#flawed characters are always a fine line to thread | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

missycolorful · 6 months

Text

The scene with q!Forever and q!Philza at Global spawn in Pugatory is something that will always kinda sit in the back of my head. Because it truly, truly solidifies the strength in their dynamic, and neither of them will probably realize it lol. Hello, I'm here to be insane about q!philever, so buckle up

Like everyone else, q!Phil was dealing with a lot in Purgatory. He began to lose trust in close friends. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to save his children. While trying to uphold his morality and not kill except in self-defense, he was very much walking a fine, jittery line. All while trying to keep his team organized and motivated. Aside from kind of losing his mind like the others, there was no clear indication that Phil's composure was dangling by a loose thread.

But then he's allowed a moment of peace to exchange information with another team. It's just him and Forever. No kills planned, nothing. Just two people allowed to talk about the absurd situation they've been thrown into. A moment to really take everything in.

During the conversation, Forever doesn't hold judgement toward Phil or anyone else due to the event, even when he comments on Philza's kill on Rivers. Even when Phil tries to justify his actions, Forever doesn't hold it against him. It's hard to say exactly how important this is to what happens next, but I feel like it means something here.

It's when q!Forever says that once they leave Global Spawn, that they become "enemies" again, this is when q!Philza breaks. And I think this moment has been glossed over by many (I want more fan art, dammit >:T) cause it doesn't feel big on the surface. It's not like cc!Philza genuinely sounds heartbroken, his cries sound... a little exaggerated/dramatic, you know? What he cries about isn't anything groundbreaking, it's what many of them feel ("I don't want to be here." "I don't want to kill my friends."), even though Phil fans can sense a deeper meaning here. And after Forever briefly consoles Philza ("Everything is going to be good. This is what we need to go through."), Phil, like a flick of a switch, is right back to his composed, level-headed self. It was like that moment never even happened.

But it did, and it drives me crazy that he did it in front of Forever. cc!Phil made that conscious choice to have his character lose composure, his character that he and his fans knows is an emotionally constipated motherfucker. And the reason it drives me nuts is because how the fuck did we get here?

I can imagine this scenario with lots of characters, and it never plays out like this (i.e. with Tubbo, he'd likely just keep it all in. Et cetra.). I don't see him letting himself be this vulnerable around most others. Hell, before this, I never would've imagined he'd do this in front of Forever, either.

But the more I think about it, it kinda makes sense.

Phil and Forever's relationship is a funny one. Early on, Phil wouldn't trust Forever with a toothpick. He'd never be emotionally open with him. Forever even held a bit of animosity toward Philza after Phil'a final rejection. But that rocky start is honestly a huge part of why it is as strong as it is now. Cause, well, the strength of any relationship comes from accepting all parts of a person. Flaws and all.

Some characters hold Philza up on a pedestal (i.e. q!Missa). They don't really see his flaws. They don't think about his ugly sides. They just see a pillar of a man who is always willing to help, who can do anything and everything, who keeps composed and lighthearted and level-headed in any scenario. q!Forever was kinda like this, at one point.

But Forever realizes that isn't the case eventually. Because Phil's not great at dealing with emotional situations, and Forever learns that the hard way. Phil's not good at talking about feelings, he can be blunt and a bit harsh, because he's a pragmatic sort of guy. But it takes a softer, gentle approach to reject someone, and Phil wasn't ready for that. So, in retaliation to the hurt Phil caused him, Forever had a conflicted relationship with him. It didn't last long, but I digress. This brief shift in their relationship was for the better. By not placing him on this pedestal anymore, Forever began to see Philza in a different light. One that didn't cast Brunim in its shadow.

With Philza, Phil saw Forever at, arguably, his worst in the beginning. Obsessive, threatening, clutching onto a pipe dream with no regard for Phil's feelings. But over time, Phil got to see the much more real sides of Forever. When Tallulah lost her first life, when Forever made NINHO. He saw a passionate and intelligent side to this guy who was obsessed with him, and he respected that person. And with this recognition, he offered his trust to Forever, such as giving one of his presidential votes to Forever.

Both of their perspectives for the other changed throughout the first few months, and I believe they gained some level of appreciation between them because of that. They share this newfound respect and trust. And that is the core to their new relationship. Consistently, Forever and Phil have given each other open and mutual respect and trust. Never is either of these things taken for granted, abused, or manipulated in any way.

When Forever is hooked on the happy pills, he subconsciously seeks out Philza's help, which Phil offers with ease. Before Forever goes to the Nether, Phil expresses his worry and wants to help. But he doesn't push, because he respects Forever's agency, and trusts that Forever is doing what he thinks is best. (also during this scene, when Forever gave him access to the warpstone in that secret part of his base, only Forever and Richas had access to it beforehand, which feels like a big moment according to his fans, so! :D). So when Forever returns to the Nether, while he doesn't believe Fit and Pierre when they say they tried to save him, he absolutely, 100% believes in Philza.

Because he knows Philza by now, and Philza knows Forever. Maybe not on equal levels, but still. After merely a few months, they've slowly begun to understand each other a bit more. So I guess it's only natural that they'd be more open around each other.

I'd even argue that this isn't the first time Philza lets down his walls around Forever. It just didn't happen when Forever was awake.

I wouldn't say that Phil talking to Forever while he was in a coma is the same level of vulnerability as the scene in Purgatory. Because Phil wasn't totally direct with his feelings, he sort of deflected (the story, banging the pots and pans, calling him an idiot, etc). Hell, even when he is expresses how he feels, he's not entirely direct: "We just really care about you. We wanna see you come back. You're making us worry." Like, of course everyone cares, but to say this as we when it's just the two of you obviously feels like a moment of vulnerability but not wanting to admit to it. Cause, hey, under different circumstances, he absolutely would've committed to visiting Forever in the hospital every day. Still, his very open worry did give off a sense that his walls were crumbling.

So with all of this, if Philza can meet with someone alone in practical hell, and that someone, a person he openly trusts and cares about, can look him in the eye and say "I don't judge you" on the things he's has done, maybe that allowed the floodgates to open for a bit. Maybe once Forever said they'd be enemies outside those doors, the situation hit Phil like a truck, and he just couldn't keep it in anymore. And maybe knowing it was just the two of them, Phil knew he could be a person around Forever, not a leader or a mentor or a force to be reckoned with. And Phil really needs someone on equal footing with him like this. He needs someone he can feel safe around. So for him to find this in Forever, of all people, even if it's just for this moment, is extremely important to me.

The way their relationship has progressed, perhaps it would've been simply a matter of time for Philza to be open with Forever. I dunno when Phil will be quite so open around Forever again, but I do say when with a fair enough of certainty (or I could be wrong and I'm simply talking straight outta my ass but who knows). Because to have this moment with Forever was intentional, even if it feels like a blink and you miss moment. It may have been under a minute, it may not feel important to other viewers. BUT to me, it genuinely says so much about their relationship, how far they have come, and where they are now.

#qsmp #qsmp meta #sugarduo #philever #philza #forever #missy rambles #or none of it means anything and this never gets brought up or anything like that again and phil is mocking us for our dramatics🤷#either way idc let me have fun i love these two so muchhhhhhhhh <3 #long post

311 notes · View notes

raayllum · 1 year

Note

Hey! In retrospect, this might be kinda obvious to some, but I was just thinking about the scene early in Season 4 where Callum recalls the fact that he's destroyed multiple powerful magic objects/artifacts and I realized that that scene was probably meant to highlight/make it hit harder later in the season when Callum can't do the same thing to the cube and I got excited lmao

So I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about what gets lamp shaded / referred back to specifically in S4 and possibly why, re: exactly what you pointed out, dear nonnie, in 4x02 (which made me Yell the first time around because I loved it as a lamp shade), as well as Rayllum's scene on the Pinnacle in 4x05. So why not talk about about them? If you are curious about more on Callum's "breaking magical objects" pattern I'd recommend this meta as well as this one, although there shouldn't be too much repetition here

Let's go

4x02 - Accidentally on Purpose

Including this shot because it has the Ocean-Star rune combination for the cube, my beloved.

The primal stone, Ethari -> Rayla -> Callum's pendant, and the Moon Henge all shudder. The mirror, too, will shortly be broken, although by Aaravos' own hand rather than Callum's (at least, not directly). This line and pattern also underscores one of Callum's key flaws, as his impulsive flippancy ("'It's the winter lodge, Rayla, no winter no humans' ugh" / "He tried to copy Claudia's lightning spell, but he doesn't know how to finish it!") when it comes to magic is ultimately related to how Selfish he can be. He, like many characters in TDP, can tunnel vision so hard he doesn't see or fully consider the possible consequences of his actions, but I do think Callum has a thread of like internalized focus that makes it stem from selfishness (more akin to perhaps Claudia and Viren) than it does shortsightedness/shame (Rayla) or inadvertent steamrolling (Claudia, Ezran).

For Callum, just knowing magic isn't enough. He's always focused on how he can use it.

"I just don't want to be useless," he said (S2 novelization, set during he and Rayla's late night talk about "I have to be a mage again").

He'd always known that cube was important. Maybe now Rayla would start listening to him... and maybe now he would find out how he could use the mysterious cube. [...] But Callum was awake obsessing over the Key of Aaravos. What could he achieve with it?

Now, does Callum ever mean to be selfish? No, of course not. He doesn't mean to put Rayla and Zym in danger with his pursuit of magic (or his lie to Amaya), but that's what happens anyway. 2x04 has always stood out to me as a particularly interesting episode, precisely because it shows this flaw on full display in ways that S1 could've neatly resolved. In 1x04, Callum pursues magic ultimately to the group's detriment (just how much, depending on what the cube does, remains to be seen). Then in 1x09, through smashing the primal stone (which we'll talk about more in a minute) he puts the group above his pursuit of magic. It's a nice little full circle, and it could've easily been the resolution of this behavioural pattern. But it isn't, so I'm curious to see if/how it'll come back in future seasons (maybe S5) in some capacity.

To me, this is one of the things that make TDP's characterization so realistic. Callum can learn one lesson partially in 1x04 (don't take unnecessary risks) and apply that portion fully in 1x07 (regarding elves and humans), be willing to sacrifice a more tangible pursuit of magic for Zym ("But without this, I'm nothing") in 1x09, but still not fully learn his "Look before you leap when it comes to magic" lesson by the time we roll around in 2x04 or even 2x07 (although the context for the latter is vastly different). Just like how if saving Zym or being a good enough protector could solve Rayla's self worth issues, she would've been totally fine after 1x09, but we see her have the exact same kind of breakdown two seasons later ("This is all my fault. I dropped it. I let you both down. I let the world down" / "It's me, and it's all my fault. I failed them! I let them all down") because well - issues and emotional wounds are not so easily solved.

Anyway, back on topic: what does any of this have to do with S4's lamp shading of Callum's tendency of breaking magical objects?

Well, I think you're right: the Key is seemingly rare, powerful, and possibly sought after by Aaravos. At the very least it's connected to him, and Callum is now terrified of him. But he won't relinquish/destroy it at this present time, so there's a nice contrast there. The cube has a pull over him for whatever reason, whether that's curiosity, it being Harrow's last parting gift to him, or even possibly the fact it was the first thing he and Rayla really bonded over ("Hey sad prince. Let's go get your cube") and his own potential as a mage. He does, after all, look at the moon rune specifically after lowering it.

But I also think it's indicative that the object and conversation Callum is most directly referencing is this one with Claudia in 2x02 about breaking their joint primal stone:

Which was pretty noble, and inspired a very strong character arc for Callum, full of struggle and interesting character aspects. Breaking the primal stone wasn't the ideal situation for him by any means, but it was undeniably the Right Thing To Do. On the surface, there's nothing to be worried about... except:

I have not seen the stars in centuries. But when I see them again—when the stars are forced to look upon me, their dark brother—they will know how I have waited. And when everything they have built lies shattered, I will savor their fall from the sky. (Patience, TDP reflections)

The Whole World is like a Giant Primal Stone. When backed into a corner and able to save someone he loves and/or cares about, Callum is willing to sacrifice his own source of power. He's willing to bend his morals and do dark magic. He's willing to jump off a cliff with just the faintest hope he can grow wings and save them both. We also know that Callum, either within a possessed state or outside of it, has to play into Aaravos' hands, otherwise it is unlikely the Startouch elf would be released (and he has to be released).

Which, all of this also works fairly well in tandem with

4x05 - You saved me

So Rayllum's scene on the Pinnacle is one of my favourite scenes between them in the season, as well as one of the most interesting. After all, the Pinnacle is the place for quite a few important Rayla and Callum moments in season three: Rayla finding out the truth about her mum and dad, thanks to Callum; Callum trying to tell her that he loves her for the first time (which Soren's interruption also lampshades); and of course when Callum jumps off the Pinnacle to save her. And while Soren's dialogue is a more comedic callback to the second one, Rayla's dialogue calls to mind the latter:

(Callum's face only falls in the second screencap when she gets to "certain death," by the way.)

It's not entirely clear why Callum starts crying when he looks away, as he has a lot of reasons to (the fear of what Aaravos may make him do, thus turning him into something that hurts people rather than saves them; the fact that he's had only like, 1.5 days to process the return of the love of his life and all those complicated feelings) but he does start crying. Rayla then does her best to help, but doesn't get a chance to, and it's not clear if Callum would've let her, either.

But I thought the emphasis on "saving" was interesting, to say the least. Why not be more explicit about the way this was the first time they said "I love you"? Some note of "so much has changed, but not everything's changed" from Rayla, if they wanted a nudge of some sort. Or it could've been something about Rayla's parents, grateful that she was able to forgive them and realize the truth, that'd they'd left for "a good cause".

Well, I think the most straight forward thing is first, that Callum and Rayla are a couple who has always been very defined by reciprocally saving each other; Callum defends them from the smoke wolves, Rayla defends them from Runaan, etc. Rayla saves everyone (Bait, Ezran, Zym, the downed dragon), and Callum saves her (1x05, 2x04, 2x07, 3x09). The second is that S5, if it brings back Callum's possession plot line (and it likely will, with the emphasis on darkness and drowning from some of the TDP shorts for the season: "Soren gasped the darkness like water into his lungs. He could not breathe. He was drowning") Rayla is probably going to the one to ultimately save him from it, somewhat due to the light and dark symbolism as well (Rayla showing up haloed in moonlight with the cube on her shoulder).

An emphasis on how Arc 1 culminated in a big show of love as Callum saved Rayla, if Rayla is going to be the one to successfully save Callum from brainwashing next season (and restore to her that "We can't save everyone" isn't true after all) makes a lot of sense, especially with it foreshadowed / spelled out more directly in this quote from the Book One Moon novelization:

“Wow. So they look identical, but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said.

“Exactly. Just like me…” Rayla smiled.

She's certainly not going to kill him and thus, Rayla has to save him. There we get that mutual reciprocation, especially when she left in TTM to try and save/spare him - it'd be a good way for her to realize that the best way to save/protect him is to stay, right here, with him instead. She'll risk the world ("You let him live but you killed us all" "You have two choices: you all die, or just the evil wretched human dies"), and it'll be worth it.

However, as I've already said, Callum has to play into Aaravos' hands in order for the Startouch elf to get out. And Aaravos is clearly pretty confident it'll happen, whether precisely because Callum is worried because of the possession (a more likely manipulation tactic) or due to the possession itself (less likely, as why reveal your checkmate move ahead of time?).

Rayla realizing she can save Callum is also, indeed, only one piece of the puzzle. She also has to realize that she deserves to be saved, which 4x05 seems like a step in the right direction of (she's happy and lovey about it, not guilty) even if her self worth issues are still very prevalent: "This is all my fault. I left [Soren] alone. I shouldn't have—" as well as trying repeatedly to go off on her own.

So 4x05 emphasizing the last time Callum saved her, setting up that he'll also save her again (and possibly risk the primal stone world again, helping to free Aaravos in exchange for also freeing Rayla) in S5?

He'll risk the world, and it'll be worth it.

47 notes · View notes

illarian-rambling · 1 month

Note

For the ask game:

🧡- what's your character's worst irrational fear?

💚- What does your character like to wear? Why do they wear the clothes they do?

🖤- What kind of music would your character listen to?

💕- What's your character's fatal flaw?

❤️‍🔥- Would you character go to heaven or hell? Where do they think they'd go?

Oh my, thank you! These are a lot (not a complaint) so I'll just answer for the original Mortal God cast

🧡- What's your character's worst irrational fear?

Astra's worst irrational fear is losing her ability to do magic somehow. This is irrational because book magic isn't intrinsic like sorcery. It'd be like being worried about forgetting how to read.

Mashal is dead terrified of bugs. This might seem strange for a (basically) robot, but it's not the biting or stinging that gives him the heebie jeebies. It's the idea of bugs getting into his chassis and him not noticing until they've laid a bunch of eggs in there. He's always paranoid during the fall about june bugs, because those suckers get into everything.

Ivander is scared of the dark. This might seem kind of childish, but Ivander is a son of the city. Before the events of the story, he'd never even left Unity, a city famous for its street lamps. The idea of true, croaking, country darkness unnerves him.

💚- What does your character like to wear? Why do they wear the clothes they do?

Astra is probably the only one of my characters with a signature look. She is always wearing a long coat of plum silk, with fanciful gold embroidery and slashed sleeves with crimson fabric beneath, many bows and bits of lace poking out at various places. The lining is plastered with hundreds of multicolored ribbons, each stitched with a specific rune. She can pull these rune ribbons from her cuffs or hem to throw at people, producing some magical effect or another. She does this because embroidering her runes beforehand makes it so she doesn't have to spend the first half of every fight painstakingly drawing a single fire rune. Also, cloth and thread can survive the elements a bit better than paper and ink. Astra is very proud of her gaudy coat, as it sets her apart from the licensed book magic she despises.

Mashal goes for baggier clothes, as anything too tight will get caught in his metal joints and rip. He wears a bandana tied over his scalp because he's sad he has no hair. In general, he covers up as much of his bronze plating as he can. He doesn't want it getting scuffed or scratched.

Ivander, the pompous lordling he is, wears a three piece suit to every occasion. And I mean every occasion. The man robbed a grave in a cravat once. He prefers satin, as it irritates his skin less, and he's gotten it down to a science which colors flatter his blue-tinged skin. He always wears his silver, onyx-headed tie pin, which carries his illusion. He grew up being forced to dress finely and never really lost the habit. He does legitimately also just like dressing like a fop.

🖤- What kind of music would your character listen to?

I'll just include some examples :)

Astra: You Make Me Sick! by Ashnikko, Monstarr by Ennaria, Depression by Hillbilly Moon Explosion , and Garbageman by The Cramps

Basically, just anything she could tinker to while listening at egregious volumes to keep her energy up. She'd definitely dance around a bit too, while working on stuff. It's canon that Astra loves music, she just lives in a time where jazz is only now being introduced. This is what she'd listen to with all of our modern music at her fingertips.

Mashal: Call Me, Call Me by Steve Conte, Space Age Love Song by Flock of Seagulls, Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin, and Out of Touch by Daryl Hall and John Oates

The man likes love songs, what can I say. His taste is a lot chiller than Astra's, and played at a much quieter volume. He definitely would stay up late, all in his feels while listening to music. I would peg him as a Swiftie, but I don't listen to enough Taylor Swift to know.

Ivander: Far More Blue by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Misty by Erroll Garner, Glad to be Unhappy by Paul Desmond, and Lullaby by Ray Bryant

He's a jazz snob, no two ways about it. Unlike some jazz snobs, he does legitimately enjoy the music, but he also very much enjoys flaunting his 'refined taste.' I think he'd play Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock, and Mashal would legitimately lose his mind.

💕- What is your character's fatal flaw?

Astra's fatal flaws are two-fold. Her lack of self-confidence translates into pride as an overcompensation. That pride gets her into serious trouble when she's too stubborn to let it go and show the uncertainty beneath.

Mashal's fatal flaw, I would say, is his habit of making decisions for other people. Yes, there's his drive for revenge at all costs, but that has kept him alive through many a tight spot. When he decides he knows what's best and chooses something for someone that they might not want is when things get messy.

Ivander’s fatal flaw is his unwillingness to ask for help. He thinks he has to do everything by himself because that's how the world has treated him for the most part. However, he'll learn that if he crumbles under the weight of a burden he insisted on bearing alone, he might just take some other people along with him.

❤️‍🔥- Would your character go to heaven or hell? Where do you think they'd go?

Astra prays, when she bother to pray, to Erani, the Illarian goddess of ambition. This is a good fit, and Astra would hope she'd end up in the goddess's heaven. She will, as she ends up fulfilling her ambition, which is all Erani cares about.

Mashal is an adherent to Loqang, the god of loyalty - a common path of worship for Illarian soldiers. He worries about going to hell, since after his incident, he doesn't remember the oath he swore when he became a knight of Sulu'Oku. However, Loqang is a cool guy, and he respects loyalty to one's friends just as much as loyalty to an institution or code, so Mashal is getting into heaven.

Ivander has long been promised to Timaz, the god of greed, and since he's very aware that he's gotten on the god's bad side, he lives with the knowledge that he's condemned to hell. There's not a lot he can do about that. From my perspective, he's made friends with a halawemavish spirit of secrets, so maybe she can pull some strings.

Hope you all enjoyed this one!

#if i had a nickle for every character I've written who knew they were condemned to hell I'd have two nickles #writing #writerscommunity #writblr #my ocs #writing ask game

7 notes · View notes

flightfoot · 1 year

Note

I know fandom wank has always existed, but do you see an upswing in people being obsessed with character accountability and purity of character? I'm a fandom old and I could be wrong, but it seems to me that fandom in the last 5 - 8 years has been on this strong accountability/morality obsession.

Like there has been so much Alya hate popping up lately. I saw a thread on another sm site where they were ranting about how horrible she is for her pushiness in Reflekdoll and how she was not held accountable for it. Someone said that the writing for her is all over the place because she behaves as she does in Reflekdoll and then is a good friend sometimes.

My response to that is "Have you met PEOPLE?" People who have positive traits and negative traits and demonstrate them on a regular basis? Human beings with flaws?

The defenders feed into this purity of morality obsession too. When 'Targeted Character' is besmirched, the defender of that character will jump to say "No actually that character is not to blame. Blame this other character I like less instead!" or "Targeted Character did nothing wrong!"

Well, sometimes 'Targeted Character' was wrong. Alya is a bit pushy in Reflekdoll. She could have done some things differently.

So what?

Alya has also demonstrated bravery, determination, loyalty, intelligence and restraint. Flaws are often a dual side of a strength. Alya can be pushy because Alya is brave and initiating. But I guess all her strengths go out of the window when she displays a flaw. Especially if it's a flaw where no accountability was shown in episode.

But writers don't just write characters demonstrating flaws with the intent to show accountability later. Sometimes they write characters demonstrating their flaws to further the plot and/or show off the character's personality. There is nothing wrong with this, especially not for side characters. Not every minor problematic thing a character does needs to be addressed. Even Marinette and Adrien have shown their flaws in several episodes to further the plot or embellish them with no in episode accountability.

I just don't get what these people want. A super sanitized cardboard-scape where no one does anything problematic ever unless there is a pointed lesson to be learned? That sounds extremely boring and I'd hate to read these peoples' writing. They seem to want to suck the humanity out of characters and story. I get it's a kid show, but is it necessarily smart to teach kids that "good" people are never to show their flaws ever? That everytime they step one toe out of line, the waiting hand of justice will strike? Fandom discards much easier than they used to.

Yeah people tend to go WAY overboard. I dunno if this is a recent phenomenon? I didn't run into it in my older fandoms, namely Digimon and Kingdom Hearts (mostly Kingdom hearts), but that might have more to do with those specific fandoms than a trend over time (especially since Kingdom Hearts is a remarkably peaceful fandom, considering its size).

Funny thing about Alya in Reflekdoll, I actually wrote a fic several years back called Divergent Points - Reflekdoll specifically addressing her behavior in that episode in order to use it to develop her character, to explore her more and use it as a learning opportunity.

“Adrien? Marinette? Where are your Miraculous?”

They both looked slightly uncomfortable, patting their bags.

Ok. So they weren’t wearing them right now, but they were close by. This would be fine. It was only going to be for a little bit, less than an hour. Surely Hawkmoth wouldn’t attack during this tiny little window of time.

Right?

…Maybe she should call for back-up. You know, just in case.

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

Alya just wanted to help Marinette with getting some good modeling photos for her website. Getting carried away with Adrienette shipping, accidentally neglecting one of her friends, and donning the FIRST Miraculous Marinette had attempted to give her had NOT been part of her plans.

Here's the thing: there are a lot of cases where I agree that a character (and this comes up for Alya in particular) demonstrated some kind of flaw.

What I do NOT agree with is the response to exhibiting that kind of flaw. I can agree that a character wasn't perfect and messed up in some way without making them a terrible person - like you said, human beings have flaws, and if everyone in the show was always perfect it'd be boring and the characters would feel less like people. Now I'd like some more development concerning some of the flaws, but callouts aren't required for every little thing, and something like "Alya was so caught up in trying to wingman for Marinette that she didn't realize how badly Juleka was taking the situation" is not something she deserves to be raked over the coals for.

A lot of times people jumping on the characters for not being perfect, for having some kind of flaw, for Miraculous, and for Alya ESPECIALLY, tends to go way overboard. If people were just saying that there are some traits she has that can cause difficulties and it'd be good if there was a storyline addressing them and having her grow past them, I'd be on board with that. Heck, I've WRITTEN that, as you can see above.

But taking a microscope to anything even minorly grating that she has done, while ignoring all the good she's done as well, just to bash and demonize her as a horrible person and try to justify writing her as some horrible human being, in order to justify then having her get some extreme comeuppance? On a regular basis for the past several years?

No. Just...no.

#ask #ml fandom salt #leave alya alone challenge

37 notes · View notes

amporella · 1 year

Note

hi, u don't know me but i've been waiting to hear your opinion on the new episode/the discussion going around about stan being out of character. personally, i don't believe he was but i can't wait to know what u think!

ANON YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME BLUSH… thank you so much for the ask!! I’m 100% on your side with this one; I don’t think he was out of character, either! He was definitely a jackass, but that to me is exactly why he was in character; that specific brand of jackassery is quintessentially Stan Marsh. In the immortal words of @sn33z3s in this twitter thread; Stan is an egocentric jerk, nothing new.

Not only is Stan being an egocentric jerk nothing new, but neither is his treatment of Wendy; he has really always been dismissive of her and her interests, which is the stendy fatal flaw. Nothing in this episode is inherently new to Stan’s character; it’s just rehashing a lot of old things that we haven’t seen quite as often in recent years due to the Randy spam. By that metric, it really can’t be called out of character. Stan does this stuff all the time! It is completely believable to me that he would do everything that he does here.

I think the main concern I’ve heard about this episode is that it serves as a character regression for Stan, which I can understand in theory; there have been instances in the past that Stan has behaved better than this (and communicated better than this), for sure. But I don’t think that inherently means that he’s learned his lesson, or that he wouldn’t behave this way now that he’s communicated more effectively in the past; first, I implore people to remember that he is ten, and ten year olds do not communicate well. In general. Furthermore, ten year olds tend not to learn lessons after one or two successes, and they certainly would be more likely to take the quick solution of using a new technology to solve all their problems than talking it out with their equally ten year old girlfriend.

(That’s also basically the same reason that I think stendy staying together is realistic at this point; Stan as a ten year old is just behaving like an average douchey ten year old, and Wendy as a ten year old can’t be expected to have the self worth yet that her feminist beliefs might grant her in the future, and that might implore her to break up with a guy who doesn’t treat her right. Stendy at this point isn’t like Cartman’s intentional abuse towards Heidi (even just in the sense that I struggle to say any ten year old other than Cartman CAN be abusive); they’re both just being ten, and that’s fine. They’re not doing any irreversible damage by continuing to date despite not understanding each other.)

And furthermore, South Park is an episodic show. I would go so far as to say the controversial statement that most of the characters do not have legitimate character arcs, and even the ones who do are faint. Has Stan’s personality changed over the course of the show? Absolutely! Would I call it a legitimate character arc? I mean, probably not. The nature of South Park’s episodic structure is that none of the characters can permanently learn, or the whole concept of the show falls apart. The joke for a long time was that at the end of every episode, the show ‘resets’ and it’s like nothing happened. It’s only recently (comparatively) that the show began having longer arcs that follow the characters through an extended storyline.

The reason why Stan is still in character is the same reason why Kyle can say that he learned something in one episode and then do something along the exact same lines a season later. If the characters continue to progress personality-wise without aging, they’ll eventually come to a standstill. South Park will run out of plot options, because the character flaws episodes like Deep Learning rely on will be gone. I get that Stan has progressed recently in a lot of ways, but it is a necessity to the series’ continuation that those personality traits are eventually regressed. Take the fact that he even learned those things with a grain of salt; the chance of Matt and Trey leaving them in as permanent fixtures to his personality is insanely small, especially when these examples of Stan’s improved communication are sparse. They’re not drilled in to the viewer like someone might expect if they actually wanted that new trait to be relevant to Stan’s character.

If you’re watching South Park with the expectation of an extended, consistent character arc, Stan certainly can seem out of character! But if you’re watching South Park for that, you’re probably watching the wrong show. At the end of the day, nearly all of the characters have a group of set traits that come up consistently, and a few other ones that are give-or-take depending on whether they’re needed for an episode. In this case, Stan’s selfishness is constant, and his improved relationship with Wendy was temporary; it’s not surprising at all that when using him in an episode, Matt and Trey would return to the character traits they’ve long since established.

If the reasons people think he’s out of character is because of his personality in general, rather than the idea that he’s improved in the past seasons (which I have seen!), then I think that’s just a general misread of the character. Stan is certainly empathetic, but I do think it’s common to portray him as more emotionally intelligent than he actually is; the fact that he loves animals or is sensitive at times doesn’t mean he’s not a douchebag, or that he understands literally anything more about relationships than the average 10 year old. Totally fine if you want to imagine he grows up that way, of course, but when following the actual show itself, Matt and Trey are just portraying Stan in the same way they always have.

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!!!!

#what if i want to know u. what then #asks #sorry this got. long winded #south park #stan marsh #this is long so i’ll tag it

23 notes · View notes

invisible-pink-toast · 2 years

Text

was rewatching 7x19 empty places and that scene where they throw buffy out of her own house makes me SO MAD (spike is totally right, they are sad sad ungrateful traitors) but with keeping some of the less-than-stellar writing choices of s7 in mind i can see where it came from.... for most of the characters

the potentials: are scared, are dying, don’t have superpowers. they nearly died again and have connected more with faith then buffy so i can understand them questioning buffy’s leadership. unfortunately they all conveniently forget that the only reason any of them are alive is because buffy took them in and protected them, let them stay in her house & eat her food (but the way kennedy and rona are written here is very ungrateful and aggressive - hello writers, why did you have to write the only woc in the room as the “bad guys”??)

xander: literally just went through an incredibly traumatising, painful and life altering experience in a battle that was led by buffy. so i think he gets a pass here. also he has often disagreed with buffy (usually relating to spike or angel) but definitely disagreed with her last time there was an awful publicly-gang-up-on-buffy in her living room in ‘dead man’s party’ so it’s actually pretty in character

giles: as much as i love giles in seasons 1-5 (with all his flaws and complications) the way he’s written in s6-7 is so inconsistent and ooc. i think spike hit the nail on the head with the fact that giles is feeling “outdone” and unneeded by buffy, so him being fine with taking away her leadership sucks (and s1-5 giles wouldn’t stand for it) but the way he’s written here... it makes sense.

faith: doesn’t outright challenge buffy’s leadership, but does step up and question what’s happening which... is honestly pretty fair. she is a slayer too. she’s actually the slayer rn. but buffy not trusting faith is also pretty fair (although after willow... a little inconsistent). faith went evil and then mia so next in line or not buffy had to pick up her slack. there was always going to be tension between two slayers with leading, i feel like faith was quite calm and strategic here. she also specifically says she doesn’t want to be leader but no one listens to her

anya: was dissapointed with anya here - her speech doesn’t even make sense. but given that buffy (correctly) tried to kill her when she was a vengeance demon, it’s easy to see that anya would be a little vengeful. there’s hints of this throughout the season, but post-ep5 they don’t really let anya be anything more than comic relief, which is a shame because if there was more build up (and a speech that made sense) i could really see why she’d oppose buffy here

robin wood: buffy literally said she’d kill him if he went after spike again. complicated because spike one of the team’s best fighters who they’ll need, and someone buffy cares about, but to wood spike’s just the vamp that killed his mom. so i get where he’s coming from. he’s also very chill in this scene.

the two characters who i just can’t understand here are:

willow: huh? what? “With everything that’s happened I… I’m worried about your judgement.” willow you turned evil and tried to kill all your friends and destroy the world. and buffy didn’t give up on you! you literally have no right to question other people’s judgements???

could’ve made more sense if they’d kept up this thread from ‘selfless’ - ‘I’m really sorry for letting you down / So I can’t do everything- but I should at least be able to do something. / But you need help, Buffy. I know you, and I know you’ll never admit it, but you need help.’ If Willow was coming from a place of concern for Buffy I could get it. Or if they’d built up Willow’s relationship with Faith, the similarities in their arcs, and Buffy’s distrust of Faith could put doubt in Willow’s view of her relationship with Buffy. but they didn’t. so it’s very left field for willow to suddenly not support buffy.

and of course...

dawn!!!!

dawn what are you doing?????

“Then you can’t stay here. Buffy, I love you. But you were right, we have to be together in this. You can’t be a part of it. So I need you to leave. I’m sorry. This is my house too.”

i?????

i will never understand this. i know a lot of people hate dawn - but i actually love her! i think she’s a great character!! sure she has her moments, but she’s been through a lot of trauma and the writing gets iffy with other characters throughout the seasons too. but i just don’t understand dawn here.

she has not always had buffy’s back - because dawn’s a teenager and she didn’t always understand what was going on. but dawn knows exactly what’s going on here??

this is the sister who defied everyone and refused to let dawn die - and sacrificed herself instead. the sister who came back from the dead and had to put herself back together one piece at a time. the sister who had to smile through her grief and take on a shitty job so that she could be dawn’s guardian and pay the bills. like the last big buffy-dawn moment was in ‘him’ when buffy fought through the love spell and once again risked her own life and saved dawn’s

so dawn betraying buffy here comes out of nowhere!

when i saw this for the first time and everyone was on buffy, and dawn finally stood up, i was so relieved. i thought someone would finally be on buffy’s side. for dawn to kick buffy out of their house is even more extreme then the others wanting faith to lead. i just don’t get it. it feels very ooc and is never resolved.

so i’m just going to pretend that instead of andrew going with spike - dawn is the one who goes with him!

that honestly makes sense. buffy would want dawn away from danger, she trusts dawn with spike. also then we would get dawn-and-spike scenes!! because i love their relationship! and s7 ruined and then forgot about it!! so they can make up and reconnect.

and then dawn wouldn’t be there for the coup. because if a well-written dawn was there when everyone betrayed buffy, she would’ve been throwing hands and following her sister out the door. also with willow her not supporting buffy is either properly built up, or she is the only one to support buffy and is outvoted. and i can see andrew just not saying anything because (despite being a murderer) he’s kind of nonconfrontational lmao

so then when spike and dawn get back to the house, they can both be shocked and outraged. and then either spike can leave dawn there (because someone with sense needs to be around to defeat the apocalypse) or dawn comes with him to find buffy and we get some quality buffy-dawn-spike in their own weird little family unit moments. dawn could even leave the room for spike to give buffy his big speech in private.

but dawn would never betray her sister.

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #meta #btvs meta #buffy summers #dawn summers #summers sisters #willow rosenberg #rupert giles #xander harris #anya jenkins #faith lehane #robin wood #spike #season 7 #btvs s7 #my post #my meta

94 notes · View notes

cyberghost-scout · 2 years

Text

RULE PAGE

Okie Dokie, Please follow the rules before beginning.

Activity: I (the mod) am mostly shy when meeting new RP blogs. If you are a new RP partner, please dm me first that you're interested. I'm decently consistent in my replies in terms of replying. The response length varies from a sentence or two to paragraphs, and my response rate differs on my mood and energy. That's life. Please be considerate. I have the right not to respond to and delete messages I feel uncomfortable answering.

Questions: It is always open!

Friendly towards: Crossovers (If outside of fandom, please explain best as you can), OCs, and Cannon characters.

My views on God Modding it is a big fat NO: Listen here if you are new or it was clear it was a mistake, and apologize. I'll talk it out with you. But if it is apparent, you know what you are doing to me and muses and don't care. Or keep on repeating and expect me to keep on accepting to accept your apology- no. You'll get a reason I will drop you and ban you.

- Magic Anons are fine.

Magic Anons are fine.

Plot lines: For serious plotlines: Please get in touch with me if you want a thread line/ continuity of threads about these subjects (pregnancy, death, injuries, ANGST, etc.) first. It may not happen instantly, but it is nice to let me know. Communication is vital for everyone's fun.

- Also, if you see those excellent RP thread starters and memes and think of me, please share them. Those are fun.

Maturity: I am over the age of 18. (28)

- If you want an NSFW thread, DM me about it. But nsfw will tag it.

- No pedophilia.

Triggers: DM me if you have triggers you want me to avoid as we RP. DM me if I made mistakes with you.

To avoid Drama, here is my Do not list. If violated after, you'll be blocked.

- Don't force ships between my muses if I meet you. And forcing the ship in a way that warps my own OCs into something different. (A variant of Godmodding looks up my views of Godmodding.)

- My DM's are not a proper RP thread location, and the dm can use them to show plottings threads and aus: posts, funny memes, or funny muse reactions. As well as communication for the muns if a thread response was accidentally unclear, etc. But I kind of it with myself; it makes it far too easy for me to bend backward and let unintentional or not disrespectful roleplayers cross my boundaries, making me feel bad.

- Don't force Rape.

- No TERFs or anti lgbt.

- No Nazis/ Zionists

- No Discrimination of anything.

- No Abuse and harassment.

- No pedophilia.

- Updated on 1/17/2023: Due to the onslaught of porn/spam bots, If anyone is going to follow me, please your icon should not be the generic icon or hot people in suggestive poses with nothing in your dashboard.

Please, anyone, who is new, write a post that you are unique and getting settled.

Pornbots and other bots DNI with this blog, you'll be reported and blocked immediately.

Tags: https://www.tumblr.com/cyberghost-scout/727006033346723840/re-done-tag-dump?source=share

MUSES: (New information and links are coming eventually, but I'll leave some info here)

The blog's star, Ghostwire: A grounder cold construct and ex-Decepticon scout, but oddly she kept her symbol. She is a young femme with a powerful (but heavily flawed) ability to phase through an object and make a few others as mass transparent as her. Despite her dark aesthetics and high body count, she's gentle and passionate. Full summary Click here. Here’s what she looks like.

Flow: Ghostwire's closest (and still alive) friend. A dainty seeker from the dancer caste of Vos. Despite her crybaby, fashion-loving, bossy nature- she's charming, can decode, and still has a spitfire of a well-trained seeker. Full summary Click here.

Fedelis: He's Ghostwire's and Phantasma's adoptive sire, a blunt old tank with a brain cell. An old gladiator doctor turned war medic turned defector from what TFA Decepticons have turned to be in cannon, and now a tired tank mech trying to keep everyone he loves and cares for while praying for some patients and vacation. Full summary Click here.

They are not often the primary muses, but they are a treat.

Delta Queen: Flow's boss from when she worked at the Royal's Den, a burlesque club. Very Vampy, milf energy, loves older mechs, boy toys, and some older femmes. She is not afraid to kick you out of her club if you have done something warranted.

Phantasma: Ghostwire's resurrected (long story) sister, will be sassy and dry to most. Trying to get her life together, confident, and a trickster most things would not stop her.

#rules #Rule Page

1 note · View note

power25bachmann · 2 years

Text

Lv Bags Vip Replica Shoes® Lv Bagsvip Com

The stitching should look very neat and at the equal time as nicely. If the stitching is sloppy, the bag is probably going a knockoff. For instance, if the thread is brown or black, it’s doubtless a pretend. The authentic stitching is more detailed and current on every facet of the LV print and the line that’s across the sneakers, whereas the pretend pairs miss this. Basically, all the letters, numbers and different symbols are too thick on the pretend merchandise, whereas on the legit pair, they are thinner. Just as always, let’s first have a quick transient to the reference actual vs pretend LV Millionaire 1.1 image below so as to easily notice the variations between the pairs. For occasion, we are actually going to match the real vs faux LV Millionaire sunglasses in the guide below. For instance, if the bag was supposedly made within the 1990s, then the handles ought to be a deep shade of brown. If they're nonetheless a light tan or white, then the bag is a fake. three times I was in need of money he took care of me. I sincerely advocate this place to anybody who wants favor. Think of it as a puzzle, all of the items should be present for it to be full. As per the mannequin and magnificence chosen, the fee is likely to differ significantly. However, there is no guarantee that these fashions are of fine quality, which I have described above. As someone whose friends are trendy and trendy with a fashion-conscious mind, I truly have tried several designer items. best louis vuitton replica bags This has made my eyes somewhat more astute than a median Jack. With such a imaginative and prescient, I can frankly say that the improving high quality and rising popularity of purses keeps astonishing me as properly as my purse . This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our skilled staff of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. WikiHow's Content Management Team carefully displays the work from our editorial employees to ensure that every article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 2,749,a hundred and forty occasions. Assuming the handbag was produced after 2007, anyway. The date code format is Country Code - Week, Year, Week, Year . In the LV bag pretend vs actual picture above, we now have identified how the fake bag has its “LV” inscriptions on the two zippers trying too thick, as they arrive out of the steel an excessive amount of. In the picture with the real vs replica Louis Vuitton Neverfull baggage above, we have famous how the pretend bag has its stitches improperly weighted. In the actual vs fake Louis Vuitton Nerverfull image above, we now have identified the truth that, on the counterfeit LV Neverfull bag, you can simply notice how the text is flawed. So, whether your bag’s interior labels state that it was made in France, Italy, Spain or other international locations, the thickness of the characters should be just like the one within the authentic example above. If you have a bag that retails for $1,000 and is being sold to you at $100, there is much reason to be wary. Research the original retail value online before contemplating a purchase. You can simply inform a fake Louis Vuitton bag from an unique one from the shade of the trim. The genuine ones will run closer to burgundy whereas counterfeits will often be a brighter shade of red. It can additionally be important to notice the placing and consistency of the monogram pattern. My finest bag I ordered is my monogram tote It appears, feels, and even smelled identical to the unique. I was additionally scammed in the past on ioffer and sort of lost belief in online sellers. On the other hand I really wanted a bag, and I can’t afford to pay $4000 so I decided to go together with your beneficial seller this time, a minimum of this man has a vouch. Today I received my bag, will connect a picture of it. There are many replicas that look very related to real Louis Vuitton luggage so it's important to learn how to spot a fake so you don't find yourself losing your cash. Many of the fakes are hard to differentiate from the true deal so listening to specific particulars is important when figuring out if a bag is genuine. I'm a person who likes the look of LV and other brands but am not keen to pay the extortionate costs they cost for them. Even if I had the cash I would not pay for them as I think they are rip off. I'm very proud of my low cost knock offs and reading these evaluations confirms this to me. I came from Downey they gave me good service. wikipedia handbags They had the best prices and customer support. I liked the man with the pretty green eyes. Been coming right here for years from Los Angeles. Russ the best, at all times delightful customer support.

#louis vuitton replica #best replica louis vuitton bags #replica louis vuitton

0 notes

sanghyukstattoos · 3 years

Text

Orchids

Characters: Rowoon I Kim Seokwoo x Reader x Hwiyoung I Kim Youngkyun

Genre: Mafia au- Smut-smut// threesome, protected sex, wet dream, reader is roughly handled but there is no underlying aggression, degrading term (used once), humiliation, vaginal sex, spanking, blowjob, cock-warming, power dynamics on a scale

Genre: Mafia au- Action// Honestly, some of it is playful but much of it is not

Word count: 5.9k

Summary: In imminent danger, your safety leads to Kyun and Seokwoo’s relief and the hindrances that once filled the day slowly disappear into the night.

A/N: Find more works here!

Blankness had long enveloped your thoughts. Like the night that was dark, bordering on the eerily hoots of owl and fluttering of pigeon’s wings, there were very few things to think about apart from the three women on the floor. They had been sent to protect you, a ritual that your team initiated when any of them were on a mission. you briefly recognised the faces that from the living room and kitchen would be transported elsewhere.

Zuho, unable to reach you, had sent a letter through Seokwoo who relayed the men that would stay with you. You huffed, pulling out a cigarette only to huff and discard it on the decorator table. This had never usually been the case, unfortunately meeting your own prediction that the fact that there was no informal label for female bodyguards would cause a great deal of trouble for anyone who encountered it.

Taeyang and Althea replaced the previous two members whose unfortunate deaths spurned a distraught Zuho to let you take action on how to handle the matter. As great as the damage was, you remained calm, picking the top of Seokwoo’s office for the extra firepower. As you disabled the metal knives in the kitchen, each having a replacement with plastic that could barely cut bread, you cautiously made your way from the kitchen, thinking back to the time you suggested the idea of bodyguards.

When the safe house was bombarded with external knives and guns, the assistance proved to be useful. Zuho was the head that no one knew about, leading lower-level employees to believe that he was just like them. And he was believable at it too, sharing his struggles of working for a company he did not like and going out for drinks with them. It was a nervously laughable matter for Youngbin who acted as the primary CEO, face of this company, in all the newspapers, cameras and action.

Over many layers of employees, three groups existed, acting as board members for the company. They were told that they were one among three but their existence was unknown even between the groups and meetings to find out such information was prohibited as such, possibly punishable by isolation. There was also thought to be a hierarchy of the groups, or as who was preferred by Zuho. In succession of leadership, your group was second closest, seeing the light of day to be blinded by money, power and greed one more than the group behind you.

You, Seokwoo, Isa, Taeyang, Althea and Youngkyun formed the group, age difference one more than the number of queens in a deck of cards. There was also one seat still remaining for this newly formed group of four years, leaving nothing but hope that they would be of the same standard as all the recruits in the company. Their process unearthed your fears (one among many other things) in their search for ‘hardy’ personalities. Those that passed were reinforced of the strength they contained.

You heaved, hands dragging the unconscious women to an empty, furnished room. You did not look at their faces, feeling apologetic in words that you could only tell them after bandaging their wounds and feeding them food. You almost stressed when you realised that you would also have to deal with Kyun and Seokwoo’s anger. Leaving the door closed but not locked, you dismissed the matter, leaving it to be dealt with when it happened.

As you sat in Kyun’s office, you admired the room as it was still, no awareness to the next visitor that it had been occupied in the last five minutes. There were no used cups or books with highlighted words laying around. Books were neatly stacked and chairs were in place, laptop in the safe upstairs as you traced the wood of his desk, not feeling a speck of dust. Too many things had happened in this room for you to sit nervously, pondering over who would enter the room next, hot on each other’s trail to minimise the life forces in this house.

Faintly, you wondered about their project, liking it when they coordinated from the office. Taking off most of your gear, you placed them in the false safe under the desk, only leaving your gun in its holster, strapped to your chest. The room was soundproof and you laid back on his desk, settling in the peace of absolutely no noise. Your mistakes could cost a heavy debt for the team and you were acutely aware that this could be the case with any member, you thought while clutching your gun.

Sounds of the rustling of organised footsteps along the carpeted floor echoed in your mind, followed by the hurried whispers and soon images of armed individuals with the intent to harm at first sight. Deceiving knocks on the door that never came disrupted the silence as you opened your eyes in a flash, tightening your grip on the gun. You lifted your head, making contact with embroidered flowers on a black basket that contained knives if opened properly

You rehearsed the method, breathing unevenly to calm yourself. Distracting yourself by concentrating on reading the titles of the books on the shelf, you were able to brush away your alarming thoughts, slowly. Then came the time when you slumped, letting your body drain itself of the pent up energy, closing your eyes until sleep overcame you.

Cold sweat lined your temples when you were confronted with your past missions, confusing your body with the emotions, some repressed while others were expressed. Till the dreams passed, you were uneasy, uncomfortable, until you began to dream of Kyun and Seokwoo lustfully, hungrily groping your body. One thrusted into you to greedily feel you around him while the other one jerked himself off at the sight.

The visuals were elaborate and as you woke up with stained panties, startled as pieces of it began to fade away faster than you could hold onto them. Blinking away the sleepiness, you were forced to scramble and jump behind the desk pointing your gun at the door when it flew open, Seokwoo and Kyun threaded in with knees bent and ready to fire. The three of you sighed in relief, taking a moment to stutteringly breathe. You came out from behind the desk, holstering your gun and removing the gear altogether, discarding it on the table.

Seokwoo’s shoes thudded as he walked towards you as you got off the table and he embraced you, surprisingly enough to temporarily freeze. Concern was etched in his eyes as he didn’t let go, hastily pressing a kiss to your lips. He felt relaxed now, at peace since seeing that you were not hurt was calming, carrying the tension he felt away with the wind. He whispered into your ear about how worried the both of them were and he released a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut tight from the panic he had felt.

You wrapped your arms around him, uncomfortable with the wet feeling in between your legs, but there was no reason that succeeded the importance of the situation at hand. The buttons on Seokwoo’s dark grey, silk waistcoat touched your frame, his eagerness to have you in his arms overcoming him.

However, Kyun was not so patient as he angrily huffed and tossed his briefcase onto a chair. The noise echoed in the otherwise silent room, Seokwoo squeezing your hand comfortingly as he stepped away, leaning against the bookcase. Kyun grasped your arms, hands wandering to your waist to gently hold the sides. His entire demeanour was misleading, making you think that he was softer than the annoyance he held back.

‘‘You don’t have to- I’m fine okay?’‘ you gently spoke, in line with his mannerisms but perhaps a direct contrast to the fiery anger that laid beneath. Kyun was not satisfied with this, wearing annoyance like a second skin and body tilted towards Seokwoo in question. ‘’What were you thinking?’’ Kyun asked you.

You did not wait, calmly responding, ‘’I know that you were worried, and so was I. But, it would have been useful if you had given me a heads-up that the individuals were women not men.’’, momentarily glancing at Seokwoo in reference to the words that came from his mouth.

Your pace was slow and you pronounced each word with care, emphasising your reading onto his reading of the situation. You encouraged him to stop when you felt as if he was about to delve into a flawed argument, continuing, ‘’Look, this’’, motioning to the three of you. ‘’was a moment of miscommunication. And it almost cost us but we can prevent this next time.’’. Fighting an oncoming headache, you almost sighed when Kyun tightly hugged you.

He pressed his body to yours, nudging your thighs apart as he stood in between them, the soft material of his suit smelling like the homely smell of blood and sweat. ‘’I know it isn’t.’’ he began, increasing in pace as he whispered, ‘’And I’m sorry- it’s just that, I-’’. You nodded, humming a ‘’I know’’ which interlaced with his, ‘’I was worried’’.

This was it, you thought. This was all the times you looked at Kyun and thought of how much you loved him. The confession was sporadic for each one of them but the grasping of the face and kissing those lips were spontaneous, a routine you could see yourself growing to love everyday.

As he grasped your hands, you leaned in to meet his lips, hearing your own heart beating. Dismissing the sound, you pulled your concentration on him, tracing his beautiful face, losing the previous scenario from thought. At these points, the meaning of your memories always intensified. He slid his hands over your top, laying his palms flat.

Sliding your hand over the material of his suit, you gasped at the ache in between your legs. You were growing more aroused, stickiness adding to stickiness, the throbbing leaving you with the sensual impulse to satisfy the ache.

Kyun’s tensed shoulders relaxed, his lips lingering over yours. You held your breath in anticipation, stilling for seconds as he came to understand the atmosphere you had already divulged into. He need-fully took in your appearance, gently lifting your top at the edges which went unnoticed by you.

Your breath hitched when he grasped the back of your neck and connected your foreheads, noses lightly touching. He lingered his lips right above yours, the small space of air teasing your lips that parted open as a welcome for his. You chuckled, running a thumb over his cheek, sliding forward so that when you let out a last chuckle, he was lost in trying to capture your lips.

You menacingly peered at him, not bothering to answer the question in Seokwoo’s eyes as he got off the bookshelf. Your legs that dangled off the table, caught onto Kyun’s waist, your hands pushing you back as you kicked him. He grunted, stumbling back at the force, gripping the air behind when his legs found solace in lying flat on the ground.

He narrowed his eyes, a giggle escaping you when he grabbed your ankles before they could flee his reach and pulled you forward. His grip on your legs tightened, you all the while glaring at him, cautious of Seokwoo at the side whose eyes were fixated in you. Drawing your arm back, you twisted your torso, swinging your fist at Kyun’s face. Almost landing a punch, Seokwoo grasped your hand, leaving you in place and poised for a second.

He collected your wrists, roughly pressing them above your head. They were pinned to the table, surprise strangled in your throat as his knees collided with the solidity of the table. His suit stretched at the edges as he leaned in to smile.

You growled, bringing your head up and connecting it against his nose as hard as you could. By diverting all your energy to your neck, your legs went limp in Kyun’s arms, alarming him.

Seokwoo’s head flew back, expression of pain as he sniffed, trying to grasp if he was bleeding. ‘’Was that necessary?’’ he questioned, huffing at the smile that graced your face. Your nodding was cut off when he connected your lips, the softness a contrast to how abruptly he did it.

You moaned against him, wanting him to let go of your hands that ached with the manner in which they had been pinned to the table. Its coldness that slid up your arms, causing you to shiver and allow goosebumps to line your hands. You opened your mouth to him, his tongue sliding in and moving against your wet muscle, another hand cupping your throat.

Arousal had wet the inside of your underwear and Kyun who was excited at the sight, spread your compliant legs. He teasingly ran a thumb over your centre, almost feeling the sticky liquids line your folds and panties. Kyun was enticed, his own trousers feeling uncomfortable.

He tugged at the hem of your joggers, pulling them down to reveal your lace underwear. The second thing he noticed were the stains, biting his lips in promise. Arousal rushed his centre, epitomising how his length grew, erected at the sight of Seokwoo passionately kissing you and your own masturbation in your underwear.

He gulped at the sight, paused as thoughts of your touching yourself flooded his mind. His hand lingered in mid-air, your cries getting louder as you neared your release, kicking the covers off as it got warmer after having used the most appealing toy to you to insert into your hole and stimulate yourself.

He groaned, stroking himself over his suit trousers, palmed himself at the visuals that delightfully swirled in his head. As Seokwoo completely pinned you down and released all his energy into kisses, Kyun’s fingers delicately trailed your ankles, fluttering around the skin teasingly and slowly spreading your legs.

He hooked his fingers into the hems of your underwear, tearing the material apart. Miniscule fibres filled the air as he placed a finger to your core, seeing you jerk in response to the touch of his cold fingers.

Two digits in his mouth, he mustered all the saliva he could, swirling the wetness around his fingers. Lips parted, a trail of saliva disconnected at the increasing distance between his mouth and your entrance. Probing at it, you threw your head back and gasped, your warm cunt pulsing around the thickness of his two digits.

Seokwoo laid two opposing fingers on either side of your throat, giving you a mockingly encouraging nod to look at him. You hummed, eyes wide and in curious belief of what Kyun was about to do. He made a scissoring motion with his fingers, rubbing your clit. The pleasure of his hands were taken away when he unbuttoned himself, sliding his zipper down to reveal his length that was uncomfortable with the fabric that concealed it.

He pumped himself with the precum that flowed from the tip, slowly rubbing the tip against your folds. You whined into Seokwoo’s demanding kisses, small laughs escaping him at how wet you must have been at the moment. Seokwoo pressed himself against you when you began to whine, holding onto him as Kyun slid his cock into you, earning a groan from you. Your entrance was wet, fluid covering and when he slid in, he was met with a warmth and ease that allowed him to easily thrust into you.

He heavily moaned, rough thrusts culminating from the stress he felt earlier, pouring it out and turning into heat as he held your legs apart, your release soaking his cock in your juices. You were aroused, hungrily moaning for more when Kyun slid into you and Seokwoo groped your breasts, feeling the soft skin mould to his desire.

Leaning over you, Seokwoo took his hard cock out of his trousers and pumped himself, tapping the hardness at your lips. Beads of precum flowed from his tip, using it to lube his cock that he slid into your mouth. Gripping your hair in one hand, Seokwoo slightly adjusted himself, grinning as you opened your mouth.

Swallowing the tip, he gently entered your mouth, hearing you gag, coarse tears staining your eyelashes wet. He paused, only continuing when you hummed, sending vibrations up his cock, his breaths getting heavier.

From his grip on your hair, he used your mouth to pleasure him, bobbing your head up and down his cock. His back was neutral, your neck off the table and mouth being used to pleasure Seokwoo who gasped, leaning on the table for support.

You were quick in wrapping your legs around Kyun, wanting the friction that he had created, satiating the beauty of the wetness in between your legs with his cock. He greedily groaned as you were helpless on the table, feebly moaning in desire and turning breathless as his grasp around your throat tightened, making it a struggle for you to breathe. You swallowed air but then it got harder, your voice coarse in its delivery to Kyun who chuckled at your pitiful state.

You wanted more. You wanted him to punish you, roughly fuck you and fill you up but the thing is, you could not demand and hence, you did not know what to expect. They were both unpredictable, Kyun, who could be caring but a maniac in his actions while Seokwoo’s looks deceived enough to make you believe that he was being nice when he truly wasn’t.

Seokwoo’s hand never left your throat while Kyun’s fingernails dug into your thighs as he bought you forward, roughly fucking into you. You heaved when Seokwoo left his grip on your neck, allowing you to take in a gracious amount of air. The slapping of his cock against your face could be heard amidst the wet noises of Kyun’s pounding into you.

The table shook with the rough movements, Kyun’s moans filling the air and the heat of the table, hot against your bare back. Kyun had left your clit bare, aching to be touched, his focus completely pulled on the way your pussy swallowed his cock, stretching open. The sounds of your needy moans and desperate pleas could be heard against Seokwoo’s cock.

Seokwoo dove into this change in persona, seeing you being used as you allowed him to use you for himself. Hands left to fumble for no purchase on the table, you could not move an inch, hollowing your cheeks the best you could to suck Seokwoo off.

You whined, pleading Seokwoo with your pouty eyes to which he shook his head, whispering, ‘’Don’t complain’’. Sucking his upper lip in, he looked back at Kyun whose concentration was broken, nodding at his colleague. Pulling out of you, Kyun tossed you over, your gasp of surprise heightening as he entered you from behind, thrusting his cock into you, setting a fast pace. You got on your palms and knees, Seokwoo once more fisting your hair and peering at you with eager eyes.

The force of Kyun’s thrusts grew sloppy but still allowed for your head to bob up and down Seokwoo’s length. They could feel their releases nearing, knowing that after such pauses and emotional tension, they would release hard. Kyun would cream your walls with his thick fluids. You cried out, loudly moaning and meeting Seokwoo’s eyes who was lovingly watching the way your body moved, breasts wanting to be touched but whole-heartedly forgotten in the moment.

Kyun didn’t have any intentions for you to release. It had been in his mind from the time he had started pounding into you. He continued filling you up, letting you relax in the way he held your waist, the ache of your back and arms pushed aside. Then he pulled out, setting your release a few steps back as your stunned self froze.

The wetness was still present inside and outside, your pussy clenching around air. Your legs began trembling when he stopped the flow of his hips that had previously repeatedly snapped against yours. You looked at him from your position, turning over to meet his eyes and for a moment, reminiscing the pleasure you could have had.

You were holding yourself up by your arms, legs spread, as if waiting for him to re-enter you and fill you up. Seokwoo tugged your head down his length, your gag reflex in a training to be gone. You brought a hand up to stroke his balls, wobbling on your remaining hand.

Kyun did not take very long to release. After pumping himself, sweat excitedly dripping down his temples, he grabbed your legs, bringing you forward and penetrated your entrance. You cried out as in a thrust, he filled you till your cervix, releasing the contents of his liquid into you and groaning in relief.

You squealed at the feeling, releasing tears as his hot liquids filled you up. You were in a daze, not having recovered from any of the events yet feeling like you were catching up with all of them in real-time.

You were roughly brought down on Seokwoo’s cock, doing your best to keep up with his hand. After moments of heavy breathing, you moaned from the pain in your scalp, flinching as Seokwoo pulled out and pumped himself over your face and breasts.

Kyun stood there breathless, swiftly hauling you off the table and bringing you in front of the mirror as he regained his breath. You were taken to the large, rectangle shaped mirror in his office that was close to the door. Your scalp ached, yet had no time to feel relieved as Kyun fisted your hair, thrusting you forward, your yelp evident in the quiet room.

Seokwoo tapped your ass, brushing your cunt as he went lower. You were prompted to look at yourself in the mirror, still confused as you glanced at Kyun. Seokwoo embraced you from behind, parting your legs. You could see your form in the mirror, Kyun’s release slowly dripping down the inner of your thighs, staining the skin as they went along.

Your face heated up at the sight but you were aroused nonetheless, Seokwoo’s grip on your thighs making it unable for you to close them. His hands wandered throughout your body, tracing your figure for example, the curve of your breasts, your stomach, thighs, touch fluttering to the point where you felt tickled.

Your breath hitched when Kyun lazily bumped you forward, stating as a matter of fact, ‘’Look’’, encouraging you, ‘’Such a slut’’. You swallowed a bout of saliva, immediately breathily moaning as Seokwoo probed your entrance, your legs bending at the stimulation.

To Seokwoo, Kyun was distinctly rough with you as compared to any non-sexual situation where the power dynamics were almost reversed. He studied your boundaries, completely overpowering you. The basic point of measuring when you submitted was the way you would look at him. You would not hide it, letting him take full control when you were ready.

To Kyun, Seokwoo was caring, although never explicitly telling you how much, he routinely made a point to show. There was no confusion in his gentleness with you and as far as moments after confessions went, he was not a hypocrite. He eagerly held your throat, his breath fanning against your neck. It trailed here and there, tickling you. The result was an acute awareness of your own arousal, the unmistakable throbbing of your sex.

The swell of his cock rubbed against your bare ass and you bit your lip at the feeling, scrunching your face with the release of a breathy moan. He caressed the curve of your ass, groping the pretty flesh in his hands, smooth skin touching yours that felt like a subtle predictor of his future behaviour.

He leaned down and whispered into your ear, asking, ‘’Would you be okay if we had sex right now?’’. You rose to meet his eyes, nodding in curiousness. The reflection of the outside lights flashed in your eyes, revealing a desiring glint.

In response, he hummed, taking in a sharp breath before playfully smiling and saying, ‘’We won’t have sex then, get on the table’’, leaving you admittedly bittersweet. Kyun laughed in the background questioning, ‘’Why did you ask her then?’’.

Seokwoo bent you over the table, landing a harsh smack to the curve of your ass, the skin turning pink. You cried out in surprise, hands clenching over the flat surface of the table. As he landed two more to the same cheek, you breathlessly gasped, darting your eyes to places that seemed beyond your vision, promptly shutting your eyes as bright jewels of light in the distance struck your vision, white momentarily shining in the depths of your eyes.

Stick excess pooled in between your legs, gathering friction from the way your legs were stuck together, creating friction. He caressed the slightly bruised cheek, aroused at the sight in front of him. You were holding yourself by the palms, wondering how you got yourself into this position.

Kyun and Seokwoo were different, in their approach to each other and to you. Everyone was far too lost to realise that this situation, under different reactions, could have played out differently. Thinking that it was not too late, you turned around, flinching as you settled on the soreness of your ass.

Missing the swat of Seokwoo’s hand, he made a swipe at the air causing him to take a step back, pursing his lips in question. You peered at Seokwoo, almost pushing him to let you momentarily take control. The encouragement worked due to his delayed reaction, his eyebrows raised and hands on hips.

Kyun chuckled as you spread your legs, licking your lower lip, softly biting the skin. Your fingers trailed along the length of your torso, a smile lingering as you twirled around your clit, gasping at the pleasuring sensation. Your legs trembled, lacking the energy to keep up unlike your own deprived- of- release sex.

A jolt ran through your body when you touched yourself, asking Seok, ‘‘I didn’t do it like this when I touched myself earlier.’‘, nodding as you motioned to your fingers. Kyun smirked at this play, thinking, she submitted to me but she won’t do it for Seok, chuckling at any of your least-favourable probable outcomes.

The innocence present in your hands caused both of them to relax until you entered your cunt, feeling the mixed juices coat your digits. You brought yourself back to where Kyun had left you earlier, all in a matter of concentrating. Your eyes glossed over as your vision blurred, losing yourself in the pleasure you created.

Seokwoo genuinely laughed at your ministrations, enjoying the sight of you touching yourself. However, Seok didn’t look at Kyun to make a decision together. He grabbed your hand, not giving you a chance to collect yourself. Your hands were taken away from your cunt, stopping your pleasure in its tracks for almost the third time today.

You yelped in surprise as you felt yourself slide off the table and onto your legs that wobbled on the way to the bedroom. A sigh of frustration escaped you, swallowing it as Seokwoo looked at you with a definite look of irritation. You looked back at Kyun who was following you too, shrugging as you reflected his sly smile.

Seok’s steps were quick, shoes clicking against the wooden floor as the door to your bedroom flew open, slamming into the wall. Your eyes widened at the sound, heart excitedly racing with other priorities before Seok threw you onto the bed, sheets flying upon your harsh contact with them. You stared at him through your eyelashes, his figure towering over yours when he removed his boxers, revealing his length.

It slapped his stomach once again, his gaze never leaving you. You were about to ask if he was being indecisive after directly telling you that you couldn’t have him but it was all play. Unless he did something, you had no idea if his words were true. He asked, ‘’Where is the toy you used?’’, causing you to tilt your head to the side, squint in confusion. You parted your lips in an excuse as he sat in between your legs that were on either side of his waist.

You knew that he was onto you as he always was, not your issue that they had jumped to the first conclusion they could think of. You shrugged, smile toying at your lips when he penetrated your entrance, leaving you to collapse into the sheets, trying to accommodate his length. You threw your head back, back arching at the penetration.

He stilled once the bass of his cock touched your cervix, grunting as he felt your juices warmly wrap around his cock. He snugly settled into you, getting comfortable. Lingering over you, he gently said, ‘’I want to humiliate you’’, a beautiful, genuine smile gracing him.

‘’When we came back’’ he immediately started, pausing till he continued, ‘’It looked like you were sleeping’’, slowly moving in you, pace slow. You breathed heavily, having held back so many times, similar to Seok who was close too. This was a nostalgic reminder to see who would release first, with or without foul play.

‘’Yet you were wet, like you released.’’, you hummed, gripping his shoulders as he began to touch your sweet spot, drawing moans from you. He stared into you, continuing, ‘’I have never known you to masturbate in Kyun’s office, with or without a toy’’, opening to one other possibility.

You licked your lips, prompting a thrust from Seok, causing you to grip the sheets. ‘’So, while relaxing in his office, you went off to sleep and untimely had a wet dream’’ he finalised, his proudness of his revelation showing through his pleased grin.

Heat flushed your heated face, earlier frustration peeking as you dismissed his statement, ‘’Fine, yes, it happened. What is the problem?’’. He heartily laughed, slowly thrusting into your cunt as he looked at Kyun’s twinkling eyes who was impressed by his colleague noticing things that even he had not paid attention to.

Leaning against the table, Kyun stroked his cock, body warm from head to toe. Seokwoo fell to his side, pulling you with him. The invitation to Kyun was inevitable as he pulled out a condom and lubricant. Settling behind you, he cleared the hair from your neck, pressing soft kisses. One lingered the longest as he popped it open, gently probing your hole.

You held onto Seokwoo, initially jolting at the sensation Kyun caused, scrunching your eyes. Seokwoo repeatedly whispered phrases of praise to you, caressing your breasts as you clenched around him. His pace never increased no matter how annoyed you seemed when you asked him to speed the fuck up. All he did was giggle and say no, much to your dismay.

Your release was imminent for you but never to come. Delayed for as long as possible, Seokwoo held onto you, feeling his own release near while Kyun prepared you for as long, probing your entrance twice and thrice till he could seat inside you. Hands roaming your torso, he wandered without moving, grasping the heat you were offering him. Teasing your clit, you frustratingly laughed, whining and finding satisfaction in Seok’s heat.

The end was the same, except it wasn’t the end for the bigger picture. Seokwoo pulled out, pumping himself till he came, doing so inside you. You ground your hips against his, friction not enough to satisfy you. Seokwoo stayed inside you, relaxing his tense and sweaty body, on the soft covers.

‘‘It feels nice this way’‘ Seokwoo spoke up, motioning to the position the three of you were in. Kyun laughed, agreeing as you joined in, chuckling. It did lead you to ask, ‘‘So when- when will I be able to release?’‘, clenching around Seokwoo as you did. He hummed, smiling, teasingly shrugging, replying with a playful hint in his voice, ‘‘I don’t know’‘.

You held back a laugh, rolling your eyes and shrugging away, barely turning away from Seokwoo before he pulled you back into his arms. Pressing a kiss to the crown of your head, he stated, ‘’That is a good take on it’’ causing you to push him away with a discontented look.

‘‘Kyun hasn’t said anything’‘ you suddenly whispered and Seokwoo looked over, smiling as he nodded towards a naked Kyun who was already sleeping. You patted his ass, running a thumb over it while giggling with Seokwoo. Kyun was knocked out, the cuteness of his very soft snores adding to his peaceful state of slumber.

‘‘He must be tired’‘ you whispered, Seokwoo agreeing to your words, replying, ‘‘He did stress a lot’‘. You chatted away with Seok, temporarily forgetting about your situation, the two of you giggling in the silence, trying not to wake Kyun up with your laughs.

About six hours into your sleep, you got a phone call that first woke up Seok. He shook you out of your sleep, handing your phone to you. You groggily picked up the phone, taking in deep breaths to calm the fast beating of your heart you always felt no matter who woke you up, when or where. Seok hugged your form, hiding in the crook of your neck and going back to sleep, hoping that whatever it is, it was not important.

Kyun had woken up sometime earlier, gesturing in question to the phone in your hand. You shrugged, hearing Zuho hurriedly say, ‘’We have a situation. Gather the team, you will be briefed when I’m on the ground’’. Kyun had finished taking a shower, seemingly relaxed but nervously glancing at you.

Zuho cut the call and you quickly woke Seokwoo up, motioning Kyun to get changed. Both asked why but you had no answer, directing Kyun to get your weapons ready. Grabbing Seokwoo’s hand, you tugged his sleepy self along to the shower for a quick scrub.

On the way, you told Kyun to contact Taeyang and that he would wake up Althea and in turn, you would contact Isa. Stepping into the shower, Seokwoo started the water, drizzling it over you. You moved quickly as you picked up the phone, rushing your call with Isa to pick up the rest of her newly developed ammunition and to inform you of when she reached.

Three vehicles arrived at the scene, brakes pumped and six individuals rushing out. The uniforms you wore would conceal your identity, allowing the six of you to act as six and as one too. Your red badges to identify your group were stripped off and handed to you who gave the responsibility of keeping them safe to Althea.

There was time to only prioritise the safety of your team members and whatever the mission from Zuho was. The six of you stood in a circle, clouds of light grey amidst the rising dark blue turning lighter surrounding you. They were attentive to your calm voice as you handed them instructions, weapons in hands. ‘’We split up into teams of two.’’, motioning to Isa and Taeyang, ‘’are with me. The rest of you cover the back. At 4:15, we will meet in the Quilon. We’ll go from there.’’

They nodded, dispersing after bumping shoulders with your final words, ‘’Let’s do this safely’’. It always made you chuckle, having been the first thing you said in nervousness as their unofficial leader, hearing them laugh and tell you that they had your back, no matter what mission you all were on. You guessed that these wars united your team.

#sf9 #sf9 oneshots #sf9 imagines #sf9 scenarios #sf9 requests #sf9 writings #sf9 hwiyoung #hwiyoung #kim youngkyun #hwiyoung x reader #sf9 rowoon #rowoon #kim seokwoo #rowoon x reader #sf9 rowoon smut #sf9 au

105 notes · View notes

thewhitefluffyhat · 3 years

Text

Thoughts on Gou Episode 19

At this point, I swear only thing stronger than the SatoRika romantic subtext is the Umineko subtext. Then again, those are halfway to the same thing, aren't they?

I know there are lots of people for whom Gou isn't their cup of tea. But it's definitely mine, so I'm going to savor it for all it's worth. By engaging in reckless and irresponsible theorizing of course!

Satoko at St. Lucia

First things first: Heck yeah! Satoko did make it in!

I was actually second guessing myself until the second they showed her number. That scene was way more nerve-wracking than it had any right to be? As someone who obsesses over grades and also called my shot that I wanted her to make it in... I felt super relieved when she did!

But even better was how the story deliberately played with those feelings! Last episode, I was really happy when Rika wanted to bring Satoko with her. Yet after this episode, it's clear that both girls would have been better off had Rika not tried to keep Satoko close, or had Satoko not passed the entrance exam. Reminds me a little of (Madoka Magica spoilers) Homura being allowed to keep her memories after Madoka's ascension. (end spoilers)

What initially seemed a kindness turns out to be so very cruel in the long term. Ahh, I love this kind of tragedy!

I also thought the episode did a great job walking a very fine line - it showed that the school's environment wasn’t for Satoko rather than implying it was her fault for being unintelligent and/or lazy. As soon as "Satoko at St Lucia" looked to be a significant factor in her motivation, the latter was something I was lowkey worried about. But instead, the portrayal was that rigorous academic life just wasn't something Satoko enjoyed, and there was no shame in that.

Meanwhile, I've been kind of on the fence about the "Satoko feels abandoned" plot up to now, but the grace with which this episode handled Rika is moving on and Satoko feeling confused and left behind? Mmm. Now I'm getting the big relatable feels.

Reddit, naturally, has immediately devolved into arguing which girl is in the right, but as usual I am so not here for that. *flashes back to endless Rebellion morality debates* I've been in Satoko's shoes, as the friend who didn't change, but my personal tastes lean more towards Rika's interests. I sympathize so much with both of them!

I've also seen some people arguing one the other is acting out of character, but nah. As other people have pointed out in more detail, Rika's always had self-absorption and passivity as her major flaws. And the flip side to the "Teppei is an unaddressed plot thread in Matsuribayashi" that I mentioned in last episode's review? Is that Satoko never went through her character arc where she learned to ask for help.

(Which does make her actions in Tataridamashi quite puzzling, though...)

And, of course, there's still the specter of her latent Hinamizawa Syndrome flaring up. If I remember correctly, the scary thing about going L5 is that it causes permanent rewiring of the brain. Irie may have cured the parasite, but that doesn't necessarily mean Satoko's brain damage has healed...

Last but not least for this section - "don't follow someone to an ill-fitting school just because you love them" sure isn't a moral I expected Gou to have, but it's definitely not an unwelcome one! I always cringe whenever romantic subplots have this happen and show it in a positive light, because wow that is not a good idea. Nice to see an anime actually tackling how it can go very, very wrong.

Speaking of romance, though - in hindsight I'm almost a little disappointed they didn't just make SatoRika canon during the montage. A lot of the tropes they're interrogating here are typically romantic ones, and I'm curious how it would have changed people's discussions of this episode if 1. Rika had been a guy 2. in a relationship with Satoko...

Anyway, with those surface thoughts out of the way, let's start wading into the deep lore!

Matsuribayashi Branching

With things obviously about to go wrong at St. Lucia, I think we can finally discard my "Gou Rika is Bern who split from Matsuribayashi Rika" theory. And unfortunately that means the story really is going to invalidate the OG series' happy ending. Oof. :(

My condolences to everyone who loved that ending. Personally, I'm very excited as to where Gou is heading, but it's never pleasant to have an old series retcon its previous ending this way.

...But, how much has it been retconned?

Between Gou, Mei, and the console Miotsukishi arcs all being mutually incompatible, it seems clear to me that Matsuribayashi has become another branch point, with many Fragments leading off of it. Or, to put it in Umineko terms, we've moved into a larger catbox.

The hardest sell for me about Gou is how different these Rika and Satoko are. A Rika who seriously wants a high class, academic lifestyle, despite showing zero inclination of that before? A Satoko who obsesses over Rika yet never spares a single thought for her brother? They're more like proto-Bern and proto-Lambda than their OG selves.

So, are we perhaps looking at a very unusual Fragment? A single, miraculously bad timeline?

I rather like that idea. Theoretically, in 2,578,916/2,578,917 Fragments, the club stays together and 1984 Rika briefly contemplates St Lucia but her strong love for her friends and village makes her instantly dismiss the idea. We're just watching the 1/2,578,917 chance of an aberrant Rika whose desire to leave was uncharacteristically stronger.

After all, as far as we know, there's only one Lambda and one Bern (well, okay, maybe two Berns) flitting about the multiverse. If this really is the witch-origin timeline, it must be a very unique outlier indeed.

Bernkastel stretches her wings

Speaking of witches and denied theories, hi there, Bern! Yeah, this Rika has definitely not split from her yet.

Which, actually, may be the heart of the problem.

One detail I was struck by when reading the Higurashi VN is just how negatively people react to Bernkastel. Rika's mother would hit her when she acted strange, and would get jealous when Rika was unusually skilled and knowledgeable for her age. Akasaka thinks she's possessed by a demon. Rena thinks she's an alien bodysnatcher. Even Hanyuu tells Rika it would be better if her Bern side had never existed in the first place.

(Is anyone happy that Bernkastel was "born"?)

Over and over again, when Rika shows her true personality, people insist she's a different person.

Indeed, I wonder if Rika’s drive to go to St Lucia may be a direct consequence of Saikoroshi. Hanyuu made it very clear to Rika that she needs to live as Rika full time and stop being Bern. And then... she peaced out and left Rika with literally no one to whom she could safely reveal the Bern side of her personality.

So Rika is committed to living her single life to its fullest, but it’s not like she can just erase her memories. Hence where St Lucia comes in - I think Rika may be attempting to integrate her two halves. Which... honestly isn't a bad idea!

In this read, the "Rika wants a high society life" angle is mostly a distraction that Satoko is fixating on. St Lucia isn't just about Rika wanting to experience different things and leave Hinamizawa either. Rather, it's the first time in Rika's existence where she can take baby steps towards not hiding her true self.

Maybe Rika can also be a worldly poet/philosopher, while still being Rika.

So yes, the tea parlor group is allowing Rika to be herself in a way Satoko can’t offer. And is actually praising and liking her for it, even. Of course Rika is preoccupied with spending time with them!

...Which all makes me very worried about if/when Satoko tries to confront Rika. I could easily see Satoko and Rika getting into a fight over this, in which case Rika sicking the rest of Bern on Satoko for getting in the way of her happiness seems painfully likely. Perhaps another thing that could push Satoko further into a corner?

Also, as much as I'm getting attached to this read, I'm still not a fan of how Gou is presenting Rika. The seeds of this interpretation are there, but if this is what they were aiming for, the anime needed to be a lot clearer. Use the first cour to show that Rika’s looping persona wants this kind of life, and show more at St Lucia of her revealing her Bern side. Heck, have those Ep 16/17 mini flashbacks reveal Rika's St Lucia friends were really into her poems or something.

Or, you know what would have been interesting? Have Rika switch to going by "Frederica" and/or "Bernkastel" when she enters the academy! She's attempted that before in Saikoroshi, and a new school is a perfect opportunity to test out a new name. (As Rena demonstrates in OG Higurashi!)

Finally, last but genuinely least this time: the weirdest thing about Rika's Gou characterization for me is that it didn't come completely out of left field.

See, for the past year and a half, I've been playing a D&D character based on Rika and Bern. With the goal of developing her character from one to the other.

And it turns out that if you want to draw a line from Point Rika to Point Bern, you kind of have to pass through ‘Rika gains an interest in academics and high society.’ But a few months ago, as I was RPing her through an eerily similar arc to what Gou is now doing, I felt rather guilty for dragging Rika out of character in order to reach the endpoint I wanted.

To learn that actually, I was dead on about her character is just... super bizarre. And more than a little surreal.

Here’s A Cursed Thought

(MAJOR Umineko solution spoilers in this section!)

So, Higurashi has a lot of aspects that Ryukishi07 later refined and expanded on in Umineko. One of these is characters with multiple personas - the distinction between Rika/Bern (and Rena/Reina for that matter) are kind of prototypes and precursors to Sayo and their many faces.

Which brings me to Satoko. For all the strength of her feelings toward Rika, the Rika who Satoko loves is a mask.

Or, in other words...

Satoko, you sweet, innocent summer child. You fell in love with Bernkastel's furniture.

Yeah, uh, that's not going to end well, is it?

(Of course, I don't think Bern would use the term "furniture" to describe Rika - she isn't in nearly as bad a situation as Sayo was, and lacks all the other issues that lead Sayo to that word. But the parallels are there - with Rika/Bern, just like Shannon/Sayo, the former is an "idealized girl who I'm expected to be"-type persona. Now, it being a deliberate construct doesn’t mean their feelings as that persona aren’t real. But it does mean that there’s a very messy undercurrent to said feelings and also the worry that things could get very ugly indeed when the act slips up...)

(End spoilers)

Lambda and Bern in Light of Gou

Here's a fun tangent: if we run with my dual Bern and Lambda origin story theory for a minute, it sheds an interesting light on some of the witches' interactions in Umineko.

-First, the hell Lambda's originated from involved being isolated and was escaped by a certain determination. So the "Special Class" that Satoko is in danger of falling into... was that Lambda's hell? Man, of all the things I've considered for her backstory, remedial classes was not one of them!

-Lambda's "super thick paper" catchphrase has always seemed pretty self-deprecating to me, but uh. If her backstory really does involve trauma from school stress, that casts said phrase in a much harsher light. Same goes for Bern frequently calling her stupid.

-Alternatively, those interactions could also read as a very convolutedly retroactive in-joke. Because if Lambda’s origin involves Satoko failing at school, then I have no doubt that “Satoko/Lambda was so stupid she became a witch” is going to be the shallow, derisive meme that runs rampant in the fandom. And it would be very on-brand for Ryukishi07 to turn those aspects of the witches' Umineko characterization into riffs on a fandom take that wouldn't exist until a decade later!

-As much as Gou's Rika and Satoko are starting to behave like Bern and Lambda, there are a few Gou details that don't quite match up yet:

Sure, Umineko's Bern does enjoy those fancy, high-society trappings we see at St Lucia, but she seems to have retained more of Rika's game-loving gremlin side compared to Gou Rika. Given Bern's disdain for Heaven/authority figures, I wonder if she'll eventually come around to Satoko's opinion of St. Lucia.

Lambda loves to play up the yandere act when around Bern, but she's not nearly as co-dependent on Bern as this Satoko is on Rika. What happened there?

These character changes in Gou still don't answer my biggest question - how did Bern go from charming and beloved Rika to a friendless misanthrope, and how did Lambda do a complete 180 from Satoko and become a popular socialite in witch-y high society?

Of course, given how much Rika and Satoko have changed, it’s entirely possible that even if Bern and Lambda appear in Gou, they’ll be nearly unrecognizable as their former selves. *worries in years-old, extremely specific headcanons*

Themes?

It's still very early, but I want to take my own stab at what themes Gou may be playing with.

In Episode 19 specifically, I found I kept coming back to "the story of Satoko is the tragedy of trying to change yourself for the one you love." The episode zips over it with a montage, but Satoko spent two and a half years giving up a happy middle school life and instead forcing herself to be the person Rika wanted her to be.

Meanwhile, Rika is experiencing the opposite - after forcing herself to maintain her childish act for a century so as not to alarm her friends, she's finally getting a taste of life outside that box. And I think that genie won't go back in the bottle so easily.

People have noted this episode tying into the OP with Satoko and “I believe what you said”, but it was also about Rika "wanting it all" - both Satoko at her side and also her new lifestyle and friends.

In other words, this is a Rika who took the "don't compromise on your happiness!" message of Matsuribayashi to heart a little too well. It's Ryukishi07 doing his typical thing and revisiting his old themes to complicate them yet again!

As for where everything will go from here, I'm not certain. On the one hand, sometimes healthy relationships do require compromises. On the other hand... if Satoko=Lambda theory is true, Rika/Bern may have stumbled into a second miracle - the person who fell for her has the capacity to accept and love both of her selves.

#when they cry #higurashi #higurashi gou #umineko #bernkastel #lambdadelta #furude rika #houjou satoko #umineko spoilers #heart of beatrice #higurashi gou analysis #read more #my ramblings #didn't have time for usual Sunday queue this week #guess it will have to be Monday queue #sorry! D:#my higurashi gou sotsu meguri thoughts

75 notes · View notes

makeste · 3 years

Note

The anon who sent the Twitter thread here! Thanks for the answer ^^ I absolutely agree that harrassing Caleb (regardless of how correct are his translations) is absolutely unaccepatable and some people should, like, go outside or something. Or at least take step away from the internet given the pandemic. (also after rereading this ask before sending I realized it may seem as if I felt attacked and was defending myself, so I want to clarify it now - it's absolutely not the case lmao) I was asking stricte about the situation with the translation, but since you can't really separate translation and its translator, I mentioned Caleb, but I also did it only bc Caleb is the only one we really know to be responsible for translations. I guess I could've worded it better lmao. Also I wasn't aware that editors sometimes change things without his knowledge. That's,,, really shitty tbh, I thought Viz is more professional. Imo it should be consulted if the editor wants to change something, not did behind the translator's back. Either way, do you think it can cause people to lose faith in the official translations? With how inacurrate the fanscans can be (which imo is totally understandable, given it goes Japanese -> Korean -> English and especially nuances can be lost in translation), and how stupid some shitstorms are, official translations were kinda this safe space to confirm/deny some of the subtle differences.

just to clarify anon, I didn’t think you said anything inappropriate, and your ask was worded just fine imo. I sort of used it as an excuse to soapbox about the Caleb discourse just because it’s been on my mind on and off, and since you did mention him. this is like the epitome of a first world problem, but sometimes I’m itching to talk about a topic, but I don’t necessarily want to write multiple posts about it, and so if I’ve already got an ask related to it, I’ll just tag the rant onto that. but the problem is if all of my asks are polite and thoughtful and eminently reasonable, and I want to rant about the parts of the fandom that aren’t, said rant probably seems like an overreaction by me lol. sorry about that.

anyway! honestly I think that for the vast majority of people who read the official translations, it never even enters their mind to question it. for the fans who are more active in the online community who are reading multiple scans, they probably do become more skeptical when something like this happens. but I also feel like those are the type of people who are more primed to question translations anyway, just because they care more about getting those details right.

also I think it’s worth noting that this isn’t exactly a new problem with manga translations in general, as we’ve had to deal with inaccuracies and over-the-top localization efforts for decades. like I hail from the days when publishers like Viz still flipped manga pages so that they would read left-to-right, because they didn’t think fans would be willing to read a book that was right-to-left. and that’s not even getting into the lengths they would go to avoid having characters curse, or the absurdly cringey localization of characters’ names and other things like that. so the thing is, I already learned a long time ago that “official” doesn’t always equal reliable. (and a lot of times the changes that draw the most fandom ire actually are considered professional, which is part of the problem; what the industry considers “professional” doesn’t always keep pace with what the fans want.) and overall I feel like modern translations have come such a long way that relatively minor things like this don’t really bother me like they might otherwise.

and really I don’t think it’s the worst thing if this leads fans to do more research and possibly learn more about the Japanese language and the whole translation process. I think that’s kind of cool actually. in the end the people who want to know the exact ins and outs of a given line in the manga have more resources than ever to find that out, which is great. having people realize that no translation is completely without bias or flaws is a good thing imo. I just wish we could do it without all of the drama lol.

#bnha 301 #caleb cook #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #anon asks #bnha meta

33 notes · View notes

daily-dose-of-imagines · 3 years

Text

ᴍʏ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ | ᴀᴋᴀᴀꜱʜɪ ᴋᴇɪᴊɪ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴏɴᴇ-ꜱʜᴏᴛ

I have absolutely no shame in writing this for my favorite 2d boy’s birthday--- SKSKSKSKKS Happy birthday to the prettiest setter ;; christ I love this boi so much anvo;ahrevguiarh wish he was real ANYWHO as always, thank you all so much for your love and support~! We really appreciate it on this blog~!

As always, I listened to this playlist: [ falling in love with akaashi keiji (22) editor in a shonen jump magazine ] created by onigiri n coffee<3

I won’t lie, the amount of playlists I have added and downloaded pertaining to Akaashi is--- way too many SKSKSK

» » Admin Ko

───── ❝ Tag List ❞ ─────

┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑

@woah-there-cowboy-or-cowgirl | @lovelykay

**To be added to Admin Ko’s Taglist in future WIPs, please request so in the inbox!

┕━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┙

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Soft and melodic, the sweet and familiar feather like kisses of the piano’s keys danced into her ears as the momentous scene from Yuri on Ice danced in her head. It had been a whim that she had discovered the playlist, and in all honesty she couldn’t help but rename it to something that properly envisioned her emotions.

At first, it had become difficult to name as the words that rained in her head did little to no justice in describing her feelings, but after a particular day of moping she found the perfect name after a rough day with her beloved boyfriend of 6 years.

Remembering back to it, she couldn’t help but feel a smile grace her features as (e/c) hues softened into that of pure love and adoration.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Akaashi came into their shared room that day, his serene expression quickly shifting into that of worry as he spotted the lump of discomfort and discontent laying in the center of their shared bed.

“...Blossom?”

His words, as delicate as his motions, stirred her from her burrow as she wearily peered out into the dimly lit room. Though hard to see, she made out the familiar form of her sweet lover. The former setter of Fukurodani having just come back from the college team’s practice, tossed his duffel bag to the side as gunmetal blue eyes shimmered with worry as he knelt down to unfurl his lover from her little nest.

“...Keiji?”

Despite being hoarse and raspy from a nap, the curious lit that danced in her voice had a smile subconsciously forming on his lips as he leaned forward to press a firm kiss to her forehead as he tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear before lovingly cupping her face in his hands.

“The one and only... did you eat yet?”

The unconfident noise that escaped her throat had him breath out heavily through his nose as he began to gently caress the top of her cheek. His thumb lightly brushing against the expanse of tired skin as she subconsciously nestled her face into his waiting palm.

Though small, the motion itself warmed his heart as he broke into a goofy smile. The remnants of experimental makeup littered her cheeks, and the flaws she so desperately tried to hide only served to be more unique little quirks in her habits that he had come to adore.

“Come on, I’ll get a shower ready for you and your favorite movie.”

“...take out?”

“Your favorite. Once you come out we can cuddle before talking about what happened, okay?”

The mere mention of recollection of what had transpired earlier in her day had her stiffen in his hold, yet the patient and warm gaze Akaashi held settled the bundle of nerves into that of tamed buzz. She still felt uncomfortable-- ashamed, even a burden yet the constant reminders and warm patience the aspiring editor provided was enough to delude the voices that tainted her mind.

“...I swear, every day I just fall in love with you over and over again.”

“Funny, I should be saying that to you.”

A sound of confusion came from her as she furrowed her brows together at the other’s revelation. Slowly, she propped herself up as she took the hand cupping her face to her lap as she gently rubbed the back of his hand. Her eyes gently prying over the calluses and faint lines from bandages.

“...I...sometimes don’t really get what you say that...”

“Really? I thought it was at least somewhat obvious...perhaps I’m not being read as well as I’d like to be by you...”

A uncharacteristic pout formed on his lips as he pushed his way into her line of vision before lightly tilting his head to the side.

“You’re...a breath of fresh air, but a cozy reminder of our past. Sometimes you surprise me, but sometimes you remind me that you’re still you. It just....reminds me and makes me fall in love with you like I did the day I first met you.”

“Fuck...you’re too good for me Keiji.”

In all honesty, in that moment (y/n) couldn’t even remember why she had been upset. Perhaps it had been the stress, or the voices visiting her again; but just seeing Akaashi in front of her quelled some of the unnecessary demons that happened to bring her down that morning.

A whimsical chuckle danced into her ears as soft lips pressed themselves eagerly into the palms of her hands.

“Only for you...now come on, let’s get you out of your nest and into one that’ll fit us both...yeah?”

“...yeah...”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Rightfully, the morning after she had quickly grabbed her phone as the epiphany hit her right in the face. The new playlist title seemingly fit perfectly into place as she reviewed the songs. It was perfect-- even if it felt long.

Thus, here she was lightly dancing around the Christmas themed apartment. Though not extravagant, the warm fairy lights that graced the walls and cozy atmosphere their shared apartment held had her giddy with joy as she added the finishing touches to her little surprise.

Akaashi’s birthday had rolled up quicker than either of them had imagined, yet with the constant roll of finals and graduation looming it’s head around the corner, her lover of 6 years had barely an inkling of what time or day it was anymore. Thus, here she was preparing not only an early graduation surprise, but a birthday one at that.

Already, she had his favorite movies laid on the small coffee table, his favorite food and take out on it’s way and his favored wine chilling innocently in the kitchen fridge. All that was left was the guest of honor and a well deserved bath.

Though before she could really act, a pair of familiar arms wrapped themselves around her waist as she tilted her head back to meet the loving gaze Akaashi was practically drowning her in.

“Sur...prise?”

Though awkward, the flustered expression on her face only added to the pure unadulterated love Akaashi felt for her as he squeezed her close to his chest.

“You didn’t have to...”

“I wanted to.”

The pout that marred her own features served to bring forth a barrage of kisses to her face as soft squeals and giggles escaped her as he fervently chased her face with nonstop kisses. It was out of character-- though she definitely couldn’t say she wasn’t a fan of the affectionate Akaashi, it was just oddly out of character of him to act similarly to his best friend Bokuto.

“Ke-- Kei--- Keiji! Heel boy~!”

“Never~.”

Easily, he whisked her away into his arms as she found herself being eased into the bathroom. The speaker that was playing her favorite playlist lightly echoing throughout the apartment as he pressed kiss after kiss to her cheeks and lips.

“ ‘Falling for Akaashi Keiji’? What sort of playlist title is that?”

Though breathless, he continued to shower her in affection as he leisurely began to tug at her clothes, his face pressed deeply into her neck as his eyes lightly fluttered shut.

As if on cue, she gently threaded her fingers through his unruly hair as a flustered noise escaped her throat.

“It...it was the easiest name to give my playlist...I couldn’t come up with a proper name that held that playlist’s vibe so that was what it was...”

“You...named a playlist that then?”

“Of course I did! every time I listen to it I just remember or I just feel like falling in love with you all over again...”

Despite being dumbstruck, the goofy smile that formed on his usually calm features did little to quell the pitter patter of her heart as he pulled her in closer, his arms refusing to budge even when she tried to escape and hide her flustered emotions.

“...I love you so much...you know that, blossom?”

“.....Y-Yeah...I...wow.”

“What?”

“I just.. y-you’ve said it so many times, but the way you said it just now just...”

“Just?”

“....made me fall in love with you all over again....”

Barely a second had passed as he stared at her with a look of confusion before his cheeks flushed red as he surged forth to eagerly press his lips to hers before breaking as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“...well you’re not the only one who just fell in love again...”

“Alright alright, let’s just hurry and shower before the food gets here-- and before you even start the fun stuff is for later.”

“...fine.”

“Don’t pout~ I have your favorite set waiting in the bedroom for later~.”

“...Have I told you I love you?”

“Yes, many times Keiji.”

“Well, I love you, (y/n). So, so much...”

“And I love you, Keiji...Happy birthday, my beautiful prince.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #akaashi x reader #akaashi keiji #akaashi keiji x reader #keiji akaashi x reader #akaashi keiji birthday fic #haikyuu reader insert

61 notes · View notes

itsnothingofinterest · 3 years

Text

Have you heard? Apparently, Horikoshi said Hero Academia might be headed to a conclusion soon. This was surprising to say the least; not just because fans don’t want it to end but because it doesn’t really feel like it’s anywhere close to it’s end (plenty think it’s closer to halfway, with a select few like me thinking it’s closer to the 1/3 point). This has led some to speculate, partially in denial, if the conclusion Horikoshi is talking about is not actually the series’ “conclusion” concussion, but instead a Naruto Shippuden style “new name for the next part” type of deal. (Or if he’s just having the word “soon” put in some serious work.)

So I want to discuss that; go over as many reason I can think of for why the series could end within the next year or 2, or for why it could see another 5+ years to it’s life. It mean it sounds fun, right?

(Going into this though, I would like to state my bias. I don’t want the series to end soon; and if it kept at it’s current pace to conclude Deku’s academic life in chapters 800~1000, I would be a very happy camper. I’ll try not to let this affect my judgement, but I’ve got no oversight but myself here so...)

Anyway, here we go.

Reasons for the series to end soon.

I think a good point to start is that Horikoshi once stated he planned to end the series at around 30 volumes, roughly what’s already been covered, before finding he needed to expand the series further than that. That’s understandable, it’s easy to see how this arc could’ve been the end of the series had things played out differently enough in the last few chapters; but if he’s already said he’s expanded beyond that, what does that have to do with this discussion? Well for this side of the argument, it means 2 things: 1) all that’s left can be considered the ‘expansion’ on Horikoshi’s original idea, so how likely is it that there’s a lot of that, & 2) that Horikoshi likely didn’t intend for the series to last for Deku’s full school life, a major belief for those expecting the series to last a significant time.

And when we look at the actual content of the series, yeah there’s certainly things that could point to the series ending soon; namely all the arcs and plot threads that kinda just got resolved rapid fire. Dabi’s reveal, Mirio getting his quirk back, Hawks launching the attack he’s been orchestrating since his first appearance, Compress’s face, Bakugou letting go of his resentment for Deku; just to name a few. True, this is nowhere near all of the arcs & plot threads; but it’s a sizable enough portion if we’re assuming the rest have the next year or 2 to resolve themselves. A few more arcs like this last one and yeah, the series won’t have anything really tying it down from ending.

There’s also Deku’s rate of vestige quirk acquisition to consider. I mean in the 3 arcs featuring him since we learned about his extra quirks, he has acquired 3 quirks. At that rate, he’d have them all in 3 more student arcs and basically be at all but full power by then. Not that him keeping up this rate of quirk acquisition is guaranteed, but it sure seems like a sign of the series not lasting too long.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are ways for the series to end soon, easy paths to the finish line available to Horikoshi. It wouldn’t be that hard, for example, to get to confronting Dabi & Toga and resolving their arcs in some timely fashion. And AFO’s presence as a bigger bad over Tomura could allow for him to pull a Kaguya to his Madara, allowing for the plot to resolve with his defeat without really needing to address a lot of Tomura’s issues. And heck, that might’ve even become more likely after this latest chapter, wherein AFO acquired his very own army. That would likely involve finding too-easy solutions a lot of the more complicated issues, or worse, brushing them under the rug; but it can’t be denied that this is an option for how Horikoshi could resolve the series in just a few years.

Last piece of evidence worth mentioning is the simple nature of shorter series being the “path of least resistance.” You can argue all you like how the series lasting longer makes more sense or might result in a better story (and I’m basically about to); but in the end it can’t be denied that the less the series has left, the less work it is for Horikoshi. And that’s just gonna make it inherently more likely; a largely equivalent result for less effort is never not gonna be attractive for people.

Reasons for the series to last a long time.

Okay, I’ve done my best to be fair and included as many points as I could think of in favor of a shorter lifespan; but I won’t lie, this 2nd half is gonna be the fun part of this post for me.

Let’s start at the opposite end of the other side’s first point; Horikoshi planned to originally end the series at around 30 volumes. This past arc, ending in Volume 30, took place in the space between Deku’s 1st and 2nd school year, or you could say it took place during the end of his 1st year. This implies that while the original plan was not to go through Deku’s whole school life, he did intend it to end at a point of significance; the end of a school year. And what that implies is that he won’t end the series smack in the middle of the 2nd year, which would be where the series would end if it only lasted less than 3 more years. It implies he’d likely aim to end the series at the end of year 2 at the earliest, a significant ways away. (And before you ponder about a time skip; remember that year 1 had a time skip and still lasted ~30 volumes & ~6 years.)

Another reason to think the series is gonna last a while; it’s quite slow, in an overall sense at least. It’s hard to describe but; It doesn’t always feel that way because the moment-to-moment pacing is very good & it always feels like something is happening and stuff is getting tackled. But this is because it tends to tackle plots one at a time; so while plots make good development while in the focus, they can stay out of focus for a significant duration. For example; the ‘Shinsou becoming a hero’ plot was introduced in the Sports Festival, only saw real development during Joint Training, and has still yet to resolve with year 2 not starting yet. Or for another example, we learned over 150 chapters ago that All Might had his future predicted where he’ll die at the hands of a villain, setting up a plot where he’ll try to twist his future and survive this unknown threat to his life. His life has not once been in danger since. Not even in a broad sense like someone’s targeting him; no, this man has not has one risk to his life since the plot thread was introduced. There’s tons for plot threads like that, I’m barely scratching the surface here. And that’s actually fine...if the series has a long future ahead of it. This system of pacing actually works wonders for BNHA; because while people can occasionally miss their faves and their plots, crying out “where’s Shinsou” and all that, they generally like what’s being focused on when it’s handled and paced well (which it usually is). As long as the series itself has time to get to all of these plots and develop them to their resolution, this pacing system works like a well oiled machine.

Deku especially is a useful measuring tool for how slow this series can be. He’s not like the other plot points see, because he’s almost always around so he’s made to develop at a more even pace until the end. This is in contrast to characters like Shinou, Aoyama, Kirishima, Toga, or Shigaraki; who get bursts of development because they don’t spend consistent time in the spotlight and Horikoshi can’t be entirely sure when he’ll get the next chance to make use of them. So with that said, how slow is his development & how far along is it? Well, not very actually. Aside from in terms of powers, his development has been a bit lacking. Not to say he hasn’t had character moments, but they have been a bit scarce & minimal; and a lot of his major flaws (such as his self-destructive tendencies, his self-esteem issues, and his toxic hero worship) have barely been addressed, let alone resolved. In general, his character feels like it’s barely changed since he got into UA; in stark contrast to characters like Shigaraki, Todoroki, Shinsou, & even Bakugou. And that kind of implies a long road a head of him.

To bounce off another point from the “short future section” I mentioned how a lot of overarching plots just ended. The thing about that is, I actually made a post talking about that and how a lot of how they ended seems to set up more overarching plots then they seem to end. To not repeat myself too much, because this post is already really long; it’s like the series resolved the greater part of 6 years of content only to set-up up to 6 more years of content, and all in one arc. (Goodness that was a busy arc.)

And that’s just the advancement of already existing plot points. There’s a lot it can feel like he hasn’t even touched on yet. Mostly characters. There are just. So. Many. Characters in this series. That are in positions of seeming importance, but have done nothing. For example, Horikoshi’s been known to suddenly focus on class 1A students to make them feel important, and has gotten through maybe over half; but hasn’t really touched on Sero, Sato, Koda, Ojiro, Hagakure, & especially Shoji (who really, really feels like he has something planned, but nothing’s happened yet). And that’s just the guys below Mineta’s development level, which itself is pretty low. To say nothing of Class 1B, or Ms. Joke’s students, or most of the 30 faces known in the PLF, the main antagonistic group of the series! And yeah, this could all just be because Horikoshi likes introducing characters in larger groups than he’s actually equipped to handle; I’m not denying that. I’m just saying it’s also possible that he could be doing this because he feels like he has the time to explore them whenever he wants. (Heck, it could very well be both.)

Conclusion:

...I don’t know dude. I mean a longer series looks more likely to me; but I am very well aware that I’m not unbiased enough to make any real conclusive statement. Maybe I should consider that to mean it’s more even than that.

Perhaps we’re just too far away from the ending to really be able to tell either way. I mean low estimates still give the series at least a year. But even so, I do think this was all worth considering; because if nothing else, I did get a feel for all that’s likely to happen between now and the inevitable end. And I guess it turns out to be kind of a lot. So that’s neat.

50 notes · View notes

themattress · 3 years

Text

Battle of the Seasons

DuckTales (2017): Season 1 vs. Season 2 vs. Season 3

So now that this series has ended, how do the seasons stack up?

Season 1 stands as a favorite for many because it's what introduced us to this re-imagining of a classic Disney cartoon, and right from the two-part premiere it showed that it was going to do it right. As Doug Walker said in his review of it, "it's funny, it's creative, it's modern, it's retro, it's classic, it's new, it has great animation and charming characters, clearly combining old-school Disney adventures like their comics and the Disney Afternoon with newer Disney adventures like Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls - and they mix perfectly."

I want to digress by elaborating on Doug's last remark: DuckTales is one of the animated Disney shows that on the surface seems bright, silly and cartoony, only to increasingly reveal a continuous story arc(s) that sucker-punch viewers with how complex, serious and emotional they can get, and done in such a skillful way that it doesn't sacrifice the show's general kid-friendly tone in the process. Gravity Falls started this trend, and it's continued with Star vs. The Forces of Evil, The Lion Guard, Elena of Avalor, Tangled the Series, Amphibia and The Owl House (Wander Over Yonder and Sofia the First also flirted with this style in their final seasons, Milo Murphy's Law attempted something along its lines but failed miserably, and Big Hero 6 the Series went in reverse: establishing continuous, complex and serious story arcs right off the bat only to end as just a bright, silly and cartoony show where even the story arc going on throughout the episodes is played for laughs.)

Ironically, the one major weakness Season 1 has is actually related to its continuous story arc, which is divided into three distinct plot threads: Dewey trying to solve the mystery of what happened to his mother Della and what role Scrooge played in it, Magica De Spell sending her "niece" Lena to befriend Webby and infiltrate Scrooge's family in order to steal his Number One Dime, and the rise of Gizmoduck as Duckburg's defender. These plot threads seem totally unrelated to one another until the finale where they all come together, which is fine. What isn't fine is the pacing - it takes an obscenely long amount of time between episodes that progress each plot thread. And while it being the first season means the show can get away with this particular weakness due to establishing its characters and world being a higher priority than pacing out the overarching stories, it's a weakness all the same.

Season 2 is basically what happens when you take Season 1's structure and work out all of the kinks. Once again we get a mix of standalone adventures and a continuous story arc that is divided into three plot threads: Louie trying to make his way in the world as an adventurer businessman in charge of "Loue Inc.", Della returning from the moon and learning how to be a parent all while the manipulative leader of the moon's denizens plots an invasion of Earth, and Scrooge engaging in a bet with Flintheart Glomgold that says whoever makes the most money by the end of the year wins the other's company. The difference is that now the plot threads regularly intersect with one another rather than just waiting until the finale, which also now brings back elements from the standalone adventures! This means that the season has a far greater sense of purpose and forward momentum than its predecessor.

I also feel this season's arc is the strongest in the series due to the characters who are front and center in it. In Season 1, I cared about Lena and Webby and what was to become of them and their friendship which made it all the more upsetting when its pay-off failed to deliver (something this season mercifully rectified), but Dewey rubbed me the wrong way too often and I wasn't given enough time with Fenton to sufficiently care enough about his personal plight when becoming Gizmoduck. Louie, Della and Scrooge, despite all of their bravado, are all far more interesting, flawed, vulnerable characters who I enjoy watching grow. General Lunaris is the best Big Bad in the entire show, being a physical and mental match for Scrooge and his family in a way that no other foe they faced before or after is, on top of being intimidating and loathsome in the best ways possible. And "Moonvasion", where everything and everyone comes together, still stands as my favorite season finale, my favorite extra-length episode, and one of my favorite episodes period.

And finally we have Season 3 and.....it's a mess. A high-quality mess, mind you, but still a mess when compared to the previous two seasons. One reason for this is the inevitable result of mixing all sorts of other Disney Afternoon properties into the show, which the writers have slowly been doing since the very beginning but it really explodes here, with major roles and showings by the likes of Goofy, the Rescue Rangers, Kit Cloudkicker, Molly Cunningham, Don Carnage, Darkwing Duck and his cast of supporting characters and villains, Bonkers D. Bobcat, and even Goliath from Gargoyles in a roundabout way.

But a bigger reason is that the story arc's three plot threads - Huey overcoming his personal hang-ups and anxiety, the search for the Missing Mysteries listed in Isabella Finch's journal, and the evil conspiracy against Scrooge and his family undertaken by FOWL - are tied together right from the start. The writers probably thought this was a natural evolution from Season 2's structure, but it turns out to be a big step down, as now these plot threads are left fighting each other for screentime and focus. This is especially damaging for Huey's personal arc, which doesn't receive the same amount of focus that Dewey's and Louie's had and doesn't even get a definitive wrap-up...it just kind of stops two-thirds of the way into the finale. And it's a damn shame given that Huey, with his knowledge-seeking nerdiness, commitment to boy scout honor, and autistic-coded neurosis, has always been the most likeable of the triplets.

While the series finale, "The Last Adventure", is excellent and ties the whole show together as one grand, cohesive story, I honestly feel like the whole season could have benefited from possessing more of its epic, large-scale quality. If I was in charge, I would have had the Duck family learn about the FOWL conspiracy right near the start (instead of Launchpad learning about it and then becoming unable to warn the rest about it), and then have the arc mostly be a globe-hopping adventure where the Ducks seek to get the Missing Mysteries before FOWL does. Huey's growth would be more pronounced and have a more definite wrap-up. And there would be more obvious foreshadowing for the big twist regarding Webby the closer things got to the finale - it may have not been so divisive among fans if the writers hadn't insisted on being super subtle and sneaky about it right up to the eleventh hour.

I would keep "How Santa Stole Christmas" exactly as it is, though. That episode was perfect.

Final verdict: Season 2 > Season 1 > Season 3.

#Battle of the Seasons #Disney #Duck Tales #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison

27 notes · View notes

captlok · 3 years

Text

Pacifism Isn’t A Character Trait

Or: MLK Day is Upon Us so Let Me Do You a Learn

Or: As An Aang Stan I Got a Bit Over-Zealous But Lemme Explain Why For A Hot Minute

Plus some History and Tumblr commentary that even non-ATLA fans can chew on

And by ‘hot minute’ I do mean this is going to be a long meta, so strap in. For those of you who just might be tuning into this debacle, I, a person who has not used Tumblr, much at all, except for the last half year, ran into some trouble.

If you wanna skip the whole TLDNR interpersonal stuffs and get straight to Why Aang is the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, I will embolden the relevant parts, and italicize the crit of Korra, if you want that alongside.

I was excited that ATLA was seeing a resurgence due to the Netflix remake. I wasn’t even trying to apply any steep expectations for it. (learned not to do that the hard way with the last live action adaption, and to a much lesser extent, ATLOK, since it had good . . . elements, *ba dum tsshh*)

So, these are a couple aspects of the issue: (1) Even on the internet, I am extremely introverted and until recently mostly came for content, not socializing. My main online interactions thus far have been in forums and artist-to-artist on DA. Tumblr is still very strange to me because it splits up its ‘threads’ so you can’t see all the replies if a certain pattern of users responds in their own space. I’m not even 100% sure it’s in chronological order, and replies are not nested next to each other so you can look in the comments and someone will be replying to something you can’t see in that window. And also since it is a bizarre hybrid of a blogging system, posts are somehow considered ‘owned by’ or an ‘extension of’ OP in a way forum threads are not. (2) ATLOK was good in a cinematic and musical way, to be sure. It also had some good concepts. I can go into it just appreciating it for the worldbuilding and be somewhat satisfied. But the execution was terrible. I was on AvatarSpirit.Net for years, and If I had maintained my presence on ASN to current day and had gotten around to downloading their archive now that the forum is dead, I would include some links to other peoples’ detailed analyses on just how flawed both the plotting and Korra’s frustratingly flat learning curve was especially in the first two seasons. But, that is a task for another day, and only if people are interested.

No, what I’m addressing today, on the issue of Korra as a writing exercise, is how Mike and Bryan said specifically they wanted to make her ‘as opposite to Aang as possible’ and in so doing, muddied the central theme of the original ATLA series.

Now, again, I was mainly an art consumer for my first major round of ATLA fandom. Tumblr is an alien beast to me. But, after I write my first major Aang meta, talking about how amazing it is that he has the attitude he does, and how being content in the face of this overwhelming pain and suffering is an ONGOING PROCESS and an INTENTIONAL DECISION and not a simple PERSONALITY TRAIT, I start hearing that Aang gets a lot of hate from the fandom. Now this would be bad enough if it were merely people not liking his crowning moment of pacifism because they don’t understand the potential utility (I’ll elaborate on that in another post) or the ethics involved.

Aang is easily the most adult member of the Gaang. But he apparently gets hate for his few moments where he actually acts his age, a preteen, and maybe kisses a girl in a historical timeframe in which ‘consent’ discussions were probably nonexistent. Even in the present day, we are still practically drowned in movies that reinforce this kissing without asking trope. And even some female bodied people complain that asking kills the mood! But somehow he is responsible and reprehensible for this, even though the first time she kissed him back. I’m only going to get into the pacifism discussion today, but that was just another layer of annoyance bouncing around in the back of my head. Other peoples’ crit of Korra that was stewing in my subconscious, plus this Aang bashing, which thankfully I had not directly read much of, made up the backdrop of gasoline for the match that set it off. Even that seems a pretty melodramatic way to phrase what I actually said, which was: Aang, on the other hand, lost dozens of father figures and was being steamrolled by Ozai who was gloating about genocide TO HIS FACE, yet he still reigned in all that quote, ‘unbelievable rage and pain’ (The Southern Raiders). We Stan Aang, the Superior Avatar. No I did not f**king stutter. #AangSupremacy In another meta, someone complained that I was too defensive of Aang as a character and didn’t apply literary analysis enough, which I quickly rectified.

What set this off? Someone was kind of indirectly praising the line from Korra, “When I get out of here, none of you will survive” To them it was emotionally resonant or whatever, and I have to point out that no, it was a martial artist not having control of their state of mind, as is the bedrock of the practice. It was never addressed by the narrative, which is a severe oversight. I had a conversation with someone in the chats, making this distinction between Korra’s character traits and life philosophy. If she were to kill people while enraged and she was fine with that, that’s one thing. But if she regretted it, that’s a whole other kettle of fish. People argue that she comes from a warrior culture, unlike Aang.

Never mind that warrior monks are a thing. That’s what Shaolin monks are. You can be a pacifist and skilled at fighting. Those things are not mutually exclusive, which is the whole point of Bagua, Aang’s style. And also, Katara’s style.

That’s one reason I like Kataang so much- their congruent styles. Both of their real world martial arts are dedicated to pacifism, even though ATLA specifically doesn’t spell that out for Katara and her learning arc.

There was a meta where someone briefly tried to argue that knowing “martial arts” is against pacifism. No. Quite the opposite. I’d argue that you are not a true pacifist unless you know exactly how to handle yourself if someone attacks you. If you are not in a position to make conscious decisions about how much force to use, rather than merely operating on survival instincts, that is not pacifism. Or at least, not any energy or effort towards pacifism as a practical everyday tool. I’ve made a few attempts to learn some tai chi and aikido, and it’s improved my physical and mental health, but some other things have gotten in the way. #lifegoals

I’m not going to tag the unfortunate soul whom I was replying to, because they’re probably tired of all this, but I’ll be sending them a PM to say that I’ve made this into a different post, because as I mentioned before, threads are somehow considered “owned” by OP, so it’s been pointed out to me that I should separate it. I also said, I have basically ZERO respect for Korra uttering violent threats when the writers already minted a far more emotionally devastated and yet still resilient and centered character earlier in their franchise. People always try to excuse away people who genuinely like Aang more. As if it’s just nostalgia or whatever. For me, no, it’s absolutely not. It is respect for a character who stands toe to toe with real people who are kind in the face of overwhelming injustice. (I have another meta on that).

Both OP and people in the chats try to make excuses that she wasn’t raised as a pacifist, and that would be fine if they had addressed it with Tenzin and she had stated outright that she was rejecting pacifism and mind training. As it is, we are left with this nebulous affair where the lines between ideology and personality traits are blurred.

We are told she “has trouble with spirituality” but what does that even mean? Does she have trouble with focus? Does she have trouble relating to the canonically real spirits? And pacifism specifically nor inner peace that it flows from is never even talked about as an extension of spirituality, which is canonically tied to airbending.

“Aang didn't have to deal once with the loss of his autonomy in atla” OP claims.

This was after I had noted that Aang was getting kicked around by Ozai and was most likely going to die. Similarly, someone in the chat rejected the idea that a 12 year old trapped in a stone sphere that is heating up under a cyclone-sized blowtorch feels powerless.

Sorry but that’s flat out ridiculous.

No one wants to admit that both of these people were faced with similar situations, and when push came to shove, one showed his LIFE PHILOSOPHY through conscious effort, and the other was abandoning the basis of martial arts, which is, no matter what the situation, keep thinking. Hold the panic at bay. Non-attachment would have served her well in this situation. Tenzin should have told her this. Before, or afterwards. It should have been addressed in the writing.

People see this as “bashing” Korra, and oh well, can’t help that. If I think the writers didn’t follow through on their themes, that is my concern. OP said I was “offended.” No, not really.

I wasn’t offended by the post itself, or its commentary. Thought I made that pretty clear.

This is not dramatics. Let me be blunt.

As a ideological pacifist, and an actual practitioner of meditation, based on Buddhism, NOT just the fan of some show, I am for calling out writers who write one way from the survivor of genocide, and then stray from that ‘thoughtless aggression is immoral no matter HOW hurt I am’ to ‘let’s not address this character’s aggression in the narrative whatsoever.’ OP attempted to derail by accusing me of being racist or sexist against Korra. Also ridiculous. It honestly should have set me off more, but it didn’t.

Meditation is about reigning in your emotions. Managing your anger when it gets out of hand, and digging down to the roots of it. Being responsible for your own behavoir. Acknowledging ownership of your own actions. Not blaming anything YOU DO on anyone else or any circumstances in your life. Like an adult, or should I say, an enlightened adult.

Or at the very least, that is the ideal ypu strive towards while being imperfect in the present.

. . .

Now.

I’m going to quote a passage in a Google Doc of mine, even though I’d really prefer if you asked to read the whole thing, with context.

“What do humans do when it is necessary to, or greed makes a nation want to recruit?

They go to the army to get trained, right?

Granted, having someone scream and get spittle on your face is, in the grand scheme of things, poor preparation for having bullets whiz past your chest and grenades shatter your ears. And, what do you do to prepare you for the pain of getting your leg blown off? Hopefully, nothing. Like taking a test where you only got half the study guide. But, it’s about the most ethical way to go about it, right?

Not everyone even sees action. So any more more extensive mental preparation for physical pain than that, and you’d have people definitely protesting.

Well, as it turns out, pacifistic protestors themselves, if they were in the right time and place, also very intentionally do this type of mind training. Except, when they did it, they actually did sit still and took turns roughly grabbing each other and throwing each other down and in some cases, even kicking and bruising each other.

Turns out, those pacifists are, in some ways, more hardcore than the army.

Why is this?

Because a pacifist’s aim, unlike a unit, who wants to gain the upper hand in a situation, is to grit their teeth and grind their way through all those survival instincts, and totally submit.

In this, they aim to get the sympathy of the public, who clearly sees they are not aggressive, or a danger, no matter how much the footage is manipulated or suppressed.

In this, they hope to appeal to their attacker’s better nature.

Make them stop and think, wait a second, are these people a threat like we’re told they are? I’m attacking someone who’s letting me beat them up. Or a bunch of people. All forming a line, and letting us peel them off. Or sitting, and bowing their heads. If I’m on the ‘right’ side of things, the law, why am I doing this?

It’s not like a bully, who’s just a kid.” They’re more self-aware.

And might I add the situation influences a pacifist’s actions too. There’s no reason to let a single or a few random attackers beat you up if you can evade or disable without permanent damage.

Pacifism is a dynamic set of responsive actions informed by values. Not a proscribed set or a checklist.

But in terms of organizing against state power, and recording wrongdoing, which unlike during the Civil Rights can happen from all angles from smart phones nowadays, these are the motivations.

“So, the pacifist knows this, and that’s why they go through all that trouble of training themselves to, not only submit, but not turn tail and run, either.”

See, a character trait is something like being a morning person, or ways of handing information, or a given set of emotions a character feels. Once you cross over into actions, you must make the distinction of whether an impulsive character agrees with their own uncontrolled actions, or is embarrassed or remorseful. Those are life philosophy. Now sure, one type of person or character may be more likely to subscribe to pacifism, but there is no gatekeeping on what you have to feel or how you look at things. You can be easygoing, or feel all the rage in the world, but as long as you at least attempt to have a handle on those desires and feelings to where they do not cross into actions, you are still doing the work of metacognition, which is what martial arts and its accompanying mind training are for.

It’s what we see Aang do.

He’s informed us, during the Southern Raiders, on how much rage and pain he feels.

Pain points, TRIGGERS, that were directly struck at when Ozai gloated over him.

He joins with all the past Avatars for several moments, and just like every other time he is in the Avatar State, he is enraged. He wants to exact revenge on the unrepentant grandson of a baby murderer.

We see it when he turns his head away, face still screwed up in anger.

For another example, I could cite my difficulties in being aware and reining in my tongue sometimes. I know the roots of these issues and I seek to let them go.

It’s just that process takes way longer than Guru Pathik would have us assume.

In fact, I would even say that Aang’s portrayal throughout the three seasons is not strictly a realistic representation of at least the sad side of grief. I addressed that a little when I talked about real life figures. But what it IS, is a metaphor that cuts very deep to the heart of pacifism. As I showed in that Doc . . . There is no limit of suffering a pacifist is willing to go through, internal or external, for the preservation of peace.

This was demonstrated during the Civil Rights, and with Gandhi and all his followers beforehand, inspiring them. The pacifists’ method of swaying hearts is probably the reason BLM exists in such numbers as it does today. Will the types of narratives that correspond with their full stories of the way they collectively planned and trained for and approached conflict make it into fantasy media? I’d say, probably not. For a host of reasons.

It could be hoped for, I guess.

But we DO have Aang.

As for myself, whether speaking sharply is an “action,” per se is up for debate- certainly it doesn’t seem to violate the non-aggression principle put forth by the vision of a “stateless society.”

For another example, let’s take my explanation at the beginning. I am examining how circumstances affected my actions, and now am attempting to fix it, if indeed it needs to be fixed.

At least one person said that it not so much what I said, but how and when I said it. I don’t actually think I’ve said anything “wrong” per se. So I have to figure it out.

[I’m considering splitting up this next part into a second post, as it only slightly relates to pacifism itself and is just kinda some more commentary on Tumblr itself- Tumblr discourse, as it were]

[I’ll put more brackets when I’m done in case you want to skip this part as well]

An interesting social difference between Tumblr and other places is this command you often get, “don’t chat/reblog/message me back.”

This is interesting for several reasons. For chats and reblogs, other people may be following the “conversation,” so it’s actually pretty rude and presumptuous to tell a person not to respond to whatever you said, because other people watching still may be interested in your take.

In a forum setting, if someone involved in a conversation doesn’t have anything left to say, usually they just don’t respond.

This method would work perfectly fine for Tumblr, but for some reason, maybe its super odd format, probably due to the “ownership”/“extension of self” I mentioned at the beginning of the essay, people don’t tend to do this.

Now, in comment sections, sometimes you’ll run across an amusing sort of “mutually assured destruction” where two people both say this to each other. You’d better stop responding. Omg just give up. Why are you still arguing. Etc.

But see, no matter where this behavoir pops up, and no matter who starts in on it, those who do this usually want to have the last say on the matter.

Instead of merely not replying, they want to assert verbal control over the conversation.

Tumblr, in its weirdness, is also sort of like a mutant comments section. You can post comment section threads as your own post.

Which is one reason why I’m puzzled when people say ‘don’t read the comment sections’ when Tumblr is so popular.

I’m an oddball in that I browse comment sections for fun.

Probably due to alexithymia, I didn’t really comprehend the emotional toll it takes on many people, so the warnings to “stay out of comment sections” read to me like “hey don’t eat that dessert.” After I’m done with the ‘meal’ of an article or art, I like to see what lots of different people have to say about it. The fluff. Anything vitriolic I either blip over, or extract anything useful, or if I judge the person is reasonable enough, I might engage.

Sometimes I mis-judge on how reasonable someone is, and I shrug and move on after being cussed out or whatever.

In this, I suppose I succeed much of the time in being a verbal pacifist.

[But let’s get back to the more serious stuff.]

We’re talking about what is done in life or death situations, here.

For myself, I may in the near future be working more with dangerously mentally ill people. I’ve had a little exposure to it through various means. Nurses are obligated not to retaliate against patients, and those who have, have been fired in some situations. Again oddly, this is not primarily what triggers my anxiety. Unfortunately enough, this requirement has also resulted in nurses getting seriously injured and violated. I hope to influence whether “no harm” techniques such as tai chi and aikido and arm locks may be allowed. The voluntary philosophy I was luckily already on board with is enforced by bureauacracy, directly relevant to my potential profession.

Were someone to get involved in a dangerous profession, such as a police officer, their moral duty would also be to own up to any spur of the moment anger or fear they acted on.

It’s just that their bureaucracy acts differently, in excusing their actions.

Ideally, they would be taking steps far in advance, to avoid this often-cited fear of death reaction. As training pacifists like Aang do.

And yes, army people are trained differently than police officers because the army, often, even when threatened, is supposed to avoid engagement or deploy deterrents that are non-lethal almost all costs, unless ordered otherwise. Whereas American police are given pretty much complete discretion and often not taught de-escalation techniques. Even police from other nations are better trained in that regard.

Enter the ironically named @avatarfandompolice whose account description should really speak for itself. Combative, dismissive, and their attention-hungry bread and butter is to find people they think it’s acceptable to ridicule. They basically tried to say trauma was a valid excuse to take out your anger on other people, and in this situation, potentially kill.

Now, does this hold up in the real world? Yeah, sometimes. Especially if some law breaker or law keeper has not been given the anger management tools, they perhaps could be excused, or better yet, rehabilitated.

But especially if anyone finds themselves in dangerous situations, or intends to put themselves in such, it falls to them to do this preparation.

As an aphant, I am at a bit of a disadvantage, compared to an average martial artist, being unable to visualize an attacker. But I still attempt it.

As the main “police officer” of the world- the coincidentally blue clad figurehead that is supposed to keep order, it is apparently fine for Korra to not do the work Aang did to keep level. To blow it off as too much trouble: clearing the First Chakra of fear. For herself or others. And its resultant anger. Had she had access to the Avatar State, the authority figure pretty much would have killed people. This is what the “fandom police” and a certain chat goer ultimately support. Maybe they didn’t understand it that way, and since the second had blocked me, they will also never see this explanation. Unless I were to share it in Google Doc form I suppose.

So, I responded. “Remember kids, you are not responsible for your own behavior if you have the excuse that someone else did something bad to you.” A frighteningly common sentiment on this site.

When it’s low stakes like CAPSLOCKING or internet fights, that’s not such a big deal. But what happens if this attitude leaks into the real world? This isn’t even about Korra or Aang anymore, it’s about toxic mindsets. I didn’t know fans taking pro-Korra posts as anti-Aang was a common in the fandom. I’ll say again I’ve only just gotten really active on Tumblr like the past few months. This is about pacifism itself. MLK and his hardworking, training followers (yes some of them sixteen and POC and not super-powered like Korra) facing down firehoses and staging sit-ins long trained for would shake their heads at this defense of reactionism.

Pacifism is not a Personality Trait.

It is deliberate actions and preparation taken over a period of time.

Then the “fandom police” tried more of this, and these two conversations ensued, the comments with another user resulting in the title and main thesis of this essay:

https://captlok.tumblr.com/post/638777472806273024/avatarfandompolice-response-to-my-independent

https://captlok.tumblr.com/post/638806142933467136/the-plight-was-not-what-i-was-getting-at-it-was

#atla #lok #atlok #atla meta #pacifism #martin luther king #civil rights era #history #blm #mlk #mlkday2021

36 notes · View notes