#I may have a problem with giving every character I like a villain arc but you can’t have too much of a good thing Yknow

[raayllum]

I just finished Book 5, and do you think that Ezra’s arc will have him learn that words aren’t enough? Some fans do think that he’s the least emphasized of the Dragang

I don't think Ezran is going to learn that words aren't enough (they have been, often times in his life, and trying non violent routes are important) but I do think he's going to be presented with more and more situations where it is, as he acknowledges, "Not that simple" (4x03).

In Arc 1, you had the transformative trio of characters (Callum, Rayla, Soren) who were rapidly changing as people versus the more "circumstances change and drag out certain personality traits either more or less" stagnated trio (Ezran, Viren, Claudia). In Arc 2 thus far, it seems that Soren, Claudia, and Ezran are the 'stagnant' ones and Viren, Callum, and Rayla are the transformative ones. That being said, I do think S5 focused on Ezran as much as S4 focused on Rayla, so it's not surprising there's a bit of a trade off (especially with Janai very much being a Main Character in arc 2) with Callum (always our main Main protagonist) getting a decent amount every season. There's definitely a lack of Ezran in the first four episodes (he gets about one scene a-piece) but I do think it's over quality > quantity, in some ways. (Bow from She-Ra for example is in every single episode of that series, but gets very little by way of arcs or conflict or interiority, y'know?)

That said:

I talked about this a bit more in a podcast review I did for the season / this meta, but I think Soren and Ezran are having slowburn arcs that will come to fruition in S6. Soren, after all, hasn't really changed as a character since the end of S3 - he's on team good guy, he's reaffirming his choices and love for his friends, he still cares for Claudia and still views his father as a cruel villain (which, Viren is/can be).

Ezran, likewise, is dealing with his own well, slowburn of problems. In a lot of ways, Ezran has to hold it together when everyone else is falling apart (Rayla is MIA, Callum is a mess; staying level headed even when they're arguing; being the main negotiator seemingly between the Pentarchy and the dragons of Xadia; and ruling is own kingdom). He takes his duties seriously and wants to broker peace further, if maybe a tad faster than people are ready for. Like Janai says, I think, his priorities have changed since becoming king. His duty first and foremost is to his kingdom/the world. (Not that it wasn't his mindset before, but it wasn't his responsibility before pre-series, y'know?) Which is very Rayla of him, I think ("I let them all down" in 3x04 / "I just feel like I'm letting everybody down" for Ez in 3x03).

And we see how much this weighs on Ezran based on how heavily he takes responsibility for his perceived and or literal mistakes. Whether it's speeding things up too fast / not giving enough room for his people's, or his own anger...

E: I had a speech planned for today. It was about peace and love and hope. But I think I left something out. I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable.

or in doing the right thing in saving the Baitlings, but putting his friends in danger.

And Soren acknowledges that this isn't really fair for Ezran, either:

Soren: This is all too heavy. It's not fair you have to struggle through this alone. You deserve time to do kid stuff. If you spend all your time doing adult stuff now, you'll grow up weird, like your brother and Rayla.

Now, on the certain level, Ezran is alone because he's like - he's the King, and that's its own unique position. However, if you look at how close Viren and Harrow, and Harrow and Sarai were, in their decision making, they did everything together. In spite of being a single dad, Harrow was never alone in what he did as king (for better or for worse): "I accept that tonight I may pay the price for our mistakes."

So I think it's interesting this emphasis on loneliness/alone in the same season we have Amaya and Rayla's conversation about it too:

A: My big sister Sarai was the smartest, strongest, bravest person I knew. When she died, I felt lost and weak without her.

I hated feeling that way, so I learned to be strong alone. Stoic, strong, and lonely. [...] To have that kind of strength, it is not enough to love someone. You have to trust them to share the burdens you're carrying.

So who does Ezran depend on to carry that burden with him? Because Ezran isn't supposed to be alone as king, and Harrow spelled it out for us:

When I am gone your brother Ezran will become king, and you will be his partner, his defender, and his closest advisor.

So the question is... has Callum really fulfilled his role for his brother? Callum isn't crownguard, so actually protecting Ezran is primarily in Soren and Corvus' hands, exemplified by Soren being the one to get angry over the ruined painting in 4x03, to run to Ezran in 4x09, and for Callum to be absent from the Dragon mission in S5. And when Callum is there to have a duty to fulfil:

Then we see the brothers - not Ezran and Rayla - disagree on how to proceed forward with Aaravos, getting momentarily a little heated before they both turn to Rayla (and remember those Rayla parallels I mentioned earlier?):

Now, it's not surprising that Ezran wants to take the diplomatic / least violent route. He's the one primarily appealing to Akiyu rather than barrelling onwards, and expresses great concern for her (even after she tried to kill them). Claudia thinks she can appeal to him in 5x09 because of his empathy. A more compassionate, reasonable route is what he's always done, trying to reason evenly with Finnegrin and with Rex Igneous, even if it doesn't precisely work out... simply because they, like his brother, don't exactly Value the same things Ezran does.

Alright, so the broyals disagreed once, and Callum is a little flighty as a High Mage. So what? Well: Callum now knows, and has already committed himself, to helping Rayla free her parents from the coins, including Runaan.

And Ezran's short story going into S5 hints that this may not exactly be something he's happy about:

Ezran gripped the arrow tight. The thing in his hands was a terrible letter, the ribbon its message: the king of Katolis was dead. King Harrow. His father. Something cold lurched inside him. He fought against it. He’d fought it before, that same hurt, years ago—when he’d found out what really happened that night in Katolis. Still, it haunted him. He couldn’t help but imagine the scene, all of it playing out like grim theater before him, as though he’d been there, as though he’d stood by and watched it happen. That Moonshadow elf upon the castle ramparts, skulking toward his father’s chambers. 

It stared up at him. Ezran felt a coldness twist its way around his heart. It took his lungs, too, and for a long moment he could not breathe, could not feel anything but an unfamiliar anger so potent it seized the whole of him, inside and out. Ezran stepped towards the arrow— —and stomped down on it as hard as he could. He wished he were bigger, stronger, he wished his boots were made of iron and not something soft. Still, it was enough. When he pulled his foot away, Ezran glared down at the arrow’s hawkish head, flattened and broken. Its ruby eye slipped from its socket, its black metal bent like frayed feathers. He left it there in the dark.

Full short story here.

So Ezran is going to find out, or possibly feel, that Callum and Rayla are keeping a secret from him (again, just like S2, which didn't make him happy then, either). Callum is going to side with Rayla over him if he mandates that Runaan shouldn't or can't be freed, giving into his anger and grief much the same way his father did. He may pull rank - and Callum is going to disregard it. A very similar fallout repeating itself...

Ezran being increasingly isolated (especially if Callum and Rayla are working, or leaving, to find the Starscraper), his disapproval and grief, trying to manage the possible fallout of Zubeia being injured/MIA, feeling undervalued and disregarded by his brother... There's little doubt in my mind that Callum and Ezran (and Rayla) will reconcile and find their way back to one another, healing their hurts, but Ezran has a lot of potential anger and angst to express and a lot on his upcoming plate, steadily added to and set up by the previous seasons.

Which in a lot of ways, makes sense. Ezran as king and Callum as high mage, and as brothers, have to prove they won't fall apart the same way that King Harrow and Viren did, more necessary than ever now that Callum has done dark magic again. Ezran was there to pick up the pieces after Rayla left, but he may still have anger over that and their joint secret keeping from him / feeling like they're treating him 'unfairly' like a child. We've also never really seen Ezran have this type of conflict before, nevermind for the trio as a whole (most of the time it's been Callum and Rayla disagreeing, a couple brief instances of Ez and Rayla, and Callum and Ez a few times in S1 / 5x05) so for Ezran to be what starts falling apart would really rattle all three of him, and seems to be where he's headed, character wise.

And I for one cannot wait to see it.

TLDR; Ezran's slow burn arc, much like Soren's, is being steadily set up and is going to likely be a big focus in the next two seasons, pushing him and other characters in brand new directions and with some really emotional, powerful storytelling to upstage our previously held status quo in all the ways.

#tdp ezran #ezran #the dragon prince #arc 1 #arc 2 #s4 #s5 spoilers #tdp spoilers #broyals #brotp: it's super annoying #the royal family of katolis #theme: strength vs weakness #characterization #analysis series #requests #thanks for asking #analysis #sidecharactersdomatter #s6 speculation #tdp #s5 #tdp broyals #personal fave

[theerurishipper]

Hello! I have a question about Marinette. It's clear to me that she struggles with control and may sometimes mistreat her partner, in my personal opinion. It appears that she lacks trust in Chat Noir, which is not only upsetting but also confusing.

Marinette seems to have a stable home life, and her school experiences, while not as dramatic as some fans portray, seem relatively normal. Her parents have a loving relationship, so it raises the question of why Marinette behaves this way. Where do her controlling tendencies stem from? It's perplexing to me that she doesn't seem to trust her own partner. It's almost as if she treats him as if he could potentially turn into a villain. Chat Noir goes to great lengths for her, yet we rarely see her reciprocate in kind. Her interactions often seem limited to positive affirmations and superficial gestures. I wonder whether this inability to comfort someone or communicate effectively is a result of her environment influencing her or if it's perhaps a consequence of her newfound powers affecting her ego.

I don't mean to criticize her character, but it seems that Marinette's acquisition of powers and constant praise, coupled with the lack of discipline or guidance from Master Fu and Su-han, has left her without a mentor or anyone to hold her accountable for her actions. Her role as the guardian and leader exacerbates this issue because she struggles with being upfront and truthful, especially with Chat Noir. The morality of the story seems quite protagonist-centered, and I can't help but wonder how things might have been different if Ladybug had a more assertive partner or a mentor to guide her in the right direction.

Marinette like my least favorite at least with Western Magical girl shows because of what she chose in the finale. I don't believe her intentions are necessarily malicious, but her actions in previous seasons have been frustrating to watch.

So, the thing about Marinette is that she sets very high expectations for herself. Just look at her arc about not being able to confess her feelings. She catastrophizes, she plans all these elaborate schemes accounting for every detail, she can't bear to let anything go wrong, because she has such high standards for herself and a fear of failure. She can't confess to Adrien because she's afraid of his rejection, and she spends the series trying to find the perfect plan to ensure that he won't reject her. Once she becomes Guardian, she has all these new responsibilities, these new burdens, and she doesn't want to fail, she doesn't want anything to go wrong. And so, she tries to control everything. Her controlling tendencies stem from her fear of failure and her high expectations of herself.

For the record, I will say that Marinette does trust Chat Noir. She trusts him with her life. But just because she trusts him doesn't mean her fears aren't there, and it doesn't stop her from acting in ways that don't quite convey that trust that she has in him. Marinette can get myopic about her problems, and she often has trouble understanding things from others' perspectives. She has the tendency to, for lack of a better term, make things about herself. Like in Illusion, for instance, when Adrien was being taken out of school by Gabriel because of Nino's plan, Marinette instantly starts talking about how she is a curse for Adrien and how she should stay away from him, instead of about Adrien. Does this mean she doesn't care about Adrien? Of course not. But she still gets so caught up in her own feelings that she fails to consider the feelings of those around her. She spends so much time trying to make sure that nothing goes wrong with her current situation that she fails to notice the bigger picture.

For example, see Hack-san. Marinette is leaving Paris, and so she focuses on the immediate problem that she is facing, that she's leaving Paris without a protector. And she finds a simple solution, give her Miraculous to Alya. Easy, problem solved, right? Except it's not, because she accounts for herself but not for her partner, who is understandably blindsided by a new substitute appearing instead of Ladybug. In the same episode, we see another example. Marinette is stressed and struggling and hurting, and she confesses to Alya that she is Ladybug in Gang of Secrets. Now Marinette has the support of her BFF and her stress is being alleviated, so everything is fine, right? Except, she doesn't consider how Chat Noir might feel about her breaking the rule they set together and that she should tell him (this is not salt on Marinette for telling Alya, she had every right to do so).

Marinette isn't the most empathetic person. She is very kind, very compassionate, very sympathetic, and she is overall a wonderful person. But she has trouble putting herself in other people's shoes and understanding their perspectives unless they tell her herself. She understands that the people around her are struggling and she feels the desire to help them, but she also doesn't quite understand their feelings themselves, and that can lead her to making her own conclusions. See Guilttrip, where Marinette (and the whole class actually) just jumps all over Rose when she learns she's not well without considering how she might feel about it. In Crocoduel, she tries to distance herself from Luka because she doesn't want to hurt him, without considering that, well, she is hurting him.

Marinette has the desire to help others and be there for others, and it is that compassion and kindness that make her so wonderful. But she can also find it difficult to understand others or put herself in their shoes. She doesn't easily understand other people's emotions, and she can't often look beyond her own perspective and her problems to see how she's affecting other people. Oftentimes, when Marinette has hurt someone, her remarks will be more self-deprecating than apologetic. Which is not to say that she isn't sorry, and I am not saying that Marinette doesn't ever consider other people's feelings, but it doesn't come easily to her, and she often requires other people to point it out to her. Alya points out to her that she is hurting Luka by avoiding him, Alya tells her to talk to Chat Noir, Chat Noir tells her to speak to Chloe about not giving her a Miraculous anymore... things like that. And naturally, not considering others' views on things also has the effect of making her feel like she knows best and dismissing others' perspectives, like in Dearest Family, when she dismissed the Kwamis' advice about Tikki's cosmic hunger, because she thinks the only way to handle things is her way.

So, what happens when you have a tendency to want to control things, a myopic outlook on your problems, and a lack of ability to consider other people's perspectives? Why, you get the Ladynoir conflict of Season 4.

Marinette in Season 4 spirals down a web of controlling information and deceiving her partner by keeping secrets and lying to him due to her new role as Guardian and also in part because of her trauma from Chat Blanc. None of this is malicious. Marinette trusts Chat Noir. When she says she'll never abandon him, she means it. When she says she wants him around, she means it. But that's not enough. Marinette wants to control all the information and stay in control so badly that she fails to see how badly it is affecting her partner. She feels like it's the only way to do things and fails to consider her partner's feelings and perspective because she thinks she knows best how to handle it. She gets defensive and irritated when he asks her to let him help. And it shows itself most clearly in episodes like Ephemeral, where in an attempt to stay in control of everything, she is ready to violate Chat Noir's trust in her and reveal his identity to Su-Han without his consent.

It simply doesn't occur to Marinette that she should do more than try to smooth things over with Chat Noir. Despite understanding that he feels left out, she smooths over the situation with assurances that she doesn't even end up keeping. Of course, Chat Noir isn't an open book, but he did make his displeasure clear, and she still didn't do anything to fix their issues. Look at Kuro Neko. Chat Noir gets upset and quits, but Marinette still doesn't introspect and think that maybe she did something wrong and hurt him. She doesn't apologize for her outburst; she doesn't try to think of what went wrong. In the end, Chat Noir apologizes to her for having emotions and she just gives him another "I still want you around," line that quickly loses meaning when Ladybug is bantering with Rena Furtive like she's her favorite in Risk. Even when Marinette says something, her actions prove otherwise.

But I will say, this is all alright. It's a realistic flaw to have, to not be able to consider other people's feelings all the time. Everyone does it to some degree. Marinette isn't doing this because of any malicious intent, she's doing this because she's stressed and tired and traumatized. Her outburst isn't good, but it is understandable. She shouldn't have yelled at Chat Noir, but she isn't a bad person. She's allowed to learn to do better and grow from this.

What does make Marinette seem bad, though, isn't even due to Marinette herself as a person. What makes Marinette hard to like, is when her flaws are met with the protagonist centered morality stick that Miraculous loves so much.

Because Marinette never has to actually confront her mistakes. She yells at Chat Noir in Kuro Neko, and the episode is full of Chat Noir telling her she did nothing wrong and ends with him apologizing to her. In the end of Strikeback, Marinette admits to her mistakes, but Chat Noir sees her distress and swoops in to absolve her of her wrongdoings, and she carries on without fixing anything or changing anything. She admits to her mistakes, but it falls flat because, well, they didn't really result in anything. She was never wrong to do any of it, really. It's not her fault that Felix stole the Miraculous. Chat Noir already accepted that he's just another one of her sidekicks now, and he previously learned the lesson that she didn't do anything wrong and that he is the one is being sensitive about it. Marinette is never truly wrong, and so she doesn't ever have to fix her mistakes or address her flaws. She doesn't have to learn to communicate better with others, she doesn't have to apologize for her mistakes, because she is never truly in the wrong and everyone will go out of their way to excuse and absolve her of everything.

And this protagonist centered morality is the reason for the Season 5 finale. Marinette lying to Adrien about his existence isn't framed as bad because she's the one doing it, and because Marinette is Good™, it's not a bad thing for her to do. She didn't learn anything from Season 4, because the writers don't think she did anything wrong. She's the best leader, she's the most amazing superhero ever, and the story bends over backwards to justify her mistakes and her flaws by having other characters simply forgive her or take on the blame themselves (and by other characters I mean Adrien). And when she does make mistakes that actually have lasting consequences, it isn't actually her fault, like when Felix stole the Miraculous from her. And this protagonist centered morality makes it so that Marinette doesn't really have to grow or change as much as she just has to allow the other characters to prop her up and relinquish their agency to allow her to shine. She never has to try to understand them, she never has to do all that weak emotional support shit, because she's the all-powerful and amazing Marinette, and Adrien is just her prize for when she wins and her emotional support partner.

You mentioned in your ask that she never offers support to Chat Noir like he does for her, and that she is never held accountable for her actions, and this is all the protagonist centered morality at work. The world revolves around Marinette, whatever she does is Good and Right regardless of what it is, even if it is something like gaslighting her boyfriend into loving his abuser. And unfortunately, that isn't something that is out of character for Marinette. She's been established to be someone who will do whatever it takes to protect people, and who's flaw is that she doesn't often consider their feelings on the matter when making choices that affect them, even when it comes from a place of love and care. And because of the protagonist centered morality, the show makes this seem like it's a good thing instead of portraying it as a flaw. That is what ruins her character for me.

I hope this answers your question. Thank you for your ask!

#MLB #Miraculous Ladybug #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Alya Cesaire #Rena Rouge #ML Salt #Marinette Salt #Ladybug Salt #ML Writing Salt #ML Writers Salt #Meta #My meta #Asks #Ladynoir conflict

[enemyoflactose]

To start this off, I want to mention the extremely weird obsession you have with watering Ryou down to this dumb Femboy for having feminine characteristics. God forbid a boy- yes, a BOY, a 16 year old, anorexic and confused guy to not be the manliest guy alive. Also all the overly sexual things directed to him or in relation to him? They are just downright revolting and can be in no way justified. You wonder why people can’t recognize your Ryou art when you dumb him down to a fucking femboy. Ryou bakura is based off many other characters and is supposed to be ANDROGYNOUS. (hence his Female VA and overall appearance.) he is NOT a girl. Also, stop making him to look really fucking dumbed down. If you even read the manga, ryou is actually really fucking smart. He isn’t a bimbo, he isn’t some kind of fucking stupid silly uwu boy. HES A TEENAGER GOD FORBID HE EVEN EXISTS

The next thing I wanted to allude on, Marik's mischaracterization, oversexualization (again) and woobification? How are you gonna dismiss one of the best written Characters in the entire show just for a few petty arguments, rude and impolite at that too. You’re also a giant hypocrite. Being as Yami Bakura (your favorite character) is a bad person AND I WOULD EVEN SAY, HES AN AWFUL PERSON. more so compared to Marik. His redemption arc i can get as to why you’re so pissy about it but you need to realize that this is also a kids show with limited writing due to 4KIDS, manga is more well constructed. Honestly i just have a giant problem with your Marik. I’m not even gonna talk about the thiefshipping, angstshipping, and opinions abt YM..why is Marik in your head like a fuckass. Like, your perception of him is so weird. Marik is equally as bad as every villain in Yugioh, you constantly make him out to be a hypersexual sex craved MANIAC. Also not to mention the blatant racism on your blog (it’s self explanatory.) I don’t understand all the hate, from his arc to the character design…pick a side, do you hate him or do you only like him because he pounds ryou in your head :T

Also the pure, unadulterated watering down of SA in your "crimes of marik/yami marik" post? I can't put into words how extremely shameful it is, to disregard such an important and scary topic and to make a joke of it honestly. IT WAS NOT SA? the scene was ryou bakura about to FALL OVER because he is INJURED. Marik isn’t trying to do anything to him. Thanks for dumbing down real life situations you’re an awesome person

Where did you get that Ryou was anorexic? Being thin and not really eating a lot doesn't make you anorexic. I would know, I was almost diagnosed with it.

I head cannon Ryou as a femboy not because I'm sexualizing him, but because I want to draw a character that I like and relate to in outfits that I just want to see him in.

Do I end up drawing Ryou in sexual outfits? Yes. I'm sorry this upsets you, but I find certain typically sexual outfits such as maid outfits and MEIKO's Blue Crystal model to be very pretty and cute. Not to mention they're just fun to draw.

I have plans to draw Ryou in other dresses and skirts that aren't sexual, I wouldn't have this head cannon if I didn't.

I'm well aware that looking androgynous doesn't automatically make someone a femboy or tomboy. I may be dumb, but I'm not an idiot.

The kind of stupid that I think Ryou is, is the kind that makes you unable to see certain social cues or just be ignorant about a lot of things. I give him the same stupid that I have because I'm projected on to a character that I like and relate to.

I'm also still new to writing, so the way I characterize Ryou hasn't been shown to its fullest. I write him and acknowledge him how he's already written, but I add things to make myself happy. That's how fanfiction works.

I never said that Ryou was a bimbo, I said that he's stupid because he makes objectively dumb choices like keeping the millennium ring and not telling his friends about it. Also, yes I do know that he's being abused. From an outsiders perspective however, his choices just come across as looking stupid.

I am making light hearted jokes about a fictional character and projecting myself on to that same fictional character, and you have a problem with that?

And to talk about your insults to my art, I know that the reason I'm scared people won't recognize Ryou is because I draw him to like this:

Instead of this:

I'm well aware of that because despite my low intelligence, I can understand that he doesn't really look like Ryou.

Also, why are you so intent on telling me that Ryou is a boy? I know he's a boy. I constantly say that he's a boy and acknowledge that he's a boy. You need to identify as a boy to be a femboy 💀.

For your Marik takes, I have no clue what woobafication is. I also don't hate Marik because he's a bad person, I "hate" him (it's fucking theatrical you dumbass) because he has a poor redemption that needed to be explored more. Marik is a character that I genuinely like and I think he's fun and hilarious, I just have problems with how he was redeemed since in my eyes, he did nothing to deserve it.

Yami Bakura is also not my favorite character. Weevil and Joey are. I just talk about Yami Bakura way more because there's more for me to say. I like Ryou more than him as well because Ryou is my projection character.

I'm well aware that Yami Bakura is a worse person than Marik, he did almost kill all of Egypt is I'm remembering things right, but that doesn't mean that Marik isn't also a bad person.

Just because someone is worse than another, doesn't mean that that person's sins are cleaned completely.

Of course you don't wanna talk about the angstshipping thiefshipping discourse you little pussy.

Marik is objectively worse than Pegasus, Noah, Gozuburo, and the Douma trio. He kidnaps, brainwashes, steals, kills, abuses his brother, and all the while he still blames Yami Yugi for how he is.

Marik being hypersexual is just a fandom trop. That's why I think he is, because a pretty big number of people also think that way.

Where is the racism? I'm genuinely concerned about this one it is not self explanatory.

I do actually like Marik as a character, it's not because he pounds Ryou in my head, it's because he's entertaining. He's fun, I like fun villains. (His purple shirt is ugly as hell tho)

Now to talk about my biggest issue with you. You think I can afford to just read the manga and watch the sub, don't you?

Well guess what chuckle nuts, I'M FUCKING POOR

I don't have the money to buy more of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga or to pay for a Crunchyroll subscription.

I'm broke, no money, poor, jobless.

You're making the assumption that I can fucking afford to buy the manga. I have to ask my family to buy it for me as gifts for birthdays and shit. I literally have no money.

So let me put everything you need to know in a little list so you, and anyone else, can understand things about me.

I project onto Ryou

I think pretty boys in pretty dresses is cool

I actually really like Marik

My favorite character is Weevil

I happen to like angstshipping

I happen to not like thiefshipping

I think certain sexualized outfits are pretty or look fun to draw

I have media literacy

Fuckass is not a word in my vocabulary and I don't know what that means

Please block me 💕

#asks #they actually fucking responded #damn

[itsnothingofinterest]

Been meaning to discuss this for a while; time to talk about how Toga’s still afraid of heroes and thinks they’d kill her even after her battle/girl talk with Uraraka, and ramble about all the ways I think that’s still a problem & why Uraraka will still need to address that in the future if she ever wants to actually save Toga. (Which I think it’s safe to say she hasn’t done yet, what with Toga dying ‘n all.)

Because yeah, for as much as Uraraka’s done for her in these last few chapters, Toga’s opinions of heroes as a whole is still less than nuclear waste. She still thinks the other heroes will kill her or lock her up for life. Y’know, half her character motive. And with how loosey goosey the heroes have been playing with their morals since Jin’s death, we don’t have much reason to think she’s wrong. Heck for as much as she thinks she’s different, Toga still thinks Uraraka was gonna lock her up and just give her blood in jail and we never really got a reason to think she’s wrong about that either, besides just assuming Uraraka wouldn’t do that anyway.

“Eliminating the freaks from the world” that’s what Toga thinks a ‘plain ol hero’ would do at this moment. (Or “Kill the deviant” if you prefer the slightly more upfront fan translations.)

And Toga cites this frightened opinion of heroes is a contributing factor to trying to off herself, in addition to wanting to save Ochako. It makes sense after all, if her only fates are death or life in Tartarus 2.0 then even if she’s given up fighting for her life and is ready to die; why flip that coin? And while I don’t want to take away from Toga’s love motivating her sacrifice to save Uraraka; this fear gets no such pass for motivating Toga to remove all of her blood. Even if I don’t expect the death to stick; if this issue nearly robs Uraraka of saving Toga, then someone should probably address it in the text at some point.

On that note, is this not proof that Toga hasn’t been saved if the heroes she’s been afraid of since middle school are still executioners to fear in her eyes? And the way that like 99.9% of the heroes over at UA were trying to kill Tomura just proves her right. So I think this one’s a systemic issue where the heroes need to change, instead of an internal issue Toga needs to get talked through. Because look, I know some readers I don’t much respect will say Toga deserves whatever’s coming to her; but if a teenage girl is killing herself so heroes can’t catch her, there’s an extent to which we’ve got to acknowledged those heroes having an image problem.

Man, stuff like this is why I keep hoping for a My Hero part 2. You obviously can’t resolve this kind of story line with Toga dead and being right to kill herself because that’s a messed up note to end on; but I’m sorry, you also can’t have her wake up in a villain hospital to see some hero tell her “What, of course you’re alive, why would you think we would kill you? By the way we still think we were right to kill your friend, we’re not sorry about it, and we’ll do it again the next time we face a threat with a quirk we deem too strong”. There’s no quick and easy resolution to half of Toga’s entire character motive, even less than there is for Dabi’s suicidal ideation; but that’s just where we’re left with this plot thread as it stands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also if I may go on a tangent unrelated to Toga just to get some more stuff off my chest:

Man remember when it was publicly unthinkable for heroes to kill people, to the point that the closest Ending could find to such a hero was the guy who killed a Nomu zombie? I mean I know the HC had heroes assassinate people but at least that was discrete because it was expected heroes shouldn’t kill and was probably even illigal. It didn’t have public/hero support that gave the impression heroes killing people will become more common. How come every aspect of hero society looks like it’ll stagnate or get worse with this arc? I mean we’ve got the corruption, the heteromorphobia, the war crimes, the treatment of those labelled villains, all on top of this murder stuff. Is this not all embarrassing for the heroes who’re supposed to be symbols of hope and goodness? What is going on with these hero society plot points these past few arcs?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#This is probably pretty unrefined/unpolished but I wanted to get it off my chest. #bnha #bnha 395 #toga himiko #twice #jin bubaigawara #shigaraki tomura #dabi #paranormal liberation front #PLF #uraraka ochako #class 1a #hero society #my stupid long term predictions

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

One of my biggest issues with Bakugo's prominence is how it comes at the expense of the rest of 1-A.

Like, in the Dark Deku arc, the story acts like all of 1-A are friends with Izuku, when really he's only close to like 4 of them (Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, and (sadly) Bakugo). Everyone else is an acquaintance to him at best, which makes the arc feel a bit shallow.

And before that arc, as the series went on, most of the spotlight went only Izuku, Bakugo, and (mostly) Todoroki. The last two pretty much replaced Iida and Uraraka. Iida's relevance dropped after the Kamino arc. Uraraka, the most prominent female character, fell out of the spotlight for the most part until the Dark Deku arc. These two were set up to be Izuku's closest classmates, and they were replaced halfway through the series, with one of their replacement being Izuku's bully.

But at least those two got some relevance. The rest of 1-A rarely gets more than one moment in the limelight. After that, they get forgotten.

I've heard that Horikoshi laments that he can't give the rest of 1-A as much focus and development as he'd like, but that wouldn't be such a problem if he:

1. Gave the series more school moments. It’s called "My Hero Academia" but the characters are barely seen in class. People have said it before, but having more school moments would give us more opportunities to get to know the other students, maybe by having Izuku actually interact with them.

2. Stop forcing Bakugo into everything.

I always had a soft spot for characters that don't get a lot of spotlight (Toru is one of my favorites and I like 1-B a lot), but it really is a shame that the reason these characters don't get a lot of spotlight is because the author would rather focus on a character that is super unlikable.

All of this. Now I don’t think Hori has to go super in depth about every character but him stating how he wanted to write about the other characters but couldn’t is dumb. Unless there was some sort of time crunch people enforced on him, he could’ve made time to focus more on the school aspect rather than jump straight into the action. A lot of Shonen anime get crapped on for having too much filler but MHA faces the opposite problem in not having filler at all. Filler can be used to develop the relationships between characters or take some time to be lighthearted. Not all filler is useless junk. Had we had some filler, Koji and Mezou’s moment with the mutants could’ve had far more impact than it actually did. Same does with Midnight. We could’ve gotten small moments of background characters not only from the hero courses, but from the other courses as well. More could’ve been added to Hitoshi to not make him seem like a whiny bitch. We could see the extent of what Mai could build. We could learn a bit more about characters like Tooru and Minoru so they’re not reduced to being only gags. We could’ve spent some time with Yuuga so that his reveal would’ve hurt more. Hell, we could’ve spent more time with the villains. What the hell are Mr. Compress’s motives? Who is Spinner as a character other than being a follower?

So much could’ve been done but wasn’t. And that’s not even touching the idea of reducing Katsuki’s screen time. We could’ve used all that time for better things than watching Hori gush about him. A lot of missed opportunities.

#anti katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo katsuki #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #mha critical #anti bakugou katsuki #bnha critical

[dailyadventureprompts]

Random Encounter: Rift Events

The thinking DM’s alternative to “rocks fall, everyone dies”

Sometimes a the heroes fuck up catastrophically. They fail to stop the dark ritual in time, they sever one of the anchors of reality in the midst of a battle, they drop the doomsday artifact down a very long flight of stairs and it ends up breaking. You could end the campaign right there, improvising a hasty epilogue and send your party home for a couple weeks while you prepare to start from scratch.  Alternatively, you could use the narrative stakes you set up for yourself and do something interesting. 

One of the most important writing lessons I’ve learned as a DM is to ask myself “what happens if the party fails” as a means of giving my writing richer dramatic stakes, because unlike most forms of fiction a d&d campaign can’t have an ending predetermined by the author. To that end it’s a good idea to have some options in your back pocket for when your party goes so far off the map that you couldn’t have possibly prepared for this eventuality. Taking inspiration from the “Doomscars” of Kaldheim, a rift event represents a breach in the fabric of reality accompanied by a natural disaster, the result of either a catastrophic release of magical energy, the fracturing of fate, or planes smashing into eachother with the force of sizemic shifts. 

To quote Jason from The Good Place: “I'm telling you, Molotov cocktails work. Anytime I had a problem and I threw a Molotov cocktail, boom! Right away, I had a different problem.“ And that’s exactly the ethos we’re looking to bring to the table with a rift event. Whatever stakes your campaign had at the moment, whatever crisis your heroes were gearing up to face, they suddenly have a VERY different crisis which you can eat up the rest of the session ( or the session after a cliffhanger) with to buy yourself more time to figure out the long term implications of what your heroes have done.

Consider some options below:

Your party, every one, and everything are suddenly sucked into a different plane as the world is overturned around them, giving you time to move the plot forward back in the material plane while they play out a short “ get back home” arc. The Astral Sea is a great place to dump them out, as it’s not only a shocking contrast to your mundane campaign world but can also provide novel means of transport home.

The area your party is standing is now having an earthquake, which they desperately need to escape through skillchallenges and cooperation. When they finally get clear and survey the damage, they realize that not only did they put a dent in the world, they went and created a portal to some other reality, which is now bleeding mosnters and weird magic into the material plane. Bonus points if the villain/loved ones/the mcguffin is now on the other side of the rift, forcing the party to choose between dealing with the newly emerged threat or go perusing their original goal.

Awaken a Kaiju. No really, having your mid to high level heroes inadvertently release the tarrasque or some other giant beast is a great way for them to get back to the monsterhunting days of the early campaign, AND a convenient way to not have to explain why no one mentioned the campaign ending threat lurking in the wilderness before now.

Consider Divine intervention. There’s no better moment for the gods to make themselves known then when all seems lost. This interference can be as direct or subtle as you’d like, either coming as a devil’s bargain or an act of otherworldly compassion. My advice is to reward the character who’s the most pious (even if they’re not the cleric) or the most in need of saving, and have the intervention take the form most apt for the particular divinity. A god of healing may give the lost one more desperate breath of life, enough for the heroes and bystanders to pull them from the rubble, while a god of knowledge might reveal that the past 24 hours have all been a vision, forewarning of what WOULD happen if the party makes the unwise chose. Also feel free to throw a fiendish or eldritch twist to this, with faustian pacts being made to pull the world from the fire.

#writing advice #DM tools #DM advice #dm tips #dm toolbox #random encounter #high level #rift event #disaster

[justatalkingface]

Thank you for your patience lol.

Real last one (my headache is getting better)

Canon LoV has no redeeming quality and the "saving the villains" arc is really really bad. But I thought smth...

What if LoV finds out about Izu's abuse (before war and redestro) and wants to help? Yes. Its an what if scenario. But it could help them seeing more human and give smth for Izu.

Shig and LoV go to Aldera and find out how Izu was treated and how no one cared. And it makes Shig remember how no one cared for him

And then you ask "oh and he killed everyone?" Tempting but nope.

He sure gave them an awful day, for sure. But when asked why...Shig mentioned how no one helped Izu. (Bonus as this could be a converaation between AM and Shig. Shig may hate the man but if he sees the hero being genuine in wanting to protect Izu then...its possible he hates him less)

Ans Izu sees as someone does care (its villains, but at this point someone is listening) and well it gives courage to say how he was abused.

And things could go from there. The idea of Shig sort saving/helping Izu is so interesting...and few writers really play with this angle.

In all honesty, I left this sitting in my inbox (sorry!) way too long, while I tried to figure out how to phrase an answer, and I think I finally got it, and realized what my problem with trying to answer it was.

That problem? Is that MHA doesn't work like that, on this fundamental level. Like, at all. Villains don't get to be developed in a truly sympathetic way, to do anything but get more extreme when everyone doesn't listen to them because they act like one-dimensional shells, Izuku doesn't get people noticing his problems, people that actually help him... that shit just doesn't happen. Even if it would make sense for it to happen, even if characters would love for that to happen, try to make it happen, it doesn't happen so fucking hard, for the entire run of the story, that every time I stared at this some part of my mind went BSOD trying to imagine it.

And it's like... Shigaraki was built with some serious Izuku similarities, probably on purpose. They're mirror images along the AFO/OFA parallel, which means he would get that, and Izuku's backstory is fucked up enough most people would naturally sympathize with him anyways. The ingredients for this kind of thing are there. The set up is possible. The League of Outcasts would of course connect with another outcast. Personally, I think the sparing people thing is too much emotional maturity for canon Shigaraki without some development to start it along but...

It's an interesting idea, but I just have this weird cognitive dissonance trying to think about it, because one of MHA's longest running, and most foundational themes is 'Izuku suffering', and breaking that is almost as radical as making it not about heroes.

#ask #bnha critical #mha critical #izuku deserves better #i really would have liked to answer this better

[the-marshmallow-galaxy]

Azula doesn’t need a redemption arc

I have yet to read the azula comic that people seemed to think would offer azula redemption. But aside from this comic, I surprised me to see that there’s are a notable number of people who believe in redemption for her. Thing is, I simply do not think she is a character that warrants redemption of some form. Some characters are simply bad, and that’s ok.

Throughout the series, Azula has clearly appeared as and demonstrated the qualities of a psychopath. She rarely( if ever) demonstrates empathy towards even her family. Rarely might be too generous in fact , and she appears for the most part to lack empathy altogether.

People try to give azula a backstory with how she thought her mom thought she was a monster and all. But in reality, her mother never considered her a monster, and even if she did, it would have been because she showed signs of being one. It’s not that azula became a monster because her mother thought she was one. I can imagine Ursa liked Zuko a little bit more( even though she never acted upon it) but considering how Azula acted from a young age( including towards Zuko and family), could you blame her?

Some people say that it was Ozai’s fault, and he raised her this way, and all that. I do absolutely agree, Ozai did raise her badly, and was not a good father to her, and she would have perhaps turned out a bit better. However, one cannot simply attribute her character to how Ozai brought her up. People can be raised to be bad people, but not pure bad people. Even going back to her childhood, we don’t see an Azula trying to impress her father with how mean she is to Zuko, but we do see her constantly making his life miserable. She displays little compassion towards even her family.

When her cousin dies, she is UNBOTHERED and makes fun of Iroh. When her grandfather dies, she is HAPPY. When her mother dies/ disappears , she appears unbothered, if not somewhat amused, she appears not to be upset, but instead rubs it in zukos face that Ursa can’t protect him anymore. When her brother is burned, and essentially but through physical torture enough to leave a firebender with a burn scar, after the Agni Kai, she SMILES with AMUSEMENT as she watches. Zuko never wronged her, and it takes more than the way you were raised to seek joy in your brother suffering and screaming in pain in front of your own eyes.

She views people as manipulatable beings, and means to and end. Even Mai and Tai Li, who could have passed as friendships on her part on occasion, were people she had no problems hurting emotionally, locking up, or manipulating. When she goes crazy in the end, it is more so because she feels as though she has lost her power, and is no longer in control. That is why she goes crazy in the end. She does not have moments of selflessness or kindness, or empathy. Every potentially “nice” thing Azula does is either at no cost/significant effort to her, benefits her as well, or is a tool Azula wields with a potential ulterior motive. I won’t say she is 24/7 constantly pointlessly horrible to those around her, but thats doesn’t mean she’s not a psychopath. It never seems like she’s trying to appear mean, but is compassionate on the inside. Rather, in rare moments where she isn’t, it appears as if she is pretending to be “nice”.

Overall, Azula was a terrible person, and a psychopath. Sometimes, there are bad people in stories who are simply bad. Ozai may have played the main villain in Zuko’s life, but Azula certainly contributed too. I simply don’t think Azula should be redemption, and from what she does in smoke and shadows, I don’t think she gets it either.

#azula #atla #avatar #zuko #ozai

[northerngoshawk]

kfp4 review

just watched kfp4 for the first time yesterday, so here are my initial thoughts

spoilers under the cut!

The Good:

THE FIGHT SCENES!! as someone who once aspired to be a fight animator, the flow of each fight was astonishing - as expected of the kfp franchise 😌 my fav fight scene has to be between po and the chameleon as she shapeshifts into different enemies po had fought. just - UGH. scratches an itch i didn't know i even had

outside of the fight scenes, i really really REALLY loved the way they brought back tai lung. even if we only get like 5 min of dialogue n screentime with him, i really love the way he and po interacted with each other, how tai lung wasn't automatically all buddy-buddy with po and still held an ounce of contempt for po being the dragon warrior as opposed to him - even if he seems like he ultimately found some seamblance of inner peace. it made it that much more satisfying when tai lung finally acknowledges po as the dragon warrior. it really did feel like the resolution of tai lung's arc from the first movie, because while i think tai lung accepted that he would never be the dragon warrior, he didn't accept po as the dragon warrior until that very moment

in relation to the above, i think the part where everyone from the spirit realm acknowledges po alongside tai lung was the shining, pivotal moment of the entire film. it just felt entirely satisfying to see tai lung, shen, and kai in particular acknowledge po as someone worthy of the title of dragon warrior - tai lung bc of what i mentioned above, shen bc he only ever saw po as "the black-and-white warrior" that would defeat him, and kai bc he treated po as a joke until the very end of the third film. there's something very satisfying to see these former villains being saved by the very person they once fought and humbly bowing in respect to him.

the voice acting for the chameleon! the character itself, i'll get to in a moment, but i really do think the voice acting for her was phenomenal.

THE PANGOLIN!! idk why but honestly i thought he was a bit more intimidating than the chameleon. also i love the way they utilized his rolling around, so it didn't exactly feel like he was just being bounced back and forth, but being deliberate about it, like a martial artist

li and ping. i needn't say more.

The Meh:

zhen's character as a whole. ik most people's feelings on her range from indifference to outright hatred, and i personally lean more towards the former. the concept of her character in and of itself is intriguing, but the execution fell flat, turning her into one of those generic i-was-a-bad-guy-who's-totally-gonna-betray-you-but-because-of-your-good-heart-i've-changed-for-the-better characters. i'm fine with newer characters being added to the cast, don't get me wrong, but i want to see more... creativity ig, when it comes to their character arcs. i will say that i did enjoy the banter between her and po.

the jokes. the jokes themselves are fine, i even gave a chuckle every here and there, but the problem was really the timing of them. some jokes were placed well, but others felt like they completely messed up the emotional beats of the movie. some of em even felt almost... sacrilegious, esp when considering the first three movies.

how shen and kai didn't have speaking roles. i really really wished i would've gotten to see them exchange a few words with po alongside tai lung, but i also get the budget may not have allowed it. still, i will give the film points for focusing on them at the right moments, as well as having them flank tai lung when approaching po. not as satisfying as having them exchange a few words, but satisfying nontheless

The Egregious:

a severe lack of the furious five. i get that the budget may not have allowed them to come back in speaking roles, but by sidelining the five, kfp4 just didn't feel like a kfp movie. a core part of the first three movies, esp kfp 1 and 2, was the way the furious five grew alongside po and learned to not only work alongside him but to become his friends. i suppose the reason to have them step away was to also emphasize the "change" theme of the fourth movie, but it shouldn't change to the point where they are no longer a huge part of po's life. by taking them away, kfp4 really lost some of the soul that went into kfp 1-3

the fact that po really called himself the "kung fu panda." this is writing on par with "maybe the true dragon warrior was the friends we made along the way." we didn't need to hear the title come out of a character's mouth. please never ever EVER do that again, writers.

also the fact that po's achievements seemed downplayed in this movie. maybe kfp1 & kfp3 wouldn't be all that well-known, but when you save gongmen city and, essentially, the entirety of china, i'm pretty sure that your exploits would reach far and wide, regardless of where geographically you are on the map. the director mentioned that he wanted to take po to a far, distant land on his journey - but again??? gongmen city????

the chameleon's character. she just... didn't feel as intimidating as the other villains. when we first meet tai lung, he's a shadow with glowing gold eyes in the deepest pits of a dungeon. when we first meet shen, he effortlessly kills one of the most renowned kung fu masters in the land. when we meet kai, he overpowers and steals the chi of master oogway, a respected and well-beloved character in the universe. but chameleon? she just tosses someone down a set of stairs. painful, yes, but not quite as intimidating as the other three. her motivation for being a villain is also a bit weak, seeing as how she bemoans about being "too small" to be a kung fu master when mantis is, quite literally, right there. and while i can see arguments on how master oogway didn't judge mantis by his appearance but by his potential, it just didn't feel like a good enough motivator - or at least, the movie didn't really show us how the discrimination really affected her, instead relying on telling us how it affected her.

the entire plotline. i mean, i can understand needing to pass on the mantle of the dragon warrior to someone else once po passes, but the problem is that it essentially off-sets the ENTIRE point of the first movie. the whole point of being the dragon warrior was that it was a coveted title that couldn't be passed off to just ANYONE - oogway didn't choose tai lung, shifu, or any of the furious five for that very reason. the first film gave the sense of "fate" and "destiny" being the ultimate decider of who gets to be the dragon warrior, while this film po chooses his successor because... what? he felt bad for her and thinks she could become a better person? they could've done that for her without having her become the dragon warrior.

my biggest issue with kfp4, however, was that this entire film just felt like the writers were trying to copy the formula of kfp2 without understanding WHY kfp2 worked. let me break it down: po goes to a distant city with a bad guy that lives at the top of a terrifying tower, commences in a city-wide chase that leaves him in an underground/criminal environment where he tries to recruit people to his cause but fails, then goes out to face the enemy, gets thrown out at first, and then succeeds a second time. the scene when zhen tries to stop po from facing the chameleon, first by sparring with him and then hugging him, was especially remniscent of the scene in kfp2 when tigress tries to stop po from facing shen - except it didn't contain the same emotional beats as kfp2 did. why? it's because tigress and po had two movies to develop their relationship. we've seen how they were in kfp1 vs kfp2, from the one-sided rivalry and even contempt to friends who would put themselves on the line for the other's sake. we also know tigress's character, how she tries to be the stone-cold, tough love kind of person even around her fellow furious five members. so, when we see tigress hug po, it's a very pivotal moment not just for the movie, but for her character arc as well. but when i see zhen do the same thing for po, all i can think about is how it's essentially a cheap replication of what kfp2 does, but without the proper emotional investment and emotional beats kfp2 had.

The Memes:

if i had a nickel for every time awkwafina voiced a character whose themes revolved around trust, i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Overall:

despite all my gripes with the movie, i thought that this was a fun movie to watch and not take all that seriously. definitely the weakest movie of the franchise, but not a terrible sequel compared to other franchises. you'd just have to watch and form your own opinion on this movie. personally, if i wanted to watch a kfp movie with some of the best emotional beats of the franchise, i'd just rewatch kfp2.

#kfp 4 #kfp #kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kfp4

[comicaurora]

May I ask why exactly season four is so bad?

Oh man. Caveat that I watched ReBoot season 4 only once and I was so crushed I repressed a lot of it, but as I recall the big problems that made it suffer were:

Season 3. Season 3 is so goddamn good and has such a beautiful, satisfying resolution that any follow-up would need to be transcendently good to measure up, and the first half of season 4 is just Fine. It doesn't successfully justify its own existence and it undercuts some of the best parts of season 3, a masterpiece that should not have been tarnished.

Idiot plots. Many key moments in season 4 hinge on intelligent, compassionate characters being remarkably stupid and cruel to their loved ones, most notably an entire arc where a second Bob pops out of a web portal with his pre-season-3 design and every single one of his friends and loved ones sides with Other Bob over the Bob they went to hell and back to rescue in season 3 who fought alongside them and saved the day over and over again. Bob is also sick all season with Heroic-Sacrifice-Induced Plot Pain and nobody notices or cares, and it is truly distracting how little this makes sense for any of these people to be that callous to the Best Boy. Bob is at least pretty in-character, but that just makes his pain and isolation that much more painful to watch, including a crushing moment where it looks like even his guardian keytool, Glitch, has chosen Other Bob over him. It does not feel good to see that happen to our hero, and there's not enough time in the season to give him an emotional resolution or reconciliation with the others for what happened!

Sidelining Enzo Matrix. Plucky kid hero Enzo is the arguable secondary protagonist of the first two seasons with a lot of focal episodes, upgrades to the full hero in season 3 and undergoes a brutal timeskip-induced redesign and arc, and then in season 4… is replaced in the spotlight by a brand new fresh copy of Original Kid Enzo, who becomes the focal protagonist while Grown-Up Matrix seethes and fades into the background. It feels like a jarring betrayal, and the show does not explore the existential nightmare of the theme it introduces with both Kid Enzo and Other Bob - being supplanted by a perfect, unscarred copy of yourself before your trauma reshaped you, a copy that your loved ones explicitly find easier to love. The show doesn't know what to do with the characters it spent season 3 changing so much, almost like the season shouldn't have happened at all. AndrAIa has it worse and gets sidelined even more, and if I recall spends most of the first half of the season brainwashed.

No villains. After season 3, Megabyte is defeated by launching him into the Web and Hexadecimal gets a full-on redemption arc and is recompiled as a sprite, not a virus, which is a problem in and of itself because it really defangs their most fun villain, but ehh. Season 4 needs to lean on new villains, starting with Daemon - a very cool-looking virus with an evil Joan of Arc vibe but unfortunately no personality and too much power to be fun to spar with - and then the back half of the season is all about the aforementioned painful-to-watch Other Bob arc that appears to have no villain but turns out to be a surprise Megabyte Is Back reveal.

No ending. Season 4 ends on a cliffhanger in a play for a fifth season. It didn't get one. If you want a satisfying ending to ReBoot, your only possible option is the Season 3 finale.

#asks #not aurora #reboot

[dynadratina]

Hello, Azula finally got announced her own comic what are your thoughts and how excited are you?

Hi, thanks for the ask! (And sorry it took a bit long.) I’ve seen so many interesting analyses about this on my dash, but I haven’t had time to really delve into them yet. So I’m not sure if I’m repeating something that’s already been said (better) by someone else. But here’s what’s been on my mind anyway.

To start, the previous comics (The Search, Smoke and Shadow) were a big let-down for me in regards to how they handled Azula. I’ll go into more detail below, but basically I was turned off by how she was made into a one-dimensional bad egg, much like Ozai was. The comics portrayed Azula as a heartless schemer since early chlidhood, implied that her friendship with Mai and Ty-Lee had zero genuineness, and chose to make a show of the effects of her breakdown rather than stepping back and examining the cause of it. Given that the character traits and relational dynamics those two comics established about her are part of official lore now, I don’t think this comic can really undo them. But still, I think there might be hope, namely if this comic really is 100% an Azula comic. That means there’s no Zuko involved in the plot, no Gaang, no Ikem, no Kiyi, and no Ursa. That way, the comic can do something that I think really needs to be done, which is finally give Azula's perspective on her pain. Just her memories, or musings, or the like, with no other main characters’ arcs distracting from it. This might not lead to her getting a redemption arc or closure from her previous friend/family relations in the comics timeline, but at the very least it can inject some glimmer of light and hope into her path. (More beneath the cut)

In my eyes, the main problem with Azula’s treatment after Sozin’s Comet is that her trauma was put on the backseat, while her evilness/craziness/machinations, etc. were given center stage. Personally, this isn’t entertaining for me, but as a more concrete problem, it’s an abrupt departure from where the show left her off.

Sozin’s Comet broke down Azula’s villainous persona and brought her pain into the forefront -- namely by showing that when everything else was stripped away, she was really just a hurt girl who felt like no one loved her, not even her mother. So in defense, she chose to prefer the role of someone who doesn’t care about love and only wants to be feared. This is a really deep and painful issue to have (one that I could personally relate to at one point), and I think it’s something that’s very important to explore.

But The Search doesn’t do that. It just puts Azula right back into the villain role she started out in, only this time she’s just more erratic. Every time her visions were showcased, there was a lot of spotlight on how crazy she looked, how villainous she was acting, or how exasperated Zuko and the rest of the Gaang were due to her.

But there was no introspection, no deeper dive into Azula’s emotions before and after Sozin's Comet. The best glimpse we get into her mind is vision!Ursa telling Azula that she needs to "remove her mask", i.e. drop the front she's been holding up her entire life, which is that of someone who rules by fear.

(Dialogue transcription) Azula: I should probably be grateful! After all, you’ve saved me the trouble of finding you. Ursa: All your life, you’ve hidden behind a mask of intimidation and fear. Azula: Prepare to meet your doom! Ursa: Take off your mask. Only then will you see the beauty of your true destiny.

If we go by the theory that this Ursa is nothing more than a figment of Azula's mind, then this is essentially Azula's subconscious telling her that this "feared evil princess" facade is unnatural and unhealthy to her. So, on some level, Azula knows she's on the wrong path and needs to change it.

But we already knew that -- Sozin’s Comet told us so. And we already saw Azula confronting her subconscious this way, namely in the mirror scene. Why are we seeing it again? And why is Azula now under the impression that all of her problems in life stem from Ursa, and that Ursa is the direct instigator of everyone’s hate for her?

From a storytelling standpoint, there’s technically no problem with having Azula face the true sorce of her pain a second time after the dramatic mirror scene. But the second time should build upon it somehow, or introduce a further aspect to the situation that details Azula's character development between those two events.

To be honest, I really can imagine Azula “relapsing” from her realization in Sozin’s Comet (namely, that her problems are the fault of her trauma-informed choices) into a bleaker, more fatalistic viewpoint that destiny itself somehow ordained for her to suffer in life. It’s honestly extremely relatable to read about someone who realizes that they had been living by a wrong choice for a good chunk of time, and instead of peppily fist-bumping the sky and going “I’ll just do better from now on!”, they fall even deeper into despair and go “Why me? Why did I have to suffer from this for so long?”

Maybe Azula had a moment like that too post-Sozin’s Comet, where she felt that she had somehow been doomed from the beginning to never be loved by anyone. And since Ursa’s face was attached to the words that she was a monster, it would make sense that Azula would come to associate Ursa as the “perpetrator” of this fate of hers.

But all of this would have to be embedded in the narrative. At some point, there would have to be a scene in the comics (from Azula’s POV or otherwise) where she stops, takes a melancholy break from whatever devious goal she’s following at the moment, and puts this mental journey into words. Say something like: “What choice did I ever even have? You, Mother, treated me like a monster, so that’s how everyone else in my life came to view me. What option did I have other than to use fear?” That would have given Azula’s obsession with Ursa some emotional continuity, and maybe even some relatability.

But instead, Azula is reduced to repeating the same bland phrases like “Prepare to meet your doom!” at Ursa, or vague variations of “How did Ursa manage to turn you against me?!” at various characters. All the while we’re given no reason as to why Azula thinks this way or what her personal takeaway is from the events of Sozin’s Comet. We’re just expected to sit back and watch what she’s become.

For example, here’s one of the “crazy” lines from The Search that sort of-kind of hints at Azula’s mental journey after Sozin’s Comet:

(Dialogue transcription) Katara: What are you talking about? Azula: None of you had even met me yet! How did she (Ursa) convince you to help her ruin my life?!

Once again Azula reveals her delusion that Ursa has been manipulating her life from the beginning. This would have been a good time for the other characters to ask why Azula thinks this way, or even to try to get through to her that such a manipulation is impossible.

But the moment is brushed aside, and it’s painted as little more than crazy Azula being crazy. And the most The Search tells us about the reason she’s being crazy is that she’s ignoring her true destiny. Which, according to S&S, is... to turn Zuko into a Fire Lord who rules through fear? Okay, but what does that have to do with Azula`s pain? Setting aside the fact that this can’t even be the destiny she wants (because as her visions show, she doesn’t want to rule through fear), the fact that Azula was unaware of this “destiny” before is not the reason she started crying when vision!Ursa told her she loved her. The reason she started crying, which was carefully built up by the show, is that the fact (imagined or otherwise) of Ursa not loving her caused Azula pain, and that the facade of the perfect, feared girl that Azula put up later on was just a defense mechanism.

This is what The Search and S&S should have explored. In the wake of the show showing us that Azula was in pain, the comics should have told us in more explicit terms -- how, why, since when, etc. They should have emphasized that Azula had trauma from her chlidhood just like Zuko had, and put Azula on a journey that was somehow relevant to that pain (healing it, or exploring it, or otherwise). Not swept all that buildup aside and sent her on another itinerary of evil plans and grand ambitions that seem to have no relation to it.

The only vague seeds of acknowledgment of Azula’s pain come from the part in The Search where the Gaang visits Noren/Ikem’s and Noriko/Ursa’s home. We see a picture of Azula, Zuko, Katara, Noriko, and Aang sitting together, Katara and Aang marveling about the lovely home they have, Zuko also smiling (his head turned towards half-hidden Kiyi), while Azula sits with her arms crossed, looking unhappy and distant from everyone else.

Also Azula acting generally cold, in stark contrast to Zuko, who happily interacts with the innocent Kiyi:

(Dialogue transcription) Kiyi: Wanna meet my doll? Azula: No. Zuko: Of course.

(Dialogue transcription) Azula: That’s right. Only I didn’t give my dolls haircuts, I gave them headcuts! Would you like me to show you? Kiyi: No! Zuko: Azula! Stop it!

Though even these scenes serve more to make Azula out to be a “monster” than underline the fact that she’s experiencing a severe lack of something; that she has a genuine need and desire that isn’t being addressed.

Then towards the end of the comic, we get the "real" Ursa (Noriko) making a supposedly-accurate observation that Azula's mother didn't love her enough, and apologizing for it.

(Dialogue transcription) Ursa/Noriko: If what you say is true... if I really am your mother... Then I’m sorry I didn’t love you enough.

But this apology doesn't come from the person Azula needs it from, which is Ursa with Ursa's memories. It could be a start (although I didn’t like this scene personally), but the topic is never brought up again once Ursa regains her memories. What did she mean by “not enough”? What is Noriko (who is seeing Azula for the first time) seeing in Azula that no one else is? The Search could have given us that, at the very least. But once Ursa regains her memories, the comic just ends with her and Zuko taking a happy walk into the bright Hira’a morning.

In Smoke and Shadow, Azula plays the role of the villain, with a great plot and scheming and cool firebending. But again, nothing about Azula’s pain. And hardly anything from the person who’s the most tied to it. The only thing we get from Ursa is this:

(Dialogue transcription) Ursa: I was actually thinking about my other daughter... Zuko: ... Azula.

Ursa doesn't even refer to Azula by name -- just as "her other daughter". Which again solidifies the narrative's portrayal of Azula as being the problematic one, the one who for whatever reason just can't be normal like Kiyi and Zuko. Yes, one could make the argument that Ursa's overprotectiveness of Kiyi in S&S is a result of her overcompensating for not having done enough for Azula, but until this is somehow made more explicit (like by being articulated by Ursa), it’ll still be up in the air, and it won’t be doing anything to acknowledge side of Azula that hurts just like the other Royal Family members hurt.

Yes, Azula's behavior in the comics is erratic, and it probably precipitated from her breakdown and her subsequent stay at the asylum. Yes, she’s still a dangerous individual, and it wouldn’t make sense for the Gaang to immediately start trusting her to the point of having deep personal conversations with her. And it also wouldn’t make sense for for her to do a complete 180 after Sozin’s Comet and not hold any antagonistic feelings for them or her family whatsoever. But the point is that all of those things resulted from Azula lacking the love she needed from her mother. Whether this lack was real or imagined, it's still a foundational influence on Azula’s character, and it’s an issue that deserves to be explored rather than pushed aside for more “interesting” things like her craziness, cool firebending fights, or evil machinations. Azula deserves a better post-breakdown development than that.

There was actually a really good moment in The Search that I’m sad wasn’t bulit upon. It happens once the Gaang leaves Ikem’s house:

(Dialogue transcription) Azula: Ugh. More than once tonight I was tempted to burn that whole place down! But I resisted for you, Zuzu. I hope you appreciate it. Katara: How could you even think that about such a lovely family?

(Dialogue transcription) Azula: Oh, please. Their charade disgusted me. Nobody’s that happy!

Gee, I wonder where Azula could have gotten that idea from? Maybe it's because she never got a glimpse of a happy family life? Maybe because, even in the days that Zuko refers to his family as being "actually happy", Azula never really felt that because she always felt like her mother's love was missing? I want a comic that explores Azula that way, instead of having the other characters scold her like a misbehaving toddler for not having the correct joyful response upon seeing an example of the happy loving family she never had, and just leaving it at that.

So to summarize, Azula needs to be given time to take a step back and examine her pain. It would be great if she got another character’s help (like a mentor who genuinely cares about her), but she could just as well start that journey alone. She needs to process her pain, lucidly reflect on where she went wrong, what things were out of her control, and what she truly wants her future to look like now. Maybe she can even retell some of her scenes in the previous comics from her point of view and use those as a springboard for her reflections. If this new comic does something like that, then I’ll be happy.

If not... well, then there are still No Comics in Ba Sing Se xD

#azula #ursa #zuko #fire nation royal family #atla #avatar #the search #smoke and shadow #atla comics #asks #touchdown6161-blog #azula in the spirit temple

[rapid-as-sass-in-nation-team]

OOC thoughts on Striker's Mental State, And my hopes for his Recovery

(Long post)

I've seen a lot of people say this guys going on his joker arc now, which I completely get, but it also made me realize something with Striker that to me works with that. Plenty of people have criticized characters like the Joker for dramaticizing and demonizing (lol) mentally ill people, and there right. Instead of getting help to process and cope with their problems and trauma, there beaten senseless and carted off to a place where the average neurotypical citizen doesn't have to deal with them.

So what does this have to with Striker? Well anyone who saw Oops can tell he's not well in the head, his ego keeps getting beaten down, and here he snaps, fully ready to kill someone he barely knows to get back at Blitz, and then loses again, which may even scar him as some people have suspected, he was set on fire after all.

Thing is the ego he seems to put a lot of stake in has beaten into the dirt and the nervous and fragile wreck of a man is coming to show itself, and you know what? I don't want him to die

I understand this show is very much not his story, he's not a main character, he's is by every definition an antagonist, and if Viv kills him off I won't be all that surprised, its a completely fair writing choice to make the guy who goes up against the main crew of murderers to run out of luck and get offed, it makes sense to do that.

But at the same time, he's not all that far gone, his hate for royals is not for hate's sake, he's clearly been hurt before and that shaped him into what he is, his offer to Blitz during Harvest Moon, it does seem like he means it, he sees the relationship between him and Stolas as restrictive and offers him a chance to break free and get back at the system.

In fact him and Blitz seem to have a lot in common, as my friend @rodeoblitz pointed out, Striker almost seems like how Blitz would be without his friends, alone and vengeful. Like a dark mirror almost. and that especially makes me hope Striker gets help, he can be more then a cautionary tale to Blitz or "Whew, glad I didn't turn out like that guy!"

This show is very brutally honest with mental illness and trauma, Blitz and Moxxie especially show this. So I really hope they are more tactful with Striker, cause there is still a person under there, all that pain and hurt, and I really hope I.M.P and especially Blitz sees that.

Maybe after a rough fight, Blitz sees Striker desperately trying to get up, and realizes just how desperate he is, how sad and hurt and for once, he pities him, kicking and tossing their guns away and just proceeding to tell him that this needs to stop, and that what Striker is doing is helping noone, least of all himself. That there is hope for happiness for him, but this struggle isn't it, cause when Blitz spent so many years, hopelessly alone and miserable, maybe when he sees an oppurtunity to give someone the hope he never had in that situation he takes it.

I don't know, I know I'm bad at laying it out but I just hope Striker gets help, noone owes him anything for sure but I just hope his story ends well, cause he's clearly hurting, and despite all that he's done, I'd really love for the show make it clear he can be happy despite how unhinged his life has made him. Plus having a redeemed Striker pop up on occasion would be awesome, plus would love I.M.P roasting him for everything and he just grumbles as he helps out.

Any way that's my thoughts, no hate on whatever actually happens, Vivs story after all, but, personal feelings on a character I've grown to love, despite him being against most of the others I love XP

(TLDR I'd really like if Striker gets some help with his mental state, instead of just being an iredeemable villain, high hopes but still.)

#ooc thoughts #helluva striker #helluva boss striker #helluva boss

[mdhwrites]

I think you said once that Hexside and the "love interest" aspect of the show didn't contribute to the main plot at all.

So, what do you think a toh would be like if those were taken out? Like a toh without S1 and a third of S2?

You would end up with not TOH. And also with a show that probably did middling numbers at best because... Hexide presents a really big Catch 22 for the show. On the one hand, it has nothing to do with plot, narrative and tangentially at best works with the themes long term even if there are term moments that function. On the other hand, it is EASILY the best part of the show with most of the iconic moments in it, even if you're not a Lumity shipper, some of the best character moments, the only character even arguably a real arc (and frankly I still argue that Amity's arc is poorly done. Lumity isn't rushed because Amity's character was rushed and gutted.), and some of the clearer morals of the show. Because TOH's adventure element is where the plot is but it also gives zero fucks about that adventure element. Its villains are consistently incredibly weak and one note, often sharing the same note. The fights are mostly boring. Even the well animated ones have minimal good choreography or interesting elements going on with them and very rarely real emotional or characters stakes. The best fights of the series are easily Eclipse Lake and Covention and... That's about it. One of the things that helps those two fights admittedly is that not everything is energy blasts and vines in them and even then, Eclipse Lake isn't exactly clearing a high bar as far as choreography goes and its still lacking personality since one of the most memorable moments is Amity, graceful nerd Amity, sucker punching Hunter with a spiked gauntlet. Otherwise, the magic and world building is incredibly inconsistent. The characters are pointedly not interested in adventures, only Luz is so every adventure would be an argument and would get old fast. You'd probably get more episodes moralizing at you for their structure so I hope you liked Really Small Problems and Once Upon a Swap because that's likely what you'd get more of.

Actually, roll back a second because this IS important. One of the subversions of TOH is that classic question in fantasy of "Why is everyone going and getting themselves almost killed?" Eda and King embody that. It's explicit in S2 when Eda is trying to respect that King and Luz are kids but it's there in S1 too. In the second episode even when they consider Luz a fool because they see such little promise in the world that they don't interact with it. Which, you know, for a show is kind of a problem when two thirds of your main cast are lazy assholes who have to be bribed in someway to do fucking ANYTHING besides their mundane routine. It's part of why TOH fails so hard as an adventure show because they go on SO FEW ADVENTURES. It's also part of why Willow and Gus, who are enthusiastic and active, are inciters so much in S1 with three different episodes not being about them but them being the direct catalyst for those episodes because SOMETHING needs to get these fuckers to do ANYTHING. (Escaping Palisman, Covention and Really Small Problems for those curious. There may be more but those were three I could immediately think of.) And then there's the fact that as even you pointed out: You remove Hexide and you lose a LOOOT of the show. For something not actually important to the plot, it does consume at least a third of the show. Even the better adventure episodes usually were more about Hexide characters like Lost in Language or Adventure in the Elements, though calling that one adventure is admittedly a bit of a stretch. Like Hexide is so wrapped in everything going on, despite having little impact, it's hard to actually say what the show would look like without it.

Like I've made a lot of inflammatory statements but that's simply going off of what is in the show. These writers are not equipped to do an adventure show. Frankly, I wonder what show they would specialize best in due to the general issues with TOH, as its not like all the Hexide episodes are exactly bangers, but there is at least more joy and obvious interest in Amity and Romance. Which is also what would make it so that if you want TOH to have failed harder ratings wise... Take out Hexide. There's a lot of gay teenagers who watched the show after all. A lot of people wouldn't even talk about the show thought without Amity. Without there being such a forward facing, gay couple. Hell, take out Hexide and even Raeda becomes more awkward and Huntlow just doesn't happen. In fact, you lose a lot of your representation, admittedly just because the cast would be closer to a manageable size.

This is why I don't try to pretend that TOH could be magically rewritten and fixed. I don't pretend that a reboot would cause some magically perfect show to form from the aether now. TOH's identity crises, its fluff, its mishandling of things while being so confident about all these elements definitely needing to be here, to the point where they make up a FUCKING THIRD of the final season even, is part of what is identifiably TOH. You cannot cut out Hexide without a fundamentally different show.

And admittedly, probably just a really bad one. After all, Eda and King are not the Plantars. They aren't a part of a community that can get them to do things, they don't have their own real desires to motivate them and they don't have a real interest in the world outside their door. They're the cool kids who say they're so much better than everyone else and that their lives are so much better when really they do only lean against walls looking cool all day because acting like you're better than everything means you have nothing to fucking do.

Which, frankly, is a good metaphor for a lot of the show. Especially anything not to do with Hexide.

#The Owl House Criticism #TOH Critical #Hexide

[average-chat-noir-stan]

okay. i just made an entire side blog just to say a few words about feligami (felix, really, i love kagami <33) and i fully hate myself for it.

i’m going to organize this in a list. feel free to agree, disagree with me, whatever, but just please be polite about it. i know how this fandom can be.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT HATE FELIX’S CHARACTER. HE’S AMAZING AND FRANKLY HE SLAYS AS ARGOS. MY PROBLEM IS THAT HE’S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY GIRL KAGAMI.

#1: Felix is a manipulator.

Felix has been a manipulator since his introduction in the series. It was…kinda the whole point of his character up until recently. I understand that now they’re trying to rewrite him as “good” or at least as an anti-hero, (and don’t get me wrong, it’s great) but he is still completely manipulating Kagami.

When he says that he’s been “watching her” that fully gives me the creeps. Also, he keeps butting into her business and into Adrien’s. Like, he manipulated Adrien into DISAPPEARING and then took his place, which was originally, I don’t know, a BAD THING during his intro episode? And he literally kidnapped Kagami after having ONE conversation with her because she was attractive??? Hello??? Red flag, anyone???

AND THEN THE EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION WITH THE “SENTIBEING, NOT SENTIMONSTER” MONOLOGUE??? HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.

#2: Every other character that is a manipulator is seen as a villain.

Lila and Gabriel have both been manipulating others this entire season and THEY don’t get a sudden “redemption” arc just because they suddenly have a tragic backstory.

Lila’s been manipulating Kagami too, and that’s CLEARLY being seen as a bad thing. How is what Felix is doing any different? He can’t possibly be in love with her, he doesn’t KNOW her! Just knowing that she’s a sentimonster isn’t nearly enough to know her circumstances.

#3: Kagami is being manipulated, and she isn’t corrected by the writing.

Bro, an entire episode was centered around how Kagami needed to learn not to immediately trust, or at least jump to conclusions about Lila. Again, WHY IS WHAT FELIX IS DOING ANY DIFFERENT??

Why is she allowed to decide that Felix is good for her?? She decided that Lila was good for her, and that’s a bad thing, because Lila’s a villain.

Well, Lila might be cunning, but she’s not a TERRORIST WHO KILLED EVERYONE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET IN A SINGLE EPISODE. JUST SAYING.

Lila may be a villain, but at least we know her motives are to screw with everyone and have power for herself. We know NOTHING about Felix that could justify this. From what I understand, his qualms are with his family. Why can’t he just go to therapy if he wants to reform them?? Or only target them in his schemes?? I mean come on, going for the Miraculous of all things?? He’s got to understand that has GLOBAL consequences, based on how smart the writing is trying to make him.

this has kinda devolved into rambling. i’m just now watching pretention, so if it gets better, i guess i’ll figure it out. gosh, i hate this show.

#feligami #felix salt #not really #just feligami salt #but i figure i should put that in there #kagami tsurugi #felix graham de vanily #felix fathom #miraculous ladybug

[quirkwizard]

In a previous post you said that if a character should be nerfed it would be Tomura, how exactly would you handle that?

So how would you change Shigaraki post All For One transplant?

So I was going to talk about how I would change things with Tomura and All For One taking him over, but this one just simply became too long. I’m also focusing more on Tomura exclusively and not other ways you could mitigate this, like putting him against characters that could better counter him besides just by using “Erasure”, or other issues it may cause, like that general arms race he started with all this. If any of you are interesting in any of that, feel free to ask.

As I said before, one of my biggest issues with this entire shift is just how powerful it makes Tomura. Your final villain can and should be powerful, but the jump that Tomura makes is so huge and sudden that it hurts the story. After Tomura's time in the tube, he can destroy whole areas with a touch, is stronger than All Might in his prime, has every single power stored by All For One, and that's not even getting to the growths. Any one of those would make him extremely dangerous, but all of them together is just overkill. It ends up putting Tomura at the top of the food chain without any intermediate steps or challenges to that position. And because he is so powerful, there isn't anything anyone can really do to him. They can either wail away at him to no effect or get ragdolled, effectively making any fight with them totally pointless outside of one other character. It's not even like there's any counterplay with other powers because most of the people going against Tomura are purely physical fighters. And because Hori refuses to kill characters, it becomes this battle of attrition where neither side can do anything to the other until Izuku shows up.

Personally, I think the best answer would be to drop one or two of these powers. Because even if he only had half of his powers, Tomura would still be a massive threat to the world and to the other characters. I would definitely drop the flesh creations first, I just don't think they were needed to make him more threatening or the fight more interesting. Otherwise, the problem comes in how all three aspects are so plot relevant that it's hard to imagine removing any one of them without rewriting a lot of parts. So if we can't do that, we could weaken some of them or give Tomura more weaknesses in general. First and foremost, his physical augmentations. I will never understand why you would make Tomura stronger than Prime All Might. That is just such a leap from everything we've seen of what the doctor is capable of, even with the other Nomu. You could still make him powerful enough to be a threat if he was more on Hood's Level, or even the USJ Nomu. Given what we've seen, those too are still pretty far above the rest of the characters. And if he needs it, just let him augment his body with other powers, like All For One was doing before.

You could reduce the power of "Decay" as well. Maybe don't make it capable of wiping out whole cities in a single touch, or remove one of the other buffs the Quirk got, like how it's able to transfer so fast or so easily. At least remove how much control he has, since that barely seems to matter with how he uses it. Another problem I would add is that his body is incomplete. That could have been an interesting weakness. Because of the heroes' efforts, the perfect vessel had a major Achilles heel in how his body was breaking down and barely holding together under all the strain. But no, by the next arc, Hori reassures us that everything is going fine for Tomura. You could have easily kept that aspect to make him more vulnerable or even play it into Tomura rejecting the changes he is going through. On that note, Tomura actively fighting against All For One could lead to him developing some weaknesses. Like the changes he is undergoing aren't working right because the body is rejecting them. An attack suddenly gets stopped because Tomura regains control, an internal fight leads to an opening for the heroes to attack, or Quirks aren't combined how they are supposed to because Tomura isn't having it.

#My Hero Academia #Quirks #Tomura Shigaraki #Decay #All For One #MHA Meta #MHA Theory

[dynared]

To start off, thanks for answering my overlong asks.

You almost make it sound like it’s if the Star Wars franchise got handed over to the bozos who hate the Jedi and consider them the cause of all evil for some batshit reason. Even as someone who doesn’t care about Star Wars those people annoy the heck out of me and there seem to be versions in every fandom. Or maybe just people who think nuanced characterization is making everyone an asshole.

I would like more Twitch and Hashtag, I’ve grown quite fond of them. I hope Nightshade doesn’t disappear, they may not be a favourite but their dreamy and slightly loopy demeanour reminds me a lot of me as a kid and I’ve grown attached for that. I’m also happy in general that kid’s shows are becoming more inclusive and I really like their design. Think they could slot into a kooky hermit role well.

That’s an interesting point about humans in Transformers stuff, something to think about. And I don’t want to sound like I hate the very concept of humans in these stories, I don’t.

The Skybound comics are really fun so far, and the art and action scenes are gorgeous. Pleasantly surprised I’m enjoying the human drama and very pleased with how rock solid Optimus Prime and Starscream’s characterizations have been. If it keeps up they may wind up my favourite renditions. Mostly I’m worried it will turn into a series where someone dies every couple issues and I stop being able to care about anyone altogether. I’m fine with it for a first arc but that kind of thing tends to kill my interest fast. Also hope they don’t try and make the Decepticon cause more sympathetic later on. I appreciate the odd twist but I’d like it to not become the standard. Still, that’s partly personal taste and we’ll have to wait and see.

The late 2000s/early 2010s were getting away from “everyone is gritty and grim” to another equally disliked archetype - “everyone wants to be the snarky one”, or as I’ve called it in the past - “Whedonesque” since it was mostly people trying to imitate the tone of professional creep Josh Whedon and how his characters COULD. NOT. STOP. QUIPPING. This resulted in a lot of asshole characters and character assassinations, a Prime who went beyond stoic to outright cold, Star Saber being reduced to that fanfic villain because teenage edgelord James Roberts didn’t like the idea of a Gundam being cooler than his Decepticons, etc. There are always versions of that archetype in fandom, the problem was in IDW they were writing the books, and as a result hardly anyone was reading the damned things.

Twitch I happen to like a lot, but she really is in pursuit of a better show. The reason I often compare her to Suletta Mercury (besides the red in their designs) is that same sort of naive exuberance and energy, as well as the ability to actually make connections with the rest of the cast. Hashtag I think would be more likable if she stopped trying so hard, but I think that actually makes her better for a rewrite, where she’s around characters who will be able to interact off of her desire to be cool in a different way than her siblings. Nightshade, if they are used again, probably will lean into the science aspect of their personality, a contrast with either the older Wheeljack or the more stoic Perceptor. It would be interesting to see if they went back to the original show bible’s pitch, that Nightshade identified as a machine, rather than an organic, and didn’t find gender a part of that dynamic, before I presume Mae Catt made them about gender almost exclusively. Either way they’re still non-binary, but the focus is different.

The Skybound comics, as much as I adore them, are still early on in their production. While I’ve often said that a dream production would be giving all of them (Void Rivals, Transformers, and the various Codename: GI Joe books like Duke and Cobra Commander) to Studio Trigger to make a full on anime, we are realistically years from having enough comics to have that be feasible. I understand what you mean about killing off too many of the cast, but I could also argue that if you focus on certain cast members by killing off more popular characters, you create openings for other characters to get the spotlight. Cliffjumper hasn’t had this level of characterization in decades, since he’s often seen as the sacrificial hero and the bot in Bumblebee’s shadow. No Bumblebee meant Cliffjumper could be in a role that he normally doesn’t get.

My optimism continues to be cautious, both that the Skybound comics will continue to be good, and that the Terrans will stick around this franchise, hopefully with some better material to work with. Whether that involves Twitch learning swordsmanship from Star Saber or Drift, or Hashtag interacting with Blaster, we’ll just have to see.

#transformers #transformers earthspark #twitch malto #transformers skybound #transformers IDW #tf Skybound #Earthspark