#and it DOES make her so selfless and kind and such a hero to her

[thatbookgirl1118]

I cannot for the life of me find the original post (tumblr is a hellsite) but this was sent in an atla gc:

@the-badger-mole

and tbh i always kinda felt like kataang was weird exactly because of that one-sidedness??? like there's one episode of katara maybe sort-of seeing aang as a love interest (when the fortune teller tells her she'll marry a powerful bender), but then the rest of the show is her being passive in the relationship or actively pushing aang away (like their second kiss). and then at the end she just randomly decided "okay i like you i guess."

whereas aang got a bunch of pining moments and you actually believed he was in love with katara.

and most of their relationship was about how she helped aang - he did contribute to her character development over the course of the series especially as a bender of course but it didn't feel as emotionally/spiritually deep as katara's literal one episode sidequest with zuko.

but then someone else wrote "I would argue the opposite? Kataang is where Katara choose the peaceful nomad which subverts the trope presented where zutara is where she chooses the strong protector/combatant. Aang as a character is a subversion of the typical hero while zutara is like,,, coloniser romance idk"

and honestly... i kinda get that. aang was problematic in a lot of ways, but he was definitely a subversive protagonist, and i can see the power of allowing the woman to choose the pacifist vegetarian over the extremely obviously hot jock badboy. this is an incredible oversimplification of their characters of course, but the point stands.

Basically, Kataang is the ship we all logically want - the sweet, friendship-based, seemingly subversive one. But Zutara is the one that actually makes sense in the story, with these characters, not their tropes. Aang is subversive, but he and Katara are also kind of terrible for each other - he isn't mature or selfless enough for Katara, who needs someone to force her to take care of herself because she's always the one taking care of everyone else (wonder what that's like). That's why she and Zuko are so perfect, because he not only takes care of her, he makes HER prioritize herself. Aang... does not. He's pretty selfish, which yes is partially due to his immaturity (I personally don't count Korra as canon because it treated ALL the og characters terribly so I'm speaking purely from his 12 yo self), but it's also just a basic incompatibility thing. And Katara is actually equally bad for Aang - she enables him waaay too much, and he needs someone who doesn't. Who forces him to stand up on his own two feet and take responsibility. She's too much of a mother, and her relationship with Aang is too mother/older sister-ish.

With Zuko, on the other hand? Katara started out HATING him, forcing him to prove himself to her instead of handing him everything she had like she tended to do with Aang and Sokka. He had to earn her care, and as a result he appreciates it way more and demands way less of it. He's a far less selfish character generally for the same reasons, and is much more mature/has a better understanding of life and gray areas. Southern Raiders is a great example of this - he's down for whatever Katara decides because he understands that there's no one right answer, unlike Aang who simply preaches forgiveness. I'm not necessarily attacking Aang about that either - I do believe that grudges eat away at a person, and taking a life does haunt you, so forgiveness isn't necessarily bad advice. But it's not what Katara needed. Aang is great as a friend, but I don't think he's what Katara needs from a romantic partner. Zuko just... is.

#zutara #rant post #anti kataang #kind of?? #i don't feel like it's super anti but it still is so i don't want beef #atla #avatar the last airbender #katara #aang #avatar aang #zuko #prince zuko

[arabaka]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ CONTENT WARNINGS: CANON? WHAT 'DAT? SHE/HER PRONOUNS USED. READER IS AN EXOTIC DANCER. READER WEARS MASCARA. UNPROTECTED SEX. ANAL (AND MINOR DEPICTION OF PAIN FROM IT). SPANKING. SPIT ROASTING. GETO'S A JERK. GOJO'S GOT MONEY.

PET NAMES USED: LITTLE THING (NOT REFLECTIVE OF BODY TYPE, USED AS DEGRADATION), BABY, SWEETS, BEAUTIFUL. ゜・。.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ WORD COUNT: 3.4K. ゜・。.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanna emphasize first that not all exotic dancers have sex for pay and it's common for clubs to forbid it so PLEASE read this as just silly smut and not as a reference for the REAL heroes (jokes aside, exotic workers deserve respect and MONEY!!!) ゜・。.

“Hey, where is she?”

“With a client. Dunno when she’ll be done. The guy she walked with looked like he had money to spend. Might keep her dancing for ours.” At this the manager chuckles, thumb in his pocket smoothing over a fresh stack of bills from another dancer: his cut, of course. 

“Cool, thanks.” He says with a knowing sneer; he’ll make up for your dues. He always does.

Women clamor for the john’s attention the second he pivots on his heel to make a beeline for the hall of neverending private rooms but he doesn’t pay them any mind; his trademark glasses, black and circled are low enough for the dancers to see that he has no interest in paying for their attention.

Yours, however… Seems to just get more and more expensive. Your rate’s stayed the same, it’s him that empties his pocket for you every time. Call it an addiction and he’ll fess up to it. Unashamedly even. “She takes care of me.” Is an excuse he often doles out, to anyone privy to his lascivious, proliferating habit. 

But he should have watched his tongue more, guarded you more, because he’s run his mouth to the wrong people– well, the wrong person.

His best friend. Geto Suguru.

And Gojo Satoru just knows it’ll be his face he sees when the curtains are split. Prepares for it even, his fist already balled up with his knuckles drained of any color. 

They share everything. Everything but you, and that’s by design. Gojo, he’s… Fond of you. Too fond for the relationship you two share.

He treks down the hall, pace methodically slowing down the closer he gets. No, the rooms aren’t notated by dancer; that’d be stupid. No, because Gojo doesn’t need signage to know where you are. He can track you as well as any sniffer dog, infinitely better when he uses his genetic abilities for sin rather than any selfless endeavors. 

When he finally gets to the right room, velvet curtains glowing under the low light, he hesitates. The others may not hear your stifled moans, struggled breaths you’re so good at masking but you know as well as him: you can’t hide from Gojo Satoru.

So when the cloak of privacy is ripped away, it doesn’t surprise Gojo to see you in your preferred position- seated on a Geto’s fat cock, your knees pushed up to the ceiling with your feet bouncing haphazardly to the raven-haired sorcerer’s rhythm, which is anything but kind and intimate. He fucks you like he feels nothing for you and that’s because he does– you knew as well as Geto that this was nothing more than a paid relationship, and one built on a sickening revenge play.

Those pretty eyelashes of yours part, eyes shiny with diamond tears, when you hear the familiar slide of the curtains and you should be worried, should be on edge of someone catching you (after all, having sex with a paying customer is not in your job description) but when you see it’s Gojo, there isn’t much you can do.

Especially not when Geto seems to cut through the tension like it isn’t even there, pumping your cunt full of his cock until fluids spittle and splash from the velocity. He’s so much thicker than Gojo, foreskin so packed it really does feel like he’s making a new home for himself inches into your pussy, your walls spasming around him when the bulbous tip of his member seems to bump and grind against your most sensitive collection of nerves. 

You whimper and whine but Geto doesn’t miss a beat, swollen balls beating into your folds, squelches and the stench of sex undeniable even as Gojo stands by the entrance still.

His nostrils flare. His breath quickens. His chest tightens. His pants, so fitting before, now feel like a prison for the budding erection you are certainly nursing without even touching him.

“Gotta say, Satoru – hngh – you picked a good one. She’s an obedient little thing isn’t she?” Geto grunts out, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he keeps your pussy and ass on full display for his friend to see. Geto wants him to see you plugged up with no room for anything else– anyone else.

“Sa– Sa— Sator–uu—uu– ah, ah, right there, right there, sir.” You started off so innocent, bottom lip jutted out and puffy from kissing Geto all night, but your voice is immediately corrupted and on purpose as Geto mercilessly spears you on his cock, bottoming out every thrust and stretching your cunt to its limits.

“I got her all night.” Geto says with a growl in between, your hot and gummy walls squeezing the base of his shaft so tight his vision blurs for a moment. 

But Gojo seems to ignore Geto’s prodding, his attempts at getting a rise out of the man with irises that seem to never leave yours. Gojo drinks in your expression, lets the way your eyes seem to gravitate towards the back of your skull, your legs shaking not just from the degrading position Geto’s cramped you in but from the waves of pleasure to start with, drown the annoyance of finding you with his friend.

After all, you aren’t his… Even if he pays you like you are.

“Aw,” Gojo coos, zeroing in on his fucked dumb benefactor as he starts a path towards you, “Cryin’ just all over, aren’t you?” His tone is sickly sweet, with a twinge of something dark hanging just off his words. “Pretty baby probably can’t even see straight, huh?”

He looks for an answer. You can’t give him any. Your tongue won’t let anything roll off its drool ridden muscle but the sweet, sweet sounds of debauchery.

So he makes you, Gojo’s spine curving towards you as he grips your chin forcefully, makes you keep your eyes on him. Makes you fess up.

“Mmhmf– mmhmm—” He wants a response but with your cheeks hallowed by his finger and thumb’s pinching, all you can muster are muffled groans from Geto’s quickening pace, his brutal assault on your trembling pussy as he dares to carve his name deep inside you.

Gojo playfully pats your cheek just then, his hand falling from you entirely, just like the shadowed look over his normally jovial attitude. He starts on his belt, metal clanking away with the noise quickly forgotten to your moans and the club’s blistering beats. 

He doesn’t miss Geto’s furrowed brows in irritation as he does so. Nor does he care.

Because he saw you first. He found you first.

So he’s going to remind you why he’s the best. With or without Geto.

“You don’t think she needs something more?” Gojo croons, overconfident in his talents as he starts to go pap, pap, pap with his cock over your distended tummy, taking note of where Geto’s cock starts and ends by the look of his bulge outlining your skin.

You squirm, belly overstimulated with Gojo’s patting and Geto’s cock no doubt ravaging your guts. You try to keep your eyes on Gojo but you’re losing control, of yourself and of the situation. But you give in all the same, pussy quivering and spilling your juices until they’re dripping down Geto’s sac. “Y-Yes, yes.” You’re finally able to sing, lips still trembling when you beg, “P-Please, wan’ both of you.” 

You don’t know what you’re asking for. Hell, you don’t know the two men’s relationship with one another. It’s not like either have divulged to you the extent of their history; you’ve only been left to assume ever since Gojo stepped in, and that’s been minimal because well…

Your whole body is screaming for Geto to take you over the edge, bring to you a nirvana that’s all his own. But you won’t oppose Gojo’s own entrance to your pleasure, now his cock completely out and dragging the reddened tip over your lips until they’re glossed with his pre-cum. You instinctively lick it away, only for Gojo to praise you with–

“Good girl. That’s my girl.” Gojo seems to say louder than usual, “Gonna cum over his cock? Gonna let go? Let go for me, baby. Wanna see you cum.” 

“S-Satoru–”

Geto bites your ear just then, canines digging into the conch of your ear with little care for the yelp that shoots out your throat. “Who’s fucking you right now, huh? Who’s pounding this wet and sloppy pussy? Forget Satoru. Say my name or you’re not cumming.”

And you really can’t be sure who is the reason for the pleasure that overtakes you just then, from the top of your head to the curl your toes take as Geto fucks you through your orgasm. It could’ve been anything.

It could’ve been everything.

“That’s it, pet.” Geto hushes your babbling, a stark contrast to the rhythm at which his cock penetrates your weeping pussy. He’s fucking you like you’re a toy to him.

And he spills his cum into you, forsaking a condom because– “That’s not how Satoru fucks you.”

So when Geto pulls out, the opaque globs of his release start to trickle out, your hole absolutely stuffed full of the stuff that it overflows, running down in rivets from your thighs to your ass. 

Your legs start feeling like they’re running on pins and needles, your whole body suddenly realizing the tight, unbearable full nelson position Geto fucked you in for… You can’t even track the time.

But if you thought you were getting a reprieve, you were solely mistaken.

Geto still cradling you in the obscene position, Gojo leans forward, on the side his own face currently rests and murmurs, “How much to take that tight asshole of yours?” You watch his eyes dart to the cum still following the curve of your ass. “We have the lube for it.” He mutters so closely to your ear that Geto can hear it, can feel his friend’s hot breath crest his jawline.

You bite your lip, gasping at its sensitivity while you mull over the idea. But Gojo has something different in mind, kissing you hard to distract you from the logic possibly creeping in your head over the depravity.

And that’s how he gets you, kisses you until your mouth is equal parts your spit and his, hands smoothly easing your transition from the cage Geto’s wrangled you into. You follow him, intoxication bubbling in your brain and clouding your better judgment. 

“How much more, baby?” Gojo’s voice brings you back to reality, lifting the haze just enough for you to feel one of his fingers teasing your taut rim with circling strokes as you pose for him on your hands and knees, perky ass lifted high and your spine curved low. All the while, Gojo spreads the cum Geto’s left in his wake until your hole is sloppy wet. “Hm? C’mon, he couldn’t have fucked you that good.” 

“Satoru.” Geto’s voice stops you from responding, his tone low and dark but all Gojo can do is laugh and the bark sends shivers up your back. 

You can’t help but admit the tension is exhilarating. It’s dizzying, so much going on and so many things tickling your senses. There’s Gojo now with his index finger crooked inside your asshole, already working on a second, while Geto walks over to your front with his dick still out and half-hard. You can see the foreskin glisten with your juices and his and you know what he wants you to do the moment he positions his twitching cock in front of that appetizing gap between your lips.

“Clean it up.” Geto orders you, admitting defeat in that Gojo will do what he wants, when he wants and the most he can do is take what’s left.

He can’t be too bothered. He got what he wanted. You will no doubt crave more, plead for Geto’s cock. He can hear that voice of yours now, pleading with half a brain, “P-Please sir, more sir! Can’t get enough!”

And that’s how you end up tasting yourself and Geto, your tongue rolling around his shaft as you work towards taking him whole, your throat spasming at the intrusion to come. Your tight rim does the same when Gojo works his way up to another finger, honestly losing himself to the unfathomable pressure. 

“Shit– think you’re ready for me, baby? Tell me. Make him feel how much you want me.” 

You don’t belong to Gojo but you sure act like it, following his order so dutifully as you gargle on Geto’s cock, saliva leaking out the corners of your mouth down your chin as you struggle to moan with Geto’s fat cock stretching your lips more apart than they’ve ever been. 

It hurts. It aches.

“Good, good girl.” Goosebumps prickle your skin at Gojo’s words, your body buzzing with the pleasure of satisfying your longtime client because let’s face it… You have a soft spot for him too.

You gasp and inevitably choke on Geto’s member when Gojo’s fingers pull out swiftly and unexpectedly from your asshole. Geto’s hand shoots out just then, pressing himself so deep down your throat you’re weeping with your nose scrunched up against his pelvis. 

And he’s smirking at you, so proud to be in attendance for your ruination. It makes your pussy flutter around nothing, your entrance already missing the merciless, reckless way Geto pistoned his fat dick inside and out of you. He got what he wanted– you already needing his affection.

Gojo can see the way you look at Geto, the pools of color in your eyes locked on his twisted features, and it irks him. More than it should. So you’ll have to forgive him for the stinging swat that comes for your ass, both sides to even it out. “Gotta make sure you’re ready, sweets. Want you to feel me take this cute hole of yours for the first time.”

And fuck, no amount of preparation could ever hope to mimic the denseness of Gojo’s cock, how the tip of his cock smears pre-cum over the rim before making that hole open for him.  But it burns. It hurts in a way you have never felt before and you instinctively try to inch away, knees buckling forward with your hands desperately pawing at Geto’s abdomen for relief but you will find none there.

Because Geto’s all but ignored your pleading, choosing instead to start a brutal pace into your mouth, goading more slobber to coat his shaft while your tongue presses to the underside. 

And Gojo? He’s got both hands locked on your hips, so cruelly dragging you back to him. “Don’t run from me. It’s gonna feel good baby, I promise.” He talks to you so sweetly but his body language is mean. His nails dig moon-shaped lines into your skin, the other hand once again aiming for your hole with a fist firmly grasping his girth as he prods your asshole to open nice and wide for him. 

“Shit, Satoru. She’s gonna drown in cock and spit at this point.” Geto snorts, taking pride in the way your cheeks are streaked with mascara, how your lips bloom with a pretty color and shine with your own drool. His chest rumbles with a groan as he starts bringing your head to meet his thrusting halfway. 

You can only sit and take it, take it from both ends as the men, the friends, share in the pleasures of your body. 

Gojo’s at least taking it easy, letting your body acclimate to his cock as he starts with a light pumping. Just enough to squeeze his cockhead in a few inches, then back, but never completely out of you. He’s not that mean.

The drag of his cock inching deeper inside you with the passing seconds, you start to relish in the way he fills you up like never before. You can feel your stretched out hole convulse and clamp down on Gojo’s length, every time squeezing a sweet, sweet throaty groan from the man. You’re feeling sensations there you didn’t think were possible, nirvana settling in amongst the fog in your eyes as you feel pleasure running like lightning all the way to your fucked out little brain.

“Fuck, beautiful.” Gojo huffs with his hips slowly closing the distance between him and the curve of your ass, eyes mesmerized at your pretty hole being so spread out by the thickness of his shaft, the way it seems to swallow him whole until he’s nothing but a cage rattling with moans. 

You’ve never heard him sound like that. There’s a bestial growl in his words with a grip on your body akin to a predator having his first meal. He’s fucking you like he’s starved.

As if he wasn’t just there with you the other night.

You can feel your shoulders start to buckle, elbows worn from keeping your body up to satisfy both Gojo and Geto, the latter either unknowing or uncaring of your slight discomfort. From your short dialog with the man, you’re guessing it’s the second option.

“Hope you’re good at swallowing.” Geto grunts with the hand at your neck now groping your breasts, struggling to find a hold with Gojo starting up a pace that’s making you bob and weave, bob and weave.

Your nipples are so sensitive, just the brushing of Geto’s hand makes you whine all around him, your voice drowned out by the barrel of his cock. “Just – hmmph, fuck – like that.” He chokes out, opening his eyes when you start to mewl, an attempt at rushing the orgasm because now it’s becoming all too much.

Gojo’s cock running deep into your asshole, Geto’s member throbbing incessantly the more noisy you become… Your brain might as well be in the clouds, Cloud Nine because even if it’s overstimulating you from the inside out…

It feels so damn good. You don’t realize it then but it’s because their temperaments are so different. Gojo pounding into you, getting a little more rough with his touch and rhythm but still rounding his spine to whisper how good you’re being, how he knew you could take it in your ear until the skin is burning hot and all your nerves are tingling with euphoria. He’s so close, you feel the ridges of his hardened abs cresting your skin, both parties sticky with sweat. And Geto, so crude in the way he pinches your perky nipples, so mean in how he grabs you by the throat just to make your mouth around him shiver. 

“Mmmf– Mmm–” You start to cry, sobs held back when Gojo’s fingers finally play with your clit, rounding the swollen bud just the way you like. 

It’s that last round of whining that sends Geto over the edge, his cock spurting out more cum than you expect while the engorged head twitches against the roof of your mouth; it’s so much so fast that it makes you recoil and bump your ass right into Gojo, setting off a chain reaction that couldn’t have unfolded any better.

Your grinding all the way to the base of Gojo’s cock makes him pant openly and grunt straight from his chest. His fingers strum your clit so eagerly, you feel his desperation on the tips. He wants you to cum with him.

An easy feat, because his cock, so far inside you, perfectly stimulates the erotic center in your pussy and makes you see white. Your slick is already seeping out your neglected hole, dripping onto the couch, down your thighs that seem to endlessly shake from Gojo’s thrusting. 

Geto does you a favor, sliding his cock out your mouth and slapping it on both your cheeks, staining your skin with his cum and your spit. You’re thankful, because now you can…

“F-Fuckfuckfuck, feels s’good, Satoru.” Your words are slurred, your mind dumb with how Gojo is able to rip the orgasm right out of you, your pussy quivering around nothing while your ass clenches tight around his dick. His cock vibrates with every hot burst of cum inside you, making your ass wriggle and skin ripple as he unloads every last drop inside you.

He’s gasping for air, moaning throughout as he rocks his cock until he’s finished cumming. Your chest pressed to the cushion, you also try to get a hold on a stable breath, lips wet with drool and sweat. 

Geto has long left you two, choosing to start dressing now that he’s finally had his fill of you.

So he doesn’t notice, doesn’t even see when Gojo adds another stack of bills to your collection. Not for him, but for–

“See? What did I tell you? I knew you could take two.”

#gojo smut #gojo satoru smut #jjk smut #geto smut #geto suguru smut #geto x you #gojo x you #gojo x reader #geto x reader #gojo satoru x reader #.˚₊ ੈ ʚ 🍰 ɞ ₊˚. ꒰ a little treat for gojo. ꒱ #.˚₊ ੈ ʚ 🍰 ɞ ₊˚. ꒰ a little treat for geto. ꒱

[tobiasdrake]

Thinking about redemption yesterday got me thinking about fallen heroes today, and how rare it is to see a character initially painted as a hero be driven to heinousness for legitimate reasons.

Often times, if a hero goes bad, it's because of an external force corrupting their mind. Or it's a misunderstanding and they were secretly still good all along. Or they were just having a rough day and they'll be good again in five minutes.

We rarely see get to see heroes go sour purely on their own merits. Maybe because their values weren't so benign as they'd seemed when pushed to a natural conclusion. Maybe because they expected too much of themselves or of others. Or maybe personal experience taught them to believe something else.

Whatever the case, as often as writers will attempt to examine the transformative power of better angels, we rarely get to see the transformative power of worse devils.

Which brings me to....

Sayaka Miki is a character that holds a special place in my heart, not for overcoming her flaws but for being consumed by them. She's a cautionary tale into the perils of righteousness.

I need to preface this by bringing up that the characters of Madoka Magica are children. They're irrational, judgmental, ignorant of risk, and quick to throw themselves into horrible mistakes with absolute confidence. Because they're children. That's how this works. The villain of the series is a psychological predator who feeds on the impulsivity and poor judgment of youth, grooming them into self-destruction.

The entire system of Magical Girls exists to give these children enough rope to hang themselves with and then to kick the ladder out from under them. That is the plot, with Sayaka being the primary means by which the show demonstrates the complete journey from rope to ladder.

I just. I need you to understand that even at her worst, Sayaka is a victim of predatory incentives and calculated coercions meant to cultivate her worst traits while stripping her of hopes and dreams. To drown her in mistakes she could never take back. She didn't have the life experience to know better. That's why her predator targets children.

Sayaka's rope is woven from virtuous self-image. It's not immediately apparent when we meet her, but Sayaka's fatal flaw is ego. Her moral compass is wound extremely tight, and it's only later that we realize it's wound around her neck.

Like many children, Sayaka is trying on an identity moreso than expressing her inner self. She wants to be altruistic. She wants to be selfless. She wants to be a true hero. She wants to live by nothing more than high-minded ideals, expecting no reward for her efforts (but receiving it all the same).

She wants to be the kind of person that Mami was.

But she has no idea who Mami was. She wasn't there to see Mami fracture. To see her break down in vulnerability and express the isolating misery she lives in.

Sayaka didn't see that. She only saw how cool Mami looked when she was killing Witches. So when she tries on an identity, she's specifically trying on the identity of Mami - blissfully unaware that her interpretation of Mami was nothing but a mask. She is emulating the behavior of a victim already consumed by the predatory incentives she's accepting.

Sayaka was doomed from the moment she made her wish.

Once again, the show does a brilliant job of concealing this at first. Right off the bat, it's easy for Sayaka to be the hero. She saves both her BFFs Madoka and Hitomi from a Witch in her debut adventure, before being immediately thrust into a moral argument that's super easy for her to win.

This is what a hero looks like! Should we stand by and let monsters eat people YES/NO

Sayaka says no. Sayaka says letting monsters eat people is bad. Solid Bioware-level moral dilemma she's got here. Sayaka won +10 Paragon points for the choices she picked out of this conversation tree, lemme tell you!

Moments like this work to disguise what's going on here with Sayaka. Obviously Sayaka's making good choices and doing the right thing when the alternative is Kyoko going "Want me to break your crush's limbs so he needs you for life support?" That's awful, so since Sayaka's against it then that means she must be right. Right?

Kyoko is the devil. Sayaka is the paragon.

But this is a story about nuanced and complex people. Sayaka isn't that person. Sayaka likes the idea of being that person. She's being dishonest - With herself, with others around her, and with the universe.

She's trying on an identity, not fully understanding who she really is or what her limitations are.

Incidentally, so is Kyoko, which is what makes their Yin and Yang dichotomy so potent. Having never been tested like this before, Sayaka is more selfish than she truly understands - While Kyoko, damaged by trauma, is more selfless than she wants to believe.

The thing Sayaka doesn't quite grasp is that, to an extent, it's okay to be selfish. It's okay to want things for yourself. Again, the identity she's trying to live up to was a lie to begin with. She only saw the mask; Never the humanity underneath. So she fails to recognize her own humanity; Her own needs and wants and desires.

She imprisons her own mind in a cage of altruism.

Sayaka is warned multiple times against spending her wish on another person. But she doesn't understand the perils of it. She lacks the necessary perspective to grasp the level of sacrifice she's making. (Because she is a child. I cannot stress this point enough.)

When she makes her wish, Sayaka wants her sacrifice reciprocated. She wants to be rewarded. But she doesn't want to want that. She wants to be the selfless hero for Kyosuke. To silently grant him a miracle because it's the right thing to do for her friend. But she expects, without consciously thinking about it, that the universe will deliver her nice things because she is good.

But life doesn't work like that. It doesn't give you things you aren't willing to reach for. Sayaka said she just wanted him to be happy. She just wanted to help people. She just wanted to dedicate her life to virtue and altruism, with no wants or needs or desires of her own.

Kyoko was being cruel and unfeeling when she suggested crippling Kyosuke; She was trying to express a mask of selfishness, the same way Sayaka's been trying to express a mask of selflessness. But she wasn't the only person telling Sayaka that it was a mistake to do this. She's just the only person who said it after the fact.

So the universe calls her bluff. While Sayaka waits for her sacrifices to be rewarded, fracturing more and more from learning what those sacrifices truly entail, someone else claims her prize. The work gets harder, not just physically but emotionally. And she only gets what she asked for. Nothing more.

This is what a hero looks like. She wanted to be Mami.

Remind me. What was Mami's reward for her sacrifices?

Oh. Yeah. That's right.

The thing of it is, there is a reward for a Magical Girl's sacrifices. There is a prize you're meant to receive for the unjust hardships and self-destruction that you're volunteering to undertake.

It's the fucking wish.

That she, in her righteousness, gave away.

Sayaka's rope is woven from virtuous self-image. Her fatal flaw is ego. She was undone by arrogance expressed in ignorance, not of glory the way we often think of egotistic people, but of righteousness. She held herself to a standard no reasonable person could ever live up to, and it crushed her as it came crashing down.

And yet, she was a victim all the same. Because she was walked, hand-in-hand, to that pier by a predator. Children are meant to learn from their mistakes. Not to die for them.

#puella magi madoka magica #sayaka miki

[artist-issues]

What Even Are Disney Princesses?

I think two things make Disney Princesses super-successful. The first thing is that they’re “One of Us.” The second thing is, they’re “Examples of Superheroic Character.” Not as in “super-power,” but as in, “strength of values.” Just like the best super-heroes (like Spidey) usually are. The difference is, Disney Princesses don’t (usually) have superpowers that show off their strength of character—so how they respond to circumstances is what shows off their strength of character, instead.

For example:

Ariel’s One of Us

It’s ironic but it’s true. She’s the modern catalyst for this idea. She’s “the girl next door.” Every single person can relate to wanting more than what you have even if what you have is wonderful; every single person who’s been a teenager can relate to wanting to be understood, and feeling this horrible tension between loving what they’ve got but feeling like what they’ve got doesn’t fit anymore as they grow up.

She’s got these sweet little moments where she doesn’t know how a fork works but she’s so excited to see one and then embarrassed when she gets funny looks for brushing her hair with it. She sobs and runs away from an argument where her dad isn’t listening to her. She laughs at herself for pretending to be engaged to Eric’s statue. And tiny changes are made so that we think of her less as a mermaid or a princess and more as one of us—nobody ever calls her “Princess” regularly, except the bad guy. AND

Ariel’s Superheroic Character

Ariel has a strength of faith that many of us can only dream of. She learns a tiny piece of truth—that humans make wonderful things—and from that, she chooses to believe that all of her culture’s history, everything her dad says, and even the fact that her own mother was killed by humans, is wrong. When she says, “I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad,” she’s doing what so few of us are capable of: she’s taking truth, and acting upon it, instead of going with the crowd and listening to the popular opinion.

She does the same thing when she learns that Eric is a selfless, noble, self-sacrificial human—she knows those things are true, so she chooses to love him and sacrifice for him, against all odds and hard circumstances. We’d all like to be the kind of people who can do that, so that’s why she’s a good example.

Another example!

Belle’s One of Us

We can all relate to feeling lonely, and out of place. To feeling like we want what we see in stories—adventure, big, epic lives—and then finding out that what we really want is the thing that makes those stories worthwhile: love, simple and plain. Love that sees our inner world and meets us there.

She has these tiny moments of trying to talk to people about what she’s really excited and passionate about in her stories, but people who can only see the work and day-to-day in front of their noses don’t get it. She’s charmed and excited by things that are charming, like dancing silverware. She rages to herself about annoying suitors while she does her chores. She’s afraid of things that make sense to be afraid of, like hungry wolves and horrifying beasts. And she misses her father, even when she’s living the storybook adventure she’s always dreamed of, and she isn’t afraid to show it.

AND

Belle’s Superheroic Character

Belle has this almost-unattainable, inspiring character trait of self-sacrifice. She’s read books about heroes her whole life. She’s dreamt of freedom and adventure. But she gives it all up for her father, and sacrifices her independence, her home, her only source of love, to be like the heroes in her storybooks, even though she’s done nothing deserving of that fate. And considering her relationship with Gaston, we know that what she’s really giving up is every dream and every love to live with her worst nightmare—chained to a tyrant who’s cruel and self-focused.

But she does it anyway. And she doesn’t stop there. She makes the most of her situation—not by breaking her word and trying to get free, but by being willing to see that there’s more to that self-focused tyrant than she originally thought. By believing, once he shows her that he has enough good in him to save her life, that that good can be coaxed out and strengthened, and even loved. She’s this high ideal of self-sacrifice at every decision she makes.

I could add to this post with every single Disney Princess from Snow White to Moana, but I don’t have to. You guys know what I mean! The Disney Princesses have hearts that are everything we wish we could be—and because they’re also relatable humans, they make us believe that we could one day have the same hearts, too.

It’s never about their ability to sing, or have tiny waists, or big eyes, or healing hair and freezing powers and magic mermaid voices. It’s about their strength of character.

#Disney princess #Disney princesses #character analysis #characters #analysis #meta #film analysis #earth and the beast #the little mermaid #tangled #Snow White #Cinderella #faith #sleeping beauty #Moana #princess and the frog #Disney #the real Disney

[purgemarchlockdown]

Let's Keep It Simple: Power Dynamics in Milgram

(CWs: Ableism, Abuse, Bullying, Unhealthy Power Dynamics)

(This is partially me putting this post and this post together and partially a more cleanly written version of the ideas discussed in this reblog chain and partially additional thoughts after both.)

(Big thanks to: Tsuwmya, Tired-and-unslimed, Archivalofsins and Clownsalot for contributing to the original chain and making this thing much bigger than it would of been otherwise)

(Also big thanks to: Roseofcards90, 1moremilgramenjoyer, Tsuwmya, Tokyogruel and milgram-side-blog for reading this!)

When talking about heroism and the ideas associated with them, it's easy to focus on the altruistic and selfless aspects of it. The ideal of a brave hero selflessly protecting the innocent is an appealing one.

And there's nothing Inherently wrong with wanting to help people! It's good to help people instead of giving up on them. However, being a hero is an ideal, one that no one could live up to without destroying themselves in the process. And the ideal of heroism practiced by the characters in Milgram isn't fully altruistic.

When you are defining your entire sense of self through heroism, you are incentivized to find (or Create) people who are Weaker than you to Validate that sense of self. It's self-serving in a way, this isn't coming from a genuine want to help but a want to feel in power.

Let's consider Yuno's reaction to her voting in T2.

(Yuno T2 VD)

Yuno: Ah, yes yes. Well, this is going to be purely—purely—personal opinion but…I find those kinds of assumptions preachy and unpleasant! They’re worthless! Arbitrarily deciding that I’m pitiable. Arbitrarily making up a backstory for me. Creating a personally idealized version of me. Creating an acceptable version of me. They really exist, you know, those kinds of people. And in particular, those kinds of people…won’t do anything for me.

When you pity someone you implicitly assume they are weaker than You, and are unable to help themselves in any meaningful way. Not only that but Yuno is upset at the creation of a version of her that is "idealized." A version of her that is the easiest to sympathize and pity.

It's dehumanizing in a way. Yuno is being projected onto like an Object, instead of being treated as a person. Her agency is being removed for the sake of an easier narrative. Something more convenient to the people around her.

This is an idea Yuno is intimately familiar with, as she's been repeatedly selling different versions of herself to different people. She gives a version of herself those people Want from her. Yuno dislikes being pitied and infantilized like this. She chose to do this, whether if it was a bad decision or not is Different from if Yuno has agency. Which she does.

Milgram's saviors tend to fall into this trap. They don't believe the person on the other side has any agency, they don't trust in that person's ability to interact with the world, and they don't trust in that person's judgement. There is a Fundamental Lack of Respect here for the person being saved.

Which leads us to Shidou Kirasaki.

A Cozy Coffin

I have a lot of strong feelings about Shidou. There's a lot about him that remains mysterious and a lot of him I simply do not trust. However something I am sure about is Shidou's lack of care for the people he tries to save and his Unwillingness to change in the face of that.

Shidou Kirasaki's care is self-serving, it reflects in his medical career and it reflects in how he treats the people around him. He even says it himself, he's selfish.

(Aesculapius)

Shidou: Es-kun. I’ve killed a lot of people. Like I previously told you in the interrogation, I’ve killed for selfish reasons as well. So…

And while Shidou is admittedly unreliable as he Wants to be voted unforgiven. T2 Shidou wants to stay innocent, because he's important, more important than anyone else.

That’s right, there’s justice that needs saving See, indispensable, I’m indispensable

Shidou believes in his own importance, he believes he contributes something useful to the prison.

T1Q1: Why did you choose your current workplace? Because I thought it'd let me contribute to society.

And while he Is a doctor and Is Important, he tends to dismiss people who he thinks are weaker than him or who contribute Less in his eyes.

If it’s not needed, I’m not interested

“Throw down”, someone’s value Cannot be the same as another “Throw down” should choose between superiority or inferiority

There are people who are Inferior and people who are Superior, and he has the ability to choose who is who. But when people who are Inferior do contribute something to him in some way, he diminishes and erases their agency they have because he believes himself to Know Better.

20/06/13

Shidou: I…… I just don’t understand. If everything about MILGRAM is true…… why did a child like you have to become a murderer? Just imagining what sort of circumstances must have led to that, it makes me so sad…… Amane: ……*sigh*. Is that right. I don’t think I’m going to get along with you, Shidou-san. I don’t agree with the fact you refuse to acknowledge that I have my own free will, and that I should be held accountable for my actions, just because I’m a child. I may have only been alive for 12 years, but all the choices I’ve made, even if they weren’t the best ones, were entirely my own. What point is there in you getting sad when I have no regrets myself? ……please give me back my test. It seems you don’t have the concentration levels required to be my teacher. I’m going to get Kotoko-san to teach me instead. Shidou: Amane…… I don’t think that’s true. However smart you may be…… you’re still just a child.

While we know for a fact that Amane's actions were influenced by her familial situation, that isn't what Amane is criticizing here. What she Is criticizing is what we did to Yuno in T1. He invented an idealized backstory for Amane without knowing Anything about her except that she's in Milgram with everyone else. And while that is a concern, the choices she made were her Own, independent of whether or not she had a tragic backstory.

But Shidou doesn't Acknowledge that, because acknowledging that there is a level of agency in her actions would complicate the narrative. It be much easier for him to help if it wasn't complicated.

Shidou was a father. He's projecting onto Amane here, and also does the same to Es. He misses his children, but he doesn't treat Amane and Es in a respectful manner. Something that damages his relationship with the both of them.

(Molech)

Shidou: I don’t know what circumstances you face while guarding this prison nor the reason as to why you’re doing it, but I’m sure that it must take a toll on you emotionally as well. So, please do your best. [pats head] Es: [is shook] I see. Oh, I see now. So, that’s how it is. So, that’s how it’s gonna be. [deep breaths] Shidou: Hm? Es? Es: Don’t you dare… pat my head like that! [kicks] Shidou: [grunts] Please hold on for a second.

Shidou knows Es very little, he's intruding on their personal space here all because their a child that he pities. He's projecting his parental feelings onto them when they Clearly don't want it because he gets something out of it.

However that isn't all, Shidou Kirasaki is a man trapped in the past, unable to move on in any way. He's trapped in this eternal cycle of grief and regret.

He's constantly searching for a past he can't return to, a future that will remain static and unchangeable.

T1Q16: What is the definition of happiness? A: To be promised an unchanging tomorrow.

You might wonder how this relates to Saviors and for that I need to talk about:

The Girl Prince

It's hard not to talk about saviors in Milgram without mentioning Kotoko. Her story centers around the concept of heroism and what that really means and involves.

Her story covers a lot of what we discussed with Shidou. Kotoko believes herself to be more powerful than the people she considers weaklings, someone who knows better than them and can make the "right" decisions.

Kotoko: From the beginning I’ve never asked for your understanding! My actions, one by one, are bringing earth closer to peace. Useless Weaklings should just shut up and let me protect them!

Kotoko also puts a lot of importance on power and usefulness. As seen above with "useless weaklings," and she also especially values physical power. How else are you supposed to protect people after all?

T1Q4: When did you start learning martial arts? A: In elementary school, perhaps. Without enough power, you can't enforce justice and do the right thing, can you?

Kotoko believes in a worldview with a hierarchical power structure, there are people who are Strong Useful People who protect the Weaker Useless People. Which reflects back into the ableism she exhibits with both Haruka and Mikoto.

Kotoko Birthday (12/15/2023)

Kotoko: Fufufu, fufufufufu. You’re thinking some outrageous things. To be frank, it’s abnormal.

Kotoko Birthday (12/15/2022)

Kotoko: Hm. The border between the two is getting a lot vaguer. Your entire existence is a crime. And I will see you’re punished for it.

While this attitude towards disability and mental disorders and illnesses come from how she views the world around her using the lens of strength and power. But that isn't the only thing.

Kotoko isn't as revolutionary as she portrays herself to be. While she believes that the world Needs to change, she still believes in the structures and hierarchies of it. Notably when she interacts with Es she doesn't criticize Milgram's practices, but instead joins up with them and uses Violent Force to keep people in line.

(I would mention something from her T2 VD here if it wasn't spoilers but there's a scene there that I find interesting, again I won't mention it but I do have it in my mind.)

Kotoko is someone who wants to put the Good People in charge and keep the Bad People away. She wants to anoint a "chosen hero," someone who's "good" in her eyes, someone who she can trust and believe in fully to make the "right" decisions. It's a worldview In Favor of keeping things the same, it's just that someone else should be running it.

Kotoko's worldview is notably immature, it's black and white and lacks a lot of nuance. But she's unwilling to change.

Once again, it's Easier to be a savior if the world is simple. There's no nasty complication getting in the way of the fantasy of being a hero. If you keep the world stuck in a static position then it's easier for it to aid in the Fantasy of being a savior.

And again, this behavior doesn't stem from a genuine want to help people, but a need to validate one's own identity, and to feel like they have power over something.

(Task)

Kotoko: Yes. I hate evil. Hurting innocent people with violence, taking away from others, killing people… I hate all this evil behaviour! The law being unable to judge some sins, there's too many of these cases in this world. Having clearly bullied and torturing the weak, but exploiting loopholes in laws, there's so many sinners who still live in such a carefree manner! Even though I want to change this world, I alone only have this much power.

It's important that things don't change, if they do then you'd have to acknowledge that the world is more complicated than they Want it to be. It's important that you will Always be the hero and that there are Always going to people who need saving.

Or, on the flipside, no matter what you do. You will stay the pitied and loved victim forever.

Good Boy Girl

Haruka Sakurai is a character who is Undeniably trapped in the past.

If with one click, and I can reset everything

He wants to become a good boy again, he wants to be given the same attention he was given in the past, and he projects his mother onto Es and Later Muu.

He's idealized the past so much that he's become submerged in it.

However while Haruka Wants to stay the victim, he wants to stay powerless and pitiful, he really isn't. A tension that often gets played with within his trial. Haruka is able to harm people and threatens Es in Trial 2. First with the idea that he can kill them and then with his life to Guilt Es into forgiving Muu.

I will keep on killing to be a good boy

Haruka Sakurai isn't Weak, but wants to be so he can be loved and adored by the people around him. Because if he isn't perceived as a threat but as someone that can be projected onto without any worry, then he could be loved.

I wanted to be a pitied and loved weakling

However, we do actually have an example of a character who Is Weak, and who is pitied and loved because of that. Who uses her failures and faults to gain power only for it to stumble out of her grasp time and time again because of it.

Muu Kusunoki Fails. A lot. I see a common interpretation of her after It's Not My Fault is Muu as the master manipulator, but if she was she wouldn't be here. She would still be the queen, eating honey like nothing was wrong.

But she isn't anymore, she fell from grace even before she attacked Rei.

Muu isn't Special, she isn't Powerful. But she is Pitiful, and she uses that pity to gain sympathy and affection from others. Muu Needs to stay the Victim if she wants to be cared for, so she always tries to position herself even when she hurts people.

(Crying B)

Muu: Hey… Prison guard, when you say “I”… Who are you talking about? Es: [breaking down]  Muu: Prison guard? Es: [stumbles]  Muu: Prison guard. What’s wrong? Prison guard! [shakes Es] Hey! Prison guard! Es: Shut up! Don’t touch me! Muu: [cries] You’re so cruel… I… Even though I was just worried about you… [cries again] I can’t take it anymore. I hate you, prison guard! 

If she stays the victim and keeps people's sympathy on her, then she doesn't have to worry at all about people turning on her or hurting her. It's a Service, she acts pitiful, and the people who help her can feel good about doing a Good Thing.

Even if they do eventually turn on her, she can just play victim and hope they stop. Maybe attack their self-esteem as well to really make sure they don't think harder about it.

(Queen B)

M: But if you were like, “I won’t forgive you, Muu! Revenge is bad!,” then wouldn’t that imply that it’s also bad for me to bully someone back after they bullied me? Since we’ve all done something bad anyway, doesn’t that mean that I’ve not done anything wrong in the end? E: …I think I’m kinda… starting to get your point… maybe… M: … Warden-san, are you maybe not that intelligent, after all…?

She's using Es' feelings of uncertainty and lack of knowledge to manipulate them into doing what she wants, but she isn't that Good at it. Muu could keep more ground if she continued to play more passive and timid. But instead she acts more aggressive and carefree.

The thing about Muu's strategy is that if She Stops Being Pitiful, it Stops Working. Muu can't let herself be Happy or Confident or otherwise because then she won't be pitiful enough to people. If she does, she gets knocked off her throne and sent back to square one.

Muu is a deeply cyclical character. She cycles from pitiful to queenly and back over and over again. Not only that but when everything is structured through the lens of who's stronger and who's weaker, then you are encouraged to push other people down for your own gain.

Her environment exists as a place where healthy relationships are Discouraged. Because if a relationship doesn't give you anything then you have no use for it.

Muu: Isn’t it exactly because he’s my friend? Isn’t friendship about letting your friends do the things they want? … Are you about to tell me “that’s not what friendship is”? Then what is friendship? You’re together because it’s beneficial for everyone involved, aren’t you?

Conclusion

There's a lot of ways to read these dynamics I think. Tsumi brings up the Karpman's Triangle over here and archivalofsins is working on a post based around TIV. And I can't really put every single facet of a character into this dynamic neatly.

But that's also kinda the point. As stated above, the lack of change and simplicity is important to this dynamic. Its resistant to change and resistant to growth. And any sort of attempt to function outside of it is a threat to it. These mindsets and hierarchies are dangerous because there strict and unchanging, and the deeper your in, the harder it is to get out.

The roles being played here turn people into one dimensional archetypes rather than People. Their motivations, circumstances and personality disappear to fit a convenient narrative of saviors and victims. 

It's also much easier to become powerless than to gain power. Muu tried and failed to gain power, while Fuuta was punished and left powerless. It's not a balanced dynamic at all, it lifts up a few people and leaves the rest to rot. But the people who are “stronger” now have to somehow fulfill a role with standards too high to reach. No one wins here, because it's so highly destructive and damaging, and I find the way Milgram interrogates it to be really intriguing.

#milgram #yuno kashiki #shidou kirisaki #muu kusunoki #fuuta kajiyama #kotoko yuzuriha #milgram analysis #milgram meta

[flight-of-the-sacred-eagle]

So, I’m still yelling about Sonic Prime season 2. It’s. So fucking good?

And not just because someone on the writing team 100% ships Sonadow because, holy crap, so much of that episode feels shippy.

So, full disclosure. Shadow is my favorite Sonic character. Ever since I saw him in Heroes I loved him. As a kid I didn’t notice the real “constantly shifting character” thing. Now, having played almost every major 3d Sonic game (I didn’t play Forces and refused to play Boom), having watched shows like Sonic X and Sonic Prime (again, I stayed away from Boom but I’ve heard it’s amazing), I think it’s obvious that he gets wildly mischaracterized.

He’s angsty, yes. I mean, he watched his child best friend/sister get shot to death in front of him when he was… five (Look, he’s simultaneously Sonic’s age, over 50, and like five- his age is an enigma), that would make anyone angsty. But he’s also genuinely caring, even if he rarely shows it.

Look no further than 06 when he accidentally releases Mephelis because he picks up Rogue to move her away, or when he intercepts Silver so Sonic can go save Elise. He’s actively saved the world three times- SA2, Shadow the Hedgehog, and 06, with him sacrificing his life in his first appearance. And let’s not forget how he genuinely seemed upset in 06 when Sonic died.

Actually, 06 is the best characterization of Shadow since his introduction. And it can basically all be summed up in his own words. “If the whole world chooses to turn against me, then I’ll fight like I always have.”

He’s brooding. He’s harsh. He’s proud and independent. But by god will he fight to the death for what is right. He cares about people, but he uses actions not words.

Now, what does this have to do with Sonic Prime? Well, this is probably the best characterization of Shadow they’ve ever done. He’s still broody and much more reserved, but everything he’s doing is selfless. He’s not beating up Sonic just because.

He’s beating up Sonic because he, rightfully in my mind, sees Sonic as a threat to his world. He isn’t trying to prevent Sonic from saving the world, he’s basically trying to put him in time out for ruining the world.

This is more than proven when he not only realizes that he can’t do something, but he also realizes that the only way to fix everything is to work together. And he actively admit that. Reluctantly, yes, but he says they need to work together.

He’s still angry and is currently furious at Sonic, but… he kind of has the right to be. Interestingly, he actually spoke to Sonic before fighting him (which, side note, was animated amazingly).

And let’s not forget his cockiness. It’s done perfectly. He’s not taking it too far like Sonic tends to do, but him being a smug little shit is great. And I think it really helps to show the dynamic he and Sonic have because he’s just. Not like that around other characters.

Without using words, they managed to show that, despite the fighting that’s happening, there’s a bond between Sonic and Shadow. One that can only be forged by fighting to save the world side by side.

I think it’s also important to mention that Shadow clearly was enjoying his fight with Sonic. Probably because it’s the most normal thing he’s experienced in forever. His friends are gone. Green Hill is gone. The chaos emerald is gone (though I have a suspicion that it’s going to come back at some point. It fell into the void for a reason and that void was shown for a reason. My bet is that they’re going to need to enter the void at some point). He’s trapped in limbo.

Fighting Sonic is a constant. One he desperately needs.

I know I’ve been rambling but for the first time in over a decade, they’ve gotten Shadow’s personality perfectly. Makes me wonder if the writers, or at least some of them, played SA2 growing up. After all… it’s been long enough since he was introduced that the target audience for SA2 when it was released would be old enough to work for the SEGA team.

It also makes me crazy excited for the third Sonic movie. I know they’re different writers, but they have hit the nail on the head with each character, and if a different show can characterize Shadow that well… maybe Sega is relaxing their iron grip on him and allowing him to actively shine.

Also that scene with Shadow falling to the void and Sonic sounding genuinely panicked was amazing. You can tell he was getting SA2 flashbacks. Someone likened the scene to Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man watching MJ fall in No Way Home and catching her when he couldn’t catch Gwen, and yeah. The emotional impact seems to be the same.

Sonic couldn’t save Shadow then, but he can save him now.

Just… go watch Prime if you haven’t. Sonic fans have been treated well these past few years and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

#sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonic prime #Sonic #shadow #sonadow #sonic prime spoilers

[doverstar]

Even 1991's Hook showed that Jack and Peter fell for the allure of Neverland while Maggie never forgot and just wanted to go home. Implying, the way 2003's Peter Pan outright said, girls are much too clever. Disney is stomping all over this story.

Listen to me, Hook is a genius Peter Pan adaptation/reimagining. In so many ways. I know as a film, it apparently had its disappointments, but just speaking as a Peter Pan fan (of the book and the play), whatever Jim Hart/Nick Castle were doing when they were making story decisions for that movie, it worked. I could gush.

I'm going to gush. This is going to be long. If you like Peter Pan, keep reading.

Disney is stomping all over the story with their new movie in so many ways. And Peter Pan 2003 is an almost one-to-one, 108% accurate adaptation of the original book/play, so I'm gonna talk about that in regards to Hook- First of all, yes, the whole Maggie thing is SO smart and SO accurate to how Barrie chose to portray women in general in the original story. All the major female characters have their silly, petty, foolish moments like real women of all ages do, yes, but when Barrie portrays what's naturally good about good women, he knocks it out of the park. Wendy is selfless and compassionate, Tink dies for someone she loves, Mrs. Darling is a graceful nurturer and her husband's rock. Like, when Barrie uses Peter to say "girls are too clever to fall out of their prams", that's not just Peter being manipulative, that's the kind of thing Barrie really thought about females. It's in all of his plays and all of his books. He doesn't ignore women's general faults, but he does love to showcase why it's not good for man to be alone. In the original story, when you're in the Neverland, the longer you stay there, the less you remember of your life on the mainland. John and Michael just totally forget they ever had real parents and start acting like Wendy, who is playing pretend, is their only mother figure. Wendy is realizing she's forgetting real life too, and makes it a nightly thing to tell all the boys the same story - of how they got to Neverland and how they're eventually gonna go back, and why, and how their real mother specifically will always be waiting for them and she has no doubt about that because that's real love. And that's what Hook is about, second of all. Peter forgets who he used to be as a child, and it's actually normal for Peter to forget important things - finite memory in an infinite existence - but this is him forgetting who he is. And that's a big deal because he forgets not only what it was like to be young and what he personally was missing (parents, a family, the gaping hole in his magical life that created a lack of consistent real love), but he forgets what made him as a character the hero of the story. As sword-fighting leader of the Lost Boys, Peter Pan was confident, honorable, and unafraid.

This is who Peter Pan is. He's selfish and arrogant and kind of a butt sometimes (like little boys often are) but the thing that makes him special isn't that he can fly or never age (though those things are cool). The other Lost Boys can fly and don't age, either, in the original story. Peter is a born leader. Peter protects the Lost Boys. Peter doesn't kill a pirate while he's sleeping; he waits for the guy to wake up. Peter won't strike Hook while he's unarmed and tries to help him up onto solid ground in the middle of a fight before continuing the duel because that's the right thing. Peter won't keep a girl in Neverland against her will. Peter lets the kite take Wendy to safety and sits wounded on a rock alone, waiting to die without being scared. Peter Pan is a hero. Peter Banning forgot all of that. Peter Banning doesn't remember what it's like to be young, or to want parents, or to crave real love. He doesn't remember that to die will be an awfully big adventure. He's terrified of death. He's terrified of heights. He's scared of everything. He doesn't protect his kids or care about their interests or watch when they're putting on a play or attend a single baseball game or spend any time with them at all. The one thing Peter Pan had to be forever barred from, Peter Banning got to have - a family - and he forgets what it feels like not to have that and neglects them. So Jack gets to Neverland and is scared (and manipulated by pirates, the thing his great-grandmother before him went through and never fell for), and he's spent his young life craving the attention and affection of his workaholic Peter Banning dad and never gets it, literally watches Peter give up on saving him and Maggie because he's too scared (Peter Pan never gave up) and that hurts, so of course he starts forgetting who he is and where he came from because that's easier and he's his father's son. But Maggie!! is Wendy's great-granddaughter!!! and like the other women in the Peter Pan canon, she doesn't forget for one second who she is or where they came from or what's important, and she knows the pirates are bad and Peter is good, and she knows her family loves her, and she knows her dad loves her, and even though she watched Peter give up too, she begs Jack not to forget and tries actively to remind him of the truth. She rejects the pirate life. She never loses faith. She's just a little kid but she's polite and she's a good girl and she won't do what mommy said not to even in Neverland. Wendy wrote "dirty pig" on the greasy windows of the Jolly Roger because she wasn't scared of pirates and she was disgusted that grown men never took care of business on that ship and it was filthy. Maggie is cut of the same cloth, just much younger on her first trip to Neverland.

LisTEN. There are no girls in the Lost Boys because GIRLS in the Peter Pan canon have something that little boys don't right away, because girls are different from boys. Girls are naturally more in touch with emotions. Girls are often (not always) more mature. They understand things little boys sometimes (not always) don't understand. Girls are sometimes (not always) smarter than boys in certain areas. Girls are much too clever to fall out of their prams, and girls don't forget what's important and that they must grow up someday, and girls - mothers - will always keep the window open for their children. There are no girls in the Lost Boys! DEAL WITH IT. It's OKAY.

Hook is amazing. It takes little details in the margins and paragraphs of Barrie's story and incorporates them in this one zany film. It takes some of the clearest messages and themes in the book and yells it through a megaphone. "Don't forget the great things about being a child! Don't forget what true love is! Don't forget why it's necessary to grow up! Don't forget what's bad about staying a kid forever! Grow up, but keep the childlike faith and the childlike confidence and remember what kids need, and give those things to your own children!"

Hook says this stuff with Tootles. It says it with Rufio. It says it with Jack and with Maggie in two different outcomes. It says it most of all with Peter. 

I LOVE HOOK. I watch it all the time, especially on rainy days. I will die on this hill. Go watch it. It's on HBO Max and you can watch it free right here with no ads you're welcome, and I myself own two copies of it on DVD just in case. 

Thank you for listening and drop me a line with your own thoughts if you have any; I don't want to be rambling in a vacuum XD

#peter pan #peter banning #j.m. barrie #barrie #Peter Pan 2003 #hook #hook 1991 #wendy #wendy darling #peter and wendy #peter pan 2003 #rufio #captain hook #james matthew barrie #darling pan #john darling #michael darling #peter #opinion piece #doverstar's thoughts #doverstar's favorite story #asked #answered #anon #anonymous #disney #disney plus #disney + #disney+ #disney peter pan

[comradekatara]

you know what, I don’t like seeing ppl call katara “selfless.” it feels like such a misreading of her character in such a fundamental way. yes, katara will do anything she can to help others, but she has never once put herself second. everything she does is in her own interest first and foremost, including when she is actively being compassionate. being kind and helpful is not inherently a selfless act!

katara has never in the show chosen to make a sacrifice for the sake of the greater good. the closest she gets is telling aang that his training under pakku is more important than protesting the north’s traditions, and even then that lasts all of half a day before she snaps. and the thing is, katara shouldn’t be expected to be selfless. katara should not feel the need to give up more than has already been taken from her.

it is well within her right to act in her own best interest at all times. she’s literally a genocide survivor. so is aang. they should be putting themselves first. so maybe it was “selfish” of aang to not kill ozai. so what? is that somehow a bad thing? they deserve to be selfish.

katara is not selfless, and you know what? good for her. her brother is selfless to the point that he can’t even conceive of himself having worth or deserving to live if he is not serving his role of helping others, and you’re telling me that’s healthy??? that anyone who grew up around such a hollow shell of a boy would ever want to emulate that??? fuck no!!!!!!!!

katara knows her worth, and that is fundamental to what makes her so amazing and admirable, what makes her such a great role model to both viewers and the characters within the show, such as aang, who see themselves in her, and learn from her never to compromise who they are in the process of being a hero.

#katara #hot takes #aang #sokka #it’s such xtian martyr bullshit to assume that selflessness > putting yourself & your needs first #what makes katara amazing is that she ISNT selfless and still manages to be a compassionate revolutionary regardless! #that’s rly important actually!!!!!!!! #pls read some nietszche or smth before equating compassion w self-negation again dear god

[pilot-boi]

In the Twin AU, did Jaune make the transcripts or did he buy them? If he made them, does he think it's because he is Raven's son? Did Raven ever check on him? How does Jaune deal with the fact his mother is a bandit? Does he feel like he has something to prove because of it, even more so than before? Does he and Yang team up in finding their mother?

He bought them (as I assume he did in canon) mostly because all the enthusiasm in the world isn’t going to make him able to know what kind of stuff will need to show up on a Combat School transcript. Boy didn’t even know what Aura was

When he finds out, Jaune does wonder if the fact that his first instinct was to break the law to get what he wanted was because of Raven

He… to put it mildly he doesn’t deal well

Jaune has always thought that the Grimm attack that led to him being adopted by the Arcs was caused by bandits, so he very much hates them. People who steal and hurt those who can’t defend themselves just because they can?

Jaune’s always wanted to be a hero, like his father and his grandfather, someone who protects people. He pretty much thinks bandits are the worst kind of people on the planet

So when he finds out that not only is his birth mother a bandit, but the LEADER of the most notorious bandit tribe in the country? And that it’s HER FAULT his family’s village was attack by Grimm?

Yeah. Boy is going through it, especially after realizing that since he cheated his way in he’s no better than she is

He’s wrong of course, but since when has Jaune ever given himself any slack in the self-blame department?

So in this Jaune really doubles down on trying to prove that he’s NOT like Raven, that he’s a good person, that his friends can trust him. Boy overcompensates a lot in the following months, becoming selfless to a fault before his friends knock him out of it

#rwby #jaune arc #raven branwen #anonymous #mine #asks #twins au

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Something I dislike about Chloe’s damnation is how her good actions never have that “selfish” part of them

My main examples is Zombisue and Queen wasp

She sacrificed herself to save ladybug and apologizes at the end, saving ladybug is selfless since she genuinely trusts ladybug will save them all (LIKE CHAT NOIR DOES, she’s doing the same chat does and is meant to and she doesn’t gain anything from apologizing since she already looks good in ladybug’s eyes for saving her

And in queen wasp she knows she’ll won’t be getting the miraculous back but she gives it up because of her devotion to ladybug

If the writers wanted to make her seem evil and selfish they would have given her something to gain out of this situations like money or fame, not the sympathy of her idol, is like the writers don’t know how to make actions have a selfish intentions to them and it shows with Marinette

Marinette has done this multiple times (for example she goes to Shanghai under the excuse of following Adrien which is extremely selfish) and the writers never seem to notice

I once read a fanfic called “bad for business” about a side villain of a show (which show ain’t important) not joining the main villains which invade he’s territory and basically plan to destroy the whole place.

The villain constantly makes deals and promises with selfish goals knowing full well most of he’s Allie’s might end up weakened, in Jail or dead at the end, and everything he does is selfish even if they aren’t flat out evil (I will help them in this turf war so they will help ME in this turf war, I will give them valuable information so they will destroy our mutual enemies for ME, I will kill this terrorist so I can frame it for the murder of another goon I murdered)

And the fan fic makes this clear every single scene, he does have good traits like caring for he’s partner and trying (emphasis on trying) to console a girl (which would have been he’s enemy in the canon show) after the two think a friend of hers died in front of their eyes but even till the end it’s shown how he’s never done a single selfless thing in the whole history and that’s why despite everything he did on the fic and what he wanted to achieve and by the means he did, he still rooted for him, because he was evil and nothing was hiding it (specially not the writer)

Meanwhile miraculous doesn’t know the difference between a selfish and selfless action, a fanfic does something better than miraculous, a fanfic of a series far worse than miraculous is more aware of good and evil than a children’s show

God I love ranting about miraculous mistakes and double standards

I feel like the writers have no idea what an anti-hero is, because characters are either completely perfect and can do no wrong, or they're complete monsters who are pure evil.

The show tries to write characters like Chloe, Gabriel, and Felix in a morally gray light, yet the writers always try to either downplay their actions or act like they've been good from the start.

The whole point of writing an anti-hero is that it allows you to explore stories in a way that differ from the usual moral paragons people are used to seeing in superhero media. These kind of characters usually find ways to accomplish their goals that don't allign with the beliefs we have. It makes us think about whether the ends justify the means, or how thin is the line between being a hero and being a villain.

But this show doesn't do that sort of thing. When a character does something, it's either good or bad, no matter the consequences it has. I'm not saying we need complex writing on the same level as Breaking Bad for this show, but if they're going to try and discuss topics like redemption for past deeds, you need to draw a line and show what kind of things are okay to do, what things aren't okay to do, and why actions are viewed in a certain way.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #chloe bourgeois #queen bee #queen b #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #hawk moth #monarch #felix graham de vanily #argos

[mdhwrites]

Is Amity a Good Person?

This is not if she's a well written character. A judgement of that is a part of this but the bigger point is just: Is Amity a 'good' person? Does she appear to actually care about others? Does she choose selflessness over selfishness? Etc. etc.

And part of this is going to be subjective. To some people, not being mean is enough to make someone nice. Other people will ask for a bit more, especially out of a fictional character. Hell, you can even see it with most fictional parties. The lancer character who is meant to contrast against the hero is usually a pretty dickish person but you might still call them good because even if they're cursing while doing it, they are still putting their life at risk in order to save a town or the like. Meanwhile, you probably wouldn't call Vegeta a nice person, even by the time of Dragon Ball Super because he is still mostly selfish, even once he's explicitly no longer trying t get stronger regardless of the consequences to others.

So what does Amity do that is actually nice?

...

........

Oh, were you expecting me to start listing things she does? Because I have bad news for you.

See, one hang up I have with going "Amity always wanted to be a good person and so even if she loses her drive, motivation, etc. she gains the personality of a good person," is that Amity doesn't do fucking anything to earn that. She isn't unpleasant. After S1, she isn't trying to murder people or actively bullying people but like... Cool, you upgraded from Mega Bitch to Background character. Why do you claim that's a new personality instead of the death of one?

Because being a 'good person' is actually more complicated than just not being an asshole. Being nice to your friends? Of course you're nice to your friends. You care about them (put a pin in it). Noticing when your partner is in pain and wanting to help them? You supposedly love that person, much like why you might be nice to family, so OF COURSE, you put in a little extra effort.

A good person, at least in a narrative, doesn't need the excuse. They help because it is the right thing to do and then their personality dictates how they go about doing so. Maybe they write wiki pages to share their knowledge in a free way so people can benefit from it. Maybe they help out at a soup kitchen because it gives them a chance to be more directly kind and they have the time for it. Or maybe it's just that when they see someone who is potentially having problems, they risk whatever it may lead to be asking this complete stranger if they're okay.

Amity doesn't do this. In fact, as far as actually giving a shit about anyone other than Luz, she's AWFUL at it. Hunter is her kindest moment to a theoretical stranger in the series but it is still characterized by her being suspicious, judgemental and not giving him a chance until the dude is suicidal and has drawn a dozen parallels between them. Even then, she does it as part of mimicking Luz, at least with the joke she immediately makes of how 'this always works for Luz'. Then you have poor fucking Willow. This is a girl that Amity abused, especially for her powerlessness and helplessness, for YEARS. Amity even knows explicitly why Willow should hate her. What her crimes are. But... Then 'good person' Amity, showing 'care' for her friend, treats her as powerless after having thought she didn't need to do shit to be allowed to come to Willow for advice (Labyrinth Runner and Falls and Follies respectively). That is TOTALLY someone who always just wanted to be a good person and is dedicating themselves to that instead of any of their old dreams and desires.

The only person or thing she puts any effort into post S1 is Luz. She doesn't care about anyone else besides that. Belittle Eda for not focusing on taking of Luz in a tangible way during Eclipse Lake? Check. Feel justified to give marching orders to literally everyone in the house just because she's Luz's girlfriend during that same episode? Check. Including Willow, who she has done NOTHING to make up for at this point? Check. Hell, even further: Not give a fuck about stopping Boscha while Luz could just step out of the splash zone around Willow during Winging it Like Witches? OF COURSE NOT. She only gets involved once Boscha's only focus is going to be on Luz.

That. Is not. A good person. Not if the only people who matter are those she deems are worthy of mattering. Changing from actively crushing those other people to just being entirely indifferent to them and their plights is not as a big of a deal as you all seem to think it is, not for it to become the only defining trait of a character's personalities and motivations.

Are they evil? Bad? No. But anything beyond nice is giving such a character a LOT of credit. A rogue isn't Robin Hood just because they only steal from the rich. If they're still lining only their pockets and the pockets of their friends with their thievery, they're still selfish and self centered, they just have code. That's called Lawful Neutral, or Lawful Evil, in D&D for a reason. Not any form of good.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #toh #the owl house #amity

[sombredancer]

How to be a more interesting character than the Main Hero (Pt.1)

Introduction

I think the best cdrama of 2023 for me is MJTY. It has got a perfect picture, a very unusual and catching atmosphere and a plenty of handsome men and beautiful women. And some problems with the male lead. Although the main hero of MJTY is formally Gong Ziyu, his character falls apart if you look at him a little bit closer: he is extremely naïve but at the end is unbelievable sly, he needs to grow up but everyone around indulges him his childish behavior and helps him like deus ex machina, so he is some kind of Marty Stu and his story is quite boring. But MJTY contains the secondary male lead, Gong Shangjue, and I have watched MJTY only because of him.

First of all, his entering the story looks like one of someone important: a viewer can`t see him firstly, but through some dialogues we already know that: • he is a great warrior who is in charge of Gong clan affairs outside the mansion;

• his arrogant didi admires him (unlike he is towards their other cousin, the Main Hero);

• and a higher rank assassin aims him as her target.

When he arrives, his appearance is arrogant and cold, and a viewer understands: there is a Main Hero`s rival.

But the second impression of him is totally different: he is obedient to the elders, values his didi as much as didi values him and is hard-working.

And at this moment I felt strongly related to him. Everyone fools around instead of work and the only one character who cares for clan affairs is shown to the viewers as some kind of villain! WTF?

Just look at his reaction to Clan Leader`s praise: he is obviously pleased, but the next moment he says that praise is not deserved. During my first watch of the drama I doubted that he is honest in his denying of (even verbal) rewards, but it appeared to be true – he is selfless and does everything to bring wealth and glory to his clan, not to himself. An ideal Chinese drama main hero (even for Chinese censorship), isn`t he?

After a sudden Clan Leader’s death the Main Hero becomes a new Clan Leader which makes Shangjue get frustrated (because MH is really unqualified for this position) and, as a true rival should do in the plot, Shangjue tries to overthrow him. Being a rival, he could use some dirty tricks to achieve his goal, but he does it strictly according to the rules. He searches for evidence, not falsifies it. I paid attention to this fact almost immediately as Shangjue took action and because of that liked him even more.

As a secondary male lead he has got very interesting relationships with his didi (sworn brother/cousin Gong Yuanzhi) and his assassin fiancée (Shangguan Qian), which I would like to analyze in following parts.

#cdrama #my journey to you #yun zhi yu #云之羽 #cheng lei #gong shangjue #丞磊 #mjty #gong shang jue #宫尚角 #SDaboutMJTY

[dailyadventureprompts]

Deity: Bahamut the Martyred Wyrm

He does not answer our prayers, we answer his, the dying plea of a selfless creature who wished only that someone would stand up and care for his people after he had given his last for them.

We Stand for Bahamut,

Would you Stand With us?

The Dragon is dead, but he is remembered. One of the earliest heroes in mortal history, ever bright Bahamut turned against the proscribed order of the world and his very being to fight on behalf of the innocent; Sacrificing himself when it became clear that he had no other means of unseating the tyrant that ruled over them. His actions resound into the present day, somewhere between a folk hero and a saint for many cultures where his story and example have taken on a power all their own, called upon by the fearful and the righteous in their greatest times of need.

There is no one church of the platinum dragon as such, but there are organizations that claim him as their inspiration. Often these temples will feature some local hero or great exemplar that they claim best exemplified Bahamut’s virtues, though these “aspects of the dragon”  vary extremely in their actions, ethos, and representative philosophies.

Since he embodies reckless benevolence, courage in the face of adversity, a willingness to overturn established orders, Bahamut is often seen as the patron of more noble adventuring types, who may too often chafe under the responsibility and goody-two-shoes  reputation the mythic dragon has garnered over the intervening centuries.

Hooks:

If you want to prove yourself daring and brave they say, go up to the shrine of the platinum dragon in the mountains. Make offering and meditate by the altar fires, and by dawn you will know if Bahamut has deemed you worthy or not.   It’s only a few hours into the party’s vigil when the party hear distressed cries and the sounds of the skirmish resonating off the walls of the ravine, likely coming from the river at its mouth. Do they head out into the darkness and abandon their rite, or do they stay put and do as they’ve been told? Given that they’re at the shrine of a god of righteous bravery, the question should not be that hard to come by.

The party receive a glimpse into their possible future as they watch a pair of higher level adventurers brawling on the steps of one of Bahamut’s temples, interrupting the service for their own fallen companion. Once a close knit group of friends, this adventuring party has been sundered by the death of their paladin, a devout of the platinum dragon who gave his life so that the others could escape from a rampaging monster. One of the adventurers, mourning the loss of her best friend screams that the paladin’s sacrifice was stupid, while another won’t hear ill of the dead on the day they’re set to bury him. Some time later, one of the presiding priests will ask the party’s help in reconciling the grieving pair

Descended from a celebrated champion of Bahamut famed for battling a dragon on his own, a noble house has become increasingly arrogant and ambitious, seeing themselves as favored by the dragon god and claiming their ancestor’s virtues as their own. Their hunting of drakes and other minor wyrms has esiclated over time, and now the scion of their house wishes to mount an expedition and hunt a true dragon lairing in the nearby wilderness and he wants the party to help. Whether or not the heroes decide to tag along, the scion manages to give the dragon a nearly mortal wound, only for its mate to show up a few hours later and begin razing the countryside in a fairly justified rage. The party are then faced with a choice of either killing both dragons or playing against type figuring out a way to heal the first of the pair and quell their mates anger.

The tale of Bahamut is one of the oldest, most cherished myths among mortal kind, shared between all folk who believe that good can be done in the face of impossible odds. The legend speaks of a ruthless archon, a domineering celestial that ruled from atop a mountain sized palace, quarried and built for it by the first mortals, whom it had enslaved generation after generation and forced wait upon it and its insatiable greed and hunger.   Bahamut was that archon’s mount, a part of its divine essence sectioned off and given wings, tasked with flying about the archon’s realm looking for any trace of indolence or rebellion. It was in these flights about the realm that Bahamut saw the people’s suffering, and came to understand that he and the archon’s heavenly appointed mission to govern the mortals was incomparable with the tyranny he and his rider had afflicted upon them.

There are many stories of the dragon’s small rebellions, but they all cultivate in a final confrontation between mount and rider, when Bahamut could take no more of his master’s abuses and bore his fangs against it. The two clashed in the palace, on the mountainside, and then in the sky, but neither could best the other, being two halves of the same whole. On the sixth day of their battle, exhausted and desperate and knowing what must be done, Bahamut plunged at the archon, allowing his master to skewer him through with its sword in order to get his teeth into the celestial’s neck, and gripping on with all his might he bore the archon down from the sky and struck the earth like a silvery star.

When the mortals found them in the smoking crater, the archon was dead and the dragon was soon to follow. With what little strength he had left, with his broken teeth still clutched around his master’s neck, Bahamut uttered one final plea: “ It’s up to you now, look after one another, I’m sorry I could not do more”

From the Author: I felt the need to revamp Bahamut because as one of the default “good” gods he felt far too conceptually thin, with everything about him pretty much revolving around being generically benevolent while also being a dragon. With this revamp I specifically wanted to address the nature of heroism, and how heroism as a cultural virtue might be viewed in a setting where adventuring parties are the norm.

#deity #divinity #divinity: heroism #divinity: dragons #divinity: sacrifice #dare #pilgramage #temple #archon #celestial #dragon #diplomacy #Cleric #monster hunt #dnd #dungeons and dragons #d&d #5e

[hugemilkshake]

THANK YOU! THANK YOUU SOO MUCH FOR HEARING MY IDEA!!

OKAYOKAY let's start!

For concept 1

With (Not corrupted!) Beast cookie Reader, I wanted them to be the symbol of selflessness! (Still planning out what ingredient they represent :D)

The reason I chose Selflessness for Y/N in particular is due to how it fits the story! Let's continue

Set from many years ago before the other five corrupted, Y/N is a cookie known for helping others no matter what and travels around More than the others.

(I know it seems like a basic concept but trust!! It fits with the plot since the reason the reader seems more carefree than the other cookies is due to being more isolated from knowing stuff, which is why the witches gave Y/N some tasks the moment they saw some signs of corruption in the others. Now there must be another question, Why only Y/N? In my pov I assumed the beast cookies corrupted at the same time due to each other's influence, and Y/N doing tasks and being the symbol of selflessness makes sense as to why Y/N isn't affected due to not many interactions. You get you get? 😭 Sorry for my bad explanation)

Before the other five got corrupted, Y/N was busy somewhere else, Tending to the witches requests and other cookies from far away.

Which is why in this story Y/N will be unaware of what happened! (Due to the witches fear of Corruption for their last remaining Hero?Beast?Mythical? Cookie, they make sure to not let Y/N know everything about what happened)

After Y/N came back, to be horrified at the sight of destruction everywhere and a mysterious silver tree but before they can ask the surviving cookies about it, the witches came to take Y/N for.. modifications

To prevent corruption in the future they decided to modify Y/N soul jam

Now, What are these modifications?

Here are some examples!!

-Y/N soul jam power relies on the joy/happiness/Gratitude of the cookies they help! (So basically if Y/N does end up being horrible to cookies and hurting them, Y/N powers grow weaker which will be easier for the witches to stop)

-Y/N Soul jam reacts brightly to other soul jams! Which affects the other users Emotions or Temporarily stop the power of their soul jam. (Protocol made by the witches to stun the beast cookies if they escape)

With these modifications to Y/N soul jam and especially telling a different version of the story.

Y/N was back but this time in Earthbread! ( Or basically just not beast yeast 😭) Along with new batches of cookies made by the witches, Y/N continued their duty and travelled everywhere as time progresses with new soul jam holders and more cookies! (Which leads to Y/N being very well known and cookies getting excited whenever Y/N is seen wandering by, looking for cookies who need help)

I have more depth into this but if you wanna ask questions I don't mind! Since I'm not sure if I explained well! But Y/N is the most loyal to the witches especially to a lil young witch! (It was intended to be only five cookies but the witches decided to let the little young witch join in and make her own cookie! This is why Y/N is mostly around the witches and why they werent affected in corruption by the other beast cookies, though.. Y/N does get upset about their friends being gone)

The other version of the story told to Y/N is still in makings! Over all this is a WIP! And I still gotta fix tons of stuff! As this is just a messy summary 😭

I wanted to make a different kind of Beast Reader especially with more depth! Though just remember! This is an idea <3

I actually have another version MWEHEHHEE

This time Y/N is corrupted after some time the other five were sealed, Once Y/N hears the full story from a cookie while others being scared that Y/N will hurt them too, Y/N ran away into hiding and slowly got corrupted overtime blaming themselves for not noticing and more! Which leads to Y/N being corrupted and symbolizing grief.

Entering the area where Y/N ran away, You can sometimes hear the cries echo in the forest/area.

And yeah! That's my ideas so far for beast cookie reader!! In a messy summary 😭

Thank you for listening to this!

I might be around a ton so perhaps if it's fine with you! I'll just be 🍬Anon!! Or Gummy Anon :D

Ooooooo those are some very neat concepts! I will definitely be writing stuff about these concepts!

#crk x reader

[eat-limes-bitches]

Eat-Limes-Bitches’ Bucky Barnes One Shot Masterlist

All of my Bucky x One Shots can be found here!

Snowfall Kind of Love -One Shot- (fluff)

Based on the song Snowfall by Ingrid Michaelson: A quiet snowy evening in the avengers compound with two hopeless romantics.

Nothing I've Ever Known -One Shot- (fluff)

Based on the song Nothing I've Ever Known by Bryan Adams: Falling in love and living in peace is nothing Bucky's ever known.

Let Me Take Care of You -One Shot- (angst, fluff)

When an injury keeps Bucky from sleeping, sometimes he need someone to take care of him so he can start to feel better.  This is for the words written by the sea writing challenge.

Rescue Me -One Shot-  (angst, fluff)

Based on the song Rescue by  Lauren Daigle: Even heroes need rescuing from their own minds sometimes.

What Would I do Without You -One Shot- (fluff)

Based on the song What Would I Do Without You by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors: One quiet morning, Bucky reflects on his love for you and decides to tell you about it.

Do You Notice -One Shot-  (angst, fluff)

Based on the song Please Notice by Christian Leave: When a mission goes wrong and Y/N ends up in the hospital, feelings are revealed and healing begins.

Skin Care and Snuggles -One Shot- (fluff)

When the need for cuddles ends up with Bucky partaking in the readers' skin care routine, fluff follows close behind.

I Guess I’m In Love -One Shot- (fluff)

Based on the song I Guess I’m In Love by  Clinton Kane:  Bucky decided it was now or never to tell her how he really feels.

Night Check -One Shot- (fluff)

A quiet night seemed like a good time for the two boys to come to an understanding.

Bring it on Home -One Shot- (fluff)

Y/N wants to surprise Bucky by coming home early

I Will Always Come When You Call -One Shot-  (angst, fluff)

When reader accidentally calls Bucky, he comes running to find out what’s wrong.

Whispers on the Wind -One Shot- (maybe more idk)  (angst, fluff)

The wind will whisper messages for those who need it the most

A Sky Full of Ghosts -One Shot-  (angst, fluff)

“Did- did I ever tell you that the sky is full of ghosts?” “No, no you didn’t darling. What does that mean?”

Be Brave -One Shot- (Angst, fluff)

On a cold lonely night, Bucky finds something he never expected to.

          -Take a Chance (part 2 to Be Brave)

            Who knew one look could calm the raging storm of his mind.

         - Nowhere Else I’d Rather Be (part 3 to Be Brave)

           Soft blues and sunsets make for the perfect wedding.

Sanctuary -One Shot- (fluff)

We all need a safe place to rest, even when some of us don't believe it

Agape -One Shot- (Angst, fluff)

AGAPE 1. noun: selfless love of one person for another

Love After War -One Shot- (Angst, fluff)

The mind has a way of playing tricks on you, images you thought to be real are just a figment of your past. But how to get back to the present?

Coming Home -One Shot- (ANGST, fluff) 

 “Falling for you was like nothing I imagined.” Her voice started to give out as the door to the safe house burst open, “It was coming home.”

Attitude Adjustment -One Shot- (angst, Fluff)

Pain affects everyone. Even 106-year-old assassins

Not Allowed To Die -One Shot- (Angst)

We never know how much time we have left and fate is a cruel mistress. We can only make the best of the time we have left

Southern Cookin’ -One Shot- (Fluff, touch of angst)

When Bucky and Sam get stranded in a Storm, they go to the nearest place they can, Bucky’s country home, but what happens when Walker shows up at the front door too?

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes oneshot #masterlist #bucky barnes x female reader

[altocat]

i saw that you also said you love to talk about other characters, not just sephiroth, so i thought i'd ask: what are your favorite things/traits/moments etc of all of the playable characters we've had across the compilation of 7? i feel like i can talk about all the characters forever :)

Ooh yeah! This will be fun. Okay!

Cloud: Cloud is the most relatable character to me, and probably my favorite if we're being honest. I relate strongly to his identity issues, and I love when he tries to act tough while concealing a softer nature. My personal favorite scene with him is the flashback where he realizes that he was stronger than Sephiroth this whole time, throwing Sephiroth down the pit. It's a powerful moment, probably Cloud's single greatest moment in the entire series.

Tifa: Tifa is literal perfection. She looks like a tough tomboy and yet she's also one of the kindest people ever. She's maternal, loyal, supportive, and devoted to a fault. The team would be lost without her. She's the glue that holds everyone together. An absolute queen. My favorite moment with her is Under the Highwind, regardless of her relationship with Cloud being romantic or platonic.

Barret: Barret's got a heart of gold. He's always part of my main party when playing the OG. A great comrade and an even GREATER father. His relationship with Marlene is beautiful and so warm and wholesome. Barret also spits some iconic quotes over the course of the game, as well as some hard truths. My favorite scene with him, naturally, is his encounter with Dyne. The line "my hands are too stained to carry her anymore" gets me to cry no matter how many times I play.

Aerith: Aerith is the biggest hero of FFVII next to Cloud. She's the one who ultimately saves the day, and all through her sacrifice. I'm not even gonna talk about my favorite moment with her because...you guys already know the scene. It's the single most famous scene in gaming history. Aerith has a playful, occasionally chaotic edge to her personality that she hides behind a sweet smile. I absolutely adore that about her. She's so full of love and so full of selflessness, but she also loves to tease people. Also an absolute queen.

Red XIII: Nanaki is a cat btw. I have always seen him as a cat. That's my controversial opinion on him lmao. Also him howling for Seto makes me ugly cry every single time without fail. I appreciate that Nanaki seems occasionally stoic and serious, but then has kind of a childlike or immature fear or insecurity about something. There's that duality to him that ties to the other characters in a sense. Anyway, I love him. He is a very good boy.

Cid: Cid took a while to grow on me initially. He's pretty rough around the edges. But my favorite moment with him happens in the last third where he sorta becomes the de facto leader of the group with Cloud gone. And I like that he seems to have reconciled with Shera as well. Honestly, he's just kind of a badass and really cool at what he does. Also he gets to go to space. Good for him tbh.

Cait Sith: This one is hard because there's always a debate as to how much of a character Cait Sith actually IS. It's Reed puppeting a machine/doll basically. How much of Cait Sith has a mind of his own? Regardless, Cait Sith isn't my fave. He's a spy, after all. But he makes up for it in the end, even if he kinda fades into the background. Reed is honestly more of an interesting character overall. I can't name any specific favorite moments with Cait Sith specifically. But also he's a small Scottish cat. And that's rad.

Vincent: This edgy boi. Also not one of my faves, but he's grown a lot more on me over time. He wins for always having the coolest voice in the entire group. And I really like the scene where he reunites with Lucrecia. Vincent is kind of gruff and understated at times compared to the rest of the cast. But he has a gentle side as well, and one hell of a cool backstory. Also I love monsters and gothic imagery in general.

Yuffie: Yuffie is...my least favorite main character. I don't hate her. I've just never been a fan of the "spunky loudmouth child" trope. With that said, I'm sure the Remake trilogy will breathe new life into her and add some extra appeal for me. I like what I've seen so far. And Yuffie's bluntness and playfulness can be cute from time to time.

Zack: Counting him because of Crisis Core. He's probably my third favorite character. His death is the saddest scene in the entire compilation imo. He's a character who is wholly encompassed by love, who deals with a LOT of pain, and who proves to be better and worthier than most people put together. Like Aerith, he sacrifices everything. And also like Aerith, his legacy will live on forever.

#asks #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy 7 #crisis core #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #barret wallace #aerith gainsborough #red xiii #yuffie kisaragi #zack fair #vincent valentine #cait sith #cid highwind