as much as i bitch about the discourse in the ofmd fandom the fact that there are so many deeply nuanced characters in the show to cause this amount of discourse brings me so much joy. opinions on characters vary so much because all their horrendous actions have a sympathetic reasoning behind them. it comes down to where each fan personally draws their own moral line in the sand on whether or not they consider them a redeemable character despite it.

9 & 10 if you dont mind me asking two ! Just curious

No worries! Oh, but I do have quite the stuff to say about these.

Ask Game: Question 9 & 10 - Worst Part of Canon and Fanon

Alright, here we go!

9.

Worst of Canon

I wish that HAL would spend more time properly establishing characters.

Ok, please tell me I'm not the only one with this sort of opinion!

You would think that "Less is more because we can interpret them in unique ways", right? I mean yeah, but this doesn't apply to all cases! Look at Gryll! They do have a fanbase, but the reason not a lot of people give them a chance is because there's so little to work on!

I get that this sort of thing has to be done; not every character is gonna get focus, and I'm not saying every character should.

It's just really frustrating to see those characters that have potential to be kinda screwed over because they're there for one/two games and then cast to the sidelines!

I do like HAL adding new characters. But it's sad to see that some characters will really never be in the spotlight again/in the near future. They're so close to really getting the chance to shine, I can taste it...

If you wanted an answer more related to the story and not the meta stuff..

Definitely some of the cookie cutter personalities. I get it, we can't all have morally grey/corrupt characters, that is not what Kirby is about, but I do hope they ramp it up a little bit.

Elfilin has the most interesting backstory I've heard of. Half of a powerful final boss being? Embraces the being as the end of their arc? Wow! That's sick! But then you look at the in game dialogue and it's just like

"Wow Kirby I love travelling with you"

Anddd it's up to the headcanons again to add the flavour into it. I really wish some of the characters would seem more different from one other.

That's not to say the cast isn't diverse, but it's just that specific type of character. I could really like them a lot more if I could refer to the canon about their differences more.

10.

Worst of Fanon

Interesting...?

I really don't like the interpretations that reduce characters to one/two simple traits. It gives me the feeling of pasting a trope onto a blank slate and calling it a day. I would prefer if people could look a tiny bit more into stuff so that all of our interpretations can all properly thrive.

Add some spice, people!

Susie organizes her home neatly so that she can be work efficient? Actually, screw that! Make her leave it a complete mess because a) she procrastinated it and b) she read an article online about how it can help! Go wild! Do what you want! It's how we keep fandoms alive. Don't feel restricted to whatever the fandom leans towards, do it your way!

(as long as it's not problematic but that should go without saying)

It feels like we're confined to what fanon has established the characters we love as. And that gives me a feeling that maybe, that really isn't good for artistic freedom. And I might be taking this too seriously, but I think I'm suggesting the opposite to all of you.

Stick to the headcanons YOU like the most! After all, it's your fandom experience in the end.

Hm... hi? Sorry for any inconvenience, but I started reading RepComm (I'm at the beginning of Order 66, so I don't know if that happens later) and I can't help thinking about Tor and Ijaat meeting the Nulls, before and after they left Kal? Or if Ilippi survived, what would a meeting between the Nulls and her be like? And it made me realize that characters who don't like Kal are either just quoted or never appear or are dead or are framed as wrong and reading this is such an exercise in patience

ps: btw, love your meta! that's what made me want to read RepComm, to be honest, and sorry for the english, it's not my first language 

I’m so sorry it took me so long to reply!!! THANK YOU FOR THE ASK. And also, just thank you. Truly, thank you. I wasn’t sure if people still read the meta out there or not, but I’m glad that you enjoyed them!! also your english was beautiful, I understood what you said perfectly

but also LMAO at: 

reading this is such an exercise in patience 

I TRULY FEEL THIS IN MY HEART OF HEARTS

Even after all this time, I still LOVE the Republic Commando books. I do---but rereading them is definitely an exercise in patience, now that I see all the problems and the glaring inconsistencies. But I still see the good parts, even great parts, and I keep coming back to them lmao 

BUT TO CIRCLE BACK--- 

I can't help thinking about Tor and Ijaat meeting the Nulls, before and after they left Kal? Or if Ilippi survived, what would a meeting between the Nulls and her be like?

I also think about these things a lot lmao

I’m often torn on the idea of the Nulls meeting Tor and Ijaat, or the Nulls meeting Ilippi if she had survived her illness. The way Prudii talks about her, in Order 66, makes me feel that they’ve internalized the bitterness and the resentment that Kal very likely felt early, early on in their development when he was young, and broke, and alone on Kamino surrounded by people who hated him. 

Kal has long since softened (on her, on his marriage failing, on his biological children disowning him), since he defends her against Prudii’s statements, but the sad truth is that the Nulls learned that bitterness and that resentment from him, originally---as they were raised and trained by him. It’s truly hard to say how they would have reacted in meeting her, and I feel like all of the Nulls would have held very radically different opinions on the matter. 

But, depending on who was or wasn’t present at that meeting, and any subsequent meetings ... would likely change how they react or respond to her. With Kal present, there’s always an underlying need for them to perform in a way that would further secure his love in them (regardless of whether or not it’s “necessary,” though to a degree it is---because of the way he withholds affection when someone doesn’t do something he agrees with) versus showing their true selves, or expressing their true opinions beyond his hearing.

We saw Prudii’s, and his bitterness and resentment likely reflecting Kal’s when he was a decade younger, but I think Ordo would have been much more polite. A’den would have been curious, no doubt, but nosy. Jaing can’t help but be intimidating, even if maybe he doesn’t want to be, and Mereel can’t help but be excessively charming and warm. Kom’rk is a toss up---his choice to keep his distance from the core is one that can be read as a choice to stay as far away from Kal as possible, and it’s one that might lend Kom’rk to being kinder and far more understanding than the rest of Ilippi. 

I wonder, actually, if there would have been jokes about the one woman who tried (and failed) to “tame” Kal (as those kinds of jokes tend to go, I guess?) but if there would have been some respect there, too, for the attempt. Had Ilippi lived, had KT been less biased against her female characters, there’s an entire world of potential, just in highlighting Kal’s faults and how everyone can work around them (or how he could / should work on them). 

I mean, okay. I have obviously softened somewhat on my frustrations towards Kal as a character, and I find myself thinking a lot these days about the Kal we should have gotten, the Kal a large chunk of the fandom think we have (but don’t), and the Kal the books believe they gave us. I think about the way the books should have gone if they were faithful to the narrative arcs they started before they were derailed by excessive soap-boxing and a doubling-down to bend to biases that broke the momentum because they just didn’t make sense.

One of the major arcs being character growth---owning up to one’s faults and mistakes, and making a conscious effort to become a better version of yourself through blood, sweat, and (literal) tears.  

And maybe part of that would always be hindered, or outright cut short, because Ilippi never survived to tell her side of her mistreatment and failed marriage---and also because we were never, really, given the opportunity to hear Tor nor Ijaat’s own memories. 

I struggle to think about how Tor and Ijaat would have dealt with the Nulls. I get the feeling there would be a lot of insecurity in all of them---and a feeling of being replaced, and some lingering resentment and anger towards each other (that should be directed at Kal, but for a lot of reasons, just like in real life, would be misdirected instead to other people). 

Miscommunication is a major sore point for Kal in general---he has a huge inability to actually express his love in his actions, or clarify his intentions, which may be good, in order to separate them from his missteps, which are often terrible. Tor and Ijaat, if they’re well-adjusted men now, would find it hard to not see what being raised in that kind of environment had on the Nulls. They have a lot of issues as a result of their genetics, yes, but a lot of their lingering and prolonged mental illnesses can, in some part, also be attributed to the “affectionate abuse” Kal gave them, and I wonder if Kal’s biological sons still carried lingering emotional and mental scars from their childhood---or if they had so little direct interaction with Kal that what few moments they had were uniformly positive---and if their resentment towards him genuinely was, as they said, because he wasn’t there when Ilippi was dying from her illness.

In this scenario, actually, if Ilippi survived... would they still have divorced Kal from their lives and rejected his fatherhood entirely? All of that hinged on him not being present, him being away at Kamino, during her very last days. 

So much of this also undermines the idea of Kal’s control over the Nulls, and the rest of the clan. If Ilippi not only survived, but thrived, away from him? If Tor and Ijaat are living full and fulfilling lives without him in it? If Ruusaan never “needed” to be rescued in the way that she was? They all would have stood as examples of a life beyond making personal choices and decisions that were dictated by him, and would have, at the very least, been a life that could stand in direct comparison and be just as messy and complicated as real life tends to be. 

also WOW i really .... uhhh I really got away from the point here. I am so sorry LMAO I GOT CARRIED AWAY. IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME since I got to ramble about repcomm, and I really fixate on a lot of the missed opportunities these days, because there are SO MANY. But I guess that’s what fic is for, right?

RIGHT???

Absolutely no pressure, BUT if you do decide to write fic about this, or do your own meta or exploration, I am ALWAYS excited to see what people come up with. I haven’t really been on tumblr that much lately, but I see now that The Mandalorian is out there and people are discovering (or rediscovering) Republic Commando, there’s a wealth of new stuff out there I desperately need to catch up on.

ANYWAY LMAO I’M SORRY I RAMBLE SO MUCH I JUST! THESE QUESTIONS ARE SO GOOD. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE ASK. 

And I hope this find you well, ner vod.

(2/2) especially given that the first thing i shipped once i knew what shipping was comes from the realm of daytime soaps, where people are betraying and backstabbing each other constantly lol. for me, i think it comes down to framing. if the show frames a pairing as abusive/toxic, i can deal with it a lot better than with fandoms and shows that romanticize it or sweep it under the rug. that, and of course, chemistry, is a big part of the reason i hate ships like c$ but can enjoy a pairing (2/3)

So, Tumblr ate some of your asks again (damn this hellsite lol) but we spoke on PM’s and you explained that in your other asks, you discussed toxic/dark ships, asked me what makes a dark ship work for me and the darkest ship I’ve ever shipped. You also said that some of the toxic ships you like such as Todd/Blaor and Joker/Harley work for you because of the framing of those ships.

I want to start off by saying, thank you so much for this ask. It’s such an interesting topic to discuss and I feel like it’s very relevant in fandom. There’s this hysteria around “abusive”, “toxic” and “dark” ships with people misusing or misunderstanding those words. I briefly discussed this previously in an ask I recieved about Stelena being abusive, which you can read here if you’re interested.

Overall, I think dark ships are brilliant because when they’re done correctly they can be the most intruiging, complex, authentic and gripping relationships in television. There’s no getting around the fact that love is tricky and complicated, and it can lead people down dark paths. Also, everyone has their issues, insecurities and scars, which often bleed into their relationships. So it’s only right that these sort of relationships should be portrayed in the media.

I feel very much the same as you about what makes a dark/toxic ship work for me. It’s all about the way that it’s portrayed and written. I can’t ship a dark or toxic ship when it’s romanticised or when the toxicity is glossed over or ignored, which is the case with ships like Ross/Rachel (Friends), Damon/Elena (The Vampire Diaries), Spike/Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer - although my only qualms with this ship are in season 7, I actually think they were well written in season 6), Edward/Bella (Twlight) and many more. I have a particular issue with this because I think of all the young people that watch or read about these kind of relationships and aspire to have them and it concerns me. In my opinion, nobody should aspire to have a relationship like any of the ones I’ve just named or any other like them. 

Dark ships work for me when they’re authentic and realistic. These types of relationships are intense and passionate, but they’re also exhausting and very detrimental to the people involved. So when I see a ship like this I expect to see that. I expect to see the consequences, to see the people change as a result of the relationship and be pushed to the extremes. I’ve discussed this previously in response to an ask about Delena which you can read here (be warned, it is anti-Delena). In that ask, I use Jax and Tara as an example of a toxic ship that works, and I stand by that. What makes Jax and Tara work so well as a toxic ship is that it’s constantly acknowledged and we see the devastating impact their relationship has on both of them, but Tara in particular. Yet with ships such as Damon/Elena or Emma/Hook, all I ever see is their love being glorified and romanticised. 

I have to admit, I don’t have a tendency to ship dark ships. I’d say the only ships that I have that could fall into this category are Cook/Effy (Skins), Damon/Katherine (The Vampire Diaries), Dexter/Debra (Dexter), Ben/Callum (Eastenders) and Henry/Anne (The Tudors). There may be others, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. There are different reasons as to why I still ship these couples despite them being dark and/or toxic. I’m going to analyse these ships one by one. Feel free to skip over this, because it’s going to be long and I’m literally just using this as the perfect excuse to talk about some of my favourite ships lol.

Cook and Effy (Skins)

I’ve spoken pretty in-depth about Cook and Effy being toxic and bad for each other previously. However, I’ll do it again because there are little things that I missed from my previous meta. Cook and Effy are toxic for one another at points, and this stems from the fact that as individuals they have a lot of issues and they use each other as a buffer for those issues. The reason they enter into a sexual relationship in season 3 is because they both use sex as way to deal with the disconnect they feel with others, but also because Cook wants to get one over on Freddie and Effy wants to deny her feelings for Freddie. As a result, they both unintentionally hurt each other. Cook knows that Effy is using him, but he allows it to happen which feeds into Effy’s pain about Freddie, whilst simuetanously causing himself pain, because he has genuine feelings for Effy. Their communication throughout season 3 is poor and they’re rarely honest with each other. Cook knows that Effy is in love with Freddie, but neither of them address this and it causes them both a lot of hurt. They also use each other as an escape. They run away together at the end of season 3; Effy to get away from Freddie and Cook because he wants to pursue the fantasy that he and Effy are going to live happily ever after. Although Effy willingly stays with Cook during that time, he does take her away from her home and loved ones and isolates her to an extent, because he wants to pursue this fantasy by any means necessary. He knows Effy doesn’t love him the way he loves her, but he goes into denial because he’d rather live a lie than lose her.

In season 4, when Effy finally admits her feelings for Freddie and gets into a relationship with him, she continues to cause Cook pain because she never validates his love for her. Instead, she ridicules and belittles him for it and downplays their relationship. When he tells her he still loves her, she tells him to piss off and later on she tells him that he was never good for her. Instead of admitting that what they had was real, but that she simply loved Freddie more, she makes Cook feel stupid as though what they had meant nothing. This leads to Cook once again going into denial. When Effy is suffering from mental illness and appears to not remember him, he plays along with her because it enables him to be with her, even if just for a short time.

The reason I’m still able to ship Cook and Effy is because despite the toxicity, there’s an equality present in their relationship. Everything that happens between them is mutual. Cook loves Effy but he never actively manipulates, coerces or pressures her to be with him in any way. In fact, he respects and accepts that she loves Freddie even though it hurts him. Effy hurts Cook by undermining their love, but excluding the one occassion where she tells him to piss off, she respects him and treats him with kindness. Cook and Effy never purposefully hurt each other or try to keep each other harm. The hurt they do cause each other is more an extension of their individual issues which have a knock on effect when it comes to their relationship. It’s not their relationship that’s toxic, it’s them as individuals. But also, the narrative never portrays Cook and Effy as being anything other than they are. We see the detrimental impact of their relationship and we hear Effy admit that they were bad for each other and would’ve never worked.

Damon and Katherine (The Vampire Diaries)

Once again, I have discussed Damon and Katherine’s relationship in-depth over at my writing side-blog, so don’t need to go into too much detail. I don’t think any explanation is needed here as to why Damon and Katherine are toxic. From the moment Katherine meets Damon she uses him for her own amusement, she sleeps with Damon and his brother at the same time without any regard for Damon’s feelings, controls every aspect of their relationship to suit her, fakes her death and lets Damon think she’s dead for over a century, continually plays with Damon’s feelings to get the reaction she wants, is continually dismissive of his love for her and rubs the fact that she loves Stefan in Damon’s face. And that’s just the aspects of their relationship that are toxic from Katherine’s side. Damon’s love for Katherine is so consuming that he goes to terrible lengths to be with her and when she rejects him resorts to violence and cruelty.

But again, the reason I’m able to ship them is because Damon and Katherine opearate on a level playing field. At the start of their relationship when Damon is human, Katherine definitley has an upper hand, but later on it’s tit for tat. They both hurt and manipulate each other, and in fact, they almost thrive on it. It’s part of how they communicate and relate to one another. Over the years, their feelings for each other become so twisted that they can’t express their love in the correct way anymore. Most importantly, just like with Cook and Effy, the narrative never strays from what Damon and Katherine are. They’re not true love, they’re not good for each other, they’re not healthy or a love to aspire to have. They’re profoundly connected and have a dark, twisted and complex history which is underlined with love but that manifests itself in often awful ways.

Dexter and Debra (Dexter)

These two are by far the darkest and most controversial ship I’ve ever shipped. As adopted siblings, there’s an incestious nature to the relationship which immediately creates toxcity in their relationship, but as individuals Dexter and Debra are both really messed up. Dexter is a self-proclaimed psychopath and serial killer, and Debra endures a lot of trauma throughout the series which deeply impacts her. Dexter and Debra have such an unhealthy and co-dependent relationship, it’s actually kinda crazy. Dexter lies to Debra and keeps an entire aspect of himself and his life a secret, he kills for Debra, he fails to validate or understand her feelings for him and he emotionally blackmails her. Debra lies and compromises her entire identity and morals to protect Dexter’s secret of being a serial killer, she murders an innocent woman to protect him and harbours a wanted criminal for him. Dexter and Deb will quite literally do anything to protect each other, but the result is devastating. You only have to watch Deb in season 8 to see just how damaging and toxic her relationship with Dexter is to her. Dexter and her love for him quite literally destroys her.

So it begs the question how and why do I ship these two? Well, the answer is the same as always: because the narrative doesn’t portray them as anything other than exactly what they are. Their relationship and Deb’s feelings for Dexter are completely fucked up and we’re told and shown that repeatedly. They’re not romanticised in any way, if anything they’re written in a way that would make most fans and viewers despise their relationship, particularly the romantic aspect of it. The show is true to them as individual characters and the toxicity of their relationship is authentic and understandable. I’ve briefly spoke about this previously, but Dexter and Debra’s relationship is supposed to be completely messed up because it’s an extension of them. Dexter, in particular, is damaged beyond repair and destroys everything he touches. Debra is part of that. Likewise, her falling for him makes perfect sense in the context of what she endures. Deb is a naturally self-destructive and self-loathing person, and loving Dexter is the biggest act of self-destruction she could ever enter into. In my opinion, of all the dark ships I have, Dexter and Debra are the perfect example of it being done right. They’re so dark and they love each other so much, but every step of the way the toxicity of their relationship is acknowledged and explored properly.

Ben and Callum (Eastenders)

I love Ben and Callum so much, and as far as they’ve come in their relationship, I can’t help but see the toxicity of it. In the beginning, Callum was unsure of his sexuality, was extremely closeted and carried a lot of internalised homophobia and self-hatred. This impacted on his relationship with Ben who had struggled with the same issues and didn’t want to return to that sad, lonely and miserable place. Callum’s relationship with Whitney and inability to admit his feelings for Ben made Ben feel rejected, sidelined and frustrated. At the same time this was going on, Ben’s issues of being afraid to love and let someone in after his ex was murdered, meant that he was unable to be completely open to Callum. By the time Callum was ready to come out and embrace his feelings for Ben, Ben was scared and backed away from Callum. Since the two have entered into a relationship, there’s been so much hurt and so much back and fourth. Ben is so afraid of hurting Callum and bringing harm to him, that he constantly pushes him away. The issue is that whether they’re together or not, Callum and Ben get hurt simply by loving each other. When Ben breaks up with Callum or pushes him away, they’re both heartbroken and long to be together again. But when Ben and Callum are together, their differences causes issues, and Ben’s actions put Callum in awful positions. Callum’s been forced to keep an innocent man’s murder a secret (he wasn’t really dead, but Callum didn’t know that), and now Callum’s been kidnapped and beaten, his life threatened, because of Ben’s actions. Ben has gone to extremes to save Callum including holding a gun to his own dad’s head and threatening to pull the trigger.

Unlike the other ships I’ve already discussed, the reason I’m still able to ship Ben and Callum isn’t because the narrative acknowledges they’re toxic for each other. It does acknowledge it, but the main reason I’m able to ship them is because none of the hurt they bring to each other is ever intentional. The hurt that Callum caused Ben before they were together was something he couldn’t control. He couldn’t force himself to come out and break up with Whitney. He had to come to terms with it in his own time and come out when he was good and ready. Likewise, Ben never intentionally hurts Callum. He does everything he can to protect him. Sure, he makes mistakes in trying to protect him, but all he ever wants is the best for Callum. A lot like Cook and Effy, the toxicity of Ben and Callum’s relationship doesn’t come from their relationship itself, but them as individuals. More specifically, Ben. Ben’s lifestyle, choices and actions have a detrimental impact on him and everyone around him (the mother of his child was also kidnapped not too long ago), including Callum.

Henry/Anne (The Tudors)

These two are a weird pairing to analyse, since they’re technically a real-life historical couple, but I’ll obviously be discussing them purely from a fictional stand-point and how they’re portrayed on The Tudors.

Henry and Anne are toxic as hell. Their relationship develops because Anne’s father uses her as a pawn to seduce Henry for the benefit of his own political career. Henry is also married to Katherine when their romantic relationship develops, so there’s infidelity and lies involved. Henry pursues Anne and although she falls for him, she actually has little agency in the early days. She’s told to entertain Henry and play on his attraction to her by her father, and later on, she has to submit to Henry because he’s the King of England. As the King of England, Henry has more power than any person should ever have and his arrogance and self righteousnous means that he’s more than happy to play on his power and use it to his advantage, even where Anne is concerned.

In the early stages of their relationship, considering the type of person he is, Henry is reasonably generous and gentle when it comes to Anne. He respects her, he listens to her and she has a voice in the relationship to a greater extent than Katherine did. But the moment that Anne challenges him or speaks out of turn, he shuts her down and forecfully reminds her that he’s the one with the power. He tells her to shut up and endure like her betters before her and he threatens her by telling her he can bring her down as quickly as he raised her. When she miscarries, he makes her feel that she’s a failed as a wife, mother and queen. He makes her feel embarassed, ashamed, anxious and unloved; the exact opposite of how she should feel during such a traumatic and painful time. Things only get worse when he proceeds to cheat on her whilst she’s pregnant. And we all know how this relationship ends. There are a lot of toxic ships out there but very few who actually kill their significant other, so Henry and Anne take the top spot for that alone. 

The question arises again, why do I ship this? And it’s because a) they have amazing chemistry b) the ups and downs in the relationship are portrayed fantastically c) you visibly see the downfall of Anne as a result of her love for Henry. Anne is destroyed, both metaphorically and literally, by her relationship with Henry. None of the bad aspects of their relationships are ever masked or ignored, they’re laid bare, but we see that despite how bad they are for each other, they have a deeply intense and passionate love which neither of them can fight against.

So if you’ve read all of that, I guess I’d say that when it comes to dark/toxic ships, they don’t always work for me. I take them on their individual merit. Sometimes they work and other times they don’t. It all depends on how they’re written and portrayed, and how their relationship develops overtime

why emikira *is* endgame (long post)

This is going to be a little incoherent because i’m still reeling from the recent ep (oh my god the arcade date the ARCADE DATE :sob:) but i’ve had this theory for a while and tbh i fully believe it: Emikira. Is. Engame. And I’m about to prove it:

[SPOILERS AHEAD FOR LITERALLY THE ENTIRE SHOW THIS IS YOUR WARNING]

Let’s start with the scene that started it all (one might even say it was their first date :eyes:): THE MOVIE SCENE.

(#newbies screenshots are a series of gifsets of this scene)

(omg they’re literally so adorable :pleading:)

So let’s get into it! This scene is SO good and is honestly what sold me on Emikira to begin with!!! One of the important things in this scene is that Akira is clearly bothered by something and it’s almost definitely family/sibling related (though Emiko doesn’t seem to really catch on and/or is trying to respect Akira’s privacy by not prying). Now, prior to this scene it’s been established in the show that Akira doesn’t like to be at home and spends a lot of her time wandering around at night. THIS is what makes this scene stand out because when Akira is struggling, rather than being alone like usual, Akira seeks out Emiko specifically to be around (remember that at this point Akira also knows where Nobu lives as well). This interaction is striking because it’s sort of our first glance at Akira really opening up to anyone, and she chooses to open up to Emiko. Akira trusts Emiko enough to be a little vulnerable about herself, and in return Emiko also opens up a little about their own insecurities. From this early on in the show, the writers are setting up a relationship between Emiko and Akira that is (in my opinion) closer than their relationships with the other newbies.

Also I can’t talk about this scene without mentioning this photo from the official Hero Club guide (which has a bunch of supplemental Hero Club content including the newbies groupchat):

THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER EMIKO FUJIMURA I’M ON TO YOU :eyes: :eyes:

So there’s not a TON of Emikira content for a while since the writers went HARD on Donkira :unamused: UNTIL the episode that drove our intrepid Heroes (and the fandom) apart: s1e11 “What is a Hero?” Now, I’m not here to debate who was or wasn’t right about how all the SoRL stuff went down (though if you want to read some of that meta here’s the link), but I *am* here to talk about the Emikira implications. And OH BOY are there implications.

So when Jokushi is explaining the mushroom quest and the whole potions ingredients thing to Emiko to try and get them on board, one of the arguments he uses is that the potions are important and could make the difference between life or death in the future. Emiko doesn’t agree as we know because literally half of the party are healers, two of which are full casters. Akira is standing here during Jokushi and Emiko’s argument, and though she doesn’t really contribute either way, Akira does listen. Jokushi backs down and agrees that he’s not going to try and get the mushrooms, but Akira (as she explains later) knows that if something went wrong in a battle someday Jokushi would blame it on Emiko and Akira doesn’t want that to happen. Now, Akira really cares about her friends, to the point that she goes with them on stupid missions (looking at you Nobu) just to keep them safe, but once again the writers are indicating that Akira and Emiko have a...deeper connection than the other Hero Club members. Akira doesn’t just do the quest and get the mushrooms, she reaches out to her estranged older brother that she thought hated her all so that Emiko wouldn’t be responsible for someone getting hurt someday. Akira isn’t stupid (despite what she herself seems to think), she knows that there are capable healers in the party. She doesn’t fulfill this quest because she thinks Jokushi is right, Akira reaches out to Reiji and gets the mushrooms because she doesn’t want Emiko to be hurt. Like???? What else needs to be said?? Akira not only is willing to be open and vulnerable with Emiko but she also straight up faces her past and puts herself in harm's way for their sake!!!! Even *if* Akira only has platonic feelings for Emiko (press X to doubt), it’s still really significant the lengths Akira’s willing to go for Emiko (without them even knowing :sob:).

But what about Emiko and Akira’s fight, you ask? How does that fit into this Emikira Endgame narrative? Well, first I’ll point out that nothing has been as polarizing in the HC fandom in general as this conflict (besides maybe Yakira AU lmao) and it was just as polarizing in the show itself. Emiko and Akira’s fallout was a BIG DEAL in the show, I’d argue even more than the whole Ryoku and Yadama were behind the demon attacks twist. Emiko and Akira’s relationship is important enough that when they don’t get along, the entire Hero Club feels the effects. I mean, look at the other characters involved with the SoRL conflict: Jokushi and Emiko are for the most part getting along as usual, and while Emiko and Nobu certainly aren’t as close as they used to be (RIP they were my favorite friendship :cry:), the shift in their dynamic wasn’t enough that they stopped speaking and literally split the fandom in half. Why would Emiko and Akira not getting along be THAT big a deal if their relationship wasn’t IMPORTANT. If it wasn’t MORE than a simple friendship. I mean, Emiko almost CRIES when they tell their Amme that they weren’t getting along with some of their friends, and let’s be real, we all know they were talking about Akira. I mean, Emiko as a character pretty explicitly avoids talking about their feelings and confronting others about things that bother them. Emiko loves to pretend that things are perfect so they won’t have to deal with the possibility that they might not be living up to expectations. And yet, Emiko asks for advice from their Amme about how to fix their friendship with Akira. Emiko is the one who reaches out first!! For maybe the first time in the show, Emiko pushes past their own anxiety and their tendency for avoidance so that they can mend things with Akira. THIS IS A HUGE DEVELOPMENT!!! Like, not only is this great for Emiko’s own development as a character who’s clearly struggling with mental health, it also really demonstrates how important Akira really is to them. Just like Akira is willing to face her past and specifically her brother for Emiko’s sake, Emiko is willing to face their issues for Akira’s sake.

So now we get to one of my favorite episodes (for obvious reasons lol): s2e4 “The Feelings of the Forest.” THE Emikira episode. While the Emiko and Akira conflict was polarizing, fandom reaction to their reconciliation was fairly lackluster (mostly because fandom thrives off of conflict, not so much on making up lmao). Like first of all can we just appreciate this:

[picture of Emiko holding on to Akira as she bikes away from Emiko’s house]

(They’re so fucking cute I can’t even!!!!) But back to the point. The reconciliation scene is SO important to me because like, first of all character growth but also oh my god Emiko and Akira are so in love it physically pains me. Like, Emiko OPENS with “I don’t want, y’know, any of my issues to come between you and the rest of the club,” and of course Akira has to reply with “Me neither.” THESE TWO I STG :sob: Even when they’re not getting along Emiko and Akira still want each other to be happy!!! LIKE??? Also, this is just an Emiko character note but it literally kills me that Emiko views their own feelings like a hindrance to everyone else. Your feelings are important because they’re your feelings, not just because they affect others 🗣🗣 Anyways, back to the scene there’s literally so much here :spiraling: When Emiko asked why Akira doesn’t trust them and Akira admitted that she does I was literally screaming!!! Like, Emiko’s biggest issues stem from their feelings of inadequacy and here is Akira, someone that Emiko really cares about, affirming that she trusts Emiko!! Emiko’s personal narrative has always been about struggling with self-worth and the burden of expectations, and even if the situation isn’t exactly ideal, I think it’s huge that Akira is validating Emiko. Akira believes in Emiko!!! Another big thing from this conversation is like, just how Emiko and Akira listen to each other. It’s a little rough in the beginning I’ll admit, but Akira hears what Emiko is saying about how assuming their emotions/reactions makes them feel and apologizes. Emiko hears what Akira is saying about trying to keep Nobu and Jokushi safe and apologizes for shutting conversations down and says that they’re going to work on doing better at being part of a team. Emiko and Akira are honest with each other, listen, apologize, and promise to work on being better in the future! Like, the Hero Club is not a mentally healthy group of teens, but Emiko and Akira’s reconciliation is remarkably mature and full of understanding. The two of them have a lot of love and care for each other that drives them to be there for each other and try to understand each other, which in my opinion makes their relationship one of the strongest in the Hero Club (yes that includes Donkira and Anthriko).

Emiko: “I want you to know Akira that I… I want you to talk to me. About whatever.”

Akira: “I- yeah. I understand that now. Do you understand why I felt I had to do what I did?”

Emiko: (sigh) “Yeah, I do. And… I get it. It fucking sucks but… I get it.”

Akira: “I understand if you can’t move past this. You’re entitled to how you react to things.”

Emiko: “I can, and I will, move past this, but I can’t not be able to trust my friends. And I… And I really want to trust you… but right now it’s just really hard.”

Akira: “I know.”

Emiko: “But I am going to try.”

And this is BEFORE they’re even dating!!! (it WILL happen i’m manifesting it) Emiko and Akira have the most solid basis for a relationship of any of the characters, because when things get tough, they put in effort to keep their relationship together! It’s the inherent homoeroticism of facing your insecurities and fears because your friend is important to you!!!!!

THE BIKE SCENE. That’s it. The bike scene. Ugh, the fucking tenderness in this scene almost brought me to tears. I’m a huge fan of the show and I love all the different characters and their relationships but for real no one is doing it like Emikira!!! The hug, the tight squeeze as Emiko says “I missed having you as a friend,” it’s SO MUCH :pleading: Like, I’m literally telling you that Emiko and Akira are endgame here, PLEASE explain to me how I’m supposed to read this scene as anything BUT two best friends literally in love with each other PLEASE i’m WAITING. They are so soft for each other, my poor heart can’t take it!!!!

Fast forward a couple episodes to ep.6 “Hunter and Hunted p.1” and we get like oh my god so much trauma but also a fantastic Emikira moment that drives me UP THE WALLS!!! That’s right I’m talking about Emiko stepping out of the fog cloud and giving Akira bardic inspiration! The fact that even in the midst of an awful harrowing battle, Emiko and Akira look to each other for strength is SO :pleading: :pleading: Like, Emiko literally looks to Akira for a steady presence when they’re Going Through It, and Akira was inspired by seeing Emiko join the fight, LITERALLY drawing strength from Emiko’s presence!!!! Like, it is crazy significant in my opinion that Emiko and Akira inspire each other in battle. They trust and believe in each other so much that they LITERALLY draw strength from it :sob: THAT’S LOVE

And finally let’s jump way way forward to probably my favorite Emikira scene to date, which is of course the late night arcade date (like, let’s just call it what it is, a DATE). Emiko, quite obviously, is not doing great after the whole Secret Kramsey groupchat fiasco, and Akira shows up at their house to take them on a date to cheer them up. *SCREAMS* Akira cares SO MUCH about Emiko!!!! Without even asking, Akira finds the perfect way to cheer Emiko up: by bringing them their favorite candy and taking them out to have fun. Like, that genuinely is so frickin sweet, it’s so heartwarming!!!! Also just look at this PLEASE

Literally when do we ever see Emiko and Akira looking that carefree and happy? When Emiko and Akira are together, they’re so happy! Despite the crazy messes of their lives, Emiko and Akira find a moment together where they can just be themselves: two dorky teens that care a whole lot! Also, once again Akira and Emiko feel safe around each other! Like, we see Akira really open up about her feelings and alluding to her past a little in this scene, and it’s a testament to how much she does genuinely trust Emiko and feels safe around them. Akira shares her insecurities with Emiko and we see a side of her that she hasn’t shown any other character on the show. And Emiko, who cares so much about Akira and believes in her so much, tells Akira that she’s smart and talented and “capable of whatever you want to become.” Emiko shows Akira that she is wonderful just as she is, and also that Akira is full of potential to be whatever she wants! Like, the tenderness in this scene is soooo insane, like Emiko is really out here supporting Akira and believing in her wholeheartedly even when Akira herself is unsure of her own worth and I’m NOT supposed to think they’re in love with her?? I don’t think so.

So. You’ve made it to the end of this incredibly unhinged and messy Emikira scene analysis. Hopefully I’ve made it fairly clear how obviously meant for each other Emiko and Akira are, but in case I didn’t, here’s the TLDR:

Emiko and Akira’s relationship has always been about two teens who have parts of themselves that they’re too afraid to face, but their love for each other is strong enough that they face them anyway. How caring about someone motivates us to change and be better people for them and for ourselves, and how loving someone is about making an effort to understand one another! IT’S LITERALLY ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT LOVE!!!!!!