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wheneclipsefalls · 8 months

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Ma Neteyam pt.14

Do me a favor y'all and let you me know what you think of this chapter. For some reason I really struggled to feel satisfied with it, constantly obsessing over whether or not it turned out ok. I could really use some feeback right now. Love you! <3

Part 13 I Masterlist I AO3

Pairing: Omega Neteyam (20 yrs old) x Alpha Male OC

Synopsis: The days following Neteyam's heat don't go as planned.

Warnings: aged up characters, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, mentions of smut MDNI, male x male, omegaverse, power imbalance, omega/alpha dynamics, gore, blood, injury, trauma, anxiety, etc.

The next few days were a jumbled mess, hardly conceivable for Kxolo who at least had half a mind left in the midst of heightened lust. He was drawn between sleeping, fucking, and small moments where he had enough sense to care for his omega. The days blurred together.

The sweet essence of his mate was quick to intoxicate him into a one track mind focus. The experience reminded him of the days he spent as a youth drinking the strong liquor with his friends for the first time and waking up in the morning with a spotty memory. This, however, left him bone-tired yet still yearning for more.

Neteyam was implacable, waking up every couple of hours with wandering hands and whining pleas. Naturally he was more than happy to help his needy little mate, but by day three he was starting to feel the physical toll it had on his body. The two would collapse upon the disastrous jumble of fabric that used to be a nest and Kxolo waned in the afterburn of overworked muscles.

Regardless, a word of complaint never left the alpha’s lips. One look at the sleeping boy curled up against his side and the Olo’eyktan knew his exhaustion was nothing in the light of his poor omega’s fatigue. Kxolo vowed to endlessly tire himself out pleasing his omega if it meant keeping Neteyam curled by his side forever. He, however, did worry for Neteyam as the days flew by. It took considerable persuasion to get any sort of food and water in the stubborn omega’s system. Some days required a creative bargain to placate him, promises of filling his tight hole in exchange for finishing the water and fruit prepared for him.

When those bargains still resulted in a pouting omega that constantly tried to get a hand under Kxolo’s loincloth, the Olo’eyktan would change his deal to a well spanked ass as reward for not taking all of the food like a good boy. One way or another, Neteyam always ended up begrudgingly eating his food as fast as possible.

Truth be told, Kxolo was oftentimes surprised that he was able to put a stern foot down in these situations. He had never experienced such an insatiable lust in his life before. Even his periodic ruts gave him desires that seemed easier to quench. Naturally he figured it would do with their destined bond, making him wonder what would happen the next time his own rut would come around. He knew if it was the same level of temptation to put health and wellness aside in favor of sexual gratification, he was in for a long ride.

The one time they were able to bathe had required Kxolo sneaking Neteyam out to the lake while the omega was fast asleep. It was only when the first rush of water brushed Neteyam’s skin that he awoke with a spew of whines. The entire experience was almost laughable as the omega alternated between pouting angrily and trying to kiss along the Olo’eyktan’s body. He had to admit, there were times that the boy’s bratty attitude was endearing. The excursion, however, did not end as anticipated, the smaller male somehow managing to trip Kxolo and straddle his lap.

“You really like to push your luck, Ma Neteyam.” Kxolo ground out, but it was more of an amused chuckle than a warning. Neteyam didn’t miss a beat, reaching down to stroke his mate’s twitching member.

“You said this belongs to me, no?” Neteyam’s voice came out surprisingly stronger than Kxolo expected after all of the screaming the boy had been producing.

“I did say that.”

“Then let me have it.” Neteyam insisted, already lining the head up to his entrance.

For the first time, Kxolo was momentarily rendered speechless. Concerns for hygiene evaporated as he couldn’t resist watching Neteyam ride him, large hands guiding the boy through it, slowly teaching him the best way to take him. That spit fire attitude along with the tight velvet walls of Neteyam’s hole had him throbbing and ready to burst in record time.

Kxolo couldn’t help himself from constantly checking the treeline for passerbys. The floral scent wafting from his mate had him on high alert for other individuals creeping in through the entirety of Neteyam’s presentation. Fucking up into him at the edge of the lake, Kxolo worried that an unlucky stumbling male wouldn’t just get a few hisses but rather the full wrath of a possessive alpha on edge. It’s hard to say whether or not his small omega would be able to save a stranger from such a situation.

They left the lake almost as dirty as they came, but Kxolo couldn’t find it in himself to care. The omega would be lucky to make it home before finding his hole dripping with a new round of cum.

Kxolo’s most complexing and yet entertaining discovery was the use of Neteyam’s second language. It came in the heat of the moment, Kxolo’s lips wrapped around his small cock as the boy cried and whined, his small wrists caught in one of the Olo’eyktan’s hands to keep him from reaching for tsaheylu. At first, he had beamed around the shaft, satisfied that his omega was already babbling literal gibberish. However, when a particular word had rained from the boy’s lips over and over, the older male’s ears twitched to try and make sense of the sound.

The frequency increased until half the words Neteyam would scream during heightened cries spread into wider vowels; it was impossible for it to be Na’vi. He often forgot there was another dialectic swimming in the omega’s brain. The alpha wondered if it ever felt strange to speak exclusively Na’vi within this clan.

Kxolo tried to find the meaning of these passing words, but Neteyam was either too far gone or too stubborn to give any translations. He promised himself to get it out of the boy someday, perhaps some edging would make him more agreeable. The alpha tucked away the idea for later. His main concerns for the week were satiating Neteyam and keeping the boy from forming tsaheylu while he slept.

It was borderline impressive how persistent and clever Neteyam had been in trying to form their bond. If there was one thing Kxolo had learned about the omega it was that Neteyam had a knack for finding an angle and exploiting it to get the desired results. Or at least, he never stopped trying. After the third time of waking up to Neteyam messing with his Kuru, seconds away from creating a bond, Kxolo had decided it was time to take precautionary measures.

The Olo’eyktan’s hand ached from the countless hours of sleep where he held the boy’s small wrists together tightly. He had been tempted to use a smooth rope but the moment the soft twine was revealed Neteyam was blabbering promises of being good. All it took was a few tears from those shining eyes for Kxolo to decide he could handle holding his wrists for a few more days.

On the fifth morning Kxolo awoke on his own volition and not to the feel of small hands struggling to get out. Wrist still clamped in the Olo’eyktan’s grip, Neteyam was sprawled out beside him, body twisted in a fashion that made the alpha cringe. It was a wonder how the boy managed to contort himself into the strangest positions during his slumber. Hesitantly, he let the boy’s wrists go. They dropped like dead weight.

Neteyam looked dead to the world, tailed curled around his own thigh as soft breaths blew from his pouty lips. Kxolo was content to watch the boy for a while longer, trying to analyze whether or not his presentation had fully passed. There was a new tang to the boy’s essence, but it was misted over by his own overwhelming scent mixed in. A proud smile curled at the edges of his lips.

As it should be Kxolo mentally affirmed.

He traced one fingertip gently along the boy’s vertebrae. Neteyam’s tail lashed out, tickling at the alpha’s nose. Tickling touches laced the omega’s back and sides, slowly coercing him to awaken from slumber. Kxolo was patient, murmuring his name softly, watching the boy’s ears twitch as the only form of acknowledgment. It was a stark contrast to the marathon of pounding him into oblivion. There was still a tinge of desire lacing his lower stomach, but the Olo’eyktan held it at bay.

Beneath the overwhelming perfume of their mixed scents, Kxolo could just barely make out the essence of calm washing over the omega. He was content. Exhausted, but content.

“Ma Neteyam.” He whispered, breath catching the wispy hair at the base of Neteyam’s neck. His tail swatted against the ground, giving away his feigned sleeping. “We can’t stay here forever, my love.”

“Why not?” Neteyam spoke, lips barely parting to create anything close to tangible words.

Kxolo grinned, finally pulling the omega backwards to spoon him from behind. His own tail naturally twisted around the omega’s ankle, tracing soft patterns on the skin there. It was a tempting fantasy, staying here while the rest of Pandora continued on to figure out its own problems.

“I suppose I could keep you here. Keep my precious little omega locked away in my hut, ready and willing to take me whenever I desire.” Neteyam’s huffed laugh coalesced with the alpha’s playful growl, sharp teeth nipping at the back of his neck.

“And let you go out and have all the fun? What if you are my prisoner for a change?”

Kxolo’s eyes twinkled with delight. Instinctively, his arms tightened around the male’s middle.

“Seems only fair at this point.” Neteyam insisted. Their legs tangled together lazily, the remnants of cum sticky along their skin. Face pressed against the nape of his neck, Kxolo’s nostrils flared as he breathed in his scent as if it was the only breathable oxygen left on Pandora.

He turned the omega to face him before surrendering his own wrists to the boy.

“Then take me now, omega.” Kxolo was certain there was nothing more beautiful than the wide toothy grin that Neteyam sent him in return. Small giggles threatened to escape the younger male’s throat, but he kept it at bay. The wrists were snatched by smaller hands that struggled to cinch around them completely. Neteyam playfully yanked on them, causing a deep chuckle to rumble from the alpha.

“You may find, however, that I don’t cause as much trouble as you, little one.” Kxolo’s smirk never dropped even as he lifted his arms to protect himself from Neteyam’s weak hits. Laughter bubbled between the two, legs intertwining and wrestling for the upperhand.

Despite his aching muscles, the Olo’eyktan’s strength still greatly outmatched that of his bone tired omega. He caught the small boy’s wrists, pinning them against the floor before straddling that slim waist and crashing his lips down feverishly on Neteyam’s.

All remnants of struggle melted into preening arched movements from Neteyam. Their tongues danced in perfect rhythm as the alpha kissed the daylights out of him. Kxolo bit at the bottom lip when he could smell the familiar scent of slick leaking down his omega’s leg. When they finally broke apart, Neteyam’s eyes were dilated and breath heavy.

“Alpha-”

“You need to heal, Neteyam. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Neteyam huffed in protest but apparently was too tired to fight back. It only took a few steps on shaky legs for Neteyam to almost fall out of the tree, therefore landing himself in Kxolo’s arms for the rest of the trek to the lake. Although his inner alpha slightly whined at having to wash away the visual claim, Kxolo meticulously scrubbed at the boy’s skin till all remnants of white were gone. Luckily, he was satisfied to find that their mixed perfume had remained evermore obvious.

The simple act of putting on clothes again felt foreign after days of primarily nudity. The weight of his carefully carved knife sheathed in its holster held a more present weight than he could recall. The bright side was that with some proper persuasion, the Olo’eyktan managed to convince Neteyam to adorn some traditional color of his clan. The sight made him swell in pride, grin only widening even more when the boy wordlessly added the waist beads.

“She is expected to return soon. Surely that will take some of the edge off.” Leynyey assured the young Na’vi girl. Vamai already knew first hand that Pulo was a tough trainer. She could easily imagine him running the poor girl through the reps endlessly, especially with the absence of his own mate on a foraging trip. Vamai herself was growing tired of Pulo’s constant presence.

Usually Neteyam’s petty dislike of Pulo was enough to grant Vamai and the Sully boy some proper alone time. However, it had been days since word of Neteyam’s presentation had surfaced and without Neteyam or Epok’s company, the task of keeping the other alpha entertained had somehow fallen to her. To say Vamai was growing restless would be an understatement.

Leynyey continued to carefully weave feathers into the younger Na’vi female’s hair as Vamai absent mindedly prepared the poison arrows carefully. Vamai had always felt a bit outside of the inner circle, especially when it came to her own gender, but listening to their endless chatter was a welcomed distraction from worrying about Neteyam. Five days was not a ridiculous or unusual amount of time for presentations to last. Some newly presented omegas were cooped up in their huts for an entire week. Vamai herself regretted the length of her own.

Cold but hot. Burning and empty. Shivering across the soft surface of a secluded hut, one that was not meant for her. It was meant for them. Dark webs of these memories cloud her mental presence without permission.

She shook her head, mentally flinging all residue of that dark time from her brain. Dwelling on the past would get her nowhere. She had learned. She had evolved. Nothing beyond that was important.

To her dismay, however, Vamai had found that her inner omega took comfort in shifting her thoughts towards the other Sully son. The same male that had given her the best orgasm of her life on a whim. The same who wouldn’t stop trying to contact her through the weird necklace. Although Neteyam's absence was the perfect time to adorn the piece without a hint of suspicion, she had held off. It was kept safely tucked away in her baskets, hoping to muddle any unexpected sounds while her parents were home. She hadn’t blatantly been ignoring the male, but the omega oftentimes let his calls drift off until he had given up.

On her weaker nights, she had answered. Only with short words and snide comments, but enough to keep Lo’ak chatting away. It was difficult to say whether he was making up for her own short answers or if he was simply that talkative. He spoke of his family and duties mostly. He had learned within the first day that any mention of what happened at the waterfall would result in immediate disconnection. Memories of that day still added to the regular program of Lo’ak lacing her dreams, but explicitly talking about it would be too much.

Occasionally he would ask about Neteyam, wondering how he was holding up. A tinge of panic would race through her heart at the mere mention of the omega. She didn’t require a specific request from the Olo’eyktan to know that sharing the news of Neteyam’s presentation with his family would not be appreciated. Luckily, her clipped and vague response was nothing out of the ordinary for these conversations.

Part of her expected him to give up, finding these interactions unsatisfactory. Still, he continued to persevere. Vamai lamented that her nature sent a wave of relief when his smirky voice echoed through her room every night. She fought the urge to answer immediately. A few nights she was stubborn enough to not answer at all, but those bursts of strengthened resolve were fleeting. Inevitably, her hand would on its own accord reach into the basket and grab the strange sky people tech with practiced familiarity.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to see Olo’eyktan till the end of the week.”

Vamai’s head snapped up, focus finally coming back to the present moment. Sure enough, off in the distance Neteyam could be spotted shyly walking next to their Olo’eyktan. Relief flooded her system, legs carrying her towards the other omega without conscious thought. Every other clan member was ignored and dodged as she bounded towards her best friend.

Neteyam nearly toppled over when Vamai sprung at him, jumping up to reach her arms around the taller omega. Thankfully, Kxolo was there stabilizing his mate within a second. She veered back slightly, but only to ensure that the boy’s already shaking legs wouldn’t collapse beneath him.

“Oh my Eywa! Never leave me with these skxawngs again!” Her grip was merciless, causing Kxolo to shift slightly closer, but Neteyam only laughed at her antics. Still, Vamai could feel the heavy gaze of an anxious alpha holding back the urge to sweep his mate away again. She squeezed him that much tighter, until the distinct smell of Kxolo bombarded her senses.

She pulled back and scrunched her nose.

“Don’t you think you overdid it a little?” Vamai sneered at her Olo’eyktan. While Neteyam’s ears twitched and cheeks tinted pink, Kxolo only grinned down at the small female proudly with crossed arms. “I mean my Eywa, putting a baby inside of him would’ve been a lesser effect.”

“Ok that’s enough.” Neteyam groaned, fighting the urge to cover his reddening complexion.

“Well I thought you would want to spend some time with my mate, but I’d be happy to take him off your hands if it bothers you so much.” Kxolo was already snaking both arms around the boy’s waist and pulling him back into his hard chest. He glowed with the arrogance and pride of a mated alpha. Vamai supposed she couldn’t expect anything less from an alpha still experiencing the lingering effects of omega presentation. She shot forward, snatching Neteyam away roughly. There was no telling how long Kxolo would keep him if given the chance and Vamai was not interested in finding out.

“Don’t be so selfish.” Her bared teeth glimmered in the sunlight. Although reluctant, Kxolo’s grip loosened before finally parting from his mate. A few words of salutations were whispered affectionately followed by a prolonged kiss, that was sure to have more tongue than necessary, before the Olo’eyktan strode off to join the hunting party.

Vamai wasted no time in corralling the other omega away from the clan members. They naturally fell into stride along the familiar path that led towards the small river. Teasing comments easily left her lips, amused by the faint glow of embarrassment that Neteyam’s face still held. It was endearing and amusing to see how shy the boy insisted on being.

However, when the conversation steered away from his presentation and the explicit acts that he and the Olo’eyktan had performed, Neteyam was surprised to find that Vamai didn’t immediately reel it back. She indulged his curiosity about the last few days, complaining about Pulo’s annoying badgering mixed with the boring conversations held by the other clan women. As always, Vamai spoke with a vibrancy and energy that left Neteyam exhausted, but he could sense a missing passion in each of her short stories.

They lounged along the river, this time Neteyam joined her in sprawling out over the shallow waters rushing along the colorful rocks. Gentle breezes and trickling water down her back sweetly cooled Vamai’s skin. They lay there for a while, staring up at the canopy of trees creating intricate shadows over the landscape. It was comfortable, even relaxing. However, Vamai could not stop herself from peeking over at the boy from the corner of her eyes periodically.

Neteyam preened under the golden sunlight with closed eyes and an evenly rising and falling chest that made her question whether or not he was asleep. Possessive marks and bites littered his skin. That was expected, but her reaction wasn’t.

Vamai’s chest tightened as her golden eyes danced over the marks left in a seemingly intimate fashion. Although her first habit was to imagine these marks as possessive branding left in an aggressive heat driven fashion, her mind couldn’t help but conjure sweet images of kind words whispered between those visual reminders of mating. And with Neteyam breathing in the sunlight with the satisfaction and peace of an omega who desired nothing more in the world, it was impossible to spin it any other way.

“What are you looking for?” His eyes didn’t open, but she averted her own.

“Nothing.”

He finally peeked through narrowed slits, studying his friend with a diligence that made her look away. Vamai clumsily grappled for a handful of colorful rocks in the rivers and began to roll them absent mindedly against her palm.

“We didn’t bond.”

She could hear the swish of water, indicating Neteyam sitting up and scooting closer.

“That’s good, right? Isn’t that what you were worried about?”

“Yeah…it’s good.”

The awkward tension filling the space flipped her stomach into constant summersaults. The rocks dug into the soft flesh of her palms. Electricity buzzed at her nerves, a constant temptation to run off into the treeline. She prayed to Eywa that Neteyam could not sense her sudden apprehension. However, those sparks singed her from the inside until it felt that the only release would be to spit out the words lodged in her throat.

“You are ok, though, right?” Vamai’ neck strained at the sudden snap turn. Neteyam blinked back at her, bewildered. “You can tell me honestly.”

Neteyam stilled under her focused attention, eyes darting cautiously along her expression.

“I actually feel a lot better.”

“Than during your presentation, yeah of course-”

“No, better than before it.”

Vamai’s tail curled in the air, ears twitching anxiously. Neteyam shifted slightly and rubbed at the back of his neck with a sigh but to her surprise, he didn’t back down from the statement.

“It’s hard to explain but…” Vamai jerked slightly when a sudden burst of energy had Neteyam shuffling to his knees and facing her properly. “Before it just felt like that voice at the back of my head was a constant annoyance, like some force of nature that worked against my own free will. It’s disorienting and confusing and always bashing in my skull, or at least it was.”

She knew that feeling all too well. Omega instincts were nothing to underestimate, something she had come to accept.

“And now, it’s less restless. Like it’s been satiated. I can understand the origin of thoughts and desires but they are easier to pick through, easier to comprehend. I suppose that’s what fully presenting is, getting rid of the fight between yourself and your nature. You know what I mean?” He nudged her softly with an eased smile.

Vamai’s own lips felt physically pained to send him one in return.

“Yeah, right.”

Her thoughts turned clumsily with an unleashed vitality. Cold chills raced along her vertebrae as she watched him beam. She wondered if it was wrong to agree with him, to let him think that these feelings were simply effects of omega presentation. It was slightly unnerving to watch him speak of the event with such fondness and relief. Surely, the sexual pleasure and release was not to be underestimated but it was the way he rambled on about alignment with his nature that left a heavy weight on her chest.

The longer he babbled happily about it, the heavier it became. The tangible strain of smiling and nodding along increased tenfold. His words tangled with her own racing thoughts that constantly worked to decipher the situation. They bounced against the inner walls of her skull until it was throbbing, until it felt as if it was on the brink of shattering.

“Vamai.” Reality snapped back into place. “I’m boring you.” Neteyam half heartedly huffed a laugh, but there was no mistaking the concern swimming along his features.

“Of course not.” It didn’t ring true in her own ears and judging by Neteyam’s grimace, there was little hope that he believed her either. Her fingers twisted through the colorful frayed strings of her loincloth, expelling the smallest amount of the zapping electricity. The gaze of sunlight upon her azure skin suddenly felt penetrating, eating away at her until a bead of sweat trickled from her forehead down the slope of her soft cheek. So much for subtly.

“I know that your presentation was different.”

Different.

Curled up alone in a miserable ball of grief and pain, tortured by her own nature. Cursing the name of Eywa for five days, while searching for relief from the aching fire that consumed everything in its wake. The cold slab of the cave floor a hollow and empty contrast to the embrace that she had grown accustomed to. The arms that were meant to be holding her dearly, soothing away every morsel of pain and desire.

Different is one way to describe it.

If only he knew.

“Maybe I should be a little more sensitive-”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Nete.” She sprung to her feet, focusing on shaking the remains of water away from her thighs instead of the threatening wall of tears behind glazed eyes. “I’m not a baby. I can handle getting the inside scoop. In fact, I encourage it.”

As if caught in a steel trap, her eyes were forced to calmly peer down at the boy. His own tail was around his hip. She couldn’t tell if it was a sign of apprehension or rather pity, but either option caused her stomach to flip.

“I know…It’s just you don’t really talk about it that much.”

She knew this story. Knew how it was going to play out. The looks of sympathy, the casually thrown promises of better days. All just shields to the uncomfortable pity that other Na’vi don’t know what to do with. Simply masks that were worn to show support and comfort, while secretly thanking the Great Mother that their misfortune was not as drastic. If only they knew how transparent their feelings truly were.

Followed by the initial cheer of relief, each familiar face had been painted with those masks upon the morning of her return. Family and friends had constantly reached out, eager to put a hand of consolation on her shoulder or share personal remedies and advice. Kxolo himself had visited almost every day after the occurrence, feverishly promising assistance, or revenge depending on his mood.

Time had passed. The well-meaning, yet nagging, soothing had slowed until finally ceasing. Still, those looks continued. Her story lived on in the whispered conversations racketing along the clan in her absence, voices dripped in a somber tone.

Neteyam was immune to this, blissfully unaware and therefore holding the capacity to treat her like every other Na’vi.

Her best friend for a reason.

Vamai’s saving grace came in the form of a panting beta, rushing through the greenery with dilated pupils and a heavy chest. Dread fell over the pair. His presence penetrated the atmosphere brashly, swarming Vamai’s initial feelings of relief into a bundle of anxiety at his appearance. She recognized him as Lanil, one of the newer betas joining the hunting party after finally passing his Iknimaya.

Twin tails perked in alert, watching the male with emploring eyes.

“The hunting party returned but Olo’eyktan-”

Neteyam was gone, racing through the trees with frantic urgency before the male could finish.

The healer’s tent was bursting at the seams with Na’vi. The crowd suffocated the outer walls, only shooed away by the young healers in training. A tunnel was forced through the crowd only to allow healers rushing in and out of the hut, carrying baskets of plants and ointments. It was the blood staining their hands, however, that had bile threatening to crawl up Neteyam’s throat.

The omega didn’t have to push through the crowd, to his horror they parted for him till he had breached the entrance. Out of respect as Olo’eyktan’s mate or out of sympathy, he couldn’t tell. Although he had rushed to the tent with a speed that had his joints aching, peeking through the gap in the tent, Neteyam found his feet planted to the muddy soil.

The sliver of sunlight illuminating the musky tent only revealed a peak of blue skin, nothing to indicate his mate’s wellbeing. Kxolo’s natural essence was woven too tightly with those of strangers and gushing blood. Who’s blood though? It was a smell that Neteyam had grown well accustomed to. However, back home it was commonly tinged with the perfume of gunpowder and a metallic undertone. It had always twisted his stomach into knots, urging him to check for injuries among his father and mother. Now, however, it rendered him stagnant.

He swore that Eywa herself had strung an entanglement of roots and vines as a binding for his feet to the forest floor.

“Neteyam, you can come in.” Tsahik poked her head through the sliver of an opening coaxing him inside with a rushed wave of her palm. He followed reluctantly, but she was across the length of the hut too fast for him to keep up.

Thick permeated air of smoke and herbal clouds weighed heavy in his lungs. Nai’vi warriors were sprawled across the expanse of the hut. Groans of pain emitted from younger warriors as wounds were patched and sewn while the elder stubbornly suffered in silence. Shriveled into himself, Neteyam trudged along, carefully directed himself around the thrashing tails and rushing healers.

The scream that broke loose was toe curling. It cut through the atmosphere with a merciless slice, causing a squeak to fall from his lips as the omega shuffled and tripped on his own feet.

It was then that familiar hands caught him from behind, slowly lowering him to sit.

A small sound echoed in his throat at the sight of his mate very much alive and not the male screaming beyond the curtain. With a quivered lip and the inability to form words that made sense in the situation, Neteyam geared his energy towards looking over the alpha for serious injuries. Patches of purple and dark blue littered his skin, broken up by small cuts, but they were minor. The only serious injury was the deep wound under his back shoulder blade that a small Na’vi girl worked on patching diligently.

“You’re ok.”

Kxolo simply grunted in response, eyes barely flashing to meet Neteyam’s for a moment. He sat motionless, still as the stone that Neteyam and his siblings used to jump off of and into the river. Although the girl rubbed a generous amount of ointment along the open wound, he never flinched.

“Who let you in here?” The gruff rumble of his voice cut brashly. The deep ember of calming affection had dissipated from his irises, leaving only a vacant stare in its place. Kxolo was already moving to shuffle the omega out of the tent, protests erupting from his healer. “I’m fine. Go home, Neteyam.”

“B-but-”

A shrilling scream whipped at the wind once more, cascading a shiver down Neteyam’s spine. Kxolo didn’t flinch, showed no visual signs of recognition but every muscle tensed and locked into place, the veins of his hands protruding from his tightening grip. A small beta sprinted from behind the curtain, blood scattered along her forearms and hands that held an empty basket firmly. Eyes followed her form till it had been swallowed by the tent’s closing flap.

“Olo’eyktan…I’m finished.” The small beta behind him quietly spoke, eyes meeting with Neteyam’s for a moment. He searched her expression for answers, foolishly hoping to find an account of today’s events and how it had led to such bloodshed. An explanation as to where the kind glow in his mate’s eyes had gone.

“Go home.” Kxolo’s voice came out as a distant whisper this time, body curling forward towards the mysterious curtain that hid a gory scene. Just watching his looming frame edge closer to the fabric made Neteyam’s knees shake. Images of wounds and shrapnel embedded in skin invaded his mind. Unwanted visuals that haunted Neteyam’s mind as memories, ones never meant to have been obtained.

Kxolo on the other hand took long strides laced with firm determination across the space. Although his head was not held as high as usual, the Olo’eyktan never looked down. Dark orbs staring straight ahead, ready to face whatever horrors awaited him behind that thin wall of protection.

A sudden burning to follow emerged. Neteyam wanted to warn him, to reel him back from scenes that can never be unseen. Memories that linger like smoke in the air, deeply seated in your lungs until there is no more room for fresh air. Having Toruk Makto, the mighty warrior and defeater of Sky People, for a father is a matter of fate. It can’t be escaped because it was strung into his destiny before Neteyam’s first breath. Eywa choses where we weave into the fabric of other’s lives. Neteyam couldn’t avoid seeing these griefs, but he could protect Kxolo.

The wailing grew intensely, the weight of heavy dread in the air sinking down onto everyone within earshot.

Neteyam’s hand just barely reached to circle around one of Kxolo’s wrists gently before his broad frame split the soft fabric. Less than two steps, however, and Neteyam realized he wouldn’t have to tug the male back after all.

“You are not needed here.” Tsahik braced an arm across his chest, backing him up until fully out of the secluded space. Kxolo planted his feet, but didn’t dare push back in resistance. Curious gazes fell upon the throuple.

“He is my student, I’m helping.”

“And now he lies among my wounded, under my care. You will only get in the way. Go home and rest.”

“Rest.” Kxolo scoffed, nose scrunching up to reveal the tips of his canines. Tsahik was neither bothered nor dettered by the attitude. The undivided attention from those around made Neteyam squirm and tighten his hold on the alpha’s wrist, but he didn’t allow himself to snuggle close for comfort as he desired. Not when he was caught in the midst of a showdown between the clan’s Tsahik and Olo’eyktan. Unspoken murmurs morphed into a frozen tension locking everyone in place, the only sound continuing being that of the injured Na’vi behind the curtain.

Were it not for his concern for Kxolo, Neteyam would’ve shrunk away, convinced that this was business between the clan’s leaders and not for him. He had been shooed out of enough conversations between his grandmother and father to know his place by now.

“Neteyam, take him home please.”

All eyes landed on him. He went to protest, to explain that this was not his place to speak out, but that sentiment didn’t seem to hold true anymore. He did have a role to play in this scene now. He was the Olo’eyktan’s mate, or at least in the eyes of the people he was. Tsahik’s pointed eyes softened upon falling on Neteyam. The slightest jerk of her head and whip of her tail finally gave the omega the encouragement needed to start tugging again.

Another mewl rang through the air.

“Get some rest.” She soothed, placing a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. The muscles of his back tightened visibly. “I will keep you updated on any progress.”

“Kxolo.” He pleaded.

Void of any reaction, the Olo’eyktan’s feet finally began to trudge backwards. Tsahik didn’t wait around to see her orders followed, slipping back past the curtain. The crowd parted for them outside the tent, some curious gazes looking for signs of serious injuries on their Olo’eyktan. Neteyam dared to peek back at the male only to find a stoic expression sunk into place. Eyes dead straight forward, Kxolo maintained a steady pace behind him.

Halfway home Neteyam finally realized that he was holding dead weight in his grip, an unnecessary urging to get his mate home, but he dared not drop it. His smaller fingers held tighter, cherishing their one point of contact. His hindbrain weeped and begged him to snuggle close, to encircle the male in his arms till that shine and affectionate smile would return. Still, all he could bring himself to focus on was making it back to their hut. Back to the place where answers could be received.

That is, if he wanted them.

If he wanted to know what had happened on such a short hunt to reduce his alpha into a shell of what he was that morning. The rays of a proud beaming alpha had dissipated into darkness. Netyam felt his own giddy feelings wash away with every glance he sent back at the stoic man.

Kxolo remained silent as he sat on the woven floor of their home. Although his back was straight as a rod, showing forth the confidence and surety of a true leader, Neteyam couldn’t help but see an invisible deflation. Only the slow occasional blinks over those sunken eyes showed Kxolo was awake.

“I’m sorry if I scared you.”

No explanation, no words or traces of comfort.

Neteyam sunk down onto his knees behind him, hands hesitantly placing themselves along those broad shoulders. Blood seeped through the thick bandage upon his left shoulder blade. Neteyam’s fingertips barely grazed the leathery texture of the leaf bandage. Pushing away the tangled braids, the omega fitted his face against the nape of his neck, breathing in the familiar scent.

It was tainted with riddle emotions. Dark edges clouding over the affectionate acceptance of his touch. Neteyam’s nose crinkled before softly resting his chin upon Kxolo’s shoulder. His expression remained stoic.

“What happened?”

No matter how long the silence stretched, Neteyam forced himself to sit into it. His fingers twitched along the smooth skin of his mate’s upper biceps, but he waited patiently for an answer. Solutions were hard to come by without knowing the problem. However, watching the grimace slink across the Olo’eyktan’s face, he had a fair idea of what emotion plagued him.

“A miscalculation.”

His tail lay lifeless across the woven floor. Neteyam’s own followed suit subconsciously. Somehow he managed to piece together an attitude of patience even as questions bombarded and swirled around his every thought. That frazzled energy was concentrated and expressed through simple touches along Kxolo’s shoulders and back. So fragile and light it could’ve been mistaken as a ghostly breeze. He didn’t know if it made any difference for his mate of stone as he drew idle circles along the warm skin, but it made his own heart beat slow down into a peaceful rhythm.

These actions felt familiar, almost practiced, although more times than not it was his alpha creating imaginary drawings along his form instead of the other way around. Nevertheless, his hindbrain purred and settled with every stroke, relaxing into the heat of his skin.

“The angtsik were meant to be at the drinking hole this time of day. The stampede was there and gone within an instant. Got most of the others relatively out of the way. Sian was less lucky.” He spoke as if in a trance, a flash of memory skating along his eyes. Still, he never turned; never let his rigid posture loosen.

Unfortunately it was a countenance that Neteyam not only recognized but knew first hand from himself. The weight of responsibility constantly pressed against his chest. Outcomes and solutions would never erase the horror of knowing that the origin of problems lied with you. That you could’ve stopped a misfortune but now the opportunity was lost.

“It’s not your fault.” Words that had been repeated to him over and over by his sister and grandmother, yet they could never hold the power necessary.

There were no magic phrases or string of poetic lines that could seep into one’s being until it had finally been accepted as truth. Loved ones had tried, reaching out for heart to heart conversations while he sat along the small river; his hideout. He knew then that nothing could be said to erase the blackened mark on his record with every mistake. Some days words of comfort brought forth a tinge of annoyance, as if no one could understand that the damage had been done. Every mistake saddled him with weighted guilt and reminders of his shortcomings.

Now, sitting here on the other side of the glass, Neteyam could finally understand the helplessness that must’ve racked his own family. They were the wrong words, but what more could he say?

“I’m Olo’eyktan. That hunting party was under my care. The People are under my care. My responsibility. My duty.” The tuff of Kxolo’s tail shortly whipped against the floor with a soft puff. The usually perked and attentive ears had nestled back against his skull, hidden partly by his dark hair.

Hair that had lost its shine and neat appearance, decorated braids had wrapped and tangled together into clustered knots. Some had nestled far out of place to the point where Neteyam’s eyes strained to find their origin at the male’s scalp. He wondered what sort of maneuver his mate had performed to put them in such a state. Images of scrambling Na’vi being pulled from the floor by the Olo’eyktan’s strong arms, seconds away from being crushed by the leather skin covered heavy feet flashed to the front of his mind’s eye. Another shot of panic bolted through him at the new onslaught of disturbing images. Although already knowing his state of injury, Neteyam couldn’t help but flash desperate glances along the male’s form in search of further overlooked ailments.

Hysteria was quickly squeezing his lungs together in a tight grip. His calming touches had stopped and Neteyam struggled to get a grip on himself. Now was not the time to panic. His mate was looking forward with a countenance of haunted death and he had not a single word of solace to pull him back. The omega needed an outlet, something that would feel like helping no matter how small the impact.

“Your hair is tangled.” Neteyam whispered in a jumble. He spotted the slightest of nods from the alpha. Another steadying breath filled his lungs, urging his body back into control. The racing of heated blood began to lose speed. “Let me fix it.”

However, it came out as a declaration rather than a seeking of approval. Neteyam crawled along the disastrous mess of their hut and dug through various baskets that had been toppled over in the heat of lust. Eventually he gathered the necessary tools; moisturizing hair oil and a bone toothed comb.

Settling himself back behind Kxolo’s towering frame, Neteyam took the first braid between his fingers. Dark silky hair reflected the shimmer of golden sunlight sneaking through the mouth of their hut. Although stubborn at certain points, the dark locks slowly began to unwind into fallen waves. Neteyam lathered his fingertips in the slick oil and diligently smoothed it through his mate’s hair periodically. Braid by braid, the omega found himself settling into the task.

To his delight, he was not the only one.

Although minimal at first, Kxolo began to preen back against the touch. Rigid shoulders fell away into a relaxed posture. There was gradually a shift in the tension that originally lay between them. The heavy aroma of troubled emotion laced pheromones slowly slipped into something lighter. The thick air of tension and looming images of bloodied bodies had begun to fade away.

Neteyam’s movements grew in confidence, falling into a natural rhythm that could’ve been mistaken as overdone routine. An assortment of feathers and beads pooled around Neteyam’s knees, quickly growing into a small pile with every untangling of a braid.

“Neteyam,” The omega perked up at the splitting of silence. “Tell me something.”

“Like what?”

“Anything.”

Neteyam’s diligence faltered, daring to sneak a peek at the male’s expression.

“I doubt it’d be useful to hear my babbling stories-”

“I like your stories.”

And for the first time since coming across his panic stricken mate, Kxolo peered back at him. Their eyes locked, revealing crystal clear vulnerability underneath that Olo’eyktan facade. A softness that was neither shameful nor hidden from Neteyam’s gaze. The strength and trust required to let oneself be seen as you truly are.

Kxolo was a dominant alpha full of pride and courage. Every decision down to the last of his footsteps was laced with confidence and resolve. He stood by those choices and braced himself for whatever consequences followed. His leadership was humble and focused on those around him, taking on any burden he deemed fit for the good of the People.

Neteyam would be lying if he claimed to not find his character admirable.

However, he had never been more impressed than upon seeing Kxolo sink before him, opening himself up completely before the omega.

If there was ever a chance to exploit his captor’s weakness and plot an escape, it was now.

That thought, however, couldn’t break through the overwhelming warmth that seeped like liquid gold into Neteyam’s chest.

“I remember the first time I saw you.” The confession tumbled out on autopilot, without a warning thought. Kxolo’s ears perked upwards in tandem with a raised hairless eyebrow. It seemed too late to take the words back now that the Olo’eyktan’s attention had been captured. So Neteyam found refuge instead through concentrating on untangling braids and using the thick hair to curtain his rising blush.

“A long time ago when you first visited our clan as Olo’eyktan.” He continued, as if the setting would be enough to satisfy his curious mate. Naturally, a spark of amusement was evident in the male’s expression so he continued.

Neteyam had told himself that he would never tell this story. Not to his family, not to his friends, and especially not to the male himself. So why did the it flow effortlessly from his lips?

“I remember.”

Neteyam could feel his heart in his throat, strangling him from getting out a reasonable reply. The silky strands twirled around his fingers as he sat there motionless.

“No I don’t mean a few months ago-”

“I know. Almost a year ago now since you first spied on me from the trees above.”

Heat rose at a rushing pace to spread across his cheek and neck. Although Kxolo remained facing forwards, Neteyam couldn’t help but hide his heated expression between the Olo’eyktan’s shoulder blades. It felt foolish to be mortified being caught spying on his mate such a long time ago after they have now been so intimate with one another, but regardless, the omega felt as if he could curl up into a ball and die.

“Y-you saw?” Although moments before the alpha’s eyes had been tormented with images of murky death, Neteyam could imagine that signature smirk breaking his composure. Behind his back, the omega was given a moment to breathe, safe from the attentive eyes that diligently followed him to and fro.

However, a part of him itched to take another peek. No matter how embarrassing, it would be a relief to see a glimmer of warmth return to his countenance after such traumatic events. Instead, Neteyam adjusted the leaf bandages in faux concentration.

“Rest assured it was not a lack of agility that gave you away, little one.” Although slightly strained, his timber had soothed back into something familiar for his little mate. Caught between conflicting emotions of embarrassment and relief, Neteyam’s small fingers fumbled with the next braid while trying to clear his thoughts. “Even back then your sweet scent knew how to draw me in.”

Neteyam was starting to regret bringing the subject up in the first place. Nothing could change the fact that his devious spying had been not so secret after all, but that knowledge could’ve been left in the dark, allowing the omega to sleep soundly at night. Allowing him to look the Olo’eyktan in the eyes without becoming bashful.

All this time, the one card Neteyam felt he held close to his chest had been exposed from the beginning.

Their official first meeting when they had been formally introduced, how hard Neteyam had worked to school his features into that of pleasant indifference. The first few weeks they had spent with Neteyam denying his attraction towards the older male with every breath. His insistence of hating Kxolo and yet the Olo’eyktan had known. He had known that from the beginning he had captured Neteyam’s attention. There was always an assurance of interest from the young omega.

“It was more coincidental than intentional actually…”

“Coincidentally following me from your little hideout spots.”

“N-no. By Eywa, you can’t go two seconds without letting your big head get in the way.” Neteyam huffed before tugging on one of the half undone braids. It seemed to jolt a sound of surprise and cut laughter from the alpha. As if to break him out of the dreary moment finally.

Neteyam only wished that the laughter was not at his own expense.

“You knew this whole time and yet you never…” He trailed off into a scoff, but the edges of Kxolo’s lips were already tugging upwards.

“I figured you would be a bit bashful about it.” As Neteyam’s blush deepened he hated to admit how correct his alpha’s perception of him was. “Besides, I enjoyed spotting such a cute little omega peeking down curiously from above. The most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.”

Gulping down harshly, Neteyam felt the memories from that day surge forward. The twisted bundle of nerves that had laced his stomach while following the mysterious alpha had almost been enough to make him trip and lose his cover several times. Growing up to be such a responsible adult, practically a third parent for his siblings, Neteyam knew better than to wander off after strangers, especially ones from other clans. So he had been confused by his own persistence in continuing this pointless pursuit. Several times when his father and other Olo’eyktan had stopped and chatted out of earshot, he had turned back with a disappointed huff, only then to reverse his movements at the first twinkling of movement from the pair.

It had been a tug of war Neteyam was unfamiliar playing with himself. Strong desires and attractions for the complimenting genders was normal, he had fallen prey to his own feelings before during the heat of training and random musing he caught of other alphas bathing in the hot springs near his home. However, he maintained a certain level of self respect in quickly turning away and pushing those feelings deep down in his gut. Following this broad shouldered male, however, had felt completely out of his control.

The scent of pine and rushing stream had infiltrated his focus, luring him forward without a second thought. Although their conversation was hard to depict, he clasped to every rumble of the male’s incoherent voice. It was a ripple that spread over his chest in a deep flush till tickling the tips of his ears.

That night Neteyam had barely made it home before his father, rushing to throw himself into the hammock and feign sleep at the first moment possible. Jake had roused his son gently, laying a tender kiss to the boy’s forehead to his surprise, before ushering Neteyam to join them for dinner. Lo’ak must’ve been bored without Neteyam’s presence because he made the older brother pray for it at dinner. Not a moment of peace seemed to be afforded between Lo’ak’s stories and constant teasing.

Every time he had dazed off to stare into the distance, traces of the male’s slim form caressing his mind, Lo’ak had been quick to jump in and demand the attention of the ‘mighty warrior.’ That night had ended with their parents breaking the two of them up, Neteyam managing to pin his alpha brother down for once. He could still remember the flare of anger and surprise that curled along the younger boy’s expression.

Shame and guilt had lingered longer than night after a stern talk from his father. Still, the focal point of his attention had always been centered on Kxolo. The nameless male had infused his dreams that night, waking him up in a heated sweat enough times to leave the boy drowsy and grumpy the next morning. The memory of that secret encounter had conjured a faux essence of the Olo’eyktan until sleep had finally claimed him once more.

It took weeks to push the experience to the back of his head. He knew better than to lust after a strange alpha, let alone allow the simple experience to interfere with his training and daily duties. At some point dreams had faded and Neteyam had caught a grip of himself. Regardless, he had vowed to never reveal what had occurred.

Now, however, Neteyam was left wondering if that was his biggest mistake of all.

Silence had pulled a taunt tension between them once more. Silky strands of dark hair curled around his fingers till releasing into gentle waves, but the omega could no longer focus on the task without being pulled in another direction. A certain spice had taken over the alpha’s natural perfume, bleeding into the tightening strain along his shoulders and neck. Kxolo propped up one knee, flexed forearm laying over it with a forced appearance of nonchalance.

There were many times that Neteyam had found Kxolo hard to read, difficult to break past the forced impression that the Olo’eyktan was so good at projecting to others. Time had passed since then. It would be impossible to pinpoint when exactly that projection had flitted to dust around Neteyam, but regardless it was gone and the omega felt completely insufficient at handling these unbridled emotions.

Was this how it had felt for Kxolo?

Had he too been letting the true essence of himself slip through, negligent to the promises he had made to himself?

“The impression of you stayed with me for weeks…maybe longer.” Neteyam barely allowed his voice to rise above a whisper, afraid it would crack and let his true weakened composure through.

“And what type of impression did you receive?” Neteyam jumped slightly when the hair slipped from his grasp and golden eyes were trained on him intently. “What did you think?”

Think about how such an ethereal glow from an alpha could exist, pulling him taunt towards his presence insistently? What that roasted amber essence would feel against his nose, tucked into the stranger’s neck safely? How someone could single handedly take a hold of his heart within just one interaction. How hollow his soul had rung, upon lying alone with only the memory to taunt him.

“I thought you were the most handsome male I had ever seen…and also the most intimidating.”

Coward.

Perhaps it wasn’t a lie, but it still would never hold a candle to the truth that remained lodged in his lungs. The charade was up, he had already exposed himself more than he had ever intended, what more would be this last shred of sincerity? The last card he held close to his chest?

Against all reason however, taking that plunge felt like free falling from a cliff, only a promise to blanket that clash that would await him at the bottom.

Neteyam’s blunt nails dug into his soft palms, thoughts swarming into inner turmoil, but Kxolo’s expression had much improved. A soft almost imperceivable chuckle escaped his throat, and his eyes softened into a fond look that Neteyam was ashamed to only know from experience of receiving it and never shooting one back.

“Intimidating, huh?” Kxolo hummed in feigned thought, lips quirking upwards slightly. “I’ll keep that in mind. Perhaps that could come in handy.”

“Not now, you skxawng!” The omega roughly pushed at his shoulders, although the male barely budged, mirth quickly taking over Kxolo’s expression to swallow the last weight of lingering guilt. “That was before I learned about your empty threats.”

“Careful there, little one. I can recall more than enough threats I’ve followed through on. But if you need a refresher…” Kxolo crept closer, larger frame quickly overshadowing Neteyam’s till he was trapped beneath him. The soft waves of Kxolo’s hair curtained around them, blocking out the last of penetrating light and allowing the Tanhi across the alpha’s body to glow in spotted trails along the plains of his smooth skin. Neteyam squeaked and struggled to get away, but even he knew it was only for show. The alpha was completely breathtaking, no longer an Olo’eyktan shining forth. Simply his lover.

His lover.

His love.

taglist: @kayjaydee17 @theunfortunateplace @4ashes-stuff @perfectprofessorloverapricot @creepytoes88 @young5643-blog

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theamityelf · 4 months

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Hey! (this is my first time asking and i'm nervous asf) So we know Matsuda and Sakakura played roles into making Hajime become Izuru. How would you interpet Makoto finding out about this information and how they treat Reserve Course students? I know canon him likes to see the best in people but for the sake of Hinaegi/Kamuegi how would you make him react? Like could you imagine pregame Makoto seeing how Sakukura has Hajime on the grown with his foot on him spouting his bullshit to his boyfriend who already has major insecurities or finding out during/after the tragedy.

Ooh, I think, if he walked up on that interaction, he would push Sakakura. Not even as a planned thing; he just would run and shove Sakakura off his friend. Or try to. Sakakura would probably not be bested by the maneuver and Makoto might end up on the ground himself. I could see Sakakura, without budging from Hajime, just flinging an arm out to shove Makoto aside and barking, "Get to class, luckster; this doesn't concern you." And Makoto would not leave; he would argue back.

My thought is, this guy tried to punch Monokuma twice; I think his seeing the best in people tends to take power dynamic into account. When the Remnants of Despair are under his power, he sees the best in them and wants to help them. When he's under Monokuma's power, he's pretty consistently aggro towards him. When he meets Junko in the trial, he's determined to win against her. When she loses and is about to start the execution, at that point the power dynamic has shifted and also he doesn't want her to die just in general.

So yeah, coming up on a situation where someone drastically bigger and stronger than Hajime is literally stepping on him, I think he would get up in Sakakura's face and stay in his face until something happens.

My personal dream version of that scenario (other than the happy, 'Hajime sees that having someone care about you is more important than having a talent and makes huge progress in unlearning the Hope's Peak mindset' version of events, which is nice but maybe not as fun) is:

Makoto intervenes. He's persistent. Sakakura shoves him in a way that causes a mild injury. Nothing hugely debilitating, but something that bleeds and will leave a scar. I'm picturing him skinning an arm or leg on the ground, something like that. Hajime feels powerless and like he got Makoto into trouble because he was too worthless and Makoto is too loyal.

But this is Makoto, so of course they don't get far into the confrontation before one of his classmates/friends spots them. If we're being nice, maybe it's Sakura, who could absolutely take Sakakura in a fight. If we're adding insult to injury, though, let's say it's Byakuya. Because while having Sakura break up the fight by being level-headed and strong would still feed into Hajime's feelings of inferiority, having Byakuya, who was already vying for Makoto's attention, be the one to save the day just because of who he is would add that extra sting.

So Byakuya is able to end the confrontation with his family name and his air of confidence, and Makoto thanks him and then turns his attention to Hajime. (Which would annoy Byakuya more, if the broader situation hadn't turned out so in his favor.) Hajime just can't look at either of them, because the past few minutes have been humiliating and only further cemented in his mind that he doesn't deserve Makoto. Makoto comforts him, and I imagine he's able to get Hajime to look at him and he sneaks Hajime into the infirmary inside the main course building, to get looked at, and eventually Hajime is back to smiling and making conversation.

But he's decided he's going through with the Hope Cultivation Plan.

And later, Izuru sees the scar on Makoto and asks about it, and when he finds out how he got it, Sakakura earns a very powerful enemy.

(I'm honored to be your first ask! I hope my response was satisfactory, lol.)

#danganronpa #hinaegi school au #hinaegi #makoto naegi #juzo sakakura #hajime hinata #kamuegi

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piracytheorist · 2 years

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Continuing from my previous post, I love the extent to which Spy x Family uses Anya's telepathic powers. They become a source of comic relief; they explain Anya's developed abilities to write and understand the world around her (cause even though she still acts very much as a kid her age, she is more aware and intelligent than the average 4-5yo like she's implied to be; she can already read and write!); they give her a tragic backstory potential with living in a lab and not being allowed to be a kid, thus explaining how easily she got attached to Loid and Yor; and most importantly, they give her agency.

If I may be honest, the way Twilight uses Anya would be heartbreaking for a clueless kid. It is necessary for his mission, which in turn is understandable and respectable (in addition to us knowing how Twilight himself understands the gravity of the situation and goes through a lot himself). If it were a kid without psychic powers, we would have seen the case as a necessary evil so that peace between the two nations can be sustained; one child's emotions to be used in a high-stakes mission so that many more children won't have to suffer through a war.

But in Anya's case, it's her that chooses to be part of the mission. She knows the basic stuff about spies from watching Spy Wars, then she reads Twilight's mind and from the first moment she is aware of his plan. Practically, Twilight didn't choose to adopt her, she chose him to adopt her. And it's not even merely her need for entertainment and excitement in her life. The part where she gets kidnapped was important for her character agency: After Twilight saves her, she knows she has a chance to potentially find a better orphanage and/or parents who will take care of her unconditionally and in the long term. In the very first episode she becomes painfully aware of what dangers a spy's life includes, of how emotionally detached Twilight is with her, of the lies he feeds her, the lie she has to act through (acting like she was raised by Loid instead of having spent the first years of her life as a lab experiment), how he requires her to study hard even though she hates studying, and yet she chooses to commit to the mission and everything that includes. She is presented with the negatives of her choice to have a super spy as a parent, and yet she rejects the chance to run away when it’s presented to her.

At the same time, she makes use of her powers and the knowledge she has because of them to her advantage; whenever she wants something and Loid is about to say no, she presents her “I’ll go bad and stop going to school!” card as a negotiation. She has power in the dynamic, one that Twilight may not be aware of, but one she uses to its full extent, because she knows that at this time, Twilight’s main priority is for her to stay at Eden and earn Stellas, so he’s willing to compromise with anything as long as this isn’t threatened. It’s weird, and a wonky found family dynamic, but it works, and again, it’s in Anya’s favor when it comes to balancing out the power dynamic between how Twilight uses her and how she uses him (and to an extent, how Yor uses them and vice versa).

Now I am not saying to completely trust in her judgment, because she is still very young and inexperienced and probably a little too hopeful (I’m sure she hopes Twilight will eventually truly love her and accept her as his kid and that's one of the reasons she stayed with him - and narratively, we’re also supposed to root for their found family - but Twilight has a looong way to go before he reaches such an acceptance), but with how she’s completely aware of every little detail included and still chooses to go along with it, and also how she uses her special knowledge to her advantage in her dynamic with Twilight, she’s given an amazing amount of autonomy and agency, making her an active part of the story instead of a clueless prop the spy protagonist uses for the sake of world peace.

(No spoilers for the manga, please)

#Spy x Family #sxf meta #Anya Forger

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beneaththetangles · 1 year

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This week, Maison Ikkoku comes to an end (again); the mesmerizing A.I. story, Your Forma, receives a manga adaptation; Tomozaki-kun makes a difficult choice in the latest volume of his top-tier light novel series; and much more, including the debut reviews by our two newest reviewers, WacOtaku and Marg. Check out their reviews and the rest below!

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (Vol. 9) • Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition (Vol. 10) • Oshi no Ko (Vol. 1) • Pandora Seven (Vol. 1) • Romantic Killer (Vol. 2) • Yakuza Fiance: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii (Vol. 1) • Your Forma (Vol. 1)

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Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition, Manga Vol. 10

After a hit-or-miss middle portion that sometimes felt like Rumiko Takahashi was deliberately stalling, the final act of Maison Ikkoku gives this iconic RomCom a grand-slam home run finish. Volume nine ended on a cliffhanger, with an enraged Kyoko planning to return to her parents’ home after a miscommunication convinced her that Godai had two-timed her and proposed to his longtime sort-of girlfriend Kozue, when in fact he had deliberately broken off that relationship to tie up his loose ends. Now, with the finish line almost in sight, our luckless protagonist must overcome his lady love’s tempestuous nature, her father’s disapproval, and his own insecurities over whether Kyoko truly loves him or just sees him as the best available substitute for her late husband Soichiro. (Oh, and he still needs to find a full-time job as well.) This final volume centers around a remarkable shift in the relationship dynamic between our two main characters, and not simply in a romantic way. For so long, Godai has been an immature schmuck desperately trying to prove himself to an older and more established Kyoko. But now that Godai has grown as a man and closed the maturity gap between them, he is in a place to take the lead in their relationship, putting Kyoko into a situation where she must confront her own character flaws. I won’t spoil the details of the ending, but it forgoes bombastic displays of romantic passion in favor of a sometimes messy but incredibly tender intimacy that I’ve yet to see equaled by any other mangaka. Rumiko Takahashi finished Maison Ikkoku before I was born, and Yusaku and Kyoko would be about the same age as my parents today; but I strongly suspect that for as long as there are fans of manga, this series will remain evergreen. ~ WacOtaku Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition is published by VIZ Media.

Pandora Seven, Manga Vol. 1

Lia is the lone resident human on an otherwise-utopian island where food is plentiful and strawberries come in milkshake form practically straight off the plant. She’s cheery, capable, and kind—too kind for her own good, as her mother (a very, very large dragon) intones to the audience of (humanoid) vegetables, animals, and demons—er, “village ladies”—who come to keep her company during the millennial festival. Mama dragon is too preggers to move, so they bring the party to her. That turns out to be short-lived too, as suddenly a shipful of aggressive, veiled humans led by a particularly imperious young woman rock up and ruin everything. Absolutely everything. Lia flees, leaving death and destruction in her wake—much of it of her own inadvertent doing. For amid all the turmoil, Lia accidentally opened Pandora’s Box! What strange power has she stumbled into? What identity crisis will this fateful encounter with her own kind spark? Only time, and hopefully subsequent volumes, will tell—because this volume doesn’t really. Instead, reading Pandora Seven is akin to being dropped in the middle of a Gordian knot: there is a profusion of subplots, characters, relationships, tropes, and meaningful hints branching off willy-nilly, alongside masses of world-building, both visual and dialogic, but no clear through-line—thematic or otherwise. There’s no setup for a central character arc yet either. Granted, I do suspect that things will clarify in volume two, and what we’ll have is a kind of paralleling of the tales of the two human girls, protagonist and antagonist, until they realize they have more in common than not and would be better off partnering up to overthrow the various oppressive forces in their lives. But this is just a hunch, and based more on the two pages of bonus material at the end than the four chapters that precede it. Indeed, the bonus material goes a long way to salvaging this first volume, clarifying the lore and teasing vital plot and character points that are enough to pique my interest again after it had waned halfway through. What this volume needs is one final edit. Yet even so, there is a spark of something here that could be quite epic, and so I’ll give Pandora Seven and creator Yuta Kayashima one more volume to pull themselves together and start to shine with clearer purpose and direction. ~ claire

Pandora Seven is published by Yen Press. Volume one releases on January 17th.

Yakuza Fiance: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii, Manga Vol. 1

I am beyond excited to finally have this in my hands! This is one of my most anticipated releases from 2022! Yakuza Fiance is by Asuka Konishi, who also created the one-shot Haru’s Curse. Having enjoyed that manga, I couldn’t wait to read more of her work. Konishi’s storytelling and beautifully distinct art style make her stand out above the crowd. The story opens with our lovely heroine, Yoshino, storming in on her grandfather and demanding he give her an explanation about a newspaper article. She finds out that the article is about her, and that she is to be married off to Miyama, the son of a rival yakuza gang. To keep the peace between gangs, her grandfather coaxes her into meeting Miyama in Tokyo. Yoshino reluctantly agrees, and off to Tokyo she goes. When they meet, Yoshino thinks that Miyama’s just a little “too chummy.” He doesn’t act like she’d expect a yakuza boss’s son to act, just like a regular high school guy. Then late one night, unable to sleep, she happens to see him coming home with blood all over his hands and clothes. Maybe she was wrong about her first impressions of him. Little by little, she starts seeing a different side to Miyama, a scary one. Her first instinct is to go back to her grandfather in Osaka, but she decides to stick it out for one year. She fires back at Miyama and takes him by surprise—so much so that a switch is flipped inside of him, and he becomes utterly obsessed with this strong, fiery side of her. It looks like we are witnessing the birth of a strong, independent woman. Will she be able to continue holding her own against these rivals and a love-crazed Miyama? I cannot wait to find out! The next volume is set to release this month. ~ Marg

Yakuza Fiance: Raise was Tanin ga li is published by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Your Forma, Manga Vol. 1

Echika Hieda has always been head and shoulders above the rest of the Electronic Investigation Department of Interpol. Which wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for the fact that Divers like her must be paired up with equally skillful Belayers, or else risk permanent brain damage—to the Belayer, that is. After frying the brain of her latest partner in less than two seconds flat, Echika is paired with her worst nightmare—an Amicus, or a type of artificial person that Echika loathes, for reasons that are only hinted at so far through tantalizingly brief peeks at her slow-burn backstory. Writer Mareho Kikuishi offers up some ingenious world-building and genre play here, making Your Forma ideal for fans of sci-fi mixed with psychological detective story a la ID: Invaded, as Echika dives into people’s minds through the Your Forma technology implanted in their brains (now you can just think your social media posts!) and Harold, the AI, pulls her out. The story sports an edginess that recalls the more unsettling side of the genre spawned by Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics,” as seen in films such as Alex Garland’s Ex Machina. It’s also a bit of a globetrotting adventure, taking the leads from Paris to St. Petersburg, to the wilds of Sapmi (Sami territory or Lapland, and an official no-go zone for tech) and its polar opposite, Silicon Valley. The two MCs make for an interesting pair, with Echika being strangely grizzled for one so young and more emotionless than any AI ever was, while Harold is as jovial as they come, with cut-glass good looks and a flirty readiness to use them—all in the line of duty, of course. This is the first of writer Kikuishi’s novels to be adapted for manga, and boy, does artist Yoshinori Kisaragi ever do a fantastic job. I would be tempted to read the novel rather than wait for the next manga installment, but the art is so vivid and expressive that I’m going to try to resist, even if it means perching on the edge of my seat for a few months. In short, Your Forma is an absolute corker! ~ claire

Your Forma is published by Yen Press.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Light Novel Vol. 9

Fun, addictive, intriguing, and now, masterpiece? Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki reaches the heights of the romcom genre in volume nine, blowing the lid on parallel stories—Hinami’s slowly churning tale on the one hand, and on the other the romance between Tomozaki and Kikuchi, thanks to their recent decision to date and the major challenges in their new relationship. What results from Yuki Yaku’s decision to dig deep into these major storylines is heavy progression in relationships all around as Tomozaki, with the help of friends old and new, must decide how to prioritize values in his packed life. His thoughts are scattered and often puzzling, but realistic for him (and more generally to 17-year-olds). There’s also serious character growth for Tomozaki as the author dives right into the complexities of romantic relationships, jealousy, and friendships with the opposite sex. He doesn’t shy away from these issues, creating considerable depth as Tomozaki evaluates his feelings for Kikuchi and how he should treat her, as well as what he really feels for Hinami. But not only are we treated to Oregairu-level thoughtfulness, we also get tender and emotional moments—more in this volume than in the rest of the series combined. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll sometimes scratch your head—and you’ll finish volume nine feeling satisfied. This story refuses to go in circles. I can’t wait to see how all lands. One caveat, though, which I haven’t previously explored: For all the laud I’ve given Yuki Yaku, I find this author’s notes at the end of each volume strange and sometimes deplorable. He gives little insight into his wonderful work, but always focuses on the cover image, explaining in great detail why these illustrations are so sexy. I wish he’d class these notes up to match the series he’s created. ~ @animepopheart

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki is published by Yen Press. Volume nine releases on January 17th.

Read: Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki Reviews: Vol. 3 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 6.5 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 8.5

Romantic Killer, Manga Vol. 2

Due to the ever-heated controversy on Twitter surrounding the shojo series Romantic Killer, I continued this series with just as much hesitant curiosity as I did volume one. Volume two kicks off right where the previous volume ended, as we get to know and learn more about the “childhood friend,” Junta. As Anzu becomes more acquainted with him while discovering how to survive in her “awful world” of being surrounded by hot guys, she starts to think she has a pretty good handle on things. That is, until Riri’s antics lead to another hot guy taking an interest in her! I have to confess that I was most interested in reading this second volume because of Kazuki. He and Anzu have such a wonderful and refreshing friendship that I needed to know if Riri would cause more romantic “mishaps” between these two. While I won’t say whether my expectations were well met (due to not wanting to share spoilers), I will say that I was very happy with the amount of page time he received. I also enjoyed getting to know Junta on a deeper level, even if, like Anzu, I wish that the “love spell” (as she calls it) would be broken. He is such a sweet young man! I did, however, deeply dislike the new guy that Anzu meets. I didn’t care for his actions or general attitude, regardless of how hard he tried to “change” so that he could get to know Anzu better. Despite that, though, I am curious to see where things go in volume three, even if it is specifically for more romantic mishaps between Kazuki and Anzu thanks to Riri’s relentless shenanigans. ~ Laura A. Grace

Romantic Killer is published by VIZ Media.

READ: Romantic Killer Vol. 1 Review

Oshi no Ko, Manga Vol. 1

What do you get when you cross the comedic cleverness of Kaguya-sama: Love is War with the unflinching stare at the seedier side of life found in Scum’s Wish and set the whole thing among teenaged entertainers in the Japanese film and music scene? You guessed it: Oshi no Ko (which can be translated many ways, the most pertinent to this story being “the children of my favorite performer”), which is co-created by Aka Akasaka of Kaguya fame, and Mengo Yakoyari, of Scum’s Wish. The results are intriguing, producing a rich thematic tapestry that both pushes and pulls, repels and compels with its various plots and punchlines. There are many moments that, if pursued a beat (or panel) longer, could make for a really uncomfortable scene. The premise alone is what my grandma would have called “near the knuckle”: Gorou is a massive idol otaku and an OB/GYN who treats—and then on the fateful day of labor, reincarnates into the child of—his favorite idol, Ai, who is a mere sixteen years of age(!). But Akasaka and Yokoyari know precisely when to cut short a particular thread before it crosses the line, and leave it up to the reader instead to wander (or not) into unsavory thought territory. If this were all this volume was—a sort of knife’s edge dance with titillation—then I’d probably pass on it and the upcoming anime adaptation (about which there’s already a fair amount of buzz). But actually, there’s a lot more on offer here. The story swiftly and unexpectedly moves into the realm of thriller, with the fate of the male lead’s soul in the balance. There are layers upon layers to the storytelling, with a clever framing device at the start of each chapter that gives the sense that the creators have planned everything out thoroughly, taking the time to refine the details and set up a potentially mind-blowing resolution, possibly years from now. The first volume concludes with two core mysteries in play: one that Gorou is aware of, and the other that has yet to dawn on him, though we already know the answer. This is a clever technique because the genuinely unknown plot hooks the reader, while the known mystery ties us to Gorou as we anticipate that moment when he finally realizes what we know to be true. Will this second mystery have lost its affective power by the time he puts things together, or will it be the missing piece that redeems him from a self-inflicted fate as ugly as any of those in Scum’s Wish? In short, an unexpected twist and skillful restraint in the writing here have piqued my interest, and I am looking forward to the next installment. ~ claire

Oshi no Ko is published by Yen Press.

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“Reader’s Corner” is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works they’re reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works, and those older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.

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unearthlyfromage · 2 years

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Une's Nonsensical Ramblings Episode 3;

Blind Faith

Oh, oh this AU. How wonderfully fucked up.

First, lets take the basics of this and explain it out. Stan and Ford go through the portal together, during the fight between them Stan still gets branded, is still injured, and both are still pretty pissed all things considered. And Ford blinds Stan with a blindfold (eventually permanently blinding him) for the purpose of protecting his mind. One thing I've never quite understood about that is;

Why is Stan blinded?

It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? To rob the stronger of the two of sight, thus making him impaired and unable to properly use his more apt strength. Ford, regardless of mental state, would be able to see that blinding his only help in this situation would only be a set back.

Unless he was tricked into believing that weren't the case, of course. Perhaps Bill, after the incident with Fiddleford catching a glimpse, convinced Ford that only he was able to perceive the contents of the other side without extreme consequence (such as acute insanity, etc.)? That allowing Bill into his mind and body gave him the capability to withstand the horrors that lay beyond. Playing into Ford's lone wolf complex, as well as building onto his insecurity born mindset of being far too different from the average man to be one with the general populace, Bill weaves a narrative that only Ford can enter through and stay sane (at least, stay sane longer than the average human) - maybe as a means to stop Ford from allowing anyone else through, anyone else that could see his true plans. Easier to deal with the human you've already bent around your claw than a human you don't know.

Armed with this narrative where Ford had it drilled into his head that Stan catching even a seconds worth he would, just like Fiddleford, start to go mad, it makes the blinding far more reasonable. Yes, Stan is not nearly as able and independent in a blindfolded state, but the sanctity of his mind is better than anything else.

Ford is able to justify it, this way. I just have a hard time coming to terms with the idea of Ford making such a blatant tactical error without reasonable doubt and excuse for the action.

Now that we have that out of the way, we need to think of the Stans separately, in regards to mental state and how it would change as they go through the multiverse together (or how it would degrade, more aptly).

Ford;

Still pissed, still sleep deprived, still paranoid beyond measure. Ford would develop into a near-manipulative nutcase as time went on. He'd acknowledge the power dynamic he's inadvertently created between him and Stan, in the act of blinding him. Needing to herd him like a shepherd. The act of which would go to his head after a while. In his state he'd convince himself what he's doing is right, that he's protecting Stan by keeping him this way. Which would eventually reach a crescendo with actually permanently blinding him, after one too many close calls where Stan nearly removes the blindfold. It's for his own good, he'd justify.

As he learns more of Stan's life after being kicked out, this would only increase. He'd feel immense guilt from all angles and without a proper head to stand on would act impulsively about it. Despite this all, he's still the mastermind of them both. I imagine he'd be able to twist things to their collective favor, with complex plots that compensate for Stan's lack of vision.

His goal to defeat Bill would drive him, and his goal to keep them both alive would keep him from losing the plot entirely. His issues in having faith in others would carry onto Stan, as well. Unable to trust him with anything, unable to disclose much information, he feels that for Stan ignorance truly is bliss and keeps him near completely in the dark. Much to Stan's dismay, of course. Ford becomes prideful, unhinged, aggressive and impulsive and cryptic. Yet despite it all he still DOES care for Stan - even if Stan's presence doesn't necessarily help him - and would go crazy if he ever lost him in any way. Situations where they're separated are panic incarnate for him. I can see situations where Ford was stuck under something in the carnage around them and Stan was not, trying to lead Stan around with the sound of his voice and the snapping of his fingers for echolocation (something he probably taught to Stan for that purpose specifically).

Which, brings us to the man himself.

Stan;

Stan would be completely ass out in this situation. First the dashing of hope, followed by a fight, ending with a brand, and beginning a new hell of blackness and insanity. Still pissed, he'd keep fighting Ford even through the portal, confused as to why Ford is less hitting back and more desperately trying to cover his eyes up. Hearing him out after a while of tense shouting, he'd begrudgingly accept the blindfold only after Ford nearly erupts into a paranoid fit trying to explain what would happen to Stan if he saw what they were in.

His distrust is blatant, he will take any and every chance to attempt seeing anything, but Ford is even more paranoid than he is, and always catches him. Stan knows he's in a hell dimension, and he's desperate to be useful and help more than be a pack mule for the items they've accrued, but Ford will never let him. All the way up until Ford actually, legitimately blinds him. Forcing Stan to be dependent to Ford, as well as making him sufficiently near-useless. Over time he'll start to trust Ford again. What other option does he have? He'd continue to follow him, continue to do as he says. Despite it all he still cares for Ford, even if it isn't exactly logical. Sure the guy hated him for the better half of their lives, sure they fought, sure he BLINDED him, but he's also the only person that's ever actively taken care of him. There have been many others before Ford that've hurt him, but all of them left him to die. Ford didn't. Ford didn't have to make sure he was healthy, make sure he was fed and had water and stopped when he said he was tired. All the same, he didn't have to care about Ford in turn. But he did. Maybe he's a fool for that, maybe he should run as fast and as far away from Ford as he can but he doesn't.

He's always been stupid like that, hasn't he?

What are they, some 10-odd years after the portal incident?

After a few decades of mental hell and tormentation, perpetuated by crime and hard survival, Ford and Stan are hardly anything they were when they left their home dimension. Stan is quiet, more focused, jumpy and attentive and clingy to Ford. And Ford is paranoia incarnate, he cannot and will never put the gun down. He's loud, he's demanding, he shoots first and asks questions later. He's even jumpier than Stan is, and the moment the other leaves his sight he's threatening the nearest living soul. And I imagine Stan being away from Ford is a scary thought for him, as well. With Ford he had guaranteed safety, he knew where to put his feet, he had stability. But without him? He was even blinder than normal. I imagine if he ever found himself away from Ford he'd stand still and listen, either for the sound of Ford snapping to lead him to his general location or maybe even footsteps that match the sound of his brothers. His dependency would only get worse as the years go by, and Ford's protector complex would only worsen.

Despite this, Stan is still Ford's rock, and keeps him sane. When Ford's damn near about to snap, Stan has them sit down. He cracks jokes. Lightens the mood, any way he can. Reassures Ford.

When things are calm, Ford likes to describe things to Stan. The way the sky in the dimension their in looks, the colors around them, the places they were around that day, etc. It's the closest thing Stan has to seeing those things. And while Ford does write it all down, he makes sure to tell things to Stan that he feels he can - without stressing him out or stating too much, stuff Stan isn't 'built to hear'.

They become a mutualistic symbiotic duo, to put it bluntly. A bloody, messy, unstable symbiosis where Ford helps Stan physically and Stan helps Ford mentally.

They're criminals, vagrants, murderers and nomads. But most of all, they're brothers. Brothers that have been terrible to each other, breaking and maiming each other, but they rely on themselves.

They're all they have.

Gonna tag @koraesdoodles and @trangenderstan cause you guys requested this AU :D I admit I didn't change much. Just built on mental states and gave probable backstory to the major element of the AU.

I can see myself making a fic about this. Who knows, might just do one.

Next episode; Evil!Stan

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #blind faith au #revised blind faith au #nonsensical ramblings #stanley pines #stanford pines #long post #these stans are fucked up #i love them for it though

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vole-mon-amour · 2 years

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7x24, part 1.

Derek helping Emily with apartment hunting and asking where is she the first thing after making sure JJ is alright (and JJ asked where's Will). I mean, I can ship them, but the need to look out for one another and make sure everyone one the team is alright.

This, too. The concern on Aaron's face.

There are pros and cons to dating a person outside your work field.

Pros: they can take care of your son when you're at work. Cons: they can't work with you, don't know what to do in a situation like this, won't be able to help.

I talk about canon bc it's still happening & it's interesting to discuss their personalities, but in my mind Aaron and Dave are totally married. And I wonder, if it was one of them who had to work, would the other come to help? Would he stay with Jack? Would one of them asked a friend of theirs to be with Jack while they both work? I feel like if it was Dave babysitting Jack, he'd find someone else to sit with Jack & rush to help Aaron. And I can totally see that scenario work. They'd be a great family.

And in the beginning of all of it? "Daddy, can uncle Dave sleepover tonight?" Sure he can, buddy. Only if Uncle Dave wants, of course. Dave, "i'd love to."

All that fanfiction I read before reaching this point in the show starts to make sense.

My subtitles are often messed up but: power husbands. Checking on each other immediately. "Is that all?" "For now." That's basically what I'm saying above: working together & looking out for each other, helping with no questions asked. Making sure they are alright, so is their team.

Dave seeing the blood on/in Aaron's ear and doesn't tell him to do something about it directly, but asks for "a favor". They understand each other's personalities perfectly. God, their relationship is so good.

He's so tall. And hot. And handsome.

Parent and his kid working together. <3 I can KINDA understand how people ship them, but this is purely a parenting/friends dynamic to me. I wouldn't want to see them any other way.

Again, I love this fancy dude.

Is there a history between them? Either way, it kinda makes sense (despite the fact that Emily was originally supposed to be lesbian) & they have some chemistry. But the dude would have chemistry with almost anyone, I feel. He's charming and flirty.

Husbands (that will judge you even when they don't mean to).

Will is in such catatonic state... I never felt much about him since he isn't much present, but I feel for him in 7x23 & 7x24. And he can't even do anything, he's slowly bleeding out. And it's probably the guilt of trusting the guy that, in the end, planned it all. However, "Tell my girlfriend I'm sorry"??? Why do you give up on your family so quickly?

I can't handle Dave being Like That. Just like Aaron, he's just trying to help. And his heart if big, and his intentions are good. I love two older men.

I'd say she's crazy, but as I'm finishing rereading Mindhunter & I'm on Chapter 18, "Who could've done that?" that talks about legal insanity, I'll say that she definitely realizes what she does & simply gets off on it.

That's heartbreaking. And while I love Hotch & couldn't stop worrying for Jack during Foyet, somehow I feel way more for Henry? The kid seems to be so pure & they raise him good. Those are parents that truly love their kid & trying to do good by him.

And Izzy, omg. While I dislike kids, that chick? She's disgusted by the love WIll has for Henry. I'm disgusted by parents that threaten their kids, yell at them, punish them physically. But when a parent shows love for their kid & is trying their best & you're disgusted? Hi to sociopathy.

The way I love David. It takes over my entire body & I want to cry. The way I love him. The way he is. How good he is.

Henry is such a sweet kid.

Look who's good with kids. <3 I feel like it's not only Dave, but Joe as well. He is always so warm with kids (or maybe it's just when he's playing this character, but he often smiles to kids and generally feels good about them).

The way Jennifer fought for Henry (and how Izzy rushed to Henry to hurt him & how that infuriated Jennifer even more) and hugged him after aka the same way Hotch fought for Jack. Parents.

#cm #natiswatching #jennifer jareau #david rossi #hossi #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #spencer reid

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rinisbowen · 2 years

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curious about your take on matt’s story. have a fear that it’s hinting at him wanting to have a career bts as a director and that tim will attempt to keep him in the show as miss jenn’s assistant director next school year.

there are a few reasons why i don’t like that at all. 1) i feel like it sort of takes carlos’s role as miss jenn’s right hand man and gives it to ej as a reason to stick around. yeah, carlos is a choreographer and he’s interested in starring now, but i feel like his relationship with miss jenn was unique to him and the show. also, i feel like there’s this thing with this show where they try to make everyone change their initial interests (yay, growth!) as a life lesson, but its also normal for someone to know what they’re passionate about and stick with it. one thing i didn’t like in s2 was that everyone besides nini was involved in the play. think it would’ve been cool to see big red wanting to know more about tech and mazzara could’ve mentored him.

anyway, i just got completely off track, but ej potentially wanting to be a director is such an obvious plot device to keep him in the show. they could’ve atleast developed this way better in s2b after he got rejected from the colleges but they decided to put all that on the back burner in favor for relationship drama for him.

another reason i would hate it is if they continue pw. i’m sorry, but i’m uncomfortable with the shift in power dynamics in that situation. ej would be in a position of power and be dating a student (basically his student if he’s a hired assistant director). it just gives me the ick. and what growth does that show if he sticks around his high school. with his high school attending friends, with his girlfriend who’s in high school?

hi anon! thanks for the ask, i really love talking in depth about these things. i find it to be a lot of fun!

honestly- for my personal take on matt's story, i think i'm best off making a separate post explaining my thoughts, but the gist is i think it's potentially something about his sort of getting ready to grow up and such maybe? but i'll explain it better later when i get a chance haha.

i do think the directing / miss jenn's assistant director path for ej is definitely a strong possibility, regardless of whether it's what they're going for with the 'becoming something different' thing. i think it's good to remember though that ej spent a single episode filming something, and it's notable to me he also wasn't the one to organize any of the you ain't seen nothing video stuff. if they wanted him to do filmmaking, they could've easily given him a nod in that episode to him being involved in maybe the editing (which big red did) or any part of the planning / organization process. gina did say he did a great job with the video he made in 2.05 when they talk in 2.08, which could potentially point to this all coming back, but i think as much as this is an easy thing to do, it is just something a lot of the fandom's theorized at this point, and not a guarantee by any means. we don't even know if ej likes film- the whole point of 2.05 was for him to focus on other people than himself, not actually be physically behind the camera. is that an easy thing to extend the metaphor on? yes. but it's just a theory still. we don't know for a fact this is where they're going with ej.

now to your points of potential distaste, because i think you raise some very good arguments here.

i agree with you that the bond carlos has with miss jenn, particularly in season 1, but also in season 2, is fairly special amongst the group. in season 2, miss jenn bonds with nini a bit in 2.04, which was a nice moment (and foreshadowing for season 3's musical), but the relationship miss jenn has with carlos in particular is the closest of the whole theatre group. theoretically, it should be the sm, natalie, who's miss jenn's right hand, because that's how it works in theatre, but carlos, as choreographer, has that role on this show, and that's just something we accept haha. to make ej the assistant director for east high's theatre department would definitely put him closer to miss jenn (at least in a professional sense), and i think that'd perhaps be a hard pill for carlos to swallow, which actually could be an interesting character thing for him, but we shall see how it goes.

as a slight tangent- making carlos want to act a lot more from here on out, after canonically in season 2 he only did it to be able to potentially win an award, will bug me a bit. carlos definitely wants to shine, and he does, but he seems vastly more confident choreographing than being on stage himself. look at how shaken up he was in 2.11? he clearly prefers the control of his role behind the scenes. but i mean it's obvious a lot of the time this show is created by people who were actors and not techies in theatre in school, so y'know, it's not shocking they want to push all of the kids into on stage roles. it's easier to write about. like you bring up big red- and that's a fantastic example. he absolutely could've been a tech focused character, and that could be a lot of fun actually, but in fairness i'm sure once they learned larry could tap dance they were like oh we definitely have to use that and lean into it. carlos and big red could've just been techies, that's totally totally a great thing to be. like the being sure of and then sticking to your passions thing is less applicable to big red bc red didn't go into this like- totally wanting to tech a musical, but carlos especially. would it be so bad if he was satisfied being a choreographer?

exploring new interests is fun, and not everyone does know what they want, but i think sometimes the show forgets that it's okay to have drive in one specific area. the idea of ambition is usually looked down upon, when truly as long as you take ambition as drive and apply it in a positive way, it's not an inherently bad thing to be ambitious and passionate. nini's the only character who's been allowed to be truly ambitious in the sense of deeply and wholeheartedly pursuing her big dreams, but i'd argue that's likely due to the fact she doesn't tend to believe in herself so much necessarily, so it's more emotionally loaded when she achieves things for herself. (even if it doesn't turn out how she expected when she does).

if they make him aspire towards directing, they'll need to grow that interest in season 3, because he did seem to be having a good time in 2.05 making the video, and it did turn out well according to gina, but they didn't spend much time on showing any real development of a true interest. it was more of a teachable moment than a fleshed out thing, beyond him somehow becoming president of the av club in what can't have been more than a few weeks haha. as a note: i don't consider his being an anchor on the morning show a development towards him wanting to make films- that's him being in front of the camera again, even if they do have their one bit that we see focusing on nini's song blowing up, the slideshow of photos focused on him and gina being the intro to the morning show tends towards the self-focus that mazarra was in theory trying to guide him away from by suggesting he try being behind the camera. (that said it does fall into 'telling stories'- which mazarra mentions in 2.04- when ej interviews nini)

but yeah idk- i think there is definitely time to prove this is what he wants to do during season 3, if it is the case that he goes in this direction, but they are going to have to dedicate time to it. i think the majority of ej's arc this season has to be about him coming into his own and finding out what he wants going forward. if they use directing as a way to keep him more involved on the show, and don't develop it right, yeah- it'll probably feel like more of a plot device. like you say- in 2b, which is when he started properly having screentime this season, he didn't have a lot of personal focus so much as it was involved with gina. the good thing there, is that they tied a lot of that into his personal arc, but they could've for sure done more with his actual future- considering they ended that with the no duke thing, without getting into what that means he will do. we could've seen ej contemplating that a bit at the end like particularly to go with his 'senior moment'.

(also like- the writers know that unless you're taking a semester off or planning on going to a community college you are required to make your college decision by may 1st right? by the time season 3's timeline begins he should technically already be decided, but for show purposes he won't be i'd assume.)

i'll try to keep my thoughts on this semi brief- but i agree with you on this, and it's why i actually have been concerned about the ej potentially coming back and working at east high idea since people started talking about it ages ago. it's also why i feel a bit weird about him being a counselor in terms of that relationship (and have been saying since the season was announced to be a summer camp that they probably should avoid that), but his working at ehs is worse. if they want me entirely on board with this relationship, they cannot put him in a real position of authority over his girlfriend. like the counselor thing would feel better if she were going into senior year rather than junior year, but that aside, him working at the school would be... a lot. it's going to bother me if they go there too, so please know you're not alone. like the power dynamic shift you mention is for sure a potential issue. if they frame it carefully enough, maybe they'll get away with it, but it's still a concern. it gives me the ick too haha

the last part about his growth is slightly more complicated for me... because ej's arc trends towards him connecting with other people- and being satisfied with genuine connections and genuine emotions rather than trophies and being mr. perfect with his flashy ivy league (duke isn't technically an ivy but it's close) acceptance and such... so if we take away the hanging around the high school when he's graduated aspect, it would be a positive thing for ej to keep his strong connections with the wildcats even as his world expands. i don't think that needs to be through working on the musicals with them though. i think it's good to like- evolve past high school, and for him to have new connections and find himself in a new environment would be great to have, because i think that would allow ej to perhaps gain a sense of himself disconnected from places associated with all the ways he wasn't being as genuine... but this requires them to down his screen time, given they cannot logically show ej at college much if at all, with the show's focus being the east high theatre department. they'd realistically try to tie him in primarily through relationships with ashlyn as his cousin, and gina as his girlfriend + him coming to support the group at bigger things, particularly if his college is semi-local.

ej finding a group of people that accept him for himself is important, given how much he's put on a front, and i think it's not necessarily a disservice to the character to keep him in utah, but i think him working at east high does deprive him of the opportunity to carve his own path that isn't so tethered to his past. (if we see any degree of regression from him in season 3 with being back at camp {if this is the same camp he's gone to prior} i think that will lend towards him leaving slc for school)

there are levels to this. it's in some ways a question of would you rather see a bigger progression of opportunity for ej with him maybe guest starring and we hear about him a bit from the others- or would you rather see a lot more of ej but have him confined to salt lake. i think there are good and bad ways to keep ej in slc, and i think there are ways he can grow and be in slc... but there is for sure a certain sense in which the character could have more. (but then it's the question of does he want more- which the ej we knew in season 1 definitely would, but while i don't see ambition as bad, maybe ej's ambition to go beyond this town would be seen as him regressing in that way? i disagree with that concept, but y'know, this show typically frowns upon ambitious tendencies.)

#hsmtmts #ej caswell #portwell negative #//sorta?#//as a warning this isn't negative on the ship mentioned but it does discuss it in a way that would be... negative? idk idk idk #answered #anonymous #//i never know whether i should put stuff in the tags or not but i'll just do it anyway #//even though people are talking about people 'writing dissertations' or whatever like i don't care i find analysis fun #//like there's a reason i'm in cla haha #hsmtmts: ej caswell

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yukisohmasmokesweed · 3 years

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what are your opinions on the thought process that Shigure groomed Akito so he could have control over them?

i think this opinion is a massive oversimplification of akito and shigure's power dynamic that has roots in the latent sexist idea that men inherently have power over women, as well as the heteronormative idea that love between a man and a woman is inherently romantic.

first off, i think it's a pretty bizarre assumption that a child could have the wherewithal and foresight to enact a complex series of actions that relies on the aggressor having a working knowledge of children's needs and behavior and years of planning and execution. people like to cite shigure's childhood declaration that he "...want[s] to make that [love] last forever...to give it form and make it [his]" as a statement of intent to groom and control. not only is this an absurd thing to say about a child who can't be any older than 10, it disregards two vital facets of akito and shigure's relationship: the magic in combination with shigure's own trauma. in my opinion, these lines speak to the power of the bond and how shigure interprets it. hatori and ayame reject it, the former letting himself sink into despair over his lack of control and festers in resentment, the latter completely removing himself from family life in order to avoid it. shigure, however, copes with the curse by diving in head first; just like the rest of the zodiac, he knows that there is no way out, so he embraces the good things about it in order to cope. in addition to this, though we don't know much about shigure's upbringing, we can assume based on his short interaction with his parents that he came from an emotionally neglectful home (expanded on here), so the prospect of unconditional love from akito is something he craves. i think these are much more reasonable motivations for the beginning of shigure's obsession rather than positing that grooming a person he had never met before he even went through puberty was his goal.

with regards to gendered power dynamics, i think this take severely underestimates the amount of abuse shigure withstands from akito. the idea that shigure is somehow in control of the relationship is simply not true; their relationship is DEFINED by their power struggle, which is a game that akito was winning until the very end. it ignores that men can be abused (and we see him being abused by akito, both physically and emotionally), and it also ignores that, in many toxic and abusive relationships, there is not always someone who is purely a victim. shigure is undoubtedly horrible to akito back—he is vindictive, cruel, and cold towards them. he also knows full well that he is one of akito's most important emotional supports and uses this position to manipulate them. however, his gender and age does NOT give him power over akito. he must do as akito says, both because of the magic and akito's position as the family head. while their relationship is not necessarily a victim-and-perpetrator situation, the power dynamic clearly favors akito, who is literally all-powerful and a professional abuser.

with regards to the heteronormative idea that men and women who love each other is inherently romantic: the scene most often referenced for this opinion is the scene between teenage shigure and child akito in chapter 101 where he tells akito he loves them. i do not interpret this scene to be romantic whatsoever, and i actually think it's really weird and telling that so many people do. these are two people whose only comfort is one another and have known each other since early childhood; i don't think it's weird at all for shigure to tell akito he loves them in this situation. given fb's focus on familial and platonic love, how platonic love can transform into romance, and the fact that akigure is a parallel to kyoru, i interpret this scene as entirely familial/platonic.

i can understand why people have this opinion: shigure is a man, and he's older, and he is a manipulator. he gives people very visceral reactions because he's incredibly well written. his actions do also fit into some of the stages of grooming, but it falls apart upon closer look (source): he targets a child (ie, he becomes close with his cousin who he is supernaturally bonded to against his free will), he gains the child's trust (ie, they become friends), and he fills a need, in this case akito's lack of parental support, all of which he does as a child himself. he does not, and cannot, isolate the child because he doesn't have the power to—akito's status would prevent them from being completely isolated (a good example of akito's position inherently giving them more power). when it comes to sexualizing the relationship, we just don't know, there isn't enough textual evidence to argue either way. as for the last step, maintaining control, shigure does NOT try and make akito think he is the only person who can fulfill akito's emotional and physical needs. in fact, he's doing the opposite; he WANTS akito to meet and be changed by tohru, and he has no problem with akito's intimate relationship with hatori, who probably provides more emotional and physical support to them than anyone. you could argue that shigure is trying to isolate akito by driving the other zodiacs away, but i don't think shigure attempting to separate an abuser from their victims is what "isolate" is meant to reflect here. so, as we can see, shigure fulfills SOME of the stages of grooming, but i don't think they hold up to scrutiny if you're thinking about fb in a nuanced and world-appropriate way.

i can also see why people misinterpret shigure's bid for control as some sort of abuse, but he states that he wants to be equal with akito, not above. i do think there is an aspect of misogyny here; shigure's masculinity, and the role that masculinity grants him in society, is threatened by akito's control over him, but i don't think having fragile masculinity and making grabs for power because of it when you're in an abusive relationship is abuse in turn.

i'm not trying to absolve shigure of anything here. he is cruel, he is manipulative, and he does things to hurt akito on purpose whether it's in revenge or not. but i don't think shigure meets the standards of being a groomer, and i think this assumption, in addition to what i previously stated, is a symptom of fandom misusing buzzwords to gain points. it's not a nuanced view and i think a lot of it, in my experience, comes from projection; shigure, in all his awfulness, is extremely easy to project onto. however, i think that there are some things in fb that are just not analogous to real life, and that this aspect of akito and shigure's relationship is one of them.

#ask #meta???#takes a huge bong rip #csa mention #shigure #akito #shigure sohma #akito sohma #fruits basket

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goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 2 years

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"What if..." AU, where Richard for some reason didn't try to kill Integra.

It always baffles me that he went such a dramatic route tbh! Like come on he’s an adult, she’s twelve, he’s likely her legal guardian. There’s so much room to play kind, knowledgeable “regent” and to undermine her until she either simply doesn’t have the means or respect to take over when she comes of age, or to simply do away with her in a quieter way if she starts to make a nuisance of herself. Like given the dramatically skewed power dynamic there, going on a murder spree because his pride was wounded just seems dumb! Like what was he even planning to tell the police? Or literally anyone else? I know the Hellsings have a fuckton of money and influence but there are limits lmao

But yeah in an AU where Richard isn’t insane:

Alucard obviously stays hidden in the basement. That would put a severe wrench in Major’s plans. And Walter’s, if we’re taking the implication that he deliberately left for South America so that Richard could do his thing.

Obviously they would all want to get Alucard out in some other way, idk maybe just quietly nudging Richard to actually look into the closed off areas of the manor, and cleaning out the entire fucking dungeon/basement area they apparently haven’t set foot in for 20+ years lmfao

I think Integra’s dynamic with him would probably be akin to Rin and Kirei’s in Fate tbh? She probably just intensely hates and has no respect for him. And I could see there being a lot of clashes. We don’t know a lot about Richard, but his one scene sure does point to a lot of volatility and spite. So. I don’t think Integra’s in for a very good home life.

It would probably mean some very interesting changes to her core identity tbh? A huge part of her demeanor and world view imo stems from having raised herself, and essentially answered to no one, from the age of twelve. Having a shitty guardian who’s hyper aware that she is poised to eventually usurp him would impact her A LOT.

Walter would probably be in a more delicate situation too, where he’s trying to keep Richard’s favor, but is also trying to… do whatever his double agent nonsense entails… while also genuinely giving a damn about Integra. He’d probably have far less free reign and be treated more like staff. Idk I just think the entire dynamic would be very different.

Idk when exactly Alucard *would* be freed, but there’d ALSO be a very interesting power struggle considering that Integra’s the heir… so most likely he’s still going to answer to her? I think that would inevitably trigger Richard trying to kill her again, or somehow send her away where she’s not a concern. Because there’s no way he’d be cool with her having that kind of unchecked power. Like strategy aside his ego is just way too fragile to deal with that.

Which *could* in turn trigger the exact same “Integra has to kill him to save herself” sequence of events. But I could see it becoming interestingly complicated by how enmeshed he’d be in her life/at Hellsing in general. Especially if Richard’s own plan to kill her/send her away isn’t so over the top that it gives her a solid self defense argument. I could see her trying to get rid of him genre shifting to something a little sneakier? Maybe she and Alucard have to cover it up! That could be very interesting!

Send me an AU and I’ll come up with a few headcanons for it!

#hellsing #hellsing ultimate #integra hellsing #au corner #i ramble sometimes #all the bendy punctuations #a mysterious stranger has appeared #headcanons #meta

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ohmygeese · 3 years

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Hi! Welcome to our new segment called "The SMP has morally gray storyline so stop treating it like everything is black or white: Rant Edition"

The reason why Tubbo was compared to Schlatt in the first place was because he didn't inform his cabinet of his decision of exiling Tommy. This is a valid reason for his cabinet to be upset but unfortunately, they took the situation as an opportunity to manipulate Tubbo to do their bidding.

Knowing the full story, Tommy had no right to call Tubbo "a monster" but looking at purely Tommy's perspective, he was pretty valid in saying so (allegedly kicking Wilbur out of NLM, putting Phil in house arrest, planning to execute Techno, and of course, his entire exile). Same goes to the times Tubbo called Tommy "selfish and a liability." Both are unfair portrayals of each character's actions but are completely understandable since their relationship has been tainted by miscommunication and "hear-says" from biased/unrealiable sources.

During the El Rapids storyline, Dream had the right to call Quackity a terrorist although we know it wasn't purely because of the fake strike and the siege of the throne but as a political tactic for his own benefit. However, Karl also had the right to call Dream a tyrant because why else would you get yourself involved in an affair of two nations of which you aren't even a part of and go as far as to speak over the king and use your godly powers as a threat. Like :D

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo are the only ones who actually care about maintaning peace and justice in the server. I could not stress this enough: "The fate of the entire server rests on their hands." Quackity? On a power high. Fundy and Niki? Running away from their problems and building a new country to sastify their own desires. Phil? Protecting Techno is his #1 priority, anything else nada. Techno? On a revenge arc and owes a favor to a person who goes against the very core of his anarchic (?) ideals. These three are the only ones willing to call out bullshit eveb if it means a loss in power or comfort but, currently, they're all facing difficulties to do so. Tommy is literally overloaded with trauma and is questioning the world as he knows it. Tubbo is being manipulated by Dream and his cabinet. Ranboo has memory issues, is easily peer-pressured and is isn't really taken seriously by the wide majority. The SMP is fucked if they don't pull their shit together.

Tommy has the right to say that nobody cared about him during his exile because he has said multiple times in passing how depressed and tired he has been since living in Logstedshire. He even has mentioned Dream's manipulative tendencies multiple tomes. But even after all that, Ranboo was the only to actually recognize and do something about it (Sapnap as well but he's too pre-occupied with El Rapids). Not even his own father did.

Canonically, Phil is a terrible father and grandfather. He calls out bullshit but never makes an effort to fix them. Old man disowned his furry grandson for wanting to kill Techno but doesn't explain to him Techno's reasoning with the war crimes in the first place. Old man also did nothing to save Tommy from exile even after witnessing the shit his son is going through. (I know its not in the script and I respect that but we gotta call out bs. Hope they give Phil redemption other than being a good pal to only Techno :D)

Both Pogtopia and Techno are at fault for the government clash incident. Pogtopia has expressed multiple times of how they want to reclaim L'manberg. It was Techno's mistake to not infer that it included the government especially since the heads of the operation were the ex-president and vice president of the nation. Additionally, Techno kept saying stuff like "We'll burn the bridge when we get there," whenever he gets asked on his opinion about the revolution. And that is called miscommunication at its finest. However, this does not discredit the fact that Pogtopia did use Techno as a literal weapon without further inspecting his stance whatsoever.

On the topic of Pogtopia and Techno, in the moment where its revealed that Techno is going to betray Tommy, don't say its karma. They were both used as weapons during that era, Tommy far beyond that. He wasn't even the one to institute the government when they won, it was Wilbur. Think of it as Tommy as the handle and Techno was the blade. It fits perfectly to their dynamic during that era. Also, don't try to reason out manipulation wth.

Last point, to the people who were disappointed that Tommy never got to "learn his lesson" after he escaped from Dream, do not become parents. Just don't. You really expect a literal teenager who just escaped from an abusive relationship to think about that? Bitch, Tommy never had time to even think about his trauma and you expect him to be like "ye, i was irresponsible," in a snap? If anything, the exile just showed him that he and his discs are being used a political leverage (he even said that he's the only one Dream is scared of) so of course, Tommy is going to try to take his discs back as a way to end the bullshit he and everyone he holds dear has gone through. We don't even know if he's going to put it in an e-chest or burn it (probably the latter). Guys. Please. The child literally went through hell and back. Give him therapy before lecturing him about being "selfish." (Again, you have no right to call him that in the first place.)

Appreaciate the storyline for what it is and stop trying to fight each other over who was right and who's in the wrong like please. The only redeemable (by redeemable i mean saints amongst men y'know maybe should not have used that word to begin with but ahhhhhh) characters here is Ranboo (Edit: Also Niki haha woops, thank you for reminding me) if I'm completely honest. (I am going against everything I stand for to not include Tommy and Tubno in that sentence but I said what I said.)

/dsmp /roleplay /nm

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marisandini-chu-blog · 3 years

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How Shadow and Bones Differentiate Villain and Anti-Hero

Alright, first I need to claim the fact that I love dark, edgy, but misunderstood bad boy in stories with the potential of epic redemption. Loki from Marvel. Jason Todd from DC. Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. Zuko from AtLA. You name them, I simp them.

So when I watched this new show on Netflix and shown a tall, handsome man in dark clothing, both respected and feared for his power. I feel... nothing.

WHICH IS WEIRD! Like... he’s obviously my type. Complete with the sad backstory and vicious streak. So I kept wondering why I wasn’t enamored by the Darkling, Alexander Kirigan. I wasn’t surprised he was the main villain, I even expected it. But I usually at least have a bit of sympathy for them. This OOC behavior of mine made me introspect myself and the show, trying to find out which part gave me the red flags before Mother Darkling decides to pop the chosen one out halfway in the season.

That’s when it hit me; there were red flags! The show had been subtly trying to tell us Kirigan is a manipulative boyfriend not just by great acting and good directing, but by comparing him with the actual anti-hero of the story who I actually love; Kaz Brekker.

Here’s the list of signs you might not notice of why Kirigan is meant to be a Villain instead of an Anti-Hero.

1. The Eyes

"The eyes are the window to the soul" is a common saying and and the key to good acting for any good show. Eyes tell us a lot about what a person’s character is like and SaB showed us the difference of a sincere man and a man with a hidden agenda.

Look at him! Look at that little smirk. Look at the gaze. That's the look you find when someone's evil little plan is finally coming together. Not one awed by the power or by Alina. A blatant sus move is what I'm saying. Congrat, first flag planted.

Sure he could still fall in love with Alina, but that doesn't stop his agenda either. All it does is potentially create conflict for him to pick either his plan for revenge or life with Alina.

In comparison, look at Kaz when he said this to Inej; "She isn't like you, no one is." Straightforward eyes. Serious grim. No nonsense tone. Inej is one of the most talented and terrifying rogue-assassin and Kaz just blatantly said that he kept her from 'slavery' because of who she is, not what she's capable of. Like... the man has no shame being known to love her while still trying to be professional (or as professional a thief can be). I can respect that.

This is the eye of a man who would abandon everything to make sure she comes out alright in the end. Do not argue with me on this!

2. Leverage and Status

The moment Alina steps into the Little Palace she was treated like a princess. A palace, by the way, that’s managed by the Darkling. She gets favorable treatment; from the food, Zoya displaced when she fought Alina, a horseback ride just the two of them, asking her to call by his name to make them familiar, a black uniform that might as well be claiming???

Dude is desperate is what I’m saying.

Sure, this could all be romantic gestures. There’s the problem that Kirigan is superior in status and name, powerful Grisha, and has a vested interest in her power. Pursuing romance while Kirigan has the ability to make her life heaven or hell with a snap of his finger made every single decision be seen with wariness.

"Beware of powerful men," Genya couldn't put it any better.

Had they pursued romance after they destroy the fold, cementing Alina’s position as a saint more. Then I might have let go of that wariness.

I’m only proven correct when the moment Alina turned away from him, Kirigan made another leverage by (spoiler!) putting an antler to her collarbone... eeeewwww much?!

That’s how desperate the Darkling is to be in control of a person and a situation.

And when no letter came for Alina? That a big red flag because who else in this castle can control the coming of going of letter with the Savior. HMMMMMMMMMMM.....

Then there’s Kaz. My man. There’s no competition. This guy held no leverage on my dear Inej. When she almost decided to leave, Kaz didn't force or convince her to stay but he ask her. Doesn't remind her of her debt whether monetary or life debt to him. In fact, this guy needs money for revenge but instead mortgage his main source of income for her freedom.

HE POSTPONED HIS LIFE GOAL TO FREE HER FROM DEBT ASJHAKFSDJGLDFJ!!!

What more do I need to say?

3. Sympathy Card

This is the type of point you want to watch out from your partners, ladies, gents, and others. The sympathy card is the way to go when anyone wants to reach out to you so you can take care of them before they abuse or gaslight you.

While it’s good to share trauma and eased the burden, sometimes it's healthy to ask yourself whether the person can take advantage of you and to verify whether they lie to you or not.

When Kirigan shared about his past as a sympathetic boy with his secluded fountain and coin. Everything about that scene rang warning bells for me... the part he had requested her to use his color... requesting to horse ride with just them two... sharing sob story that may encourage Alina to help him...

Kudos to Alina to see through the fact she's seen as a means to an end.

It was only when Kirigan showed righteous anger and frustration of a war that's killing his people did Alina finally opened her heart to him.

Kaz however doesn't use the sympathy card. Heck, the man likes to believe he shed away any weakness and threw it in the harbor where it belongs. Kaz hates weaknesses. And garnering sympathy is an admission of weakness for him.

We still know there's a tragic backstory as any decent anti-hero would have... but by not sharing that, this implies that Inej and Jesper stayed because of who he is, and not because of who he was or how he came to be. They don't need a sob story to stay together and that showed a stronger bond between them.

4. Friends

To be frank, I find this the most hilarious because this point is the one that convinced me that Kirigan was secretly an evil bastard.

He doesn’t have any friends!!!

Like... dude had a literal witch army, a wife once, a fuck buddy, and a girlfriend but there wasn’t a single moment in the show where someone, outside of Alina and superior, to speak casually to him.

You’re telling me this person... the most powerful and influential Grisha in the East Ravka, charming as hell, handsome as fuck, and yet he doesn’t have friends?!

“I’ve buried good soldiers... friends...” Get the fuck out of here! WHAT FRIENDS?!?! Maybe if you get off your little power trip from your self-made pedestal, you can actually be less of an asshole and make one.

Sure he excused himself by blaming his ‘ancestor’ for being a shadow summoner. I can see how the fear makes it hard for him to get close to anybody. But all the other characters who are part of his army only ever shown to speak with him respectfully, and the royalty even commend him. No one disrespected him even openly and you’re telling me he doesn’t have one friend amidst all these people?!

In comparison, look at Kaz. He’s brash, crude, and unapologetic. He held true to his moniker ‘Bastard of the Barrel’ and yet this ass has friends. They show Jesper joking with Kaz, and Kaz has shown to banter with him back as well as tolerating his gambling addiction when it could have jeopardized the Job. Inej was shown to actually argue and have disagreement with Kaz when he’s technically her boss. Can you imagine the Darkling doing that? CAN YOU?!

No. Because he's a pretentious ass. That's why.

This is a great example of the use “show not tell” of how Kaz despite his obvious edges has a soft spot shown through his relationship with Inej and Jesper, who have a friendly dynamic. I can attest that while Kaz didn’t create a good first impression, I love Jesper and Inej (they are precious!) so much that I project it to Kaz in extension.

On the other hand, Kirigan’s goodwill had only ever been told by outsiders or himself. None from his inner circle (which he doesn’t have!) other than his mother, who ended up outing him instead.

So I applaud the writers and showrunners of SaB to actually have subtext signs of a manipulative bastard. The Duckling is a good villain character that's complex but unredeemable. Sometimes, you just have a good ol' charming villain you can't redeem and that's okay.

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imthepunchlord · 3 years

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Adrien’s Best to Least

Marinette, Alya, Nino, Kagami

Alright, officially four seasons in, we got more on Adrien which wound up to be... something. Let’s get this character study going covering his best to least fit. I apologize if this comes out on the side of salty, trying to be as neutral as possible, but be ready for his issues to be addressed.

Adrien is a complicated character in his set up, but Adrien himself is not a complex individual. He is, quite literally, one of the more straight forward characters in this show, and is quite stagnant and unchanging. And that is more the fault of the writers who don’t want to change him at all and deem him to be “perfect” while ignoring any flaws. Looking at him as a character without the narrative to act in his favor, there’s actually quite a struggle for him miraculous wise, but two seem to suit him best.

His best are Turtle and Peafowl. Turtle meets the core who he is, working off his strengths, where he likes to be in the field, and his instincts. And this miraculous actually offers him the growth he really needs, while keeping true to who he is. Peafowl it turn can best adjust to his style and needs, his want to be flashy and dynamic.

Adrien at the core is a protector, supporter, and follower. Being an incredibly reckless and active character, he thrives to be in the front lines, and has largely always prioritized his partner’s safety over his own, which has become problematic behavior at this point. But that’s what you want for a Turtle, someone who’s ready to be on the front lines and is being conscious of their allies. And out of the 5, this suits him best in who he is and how he works.

The growth potential comes from the limits of his protection as Shelter can only be used once, and he has to be conscious about timing and how to use it. And typically, Adrien does have good responsive instincts for when he needs to be a protector. While this won’t stop him from diving in, it can afford him more means to do so while also keeping himself safe and in the fight, and it can shape him up to be smarter in how he protects others. This miraculous also counts for self-protection and ideally can get it into his head that his safety matters to.

Overall, I do see Adrien and Wayzz getting along as Wayzz is friendly, engaging, and will adapt and adopt quirks of his humans so he can quickly bond with them. This sets up for him to click with his kwami a lot sooner, and with Wayzz being a more serious and responsible kwami than Plagg, this can set up Adrien to respect and listen to Wayzz. So when Wayzz calls him out on anything, Adrien is more likely to listen to him and consider his words. Wayzz is a kwami who doesn’t approve of reckless behavior, and that will address one of Adrien’s biggest issues.

With Peafowl, in comparison to Fox, would be a lot forgiving of Adrien’s quick, responsive, and straightforward thinking. When Adrien makes his golems, they are made with a clear purpose that they will see to. And they will function as he expects them to. This will match his want to play by his own rules, as whatever he wants can come into existence, and for sure, he’d be quite the attention grabber. This miraculous is quite flexible in battle, able to be settled on the sidelines or join the golem in combat.

Growth wise, this miraculous can inspire a spark of creativity, as while he makes golems to serve out a purpose, thought is required for them. He will also need to learn to be conscious of his resources as each golem is born from a section of his fan, and if he makes too many, he can end up weaponless.

For him and Duusu, I see them being a very energetic pair, probably borderline chaotic. Duusu would actually probably add onto his flamboyance and encourage him to really let loose and “show his true colors”. She’d also be a source of affection and support, something that he really wants. She could also have Adrien step up in maturity as she can be a goofball.

Adrien’s 2nd best is Bee. Bee can work off his energy and allow him to remain a mid-to-close-range fighter, though there are concerns to him using it which keeps this from being apart of his best, though he has enough potential and promise to use it well that keeps this from joining the worst.

Bee will have a lot of the same appeals as Cat that makes this manageable for Adrien. It is direct, involved, allows him to be a teamplayer, and has an aggressive power. But while it has the same appeals to Cat, it has the same issues as Adrien can be reckless with his power and has activated Cataclysm at the wrong time a few times which has led to issues (Aeon’s death being the most iconic example). Chances are even higher that he’d have similar issues with Venom, and be more reckless with Venom as unlike Cataclysm, this is just a temporary paralysis, not pure destruction. Cataclysm requires some level of control and consideration in use. Venom is not the same in its use, so Adrien can end up more reckless with it as there aren’t so severe consequences with it, in theory. And with his tendency to charge and Venom requires some stealth and calculation in use, chances are good that many are going to see his sting coming and prepare for it.

Growth wise, Bee can help Adrien grow as a team player, as teamwork is a big part of bee society, and while largely good, Adrien does have moments where he has struggled (like pranking his partner during a Lucky Charm use in the beginning of Refleckta, or Glaciator, rejecting to work with his partner due to her not showing up for the maybe date she said she was uncertain of making it to). And by chance he is reckless with Venom, ideally it would eventually click that he needs to be smarter in how he handles it.

Adrien and Pollen as a pair could end up very problematic or very interesting. The Bee miraculous seems more designed to be used by girls and so far, we’ve only seen Pollen work off girls, we have yet to see how Pollen would engage with a boy as her user. She could be quite critical. But playing off the assumption that Pollen will engage with Adrien the same as we’ve seen in canon with Chloe, this would not be a good match as Pollen would essentially enable Adrien, and I don’t see him prompting the same sort of growth to her as other characters could.

Adrien’s least fit are Butterfly and Fox. These two make up his greatest weaknesses: empathy and the capacity to plan before acting.

Adrien can match Butterfly as he can be very supportive and encouraging (Origins and Mayura), but the issue stems that these instances are limited both in number and in depth. Adrien can be very emotionally deaf to the needs of others, often putting his own needs over them, and has made use of guilt to manipulate people (largely Marinette, seen in Syren and Malediktator). Another big issue with Adrien and Butterfly is that Adrien himself doesn’t make connections, he doesn’t include himself in anything. To use this miraculous well, one has to be or become, quite literally, a social butterfly. This miraculous at the core is about emotion and connection, to be aware of the feelings of others, to make connections, to assist and help raise others up. It requires teamwork and being on the same page. To have the user become a leader or teammate. This is not something Adrien is known for. He in general isn’t good at getting a grasp on emotional issues, as seen in Maledicktator, not getting the happiness everyone was feeling and lectured Marientte about it. Possibilities are good that with his tendency to lecture, who can upset the wrong target and end up championless. And with how passive he can be, can it be certain that he can rein in a champion if they go out of control?

Growth wise, this does offer the most, but at the price that this is one of two that he’d really struggle with at the start. This miraculous can help him learn to branch out, make connections with others, and open his world more to making friends. But until he gets to that point, he’s going to be limited in diversity in champions and is more likely to stick to who he knows, and unfortunately, that’s not a lot. Chances are good that Chloe and Nino could be the only champions to be seen for a while and Chloe would not be inclined to share.

With Nooroo, on the surface they can be a sweet pair, but being a very gentle and soft spoken kwami, I don’t see Nooroo as a kwami that Adrien will listen to if Nooroo spoke out or voiced his concerns. Nooroo can help Adrien understand and deal with emotional situations he may not have a grasp on, but that’s not a certainty until Adrien actually listens.

Adrien can match Fox as a risk taker, someone who likes to be flashy, is playful, and wants to put on a show. But that there is where it ends. Adrien at the core is a very reactive character who likes to be in the thick of things and that’s not where Fox is supposed to be. Fox requires creativity, observation skills, and means of manipulating your audience without ever confronting them. Adrien is more offensive-oriented than a good Fox should be. He shares a similar issue with Alya that he would go with the first thing that comes to mind, whether its good or not, or even if he has all the details down needed for a good illusion. Chances are also good that (like Alya), he also waits to hear what illusion his partner may tell him to do than think of one himself. He tends to go with his gut and responds to the first thing he sees. And out of the 5, this is the one most designed to be background oriented, so him joining any fights makes things risky for him as he’s quite limited in fights. And having a Fox seen, enemies get a sense that there’s going to be an illusion soon.

This would be the 2nd to address issues of his recklessness, but would be far more punishing. If he’s determined to become a good Fox, this is going to force him to step back, observe, and think. But being so action oriented and responsive, and having this instinctive need to act rather than plan (as we really see him struggle and get frustrated in Refleckdoll), its going to take a while before he gets that patience.

Trixx and Adrien would be a pair that I see to be quite one sided. Passive as he can be, I see Trixx quite easily manipulating Adrien. And depending on one’s stance, this could be good or bad. Trixx is sharp enough to see what his humans desire, and knows what to say to change how think or change their actions. Trixx maybe the best kwami to pair with Adrien as he will assist Adrien in getting what he wants and needs, but is capable of getting Adrien to reconsider his stance or actions, which can improve Adrien’s character and his relation with others.

Between Ladybug and Cat... honestly Adrien isn’t the best fit for either of them. But if he HAS to have one... it would technically be Cat as the power is more suited to who he is. It’s up his alley, though certain aspects don’t make it ideal.

it is the same issue and risk as Bee, Adrien is very reckless and reactive. Canonly he has summoned Cataclysm too soon. And then there’s the issue of kwami. Plagg is not a good kwami match up with Adrien. Plagg isn’t a very involved kwami and he relies on his humans to self-sufficient and figure out issues themselves, largely expects a small mention will be enough. Not so with Adrien who needs a more direct personality to listen to, and by the time Plagg realizes he needs to be more direct, Adrien largely dismisses him as Plagg has set himself up as unreliable at the start.

Between the two, Tikki would be the better kwami for Adrien. She is very involved and engaging, and makes it clear when she has an issue, to a point she’d be hard for Adrien to dismiss. Though chances are slim that he would as she’d be engaging at the start unlike Plagg. Adrien can even get Tikki herself to grow as he needs clearer answers than just a simple call out, forcing her to offer up solutions and alternatives for his own actions. Tikki also would get Adrien to start involving himself in others, if not outright stepping up as a leader, be more conscious of others and help them with their issues. She would’ve been good to help Adrien branch out. Unfortunately, the Ladybug miraculous is confirmed to not be a good fit and there would be a lot of struggles for Adrien at the start.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #kwami swap #character study

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watery-melon-baller · 3 years

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I think that, overall, only four good things came out of Danny Phantom season three:

1) Frostbite. I like that he can serve as another ghostly mentor figure to Danny, even if he is coming pretty late in the game, and he adds some decent worldbuilding.

2) Danny’s ice powers and ice core. There area lot of fun things to be done with these, especially in fanon, but even in the show they can make fights more interesting and dynamic. It’s a new element to play around with without it being too overly obtrusive. It does come a little out of nowhere, and just adds to Danny being absolutely OP, but I can look past that and see it as a net positive.

3) The episode Forever Phantom. This and the episode I’m going to discuss in point four are the only two episodes I feel truly hold up and are genuinely good in this season. There are some others that can be fun to watch, but they’re overall pretty mediocre. That’s not to mention the fair share of flops that just completely missed the mark. Forever Phantom works because it pulls its focus back in to grounded problems. A lot of season three has the issue of being all action, no breaks; the writers try to up the stakes, but it doesn’t work because there’s nothing to tie it back, and therefore it has little meaning. It’s just spectacle. What Forever Phantom does is give us a conflict with stakes that are much lower, but at the same time have a very pointed effect on Danny’s life. That’s able to keep viewers invested. The tone, also, just works a bit better for me than a lot of other season three episodes; some of the humor really works. Finally, we get Amorpho. He’s a very interesting antagonist; his morally gray motivations and general presence make him interesting to watch, and his direct goal to screw with people (and Danny specifically) brings up some good situations.

4) The episode D-Stabilized. This one holds up, and even excels, in a different way than Forever Phantom. Forever Phantom was an excellent example of how this show does a low-stakes, humor-driven episode. D-Stabilized shows off the potential for more plot-driven dramatic storytelling. One thing of the episode’s major strengths is its use of the characters. It was a good decision to take Valerie, Danny, and Danielle as a focus. They in particular did a good job with Danielle; while she definitely didn’t get enough screen time in the overall series to be fully realized as a character, this episode was a good step in the right direction, making use of the limited time they had. Through the focus the episode puts on her, the writers do a good job of fleshing her out into more of her own character (seperate from Danny), but keeping her familiar as well. As for Valerie, she was criminally underutilized in season 3. Nevertheless, her inclusion in the episode definitely improved it. She’s one of Danny Phantom’s strongest characters. To be perfectly honest, she’s probably a more developed and realized character than Tucker or Sam, despite the fact that the latter two are part of the core cast. She has a level of depth those two simply don’t have, with more thought-out motivations and traits that make her more belivable and three-dimensional. As such, D-Stablized took advantage of her strong character and arc to further it, staying true to her motivations and personality. And, critically, the characters are in character. This was an issue that season three had a lot more than the previous seasons of the show. D-Stabilized being able to succeed in this was critical to making it a good episode. Another thing D-Stablized handles well is its narrative. As I mentioned earlier, it gives us a strong and continuity-driven plot which helps to push many of the series’ ongoing points. It continues the thread begun by Kindred Spirits, bringing back Danielle and Vlad’s cloning plan. This is a compelling choice, as for much of season three Vlad has been exaggerated and his motivations twisted out of proportion. His previous motivations, to get rid of Jack and take his family, and more than that his critical trait of wanting love above all but not realizing that one needs to give back to get it, has been largely dropped in favor of a more generic set. His main goals are now shown to be world domination, power, and wealth, which makes little sense for his character. But that is beside the point; to bring us back on topic, the choice to bring back Vlad’s cloning plot demonstrates that he still does hold the desires he was shown to have previously: he wants a ‘perfect son’. It brings his character more in line with earlier seasons, bringing back that more compelling scenario. Another thread it continues is Valerie’s arc. I touched on this briefly earlier when I discussed characters, but to go into more depth, this episode gives us excellent insight into her life and motivations, wholly building off of what we already know about her. It fits in with what we’ve learned, but the events of the episode’s narrative also push Valerie into growing. It makes excellent use of her established anti-hero tendancies, showing how despite her prejudices she still has morals, and it trying to good even if it is somewhat misguided with regards to Danny and her unwavering hatred of ghosts. Especially considering how we’ve seen virtually nothing of her over season 3, the inclusion of Valerie and ties to her storyline certainly helped this episode exceed the rest. The action was dramatic, the development was logical and satisfying, and the characters and interactions are well handled and compelling. This is not even to mention the episode’s ending, where Valerie figures out about Vlad. This was clearly setting up more, but the arc got cut off before it could reach its completion. It is a real shame that we didn’t get a conclusion to this storyline, as it would have been really interesting to see how Valerie would handle the shift to her worldview, and how that could affect Danny and Amity Park.

#whoops this got really long #Danny Phantom #Writing #Season 3 #Analysis #(maybe?)#Let's be honest this mostly just turned out to be a critical analysis of D-Stabilized because that's the episode I rewatched before writing

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honkster · 3 years

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Why the Dream SMP’s way of storytelling is IMPOSSIBLE to recreate in any other medium.

This has been in the back of my mind for the longest time. I think I finally got it.

People have talked about this before, and they’ve put forward some good points, and good for them – most of them are correct. It’s the way the ccs interact with each other, it’s how plot is mixed in with banter, that’s all good! I wanna put more out there.

So you know how you open a book to read, you start a new show, you sit down to watch a movie – that’s all produced by some sort of company, someone who made it specifically for you to enjoy. You expect a certain dramatic flair to it, certain cinematic choices, certain ways of writing, certain camera angles, certain reactions to things. That’s just ingrained expectations of things now.

The DSMP? Doesn’t have that.

The low expectations work very much in its favor. It’s a Minecraft role-playing server with a bunch of famous youtubers/streamers, who are all good friends and have great dynamics with each other. So when you expect “just another Minecraft video” but in stream form, or you watch the videos because there are certain people in them, you don’t expect to be dropped into extreme lore and sensitive topics, realistic situations proposed in game form, a combination of serious stuff and just fun times with friends goofing around – and you’re pleasantly surprised.

We, the fandom, are used to it a bit more now. How excellently they manage to make a serious story in such a “ridiculous” medium, how much it affects us all and gets our creative juices flowing. But even the ccs can’t predict some of the things that happen. And that’s fun.

The whole election ending the way it has? That was on us. And it made some of the most angsty content there has been in the DSMP. People still theorize about the arc and make connections to now – that’s pog!

Fundy being adopted by Eret – that sparked the whole “Fundy just wants a dad – let’s get him some love” thing that made FundyWasTaken and other Fundy+someone ships happen. I see a different person paired with Fundy every week, and somehow, I agree with all of them. I really got into Fundy because of that stream where Eret “slept through the adoption” and Fundy confronted his real dad and spent time with his granddad. That little stream gave us more insight into Fundy’s whole character (Nevermind Fundy showing off his acting skills – you go you funky little fox), but also justifies some of his actions now. DryWaters? Wanting to kill Technoblade? Fucked up reasons, but we still love him.

Phil being broken out of house arrest ahead of time – still made a great stream and Phil agreeing with Techno’s want for revenge – that made us all very happy. The SBI!!! The AE! And that’s also a thing!

That even if we do know or have predicted what’s going to happen, begged it out of the ccs basically, it is still incredibly fun to watch. Where some books/shows/movies fall short and reveal too much and end up being “too predictable”, they’re not fun anymore. I read this somewhere before, that sometimes holding back EVERYTHING from the reader, and relying on shock value to make a good story is just bad. Whereas if you progress the story naturally and let the reader make some predictions of their own and then they end up being right – that’s a lot of serotonin right there. It’s the re-readability that makes it slightly better the second time.

The DSMP takes this concept and fucking yeets with it. Letting fans engage in the story, letting them theorize and then be right, even acknowledging the fanart that was made, just engaging with the community that their roleplay created – that makes it so much more fun. I bet that even if the whole script was revealed to the fandom we would still watch every plot stream. Even if we knew vaguely what happens in the stream, we would tune in and enjoy every second of it. Because the ccs are just that good, we love them that much, we love this plot that much.

Oh and the unpredictability helps too. Tommy in exile was the vague concept of a lot of the streams – it’s taken that and ran with it in a lot of different directions. All quite enjoyable.

Having said all of that… The fact that this type of telling a story is impossible to recreate in any other medium is… kinda saddening? It is incredibly unique, and I’d say has things that not a lot of the people that produce mainstream media would even consider. “Just friends hanging out” – how would that make the script progress? “Engagement with the fandom, even considering their wishes for the characters” – but we’re telling a story here!

The only thing I can think of that would come close to the vibe, would be just a bunch of writer friends coming together, thinking up a universe and general plot, and then each deciding to write a few of their own characters in that universe. When one author focuses on their main characters, the side ones can feel left in the dust, or not fleshed out. The DSMP is just “every character can write their own story”, which takes a lot of the strain from the “main writers”. But the general thing of “just friends hanging out” would be taken away from it. We’re being serious here, why would we change the tone so quick?

With all of that in mind… I kinda wanna make some predictions? And I don’t know if they’re correct, but it’s fun to theorize. See?

1. L’manburg will die.

And not just because Techno has 54 withers. The country is cursed – it definitely is. There is little sentimental value that can be felt for a few flimsy stilts built on top of a crater. It might go out in a blaze of glory, with the withers (Is history repeating itself an interesting enough plot point to recycle a whole arc?), but it might just be forgotten. Yeah there have been some angsty headcanons about how “no one cares about L’manburg anymore, save for two people” and it just gets abandoned, but how about it just becoming irrelevant?

This all comes back to Dream, it always does! His want, need for the server to be “one happy family again”, it just means one thing. He wants the server to return to the peaceful anarchy that it was before L’manburg. No rulers, no factions, no nothing.

That’s never going to happen.

Try as he might, Dream cannot affect that change that L’manburg did to the server. The introduction of a faction, one that can exist without the interference of a higher power – why do you think so many factions have sprouted up since? And it’s not even serious factions a lot of the time, it’s just a few friends deciding to build their bases on a plot of land that they claim is a nation now. L’manburg has changed the mindset of these people, now an alliance with somebody is a political move. An alliance doesn’t exist if it doesn’t have a faction, and that faction can remain neutral for only so long.

Basically, L’manburg introduced the factions mod into the server.

And the fact that every faction now has enough relevance to hold weight in a war also means that every nation on the server is doomed to follow the downfall of L’manburg. Eventually, they will get into a fight they can’t win, go up against the wrong people, anger someone they shouldn’t have. All factions will either be destroyed, or lose relevance, until their creators, residents and such just… move on.

(And really you can go into meta and talk about real governments and compare them, but it’s far more simple than that. The server isn’t built for peace, it isn’t meant to be a relaxing place where you can just vibe, it may have been made for a few friends to play Minecraft together, but it has turned into An Author’s Curse. The curse that follows any kind of story being told – the fact that peace is boring. People watched the first streams of the DSMP because they liked the ccs, and that’s valid. But how many more people tuned in to watch the war streams because there was PLOT and there was CHAOS and there WASN’T CALM PEACE ANYMORE – that’s the curse of every writer. That you can write about someone just living their life drama-free, you can make interesting peace with characters or circumstances, but it’s always leading to one inevitable conclusion – war, drama, because people read that. And at this point, it’s just a predictable outcome. No matter how much you say that you are retired, that you’re done with violence (Technoblade), something will happen that will prove to you that you believed in people too much. No matter how “neutral” you may be in the matter, no matter how much you claim that you have no allegiance (Philza), you will be forced to pick one, because out of all the bad things, you pick the least worst one, the most appealing to you, the one that can benefit your want of revenge.

And I can go on, but this is far too deep for one simple reason – The Author’s Curse is so prevalent here because THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO STAKES. It’s a video game – you die? You respawn. Something gets destroyed? You can just rebuild. Sure, you’ll want to kill the person who did wrong to you, but whatever they did wrong can just be replaced, remade, recreated. So why not have wars? Why not cause massive amounts of destruction “for the plot”?

It’s literally a playground. How all authors have their little playground with their characters that they meticulously plan out, the DSMP is that playground for all of these people.

And it’s fun! Sure! I like it! I’m just really skeptical whenever someone in character says that they “just want peace”, “are retired”, “swear off violence”, “are building just a little city for themselves”. Because you can do that, nothing wrong. But eventually, no matter how much you distance yourself from all of the chaos happening, all of the wars, you will return.

Because it is just much more fun.

It’s the curse. A cursed cycle.

And everyone is in it.)

2. The prison.

I don’t have anything on the prison because I don’t have anything on the book. Yeah I’ve done a whole post where I overanalyze what it could be, but it doesn’t make it any clearer. Whatever it is, it’s made out to be a huge plot point, something that can only be revealed when the prison is finished.

Cursed. The prison’s reason for being constructed is the book, but the book is only relevant when the prison is finished. We can only wait, and theorize, as we do.

(My only theory is that the book is information about another op on the server. Or at least something related to op or creative mode. Dream only fears one thing on this server, and that’s Technoblade, so if his one fear is the most skilled player on the server, what else could give him existential fear?)

3. The SBI.

Again, I don’t have anything! Yeah the reunion seems to be going smoothly, one member at a time, but there is already conflict in their beliefs among each other. And all that’s happened is a vague “maybe one day we’ll strike”.

Is history repeating itself an interesting enough plot point to recycle a whole arc?

Is L’manburg’s destruction AGAIN really necessary to hammer home the idea that no one likes that place anymore?

I don’t know. Whatever happens, no one’s in the right. No one’s in the wrong either. They’re all not good people and that’s that on that.

4. The Clingy Duo.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

That’s all.

(Okay seriously? All of these arcs are connected. You know what happens when everything seems to be connected to one another?

A giant, dramatic final showdown between the two opposing sides.

Cause it’s just Chaos vs L’manburg. Those are the sides. People that want L’manburg to exist and people that want it gone. There are no other sides, there isn’t someone who’s like “Well maybe it can exist if we do this and this” cause no one wants to put in anymore effort into this cursed country. The only people were the clingy duo and now they’re separated and everyone is just leaving and Tommy is on the Chaos side like at this point he doesn’t care about L’manburg he just cares about Tubbo but he has to convince Tubbo to leave L’manburg but will Tubbo be convinced but will Tommy even consider leaving L’manburg and breaking free from its curse AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Goddamit.)

5. The Egg?

Dunno shit about it. Like the prison – it seems important, but we’re just not being given enough information. Is it a coincidence that the moment Dream commissioned the prison the Egg popped up? Or are the two directly related?

I don’t know. But as long as someone is finding ways to fight the Egg, that’s fantastic. Bad juju indeed.

6. Oh the Butcher Army want to kill Dream!

Hah.

Okay I’ve seen people make the case that the Army is just a bunch of people with trauma repeating the cycle of ab*se that they went through and yes.

Just yes.

And the fact that no one is actually looking at it that way and no one is there to like.. help them or even help them understand that what they are doing is just irrational, even though their reason for doing it and the result they hope to achieve is YES and the only thing that a lot of the people of the server who want peace should try to go for as well, they cannot stand up to Dream on their own. They just can’t, they will get punted into exile. They need allies, and they need powerful ones, people that have also been wronged by Dream and want him gone.

But the cycle continues, and no one knows where it ends.

(Okay but from a writing perspective? Getting rid of Dream is the end goal. It is the be all end all of all conflict, well… most of it, at least most that’s related to the supposed “good side”, or “the side that’s been most victimized”. But from the same perspective, that side is just… no longer. It has proven that is just as bad, if not worse than the final boss. I have to agree that Techno has to pay for his crimes, even though I like him a lot, but Techno did in fact cause insane damage. Yeah L’manburg rebuilt, yeah Wilbur probably caused more – still he isn’t completely free.

But that’s a discussion on morality more than laws.

L’manburg is doomed to die. Dream is doomed to be fought, and probably won against (simply because he has won far too many times already, you know how everyone seems to hate OP characters…). But the Butcher Army is doomed to fail against Dream. So how does that work?

Welp.

Is history repeating itself and interesting enough plot point to recycle a whole arc?

The answer is no.

I’ve repeated that question three times now, and the answer to it is no. No it is not. L’manburg can be destroyed again, and it can be rebuilt again, but the sentimentality that people feel for it will not remain. The cycle of history ends somewhere, and it’s not too far a fetch that it ends here.

So what happens when Technoblade, Philza and Tommy roll up to L’manburg with withers and a destruction wish, only to be met with a bunch of traumatized children with axes and a death wish?

Well, I’ll spare the details, but from a purely writing standpoint…

The two sides team up.

Think about it – The Butcher Army doesn’t care about Technoblade anymore. They’ve seen that Dream is the one pulling the strings, they know that even if they do care about trying to eliminate Technoblade again, they have to get rid of his strongest ally – Dream. But through their anger, they’ve lost their fear. You should fear Dream, he’s a fuckin op. Techno is correct in not wanting to go against him.

But after Tommy? After seeing the Butcher Army at their lowest, screeching about Dream being the villain?

Will Techno finally go past his thinking of “government is evil, always government is source of problem” and realize that Dream has the most evil government in mind for his rule?

I’m still kinda sad that Techno isn’t making the conclusions he should about Dream. But he’s starting to – and really, the SBI-Butcher Army team up is the most logical thing that could happen.

Watch me be completely wrong or miss something and I’ve got ALL of it wrong. I would love that.)

(Also it’s very funny to me that Dream is literally simping for Techno while he’s just here like “Listen bud I would stab you on sight if you didn’t have creative mode”. Dream KNOWS that Techno can and will kill him given the opportunity. Techno knows that that opportunity may never arise.

It’s a weird type of stalemate, to be sure. But goddamn is it interesting.)

Anyway... if you read through all of this... I could bake you a cookie? Thank you! I like to ramble.

#dream smp #gooood its just a block game #ITS JUST A BLOCK GAME #...dammit #anyway #debate me #on everything please

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my-bated-breath · 4 years

Text

On an Immensely Popular Post

Disclaimer: What I’m writing here may not be completely accurate -- like most works of art, literature, and even STEM tend to be -- and as a new fan of ATLA, a few of the metas I publish may be obsolete or unintentionally insensitive. That being said, I like to believe that I can contribute something valuable to this fandom. In all my (real) metas, I wish to be as objective as possible and not rely on my biases, fanon, or common “knowledge” that may just be misconceptions. If anyone reading this finds something to be false or contrived, I am always welcome to constructive criticism. What I am not welcome to is senseless hate or bashing.

My first experiences with the ATLA fandom begun a long, long time ago, but the most recent and powerful revival of my love for ATLA started with me actually watching the show and soon after, with me falling into the endless abyss of ATLA metas on Tumblr. Sifting through the well-written analyses and the emotion-based rants had taught me a lot about critical thinking and the power of influence, so now I’d like to present a meta that critiques an extremely popular post with over 60,000 notes. And since it’s so popular, this is the part where I must make yet another disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I hold nothing against lesbians4sokka (whose name has now been changed to comradekatara). They have the right to share what they want, but since this particular post has become so influential that it’s still being reblogged regularly to this day, I believe it is within my right to criticize it - emphasis on “criticize,” which is different from “hate.”

Now that that’s out of the way, let us begin:

Lesbians4sokka/comradekatara covers 3 main subjects in their post, which I will quote/summarize below:

(1) Ma/iko: “...the entire foundation of mai and zuko’s relationship was built on how miserable they were together, and how they would just sit there and hate the world together— letting their misery fester as they enabled each other’s depression— and I think that’s really unfortunate because they would work so well as friends if they weren’t trying to make their dumpster fire of a relationship work.”

(2) Zutara: “similarly, what makes zuko and katara’s dynamic so compelling is that they share the same flaws, only as opposed to mai’s apathy and misery, it’s katara’s rage and guilt that zuko identifies with. they both share trauma over having lost their mothers, and both in a similar way (sacrificing themselves for them) and they both cope with their grief through rage, often misplaced… katara and zuko have a deep & profound friendship, but if they were to be in a relationship, they would only bring out the absolute worst in each other thru enabling each other’s rage and emotion-driven decision making.”

(3) Z/uk/ka: this pairing makes for a healthy and wholesome relationship because throughout the boiling rock, we see that “sokka and zuko make an excellent team, as they balance each other perfectly. sokka thinks big picture, and plans ahead, but zuko will charge into situations.” They inspire each other, they trust each other unconditionally, they become more open and supportive of each other, they share a lot of common interests and narrative parallels, and in general, just make each other happy (which could work both platonically and romantically).

As for my response: I’m sure many of you are expecting me to start to save the “best for last.” That assumption would be incorrect because I actually have the least to say about point 3.

I agree that Z/uk/ka can be a good relationship. Their dynamic is funny, playful, supportive, etc. etc. (there are so many positive adjectives I could use to describe their dynamic, the list could go on forever). And they could make a great couple.

…

What, did you expect more from me? That’s it, I’m done.

I’m not here to attack Z/uk/ka as a ship, because while I can never actively ship it (I’m a sad, narrow-minded exclusive shipper, always had been and always will be) I can objectively appreciate them as one. It’s points 1 and 2 I’m more concerned about.

Now, since we’ve already begun working backward, I’ll begin my critiques on point 2: I could write extensively about the parallels between Zuko and Katara, including but not limited to shared pain and a few shared flaws - and just a few, because their weaknesses diverge in many important places. However, since I’m trying to write as objectively as possible and since Zuko-Katara parallels have already been discussed to death, my analysis will focus elsewhere.

However, something from comradekatara’s post that I would first like to address is this-

[Zuko and Katara] both cope with their grief through rage, often misplaced. in the southern raiders, they both act deeply insensitively towards sokka by acting as if his grief over his mother’s death is somehow less valid simply because he is a lot quieter in his coping mechanisms and doesn’t project his rage & guilt onto everyone else.

- or rather, the idea that Zuko and Katara’s shared pain causes them to act insensitively towards Sokka (and though the post does not mention it, Aang as well).

(Note: these points have already been covered by countless metas before mine, so you can skip/skim this section to read a newer argument in the next section.)

Even ignoring the fact that the Southern Raiders had many out of character moments, Katara’s insensitivity towards Sokka is first and foremost a reaction against his insensitivity towards her.

_____

Dialogue from Season 3, Episode 16 “The Southern Raiders”:

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

Katara: [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand. [Begins to walk away.]

Aang: Wait! Stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?

Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice.

Aang: I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge.

Katara: [Angrily.] Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!

Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet.

Katara: It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster.

Sokka: Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right.

Katara: Then you didn't love her the way I did!

Sokka: [Hurt] Katara!

_____

While I believe that Aang’s principles of forgiveness are morally sound, the way he pushes his beliefs onto Katara undermines much of her grief. At first, Aang tries to relate to Katara’s experiences by comparing them to his own, but there is a forceful connotation to his dialogue that suggests that Aang considers himself to be the moral authority compared to Katara. Hence, Aang judges Katara (“I think it’s about getting revenge”) without trying to reach out and understand her, forgoing the empathetic common ground in favor of taking on the moral high ground.

Thus, when Sokka tells Katara, “she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right,” Sokka is not only saying that Katara should choose forgiveness, he is implying that Aang is the ultimate moral authority on this matter and that Katara should accept that. Moreover, similarly to Aang, Sokka’s opening line, “she was my mother, too,” had the potential to establish common ground between himself and Katara, but the added “but…” places Sokka on the moral high ground against her instead. Of course, when we remember that just two lines ago Aang equates Katara to Jet, Sokka agreeing with Aang seems even more thoughtless and unsympathetic.

So when Katara lashes out against Sokka, ostensibly “acting as if his grief over his mother’s death is somehow less valid simply because he is a lot quieter in his coping mechanisms and doesn’t project his rage & guilt onto everyone else,” it is important to note that Sokka undermines Katara’s louder, more visible way of grieving as well (though that discounts that for most of the show, Katara only uses her grief over her mother’s death to sympathize with others).

Moreover, Katara’s line, “then you didn't love her the way I did!” is hurtful, yes, but it is not necessarily equivalent to “you didn’t love her as much as I did.” Katara’s love for her mother is different from Sokka’s because her pain over her death is different -- after Kya’s passing, Katara had to carry the emotional burden of becoming a pseudo-mother to Sokka (see Sokka and Toph’s conversation in “The Runaway”), a burden that did not cease after she joined the GAang (see the entirety of “The Desert”). To Katara, Kya was not only her mother, but the representation of the childhood she lost and the sacrifice made to protect her life. Sokka simply does not have that same relationship with Kya.

I do not mean to say that Sokka and Aang unfairly taking on the moral authority in this situation means that this authority instead belongs to Katara (and Zuko) - “The Southern Raiders” is filled with questionable moments from all parties involved. However, TSR is an episode that delves into Katara (and Zuko)’s relationship with a mother’s sacrifice, so how Zuko and Katara respond to this specific trauma from their past does not dictate how they respond to painful circumstances in the present/future. Let’s see how this is true.

Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King

No doubt Zuko and Katara felt some form of frustration upon Aang’s disappearance, so let’s see how they “[enabled] each other’s rage and emotion-driven decision making”:

Here, Katara and Zuko make a decision together that turns out to be calm, rational, and not at all emotionally-driven despite their mutual frustration and worry towards Aang.

Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

Zuko holds immense pain and self-loathing over betraying Iroh, yet Zuko and Katara’s conversation does not enable/exacerbate negativity from any party involved (since Zuko often translates his grief into anger, and Katara was evidently angry at Zuko’s betrayal). Instead, their conversation is open, encouraging, and constructive.

(Note: this is where the review of points made by previous metas ends.)

Hence, to say that “[Zuko and Katara] would only bring out the absolute worst in each other [through] enabling each other’s rage and emotion-driven decision making” - when we are given in-canon examples of the opposite being true - would be a sweeping and inaccurate generalization.

But for the sake of argument let’s say that, hypothetically, Zuko and Katara’s relationship would fail because they only bring out the worst in each other. And here’s where the argument falls apart for me - Is the argument here that Zuko and Katara have an incredibly meaningful friendship yet somehow this “friendship” causes them to enable each other, thus encouraging each other’s worst flaws and regressing each other’s growth? Is a healthy friendship - much less a “deep and profound” one - not one where two individuals can learn from each other in positive ways and balance each other’s shortcomings?

Or is it something different we’re saying here? Are we saying that two individuals can have a “deep and profound” friendship and yet the moment their relationship shifts from platonic to romantic, they are terrible for each other?

While many significant platonic bonds are stunted when they become romantic, I still believe it to be common sense that some of the best romantic relationships stem from a platonic foundation. But since much of “common sense” on the internet sees that “sense” is nonsensical and “common” is a nicer way to refer to mob mentality, I have done my research to show how Zuko and Katara could have been an excellent case of a friends-to-lovers relationship.

An excerpt from my meta, “Research Shows that Zutara Would Have Been the Ideal Friends to Lovers Dynamic.” (give it a read if you want to see references to relationship-research and an overanalysis on diction/tone)

The reason why Zutara is framed as a “toxic and unhealthy” relationship is that their romance would be a classic example of the enemies-to-lovers trope, a trope which modern media has not been particularly kind to. However, when executed correctly, enemies-to-lovers can produce a healthy and loving relationship, frequently relying on friendship as an intermediate between the “enemy” and “lover” stages in the most well-executed versions of this trope. Meanwhile, the trope of friends-to-lovers is just as popular as enemies-to-lovers, though the specific dynamic required between two individuals to achieve this transition is not well-known. Recognizing this, Laura K. Guerrero and Paul A. Mongeau, both of whom are involved in relationship-related research as professors at Arizona State University, wrote a research paper on how friendships may transition into romantic relationships…

According to Guerrero and Mongeau, “...scholars have argued that intimacy is located in different types of interactions, ranging from sexual activity and physical contact to warm, cozy interactions that can occur between friends, family members, and lovers…” Guerrero and Mongeau then reference a relationship model where the initial stages (i.e. perceiving similarities, achieving rapport, and inducing self-disclosure) reflect platonic/romantic intimacy through communication while the latter stages (i.e. role-taking, achieving interpersonal role fit, and achieving dyadic crystallization) often see both individuals as achieving a higher level of intimacy that involves more self-awareness.

In the rest of my research-based meta I demonstrate how Zuko and Katara’s platonic interactions in the show fit into the stages of communicative intimacy (i.e. perceiving similarities, achieving rapport, and inducing self-disclosure) that Guerrero and Mongeau describe as being mutual between friendships and romances. As such, crossing the line between friends and more-than-friends most likely would not cause a dramatic shift in the Zutara dynamic since much of Zuko and Katara’s platonic intimacy easily translates into romantic intimacy. I’ll end off with another excerpt from my meta.

Excerpt from “Research Shows that Zutara Would Have Been the Ideal Friends to Lovers Dynamic.”

“...it would be remiss to simply dismiss the Zutara dynamic as one that would instantly become toxic should they pursue a romantic relationship.”

With that little thought in mind, let’s move onto point 3: an exploration of friendship, romance, and why toxicity is not exclusive to the latter.

Let’s start with what I agree with:

“The entire foundation of mai and zuko’s relationship was built on how miserable they were together, and how they would just sit there and hate the world together— letting their misery fester as they enabled each other’s depression...”

I’m not sure how necessary it is for me to elaborate on this point given that it’s already been accepted by comradekatara and perhaps 60,000+ other users on Tumblr (a gross exaggeration but this remains unimportant), but in her essay, “Zuko, Mai, and the Nature of True Intimacy,” Araeph contributes more nuance to the concept of Ma/iko and mutual misery, stating that,

Unfortunately for [Zuko and Mai’s] relationship, Mai is and will always be a pessimist—a character trait, not a character flaw, in her. The key difference lies in how Mai and Zuko use their negative feelings. When Zuko sinks into negativity, he gives up on any actions that will materially change his world for the better; Mai, on the other hand, can remain negative even at the height of her character development, and it does not impede her ability to act.

So while Mai enables Zuko’s depression, Zuko does not necessarily do the same for Mai. Nonetheless, throughout their relationship for the first half of season 3, neither of them communicate constructively or push each other to grow as people.

This may be the third disclaimer I’m making, but I first want to say I have nothing against Mai. However, I do have something against the idea that “[Mai and Zuko] would work so well as friends if they weren’t trying to make their dumpster fire of a relationship work.”

Their relationship is a dumpster fire, yes, but will the flames cease simply if the amount of intimacy in the relationship changes?

comradekatara state themselves that their entire romantic relationship is quite depressing - they are only able to connect through empty physical intimacy and mutual hatred of the world. Without that, there is little left for them to bond over. Once Zuko overcomes his conflicting morality and inaction from the first half of season 3, he becomes someone who is strongly guided by his principles and beliefs. However, for the entirety of the series, Mai is characterized by her moral apathy. To cite from Araeph again,

It is moral intimacy that is the last and worst omission for Mai and Zuko… Zuko’s struggle to find and follow his principles is the most central aspect of his character, yet it is a struggle Mai neither understands nor respects…

Lack of moral intimacy (not sharing the same core beliefs) is something that applies to both platonic and romantic bonds. Thus, just as transitioning from a meaningful friendship to a romance does not inherently create toxicity in a relationship, switching from a romance that exacerbates one (or both, depending on how you interpret it) party’s misery does not necessarily erase the preexisting negativity in a relationship - perhaps some of it may subside, sure, but as long both parties continue to fail at communicating and understanding each other, even their friendship seems bleak at best. In this case, Mai and Zuko may work well as conditional friends, or in other words, friends who are only friends when they have something to mutually be miserable over. And this tiptoes the line of speculation, but they could be a formidable political team. But unless the Ma/iko dynamic shifts drastically in the lovers-to-friends transition, I’m not sure if there’s much potential in a friendship between them.

In conclusion, there is a lot I don’t agree with from comradekatara’s post, but if there’s one takeaway I want to impart onto everyone who’s read this far, it’s this: crossing and uncrossing the line between platonic and romantic bonds is not always a transformative experience for the relationship, and the nature of human relationships is a complex spectrum -- not a light switch that can only be set between healthy and unhealthy.

Thank you all for reading!

#atla #atla meta #my bated breath analyzes #this is more pro-zukka than anti-zukka #but I will include neither in my tags #zutara #anti maiko #once again this is a critique #not a post meant to tear anyone or their views down #my bated breath's posts

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