#i think the trick to making people like characters is to humiliate them as much as possible
Oh Charley we're really in it now
992 notes
·
View notes
hello, could I pls have A C I U W for Lyney?
I am still not used to writing for Lyney, but I tried!!
TW: NSFW (MDNI), cum eating, finishing inside, teasing, exhibitionism, humiliation
A ftercare - What they're like after sex
With ecstatic Lyney and his abnormally high stamina, it takes a while for sex to even end. He goes for so long, hours and hours and you just have to take him, growing more and more exhausted after each position he puts you in.
Even after he's done, he's still excitable. As he towels you down, cleaning you off, he'll talk to you about whatever he's thinking about. New tricks he's been working on, places he wants to perform, people he wants to meet. You wonder how he's able to be so lively after what the two of you just did, but you yourself are too tired to think about it. Normally you find yourself falling asleep while his words become nothing but a garbled mess in your ears. You'll wake up cleaned and dressed, with water for you to drink later.
C um - Anything to do with cum, basically
Lyney consistency cums a lot. His first load is always his largest, but that doesn't mean the rest after that aren't big as well. To the point where you struggle to swallow it, let him finish in your mouth and cum will leak out of your stuffed cheeks as you try to gulp the rest down.
He'll sheepishly apologize for how much he's stuffing into you, pretending to make an effort to pull out, but keeping himself balls deep inside anyways. Soft moans will drop from his lips as his cum seeps from your cunt, running down your legs while more pumps into you.
I ntimacy - How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect
So sweet he is in moments that are tender, his lips only spewing mumbles of praise and encouragement. Holding your cheeks so you can look into his eyes, he'll start speaking of how beautiful he thinks you are, how perfect you are for him, how amazing the sex with you is. His honeyed words aren't ploys at all, he means every bit of them, and when you say something kind back, his eyes go wide with joy. The rest of the act is just spent with the two of you praising one another back and forth, cumming over and over until you both grow tired.
U nfair - How much they like to tease
Lyney is a shameless tease, a public one at that. Whether it's just out on the town, or even at one of his shows, he'll still find a way to tease you, having you wet and ready for him when it's time to go home.
Such things over the clothes groping are commonplace to him. As a magician, his touch can be easily hidden as he does these things. Reaching down to hand you something, can be quickly followed by the slight squeeze of your chest, a smack of your ass, even a hand between your thighs. All the while, everyone else is none the wiser. Eccentric Lyney makes it hard to tell.
W ild card - A random headcanon for the character
It's a tragic thing that something like humiliation turns Lyney on. Performing everyday means he's not as susceptible to things such as embarrassment. But he knows that when he feels it, his cock grows harder, begging for attention.
This leads to nights where Lyney will make you watch him. It's not the typical performance you'd get from someone like him, but it's something regardless. A small stage would be rented out late at night, doors locked so it was only you and he inside and just like usual, he would walk up on that platform and perform. Only, this time, in the dark of night, he'd be naked.
Lyney would try to get through his set, completely bare before you, your eyes seeming to take in every piece of his body. He knew he couldn't perform without his clothes, but the sight of you out in those seats, with the lights beating down on his nude body made him tremble. He'd cum long before his show was over, spilling his seed all over the floor in front of him, the shame he was feeling only making his dick harder.
329 notes
·
View notes
S3 - E5 - The High School Reunion
Nahhh you see, I'm not buying the episode's ending narrative of Dan always having been liked. Not with both Chris and Dan talking about them getting bullied/ridiculed. As someone who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD/Autism, my ignorance has always been exploited to be the butt of the joke. And I don't think the ending is any different from that. (strap in, it's a long one)
In this episode we learn Dan bullied Chris back then too, but we ALL know Dan is a very reactionary guy who acts largely on "setting things straight". It's not that outlandish to think Dan either acted his frustrations from getting bullied out on Chris OR Chris being caught in the crossfires of Dan getting back on someone.
And Chris honestly had it Terrible... Just look at how much he's been with his class and done for them, and how little they remember him.
Elise wants Chris to have a good time and reunite with old friends (to get rid of Dan), so when Dan shows up she locks him in a locker... And he responds like this:
He's BEEN in those lockers before. His classmates PUT him there.
And he desperately wants Chris to see nothing's changed.
But Chris only remembers High School positively on his end... (even though he got wedgied too) So what gives?
It's because Chris stayed ignorant, but Dan didn't. Dan likely used to be just as ignorant as Chris, trusted people, and got hurt because of it. He learned not to trust people and to assume everyone's out to get him, because it's easier than getting humiliated or tricked, again. Chris never did! He always assumed it was just his friends goofing off, even though he got hurt in the process. And we can feel that in a later scene too.
Yes, Dan could be saying this because he genuinely thinks the costume is dumb, but if they both were getting bullied, Chris would very likely have been ridiculed for wearing it! So in his messed up Dan way, he DID try to save Chris, because HE'S learned to not trust any smiling faces.
Which is very apparent in the next scene, where he's strung up from the ceiling after he'd fallen.
If you watch the episode, "BACK OFF" doesn't sound like his usual overly confident and aggressive tone. For a second, he sounds a bit frightened. He's constantly struggling to get out and doesn't say anything besides threatening people to leave him alone. People start listing all the ways he's taken revenge on them..... and then start cheering. Now, usually in a show like this, the main character would stop struggling and be baffled by the positive reception of his appearance.... but not Dan. He keeps warning people to stay away and keeps struggling.
People are laughing and cheering as they try to get him down, and he starts panicking. some tense music picks up as he flails, music usually used (in other cartoons too) when a character is in a scary situation.
He falls to the ground, looks up at everyone laughing
And runs. He doesn't try to fight anyone, he just runs.
And Elise and Chris respond with this:
"So your classmates actually LIKED Dan?"
"High school was somehow not as I remembered..."
So what happened here? Well, that's how they got bullied. That's how it started. And that's often how autistic people get bullied, too. They pretend to be nice to gain your trust, and then exploit that trust to belittle you, bully you and put you into humiliating situations. All while keeping up the "nice" act to make said autistic person doubt themself about whether or not the hurt they feel is warranted or not.
Chris isn't remembering High School wrong... Dan was right. They haven't changed. Even though they remember Dan fondly, he was never their friend. He was their play thing. Their personal jester to poke at and make fun of BECAUSE he reacted and lashed out. Chris never did, which is why he was never deemed "interesting" enough by his peers to be remembered.
Dan even says it himself in the scene after, trying to explain to Chris why it's all fake, but after all these years, Chris is still too ignorant to see it.
Dan is explaining to Chris as clearly as he can, how these people used and bullied them. They took advantage of their struggle to read social cues and used them both for entertainment.
At the end of the day, they exploit Dan's struggles with social cues again to convince him they all genuinely liked him for who he is (conveniently leaving out all the times they pushed him in lockers)... While in reality, he was only ever good for bringing entertainment. What's even sadder, is that Chris envies him. He still can't see the full picture and wishes he could be in that spotlight.
Showing that ultimately it's not JUST the classmates that haven't changed, but Dan and Chris haven't either.
And it's another reason as to why they're still together after all these years. The only real friends they HAD were each other.
261 notes
·
View notes
•KimetsuOlymp AU
After so long cooking, here is my dish delivered to you. This is an AU (alternative universe) involving the Greek mythology of Olympus. I will remind you that the relationships between characters do not follow those of the gods of mythology 🤏🤓
I really liked it, it was fun and I hope it's to your liking, any mistake, spelling or coherence, I apologize ‼️
Maybe I'll write something about it, I just need time, I'm a born procrastinator
●How was it conceived? (and how he is Ume's brother)
(Purahahime is a name invented to refer to Gyutaro and Ume's mother)
The Purahahime was a woman of low status on Olympus, she could live her life without worries, but she craved too much to be praised by a good-looking God. She wanted to impress him anyway, she was nothing extraordinary, so she decided to have a child, even if it wasn't his, if it was strong enough it would definitely attract attention, that all the deities would know its name. She tried several times before Gyutaro began to be prepared, in better words, cursed, with the most diverse plagues so that his abilities would go to the limit, without thinking about what his body would end up looking like. The result of the various experiments, it was already a miracle that he was able to be born, but his appearance was deplorable, like a dark and soft amalgam.
Purahahime didn't see the value in him, she considered killing him, but he was too strong for her unhappiness (or happiness?). Not ending his life proved advantageous, as it worked, the man believed that the reason for Gyutaro's strength was his mother's womb, even if it was grotesque. Thus, Ume was conceived, unfortunately unlike her brother she was born stunning, even as a child deities stopped their work to appreciate her, but she was weak compared to her brother, which angered her parents, neglecting them both.
Eventually Purahahime was killed by the man she loved, he believed he had been tricked into blaming her for his daughter's weakness. Currently he has found other women, not bothering to look at any of the children. Gyutaro initially felt envious, surely if he had that smooth skin or that white hair he would be congratulated just for being born. But she won his heart, since they share the same cruel blue eyes (Gyutaro has them, but normally keeps his haunting eyes, with yellow sclera and green irises with red interior), they are miserable, just like her and him, so that he decided to take care of her.
•What type of role does he perform?
Gyutaro is the God of iron, he would be perfect for a guard due to his strength, but he preferred it this way. Being the most skilled craftsman Olympus has ever seen, his story of suffering, humiliation and hard work teaches that not all Greek gods had that gentle life on Olympus.
●What is his relationship with the others on Olympus?
He detests several people, especially Tengen, the God of wine and parties, he continually throws his festivities that for Gyutaro feel like the ground is shaking, his sensitive ears making his head pound in pain, making it impossible for him to work. Also due to envy, he is always surrounded by his three wives in addition to the countless number of nymphs and goddesses who aspire to the position of “wife number four”, in his words.
Tanjiro, the son of the Sun, just how he screams irritates him a lot, but he doesn't hate him, it's just unpleasant how he always manages to break the divine artifacts that Gyutaro prepares with so much care, the way Tanjiro is always friendly and always smiling is intimidating too , his eyes seem to stare into Gyutaro's soul, he would destroy him if Tanjiro's younger sister wasn't Ume's close friend.
Ume, she uses the pseudonym of several names, but Daki is the most used, she is considered the concept of beauty. Gyutaro loves his sister, but he can't help but think that she was drawn with care by the gods and looks like he was a sketch made by a boar with a brush in his hand. Raising her was a difficult task, but he made sure she lacked nothing, if she felt hungry, would he hunt, new clothes? he steals and sews until she feels satisfied. Even when she blossomed into the beautiful flower she is, she never left her brother out of her life, insisting that he accompany her to parties and speaking highly of him to everyone he interacts with, even if he feels anxious about the attention she brings. , usually hiding on benches behind the pillars, just enjoying wine.
Obanai and Mitsuri, they are always together since they date. Gyutaro likes Obanai, his hair full of snakes managed to make them identify with each other, in addition to the various types of exotic requests he makes, such as pure pure ornaments for his loved one. Mtsuri talks to him when Gyutaro visits Obanai, sometimes trying to marry him, which doesn't work, to the point where he started to reject her, but appreciates her good intentions.
He has some other relationships, but he doesn't keep in touch with them, as he doesn't usually leave his work area, which is also his home.
●How does his body work?
It seems difficult, but the parts harmonize complicatedly, curved horns like those of a buffalo, to protect its bat ears, which are super sensitive to sounds, but this makes its head weigh too much, having to cut them frequently until they grow back to the point of bothering him.
His ears accurately hear everything around him, especially the tinkling of metal, knowing whether or not it is of good quality, he has learned to recognize the sound of people and other creatures and differentiate them. Sometimes they turn them down to muffle the sound, partially working.
His eyes have this monstrous tone, despite having them normal, blue and white sclerae, but they are sensitive and do not see in the dark as he likes, his usual green and red eyes imitate those of reptiles and cats, he hates light, he feels like he is going go blind if you stay in the sun.
Legs are heavy, being mixtures of several types of animals, being fast and strong, but heavy, he avoids moving, as it leaves him exhausted and sore.
An amusing detail is that because of this large amount of blood mixture involving bovine animals, when he feels irritated he unconsciously drags his feet on the ground like a bull
He has a small snake tail, Chioi, a black snake with purple eyes, he has deceptive abilities, disturbing the senses of anyone who looks at him, he loves to pretend to have five heads like a hydra, people's look of terror makes them both laugh.
His blood has a corrosive poison, protect yourself under your fingernails, but if his blood is ingested it will have the same effect.
Gyutaro has a deformed body from birth, but he eats little of everything his body needs, leaving him weak. However, he eats “enough” to stay upright and working.
It's the same things said above, but in image form, I thought it was super cute and decided to keep it🫡‼️
and of course, my oc Matsu no au, they are my babies‼️‼️‼️
22 notes
·
View notes
the reason why the whole pekka Rollins burying son scene didn’t quite work because of 1. lack of buildup, 2. change of audience, 3. change of plot/lack of outsider factors
*disclaimer: while i am writing out this whole thing, freddy carter killed it with this scene, and yet here i am
1. lack of buildup
In the books, it’s literally doesn’t even seem like the climax because you don’t see it coming. according to what the crows knew, it wasn’t the plan. it was the whole fake auction where they would auction up kuwei and trick everyone. and I see where they got the whole thing of pretending Kaz was caught, they replaced him with kuwei in that way because it was a similar thing. but it doesn’t work as well because while we’ve seen Pekka in the show before, and now Kaz’s backstory, I think we don’t quite see the whole “brick by brick” thing as much as the book emphasizes. Kaz legit lets Pekka out of the ice court because his death belongs to him (side note is this why they put him in hellgate?), and he even goes to him at the end of the first book to make a deal with him to get inej back. it’s also less powerful for the other crows because by that point in the book, pekka had clearly aligned himself with Van Eck— a common enemy. and the whole thing was to be able to get their money back. inej hasn't been kidnapped, the crows haven't made the deal with pekka, and they missed the part where kaz started a whole plague. all of that happens before the son scene, and it all builds and builds. it's really the scene you think it's almost over, but then this happens. and that leads me to my next point
2. change of audience
in the books, it was just pekka, a couple of his men, inej and kaz. there were no other crows, and there was no audience. because kaz didn't need to humiliate rollins in front of everyone, he needed him destroyed, and for that destruction to be able to ruin his reputation and force him out of town. and, as per usual, i will make everything about kanej, but this is a key kanej scene towards the end. first of all, kaz only trusts inej to bring her with him when he's talking about what happened in his past because no way would he say that stuff in front of everyone. he's got a reputation to keep. he only brought inej, nina and jesper were not there. he trusts her, but it also shows that despite the whole two books, he would still do something "she would not forgive him [for]" inej gets to see how he has changed, but also how he still needed this vengeance- still needed to bring rollins down in his own way. inej gets to hear what happened, and how it goes out. it was so....intimate between these few people, and it had to be this way to hit. even the first part of six of crows is called "shadow business" and that's more or less how it ended with this scene
3. lack of outside factors/change of plot
this goes along with the lack of buildup, but this is what's going on at the same time. every other member of the crows has something else going on as and before this was happening. we don't get jesper's whole thing with the grisha on parem, we don't have kuwei seemingly "died." the chaos of the auction isn't there, it's not as much stuff. also not only immediate outside factor, but we're also missing a key point that they took out of the "bathroom scene" and put into this scene. kaz tells inej he's paid off her indenture in the bathroom scene, but in the show, he has pekka fix it because of the weird thing they did with inej's whole plot. it's weird, and it's out of character for him. especially by now, kaz has learnt and relearnt that you know she's his tell. it got her kidnapped at the end of six of crows, and it would have gone badly if he had done that in front of everyone instead of just them. the scene just falls flat. we also don't get to see how it parallels the very first scene with kaz when he threatens geels (i think that's his name?) with the whole killing his mistress thing, but it was a bluff. just like this.
tl;dr: you can't put a scene that's at the end of two books without even having done the plot of the first one.
146 notes
·
View notes
«𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒? 𝐍𝐀𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐒/𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒»
╰┈➤ ❝ [no way in hell will I ever fall for him/her!!] ❞
This is Itoshi Sae version
this was originally the collaboration with @asukasjinji. srry for tagging you btw.
also to those who sent request to me in my ask box (for the other collaboration...), i am so so sorry because i accidentally deleted everything in my inbox. i do remember some of the characters that were requested so with that i’ll try to make up for it by picking a prompt that is suitable with the character chosen.
but if you still want what you originally request...i won’t forbid you from requesting once again.
i am very very sorry...i wanted to post this because i just felt like it. and if you have took noticed, i write based on what comes in my head and all of a sudden i have the motivation and ideas to continues this.
Warnings: tons of swearing,
female reader
lowercase intended
mistakes will be fixed once i reread.
•
Itoshi Sae, people absolutely love him, adore him but you? No you did not like him. Not a part of you even did. No matter how lucky, talented or intelligent he was, you never liked him. You hated him, you despised him, you disliked him. Anything to do with the word hate you used it on him.
You won't lie, he is attractive yes but he's not a 10 in your book. Your type was mostly for guys who had, the brains, the looks and the personality. Sae had all that except for the personality.
Same goes for sae. He does not like you at all. To tell the truth you had the looks, the intellect, and the talent as well but your personality just wasn't it. Not for him no.
So each and every day, the school will get to hear the daily dose of you and sae bickering, throwing insults. Sometimes even breaking eachother's properties or even anything that can be humiliating to the other.
The only time you had to work out was when you had to work with him along with others in a group or just you and him being partnered only for the sake of both of your grades. I mean you can't fail and neither can he. but some people would say the two of you make a good team since you two are practically unbeatable to them.
It was finally the day of the trip. You weren't really looking forward for it, no you didn't really want to go but your mother along with you're "friends" wanted you to go and knowing how stubborn your mother and your "friends" are you just agreed.
Now here you are in a room finally getting to relax until you realized that you were paired up with him. "This has to be some sort of mistake..." You mumbled.
"It has to be, roommates are supposed to be with the same gender," you sighed. "I'll call the teacher, and while I'm on the phone I expect silence,"
When he turned his back you mocked him. Did he think you were dumb? Of course you were going to say silent, like what is there to say? You scoffed.
When the call ended, sae groaned out of frustration which by that you can tell it wasn't going to be anything good. "It seems like there was an odd number of guys and girls and we just got paired up by a random chance,"
"You've gotta be kidding me...," You muttered in disbelief. "For once trust me cause I'm not fucking around this time l/n,"
Now this was way worst, not only did you want to be here in Yokohama, but now you were also going to be roommates with the one you absolutely abhore so much.
"by the way you do know there's only one bed right, I'm taking it." He says. "Fuck no! Have you ever heard of first come first serve itoshi?" You asked. Sae looked at you in what morphed like disgust.
"that's ridiculous, what are you? A 5 year old?" Sae mocked you. He then continued to sigh. "Why not this...heads or tails?" He suggested then continued to pull out a coin from his pocket.
you gasped in disbelief. “how do I know you’re going to even play fair? for all i know you could probably have a trick to land on heads or tails?!” Sae groaned. “you know what? yeah maybe i do have a trick to land on heads or tail, god just call it already,” “fine then heads,”
Sae then proceeded to flip the coin, and it seems like luck chose his side you obviously lost. now here you are sleeping on the goddamn floor. yes you tried sleeping on the sofa but unfortunately it wasn’t comfortable and the floor, wasn’t comfy as well but at least you have more space then the sofa did. but why were you still awake. well maybe because you could not sleep. not many people knew you had insomnia...well more of no one knew about it.
so here you are now in the kitchen eating something. “what the fuck are you up this late?” asked a hoarse voice that startled you. you look to the direction of where the voice came from and it was none other than sae. he looked like he just woke up since his hair was well not neat as you always see it as, and his voice like mentioned was hoarse.
“why do you care,” you answered with a obvious tired voice. sae sighed in return and sat down across from you. “I’m not that big of an asshole, and I don’t really see anything wrong in being concerned of my roommate,” you groaned. Sae sat down on the seat across from you. He proceeds to raise a brow at you awaiting for a response to his previous question.
“i have sleeping problems...” you mumbled. but unfortunate to you, sae heard it as muffled noises. “come again?” “i have sleeping problems...” this time he heard you. it was silent for a while so you felt hesitant to say something else. “look if you plan to make fun of me go ahea-,” “do you perhaps want to rant about it..?” he cut you off with the most rarest yet shocking question. you look at him wide eyed while he looked at you with a questioning look.
“everytime i sleep...i just somehow get nightmares all the time, so sometimes i usually end up pulling an all nighter,” you held in you’re breathe quite hesitant to tell him. it seems like sae noticed your discomfort. “look l/n if you feel uncomfortable to open up its fine...just tell me what makes you fall asleep without having nightmares and i’ll think of something.”
hearing him said that for some reason reassured you. “well usually my little sister would manage to make me fall asleep..cause her cuddling me while she’s asleep just reassures me and i end up falling asleep,” you muttered knowing sae was going to tease you or laughed at you.
but little did you know, you didn’t notice sae standing up and went behind you. you were brought back out of space when you realized sae had carried you over his shoulders. “the hell you doing?! put me down this instant itoshi,” you hissed at him “can you please stop squirming? i’m trying to help you here,” he grumbled. knowing you can’t escape you instead just gave up and let him do his thing.
you closed your eyes only due to exhaustion but you weren’t going to asleep. suddenly you felt yourself being tucked in. you opened your eyes to see that sae had tucked you in the bed he had won over. another thing you didn’t expect was to feel a pair of arms draped over your figure to embrace you. as much as you don’t want to admit...it did feel comforting. it did feel embarrassing but the warmth comfort he was giving you was slowly making you fall asleep.
“what are you doing?” you whispered. “you said the comfort of an embrace makes you fall asleep..i’m just doing what you said..” his voiced was quite muffled but you could hear it clearly. “also you better keep you’re mouth shut about this..” you laughed softly. “my lips are sealed prodigy,” “believe me when i say this will be the only time i’ll be nice you you...and you also owe me,” you look behind to take a glimpse of sae. you sighed. “i guess i do owe you..” you slowly closed you’re eyes...and before you fully fall asleep you heard something you will never forget for sure.
“sleep well l/n..”
•
It was officially day one. Today our teachers just told us that we'll go sight seeing in groups...but let's not forget that there's and odd numbers of guys and girls. Because of that lets just keep it short and say that you and sae got paired up while others had groups. Why? Honestly you don't know, it was the teachers after all and because of that...all eyes are on you two.
So now here you and sae are walking in the streets while holding a brochure of places to visit in yokohama. It was quite awkward since after all you don't really know what to say.
"if you keep spacing off, you might actually hit your head on a pole," sae spoke. You scoffed at him. "I'd actually rather get hit by a pole then walk with you right now.."
"so where'd you like to go?" He asked. "I thought you told me that my opinion does not matter, remember itoshi?" Sae rolled his eyes. "Don't use my words against me l/n...just where'd you rather go?" He then gave you the brochure so you can take a look at it.
"well there's a lot of interesting places..." You mumbled. "Just pick the one that catches your eye," he says. “well we’re not technically around the teachers soo...” sae looked at you and he could see the clear mischievous smile you had. “what is it that you’re planning L/n..?”
“well i thought maybe we could just sit down and get to know each other in a nearby caffe,” sae looked at you and rose a brow. “that is weird of you to suggest but i’m not really against it,”
“great lets get going then!”
-
now here you and sae were, in an ordinary caffe. it wasn’t too crowded which was just perfect. the atmosphere itself was calming. the two of you had already sat down with the drinks and desserts. but it was quite awkward since you two seemed like you didn’t know where to start.
“did you drag me here to get to know me or was it to drain your own money on food?” you glared at him. “oh please itoshi of course i didn’t--” “sae,”
‘huh?’ you thought. sae saw that you were clearly confused so he spoke up. “you want to get to know me right? then start off by addresing me by my first name,” your cheeks were starting to look pink. why the hell was it turning pink? is what you complained in your head. “oh yeah alright ito-i mean sae,”
you swore your ears were deceiving you as well. you did not just hear the itoshi sae chuckle. “so where would you like to start hmm miss y/n?” you knew he was trying to tease you and he successfully did.
‘oh i am so getting you back for this..”
i just wanted to post this. and the again to those who had sent the prompt request in my ask box i am so so sorry. i know i say sorry too much.
reblogs are highly appreciated
do not steal or copy my works....
260 notes
·
View notes
On the issue with James, I do think this is one area where the books aren’t ageless and have to be read in the context of an English school in the 70s written by an author in the 90s. Because by today’s standards, James is less of your garden variety ‘boys will be boys’ type bully and more of an actual sociopath well past the age of criminal responsibility who by 16 had committed one public sexual assault and was an accessory to attempted murder who backed out last second. But I don’t think that’s at all what Jo meant to convey.
Let me guess. Snape fan? :P
Look, my issue with this discourse has always been that only James seems to get so much flack for his most morally ambiguous actions. I mean, Hermione disfigured a girl her age with zits spelling "sneak" because she'd given the DA members out to Umbridge. Harry nearly gored Malfoy to death by using an unknown spell he knew was meant "for enemies". Yet, i've never seen anyone hating on James that would go as hard against these other characters.
On your first point: James wasn't an accessory to attempted murder who backed out last second. Sirius was the one who tricked Snape and nearly got him killed (which would have made Lupin an accessory to murder). James acted to stop it as soon as he realised what Sirius had done. His reasons for doing so remain obscure - Snape thinks he wanted to save his own skin because he would have been blamed alongside Sirius, but that's Snape's interpretation, not exactly the most unbiased source.
Next: i ressent people misusing the term "sexual assault" to describe what James does in Snape's worst memory (a take that, btw, i've only seen upheld as if it were common knowledge by Americans, or very "Americanised" fans). The definition of sexual assault is "unwanted sexual contact", and in the UK especially it pretty much means "rape without penetration". I do think Jo meant for it to be taken seriously (its parallel with the Muggles's treatment by Death Eaters in GoF is clear), only people didn't really at the time. Still. James humiliated Snape, i'd say what he did qualifies as sexual harrassment, and he's rightfully painted as the bad guy in that episode, but he didn't sexually assault Snape.
Also, because we only have that one scene to work with, everyone seems to forget the larger context, namely: Snape created that spell. Judging by the way Death Eaters were still using it 15+ years later, i imagine James wasn't the first nor the last in his generation to use it against another student. I always saw it as a bit analogous to those dangerous/humiliating games that suddenly become trendy with high schoolers until someone gets hurt enough for adults to intervene. I'm comforted in that interpretation by the fact that Snape implies James didn't even know HE was the one to invent the spell, suggesting it started as a thing Snape showed to other Slytherins to gain some social cred, which then spread to the whole school.
Anyways, if that makes James a sociopath, then Hogwarts must have been chock-full of them in the 70s, starting with Snape himself. Maybe the point isn't that Snape or James (or Sirius) are sociopaths, but that imminent war tends to turn people more prone to violence and less likely to abide by moral principles, or consider their designated enemies's humanity. I have no doubt that James morally justified himself and his actions by the fact that Snape belonged to the "bad crowd" of Voldemort's future recruits. Even though we readers know enough about Snape to be able to tell that he was never seriously convinced by Pure Blood superiority.
31 notes
·
View notes
Thoughts I had while reading TCF/LCF chapter 15
Oh the hunting rabbits. Once again Ron is being a little shit and he even tricked poor Choi Han into helping him.
Ron may not have caught the rabbits but I imagine it was still his doing
On, Hong and Hans continue to be precious and adorable. Hans tries to take such good care of him. Love that he took the time to prepare jerky for them. He’s so sweet. I said it before I’ll say it again. Another day, another reason to love Hans
And Hans is right. Their sassiness is cute. Cute and terrifying. This novel does that type of thing better than most
The image I have in my head of Choi Han just peacefully sat eating his soup next to Cale and the kittens as all the other knights keep just glancing at him in uncertainty and Cale internally curses him for catching rabbits of all things, while Hans tries to get the cats to pay attention to him. I love it. It’s times like this I wish I could actually draw.
Choi Han asserting dominance. Also the start of Choi Han’s weird well I didn’t manage to kill them but I did manage to cut off a limb and permanently maimed them thing that happens a couple times that I remember. These bandits then Redika.
And the vice captain learns a valuable lesson luckily before he pisses off Choi Han too much
That must be humiliating for the bandits, having to admit they lost to 5 knights even if one of them was really strong. All their bandit friends and rivals will make fun of them. They become the laughing stock of the bandit community. And all because they tried to steal from Cale Henituse while Choi Han was there. Big mistake
It’s so fun watching Choi Han terrify and intimidate people. And he seems so pleased with himself.
Choi Han also enjoys messing people but I guess that makes sense. I feel like to be an ally of Cale’s you have to be a little shit at least slightly. It’s a fairly big part of the job description.
I feel like everyone likes messing with Cale tbf. He’s fun to tease and mess with
Ok it’s time to discuss the whole conversation Choi Han and Cale have here. First of all him saying I’ve never seen so many bandits before instead of just saying yeas as an overall answer is really smart form the author. Lets the audience know that this probably isn’t the first battle he’s seen, just with bandits and in-world, he’s lying without lying, because why would the trash Cale have seen a battle? He hasn’t left the Henituse territory in what, 2 years? And no one calls him out on this so it must be true that he’s never encounters bandits or a battle. In this story wording is everything. Ok so I know Choi Han doesn’t really know much about Cale but the whole “this must be your first time facing death” thing is really interesting to me. It shows how, when Choi Han thinks of death, he thinks of battles and violence. Because even if Cale has never faced a battle before, illnesses still exist, right? Like, there are many ways you could die, and many near death experiences you could face that have nothing to do with violence. That’s without taking into account the KRS element. And this thinking does make sense. Most of the death he’s seen has been due to violence. I just think it’s interesting that, in Choi Han’s mind death is associated most with battles and violence. But the thing is I don’t think at this point Cale really thinks anyone at this point is going to kill him, but he is still nervous around them purely because they’re dangerous and main characters and he doesn’t want to get involved, or so he claims. I don’t think I actually explained that how I meant. Basically he’s scared of the possibilities of what they could do but realistically he knows these things won’t happen, at least subconsciously. Idk Cale, maybe he keeps talking to you because, and this might be a stretch and I’m really grasping at straws here, but maybe the reason he keeps talking to you is that he likes you. Or maybe that you keep answering him. Idk though.
Ok and this the whole I trust in my heart I’ll be okay. Now, he’s talking about the Indestructible Sheild, and we know that and it makes sense to us… but no one else knows he has the indstructible shield. So when he says he doesn’t need to know martial arts, points out the people around him as a reason why and then says that he trusts in his heart he’ll be okay, all they hear is I trust you as my guards to keep me safe. Of course that motivates them, you’ve seemingly just put your full trust in them to keep you safe not just because it’s their job and they’re supposed to, but because you, as a person, actually trust them to do it. And then you’re somehow shocked when they want to train more. They want to ensure that your trust isn’t misplaced. Cale, I know you know things they don’t, but this is why we’re careful with what we say. Because Choi Han isn’t a mind reader so for him all he knows is what he sees and here’s so for Choi Han, this is that conversation word for word, starting from:
Choi Han: Cale-nim, do you not study any martial arts?
Cale: no need
Choi Han: shouldn’t you at least have the strength to protect yourself.
Cale: I have plenty of ways already *looks at the people around him* you can see them too right? *smiles* *pats heart* I trust my heart. I will live.
And funnily enough that’s also what everyone else hears. They don’t know about the indestructible shield, so to them when he says about trust, he’s talking about them. He’s so clueless, so dumb, and somehow so good at motivating people. This may happen a few more times, me showing a conversation without Cale’s thoughts to show what everyone actually hears just because I feel like it proves some of my points better and explains it better than I could. It also gives you a better idea of which conversation I’m talking about. It won’t be constant or all the time but when talking about misunderstandings that could’ve been avoided if Cale just remembered people weren’t mind readers who knew what he meant, I’ll occasionally do this. As I said it probably won’t be often. But anyways, I know a huge part of Cale’s character is that he’s oblivious and causes misunderstandings but how does he not realise they’re obviously going to think he’s talking about them here? What does he plan for them to think?
This is why I can’t feel sorry for him when these misunderstandings happen. He actually brings it on himself. Honestly reading these conversations while taking out his thoughts really helps you understand what everyone who isn’t Cale sees and hears and really puts it into a new perspective where it’s easier to understand their reactions and the understandings, and shows how utterly avoidable these reactions and situations are. And it actually makes it more entertaining for when you read his surprise or confusion. Like it’s easy enough to understand anyway but when put like this it’s like yeah there’s not really another way they could’ve taken that with what they know
So honest question how many times do you think the characters in this novel have looked at Cale and thought he was being cute and it’s just never mentioned because Cale never noticed it? Like they’ve just looked at him and gone “aww!” I reckon for Ron it’s a daily occurrence he’ll never met. And anytime he sees money or is presented with good food and gets happy or excited. When he interacts with Raon or the cat siblings. When he says certain things or does certain things. Because Cale is kind of adorable in his own right and just doesn’t realise it, doesn’t realise how precious he is, and I feel like everyone lowkey platonically simps for him and I think that’s perfectly valid. Again they have weekly gossip sessions where they just gush and worry about him. Ooh they share photos they took when he wasn’t paying attention, not embarrassing ones, but just moments they thought he was being cute.
Wait so the lemonade is specifically prepared by Ron, right? And the lemon tea by Beacrox? I love that the implication here is that Ron brought lemons along for the sole purpose of teasing Cale. Like that’s hilarious. God I love Ron and the lemon torture sm.
Yes, Choi Han motivated Hilsman. I’m not gonna say he didn’t but once again Cale doesn’t realise he’s also motivated him, and he’d probably be horrified if he knew. But Choi Han does also motivate Hilsman and provides some sort of level Hilsman wants the knights to achieve. Choi Han teaches him not to underestimate and encourages him to get stronger just by being present, but Cale encourages them with words and boosts their morale. That’s what’s he’s best at raising morale, boosting confidence, anything that has to do with speaking really. He somehow knows even without realising it what people need to hear to motivate them. The best way to put it is Choi Han is physical motivation and Cale is mental/emotional motivation, if you know what I mean. I’m bad at explaining things but hopefully you get my point.
My god they’re so dumb. The cave is right behind the villa so, logically, something goe wrong, those living in the villa will be killed first. Dumb, arrogant, careless. There are so many ways Venion and the Marquis are so dumb. The worlds where Taylor dies and doesn’t take over this family? I have no hope for them. Maybe one of his siblings is better? Idk, we don’t really know much about the other Stans but I can’t imagine they’d be much better if they have this Marquis as their father.
Honestly Venion is so pathetic. I can’t wait to see him get destroyed again. I remember the torture being satisfying to read the first time. I can’t imagine that will change
I’m sorry I know this probably isn’t the intent but Hans walked over with Choi Han when Cale was upset/angry and my brain just went aww he brought the emotional support Choi Han and I can’t unthink it. Choi Han is so emotional support and I love that. like I know that’s not really what/how it happened but idk I like the idea of, whenever Cale is upset or angry, someone just going to get Choi Han. The kids are already there obviously.
Cale: I just want to get Choi Han away from me
Also Cale, whenever Choi Han goes literally anywhere away from him: stay safe, and take this medicine, and hurry back and - *continues to act like a concerned parent and fuss about Choi Han*
Choi Han, who lost one family and has quickly gained another: I’ll never let anything happen to you and I love you and I’ll never leave you for too long and- *continues to platonically simp for Cale and is just so happy because he has somewhere to return to and a family and all the things he thought he’d lost forever*
Choi Han calling Cale sir just feels so weird to me. Like Cale-nim fine, but sir? Idk it doesn’t feel right.
Ah yes, Cale’s bad feelings. You’ve gotta love them.
Cale really can’t catch a break, can he? Choi Han leaves his side for two seconds and this BS happens. Well, guess that settles it, Choi Han can never leave Cale again. Every time he does, things like this (Marquis Stan’s carriage) happen. Or he brings back more people than he left with, and that’s clearly Cale’s thing, it can’t be both of their thing.
Once again, Cale gets involved when he doesn’t really have to. If Choi Han punches Marquis Stan I think that would be deserved. Probably for the best he didn’t though. That would not end well for Choi Han as funny and deserved as it would be.
I mean chances are, before he got out of the carriage, they didn’t really know Choi Han was with him? I’d say it’s a 50/50 chance they knew before then, but also it seems like these people are just like that, and would’ve reacted the same if Choi Han wasn’t with Cale, only maybe even worse.
20 notes
·
View notes
White Brim - Epilogue 2
Location: Villa
Characters: Touri, Tsukasa, Eichi & Hiyori
TL Note:
The term for “maid headdress” is “white brim” in Japanese.
Touri: Oh, geez… I’m speechless.
How strange. I don’t even feel frustrated seeing how we suffered a complete defeat.
Eichi: Well, I’d say you two worked quite hard. It wouldn���t have been strange for us to end things earlier, but you two held on quite for quite a long time until the end.
Tsukasa: Tomoe Onii-sama was quite the nuisance… Who would’ve thought a “prey (fish)” would be armed.
Hiyori: Hehe. Even if one was quick to be stripped of their status, it’s difficult for them to rid themselves of the shackles of this world. And that’s also why it’s difficult for discrimination to completely disappear.
Even in a game that’s constructed in a convenient way for us, the problems of the real world still persist.
Eichi: Yeah. You notice the design flaw behind the weak rules. You deserve praise, Hiyori-kun – you’re surprisingly quite cunning.
Hiyori: Not as much as you, Eichi-kun. Just what on earth are you? A demon?
Eichi: I’ll take that as a compliment.
Touri: …………
Eichi: Hm? What’s wrong, Touri? Do you feel down after being tricked and defeated in such an overwhelming manner?
Are you disillusioned by me?
Touri: No… The Eichi-sama who shines beautifully like an angel on stage and the Eichi-sama who triumphs over everyone like a demon…
I love both sides of you. That’s what I’ve always said.
Eichi: I see. The tears you shed when you thought I had died were real. Even I don’t doubt that brilliance.
You truly care for someone like me.
Touri: Yeah. It looks like you’ve never believed me, though.
So teach me more about yourself – just like how you did this time. I want to learn about and love everything about the Eichi-sama that I adore.
Don’t hide yourself, put up a good front or pretend to be someone you’re not. Don’t show me a fake Eichi-sama – show me your real self.
Please. From now on, don’t distance yourself from me.
Eichi: I’ll do my best. That, I will promise.
I hope at the very least that when I’m truly dead, it won’t be a farewell at the bottom of despair that’s full of grief – I hope you’ll be able to smile if not just a little.
I’ll tell you everything about me. A little at a time. I pray you’ll be able to accept everything without collapsing from it all.
Touri: ………♪
Tsukasa: Hehe. It appears Touri-kun has finally reached the same place as I.
Just like how I received those things from Leader – from Leo-san – I’m glad you’ve also obtained it, albeit a bit late.
Touri: Why are you talking like you’re above me?
Tsukasa: Well, I am the winner this time round. I think the frustration I felt after losing to “Crazy:B” has somewhat dissipated ♪
Eichi: Right. Your virtue is in being straightforward, but there’s no such thing as a straight line in the natural world. You should learn to handle things in a more realistic and flexible way.
Tsukasa: Yes. Thank you for the opportunity, Tenshouin Onii-sama ♪
Now, I understand how enjoyable it can be to reflect and chat about the game we played last night, but I’m sure you’re all busy people.
So shall we make use of the “winner’s privilege” right away?
Touri: ? What’re you talking about?
Eichi: Hehe. We’re holding quite a lavish banquet this time – Would you like to see another wicked and dirty side of me, Touri?
It can be more effective to lie instead of telling the truth at times, you see.
Touri: ………?
Eichi: I’ve talked to Tsukasa-kun and Anzu-chan about this already and it seems Hiyori-kun knows, but has chosen to stay silent. To tell you the truth, the losers of the “Clam Digging” game will serve the winners for a whole day.
Tsukasa: That’s right. That’s the “winner’s privilege” – the reward we received for winning.
Touri: Huh? Serve you guys…? We already faced humiliation when we lost but we have to feel more shame?
Eichi: The winners gain everything while the losers lose it all… Come, Anzu-chan, it’s time to bring out the outfits you made.
Touri: Huh? What? Anzu, why do you have such a happy look in your eyes…!?
Tsukasa: Hehe. I thought it would be odd for Onee-sama to trick and betray you, but I see this was her goal.
Onee-sama must be really wanting to have us wear such adorable outfits.
To be honest, I can’t quite understand those feelings, but as I also like Onee-sama very much, then I, too, wish to understand her.
So, Touri-kun. You’re going to be my cute maid for the day.
Eichi: And Hiyori-kun shall be my maid ♪ Don’t run away now! It’s not your first time, is it?
Hiyori: T–This is why I didn’t want to attend the parties that Eichi-kun is in charge of!
I don’t mind wearing a cute maid outfit, but I don’t want to serve you!
Eichi: Well, why don’t you just admit that you were unlucky?
I know you must have wanted to be the “hunter (fisherman)” to defeat me, making me yield to you.
Unfortunately, reality doesn’t play out so easily in your favour.
Hiyori: Urgh, how frustrating! I’ll definitely win next year! And I’ll return this humiliation to you a hundred times as much!
Eichi: That’s something a gambler would say.
Tsukasa: That’s right. If you’re frustrated, then just win next time.
…I won’t lose, either – Not again.
Touri: N–No! Just so you know, I lost to Eichi-sama – Not you, Tsukasa!
I guess I’ve got no choice because of the rules, but I wanna be Eichi-sama’s servant at least! I don’t wanna serve Tsukasa!
Tsukasa: Now, stop whining and trying to get away. What are you, a small child?
Touri: Uwaaaaaah! Stop! Don’t force me to wear it! Don’t try to put that white brim headdress[⁎] on me!
Eichi: You must give something of equal value if you’re to gain something in return, Touri.
If you don’t want to wear the headdress that indicates you’re a loser, then grow – be stronger.
And win the next time.
Fortunately, there should be numerous opportunities for you in the future.
Touri: G–Geez, I’ve had enough of this~! Teach me what’s important and unimportant in a normal way, Eichi-sama!
I’ll come to hate you if you treat me horribly, okay?
Eichi: Ahaha. I suppose I’ll teach you how to do a good job lying first…♪
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapterf
12 notes
·
View notes
Request: your hcs for how comics Pyro and show Morph get along because I think it would epic (and involve a lot of hilarious Shaw impressions)
I am rubbing my hands together with glee, thank you for this ask! I'm assuming this is a Krakoa-type situation where everyone is just sort of hanging out and technically on the same "team."
I think initially, they would not get along. Pyro would find Morph annoying and obnoxious; Morph, whose only experience as a "bad guy" was under severely traumatic brain-washing, would be put off by Pyro being a gleeful and mostly unrepentant murderer.
Then they get drunk together, and that's really all it would take. Pyro can be very personable and chatty, Morph does hilarious impressions, they bond over whichever mutant they hate the most. I'll say Sebastian, because I think Morph would hate Shaw just as much as Pyro, and because it's what we both want to see.
Shinobi starts paying Morph to perform regular Sebastian impressions, it's good for his mental health. Morph is like, "I kind of feel like a court jester here, but what the hell, you are paying me thousands of dollars and also fuck that guy."
Sebastian would offer to pay Morph to sit in on unimportant Council meetings wearing his shape, but realizes that Morph would be an absolute troll, vote against Sebastian's interests and find ways to humiliate him. He pays Copycat instead.
Pyro asking Morph ALL the questions about shapeshifting that he always wanted to ask Mystique but was too intimidated because Mystique has no patience for that kind of thing. In return, Pyro does cool fire tricks for Morph.
They absolutely do karaoke together. Pyro can sing, Morph can sound like whoever they want to.
They both have zero good decision making skills while drunk (and Pyro's decision making skills aren't great while sober either) so there are some epic shenanigans. I think Morph is slightly more responsible about not committing crimes and will draw the line at hurting people. They would, however, help Pyro rescue abused animals from shitty owners.
Morph also uses shapeshifting to walk right into Shaw's properties as Sebastian and help Pyro steal things. Sebastian is almost impressed, this is more planning and subtlety than Pyro usually displays.
This is reeeeaaally self-indulgent headcanon now, but I can picture Morph and Pyro both talking about gender roles and feeling "trapped" by everything that is expected of masculinity. You've got a nonbinary shape-shifter (who mostly presents in a "masculine" way) and a (gay) male romance novelist who likes to dress fancy, I think they would both be a bit frustrated by all the unspoken social rules about how a man is "supposed" to act. It takes a LOT of alcohol to get them to that point of vulnerability, though, so the conversation is near incoherent. I think they are also both able to have this kind of conversation because they don't have much of a connection besides drinking buddies, so they don't actually care that much what the other person thinks of them.
Morph is kind of envious to realize that Pyro and Avalanche are a couple, like "Why can't my ambiguously homoerotic best buddy also be my boyfriend?"
They might actually bang? I don't know, this might just be me shipping Pyro with every male or "male-presenting" character. But X-Men 97 has heavily implied that Morph has a thing for Wolverine, and is therefore attracted to men. I don't know if they are a one-night stand kind of person, but eh. Let Morph get laid, because we all know Wolverine will never actually sleep with them on the show.
Wolverine is all "Morph, stay away from that guy, he's a sleazebag and a bad influence, and Pyro if you hurt them I will be popping a claw through your skull."
5 notes
·
View notes
Even more so than the other female characters, I argue Momo has been screwed over massively both in-universe and out; her public image is in tatters after being publicly humiliated during the Sports Festival, meaning the hero industry is unlikely to take her seriously, and from then on she's constantly being denied any poorrtunity to be relevant or even prove she's more than someone who can help the "true" heroes, in spite of being potentially the most OP character in the entire fucking setting.
I've actually written a fic that deconstructs the way she's treated by Horikoshi and the likely in-universe consequences of such.
Ah, Momo. You were meant for so much more than this.
So, the thing is with Momo and her reputation is you need to remember that she's not... unique in these problems. To be blunt, you can count on one hand the number of non-sexualized females of any importance, and it seems to be baked into the industry on a fundamental level, again considering how sexualized the heroines seem to be. So, in that context, Momo's outfit (sigh) isn't actually a problem, because the only reason she shows so much more skin that everyone else is because of her power which 'demands' it.
The thing is that Momo's costume has both Watsonian and Doyislist problems with it's design; on the Watsonian end, Mirio exists, as I've said before, and since his costume can be made to work with his power, there's no reason that Momo's costume can't work with her powers. And, while it's canon that she asked for that skin to be exposed, to work with her powers (which... I kind of look at judgingly but ultimately can buy), the people who made her costume, presumably, actually communicate with their customers and offer suggestions, like, 'what if we make this this color instead'? Or, maybe, and relevently, 'what if we make it so you don't have to be half naked and exposed to the elements to use your power'?
It honestly should be part of their jobs to not only make what these kids want, but to help them figure out what they want, and use their careers in making these kinds of costumes to think of something an inexperienced kid without industry knowledge wouldn't.
Or, to be even bolder, even if that was, like, a UA special, something that would have to happen in-house after being in school instead of random company or something... buttons exist. And zippers. And velcro. And, hell, magnets, if you want to be fancy with My Hero's high tech levels, and are used in her dictionary she carries around. In other words, even if Momo's powers require all this exposed skin to properly leverage it... can't they do something that opens and closes? So she can be battle ready, and then be able to walk around and not get sick from a brisk breeze; rocket science that isn't.
Meanwhile, the Doyalist problem is that Hori designed this. The requirements for the power exist because of him, her costume looks like that because he wants it to. Even if you're keeping to the idea of 'made from her body' to go off the idea that Quirks are biologic, it's so unnatural that it wouldn't stretch imagination that whatever she made just sprouted from her hands, and that things like the size to skin ratio are as irrelevant as Momo making a cannon that probably weighs more than she does without visibly losing weight.
There are dozens of ways, with minimal changes to her Quirk, to get past this problem. Hori chose none of them.
On the matter of Sports Festival humiliation... the cheerleading and Tokoyami. On the cheerleading... Yeah. While that was personally humiliating, in that she didn't want to do it, was tricked into doing it, and was unhappy about it, between MHA's entire... female end of the heroics in general, and the way they did it as a group, outsiders probably thought they just did that to encourage their classmates and so it was acceptable, instead of being punked on national television. So, from that perspective, that probably didn't damager her career, but only because MHA heroics standards on this thing is so low that no one thought much of it.
Which. Is not exactly a shining defense: 'Everything about this is terrible, therefore this one specific terrible thing vanished into all the other terrible things and so had no real consequences!' is not an argument that fills me with the warm fuzzies, but it is what it is.
Tokoyami though... I'm going to segway this into her power in general, because the thing is she should have been able to win that, easily.
Tokoyami: I use my incredibly light sensitive living shadow!
Momo: I use a road flare! Or a flashbang! Or a spot light! Or one those big flashlights that can cause actual damage to your eyes!
Tokoyami: Oh no, my one weakness! Bright light!
Momo: Haha! My big brain allowed me to see your weakness and pull out the proper tool to exploit it to my advantage!
After that, use a bo staff, her default weapon that she's trained in using, or something to drive him off the stage; GG easy.
The thing is with Momo's powers is... part of it is that, obviously, that Hori doesn't want her to be competent, or powerful, or a viable threat to anyone tougher than a nameless thug, the same way that every female not named Mirko is. But more that, more than the other female heroes, her power is just... criminally under used, and to some extent it's because it's that potentially broken.
I've mentioned it before, beyond anything else a tranq gun, some flashbangs, and more sleeping gas in a more easily handled container would be a massive game changer; a good ninety percent of the setting could be easily managed with those tools alone, and maybe her wearing a gas mask or some night vision goggles.
But if I'm remembering right, she uses a electric proof blanket to survive Kaminari's full out electric blast. Well, off that alone, she should also be able to make some sort of fire retardant material to tank fire, warm stuff, layers and actual heat generation for ice, and depending on the situation something super absorbent or a rebreather for water, and just like that the basic elements are covered.
Walls in the way? Good thing Momo has siege equipment/a cannon/high explosives/a battering ram!
Are you falling? Jet pack/pillows/pile of flubber, depending on how serious you're playing it and how high tech the objects she can make.
Speaking of, support gear exists, which can effectively give people superpowers while using them, including offense ones. Momo is a super genius who can memorize things super easily, with a belt carried dictionary filled with useful designs. Why... can't she just pull out 'Insert gear here' for any given situation?
Because it's too broken, too adaptable. Full Potential Momo is basiclly memetic Infinite Prep Time Batman; at virtually any given situation, with the technology she should be able to access, she should be able to counter whatever problem she's facing almost instantly, short of Izuku, SFO, AFO, and the few others with enough raw power to just overwhelm her adaptability. She's so broken that, if Hori allowed her any true successes, (more) people are going to start asking, 'What about Momo? Why can't she do X like she did last time?'
So, instead of dealing with that, the genius prodigy Momo is just stuck with an idiot ball for a head.
35 notes
·
View notes
Prompt-oween Day 8
@occreatorexchange
Prompt: "Can we do ugly sweaters for Halloween too or is that just Christmas?"
Fandom: The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai
Characters: Jimmy, Jenny, OCs Jesse Parker, Alyssa Morgan-Parker
Rating: G
Word Count: 520
Summary: Jesse chooses alternate spooky season apparel after deciding he's too old for costumes and trick-or-treating.
Jimmy and his wife were on the planning committee for the annual neighborhood Halloween party. They are throwing out ideas to each other that they may present to the committee.
“Hey, Mom? Dad?”
Jimmy and Jenny look up to see Jesse in the family room. Jenny smiles at their middle son.
“What is it, sweetheart?” she asks.
Jesse perches on the end of the sectional. “I’m too old for trick-or-treating,” he states.
Jenny frowns. She knows how much the boys love the holiday. They always have and the twins still do. Jenny wonders if someone said something to Jesse to make him think this. “Honey, we don’t really have age restrictions here.”
Jesse sighs. “I know, but trick-or-treating is for little kids. I’m not one anymore. I mean, I still love Halloween, but I think I’ve grown out of that part.”
“Okay,” Jimmy replies. “How do you want to celebrate Halloween?”
“Keep in mind, you can still buy and wear a costume, either at the neighborhood party, Knott’s Spooky Farm, Disney, or at school,” Jenny assures her son.
“Well, as long as the costume is compliant with the LAUSD’s rules,” Jimmy grumbles.
“Maybe,” Jesse says uncertainly. “Speaking of the neighborhood Halloween party, I’ve been thinking… Can we do ugly sweaters for Halloween too, or is that just Christmas?”
Jimmy pretends to be offended. “Are you calling my Christmas sweaters ugly?”
“No,” Jesse shakes his head. But the way he drags out the last syllable is unconvincing. “Well, not all of them,” he amends.
Jenny laughs. “You know what, Jesse, I think you have a great idea there. There are some funny, tacky Halloween sweaters out there, just like at Christmas. And if people don’t want to dress up or spend money on costumes, they can still show their spooky season spirit.”
***
The neighborhood party was set for the Saturday before Halloween. Jimmy insists that before they head out, they take a family picture.
“Do we have to?” Alyssa whines. “I can’t believe you’ve got me wearing this,” she gestures to the pastel lavender, pink, and green sweater with black witch hats, ghosts, moons, cats, and gravestones printed on it along with the black, wide-brimmed witch hat. “It’s bad enough that I’m going out in public like this. Don’t torture me further with photographic proof of my humiliation.”
Jimmy pats her back. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ll just have to get over it.”
“I think you look nice,” Jesse smiles sweetly at his sister. His red hair clashes with the garish orange jack-o’lantern sweater.
She glares at them both.
“Okay, that’s enough, you two. Let’s just take a quick picture and we can head out,” Jenny cuts in. She has her red curls pinned up like Winifred Sanderson, which pairs nicely with her officially licensed sweater depicting the Hocus Pocus witch.
Jayden is the first to pose, happy with his orange and black pumpkin patch sweater. The twins stand in the back, wearing zombie face makeup and Beetlejuice and skeleton sweaters, respectively. Jimmy uses a selfie stick to ensure that he, Jenn, and all five kids are in frame.
“Alyssa, smile.”
“No.”
6 notes
·
View notes
To me, specifically for the way they are portrayed on MC and I Claudius (not speaking about their real life historical counterparts), Livia and Hurrem are kinda opposites.
• Livia works with the system. She puts on the facade of the dutiful, obedient, subservient, and supportive Roman matron but she’s actually really ambitious and ruthless. For better or worse, she leads with her head not her heart (even when it results in those closest to her struggling to feel any real affection for her). She wants what she wants and she won’t stop no matter who gets in her way, even her family. She’s the threat no one sees coming until it’s too late.
• Hurrem actively fights against the system. She’s ambitious and ruthless but she’s also kind and empathetic. She does what good she can (via charity and public works and by rewarding those loyal to her) when she can. For better or worse, she leads with her heart (even when it causes her to make a huge mistake or to lash out in anger in a way that she’ll later regret). She only wants 2 things: 1) for her family and loved ones to be safe and 2) to never be powerless or at the mercy of other’s again. She’s the one who gets blamed for everything even when (sometimes especially) when she’s not the one at fault.
I think the biggest difference they have is their empathy. Hurrem always remembers where she came from and what she’s been through (she remembers her homeland and her native language and keeps it alive by singing lullabies to her children, she cries for her mother and father and sister, she frees Sumbul after he “unintentionally” betrays her and chides her daughter for her privilege when she doesn’t understand, etc.). She is able to be kind and understanding and respectful to the people who have caused her the most harm even when they wouldn’t do the same to her. She asks Mahidevran, the woman who once beat her to a bloody pulp, for forgiveness. She tells Valide Sultan, who tried for years to make her fall out of favor with the Sultan and to remove her from the harem, on her deathbed how much she respects and looks up to her. She prays over Ibrahim’s grave, the man who forced her to poison her childhood sweetheart. Following this cruelty, she remains a true and genuine friend to his wife Hatice for many years. She tells Mustafa to his face the unfair truth and explains to him that it is their circumstances and situations that make them enemies and she genuinely mourns his and his son’s death despite orchestrating his downfall for years. In stark contrast, there’s Livia. She pretends to nurse a man on his deathbed while spoon feeding him poison. She drives her husband nearly mad with paranoia to the point that he’ll only eat figs which she poisons. She tricks a priestess in order to manipulate the contents of a will to her own favor. She gets a loving son to rat out his mother’s scandalous affairs. She constantly berates and humiliates her grandson for his disability. She arranges for her son to divorce a woman he genuinely loves. She gets her granddaughter to accuse her lover of rape and much, much worse.
However, I think the biggest thing they have in common though is their almost unreal capacity to be able to play the long game. They knew what they wanted and they schemed and plotted to get it even though it took years or even decades. The commitment they had to their goals and their willingness to follow through is almost unparalleled in other characters. They also both have a good understanding of other people’s motives and characters and use it to their own advantage. Whether others are aware of it or not, they puppet master a lot of things behind the scenes.
Both are amazing characters that are absolutely captivating on screen. There’s a quote about Anne Boleyn that I think applies to both characters: “perhaps a figure to be more admired than liked”
All of this yes!
I will say that Hürrem's form of rebellion against the system is very interesting and I think is the key as to what makes her different from Livia.
She doesn't foment revolution. She doesn't oppose Süleyman (at least overtly). She uses her loyalty as a shield. It's more subtle than that. She asserts her humanity and refuses to give up that side of herself. She always remembers where she came from and what her motivations and goals are (love and family). And for someone who was enslaved and brought into this system, the fact that she fights for humanity against those dehumanising circumstances to me is the key. One of her first lines after arriving in Topkapi is 'We aren't animals' after all. She always sees herself and everyone else regardless of status as a person in spite of how cruel and ruthless she eventually becomes.
They are absolutely both brilliant at playing the long game. It's just that Livia is cold where Hürrem is hot.
3 notes
·
View notes
Day 4 - What would be your ideas for Sigyn Marvel Comic Reboot?
Like everyone else on here, one where Sigyn isn't a tragic abused wife as some modern media just loveees to turn her into because Loki is a villan! And those people can't love their wives nooo../s 🙄
I want her strong sides to be shown and for her character to develop more than to just be Loki's wife and that's about it! I want to see her relationships and I especially want Narfi and Vali to also have some more greater purpose in media, which is what I've included here!
So here are some of my ideas written into quite the story, because this way is easier to me! Sorry it's long, truly didn't intend it.
Sigyn is of high status, herself being a princess, but of Vanaheim and the daughter of Freya. Her father is secretly Iwaldi, a dwarf and a very talented blacksmith.
Freya had slept with him to insure she'd have an heir, resulting in a few daughters, who she'd love unconditionally despite hoping for a son. To one day over the throne!
Nanna, Idunn, Syn, Snotra, Var, Sigyn, Sjofn and Lofn were their names respectfully.
But this whole time Freya was actually married to the mysterious god named Odr, but who had neglected her love and would rather focus on traveling the realms than to be with her.
Freya only kept the marriage going for appearance and an old alliances sake.
She didn't care much for Odr because of his lack of interest and instead herself, focused on raising her daughters and kingdom.
A kingdom that would later be put in danger when Asgard threatens with war, after a failed attempt to make an alliance between the two, when Freya refused to share their magical powers with them!
Something the vanir people were very known for.
Freya tries her best to manage and sends her daughters, who were old enough to understand what was going on, to her brother Freyrs realm in alfheim.
There the girls were taught by their uncle and his partner Gerdr everything Freya herself had hoped to guide them through, womanhood.
Meanwhile the queen had to fight against Asgard's army, loosing many warriors in the process and eventually having to give up. Afraid she would loose more of her people!
At this point in time Sigyn and her sisters had grown into adulthood and as a peace offering, Odin forces Freya to make the difficult decision in promising to have some of her daughters get married to the Aesir.
Thinking that, through marriage and the offsprings they'd have, surely Freya wouldn't be able to keep the vanir's magic away from him. But she had plans up her sleeves.
Nanna was the first to marry, ending up with Odin's son Baldr and later having a son named Forseti. The only issue being that Nanna wasn't a sourseress and Freya had lied to Odin.
Resulting in Idunn being the next one to marry, who was actually a sorceress. She gets married to Odin's son Bragi and sadly the aesir were able to obtain Idunn's golden apples of immortality for their own gain, as her domain was over youth.
Because Idunn had acctually trusted the aesir and Odin had used her, she refused to try for children and her husband, Bragi loving her dearly respects that not wanting to try despite his fathers encouragements. That led the hopeful all-father to be enraged.
Feeling humiliated to be tricked by Freya the first time and now having to face stubborness, Odin instead chooses to give away Freya's remaining daughters to his most prized guards, instead of his sons.
One being a brave and young solider named Theoric, who Sigyn was soon to marry.
Sigyn was very much like her father, a hard worker with muscles of steel! She was passionate when it came to fighting techniques rather than magical skills.
So when Odin demanded that she and the rest of her sisters, who were not already sorceresses to join his wife Frigga's court and learn it, Sigyn was quite offended by it.
She wanted to become a Valkyrie more than anything, knowing that those positions were possible to join, but Odin refused to hear her out. Things only got worse when a certain prince started to play tricks on her as his adoptive mother taught the young ladies magic. It was Loki, the trickster god!
Sigyn never knew why she out of everyone in Frigga's court had to be the target. When little did she know Loki was very much intrigued by her, in all the ways.
They'd started off as enemies at first, like most because of Loki's behavior. But eventually through bonding over their strange family drama and similar lives, became pretty good friends!
Sadly, Loki had developed feelings for Sigyn, knowing from the very begging she would be eventually married off to Theoric. So he decided to not confess his feelings and instead ran off from Asgard.
Sigyn was understandably very confused and upset over her only friends disappearance and this actually affected her marriage, but decided to give Theoric a chance either way and bond like she had with Loki.
Apparently it payed off quite a bit as being a respected solider did not only get Sigyn place with the Valkyries but her and Theoric had something I'm common!!
So far life was getting better again and Sigyn's marriage was nothing but platonic, something she had made sure to voice very early on. Theoric being the good man he was obviously respected that and was eventually called out to battle.
Despite never loving Theoric that way, Sigyn did find herself quite nervous about what would happen to him and even had to admit she might've catched feelings for him.
But right when things only seemed to blossom for her, Theoric returns home and acts very odd from his usual happy self. Until it all makes sense when Loki reveals it was him the whole time, Sigyn was not only outraged at this but had so many questions.
And Loki would happily provide answers for her and fill on on everything she had been missing out on.
Loki had been so jealous he ran away and was planning on a way to actually confess to Sigyn despite her marriage. Luckily enough for him thought, he didn't even have to play a part in Theoric's sudden death as he had fallen in battle by his own doing.
Loki had only watched from afar.
After that Loki felt guilty, wishing he could've done something even if it would've been a very suspicious thing for him to do, considering he is a missing prince.
So he found comfort in one of the women warriors there, who had fought against Asgards army. Her name being Angrboda, someone he knew his adoptive family would never approve off and had children with her very recently.
But now people had seen Loki in Jotunheim with his little family, and it had been reported back to Odin in Asgard.
Loki admits he was selfish and apologized for not revealing himself sooner!
This would still leave Sigyn with a few questions though, had she gotten to know the real Theoric before his death or had that been Loki all along?
After taking these news surprisingly well and not freaking out as much as she, herself would've thought! Sigyn was unsure how to proceed and grieve, giving Loki his chance to rekindle their relationship.
He offers Sigyn the comfort she needs until she is ready to get back on her feet, never pushing to ask if she felt the same feelings towards him, after having confessed his attraction.
Once Sigyn feels better mentally, she let's the news of Theoric's death be known and his funeral is held. After even more support from her mother and sisters, Sigyn feels hopeful and Incuraged Loki to stop pretending and return to Asgard officially, with his new family!
Despite what Odin would think, because Sigyn wanted to see and meet them, she wanted to show how much she cared for them! Like Loki had cared her.
Loki was hesitant at first but tries his best and makes his grand return, proving to Odin that the news he had heard were true, Loki had made himself a family in Jotunheim.
This was the worst choice no one could've predicted, not even Loki and Sigyn. The next thing they knew, Angrboda was brought to Asgard with their children and treated horribly. When all Angrboda wanted was to fit in with the rest of the aesir gods.
Sigyn when she first saw Angrboda, knew she had to do everyhing in her power to protect that woman and her unique children.
Sigyn offers her home to be the familes as well and makes sure to care for Angrboda and their children daily! Quickly adapting to the fact that Hel needed constant skincare because of her skin condition that caused it to rot in certain places.
While two of their sons, Fenrir and Jormungandr were shapeshifters, meaning they took on other forms that weren't humanoid. Specifically a wolf and a snake.
Sigyn wanted nothing more than for them to feel as welcomed by her as possible, especially after what they had gone through to get to Asgard, and In return Angrboda gave something back. Forever grateful!
She reveals she was once a powerful witch and as a thank you offers to teach Sigyn magic, even more beyond what Frigga and the vanir was able to teach her.
This was the start of yet another blossoming relationship as Angrboda and Sigyn quickly bonded through the magic, the fact they both loved fighting in battles and hated Odin and the aesir for manipulating their people!
Now Sigyn wasn't only strong physically but even more skilled in magic. Able to heal fallen soldiers and help her fellow Valkyrie sisters on the battlefield! She even started to develop romantic feelings for both Angrboda and Loki herself.
Sadly happiness was never meant to last for them as Odin, soon reveals the nightmares that had been tormenting him, as well as seeing prophecies about Loki's children.
They were destined to destroy everything Odin had worked for, so to prevent this he tore apart the family. No matter how much Loki and Sigyn tried to comfort Angrboda, the poor anxious woman refused to let the old man win, only to be caught while trying to escape Asgard later that night.
Her children are forcefully taken away in the act and Angrboda puts up a fight, a battle to the death which results in her murder.
The giantess had fought as bravely as she did back when Loki had first seen her, refusing to give up on what she held so dear.
Not only was Loki heartbroken once he heard about the news, but so was Sigyn..demanding that they pay for what they did by at least, letting Loki keep something from this traumatic experience!
Odin taking slight pity on his adoptive son, still blamed Loki for everything that had lead up to this point. But either way was allowed to keep Hel, as the girl wouldn't be able to survive in her frail sickly state.
Yet took care of Fenrir and Jormungandr, their fates unknown to the remaining family.
Years later after grieving over their loss of Angrboda, Fenrir and Jormungandr. Loki and Sigyn while raising Hel together finally agreed to start a relationship, which ended up going so well for them that they tied the knot and got married not long after!
A few years later when Sigyn found out she was pregnant, she decided to resign as a Valkyrie after many eons of her service.
Wanting to focus on her growing family instead, especially since Loki had grown nervous for what could happen to their offspring as well. Would Odin take them?
Eventually after a lot of comforting, convincing and patience. Sigyn gave birth to two healthy twin boys that they named Narfi and Nari. Loki could never have been prouder and Hel, quickly adjusted to her new brothers entering her life.
Once Freya heard the news of her new grandsons, the old queen was overjoyed. In the past, when Forseti had been first born, at freya's request she asks Baldr and Nanna for permission to make him be the heir to her throne of vanaheim.
But Odin not wanting his perfect sons child to leave Asgard, refused to let the couple decide. Causing Freya to grow hopeless for her kingdoms future, as none of her daughters had mothered any children.
But now that Sigyn finally had, having twin sons! Freya felt like it was a blessing. Even if she didnt like Loki for his reputation, a part of her was thankful Sigyn had chosen Loki out of all, since Odin cared less about him and wouldn't suspect her to go for their children, to help her kingdom grow.
When reuniting with Sigyn, Freya asks to have one of her sons one day take over her throne and happily Sigyn and Loki both agree that it should happen, but that they should revisit this topic in the near future!
Over the years, as their children grew so did their personalites! Hel became a well behaved young lady but one to not be taking anything from anyone, she knew what she wanted..to be above Odin so she could decide things. So she could have control!
Vali was always a hyper and extroverted kid and showed excellent skill in magic, often trying to shape shift or create clones like Loki would. He admired his father!
Narfi unlike his brother was more calm and Introverted and skilled in magic as well, but wanting to be like his mother and learn how to heal and help people!
But suddenly a heartbreaking decision was made and Hel was sent off by to nifleheim once she was old enough to care for herself by Odin.
The young woman would rename the realm helheim, in her imagine and becomes a successful queen over the frozen and dead.
It was a difficult departure for all of them, but especially for the twins and Hel, as they were all very close and Hel still traumatized from the night her mother was killed.
Having to be reminded the same thing to when Odin had ordered Hel to leave, triggered Loki greatly and he wanted vengeance upon the man he once called father. He wanted to take something he held dear as well!
So for the first time in a long time he starts planning behind everyone's backs, even Sigyn's to insure she couldn't stop him.
So that she didn't have to worry about him! But the crime he would commit, causing Baldr's blind brother Hodr, to kill Baldr with a mistletoe arrow, after the beloved god also started to suffer from nightmares of his own death and prophecy.
When loki was eventually found out for his direct cause in the crime, he had officially caused the downfall of his family.
Brought to a cave, people wanting to kill him but unable to as he was a son of Odin, one of them. Odin to insure Loki would pay for the spilled blood, took his attention towards his twin sons. They took Vali and he was turned into a wolf, tearing apart poor Narfi.
Sigyn would be there to watch it all, be traumatized all over again watching someone she loved be killed.
When the whole ordeal was over, as she just fades and protects Loki from the serpants burning venom, that was now hanging above him. She prays to Hel to take care of their slained son Narfi and for Vali to have found a safe place to recover.
So as the couple awaited Ragnarok, Sigyn knowing very well she would fight to the death by Loki's side. Didn't know Vali had found Fenrir and jormungandr, being taken in by his older brothers and cared for, taught how to fight while in animal form.
Eventually learning how to control his abilities and turn into a boy again, then meeting up with the only person he could think of which was Freya, who he told everything and in return comforted him.
Meanwhile Narfi was welcomed by Hel in the underworld and became a god of life, thanks to his healing abilities, helping her aid the good dead in her underworld!
To be continued..
3 notes
·
View notes
You mentioned that you didn't like GW's treatment of certain individual Primarchs. What specifically didn't you like about that treatment?
Mortarion: Waiting until the last minute to consider giving him a consistent personality or set of motivations; using him as a cardboard villain while ignoring his personality/motivations; having everyone he fights break the laws of physics and the settings just so that every victory he has turns into a humiliating defeat.
Fulgrim: Constantly making "haha lol he gay and/or have sex too much what a slut amirite" jokes/stories about him (apparently this is partially a Graham McNeill problem??? He doesn't like Fulgrim or the Emperor's Children so he shits on him whenever he has a chance).
Alpharius/Omegon: claiming that everything they say is a lie and everything they do is a trick so I feel like they're boring be ause they're gimmicks instead of characters, but I get the impression this is the way their fans like it, so IDK.
Angron: Coming up with a backstory for him with a lot of plot holes they don't fill in a satisfying way. Why doesn't the Emperor save his gladiator brothers and sisters? "Well, he's a dick (when it's convenient to us for him to be one)." But that's such an onviously stupid thing to do? "[Shrug]" "Why don't they use medicine to remove the Butcher's Nails?" "Can't be cured by medicine." What about his literally divine father doing it instead? "Uh...he didn't think it was a good idea." Not doing that seems stupid, he's wasting a primarch and an entire legion by letting them go insane. "Well, he just didn't!" Why did he let Angron put nails in his sons' heads? "Well, he sent Leman to do that instead." Right, and when Leman decided not to stop Angron, why didn't he intervene instead? "..."
Angron's whole story is a bunch of characters, mostly the Emperor, deliberately acting stupid. Fans have had to fill the gaps ("an intelligent, de-Nailed Angron would have rebelled against E sooner." Which I think is true, and interesting! Much more interesting than what we got, which is the problem.
And finally, in general...failing to acknowledge the...well, the problems with declaring the entire Heresy to be solely the fault of the rebellious primarchs rather than the fault of the gods manipulating all of the primarchs. As fans have pointed out, all of the primarchs with shitty childhoods rebelled. And the personality problems that led them to rebel were all trauma responses to the suffering they went through. And yet, this is treated as if they were responsible for the way they reacted to the worlds they grew up in. Angron, Konrad, Mortarion, and Lorgar were survivors. And rather than giving them the help they needed to heal, the Emperor and the Gods of Chaos fucking used them, and then blamed them for the things that happened to them, making it seem as if the Primarchs didn't all have reasonable, logical reasons for the things they did and the sides they took. The continual demonization of them bothers me. The traitors did bad things. I'm not debating that. And they are responsible for their actions. But fans and GW try to make it sound like they were also responsible for the emotional responses they had to the world around them, and I don't think that's true. Most people cannot control their emotional responses to things, certainly not people with very little emotional resilience.
Besides, with how grimdark the setting is, and how the Emperor is portrayed, and the way the Emperor and Malcador talk about the primarchs during the Siege?
If they hadn't rebelled, I am 100% convinced that Angron, Konrad, and Mortarion, and probably Lorgar too, would have been executed at the end of the Great Crusade. "Put down" would probably be the phrase used, as if they were animals, as if they were expendable, as if what happened to them was regrettable but ultimately the Right Thing to Do. Some of the traitors were fighting for their fucking lives, and in the case of Lorgar and Mortarion, the lives of their sons as well.
And I'm upset that more people don't understand that, including the writers, who will write a beautiful story about a character and the hardships they endured and all the good things they did and accomplished and felt in spite of themselves in one story, only for the same author to turn around in the next book and make the character look like an unjustifiable monster. (I will keep that last bit vague, because the author I'm vaguing actually has a Tumblr account.)
So yeah. Hopefully that answers your question. Characters I like are written to be unlikeable and framed as monsters...the usual.
4 notes
·
View notes
I'm sorry to vent about something Owl House related again, I imagine you're getting sick of it by now, but
Maybe it's just cause I love Lilith, but the duel in Agony of a Witch kinda bothers me because it feels like it invalidates Lilith as an equal to Eda.
With Convention, it felt like Lilith, while often mocked, was Eda's equal. Their duel feels evenly matched, maybe with a slight edge to Eda because she plays dirty and Lilith doesn't, but in terms of sheer power they feel equal.
Then Agony of a Witch throws that out the window by showing that Eda is so much more powerful that she can be dying from her magic-draining curse and still kick Lilith's ass with no problem.
And I know it's satisfying to see a hero wreck a villain, but it has the side-effect of making Lilith no longer appear as a powerful character, which is made worse because her only "fights" from that point on are punching a racist (which is cool but not really "apex of arcane power") and getting one-shot by the Collector. Retroactively it takes Eda's relationship to Lilith from "plausible threat" to "Just humoring her"
and not to compare two bad bitches because I do love these shows, I think Amphibia did this better with King Andrias. Despite being knocked around on occasion, and having plenty of humiliating moments, Andrias retains his menace in part because he's never actually beaten by the heroes. At worst he gets blindsided before composing himself and returning to being terrifying.
I dunno, maybe I'm biased by I would've liked it if Lilith got to remain a badass instead of being reduced to just comic relief. Make her duel with Eda more even, and have Eda ultimately gain the upper hand through cheating, dirty tricks, and being more desperate
(I don't mind the TOH asks at all. No one has even asked about Willow yet somehow so to say there is so much more to talk about this show is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Honestly, I just wish people would also throw story concept pitches at me from time to time too so I can actually remind people that I do writing as well. XD Not that I expect to write those stories but just how would I handle them and what not.)
I think the problem is more that last paragraph you bring up than anything else. Mind you, I actually do agree that it would have been cool to see Eda's strengths being more in cheating and dirty tricks versus years of training and secret knowledge only able to be accessed by an EC coven head but… Man TOH just kind of pushes the idea that you're born gifted or not. There is no real inbetween in power for most people and that really sucks.
I don't think the fight in Agony of a Witch is bad though, mostly in that I see it more as the emotions Eda is channeling effectively is overclocking her. If Lilith could last even another minute, it wouldn't be the curse that beat Eda: It would be running out of magic. A candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long sort of thing which works well for the emotional climax that's supposed to be happening there. Narratively, it works well.
Also, while Lilith is the definitive loser there, she doesn't come off as weak. It just finally feels like we're getting to see what Eda could have been without the curse. Back in Covention, we see what she is because of it. Does that suck for how strong Lilith actually is? Yes but Eda is literally years younger than her and back in school this was the same case where Lilith could just see "Oh… I'm fucked because my sister is strong… For reasons." It works for S1's tone, leaning into issues with the fantasy genre honestly (but remember, Episode 2 said no chosen ones so shouldn't merit, you know… matter? How much effort you put in?) but…
Then we get to S2 and Lilith is FRUSTRATING for me in S2. She gets such a good first episode in S2 with handling no longer having magic, dealing with the loss of her place in the world, her ambitions shattered and making a new friend. She stumbles a bit during King's episode but hey, it's okay for a character to be comedic for one episode. And she get's to actually represent the curse in Affearances!… Before being a joke for the rest of the episode about mommy issues until she turns into the Owl Beast.
And then when we see her next she has fully transitioned into "Look at me! I'm as bad as Hooty! Take me seriously? DON'T YOU DARE!" And it is… awful. There's no two ways around it. People go "Oh, but it's returning to better days for he-" No. No it's not. Every single portrayal of young Lilith wasn't funny or about history or anything like that. She was a driven young girl who wanted to be the best witch she could. She wanted to be the top of the class. She took pride in her effort and success. She had ambition and was more serious than her sister.
And now she's a complete joke. A complete joke that claims to have been bad at her job, even though she seemed so happy anytime she was inspiring people, mentoring them, seemed more than competent if not just amazing. She was the head of the Emperor's Coven and she seemed to deserve that position.
And then they did literally nothing with her in regards to that. There is a slight nod to the concept of her wanting to strike back at Belos for the lies and damage he'd done to her but it's instead framed as just a prank and kindness to Eda. Because that Scrying Spell should have been the start of her real arc. Her wanting to get back at the man who wasted so much of her life and learning that devoting one's self to only a single goal is unhealthy no matter what.
Personally, I still wish Lilith had harnessed Luz's anger about the petrification, the coven system, Belos, etc. and helped her be a rebel LOOOONG before Hollow Mind. Trying to be her new mentor in how to take down Belos and possibly corrupting Luz with her own anger and fixations until something goes wrong and both are taught to be more reasonable. To actually lean on others. To not only fixations.
Or, I dunno, we could entirely ignore the fact that Belos tried to murder three of them and wants into the human realm and instead just focus on a bad but sad boy who's now a main character instead of the SISTER OF EDA AND NOW REDEEMED VILLAIN LILITH.
When people tell me more time would have made the show better, shit like this makes me go, "No," because the writers had no focus, no idea of how to actually follow up their plot or character hooks and it's just a complete, fucking mess.
A mess that makes me very sad because focus could have made it so much more amazing than it was. Could have made it rival Avatar. But I guess you wouldn't get "Cool Aunt Lilith" so who am I to complain?
12 notes
·
View notes