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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 25, part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Holy crap, Episode 25! We’re halfway through! *Cue Bon Jovi*

Hunt Invitation

After taking a nice long break to watch Word of Honor pick lotus pods, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli return to stressing over the shitshow that is the post-Sunshot cultivation world. Jin Zixuan has come to invite them to the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, with a special invitation from his mother to Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng reacts to this in a mature and reasonable manner, while Wei Wuxian...doesn't.

On the surface, Jiang Cheng has matured in recent months; much more than Wei Wuxian, with his secret burdens, has. But it's only on the surface, as we'll see later in the episode, when Jiang Cheng's insecurity will take the reins.

Jin Zixuan is adorably pleased by Jiang Yanli's acceptance of the invitation. Wei Wuxian is less pleased, but sort of tries to suck it up.

Jin Zixuan kind of undercuts the romance of his errand by asking Wei Wuxian for the Yin tiger amulet as soon as Jiang Yanli is out of earshot.

As always, Jin Zixuan makes an impression by being the best Jin currently in existence, but the Jins are terrible. JZX is working to advance his dad's ambitions, and as such he is currently Wei Wuxian's enemy.

(more after the cut)

Opening Ceremonies

There's a bunch of cultivators arranged for the opening ceremony. Later someone will say that this is more than 5 thousand people. Ok, sure.

As I've said before, it's best to think of it like a theatre production and assume the other 4,900 people are offstage or, you know, painted on the backdrop.

The young lead cultivators from the four main clans are standing together. Nie Huaisang is trying out some new body armor.

The clan leaders are seated up on the stage, along with Jin Furen and Jiang Yanli. Unfortunately Jin Furen doesn't seem to have a personal name that I can discover. Her title Fūrén ( 夫人) means she's the primary wife of the head of the family, according to this excellent meta.

So “Madame Jin” is a decent translation...if you're French? I feel like instead of English subtitles including borrowed words from French (”Marquis” in NIH), Greek (”Water of Lethe” in WOH), and other European languages, we could try borrowing Chinese words instead. Jin Zixuan's mom is titled, not named, Jin Furen. Since we don’t know her actual name, I'll call her that and abbreviate it JFR.

Wei Wuxian's childishness continues at the opening of the hunt, as does Jiang Yanli's encouragement of his childishness. I know she's had a rough couple of years, and it's understandable to want to baby her little brother out of a sense of nostalgia. But it's not good for him, and she shouldn't do it; she should encourage him to be more mature, just as she does with Jiang Cheng.

War Crimes Contest

Jin Guangyao says they're going to have an archery competition, and they're going to liven it up by endangering some prisoners. These prisoners are Wens in Wen cultivator uniforms, meaning they're not the noncombatants that were being hunted down earlier. But they’re still helpless people in chains.

There are three different reactions when the Wen prisoners are brought out. All the Jins are pleased, or neutral. All of the Jiangs, including Wei Wuxian, are upset.

The Nies and the Lans, what we see of them, are a little shocked, but not obviously upset. Based on those reactions, it seems like this is a maneuver that in-world is considered shocking and cruel, but not necessarily unethical or immoral. Shocking, cruel displays of power are pretty normal in this world; remember when Wen Chao lit a Lan cultivator on fire just to say hello, and nobody complained?

This whole scenario, of course, has been designed to provoke Wei Wuxian. One major goal of this event, and the whole reason for wanting Wei Wuxian to come, is to get the Yin Tiger amulet. Making him lose his shit in front of 100 5000 cultivators is a good step toward compelling him to hand the amulet over.

We see Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli both signaling Wei Wuxian to keep it together, and he takes a step back and tries to chill.

Meanwhile, Jin Zixuan seems annoyed by all this, and goes to take a shot at it, making it clear from his demeanor that this is easy and JGY is making a show of nothing.

He hovers in the air and makes a perfect shot, pleasing most of the crowd and impressing Jiang Yanli.

Then his cousin Jin Zixun taunts the crowd, challenging anyone to do better. This presents a bit of a problem for Wei Wuxian. For the sake of the Wen prisoners, Wei Wuxian should just take this taunting and let the contest end, if no-one else is willing to take a shot. But for the sake of the Jiang Clan’s status, and his continued control of the Yin Tiger amulet, he needs to put the Jins in their place.

Every Day is Blindfold Day

This moral dilemma is resolved with an abrupt tonal shift, where the humanitarian concerns of all parties seem to vanish. Wei Wuxian flirts embarrassingly with Lan Wangji and then goes as far over the top in besting Jin Zixuan as it's possible to go.

The flirting hits differently, incidentally, when you edit Jiang Cheng's annoyed reaction out of it:

Lan Wangji doesn't seem embarrassed by Wei Wuxian's request, despite it happening in front of 100 5000 of their fellow cultivators. He looks Wei Wuxian straight in the eye for longer than necessary before turning away; it’s not exactly stern disapproval. We’ll get very used to this look, in Wei Wuxian’s second life.

Fortunately, Wei Wuxian carries a blindfold with him wherever he goes, (gifset here), and he is such a good cultivator he can hit 5 parallel targets simultaneously without even holding his bow straight or tightening the string.

(OP fixed the angle of the bow for this gif, which is why everyone is standing on a hill in the background).

Everyone is pleased by this shot except Jins Guangyao and Zixun; even the Jin cultivators are clapping, and Madame Jin is presumably this happy any time Jin Guangyao’s plans go wrong.

With that they start the hunt. Jin Zixun challenges Wei Wuxian to do the whole hunt blindfolded. Wei Wuxian agrees, but the censorship committee said no, apparently, so we don’t get to see that.

Flute Hunting

We do get to see Wei Wuxian luring monsters into his nets by being too sexy for his robe, too sexy for his robe, and playing the flute.

We also get to see Jiang cultivators looking puzzled while random monster roars happen in the woods around them. We do not get to see any monsters, which is probably just as well.

Jiang Cheng is annoyed and concerned, muttering "I told you not to overdo it" which means he didn't, you know, tell Wei Wuxian NOT to do this, just not to do it quite so well. Jiang Cheng knows what Wei Wuxian’s abilities are and he is making use of him, as he should, but he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions.

Tree Confession

Wei Wuxian sees Lan Wangji and starts to say hi, but then he has a desaturated flashback to Lan Xichen telling him to back off, so he stops himself. But then Lan Wangji comes over to talk to him.

Lan Wangji starts off talking to him about his latest anti-resentment musical discoveries, and Wei Wuxian pushes back, even calling him Lan Wangji, but gently. Wei Wuxian asks "who am I to you?" and Lan Wangji turns the question right back at him, then waits a looooooong time, eyes downcast, while Wei Wuxian thinks of a serious answer.

Wei Wuxian says "I used to treat you as my zhījǐ" --which, as we’ve discussed before, is variously translated soulmate, confidant, intimate friend--with a strong meaning of "the person who truly knows me." Lan Wangji says "I still am." Coming from Lan Wangji, who NEVER says how he feels about Wei Wuxian or about anything, really, this sounds a lot like a confession of love.

It definitely takes the form, visually, of a love confession, as Lan Wangji speaks, then gazes at Wei Wuxian while he waits for a reply. Wei Wuxian's reply is this:

I don't think Wei Wuxian is oblivious (I'm speaking strictly of CQL, not MZDS, as always with these posts; they are different works). I think he loves Lan Wangji back, and knows it. But Chenqing and everything it represents are between them.

Lan Wangji is quite literally NOT his zhījǐ any more, because he doesn't truly know Wei Wuxian right now. He loves him desperately, but he doesn't know about his core, and hasn't accepted his cultivation method. So Wei Wuxian answers his confession by showing him Chenqing, effectively declining to accept his still-conditional love.

Snake Measuring

Next we get terrible hetero courtship in the form of Jin Zixuan finding snake discharge on the ground and talking to Jiang Yanli about comparative snake measuring. Seriously: that is the actual conversation that they are having.

Jin Zixuan boasts for a bit, and then awkwardly tries to ask Jiang Yanli on a date. When she turns him down he gets mad, because he's a typical heterosexual dude even though he's secretly a delightful person...very, very secretly. Jiang Yanli, for her part, can't string a fucking sentence together to save her life whenever he's around, so she's not helping their mutual understanding.

Lan Wangji attempts to hold Wei Wuxian back from beating Jin Zixuan’s ass yet again, but eventually JYL wants to leave, JZX tells her to wait, and WWX intervenes. Why doesn't Jiang Yanli have a maid or Jiang cultivator with her while she's on a date, incidentally? These kids are confused about whether they're doing feudal patriarchy or whether they're doing modern social life.

Jin vs. Jiang

Wei Wuxian jumps in between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, which JZX objects to. Jin Zixuan has no fucking business objecting and Wei Wuxian is 100% right, at this point. As soon as WWX shows up JZX should hand her off to her Shidi, bow, and leave her the fuck alone. Instead, he draws his sword on Wei Wuxian, and kind of on Jiang Yanli since she's right behind Wei Wuxian. Fortunately, Lan Wangji blocks him.

This instantly blows up into a Jiang-Jin Clan conflict, with Jiang Cheng unfortunately absent since he let his unmarried sister go off in the woods alone with the son of the Cultivaton world's most famous lecher. It looks like it’s a personal conflict, but since Jin Zixuan already told Wei Wuxian directly that Jin Guangshan wants his amulet, any arguments between them are part of a larger power struggle.

Cousin Jin Zixun comes running up to start shit. Wei Wuxian pretends--I am SURE he's pretending--not to know who he is. The dude hassles Wei Wuxian every time he sees him; Wei Wuxian is a troll, and right now CJXZ is butting in to something that doesn't concern him. Rather than argue, Wei Wuxian insults him by telling him he’s not memorable.

Jin Furen shows up with several maids and cultivator dudes in tow, which is the proper way for a highborn woman to wander around in the woods. She also brings Clan Leader Yao, because if it's Wei Wuxian Blaming Hours, Yao is going to be there.

I initially found the deep friendship between superhot Yi Zuyuan and dumpy Jin Furen implausible, but then I remembered that my lifelong bestie is a smokin' hot redhead with impeccable fashion sense, while I am a roly-poly nerd. Friends don’t always match. Also, Jin Furen's actress, Hu Xiaoting, looks like this:

...so she is actually hot in real life. Not as hot as Zhang Jingtong (who plays Yu Ziyuan) but literally nobody is as hot as Zhang Jingtong. Don't @ me, you know I'm right.

This is a heck of a long scene, so we’ll pick it up in part two!

Soundtrack: Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Writing prompt: Newly-divorced, cold-hearted CEO Yu Ziyuan buys an apartment next door to newly-divorced, warm-hearted pastry chef ...uhh let's call her Jin Dàngāo (蛋糕), sure. She can name her business after herself.

They discover their daughter & son are in the same college class, and so they meet up over coffee....several times...trying to matchmake their hopeless, hapless kids, while bonding over their own terrible (former) taste in husbands. Who will Cupid strike first, the kids or the moms?

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #wangxian #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs

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rosalind-of-arden · 4 years

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Sword and Pen Reread, chapter 16

Time for things to get stabby! Long post. Some discussion of a canon torture incident (y’all know which one).

We left off last chapter with Dario making his dramatic entrance. We pick up here with Wolfe lecturing Jess, Morgan talking to Dario, and Glain sending Codex messages. Who is Glain messaging? Her squad? Santi? Khalila?

Jess admits he’s dying, and Wolfe shows a flash of emotion - Jess can’t tell if it’s anguish or anger. I think Wolfe is seeing himself in Jess here. Jess’s “Getting killed for something worthwhile is better than dying alone” echoes Wolfe’s death letter from Ash and Quill: “I hope I died for something, as I lived for it.” Wolfe in Smoke and Iron, too; he’s not afraid to go into the Colosseum and probably die fighting, but the thought of dying slowly and helplessly in prison terrifies him. He understands exactly what Jess is thinking, and that hurts.

Why did I go back and reread that whole letter? There’s something in my eye now.

Second page of the chapter, here’s Jess thinking that his friends have made him a better person, while his family’s influence makes him worse. His impulse to kill the Archivist comes from his family, and he expects his friends would disapprove. Interesting parallel with Dario later in the chapter.

Wolfe’s discomfort with violence again? He neither agrees nor disagrees with Jess’s argument about killing the Archivist. He just shakes his head and gets on with the scheming.

But this isn’t just a moral “is it ok to kill the Archivist” thing, necessarily. For Wolfe, especially, there might be a lot of vindication in seeing the Archivist formally and publicly accused and tried for his crimes. Obviously, he’s not going to admit that outright, but it could very well influence his stance on what to do with the Archivist (and co-conspirators).

And why isn’t Wolfe getting into this argument with Jess? He knows how much vengeance means to Jess. With Jess dying, Wolfe doesn’t want to have an argument that would hurt Jess unless it’s absolutely necessary. Wolfe might also know just how much of the “we need to kill the bastard” talk is emotion talking, too. After all, in the end, Jess is surprisingly compassionate toward the dying Archivist. And Jess wasn’t completely on board with assassination when Anit first brought it up earlier in the book, either. If anyone can recognize angry bluster, it would be Wolfe. Echoes there of Wolfe in Ash and Quill telling Jess how well he knows him.

Wolfe goes to talk to Glain and Dario (there’s the planning team), leaving Morgan with Jess. He’s giving those two a private moment - does he know they broke up? Probably not? But also, keeping his distance from Morgan after the energy draining incident?

Morgan and Jess, bonding over their mutual decisions to sacrifice themselves for the people and cause they care about.

Dario’s first response to being asked to lure the Archivist into a trap: “I’ve had enough of intrigue.” He’s still deeply hurt by the betrayal. He doesn’t want to do anything like that again. But here’s Glain trying to talk him into it. What message is Dario getting here? That his friends need him to be a bad person. Ouch. Guess what this pushes Dario toward?

Lose Wolfe’s trust, never get it back. He immediately and aggressively rejects the idea of working with Callum because he expects Callum to betray them. Very similar to his reaction to trusting Zara again in Ash and Quill.

Dad Wolfe holds Jess up when Jess just about collapses coughing. Wolfe’s hands are shaking while he holds Jess, which is interesting, since that’s always been a PTSD thing for Wolfe up until now.

Wolfe very much wants to be there to catch the Archivist.

Dad Wolfe, quietly checking in with Jess: “He glanced at Jess, just briefly, but Jess understood that to mean something.” This is a nice moment of understanding between these two. There’s the nonverbal communication, which itself shows how well they understand each other. But then there’s Wolfe, knowing very well that Jess might not want his vulnerability openly acknowledged, keeping this little check-in quiet. Jess does choose to explain, but Wolfe’s not demanding that. I suspect he would have accepted just a nod.

Jess says he got a new mask and stronger meds “on the way out”. Intercepted by a Medica? (Medica: ugh, you’re all impossible. Fine, have meds if you’re going to insist on sneaking out.) Or lying?

Magic ring restrictions: no harming anyone unless they’re harming the wearer first, no taking away choices from people.

“My clever father,” Wolfe muttered. “Trust Eskander to find yet another way to make this more difficult.” At this point, Wolfe’s talked to Eskander what, once? On page, at least. And hasn’t exactly had a lot of opportunities for off-page conversations. So where is this coming from? Keria, I’m guessing. Wolfe doesn’t know his father, but I’ll bet he heard plenty about Eskander from his mother, whose view would be... biased, to say the least. Rumors from the Archivist and Artifex, too, maybe - he might have been close enough to either of them in the past to hear them griping about Eskander making trouble in the Iron Tower.

Dario-Wolfe parallels: Wolfe doesn’t want to die in a graveyard because that’s embarrassing, Dario doesn’t want to die like a commoner.

“We’ll make sure everyone knows how royally you bled to death.” Glain gets all the best lines.

Also, though. Here’s Dario saying he doesn’t want to kill the Archivist. He says it’s because he doesn’t want to be killed in revenge for that, but is that it? Or is this another hint at conflicted morality? Or devotion to Khalila, knowing she definitely wants a fair trial?

“Their old dormitory must have contained postulants for the upcoming year.” So, by my guess, this is happening in November. I really, really cannot think of a way this could be happening at the beginning of the school year. It would be hard, even, to push the date into December and say Jess means the new year not school year. So... Alexandria isn’t using the same calendar as us? (Where would that be on the ancient Egyptian/Greek calendar?) Or the Library starts school years irregularly? Or Jess is just out of it and not thinking that this group of postulants would already be pretty far into the program. Eh, let’s go with that. Jess is unreliable.

More Dad Wolfe moments: playful slaps on the head for Jess and Dario. @thegreatlibraryfangirl this is it. The closest thing to a sweet dad moment Dario gets.

I’m kind of sad we don’t get any more Morgan POV. I’d like to know how she’s feeling about Jess when she hugs him here. Questioning her feelings again? Wanting to part on good terms? Just needing a bit of physical comfort and knowing he’ll give it?

So did Callum really set the trap like Jess asked? Or did Callum actually tip the Archivist off, leading the Archivist to send the Elites? I can see him playing both sides.

Also, is this happening before or after Zara shoots the Archivist? Who knows.

““Any last words, Scholar? I’ll be happy to record them and add them to your journal... Oh, sorry, the Archivist has ordered your journals burned.” That’s just vicious. The Archivist didn’t just send his captain to kill Wolfe, he sent him to taunt Wolfe with an extremely sensitive subject first.

Ok, ok, another tiny little Wolfe-Dario moment: “I don’t have followers [...] Do I?” “No, sir [...] I’m afraid not. You’re too unlikable.” So we have some very small signs of affection between Wolfe and Dario, but they’re wrapped up in mock hostility. Fitting for both of them, since neither likes to show emotion or vulnerability, but still. Poor Dario.

“Make it between adults, if you can manage that.” Wolfe, snarking at gunpoint again. And trying to draw the enemy off the kids. (Unconventional patronus/animagus/daemon for Wolfe: a fucking killdeer.)

Interesting parallel here between Wolfe and Morgan tricking the Elites with Morgan’s illusion and Wolfe and Khalila in the Welsh general’s tent. Wolfe and kid tag teaming an enemy. But also parallels with the Philadelphia planning - once again, Wolfe and Morgan plan to save everyone at the cost of overusing Morgan’s power.

Wolfe tries to spare the Elites’ lives, but when he fails at that, he doesn’t hesitate to shoot the captain. But that’s while the captain is still grappling with Jess and Dario. Once the captain surrenders, Wolfe won’t shoot. How much of Wolfe’s thinking on when it’s ok to kill someone is influenced by all his work with Santi in war zones? This seems like a very military code of conduct. Give the enemy a chance to surrender, fight if he doesn’t, stop when he does.

So, the stabbing. It’s easy to see how Dario gets here. He’s spent the whole series characterizing himself as ruthless and willing to make hard choices, and in this book he’s just been told by the people he cares about that he can only help them by doing the dirty work. Over and over, he feels bad about what he has to do (or thinks he has to do), and over and over, he’s told it’s the only way. Add in whatever fucked up family backstory, and this is where he ends up.

This actually reminds me a bit of what @eli-wray said about Jess and Dario’s plan in Ash and Quill. This is an act of self sacrifice for Dario, much like that plan. He’s doing something he feels is wrong but necessary so that other characters don’t have to. In Dario’s view, the only way to get the information is to torture the captain, and his friends are good people so they shouldn’t have to do it. He’ll be the bad one for them.

“I want this to be done, for all our sakes.” Here’s Dario’s main motivation. Dario is tired of this fight. He was tired of it after betraying Spain. He was tired of it at the start of this chapter. Dario just wants to get all of this over with.

Dario’s grinning and threats have Jess freaked out, but we already know Dario is a good actor. I don’t think he’s having as much fun as he pretends he is. Will he feel as bad about this as the betrayal? No. But this is definitely adding to the list of reasons Dario does not think of himself as a good person or worthy of Khalila.

And where does Dario’s act fall apart? It cracks a bit when Wolfe asks him to stop, and he sounds more exhausted and frustrated than gleefully murderous. It shatters when he learns Khalila’s in danger. Genuinely murderous Dario isn’t grinning or taunting anyone. He’s just putting the knife right in the captain’s heart.

Anyway, enough Dario. I’m supposed to be rambling about Wolfe here. So, for obvious reasons, this isn’t going to be comfortable for Wolfe to watch. Jess is oblivious as usual, but we get a couple hints. First, Wolfe’s dialogue. We get “Dario, stop”, then nothing until he checks on Jess as they leave. Short sentences, basic word choices. Twice, Jess notes that “not even Wolfe” said anything. Wolfe gets quiet when he’s triggered. And then there’s the “bleak look in the Scholar’s eyes” at the end of the chapter. There’s more than enough to cause that - Khalila is in danger, Jess and Morgan are dying - but trauma is another cause. Pretty sure his expression has been described as “bleak” before when he’s triggered and/or remembering Rome. This is far from the worst trauma response Wolfe has had, but he’s definitely uncomfortable.

Wolfe might have more pragmatic reasons to object, too. He’s been tortured himself. He probably has a pretty good idea of how likely the captain is to give them true and useful information. This may not even be his first time in this kind of situation - there were those 10 war zones, after all. And sure enough, while the captain does point everyone in sort of the right direction, what he says is as much a taunt as an answer, and it’s leaving out quite a bit - possibly, the captain didn’t even know about the final plan to destroy the Archives. Wolfe would probably expect those problems. Dario doesn’t.

#the great library #sword and pen reread #sword and pen spoilers #canon torture #stabbing

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tulipau · 6 years

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title: Colour Me Free

word count: 1494

tags: established relationship, sexuality, interactive introverts - moscow, tattoos, queer themes

summary: Over the next few days Dan draws and redraws a tiny triangle on his bicep every morning with a sharpie, because he’s never been one to take decisions lightly, because he’s still afraid of commitment but the need to have those three lines on his skin is stronger.

or: queer signaling, a triangle, an earring and Russia.

a/n: written for @phandomficfests tour fic fest. huge thanks to @drycerealthief for beta reading.

READ ON AO3

It comes as a shock to Phil the first time Dan mentions it. Phil’s sitting on the sofa, mindlessly adding the last finishing touches to a gaming video that will go up that same night. It comes easy to him, after all these years. Some comic sans here, a funny effect there, the little things that make their videos theirs. That’s why he doesn’t wear headphones for this last process. Headphones mean serious business, don’t talk to me unless the building is burning and I’m going to die in 30 seconds. No headphones means he’s editing for the sake of it, so Dan doesn’t have to do it later, because he’s bored and he needs a distraction that will make him feel productive. It is because of this that he hears Dan, loud and clear, from where he’s being sitting for the past 20 minutes in his little corner, clickity-clacking away on his mechanical keyboard.

“I think I want to get a tattoo.”

It isn’t a conversational comment, no. He says it like a statement, like it means something. And it does, because they’ve had plenty of conversations regarding tattoos. Phil’s scared of needles and Dan’s scared of commitment.

Dan is looking intently at Phil now, who turned around in shock as soon as he heard his words. His look is meaningful and Phil starts to understand what this is all about, because there are little things that Dan is somewhat reluctant to openly talk about and, after all these years, after all those therapy sessions, his sexuality is still one of them. It isn’t a matter of shame or prudishness, Dan’s unapologetically loud and proud with his closer social circles and also practically out on the internet. The thing is, though, he prefers to show, not tell. He would rather kiss Phil in front of a family friend–if they were into that kind of PDA– than have to explain, come out for the upteenth time.

Phil’s been through it all next to him and, what he hasn’t been, he’s been told. He’s been told about the first crush Dan had on a boy, about the first time he wanked to the thought of a boy touching him and about the first time he watched gay porn and didn’t turn his laptop on for a week after that, as if it had been tainted.

And he had been there for the first time Dan had kissed a boy, him, and then touched his lips, amazed that he could feel so much. Phil had been many of Dan’s firsts, but there were other firsts. Labels, coming outs, accepting himself, that was all parallel to their story, sometimes intertwined, sometimes separate. And it had been a long process for Dan, not always because of him, but because of the circumstances they found themselves in.

Lately, he had been trying to signal his sexuality, his queerness. There hadn’t been any conversation about it. One day he just started doing research, bought a bunch of earrings a week later and that was it. So, yes, Phil understands what the tattoo is about, yet he wants to be sure.

“Of what?” he asks.

“A little triangle or an equal sign. Right here.” He lifts his arm and points to where he wants it, nestled between the well-defined muscles underneath his arm. No one would see it there, no one but him, Phil, and maybe their friends when they’re on summer holidays in some Mediterranean island. People he trusts.

Phil gets up and joins him in the corner, sitting on the bench behind him.

“Do you think you will regret it?” He asks, because he has to. Because he worries and because Dan needs someone to ask the right questions.

Dan stops to think about the answer. He takes a few seconds before he replies and eases Phil’s mind.

“I don’t think I will. I would if it was a silly tattoo, but this is who I am. Me being queer isn’t going to change, I’m not going to change.”

“Okay, then,” Phil smiles the brightest he’s possibly ever smiled, all kinds of pride filling his heart. “Do you have any ideas of what you want the design to look like?”

Dan beams excitedly and turns around, presumably to show Phil the few designs he’d saved. Phil stands up and moves to Dan’s side, leaning on the table. It appears Dan was on Pinterest looking up different ideas, but he has over ten different tabs open, some of them from popular queer media. Phil feels the wave of pride again, and leans over to kiss Dan’s cheek. He keeps his hand on Dan’s back, because he needs to touch. He needs the connection.

Half an hour later, they’ve reviewed over fifteen designs. Most of them look the same to Phil because there’s really not many ways you can draw a triangle or an equal sign, but he doesn’t tell Dan this. He gives his opinions and Dan agrees with most of them. Together, they narrow it down to two very minimalistic tattoos. Sharp, fine lines. In the end, Dan goes for the triangle.

Over the next few days Dan draws and redraws a tiny triangle on his bicep every morning with a sharpie, because he’s never been one to take decisions lightly, because he’s still afraid of commitment but the need to have those three lines on his skin is stronger.

It looks good on him, so good, surrounded by the defined muscles that drive Phil crazy. Phil is a bit obsessed with the triangle and Dan has noticed, not like Phil is hiding it. When they fuck, he grabs Dan’s arm and mouths around it. When they cuddle, he traces the lines with his fingertips and just watches how goosebumps appear on Dan’s skin. Neither of them comment on it, because as much as it turns Phil on, as much as he loves it, that’s not what it is about. It’s for Dan, and for Dan only.

He never gets it. Weeks pass, months pass and they’re in the midst of tour planning and then tour prepping and Phil doesn’t know if Dan has put the tattoo aside for now or if it was one of those ideas that Dan has but never actually get carried out. He could ask, of course he could, but this is something Dan needs to do at his own pace. If he ever does.

The earring however, that’s a staple now. Sometimes Dan even wears it around the house when they’re not doing anything, no videos to be filmed, no pictures to be posted. He says it makes him feel more like himself when Phil asks about it, a mix of curiosity and admiration bubbling inside him.

He always wears it. Until Russia.

“I feel like I want to scream it,” Dan says when they’re cuddled up in bed their first night in Moscow. They’re planning to sleep in their respective rooms but neither wants to leave the other just yet.

“What, that you like cock?” Phil looks over at him, his eyes unconsciously drifting to Dan’s naked right ear. The earring has been in Dan’s pocket all day and it will probably stay there until they get to Berlin.

“It’s weird, right? I never felt this need to be so... open about it.”

Phil hums in understanding. His hand trails up Dan’s arm until it reaches the inside of his bicep. He draws a triangle there.

They sleep separately that night, as they intended. It feels like submitting.

Phil goes over to Dan’s room early the next day. Dan is still in his boxers when he opens the door, hair wet and dripping.

Phil settles on the bed as he watches Dan get dressed, pulling on the checkered shorts that remind Phil of home, of snuggling on the sofa watching whatever show they’re into that week, of taking them off of Dan hours later.

“Can you fetch me a pen?” Dan asks as he buttons up the bottoms.

Phil nods, even though Dan is not watching him. He grabs the complimentary hotel pen that’s sitting on the bedside table to his right and gets up to hand it to Dan.

“Can you draw it for me?” Dan asks instead of taking the pen. He lifts up his arm and looks at Phil sheepishly. There’s no confusion about what he means. “The lines end up wonky if I do it myself.”

“‘Course.” He pecks Dan’s lips before getting to work.

His lines end up even wonkier than if Dan had drawn them himself. He’s all shaky hands by the time he’s done and steps back to look at it properly. It feels momentous and yet so natural, comforting even. It feels like the power of those lines extends for the both of them.

Dan gets the tattoo when they get back home before the US tour. Phil holds his hand through it.

#phanfiction #phanfic #phan #my fics

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mickeylover303 · 3 years

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while trying to free up much needed space on the dvr

I guess I want to at least be able to tell myself I posted something, even if it’s not finished. Playing AE can only do so much for the completionist in me, although I’m still not feeling particularly optimistic about any of this.

“That’s some of the most aggressive packing I’ve ever seen.”

Readjusting the clasp of the wide band around his bicep, Itachi spares a glance to Naruto and Sasuke standing at the cabin’s table.

Sasuke’s packing, it’s not aggressive, not by any definition of the word, but Naruto’s always had somewhat of a dramatic personality, with a noted tendency to exaggerate, sometimes if only for the sake of doing so.

As Naruto’s grown older, though, it seems to have become more so a means he’ll use to help lighten the mood, right now in particular, in the form of teasing, a casual attempt to divert Sasuke’s attention from the knapsack Sasuke has been methodically packing and unpacking for the past few minutes.

And it works, as that kind of attempt often does, because there are certain emotions Sasuke still tends to avoid, what Naruto likes to call part of weird biological tic Sasuke has, preventing him from expressing his feelings like normal people, since Sasuke doesn’t know how to use those things called words.

“I’m just making sure this is everything,” Sasuke says, as he lowers his hand, placing a small canteen pouch on the table.

He looks to Naruto walking to stand beside him, Naruto still peering at the knapsack, squinting, as he turns his head to meet Sasuke’s waiting gaze.

“What’s wrong with making sure Itachi and Juugo have everything they need?”

“Aside from this whole weird packing ritual thing you apparently have going on, you mean.”

“You know I don’t have any weird packing rituals, Naruto. And there’s nothing weird about me wanting to—”

“Okay, says you, but don’t you think you’re going to squish everything like that, the way you keep taking stuff out and putting it back in?”

“REMs and NPs? Really?”

“Hey, the blueberry tart package I saw, I bet you that one’s going to stain everything if it spills.”

“I already know how to pack, Naruto. You’re the one who likes to wait until the last minute, like you did Tuesday, when you already knew we had to leave for the peace...summit.

“Besides, I’m not going to squish anything. I’m just...I’m just making sure. I just want to make sure.”

“Eh, well, if you say so.”

With a light shrug, with the easy drop of his shoulders, Naruto doesn’t hesitate to raise his hand, lets it rest against Sasuke’s side, a careful touch that lingers with the placement of Naruto’s arm around him, yet it’s a touch Sasuke readily seems to all but sink in to, drawing from him a nearly inaudible sigh, as the tension begins to leave his body, before Naruto gives a light squeeze, slowly allowing his hand to fall away.

He takes a few steps back, although he doesn’t wander too far, eyes slightly narrowed, still watching, as Sasuke returns his attention to the opened knapsack on the table.

Again, Sasuke picks up the small canteen pouch he finally decides to place inside. It takes another moment for him to close the knapsack, until he seems satisfied enough to it leave alone, but then he’s already reaching across the table once more, reaching for the next set of already rationed provisions to place in the bag he’d found for Juugo.

That heightened extent of shared contact, between them that sheer level of physical ease, even at this point in their lives, at first glance, Itachi wouldn’t necessarily deem it inappropriate. It’s simply along the lines of the sort of interaction he’s come to expect, hence no need to intervene and his refraining from any mention of it aloud.

Yet even setting aside Sasuke’s age as a factor, though he won’t approve of anything beyond their more casual sense of intimacy (due to unique circumstances, a very distinctive closeness that genuinely developed as part of their friendship), he will acknowledge that there’s always been something a little more profound about their bond; even as children, already an intensity to the newfound relationship burgeoning between them, having evolved so very quickly, it made their parents exceedingly reluctant to move forward during discussions about enforcing any prolonged distance between them.

(Iyashi himself mentioned the long term effects of any immediate attempts to separate Sasuke and Naruto could prove to be more detrimental for them both, and suggested instead to monitor their relationship, to remain wary of signs that could lead to troubling patterns of co-dependency, in which case he would have to actively intervene.)

And although those discussions were before Itachi held as much sway in the decisions pertaining to Sasuke, even then he shared the same reluctance; of the very few people allowed near Sasuke, of the very few people who could be trusted, Naruto was the only person close to Sasuke in age, and, at least for the foreseeable future at that time, would probably remain Sasuke’s only friend.

Despite what he knows of their relationship now, what he inadvertently discovered merely weeks ago, after having the opportunity to cool down, as disappointing as it was that neither of them had told anyone, still, the idea of separating them hadn’t occurred to him.

He won’t say the change in their relationship came entirely unexpected, at least not the emotional aspects of it. The more recent physical aspects, though it was a possibility once or twice he may have subconsciously thought to consider, the discovery itself came after Sasuke had essentially been grounded, following his reckless decision to sneak aboard the Lazulum; and while he still hasn’t quite come to terms with the reality of his little brother having engaged in any sort of sexual activity (much less with Naruto), however short that period of time, he also can’t deny what was probably a natural progression of their relationship.

If it weren’t for that day Sasuke developed empathy, if it weren’t for a shared trauma that eventually compelled an eight year old Naruto to seek Sasuke all the way in Reife, even taking into account the previous attempts from their mothers to encourage a friendship between them, he isn’t sure Sasuke and Naruto would’ve had the opportunity to be as close as they’ve become.

Which, all things considered, is actually somewhat surprising, because in so many ways do Sasuke and Naruto complement one another.

He’ll even venture to say it goes beyond their more obvious parallels. They’ve grown up learning how to take care of each other, and they also happen to work very well together, at times seemingly in their own world, often do seem to share a familiar sense of understanding, similar lines of thinking.

Yesterday, when Sasuke recalled what he knew of Kabuto (a researcher regularly associated with Orochimaru, though only publically introduced during last year’s peace summit), alongside Kabuto’s proposal to increase funding for the experimental development of Magdunium alloy, Naruto immediately picked up on Sasuke’s train of thought, where Sasuke left off, was able to further the conversation initially prompted by Juugo’s mention of the metallic stone his people had been forced to mine.

(Arguably, within both their families, it’s near impossible and more so impractical to isolate themselves from many aspects of political culture, especially on Nagi, but that commonality has also led them to become more cognisant of the purpose politics serve, how the fluctuating dynamics of power tend to ebb and flow, ultimately allowing them greater insight into how the recent political climate continues to shape the world around them.)

However, in regards to the current state of their relationship, the attraction already between them suddenly no longer platonic, all he can do is establish clear boundaries, and trust that they’ll both continue to respect the necessity of those boundaries, which, so far, has been the case.

Perhaps, even more so than Sasuke, he has to trust that Naruto will maintain those newly established boundaries, because he still trusts that above all else Naruto will prioritise Sasuke’s safety in this kind of situation with so many unknowns, as Naruto’s already done numerous occasions before, what he’s shown himself capable of doing now.

Without any further mention of Sasuke’s packing ritual, with another glance this time Sasuke doesn’t return, Naruto turns to move away from the table, heading for the other side of the cabin, towards the black, electronic panel slightly protruding from the wall, where he placed his PCD to charge.

More often than not, as with many instances between them, the nature of their apparent closeness here is simply a product of their childhood, when Sasuke would actively seek the physical reassurance Naruto wouldn’t hesitate to offer, made evident by Naruto’s concern, rather than anything Itachi’s witnessed that would be cause for concern; it’s for this reason, even in light of what he does consider from Naruto to be as a more egregious sort of indiscretion, that he still has confidence in Naruto as both a highly qualified Academy trainee and the only other person Sasuke’s always felt safe with.

It doesn’t make the decision to split their group any less difficult, but, even given the circumstances, while not the most ideal situation, he’d still feel far more at ease separating Sasuke and Naruto from Juugo, having them stay near the ship, without having to worry about factoring into the equation a number of scenarios possibly effected by Juugo’s apparent volatility.

After Sasuke and Naruto are situated, he and Juugo will set off for the dale, because he does want to investigate Juugo’s claims, predominantly whether or not Orochimaru had been involved in some capacity, alongside the likelihood that whoever had been involved would return. Hopefully, going to the dale will reveal some kind of evidence that could help determine what may have happened on Barrah, if there’s even anything to be found.

To Juugo’s credit, he has been cooperative. Especially in this sense, he’s been more than agreeable, having easily accepted Itachi’s request, with seemingly no qualms about leaving Sasuke, despite his prior demonstrated attachment. Nonetheless, Juugo’s actions thus far still don’t negate the fact that he remains yet another variable Itachi simply can’t account for and someone with whom he hasn’t been able to establish a more comfortable degree of trust.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto didn’t question his decision. As Naruto’s commanding officer, there was very little doubt in his mind Naruto would try to contest it because Naruto truly understands the gravity of their situation, and particularly because of Sasuke, who, for the most part, fortunately, hasn’t been left exposed in an environment without his usual systems of safeguards, without the constant flux of people moving around him, often times out of his sight.

This morning, however, before they left for the ship, before Itachi even had the opportunity to announce his decision, during the lull of the shortened time for a meagre breakfast shared between them, Sasuke had approached him.

And though Sasuke had been the first to fall asleep, unaware of last night’s conversation, the last to wake, almost immediately, he’d been able to anticipate what Itachi intended to do.

“You’re leaving again.”

There was nothing accusatory in the words, unlike yesterday’s uncharacteristic attempt to provoke him, simply stated, nothing more, and yet the significance conveyed with those very three words, it resonated within him, remnants of the same sentiment underlying the now unspoken question Sasuke had asked so many times before, the same answer Itachi still hadn’t been able to give.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard those words, but it still served to remind him of so many times when he hadn’t been able to stay by Sasuke’s side, on the eve of late night departures, with each gentle assurance of an elusive next time that only grew further and further out of reach, so many times what did enable him to endure, gave him the impetus to move forward against an increasingly wavering resolve—between the realities of necessity and childhood expectations, confronted with his past naiveté, the gradual loss of ideals he once sought to adhere to, now such seemingly whimsical notions of morality, so many times the very same light reflected in his little brother’s eyes, the very same ideals he himself failed to uphold, marred by his own convictions, actions he’s still unable to remit, by his own hands, too much of what he’s done.

And yet all of it would be so easily displaced by so simple a thing, seemingly the most mundane notion, however brief at times the respite, simply the thought of returning to Nagi, the thought of being welcomed home, the sight of his little brother running toward him, in between excited cries of Nii-san, being granted the warm smile on his little brother’s face.

Despite everything he’d never wanted to become, this person he could no longer recognise, this person he couldn’t allow himself to forgive, that Sasuke could still look to him with so much trust in his eyes, with so earnest a gaze, would readily give such unconditional affection, would so easily regard him with the kind of acceptance Itachi still selfishly strives to retain, among words carefully construed, around deliberate omissions of truth, one of the very few things he’ll allow himself to hold close, even now, as Sasuke stands in front of him, lips pursed, the way his little brother continues to peer at him, dark eyes searching, to near eerie an extent, almost knowing, beneath the reluctance he won’t voice, a sense of understanding more expected rather than any sort of resigned.

It’s a given his little brother doesn’t want him to leave. More to the point, he knows his little brother is worried. Despite attempts to appear otherwise, as cautious as Sasuke has to be with his emotions (how often he tries to pretend he isn’t as affected by them), as reserved as he already is naturally, poorly concealed worry he refuses to openly acknowledge has proven to be a reasonably consistent indicator of the state of Sasuke’s empathy, and why asking Sasuke if he’s worried would usually precede a good majority of his dailies.

(Save for mitigating circumstances, instances like this that do warrant considerable discretion whenever Sasuke’s empathy or magic is involved, eventually, the need for dailies lessened over time, persisting for a period more so continued out of habit, rather than the previously established necessity, until they were no longer part of Sasuke’s daily routine.

Iyashi had advocated for the change. Not long after Sasuke turned thirteen, shortly before the repercussions of that first peace summit, Iyashi strongly recommended that Sasuke develop a more self-sufficient routine, against even their parents’ initial opposition, actively pushed the case that Sasuke should begin preparing to become more emotionally independent, especially given Sasuke’s most recent empathetic attack at Yuna the year prior.

Sasuke’s overall emotional dependence on others, as subconscious as it seemed to remain for Sasuke, that had always been a particular concern for Iyashi, even when Sasuke turned fourteen, as Sasuke was gradually allowed more freedom in other areas of his life: between academics, physical training via self-defence, and so forth.

In respect to his empathy, making fundamental changes to his daily routine, however, was somewhat of a more strenuous process. The transition itself took a little over sixteen months, until Iyashi was satisfied with Sasuke’s progress, ultimately accumulating with the decision that Sasuke would no longer need to wear his gloves.)

He still doesn’t feel Sasuke’s reached that stage to warrant having dailies again quite yet, as disconcerting as it is to see Sasuke’s sudden regression. Granted, it hasn’t even been what would presumably pass for a little over two days on Barrah, normally what wouldn’t be enough time to properly gauge the state of Sasuke’s empathy, especially when Sasuke’s emotional shields have become so advanced.

Since the incident at Yuna, Sasuke’s been doing fairly well, comfortable to the extent he no longer flinches around larger crowds of non-magic users, although he’s a little too casual whenever he does choose to share his empathy; even as a means to release pent-up magical energy, too often Sasuke does it seemingly without much thought, without truly comprehending the potentially addictive effects of his life magic—to the public at large, a much lesser known aspect of Sasuke’s empathy, but, of course, there are people who would attempt to take advantage of that, as eager and brazen as Orochimaru had been in his attempts to coerce a thirteen year old child.

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bubblegumxveil · 6 years

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have yourself a merry little Christmas;; 2x09 gift analysis

I’ve been putting A LOT of thought post-episode into how I feel about the Christmas and gift aspect of the episode, because it was actually my favorite part and something I personally felt was poignant for each character in their relationships and personal development despite all the ‘in-your-face’ plot devices of a typical mid-season finale. Each gift told a story, or had a greater meaning that I felt was glossed over for sake of pace for the episode and overall time but I get to extrapolate upon that here and I will of course be focusing on Betty and her web of interpersonal relationships through the clever use of Christmas presents.

First, we see Archie has drawn her name for Kevin’s Secret Santa and she can tell who’s given her gift solely by the poor wrapping skills which speaks to the many years of friendship they’ve shared, and the number of Christmases they’ve spent together and exchanged gifts. Where there is a camera pan to catch Veronica’s jealousy (not for the first time) over the bond Betty and Archie share, but what we see in Jughead’s expression behind her is more hurt than it is envy. The thoughtful gift from their shared idyllic childhood and the joy in Betty’s reaction solidifies his worst fears (please see: 1x10) about slumming it with him until Archie changes his mind and I think he’s afraid of just that now when he and Betty are already on rocky ground post-Serpent dance parking lot conversation and more so now when he sees that Archie can make Betty happy in a way he’s convinced he never could. Now the gift itself: a Swiss Family Robinson read-along record that Betty and Archie listened to when they were kids. It’s an incredibly sweet and thoughtful gift on Archie’s part and I would expect no less from him as Betty Cooper’s best friend. However, as far as romanticizing this moment goes for Barchie in terms of a potential jumping off point for a rekindled relationship, I’m not buying it. It’s a gift of nostalgia, a second thought when Archie and his dad were cleaning out their garage and it’s a piece of their shared history but one that remains firmly rooted in the past. Archie’s friendship and her previous feelings for him have helped shape who Betty has become as the person she is now but she has grown up and is far from the same innocent five year old girl next door he listened to that record with as a kid. In an incredibly Dickensian way, this gift is a ghost of Christmas past and where it shall remain cherished but still her history as opposed to the present or future. The next gift, or what I like to call the ghost of Christmas present is the anonymous gift left for her by the Black Hood. (Shout out to the perfection that was Alice Cooper festively baking Christmas cookies in the kitchen - literally EXACTLY as I would picture her.) No one was surprised by what the typed-tag gift had in store for Betty. While personally I was expecting an ear, there was nothing more cinematically classic than a sawed off finger of an assumed kidnap victim. The entire Black Hood saga of this season regardless of my feelings on how well or poorly it’s been executed as an overall story arc has been Betty’s present and is forcing her to not only confront the darkest parts of herself, but to choose and incorporate those parts of her into the person she will become. This is her pivotal turning point and it’s leaving her in the precarious place of the point of no return, first the parallels the Black Hood draws between the darkness that exists within them, aligning herself to the Serpents as adjacent because of her love for Jughead and now solidified as we watch her pull the black hood from Sheriff Keller’s office out of the fire. It’s foreboding to say the least, but a final nail in the coffin of the Betty Cooper who listened to the Swiss Family Robinson record; Archie’s beloved perfect Betty. Finally, at the end of the episode both her gift and Jughead’s are revealed after the excruciating entirety of the episode and frankly, they couldn’t be more well-thought out. Enter: ghosts of Christmases yet to come. Jughead is, even for a brief glimmering moment a snapshot of his former self: a kid with the best gift a writer could be given by the one person who owns his heart. The vintage Underwood Typewriter, the “typewriter of champions”, is the gift Jughead would have always secretly wanted, but never would have asked for himself because his family never had that kind of money for extravagant gifts. He would have never selfishly put himself before survival necessities and bills needing to be paid and honestly would have sacrificed his own gifts on more than one occasion to better Jelly Bean’s Christmas than his own. Jug is humble in what he does have but doesn’t ask for beyond his means because he knows (especially now) the lengths his dad has gone to and how hard he’s really worked to provide for his family what little they do have. Jug gets to be a boy with a dream again, a dream of telling his story and finally leaving behind a town who’s never been kind to him in his rear view and all because he fell in love with a girl who understood his purpose and passion as a writer. An old school shout out to their time spent together in the early days of their relationship at the Blue and Gold which will always be shared and treasured memories for their friendship as well as the starting point of something more between them. Then we see how in-tune Betty and Jughead are even in the spirit of Christmas gift giving when he gives her the signed first edition of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, with an endearing hand-written note of word-play and affection from a boy who doesn’t easily profess and share his true feelings. We know this is Betty’s favorite author from all the way back in the pilot when she was telling Archie about her summer vacation but even then we don’t get the sense that he was really listening to her while too focused on his own needs regarding his music, Ms. Grundy and of course his attention on Veronica when she enters the diner. This gift is the result of what has likely been hours long conversations about favorite authors and literary heroes between Betty and Jug when they’re perfectly at ease and alone together, finally able to be themselves without fear or judgment with Jughead genuinely listening and picking up on her passions as much as she does his. The literary and intellectual connection these two share levels the playing field between them and puts them as equals, which is an important aspect I’ve always included in their relationship dynamic. My final point on this gift is the fact that Jughead would have taken A LOT of time to save up for such a lavish gift. He’s had the forethought and idea for this gift for months and months for someone we know isn’t well off by any means and even as a sixteen year old he’s managed to save and spend hundreds of dollars on this first edition book with everything else going on in his life including his father’s incarceration when he was living alone in the Jones family trailer without so much as a foster family to feed and take care of him. Jughead stopped at nothing to get her what he thought was the perfect and most special gift, a gift too that shows the trajectories of their growth as adults for their respective futures, passions and career aspirations. Merry Christmas indeed fellow Riverdaliens....

#betty cooper;; a character study #chapter twenty-two: silent night deadly night #mun speaks #off the record | ooc #word limit | mun post #WHY DID I EVEN WRITE ALL OF THIS #Betty Cooper #Archie Andrews #Jughead Jones #Riverdale #episode analysis #cw riverdale #roberto aguirre-sacasa

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popcultureliterary · 7 years

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Tropes: When You’re Fairly Certain You’ve Seen These Odd Parents Before

Anybody who watches cartoons or anime might recognize today’s topic: tropes. These literary devices act as a mostly visual way (at least, on screen) for the creator of a work to quickly and easily convey a concept to their audience. They can take many forms: a figure of speech, a character type, a plot device, a location or location type, a pattern of storytelling, a sub-plot, and other repeatable elements.

I originally intended to focuses on the anime Silver Spoon for today’s post, but after whipping out a Fairly Oddparents reference, I couldn’t stop myself. The series sucked me in with its abundant tropes, clichés, and stereotypes (which are all related, as you will see shortly). For the sake of keeping this post at a reasonable blog length, I didn’t cover every example (or even one tenth of them) appearing in this ongoing series. If you have a favorite example that didn’t make the cut, be sure to share it in the comments! I would love to see which ones you like.

Hey, I’ve Seen this Before!

Did somebody oversleep and run to school with a piece of toast in their mouth? You’ve got a trope! Did a romantic scene feature beautiful tropical trees and a placid lake? You’ve got a trope! Did an unsavory character in dark clothing with a thin mustache and shifty eyes slink in and declare their evil ways? You probably didn’t need them to proclaim their badguy status because… You’ve got a trope!

Although often considered the mark of lazy writing, these literary devices are not inherently bad. They allow an author to quickly communicate an idea without spending too much time elaborating on it. Imagine if the last cartoon you watched spent five or more minutes elaborating on the personality of every single side character. That’s nearly half of its 10-12 minute episode run time per character. Doing so would really take away from the main story and characters, slowing the pace and bogging everything down. Instead, the writer or artist can throw in a few characters with pre-established types: the aloof cool kid, the absent parent, the shy poet. These character types quickly establish each character’s role and clues the viewer in on their purpose and personality.

Let’s take a look at a few examples found in Butch Hartman’s The Fairly Oddparents.

Characters

The most common examples are character tropes. As discussed above, character types appear in cartoons in order to quickly establish background characters’ personalities and relations to the story or other characters.

Timmy’s friends AJ and Chester, for example, represent the genius friend/idiot friend combo. One is a brainiac, while the other arguably wouldn’t find his way out of a paper bag even with a map. Both types of characters typically fall into the unpopular category at school, with AJ and Chester being no exception. Audience members have seen this character dynamic in other series, and don’t require an in-depth explanation. They know what to expect, and draw the correct assumption that Timmy is most likely as unpopular as his friends.

Social Structures

Speaking of Timmy’s popularity, a trope might also convey larger concepts such as social structures. In The Fairly Oddparents, we see a common social hierarchy: the popularity food chain. This hierarchy often comes in to convey where the main character stands in relation to their peers, as well as quickly establish more information about the story’s setting.

It’s easy to spot the popular kids Trixie, Veronica, Tad, and Chad in The Fairly Oddparents. They are well dressed, travel as a group, and say disdainful things about their peers. Additionally, they never miss an opportunity to brag about their family’s massive wealth, relying on it to get them into and out of every situation they come across.

In order to demonstrate that the main character, Timmy, is not on the same social level as them, the popular kids regularly treat Timmy poorly. Trixie even refers to him as “Empty Bus Seat,” indicating his low standing in the social order. With the inclusion of these characters, Hartman sets Timmy up as the unpopular underdog, and shows that the world he lives in is just as unfairly tipped in favor of money and status as our own.

These characters also allow Hartman to create contrast, cause tension, draw parallels, and achieve other desired effects throughout the series.

Story Arcs

Everybody usually has their favorite episode type: the beach trip; the everybody-swaps-bodies; the school festival; the year that so-and-so almost ruined Christmas (because, sadly, the other holidays rarely ever get their own special episodes…). Narrative patterns like these are also tropes. Many creative works will use similar episode storylines for a variety of reasons. They often introduce new information about the characters while using a familiar narrative to do so. The audience easily settles into the familiar pattern, freeing them to focus on the characters rather than getting caught up in the conflict of the episode.

First season alone contains a number of notable tropes without even looking at the other 9+:

The trope of a child becoming trapped in an adult body appears in the episode “The Big Problem,” the first full-length episode following the shorts released for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Tired of being picked on and pushed around by older kids and adults in his life, Timmy wishes to become an adult. He expects to enjoy all of the privileges that come with adulthood, but it all blows up in his face (as often happens with this type of episode) when he fails to consider the drawbacks and responsibilities of adult life. Episodes like this often appear in order to highlight the similarities and differences between children and adults, as well as demonstrating that adult life isn’t all fun and games like it sometimes seems.

Successful use of a trope requires some level of ingenuity as well. If every child-in-an-adult-body episode was exactly the same, nobody would like them. Hartman does this brilliantly. The episode serves to establish Timmy’s relationship with the adults in his life, as well as shining a light on Timmy’s tendency to try and take the easy way out. Using this particular story arc also allows Hartman to introduce the concept that Fairies can only grant the wishes of children. As soon as Timmy ages to adulthood, Cosmo and Wanda lose the ability to grant him wishes and receive a new child assignment. The same concept could have been established using dialogue, but using dialogue for key concepts often creates flat characters and boring conversations that feel forced and fake.

Other trope episodes include “Power Mad!” (characters enter a videogame world), “Transparents” (characters pretend to be someone’s parents to get them out of trouble), and “Tiny Timmy” (characters shrink and enter another character’s body only to discover a literal civilization inside). And what kind of late 90’s, early 2000’s cartoon would it be without the “Christmas Everyday!” episode? The first season concludes with an episode in which Timmy wishes for Christmas every day. Naturally, the wish backfires, leaving Timmy and his Fairies to set things right.

Comics inside of Cartoons

World building elements such as magic systems, television shows, or hover cars are also tropes. Authors can provide some fast world building by including everyday things that their viewers can relate to such as comics, cartoons, or other media from the fictional world. These elements reveal characters’ personalities, add commentary on real social issues, or make characters more real and relatable.

Timmy loves reading The Crimson Chin comics. Every month, he eagerly awaits the next issue, devours it, and repeats. Whenever he doesn’t want to wait, he simply wishes himself into the heavily inked panels (look, another common story arc!). These superhero comics add depth to Timmy’s personality and to the world as a whole.

Turning the Cliché Trope into a Joke

Unfortunately, when used too often, either in the same work or in multiple, tropes become a problem. If ten series on the same network utilized a scene where a character falls down the stairs and wakes up in another world, things would start to feel a little stale. Audience members would grow bored. They know what’s going to happen and knowing yanks them out of the immersive experience of watching. When this happens, the well thought-out device becomes a dastardly cliché. Just like a pair of underwear worn unwashed for a month, nobody likes clichés.

One of the things that I love best about Hartman’s work is that he often takes clichés and skillfully flips them into jokes. He sees tired tropes turning into clichés and shines a spotlight on them so brightly that they become jokes in his works.

Take a look at Timmy’s mom and dad. Who are these characters? Simply Timmy’s mom and dad. No explanation needed. They act as the authority in Timmy’s life, the symbol of traditional family structure, and the oblivious parents who don’t understand their son’s life. Parents appear in many stories with no further explanation behind them, presenting the assumption that the character simply needed a mom and dad. In many series, especially older cartoons, moms and dads rarely receive names because their only purpose is to represent the authority and family structure in a character’s life. Hartman takes this and turns it into a running gag in his series.

What are the names of Timmy’s mom and dad? Why, their names are…. Actually, we never learn their true names. The episode “Father Time” addresses the question when Timmy travels back in time and meets his parents’ childhood selves. Whenever someone goes to say either character’s name, a conveniently timed loud sound drowns them out, and the audience catches the follow-up of “but you can call me Dad/Mom.” Accordingly, we can only assume that their names are Mom and Dad.

How Stereotypical!

When used carelessly, Tropes can easily become stereotypes by mistake. If a character or location isn’t fleshed out enough, they tend to take on vague concepts often used to characterize a particular type of person or place, creating a stereotype or cliché. People generally feel negatively toward stereotypes as they do not reflect the true characteristics of the people or locations being portrayed. In many cases, stereotypes present harmful representations of people or groups.

For an example, let’s consider the popular girl mentioned earlier, Trixie Tang. Trixie seems like the stereotypical popular girl. She cares about makeup, her social standing, clothes, and anything girly. On top of that, she treats all unpopular kids with disdain (or simply acts like she can’t see them) and sucks up to the adults around her who can get her what she wants. Characters in her role typically don’t care about the less popular kids, carry around a snarky attitude, obsess over their looks, and float through life in relative bliss.

In many cases, stereotypes and clichés are not only boring, but also harmful. Many create a generalization of what a particular type of person acts like, whether maliciously or not, that makes it seem like all people who identify that way must act similarly. Like other popular girl stereotypes, Trixie does not accurately represent real girls and young women who consider themselves to be popular. Sure, there may be a number of individuals who act similarly in real life, but this is not true of all popular girls and young women. Every person is their own unique individual with layers upon layers that shape their personal and social identities.

At first, Trixie receives very little screen time with which to build her personality and show her as anything but a cookie-cutter representation of popular girls. Anybody who has seen the gender-swapping episode “The Boy Who Would Be Queen” knows that Trixie just puts on the stereotype persona for the sake of her popularity. She actually really likes The Crimson Chin comics, and admits that she wishes girls could do more boy stuff and vice-versa.

Bonus: If the popular-girl-secretly-does-unpopular-things storyline seems familiar to you… you guessed it—you’ve got a trope! The concept comes up in countless other narratives in order to convey the idea that people are deeper than their social presentation allows others to see.

Bet You Didn’t See This Coming!

Overall, tropes are useful literary devices that allow creators to develop and convey new ideas using familiar sequences, characters, locations, or other narrative elements. They work as a type of short-hand utilized by all, understood by most.

Now that you know what they’re all about, it’s time to tackle finding some and identifying their significance on your own! You can find them in your favorite games, shows, movies, books… they’re everywhere in pop culture. If you’re coming up blank, here are a few suggestions to get you started. Come back and share what you find!

The competent new kid (The Backstagers)

Annoying laugh (Spongebob Squarepants)

Salvage pirates (Firefly)

Carrying a cutlass between your teeth (Muppet Treasure Island)

Superheroes wear capes (The Incredibles)

A bus full of innocent people put in danger (Detective Conan/Case Closed)

Body swapped (Gravity Falls)

School festival (Ouran High School Host Club)

It was all a dream (The Wizard of Oz)

Your hero is a jerk in reality (bonus points for finding an example! I’m chagrined to admit that I drew a huge blank here!)

If you’re an anime fan and want to see more examples, check out KawaiiPaperPandas’ great post listing ten of the most common occurrences and cliches in anime!

Wrapping Up

I wanted to extend a huge thank-you to the amazing minds over at TVtropes.org for their ongoing work in discussing and rounding up tropes in the narrative worlds around us. Their extensive work helped me to put simple names to long-winded ideas. If you enjoyed reading about this literary device and want to learn more about it, check them out!

What’s your favorite trope? Share it in the comments! You can also connect on Twitter at @Popliterature, or send a message on the “contact me” page of my home blog.

And as always, if you have a literary device you want to know more about, or a game, comic, show, or movie that you want to see make an appearance on the blog, leave a shout-out in the comments!

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