#this one started interestingly for the sole reason that i had no idea where it was going and how we ended here but I HOPE IT'S? SORT OF?

[toastandjamie]

You know how in a previous post I talked briefly about how Mat is subversion of masculinity? Yeah that but now I’m also going to talk about how all of that and the contradicting nature of his character can all be traced back to him being Odin. Bare with me lmao.

So let’s start with the fact that Odin as a god covers a LOT of domains, and a lot of them contradict eachother. He’s a god of war and death but he’s also a god of healing and poetry. He’s a god of wisdom and knowledge but also frenzy and bloodlust. A god of royalty favored by princes and also a good of thieves and tricksters. The Allfather indeed! Odin is a god but very importantly he’s Mortal, he’s a god of wisdom because he seeks it out, he is a surprising Human god, with complex and often selfish motivations. Which is very perfect for a character like Mat. But this post isn’t just going to be me pointing out every single thing about Odin that parallels Mat because we’d be here all day and even though I can because everytime a mythological reference appears in those books and twirl my hair and kick my feet I will refrain lol

The main focus of this post is talk about one really interesting facet of Odin’s domains and myths. And that is his connection to magic, specifically the distinctly feminine magic tradition of Seihdr(and that in of itself is a whole thing that’s makes me scream and blather in reference to wheel of time). Odin stands out as a male practitioner of Seihdr, which is traditionally considered a ‘feminine’ craft. Seidhr is a type of magic related to telling and shaping the future(so no shock Odin as the ever curious god of knowledge practiced it) but according to Snorri in the Ynglinga saga the practice of Seidhr leaves the practitioner weak and helpless thus male practitioners were considered ‘ergi’ a designation for men in Norse society who were unmanly and feminine. Odin was no exception being called ‘ergi’ by Loki in Lokasenna.

This is really interesting when we view Mat’s characterization through this lens. Specifically he’s described in relation to other more traditionally masculine characters and his relationship to the one power specifically Saidar. Long before I did any research involving Seidhr and Odin I had noted to myself that Mat would’ve had an easier time channeling Saidar vs Saidine. I’ve always felt that Mat was better at embracing and submitting to power and change than he ever was at forcing it, which of course is mostly because of his adaptability and flexibility which make him such a great general in the first place. There’s a reason Mat never got a handle of the flame and the void despite both Rand and Lan trying to teach him in books 1 and 2. Mat also acts the most like the women in the series in comparison to say Rand or Perrin. jokingly I’ve mentioned how in Shadow Rising a big plot point in Rand and Elayne’s relationship is a miscommunication because Elayne was upset Rand didn’t ask her to stay when she left for Tanchico, and Mat practically has the same exact fight with Rand over Rand not asking HIM to stay when he said he was going to leave before the battle at Cairihan. I also want to point out that in the Wheel of Time, daggers and throwing knives are mainly used by women(see, Min, Faile, Berelain, Tuon) with Mat and Thom being the only men we see using throwing knives(something something the idea that subterfuge and caution are feminine traits) while swords and axes are mainly used by men or women specifically breaking gender convention such as Cha Faile and Elayne’s Queen’s Guard. interestingly spears(Mat’s other weapon of choice) is an androgynous weapon used by both men and women(this is solely because the entire Aiel culture uses spears and will fight with them), bows are also a relatively androgynous weapon in the context of WoT used pretty universally. There’s also something to be said about how the entire subplot with Tylin puts Mat in the role of the ‘pursued’ or as Mat himself puts it ‘the woman’ where Tylin takes the commanding and dominant role in their dynamic. There’s a whole different essay to be written about Mat’s romantic relationships and the vast power dynamic disparity in them and how the relationships with Tylin and Melindra primed him for the way his dynamic with Tuon works but once again that’s a different essay.

Mat’s relationship with the one power is also really interesting, because for a non-channeler he’s pretty heavily linked with magic. He’s effected by the magic inherent in the world despite for all intensive purposes being perfectly normal to start with. The Aelfinn and the Eelfin, the fact that he’s hunted by the Gholam who was created solely to assassinate channelers. Both of his sisters being born with the spark and him marrying a woman who was trained as a sul’dam(and in a prophetic vision said woman literally collaring him after we had just been introduced to the concept of a’dams). His medallion that negates channeling, the cursed dagger and him getting the first powerwrought weapon of the series in his Ashandarei. Mat’s practically rolling in magic nonsense despite wanting nothing to do with it. Not all of this was created by the one power, but he’s still very associated with it whether he wants to be or not. It’s also probably safe to say that between his sisters and being Ta’veren it’s likely he could probably learn to channel if he wanted to, of course he never would want to learn and as I established earlier I think he’d have a hard time channeling Saidine in the first place. Trying to wrestle a force of nature using brute force isn’t exactly his forte.

There’s also another essay about Mat and Elayne’s dynamic and how I think Elayne is a Freya parallel, and how that relates to Odin and Freya being the two patron gods of Seidhr- but I digress.

[mythvoiced]

The Case Study of Yeong Boram

🐲 & 🥢

1600 Words + 10 Drabbles = 1610 16.10.2021 HAPPY ALEX DAY~ | @theimpalpable / @jeoseungsaja

Imagine being stuck.

There are walls all around. Sometimes they’re real. Sometimes they’re shadow silhouettes, illusions of the true walls they’re recreating. Stuck nonetheless, because be they physical or be they imagined, they are equally as suffocating.

Stuck would mean an inability to move. Beyond a given area, beyond a given life. Stuck in the sense of forced into non-appreciated routines, ideas and tasks that don’t appeal, don’t stimulate, don’t give energy, but seem to claim only, along with perhaps a few fragments of soul here and there, while it’s at it.

Stuck in the sense that everything feels tight, far too tight. Can’t move, can’t properly breathe, can’t truly see beyond the edge of something, beyond what has been put there, to either represent a memory, to represent a falsehood, to represent a truth. Doesn’t really matter what it is, what it’s claiming to be, what it’s true nature is. What actually matters is that it’s there and it won’t move because stuck means not moving.

Stuck means not breathing.

Stuck means not free.

And now imagine the direct opposite of this.

And that’s Yeong Boram to you.

Yeong Boram is a dragon and claims ownership over the skies the same way a just king claims none over his country. At least that’s one of the lines given in response to the question as to who he is. The skies don’t belong to him because Yeong Boram lets the world be its own owner, because Yeong Boram is a presence in it with the intention to make something out of it. The world doesn’t belong to him, he lives in it, he breathes in it, he perhaps hopes to leave it better than he entered it, better than he experienced it, but you’d have to ask him directly to know what he truly wants.

These are, after all, merely statements taken from a bystander.

As close as the bystander may be, a bystander he still is.

Still, some of his statements seem to be profound. As if he’s spent far too much time thinking of them, thinking how much of it is fair to give away so freely, how much of it Yeong Boram can so readily give to the world without remaining withered and dry at the edges of it.

He’s surprised, he said. Keeps being surprised. Witnessing Yeong Boram continue to breathe and to fly and to run its course, like a gentle river speeding towards the rare salvation of the ocean.

How does one even begin to comprehend a reality of the likes far too great to even be of the likes someone like the bystander should be allowed to witness? It’s not… it’s not science. It’s not entirely incomprehensible, there’s nothing much one truly has to fight to understand.

But the questions remain, because whenever the attempt arises to simply take matters as they are, eyes cross again and heart lurch and the questions re-arise.

They are never doubts. Doubts don’t fit into the context and the language used to describe its frame and the many things blooming within it. There’s no doubt in the fox’s heart, there’s no doubt in his love, there is no doubt in anything the bystander feels when the dragon, when the one, the Yeong Boram, crosses the metaphorical skies of his very being.

But questions he still asks.

How does one…

How is he?

How is Yeong Boram, Yeong Boram?

And, actually, more importantly, how is he all that he is, in spite of all that he was made to be, against his will, against his core, against his self?

How can one keep giving when so much has already been taken?

And how does one become deserving, when one becomes the one love is given to?

He’s got plenty of space within him.

Which, in its own way, is also questionable.

He’s never been empty, he can’t claim that. No matter what shape his hands take, how lithe they become or if they’re hands at all, they’ve always had plenty to grab and stuff into him. Knowledge gathered from even the smallest stone turned, curiosities satisfied with the mere tilt of a head, a single question or a million with each an answer or perhaps only one for all of them.

There’s space in him because he makes it, because he needs it to put there the things he seeks, whatever they may be, whenever he will actually discover their nature by getting to wrap his fingers around them.

So he isn’t empty per se.

But is he quite full?

Often a tiny piece of void has been calling from within. A gentle reminder. A friendly reminder. Call it as you may. A letter, with one sentence upon its envelope, to whom it may concern. The letter, pale and wet at the corners. Drops build at the edges of the paper, feeling to the touch as if petals of lilies gliding softly along still waters. The drops curl and dance and roll down his fingers and pool around his wrists, healing the scars there, the scars not all can see, but he can always feel.

Much like Yeong Boram, really.

Or maybe Yeong Boram is those drops.

Maybe he is the lake his petals can so gently glide upon. Find the safety not so easily granted by existence. Longed for all the more, no?

Maybe he is the lilies too? Or maybe he’s a bit of everything?

Unclear. Although the answer seems apparent enough, the fox wouldn’t even consider a no. Not always would he have said yes all too readily. There was the idea of taking too much. Of taking even the slightest ounce of too much from Yeong Boram, be it in a gaze shot his way, a gaze of his held too jealously. Or perhaps his name on his lips. Or perhaps even the idea that perhaps, at one point or another, the dragon might have thought of the colour red and felt it whispered in his name.

Or maybe he’s the one whispering. Maybe he’s the one brushing his thumbs along the lilies because they remind him of him, because the lake reminds him of him, because the drops remind him of him, the rain, the clear sky, the green when it blooms because he feels like all it means to be alive, of the tranquility of air brushing against healed wounds, the brightness of being indoors when the freedom to leave is ever-present and never-challenged.

Maybe there is no actual space in him left and he’s been full all this time.

Because a part of him was designed to welcome novelties, hobbies and tasks and crafts and ideas and curiosities and the mere brushing of considerations, that perhaps something new could fit in as well, already claimed their spots, settling gladly in the core of a being who so readily welcomed opportunities to learn more, discover, become good, or even terribly bad, at something he’s never tried before.

And then the rest of him is simply Yeong Boram.

Maybe Yeong Boram is simply that part of him he can’t describe in metaphors and wishes and desires. Because all it does is sing in metaphors and wish and desire, because there’s no space, no intent to dedicate itself to speeches, when it is already so busy with them.

There’s no space in him to describe the space that is in there, no space to try and dissect the different parts of the fox when he’s everything at once and at the same time simply a being set upon this world to regard Yeong Boram with the same reverence the moon and the ocean love to exchange.

When he’s allowed to brush past Yeong Boram’s existence, and perhaps leave a mark, much like the reflection of the moon is at its fullest, its brightest, it’s least disturbed.

Maybe he’d change it all.

Maybe he’d rewrite the universe, figure out how it works and make his own, to use it as a reflection of that part of him that is actually Yeong Boram.

That part of him that looked to the skies and the stars. That part who seemed to still at the sight of rain and lilies and ponds and lakes and drops and letters and love and music and smiles and delight and laughter and warm eyes and fond voices and the desire to never harm to always protect to always caress with the love any being should be treated with, while simultaneously doubling down on just how much one singular individual dragon should give to so much of the world.

So imagine being stuck.

And then imagine Yeong Boram.

And you’ll have, at once, Ji Hyun’s past and future.

Ji Hyun, whom was stuck in the past. Physically and metaphorically by association. When the walls keeping him trapped were real because he couldn’t push past them but also imaginative, invisible and twice as tenacious, because of all the bindings they wrapped around his soul, keeping all that he was experiencing within the literal walls, tightly locked into his very core.

Metaphorically even after he was freed because it took a while to feel as though he wouldn’t see those physical walls again, if he accidentally shut his eyes too tightly.

Ji Hyun, who is so very free in the present. And will be in the future. Ji Hyun who is out to discover once more. Ji Hyun who’s future is the other half of his soul, the reason his soul feels as though it may breathe, Ji Hyun who sees Yeong Boram and never knows how to describe him.

Only knows how to love all the million things he does in reality see him as.

[fermented-writers-block]

PART 1 of 6 of the Owl Deity Hooty Theory

[NEXT PART]

[OWL DEITY HOOTY THEORY MASTERPOST] (in development)

(TLDR at bottom of post)

Over several long months of research and analysis since March of 2020, I have been following an utterly fascinating thread of potential misdirection and subtle details throughout The Owl House, and today, I would like to start weaving together of what I believe could become one of the biggest and most cleverly disguised twists in the entire show.

To begin, let’s take a look at the B plot of Understanding Willow:

On first glance, it’s an ultimately inconsequential sidestory with the sole purpose of justifying an excuse to keep Luz and Amity in Willow’s mind, as well as providing some well-needed room to breathe and release tension after the veryemotionally charged confrontation with Inner Willow. After half an episode of Eda and King outdoing the other in ridiculous ways to win Gus’ vote and Gus running off in frustration at the end of the episode from Hooty’s inane rambling, it’s easy to laugh off Gus’ pick and assume that nothing/of value was said when he closed the door for the interview.

However, if one pays close attention to that very scene, Hooty actually canstill be heard (if faintly) underneath Eda and King’s grumbling, interestingly talking about how “It all started with a hunt. Blood red skies. That’s right, I was created-.”

Now, while it may seem silly to focus on dialogue from Hooty of all characters, this A) tells us that there was an event in the past involving blood red skies and a hunt of some kind, B) that Hooty had been created close to said event, and C) implies that what he knows but can’t tell as a story worth a damn is EXTREMELY important to be included and be hidden in such a manner.

For comparison, the only other instance of dialogue being tucked away in the background in the entire show is in Wing It Like Witches:

During the lecture at the beginning of the episode, the history teacher openswith lore on Belos appointing a head witch to each coven over 50 years ago, immediately cluing in the audience to try and decipher the rest of the lecture as it moves to the background. Adding to this is how the musical sting when Luz shows off her movie obscures what he says even further, making it even more of a intriguing puzzle that the creators clearly intended for viewers to pick up on and attempt to solve.

In contrast, the hidden dialogue of Hooty’s interview is much shorter and not as hard to decipher as the teacher’s history lesson, but at the same time, there are few to no indicators whatsoever in that scene to clue in the audience to even check for something like that. It comes at the end of an episode where most viewers would have been paradoxically tired out and driven abuzz by the revelations of Amity and Willow’s relationship, doesn’t attempt to draw much attention to itself, and frames itself as a comedic subversion of audience expectations with neither the “greatest witch who ever lived” or the self-proclaimed king of demons being picked by Gus.

Instead, he picks someone that the show portrays constantly as an oblivious and gullible idiot after being described as a “state of the art defense system” at the very beginning of the series. Someone who, despite it being played for laughs, is scarily capable of casually subduing Lilith offscreen one episode and then beating her and an entire squad of Emperor’s Coven members without even the slightest change in personality or temperament.

Someone who, due to being the Owl House itself, could be considered the titular character of the entire show, yet is taken for granted by those who inhabit him and barely gets any respect from even the cutely patronized King - including when Hooty could be interpreted as having potentially been full on DEAD for a time given the use of extremely cartoony X eyes and a lack of vital signs in The Intruder.

And someone who Eda at best tolerates and at worst abandons in personal interactions and only occasionally acknowledges him when he’s actually doing his job. Yet at the same time is so implicitly trusted beyondprotecting her home to the point where - when up against the closest person Eda has to an equal outside of likely Belos - the only actually recognizable spells Eda used in combat were 1) stereotypical energy blasts, 2) a single shield spell in Covention, and 3) a noticeably large reliance on imitations of Hooty above any other spells she could have decided to use instead.

In short, the show repeatedly tells us he is just an idiotic gag character through and through, but at the same time demonstrates he has immense power through both onscreen and offscreen demonstrations, implicitly tells us his importance ahead of time through Eda’s imitations in actually serious situations, and treats his interview and origin story as - if not even more- important to keep secret than a long lore dump about how Belos’ reign works.

After all, there being only two instances of hidden background dialogue in the entire season is already intriguing on its own, but for one to get plenty of clues to draw in people’s attention and for the other to be treated as just another gag about a “mere comic relief character” - aka a good way to draw away attention and lower one’s guard - heavily suggests a far deeper significance buried under layers of misdirection, comedy, and conditioned audience expectations.

I mean, when Eda bragged about being “a bad girl living in a secret fortress,” Hooty followed with a remark about how “I’m the secret.” While that line may sound like Hooty simply being confused as part of a one-off on the surface, it’s an odd dialogue choice for the writers to pick when you think about all the other reminders of his nature as the house itself throughout the season. With the precedent these moments set, it would have been much more appropriate for him to latch onto the “fortress” side of “secret fortress” AND it would have been just as equally funny of a joke about his awareness skills, but instead, Hooty broke away from the established trend to say something that would make people suspicious were it to come from anyone else.

In a way, this reminds me much of the many subtle bits of foreshadowing strewn across the show, like Luz unknowingly describing Amity in Witches Before Wizards and Eda burning a hole through Luz’s coven type quiz that coincidentally selected the same track she had taken at Hexside as “a punky potionist.” At the time of airing, these initially seemed like one-off jokes, but eventually came back in full force several episodes later with Amity’s hidden sensitive feelings and love for the Azura books becoming clear in Lost in Language, and the reveal of Eda’s school track in Something Ventured, Someone Framed with her school misdemeanor pictures.

That said, compared to these individual bits of minor foreshadowing, the jokes about Hooty in Understanding Willow appear to simply be the most obvious pieces in a giant puzzle, implicitly and outright telling attentive viewers that there’s a major mystery to be uncovered here.

In fact, I feel bold enough to say that we could be looking at a twist on a similar scale to that of the Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz and Stanford Pines twists in Steven Universe and Gravity Falls respectively, what with this particular puzzle piece coming from how Gus wanted to make THE greatest interview of all time, and how he was looking for someone who was “interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy:”

Note the emphasis on the ‘and’ here, as Gus had made a big deal that “people aren’t meantto be all those things” at the beginning of the episode, so as a result, stripping away all the comedic framing of his subplot leaves the intriguing implication that whoever - and, perhaps, what- Hooty is, they really are the most interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy person out of everyone.

I could go further and talk about why I suspect the mystery surrounding King’s origins, whether true or not, is partially meant to misdirect us from paying attention to Hooty, or how the TOH crew’s could be disguising legitimate clues to his nature among made up and highly meme-able joke answers in order to proliferate said concepts throughout the fandom - thus letting us do all the dirty work of getting ourselves used to the ideas and used to dismissing them at the same time - but to bring things to a close for now, I’d like to leave you all with a question that I’ll start answering next time:

What does it mean when both the most powerful and notorious witch on the Boiling Isles and the possible actual king of demons/the Titan itself/something don’t match up to a house? And what do you think it is that makes him so special to warrant such misdirection?

TLDR: Between Eda’s golem spells, the show stressing his nature as the titular house, his implicit strength, and the odd dialogue and structure of Understanding Willow‘s subplot in relation to him, I believe I have good reason to suspect the show has been giving us many hints towards Hooty being much, much more important than it would like us to currently believe or even joke about. Particularly, through clever uses of comedy to establish and enforce a strong audience bias against looking closely at him or unironically taking him seriously, and to potentially plant the seeds for something I will start exploring in Part 2.

[kookiepredictions]

Jungkook Ideal Type

This was a request so I thought I’d start from here.

Jungkook has high expectations in terms of ideal type because he actually has very small expectations from them. This is obviously confusing so I will explain.

As mentioned in an earlier post, in a relationship, Jungkook is a very giving person. He hardly ever thinks about what he can get from the person he loves. Most of his fantasies are about what wants to give to them. However, he is pretty aware of this personality trait in himself and knows that it is something that can be easily manipulated. This is why his screening process of letting people in is so strict and fussy. He wants to make sure that the person who will be the subject of all of this generous affection, is someone who naturally understands what he needs without him having to ask or demand, because it’s not his natural personality to ask for anything. Even if he needs something, which everyone does, he will just keep it to himself and stay hurting on his own when no one understands it. He is quite aware of this whole process and cycle and therefore feels that he needs to be extra careful of who he brings into this. This is why his ideal type personality traits are so nit-picky-like. They mainly cover the aspects of the ability to understand his own personality traits, which are complex and quite confusing, often even to himself.

Now getting to the specifics, the previous point leads to the most important characteristic that Jungkook wants in his partner: someone who understands him in all his myriad moods. When Jungkook is in his best form, he is the best partner, friend, son, brother, colleague that anyone can even hope to have in a lifetime. But no one is always is their best form and Jungkook is no exception. But what sets him apart from most people is that he has a general awareness of this, and therefore knows that when he goes into his dark place, he is also a really difficult person to handle. And he thinks it would take someone exceptionally understanding to stand by him in those moments. He fears that anyone who gets into a relationship with him only for his good, brighter moments, will stand to be shocked at his not-so-bright moments and then will start unloving or possibly even hating him and it will leave him with a heartbreak that he will never recover from. It’s also a possibility that he has already had an experience of this kind and therefore is even more careful about who he chooses now.

Jungkook has an innate ability of aesthetically appreciating beauty and his head is bound to turn at the sight of someone pretty, but the majority of it is in a more artistic manner, so the subject of beauty can be a woman, or a man or an object or anything else, without always having a romantic or sexual connotation. So although he is a “man” man who enjoys looking at beautiful people with the occasional thought of “smash-worthy” in his mind, he’s also the type to judge a face on its closeness to the golden ratio. It’s just the artist in him lol. When it comes to relationships, Jungkook is definitely the type to find someone a lot more beautiful when he develops feelings for them. Someone can look really average in the books, but if Jungkook is in love with them, they are the MOST BEAUTIFUL person in the world and no Maxim cover model can ever compare to them in his eyes.

Having said that, he appreciates a person who takes care of themselves. It’s an often misunderstood demand because people might think he wants someone skinny and perfect but his mindset behind it is really his own principle of prioritizing health and fitness in life. It’s something he does for himself because he believes it to be important and right. Therefore someone he would spend his whole life with should naturally prioritize this as well, because he doesn’t want to spend his whole life convincing or arguing about something that should be considered as a necessity. However, he doesn’t have a set body type that he idealizes. For him, the personality trumps looks and if he does expect his partner to look a certain way, especially now that he is a famous idol, it’s because he knows that whoever will become his partner will be subjected to a lot of judgement and criticism from really harsh people and the media, so he feels that someone who naturally has an understanding and love of their physical upkeep, will not have to go through an unnecessarily rough time adapting to these societal demands. Interestingly though, personally, Jungkook is a lot more lenient about his partner’s looks. Being a K Pop idol has actually desensitized him to physical appearances because he constantly sees both the before and after glam-room changes, and he now values the things that do not change with or without makeup. Even at his age, he’s the type of mature who knows that no one, no matter how beautiful, will always stay looking the same way, and that if one’s love is dependent on such a fleeting thing, they will never find true fulfillment in life. Peep the old interview in Sydney where BTS members were asked to describe their ideal type in one word and Jungkook said “nice girl”. He has the makings of being the type of husband who, you know how women’s bodies change when they give birth, would shower even more compliments about how great they look so that they don’t feel insecure about themselves. The flipside of this is that if he ends up disliking someone, they’d better run for the hills because Jungkook will say and do everything to make them feel worse about everything about themselves even though he actually doesn’t mean it nor does he consider anyone unattractive for their physical appearance. He tends to be a lot more critical about his own looks that others’.

Besides being someone who can fully and patiently understand him, Jungkook has no other “demands” from his partner. He’s flexible about everything else. It’s just that understanding Jungkook automatically means that his partner has to have a set of really complex and nimble personality traits themselves. Patience and empathy are key elements here. Don’t be too quick to judge him. Like any other 22 year old, he’s in a stage of forming and crafting his own life view, so there are plenty of rough edges that show through without him intending as such. Be willing to listen to his viewpoints without instantly adjudging him wrong. Be open-minded as well as aware of your own limitations. Are you judging him because he is wrong or are you judging him because of your own limitations in thoughts and beliefs? There is that little window of exchange that Jungkook opens and if he feels violated off his own freedom of thought and speech, he quickly shuts it down. On the contrary, the more space he is given to be himself and figure things out for himself, the bigger that window gets and eventually one day, there is no wall at all.

Jungkook admires someone with their own goals and ambitions. It doesn’t have to a very big goal, it just has to be your own and something you are really passionate about. He doesn’t expect his partner to be a hugely successful anything or bring in a lot of money to the table. Jungkook tends to hold this concept that he has to be the bread-earner of his family, so he doesn’t depend on anyone else for his own material needs (kind of a reason why he moved out of his home to follow his own career path so early in his life), so it’s really not about the money or the status. Rather, because of this wanting to be the provider, he tends to feel insecure if his partner is a little too passionate or successful in their own career because then he starts to worry if he will ever mange to match up to that, but that is a minor egocentric blockage that he has to work on which I feel like he will. The reason why he wants his partner to have their own passion is because Jungkook himself doesn’t work solely for money. He works (or at least really wants to) for his ideas and visions. And he needs someone to understand the importance of this in his life.

Although he seems quiet and introverted, Jungkook really enjoys a good conversation. His Aquarius dominated chart really shows through here. It is a stimulant for him to the point that it can be foreplay lol. Jungkook doesn’t engage in any and every conversation because 1) he’s not interested in superficial small talk all the time, and 2) it’s sad really that he has been, for the most part of his life, not taken seriously for his speaking or even thinking skills. He’s been more treated as this person with the “body” and everything a body can do (I’m mostly talking about singing, dancing, exercise, but yeah what you’re all thinking about as well), so he keeps the “mind” part more to himself and only opens up when he feels like he won’t be judged or belittled for what he has to say, because secretly though, he knows that he’s a lot smarter than a lot of people around him. But since he has been directly or tactically told to shut the hell up all his life, he now does it on his own without having to be told. But of course, he wants the one he chooses to spend his whole life with, to be someone who wouldn’t do that and with whom he can have many hours of conversations with.

This directly says that his ideal type can’t be someone who is overcritical of them. That is because Jungkook is overcritical of himself and what he needs is someone to balance that out by encouraging and motivating him to see his better side, and even when he needs to be corrected or critiqued, which he actually wants his partner to do for him, it has to be with genuine love and understanding and not with the intent of insulting him. His own mind and self-talk is pretty demeaning to himself that erodes his self esteem every day, and he doesn’t need someone to add to that.

He likes someone who speaks with love and gentleness but he can also tell when someone is being a fake sweet talker so don’t try that on him lol. He likes honesty with respect. Also when he said in his interviews that he wants someone who can teach him new things via a relationship, he wasn’t lying. A lot of things he wants in his ideal partner are also things that he wants to learn for himself. So if he wants his partner to be honest and respectful, it doesn’t mean he only wants them to be that way while he gets the clean chit to do whatever he wants. Rather, he wants his partner to be that way because he wants to learn to fully embody those qualities too.

Jungkook has a very dominant masculine type personality, and deep down, he longs for that to be balanced. This is why he actually craves for someone with an equally strong personality as his own, who won’t be daunted by the strong aspects of him, yet be fluid enough to fill in the cracks and crevices as needed. The yin to his yang. Like I said, Jungkook’s ideal type right now is flexible for the most part. It is less of ticking from a list of “I want this and this and that” or how she looks and is on the outside, and more of who will best match and adapt with his personality which is also changing every day. This “match” also has to be beneficial for his partner because he believes that an ideal relationship is about the happiness of both people, and when he’s interested in someone, he’s often obsessed with the thought of whether he can keep them happy. So his ideal type is someone who not only fulfills him, but someone whose needs he can fulfill as well.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

TOP 12 WICKED QUEEN PORTRAYALS

@sunlit-music​ @mademoiselle-princesse​ @princesssarisa​ @superkingofpriderock​ @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark​ @amalthea9​ @theancientvaleofsoulmaking​ @astrangechoiceoffavourites​ @giuliettaluce​ 

Alongside the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella’s Stepmother, The Giant from Jack and The Beanstalk, The Witch from Hansel and Gretel and Bluebeard, The Wicked Queen from Snow White is one of the most iconic fairy tale villains of all time. A lot of people come to consider her the real protagonist of the fairy tale, since is her desire to be considered the Fairest of All and her actions to keep that title what puts the narrative in motion. And today, i will rank my favorite portrayals of this fascinatingly nasty foe.

12º Miranda Richardson as Queen Elspeth in Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001)

Talk about being typecast: before that turn as Snow White’s Evil Queen, Richardson had portrayed an Evil Sorceress Queen and Stepmother in Jim Henson’s The Storyteller (’The Three Ravens’ episode) and she was a wicked Sorceress Stepmother in Tim Burton’s Sleep Hollow. So it was neat for her to be called for the role of the most famous Evil Sorceress Queen and Stepmother in this Hallmark TV Movie. Elspeth is the sister of a strange, mysteryous creature known as the Granter of Wishes. Having been recently released from his freezing prison, the Granter of Wishes makes a spell to make her look beautifull for human standards, and marries her to the newly crowned and widowed King John. At first she looks content with the prospect, but as time passes, she grows more and more unsatisfied. Her source of joy is the Magic Mirror that praises her beauty, and casting spells to turn gnomes into garden statues. But when the Magic Mirror says that Snow White’s beauty surpasses hers, the unsatisfaction gets mixed with paranoia, and Elspeth slowly abuses her power in constantly harming other people, until there is no magic enough...

11º Herta Kravina in Schneewitchen (1971)

This german TV Movie is the most faithfull adaptation of the Grimm’s tale original edition, not only keeping the three murder attempts by ribbon/lace/corset, hair comb and apple, but also being the only one to show the Queen dancing to death with hot iron shoes in Snow White’s wedding. This is enough to make it worth a checkout. The other reason i find this version interesting is how the Queen comunicates with the Magic Mirror: they sing to each other. And Kravina has a really good voice (no wonder she was a voice actress for Peggy Lee in the first german/dutch dub of Disney’s Lady and The Tramp). Sometimes that is enough to get a spot in a ranking.

10º Mari Yokoo/Caterina Rochiara/Regina Reagan/Carol Jacobanis as Queen Crystal in The Legend of Snow White (1994)

From the outside, Queen Chrystal appears to be calm, regal, and sophisticated, but in reality, this collected and stately facade hides an extremely sadistic, hateful, cold and sinister person. She is ruthless, jealous and obsessive and wants nothing more than to be the fairest in the land. She also has an extreme vanity that made her utterly intolerant of rivals. Being solely focused on the idea of becoming the fairest of all, Queen Chrystal does not appear to be significantly involved in governing her husband's kingdom, though the skeletal remains of prisoners in her dungeon point to her being a villainous ruler. In the end, her mad vanity and jealousy of her stepdaughter Snow White drove her to murderous insanity. Later is revealed that Queen Chrystal is not unredeamably evil as everyone thins, but an actually kind and gentle person who is possessed by an Evil Spirit. 

09º Diana Rigg as the Queen in Canon Movie Tales: Snow White (1987)

This lady is the personification of paranoia multiplied by the double. Why? Because the Magic Mirror didn’t needed to say that the little child Snow White was the fairest, this queen just feared so much that the princess’s beauty would outgrow hers that she ordered the huntsman to kill her. Basically: run, she is bad news.

08º Jeri Arredondo as Sly Fox in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child (1995)

Sly Fox... What a cunning diva. People try to counsel to not use alone a Magic Mirror that is a portal to the spirit world, but who says she listens? She is just there to hear the singing of her praises, and will try to eliminate anyone who gets on her way. She even goes so far as taking the appearance of the kind hearted nurse Sage Flower to lure her stepdaughter White Snow to eat the poisoned appled. What is not to love about that bastard?

07º Kazue Komiya/Arlene Banas as the Queen in Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics (1989)

Interestingly this encarnation starts naturally cold, calm and collected, ocasionally at the princess Snow White to see if she can ever grow more beautifull than her, and dismissing the girl with contempt. It is years later that she lets go of acting calm and collected, because after hearing some gossips in the palace, she asks Snow White if she thinks of herself as more beautifull than the Queen, and her stepdaughter reacts by exclaiming that the Queen is vain and cruel, and to her eyes that makes her ugly. So besides the desire of being considered the most beautifull, you get the feeling that this Queen pursues Snow White as a way to shut a person that dares to rebell against her, wich ads new interesting dimentions to their antagonism.

06º Dorothy Cumming as Queen Brangomar in Snow White (1916)

Brangomar was once a lady in waiting of the palace. But one day, she met the powerfull Witch Rex, who offered to give Brangomar anything she wanted. And what Brangomar wanted was to become a beautifull Queen. Wich was achieved by a faustian deal where Witch Rex would cast a spell that killed Imogene, the previous Queen, while in return Brangomar would have to find a way of getting Snow White’s heart for the Witch. Years have passed, and now Brangomar  must kill the princess to pay her debt, or else everything she got will be lost. Hey, here is a way of making a villain tragic, almost simpathetic and complex while keeping clear that she is still a villain!

05º Vanessa Redgrave as the Queen in Faerie Tale Theatre (1984)

The most loud and bombastic portrayal of the Wicked Queen ever put on screen. Bringing to television her sperience from stage, that allows some more over the top emotional reactions, Redgrave had the time of her life in that role, indulging in twirling, preening and screening as much as she could, and his Queen is all the most fun for it.

04º Gudrun Landgrebe as the Queen in Schneewittchen (1992)

What i live about Landgrebe’s Queen is her range: at first she acts all humble, discreet, cold and mysteryous. Then her husband leaves to fight in a Crusade, and she trows the white veil and gray clothing of humility to show a diva red hair and orange dress, as to say “Hey, the King leaved, i have all the power here now and you must do as i say”. Later, a knight comes, offering a magical crystal ball that connected to a mirror says all the truth, and the Queen takes posession of it to ask about her beauty. When Mirror says that the most beautifull woman in the kingdom is Snow White, she gets infuriated, than goes to carefully plan ways to eliminate the princess once and for all. The highlight is when she takes the disguise of a russian male doctor to offer the apple (where she injects poison into with her ring) to Snow White.

03º Maria Antonieta de Las Nieves in El Chapulin Colorado: Blancanieves y los Siete Churín Churín Fun Flais (1978)

This three part episode of the mexican comedy superheroe show is a loving parody of the Disney version, that stands out as an enjoyable retelling of the classic fairy tale in its own right. Interestingly, while most of the comedy in the episode is delivered in the form of over the top slapistick, de Las Nieves’s delivers a straight faced, contained performance. Wich makes her answers to the absurd situations in the story all the more funny.

02º Patricia Medina as the Queen in Snow White And The Three Stooges (1961)

This lady was a hell of a foe: she not only antagonizes Snow White for the title of the Most Beautifull, going so far as to lock the princess in a dungeon for no crime at all, but also, alongside her partner in crime Count Oga, ordered a murder attempt aggainst Prince Charming when he was a child, to prevent him from marrying Snow White, and this way she could become ruller of the kingdoms of Fortunia and Bravuria. Troughout the film, you think that she could win, since she has powerfull magic, spy and a mighty army at her comand, wich makes the viewer get all the more excited on the seat, that is how enjoyable Medina’s Queen is.

And my Number One Portrayal of the Wicked Queen is...

01º Lucille La Verne as the Queen in Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The first encarnation of the character that i ever saw in my childhood, and the one that still sends chills/shivers to my spine. As a young Queen, she rarely smiles, acting cold and calculating, intidimidating who is subordinate to her with the expression of her eyes and highbrows. And as a Crone, she lowdly indulges in her cruelty, offering the poisoned apple to her pet raven to scare him, and mocking the dead skeleton of a prisoner inside the castle’s dungeons. That balance between cold calculism and loud cruelty, where both are equally unsetling and scary, is something very hard to achieve, but i think this encarnation did a very good job in achieving that balance, that every other  portrayal that camed tried to draw influence from it ever since. And that’s why Disney’s Wicked Queen is my Number One portrayal.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Addi Adamets in Schneewittchen (1955), Marianne Christina Schiling in Schneewittchen (1961) and Sonja Kirchberger in Sechs Auf Einen Streich (2009)

[solocyclepolyamory]

Be Gentle - I Might Not Deserve It

Conflict is uncomfortable; No matter how you slice it, emotional responses are mostly inevitable and it takes practice to come out the other side with transformation rather than hurt feelings. I have been staring at this blank screen for 5 days now and my fingers have finally found their way to the keys. Being an individual who struggles with perfectionism, simply the thought of discussing my shortcomings in conflict resolution was enough to stop me in my tracks. Admitting to one's self upon reflection that you could have done better is very different from putting such admittance into practice in real time, especially when the heat of battle has your head and your mouth in a state disconnect. Lucky for me, there is no shortage of opportunity to practice the art of making space for authenticity and acceptance of other conflict styles when relating to people outside of common relationship structures.

When I originally sat down write this I wanted to talk about Karpman's drama triangle (in case your are unfamiliar, you can find it here: https://agile-od.com/mental-model-dojo/karpmans-drama-triangle). Understanding this concept has been integral to my personal growth trajectory, so much so that I have the triangle tattooed over the spot one might refer to as the throat chakra. Interestingly enough, as I proceeded through the mental gymnastics of taking an end concept and working it upside down and backwards towards my internal experiences, I had a realization that left me stunned and steeping a few days longer than expected. My intent for this article was to explore the concepts around my tendency to operate from the position of 'the victim.' This has often been the end point of my own spiral, and something I have come up against recently in the processes of the people around me. As I pulled up the drama triangle and started to read, I clicked a link that brought me to another article called "Radical Candor." Then something happened. As I read, a connection was made to a behavior that I have recently become aware of through working with my counsellor. I had no idea that this behavior had a name: fundamental attribution error.

(I am going to paraphrase what I learned from this article and do my best to link it to my own experiences, but you can read the full article here: https://agile-od.com/reflective-leadership/radical-candor)

When I look back at many of my relationships, I can pin point where this concept has been the first step in a cascade of reactionary hardening in my emotional demeanor, and has very quickly lead to recoil and refusal to be physically touched. In those moments I have always placed the blame for my recoil on my partner's behavior; I truly believed that if they had not acted in a certain way I would not have felt the need to recoil. After reading that article, I can clearly see that while my partner's behavior was indeed a catalyst, it was not the reason for this emotional response at all. I can also see that the intent I had for this entry, to examine myself through the lens of 'the victim,' is no longer appropriate.

If I consider this chain of events through the scope of the drama triangle, it becomes obvious that this recurrent dissonance is not a byproduct of my habitual self-victimization. Rather, this is a consequence of my incomprehension around my own defensive routines where I gravitate to the position of 'the persecutor.' There is a monumental difference between these two positions, and I was mistaken in my certainty that my conflict style was to move quickly through persecution and rescuer and land firmly in victimization. In reality it appears that I have been making assumptions about my partners' internal experiences, and in my hard-headed responses I have been oppressing them rather than working with them to heal.

This is where this dance begins.

The more my partner experiences what I perceive to be self-pity the thicker my shell becomes, especially if that partner reaches to me for comfort. As my emotional plasticity evaporates, the harder it is for me to access compassion and gentleness. This quickly slides into blame in order to justify that the behavior I am observing is a character flaw rather than a circumstantial reaction. Where I should be extending compassion and space for the other side sort through their own healing processes, my defensive instinct is to assassinate their character and blame them for my emotional upheaval. This autopilot setting is not solely attached to conflict either. This can also be triggered situationally; I have had this pattern arise when partners have been struggling with self-doubt or depression, and I am aware that it even showed its ugly face while a past partner was recovering from surgery and struggling to reach the dishes in the top cupboards. How awful! This is something I can never unsee, and realizing this has come loaded with shame and embarrassment. What a terrible way to treat people.

I could take some time and dive into the childhood reasons why I behave this way, but justification seems trivial when I know that I have done damage to the relationships that have lived this with me. If you are reading this, you know who you are. I am so sorry if I have added to your trauma. I lacked the ability to see my own patterns and certainly the tools to acknowledge and navigate them.

Healing is a lonely process full of looking at the undesirable ways that you have treated people, and yourself. I am astounded that I still have people in my life who care to be around me, and I fully understand the reasons why some people have chosen not to stick around. I am also actively working to extend my past self compassion around my complete absence of self-awareness. It is alarming to realize that I have been actively responsible for many of the fissures in my romantic connections. I own that I have caused harm, and I am working hard to implement accountability for that harm. I am making amends where I can and slowing things down to avoid repetition.

I hate that my past partners have had to make sacrifices for my rigidness. I hope to do better.

I am trying to do better.

[oc-growth-and-development]

on self-inserts, cliches, and writing for fun

I get asked a lot about how to write interesting and unique characters and how to avoid the “dreaded” self-inserts and Mary Sues. Obviously, writing unique OCs is rewarding in its own way, but it’s definitely not the only way to enjoy writing, especially if your main goal with writing is to have fun. Might be hypocritical for a prompt blog to argue this, but so-called self-inserts, cliches, and Mary Sues are fun to write, actually. In fact, allowing myself to be “uncreative” helped me redevelop my love for writing and break through my years-long writing block.

(ruminations on how I learned to enjoy writing again, some advice, and backstory under the cut cause hoo boy y’all didn’t sign up for this)

So this is by no means an original ~hot take~, but something I didn’t actually take to heart until fairly recently. And to be perfectly clear, this is just about what works for me and specifically about writing for your own enjoyment, not necessarily for publication. This is not something that everyone will agree with, but I’m sure at least some of you will agree and/or need to hear this.

For most of my writing career, I wrote with the assumption that someone would read my work eventually. Submitting fiction to literary magazines, writing essays for class and articles for work, discussing worldbuilding with writing buddies, etc. I love getting constructive criticism on my writing and all (I always tell my editors to just absolutely rip it apart lmao), but it screwed with my enjoyment of writing as a whole. My motivation to write was the gratification of knowing that other people liked my work, and I tricked myself into thinking that I liked what I wrote because other people liked it.

So when college happened and sapped the creativity right out of my system along with time and energy, I lost all motivation to write. I felt like I was competing with much better writers and that my ideas were too embarrassingly basic to share. I tried too hard to make my characters and plots “interesting” and “smart” to the point where they were no longer relatable nor realistic. (side note: my quest to avoid this is a large part of why I started this blog. Yay, backstory!) 

It took a few false starts, but for the past several months, I’ve managed to consistently write most days and even look forward to writing, a feeling I hadn’t felt in AGES. How, you may ask? Well, I started writing out my cheesy daydreams! I have a cast of characters and a basic plot that have been ruminating in my brain since around middle school. Here’s the thing about this particular plot: it’s full of cliches and plot holes, the main character is an obvious self-insert, and the supporting cast is two-dimensional at best. Left in its original iteration, it’s objectively not a story I would want to read, let alone show other people. But I figured that, hey, if I’ve had this silly story in my head for half my life, I might as well write it down. It’s not like I have to show anyone anyway.

That became Rule #1: Don’t show people your unfinished writing. This one rule took a little bit to internalize for me, but once I managed it, it changed how approached the creative process. I became less obsessed with how “good” my writing was and focused more on my own enjoyment of writing. Knowing no one could ever judge what I was writing gave me the freedom to write whatever the hell I wanted, which interestingly, actually boosted my creativity. I still brainstorm a bit with friends in hypothetical terms and there is a slight chance I might show them when it’s complete if I’m comfortable enough, but for now, I am working with the expectation that no one will ever read this, and it feels so liberating.

Then comes Rule #2: Don’t be afraid to write about yourself. I injected so much of myself into my new stories, something I was scared of doing in the past for fear of someone extrapolating some deep, dark secret about me by reading it. I gave a voice to the (many) insecurities and the (sometimes embarrassing) fantasies I have, and I don’t have to worry about anyone learning about them. It’s oddly therapeutic. One example: When I was a repressed middle schooler, I struggled with letting my self-insert have a romantic relationship with a female OC. I still believe the act of making the relationship “canon” in my daydreams is the moment I accepted that I was bisexual. Nowadays, my OCs are all essentially personifications of some fracture of my personality, whether it be actual, perceived, feared, or aspirational.

And finally, Rule #3: Tropes are tropes for a reason. I get it, as writers, we try to avoid cliches at all costs (like the plague, if you will) (and before someone says anything, I know tropes ≠ cliches. I’m just using them interchangeably here). But when you’re writing solely for fun, do you really have to worry about how “original” your story is? I’m not suggesting to straight up plagiarize a pre-existing story and publish it, claiming full credit. What I mean is, say, you want to write a love triangle where the mc has to choose between a tall/dark/handsome newcomer and gentle childhood best friend. Cliche? Definitely. But should that stop you from fitting your OCs in those roles if that’s how you wanna envision it? Of course not! It’s a popular trope not necessarily because it’s a lazy plot device, but because lots of people enjoy this particular dynamic and the drama it causes. It’s a cliche and it’s interesting; the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Not all tropes are everyone’s cup of tea, but you don’t have to cater to them. Pour your own tea.

You don’t have to agree with my opinions and my rules to writing for fun. I am by no means an expert, but I think we can all benefit from shifting the focus from what you think your readers want to read to what you actually want to write. With NaNoWriMo coming up, I hope this will help with at least some of your motivation. I know it has helped mine!

TL;DR: Be self-indulgent. You’d be surprised at what you can come up with when you don’t have to worry about impressing other people.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[stellahibernis]

Lan Wangji: the Model Student Edition

AKA Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed, part 1/9 

I got it in my head to write about Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed for a couple of reasons. One, they’re extremely beautiful and worth paying attention to (as are all the costumes in the series!) and two, they do an excellent job of reflecting his mental state and where he is on his journey as a character. Hence, I’ll always look at them from two points of view, what’s actually happening in the costume, and how the choices made tie to what’s going on while he wears it. Note that I’m not going to even attempt to touch on how they connect to actual historical clothing (you’ll need an expert for that, which I’m definitely not).

I decided to make separate posts for each outfit rather than try to cram all of them in one post (or a few posts). I suspect this’ll be long enough anyway, since I’ll cover some common elements in his outfits in this one, and the images also add to the length. I tried not to go too crazy with the number of the images, although I suspect there’ll be more in the latter posts that cover some of his more elaborate costumes. I had a bit of fun with my image choices as you’ll see (also several times I forgot I was meant to capture stuff and just kept watching, as one does 😂).

Without further ado, let’s start with the outfit Lan Wangji had on when he walked into Wei Wuxian’s life. This outfit was worn mainly in episodes 3-7, briefly in episode 8, and also in WWX’s memories in episode 1.

The Costume

In my head this goes in the simple-but-formal category of LWJ’s outfits, meaning he has the full amount of layers on, and the fabrics are of the usual high quality, but they have no particular texture, and there’s not much embroidery. This almost feels like the basic Lan disciple outfit upgraded to a higher level, which goes nicely with the fact that even though he is the Second Jade of Lan, he’s also a student among the rest of them.

First some basics about the robes the Lan Sect members wear, possibly obvious stuff, but I’ll cover it anyway. They are usually made of fairly lightweight fabrics (that move beautifully in action scenes, I might add), although those of higher rank also have robes made of fabrics with more texture and weight. They’re always white or shades of blue, again more blue for those of higher rank (if they so choose), and the cloud pattern is usually embroidered at least somewhere (significantly LWJ has two outfits with no cloud embroidery).

Innermost layer consists of the white pants and the undershirt that seems to be standard for everyone, we see LWJ (in episode 43), LQR (in episode 33), and WWX (in episodes 42-45) all wear similar shirts. The actors aren’t necessarily wearing all the layers due to heat, but we’re meant to believe they’re always there and that cultivators are just immune to the sun or something. (In that bts video where they bicker on the boat we actually see Wang Yibo wearing the undershirt when he pulls back his sleeves, meaning he’s in five layers and somehow looks cool as a cucumber, while Xiao Zhan is dying of heat 😂). Next come two or three sets of robes, possibly always meant to be three, since the Lans are formal like that, but we don’t see that many with every costume. Then comes a sash to keep the robes closed, and for those of higher rank optionally another robe on top (which LWJ and LXC don’t always wear).

Here’s another look at the costume, with a bonus WWX. This was obviously chosen solely because it shows the silhouette very well.

As I mentioned earlier, this outfit has all the elements listed above, including a robe worn over the sash, but there aren’t too many details. The fabric is certainly meant to be silk, and possibly even is. Whoever did the hemming of the robe definitely struggled enough for it to be silk (modern detail that one, btw, you wouldn’t sew it like that by hand. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t just do that, making an invisible hem isn’t actually that slow, but maybe it’s still significant when you need to make so many costumes). The sash is very basic, with no decoration at all, but he of course has the waist ornament with the jade pieces and tassel, which is one of the two things he always wears, in addition to his forehead ribbon. The white shoes are maybe the biggest flex from the Lan Sect, just imagine how much time would be needed to clean and replace all of them, especially since the climate at the Cloud Recesses is definitely rainy, and then there are the night hunts.

Above is the top seen in detail, we have his first head ornament (which is very cute, IMO), and the forehead ribbon. Interestingly it’s pale blue rather than white (as I believe it’s in the book). Blue is slightly less stark against the skin, so that may have been the reason. Then there’s the embroidery on the lapels, the Lan Sect clouds done with white on white, basically the least extravagant you can get and still have them. We only see one more layer, I believe. There’s blue and white in the collar, but looking at how it overlaps I think it’s just one robe with two colors. But hey, a teeny tiny bit of color on him at least!

Another detail to note is that if he has narrow sleeves visible, there are always fabric bands wrapped around the wrists, yet another bit of complexity and formality to his outfits. He also has them with this costume, you don’t see them that many times because the big sleeves cover them pretty well, but we get a nice glimpse of them when LWJ and WWX are tied together with the forehead ribbon in the cave, see below. 

Yes, I capped the moment where they collapse to the ground after getting out of the cave. I have to get my amusement somehow, but it was actually the one where you can see the detail best. 😂 (I also tried the part where LWJ ties the ribbon but all the caps came out blurry, so this one it is). LWJ’s hand is the top one, obviously, and WWX has just a regular sleeve end there.

The Context

When LWJ first walks into the scene in episode 3, he’s at peace with himself in that his world makes sense, he has a clear understanding of who he is and what his responsibilities are. I’m not saying it has come without struggle considering everything to do with his mother (I bet LQR was just thrilled when he moved to the Jingshi, which all things considered probably hadn’t happened that long before the start of the story), but it looks like it’s something that’s been worked out. Also, when I say his world makes sense, I don’t mean that he’s completely happy about everything (if I had to define it, I’d go for comfortably neutral), just that there are no particular issues that he doesn’t know how to react to until WWX comes and turns everything upside down.

Much of the past timeline for LWJ is about his struggle between his loyalty to his sect and what he perceives as his duty, and his connection with WWX. This can be seen reflected in his costumes as well. Broadly speaking (obviously individual scenes can shift the focus for a time), when he wears predominantly white with wide sleeves (his more formal outfits) it signals that he’s particularly conscious of his duty and his upbringing, while his blue outfits with narrow sleeves (arguably more casual ones) come to play when he’s more forcefully pulled by his connection with WWX. Notably, he also wears one mostly white outfit with narrow sleeves, but we’ll get to that later.

At this point of the story, the real struggle hasn’t yet started for him, he’s (mostly) the perfect model student that he was taught to be literally from birth, and his outfit reflects that. He’s definitely thrown by the effect WWX has on him, as it’s most likely a completely new experience, but he also considers it nonsense that he intends to drop (or boring, as he has a tendency to say). When he sets out alone, I’d say it’s with the idea that he can just leave what happened in summer school behind and focus once more on his responsibilities. Clearly there’s some regret that he feels because of it, as we witnessed his undoubtedly warm feelings toward WWX when hearing his resolution in the lantern scene, but right after that moment he focuses on the Yin Iron once more and maybe chooses that road (only he doesn’t get to walk it alone, WWX is stubborn like that).

Next time, blue robes and the point of no return for LWJ just whooshes on its way behind them.

(You can find the rest of this series via “lwj costume series” tag below, or through my blog contents page. I’d link for ease of access but the links made it disappear from tags, so. 😒)

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: I enjoyed reading your answer about your very British Conservatism being influenced by the ideas Edmund Burke and of course Burke became famous for his opposition to the French Revolution and the ideas therein. Given that you are a British conservative living in Paris and Bastille Day is soon upon France (July 14) was the French Revolution really a revolution or just a changing of the guard ie removing one elite (the nobility) to make room for another elite (the bourgeois)? Was it just Burke who thought that or other prominent philosophers?

I will have to say more about the conservative beliefs I hold at another time because it’s more than just following the ideas of Edmund Burke, great though he was. Because while certainly he is good bench mark to understand Conservative ideas and he has become a standard bearer for modern political conservatism, his ideas and legacy remains fiercely debated and the question of whether he was a philosopher at all in the traditional sense of the term is also hotly discussed by scholars.

What we can say with somewhat more certainty is that he was arguably the first one who was ‘forced’ to articulate Conservative principles and ideas on paper. But Conservatism didn’t begin with Burke because he was articulating what was already known to past generations and to his contemporary peers. There was no need to systemise a way of thinking and get it down onto paper. So at heart conservatism isn’t a rigid set of ideological beliefs but a state of being rooted in experience, common wisdom, custom, and what Burke called ‘the nature of things’. For Burke the so-called French Revolution went against the nature of things.

According to the standard narrative, the French celebrate their National Day each year on July 14 by remembering the storming of the Bastille, the hated symbol of the antiquated ancien regime. It was at this key point that the united people took the law in its own hands and gave birth to modern France in a heroic revolution.

But was it a revolution?

In Burke’s time opinion was divided all across Europe to interpret the seismic upheaval in France. It really depended on where you were living and under what particular regime.

I can’t go into a whole survey of thinkers and their thought and opinions they held but let me settle on one interesting one figure only because he’s such a fascinating thinker whose ideas continue to influence our moral and political philosophy. I’m talking about Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the famous German philosopher and prominent thinker of his time.

In the view of Immanuel Kant there was no real revolution. He understood it as an unlawful and violent toppling of the old regime. Writing in the wake of the events, he concluded that the King, by a very serious error in judgment had unintentionally abdicated and left the power to the people. Kant agnostically asked: was it really a revolution, or not?

Every thinker writes within the context of his times and Kant is no different. Kant’s view has often been derided as a sneaky way to justify the revolution without being seen in public as doing so. Defending the revolution publicly could attract the King’s ire. The Prussian king, like all Europe’s sovereigns, feared the advancement of the revolution, and endorsements by opinion leaders might hasten that outcome. Kant, who was a professor at Königsberg, was Germany’s premier philosopher. He had many followers and defended a highly idealistic moral theory with clear affinities to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Thus, fear of censorship could have been Kant’s reason for misrepresenting the event as something else than a revolution.

But perhaps Kant’s interpretation was quite sincere?

If we explore Kant’s politics in context the first thing to notice is the scope of his argument: it was about the events of 1789, not the various (and bloody) transformations of the next decade. Moreover, the events he had in mind resembled a fairly orderly democratic transition. King Louis XVI was facing a disastrous debt crisis and his juridical institutions were recalcitrant to establish new taxes to make up for the debt. To solve the situation, the absolute monarch invited all male taxpayers over 25 years of age to elect deputies to a representative assembly (called the Estates-General), which was to deliberate about solutions to the debt and on how to improve the state’s wellbeing in general. This proto-democratic assembly met at Versailles on May 5, 1789.

Almost immediately, it became apparent that this archaic arrangement - the group had last been assembled in 1614 - would not sit well with its present members. Although Louis XVI granted the Third Estate greater numerical representation, the Parlement Of Paris stepped in and invoked an old rule mandating that each estate receive one vote, regardless of size. As a result, though the Third Estate was vastly larger than the clergy and nobility, each estate had the same representation - one vote. Inevitably, the Third Estate’s vote was overridden by the combined votes of the clergy and nobility.

The fact that the Estates-General hadn’t been summoned in nearly 200 years probably says a thing or two about its effectiveness. The First and Second Estates - clergy and nobility, respectively - were too closely related in many matters. Both were linked intrinsically to the royalty and shared many similar privileges. As a result, their votes often went the same way, automatically neutralising any effort by the Third Estate.

Additionally, in a country as secularised as France at the time, giving the church a full third of the vote was ill-advised: although France’s citizens would ultimately have their revenge, at the time the church’s voting power just fostered more animosity. There were numerous philosophers in France speaking out against religion and the mindless following that it supposedly demanded, and many resented being forced to follow the decisions of the church on a national scale.

Beyond the chasm that existed between it and the other estates, the Third Estate itself varied greatly in socioeconomic status: some members were peasants and labourers, whereas others had the bourgeois occupations, wealth, and lifestyles of nobility. These disparities between members of the Third Estate made it difficult for the wealthy bourgeois members to relate to the peasants with whom they were grouped.

Because of these rifts, the Estates-General, though organised to reach a peaceful solution, remained in a prolonged internal feud. It was only through the efforts of men such as Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (1748-1836) that the members of the Third Estate finally realised that fighting among themselves was fruitless and that if they took advantage of the estate’s massive size, they would be a force that could not be ignored.

The summoning of the Estates General assembly was usually thought of as a revolutionary act, since the King had not intended to relinquish his absolute power. He had just asked for advice on how to run the country. But according to Kant, the King’s intentions were of no consequence. Once he had committed the error of setting up a representative organ he was no longer the sovereign ruler. Absolutism relied on the notion of the monarch as the sole representative of the people (which otherwise would be a disorderly multitude). Once the monarch abandoned that task he could no longer claim to be the ruler, and his sovereignty automatically “passed to the people”. So while the Estates General assembly was rigged to give veto power to the nobility and the clergy – the defenders of the old regime – the Third Estate acted in concert and asserted its power upon the assembly. Asserting its sovereignty, the assembly started preparations for a new constitution enshrining the values of liberté, égalité, and fraternité.

Kant’s view was not so controversial at the time. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) too thought the King had abandoned absolute sovereignty, something that pleased the conservative publicist, who was sceptical to absolute power whether in the hands of the king or the people. But Burke and Kant disagreed on what came in its stead. Burke concluded that power reverted to the ancient constitution of the feudal society that existed prior to royal absolutism. That society had dispersed power among the church, the nobility, the commoners, and the king. Kant, however, did not consider government of such mixed nature to be a real government at all, but just a collection of groups and persons pursuing their private interests.

Moreover, the representative assembly Louis XVI had convoked was elected by the people (or at least the propertied males) and was to represent not just special groups but also the nation as a whole. This was perfectly in line with Kant’s view of popular sovereignty as the ultimate source of justice in any government. He shared this view with Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès  who was not just the most influential French popular leader but also an admirer of Kant. Like Sieyès, Kant did not hate monarchy. He simply considered that once the popular assembly had been set up, the King was reduced to a constitutional monarch, with no right to reverse the process. The popular uprising that followed in the summer of 1789 and that culminated with the storming of the Bastille was not a revolution since sovereignty was already with the people. It was just the result of popular fears that the monarch would claw back the power he had abandoned.

For Burke, he undoubtedly did see it as a revolution. But interestingly he described the Revolution as a ‘democratic revolution’. Indeed he called this “new democracy” a “monstrous tragicomic scene” – monstrous because it was deforming the body politic, tragicomic because in its attempts to establish democracy it was undermining democracy’s own principles. At first, Burke seems to claim that the revolutionary government is democratic only in facade. “I do not know under what description to class the present ruling authority in France… It affects to be a pure democracy, though I think it is in a direct train of becoming shortly a mischievous and ignoble oligarchy.” Burke here seems to suggest that democracy is a cover for an oligarchic class rule in France (the bourgeois). But he doesn’t stop there because he is also quick to acknowledge almost immediately that democracy is emerging in France, and it is quickly on its way to degenerating into a tyrannical government of the masses. “If I recollect rightly, Aristotle observes that a democracy has many striking points of resemblance with a tyranny. Of this I am certain, that in a democracy the majority of citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority whenever strong divisions prevail in that kind of polity.” Thus, Burke presents the revolutionary government as, on the one hand, an oligarchy pretending to be a democracy, and, on the other hand, a true democracy, in which the masses exercise tyranny through “popular persecution.”

For Kant it can be argued that he saw the French Revolution as not a violent revolution by the courageous masses, but a democratic transition. Burke would of course disagree. But I think both would agree for different reasons that the events that led to the French Revolution was set in motion by the king himself.

So perhaps one can agree with both that the real French Revolution began not on 14 July but 5 May 1789 when King Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General for its first meeting since 1614.

Thanks for your question.

[abpoli]

I work in oil and gas. I saw first hand what sort of shit the PCs pulled. I saw Jason Kenney's federal handiwork as Immigration Minister at work with unqualified TFWs being brought onto sites and blowing up propane cylinders because they all had faked their qualifications and didn't understand anything. I saw hundreds of people lose their jobs because of poor planning from previous governments. I got a front row seat to incredible shitshow that was carbon capture, where the client's engineers were actively talking about what a white elephant carbon capture was, and how it was a giant make work project at the province's expense. I helped build extraction facilities that were slated from the start to funnel our money to the US, extraordinarily blatantly to a Calumet refinery in Montana that was designed solely to profit at the expense of Canadians. I saw the only value-added project at NWR come around because Redford was trying to use it as a Hail Mary to distract people, which, by the way, was notorious as being never really supposed to happen outside of the surveying and being a way for Stelmach's ranching buddies to sell the province their land at a premium over a premium.

And on the commercial side of things, well, I'm well aware of the scramble that's come around because of our failing infrastructure. Amazing what happens when you don't build things where they're needed. Things like new hospitals to serve growing areas, which, I'm sorry to inform you, are not really rural areas. But do end up serving rural areas, when they end up driving to Edmonton or Calgary when they need the sort of services that need to have things like dedicated lab networks, which can only really exist where there is everyone that has to staff all of those primary and supporting services.

There was a huge thing about the previous PC governments, that that was crony capitalism. I'd never vote for anyone out to destroy the people that built this province. Or their kids, whether they're little gay kids that need a GSA for support or ones trying to fund post-secondary that don't deserve to be paid less for their hard work. Or the health care system, which, interestingly enough, is mostly inefficient because of our incredibly overbuilt rural health care network. It's awesome, because everyone deserves the right to be healthy and not have to be med-evaced everywhere. But I know that if I was looking for something to slash to bring down costs, that would be a pretty tempting cherry. Assuming that it's not outright privatized.

The fact of the matter is is that Alberta succeeded in spite of our governments. And we finally have a premier who's not looking to line their own pockets or reward their friends with sweetheart contracts. And you want to go back to that, because you've got rose coloured glasses on. Well, I sincerely hope that you can afford the consequences, because it's gonna fall on every single person who's not a "job creating" business owner. Things like toll roads (which, interestingly enough, will cost the rural Albertan more than me), public-private partnerships that never work out right but end up enriching shareholders out of the taxpayer's pocket, and catering to the charter schools of faith-supremacist groups at the expense of our public school systems.

But yeah, let's act like the Carbon Tax is the big problem. And that if we axe the provincial one, the federal one won't instantly come into play and take all that money out of the province. Because that's the biggest thing about it, that if we don't have a provincial one in place, the federal one comes in, and it's Ottawa that decides where the funds from that one goes. And it sure won't be Alberta, because that's not efficient at buying votes. Dumping it into BC, or the Maritimes, or Quebec... that's bang for your buck at a federal level. Sure, Trudeau might not be leader next election, but he is now. And that's where he'll dump it. Andrew Scheer, on the other hand, talks a big game about dumping it, but he'll almost certainly be seduced by the idea of a giant slush fund that he can try and shore up support in Ontario with. Why kill the golden goose when you can make omelets, after all? And why spend in Alberta, when Alberta has shown that they'll vote for a blue rock even if a Conservative government changes the equalization formula to funnel even more money to Quebec from Alberta (ask Kenney about that one, after all, he was part of the government that drafted that revision and he voted for it personally).

If you're looking for someone to blame for the devastation, then it's probably best that we all take the late Jim Prentice's advice, and look in the mirror. Because he was right, and it was all our faults for electing Don Getty. And letting Ralph Klein blow up a hospital so he could pay for a cardboard sign. And for letting Ed Stelmach have an entire mandate dictated by backroom party hacks. And for letting Alison Redford live her petro-shiekh fantasies on our dime. At least we showed Prentice what happens when you come down from on high without any real answers. But hey, Jason Kenney totally won't be like the rest. It's not like he started out on the payroll of US lobby groups taking pet issue stances for pay. It's not like he sold out Canadians by rubber stamping TFWs and letting big companies do whatever they want, federally. And it's not like he hasn't come out and said that his platform is going to hurt Albertans (to be fair, that was one of his candidates, and he just didn't refute it).

But yeah, the NDP are the problem for trying to deal with 40 years of mismanagement. So let's get rid of someone competent who's stood up for Albertans because they started in the worst case scenario and has been steadily working to bring things back to the best of what this province can be. After all, Rachel Notley won her leadership race fair and square, so obviously she can't be devious enough to drive this province back into being a dumpster fire, since she didn't have a federal MP's job to get paid not to do while rigging a leadership campaign against rivals.

Also, because I forgot:

THE PREMIER OF ALBERTA DOES NOT SET OIL PRICES.

Which, you know, is one huge reason that we've had problems with revenues besides slashing the tax base. And I do mean YUUUUUUUUUUGE, with a Y, because it comes right out of the supply side handbook.

Stolen from Sterling Matan on facebook.

[transformersaesthetics]

Gender in G1

Hey gang!  This article will be the first in a series going through the history of female transformers. We’ll be talking about character designs, relevance to the plot, and toys to analyze the role of female characters and figures in our beloved franchise. We will first observe traits, and then conduct analysis. I’m going to start with Generation One and work our way through the history of the brand. 

    There’s been a trend, starting in the 2001 Botcon fiction with the Beast Wars basic figure Sonar, of retconning toy only characters that were not explicitly established to be men as women, especially through Ask Vector Prime and more obscure fiction like the comics.(Crockalley) While this reflects an admirable desire to increase representation, it says more about our values today than it does about the history of the brand and the development of female characters, while still being an important part of that story. As we shall see, the existence of the conventions and exclusive toys complicates things a great deal. For example, technically, the first female decepticon is Nightracer, a Botcon 1994 exclusive go-bot, but most people never had the opportunity to purchase that toy, or have even heard of the character.(Elita2)   This does create, retrospectively, some ambiguity about who exactly gets to claim the title of first female transformer to have a toy, and other things of that nature. I started writing this essay with the intention of examining prominent female transformers, with the idea that, while people do indeed read the old 3H comics and scour Ask Vector Prime, the bulk of exposure most people, and operatively most children, have is to the primary fiction, and to the characters thrust into the spotlight by the good folks at Hasbro. 

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in with Generation 1! 

    While Arcee is the character who most immediately springs to mind when we examine female transformers in the Generation 1 fiction, there are in fact several others of note, and interestingly, several who appear first. The very first female transformers we meet are in the episode the Search for Alpha Trion.(ChrisMcFeely) We’re introduced to five whole female characters. The first one on screen, making her the first female transformer to appear anywhere, is Chromia.(Derik, Chromia) One of the first things we hear about them is that Shockwave thought they were extinct, and… There’s a lot to unpack there, and instead of doing that, I’m going to say “80’s cartoon sensitivity to issues of gender” and leave it at that.(ChrisMcFeely) These characters form a guerrilla unit of soldiers who have been harassing Shockwave as he tries to run Cybertron.(ChrisMcFeely) The character models are reasonably homogenous. The color palette used for them consists of traditionally female colors, such as pink, light blue, and lime green.(ChrisMcFeely) Rather than the blocky build exhibited by most of the G1 cast, they are slim and curvy.(ChrisMcFeely) Also unlike the rest of the cast, they wear lipstick and have sizible busts.(ChrisMcFeely) This really sets the tone for the majority of female characters going forwards. While the men exhibit a variety of body types and different degrees of blockiness, the women are almost invariably voluptuous and slender, and frequently rather busty.

 As far as the plot goes, there’s a bevy of pluses and minuses. In the opening scenes of the episode, the female autobots are shown operating independently.(ChrisMcFeely) However, Elita-1 is quickly captured and Optimus Prime races to her rescue. Later on, she saves him, but at the cost of her own well being, which forces Optimus to once again rescue her.(ChisMcFeely) Every named female autobot (Chromia, Moonracer and Elita-1) is romantically involved with a male autobot.(ChrisMcFeely)  A couple of the female autobots, Greenlight and Lancer, didn’t actually receive names for 25 years.(ItsWalky, Greenlight; Lancer) In the larger context of the G1 cartoon, these characters have essentially no impact. This is the only episode most of them appear in, with the sole exception of Elita-1, who would go on to appear in the episode War Dawn.(Omnisvalidus)

As far as toys go, Chromia didn’t receive a general retail toy until 2014.(Derik, Chromia) Elita 1 and Moonracer didn’t get general retail toys until 2018, although all of them did get a convention or Timelines toy in 2005-6 or so.(Vanguard; Derik, Moonracer) The most revealing thing about these paragraphs is that is more or less literally all there is to say. Elita-1 got a model kit in the 90s, but only in Japan, Chromia shows up in some BotCon comics… And that’s all.(Vanguard; Derik, Chromia)

    Then, in 1986, the transformers movie came out, and we got Arcee, the first really prominent female transformer.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She’s pink, she wears lipstick, and she’s got curves and a chest, planting her squarely in the traditional female aesthetic. Like Elita-1, she got a couple of model kits in the 90’s, but her history of receiving toys is famously abysmal. There were no fewer than 3 separate G1 toys of her that were canceled.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She finally got a toy in 2006, a convention exclusive redeco of Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, but she only got a toy that actually turned into a car in 2008, again as a retool and only in Japan.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She only received a toy based on her character model in 2014, almost 30 years after her introduction.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47)

 We encounter here for the first time a pattern that will haunt us for the rest of our survey. Female transformers characters tend to not receive toys. In my personal collection, I have exactly 3, two of which are minicons. In my collection of approximately 200 figures, 3 of them are women, and only 1 is a deluxe. 

Arcee’s record of fictional appearances is not much stronger. In the ‘86 movie, Arcee basically hangs out and does vague crush things on Hot Rod or Springer, depending on who wrote the scene.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She also takes care of Daniel, and that’s pretty much it, not only for the movie but for the rest of her cartoon appearances.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) I’m not sure she ever got an episode focusing on her, if she ever once drove the plot, or did anything much really other than hang out with Daniel, god rest her soul. 

    That’s actually not the bottom of the barrel yet. There are two other female characters of note in G1, both from the Japanese Super God Masterforce cartoon. The Masterforce characters were not actually transformers themselves, by and large, but human pilots of Transtectors, giant robot bodies that allowed Takara to sell headmasters and powermasters, figures where the head formed a separate little robot, represented in fiction by the human.(Singularity) Accordingly, the characters discussed here might not exactly count as Autobots or Decepticons, but, since they were main characters in a main show, they still form an important part of the history of women in transformers.  Minerva is part of the core cast of Autobots, and serves as a medic.(Derik, Minerva) The other is one of the primary antagonists, Mega, the… owner? Pilot? Of one half of Overlord. (Derik, Mega) 

Minerva is actually the first female character to receive a toy, in 1988, four years after the launch of the franchise.(Derik, Minerva) Minerva’s toy shares a mold with Nightbeat, and unfortunately we don’t have any information about who the mold was designed for “first”, as it were, so we’re going to have to wait a while for the first toy designed from the beginning to be a female character. Minerva’s toy is remarkable because it lacks many of the hallmarks of female toys released even today. It’s as blocky as any other Autobot car, doesn’t have high heels or a sculpted busom, etc.(Derik, Minerva) The proportions are also rather generic, rather than featuring the slender and voluptuous build that will haunt our survey. Minerva turns into an ambulance (Nightbeat’s Porsche mode with a lightbar), befitting her status as a medic. 

Mega’s toy is also very interesting. She controls one half of the rather generically proportioned Overlord transtector , which turns into a jet and a tank, two decidedly male coded vehicles. (Derik, Mega) Overlord is also absolutely bristling with guns, which is also not a traditional quality of female characters.(Derki, Mega) Indeed, Mega actually presents an intriguing dichotomy. While she herself is robustly and obviously female, Overlord is simply a robot, and in every subsequent depiction is male. 

In terms of character model, Minerva is quite interesting. One would expect that the model would be very similar to that of Nightbeat, and indeed to some extent it is. (Nightbeat never actually appears in the G1 cartoon, so he only has a character model for the comics and some commercial appearances.)(ItsWalky, Nightbeat) It features the same helmet, and hallmarks such as the chest and general kibble. However, some important liberties have been taken. Her color palette is not Nightbeat’s blues and yellows, but rather, white, pink and red, a decidedly more feminine set of colors.(Derik, Minerva) While not nearly as curvy as the original female Autobots, her proportions have been altered so that she fits a more traditionally feminine body shape.(Derik, Minvera)  Rather than the idealized Dorito of masculinity, Minerva's robot mode had relatively slender shoulders and waist, and relatively broad hips and large thighs, all hallmarks of traditional female body imagery.(Derik, Minerva) Minerva actually doesn't have breast analogues, largely because of the Nightbeat mold's aggressively flat chest.(Derik, Minerva)  

Minerva walks a fascinating line of being female while still clearly being a giant robot, and not a person covered in metal as with earlier G1 women. This represents a really interesting way of presenting female characters visually. They can have traditionally feminine characteristics without being consumed by them. Unfortunately, that's not something we really see too much more of in the brand, at least not for quite some time. In terms of her human character model, Minerva's got a suit, and her proportions aren't too disgusting, particularly for anime.(Derik, Minerva) It looks like she gets sexualized some of the time, but who doesn’t in anime (which is a can of worms quite outside of the scope of this article.) 

Mega is also an intriguing blend of different ideas. Her human character model wears a skin tight witch princess outfit, and is very traditionally feminine in terms of proportions, accessories etc.(Derik, Mega) The robot that she shares control of is a massive, male robot with guns poking out of every possible surface.(Derik, Mega)  Without consciously trying to make a statement about women and gender, the Masterforce team created a blend of signals of masculinity and femininity that, while not necessarily forward thinking, is at the very least a departure from the homogeneity of traditional portrayals. 

Minerva's character is quite a bit more disappointing, with the caveat that I have not personally seen Masterforce. All of the male characters run around trying to gain her favor, which she bestows occasionally etc etc.(Derik, Minerva) She is a pacifist, and this keeps her confined to the sidelines of battle, treating the injured. Her pacifism appears to be presented largely as her not having the stomach to do what needs to be done because of her womanliness and desire to protect everyone.(Derik, Minerva) Apparently she has also been given a very “traditional” upbringing, learning all sorts of feminine skills like dancing, music, and cooking.(Derik, Minerva) 

Mega, in addition to being eeeeeevil, also appears to feel very maternal towards the younger Decepticon cast, to the point that it hampers her fighting. (Derik, Mega) The evil aspect of Mega’s personality is actually really remarkable. There is a surprising dearth of female Decepticons, much less ones who serve in important leadership positions. Indeed, Mega is one of three or so evil aligned females to have a position of command, the other two being RID 2015 Glowstrike and Beast Machines Strika, and one of a bare handful of female Decepticons more broadly.(Abates; ItsWalky, Strika) 

    The character models, absence of toys, and almost non-existence in terms of plot weight all conspire to sideline the very earliest female transformers. For the first two seasons of the cartoon, female transformers appear in two episodes. After the movie, there is a single female character who, while frequently present, doesn’t really contribute anything. Moreover, she is placed in the traditionally female roles of maternal style care of a child and being a love interest to several male characters over the course of her appearances. Being female is the personality of these characters. They do not have any other defining trait or motivations. While eventually other female characters become present, and do have motivations and characters outside of being women, there are only two of them, and they exist only in Japan. Mega and Minerva do have intriguing character models and toys, but in terms of their fictional portrayals, they still are largely confined to the traditional role of women, either the sidelines of battle or care based roles. 

 The fact that not a single one of these characters received a general retail toy until 2014 also serves to minimize their presence. People remember characters in no small part based on the toys they had in childhood. The absence of toys eliminates the opportunity for this to occur for any female character, creating the possibility that people won’t even remember that they existed. Fortunately, the Masterforce does break this trend for the first time, giving us toys of not one but two female characters. Unfortunately, Minerva has yet to receive another full sized toy, and Overlord has since become a separate character, sharply limiting the influence of Minerva and Mega in the brand at large. 

The character models also directly contribute to this marginalization. They evoke some of the purest signals of womanhood, such as lipstick and breasts. Minerva and Mega buck this trend in some respects, but in others, especially in their human forms, they contribute to it. The models are also remarkably slight, which contrasts sharply with the warlike bulk of characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. This contrast creates the impression that the female autobots are less capable than their male counterparts, even though they are depicted in combat situations. Their bodies are drawn to be aesthetically pleasing, whereas those of characters such as Grimlock are unequivocally designed for function. 

 Of course, these narratives of comparative weakness and strength tap into larger societal narratives. The G1 cartoon would not be able to communicate these things so readily if slight and curvaceous builds were not already associated in the larger culture with femininity and a lack of capability. Indeed, what the Generation 1 cartoon does with respect to women is to evoke the most essentialized and distilled version of womanhood -buxom, romantic partner, mother- and then unquestioningly transmit it and it alone, not out of malignant sexism (for example, the writers were not seeking to communicate that a woman’s place was in the kitchen as part of an ideological agenda) but because it simply was not the focus of the work, being targeted to young boys as it was. They needed female characters without exerting a huge amount of effort, and pulling the societal narrative from the ether was the simplest solution. 

    This is the core dynamic of gender in Transformers. We live in a world where there are gendered toys and concepts. It makes sense for Hasbro, Takara Tomy, and the supporting fiction to cater to those invested interests. People don’t buy things for their children that challenge their values. Interestingly, it is not that people actively seek to buy things that serve their values. Rather, they buy things that they can understand, things which make sense to them. Hasbro selling toys that are vehicles, robots, and war related, all things that are strongly male coded, makes intuitive sense to purchasers on a level below conscious understanding. It plays well with the societal narratives in which they live, and to a large extent have constructed their identities upon. Young boys will want car toys and robot toys, legitimately and from their own desires, because they have absorbed what society tells them it means to be men into themselves. For all of these reasons, Hasbro will always default to conservatism to turn a profit, and that means not trying to sell female coded things to boys, (creating a dearth of female characters), or trying to sell male coded things to girls, (creating a lack of representation that would appeal to a potential female audience.) 

However, all is not doom and gloom. As we will see in further installments of this series, Hasbro has been making an active effort to increase representation in recent years, especially since 2014. Moreover, since G1 is the source material from which much subsequent fiction draws, when people in more obscure settings, such as convention exclusive comics, do reach for female characters, they tend to reach for one of the female autobots established in The Search for Alpha Trion. Accordingly, in subsequent years, many versions of Chromia, Moonracer, Elita-1 and Arcee have appeared in various media. Arcee and Chromia in particular have had many incarnations. The Michael Bay films, Transformers Animated, Transformers Prime, and the IDW comics all feature their own iterations of Arcee, and the comics and the films feature Chromia. So, in some senses, the presence of female autobots in G1 gave writers a framework to build on in the future, even if the characters were not impactful at the moment of their inception. 

    The presence of female transformers in G1 is more or less exactly what you would expect from an 80’s cartoon. The women are voluptuous, irrelevant, and confined to romantic and maternal roles. Although there are some characters who do occupy an interesting space in terms of gender, namely Mega, and there are some that are not as overtly female in terms of design, namely Minerva, the overall impression is one of homogeneity of build and personality, as well as insignificance. Fortunately, these characters continue to appear almost 35 years later, and are increasingly receiving the attention and toys they once lacked. Many of these characters will be our near continuous companions in our examination of female characters throughout the history of the brand. That being said, in terms of an analysis strictly confined to G1 on its own, we find almost a complete absence of female characters and effectively no female characters of significance within the plot. Generation 1 is a boy’s club. Thank goodness it’s not the 80’s anymore. 

Works Cited

Abates et al. “Glowstrike” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Glowstrike Accessed 5/11/2020

Crockalley et al. “Sonar (BW)” TFwikihttps://tfwiki.net/wiki/Sonar_(BW) Accessed 5/11/2020

Chris McFeely et al. “The Search for Alpha Trion” TFwiki.https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Search_for_Alpha_Trion Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Chromia (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Chromia_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Mega” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mega Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Minerva” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Minerva Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Moonracer (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Moonracer_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020

Elita2 et al. “Nightracer (G2)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nightracer Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Greenlight” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Greenlight Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Nightbeat (G1)”, TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nightbeat_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020 

ItsWalky et al. “Lancer” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Lancer Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Strika (BM)” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Strika_(BM)#Toys Accessed 5/4/2020

Omnisvalidus et al. “War Dawn” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/War_Dawn Accessed 5/11/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Arcee_(G1)/Generation_1_cartoon_continuity Accessed 5/11/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Arcee (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Arcee_(G1)/toys Accessed 5/11/2020

Singularity et al. “Transformers: Super-god Masterforce (cartoon)” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Super-God_Masterforce_(cartoon) Accessed 5/11/2020

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[emmybluefire]

Research Notes, Portals

As Emmy steps up to the stage, she waves a hand in a wide, sweeping arch that seems to encompass the entire audience. Dozens of small pieces of parchment, and a thin stick of charcoal swiftly float up to the audience, landing, and resting, right in front of each lap.

“Time, and space, are fundamentally linked. You cannot affect one without affecting the other. It is this very principle that makes the conjuration of portals, or the evocation of teleportation spells, such an intricate science.”

“Greetings everyone, my name is Thaumaturge Emmy Bluefire, Archmage of the Kirin’Tor, and professor of Transmutation, Evocation, and Enchantment here at stormwind university.”

“If my little excerpt earlier didn’t make it obvious already, I will be speaking to you tonight about portals, and teleportation. How do they both work? How do they really affect the world around you? And most importantly: what’s the difference?”

“However, Before I get started tonight, I want you to do a brief activity on the slips of parchment provided. Here’s what you do.”

“Take your piece of charcoal, and draw a dot on one end of the parchment slips provided. Go hard, don’t be stingy, the residue will be useful for the next step.”

pauses and waits for the audience to do as they’re told. A bright, enthusiastic smile on her face while she watches. 

“Alright, next: Fold that slip of paper in half, and press the charcoal’s contact point with the other half as hard as you can.”

“Now. Unfold your parchment, and lay it flat on the ground. What you should be seeing now, are two dots, the one you drew, and a stain that charcoal placed on the other side.”

“Now, imagine this slip of parchment as being the entire universe represented on a two dimentional platform. Your two dots, are now two points in that little space/time continuum of yours. Consider this as we move along.”

“Interestingly enough, despite having very similar functions, portals and teleportation actually belong to two entirely different schools of magic. Portal spells belonging to the school of Conjuration, while Teleportation belongs to the school of transmutation.”

“Does anybody have an Idea as to why that is?”

peers around the room, looking for a show of hands with percolated ears and inquisitive eyes.

*if someone is close, the response is dynamic to the answer*

*If nobody is close* lifts up a similar slip of parchment to the ones she provided, only this one already had the dots on it pre-prepared. “Follow along with me, if you will.” she nodded

“This…” she reaches into the side pockets of her satchel, and pulls out a sticky ball of some amalgamation of plant matter, and places it to the drawn dot. With a few harsh strokes, the charcoal dot is erased, leaving only the stained one. “...is teleportation.”

“This…” she folds the paper directly in half, and holds it up like a target. A swift, ebony fletched raven feather quill whips out of her satchel and stabs a hole through the parchment… it’s tip coming out the other side. “... is a portal.”

“What’s the difference?”

peers around once again for a show of hands.

*at this point someone is bound to understand what she’s getting at. Response is dynamic to the closest answer*

“When you create a portal, you are effectively conjuring up a wormhole. You are pulling one point in space/time closer to your point in space/time and creating a doorway.”

“Hence-because conjuration is defined as summoning/pulling, creatures, people, or objects closer to you-portals belong to this school. This is helped by the fact that most conjuration rituals/spells involve the use of temporal gateways to other realms.”

“Transmutation is defined as changing time, space, and even matter from one form to another. When you cast a teleportation, you are not pulling another point in space/time closer to you.”

“Rather, you’re manipulating space/time in such a way that it places you on your target destination seamlessly, as though you were always there to begin with. It is because of this intricate change in the time/space continuum that teleportation spells belong to the school of Transmutation.”

"So I guess you can say that the difference a portal and a teleportation spell is much like the difference between masturbation and sex. The goal is the same, but how you get there and the potential repercussions of which are completely different... and arguably more destructive."

“With one you’re completely safe from any major repercussions… aside from perhaps the crushing loneliness you feel. With the other, one misstep and you’ll screw up EVERYONE'S life.”

smirks slyly at the audience.

“You need to know when one or the other is appropriate to your specific circumstances.”

“But what are the potential repercussions of a portal? When would you want to use a portal over a teleportation spell, and vice versa? Well, look once again to the slip of paper you stabbed a hole through earlier.”

“Based on just what you see, who can guess what the potential dangers of a portal is?”

*response is once again dynamic to audience answers*

“Due to the very nature of bending the universe in that way--a way it wasn’t necessarily meant to bend--creating a portal puts a tremendous strain on the fabric of reality. In our world, the only reason it hasn’t completely unraveled is thanks to the leylines beneath our very feet.”

“The leylines, in this way, help to mitigate the damage by supplying a steady stream of energy to the veil--the space between realities that insures everything remains in order--to repair itself.”

“It’s, actually, much like folding the torn edges around the hole in your parchment back into place, and sealing it with an adhesive, except far more efficient. With time, the veil will be sealed completely.”

“Here’s the thing though. Sealing the veil takes *time* Time and energy. Energy which the leylines can only provide a limited amount of before they themselves start to break.”

“In that time many dangerous things can happen if the proper steps to creating a portal aren’t followed.”

“The rift can start manifesting juvenile manawraiths. You could tear a hole into the twisting nether and beacon a bunch of wild demons in. You could get places like Kharazahn where nothing makes logical sense, or follows our conventionally held senses of order and normalcy.”

“Heck, I’ve even heard reports of apprentice conjurers disappearing for weeks on end only to return with moon sized heads and mouse sized bodies.”

/laugh

“Okay… that one is a bit of an exaggeration, but it is an exaggeration of a true story.”

“Another unique property of a portal is that it doesn’t quite mesh well with transmutation spells. Such spells malfunction when passing under the threshold of a portal. Often with destructive results.”

“Why this is though, is a matter of hot debate in the scholarly community. Though, the running theory I keep is that the patterns holding a transmutation to a person directly contradict with the patterns that keep a portal open, due to the way both spells are woven.”

“It’s like when you add a positive and negative number together. In reality you’re just subtracting from the positive number and reducing it’s value.” 

“So because portals require significantly more energy to sustain than most transmutation spells, the transmutation spell is canceled out. The resulting energy expulsion being sudden, and destructive.”

“The Kirin’Tor, at this time, would like me to remind you that you should never shove or throw a polymorphed creature or object through a portal. The results are often… explosive. It also leaves a mess of both bodily parts and paperwork. Believe me, *nobody* likes cleaning that up.”

“So what of it’s alternative? Based once again on the activity from earlier, what do you guys think the damages teleportation can cause to the space/time continuum? What do you think the ‘eraser marks’ represent?”

pauses for a moment, once again looking for a show of hands. 

*dynamic responses*

“Brace yourselves, because of all the spells in a mage's compendium, teleportation has one of the most mind-bending principles. If at any point you need me to pause and further elaborate on something, please let me know with a raised hand.”

“There is a spell any mage who specializes in arcane evocation specifically would know, and know well. It’s called ‘Displacement’ . The basic function of the spell is that you blink to the location you last blinked from. A simple concept, really, but it’s application is anything but.”

“When the spell is cast, the recovery period of your blink spell is reset, almost as if it were never cast in the first place. In a sense, you are undoing your last blink spell.”

“This spell is possible due to the way in which teleportation works.”

“Time and space are fundamentally linked. I’ve said it already, indeed. But now you guys get to know why.”

“It takes time to move to a new space. By teleporting, you are skipping that time. So? The universe needs to compensate for it… lest it start to unravel.”

“When a teleportation spell is cast, a lasting impression is left on the fabric of reality. That impression will remain there until enough time has passed.” 

“How much time needs to pass is solely dependent on how much time it would have taken you to travel to that destination on foot, assuming you continue on foot relentlessly, in a straight line, with no obstacles in your way.”

“For a blink spell, the time needed to pass is only a few seconds. Fifteen at most depending on how far you were able to blink. But for full fledged teleportation spells, that take you halfway across the planet? This time can be anywhere from a few weeks to over a year, or more!”

“On the surface though, these impressions seem harmless enough. They aren’t really dangerous to be around, and for the most part you can’t even see them. Not unless you’ve been specifically trained to detect them.”

“But don’t let the relative safety of their presence fool you. Such places are spots where the fabric of reality has been weakened, or frayed. Much like how the spot you erased has become weakened and frayed.”

“This means that, while not necessarily damaged, they are much easier to puncture or rip apart. Put too much strain on the spot by, say, casting a portal or channeling a powerful spell, and you could wind up having the exact same problems you face with reckless portal usage.”

“And that there, combined with the fact that most people *aren’t* trained to detect displacement fields such as these, is what makes them dangerous. This is why the Kirin’Tor, and most other mage organizations, have specifically designated arrival spots for people who enter via teleportation or portal.”

“By keeping these spots located in a controlled environment, they can much more quickly, effectively, and immediately spring into action if something goes awry.”

“So what does that mean for everyone else? Simply put, you have to be cautious about where and when you use one spell or the other. It also means that, if you want to save yourself a load of trouble, you need to be very picky about what mages you pay to transport you elsewhere.”

“My recommendation? Only allow mages who have a D-6 through G-16 license to create you a portal or teleport you elsewhere. Such mages have been specifically trained and formally qualified to use portal spells.” 

“and have been entrusted not only with the health and stability of the leylines, but with your life and livelihood as a person. Never be afraid to ask a mage about their licensing!”

“If you ask, and a mage starts to act shifty, nervous, or calls you out for being ‘rude’ , that is a huge warning sign. It’s a strong indication that they are trying to remain out of the system. Trained mages with D-6 through G-16 licenses are all too happy to tell you as such. Speaking from experience.” Emmy smirks.

“For those who actually wish to cast the spells, then there are multiple things you ought to consider.”

“First, Reagent tax. Repairing a Leyline, and by proxy the veil, is expensive, and requires an intensive amount of magical components to do. The leylines, after all, are far larger than the parchment before you.”

“By the way, to those who use these services, *this* is why you're often prompted to pay.”

“So, if you intend to cast a portal or teleportation spell, be sure you either have the reagents on hand, or have the means to pay for them. It is never a bad Idea to charge people for your services.”

“Next-especially if you’re new to the practice-stick to established city drop-off points. That way, if something goes wrong, you won’t be scrambling to fix the issue on your own.”

“If you want to cast portals to places not within established city drop-off points: then I recommend places you know are both familiar to you, and you visit frequently enough to make preparations.” 

“Creating your own pseudo drop off point, where you can reliably survey the area for irregularities, is always a good habit.”

“So, that’s all the safety jargon down. Much to everyone’s relief I’m sure.” she laughs. “Let's get back into the more interesting stuff.”

“As I’m sure you’ve all gathered already, both spells have their advantages and their drawbacks. Portals are destructive, but also easy to comprehend. Teleportation is considerably less dangerous, but much harder to comprehend.”

“You can also see your destination through a portal, with teleportation you cannot.”

“As a general rule of thumb, creating a portal is much more applicable in a wartime or battlefield scenario. Not only is it simpler to learn, faster to cast, and easier to understand. Your comrades can also trust where their going and would likely be less reluctant to step through.”

“Despite this though, I can never recommend casting a portal in the midst of conflict. You become too much of a target for one. And secondly, your enemies, or your enemies’ projectiles can enter through it as well.”

“Portals also come recommended more when you need to transport multiple people, but can’t exactly do it all at the same time. As long as you maintain concentration on a portal, you can hold it open. With teleportation it’s a one time blip and you’re there.”

“A teleportation spell is not without its merits though. Once again, however, I can never recommend using it in the midst of conflict. Not unless its a mere blink meant to avoid attacks.”

“I would also recommend using a portal when it’s the first time you’ve transported yourself to that destination, and aren’t 100% clear on the details and conditions that’ll be found there. It gives you a brief period of reprieve in which you can assess all of that yourself.”

“For casual transportation use, in which you know where you’re going, I cannot recommend teleportation enough! If you’re able to put the time into it needed to understand the spell, a mass teleportation is always a better option than a portal.”

“In conditions too, where you’re in a warzone, but aren’t actively in conflict, teleportation is a good option as well. Because unless your enemy is known to have a skilled Arcane mage at their side, a teleportation is relatively subtle compared to a portal. Albeit, less common.”

“The only thing I would recommend, especially if you’re attempting to transport a larger group of people, is to draw a circle and insure each teleportee can fit within it through relative organization.”

“I would also insure that the topographical environment you’re teleporting them too is similar, if not exactly the same, as the one you’re teleporting them from. I.E. , don’t teleport someone from a flat environment to a hilly one.”

“This insures nobody gets sunk into the ground, or falls off a cliff thanks to your negligence. It also saves you a significant amount of calculations to run in your head. And trust me, any mage can tell you that’s an absolute godsend… as most of our spells have to be cast in under a minute.”

“So, in conclusion, portals, and teleportation are both extremely useful, but also extremely dangerous. It takes any mage an extreme amount of skill and precision to manage one or the other regardless of the differences in difficulty.”

“If you commission one, insure you can trust that mage’s track record. If you cast one, insure you know exactly what you’re doing, and where you’re going. Always err on the side of caution when you channel one into existence. Especially when the lives of others depend on it.”

(I figured while I’m still doing research on Witchcraft in WoW--which I will try to get out by Halloween btw--I should share my write up for Emmy’s last lecture. She presented this one for Colloquium for Stormwind University, and after tons of positive feedback on it, decided more would like to see it :P Enjoy guys!)

[shinneth]

What Myers-Briggs types do you think the main Trifecta characters would be?

Hmm. Well, I had a hard time settling one a single type for most of them, so I tried to find at least two for the six Trifecta “mains” - Paul, Reggie, Brandon, Conway, Barry, and Maylene.

(REALLY stretching it calling Maylene a “main”, especially since Chapter 13 is where she peaked; once Arc II happens, she’ll be in Out Of Focus territory for sure… buuuut she’s made her mark and a lot of readers take notice to her, so I threw her in)

Interestingly, I had no one pegged as INFP (Mediator/Idealist), which is where I fall in. Some characters fit half of it but I couldn’t justify the other half not befitting them (Paul and Conway were the partial contenders - and Brandon to a lesser degree… but Conway’s too charismatic and sociable, while Paul and Brandon aren’t deep thinkers to the point where they’re completely delusional like I am :P).

Paul - INTJ (The Mastermind) or ISTJ (The Inspector)

Safe to say if I had to pick one only, it would be INTJ. Definitely would sooner work alone than a group any day (and if Conway hadn’t been there for him like he’d been so much in Trifecta, this would likely still be the case for him - and Barry is more a result of Trifecta Paul’s character development). Much more comfortable doing things his own way and proving to the world he can handle himself. Even with Trifecta development, Paul still finds social activity a huge chore. Trifecta 21 has Paul go out of his way to be receptive to Conway’s friendliness, and it does take a toll on him physically and mentally. Also a master strategist, as per canon, and questions everything. And god help him if Paul is unsure of anything. It’s why he hates being indecisive in Trifecta; he believes even a wrong choice or a bad idea is better than none at all. And knowing his legendary levels of “patience”, he’s definitely not going to wait all day to find the right path.

With ISTJ… well, this was a Brandon contender, surprise surprise. Intimidating? Comes off that way. Serious? All the damn time. Formal, proper…? Well, he DOES respect his elders, for the most part. If he thinks you’re shit, he’ll treat you like shit, but Paul’s not nearly as eager to start shit as he was in his Trifecta youth. You can definitely say, either in canon or Trifecta, Paul’s a strong worker who follows his own moral code. For all his controversial shit, Paul has never once cheated or tried to take the easy way out. Now, he sure as hell isn’t PATIENT, and he doesn’t really put much stock in going out of his way to upholding social or cultural responsibility (especially the former). But Paul is typically quiet and reserved; while he’s prone to anger, he’s fully capable of keeping calm when he needs to. Even Trifecta Paul can pull this off unless he’s just physically about to break down. Often misunderstood? Ohhhhhh, yeah.

Reggie - ESFJ (The Provider) or ESTJ (The Supervisor)

ESFJ might actually be the lesser of the two here. Mostly because Reggie isn’t really an attention-seeker outside of his own family members. He doesn’t desire the spotlight; he just wants his daddy and lil bro to love and accept him! But Reggie IS an active young man, very social, way more thoughtful than he makes himself out to be, and totally IS the organizer for any family event that happens in the present-day and has been since his mother’s death. He’s the guy that everybody loves. It’s been a common theme in some AUs of his Trifecta persona where he ends up being one of the most popular kids in school with legions of girls who’d drop everything to date him and he just never notices. 

ESTJ covers him more uniformly. Reggie doesn’t want to be the star of the show, but he does want to help and offer advice to absolutely anyone who needs it. And he checks out on the listed traits: honest, dedicated, dignified, and traditional. You could definitely see him as a role model (even if Paul doesn’t) and he’s a good fit for a leader role. 

Brandon - ENFP (The Champion) or ENTJ (The Commander)

One of Brandon’s defining traits (that might’ve not been showcased in Trifecta yet since we’re not yet at the point where it’s mega-relevant) is that he will decide his own destiny and what path to take, damn what anyone else says. So there’s what wins him the ENFP brand. His intuition is pretty top-notch; terminal disease aside, Brandon can totally read Paul like a book even though he’s spent the better part of Paul’s life operating from a great distance and not really being around for his kid. He’s way more perceptive than most give him credit for, and though he’ll never admit it, Brandon does act on his feelings a lot. Even taking an overseas job shortly after his wife died while leaving his kids behind - he can say that’s solely because it was the best way to make up for the income difference, but really, it doubled as his desire to just remove himself from everything of Andrea’s influence. He had a harder time coping with her death than he’ll ever care to admit. Plus, Brandon’s unprofessional abandoning of his post that resulted in his return to Sinnoh? Totally impulsive. He also wasted no time making a detour to Reggie when Brandon learned he was in the hospital, so there you go. 

With ENTJ, this correlates with Brandon’s leadership skills as head of the Kanto Battle Frontier, as well as being the head of his own travelling trifecta with Byron and Palmer. Ambitious is putting it mildly for Brandon, honestly. And while he can be a slave to his feelings at times, Brandon is more known for acting with cold, hard logic. He’s likened to Paul in Trifecta for a reason. Brandon’s all for challenging himself, not afraid to make the hard calls(as his sacrifice for Regigas proves), and hell no he cannot sit still. 

Conway - INTP (The Thinker) or ENTP (The Visionary)

Well, Conway’s pretty damn easy to peg even if you didn’t take his Trifecta traits into account. INTP is Conway’s most well-known traits in a nutshell: absorbs info like a sponge, heavy on the logical, objective side of perspective… he plans, he hypothesizes, he observes, he analyzes, he theorizes, and he can pick up on details most others will overlook. Like, literally everything INTP applies to Conway. He’s the consummate INTP. 

ENTP has many of these traits, as well. Only major point of contention is not enjoying small-talk, as Trifecta Conway especially is very much all for that… at least for the people he deems worthy of it. Barry, he might not be much up for the small-talk as he would Paul or Dawn. I wanted to make sure to at least add one E-type here since I think it should be emphasized that despite his many typical nerd qualities, Conway is very much extroverted even in canon. He’s one of the most extroverted intellectual characters I’ve ever seen, honestly. Canon and Trifecta Conway love going in-depth with their thought processes, and he is a lover of learning. Loyal and energetic are also listed traits here, which are definitely more prominent Trifecta Conway traits, but notable ones nonetheless.

Barry - ENFJ (The Giver) or ESFP (The Performer)

While I think we can agree Barry is more of a “live in the now” type than any other character listed here, contrary to the ENFJ type, the other traits fit Barry like a glove. Especially the “living in their imagination opposed to the real world” aspect. Holy shit that is very Barry. But he is idealistic, highly charismatic, outspoken… and in Trifecta, he’s proved to grow like a weed on characters who’d otherwise never associate with him, such as Conway and eventually Paul. Barry’s also much more of an optimistic individual compared to his future travel-mates and much less prone to letting bad shit get him down for any length of time. 

ESFP speaks for itself. Barry’s the biggest spotlight whore of the Trifecta cast. Fun and livelihood are Barry’s core essences, and while he’s not the most considerate character to ever be around and thinking is secondary to everything, Barry isn’t a complete dick and will feel bad if he realizes he’s inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings. It may take him a while to understand that, but once he does, he’ll go out of his way to make you feel better. Barry doesn’t want to travel around with a couple of sad-sacks, after all. And while Barry’s an acquired taste who can and will rub people the wrong way… you know, compared to Paul and Conway, he’ll come off as the one most “normal” when it comes to people-persons. Barry’s aggressively extroverted, so even if it yields mixed results more often than he’d like, Barry will always go out of his way to connect with people.

Maylene - ISFJ (The Nurturer) or ESTP (The Doer)

Despite being one of the most developed characters among the gym leader category in the Pokemon anime, she is harder to peg down than the others. But IFSJ feels pretty accurate for her. Sensitive to the feelings of others could link to her identity as an aura-user… plus she was insecure enough to let Paul’s worlds wreck her shit. But she is extremely considerate of others, warm and kind-hearted, and bringing out the best in others is what she aims to do as gym leader. Considerate, loyal, unselfish? All fit Maylene perfectly. For a Fighting-type specialist and martial artist, she’s definitely a modest and gentle soul.

ESTP… I think Trifecta 13 proves how incompatible Maylene is with elaborate planning and handling shitloads of detailed instructions. If left to her own devices, Maylene definitely would have handled the issue in chapter 13 by directly confronting Saturn rather than trying her hardest to feign ignorance of his identity. She’s not hot-headed, but Maylene does far better winging it than adhering to something set out for her. Maylene does always strive to better herself, so she’s open to trying new things. While a little on the shy side, she enjoys being around people and she IS the head of her own damn dojo, so… there you go. While it’s a stretch to say she’s pragmatic or logical, she definitely comes off that way when you line her up with other characters of her type specialty and line of work. She is level-headed and down-to-earth, at least; I’ll say that much.

When you break it down, there are common carry-over traits between the two for everyone: 

Paul solidly has Introverted, Thinking, and Judging in his set. Checks out.

Reggie always carries Extroverted, Sensing, and Judging. 

Brandon is a sure bet for Extroverted and Intuitive. 

Conway is a consummate Intuitive, Thinking and Perceiving man. 

Barry is a lock for Extroverted and Feeling. Unsurprising.

Maylene only has Sensing as a consistent trait.

Well, that was more fun than I thought. Hope everyone else enjoys that!

[rosalind-of-arden]

Ash and Quill Reread chapter 7

Time for more overthinking of details about Morgan, Wolfe, and Santi. Also Zara. Fuck Zara.

Injured Santi can still knock Beck down the stairs. No motivation quite like knowing Beck wanted to burn Wolfe alive, I’m sure.

Wolfe is good at knife-throwing. Very good at it. I’m sure there is fun fic potential in this.

Also, Wolfe could slip away from the guard holding him and grab the guard’s knife. This is something he had to have practiced. A lot. Is this a skill picked up pre-Rome as a routine part of working with the High Garda? Or something he learned to do after Rome to make sure he could defend himself if he was captured again?

Just notice how impressed Jess is by Wolfe’s escape artistry and knife throwing. Competency kink, anyone?

Also interesting: this is not the only time Wolfe has been held by guards so far in the series. It is the first time he’s made an escape. This is a tactical decision.

A look at the difference between Wolfe’s and Santi’s attitudes toward violence. Once the Burners are down, Santi goes right for Wolfe. But Wolfe goes to Indira. Jess doesn’t hear what they say, but that hand on her forehead seems comforting, and pulling the knife out hastens her death. He cares enough about an honorable enemy to do what he can to ease her pain as she dies. Wolfe can kill, and he can make cold calculations of who to save and who to sacrifice, but he's clearly uncomfortable with violence. A bit of foreshadowing of his later discomfort with the Ray of Apollo, perhaps? Santi, on the other hand, is a soldier. The idea of comforting a dying enemy doesn’t even occur to him. Indira might not have been as bad as Beck, but to Santi, an enemy soldier is an enemy soldier.

Morgan is weak enough from power overuse that Jess has to carry her.

Jess not listening to Wolfe here seems like a bad idea. We don’t get exact words to know what his “protests” were, but it seems rather likely that he might have some idea of where the others are. He was the one issuing secret orders, after all.

Santi makes sure Wolfe is the first one out. Of course. There are reasons for Wolfe to go along with this, though. They have no idea what will be waiting for them outside the walls. Wolfe will take the risk of being the first one to find out. I suspect this is also why Santi goes right after Wolfe: if the High Garda is out there, he’s the one with the best chances of talking whatever soldiers are waiting for them into helping.

Wolfe is the one to help Thomas get away from the hole.

Santi’s company symbol is “a cobra coiled around a book.” So, a couple things. First, Santi totally has a tattoo of this. Maybe on his other arm, so library lion on one, company symbol on the other? Second, it was a cobra in the training exercise murder attempt in Paper and Fire, wasn’t it? Right, so no fucking way that snake was there by chance. The Artifex put that thing there to kill Wolfe with the symbol of Santi’s company. 

Here again we see Santi’s ethical principles contrasted with the Library’s. He describes the refugees as “innocents” who “didn’t deserve this,” while Zara is quick to label them as Burners who deserved to die. He differentiates between soldiers and civilians. The Library doesn’t.

Up until now, the Brightwell-Library conspiracy has been mere speculation. But now, with the destruction of Philadephia, Brendan confirms it: he worked with the Library to arrange that bombing. Consider the level of trust there would need to be between the two sides for this to happen. This cannot be the first collaboration between the two factions.

Unspecified time gap. We do not know how long Jess is unconscious here. Probably hours?

Caretaker Wolfe! Now he’s turning his cranky caregiving on Jess, holding the bucket for him while glaring about it. Sure, Wolfe, pretend you don’t want to be there. We are totally fooled.

Notice how every time he gets out of an unpleasant situation, Wolfe gets himself cleaned up and into a new Scholar’s robe as soon as he can? Finickiness or trauma response? As usual, I vote both.

Jess is having a trauma response, and Wolfe offers him a drink and an honest answer to his question about safety. A couple things here. First, I suspect that Wolfe appreciates that level of honesty when dealing with his own trauma. Second, he’s distracting Jess from the flashback by giving him a problem to work on solving. Again, I suspect this is something Wolfe would appreciate himself.

“I have never met a more unruly, unteachable lot, and I thank the gods for forcing you all into my life,” Wolfe says, while smiling and looking fondly at Jess. And of course he cannot sustain that level of emotional honesty. Next minute he’s heading out the door and telling Jess “I’m not your nursemaid.”

Wolfe still doesn’t trust Jess with information about Morgan. Again, unintentionally reinforcing that lesson on keeping secrets.

Wolfe is working with the doctor and the Medica to take care of Morgan. Interesting. What is he contributing there?

There have been conversations between Wolfe and Brendan, and I really am sad we don’t get to see that. I can only imagine the awkwardness.

More remarkably fast burn healing. Jess suspects Morgan was healing him. Is he right? Is there some new Medica treatment that was used on him? It kind of would make sense for the Library to be constantly developing new burn treatments, really. Or, considering who was with him when he woke up, did Wolfe do something? Conscious or unconscious use of his small amount of power?

Again Jess thinks it’s Wolfe’s job to control Morgan’s choices when it comes to risky behavior.

Santi’s network of allies: two of three High Garda captains will cover for him. His company will feign loyalty to the Library while waiting for an opportunity to help him. His soldiers are more loyal to him than Zara.

A High Garda uniform includes: underwear, trousers, shirt, jacket, boots. No further detail given here, sadly.

Here we have the beginning of the Jess-Dario plan. Jess realizes his dad plans to backstab him, finds out about Dario’s connections, and starts working out how to turn all that to his advantage. All while his feelings of being kept in the dark by Wolfe are still fresh.

Dario got a gold band somehow. How did Dario get a gold band?

So we don’t get enough description of the three soldiers with Troll to be sure, but Phoena is a feminine name according to Google. I will take this as conformation that the High Garda do not have separate changing/shower facilities for men and women. Interestingly, Jess is not shy about changing in front of the group.

Wolfe, affirming the kids’ feelings of grief and despair. He understands trauma. “We all deal with things in our own way.”

Wolfe does not like Zara, to the extent that even Jess can see it. Jess thinks it’s “not quite jealousy” but Wolfe seems “uncomfortable with the closeness between Santi and his lieutenant.” But he does respect her, especially her clever scheming. There seems to be a good amount of cooperation between Wolfe, Santi, and Zara in plotting their deception of the Archivist. 

Zara must not tell the Archivist all of this: we’d hear more about investigations or purges of traitors within the High Garda if she’d told how many companies were siding with Santi.

“What would you give to see that another city never dies like that again?” More signs of Wolfe’s discomfort with violence, especially on a large scale. He’s being a lot more honest here than he was after Oxford, where he was still (awkwardly) trying to teach the kids the Library party line about the necessity of its atrocities.

Santi wasn’t expecting Dario to be willing to fight. Small hints that Dario hasn’t fully regained everyone’s trust.

“I need to know - we need to know” This little correction from Santi is interesting. He’s used to being the sole commander when making tactical decisions. Now he’s deliberately acknowledging that Wolfe and the others share power with him in this rebellion. Another hint Jess misses when he concludes that Santi would stop the plan later in the book.

So, the ephemera here: we have a captain expressing his anger with the Archivist and we have Zara’s report of that captain’s suicide. First, note “Acting Captain Zara Cole.” She does not have an official promotion. That must be a process that takes time? 

Now, we have a few ways to read these letters. This could be exactly what it looks like: this captain was so devastated that he wrote an angry letter to the Archivist and killed himself. Zara just happens to be the one who reported it. A more interesting possibility, though, is that this captain is the one who wouldn’t stand with Santi, and Zara just eliminated him and planted evidence to make it look like a suicide. Making him look like he was angry with the Archivist is a nice touch: it redirects suspicion away from the captains loyal to Santi. Another interesting option: this is one of the captains loyal to Santi, and Zara eliminated him on the Archivist’s orders.

[mistress-of-the-obvious]

Thoughts On Hikaru Quitting Spacecraft and Idle Speculation

Hikaru quitting Spacecraft was surprising and also not. Her message months back stating there was “more behind the scenes” could have meant anything.

It could have meant that she was happy, working on a single, and to please wait. It could have meant she was unhappy and planning to leave Spacecraft when her contract was expiring…that could also have meant she was working on a single since we didn’t know when that is. I just sort of shrugged.

Since that message I have been very unhappy when I’ve seen Hikaru and Wakana. Hikaru’s message was deliberately vague and the idea the she was miserable counting down the days to the end of her contract was heartbreaking. The fact that she was clearly getting email, snail mail, and messages sent to her directly asking what was going on because Spacecraft, her own representative company, refused to explain even a tiny bit and thus refuse to do their job upset me. She was clearly upset enough to write a message about and yet Spacecraft never addressed it. I don’t doubt Wakana is getting similar mail.

In more strangeness, Yuuka Nanri is still listed on Spacecraft’s official site. There is going to be a big anniversary event for Flying Dog with FictionJunction Yuuka. This is pretty big news as she’s been inactive since 2016. Nowhere on the site. She has her own little site that while it has its own domain name has the same design as some of the other sites hosted by Spacecraft. Last news: 2016. Her blog has an update from September saying she’ll be at the Flying Dog event. I suspect her to disappear from Spacecraft’s roster either before the event or sometime after.

In the case of Yuuka, I didn’t think much of it before the event as she went inactive when she became married and had a lot of health problems going back to 2013 slowing her career. It’s pretty typical for Japanese society to expect women after they get married to have children and thus be full time mothers. That is changing though, especially as not all married Japanese women want to or do become mothers.

So when I first saw Yuuka some months back, it was “Wait a minute…oh she’s retired and they’re keeping her on there because she’s still technically under contract. If Spacecraft were to terminate her contract before it was up, they would owe her money.” Now, there’s this event…and they aren’t promoting her.

Going back to Keiko’s trademark claim, I have some new information where the results are rather curious.

I found this great youtube channel called TheJapanChannelDcom. It’s by an Australian man with a Japanese wife, children, and has been living in the Nagano region for over a decade at least. While enjoying the channel, I found a video that indirectly dealt with Keiko’s trademark claim.

There was a video dealing the then potential breakup of the huge group SMAP (you can see the video here: https://youtu.be/gPBgFZYu9iw). SMAP was a boy band. The now former members are in their 40s and in everything. Movies, tv shows, and at the time still active in their music group. Their talent agency was Johnny and Associates sometimes referred to as Johnny’s. The group broke up in December of 2016 and it was all over Japanese news.

The big rumor at the time was that four of the five members wanted to quit Johnny’s, but still continue in some fashion together. Fans were worried for three reasons: 1) the trademark was owned by Johnny’s. 2) Johnny’s could make their lives very difficult, as they are a very powerful talent agency. 3) There is a stigma of shame surrounding leaving a talent agency, mostly if you have been with one for a long time. This is the perception that the agency built the talent up and that the talent owes it to the company to stay.

What happened was one member stayed with the agency, one went on to something else, and three went to another agency called CULEN. It seems it’s theirs as right now CULEN is just listed as them. They also have a website called atarashiichizu. At this time they are promoting their individual works and have not released anything together, but it’s only been almost two years.

So what does this have to do with Keiko? Typically a talent agency will decide they want a music group or singer and hire them. They trademark the name and choose the songwriters the singer/group will work with. They also work to have a contract signed with a record company. I might be wrong on a few details, but that’s the general picture. The only thing different with Spacecraft was Yuki Kajiura and whether she owned any of that trademark. The fact that after Yuki left, the name Kalafina continued suggested it was owned by Spacecraft.

Would Keiko not know any of this? Highly doubtful. Not only was speculation regarding SMAP all over the news in late 2016, there were also negotiations with Yuki Kajiura and Spacecraft prior to her leaving that affected the group. Knowing how active Keiko was in her advocating for both herself and Wakana and Hikaru (we see this in the 10th anniversary film), she would have kept tabs on it. This on top of the fact that she was signed with Spacecraft with Ayaka Ito for Itokubo. She seems like she has a good idea how the Japanese entertainment industry works.

Even if she didn’t know, the company she hired to represent her would be able to find out if anyone registered that trademark. As someone who has dealt with civil court paper work here in the US regarding my mom and my uncle, I can tell you lawyers and law firms don’t make much money filing these paper work claims. Most of the fee goes to dealing with the bureaucracy. I doubt Japan is much different. In fact, Japan’s bureaucracy seems worse. They would tell her not to waste her time and theirs…unless there was some other point.

What that point was, I don’t know. What we do know is that after she formally told Spacecraft she was leaving, a few days later she filed that claim. Unlike Kaori’s long blog post when she left or Hikaru’s handwritten letter, Spacecraft posted Keiko’s mere one paragraph statement for her. Then there was the letter released for Harmony 4 where people thought it sounded like they were blaming Keiko. While I wouldn’t quite go that far, it was cold in the English translation.

Japan is interesting in that there’s this spectator sport regarding apologies. When a celebrity screws up, like in the case of a member of SMAP a few years back, whom was caught being drunk in public at night, said celebrity will publically apologize on television. People will watch and discuss this apology: how good it was or wasn’t, whether the person bowed deeply enough, whether they meant it or not, etc. Celebrities will be sent on apology tours on various shows.

With this in mind Spacecraft was at best completely tone death at worst they’re arrogant. Since new management took over they have lost 12 people. Most this year. It’s not just people associated with Yuki Kajiura but also long established voice actors.

Based on the little bit I know, what happened with Yuki Kajiura and Spacecraft is that the new management wanted to add restrictions to her. The previous administration let her do what she wanted for the most part.

With Keiko I suspect something similar. Again complete speculation on my part. What we know is the official line is that Keiko didn’t see a Kalafina without Yuki Kajiura as the songwriter. We know this isn’t quite the case as there was that interview where Yuki revealed she was taking a step back allowing them to use other songwriters, she would likely contribute a few songs, and be more of a manager and mentor.

One thing I found surprising was with the tabloid news articles, which were highly accurate, was the statement that if Keiko had stayed they would have headed to the recording studio early this year. Of course, the three of them were touring all last year, so where would they have the time to vet songwriters and find out how well the interaction is…unless Spacecraft wanted to manage them as a standard pop group where they were the sole deciders. If they were being controlling with Yuki Kajiura, why wouldn’t they do that with Keiko, Hikaru, and Wakana?

I suspect this in part with how Hikaru opened her letter, “I, Hikaru, left Spacecraft on good terms (paraphrasing)…” Why would she say that unless someone left not on good terms recently? Again that’s speculation, but we do have some albeit small bit of evidence Yuki and/or Keiko didn’t exactly leave on the greatest terms. She certainly wanted to squash any rumors before they started.

Interestingly, I also suspect that Wakana has more freedom with Spacecraft being solo since there is less money and expectations.

As far as more idle speculation on my part:

Yuki stated recently she has 18 new songs done for a project and is still at the studio recording more. I suspect Keiko to pop up in some of those songs. It might even be a Keiko centric project.

The reason why Hikaru has a Twitter and was interested in having an Instagram, is in part because she’s floating going solo. She maybe in some FictionJunction concerts here and there, but she’s more interested in going solo. Yuki stated she was considering going solo for some time. Also based on her massive support, about 6,000 followers within around 24 hours, not only fans but Yuki, FMB members, Atsuko from Angela, and a director from Animelo concert series, tells me she’s in good position. It also tells me that industry professionals have an idea what was going on with Spacecraft and didn’t like it.

I find it interesting that while there has been an announcement for Wakana’s new single, there has been nothing about an album. Based on her tour setlist she already has enough original songs for an EP. I’m curious what record company she’s on. Is this a new contract or is she piggybacking on Kalafina’s? That might be the reason why Spacecraft refused to fold the group. They are still listed on Spacecraft’s site as though they’re active. It will be interesting to see if the next Harmony magazine contains the name Kalafina on it or if it turns into Wakana’s fanclub. Simply put, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wakana’s contract ends sometime next year and she chooses not to renew.

If Wakana leaves, I do not see a full reformation of Kalafina. While this can be done under a different name, the three of them do not have the finances to form a special group like the three former members of SMAP (which even they have not yet released something together yet). Instead, I anticipate things like the three of them performing an old Kalafina song or two during a FictionJunction concert or a song released by Yuki Kajiura here and there that is essentially a Kalafina song (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru and Yuriko and/or Remi as assist).

Be on the look out if Keiko tries to go after that trademark claim after Spacecraft drops using Kalafina. I’m not sure if she will or how long a trademark needs to be inactive in Japan to file a claim, but it will give us a good idea if she filed this last one for mysterious unknown purposes or not.

I suppose that’s enough silly idle speculation on my part. Much of this stuff we will never know and frankly don’t have a right to know since all of this is very personal.

[swans-anime-ramblings]

An examination of LuNa in Strong World

*note: I’ve had quite a few new followers in the past 10 days or so, hooray! But because of that, I just thought I’d give a quick FYI. I occasionally post about LuNa on my blog, so if that isn’t your jam, no worries! Just block the lunami tag so you don’t have to be subjugated to my ramblings on this specific topic 😊. I always tag accordingly, so you don’t have to worry. I hope we can still be friends!*

Let me start off by saying that I don’t consider myself a multi-fandom hardcore shipper. I definitely enjoy certain ships, but on the whole I’d say I don’t particularly care who ends up with who for most of the anime/manga I’m into. However, LuNa is a whole different story. It really is my OTP.

I’ll admit, I resisted becoming attached to LuNa. I wanted to keep an open mind, and honestly, shipping complicates things. It sets you up for monumental disappointment because there’s a chance your ship will not become canon. And if this happens (and it happens a lot), it taints your experience. I’ve never believed you should invest in a story solely for shipping, but the disappointment remains all the same.

For me, Strong World was a big factor in shipping these two. I remember smiling and thinking, “yeah...I want these two to find romance.”  And so, I think it’s high time for me to go through their biggest moments in the movie and why I think they have meaning. Be warned, this gets lengthy!

1. Luffy is Nami’s emotional anchor/ support

This is one of LuNa shippers’ biggest arguments in favor of them finding romance, so I won’t explain why this is a thing, but I think there’s two major instances in the movie.

When Shiki first abducts Nami in the beginning of the movie, Luffy yells for her and his attention is focused on her while everything else is in chaos. She immediately responds by yelling his name back, but it’s too late and he’s knocked away. I think this exchange sets up the movie being about their relationship, and reinforces that their bond is strong.

The second, and perhaps more potent time, is when Nami hears of Shiki’s plan to wreck the East Blue. She’s napping inside the house when Xaio comes in excitedly because her friend’s dad came home. Shiki is leaving and he’s going to destroy the East Blue. After Nami hears this horrible news, she immediately says, “Luffy” as she gets up and goes to find him. She’s dazed, scared, and there’s a terrifying situation about to happen. Saying his name is completely reactionary because he is her rock.

2. Luffy and Nami find each other

Unlike the other Strawhats who were separated into groups, Luffy is completely on his own. It’s a convenient, purposeful way to give them some time alone when they happen to meet-up. Nami sees the Sunny and she exclaims, “Sunny-go!” And then moments later Luffy runs out of the forest, sees Sunny and also exclaims, “Sunny-go!” Luffy sees Nami and starts running towards her. Some hilarity ensues, but luckily Billy is there to save the day.

3. Luffy’s tenderness toward Nami

Normally, I wouldn’t peg Luffy as a “tender” guy. He’s usually getting into all sorts of trouble, is brutally honest, yells a lot and has a monstrous appetite. In this movie there’s a couple instances where Luffy’s boisterous nature is calmed, and here we can find Luffy focused on taking care of Nami.

After they are reunited, Luffy is cooking up some food and turns toward Nami giving her a tender smile while he tells her to eat. She refuses since it’s scorpion, but I love his moment. That smile is so irresistible.

Another good tender moment is after they’ve reunited with some of the other crew. Everyone is exhausted and Xaio’s mom invites them to come in and rest. As far as I can tell, it was an open offer, and before anyone has a chance to respond, Luffy says,“Nami. Why don’t you go and do that?” He knows she’s been through a lot, and gives her an opportunity to rest without any other interference. When the crew sleeps outside, Luffy is the one closest to do the door.

This type of quiet caring is the right type of caring. It’s natural, non-intrusive, and has such a lovely feel. Nami is an independent woman, so smothering is annoying to her. I think Luffy cares for her instinctively like this since he’s not the type to do things that are unwanted. For Nami, I feel this works best for her.

4. They’re comfortable with each other

One of things I love about the scene where Luffy and Nami are reunited is how relaxed they are talking to one another. I feel like there’s this common misconception that Nami is yelling at Luffy every waking moment of the day, but that’s simply not true. I bet they talk like this often. While Nami is changing, she’s asking Luffy where everyone is and he responds while cooking his scorpion. Honestly, this feels to me like a couple who has come home from a long day at work. After they’ve been reunited, someone starts cooking while the other gets out of their work clothes. “How was your day?” “oh just fine. It’s been busy at the office since everyone is off for vacation.”

Their comfortability with one another is shown again just a short time later when Nami is riding on Luffy’s shoulders with her hands gently sitting on top of his head. While flying, they’re casually discussing where the rest of the crew might be. I feel like if Nami were in this situation with anyone else, she’d be furious, or at least we would’ve seen her temper flare before accepting her fate.

Luffy is angry at Nami

This right here is the big one. After Luffy and the others are pulled out of Shiki’s trap, Luffy is somber because he’s lost. Ussop says, “she went with Shiki to save our hometowns” and everyone, including Luffy, heard Ussop say this. Luffy doesn’t react beyond continuing to look defeated.

When they start playing the message Nami left them, Luffy hears Nami’s words about how they (i.e him) isn’t strong enough to face Shiki. And Luffy is furious. His hands start shaking and he starts screaming. It makes him so angry that he goes and punches a rock out of frustration.

This isn’t like Luffy at all. And interestingly enough, we have something to compare it to. Robin’s departure from the Strawhat’s is over the same circumstance. Robin leaves so that the crew will not die because she believes they aren’t strong enough to face the World Government. After the failed attempt to rescue Robin, the crew explains what happened to Luffy. His response is seen below (also shutout to Luffy+Nami yelling at each other over it hahaha).

Now, he’s definitely angry but there’s one key difference. Luffy is angry at Robin for not worrying about her own safety, not because Robin doesn’t believe Luffy is strong enough. He isn’t taking her leaving personally.

But he does take it personally with Nami.

This idea of Nami “not believing Luffy is strong enough” fits in the category of things that you absolutely DO NOT say to a man you’re in a relationship with, in real life. This is a thing, and even an implication of  “you’re not strong enough” can be hurtful. I’ve seen this firsthand. But for confirmation I googled “things a woman shouldn’t say to a man they’re in a relationship with” and got a bunch of listicles (some of which were weird, I grant you). However, in the ones written by men, this was close to top. Here’s a random one I found.

From Glamour Magazine:

4. “He’d kick your ass.”

Telling us that anyone--even a grizzly bear or some sort of terminator from the future--- can beat us up is equivalent to us flipping through a magazine and physically pointing out the women we think are betting looking than you. It’s ridiculous, I know, but we like to think we’re tough (true story: an ex told me her friend, a mixed martial artist,could kick my ass--- my response: “not at Jeopardy”).

And absolutely, a couple of men don’t speak for the whole of masculinity, but I think it’s safe to say a lot of men would feel this way. Luffy’s reaction tells me Nami’s words cut. He was expecting the trust he places in her to be reciprocated (to quote Warlordgab). The idea that she didn’t was too much for him and he reacted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry at one of his crew members.

Luffy protects Nami’s honor

Despite Luffy being furious with Nami, he will not allow her to appear weak in front of Shiki, who makes fun of her sacrifice. “You’re an idiot,” Luffy scowls. “Nami didn’t sacrifice herself, she just came to fight as our vanguard, is all!” before the Strawhats begin shooting up the palace. What’s funny about Luffy’s statement is it’s truer than he thinks. But she was gone and could not defend herself, so he did instead.

Luffy holds a grudge

Luffy’s anger toward Nami isn’t just a gut reaction. He stays angry at her, and when I watched this movie for the first time I was surprised. You can feel his anger when he’s about to beat the crap out of Shiki. “Nami. I’m gonna beat this guy up and then we’re going home.” He can’t talk with her about his anger until later, so he doesn’t even mention it, but it’s written all over his face. Even though he’s angry, he reaffirms to Chopper and Ussop to take care of Nami. Again, I feel like this is an accurate response to how a real man would act if they were in a similar situation.

Luffy scowling while fishing would probably be funnier if the circumstances hadn’t been so serious, but it’s evident he’s been by himself stewing for a while. When Nami is better, Luffy lets Nami know EXACTLY what he thinks. “You said some really mean things! I can’t believe you didn’t have faith in me after all this time!” And it’s then, the truth is revealed.

Nami is embarrassed at her message

At the very end of Nami’s message, she quietly asks to come be saved and doesn’t want Luffy to hear it now that the situation has been resolved. Sanji says it was “a message of love,” and Nami doesn’t even deny it. She just moves on to the next thing which is..something.

I think the reason Nami is embarrassed by the message, is that it does show her care for Luffy. Nami says that she directed the message to him because “you’re denser than anyone else”. So Nami, in the middle of Shiki breathing down her neck, is worried that Luffy will be angry by the message she’s being forced to give, and tries to say something so he understands. That she DOES believe in him, and she wants him to come get her. Nami understands Luffy.

What does all of this mean?

Well, that’s a good question. Because at this point in the game, are we really seeing “romantic love” from these two? I don’t think so, despite some of their reactions normally stemming from romantic love. So what is it then?

Recently, a good friend of mine has been going through One Piece. He is extremely analytical to the detriment of him enjoying shows at times. He told me admittedly that he doesn’t care about shipping nor does he pick up on shipping cues. As he’s watched One Piece, shipping isn’t a thing I’ve ever asked him about.

He watched Strong World right after finishing Thriller Bark, and this is what he had to say while giving me his thoughts on the movie.

"Luffy and Nami have a cool relationship. It’s an unstated love that’s purely platonic but incredibly strong. It’s not brought up much but I have sensed it.”

Honestly, I was wowed by his statement. He was able to put into words something I was having a hard time categorizing. The movie makes them feel like more, but at the same time it’s not romantic. This bond, which at the time of Strong World is platonic but strong nonetheless. They care for each other deeply and they have a special relationship.

So how does it progress?

Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? I have, and I can tell you there was a single moment when everything became crystal clear to me. Afterward, I spent hours trying to sift through my feelings. When, exactly, did my caring for him transition to love? Did I always love him and was incredibly dense? Or was it gradual, and like a flower, it had been growing for some time beneath the surface and had just sprouted?

Yes…I think that was it. The seed; our friendship. The water; our caring for one another. The earth; the time we spent together. The sun; our shared laughter.

I think this analogy best describes Luffy and Nami, too. As my friend picked up, there’s something beneath the surface, something strong and lovely. Will Oda give it a chance to bloom? I don’t know, but I hope so.

I really hope so 😊