“we haven’t done anything wrong”

“no. we haven’t.”

this. i’ll never get over it. it’s so important that they included this scene. that is the entire ethos of young royals. their love is not wrong.

he hates to see a bisexual winning

that interview about how kendall never actually bullied roman as a child… I don’t see it I’m sorry!!! we literally see how bad kendall treats him in the show, why are they saying that roman was only ever the bully in their relationship when it’s ten times more interesting and realistic that they both had moments of hurting the other?

I feel like they’re sort of trying to sanitize kendall’s feelings toward roman for some reason? like in the show they’re literally described as two fighting dogs, and roman is the weak one. I can’t believe they tried to spin dog pound as some harmless game they played; we literally see kendall’s face change in a sort of sick realization when connor tells him kendall enjoyed the “game” too.

and sorry… kendall literally popped roman’s stitches open????? like I know, I know, everyone on the show says “oh, that’s what roman wanted, he’s so fucked up that that’s what he needed and kendall was just giving him that”— no. I’m sorry but that’s an incredibly violent thing to do to your younger brother who’s already near tears. I will forever say that that scene was just as much about kendall’s selfishness and need for control as it was about roman’s wanting to be hurt.

like… I’m sorry to the actors and writers but kendall roy will always be the guy who watched his brother piss himself in a dog crate and told him to wipe it up with newspapers as a kid. he is also the guy who stood up to their dad when roman got hit! roman will always be the guy who picked his big brother up from his drug binges and took him to safety. and yes, he’s also the guy who humiliated kendall at his 40th birthday party!

they’re both, both! they’re both the aggressor and the victim! that’s what makes it fucking interesting!

goddamn I knew it was going to happen but why r the 0 reading comprehension booktok “dark romance” girlies who have a collective 2 brain cells giving coryo the same treatment as the darkling like. they’re literal genocidal maniacs they r absolutely not a victim. just say you hate women and go u don’t need to be so loud and proud abt your internalized misogyny

I think fans want Jason to be a good person or be becoming one. To have a character that is well meaning and compassionate but decided murder is ok and to stand against main heroes who’s beliefs and actions go against the people he cares about and wants in his life. It’s confusing for people. People want their fav characters to be happy. But Jason can’t have his family’s support and follow his moral code. He’s cares about people and Gotham, and he’s an asshole who kills. It’s messy. It’s not black and white. I don’t even think Jason cares about being a good person or in the right anymore. I think he cares about what will save the most people instead.

Oh my goodness gracious I’ve been bamboozled

Batman’s definition of Good is not synonymous with absolute good/right no matter how much dc insists it is. Torture, battery/assault, surveillance, those are all condemnable actions too. I won’t get into the exhausting and frankly dumb debate of comic book morality wrt killing because I’ve already reblogged plenty of posts from other people who explained my thoughts on the matter far better than I ever have the patience to sit down and articulate. I also just think the notion that there’s something to be done about fictional characters who kill nazis and senseless murderers is stupid. Jason’s point is that the “main” heroes’ sanitized definition of right has its unaddressed holes and flaws which ultimately result in more preventable fatalities, and that he’ll work to correct those missing spots.

He doesn’t not care about doing what’s right. What he doesn’t care about (at least during his Winick characterization) is whether Batman thinks he’s right or wrong, because he sees the flaws in Batman’s methodology (and since he has a mind of his own). Batman’s methods alone cannot address Arkham’s revolving door and the rogues that come and go through those doors who have no intention (or capability from the doylist pov) of ever changing or undergoing redemption. Jason knows that he’s minimizing the number of preventable deaths by killing his targets, typically Characters Who Simply Do Fucked Up Shit Just Because, Why The Fuck Not?

Secondly, Jason is compassionate … to a fault. That was his fatal flaw. If he wasn’t so hell-bent on saving his potential birth mother he just met from that bomb despite everything she did to him prior, he could have protected himself instead, however slim his odds of survival were. What about his relationship with his other parents? He was a caregiver during his early childhood years for Catherine, until her death. Even mature adults who are financially stable find being a caregiver to a dying parent to be extremely burdensome on their bodies and minds, but he never complained about it or resented Catherine for being unable to care for him. Despite how none of his parents have really been what he needed them to be, he doesn’t blame them for their failings, and even continues to think highly of them (Bruce included).

And post-death? Enter Lost Days. Despite being dead set on plotting his revenge on Bruce, he constantly sidelines this in order to save other victims who are helpless like he once was. His own anger, trauma, and mission don’t remain his priority. (Sound familiar? Something something my own trauma above my son’s, mission above all else, etc.). Why would he waste precious time and risk his own life to do this if he wasn’t empathetic towards these victims or didn’t care about doing the right thing. He is simultaneously horribly traumatized and full of rage, and also incapable of ignoring what’s happening to victims around him (even as he claims that it’s indeed not his priority). And in that same vein, the entire premise of his rebirth outlaws run was that he doesn’t care if the public views him as a villain, an outlaw, so long as he can protect Gotham. And anyway where is this portrayal of him not caring about being in the right anymore. Almost every modern Jason story is about him grappling with where he stands with Bruce/Batman. During the early 2000s was probably the last time he did not care (hello, tentatodd??).

Jason has very evidently been portrayed as a kind and compassionate character. He is also simultaneously a calculated killer who doesn’t hesitate to kill when he deems necessary, and does so without remorse. It’s called being a Complex Character With An Edge™ that as you said, people so often claim to love. However when he fulfills that latter part, that seems to upset people because “killing bad”, and they then try to shave off and round out all his edges and claim he shouldn’t be that angry. In that case I guess you should just stick to liking traditional one-dimensional characters instead of claiming to like Jason but then encouraging his character assassination attempt by dc. Lol.

Lastly, who said anything about the batfam making Jason happy? Just because he’s written nowadays to want acceptance from Bruce (a shoddy attempt at forcing a non-existent nuclear batfamily), doesn’t mean that it’s a sound decision or that it does his character justice. I certainly don’t empathize with the idea that Jason needs the family’s approval or acceptance to be happy. (And anyway he has enough outlets for angst and pain aside from the batfam hello explore his other sources of trauma and do more deep dives into how he thinks when he’s alone). I don’t want them to magically make up and become one big happy family. This is not disney Lol. Besides, there are plenty of stories from dc that have that type of “wholesome” (hate that word utilization) characterization for Jason (Li’l Gotham, Tiny Titans, wfa, and even new stuff like the brave and the bold mini) and that is sufficient imo. Jason fans who are invested in the character deserve accurate, nuanced characterization and well-written stories, whether they be from his robin days (e.g., Batman: The Cult) or as red hood.

Okay I've talked about the tragedy of Laudna now let's talk about the tragedy of Imogen.

It’s been a while, but her moment in the Feywild truth exercise where she says "I think I’m tainted. I don’t know if I want to save gods that don’t love me" has really stuck in my mind. The thing is, I don’t think she’s specifically talking about the gods here, but rather summing up and projecting her entire experience as a ruidusborn. She isn’t thinking "Why aren’t I the gods' special little princess? Why haven’t they come to save me specifically?? You better love me or I'll let you die" (which we have seen does seem to be a common attitude in the Vanguard) This is her fear of being against her own will tainted by something evil. Her fear that, despite knowing how wrong it is, part of her longs for the power and belonging that comes with giving in to Predathos. It’s knowing that this thing is the antithesis of the gods, and that no matter what she does and how much she opposes it, it is still part of her. And because of that, the world doesn’t love her. Her mother left, her father can barely look at her, her own body will betray her with feelings and powers she doesn't understand, her community ostracized her, her allies view her with suspicion, the gods will not lend a hand in their own rescue when she asks despite Imogen putting herself and her loved ones in danger for their sake.

And Imogen is tired. Tired of being the bigger person, tired of resisting. Logically she knows the gods don’t hate her specifically but it ads up, and as the lure of Predathos does promise love and belonging part of her wants to give in because why should she risk so much to save a world that has never once tried to save her.

And that’s where she, as well as Laudna, get so interesting. They have deeply sympathetic reasons for their doubts and flaws, as well as for why they value each other so much higher than the entirety of Exandria (tl;dr because they have only ever gotten genuine understanding and unconditional love from each other). But that doesn’t mean it isn't flaws. It doesn’t mean Imogen, if she hadn’t met Laudna and the Hells first and realized the harm the Vanguard is causing and that their promises are ultimately lies, couldn’t have been drawn in by the Vanguard's ideas. It doesn’t mean they aren't wrong in blaming gods for bad things in their own lives, or in demanding special treatment. But it’s deeply understandable, which is the very reason they and people like them're such excellent targets for the Vanguard to convert. And once in the Vanguard, it doesn’t matter how tragic and sympathetic you are, you are still doing evil.

I’m sick to my stomach bro the was so nice before he fucking succumbed to hell incarnate :((((((

hello maybe someone has already said this but uhhh do some of y’all realize how wrong it sounds out of concept to say that Sam was the true hero of LotR?

“Sam was the true hero! He had to carry Frodo because Frodo failed!” -> “All of Frodo’s contributions fail to matter because in the end he needed help. A hero is only valid if he doesn’t have to rely on anyone else.”

Like obviously not everyone who says that always means the second part, but overall like. That’s kinda the implication that’s being given. And it’s kinda messed up.

Angels are never to blame for an act of God.

You can tell the difference between God and an angel…right?

(ft. Will “Always an Angel” Byers and Henry “Never a God (blamed like one all the same)” Creel)

i remain fascinated by the suzie/todd parallels because it always makes me wonder if todd could have girlbossed too close to the sun if the conditions were right

i am so so incredibly curious about kugie and sou's hypothetical ytr dynamic... just. blinking at them. i recall you mentioned maple thinking sou is a very nice polite man and i was wondering if she's like the only one to think so :o

I LOVE KUGIE AND SOU!!!! they are so shaped. the general dynamic between them is that sou likes kugie well enough, and kugie’s feelings on sou are…very complex tbh. she really doesn’t trust him but she ends up feeling sympathetic for him in a lot of situations

their relationship starts off pretty well, as sou is one of the main people to comfort kugie while she’s grieving. he kind of projects onto her a little bit, because he’s also grieving kanna in his own way, so he empathizes with her. yet, as much as she appreciates this effort, i think part of her would be…unnerved by sou. kugie’s a very perceptive person, and something that struck me about her relationship with kanna is how she initially thought kanna was ‘creepy’ for always smiling and laughing, not realizing she was just trying not to inconvenience anyone. in that same way, i think she’d recognize that something was off about sou in that his whole demeanor just seemed sort of…fake.

i think this feeling of distrust would come to a head in the first main game, where it’s revealed that big ol’ liar “sou hiyori” and the more quietly deceptive “shin tsukimi” are working together. kugie and shin really mutually dislike each other when they first meet (recognizing the self through the other (derogatory)), and so kugie’s feelings about shin sort of rub off onto how she feels about sou too.

so, moving into chapter 2, we have this weird dynamic where sou is liking kugie more and more and kugie is liking sou less and less. yet, this begins to change when kugie comes to the conclusion that sou is being manipulated by shin. why does she think this? well,

at some point, sou finds the phone from kugie and kanna’s first trial room, and much like shin does in yttd he rewrites the message to sound like something kind: something kanna would actually say. he then goes to kugie to, effectively bribe her for the laptop, saying that he’ll give her the phone if she gives the laptop over to him.

initially she’s like HELL NO, i’m not falling for that, but then sou pulls his sadboy act and is like “but…if i can’t get the laptop, then i’m not sure what sou will do to me” which of course IMMEDIATELY activates her big sister instincts and she’s like ok what. we are not doing this. take the laptop do NOT hand it over to “sou” he’s clearly just using you for his own personal gain. so basically sou emotionally manipulated this poor girl into believing that he was being emotionally manipulated 👍 hate this guy (affectionate)

i think that from this interaction, kugie starts to trust sou more (which is ironic because this is one of the only times he just straight up lies to her). weirdly, i feel like kugie starts to see kanna in sou and sou starts to see shin in kugie. obviously they’re very different people but they have similar attitudes about lots of stuff. it’s just the elder sibling activation instinct over and over except they’re both trying to be the elder sibling

their relationship starts getting rocky again at the beginning of the violet route, though. and it’s because sou crosses the one line that kugie will never accept anyone crossing— hurting ryoko. she gets extremely angry at him and sort of holds this resentment throughout chapter 3. so now we’re back to that tumultuous nature of kugie getting really mad at sou, and sou atp in time realizing that he really really actually cares about kugie, which he never expected to.

…but then she goes BACK to being protective over him once she realizes how badly he’s going through The Horrors with his mom. kugie just. can’t make up her mind about this man. AND I CANT BLAME HER HES A MESS!!!

i hope this satisfies the greenbling urge but yeah they are the sibling dynamic of all time i luv them <3 that’s sou’s weird emotional support teenage girl who wears screws in her hair for whatever reason and beats him up for his wrongdoings /j

So jag woke up and is finally gonna evict Matt? PLS I need this to be a reality just so he can lose to Bowie bc he fumbles his f2 answers & speech.

the fundamental tragedy of supernatural is that if Sam closed his eyes at any point in adulthood and opened them to find himself in that field full of fireworks from “dark side of the moon” again he’d experience a profound and crushing sense of dread and in the same circumstance Dean would experience perfect peace and happiness

Screaming yelling and obsessed with theorizing over what will happen if and when Scary DOES communicate with the Doodler. Imagine Scary passing that 40 wisdom saving throw (or yk, however Anthony ends up working that mechanic) and not only is Scary not consumed by terror the way Willie was by the doodler, but maybe she befriends it, they share a common goal and maybe they understand each other; Scary told Willie “Well, like, the Doodler's like a… kind of cool punk rock chick. Y’know? She's just like really misunderstood. And the more she craves love, the more she pushes other people away. And she doesn't know how to receive it right. Y’know? She's just like so misunderstood and edgy and cool.” Just imagining how insanely powerful Scary would be if they worked together!

I’m still not ruling out the crack theory that the Doodler is actually Scary’s patron and Willie’s just taking the credit as another means to wield power over her/convince her she needs him. Just… imagine

I drew the besties!!! (They are besties in my heart)

Monoma doesn’t know who he is…

While all the kids where busy getting their quirks and discovering things about themselves, Monoma found out that he’d only ever be as good as what he could steal… Learned that his quirk, quite literally, was to become something else, someone else: someone better.

It’s hard, learning that you’re not really you, but always part something more. He never really understood it, but life was always there to teach him not to question it.

He was taught this on the playground when he could only overcome a bully by stealing his levitation quirk. Had it beaten into him when new friends would ask to see his quirk and he just… Couldn’t, because he hadn’t copied anything for a while. At first he made excuses and tried to explain, but no-one is interested in being stolen from in theory or in practice.

So, screw him if he learned to deal with the fact that on his own he is nothing more than his ability to steal. Fuck him, for becoming harsh, for beginning to transform into the thing everyone else had already decided he would be…