her friend, he is not her equal.

Letting you Be Yourself: The Panther Demon Arc

the first frame the audience sees in the anime sets the scene, painting the Sessshomaru entourage in a serene manner, indicating a level of comfort between group members (episode 75). This is vastly different from our last depiction of Sesshomaru and Rin’s relationship. In episode 44, he was unable to withstand her (albeit annoying) childish antics. But here, it’s observable that Sesshomaru can accept her and her package of unconventional fun. Not only does he tolerate and even more so, accept Rin, but he accepts her influence on his vassal, Jaken and allows them to be free around him.

Is called developing patience. I can assure you that when you're a parent or an older bro/sis and your kid/younger sibling is noisy af you either learn to tolerate that or get used to it for kids are kids abd you have to let them be kids. Next.

She's a child, she's not stupid.

The Abducted Rin: Calling her Name

The respect that Sesshomaru shows Rin is insurmountable. However, the InuYasha franchise is clever to portray the subtlety of Sesshomaru’s respect for her. KV on Twitter points out how highly he regards his companion and never relegates her to anything less than the value that she as a person embodies (@KVndie via Twitter). He consistently humanizes her.

He only sees how important she is to him after her ass dies a second time. What do you mean? He respects her enough to not coddle her, she is independent and taught her to be self sufficient from the very start. That's respect. He consistently humanizes her because... She ... Is ... Human! OMG WHAT A SHOCKER!

As Naraku remarks on his hostage to Sesshomaru, "Naturally, the girl you're looking for is not here…,” he continues, “the girl is in custody outside of the castle..." Naraku never makes an attempt to give her personhood, leaving her unnamed, disposable, and relegating her to a mere "girl." But Sesshomaru doesn’t take any of this. He is a cold-hearted Daiyokai, yet he still makes an effort and upholds his principle to refer to her as Rin — not a replaceable “girl.”

Naraku is a mf genius. It didn't quite click until now he wanted to see if she was important or not to him and to what extent. For he planned his moves that way, making people turn against one another. While he wouldn't have made Rin turn against Sess he set everything up so he would end up wanting to kill Kohaku and in doing so, Inugang would have engaged against Sess.

Sesshomaru’s insistence on using Rin’s name isn’t only highlighted in this isolated incident though. It pays off. It is an ongoing theme in their dynamic throughout the series.

That's her name ... How you want him to call her? Baby?

I could go on and on but... This is a fucking essay. And then I stumble against more bullcrap:

The second point I want to highlight here is Sesshomaru’s reaction to Rin’s fall and her risky expedition. At this point, it’s unquestionable that Rin has a special place in his heart.

Of course she has a special spot in his heart. I won't deny that. What worries me is how you're trying to justify the way she's important to him since she was a child. As if his way of seeing her had changed.

I'm gonna disagree by agreeing with you in a few pointers. Kagome and Kikyo were rivals, they both romantically love the same guy. Kagome being the only one who could save Kikyo chooses to help her, knowing damn well Inuyasha would have suffered if Kikyo had died- further more, if it was in Kagome's hands to do something about it.

Rin on the other hand, I will applaud to her how she grew past her fear of Kagura after being kidnapped by her, she saw her body in the river and said fuck it and did her best to try to pull her from the water. I loved how stubborn and brave she was, even tho Sess had to pull everyone out of the water- she deserves a gold star. You go baby girl!!!

Rin later makes a cheeky comment, noting Kagura’s romantic interest in Sesshomaru. Jaken brushes this off as childish naivety. But for the spectator, this establishes two things: (1) That Rin does not see Kagura as a rival for Lord Sesshomaru’s attention, let alone affection; and (2) that Rin is still a child. Rin is certainly a child, with a youthful and fresh outlook on life that brings out the best in people. But even as a child, her relationship with Sesshomaru is incredibly healthy, clear, and surprisingly communicative.

Why would she? She's not a spoiled brat

Nah? I thought her double D indicated otherwise. OF COURSE SHE'S A MF CHILD.

Why do you keep mentioning is healthy? Do you need reassurance of it? Communicative in what way? Cuz if you wanna talk about communication let's talk about how he didn't even acknowledge her ass when she gave birth. He didn't even say her name, didn't even look at her. Tell me now how they are communicative and healthy?

I could go on, I really but all I'm getting from this load of bullshit I'm forcing myself to read is how you do in fact need to reassure yourself thr ship is god tier and is... How you said it was? Ah, healthy.

Anyways, thanks for reading and if you see any typo ... My apologies, I tried. Also if you have any input or I was out of line in some way, my apologies once more.

#anti sessrin #antisessrin #anti-sessrin

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your-brilliant-lady-m · 3 years ago

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Part 1 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Miraculous Jewels

Alright! I promised you meta and now I deliver!

I feel like people mostly watch Miraculous for the romance these days. Shipping is all everyone cares about. I wonder why? Probably because writers themselves don't take their worldbuilding very seriously and because they don't put much effort into making the audience care about something other than Love Square, like the mythology behind the Miraculous, or motivations of the main villain, or some pretty heavy topics for a kid's show that they bring up and then refuse to touch again. You know, all the good things. And this is coming from someone who is a passionate multishipper. I have lived through several shipping wars in different fandoms and came out victorious after all.

I am probably the only person out there who cares about the big picture, the overall storyline and the worldbuilding of Miraculous in addition to all details and implications that could develop into fascinating plotlines relevant to the main story. It is a rather lonely fandom experience, I must confess. But, hey? Who cares? I am here to have fun and bring to the table discussions no one wants to have.

So, let's talk about the basics.

If you, as the writing team, are capable of keeping only 1 thing consistent, then please, I beg you, let it be the basic concepts of your universe. Because in this case, one has to actively put effort into writing characters and conflict resolutions badly. And also because nothing can save bad worldbuilding.

I don't have high worldbuilding standards for Miraculous. They certainly aren't as high as the ones I had for Legend of Korra (which was a badly written trainwreck, that ATLA doesn't deserve as a sequel) or the ones I currently have for Dragon Prince. Therefore I won't be too harsh in my criticisms. Granted, I think that Miraculous has better worldbuilding and lore consistency than Winx Club for example (I haven't seen the reboot yet, so writers might have fixed their worldbuilding at least a little bit). Even though I enjoyed Winx when I was younger and some elements of this story still attract me.

Both serialised and episodic shows as well as movies to the lesser extent must have some flexibility in worldbuilding and plot because you can never be 100% sure where your story is going. Maybe, you'll get money for more seasons, maybe not. However, you must never lose sight of your basic concepts. They have to stay the same no matter what, because rewriting lore and retconning major developments every new season is not and never will be called good writing.

Forgive me for using architectural metaphors, but you need a solid foundation to build any kind of structure. Otherwise, everything falls apart.

I like to apply this logic to writing as well. When designing a world where your story takes place, you must lay a few ground rules. It's especially important if you have a magic system. What kind of ideas absolutely must exist? What kind of conclusion do you want your story to have? Does your magic system has limitations? Where is the grey area? Could you introduce new elements later on?

And I feel like the writing team of Miraculous Ladybug did not ask these questions. This may feel like I am nit-picking canon material and looking for problems that simply aren't there, but I promise that I am not. You see, things that I am about to point out only seem small at first glance. But these details are actually the source of the largest plotholes in the series. And their presence negatively affects character development, conflicts and resolutions of said conflicts.

That doesn't mean that I have nothing good to say about the magic system of the show and its elements. There are a lot of great ideas and concepts. And some of them have the potential to contribute to the delightful story.

Let's dive right into it, shall we?

Camouflage

I have to give credit where it's due because the idea of camouflage and shapeshifting for Miraculouses is brilliant. It seems like Miraculous can't fundamentally change its type of jewellery or accessory. The ring will always be the ring but with a different ornament, colour or shape. This is true most of the time (Monkey Miraculous is an exception since it transformed into earplugs/headphones/headband/circlet) It makes sense and avoids plotholes. Grimoire doesn't have the pictures of each Miraculous in disguise for identity protection. That was very neat too. I have no comments. This concept was very good.

Also, since Marinette wore a nose ring of the Ox in "Kwamibuster" without any problem and Adrien wore Ladybug's earrings in "Reflekdoll", we can assume that you don't need to have piercings to wear a Miraculous. Miraculous just magically passes through your skin.

I'm interested to know the following. Can Kwamis recognise a camouflaged Miraculous on a person? Can the holder order them to confess the identity of this person? This shouldn't be possible for identity protection just like with Kwamis sensing each other. But more on that in later posts.

Power Levels

For a long time, we assume that there are only 7 Miraculouses. Turtle belongs to Master Fu, Gabriel has Butterfly and Peacock, Marinette and Adrien have Ladybug and Black Cat. Everything is pretty straightforward. Then it's revealed that there are more jewels and more boxes. It makes the worldbuilding interesting, but it also majorly complicates things, making them inconsistent.

Their position in the Miracle Box implies their power levels. Creation and destruction are the most powerful forces in existence, therefore they are at the top. Moreover, it makes this Box the most important, the most powerful out of all others. Su Han in "Furious Fu" calls it "Mother Miracle Box". Fox, Turtle, Bee, Butterfly and Peacock have less power than the main pair, but more than the Miraculous of the lower Zodiac tier (since they correspond with animals of the Chinese Zodiac).

1. Ladybug can create anything out of nothing (Lucky Charm, which gives what you need the most at the moment). This Miraculous can resurrect the dead, reverse the effects of the Cataclysm. The power of Miraculous Cure or Miraculous Ladybug can work in several ways:

it simply repairs the damage (puts stuff back together, heals injuries and so on)

it reverses time for the matter, restoring things back to the state they were before the destruction occurred (however, the Cure doesn't erase people's memories of everything that happened unless they were mind-controlled, frozen in place or transformed by Akuma into something else - this is an important point that I'll discuss some other time)

How does Miraculous Cure work when there are no supervillians? In NY Special Marinette just says this.

Excuse me, what? What was that? You can't do anything when the villain is gone? What the hell?

*insert here every scene where Ladybug fixed Paris after destroying akumatized/amokized object (this action causes the Akuma victim to detransform/sentimonster to disappear - villain is gone) and purifying butterfly and feather*

It was such cheap angst. I couldn't even be upset when Adrien gave up his Miraculous, because that whole situation is just stupid. But, never mind. We aren't talking about that today.

Apparently, Lucky Charm and Miraculous Cure only work when summoned to battle a specific villain. What is the point then? Huh? You can't tell me that Ladybug has the power of unlimited creation and then say that she can't repair the damage without a special Lucky Charm that was magically synchronised with specific big bad of the week.

Ladybug also can purify Akumas. It makes sense for Ladybug to have the ability to reverse the magic of less powerful Miraculous. But this power can't be applied universally. How does this power of reversal apply to different situations where there is no evil Butterfly holder? Can Ladybug reverse the magic of any Miraculous?

The unlimited power of creation introduced in season 4 ("Mr. Pidgeon 72") is another fascinating thing. On one hand, it's logical and proves the status of this Miraculous as the most powerful. On the other hand, by introducing this power, you have created a plothole. Look, Marinette can create the charm which repels Akumas. If Ladybug can create anything then what stops her from creating a tool for finding Hawkmoth (like special glasses for discovering identities or a compass)? I mean, the show says that the power of creation is unlimited, it means that the creation of such tool is possible.

2. Black Cat can destroy anything with Cataclysm, even other Miraculous. He can kill living things and turn them into ash, but not himself. This Miraculous is supposed to have other special abilities that we don't see. And they should be equal to powers of Ladybug, both in number and in potency. Unfortunately, after 3 seasons writers didn't give us anything. It makes laughable the idea of balance between Ladybug and Black Cat.

Now, to the second tier. These Miraculouses have a singular ability, but they need a second one to keep the power balanced between Zodiac and the main pair.

3. Butterfly creates champions with different superpowers. But how does the time limit of children work for Butterfly? In theory, the countdown should start right after the creation of the Akuma since for Ladybug and Chat Noir countdown starts after activation of their powers even if they don't use them. However, if the countdown of the Butterfly begins after Akuma creation then there's no point because the holder has to stay transformed to guide their champion. The charged butterfly won't have time to even grant powers before the transformation of the child-holder drops. This issue is never explored because Gabriel doesn't have a time limit. However, I feel like it should be addressed in flashbacks of past Butterfly holders for example.

This Miraculous should be less powerful than Ladybug and Black Cat. It's often not. Some Akumas are too overpowered. Stormy Weather can move the Earth away from the Sun, Timetagger can send people through time and jump through time as well, Chat Blanc destroyed the world with a single energy blast, Miraculer could steal powers of those more powerful than her by default. These are the most notable examples. One could argue that Chat Blanc was a different case. Hawkmoth simply gave the most powerful Miraculous a boost. However, we know that even without a holder (the wildest and the most powerful form of uncontrolled Miraculous magic) Plagg's Cataclysm can't destroy the universe just like that (he presumably wiped out dinosaurs and sunk Atlantis on his own without a holder). I think that the less powerful Miraculous (Butterfly) shouldn't be able to increase the power of destruction to such a degree and give Black Cat the power to destroy celestial bodies and galaxies.

Writers want us to see Hawkmoth as the formidable villain. But it's not easy because he is less powerful than your main heroes by default of your worldbuilding. Sometimes writers make the Butterfly more powerful than creation and destruction to raise the stakes, breaking the laws of their magic system. So, how do you solve this? Let Ladybug and Black Cat keep their status as the most powerful and instead of giving Hawkmoth more magical power, make him smarter, more cunning, inventive. Gabriel is a fashion designer, whose creativity makes him a very good Butterfly holder. He has a life full of experience, he knows much more about things than the main teenage characters. Catalyst was very interesting for this very reason. Gabriel sort of discovered a cheat code to boost his powers. Show us how he experiments with his powers, how he analyses his past Akumas and tries to find the most effective ones. Maybe Gabriel tries to design Akumas that can specifically neutralise Ladybug and Chat Noir. This exploration could also give writers an opportunity to explain how the powers of Butterfly work. Can he control the type of powers he grants? Can he control the appearance of Akumas? There are many things to be explored.

4. Peacock creates sentimonsters. I remember that fans were very disappointed when the power of the Peacock was revealed at the end of season 2. I was one of them. The concept of Amoks is far too similar to akumatized butterflies. Other Miraculouses have unique abilities and keywords for their powers, while Peacock just looks like Butterfly 2.0. That glowing mask effect just adds insult to injury.

You have to start by figuring out the powers of the Peacock in a normal situation. If a holder is a good person, then how does their power work? For example, make them related to sight (because of the "eye" pattern on feathers). Maybe, Peacock grants the ability to see the several possibilities of the future, but only a few minutes ahead. Maybe, this Miraculous gives you the ability to see through someone's eyes for a few minutes (and the victim is completely unaware of the intrusion). Perhaps, Peacock allows the holder to use feathers (or tiny peacocks) as cameras one at a time and be all-seeing. These feather-spies can be destroyed by the holder or disappear on their own after some time. Such power could be devastating when used against heroes in canon.

5. Bee can paralyze. This power is pretty straightforward. Once I read a fanfiction focused on very vell done Chloe Redemption, where she fights alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir. Eventually, she grows and becomes a better person. This fic ends with an Akuma battle, where LB and CN are trapped and Akuma is ready to kill them. But Chloe uses a second power of the Bee on the villain - Miraculous Stinger. It's deadly both for the holder and for the victim (because bees die when they sting someone). Chloe kills the Akuma with a Stinger before it can get LB and CN, but she too dies making the ultimate irreversible sacrifice. I will add a link if I find it again.

6. Turtle can create a shield. I don't have much to say on this either. It feels underpowered compared to others in the second tier. Maybe Turtle can also slow down opponents (because turtles aren't the fasters animals out there).

7. Fox creates illusions and acts as their puppeteer. In order to create a balance between other powers, these illusions must hold for as long as the holder needs them to. I propose this mostly because we see that Venom of the Bee lasts very long, the shield of the Turtle lasts either until it's destroyed or the holder wants to remove it, same goes for Akumas and sentimonsters who disappear only when the holder wants them to or their affected object is destroyed.

Let's talk about Zodiac tier. Miraculous of the third tier shouldn't have the second ability like more powerful ones. These powers are the most inconsistent. Even if we haven't seen all of them yet.

8. Mouse can create many small clones of the holder. It is unclear how these clones communicate with each other and how many of them this Miraculous can create. The holder can control the number of clones. This power was very convenient in "Kwamibuster" and it makes sense symbolically for the mouse. What activates the time-limit for children? Marinette didn't have any problems with it when she became Multimouse.

9. Snake can create a 5-minute time loop and has the ability to come back in time. This Miraculous feels a bit overpowered for the Miraculous of the Zodiac Tier. The holder can reset the time as many times as he/she needs to. It's was a good source of drama and trauma in "Desperada". I was honestly surprised that Adrien was capable of fighting after spending months in a loop. But this doesn't change the fact that Snake is overpowered. You can give this Miraculous the power to hypnotise or keep the time ability but place a limit on the number of resets. How does the lyre work as a weapon? Who knows? No one!

10. Dragon can shapeshift into elements: water, wind and lightning. It has the coolest transformation words hands down (Bring the Storm and Open Sky). Apparently this Miraculous doesn't have the time limit.

11. Rabbit can time travel or jump through alternative realities, even writers aren't sure. Time-travel in this show is so badly written it gives me a headache. This Miraculous shouldn't exist just like its powers. Snake belongs to the same tier, but 5 minutes and whole centuries of time jumps aren't comparable in power levels. They are not and this is the hill I will die on. Give the Rabbit powers related to its symbolism in China like an ability to de-age people, heal them or give them a speed boost in contrast with Turtle who might have the ability to slow down.

This Miraculous is so special that its Kwami - Fluff can live separately from his Miraculous in a Miracle Box for millennia (Fluff lives in the Box in "Sandboy", but his Miraculous, pocket watch, was passed down for generations in Alix's family). This is a discussion for a separate post, however. There's a lot to unpack. We'll do that some other time. You will suffer with me but at a later date.

12. Horse can create portals. They could lead anywhere, which is pretty cool. On the other hand, this power is not very useful in direct combat, especially when it's used by a child since we can have only one portal per transformation.

13. Monkey can cause a malfunction in powers of other people. What is the point of this? This power was specifically created by writers to defeat Akuma in "Party Crasher". That's it. What if your target is not magical? How does this Miraculous work in different circumstances?

14. Pig shows people their greatest desire. Both the holder and the recipient of this power can see this desire. Chat Noir wasn't impressed in "Guiltrip" and neither was I. It's underpowered compared to other Miraculous in this tier. Also, why does the tambourine can shoot energy beams? Why?

That's all I have to say on the matter. I'll update the power analysis as needed.

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