#i think about my own strengths and flaws and often times i get so frustrated with my shortcomings | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreaming-about-seireitei · 1 month

Note

Re: the 'talk about for hours meme' -- "2. Certain fictional characters : from books or anime, I can give you full essays on them"

Could I have your full essays on Matsumoto and Shinji!! (Feel free to split into two posts if it's weird/too long to do them both in one, haha.)

OUH. MYGOD. This is what I have been waiting for. Yesssss I CAN. Also, I think I will split it into two separate posts, because I want to cover more aspects. So this will only be about Matsumoto Rangiku. But beware, you brought this upon yourself. It will be long af (roughly about 1900 words). I hope it all makes sense!

Also, everything I say is totally my opinion, the way I see them, and the "analysis" (nothing too formal) I made is based on anime only and/or maybe some spoilers (because I don't own any Bleach manga yet😭)

In the beginning, I need to mention that in my opinion (and as I mentioned in a previous post), she is actually a very humane, relatable and complex character. And this is why I like her so much. However, she is, most of the times, underappreciated.

So usually when people are talking about her, they get to mention her her physical appearance, which is normal and is what you do with everyone, but then something interesting happens.

When it comes to her personality, she is often viewed and portrayed as a shallow, superficial and unbothered woman. Kind of the standard beautiful but ignorant woman trope portrayed in most media.

But she is not just a plain character made to fill in some gaps and have a few lines. And while I agree she has a few flaws (that I'll talk about later), I feel like this portrayal of her couldn't be more wrong.

In actuality, she is a very well constructed character, that we subjectively misjudge, because we have certain expectations when we see an architype of fictional universes and forget to look past certain traits. And you might ask "Okay, dude, but what do you mean by that?" Well, let me explain.

But to get even deeper with how much of a complex character she is, as we go further along with the anime, we know that Gin leaves with Aizen. Even since then, we knew something was going on with those two, when he apologized to her. But as it was revealed later, Gin was her childhood friend, the one she even lived with for a while. The first person she ever loved from what I know (not sure if romantically or platonically, but love, none the less). Now, imagine how destroyed she must feel about him leaving with a man that betrayed, used and lied to everyone in their community without any explanation whatsoever. More so, imagine how worried she must be everyday for him, not ever knowing if he'll come back. Imagine how she has to live with this constantly in the back of her mind, and still be a good shinigami and fight with the fear that one day, she might have to fight him. The strength one has to have to be able to continue life with these realizations in mind, every day, without breaking once, is colossal. How mature you have to be adapt to this kind of situation so fast, even if you hate the reality this is bringing you in, is the proof of being not only very emotionally intelligent, but also intelligent overall. And not to mention how she carries this burden seemingly alone, because nobody seems to ever ask her if she's alright or care whatsoever for her problems, probably because of her optimistic, cheery personality.

Firstly, when we initially get to meet her, in the episode of Aizen's "death", we see her restraining Hinamori and getting her to jail, as a good lieutenant would do at the orders of her captain, right? But after that, we witness a conversation those two have, in which we can clearly see that Matsumoto does empathize with Hinamori, telling her she understands how frustrated she is, but she needs to think about her squad and priorities and to not make any allegations (when Hinamori was about to say she knew who "killed" Aizen).

In that small dialogue, we get to understand that not only, is Rangiku very levelheaded, but also she cares about Hinamori enough to tell her it is not her place to make those accusations and she lets to be understood that she will regret saying anything more, and tries to guide her to better priorities. She does everything in a serious, yet not necessarily harsh manner. She feels as many emotions as everyone about what just happened, and yet she thinks about what is best to be done and how to be efficient, while still empathizing with and not blaming Hinamori for anything. And she keeps that attitude towards her even later, in the fake Karakura Town arc, when Hinamori clearly calls Aizen "captain", but Rangiku still has an understanding, yet compassionate and worried attitude towards her (and to be honest, that is more than I would've had for her at that point). That already says so much about her character and moral compass.

Which brings me to the next point. We always see her as being this bright, obnoxious ray of sunshine. Party girl who likes to drink, sometimes a little too much (but I would too in her situation), who's everyone's friend. From hanging out, getting drunk with the boys, or being there for Hitsugaya (she was even the one who told him to be a shinigami in the first place, and made sure to make him understand it would be best for him to do so), to even having a heartfelt conversation with Orihime when she gets jealous and depressed. Rangiku is an optimistic, reliable person who you can have fun with and trust with your heart. But who's there for her the way she is there for others? Because I don't see her talking about any of her personal issues, besides this one exception with Hitsugaya once. So not only is she strong to keep herself composed and with the mind clear, ready to battle anytime, but she is also succeeding in doing so alone, with no support system (that I know of). So she has the power of continuing to battle for what is right and be there for everyone in a very enthusiastic way, with a broken heart that still has room for hope, and with an intelligent mind that still makes room for fun.

Now, everything I have mentioned so far are her positive traits. Of course, she wouldn't have been a very good constructed character if she didn't have any flaws. That's also what makes her even more relatable and humane. But what is again very interesting here, is that her flaws seem to be very much in contrast with her positive traits.

Also, talking about being ready for battle, there is one more point I need to add. Considering everything I mentioned earlier, we also need to talk about how good of a fighter and strategist (not to mention how strong willed) she is.

Remember: she had a portion of her soul stolen (at least that's what I understood) by Aizen! And if we are to recall the encounters she had with arrancars (and fights overall), we can surely say she had some interesting strategic moves, as well as some decent, interesting decisions in battle. So we can only imagine what kind of a fighter she would have become if she had her soul intact. All though I will not dive deeper into this (because I will have to rewatch all of her fights, and even then get into a subject that I'm really not good at), I can definitely say she is not a lieutenant for nothing. She is definitely a capable, devoted and loyal lieutenant, fighter and ally.

We can also see a similar circumstance with her shallow and vain demeanor whenever she talks about shopping and getting nice things. Because we need to remember she grew up poor! And not only that, but she was dying of starvation. When Gin found her, she was on the verge of death. And as she grew, like most kids in Rukongai, she had mostly nothing. So to one extend, I can really understand why, as an adult, she would prefer to spend her money as she likes without any reservations. I think it helps healing her inner child and can also be a coping mechanism that she developed along the years, to help cope with everything she goes through by herself.

When we think about her flaws, we picture in our minds her laziness and how conceited and vain she can be sometimes. We can also talk about how unbothered or easygoing she seems to be in many situations. And her drinking problem (which I am not going to talk about, because in my own balkan view, it doesn't really look like a problem, just that when she parties, she goes hard, and I would too and I get it).

But I found that her laziness is in strong contrast with her strong will to fight and how ready she is for battle anytime. Which is not something a lazy person will do. We have plenty of great characters that can be very intelligent and impressively created, but who are very lazy and find many things (such as fighting) as a "drag" or "nuisance". She could do the same, but she doesn't. Which leads me to believe that it's not laziness per se, it's most likely the boredom and uninteresting facade of doing chores like paperwork. And I see that as fitting to her, because she probably needs strong and intense sensations to fixate on something and not be distracted by her own mind (my opinion).

And even that, I think it really depends on how important her role would be as the responsible person in said situations. Because if you remember the flashbacks of her being a lieutenant under Kurosaki Isshin, she was the one who scolded him for not doing work. Of course, it wasn't like she was working anywhere near the amount Hitsugaya would, in any day, but still more than now. And I think that was exactly because someone had to. It was important for the captain to have someone who would nag him from time to time, so that's what she did. Just like how it is important for Hitsugaya to have a ray of sunshine to cheer him up and get him out of his sometimes-too-serious way.

And sure, she doesn't like being called "old", like most women, and she cares about her looks a lot, but I think that also comes from a place of not knowing or having the privilege of getting to care about those things as child. Which she finally has now, as an adult, and of course she takes advantage of that now and thinks about those things.

With all of this being said, I think the only conclusion here is that Matsumoto Rangiku is a strong, very reliable, smart woman with the emotional intelligence above many other characters (and people) that we get to see usually in fictional universes (or even real life). She is the kind of person I would love to have as a friend, and I wish I could have the honor of being there for her, because she deserves it. With a heart of gold and a personality brighter than the sun, Matsumoto Rangiku is the glue that holds so many things together and is one of the many needed pieces of our Bleach puzzle. And yes, she is also very hot and I would tap that.

And concomitantly, we see her seemingly self-absorbed personality that shows up from that to time and the contrast that makes with how much empathy and devotion she demonstrates.

This made me think of just the way we perceive people sometimes without having the full story on them. Because I think that it may be a misunderstanding of her character.

What I mean by this is that, maybe, we misunderstood those traits, and in reality is just her confidence. A lot of self confidence and care for one's self can be missinterpreted as shallowness if we either don't have the full story, or if that person is not slightly modest in admitting the good things about themselves. Which is an interesting way to see her, that would further demonstrate how cool she is (but considering this hypothesis is only that, a hypothesis, it might just be two contrasting traits she has, which either way, make her an interesting person).

Bonus: this is the song that always reminds me of her for some reason -

youtube

#i tried my best to be coherent #i hope it all makes sense #matsumoto rangiku #bleach #my opinion on characters

21 notes · View notes

pomplalamoose · 7 months

Note

Sorry to message again, but I loved your answer to my ask so much, now I’d love a follow up to how post-ROTJ luke acts once he decides to get rid of the no attachment rule and pursue you 😅

Please don't apologizeeee, I'm having a great time with this!!!! I'm so happy to (hopefully) make you happy with this as well🤠

• it differs from person to person of course but I, for one, am not exactly enthusiastic about the Jedi's no-attachment-rule

• and Luke isn't either

• to leave behind everyone he deeply cares for would pretty much mean to leave behind a big part that defines him

• one of Luke's biggest strengths IS the way he loves and how he is able to see the good in people, no matter what

• it's how he defeated Palpatine and saved his father

• so naturally he struggles a lot with the concept, especially when it comes to you

• on one hand he really wants to honor and correctly carry on a thousand year old legacy, ask well as respecting Obi-Wan's and Yoda's teachings

• on the other hand he is aware of the many flaws they had and has his own ideas and thoughts to add

• I like to think that in building his new Jedi Academy, Luke overhauls a lot of what was before to make it fit with his own beliefs and experiences

• he won't stray too far away from the old code but recognizes that much of it can be rather harmful too

• though this is a process and especially in the early stages, Luke finds himself yearning for something to hold on to, to lead him in his new quest

• even if that means turning a blind eye to his blooming feelings for you

• this, he will later realize, not only hurts himself but you as well

• stuck deeply in his thoughts and with a guilty conscience, neither does he notice the ways in which you look at him

• it aches you deeply, to see him so conflicted when before he was acting so differently towards you

• at the same time you respect that he needs his time and space to figure things out for himself

• you too spend a lot of time thinking and re thinking about the no-attachment-rule and what it means for your life

• (and are ready to immediately throw it out of the window should Luke decide to return your feelings)

• possibly you view the old Jedi code in a more critical light than Luke does and that's what rather often leads to heated discussions that you can't help but take to heart

• at this time you are still very much unaware about what has been going on though

• Luke does not want to drag you into his personal struggle so he doesn't tell you anything at first

• the only thing you notice is the way he's rather hot and cold with you, often leaving you in confusion

• one time he's charming and flirty, making you blush and your heart race

• the next day, however, he suddenly acts as if none of that ever happened and with time you grow really frustrated

• to you it seems like he's playing with your feelings

• but how are supposed to know that he's trying to do the opposite?

• (please cut him some slack, he's doing the best he can)

• Luke often lies awake at night, thinking about you, contemplating what it is that's leaving him so conflicted

• again and again he vows to not let you too close to him and his heart, deciding it's for the best

• he truly thinks he's doing the both of you a favor, even while your confused and pleading eyes make him want to cry

• at the same time he can't stop himself from sharing exciting news with you, can't help making you laugh and can't ignore how deeply he enjoys to just be around you

• after a while of this going on, you corner him during a quiet moment, demanding to know what the hell he thinks he is doing

• no matter how blinded by love you may be, you won't have him treat you this way

• Luke is horrified by what he hears, he hadn't realized how erratic and hurtful his behavior had become

• he was so convinced he had been fighting his battles in silence and without the knowledge of those around him

• this is when he, very much ashamed, admits to you what has been troubling him recently

• you feel like something punched you in the gut when he reveals to very well returning your feelings but doing his hardest to push them away

• in the end you will yourself to be patient

• whatever choice Luke is going to make, you will accept

• and if that means he will never think of you as more than a friend in order to preserve the peace and the New Republic, so be it

• you cry yourself to sleep that night

• you can't look him in the eye the next day nor the day after that

• thankfully Luke finally decides to listen to his heart

• and was it not the Force that brought you together in the first place?

• how can his feelings be wrong?

• desperate to make up for everything he put you through, he realizes he has no idea how

• he doesn't even know if you like him back

• (I truly believe he can be this dense sometimes)

• I'm sure he'd turn to Leia, who's all too happy to help after suffering through all that drama along side you, listening to your endless tirades about her stupid brother

• after properly setting him straight, she assures him that in no way will you turn down his advances

• still unsure but feeling decidedly better he seeks you out

• you talk for a very long time

• you get the heartfelt apology you deserve

• Luke is still struggling but makes sure to tell you in detail about everything that has been weighing him down and how much, despite it all, he cares for you

• both of you end up crying

• it's almost, almost, a love declaration

• when you describe your point of view he is genuinely upset and apologizes again

• in fact he can't stop apologizing until you tell him to shut up

• in the end you both admit to your feelings but agree to take it slow; it is more than you ever dared hoping for

• and while Luke is not able to let go yet, his thoughts still plaguing him, they are in the open now

• when you are about to leave he takes hold of your hand and kisses you for the first time

• it's clumsy but sweet and you hug after

• you hold each other for a long time, neither of you wanting to let go

#ask #luke skywalker #star wars #fanfic #luke star wars #star wars fanfiction #luke skywalker x reader #luke skywalker x you #star wars a new hope #star wars empire strikes back #star wars return of the jedi #luke skywalker fanfiction #headcanons

48 notes · View notes

halliescomut · 7 months

Text

Naughty Babe Ramble

There's gonna be spoilers up to episode 4...just so you're aware.

I've been really stuck thinking about this past episode and sort of where we are about half-way through. I know for a lot of people, Naughty Babe is just silly fun, and there's also plenty who just wave it off as campy semi-BS. And while the show is certainly set up to be more silly than serious, I really have been engrossed by the new glimpses we've gotten into Yi and Diao now that they're at the center.

I loved them as a couple in the Cutie Pie series, though I had some concerns, mostly things that I've been able to abandon now that we've gotten a bit more insight into Yi's mind specifically. Cutie Pie is very much Kuea's perspective, and therefore pretty knowledgeable of Diao's personality, but less so of Yi.

And while I was somewhat suspicious of what we were going to see after the trailers, knowing about the whole amnesia thing, I'm actually pretty satisfied overall. Both because the amnesia didn't last for the whole season, but also because they clearly recognize that Diao knows Yi well enough to figure out he's lying. Like I do agree that both Lian and his dad would figure it out first, just because Yi doesn't hide so much from them, but I was concerned they would set Diao up to look a bit like an imbecile, and he is so not.

I'm gonna start by talking about Diao, mostly because he's my favorite, but also because if we recognize that this show is mostly Yi's perspective, then I'm so happy they're still showing Diao as feisty, and cute. He's still shown as a little shy, but I think he's definitely guarded around Yi, especially right in this time, so it makes sense, that he sort of reads it that way. One of my favorite things about Diao in Cutie Pie was that he was clearly just as strong-willed and self-aware as Kuea, but where Kuea is more brash, Diao is just a tad softer. But his softness isn't weakness (I fucking hate when people think that) and we're continually given glimpses of his strength, both mentally and physically.

His practice and teaching of Taekwondo is clearly part of that, it's a martial arts style that has a heavy focus on meditation and mindfulness, but also philosophy of how you should behave as a citizen of humanity. It's also listed often as a potentially good option for self-defense in those that are of smaller stature (which Diao is). It's a martial art that I think is well-matched to the character, in that it's both strong and elegant, with a focus on moral character.

The series so far shows Diao as mainly admirable...which is great, but it also speaks to what Diao is so frustrated by. He's not a piece of art, he doesn't want to be set on a pedestal and admired, he wants to be loved. He's been clear in his passion to Yi in the past, but it's Yi's that's stuck in his own head about what if's and so they aren't able to progress. And so now we're 3 years in the future, and Diao's wondering if he read everything all wrong.

So moving on to hia Yi...I know you're trying, but god, do I wish that you would just get it together. I understand that the root of his behavior is all fear. He's afraid that the past coming to light, and his connection to Diao's trauma will cause DIao to hate him...and dude...if you pulled your head out of your ass and actually took in the person that Diao has become you'd see that it would never happen. I know he's drowning in the guilt of what happened with the tiger/puma/dog/jackalope (depending on when and where the story's being told)...but if you think Diao would learn that and not recognize that you were a 15 year old child who made a horrible mistake??? Diao has so much empathy, and Yi knows that, but he's still can't comprehend that that empathy also extends to him for some reason.

As flawed as the man is, and honestly as poorly as he sees himself sometimes, though usually glossed over by the sheen of narcissism, he can be such a good man. In all of this universe, I've always been a bit meh on Max's acting, I'll be honest. He's fine, but I've always felt like because his character was so staid that I wasn't engaged, especially when Zee and Nunew and Nat were given so much more expression and emotion. But this last couple of episodes really, but especially number four, he has really been doing some great work.

He's both solidified a lot of aspects of the character as well as bringing new depth. The nightmares talk and panic attack scene were really so good. Him just laying there as Diao talks about his nightmares and his eyes are just full of so many different emotions. and then when the panic attack really kicks in, his overall concern is not disturbing Diao. You don't have to have an internal monologue to know exactly where this panic attack comes from, and it's portrayed really well in my opinion. Of course everyone's experience will differ, but my sister has an anxiety disorder, and really her feelings as she's described them and her physical condition as I've watched her experience these attacks...they match up pretty well.

tumblr

In a lot of ways I do feel like we are seeing a little bit of the same character arc for the couple here that we saw for Lian and Kuea in Cutie Pie, with both Lian and Yi afraid that somehow they're being selfish in wanting their relationships with Kuea and Diao respectively. I think it's something that stems from their age difference, this knowing that there is a lot of opportunity out there for them, and are they sort of clipping their wings? It's a bit different for Kuea and Diao, but it does boil down to both wanting to be truly seen for who they are. For Kuea it was about reconciling his 'true self' and knowing that Lian loved him still. With Diao, I think it's about being seen as himself, but also being seen as someone worthy of being a true partner to Yi, to stand beside him. I think Yi's tendency to coddle him and lie to him has caused him to assume that Yi doesn't believe he's capable of handling the truth. And in a bit of a match to Kuea, since they've always been these sort of biddable, polite people (which is based around the cultural expectations especially in relation to their age difference), will there still be love and affection if they're assertive of their own needs/desires? For Kuea the answer was clearly yes, which Diao knows, but I think Lian was also a lot easier to read for Diao than Yi. It's also complicated by the fact that Diao is also afraid of what he might see, and so I think he chooses not to.

My last little part isn't really about character, but more about how wildly uncomfortable I was watching the interactions between Diao's family and Yi and Diao. It was both awkward and insanely infuriating. I felt so insulted on Yi's behalf, watching this family treat him like little more than an open wallet. And don't even get me started on Diao, the way I know he was so embarrassed by their behavior, not just because it's so icky, but also because it makes him wonder "Does hia Yi think that I'm in this for his money??" I also kind of hated it because hia Yi clearly values family, and I know for certain that he's glad that his own father has such strong love and affection for Diao, to not be seen equally by Diao's family probably really hurts.

(I'm sorry this was such a ramble, but I have a lot of random feelings about the show.)

#Naughty Babe the series #Hia Yi x Kon Diao #Yi x Diao #Max x nat #MaxNat #Max Nattapol #Nat Natasitt #Thai BL

22 notes · View notes

myososheep · 1 month

Note

I AM HERE

1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 13, 16, 17, 27, 33, 40 + A, B and F

for any OCs~

HELLO :DD that's a lot of questions, let's get started! (i'm going with my main group of OCs, if you wanna know about any others ask away)

1) What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

i order it would be : Vrisk, Othia, Alim, Rhea, Yoan, Hibi, Suzka. Vrisk is the one who could stay the longest, until they have to eat basically. Suzka would be the most restless

3) How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Rhea and Othia often read before going to bed

Suzka is a fast sleeper, let her get comfy and she's out!

Vrisk meditates, Alim too when tiring himself out exercising isn't working

Hibi uses him light magic to put himself to sleep

Yoan needs something to cuddle, a plush, a pillow or a friend ^^

5)How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Alim is the most distrustful, close by is Othia

6) Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

Hibi, Yoan, and Othia would consider it immovable and follow it most (= "they're here for a good reason")

Rhea and Alim see most of them as immovable, and are neutral about it (= "they're here and we can't do much about them")

Vrisk and Suzka are the ones who would find loopholes or straight up break the law if it's in their interest

8) What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

Hibi was often pressured by peers (children and adults alike) to talk, thinking of his muteness as a tantrum or a choice

Yoan was most told to pay attention and stop forgetting important things

Rhea was told to stop reading so much by herself (which she never understood how that was a bad thing)

13) What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

Vrisk mostly wear deep reds and purples, Yoan greens. i would say it suit them? idk i'm no stylist XD

16) What makes their stomach turn?

hmm i have trouble understanding this question sorry ^^'

17) Are they easily embarrassed?

Hibi and Alim would be the most easy to embarrass, Hibi because of his shyness and Alim because of his need to be taken seriously

27) What causes them to feel dread?

Alim dread being vulnerable, especially in front of others

for Vrisk it's forgetting, she has lived a long life but there's always that fear whenever she forget something

even though she doesn't show it, Suzka is afraid of losing the people close to her

33) Could they be considered lazy?

during their journey, Othia would be the one considered the most 'lazy', as she is used to the royal life.

40) How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Yoan, Hibi and Rhea are the most sensitive to them. for Rhea it makes her doubt her place within the group as the journey goes on, Hibi hides his weakness behind Yoan, and Yoan focuses on his strength through toxic positivity in order to not let his negativity take over.

A) Why are you excited about this character?

oh man i'm excited about all of them! it's a story that i've been working on for like 5 years, Hibi and Yoan being the firsts created (explains why i love them so much). i keep reworking them, the plot and the world around them so the story unfolds nicely

B) What inspired you to create them?

i can't quite remember, after i created Hibi and Yoan i just kept finding new people and ideas. though as i fleshed them out some of their traits turned out to be mine as well (or amplified)

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

i'm always proud of how far they've all come, but i do feel a bit frustrated working on Rhea and Othia for their characters and motivations, as they're the ones who i relate the least.

#myo answers #my ocs #oc talk #yoan #hibi #alim #suzka #rhea #othia #vrisk #don't mind me taking hours on this i was on call and got distracted halfway through XDD

3 notes · View notes

x-authorship-x · 7 months

Note

Sadly, family fics with them are a bit thin on the ground these days. With how pervasive Qui-Gon bashing has become, it's a lot harder to find fics with him that don't feature it and I mostly have given up trying. I'm usually fine with fics that are a bit judgemental, because he is a flawed man, but I can't read things where he's mean and heartless anymore after reading the books. There still are some fics with good family feelings on ao3 though! If you'd like a rec, off the top of my head I can think of the One Hundred Hours To Rearrange The Stars series by soft_but_gremlin, and the Reprise series by Elfpen, both of which feature time travel and handle Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (both older and younger) well. I think they'd be up your alley.

Obi-Wan's willful nature gets him into trouble just as often as it gets him out of it, and he really does just have absolutely bonkers luck. Him going off alone to do something always ends with either a really lucky find or him in peril, though often both one right after the other.

(Yeah, the Melida/Daan arc - which is where Obi-Wan does that - drives me up the wall, and not in any of the ways I expected going into it. No joke, I went into those books thinking I'd be pissed as all hell at Qui-Gon, and instead came out of them hating Nield, being incredibly frustrated with Obi-Wan, and thinking that Qui-Gon was pretty much the only person in book 5 who was even remotely reasonable for like 90% of it. I could talk about it for literal hours, because oh my god. They're good books, but it was seriously a head trip to read them after only being exposed to the fanfics, because they're vastly different. I won't go into it or we'd be here all day, but it's a lot more complex than the very black and white take that a lot fandom gives it credit for.)

Wait what, how did I miss you talking about that?! An Inoichi and Shisui master-padawan fic would be so, so good, oh my god. I tried to go back to find anything you had on it, but Tumblr's search function is garbage so I didn't find anything. Which is so sad, please tell me more I want to know about baby padawan Shisui being gently parented by jedi master Inoichi 🥺

I'm glad to know my infodump was well received! I was a little nervous when I woke up and realized I had actually sent it, since I did kinda hit you with it out of nowhere and it is a pretty unpopular opinion these days, so it was a big relief when you didn't seem to mind!

Yo!

Well I'm not surprised either tbh, people love drama in their fics , they love Obi-wan (guilty as charged), and most fics need someone to come down on as the bad guy, so yeah I can absolutely see the fandom skewing that way... also thank you, I appreciate recs, I'll be sure to check them out! ☺️

(also I'm on board with the 'shut up omg neild' train, although you're also right that I've not read the books but just... osmosed the info but oh well)

Ahhh Tumblr is so goddamn broken, I tried to find my own prompt drabbles earlier and... no luck 🙃 more than happy to chat (or rediscuss) stuff tho :)

So I'd like to avoid the inevitable pitfalls of just applying the SWs universe to the Naruto characters and plotline (I'm just... not in the mood for the danzo/suicide/itachi arc, again) and focus on extracting just Inoichi and Shisui into SW plot etc. A cleaner cut that's not too heavy with two series' worth of plot.

So it would be something like... Inoichi is from a mid-rim planet, somewhere metropolitan, he presented a very strong telepathic skill with the force as a child so he was sent to the Jedi. Started training as a healer, using his mental strength to soothe others and the growing darkness, BUT then he found himself (as many Jedi do) called by the force out into the wider galaxy... to the edge of wild space. There, he finds a planet where there is a clan of people who are the only force sensitives on the planet, the Uchiha, who the government have turned against by fear of their abilities and of a coup. The Uchiha are in the middle of being massacred when Inoichi arrives, finds a six year old Shisui running for his life, and intervenes. Inoichi saves him and they run for Inoichi's ship, massively outnumbered and barely make it.

Magic Item Found: Adorable Child

Achievement Unlocked: Single Parenthood!

At the temple, inoichi is a very strong presence in Shisui's life in the creche and has taken a full-time role as a mind healer (to be around all the time lol) but they are both conscious that shisui is monitored for any taint of 'darkness' from his experiences - and the darker use of the force that the Uchiha were known for. Inoichi is more concerned with Shisui's well-being and his own lack of experience with children. Shisui is very worried about not being perfect and not internalising the Jedi code (gonna go freestyle interp on this one) enough to avoid attachment. Cue inoichi teaching himself to be a young father and shisui punishing himself with so much training and emotional pining that the crechmaster is concerned he'll be aging out of initiate classes by the time he's 10. Inoichi takes shisui as his Padawan as soon as possible (inoichi is like "my son 🥹" but not pushing too hard whilst shisui is like "I need to make him proud and that includes not being a burden🥹") and somehow (but also reaaaaaaally NOT surprising) they are the most emotionally intelligent master padawan duo DESPITE the huge hiccup in communication 😂

Inoichi: I will parent him SO WELL that he will be strong enough to live a long and fulfilling life, even when I am gone... Damn I love this kid :') (small but nagging concern for his flagrant attachment but knows it's healthy and human so weighs more on his shrink BG than ancient Jedi teaching... this is not popular but YOU try fighting with a doctor)

Shisui: I have to talk about my feelings, even though I'll be careful to avoid coming on too strong .. I WILL NOT get a bad grade in Padawan *proceeds to be the most loving and precious child possible, selfless and clever and loyal to such a degree that he's able to help others as well*

😂🤦

Inoichi is about, hm, 35? And Shisui is 20 (so Inoichi found Shisui, 6, when he was 21) which means... Inoichi is crechmates with Obi-wan and Quinlan :))))) and Shisui knows Anakin and Aayla

(*Fix It Fic clown music intensifying*)

I think the best way to transform canon from that point on is the simple acknowledgement that Shisui would be a Shadow. With the Uchiha's use of force manipulation plus Inoichi's own teaching in telepathy and empathetic communication AND Shisui's own incredible speed... Shisui would be ideal for scouting. Which means he would be the one getting intelligence that informs the GARs missions. And he can pick up on the bullshit faulty info that's doctored to kill the clones/Jedi and extend the war and be like... hold the phone lads this is a conspiracy :3

I just want a scene where the kids are like 14/15/16 (respectively) and coming back from rebellious teen speeder racing and Anakin is like "obi wan is gonna ground me again for being out past bedtime 😒" and shisui is like "sucks to be you bro inoichi actively bets on me winning✨" and Aayla is like "you also have a bedtime 🙄" to which Shisui is like "...😬 ok point" and really Aayla is the only one unphased because Quinlan is like OMG MY LIL PADAWAN WAS OUT LIVING WILD 🥹 IM SO PROUD

Also I reaaaaaaaaaaally want Shisui to do the force equivalent of a Shunshin in a battlefield (maybe he's hunting Ventress?) And just... BAMF wows everyone and it's so beautiful and then he's like ✨☺️✨ the SUN with his CURLS and his DIMPLES and 🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌 and suddenly Anakin (who's been getting more sullen) starts to brighten up again, like the clouds receding, and Obi-wan is also relaxing a little because these days seeing Shisui means it won't be long until- and there, that's when Inoichi arrives (at a much more reasonable pace) with their Intell Corps and the 501st and 212th are introduced to the wonder of Jedi therapy (also those two would 100% be the ones who find the chips)

ANYWAY

I hope you enjoy MY infodump lmaoooo I got carried away but oh well~

That's quite alright, I like when people use my askbox and it was a surprise but a positive one, I hadn't expected a SW ask and especially not one about Qui-gon haha... I'm not phased by 'unpopular' opinions, I'm sure I've more than a few that my followers don't care for! 😉 for what it's worth, I hope you're reassured if you decide to send me any more asks :)

Anyway, I've rambled a lot here but thanks for reaching out again, it was super interesting~ have a nice day/night, Anon ✨

#torship #torship talks #ask #anon #star wars #shisui #hope au #inoichi #qui gon jinn #obi wan #anakin #quinlan vos #aayla secura #jedi au #master inoichi and padawan shisui #inoichi shisui jedi au #au of hope au

7 notes · View notes

fangedjustice · 7 days

Note

"Excuse me, Sir Lloyd?" Dimitri approached cautiously, in the way one might a cornered animal. He had heard little of the knight, and had in fact been surprised to learn that the man was fighting for his house's sake.

More surprised to learn that he'd been felled. Offering a polite bow - not too deep, he wasn't here to patronize the man - Dimitri rose and met the man's eyes, a rueful smile creasing his eyes.

"I understand that this final battle was...an abrupt end for you. It...can't be easy, to have made it so far, and then to fall. I know that you are a skilled combatant - it's clear to see! And so - and so for that, I wanted to offer my thanks to you, for lending my house your strength. I know that as a knight, you could have chosen any house to back."

The words came out of him in a bit of a rush, and though he had kept steady eye contact the entire time, for a brief moment at the end his eyes flicked to the side. "I did not perform so admirably, but I should like to take after your example, in time. Perhaps next year, we can bring the Lions triumph...if you're willing to fight by my side again, that is."

Lloyd glances up at the call of his name, more than a little bit surprised to see the Blue Lion's house leader approaching him. There is caution in the boy's steps, his body language, his tone. There is politeness, yes, but an undercurrent of...speaking calmly to a spooked horse.

Seems he'd not been doing a very good job at keeping his displeasure with himself under wraps.

Though his body was tired and sore from the battle, it was his pride that ached most of all, and it was foolish of him to be so caught up in it that even this boy was starkly aware of it. His wounded pride should not be the trouble of others, in any regard.

There's a crookedness to the smile on his face as Dimitri bows, but an endeared sort of fondness softens it. "Prince Dimitri," he speaks, returning the boy's polite bow. To think any member of royalty would bow to him at all was quite the occurrence to fathom, but he kept that thought to himself. "You are kindhearted to offer your words to me, when you've no obligation to do so. My apologies for...broadcasting my frustrations so loudly. I should be past such things at my age, but...ah, sometimes our flaws run deep."

To get so far, only to fall...It was alarming amusing that this was not the first time such a thing would happen -- nor was it likely to be the last. This one had the boon of being lacking in an severe or permanent repercussions.

"That may be, but...as my father often liked to remind my brother and I, a fall is a hard lesson. You can spend your time crying about it, or learn how to make the next fall less painful." Because there would always be another fall. Even with all he had learned, at the blades of Bernese and Sacaen alike, Lloyd was not beyond failures. There was always something more to learn, and while triumph was satisfying, defeat offered more lessons.

Even if it was a bitter pill.

"Did you try?" Lloyd asked, giving the young man a searching look. "So long as you tried, didn't hold back, then it was an admirable effort. Circumstances or an opponent that is skilled does not negate your own efforts. Some things are out of our control, but you do control how you take a loss. You have the benefit of living to learn from this...just as I am fortunate enough to do as well."

If this had been any other situation, he would be dead. That would be the end of it. He really needed to address this personal issue, it was rearing its ugly head far too often...

"It would be my honor to fight with your Lions again, and when the battle comes around again next year, we shall be better prepared on account of our recent falls."

#toaboel2024 #[ answered ask ]#[haha.........ignore how late i am with is]#[lloyd is greatly endeared to dimitri because of this]#[weird wolf guy in with the lions awooo]

3 notes · View notes

aotopmha · 1 year

Text

FFXIV thoughts:

Lyse.

I really like Lyse because I think she's still the character in the story that ends up growing the most.

Among other things, I think her character is also a great exploration of allyship of priviledged people.

At the start of Stormblood, Lyse is tactless, self-righteous and insecure.

And with each step in her journey she grows in these aspects.

Lyse learns to chime in at the right time and right place instead of just awkwardly trying to butt in every time in any conversation when she has an idea.

Instead of lecturing the weak and oppressed to just fight and just overthrow their oppressors, she learns to listen to their plight and help them help themselves – she learns from Hien that what they need is not lecturing, but strong leadership and support.

And she learns her true strength – she grows to understand her strengths as an person are that of an organiser and emotional support.

I think when stories write leaders, they often don't address the idea that you don't always have to be conventionally smart, super experienced or even super people smart.

Empathy itself is just as much of a valued characteristic for leaders as any of the qualities above and I love that the story highlights this with the character of Lyse.

You don't need to be super smart to want to do good.

Lyse is always, always super empathic, at the start of the story it's just in a very single-minded, childish way.

As such, whether the story is completely intentional with it or not (I think it is to some extent), as I said her journey is a commentary on how those who are in more priviledged positions can help those less fortunate.

She's basically a white woman who is going around lecturing PoC to just get over their suffering and learns not to do that and that true allyship and leadership is standing with them, not 'leading' them.

And the added cool nuance here is that Ala Mhigo is her home and she lost her family too, and so the story is also about not stepping on others' suffering because of your own.

She is a flawed ally and her story is about becoming a better one.

All of this is great, but I do think her character writing gets off to a rough start.

I love characters that are deliberately written as frustrating because it makes flaws mean something and in turn make it more meaningful when characters overcome them.

But the pitfall with this is that if you end up overstepping with the frustrating flaws, the character becomes one-dimensional and following them becomes really difficult and I think this is exactly what happened to Lyse at first in my eyes.

And despite how much I loved her growth, this still is something that keeps her from being one of my favourite characters.

I also think there are some lost opportunities with her character I hope we might still see at some point: for her to relax a little bit more and return to her more fun ARR roots because eventhough she was sort of playing a role, I think her positivity and light-hearted nature was charming in its own right and I hope some of that with her could return.

I also think it would be fun for her to meet some of the new cast members from the recent expansions and in general catch up with everyone.

I'd love for her to go with us on an adventure again at least one more time.

But I don't see her listed among any favourites and she hasn't had focus for a long time, so I feel like she'll just stay as she is (with maybe brief check-ups) because of the mixed feedback her character has recieved.

I've talked a bunch about how I think giving a character a character arc isn't the be all and end all of character depth, but I think a well done, multi-layered character arc can still be great and despite the flaws I see in the writing of her character, as I said she really might just still be the character in the story who grew the most.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV #Lyse #Lyse Hext #Yda #Final Fantasy 14 #FF14 #Final Fantasy #FF

10 notes · View notes

prowerprojects · 10 months

Note

I think it's completely normal for Tails; considering his character, to have the emotions that he has when insecurities pop up. The problems often lies in how they're prompted or carried throughout the story. They don't often do those flaws justice and it comes off as messy, unflattering and incomplete. Not unlike some other characters in this series. (Then again, I have noticed some think it's strange for Tails to any emotion that isn't happy, determined or cheerful all the time. Anything not deemed "cute".)

Him beating himself up over failures, locking himself away until he fixes it, getting frustrated when he think his feelings aren't being listened to or downplayed, feeling insecure when his efforts aren't good enough, "logical outcome vs doing what's right", pride being wounded at times and not knowing how to deal it. These are all fine, but we need to see his strengths in tangent to balance them to push him to new heights. (This is why I really hope he gets a solo story by himself with no Sonic in sight so we get a better sense of how he handles his struggles and tackles his ambitions on his own. More "what does Tails do", "what does Tails want", "keeping the peace his way", etc.)

Hm true. Even if I have a soft spot for what Lost World was trying to do, for example, the story itself is kind of a jumbled mess that switches emotional direction multiple times (Some people having trouble imagining Tails being anything but cute is interesting, because I feel like this is also connected with the massive amount of villain!Tails aus out there. It's like people want to see Tails express less "cute" emotions, but feel like if he does, he wouldn't be in character anymore. (But also there's a subsection of people who just straight up hate kids when they aren't perfect little angels and it translates onto the fictional children as well))

The other post was just about the flaws, but you're right. While having interesting flaws is good, for the character to be likable they need to be balanced with the strengths, but lately it's been mostly just the flaws, at least in the ways that really stands out to people.

It's kinda sad that for Tails to shine he needs to be completely isolated from Sonic. It comes off almost as if there's an issue with the character itself, as if everyone else is more interesting and would take attention off of him. But at this point I feel like there's also an issue of the reputation that he had developed, he might unfortunately need to be isolated to undo said reputation (But also who am I kidding I would love to have a solo story that is all about Tails and how cool he is and what he actually wants in life!!)

Though I'm not holding my breath tbh, at lesst not for a solo game, I feel like what's gonna happen is they come back the next game and act exactly as they usually do. Maybe Tails would be a bit more confident as the result of his self-discovery journey.

#tails #tails the fox #miles tails prower #sonic #project.txt #project.ask #Thinking about it #I don't think he had ever presented us with a clear direction of what he wants in life before Frontiers #there's also the thing with him becoming more of an nps and helping from the sidelines could be taken as character development #he's found what he wants and what he's good at. he doesn't need to physically run around and fight like sonic to help #buuut it's videos games and when you run around and destroy enemies you become cool and leave an impression on the audience #so I do support his career aspiration of ''superhero'' instead of just staying as tech support #tails has a better chance to get his own game compared to the others though since he's better known and therefore more marketable

6 notes · View notes

maschotch · 2 years

Note

unpopular opinion- rossi gets more hate than jj and jj deserves it way more than rossi

hmm i tentatively agree with this. rossi has a lot of problems of his own: he’s played by a horrible actor, his mob/military background is boring as shit, he’s a misogynist (he’s gotten better but im p sure thats just him getting milder in his old age) and oh yeah he’s fucking racist aljdlajd so its hard for me to straight up say he doesnt deserve the hate he gets

that being said i feel like people arent necessarily mad at him for the right reasons? like i barely hear anyone talk ab any of the above, mostly its that he’s just mean to reid. which… i mean he’s not not mean to reid. but if we’re comparing apples to apples, i think he’s not nearly as bad as jj in that sense. it may just be a matter of personal opinion: i happen to think his jokes land better and overall his humor seems to come from a better place. it feels like he jokes around for the sake of the joke bc he sees an opportunity to be funny, as opposed to jj who seems to be making fun of reid as a way to seek validation from others that she’s better than him

this may just be me finding a snarky old man less threatening than a blonde haired blue eyed mean girl, but idk there just seems to be a difference between “we found him on the steps of the fbi” and the annoyed faces jj makes every time reid speaks. one is clearly a joke, obviously an exaggeration, and spoken with a bemused fondness. the other plays into reid’s insecurities, is only meant to be funny to others, and comes from genuine annoyance. this is just the energy i get from them, but idk how my many years of anti jj bias plays into the interpretation of their actions

i guess its bc, as much as rossi makes fun of reid, they’re backhanded compliments more than anything and unlike jj he’ll actually give reid credit (showing him off to his friend w the crossword puzzles). he acknowledges reid’s strengths even as he puts him down, while jj seems to tolerate him. i think rossi plays the grumpy grandpa role well, and it works bc he doesnt take himself to seriously either. he can take a joke when jj would just get defensive

but that confidence is also part of whats frustrating about him. he’s frequently wrong and stuck in the old ways, but still feels justified and a sense of pride. jj rejects her roots (she doesnt do it well, but at least she’s vocal ab her disappointment w her childhood) but rossi frequently reminisces ab “the good ol days” whether its back in his early bau days w gideon, back in his days w the military, back in his days w his mob buddies, or back when he was growing up in general. jj doesnt like to admit she’s wrong bc she’s defensive and has an inferiority complex. rossi doesnt like to admit he’s wrong bc, more often than not, he still thinks he’s right

personally i agree w u bc i find jj way more annoying. ive also grown weary of the fandom pretending she’s an angel when i have yet to hear anyone point out any redeeming qualities she may have (spoiler alert: there are none). meanwhile i dont really hear anyone talk positively ab rossi… not that he deserves it at all aldhakhd its just makes it more obvious that people like jj for no reason. ultimately it is just a matter of opinion, i just dont think many people bother defending rossi so its less irritating when he clearly does something wrong. pointing out jj’s flaws feels like an uphill battle against people plugging their ears, digging their heels, and pretending she’s perfect.

ultimately rossi is just a goofy old man set in his ways, and its hard to blame him for that. hate to use such an overused word, but he’s just a boomer aldhskhc and on the boomer scale he’s not that bad akdhkshd. but jj is young. part of being young is learning to grow from your mistakes. she’s not even willing to admit she makes any. i think thats why its harder for me to forgive her akdhskh which may not be fair: rossi gets the “he doesnt know any better” excuse from the “cant teach an old dog new tricks” cliche (as problematic as it is). jj is far more stubborn and abrasive, which is less forgivable when she’s still supposed to be growing as a person. she’s stunting her own growth and idk if she could ever admit it

#a reason some people say they like jj is that they relate to her #but im like?? thats not something to be proud of?? akdhksh she is Not a good person #what is it you relate to? her sense of inferiority? her need to degrade others to make herself feel better? her egocentric worldview?#meanwhile no one says that shit ab rossi bc he’s a 70 yo man and completely out of touch alhdkshd #asks #char crit #anti jj #like. i agree w u but its hard to say rossi doesnt deserve the hate he gets #so its a hard position to defend #but jj definitely definitely deserves more hate #the day she’s usurped from the fandom’s pedastal will be a happy day indeed (tho i fear that day will never come aldhakdh)#also alhdksh another reason is bc idk if its just me but i find rossi genuinely funny sometimes when most ppl r upset w him #like when he gives hotch the gun to kill himself? im sorry but that was the funniest fucking thing anyones done on this show akdhskhd #‘oh ur depressed? kill urself then or stfu’ incredible he’s so inspiring aldjkshf

17 notes · View notes

the-lone-witch-and-secret-room · 3 years

Text

Camila Noceda and Flawed Parenting

A perspective by a flawed person with loving but extremely flawed parents

I’m genuinely baffled at some people’s hostile reaction towards Camila. Like… do any of you have flawless parents that always know the best solution instantly, make no mistakes and never get emotional?

My parents are great. They’re super supportive and I love them very, very much. Overall I think I got very lucky in the parents department.

But god, they are far from flawless. I still live at home, and despite all the good, there’s moments when I can’t take my dad anymore. He’s the kind of dad that stayed up until two am to help me with homework when I was in school, and he does so, so many things to make sure I’m happy. I know that. But despite all of this, I have told my mom in emotional moments before that I’m not sure if I can keep living with him, because for all his good sides, he has a couple of fatal flaws that sometimes make him unbearable.

My mom listens to me and is very open to being educated on certain topics, but she has her flaws, too. She hates when I fight with my dad, and gets so torn up about it that I’ve once apologized to my dad out of fear of her getting into a car crash otherwise. She’s very vocal about certain flaws of mine, and sometimes uses the things she does for me as leverage against me when she gets very emotional.

And both of my parents pay a lot more attention to my brother because he needs it more, because he’s more of a “problem child” while I “seem so capable” even when I’m not.

And guess what? I’m not a perfect child. I make mistakes sometimes, some of them pretty severe. Just like Luz, I’m the kind of person that struggles to communicate certain issues of mine to her parents. I’m stubborn, and when I get emotional, I say very hurtful things sometimes. So do they.

And this has nothing to do with my parents being horrible or abusive. They’re neither of those things.

The takeaway from this should not be that my entire family is made up of terrible people, but that we’re all flawed in our own ways, despite loving each other and trying our best. There’s things about my parents I wish I could change, and there are things about me that my parents wish they could change. And to an extent, that’s perfectly normal.

In our strengths and flaws and frustration with each other, we’re all human.

Specific, spoiler-y Camila and Luz things under the cut since this got very long.

We have no indication that Camila has a pattern of emotionally manipulating Luz. Her “emotional manipulation” as I’ve seen some people put it, is people for some reason thinking that the second you become an adult, you’re suddenly perfect and can no longer make mistakes, lest you’ll be dubbed horrible and abusive.

The whole concept is absurd to me. There is no perfect way to parent. There simply isn’t. Of course, there’s some genuinely abusive patterns that are horrible and inexcusable. But out of the parenting styles that aren’t, which one works depends on a number of factors, one of which absolutely includes that every child is different and has different needs. Camila is an amazing parent for Vee, giving the kid everything she’s ever longed for. She’s not an ideal parent for Luz. And that’s because Luz and Vee have fundamentally different needs.

Likewise, Luz is a pretty great child for Eda, but not a perfect fit for Camila. Luz relates to Eda a lot more than she relates to her mom, and that’s why the two of them have an easier time understanding each other. Both of these mother-child relationships exist, and one is not more doomed to fail than the other, but I think you’ll agree that the better you understand someone and where they’re coming from, the easier it is to communicate, pick up on certain signs, etc.

As mom and daughter, Camila and Luz are both flawed and have issues seeing the other’s perspective because of how different they are. And we should simultaneously acknowledge both of their roles in the issue and give both of them the space to learn and grow past those issues.

Luz struggles to communicate her problems. She doesn’t want to burden people in the demon realm, and it’s a given that this started out as not wanting to burden her mom. So she keeps quiet about her issues. Camila tries hard but can’t read her daughter’s mind, so there’s only so much she can do to understand and help the way Luz needs her to. Hell, Eda, who Luz is a lot more open with than her mom, struggles to help her, because Luz doesn’t tell her what’s wrong. I don’t see anyone calling Eda a terrible mom for that.

Camila tries her best, but she struggles to understand her daughter because of this, and because of how fundamentally different they are. She loves Luz’s creativity, we actively see her supporting it in the new episode—she keeps the weird stuff Luz made because she thinks Luz will regret throwing it away, and even plays along in what she assumes to be some elaborate role play because “she’s glad Luz kept her creativity even though it’s not made things easy for her at school”. But at the beginning of the show, said creativity got out of hand and people got hurt. Luz could’ve gotten hurt. So of course Camila had to interfere. I love Luz dearly, but she thought it was okay to bring snakes to school and set off fireworks inside a school building. Creativity is great. Doing reckless stuff that causes people to get hurt is not.

In sending Luz to camp, Camila tried to have someone else fix her issue because she didn’t know how to help Luz. That was a mistake, and a bad one at that, but she’s realizing that. She looks disheartened when Vee tries to throw out Luz’s stuff, because she never meant to change her daughter or take that part of her away. She just thought Luz needed a reality check—which, for the record, is something the narrative actually agrees with.

Luz spends her time in the demon realm getting reality check after reality check, realizing that even her ideal fantasy world where she has everything she always wanted doesn’t mean she’s free of consequences. She goes overboard constantly, causing:

-Eda to be forced to fly into a trap because Luz is chasing a fantasy (Witches before Wizards)

-Eda to almost be branded by her sister because Luz doesn’t think through why Eda doesn’t use magic to publicly announce her presence constantly (Once Upon a Swap)

-Eda and the twins to get kidnapped by a Slitherbeast because Luz stole Amity’s wand (Adventures in the Elements)

-Her friends to get hurt when she goes overboard trying to help Willow (Wing it like Witches)

-Eda to be captured and almost petrified because Luz thought she could just steal from the Emperor with no consequences in an attempt to help (Agony of a Witch)

I’m like 90% sure these aren’t even all. None of those make her a terrible person, for the record, but as all humans are, she is flawed and makes bad choices. She learns from these experiences and matures, just like her mom had hoped she would at camp. She’s also made friends there, which was another thing Camila wanted for her daughter.

You’ll probably realize that a lot of Luz’s behaviors I mentioned follow one of two patterns: 1. Luz’s idealized fantasy world causing problems, when she walks around with rose tinted glasses and gets people in trouble in the process because she hasn’t thought about the consequences, and 2. Luz trying to help someone she loves, but instead making things worse in the progress. The issue with this one is often that she doesn’t communicate her ideas/listen to the people she’s trying to help—like when Willow and Gus said they’ve had enough of Grudgby, or how she never actually talks to Eda about the healing hat idea before doing something reckless.

…does the latter one sound familiar to you at all? No? Because it’s the exact same thing that Camila did.

Some of the things Luz does are reckless and actively endanger others and herself, and that’s something that I think we need to acknowledge before judging Camila. As Luz’s mom, it’s Camila’s job to interfere in those situations. That she made a mistake while trying to protect Luz doesn’t make her a terrible person, especially as, again, the narrative proves her right to an extent.

I’m not saying her making Luz promise to come back and stay isn’t something that hurt Luz—it absolutely is. But it was born out of desperation. She’s emotional and in shock. She’s so full of pain and regret. She just wants her fourteen year old daughter home safe, and there’s nothing abusive or even morally ambiguous about that.

From Luz’s perspective, what she says is absolutely heartbreaking, but from Camila’s, it’s perfectly reasonable. I doubt Camila has the full picture, but even if she does, she’s had a full fifteen seconds to process that her daughter has not only been lying to her for months, but chose to leave her, and is in the demon realm of all places. Of course she’d be emotional and upset about that! Who wouldn’t? Camila isn’t a robot. If she’d been calm about this I’d be way more concerned, honestly.

My parents don’t get mad that easily, but if I would lie to them for weeks on end, they’d be pissed off too, not even taking the running away from home part into account. That’s a normal thing. People don’t like being lied to. Camila is absolutely devastated in that moment because she’s scared that Luz left because she hates her, when Luz actively states that her leaving wasn’t about her mom—which is another thing we should really be acknowledging.

Abusive parents suck and abuse should obviously never be apologized or trivialized, but saying something hurtful in the heat of the moment isn’t the same thing as being an abusive parent. My parents have done this. I’ve done this. And yes, those things can be emotionally manipulative, but there’s a huge difference in whether that’s a habit or a person speaking out of hurt and desperation in a very specific context. I doubt there’s anyone on the entire planet that hasn’t had a bad moment where they’ve said something like this because they were hurting. People lash out when they hurt, and they beg for reassurance when they’re scared. That’s something we all do.

The whole mindset of “all parents have to be perfect and can never get upset or make any mistakes” is harmful as hell, and honestly also very unrealistic. No parent is perfect, and especially people like me who have a relationship with their parents that’s very good overall should know that.

Once you have a child, parenting is a non-stop learning process, every day for the rest of your life. Taking away that room to grow and expecting perfection isn’t helping anyone, especially not struggling single parents.

And I see Camila as someone who is very willing to learn, because at the end of the day, all she wants is for Luz to be happy. Let’s give her some time to wrap her head around this whole situation. Let’s see what she says once she sees for herself how happy Luz is in that world, may it be via the videos eventually coming through or Camila visiting and meeting Luz’s found family, her friends and her girlfriend.

Ultimately, I don’t think Camila will force Luz to stay at home, but we have to give her some time. She wants what’s best for Luz, and she’s gonna need some convincing that a dangerous magical world is what’s best. I feel like that’s very normal considering the circumstances.

Her and Luz need to work on their communication on both ends, they both have things to learn, but I’m certain they’ll manage to fix their relationship in the long run.

If the bunk bed is any indication, I think Vee is gonna stay in the human realm permanently while Luz sleeps at home but keeps attending Hexside in the daytime. That feels like a solution that keeps everyone happy, and allows Luz to spend time with all the people she loves. I can’t see her being forced to choose at the end.

As a closing statement: Eda isn’t an ideal mom, Amity isn’t an ideal friend or girlfriend and neither is Luz, Lilith isn’t an ideal sister… but that’s because no one is ever an ideal anything. Being flawed is a big part of being human. Everyone has different facets to their personality. Their flaws are what makes them such great, relatable, believable characters.

And I feel the same way about Camila. She’s an extremely believable character that reminds me of my own parents, flawed but very loving nonetheless.

(Also honestly, I think it’s pretty telling that some of you guys immediately bash the black single mom that’s obviously trying her hardest while giving the benefit of the doubt to Alador, who has been portrayed as neglecting and threatened his six year old daughter on screen. This was already a thing before we knew much about either of them, and I’m disappointed but unfortunately not very surprised that it still is.)

968 notes · View notes

mbti-notes · 3 years

Note

hi i’m an istj. i fear the problem im going to describe is resolved by being more Te proactive and taking on more leader responsibilities and failing. just typing that out makes me feel burned out and miserable. anyway i get involved with groups that align with my values to get things done but it always feels like i somehow join things that aren’t as efficient as i’d want them to be or stagnate. at the same time that i have strong opinions about what to do i resent having to take on more responsibility to enact it. i want to be part of an established, moral, process/group but it seems like everything is in flux all the time. just making sure: is this Te-Ne dysfunction ?

Your question is about type development. An important aspect of type development is understanding the weaknesses and flaws of your type, in terms of the ways that your type tends to misuse functions. You seem to believe that your problem boils down to a simple lack of desire to lead in group situations (weak Te?), but it probably goes far deeper than that.

Si-Ne problems often manifest as a general aversion to change, specifically, unwillingness to change how one looks at a situation, which would then significantly alter one's approach to it. Imbalance between Si and Ne becomes a very unhealthy stubbornness when one is also prone to Si-Fi loop that thinks in terms of pure absolutes. In essence, you believe what you believe and you want what you want, and nothing and nobody can break through that mental wall. Perhaps not even you.

Auxiliary development is meant to help with Si extremes and Si-Fi loop stubbornness by making you care more about empirical facts (Te) than your frustration (Fi). It isn't always easy to develop the auxiliary function when you come to believe that it interferes with what makes Si feel most comfortable (e.g. "just typing that out makes me feel burned out and miserable"). If using the auxiliary function feels so "tiring", it doesn't mean that you should avoid using it. Quite the contrary. It's an indication that you haven't yet learned to use it properly, which means further development is necessary.

Te wants efficiency, that much is true. However, what separates immature Te from mature Te is how exactly one conceptualizes "efficiency". When Te is immature, one has a very rudimentary understanding of how to be efficient. For example, one is likely to believe that efficiency is achieved through assertiveness or even brute force, i.e., "making" things happen despite all the obstacles in the way. Is it any wonder that using Te feels tiring, then? You're essentially forcing yourself to swim against the current. Si doms are painfully aware that their energy is finite, so they quickly run out of steam.

However, Te isn't really about mustering up energy. This is not what makes TJs smart, strong, and formidable. Mature Te conceptualizes efficiency as reducing the amount of energy required whenever possible, which is why they have a lot of energy to take on very heavy workloads - some people call it "working smart". This is done through facing the empirical facts of a situation head on and learning to work closely with them, which makes it far easier to make them work in your favor.

Your problem requires a two pronged attack:

Are you able to change how you look at situations in order to improve your approach (to address Si-Ne imbalance)?

Are you able to face the empirical facts of the situation and work with them rather than against them (to develop better use of Te)?

Wanting to be part of a process/group that aligns with your values in order to enact some good in the world is an admirable thing to strive for. Presumably, the other people involved in the group have the same sense of mission, otherwise, they wouldn't have joined. However, what you fail to take into account is that people aren't generally single-minded.

Human beings are complex because they are motivated by a multitude of factors, whether they realize it or not. They are full of psychological conflicts, contradictory desires, irrational impulses, old baggage, and unconscious bad habits. And when you bring people together, all that stuff comes out and creates complicated entanglements. A "group" only becomes a "team" when it is able to overcome those psychological obstacles together, and it can be a very long process of learning how to maximize strengths and mitigate weaknesses in every individual member. That's why a lot of groups simply fall apart. While your intention to join the group seems simple and straightforward (because Si-Te is admirable in its ability to keep things simple and straightforward), other people's intentions might not be so simple. If you fail to take into account the irrational aspects of human nature, you will cause yourself needless suffering.

Your frustration with people is likely a manifestation of your unrealistic expectations of them. Perhaps you aren't able to understand people who don't resemble you, let alone work with them. And you will certainly be doomed to fail if the only way Te knows to deal with individual differences is to force everyone to become more like you. That's an impossible task, not because it requires the energy of a thousand suns as you assume, but because you're choosing to fight against reality. Mature Te would advise that you should first face down the empirical facts of how people operate if you hope to discover the most effective way to influence them. Your repeated experience of feeling disenchanted with groups tells you that you're missing an important piece of knowledge about groups and how they operate.

I'll give you a very simple example from my own life. I used to gather with a group of 30-50 people once a week to conduct planned discussions. The discussions never really started on time despite everyone being in their seats because people weren't focused enough at the start of the session. There was often whispering and sidetalking and such that would go on for about half an hour before the room felt settled and focused.

One method of addressing the problem arose organically. Whoever was the main speaker simply started shushing people and it became a thing. Sometimes, it would even escalate to calling people out, like a teacher scolding a student in a classroom. This definitely made the social atmosphere less inviting and more tense. Sure, people would shut up after being called out, but they became less focused due to seething with resentment. Power struggles aren't great for group morale, especially if it's supposed to be a group of equals coming together for a common cause.

It all sounds quite childish, but these kinds of judgments are useless. You can call people childish, inefficient, incompetent, etc etc, but it doesn't solve the problem. And, worse, being judgmental blocks you from understanding people better and working with them. Perhaps an ISTJ would see this as a "mess", an "inefficiency" that wastes time, and evidence of bad character when people break the rules.

However, if you change the way you look at the situation, you might not be so quick to make such judgments. Actually, it's kind of weird for a bunch of people who know each other well to enter a room and immediately sit down quietly. Humans have a natural tendency to socialize as a way to strengthen interpersonal bonds. Isn't group cohesiveness a good thing, since it encourages better cooperation? If you are able to see the benefits of their chatty behavior and how it contributes to group cohesiveness, then instead of fighting against it, you would think of ways to harness it.

The real problem wasn't inefficiency; inefficiency was merely the symptom. The more primary problem was that a lot of people joined the group not just to "get things done", but also to make friends. The structure of the event denied them from fulfilling that important need and then they were more likely to act out. This problem was discovered when people had a chance to talk about what was frustrating them, which meant that the group had to make space to conduct some uncomfortable conversations.

To address the problem, the group eventually decided that the first 15 minutes would be devoted to socializing and allowing people to catch up, with the explicit promise to get down to business when the time was up. Some people brought drinks, others brought snacks. Some even showed up early to have more time to socialize. It enlivened people and enriched their relationships. Being "officially" allowed to get the chattiness out of their system, they were better able to sit down and focus on the planned agenda. The meeting felt like fun rather than a chore. And if you're interested in a cause, don't you want to recruit more people to support it? Making things more fun is one good way to attract support. You can look at it as wasting 15 minutes OR you can look at it as a 15 minute investment.

Solutions to human problems require:

cognitive empathy: figuring out what's really going on inside people's heads (in Te terms it means working only with the empirical facts of the situation, rather than indulging negative Fi judgments)

strategy: taking the time to work with people and figuring out the best way to help them get over obstacles (in Te terms it means investing energy early and wisely to maximize your returns later, rather than putting effort into the wrong places or only stepping in to tackle mere symptoms of the problem)

creativity: harnessing natural human tendencies to produce something useful or worthwhile (in Te terms in means taking what's already there and transforming it into a NET positive, rather than getting too fixated on every little negative detail and losing sight of the bigger picture)

Te can be a great function for dealing with human problems as long as you overcome the immature aspects of it, such as impatience, bluntness, or inflexibility. Every person is unique, so every group is different. Let go of the idea that there is only one way to approach a problem/conflict and you will start to be more creative in your approach. By accepting the fact that things are always in flux and using empirical evidence to understand and predict how change works, TJs become much more effective and efficient at everything they do. When it comes to people, meeting someone different from you is an opportunity to learn how to deal with that kind of person. The more knowledge you have of human psychology under your belt, the better you get at dealing with people's weird or negative tendencies. If a strategy works, use it again. If it doesn't work, adjust it to fit their psychology better.

In your situation, you see the problem as people being inefficient, so your inclination is to step forward and do something to "make" them more efficient. Humans aren't built with the prime directive to be efficient. They're not machines. Their psychology is messy, so trying to force them to behave like a machine is to force them to go against their psychology. In other words, you're choosing the least efficient approach. The more efficient approach, though it requires more intelligent thinking on your part (you want to become more intelligent, right?), is to properly understand the more primary problem of what's really causing them to be so inefficient in the first place. That is the way to discover the right strategy. If you are able to target those obstacles at the very root, efficiency improves more naturally.

Oftentimes, working smart doesn't require you to step up and be THE leader for everyone. As an introvert, it's probably more comfortable for you to work behind the scenes to talk to people, get a better idea of what they need and/or what problems they're experiencing, and incrementally remove the obstacles that are preventing them from focusing on what they should be focused on. You can't fix everything all at once, so just do what you can to fix what you are able to fix at any given point in time. It's a process and some progress is better than no progress.

#istj #auxiliary te #fi loop #inferior ne #te #efficiency #problem solving #working smart #creativity #change #perspective #social skills #ask

669 notes · View notes

redrobin-detective · 3 years

Text

love language

“Ben,” the voice said softly, “wake up.” It was familiar in a way Ben couldn’t put his finger on.

“No, mom,” Ben groaned, “five more minutes.”

“Not Mother,” the voice said with an amused huff. “Been longer than five minutes, worried now,” it continued on awkwardly. Ben frowned, confused by the situation. He opened his eyes and sat up to assess what was going on. At least that was what he tried to do.

“Woah,” he gasped as he found he couldn’t move much at all. He didn’t really have sensation or form, there was nothing around him to see and no eyes he could use to see anything with. Ben felt like his brain was spread thin, like cream cheese on a bagel, making every thought feel strange and disconnected. “Where am I?”

“Safe,” the voice soothed and Ben couldn’t help but believe. “Always safe with me. We’re away from attack now, recover here for Grandpa Max or Cousin Gwen to find us.”

“Us?” Ben fumbled as he added up the words in his head. “Wait, you’re the Omnitrix, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” the voice - which now that he was listening Ben recognized as his own just a slightly different pitch and intonation - said happily. “And you are Master, Ben Tennyson.”

“So wait, am I inside the watch?” Ben asked. That would explain his lack of a body, his whole brain was just floating around inside the alien device. It was weird and a bit scary, no wonder Ghostfreak didn’t like it. “Are you in my body?”

“Sorry,” the Omnitrix said almost apologetically, “was necessary. You were unconscious, your life threatened. Had to access your nervous system to get you to safety. Switch back now?”

“No wait, not yet, I wanna talk some more,” Ben pleaded. “Could you always do this? I feel Azmuth would have shadowbanned me ages ago if he knew he could.”

“This was an emergency, we will always do what is necessary to save the Master’s life.” the Omnitrix responded, it’s words coming more naturally now that it was getting used to it. Ben could practically feel the device flicking through his knowledge language and vocabulary to better communicate. It should feel invasive and yet somehow wasn’t. “And Creator does not get an opinion on the Master.”

“Harsh,” Ben responded back, “what do you got against Azmuth? He did make you, helps fix you when I mess up even though he doesn’t have to.”

“Creator tried to separate us,” the Omnitrix bit back harshly. “He lied to Master, drugged you and attempted to remove me from your person. It did not ask either of us, simply decided a child could not handle the responsibility.”

“Woah,” Ben had gone to Galvan Prime many times, fallen asleep quite often. How many times had Azmuth tried to take the device from him?

“Only once,” the Omnitrix chimed in as if reading his thoughts which, oh, it probably was. Weird. “We shocked him to unconsciousness, to prevent him from trying again. We will not be separated.”

“Protective, aren’t you?” Ben chuckled awkwardly. It was one thing to know Azmuth wanted to remove the watch, it was another to realize the watch wouldn’t let that happen.

“You are the Master,” it said fondly, “We love you, more than anything in the omniverse. We would watch it all burn if it meant keeping you safe.”

“What?” Ben asked flustered. His parents said they loved him constantly, same with Grandpa and Gwen. But this felt different. “Why? Like seriously, why me? I’m 16 years old and I’m just as much a mess as I was at 10.”

“We...” it paused as if thinking. There was a vague feeling of moving and Ben wondered what the watch was doing in his body. “We can’t explain, Master was just right.”

“Many wanted to claim us,” the Omnitrix continued. “For many Earth years, we were pulled across the universe, searching for the perfect host. Creator grew tired of the debates, the lies, the deaths that followed and eventually abandoned us. It told us to choose wisely who could use our power. Kings and warriors and scientists demanded it and still we did not relent. None were worthy until you.”

“Seriously?” Ben questioned, “I was like a C student with unmanaged ADHD and about 4 complexes stuffed in a trench coat. Plus we met on accident, Xylene was trying to send you to Grandpa.”

“We like Grandpa Max,” the watch hummed, “but he is too much of solider. Sometimes he even forgets your his family. When the pod opened and we scanned you, we only found your curiosity and wonder. You were the first being to look upon us without ulterior motives. It was, nice.”

“I get that,” Ben mumbled to himself, more than used to everyone in his life expecting something or other from him.

“We, too, were curious about you. Creator did not add human DNA in our storage. He only cared for relevant species at the time, Earth and it’s people were as alien to us as we were to you.”

“Is that why you latched on?” Ben asked again.

“Partially, we knew were under attack and needed some manner of escape. It wasn’t going to be forever but we found we liked you; your bravery, your creativity, your love... it inspired us. You went from Host to Master and we bonded more permanently.”

“Huh,” Ben said thoughtfully. “I never really realized you were alive, that you chose me.” He chuckled sadly, “I turned out to be kind of a disappointment, huh?”

“No,” the watch responded forcefully, enough to startle Ben out of his dark thoughts. “We love you, all of you. All your successes and failures, flaws and strengths, we love them all. We are one in the same, bonded in entirety. We will spend the rest of your days together and when your natural death comes, we will die too. There will be no Master after Ben.”

“So even when I’m just messing around...” Ben asked, changing topics from that heavy comment.

“You taught us how to play and we learned,” The Omnitrix teased. “You ask for Humongosaur too much though, we can have our own fun.”

“Oh so you’re the reason I always get the wrong alien,” Ben laughed. “You’re gonna get me killed one day!”

“Never,” the Omnitrix said warmly but with a steely protectiveness in there. “We will always protect you.”

“Hmm, I guess so,” Ben hummed. “What’s going out in the real world?”

“The battle is over as far as we can see. No sign of Cousin Gwen, Friend Kevin or Partner Rook. Grandpa Max was still in the satellite orbiting the planet last we heard. Do you wish to return now that the danger has passed?”

“Nah, not yet,” Ben sighed, enjoying a few minutes without someone needing him. “I know my body is in safe hands. Tell me more about some of the bozos who tried to wear you.”

“Aurius the Magnificent was one of the more annoying,” the Omnitrix said in the tone Ben used when he was feeling petty. “Just put me on and demanded that I chose him. He did it in front of his whole court and was so frustrated when I would not attach. His concubines laughed at him.”

“Oh man, how embarrassing,” Ben cackled. He let go of his worries, of his responsibilities, of everything and just basked in the familiar tones and the omnipresent love around him.

#ben 10 #the dialogue hit me like a shot and I practically spider crawled out of the bath to reach my laptop #this would be like the prologue before the possessed omnitrix au I wont write #this is like half fic half meta lmao #just really wanted to impress on the watchs utter love for ben but also how scarily possessive it is #it knows him inside and out and chose him above all others #its too attached now (in all meanings of the word) it would kill the universe before it allowed ben to die #which is uhhhh something #watch also has Opinions on the people in Ben's life #esp Azmuth and Grandpa #but at least it has good memories of Max #its PISSED that Azmuth tried to separate them once like 6 years ago #anyway here's some whatever i cranked out in like 45 minutes #now dinner

380 notes · View notes

literaryfic · 3 years

Text

i want to address the criticism about how vincenzo was acting out of character when he decided to save cha-young and not help han seo/neutralise han seok.

so, at first i felt the same way (i was about to post about it) but i wanted to gather my thoughts beforehand and i’m glad i did because i have a new perspective on this.

i want to say that the criticism is completely valid and understandable and that not everyone will share my point of view and it’s okay.

especially because vincenzo did act out of character.

the vincenzo we all know and love is always composed, extremely smart, quick on his feet, has amazing instinct...

in the past few episodes especially, the writers have really shown how invincible he is. he outsmarts all his ennemies, and they admit defeat. e.g. choi myung hee tells han seok he’s not someone they can beat. han seok goes to prison as a last resort measure because it’s the only way he can protect himself.

han seo even said in this episode that it will be okay [even if han seok wants to kill him] because he has vincenzo, and vincenzo knows everything, keeps him safe and beats up all the bad guy. he even asks “how can you be so amazing?”

and surely, vincenzo just like his name suggests, always succeeds. they’ve been showing that consistently the entire drama, it’s satisfying because he always triumphs, often without anyone’s help or at least by his own means.

however, in ep 19, vincenzo doesn’t succeed, or doesn’t succeed on his own.

1. he doesn’t beat up all the bad guys. he almost does, but he’s out numbered, cornered until the tenants appear. the ones saving the day are the tenants. it’s all of them working together that saves the day. they succeed as a family, as people coming together to conquer, not just vincenzo being moves ahead of everyone.

2. he doesn’t know everything. he did not anticipate myung hee’s sacrifice and han seok getting out of jail without anyone knowing. he didn’t see their move coming.

3. he didn’t keep [them] safe. cha-young and han seo both get abducted. vincenzo couldn’t protect them from han seok.

with this scene, the writers literally told us what would happen/was happening.

so yeah, the rational thing for vincenzo to do would’ve been to allow cha-young to flee by freeing her leg, than go on to help han seo overpower han seok and disarm him. and if this was the beginning of the drama, that’s what he would have done.

but there’s nothing rational about vincenzo in that moment because he’s scared. this is the first time that we’ve seen him AFRAID. (except maybe when his brother’s men almost got him killed but i would argue that it’s different bc it was only about himself, about his life.)

vincenzo has just lost his mom, and realised how hard it was to miss someone who’s dead. at first, he didn’t have any strong enough attachment in south korea to truly know what grief meant.

vincenzo has a family now. he has friends, companions. people who he cares about and who care about him. he has someone to lose.

cha-young is obviously the closest to him and the person he cares for the most. there’s no denying that. apart from his mother, she is his weakness.

in this episode, we see him accept his feelings for her. i think he’s realised he loves her a long time ago, but up until he decided to not leave for italy at the end of ep 18, he had never allowed himself to give those feelings a chance, to give cha-young and himself a chance.

in ep 18 he realised that he couldn’t leave her and that it was possible for him to stay by her side (or at least come back later and then stay). he made up his mind.

so when han seok kidnaps her, vincenzo is scared. not for his own survival, but for her. he’s scared to lose her because he knows how bad his mother’s death hurt him and he would rather get killed than let cha-young die. he even decides to sacrifice himself for her.

he’s not thinking straight, there’s no logic behind his actions. he’s a man that’s scared to lose the person he loves the most.

and so the moment he has a chance, he prioritises her survival over everything. he doesn’t do what’s right, he only does what he can.

his new found family might be his biggest strength, but it’s also his biggest weakness, his achilles heel. vincenzo up until now has been a dark hero who was always victorious, invincible. but now he’s become human, someone with fears and flaws, a mortal.

we’re used to watch vincenzo and get this satisfying, gratifying feeling of the dark hero always beating the bad guys, always coming to the rescue, always ahead of everyone. but in tonight’s episode, or at least its ending, was vincenzo failing. this obviously throws off most watchers.

the ultimate win will be even more satisfying and amazing to watch because of how disappointing/frustrating the end of this episode was.

anyway, that’s just my take on it. i think the writers made a choice in doing this because it’s part of his character development.

i’d be very interested to talk about it tho, especially if you disagree!!! i definitely felt wronged when i first watched this lmao.

#vincenzo #chayenzo #jang han seo #vincenzo ep 19

842 notes · View notes

jackoshadows · 3 years

Text

It really pisses me off when I see justifications for Catelyn’s treatment of Jon Snow. Like just straight up abuse apologia.

Cat was not Jon’s mother, so it was not abuse.

Cat did not kill Jon like Cersei killed Robert’s bastards and so it was not abuse.

She did not have him beaten so not abuse

Jon was fed and clothed, so it was not abuse

Jon did not fear for his life like Theon, so it’s not abuse

Cat was not obligated to treat a little child with kindness and basic decency, so it’s not abuse.

Jon does not show any visible signs of trauma, so it’s not abuse

Making a child feel like he is should not eat their food, making him feel isolated and unwanted, never calling him by name, treating him different to his siblings - all not abuse, just Jon being oversensitive.

There is a difference between understanding why Catelyn acted that way towards Jon and justifying her actions towards him.

Was Catelyn a victim of Ned’s actions? Yes. Was Ned wrong in how he treated Catelyn? Yes. Does she have reasons to think her children’s right to Winterfell would be endangered by Jon Snow’s presence? Yes. Did Catelyn have reasons to be angry, frustrated, helpless and bitter about Jon? Yes. Was it an insult to Catelyn and house Tully that Ned brought up Jon at WF? Yes. Was it easier for Catelyn to take out her frustrations on Jon rather than Ned? Yes.

Is it okay and right for Catelyn to then take out those frustrations on a child? NO.

I can understand why she treated him that way. Catelyn is flawed and human. She was married to Ned Stark. She can’t divorce him, she can’t fight with him. To have love and stability in her marriage she has to go along with Ned’s decision and bring no animosity to the table.

So what does she do? She takes out her anger about that entire situation on a child. She transfers all that anger and negativity to Jon as a way to deal with this situation. Ned brings up Jon at Winterfell? It’s Jon’s fault. Jon looks like Ned? It’s Jon’s fault.

Was Catelyn particularly cruel to Jon? No. No one expects Catelyn to be a mother to Jon. But Jon was a child. An innocent baby. Of the three of them - Ned, Catelyn, Jon - he was the least responsible and had the least power to do anything.

Imagine, as a child, one sees the rest of one’s siblings get love and affection and at the same time be ostracized and not even called by one’s name. Imagine being a child and looked at with hate and anger. Being begrudged one’s food.

He reached the landing and stood for a long moment, afraid. Ghost nuzzled at his hand. He took courage from that. He straightened, and entered the room.

He stood in the door for a moment, afraid to speak, afraid to come closer.

Part of him wanted only to flee, but he knew that if he did he might never see Bran again. He took a nervous step into the room. “Please,” he said.

Something cold moved in her eyes. “I told you to leave,” she said. “We don’t want you here.” Once that would have sent him running. Once that might even have made him cry.

He was at the door when she called out to him. “Jon,” she said. He should have kept going, but she had never called him by his name before. He turned to find her looking at his face, as if she were seeing it for the first time. “Yes?” he said. “It should have been you,” she told him.

“You Starks are hard to kill,” Jon agreed. His voice was flat and tired. The visit had taken al the strength from him. Robb knew something was wrong. “My mother... “ “She was... very kind,” Jon told him. Robb looked relieved.

Jon wondered how Lady Catelyn’s sister would feel about feeding Ned Stark’s bastard. As a boy, he often felt as if the lady grudged him every bite.

It was Lady Catelyn’s. With her deep blue eyes and hard cold mouth, she looked a bit like Stannis. Iron, he thought, but brittle. She was looking at him the way she used to look at him at Winterfell, whenever he had bested Robb at swords or sums or most anything. Who are you? that look had always seemed to say. This is not your place. Why are you here?

Imagine reading the above and thinking that Jon is being whiny and oversensitive because of his reaction to emotional abuse. That he should just ‘man up’ and not be bothered, to discount and undermine his narrative and experience because the smallfolk have it worse. Why then consider the experiences of any of the main characters in this series? They ALL have it better than the smallfolk.

What does it matter if Jon never feared for his life unlike Theon? Is that the line at which we define what abuse is? That a child must fear for his life for it to be abuse? What does it matter if Catelyn was not like Cersei and did not murder him? Is that where we draw the line? To have it really bad as a bastard, one must be murdered?

And it’s not like Jon does not blame Ned for his situation or that Ned is entirely exonerated in his eyes. His bastardy and Ned’s actions are what complicates his relationship with Ygritte.

Benjen Stark stood up. “More’s the pity.” He put a hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Come back to me after you’ve fathered a few bastards of your own, and we’ll see how you feel.” Jon trembled. “I will never father a bastard,” he said carefully. “Never!” He spat it out like venom.

And again, I have noticed that it’s only Jon’s pain at being a bastard that’s undermined again and again because he had it better than others.

Sansa had it better than Jeyne Poole because Sansa was a Stark and Jeyne was just a steward’s daughter. Jeyne was send to LF’s brothel, send to Ramsay Bolton, raped and tortured. Does it mean that the abuse Sansa suffered in KL does not count? But it’s these same folks, who play the oppression olympics of how Sansa suffered the most of all the characters and hence deserves a fairy tale ending, writing essays about how Catelyn was totally justified in her treatment of Jon and it was really Cat who is the victim in that situation because she was ‘rightfully putting her children’s inheritance above the feelings of her husband’s bastard child’.

It’s easy to understand that Catelyn is a flawed and human character, who was as trapped in this situation as Ned and Jon, who had limited options on how to respond and at the same time acknowledge that she was wrong to ostracize, isolate and treat with cruel anger a little child, who was not responsible for the situation they found themselves in.

#Catelyn Stark #Jon Snow #Ned Stark #Fandom nonsense #I observe that it's always the Sansa stans who downplay the experiences and abuse of other character #It's all no big deal #Only Sansa suffered in the entire series #But this idea that Catelyn did no wrong is also pervasive in the wider fandom #For some reason when it comes to Catelyn there is a kneejerk reaction to defend justify and excuse abuse #Emotional abuse is still abuse #Especially when a little child is subjected to it #asoiaf

407 notes · View notes

sophistopheles · 3 years

Text

Here’s Why Franmaya Works

As one of my favourite ships, I have to admit that Franziska and Maya as a pairing is a little bit obscure. It has plenty of shippers, but taking the games at face value, nothing jumps out at you to make you think “oh, they might be a potential couple”.

But upon closer examination, there really is some potential there! Here’s why.

1. Maya’s Canonical Admiration for Franziska

In 2-2, Maya is amazed at how Fran’s done so much while being the same age as her; this ties more into her own feelings of uselessness, but sets up a scenario where she genuinely admires Franziska.

This comes out in the anime too, where she expresses sympathy for Franziska “fighting all alone in America”.

Although Franziska does everything she can to look “perfect”, deep down she’s quite insecure about her role as von Karma’s heir. Someone who supports and cheers for her unconditionally would be really good for her!

Additionally, if you present Fran’s profile to Maya in Big Top, she says that if Franziska wasn’t so mean, she thinks they would get along quite well- and given that Fran’s been quietly undergoing that development since JfA, she and Maya could probably grow close given the opportunity.

(More under the cut!)

2. Franziska’s Canonical Soft Spot for Maya

The most obvious example of this is in 3-5, where she stays up all night at the freezing cold Inner Sanctum, trying to break the trick locks with Iris. Ostensibly Franziska shouldn’t have any further investment in the case; she doesn’t owe anything to Phoenix or Maya, and was presumably called away from her other responsibilities to help Edgeworth out, but she still puts herself through the discomfort and hassle of solving the locks for a whole day and night so that she can guarantee Maya’s safety and help put the case to rest.

Another, often overlooked moment is in the case’s denouement, where Franziska is so dismayed by Maya glaring at her that she apologises (to Larry, of all people), and agrees to model for his picture book- and it’s confirmed she went all the way through with it in SoJ!

The anime gets in on this too, with Franziska finding Pearl in Hazakura and taking her back to Maya & the gang in the courthouse. Plus, just look at how fond her expression is:

Not to mention this cute little 4koma showing Franziska getting all flustered over Maya calling her her friend (credit to pastecola on twitter):

3. Their Shared Burdens and their Narrative Parallels

Despite acting so differently, the struggles that Maya and Franziska go through are incredibly similar: both of them are the heirs to a dysfunctional and heavy legacy, Franziska feeling pressured by her father’s crimes and the drive to be perfect and Maya having to be responsible for Kurain Village when she comes of age, struggling to deal with Morgan’s jealousy and impossible expectations, as well as the village’s ruined reputation.

They both undergo great tragedy: Franziska loses the father she deeply admired, and is confronted with the harsh reality that he was never perfect, and (although she never truly believes Miles is dead) loses her brother, in a sense; Maya loses her sister Mia and even gets accused of her murder, as well as losing her mother- twice.

The way they deal with it is very different, but they undeniably have similar life experiences, and can be considered as parallels to each other. They’re the same age; Maya even calls herself Phoenix’s “big sister” a few times in T&T, similarly to how Franziska calls Edgeworth her “little brother”. If they were to become close, they’d easily be able to empathise with and understand each other’s struggles. They’d both benefit: for Maya to be with someone like Franziska who will take her seriously and honestly admire her, helping her out of her insecurity, and for Franziska to be with someone like Maya who will encourage her to be more light-hearted and indulge in her mischievous streak from time to time, as well as being able to assure her that nobody is perfect and she deserves love anyway... It would be an ideal arrangement for the both of them.

4. Their “Opposites Attract” Dynamic

Despite having similar struggles and common life experiences, Franziska and Maya are totally different people. Franziska is serious, hardworking, intimidating and easily frustrated; Maya is light-hearted, more playful, approachable and gets depressed more often than she gets angry. Their flaws and strengths complement each other perfectly- Maya’s endless enthusiasm would encourage Franziska to let her hair down a little more, which in turn would help Maya see that nobody is flawless or untouchable and help ease her insecurities. Their personalities are complementary enough that they could easily rely on and improve each other, but not become dependent on each other.

And besides, the idea of Franziska frantically trying to appease Pearl in any way she can so that she’ll approve of Franziska is objectively hilarious. Plus they’re an excellent complement ship to Narumitsu!

It’s definitely not the most obvious pairing in the franchise, but it’s still a ship that has a lot going for it and could develop into a genuinely compelling romance with a lot more nuance and complexity than it first appears to have- it’s no wonder it’s achieved the recent popularity it has.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

#franmaya #ace attorney #maya fey #franziska von karma #mayomei #...do people call it mayomei any more?#mine #soph's meta

562 notes · View notes