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bandtrees · 7 months

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its not like i dont agree with all those posts about how bsd season 5 finale is bad and stupid and was a big let-down and everything. cuz i do - but also... i'm not really upset with it in the way a lot of people are, tbh.

cuz if you're only now realizing bsd isn't a good mystery series and it has a lot of cheap shock value and forgoes interesting character development in favor of showing off how smart dazai or fyodor are... uh, welcome to the club? the season 5 finale is not really unique in this regard.

bsd, to me, though it has moments of compelling writing, and overall compelling characters (people Like its characters so much for a reason!), etc, has always been a low-expectations watch. it's always been the "oh what's kafka asagiri doing to his weird ocs now" show - from the start, it's done this. so much of season 1 reeks of the same "random out of nowhere twist to make the writing feel clever", and it's something the show's had a problem with, and continues to have a problem with. forever. to the point where to enjoy the series you just kinda have to meet it halfway and have fun with it.

when i first got into bsd in, like, 2017 or so, i hated dazai a lot. both because of personal reasons and because i just didn't like smug genius types who know everything. with him being such a major character, this led to a shallow perception of the show, as you'd expect. then, i rewatched it this year, and i went in with those same feelings - but i wanted to like bsd, and dazai by extension, so i just kinda... got used to him, because you can't fully appreciate this series and not. (that and i'd just matured as a person since 2017 and could look at him with more nuance lol)

like, i get being upset this season didn't end the way you anticipated. i loved the meursault arc, and season 5 episode 10 was one of my favorite episodes of the entire series i was genuinely excited to see a follow-up on. but also, if you know bsd does deathfaking and stupid silly plot twists that weren't telegraphed in the least, and you're genuinely mad every time they're pulled, then... maybe you should just watch a different show, yknow?

i don't say this to excuse the shitty writing, but rather, it's not really new, and buckling in for the absurd ride is part of the bsd experience, that it goes from a genuinely thrilling and gritty episode 10 to a completely batshit episode 11 that has the main antagonist quote jesus christ before dying in a helicopter explosion, is, like, really fucking funny. i can't even be mad. that episode is some of the most entertained i've been by this show, not even in its contents but laughing as i try to explain it to people and scream incredulously with my friend - it's a series where the good is good and the bad is, if nothing else, never boring. it's the series with the giant moby dick whale mech. it's the series that now has vampires in it for some reason. i think if you're looking for top tier character development and stimulating mysteries and peak fiction... you're looking in the wrong place, imo.

#babbles #this is not me saying 'ooh the finale is actually BRILLIANT SATIRE' no. no its just pure organic bullshit #and i for one enjoy pure organic bullshit. and where i dont. well thats what aus are for #(dark and i brainstorming an au fic that diverges at meursault bc of course we are)#(that ones for if you WANT a gritty fucked up tragic end and not the canonical shenanigans bs we got lol)#i dont mean in this post to say bsd is just stupid and if youre emotionally invested in it youre stupid #it's a series i really like for a REASON despite its flaws. i just mean that it being stupid and fumbling its writing is not new and #the s5 finale isnt uniquely terrible in this regard #and i'd rather have fun with those fumbles and how out there and off the wall they are than be mad every single time they happen #like going to the circus and being mad about clowns ykwim #beast and dark era and all the parts of this series that tug on my heartstrings so genuinely also coexist with the dumbest stuff ever #and thats just part of the show to me. ideal bsd investment level to me is 'enough to care but not enough to get genuinely mad'#bungou stray dogs #bsd critical #? is that a tag. sure #this has been sitting in my drafts i forgor to post sad

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theendofviolet · 10 months

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“ashiya douman is evil for the sake of being evil”

yes! but also.....very much no.

(heian-kyo and very mild out of context paper moon spoilers abound below)

i think what i find sometimes among fate/go players is treating ashiya douman As It Says On The Tin; they’re a nuisance, a monstrous soul, a giddy evil jester happy to spread their malice to cause harm to human beings. and yes, as it stands, that’s exactly their role. even nasu states in an interview that douman was created to be a negative force to push the lostbelt kings a little to serve the plans of the foreign god as her Apostle. the man was told “be amusingly evil” and boy, did they live up to the task!

but to stop at just the interpretation of “oh, guy is EVIL that’s all, time to wrap it up and go home boys” completely misses the true complexity lying behind the surface, and whitewashes a key point repeated time and time again in heian-kyo.

douman....or rather, limbo (and the distinction is important!) is an alter ego. limbo is a shadow. limbo is a part of the whole. limbo is an aspect, a silhouette of humanity, a piece, a caricature. xu fu even goes into detail of the nature of alter egos here:

limbo is an alter ego, which means if you take the whole of ashiya douman and write them off as “evil for the sake of doing evil”, you are more than happy to stare at the shadow at the back of the cave without wanting to turn around. heian-kyo is more than unsubtle about this point. for where, does it ask, that resentment come from? where does that malice originate? when guda and the others meet the living douman (even if it is limbo, hiding in plain sight), the man they meet is not a overly hammy evil clown but a mild-mannered, sincerely humble monk. and it is seimei....yes, that seimei, the great nemesis, the one limbo spits at and hates with every fiber of their being, who makes the distinction over and over again that limbo and ashiya douman are distinct.

“but living douman also wanted to do evil for the sake of evil!” are you sure? this is a man who we see in a brief moment want to end his own life with no real hesitation because he was deeply appalled by the nature of his own evil in the form of limbo.

and then, if we really want to go down to brass tacks, even if we make a distinction between limbo and douman, with writing off limbo as the monstrous form of a human’s resentment and evil, is LIMBO really evil for the sake of evil? time and time again, we see limbo do things that seem so contrary as to be suspect. douman finds and fixes danzou up, claiming that they are doing so as to make her suffer more by giving her memories of her son, but without limbo, danzou would’ve continued to be a cold unfeeling broken machine with no recollection of what mattered to her most. in nagiko’s interlude, guda even calls limbo out for acting as a nuisance to actually help her and raikou resolve their differences. is that “evil for the sake of being evil”?

this isn’t to say that limbo isn’t evil at all. this isn’t even to say douman, as tragic as they are, isn’t evil in his own way, either. but the truth is more complicated. in the end, limbo and douman are just....human. flawed and horribly human, even if one is an aspect of a person. to write them off as some grand evil with nothing more to it is to make the same mistake that history did. douman was the nemesis of seimei, so he had to be evil. of course he’s evil. there’s nothing more. ignore the man crying at the edge of a cliff for all his sins and vices and flaws, hm? there’s nothing more. there’s nothing more. there’s nothing more-

Fufu. Even if I am in the guise of a Heroic Spirit, I am still the shadow monk of humanity. But I suppose that's no different than what it means to be human.

#ashiya douman #fate/grand order #fate/go #yes even if this is a project moon ramble blog THIS IS ALSO!!!! ASHIYA DOUMAN TIME 24/7 #long post #i have a lot of feelings and it pains me when nasu HIMSELF said that there's a lot more to douman #there's so much i didn't even get into like limbo forming an identity but i hope. you get the gist

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oysters-aint-for-me · 1 year

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my first time watching succession: oh my god kendall roy is such tragic figure. logan is such an asshole. shiv’s got so much anger and tom’s so sad. this show is so heartbreaking. what the hell. roman is funny, though. greg too. also they say “fuck” way too much.

second time watching succession: wait this is a goddamn comedy isn’t it? lmao kendall roy is just a little clown baby. connor is my favorite character because i hate him so much. willa is my second favorite character because i hate connor so much. kendall is fucking insufferable. wait kendall almost DIED?!* i think they still use “fuck” too much.

third time watching succession: oh wow. ok. this show is funny, but also it’s about the tragedy of sexual violence and the way it has subtly and unnoticeably crept into and then metastasized throughout every branch of this media conglomerate, which in turn influences the minds of at least half of the country. yikes ok. roman is a strange little creature. kendall is actually insufferable from the beginning of the show—his issues are exacerbated with drugs but there’s something deeper going on. i no longer think they overuse the word “fuck.” in fact, i think i could write an essay on the way they use the word “fuck.”

fourth time watching succession: oh okay this show isn’t just about the slow and subtle creep of sexual violence throughout the business and the way it waits to blow up suddenly like a time bomb—it’s also about the blatant sexual violence that is thrown in your face from the very first episode but which you overlook or don’t notice because we’re so desensitized to the use of sexual language to describe business activities. it probably means something that even though logan claims to have never actually committed any sexual assault, his medical issues are still often related to his dick, but in a not-sexual way—compare how he went piss mad from a UTI to how sandy furness had dementia because of a sexually transmitted infection (even though that’s probably a rumor, logan did start it). and the show is also about childhood trauma and neglect, and roman roy is the most fascinating character to walk across my screen since i don’t even know. i can’t even articulate what it is i find so interesting about him, but it has to do with how he is so flexible with his words so that everyone thinks he’s on their side and he kind of really IS on everyone’s side, because he wants to be liked sooo bad and the details don’t matter as much as that. and it’s also about bodily autonomy and sex as power vs sex as love vs sex as whatever the hell is going on between greg & tom. i am obsessed with the way the roys will say “(x) fucked me” and so rarely add the usual “over” to the phrase, turning every description of revenge or betrayal into an act of sexual violence. i could write a fucking dissertation on the way the show uses the word “fuck.”

*i was drunk when i watched the last two episodes and completely missed a healthy chunk of them. the irony of this is not lost on me.

#succession #i just really needed to collect my progression of thoughts somewhere sorry!

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c-rowlesdraws · 8 months

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final very superficial appraisal of the live action one piece show:

👍:

-the set design was wonderful and had a cool sense of unreality to it (as in, the environments feel like built sets and it’s part of the fun), it was colorful and theatrical and captured the manga’s blend of piratey genre aesthetics (wooden boards, sailing ships, rolled-up old maps) and “modern” elements like t-shirts and neon signs in a really pleasing way

-the show clicks to the top of the first rollercoaster hill at the end of episode 3 and then goes at the start of ep 4 and it’s just one breathless ride to the finish. I didn’t want the show to end. I do not care about one piece and started watching kind of for the bit but now I’ll actually be really upset if it doesn’t get a second season. That’s how good the second half of this show is.

-I love how all of the characters with colorful hair have clearly-dyed hair where their roots are showing (as opposed to wigs), and in flashbacks to a few of them as children the child actors have the exact same sort of imperfect dye job. It’s wonderful. It adds to the theatrical energy of everything, like “we know you know this is artificial, but we trust you to suspend your disbelief and enjoy this fiction with us”.

-with very few exceptions, all of the actors’ performances are great. They are all cool and fun to watch and there are lots of sweet and funny and emotional moments that work because the writing is sincere. Nobody rolls their eyes for the audience’s benefit at how weeeeird their world is— they live here! I love that.

-the trap beat they did for Arlong’s theme music rules

-this story with its global ocean and seafaring/island-based societies is kind of like “what if Waterworld was like a big colorful carnival” and I love that

-the Snail Phones 🐌

Things I liked less below the cut - 👎:

-Zoro’s backstory bff being depressed because “a girl can beat a boy, but no woman can beat a man [in a swordfight]” was a disappointing line to hear two characters just… play straight in a world that up to that point had seemed pretty non-sexist? But this girl sincerely believes that, and this boy doesn’t push back at all. In this world of self-dismembering clowns and people with axes for arms, you’re telling me that there are no champion swordswomen for little kids to admire? Not one?? From skimming the wiki, it seems like in the manga Kuina’s views are influenced by her sexiest dad, but the show doesn’t include that context.

-Kuina dying offscreen in “an accident” was the only tragic thing in the show that didn’t land for me. It’s just so blatant and funny. You’ve got to get rid of her so she can motivate Zoro, because she’s dead in the manga and that’s how you motivate male main characters, with dead women, but… how? Doesn’t matter! There’s been an accident. Typical backstory girl bff behavior. Call that Fridge To Terabithia.

-Iñaki’s energy as Luffy didn’t always work for me. Some character behavior works in manga and anime, but seems awkward and jarring in real life. It’s very difficult to pull off wild limb-flailing anime exuberance in live-action— live-action Cowboy Bebop’s glimpse of Ed comes to mind. But also, I never really liked Luffy in the parts of the manga I read, either, so maybe I’m just not the target audience for a Luffy in any medium. Iñaki seems like a friendly and chill dude and he certainly gave this role 100%— and also Oda himself loved him for the role, so that says a lot.

-the whole thing with Arlong and his Fishman crew where they’re part of an oppressed and formerly-enslaved minority, so of course they have beef with humans (“but slavery’s been abolished!” shouts a human character), but they’re taking things too far and not just fighting for equality, but domination, which includes extorting, killing, and enslaving humans, starting with this poor little girl here. And since this group are clearly evil and have these big evil plans, it’s cool and great actually for the heroes, who are all humans/members of the majority, to kick their asses and kill a bunch of them. Like… I get there’s a whole thing here with Arlong being twisted by hatred into the very thing he says hates, and maybe we’ll meet more Fishmen later in the story who are just people and not bloodthirsty evildoers, but it’s not a great fictional look?

It takes me back to hbomberguy’s critique of RWBY’s portrayal of the Faunus, and the problems with making your bad guys out of an oppressed ethnic group who, the story says, might have a point, if they went about things peacefully, but are just taking things too far with this domestic terrorism stuff. The Faunus and Arlong should really be writing to their congresspeople instead!

#catie talks #one piece #netflix one piece #some more thoughts the morning after

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flawseer · 6 months

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Reply to @wrenwithapen (I'm still trying to wrap my head around how to properly write replies on this website. This'll have to do.)

I actually agree with you; Palm's death was about as dramatic and serious as Maude Flanders getting shot with a T-shirt cannon. It's ridiculous. If this had happened to a throwaway character in a context-less vacuum I would find it hilarious.

What makes it sad for me is how this event relates back to Smolder, whose grief over the loss of his lover I think I WAS supposed to take seriously. Palm is also involved in a scene that wasn't played for laughs in the prologue of book 10 where she sold out her sister for her unborn child's life. And then there's the matter of said sister, who got trapped underground for 20 years over a misunderstanding and lost her mind. Those are all fairly tragic and serious events shaped by Palm's character, which then somehow culminates in... a space rock flying through her head randomly.

I guess for me personally, after Smolder crying for her for years, Palm getting run over by a clown car from space is giving me such tonal whiplash, I try not to think about the details too much.

This is not an indictment of anyone who finds the entirety of it laughable. I can see why it would be hilarious. It's dark humor. I'm just dumb and sentimental.

#flawseer reply #long winded

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italianpersonwithashippersheart · 2 months

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DFF Finale

Not with a bang, not a whimper but somewhere in the middle.

My thoughts are jumbled and all over the place, I came in the finale already spoiled (I couldn't wait and the gray sites are taking too long) and I am not even sure I will still feel 100% like this by the time the week is out.

Ultimatly I agree a lot with what @lurkingshan says in her post here

A lot of the episode was good: The hallucinations were amazing, and I think the character work in all of them (and the series in general, with only some minor hiccups) is very solid. The acting is also very good. I want to see these boys in more roles. The writing from Ep 1 to Ep 9 was AMAZING!! The reveals are all super hard hitting, it felt like there was fire after fire for every episode.

White my baby, a tragic character if there ever was one, HE WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, his boyfriend was basically seeing him as replacement Non since they started dating. We all loved and clowned on this character so hard!! A lot of White's character makes sense in hindsight, at least to me who is like 5 weeks in a couple of layers of theorizing and obessing (I do realize not everyone feels like that a lot of what makes sense for me it's speculation driven by weeks of obsession), even some of the other more baffling moments, like the converstation with Tan and that moment with Phee.

Problems started at EP 10, and while I loved the Tee and TeeWhite scenes of EP 11 thanks to episode 10 they felt way to disconnected and too late. It left the last 3 episodes less focused and the pacing a mess.

And then there is the ending. And while this is by no means the worse ending of a BL I ever seen, and this show is by no means the biggest dissapointment I ever had (that's still Only Friends). I don't think the ending was as strong as it should be.

I think the failure of DFF for me is in two places:

The focus on mystery and reveals primed the audience to expect answears or at least an ending that is more clear then what we got.

The way they did this open ending gave me the impression that they just refused to pick an ending and so they went with "both and none and who knows".

There were ways to make an ending with still some questions left open work: Give me the cops in the house, or show us the bodies as Phee comes out of the hallucination and gives his final breath. Show the bodies in different positions, show the ax in someone's body and no New. Or even have the ending be a journalist talking at the screen keeping up with the layers of voyerism to the story and have them describe only 7 bodies but not say who survive so the audience can pick the option they like best.

Anything that would have given the impression that they actually PICKED an ending.

I am not sure I will be able to re-watch this, I am scared too many things will start to fall apart if I do. While I enjoyed clowing with the fandom and truly loved watching this live (and it has helped me interacting more with people on tumblr) I can't help but feel like maybe if I had binged this, without having time to think over some of the stuff I probably would have enjoyed the finale better.

Maybe I should just be happy that a BL I was hyperfixating on didn't crush and burn like the other two (Shadow and Only Friends).

I am happy BOC experimented and branced out even if they didn't totally sticked the landing, it's a worth while show to watch if you can handle horror. I want BLs to do more stuff like that (experimenting and branching out in different genres) and I want the people in the cast to have a long carrear because I think they mostly all did an amazing job.

In short great job BOC (even if you didn't land all that well at the end there) now give me a poly series: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

#txt #dead friend forever

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short-black-diamond · 10 months

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omg don’t worry abt being weird, i was born strange

And also HELL YEAH!! I’ll read anything you write ESPECIALLY if it’s about the local loser boy tonny

I love him dearly

Well then let's be strange together love!

I took the meantime to write this. If you want anything changed, just tell me and I'll write you a new piece.

warnings/summary: looovely angst, suggestive stuff (you kiss him), bullying??, tonny being a loser<3, one-sided-love is what tonny thinks; but you confess..in your own way., and Tonny's an idiot in this one, you talk about your past, which is very tragic but anthonn comforts you

Also I didn't proofread.

Enjoy!

---

"Under my spell?!"

Why did you even spare an ounce of attention to that loser? He doesn't even get respected by some of his workers or even friends! Sahed would be a much better option, given the fact that he tried to take you out on a date a few times but you harshly declined. He'd trade you for that newbie Julia he caught sight of recently anyway.

But...was it the fact that he gave you the most innocent expression a human could muster whenever you were near him or directed a question towards him? How you 'tsk'ed annoyedly at him when the only sound he made was a "huh?", which escaped his parted lips? You wanted to punch him right i the face. Why did he even have to look this cute?!

How he tried to be subtle with his corny and cringy love letters, thinking you had to have more admirers than he could imagine? BUt no, you scared all the other people off. He was the one who stole your heart, after all.

Was it the way he couldn't even form a todder's sentence around you? A three word sentence? Like 'how are you?', 'Is everything okay?', or "Need any help?'

Maybe the it was that one time he tried to be a little bold with you and woo you with the cringiest pick up line ever? And you just staring at him with your most disgusted expression? Making him ten times more nervous and anxious than before? But you were trying your hardest not to gush at the handsome face he was making, and how that pick up line would've made you double over in laughter?

...

But no. Now you are kissing him breathless, in one of the tents. You made sure to put a 'keep out' sign infront of the entrance and now covering his neck in hickes and the face with remnants of your lipstick. Tonny himself is no better as he gasps for air, his sweet virgin body and soul not being able to keep up with his and your tongue dancing together.

Or how you grip his collar (-which he spent an hour ironing to look good enough in your eyes-), wrinkling the fabric underneath your fingers as you kiss him harshly.

Oh! Maybe it's because of the fact that you hate to admit that you actually like that clown, you are taking pity on him and giving him a good time, because "Losers like you won't ever get a girl." ?

Hm...

Tonny meanwhile, is on cloud nine, being already disconnected from the world and just letting you do as you please with him? Because all he feels and smells and sees is you? Your feminine scent? One of your graceful hands intertwining with his while the other goes through his hair? Or how he can feel your heartbeat against his, maybe a bit farther away because of your sweet chest that he took one too many glances at? How you sneakily put your dominant knee between his legs to keep him in place because his knees were shaking and would have started to buckle any second? Making him sit on your knee because he just can't hold himself upright from the pleasure he's receiving?

Tonny, who never thought you'd give him the time of any day to let him touch you, let alone kiss you? You, who was nearly hissing like a cat at him whenever he tried to compliment you?

The loser honestly couldn't believe his luck. Even though Anthonn felt his lungs ring for air, he couldn't bring himself to stop. What if you said that he shouldn't tell anyone? Or make fun of him for not being able to even handle a small make-out session, although you two've been at it for ten minutes now? (<-sorry but Idk if this is accurate, never had a boyfriend :,] )

However, Tonny can't bring himself of anything else as he is pushed back suddenly by you. As he is gasping for air and sitting on the ground, you sit yourself beside him and also lean on him. "I- we could k-keep going, you know?!? I-if you want to...we ca-"

"Relax. Just..try to relax your body, Gremminger."

'So it's still Gremminger to you, ____? After what you've pulled?', Anthonn thinks as he frowns and still pants. You are tracing patterns on his rough, big hand. It was so, so stupid of you to kiss him in his clown costume, while you were in your skimpy dress, but eh, could be worse.

"You know...even though you're a loser to me, I kinda like you, Gremminger. I hope I could make it clear with what I just did with you."

Three seconds pass before he springs away from you. "Wh-wha?! What?! Y-you, you you you actually like me?!"

"Why else would I have kissed you like that?!"

"Because you said that "losers like me would never get a girl." !"

You sighed. "So...are you rejecting me then.", you ask after a while, because as much as you hated the fact--Tonny was right. You said these exact words before you crashed your lips into his.

"No! It's just...I'm surprised that you're even harbouring any other feelings for me besides hate and disgust..."

"Hmpg, what can I do when you look like the sweetest candy in the world?!"

When you received no answer, you glanced back at him, only to catch him staring at you with a bewildered expression. "Wh-what does that mean? "Sweetest eye candy"??"

You groaned out of embarrassment. "Do you even have any idea what you're doing to me, Gremminger?! Ever since I signed that contract you held in front of my nose, can't I stop thinking of you!

I can't stop thinking about your sweet, dorky smile, or how you blush so adorably when children laugh from your tricks! I cannot withstand myself even a second longer with you than necessary, otherwise I might just pounce on you and just---kiss the missing daylights out of you! It's surely because You've trapped me under your spell!"

"Under my spell?! Y-you're one to talk, walking around with that gorgeous body of yours, looking all divine and stuff! And when you even as much as look at me, I don't know what to do! Your presence next to me alone makes me look like the biggest idiot!"

As you two were glaring with each other, heavy blush settled on your cheeks, it dawned to you two that you just confessed to each other.

You lowered your head, but you could hear the crunching of the small rocks and sand coming in contact with Tonny's boots as he came closer to you. He sat down next to you, hesitantly putting an arm around your shoulder to see if it's alright, and when you lean on him again does he pull you a little closer to himself.

"...you mean to say that all those years...I could've had your love? Times like five minutes before our...confessing?"

"...maybe? I don't know..."

"...m-may I ask why today?"

"Because today's my birthday. And I just had to see you smile at yet another girl..."

"Wait today's your birthday?! Why didn't you tell me-"

"The people from my home died on my nineteenth birthday. And all those years, I couldn't forgive myself for still being alive, and not them, hell I'm immortal thanks to that contract!...I...also never experienced love, and from what I can remember, my parents should have been divorced a long time ago...sorry if I spoke too much..."

"N-not at all! I think it's good if you talk to somebody about your past, isn't it? Also, I'm sorry for your loss. And I think that I understand now."

"Yeah, you're right. And thank you for understanding. I'm also sorry for not treating you right all those years when you've been nothing but kind and sweet to me, Anthonn."

"Ah- y-you said---my name-!", he stuttered. 'Is this why you didn't call me by my first name all those years!? Did you know the effect-'

"Stop laughing, dammit!"

"Sorry! Sorry, I just can't!"

"____! Stop bullying me already! Don't you think these past centuries had been enough already??"

And you had a genuine smile on your face, although it looked rather mischievous. "Hm...is it? I don't know. I think you can handle a little more, Anthonn~!"

And there went Anthonn's beige skin color, swapped with a cherry red one. Even after all that, it just truly feels like he fell in love with you all over again, and you allowing yourself to give him your love.

"...so, uh, ya were jelly?"

"Wanna break up?"

"No- wait, you didn't even ask me anything regarding that! ...O-or should I-"

"Dear Anthonn Gremminger, would you like to be my boyfriend?"

How can he still be such a blushing mess?! You literally just kissed him ten minutes ago! Ugh, so much for being a loser, huh?

"U-uh, I mean, Yes! I-I would love to be your boyfriend!"

"Good. And don't ever mention, smile at or even look another girl outside of the circus ever again. If you know what's best for you, that is."

---

So, let's stop here because it's already 11 pm at my place. So, after you've read it, please leave a like, a comment, reblog it if you want (but please not as your own work), and yeah!

I'mma go sleep now. good night/morning/whatever.

Read you in the next post!

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desultory-novice · 7 months

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who would be more traumatized?

Marx who literally was to the verge of death <like this close 🤏>

Magolor who got possesed with an acient artifact? <he wasnt as close as Marx to dying tbh>

In strictly canon terms, Magolor went on to build a theme park and literally invite the Master Crown (riding Landia) to come play and Marx seems really gleeful to be Marx so I'd argue neither of them!

^_^

.............

:psst psst: ...But if we're talking Dess's very particular brand of Kirby-verse, and I assume you wouldn't be writing me if you didn't want to hear my very specific Kirby worldview...

...Okay, so, the first time I rolled this answer over in my head, my heart immediately spat out: "Marx."

Because Magolor does have his theme park! He has his ambitions. The crown manipulated him in a lot of horrible ways, but he has something outside of that, which he is slowly regaining. He also has friends - though the degree of friendship was in doubt for about 10 years. Yes, I'm certain that having your warped and twisted body, practically bursting with power too great for you to possibly wield and puppeted by a malevolent artifact while you're not even free to scream about it is an experience beyond horrible...!

But...let's look at Marx here.

Marx has no friends.

We GIVE him friends. We say he's friends with the Wave 1 group and we see no strong reasons he shouldn't be. (Even if we don't know what they have in common...) But a few of us have tried to advance the cause of Marx + Animal Friends + Gooey = good pals! We also say he's friends/found family with Gryll, a character he's never been on screen with! We say he's friends (and some of us say he's more than) with Magolor - who he also hasn't TRULY been on screen with!

The closest thing he has to a friend is Kirby. And some of that stems from the fact that a very "...distinctive..." looking gag manga made up The Most Believable Backstory for Marx in his 25 years of existence! This isn't the first time people have assumed Marx and Kirby had a complex friendship, however. (And I'm incredibly fond of reading a lot into their having something, with or without any canon backing.)

But...

...While Magolor remembered HIS wish, Marx never did - if he even had one. We won't know until further evidence is provided if Marx was manipulated into wanting control of Popstar but if he did, then he was just as much a victim as Magolor...

And if he wasn't manipulated... well, he's just empty, isn't he? And isn't that more sad, in a way? The silly clown just wanted one star. One star, all for his own. And it's a wish he'll never, ever get...

Marx is considered by some to kind of an empty character. I would say to be so "empty" is actually really tragic...

(You don't even have to get into HC territory, about Marx's lack of hands or Marx's resemblance to a Noddy or Marx sharing a few design elements with Nightmare but if you do, it gets WORSE.)

Back to canon, we have no idea how long Marx was floating through space, in a state of near/undeath, unable to move. We only ASSUME Magolor picked him up in the Starcutter. But if so... when...?

And you know how 'everything is a MF Jojo's reference?'

I made a slight note in a random post last year about Marx's heart theming reminding me of Dio, but I gotta say, the JJBA villain that Marx reminds me of the most is Kars. His "death" just gives very "Eventually he stopped thinking" vibes. (I suppose there's a chance that actually factored into my "Clockwork Marx = Marx Can't Die" theory, now that I put it all together like that.)

And even though Marx is back again, one has to question what the overall effect of his experiences was on him? We don't see if Magolor has crown scars under his silly tophat. But we know Marx bleeds Fecto Green and can do other scary tricks. Does he love them?

He seems to. But just as a lot of people DO headcanon Magolor to have those scars, just as many people have HC'd that Marx can...lose control of his body horror tricks. And the results aren't pleasant.

Of course, ju~st as soon as I had settled on Marx's personal and unspoken tragedy being kinda more sad than Magolor's, well...

...I remembered The True Arena...! DAMN YOU, TRUE ARENA MAGOLOR...!! :sobbing endlessly:

Because we can't just stop at "had his body puppetted against his will while he was forced to watch" now can we?! Noooo! Because Kumazaki won't give us anything nice! (Just kidding & thank you for all the good angst food every time, Director, sir! Love it!)

Because Magolor is literally crying for help. Have you listened to "Supreme Overlord's Coronation" recently?! God... the sounds he makes... He can barely get out Kirby's name amidst his gasps. The Master Crown has rendered him blind, having Stolen His Eyes along with everything else, so that Magolor can't even visualize whether there is any hope; whether "he" has killed Kirby or Kirby is still fighting for his sake (and can he HEAR at this point or is that gone too?) but he never.stops.calling.for.him. Let me say that again:

He never stops crying out for Kirby to save him. Can you imagine being in THAT much pain?! That's hurt and fear and death all in one. But he doesn't even have the mercy of dying...?! He's carried away from us, out of reach, still a victim of the crown, his haunting cries echoing in our ears. Where has he gone? Will he ever be free or will Magolor's fate linger in our nightmares for another decade?

Of course, True Arena Magolor may just be out of the running for this whole argument because, again, as we don't know if he shall ever be free, it's hard to talk about how traumatized he is if the trauma is actually unending/still present. But if he is ever rescued alive from that fate worse than death (else he may just suffer until the Crown has finished absorbing the last bits of his soul and he ceases to be "Magolor") I would think the mental scarring from that experience is probably going to be as near to permanent damage as you can get.

So, from least traumatized to most: Game Marx < Game Magolor <<<<< Dess's Magolor < Dess's Marx <<<<<<<<<< True Arena Magolor

#Dess Rambling #Kirby #Marx Kirby #Magolor #Thank you for letting me indulge in...#...my particular brand of sad Marx and sad Magolor

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sinsmockingbird · 27 days

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(2/2) (tho she might be a good guy???? she’s apparently fraud and all those sinners are clowns i can’t take any of y’all seriously lmao idk i hope so but wouldn’t mind if she turns out to be another walking but sexy red flag lmaooooo) a new daughter they’re gonna adopt in 0,5s and uhhh *reads smudged writing* yaoi lesbian’ 💀

Actually Yao is Limbo! At least my sources tell me that! So I get the feeling she's gonna be more like NOX- dark, tragic backstory but she's like a bunny I want to pinch the cheeks of and cuddle (I don't care if I get burned)!!

But you are so right about Fraud characters being so FUCKIN goofy!! Like I want to lovingly tease and bully them!!

#*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟsins inbox

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thewertsearch · 1 year

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You're right - it's time for the Official Wertsearch Troll Rankings!

I'll forgo the tier list for now, and rank them top-to-bottom, by simple personal preference. There's obviously going to be a bias towards trolls who've had more focus so far - but I'm sure this will even out over time. I'm planning to update it successively.

Without further ado:

Kanaya. I don't need to explain myself, and I doubt her position will change. At some point I might write a post outlining why Kanaya is cool as fuck, so we'll save any in-depth discussion for then.

Karkat. The most likeable hater in the comic. Karkat is full of huge, misdirected emotions that he doesn't understand, and seems poised to take command of the Zodiac trolls out of sheer crabbiness. Karkat thinks he despises everyone, including himself, but I think he needs to acknowledge that there's a reason he's also an expert on love.

Terezi. Probably the funniest troll, but also the one who keeps you guessing the most. She started off as one angry alien among many, demonstrated her malevolence in the Davesprite arc, settled into her role as an awesome weirdo in Hivebent, and now we're learning about her partnership with Vriska, which seems to paint her as an overzealous murderer, even for Alternia. You never know what you're going to get with Terezi, but a lot of the comic's best quotes are in leetspeek for a reason.

Vriska. What can I even say? She's the troll. I could write dozens of posts analyzing what the fuck her deal is - and I probably will. Vriska's great, and awful, and is going to do magnificent things. (Note that magnificent is not synonymous with good. Or successful.)

Aradia. I'm incredibly invested in this girl's arc. So far, Aradia's story is tragic, and we only got to see the real her for a short flashback. Many of the other trolls are trapped in unfortunate circumstances, but at least they have the opportunity to be themselves. I want to see the actual Aradia as a Player, and I want to see her break her strings.

Sollux. I have a soft spot for my troll. Sollux shares my zodiac sign, my trollsona's blood color, and (possibly) my Aspect, and I really do vibe with the little nerd. He's also the one who introduced programming to the story in earnest, and I'll echo my earlier sentiment - this code boy needs to show me more code.

Tavros. Most of his appearances so far are marred by their proximity to Vriska, but I think Tavros has a lot of potential. Left to his own devices, he's a pretty relaxed troll who dances to his own tune, and this makes him - pardon the pun - a breath of fresh air. I'll reiterate - get him away from Vriska, and we'll see him fly.

Equius. Recent events have proved that his moral compass is a little on the fritz - but this is Alternia. It's not like he's the only one. Equius is the source of some of the comic's funniest conversations, and his commitment to the hemospectrum might begin to wane as we leave the planet behind. I'm interested to see how he develops.

Feferi. Cheerful, benevolent heiress to a millennia-old dystopia, raised by a tentacle monster from the dungeon dimensions. Feferi has just made a hell of an entrance, and I want to see more.

Nepeta. Has done nothing, but gets points for being a catgirl.

Gamzee. Has done nothing, but gets points for introducing me to Insane Clown Posse.

Eridan. His hemospectrum shtick is funnier when Equius does it, but his typing style is at least a little entertaining. All the trolls so far have revealed hidden depths, and I'm hoping he's the same.

#asks #full liveblog #act 5 #homestuck liveblog

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tragicclownwrites · 11 months

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Love That Sponge

by tragicclownwrites

Spongebob kindly arranges a “practice date” for him and Squidward when the latter has a chance encounter that lands him an actual date. The practice session inevitably goes wrong, but not for the reasons either of them expected. Or a slightly alternate ending to “Love That Squid” in which Spongebob manages to convince Squidward to finish their practice date, and how one final tenet changed everything.

Words: 11.2K, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Fandom: SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, F/M

Characters: Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Squilvia (SpongeBob), Patrick Star, Gary the Snail (SpongeBob)

Relationships: SpongeBob SquarePants x Squidward Tentacles, Squilvia x Squidward Tentacles, SpongeBob SquarePants & Patrick Star

Additional Tags: First Dates, First Kiss, Romance, Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Ending, Based on a SpongeBob SquarePants Episode, Feelings Realization, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, it's mutual dammit, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, or love at first kiss, Denial of Feelings, Acceptance

#squidbob #spongebob #squidward #sbsp #spongebob squarepants #squilvia #tragic clown actually writes #writing #fanfic #two shot #squidward tentacles #“little yellow book” is next at some point 👀#that one actually NEEDS a fix-it

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ju-ji · 3 months

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This is not the thought I had when I started writing this post but I think, in retrospect, last twilight was never as magical as I once thought, and furthermore I think that the magic was actually jimmy and sea the whole time. I would maintain that the story started off strong and the blossoming romance was extremely well executed, but there were always flaws in the writing and it was always shown that day had a lot of work to do and. well. wasn’t doing it. I don’t think I was picking up on it because sea made day so unbelievably endearing even as a supposed asshole that I either didn’t notice the red flags or ignored them. You have to understand, I was not a jimmy nor sea nor jimmysea fan before I started watching last twilight. I had not already seen vice versa and wai was so long ago that I don’t even remember having an opinion of him. I had never heard of the first show sea was in. I had not been anticipating this show since the pilot trailer and wasn’t even planning to watch it. I didn’t watch it when it came out. I think I waited like two weeks before I started it. I went into it with no feelings about jimmysea, I had seen criticism of jimmy’s previous performances and I didn’t know anything about sea other than him being jimmy’s branded partner so if anything I was… prepared for them to not do all that well. I wasn’t expecting much I guess. This is the first time I put on my clown makeup. Like I said, sea as day was so endearing to me from pretty early on, maybe not ep 1 but by ep 3 I was like that’s my baby!!! I don’t know why or how but he made me fall in love with day so bad, and nothing day did (until… u know….) ever made me love him less. I really can’t describe what about him I found so lovable especially when he was definitely an asshole and wouldn’t stop with the “u have zero tenderness in your body” nonsense lmao. I think sea just has some je ne sais quoi about him or something that’s like captivating. I did watch vice versa at some point while last twilight was airing and I found talay endearing too. Even though he was more mature or like. didn’t have such a spoiled baby quality to him, so I think it’s just something about sea idk. Hell I’m already endeared to his character in the trainee from bts footage and promo pics alone 😭 ok hopefully point made bc this post is already really long and I have a lot more to say lmao.

*I promise I know how to write proper paragraphs I just am trying to type what I wanna say before my brain moves on to a new thought lmao but let me give a line break for readability*

Let me try to talk about jimmy without waxing poetic. I had pretty low expectations for him bc I had seen ppl criticize his work before so how did I end up loving him so bad!!! The answer is he’s just good at what he does!!! Was he always this good? I didn’t have any qualms about his performance as puen and I can’t remember wai. I think he was also a minor character in enchante but I didn’t watch that. Anyway, if he used to suck he doesn’t anymore!! His growth is especially impressive bc acting isn’t even his main profession!!! I don’t want to harp a lot on why last twilight disappointed me bc I want this to be a jimmysea appreciation post first and foremost but the problem with mhok that jimmy obfuscated was he really didn’t have much to him. He had a tragic backstory that was never fully explored but aside from that it was just day on the brain all day every day how can I serve day how can I help day how can I care for day how can I make day smile like girl stand up 😭 jimmy somehow managed to make mhok (to me but I’m biased) the most compelling character in the show with just his eyes!!! His eyes held SO MUCH EMOTION that it made mhok feel like a much more substantial character than he ended up being. Trying to be short and to the point now bc this is getting out of hand but I want jimmy on my screen forever, he is so special to me!!!

Last point: mhok and day did not have en equal or super healthy relationship so why did it hurt sooo bad when they broke up? Again, it was jimmysea magic masking the flaws. The chemistry was undeniable and they seemed so in love! They were always so happy to be together that you almost didn’t notice how one sided their relationship was becoming. Their comfort in each other was so real and believable bc evidently that’s not acting! It’s clear that jimmy and sea enjoy their paired roles and enjoy working together in general. I’m not thinking of anyone in particular but I don’t think all pairs could sell this natural comfort as effortlessly bc they are not…. this naturally comfortable together lmao. Jimmysea’s innate charms are exponentially amplified when they are together. I firmly believe that if jimmy wasn’t mhok and sea wasn’t day then last twilight would not have been this loved (until it got to where not even jimmysea magic could salvage it 😭)

TLDR it was jimmysea magic that masked last twilight’s flaws so well that we were dumbfounded by that ending

#I got really into this and sorta ran out of steam #I started writing a totally different post but ended up rewriting it entirely once I realized the magic of LT was jimmysea all along #and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t 11:00 when I started it…… it’s 12:15 now 😭😭😭#also I see that I was like jimmy and sea are so special bc they’re just special but I’m hoping you get it #I might elaborate on this after sleeping on it idk #jimmysea #last twilight #also I have a bandaid on my thumb and typed this whole post on my phone so this was incredibly frustrating to write :)))))#anyway. they are so important to me!!!!!

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thatswhatsushesaid · 1 year

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Xiyao?

oh!! xiyao is the otp to end all otps for me (@verdantrivers tagging you as well since you also asked about them, even tho you already know everything I'm going to write anyway)

ship it 🤌

What made you ship it? in the novel, it was absolutely the teacups scene. but uhhh this is embarrassing but I came into this fandom backwards, and so my first exposure to xiyao was the show! tl;dr I was looking for a show on netflix to fill the void left in my soul after the depressing end of The Rise of the Phoenixes, and someone somewhere rec'd The Untamed because "it's gay and the gays get a happy ending!!" me, a depressed bisexual, "oh, what a relief, I could use a happy ending for the gays after all that depressing straight people nonsense I just suffered through." (joke's on me, my chosen gays did not get their happy ending, I clowned myself) anyway, /scuffs foot, it was the box scene. their cute little shuffle over the box. the shy yet lingering eye contact. meng yao's eyes doing the thing that zhu zanjin has them do every time he looks at lan xichen for longer than a second, like he's noticing how beautiful starlight is for the first time, and lan xichen looking like meng yao just awoke something in him that he didn't even realize was there until that moment. meng yao's beautiful face journey when he sees lan xichen and rushes to say goodbye to him. like... I feel it bears mentioning at this point that I knew so little about this show or the canon source material that I literally thought that xiyao was going to be the main ship with the happy ending just based on this moment alone, and so you can imagine by dismay once I realized how tragically wrong I was. RIP past me. anyway, while I absolutely prefer jgy's characterization and arc in the novel canon, I will nevertheless die for the way lhk and zzj chose to bring xiyao to life on-screen. they did the reading.

What are your favorite things about the ship? besides the siren call of a decades' long near-romance that is doomed by the narrative, probably that when given a choice (or rather, when jgy believes that he has a choice), jgy and lxc always choose each other, both when the stakes are low and when they are extremely high. one bad faith and garbage take on their dynamic that I often see trotted out by jgy's harshest critics is that he exploits lxc's affection for him exclusively to cement his position within the lanling jin sect and to further his own ambitions, which seems like such a dull and reductive way to view the nearly two decades they spend together in each other's lives. I also just don't understand where this interpretation comes from?? is it just from jgy using the pass token to get the song of spirit turmoil from the library pavilion's forbidden section? because yes, that was a violation of lxc's trust, but also like... would there even have been a forbidden section in the library pavilion for him to steal from if jgy hadn't sacrificed so much of his dearly bought social and political capital upon gaining his recognition from jgs to help the gusu lan rebuild the cloud recesses? this is not me trying to diminish that violation of lxc's trust, but just to emphasize that jgy actually had very little to gain, politically speaking, at the time he pressed his father to provide aid to the extremely vulnerable and weak gusu lan, but he did it anyway, and he did it because he knew lxc needed the help. smaller stakes: given the choice between being in anyone else's company or each other's, they always gravitate towards each other in any space they occupy together, and that does things to me lol.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? with very few exceptions, I don't enjoy lan-furen as a concept 🤷‍♀️ I didn't even fully understand why the lan-furen AUs didn't work for me until I read commentary specifically by you and @fincalinde and @confusion-and-more (I think) about how deeply jgy's pursuit of his birthright with the lanling jin is integral to his character. because I do remember reading objectively good and well-written lan-furen fic that should have been providing me with emotionally satisfying xiyao catharsis after getting hit by the truck that is the canon ending, and instead left me feeling like I'd eaten too many bites of a pie that was good yesterday but has already started to turn. idk that metaphor is getting away from me. also, more fics where jgy is the soft dom in the bedroom, please, that's my favourite jgy flavour.

#asks answered #xiyao #mdzs #mdzs meta #lan xichen #jin guangyao #he did crimes?? good for him 😌#flute solo 🎶

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aingeal98 · 11 months

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The unofficial Siofs aingeal98 Robin ranking:

6. Tim. If he was such a good Robin then DC wouldn't be trying to make "the best Robin" one of his personality traits instead of actually making him interesting. I like him just fine but objectively, he's boring compared to the others. Yes even with the insane moments. Yes even with his dynamic to Bruce and the Robin mantle. Whoever started the rumour that he's an industry plant was dead on and it drags him down.

5. Jason. Objectively a great Robin with a tragic end he didn't deserve. No real complaints he's only this low because the other four do it better.

4. Dick. The original. I understand why people would put him number one, there would be no Robin without him. He bounces between second and fourth for me but I do think the three people above him took the mantle and improved on it, similar to Wally West with the Flash. Still undeniably a great Robin.

3. Duke. Not an official Robin but he deserves a place here. The We Are Robin concept was good actually. Like all DC concepts it had potential to be great but they didn't give it the attention and writing it deserves. I do like Duke better as the Signal than as another Robin but in terms of taking Dick's legacy and doing something good with it, he's top 3.

2. Damian. His backstory sucks because no one read a Talia comic before coming up with his character since DC is full of clowns. BUT he's kind of the perfect next gen Robin. His dynamic with Dick is excellent, his suit is the only Robin suit to actually look cool and the way he shakes up the batfam is fun as hell. I hope he stays Robin for a long time and that someone is capable of reworking his backstory so it can keep it's key elements without turning his mom into an ooc evil racist mess.

Stephanie Brown. The girls that get it get it. There's never been a better Robin. They had to kill her off because she was too good and it made everyone else look bad in comparison. Best dynamic with Bruce. Best redesign of the costume. Best hair. Best character despite editorial sabotage. If DC wasn't filled with sexists Steph would have been THE Robin. But alas we live in a society, and only true intellectuals are left to pick up the scraps and see the masterpiece that could have been.

#dc rambles #I'm so serious about this but also praying people don't take it seriously #So no other tags except for #dc #batfam

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miqojak · 5 months

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10 fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags

Basic rules: choose 10 fandoms that you are part of/support, and choose a favorite character from each of those. Then, tag ten folks!

Tagged by: @dragonsongmakhali and @thefreelanceangel (thanks! I get around to tagged things eventually, lmao)

This isn't in any particular order, they're just in whatever order they came to mind! I'll also note that I've never really understood the concept of 'being in a fandom'? I just...like the thing? So I guess this is more like "A handful of my all time favorite characters, many of whom went on to inspire me to write similar OCs whether I realized it at the time or not." Anyways, I wax verbose on this, so...buckle up, and thanks ahead of time if you decide to read it all!

I'll go through my recent notifications to tag some folks who've interacted lately (also thanks, I've been very ill and out of it for what feels like months now...) @ashenbun, @the-sycophant, @eorzeanflowers, @iron-sparrow, @briar-ffxiv, @merlwybs-wife, @sundered-souls, @superbolided, @ahollowgrave

1. Harley Quinn, Batman

What's not to love? She's quirky, she's (incredibly) smart, she's bi, and she's just one of many female characters I love for being flawed, but better for it! She's dealing with mental illness, and feels like only this one person understands her - and having been wrapped around a narcissist's finger before? I get it. You don't realize they're a piece of shit until...one day you do, or one day your friends get through to you that this is unhealthy, and you're not really yourself around this person. I love that she gets to be her own character these days, and live her own life, and do what she wants to do (when she figures that out) - I actually love that she works more and more with the Batfam in recent material because...she was never a villain. She's always been chaotic neutral! She changed who she was for the Joker, and was always miserable and mistreated no matter how hard she tried to be exactly who and what he wanted (a mewling servant) - and more often than not, even when she did what she thought he wanted, he still punished and humiliated her (like when she almost killed Batman). Bruce has LONG been on Harley's side, and long tried to talk some sense into her...but I think they'd been 'at odds' for too long for his words to get through to her, and it took the initial mutual compassion (and eventual love) shared between her and Pamela for someone's 'get the fuck out' speech to finally sink in. And now she's a fully realized character/woman with her own goals, her own personality, her own style... and if people don't like that she can do crime AND do good stuff alongside the Batfam? They can fuck off - at least, I imagine she'd say that, tbh. It's her choice - she never wanted what the Joker wanted. She just wanted him to notice her. Now she can act on her whims, and live in the moment and live up to her fullest potential! (Plus, while I'm not Jewish, I love that she is! At least in most iterations that I've seen.)

I think 'hurt people hurt people' is another good tagline for her - because the instant she's shown real compassion...be it from Bruce-outside-the-suit, or Poison Ivy? You can see her heart. You can see the sweet, and loving person she is under all the performing...or 'masking', you might say. The tragic clown doesn't need your laughter... they need your compassion. They need you to listen.

2. Mackayla Lane, The Fever Series (I've read this series at least 6 times, and recommend you read it, too!)

Mackayla is a self-centered, pink-loving, girly-girl who doesn't think heavy thoughts - she likes to sunbathe, paint her nails, and enjoy lazy southern days by the pool, when she's not working part time as a bartender. Until her sister is murdered on a trip abroad, and in her fervor to find out what happened - and why it feels like nothing is being done about it - she picks up and goes to Ireland in search of clues her own damn self...and finds out about this whole hidden legacy of the Sidhe, Sidhe-Seers, and why/how she and her sister are tied into this world. It's such an emotional journey! She evolves into someone different a few times throughout this journey of grief, self-discovery, and...eventually, love. She learns to be more introspective, to be more aware of those around her, to look deeper in herself for strength, so as to never be a damsel in distress again - she fights furiously for a sister we never get to see alive. (and I love a good story about a character central to the plot who is dead before the story even begins, tbh.) She goes from someone I'd roll my eyes at, to someone I'd look up to, instead. She learns to be fierce, but not to lose her compassion in doing so. She learns to fight for not just herself, but others. She suffers, and it breaks her for a time - but she comes out of it stronger for it. She doesn't let it hold her down, anymore - she can't afford to, doesn't want to...she wants to fight back.

I love character development, and she's got it in spades...and that's not even touching on all the OTHER amazing characters around her in this series. Also, if you like a spicy slow-burn, this is it. 'Begrudging allies to lovers' is how I'd term it, I suppose. (I still long for a high production value show of this series...especially bc it would appeal to all kinds of people - it even goes post-apocalyptic later on! But not for the usual reasons.)

3. Margo Hanson, The Magicians (The show, not the books, for once)

Feminist icon without being 'cringe' about it - and has a line I love, later on, about how her father told her she could be anything she wanted...until she wanted to be those things. Suddenly, the world wanted her to pick - you can't be strong AND womanly; 'you can't have both,' they told her. And she said 'Fuck You', and did it anyways. She is impossibly strong, but even she feels deeply on the inside. She rarely, if ever, lets it show how heavy the weight of the world is...she just shoulders on, and does the things no one else will do. She stands up for what's right, and now and then she fucks things up, too...because she's only human. But she's never apologetic about who she is. She lives out loud, owns her body, owns her opinions, and the rest of the world better get the fuck out of her way, because she's got a witty one-liner...and a gun.

He's an alcoholic/addict, he's a wet rag, and he's basically the world's best occultist... whether you love him or hate him. (I love bisexuals getting the spotlight in media, so it's nice that he's that, too!) He's a rat bastard who's just trying to get by in a world that's chewed him up and spit him out time and time again - he drinks the pain away, he chases death, and...despite his best efforts, he lives. Because anytime he actually comes close to death, he realizes that it's all worth fighting for, actually - even if he always falls off the path again. Notably, neither he nor Harley Quinn were really supposed to be longstanding characters...and now they're both fully fleshed out people, and a couple of my favorites! I like that he's complex, mentally ill, and still tries to do what's right, most of the time. But the world pushes his hand, and something's got to give, and unfortunately it's usually the people around him who end up paying the price...which doesn't mean that he doesn't carry that guilt for the rest of his life, mind you. But the world itself was saved! ...though he'll never not regret the harm it causes the few people he lets close, and how it then causes so many others to avoid him like the plague, as they assume he's just a shit who will sacrifice his friends at the drop of a hat. He's the reluctant savior. The...anti-hero? I'm not even sure that's right, because he does want to do good. He just... does some fucked up things to achieve that good, because there's often genuinely no other way - and no one else has the fortitude or the know-how to do it but him. So he'll carry that load, so others don't have to. He'll smoke it away, drink it away...anything he has to, to quiet the guilt, and shame of saving the world from the shadows...never being thanked for it, because he doesn't fly around in spandex, or drive a fancy animal-themed car.

4. John Constantine, Hellblazer/DC Comics (An anti-hero I love, a rare bi-disaster MAN in media, and my favorite occultist/wizardy person in fiction, I think...besides Margo.)

Also, his Hellblazer comics are very politically left leaning and he shits on Tories and racists and homophobia, etc. He might hide his pain in ways that make him seem like a piece of shit, but at heart he knows what's right, and that his fellow man deserves better. (Also, it's implied that he slept with/dated King Shark...you go, king.)

5. Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Castlevania (first the game, then the show) I was obsessed with the book even as a kid, and when I saw the most iconic scene in a video game ever, I was in love with his Castlevania counterpart, too.

Not much else to add to this one - I just think he's cool! I love vampires! I love Mina, as well, for all the strength she shows in the face of almost-certain-doom...but I love a good villain, and Dracula is the perfect villain. Also, it turns out the whole book might just have been one big, gay metaphor from a man in the closet! That's pretty cool to find out, after all these years. I do love the backstory from the film of him being SO IN LOVE with his wife that he cursed God and just...became a vampire. Because 'I fought in your crusades and you let the woman I love kill herself? Fuck you, I'm just never going to die. Now I'll kill all your beloved humans!' Castlevania's backstory is similar enough that I enjoy both iterations of it - a man driven to madness by love, and loss...and in Castlevania, it's not even his FAULT he keeps getting summoned back, which is where this scene below even comes from, which kinda cracks me up. He specifically points out what pieces of shit humans are...they say they hate him, but it's humans who always summon him back to do THEIR dirty work.

6. Taimi, Guild Wars 2

When you first meet her, she's a bobble headed child prodigy, even among the incredibly intelligent race of Asura, with big hair and an even bigger pink bow on her head - who has a terminal illness, and a physical disability from it that makes it hard for her to walk...but it never stops her. Not even once. Commander might be a badass, but they'd be nothing without Taimi's vast intelligence saving the world time and again - and you almost have to watch her die! She loses her favorite mech, which is both a walking apparatus and her best friend, and goes on to lose her best friend/love interest...and the pain never breaks her. She's a literal child, a teen/young adult by current story - and the endurance and compassion and strength she shows are just...making me emotional to even write about. And while she's still alive in story at present (and they've aged her up over time!)... we discussed with her not that long ago in story how she is dying - and she feels the pressure to get as much done as she can before that day. But one day, she won't be with us anymore...and despite all the people that Commander has lost? I'll never be ready to lose my little rat-daughter.

Go play Guild Wars 2.

7. Jaina, World of Warcraft

You meet her as a young woman, in Warcraft - an idealist who believes in peace, and stands against the open, and blatant racism against the Orcs, and the Horde. She strives for this peace so hard that she allows her own father to be executed - and for years, she stands with the Horde, and speaks on their behalf and fights for peace...until those same people go out of their way to not just screw her over, but almost kill one of the only family members she has who accepts her, and steal an ancient artifact that could basically just wipe out the Alliance much like the bomb that was used to wipe out the whole city she was in charge of. She suffers from the guilt of not trying harder to help Arthas. She suffers so...so much guilt, for so many things. She isn't perfect, and she has acted out of hurt, and rage at times - but she grows, and learns, and becomes this whole person comprised of beautiful flaws and complexities. I know what it's like to have your friends betray you, and want to burn it all down. I know what it's like, to need years to come to terms with that hurt. I know the pain of years and years of guilt and self-loathing and 'what-if's'. Jaina has become an amazing woman who has helped people, hurt people, and learned both difficult, and beautiful lessons along the way, to become an ultimately better person who still believes in the rights of all people...just with less of that youthful naivete that got her so hurt and blindsided.

8. Ahsoka, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

I put off watching Clone Wars, and thought I wouldn't like how they worked Ahsoka in...and boy was I ever wrong. Finally, at long last, there's a female character who is given as thorough a Jedi treatment as Luke, or Anakin...if not better! I love analyzing the 'family lineage' of which Jedi mentors which, and it's a bit funny how Qui-Gon was a rule-breaker paired with Obi-Wan-the-rule-lover...and then he ended up with a padawan even more about going against the grain, because Qui-Gon was supposed to have 'raised' Anakin, himself - then Anakin ends up with a Padawan in an attempt to teach him about how to move on from loss...because all padawans grow up and move on with their lives, one day - but he ended up with someone just as hard-headed and outspoken and out-going as him, and he got a taste of what it was like to be his master! All that said, Ahsoka grows and develops and learns hard lessons, and...grows up as a child soldier in a war the Jedi never should have been a part of, anyways - and (spoilers) when she goes on to be wrongfully accused of a crime by the Jedi Council...they try to walk it back later by saying 'oh this was clearly a test by the Force and you've passed, hooray promotion'. Ahsoka is having none of it. It's hypocrisy. It's a lie. They can't put their own pride aside, and admit that they were wrong! And why would she want to be a part of an organization like that? That's not a promotion at all. Now she'd be just like them, and that leaves a sour taste in her mouth. (Not to mention other hypocritical things she notices throughout the series.) She goes on to learn to live in balance - not all emotions are bad. It's not about complete eradication of emotion, but learning which ones to cultivate, and which ones to set aside and think on. She learns what the elder (extremist) Jedi will not - balance. She becomes better than all those who came before...even Yoda, who is in her Jedi-family-lineage; he admits that the Jedi are blinded by their arrogance, but he's among them! I love everything about her story...so far, at least. I've got yet more catching up to do with Rebels and the Ahsoka show.

9. Asajj Ventress, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Honestly, I like her for a lot of the reasons I like Ahsoka - they're like two sides of a coin, and I think she even says this to Ahsoka later in the series. But Asajj suffered immensely early in life, and lost two father figures (even if one of them was her kidnapper) - to include a Jedi Knight who was briefly her Master, before he was slain in battle. She was picked up by Count Dooku, and had her pain and hate stoked like a fire...and in time he betrayed her, as well. And still...she went on to be resilient, strong, smart, and a master in her own fields of stealth and assassination. She learned hard lessons, and learned to think for herself - she learned that she didn't need any of those men who had come before, in her life...she only needed herself. Her own wits. Her own strength. Her own intelligence. Much like Ahsoka, she broke away from what others tried to mold her into, and became her own woman... whether people liked who she became, or not.

She's a badass. Watch Clone Wars. Read her books.

10. Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Does this one need a reason? She's an imperfect badass, too! She's a lot like Mac, mentioned earlier - she's girly, but not always. Sometimes it concerns her what people might think of that - being feminine, but strong - but she learns to embrace her strength and ferocity and role in the supernatural world... although not without bucking against the system just like Ahsoka and Ventress do - she makes it her own. She plays by her rules, not the Council's, not her Watcher's...and when she does so selfishly, and screws up, she learns a hard lesson about the wisdom and input of your friends and family, and considering how your choices affect those around you. She decides she will not be a dog on a leash for the Council (maybe she was some inspiration for Ahsoka...) - she's here to do two things: look fly, and kick monster ass. Oh yeah - and empower other young women to do the same.

Honorable mentions for Spike (from Buffy), Lucifer (from the self-titled show), Aurene (GW2), Eliot Waugh (The Magicians), Catra (SPOP)

You'll no doubt note that pretty much all the women on the list are people who suffered immensely/were wronged and eventually grew stronger for that, and overcame both the situation and their own flaws...I love a bitch who can overcome both her own flaws, and the world itself being against her!

#favorite characters #blorbo from my shows #ugh I hate that word #The list goes on but we'd be here all week if I went on about EVERY character I love

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