the only reason people say that "mafuyu and tsukasa have nothing in common" when presented with mafukasa parallels is because they equate mafuyu and tsukasa being similar to "tsukasa has depression" because the fandom equates mafuyu's personality to being depressed and nothing else.
it doesn't help that people (primarily younger people in the fandom) who DO believe in mafukasa parallels end up making the mistake of portraying tsukasa as depressed because as of right now he is not (although it's possible he was in past because of his Very Unclear Middle School Backstory but that's irrelevant)
anyways, mafuyu and tsukasa are narrative foils because their core personalities are built off of the concept of wanting to make the people around them— especially their families— happy.
they both developed personalities at a young age based on someone they looked up to. for tsukasa, it was seiichi amami's performance that inspired him to be a star— a hero that could cheer anyone up. for mafuyu, it was her mother taking care of her that inspired her to be a nurse— and you can see the similarities from there.
for mafuyu, her identity would first come into conflict when her mother expressed her want for mafuyu to be a doctor— suddenly, "everyone's" happiness didn't match what she wanted to do, leaving her in a state of disorder and eventual depression.
for tsukasa, his identity was something he nearly forgot in its entirety at the start of the main story— becoming arrogant and fully absorbed in a hero persona, forgetting the kind person he truly is. furthermore, his current character arc seems to be foreshadowing that what "being a star" to him is going to be called into question— maybe it is something more than just being the main character that saves everyone.
their insecurities are incredibly similar.
in mafuyu's first mixed, mafuyu feels insecure towards ichika because unlike ichika, she feels as if her lyrics have no genuine meaning to be expressed to other people— despite them being her very real feelings. this is brought up again in her second mixed as well.
in tsukasa's third focus event, something similar happens. when watching seiichi's performance, he thinks that his acting is "real" and feels inferior towards him, which is ironic because tsukasa has been method acting this whole time. when tsukasa is acting out rio or bartlett or really anyone at this point in the story, it's not just those characters— it's a reflection of his traumas.
just like mafuyu, tsukasa undermines his passions he's poured his feelings into because someone else's work is more genuine in his eyes.
now, then, foils have many similarities and parallels (and i could honestly list a lot more), but how i define them is that they usually have some kind of major branching difference that MAKES them foils.
for mafuyu and tsukasa it's pretty straightforward.
mafuyu's people pleasing behavior comes from external expectations and pressures— her mother's demands.
tsukasa's people pleasing behavior comes internally, from himself— if he can't meet his own standards, if he can't be the perfect big brother or the perfect star, then he is nothing.
and even then, there's some overlap.
tsukasa's behavior was indirectly encouraged by his mother praising him for being a "good big brother" over the phone instead of asking him if he was okay while home alone.
mafuyu's terrified to be herself around other people because she doesn't want to worry or bother them— she doesn't want to be a burden— and projects her mother's expectations onto them, not realizing that they would prefer the real mafuyu if they knew the truth.
and the concept of mafukasa being foils is most perfectly and blatantly portrayed in these two cards.
mafuyu, the marionette, sitting limp on the floor— puppeteered by her mother's demands and donning a mask to hide her true self.
tsukasa, the jester, standing above everything else— puppeteering silenced plushies— his feelings. he's not being completely honest with himself, and he doesn't even realize it.
mafuyu has cut her strings and ripped her mask in half. she has acknowledged her true feelings and expressed them to her mother, even if she had to run away in the end.
Me and @aurora-bore-aura have whipped up a Fabulous new au!
Introducing! The Lost Voices!
What happens when you toss in an Ex Hero, his “younger” and Older siblings(read Dani and Dan), His Two Partners, Red Robin on a Year long Vacay with his Partners Bernard and Kon and Ember the Pop Rock Ghost In one Van?
That's Right! Band Au bitches!!!! Well band and food truck au since I hc Bernard as Totes tone deaf.
Ok so
Danny! He retired, in desperate need of a new Vacation and Hobby.
And surprisingly Ember absolutely went wild when she invited him to ghost karaoke.
So his wail gave him a sirens voice, that's new. Welcome!
Wait. What if he made a Band?
Turns out Tucker is a Wizard with a soundboard. And Sam plays the Bass and drums nicely.
And for a bit the four played gigs all over the place, a niche band called the Lost Voices. (Sam suggested and that earned a surprising Kiss from Ember. Hey! Poly Band time hehehe)
Sure Tucker pre-recorded the drums. But they All agreed they wanted a bit more. A fresher view.
So! Auditions!
(Not done Bernard Yet)
Ok so Gay/Bi panic. And oh, the ancients were Tim and Kon good.
Tims voice a holy thing and his drum playing is even better.
And Kon!!! The piano was a surprise but man his fingers moved at a unmatched speed. Ok Danny *knew* they were semi death touched. Eh probably just liminal.
So they are invited! And they play in metropolis for a while and they start booming
Tim and Kon grin seeing a opportunity.
One Band van, one food truck and a Tour set up later? They are officially on the road and on tour for a Year. With Dan Driving and Dani happily along the ride they are set!
Tim did make it clear its a vacation and he would send postcards unless it's monthly call or emergency.
Babs is still laughing because he forgot to mention he is in the band that's rising faster then Canaries old band.
Oh well, time to remind Dick and Bruce to not constantly call.
Jamil's Healer class in @dirtspouse's Jamidia fic, Star Courier!
"In the end, the adventurer's father dies and the Star Courier still only has seven stars, but the story is about letting go and becoming your own person and doing things for yourself." - Light Party (Vivarium) by en passant (corinthian)
Our stories aren’t the same, but maybe we can understand eachother regardless.
Here it is! Oh my goodness this took FOREVER but I’m really happy with the result (especially the cover!) I wanted to make a small comic exploring John’s boundaries and baby steps in trust and comfort, Caro’s transition, and how much things have changed in the many years they were apart before reconnecting. There’s always going to be new things when there’s almost a decade between the last time you saw someone. For some reason I decided it needed to be full color. Anyway enjoy this tender moment disguised as a thirst trap. ✨
I think this little life snippet stands alone, but of course if you want to know more about them, they are side characters in my webcomic Seemingly Dark, and the mains in my webcomic Mil-Liminal, both can be read on Webtoon and Tapas.
John (sometimes Sully) is he/him gnc grey ace and Caro (sometimes Angel that’s not their dead name though) is they/them transmasc nonbinary
The thing with Jon is that he is actually really funny! His delightfully dry and sarcastic sense of humor is pleasantly visible from the beginning, and it's gradual decline as pressure builds up is pointed. He never loses his humor though, and in so many cases the crisis enhances it.
It makes me consider his childhood. Jon's rejected, ignored and hushed pretty often but it scarcely stops his witty comments; is this the environment he grew up it? Its not uncommon for elderly people to have dry humor also, and the mask of academia goes hand in hand with sarcasm.
What's really fascinating about Jon's humor however, is how it changes during the apocalypse. When he no longer has to mantain a professional image or his integrity in any way his humor takes much more of a forefront. Of course, he's still under a tremendous amount of pressure so it would be ridiculous for him to be funny all of the time, but when the social stakes are lowered he's much more open.
We see it in many moments when he's with Martin, and even with Basira, Melanie, and Georgie. His jokes are a lot more honest, and he allows them to be simply funny instead of lacing them with intellectualism. For the first time him being professional, polite, and socially acceptable will do absolutely nothing to help him and he's able to let go.
Even in through the various moments of struggle in their journey Jon's able to be more relaxed, which in turn seems to create better outcomes; I'd say that this is because it's not his fault for once, but since he very clearly believes that it is, this reaction is likely as a result of the fact that it absolutely and categorically could not get any worse .
This, I think, is a reason Jon and Martin were able to get so far (and remain so engaging). Even in the darkest depths, the worst of the worst, their survival instincts and coping mechanisms compliment eachother greatly. Jon provides information, knowledge, and the light relief of a very good joke. Martin provides care, concern, and emotional critical thinking.
Their love for eachother was the glue that held together a very well suited team, and together their skills and even their flaws carried them forward.
...Lester, who saw that Meg was like him, while observing her and her Beast...
...(and who didn't admit to himself, that he had a Beast too)...
...Meg who was so scared and worried out of her mind that Lester is in dander and is going to die in the cave of Trophonius that she kept trying to catch his attention and started singing in order to guarantee his safety...
...Lester, who selflessly agreed to give his life only if Meg is going to live; and then proceeded to put himself under risk of being suffocated...
...Meg who was helplessly watching how [her] dummy stabbed himself in the heart and fell limb (I am sure that for a second she was not sure if it was the end or not)...
...Lester who watched people he knew only for a few hours were killed for his sake, clearly not understanding why they would sacrifice themselves for him ("and, for some reason, Jason Grace decided that I would not die today too")...
...Meg, who was watching how her best friend was dying from poison; she didn't want him to die, she cried because she didn't want him to die...
...Lester who helped her to kill her Beast Nero... (I am sure that he is very proud of this achievement of hers)
...Lester, who promised her to come back, no matter what, because the sun always comes back...
Apollo, who did.
They, who became each other's family, because their families are shit (not all of the people/gods).
Do you think Tubbo would recognize the path Bad is going down, because it's one he's already walked down on?
This self-destructive behavior coming from a broken heart?
He hasn't seen Bad at his best, before the eggs got kidnapped. He's seen him a victim to grief more than a father. It's why the blue staining Bad's being isn't out of the ordinary.
But suddenly he starts carrying flowers to remind him of the love he lost, suddenly the void calls out his name even louder and suddenly Tubbo sees himself in the older demon.
And it's scary, because suddenly he sees what he has become, how it affects others.
And for the first time of many, he sees Bad walk down a road he's paved. For the first time of many, Bad is the one repeating Tubbo's mistakes.