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#it just feels so. callous. or like. it doesn't FEEL callous cause it's not portrayed that way and you laugh and I'm still laughing

meta-squash · 4 months

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This is a meta/rant/ramble/whatever that I'm sure has been written a billion times over the years, hell I even wrote a (in retrospect, terrible) fic about it when I first joined the Torchwood fandom a billion years ago. But I'm gonna meta anyway because why not.

Last week I watched all the Owen-centric episodes of Torchwood, and recently I've just been watching the other ones at random. Tonight I rewatched Meat and I always forget how pissed off I get at Gwen's "You all think it's cold and lonely" monologue.

But! I think it's a fascinatingly consistent character flaw.

Gwen is portrayed as the "heart" of Torchwood. Not as in the centre, but as in the empathetic/sympathetic, emotional part of it. Now, I have multiple issues with this framing of her role and framing of the character. But for now I'll just talk about this specific character flaw.

For all Gwen's heart and sympathy and humanity and whatever, she has a really hard time picking up on her coworkers' misery, or being even remotely empathetic toward them at the level she is with civilian victims or whatever regular people she has to deal with.

It first arises in Countrycide with her "who did you last snog" game, but in that case everyone takes some of the blame because they all forgot about Ianto's recent loss of Lisa.

She's totally oblivious to Owen's love affair with Diane and then his all-consuming grief after she leaves and the "erratic behaviour" it causes, and when Tosh tells her that Owen and Diane had a "thing", she's totally surprised. And her reaction is to bring up her own affair with Owen and call him a wanker.

And then there's Tosh again with the loss of Tommy in To The Last Man. In both cases when Tosh lost lovers, Gwen was there for the event.

And then Gwen has this monologue, accusing the rest of her coworkers of thinking "it's cold and lonely out there" but insisting that it's different for her because she has Rhys. It feels so right, character-wise, but also so infuriating. Because the entire point of the rest of the Torchwood team is that they know it's not cold and lonely out there, because at one point in time for them it really, really wasn't. They desperately want to believe that it isn't cold and lonely. Only, every one of them except Gwen is saddled with multiple devastating losses. They're not just cynical lonely people for no reason. All of them have loved deeply and yet every time they do, they end up losing the person they love. And yet they somehow manage to piece themselves back together and carry on.

Gwen never has to do that. At least, not permanently (until the loss of Tosh and Owen).

And I'm always so fascinated by this bizarrely blinkered part of her character, because Jack spends so much time encouraging her humanity, and she is generally framed to be the empathetic/emotional one about the various victims or civilians they encounter (another framing I have thoughts on but not now). And yet she's totally blind and even callous when it comes to her coworkers, even when it's extremely obvious like Ianto's grief over Lisa or Owen's over Diane.

When I rewatch Torchwood I can never tell if this characterisation of emotional ignorance (wilful or not) is a trait that's established as an original part of Gwen's character or not. I can't tell if it's something that is actively acknowledged in the writers room as a part of her personality, or if it's just something the various writers have noticed.

But it is just so interesting to me because she was there for the deaths of multiple lovers of the Torchwood team, she witnessed their loss firsthand (Owen and Diane aside) so she's aware that they've felt this love, these deep emotional connections, these losses and griefs, and yet she still somehow believes that they just cynically think it's cold and lonely. She's a witness to their traumas but she can't empathise with it, she doesn't seem to recognise it or acknowledge it once the actual event has passed.

Doing this rewatch is really interesting and I have a lot of thoughts.

#squash rambles #torchwood #torchwood meta

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allycat75 · 3 months

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In case anyone needs this, but especially you Boston Dumb Fuck!

Do you wonder why you continue to hemorrhage fans no matter what machinations you and your team dream up? It's because you all have your heads so far up your own asses you can't see how ridiculous you look.

For instance, why would anyone trust your political site when you didn't even have the common sense to add an air tight morality clause into your relationship contract? I bet it was because both sides thought it would be you who would fuck up, right? You could have at least put in some milestone triggers, that if certain expectations weren't met within certain timelines, or there was physical, emotional or reputational harm being caused to any party, the contract could be terminated with no consequenses.

Of course, this could be true love and you really married her (oh man, hard to keep from laughing hysterically while typing that), but then you would have to explain away being okay with her antisemitism, racism, fatshaming and arrogance, not to mention multiple violations of immigration law. Plus, if you had been courting her for as long as you say you have, care to address your scorn and disrespect for travel restrictions during Covid, putting thousands at risk for excruciating sickness and even death?

Honestly, you are better off with the fake, poorly contracted relationship. You are still a liar and can't be trusted, but at least you aren't a Nazi lover and possible murderer.

But you were callous enough to think this "relationship" was no big deal because it all worked out for you before. Afterall, Ekhart Tolle told you bad stuff never happens. Well, it does and so does karma, and I hope the effects are real for you. Not that I like anyone to suffer, I just know you have shushed so much out before, I don't know how strong that force is with you. The only way to truly grow as a human (or in your case at the moment, to become a human being, Pinocchio) is to learn from your mistakes, and that can be a rough, dark road to tread. It requires you to deeply examine your life and the decisions you have made, and what you want to change to become the person you feel proud to be. I worry you will resist it because you seem stubborn as fuck and afterall, if past is prologue, white men tend to fail upward so there may be little motivation for the inner work when society will reward you anyway.

But we see ASP as the catastrophe it is, Red One has the potential to ruin Christmas with yet another disingenuous money grab and the romantic comedy you are tied to stars a female lead that doesn't seem to like you much, and you have had poor outcomes with costars that do. The director has a lot of street cred, but I don't know your track record taking orders from a woman. I have already established on this blog that you are no feminist and may even be a bit of a misogynist, whether you are aware of it or not (you know, because of all the previous repression of your thoughts and performative activism that convinced you that was enough).

And then there is the cult leader movie. First, not even sure the size of the role, although it seems to be big and juicy (just like that blunts you smoke to numb the pain of what a joke you have become). But you still have to put in the work, and you have done it before, but not when you are acting like a cult member in real life. I am not sure what your body will be able to portray when you are so dissociated from your reality. Plus, I read this film is part of a trilogy, the first part of which is opening in a couple of weeks. It looks good, but you better hope it paves to way so you have a shot at delivering.

So good luck, you self-absorbed little prick. Here's to changing some of that!

#you are the company you keep #ai in human form #brian wilson vibes #liars suck!#i don't like hypocrites #i hate manipulation #coward #do better #get some help #check your privlege

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sharp-teeth-and-wide-grins · 8 months

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Out of all of my muses, Jacob is the one with the biggest heart (next to Varric, Hewlett, Cassie, & Lydia). When he falls in love, he falls hard. He also cares way more for the people around him than his jokester aura lets on. I think in most cases, Jacob is led by his heart, which is why he isn't as logic brain-oriented like Evie is (though, she's led by her heart mostly but denies it until the end, but that's another post in itself). This is partially why Jacob is single ship. When he gets into a relationship, he dedicates himself to the fullest extent and that bleeds into how I portray to him. That's how deep his loyalty runs.

This is why it's so interesting to me to compare main verse Jacob to his r.dr2 counterpart. Jacob sometimes feels more like an oc than Jacob, the canon character, but I try to portray him in a way main verse Jacob would depise. But while main verse Jacob would fight r.dr2 Jacob in a heart beat, he's still Jacob. He has a big heart like main verse Jacob, just grimed over with violence.

This doesn't excuse his behavior at all, he's definitely a callous and evil man, but he protects his own. He loves his own. He might not love the O'Driscolls so much, but I think somewhere deep in Jacob, there's room for redemption. He pinned a Pinkerton agent when he overhears Evie was possibly in danger, he doesn't attack women, and left a violent gang *before the O'Driscolls) because of their targeting of innocents and practically anyone without cause. Not that the O'Driscolls are any better, and Jacob turns out to be a bit of a hypocrite because he has killed innocents, but he tends to go after male VDLG members mainly. Mostly the top guys. I think underneath all of this, Jacob does feel a bit of regret and disguist with himself over his actions, even if he brushes it off as gang warfare and what needs to be done for him to rise to the top. Jacob can't ever run away from his big heart, even if it's rendered cold. It defrosts at some point, or another.

#( 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒖𝒑 ; headcanon (( Jacob ))#( 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 ; Jacob )#( 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒆 ; western verse (( Jacob ))#( I'm full of thoughts tonight )

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winns-stuff · 1 year

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Honestly why does Hades even have like 7 dogs?? Why do we almost never see Cerberus, you know the Actual hell hound of Hades who guards the underworld? (Where's Charon, the Stygian boatman? I guess because the gods have cars and can fly theres no need for souls to cross the river styx anymore?)

But back to the dogs. Hades even mentioned at one point his therapist telling him to stop getting dogs and he blatantly ignores his therapists advice. So he has zero self control and even in telling Persephone no, still often gives into her demands, which isnt healthy either.

Also Hades' personality is a bit strange. Hes simultaneously really mean and callous to his employees yet gift giving is his love language (which I guess is supposed to paint him as sympathetic?). He loves his dogs and despite being a king he can't put his foot down and actually assert some boundaries in a relationship and is seen as a pushover and a victim of Minthe... Despite having control of all her finances and job.

And then we have Persephone "cinnamon roll" goddess whos supposed to be super nice yet a lot of her personality traits kinda contradict? She's also mean and callous to people who she think has wronged her (Tori). Doesn't know how to take no for an answer. Is somehow naive as all hell (doesn't know internships aren't paid) yet is supposed to be super smart and have a buncha wisdom which is counteracted by her growing up in a secluded area and apparently this makes her a good fit for being a queen. Is a vegetarian and is supposedly down to earth village girl yet loves all the expensive gifts Hades presents her with. Etc. I'm probably wording this badly so apologies.

Also, with one of your other posts, yeah why is hades portrayed as sad and lonely in the underworld when he has a team of people and a support network? (Hecate, thanatos techncially, Minthe etc?) Then it just seems like RS is trying to go for "Hades technically has everything but hes still sad and tragic cause he doesn't have a waifu".

Again, sorry this rant got wayy off track. There's just a lotta weird contradictory things in LO character wise and setting wise (having a monarchy yet Apollo is running for president for ex).

It’s completely fine! I enjoy reading the opinions of others since it gives me insight and helps me realize/understand things better and you worded everything fine, I understood everything. But you’re right there’s a lot of things that are missing with LO that connects to greek mythology, like yes I know it’s a retelling but there shouldn’t be so many elements taken from the original that it’s completely unrecognizable? I’ve seen this from a lot of people who talk about how Americanized Lore Olympus is and I can’t help but agree, there’s no greek traditions or clothing. Barely any greek phrases or any signature dishes, nothing connects Lore Olympus back to Greece even though it’s their myths and I think it’s a huge letdown. Being modernized doesn’t equal to Americanized, there should at least be some sort of connection even if it’s small you know? I feel like it’s not exactly my place to go into too much detail but that’s just been on my mind for a while and I’ve noticed it a lot lately.

I’m guessing Rachel just thought that Hades was a huge dog person since Cerberus was always with him in the myths? I’m not sure. But it’s insane that she included so many dogs yet only showcases about four in total. Me personally I would’ve liked to see Hades get emotional support dogs or something, then we can take a dive in his other traumas besides Kronos, because that seems to be the only terrible thing that’s happened to him. The emotional support animals could’ve also helped him with his emotions and helped regulate them better so he wouldn’t be lashing out on everyone, it would also be good representation about the importance of emotional support animals and the seriousness around them. There’s a bunch of people who still think they’re regular dogs and the people having them are just using them as “an excuse”, this could’ve easily showed people more about them and educated them more in my opinion.

And Hades’ personality is very weird, he alternates from different personalities every few chapters and also even every few panels. You see him wanting to be understood by his peers and not wanting to be a tyrant like his father, then you cut to him being an absolute madman and causing chaos to those beneath him. He doesn’t want to include Persephone in his life because he has too much baggage but then you cut to him trauma dumping on her when she was telling him about her own. You see him not wanting attention or to make things about himself and then cut to every single conversation he’s engaged being transformed about him by him. Then lastly, he says how it’s terrible for Persephone to be lied to/it’s disgusting to cheat, then you cut to him keeping information from her and cheating with his sister in law (in this comic). There’s so many contradictions with him that you never really know who he truly is and it’s irritating trying to play the guessing game with him. Is he mean and cruel or sad and lonely? Which is it?

Same is said with Persephone, nothing about her character makes any sense. How is she going to dumb as rock one scene and then oh so smart in the next? I’m so caring and I care about not hurting Minthe’s feelings and then play house with her boyfriend knowing that they’re with each other? Feel guilty about breaking them apart but continue to go after him? It’s really stupid. And then she claims that she enjoys him because he’s nice to her yet everyone else that is nice to her doesn’t get half of her attention like Hades does, she doesn’t do anything nice for any of her friends or family or even coworkers only for Hades. Not only that but we’re supposed to believe she doesn’t use him even though whenever they’re together Hades is giving her all types of gifts, many of which she’s never offered back even with her money, and taking her places/making her feel better and such. We never see Persephone putting in any effort to do the same yet she’s not using him? Funny story.

Their whole relationship is one sided on both ends and it’s insane how people think it’s romantic, a relationship is between two people one person should not be doing all of the work while the other one lounges around and allows the other to bend over backwards for them. It’s very sad that Persephone not respecting Hades’ boundaries is fine when it’s Persephone but if Hades did the same thing (which I know he has but I mean actually clearly, like intentional and not having the comic tell you otherwise) it would be terrible. I do feel bad for Hades being taken advantage of like this, he’s just too up Persephone’s ass to even realize it.

#lo critical #anti lore olympus #anti lo

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butwhatifidothis · 3 years

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Tumblr is starting to VERY MUCH dislike how long the other reblog chain is getting, so this will be Reblog Chain 2 of my jotting down notes of this fic. Here is the first reblog chain for Chapters 1-20

But it appears as though I was correct in sleeping off Chapter 20, because Chapter 21 is. Hm. bad. Very. Not good.

Chapter 21:

Transcript under the cut:

Chapter 21: It's Called Scars so it Gonna Be Ass

- To be blunt, the constant need to reaffirm that yes, Edelgard went through terrible experimentation and that yes, they were very horrific, is tiring. This is chapter 21. The experiments occurred in chapter 2. Every single chapter between now and then have, at some point, mentioned that INDEED, Edelgard DID in fact go through horrific trauma. It is tiring to the reader to constantly have to reread the same thing - we know it happened. We know it was terrible. There's no need to constantly say so; we already understand as readers.

- "Every time the spark of life broke through Byleth’s blank face, it brought a flickering hope to the Flame Emperor’s heart." ->

- Firstly: Awkward use of the Flame Emperor epithet (its usage is on and off with how appropriate its been - this is off).

- Secondly: Once again, Byleth's face was rarely if ever blank. She was never the Ashen Demon, as even the last chapter showcased. The author is mistaking reservation with emotionlessness, which is simply wrong

- "There had been so many empty days and nights, without friendship, love or joy. With nothing to hope for, except someday, the peace of the grave." -> Suicidal tendencies: another trait that Edelgard doesn't have... (strikes against canon: 89)

- ...but Dimitri does. Counter: 12

- "Dimitri, too, was troubled by the thought, grasping the side of his head and frowning. As the spasm passed, he turned to Edelgard and smiled warmly." -> It seems a little callous to so casually toss Dimitri's symptoms into his interactions with others when such things simply don't occur in the canon interactions. It's not impossible, or strictly against canon, but it does not feel natural; it's more as though the author is shining bright neon signs that say DIMITRI HAS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES than a genuine attempt at writing Dimitri's mental health issues. This is not the first time this sort of seemingly thoughtless showcasing of symptoms has happened (Noted separately: Dimitri having drastic mood swings)

- "No, this world must be ruled by humans…not cruel gods who ignored the prayers of little girls." -> This statement follows Edelgard internally chastising the actions of not gods, but the Children of the Goddess. This is a weaselly attempt at dodging Edelgard's racist beliefs that Nabateans should not be allowed positions of power by shifting the belief to apply to miscellaneous gods instead. While not inaccurate per se - she does also canonically believe that gods should have no power in human affairs - it is not honest

- "Byleth nodded with childlike simplicity. “We should all try to get along.”" -> Again describing Byleth as childlike and/or innocent. Counter: 3

- For those curious: yes, the rat scene is implemented, yes it is sloppy, yes it is out of character for Claude - so much so that it is being noted separately - and yes it is forced to all hell

- What will be noted here, however, is that this is yet another instance of a man being demeaned/humiliated for the honor of a woman. See quote: "Byleth was on him in an instant, a tempest forming in the sea of her blue eyes. “That isn’t funny.” She crossed her arms sternly. “Jokes are about bringing people together...about making them smile. Right now, the only person laughing is you.”" with Claude reacting awkwardly. Once again, Man Bad Woman Good

- In a showcasing of a complete lack of self-awareness within the fic: "“Maybe if you’d have taught the Deer instead…but since you seem to have no ambitions outside of cleaning up Edelgard’s messes…”" -> This is Claude being portrayed as the bad guy, not the one being completely and utterly right

- " She slapped Edelgard on the back, and smiled heartily. “I agree, Dimitri!” Edelgard grimaced, trying to hide the fact her teacher had just struck the wound she had received during the mock battle." -> As well as where undoubtedly countless scars would be, yes? Scars that still cause Edelgard pain? In fact, Edelgard has been slapped on the back by Byleth and Jeralt numerous times before, and yet expresses no pain or discomfort.

- Another thing, that I had not noted though ought to have: Edelgard, a victim of sexual assault (in this fic), rarely seems to mind people touching her. She gets a little surprised if someone tries to get her attention with touch, yes, but Byleth's constant unprompted and random touching of Edelgard is never said to do anything but bring warmth and joy and comfort to Edelgard. It seems as though Edelgard suffering through sexual assault is just another source of trauma for the author to dump onto her for nothing more than pity points

- This is incredibly harsh to say, yes, and I would usually refrain from attributing such harshness onto a piece of text, but remember that Edelgard's scars only cause her pain when it's convenient, that she only experiences headaches when it's convenient, that she experiences PTSD episodes (when Claude mentions the rat) when it's convenient (note that in this fic he does it outside of battle, where her getting triggered wouldn't compromise her chances at victory). Edelgard not being touch averse and being a victim of sexual assault are not inherently something bad - survivors react to trauma differently, after all - but it is another in a steadily longer line of instances where Edelgard is simply given trauma for the sake of making her pitiable to the reader and the love interest, not something that Edelgard genuinely has to struggle with.

- "As Claude and Dimitri looked at their classmate expectantly, Edelgard was wracked with another bout of guilt. Deep in her soul, the princess knew these peaceful days would end soon. When that happened, no feast or vows of friendship could make up for the chaos and horror she would unleash. It would be better to pull away, close off her heart, rather than fuel the flames of her inevitable betrayal." -> Aka, "Feel bad for me, I feel guilty for planning to cause the death and ruination of countless innocents' lives all because I convinced myself that my way is the only way to get things done my way without ever actually trying to see if more peaceful ways could have worked. I'm going to orphan children, force families to fight each other, have the land be rampaged by banditry, and overall bring chaos onto these days that I ADMIT ARE PEACEFUL all because I feel that my way would be better. Wah wah pity me but I don't wanna be pitied I promise wah wah."

- "Byleth shrugged with a characteristic blend of innocence and spirit. “I guess I just like winning.” She began to blush and grabbed Edelgard’s hand. "It's so exciting! I’ve never had anyone other than Papa to celebrate with before!”" -> Byleth = innocent/childlike. Counter: 4

- The fic likes to reaffirm again and again that Byleth is "now" only acting like this due to Edelgard's presence in her life. Note also these statements written previously: "Every day, [Edelgard] was watching the person she loved grow and change. Become who she always was supposed to be." This, perhaps unintentionally, again enforces the "Lesbian Love is Pure and Innocent" trope; these wlw are only allowed to be their good girl, innocent selves - who they were always supposed to be - due to the pure lesbian love they have found with one another

- Count Bergliez didn't know of the experiments initially, but he eventually found out and did nothing to stop them, fleeing from a young and tortured El who was pleading for him to save her - Unnecessarily painting Count Bergliez as a spineless coward too afraid of Duke Aegir to save a child in pain

- Once again, a man fails to save a woman and further traumatizes her

- It should be noted that Bergliez is fearful not for his own life, but for that of his children, who were the ones Duke Aegir threatened. He, very similar to Ionius, cannot save Edelgard, except Bergliez (unlike Ionius) has a tangible, physical, explainable reason as to why he couldn't, and yet it is him who is painted as the bad guy, not Ionius. He is worthy of Edelgard's scorn and hatred, but Ionius only receives a begrudging feeling of betrayal from Edelgard that she feels guilty for harboring, even though he failed her far more than Bergliez failed her.

- "Daughters must always be loyal to their fathers" trope

- "No decent person thought the things Edelgard did. Just as her body had been twisted and shattered by the experiments, her mind bore terrible scars. Scars that the monster kept hidden, so she could walk in the world of men." -> Dehumanizing oneself as a monster as well as having violent thoughts (that specifically stem from trauma) one feels guilty for harboring are not traits Edelgard shows in canon... (strikes against canon, 90, 91)

- ...but Dimitri does. Counter: 13, 14

- "world of men?" Did the author perhaps mean "world of man," as in mankind? Keep note of

- The reason as to why Bergliez is said to have witnessed young El's tortured state and did nothing to help her is revealed: in canon, he dislikes her. It is blatantly and objectively said that he and Edelgard share a mutual displeasure in the other's company. What this fic had him do will be used as an excuse as to why he doesn't hate her, since no one is allowed to dislike Edelgard on the "good" side

- Edelgard, upon being asked if revenge is the reason she is doing what she's doing (reuniting Fodlan): "“No.” Edelgard put her hand to her chin thoughtfully. “I think for a long time, it was…but after a while, I realized that revenge wouldn’t satisfy me.” She looked at the blue sky above. “After you go through that much suffering…when you beg for help, day after day, and no one cares...you realize that nothing will ever truly make you feel safe again. The only thing I want is for this madness to end.”" -> This is internally inconsistent. See chapter 15 note: ""You know why they created me in the first place.” / “To reunite Fódlan,” spat Hubert. “It was all my father talked about.” / “And I will give it to them. "" This directly connects Edelgard's want to reunite Fodlan to the wants of her tormenters (as this states she is doing it out of spite). Note how Hubert spits at the idea of reuniting Fodlan, and how it was all his father - portrayed as a villain - talked about. This is not what this Edelgard wants, at least not of her own independent want. Earlier in this very chapter, Edelgard internally states a want to hurt Bergliez for leaving her behind. To say that she now no longer thinks vengeance would satisfy her, or that none of the reason that she is doing everything she does is out of a want for revenge, is ridiculous

- Edelgard to Bergliez, upon being asked what will happen to him and his family should Edelgard rise to power: "“All those who distinguish themselves will be rewarded. Given your history, I have little doubt you will be among them.” She nervously played with her white gloves. “All I ask is that when I seize back control of the throne, I can count on the military’s support.”" -> Yes, all who distinguish themselves to Edelgard, for Edelgard's cause, that Edelgard can see and/or know of. How likely is it that a poor farmer who is exceptional at fighting will actually be noticed by Edelgard and be given the credit he deserves, when others who may not be as meritable but do have some merit have the connections to show themselves directly in front of Edelgard? What means will Edelgard give the poor soldiers (that she or Byleth aren't already friends with, notably Dorothea and Leonie) that will allow them to be able to be seen by her and have their merits recognized? Edelgard is the one who says who gains power after all, so it is her they must prove themselves to, but how can they realistically do that?

- What about professions that are not immediately beneficial to Edelgard's cause, such as the arts? How will they fare in Edelgard's society, when their works and talents yield no tangible, objective results (such as, say, farming)?

- Something the fic will address?

- Edelgard does not nervously do anything in front of those she is trying to negotiate with in canon, not even Thales. Strikes against canon: 92

- "[Bergliez] could only laugh in response. “I think we’re going to get along rather well, my lady…and the other?”" -> Except Bergliez and Edelgard don't get along well, ever. Pre ts they are stated to dislike each other, which continues even onto post ts with Bergliez being the only noble Edelgard couldn't bring to heel. Strikes against canon: 93

- As predicted: No one is allowed to dislike Edelgard on the "good" side

- Literally forgot Hubert was with Edelgard and Bergliez lmao

- Ionius tried to consolidate power to be rid of the consort system due to his unending love for Anselma -> A ridiculous idea, plain and simple. Ionius was Emperor. If he wished to be rid of the consort system there was no need for him to try and take away all power from the other Imperial houses.

- If Ionius truly loved Anselma, why did he allow her to be exiled from the Empire? Why didn't he step in and use his influence as Emperor to help her?

- Edelgard, when she is Emperor - passed down a supposedly empty crown, at that - showcases the all-encompassing power the title of Emperor truly holds to one willing to use that power. That Ionius supposedly wanted to do all of these reforms and yet nothing at all was done, ever (save for ruining Houses Hrym and Ordelia, something even this fic has as canon), if Ionius did want to make these reforms, means that he was too spineless and cowardly to truly go through with trying to pass them. This again unintentionally showcases how awful a ruler and weak-willed a person Ionius was when he had power when trying to paint him in this righteous light.

- Lambert was stated to be trying to pass reforms before he died in canon, not Ionius. From parents to the children, the author is attributing traits from Lambert onto Ionius just as he (author's confirmed gender is male) attributes traits from Dimitri onto Edelgard

- " Her father and mother…she had thought their romance a fairy tale-a story from her father to make a motherless child feel valued. But…they truly had loved each other." -> Edelgard does believe Ionius when he told her of the story of when he and Anselma (supposedly) met each other. There is nothing to indicate that Edelgard thought it to be a lie: in fact, in canon: "But I choose to believe there was genuine love between them." Strikes against canon: 94

- It seems as though finally, after around 18 chapters, Edelgard's scars will finally cause her genuine inconvenience due to her complex about them as well as her trust issues. She has a gash on her back from the Battle of Eagle and Lion, but will not have it treated if Manuela isn't the healer, and yet the woman is occupied dealing with the rest of the students who were injured. How will this fic deal with this?

- Ingrid, referring to her and Sylvain: ""We just switched from Felix lecturing us all day to listening to Edelgard moralizing, didn’t we?"" -> The author is trying to compare a childhood friend whose friends have had years to get used to their barbed tongue to a stranger that directly insults the dreams of one of them. Something which Ingrid canonically hates having be done to her, even from Felix, a childhood friend. Once again, Ingrid being so casual about Edelgard being so disrespectful of her dreams is out of character. Strikes against canon: 95

- "Sylvain shook his head knowingly, ignoring Felix’s truly alarming scowl. “You should have seen his face, Edelgard. Dimitri would go on and on about this girl he met when he was a kid…and Felix would complain about her for hours!” He looked at Felix and smiled. “For all his whining about the “Boar,” nobody loves Dimitri more than him.”" -> Oh? A romantic gay male relationship presenting itself within the fic?

- Another vision of SS experienced by Edelgard. Word from a nameless guard: "The woman, Byleth, leading their forces... She’s not human! She killed half my battalion with one swing of that sword of hers. She didn’t speak, she didn’t shout, she didn’t even change her expression!” The panicked man was teetering on the edge of hysteria. “All those people rallying around her, and it’s like she doesn’t care at all. Like she's a walking corpse!"" -> Obviously saying that Byleth becomes the Ashen Demon if not allowed to be with Edelgard.

- Unintentional statement: Byleth can't be the pure innocent (lesbian) woman without Edelgard's (lesbian) love granting her purity, reverting her to a monstrous, corrupt demon incapable of humanity

- See chapter 20 note: "Implying that choosing SS - aka, choosing the Nabateans - makes Byleth less human. Intentional?" Confirmed to be intentional. Also false: in canon, even when accounting for CF's lesser chapter count, Byleth emotes far more on SS than on CF, which matches with CF having Edelgard call Byleth detached in their A support. Strikes against canon: 96

- The same nameless soldier, same context: "And those Faerghus kids…” / Edelgard leaned forward in her chair. “Ingrid…Sylvain…what of them?” / “They…they were animals. Screaming and ranting about revenge for the King.” -> Is the author really demonizing Sylvain and Ingrid for (potentially!) being mad at Edelgard for murdering one of their childhood friends? Is that really the depths the Edelgard worship will sink to, that friends becoming enraged at a friend's unjust murder from a warlord is being portrayed as something sad for the warlord? Just what else should Edelgard be pitied for?

- "The scared girl desperately tried to drown out the thoughts that reverberated incessantly. / They’re going to despise us…it’s destiny. And how could they not? If we were truly good, the Goddess would have saved us…protected us. But She didn’t. The Goddess took Mother. She took our family. And soon, She’ll take everything else we love. She hates us. / It’s what we deserve." - Now confirmed that Edelgard hears multiple voices in her head tormenting her. That trait that, once again, Edelgard does not have... (Strikes against canon: 97)

- ...but Dimitri does. This is the third time this chapter that this has happened, and far from the only chapter to display such baffling characterization of Edelgard via Dimitri's traits. It is nonsensical.

- " Why had [Edelgard] even been born at all? Nonexistence would have been preferable to watching every faint dream be dashed, to suffering alone over and over. She was just…so tired of being alive." -> Once. Again. Suicidal tendencies/thoughts is not a trait Edelgard shows in canon... (Strikes against canon: 98)

- ...but Dimitri does. The fourth! The fourth time in one chapter the author desperately wanted to just write Dimitri!

- If the fic wanted to take Edelgard in a different direction than canon does and has her display some of these traits, it would be more passable, but this fic is under the delusion that it is in any way following canon closely, especially in regards to Edelgard, and so this can only be seen as a desperate attempt from the author to have Edelgard be sympathetic by donning the skin of an actually sympathetic character such as Dimitri

- "Edelgard looked at herself in the mirror. The back of her academy uniform was stained red, the rhythmic, soft dripping of blood assaulting the princess’ ears." -> And no one commented on this? No one was worried? Not Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix, who were sitting right by her? Not Lysithea, who saw her take the blow to her back and never get it healed? Not Dimitri, who delivered the blow? It just so happened that literally no one at all noticed this?

- Byleth literally slapped Edelgard on the back earlier? Wouldn't her hand come back red with blood if it were seeping through the uniform?

** The scene that follows the previous note is too long to quote, despite how truly terrible it is. Long quotes, even extremely long quotes, have been presented in these notes before, but the length this quotation would be if the full extent of it were written here would be a mess, and quite frankly, at that point it would do one better to simply go to the fanfiction itself and read the text from there. With the context received from these notes, if one wishes to see the words for themselves, go to chapter 21 of The Emperor and the Goddess, enter Ctrl + F (or Find in Page on mobile devices), and enter the phrase "Byleth crossed her arms, clearly frustrated" verbatim. The following note will not be quoting the entire scene from the fic (merely summarizing it), though context is needed to understand how truly bad the scene is. **

- To have hope in this fic performing anything correctly is proving to be a fool's dream, for it has yet to do anything right; that includes the aforementioned gash upon Edelgard's back. As stated, it did not draw the attention of those who were sitting around her nor did it draw the attention of the one who witnessed the injury itself, nor of the one who delivered the injury itself, so no one commented on the gaping, bleeding wound Edelgard was "hiding" from everyone as she turned her (bleeding) back to them and left for the baths to clean up (it must be heavily stressed: immediately after leaving it is revealed that the blood is seeping through her uniform). As she was washing - naked, of course - Byleth just so happened to step into the baths with only a towel wrapped around her "for modesty," much to the horror of Edelgard, for she does not want Byleth seeing her scarred body. A slight argument arises between the two over Edelgard getting her injuries checked, before Byleth warns Edelgard that she will go to Rhea and force her to go to the infirmary should Edelgard continue to refuse treatment, which drives Edelgard past the brink. She raises her arms from the bathwater and presents her scars (""Fine!... If you want to see so badly, here!""), to the horror of Byleth ("Byleth Eisner was not a woman given to strong emotional reactions, but she staggered back, hands over her mouth."). Edelgard cries in hysteria, fear of her beloved teacher running away in disgust over her ugly, mutilated body overwhelming her. But Byleth, childlike in her innocence, shared that she too is scarred in strange ways, and that she too is scared of failing those around her - that she has no ambitions save to help and protect those around her. Byleth reveals that it is Edelgard whom Byleth looks up to for always being so strong and always moving forward, and shows that without Edelgard Byleth wouldn't know how to handle the pressure everyone else puts on her. The exchange ends with Byleth reassuring Edelgard that she is beautiful and not the monster she thinks she is.

- There is no nice way of putting this: this is a classic example of how not to write someone opening up to another about something. Edelgard views herself as weak, ugly, repulsive, a monster, shameful, but it is Byleth's love and affection that gives her comfort and warmth, that gives her hope of something more. It forces Byleth to behave wildly out of character (the author can try to excuse this with "well she wouldn't normally behave like this!" all he wants, it doesn't matter when it goes against the base, canonical Byleth. Strikes against canon: 99) in order for Edelgard's scarred body to be seen as something that is repulsive, that is ugly, that is stained, so much so that the pure, childlike, innocent Byleth couldn't stand to see something so tainted. And yet it is that same pure, childlike, innocent Byleth's pure, innocent, childlike love that pushes away the pain of Edelgard's scars for just that moment. Other characters become suddenly blind and/or forgetful of Edelgard's obvious, bleeding wound so that it is Byleth who can be the one to save Edelgard with her pure, innocent, childlike presence and her pure, innocent, childlike uncertainty about her own insecurities (but only when it is convenient for Edelgard, as even Byleth didn't noticed the gaping, bleeding wound until she was alone with Edelgard where no one could interrupt their bonding moment). This scene is inorganic and forced, ham-fisting Edelgard and Byleth in the same room - the wash room, where both are either naked or nearly naked - so that Byleth is the one to find Edelgard, no one else. No one was worried enough about the sudden exit Edelgard took from the conversation she was having to follow her and make sure she was alright, and Byleth just so happened to enter the baths right after Edelgard. The scene is, to be frank, insulting.

- There have been a couple of joking references to a book titled Stones to Abigail in these notes, but in all seriousness, this scene plays unsettlingly similar to a scene in said book, where a scarred girl who is naked reveals her "ugly" and "revolting" scarred body to the love interest, who goes on to soothe and comfort the naked girl as best they can. The resemblance is uncanny

- Byleth described as childlike/innocent. Counter: 5

- Edelgard, in canon, never expresses feeling herself to be ugly, or repulsive, or a monster. Strikes against canon: 100

- Again, Edelgard's scars are only important when they are convenient - this time, in helping develop the romantic relationship between her and Byleth

- There are ways in which scars can be utilized without being problematic, but certainly not when this much focus is placed on them and yet they are only truly present when they cannot hinder Edelgard.

- Perhaps particularly insulting is this phrase from Edelgard: "Did she actually love Byleth at all, or just being saved by her?" Yes, Edelgard, you do simply want to be saved by Byleth, because that is precisely what the narrative has been drilling into the reader's heads ever since Byleth showed herself. Byleth is Edelgard's light, Byleth is Edelgard's hope, Byleth gives Edelgard back her humanity, Byleth is Edelgard's one source of joy, Byleth is Edelgard's entire life, and nothing, absolutely nothing in this fic has shown this to ever be a bad thing. This dependence on Byleth to bring Edelgard joy at the near complete expense of everyone else has been propped up as something romantic, and yet it's now, 21 chapters and over 85K+ words in, that we're supposed to believe that this was actually Edelgard being unhealthy? Even though the author himself said that this was what he enjoyed about their relationship, how much they found each other in each other? Even though we see what the author thinks would happen to the two of them should they separate - Edelgard, lonely and afraid without her beloved teach, and Byleth, the Ashen Demon who cares for nothing without her beloved student - in her visions of SS? This is a joke

- It cannot be overstated that Byleth came to the bathhouses completely independently of Edelgard. She did not come to specifically see her because she followed her out of worry for Edelgard due to her injury - she only knows that Edelgard's injured in the first place due to seeing bloody bandages that Edelgard removed in the bathhouse, before Byleth arrived.

- Author's notes: "On Bergliez, we find out very little in-game, but he 1) offers himself for execution so his men can go free in SS and 2) seems to be actually competent at his job. I thought a nuanced portrayal was more interesting, since I've been writing Aegir as the absolute worst person in the world." -> Note: this is what the author believes to be a nuanced take on someone. Someone who likes Edelgard entirely and does nearly whatever they can to help her, but they did one thing that's morally gray (leaving a child behind to save his own children from the same fate) that is portrayed as objectively bad, so now they are nuanced. While perhaps this sort of character would be truly nuanced in better hands, as it is with his actions being portrayed as something that is obviously so completely and utterly wrong and him someone who deserves complete and utter condemnation - and yet Ionius, who does far worse for far less understandable reasons, gets a comparative slap on the wrist - it causes confusion as to Edelgard's lines. Bergliez seeing her the one time and never helping her is enough for her to want to hurt him as she was hurt, but her father repeatedly coming to and "being forced" to watch her actively be tortured and doing nothing does little to invoke similar depths of resentment? Even granting the idea that "she gives more slack to her father," Ionius is objectively and far worse than Bergliez, down to doing hard things to protect their children, and yet it is only Bergliez who is shined in this unpleasant a light

- To be clear, Bergliez's decision was not a good one, but understandable. It is a gray decision to make. But notice how he is called "gray" and "nuanced" and yet Ionius is nearly completely innocent, as described by the author himself, despite their being no given explaination as to why "he was a figurehead" should be a good enough reason to wash him literally standing there and watching as his children - some of whom aren't even teens yet - get slowly tortured and killed.

- "There are many localization changes I understand (Byleth wanting to get drunk after the battle is one of them), but Treehouse's decision to remove Ionius' entire reason for power centralization (eliminating the consorts) was a big, big mistake." -> Given the history of this author's grasp on the Japanese language, this needs to be checked, as he cannot be trusted as a source as to whether this is true

******* Notes of Claude mischaracterization: Chapter 21, section 1, paragraphs 1, 21 & 23, 27 *******

#o captain my captain #is the Cap'n's name fuckin' Greg holy shit #this chapter was baaaaad #b-but hey maybe i'm just being overly critical?

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redphlox · 2 years

Note

Hello, there! Hope you're doing well.

I wanna know your opinion regarding the characteristics and personality of quirkless AU! Touya Todoroki in fanfics. I mean, I've read quite a number of MHA quirkless AU fanfics and each and every one of them showcases Touya as the failure, the black sheep of the family, the college dropout, the careless, and callous one among of the Todoroki siblings. I get that it's probably the headcanon of the writers and I respect their thoughts but isn't it a bit too much? The way the writers are portraying Touya in the AU fanfics... isn't it wrong? Cause in the canon MHA universe, Touya/Dabi is a very careful and cautious person, someone who really works hard so he could reach the highest rank, extremely smart (smarter than the rest of his siblings), definitely wouldn't have become the black sheep of the family if Endeavor wasn't an abusive asshole. To me, I think, Touya is someone who always wants to become the best in everything like Endeavor, wants to be the No.1 in everything, someone who never backs away from any challenge and difficulties threw at him. If things went right, Touya would've become the golden child among the Todoroki siblings in the canon universe.

I like the writings of the other writers don't get me wrong, but every time the way they portray Touya in the AU verse is getting really tiring to me.

What do you think about it?

I personally think that an excellent writer could make anything make sense. I personally love AUs because they provide flexibility to do whatever you want. Many Touya writers love to sprinkle in some of his Dabi traits such as being mysterious and distant, which is valid. I feel like Touya being a black sheep, the failure of the family, is a core part of his character because these were a result of his trauma and thus an appealing aspect to most of his fans. A kid who just wanted to be understood but was instead rejected harshly and never felt good enough despite how hard he tried - I mean, that's tremendously relatable to a ton of readers. As much as trauma doesn't define you, it does in Touya's case because he's a fictional character. It's how Horikoshi intentionally wrote him. Touya wants to be accepted as he is and wants a just society, and that's actually very punk of him. That's his personality. So to me it makes sense writers write Touya like that in AUs. I think that's in character.

You could totally write an AU where everything goes "right" and see how it turns out, though! Except, Natsuo and Shouto probably wouldn't exist, if you're following that logic. I mean, anything is possible though. It's an AU.

#Bnha #Dabi #touya todoroki #Bnha asks #I have a fic like this in mind too 👀

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