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elitesheepi · 22 days ago

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No, Zuko did not lead Katara down a "Dark Path" in The Southern Raiders

Watching Southern Raiders again, and it's bizarre to me that people read that episode as, "Zuko leading Katara down a dark path." Zuko just wants her forgiveness. He fucked up with her severely and to a level that's different from the others. She feels betrayed by him--she was betrayed by him. She trusted him and he all but spat that back in her face so yeah, she's mad. Is it selfish using her desire for justice, closure, maybe revenge to get her to stop being mad at him? Idk perhaps, if you read it that way.

But the way I read it, I read it as him using his resources to give her what she wants most, and that's her mother's killer. Since he was the face of the enemy, since he lost her trust, let him earn that trust back by taking her to the real face of her enemy.

It's the literal least he can do.

Then he steps back. Zuko let's Katara lead the mission, let's her defend herself against Aang and sadly Sokka too while only playing support. Zuko got a comment in there or two, but for the most part it's Katara doing all the talking.

Also something important people forget is that, neither Katara nor Zuko brought up revenge, that was all Aang accusing them(meant to type her, but saying them fits more) of seeking revenge. Maybe that was her unconscious motivation, but Aang was the one who brought it to the forefront of their minds. Zuko states that this is about Justice and closure, Aang was the one who made this about revenge.

After all that back and forth is said and done, Zuko is largely quiet the rest of the episode save for like 3 lines, none of them involving him telling Katara what to do or what she should do.

Katara leads the mission, Katara makes the choice to bloodbend even when Zuko was already facing the SR general on the boat. He didn't tell her to do that, he wasn't in a pinch so she would've needed to do that, hell she didn't even have to do any of that at all considering there was still water on the ground.

These were all Katara's decisions, all Zuko did was stand by her side.

This isn't me trying to say that Katara's making bad decisions. Far from it actually, I heavily agree with Katara's decisions. This isn't even a "supporting woman's wrongs" scenario either. Katara's completely in the right in my mind.

This is a mission involving finding the man who killed her mother. Not kidnapped like Appa (comparison courtesy of Aang), not whatever the hell the comics are doing with Ursa, murdered. Kya is never coming back and it's because of Yon Ra. Little Katara had to see her mother's dead body after the act was done and has to live with the pain and guilt of it all knowing Kya died to protect her. She's traumatized, she's hurt, so she's very much justified in wanting revenge and it's disquieting how so many people make this about Zuko leading her down some dark path for saying "I want to find the man who killed my mother and took her away from me." Bryke included.

Again, Zuko stands back, adds support in the fight when needed, but ultimately is there as her backup and sources.

And yet, people see all of this as Zuko leading her down a dark path. Because he dared to stand back and not talk Katara down from wanting to merc the man who took her mother away from her. What a villain, she said sarcastically.

Realistically, why would he stop her?

If anything, the fact that Zuko was the only one in her corner for this says a lot because of everyone there, he gets it. Sokka should've gotten it too, but that's a separate point for separate post.

He too lost his mother to the Fire Nation. Whether she's dead or missing, the Fire Nation and, namely his Father to put a face to it, took his mother away from him. He lost her and he believed that she was never coming back. Katara and Zuko are the same in that regard. Something he verbally empathizes with her in the Crossroads of Destiny episode.

He knows she needs this because he's been there, is there, and very much wants to have done that. If facing the Fire Lord wasnt Aang's destiny (and this wasn't a kids show, along with other in meta perspective) it doesn't feel to far to say Zuko probably would've killed Ozai.

Revenge for his mother is a side goal, but it's out of reach as of this moment. He has no information on what happened to her or where she is, so he can't do a thing. He sees Katara, someone who badly wants to regain trust with, with a similar goal and mindset and he actually has the means of helping her. Of course he takes it, but this is her mission, not his. He just provides the information and helps her getting there. That's all, everything after the fact comes down to Katara's choices.

When the moment of revenge happens and Katara decides to not kill him, does Zuko say anything? Does he asks her "what are you doing? He's right there, get revenge!" No. He doesn't say anything. He lets her leave, stares down Yon Ra for a second and follows after her in silence. You cant apply headcannon like "maybe he tried to convince her after the fact," because that can easily be countered with the head canon of him comforting her telling her she did the right thing. Going soley off what we saw in canon, on screen, Zuko watches Katara spare him from skewering the man with ice.

He does have a shocked expression in the background but that can either be read as "wow she didn't do it," or "holy shit she probably could've killed me 10 times over." Again, nothing verbal from him, only expressions, so it's hard to say firmly what he's thinking.

I got away from my main point for a second, but I'm coming back to it to say, none of this is Zuko's doing. Zuko didn't lead Katara down any path, he didn't encourage her to enact a bloody revenge, what Katara does was all her own actions, all he did was point in the right direction. Kinda shit how by making it seem like Zuko's manipulating her, it takes away from Katara's agency in the situation. She made her decisions and no man influenced her.

The only who actively tried to was her brother and Aang into forgiving their mother's murderer for some insane reason that I still can't fathom. Maybe from doing something she'd regret, possibly, but the in canon reason we get is, "don't do it. It's a dark path, you should forgive him for your own sake. Insert the Appa comparison" I bring that up again, because Appa was kidnapped, and then found again and they were all reunited. Yet Aang compared that to Kya being murdered and left for her daughter and husband to find. There's a stark difference.

Aang's pain in that regard is understandable and dare I say more supported by the fandom and show, while Katara is pratically being told by everyone save for Zuko to sit down and forgive for some inane reason that rings hollow, feels insensitive at the absolute best and takes away her agency by turning it all on Zuko as him making her choices for her.

It's shit, and an absolute misread of what the episode showed us, something Bryke somehow missed too.

I'm gonna conclude this with a quick summary of the end of the episode. Katara doesn't forgive Yon Ra, yet spares his life because he's just pathetic. Aang's weirdly giddy telling her that he's glad she forgave Yon Ra, and Katara having to shut that shit down and tell him that no, she didn't forgive her mother's killer, she never will, and she's conflicted on letting him live. Then Katara gets a soft look and smile for the first time in a good long while in the episode as she tells Zuko that she does forgive him. We get a Zutara hug (iconic) and the episode ends on a happy-ish, bittersweet note for her. Zuko does tell Aang that he's right and violence isn't what she needed (an admittedly weird line considering seconds before she just said she doesn't know if she was too weak to kill him or too strong too, implying she probably would've gone through with killing him, but whatever) but that's when Katara is out of earshot.

Zuko didn't lead her down any dark path, he left himself be lead by her and was willing to let it happen. It being whatever Katara's decision was going to be. Good, bad, middle, whatever would have happened would have all been Katara's decision and her agency shouldn't be ignored because of a bad-take misread of a pretty clear cut episode with very little ambiguity.

#pro Katara #Katara #Zutara #atla #adjacent Zutara adjacent.#first and formost this is about Katara's agency and how people like to just absolve that #whether she should've killed him or not is a character writing choice tbh and I'm not mad she didn't #me personally I would've done it but hey that's my perspective #many others have made better points about how Aang was awful #awful to her anyways #the Appa comparison was wild #he mentions his people too but he fully went avatar state when he saw Monk Gyatso's body but hey glass houses #ya think he's atleast sympathize with her but no he went fully condescending with her #(also he killed a bug and snapped at people when Appa as gone he should get it. and yet)#sheepses

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noctqrnxl · 7 months ago

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my thoughts on the watcher update:

i am happy with this apology.

i will not let my guard down

i GENUINELY hope they learn to manage their finances better in the future

if they read through the comments then i hope they saw the thousands of people talking about how ryan and shane's banter >>> high quality content

i hope they get a little less out of touch??? and understand their audience??? and do some research before taking such a big decision????

i definitely hope that they find a balance between the high-quality content they want to create, doing so within understandable budget restraints, and the content WE want (which is mostly banter/talking. i used to hate anything horror-related but i loved bfu supernatural because SHANE AND RYAN MADE IT LESS SCARY!! I HAVE MADE POSTS ABOUT THIS BEFORE AS WELL!!)

contrary to what most people were saying, i actually liked steven the most at some point. when i'd watch too many spirits episodes it was steven's chaos (and eventually him and ricky's banter) that i looked forward to. i liked dish granted as well! yes i love shane and ryan, honestly who doesn't atp, but i always had a soft spot for steven. (i haven't seen a single worth it ep btw. the most i've seen of steven has been on watcher.) that's why the backlash against him specifically has been... tough to see. i acknowledge what people are saying and i also agree with it, but still. ykwim.

they look WRECKED. either they are very good actors all of a sudden or this was a more terrible weekend for them than i thought. (not to mention the bullying and harassment a lot of fans have done.)

as a lot of people have been pointing out, isn't WatcherTV basically Patreon??? i haven't signed up for either because, well, i'm an international fan 🙊 but still, it feels weird to have both??? idk (edit: they've closed up patreon for now)

i still think WatcherTV is a bad idea but hey, at least we will see the content on yt as well, right?

i hope one day we'll all joke about this. (i don't mean to say i want us to feel good about it, because i don't think we ever will. but still...)

#watcher #steven lim #ryan bergara #shane madej #moon speaks

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khruschevshoe · 10 months ago

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How Behind-the Scenes Issues Affected the Writing of Doctor Who (Both Good and Bad)

Doctor Who is such a fascinating show to look at from a Watsonian v. Doylist perspective. Like, entirely just from an episode writing point of view:

Twice Upon A Time feels so slow and meandering and even boring in places because Chris Chibnall didn't want to start his run as showrunner and Steven Moffat didn't want the show to lose the coveted Christmas timeslot (ironic, I know) so he bumped the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration from the end of The Doctor Falls (where it makes sense) to the end of the Christmas special

Boom Town (my beloved) only exists because originally there was going to be an episode in its spot explaining that Rose had been molded to be the Doctor's perfect companion (by the Doctor, gross) and the writer didn't have the time to commit to the show

The ending of Last Christmas feels like one inside-a-dream too many because originally Jenna Coleman was questioning whether she was going to leave the show or not and the ending was rewritten after the first readthrough when she decided she wanted to stay for another season

The first five episodes of Season 7 feel like each one takes place in a different genre because that's literally how Steven Moffat pitched it to the writers; for example, A Town Called Mercy was literally pitched as "Doctor Who does a Western"

Not so much a weird one but one I find cool: Eleven's first words and Thirteen's first words were literally written by Moffat and Chibnall respectively, as they were brought in to write the first words of the first Doctors of their runs so as to make it cohesive

The reason why Fourteen isn't wearing Thirteen's clothes when he regenerates is because Jodie Whittaker is much shorter than David Tennant and Russell T. Davies didn't want it to look like he was making fun of the genderfluidity of the Doctor (still think he made the wrong decision, but eh)

Wilfred Mott isn't in the Runaway Bride and Donna's father isn't in Partners in Crime because the actor who played Donna's father, Howard Attfield, died after filming several scenes for Partners In Crime, leading to the character of "Stan Mott" from Voyage of the Damned being written into Partners In Crime as Donna's grandfather

Astrid Peth doesn't die in the original drafts of Voyage of the Damned, but Russell T. Davies wrote what is generally considered one of the most emotional deaths in Doctor Who just because he wanted Kylie Minogue to be able to focus on her music career

Originally Oxygen was written as a prequel to Mummy on the Orient Express, where a corporate representative appeared on a monitor. Said representative was fired for his fumbling of the station and would later live on as the company computer, Gus

During Season 11, Chris Chibnall had to do some major rewrites for many of the one-off episodes, therefore The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos ended up being a first draft that made it to screen. He later admitted it was his least favorite episode of the series

And this is only a fraction of what I found in terms of major behind-the-scenes writing reasons. Though I am still totally willing to critique the product that made it to our screens, finding out the reasons behind some of the more badly written episodes of the show really made me feel sympathy for every showrunner of the show as well as appreciate a lot of the good episodes that ended up here despite the short production schedule/unexpected problems (once again, Boom Town my beloved AND everyone's favorite companion Wilfred Mott only exist because of unforseen problems). Absolutely bonkers, isn't it?

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bunnyshideawayy · 8 months ago

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a rumored bastard and a proven, disinherited, legally illegitimate recognized bastard are not the same.

Rhaenyra’s sons are rumored bastards, i know the show has a lot of team green stans feeling bold but just as in the books, they are never legally considered bastards in the show either. they are speculated to be via their physical features and Laenor’s apparent sexuality, but since Laenor and the KING (btw Westeros is a absolute monarchy, meaning the king IS law) both claim all three boys as legitimate heirs, unless someone demands a medieval dna test, those kids are legally Laenor’s true sons.

this is apparently a very hard concept to understand for some, hell even Alicent in the show says something like “we can all tell” which fair point, but that is not proof enough. looks, accusations, and rumor are not the same as actual proof of adultery or bastardy.

someone i was having a ��discussion” with used Joffrey as an example to point out a flaw in my logic, but ultimately proved my point. Joffrey was a rumored bastard. Ned himself had no more proof than Alicent does, just hair color and a hunch, so Joffrey was never legally disinherited from the line of succession. I hate to defend either of these men but King Robert never publicly disowned him and called him bastard, which is why Joffrey ascended to the Iron Throne. now the rumors did hurt, and caused huge political issues leading to the War of 5 Kings, which is exactly why Alicent and Team Green is so insistent that Rhaenyra’s children are illegitimate, they know they cannot legally or physically prove her children are bastards, especially when Laenor and the King are claiming them are true born, but they can spread the rumor and call into question Rhaenyra’s honesty and morality. think episode 8 when team green takes their chance with Vaemond to attempt a coup of sorts for the Driftmark Throne, why would the succession of Driftmark need to be settled if Rhaenyra’s sons are true born? why would Alicent / Otto need to make this decision in place of the sick king and mia lord of tides who both had already been stating Luke would inherit for years. it’s all apart of the scheme to tarnish Rhaenyra’s reputation as Vaemond has no other proof either, and promptly loses his head (both metaphorically and literally) by calling the recognized heir to the throne a whore and her children bastards with no proof in front of the whole court.

it is a political scheme on both sides, Alicent cannot prove anything, and Rhaenyra cannot disprove the rumors no matter how many times they are claimed as true born sons. Rhaenyra has to live in the comfort the law gives her, as legally her sons are seen as legitimate, and thus legally they are protected. and from an unbiased pov with both in universe and historical references, those kids might be bastards in actually but not legally.

Rhaenyra goes through hell to keep her children legally protected, not only for their sake but for hers because should the truth come out both her and Laenor would be seriously punished, i wouldn’t go as far as executed but that would depend on if Viserys was old and bed ridden or dead. which is why im making this incredibly long post repeating myself in every point. you can argue all day about Rhaenyra’s children and their parentage but i am making this to make it clear that her children are not *legally* bastards by Westeros law. in order for Jace, Luke, and Joffrey to be illegitimate bastards Laenor, Rhaenyra, Harwin, and/or Viserys would have to publicly acknowledge them as such and disinherit them. no, Laenor and Viserys dying do not magically make Rhaenyra’s children legal bastards either. they would, again, need to be claimed and proven as such and disinherited.

and at the end of it all, true or not true, the rumors made a lasting impact on the story. so much so this fandom is still debating this topic, and frankly i am dreading the season 2 release when all the bad takes and bad faith arguments start up again.

anyway other famous rumored bastards are in Targ history are:

Maegor

Daeron II

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spxdyr · 17 days ago

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im going to try to be nice because bucktommy's are going to inevitably see this and im not trying to start shit.

i'm seeing a lot of confused bucktommy's about the breakup. claiming it was a last minute decision, it was because lou didn't want to keep dealing with it (wtv that means), that it makes no since because of 8x05, and a lot of other spiraling bs.

i even saw someone say that buddie is never going to happen because oliver said eddie is straight...

i'm going to break this down as clearly as i can, because i've historically had issues with bt's and comprehension skills.

1. the bucktommy breakup was inevitable from the moment they got together. if for no other reason than tommy himself. from the beginning of their relationship, tommy has decided if buck was ready. not buck. tommy left buck standing on the side of the road aftet their first date because tommy decided he wasn't ready. because buck was nervous to come out to his best friend in public. tommy decided that buck would break his heart and that he wouldn't be buck's last. tommy came into that relationship assuming it would end. not buck, and not the audience. we were just picking up on what tommy was telling us. especially, given the fact that buck was fully ready and able to move past the abby clark of it all. tommy was a bad partner to buck, that's why they broke up.

2. i said this after 8x05, it wouldn't have made since to give us an on screen breakup if the only thing we saw of tommy was the thirty second birthday scene in 8x01. 9-1-1 loves a three ep arc and buck's side of whatever realization he might have started on 8x05. we needed to see more of tommy so it made sense when he broke up with buck. throughout all of 8x05, we saw the seeds of doubt being sowed in tommy. from the hospital scene after denny, to the closing one, tommy realized he didn't fit or at least wouldn't for long. because he never got that built-in family. he doesn't trust/believe that anyone would have his back like that. and he made that choice all on his own.

3. lfj is fine. he's a mulit-million dollar nepo baby. one whose been callled out for negative past behaviors and some people consider that bullying. lfj knew how long he was going to be on the show when he signed the contract to come back. the networks choice not to renew that contract had nothing to do with buddie stans. his storyline was over.

4. i can't even be confident that he's gone. there was a lot of stuff left unsaid or moved past too quickly. now 9-1-1 has a history of bad writing in that regard but they also have a habit of dropping things to only come back to them episodes or even seasons later. if he's really gone well thank god, but if he's not im not totally shocked.

5. i don't know how many times i have to say this. if eddie is gay or bi or demi or wtv, the cast wouldn't be able to say so because it would be a MAJOR spoiler. does no one remember andrew garfield and tom holland lying their asses off about spiderman ffh??? actors are liars, its like the whole bit. buck was straight until he wasn't. let's stop being dense and accept that maybe they aren't telling us everything because that would the defeat the purpose of the show.

look at this point im not just in this for buddie. im in this for an eddie that gets to be unapologetically himself. and im going to emphasize one more time how dangerous and disrespectful it is to force eddie back into the proverbial closet because it doesn't fit your ship.

#911 abc #idiots in love #eddie diaz #buddie #evan buck buckely #anti tommy kinard #anti bucktommy #anti tevan #tommy kinard #911 season 8

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electricsoul-rpg · 8 months ago

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Netflix's 3 Body Problem

I tried watching Netflix’s American adaptation of Three Body problem. I watched five episodes and boy, is it painful.

(Full disclaimer: I really liked the Chinese adaptation by Tencent, I read the book after I watched the drama, and I am a European of Chinese descent, so I am definitely biased.)

The general whitewashing and westernization of the story is already pretty bad. Why take a Chinese story if you’re going to make it so blandly American?

Everyone is horny and thinks about sex, relationships based on ideals are reduced to attraction and sex. Everyone is so vulgar and crass. IQ seems very low.

Ye Wenjie. What did they do to Ye Wenjie. She’s a brainless horny fanatic woman now. And Shen Yufei is replaced by a generic unhinged lady. All the scientists seem supremely dumb.

White characters explain or emphasize things in Chinese, for Chinese people, when their Mandarin is bad. Not gibberish bad, but still pretty bad. Please just use English, your white actors clearly can’t speak Chinese. Your Chinese characters can understand and speak English. Don’t hurt our ears like this. It might be cool and exotic for the average Western audience who doesn't understand Mandarin but it’s cringe and painful for us.

A small thing but since I lost my father a few months ago, it struck me pretty hard. What was that altar in Clarence Shi’s house? Just two big pricey candles and one stick of incense? This is so cold and lifeless. Where is the FOOD??? The drinks??? The flowers/plants??? You're calling your wife and you're leaving her starving and depressed!

(For info, a normal small home ancestor altar should look more like this. As you can see : FOOD. Take care of your ancestors!)

The cast and setting is supposed to make this adaptation more "international"...but two British dudes decide everything when, in the novel and the Chinese adaptation, it is truly an international decision and an example of global cooperation. Five Oxford alumni of different skin color does not make this more international!

And so so so so many more things that are wrong. I feel like there is not a single Chinese brain cell in this.

All in all, I did not expect anything good, but I am still disappointed. It is so bland. No build-up. No mystery. No menace. No ambiance. Nothing. Everything is said straight to your face. They must think the audience is stupid, I guess.

Watch the Chinese adaptation

Did you like the ideas behind the Three Body Problem, either the book or the Netflix series? Are you ok with reading subtitles and watching something not in your language? Are you ok with seeing something set in another culture, with another culture's codes, not simplified and westernized for your sake? Are you ok with not being able to binge-watch it in one weekend? Are you ok with more complex characters, a slower-paced plot? Then try the Chinese adaptation. It's on Youtube and Viki, with subtitles. Legal and free.

youtube

#3 body problem #netflix 3 body problem #three body problem #three body #三体 #三體

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the-mighty-e · 3 months ago

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I finally managed to understand V's entire "mission" (and consequentially J's and N's) in the Solver's plan.

So, starting off with, I still have two doubts, and that is when each dd discovered that Tessa was already dead.

So basically this analysis might be wrong if my order of knowing is wrong :')

We start with J, I'm positive that she was the first one to find out, working with Tessa and adoring her so much probably made her the first to find out she died. As J said "it tricked me too." So let's assume she didn't find out in the best way ever, but already knew when she and "Tessa" met with the trio.

Second to find out was V. N was last, and he, of course, found out when we also did, in Mass Destruction, so as we see here he's still pretty traumatized to see her

Now onto V. Throughout the whole show, many fans started off with disliking her, only to slowly learn more about her reasonings, that were made 100% clear with the finale.

V's main objective was to keep N safe, away from the Solver. He was still the nice golden retriever robot that V adored back in the Mansion. She wanted to protect him.

But we thought that was simply a thing she decided on her own. We thought that she was the only one with her memories and that she simply decided to hide everything from N and protect him from the sidelines

And just to note, I'm pretty sure she thought that N remembered everything. That's why she was so shocked here, not simply because he snapped

She realized he didn't have his memories so went even more on defensive mode.

With the new episode, it's actually revealed that V wasn't the only one with her memories, but instead, N was the only one WITHOUT.

Even J knew about it. And V thought that the original plan was doing their jobs and living a good rest of life. Not helping it and risking their life in the end.

When V saw the N projection, she decided to tell the truth

As the second image suggests, she had no idea about his memory being bad or good, she didn't know how much of his memory about the past remained. Sadly though, she wasn't supposed to say all that.

What we all thought was V's own decisions, was actually the Solver's. It gave V the option to stay quiet and in exchange she and N would be safe.

That's why V wanted N to stay away from Uzi. She was a possible Host and V didn't want it to kill her and N. Because him going against the orders wasn't in the plan.

A bit more proof that V knew who "Tessa" was:

She gave Tessa a lot of dirty looks in episode 6 for someone who was literally saved by her. She already knew that she wasn't Tessa and she was extremely wary of her.

TLDR: V's plan to keep N in the dark wasn't hers, but it was a bargain with the Solver. And N was the only one without memories and knowledge of Tessa's death.

#murder drones #murder drones spoilers #murder drones n #murder drones v #v murder drones #n murder drones #serial designation n #serial designation v #j murder drones #cyn murder drones #tessa murder drones #murder drones finale #amber's theories???#amber's crazy shit #murder drones analysis

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epiphainie · 6 months ago

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why do you think bucktommy has been "hitting differently"? i love them don't get me wrong, but i don't think it's been written much differently than buck's previous love interests (yet)

Hi anon,

I don't think I agree with you there. Well, first of all I think talking about all of Buck's previous romantic relationships as one thing is doing injustice to those different arcs and Buck's character journey. All served different purposes, all were written differently from each other. When I make the distinction that BuckTommy has been "hitting differently" what I mean is that it has what worked in those previous relationships as well as what was lacking. And I think the reason is twofold: the writers being intentional with their choices and how it's all been executed.

Intention:

Just to be clear, I don't mean anyone has had endgame BuckTommy intentions. Tim has been very clear about how he doesn't plan that far ahead and it's hard to talk endgames with a procedural format like this. But we know they wrote the bi Buck arc with more care, hence being more intentional with their choices than some of his previous relationships. We know that their first kiss had taken multiple shapes before it ended up being this gentle, surprising but still mutual kiss. We know that they wanted to create a story where Buck felt connected to this guy but also safe and light. We know that they wanted to make Tommy a character who can be understanding and lead Buck as he stumbles. We know that Tim thought Lou's buy was important because he didn't want to repeat the same mistake of creating a LI who didn't fit with the rest of the cast etc.

Now you can say some of these fit previous LIs one way or another but it brings me to execution:

Many people talked about this before me, obviously, but I think the execution of everything they planned with Tommy has been great. I mean before their first kiss, this guy goes out of his way and shows up at Buck's to "clean the air" with this virtual stranger because he believes he caused bad blood between him and his friend. Not just that, he reassures Buck about his place in his friend's life and apologizes for making him feel excluded. Now as the audience we know Buck is the kid who'd get hurt on purpose so his dad would pay him attention, he's the guy who sued the fire department because he felt pushed out and isolated, but Tommy doesn't. I think an LI addressing one of Buck's core insecurities in such a direct and reassuring manner before even knowing him is a great way to set up why Buck would feel safe with and understood by him.

Another is that Tommy immediately meets Buck at that vulnerable place when he admits to being jealous of the 118's bond and Buck reassures him back. This for example, is something Abby had done with Buck imo but Buck back then didn't know himself enough to embrace his own insecurities and at a maturity level to address Abby's despite his best intentions. With Taylor, their whole issue was that they couldn't be honest and vulnerable with each other. BuckTommy in this aspect feels different because from the get-go as they're being honest and are on the same frequency when it comes to this.

Episode five, we see them on their failing date, then we see Buck being nervous that he fucked it up in the coffee scene. We've seen this Buck before, when he got into that anxious mode to make sure Abby knew he wasn't cheating on her. Obviously, the context and the stage of the relationship are very different and they both reassure Buck about it not being his fault. Great on both Tommy and Abby.

But then, the immediate follow-up in Abby's case is that she's leaving for abroad. I don't think Abby is being evil or mean with this decision (where I have a problem with is when she starts ghosting him and doesn't just end it, but that's another topic) but again knowing what we know about Buck as the audience, we know this is a big deal. We know this - and later Ali leaving - adds on his issues of feeling like he's not worth it, we know it leads to him basically trapping Taylor because he's so afraid she'll leave. Again, Tommy doesn't. But Tommy gives him a second chance and then shows up at the wedding.

You can say showing up on one date is not proof that Tommy will always be there for Buck, but I think the execution is so good in painting Tommy as very reliable concerning this. Because Tommy doesn't just show up. If the writers' only concern was to write Tommy out of the A plot of episode 6, he could just come to the ceremony and be like "my shift just ended". No, Tommy says he'll try his damnest to make it to the wedding and then he enters the hospital all rushed, haphazard, covered in soot, hair a mess. The dramatique of that entrance immediately validates in the audiences' mind that yeah this is a guy who will do his damnest to be there for Buck. It, again, addresses a core insecurity of Buck's.

Back half of the season doesn't do anything different but we again see Tommy notice Buck's emotional state, meet him in that vulnerable place, and also match his flirty vibe. They're comfortable; it feels earned even in such a short span because of the well execution of their initial arc. This to me what Buck said about Natalia when they thought the show wasn't coming back (and before that relationship was recontextualized as being a dud), about how he feels seen and comfortable etc. Only this time, there's intention, effort, and execution.

One final note in execution - and this is very ymmv because I've seen even from some BuckTommys that they wished they did this differently - I genuinely love how little BuckTommy there is in 7x03. More specifically, I love that Tommy's reintroduction to the series is not through being Buck's potential love interest. He's there in that episode for Hen, Chim, and Bobby. In 10 mins screentime he's quickly established with motives and personality quirks, is involved in the main plot, bounces off of other characters. Again, great execution of a thing Tim intended to do: a love interest who can fill more roles than just the love interest. This basically makes him in his own category in how purposeful and functional he can be as a character in the greater narrative. So yeah I think both as a person in-story and a character, Tommy has been hitting different.

#very long answer lol couldnt stop yapping about tommy sorry my bad #mimi talks #bucktommy #911 #tevan #kinley #also ill get to all the other asks i promise #mimi.txt

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lovielied · 5 months ago

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mine, all mine ♡ toji fushiguro x reader

୨ summary ୧ : three weeks after a messy breakup with your ex-boyfriend, toji fushiguro, you decide to go out in hopes of finding someone new. as if he'd let it be that easy.

** this was initially posted on my ao3, lovelied. **

wc: 3.4k

It’d been just shy of three weeks since you’d broken up with your ex-boyfriend, Toji Fushiguro. As you’d told your friends time and time again, it’d be easier to list what he’d done right as opposed to what he’d done wrong. If you were to go on about how much of a deadbeat asshole he was, you wouldn’t be finished for hours.

Despite the fact that he was flakey and overall a bad person, you weren’t the type to refrain from giving credit where it was due. After all, there were a few things that were good about him.

Well, one thing— his dick, if you were to be blunt.

Even you had to admit that it would be hard to compare to him in that regard while exploring the dating pool. He knew how to use it, and he was certainly aware of that fact. You weren’t a good girl by any means, yet you had your dignity. No matter how good his dick was, you refused to let him laze around and expect you to take care of everything in the relationship.

So, you left.

Toji didn’t put up most of a fight, in fact he seemed almost amused that you’d suggest such a thing in the first place. But you were serious, and he’d soon realize that when he returned to your apartment the next morning to see messily stuffed bags of his personal belongings strewn along the porch.

To your dismay, the first few days without him were actually difficult to get through. You missed him more than you’d care to admit, though you’d profusely deny that fact to your concerned friends. You had found yourself in a depressive episode, flaking on plans and hardly ever leaving the confines of your bedroom.

He was an asshole, but there were times when his presence had been comforting to you. You would never admit it, but you missed the feeling of being cradled in his strong arms while you fell asleep against his chest, or the teasing grin that would tug on his lips before he’d kiss you. You missed the way his cologne smelled, the way he fit perfectly on your couch when he stretched.

And, perhaps most of all, you missed how expertly he would fuck you.

Toji probably knew your body better than you did. He’d make you cum every time without fail, working you perfectly no matter what he was using— his hands, his mouth, his cock, even one of his (far too many) toys that he’d purchased solely with you in mind. You’d scolded him more times than you could count about the fact that he’d blow an entire paycheck on dildos and vibrators, despite the extent of his already existing collection.

Not that he cared, of course. He easily silenced your protests when it came time to put them to use.

In the weeks following your breakup, you found yourself missing his body more than you did him. Was it selfish? Absolutely. But he hadn’t necessarily been any better of a person even when you were together. It wasn’t like you wanted to miss him, either.

But during nights when you were alone in your bed, desperately chasing relief with your fingers even though you knew Toji would have brought you there within seconds— what were you to do but miss him?

It wasn’t really your fault.

After nearly 3 weeks of moping around, you decided that he wasn’t worth the heartache. Why should you stay inside and grieve what could have been? Determined to start getting over him, you’d decided to go out for drinks after work on Friday evening.

When it came time to actually follow up with this decision, however, you had a few reservations. It wasn't going to make you feel any better about what happened, you figured.

Nevertheless, you argued with yourself to the point that you had practically forced yourself into going.

Squeezing into the skimpiest dress you could find, you dragged yourself to a quaint, sleazy bar on the corner of the street. It was the only bar you knew of, and most likely the only one in town. You hadn’t been inside since long before you had begun to date Toji, and your memories of the place were fuzzy. All you remembered was that your roommate in college spoke highly of it, and apparently it had been good enough to get you both drunk that night.

Not like that’d take much effort, of course.

The smell of alcohol and sweat slammed into you like a brick as soon as you stepped inside. Immediately, you began to regret even considering the idea to leave your apartment, but you couldn’t find it within you to turn around and make the walk of shame back to your battered mustang.

For the first few hours, it wasn’t too bad. You adjusted to the smell quite quickly, and loosened up once you got a few drinks in. You’d even managed to catch the attention of one of the patrons, a decent looking man with a nice smile. He offered to pay for your next round, so it wasn’t hard to make small talk and enjoy the company he provided. Apart from a few short calls from your friends throughout the weeks, he was the first person you’d spoken to since the breakup.

As the night stretched well past the midnight mark, you began to notice the bar getting more lively. An increase of people were coming and going, the music was growing louder, the lights dimmer. The ambiance of the place had changed drastically since you’d arrived earlier that evening.

However, you were comfortable enough with the man you’d met, finding it easier and less overstimulating to focus on him and not the people around you. He made good conversation, you’d realize— his ability to make you laugh so easily was almost relieving, especially so when your laughter had been so persistent that it generated the urge for you to use the restroom.

You excused yourself apologetically from him before slipping past a large group of people, navigating the crowded room until you found the bathroom.

It was unisex, you noticed. Stupid idea for a bar, you thought to yourself before pressing open one of the double doors. By the time you've taken four steps into the bathroom, you freeze in your tracks.

No fucking way.

An all too familiar chuckle fills the small space of the restroom as you swivel on your heel to turn around, yet before you’re able to reach back up for the door, a large palm is wrapped around the base of your wrist, tugging you back inside.

“Well, well.” Toji purrs, his grip on you only seeming to get tighter as he grins down at you with amusement.

“Let go, Toji.” you huff, refusing to even look him in the eyes. You knew you shouldn’t have left your stupid apartment!

“Why?” he drawls, snaking his hand further up your arm as he cocks his head. “So you can get back to your new boy toy out there?”

“Bingo.” The syllables are dripping with sarcasm, your face just as unamused.

“Not gonna happen. Been meaning to talk to you, anyway.”

You have to force yourself not to groan, a roll of your eyes emphasizing your annoyance as you attempt to tug your arm out of his grasp— to no avail, of course. “Not interested.”

“Sure you are.” he taunts with a smirk.

“I’m not, I assure you.”

He cocks his eyebrow and releases your arm, folding his own arms over his chest as he takes a step back from you. His eyes sweep over your frame, and the hunger that’s visible within them makes you squirm.

After a minute of agonizing silence, he clears his throat expectantly. “For someone who isn’t interested, you’re hanging around an awfully long time, aren’t you?”

You feel your face heat up, shooting a half-hearted glare at him. “Just talk, asshole.”

Pleased that he’d called your bluff, he chuckles heartily, leaning casually against the bathroom wall. “That’s what I thought.”

“You don’t even like alcohol. Why are you here?” you spat at him, still refraining from looking him in the eyes.

“Figured you’d show up around this hellhole eventually.”

“You’re fucking crazy.”

“Didn’t have much of a choice, did I? Someone decided to dodge all my calls.” he points out, tapping the prominent muscle of his arm idly.

“Blocked you, actually.” you clarify with a mumble.

He runs a hand through his hair with a worn sigh, giving you a look of annoyance as it falls down to his hip. “Quit being difficult, will you?”

“You know a lot about that, I bet.” you retort, refusing to let him get the satisfaction of talking down at you.

You were frustrated that he was here in the first place, but even more so that he had apparently been here every day waiting for you to come. There were certainly downsides to living in a small town where every recreational spot was well known. He knew you liked to drink, so it was a no-brainer that you’d go to the only bar in town eventually. It was truly a shame that he wasn’t as stupid as you thought he was.

Lost in thought, you hardly recognized that he hadn’t responded to your little remark, his body language making it clear that he wasn’t very amused by it. However, as you finally looked up at his eyes, you’d notice that they were fixed directly to your chest.

Face growing hot, you self-consciously tug your dress up, shooting him another glare.

“Pervert.” you scoff at him.

He remains silent, his eyes grudgingly dragging up from the flesh of your breasts to meet yours.

“Wouldn’t have to be if you weren’t dressed like a whore.” he retorts, his voice thickly laced with sarcasm, though you knew he wasn’t quite lying.

You had intentionally picked out the most risqué dress you could, in hope of attracting a decent amount of male attention. It wasn’t like he could blame you, though. You hadn’t had sex since you broke up with Toji, and the thought of masturbation hadn’t even crossed your mind. While dating him, you didn’t ever need to masturbate. He made you feel better than you ever could by yourself, it was almost underwhelming to do so when you had him easily ready to satisfy you.

Toji knew this, of course. You had made it quite obvious during your relationship just how much of a slut you could be for him, so malleable and compliant to him. How could you not be? With the way he had you feeling, you were more than willing to allow him to do as he pleased with you.

Perhaps that’s why he wasn’t subtle about the way he looked at you, or why he seemed so amused that you didn’t leave when he released your arm.

He knew he’d fucked up, but he also knew that you’d come around. Your facade of annoyance would dwindle, he just had to ease it from you.

“How I’m dressed is none of your concern.” you hiss under your breath, heat spreading throughout the bridge of your nose and the flesh of your cheeks.

“Really? Whose concern is it, then? The scrawny little prick you left waiting out there?”

Your palms curl into fists at your sides, the frustration radiating from you as you glare up at him. “It’s not your problem.”

“Mhm. Hoping he’ll dick you down half as good as I can?”

Blinking rapidly, you can feel your breath catch in the canal of your throat. The statement is so blunt, it’s almost enough to make you forget your frustration. But you don’t, your brows furrowing into a frown as you scowl at him.

“He’d probably do it better.” you knew that wasn’t true, but you’d rather die than admit it to him.

Though, the statement didn’t offend him as you intended it to. In fact, it had the opposite effect— an obnoxious guffaw rumbling in his chest. He was.. laughing at you.

You felt your face get hotter.

“You’re an awful liar, baby.”

And hotter. “Don’t call me that.”

Toji’s laugh dies down, though he has the audacity to clutch his hand against his abdomen as if the laughter had been hurting him.

Hopefully it’d kill him..

“Come on, who are you fooling here?” he manages between chuckles, pushing himself out of the casual lean he’d maintained against the wall as he took a few steps towards you.

You took equal steps away from him, backing toward the wall opposite to him. “I’m serious.” You lie, your wobbly tone a spotlighted contradiction.

He’s unfazed by your movements, continuing to walk in your direction with an amused expression. “I think we both know that you’re not.”

Admittedly, he adored the subtle reactions he so easily drew out of you. He loved the way you nervously dragged your gaze away, wedging your pouty lip between your teeth as you backed into the wall behind you. Toji mirrored you, moving in closer until he was mere inches away.

“I am.” you squeak out again, the sound of your voice shrinking as he grows larger in size the closer he wanders towards you.

Your knees felt weak below you. It was almost surreal how easily he rendered you so helpless, all you were able to focus on was the feeling of your heartbeat ramming repeatedly into the inner lining of your chest.

“Yeah?” he whispers, the heat radiating off of his immense physique suffocating you. The smell of his faint cologne filled your nose, and that scent alone was nearly enough to drive you crazy. Knowing him, he’d intentionally worn it to have this very effect on you, to have you gazing up at him so desperately while maintaining that stubborn look in your eyes.

You swallow the lump in your throat, nervously chewing at the plush of your bottom lip without even realizing it. The gleam in his hungry gaze had you weak, his proximity causing you to feel small. He caged you against the wall with his arms at either side of you, his head dipping down so he could observe your reaction. The black strands of his hair fell synchronously, yet they didn’t shield his piercing eyes from you.

“You’re serious, right?” he mumbles, the warmth of his breath fanning against the flesh of your neck making you painfully aware of just how close he was to you.

You nod, almost helplessly. You were most definitely not serious, and he knew that. He knew it by the way your thighs pressed together, a sign he easily recognized as an effort to prevent your heat from spreading from the confines of the space between them.

“Stop me, then.” Toji whispers, lowering his head further and pressing his lips against yours.

The little gasp you let out allows him to slide his tongue into your mouth, prodding it against your own wet muscle with ease. A calloused hand slides down from the wall and hooks against the fleshy handle of your hips, tugging your melting frame into him. His knee easily parts your latched legs, a soft and surprised whimper filling his mouth as the cap of it presses easily up your dress and against your clothed cunt.

He’s kissing you lazily, his mouth uncharacteristically languid as it pressed against yours. You were overwhelmed by his taste, the prominence of his tongue fulfilling an ache you didn’t even know that you had. So overwhelmed, in fact, that you almost whined out in protest when he withdrew for a short instance to catch his breath.

“Stop me.” he repeats with a whisper, the warm sensation of his breath grazing your lips. Without giving you a moment to protest, his mouth is gravitating back into yours, a low grunt of satisfaction rumbling in his throat.

Despite your stubborn reservations, you knew you didn’t want him to stop. He always knew exactly how to work you up, and it’d be outrageous to pretend that there wasn’t a part of you that’d missed him for that very reason.

Toji uproots his wet lips from your mouth, pressing them instead against the sensitive flesh of your throat. Easily locating your pulse point, he nips at the skin, the sound of your whiny little moan making his cock twitch.

“You want me to stop?” he taunts, his tongue prodding into the dull bite marks he’d created.

Your response is evident, a desperate back and forth tugging of your head.

His mouth, which had been moving in tune with your whimpers, slowed expectantly as he felt you shaking your head so frantically. “Didn’t hear you.” he grunts, threatening you with the possibility of his departure.

“Don’t stop..” you plead with him in a broken voice, your eyelids heavy with arousal as you felt his knee teasingly dig a little harder against your heat.

He smirks against your throat. “You gonna quit whining and be a good girl?”

“I will.” you assure him, the desperation in your voice leaving no room for doubt that you were more than willing to submit to him once again.

“Say it.” he urges, his knee digging further up between your legs as he tauntingly dragged the cap of it against your clothed heat.

“I’ll- ah! … be a good girl!” you huff out in a soft hiss, your thighs squeezing around his leg as you pant out from the contact.

You hadn’t even realized just how much you had missed him.

With a groan of acknowledgement, Toji suddenly pulls away from you. You cry out softly in protest, slightly lifting your head up to reveal your pleading eyes to him. You’d promised to be good, hadn’t you? Why did he stop? He’d taken a step away from you, dragging his knee out from where it’d been wedged between your legs and giving you space to move from the bathroom wall.

You whine out his name in a breathless whimper, subtly poking your lip out in a pout.

“Not here.” He huffs out, motioning to your surroundings. Given how crowded the bar was in the first place, you were lucky someone hadn’t entered the bathroom sooner.

“Who cares?” You huff, unable to disguise the impatience in your tone as a familiar cork of arousal winds deep within your gut. He was the one who’d gotten you like this in the first place, anyway.

Toji lazily weaves his hand into your hair the next moment, a sharp tug of his wrist pulling you forward before you could process it. A gasp of pain flutters past your lips, but you’re too stunned to protest as he lowers his mouth down to whisper into your ear.

“I don’t want to hear you complain.” He murmurs, his voice low with warning as he gauges your reaction.

Your lips parted as you prepared to protest, but the creak of the door swinging open immediately had you pressing them closed as you straightened your posture.

He doesn’t seem nearly as bothered as a tall woman struts in, the sound of her heels clicking on the tile overbearing the awkward silence that filled the bathroom.

“Excuse us.” He purrs, allowing his hand to fall from its original position in your hair to instead lock around your waist. “We were just leaving.”

The woman’s petrified expression immediately reminded you of your disheveled state— your slightly unkempt hair and the crumpled dress that’d been rolled up above your thighs. You scuffle to rearrange the clothing, your face hot as you shoot her an apologetic look.

Toji notices the silent interaction, however, and doesn’t hesitate to butt in with a smirk. “Sorry about that.” his tone was sincere, yet he was unable to mask the amusement in his expression. “She had too much to drink. Couldn’t hold herself together.”

You bite your tongue, forcing yourself not to shout at him as you give the woman a sickeningly innocent smile.

“She’s very sorry, isn’t she?” He continues, to your horror. His eyes travel back down to you, a taunting gaze within them as he squeezes your waist.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” you mumble through gritted teeth.

The woman waves her hands dismissively and hurries to an open stall, not a word from her. Embarrassed beyond belief, you swat Toji’s leg as hard as you can, tugging free of his grasp as you scurry out of the bathroom.

“You’re such an asshole!” you hiss at him, huffing out in frustration as he wraps his arm around your waist again.

His stupid grin only widens as he navigates the crowded room, assumingly headed for the exit. “And you’re still leaving with me.”

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beware-of-pity · 4 months ago

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I need people who would die on the hill of "Fire and Blood is completely unreliable, therefore we cannot trust anything that's written in it" to open their eyes and read a book that is similar to the structure that Fire and Blood uses to realize how wrong of a statement that is. I know that this will probably be received as a very hot take but I do not believe that everything needs to be analyzed or has to have a deeper meaning behind it. The curtain can be blue and there doesn't have to be a reason for the curtain to be blue other than the fact that it's just blue (hope someone gets the reference). Ryan Condall obviously disagrees with that, because in his quest to recreate his own 'magnum opus' of a 'Shakespearian tragedy', as he always likes to refer to it as, he has instead created the equivalent of a dumpster on fire next to the other bigger dumpster on fire that was Game of thrones.

Bland, whitewashed characters with little to no turmoil or agency going on are revered as complex and nuantical on Twitter. And if you even dare to disagree, you're immediately sentenced to the stake. Characters like Alicent and Rhaenyra could literally not even be in the episode and nothing would change. Rhaenyra was in episode 4 for not even 5 minutes and with everything going on in it you wouldn't even have noticed that. She should have been there, leading the council as Cole marched on rook's rest, her only available connection to the mainland in the crownlands, apart from Claw Isle, after duskendale fell to the greens and instead her only scene in such climactic episode is her walk of shame returning home and her, rightfully, getting scolded by her son for thinking that she could still sue for peace with Alicent, the mother of her son's murderer. The show makes the decision to have Rhaenys volunteer instead of having Rhaenyra send her there so that later when Rhaenys dies Rhaenyra cannot be blamed for it. The fundamental changes of characters like Alicent don't work because the writers are not able to sustain such changes from the source material they are deriving the story from. Going from leading the council that would place Aegon on the throne, to never even being in on the plan to usurp Rhaenyra, that her father created, is such a letdown for such a political savy character like book Alicent.

Aging her down, to Rhaenyra's age, and making these two childhood best friends, was a mistake.

What is very evident is that the showrunners have no clue, so far, what to do with a character like show Alicent. If she's not going to lead the council when Aegon is bedridden and Aemond is off to fight in the Riverlands, why doesn't she just leave?

Going from an active participant in a usurpation from somebody who needs to miss-hear or misunderstand her dying husband for her to get in on the plan, only so there is an excuse to get her on the war council is bad writing.

Making people believe that Rhaenyra was usurped because of a misunderstanding, and not only because she was a woman, is bad writing. And going to the extremes, of having these two 'betray' each other in order to have a reason to make Rhaenyra look bad in the eyes of her rivals is bad writing. Rhaenyra could have been the perfect heir, and even only because she was a woman, Otto and Alicent would have usurped her either way.

Going back to the point of this post; Timelines, ages, events, who got married to who, how many kids they had, things that you can quantify are not something that can be made up, used as rumors or form of propaganda in a history book. What you make up as a rumor is sexual escapades and a young girl seducing her sworn shield who has watched over her since she was seven. Things that can make a person look bad to glorify or uphold the good of someone else alongside all the other stuff that happens behind closed doors and makes you question where the information is coming from.

I find it so odd that the aggressive marketing team for the second season was all about choosing your side. Lol, what is there to even choose? Choose between the overly sanctified Rhaenyra, who god forbid is still searching for the peace that has already been thrown over the cliff long ago, and is not allowed yet to make a mistake. Or, Alicent, the pathetic hypocrite who made her bed and is not willing to admit it. Anything interesting about these two women is completely being cut so that Ryan Condall and Co. can continue to spread the "men are bad and violent, women are the gentle peacemakers that don't want war." which is leaning a little too heavy for my taste into gender essentialism which would make every choice they have ever made about these two characters more misogynistic than any of the action of the actual misogynistic characters in this story. Taking away the very little agency these characters had and constantly making them the perpetual victims of the patriarchy and completely sidelining any sort of character traits that they may actually develop through their actions had they actually been taking any, doesn't work for me.

This show was a mistake.

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thenationofzaun · 15 days ago

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Fans can come up with a million analysis posts, interpretations, metas, and theories as to why a character acts the way they do. But if none of those things are ever explored within the story itself, what the hell is the point? It's great that fans can come with their own interpretations but there comes a point when the writers have to actually put in the work and not expect the audience to fill in every single blank for them lol. You could pull a thousand and one reasons for Vi's decisions out of your ass, at the end of the day, every single one of those would be headcanon if there's not an inkling of it in the show.

Again, Vi is a main character and one of the two leads of the show. Her relationship with Jinx is at the heart of the narrative. Their mirror arcs of one becoming a fighter for Zaun and one becoming a fighter for Piltover should balance each other and be equally explored in depth. Vi's reason for joining the enforcers is driven by a complete rando side character giving her an ego boost. It is over and done with in one episode. The effect long-term prison as a child has had on her goes unexplored. Vi forgets about Ekko, her childhood friend whom she just reunited with, and never mentions him in 5 episodes. Vi wants to murder her own little sister whom she raised for reasons also unexplored. This is not a "flawed gray human character". This is a nonsensical mess.

"You just want characters to be Good and Nice", no I want characters to make sense. "Vi is just a bad person", almost every single fucking character in this show is a bad person. You don't see me complaining about how they're not believable as characters. "Of course it makes sense! Vi actually did this thing because xyz and abc and bla bla bla", are those reasons shown in the show? No? Then it's your own personal interpretation. I don't have to accept it and I expect the writers to actually put in the effort to. You know. Write their show.

This is actually pretty pathetic writing for a main character. It's insane to me that so many people have no problem with it. These are the standards we have for character writing?

#this is a lead fucking character for god's sake #writers put in this minimal amount of effort and still get so much praise?#nah. i expect more.#arcane #arcane league of legends #league of legends #arcane netflix #arcane season 2 #arcane s2 #vi #arcane vi

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eashgirl · 3 months ago

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If anyone remembers that one episode from season nine where Peri got Mrs crocker for a godchild(slight spoilers for a new wish and Peri's relationship with Dev)

She was depressed because she felt like Crocker didn't love her back,and she tried to use wish after wish to quell that emptiness,leaving Peri so exhausted because no matter how many wishes he tried to grant she never seemed to get happy

It got so bad from what I remember they tried all ways to get her to break the rules just so Peri would be free from her,she only truly lost him when she reconciled with Crocker who admitted he did indeed love her

I can't help but compare this to Peri's new godkid in ANW, Dev tried to do something similar,all he ever wanted was to have his dad's love which he never got because Dale literally cares more about money and his literal boots more than him,hence similarly no matter how many wishes he kept asking for hardly any of them were able to geniunely make him happy beyond the surface level, I'd argue the only times he was truly happy was when he and Hazel were friends but that's for another post.

Peri did try his best to adhere to the rules and to grant his wishes,but this in turn just made Dev get even more frustrated because in all fairness he doesn't really NEED a fairy to give him little things like a cupcake or something like a game he's rich he can get an AU pair to bring him that anytime,and the more riskier wishes that can be deemed as more fun is against the rules. Heck I'd even argue that initially Dev may not have seen Peri as anything besides an AU Pair but with magic given that he only really used him to make wishes. Dale probably just told him to ask the au pairs anything he wanted as a means of neglecting his own parental responsibilities. That and Peri wanting to do his absolute best at his first job to impress his parents and stick by the rules along with Dev's frustration and lashing out is the core reason why it fell apart so quickly.

This difference in opinion led to all of this, they're both at fault and both have legitimate reasons for it,Peri had the excuse that this really is his first job he's just doing what he was taught at the academy just grant the kid's wishes and make them happy,he probably did not anticipate the need for severe emotional understanding when it comes to troubled kids(honestly who decided to give a newbie a kid that needed way more help from a seasoned fairy godparent though? I blame whoever made that decision)he did care about Dev in the end but by that time it was too late.

With Dev it's he's a hurt kid and he lashes out at others which I'm not trying to justify it's still wrong,and people can get hurt because of that but given his circumstances I really understand him, he's not used to allowing people in and builds walls around himself even the slightest gesture is enough to make him to increase his guard even more like when he thought a single argument with Hazel meant their friendship was over and tried to go back to being his old self until Hazel pointed that out to him,the sunglasses being a literal metaphor for it,he takes them off a lot during his friendship arc with Hazel and starts putting them on all the time near the end during his downward spiral. He acts the persona of a bully as a means of gaining control of his situation,when it's obvious that is not how he truly is lost and founders day being a prime example,he was genuinely getting better until he found out about project H,and I can understand his reaction his dad who's always absent,hardly ever pays any attention to him literally won't look him in the eye unless it concerns bussiness,cares more about his son's friend then he cares about his own son,did Hazel deserve to get yelled at though?no she didn't, it's still not her fault.

Then immediately after Hazel leaves Peri comes back and tries a feeble attempt to cheer him up by persuading him to make a wish,which really wasn't the right call to make in that specific moment which further aggravates Dev into telling him to leave before having a mental breakdown.

And later in best of luck he ends up getting in a vulnerable position when Peri declares he's quitting,and Irep ends up being a bad influence,he gets manipulated and tries to take over fairy world as a desperate means of getting Dale to finally, finally pay some attention to him which he does initially until he immediately shifts his focus to Irep instead. Literally leaving Dev in the dust on the ground. Alone again.

(I really want to make this post a bit more detailed but I'm six days away from an exam so I can't find the time,any grammar mistakes is because of how rushed this one was might edit it later)

Cosmo phrases it best what he wanted was something no fairy could ever give him,he wanted a parent's love and that is something no amount of wealth or magic is ever going to amount to,which is ultimately the final straw in making Dev abandon everything and accept the consequences without any persistence.

Peri couldn't really relate to or understand Dev because he always had the love or his parents even when he was anxious of messing up they were always supportive and loving, I don't think it's a coincidence that the panel always shows the three of them hugging infront of Dev and Hazel the latter trying to talk to him after everything that transpired. A physical metaphor of what he doesn't have and has to see Infront of his eyes all the time. Again I don't really blame anybody(except maybe Dale but if I'm blaming Dale I'm also blaming Vicky),Peri is a rookie he just graduated so it's unrealistic to expect him to be the best right away, I actually think he might need to ask Wanda and Cosmo for advice in season two how they dealt with certain kids and how he can improve himself.

Because neither Dev or Peri were perfect they were horrible to eachother,but that doesn't mean they can't be better.

It's clearly setting up an overarching story, I actually have faith in the new writers they didn't throw in that scene of Peri saying he cared about Dev and leaving it ambiguous whether or not Dev actually still remembers because of that one theory for nothing.

My reason for bringing in Mrs Crocker is to point out that the only way Dev can really quell his own emptiness is by attaining the love he always wanted, I think by off chance he does indeed remember everything- which I believe is the better option to retain his charecter development-,he may have finally come to understand that no matter what he does his dad would never care about him the same way he cares about his Business and himself,maybe this will lead to him forming better connections with other people, reconciling his friendship with Hazel and befriending Winn and Jasmine and maybe even getting Peri back as his fairy.

Another reason slightly crack that inspired me to make this post is this

This is Peri's eventual state/reaction every time he gets a godchild, boy's been bad at this from the very beginning it's that and simultaneously always gets a hard case on his first try

#fop a new wish #fop anw #fop #the fairly oddparents #fairly Oddparents #fairly Oddparents a new wish #fairly Oddparents anw #fop peri #fop dev #theory #not really much of a theory #periwinkle fairywinkle cosma #dev dimmadome

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zhuoyichenpretty · 14 days ago

Text

Ep 25 Commentary

“難受嗎？難受就對了[...]卓大人，你習慣就好。” Is it difficult to bear? Good [...] Zhuo Daren, you'd better get used to it. —Zhao Yuanzhou, Ep. 1

Oh my god what the fuck ep 25. Ohhh my god. I don't think I ever stopped going "holy shit oh fuck" for the entire forty minutes. My head is in my hands. Why is FoF experimenting with onscreen physical/emotional/mental whump at a frequency and intensity previously unknown to man? To my favorite character? 我前輩子得罪了誰？？(Who did I wrong in my previous life??)

Quote from ep 1 because I had just re-watched it earlier in the day and those words came back to me not with any particular use towards interpretation but just as a characterization of—all of this. It is indeed difficult to bear.

Spoilers incoming.

Also spoiler for how I feel about this episode in case the sound of me wailing in lament in the distance makes it unclear: It was probably one of the most effective episodes for me thus far, personally. It struck many, many chords and did not stop for breath at all.

Honestly I'm kind of at a loss for words because I really, truly, did not expect shit would get so much worse for ZYC so incredibly rapidly. The speed with which the situation deteriorated broke the fucking sound barrier (I'm exaggerating, I'm being dramatic, but jfc I wasn't prepared). I apologize in advance if any of my reactions become a little bit repetitive, there are only so many ways I can express continuous distress and shock and despair.

My stomach dropped during the watchman attack scene. I can't believe how effective it was for me, this moment coming at the heels of ep 24, how that episode was a whole meditation on the goodness of ZYC's heart, his gentle and sensitive nature, the reasons why everyone loves him, the way things are bad but they will not break us and we may lose heart individually but we will persevere together.

And then in one single moment, all of that is threatened and very nearly destroyed. I felt every one of ZYC's dry heaves.

This drama is not one I necessarily go to for subtlety of intention, so the fact that I really had no inkling how at-risk ZYC's irreproachability would be in the coming episode despite being very invested in his arc made it all the more shocking and well-done, personally. They set him up as high as they could so they could tear him down as thoroughly as possible in an instant, and I did not notice the set-up at all.

I also have to say, I really appreciate PSJ. How quickly she cut to the chase about what he'd seemingly done, how she'd said the things that aren't just hard to hear but also hard to say. Because that's exactly what ZYC will care the most about. It seems to me her righteousness helped keep his own intact. In such a moment of complete and utter vulnerability and devastation, her moral clarity is as terrible as it is necessary and true to ZYC's belief system, just when it is most susceptible to collapse. And I say this not to mean that I think he is culpable for the supposed attack, given how much discussion the show goes into about culpability or lack thereof when not in one's right mind, but just that I find PSJ's moral compass to most closely align with ZYC's beliefs as he has been carrying them out throughout the show, and she keeps him from contradiction in a moment when it may be on everyone else's mind to spare him from the double-edged blade of his own righteousness. (Also, I may be reading too far into WX's statement later on that PSJ protected ZYC with her decision, but it could be interpreted that WX agrees or understands that as well on some level.)

And the fucking fact that all this takes place in front of a shrine for the Righteous God of Virtue and Blessing. As I said, I'm speechless.

(Speechless, she says, as she continues to ramble.)

Ouughhhhhh the reversals. ZYZ draping the cloak on ZYC this time. Fuck. The dungeon. Oh god. The way ZYZ loses more and more of his facade of calm, even just from his somewhat tense but understated distress in ep 24 to this unblinking, almost unseeing stare at ZYC in shackles.

Also, I'm glad for the moment PSJ and WX have to themselves once ZYZ proves ZYC's innocence. The way we get to see them navigating a situation so dire together despite its potential to push them utterly apart. PSJ's near-silent delivery of "friend" fucking kills me. It's loaded with so much emotion that neither the voice nor the term can truly handle that weight. That's art to me.

And then oh god, the Tianxiang Pavilion scene. I don't even know what to say. How everything spirals completely out of control. How we literally watch ZYC's worst nightmares play out. WX's first shout, the way I don't feel like I've heard that particular shade of emotion in her voice up until now, even with everything they've been through. Honestly, each of their expressions as the mob began to jeer and before they were separated was so effective. Ying Lei's indignation, PSJ's alarm, ZYZ's agitation, WX's fury. And the palpable panic as the crowd surged around them and pulled them apart.

I've watched this whole scene three times now. Every actor is giving their all here, and it's so impressive because this isn't at all the usual context of their angst and heartbreak. This isn't a decisive battle over life and death. The range of tragedy stretches so far in this kind of fantastical drama and yet they are able to create such tension and emotion that the shock of that first egg thrown has all the impact of a fatal wound. And it's worse in some ways because it means so little to an outsider and everything to this family.

That rage and helplessness in WX as she wipes ZYC's face and asks who threw it, when she says if the crowd goes any further, they'll fight back—her delivery is so raw. When I heard her lines, I felt the fantasy genre completely slip away for a moment and it became absolutely personal. Like, this point is getting a little away from mere commentary so please forgive the brief aside but those are words I can hear in my own family's voices.

Then, watching the very last vestiges of ZYZ's composure fully crumble away in real-time. God, I wish I could say something more substantive about ZYZ's entire reaction because it's so so good but I'm feeling levels of angst I truly don't know how to convey, which is really saying something given how much of an essay I usually write despite claiming I'm speechless.

Just. The way this is the most desperate and near-breaking we have ever seen them, in a completely different manner than the grief that has come before.

Alright, and then, the juxtaposition of the mob and the cheering crowd around ZYC?—yeah, that's when I started sobbing. As I've said before, the effectiveness, the efficiency, of TJR's acting. The way we can read every emotion off of young ZYC's face: his awkward pride, his self-consciousness, his bashful happiness. Even though this is a memory only recently and fleetingly alluded to in the previous episode and this is a ZYC we have never actually met, we know him and all his mannerisms and expressions so well. He is so alive with his character and so familiar, and then we cut back and, god, how unrecognizable everything is now. That absolutely broke me.

Finally, ZYC and Li Lun's conversation. Again, so so good and again, not sure I can offer much substance in my commentary to do it enough justice. I've been writing this commentary for over three hours now, so if my coherence is petering out, I do apologize.

This is so much of what I wanted and didn't even know I wanted from them, simply because they've been kept apart by the plot for so long. To see some of this come to pass is so satisfying. For Li Lun to claw so desperately at ZYC and try to bring him down, what that means about how he views ZYC's role in ZYZ's life right now. That this is twofold, to ruin ZYC and to be understood, and how he can never get the latter if he is still holding onto the former, wanting to pull others into the abyss rather than seeking a way to perhaps be pulled out of it. Li Lun is so precise in his brutality towards ZYC, digging his fingers directly into the worst of ZYC's fears, and yet ZYC is so insanely clear-eyed and incorruptible and incisive with his words in a way Li Lun has never experienced or had to combat (ZYC, articulate king fr). And for all of Li Lun's bluster as he continually makes to take the physical and conversational upper hand, how quickly that becomes a pitiful immaturity when ZYC truly fights back (in defense of ZYZ). Yan An plays this part so well, when he's looking up at ZYC.

And seriously, talk about ZYC delivering just the most on point monologues to struggling characters ever (ZYZ, Bai Jiu, now Li Lun), and doing all that after the day he's had?? To be honest, I don't know what direction this conversation will push Li Lun. I can see it go either way because yeah ZYC just basically rubbed in his face how alone and pitiable he is and how he'll never get what he wants out of ZYC, but at the same time I've never seen Li Lun so close to understanding why he has ended up alone, nor look so desperate enough to not be that he might end up making a different choice for himself. And just as Li Lun is that mirror showing ZYC the darkness of the abyss, ZYC must be reflecting to Li Lun how bright the dawn could be. (Oh the inextricable nature of character foils.) Even though ZYC has denied Li Lun the understanding he wants, he has seen through Li Lun so thoroughly that that is an understanding in itself.

And then oh my god. The reverting to Bai Jiu's voice and body. One of the most top-tier narrative choices ever. Li Lun, deconstructed by ZYC completely, is really so unbearably young in his heartache.

Okay, I think that's all I have to offer. I'm so wrung out, and I apologize if the quality of the commentary declined in the second half, but I hope some of this was enjoyable to read!

#fangs of fortune #fangs of fortune spoilers #episode commentary #meta #zhuo yichen #li lun #also i am very fatigued so there was less proofreading done here #sorry i hope i didn't make any egregious errors #finally gonna trawl through the fof tag now after that ep

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