#but hey that's what happens with different writers and interpretations of characters and development but it's off-putting none the less

[spikes-got-anger-issues]

#again I've only watched chunks but from what I've seen and heard amongst the fandom the characters don't live up to their previous versions #but hey that's what happens with different writers and interpretations of characters and development but it's off-putting none the less #I mean it's not too bad though....right? (genuinely asking here) #I'm saying this as I'm already writing two LREF fics one as a partial episode rewrite and one as a new episode askjsdf #*cough cough* and they both involve Spike of course *cough cough* #lab rats elite force #lref #bree davenport #chase davenport #mighty med kaz #mighty med oliver #skylar storm

[thattimdrakeguy]

Hey,

So if it's not too much to ask, can you give me a summary on the Core Four's personalities? I really wanna know for analysis reasons, I'm re reading all the core 4 young justice and teen titans books and trying to decipher my favorite one.

I can give you the personalities as intended by their creators no problem, Person Newtonote.

Now as you read you might think "Oh, hmm, that doesn't add up with what I've read" when it gets into the Young Justice and Teen Titans books, but that's 'cause different writers write different things, and some writers understand some characters better than others, and some of it is just plain character development, or in worse case writers doing what ever they please 'cause they don't care.

I'll let you judge when what happens.

Onto what you've asked though, I'll try to keep it simple as I can while still being detailed:

Tim Drake:

My personal favorite, that much is likely obvious.

As intended, he is an idealistic young boy, and dreamed of Robin as an even littler boy (he's pretty small for his age). He's clever, and resourceful, and thinks very very highly of the legacy of Robin. It's his heart though that got him his job as Robin, and his compassion and genuine passion for the role of Robin. And he displays what many may call boy scout tendencies. Even admitting to original Robin Dick Grayson that he enjoys helping old lady's cross the road (or something like that.)

Being raised in private schools, without a lot of friends (He's shown having no friends until he goes to public school to my knowledge), he's a pretty naive and oblivious, trusting person. And it's through out his journey's he has to learn how dark Gotham City can get. Though compared to the other Bat-Family members of this era (90s) he's very much the heart and light-hearted youthful energy to it.

His social ability is mostly perfectly fine, he's no complete weirdo. Kid can get friends easy peasy. Easily likable to folks. Endearing. But he has an oblivious side, and can get ahead of himself. Has a habit of getting spiritually adopted by people who instantly want to protect him. Anyone from Batman, to former CIA agents, and even villains. He's just got that babyface on him, and button nose.

He also deals with anxiety in terms of being Robin, being worried that he may be stripped of the job, or let people down, or mess something up. And sometimes that lends him having a lot of insecurities about himself. While having some prior training in martial artists, and implications of having taken gymnastics, also a former boy scout, he still doesn't naturally take to the role like all other Robins around him. Which means he has to try a lot harder to have his keep.

In the Bat-Family in this era (the 90s) he's the heart, and baby to everyone. They're uber protective of him, and take him out of the action when they deem it to be too much for someone like Tim. Within Young Justice he puts on a heavy Robin persona to hide what he's really like. Making himself out to be a more Batman-esque mysterious leader.

When really, he's a dorky, fanboy, who loves Kaijus, Crocky the ??? Crocodile I guess (Basically Barney the Dinosaur), super heroes, cars, Warlocks and Warriors (Dungeons and Dragons), sports, comics, Sci-Fi, fantasy, and cartoons. Self-admitted geek, with some popular interests in there.

Think of Tim as sort of Autistic kind of. He's never officially said to be. But when you read his origin, it's definitely a legitimate way to interpret him. Though I believe his uniqueness is intended to really be molded by Tim's passion, and obliviousness from a lack of parental figures in his very young life.

Tim is supposed to be an optimist, as told by his creator, but to be real a lot of writers seem to forget that, even when making jokes about how he's optimistic compared to others. I think sometimes the writer's own cynism leaks out into him. So remember that...despite a lot of writers forgetting it. Be better than them.

Cassie Sandsmark:

My personal second favorite member, but, please, make up your own mind here.

She's a rebellious teenage girl, and tomboy. She stays up pass curfew to party, but is at heart a good hearted individual who truly wants to help. This comes at odds with her stubborness and headfirst attitude. She hates being treated as a kid. And shows a great deal of intuition and cleverness. She's also a babysitter. Seemingly a good one too.

Her need to prove herself can put itself ahead of her own logic though. And she buts head with her very stuffy mother who doesn't appreciate Cassie's care-free nature. She means a lot to Cassie, and Cassie wants her approval. Cassie's natural being is...very much in contrast to what her mother would prefer though. It's fun.

A lot like Tim she's also shown to be a Super Hero fanboy. For her it's specifically Wonder Woman and the Flash, while with Tim it's basically anyone the writer decides he hasn't met offscreen yet.

Through her journey's she learns to contain herself though, and better use her powers.

Bart Allen:

The most teenager-y teenager you ever seen. He has ADHD, but not the uber-hyperactive, talkative, hugger you see in some more modern misunderstandings of him.

Originally he was pretty quiet. Super popular in his school. Girls loved him and considered him a pretty boy. But in reality he has no social knowledge, because he was raised in basically a video game for two years. He's essentially an alien learning to fit in with human civilization. So he's incredibly reckless without intention. It takes him awhile to truly process the concept of death and related repercussions. So he's sort of dangerous.

He can be quite surly, and mean spirited on occasion. But like most heroes, he has a good heart that comes out in the end. It's just simply the 90s and being Anti-Authority is the norm. His name is Bart after all. Underneath that is a young man who does sweet things when he has it in him.

Just don't think of him like a baby like how a lot of people make him out to be. He's a teen's teen.

Original Bart, like original Tim, and original Cassie, to me, is the best version of the character. The most nuanced, and interesting.

Oh, and minor violent streak on Bart too. Started a fight before, and stuff like that.

He cares inside. That has to count for something right?

Kon-El:

Hot-Headed pervert. Over-confident. Fame hungry. Lady magnet. Stubborn. Head first. Sort of a prick. But again good hearted.

I haven't read him as much as the others, because I don't personally care for him. Then in the early 00s with Teen Titans they decided just to make him an angsty young Clark, which is personally boring.

I don't have a lot of great things to say about him. His solo is very dated, and overtly sexual. Something I have no interest in reading.

He's at his best in Young Justice though, where he isn't written as jail bait by a writer who thought it'd be great if he dated grown women to fulfill teenage boys dreams. Instead you get to have fun with a very flawed character without the distracting perversion...mostly.

Punk styled. Loves dressing like a punk. Until he doesn't. Ruh-roh.

--

Again though, different writers write different things. They catch onto different things more than others, some are plain neglectful, others don't care, some want to change stuff for the sake of it. It's comics, you'll be lucky if it's consistent.

But on my years of studies, all that is what the character's where intended to be by their creators. So a lot of it is a starting pad, but it's also the purest form of them you're going to find.

#Tim Drake #Robin #Cassie Sandsmark #Wonder Girl #Bart Allen #Impulse #Kon-El #Conner Kent #Superboy #DC Comics #Young Justice #Young Just Us

[lutawolf]

hey hi hello ma’am Luta

so it’s been a while since i sent an ask

how are You doing ma’am? i hope everything is going well.

thank You for writing all of your reviews. they mean so much to me, You have no idea.

my question is about Love In The Air. You’ve said You’ve read the books. how do you rate them as D/s representation? is it worth reading or not? is the D/s aspect developed or rather skimmed over? is the series accurate so far? are there scene You would like to see adapted that You don’t think will be? and will You be including some kind of note of scenes that happened differently in books than in the show?

and not really a question but more of a thing i wanted to gush over. so i’m lowkey in love with P’payu any time he touches rains head or neck. it just does things to me.

and i’m also lowkey in love with rains speech paterns (if i can call it that way). the way everyone knows he has a bit of a foul mouth and swears regularly. as well as speaking kind of down to people by in polite form (if that makes sense? at least that how i interpret his speech. i don’t know thai so don’t take my word for it). so comes of as slightly crass (would be good word i guess) but still polite boy to his seniors. but with P’payu he speaks politely and kind of softly. at least he tries, even when it hurts him to do so. since he knows that’s what P’payu likes. and when he forgets himself and is corrected he immediately apologizes. which shows he learned his lesson well.

i can’t wait for the Ep 3 review. i’m super interested in Your opinion on the last part of ep3. which might’ve been my fav part of the whole ep. i love when characters get vulnerable.

sorry that it got so long.

please have a great day/night wherever You are ma’am 🥰

Hey minnie!!!

I really appreciate that. Thank you very much! 💜💜💜

I have read the book and Mame is part of the community. Now keep in mind that BDSM does have some cultural differences. As I myself learned by talking to different kinksters around the world. I have found the author to be relatively accurate though the series has in my opinion perfected it. Mame is messy and doesn't always know how to relay the kink correctly, which I get but hello not just kinksters read your shit. I'm laying this all at Mame's feet when in all fairness it could be an error in translation as well.

The series has been very accurate as far as scenes. Even more accurate at portraying a D/s lifestyle than the book. Thank you Mame for giving us the bones and thank you script writers for fleshing it out. Is the best way I can put it. Mame is a vibe and I enjoy them but I'm also a kinkster with a background in book reviews so I've learned to read between the lines.

I have no plans to add book related commentary to my reviews. As I don't want to give spoilers and they are making changes so stuff might not be relevant. That's not to say I won't ever make a book comment but only when I think it's necessary.

The head and neck touches are everything to me. Le Sigh. Really truly I'm there with you.

Rain is rude as fuck so it makes him going into respectful tone all the better. Seriously. I Love It!

I got the episode 3 review out yesterday! Sorry it took so long but I was actually kind of bummed about the whole TikTok thing so it was hard to get hyped like I needed. I got there though and I hope you enjoy! 💜💜💜

[babsvibes]

HEY love your blog, ty for being you and keeping this fandom alive <33 ANYWAYS I'm curious to your thoughts abt the melon episode are? I know people tend to use that as a "gotcha" moment for killing Louigan as a ship so I kinda ignore it ever happening LMAO but there might be more from the episode I'm not taking? What do you think?

BABE?! Flattery AND a request for analysis?? Y’all aren’t in a contest for my love…. But if you were…. (you would be a top contender). Now, “I'm glad you brung it up because I been dying to talk about it for a fucking hot minute.”

First, I do enjoy the episode. We get more background info for Logan (he’s seeing a doctor for his emotions? Hello? Also, he’s stupid enough to think he can jump to the second story of a building, love it), we see a new side of Gene, Bob and Linda are high, and also it has the line “Are you saying this is proof there’s a god?” I can't hate the episode even though it gives a few folks a sense of righteousness when they want to act out in my guest comments lol

I want to make space for the fact that it doesn’t feel like a typical Bob’s Burgers episode, and it’s more than natural to be uncomfortable with some of the storytelling decisions made. I do think there’s a reason for these decisions though, which I hope to explain from my perspective.

The main takeaways today will be:

These are characters in a sitcom written by different creators.

Creators are going to have their own story they want to tell.

This episode is about Gene and Louise’s relationship, not their relationship with Logan.

So let’s break these points down.

These are characters in a sitcom written by different creators.

As much as we want to believe or hang on to things like character development or growth, these qualities are not as applicable in a situational comedy (sitcom). If the characters grew or changed too much, then we stop being able to create conflicts that are interesting to a wider audience. Stories need conflict, and that’s harder to create with a flawless character.

We can have an episode where Tammy learns to sacrifice for the good of others like in Sleeping with the Frenemy but goes right back to being selfish in Tweentrepreneurs.

Every writer is going to have their own take and interpretation on a character, especially depending on what the story needs. While they might need to stay consistent to a character bible, things like how they react to certain situations or other people are not always going to be represented in the same way.

Teddy will always be a handyman with a love of burgers. Tina will always be an awkward teenaged girl. However, sometimes Teddy is fine with Mort and sometimes he’s aggressive with the fellow customer. Sometimes, Tina has stage fright/can talk on stage with others, and sometimes she can’t.

Let’s pull this into focus with Logan, Louise, and (surprise) Gene.

Logan DOES have a consistent trait right up there with Teddy being a handyman. It’s that he has a berserk button (check this out on TVtropes, but a way to explain it is that it’s the fictional version of a trigger). Logan is called to action as a REaction to something he views as his space or his person being violated, typically in front of his friends ex: the steps, the hill, Dakota pushing him into a closet, and the melon. That he views it as his space, whether earned or not, is crucial here. In Late Afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise, for the most part he’s just there to be annoying, not an actual threat. However, once his friends arrive and he takes more ownership of the space (“I do whatever I want around here”) then he gets upset that there’s spitballs thrown at him. Once the threat to his space is removed, he is no longer agitated. He doesn’t follow Louise and her friends in Better Off Sled after they retreat. He doesn’t lash out about Louise stalking him at school, the mall, or even up to the front steps of his home. He doesn’t get into a frenzy with Louise because of the way Dakota (and his mom) acted in Mother Daughter Laser Razor. Thing is? Rotten fruit doesn’t just go away.

Logan could have chosen to wash away the melon himself, however we know by this point that another consistent trait for him is that he is an incredibly immature mid-teen boy. He gets in “I know you are but what am I” fights with Louise. Frankly, I also think he doesn’t have a sense of “this is a little girl therefore I need to take it easy on her.” I think he sees her as a competitor on equal grounds with him. He mentions “cheap sex ladies” around her, he threatens to throw ice at her (something he had been doing with his friends), and seems surprised that she’s crying in the melon episode. I just don’t get the sense that he recognizes that he should be treating her differently because of her age, which is a sign of his immaturity.

The way things escalate are, to me, a little out of character though. Yes, I think it’s in character that he gets pissed off about the melon being thrown. I think it’s in character that he staked out the Belcher residence. If somebody threw a three year old melon at my crotch when I was 16? I would have burned down the building because I was an angry kid. However, Logan’s actions have never felt like punching down before. They’re always a kind of quid-pro-quo for whatever Louise has dealt him. Logan using his size and strength to punch down in this episode made things more threatening and, yeah, felt out of character. But we’ll get into why these decisions might have been made later.

Quick side note to venture into headcanon territory. I would bet my left asscheek that Logan doesn’t have a sense of privacy or stability at home and that’s what is fueling this fierce protection of himself, his friends, and his space. Logan is not treated well by his mom. That’s canon, and you can check out a few instances here. She controls where he goes, is demanding of him with little regard for his wants, and often shows disdain for him. If he had a supportive mother who showed an ounce of love or gentle parenting that isn’t the result of some contest to be Best Mom, then I don’t think he’d be as angry as he is.

With Louise, she is a little out of character in this episode as well. While it’s been pointed out to me that it’s in character for a nine-year-old to cry when backed into a scary situation (and I do agree with that), Louise isn’t a typical nine-year-old. It’s what makes her character so fun! She’s a mastermind that leads her siblings around, inappropriate (how many nine-year-olds can make a pun about foot fetishes?) and thrill-seeking. Louise has had a gun pointed at her and didn’t cry. Louise had to have an entire haunted house built special just to be able to scare her. Louise has been locked in a dark room with Logan before, and she punched him hard enough to put him on his ass? While it’s in character for a nine-year-old to be scared, it is not in character for Louise to be scared. So why is Louise scared? It is because of…

Gene. Gene’s character has been consistently shown as not a “typical” older brother. It’s called out in the beginning of the episode, and even in the next Logan episode he goes right back to letting Louise take the lead. But, the creators wanted to show Gene being a “good” older brother in a traditional sense (subjective). We can see that in the next point.

Creators are going to have their own story they want to tell.

Originally, the episode was going to have the tagline “AKA Logan’s Run,” but it was dropped to be just “Large Brother Where Fart Thou.” Not sure how many folks have seen Logan’s Run, but it’s a creepy movie. I think it’s indicative to understanding this episode to know that the intentions were there to tie it to this source material, and it’s even MORE crucial that it was dropped. I obviously can only speculate, but I think this episode was made to be creepy, but they went back to the drawing board to add in this message of “Gene Is A Good Big Brother.” Yeah, I’m purely guessing by the title change, but it does put other elements into perspective.

It’s not just dialogue and character action. So many little things in this episode are reminiscent of a horror movie. The music is especially kicked into high gear, but we also have the camera angles. The one where the burger phone drops to the ground in particular seems pretty Hitchcock to me. So we have music, camera angles, and the lighting for the confrontational scene in a dark warehouse. You know how Fanny pointed a gun at the family and it didn’t feel as intense? Yeah, the music, the lighting, and the camera angles were not designed to incite fear but whimsical thrill. Everything that happens in the climax of Large Brother Where Fart Thou has been done before (Zeke bruised/wrestled Gene against his will, they used “smell torture” on Darryl), but this was designed to be a much creepier story than in those instances.

We’ve established they wanted to tell this story and how they went about executing it, but why does that matter? Why did they need things to escalate this much?

Because it’s about Gene and Louise’s relationship.

We know Gene, and we know he’s not going to be the one to put himself in front of his sister. Frankly, if it hadn’t been pointed out to him at the beginning of the episode, I don’t think Gene would even have it in his mind that he has more responsibility as an older brother. He needed to be told that piece of information and he needed a push that could guarantee that he would act later. And it needed to be a BIG push. Logan is the best character they had that could elicit that type of situation, though not perfect which is why we see out of character elements from him and Louise.

Think this is still just a story about how Logan is the worst and Louise is a broken bird victim, hm? Rewatch the episode and notice something crucial: The situation only escalates when Louise purposefully ignores her brother’s warnings. Gene doesn’t want to throw the melon, but Louise does it anyway. Gene wants her to apologize, but she doesn’t and provokes Logan further. We see this from Logan’s line “I was thinking I was just going to give you a noogie or maybe a swirlie, but I changed my mind.” (Obviously, still not appropriate to do, but in his mind it’s “less threatening” than what he escalates it to).

The ending message becomes: Even if you ignore my advice and get into trouble, I will step in to face those consequences for you because I can see that you’re scared. I am too, but I’ll be here for you.

It’s a very sweet message, but it takes multiple characters being looser interpretations of themselves and an entire episode built around being creepy to get there… like Louise’s haunted house, but this is Gene Being Traditional. It’s a good episode and has some great lines, even if some of those lines are uncomfortable. More than anything, the reception is what I hate because folks tend to disregard that this is a story told by someone else. The storyteller’s role is crucial in understanding why a story exists, and it can’t be forgotten.

I’ll leave you with this: Our lives revolve around story, and not all of those stories are meant to be positive because that’s not indicative of the human experience. It is a disservice to not explore these regardless of reaction. I will always respect the creator’s right to create, even if I don’t like what it did to my ship lol

#babsbles #Bob’s burgers meta #asks #large brother where fart thou

[bookwyrminspiration]

hey! I'm relatively new here :3 just wanted to say that I just got back into the kotlc fandom and I'm obsessed with the wings au- it's one of the first not-xreader fanfics I've genuinely enjoyed and gotten so invested in. I love the qpr-ish relationships between the characters and the way you wrote them all! the wing designs are just- *chef's kiss* and the story line behind it too- I could go on all day about it. You've honestly inspired me to try writing my own aus! I was wondering if I could post fanart of the designs? I'd be sure to credit+tag you ofc

You're such an amazing writer!

Oh my gosh this ask is so sweet I legitimately read it and straight up stopped what I was doing for a solid 20 seconds to smile at my phone. I'm sitting here like !!!!! and covering my face

Also welcome to/back to the fandom! It's fairly small overall and relatively stagnant at the moment (the two year gap between books has really changed things), but there's a solid handful of us who are here and refuse to let go :)

I'm absolutely thrilled that you love the dynamics between the characters because I think that was one of the things I was the most...not nervous, but unsure about? Not that I didn't want to do it, because I very much did, but it's generally a different dynamic than a lot of the other fics in the fandom. All the ship fics are wonderful, I was just very aware that I was intentionally flat out ignoring all romance in a fandom that loves it. I wanted to go for a "they're all a family and it's like they've always been a family and they trust each other and are there for each other without hesitation or awkwardness" kinda thing. I have one note from my original layout that just says "(domestic)" when talking about all of them.

The wing designs!! I love them all so much and it was so fun to try and figure out what to do for each of them. I was trying to do wings that were a little more obvious for the characters and wouldn't require anyone to really search up anything to figure out why they had them, more follow a mental association. Like with Linh's dragonfly wings, dragonfly you think water and Linh is a water person! The added detail of her wings specifically relating to dragons was a bonus play on words there, but do you get what i mean about the association? That's what I was going for.

The story line! It has developed so much since I first wrote it there are things happening that I never planned for and things that I meant to do that got completely ignored, but I love where the au has ended up and where it's going. It is still heading towards its original ending, but it's gotten there a different way and with different dynamics and important characters. Like Phoenix (the girl) originally was just a throwaway character from the first chapter that got the kotlcrew out of a sticky situation and made them face some things as they did so, but then someone asked about her and I went...wait a minute you're right why is she there? And now she's got a lot of relevance to like. Literally everything happening.

It's so cool that it's inspired you--if you ever do write/draw/make your own aus I'd love to see them! And if you ever have any questions on how I've made mine I love to talk about everything always, so you'll probably get a lot more information than you could ever want

As for fanart, of course!! I love seeing fanart of the au it always such a delight. Please do tag me, that way I can see it!! It's so cool to see how people interpret the words I've put down because I almost never have a concrete image in my head. I'm just going for vibes and then those vibes become different things to different people and it's so fun to see.

Thank you so so much for all the compliments this ask seriously made my day, I absolutely love hearing peoples' thoughts on the wings au. I was actually just writing for it before I answered this, so have a little teaser quote!!

“Here, this is a good example,” came Biana’s voice behind her, and she whirled back around, watching those flecks of light condense and merge and assemble themselves into the shape of her friend, her sister.

#kotlc #kotlc wings au #shattered upside down #quil's queries #quil's queridos #nonsie #since we were talking about character dynamics I figured I'd include that quote :) #there are many other things that happen in the chapter I'm trying not to outright spoil #but let me just say...lore #wings au lore is happening #i've said it before and I'll say it again but seriously i love this ask so much #thank you for sending it and being so sweet #I hope you continue to enjoy the wings au!! #because things are all starting to come together but there is story yet to be told!! #long post

[tenshusuto]

//hey donna, resident shady shopkeeper mun who recently joined the fandom last year and has stolen my attention and love for your version of this madhatter. i love having you on my dash and you just know i've followed you on all my blogs -- at least the active ones i currently run lol. you are a breath of fresh air with this urahara guy and trust i've seen so many versions this past decade but i enjoy interacting with yours a lot because you keep that lighthearted, fun yet naughty aspect of him alive and you go out of your way to invade inboxes and troll ppl and we just love that sm xD do continue doing and maybe even up it a notch lol! and it's okay if you don't write as much. just you being around when you pop on is enough to brighten most anyone's day because your muse is most always up to no good and we enjoy that a lot. keep doing what you do and here's to more shenanigans this coming year! <33

Mims, Mims, Mims. Once again you let your chains lose to become absolute and heartwarming inbox sunshine. But sit back, I have a kind bouquet of words for you too. I noticed a recent spree of your lovely profiles lurking about and following but I gladly welcomed all of them with open arms. You're so open and friendly, and you love giving your characters revolutionary development through connections, that's what I see mostly with Starrk. It makes me evenly enjoy seeing you on my dash and participate in chaos or starting some of your own (even when Akon chose to be Kisuke's chronic pain of criticism xD and Rose with Visored lowkey roasting him with whole dating thing, I cried tbh), we all live for those foot in the mouth funny moments. I am generally looking forward to my working schedule improving, so I can write properly and make my time less content-premium. *Me, scratching chin and thinking about how to put it with explaining that I am in this fandom for quite a whiiiiiiiiile but because I am a very PRIVATE and secretive person who hardly ever reveals any Infos that including tag*

Now, then about my road with Kisuke - how should I say this ... it's complicated and longer than this blog says but I still kinda prefer to refer to it as an entirely fresh and new start simply because I liked the sound of as you say new Urahara (rather than almost a decade of trolling in my partners SLs) and to be honest this blog for Kisuke was never meant to go public. It was made for private aest. inventions, headcanons that should have served a different purpose and instead of CC attached to another platform. So, how this happened I have no ideas, something had to be in the air back then. However, I was delightfully surprised to receive a feedback echo that this atypical interpretation evoked interest to the point of actually getting interactions and an unexpecting amount of love. There's no greater joy for writer and a humble, morbid Lady — to hear that their dummy scribbles are appreciated. Thank you so much, you are loved, and may 2023 bring you a lot of happiness and joy! Happy New Year! <3

#mun stuff ; #positivity! #<333 #hangover typos 2023 ; #mun answers ; #ooc.

[alicuntisms]

sorry for the long ass ask about the fic, I sent it separately in case you don't want to publish it. (another long ass ask incoming lol) I have to say I disagree about the crazy betrayal bit because I don't think it's that crazy in the sense, that intense and shocking, because everyone repeatedly tells edwina from the beginning that anthony is explicitly looking for a loveless marriage and kate also repeatedly tries to talk her out of accepting being courted by him because she wants love for her and all that that we rehashed a thousand times in the fandom. imo the writers overplayed it a bit with how oblivious and naive edwina is, it comes across a little too much, like how willfully ignorant can she be written as. but i do agree that it's understandable that she did feel a betrayal, unless she was supernaturally perceptive, she wouldn't know what had been developing between kate and anthony when she wasn't with them. and like, your sister gave her approval for this guy to marry you, everyone acts supportive, suddenly literally at the altar you get an inkling something's happened between them... i don't think the writing was that bad regarding her reaction. what's she supposed to do, say oh hey kate, wanna switch places and I'll just get publicly humiliated at what's supposed to be my own wedding. i mostly don't feel like their reconciliation afterwards was all that it could (should) be, because kate was clearly prepared to let her sister marry a man she had feelings for if it meant her sister could be happy and edwina doesn't seem to appreciate the weight of that. also I agree with you about people's preference for book edwina - it is straight up hilarious to see people call show edwina plot device, when book edwina's entire purpose is to get kate and anthony together and be their cheerleader, like gimme a break... I don't even think people who like kate can't hate edwina, I don't care, but you can't project your own hate on kate and think you're doing the character justice. or when people were writing posts how if anthony found out edwina called kate half sister, he'd ban her from bridgerton properties or take away the dowry he gave edwina or whatever else with the purpose to hurt her. incredible galaxy braining defending a woman of color (kate) by imagining the ways a white guy can be horrible towards a different woman of color.

there's being told something and seeing it for yourself and while everyone and their mom told edwina he didn't want a love match, anthony never explicitly says that he does not love edwin, he does not say TO EDWINA that he does not seek a love match. as far as edwina is concerned (especially with the amount of effort that anthony put into courting her) he clearly feels something for her, something that her 18yo mind can only interpret as love. edwina is naive! she's romantic! she's idealistic! of course she's just going to take everything at face value: kate says she hates him, so kate hates anthony. anthony says he wants to marry edwina, that he'll be good to her, he defends her family from the sheffields, he goes forward with the engagement despite the lack of dowry, then clearly that means he wants her more than anything, that he must love her more than anything. if it were just business why go through so much effort, you know? and then you have mary, violet, danbury, even the queen of fucking england telling her its a love match with zero contradictions from anthony OR kate - what else is she supposed to believe? i don't think she's oblivious but definitely naive. her only example of love is mary and her father and we can only assume that it's nothing like what's happening between kate and anthony. why would edwina be able to identify lust and longing and attraction when she's never experienced it herself? at the end of the day, the reveal at the wedding rocks edwina's entire world and i do think she views it as the ultimate act of betrayal and i don't think she's wrong. i'm a big proponent of off-screen moments so i don't think a proper "apology" conversation needed to happen on screen, i think the conversation in the dressing room and the dance between sisters heavily implies that the conversation had been had and that they were reconciled. i'm willing to take that point at face value, you know? (and i don't give a FUCK what cvd says - it's not actually on the screen in the show so it's not canon, it's just their opinion) but as far as the weight of it all - edwina never asked kate to put her own feelings aside. she didn't ask kate to give up her own hopes and dreams and wants in order to give edwina what she wanted and thus we get the 'i didn't ask for any of it' line (and like don't even get me started on how people are determined to say 'well she said she wanted anthony so she's lying here' and it's just. clearly she is talking about the sacrifices that kate CHOSE TO MAKE ON HER OWN that were never asked for.) i don't know. for me putting so much blame on edwina is a disservice to kate's character in general. ignoring how much kate loves her family and would never disown them, the fact remains that kate made these choices, she CHOSE to give these things up without talking to edwina about what SHE wants. she CHOSE to be edwina's internal voice, pushing her towards decisions that KATE thinks is the best for edwina and edwina has never known different so why would she contradict her beloved sister? i know i've gone off on a tag rant before about how anthony is probably the first time that edwina has wanted something outside of her relationship with kate. you can see that when edwina is unsure about lumley but because kate likes him, she puts her own concerns aside to follow kate's advice. and i think that gets missed so often (it's like two seconds in ep2) and is such a huge indicator of what their relationship is like. so then to get to the altar at the end of what edwina thinks is her first solo decision ever only to find out that there's this HUGE aspect of anthony and kate that edwina was unaware of that everyone else seemed to sense and say nothing to her about and i'm sure her decision feels infinitely less like something SHE chose and something that KATE pushed her into with her desperation for edwina to get her hea.

and now that i'm done ranting and am completely unsure that i'm making any fucking sense lol. the point is: everyone is to blame for the fuck ups that happened in s2 except newton. and gregory and hyacinth. (and definitely more blame should go to anthony than anyone else since he could have stopped this entire circus so many fucking times and just DOESN'T!!!!!!)

#love getting the chance to just go apeshit with my opinions #i have so many of them! #*insert old man yells at cloud pic* #seriously ask my opinions 9 times out of 10 they'll be salty and that's always fun lol

[feelin-kinda-cocky-bmc]

FKC Update 6/12/23

Alright, we're moving quicker than we have been this time around. As always I'm not writing everything to completion just yet, just the basic premises I'm looking to write, but will be filling in the rest.

But good news, Dustin Route days 3 and 4 are both done! Which leaves day 5, the dance day, and the date day. These tend to be easier to write just because it's at the stage with the most romantic tension, which for ships you love, is fun as hell to write. The beginning of routes tend to be harder because it's a lot of setup and context and world/relationship building, it be like that. But I'm making headway.

Thanks to a helpful video I found from an ADHD writer, my writing production has improved drastically. Basically my process is open a Google Doc, copy paste the bullet points/ideas I already have, and then just absolutely spitball incoherent, unpunctuated, slang shit for what I want to happen for the day. Then I just copy and paste the spitballing and just write and it works. It's also funny as hell, but I'm gonna be embarrassed as hell when I do eventually release it to the public. But it just helps me get all my thoughts out and not feel pressured, and I end up writing better because of it.

Anyway, looking ahead while I'm here. After Dustin's route, I'm going to be tackling Jake's, because P&P my beloved. That's gonna be a bit messy because I have not written Jake that much, but hey, whatever. I'll get through it. And then after that, obviously, is the Jeremy route. And I'm sorry to admit but I'm not the biggest Boyfs fan. HOWEVER, stay with me here, I think I'll like them more by the time I finish Feelin' Kinda Cocky. I know there's the Boyfs haters and the Boyfs lovers and everything in between, so I want to see if I can make something that will appeal to anyone in the BMC fandom, especially because it's not at all a bad ship. But anyway, I'm not having that discussion here, just letting y'all know my plans for the future.

Then I'm planning on simultaneously revising each route (in order of progress, so Rich-Dustin-Jake-Jeremy) and working with my artists to get some shit done there. Ideally I'd like to make the sprites since I kinda know what I know how I interpret the characters. They won't stray far from canon, just will have different outfits for some flair. Except for Dustin and the secret route characters, which I would need to be in charge of either way. But I'm also not that great when it comes to art yet, so I might have to hand it off to someone else. But beyond sprites, the artists I'm working with will (ideally) be helping out assets (like the title screen and GUI assets) and backgrounds. I'm also planning on including some Monster Prom-esc elements like images occasionally appearing in between the sprites when something during a scene happens, and would love to have a similar photo gallery for endings, special events, secrets, fanart (if I get any) and more.

Anyway, tl;dr, I finished Dustin day 3 and 4 in the span of two days and I'm planning on writing Jake's route next. I'm just trying to give as much detail as I can right now because doing sneak peaks for lines of code is kinda boring.

As always, thanks to everyone for supporting the development of Feelin' Kinda Cocky!

Discord | Community Idea Drop

#be more chill #bmc #fkc #fkc sim #feelin kinda cocky

[fireemblems24]

Dimitri's Supports

I have waited FOREVER for this. Let's go. And I decided to put my patience to the test, saving Dedue for last.

Since it's Dimitri and I love him, and like Dedue who I also love, he's the only one unlocking all his A-Supports, I'm going to blog all my reactions to them like I did with Dedue. Part of me wishes I thought of this for the other characters, but honestly it would've taken forever lol. Plus Dimitri and Dedue get special treatment because I said so.

Raphael

Starting off with something light hearted, I hope. I do wonder if I'm going to regret not saving this one for the inevitably heavy-handed stuff coming later.

I'm seriously betting this is a support you're supposed to get in part 1 lol. Dimitri sounds young (or maybe I'm just haven't heard non-growl part 2 Dimitri enough yet?)

Dimitri's training made Raphael think he was dying lol. Dimitri's strength is really meme tier.

I need fanart of Dimitri and Chrom co-miserating their mishandled strength breaking something. And Lucina.

Lamo, Raphael has never felt a cramp before. Lucky bastard.

Raphael is a sweetie, going to apologize to his muscles. I really wish they gave him something else to talk about other than muscles and food. Not everyone needs Dimitri tier development, but I think I'd like Raphael a lot more if he just got a smidge more depth.

Got to say, it's a bit jarring to go from "moments away from a suicide charge in the rain" to "lol, Raphael, it's muscle pain." As glad as I am that I got this support, I do think some should've been locked to part 1.

And this isn't just for Dimitri's development. I also saw Marianne and Raphael's B before this support and she reverted back to her part 1 self too.

Catherine

Maybe it's just me, but he does sound a bit older.

OMG - Dimitri's back. 😭😭😭

Sorry, it didn't really hit in that first one since that seemed like a part 1 support.

Oh, cool! I was wondering if anyone would bring up Catherine returning to Faerghus. My bets is she's too loyal to Rhea. (I guessed right)

Catherine be simpin. That's ok, I get it.

So it's not because Catherine dislikes Dimitri, or that she's absolutely needed to rule House Charon, so I think Dimitri just likes her. She's cool though. I get it.

Lamo, she told him he'd better get his sleep like he's a kid.

Curious how the A+ support will play out.

Mercedes

Team Mom's support!

Oh, no, this one's taking a serious turn isn't it? But their initial supports were so light and cute.

Mercedes just told Dimitri that he's kind to a fault. Somehow I know he's going to deny that.

Annnnnd I'm right 😭😭😭He's still calling himself a killer and disgusting monster 😭😭😭

OK - so THIS seems perfectly in tone with his recent character development. But it's so sad hearing him still talk about himself that way.

Mercedes is such a therapist. I can't. She's too pure. But savage. I saw that Lorenz support.

"I am scared . . . so scared that I will forget their faces." 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Dimitri why????

Mercedes telling Dimitri to live in the present. Her supports are always so good. I legit think she's easily a top 10 favorite in this game.

Wow, Dimitri saying if someone told him that 5 years ago, he'd be different. DID NO ONE EVER GIVE HIM ANY HELP AT ALL???

I love how she's talking to him as a classmate, and equal, and not talking up to him. He's always wanted that.

Dimitri's never given his own dreams any thought 😭😭😭He really was just 100% living for other people most of the time. 😭😭😭

Awww MERCEDES, I can't. She says she just wants to keep being his friend. This is so damn sweet. And heavy. But still sweet.

It just hits super hard knowing how badly Dimitri just wanted friends in part 1. And looking back, Mercedes and Sylvain were really the only two who were pretty casual with him.

Aww, yeah, Mercedes not putting up with the bullshit, Dimitri. Telling him to quit the self-deprecation! God, I love her.

Oh, God, they both said the old FE code for "we're married" i.e. I want to "stay by your side."

Ok, @garlandgerard, I totally get why you ship this. Mercedes loves to nurture people, and Dimitri's emotionally needy, so they match pretty well. She also didn't put up with the constant self-put-downs, but stayed gentle about it. And they talked like equals too, like friends, which is what Dimitri always wanted. It's all very sweet.

Annette

Yeah, see, this one starts off with "your highness," but Mercedes it was just Dimitri. No hate for Annette. She's my girl.

These two always give me sibling vibes.

Haha, Annette "I thought I already knew you, but I'm not sure I really do." Hmmmm wonder what Dimitri did that made her think that maybe there's parts of him she didn't know. No. idea.

Hey, Annette, no one blames you for not knowing what to say to Dimitri when they reunited lol.

Annette too pure too, wanting to cheer Dimitri up with his favorite food.

Her not knowing what he likes to eat is 100% that moment when you realize you don't know someone's favorite color.

HOW can Dimitri have no strong feelings about food. I'm having pizza right now. Let me tell you, I have strong feelings about some food.

I love how easily Dimitri deflected from talking about himself lol.

Awwww, Annette wants to live with her family again. I'll make that happen, Annette. Don't worry.

Haha, they're conspiring together behind Gilbert's back.

They still have an A+ support, which is weird, because that seemed pretty well ended? Like I see why Catherine's needed more, but not this one. Still, not going to say no. I like their dynamic.

Ingrid

OCF they're training. God I love all the Faerghus childhood group though.

Oh, fuck, here comes Glenn again. My heart's not ready for this with Rodrigue dead. Poor Felix.

Ingrid being Dimitri's knight 😊😊😊 as it should be.

Haha, Dimitri asks her for an interpretation. Just make her your knight.

Glad he hasn't started saying "I'm not worthy!" Because right now it's about Ingrid's feelings.

Wow, there, Ingrid. "However you please, Your Highness." That . . . that sounds like an invitation. To "staying by your side."

Dimitri laughed. 😊😊😊

Oh, God, this is so cute. His pause asking her to support and defend him as his knight. 😊😊😊 OMG. I'm not sure that's all she had in mind though, good Sir, have you LOOKED in the mirror?

Seriously though, Ingrid's just surrounded by studs, isn't she?

Oh, God, I'm right. She didn't just mean knight. But Dimitri's too dense in that area to notice. She crushing hard. Girl, I get you.

She blushing, saying "for the Kingdom," naw, she just like him. Me too, Ingrid. Me too.

Dimitri always makes people promise not to die on him. It's so sad considering . . .

Flayn

With Flayn it's always a toss up. Sometimes things are super light hearted, and other times it's way heavy.

On a random note, does no one wonder why Flayn hasn't aged a day in 5 years?

Flayn having nightmares. Not allowed. I bet it's fucking Jeritza's fault. I'm glad you get to rip him a new one so many times in this game.

Why is Flayn apologizing?? She's never done a thing wrong in her life.

Right, Flayn's other support with Dimitri was pretty heavy. And it started so funny with him stomaching her food.

Oh, good grief, what's he apologizing for? Ok - so Dimitri did do some things wrong. But not to Flayn.

He lied. Let me guess. Her food actually sucks.

Aw, got it. He went right to the meal. Is he really going to come out and say, well it actually sucked 😂

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE MEALS???? AND THE TEA an embarrassing amount of tea.

Wait. He can't taste ANYTHING??? Like. How? Did he hide that????

Ok - I need to look at his team and dining dialogue.

OMG. He really never says a word about how anything tastes? He always just talks about smells????

OMG. How did I NOT NOTICE. I've taken Dimitri to dinner a million times. And tea timed him too many times to admit too.

AND I NEVER NOTICED HE NEVER ONCE SAID HOW ANYTHING TASTED. HOW.

OMG that support with Annette hits different now 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

OMG and Dedue's support with Flayn hits different now. Since he wanted to badly to find food Dimitri loves 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Does Dedue know? Is that why he's so dedicated to cooking??

Can I headcannon that?

OMG, I feel so awful about that jab about pizza. Dimitri CAN'T TASTE pizza or anything 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Please someone tell me there isn't any more "this awful thing also happened to Dimitri and he's failed to tell you" like learning he almost fucking died at Duscur. And now this. Dimitri needs to learn how to fucking complain.

The writers are so fucking mean to Dimitri. OMG. OMG, how am I supposed to take him to dinner and tea now, knowing this?

Why does everything hit so differently now? And so many Blue Lions supports are about food - but Dimitri can't relate

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

This game needs to stop bullying Dimitri.

But like, God, can you imagine? Not tasting anything? I'd starve. I'd actually starve. I never really get hungry. I really would starve.

On the flip side, he's good for Flayn then, since someone can eat her cooking I guess.

"I was just saying what I thought you would want to hear . . ." Dimitri - a summary.

Naw, that's a kind lie. That kind of lie doesn't really hurt anyone.

Oh - dear God. Flayn. Stop. No sampling pungent food.

Oh, she blushing. Dimitri got her blushing

Please tell me in their paired ending Dimitri gets his taste back.

Oh, there's an A+, does he taste something. Please tell me he tastes something.

This support though. It wasn't really one on my radar but

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Gilbert

Oh, man, this one right after Flayn's. God, I'm going to need the Alois one after this. Gilbert and Dimitri are two of the most somber characters in the franchise.

And I haven't forgotten that heartbreaking B support.

Haha Lambert sucked at lying too. Dimitri too pure. Weirdly, despite everything, it's still pretty true.

Oh, shit, oh shit, we're back to Dimitri's demand that Gilbert kill him. I'm betting you usually get that in part 2.

God, imagine seeing Dimitri recover only to see him beg for death again 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I need alcohol.

I need the Alois support.

OMG, shit, Dimitri. No. Don't. Stop.

Like, I know Gilbert won't really kill him, but damn. This support is heavy.

No, Dimitri, no Gilbert is not cruel for not killing you. God.

Oh, not sure about this. I get what Gilbert's going at here, but telling Dimitri that he's not allowed to die because he's got a duty is . . . I think Rodrigue's and Mercedes' live for what you want/the present is a LOT healthier.

At the same time, this is a pretty effective way to make sure Dimitri won't go and try this again, because he really takes duty seriously.

Dimitri doesn't wish to die? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh, thank God.

"Many times I have felt that I cannot afford to die . . . But this was the first time I truly feared the prospect." 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

"Is it really right for me to live?" Oh, dear God. I'm so soft for Dimitri. I can't.

Gilbert answered that one right. 100%.

Damn, these supports.

Alois

OK. I need this one. I really need this one.

I really hope Alois' inspiration is bad puns. I need bad puns right now.

Pretty sure this is a part 1 support though. I love how Alois, not Dimitri, is leading this. And that the person the Kingdom NEEDS is running around and getting attacked by monsters lol

Ok, bad puns. Bring them.

There we go. Thank you, thank you, Alois.

OMG no one's laughing 😂😂😂

Dimitri's laughing 😭😭😭😭😭😭

That's it. This is always getting saved for part 2. I need to hear part 2 Dimitri laugh.

I'm also so glad someone finds Alois funny. Dimitri and Petra need to start a club.

OMG I love the two other confused soldiers. I needed this 😂😂😂

Marianne

These two were so sweet in their C and B supports.

I swear I'm going to end up shipping Dimitri with everyone. Except maybe Annette, no hate, they just seem so much like brother and sister to me.

And Felix x Annette 100%

Survivor's Guilt - the pairing. Both wondering why they survived 😭😭😭

"There are so many others who are much more deserving of life . . ." - who said it? Marianne or Dimitri?

These two just understand how each other feels so well. It hits so different compared to Marianne's other romantic possible supports where they just try to make her smile.

Instead these two take comfort in finding someone who understands how they feel so well and feel relieved they can share that with someone.

Haha - "I must go on living. I cannot give in to death so readily." This coming right after his support with Gilbert. Good job, Gilbert.

They've both had it so rough 😭😭😭😭😭😭

"There is no need to force yourself to smile as your soul bleeds." Dimitri always gives such good advice that he never follows.

Aww, now at least it's getting cute instead of just heavy. Marianne laughed too 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Yesss, Girl, preach. I got a little sick of her other supports all being "cheer up!" Like I know it's all in good faith, but I'm so glad this chain exists. It just hits different.

Dimitri doesn't think he's strong enough to live his life. 😭😭😭 this game. I swear.

ohhhh - ohhh, Dimitri blushing now. And all she needed to say was they've been brought closer together. Congrats Marianne!

OHHHH tables have been turned. Now someone's making Dimitri promise he needs to live!

"I don't know what I'd do with myself if we lost you . . ."

"I promise to the goddess of Fodlan that I will never give you cause for despair."

OMG these two are being so sweet, I can't. 😭😭😭😊😊😊

Felix

Oh, boy, here we go. This should be . . . interesting.

Oh, we're starting off good I see. Felix telling Dimitri he needs to answer quickly or get cut in half 😔Felix. No.

Dimitri sounds so somber 😭

Dimitri admitting both are him - the vengeful "boar" and the friendly good person. And this is why I love him.

Dimitri feels the need to shoulder all the regret the dead feel, please don't. They wouldn't want that 😭😭😭😭😭

"The dead won't acknowledge your loyalty, they don't care." - Felix not wrong there.

I partly agree with the idea Dimitri is "serving his own ego" by claiming he's acting for the dead. I think it's a bit more complicated than that, but I think that's part of it.

Felix saying some good stuff here about the dead being dead and the living being living.

"If you keep stringing gravestones around your neck, you'll snap." - Felix, I don't know if you noticed but . . . uh . . . he sort of did.

Felix telling Dimitri to become a grave keeper is a bit funny. Not going to lie.

"I'm not immune to emotion you know." - just tsunderes things

Aw, Felix is upset his father died 😭😭 after all that shit-talking about Rodrigue 😭😭

Wish Felix didn't cut Dimitri off when he said "more than anyone you-" (care about other people, unless he joins CF and just kills everyone)

Oh, God, Felix is such a tsundere. "I couldn't stand the pathetic look on your face. That's all." Sure, Felix.

Kinda wish these two had an A+ though. Seems like there's more to do than the A+ with Annette and Flayn.

Really curious to see what their paired ending is like after that. Seems they're still learning to learn about each other. Well, Felix is. Dimitri didn't seem too upset lol.

Dedue

Ok guys. Here we go. I can't believe I managed to wait for this for last. Everyone hyped this one, so let's hope.

Really? We open with Dimitri having scars on his back? 😭

From 9 years ago? So scars from Duscur then?

Images of shirtless Dimitri now. though Not bad images.

He got scars protecting Dedue?

"It makes me think that is was worthwhile that someone like me survived." 😭😭😭 he's talking about protecting Dedue? 😭😭😭

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

"But I saved someone - saved you. That and that alone has been my crutch." 😭😭😭😭😭

I always knew these two were co-dependent.

Dimitri really out here saying that saving Dedue helped him "justify" surviving. 😭😭😭😊😊😊

OMG THAT'S THEIR STORY

OMG, poor Dedue. And Dimitri 😭😭😭did he literally "take a bullet" to save Dedue 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 and still has scars? No wonder Dedue's so loyal. Some kid he didn't know did that. That's one hell of an introduction.

And picturing little Dedue just resigned and angry and waiting to die and just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh, Dedue, you've repaid that debt ten-fold I'm sure.

Ahaha, Dimitri's doing the "you'd better accept your worth!" discussion this time lol.

Dear God these two. Now Dimitri's bringing up that Dedue busted him out of the jail.

I swear, these two have more of a plot off screen than some routes do on screen.

And now picturing Dimitri resigned and just ready to die. And then Dedue busts in. 😭😭😭

"That was nothing more than my duty as your vassal." Stop that Dedue. Dimitri doesn't want you to be his vassal. He wants more.

Holy shit.

"You are irreplaceable. Cherished." 😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊😭😭😭😊😊😊

Not to be that person - but I tell all my "friends" that.

Yes, Dedue, stop saying insisting you're just a "vassal" - that's a worse joke than Alois' puns from earlier.

"Please . . . do not look at me that way." What way, like you're about to make Dimitri cry, or like . . .

"You promised me you would build a Kingdom that is proud to boast of Duscur blood." - shit, man, these two. I just . . .

OMG so much emotion from Dedue. The only time I ever heard that before was in VW when he learned Dimitri died. But let's not remember that right now 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh shit. He called him "Dimitri." 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

And it made him blush.

OMG.

Guys, these two.

Aww, Dimitri looks so surprised. 😊😊😊😊😊😊

Oh, these two are so soft for each other. I can't. I just can't.

"To be your friend . . . is what I have always wanted." You're going to get it.

Man, I feel almost guilty S-Supporting Dimitri. He needs to pair up with Dedue pronto.

Dimitri sounds chocked up. OMG.

"So please call upon me when you walk alone at night." Ok. Dedue. Ok. Yes. Guys. This is all very straight.

I'm not saying it's - you know - cannon, but there's some big feels here.

Oh, Dimitri, stop it. You like Dedue's overprotectiveness. Don't lie.

Man, you guys were so right. Dimitri really just came out and said Dedue was "cherished" and "irreplaceable." Like, I'm not making this stuff up. And Dedue blushing hardcore just saying Dimitri's name.

They're both just so soft. I can't. I literally cannot. This support was gold. It was worth all they hype.

And learning more about how they meant. Dimitri really taking a bullet for Dedue there. I just . . .

I just want all the happiness for both of them. They're really something special towards each other. Like I legitimately think this is one of the most two-way loyal relationships in the whole franchise, and definitely the tightest bond in this game.

Like in past games you had Seth for Ephraim and Erikia and Soren for Ike and it's not like Ike, Ephraim and Erikia and etc don't care, but it wasn't the same level, you know? But this is such a two way street.

And I'm so weak for bodyguard with a crush. Like Seth/Eirika? Yes. Geoffrey/Elincia? 100%. Riza/Roy (Fullmetal Alchemist) there again. I'm sure there's more, but those are my top ones. Even Merlin/Arthur sort of counts even if Arthur doesn't know Merlin's his bodyguard lol.

I need to read fanfic for these two. I really don't want to spoil anything, but I'm dying. They're both just so sweet, and I just really love their dynamic. I really want to do a write up on it once I get to the end of the game.

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #dimitri fire emblem #fe3h #fe16

[pearlplusau]

Attack of the Multiverse!! (Pink Pearl edition)

“Presenting....a new writing series! Here’s the preview of the entire story! Enjoy and thanks for reading in advance!”

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*que intense chase track

 A pink pearl in her latest crystal gem form, was blindly running into the darkened beach, where everything was pitch black. She couldn’t see the water, she couldn't see the sand, heck, she couldn’t even see the giant temple that should be located somewhere in front of her without any light source!

She couldn’t remember how long she ran, but it was more than her physic could take. As she slowed down, she huffed and puffed, almost wheezing from all the running. 

But her break was cut short when-

A sound of blast came from somewhere behind her, controlling whatever it touched as the torn objects such as floor boards, trash cans, and giant chunks of earth levitating around the enemy figure.

As Coral raced towards the temple, which was finally visible from the bright aura of the floating gem, another figure appeared, stretching out her ballerina leg and tripped the poor pink gem.

“Ooof-“ she exclaimed as she faceplanted into the sand.

 As Coral lifted her head, she saw two figures, no wait…two identical figures!

The closest figure wore the outfit she had before the rebellion, her first ever pearl form, except it's all nastified, torned up and darkened, as if someone drenched her with the colour schemes of an arch villain. Instead of buns for her hair, two shaggy and messy side ponytails wildly danced under the blowing night wind. Under her eyes was a trail of dark ink, making her look more horrifying than she could ever imagine! (She’s abandoned pearl, but let’s go with Crazy)

The other figure looked like the first figure, except she was completely greyscaled. Her entire body radiated absolutely no colour, just the dreadful shades of black and white! Her hair, too, was in a complete mess, but in a mad scientist style, where her hair looked like it was electrocuted, but more neatly and less frizzy. Anger was radiated from her twitching eye and her frozen W pose, the twitching eye was glowing with power, as if it’s holding back the power with what’s happening next!

The two of them both bore a damaged right eye, but resembled no difference to each other, they even look like-

Coral gasped, “No way! You’re…me?” as she pointed to the two Pink pearls, getting more and more confused.

“That’s right!” Crazy Pearl spoke with a raspy voice and some crazy in her eyes. “And now that we finally got you, we’ll take our sweet time to DESTROY YOU!!”

The pearl brought out a wand from her gem, and it immediately extended and sprung  into a deadly, pink, glowing rejuvenator. “Once you’re rejuvenated, you can join my little army, and we’ll destroy the worlds together! Mwahhahahhahahahaha!!”

Coral was only able to whimper out, “worlds?” as the crazy gem wasted no time and brought down her pink glowing scythe!

As Coral braced for rejuvenation, a pink ribbon lashed out and gripped on Crazy pearl’s arm. The scythe was frozen in place, but it was flung aside as Crazy was yanked out of her spot! As the ribbon retreated, another figure slowly came out of its hiding.

“You won’t be destroying anything once I’m done with you!” It’s the same voice as Coral herself, but more confident and sure. The figure had Coral’s face, her hair, her gift from Pink diamond. The more obvious significance was the green dress and the placement of the gem on her forehead. The gem in green shouted, “Earl! You take that freak while I take care of crazy here!”

As soon as she ordered, the sound of a gem retrieving their weapon echoed, “SHING!” with the sound of pistol fire not long after!

Bullets were shot, all flying towards freak pearl, but a metal trash can flew out of nowhere and acted as a shield against the attack. 

Coral saw the shooter come out with angered expression, as if she was annoyed of the constant blockage of her attacks. The shooter looked almost exactly like freak pearl, the only difference was one of them is a bleached floating freak while the other wore a long sleeved silk shirt with a diamond shaped cut around her gem, bright pink shorts with huge pink splatters and spots all over her body. Her grey hair buns had little strays of hair at the end, with far less cracks on her face. Earl also had the same cracked eye, but she’s looking a lot less freaky than her counterpart.  

As the two pearls fought as ballerinas, assassins and shooters simultaneously, the confident pearl grabbed on to Coral and ordered, “Come on! We need to get out of here! That ribbon wont hold her for long!!”

The said ribbon was wrapping up crazy pearl with a neat bow on top, however, she looked like she could break free any moment!

“Hurry!” Coral got up and they both went to help Earl. The confident pearl pointed to the levitating gem and ordered,  “Use your lance and take her down!”

“What!?” Coral questioned in surprise, “isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Trust me, it's not!”

Coral summoned and gripped her lance, aimed at the freaky pearl and threw.

The weapon was barely slapped away with the metal trash can, but that little distraction was able to give Earl the chance to finally strike and take her down!

Earl leaped into the air and performed a 10/10 somersault, she gracefully kicked freak pearl as far as she could! “Smack!”

The knocked pearl made no sound, just the sound of her SPLASH landing into the dark ocean.

Coral immediately took the chance and demanded answers from the two, “Can someone explain what is going on!?”

She looked at Earl, who, instead of speaking, did hand gestures that were clearly sign language, but Coral didn’t get the chance to study them unfortunately…

Confident pink pearl translated, “She’s saying we don’t have much time! Come one, this way!” she pointed to the side of the crystal gem temple. “There's a portal there that should lead us straight to her!”

Coral demanded as they ran, “Her who?!?”

“Coral, do you believe in alternate universes?!” Confident pearl asked.

“I do now! Seeing all of you here! Being literally alternate versions of…ME!”

“Well actually, we’re all alternative versions of the OG Pink Pearl, The original! I’m from a diamond swap universe where White Diamond and Pink diamond swapped places, I’m one of original crystal gems, without White diamonds old pearl.” C!Pearl said as Earl nodded at the side.

Earl made more hand gestures to say something, pointing to herself along with more sign language. C!Pearl translated, “That’s Earl, she’s from another timeline where she… you know what, it’s a long story, all you need to know is that we can trust her!”

“But what about the two we just fought?” Coral demanded. 

“Those two? I call them freaky and crazy! They’ve been after us ever since we started portal jumping! I’m not sure where they’re from, but I’m pretty sure Crazy is from an AU where SHE was abandoned in Pink diamond’s garden instead of Spinel! As for freak pearl, really not sure here. Maybe she’s an interpretation of how powerful she could get under a diamond’s complete influence and power?”

Coral gave another quick question, “How do we know who the original Pink pearl is if we’re all from different timelines?”

“Simple,” C!Pearl said, “she’s the pinkpearl that followed the Canon timeline, where she got controlled by White Diamond and spent 6000 years as her mindless servant! Us, however, were created to avoid that specific timeline, so she’s the root of all Pink Pearl. The most important thing to do right now is to look for the first Pink Pearl!! She’s the only one that can help us get deal with our...situation right now.”

“How are we gonna get there with these two on our tail!??” Coral said as she notices more rubble floating behind her as well as a maniacal laugh echoing louder and louder!

“All we need is to get through that portal! Those two wont be able to catch up! Come one!”

The portal, swirling in pink and white star dust, finally became visible behind one of the temple palms. Within the right distance, all three pearls leaped into the portal as it closed behind them!

Shooooofwop!

End of part ???

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Multiverse Pink pearl series! Next chapter coming in-

The two rogue pink pearls stopped their tracks when they found...no portal, nor any of the pearls they were fighting. 

The two antagonists turned to the camera, made little chuckles and pointed at you, the reader. Crazy teased, “Look what we got here freak pearl, someone that thinks this ISNT an April Fool’s special.”

Freak pearl rotated her floating junk around her until they got to a trash can. She set the trash can on the sand and tapped three times. 

Knock

Knock

Knock

There was a moment of silence and snoring, sounds like someone fell asleep. 

Crazy summoned a speaker phone from her gem, placed it at the side of the can, and screamed, “HEY PEARLPLUSAU WRITER! ITS YOUR QUE!” 

 The writer groggily woke up rubbing his eyes, “Yawnnnn….”

He fell off into the sand. 

“Heyyy there fellow readers, yes this IS an April fool’s special, a friend of mine was curious if i would write one of these and sure enough, once the idea got developed, i got straight to the writing process.”

“What was surprising is using us AU characters into his little joke writing, where are the credits you punk?!” Crazy asked in a rather annoyed tone. 

"Oh that? ” The writer continued," Credits of the characters are below! You can see the images, as well as the title of the AUs. Some of the characters are linked back to the creators tumblr account, while other creators who dont have tumblr accounts are linked to original posts, like from Instagram!! ”

Freak pearl snapped her fingers for the writer’s attention and pointed to herself, asking for her origin. 

“Oh freak pearl? I just thought it would be cool if there’s more than one antagonist for this special, so i kinda created you myself. The idea was, how dangerous can pinkpearl be with a diamond’s ability, and there you are! Telekinesis and mega white laser beams! Pretty cool huh?”

Freak pearl did not respond...well. 

“Anyways,” the writer proceeded, “writing this was a pretty fun 1.5 hours of the time i have, not including reviewing and editing tho. If theres anyone out there that wishes to continue the story in their own way, be my guest. Just let me know so i can read it myself lol, im very interested in your take of the situation! “

April fools! And thanks for reading!

Characters (even though they’re not drawn) 

Coral/Pink pearl from Pearlplusau - Original design by Tripixle!!

Crystal gem Pink pearl from Diamond swap au - Credit to @dreambigstars

Earl from WD steven au - AU character from @ask-whitepearl-and-steven

Crazy pearl (Despair pink pearl), Design from Shrimp.face (Link to their post) 

Freak Pearl, no specific au named, nor from any creator. So i guess she’s my AU character?

A/N: Hope you guys had fun reading as much as i had fun writing it!

Also the real new chapter coming in probs two weeks from now.

Slightly unrelated, there might not be as much visuals as there was last chapter. The drawing pen is a bit busted. 

Till then! Bye!

#suau #pinkpearl #Coral #WD!steven #Spinelpinkpearlswap #diamondswap #stevenuniverse #ohwait #iforgotsmth #april fools #happyapril1st

[helena-thessaloniki]

Hi Helena! Big fan of your writing here🥺♥️ Your rivamika fics are my safe space 😭 (if you have time to answer) i’d love to know when you first started shipping them, why, and what made you continue to love this ship (or anything else to do with your journey as an RM shipper)? i love your characterisation of both levi and mikasa individually, but even more so, your portrayal of their dynamic as a couple, which is why i wanted to ask so badly ☺️ x

Hey anon! Oh woah, first of all, thank you so much. Second of all, oh god, you probably shouldn't have handed me the mic. heh 😅

I’m afraid to look at the word count of this response, I’m sure it’s much more than you bargained for, but I appreciate the question and enjoyed thinking through my response (: Most importantly, I’m so glad you find my stories as a safe space. It’s really an honor. Thank you for sharing with me 🖤🖤

TL; DR As a longtime reader, writer and lover of stories and story-telling, by being someone who pays attention to how stories are crafted and deliberately developed from beginning to end, I sincerely thought Isayama was setting up rivamika as an endgame relationship. So, I read into and interpreted meaning out of ALL their interactions and became deeply invested.

I don’t necessarily ship them cause of the parallels, age gap, enemies to lover trope, height difference, or some of those common reasons and/or kinks. I’m more basic and boring than that. I love the concept of them coming together as though it’s inevitable.

They both are unbelievably strong, selfless, and have suffered so much loss— so, no one else could truly understand them as well as they can understand each other. They both probably would have always settled for a stable, simple life, and been alone and lonely even without realizing it— instead, they find each other, and realize what it means to actually no longer be alone, to do more than just survive. It’s this understated bond, as opposed to a dramatic and passionate romance, that I envision in them and that I love so much.

Then, the passion, heat, the romantic "spark"— I think that’s an added bonus, the cherry on top, the perfect final puzzle piece. They’re both so physically capable, can speak through their actions, and don’t show much need or capacity for emotional/ verbal communication, so the ability to connect with each other through physical intimacy and mind-blowing sex seems like another given.

Still, at the end of the day, for me it comes back to their ability to fully depend on each other, to the inevitability. Not like some soulmate trope where they 'have no choice' in it, but like the stars aligned to prove it's right. How each of them have only one other person on the whole planet who could see and understand them, to be on par with them, to make them realize there’s more to life than settling and surviving, and they happen to find it in each other.

You asked, I rambled 😅 Here’s a breakdown of my thought process in my rivamika journey. For those who make it to the end or want to skip to the end, I'll finish with the excerpt of the very first rivamika scene I felt compelled to to write.

I've tried before to re-watch and remember the exact scenes, exact moments, that initially captured my full attention, but I guess it was all of them, the gradual and cumulative compilation of their earliest interactions.

Mikasa always appearing cool and indifferent, and paying no attention whatsoever to others fawning over, like Jean initially falling for her, but then her strongly reacting over Levi in the courtroom showed how uniquely capable he was at getting under her skin.

Of course, the scene in the forest chasing the Female Titan was a critical one. I think of that as the first time both Levi and Mikasa were truly able to see the other's strength, mental and physical. And for them, orphans and trauma survivors who have suffered extensive loss, I think that seeing strength in another person made them feel less alone. Less alone in a deep, quiet but cataclysm, life-altering sort of way, even if not a romantic one. Like they didn't know it was something they didn't have, something they didn't expect to get from life, but then found it with each other.

(Even when we found out Levi was an Ackerman, I was disappointed if it meant they were immediate relatives, but willing to accept it wouldn't be a romantic end to loneliness, it would be a familial end to loneliness. But... the author never explored that. Not once.)

In that forest scene, manga and anime, the way that Levi pauses to really look and see Mikasa and think about who she is, what she’s gone through, and how strong and dedicated she is now— that was a defining moment. It was also a visual demonstration of Levi breaking character, from aloof and ruthless, to considering and curious. I thought Yams was showing both of them do that on purpose.

Then, Levi getting hurt because of Mikasa in that scene felt like another clue. Sure, it was while saving Eren, and sure, it could have been meant to humanize super-soldier Levi, or sure, it could have been another aspect of how Mikasa rushing into things over Eren ends up hurting other people that later changes in her character development, but it felt like a very pointed statement about Mikasa being a vulnerability for Levi. And that's swoon-worthy, right? Most of us have been exposed to and conditioned by stories about how special and romantic it is to be the one and only girl who can make an otherwise disinterested or unattainable guy actually pay attention to her, and so admittedly I fall right for it.

I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty, but the opening of season 3 felt like confirmation. When Levi figures out Kenny's behind things and entrusts Mikasa with instructions to share with the others, instructions about fighting people instead of titans that ultimately everyone else besides her struggles with, and when Mikasa lets Levi hold her back from chasing after Eren, her most important way of trusting and having faith in Levi, I honestly took that as cues from the author that rivamika was endgame. I let myself get truly invested from then on. That’s that understated bond I was referring to. To me, that unspoken but undeniable trust is the most important dynamic.

Seeing them fight together or fight similarly has always been fun and powerful and fulfilling.

I'm newer to the snk club. I was originally an anime-only fan and started watching in fall 2019, I think. I wasn't on tumblr, twitter, or anything else to see fandom discourse. So, I didn't know that the rooftop scene of Mikasa fighting Levi over the serum was such a staple for our ship until much later. I love the scene just like many do for all the reasons we do, but I don't think the actual scene was pivotal for me, so much as it's aftermath. I thought it represented two things.

One, it was an important marker in Levi's characterization. Hands-down one of the most striking scenes to me is the one where Levi is in the alley, somber and alone, listening in on Eren, Armin, and Mikasa talking together. It artfully shows his longing for hope and connection. So, when Levi chose Armin for the serum, that represented Levi choosing hope. And when Mikasa ultimately gave up fighting Levi and didn't choose Armin, which Armin finds out about later on, I see that as an important marker in Mikasa's development. It puts a wedge between her and Armin/Eren [Armin, because he knows she would have let him die, and Eren, because Armin is too special to him and he couldn't look at her the same way after realizing she would have let him die]. That distance between her and her childhood friends is one I don't think could ever be healed completely, one of those painful lessons in growing up. By doing that, it then also puts a distance in Mikasa's own childhood self to her current self. I thought that matured her and separated her out in a way that was another clue toward eventual rivamika developments.

That's a whole other conversation on Mikasa, but I’ll stay on track. Her love for Armin was absolutely authentic and fierce, but at the end of the day, at the core of her being, she chose survival over hope. Meanwhile, Levi chose hope over survival. To me, that was soft, fertile ground for the reasons why eventually, if/when Mikasa found hope and chose hope, that could directly tie together with her inevitably in coming together with Levi. Again, less butterflies and fireworks, but more natural and in a way that was just a given.

I wrote Beyond the Walls before reading the manga from the Marley Arc and on, so that's why most of that story is her journey into embracing that hope. *manga spoilers* There's a lot of meta, criticism and talk about Mikasa's silent, off-screen and subtle style of character development in the Marley Arc and afterward. I won't go down that road, I'm still processing the end of the manga to be honest, but I think it's fair to say she does eventually end up choosing hope over survival when she lets go of Eren and saves humanity instead. I love the “Stay with Me” line and think it’s perfect; a simple but profound display of trust and their deep-rooted bond in a really understated way. *end manga spoilers*

Here's something I always wanted to talk about in full but haven't. It honestly reads to me like Yams was building toward rivamika, and didn’t do anything to stop that until too late. There are tools authors can use to ensure we stop shipping a pair or start shipping a new one; love triangles are commonly used in every artistic medium and we’ve all been persuaded by these tools. But Yams didn’t use these tools to make sure readers didn’t feel convinced by rivamika. For all the reasons I listed above, more I'm forgetting, and for the following:

If he wanted us to think they were family and it would be incest, he should have added in a conversation between them realizing they were (close) family and that they weren't the only ones left in their biological family like they thought. But he didn't.

If he wanted us to think it was completely inappropriate between a child-and-adult and student-and-teacher, then he could have done something to ensure Mikasa looked childish or Levi looked older, but no. They barely look ten years apart. I do think it's unacceptable and that there's a power imbalance between a child-and-adult relationship regardless of that, and that there can't be true consent when one is a superior and another a subordinate, so I personally age-up Mikasa in my head and try to handle his position of power responsibly in my writings... but the point being, by the end of canon, there's no inappropriate or non-consensual romance between them, yet there's a lot of history and chemistry that could naturally lead to an age-appropriate and consensual relationship. If Yams didn't want us to think so, he could have made it more clear that there were reasons it wouldn't happen.

The only thing that makes sense to me is the author planned on rivamika endgame but was shamed/pressured out of it (either internally or due to others) OR that the author somehow accidentally created such vibrant chemistry and an incredible dynamic between them. Like, he didn't put enough convincing substance of eremika in, didn't make Levi look old enough, didn’t have one of them do something unforgivable in the other’s eyes, etc. Those are some of those tools he could have used. Romance was never a key component in snk. And since we now know Yams planned or needed eremika endgame for sake of plot and the conclusion of the manga, I personally think he didn't know what to do with the riveting rivamika substance and chemistry being much more convincing to readers. Once he had them so well built-up, maybe the only option he felt he had was to just stop putting the characters together. We get little-to-no rivamika interaction, platonic or practical, after season 3 all the way up until the very end. But there was so much of it beforehand ?? So, it simply doesn't make sense. I think the author just straight-up cut any and all interactions out between them because it was too convincing and moving, more convincing and substantial than eremika. But, as the end of canon shows, we needed to have some eremika buy-in. It's messy writing and unskilled in the romance department, but considering for how long and how complicated snk has been in a creative process and how lackluster the eremika romance (the main and apparently pivotal romance) is developed, I think it’s plausible to say the author effed up.

As far as writing fanfiction goes, there's just so much room to explore them. In canon, we aren't given enough insight into their individual perspectives, let alone their dynamic together, so it feels like a blank canvas to work from. I think that's part of why I love to write them, and also why I don't necessarily read much of them. When I first started shipping them while watching the anime, I read a few of the classics that were canon-verse, but I haven’t really read much since. For me, exploring and discovering them as a writer is the most fun. (It's one of the reasons Naruto and Harry Potter have such large fanfiction collections. There's so much world-building and so many characters, but there's also so much left to the imagination.)

In general, I'm drawn to strong characters, especially women, who are multidimensional enough to be real, vulnerable and soft. Mikasa is the pinnacle of that. I don’t necessarily like to write about her love or infatuation with Eren, but I do respect and admire and consider it integral to her character and her amazing capacity to love. We can have strong, kickass women who falter when it comes to love but are still considered strong for it. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive and Mikasa is a beautiful example of that.

And Levi is strong, but real and vulnerable too; he’s honestly a fantastically developed character, from Petra explaining to Eren in the beginning how he’s not the amazing hero he’s painted to be to the public, to how Levi genuinely cares for Erwin and others and chooses hope despite all he’s suffered.

The end of the manga wrecked me a bit. Kind of like Games of Thrones. You have something that was so epic and well-done for so long, a rushed ending that isn't immediately sensical and isn't fulfilling is hard to stomach. Eventually, I'll move on from the denial of that and process what I think and feel about it. The whole reason we have fanfiction is to expand on canon, but it's made me put rivamika on the back burner until I figure it out. So I'm a little less hyper-fixated on the pairing right now even though interacting with you all and asks like this remind me what brought me here in the first place. 😊

To conclude, I’ll share that the very first rivamika content I wrote was a compilation of moments I thought could be inserted into season 3. These are still moments I plan to edit and publish one day. For anyone that actually read this far, I’ll put a rough and unedited excerpt of the first scene I ever wrote about them.

Thank you again anon 🖤😊

BEGIN EXCERPT [after the rooftop fight for the serum, immediately following the ceremony where Eren touched Historia by kissing her hand]:

Part of her was embarrassed at such a flagrant act of disobedience to a superior, especially to one who saved her and countless others' lives in the past. But mostly, she was anguished by the situation Captain Levi put her in once he revoked the serum meant to save Armin and planned to use it on Commander Erwin instead. Her current ostracization and self-loathing was not entirely her own fault. Anger she felt toward herself was just as easy to wield against him.

It must have shown in the grit of her teeth or defiant tone, because he turned to look at her, more aloof than curious.

Like a flint struck to steel, it ignited the fury she felt toward him.

“I shouldn’t have hesitated. I should have just killed you,” she answered him at last, piercing him with eyes darker than the night.

He wasn’t concerned. “You’re good, but not that good.”

Her hands fell to her side, fists clenched as she stood with a single, fluid movement. Before she could let loose a threat, he sighed.

“What’s the problem, Ackerman?” He was dismissive, his shoulders relaxed and posture loose.

The fire too furious to contain, she went sailing for him with the same speed from the battlefield. Her fingers already curled, she tightened her grasp as she swung her fist into his gods-damned apathetic face.

Levi wasn’t unprepared. He easily side-stepped her, then snatched her wrist to steal her momentum. Though he tried to toss her aside, she was no less fast; Mikasa dug her heel in and spun, her other arm shoving hard into his chest.

Too graceful to stumble, Levi used the chance to hook her second arm too. He caged both her wrists in a grip so strong, she was sure it bruised her bones. Still, he only looked at her warily, almost bored.

“Shouldn’t you be grateful? I chose Armin.” If his reminder was meant to ease her anger, it had the opposite effect.

Fury and desperation gifted her additional strength. She shoved into his chest hard. Levi shifted backward, nearly forced into loosening his grip; within that split second of an opening, Mikasa slammed her elbow into his chin, rocking his head backward.

“You did,” she seethed, but as fast as the fire inside her exploded, it was doused. Her next words came out broken and damp. “But I didn’t.”

Levi remained stern and otherwise unmoving as he attempted to flex his jaw through the spasm of pain. As the momentum of the fight died down, he loosened his hold on her wrists and evaluated her distraught frame.

Mikasa immediately released her own hands and turned away from him, eyes stinging from tears she refused to shed as she focused on the stars ahead. Admitting the harsh words aloud hurt her far more than any injury she could inflict onto him.

Not only was Armin one of the only friends she had, but he’d been a steadfast one throughout almost all she could remember of her life. After the trauma of her childhood, it was Eren and Armin who embraced her, whom she learned to love. Now, though, there was a wedge between her and Armin she was not sure could ever be removed. What was worse, as deplorable and selfish as she knew it proved her to be, was the painful wedge it now put between her and Eren too.

Once again, she found Levi standing at the peripheral of her sight, close enough to see but far enough to be a blur at the edge of her watery vision.

“You almost killed me.” Levi repeated his earlier words, but he said them with an odd bite, torn between frustration and patience. “You would have killed me to save him.”

Too late, Mikasa realized he hadn’t meant these words as an accusation, but an odd form of validation. She bit her bottom lip, teeth puncturing too hard; the tang of metal was sharp on her tongue when she swallowed blood.

“You thought about letting your closest friend die,” Levi said quietly, tiredly. “But I did let mine die. I left him for dead, when I could have saved him.”

Mikasa was startled from her selfish reverie, for the first time acknowledging the sacrifice he made on that fateful afternoon. She’d been too absorbed in her own relief, and then, her own regrets to consider what the decision had done to him.

For a brief moment, she considered turning to face him, but the stark reality of the matter made her refrain. How could she feel pity for his loss, when his loss enabled her gain? An uncomfortable knot tightened in her stomach.

“Tch,” Levi sighed. He was only one notch less taciturn, but for him, that was soft. “You’ll live with your guilt, and I’ll live with mine.”

His words granted Mikasa’s tears the permission to spill. She buried her face further into her scarf, both hands trembling at the worn threads. As quietly as he arrived onto the roof, Levi disappeared from it.

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.

It was rare for him to indulge in alcohol or celebrations, but Erwin’s absence felt more tangible than his presence ever did. Levi distracted himself with the chaos of the few remaining Scouts that Erwin had died entrusting his legacy to, and attempted to drown the pain with whatever drink Connie Springer shoved into his hands.

He found Hanji with their ale long-forgotten about on the table as they half-stood from their seat, frantic while explaining some morbid experiment in great, vivid detail to an unsuspecting and slightly horrified MP officer.

Though Levi wordlessly took the seat beside them, Hanji paused their rant to slap him hard on the back, an enthusiastic greeting flying from their drunken lips. The MP took this chance to excuse himself, a pathetic attempt at politeness, but Hanji either didn’t care or didn’t notice.

“Ah, Levi,” they smiled at his drink, though it didn’t entirely reach their one eye. “Where you been?”

Levi didn’t answer. “You know, shitty-glasses, you’re even more unbearable about your experiments when you’re drunk.”

Hanji waved dismissively and reached for their ale. Years spent in battle and command together had gifted both of them with an eased familiarity, and sometimes, genuine friendship. In the same manner he ignored their question, Hanji ignored his lack of response and went on with their original inquiry.

“Careful, Captain,” Hanji warned lightly. “Now that there’s far fewer Scouts, you having a favorite might cause some division.”

Even though Hanji meant the words, there was a glint of mischief that twinkled in their remaining eye.

“It’s not favoritism,” Levi countered bluntly, turning his vision toward the young man on the far side of the room. “Eren is simply the best chance that we have in this war.”

Hanji laughed as if he’d made a joke and Levi looked back to stare at them, unable to be surprised at their quirks or oddities any longer, but still a touch curious about what spurned this current demonstration.

“I wasn’t talking about Eren,” Hanji said at last, a pointed nod toward his injured chin.

Levi blinked. He didn’t realize he was nursing his injury with the hand not on his drink. As though it were too hot to touch, Levi dropped his hand.

Hanji was not judgmental, nor inquisitive. In a war-torn life of losing too many cadets entrusted to him, the fact that Levi found a soldier with the strength and skill to remain safe was not only rare, but worth special attention. Still, it made him too lenient.

“Sometimes I think you’d let her get away with murder,” Hanji chided halfheartedly.

When he thought of Erwin dead in his grasp, sometimes he wasn’t sure if he already had.

#my asks #my thoughts #rivamika #rivamika fanfic #lena writes

[onrainynights]

why you can't compare buddie to destiel (from someone who ships both)

this is kind of addressing the recent negativity in the buddie tag, but it's also a collection of my thoughts and reasoning for being buddie-positive despite my experiences with destiel and spn in general. the text of 911 is not really discussed at all, and this is relatively spoiler-free, so if you're thinking of watching 911 I encourage you to read it. if you haven't seen both shows it probably won't make perfect sense, but I wrote this with spn fans who haven't seen 911 in mind, since that's most of my followers (and also seems to be where much of the negativity was coming from) pretty long post under the cut to save your dash

I just want to prepare y'all for the fact that buddie could be the slow burn will they/won't they mlm romance we've been waiting for practically forever.

at this point it's not fair to call it queerbait because where their relationship is now fits the characters and their development. this is not like destiel, where there were many moments over the years that could've ended with them getting together and it would've made sense with the story. buddie right now is in this sweet, wholesome pre-relationship kind of place, which on its own is a compelling dynamic and so fun and good to see. a resolution of it right now would feel out of character—they both still have some development to do before that would feel natural. and so, I don't think we can really call it queerbaiting unless the characters get to that point and there is still no resolution.

also I'd like to point out the overall positivity from the cast when it comes to buddie. both Eddie's and Buck's actors have said (I'm paraphrasing cast statements in this post unless they are in quotations) positive things about the pairing, and Buck's actor has said that he likes the interpretation of Buck as queer, and he would be happy if the writers took his character in that direction. also Eddie's actor with "that's what they all say" when buddie was referred to as a "bromance". Jennifer Love Hewitt, who plays Buck's sister (another main character), is very supportive of buddie, saying she's "rooting for it", that it would be "amazing", she doesn't "see how it couldn't happen one day". this was in response to hearing that a fan insists Buck and Eddie will be a couple. She flat-out said "I think so, too." She jokes about buddie with Buck's and Eddie's actors all the time. Also, my favorite bit from the video of her saying all this, "Let's manifest it together!"

It's safe to say this is a VERY different environment to spn. I don't think I've ever seen a cast this positive about a show's main non-canon queer ship before. NEVER. I think it's safe to say that if/when buddie is canonized, the cast will be just as excited as the fans—at least JLH will be! Add into the fact that the show's PR seems to be leaning into bi buck and buddie right now, it's a VERY different vibe than spn had, definitely. There's no gaslighting of the fans here, at least not that I've seen. also, although 911 has a large casual viewership, I think it's safe to say the GA would not be upset by buddie—there are only 3 serious, long-term romantic relationships involving main characters in this show, and one of them is a lesbian marriage with two children. And yes, the characters are shown being lesbians, it's not just a stated fact; the audience is privy to their relationship (and their interactions with their adorable kids). I think it's safe to say that buddie would go over well with the fans, even the casual viewers (of which there are many). buddie doesn't seem to be a huge divider in fandom like destiel is, either. reactions generally seem to be either "I ship it" or "I don't care either way."

Also I'd like to point out that while yes, it's possible that buddie is only bait (which would be disappointing), there's a reason queerbaiting works. people WANT to be queerbaited, because it's nearly indistinguishable from a slow burn will they/won't they queer romance. queerbaiting allows fans to make theories, create fan content (including fic), and keeps them engaged with the dynamic and the show. fans who are vulnerable to queerbaiting want a slow burn will they/won't they queer romance, which is currently an almost completely untapped market. spn could've tapped it, but despite the huge fandom they did not. there are SO MANY people outside of spn fandom who want a slow burn mlm romance, one that keeps the audience guessing, one that's will they/won't they, one that is not guaranteed, and that is why queerbaiting works so well. the audience doesn't just want the payoff, they also want the build-up. the longer the build-up, the higher the payoff, and the suspense of the build-up is gone if you know from the start that the payoff is definitely coming. that's part of why malec from shadowhunters didn't fully tap this market—there was no question of if, only the question of when (which wasn't really a question either, given there was an episode in season 1 literally titled "malec" when they got together.) the characters were always queer, the show being an adaptation of a book series where they were in a relationship and eventually had children together.

this was why November 5th was such a big deal—fans were so far past the will they/won't they aspect of destiel, firmly believing that destiel would always end as a "won't they" and not a "will they" that when cas confessed his romantic love for dean, destiel trended on Twitter over the US election. you all know that story, but maybe not everyone reading this knows that after Nov. 5 there was a case of hundreds if not thousands of spn fans experiencing love sickness because of the confession scene. the payoff of making destiel fully canon (and reciprocated, in English) would've been huge. fans would've been throwing their money at the c/w.

which leads me to the possibility (this is not at all me saying that I think this happened or even is likely, just that it's one possibility that /could/ have happened) that buddie started as bait, that the writers never intended for them to be a couple, but saw fan reactions to buddie during season 2 and started to lean into it in season 3 (and 4 so far, but it just started so I don't want to make any generalized statements about it) possibly still as bait or maybe not deciding yet if they'll go anywhere with it. and then maybe they saw destiel trending on November 5th, realized just how BIG the market for a slow burn will they/won't they mlm romance is, and said "hey, we already have the foundations for one of those. why not go for it and draw in all those viewers who clearly want one so badly?"

if buddie goes canon, because the cast and PR have been so positive about it, unlike spn, and because of the text of the show itself, the show's creatives could VERY EASILY claim that they were never baiting, that it was all an intentional slow burn will they/won't they romance from the beginning, and most people would believe them; there isn't really any evidence to the contrary, although I am sure there would be at least a few fans convinced it started as queerbaiting, and there might not be any evidence to refute that, either.

the point is that 911 is currently sitting on a gold mine. if they play their cards right, and execute buddie well, they will monopolize this market that old straight white men serving as network executives have failed so far to really tap into. they queerbait without the payoff, which gives the show a reputation among those in the market who haven't seen it, guaranteeing they will never watch it. shows in this vein: sherlock (huge reputation for queerbaiting and a finale fans didn't like) and spn (huge reputation for queerbaiting and a finale fans didn't like). spn got so, so close with cas's confession but then continued to gaslight its fans, and PR did not lean into destiel AT ALL. if 911 did buddie? the PR team would be all over it. it would be a moneymaker, big time, and Fox knows it. if buddie, or even just bi buck, went canon, tumblr would be all over it. viewership for the show, which is already impressive, would skyrocket. 911 would monopolize this market, because fans wary of queerbaiting would watch it with the knowledge that the payoff is there, and there really wouldn't be a competitor until other shows saw the success of buddie and followed suit with their own pairings, and given the fact that the market specifically wants /slow burn/ queer romances, that might take a couple years. that puts 911 in a really good position, where suddenly the fandom of the show, not just the GA, is very large and likely very dedicated to the show. the success of canon buddie might just change the landscape of TV in the coming years, showing execs that while queerbaiting does work, actually going through with it is really where the money is. 911 would not just monopolize the market for a while; it would pioneer it.

if buddie never goes canon, I would probably be a bit disappointed at the wasted potential, but unless the characters get to that point where canon buddie seems like the most logical outcome and they /don't/ go for it, I won't be truly upset because I don't think it's fair to claim its queerbaiting until then. I can't tell you how likely it is that buddie will be canon at some point, but it seems FAR more likely than destiel /ever/ did, and we ended up getting cas's confession in the end. I have hope, despite being hurt so badly by spn. 911 is a genuinely great show with some fantastic writing, and they don't leave chekov's gun unfired, unlike spn.

really, it comes down to this: if Jennifer Love Hewitt is allowed to clown for buddie, then so am I, and I'll enjoy this show—which is amazing even without canon buddie—while I apply my clown makeup.

#9-1-1 #spn #buddie #tagging as #destiel #so anyone with that tag blacklisted can avoid this post #unfortunately I have seen w/ncest shippers in the buddie tag so that's just a precaution so I don't get attacked #posts for puck #I might add more to this later who knows but I think this is a pretty good collection of my thoughts #buddie positivity #911natural

[blackknightgargiemoviephile]

How To Train Your Dragon Saga

In the beginning, I was never really interested in watching the movie and never even bothered to watch the trailer, since we thought it was one of those cliche failure movies (and Dreamworks hasn't really had a very good track record of good animated movies at the time), but after being bombarded with tons of Toothcup fanfics and fanarts and after very high recommendations by my friend Jello13 from dA, I finally got down to watching the movie. Boy, was I glad I took my friend's recommendation to watch this movie, and the subsequent sequels after that, because after 3, 4 friggin' times, I still fucking LOVE this movie!!!

Here's my findings of the saga:

Apparently this movie was based on a children's novel written by Cressida Cowell which focuses on the 2nd book in a 10-volume book franchise. There are certain deviations between the real Hiccup and Toothless and the storyline as a whole, but after reading the summary of the original story, I think I like the movie version better. In fact even the writer said so in her blog that she likes the deviation as the movie captured the core essence of her story and it was amazing to see her story to be interpreted this way.

The storyline and the pacing is very good, and the sarcastic humour and slight optimism of Hiccup despite people thinking he's anything BUT a Viking is very intriguing. I love his catchphrases like "I'm way too muscular for their tastes. They wouldn't know what to do with all...this" and "Thank you for summing that up" and his famous line "You just gestured to ALL of me!" is just some of the LOL-worthy lines the talented Jay Baruchel who voices Hiccup does.

I was totally shocked to find out that Gerard Butler plays the role of Stoick, Hiccup's old man! I have never expect him, who is known for his brawniness and action-packed persona, made famous in the movie 300, would actually play a voice-over for a cartoon character. After finding out, spotting his voice and hearing the familiarity was much, much easier.

And of course, the creme de la creme of the entire movie: TOOTHLESS!! He is just so, so, so, soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo uber cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute~~~~!!!!! When I read about him in fanfics and caught glimpses of him through fanarts, I was thinking, "Hey, this dragon is quite cute." Now amplify that feeling by a gajillion times more. That's how I feel about Toothless. He started off a little vicious with his snake-like slit for eyes, trying to act strong and tough like the dragon he was, but the moment he let his guard down a little, he got these pair of big doe eyes that is just so MOE and SQUEE-worthy. And of course I finally learn how he got his namesake: with retractable teeth that he can materialize at will

My most favourite scene of the entire movie would be this scene where Toothless finally was at peace with Hiccup and allowed him to touch him. The way Toothless tried to copy his drawing, and then growled whenever Hiccup stepped on his drawing, then Hiccup moved to avoid the lines in tune with the music until finally they were so close they were allowed to touch was just so AWW-worthy. And the music score was perfect too, especially the title of that score: Forbidden Friendship. Isn't that just sweet?

The part where Hiccup and Toothless slowly develop that bond while trying to get Toothless back on his flight feet again was also very interesting as they slowly worked together and forget each other's differences to reach a common goal, while at the same time trying to learn about each other, and Hiccup using that knowledge to good use (the eel and the scratching of the neck part was really epic), making him the life of the team, much to his crush, Astrid's chagrin.

I also love the part where Hiccup tries to convince everyone during the final exam of killing a dragon that dragons are not what they think they are, and tried to pacify the Monstrous Nightmare only to be interrupted by Stoick and having Toothless coming to the rescue (damsel in distress much, Hiccup? XD) and revealed their relationship. It felt really sad and my heart just broke when Hiccup shouted Toothless for him not to kill Stoick and Toothless looked at him with his doe eyes, then Hiccup tries in vain to stop everyone from hurting Toothless, and that argument which led to his disowning, and earning back his role as a son by proving his worth and Toothless' reputation, though a cost of his leg. I was wondering where would be the scene where he looses his leg, since I read that he had a prosthetic in fanfics, but turns out it happened in the near end of the movie, and literally mirrored Toothless' missing left tail fin.

Ending is a bit cliche where he gets the girl, he is lauded as a war hero and gained the respect of everyone including his father, the dragons made peace with humans and all that, but still it was a very heartwarming cliche scene. One that leaves a smile on your face and a sigh of contentment in your heart.

Speaking of Astrid, not really sure it's because of that yaoi in me, but I never really saw Astrid as a suitable pairing for Hiccup. I know, I'm not usually one for bestiality, but seriously, can't you just FEEL the love between Hiccup and Toothless to the point where you can consider them as lovers? Toothcup (Toothless/Hiccup) pairings are in the rage right now since the movie has been uber popularize, and you cannot deny that sort of relationship exist, right?

This one, personally I feel, is almost as par as the first one. Not better, not worse, but more or less par. Hiccup and Astrid are still together, but the Toothcup shipper in me just don't feel like they match somehow. Moreso, suddenly out of the blue, Snotlout and Fishlegs were heads over heels with Ruffnut, which I ABSOLUTELY have NO CHEMISTRY feel whatsoever! Even after I've watched their TV series that led to the second movie, I STILL don't get the vibe or the chemistry between those three people. It's like "Wait, what?" moment.

Although that moment when Ruffnut was just totally thirsty for Eret was absolutely hilarious though. I couldn't help laughing and cringing at the same time.

When the moment Hiccup's mom Valka showed up, I was not expecting her to be so... skinny. Stoick said that he made helmets out of Hiccup's mom's breast plate, and it seemed pretty big, but looking at her, she didn't look like someone who was close to being a big bosom woman, but what is continuity anyways? LOL Though Hiccup definitely has inherited her knack for dragons. Guess it's in the blood after all.

I teared up a little when Stoick died, and I felt so bad that their bromance was threatened by this, but thankfully Hiccup still loves Toothless and is willing to forgive him and try to bring him back to his side. Goes to show how deep their bond is, and Toothless ended up becoming the Alpha Dragon was one of the most epic moments in the whole movie.

It also kinda interesting that Hiccup has somehow became pretty hot in this movie. Was pretty surprised at how he transformed from the awkward tiny little runt of a boy to a strapping man LOL

Plot feels similar to the 2nd one, but the ending was so so SO bittersweet. A fitting ending, but sweet yet painful for me to watch.

My heart broke at the scene wen Hiccup was complaining about Toothless being in love n said "Am I not enough?" and I was like internally screaming "YES! U ARE ENOUGH!! U TWO ARE ENOUGH!! FUCK THAT LIGHT FURY!!"

Throughout the courtship scene btwn Toothless and the Light Fury i was like internally screaming "NO, SHE'S A TRAP! SHE'S A FUCKING TRAP! HICCUP, WHY ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS?! I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THIS! I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!"

I cried like a fucking baby, especially at the end of the movie. It was like I knew it was happening, that they were gonna break up, but I was in denial, then when Toothless hugged Hiccup goodbye, I lost it, waterworks all over. In fact, waterworks all the way to the end at their final reunion ugly-cried like a fucking baby.

It did ended perfectly; perfectly bittersweet and perfectly heartbreaking and I was like "This is it. It's official. It's over. My Toothcup ship has fucking sank!!"

Fuck you, DreamWorks, you have killed my bromance!! Gahh!! I hate and love this movie at the same time!

Overall rating:

HTTYD: 9/10

HTTYD2: 7.5/10

HTTYD: 9/10

#httyd #how to train your dragon #hiccup and toothless #movie review #toothcup

[hekatekun]

The metanarrative’s grand narrative: Osomatsu-san’s characterization throughout the franchise

The growing cynicism throughout the entire Osomatsu-san franchise shows itself in season 3 with more prominence than anything prior. I think that’s pretty common amongst any “long-running” gag comedy - replacing a plot with spiteful commentary that’s admittedly pretty hit or miss at times. However, it invariably creates a negative but pretty funny character growth, and I love the way the show (I’m including the movie too as “canon” material considering season 3 has referenced it way too many times for me to disregard) has set up this metanarrative across seasons. Long post ahead.

Obviously, Osomatsu-san is self-aware and has a casual relationship with itself. No linear plot (though S3 seems to be trying it out and I’ve enjoyed it - I love that they’re willing to experiment), rather a collection of unrelated skits; and so it points out its own metanarrative because of this “lack of consequences.” With comedy comes impermancy and Ososan AND -kun will always bounce back from that week’s insanity. From the Oxford Dictionary, a metanarrative is “a narrative account that experiments with or explores the idea of storytelling, often by drawing attention to its own artificiality.” Basically: a story about stories.

On top of this, is what I’m calling the “grand narrative,” which is often used interchangeably with metanarrative, but here I’m making a distinction to make it less confusing. Of course, Ososan is a story about stories, but with that comes a story it’s not directly telling, which is where most of the (little) character development is taking place. This is what I’m going to call the grand narrative of a show whose premise is being a meta-aware comedy. I’ll admit I’m by no means an expert on these subjects, but storytelling methods are something I enjoy trying to analyze. As a media format, Ososan really utilizes the fact that it’s a tv show.

Right off the bat S1E1 makes it clear what to expect: Nothing. Not a damn thing. But, the show had already been cleared for this first season, so it has to be produced. This same episode’s preview is done by Osomatsu, which I’m just gonna quote instead screenshot because there’s too many.

“...we plan on properly starting the anime the next episode.” “...you ended up with an extra minute, so you need me to do something to fill it?! Actually, is this anime going to be okay with episode one being like this? I’m getting worried about how the rest of this is going to be...” “There, I used up a minute! [EPISODE ENDS]”

Episode one is not only batshit referential, but downright mocking the state of anime in 2015. Which, truthfully, I don’t have much to comment on in that regard, as I’m not an avid anime fan. However, it does this under the premise of being indecisive about what kind of anime they wanted the Osokun reboot to be. 

They’ll do just about anything to stay popular and relevant considering that is, quite literally, all they have going for them as characters in the series and just being characters in general. They may be pieces of shit, but they’re likeable pieces of shit. The dynamics they’ve built upon to be entertaining is encouraged, and they’re basically just roleplaying different skits and fucking around.

All the AUs! All the skits! They’re just playing! They’re just fuckin’ around!! They couldn’t come up with any interesting plot nor could they “graduate” from being anime protagonists and join the real world, so they just fuck around and make a gag anime!

Even if we follow both as the audience, the show makes a difference between the what’s them in their “normal life” (crazy begets crazy, no?) and what’s their “show.” But, really, that’s just one way to look at it, as they don’t really follow any rules as a show. I could say the Joshimatsus are separate characters from the sextuplets, and it’d be a “correct” interpretation. It doesn’t really matter - I’m choosing to examine it all as being the six of them just running around and playing, because being entertaining and having fun is all they know as characters. Besides, having it blended together beyond recognition reinforces how it prioritizes entertaining us, the audience, above logic. Storytelling doesn’t need to make absolute spatial-temporal sense for it to be enjoyable to fans.

In any case, that mentality really seems to be what pushes their character development negative, as they look to reinforce habits and rituals despite them being really detrimental for them in the long run. They know they’re popular characters as is, and with really everyone from staff to fans encouraging this behavior further, so they see no point in fixing what isn’t really broken.

I found this 4 year old article from Manga.Tokyo discussing the Ososan phenomenon in Japan because while the craze died off pretty quickly in American anime circles (which deserves a whole other post), Japanese fans went fuckin’ nuts.

This portion caught my attention, as it makes sense that entitled and enabled asshole children would grow up to be entitled and enabled asshole adults. The article also goes on to compare them to idols (even beyond the F6 spoof) and that they are rooted in being comfort characters above all else. 

It’s worth a read, especially because Japanese fan response is what drives majority of the content post-S1, and, inevitably, ties into their character development. 

They know that they’re Characters, particularly Protagonists. You know what happens to protagonists? Everything works out. Just about every single story created has stuff working out for protagonists. In fact, we have a whole genre made that separates stories with bad tragic endings from our Normal Stories. Ososan is a comedy, not a tragedy, so surely there’s gonna be some payoff somewhere along the road, especially as the seasons and other content are still being pumped out. To a self-aware, entitled, enabled protagonist, assuming everything is just gonna work out for you isn’t that far off from your narrative truth.

However, Ososan is a gag anime, and a lot of gag content (like 4koma mangas) is dropped for other projects before any emotional cathartic ending is provided for characters and fans alike. So, three seasons and a movie later, nothing has happened. It’s a great idol cash cow with a Family Guy filter, and the characters (and writers) don’t even bother to hide it anymore. And I know I’m being hypocritical concerning my definition of “canon material” but I think this portion from one of the drama cds “Choroplex” basically summarizes my point:

CHOROMATSU: Wait, don’t make this into a gag! You don’t even care about becoming employed, right? KARAMATSU: There’s no way that could happen... CHOROMATSU: What kind of future are you imagining? Is it nothing but this? [HUGE PAUSE BEFORE THEY MOVE ONTO SOMETHING ELSE]

They’re parodies of themselves and are running out of ideas. Stagnation and decay is normal, if not unavoidable, at this point in time for them. They’re just 20 somethings who’ve hit a wall but they’re too scared and insecure to bring about permanent positive change. It’s easier for them to fall back into normal patterns and joke off the rest.

They have an antagonistic relationship with expectations. They can’t handle a single iota of expectations, or responsibilities. They’ve never needed to worry before, so why bother now? Once the biggest hits on the block, now they’re just guppies in the ocean, and there’s nothing they believe themselves to be able to accomplish to keep up with this big brave new world. This is epitomized in S3E15, where old man Osomatsu tells a bastardized version of the Tortoise and the Hare, blatantly projecting his feelings onto it. Again, too many screenshots so let me pull more quotes (bolding for my own reference):

“The place that the tortoise thought was the goal was not actually the goal. His journey down the road of life still continued on. The tortoise was quite tired, but he continued running anyway.” “No one actually knew who was in front anymore. There are too many people above you.” “After the tortoise found out how society worked, he thought, ‘So this is the difference in talent? No amount of hard work is going to fix this. All right. I’m done competing with others.’”

S3 has left more questionable endings than its counterparts. The last 2 skits I referenced don’t even a gag to them, and the marriage skit doesn’t play music for the entire second half of S3E5. There’s more involved too. I haven’t even brought up the rice ball twins becoming actual entertainers in their universe, or how they introduced this whole AI subplot only to reject it because All Six Of Them aren’t interested in expanding their little corner of the world. Here’s a transcript of the ending preview from S3E1:

“Hey, hey, Osomatsu here. I thought we were saved from being replaced, but I guess we get new characters next week. Man, we’re busy. New encounters, changing surroundings... We’re NEETs to begin with because all that is a pain. I guess a lot can happen after three seasons. [EPISODE ENDS]”

The sextuplets’ mindsets are extremely self-centered, which is also an environmental thing (the parents don’t even really care that they’re NEETs, for one) and an understanding of what they ought to be (epic successful protagonists). They also have a very black and white mentality, all or nothing. They’re extremely sheltered, and once they realized where they stood in society at large, they just gave up. To them the world is divided between winners and losers, and somehow, “inexplicably,” they found themselves to have fallen from grace. But they’re protagonists, that has to count for something! Everything’s gonna end up okay, right? Well... what this show has told them: No, not at all. They are consistently compared and warned of Iyami, and are perfectly aware of this fact, and have come to internalize it as a truth rather than a reversible self-fulfilling prophecy.

Too many screencaps, taken from the S3S5 marriage discussion:

JYUSHIMATSU: I wonder if we’re gonna get married someday, too. CHOROMATSU: Well, I mean... probably? I’m not exactly sure, but... TODOMATSU: What? You’re gonna get married, Choromatsu-niisan? CHOROMATSU: Huh? Well, yeah... someday.

Surprise! They have commitment issues! The same group that couldn’t commit to a fucking plot! Though their personality issues have several factors involved, I can’t overlook the theater motifs abound. Life’s a stage, and they’re performing entirely unscripted and it shows.

Do I think all of this is 100% intentional on the writers’ part? No, probably not. There’s also an extra layer here regarding contemporary Japanese commentary that I’m not familiar with, so I just ended up focusing on the characters. I can’t be in the writers’ heads, but whatever decisions are being made by executives regarding censorship and “compliance” are reflected in these character changes that result in being significantly more bitter and defeatist.

In the all or nothing, winner-take-all mentality, the only way to save face at this point, in their minds, is to own up to it - act like it’s what they wanted all along. And, hey, it’s funny to watch, right?

“Why is Osomatsu all my examples”, you might be asking. Well, he’s the damn blueprint for it all. The leader of the bunch, the first personality to grab your attention, has had all his issues projected and ricocheted in their echo chamber.

Ultimately, my point here is that you could think their “canon characterizations” (though canon means nothing in a show like this) as being intertwined with the nature of their self-aware existence. They’ve shown you all their tricks, the smoke and mirrors are getting boring, and they’re stalling long enough the story seems to be moving on without them - in spite of them. And when something genuinely threatens their way of life, they don’t know how to respond.

You can play it all straight, of course. Remove the meta jokes and all the same plot points can be hit, but, as a slapstick comedy, it’s able to easily add this additional layer in that I appreciate. I’ve said it in my last post and I’ll probably say it in more, but with comedy comes sincerity - the caveat of all the cartoon violence is that, on some level somewhere, this is how they really feel.

#osomatsu san #osomatsu #karamatsu #choromatsu #ichimatsu #jyushimatsu #todomatsu #osomatsu matsuno #karamatsu matsuno #choromatsu matsuno #ichimatsu matsuno #jyushimatsu matsuno #todomatsu matsuno #analysis #confession this was sparked by a convo i had w friends about s3e18 #this is a bit truncated but i couldnt bring myself to make this longer #maybe ill make a pt2 or whatever idk

[jade-marie]

I don't understand the sudden optimism for Brio atm, just because he fingered her doesn't mean everything is ok again. I see some people talking about them getting together again, like do they seriously think that is the showrunners plan? I highly doubt that,they never cared much for this pairing,they only show some Brio action now to get people back on board, but I know already that they will get disappointed in the end.

Yeah... it’s a tough one and I’ve been struggling to get my head round it to be honest, especially because I was obsessed with them up until like 3.04 ish but now I’m like 🥴🤢

I just feel like everything I enjoyed about their dynamic has well and truly left the building, I’m not even feeling the chemistry anymore tbh (and no it’s not because I dislike the show, I’ve been rewatching on FaceTime while my friend watches and s1/2 chemistry was fire) it literally feels like they’re uncomfortable in each other’s presence and I get such weird vibes from their current interactions.

I don’t think anything significant will come out of it because I don’t think the writers see him as anything more than bathroom sex. He’s Beth’s metaphorical roll in the dirt and then she’s gonna go back to her neat and tidy little life, playing criminal on the side because #girlpower.

As for other people’s reactions to brio it seems to branch off into so many different avenues:

Beth vs Rio preference 

Ok so I’ve noticed a massive difference in how people receive brio interactions based on which character they prefer. S1, I loved them both and I just wanted them to partner up in every sense of the word. S2 i was leaning more towards Rio and S3 onwards I was firmly in his corner. For that reason I literally do not want anything to happen between them because I think he deserves better than someone who shot him and left him to die, someone who continually tries to kill him and fuck him over. Seeing them together genuinely makes my skin crawl 🤣

People who favour Beth (even if they don’t admit it) seem to just be screeching about Beth getting some, but there’s zero acknowledgement of all the shit which is still going unaddressed. That whole spiel grosses me out and I’m not gonna go into it much more.

What do they want from brio?

I feel like different people have different expectations of what they wanted the outcome of this “relationship” to be. Some people just want it to be an endless cycle of making up and breaking up, some people wanted them to end up in a more traditional relationship, other people wanted it to be a crash and burn which felt really good on the way down.

Personally, I wanted to see some real development both in their characters and their dynamic, where they naturally progressed away from playing games and fucking each other over to actually working together. Effectively, I wanted them to have a partnership, in every sense of the word. Obviously that’s not going to happen because that wasn’t where the writers decided to go with it and I think it’s a fucking waste but hey ho. 

People who wanted that make up/break up situation probably enjoy what’s happening right now and good for them. 

Shipper goggles

This is the big one for me. I have never seen shipper goggles operating on such an extreme level as I do with Brio. It’s gotten to the point where, across every platform, people just seem to romanticise every interaction happening between Beth and Rio, regardless of the context. If anything, they completely ignore the context of what’s happening in order to make the scene romantic. I’ve noticed it a lot more this season with the pool scene, the wire, everything that happened at his grandma‘s house. 

I constantly see people talk about how hot the strip search and pool scene were but like — 🤯 Those scenes aren’t meant to be hot. They’re not meant to be romantic. It almost feels like people desperately want to hold onto this ship and perhaps acknowledging the context of these interactions makes that more difficult. But that’s another reason why I get so pissed off at these scenes being written in a way that can be interpreted as hot, there are certain situations where there shouldn’t be any room for interpretation. I’m gonna stop talking about that though because if not, I’m gonna get pissed off again lol. 

Anyhoo, everywhere I look I’m just seeing shipper goggles out in full force and it’s fascinating (bordering on infuriating) because I genuinely feel like we’re watching two completely different shows. I’m curious though, like do people genuinely believe that Beth gives a fuck about Rio, let alone that she’s in love with him? Because I can’t tell if people actually believe this stuff or if it’s some sort of denial… the whole thing is fucking wild and I will never understand it 🤣

Either way, it’s probably going to be a pretty rough landing when Bans and Krebs do their usual dance, bait the audience with brio and then snatch it away. Wouldn’t be shocked at Death endgame and Rio in prison for the finale tbh.

#asks #anon #good girls nbc #rio good girls #beth boland #brio #nbc good girls #rio x beth

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

maybe an unpopular opinion, but the more I think about it, the more I continue to believe that TW4 should’ve not brought Romana back (or at least not brought her back so easily)

most of the issues with that boxset are that the stories feel disjointed and the characters have no time to reconvene after the events of the previous boxsets. nothing ties them all back together. not to mention that the emotional buildup and character development surrounding Unity flies completely out the window. which actually stinks a lot, because Unity was a good story, and I would’ve loved to see the entire series move forward revolving around the axis it established. instead, it feels like cheap emotional manipulation with little to no pay-off--in the end, they just repeated the “Romana and Leela aren’t getting along oh no :(” directly followed by “and now they’re back together and everything is fine :)” thing the series has done at least three times by now, and nothing new happened with it.

but what if Romana had really been lost to them and now they were all rallying back together in her absence? that would’ve been the perfect way to reunite what’s left of the og Gally Gang (Leela and Narvin +/- Brax) and move them forward as a team, as they struggle to find their identity without Romana to guide them, and make their final attack on Gallifrey in her name.

on this altered premise, Beyond could’ve been written as a primarily Brax-centric story, instead of trying to find purchase on a shifting middle ground between focusing on him, Romana, and their relationship, without fully committing to any one of those things (just think how interesting it could’ve been if there had been two versions of Brax from the beginning, representing the different aspects of the character, getting to the heart of why he’s there and what his true motives in the Time War are? or even a more abstract construct such as the ones the Doctor faces in Zagreus, forcing him to confront his own feelings and fears and motivations? the story could’ve still ultimately ended in the same way if the writers had chosen, but then at least Brax’s motivations would’ve been a little more clear. maybe using the Parallax to destroy the Daleks would be the direct means to bring Romana back? or maybe not, maybe it’s still ultimately about Brax’s god complex and his desire to be the saviour of the universe by ending the Time War [an explanation that still rankles me, because Brax has never been characterized that way in Gallifrey before. but i digress.] regardless, instead of muddling together a few different interpretations of the character and never quite making the whole point of the story clear, we would’ve had a strong, introspective, Brax-centric story that explores why he does the things he does in a interesting, nuanced way)

and with these changes in place, Homecoming would’ve been so much more powerful as a story in which Leela and Narvin, with or without the addition of Brax, return to Gallifrey to commemorate Romana with their final stand!! all the stuff with Livia and Mantus could’ve still happened without it making the episode feel so crowded (it still could’ve been toned down a bit, or shuffled around to play out in the background of the other stories so Homecoming could’ve focused more on the Main Gang, but hey, even if not, it wouldn’t have been nearly as distracting as it ended up being in the version we got). ultimately, there would’ve been a much more powerful emotional arc as the rest of the main gang wrestle with the loss of Romana. TW3 had a lot to do with the themes of allowing people to make their own choices, free will, and individual agency--TW4 would’ve carried that forward by exploring how those who are left behind continue to go on while honoring those choices. it would’ve been a really powerful theme, I think, and moved these characters into new places they haven’t been yet.

and obviously, with Romana’s ending left exactly where it was at the end of Unity, there’s nothing saying she couldn’t have survived. she would’ve been in the perfect place to do literally anything the writers wanted with her (the exact same spot the writers have left Narvin in, actually), and having her out of the picture would’ve forced the other characters into new territory and formed a more cohesive theme throughout the boxset.

of course, with these changes we also wouldn’t have gotten some of the really great parallels at the end of Homecoming that I’m still in love with (in a way that means I’m increasingly heartbroken, disturbed, and horrified the more I consider them). we wouldn’t have gotten those incredible moments with Leela and Romana on the Dalek ship, either, which I have to admit, I’d be really sad to lose (you would never give up your soul; you are far too enamored of yourself/are you calling me arrogant?/you have good reason. I would never give up your soul either. still not over that, probably never will be)

but we also wouldn’t have Romana’s weirdly OOC reaction to Brax’s “death”(?) and causal mentioning of it throughout Homecoming in a way that really doesn’t sit well with me, and maybe just better use of Brax in the story overall. hopefully we would’ve had more in-depth interactions between Leela and Narvin (and specifically a better farewell scene between them + Romana, because really, what was that????), and even Livia hopefully would’ve gotten a better end to her arc than randomly being shot by a Dalek and supposedly dying because she’s... out... of regenerations... I think??

so yeah. that’s my take. Romana’s exit in Unity and the build up to it throughout TW3 was so good that the writers should’ve left her there for now, and centered TW4 around the concept of the rest of the gang trying to move forward without her.

I’m horrible at knowing how to end stuff so instead I’ll just *Katniss bow* and leave you all with these thoughts while I return to studying. (and please feel free to argue with me about these if you want!!! I’ve love to hear if other people have different opinions on how Romana should’ve been used in TW4, or if you think the way they handled her was fine as it is and the problems with TW4 are elsewhere!!)

#here it is guys #big finish gallifrey #gallifrey spoilers #gallifrey time war #gallifrey time war 3 #gallifrey time war 4 #romana #narvin #leela #braxiatel #gallifrey: beyond #gallifrey: homecoming #honestly I just can't get over how much potential there was for some really good character stuff coming off of Unity #and then how TW4 c o m p l e t e l y sidelined it #also I've heard people saying that in the BTS (which I still haven't listened to oops) #the writers mention that they left Unity with an open ending regarding Romana bc they weren't sure if Lalla would be back for TW4 #and honestly they just set up Romana's exit there so. well. that they should've just followed through with it #ACTUALLY YOU KNOW WHAT #THAT'S THE THING #TW4 LACKS COMMITMENT #because in the end #absolutely n o t h i n g happens #all the characters get put on nice convenient little story shelves #where the writers can leave them until they're ready to play with them again #there's no big changes?? #in character development or relationships or anything??? #ultimately I think it just reemphasizes the fact that Gallifrey is supposed to be a character-centric series #and it just doesn't work as well when it gets too preoccupied with plot #and I really hope any future teams to work on the show are aware of this