#two people who know each other's flaws very well. who are as violent as they are well spoken

[boltlightning]

i think my ao3 profile makes a lot more sense when you realize that i'm mostly writing to give james and elizabeth an excuse to argue

[whetstonefires]

You know, I've been thinking about it, and it is absolutely essential to the narrative that Jiang Cheng is a dick and a trash fire. (Affectionate.)

Like, first of all, if he was a sainted little angel of a shidi the way Jiang Yanli is a shijie, Wei Wuxian's choices would become obvious, sort of impersonal, and boring.

Sure, lots of people wouldn't tear themselves apart for such a person in such a scenario, but they're not the protagonists of novels, are they; in a book you have to justify not doing that. So white lotus Jiang Cheng is off the table.

Jiang Cheng who isn't fragile-and-insecure but also stubborn-as-hell and violently reactive also won't wash.

If he wasn't the kind of person who sincerely tries to die under these circumstances, Wei Wuxian would have had the option of loyally supporting him in a less self-destructive way; if he was someone who could be trusted to handle the revelation without suffering a ruinous fracture of identity, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have been forced to distance himself after the war, because he could have come clean.

If Jiang Cheng wasn't the kind of person who centers on his own pride and hurt feelings and lashes out about it, it would be very hard to set up the lategame scenario where they're 'enemies' in a real, meaningful way, despite still loving each other and Wei Wuxian never wishing Jiang Cheng any ill. Even with Jiang Yanli's death.

And I mean, you could get most of the plot without doing this interesting thematic examination of the classic 'bond between martial brothers severed by one going to the dark side' trope, but I'd argue you'd lose an enormous chunk of the story.

And without Jiang Cheng's weaknesses, Wei Wuxian's motives don't cohere. His weaknesses form the foundation of at least two of the backstory's major turning points.

There's the tantalizing possibility that Wei Wuxian wouldn't have done it, if Jiang Cheng hadn't strangled him while blaming him for everything.

Probably he would have, all else being equal! But neither we nor Jiang Cheng can be sure.

Jiang Cheng sucking a lot, and knowing his own flaws perfectly well without that granting him the ability to do much about them, is heavily load-bearing. Which gives him such a fantastic implied point of view!

[ghostinthepepper]

Edit since apparently a lot of people really don't know what quadrants are:

♦️

“Trolls are a very angry and violent race. Some are more hot-tempered and dangerous than others, to the extent that if left to their own devices, they would present a serious threat to society, or even to themselves. Such trolls will have an instinctive pale attraction to a more even-tempered troll, who may become their MOIRAIL. The moirail is obliged to pacify the other, to function as the better half. The two partners in a strong pale relationship will serve to balance and complement each other's emotional profiles, and thus allow their other relationships to be more successful.” — Homestuck, p. 2401

Basically a queer platonic partnership where two characters balance each other out and the more violent character tends to be pacified by the calmer one

♠️

“When a pair of adversaries delve into this quadrant, they become each other's KISMESIS. As one of the concupiscent quadrants, it plays a role in procreation as well. There is no particularly good human translation for this concept. The closest would be an especially potent arch-rivalry.” — Homestuck, p. 2395

Basically a hate-romantic rivalry; enemies AND lovers. They tend to point out flaws that the other would never admit to themselves or others and thereby pushing each other to be better

[fairuzfan]

i’ve seen so many people simply claim that jewish palestinians point blank do not exist and it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of judaism/jewish history to claim they do… 🫥 deeply exhausting takes on this website

That's the thing is that it's just a blatant rewrite of history. And I'm not saying this to tokenize Jewish Palestinians or anything or make them a construct, it's just as someone who wonders at what point "Palestinian" ends and what point "Jewish" begins or vise versa. Like it's a question of identity. If I decide, myself, that I want to convert to judiasm... well right now, I can't as Palestinians aren't allowed to convert which is weird as hell, but if I could and wanted to — am I giving up a part of identity and switching it out for another one? Am I allowed to keep both identities together? If so, how do I fit into my community at large? What decides me, a 3rd generation refugee who has never been to Palestine, as "Palestinian" enough? Someone can deny my Palestinian heritage because there are arbitrary definitions being put in place without the consultation of all community members.

Like what's the point of this separation? I genuinely don't see a reason beyond segregation purposes. Some people say that it's to keep Jewish people safe (which I don't believe but to go along with this argument), But that safety relies on segregation and division of a society. Which obviously no real safety can occur, but also like you can't lie and say that it's something it's not. You can't say a society that makes distinctions based on identity legally is in any way democratic or just for all people for that matter. Because even if there are efforts to make people equal, when you have to say "Palestinians and Jews are equal..." Well you just straight up named the two groups you think have a difference between each other. That implicitly requires the reader to perceive a divide.

And you can argue, "let's just call everyone Israeli and make no distinctions between Palestinian and Jewish people," but Palestinians in Israel would never agree to that unilaterally, even if we are operating on a two state solution (which will never happen but for arguments sake). They'd rather not abandon their cultural identification. And even then, when the society is built of Jewish supremacy with the express purpose of erasing Palestinians codified in their founding documents, is that equality, knowing an indigenous population had to give up their identity to subscribe to perceived peace? Isn't that inherently violent and anti-equality?

Indiginiety, in Palestine, as i dont feel confident to speak on other peoples cultures and struggles, has to do with your relationship to colonialism as well as the land. For me, an indigenous person who has suffered the effects of displacement of colonialism and who regularly watches from afar as their land gets tormented, to hear that the only way I can go back to visit that land is to deny my centuries worth of ancestors buried on PALESTINIAN land, then I'd be incredibly heartbroken. This is even from my own perspective, which I consider the least important in my family line. My grandmother should be able to see her father's burial place without worrying about whether or not she's considered Palestinian or fully colonized as Israeli. My mother should be able to stroll the lands she's always heard stories about without worrying that the very essense of her personhood, the thing shes been denied her entire life having to grow up in refugee camp, as a palestinian is being denied in totality at the end of her struggle. People in refugee camps should be able to go back without worrying about where they fall in the world hierarchies of weirdly defined terms.

So like what's the real purpose with this distinction, exactly?? Any sort of society which operates on some basis of understanding that it is "for" a specific group of people and not anyone else is inherently flawed.

And like, again, Jewish Palestinians are a demographic that exist, I'm not saying this as a gotcha or construct, I am asking this for myself who has stakes in the matter of how this question is answered and dealt with in this larger framework. Would I stop being Palestinian if I decide one day to convert to judiasm? Am I "Palestinian enough" to receive the right of return based on the definitions of Palestinians you come up with in an Israeli society? If I'm excluded in any way, then yeah, I'm going to be angry about it. Most people would be. The issue is that I don't see a way to go about answering these questions without inevitably excluding someone or some group, if not in the definition, in the ways we form our communities after the fact.

[normal-thoughts-official]

i don't think i've ever said this about choices before but wow this really was the ladies' chapter and i for one am thrilled. we didn't get a lot of imtura as usual but what we did get I was very happy with. i've said this before but i'm loving seeing imtura growing more confident (more than she was in book 1, even) and stepping into the leadership role she was always perfect for but never confident enough to really take. of course she was the wraith's captain but i think this is the first time we're seeing imtura really plan in detail what they're going to do, take charge of the group. she's not asking and she's not apologetic but not imposing either, listening to ideas and adjusting accordingly. she's a great leader and it's so nice to see her really grow into that role, especially since her main conflict in book 2 has been about feeling like she's not good enough to be anything other than the brawns. she has 100% been the brains of the team these last few chapters, and she doesn't even seem to realize she's doing it. it's great to see. i'm also liking seeing her slowly repair her dynamic with mal. i've written before about how mal and imtura have always been the only ones who get each other in the group, and how falling out must have been devastating to both of them. and now we're starting to see them slowly fall back into their groove, teasing each other but still with a lot of respect, and slowly starting to get over the hurt they both put on each other. although i wish it was being addressed more directly, i'm still loving it. and of course, their consistent reminders that her most important value is equality - you share the wealth, share the food, take care of each other. that's the kind of leader she is, in direct opposition of her mother who wished to centralize everything and institute hierarchy. imtura is an orc to the bone, free and strong but caring and believing in equality, and i love seeing that being consitently shown these last few chapters. also, her dancing scene was so fucking sweet

valax is simply the love of my life. and we got TWO separate chances to make out with her. the world is a beautiful place. but more than that, we are getting to know her better, and reconcile the valax we first met with the valax we saw at ironbreach. i like how they're not at odds, and although there's the obvious, well, brainwashing aspect, she is violent because she's kind and cares about her people. by which i mean lines like this:

it's not at all unlike what MC is doing. as much as everyone MC kills or incapacitates or whatever is some faceless rando, they're still essentialy waging war for what they believe in. and i like that. as i've said before, my favorite thing about blades 2 is how it's been unraveling all of the myths from book 1, showing the other side. history is written by the victors and all that, and i think book 2 is really showing how it's important to question those nationalistic myths where everything on your side is good, the other is bad, etc. and valax telling us about how the Light Realm fucked the Shadow Realm over adds to that, which makes valax an important part of the plot not only as a villain or potential love interest but also as an important source of information about the worldbuilding and what the other side is like. at the same time, we got to see her being conflicted - admitting that she's naive, starting to question the state of the army, betraying MC but also apologizing for it - and just overall a complex person/villain. we got more backstory, more of her motivations, more glimpses of Shadow Realm history, truly we got everything from valax this chapter

i also love how her betrayal was not only inevitable but also due to a fundamental flaw in nia's plan: assuming valax would choose self-preservation over completing her mission and helping her people. it'd be a safe bet to make with pretty much anyone else, but we've seen enough of valax to know that it definitely doesn't apply to her - she has never lived for herself, she doesn't exist for herself, and so she was always going to bid her time until she could go through the pain to complete the mission. that might be the most fundamental part of her character, and it is both shown very well and given even more important narrative weight in this scene

and at the risk of sounding like a hater, this was the first chapter where i truly felt like they were going somewhere interesting with nia's arc. i have a lot of sympathy for her book 1 arc - realizing she has been groomed, trying to reclaim her faith - but she still has always kind of felt one dimensional to me. this chapter was the first time we got to see more of nia; we even had it be implied that at least part of her always being cheery and put-together is a facade. more than just turning her back on the temple this is the first time she is turning her back on the shitty parts of what they taught her - that she doesn't matter, that she lives only for the light, that she can't have needs and desires of her own. all in all, she needs catharsis, and if it's the shadow form that gives her that, then cheers! but regardless of how you feel about shadow!nia i think we can agree that it's giving us more and better glimpses into nia as a character who feels a lot of pain and immense pressure to be good while also trying to figure out which parts of her upbringing she needs to unlearn and which she gets to keep, deal with the grief of losing MC and watching her friend group fall apart, and trying to be a rock for them through it all, then immediately dealing with another world-shattering threat while also trying to hide a part of her for a good portion of it. i've seen a lot f people complain about how no one noticed shadow!nia before and MC was forced to keep that secret but i think it's a good analogy to how there are parts of nia that no one sees, that she tried so hard to suppress they were bound to take over her eventually. nia is more than a bubbly born sexy yesterday sweet girl and i'm delighted to see that being acknowledged

so, yeah. the ladies' chapter. loved it

[icantthinkyandere]

What do you think abt two yanderes fighting eachother to get to their master? Like im having so many brain rotting ideas my brain has a cavity.

Who do you think would be best to fit these rolls??

{Arjuna alter vs Morgan Le Fay}

Hear me out.

I love Arjuna a lot after reading his interlude a long time ago, and I love Arjunalter even more. I also love Morgan a lot after reading Avalon. So, they're on my mind a lot and very biased.

They're both very desperate for love now that they're on Chaldea and able to relax. They can have it.

While they can still fall for a staff but it's more likely to get obsessed with the master since they've seen them at their worse but yet they are still kind to them now that they're in Chaldea.

They know full well they can't kill or fight each other. They 100% want to because they want to protector and devoted lover of their darling master. The only thing they can really do is throw catty insults at each other. The Fea Knights have offered to take care of him for her, but she doesn't want them to get in trouble or fade away. Morgan doesn't want that because she wants Baobhan to have an actually good step parent that doesn't lead to her death.

They're not very manipulative mainly because they think their relationship with their beloved is fine. Even if they're not (or something have stopped them from thinking they're in a relationship with you already) in a relationship, they think the relationship is perfectly. You've already accepted their flaws, and they're a wonderful partner for you.

Arjunalter can't get anyone on his side to support his relationship because he's not the most trusted servant, and the only people Morgan can get on her side are the Fae knights. They're all trying their best, even if it's not the best in reality.

Arjunalter and Morgan are trying their hardest not to go back to their violent ways because they want to prove that they've changed. But they hate each other so much since they believe they are either in a relationship with you or are on the edge of getting married.

The only thing they can do is throw insults at each other and pray that something happens to make the other disappear completely

{Merlin vs Lady Avalon}

I feel like anyone else would say Merlin and Lady Avalon would work together. But I just don't think they would. They both want what they want and won't let even themselves get in the way.

They already knew how similar they were, and then it really set in when they realized they had the same exact plan to isolate their love to make them dependent on them. They're getting in each other's way by interrupting personal time at any chance.

Da Vinci and Sherlock suggest maybe just working together? They declined, saying that even they know two of them is too much. The real reason being they'll just argue about what to do or it'll quickly show their darling that these aren't real lessons, just them trying to isolate you from other servants and staff

They're teachers, mentors, etc. They give a lot of themselves to other people, so now that they have such strong feelings for someone, they would like to be a little selfish for once. Which means not sharing even if that person is you with a different look.

Unlike Arjunalter and Morgan, who are trying to be on their best behavior despite wanting to rip each other's throats out. These two only look like they're on their best behavior. They are playing 20 D chess with each other, with them trying to manipulate anyone they can to their side into believing the other is evil and should die.

This goes with the person of their affection, too. Constantly trying to make the other look as bad as they can, from pointing obvious already known flaws, making things up, and finding the most obscure Merlin facts they can find.

Sometimes, the race to be the only one gets so intense that they forget they're even battling for someone's affection, allowing some other servant or staff member to get uncomfortably close. So, they have to derail their plans to ruin each other, to get this person away while trying to make sure the other isn't getting closer to their love in the process! It's a loop of desperately trying to stay one step ahead.

They don't really care about the other servants that they ruin the reputation of, unless it's Arthur and the Artorias. Even if they do think Merlin and Lady Avalon are weird, they still trust and love them. So, making them believe the Merlin/Lady Avalon is evil as well as other servants does hurt them. They can only hope they understand the end goal. Being happily together with their soulmate away from the world.

🎉BONUS ODDITY TIME!!!🎉

Yanderes who work together

{Okita Souji and Qin Shi Huang}

While they don't like it, they have a mutual understanding that this person is very important to them both, and they want to protect them more than anything in the world.

They are two sides of the same coin, with Okita being a more violent protector whole. Qin Shi Huang is a peace protector. Qin Shi Huang, while trying their best to be peaceful, knows that somethings can't be avoided anymore. Okita knows that her more aggressive behavior is off-putting and very intimidating. Working together allows them to cover different types of caretaking.

Qin Shi Huang can take care of more emotional needs, and if someone needs to die, Okita can kill them.

They take turns interacting with their shared beloved, learning new things, and cross-referencing what they've learned. They don't get very far most of the time with planning and strategies because they'll start talking about something cute you did or someone who is seems to be dangerous because they were over analyzing a situation.

[hopefull-mindset]

I’m incredibly exhausted from writing 8k+ words about abuse in BSD and still not done with it. I just would like BSD tumblr to know the absolute monster this is going to look like, which I’m probably going to post tomorrow. I’m going to finish today but tomorrow I can go over and re-edit some stuff without falling on my ass writing Kyouka’s section

The structure so far, in order is:

What is Abuse

Portrait of a father

The Port Mafia’s Environment

The Heartless Cur

RE: Portrait of a father (<- this is Beast Atsushi’s section)

The Man Who Raised Dazai

A Mother’s Love

I started writing this because I was getting frustrated with the restrictive discussion about the topic of abuse in this community, and the way the “Abuse Cycle” is discussed is quite shallow. The concept in general is very flawed to me, even if I understand the idea behind it.

The progression between Mori -> Dazai -> Akutagawa -> Kyouka has so little similarity besides two things in common.

First one is their talent for cruelty lurking inside them, and second seeing themselves in each other and having them join the mafia because of it. On this stance the abuse cycle is not the wrong term, you guys just have no idea what you’re taking about when it is discussed.

The “abuse cycle” is what keeps you in that negative state and not feeling like you have anywhere else to go except this awful environment that doesn’t keep you safe. That’s what makes it the abuse cycle and we should feel proud Kyouka left, but you guys talk about it as if it’s the actions towards the next victim that makes it the abuse cycle when I’ve just said none of their actions has barely (if any) similarities. Higuchi is part of the abuse cycle, Q and Kouyou is too. The mafia is the embodiment of this cycle.

You guys are also grossly overestimating how much Mori actually did to Dazai. As I said, action is not what makes it the abuse cycle. It’s not the same thing as Yosano in this area at all. Dazai’s mental state was definitely harmed by continuing to be in the Mafia, he was still just a child, and what Mori did was not right in the slightest, but none of what Dazai is like is actually Mori’s fault. It’s a tough answer and I will go over it in my post. if you think Dazai was abused under the qualifications that he was a child who was in an abusive, violent environment, the you also have to think about Chuuya and Beast Atsushi.

My answer to that is no, they were not abused by the Port Mafia and their childhood’s were already stripped away and we don’t have enough information to say they were abused there, but they were already abuse victims that were already conditioned enough for the mafia not having to do anything. The mentoring situations in the mafia don’t see abuse as abuse, just another way of teaching their subordinates.

Akutagawa would be the same… if I wasn’t for the fact Dazai’s actions were targeted to forcefully beat an intention into him that wasn’t already a product of the slums. It needs to be targeted at something in you to be abuse. Not to say you guys aren’t also overestimating how much of Dazai’s abuse made him who he was, a lot of it was just the slums, but I digress. I don’t need to explain everything I’ve already wrote down.

The only people I can confidently say were abuse victims of the port mafia are Kouyou, Kyouka, and Q. That’s quite literally it. We don’t know what happened to Dazai, Chuuya had N and his time as a sheep member, Atsushi had the Director, and Akutagawa had Dazai (does not count as the port mafia itself). Those three are the only ones I can trace back to the Port Mafia as their tormentor.

Why am I not saying Akutagawa is her abuser? Well we have nothing to confirm that, she was not trained by Akutagawa (that was Verlaine), and we have no specifics on their relationship besides him being the own to bring her into the port mafia because he was sent to. Sure he was the one behind the phone in that one mission, but he’s not the only who has access to it, Kouyou did too. If you really want to put into context her abuse at the hands of the port mafia, think of her as nothing more than a tool for them to pass around. There was nothing more to their relationship than what I’ve already said, I’ve checked numerous times in the manga.

As shown in Beast, she doesn’t need Akutagawa there for her to run away and she doesn’t need him there to be broken by the mafia. Anyway, that’s all I have to say rn. I’ll hold off other thoughts until that ultimate post, just know I’m not happy with most of you. Especially those who criticize the way Asagiri writes abuse, I think you guys are just unnerved by how actually realistic it is.

Thank you for the attention my Mori post got, I thought I’d get yelled at for it considering most of you can’t fathom he’s a character with thought behind him. Gods you act the same way with the director as well. I wouldn’t have normally done this, but I needed a break from the main post. I’m fearing it’s going to become a 10k word essay. I do say more there, don’t worry if I glossed over anything here.

[dolphin1812]

Riot and insurrection are defined by minority vs majority, with insurrection being a just movement by the majority to maintain its democratic power and rioting being a minority using violence against the people (the exception being colonialism because Hugo believed in “civilizing” missions, as illustrated by his remarks on Columbus). Through this link, they’re also defined by their tie to progress: insurrection is part of progress and is good, and rioting looks to the past and is therefore bad. 

Hugo’s comments on writing under tyranny are fascinating in the context of Napoleon III. Hugo was exiled, but he was still conscious of how censorship could affect his work in France. The dense prose mentioned, then, could be this novel! Its themes are concealed, to an extent, by its length and its digressions. Hugo outright tells us his opinions (like he’s doing now), but after reading so much, it can be difficult to keep track of without a very close reading (which is made difficult by length, too – even though the goal of these posts has been to close-read each chapter, there will always be chapters that I understand better and others that are incomprehensible. A censor needing to read this quickly would be very lost!). Hugo’s prose doesn’t seem concise at all, but perhaps he felt that it was appropriate for the breadth of what he covered, and that he felt he learned to better articulate himself with this consciousness.

(Or maybe Hugo wants a republic so he can digress freely. Maybe digressions are democracy)

Despotism being the same under a “genius” feels like a jab at Napoleon I, too, making it an even harsher critique of the less respected (by Hugo) Napoleon III! And it’s also a return to Louis Philippe, who – while a good person – still suffers from the flaw of being a king in a France that doesn’t want one.

And he has a point that suffrage is wonderful because it offers an alternative to both insurrection and rioting! If the people have a non-violent and legitimate way of expressing their opinions, then they become less necessary. Hugo’s dream of them disappearing is a lot – protest is seen as another right alongside suffrage – but it’s a nice ideal in that it imagines a democracy that functions perfectly and thus only needs the vote to decide well.

And unfortunately, Hugo’s right about the reluctance to distinguish between the two by those in power. We’re back to animal symbolism, but this time, it’s between an animal and a person. The “dog” expected to serve the person is beaten for disobedience, leaving no alternative but to transform into a ferocious lion capable of resisting. 

I love that Hugo basically says “June 1832 was insurrection, but there’s a good chance I’ll forget and say riot in the future; just know I don’t mean that politically.” It’s almost a form of self-awareness over how many words he uses to describe most things!

He’s making a claim to historical accuracy, too, and one grounded in the perspective of the protesters. The judicial records he mentions would have been from their trials and, therefore, from the point of view of a state threatened by them. Hugo’s fictionalized account continues to give a voice to those neglected by those narratives. 

[julietasgf]

Olá olá, I am back back again (I survived a week-long exam and 4 hours of sleep)

I know in theory LGB has an Appalachian accent in the movie I remember seeing some complaints from the audience <3 (isn't it fascinating and horrible when the audience confirms why a certain trait in a character is vital and revolutionary?)

It's really a shame that Sejanus and LGB barely interact in the book because I know they would have understood each other very well (and YES they really are alike, again the big difference between them is that Sejanus most of the time wouldn't stand for doing an act while LGB has survived from doing one but unlike Snowflake, she still strives for her humanity and doing good like Sejanus. UGH MAKE THEM BESTIES).

While I hate to say it because the movie turned the games into an entertaining spectacle I agree that it had several of the best changes from the book. Reaper scene was simply powerful and yes Wovey snakes scene was absolutely heartbreaking. Even Coral with the role she was given felt more like a whole person than in the text and from what I hear there are many deleted scenes of her and how she goes about developing her strategy that I really hoped one day they might see the light of day.

I also have so much to say about the arena scene. There are so many minor changes that make me freak out in a bad way. First of all that Ma Plinth's presence in the Snow's apartment is removed. As you say I think they could have kept that moment to give more punch to Sejanus' last words and it really didn't take up much time.

Then the implications of Sejanus bribing a guard, when in the book it's all to his credit and even a way to one-up Gaul herself that HE WILL GET IN THERE. And finally that: Sejanus wasn't really going to protest, he didn't expect anyone to come to his rescue, because he NEVER PLANTED TO GET OUT ALIVE (another change that made me groan in the movie but well I got plenty of forehead touch at least but I agree with everything you say about Sejanus.

Because yes even if I want to rip the heads off of everyone who does bad takes of Sejanus in tiktok, I certainly can't blame them, in the movie he is that naive and spoiled which is sad.

Talking more about the changes to me Coriolanus from the book and the movie are two different people in my head, there are so many changes between the two and their arcs are so different that it's hard to reconcile them (for me) in the same person tbh (I only get to do that from the idea: movie is Snow propaganda: its how people SEE him, etc).

I think Coriolanus story along with the decision to make Sejanus not know about the weapons are the clearest evidence of one of the biggest flaws I think the movie has (and at the same time I think it's impossible that we could get a big budget adaptation without this flaw) and that is how much it fears being political (Not that it doesn't prompt reflection on certain serious issues and of course they are not afraid to talk about Panem's policies but from there to other policies...)

Coriolanus as a prejudiced and oppressive teenager who has the opportunity to see up close different perspectives than those he has known from subjects he contributes to oppressing and even experiences firsthand the injustices of the system decides in the end not to change his mind and become not only complicit but an active agent in the flawed and inhumane system is not an alien story. It is the daily life of many people. In fact I'm sure Coriolanus vocalizing some of his more deranged thoughts in the movie wouldn't have scared people as much as many believe and would still be as popular just because Tom played him.

While Sejanus on the other hand is clearly one of the voices of reason in the book, he is one of the few who denounces injustices and tries to do something. If Sejanus knew about the weapons and even bought them, it would be a way of legitimizing violent resistance as an appropriate measure and valid to change the system and well it is USA. That doesn't suit them so Sejanus had to be downgraded to what a "decent rebel" would be: a no violent and smart one BUT WHO KNOWS. I DONT

Finishing this movie issue I agree that it was criminal that they took Lysistrata away from us but I think you put it best in words the matter with the academy students in the movie. They clearly tried to make most of the mentors mean and cruel to their tributes so that Coriolanus stands out as the "good" and humane one.

I have to agree that it should be a requirement to read the book and look I usually believe in book adaptations can be their own world apart but I ask on my knees to the only movie fans who want to have an opinion about Sejanus - LGB or write about them to READ THE BOOK.

Now let's talk about fics. I'm curious do you have some favorite fics in the fandom? I have a few that I think are excellent (😝 I had my fav fics, you've written several of them haha but there are also others like this fic where Coriolanus has a dream with LGB and Sejanus after killing them and with ultra symbolic details. Or the fic where Coriolanus was poisoned with the same poison that causes you halucinations in THG and sees Sejanus, etc) but I want to know what you read buddy. Btw I hope you have read the second one shot of that baby Sejanus series in the war during D2 because for me it is canon now that the Plinth suffered an attack in post war times in D2. I am very normal...

Also I'm sorting out still my thoughts on carcara but you destroyed me emotionally 🥰🥰 hope that sums it up well. Me crying for Strabo? That's another level. Speaking of the Plinth, Ma Plinth's ideas contributing in the games ate direct to the Quarter Quell fic idea that is in building. I had vagues ideas and some phrases that I want to use without any context:

"Of all my creations, none has reached perfection like Coriolanus Snow." Volumnia Gaul.

"Snow men die in District 12." Tigris Snow.

I will stop the rambling, lets focus better on our beautiful latam au where no one dies pls.

I'm happy that you liked my sejarcus ideas (maybe I'll write them hehe), I didn't stop thinking about them either, I need them to do a dance at school and baby Sejanus knows how to dance because his mother is Vesta but he's embarrassed to do it in front of the others and Marcus is there encouraging him that he can do it. And yesiii I ADORE the idea of sejarcus on playdates, pls not Sejanus giving away his stuffed animals just because Marcus said he would like to have one. Marcus refusing to take the bunny named plum.

"Sejanus it's your stuff." "But mr. plum wants to go with you." 🙏🙏

About the Christmas dinners YES I AGREE 😭😭😭😭 in fact I think it might be worse with Strabo sober jajsks at least when he is drunk he talks funny and I think if you get Sejanus out of the room he will end up complaining to a piece of furniture about how ungrateful his son is but Strabo sober and Sejanus will end up in an endless 10 hour debate. Everyone else had escaped to the courtyard to try to quiet their voices with the music AND YET YOU CAN HEAR THEM.

Pls. Coriolanus making a fool of himself <3 my beloved. First by trying to convince his father-in-law to make him his heir and then by stepping on his mother-in-law's foot. I propose it's on the birthday of one of Sejanus' cousins and he thought it was a good time to introduce his boyfriend (too Argentinian to exist) and when Vesta takes Coryo to the dance floor, his whole family tries so hard not to laugh at him but they lost it in the end 🤭 but ultimately that will lead to some fun and adorable private lessons with lot of kisses

Coriolanus and Strabo being closet telenovelas fans is such a fun concept. And yes my god Sejanus would have an existential crisis the moment they start talking. PLS I CAN SEE SOMETHING LIKE THEM EVEN TALKING AT THE SAME TIME HAPPENING 😭😭

C: But I think

S: But I think

C: Oh excuse me Mr. Plinth

S: No, no young Snow. Speak

*Sejanus shouting in the background*

By the way. Marcus would also be Boricua? Because that would be cool but there's also something in my head screaming cubano idk. Also I know I said it was our funny au but I have a couple of crazy ideas in my head about snowjanus because if everyone is from Latin America and we assume this happens in today's normal USA and Coriolanus thinks he is more European than the rest. I thought about maybe he lied to everyone about having Italian heritage (that's why my name is from Ancient Roma) and embodying the experience of feeling ashamed of your origins and meeting Sejanus which is the opposite and kind of like giving him character development?

👁️👄👁️

Damn it, maybe I really need my 8 hours of sleep

Music recommendation?

Well it's more like a poem:

Cabras -Little Jesus

The type of things in my mind are TBOSAS coded in some way also the type of things I believe Sejanus could read.

I hope you are well when you read this Juli. And let me say I love your designs, we need to start a campaign to get people to show their book designs more often, I love seeing how the characters look in everyone's heads.

Ah I'll get back to you in a bit about your beautiful ocs.

OLAAA!!! I'm so happy to see you again 🥹 exams SUCK, take care buddie, hope you rest well and sleep after them <3

no way ppl complained abt lgb's accent on the movie...... I swear to god that there are few audiences that are so determinated to prove the point of the original work like the thg/tbosas audience, it's quite insane. how do you go out from a movie that criticizes xenophobia and prejudice and then proceeds to... complain abt lucy gray's accent?? media literacy is really dead 😭

yessssss I really wishe they could've had more time together, because they have so much in common :(( lucy gray at least have the covey, but I really wished sejanus could hang out with someone who could actually understand him in the sense of what it means not being able to fit in, and lucy gray is just- they would be perfect friends if coriolanus wasn't around. AND YES!!! I always joke that coriolanus made it too obvious that he had type bc sejanus and lucy gray are too alike, but non-ironically, I think it's interesting how alike they are in storytelling terms (specially bc their final decision is the opposite; sejanus runs to coriolanus and it kills him, and lucy gray runs away from him... and it still "kills" her). I've seen a post around here that made a lot of sense, where the person said that sejanus is lucy gray if she had more privilege and a chance of keeping her innocence, while lucy gray is sejanus if he was forced to mature earlier and learn how to survive. ughhhh they should've been besties and slander coriolanus together

yesssss, plus, ironically, I feel like the movie made the tributes even more human than the book (tbosas has a big difference regarding thg, which is: we actually know the names of EVERY. SINGLE. TRIBUTE). everything regarding the tributes in the movie, I thought it was fantastic (ofc I missed some of them, like the D3 guys, but I understand they chose to focus on just some tributes). also, I don't remember in the book the plot regarding treech leaving lamina behind to get with coral's group, and I thought that was another interesting details on giving more personality and backstory to the tributes. reaper and dill, too, loved how they made him protect her and care for her, it was really precious. and, oh my god, I forgot talking abt that on the other post, but CORAL IN GENERAL!!! I really loved coral in the movie, and her last line and the way it was delivered was HEARTBREAKING. yesssss really wish one day we can see the deleted scenes, because FOR SURE there are plenty (I mean.... I would beg on my knees for the 4 hrs cut....)

the thing with tbosas is that there are plenty of small details, small things, that make a big difference on how you view characters and how you view the story. and the thing about the movie is: they got rid of these small details. and THAT'S the biggest problem with the arena scene: these small details really impacted some aspects of the storytelling. and you put them very well, I couldn't agree more 😭 I HAD EVEN FORGOT ABT THE THING WITH THE GUARD. but yeaaaaaaah people who saw the movie don't really get that he was straight up trying to kill himself... think abt rose on titanic when she was about to jump from that ship. it was pure despair, and she didn't ask for the guy to try to come and save her and risk his life in the proccess. anyway, these small changes regarding sejanus are so weird man, because are small things that actually impact on the storytelling and how the audience view him. getting rid of his relationship with ma, getting rid of the fact that he's suicidal, implying he bribed a guard. idk, it just feels really weird to me, specially bc sejanus is a foil to coriolanus.

(I try to not think a lot abt the arena scene bc I REALLY like the forehead touch, love how in the movie that's a thing coriolanus does to the people he shows to love: sejanus, tigris, lucy gray, and only these three).

yes, I absolutely agree with you regarding coriolanus!! I've said before that coriolanus in the movie is almost sweet to me. he was brave when he entered that car with the tributes, he risked his life entering that arena after the explosions for lucy gray, he laughed at sejanus' comebacks at arachne and festus. he has his fucked up moments, but mostly, it really seemed like a corrupt society corrupting a decent, but ambitious and a tad little mean young boy. they really dracomalfoy-ed him 😭 (and yessss that's how I usually explain the movie to ppl who didn't read the book, that coriolanus seems sweet because you don't know what the hell he's thinking and how nasty his thoughts are).

AND YES!!! YES, YES, YES!!! YOU ARE SO ON POINT!!! the adaptation of a highly political book FEARS BEING POLITICAL.

okay, so, I talked about this before, but context is extremely important to understand some works, and that's the case of tbosas: it's a book that was published in 2020, a highly political and tense time for the usa. but the most worrying about these times was that young people, young boys were falling under dangerous and extreme political propaganda from the far right. privileged straight white boys from working class falling under this kind of agenda and propaganda, even though they for sure had the ways to search up and understand that this was wrong, that this was oppression and they are just tools for a system much bigger than them. maybe they were raised like this, raised to believe in those indocrinated views and ways that they should have more right than everyone else, that they are better than everyone else... but what if they had the chance to change? to know people who are different from them and are the target of this oppressive system? would they change? can they change?

it sounds familiar, doesn't it?

coriolanus is bigoted because he was raised by adults who are bigoted in an environment full of bigotry (okay that boys who are raised by their grandmas are already red flags, but his grandma in particular, my GOD, no surprise she raised a fascist). but he has contact with people who are oppressed. he knows sejanus in first hand, who even though lives in the capitol, is relentlessly harassed and bullied for being different, for being district. then he meets lucy gray, and he has the opportunity to talk directly to someone who had their whole family killed by this cruel system and who faces the cruelty against the districts in first hand, living in the districts. and even coriolanus himself isn't safe from the capitol's oppression: he knows hunger, he knows poverty.

and what he does with all of this? he gets sejanus killed, tries to kill lucy gray and becomes a dictator to make panem even more oppressive. and even when he's in love with lucy gray, is so bizarre how he REFUSES to see district people as people, because in his head, in order for him to be in love with lucy gray, then it's because she isn't district: it's because she doesn't belong in the districts. he does a whole mental gymnastic regarding this, on how different she is, on how that justifies him being attracted to her.

he chooses to be that way.

yes, the society he lives in plays a big part on how he's molded, but in the end... these are his choices. and that's pretty much what suzanne collins (imo) wanted to pass with this book. it's almost a cautionary tale.

(also you're so right lmao people would still love coriolanus just bc it's tom playing him 😭 and it's quite insane bc it proves the point of the book, that coriolanus is able to get away with a lot of things exactly because he's attractive)

and yessss!!! sejanus is the moral compass of the book, whenever a discussion is getting too morally grey, he appears and makes the reader come back to reality and understand that it doesn't matter this is dystopia, because THIS. ISN'T. RIGHT. there's a whole ass line that says that sejanus is moved by the urge of doing the right thing, always. so if that boy was willing to get his hand on guns, it's because it was the right thing to do. so yeah, I'm disappointed but not really surprised they changed this detail, specially when you consider everything that's going on... it just makes me really sad because in the current context, sejanus is such an important character, and he really had everything to be a fan favourite. but they changed his storyline to make it seem that having these kind of ideals are too absurd or too naive :(

anyways, love a guy who knows that violent resistance is valid resistance (rip sejanus, you would've loved diarios de motocicleta by che, I just know it) <3

I'm still mourning over lysistrata, I was living for her and jessup's dynamic, they were so cute and precious.... like lucy gray and coriolanus, but without the toxicity that makes lucy gray and coriolanus who they are lmao. I also believe that movies have the right to be interpretated in a sole way!!! but for this I open an exception bc lgb and sejanus are characters that are so special to me, I can't STAND when I see someone slandering them but they're clearly talking about the movie, like, YOU DON'T KNOW THEM LIKE I DO!!! LEAVE THEM ALONE OR READ THE BOOK 😭

I'm actually so honored that some of your fav fics are some of mine omg I'm going to cry 🥹 ALSO SEND ME THE LINK OF THESE PLS, I'M BEGGING. and YES, I'VE READ THE SECOND ONE-SHOT, really, the plinths during the rebellion are now living rent free on my head... and it was so well written- loved it, loved it, loved it, I live for hcs and character studies abt the plinths. but okay, let's go to some of my fav fics from this fandom (most of the stuff I read are character studies tbh, but also, it's worth saying I think I've read every single sejarcus fanfic on the tag, so- I have a few of them too bc I'm that sad 😭):

the golden heart & the golden voice. this is a series actually, it has only two works, but it's focused on sejanus and lucy gray interacting. it's so good!!! very bittersweet, but I live for these bairdplinth crumbs <3

and they called it puppy love. a very old fanfic, from the time tbosas was first published, and it's a character study regarding sejanus' dynamics with marcus and coriolanus. it's very bittersweet and heartbreaking, but so good.

ma. another old one that's SO GOOD, this is a character study from sejanus' pov during his execution and some of his thoughts regarding coriolanus and his ma. it's as heartbreaking as it sounds.

parallel lines. I won't say much about this one, just that it damaged me emotionally and changed the chemistry of my brain. it's really worth reading tho because it's one of the best things I've read.

(also, I love reading modern aus with different plots and stuff, but I've found so few :( but it's okay because the canon compliant fics are amazing, just mentioning it)

I was going to say I was so happy you enjoyed it, but then I remembered the "destroyed emotionally" part, but I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the colateral damage!!! 😭 (gonna be honest, I felt sad writing this fic, it's just that I feel so bad over complicated father-son relationships). YESSSSSS I'M ACTUALLY SO EXCITED TO READ THAT FIC FROM YOU, if you ever post it, tag me, knock on my door, wake me up in the middle of the night because I need to read it!!! (that line from gaul goes so insanely HARD, like my god-)

always say this, but again: LATAM AU MY BELOVED <33 (there's something so comforting in knowing these characters wouldn't say spongebob but bob esponja /jk

please, if you write it, tell me so I can read it, bc I would live for it and go feral over that concept 🙏 AAAAAAAA THIS IS JUST SO ADORABLE OMG 😭 now, hear me out: sejanus is terrified to dance, and to encourage him, marcus gives him a little kiss on the cheek. does it help? actually no because sejanus is so shocked and embarassed that now he can't move in front of the school, but it was worth the try! AND AGAIN, ANOTHER ADORABLE THOUGHT, sejanus is that kind of child who basically have every toy he wishes, so when marcus tells him the plushies are sejanus', he's like "but my pa can give me another!!! :)" and that's how marcus ends up with a lot of expensive plushies who were actually sejanus' (he promised to take care of every single one, so he has these plushies until nowadays <3 sejanus finds it adorable when he goes to marcus' room and finds ALL of his old plushies still there)

drunk strabo is probably so funny oh my god, he'll start complaining to a random painting about how sejanus grew up and is an ungrateful brat that doesn't value his opportunities, then you give him 30 minutes and he'll be on the verge of tears because he misses when sejanus was a baby so much. but you're actually so right 😭 you can probably hear sejanus and strabo screaming at each other from, like, a house away (vesta is so tired, someone save her please

coriolanus is that kind of guy that goes to meet his in-laws and he's not even nervous because he thinks so high of himself, OF COURSE he'll do good, of course mr. plinth will adore him (they have so much in common!!!) and mrs. plinth will love him. but then he meets his in-laws and mr. plinth kinda hates him and mrs. plinth thinks he's a little silly. it's even funnier if you think it's a birthday from a baby cousin from sejanus, so the house is full of children and they're all seeing coriolanus failing miserably <3 but next time he has the opportunity to dance with ma plinth and he's READY this time (sejanus is so proud

I'M SCREAMINGGGGGGG it's even funnier if you imagine that strabo isn't that fond of coriolanus at first 😭 he thinks sejanus deserves better and that boy isn't suited for him, so strabo is there complaining abt coriolanus and sejanus is there hearing like "hm. oh, yeah. sure. I wonder if I know someone who's just like that."

(yeah, it's the generational bad taste speaking louder)

BUDDIE. BUDDIEEEEEE, let me tell one fun fact. when I was writing the carrie au, and I included marcus, I made him boricua too, but I was like "he gives me cuban vibes.... idk why, but he gives....." (atp I already knew he was going to be latino too tho); I ended up going with making marcus boricua bc I wanted to give sejanus someone to bond with the same background as him (bc of the story and etc, etc) but marcus just gives cuban vibes, idk why, you're so right!!! and also, TELL ME MORE ABT THESE IDEAS BC I LOVE THEM!!! I love this so much!!!! and coriolanus' dynamic with sejanus is even more interesting, because while coriolanus gives in 100% to assimilation, sejanus resists it with everything he can. have you watched in the heights, the musical? because I can totally see the latam au working in that setting!!! coriolanus lived in the usa for a while now in a small town and always lied abt his origins, but he moves to new york for college and now he's living in a neighbourhood FULL of latin-americans and he can't run from it anymore, no matter how hard he tries (and plus, he meets lucy gray and sejanus, who are SO different from him regarding how they face assimilation; sejanus specifically is so politically engaged, he WILL force coriolanus to become a better person)

I've listened to it and LOVED IT, tbosas has a very twisted fairytale-like sense to me, and it just fits so much!!!

(also, I won't explain why and I'm not sure if it makes sense, but it just gives my snowbairdplinth- specifically, coriolanus' pov about these two poor souls)

I'm doing well, besides being a bit anxious bc my classes are going to start and it's my first year in college and stuff, just my anxiety getting the best of me 😭 hope you're doing well too, and hope you rest and take care after these exams, and sleep well too!! 🫶

TYSMMMM 🥹 and absolutely agree!!! one thing I adore from suzanne collins' writing is that she leaves the description of some characters' appearences to be quite vague, so you're free to imagine them how you desire (and this caught my attention, specifically, because when the first images of tbosas dropped, I remember someone commenting that they were surprised with sejanus' casting bc they imagined him to be black, and yeah, you can totally imagine him the way you want bc there's not a very specific description of him, and the same goes for A LOT of characters, even lucy gray isn't that specific regarding her appearence). I love the cast of the movie, but at the same time, it would be lovely to see how each person imagine these characters bc I know we would see so many different interpretations and thoughts <3

(also, I'll answer your ask abt my ocs tomorrow, now I really have to go to bed, but tysm for sending this ask, I love talking to you sm)

[eeblouissant]

Thoughts on our favourite Italian, Sophia?

How I feel about this character

I think it goes without saying that I absolutely adore Sophia - it’s very hard for me to find characters that I don’t feel the need to place an essays worth of headcanons on for whatever reason, but Sophia is an exception!!!!! I adore adore adore everything about her character - flaws & all. Nothing feels out of place with her, if that makes sense? She’s just the perfect little old lady haha, she’s a huge comfort also. (She reminds me a lot of my mother 😂 like a looottttt. We joke about turning out like Dorothy & Sophia one day, & have since I was small)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Would it be too out there to say Alvin? I actually really want to draw something for them sometime, they mean a lot to me. Otherwise obviously Sal - they seemed so sweet & silly!! I love the way she talks about him (and how they interact in the flashbacks 😂😂 oh lord)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Alvin once again, I also adore them as friends! They’re just two peas in a pod imo. Can I also mention here that I think Jean and Sophia would have had some golden interactions if they had had more screen time (or well, if Jean had had more screen time. Although her episode is very special to me.) I also want to add Rose here - one thing I do headcanon about Sophia is that she actually has more of a soft spot for Rose than she chooses to express. Not to say she has a favourite in the house but like, she also definitely does and it’s definitely Rose in my head!!!! Any time they share in stories I just want to hug the screen because I know Rose (with and without my headcanon that she’s autistic honestly) is just soooo so excited to have someone else around that knows her love for storytelling about the past/their hometown/etc!!! Even if Sophia complains about her stories the way the others do, Rose is equally excited to sit and listen :)

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t think I have one … I’ll come back & edit if I think of one. Maybe that I think she’s especially fond of Rose? But I don’t think that counts.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

(cw for the most brief mention of parent loss, sorry for the angst)

Okay, this might be stepping into unpopular opinions territory now that I think about it … but I wish so badly that she had left the show with Dorothy. I know it wouldn’t have worked out well for the golden palace but just hear me - I think Dorothy and Sophia need each other. Dorothy leaving crushed her regardless of if it was ever outright stated. I mean think about it, she’s pushing 90 (90!!!!) at the end of the show; her son & husband are dead, contact with Gloria is iffy, and then there’s Dorothy. Who unknowingly put her into a home yes (Stan 🙃), but immediately came to her rescue and was worried sick when Sophia showed up at her doorstep. We see Dorothy become especially defensive (like, sort of violent with her words and mannerisms actually? and I mean that in the best way) of Sophia lots but that episode where Sophia becomes close with a lady that they hired to care for her sticks out especially - when Sophia (HAS THE NERVE TO!!!!!) call(s) her pussycat, she calls her Ma, etc - I’m rambling examples now but my point here is that they should never have been separated because I think it would have just been much too hard on Sophia. I don’t want to get too sad here, so I apologize for the angst, but you hear lots about older couples kind of passing one after another yeah? Within a year or two of one passing the other seems to grow especially weak & follow shortly after? I think that Sophia and Dorothy had a bond this strong. And that if Dorothy truly left permanently, and so far away like that, regardless of having Blanche and Rose with her - it just would’ve been too hard on her heart.

[hms-tardimpala]

Hi! Since you were talking about your latest project, for the ship bingo I'm going to ask: John/Dean? (And if you want to do one extra, may I suggest Philes?)

NARA. I should have known you'd come up with the ship that's not talked about in polite company. Thank you so much!

So, for any anti that might have followed me by accident: I think we're about to part ways. John/Dean here refers to John Winchester and Dean Winchester from Supernatural.

Train wreck but I can't look away: whichever way you look at it, whether it's consenting or not, it's not gonna start well, go well, or end well. No amount of great writing will make this relationship stable or fair. It's doomed.

I'm a casual shipper: this isn't my OTP in this fandom (that spot belongs to Destiel), but I multiship.

INTERESTING COMPELLING COMPLEX SCREECHIBG: Dean took on his mother's role in the family in most ways after her death, why not this too? Have you seen the Winchester family dynamics? None of it is healthy, they're violent creeps with codependance issues. These boys haven't been socialized! So yeah, incest, why not? So many themes to explore with this ship. Abuse, masculinity, free will, homophobia, parenting.

Fandom ruining it: not really. There is amazing fandom content for that ship. But the SPN fandom is extremely divided and confrontational, and John's character is a touchy subject. Most people stop at arguing about whether he is good or bad, and are too busy decrying incestuous ships to provide interesting discussion about Dean/John.

Person A deserves better than person B: hey, John Winchester sucks. He's interesting, but he's the kind of character you watch telling yourself "I wish he'd rot in hell" and guess what? He canonically does!

Could cut the tension with a KNIFE: every room John steps into has tension. Things are already tense and intense and electric with his sons (in different ways) in a story where he doesn't fuck them. Imagine if he wasn't just Dean's father, drill sergeant and personal god, but also the man who taught him to have sex.

FREE SPACE: ew ew omg ewww! This hits the tiny mark between "absolutely disgusting" and "so fucking hot". There are days I can't stomach it, but I stand by it because it's extremely compelling.

Thank you a thousand times for giving me the oportunity to talk about them, it was very exciting.

And now, some Philes as a palate cleanser:

Train wreck but I can't look away: their worldviews and morals are too different and conflicting to build a lasting relationship, it's always going to be messy, and I'm here for it.

THAT one scene. You know the one: the duelling scene, of course. Thurston, what were you thinking? Also, the minotaur fight scene when Fetch realizes Niles is sort of a friend, kinda??

INTERESTING COMPELLING COMPLEX SCREECHIBG: It's because they have such different opinions and goals that they are interesting to see interact. For Fetch and Niles to date or fuck, I think Fetch would have to get more down to earth and less absolute about his views, and that would be an interesting growth. Also, Thurston Niles is a great character to explore and make headcanons about.

They are divorced, possibly not for the first time: these guys fight so much. They're used to each other's presence like you're used to an inconvenience or a flaw in the sidewalk. The way Fetch goes to Niles' house for drinks, and Niles doesn't serve him alcohol, and they antagonize each other but still have a decent time is so Divorced to me.

Could cut the tension with a KNIFE: I love to see the girls fightinnnnnggg. I love that Fetch seems two seconds away from imploding when he's in the same room as Niles. What's interesting is that the tension is brought by Fetch and Niles is chill about their situationship. When they meet on a case of Fetch's, sparks fly and that's awesome.

FREE SPACE: I'm using this space to say a trop I love to imagine for them is "ugh, why did it have to be him of all people?". I like to imagine them both inconvenienced by their attraction.

Thank you so much for playing with me <3

[mikuni14]

Playboyy Ep 3

"Does sex have to be violent, Dad?" "Can't we just have normal sex?"

These two sentences brought me back to Playboyy after a rather weak episode 2 🥳

The series still has the same flaws for me, that is, it's not hot at all, the plot is all over the place, there are a lot of scenes I don't know where they came from, but I decided to change my perspective and look at this series differently.

Perhaps due to my age, my approach to Playboyy was, um, less favorable, but hearing these two sentences and especially watching the scenes with Soong made me realize that maybe I do not understand this series, because it is a series not "about me", but about young people living in the modern world and that it's a bit like Euphoria, which I watched with curiosity, a bit like a nature program about some exotic spieces 😃 with a mix of horror and compassion.

And I decided to look at Playboyy in the same way, I started analyzing this series ignoring let's call it "shockness" of the sex scenes and focusing on something else.

And what is it? The fact that these kids (sorry, for me they are kids, especially the rich twinks) are modern, well-educated sexually, know the appropriate vocabulary, are familiar with trends, freely navigate the Internet, social media and everything related to it, but THEIR EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT TRANSLATE TO REAL LIFE. Their professional sex vocabulary does not translate into COMMUNICATION. They are so free in their approach to sex that they are unable to create any real relationship with another person, because each of them is acually blocked in some way, the declared sexual freedom does not translate into freedom IN actual sex. Sex is treated nonchalantly, as something obvious, which results in tension, expectations that "you have to do it", that "everyone does it and they do it WELL", being "boyfriend ready" means being "sex ready", that good sex is kinky sex and necessarily penetration. They study sex and vocabulary diligently to be good at it and they think that all this is enough, that using the "safe word", "consent" will replace… the trust that should be simply developed. They do all this to avoid problems in sex and relationships, and it turns out that knowing all trends and professional vocabulary and behavior actually leads to disaster. What else catches my eye is that almost no one starts "vanilla", everyone immediately jumps into the deep end of the pool 😃 Not only that, no one is dating. I've already seen this in Only Friends, where dating, once it appeared, was also kind of "task-oriented" and had to be "perfect". In fact, everything has to be perfect and if it isn't, everyone, especially rich kids, folds like origami. In my opinion, Zouey should first go to a therapist, because his visible from space physical recoil from touch, combined with a relatively relaxed approach to other sexual behaviors, indicate something and it would be good for him to calmly deal with it before starting a new relationship and get himself hurt. (I hope that Zouey's approach to sex will be more understandable than Mew's, who considered himself a virgin until anal sex) Again, what I see in young people today, and what TV series are starting to show: recording, taking photos, using it to humiliate others, living on social media… tbh, I feel very sorry for young people. And finally, the rich kids and their complete detachment from reality, living in a sparkly world of illusions and fantasies. Watching Soong and First was painful.

For me, this series is an insight into the world of a group of young people. This reality is, of course, exaggerated, but it shows how much everything has changed. We were also lost because we lacked proper education and had to cope by "trial and error". We simply had no idea about many things because we didn't even know about them! Now young people are also lost, only this time they have ALL the knowledge at their disposal, they are held accountable for this knowledge, they have access to the most hardcore porn. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe that's what this series is trying to show us? Or am I looking into it too much? 😊 Anyway, after episode 3, this is how I decided to approach it (it can of course change, for now my opinion about Playboyy changes after each ep, it's wild)

Just like in Euphoria and Only Friends, here too, it's difficult to really like any of the characters...🤔

[sugiwa]

HELLO! Completely new reader here who just…BINGED the entirety of what heroes do in the last five days. @.@ What a ride, what a feast, I am OBSESSED, I bow before your writing prowess. It easily became one of my top fics that just sucked me in. So much is just so good, and there were just so many moments where I burst out cackling in public!Seriously, Bakugo/Izumi is my BNHA OTP now. I can’t go back. ToT I do love opposites attracting, but there’s something lovely about two storms colliding and forming an even bigger storm. Izumi is complicated and multi-faceted, and you’ve used that to further demonstrate and expand on the complexities and depth of the canonical characters.

If you don’t mind, I have a…lot of flailing and questions. Please don’t feel obligated to read the entirety of it or answer. Long story short is that I SUPPORT YOU. YOU DO SO GOOD! 

(Sugiwa: I answered them below the cut 🥰)

Seriously, I don’t know what I like more! The banter, characters, the poetry of themes and parallels woven throughout the story, the spectacular technicality of the writing~ ToT On one hand, I am never going to get over Izumi’s comeback about Bakugo having a bigger cup size than her. This now lives in my head rent-free. It’s been on my mind for a week now. On the other, after the last chapter, I’m privately entertaining and snickering over the scenario where Dabi snarls back something snarky and cutting about little hero girls who can’t keep their fucking mouths shut, and Hawk being “…so Izumi-chan did know, the HSPC won’t be happy about this”. The irony of Dabi outing Izumi after both of them agonized over her outing him is golden entertainment but also demonstrates that you really managed to create multiple relationship with an OC that we’re incredibly invested in.

Meanwhile, from one writer to another, I love both the way you flesh out the characters as people as well as their interactions, but also the WAY you write things. There’s this bit of jarring dissonance between what readers are able to pick up from a character’s (especially Izumi) internal processing compared to how their seen in-world at large and as per individual, but in a way that’s so REAL and relatable rather than off-putting. Even just the focuses of their thoughts versus what others focus on about them is so realistic and lovely to read and adds depth.

I really like the parallels and contrasts in the story. For example, one of my favorites is the parallel between Endeavor and Rei versus Bakugo and Izumi. Endeavor and Rei maintained an outward appearance of a peaceful, private relationship and a solid family unit/home, their actual relationship and home was fraught, toxic, abusive, and violent. Meanwhile, Bakugo and Izumi have the reverse of that where their everyday, regular interactions give off the impression of a chaotic relationship full of friction where, in reality, they have a very solid, supportive, respectful connection that’s a lot more normal than people would assume. It’s hilarious in a sad sense because everyone in this example are flawed individuals but it’s the two volatile teenagers that are demonstrating better relationship values. Working on bettering themselves, valuing each other as individuals, encouraging and supporting each other, doing their best to be understanding of their own and each other’s shortcomings, etc.

The exploration with Dabi is really interesting too, and I loved that you’re doing another take on it because I’m…not a fan of the canonical take. As someone who grew up in an Asian-American household that had a weird mix of traditional Asian and conservative American values (collectivism vs hyper-individualism X.x), I know that Asian culture puts a lot of weight on family harmony and unity and household piece and assimilation. But as who was also raised in a Western country, I’m not a fan of individual’s sacrificing themselves and enduring their own pain and discomfort for the sake of that harmony. I think that’s why Fuyumi and her insistence of them trying to be one big happy family and her canonically have a slight issue with Natsuo being “the only one…who can’t seem to let bygones be bygones”. I know what it’s like to have family insist you just put up with it and endure like an “adult”, to “not being the nail that sticks out the most”, to not be the discordant note in the harmony, and not to be the disturbance that ruins the occasion for everyone else while others (usually the “heads of the household”) is allowed to make everyone uneasy with their temper tantrums and demonstrative, lingering dissatisfaction. And it’s particularly damning to me with Izumi in the picture, because I have fought my own parents when they’ve over-pressured my younger brother. I have taken him, ran, and hid before. If they’d actually committed violence, I would never forgive them or even mention forgiving them to him. Your fic really expands on the internal struggle of this and adds a bit more weight to Natsuo’s “Why do I have to be the one to make an active effort to change”. A REALLY good OC manages to influence a lot of subtle things just by EXISTING where they do, and highlighting the issue of forgiveness was one way of the many ways you succeeded in it. Just by having Natsuo not being ALONE in this divide, you’ve managed to make it so it’s an issue that divides the family rather than him being the one road bump to the family reuniting in the face of Endeavor’s changed mindset. Not to say his canonical change of heart and growth are not valid or genuine, but we as readers get the benefit of omni-presence. We’ve seen a lot of his unreasonableness, but we’ve also seen some of his reasonableness and growth and struggles. It’s not the same as living through it, so it’s easier to see him as a kind of hero (or at least protagonist) in this story where he helps fight super-powered terrorists. Meanwhile, Dabi is a whole other can of worms, but it’s super interesting to see how he to have mostly fallen for the same illusions that he ranted about everyone else falling for, even when they/he know better. But some consistent flaws of MHA characters are their tunnel vision and insistence on their own vision of things, so I’m digging it. Even when he knows the issues are there, he’s very reluctant to not see “the family” (them moved on and things going well and them living happily, successfully) when he’s had firsthand experience in that the true fraught nature of their family can be hidden beneath a pleasant exterior.

And oh god, I REALLY love Bakugo’s development. It’s slightly canon divergent, but in a super interesting and real way. Canonically, he’s left completely distraught about All Might’s sacrifice but also had to shoulder the weight of being known factor in the events leading up to what’s essentially the destruction of an international pillar. Here though, he’s picking up on how saving people is winning a bit earlier and more viscerally because of very personal losses. It hurts different. The kind of anguish and survivor’s guilt is different. I love how Izumi as an element triggers Bakugo’s natural critical thinking skills (which were always a strength, despite his impulses). I appreciate him being skeptical of the actual All Might in front of him in the way he is with everyone BUT him canonically. In general, the situation with Endeavor and Izumi does what any good OC character should do. Just them being there, creates those subtle ripple and butterfly effects. Despite his attitude of “yes we’re together and that’s a PUBLIC SERVICE on my part”, I love that he has someone he’s DECIDED on and values. It really brings out the best in him.

So onto my questions. They’re kind of all over the place and just built up as I was reading, and I hope it isn’t too troublesome for you.

How harrowing is the next chapter (the aftermath of Izumi revealing Dabi’s identity and her having kept it a secret) going to be emotionally? I know there’s going to be a rough patch with her relationships, but I’m a fragile daffodil that is currently cooing over her MAJOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and the simple fact that she’s really learning that asking for help can be painless and without strings. I don’t know how much emotional turmoil I can handle. (Which is to say, should I wait for a few chapters before reading your updates?)

Ehh, it's not harrowing so to say. The Hawks side of things has higher stakes, but less tension. Whereas Izumi and friends gotta talk things out and Shouto gets involved, so there’s a lot more tension there. Bakugou does say a lot of things that he normally wouldn’t during these circumstances: aka opinions on the Todoroki affair that he’s kept to himself until now. 

So we know that Izumi’s abilities are affected by vibrations in the air, which makes sense and I figured as much. But is her quirk affected by any natural, external factors the way Avatar’s waterbenders were affected by the moon?

No, it’s mostly just her emotions/state of mind. She does worse in arid/sunny climates since it affects her body more, but she is not stronger at night. 

Does Endeavor know that Natsuo has a girlfriend?

NOOOOOO and Natsuo would love for it to remain that way forever :)

Are Fuyumi and Rei still unaware that Endeavor has withdrawn financial support for Izumi?

They know. Fuyumi pays for her stuff and Endeavor gave the cards to her, but Izumi stubbornly refuses the money now and is happy having her own from the summer job she had. 

I can’t wait to see Endeavor and Endeavor’s reaction to finding out Izumi is actually dating Bakugo trololol. But while we know that Bakugo isn’t like that, are any of Izumi’s family members worried about his volatility and Izumi possibly getting into an abusive relationship.

Rei and Natsuo probably have the biggest reservations, but they get over it pretty quickly once they actually see them together. Plus Bakugou putting everything at risk to go get her kinda sealed the deal. They will have an official meeting tho. 

Is Izumi ever going to call Kota or Ellison Shinseki lol?

Lololol, yes, Kota is going to visit UA, so she’ll talk to him then. As for Ellison...she does keep in touch, but she’ll actually see him again in the future, but that’s for a whole different arc. 

Are we going to see Bakugo and Izumi team up? Whether in a training combat exercise or because of a real threat, it would be super interesting to me.

Yes, but it’s further out. 

Can the water in cells trick she did for Deku work for Bakugo for the strain he gets from dealing with his explosions? Or was that strictly experimental?

Yes and she would get in so much trouble for having done it, but Deku wasn’t a snitch. I would say that blood control is highly highly regulated as Shinsou kinda implied in one chapter. The HPSC have enough details about her blood control to fine her for it, but since she’s been in the spotlight and is still a student, they’ll just keep that knowledge to blackmail her later 😂😂😂

I saw the post about their fandoms, but now I need to know…we have fandoms shipping real people (ex. the Jelena supports). What is the KATSUMI shipping fanbase like? XDDD

So, people don’t really know at first and KATSUMI shippers are kinda seen as crazy for picking up on all these little details. Izumi low-key eggs them on by releasing photos under a fake account. Once it is public knowledge, they’re very supportive and super organized, so if Izumi or Katsuki highlight certain issues, they’re really good at like fundraising, gathering aid, etc. 

10.Who wins the pot the General Class have about the state of Bakugo and Izumi’s relationship?

Shouto. 

11.So they’re the same height now, but what are their adult heights?

Izumi stops growing. Bakugou gets taller. 

12.Would Bakugo and Izumi get married in the future? And if so, what kind of wedding would it be? What kind of shenanigans would they pull trololol?

Hmmm, tbh, I don’t think they’re all that interested in it, but they’d probably elope on a mission and then come back and bet on who figures it out first. Bakugou would 100% mess with everyone. 

13.Double checking because I’m wondering if I missed something, did you have a mermaid AU for what heroes do?

Oh, there was a fantasy AU planned, but it kinda fell to the side. In it, Izumi was a mermaid. 

14.Will the World Mission movie be a part of your fic?

Yes and in a very very big way. 

15.In dorm life, there seems to be the implication that over time, they more and more start cohabitating and living together in a way you might as well take down the wall between them. AND I’M SO READY FOR THIS! Will this still happen in what heroes do or will that just be part of the dorm life AU?

There’s going to be a time skip in the main story and when it happens, certain events will lead to something similar to Dorm Life. I don’t want to spoil too much. 

16.Would Izumi actually break if someone she loves dies?

She would be very very heartbroken, but after some time, would find her way back to doing what she does best. 

17.Very randomly, have you watched Steven Universe? And if you have, in an AU where people can fuse (I know the crossover was popular for a while), what are some headcanons you have about the kind of fusion Bakugo and Izumi would create?

I have not watched it, so I don’t think I’m all that qualified to answer this one!

Thank you again for writing this and I wish you all the best in life and with the upcoming chapters you’re working on! You’ve inspired me to be better with my own storytelling as well! XD

_______________

Sugiwa: There’s not enough of a thanks I can give for such a lovely message and in-depth review of WHD. I promise I’m working hard on the next chapter and hopefully it will be up soon, but thank you for taking this journey and reading the story. I’m so happy it had such an impact on you!! I hope I’ve answered everything, but feel free to drop more questions if you have them ❤️❤️❤️

[sleepymarmot]

Get Out (2017)

[Watched on July 15th]

Very glad to see this film lives up to its reputation.

Of course I haven’t escaped spoilers in all these years; I knew what the plot was going to involve, but didn’t know how. So I figured it out 45 minutes in, when a young black guy was acting like an old white guy and also like the husband of an old white lady. This made the pacing feel pretty slow until the secret was out in the open, though I can’t tell if it’s the film’s fault for playing its hand too openly, or my own for knowing spoilers. The only thing that stayed unclear until the reveal was whether Rose was in on the conspiracy or not.

As a fan of the “bodyswap” and “actors playing each other’s character” tropes, I was very impressed by the writing and performances of the bodysnatched black characters, especially Andre Hayworth/Logan King. Throughout the whole film but in these scenes in particular, I kept thinking that it must have been difficult to localize it for other languages, especially in dubbing. The film places a lot of attention on speech — I’m glad to discover it won an Oscar for best original screenplay, well deserved — and a lot of horror comes out of how unnatural both their words and intonations sound, which is probably hard to convey in localization. I usually find the “person acting weirdly” kind of horror to be tropey and contrived, but it really worked for me here. After rewatching a few of their scenes, I also noticed that the two grandparents acted in an eerie, semi-hypnotized way, while the guest behaved more naturally as an old man with a young face; I wonder if that’s intentional and why. Another difference between them I noticed is that the grandparents have a more youthful body language, while the guest is slouching and pulling in his head as if he still has an old body with a bad back; I’m assuming that’s because he is the newest “patient” and not yet used to being young again (there was a shot of him showing off his new body to other guests).

Some nitpicks:

I had to rewatch the scene to see that “Georgina” died in the crash — the shot of her still face was very dark and short, so I assumed she survived and was confused why Chris didn't go back for her again.

The portrayal of Rod veered into comic relief a bit too much. More importantly, what was with the glorification of TSA? The film goes out of its way to say “Cops, even black ones, are dismissive, useless, and drunk on their power. You know who doesn't share the same flaws at all? The kind of cops who frisk people at the airport.” ????? Am I missing something about the US realities again or is this choice really bizarre?

Connections to other films:

I think this was more cohesive than the other directors’ recent films in the satire/thriller genre I can think of. The 2021 Candyman sequel (also co-written and co-produced by Peele), Midsommar, and Knives Out kind of undercut their own narrative each in its own way, and as for Parasite, I have already posted two angry rants about everything that didn’t work in it for me. It feels like Get Out was much better at showcasing its own themes — or maybe I’m still in the post-viewing high and the fridge logic hasn’t kicked in yet.

The plot has a surprising amount in common with Midsommar: a young American person traumatized by the loss of their family is invited into an insular traditionalist white cult so that they could be brainwashed and their body used for the perpetuation of that community. In both cases the protagonists are targeted specifically because of their race, for opposite reasons.

In retrospect, the plot of Get Out is pretty much what I expected the plot of Parasite to be. The rich are literally parasites in this one! Conversely, Parasite is like if the family from Get Out didn’t actually have a violent sinister secret and their wrongdoings were limited to “being wealthy” and “committing microaggressions”.

Had a bit of deja vu at the beginning: the protagonist of the Candyman sequel was also a young man with a successful career in arts. A relatable archetype for Peele, I’m guessing :D

Other notes:

Immediate red flag: Rose tells Chris her parents don’t know he’s black. You mean you have a good relationship with your parents and have never shown them a single photo of your boyfriend of five months? You mean your parents have invited your boyfriend to their house even though they haven’t even seen a picture of him? Bullshit.

The microaggressions were so painful and embarrassing to watch that the straightforward horror scenes were almost a relief.

Why did the grandparents pretend to be servants? Why didn’t they hide, or pretend to be other guests? Was that another mind game — did they think seeing black servants in the house would prepare Chris for his fate on a subconscious level? So in addition to his personal trauma (guilt for his mother’s death) the family also intentionally triggered his generational/racial trauma?

I’m surprised to see most reviews on LB talk only about race: my own impression was that the film was defining the conflict as being between classes/social groups as much as it was between the races. The protagonist is well off, but the difference of wealth between him and the family is even more striking than the difference of culture. One of the secret society members is Japanese. There’s a fairly long scene where a black man goes to the police about the disappearances of two other black men and expects sympathy from the policemen because they’re also black — and they laugh in his face, because they’re cops first and everything else second. It’s interesting that the film avoids a simplistic “white bad, black good” dichotomy not by adding sympathetic white characters, but by adding asshole characters of color.

[morrigan-sims]

🎮, 💯, 🚫, 🍎, 🎂, 🥯, 😓 for Fallon or whoever strikes your fancy for each q! ♥️

Hi Salem!! Thanks for the ask! <3

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

She hasn't had a lot of time for hobbies (mostly by her own choice to chronically overwork herself), but when she does allow herself free time, Fallon enjoys reading, going for rides on her horse Alena, walking in the royal gardens, and spending time with people she cares about. (though she hasn't allowed herself much of the last one recently.)

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

One: She's a terrible singer. Her voice is nice enough, but she can't stick to a tune. Luckily she doesn't enjoy singing either. Two: Her favorite food is strawberry jam pastries, made by Mabel, the Palace cook. Three: While I mentioned previously that she's not a violent person, she is very well-spoken, and her words can be venomous when she so chooses. She always knows exactly what to say to make you hurt the most.

🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

Smoking isn't really a thing in this world, but alcohol definitely is. And seeing as this is a fantasy-ish setting, one of the most common drinks is wine. So Fallon does drink a little bit of wine every day, but that's pretty much the standard for anyone over the age of like, 15-16 in this world. She does not enjoy the feeling of being drunk, though, and takes care never to drink in excess or let alcohol cloud her judgement.

🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

She was born in the Royal Palace of Anvia, a few miles outside of the capital, Carisfell. She still lives there, and wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. The Palace is her strongest connection to her memory of her mother, as well of those of her grandmothers. It's been the seat of the Oakes family for over 200 years, and Fallon can't imagine ever leaving it permanently.

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they?

Her birthday (in our calendar) is May 17th. She's 27 when the story starts. (I don't know shit about astrology or tarot, so I'm skipping those.)

🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast?

Fallon usually eats breakfast, but when she's stressed or overworked, she'll skip it. (Take care of yourself, dammit, Fallon!!) Being Queen she can request anything she wants for breakfast, but she usually just lets Mable cook whatever she wants. So some mornings it might be eggs and potatoes, other mornings it might be breakfast pastries. There's usually fruit to be had too.

😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge?

Is she stubborn??? Fallon is very stubborn, to the point of it literally being her fatal flaw. When she puts her foot down about something it's nigh impossible to change her mind. She's had plenty of arguments with Captain Blackthorne about various things, and she usually ends up getting her way, unless Blackthorne can prove it would be better for the kingdom for her to do something else. He's basically the only person who has even the slightest chance of changing her mind, though. Fallon is always willing to learn more, especially about things that might have an impact on her kingdom. If she doesn't know something, she's not afraid to ask questions or do research.

[thatgaiagirl]

Finally got around to watching Arcane and OH FUCK OH GOD I HAVE THOUGHTS-

What i’ve seen so far when it comes to the ending is basically people choosing between Vi and Silco in that ending scene and (mostly) dismissing the other perspective, and i wanted to give my thoughts.

First off, Powder and Jinx are not two different people. I know the language in the show kind of implies that with Jinx saying ‘Powder fell down a well’ and stuff like it, but i dont think they’re two seperate personalities. Powder became Jinx after the explosion, one evolved into the other. The best comparison i’ve seen is that Powder is like a deadname: Jinx abandoned it because of the trauma associated with it.

And that’s where my opinion comes in: both Vi and Silvo were right, but both were also very wrong. Each of them loves Jinx, but the way in which they love her has given them blind spots.

First, Vi. She’s understandably horrified at Jinx’s behaviour, girl is a reckless mass murderer who almost shot her when fighting the Firelights. She’s also worried for Jinx’s mental health, because Jinx is very obviously not stable. Both of these reactions are completely normal, and her desire to help Jinx is a good thing: this behaviour isn’t normal, and Jinx does need help.

The problem is the way Vi loves her. Vi loves Powder, the memory of her sister, and she’s essentially been stuck in stasis as the rest of the world changed around her. As a result, Vi is stuck in the past: she’s convinced that the way to help her sister is to make everything go back to the way it used to be, which is not what Jinx needs. The only real variable between then and now for Vi is Silco: her sister changed because of Silco, therefore Silco brainwashed her and getting rid of Silco will make her Powder again. She doesn’t realise that Jinx can’t be Powder again. She can’t undo the things that her sister experienced, can’t undo the changes she went through, and trying to is hurting her sister instead of helping. Jinx didn’t forget the past: she’s haunted by it. When Vi starts calling out names in the dinner party, she’s worsening Jinx’s mental state: we see the background disappear entirely and every name Vi calls becomes another monster to hurt Jinx. Vi can’t recognise that those names aren’t positive for Jinx anymore, and trying to force her sister into the past only made Jinx more incoherent in that moment.

Then, we have Silco. Silco did genuinely care for Jinx and love her as a father, but he’s also not exactly a mentally healthy individual. He wasn’t necessarily a good father, but he was certainly a loving one. He truly accepted her as Jinx: not forcing her to relive her past, in fact, he was doing everything in his power to help her move on from it. The only frame of reference he had was himself, so his ways of helping her deal with her trauma was based on his own experiences (hence the baptism scene). Being accepted as Jinx, as who she was now, is exactly what she needed: not being forced to relive her traumatic past.

Like Vi, the way in which Silco loves her gives him a huge blindspot. He accepts her including her flaws, which is good, but in doing so he has romanticised those flaws, which is bad. As far as he is concerned, the violent behaviour, the hallucinations, they are a fundamental part of his daughter that is included in her ‘perfectness’, which is a TERRIBLE mentality to have. We see throughout the series he is incredibly lenient with her, to the point of letting her stab him repeatedly and kidnap him without once getting angry at her. He cannot recognise those parts of his daughter as something that’s hurting her and everyone around her, because he views her as the perfect embodiment of Zaun: chaotic and tragic and fierce. By telling her she is perfect in his last breath, he has essentially frozen her in this terrible mental state forever. She will never change now, if she’s perfect in her father’s eyes, then why would she get help? She doesn’t need it.

The sad thing is, there is a middle ground here. There’s a way for her to get help and recover whilst still embracing her identity as Jinx, but she’s forced to choose between two imperfect options and we can see the strain it puts on her.

Vi loves her sister as Powder, and that allows her to accurately see that her sister needs help, but because of her attachment to Powder she thinks the way to ‘fix’ Jinx is to make her Powder again, which only hurts her sister more.

Silco loves her for who she is now, for Jinx, the embodiment of Zaun that she has become. But this blind acceptance means he is unable to recognise that his daughter needs help at all.

I find it incredibly tragic, and pretty realistic to how real relationships can work and how love, no matter how genuine, can end up blinding you to what your loved one actually needs.

In conclusion: poor Jinx.