#why yes my friends are all villains and I am in fact a victim of their actions. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cup1dt3a · 1 year ago

Note

what if y/n or reader was the villain in the show welcome home puppet show and had a crush on one of the character

There was only one person who did this so far and i loved it

would the reader go easy on them or harder so no one would know

would they show concern when there crush is crying

would they stop there plans all together if they were asked by that person (only for a day maybe)

Tysm for the request and love the idea! And I’m doing this with 2 of the members in cast if that is ok because no on was specified on here and I just really want to write about Julie! Also this is fan content of welcome home that has nothing to do with the lore!

Oh to be the antagonist of this story is very “interesting”. You’re always the cause of the moral of the story on why doing whatever it was is bad. Or you just sabotage them throughout the show.

But mostly sabotaging the main character Wally Darling. Always messing up his paintings by adding yourself to the picture. Literally you just crudely draw yourself right beside him. Even going as far as to cross a few of his friends out or replace their heads with yours. While always leaving a signature evil as yours right next to his with a little heart. All over yours and his neat signature. Sometimes putting a heart around both your signatures as a way to circle them. You thought it was cute and a sweet sorry. While Wally was sometimes annoyed by this you would always cut him off before he could say anything.

Most of the time apologizing with “ I’m so so very very sor-sore- sarh- sarh-I think I’m gonna puke! SORY! I said it now you can’t be mad at me…oh geepers my tummy is all topsy turvery now I hope your happy!”

Yes for comedic purposes you could never say sorry without almost puking it was a curse and a gift.

You would always go the hardest on him. No matter where or who he was with Wally would always be your main target. He was just so much fun to mess with. Such as putting the blame on him in Howdy Pillar’s shop by stealing an apple from its once neat stand. Leaving a mess for the yellow man to have to clean up himself. As they all fall you disappear with a clever disguise. Glasses and a mustache. The perfect disguise no one can recognize you! Well kinda? Howdy and Frank always know it’s you and you have no idea how. You fooled Julie and Barnaby with it. Even Wally you think? So how are they exposing you like that!?

For anyone else maybe a few pranks here and there but Wally oh dear sweet Wally will always be victim to your harshest pranks.

But Wally was also the only person you ever listened to that made you stop your devious plans all together. One little “ No, not today Neighbor.” And you’re done for. Fully defeated, and devastated that your plans were cancelled. Not really to be honest you could always do them next time.

Crying. Is something you’d never really try to make anyone do. Really it’s all harmless fun until someone gets hurt. And if Wally do happened to get hurt or start crying your the one who is literally comforting him. Pulling out tons of tissues from your pocket. Panicking over the fact that you made him cry. So you’ll disappear for a few days and go very and almost too easy in everyone especially Wally for once.

You were once again in your unnoticeable disguise. The same one you always wore as you walked around the colorful road of the neighborhood to find Wally. You the came upon the man asking what to paint. Excitedly rushing over onto his shoulder.

“ I think you should paint me~!” you announced dramatically catching the blue haired man off guard.

“ Sure neighbor.” He said gaining his composure now catching you off guard.

Now this was a surprise as you blushed. You quirked your eyebrow at his calmness and to the fact that he willingly without hesitation said he would paint you.

“ Fine then��stranger! Paint me as if I’m the most amazing person in the world! Because I am!” You proclaimed in a dramatic pose.

“ Whatever you say ___.” He said with a sigh as he started to paint catching you fully off guard.

You panicked declaring an answer on how he knew it was you.

“ You use the same disguise and put a different mustache on every time you’re doing something no good.” He said as you huffed.

You thought no one would notice especially with the purple mustache. Come on it was purple and very long and pointy too. And you even got different shoes. This is so unbelievable the nerve of that pretty man!

To be the antagonist of the story and have Julie as your main “victim” is the hardest thing ever. She always laughs and says “ Oh neighbor you’re so silly!” or “ Can you teach me how to do that!?” and even “ Hear let me help you I know an easier way to do that.”

She is too nice to you. She even laughs when you’re doing your evil laugh too! It throws your whole vibe off! You’re supposed to be the evil villain that strikes fear and misery. Not the joke of a villian with some stupidly adorable blonde who always helps and complements you! No she’s supposed to fear you not hug you right after you just tripped over falling face first from your epic exit!

With Julie you go harder on her than anyone else! Not because you like her no it’s because you hate that she is supper nice and supportive; She’s always trying to help you become a better person and…she needs to be stopped. Julie is always thought rushed away from you when Frank is near. The man pulls her away as she tells you “ Bye ___! Hope you have a good day!”

“ Guys I think they just need a chance!” She’ll say while being told “ THEY JUST TRIED TO TRICK HOWDY INTO GIVING THEM OWNER SHIP OF HIS OWN SHOP!”

Making Julie cry is the worst thing you could ever do. Literally if you’re the reason she cried or because you ran into the always happy blonde crying you better give her a hug. It’s technically illegal not to. She is just a ball of pure sunshine that is too nice. If you don’t hug or try to comfort her you’re a heartless monster at that point. But if you are the reason she cried because of you. Do not show your face for a few days. Never show your face again you monster!

“ Hey Julie….Um so I’m sorry about what happened yesterday… I brought you flowers.” You sighed as you handed her the huge bouquet of all her favorite flowers.

“Listen I swear I didn’t mean to ruin that feild of flowers…my Poison-inator3000 somehow malfunction and-“ “ Oh Neighbor! You’re the best!” She gasped hugging you around the neck with a loving squeeze.

She happily smiled at you as you just stood in show with the bouquet still in your hands. You slowly hugged her unsure how to huge her in your akward position and mental state. The sweet blonde is hugging you. Repeat the sweet adorable blonde is hugging you.

Sorry for the wait I’ve been busy recently. So expect me to post more often! Hope you’re all doing well or things are getting better!

Sincerely-Cup1dT3a💕

#julie joyful #wally darling #welcome home x reader #julie joyful x reader #wally welcome home #julie joyful welcome home

163 notes · View notes

hencvl · 1 year ago

Text

Love A Vicious Killer.

Sherlock Holmes x Killer! Reader.

His hand reaches over for his pipe, as he leans back and looks at you walking into his detective agency with a raised eyebrow.

“what seems to be the problem, my dear friend?” he mutters, putting tobacco into his pipe.

I sighed and took a seat on the chair in front of his table. Throwing the newspaper at his desk, pointing at the main news on the paper.

“the case is getting out of hand. This killer is insane.” i said as I looked at him as he put more tobacco inside the pipe.

“i know. What can we do? No clue, evidence or anything. This killer was insanely brilliant and they knew how to hide everything perfectly.” he shrugged as i opened the file case again.

“they're unpredictable. What should we do, Sherlock? Don't you have something in your mind?”

“besides smoking, no.” he shook his head as he laughed at his own joke, ignoring the fact that we're trying to solve a murderer case. I shook my head as i took the sandwich on his desk and ate it.

“oi! That's mine you damnit”

“too late”

“ever heard of the Monty Club?”

I raised a brow.

“the abandoned club? The one that they say has a ghost and whatever. Why?”

Sherlock threw a stack of paper at the desk, mentioning me to read it.

“so you're telling me all the evidence that you found leading you to this abandoned club?”

He nodded as he sat down, putting some tobacco on his pipe. “i believe that the club is the killer hiding place. But it's a little bit weird considering that they left evidence and led us to their place. I think they did this on purpose”

“you think so?”

“a killer would never leave evidence on purpose. I think.. they're telling us to come to their place.”

“like an invitation?”

“invitation to hell.”

“You know how to shoot, detective?” Sherlock stares at the revolver, before looking up at her.

“Yes, I do know how to shoot properly,” he whispers softly.

The detective then clears his throat. “Why do you need it?” he asks, with a curious and serious look.

“just in case.” i muttered as i fixed my coat a bit. We walked to the empty bar, eyes roaming around the place that was giving goosebumps.

“look around, we might find something.” we separated our ways as i went upstairs and he tried to find something downstairs.

As he walked around, touching the old furniture and he noticed a room behind the bar desk. He pushed the door, and let his torch illuminate the room. His eyes widened as the room was full of pictures of victims.

He examines every picture, and there are many tools that were used to kill. He backed away in fear, not until he stepped on something.

“this.. this is hers..” he mumbled as he took the book. As he opened it, he saw her name written on the first page.

So it was her all the time.

He ran towards the exit of the bar, only to get blocked by her, standing at the exit with an evil grin plastered on her face. She raised her gun and pointed it right at him.

“may i say detective.. you have fallen into a trap.” she laughed as she saw fear in his eyes.

Sherlock stays silent, as tears stream down his cheeks. Why.. why was she laughing? He has gone through hell, why can’t she understand that - is she heartless? He can’t believe what she says, it is horrible, and disgusting.

“I hope God will punish you for this,” he whispers. There’s no other way to say what he feels, he feels disgust at what she says, and he can’t do anything to say otherwise.

Tears stream down his cheeks. “How could you?”

“There's no god here, detective ”I pointed the gun right at his head.

“And there's no Moriarty. I am the one who killed them.”

The detective blinks in surprise, and raises his hands

“There is no killer?” he asks, with his eyes staring in shock, as tears are still falling. He takes a look at the revolver pointed at his head.

“You.. you killed them?” he asks nervously, as his voice trembles and tears stream down his cheek. All this time.. she was the villain.

“I didn't know you're such an idiot for believing me! Hahahah!”

“But i didn't lie though. They were all killed by me. With these hands.”

The detective flinches as her cruel laughter makes his blood freeze in his veins.

“Why?? Why would you take the life of innocent souls? What could drive you to do such a thing?” he whispers sadly, his eyes staring down at her, the tears still streaming down his cheeks.

He couldn't believe all of this. He was hoping that all of this is just a nightmare.

“It wasn't dark and scary as it sounds... I had a.. lot of fun.”

“Killing somebody is a funny experience.”

Sherlock stays silent, as his heart tears in pain. He stares in horror at her actions, and wonders how such a beautiful woman is capable of doing this.

“Killing is fun..?” he whispers as he raises his eyebrows. “i hope.. i hope.. you go to hell for what have you done.”

“You're telling me that i might end up in hell? I've never had much use for the concept of hell ..But if hell exists...”

“I'm in it.” she grinned at him. The detective stays silent, as his eyes stare deep into hers. She was the devil in human form. He had no words, he was speechless, as the detective wipes away his tears.

“How can you live with yourself after doing such things?” he whispers, as tears stream down his cheek.

“How can you laugh and even claim to enjoy killing people?”

“Maybe...Maybe i am insane..?” She smiled evilly as she eyed him like a predator. The detective shivers as she looks at him evilly, he gulps as he notices the look in her eyes - it’s the look of death.

“Maybe.. maybe you are..?” he whispers quietly, as tears stream down his cheek. “What other conclusion could I come up to?”

He tries to keep his composure, but his voice trembles as he looks at her. “Why? Why do you do such things..?”

“for fun.” Sherlock blinks in horror, as his voice trembles.

“Killing is fun to you..?” his voice trembles. “How can you say that? What can I compare that to?”

Sherlock shakes his head. “Why would anyone want to kill others, let alone for fun?” The detective looks at her, a horrified look on his face.

“You asked too many questions.” She shoot him at his leg multiple times as he falls to his knees.

His stomach drops as she shoots his leg, as his eyes grow wide in shock. He screams in pain as he falls to the floor, crying out in pain.

“Why?!” he yells out in pain, as tears stream down his cheek.

“Please, don’t kill me..” he whispers, as he looks back at her with terror-stricken eyes. “Please, I beg you!”

“Shh... Do you hear that..?” she smiled even more as she heard his cry and beg

“That's what i love about killing people..”

The detective stays silent as he stares at her with horror. His eyes filled with tears, his voice trembling.

“You’re a monster..” he whispers. “You aren’t human, only demons could do something like this.”

The detective clenches his fists as his eyes stare down at her, tears streaming down his cheek. “How could you do this, how?”

She shot him right on his chest.

“I am, the devil.”

He fell on the ground, his eyes staring deep into her as he gasped for air, blood dripping from his mouth.

He gasped once more, and looked back at her. “I… I love you… I don't know how you could do this to me. I never expected you to be the killer here, I never thought this.. I love you…” he said quietly, tears streaming down his cheek.

She looks at him in a bored expression as she points the gun right on his head.

“Love, didn't exist for someone that is heartless as me. And falling for me makes you an idiot. Any last words before i send you right to hell?”

Sherlock closed his eyes, trying to remember all his loved ones. A lot of people came to his head, a lot of people he was so glad he had met.

He opened his eyes slowly, and looked at her. “I love you,” he whispered, before he closed his eyes one final time.

She lowered the gun as she saw him close his eyes and he stopped breathing. She stared at his corpse for a moment before I turned back, leaving his lifeless body behind.

The detective lies there, his body limp, eyes closed, as tears dry up on his face. He will never move again, and the case of the serial killings will go unsolved.

A life lost because of love.. but also a life lost because of cruelty.

as she walked out from the bar, her clothes were starting to get wet suddenly. It's raining outside.

She wiped Sherlock's blood from her face, standing in the middle of the road as rains kept pouring to the earth.

“blood is really warm.. it's like drinking hot chocolate..”

“But with more screaming.”

the blood that drips from her face is sickly sweet, metallic and oh, so familiar. She is not even sure who it belongs to anymore. Sherlock's last words suddenly ring inside her head.

“I love you”

And i love him. But his blood is stained all over me. I killed him.

Blood on your hands, they say.

As though it stops there;

At my wrist, like a glove.

As though as i could do this,

And there could be any part of you

That wasn't stained, or dripping.

I turn my head to the bar door, seeing his lifeless body.

The detective’s body lies there, his eyes closed as his lips form a slight smile. The smile of a man who loves the woman who killed him. The smile of a man who had fulfilled his last wish; his last wish was for him to tell the woman he loved that he loved her. He was happy as he told his last words out.

And now the detective’s life is at an end, as he lies there, silent, unmoving, and lifeless. His eyes stare into the darkness of the ceiling above.

he's smiling, like he died happily. I stared at him in awe, does someone like him, love me? I wonder.. what makes him love a monster like me?

Poor man, killed by his own lover.

The detective’s body lies there, the smile on his lips remains unchanged, as his eyes stare at the ceiling.

He loved her, even knowing the fact that she is a monster. He loved her nevertheless, and that was the greatest show of love in his life, that he was willing to give his life for the woman he loved. And he would do it again, he wouldn’t change anything.

He was happy before he died, and that's the one thing that matters.

i don't know what makes me drag myself on his corpse. Staring at his peaceful face, I was confused.

All this time when i killed people, i never saw any of them die with a smile plastered on their faces.

What's.. happening?

Sherlock’s corpse lies there, his lips a little bloody as a smile was plastered on his face. How could the man be smiling at a time like this? The detective was killed because of his love for that woman, so why was he smiling at their final moments?

The detective’s eyes are closed, his hair is bloody and tangled up, yet he still smiles.

“Why are you smiling.. dummy?” i said as i looked at him angrily.

“You're supposed to make a horrible face when you die.”

No..not like this.

He wasn't supposed to smile when he's dead.

Sherlock’s dead body lies there. His eyes are still closed, yet he seems so peaceful. His lips form a little bloody smile, which is filled with sadness and pure love at the same time.

His eyes remain unmoving, his mouth doesn’t move, his body doesn’t move.

This is the final state of his body. His last smile, his final peace. And his final way of telling her that he loves her - with a smile.

and then i realized. He truly means that he loves me. But it's all too late.

A gun shot echoes to the bar again. I dropped the revolver i used to kill him at the floor as I looked at him in shock.

“Police!”

Oh. I was shot right in my chest. Just like how i did to Sherlock. I fall to the floor next to Sherlock, as I feel my own blood oozing out from my chest.

His hand.. was right infront of me. With all i have, i shakily takes his cold hand in mine

Am i gonna die, soon? I got the answer as my whole world turns dark around me.

His hand felt so cold and lifeless as she took it; his eyes remained closed, and his lips stayed frozen at a smile.

What he felt for her, nothing could compare to those feelings. He truly loved her, and that was all that mattered at the end.

As she closes her eyes, she sees him.. in heaven? Is it possible? To see him again in the afterlife, to be together once more?

He will be waiting for her, smiling, with a warm hug.

Taglist-

@rosecentury

#henry cavill imagine #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill characters #sherlock x you #sherlock x reader #sherlock holmes #sherlock imagine #enola holmes

80 notes · View notes

foxydivaxx · 1 year ago

Text

Idol Sanji headcanons part 2

- He has multiple personas which you can see in his songs:

Mr Prince (yes that Mr Prince): His default persona. His pop star persona who is sweet but also dangerous and sexy in a cold calculated manner

King Nasty: his inner slut. This is the persona most people are familiar with

Brooklyn Rage: This is his inner gangster. Like if he is in this mode, bitch run

- He has the foulest mouth of the Strawhats. He is rapper no surprises

- He enjoys being a bratty sub which makes Zoro’s work even harder

- He has a lot of sex toys hidden in his room

- He has a lot of cars

- He shakes his ass a lot xD

- Zoro is more than his baby daddy and lover. He is his best friend

- He is worse than Nami in regards to the love of money. Yeah he loves the cash

- He was once a stripper during his younger years and did that to hustle for money

- He deep down does not value himself

- He often masturbates to videos and photos of Zoro

- He always does the more sluttier photoshoots

- He started smoking at the age 12 as a coping mechanism

- He loves clubbing

- According to Lelouch, Sanji had the highest grades of all the trainees under their label years ago and he was the most popular trainee at the time

- He is the member of Aogiri with the most collaborations for obvious reasons

- He suffered from an eating disorder that would later rebound during his idol years

- He used to hate his looks and body and wondered why anyone would want him. Still struggles with that today

- He and his dad both released albums on the same day. He ended up outselling the old man which greatly angered Judge

- He does not use the Vinsmoke name. Instead he uses his mother’s maiden name as his surname

-He sees Luffy and Chopper as his little brothers

-All those moans and orgasms he does in his songs? Those are not fake according to him. According to him, he masturbates in the studio to create those sounds

-He is an ATL dude due to spending most of his time growing up there even though he was born in New York but moved down to ATL with Zeff with his siblings

-His mother got shot by his dad when he was 3 years old. He rapped about this, literally destroying his dad and exposing the truth about the old man and destroying his reputation and ending Judge's career. A lot of people mock Judge, saying that his son is more gangster than he is. Judge has tried to hurt Sanji but his plans always backfire

- His mother was a pop star and was in a famous girl group before launching a successful musical career. So Sanji inherited all his talent from his parents but he got his mother’s looks, kindness and charisma

-He has been a victim of domestic and sexual abuse, first at the hands of his dad and later a lot of his exes

-Jojo's villain club are huge fans of his

-In fact every single villain you could think of love this guy to the point where many consider his songs "The Ultimate Villain Playbook." since he tends to play a villainous role in his songs since the character he seems to exude is a sexy evil Homme fatale

-As far as he is concerned, he is an all round entertainer. All that matters is that everyone has fun

-He was and still is the main moneymaker and breadwinner for the family for years because Ichiji unfortunately got shot but survived whilst selling newspapers on the streets

-The biggest scandal involving Sanji was an old sex tape of his from his stripper days resurfacing online. Pudding leaked it thanks to Judge but the plan backfired as that sextape made him even more popular than ever as it helped cement Sanji's sex symbol status

-He has the video with the highest amount of views on YouTube thanks to said sex tape scandal (Might as well add this to my fanfic)

- Don’t even dare try to sabotage him and his friends. He will destroy you

- There was one part in one of his songs that more or less defines him as a person:

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

But I am no lazybones,

Motherfucker left me for dead,

Yet I still stand,

You asked me why I do this shit?

This life goes way beyond making hits,

Started off as a poor weakling,

These days I answer to the name King

- He has a tattoo on his back close to his ass and has one on his ankle

- Sanji’s character’s stance towards women and feeding others is a reflection of real life Sanji’s past. The guy has been a victim of abuse for years and also his character’s interactions with women in the show is as a result of the things women like Pudding had done to him in the past

- He loves leather especially leather catsuits and wears those a lot

- During his Aogiri days, Sanji was not Sanji without his famous round shaped glasses. So many young idols would later emulate the style for years to come. Also his signature leather catsuits have made apperances in a variety of videos ever since

-He looks just like his mother

#Sanji #one piece #zosan

31 notes · View notes

beginningobserver · 10 months ago

Text

TTRPG with 02 Kiddos ft Rui-kun

[AO3 Version]

• Canon compliant (KenMiya/Kenyako) + 02 group and Rui-kun (also includes DaiLui) • Comedy; Teen/Adult audiences.

Story: Takeru liked to read storybooks as a kid. He really enjoyed those stories from different places and cultures, myths and folktales. It’s not a surprise he was aiming to be a professional writer, and it was also working on his childhood memories alongside the digimon and the Chosen Children. It’s also not a big surprise that he would find fun in writing TTRPG sessions with friends -- yes, Hikari, Iori, Daisuke, Ken and Miyako. But this time he prepared something extra fun for their new friend, Rui.

-------------------//-------------------

The group of fearless warriors kept walking through the forest looking for the great evil who is trying to destroy their world and kingdom. In this group they had…

“Hey, Takeru quit narrating everything and hurry up! The kingdom won’t be saved if you keep doing monologues!!”

“Ah… But you see, I’m--”

“He’s right,” V-mon pouted, “Don’t you want to save the kingdom ruled by our king!?”

“Who was the king again…?” Patamon blinked.

“YOU FORGOT WHO’S OUR KING!?” Daisuke and V-mon gasped dramatically.

“... Did we mention a king before?”

“It’s Taichi-san,” Takeru explained, “Since he’s working in a Digital World-related department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs… Makes sense for him to be a king, right?”

“True,” Patamon nodded sagely.

“Y’ALL ARE WASTING OUR TIME!!” Daisuke interrupted them again, “Taichi-san will be mad if we don’t beat the great evil!”

“Huh, what’s ‘the great evil’ again?” Miyako popped in.

“The great evil, Ow the Edge. ”

“What?” Iori squinted his eyes, “I thought you would put Ichijouji-san as the enemy.”

“Excuse me…?” Ken looked at them, frowning, “My days of villainy have ended a long time ago, I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore.”

“Besides, I don’t want to date the villain!” Miyako pouted, “Unless you want an evil couple.”

“Here she goes, talking about her relationship status again,” Daisuke muttered in a growl. He hated the fact he’s still unable to confess his feelings for Hikari.

“What did you say, Dai-su-ke?” Miyako grabbed her guitar in hands, ready to smash it into Daisuke’s head.

“N-nothing??!” He babbled, wavering.

“I think we’re going off-topic,” Tailmon interrupted them, unamused.

“Who’s Ow the Edge, Takeru-san?”

“Ow the Edge…” Daisuke squinted, “Ain’t you making fun of Sh※d※w the H※dg※h※g, are ya!?”

“No, it’s definitely not related to Sh※d※w the H※dg※h※g. It’s just Ow the Edge.”

Daisuke’s brain couldn’t tell if Takeru was trolling them or being serious.

“Anyway, Ow the Edge is the evil guy and we’re going to beat him right now.”

“Wait a second,” They all looked at the seventh human there on the table, Rui.

“What is it, Rui-kun?” Hikari asked.

“I… I don’t understand why Takaishi-kun gave me this paper and told me to memorize it…”

“Oh I just made up something for you, to read. Don’t worry~”

Daisuke whispered to Rui, “When he says that, get ready for something terrible happening to your character. Trust me and Ken, we’re his favorite victims.”

Ken nodded in silence, agreeing with Daisuke. Rui was still not sure what that meant though….

“Where were we again?” Takeru said, then he cleaned his throat and proceeded with the story.

The group had the most loyal knight of the kingdom in the lead who wielded a glaive, a magician and a bard couple (the bard girl had an axe which was also her guitar, the magician boy a twin spear with the ability to turn enemies into allies when touched by its edges), a duo of archers wielding crossbows and a swordsman (the youngest of them!)

They were going into the Forbidden Forest and--

“One question,” Wormmon stopped the group, “Why is it forbidden?”

“You see, little familiar, the forest is forbidden because it’s off the kingdom’s domains.”

“So we would be violating by trespassing, am I correct?” Iori deadpanned.

“But we’re six people and six digimon,” Armadimon added, “To not be trespassing we should just let two people pass.”

“... Makes sense” Daisuke and V-mon mused.

“No, it makes no sense at all,” Ken sighed.

“Can you please let Takeru continue?” Tailmon stared at them.

“Ahem,” Takeru cleaned his throat again,

They were going into the Forbidden Forest and suddenly… It started raining. Then, the knight said…

“Alright, leave it to me, I’m a master of the lightning spells!”

“Is he really the right person for that?” Miyako whispered to Takeru, “Letting Daisuke play with fire is not a smart idea…”

“HEY, I have the Digimentals of Courage and Friendship!” Daisuke snapped, “It’s obvious I’d be experienced in fire and lightning magic!”

“True,” V-mon nodded, “It’s not like Daisuke had exploded things while cooking!”

“Yeah it’s not-- HEY!!” Daisuke stared at V-mon, angrily.

“I think I should use the power of my Digimental” Iori looked at his sword, “Why would we need The Digimental of Friendship if there’s no Lightnin--”

A strong lightning crashed into their direction, but the knight’s Lighdra-glaive’s spells protected the group.

“... Nevermind,” Iori blinked.

“Are you okay, Miyako-san?” Ken asked Miyako, who he was shielding with his own body.

“Y-yeah… I am, thank you Ichijouji-kun” she answered with a smile.

“Miyako-san…”

“Ichijouji-kun…”

They were going to kiss, but--

“STOP FLIRTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAIN!!” Daisuke shouted, “I’M NOT A WALKING UMBRELLA FOR THAT!!”

“But you’re protecting us from the lightning, not from the rain,” Hawkmon corrected him.

“It’s Iori who is protecting us from the rain” Tailmon gestured to the boy using the Submari-Sword to keep them dry.

“But we’re not like third wheels for their romance!” Daisuke pouted.

“We’re six digimon and six humans, so we would’ve been the third, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten wheels” V-mon said as he counted in his fingers.

“I don’t mean it literally!! ”

“Oh…”

“I don’t mind that,” Iori said, then he and the group kept walking in the rain, but the sword was generating a force field protecting them from the water.

“Fine, fine… But stop flirting while we’re working!” Daisuke growled, and then kept using his glaive to control the lightning away from them.

“But…” Rui interrupted them again,

“Was it, Rui?” V-mon asked this time.

“Wouldn't it be more effective if they could seek a place to stay and wait for the rain to stop?”

They looked at each other and then to Rui…

“Are you criticizing Takeru’s story?” Patamon stared at Rui.

“Uh…”

“ANYWAY!!” Takeru said quickly, before they could get into a fight.

The group kept going through the dense and eerie Forbidden Forest,

“Why is it raining here though?” Wormmon asked, still on Ken’s back.

“Because of a spell casted by Ow the Edge” Takeru explained, “Human beings are not allowed in his territory.”

“Well, we should be closer!” Daisuke seemed fired up, then he pointed at the lair in the horizon, “THERE IT IS, THE… THE…”

The Lair of the Great Evil -- The LOGE.

“The Loge?” Hikari tilted her head.

“Are we going to a theater then?” Miyako blinked.

“No, the LOGE, not loge” Takeru corrected them, “It's an abbreviation of the ‘Lair of the Great Evil’.”

“Shouldn’t it be ‘LOTGE’ then?” Ken asked, unfazed.

“Lodge?” Daisuke frowned.

“No, it’s LOGE, we shouldn’t count ‘the’ there!” Patamon snapped.

“Why would you name it with a HARD abbreviation like that!?” V-mon complained.

“Oh I like to see your reactions” Takeru smiled.

“WHAT!?”

While the knight, the magician and the aspiring writer who’s also an archer were in a heated discussion about the lair’s name and abbreviation…

“...”

The mysterious and nefarious Ow the Edge appeared in front of them!!

“...”

“...?” Rui looked at Takeru on the table, confused.

“Ahem, Rui-kun it’s your turn.”

“Huh…?”

“The paper I gave you, it’s your character” Takeru gestured to the paper in front of Rui on the table.

“O-oh…”

“Wait,” Daisuke squinted his eyes at Takeru again, “Don’t tell me you…”

Like, I said… The mysterious and nefarious Ow the Edge appeared in front of them!!

“Oh ho ho ho… I’m Ow the Edge, the villain of this game…” Rui was… reading the paper normally?!

“Ow the Edge is Rui-kun??” Miyako exclaimed in confusion.

“Well… I’m--”

“You’re not taking it seriously enough…” Takeru sighed.

“Not enough…?”

“No offense but you’re reading and not acting, dagya.”

“Uh…”

“Yeah, you have to put some feelings on it!!” Patamon added.

“Hey guys, we shouldn’t go too harsh on Rui” Daisuke argued, “He’s still learning how to play!”

“True, I hate doing this but… Takeru-kun, can I simply give him an example?” Ken asked, politely and gently.

“Sure, you’re like a pro!” Takeru chuckled.

“Are you plannin’ to…” Daisuke raised an eyebrow.

Ken cleaned his throat and then…

“Huhu…HAHAHAHAHA, I’m the Digimon Kaiser, the one who controls the power of the darkness! I will dominate the Digital World and make you all OBEY me. CHERISH me. And LOVE me. Say, you dare to face me? HAH! Pathetic human beings, I’M THE PERFECT CHOSEN ONE! And ONLY ME can come here and PLAY this game!”

“Yeah, he just got overboard again…” Daisuke shrugged.

“Is he okay?” Rui was petrified by that 180º flip while the rest of the group was shaking their heads.

“Yeah, he got a little rusty since it had been like, 10 years since he was some edgelord throwing tantrums in the Digital World…” V-mon shrugged.

“Oh, that’s why Takaishi-kun said ‘like a pro’ when he asked permission to give an example…”

“R-rusty…??” Wormmon and Ken said, intrigued.

“I guess you unlearned how to be an edgelord, Ken…” Tailmon commented, shaking her head.

“I’m rusty…” Ken repeated it, quite disappointedly…

“Didn’t the Kaiser say ‘insects’ all the time?” Patamon mused.

“And he also used a whip,” V-mon added.

“He still uses the whip,” Wormmon and Hawkmon said out of the blue.

“Huh?” the others blinked. Ken and Miyako blushed awkwardly though.

“Are you sure this is the right hour to Talk about--” Daisuke squinted his eyes once again, this time at Ken, Wormmon, Miyako and Hawkmon.

“OKAY RUI-KUN” Takeru interrupted them quickly, “YOU GOT YOUR CLASS OF ACTING SO GO AND UNLEASH THE EVIL IN YOU!!”

“A-alright… I guess I can try again” Rui nodded.

Then, Ow the Edge appeared in front of them, laughing maniacally and stomping his cane-staff on the ground!

“...OHOHOHO! I’m Ow the Edge, the great evil of the world! You peasants are stepping on my yard and you will regret it.”

He looked at Takeru, “Is it better…?”

“Yeah, a little better 👌” Takeru smiled.

“I’m rusty…” Ken was still sulking in the corner.

The warriors wielded their weapons, ready for an imminent clash--

“Hold on, I don’t think it’s right to fight him,” Daisuke interrupted them all.

“? Why not?” Hawkmon asked, “Isn’t he the source of all evil?”

“No, I’m the great evil, not the source of all evil” Rui said, deadpanned.

“Isn’t that the same thing!?” Patamon babbled.

“No?”

“I mean we can’t fight Rui, he’s our friend!” Daisuke argued back, “I can’t believe you did that to him, Takeru!”

“Daisuke, you're taking it too seriously now” Takeru chuckled nervously.

“No, you were just--”

“Or are you afraid of fighting me, Daisuke-kun?” Rui said it in a very seductive way with a smug smile.

“I… I don’t want to fight you, that’s all” Daisuke blushed and turned his face.

“Ok, I think he really got the spirit, dagya” Armadimon commented with the others, perplexed.

“Why not? You fought Ichijouji-kun in the past, didn’t you?” he scoffed.

“Yeah, but Ken was not our friend back in time!” Daisuke snorted, “So no, cut it out. I refuse to fight you!!”

“I guess you don’t care about your pathetic kingdom then,” Rui shrugged, “I’m the great evil, will you let your people perish only to spare me?”

“I’ll save you too then!” Daisuke stomped his foot on the floor.

“Where did I see this scene before…” Tailmon mused.

“Uh… It was when you confronted Ken-chan, I guess” Wormmon replied.

“So, will you accept defeat, Daisuke-kun?”

“No, I won’t!” Daisuke snapped, cupping Rui’s face “I will come after you no matter what you say, no matter what Takeru makes you do! You’re MY friend and I refuse to fight you!!”

“... W-what??” Rui blushed.

“HOLD ON!!” Miyako shouted, and interrupted their game.

“Daisuke, what’s wrong with you?” She looked at Daisuke, seriously, “This is just a game, a harmless game, no one is going to fight for real here!!”

“But I.. I… * ahem * I was also acting, yeah… Uh… yeah,” he immediately took his hands off Rui’s face, babbling.

Though Rui was… also blushing awkwardly.

“I guess someone is not into Hikari anymo--” V-mon had Daisuke covering his mouth again.

“Uh, what?” Hikari blinked.

“DON’T LISTEN TO V-MON HE’S… HE’S TOO TIRED FROM THE GAME, SO UH… I LEFT MY RAMEN ON THE STOVE, BYE!!” and he left the table, carrying V-mon.

“... Did I do something wrong?” Rui frowned.

“No, you just managed to beat Daisuke-kun without fighting him,” Takeru said awkwardly, “Don’t take it seriously.”

“Oh… Okay…?”

With the knight and his familiar out of the battle, Ow the Edge smirks and turns into the rest of the group and says:

“One down, Five left.”

“HOW CRUEL!!” Hikari screams, “HE WAS WILLING TO HELP YOU!”

“... You can touch me, really. I’m untouchable.”

“What do you mean?” Iori raised an eyebrow.

“... I’m cursed, remember? Great evil… We need an excuse for Daisuke-kun’s absence, sorry.”

“Ooh…” Armadimon exclaimed, “That’s clever.”

“We shouldn’t touch him then!” Hawkmon nodded.

“Alright,” Takeru said with a serious gaze, “if Daisuke is not here, the second-in-command is Ken-kun so--”

“... I’m rusty.”

Everyone looked at Ken, who was still sulking like a kid in the corner.

“Ichijouji-kun?” Miyako blinked, “What’s wrong?”

“You guys said I’m rusty… I don’t like to be the Digimon Kaiser anymore, but it’s still part of me… I created him and now I’m… I’m unable to be him even for a simple TTRPG sample!!”

“Y-you’re upset that you can’t do the Digimon Kaiser anymore!?” the five babbled, intrigued.

“... 💧” Rui blinked, still not sure what was going on.

“I guess we accidentally beat Ken,” Patamon shook his head.

“Two down…?” and yet Rui is still confused about this entire game.

“I think I need a break” Ken sighed, and then he and Wormmon left the table.

“Ah, wait…!” Miyako called him, but then she turned to the rest of the group, “I will calm him down and we will be back! Let’s go, Hawkmon!”

“Right, Miyako-san!”

Then Miyako and Hawkmon went after Ken and Wormmon. Rui frowned, he was thinking maybe he was just really bad at playing tabletop games…

Takeru sighed, “Well, I guess it’s only the four of us now… And our digimon partners, of course.”

“If you… want to stop I’m okay with it” Rui was feeling very awkward right now.

“Are you guys still up to it?”

“I’m curious about how it will end,” Iori mused.

“I don’t mind continuing it…” Hikari added.

“They might come back, didn’t they say it?” Armadimon asked, looking at the entrance of the apartment.

“Hmm… We’re at Daisuke’s house, so it would be odd if he just left” Tailmon replied with a shrug.

“I wonder where he went…” Patamon said, looking at Takeru.

“...”

With the couple down, our brave group was reduced into three members and their familiars. The heavy atmosphere of the heated battle against Ow the Edge and our heroes intensified second by second.

“I guess you can’t beat me.”

Said the great evil with a shrug. His cocky attitude and malicious grin were making the last hope of the Kingdom weaver, but FEAR NOT! The good guys had a trump card in their hands.

“Trump card??” Rui, Hikari, Iori and the digimon exclaimed, confused.

“Oh trust me, being an amateur writer means I need to make the story a little exciting.”

“But what’s that trump card, dagya?”

“It’s a secret.”

“WHAT!?”

“What does it supposed to mean!?” Hikari and Iori exclaimed.

“So… To be sure,” Rui approached them, “What happens if I beat you three? Do I win?”

“Technically yes,” Iori explained, “But this is an ongoing game, we have sessions and turns, so you could say you would win a turn or session.”

“The others can come back, can’t they?” He was worried about Daisuke and Ken’s reactions to that game though…

“Yup,” Patamon nodded, “They’re not dead in this game, unless the Game Master kicks them off the game.”

“Oh… So I didn’t kill them in-game…” he sighed in relief.

“Yeah, but don’t worry about that!” Tailmon smiled, “Takeru will find a way to add them again once they’re back.”

“But what is that trump card, dagya??” Armadimon pouted.

“It’s…”

“It’s…?”

“...”

“...?”

The aspiring writer and archer then summoned… A jar of sugar.

“A JAR OF SUGAR!?” Hikari exclaimed.

“Isn’t Rui-san…” Iori looked at Rui.

“Uh… Am I supposed to… do some dramatic reaction at the fact he got a jar of sugar?”

“Wait, I thought you hated sweets,” Patamon blinked.

“Yes, I do.. So… Uh… * ahem *”

“NO, MY ONLY WEAKNESS…!! SUGAR!!” He dramatically knelt on the floor, using the cane as support, “I’M DYING… NOOOO!!”

“We haven't used it yet” Takeru looked at him, deadpanned.

“Oh… Ok.”

The aspiring writer and archer then showed the jar to Ow the Edge, and with a firm tone of voice he threatened:

“We will end your days of evil with the HolyAngemon Sugar Brand! UNLESS!!”

“Wait, are you sparing me too??”

“No, I’m proposing a deal!”

“Ah, I see… You want something in return…”

“We won’t use the sugar if you stop threatening the kingdom,” Iori explained.

“Hmm…”

“You will undo the evil deeds you caused to us,” Patamon added.

“What evil deeds…?” Rui then took the paper and started checking the text, “Uhh… Fine, fine.”

“And you will turn all the sweets you turned into dust back to normal, dagya!”

“Wait… Did I go this far before…? 💧”

“No, Armadimon is just doing an ad-lib right now,” Tailmon shrugged.

“I suppose it’s because you don’t like sweets,” Hikari added, “You would turn them into dust.”

“... I might not like sweets but I have no problem with them,” Rui shrugged, “It’s just… I don’t like it that much…”

“Oh… I’m sorry” Armadimon bowed his head awkwardly.

“It’s okay, no hard feelings.”

And then the warriors stopped the great evil and everyone lived happily after.

“So we--”

“AH CRAP, I REALLY OVERCOOKED IT!!” They heard Daisuke’s voice from the kitchen.

“Daisuke, are you okay--” Takeru said and he and the others ran to the kitchen.

“Noooooooo… MY RAMEN!!” he dramatically cried.

“He really left his ramen on the stove…” Patamon commented.

“You thought we were joking!?” V-mon snapped, “It was our dinner!! For the night of games!!”

“Oh… Oh no” Armadimon sniffed, “Our dinner…”

“It’s okay everyone!!” They heard Miyako’s voice from the entrance of the apartment, “Our girl Miyako and her boyfriend had brought some dinner for us all!!”

“Miyako and Ken saved our dinner, dagya!!” Armadimon chirped.

“Hmm… Yeah, maybe we can eat ramen another day” Daisuke smiled, "Alright folks! Let’s clean the table and eat!”

“Alright!!” They all said together.

#digimon adventure 02 the beginning #motomiya daisuke #ohwada lui #ichijouji ken #inoue miyako #hida iori #takaishi takeru #yagami hikari #kenmiya #kenyako #dailui

16 notes · View notes

abla-soso · 1 year ago

Note

OMG "dehumanizing". Brrr

Ever since I entered MHA fandom I dreaded that word, because only this fandom (that I know) uses "dehumanizing" which in any other fandom (that I know) means extreme violation of human rights but in MHA fandom means "how dare they called my meow meow villain out of their shit". Ochako called Toga that her action has consequences and the fact that maybe her unclear question was not worth murdering (or hurting to give a benefit of the doubt) an innocent old lady? "Ochako dehumanized Toga/ she didn't see Toga as a person reee". Endeavor saw Dabi as his responsibility, his mistake, the exact way Dabi described himself to Endeavor? "Endeavor only saw Dabi as a thing, he dehumanized Dabi". Hawks outright called Twice a good person, saying that he had a better chance for atonement than his other murderous friends? I understand why Twice can't accept that offer but Hawks is not dehumanizing villains for that? Calling villains who planned to wreck everything as "unkind" is not dehumanizing? I can understand a little when Shigaraki had a monologue about rotten society and Endeavor said "thanks for the monologue but you are already dead" may be dehumanizing but context please? Shigaraki destroyed dozen people's lives with a single touch as if they were ants. And Hori made it clear that those people are not ants or mindless NPC, they're humans! A guy has an important document that was so important for his work, for his life! A bleeding guy begged for his wife's safety! A woman tried to lift concrete to save her beloved one! A kid was crying, outright yelling that her brother's life is so much important to her than a beloved merchandise that her brother offered to her before his death, an utterly heartbreaking conversation that no children should have! Shigaraki and LOV outright dehumanized them, lumped them as one big blob of "society that deserves to rot". For me it's understandable if those victims, and heroes who fought for their safety, prefer if Shigaraki's heart was as stopped as minutes before.

Speaking about dehumanizing, one baffled moment that seared into my brain forever was when a meta said that Hawks dehumanized Dabi because he... told Tokoyami that Dabi's monologue is a way to stall time and he searched a chance for Tokoyami to make an escape. The offense? They said that Hawks didn't listen to Dabi's "valid" points and had "dehumanizing observations" of Dabi. THAT MAN IS ON A FREAKING BRINK OF DEATH WITH HIS KID INTERN IN THE MIDDLE OF DEADLY AREA WTF WTF WTF. Since when being logical in a dangerous situation is dehumanizing?? Oh right, forget it, they called Hawks who yelled at Endeavor to focus on his fight with big boss AFO and not fall for AFO's clear manipulation tactic as "abuse apologist" so they clearly are not the biggest fan of logic. And the same guy had a gall to be offended when someone condemned Dabi for calling Twice's murder video a good footage, saying that he masked his grief (I mean, maybe I am too harsh but that's a truly dehumanizing thing? Just as dehumanizing as Youtuber today who saw tragedy and capture it instead of helping or even just saw it as entertainment?). That's the point I know that villain stan in this fandom is a lost cause

Ughhh yes yes yes! It really does feel like we're taking crazy pills when we try to reason with these outrageously irrational takes, isn't it? I've ranted about them A LOT in this blog but they never fail to make me wanna tear my hair out with frustration and bewilderment.

Hori's overly sympathetic writing for the villains made me dislike them and made me struggle to feel sympathy for them, but it was the gross hypocrisy and stupidity of the villain's stans that made me this 👌 close to fully hating the villains and losing all sympathy for them.

#bnha manga spoilers #the league of villains

12 notes · View notes

lightsoutletsgo · 8 months ago

Note

What is your hot take on what's been happening over the last 24 hours with RB and Ricciardo and the other drivers? I don't wanna start anything and I'm not here to argue with anyone I'm just super curious because everyone seems to have a different opinion?

I have a lot of thoughts about the situation and like you've said, they won't ever line up with everyone else's because everyone is going to feel a little differently about particular things and people, even if the overall feeling of disappointment and frustration towards the situation is the same.

am I disappointed with the lack of speaking up from a lot of people on the grid? yes. am I surprised? not in the slightest. even if you set aside the fact that they're mostly rich white misogynists (there are some exceptions obvs) it's clear that they've all been given the same PR instructions of 'remain impartial or neutral and do not engage' which is why some of their answers just looked/sounded the same (with the exception of lewis who did what they all should have done in my opinion)

do I wish that they'd all stood up and used their massive following and worldwide platform for good? absolutely! but I also know that that will never happen. f1 is a sport but it's so political in terms of who knows what and who has the final say and who gets to make decisions.

my biggest upset/frustration with this whole situation is that the victim of this situation has once again been made out to be the villain and what does that say to anyone else who was thinking of coming forward and sharing their story? if I was also a victim of any kind of workplace harassment at any level in the world of F1, I would be shitting myself right now and either handing in my resignation or keeping a low profile and keeping quiet.

this whole thing has been majorly mishandled by so many people on so many levels. my biggest upset/frustration with this whole situation is that the victim of this situation has once again been made out to be the villain and what does that say to anyone else who was thinking of coming forward and sharing their story? if I was also a victim of any kind of workplace harrassment at any level in the world of F1 I would be shitting myself right now and either handing in my resignation or keeping a low profile and keeping quiet.

tbh that's exactly what my friend who works for a midfield team is doing. over the last week we've had so many conversations about whether or not she wants to keep her job and if she is actually safe or not. it's broken my heart to see her crying over the phone because she is trying to decide between giving up her dream job that she's amazing at, or feeling and being safe in her workplace. no one should ever have to decide between those two things. why should she have to sacrifice one or the other?

f1 has never, is not and will never be an equal or safe space for women. motorsport has always been run by men and they will fight to keep it that way. so ✨happy international women's day✨ I guess y'all

#mimi.rambles #mimi.answers #I'm so sorry for the rant #I honestly could have gone on longer #as someone who knows a few people working in f1 it's been interesting to hear their opinions and experiences #definitely made me reconsider if I should send in some applications I had brewing #f1

4 notes · View notes

m34gs · 2 years ago

Note

(I know the ask said "anon" but I don't want to be.) I'm curious: Rate all the Saw movies from your favourite to least favourite.

Lol! No problem friend, thank you for the ask!! (related to this post)

Here is my personal list:

Saw (2004): First in the series. First in my heart. I love it. For having most of the story take place in a dirty abandoned bathroom with no outside interference, it definitely tells an interesting story. Plus, Lawrence/Adam is my favourite ship in the series. ADAM IS JUST RESTING. I also enjoy the fact that our main man, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, is played by Cary Elwes.

Saw VII (Saw: The Final Chapter): Despite it's name, this is not actually the last movie in the series; Jigsaw and Spiral were both created afterward, and there is to be yet another Saw movie in 2023. You know, honestly, the main reason this is my number 2 on the list is because it is the other movie in the series that Cary Elwes is in. Do I care if other people think that is a silly reason for ranking it, especially since it is widely regarded as one of the worse films in the series? No. No, I do not. Because I like what I like and I am not ashamed of it. Also, I did enjoy the way it tied into the previous movies by having support groups for survivors where we get to see previous trap victims; I thought that was a cool way to reinforce that the effect of the traps goes far beyond simply "live or die; make your choice" (yes this is one of my favourite phrases from the series)

Saw V: Why do I like this one? Because I called one of the plot twists from the very beginning. It was satisfying. I liked it. The groundwork was all laid in a logical manner, and I got to see characters who think differently than me come to their "Oh shit" moment at the end. Basically, five people are trapped in a "game" and have to make it to the end. The thing is, each room has a different obstacle they have to get through and 'limited' resources. Or so it seems. But at the end, there are only two left standing, and the pieces fall into place. They have to "donate" a certain amount of blood to open the door. (For the sake of others, I will not explain all the gory details). It would be enough blood donated to kill one person. But there are five slots for the donation. Why would there be? And they realize. The tunnels they hid in to avoid the fire could have held all five people, the tub with the shocks had five cables, the keys at the beginning were all the same and just one key passed among five people would have unlocked them all faster than each person running for their own. The message was team work, and for some reason that tickles my brain the right way and I don't get tired of this movie.

Spiral: This one is next on the list because I did really enjoy it. It's essentially Buddy-cop meets Horror movie, which is a fun concept to play with. It has a slight ambiguous ending, which I enjoy. Also, again, I liked this movie because I had the plot twist figured out and had pegged which character was the villain about twenty minutes in. I like when movies live up to my expectations and set the groundwork for the plot twists so that yes, the characters are taken by surprise, but the audience (me) is able to decipher it and savour the sweet realization that comes across the character's faces when they find out. Plays into my devious side a little bit lol.

Saw VI: So this one is kind of my middle point. I don't have much issue with it, it's not one of my favourites...I don't particularly enjoy the end with the hydrofluoric acid trap...but; I will admit it's a little entertaining to see Jigsaw switch from targeting individuals to targeting an Insurance firm. And to anyone who has been screwed over by an insurance company or had to hear their mother cry to an insurance agent over the phone because her meds are not covered or been unable to afford insurance/unemployed and therefore not having benefits of any kind, I am sure this movie brings a little bit of satisfaction.

Saw IV: This one. Not one of my faves. It's not that it's bad...more that I kind of find it...just meh. Like, yes important story stuff happens. And I think it's alright when I watch, but it's just so...mid? I always have a hard time remember exactly what happens in this one (except for the very end, I know what happens there. Splat happens. Big Splat.) Idk, I just feel if you wanna be higher on my faves list you gotta be more memorable.

Saw III: This one. Now, I like the themes. I like the struggle to forgive, to let go, to change, and then the end where everything Jeff (the poor unfortunate soul stuck in the trap) has worked to get to just...falls apart because he's too wound up to make the choice that would get him and his wife to safety. This movie honestly would be higher on my list if it wasn't for the god-forsaken pig corpse lawyer scene. I gagged when I first saw it. I gag every time I watch it. I have a strong stomach and I watch horror movies for fun. It is not *easy* to make me gag, and yet this scene always does and I just. Cannot. And so, that is what puts this scene toward the bottom of my list.

Jigsaw: Fuck this one. Stupid fucking revenge plot. Made me so cranky. The one that made the least sense, the one that had the most Out of Character characterization of the Jigsaw we have grown to know and love in the other movies. This one makes me viscerally react. It makes me angry. I hate this one.

Saw II: An interesting story, a cool plot twist, definitely some terrifying traps. Honestly, I wish I could like this one more. I wish I could. I literally, when I rewatch it, cannot watch all of it. I either end it early or skip parts of it. Why? Because Eric Matthews (played by Mark Wahlberg) is an absolute ass, has anger management issues to rival those of people in my own past, and I despise his character. Literally, I can watch the needle pit, the box with the razor blades, each and every trap in this movie, but when Eric starts losing his shit because things aren't going his way and starts smacking John Kramer around and shoving things and wrecking things and essentially throwing a tantrum, I get such bad flashbacks and panic attacks that I cannot watch anymore and I may start crying. I watch these movies to escape, not to relive my childhood. So, I have only seen this one in full once, and that was the first time I watched it. Since then, I cannot make it through the entire thing. Bonus: Saw 0.5: This is a short film, and was actually the inspiration for the entire franchise. It was made in 2003, and you can find it on YouTube. (Here's a link for the horror fans who want it) I like this because it's actually really well done and effective as a short film, and the way the movie, Saw (2004), incorporates the original short film into the story line. Amanda's trap is essentially the story from the 2003 short film, just edited a bit to fit into the Saw franchise storyline. Makes my brain happy. It's not a full-length movie, so I didn't include it in the above list, but honestly I would have it tie with #1, because the filming and the storytelling was so well done that you get an entire horror story in less than 10 minutes. That takes some skill.

#kimium #asks #ask game #thank you for the ask #saw #saw movies #saw franchise #ranking saw movies #most fave to least fave #horror #horror movies #friends #responses

3 notes · View notes

alyosiuscreightonward · 8 months ago

Text

Dear Diary. I just got a friend request and I immediately accepted it because it needed to tell my story.

I know and I knew that I was always on the outside looking in and it was Her that brought me into the fold. I know and knew that I was only accepted because She was the one who gave me entree to your world.

I also know and knew that I had barged my way in and sadly I had thought that I too could be more than just an ordinary acquaintance. I also know and knew that no matter how hard I tried, I’d only be there as just a friend and nothing more.

Now that things have changed, I don’t think I’ll ever have an invitation again because of the fact that I spoke and I’ll always be the villain in their story. At one point, I did make a point to reach out and the silence was deafening. Certainly I was very wrong about I spoke and that I’ve beaten myself up about the words that I can’t call back home. Those words are gone and I’m getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop because I suck. All teeth and no tongue.

I have an idea of what went down and I also know that there were some people who were drunk and that they were talking shit about me and how horrible I was to Her. I also knew that She had reached out to me via Her namesake but my words were scalding apparently because I was dismissed. I also was told by Her sister that, yes, indeed I was the villain and She was the victim of circumstance. She was just standing there at 3am in the middle of a torrential downpour waiting for the bus in just Her underwear and when I came into Her life and yours, I was the walking disaster, the demolition man. I plotted and planned to ruin everything.

I know what I did wrong and I apologize for being alive and just existing because She is always correct and unlike me I don’t have a picture of Ronald Reagan and I’m not right.

I’m working on myself and trying to figure out why I’m the asshole. Now that She’s gone, the mutual friend from England divorced me, fired me and told me to fuck off because I have anything to offer. I am just presumptuous and I just jump to conclusions because it’s extremely difficult for me to understand how much people truly say that they love me but don’t like me because invariably I say, “Enough about me. What do you think about me?”

I’m sure that I’ll never be asked to make a trip to break bread and have some fellowship with you and yours again.

I’m sorry if I hurt you and I’ll forever apologize for everything that has happened because I’m nothing. I’m not allowed to have feelings. I have my memories of us and the times we laughed, lived and loved together. I’ll probably never have an opportunity to make new memories again with you and yours. But we’ll always stalk each other’s feeds and rarely click. Even with therapy and medication, it’s hard for me to understand that it’s not always my fault, but the body does keep track and it’s always my fault.

Regardless, I know that my former therapist was right when he said that he was truly amazed by how I persevered and even though I ache, he still has faith in me for coming through.

Here’s a much deserved hug. 🤗 🤗🤗🤗

1 note · View note

extremely-judgemental · 3 months ago

Text

I would have let this slide if you hadn't just attacked me on my own post. Alright, let's unpack.

Cassian had a shitty childhood. He grew up poor and lived in a place where adults were abusive and children were pitted against each other. He didn’t have a roof over his head. He fought his way through the camp and stole supplies from other kids. He did what he had to for his survival. Yes, all true.

Until Rhysand’s mother took him in. Then, his life drastically improved compared to that of other kids in the camp. It didn’t stop him from bullying them. You want proof?

Azriel came to the camp later than the rest, already abused and tortured by his brothers. It was a known fact around the camp and even if it wasn’t no one would suspect otherwise given his hands were scarred. He didn’t know how to fly or fight like the rest of them. When he decided to learn on his own away from everyone, Cassian and Rhysand sought him out. Cassian admits, without any remorse, to beating the shit out of him and mocking him first. He didn’t have to do that, they weren’t in the training pit. He went to a traumatised boy and beat him for no reason. Cassian is a bully.

You can blame the adults and systems all you want but that doesn’t give you pass at being vile to another person. Yes, Illyria is a fucked up place. It doesn’t mean he had to bully Azriel. It wasn’t survival. If he had wanted to help him, he could have done it well without the abuse.

Asking why Azriel stuck with them after years is victim blaming. And saying since he stayed, Cassian and Rhysand must be good is just denial. Azriel doesn’t see any of it as abuse because he suffered far worse at the hands of his brothers. Cassian and Rhysand are the first people he met after his mother and his family. Having locked up until then and tormented all his life, he wouldn’t know what kindness means. For someone who only knew abuse and torture all his life, he wouldn’t be able to tell right from wrong. Which is why he accepted the two boys who beat him up and ‘help’ him later. Azriel considers them brothers because they were comparatively better than his own brothers who burnt his hands. It doesn’t make either Cassian or Rhysand a better person itself.

You want to talk about Morrigan situation? Cassian could have denied her. If he truly cared about his brother whom he had known for years by then, he must also know how much it would hurt to sleep with the woman he liked. It wasn’t a favour he did to Morrigan. He saw the opportunity to split her from his brother. He was jealous and afraid that he’d lose Azriel and his solution was to agree to sleep with Morrigan. He regretted it. When? After he was done? After he got what he wanted? Does he regret every time he flirts with Morrigan in front of Azriel? Is it his regret when they are exchanging underwear in front of him even after five centuries? Or in front of the woman he suspects to be his mate?

No one hates Cassian for being young and having made mistakes. They hate him for his hypocrisy. When it’s him or his friends, they were young and they did what they had to for survival. They will hug it out, say they regret it and everything is A-ok. But when Nesta did the same when she was young and scared, it’s unforgivable. The Archeron sisters were poor too. It was survival too. He didn’t have to be mean to her. Cassian doesn’t even stand up for Nesta even when Rhysand threatens to kill her. And he laughs at her and mocks her with Feyre when she’s suicidal.

Cassian is no better. He’s not a villain in anyone’s story. But he is still a bully. To Azriel and to Nesta. He never matured. He never changed. His methods changed.

My dude, get tf out of my post. I am criticising a fictional character and if it’s my ‘half vision’, it’s sitting in my blog for my people. If you love him and want to praise him, go ahead. No one is stopping you. Do it on your post or on others’ when asked for it. Don’t go calling people stupid and think that justifies you.

Cassian being mean to Nesta for Feyre's shitty childhood will never not be funny to me.

He spent his entire childhood beating the shit out of other kids, including Rhysand, and stealing their supplies. He abused and mocked Azriel for learning to fly on his own knowing his past as well as the others did. He slept with Mor because he couldn't handle his brother having feelings for a girl.

Five centuries later, he's still no better.

My dude, look in the mirror.

#people with brain don't recognise abuse it seems #recognising abuse is stupidity apparently #nesta #nesta archeron #nesta archeron deserves better #cassian critical #acotar critical #sjm critical #surface level thinking #can't read between lines

452 notes · View notes

herluminosity · 1 year ago

Text

Still Day 25

And here's another rant within a few minutes of posting the OTHER rant.

My life.

My life is...bad? I dunno atp. I really don't know.

I have it better than most, yes. But I still have it hard. My aunt believes ima kill her, her kids, or myself, or even others. Hell. Wo knows. I could be a seral killer.

Do I wanna be? Hell no. But who knows. The nicest people are mostly the ones who kill or do crimes. As the nicest people are always hurt in one way or another.

My aunt also believes I'm a big fat lair. That I make myself a victim, her the villain, my life worse than it is, and that ugh. Idk. There's a lot.

I'm just a bad person. And because of what she says, I can't believe when people say good things about me. I just can't. Im unable to. I still say thank you, so there's that, whatever..

And theres the fact that my cousin hates me.

Heck I don't understand why so many people fall in love with me. Yeah most only loved me for my body, but most others...found something worth loving in me.

And yet, they still...left me. So much so, I do not believe in marriage, happily ever afters, or whatnot.

I don't even want to many a man. I wanna marry a woman. Or no one at all. Just rot alone.

I do firmly believe I'm the villain in my story after all. And villains never get love, or best friends. Villains rot away alone. Villains have no one.

Why am I always so sad?

0 notes

kats-baku1999 · 3 years ago

Text

Hidden Secrets, Part Two.

wait I can’t believe you guys actually like part one (read that here) I was so insecure about posting it. I’m glad, I’m so glad. Everyone was asking for Bakugo’s suffering so here it is…

READ PART THREE HERE

warnings: I won’t even lie to you all, I have father problems, so this writing hit a little close to home. if in any way you think it’ll hurt or upset you, please don’t read any further okay? mentions of cheating and sex too. also there is some momo slander. I am so sorry.

It was as if the entire world stopped spinning for a second. Kirishima took a step in front of you and Haru, standing chest to chest with Bakugo. Bakugo glared at him, before looking at you. Every ounce of anger you felt towards him began bubbling up. There was so much you wanted to say. So much you wanted to scream at him. You couldn’t yet though, not in front of Haru.

“Kirishima, will you take Haru to your office? I know how excited he has been to see it since the renovation,” You forced a smile, and looked at your son who’s middle brow was creased, which was a for sure sign he was worrying about something, “It’s alright Ru, I will come meet you in there soon,”

“Yeah, come on little monster, I have a huge TV in there now!” Kirishima’s tone did not match the glare on his face, “The conference room is open you two,”

“Thank you Ei, have fun sweetheart,” Haru released himself from you, and let Kirishima take him. He perked his head back over Kirishima’s shoulder and gave you a small wave with his tiny little hand. You forced another smile and waved back, before turning around to face your ex boyfriend. His face was still frozen in shock, as he watched his old best friend walk off with the tiny little human.

“Please tell me what the fuck-”

“Go to the conference room, now.” You snapped and stomped away from him. Bakugo followed after, the boots of his hero costume echoing on the floor of the lobby. He clicked the door behind him as soon as he was in the same room as you.

“So did you just plan on never fucking telling me I had a kid?!” Bakugo yelled, his voice echoing. You turned around and glared at him, “When the fuck did you even find out you were pregnant?”

“Oh, I found out a few days before I found out you were cheating on me,” You laughed dryly, “I was going to tell you that night, but I got a little side tracked,”

“Bullshit absolute bullshit, you should have told me!” Bakugo yelled, not backing down, “Four fucking years! Four!”

“Cut the bullshit Bakugo, I came to your office two weeks before he was born, I ran into Momo and she said you would call me, that night I get a simple text that says you wanted nothing to do with him,” You yelled, jabbing a finger into his chest, “Then you just mysteriously move away with Momo, and no one hears from you, and now you are in Kirishima’s office demanding to know things?!”

“What the fuck are you talk about?! What text?!” Bakugo yelled, grabbing your hand and moving it away from him, “I just found out about the kid today! You still haven’t even confirmed that he was mine?!”

“Take one fucking look at him and tell me he isn’t yours, the only thing that even convinced me he might be from some magical conception is that he is so sensitive and caring!”

“(Y/N) what fucking messages? We haven’t talked since the night you left?” Bakugo’s voice lowered, “I promise you, if I would have known about him I would have, I would have-”

“What? Come back to me? Be with me?” Your voice was monotone and cold, he felt like he was talking to a stranger. A stranger that hates him.

“I mean, yeah maybe, or at least I would’ve been there for his first steps, words, breath, just anything,” Bakugo’s anger was subsiding for the first time in years, “Momo, that day, I know what you’re talking about, because she told me that her and I would never be happy as long as we were here,”

“Oh wow, so the person who you cheated on me with was also a liar, what a shock,” You scoffed, “Sorry, I’m sorry, I heard about her and Todoroki, and their affair,”

Bakugo paused for a second, shocked by your apology. Also by the fact that you even knew. It wasn’t public knowledge yet, considering it just happened two weeks ago. That was the one reason Kirishima was even acknowledging his presence again. He was the one who found them together, and despite his anger towards him, at one point Bakugo was his best friend. So he called him, told him to come to the bar he was at. When Bakugo got there, he found Momo practically on top of Todoroki. A poor, still oblivious, Todoroki who was convinced that Momo had left Bakugo. That she had called off their two year engagement.

“I didn’t realize Kirishima told you, still don’t know how he failed to mention my son-”

“Hey, don’t do that okay? Be mad at me for not trying harder, but don’t be mad at Kirishima, he knew if he would have said anything he wouldn’t have been able to see Haru anymore,” You sat down in one of the chairs, “To be honest, I had just planned on you never finding out,”

“That isn’t fair (Y/n), he is my son.” Bakugo’s tone of voice was frustrated and angry. He didn’t want to be mad at you, he knew he couldn’t be mad at you.

“No, he is my son, mine, I’ve done everything, I was there for all of the bruises and scratches, for when he got into my hair gel to try and make himself look like Kirishima, for his birthdays and Christmases, you weren’t there,” You snapped, “Sharing his genetics does not make him your son,”

“No but you don’t get to hold this shit against me, it wasn’t my fault,” Bakugo fired back.

“You’re the one who fucked her,” You sneered. Standing up again, running your hand through your hair, “You cheated on me with her, you chose her over me, you don’t get to be the victim here either, I don’t even get to be the victim, the only person who deserves to even act like the victim is my son,”

“I’m here now, I know now, and I want nothing more but than to get to know him,” Bakugo looked at you with pleading eyes, “To be apart of his life, of your life,”

“I don’t know, I can’t just tell him that you’re his dad, he has been asking for the past year, and he has so much more going on already,” You laughed, “He doesn’t have his quirk yet, it’s becoming evident that he might not ever have his quirk, so how do I tell him that his dad is the number one hero, and a person he idolizes?”

“So you’ve faulted me because my ex fiancé was a psychopath who didn’t think I needed to know about my son, and now because I’m the number one hero- wait, he doesn’t have his quirk?”

“No, no he doesn’t, that’s why we are in town, for Denki and Hitoshi’s wedding, and to see a doctor,” You explained, the tears finally spilling over, “I can’t just dump this on him too Bakugo, please, you have to understand,”

“I do, okay I do, but please I can’t just let you walk away today with him and not do anything, I have to know him, but I don’t want to make this a problem bigger than it needs to be,” Bakugo grabbed your shoulders, “Please don’t make me villain here, okay I don’t want to be,”

“As much as I want to, I can’t, I know I can’t it wouldn’t be fair to him,” You grabbed his hands off your shoulders and held them for a second, a small sob threatening to escape your throat, “But please don’t take him from me, he’s all I have,”

Bakugo stopped and tightened his grip on your hands. Forcing you to look up at him. His eyebrows were creased, furrowed up exactly like Haru’s always did. The same look of concern Haru’s always had on his face when you said something close to sad.

“I wouldn’t think about taking him away, so get that shitty ass thought out of your head right now,” Bakugo sighed, “He doesn’t even have to know I’m his father right now, not until your ready, but I would like to be your friend, your friend that comes around him, your friend that he gets to know like he knows Kirishima,”

“Okay, okay,” You mumbled, nodding your head, “You can pick us up and take us to his doctor’s appointment, then we can all go out with Kirishima after so he feels more comfortable, we can start there,”

“Okay, let’s start there,” Bakugo let go of your hands slowly, “Does he you know like anything?”

“Yes, Bakugo he likes things, heroes specifically, are you going to blow up this office if I say Deku is his favorite?” You wiped the tears off your face, and finally bust out laughing at Bakugo’s groan that followed, “I’m going to grab Haru, I’ll have Kirishima send you my number okay?”

“Okay, thank you, let me know about the doctors thing.”

You gave him a small nod and walked out of the room. Stopping the bathroom to rinse off the tears. When you opened up the door to Kirishima’s office, you found Haru staring at the large tv completely awe struck by the footage of Midoriya fighting alongside Bakugo. One of their earlier fights, they were just barely pros. You remembered it because that was when he and Shinso agreed to work together. That was the fight that introduced you to him.

— a few days later

“Momma, you’re doing your upset walk,” Haru whispered, as if he was telling some kind of secret. Shinso snorted into his coffee, and earned him self a dirty look from you.

“Your mother is just nervous over seeing her friend small human,” Shinso called you out, and earned another dirty look.

“Momma is friends with Dynamight, Uncle Toshi! She has even met Deku!” Haru’s eyes were sparkling as he said it, waving around his Deku plushie.

“You know, I’ve worked with Deku before, almost beat him-”

“In the sports festival, yes Uncle Toshi we knowwww,” Haru groaned, having heard the story at least fifty time. It was your turn to laugh. Haru loved Shinso, but when it came to his favorite heroes, being ranked under his own fiancé was a bit of a sting.. So poor Shinso tries to impress the kid every chance he can.

“You’ve told him the story at least ten times,” You backed up your son, shrugging your shoulders.

“You know, I was in the room when you came into this world little man, I deserve some props as a hero,” Shinso groaned, and Haru just laughed, taking another bite of his cereal.

“I know, but you’re a hero like you know a dad would be,” Haru said casually and both of you froze. He was trying so desperately to figure out what it meant to have a Dad. The last time Kirishima came to visit, he had even asked him if he was his dad because of their red eyes, and how Kirishima is always there for his big moments. Then he asked you if Shinso was his dad, because they both liked cats.

“Haru, our ride is here, we better go outside okay?” You smiled, changing the subject, “Give Toshi a hug!”

Haru jumped down and gave Shinso a quick hug. You grabbed your things, and your files about Haru’s past doctor’s appointments. After he grabbed his backpack you walked over and kissed Shinso’s cheeks, mouthing a quick apology. He waved you off.

“Let me know how it goes,” He smiled, and you knew he wasn’t just talking about the doctors appointment.

You picked up Haru and carried him outside. Bakugo waved at you both, and Haru hid his face again. Although he was excited to get to meet one of his heroes, he was also terrified. Bakugo pouted a little bit, and you gave him a small glare. He straightened up and forced a smile.

“I just need to grab his seat!” You forced a smile, trying to avoid how awkward this was. Bakugo shook his head.

“Nope, I bought one, it’s got all the things,” Bakugo sounded proud of himself, you raised an eyebrow but walked towards his car. He opened the door and you saw a seat, one of the ones with a cup holder, and in it was a collectible Deku doll that Haru had wanted for months. Along with a signed picture of him.

“Haru, look,” You whispered, making sure to tell Bakugo later that he can’t just buy his love. Haru’s face lit up though, and he quickly jumped down out of your arms. He grabbed the doll and picture, looking at you with wide eyes.

“Thank you Mr. Dynamight sir!” Haru grinned, before climbing in his seat so you could buckle him in. Bakugo stood behind you, and you could practically feel the grin radiating off of him.

“Call me Katsuki kid, all of my friends do,” Bakugo smiled, and got in the drivers seat. You walked over to the other side, and climbed into the passenger seat.

The ride was quiet, just the sounds of Haru playing with his new toy in the background. Neither you or Bakugo knew what to say to one another. So you just sat in comfortable silence, looking through Haru’s main doctor’s notes. Then Haru needed to blow his nose, and out of habit you opened up the glove box to grab a tissue as if you were in your own car. Inside it though you found Bakugo’s necklace that had matched yours, that you gave back to him when you left. You grabbed a tissue and handed it back to Haru.

“Yours is hanging up on the rearview mirror of my other car,” Bakugo mumbled, his eyes not leaving the road. You studied the side of his face, just nodding in response. It was odd that after all of this time he still had that dumb thing. You two had gotten them on your fourth time of hanging out, he had found them at a festival he made some appearance at. They were cheap, but you both wore them all of the time. The necklaces meant something to both of you, the day you took yours off was the day you knew it was over.

The rest of the ride felt tense. You felt silly over thinking the necklace. You figured he would have thrown them away at this point. When you finally got to the hospital, Bakugo went and found a parking spot. He went to walk in with you two but you shook your head.

“I’m not ready for the rumors to start surrounding Haru, so would you mind just hanging out here?” You whispered.

“Oh, yeah no you’re right, I’ll be here,” Bakugo nodded his head, looking a little disappointed. You climbed out of the car and grabbed Haru, who waved a tiny hand at Bakugo as the two of you walked towards the entrance.

You weren’t in the waiting room for long till you were called into the exam room. They did a few X-rays, and tests, on Haru. Then after about an hour you were sitting in the Doctor’s office as Haru played with his toys on the floor. The doctor say down across from you and showed you all of the test results.

“Well the good news is, Haru will most definitely have a quirk, his body is already adjusted to what his quirk would be,” The doctor smiled, “I’m guessing his father’s quirk has something to do with nitroglycerin?”

“Uh well we don’t actually know much about his father,” You lied, knowing Haru was paying attention now.

“Well Haru has high levels of it in his sweat glands according to the tests, but my only concern is that I think he has some kind of mental block keeping him from using his quirk,” The doctor explained, “You’re quirkless correct?”

“Uh yes sir, I am,” You nodded your head. Haru walked over to you and grabbed your hand. So you put him in your lap.

“Maybe he just won’t use his quirk because he doesn’t want to be different from you, since you are his sole provider,”

“No that’s not it,” Haru interrupted and you both looked at him, “It’s not Mommy’s fault, I just want to use my quirk when Dad comes back for us,”

You felt your heart break into a million pieces.

“Haru sweetie, have you known about your quirk?” You whispered, and he nodded his head sadly.

“I accidentally blew up Mira’s doll at the playground, but made her promise to not tell her parents so you wouldn’t know,” Haru hung his head, and avoided eye contact. Like he did whenever he thought he was going to be in trouble.

“Haru you could’ve told me, then we wouldn’t have had to do all these tests, why didn’t you-”

“I just wanted dad to be the one to help me,” Haru cut you off again, his eyes watering. You let out a sigh and pulled him closer to you. The doctor nodded his head, smiling softly at you.

The two of you walked out to the car again. Bakugo’s head perked up at the sight of you both. He jumped out of the car and opened the door for you to put Haru in. Bakugo raised an eyebrow at the sad look on his face, and then looked at you.

“Tell me he has his quirk? Or at least a hope of one?” Bakugo asked, and you closed Haru’s door. Glaring at Bakugo, before walking over to your door. You climbed in the car and didn’t say a word until you got the park where Kirishima was meeting you guys.

“Hey, Haru why don’t you go with Uncle Ei and play while I talk to Katsuki?” You smiled at Haru, who climbed out of his seat and went to Kirishima who had opened the door for him. Kirishima closed the door and walked away with Haru. Bakugo looked towards you with a raised eyebrow.

“Why did you do it?” You whispered and Bakugo just looked even more confused, “Why did you fuck all of this up?”

“What do you mean?” Bakugo’s tone was proof enough that he was annoyed. Not necessarily at you, but more so at the fact he could see Kirishima playing with his son so effortlessly.

“Cheat on me, leave me alone to raise him, leave him confused and upset because all he wanted was his dad,” Your eyes started water, tears threatening to spill over. Bakugo turned his head back towards you, your words stinging a little bit.

“I didn’t leave you alone, I didn’t know.” His voice was stern, “You can’t make me out to be the dead beat father in this situation (Y/n) I would have been there for him if I would have known he was alive,”

You let out a sigh of defeat, making eye contact with him. Bakugo felt his heart break at the look in your eyes. You looked.. Defeated.

“I know, I know it’s my fault okay?” You whispered, “I should have never kept him from you, I should have told you I was pregnant but I was selfish, and hurt, and-”

You were sobbing now. Your words falling off. Bakugo unbuckled your seat belt, and pulled you over the center console so you were sitting on him. He hugged you, tightly. Letting you let out every single sob, as he rubbed your back. You cling onto his shirt as you buried your face in his shoulder.

“I know why you were mad, and I don’t blame you but (Y/n), I would have been there for you both if I would have know,” He whispered against you, you pulled your head back and looked at him.

“I know, and I’m sorry, I still hate what you did to me, to our relationship, but Haru deserves to know his father,” You sighed, Bakugo reached up and wiped some of the stray make up on your face.

“So we’ll tell him?” He smiled hopefully, and you nodded.

“Eventually, eventually we will tell him, but for now I just want you to get to know him, ease him into it,” His smile faded a little but he knew you were right.

Bakugo stared at you and it settled in for him that it was never Momo. It was never once her for him, it was you. Back then, he was too scared to let himself admit it. Despite how long you two had been together when his affair with Momo started, he was scared. Scared of how much he could love a single person. Then he felt guilty because he had no reason to have that fear. He grew up watching his parents have that kind of love. It was his own selfish mindset that pushed him to that decision.. That pushed him to losing you.

You crawled back into your seat, flipping the visor down. Bakugo watched as you wiped the make up off your face. You turned back to look at him, smiling a little.

"I have a proposition for you, if you want to spend more time with him?" Your voice sounded a little nervous, and Bakugo grinned a little nodding his head, "Go to the wedding with us to the wedding? I mean you and Denki were friends right?"

"Are you sure? I mean I know how all of them must feel about me?" Bakugo laughed a little, and you shook your head looking back at Haru and Kirishima.

"They all love Ru, so much, so I think they will understand why I want you there, and besides Hitoshi does nothing but tell me to get back in the dating game," You rolled your eyes, and Bakugo laughed at you a little bit.

"How long has it been since you've been on a date if Dead Eyes is making jokes about it?" Bakugo was half teasing, and half curious what the answer was.

"Oh don't you start asshole, I have been raising our kid," You laughed, a genuine laugh. A laugh that made Bakugo's heart do some kind of internal flip. He smiled softly at you.

"You said our kid," He whispered, and you blushed a little.

"Our kid who is staring in here trying to figure out what's wrong," You laughed, pointing towards Haru who now had an adorable pout on his face. You climbed out of the car and ran towards him, picking him up and spinning him all crazy like. Bakugo smiled as he watched you two together. Realizing that all he ever wanted in life was right here, and in his reach again.

--------------------------------------

tagging all of the people who replied to hidden secrets part one <3

there is going to be a part three, and i promise for everyone who asked for bakugo suffering.. it is coming because i am feeling evil >:]

@girl-who-likes-cold-bois , @leximoron , @shyonigirichan , @tspice283 , @heyomie , @beigeunburdened , @xoxo-teddybear , @silentw-lkr , @semhal , @justmewoo , @jazzylove , @nolimitsam , @da1chisjuicywatermelons , @ayoooooooooooo

#bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo fic #katsuki x reader #reader insert mha #bakugo angst

445 notes · View notes

gimme-mor · 3 years ago

Text

ACOTAR THINK PIECE: ELAIN ARCHERON, UNTOUCHABLE

*DISCLAIMER*

This will be a long post.

Please take the time to read this post in its entirety and truly reflect on the message I am trying to send before commenting. My goal is to use my background in Gender and Women’s Studies to deconstruct the comments I have seen on Tumblr and Twitter and bring awareness to the ACOTAR fandom.

The reason I am tagging “Elriel” in this post is to call attention to the arguments in the Elriel fandom that: weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions about Elain’s character and her relationship with Lucien; victimize Elain’s character in fandom discussions; and coddle Elain’s character, which limits fandom discussions about her narrative development and prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions in the same way that the fandom holds other characters accountable for their actions and inactions. It is for these reasons that I WILL NOT remove the “Elriel” tag from this post because all of the above points contribute to the toxic discourse surrounding Elain’s character.

I urge those who use these arguments to understand their implications, why they are problematic, regardless of intent, and reexamine their contributions to the ACOTAR fandom. I WILL NOT tolerate anyone who tries to twist my words and say I am attacking people and their personal shipping preferences. In fact, I AM CRITIQUING THE ARGUMENTS THEMSELVES NOT THE PEOPLE USING THE ARGUMENTS.

Also, I highly encourage the Elriel fandom to read this post because it addresses how the concept of choice as an argument enables arguments to exploit social justice and feminist languge in order to vilify Elucien shippers, among other problematic things.

Elain Archeron is one of the most polarizing characters in the ACOTAR fandom. Though opinions about Elain vary, arguments in the Elriel fandom cite society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters as the reason behind the hate, and this belief is used to provide an explanation as to why other characters in the series are favored over her. In the series, Elain is portrayed in a wholly positive light and this image carries over into the Elriel fandom, painting her character as a good and kind female who has been unfairly wronged and a victim of circumstances that were out of her control. When arguments in the Elriel fandom oppose other viewpoints in the fandom, they fall into one of three categories:

Category 1: Weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions

Maybe people who hate Elain are just jealous of her in a weird way similar to when someone hates the pretty, nice, and charming girl in school just because she is too perfect

Disliking Elain is misogynistic

What happened to feminism? What happened to women supporting women? What happened to she can say no? All of that disappears the second you force Elain to be with Lucien

Elain antis are misogynistic

All Eluciens are Elain antis

Antis claiming they’re feminists when in reality they hate on Elain and Feyre but love Nesta

Elain antis are such sore losers. Y’all were that bunch of people who could not get over being rejected from hanging out with the cool kids so y’all are projecting your hatred towards pretty people now to get validation

I don’t get how Elain’s love for gardening equals boring for some people. I’m sorry your misogyny finds traditionally feminine activities boring

Why are you attacking a female? What did Elain do? Where are your feminist voices?

The fandom is misogynistic towards Elain

If people loved Elain they would ship Elriel

If you hate Elain it says a lot about your feelings toward women

If you hate Elain because she has no “development” then you must hate Azriel because otherwise you’re misogynistic

Eluciens are turned off by the idea of a woman that has the autonomy to reject a man for the simple reason that it is her choice

Eluciens are all about feminism and “it’s HER choice” until it comes down to females not wanting a male

Eluciens don’t respect Elain’s feelings when they ship her with someone that was part of her trauma and makes her feel uncomfortable

The way some Elucien shippers completely disregard how uncomfortable Elain is around Lucien is so hilariously not funny. Prioritizing being mates over Elain’s feelings is just regressive

It’s hard as a fan of Elain to see someone ship her with a person who makes her physically uncomfortable to be around. Wouldn’t you want both characters to be happy to be around each other

Imagine if SJM saw all the awful things her “stans” had to say about Elain

It’s true that we know comparatively little about her, but is she really boring or do you just not value stereotypically feminine traits?

So y’all are just gonna tell me you prefer Elucien over Elriel? Even though Lucien treats Elain as if she’s something that belongs to him? The only reason he wants to be with her is because she’s his mate, he doesn’t respect her, doesn’t treat her as his equal, even though that’s what mates should be? He doesn’t bother to look past what’s on the outside to see her for who she is. And Elain is obviously repulsed by the idea that she should belong to anyone or have no choice in who she can be with. Azriel is her friend and the only person who sees her quiet strength. He has so much faith in her, in her abilities; he’s the one who kept her company when no one else did, he’s the only one who bothered to see her for more than her brokenness. You’re going to tell me you still prefer Elucien over Elriel?

The more I see Gwynriels that ship Elucien out of their hate for Elain, the less I can understand Elain stans that ship Elucien. Pls Elain has made it very clear that she doesn’t want Lucien, why would you ship her with him? Do you hate her too? Smh

The real question would be, if you care and understand Elain why would you ship her with Lucien (where she canonically shrinks when he is near)?

People crying over Helion and Lucien’s mom not getting to be with each other and her being forced into a relationship she didn’t want, but also ship Elucien? Just say you hate Elain

When Elain’s book is out, Gwyn stans will look like clowns and I will laugh because they set her up by shipping her with Azriel just because they hate Elain. Watch them play the victims now because Elriels are clapping back the hate they’ve sent towards Elain

As romantic as wanting girl who is visibly uncomfortable around a guy who caused her trauma to end up with the said guy. Guess their standards for romance are in hell

Category 2: Victimize Elain’s character

Gwynriels only want Gwyn with Azriel because they despise Elain

Gwyn stans and Gwynriels are Elain antis

No one in the books dislike Elain, so why are there so many people who do?

Elain hasn’t done anything wrong or questionable to warrant the hate she gets

Not having Elain’s POV makes it easy for people to be swayed a certain way about her character if you already don’t relate to her in some way

It’s been years since this series came out and we haven’t gotten a lick of an Elain POV, but people still hate her for what? We don’t know her thoughts, dreams, or aspirations

We haven’t even had Elain’s perspective yet and people are passing these judgments off on her

Elain antis who say she’s boring are just cruel when she has obvious symptoms of PTSD like Feyre and Nesta

Gwyn is one of the most overhyped characters and that’s only because most people hate Elain and they couldn’t wait to find a random girl to ship Azriel with

Nesta was abusive to her sisters but Elain (who has only ever been kind) is painted as the villain

From the text we know that Elain is the epitome of feminine stereotypes (gentle, gardening, baking, non confrontational for the most part). Yet people still call her boring or deny that she has any interesting character traits?

You can’t love Nesta and hate Elain

People hate Elain because of internalized misogyny and lack of taste. All the girl does is tend to her garden and mind her business and they treat her worse than Tamlin

Does Gwyn deserve all this support? Of course yes! She is amazing! But where’s that support when Elain was in the same situation as she? Where’s that support for her right now? Why do they idolize Gwyn for her interactions with Azriel and hate Elain for having any interaction with him?

It’s not even a ship war anymore, they just hate Elain

People hate Elain for no reason

Some of y’all don’t like feminine traits and it shows

We know less about Eris and Helion but people don’t call them boring. Why would rejecting femininity make Elain more interesting?

Elain has had a lot forced upon her

The main reason I believe most people love Gwyn so much is to get Azriel away from Elain. It’s not a secret that Elain has been a widely hated character for years so suddenly we get a new female who has a minimal amount of interactions with Azriel and BOOM. New ship that once again doesn’t make sense (just like Azriel x Emerie after ACOFAS)

Elain hasn’t done something so terrible for her to get this hate. At this point some of you are just being misogynistic and you don’t want to accept it. Don’t call yourselves feminists and then say bs like this, it’s embarrassing. She’s pretty and everyone agreed to hate on her

Just a personal feeling, but I feel like a lot of the Elain hate stems from internalized misogyny. That to be a strong female lead, you need to pick up a sword and fight. That to be strong, you need to adapt traditionally masculine traits

Elain is feminine. She is beautiful. She loves to bake and garden. She is docile, quiet, observant, and a people-pleaser. All traditionally feminine traits. Yet for some reason, she’s like the worst in these people’s eyes?

I think also maybe a lot of people can’t relate to her femininity? That her being so beautiful and quiet doesn’t allow for the people who dislike her not to self-insert? Most of the hate stems from people not wanting Elain to be with Azriel. It’s mean, but maybe the people who hate Elain literally just can’t self-insert if they have a story and that’s why they’re vehemently against it?

Poor Elain. The Cauldron dealt her a bad deal. Upon emerging as Fae, she is immediately declared by Lucien as his mate, never mind that she was already engaged to a prick. Her love life is not good

It blows my mind how they really think that they can compare all the shit that Elain gets with some dumb jokes about Gwyn on Twitter (and yes, the “hate” towards her started mostly because Elriels are clapping back, it was bound to happen)

I would think of it as anti-feminist with Elain and Lucien because she has consistently stated that she does not want him so if she was forced to embrace the bond that would be taking away her right to have a choice but with Az she feels comfortable around so if they were mates then Elain would be happy and feel safe which again should be the priority for women to feel safe in their relationships with anything and to not be forced into any type of situation aka the mating bond in this

Category 3: Coddle Elain’s character

Elain has value the way she is, in all her domestic girly glory. Not every character has to be badass

We don’t speak of Elain’s flaws frequently because everyone else already speaks badly of her, mainly in an unfair way

There is definitely something deeper going on with Elain but by no means will she ever be evil or any less feminine. That goes against everything we already know about her

It’s ok to critique Elain because she needs growth but y’all keep forgetting the shit her and her sisters went through

The last “bad” thing Elain did in ACOTAR was not help Feyre when they were impoverished and I’m tired of people acting like she’s a terrible character when it was their father’s responsibility. It happened 4 books ago and Feyre has forgiven both Nesta and Elain

Elain’s character and the evil Elain theory are a great example of the trend where people only consider female characters interesting if they reject femininity

We don’t know enough to hate Elain

Many people want Elain to turn evil (which in my opinion seems to come from a place of internalized misogyny)

However we don’t tend to talk about her faults, at least not publicly, as that has been, and still is, done to death, and I--personally, at least--find it much more fun to theorise about potentially interesting aspects of the overall plot, than dwell on negatives

And ultimately, I would be shocked if Elain has a more karmically-charged story than Nesta, considering that Elain’s “wrongs” are so much less severe and bad than Nesta’s, and Elain has already apologized for them (or paid the price in other ways, like through what Graysen did)

I guess I also think Elain has suffered and been punished enough. I hope her story is about finding hope in terrible situations, and learning to love her new life, and choosing her own path after everything that has been done to her. I don’t think she needs to be punished anymore or face any additional trauma

Also, why is she being judged on her decisions as a human at all? Fae are monsters to humans! They enslaved them for thousands of years, and the Wall was erected to keep them out

Like I’m sorry, but think Elain would want to leave her ONLY FAMILY AND FRIENDS for the Spring Court where she has no one because--oh look, lots of flowers!--is the craziest thing I have ever heard

Her sisters are in the Night Court. Her nephew is in the Night Court. Her closest friends (Nuala and Cerridwen) are in the Night Court. Her love interest is in the Night Court. Her extended family is in the Night Court. Her home is in the Night Court

SJM isn’t going to keep two sisters together and split up the third. Especially not keep Feyre and Nesta together and separate Elain. They were either all going to end up in separate places, or together. Not 2 here and 1 there

Compared to the other female characters in the series, Elain is the only character whose femalehood is at the center of conversations; this is because arguments in the Elriel fandom fixate on it when discussing her character. While Elain, Feyre, Nesta, and Mor are all representations of white womanhood and white beauty, Elain epitomizes the most fragile version of white womanhood. It’s easy to blame society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters when it comes to the discourse surrounding Elain’s character because it: falls in line with the fixation on Elain’s femalehood to silence opposing viewpoints; is a simplistic explanation that fails to tackle the underlying issues with Elain as a character, the same issues that are downplayed in-universe; absolves Elain of her wrongdoings; prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions within the series; and diminishes the impact Elain’s actions and inactions have on those around her. It’s not that Elain is hated in the fandom because she’s a traditional female character; it’s the fact that arguments in the Elriel fandom deflect a critical analysis of Elain’s character because she’s a traditional female character who embodies the ideal white woman in need of protection. White fans and white-aligned fans of color, especially white women, have a tendency to vehemently defend, gatekeep, and coddle white female characters in fandom; this makes it difficult for other fans to engage in critical discussions about these white female characters because they’re viewed as flawless and all around perfect characters despite evidence to the contrary. Since Elain is viewed positively by the other characters in the series, it has rendered her character untouchable to any perceived slight or criticism in fandom discussions because those negative opinions challenge what has been said about her character thus far. And as a result, her character has been placed on a pedestal and implicitly hailed as the epitome of white womanhood; and when she’s criticized, it’s seen as a direct attack against white womanhood. Arguments in the Elriel fandom: exploit feminist language and perpetuate white feminist tactics under the guise of defending Elain’s character; center Elain in conversations about female oppression in the ACOTAR world and uphold white feminist ideologies in their critique of ACOTAR’s patriarchal society; and use the fragile white woman narrative to victimize Elain in Lucien’s presence, playing into racial biases that are associated with white supremacy’s defense of white womanhood.

Feminism is a social movement that seeks to promote equality and equity to all genders, and feminists work toward eradicating gender disparities on a macro-level, in addition to challenging gender biases on a micro-level. As feminism became more mainstream, a flat and oversimplified version of feminism emerged: mainstream feminism. The mainstream feminist movement is meant to represent all women, but rarely does it center conversations around issues that concern most women. The problem with mainstream feminism is that it’s just a popularized version of white feminism. White feminism has relied extensively on an individualized understanding of women’s oppression, exclusively from the lens of privileged white women. White feminism only focuses on the oppression experienced by white, able-bodied, affluent, educated, cishet women; and it views gender as the key mode of privileged white women’s oppression, isolated from the privileges granted by their other social identities. White women can be and are oppressed under the patriarchy but only because they are women; their identity as women does not exempt them from the privileges granted by their whiteness. The term white feminist does not mean any feminist who is white, but refers to feminists who prioritize the concerns of privileged white women as though they are representative of all women. However, the term is not exclusive to white people. Because white feminism is so pervasive, people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds often buy into white feminism, believing that if they work hard enough, they may be able to reap its rewards.

Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism only recognizes the identity of being a woman, assumes that all women share common experiences of gender oppression, fails to address other social identities in relation to overlapping systems of oppression, and disregards privilege in relation to various social identities. Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism is palatable because it doesn’t seek to challenge the systems in place, instead its goal is to succeed within them. Essentially, mainstream feminism and white feminism are extensions of performative feminism. Performative feminism is a type of performative activism that’s used to describe feminist views that are surface level and solely for the benefit of one type of person. It’s a pretense which often has nothing to do with genuine activism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom normalize and promote performative feminism because the topic of feminism is only referenced when discussing Elain. This indicates that these arguments are engaging in disingenuous discourse to push a personal agenda within the ACOTAR fandom, and it becomes more apparent when they use white feminist tactics to shut down opposing viewpoints:

White feminists weaponize and exploit feminist language to silence the opinions of other women, especially when they’re called out for their problematic behaviors

White feminists use the phrase “Women supporting women” to defend other white feminists who exhibit problematic behaviors instead of holding them accountable

White feminists weaponize phrases like “Women supporting women” and “You just hate women” to attack other women who disagree with them on any given topic

White feminists use phrases like “All women face challenges” and “Stop pitting women against each other” to sidestep conversations about privilege

White feminists divert conversations away from privilege and towards the Trauma Olympics to equate their struggles to the oppression of marginalized people

White feminists skirt around the realities of other forms of oppression and discrimination, downplaying the experiences of marginalized people

White feminists diminish or ignore the ways in which gender oppression affects other marginalized people

White feminists paint those they harmed as aggressive, mean, or divisive when confronted with the ways they have harmed a marginalized group

White feminists deflect criticism by focusing on the anger or emotions being expressed rather than the issue that is being discussed, invalidating the concerns of marginalized people

White feminists speak over marginalized voices in an attempt to sound “woke”

White feminists get defensive and insist there’s no way they could be a part of the problem because of what they’ve done to help marginalized groups already

White feminists say they don’t see color in an attempt to obscure racial issues that need to be addressed

White feminists center and victimize themselves in conversations about racism, which derails necessary conversations from taking place

White feminists who are white weaponize the intersectionality of their race and gender to avoid accountability

Feminism is not meant to be approached from an individualistic perspective nor is it only about addressing the experiences of privileged white women, it involves addressing the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and other social identities as well; and it involves addressing how these social identities relate to privilege. Moreover, feminism is not about women upholding complete loyalty to other women because of a shared gender identity, and to claim that it does implies that women should be held to different emotional standards than men. If men are able to dislike and criticize other individual men, real or fictional, without their characters being compromised, why aren’t women granted that same privilege?

It’s clear that SJM set up the ACOTAR world to mirror a patriarchal society, and that the imbalance of power between males and females stems from sexism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom analyze the ACOTAR world through a feminist lens to show how ACOTAR’s patriarchal society, to which the mating bond is innately tied, contributes to female oppression and limits their agency. When choice and free will are emphasized as part of Elain’s arc, they imply that Elain, through the mating bond, experiences female oppression under ACOTAR’s patriarchal society because of her identity as a female with that identity being the focal point of her oppression in the world. Elain is one of the most privileged characters in the ACOTAR world: she’s High Fae; she’s the sister of the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court, which gives her access to wealth and political influence because of that connection; she’s able-bodied; she was magically blessed by the Cauldron; and she lives in Velaris, a place that grants females autonomy and power because of the beliefs of Rhysand and Feyre. Arguments in the Elriel fandom trivialize female oppression in the ACOTAR world because they disregard the fact that Elain’s privileges prevent her from experiencing female oppression in the same way that other marginalized females in the world do. The mating bond being one such example because those around Elain are not forcing the bond on her, instead they’re allowing Elain to reach a decision about the bond for herself; a privilege that other marginalized females in the world probably wouldn’t have. Just because Elain has endured hardships in her life and is a female in a patriarchal society, they do not erase the privileges she holds within the ACOTAR world. The failure to include Elain’s privileges in discussions about Elain being a female in a patriarchal society feeds into white feminist ideologies because white feminism operates from a very narrow perspective; it doesn’t take other intersecting identities into account when it examines gender oppression, leaving no room for discussions about privilege (or lack thereof) in relation to those intersecting identities. When discussing oppression in hierarchical societies, it’s imperative that privilege is also included in the conversation because privilege and oppression are not mutually exclusive; they equally affect the ways in which people navigate those societies through their social identities.

Rather than attributing Elain’s uncomfortability to her new life as a Fae female or the mating bond itself and her trauma to the Cauldron, the King of Hybern, or Ianthe, they’re placed on Lucien to cast his character in a negative light. Moreover, fandom discussions portray Lucien as a possessive character to further emphasize Elain’s discomfort despite the inaccuracy of this characterization in canon. Arguments in the Elriel fandom play into racial biases when it comes to Lucien (a male character of color) because they mischaracterize his character in order to victimize Elain (a white female character), placing her character in the role of the white damsel in distress. In Western society, the concept of womanhood has been conceptualized from a Eurocentric perspective with femininity and feminine attributes favoring white women. It’s the idea that a certain type of femininity is only inherent to white women as they are seen as the embodiment of an ideal womanhood. White womanhood has been a symbol of innocence and purity, and white women have been viewed as fragile beings in need of protection. The reason white womanhood functions within white supremacy is because it’s the same idea that has motivated white men to kill and beat black and brown men. The so-called protection of white women has been used as a justification for the horrific violence committed by white men because black and brown men were stereotyped as aggressive and seen as a threat to the virtue of white women. The white damsel in distress trope considered white women as worthy of protection because of their perceived innocence and purity; women of color were not granted that same treatment because they did not fit into the ideal image of womanhood. Over the years, this trope became a means for white women to exercise limited power in a patriarchal society with white women weaponizing their status as the damsel much to the detriment of black and brown men. It’s through the white damsel in distress trope that white supremacy sustains its dominance in Western society. The misrepresentation of characters of color in fandom, the dismissal of their importance to the overall story, and using them as tools in arguments centered around white characters are the foundation of fandom racism; they’re examples of how racism moves silently in fandom spaces. Instead of examining their behavior and taking constructive criticism from fans of color, white fans will often double down on their bigotry and center their uncomfortability in the conversation when confronted with their complicity in fandom racism. White fans expect fans of color to swallow fandom racism in its many forms in order to not ruin the experience of fandom, dismissing the fact that racism is prevalent in nearly every aspect of society. This mentality ensures that no one is held accountable for the harm they caused and alienates fans of color in fandom spaces.

To reiterate what I mentioned in my first think piece: terms like “oppression”, “the right to choose”, “feminist”, “feminism”, “anti-feminist”, “anti-feminism”, “internalized misogyny”, “misogyny”, “misogynist”, “sexist”, “sexism”, “racist”, “racism”, “classist”, “classism”, “discrimination”, and “patriarchy” are all used in specific ways to draw attention to the plight of marginalized people and challenge those who deny the existence of systems of oppression. Yet these words and their meanings can be twisted to attack, exclude, and invalidate people with differing opinions on any given topic. When social justice and feminist terms are thrown around antagonistically and carelessly to push a personal agenda, it becomes clear that these terms are being used to engage in disingenuous discourse and pursue personal validation rather than being used out of any deep-seated conviction to dismantle systemic oppression. Being an ally, activist, or feminist is not an identity, it’s a practice. It requires: ongoing self-reflection; holding ourselves accountable; listening to marginalized people; educating ourselves; dismantling implicit biases; challenging those around us who are exhibiting problematic behaviors; and action behind our words.

It’s important to be aware of the language that is used within the fandom when defending or critiquing characters and ships. It’s also important to question how an argument is framed and why it’s framed the way that it is to critically examine the intent behind that argument: is it used as a tool to push a personal agenda that reinforces problematic behaviors, or is it used as an opportunity to share, learn, enlighten, and educate?

-----------

Tagging: @spell-cleavers @bookofmirth @m0bulidae @ilya-boltagon

#elain archeron #elriel #acotar fandom #acotar: fandom critical

336 notes · View notes

henrysglock · 2 years ago

Text

Wanted to discuss this because I’ve never been good at letting a conflict go unresolved. I’m confrontational like that. I want to preface with this:

Was I upset on this topic yesterday? Absolutely. Gave myself a migraine over it. Am I upset now? A little frustrated, but generally: No.

Moving on:

The Mindflayer is a cool villain. No one is saying it isn’t! No one is saying that it isn’t going to play a major role in s5. Of course it is! And would it be cool as the big bad? Yes, but only if:

The larger narrative was just an eldritch horror story.

But it isn’t, it’s ultimately a story about people. If the Duffers made the Mindflayer the big bad over Henry, what message are they trying to send? That the Mindflayer is conformity and conformity…made Henry violate one kid and kill several others? That Henry is committing atrocities but really “just doing as he’s told”? Henry can’t be held accountable for what he did because he was under the control of the hive mind? That we need to appeal to his humanity? That…doesn’t sound great. That puts the responsibility on the victims to change the attacker. That doesn’t sound like a Duffer story, and it’s not a very compelling story.

Meanwhile, if Henry is the big bad we get a clear narrative about humanity’s potential for deliberate cruelty and monstrosity being defeated by humanity’s resilience and capacity for love. It’s a story that tells us that we can defeat the human monsters in our lives with love and a good support network. That sounds like a Duffer narrative, esp considering they’re all about freaks and geeks, people generally lacking in widespread love therefore being resilient and deliberately loving, being the heroes.

And also: what about the fact that El has already defeated the Mindflayer twice? What, s5 is her…doing it again? What was the point of showing that she can defeat the Mindflayer with barely developed powers and the help of her tweenage friends, but she couldn’t defeat Henry even with a bunch of traumatic training and the help of her friends? It makes no sense. How is the Mindflayer big bad material after that?

All of the other monster imagery has been purely symbolic, none of the human presence has been. Why would the Mindflayer be any different? Does this not indicate that this was never really about the eldritch horrors?

And on top of that, there’s little textual evidence to support the idea the the Mindflayer actually has any motivations that aren’t intrinsically linked to Henry. Henry’s motivations predate his contact with the Mindflayer. He shaped the Mindflayer, and it took up his motivations.

Overall:

There’s a big difference between “well I like it” and “it tells a clear, compelling story and is supported by textual evidence”. We can’t treat them as being the same thing. Both are valid, but not in comparison to each other.

We can all admit the Mindflayer is a cool villain! I love eldritch horror! but we have to be able to look past what we might want to see to see the truth behind it (pull back the eldritch horror curtain and see the man behind it) because otherwise it just doesn’t make any sense.

Of course all of this is my opinion and my analysis. That said, I’m also entitled to thinking that I’m right and arguing for my stance just as much as anyone else. If people want to argue to prove me wrong, they can do it by bringing arguments that can’t be refuted by textual evidence, narrative structure, and logic. I’d appreciate if they left attitude at the door, too. I don’t get bitchy unless other people do.

That’s the last original post I’m creating on this topic for now, I think I’ve made all my points.

#henry/vecna/001 #mindflayer #byler tumblr #stranger things analysis

19 notes · View notes

blockgamepirate · 4 years ago

Text

Technoblade’s purpose in the political narrative of the Dream SMP

I can’t sleep so I decided to finally write the post I’ve been struggling with for literal months, except way more casual because I can’t be bothered anymore and also I’m sleep deprived.

So the thing is: to me the DSMP storyline has always been primarily political, probably because I was introduced to it through Wilbur who was definitely going for political, and also because I’m just generally interested in political narratives right now. Obviously I appreciate the character work and the personal relationship stuff, that’s what makes it more interesting than just dry allegory, but when it comes down to it, this story is about politics to me. So that’s the angle I’m going to approach it from.

Also not to spoil the conclusions here, but I’m an anarchist, that’s my lens.

(Obviously all of this is about rp from here on out unless otherwise specified)

Basically the situation as Techno joins the server is this: L'Manburg exists as an autonomous nation and is de facto independent although not officially recognised by the Dream SMP. The self-appointed president Wilbur Soot decides to hold an election and rig it in order to consolidate his power over the nation he founded and he gets his VP Tommyinnit to join in on the plan. Their scheme fails and they end up voted out instead. The new president, Schlatt, immediately establishes himself as an authoritarian figure and exiles Wilbur and Tommy.

A couple of points on what the election arc demonstrates:

1: the appearance of democracy can be used for distinctly undemocratic purposes.

2: even if the elections aren’t rigged, the electoral system could be massively flawed and end up favouring a party that in fact didn’t have the popular vote

3: even if the winning government (the coalition in this case) has the majority vote, that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll actually act according to the popular will.

4: the supporters of the losing parties basically just have to let the majority overrule their wishes, espcially since apparently L’Manburg doesn’t have an established role for an opposition, yikes. That’s actually a MAJOR oversight in the system but I’m not gonna go into that too much.

5: frankly as an anarchist I am just deeply cynical towards representative democracy, and just because you have a token appearance of choice and consent doesn’t mean that it isn’t a hierarchical and authoritarian system. And to be fair, from my point of view this applies even to so-called liberal democracies and progressive parties. Full disclosure: even if L'Manburg was the ideal example of a representative democracy (which it very much isn’t) I would still be opposed to it because I fundamentally do not believe in top down systems, even electoral ones.

6: despite all these flaws, all the characters seem to implicitly accept the electoral system as legitimate. There’s criticism against the actions of individual characters acting within the system, such as Quackity calling out Wilbur for trying to rig the election, but nobody is questioning the system itself.

So at this point I’m sitting there, watching all this go down, and thinking “man, this would be so much more bearable if there was an anarchist point of view being represented in the story.”

And hey, look who IMMEDIATELY SHOWS UP.

Okay, I’m not gonna lie, early installation Technoblade is not the best representation of anarchism. I was mostly rooting for him out of sheer contrarianism initially. I didn’t really even care if it would be another Killmonger/Magneto/Zaheer situation because I’m used to reading against the authorial intent when it comes to these things. Sometimes any representation is better than no representation, even with political ideologies. That’s not to say that him just straight up spouting this hobbesian notion of a “dog-eat-dog world” didn’t grate on me, obviously it did.

That kind of worldview of humanity needing authority in order to prevent chaos and conflict is literally antithetical to anarchism and is the favourite talking point of authoritarians, the least anarchist people there are. It’s literally what people use to argue AGAINST anarchism. I think it’s mostly because cc!Techno obviously wasn’t particularly educated on anarchist thought and was just basically having fun roleplaying with his friends at this point. Which is frustrating but fair enough I guess.

Cynical ideas about human nature are pretty deeply rooted in the mainstream, unfortunately, most people just consider it common sense. And like I said, it’s a huge talking point in the propaganda against anarchism.

(… even though in fact these arguments were originally used against proponents of representative democracy. Hobbes himself was very much a monarchist, the idea of letting normal people vote for their representatives would have been terrifying to him. Like surely the world would descent into a free-for-all war, all against all. Imagine letting commoners have OPINIONS, the horror.)

So yeah, that stuff was pretty ehhhhh. It was basically what I’d expected though: cc!Techno isn’t an anarchist and we just don’t get accurate representation from non-anarchists, ever. What I dared to hope was that Techno’s character would at least stay consistent about his opposition to ALL governments. I was pretty sure that he would, even though it seemed like the majority of the fandom at the time was convinced that he would switch over to Schlatt’s side or something. It would have been a really shitty twist, I would have ragequit immediately. I mean what would have been the entire point of his character then? He might as well have been a random mercenary. Why even have his character be an anarchist if you were just going to make him work for a government?

(ftr this is kinda my biggest problem with the Hypixel Skyblock revolution event lol, honestly I think that was a worse depiction of anarchism than early DSMP Technoblade. I mean the speech was good, but… still became a government official, tho. booooooooo, cringe)

And yes, I was rooting against L'Manburg, obviously, and I would have even if it had meant having to deal with another badly written anarchist villain character. I never understood why people saw L'Manburg as the good guys, they were nationalist and exclusionary and their whole existence was based on trying to scam people for money.

I mean they were definitely funny, they were great entertainers. I have no problems with people rooting for them because they’re fun to watch; I did that for a bit too. But people were starting to get really into the story and talk about Wilbur and Tommy, the corrupt politicians, and the country that literally excluded people based on nationality as the heroes, unironically, which was wild to me. And when Wilbur started his “villain arc” well: people called it a villain arc, as if he hadn’t been pretty much a bad guy from the beginning, constantly just out for money and power and taking advantage of the people around him and then pretending to be the victim when challenged. I mean yes he got worse, but I wouldn’t call it a villain arc, more like just a mental breakdown arc.

More importantly, to me L'Manburg represented so many things I hate about the status quo in real life, and seeing the fandom mostly unquestioningly accept it as good just pissed me off. Still pisses me off tbh. I mean, to be diplomatic I could say that I understand the emotional attachment and the way L'Manburg was built up mirrors a lot of how real nations are built and how they create a sense of patriotism out of symbols and a sense of honour and loyalty, and it’s actually really fascinating how it even works in a Minecraft roleplay. Says something about the human mind I guess. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

Anyway, I just wanted to see literally any kind of opposition to power, even if it had to come from a character that was unquestionably a villain, which I fully assumed Techno would be. Because political narratives so often just leave us out, or at best barely mention us. And even from a narrative point of view, adding an anarchist perspective to a political story just objectively broadens its scope and actually challenges people who are used to only arguing along the lines of conservative or liberal, welfare state or privatization, nationalism or multiculturalism, etc. Even if the original work dealt with it poorly, at least it would give me the excuse to rant about it on Tumblr, which is kinda why I revived my old Minecraft sideblog for this. (That and pig!Techno fanart.)

Also how can you have a story so fundamentally about power without its counterpoint: the rejection of power?

(Yes, Dream SMP as a whole is definitely a narrative about power, it’s a huge theme for Wilbur, Quackity, Dream, Eret and the Badlanders at least, as well as obviously the anarchist characters from the opposite direction.)

So yeah, the build up to November 16th for me was mainly about the anticipation for what Techno would do, how would Techno’s character respond to the seemingly inevitable formation of a new government. THAT was the point of interest for me, that was what I was the most invested in. Would we get an actual anarchist opposition as a new side to the conflict or would they just awkwardly drop that whole angle? Or even have him team up with Schlatt like a complete sellout? There was so much potential but I worried they might just waste it.

And I was right to worry since apparently in the original script Techno wasn’t supposed to do anything, he was just there to help fight Schlatt and witness the explosion along with everyone else.

And WOW that would have been so incredibly boring

Not even just from the political perspective, just talking about the narrative in general terms here: imagine November 16th without Techno’s plot points. Not only would it have been boring for Techno’s character but it would have been equally boring for basically everybody but Wilbur and Philza. An anticlimactic fight followed by a big explosion that pretty much everybody had seen coming already. Yes, the button room scene is dramatic and heartbreaking… for Wilbur and Phil. But nobody else was there to see it. For everybody else, it was just a big explosion. It would have been such a huge disservice to anyone watching the other POVs.

Techno’s intervention gave everyone an ACTUAL climactic fight, it allowed characters other than Wil and Phil to witness some actual drama happening and to participate in it, rather than just waiting around for the explosion, while also foreshadowing the explosion. Even better, it provoked SO MUCH discussion in the fandom AND gave a perfect hook for future conflicts to arise. Wilbur’s end was tragic but it was, at the time, final. L'Manburg would have still suffered a catastrophe but it would have been left with just the same exact antagonist as before: Dream.

And at this point Dream’s core goals had barely changed, just his approach was now different. Yes, that makes a difference for the plot, but it doesn’t really change much in terms of ideological conflict. Especially since there really isn’t that big of an ideological difference between Dream and Tommy, because arguably neither of them are particularly big on ideology in the first place, they just have conflicting goals and use different tactics to achieve those goals (well, the tactics aren’t always even that different *cough Spirit cough*).

Techno’s conflict with Tubbo and especially Quackity (and honestly most of the other characters in general) brings in so much more depth to the story, just by introducing another angle, not to even mention how much it brings to focus questions about power and violence. These are themes that exist in other characters’s storylines too but nowhere in the same way or as central as with Techno.

I’m getting kind of ahead of myself here, though.

The real twist of November 16th was the fact that Techno WASN’T a straight up villain, actually. It was a twist to me anyway, because with all my cynicism I just didn’t see it coming, I didn’t expect him to actually start making reasonable criticisms. I didn’t expect him to drop the hobbesian arguments entirely and start making points that actually sounded like anarchism.

I have to assume that cc!Techno must have seen some of the criticisms of his character and been inspired to adjust because the difference is pretty notable.

(Sidenote: I’m just forever kinda sad that Techno’s “I may seem like the villain here” monologue was cut from the video and most people never heard it.)

And I felt SO validated by the way, because it works so well in the story! Everyone is mostly content with the restoration of a status quo of some sort, Schlatt is gone, this is supposed to be the good ending, and then Techno calls them all out and turns the narrative around completely: This was just a coup d'état. This was just the previous political leadership retaking power by force. Why is everyone celebrating the same exact system that lead to Schlatt’s authoritarian rule in the first place?

What he does there is force the audience to question the narrative they’ve been presented so far, that they’ve accepted without a thought. It might not convince them, but they can’t just ignore it either.

Whatever you wanna say about the discourse around Techno on that day, in the ideological narrative THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART. Not who betrayed who or when is political violence justified, that’s about personal relationships and morality and it’s mostly all more relevant to the aftermath than the event itself. In my opinion, the REAL point in the moment is that the characters and the audience were comfortable with the ending only to be presented with a completely new perspective on the events.

It also recontextualises the finale, including Wilbur’s actions! It’s a much more ambiguous end to the Pogtopia vs Manburg arc and to Wilbur’s original run as the head writer. Wilbur’s “even with Tubbo in charge I don’t think [that ‘special place’] can exist again” is vague enough to be dismissed as just part of his paranoia and internal conflict, but with Techno, there’s a concrete question: what if Tubbo, given the same powers as Schlatt, will turn out to be just a new Schlatt? And suddenly you have to wonder what Wilbur meant by his words too. And was all this foreshadowing something about L’Manburg’s future?

Okay I’ve only made it to November 16th and there’s so much more DSMP to talk about but the post is getting too long and I’m starting to lose my energy. Will I ever make a part two? No idea. But I’ll try.

Standard disclaimer: I’m not the spokesperson of anarchism, other anarchists might disagree with my reading

#technoblade #bladeblr #dream smp #dreamsmp #dsmp #l'manburg critical #c!wilbur soot critical #for courtesy tags #anarchy pog

246 notes · View notes