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starlight-phantom · 11 months

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Persona 3 Arcana Swap

Just a quick note, Koromaru is pretty much the same because I have no clue how to really change the storyline of a dog.

Name: Shinjiro Aragaki

Arcana: Fool

Description:

Has the power of the wildcard. Shinjiro is a quiet and reserved young man who mostly prefers to keep to himself. He was childhood friends with Akihiko and Miki, often playing around with them after school and pulling pranks together. However ten years ago, Shinjiro lost both of his parents in the Moonlight Bridge incident and immediately closed himself off. He was quickly passed off to his aunt as he needed a new legal guardian, however they quickly discovered that his aunt just wasn't equipped to take care of a child. After this he was passed around from family member to family member until he was accepted into Gekkoukan and moved into the dorms. Due to the constant moving, Shinjiro was never able to properly form any friendships or come to terms with his loss, leading to him developing a very apathetic view on life, not really caring what happens one way or the other. It's not until he joins SEES, learns about their objective and rekindles his old friendship with Aki that he begins to open his eyes and appreciate everything around him.

Name: Mitsuru Kirijo

Arcana: Magician

Description:

A cheerful and friendly girl in Shinjiro's class. Mitsuru is the first of Shinjiro's classmates to welcome him to Gekkoukan. She and Akihiko have known each other since middle school so they are quite close despite their occasional bickering. Mitsuru joins SEES shortly after Shinjiro after Minako discovers her during the Dark Hour and realises she has the potential. While she can be a little clumsy or awkward at times, Mitsuru always manages to say the right thing at the right time, so she's often in charge of raising the morale of the group when things are looking dire. She also can't help but want to help whenever she sees someone who is in trouble but denies any help from anyone, despite how people often describe this trait of hers as annoying. Thanks to this, she's insistent on helping Yukari despite her numerous protests.

Name: Akihiko Sanada

Arcana: Lovers

Description:

Shinjiro's classmate and close friend. The two of them knew each other as children but lost contact after Shinjiro moved away. While in middle school, Akihiko met Mitsuru and, despite getting a little exasperated by her at times, he respects her way with words and willingness to help others. Akihiko is a newer member of SEES when Shinjiro arrives and is still learning the ropes. He's a little cautious of Aigis due to her family's ties to the Moonlight Bridge incident but still trusts her judgement in battle. Akihiko joined the fight against the shadows because he lost his little sister, Miki, during the incident ten years ago and wants to prevent that from happening to anyone else. Despite the time apart and how much they've changed over the years, Akihiko and Shinjiro's teamwork is as strong as ever.

Name: Minako Arisato

Arcana: Emperor

Description:

One of the original members of SEES. Minako is a spunky girl in her third and final year at Gekkoukan High. She is extremely popular with her classmates due to her prowess in the kickboxing club, winning tournament after tournament. She is one of the powerhouses of the group and tends to charge into battle head first without thinking, much to Aigis' dismay. She lost her parents as a child and was raised in an orphanage with her twin brother. Thanks to this experience, she feels as though she has a duty to protect those younger than her. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, as it often leads to her prioritising others' needs over her own. Due to an event that occurred a few years ago, her relationship with her brother has soured and, despite her best efforts, it shows no signs of improving.

Name: Aigis

Arcana: Empress

Description:

One of the original members of SEES. Aigis is an intelligent and focused girl in her third and final year at Gekkoukan High. She is admired by the majority of the student body, due to her position as the student council president and her reputation of running the school better than the principal ever could. Her classmates like to joke that she's like a robot with how well she can calculate how events will turn out and plan accordingly. Aigis is the strategist of SEES and acts as the de facto leader whenever Ikutsuki isn't around to give orders. Aigis fights shadows due to a sense of guilt as it was her family and their senseless actions that led to the Dark Hour's creation; however, while she won't admit it, she can't help but feel bitter towards her grandfather for making her and her father clean up after his mistakes. Aigis is a nickname given to her by her classmates that everyone else picked up… after three years of calling her that no one can really remember her real name anymore. Not that she cares.

Name: Ken Amada

Arcana: Priestess

Description:

A young boy currently attending Gekkoukan Elementary. Ken is a quiet, polite boy who is unfortunately getting bullied by some of his classmates. SEES learns about him through Ikutsuki mentioning he has the potential, however they first meet when they save him from Tartarus after his bullies 'played a prank' on him and locked him in the Gekkoukan High gym overnight. Their original intent was just to get him in trouble for trespassing in the highschool overnight. After this, Minako immediately latched onto him as a big sister figure and began teaching him self defence, just in case those bullies ever tried to bother him again. Ken is extremely intelligent and talented with technology, managing to modify his laptop and create entire programs by himself, despite his age. This causes him to develop a large interest in Fuuka, desperately wanting to figure out how her systems function. Fuuka oftens worried that he may try to dismantle her at some point in his quest for knowledge but Ken would never go that far. Ken is a big fan of Featherman and finds this whole persona user thing very exciting due to the similarities to the show. He especially likes how his navigation abilities essentially make him the guy in the chair for the rest of the group.

Name: Fuuka Yamagishi

Arcana: Aeon

Description:

An anti shadow weapon developed by Ikutsuki's team of scientists. Her appearance was based on the daughter of one of the engineers who unfortunately passed away in the Moonlight Bridge incident ten years ago. Fuuka starts off very rigid and mission oriented, with an odd fixation on supporting Shinjiro, however the more she accompanies the rest of SEES, the more she begins to develop her own personality. She gains an interest in flowers and cooking; she tends to a lovely garden on the dorm rooftop that everyone is happy to help out in, however she lacks any kind of talent for cooking, leading to the rest of the group feeling intense terror whenever she is in the kitchen. Shinjiro and Minato are trying their best to teach her, however neither of them are having much luck. Her codename from her creators is Oracle.

Name: Junpei Iori

Arcana: Hermit

Description:

The owner of Koromaru and a second year in Gekkoukan. Junpei is a friendly guy in the same class as Yukari and Fuuka. His father was in charge of the local shrine and its upkeep, however his father passed away a year ago and Junpei is left to take care of both Koromaru and the shrine. He tries his best to stay on top of everything but the responsibility quickly weighs him down. Junpei has conflicted thoughts on his father as he had a tendency to drink and take out his frustration on Junpei and his mother, which lead to Junpei's mother leaving them making him feel extremely bitter towards the both of them. However Junpei has plenty of fond memories of how happy and proud his father was of their work at the shrine and his mother playing with him at the playground; he desperately wants to hold onto those positive memories, despite everything else. Joining SEES was a blessing for Junpei as now he has a reason to move forward instead of dwelling on the past. And not to mention, now he has a better place for Koromaru to live and plenty of people to help take care of him.

Name: Yukari Takeba

Arcana: Justice

Description:

A standoffish girl in her second year at Gekkoukan. Despite her prickly nature and her often sharp tongue, Yukari is still a very caring girl and eager to help out her peers when they need it. She never used to be so closed off, however a couple of years ago while walking home from an evening out, Yukari's father was killed by a shadowy figure in front of Yukari. This caused her to fall into a depression and begin pushing away those close to her, including her mother. Yukari became resentful as her father's killer wasn't found, however years later she learned that it was a persona that killed her father. Due to this discovery, she has made it her mission to find that persona's user and make them pay. The only piece of information she has to go on is the harp the persona wielded.

Name: Minato Arisato

Arcana: Hierophant

Description:

One of the original members of SEES. Minato is a quiet and soft-spoken boy who prefers to keep to himself and will act aggressively if it makes people leave him alone. He would be in his third year, however he dropped out and ran away from the dorms, despite Minako and Aigis' best attempts to stop him. He lost his parents at a young age and was raised in an orphanage with his twin sister, Minako. However, Minato could never develop the same optimism that Minako has and would often wish he could see their parents again, despite what that may entail. The two of them were inseparable, especially after awakening to their personas and moving into the dorms. Minato was never able to gain full control over his persona like Minako was able to, due to his mindset. This would unfortunately lead to him losing control of it one night and accidentally killing a man who was in the area, in front of his child. This incident riddled him with guilt and made him believe he was dangerous to be around, so he ran away. Minako keeps trying to persuade him to come back but he's terrified of hurting her, so he refuses.

#p3 arcana swap #shinjiro aragaki #mitsuru kirijo #akihiko sanada #minako arisato #hamuko arisato #aigis #ken amada #fuuka yamagishi #junpei iori #yukari takeba #minato arisato #makoto yuki #persona 3

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stillness-in-green · 1 year

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Wait wait wait if spinaraki is one of three pillars what are the other two

(Re: my tags on this post.)

Ahahaha, well, actually, what I was referring to there was my quip about betting on friendship in a Shonen Jump manga—one of the three pillars of Shonen Jump:

If you google those three terms + Shonen Jump, you can find more in-depth discussion, but basically, they're the themes that manga serialized in SJ generally aim for, not necessarily because it's a strict editorial mandate or anything, so much as because those are just viewed as the most key themes that make a Shonen Jump manga—well, a Shonen Jump manga. This sense of identity accounts for a lot of the traits of the “Shonen Jump main character” archetype, as well as the expected presence of “nakama”-type characters, and plenty of other tropes that you might think of as being synonymous with shonen manga in general.

The importance of this ethos factors into some of my frustrations with Deku, actually. While he had to put in lots and lots of hard work in the early parts of the manga, since acclimating to OFA, there’s been considerably less Effort going into his victories. It’s part of the conflict between his relationship with his classmates and the secrecy All Might demands, too, a tension that comes to a head in the Deku vs. 1-A fight, but that doesn't really continue on to a better place, I don't think.

If you look at where the three tenets are in that fight, it’s clear from the beginning who’s going to win. Deku might be putting in Effort, but so are the rest of the kids, and it’s really obvious where the Power of Friendship is between the kid trying fiercely to go it alone vs. nineteen kids working together for a single goal and with the value of their bonds burning in their hearts. Effort + Friendship = Victory, see?

Even after having proven the supremacy of friendship-based teamwork, though, the characters in-universe (especially the adults) continue putting Deku on this pedestal as the character who'll solve their Shigaraki problem and the kids just kind of—let this happen.

Well, I could elaborate on that more, but EH. That's not why I nor you are here. So to refocus, one of the things that makes the League of Villains so interesting and unique as SJ villains go is how they interact with the three pillars. Villains don't, as a general rule! A key part of having protagonists that express Friendship, Effort and Victory is contrasting them against villains who express the opposite of those things. And, indeed, many villains in BNHA work in exactly that way: AFO has to work for very little, Overhaul is very much not here to make friends (though some of his minions are a different story; the trash trio are very interesting in this context), and so on.

The League, however, is different. That’s most clear in the My Villain Academia arc, with Shigaraki being emblematic of Effort, with hints of Friendship here and there, Spinner’s Friendship taking the form of devotion that powers his Efforts, and Twice being a beacon of both. Mr. Compress’s faith and self-sacrifice (Friendship+Effort) are instrumental in the villains’ escape from Jakku. Toga’s grief over losing Twice (Friendship) is pivotal in her endgame arc. Dabi is pretty bad at the Friendship angle (it’s what most clearly sets him apart from the rest of the League), but he’s a monster when it comes to Effort, pushing through a lifetime of pain because giving up might as well mean dying (and dying absolutely means giving up).

Looking more closely at Spinner and Shigaraki, you can read large chunks of their character arcs through this lens.

Shigaraki starts the story as a cranky and entitled manchild, unpleasantly demanding towards the few people he’s close to; he also bails on USJ once the odds turn against him. Having thus no Friendship to speak of and being disinclined to bother with Effort, of course he can’t obtain Victory. His lack of determination is one of the things Deku critiques in their mall encounter; during the training camp, Kurogiri asks if he views the Vanguard Action Squad as merely pawns. Losing AFO at Kamino deprives Shigaraki of his reset button, meaning he will need to put in more Effort to secure Victory, since there will be no one around to mitigate his defeats anymore.

In the Hassaikai arc, we see him develop an understanding of his team and begin to clarify his ideology, demonstratively opening up to Toga and Twice, and trusting in their Friendship and Effort as the basis of the plan that culminates in the highway attack. A few months later, Gigantomachia pushes him to extremes like never before, with the place of belonging he offered Twice in particular being key in the League overcoming the MLA.

This arc of finding comrades (Friendship) and discovering the beliefs he’s willing to fight for (Effort) delivers him to a decisive victory (you get the gist) at Deika.

This arc is also why I find the possession plot so frustrating and underwhelming—Shigaraki being subjugated by All For One, his friends scattered and used, feels violently at odds with the way Shigaraki engaged with the three tenets up to this point. Like, why did we even spend so much time on Shigaraki’s Efforts and Friendships if him spending two years and 85 chapters of the climax as a damsel thanks to AFO is all it was going to amount to? So I’m very much hoping him taking back control will get us in a better spot going forward, even if I’m skeptical that it’ll be able to wholly undo the damage.

As to Spinner, his arc begins with him being inspired by Stain’s willingness to strive even when he’s one man against the whole world; this admiration of Effort is what leads Spinner to the League, while his sense that his Effort is being wasted is what drives his confrontation with Shigaraki in Chapter 220. He’s struck to empathy after hearing Shigaraki speak of being empty, however, and seeing Shigaraki’s Efforts lead to Victory in Deika solidifies his loyalty (Friendship). That keen understanding of Shigaraki leads to him being able to wake Shigaraki at Jakku, avoiding a defeat if not securing a victory; his enduring loyalty then leads him into AFO’s hands.

In the last scene we’ve gotten of him thus far, all three tenets are on display: his dedication to Shigaraki drives him to power through heroic opposition and his own fragmenting mind to wake Kurogiri with a plea that’s based in his love of Shigaraki and the League; Kurogiri being woken is directly responsible for Shigaraki being returned to full power just as he also returns to his own mind.

Friendship mixed with Effort leads to Victory—that progression is what I was specifically thinking about when I said I felt pretty good about betting on Friendship in a Shonen Jump comic, and made the quippy tag about the three pillars.

That's the serious answer. See here for the funny/fannish one.

#bnha #the three jump pillars #shigaraki tomura #iguchi shuuichi #bnha spinner #stillness answers

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faifromthewild · 1 year

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One of my favorite platonic relationships: Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing

Aka my ramblings on two of my favorite characters from The Untamed and their beautiful friendship.

I will never get over these two. I know some people ship them, and that's fine. You do you. But what makes these two so special to me is that their deep connection isn't romantic. It's an unlikely friendship between two mad scientists cultivators, founded on shared trauma and loyalty to each other.

And get this! It was purely on accident that we got this version of their relationship.

I haven't finished the books, but I don't think they interact nearly as much as they do in the show. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). And there's some pretty damning evidence that the creators of the show were setting Wen Qing up as a love interest but eventually decided to stay faithful to the books (I am eternally grateful btw).

So what we got in the show was a unique accident. And it's perfect. I love it so much.

The result is a relationship that reads as platonic but still has tenderness. There's real love there without the creators feeling obligated to give a reason for it. Bc that's what creators usually do.

"Oh no, there's actual affection here... Uh, what do we do? Um I guess we'll make them siblings? Or lovers?"

Like there's no other option. Which is hilarious bc friendship is like... right there.

"But omg there's no way a woman and a man can be friends with that level of devotion ew..."

You can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now.

Anyway, back to my point. These two are allowed to be friends. They're allowed to tease each other. And be concerned about each other. And make life-changing sacrifices for each other. They love each other so much.

SPOILERS FOR THE UNTAMED (skip to END OF SPOILERS if you like):

There are a lot of scenes that fuck me up when I rewatch this show. But scenes between these two have a special place in my heart. One scene that comes to mind is when Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing are arguing about how to help Jiang Cheng. What breaks me is Wen Qing's line, "What about you?" She asks the question with heartbreak in her eyes bc she SEES Wei Wuxian. In this moment, she sees him better than his own siblings see him. It hurts me every time. And then there's THAT scene. It's one of the most devastating scenes in the whole show for me. You know the one. When Wei Wuxian has hit rock bottom, Wen Qing makes a choice. She sticks the needle into his shoulder. Bc he has his back to her. Bc she's one of the few people he trusts, so of course he can turn his back to her. The way he whirls around so fast. The anger and betrayal on his face. How she says "I'm sorry," and looks like she's going to cry. The contrast between them in this scene is gut-wrenching. He yells and scrambles for a solution. She calmly counters each of his desperate pleas with reason. It's the cruelest kindness. I love how close they get to each other in this moment. I don't care what the reasoning was on the creators part. It's refreshing to see. Wen Qing moves to sit closer to him and even puts her hand on his head. The touch is intimate without being romantic. He shakes his head pitifully and says her name a few times as he falls into unconsciousness. A final plea to change her mind. All while that painful music plays. And then she says the iconic words: "Sorry and thank you."

END OF SPOILERS

So yeah, I love them. Honestly, I love most of the characters in this freaking story, and yes, I actually ship some of them too. I just happened to be thinking about Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing today.

And it just destroys me how we almost didn't get this. And how it could've gone in a completely different direction.

Maybe it's because showrunners don't think friendship sells? I mean, we know it sells to kids. There are the "friendship is magic," and "with the power of friendship" themes. But those themes seem to be limited to animated/children's shows. There are plenty of movies and shows about teamwork and camaraderie. But displays of affection or acts of great sacrifice for one another are rare in those stories. Especially if the characters are of different genders.

I'm actually struggling to think of an example of a piece of media made for adults where two characters of different genders are friends and are allowed to show this level of true love and affection for each other. I've definitely seen it between men (Lord of the Rings anyone?) and women (tho most are limited to best friends and family) and queer folks (you know, the gay best friend trope).

If you can think of an example, please let me know bc I love friendship so much. I love romance too, but platonic love is something I don't see celebrated enough.

Gosh... As a queer non-binary person who has queer and non-binary friends I consider to be family, it would be nice to see more media that reflects my experience.

ANYWAY... Part of what makes this relationship so unique is that Wei Wuxian is bisexual, so yeah, he likes women. But he never treats Wen Qing as a potential love interest. He treats her like a friend. Like family. And Wen Qing is framed (at least in the show) as someone who is attracted to men, but she has zero romantic interest in Wei Wuxian. But these two would LITERALLY DIE FOR EACH OTHER. In fact, in one scene, they argue about exactly that.

Haha I think that's enough rambling for today.

These two are really special to me. That is all.

#mdzs #the untamed #cdrama #wei wuxian #wen qing #found family #platonic love #platonic affection #i know i rambled a lot but i did warn you at the beginning lol #also if you interpret this show differently that's cool #please don't argue with me #i just wanted to share my thoughts

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alynnl · 1 year

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I’ve cleared the Forgotten Turnabout this morning. I have quite a few thoughts as always.

It was another one of those bittersweet and actually, very open endings.

Franziska is salty. Very salty that Edgeworth willingly turned in his prosecutor’s badge so he wouldn’t have to follow orders to turn over Kay immediately for arrest. This sort of rubbed me the wrong way because she does realize he didn’t have much of a choice, right? Edgeworth was backed into a corner.

Sebastian got totally broken down and he honestly didn’t deserve that. Yes, he was a brat, and very annoying. But for Blaise to constantly cut him down, to say “all the awards you got were the result of me bribing your teachers” and to call him an idiot without joking. To berate Sebastian for “not trying hard enough” when he was honestly giving his best effort. For him to know that Justine was just getting close to him to get to his dad. He ran off, and we never did find him. I wonder if he’ll ever recover from this!

Justine has apparently been a double agent this whole time, in some effort to finally get Blaise arrested because she suspected him of handing von Karma forged evidence 18 years ago in the IS-7 Incident. She not only used Sebastian but she also used Edgeworth in her schemes and even if she was sort of helpful towards the end of the case I’m not sure her actions leave a good taste in my mouth. She seems to care more about passing judgement in the name of the Goddess of Law than for the lives of people around her.

Then there’s Gumshoe. He is in utter shock that Edgeworth forfeited his prosecutor’s badge and hasn’t seen him face-to-face since then. It’s hard to know what this means. Was Gumshoe only loyal to Edgeworth as a prosecutor and not as a person? Or does he somehow blame himself for the way the situation spiraled out of control, leading to Edgeworth having to give up his badge and Kay possibly being arrested? (Maybe he didn’t want to be there to make the arrest himself or testify in a possible trial.)

I will honestly be sad if Gumshoe and Edgeworth don’t see each other again in the fifth and final case of Investigations 2 because they have been side-by-side in a lot of their cases. It’d be like separating Holmes and Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series, or Sam and Frodo from Lord of the Rings! To keep them apart permanently would be unthinkable!

But on the plus side...

Kay regained her memories! And it was because she got a hold of her promise book again, which was something she lost in a different case. In that book was the beginnings of who she is now as the Yatagarasu. It’s nice to see her usual fire back too. There’s also some clarity on what happened before she lost her memory.

Edgeworth is free! He still doesn’t have his badge because Blaise, the chairman of the PIC got arrested and so there can’t be another hearing about whether to bring him back as an official prosecutor any time soon. But at least he’s not in jail anymore. He gets to go home, and he’s determined to find the truth behind what really happened in the Grand Tower case, since arresting Blaise apparently wasn’t the end of it. He got a call from De Killer of all people informing him of this much.

I have to hand it to him, he is rather resilient. I’m just hoping the truth doesn’t put him in anymore danger but at least he’s aware of the power of friendship/teamwork and he will have support if he is in some sort of distress. He’s opening himself up to others, I’m happy for him.

There is only one more case left to wrap up the loose plot threads from the fourth case, along with any new twists that might come up along the way. I have looked at the “how long does it take to play all the cases” document and this finale will be a long runner at 8 hours, so I imagine there will be a lot of content packed in, interesting twists, and hopefully, if all goes well, an ending credits montage and a candid final photo.

I will take my time with this last case since I know it will be the last time I will see Edgeworth in a major role, and I will miss him when it comes time to play Ace Attorney 4-6.

#Lynn speaks #Lynn plays video games #long ramble under the cut #Lynn has too many feelings about video games #Ace Attorney: Investigations 2 ~ Prosecutor's Path #Miles Edgeworth #The Forgotten Turnabout #Blaise Debeste can get thrown from a window #He is the WORST #Justine is on thin ice but she released my dear Edgey from jail #Detective Gumshoe please come home #Sebastian let's get you to a therapist #Franziska maybe chill?

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tvrningout-a · 1 year

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I GREW UP ON DISNEY | plots & connections for your convenience ♡

featuring: tsugumi and miyuna

these are just some ideas ( some vague, some more specific ) that i'd like to write and that hopefully catch your interest! feel free to like this post if there's a plot you'd like to write, and i'll message you about it! ♡(>ᴗ•)

tsugumi

ngl i’ve thought about what if she did follow in geto’s footsteps when she was still in high school. i think it’s something i’d wanna definitely discuss a good lil bit bc i feel like she would have needed to witness the same kind of gross situation/a similar situation, to be pushed over the edge. so depending on who i write this with and whether your muse is all for her defecting or trying to stop that, we’ll talk about it!

i'd kinda like to explore tsugumi's time in high school just bc it so much happened to her that changed her views and personality. she went from being super outgoing and bubbly to reserved and melancholy, so maybe!! let your muse be a classmate or upperclassmen of hers who helps her get through the biggest rough patch of her life.

pals who stay professional until they're around each other and then complain to their hearts' content? yes <3 friends who don't show weakness around anyone but each other? yes <3 friends who patch each other up after a fight? yes <3

tsugumi is already miyuna's mentor, but let her mentor your muse, too, even though she'll stress 24/7 about whether she's doing a good job or not :' ) she avoids taking on students bc that's just one more thing to add pressure, but maybe your muse wears her down just like miyuna did.

despite how she acts around others, tsugumi is a pessimistic and cynical person. she doesn't believe society can change as much as she'd like to, so maybe help change her mind!

miyuna

when will i get to write wholesome friendships with miyuna and her classmates… when will i get to write her annoying them but also being fiercely protective of them bc despite how she acts, she feels all mushy for the people she cares about. when will i get to write her and another person roasting each other so much that people around them go “ they’re supposed to be friends?? ” when

considering miyuna comes from a clan that once held some power, i'd love to explore the possibility of her growing up around other kids who had to deal with stuffy and rigid clan rules and whatnot or kids who have no idea what that's like. i think it'd be just as fun to write either dynamic bc either you get a friend who understands exactly what you're going through, or you get a friend who doesn't get it at all and you gotta talk about it :' ) either way, it makes for a solid friendship that miyuna can draw comfort from

miyuna is very self-reliant and independent in pretty much everything she does; teamwork is her weakness, though maybe more so in her first year of high school than in her second year. either way, i'd like to write her in a situation in which she's forced to rely on someone else, be it a fight she can't possibly win alone or the aftermath of a fight that leaves her too injured to function without help. it'd drive her up a wall and make her uncomfortable and open the door for the other muse to be like ??? why are you so stubborn and adamant about doing things alone???? and miyuna can go >:( none of your business shut up >:(( before maybe getting somewhere emotionally at last asdfg

pls ask miyuna why the hell she's willing to work so hard to gain recognition from people she hates so she can reveal how badly she wants to create change in a society that makes her wanna pull her hair out! and in general, i'd like to write situations that let the mask miyuna wears to slip off bc she's constantly?? exhaustingly playing pretend on some level

possible romantic plots, if that's your cup of tea <3 some may be adapted to be purely platonic!

miyuna blows a kiss at your muse, but instead of simply getting flustered, they just wanna punch her bc it’s 100% sarcastic and she’s 100% trying to be annoying asdf gimme a hateship that maybe stems from rivalry? and could possibly go enemies to friends to lovers if you so choose <3

this is indulgent but i just think it'd be funny for the jinja to attempt to arrange a marriage for miyuna and her going haha : ) respectfully y'all can choke instead : ) and it's more than likely not even bc the other person is awful -- she'd just rather die than let her extended family control her life to that extent, particularly when she's still just a teen. thinking about marriage at her age?? insane and out of the question!!

and ofc i'd love to do this for tsugumi, too, bc she'd be boiling with rage if her clan tried to do this with her, but i can also see her struggling to shut it down bc of her personality :' ) and with these plots, your muse could either be the betrothed or the friend with a crush who really doesn't wanna lose them to a silly arranged marriage -- both would be fun to write!

i think it would be fun to write a " missed chance " kinda ship with tsugumi! maybe she and your muse came close to dating in high school, but then everything fell sideways; maybe they stayed close after high school, or maybe they let tsugumi's choice to move to kyoto create both physical and emotional distance. gimme people who used to be so familiar and comfortable with each other awkwardly learn how to be that way again :' )))

#my gosh this one's long asdf #but i think i might try to do 1-2 characters per plot post for that reason #btw since i do have new people i'd like to say a reminder that i'm very laidback about shipping!#it's just another fun way to explore character growth so i'm always okay with discussing it even if we haven't spoken before #and!! there's never any hard feelings if we just don't feel the chemistry between our muses #i'd rather have a passionate friendship than a forced romance and i'd rather we both have fun and feel comfortable <3 #now!! i hope this post is helpful and i'm gonna go get some dinner!#i grew up on disney | wishlist

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karengreenauthor · 1 month

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Never-Never Land Needs You: A Review of "The Mystery of the Disappearing Woodland Creatures"

Imagine a world where fairies care for the flowers and animals can speak quite right. That is Never-Never Land in "The Mystery of the Disappearing Woodland Creatures," a delightful book that will whisk you away on an adventure unlike any other. But hold on – things aren't quite as magical as they seem.

The story starts with Primrose and Bluebell, two best friend fairies who are more than a little curious (and maybe a touch mischievous!), who were very busy looking after all the bluebells and primroses during the spring. Their job is to make sure that people don’t pick too many or tread on them in the woods. But this year, they had noticed that some of the summer flowers hadn’t bloomed last year and wondered where the Woodland fairies that looked after them had disappeared to?

Curious and baffled, they both rest to sleep, just to wake up at night by a strange bright light. Upon closer look by the window, what Bluebell sees is a shiny and colorful unicorn who says, “Hurry up,” or “Otherwise, we’ll be too late to get to Never-Never Land.

Bluebell and Primrose ran down the stairs, opened the front door, and jumped on Sparkle’s back for an amazing trip to the most magical place, Never-Never Land.

Summoned by the Fairy Queen's request, she told them what had happened to the Woodland fairies and the other fairies and creatures of Never-Never Land and asked them for help. Excited and thrilled, they both agreed to the queen’s request and promised to defeat the evil (Nightshade) and bring back everyone safe from the dark, gloomy castle nested within the dark land.

But, their quest is not that easy. Along the way, they encounter obstacles, risks, and other creatures testing their capabilities. Primrose and Bluebell rely on each other's strengths, showing us that teamwork is the key to success. They face scary situations together, and their friendship grows stronger with each challenge. Moreover, with the support of their friends, spirit, and mischievous nature, they soon enter the castle to face the most dangerous enemy, Nightshade.

Speaking of Nightshade. Defeating her isn't exactly a walk in the park. Using force won't work against this villain who thrives on making everyone scared, and it takes some good old-fashioned smarts, a dash of bravery, and maybe a sprinkle of mischief. The girls use their special fairy abilities – like turning invisible or creating cool illusions – to outsmart Nightshade at her own game.

But the real magic happens because of their friendship. They celebrate each other's strengths, pick each other up when scared, and remind us that friends are the best weapon against any darkness.

The showdown between the fairies and Nightshade is hilarious. Knowing Nightshade's biggest fear (cleanliness, believe it or not!), Bluebell unleashes a swarm of shimmering bubbles, turning the castle into a sudsy wonderland! Nightshade, unable to handle the soapy assault, feared, and shocked, dissolves into a puddle, leaving behind nothing but her smelly cloak. Ew!

As the bubbles settle and the magic fades, a wave of relief sweeps across Never-Never Land. The woodland creatures that have turned into stones are brought back to life. The forest, which had previously become gloomy, began to return to happiness and now bursts into vibrant colors, reminding us of the beauty of nature.

“The Mystery of the Disappearing Woodland Creatures” is a remarkable story that celebrates the power of friendship, the courage to stand up for what's right, and the importance of protecting the environment. This book is a treasure trove of wisdom and adventure, a perfect choice that will give wings to your child’s imagination and creativity.

So, grab your copy, find a cozy spot, and get ready to be whisked away to the magical realm of Never-Never Land! www.amazon.com/dp/1917007264.

#book blog #book review #bookish #booklr #reading

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theskyexists · 10 months

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Another episode of longsuffering older sibling having to deal with annoying younger siblings messing up all their shit. These writers must be completely traumatised by the experience of having younger siblings. But at least these ones aren't like Polly and actually express some remorse for destroying shit. Apparently making sure that your younger siblings don't steal your extremely dangerous magic book to do some sort of plastic surgery on themselves is your responsibility as an older sister. That makes sense . But it's NOT your responsibility to entertain them to keep them from idiotic behaviour. Imo. But I guess that just goes to show I'm a younger sibling.

The funny thing is that I would be Marcy in this scenario but somehow she's my least favourite. She's alright. But she's not getting treated right by the narrative

So first temple is brain. And wisdom (Marcy)

Second temple is heart. I.e. selflessness (Anne)

Disobedient, foolish, impulsive

See? ANNE gets a whole temple episode dedicated to JUST her positive and negative qualities

Selfishness

Pronounced sense of justice

Incredible athletic ability

Lying, thieving

Learning from mistakes

Sacrificing for friends, strangers AND enemies

Empathy AND responsibility

Intelligence AND wisdom

I wonder what Sasha's will be

Ahh. Impulsive Anne retained some of her power by not fully charging the stone.

Huh...Sasha gives jester toad an out... uncharacteristic....ah she goes back on her word

Sashas positive quality is sheer willpower.

Her vices are always prioritising what she wants and her plans over other people's wellbeing

Willpower AND consideration...

Lift to enter brah LOL. I guess Sasha just proved that she could do that on sheer power of will. Now I need an amv to that classic for amphibia

How are they gonna charge the damn stone without Sasha. Really sad Sasha isn't gonna get her trials...

It's funny....I got it wrong apparently? Sashas first attribute is strength? Nah no way. The temple is just built to goad somebody like her

SASHA!!!!! SHES SO COOL!!! She went to look for Marcy and Anne ofc when she heard they were hanging out without her. Lol. While Marcy doesn't ever give a fuck about that and Anne is upset about the breakup

They're lying and leaving out the rebellion

Ok so apparently they switched tacks from season 1 and Sasha is now the strong one

So strength and teamwork?

Man... What the fuck. Sasha was NOT the physically strong one in season 1. They messed up the themes...

SASHA WAS WEARING SUPER HEAVY ARMOUR ALL ALONG AHHAHAHAHAHA

Strength and resistance... Ok...

'ill get this friendship back under control' what does that MEAN sasha. She probably doesn't really know that herself

The way they handle this reconciliation is crazy lol. The conclusion is that Sasha needs to recognise that Anne's changed? I don't know if that follows from this episode dude. I mean...Sasha is concerned about being left out and being unimportant to Anne. Anne is concerned about her killing people she loves and her being controlling and bossy

Ok actually this battle of the bands episode is much more clear about the dynamic. Sasha always wanting it her way. Anne not wanting that anymore.

Too bad they never realised that King Andreas is evil.

Honestly like Sasha a lot and what she did wasn't particularly bad but also understand Anne's fury

'redesign the political system so this sort of uprising never happens again'? She only realises that now. I wonder whether Marcy is thinking of Democracy.

At least Sasha and Grime know he's evil now. Too bad they're breaking him out now

Hmmm Anne did Sasha's move from season 1. It has no significance

'we were so focused on each other we couldn't see what was right in front of us'

Actually, you should have listened to Sasha. That was the real lesson. Or 'on ourselves' is the right term

ANNE GOES BACK HOME WITH HER PLANTER FAMILY??? WHAT??????

And Marcy died. And Sasha is still in Amphibia. Probably gonna lead a resistance. Oh my god.

Anne was willing to let Sasha stay in Amphibia forever tbh. Damn.

THEY ACTUALLY 'KILLED' MARCY. INCREDIBLE

YESSSS MARCYS GONNA BE AN ANGSTY VAT EXPERIMENT

#ok anyway #Anne is such a resilient kid like wtf she saw marcy die right in front of her and shes like: SHES GOT TO BE ALIVE anyway onto shenanigans #my stuff #vidi #amphibia

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tribow · 1 year

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So I watched Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya

Who the hell is this show catered to? It's 2013, Fate/Stay Night obtains massive success among teens and young adults. Fate is originally an ero visual novel and its adaptions are clearly aimed at teens or older audience. Fate/Stay Night is a bit of a harem on it's own as the story changes based on who Shirou chooses to be with.

Fate/Kaleid Liner is a magical girl story though. It does feature a lot of the same characters as Fate/Stay night, but it's a completely different story. It's like the most childish friendship story I've seen. That alone was weird, but there's an extra annoying factor I can't ignore. There's hella lolicon fanservice in this.

I've actually already seen this anime, I watched it a really long time ago because of a single cool fight scene I saw on youtube. When I watched the actual anime I despised it and upon rewatch the feeling didn't change.

Let's say you're tolerant of the lolicon fanservice in a show seemingly made for little girls, would this anime be good?

Well, if you're a fan of Fate this anime will give Rin and Luviagelita a lot more screentime. These two barely got to interact at all in the Fate/Stay Night anime adaptions and they're genuinely entertaining together. These two at each others necks at almost all times and that rivalry between them is used to get this story started.

Before I get to that though.....that's mostly it. There's some good comedy sprinkled around in the anime and there's that one really well animated fight scene. That's the only other good things about this anime. The story is garbage, the world building is no good, and the characters can be pretty awful.

So, Rin and Luvia use magic wands to transform and fight monsters. However, they use these wands to fight with each other as well. The wands had enough of their fighting and decide to find new masters instead of putting up with their bullshit.

These magic wands go by the name Ruby and Sapphire and are characters have plenty of personality of their own. Ruby then finds Illya (the main character) wishing to have magical powers to herself and decides to grant her wish and make Illya a magical girl....without Illya's consent.

Ruby throws Illya into this magical business without any explanation of what she is getting into. In the context of Fate/Kaleid Liner, Illya is just some middle school kid and now she has to risk her life fighting monsters now that Ruby made her a magical girl. The audience is supposed to be okay with this.

Ruby rarely gets any consequences for her terrible actions. In fact, they get framed as a good thing thanks to the message this anime terribly tries to convey. Fate/Kaleid wants to show how friendship and teamwork is important. You look out for your friends and you work together to accomplish your goals.

Rin and Luvia are meant to be examples of what happens when you have terrible teamwork....but this never actually happens? Yes, they do fight amongst themselves and constantly insult each other, but whenever they need to work together to defeat the enemy they always do. There's even a moment where the magic wands temporarily return to Rin and Luvia so they can defeat an enemy and they suddenly become shining examples of teamwork (while also insulting each other).

Why not actually show them lose? Show them getting their ass kicked cause they're bickering with each other and then the magic wands leave them. If Rin and Luvia were already capable of working together that means Illya had even less reason to get forced into this by Ruby.

There's another girl named Miyu that gets involved with magical stuff too but, she's actually fine as a character. She has actual motivations for being involved and her character is handled....fine.

Except Illya sexually assaults Miyuwhen she sees her with a maid outfit. This is presented as a joke......they are middleschoolers.

It's totally not gay though cause Illya's in love with her brother.......

It's totally okay though he's adopted (the brother is Shirou).

Why is there yuri bait in this show ToTaLLy aimed at young girls? Not allowed to be gay in 2013 magical girl anime I guess.

Problematic topics aside, let's talk production! Silver Link handles the animation work here. They do a fairly good job. There's some CG animation that is done mostly fine at least until they started animating Berserker with CG.

Yeah, the "monsters" are actually the servants in Fate/Stay Night. The fight with Saber is the one where the animators popped off with an incredible fight scene. It felt like Ufotable's animators suddenly showed up just so they can do a cool fight scene with Saber and then left.

I wish I could say the fight as a whole was cool though. Story-wise, Illya gets a completely bullshit powerup out of nowhere in order to defeat Saber. Clearly the powerup has some kind of plot relevance, but it doesn't get explained in this season (there's 3 seasons).

I've heard the other seasons for Fate/Kaleid Liner are an improvement, but that doesn't excuse the mess the first season is. For Fate fans you get some Rin and Luvia action along with some servants getting some neat fight scenes (especially Saber). Overall though, the first season of this anime is cringe.

#not allowed to be gay #Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya #anime #review #fate/stay night #yeah I'm back to back with these reviews #kinda funny I get to say twice #idk when I'll watch the other seasons of this #I wonder how much Fate fans like this anime #my knowledge of the Nasuverse is a bit more than average thanks to Melty Blood/Tsukihime #and I did like Fate/Stay Night #but I'm no Fate fan #I barely interact with this community

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thesaltyoceanwaves · 2 years

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By this point, I think it’s safe to say that Miraculous Ladybug is not about ‘girl power’. Not in the way that’s traditionally meant. Rather than empowering girls, it’s about disempowering them – presenting the idea of girls having any kind of power as problematic.

The series twists itself into knots blaming Marinette for everything that goes wrong, following the most inane lines of ‘logic’ imaginable. It is far more invested in convincing its audience that she IS to blame for things far out of her control, that she is responsible for everything bad that happens. Her, and perhaps a few other characters as well… namely Chloe, Alya, Lila…

Oh, Adrien? Why, Adrien hasn’t done anything wrong. How could you even suggest such a thing? No, no, Adrien is perfect just the way he is, hasn’t made a single misstep anywhere. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.

And what makes this all so much more disturbing is how it’s working. How much of the fanbase mindlessly parrots the party line, cheering on her suffering and insisting that she ’deserves it’, that her misery is well warranted. This is not and has never been a show about uplifting and supporting young girls; it is about tearing them down and punishing them for not catering to spoiled brats like Adrien. Teaching them that this is the way things are meant to be.

What is this going to teach impressionable young girls? If you have a crush on a popular guy that other girls like, they’re are immediately your enemies. It’s natural for girls to be pinned against eachother for the stupidest reasons. Teaching girls to turn against each other and mistreat each other like the common stereotype. That their only good people if they bend over backwards for the person they like even though their crush doesn’t do the same.

It’s disgusting.

Well anon, you've essentially summed up the reason why I quit watching this show.

Like the whole ending of the season being that Marinette loses all of the other miraculouses but still has AdriChat is devastating. Like:

A. AdriChat being solely depended on is not a healthy thing. He's not going to have all the answers MariBug needs, and his perspective is limited.

B. MariBug wasn't going to other holders because she couldn't trust AdriChat - it was because the scale and intensity of their fights was getting to be too much for the two of them to handle on their own.

C. AdriChat has proven that he's not entirely trustworthy anyway - like he was pulling shit all the way back in s1, but his actions in s3 and s4 are the most telling. And unlike MariBug, who always has to learn a lesson, even when it doesn't make sense, or makes up for her mistakes, Adrien's "mistakes" don't even count as mistakes because hE cOuLd NeVeR!

Like most magical girl anime, even the ones that really lean into power of love, aren't like this. They encourage friendship and teamwork and relying on each other, not just your love interest. How ML manages to be MG-inspired but miss that entirely is beyond me.

#ml salt #ml s4 spoilers #ml s4 finale spoilers #adrien salt #writing salt #salty answers #i gave up after s3 bc like #ofc it was only gonna get worse #but ughhhhh

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jesuis-melodrama · 3 years

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LadyNoir Inequality: Chat Noir’s Fall from Significance

How does Ladybug and Chat Noir's roles differ between the seasons? How was responsibility, positions, duties delegated between them? This essay analyses in detail how the LadyNoir fallout of Season 4 came to be, and how Chat Noir ultimately fell from hierarchal significance.

What attracted me to Miraculous, apart from the stellar animation and the potential of the in-universe powers, was the dynamic between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Like the camaraderie of the Phantom Thieves in Persona 5, the partnership between Ruby and Clancy in Ruby Redfort and the hierarchy of respect and power between the Hashira of Demon-Slayer, Marinette and Adrien interested me, because they are two very dissimilar people on separate standings who mutually trusts, supports, and depends on one another despite being different in almost every single way. Their powers, although complimenting, are not comparable, and their personalities, although cordial, are inverse. But despite these odds, Ladybug and Chat Noir are not just friends, companions, and confidants, but equals.

The first episode of the series, The Bubbler, demonstrates this splendidly (Author’s Note: The Bubbler is the first episode available on Netflix. Chronologically, Stormy Weather is the first official episode, but the same values hold up). It was a jarring introduction to a new show. The audience has no idea who Adrien and Marinette were, what Tikki and Plagg were or why these magical girl transformations suddenly granted them the powers to fight the maniacal butterfly man, but we can recognise the symptoms of two people already deep into the composition of their friendship. The Bubbler threw the smoothness and effectiveness of their teamwork directly into the faces of the audience, and it was brilliant.

We weren’t weighed down by the gritty details of the beginning, we don’t have to watch the awkward bumbling, the introductions or the unsurety of two strangers who have yet enough reason to trust one another. We were immediately thrusted into the middle of their partnership. The first thing Chat Noir did when he stepped onto the scene was to defend Ladybug and the first thing she did was to joke around comfortably, clearly relieved that he had finally arrived. After watching Marinette obsessively creep around Adrien’s house, trying to show love to a boy she barely knows, and watching Adrien uncomfortably trying to enjoy a social event which he desperatedly wanted but is clearly inexperienced in, the sudden switch of persona and their sudden familiarity and reliance on one another was a fresh breath of air and it made Miraculous a show worth investing in.

We may not know what happened between them, how they received their powers and how they know each other, but it is obvious some catalytic event has tied Ladybug and Chat Noir together. And by all the features exhibited (another great thing, the words spoken were only secondary to the demonstrative body language) the audience was immediately aware that they have stepped into something sacred, something unbreakable. And even with the thick wall of secret and unspeakable identities between them, we feel comforted when we see them together, because they are comfortable and happy with one another.

So, fourteen monster-of-the-day episodes later, when Season 1 presented the first inklings of Miraculous’ overarching plot, watching Marinette and Adrien receive their Miraculous, meet each other as civilians and then as superheroes, the scene is nostalgic and sentimental, and aided by the fantastic animation, the audience can appreciate and remember the defining passage as an evocative and triggering moment for years afterwards.

But that is not to say their partnership hasn’t been without fault.

The cracks were always present, but as the seasons rolled on, it only became more obvious. Their roles were disparate. Ladybug comes up with the plans, Ladybug comes up with the solutions and more often than not, Chat Noir is used as a tool and a distraction for Ladybug’s success. Ladybug had the Lucky Charm and the Miraculous Cure. Chat Noir can stand on his own, defend and attack as an individual, but apart from using the Cataclysm as Ladybug directs, Chat Noir has no outstanding impact on the defeat of any akuma. He does not contribute to any tactics, and he cannot win without Ladybug because he has nothing to offer strategically.

Assets aside, there is also the matter of leadership.

The audience finds out that Chat Noir initially took the frontman role in The Origins. He attacked Stoneheart first while Ladybug dithered behind. But as Ladybug regained confidence, she took the leadership position in both episodes, and Chat Noir was more than happy to follow. Thus, their dynamic was laid down. They both showed satisfaction with their place in the relationship, Chat Noir often yielding to her judgement, such as in Stormy Weather and Dark Cupid, and Ladybug asserts that Chat Noir was in her team in Antibug.

The first big indicator of disagreement in this mutually agreed arrangement was in Syren. A contentious episode, the consequence of Chat Noir physically rebelling against Ladybug’s decision for the first time. All the way to Season 4, Rena Rogue has stirred conflict and mistrust between the duo. When I watched Ladybug leading Rena Rogue away while Chat Noir stared angrily at their retreating backs, I remembered hoping that the episode would end with Ladybug telling Chat Noir everything, so that they could have their Season 1 relationship back. Where they navigated this confusing and alien new world together, hiding so much from the public and each other, but never their authenticity and belief in one another.

I wished that Ladybug had told Chat Noir about the Guardian. I wished that both of them had been privy to the information from the very beginning and I wished that both of them knew who the other Miraculous Holders were because they chose them together. Realistically, someone in the show should’ve connected the dots, and realised that most of the Miraculous Holders were attending a specific class in Collège Françoise Dupont and were all associated with a specific person. That was the only reason I could think of why having Ladybug and Chat Noir choosing the Holders together is a bad idea. It would threaten their identity (which at that point, was still a concern).

But canonically, Ladybug constantly chose Holders who were dangerously close to the situation. Kagami in Ikari Gozen, Chloé in Malediktator, Rose in Guiltrip and Max in Startrain. The only Holder Chat Noir has chosen wasn’t even chosen by his particular identity. Adrien suggested that Luka might be a good Snake, and Ladybug heeded his words, not Chat Noir’s. I wished there was a single scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir analysed the situation and the potential Holder together, looked at each other, no words needed to be said, just a nod and a telepathic agreement shared through their eyes, and Ladybug would present the next Holder with a Miraculous with her and her partner’s approval both given.

What was the point of keeping their identities hidden?

In Season 1, it made some sense. They had no idea the Guardian existed. Even if Chat Noir was reluctant, they can both agree that they could not take their chances, should one of them be captured. But with the reveal of the Guardian’s identity in Season 2, the need for secret identities is almost eradicated. Clearly, there is someone who is an even bigger threat to their civilian lives than Ladybug and Chat Noir are to each other. Ladybug is now burdened with a bigger cache of knowledge. Should one of them be captured, it can only be hoped that it would be Chat Noir, because unlike Ladybug, he could not spew information about potions and kwami and secret books and the Guardian’s location.

In Season 3, the climax of Miracle Queen places the duties of the Guardian directly in Ladybug’s hand. She is now in charge of all the heroes in Paris, she is now the leading physical and strategic force in the battle against Hawk Moth and she is now officially stated as Leader, not just holding a de facto position.

In Season 4, the need for secret identities is gone. Ladybug is the Guardian. She and her original partner, Chat Noir, has no more safety nets in keeping their identities hidden from each other because there is no longer a background link tying them. Should Marinette be incapacitated, should Adrien meet an accident, there is no one reading their news who is available to inform the other person. The only reason why Chat Noir’s identity continues to be hidden from Ladybug is because she does not want to know. The only reason why Ladybug does not reveal her identity to Chat Noir is because she does not want him to know.

Chat Blanc could be inserted as a contending factor. Chat Blanc saw to it that the reveal of their identities to one another could lead the end of the world.

But Chat Blanc was not the only factor.

Season 4 Marinette is overwhelmed and stressed and guilt-ridden. Season 4 Marinette tore herself apart trying to maintain the kwami, her Guardian duties and continue moonlighting as Ladybug. Season 4 Marinette was at the end of her tether, and at this point, Chat Noir’s presence and his insistence was no longer a support or a comfort but another chore and responsibility to be balanced.

Her support network as both Marinette and Ladybug were extinguished. Thus, in a peaking moment of weakness, she finally revealed her identity to Alya.

Marinette met Alya and Chat Noir on the same day. Two strangers both became her friend, two insistent strangers who were united in their goal to find out Ladybug’s identity. Marinette hid her secret life from Alya, Ladybug hid her civilian identity from Chat Noir. As Marinette, she was supported by passionate, fierce, and rash Alya who jumped to conclusions and unnerved Marinette with her determination to find out the truth about Ladybug. As Ladybug, she was supported by passionate, fierce, and rash Chat Noir who impulsively leapt into battles and irritated her with his constant declarations of love.

But Marinette had connections to Alya as both Marinette and Ladybug. She found herself acknowledging Alya’s true character and learned to rely on her through a multitude of trust falls and confrontations. Marinette made the decision to trust Alya, she made the decision to depend on a person she knows as both a citizen and a superhero.

She had no choice with Chat Noir. She never knew who he was, only that he was thrusted into the same situation as she was. Truth was an important concept to Marinette, she stated multiple times that she could not stand liars. And subsequently, she could never really trust Chat Noir because she does not know who he was.

Chat Noir was an emotional crutch during the finale of Season 2 and Season 3. He was the reason why she found the courage to go on despite the anxiety of her failures and the culmination of her carelessness. Throughout Antibug, Heroes’ Day, Gamer 2.0 and Miracle Queen, it was demonstrated that the only way Marinette could trust him and confide in her vulnerabilities was through Ladybug with him as Chat Noir. She couldn’t afford the trust the boy behind the mask, so, when it came to the end of her line, when she has no other choice, Alya was the one to receive the relinquishment of her identity, not Chat Noir.

Gang of Secrets signified the end of Chat Noir’s reign.

He was a founding member, one of the original team, once upon a time on equal par with Ladybug. But now, his presence only matters as much as a temporary hero’s. The released episodes of Season 4, Mr Pigeon 72, Sole-Crusher, and most noticeably, Optigami and Sentibubbler, demonstrated the redundance of his company. Both physically and emotionally, Rena Rouge (now known as Rena Furtive) has filled in as Ladybug’s partner. Chat Noir has to be sneaked around, shield from the fact that there is a new permanent hero and shield from the fact that now, there is one other person in the world who knows Ladybug’s identity, that isn’t him.

With Ladybug’s circle of temporary allies expanded, she no longer needs to rely on Chat Noir to be her support. She could gather up any number of useful powers she has at her disposal and expend them as she wished. In Megaleech, among the five-men team Ladybug had gathered, each one of them has contributed to the defeat of the akuma, with Polymouse outshining as the victor over the army of mini Malediktators, and each one of the other heroes playing a vital role in Ladybug’s plan. Chat Noir’s delegation? To distract the enemy while Ladybug gathered up her soldiers. In the end, he didn’t even use his power, marking the first time in a Miraculous episode that a hero was called upon and left without use. The Cataclysm is no longer necessary for the defeat of an akuma. But the Lucky Charm and the Miraculous Cure are as relevant now as they were when Stoneheart first attacked.

Optigami and Sentibubbler reached the apex of his unimportance. Both times, he was more of a hindrance than a reinforcement. He unconsciously prevented Marinette from becoming Ladybug, which derails the plan to Rena Rogue’s command. He has to be told by Marinette, the civilian, to stay out of the superhero’s plan, because there was nothing he could do that Rena Rogue wasn’t already doing.

The Cataclysm is a one-use power, Chat Noir is a one-trick pony. He’s still stuck in Season 1 mode while Ladybug has broadened to new powers, new suit, new duties, new partners, and new goals.

Hawk Moth knows the identity of all the heroes but Chat Noir don’t. Chloé knows the identities of all the heroes but Chat Noir don’t. Alya has more privileges and inside knowledge than Chat Noir has, and with Rocketear, Nino is now another confidant privy to more secrets than Chat Noir is.

All Chat Noir is left with, is the comedic side-kick routine he is now entrenched too deeply in to crawl out, the knowledge that his best friend in both his civilian life and superhero life think he’s annoying, and the realisation that Ladybug truly no longer trust him, because the heroes around him, his subordinates in a sense, now ranks higher in prominence.

Did Ladybug mean for this to happen? Absolutely not.

But Chat Blanc is no longer a reason big enough to cover all the discrepancies. And she has grown so used to keeping him in the dark to realise how much the darkness was causing the chasm between them to grow. Chat Noir is now outwardly lying to Ladybug that he’s fine, refusing to tell her that he knows to some extent the secrets she has kept from him. In Season 2, he angrily confronted her about being left behind. In Season 4, now that Ladybug holds all the power, now that he no longer has the authority to demand reasons and explanations, the only thing he could do is keep his mouth shut and hope that the sheer cliff he’s balancing on does not shear away even more.

Because Chat Noir is still fun for him, isn’t it? Being a hero, being himself? Chat Noir isn’t a role for him to act, to fake being happy, to pretend to be something he’s not. Chat Noir is a persona where he can be as expressive, as temperamental, as coquettish, and childish and experimental he wants. An entity where he can safely explore all the emotions children his age usually experiences without consequences. A place where he isn’t held under fear of abandonment or emotional abuse, where he can explore his identity and speak his mind without retaliation or repercussions.

Isn’t it?

Chat Noir’s presence is still prevalent at every akuma fight because he is a founding member. Ladybug has no reason to tell him to go home, and he’s still useful in the sense that he can provide distractions while Ladybug figures out her plan, and feed information to Rena Furtive who is hiding and watching and waiting. And there is still the Cataclysm, a power that is supposed to rival the Lucky Charm, whose potential is still yet unearthed.

But Chat Noir has no more standing to rely on. He is no longer a principal participant in the encompassing war between Ladybug and Hawk Moth, even if he is a principal target. Each side gathers up their warriors and equipment, and Chat Noir is just another treasured pawn in Ladybug’s army. He is alone in the fact that no one knows his identity. Ladybug has someone, Hawk Moth has someone, and both of them has an arsenal of champions to pick from.

He’s a wild card, he’s an anomaly. He was once Ladybug’s partner, he was a prototype for the modern Miraculous hero, and by himself, he had a visible presence. But he lost the novelty quickly.

Even in Season 1, people preferred Ladybug. She was the one to fix their city, she made the flashy speech at the Eiffel Tower, it was explainable. In Season 2, Hawk Moth began to ignore his Miraculous multiple times in favour of Ladybug’s earrings. Chloé called him Ladybug’s second fiddle. In Season 3, Fu’s obvious favour of Ladybug as future Guardian emphasised Chat Noir’s emerging sidelining. And in Season 4, Ladybug herself begun to omit her partner.

What does this have in store for the future? Rumours and headcanons fly, whispers of an akumatization on par with Chat Blanc looms closer and closer. Personally, I hope that something more substantial is done with Chat Noir’s character. There’s still so much to be expatiated, his family history, his own personality, and his unlocked powers. If the Black Cat Miraculous was truly the harmonizing consort of the Ladybug Miraculous, then logically, Chat Noir should be receiving the multiple new upgrades in the near future.

A climax where an issue that has spanned for four seasons ending within two episodes sounds stereotypically Miraculous and nightmarish. But the show has three more seasons to go, and hopefully this conflict will be used as a starting point for what may be in store for those seasons.

What if Chat Noir decides to deflect? What is he decided to derail, and what if Chat Noir becomes the next villain? ShadowMoth is a recurring joke at this point, and with the development of Season 4, ShadowMoth’s return in Season 5 sounds exhausting and repetitive. Looking at the overarching picture, there is only one person that has enough incentive and power to become Ladybug’s future archnemesis.

Love and hate are the opposite sides of the same coin.

But no matter what is in store for the distant narrative of Miraculous, this essay concludes on the now.

We look at Season 1 Chat Noir, and the Chat Noir of the latest episode. Even if his powers and position hasn’t grown, he has developed into his role emotionally, in an unfortunately negative way.

Chat Noir is no longer Ladybug’s partner, and analytically, no longer as important as he once was.

I really hope the show does something good with this.

#miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir #ladybug #chat noir #analysis

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sweaterkittensahoy · 3 years

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I don't really fancy established relationships but i love drawn out onesided pining, so maybe something about seeing Lestrade at work at the station or at a crime scene, being the right mix of disheveled & professional

(You and I are very different people; but I will do my very best because a good pining is a fun time)

Mycroft stands at the edge of the scene and twitches when the first few raindrops hit his collar. He opens his umbrella without thinking and lifts it to protect him as his gaze falls back to the scene.

Or, Lestrade on the scene, to be more correct.

He's standing several dozen meters away, lit up by the high-powered mobile lights from forensics. His shirt is in a state, wrinkled and creased. This is his third scene in nineteen hours, Mycroft knows, because this is the third scene he has been to as well. Someone is targeting informants to some of Mycroft's lower colleagues, and they're moving swiftly. Mycroft's people, led by Anthea, are working the angles they have. Sherlock is buried in information to find the angles they do not see. Lestrade is doing what he does the very best: being the boots on the ground.

Mycroft watches Lestrade yawn hugely, then turn and say something to a tech that makes the tired man flash him a brief, amused smile. Lestrade scrubs a hand over his hair, then looks up, squinting as the rain hits his face. It's nothing more than a light misting, truly, but Mycroft steps forward anyway, pleased at the people who nod at him in recognition. Lestrade had been insistent that his people know Mycroft on sight so he could move as easily as needed at these particular scenes, and Mycroft appreciates as always how well Lestrade understands what people need.

"Detective Inspector," Mycroft says when he's a few meters away. Out of Lestrade's personal space but close enough to be easily heard.

Lestrade holds up a finger. "Two ticks," he says, flashing Mycroft a quick look to see his agreeing nod.

Mycroft watches Lestrade walk over to Donovan and have a brief conversation. The tension in her shoulders loosens minutely, and she flicks Lestrade on the chest in a friendly fashion that makes him grin.

Oh, that grin, Mycroft thinks. Such a dangerous weapon on the wrong man. Possibly even more dangerous on the right one.

Lestrade squats down to look at what Anderson is photographing, then he's back on his feet, working his way across the scene to the constables keeping watch at the tape. He says a few words, hands three cigarettes to one of them, laughs quietly at some reply, then leaves them to their work.

Mycroft is somehow certain the constable only requested a single cigarette, but Lestrade would never hand over one when he has several. It is yet another sign of the goodness of his heart. The goodness of the man.

"Mycroft," Lestrade says when he finishes his circuit and comes to a stop in front of Mycroft, hands jammed in the pockets of his trousers, his coat pushed back off his hips due to the stance. It makes him one very lovely masculine line from the top of his head to the tips of his shoes. The mist is just starting to flatten his hair, but the water makes it glimmer, and Mycroft cannot believe how devastating the mere existence of this man is to his being.

"I was going to offer you a bit of protection," Mycroft says, tipping his umbrella slightly forward. "But I am not sure you'll feel its use now that you've gotten damp."

Lestrade takes his hands out of his pockets and shakes his coat by its lapels. Water droplets fly off to the sides. "Waterproof," he says, "so I'm pretty dry overall. But I wouldn't say no to a little head protection while we compare notes."

"Certainly," Mycroft says. He steps forward at the same time as Greg, and they meet perfectly centered under Mycroft's umbrella. For a moment, all Mycroft can catalogue is the warmth that radiates from Greg's torso, the tiny cut on his chin where he nicked himself shaving, the scent of bitter, burned coffee that clings to his collar.

"Same as the others," Lestrade says, reaching up and pushing his hair backwards through his fingers. It makes it stick up more.

Mycroft gets a brief hint of mint and lavender shampoo mixed with the smell of new rain, and oh, that's new. The addition of the water to that smell that Mycroft has known for what feels like a very long time. This is what Lestrade would smell like in the shower, Mycroft thinks, and then blinks the thought away. "Stabbed through the back of the neck with signs of torture pre-death?" Mycroft asks to keep his mind focused on the present.

Lestrade sighs deeply, and there's sadness in his eyes. He feels every death he investigates, Mycroft knows, but he also carries that weight with a grace that Mycroft has very rarely seen. It is cousin to the grace Lestrade has that has him taking a moment to cheer his team. To give three cigarettes to a random constable. A relation to the grace Lestrade showed Sherlock and then Mycroft the day they all met.

Mycroft has been unquestionably and foolishly in love for a very long time. There is no other way to be in the face of a grace so casual given by a man so effortlessly beautiful.

"Yeah," Lestrade says. "How's it going on your side of things?"

"No updates, I'm afraid. And nothing from Sherlock."

Lestrade quirks a smile, then a small, dry laugh. "So, he has nothing, or he's hared off and doing something stupid."

"I would hope Dr. Watson would inform us if that were happening, but he is...occasionally unreliable."

Lestrade smiles at Mycroft, wide and amused, the flash of happiness in his eyes making Mycroft feel like he can't breathe at all. "John's entirely reliable. He will always be by Sherlock's side when he's being a fucking berk."

Mycroft huffs a laugh. There's warm annoyance and fondness in Lestarde's tone. Signs of friendship and care. Of sincere concern and affection. "I cannot argue against your accurate description."

The rain suddenly comes down harder, switching from mist to a proper downpour. There's shouts of displeasure from the scene techs, all rushing to try and preserve what they can. Mycroft is not surprised that Lestrade does not dart away to help. He is a man with a keen sense of when he's useful versus when he's not, and he will only be in the way as the techs rush with precise teamwork to cover the scene in sheeting.

"Shit," Lestrade mutters, pulling his coat around him and tying it closed. "I know we haven't found fuck-all at the other scenes, but the possibility we just lost something is going to hit the team right in morale."

"You will overcome it," Mycroft says. "Your people knows you will not blame them."

Lestrade looks at Mycroft, gaze flittering over his face. Mycroft stays still, allowing his face to stay open and readable. There's a shift to Lestarde's gaze when their eyes meet. From curious to pleased, and then from pleased to...Mycroft isn't quite sure.

Or, he is sure but he fears that to put a name to what he's seeing will mean it will go away.

Lestrade takes a half-step forward, just enough that they're truly close together under the protection of Mycroft's umbrella. "What do you see when you stand here and watch me?" he asks.

Mycroft takes a moment to answer. His heart is thundering in his chest louder than the rain hitting the umbrella just above their heads. "Everything," he finally says because it's the truest answer.

Lestrade nods slowly. He glances over his shoulder and takes in the scene. "Scene's basically useless now," he says. "But I need to check a few more things. When I'm done," Lestrade turns to look at Mycroft again, "me and you, let's get a pint. Warm ourselves up a bit and get a breather. Been a rough couple of days."

Lestrade's face tells Mycroft everything. It's not just a pint. Not just a chance to wind down with someone who understands the strain of being in charge. It's exactly what Mycroft saw and was afraid to name. Hope. Interest. Curiosity. Warmth.

"I'll wait in my car," Mycroft says. He tips the umbrella towards Greg. "Please make use of this."

Greg takes the umbrella. He gives Mycroft one more warm look, the hint of a smile, and then a sharp nod. "Ta," he says and walks away.

The way his shoulders and back straighten as he makes his way back to Donovan makes Mycroft feel warm even as the rain drenches him. He'd relaxed with Mycroft, comfortable to show a bit more of himself.

Mycroft walks briskly to his car, ignoring Anthea's amused look when she sees how wet he is. She shifts her umbrella so it covers them both.

"Any change, Sir?" Anthea asks.

Mycroft snorts at the utter flatness of her tone. Anthea cuts him an amused look. "Not in regards to leads," he says and lets her read on his face that, yes, there has been one change.

"Shall I fetch your spare suit from the boot?"

Mycroft glances over his shoulder. Greg has left the umbrella with Donovan and is making his way around without it. Were he a Renaissance painting, Mycroft thinks, his grace would glow around him like a lantern. "I am sure the heat in the car will be adequate," he says. He will never have Greg's grace, but he is very curious to try it on in some small way. They'll both be disheveled and damp when they sit down for their pint. It warms Mycroft to think of it.

"Very good," Anthea says with a blank look that laughs at his romantic fancy as she opens the door. "I assume we are waiting for the Detective Inspector to join us."

"Yes," Mycroft says. "Thank you."

#mystrade #greg lestrade #mycroft holmes #ask #answer #get together #sort of #i hope this is enough pining!#anthea

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heiyodream · 2 years

Text

I watched episode 34 of Boruto and... I melted.

Look, how cute are these babies??? I really want to hug them.

Like, Sarada and Boruto's worries about how everyone might end up being friends after going their separate ways from the Academy, and how adorable and ridiculous the idea of Boruto catching the Eternal Crap while camping together??? Oh my God, how cute these kids are. I don't want them all to go to war. I want to set them on the couch, wrap them in a blanket, and give them hot chocolate.

Sumire could embrace her legacy in peace! I love this, and Nue is really cute too. And how excited Mitsuki suddenly appears and his friends are still not used to it, haha, even though it's been a few years since he's always done it.

Sure, the end of this episode when the fishing moment is a bit--well, flamboyant and these babies have too much power, but that's okay. I think on the one hand it's beautiful; you can use your powers for trivial things like catching legendary fish, rather than for harm.

This shows how different the Boruto generation and the Naruto generation are. Naruto's generation was born right at a time when war lurks in a dark corner. Boruto's generation doesn't. There are relationships within Naruto's generation based on violence; I think Konoha 12 (13, if you include Sai) is bound by war and lost their loved ones. The same thing happened to their parents and grandparents.

Even though the world isn't completely free of violence, children in these times of peace forge friendships who will buy the last yakisoba bun and go camping together. It's so sweet and hopeful.

I really hope there is no war in the future.

But, God, what an empty hope I have.

I liked the little trivia in this episode: that Sarada and Sumire were found together when Boruto asked them out.

It has more to do with BoruSumi fans and BoruSara fans out there. They seem to have some not always pleasant to each other, and sometimes they have insulting arguments for Sarada/Sumire. I'm more like Mitsuki, a supporter of BoruSara, haha, but I don't really care that much. I love the fact Sarada is friends with the other girls (how sweet Namida and Wasabi wanted to see Sarada after she got injured in the fight with Deepa), including Sumire, and there's no such thing as fighting over Boruto though it seems these two girls have feelings for him in the future. I like the fact that even though Boruto and Sarada quarrel a lot, they are also good friends. He helped her and vice versa, and universally, the kids in their generation had better teamwork.

I have the headcanon that Boruto and Sarada are really kind of good friends (are you telling me Naruto doesn't make his son go on a play date with the daughter of his two best friends?), but wouldn't admit that in public. They fight a lot, yes, and I guess the two of them don't mind getting into a physical fight (as it almost happened in episode 4), and given that they were both born geniuses with great raw abilities and were better trained than their dads, I could see they could be more destructive if they wanted to. I see them as people who are kind of earnest when they fight--like, if they had been put in the shoes of twelve-year-old Sasuke and Naruto, Valley of the End would have been utterly destroyed.

Like, there are times when they're around eight to nine years old where their fights are really frequent and get physical; say anything--hitting, kicking, biting, clawing. I think this happened because they realized that as they grew up, their personalities clashed, and it was the years when Naruto had just become Hokage, and Boruto really felt his absence, so he turned to some kind of...little rebellion (before starting doodling on his dad’s craved face)? I think they have some sort of screaming match from time to time, so by the time they get older and just 'bickering', their classmates get used to it and pretend to be deaf, haha. That doesn't mean they're enemies; I think they are quick-tempered and easy-provoked but also big-hearted and easy-forgiving. They're the kind of friends who fight in the morning and be mean to each other, but in the afternoon, they'll make up. I like to think this is driving Shino and Iruka crazy.

#borusara friendship #new konoha 12 #uzumaki boruto #uchiha sarada #kakei sumire #borusara headcanon #all girls are friends!#metal lee #yuino iwabee #kaminarimon denki #nara shikadai #suzumeno namida #izuno wasabi #akimichi chouchou #yamanaka inojin #mitsuki #free-violence based relationaship!#no war please

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scifimagpie · 2 years

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I Wrote About The Future; Then It Happened

So, you might have noticed a bit of a lack of blog posts over the winter. Well, this time it's not (just) depression eating me alive. I made a thing - two things, actually.

Consider this a soft reboot, and a perfectly good starting point in the series. Book 3, The Meaning Wars, follows two characters: Sarah, the weary Behavioural Criminal arrested for associating with dissidents, and Crystal, a wormhole engineer dissatisfied with her marriage and the safe, boring jobs she's been taking. Linked by friendship and their Martian origins, the two women fight ongoing trauma to reclaim their senses of self.

Book 4, Poe's Outlaws, finds Crystal and Sarah pursuing intersecting paths. Sarah has become a smuggler, wrapped up in a rescue mission to save a revolutionary leader (who happens to be her inspiration and her crush). Crystal is taking a much-needed vacation, but an old flame, the one who got away, is about to throw her life right back into chaos. The only way out? Friendship, teamwork, and possibly, a revolution. It's a beach episode featuring queer love, aliens, and derring-do.

I'm working on book 5, A Jade's Trick. I'm past the halfway point, but for a few months, I got completely stuck. Part of it was debating on the tone for the ending. War threatens, and I had no idea how to resolve the conflict. Should I choose something idealistic, where the corrective safeguards of the system work, or something drastic and grim, a more realistic vision of power dynamics? I couldn't choose, and it felt like a very abstract question.

Then war came to Ukraine, and I got a tiny taste of what it might be like to stand in Crystal's boots.

Apocalypse Turducken

Being in the late? portion of a pandemic, as very hurried politicians insist we are, and having that pandemic overlap with the disruptive attack on the American election (followed recently by a halfassed attempt to do the same here in Canada, with the farcical embarrassment of the trucker protests) [links], I wasn't exactly expecting more calamities. But the universe isn't really into following scripts or plot arcs or anything sensible like that - no, those are human constructs meant to carve chaos into coherence. I wasn't counting on a paranoid, ruthless dictator deciding that the lull after the second pandemic Olympics was the perfect time for his colonial power-grab.

And I really wasn't prepared for the war to affect me personally. In addition to the fact that my male partner is Ukrainian, a very dear friend is a Kievan native. She has been displaced by the conflict, and she and her mother are scrabbling to make ends meet in a different city. Hopefully, this displacement won't be permanent.

We've set up a fundraiser to help her and her mom while these events are going on. This is a fundraiser to help her and her mom not only get a tablet for her to work on as a graphic designer (her laptop is in Kyiv...), but also to help them get by for the next while. Her mother's job at the library is kind of out of commission right now, and it's possible that they'll have to emigrate elsewhere for safety.

Before this whole war thing got started, I also knitted her a sweater inspired by Yoongi of BTS's famous - and expensive - designer yellow sweater. Proceeds from the sale of the pattern will also be going directly to Katya, to help with resettlement costs. There is a chance that we're going to have to help her migrate to Canada, so anything you can give will be greatly valued.

Thank you all for reading my work and checking out these fundraisers. If you can't give, please share this article on social media.

***

Michelle Browne is a sci fi/fantasy writer and editor. She lives in Lethbridge, AB with her partners-in-crime and their cats. Her days revolve around freelance editing, knitting, jewelry, and learning too much. She is currently working on other people’s manuscripts, the next books in her series, and drinking as much tea as humanly possible.

Find her all over the internet: * OG Blog * Mailing list * Magpie Editing * Amazon * Medium * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Tumblr * Paypal.me * Ko-fi

#queer #science fiction #sci fi #ukraine #war #knitting #bts #yoongi #sweater #distressed #apocalypse #writing #indie #donations

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jedivszombie · 3 years

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Okay gang, since there are a bunch of anons going fucking wild across the dash tonight about some joking posts about Mark Webber and Ann Neal - that were someone’s shocked reaction to the age difference between them. I thought it would be interesting to go on a little journey together.

This little journey is the story of how Ann and Mark met, and will hopefully give you guys some insight as to why the ‘sexism’ and ‘ageism’ arguments you are currently using are bullshit - and why using these words in such a buzzword way actually is not the kind of critical thinking you think it is. And why this situation is more akin to a student and teacher starting a relationship - which I think we can all agree is not advisable, even if you don’t know why.

Below the cut is going to be a little discussion of Mark and Ann the early days; the reason the age difference is iffy at best and fucked up at worst; and, a little discussion about how these situations require nuance and the ways in which f1blr often likes to blow situations out of proportion.

I have split it into three parts:

Mark and Ann: The Early Days (1994-1997)

Nuance, my old friend. Anon hate, my enemy. (tw: for racism here, be careful)

The pitfalls of discourse and the importance of looking after yourself.

A little disclaimer for you guys: I do not pretend to know anything about this relationship, other than what is readily available to learn about it from what they themselves have put out about it. I am just providing a timeline and some facts. Whatever conclusions you draw from it are your own.

Feel free to come for me if you so desire.

Mark and Ann: The Early Days (1994-1997)

We start our story in Australia in February, 1994. Mark is competing in Australian Formula Ford Championship and Ann Neal is the new media and PR officer for the category. This is their first meeting. Just so we know what’s up here Mark was 17 at the time, and Ann was absolutely an adult (apparently there is a 13 year age gap, which may not sound like much but we will get onto that later, which makes her roughly 30 when they first met).

Some key things to be aware of from this first meeting:

Mark is 17, Ann is about 30. Mark is a young racer, Ann is the media and PR officer for the category he races in.

In an excerpt from Aussie Grit, p. 57 to be exact, we get to find out what Ann had to say about the first time they met:

“She thought I was a bit of a smart-arse when we first met. ‘But I liked how bold and cheeky he was,’ she says, ‘and how mature he seemed. When I asked someone how old he was, I was shocked when they said 17 – he was confident beyond his years.’”

In another excerpt from Aussie Grit, p. 61, Mark tells us other things Ann remembers about their first meeting:

“Ann remembers our first meeting and my opening remark about her being so important. She can even remember what I was wearing – a stripey green and red top, one of those United Colors of Benetton things – so that was pretty prophetic, as things turned out!”

Now this may sound extremely cute to some of you, like they’re just having a normal ‘aww remember how we met’ moment. But let me please re-direct your attention back to the fact that Mark is 17 (and still not an adult yet if this is what you are gonna nitpick about) and Ann is very much an adult, in a position of power.

So, a teenager makes a quip about how important you are and you commit to memory what he was wearing the day it happened?

Now let’s bring in the first quote I put up there where Ann herself was recalling the first time they met. I would like to draw your attention to the following sentence: ‘and how mature he seemed. When I asked someone how old he was, I was shocked when they said 17 – he was confident beyond his years.’

Hmmmm, where have we all heard language like this used before? If, like me, you have some experience of adults trying to start inappropriate relationships with you as a teenager then you will be very familiar to this sort of language. The emphasis is on how mature he seemed, is what’s sticking out for me here tbh.

Now, if this had been a fleeting meeting, and they had met again a few years later, I would be more on board for whatever justification some of the anons have been trying to use. However, it wasn’t.

Again from Aussie Grit, p.61:

“After that first meeting we kept in touch. My family sometimes met up with Ann and Luke for weekend get-togethers, and I ensured she got her motor-sport fixes by dragging all my old F1 tapes out. By way of revenge she would bring down all her British Formula Ford tapes for me.”

Oh cool, so she gained the trust of his family and Mark was hanging out with her son. This is so sweet Alexa, play Chosen Family by Rina Sawayama. Real talk though, again if this is how it had ended - with them just being family friends - then we would not be having this conversation.

BUT, we all know how this little story ends so onwards we march. We shoot forward to late 1994, Mark has done okay in Formula Ford but his Dad is no longer able to fund him. SO, he turns to their old pal - the ever present and super helpful Ann, bless her heart - to try and drum up some sponsorship for Mark so he can race.

Little background on why Ann was chosen to try and help with this, I’ll give you 3 guesses and only one of them is correct. Yes, that’s right, it’s her experience - which she has managed to get by being 30 and having a background in motorsports. She started out as a motorsport journo and ended up dealing with press and PR for Paul Warwick (Derek Warwick’s brother). In 1986 she started dealing with Johnny Herbert’s media before working for Formula Ford in Europe in 1991.

Ann begrudgingly accepts and draws up plans with Mark, which leads him to a Yellow Pages sponsorship for his next season in Formula Ford, and beyond - how sweet, how nice, they are #winning! We stan teamwork besties! And Ann started working with Mark and his family to further his career.

Ann had a plan for Mark, as outlined in Aussie Grit, p.69-70:

“By the end of 1995 Annie told me, in no uncertain terms, that – and I quote – I had to get my arse out of there. She didn’t just mean Australian Formula Ford, either: she meant Australia. She thought it was time for me to go and have a crack at some of the big guys, and she proposed to help me go about it in a serious, business-like way.

‘How the f#*k are you going to get to Formula 1 coming from Queanbeyan?’ Anyone who wants to trace my journey should start with a piece of paper that Ann drew up on 6 July 1995.”

So, now Ann has outlined her hopes for Mark and a glimmering career in motorsport. I would like us to know that at this point in time Mark was the ripe old age of 18, going on 19.

In 1996 Ann and Mark moved properly to the UK so Mark could drive in the British Formula Ford Championship - at this point Mark is still 19. At this point he is living in the UK with Ann and her mother, and Ann’s son.

So this is probably sounding pretty okay so far and sure it’s just a business relationship with a business set up, like no real cause for concern. But then we discover that this business relationship had turned into a relationship-relationship pretty damn fast.

From the horses mouth himself, Aussie Grit, p.87:

“Back in England, Ann and I moved house to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, on the edge of motor sport’s equivalent of Silicon Valley. We had started out as teammates and friends on a mission but over time our friendship had deepened into something else. I enjoyed spending time with her and we felt entirely comfortable in each other’s company. Moving to England was a huge step for me and I think it was a case of us needing one another and that’s how the relationship was formed.”

Okay, okay, okay so I know at this point Mark is 19/20 he’s an adult right? He can make his own choices. But, can we please admit that at best it’s an iffy situation because of the position of power and authority she was in? In his life? For his career?

There are a few other excerpts I found particularly interesting, about Mark’s family’s reaction (all from Aussie Grit, chapter 3):

“My parents came over to the UK in the English summer of 1997. While they were thrilled about how things were developing for me in racing, they’d been less thrilled by the romantic relationship that was developing between Annie and me....” “...Annie was bitterly disappointed at my behaviour. Her plan to take me to the highest level of motor sport was starting to go horribly wrong, so she left Australia earlier than planned and headed back to Europe. My family arranged for Alan Docking to collect my belongings from the house we had been sharing and the one and only car Annie and I had at that stage...Campese Management told her that they had been instructed by the Webber family to terminate her role as my manager and that Campese Management would be taking over all aspects of my career, including the negotiation of my driving contracts.“

“While I knew Annie provided the support and guidance I needed in my racing career, I was missing her in so many other ways too. We were such a dynamic force in every sense; we could make things happen when we were together. We were teammates, soul mates, call it what you want.“

“As to Mum’s concern about our age difference, that has never been a factor for us. When we began to be more open about being together, perhaps the top end of the age gap shocked a few people. In those days people were less accepting of a big age difference between partners, especially when it’s our way round. It’s not such a big deal nowadays and it makes us laugh when so-called celebrities reveal they’re dating an older woman or younger man!“

While the Daily Mail is trash, the beginning of this video is very revealing to me - particularly Jackie Stewart’s comments from 00:12.

Obviously you can make up your own conclusions from all of this information, and I would once again like to point out that none of us - not me, not the anons, not you - actually know the nature of their relationship. They have been together for 24 years - good for them! Whatever they have going has obviously worked for them, this is not me trying to shit on that or anything, and I’m gonna be real I’m not the biggest Mark Webber fan.

Nuance, my old friend. Anon hate, my enemy.

All I want to do is add some nuance to the conversation, an overview of the timeline, an understanding of what the facts are. So that some of those cowardly anons (or anon) can hop off their self-built thrones and get a grip. The sexism and ageism argument literally does not apply here, for all of the evidence and reasons listed above - if the situation was flipped we would still be calling it out. The only difference is you guys would probably be on board with it being called out.

So Ann is a woman? So, what? Do you think she’s above reproach? You think one person’s 50 note post on this site is gonna rock the foundation of a relationship that has been 26 years in making? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then you are either: a) Mark Webber himself, or b) delusional as hell. You really think that responding by sending anon hate to a teenager, who btw only made a post calling out the age difference because she was shocked and had just discovered it, is the right way to go?

You really think that sending me this message, attacking other people in such a vile and racist manner is okay?

So you don’t like Nehir and Sera? Good for you, go block them, if you follow them, unfollow them. Those options are free and readily available to you.

For me, it’s so funny to see you hiding behind that little Anon mask spewing this vile shit. The commitment you have to proving that you are just a cowardly person with nothing better to do than rag on a bunch of different people for reblogging a post, that in the long run is not going to reach the people it’s about, is outstanding. I really hope you pat yourself on the back for this one.

The pitfalls of discourse and the importance of looking after yourself.

There has definitely been a spate of ‘conversations’ that have been happening recently that have very much been straying into the land of discourse, over very small comments or posts. I think that some people need to remember that we’re all here for our own entertainment and as soon as it stops being fun - you are allowed to log off; you are allowed to block people; you are allowed to unfollow people.

Sending anon hate is so counterproductive to whatever conversation you think you are starting or having with a person. Also guys, sometimes it’s not that deep - sometimes jokes are just jokes, sometimes someone finds out something they didn’t know about a driver or an ex-driver and they make a joke post about it. That does not give you the right to send them hate, or to make racist comments in other people’s asks.

Sometimes these discussions require a debate and sometimes discourse can be good - but honestly? I’m worried about some of you guys, it is not healthy to get so angry at other people for the things they post on their blogs that you are not obligated to follow or interact with at all.

I am also worried about people who turn every little thing into something discoursey. There are causes and issues to care about in this sport and community, for sure. But sometimes you also have to pick your battles - especially when I know a lot people in this community have fragile mental health. I do not say this to patronise any of you but to just provide a reminder that you do not need to engage with everything that makes your blood boil, and furthering some of these conversations sometimes is not doing you guys any good. Burnout is real.

Please take some time to take care of yourselves, the pandemic is doing a number on all of us and I know being online gives you a gateway to being connected to people, but sometimes you just have to walk away from a discussion. Sometimes you have to just go and reblog something unrelated, or stare at a photo of your favourite driver, or listen to some angry music. Anything else to process your knee jerk reaction, to give yourself time to figure out how you feel about something and whether it’s worth engaging in or not.

#maisie talks #the post that no one asked for but we sure as shit needed #anon hate below the cut #would also like to say that i am not pretending to know shit about their relationship and this is all information provided by the couple #themselves #under the cut is a bunch of information about their relationship up to you how you take it but i know how i feel #tw racism #i went insane i've seen the opposite of god #thnx ana for supporting my rage #here i am a hundred years late and a dollar short #mark webber

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