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alastors-antlers · 4 months

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Why Alastor is good aroace rep after all, written by an aroace

Hello all! I just want to start off this post by saying that I'm one person who definitely doesn't speak for all aroaces, but I wanted to make a post on this anyway, and maybe some folk would be interested in hearing out another perspective?

I'm not really caught up on everything that's been said over the course of HH's creation - only more recent interviews, since I'm pretty new to the fandom. Apologies if I've missed anything, but also I do not have the time to keep up with all the out-of-canon-material backstory unfortunately. I'm working with what we've got here.

So here's the thing:

Alastor is cruel, he's narcissistic, he doesn't care about anyone except himself, he's a serial killer and a monster.

(That's the argument I've heard - please tell me if that's not really what people are going for lol, in which case I've totally misunderstood?)

The issue with aroace rep when it paints asexual people with those traits is that it aims to dehumanizes them. Sex and love are essential to the human experience, right? So why wouldn't someone be interested? Because they're self-absorbed, and cold, and detached. They don't have the capacity to love others enough to feel romance.

And sure, Alastor is a killer, and a schemer, and prideful, and a monster by hell's standards. But no matter how above it all and stylish and in control and provocative he wants to be, he's a very human character, and his aroace-ness never serves to add to his alienation. You could even say that it makes him seem even more personable.

That's what I think is the key difference.

why he's human

Alastor's whole persona is about control, and he basically straight-up says this. He's controlling what his enemies know, what his public image is like. His goal is to be the Radio Demon -- overlord of Hell, charismatic, Machiavellian, and undefeatable. He's not. Despite that smile plastered over his face (a powerful tool, huh) he's so expressive for someone who's constantly pretending.

You see his exasperation with the Egg Bois and with Charlie's ranting; his nervousness in front of Zestial; his frustration with Lucifer and the petty lengths he goes to to piss off the ruler of Hell.

You see his desperation, making that deal with Charlie. He's surprised by the idea of being vulnerable in front of an enemy like Adam, and so close to danger. He drops the radio filter and the affect out of fear, and runs on broadcast TV to let out panic and anger and bitterness in his hideout, where no one else can see him.

He has a smile that tells us he's genuinely happy to see someone; it's a little wider than his default. You see it with Mimzy's greeting, you see it with Rosie. Rosie, especially, serves to make Alastor more human to the audience. More on this later, but for now, I'm just saying that you can see that he at least seems to respect her greatly. Whatever bond they have, we know that he trusts her to touch him, to share history with him, and with support that he trusts no one else for.

He pretends, but he can't pretend it all away. Loads of these emotions aren't even advantageous for him to show. It isn't necessarily how the typical asexual psychopath acts; he's not emotionless or only capable of anger or brutality.

He's so full of emotion that it leaks through, despite all that he does to avoid it. He's not inhuman and aloof, not really - he's so, so human, even when he tries not to be because he thinks that'll be what keeps him above all the rest. In control, and free from his chains.

(If anyone wants to see images about all this, I'll make a separate post - just let me know.)

(I also have another post, talking about why Alastor is at least a little attached to the hotel's residents too, shown via conversation with Niffty. In what way? different question.)

how the aroace part contributes to that

Now, to be fair, we don't hear much about his aroaceness in canon. It's just not relevant a lot of the time.

In the pilot, Angel's proposition ruffles his feathers so much that Alastor blanks for a moment. It's a joke, sure, but that ace panic face is a pretty popular Alastor moment in the fandom - Alastor, thrown off-balance by a sex joke of all things, after so many years in Hell that he should probably be used to this.

It's a moment that makes him more approachable; his aroaceness shows him unprepared for something someone else does for one of the only real moments in the whole episode.

And the other part: the ace in the hole statement.

Rosie apparently knows Alastor so well that she read that he's aroace. That tells us about their relationship; namely, that it is long-standing and genuine enough that she gleaned a piece of real information from him. It's a casual fact that she knows about him before he even figured it out himself. It lends legitimacy to their bond - this bond that shows us a more comfortable and warm side of Alastor that we don't often see.

If their relationship is purely business, isn't this something pretty frivolous and personal? It's not like he has anything to gain by telling her about his life, but she learned about it somehow. How close are they? That's where it adds a layer of complexity and personality to his character..

thoughts on representation

Overall, Alastor's an interesting character who has a level of depth and care and personality (outside of cruelty) that asexual psychopath tropes lack. Again, the moments where he's being represented as disinterested in sex or romance don't make him seem detached. Again, they don't say "look how hostile toward relationships his behaviour is - how separate he is from our humanity". That's what bad villain ace rep is. That's not what the show's doing.

Also: I'm not saying that we need to lower our standards or anything, but even if you think it's not the best rep, I feel like we should be supporting HH's efforts here. I know that on Tumblr we have a pretty queer-friendly space going, which is honestly an understatement lol but

Aces are incredibly underrepresented in fiction. There's a whole Wikipedia page about asexual characters in media, and it's short as all hell, and even if you consider what's on there you see quite a number of one-off characters who are never mentioned again.

In terms of real life business - before the DSM updated their definition of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in 2013, identifying as asexual wasn't even a recognized thing. If you talked to a clinician about your lack of sexual desire, you could be diagnosed with a disorder. Only in the 5th edition do we now have a little exclusion footnote about it.

The concept of asexuality hasn't been explored nearly as much as other queer identities in our scientific research. We get crumbs in terms of mainstream representation and understanding. House M.D. has an episode where House "disproves" us because he's just so smart.

Alastor isn't going to be perfect representation. There's no such thing as perfect representation, and from the moment he was conceptualized, you could see how people would take him poorly. Still, I think he's a net positive.

He isn't a side character or a token ace - he's a core part of the show, whose personality and character motivations we can reasonably presume are going to be explored much more deeply in upcoming season(s). He's loved by the fandom. Right now, given what we know, I trust Vivziepop to write the aroace representation he deserves, because with the way I've heard the cast/directing/etc. talk about him, they're trying to do the aroace community justice, so I wish people would let up just a little on the whole "Alastor is bad rep".

Let's give him a chance, all right?

#hazbin hotel #aroace alastor #alastor analysis #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel spoilers #asexual #asexuality #hazbin alastor meta #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin #alastor #hazbin meta #hazbin analysis

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ben-talks-art · 22 days

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Okay... This episode of Digital Circus almost made me cry... almost!

When I saw the first episode of this show I knew I was going to really like it, but I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to love it. This reminds me of when X-Men 97 premiered and even though we were only two episodes in I could already tell this was going to be something special.

I know it's super, super early to say this, but this might become one of my favorite shows. The way they handled this episode really worked for me in a way I haven't felt in a while.

From the very first scene things already start on a really strong note, with our main lead, Pomni, having nightmares about the worst-case scenario from the new situation she's in where she imagines herself being affected by the circus glitch and being abandoned by the rest of the cast.

This does a great job setting up her sense of isolation and how she thinks she's on her own even though they all should be on the same boat together.

This gets highlighted even more as another member of the circus, Ragatha, is seen constantly trying to show her support and getting Pomni to cheer up despite the dreadful situation they're in while Pomni herself just acts indifferent as if she had already given up on everything and everyone.

I found this characterization of hers so relatable because I also used to think for a while that my problems were mine and mine alone and that everyone trying to help me were doing that just out of obligation and not because they really cared.

For some reason it felt "safer" to just assume I couldn't count on anyone because then I wouldn't have to worry about being disappointed in anyone, after all, you can't get disappointed if you don't get your hopes up.

So imagine how hyped I got when I saw that they indirectly made Pomni realize why it's important to rely on people when they switched the roles and placed her on the position where she needed to be there for someone.

I wanted to jump and slam my desk while shouting "Perfect! Perfect! This is just perfect!!"

Everything that needed to be said was being said just in the right way, just at the right time, and with the right amount of emotion, just the right amount of seriousness and levity.

Cause here's the thing, the media often has this obnoxious tendency of portraying antisocial characters as people that need to just "Get over it."

A lot of writers enjoy lumping grumpy characters, and reserved characters, depressed characters, angry characters and all these stuff as people who just need someone to cheer them up and have them forget about their problems, as if they were babies that just need to grow up and learn to be less grumpy so they can join in with the fun alongside everyone else.

You notice that it's always a person in a bad mood + someone who's always cheerful, happy, and with a child-like joyful attitude to be their contrast or someone to call them out on their "grumpyness."

And that always bothers me because it makes it seem like they're downplaying someone's struggle or inner turmoil as if they were minor things that they latch onto to just because nobody has told them to let it go yet.

I like when stories showcase why people struggle so much to let go of this mindset, why they struggle to open up to others and find themselves cheering to their day-to-day lives again.

But I'm also aware that this is not an easy task cause it's basically asking to show someone being depressed for a good portion of your story, and if that goes on for too long or it starts diving into a too heavy of a territory, it can make it a challenge just to watch.

So yeah, I get it, it's hard to find the right balance.

To show why someone needs to overcome their personal demons, while also making it an enjoyable experience to go through.

You don't want a case like Legend Of Korra where Lin Beifong's issues were pretty much treated as a joke, but you also don't want something like the Beast Boy segments from Young Justice where every scene with him just felt the same thing for 5 or 6 episodes, even though they were realistic scenes depicting someone going through what he was dealing with and they all built up to an amazing conclusion with Black Canary... But it was still draining to go through that.

You need to find the right balance and I felt like this episode really succeeded in that. You get why Pomni feels the way she does and you get why Ragatha tries so hard to help her out and why it's important that she keeps trying even when it seems like there is no point.

I really like how Ragtha isn't just "Cheer up, Pomni! Let me show you the secret to enjoying life!", she's actually trying to be sensitive of her situation, giving her the space and time she needs, and being there for her but not forcing herself on her.

She validates Pomni's pain but also knows it's a pain that she needs to learn how to deal with, otherwise, she's just gonna miss out on her own life.

The final scene was the thing that really got me.

When Pomni finally realized that the same way she tried to help out that NPC when they were stuck, she also needs to let others help her out.

It took me so long to realize in life that I don't need to deal with everything on my own, that I had people there for me, that I'm allowed to be vulnerable and make mistakes and that the people around me who love and care about me would still be there for me.

It took way, way too long for me to realize all that, so to see that final shot of Pomni imagining herself falling just like in her dream, but this time she had trust that her friends would be there to catch her, it really hit me good.

youtube

I'm not sure how to explain it but for some reason I was really proud of her for learning such an important lesson so quickly that it took me so long to learn myself. Like, I know she's not real, she's a fictional character, but I felt an immense relief while thinking people would watch this, and learn from this, and not make the same mistakes I did.

I have no idea where this show is going, but I feel like I'm in safe hands and can't wait to see what else they're going to do and where they're going to go.

I'm very very hyped for this series!

Also, I know this makes me a monster, but this scene made me laugh. :)

#the amazing digital circus #digital circus #tadc pomni #pomni #tadc ragatha #pomni x ragatha #Youtube

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loopdeloop · 4 months

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I was... Oddly disappointed by the last two episodes of Hazbin Hotel season one?

More under the cut. MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING.

Why is Vaggie of all characters saying that she didn't know they could get hurt / die? Lute literally gouged out her eye and cut off her wings. As a matter of fact, Lute, Adam, Vaggie, and the Overlords all knew that angels could be hurt / killed because there was a dead angel from the last extermination. It's like major plot points were completely forgotten, and you're telling me no angel ever got hurt in training?

Vaggie just... Regrows her wings? Somehow? Because love?

Carmilla willingly gives angelic weapons, seemingly very controlled and rare to have, to countless random sinners which immediately makes them no longer rare or controlled. I feel that takes away a bit of the weight behind them. Also, how did she have so many? (That's less of an issue and more of a nitpick to be fair.)

During the whole preparation bit Charlie literally goes to a town of random ass sinners for help rather than contact her father, the literal King of Hell and supremely powerful being that she knows from the last time they spoke would do anything to protect her. As far as we know she doesn't even tell him about how her talk with Heaven went, or mention that they threatened her and her hotel specifically. Why not?

Razzle and Dazzle exist to protect Charlie and they don't transform until the middle of the fight. On top of that, Charlie wasn't even using all of her strength in a life or death battle and we were never given a reason for it so it makes it appear like they had to nerf her simply for the plot, immediately making the fight seem much lower stakes.

Razzle or Dazzle fucking dies and it's not mentioned. Or at the very least it appears like they do.

Vaggie spares Lute and I question why. She knows that they will kill her and her friends / lover so why would she spare her?

Alastor goes missing and no one mentions it or seems to care past a fleeting moment when Charlie realizes that Adam isn't being distracted anymore.

While Pentious getting basically blinked out existence was probably trying to be funny, it just seemed out of place? I understand it's a comedy but it seemed like a serious, weighty, emotional moment and it took all of that away, at least for me, for a cheap joke.

Lucifer spared Adam because Charlie asked him to. Again, why? Like I know Charlie is idealistic but she went into that fight knowing they were going to kill angels, so why would she spare the jackass ringleader dead set on killing her and her friends?

Adam died to Nifty. I don't... I don't know. The buildup seemed so much more than that, but it was just another joke.

The fact that the most genuine emotion in the whole episode came from Lute when Adam died and he gave her a sort of smile before passing away. Genuinely loved that but the fact that I cared more about Adam dying than Sir Pentious (fyi I love Sir Pentious and was rooting for Adam to die) just shows that the other emotion heavy scenes were not handled well and that's a damn shame.

-+-

I liked Charlie's weapon, I thought it was very fitting.

Alright so the good. Um, I liked when Lucifer came to the fight and the banter between him and Adam as he basically danced circles around him.

Alastor's fight with Adam was well done.

I like that Pentious ascended to Heaven and we didn't lose him entirely and I am very interested to know what that means for the rest of the series.

Alastor freaking the fuck out over the fact that he nearly died was golden honestly. Some people are seeing his rant where he says that "Alastor Altruistic died for his friends" (or something similar) as evidence that he views those in the hotel as his friends but I don't think that's the case. I believe he was speaking from the point of view of an outsider looking in and what they would see his death as, and that disgusted him because he thinks it would make him look weak and that's not what really happened. I completely believe he's reaching the end of his rope when it comes to following the order of whoever is pulling on his leash and that was the most honest insight into his character we've seen yet. I truly enjoyed that.

-+-

I dunno maybe I'm just reading too much into the series or thinking it's going for a different tone then what it's actually going for, and I really wanted to like these last episodes, but they just didn't do it for me. I'm still really looking forward to next season though, and I hope it'll be great!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #hazbin hotel critical

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imreallyloveleee · 9 months

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Where do you think it all went wrong with Riverdale?

honestly, part of me is like, the show's over and nothing but fandom matters. so who cares?

the other part of me loves to complain about Riverdale and will continue to do so until the day I die in the parking lot of Michael's Diner in Montgomeryville, PA at the age of 86. so, long-winded answer under the cut

I'm tempted to say it's the s4 b*rchie kiss. It was so wildly out of character for both Betty and Archie that it's laughable. You know how you can tell when something is just blatantly OOC with no justification? They...don't justify it. They find ways to dance around any interaction that might offer clarification. They mute the reactions of the characters who should be devastated by it. And then they jump ahead 7 years so it's easier to just handwave it away as something that happened a long time ago.

but the thing is, I did keep watching after that. I thought: okay, at least we should get an exes-to-lovers arc out of this, which is one of my favorite tropes. there is no way they would spend 4 seasons developing Bughead as this loving, supportive, communicative, sexy, and almost-unbelievably-compatible couple just to tear them apart and never do anything with that dynamic again. maybe it'll be even sweeter seeing them come back together after so much hurt and longing.

boy was i wrong!!!!!!!!!

so, the episode that actually made me stop watching for good, with the exception of some standalones like The Jughead Paradox and the finale, was the s5 musical. that was when i realized that this team of writers was 100% willing, maybe even eager, to completely drop storylines they themselves had been building over the course of a season - do a 180 with all of the characterization and relationships - and then act as though the buildup they wrote never even happened.

in this case, i'm specifically talking about the Bughead reunion storyline they dropped in s5. i'm not going to pretend like it was a GREAT buildup - and it was mostly on Jughead's side, Betty's character in s5 was basically an emotionless misery bot that had sex sometimes - but it was there. Jughead told Tabitha he had unresolved feelings around Betty. that's followed by an entire episode that lays out Betty & Jug's time jump relationship, and how Jughead still believes she's the one who saves him from himself. they work on a case together, they start opening up to one another. Jughead's so worried about her he can't eat.

and then...you know what happens.

(i'll also note here that there was random bts stuff that strongly indicated the musical ep storyline had a drastic last-minute rewrite: lili tweeted a blue dress, suggesting the song with that line was meant for her character; RAS said cole had to do last-minute recording sessions; supposedly crew members have confirmed this was the case, too. since none of it's 100% confirmed you can take it all with a grain of salt, but i believe it.)

it was so fucking insulting as a viewer to give my time and attention to a show made by people who would not only randomly drop the threads they set up, but torpedo them altogether, and then behave like the fans are the ones somehow at fault for expecting a story that actually follows through on its own emotional and plot beats. we're just shippers, so our opinions are dumb and biased! it's just a tv show, so who cares! get over it!

so, i stopped watching, because i knew they would continue to write without any thought or respect for their characters or their audience, and therefore inevitably write themselves into another corner. and, shocker, i was right. they did it again, whisking everyone away to the 1950s because actually resolving any of the scenarios they set up was ToO hArD. why bother when you could just make every single character Righteously Angry and Incurably Horny all the time, lecture the audience about social issues that have already been mainstream progressive for the last several decades, and call it a "love letter" to your fans?

#WHEW ok anon idk if this was what you were looking for but it's what you got #hopefully this has fully exorcised my need to Go Off against the creators of this show but you never know!!#my capacity for bitter resentment is apparently endless when it comes to this show #rd negativity #riverdale #anti b*rchie #anti j*bitha #just in case #anon

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thatgirl4815 · 9 months

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Intimacy (Ep4)

So there is a lot of behind the scenes work happening in this episode, diving into character histories and further developing how they've come to find themselves in the relationships they're in. All of these details will likely play a large role in how each couples' bonds deepen or widen.

RaySand

Ray's behavior gets a lot of context this episode, particularly in regards to Mew, who he is still crushing on. Because this is such a big plot point this episode, it has a lot of subtle implications for Ray's burgeoning relationship with Sand. Forgive me while I go on a tangent about Ray...

It's become clear--and I think Ray himself even realizes this--that Ray's feelings for Mew are more about the role Mew can fulfill rather than the person Mew really is. How many times does Ray say "No one loves me" in that opening scene? Ray needs so desperately to feel that someone loves him, and he's grown accustomed to being called a brat and a burden because he sees himself that way too.

Ray tells Mew that he isn't looking for a real relationship, but he seems to crave one. I think though that if Ray did date Mew, he would find himself in a similar situation as what he is (eventually) going to find with Sand: having someone love him is all he wants, but the threat of that person leaving him is worse than receiving no love at all. The thought of having Mew return his feelings is perfect because it's just a fantasy--a reflection of what he needs to feel whole again.

Ray turns back to Sand to distract himself from Mew, but Ray's relationship with Sand is going to show him what happens when the fantasy of being loved by someone becomes a reality. Being loved means acknowledging all of the hurt and pain that Ray has likely worked so hard to suppress in the years since his mother's death.

Ray and Sand are edging closer and closer to the edge of the "feelings" abyss, and at the moment, Sand is still the only one who seems aware of it. They've already developed an intimate relationship physically, but small gestures like this reflect the emotional intimacy they're working towards. That's what could end up destroying both of them.

TopMew

Top and Mew make more headway as far as physical intimacy this episode, but their emotional intimacy has taken a few steps back from the steady incline it's been on so far...Mew just doesn't know it yet. The trust they have in one another is going to be put to the test again and again as Top tries to conceal the truth about his hookup with Boston.

While I admire how strongly Mew holds to his convictions, particularly where sex is concerned, something still feels missing from their relationship both emotionally and physically. I can't decide if it's intentional or not. If it's intentional, perhaps it's meant to reflect that all is not as it seems between them, that there are still substantial barriers they'll have to overcome to make their relationship work (trust issues, for one). Part of it might also be that we have witnessed Top try again and again to win Mew over, but Mew still seems resistant in any case. Again, I don't blame him given Top's reputation, but even when he opens up, Mew still comes across extremely guarded, almost as if he isn't completely sold on being in a relationship at all.

This might just be my take on it. I'm curious if anyone else feels similarly. I want to be invested in Top and Mew's relationship, but the very obvious cheating and lying going on is making it difficult for me to anticipate a happy ending, and it casts a cloud over their intimate scenes already. (Again, probably intentional. I'm anxious to see where it'll go from here.)

BostonNick

Boston never changes. He plays Nick like a fiddle. The only change we see between them this episode comes from Nick's side, with him finally admitting verbally that he's into Boston (as if we did not already know that). I find it funny that Nick agrees with everyone who tells him that Boston is bad news, yet he's just as down bad as before. I think Nick takes the cake for most pathetic character on the show (*affectionate*)...can't say I condone his obvious spying and breaking into Boston's phone though. At least Nick has flaws too, otherwise Boston would be blowing him out of the water as far as negative traits are concerned.

Boston's ego is also extremely apparent in every scene with Nick. I think Boston likes knowing that Nick is developing feelings, even if he has no intention of returning them. He sees himself as a prize, and Nick's affection just reaffirms that (something he desperately needs while Top is rejecting him).

Boston and Ray both take the cake as far as getting back into Nick and Sand's good graces though. Those cheek kisses and puppy dog eyes haven't failed them yet.

(Not entirely related, but I am not ready for Boston and Nick to crash RaySand's makeout session next week. Let the boys kiss in peace please.)

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moe-broey · 6 months

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MEANWHILE. In another realm. I've revisited Alear's FB's

I FEEL LIKE. Alfonse's problem isn't so much that he's emotionally guarded, despite, you know, being extremely emotionally guarded. It's that He Isn't. Like. At the same time.

Consistently, without fail, Alfonse puts himself in situations where he's amicable and helpful. Their C support consists of Alfonse helping Alear see to her own odds and ends, having been brought to Askr with nothing but the clothes on her back. A common situation! He gets her a ring case to put all her rings in. So here, he's helping. And when Alear shows him the rings, and tells him the lore/significance of the rings, he takes an interest -- because of course he would! That sort of thing is right up his alley. And so he's not only amicable enough to be approachable, he's also showing interest in the things she's interested in, and having a spirited conversation about it.

Their B support consists of more of the same, just getting into the details of how Emblems work. HE DOESN'T REALIZE IT YET. But he's bonding with Alear. This goofy ass motherfucker doesn't realize this is literally how friendships are formed. Like I'm convinced he's thinking they're just talking lore and stuff and it's a casual conversation between casual allies and surely nothing emotionally charged will come out of this. He's just being friendly (without NECESSARILY becoming Friends) and there's nothing more to it, there Will be nothing more to it.

A support.

She voices A Problem. TWO things about Alfonse. 1) He was built in a lab to be a fixer (juries still out on his methods/solutions) and 2) He takes things SO personally when he relates to it. PVP enabled he's going to fucking get your ass about it. He is sooooooooo emotionally distant Up Until you fucking provoke him (AND THIS. ISN'T EVEN ENTIRELY TRUE. BC WHAT HE DOESN'T REALIZE IS GENUINELY BONDING OVER SHARED INTERESTS COUNTS TOWARDS BECOMING INVESTED IN THAT PERSON which is HOW he ended up in The Situation in the FIRST PLACE).

Which leads to him "helping" (POORLY.) (Because in all of this he IS still wired to help people)

Which just pisses him off even MORE, believing he has the Correct and Inevitable perspective and desperately wants to get Alear to see it the same way, doubling down.

(Bro I am going to hit image limit again before even making my point..... AUGH)

Alear's next lines, "That's true, but won't keeping my distance mean I appreciate them less while I have them?" / "Is that how you see your relationships with Heroes? With me?" / "No matter how much time we spend together, you'll always keep me at arm's length for when I have to go?"

Here, I think Alear is expressing to him she already sees him as her friend. I don't think Alfonse picks up on it though, trying again to get her to see his side of the issue -- as if, in his mind, they're just debating and not having an emotional conversation.

Alfonse's next lines: "Consider it from my perspective. If I am too attached to you, and you leave, I could lose my will to fight." (ALFONSE. ALFONSE. COME ON MAN.) (LIKE. Idk man if you're saying shit like that I think it's too late. It's so over for you.)

THIS ONE THOUGH. I THINK. PLEASE staywith me but it is the root of it all

Euden's (named Milo here lmfao Milo jumpscare) next line: "Do you not feel the same way about us?"

Alfonse's lines: "My apologies, but no. The forming of friendships is a thing I don't take lightly." / "It's true that I rely on the assistance of Heroes summoned from different worlds when fighting, but that is wholly different."

Alfonse lines (continued): "I have a duty, and can't afford such hurt. So if I grow close to someone, I do so accepting the potential consequences."

AAAAUGHHHH WHAT IS MY THESIS. WHAT THE FUCK AM I TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE MORE CONNECTIONS TO MAKE. AND FOR WHAT‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

SOMEHOW. His Book 1 (p sure they're from Book 1) lines to Kiran that go, "I suppose we don't know much about your world. And how rude of us to not ask until now!" / "What? Your world has buildings that scrape the sky? And what do you mean by 'cars'?" / "Like wagons... that run without horses... and are made out of metal? Fascinating." <- THESE LINES. Combined with his smiling sprite. TO ME are a direct parallel to his C and B Alear conversations, HOW, he's taking an interest in Kiran and without realizing he's growing a fondness for them.

Something SOMETHING about his cognitive dissonance about how he can be friendly without "being friends", how he's afraid of caring too much when it's clear he already cares at least a little ESPECIALLY SHOWN. In how, Alfonse doesn't realize he could have hurt Alear's feelings until she directly states it: "I understand. Still... it makes me sad."

ONLY THEN he gets his panicked(?) sprite, replying, "I apologize for upsetting you." It's here I think he finally realizes, OH. THIS IS. An emotional conversation and not like a debate of ideals and I feel bad for hurting you. BECAUSE!!!!!!!! HE'S COME TO CARE ABOUT ALEAR!!!!!!!!! IN ALL OF THIS!!!!!!!!! Whether he's fully aware of it or not, whether he LIKES it or not, he cares about her feelings and wants to make it right. Into, expressing (again that PVP "Well I took that personally" reaction he has): "I suppose it's just that, when you talk about the Emblems, how you worry, I feel as if I'm hearing my own voice."

Which S support, sets up for a resolution and mutual understanding peace and love all is well with the world 👍

ALSO the parallel to Euden, since this is the very start of what would be analogous to support conversations (side story content unlocked by powering up the character), Euden takes Alfonse's response to him in stride -- since, there's no real emotional stakes. Aside from, Euden wishing they could be friends (since he's just built like that), but ultimately giving Alfonse space and respecting his feelings about it. The Point: While they've been working together, Alfonse hasn't Quite developed that fondness yet I don't think (esp from what I remember from the main plot of the crossover event, which is next to nothing LMFAO). It develops later!!!!!!

If I hadn't hit image limit I would insert the What the FUCK are you two talking about meme here like. What the fuck AM I talking about. Can someone else make this post actually I don't think I'm qualified 😭😭😭😭😭😭

MAIN POINT.

I look at Alfonse and I go I think I hauve covid.

#fire emblem #feh #i'm half tempted to pick through dimitri's fbs again and identify where alfonse is in too deep for him too #absolute trainwreck of a post. great job everyoen (me) let's hit the showers.#i also think i can pick apart his level 40 convo but pleadse. i've already suffered so mcuh.#i have scrambled egg brain EVEN WHEN I HAVE AHDHD MEDS #fe alfonse #alear #euden #DRAGALIA LOST JUMPSCARE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

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dipolardruid · 1 year

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I got another request already🕴️

How would the yanderes react to reader saying “Oh, I thought we were dating? 🤔” Like out of no where maybe if the yanderes were introducing reader as a friend or saying they were just friends to someone

-🌊 anon

TW: None

Anell

You just gave her the strongest case of whiplash due to how fast she turns her head towards you her eyes wide open and mouth agape.

She looks over to her father before quickly looking back at you and back at him, she realizes he seems to stare at you intensely, This causes her face to turn a deep shade of red so much so that she begins to cover her face with her right hand. Her father realizes Anell's reaction towards what you said with confusion causing him to start speaking

"Ane-"

"Yes! Yes we are! I simply misunderstood that's all, that's a mistake on my part how about we all go out you're here until tomorrow correct?" She says practically shaking in anticipation.

Tina

She stares at you with a huge smile her eyes glowing her cheeks showing red tints on them as she flaps her hands in excitement grabbing your arm yanking you closer to her before pressing her chest tightly against your upperarm.

"Forget what I said we're dating!" Tina says with a satisfied smile as her parents look at both of you completely confused.

"What about paul?" Her father says taking a step forward almost in disbelief "Him too." Tina says without hesitation even as her father looks at her as if she's got two heads, you look behind him seeing her mother not looking fazed in the slightest besides the side smile she gives you before she walks up to tina's father patting his back in an attempt to calm him.

Paul

You feel the back your collar get yanked to the left as he wraps his right arm around you tightly "I was just kidding, we're dating!" He quickly begins to force both of you out of the big circle of people surrounding you both asking about Tina "she's alright with it!" Paul responds to all at once.

"Wa-" before you can get a word in he already has you being dragged down the hallway despite protest from teachers "hopefully you can jump fences we're going on our first date!" You'll end up with some cuts and scrapes along the way but atleast you had a good date and a lot more things that are taller than you if you pile them up.

Petra

She goes deathly still and quiet as you say this infront of a class full of other student presidents and teachers before anyone can comment on what you said she is able to quickly move the subject back to what was being discussed without much issue besides a few glances being locked onto you.

She will only show some semblance of emotion after you both are alone which you'll be able to tell by her shaking shoulders and red ears "Was that some joke?" You look at her feeling unease due to her tone "No I actually did think we were dating, I shouldn't have just blurted it out sorry."

You step back as she takes one big step towards you "Don't be its fine even though I would've prefered to have heard that in a more desirable place I'm still happy." Her face is now completely red as a way to hide it from you she puts her face against your shoulder.

"Let's just stay like this for now."

Jake

If you said this infront of anybody he'd just side smile and not "correct" you, he'd be super vague to the person interested in knowing more but there is one more thing.

He already knew and simply played the friend role maybe as an act of revenge or simply because he wanted some entertainment but when you finally reveal your thoughts to him he'll feign ignorance "Really? You thought we were something? I'll have to think on that one." He'll look at your face to see your reaction but smirk at you.

"Just a tease no need to for the face, come on we have a busy day ahead of us." Jake just for the day won't be such a pain in the ass and will actually be quite accommodating and sincere with you, you'll also see him smiling more and even initiate physical affection bound to your limits of course.

Request are open!

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ironwoodprotectionsquad · 7 months

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Okay so that last addition by bad food sells burgers to the ask I made got a bit heated and I think was a misassumption thinking that I think it’s wrong for people to call things and say how they affect their feelings and how it negatively shows their life so let me put it this way cause I want to leave you be about this, I am sorry for bothering you about it. In their justified passion to explain their examples really really just more so confused so I’m partially lost again.

Also please I am not saying any of this really in regards to Ironwood himself when asking about “limited” writing rules of disabled characters because that ship had long sailed and did not apply to Ironwood and was the creator intent.

So to swing this back around:

If they Ironwood “throwing away his humanity” was not based on him adding prosthetics but solely about him pushing down his emotions so that he could make the hard choices that no one else would, would that have been fine for his character.

That’s what I’m essentially getting at in terms of writing a disabled character in such a manner. Is this a case in which the word humanity needs to be switched with emotion or a case where a disabled character should just as a rule not be used.

That’s really at the heart at the new turn of this topic. Not on Ironwood or Penny or Yang, RT fucked up already. I agree with everything you have said in the past of your blog that has said as such.

How and when can you have a disabled character be a villain. Would it be like Tyrian Callows or Vader where they are villains prior to any injuries that would make them disabled.

Once more this is the last time I will ever bother you with this topic. As someone who is working on their writing and wants to make sure they do good by certain characters.This is not meant as sarcasm or a means over confrontation on representation and Rooster Teeth being Rooster Teeth.

I cannot speak for badfoodsellsburgers and their intentions really that’s more of something they can discuss if they have any sort of desire to. Tone and meaning over text can be extremely difficult to understand so I know from experience it can very easily lead To misunderstandings. You’re not bothering me I’m happy to talk, this particular topic can be emotional and given how complex these issues are can be hard to discuss without a full picture of the stories you want to tell and the themes you’re trying to convey.

Specifically for a disabled character, an arc about them pushing down their emotions is a minefield to put it bluntly. With disabled characters, their disabilities are apart of them. You can't really separate them from their disabilities because it is apart of them. With James specifically his trauma and PTSD are fueling his decision to leave and his desire to bury his emotions and make the hard choices no one wants to make. Villainizing that is villainizing his PTSD and trauma. He is having a PTSD reaction when he shuts down emotionally that is a large part of his character along with Mettle, a passive semblance he also cannot control. His response to Salem is fueled by his PTSD, which likely came about as a result from whatever event got him his prosthetics.

I think the bigger question once again is; why do you want to write disabled villains? Why do they need to be disabled? Are any of the heroes disabled? What message are you wanting for your story and why does it require a disabled villain? We have so many disabled villains I don't see why another is so necessary. We live in a world that is extremely hostile to disabled people, people make cruel and heartless "jokes" about them and no one seems to care. Even if one where to write a story the "right" way to have a disabled person be a villain....it would still feel wrong. For so long media has demonized and stripped people with any form of disability of their humanity so wanting to make more disabled villains I don't think adds anything, because people see people with disabilities as less then able bodied people, what does it add to have more disabled villains that able bodied villains cannot add? That is what I am struggling to understand why do you want a disabled villain?

It's just so easy to write an ableist story that perpetuates harmful tropes and ideologies, and its just....exhausting. I don't know how else to explain this to be honest, I just think writing a disabled villain is just too complicated to try and do correctly because of how many ableist and harmful tropes exist. Trope TV page has some extremely specific tropes that exist because of how many exist and trying to navigate it is just too difficult and too easy to accidentally cause more harm.

#rwde #james ironwood #ironwood protection squad #pro james ironwood #pro ironwood #general ironwood #general dadmiral #dadmiral ironwood

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wen-kexing-apologist · 1 year

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Eighth Sense Ep 2 Rewatch

Ok, listen. Am I watching this show and playing video games at the same time? Yes. Does that mean I am missing a lot? Yes.

But! The facial blurs when it comes to JaeWon seem very intentional and is especially evident when they are in the water:

Now, okay, there is 200% room for argument here that all the blurriness is because the cameraman is most likely filming in the water with a go-pro and has little to no control over the video quality. And that is totally something that can be true. And that is also totally something that would disguise any intentional, purposeful point of the blurriness in this moment.

And there is something else I noticed, the colors in this scene. Thanks, as always to @respectthepetty for turning me into a color monster.

The way the light refracts off of JiHyun's wetsuit makes the colors seem distorted.

Camera issue? Sure! But could it be another indication of JaeWon's altered mental status? Why the fuck not! I mean, we don't know how his brother died yet. Personally, my theory is that he drowned. Because so much of this show is water centric, because of the fish tank and the fact that our title card for Episode 2 is literally JaeWon surrounded by a fish tank as if he is under water.

I think it would be extra super spicy sad if it was when JaeWon was teaching his brother to surf. Just for the ~trauma~, and cause if that is true, then the blurriness and the distorted colors here once again is intentional, and is brilliantly capable of being written off by the audience as just difficult filming conditions.

So again, if that is the case, the blurriness is the altered mental status. And we can take that however we want, medically induced alteration, cognitive dissonance, anxiety, dissociation, all of them.

If the water killed JaeWon's brother, then being in the water would make him feel close to his brother and also be a great punishment for JaeWon. If his brother died learning to surf, then to teach a person the same age as his brother would have been would remind him of all that he had lost but give him that moment of soft remembrance to the person he loved most in the world.

And GOD we see this blurriness, much less obviously, but very rapidly cutting back and forth in the shower scene in Episode 3.

Out of focus

In focus.

Back and forth and back and forth every couple seconds like the camera isn't quite able to stick on his face. JaeWon wants to be present in this moment, JaeWon is fighting to remain in his body, tied to his emotions, tied to this person, so he is slipping in and out of focus because he's trying to fight the numbness and the brain fog.

And again, you cannot tell me this man is not dissociating. I'm sorry but those are some dead fucking eyes. This man is shut down, this man is not present in this conversation with his ex. Why would he be? Why would he try to be? He has no reason to fight the numbness he feels.

And we're back on the color train for JaeWon with JiHyun, with this soft pink light around his head when he joins JiHyun on the beach for their late night kiss conversation about fear.

Methinks JaeWon fears feeling anything, hence the hint towards drug dependence in Episode 6. I think it is so much easier for him to just be numb to the world so he doesn't have to feel the pain of the loss he suffered.

Anyway, the more I watch this show through the lens of mental illness, the more the camerawork is standing out to me with how and when they blur faces, and how it really only is JaeWon whose face is blurred when he's supposed to be in frame. Obviously there are instances where character's faces are going to be blurred because they are in the foreground or background, or they are not the focal point of the conversation. But JaeWon goes blurry far more often than anyone else does.

#the eighth sense #t8s #i'm sorry bengyio i know you want it to be real #i think maybe it is real #but i am stuck on the mental illness train and cant get off it now #jaewon #jihyun #jaewon x jihyun #the eighth sense theory #the eighth sense ep 2

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periru3 · 1 year

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I just watched Total Forgiveness and I have a thought...

Ok, so I know this show is messy as hell and is 4 years old so I'm sure all the opinions there are to have have already been said. There's a lot to be said about this show, but the one specific thing I personally want to say about this show is this is why planning ahead, anticipating situations that may arise, and coming up with specific rules for all of them is super important for any sort of game, especially if lots of money is on the line!

Like, do I think Ally should have been able to tell when they were going too far and choose not to out of both friendship to Grant and just common decency? Yes, absolutely I do. Just because something is neither dangerous nor illegal doesn't mean it's a thing you should ask another human to do, even if it could be funny. I furthermore think that other people working on the show could have stepped in and just given a quick "hey, man, too far" and that may have solved lots of things.

But the absolute #1 thing in my opinion that would have made this show less of a nightmare was just doing some basic thinking about what sort of dares should even be allowed. Cause while Ally's dares were generally more mean-spirited and humiliating than the ones Grant thought up (not to mention the flea market one, which was in a class of it's own in terms of lasting ramifications for Grant), I think an equally big problem was that they came up with dares where the outcomes were not actually 100% in Grant's control - Lock-In and Flea Market were both challenges where Grant's ability to finish the dare was ultimately up to other people, and Bell and Performance Art both required him to be able to make his body do something at will with an audience present, something that frankly isn't necessarily possibly through sheer force of will.

Grant, on the other hand, never gave Ally a single task where the completion of it relied on other people. He did give them several dares where the main difficulty was overcoming a mental barrier (Coffin, Snake, Tattoo), but with those, winning basically meant not panicking while something scary happened, whereas in Performance Art and Bell, Grant had to both overcome the automatic mental response ('don't poop,' and 'nothing about this is sexy' respectively) and also try to force his body to do something that is typically a more-or-less automatic function.

And yeah, Grant gives Ally a lot of leeway because they were just playing the game more ruthlessly than he was, and it was all fair within the structure of the game, but I'd argue that they should have had a rule from the get go saying all dares had to be something you were sure the other person could complete. There's definitely some gray area there - for instance, I think for instance I'd argue Performance Art is fair game under that rule but Bell isn't, but I know that's a super weird and subjective distinction (and I don't have a penis so I'm not an expert). I think based on the nature of the game, you have to sort of gloss over things like pain tolerance and mental distress as legitimate reasons to argue something is not necessarily completable or the game sort of falls apart. In those cases, I think it sort of needs to be up to the players' and the producers' common sense and decency to stop them from going too far. But the fact that Grant could try his best and that doesn't necessarily mean he's able to get a spontaneous erection, keep 6 people in a tiny apartment against their will for two days, or make $1000 at a flea market to me clearly means those challenges just shouldn't have been allowed.

Anyway, I think this show does a plenty good enough job highlighting the issue of student debt by showing the amount of humiliation, physical pain, and emotional distress people are willing to endure to alleviate just some of that debt - adding onto that that sometimes the things they're asked to aren't even necessarily possible, while accurate to the real world, sort of ruins the game.

#dropout tv #dropout #college humor #ally beardsley #grant o'brien #total forgiveness #total forgiveness spoilers

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lookbluesoup · 2 years

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My Take on Fourchenault (complicated)

Making this my own (very long) post and want to say right out the gate that even though seeing several other posts about him inspired me to write my own thoughts out, I'm not here to tell anyone else they're wrong! This is fandom! You're valid! While I don't expect a lot of people to read this and mostly just need to get it out of my head, if I get a bunch of notes on this bashing other fans or parroting hate for specific characters, I will turn reblogs off, and will block people if they try to make this into Drama. Whether you like Levidad or not, be nice.

I also think characters and their actions can mean different things to different people, that's partly the beauty of fiction. Especially in FFXIV, there's a big cinematic element. There's a lot of characters, and background information, that is either left vague or only implied, because they're not relevant to the Main Plot. There's also a lot of subtlety to the FF story, a lot of showing rather than telling, and a lot of different people writing the dialogue, translating it, and building off it. And that leaves gaps that every player will have to fill in for themselves, based on their own reference points. What stands out to one player might be insignificant to another. We are all playing a different game, at the end of the day. I'm not here to tell you, reader, or Fandom at large, what to think. I'm just invested enough in this character to want to share my own thoughts about him!

Overall:

I think he's complicated. I believe he loves his children a helluva lot, but I also think he abusive (partly out of ignorance.) I don't think he's a villain, but I do think he makes some very harmful mistakes and that some of his behavior is very selfish. Which makes him interesting. And I'm very curious what role he'll play as MSQ continues in years to come, what else we might learn about him.

Because this is SO LONG I'm putting my expanded thoughts under a cut!

On Needing Control / Criteria for Abuse

So mostly what I'm going to talk about to start is... warning signs. I'll acknowledge my own bias here in that I'm a psych student who's had to do lots of research, research papers, reviewed case studies, etc. with a particular focus in trauma and abuse. I've spent years IN therapy, coming out of an emotionally abusive home as a neurodivergent and physically disabled person with several (clinically diagnosed) narcissists in my family, and yeah, the issue of parents who are... Overly controlling. Stubborn. Self-certain. And applauded by the outside community, seen as Respectable people in their insular social groups... Hits close to home. So what Fourchenault means to me is absolutely influenced by this background.

A parent can be affectionate a lot of the time, can love their children, be very devoted to family, and still absolutely be abusive. Especially in emotional areas. And, also important - the abusers usually do not see themselves as abusers. They are Protectors. Lovers. Family. Leaders. Victims. Heroes in their narrative. They can believe this so much and so loudly that they convince the people they are abusing, too.

Additionally, doing abusive things does NOT automatically make someone irredeemable, evil, or a villain. It is a flaw, a behavior that can be unlearned, and can be performed out of ignorance and without deliberately trying to hurt someone. I do not think Levidad (Look don't ask me to write out Fourchenault every time this is a long enough essay already) is trying to hurt his family, or that he wants to. And I do think he recognizes some of his mistakes by Endwalker's finale and is on a path to improvement.

But in emotionally abusive homes, you often see dynamics at play where affection becomes a tool for control. Children are given moments of unfailing devotion and love and care as long as they do what's expected of them, but when they misbehave (according to that parent) the affection is withdrawn, or threats are made, even or especially threats the parent doesn't mean, because it's really only about having the child obey. I've seen and experienced this in real life, where parents would threaten to kick their kids out for even minor infractions, just as a scare tactic to keep control, despite having no intention of actually kicking the kid out.

And fear? Is an HUGE motivator for this kind of abuse. Parents can do absolutely wicked things to their children because of a 'greater good' mentality, because they're trying to prevent what they see as greater harm.

People who need control, who are stubborn, who have a temper, might be prone to these tactics. All things Levidad is shown to possess in spades. (I'll expand on some of this further below)

And this dynamic often teaches kids and spouses to desire the affection they know is there, and want, while also being afraid to lose that affection by displeasing their loved one. It may sometimes cause them to become argumentative and self-righteous in their own way (cough, ARR Alphinaud, cough). It can make them belligerent, or insecure and uncertain of themselves, or their worthiness to be loved (Alisaie.) It teaches them to keep secrets, and go behind a loved one's back (Ameliance.)

Some other important aspects of this kind of dysfunctional dynamic is that... the people being abused can be very protective of their abuser. Make excuses. Focus on the good things and minimize the bad. They want to have that relationship, they do genuinely care about the person mistreating them. That doesn't make them incompetent, nor is it meant to infantilize them. It's just a thing that happens to people because of how our brains work and how much most people are wired to need other people and have loyal social bonds. It's a trait to be aware of. It means that just because Fourchenault's family is permissive of his vices, doesn't mean they aren't vices.

AND, to add even more nuance to that, abuse isn't a 24/7 thing. It can be inconsistent. It can vary with the state of mind people are in, other experiences they had that day, and so on. Just because there are a few good days or good choices does not negate all the other bad ones.

A few things that have been stated in canon, which are worth considering to me

He does not read the letters the twins send home, only Ameliance does. While this could mean a lot of things, it can't be argued that he has little to no idea of what is actually going on in his children's lives despite having the opportunity to find out (Ameliance specifically says how she's seen them grow up through their letters!) But in his mind they're still inexperienced children, and he chooses to keep it that way.

Ameliance has been financing the twins and Scions behind Levidad's back. There is no reason to keep this activity a secret from him in a healthy relationship with good boundaries. That could speak poorly of Ameliance instead of Fourchenault, but it's hard to argue for a case where he would have been supportive of her spending. Given his opinions on staying out of other city-state's affairs, and given her behavior compared to his in-game, I'd argue this was more her trying to avoid his ire. Especially because:

I personally find it impossible to justify taking this out on the servants. Are the servants expected to treat his wife as subservient to him rather than an equal, and bar her guests entry? Is he unable to discuss or plan with his wife and trust her (implying a lot of disfunction in the home?) Is taking it out on the servants a roundabout way to punish her? And/or is he going to punish an "acceptable target", the servants, rather than express his anger at his wife or at you, who actually did the thing he's upset about? The servants? Really? People who can't rightly argue back or defend themselves because he is their employer and they are servants? This kind of abuse of power is not the behavior of a benevolent, well-adjusted man. Honestly, for me this line of dialogue alone is a massive warning sign that Fourchenault's need for control can manifest in extremely harmful ways. I'll avoid speculating on just how much that could affect with his family but in this line of dialogue alone there is a lot to unpack.

Alphinaud liked to argue with his dad. Their rows would cause scenes in the house. Alphy is a little shit before Heavensward but assuming he doesn't have some kind of Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Narcissism (he doesn't), I suspect that behavior most likely comes from emotional neglect or abuse. Either seeking attention even if it's negative, or modelling after his dad in argumentative/self-assured approach for approval, or attempting to claim some kind of independence because his home life has been so controlling.

Levidad claims he will do anything to protect his kids, and that he would have forced them onto the Ark even against their will, even if they hated him for it. While that could be read in a touching way, for me it was just another sign that he would do anything to have control. Because to protect his children, he needs to be able to control them. He can love them and use that love to justify infantilizing his children and trying to take their agency away.

While Levidad does let the kids leave Sharlayan (though as they are considered adults, I'm not convinced he actually could have stopped them), it could have been under the assumption they'd come running back soon enough. Since he doesn't read their letters, he may be entirely oblivious to the actual amount of danger they found themselves in. He let them spend time with their grandad, which is good, too. I don't think Levidad demanded total 100% uniformity of belief from his kids, it wouldn't fit with their culture. But at the end of the day I think he still wanted to be assured he was in control.

As far as disowning them. Yeah, I think it was a control tactic, too. I think the only thing he new how to do was Escalate in his disagreement with them, because that's what he did when they were children and they fought. I think the significant moment when Levidad slams them with that excommunication is the fact that Alphinaud does not argue with him. He lets his dad go. And even tells Alisaie not to try, either. Alphinaud has grown. He doesn't need to prove himself to his father anymore, not really. And that means Levidad can't control Alphy anymore, either.

I think if their dad had disowned them as a way to get them a message and pique their curiosity, he would have explained so when the vow of silence was lifted, and apologized for that, explicitly. I don't think he would have been so opposed in the Forum to having the Scions help with the Ark and get involved, because at that point, why continue fostering ill will with the children you love, or potentially risking turning the forum against them?

I could see him being so callous to misdirect the Eorzean Alliance because he does not trust them or want their interference as the Ark will only be able to carry so many people, he doesn't need an army beating down Sharlayan's door, and is baffled/frustrated by his children's opposition in front of everyone, because again, he doesn't know how much they've changed and matured. But disowning them was still about control, in my mind.

Lost in Translation?

It's entirely conceivable to me that Japanese Levidad could be very different from English Levidad. The cultural expectations around behavior, good or bad, are different. And we know, from stuff like how differently Haurchefant's lines were in English vs Japanese at first, that sometimes stuff does change in translation to make it carry better for different audiences. Or because the translator interprets something a specific way. English and Japanese are really different languages and how ideas are communicated or assumptions are made are different, too. Let's also not forget Nael van Darnus's whoopsie gender swap. So if there's parts of Levidad's behavior that seem inconsistent, it could, quite literally, be lost in translation.

I think this makes who he is and why he does things very open for interpretation, so I will reiterate that everyone is free to read him however you like. Your story is yours, and mine in mine, and that's a good thing!

Not a Villain.

Levidad loves his kids. He acknowledges that they've grown in the finale. He relinquishes some of his control. If he hadn't, his kids would have been able to move on without his support. I think he has the capacity to learn to treat them better and that ultimately his love for his kids and desire to have a relationship with them will win out over his need to have control, and I am very curious to see where the story takes them all.

#wyn gabs #endwalker spoilers #long post #warning tags since I do mention aspects of these:#trauma #emotional abuse #narcissistic abuse #(do not think fourchenault is a narcissist I just mention narcissim)#text #shower thoughts

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jagged--dust-jacket-analysis · 10 months

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i'm in my Analysis era, so let's talk about Drew today! Because I feel like he's underrated. Not as in he doesn't have enough fandom popularity, but because people discount how well written he is.

I'm not saying that people who like him without acknowledging his writing aren't allowed to like him. I do wish people would discuss his writing though and most don't discuss anything outside of Drake (which is another post entirely).

I feel like a lot of people just saw he was an asshole (with potential daddy issues) who was kinda attractive and that's why he became popular.

And I do admit I sort of felt this way at first. Like his archetype (emotionally constipated asshole with Daddy issues) tends to be the type of character I appeal to. But as the series went on I found that I really enjoyed how well written he is.

Because I will sit here and argue all day that Drew is the most complex character in the series. And I would probably win.

Drew is a character that parallels so many surrounding character's in the show. He parallels Hailey in that he's a stubborn hot-head who is slightly possessive over Jake.

He parallels Zander because they are a similar type of asshole. Not to mention his (confirmed by rosy) home issues. That would add so much new depth to his character in season two.

I believe they both share trust issues too. Drew's just seems to manifest in a fear of abandonment where as Zander is more scared of being betrayed by the ones he chooses to put trust in.

But he also MAJORLY parallels Lia of all people. Which is unexpected considering Lia only begins to play a role in the series at the end of season one. But he does parallel her, in multiple way's. I think most people pick out the way they both feel about Jake as a prominent example. They both become increasingly upset and angry over his slow distance from the group. They both (allegedly in Drew's case, but it's believable) have a crush on Jake. And their heavy feelings over all drive them to do objectively bad things to Jake.

But I feel like an often overlooked way they also parallel each other is in their relationship with Zoey. The way they both put up with and are hurt by her. Drew is in a loveless relationship heavily focused on money. Even if he doesn't quite realize until later down the line, we could always tell he felt some type of way about Zoey outside of his romantic feelings for her.

Likewise, Lia is in a very toxic friendship with Zoey. A friendship built on Lia changing herself completely after being bullied (potentially by Zoey if I remember correctly).

They are two sides of the same coin. They both have their stories going in a similar direction, but deal with it differently in the end. Lia feels remorse for the things she did, whereas Drew (who I do think feels guilty) pushes Jake away because cannot handle his own feelings, about anything in this situation.

Essentially the point of all of this is to say we can draw many parallels between Drew and other members of the cast. I think we can draw parallels between Drew and Jake as well, but that's a different post.

I adore the way Drew has been set up to foil and parallel so many of the characters, because by understanding the other characters we can start to piece together an understanding about Drew. We can see why he does the things he does reflected in the emotions of the other characters. And vice versa.

I feel like I have so much more to say on this topic, but this getting kind of long, so maybe there will be another post in the future.

#Tmf #the music freaks #tmf rosyclozy #tmf drew #JDJ-Tmf

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golbrocklovely · 1 year

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i was curious as to what (possibly) the occultist saw in snc's future, especially for the next six months. so, i did my own tarot card reading.

honestly, i thought my reading would be nice and pleasant or would just basically show something entirely different but…. oh boy, the guys are in for it. but idk if it's demon related.

disclaimer: obviously idk what the occultist said to snc, minus the tiny fragment they shared on twitter. so, idk how close to her reading i am. also if you are someone that doesn't believe in tarot reading, or thinks that this is all bs, or that i shouldn't be doing one on snc bc they didn't agree to it, or maybe you don't want me to do a reading in the case that it ends up being bad for them - i get it. you're valid to think that. that being said, don't read this then. this is for pure entertainmet purposes only. take everything i say with a grain of salt. i don't claim to be right, i'm just telling you what the cards are telling me. i'm an extreme novice just having fun.

okay, this is definitely gonna be a long one, so strap in lol

i think for this reading, i'm gonna give the briefest descriptions of the cards, bc i feel like that's why these readings, while i'm writing them, feel super long and just genuinely are. that means that if a card is in reverse, i'm just going to explain it as it means reversed, not what it means upright along with reversed.

as i've stated in many readings before, i use this website and some books that i own on tarot to get a better understand of the cards since i'm not super memorized on them. obviously someone might read these cards a slightly different way, so if you are someone that does do tarot readings, feel free to send in how you interpret these cards !

okay, so the first question i asked was "what are the next six months of snc's lives gonna look like?" the reason for that specific of a question is bc in their tweet they talked about the occultist seeing the next six months being filled with sadness and heartache for them. so i wanted to hone in on that specific time period and see what was coming at them.

now, i'll be honest. highkey i thought i wasn't gonna get anything remotely negative. maybe a hiccup or two, but nothing quite like what i got. again, i'm gonna give the briefest of run downs on the cards so i suggest doing more research if you are interested.

i ended up getting eleven cards. the first one was 8 of pentacles. this card means putting a lot of hard work and focus into the next period of your life. but this doesn't mean it in a negative, just more that you have to buckle down and get things done.

the second card was the 9 of pentacles reversed. this card means financial issues. even tho you should be in a spot where you can relax financially, you can't for whatever reason. one of the interesting things that the site said was that this could also be showing a lack of work/life balance, which… let's be honest, snc don't have.

the third card was the 8 of swords. this card is overall a warning to not make important decisions right now. basically, you're in a situation that you can't change or feel helpless in. it can also mean that the fate or god you handed over control to isn't "helping" you like you think it should be.

the fourth card was the ace of cups. this is a new beginning card, like all aces. and it's about letting go of emotional baggage and starting fresh. this card is usually a sign of overcoming an emotional loss or something major that hurt you deeply.

the fifth card was the ace of swords reversed. this is yet another card saying not to make any major or hasty decisions. your thoughts are confused and unsure, and your lack of clarity isn't a good time to make decisions with. this is also a call to try and be rational when you do anything.

the sixth card was 10 of swords reversed. this card is interesting bc it appeared in their friendship reading. this is about defeat, but in it's finality. basically, you've hit rock bottom, but now realize that since you are there, there is no where else to go but up.

the seventh card was the queen of cups reversed. this is showing a lack of emotional sync. and bc your emotions are out of whack, you shouldn't trust them bc you might overreact. this is also a time of high stress.

the eighth card was the 7 of wands reversed. this about feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities. this card can also mean that you feel like you are being judged and being compared too much to others, which is adding on to the stress you feel.

the ninth card was the ace of pentacles reversed. another sign of financial loss. this is a hella warning to not take risks or make rushed decisions.

the tenth card was the queen of swords reversed. this card means that you are thinking too much with your heart/emotions and that this is a time for you to be objective. this also heeds the warning that while you might want to isolate, this could be taken the wrong way with by others so to be open.

and the last card was the magician, and omg i can't believe how weirdly important this card is (and i'll explain why). so this card is telling you to tap into your full potential and that great change is coming. new things are coming your way.

so…. what does all of this mean?

snc, assuming that nothing changes and everything plays out like this is entailing, they are going to go thru a major financial loss - or at least have the possibility of doing so. they are going to be overworked, stressed out, emotionally in the shitter, and losing money for one reason or another. there might be a time or two where things will look better, but it can and might go back to being bad. the magician card, however, at least shows a light at the end of the tunnel. that while the months might be shit, as long as they keep persevering, they will overcome the problems they faced.

according to snc, the occultist claimed that something negative was attached to them. and what is very interesting is while i was writing this, snc posted a video on xplrclub with the occultist. i won't give too much away, but the one thing that stuck out was that she said at the very end "it's time for you guys to become magicians now." which…… highkey made me almost shit myself bc clearly she also saw this card in their future lol

my personal feeling is that snc don't technically have an attachment, like a demon or something. but i do think a negative cloud could be hanging over them and is just draining them. and bc of this, it will lead to some possible in-fighting between them. this negative energy might also want to see them fail or see them get into a negative spot in their life bc obviously it will be fed better off of that energy.

so i also did some follow up questions to this initial one. the next reading i did, i asked "what do snc need to know", assuming i could tell them or give them any message.

the first card was the world reversed. this is showing an emptiness towards your successes, being unfulfilled despite financial comfort, and even tho you accomplished a bunch you still don't feel like you have.

the second card - the page of wands. have courage, you have a lot of drive so go out there and show the world it.

the third card - the queen of wands reversed. this is showing a lack of motivation in a career or a lot of obstacles at work. this is telling you to not let these things stop you.

the fourth card - 2 of wands. keep moving forward with your plans. keep progressing.

the fifth card - ace of cups reversed. in the first reading, we had this upright and now it's reversed. this is about something that was once bringing you joy no longer doing so, a lack of creativity. just an overall loss of some sort, a showing of emotional instability.

the six card - the queen of swords reversed. this card came up before so it was interesting seeing it again.

the final card was the ace of pentacles reversed. and again, this card was also in the previous reading.

i think what the cards are telling me (to tell snc, i guess) is that what they need to do is a) not take any financial risks bc it's not gonna end well for them (or at least be very aware of what they are doing/make a list of pros and cons when they plan to make a major deal), b) try their best to keep their emotions in check bc the amount of stress they are going to be under (or are currently putting on themselves) is going to cause them to lose it emotionally or go thru a lot of pain, and c) …they might want to consider taking a break. i know, shocking to ask those two to chill the fuck out in any way, shape, or form. but i think it might be for the best. while i think it's great they want to shoot for the stars, they might be aiming too high. or they are giving themselves too much to worry about when there is enough on their plate. you do not have to reinvent the wheel, especially when you have as loyal of a fanbase as snc does.

or, crazy concept, if you plan to do all this crazy shit, you NEED to rely on other ppl as well. it can't just be the two of you. you both can't do everything all at once. you're not gonna make it, and it's gonna put a strain on your mental health and your friendship.

i don't see snc breaking up, or anything like that. but i could possibly see one of them (my guess colby… sorry) needing a break of some sort half way into the year. or at least a couple months in with the amount of things the boys seem to want to get done this year. and i can see that possibly either affecting their friendship and or their business bc you can't have one without the other. this isn't a one man show.

i think this is also telling them that they might want to consider changing things up, especially if they start to feel bored with the content they are making. this could also mean possibly going solo or doing content outside of one another. now, i know they kinda teased about going back to abandoned videos. my things is, i love them dearly, and i loved those videos. but did you pay attention to how i worded it?? LOVED, not love. that content is in past for a reason. while i understand it's a fan favorite, maybe they shouldn't go back to it. realistically, even if they do, it ain't gonna be the same as it once was. also, sorry, but yall are old lol you're 26 years old. i don't want to see almost 30 year old men breaking and entering. especially previously convicted ones. like, nothing about that screams content to me. i know they would most likely find a legal way of doing abandoned places, but the charm of xplr was the fact that everything was little bit dangerous, a little bit risky. so taking those elements out kinda defeats the whole point in doing abandoned videos. not fully, of course, but a huge amount of the overall vibe just won't be there in that content.

i also asked some follow up yes/no questions, and i do find it interesting what cards kept appearing. now depending on what info you read up on asking yes or no questions - some say each of the major arcana cards have a yes or no meaning. but the way i do it is whether the cards are in upright or reversal - upright being yes, reversed being no.

i asked if they had attachments, it said yes. that's not a shocker really. i asked if this year was gonna be good for them and it gave an immediate no (like the card jumped out when i asked) and then i asked again and another no came out. so… that kinda sucks, but that can also change bc i did ask are there things snc can do to change this outcome and it said yes three times. one of those cards was the magician card too.

i then asked is their financial situation or job in trouble and it gave me a yes and no. and that to me tells me that while they might have problems with their finances (clearly as both readings said) i don't think they are in any major jeopardy. i then asked if their friendship was in trouble… and it said yes. now, while that is concerning, it doesn't seem like snc are gonna break up to me. they might take a break, maybe even go off and do other things outside of each other (which is something i talked about in their previous reading here) but i don't see them just completely cutting each other out of one another's life. and bc, again, things can change.

if they actually take breaks, rely on others for help, change up the content if and when they start to feel bored, and emotionally center themselves - they're gonna be okay. they might loose some money, but they'll be alright.

the magician card appeared a lot when i asked questions about them and i think that's the prime thing with snc - they are very headstrong. they go out and get what they want. their friendship motivates one another to keep going, and i think that passion for both life and the careers they have is gonna keep them going as long as they stay confident in one another and their abilities. but they also need to be able to have an open conversation with one another before things hit a wall.

also please take a fucking break when you need one. and i don't mean go walk around the block and come back, i mean like a week off or something. if you mentally aren't there, you're gonna lose it eventually.

#sam and colby #sam golbach #colby brock #snc tarot #personal #text

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allisoooon · 2 years

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Do you think tua tends to prioritize romantic relationship over others? Because idk, it just seems bizarre to me how lila and sloane became the love of diego and luther's life so quickly in such a short amount of time that they both are ready to sacrifice themselves for them and (in my opinion) often seem to prioritize them over their own family. I like the couples but it annoys me a bit that it seems like they havr become more important than their siblings i guess. And other relationship that arent romantic don't get the same focus like for season 2, Allison hardly mentions claire, Eliott bonds with luther but when he dies it doesnt have an emotional impact, s3 viktor dances and parties with the others like harlan never died etc... And luther and allison were so close but when he finds another romantic partner, they never really interact anymore except for THAT scene in s3.. Like if a romantic partner dies they get an arc/time to grieve (diego with eudora, viktor with sissy, allison with ray) but anyone else dies and they get over it pretty quickly.

Ordinarily I would do my "I am old and have nostalgia goggles for the days when there were way more episodes in a season so they had time to explore all these changes and relationships" but the reality is there were plenty of shows where this happened even when they had the time to do this. I do think the time limit contributes to it, but it's not the only reason for it.

Much like with That Scene with Luther and Allison, I think this show tends to commit to things it's not going to be able to follow through on.

But there's also the fact that all these kids have insecure attachment styles. In most cases, I'm pretty sure they have disorganized attachment styles (I am confident about this in the cases of Allison, Viktor, Sparrow Ben, and Klaus, but other people who know more about this than I do might disagree), which means there's already a push-pull dynamic at play. They tend to attach quickly and strongly but push those attachments away at the same time, not trusting them. I'm not sure if Luther and Diego have an anxious attachment style or a disorganized one, but those, too, tend to attach quickly and have a really, really hard time of letting go. Five's reluctance to attach at all could be disorganized, or it could be avoidant, but I'm leaning toward the latter because it lacks the chaos I associated with a disorganized attachment style (although I have a disorganized attachment style and might be even more avoidant than Five is, so it really depends on the person).

What I'm saying is that when it comes to these people attaching really strongly to their love interests very quickly, there is a psychological reason for it, and I think it's very well done.

That said, I definitely feel like Diego in particular needs more meaningful stuff with people who aren't Lila. They were able to write Luther/Sloane in a way that kind of encouraged Luther's bonding with his siblings, or created conflict, or just generally informed his relationships with them. I think, though, that the best way to get past this issue is to have the love interests themselves bond with other characters. Lila connecting so much with Five this season was amazing. She connected a little with Allison and the barest smidge with Klaus, but I'd like to see more. I love Dilila and Sluther, don't get me wrong, but I'm here for the sibling relationships, and the more Lila and Sloane are integrated into the family, the less they will compete for Diego and Luther's attention with the rest of the family.

re: Viktor and Harlan, though, I think at that point, Viktor knows the world is ending and he's prioritizing enjoying his last days over emotionally processing something that he will not be able to fully process by the time it all ends.

The way Lila talks about picking a focus is very telling for how the writers approach this: for most of the siblings, their focal point is each other. For Allison, I think it kind of was? Until this season, when she started feeling like her siblings kept blowing her off (which they kind of did--did anyone besides Viktor try to console her?). That's why she veers so wildly off-course from the others. Either way, unless the love interest becomes part of the family the way Sloane and Lila have, they really aren't a priority for the show and the other family members remain the only constant in each other's lives.

#tua meta #the umbrella academy #diego hargreeves #lila pitts #luther hargreeves #sloane hargreeves #hey there dilila #super sluther #allison hargreeves #viktor hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #give us more of the platonic relationships steve

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picnokinesis · 7 months

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What LGBTQ topics are you not confident enough to write about? Or that you have no interest to write about?

Hmmmmmmmmm I mean, nothing really comes to mind? I think my interest hinges more on the characters than anything else, and thus my interpretation of the characters influences the kind of queer topics I tap into. I tend to skew towards asexual/aromantic themes as a rule simply because I'm aroace, sex-repulsed, and very tired of everything being about romance sksksk - but that doesn't mean I don't like writing about romance! I've definitely done that, and enjoyed it. Again, it kind of comes back to the characters - for example, I have very limited interest in writing the thirteenth doctor as a lesbian, simply because my read on her as being aro/acespec and genderqueer/agender is so important and personal to me - but that doesn't mean I don't have any interest in writing about lesbian characters. Case in point - at least two of the characters in the screenplay I'm writing at the moment are lesbians (there may be a third but she's not telling me if she's bi or gay, and tbh that's valid of her). I guess, regarding confidence, I would feel less confident writing about queer topics outside my own personal experience, simply because it's outside my personal experience - but that's a fixable issue, right? See: I didn't feel confident writing about transfemme characters, but then I wrote a human au fic where the doctor was transfemme, did a lot of reading around about it, and now I feel confident enough to have one of the lead characters in the aforementioned screenplay be a trans woman! And like, obviously I can infer a lot from my own trans experiences, so maybe that's a bad example - but you get me. I see it similar to writing about, say, a profession I don't know about. I approached writing thirteen as a trans woman in a similar way to how I approached her being a virologist skksksks and I knew NOTHING about virology and immunology. Now I know a lot!

I think the only topic I can think of that I wouldn't want to dip into really is stuff to do with queer sex, but that's because I cannot write about anything sexual. There's actually a story idea I had focusing on aspec characters, with a lead character who was fraysexual, and another who was demi - and I would love to write that but the plot is like, inherently built around sexual attraction and stuff like that SKKSKS and alas!! I would have a terrible time. It's actually a problem I have with finding asexual media in general - because so often asexuality is talked about in the context of sexuality (obviously), but then it means you get shows that are focused on allosexual characters and their allosexuality, with the ace character there in contrast - a good example of this would be s2 of Sex Education, I think? I've not watched it for obvious reasons SKSKSK but like I think that show sounds amazing and wonderful and I'm so glad it exists, AND that it includes ace rep!! But I can't watch it SKSKSKSKS RIP ME. Which is why I enjoyed Koisenu Futari SO SO MUCH because it was focused completely on asexuality and aromanticism (as well as like, showing experiences and emotions I'd felt in a show that I'd literally NEVER SEEN BEFORE and it was like, a gut punch. And also it was hilarious. Truly an aromantic comedy). ANYWAY. Hope that answers your question!

#taka replies #anon #lgbt+#long post

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