#it's hilarious why are they not utilizing this more | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

joachimnapoleon · 3 months

Text

A look at three Fouché biographies

Over the past few months I've read three English-language biographies on Fouché: Joseph Fouché: Portrait of a Politician, by Stefan Zweig; Fouché: Unprincipled Patriot, by Hubert Cole; and Medusa's Head: The Rise and Survival of Joseph Fouché, Inventor of the Modern Police State, by Rand Mirante. These are a great example of how dramatically interpretations of a historical figure can vary from one historian to another (see also the difference between Alan Schom's interpretation of Napoleon vs. that of Andrew Roberts). And also a great example of why it’s a good idea to read multiple biographies on the same figure, to gain a more well-rounded perspective, instead of simply accepting/adopting that of the first biographer you read.

Zweig is a colorful writer and his biography is highly entertaining—he actually had me laughing out loud a few times—but his depictions of Fouché are so hilariously sinister and malignant throughout that at times it almost feels like a caricature. Zweig also utilizes the least amount of primary source material out of the three biographers--hardly any, actually--and so much of what he writes in regard to Fouché's motivations and thoughts come across as pure speculation or projection, but are always stated very matter-of-factly. Zweig presents a Fouché who chafes at the smallness of the roles he is given, driven by "unflinching selfishness." "When in power," Zweig writes, "he does not work for the State, does not work for the Directory or for Napoleon, but for himself." Aside from raw ambition, Zweig attributes most of Fouché’s actions to his sheer delight in engaging in intrigue for the sake of intrigue, an interpretation that seems to come straight out of Napoleon’s venting on St. Helena: “Intrigue was to Fouché a necessary of life. He intrigued at all times, in all places, in all ways, and with all persons. Nothing ever came to light, but he was found to have had a hand in it. He made it his sole business to look out for something that he might be meddling with. His mania was to wish to be concerned with everything.” Overall, Zweig’s book is worth reading, but out of the three English-language Fouché biographies, it’d be ranked third on my list.

Hubert Cole’s interpretation of Fouché is as different from Zweig’s as night is from day. The key word in Cole’s title is “Patriot,” and Cole’s central point is that Fouché, at each point in his career, was doing what he believed was in the best interests of France, even if that meant negotiating for peace with Britain behind Napoleon’s back, or pushing Napoleon towards a divorce and remarriage for the sake of shoring up the Bonaparte dynasty, or even (repeatedly) abandoning one master to serve another. This is the second one of Cole’s biographies I’ve read, and as most of you following me already know, I loved his dual biography on Joachim and Caroline Murat, the deceptively named The Betrayers, which is actually a very sympathetic look at the Murat couple. Cole is no fan of Napoleon and doesn’t really attempt to hide it, and maybe it’s because of this that he feels inclined to look deeper at the motivations and actions of those who ended up in opposition to Napoleon at various points (and who have therefore been demonized in history books accordingly). Cole draws heavily on primary sources, from letters and memoirs of Fouché’s contemporaries, to Fouché’s police bulletins (quoted at length throughout) to argue that “It is possible… that he was a sincere and moderately successful patriot. It is not uncommon in France for egoists to be hailed as patriots, and patriots condemned as traitors.” Far from the sinister, cold-blooded figure that haunts Zweig’s biography, or the “universally distrusted, feared, and hated” social pariah of Mirante’s, Cole's Fouché is charming, a welcome figure in the drawing rooms of Paris society, with a preference for making friends rather than enemies; nevertheless Cole does not deny that Fouché could also be ruthless, ambitious, and cunning. Cole also uses numerous accounts regarding Fouché by British, German, and Russian contemporaries, “in the belief that their prejudices, if national, are less personal.” Out of these three biographies, this one was my personal favorite, as I think it provides a more well-rounded picture of Fouché as a human being.

The primary focus of Mirante’s book is Fouché’s administration of the Ministry of Police, and the biography goes into great detail about the operations of the police in Napoleonic France, its vast network of informants, subversion of the press, surveillance of emigrés, and steady stream of information flowing in from all quarters. Fouché emphasized to his subordinates how one small detail or event could be “of great interest in the general order of things by its connections with related matters of which you are scarcely aware.” Like Cole, Mirante quotes frequently from Fouché’s police bulletins, as well as from memoirs of the era (though most of the excerpts are those hostile to Fouché). Unlike Cole, Mirante’s Fouché is driven not by any higher patriotism, but—especially after his humiliating flight from France in 1810—by a deep and abiding hatred of Napoleon, towards whose final destruction Fouché is willing to go to any length. Mirante provides more detail on Fouché’s exile and final years than either Zweig or Cole, one interesting aspect of which is the warm welcome Fouché received in Trieste from Elisa Bonaparte, who had been driven from power in Tuscany largely through Fouché’s machinations with Murat in 1814. Mirante ends the book with a critical look at Fouché’s dubious, ghostwritten “memoirs,” the credibility of which he is far more suspicious than Cole, who accepts the argument of French historian Louis Madelin that they are “largely authentic and accurate.” Mirante, on the other hand, is not convinced, and concludes that the memoirs are “highly assailable, at least quasi-spurious, and shrouded in controversy and deceit.” Mirante ends by drawing parallels between Fouché’s policing methods and those of the Gestapo and NKVD in the 20th century.

Overall I enjoyed all three of these for different reasons, and taken together they offer a more complete picture of Fouché. I haven’t gotten around to reading any French-language biographies on Fouché yet, but I do have a couple works on him by Emmanuel de Waresquiel that are definitely on my to-read list.

#Joseph Fouché #Napoleon #Napoleon Bonaparte #Napoleonic #history #19th century #books #biographies #French Revolution

59 notes · View notes

orangeypopsicle · 4 months

Text

Overanalyzing the flashback scene because why not?

I've seen some people throw around jokingly that Velvet is "delulu", and "crazy", and stuff, but I legitimately think that she might believe some of the lies that she says. What makes me think this, you may ask? The flashback scene. I'm referring to is where the viewer sees the point of view from both siblings about what it was like when they were younger. It's quoted a lot because it's hilarious, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

There's three major elements that I considered while interpreting it: the tone/expressions of the characters, the people involved in the interaction, and how the flashbacks are utilized.

To start, Velvet is having a conversation with her brother. This is a person who lived in the same household as her and would know the most about her out of the entire cast. Velvet's argument to Veneer about not releasing Floyd to continue their lifestyle is that they would have to go back to an awful place, which would bank on him having that same perception. Her expression is very serious and upset as it transitions into her flashback.

The interpretation of "a dark place where we had nothing" is not left to the imagination, with a scene of the two starving and living in poverty. It cuts back to the current time, and Veneer states as if he were responding directly to the flashback, "Girl, we grew up in the suburbs. Our parents were dentists." Veneer doesn't hesitate to say this as what she had described is objectively false.

Both flashbacks take place in the same setting, but there are some key differences between them. The first flashback has them both filthy and holding the same bowls as the second flashback, but they're empty. The second flashback has a full table, and the table has no food in the first flashback. Velvet's interpretation has their parent's house as unkempt, sad, and colorless. In stark contrast, Veneer's flashback shows a tidy and vibrant house. However, Velvet isn't happy in both flashbacks. Velvet is sad in her flashback of their past, and Velvet is angry in Veneer's flashback.

Velvet lashing out in the second flashback led to what I'm explaining the whole scene is about. Velvet's interpretation of the past was based on how it emotionally felt, which led to her memories looking far more depressing. Velvet's younger self, with those issues controlling her emotions, may have felt like she was alone and living in "a dark place". It was objectively false, but felt real!

I'm willing to give this scene that more thorough interpretation because it's clear manipulation if Velvet said it any other character, but when said to her own sibling, it's a very strange and blatant lie that would never have worked. Would it not have made more sense if she had instead left it at appealing to Veneer's materialism?

Emotions can be so powerful! It may even lead to a different view of the same event.

#velvet trolls #veneer trolls #velvet and veneer #trolls band together

69 notes · View notes

siooin · 5 months

Text

Souheki In Dazai’s Entrance Exam

plz don't take this post too seriously.It's not some proper analysis, mostly just my thoughts about the interactions.A little bias because I hc they actually are very close.maybe i'll make a post about why I think so in the future.

“So, newbie. Uh…Dazai, was it? Where did you work prior to coming here?” “Hmm?” Ranpo’s expression has faded, his eyes peering into Dazai’s as if he is searching for something. “I didn’t really do anything after finishing school.Was just kinda around, you know?” A few seconds go by as Ranpo silently stares at Dazai.Finally… “Oh, that’s nice. Anyway, welcome to the agency.” And that’s it. He begins laying out the documents across the desk as if nothing happened. What was that just now?

So since LN1 is in Kunikida's pov.Notice how in this scene not only Ranpo is staring at Dazai,Dazai was ALSO looking back.IT WAS MUTUAL.They were both silently observing each other.i assume Dazai’s back was face Kunikida so that’s why we can’t see his expressions.

ok this part is just my pure delusion but i imagine Dazai was wearing his usual plastic smile(yk he still not used to interact with others )when answering Ranpo,but as time passed by,it has faded just like Ranpo’s.Then they just have some of the most intense staring contest.Imagine the tension in the room lol,no wonder Kunikida was so confused.I also believe Ranpo's response is some kind of his way to implicitly promise Dazai he won't expose him and wish him good luck on starting a new path.

i think dazai was confident that no one will find out his past since they can’t use ability on him,and in those few seconds he realized Ranpo just figured it out(tbh maybe even more than that considered Ranpo have met oda the day he died and ada collaborate with special division sometimes he may have met Ango),thus he started to question if that’s actually his ability.

“Dazai, what was that about?” “Don’t ask me… By the way, what kind of skill user is Ranpo?”

lol Kunikida was so clueless,he’s like you two just met what r you up to what’s with that silent intense staring.

“What?! Is there really a skill like that?!” It seems even Dazai can hardly believe it.” “I dunno, it’s just hard to believe a skill like that actually exists.” He doesn’t appear convinced.

It's hilarious Dazai asked Kunikida what Ranpo’s ability is when the man himself is just right in front of him.

“That’s what makes it so amazing! Listen to this. When Ranpo was thinking, I sneaked up behind him and pinched some of his hair.”

Dazai openly doubted if an ability like it would exist before Ranpo started deducing.So Ranpo may have been cautious and noticed Dazai was sneaking behind and testing it.But weirdly he didn’t seem to mind if Dazai would tell the others(yes i believe he had already knew he doesn't have one even before LN1)like that’s not one of his biggest secret.

Even if he didn't notice at that time,he surely would when he noticed Kunikida’s curious gaze next time they met.But he never said anything for yrs.Maybe he was just rather let others know than confronts it with Dazai.He didn't directly admit to Yosano in guild arc either.

Ranpo who never tells others Dazai’s past VS Dazai who shamelessly continually tells ada members Ranpo is abilityless will never not be funny to me.

But seriously Ranpo is so sweet he trust and respect Dazai from the very start, even knows his background he still completely accepted him, willing to give him a chance to be with the good side.i love souheki.

“He possesses tremendous deductive and observational skills that your average fictional detective could only dream of.” “That’s what impressed me. A skill would make this just another phenomenon, which wouldn’t even be surprising, let alone impressive. But Ranpo is utilizing his brain, something we all have, to reach these conclusions.” “That guy’s got some serious powers of deduction and observation! And even Ranpo himself seems to think he’s using a skill. Man, that is one amazing detective. I need to start applying myself more.”

Aside from genuine appreciation here,it may also because of his gratitude for Ranpo’s silence.

I love seeing Dazai simping over Ranpo.Like even in current arc he still praises him a lot.He's so fond of him🥲🥲🥲

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd analysis #ranpo edogawa #bsd ranpo #dazai osamu #bsd dazai #souheki #this post is very wholesome but I do believe that Dazai is a bit scare of Ranpo in the beginning #confession I haven't read LN1 I only read the the part when Ranpo appears so correct me if I said anything wrong #this post was originally suppose to be me joking about souheki has some eye sex right in front of a very confusing Kunikida #like who tf staring each other like that when they first meet/j/j #but I got carry on lmao #platonically or romantically i love their dynamic either way #wish we can see more of this duo

60 notes · View notes

iwritenarrativesandstuff · 2 years

Text

I really love Chuuya because of how strong he really is.

Chuuya's one of my favourite bsd characters, if not my actual favourite. I knew going into the series that he was popular and that I'd probably like him but I had no idea just how much I would. A large part of that is because his character kind of turns the idea of strength on its head - especially in Stormbringer.

In both of Chuuya's introduction scenes (manga and Fifteen), we meet a character who appears deceptively straightforward at first glance - he's loud, vulgar, eager to fight and use violence to solve problems. And yet, in each scene, we're drawn to something deeper about him - in the manga, it's his mysterious shared history with Dazai (an equally mysterious character at that point), and in Fifteen, it's his quest to find Arahabaki for some unknown reason.

Pretty soon, you're drawn into learning about a character who was experimented on, has an ability so strong and destructive it was believed to be a literal god, has no memories before the age of seven, is so powerful in his corrupted state that no one else stands a chance, and has been in a position of leadership in not just one but two illegal organizations.

And yet, ask anyone about him, both in-universe and out, and some of the first things that get mentioned are his loyalty and selflessness.

He's a hugely contradictory character. He's fascinating.

He will demolish his enemies and will kill people but does so in the interest of protecting family, who he intensely cares for. He's got a hair trigger temper and will vow revenge but also has the capacity to forgive once he comes to understand a person. He's impulsive and prefers to punch his way out of issues but is clever and adaptable on his feet and is easily able to read and keep up with Dazai (I feel like people forget this sometimes). He doesn't trust easily but when he does give his trust it's practically unbreakable.

He's a mafia executive - and a good one - but is also so selfless that it's actually a point brought up by the other characters time and time again. Adam makes a note of it right away. Mori utilizes this by bargaining the Sheep member's lives and sending the Flags to monitor him. Detective Murase thinks he's 'different' somehow and tries to bring him out of the darkness.

He also has twice now (that we've seen) completely sidelined Dazai's expectations which is both hilarious and fascinating.

In Fifteen, Dazai expects that Chuuya is the same as anyone else using violence to solve their problems - trying to find Arahabaki for the power and control it'd give him. Instead, Chuuya is actually just looking for answers on himself; he doubts his humanity and god this is such a legitimately horrifying scene in the novel - he's literally drawn without a face. He makes himself vulnerable in fights because he doesn't feel like a human being and thinks that only when he's on the brink of dying will he actually care enough to use his full strength. That's absolutely horrifying.

In Stormbringer, Dazai and Adam rush to intercept Chuuya before he kills N, which Dazai fully expected him to try, except... he wasn't going to do that at all. There was nothing to intercept. The death of Chuuya's friends was a far worse crime to him than being personally tortured; even though throughout that scene he was telling himself over and over to endure it, endure it, endure it; even though he didn't completely know why he still tried (I think this, more than anything else in the novel, broke me. It's just... that's been his whole life, man. Just endure everything. Endure, endure, endure. He was a kid...).

In fact, just about the only completely self-centered goal Chuuya has had in this series is finding answers on Arahabaki - everything else was motivated by other people. And even then, when given a choice between finding the truth and saving the city in Stormbringer - he chooses to save the city (once again, doing something Dazai wasn't completely sure he'd do).

And throughout all this, he still has the capacity for things like looking out for his subordinates, learning to understand others, or finding humour in others' actions. His friendship with Adam was basically the core of Stormbringer, even though he really did not want to like him at first. He came to understand Verlaine and felt for him even though the man murdered the first real friends he'd ever had. He's visibly concerned and worried whenever Dazai gets hurt. He checks on Akutagawa and notices when he's having a rough day. He joins in on stupid shenanigans with his subordinates in the drama cds (including acting out a random lady dropping her lemons on the ground which are actually bombs to blow up the ADA with).

It's just such a cool way to design a character because you start with the same kind of assumptions that the Sheep had - that he's god-like powerful and is the strength he has as the muscle of the mafia and the soukoku duo. And then the audience and the characters come to know him, and in turn come to value his resilience and emotional strength - that capacity to keep valuing things like humanity and living, in spite of the hell he's had to deal with.

He really is the strongest ability user.

#bsd #bsd chuuya #bsd meta #i guess #bsd analysis #this is a chuuya appreciation post #it got really long because i really appreciate chuuya #storyrambles #there's so much more i probably didn't mention here #i mean his whole dynamic with dazai is worth like 10 posts #i could also ramble on about his dynamics with adam and mori for vastly different reasons #actually i think the scene with chuuya holding the dying clone of himself was the most heartbreaking in stormbringer #i had to put the book down for a sec there #something about his face being more innocent and then literally crumbling as he died... the symbolism... the angst #chuuya nakahara

667 notes · View notes

o-uncle-newt · 5 months

Text

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 9: Ipswich

IIIIIIPSWIIIIIICH!

In my opinion, Ipswich heralds a really key moment in the development of not just Cabin Pressure, but John Finnemore's (solo) projects in general- it's his first really genius episode in terms of plotting, where he first utilizes Chekhov's Gun with pinpoint precision while also building a watertight and well-structured plot that incorporates great character work.

He shows signs of it earlier in the show, obviously, but this is the episode where he first does it basically seamlessly. Douz is the closest, for sure, but the culminating moment of the plan, however genius it is, still handwaves away a few inconvenient questions like "is it any more legal to drive a plane on the highway than to take off without clearance?" Other episodes also have some good moments but the Chekhov's Gun placements are a bit obtrusive (Cremona and Edinburgh, for example).

(I'll make a note about Gdansk- it has some great Chekhov's Guns, but the plot is basically constructed AROUND them. That requires a lot of its own skill in plot construction, but is different than here.)

What I think is so great about Ipswich is that

a) the Chekhov's Gun is not just planted seamlessly, it's also planted unobtrusively- the masterful way that the number "nineteen" is hammered into our heads at the beginning, only for there to be a red herring appearance of the question/answer that puts us off our guard, and then that final moment of realization and resolution... it's just so good. Smaller ones like Martin's inner ear issue are also handled super well- we hear about it in a very specific context that is relevant to the plot and we don't even think twice about, only for it to come back in a new way later out of nowhere. Chekhov's Gun blends in perfectly with the decor.

b) everything is directly in the service of the plot, and makes sense. This is where there's the difference from Gdansk- there, there wouldn't BE a situation in the first place without some of those Chekhov's Guns that were planted (like the seven dwarves game), whereas here there is a very specific plot (how does MJN do when they need to prove their skills in front of regulators) and all of the Chekhov's Guns directly relate to that. Douglas's use of the "hey chief" line is hilarious both the first time and the second, and is used in utterly characteristic ways that also fit in completely logically with what they've been doing in this episode. There's of course a certain amount of coincidence that you have to allow because that's what makes it a sitcom episode rather than real life, but everything is still done incredibly realistically. (At least, from a human perspective- I don't actually KNOW whether the trainings are like that, but from what others have said they seem to be at least somewhat based on reality so that's cool!)

c) everything is directly in service of the theme! There is also a theme and it melds perfectly into the episode- who is the alpha dog. From beginning to end, we know that this episode is about power struggles, and the fact that something that just seems like a (fucking hilarious) joke- Douglas's whole "hey chief" routine- ends up coming back in something that he addresses, in a certain amount of seriousness, to Carolyn is just perfect. It shows what is only confirmed in the next scene- that Douglas knows who the alpha dog is. And, incidentally, one of the reasons why he knows this is his own realization that if they don't pass, it will "make him feel unemployed." He HAS to concede and that makes the moment only more powerful. (I'd also add that the "Marvin and Dougal" convo serves as a kind of textual evidence for Martin and Douglas, in this episode's power struggle, really being equal beta dogs, but that's not a Chekhov's Gun, just close reading.)

Anyway, I may be overly reading into any of this, but the upshot is that I listened to this, after listening to the prior eight episodes, and was just so massively impressed by the structural quality in a way that surpassed any of the prior episodes- but which I know, as an obsessive listener, is only a harbinger of some brilliantly plotted episodes to come- and the next one is, of course, the fantastic Johannesburg tomorrow!

#cabin pressure #cabin pressure advent #cabin pressure advent 2023 #john finnemore #ipswich #i've stopped pointing out that the episodes have funny bits because i feel like that's something we should take as a given #but arthur is particularly on fire this episode in that department #especially “i know- that's why i'm worried!”#just... chef's kiss

66 notes · View notes

kingdoms-and-empires · 5 months

Note

So we got the ROs rank for cunning, but what about charisma? 👀

Hmmm. Shit this may be difficult to answer ngl. Its why i kept it in mah back pocket for a time. Ill answer it two ways. Charisma for peacetime vs charisma for wartime.

PEACETIME (Administration and vassal relationship matters):

Nysthe: Hands down has the highest CHA of all the characters for peacetime relations. She can talk to people and razzle dazzle their pants and skirts off, and she can make sure vassals listen and want to do what she asks.

Amina: Princess of a kingdom herself, and student of her mother Queen Khari, Amina has learned the ins and outs of leadership and public speaking. You can count on her to handle CHA shit without worry.

Edward: Though reserved and quiet, our boy here is respected by all. As the third highest CHA, with a high INT, Edward is balanced and seemingly has no weaknesses when it comes being depended on to lead or hold discussions with vassals or other parties. A solid administrator.

Voryn: His mother is the Grand Vizier, and through her he has learned much in the way of handling vassals and nobles. Coupled with his natural charisma, Voryn could have been 3rd, but his arrogant attitude towards nobles he doesnt like (theyre alot) it brings him down to 4th.

Lucina: Beauty and charm are her weapons and Lucina knows how to utilize them well, earning her 5th place. Balls, banquets, and parties may not seem like a battlefield, but to Lucina, they are. And she wins those battles, regularly. In terms of administration, Lucina is weaker than the other ROs. But for a Politician MC, Lucina is a top tier partner to have in executing your intrigue. Would be third place if this were for that field.

Mary: Empathy goes a long way, enough for Mary to be 6th. Her ability to feel what the other person is feeling lends itself well to hearings, discussions, and leading. She is more of a listener, and sometimes, listening is better than speaking.

Cheris: An imperial noblewoman through and through, she knows how to handle herself when it comes to CHA matters. Her main weakness however, is having no fucks in calling other people out. She is too direct. Yet, like Lucina with Politics, Cheris would be higher placed if this were for Tycoon. Then, Cheris's head for numbers would show.

Veriel: He has a natural CHA that should propel him higher on the list, but the list is for administration and vassal matters. Sadly, Veriel is quite average in that department, and is outshone by the other ROs in this list. However, Veriel be much higher in the next list that deals in wartime as a leader of soldiers.

Astrid: {RETRACTED}

Zera: Son of the Kin, an outsider, and a grumpy sort of fellow, Zera is hilariously not the guy to send for handling vassals or managing people during peacetime lmao.

Max: Do not. Just don't. Your vassals will believe you're fucking with them by sending them a commoner.

WARTIME (As a leader of war):

Voryn: His men would follow him to the gates of hell. He knows how to talk to a soldier, he fights alongside them, and he makes sure their salaries always come through, even at the expense of the nobility. He has the loyalty of his soldiers, and his soldier's has his. Voryn leads from the rear and only comes to the front at critical moments.

Max: A man of the common soldier. A jumped up commoner who somehow clawed his way to the top of the imperial ranks, and his men love him for it. Beloved by his soldiers for his easy to approach attitude and reputation as a father to his men, Max is a ridiculously effective wartime leader, and decisive when others would balk. He and Voryn are neck and neck in their rankings. Max leads from the fore, and tries to break the enemy before the weakness of not having a commander directing in the rear becomes apparent.

Zera: It is only in the fires of war that Zera can showcase what a great leader he is in the face of adversity. Kin or not, Zera inspires the people around him, and he will soon create a loyal following of soldiers. He is a fair and just leader, and Zera's soldiers can expect him to protect them from malicious officers or nobles. Zera leads from the rear, coming out to the front when critical moments in batle occur.

Veriel: Like a good hunting dog that only feels alive when on the hunt, but lazy and fat when staying indoors, so is Veriel. As someone who worships King Uriel, and seeks to emulate him, Veriel will prove himself leading in battle. He has a strong battle voice, and the soldiers listen to it, as they love his larger than life persona. Of course, he leads from the fore as would King Uriel.

Edward: Again, Edward proves himself to be a balanced and solid leader who can and will meet any expectations thrust upon him. His soldiers respect him, and know they can trust him to lead on to victory. Edward as a leader is more of the logistician type. He will always make sure his soldiers are well fed and stocked, and for this, they follow him. He leads from the rear.

Amina: If this were a leadership ranking for naval combat, Amina would be third place. However, this is overall, and she faces exceptional individuals who excel in too many other facets of wartime leadership. Thus, Amina is an average, yet solid leader. She has no real weaknesses to exploit, aside from a lack of experience. She leads from the rear.

Mary: She was trained by her father, and by Master Feren on matters of war. As such, Mary is an average leader to follow in war. She can command a battalion, but an entire army would prove difficult unless she gains more experience. She leads from the rear.

Nysthe: Wartime is not her forte, and she knows this. So, she does what someone should do, and delegate. And she delegates well. She knows who to choose, and who to listen to. Nysthe will not be a commander, so she does not lead from the rear or fore.

Lucina: Only by virtue of her brother Veriel, and his constant talks regarding war and chivalry, does Lucina have some clue on how to lead people in times of duress. However, she considers herself a lady first, and does not ascribe to the martial side of her people's culture. Will also not be a commander, so she does not lead from the rear or fore.

Cheris and Astrid: As imperial noblewomen, these two have a grasp of martial matters that will help them understand basic necessities required of a leader of war. But the two are below average in this field, and are better suited for other expeditions.

#kingdomsandempires #questions #interactive fiction #lore #dashingdon #hosted games #choicescript #romance

58 notes · View notes

kulay-ng-banaag · 4 months

Text

In the spirit of releasing all emotional debts on New Year's Eve, I’m going to open up about my frustrations regarding Desa aka dinosaurusgede aka the creator of Maaf.

For context, she made a Twitter account around the time that Himaruya properly introduced the newly canonized cast of SEA nations (Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia). Like many other fans, she rode the nostalgia wave in creating content of them. By this point in time, Maaf was more or less a “finished” story to her — whatever Hetalia/SEAtalia content she published from that point onward was not as a continuation of, nor even as a reboot, of Maaf (although she did mention entertaining that idea). For the most part, the newer works she uploaded on Twitter were independent stories and were not necessarily linked to one other either.

Regrettably, I cannot present the problematic page/s for a more thorough and guided scrutiny because she deleted her Twitter account. Unless someone out there saved them, and frankly I wouldn't know who did nor would care to find out, everything was lost to the void. I’m literally working on what was imprinted in my memory by spite, so I apologize if I misremember details.

This will include discussion of anti-indigenous racism and other issues pertaining to colonialism.

She had an IndoPhil story titled Trust Me? and it was inspired by a fanmade BruPhil AMV wherein Indonesia was manipulating Philippines into believing that he was married to Indonesia and not Brunei. Trust Me? kept that concept of a manipulative Indonesia; the key difference being that Indonesia’s motivation for it (in Desa’s story) was the mix of hurt over Philippines “losing his precolonial memories” — based on popularized misconceptions of early Philippine history — of and how that was “aggravated” by his Westernization™, made worse under the United States (350+ years in the convent getting ratio'd by 50 years in Hollywood is hilarious ngl).

That was a lot to unpack, but before we even get there:

Indonesia and Philippines were having a tender moment when HWS America (as in the Hetalia personification that is Alfred F. Jones) walks in calling out "MY LITTLE BROWN BROTHER!"

Indonesia entered his Joker arc because he recalled how HWS America dumped the Philippines in a human zoo at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. There was an explicit panel of Philippines in Igorot* dress and a painfully forlorn bearing.

What "triggered" Indonesia was when, after the flashback, Piri goes up to Indonesia and asks him if he's a Bolshevist 🥺 (the idea was PH being brainwashed by Red Scare propaganda). Cue kabedon moment from Indonesia, and basically a yandere walk down "memory lane."

I did not have it in me to finish reading that comic...

*Igorot is an outdated umbrella term for the upland indigenous peoples of Northern Luzon

Aside from the clearly intended shock value of that depiction, I was taken aback by the painful lack of objectivity on her part when it came to the reading of history. To be fair on Desa, she never specialized in history studies, so it was only courteous that we could not expect her to have as developed of a critical reading as trained academics of history. Unfortunately, that was precisely why I disagreed with the popular notion of Desa as both a great researcher and a great storyteller of her research — all the more when Maaf was just the mangafication of certain Wikipedia articles.

To be fair as well on Wikipedia, it was, at best, a satisfactory jumpstart into more in-depth reading, and we could give it the benefit of the doubt that revisions had since been made to at least some of the articles that Desa relied on while making Maaf (more than 10 years is more than enough time for change). Nevertheless, the articles themselves did not teach users how to scrutinize the sources — most especially the biases of the sources’ author/s — utilized in building up the information.

That mattered because much of the retrospect narratives about the St. Louis Fair had a tendency of raising awareness through the newspaper articles that covered the exhibition at the time. These chronicled the impressions of the visiting authors, who likely (and I say likely because we would have to more exhaustively discern their personal politics one by one) were biased in favor of the “benevolent assimilation” of the Philippines — and the sights that they beheld only validated it further. They did not, however, explain why these Philippine indigenous peoples were brought in in the first place — information that could have further cemented Desa's reputation had she truly spent the efforts, even while understandably juggling other commitments as we all do. Instead, she only perpetuated the habit of sacrificing the veracity of equally important, finer details to the bigger picture in order to sensationalize righteous fury against colonialism.

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was also formally known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, giving away its purpose as a commemoration. More appropriately, it was the centennial anniversary (technically delayed by a year though) of the acquisition of French Louisiana, expanding the territorial bounds of the United States. Additionally, the point of a world’s fair was to showcase the achievements of a nation, and one could also think of it as the sale of a fever dream — what more for a fast-growing, fledgling power the likes of the United States, itself a former colony? On another note, the St. Louis World’s Fair was not the only one of its kind so no, the US is not that original lmao.

One could thus see how the inclusion of a dedicated exhibit to the newly acquired colony that was the Philippines neatly fit into the themes of a world's fair centralized on the US. It was all the more a paramount topic of debate, with prominent Americans the likes of Mark Twain (here are selected excerpts, but I highly recommend reading the entirety of his To the Person Sitting in the Darkness) publishing anti-US imperialism opinions, even after the endgame of the Philippine-American War essentially favored the pro-imperialists. While dissent from the American side at the time remains poorly studied AND THAT'S ON OVERRULE BY BIAS, we at least have a glimpse, if mostly obscure still, of its existence.

If we can assume that it must have indeed been a prominent discourse in America, loud enough to get the White House furrowing its brows, then it's plausible to understand how it was of utmost importance that the the Philippine exhibit was to be carefully — because, in a way, America had to sell itself as the "lesser evil" vs notable "rivals" — curated while still ultimately corroborating assimilation of the Philippines. Thus, enter Truman Hunt, the man who oversaw "the Igorot Village" of the St. Louis Fair, having won the hearts of the native Igorots for a powerful reason:

Section from Claire Prentice, The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century, New York, NY: Amazon Publishing, 2014.

While the cholera epidemic that occurred at the onset of the American Colonial Period was arguably the worst in the history of cholera epidemic management in the Philippines, I want to make it very, very clear that it was not the first and only wave that hit the archipelago. There had been a handful in the prior century alone — all of such magnitudes that it embedded a deep collective trauma; farmers refused to harvest their crops for fear of infection, tragically enabling famines and contributing starvation & nutrition deficiencies on top of a viral & swift killer (the experience of severe, rapid dehydration is such that one can fall dead within hours of infection).

Given such an imaginably harrowing experience (and it was an awfully painful topic to study as someone who got infected with and survived COVID-19 and has family working as frontliners), how could the natives turn away a stranger with such miraculous powers? Who knows how they comprehended it (e.g. a benevolent sign from heaven they must accept) because, unfortunately, we have yet to discuss preserved accounts on that matter, if any at all.

What is known, however, is that there were Igorots who were not just enamored by the "opportunity of a lifetime," but the selected lucky candidates clearly expressed their consent to participate:

More sections from Prentice, The Lost Tribe of Coney Island.

I will quickly add that, unfortunately, a few members of the Igorot delegation died from illness in making the trip, and Hunt aged like milk over the years (fell into the trap of capitalism in pushing for more subsequent exhibit trips, to the point that less care was extended to the Igorots and he was ultimately arrested for embezzlement). Given that our scope remains to be the 1904 St. Louis Fair, any signs of abuse inflicted upon the Igorots during their stay based on preserved photographs is simply not clear. To assume that they were in a pitiable state would be to enforce a presentist reading that might betray not just their memories & experiences but also their right to self-determination.

EDIT (01/02/24): A good example to demonstrate what I mean in analyzing photographs, here's an article on the author's personal, genealogical research into the Igorots — specifically, the Suyoc — who were at the St. Louis Fair.

It truly is ironic that a Filipino is making these points as if to defend the United States as a whole (no I am not, and if you think I do, lumayas ka). I agree that white people gawking over the peoples of the Philippines with such fascination that borders fetishism warrants all the eye-rolls. At the same time — and it is even more ironic that I am pointing this out as a lowland, Christianized Tagalog based in the metro (not just any urbanized part of the country) — there is a character of patronizing these indigenous communities in the unspoken assumption that their participation is the fault of their ignorance. Pay attention, once more, to the demographics that constituted the Philippine exhibit in the 1904 St. Louis Fair — what kind of "Filipinos" were included and who were left out? There were also Negritos*, Visayans, and Muslims from Mindanao (historically referred to as Moros) in the same event, yet we hardly hear about their experiences. Perhaps it might have to do with how they were considered "more civilized" than these upland groups.

*OUTDATED term (and please blame the Spanish for it); these are the Aeta.

I understand Desa's reservations against US imperialism and sympathies for communities marginalized by Western colonization. I just hope that I was able to clarify as best as I could why I was so taken aback in how she depicted the Hetalia personification of my country the way she did. I agree that, as far as I ever got to interact with her, she is generally very polite and kind. That's why I gave her the benefit of the doubt when she approached me in DM to apologize for how her narrative choice was offensive. As someone who despised red tape in academia, I tried to talk to her about how there were valid reasons as to why the American Colonial Period was considered a mixed blessing, even by PH historians.

Instead, she pulled a complete 180.

She said that — to a Filipino who condemned imperialism (no matter who started it), who also happened to study history as a profession, and was also a Hetalia fan who wants to explore Hetalia narratives differently from what was popularized. Half of the reason was because some fandom takes left a bad taste, like eating a dish with ingredients that even Gordon Ramsay would tell you shouldn’t go together; the other half was because I saw things differently and wanted to express it because why not?

I want to say it's not necessary to bring up something from a private conversation, but I will anyway to reiterate that my issue is not that she isn't nice. Bluntly, however, the way she said those words so formally did creep me out, but ultimately, my issue lies in how her biases have led her into making off-putting takes from time to time. I will not say more, but Trust Me? was not the only Twitter comic by Desa that got bombastic side-eyes.

And if only because Sukarno got dragged in, I felt compelled to briefly debunk that as well: even he initially viewed the United States in a very positive light: “The United States occupies a very distinguished part, a very distinguished place, in the hearts of the Indonesian people.” That was uttered in 1961, and it took a very specific historical context to instigate a complete shift by 1964:

Sections from Vincent Bevins, The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade & the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World, New York: PublicAffairs, 2021, 121-123.

EDIT (01/02/24): Note that Desa was citing Sukarno's later sentiments in the late 1960s as her reason for characterizing Indonesia as such in her comic. However, the setting of the story was the late 1920s (Indonesia's visit was based on Tan Malaka's abscondence to the Philippines). I'd dare say the anachronism was not due to oversight but a deliberate choice in using a certain fictional character — namely HWS Indonesia — as propaganda for Desa's anti-Americanism.

It's definitely depressing to think about all the "lost" history & culture that thrived before the arrival of white colonizers. It's why I'm surprised that, for a fiction work, she didn't project all that anger onto Spain instead — it had to specifically be the United States. Was it because they basically cockblocked Philippine independence, even though Spain practically sold the Philippines to the US? The implication that Spain should be permitted to wash its hands clean of all accountability was an awkward message to convey.

I understand that nothing could be 100% accurate (I'm actually quoting Desa defending herself on that matter) in fiction, but the level of projection coming from a certain non-Filipino reading Philippine history was so silly. And again, how did it all justify the explicit depiction of HWS Philippines as an indigenous man in a human zoo? (END OF EDIT)

As my professors will also never tire of saying: you can disagree with a historian’s interpretations but you can never disagree with the evidence in themselves. You don’t have to morally agree either, and I can guarantee you that many Filipinos do not. I, myself, resented the endgame of the particular war that brought that period about in the first place. How dare, then, she said it was “not her place” to defend US imperialism, while granting herself the freedom to express her country’s feelings on the matter?

Oh, it’s all just fiction? I do not condone the subsequent treatment she received, but why then couldn’t she stop trying to “educate” NLID shippers? I do not know how both sides talked to one another, only that what caught me eye was: Why does everyone else have to respect her fiction while she gets to disrespect others’ fictions for not aligning with hers?

EDIT (01/20/24): Just to clarify further on that point — over a decade ago, she went ham in the comment section of someone's (APH) America x (fem!OC) Indonesia. That ship is not in my lore either simply because I follow a totally different route. To cut to the chase, she took that fanart very personally and infodumped on US war crimes that involved Indonesia.

I know Tan Malaka started the whole North Indonesia agenda, but come on, neither was it Desa's place to just treat HWS Philippines the way she did. An Indonesian schooling other Indonesians on ID history is not surprising, but an Indonesian schooling a Filipino on PH history? I'd be humbled if they had the credentials. She didn't and, unless she enrolled herself in a graduate program, she still doesn't.

By all technicalities, she can’t ship IDPH because the Philippine government was (unfortunately and grossly) complicit in the chain of events that led to the 1965-66 genocides in Indonesia. Yet, she does despite of that fact. We thus circle back to Trust Me? and how that was a manifestation of her stubborn refusal to acknowledge any nuances by projecting HWS Indonesia as a self-proclaimed savior of HWS Philippines from the beguile of US neocolonialism.

I empathize with her anger. I'm sorry that the US government by extent enabled what her family went through. I agree that it's not her place to defend them; in fact, she shouldn't. But when even the so-called "highest of Malay nations*" is worth her neutrality, how can she expect me to forgive her?

*That is literally what the Philippines is to her; I know this because she explicitly said so to me in DM. DO NOT ASK FOR RECEIPTS, I am not comfortable revealing that particular conversation.

I cannot — in fact, NO ONE SHOULD — afford to be neutral about Duterte or Marcos, etc., and for her to be so flippant about her privilege (by way of ethnicity/citizenship/cultural upbringing) to be neutral** about Philippine politics, while simultaneously NAGGING ON EVERYBODY TO RESPECT INDONESIAN POLITICS, is annoying at best and plain selfish at worst.

**Also explicitly said to me in DM. Again, DO NOT ASK FOR RECEIPTS.

(END OF EDIT)

I’m not Indonesian but I do not have it in me to politely accuse a native Indonesian of allowing their personal biases to misread their own history. As a Filipino, however, while I'm not surprised by the reductionist chronicling of the histories & cultures of the Philippines, I am at a loss for words over the continuing idolization for Desa & Maaf, when she was not the best and most reliable narrator, especially given her negligence in representing indigenous peoples through her comics.

I mean, guys, I'm not saying this as if the Trust Me? comic was the first and only instance when this was literally Maaf canon that sat comfortably in the internet for over a decade, and continues to be appraised as THE BIBLE OF HISTORICAL HETALIA.

EDIT (01/20/24 — originally added via a reblog): I cannot believe this needs to be said because this is the consequence of when Hetalia fans take their fiction too literally because creators have made careless takes.

There were SEAtalians joking about how the Yolngu are a dead people.

I repeat.

THERE WERE SEATALIANS JOKING ABOUT HOW THE YOLNGU ARE A DEAD PEOPLE.

(END OF EDIT)

So as 2023 comes to a close we enter 2024, I'd like to conclude this post with the following points:

At best, Wikipedia is a satisfactory jumping point, but please believe me when I say no historian will respect you for (over-)relying on Wikipedia. And given that anyone with a decent device & internet signal can access Wikipedia, Desa is just not a GOAT in historical research.

At worst, idolizing Maaf patronizes the work of historians. It doesn't help that PH historians have been targets of harassment because of dis-/misinformation campaigns. I bring this up because it's already bad enough to have to confront that reality outside of fandom spaces on a regular basis in standing our ground for more just historical truths. I hope that folks understand why that's a particularly sensitive struggle for me, and why receiving such comments like the one I shared above deeply hurt. She was not apologetic about that — and every time she would post about apologizing for the moments she has offended others, or when others compliment her for being so open-minded, I cannot help but feel bitter.

Other BIPOC — yes, not just other SEAsians and that's on literally drawing nations other than SEA — have spoken up on the matter. If you can talk about how you learned so much from Desa, you can also learn as much from other perspectives. I hope that in raising all of this, more SEAtalians understand that we risk othering non-SEA BIPOC.

The idolization of Maaf (and the creator in question) is personally far more off-putting than the problematic points of Maaf or any comic she has ever made, because I think she caved to peer pressure instead of learning to wield her fiction more sensitively without being too reliant of the opinions of those she has pleased. Not even Hidekaz Himaruya writes his nationverse characters like that — the one time I’ll admit that canon trumps fanon.

I’m not stopping people from liking Maaf or Desa anyway. I just cannot help but take issue with how the SEAtalia fandom feels less of a safe & inclusive community than it is a cult centered on one person — almost as if her fiction is unquestionable canon and anyone who disagrees gets the boot. Once again, I do not condone the subsequent treatment she received in retaliation, but frankly that's just not what I'm addressing here.

I'm also not saying it's wrong to give words of reassurance and validation to people you admire, only that some of you need to understand you're forcing a parasocial relationship with your idols. It may feel good to you, but please be mindful of the unwarranted pressure it imposes.

I apologize for dumping all of this at literally the end of the year. I want to let it all go in a manner that is clear, concise, and not overwhelming to digest. I do hope that my candid thoughts will push the fandom one step forward in critically consuming media without having to resort to crab-mentality tendencies — because it's been especially hard seeing the demeaning takes made about the Philippines in this fandom.

#hetalia #historical hetalia #hetalia critical #racism cw #hws philippines #aph philippines #hws indonesia #aph indonesia #hws america #aph america #mentions of death cw #sibuyas

43 notes · View notes

gale-gentlepenguin · 6 months

Note

What is your opinion on the comments from the writers about the season 5 finale and the finale itself?

So I should say that the only comments I’ve seen (from the translation ) and this ( post )

My opinion on the writers and their commentary regarding the finale.

I do understand why they did the things they did.

Limited resources and wanting to utilize what they had.

I totally agree with their use of Piano Lucky Charm.

I think the fight the physical fight with Monarch and Bug Noire is phenomenal.

I can tell a Lot of effort went into planning this season out.

And as a Writer I can respect the references, nods, foreshadowing and jokes that were put in.

Fang using Kung fu is a hilarious image and it’s my favorite shot outside of monarch having a piano dropped on him.

People can say they like the ending, and if they do, awesome. I’m glad that you can enjoy this ending that I don’t.

So let’s have that put at the forefront

That is everything positive I have to say regarding the commentary and I will be going into detail on my ‘Problems’ below. And yes I will be getting angry.

(You have been warned)

I absolutely LOATHE their explanation on how they justify their ending.

Everything about it makes them sound pretentious and arrogant. They sound like they think they are being so clever with an ending when the ending is actually a fucking punch to the face of ANYONE that cared about having a resolution to this arc.

If the writers were so keen on having us CARE for Gabriel’s little arc. Why not take that Kwami’s choice special and replace it with a two episode arc of Gabriel, Emilie and co getting the miraculous? They can’t say budget because they could use flashbacks or the re-enactment from Representation.

And my goodness, the mental gymnastics it takes to say “Gabriel put down his other rings which means he lost” NO IT DOESNT. He is making his wish, he won. Why the heck would he need them after?!

“His wish is vague, so we don’t know what he wished for.” I DONT CARE IF HE WISHED FOR FREE ICE CREAM FOR EVERYONE ON EARTH! HE WON BY EVERY METRIC! It’s unsatisfying, it’s gross, and it feels all kinds of wrong to the point that my soul as a writer feels personally insulted.

The arrogant pretentious Pricks don’t even realize they left Ladybug in the losing position once again! She’s going to have to suffer the consequences of the wish. Not the person who died VINDICATED.

In the words of Brooke from one piece

“Death is never an apology.”

But she got the miraculous back? Yea, AFTER the villain got what he wanted. Adrien never finds out about any of this, Marinette is left gaslighting and hiding things from him, just like usual but now MORE people are keeping things from him.

All of this writing just end up with a cool final battle scene and then take a metaphorical dump all over it because their peak in character development is outfit changes.

The ending isn’t unsatisfying because it’s meant to be. It’s unsatisfying because it made 5 seasons of watching ML pointless.

And I didn’t think I could hate the finale more than I do. BUT THE COMMENTARY somehow made it Worse!? I don’t know how the f*** they did it.

But knowing their intent and knowing this ending was always intended makes VOLTRON’s ending SEEM serviceable. And yes I know how bad that sounds and I FUCKING MEAN IT.

#Gale’s thoughts #miraculous ladybug #ml critical #ml criticism #ml writer criticism #Gale gets salty #ml writing salt #recreation salt #I think for the sake of my sanity that’s the last I’ll be talking about the finale

73 notes · View notes

fixiationcentral · 4 months

Text

Hazbin Hotel Episode 1: Live reaction

The animation of the intro was pretty good. It looked simple and cute. The story about Lilith and Lucifer sort of make sense now? It feels like an info dump to new comers (if any new people are even watching this). Also what's the obsession with Songs? The floating key looks a bit weird? Like they just pasted the image and decided to key frame it. But honestly I'd do the same- Vaggie's voice sounds monotone. Not in a good way but it sounds flat? Stephanie Beatriz is a good voice actor and singer, but her role in this under utilizer her talent in my opinion. 7 years of Lilith being radio silent? (haha get it. If the theory ends up being true). Didn't they say in the leaks that Alastor also disappeared for 7 years? The commercial scene starts... Katie Killjoy still doesn't look like a Mantis but oh well... Alastor is talking about Charlie's daddy issues... WAIT HE'S FROM THE 20s HE SHOULD NOT BE SAYING THAT?!. It should be more like "as she works through her personal problems relating to her father by making sure that you're fixed enough to get sent to heaven!" WHY DOES ALASTOR KNOW MODERN SLANG?! I know it sounds nit picky but I just want him to say old timey words- Oh finally, they added back his radio voice- I thought it'd just be that flat voice again. Did they actually listen to fans or was it an issue with the trailer. I'm only 4 minutes in- This is gonna be a long ride. What the hell is the perspective, and what the hell is going on with Vaggie's legs. So much swears. Lol, Alastor's pretty pissed about them trying to make him do a commerical.

Oh, it's been a week since the Pilot. Hey, what's with the music when Angel Dust pops up.

Angel Dust's voice is uhhh.... It sounds like Crimson but higher pitched. The accent feels off. Why is his entire personality sex sex sex. Why are his legs longer than his body. Alastor's chin is very pointy. Why is Lucifer calling Charlie- The ringtone sounds funny and the duck profile picture is cute, I'll give em that.

Angel dust's face looks a bit weird. Does anyone else agree with this? The phone's outline went from white to dark red (which blended into the couch), then light red?

WHY DOES THE LINEART OF EACH CHARACER CHANGE COLOR EVERY FEW SCENES Keith David's voice doesn't really fit with Husk... They reduced Angel Dust's personality to keep spewing sex jokes. Why. I'm only 7 minutes into this. There's 15 minutes more. Finally, Vaggie says something fire. (She calls Angel Dust out and tells him to let Husk do his job) Vaggie's mouth looks kinda weird in one scene.| Why is Charlie's face stretching. Charlie just cuts Vaggie off when she's asking legitimate questions through song-l The cuts are making me dizzy- (It's the Happy Day in Hell scene)

Oh, a helluva boss reference. (There's a truck with the label "Helluva Post" with the IMP logo) The song transitions feel a bit off, you get what I mean? Why does Adam sound like Michael Cera. (This is not an insult towards Michael Cera, I love his acting but I am serious when I say Adam sounds like him) Adam is a hologram I guess. Wait, if that leak is real then... Oh no WHY IS ADAM'S HEAD SO BIG. A commerical side plot? Alastor magics up a vintage camera and the camera looks like a png. Like it's not actually a png but it gives off that vibe since the lighting is different and the lineart thickness is way too thin. The new camera (a video camera) Alastor magics up looks like it fits in with the characters now because the lineart is consistent with the characters. If I ever see an Angel Dust scene (especially if it's with Husk), I'll just mute the episode because it's just a bunch of sex jokes (again). Another sex joke. Hilarious. Hahahaha. You can totally feel the genuine laughter in my laugh (/s). Dick joke after dick joke. The Nifty scene was pretty funny I guess, until Angel Dust ruined the moment with another sex joke. Nifty just stares into the camera.

7 MORE MINUTES, I CAN DO THIS Another Dr. Facilier and Alastor thing I guess. We can really tell how much Vivzie researched on Vodou. Vaggie and Alastor make a deal that Alastor helps the hotel while he never interacts with television ever again. The lighting and colors in this scene look really good. Angel Dust has an unnecessary small hot pink heart on the back of his suit. I pray for the animators. Why do they swear so much. Also the costumes are something. I'm skipping through the song. Adam's design looks so complicated. Vaggie's voice sounds so monotone.

Alastor's staticy effect looks cool though.

Charlie's demon form looks so... underwhelming.

Katie Killjoy's old voice was better. Now we're just stuck with a knock off Bryce Tankthrust and Blitzo sound-a-like. A headless corpse of an exterminator. That's something. Also heaven has sci-fi tech? Oh and Angels bleed gold? Also doesn't Adam mean to kill all sinners? What?

End of Episode 1. I'll organize my thoughts on a different post later. Also when the full season releases, I'll add photos.

#hazbin critical #hazbin hotel critical #vivziepop criticism #vivziepop critical #hazbin criticism

36 notes · View notes

helleboretks · 1 year

Text

Cocky, Until He’s Not

This is a Lee!Dazai and Ler!Chuuya bsd tickle fic. If this isn’t your forte, no need to read!

Summary: Another one of Chuuya getting revenge on Dazai, but what if it happened during their Sokouku Days?

FunFact: This was my first ever tickle fic, so lols to all of this-

People would be surprised how long Chuuya waited for this specific moment.

Three weeks of nothing but dealing with his partner’s agitating behavior, mentally noting every insult, every jest, every tease and taunt, filing it away for this scenario. He needed his revenge for the countless times Dazai’s fucked with him on such a constant.

He hadn’t known how until he came to Dazai’s best friend for advice.

“He’s actually freakishly ticklish, if that gives you something to go off of.”

Bless Sakunosuke’s heart, Chuuya swore to God.

It was the best thing he could have ever found out, no matter how embarrassing it sounds. This was information he was sure as hell Dazai would rather take to the grave than to give him even a hint about, but now that Chuuya knew this? Oh boy, he was going to abuse this for the rest of his life.

Who would have ever thought? Dazai Osamu, king of annoying, Demon Prodigy and most stoically ridiculous asshole ever, ticklish? It was glorious, a weakness Chuuya could utilize at any moment. His heaven, even.

And he’s going to milk it for all it’s worth the first time around. Chuuya waited, counting up the piles of teases and taunts Dazai spewed at him so recklessly, counting each one, each reason-good reason-, to absolutely demolish this son of a bitch. And now that he had a mountain, it was time to find the right opportunity to strike.

It was so much easier than he thought it’d be, and he loved it.

Dazai was just going at his teases again, following Chuuya, poking and prodding at his nerves like second nature (and it probably was by now), sticking his tongue at him, calling him names in which Chuuya would fire back. It was their usual banter, as always. At least, until Dazai made a comment.

“You’re soooo tiny,” Dazai laughed, pointing to his bandaged neck, “You wouldn’t even reach my neck in five years time!” Chuuya had growled at him before the bulb went off, to which he smirked, and leaned back, pulling his hands from his pockets. And with all the confidence he could muster in that moment, he blurted,

“You’re awfully cocky for someone who’s so ticklish.”

Dazai blanked for all of three seconds, before letting out an actual squeal and stepping back rapidly, clearly caught off guard by the declaration. “A-And where in the world did you get that idea from?!” he tried to save himself, he really did, but the all too obvious blush on his face gave it away. The fact that he could get Dazai to react so genuinely gave Chuuya so much satisfaction, you’d think he’d leave it at that.

Well, of course he fucking wouldn’t. Dazai was just tempting him now.

“Oooh yes, I know your secret, Mackerel.” Chuuya smugly replied, lifting up his hands as his grin sharpened. Dazai visibly paled. Hilarious.

“Fucking. Run.” Dazai didn’t need to be told twice, spinning on his heel and making a mad dash like Chuuya’s never seen before. But, as much as the other ran, Chuuya didn’t even feel a hint of worry. Why? Well, did you really think Dazai was the most physically capable out of both of them?

He let Dazai get some distance just to build up tension, knowing how his partner had such a love/hate relationship with anticipation. He took off after him soon though, forgoing his ability just to make this chase that little bit more interesting.

“Dazai~!” Chuuya shouted tauntingly, getting a loud ‘GO AWAY, CHIBI!’ in response, yet it only made the ginger scoff. The duo were bolting down the halls before long, Dazai crashing into walls and bursting through doors, not seeming to give a rat’s ass about the employees he was disturbing with all the ruckus.

And Chuuya was hot on his tail, bouncing off the walls (Figuratively and literally) in vengeful glee as he zipped past those same employees, who looked beyond confused. He’s pretty sure they, or more like Dazai, knocked over more shipping boxes than necessary, and they ended up coming to one of those big storage sectors, conveyor belts transporting big cargo down to the PM’s ship docs.

Dazai was hurtling over boxes, climbing them like a rabid monkey as Chuuya simply used his gravitation to bound up them all in one go, slamming onto the box above Dazai and thoroughly startling the maniac, who let out a sharp yelp at his sudden appearance.

“NO!! Get away, get away! This is why I hate stupid dogs!” Dazai cried, immediately fleeing as he jumped down the boxes, and Chuuya laughed rather maniacally, seeing all the panic and irritation in Dazai for once instead of himself.

“You’re avoiding the inevitable, you bastard!” Chuuya hollered, jumping down and following Dazai, who fled for the exit like there would be no tomorrow if he didn’t.

He flung the door open, only to shriek and stumble back before he could get slammed into by another employee carrying boxes and metal beams, and Chuuya snorted at his attempt to stay up right. His knees were shaking like jelly, and Chuuya could only suspect it was from the situation he threw himself into.

Somehow he was able to squeeze past, and Chuuya waited another second or two once that employee was gone before he gave chase again, skidding around the corner he saw Dazai dash ‘round.

“ODASAKUUUU!!!” Oh, just Chuuya’s luck! Seems like Dazai found his friend (and semi-traitor) in the common room, throwing himself behind the older one and pointing at Chuuya accusatively.

“Get him to leave me alone!!! Oh my God he’s trying to kill meeee!!” Dazai screamed as Chuuya skidded to a halt right in front of Sakunosuke, who seemed taken aback by what he suddenly found himself in the middle of.

“C’mon! You can take it! You’re the Demon Prodigy, what’s a little bit of wiggling fingers gonna do?” Chuuya grinned, the duo falling into a stumbling dance of side-stepping around Sakunosuke, who let out a small huff of amusement from their shenanigans.

“Dazai?” Said boy stiffened with a squeak, yet found it hard not to break eye contact with Chuuya when it was his friend calling him. “He’s a bad dog!” Dazai whined pitifully, shuffling some more and shrieking when Chuuya almost nicked his side. So close!

However, that near nick seemed to kick off the giggles in that fiend, who desperately covered his quivering smile and shivered all the same. (Chuuya refuses to admit how his heart beat faster at the sight).

“Oda! Ohoda, Oda, Oda, hehelp me! Help me, Jesus Chrihist!!” Dazai begged, tugging at Sakunosuke’s sleeve ridiculously. Chuuya and Sakunosuke shared a glance, and the older one smiled.

“Alright.”

Dazai screeched like a banshee when Oda grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him back-first into Chuuya’s awaiting arms, and he immediately started writhing, regret has never been clearer in his eyes.

“Odasaku you traitor!! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck y-AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!” Chuuya actually laughed at the desperate scream that left Dazai’s open mouth when he started pinching his sides, the other squirming as he dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable giggling.

“Hey, it was bound to happen eventually.” Sakunosuke shrugged, as casual as ever even as his friend was being tortured right in front of him. “Aaaaand thank you for the gift, Sakunosuke-san!” Chuuya grinned, adjusting his grip and lifting the squealing mess of a Mafioso up, who leaned back as far as he could go as Chuuya’s fingers danced across his sides, legs kicking like crazy as he laughed.

“Anytime.” Spoke the low rank, who Dazai mustered up the will to flip the bird at. Chuuya kissed his teeth, fingers skittering across his belly experimentally, satisfied with the squeal he ripped from the other.

“I hahahahate yohohohou! FACK!!” Dazai screamed once Sakunosuke had taken his leave, Chuuya stumbling back from the sheer intensity of this boy’s flailing. “Jesus Christ, ya jackass! Would you stop squirming so much?” Chuuya huffed, walking backwards towards the couch of the common room.

“Thehehehen stooop!” Dazai whined between giggles, shaking his head rapidly before letting out a strangled gasp when he was unceremoniously dumped onto the couch. Chuuya didn’t waste a second, hopping onto Dazai’s thighs as the other threw his hands out, probably to attempt to stop Chuuya.

However, he did not account for Chuuya going for his underarms.

He clamped down immediately, convulsing where he was as his laughter grew more frantic, a string of cusses even Chuuya would be proud of spilling from giggling lips. He tried to stomp against the other arm of the couch, hoping to distract himself from the ticklish sensations, but he could barely move his legs with Chuuya sitting on them.

“Gehehehehet off mehe, you fahahat fuck!” Chuuya let out a choked gasp, offended that the other even had the gall to say that to him. “How the hell am I fat!? That just adds to the list of bullshit you put me through. More tickles for you.”

Dazai tried to let out a frustrated groan, but could barely get it out before his laughter got even louder when Chuuya flicked teasing fingers down to his hip, immediately peaking Chuuya’s interest.

“You are just one big damn tickle spot, aren’t ya?” Dazai frantically shook his head, yet that had to be the biggest lie he’s ever seen from the other. “Oh really now? Well it seems to me that you are, Mr.Squeak-sir-lot.” Dazai practically wheezed at the nickname, and Chuuya made sure to engrave that reaction into his memory.

“Now that I think about it, there’s one itty bitty spot I wanna try.” Chuuya casually mentioned, fingers walking up and down from the ribs to the hips as Dazai grabbed his wrist.

But he didn’t pull at it though.

So, he was enjoying this, wasn’t he? (How adorable…)

“Oh, well now you’ve just given yourself away, ya dumbass!” Chuuya grinned, hand darting up to attack Dazai’s neck.

And oh God, the scream that left him was more deafening than a triggered grenade.

He bucked and squirmed like a bull, squealing and laughing from his very gut. The words he wanted to say got jumbled and lost in giggles and laughter as Chuuya wiggled his fingers into the side of his neck, drilling and poking like rapid-fire all the while.

The first few tears of joy slipped down from his eyes, disappearing into his hairline as he snorted. That laugh was just so squeaky and dorky, down right hilarious, Chuuya couldn’t help but laugh along.

But at some point he did end up giving the other a bit of mercy, dying down to feather-light touches along his shoulders to the very base of his neck, eliciting squeaky little giggles from the mafioso. “I hahahate you, chihihibi. I swehehear.” Dazai gasped after a while as Chuuya rolled his eyes.

“Feeling’s mutual, partner.” Chuuya bit back playfully, only to blink a bit when he noticed the bandages over Dazai’s right eye begin to slip and slide. The other didn’t seem to care as much as Chuuya thought, simply scrunching up his shoulders and turning his head more to escape the tingly sensations.

“What? Never been tickled senseless before?” Chuuya opted to ignore it as well, Dazai letting out a scoff through feverish giggling, as if that would suddenly bring back his reputation to Chuuya as that stoic, constantly bothersome, moody Mafia man. Or boy. Whatever.

“Yohohou’re not even t-tryihihing that hahard.” Dazai snickered, and Chuuya used that opportunity to give a face of fake (and definitely a little real) offense. “Excuse me, you bitch? You were laughing so hard you couldn’t even speak a few times, what do you mean I ‘wasn’t even trying’???” Dazai chuckled, sticking his tongue out as Chuuya finally ceased his ministrations. And Dazai actually thought the other had had enough with him, but oh boy was he wrong.

Why? Well…

How was he supposed to react when Chuuya shoved his hands under his shirt and onto bandaged skin!?!? The bandages didn’t do a thing to stop it, either!

He let out a cry, retracting his tongue as he flung his head back, cackling crazily. “OW OW OHOW, MY TOHOHOHONGUE!! CHIBI I FUHUHUCKING BIT MY TOHOHOHOHONGUE, NAHAHAHAHA!!!” Chuuya snorted and laughed at his partner’s dilemma, who didn’t know whether to wince in pain or continue laughing like a hyena. Apparently, his body decided both were an option. This is probably the most Dazai’s ever cursed in months, he isn’t even going to lie.

“I CAHAHAHAN’T, CHUUYA I CAN’T-I CAN’T, FUHUHUHUHUCK!!” Chuuya raised a brow mockingly, asking, “Can’t what, Mr. Squeaks? Ya gotta speak up, I can’t hear you through all the white noise!”

“STAHAHAHAHAP, I CAN’T STAHAHAP, CHUUYAAAAA!!!” Dazai screamed, and the shorter boy’s face lit up at the opportunity the other handed to him on a golden platter.

“You can’t stop? Holy shit, you can’t stop the feeling! You Can’t stop the feeling~!” Dazai was snorting and laughing as Chuuya sang that lyrical parody to him over and over again, skittering all along his ribs and scritch-scratching at every space in between that he could find that made Dazai positively lose his crap.

Dazai was wheezing at this point, tears falling down from so much stimulation, yet he couldn’t tell if he wanted more or not. He was slapping at Chuuya’s bicep, cackling mindlessly as he squirmed and struggled weakly, feeling drained as the seconds ticked on.

At this rate, Chuuya could see the other was close to going crazy.

The moment Chuuya knew the other had reached his limit was when he started hiccuping.

Hiccups within quick succession of one another littered his laugh when Chuuya touched onto his hips again, skin on skin contact making it so much worse for the taller as he flung his head around wildly. It was as if he lost complete rationality, dizzy from the sensations.

“M-ME-MERCIHIH-HIC-IHI, P-PLE-HIC-EASE CHU-HIC-CHUUYAH-HAHAHA!!!” Chuuya decided then that the other finally had enough, slowing to a stop and allowing Dazai to sink into the couch, panting heavily as his laughter was gradually reduced to feverishly desperate giggles and gasps for air. Chuuya let out a victorious laugh, taking in the poor mafioso’s expression.

He wasn’t really paying much attention to Dazai’s face then, so it was only when he got a good look at him that Chuuya finally took notice of his loose bandages from before, and by that he meant he had no idea where the hell they went. But now he’s got a giggling, gasping Dazai shivering under him, two eyes of vibrantly dark brown gazing up with the brightest blush he’d ever seen.

It was precious. Dangerously precious.

And the wobbly little smile on the taller's face was doing things to his heart, unfortunately.

“Y-you’re staring~...” Dazai whispered, but he also seemed to try and avert his gaze, if only a little, subtle as always. Chuuya kissed his teeth and rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to throw out one of his normal insults when-

“HIC-”

The two stared at each other for what might have been hours, but was only a few seconds. Quickly, Dazai shot up (and almost headbutt Chuuya in the process, but avoided it) and covered his mouth as another hiccup erupted from him. Then another, and another, and another-holy shit.

“You did not just get the hiccups.” Chuuya scoffed, holding back his own chuckles as Dazai tried to retort, only ending up with another, much squeakier hiccup. His blush reappeared tenfold, body jerking from each hiccup as Chuuya’s restrained snickers grew at the other’s dilemma.

“S-Stop laughing Chi-hic-Chibikko!” Dazai growled, batting at the ginger’s head as he continued to hiccup, and Chuuya continued to laugh at the other’s misery. This was probably the most embarrassment he’d ever seen on Dazai’s face, so he made sure to commit it to memory. He couldn’t not do that, now could he? It was so utterly adorable.

…He’ll just pretend he didn’t think that.

“C’mon, seriously?” Chuuya spoke between giggles, raising his hands to squish Dazai’s cheeks mockingly, the other weakly moving away to no avail. “Look at you! You’re hiccuping like a maniac, mackerel.” Chuuya smirked, letting his fingers fiddle just underneath Dazai’s chin and near his neck again, renewing some of those little giggles in him.

“Nohohohooo, no-hic-mohohore.” Dazai whined, but for once, he didn’t pull away, in fact, he did the opposite. He leaned into Chuuya’s touch when the other stopped the light teases, simply allowing Chuuya to hold his face.

The two stared at each other, and Chuuya wasn’t sure what to call this kind of atmosphere, (That was a lie, he knew it all too well, refusing to accept it). Dazai’s squishy cheeks in the palm of his hands, those dark brown eyes that held a different gleam to them than usual, and neither could truly look away. The moment was quiet save for Dazai’s hiccups, the moment was strange in every sense of the word, the moment was…

“This is oddly giving me sexual aftercare vibes right now-”

Ruined. Thanks to Dazai and his stupid mackerel mouth.

Chuuya simply decided to tickle him breathless for that one.

Not that he wouldn’t have done it again at some point.

#HBWriting #Lee!Dazai #Ler!Chuuya #If I have to I WILL create the bulk of all Lee!Dazai fics #don't test me XD #bsd #bsd tickle fic #skk

155 notes · View notes