#he is unfairly good looking of a character design if you ask me

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

I'm probably going to do a terrible job of articulating myself here but every time I think about the worldbuilding in Hatoful Boyfriend, I think about the implications of having the birds simply have adopted the structure and policies of human society and go insane.

It's clearly originally just for the ridiculousness of it all for the players, but AGH it explains so much regarding the extremely rampant classism/racism/speciesism and how apparently normalized it is. It also, to me, adds a bit of moral nuance to the Dove - Hawk Party conflict.

(Long post under the cut. I'm so sorry I just kept going.)

First off, I'm obsessed with the concept of the birds becoming sapient and simply... taking over a society that was not structured for them. It leads to difficulties in universe! Bird wings are not made for doing tasks that human hands can do naturally - there's a couple instances where the characters ask for Hiyoko's assistance or express envy since she can just do the task more easily than they can. The birds are outright disadvantaged in certain areas of life, and yet, the society is in such turmoil due to the newness of it all that there still aren't really any workarounds for stuff like this.

Not that there haven't been any suggested solutions, such as the Labor 9 series, put forward initially by the Dove Party. Yeah, you know, that one throwaway line about how the party that up until this point have been the "good guys" wanted to take still semi-conscious human brains and make robotic slaves out of them Cyberman-style? What the hell. And what gets me is that Shuu was able to find the initial proposal, which he really only made tweaks to, which means that the project was at least close to being finished on the conceptual/planning/design phase before somebody went "hey this is a little fucked up actually".

The Dove Party wants peaceful coexistence with the humans, while the Hawk Party wants to eliminate humanity entirely. But we don't really go into how these two lines of thought evolved. I believe I have a suggestion for at least one part of the puzzle though.

Of all the birds in Hatoful, who enjoys the most privileges and the highest status? Fantails, it would seem. A breed of pigeon that is popular as a pet, considered beautiful and sought after, and achieve high accolades in shows and competitions - for clarity's sake, fantails were valuable in human society, and this status appears to have transferred when birds became sapient and took over. Conversely, which birds are ranked lower and often blocked from entering certain higher class places? Rock doves, who, in human society, are given an unfairly bad reputation, and considered anything from unclean and dirty, to nuisances, to pests. Again, this status transferred over when the birds took over.

So, while we don't know too many of the birds who make up the agents of the Dove and Hawk Party, let's take a look at who we do know of.

Fantails (Yuuya, Dove Party) are considered valuable over other doves and pigeons for being specially bred for their striking tail feathers

Cockatiels (Leone, Dove Party) are some of the most popular and beloved companion birds, kept as pets and considered very friendly

Rock doves (Ryuuji, Hawk Party) are considered unclean pests who receive a bad reputation, and are generally not treated with respect or appreciation <;- notable thing to mention here is that Ryuuji actually does like humans - I think he was only Hawk affiliated for the grant money and research facilities, which... fair enough man.

Chukar partridges (Shuu/Isa, Hawk Party) are game birds, specifically bred and released to be killed and eaten, and considered a delicacy

...do you... see what's going on here?

(I haven't mentioned Tohri as he's a special case. Give me a minute and I'll get to him!)

The birds we see in the Dove Party are those birds that were already viewed in a more favourable light by humans, a favourability that transferred over to their new society. Of course they are more likely to advocate for coexistence! They have less to lose, overall. And the Labor 9 series, and how that could've ever been suggested in the first place, suddenly makes a lot of sense. For many of these birds, society the way it exists now benefits them. Some of these high ranking Dove Party folks may be less about actual peace and justice (like Yuuya or Leone) and more about maintaining the current order of things - humans coexisting under their control, while they get to maintain their status... which is itself a product of human invention.

The birds we see in the Hawk Party, by contrast, are looked down on or hunted. Historically, even before bird sapience, they did not have a harmonious relation with humans - and it's likely this status carried over to their new society also, with many of these birds being more likely to have been disenfranchised. Their goal of elimination is therefore reactionary towards perceived threat. After all, the people who suffer when things go wrong aren't the ones at the top - it's all the people who sit at the bottom of the social rung; the vulnerable members of society who do not enjoy the same advantages as others.

Of course, the Hawk Party has built itself up into such a powerful group that they may have lost touch with this starting foundation - the only thing that remains is likely that reactionary fear. After all, people caught up in the actual conflict - Nageki, Hitori, Ryouta, and Hiyoko - see this kind of horrible bloodshed firsthand (firstwing?) and just want it to stop.

Again, it's not usually the people in these political factions who are the ones caught up in their conflict. It's the individuals who lack power or influence.

But that's just the political groups themselves. On an individual level, it's kind of interesting to look at and theorize where along the spectrum our core cast falls based on their species/breed.

Ryouta (rock dove) is actually rather indifferent towards humanity as a whole - he just likes Hiyoko. However, his witnessing of the Heartful House tragedy led him to abhor violence and unnecessary loss of life, and I'd imagine his mother's later illness solidified this. Ryouta doesn't seem overly interested in political struggles or the broader implications of a lot of things - he's actually a rather self-oriented character when it comes down to it (this is not a judgment, nor a bad thing! I love my boy!). Ryouta just doesn't want to lose people, really. A conflict would mean more loss, and rock doves seem to have to struggle enough as is.

Hiyoko (human) is the daughter of two diplomats, but interestingly, we don't get to see much of her political views on things - perhaps because even if she expressed them, it wouldn't really matter - she's not herself a diplomat, and humans are the lowest of the low - her going to a fancy school doesn't really change that. Social-wise, except with her friends, she is tolerated, not accepted. Yet, it's safe to say that Hiyoko strongly disapproves of people who flaunt their status - she's quick to not take crap from Sakuya, to get angry on behalf of Ryouta and herself over the gull clerk's assholery, and also to defend Miru and Kaku as living beings worthy of respect. Interestingly though, she also uses Okosan's status as a fantail to get Ryouta to let go of him and let him do whatever he wants so... it's kind of unclear what her firm beliefs are. Perhaps, as a human, she still values fantails more highly. I don't know honestly. Implicit bias?

Sakuya, Yuuya and Okosan (fantail pigeons) may share the same breed, but their experiences are highly different. Sakuya is largely separate from the human-bird conflict, as he is unlikely to be directly affected by it. As such, a lot of his story and development has to do with actually learning and un-learning about the world outside of the limitations of his "father's" classist views, which he simply mimics without understanding the larger implications. Yuuya and Okosan, on the other hand, may be fantails, but are also looked down on and often treated as inferior - Yuuya for being a "half-breed" and for his reputation, and Okosan for being closer to feral than a lot of other doves. Interestingly, these two show more interest and respect for the individual than Sakuya does, who often makes sweeping generalizations based on status - which makes sense to a degree, as they've been on the receiving end of this kind of treatment, whereas Sakuya hasn't. Okosan believes that each person has their own "wonderful names" (read: identity outside of breed or status), while Yuuya is a genuine fighter for justice who is able to get to the heart of people, especially in Holiday Star. However, even though they have experienced classism, they still have certain privileges with regards to species/race - take Okosan's shock when Hiyoko and Ryouta are barred entry from his favourite store. None of them are quite as out of place in everyday society as some of the other birds here, and it's notable that "diverse" St. Pigeonations still apparently has a significant fantail student population.

Shuu (chukar partridge) is really interesting, as he doesn't particularly care for the politics of the Hawk Party, and yet his role as a killer/hunter of both his fellow birds and humans is an interesting reversal of the chukar being a game bird. Shuu also has a disability (his semi-paralyzed right side) which hinders him in bird society even more than most. His extreme, yet coldly logical solution to kill all humans to stop the fighting between them, could be as much his rationality, as his joy in the sadistic, as a reactionary survivalism (remember he was caught up in a human terrorist attack as a child - while overall he considered this beneficial to him, he also did lose much of his colour vision and the use of his right side, so it did leave him weakened). Shuu attains control by "flipping the script" as it were.

Tohri (golden pheasant) starts out in the Hawk Party, but much like his colleagues, doesn't seem to care much for their politics. Golden pheasants are game birds whose eggs can be eaten, but are more often bred and kept for their plumage - they're not prey, but they're not exactly pets either. All this puts Tohri in this interesting position of being somewhat in the middle of this conflict, and indeed he goes on to be a part of (found?) the Crow Party - an opportunistic group that seeks to benefit from the overall conflict. Golden pheasants are birds intended to be admired for their beauty and intelligence more than anything else, benefitting in some ways from humans without a strong connection or a reliance, and Tohri's opportunism fits nicely with that. (As an aside, our sole crow character, Albert, is also something of an opportunist, being an assassin on the fringes of society.)

Hitori and Kazuaki (button quails) are somewhat interesting. It would be both expected and understandable if Hitori held hatred for humanity after the Heartful House incident, or even before then, considering they were all war orphans. Instead, he doesn't seem to harbour any particular ill-will - he seems totally fine around Hiyoko, and her being a human has nothing to do with his reticence with letting Nageki hang out with her in the shrine universe. Kazuaki, too, doesn't seem to mind Hiyoko being human and isn't afraid of her any more than he is anyone else. While quails are game birds, with both meat and eggs being eaten, button quails are too tiny for that and are mostly kept as pets - they are considered cute, silly, and entertaining, though a bit too jumpy to be outright companion birds. The quails don't seem to experience too much in the way of speciesism (except arguably with the whole mistaken identity of Kazuaki's corpse... there may be a bit of an "all quails look the same" thing going on perhaps). At the very least, they are able to occupy teaching positions at a renowned school as respected intellectuals, and did go to university. Still, it's kind of a known thing that you don't put button quails with bigger, more dominant birds, since larger birds will often pick on them or even outright try to kill them simply because they're small and shy - this may, in hindsight, explain some of Kazuaki's demeanour.

Nageki (mourning dove) and Anghel (luzon bleeding heart dove) are the two who are uncommon bird species in Japan. Nageki is another war orphan, who would be forgiven for harbouring resentment for humanity, but instead is appalled at the violence and made a huge sacrifice to get it to stop. It's kind of unclear how Nageki fits into this society, as mourning doves are not prey or pets - they're wild birds. They live on the outside of the human world, and while Nageki exists within current bird society, he likely doesn't have a designated status within it. Nageki is unfortunately also alienated from much of the action due to his illness and later his untimely death - this is why a lot of Nageki's thoughts are somewhat from an observer's perspective, with his most emotional moments being derived from his rare direct experiences - specifically the Heartful House tragedy and the human killings he was forced into, which solidified a really firm stance of not wanting anyone to suffer like that. Anghel is another outsider, this time genuinely a foreigner, as opposed to Nageki. Again, Luzons are wild birds, not prey or pets, and so it's a bit unclear what his status is. This might explain why Hiyoko repeats Sakuya's remarks towards him without apparently realizing they're actually insults - Anghel is removed enough from the conflict she is familiar with that it seems she doesn't quite... get it. Again, Anghel's role is as this strange kind of omniscient observer, whose perspective is closer to the player's than to the rest of the cast. He definitely frowns on the Hawk Party's overall goal - the Demon Spores are evil to him, and his main objective is to stop them from spreading, as they would cause damage to both birds and humans. I attribute his morals to his mother having raised him right lol. The lack of a clear status for both of them may be why they appear to take the stance of judgment based on individual actions, but are not heavily involved in the conflict itself - while humans tend to like mourning doves and luzons, there isn't much interaction that goes on between them. Nageki and Anghel are simply less embroiled in bird society's human-derived status conflict, which makes them both outsiders and observers.

As a bonus note, Azami, Rabu and Kenzaburou are all species of birds that can be kept as pets (java sparrow, budgie, parakeet), which may account for some of their friendliness towards Hiyoko, and Kenzaburou's willingness to hire her. Kenzaburou is even a bit old-fashioned it seems - he sleeps in a cage, which implies his ancestors were probably pet birds themselves. It's likely he, in particular, has more positive views on humans.

...Please tell me I'm not the only one who spent ages thinking about the implications and workings of a fictional post-apocalyptic bird society. Also I hope this made sense I kind of went off the rails here.

#storyrambles #anyways this was supposed to be a quick write up. yet here I am three hours later. does this even read properly anymore. help. #the one thing i'm a little unclear on here is how the ichijou family fits into all this. ichijou mino the headmaster was a nicobar pigeon #i find it likely mino was hawk affiliated if we're going with the trend here (nicobars are heavily exploited for food/ #gizzard stones/zoos/illegal pet trade) and also note that he signed off on the human representative directive #but i want to know how shuu fits into that as he was formerly ichijou utsuro. who has the ichijou name? why different species? #are they prominent benefactors of the hawks? interesting to think on #also i was thinking about the gulls - they seem to be fairly high class but gulls definitely do not have a good reputation with humans lmao #however gulls get to do whatever they want a lot of the time because they are loud. and like to bully others (including humans) #i hereby propose they gained power by doing much the same once birds gained sapience hjfhbdf #hatoful boyfriend #hatoful spoilers #holiday star #hatoful meta

[beevean]

Rank your top 5 Belmonts And if you have the energy/desire to do more: Rank your top 5 Castlevania games Rank your top 5 Castlevania tracks

5) Richter. I don't think much of the guy, but undeniably he is a very important figure, the symbol of the cracking of the Belmont legacy. At first, he's a hotblooded shonen young warrior, full of energy and life and will to fight... and then we learn that the will to fight is actually an issue, because after he defeated Dracula at age 19, he found no other reason to live.

4) Simon. Got higher up to the list in recent times <3 he's the Belmont, without any drama or obvious flaw. But I've come to like that about him, and admire his feats in Simon's Quest that show that he's not just a formidable badass, but a very noble man too, willing to even bury his foe out of respect.

3) Leon. He deserved none of that :( Leon is another Belmont mainly defined by his noble nature, perhaps to a fault (my good man why are you storming a vampire castle without a sword). His shining moment is, of course, him rejecting Mathias' absurd proposal: he may be full of anger against his former friend, to the point of swearing vengeance and dooming his descendants to a lifetime of fighting, but he also refuses to fall into the pit Mathias won't escape from, and has the perfect rebuttal for his inane logic and indirectly Dracula as a whole: "But defeating him... No, preventing others from suffering the same cursed fate... That was Sara's dying wish... Granting my beloved's wish. That is all I can do to prove my love to Sara. Eternity without her would be nothing but emptiness."

2) Juste. The golden child in deep denial :D It's a bit unfair that he gets reduced to "Alucard Belmont" and at most praised for his OP powers, but hey, he's not the only one. He has an interesting personality if you read between the lines, from his brashness that contrasts with his angelic looks, to how fervently he forces Maxim to keep Lydie in the dark. Also he's the king of interior decor :P

1) Trevor. He's the Sonic of Castlevania. He invented the Superpower of Teamwork™. He's kind and helpful to those he considers his friends and a terrifying menace if he thinks you're in his way (he won't ask first). He has the Legs of all time. His theme slaps an inordinate amount of ass. He's shaped like a friend and I love him <3

(a close runnerup would be Christopher, because I really like the concept of an older Belmont, who thought that could retire, nyooming to rescue his son from Dracula's influence <3 a prelude of things to come <3)

~

I was sure I had already ranked them, but perhaps I need to remake the list anyway...

5) Adventure ReBirth. Admittedly it's been a while since I replayed it, but I have fond memories of it as far as Classics go. It's simple, it's well designed, it's fun, it has kickass remixes (Aquarius <3) I wish it wasn't so obscure because I think it's the best entry point for those interested in the genre.

4) Portrait of Ruin. Y'all sleep on this title unfairly. Jonathan and Charlotte are very fun to play as, the gimmick of the paintings allows for new locations rarely explored in the series, it has an interesting mission system that makes the game more fun to master, and an OST that seriously deserves more love.

3) Curse of Darkness. Yes, it's noticeably flawed, from the mindnumbing level design to the obtusity of Forging. It's not a game I can pick up whenever I want, the only reason I can't put it in first place. But aside from that, it honestly feels like it was designed just for me and my tastes lmao. The fighting/crafting/raising loop is incredibly addictive and reminds me of the Sonic Adventure games <3 and ofc, as you could tell, I'm in love with the characters and story :P

2) Symphony of the Night. The one, the myth, the legend. Describing it feels like a waste of time. It's a timeless classic for a reason. It may not be perfect, but much like Super Metroid, I think the atmosphere is so well crafted that it pulls you in regardless of any issues you might have. It's an experience to be had.

1) Harmony of Dissonance. Oh yeah. This game is stupid fun to me. I just pick it up and play it to wind down. The ability to dash in both directions makes it a 10/10, then you add the spells that are fun to experiment with, the breakability, the COLORS FEEL SO RIGHT, the eerie music (yes it's good! it's good!!! fight me!!!!), Maxim Mode...

~

I was also sure I had this list... how could I pick only 5 tracks from this giant, beautiful repertoire...? D:

5) Chapel of Dissonance. Unlike many of the tracks in this soundtrack, this one is perfectly hummable and sweet. It fits the beautiful sky like a glove, and it may subtly reference Divine Bloodlines which is a stroke of genius :)

4) Lost Painting. SoTN abunds in jaw-dropping tracks, but this one feels uniquely magical, and it plays just in the right areas of the castle (a chapel, a library, and icy caves). It sounds like a sad lullaby sung to Alucard, and I hear reluctance to venture further and fight.

3) Garibaldi Courtyard. I have no clue why this mundane area in the game has music that brings me to tears. Similar in atmosphere to Lost Painting and Fog-Enshrouded Nightscape, but with CoD's more modern sound. I don't know how to put into words the profound sadness I hear here.

2) Dracula Battle (SCIV). I cannot gush enough about the genius of this track as the final boss theme. It never gets faster, or drop a harder beat: you only get these long strings and this complex arpeggio for an unsettling atmosphere. I said back then: "It sounds like you're quietly resigning yourself to your fate. You will die. But that's alright. He will die too."

1) Leon's Theme. This could pass for a classical piece. It's perfect in every way. You can almost touch Leon's sorrow and anger - you can hear the fingers pressing on the piano! It gets you pumped to reach the end of the game, and you get to grieve with Leon for the terrible night he's going through. Special shoutout for the part at 1:34 for sounding like the aforementioned Dracula theme.

#castlevania #akumajou dracula

[martyrbat]

yknow im gonna be honest right here and admit that jason todd being poor is something i hold very personal to me because i am and being able to connect with this little fictional character and recognize myself is something very dear to my autistic heart and how i analyze his character. so please excuse how messy this is as i try to spontaneously place my thoughts in something legible

[ID: a closeup of Jason Todd as Robin. He's asking Batman, "What's that world ever do for me?" END ID]

But this whole flashback in particular still makes me so frustrated. When you're poor, you establish and build communities. You have to or you die. You rely on people's kindness and love - even if you're a stranger. It's how you survive. I had old friends ask me if im embarrassed or say they'd be too ashamed to take that help or do what I had to do to scrape by.

But so many don't understand that pride is a luxury many can't afford. I'm not ashamed. I'm angry you'd rather have me dead than confront the classism you benefit from and are comfortable upholding.

Poor people are the first to tell you that the world and society aren't going to save you and that you're abandoned by it - that they'll leave you to die and not care until it breaks their bubble of privilege and exploitation. (Homelessness, landlords, shoplifting food. Being visibly poor or effecting THEIR lives - it's never about yours). But the people in it, the 'little people', are the reason you ever survive. You're at the rawest point of humanity and while yes, you experience and deal with the cruelty and dirtiest parts of it - you see and experience the genuine kindness from everyday people. People that are equally struggling are more likely to help you than people that can comfortably do so without the fear of going without.

[ID: Batman and Robin sitting together on a ledge. Batman is telling Robin, "You need to love it...Or what's the point?" END ID]

Now take this kid. He gone without. He doesn't get to have a billionaire privilege of that filtered view. He knows people aren't good vs evil, that they're not black or white. Good people do shitty things to survive. Evil people walk free. He's familiar and knows struggles and reality - he knows drug addiction and overdose and murder and suicides and malnourishment. He knows police brutality and the system is designed against people like him up until just recently - where he suddenly meets the criteria to be protected instead of targeted. He doesn't look over the streets, waiting to swoop in. He's lived in them. He knows them.

For me and my experience as a disabled, poor, autistic with hyper empathy? All you want to do is help others. You don't have a life unless you're being productive. You want to give back the kindness you were gifted with, you know that struggle and pain and don't want anyone to go through it. You know no one is looking out for you other than your community. The world can be so fucking cruel so that's why I can't be - I have to be the good I want to see in it.

Then take this kid that has the opportunity to do more than what he ever dreamed of? He can finally live instead of just survive. He can be the hero to the people that usually don't get that luxury of care. He can protect his community and build bigger ones. He can help people. As @autisticredhood said so brilliantly in this post: "he doesn’t care what the world will do for him he cares about what HE will do for the world"

Stripping that away from him changes everything Jason is. As a child and him being unfairly written off as the angsty Robin but aldo as an adult since it's such a key element to what his moral code is and how he operates as a hero. Jason Todd will always care. He loves so much and it's constantly dismissed and I hate it.

#rly just look at that post in general but #idk the entire flashback just immediately set me in a mood #im tired and angry and hurt and want justice for the most compassionate boy #bruce wayne #batman #jason todd #robin ii #red hood #red hood: outlaws #if i have energy ill post more on Jason being poor impacts him as robin eventually #posts from the crypt #meta

[ezralva]

10 JJK favorite characters and why? Doesn't matter dead or alive

First off, thanks for making it 10 instead of 5 so I can do my boys and girl justice. Since you asked for 'why' then knowing me, it won't be concise lol

Suguru: actually 1st place is both Suguru and Choso. It's very very hard for me to choose one out of the other but if I really have to rank then Suguru has more plus point in that, from reader's pov, he has deeper characterization and overall more developed thanks to his role in the story. Also a more complicated character which makes analyzing him more interesting. His design, appearance, techniques makes him the coolest jjk character for me.

Choso: from the 1st time he was shown and opened his mouth it was hook, line, and sinker, no turning back for me. I kinda see him as a single-minded character which is a trait that is usually be hit-or-miss in fictional character. It cud be either quickly redundant, boring, and underdeveloped or the exact opposite. For me Choso is the latter and all the positive praises. I love how Gege-sen chose his storyline until now. He has the best design out of all jjk chara. I love everything about him. Hottest character in JJK. Hotter than the sun and magma. Period.

Nanamin: I honestly cudn't find a single thing I cud dislike from this man, except myb the fact I wish we get to see him more w/o glasses on cz he has those pretty piercing gaze which I like. Has the best personality out of all adults in JJK (women chara included). He's what my friend and I said, the type of guy who wud easily pass any marriage interviews just being his true self, w/o even trying to impress the other party. And the kind that effortlessly nails all requirements of a son-in-law for many asian parents lmao, even if he himself doesn't wanna get married. Nothing but praise for his attitude and mannerisms.

Noritoshi (smol) : I've always loved underdog and this one is criminally, unfairly underrated. Added to that a pretty boy with family issues, sobbing backstory, who has great potential like him. One of jjk characters whose character development is so jarring and makes him a much better person. Seriously, if only he gets more showtime and is developed further. I love both his old and new design. Imo the way he's drawn is unique and quite different from others. Hopefully he's saved for more bigger role in the end w/o being disposed. He's not to be wasted.

Gojo: While I've never had a 'Gojo phase' whichever arc it's in, and while the concept of a loud, happy-go-lucky, rulebender, free-spirited, good-looking character who is great at everything he does isn't new to me, I found him very interesting as a character in that the way he was written is often contradictory and the way he's narrated making him more complicated than he actually is. I'd say Geto is the more complicated out of the two, but despite having much more showtime and elaborate backstory, Gojo rarely is shown being contemplative (for readers' sake) nor offers deeper insights of him as a character than what he's willing to give so it makes speculating abt him more intriguing.

Inumaki: Has one of the coolest CT in JJK, his design and characterization the most unique of all. Another great potential that is unfairly wasted that Gege doesn't even bother to give more of his backstory or development. Ultimate bishounen of JJK like nobody can even compare, followed closely by Suguru and Noritoshi yet he still wins by a margin.

Yuuji: It's hard not to like this sunshine personified. We can see how good Wasuke's upbringing was from the way he treats others close to him or total strangers. Polite and kind. All positive energy so his dynamic easily works with other characters well.

Yuuta: Also has one of the best character developments out of all. I just love it when a quiet or meek character suddenly turned unhinged after being prodded right. Love how cool and composed he is after coming back from overseas (on the outside) and still a precious cinnamon roll inside.

Shoko: Man, I just vibe with this girl in dna level. I'm literally like her irl except that I don't smoke. Do the job, do it right, chill, and dgaf abt everything else (on the surface). She's the character I can relate the most.

Higuruma-san: just...how can I not be excited when there's suddenly a nearly 40 y.o BAMF, awesome, cool ojisan in a shounen manga where all the powerful popular characters are either teens or late twenties or more than centuries old...I like his backstory, his perspectives on both his old world and the way he takes things in stride with his new world. A dark-haired as well, which is a plus.

#Nanamin is the most fav among my male colleagues that even some of them who claim as straight are kinda low-key lusting over him #so ig they arent that straight after all #jujutsu kaisen #favorite characters

[zhongrin]

see, i would build childe if i didn't have a level 90 fully geared, double crowned ayato, and wasn't going for neuvillette. half the reason why i wanted ayato in the first place is because i desperately wanted an on-field hydro dps that isn't... ya know... him. the other half is just me simping for the elder kamisato because have you looked at ayato? my guy is unfairly pretty.

i honestly didn't think he'd come home. i understand the risk of pulling for 4 stars better than most people—before i had a designated friend to pull for me (he's won me 9 50/50s so far), i kept losing the 50/50 for more than 10 times in a row (that and i've been jump scared by yae and ayaka, but at least I use them) so i was used to assuming i'd get a guaranteed if it comes down to a 5 star.

i know bamboozling a gacha system is bs, but i honestly thought it was worth a try, lol. guess that was my bad.

anyways, yeah. sorry for the multiple asks... i should sleep now. and congrats on c1 zhongli!

- 🪶

three hydro dps is better than two right /silly oh, ayato is indeed very pretty, i like him schwing schwing elemental skill ever since i saw his playstyle... i should really farm for him someday orz

that's a lot of 5 stars characters you've pulled hsldkfjlskdf i'm amazed!! and your friend's luck is insane omg

good night and thank you!! congrats on childe nonetheless, getting a 5 stars character early and winning your 50/50 is something worth celebrating still <3

#rin answers #rin is having tea with: anon 💟 #🪶 anon

[animegoil-vnc]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Vanitas no Carte? And why do you love them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

You're the first person to ask me this kind of thing, so thank you <3

Characters

#1. Aah, let's see... I don't think it's any surprise to say Vanitas is my favorite. He's gorgeous, mysterious (when he's not being an idiot), and tortured. It's also really fun seeing characters who are clearly putting on a facade and to discover the truth of his past and motivations little by little as the series goes on. He can be an idiot, but he's got flair, smarts, and is actually kindhearted, and of course we love to watch him make friends and open up little by little.

#2. I didn't think much of Noe at first, but he quickly began to grow on me and is very close to tying with Vani now. I really appreciated when he had his moment of introspection during the masquerade ball and realized he'd been putting his expectations on Vanitas unfairly. It was so nice to see a character doing that kind of realistic self-reflection and being so mature - he's always trying to improve himself, but not in the typical shounen series kind of what that's about physical strength - it's all emotional and about worldviews with Noe, which is frankly very relatable! And then my interest in him solidified when I realized how much he'd been through as a child that he never brings up - aka that he's not naively optimistic, it must be a deliberate choice to see the world so sunnily.

#3. Here's where it gets hard cause the first two are obvious... who is my third fave? I think Johann. I love his character design (mm, those eyelashes), his flamboyance, but most of all how he's willing to kill anyone in an instant in order to protect his dham family <3

#4. Olivier! What can I say, I'm shallow and have a thing for beautiful characters who reveal darker/dangerous sides to their personalities? I like that despite his grumpiness and how he snaps at Roland, he clearly is fiercely protective and devoted to him, and it's very endearing how worried he is about what Roland is getting into. Also, THAT HAIR, maybe it's Maybelline?

#5. Is probably another dham, Dante! He's so grumpy it's cute, but he's loyal and earnest, and I really hope we get to see more of him throughout the series!

Moments

Oh wow, this is actually really hard?? Or wait... maybe it's not if I think of the scenes I've rewatched over and over. But man, the series is just so good all the way through that it's hard to say....

#1. When Noe stopped Moreau from touching Vanitas. God, I loved that bit of overprotectiveness, and the lead-up was so good because we're all watching, cringing at what's about to happen and wondering how far Vanitas is going to let this go and we can tell he's not actually okay even though he's not reacting, and then Noe swoops in and GUH, IT WAS SO GOOD.

#2. Sorry not sorry, but Vanitas being sick in that cabin with Jeanne... god I love whump and sickfic and hurt/comfort and hypothermia and seeing Vani in such a vulnerable state was everything I could have wanted. If only Noe had been there. At least we had Vani thinking about Noe even in such a situation (u.u)

#3. Probably a tie between when Vanitas rushed back to the hotel worried that Ruthven had done something to Noe or on the bridge at Gevaudan when Vanitas gave Noe some gentle advice on how to deal with Astolfo. Just... again, I love protectiveness, and it was so nice seeing Vanitas openly concerned about Noe.

I hope you got what you were looking for out of my answers, thanks for the opportunity to gush about the things I love about this series! What about you? Who are your faves and what are your fave moments, @elaine2895?

#asks #commentary #vnc #vanitas no carte

[temporary-joyride]

Was struggling quite a bit picking my next anime but have settled on: Bungo Stray Dogs!! First impressions:

I did what I usually do when I can't decide on something- watched the first episode of 4 different anime and see what piques my interest the most

The options were Attack on Titan (which I truly do want to watch someday but it's just really scary imo), restart My Hero Academia (which I still plan to but after finishing JJK yesterday I'm still in too much pain to stand watching something so happy-go-lucky), Chainsaw Man (which seems very WEIRD and that was my only takeaway really), but the one that really interested me

Bungo Stray Dogs- I've heard many many good things about it, seen it VERY frequently on ao3, knew ultimately nothing, but read the synopsis and thought to myself "damn that's hilarious. and dark. you've got my attention."

ACTUAL first impressions ↓

I can't tell if I like Dazai

I WANT to like him but his resemblance to Goro Akechi is throwing me off and causing me to unfairly berate his every action

I'm so sorry Dazai I'm trying to leave my judgements at the door I'm sure you're great

His suicide obsession is really funny

That's probably insensitive but as someone who struggles often with those thoughts I feel semi-alright saying that it's hilarious

It's just completely unexplained too that's why it's so funny that's my exact sense of humor

Atsushi is soooooo cuuute!!! What a cutie-pie!! Such wonderful character design! The purple & yellow eyes! The asymmetric haircut! The suspenders and black belt! I adore it!

HE'S A FUCKING TIGER

Kunikida is giving such strong Klaus Lunette energy it's great

I'd probably hate him if he didn't look and act like the lovechild of Klaus Lunette and Kento Nanami

The ONLY thing that threw me off the first episode is what are these powers

'Undefeated by the rain', huh??? 'Thou shalt not die' okay so he's just invincible? Alright okay I guess

The abilities look so video game-esque too with the green swirly stuff

That's not a turn off just something I noticed

Hnngg this is my 4th anime in a row where everyone has unique powers it's kind of frying my brain with the monotony

But shoenen is shoenen! I asked for this

And I'm super duper intrigued about where this goes these characters seem super fun

The whole private investigator concept is a new one for me and I'm into it

I also have this terrible terrible habit where in absolutely any franchise given my favorite characters are 1) the main one and 2) some absolute rando who is less important to the plot than a goddamn dust bunny

So stay tuned if you are interested in who the second person will end up being I'll keep you updated

That's a wrap!

#kennacanthink #bungou stray dogs

[epickiya722]

Hi, Kiya...sorry for the late character ask game. Can I ask 6, 7, 8, 15, 24 for Miruko and Sukuna..? Thx if you want to answer.

No need to apologize, Anon! 😁

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Miruko - we are both short, brown-skinned women

Sukuna - long nails and I often paint mine purple

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

For Miruko, one of my favorite things has to be the "if Miruko was Midoriya's mentor" AU. I just adore that. For one, those two are my favorite characters. Two, I just think it would have been pretty cool if Miruko mentored Midoriya.

For Sukuna, okay, okay. I like the whole Twin/Brothers AU thing with Itadori. Again, favorite two characters and there's a lot of funny things to come out of that AU that I have seen.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Every time someone complains about her costume and then turn around and openly thirst for a male character and wish for him to be shirtless, I want to scream.

Like, I get it. Personally, not a costume I would wear as a first choice for me and not because it's "revealing". (I just wouldn't look good in it. But I would wear before some of those other costumes.) But how do you have a problem with Miruko's legs (and arms) out but the moment Dabi is shirtless it's like "Oh, there goes my panties"?

Complain about Miruko's costume design being "unnecessary", so someone explain to me what is the purpose of Vlad King's cleavage window without saying something horny.

Not even just with male characters! I have yet to see someone complain about Mt. Lady's costume like that! She has plenty of butt shots and it's like "no big deal". Miruko gets a leg shot and it's the most terrible thing in the world.

The only other character I seen people complain about is Midnight and while I get it, sometimes it feels like some people are being prude of a grown woman whose label is "R-Rated Hero" to have a sexy costume. There has been worse costume designs in anime. I'm just saying now!

OMG, the "Fraudkuna" thing! It's ridiculous! Maybe I missed something, I thought a fraud who be someone faking something. What in the hell is Sukuna faking exactly?

"Well, he used Megumi's technique..."

DUH! Sukuna ain't stupid, that's the thing. He saw the potential in Megumi's technique and used it to his advantage. I like Gojo, too, but come on now. What? Do people look at a ruthless character and think "dumb" or something? Sukuna is strategic.

I kinda doubt Sukuna became the King of Curses just by brutal strength alone.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

For Miruko, it's definitely BurnBunny (her and Burnin). I don't know, I just think they would vibe well together.

Also, I really like ChubbyBunny (her and Fat Gum). That ship is unfairly so cute!!

For Sukuna... I actually don't have a ship I'm too big about. Wait, no, I'm for the ship with him and Uraume. Like, I can see it.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Kimberly from the Street Fighter franchise (SF 6). I remember seeing her trailer for the game and the way she moves and her energy reminded me of Miruko. And then I found out they share a VA!

Funnier, in Vigilantes, Miruko as a teenager has fought Ryu and Ken.

At first, I couldn't think of anyone for Sukuna, but then my mind just now thought of Mileena from Mortal Kombat. Man-eating, ruthless fighting machines they both are. With a bit of royalty thrown in there.

Character Ask Game 💫

#kiya answers #kiya answers questions #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #miruko #mirko #rumi usagiyama #usagiyama rumi #sukuna #ryomen sukuna #ryoumen sukuna #sukuna ryomen #sukuna ryoumen

[everlasting-elegy]

Also on the subject of the swapped!AU: MC/(Y/N) having a villain arc!! I want to know if they would support them/agree with them, and if some find this change ✨attractive✨ and all that good stuff 😌

(you can totally ignore this if I'm asking for too many things lmao) Take care of yourself and have an amazing day!! :D

Of course, and no you're not asking for too much and sorry for having this take so long!! I’m going on the assumption that a ‘villain arc’ is (Y/N) asserting themselves, setting their boundaries and taking the initiatives, more like a morally grey antihero than an outright villain

Swapped!AU: Brothers React to (Y/N) Going on a Villain Arc

In a world where the brothers are players of Obey Me! and you’re their favourite character, how would they react to you going on a villain arc? Genre: Fluff Word Count: 1.2k

Asmodeus

Yes, yes, yes! Asmodeus adores this newfound confidence of yours. Regardless of how you carried yourself before, Asmo never thought you were assertive enough, you deserve to order people around with a mere flick of the wrist

He especially goes crazy if there’s a notable change in your aesthetics, not that your past look was bad but it really just goes to show how versatile your design and beauty can be!!

Your turn to the darkness is his inspiration for his latest outfits and makeup looks. A darker, more mysterious palette, no wonder you opted for this style, he feels so badass and now he’s spending double the time admiring himself in the mirror

Whenever you confront any of the other characters with some savage comebacks Asmo can’t help but erupt into giggles like a gossiping schoolgirl. He never thought you’d have the guts to say that to a character’s face but he’s so glad you did

Beelzebub

Beelzebub is heartbroken but he understands. It was clear the ‘good’ side was treating you unfairly, sometimes going against your core values. Even though he thinks you made the right decision it still hurts his heart

He doesn’t want you to be walking this path alone, it’ll be dangerous and even more so with no one to help you. He wishes the protagonist could choose which side to be on, he wants to join you to make sure you’re okay

Despises when the other characters start bad mouthing you for your decisions. There’s a clear lack of understanding and communication here and he wants it to be resolved. He wants everyone to be together, getting along. He wants you to come back

Now he has to play the game with some comfort food beside him, so something can put him at ease in case anything bad happens to you. Often has to take a breather from the main story and return to the home screen just to see you happily greet him

Belphegor

Oh, this game took a very interesting turn. As a demon who loves the drama and fights occur around him around him, he is very happy to see you forge your own path and leave chaos in your wake

Absolutely loves seeing the characters who previously wronged you get put in their place. Every controversial move you make, Belphie is encouraging you on the other side of the screen. Oftentimes he thinks you’re still too merciful, if you’re going to be a villain why not go all out?

His eagerness goes down the drain if the protagonist has to directly fight you, though. He just wants to join your side and watch as you burn bridges and set the world aflame. Screw all the other characters, you’re the only one that matters to him

Genuinely hopes you retain this new side of you, being unapologetically honest and savage. To him, this is nothing but character growth and development and doesn’t want you to go back to when you were held back by others

Leviathan

Leviathan was already down bad, but now he’s down horrendously. We all know Levi has an odd part of his mind enjoys getting insulted and looked down on, having you turn into a villain definitely satisfies that part of his mind

Your villainous self may be ruthless but more often than not you let your true compassion show, especially when you talk to the protagonist. Ah, the gap moe, Leviathan simply can’t take it! You’re such a good character, why can’t you be real?!

If your aesthetic changed upon becoming a villain, Levi has definitely bought a range of merchandise and figurines of you in your villain outfit. He’s also bought fabrics, he wants to try cosplaying as you

Wearing a cosplay of your villain form and Levi understands the effect it has. Maybe it’s just because he feels closer to you but he feels confident and unstoppable. Part of him was tempted to walk out of his room in the cosplay but he knew better than that

Lucifer

Seeing you take more agency and control of the situation and plot leaves Lucifer extremely satisfied. He figured something like this would happen sooner or later seeing your growing frustration whenever you were on the ‘good’ side

He understands more than any other fan that sometimes the best course of action is turning to the dark and unknown. But that path is a treacherous one, he’s always scrutinising your actions and words, making sure you’re still in good health and okay

Lucifer’s eager to see how you grow from here but he is concerned. He had brothers, allies, people around him in his darkest moments while you currently have no one. It’s a childish thought, but he does wish he could join you

He may even end up taking a break from the game, opting to just look at fan content of you instead. He doesn’t need the concern of your wellbeing to add to the mountain of things stressing him out so he’ll wait until there’s news of you doing well

Mammon

No, nope, nuh uh, Mammon isn’t having this. Mammon’s fine with you turning against the rest of the cast but what devastates him is how the other characters seem to immediately turn against you with no sympathy

It breaks his poor heart, he wants nothing more than to run up to the other characters and slap some sense into them, it was their fault that you’re going on this villain arc yet they have the audacity to get angry at you

On the plus side, this new side of you is very attractive. Just being unapologetically you, a single knowing smirk and Mammon’s blushing furiously, needing to take a breather for a sec to settle his racing heartbeat

Despite your coldness to other characters, the fact you still address him, the main character, with a clear fondness melts his heart. He has no idea how some pixels on a screen manage to make him feel so loved but here he is, crying over his D.D.D.

Satan

Frankly, Satan saw this was coming from a mile away. If anything he’d be more shocked if you didn’t snap in some way or form, he always felt you weren’t treated fairly by a good chunk of the cast

Anyone who thinks you’re a bad character for being a villain will face the wrath of Satan’s thumbs as he furiously types an essay of just how good of a character you are to post on Devilgram

Of course, as the Avatar of Wrath, he always enjoys it when you get angry. It’s just so damn satisfying as you right the wrongs of others with every scathing word that leaves your lips. You hold so much power yet you’re only starting to uncover your true potential and he loves it

He hopes you stay this way. He loves seeing you so free, no longer constrained by others, just being yourself and embracing the emotions that rage within you. The other characters weren’t good enough for you, it would take a miracle for them to understand you but he does

Obey Me! Masterlist

#obey me #obey me x reader #obey me x mc #asmodeus x reader #asmodeus x mc #beelzebub x reader #beelzebub x mc #belphegor x reader #belphegor x mc #leviathan x reader #leviathan x mc #lucifer x reader #lucifer x mc #mammon x reader #mammon x mc #satan x reader #satan x mc #everelegy writes #everelegy obey me

[soulmate-game]

part 2 (of that new bio!dad fic)

Dick whipped his head over to Bruce, who could feel the heavy gazes of all his children as if they were physical. If they had had heat vision like Clark, he would have already been reduced to a puddle of mush. Bruce shifted, the only sign of his discomfort, but he recognized that the middle of a gala was no place for this discussion. There were too many busybodies trying to listen in for the latest gossip. So he plastered on a smile that he couldn’t quite feel, and held a hand out to Marinette. He was careful to keep a good distance though, and left the choice for contant purely up to her.

The young woman looked down at his hand, then back to his face. Damian had been shocked silent by what she had to say, and perhaps even more by the all too telling way that Bruce hadn’t so much as implied that she was lying, and the look he was giving her was making her a little uncomfortable. Yes, she hadn’t planned on interacting with her father more than just the years-overdue confrontation she had just done, at least not while at the gala… but her plans always left room for improvisation. She could make this work.

With a soft sigh, Marinette extended her own hand— half the size of Bruce’s, he noted almost immediately with a rush of illogical fondness— and grasped his lightly. She couldn’t help but notice the way his impossibly blue eyes brightened, no different than her own when she was particularly happy, or the way his mouth twitched with a barely suppressed beam. Instead, he controlled himself enough so that the only smile he gave would look professional and entirely in character to the nosy socialites still spying on them, and led them out onto the dance floor.

What everyone else saw was the unfairly charming Bruce Wayne giving his young guest of honor a simple dance. Just a basic swirl around the floor that every other social elite had learned when they were five. Clearly he was taking it easy on the self-made girl, who probably didn’t have experience with such dances. Humoring the accomplished young woman with his approval for a moment before he would slink back to his family or patrol the crowds and make the necessary greetings and meaningless chatter.

What his family saw was Bruce taking time to slow his steps, not for Marinette to keep up but rather to prolong the event. What they saw was the grace in Marinette’s steps as she never once faltered, and that Bruce was careful to take his cues from her instead of the other way around. He only led the dance in technicality, Marinette had all the real control.

What they saw was a father’s first dance with his daughter.

“Eighteen,” Dick whispered, eyebrows drawn low. “She said she’s almost eighteen.”

“Well, that lines up doesn’t it?” Jason asked gruffly, his own gaze never leaving the dancing duo. “We were planning on doubling up your big thirtieth birthday party as your eighteenth adoption anniversary,” he reminded his brother, who just made a slightly distressed noise in the back of his throat. Whether it was at the reinforcement of his adoption coming only months after Marinette being put up for adoption, or the fact that he was turning thirty, nobody could really tell.

“Hurt,” Cassandra spoke up from behind them, looking incredibly concerned as she watched the dance. “Uncertain.”

Stephany rolled her eyes, fidgeting from her quickly building energy. Anger was making her restless. “Of course she’s hurt. Bruce replaced her, with a boy he knew virtually nothing about, not even that long after she was born. How do you think that made her feel, when she found out?” Stephany let out a little growl, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing server and downing it in one gulp. She ignored Dick protesting that she wasn’t of age yet, which made her wrinkle her nose. “Only one more year, Dickhead. Get over it, I need the buzz.”

“Well,” Barbara sighed and maneuvered her wheelchair around the group so that everyone could see her. “Nothing we can do right now but be supportive and watch Bruce like a hawk so he doesn’t make this worse,” she stated easily, not looking even the least bit ruffled by the news despite the disturbed glitter in her eyes.

“... Guys,” Tim spoke up, not looking at any of them. “Who wants to volunteer for Damian duty?” At first glance, it might seem like Tim was thinking about his own first disastrous meeting with the younger boy. Once everyone paid attention though, they could see that the truth was that Damian had snuck away and Tim was pointedly looking at a slightly hidden-away staircase to the second floor.

“Shit,” Dick muttered, but before he could say another word Jason shoved him back and started towards the stairs.

“No, not this time Dicky. I’ll talk to the brat.”

Back on the dancefloor, Bruce and Marinette broke away without any fanfare at the end of the song. If Bruce tried to hold her eyes for a moment too long, nobody noticed besides his observant children, and two of Marinette’s protective friends.

Then, just to make sure that nobody caught on with the help of hindsight, Bruce said something vaguely polite and praising, which Marinette accepted with flawless, distant poise. And they went back to their own groups, Bruce quickly noting that two of his sons were missing. He raised an eyebrow, about to ask why when a presence behind him caught his attention. Unlike Marinette and Chloe, this newcomer was not at all trying to hide their approach or be sneaky about it, even though Bruce couldn’t hear any footsteps that were close enough to belong to the mysterious entity. Closing his mouth, Bruce turned around only to be greeted by yet another vaguely familiar face. Bright green eyes bore into his, unreadable.

“Mister Wayne,” the newcomer greeted, voice warm but stiff. If the Waynes hadn’t all had years of recognizing when a person was only pretending to be cordial, they never would have suspected that the boy was anything but pure-heartedly happy to be there. But they did have that experience, and thus they instantly honed in on the very well-hidden fact that he had a bone to pick with them. Or, more probably, with Bruce.

He cut an impressive figure, for all that he was lithe muscle instead of bulk. Hair that was lighter than Chloe’s, less like cloth-of-gold and more like sunlight glinting off of wheatfields. It somehow hung in gravity-defying tufts, yet perfectly arranged to evoke a calming aesthetic. Like the fluff of a long-haired cat, almost, and it looked just as fluffy and hypnotizing. It contrasted with his emerald eyes, impossibly vibrant in their gleam. And the suit he wore was decidedly top-notch, much like the other two they had met from his class. He was daring, in a dark silver suit that slightly shifted in the light, green accents that matched his eyes standing out strikingly against the collars and trim, and coiling in tantalizing swirls at the cuffs. The lining of the suit jacket was done in a dark green that could almost pass for black in the right lighting, adding a layer of both drama and mystery as it peeked out at the back of his collar, the insides of his sleeves if he moved just the right way, at the bottom hem of the jacket when he turned or bent just so. And with his notoriety in the modeling world? He always knew exactly how to move or place himself to get the reactions he wanted. And he was clearly showing off the craftsmanship of his suit just then as he faked adjusting his cufflinks and lifted his head just the right amount to both look challenging and let the dark green on the back of his collar flash in the light in such a way that Bruce and those nearest him wouldn’t be able to miss the brief reveal of color.

“Adrien Agreste,” Bruce greeted back, eyebrows pulling down in slight confusion. Normally the topic of clothing was far from his genuine interest, but in this particular case it was an intriguing, and possibly even concerning, observation. So he said next; “That suit is not of your father’s usual style of design.”

Adrien scoffed, straightening out his suit’s jacket and making the obsidian buttons glint. “Of course not. I’ve started my rebellious phase— or, well, I finally started being blatant enough about it that my father noticed anyway,” the way his lips curled was decidedly not very attractive, but painted a vivid picture of a son who despised the way he was treated. Adrien quickly wiped the distasteful expression away and replaced it with a camera-ready smile. “I’m wearing one of Marinette’s designs, much to his chagrin. She insisted on making this for me as soon as she heard that my father was planning on sending me in a white suit.”

Bruce quickly caught on, and sighed. How long would the gala go on for, again? He didn’t remember what time it was anymore. “Your friend Chloe already got a pretty clear warning in. I suppose you know as well?”

Adrien’s grin darkened with mischief, and he nodded all too happily. “Of course! Marinette told me almost as soon as she found out, a few years ago. You see, we had to put down a very solid rule about secrets between the two of us. She has a bad habit of trying to shoulder the entire world’s problems and not tell anyone about it, if you don’t pay close enough attention,” his voice was deceptively light but his eyes were hard, warning. “And let’s just say, I have a lot of experience with bad father figures. I can recognize them a mile away by now. The signs of neglect, of apathy,” his eyes suddenly lightened when he saw how Bruce’s throat visibly caught, how the man didn’t seem to realize he had stopped breathing. Maybe he was being a little to mean, Adrien thought. So he let the dark slip out of his eyes, and his smile turned more genuine. “You don’t have those signs. You looked at Marinette like you were both the happiest and most miserable man in the world at the same time. But you can’t change what you did to her, Mister Wayne. If you want some advice from Marinette’s oldest friend?” Adrien held out a closed fist.

Bruce took a second to realize what was happening, too busy trying to recover from his situational whiplash and wave of relief. Once he caught back up to the present, however, he held out his open palm and let Adrien drop something into his hand.

To his shock, it was a pen, engraved with the name he recognized as Marinette’s biological mother. He also recognized it as a popular model of pen-knife. He raised his eyes to Adrien, who winked.

“Marinette doesn’t know I had this made. And she has a lot of tricks that might surprise you, but what she wants more than anything is stability. If you try to give her that, show that you care and you want her safe— and then prove that you’re gonna stay— then maybe you can repair the damage you’ve done. It won’t be easy though, Mari is the single most stubborn person I’ve ever met. And I grew up with Chloe.”

Bruce closed his hand around the pen, swallowing a lump in his throat. He couldn’t quite figure out why, but Adrien’s faith in him and his help… somehow felt significant. He nodded to the young model.

“Not to worry, I have experience with stubborn,” he glanced back at his other kids with a small smirk. None of them were the least bit repentant. “And I do want to stay. Thank you for the advice.”

Adrien shrugged. “Don’t thank me. If you hurt her again, you’ll never see my revenge coming. It can be rather… catastrophic,” with that ominous threat, Adrien bowed dramatically and turned to leave and do some rounds charming the elites. Bruce tucked the pen in one of his hidden pockets, but stayed silent after that. He had a lot to mull over.

—*—*—*—*—*

Damian leaned on the railing of the balcony, looking out over the gardens behind the gala’s venue. He was glaring at nothing, and his hands trembled from where they gripped the rail. It was five minutes, a little longer than he had expected but not that odd considering everyone’s distraction over Marinette, before he heard the glass doors behind him creak open.

“Yo,” Jason greeted, knowing it was better not to catch the boy off guard. None of them were good with surprises anymore, for good reason. It was always best to announce their presence before they made someone react violently on accident. Damian’s shoulders relaxed a little— not a lot, but enough for Jason to notice. The older man sighed, walking up and leaning on the rail next to his little brother. “What’s on your mind, kid?”

“That could have been me,” he almost instantly blurted. It was still hard talking about his feelings, but certain things were easier with Todd. This was, apparently, one of them. “If Mother hadn’t kept me a secret.”

“I don’t think so,” Jason disagreed, shrugging. “There are several big differences here. For one, Marinette was born three years before you were. By the time you were born, he already had Dick and he would have only been a year, max, away from taking me in. Which means he already had built up his problem with taking in kids, and nothing would have gotten him to give up a chance at raising you. With or without Batman getting in the way.”

“But then why—” Damian growled. “Why did he give her up?”

“Because he’s an idiot,” Jason remarked bluntly. “You know how he is. He didn’t have a kid at the time. Hell, Bruce would have only been twenty-two back then. He only adopted Dick on impulse because Dick reminded him of himself, but before all of that shit? He probably made a million excuses about not being able to raise a baby and be Batman at the same time. About his life being too dangerous for a kid. Which, yes it is, but that clearly didn’t stop him later.”

“She’s older,” Damian muttered, this time softer.

“Yup.”

“Her mother wasn’t an assassin, probably. She designs. I hate to admit it, and you are never to repeat it to anybody, but her work that we’ve seen so far is impressive. She can clearly charm even the most stuck-up of gotham’s upper crust.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed neutrally, his eyes never leaving Damian.

“Father won’t need me. He already doesn’t have much patience—” Damian was cut off by a flick to the nose. “Hey!”

“Not my fault you’re being stupid,” Jason defended himself. “Look, B’s actually been real patient with you these past few years. I mean, when was the last time he yelled at you? Or told you that stupid ‘justice not vengeance’ line?”

Damian opened his mouth, then closed it. After another moment, he replied; “Almost two years.”

Jason nodded. “It might take him way too long, but he can still learn new tricks. Especially after that mess with Heretic, he’s been trying really hard to be better to you. He still screws up, because I think we all know by now that he’s a bigger mess than any of the rest of us and that’s an accomplishment, but he’s trying. He doesn’t keep you around because he needs you. He’s got plenty of us around if all he wanted was soldiers— though none of us would stick around if we thought that’s all he wanted.”

Damian flexed his jaw. He was still the most violent of the kids, besides Jason. He saw Bruce rubbing his forehead or pinching his nose far too often at some of his decisions or comments. He was stubborn, impatient, reckless.

But hadn’t Bruce himself told him on several occasions that he wasn’t trying to make him a perfect soldier? Hadn’t Bruce himself said that he just wanted Damian to grow into himself?

It was just really hard to swat away those stupid voices in Damian’s head. Voices of the past, mostly, old dialogue he had never actually forgotten. That he merely pretended had never affected him. The “you’re too violent”s, the “that’s not how we behave, Damian”s. All the old lectures, the old fights. They echoed like stupid little gremlins of doubt.

“...Marinette has his eyes.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over something like that,” Jason’s voice was soft, but gruff at the same time as he cuffed Damian over the head. “You didn’t choose to be born, idiot. And despite being a little demon, none of us would reverse it, You’ve saved all our skins at least once. And besides,” he nudged Damian a little with a grin. “You’re not half bad, nowadays.”

Damian chuckled. “That makes one of us.”

“Hey!”

@peterxwade24 @mizzy-pop @maskedpainter @ladybug-182 @khneltea @itsmeevie01 @fusser90 @woe-is-me0 @lolieg @moonlightstar64 @jayjayspixiepop

#maribat #platonic jasonette #platonic daminette #platonic brucinette #ml x dc #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #dc x miraculous #maribat fic

[letterboxd]

In Focus: The Mummy

Dominic Corry responds on behalf of Letterboxd to an impassioned plea to bump up the average rating of the 1999 version of The Mummy—and asks: where is the next great action adventure coming from?

We recently received the following email regarding the Stephen Sommers blockbuster The Mummy:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you on behalf of the nation, if not the entire globe, who frankly deserve better than this after months of suffering with the Covid pandemic.

I was recently made aware that the rating of The Mummy on your platform only stands at 3.3 stars out of five. … This, as I’m sure you’re aware, is simply unacceptable. The Mummy is, as a statement of fact, the greatest film ever made. It is simply fallacious that anyone should claim otherwise, or that the rating should fail to reflect this. This oversight cannot be allowed to stand.

I have my suspicions that this rating has been falsely allocated due to people with personal axes to grind against The Mummy, most likely other directors who are simply jealous that their own artistic oeuvres will never attain the zenith of perfection, nor indeed come close to approaching the quality or the cultural influence of The Mummy. There is, quite frankly, no other explanation. The Mummy is, objectively speaking, a five-star film (… I would argue that it in fact transcends the rating sytem used by us mere mortals). It would only be proper, as a matter of urgency, to remove all fake ratings (i.e. any ratings [below] five stars) and allow The Mummy’s rating to stand, as it should, at five stars, or perhaps to replace the rating altogether with a simple banner which reads “the greatest film of all time, objectively speaking”. I look forward to this grievous error being remedied.

Best, Anwen

Which of course: no, we would never do that. But the vigor Anwen expresses in her letter impressed us (we checked: she’s real, though is mostly a Letterboxd lurker due to a busy day-job in television production, “so finding time to watch anything that isn’t The Mummy is, frankly, impossible… not that there’s ever any need to watch anything else, of course.”).

So Letterboxd put me, Stephen Sommers fan, on the job of paying homage to the last great old-school action-adventure blockbuster, a film that straddles the end of one cinematic era and the beginning of the next one. And also to ask: where’s the next great action adventure coming from?

Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah in ‘The Mummy’ (1999).

When you delve into the Letterboxd reviews of The Mummy, it quickly becomes clear how widely beloved the film is, 3.3 average notwithstanding. Of more concern to the less youthful among us is how quaintly it is perceived, as if it harkens back to the dawn of cinema or something. “God, I miss good old-fashioned adventure movies,” bemoans Holly-Beth. “I have so many fond memories of watching this on TV with my family countless times growing up,” recalls Jess. “A childhood classic,” notes Simon.

As alarming as it is to see such wistful nostalgia for what was a cutting-edge, special-effects-laden contemporary popcorn hit, it has been twenty-one years since the film was released, so anyone currently in their early 30s would’ve encountered the film at just the right age for it to imprint deeply in their hearts. This has helped make it a Raiders of the Lost Ark for a specific Letterboxd demographic.

Sommers took plenty of inspiration from the Indiana Jones series for his take on The Mummy (the original 1932 film, also with a 3.3 average, is famously sedate), but for ten-year-olds in 1999, it may have been their only exposure to such pulpy derring-do. And when you consider that popcorn cinema would soon be taken over by interconnected on-screen universes populated by spandex-clad superheroes, the idea that The Mummy is an old-fashioned movie is easier to comprehend.

However, for all its throwbackiness, beholding The Mummy from the perspective of 2020 reveals it to have more to say about the future of cinema than the past. 1999 was a big year for movies, often considered one of the all-time best, but the legacy of The Mummy ties it most directly to two of that year’s other biggest hits: Star Wars: Episode One—The Phantom Menace and The Matrix. These three blockbusters represented a turning point for the biggest technological advancement to hit the cinematic art-form since the introduction of sound: computer-generated imagery, aka CGI. The technique had been widely used from 1989’s The Abyss onwards, and took significant leaps forward with movies such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Jurassic Park (1993) and Starship Troopers (1997), but the three 1999 films mentioned above signified a move into the era when blockbusters began to be defined by their CGI.

A year before The Mummy, Sommers had creatively utilised CGI in his criminally underrated sci-fi action thriller Deep Rising (another film that deserves a higher average Letterboxd rating, just sayin’), and he took this approach to the next level with The Mummy. While some of the CGI in The Mummy doesn’t hold up as well as the technopunk visuals presented in The Matrix, The Mummy showed how effective the technique could be in an historical setting—the expansiveness of ancient Egypt depicted in the movie is magnificent, and the iconic rendering of Imhotep’s face in the sand storm proved to be an enduringly creepy image. Not to mention those scuttling scarab beetles.

George Lucas wanted to test the boundaries of the technique with his insanely anticipated new Star Wars film after dipping his toe in the digital water with the special editions of the original trilogy. Beyond set expansions and environments, a bunch of big creatures and cool spaceships, his biggest gambit was Jar Jar Binks, a major character rendered entirely through CGI. And we all know how that turned out.

A CGI-enhanced Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep.

Sommers arguably presented a much more effective CGI character in the slowly regenerating resurrected Imhotep. Jar Jar’s design was “bigger” than the actor playing him on set, Ahmed Best. Which is to say, Jar Jar took up more space on screen than Best. But with the zombie-ish Imhotep, Sommers (ably assisted by Industrial Light & Magic, who also worked on the Star Wars films) used CGI to create negative space, an effect impossible to achieve with practical make-up—large parts of the character were missing. It was an indelible visual concept that has been recreated many times since, but Sommers pioneered its usage here, and it contributed greatly to the popcorn horror threat posed by the character.

Sommers, generally an unfairly overlooked master of fun popcorn spectacle (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is good, guys), deserves more credit for how he creatively utilized CGI to elevate the storytelling in The Mummy. But CGI isn’t the main reason the film works—it’s a spry, light-on-its-feet adventure that presents an iconic horror property in an entertaining and adventurous new light. And it happens to feature a ridiculously attractive cast all captured just as their pulchritudinous powers were peaking.

Meme-worthy: “My sexual orientation is the cast of ‘The Mummy’ (1999).”

A rising star at the time, Brendan Fraser was mostly known for comedic performances, and although he’d proven himself very capable with his shirt off in George of the Jungle (1997), he wasn’t necessarily at the top of anyone’s list for action-hero roles. But he is superlatively charming as dashing American adventurer Rick O’Connell. His fizzy chemistry with Weisz, playing the brilliant-but-clumsy Egyptologist Evie Carnahan, makes the film a legitimate romantic caper. The role proved to be a breakout for Weisz, then perhaps best known for playing opposite Keanu Reeves in the trouble-plagued action flop Chain Reaction, or for her supporting role in the Liv Tyler vehicle Stealing Beauty.

“90s Brendan Fraser is what Chris Pratt wishes he was,” argues Holly-Beth. “Please come back to us, Brendaddy. We need you.” begs Joshhh. “I’d like to thank Rachel Weisz for playing an integral role in my sexual awakening,” offers Sree.

Then there’s Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bey, a member of the Medjai, a sect dedicated to preventing Imhotep’s tomb from being discovered, and Patricia Velásquez as Anck-su-namun, Imhotep’s cursed lover. Both stupidly good-looking. Heck, Imhotep himself (South African Arnold Vosloo, coming across as Billy Zane’s more rugged brother), is one of the hottest horror villains in the history of cinema.

“Remember when studio movies were sexy?” laments Colin McLaughlin. We do Colin, we do.

Sommers directed a somewhat bloated sequel, The Mummy Returns, in 2001, which featured the cinematic debut of one Dwayne Johnson. His character got a spin-off movie the following year (The Scorpion King), which generated a bunch of DTV sequels of its own, and is now the subject of a Johnson-produced reboot. Brendan Fraser came back for a third film in 2008, the Rob Cohen-directed The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Weisz declined to participate, and was replaced by Maria Bello.

Despite all the follow-ups, and the enduring love for the first Sommers film, there has been a sadly significant dearth of movies along these lines in the two decades since it was released. The less said about 2017 reboot The Mummy (which was supposed to kick-off a new Universal Monster shared cinematic universe, and took a contemporary, action-heavy approach to the property), the better.

The Rock in ‘The Mummy Returns’ (2001).

For a long time, adventure films were Hollywood’s bread and butter, but they’re surprisingly thin on the ground these days. So it makes a certain amount of sense that nostalgia for the 1999 The Mummy continues to grow. You could argue that many of the superhero films that dominate multiplexes count as adventure movies, but nobody really sees them that way—they are their own genre.

There are, however, a couple of films on the horizon that could help bring back old-school cinematic adventure. One is the long-planned—and finally actually shot—adaptation of the Uncharted video-game franchise, starring Tom Holland. The games borrow a lot from the Indiana Jones films, and it’ll be interesting to see how much that manifests in the adaptation.

Then there’s Letterboxd favorite David Lowery’s forever-upcoming medieval adventure drama The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander (who herself recently rebooted another video-game icon, Lara Croft). Plus they are still threatening to make another Indiana Jones movie, even if it no longer looks like Steven Spielberg will direct it.

While these are all exciting projects—and notwithstanding the current crisis in the multiplexes—it can’t help but feel like we may never again get a movie quite like The Mummy, with its unlikely combination of eye-popping CGI, old-fashioned adventure tropes and a once-in-a-lifetime ensemble of overflowing hotness. Long may love for it reign on Letterboxd—let’s see if we can’t get that average rating up, the old fashioned way. For Anwen.

Related content

How I Letterboxd with The Mummy fan Eve (“The first film I went out and bought memorabilia for… it was a Mummy action figure that included canopic jars”)

The Mummy (Universal) Collection

Every film featuring the Mummy (not mummies in general)

Follow Dom on Letterboxd

#the mummy #brendan fraser #stephen sommers #action adventure #fantasy adventure #action adventure film #the green knight #david lowery #dominic corry #letterboxd

[ihni]

Harringrove Feedback Fest: Ihni recs FANVIDS/ANIMATIONS:

For the Harringrove Feedback Fest, it’s time for the awesomeness that is FANVIDS and ANIMATIONS.

- Steve’s having a bad day but at least he’s got a good boyfriend in this vid by @plistommy, and this one always makes me fucking cackle!

- @saberghatz is unfairly talented in all ways (art, writing, design - and video editing), and is responsible for this absolute gorgeousness where the boys run away together, and this, which you can show anyone who asks why we ship Harringrove ...

- The Neil scene with a Harringrove twist by @draculcid here is like straight out of a fanfic and I love it. They also did this, which is short and hilarious.

- This draft for an animation by @kyrosh is short and unfinished, but my heart skips a beat when I see it anyway because it’s so THEM and I fucking love it. My god. So beatiful.

- steve & billy | cringe by youtube user nedlovesyou is so well done, and hurts like a motherfucker to watch. It’s like watching a fanfic. I love it.

(INTERLUDE: the last vids have been Harringrove, and the following are more like character centric, but I have to rec them too because i love them dearly. So if you can stand non-Harringrove content, check below: )

- Billy Hargrove | Let You Down by youtube user KW is also on the painful side, but if you want feels, definitely give it a watch! (A bit more Billy centric than Harringrove though)

- billy hargrove | paint it black by youtube user xbreathofmadness is not technically Harringrove (or, like, at all), so it doesn’t really belong on this list, but listen. Listen. I can’t not rec it because it’s eerie and beautiful and my boy is suffering so much and I watched it while I was looking through my favorites to make this rec list and I’m hurting, and I need to share the pain! So. You’ll have to deal.

- Okay so if Billy got his own vid rec in the last one, let’s give Steve one too! Steve Harrington || Another One Bites the Dust by youtube user Grable424 (whose other work is also phenomenal, just saying) is fucking fantastic, and manages to sum up Steve’s character in a few minutes of well-edited video. One of my favorites, for sure.

- Okay so that last one there wasn’t very angsty - so let’s end on an angstier note! The absolute fantastic creation that is WORDS FAIL // billy hargrove animatic by youtube user parkerccino never fails to make me teary-eyed. A whole ass animated short video, made to hurt. I can’t do anything but love it.

That’s it for now! Go give these creators some love! More rec lists for other things can be found here.

#ihnirecsforthefeedbackfest #harringrove feedback fest #harringrove vid #fanvids

[daeliariddle]

In defense of Petra Ral.

I open a thread about a character unfairly treated as "overrated" by much of the fandom. A thread dedicated to my favorite SNK character, despite the years she's been dead. So here I will talk about Petra Ral. Yup, the thread is on my twitter.

So look, I'm not discrediting either one or the other. In SNK's history, there are countless amazing characters, and very good female characters. With great weight in the plot.

Devoted mothers. Strong women equal to 100 soldiers. Warriors skilled in combat. Funny women and also stealth women. Military leaders. Women with political influence. Queens. Goddesses.

But why Petra? If she was just a member of Levi's Squad and she died fast and was even a tertiary character. Precisely for these reasons. Notice that I will not be specific on the subject of chronology.

----------------

Petra is presented to us as a competent soldier, and one even comes to think that she is the one who takes command if Levi is not present. But Levi also tend to entrust Petra with less heavy missions (assistance to injured colleagues or messenger).

We see that she is able to cry in front of her captain over the death of a companion (an important detail in Levi's personality) and how he seeks her words and she can offer him comfort.

Later on we know who they are: The Special Operations Squad, the Levi Squad. They were soldiers chosen by the "Humanity's Strongest Soldier", remember. They were elite soldiers.

Petra seems to be the kindest and most understanding towards Eren. And a detail that many forget is that it is she, Petra, the first person to give us a spoiler about Levi's life, and that despite knowing his past and history, she admires and respects him.

While they rest and Petra has a rapprochement with Levi, Eren transforms. In the manga and anime her face changes. In the manga she seems shocked and scared, in the anime her face is more of anger and fear, like that of the other boys.

Unlike Erd, Gunther, and Oulo, she is more concerned with her Captain's safety. And she's the only one who gets a more direct answer. Then we have Eren and Levi's conversation. That many seem to forget.

Levi mentions that his Squad learned the hard way to toughen up and make quick decisions. And the most immediate decision was to finish off Eren who had transformed his arm, but that they still felt bad for Eren.

It is Petra the spokeswoman for Levi's Squad (even though Erd is second in command) and she apologizes for Eren, and then she is the first to bite her hand (something very symbolic) and ask him to trust them.

Even when everyone obeyed Levi's orders and followed him, scared and worried because they were "their mission." Petra is almost a "voice of reason" to Eren, asking that he not transform, but rather trust them.

I love the scene where they say that Petra and Oulo cried and peed, that shows a lot of their evolution, from first-time recruits or elite soldiers. And the shame of both is very comical. Also the temperamental side of Petra and Oulo, when they talk about the intentions of Erwin's plan. Petra and Oulo's friendship is hilarious .I hate the cheap device of hating Petra for how she is with Oulo. Petra is also honest and direct with Oulo, and she may look annoyed (but let's imagine your friend insists that you are "their wife"). Besides, surely Petra misses the "real Oulo". 

And when Gunther's death comes, she and the others feel like they are falling apart inside. Nobody talks about how, despite losing Gunther, Levi's Squad, with almost no information about the Female Titan, they could stop her, nobody? They communicated themselves without speaking.

And even Petra confronts her by yelling at her, yelling that she had no honor. That scene is powerful (after Gunther's death). And it shows a lot the character of Petra as a soldier, proud to be one. The scene of his death (although I am fed up with the PetraxTree) is sad and even shocking.

Moving on to when they go back inside the walls, and the scene of Mr. Ral with the letter, it's incredibly sad. Seeing a loving and smiling father waiting for a daughter who will never return and with so many expectations placed on her Captain. It hurts a lot.

We know these scenes are filler, but I love it. It shows the importance of Petra to her companions and how she is willing to defend them, even hitting her friend for her beliefs. And the Hangefans still hate her, really?

And the scene of Levi seeing her corpse? That will hurt a thousand more years.

In conclusion: Petra for me was one of the few characters who have died, and shown so many facets. She feel balanced without falling into exaggeration. She is not a marysue nor is she a flat character. I love her voice and her design. And even her own song is precious.

A shame that the fandom hated her for being a woman on a ship with Levi, and when you still love her character, always jumps an annoying fan with "this character is better, did more things, she is dead. She is overrated."

When we learn to respect the likes of others, we will be a better fandom. Here we will always have Petra as our favorite girl, not just as Levi's pairing. She is much more than that. Although we already have more clear her feelings for Levi.

And if you say things like "Y'all only talk about Petra, what about the other members?" Well then, give importance to them! Make fanarts and fanfics, talk about them!!

Another thing that bothers me. LH who misinterpret this scene in their "favor", Petra jealous? seriously? She has a face of latent concern and sadness, why would she be jealous of Hange, who received some nasty words from Levi? And no, the "Levi and Hange get along like this" doesn't matter here.

Make fanarts and fanfics, talk about them. That Petra was the "face" of the OG Levi Squad is because Isayama emphasized her, and it's not our fans or Petra's fault. When we learn to respect the likes of others, we will be a better fandom. Here we will always have Petra as our favorite girl, not just as Levi's pairing. She is much more than that. Although we already have more clear her feelings for Levi.

#PetraRal #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot

[whumperscorner]

Hello, my dear Rasko. I would like to order a bit of Pinned to the Wall for the bthb, thank you. 👀

Hello, my dear :3 Your whump is here as ordered

With Nyx, because I know you like him :>

BTHB #4- Pinned to the Wall

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Characters: Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius, Libertus Ostium

Whumpee: Nyx Ulric

Word count: 2775

Warnings: None

Can also be found on ao3

The plan had been very simple. In short: infiltrate the building, get the hostages out and defeat the bad guys. The usual. And admittedly the first two steps had gone pretty well, but if Nyx had learnt anything from being a glaive for as long as he had been it was that plans rarely went off without a hitch, even the simple ones. A small team of Nyx himself and a few others had entered the building undetected and assumed position to await further orders. They had been called to go in, which they did, and that was about when things had gone off the rails.

Nyx's eyes scanned through the chaos of the compact hall they were now in, and chaos really was the word for it. Glaives and members of the opposing group scuffling over each other in disarray. Different weapons shooting from every direction, fists and feet hammering against each other, and residual glimmer from warping still hanging in the air. Nyx cursed under his breath; this was a lot more difficult than it should be. It had gone so well up to this point too, the hostages were all evacuated now, but there were more members of the group than anticipated. Some had been disguised as hostages and some flat out hiding around the building. His team was outnumbered, which meant a change of plans. Ducking under a fist thrown his way, Nyx brought his hand up to the comm in his ear and it crackled to life.

"So how long did backup say?" He asked, voice breathy as he swiftly grabbed the arm of the man who'd punched at him and brought him down. He landed hard on the wooden floor as Crowe's voice sounded back over the comms.

"10- maybe 15 minutes?" She said, her voice also slightly strained from the fighting on her own end. "They want to bring these guys in for questioning, so keep them in this room."

Nyx hummed back in affirmation, swirling around in time to see Libertus a good few feet away felling one aggressor, and two more charging at him. Adrenaline rushed through Nyx's veins as he prepared himself, aiming his kukri above the moving crowds to ensure an uninterrupted warp. In one quick throw he was there, bracing himself and taking one of the assailants down with him as he landed. The guy's head smacked hard into the floor, and he stayed down. Libertus let out a bark of a laugh and brought the second one down himself with couple well placed punches.

"Never a dull day at work huh?" Nyx posed, to which Libs shook his head and chuckled a response. Though Nyx could barely even hear that, narrowly ducking as some blurred projectile whirred past their heads. The two exchanged smug grins and a quick handshake, before turning back to the task at hand and warping their separate ways through the mayhem.

Nyx made his way over to the leftmost side of the room, where one of the few exits were, thinking that if their current objective was to keep the group's members contained that would be the best place to be. And he was right. The area was swarmed and the amount of people there, both friend and foe, made it very hard for anyone to get a proper view of anything. Nyx held his own though, even as his breathing quickened and he was starting to get tired, probably bleeding from various cuts and scrapes as well. Having just finished dealing with one of the many foes Nyx turned, but didn't have time to react fully before someone else jumped forward and tackled him to the floor. The back of his head made contact with the hard surface and he groaned, slightly dazed, but gathered himself soon enough. Using the momentum from the person's tackle to roll back and kick them off overhead, Nyx was quick on his feet again. They just had to keep this going until backup arrived, and he was not going to let up before that.

"Oh, we've got a runner!" Libertus' voice sounded through the comms. "Nyx, he's headed your way."

Nyx swirled around to look and sure enough there was a large, burly man quickly making his way through the crowd, eyes fixed on the exit closer to Nyx. Without a second thought, and without acknowledging the aching of his body, Nyx began running. Ducking and evading fists and weapons as he did so. Someone else charged at him from straight ahead and blocked his way, but Nyx didn't stop, throwing the kukri in his right hand across the floor where he saw an opening. It slid along under multiple pairs of feet, some even jumping to avoid getting nicked by the blade, and Nyx warped after it. He landed only a few short feet away from the open exit, just in time to see the man running ahead down the narrow hallway outside of the room.

"Shit, I'm on it!"

"Nyx wait!" Crowe yelled for him through the comms. "Stay with the team, he's-" but the rest of what she had to say was cut off, and Nyx had already taken off down the hall.

His heart pounded in his chest as he ran, and he was getting a bit dizzy. Nyx cursed inwardly at that, maybe that last warp hadn't been such a good idea. He would need to wait a bit before the next one. Nyx caught a glimpse of the man up ahead right as he took a sharp left turn into another room, and he followed suit. It only took him a few seconds to enter the room after the man, and it took him even shorter to realize what a colossal mistake that had been. He saw it right as he crossed the threshold into the room. As if in slow motion, out of the corner of his eye, bouncing a few times on the floor as it rolled towards him. He realized on instinct what it was, and not being able to warp Nyx's eyes widened and he threw himself to the side. The hand grenade went off, and though Nyx had thrown himself as far away as he could in such little time the blast hit him almost head on.

He felt himself being flung through the air, then hit the floor hard. White hot pain shot out from his right shoulder on impact, and the kukris clattered out of his hands and across the floor. The force of the blast sent him rolling for another few meters until he came to an eventual stop. Nyx was breathing hard and coughed as he tried to gather himself. Shit, his shoulder really hurt when he moved, that was never good but especially not now. With considerable effort Nyx staggered to his feet, clutching the shoulder with his other hand. There was a ringing sound in his ears as he tried to steady himself, and it took him a moment to realize it wasn't just from the blast as Crowe's disjointed voice came through the now busted earpiece.

"Nyx! What… as… at?... yx-" then a head-splittingly loud ringing came from it, and with a low curse Nyx removed it and tossed it aside. It wouldn't be of any help to him now anyways, he decided.

He had just began searching along the floor for his kukris, when the man he had followed appeared out of the shadows by the door where he had been standing, and presumably where he had thrown the grenade from. Nyx's body tensed up, despite how much that hurt. Now looking at close range Nyx recognized the man's face from the mission briefing earlier in the day. He was one of the designated leaders of the organization they were fighting now, hostile to the Crown and reportedly a highly dangerous individual. Not to be engaged with alone if Nyx remembered correctly. Well, he thought somewhat bitterly to himself, bit late for that now.

The man approached slowly and carefully, and Nyx retreated in the same way, careful not to lose sight of the man or lose his footing. The he charged, and Nyx let out an involuntary gasp. He was fast, unfairly so, and Nyx's injuries would only hinder him if he tried to fight. So Nyx dove to the side, hissing in pain and trying to roll on landing to minimize any further damage. Then ensued something Nyx could only describe as a horrific kind of dance around the room. With the man on the offense, rushing at Nyx and attacking repeatedly and himself retreating, ducking and evading as fast as he could. Nyx would pride himself on managing to evade this man in particular for as long as he had but he was growing more and more tired, his injured shoulder was getting progressively worse, and at every turn his exit was blocked. There was no way he could keep this up in the long run. Then finally, Nyx thought he could see an opening. Cornered against the far-right wall of the room, Nyx readied himself again and ducked under and to the side of the man.

For one glorious moment he thought he had made it too, then something tugged harshly at his hair and he was yanked back. Nyx felt is back hit the wall behind him hard and let out a pained cry through grit teeth. A hand was quick to grab around his throat, and when Nyx instinctively pushed back against it, sharp dizzying pain shot out from his shoulder.

"As much as I've enjoyed our little cat and mouse game, I'm going to have to end it here glaive." The man started and tightened his grip on Nyx's throat until tears started prickling in the corners of his eyes and the edges of his vision grew blurry. Then something new came over his face and he loosened the grip just slightly. Something Nyx was grateful for as he coughed and wheezed in the grip. It looked almost like a flash of recognition or a realization of sorts had washed over the man's face, and his expression changed. It got somehow more dangerous. Like he had something planned, and Nyx did not like it. Then he spoke again, and his voice was lower, but no less dangerous. "Nyx Ulric. Of course it had to be you of all people giving me trouble, Hero of the Kingsglaive."

Those last words were almost spat at Nyx and his heart picked up its pace, but he was determined not to let that show. "Ah, so my reputation precedes me then!" he spluttered, putting on a defiant smile and somehow managing to sound way more playful and confident than he actually felt. In response the man put his other hand against Nyx's wounded shoulder threateningly, and before Nyx could protest or struggle hot glowing pain exploded down his side and arm. It radiated from his shoulder. Nyx's head jerked back. The smile dropped almost instantly from his face as he shut his eyes tight and groaned. He didn't open his eyes again until the pressure was let up, and the pain had calmed down to an uncomfortable warm throbbing. What met him then was a stone cold, calculated face, with the mouth twisted into a gross pretend-courteous smile.

"Pleasure." The man said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. Then, with seemingly no warning except the slightest twitch to his face the man clenched his free hand into a tight fist and let it collide violently with Nyx's stomach. Nyx's eyes went wide on impact, but he couldn't see, the pain and shock reverberating through him was blinding. Without Nyx even realizing what happened his knees gave out and buckled under him, but the hand around his throat didn't budge. It kept him upright and firmly pinned to the wall as he gasped for air that wouldn't come. His vision was getting blurry, with the man's facial features swirling together into an unclear blob of colour. He felt himself being shook slightly, then a sharp pain across his cheek.

"Oh no no, you don't get to pass out just yet Hero." Nyx heard the man speak as if under water. The voice seemed unclear and far away, and he scrunched up his nose in effort, trying to focus on what was going on. "I can still-"

Then something happened that caught the man's attention, and he stopped talking. The blob that was his head turned. Nyx followed suit and saw more blobs entering the room, blurred swabs of black pooling in from the door. Then multiple things started happening all at once, leaving Nyx no time to be relieved that backup was finally there. Noise exploded through the room. Voices yelled over each other. Nyx was let go of, and with the only thing holding him up now gone he slid unhindered down to the floor, where he stayed. Clutching his shoulder and heaving for breath. Then there were sounds of a fight, and something in the back of Nyx's tired mind told him to get up and join in, but his body wouldn't do what he wanted it to. So he winced and instead opted for trying to gather himself and blink away the blurry edges from his vision.

It worked somewhat, and when two of the blobs broke off from the main blob group's fight and rushed towards him it didn't take him too long to see who it was. And finally, finally Nyx let the tension in his body go, and sighed heavily as Crowe and Libertus reached his side. He offered them both a tired smile and an attempted laugh that was interrupted by a coughing fit.

"Let me look at you," Crowe said as she knelt down next to him, not wasting time waiting for his response before moving Nyx's own hand away from his shoulder and examining it herself. "How is it?"

"Bad." Nyx said, cringing slightly as her hands moved over the throbbing shoulder. "Dislocated maybe?"

"Oh definitely, we're going to have to set it properly before using any potions. Can you manage until then?" Came her answer. Nyx sighed, but nodded. Of course he knew she was right. Crowe kept going, moving on from the shoulder after noticing the blood filtered through Nyx's hair. "And the head?"

"Fuzzy." said Nyx, no point in hiding that. He was managing, but now that the adrenaline was disappearing ignoring the throbbing pain became near impossible. Crowe clicked her tongue and sat back a bit to look him in the eyes.

"Should be fine." She said dryly. The she kept going, deeming Nyx's physical state good enough for her to jab at him. "Now, what was that! The hell do you have to go get blown up for?"

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Nyx laughed back. He looked up at Libs, who had been watching from the side with a worried crease to his brows, seeking verbal protection of some sort. But his friend just snorted out a laugh and shook his head.

"Jackass." Crowe said, finally letting her expression soften a bit. "Medical team's just outside, can you stand?"

Nyx sucked in a sharp breath. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted his legs to carry him, but he did give it a valiant try. Though as soon as Nyx was standing upright the world started spinning around him and Libertus rushed forward to steady him. They stood still like that for another short moment while Nyx breathed heavily to gather himself before Libertus asked if he was ready to go, and he nodded.

"So what'd you do to make that guy so angry?" Libs asked as they slowly and carefully made their way froward. He gestured his head towards the centre of the room, where the rest of the glaives they'd entered with were working on taking down the man Nyx had fought.

"Well, you know me and my dashing charms." Was Nyx's answer. He sent Libertus a smug smile, to which Libertus groaned and rolled his eyes.

"In that case I'm surprised the worst you got was a dislocated shoulder." He shot back, and Nyx laughed. A genuine laugh despite all the aches of his body.

"Oh, screw you-" He began cheerfully, but another coughing fit interrupted him.

"No, screw both of you," Crowe chimed in. She huffed and shook her head. Though Nyx could swear there was a small smile on her face as she joined in supporting Nyx on his other side, careful not to further aggravate the injured shoulder.

#whump #bthb #bad things happen bingo #final fantasy xv #pinned to the wall #rasko's bthb #ffxv kingsglaive #ffxv whump #nyx ulric #nyx ulric whump #crowe altius #libertus ostium #my writing

[quentyl]

What does ATLA tell us about Ursa?

For context, originally this started as a response to an ask. I felt like I couldn’t answer properly without going over Ursa’s portrayal in the show first, ergo this very long post. I’ll answer the actual question later.

Ursa only appears in one episode of the show (not counting Azula’s hallucination), has about a dozen lines, and apart from that is mentioned just a very few times. That’s not much, but there’s still a lot we can infer from that limited screen time.

Without further ado, let’s talk about Ursa as a mother first:

In her first scene, she’s sitting with Zuko on the ground and feeding turtle-ducks, giving off an aura of tranquility, relaxation and effortless grace. Even contentment. This is how the show chose to introduce her to the viewer: as someone who can laugh with her kid, be affectionate, and enjoy a peaceful moment.

Of course, she’s not just affectionate and sweet in this scene, she’s also protective. She says it plainly: “Zuko, that's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies, they're gonna bite you back.” At that moment, she was just joking with Zuko, but it foreshadows what she’s going to do a few days later, when the Fire Lord himself tries to mess with her baby: she bites back like a true mother. Ozai said that she did “vicious, treasonous things” that night. She herself, just before her disappearance, basically admits to having done terrible things, and she can’t leave without telling Zuko why, she needs him to know: “Everything I've done, I've done to protect you.” It’s interesting to note the plural here (“vicious things”, “everything”). So, though we aren’t shown anything directly, the show still seems to insist on the fact that Ursa got her hands dirty to save Zuko, that she killed Azulon herself and actually might have had to do other unpleasant things to accomplish that. So in spite of the lightness that seems to emanate from her at first, there is a dark side to Ursa.

Wrt Azulon and Ursa’s personality, there is another moment that is telling: when Zuko fails his demonstration before the Fire Lord, she does not hesitate to go over to comfort him, acting as if they are alone in the room. As if the most powerful man in the world isn’t watching, as if this isn’t a formal audience, as if she isn’t wasting the time of the Fire Lord. She tells Zuko that she loved watching him, as if it wasn’t Azulon’s opinion that mattered. She just throws propriety and caution through the window, Zuko’s hurt feelings eclipsing everything else in her mind, and forgets to give a fuck about her lord’s opinion (or her husband’s for that matter).

Ursa is also presented as her children’s primary authority figure, the one who’s charged with watching over them, giving them news, and preparing them for surprise meetings. But more than just an authority figure, she’s presented as the main good influence in their life, the one who teaches them about right and wrong. She makes Zuko play with Azula because she thinks they should bond as siblings (from the way Azula manipulates her using this, we can assume it’s a point Ursa has stressed as important in the past). She teaches Zuko to see things from others’ point of views (the mom turtleduck), she admonishes Azula without losing patience when her daughter shows lack of consideration for her uncle’s life, she reprimands her more strongly when she’s being deliberately insolent.

To summarize the above points: Ursa in the flashbacks is (almost) portrayed as the ideal parent: gracious, affectionate, playful, comforting, fiercely protective, authoritative, respectable, and the person who provides moral guidance to her children.

Ok but what about “our mom liked Zuko more than me” and “my own mother thought I was a monster” and “even you fear me”? Well, first things first, these are Azula’s thoughts, years after her mother abandoned her in order to protect her brother. While we have to respect her feelings, they do not necessarily match who the real Ursa was and thought. In particular, I think the Ursa we saw in the flashbacks didn’t seem to think of her daughter as a monster, or to be afraid of her at all - or she wouldn’t have forced Zuko to play with her (she does wonder “what is wrong with that child” but that’s in reaction to Azula making a deliberately provocative and ominous comment: she’d been acting borderline treasonous and kinda worryingly obsessed with the succession). Personally, I think that it’s more likely Azula who sees herself as a monster, not Ursa, and she projected that unto her mother because Ursa was the one who taught her how to distinguish between right and wrong and she believes that her mother wouldn’t have approved of the person she chose (and keeps choosing) to be.

That said, Zuko absolutely may have been Ursa’s favorite (studies found that most parents have one). Zuko himself doesn’t argue the point with his sister, and Ursa’s character description on the old Avatar website supports this (Zuko is flat-out described as “her favorite child”). Note that this doesn’t necessarily translate into Azula being treated unfairly by her mother. All we know for sure is that 14 years old Azula feels her mother liked Zuko more and that this thought hurts her deeply (personally, I tend to think that it hurts Azula more as a teenager than as a child, because it ties into her teenage self's deep well of anxiety about being unlovable in general - a “monster”).

The rest under the cut.

Now that I’ve gone over how she was portrayed as a mother, I think it’s time to delve into her and her husband’s dynamic, and how it fits into her relationship with their kids:

(Disclaimer: note that Ozai and Ursa never interact during the flashbacks, so to know more about their relationship we have to read the subtext - and since it is subtext and not text, basically everything below is technically just my interpretation, and at best I can only argue that it is the most fitting interpretation.)

Let’s go back a moment to “What is wrong with that child?”: Ursa sounds genuinely puzzled here. But she shouldn’t be puzzled, she should be alarmed. “Fire Lord Azulon. Can't you just call him ‘Grandfather’? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon.” - this isn’t just Azula being insolent and stanning her dad, like her earlier comments. Ursa should have taken the second part, “someone will probably end up taking his place soon”, as a warning. But she doesn’t (at least not at that moment). She just silences Azula and doesn’t immediately think “oh shit my husband is planning something” or even “what kind of fuckery has my husband been discussing in our daughter’s earshot”. Instead her reaction shows that she is kinda clueless about what’s going on. She seems to think the issue is just Azula being a weird child, and doesn’t immediately link her words to Ozai. So what we can infer from that is that Ursa, before that day, wasn’t very... aware of Ozai’s ambitions. At best, she knew he’d like to be Fire Lord without realizing that he actually does intend to do something about it - sorta like just because you know someone is jealous of their sibling’s sport car you don’t suspect they’re gonna kill them to steal it. The idea of Ozai attempting to take the throne is just not on her mind like it is for us, the viewers, when we’re listening to Azula talk about how her dad’s glory days are coming.

Note that Ursa is not the only one who didn’t expect such a move from Ozai. Azulon is furious and surprised at Ozai’s impudent request.

This disconnect between Ozai’s ambitions and Ursa’s simple enjoyment of life is also shown through her relationship with his older brother: it’s clear from the little we see of them that Ursa and Iroh get along very well. Ursa seems very fond of him: she’s happy to read his letter, laughs at his joke, admonishes Azula for her callousness regarding him (“it would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn’t return”), and is genuinely heartbroken for him when she learns of Lu Ten’s death (”Iroh has lost his son”). These scenes are telling us that Ursa isn’t in on Ozai’s plans, and wouldn’t support him if she knew of them.

But Azula supports him, wholeheartedly. Azula wants her dad to be Fire Lord because clearly he deserves it. There’s something a little unsettling about the fact that Ozai’s little girl knows what’s in Ozai’s heart and what’s on his mind, his dark designs, but his own wife doesn’t. Was she spying on him (we see her do just that at least once) or did he just take her into his confidence (also very likely, it looks like they do spend time together without their other family members)? Whichever way she came by her information, it immediately creates a chasm between mother and daughter - because suddenly they’re not on the same side anymore, politically. And the worst thing is, Ursa isn’t even aware of that chasm - or at least, she doesn’t seem to understand its importance yet (even though Azula tries to tell her).

To go back to Ozai and Ursa, by the time of the flashbacks not only are they not on the same page politically, they’re also not aligned on the matter of parenting. Ursa admonishes Azula for words that could have come directly from Ozai’s mouth, were he honest. They also don’t react in the same way at all to Zuko’s fumblings: while Ursa is just sorry that he feels bad and is proud of his tenacity, Ozai is unhappy about him even attempting a demonstration. So however their arranged marriage started, they failed to become a unit on the two most important fronts of that contract.

But note that while Ursa makes a show of comforting Zuko, Ozai’s disapproval is actually subtle - the viewers see it because the camera makes a point to focus on it. I don’t think Ozai was full-on abusive toward Zuko yet at this point, when Ursa was still in the picture. Copy-pasting from a previous meta: “In these flashbacks, Zuko didn’t seem scared of his father yet. He wasn’t afraid to perform before him, to cry and lament his failures before him, or to be comforted by Ursa before him. He didn’t seem overly worried to have embarrassed him in front of Azulon himself. He wasn’t afraid to demand answers from him after Ursa’s disappearance.” So it is very possible that Ursa wasn’t very aware of the depth of his disdain for their son, just like she wasn’t very aware of how intensely (terribly) he desired his father’s throne. Before that fateful day, it seems Ozai kept the monster inside himself hidden.

So what happened between them the night of Ursa’s disappearance? One thing that is really important to note, I think, is that Ozai was ready for a takeover before Ursa decided to do anything. Not only does Azula basically spell it out before Ozai even makes his request to Azulon (he did not intend to wait patiently for his father to die of old age, he intended to replace him “soon”), we see after the fact that he has at least the head Fire sage in his pocket (“As was your dying wish you are now succeeded by your second son” - that was most certainly not Azulon’s dying wish). When telling the story to Zuko, Ozai rejects the whole thing on Ursa, saying she was the one to propose a plan - but the flashbacks imply he had one himself beforehand whether it involved her or not.

Ursa somehow found a way to get to Azulon in the middle of the night. How did she even have access to his chambers? Did she kill the guards too? Is she a secret ninja or did she somehow trick them?

Even though Ozai was in on Ursa’s plan (by his own admission), he still banished her for it. Now he didn’t do that to save face, since the official story is that Azulon died of natural causes (it’s actually less suspicious if his wife doesn’t disappear on the same day). It could be a weird thing like Ozai actually did feel some love/attachment for his father, or respect for his position as Fire Lord, and felt he was somehow duty-bound to punish her for his murder even if he himself incited her to commit it (maybe he let her do the dirty work so that he can still feel like he himself is clean?). Or he banished her to silence her or keep her from assassinating him next (the justification he gave in the comics).

But then, whatever his reasons for banishing her, the question becomes why didn’t he kill her instead? He did not spare her to avoid bad press or some form of retribution, since as far as the public eye is concerned him killing her and then making her body disappear would look exactly the same as what he eventually did. Ultimately, she’s much less of a hazard dead than alive somewhere out of his control. At the very least, he could have kept her prisoner. So, unless there’s some other variables we’re not aware of, I can think of two explanations. The first is that after she left Zuko’s room that night, Ozai did actually kill her (or attempted to and she somehow managed to escape) and just lied to Zuko during the Eclipse - though I’m not sure why he would lie in that particular context. The second explanation - brace yourselves! - is that Ozai let her go because back then he still had ~feelings~ and couldn’t quite bring himself to kill her.

Subtext does, in fact, support the idea that Ozai did once feel something for Ursa, whether this is the reason he spared her or not. In animation everything is a choice. The people who made Zuko Alone decided that on the morning of his triumph - his father’s death and his impending ascension to the throne - Ozai wasn’t celebrating or plotting. He was brooding while thinking of his wife, just standing still at a spot where we know she used to spend some time (she’s sitting there when she receives news of Lu Ten’s death). Even if he wasn’t sad, at the very least he was contemplating what he lost in order to get what he wanted. Which means that there was something to lose there, that he could have chosen another life, but did not. The writers could have elected to show him pretending to be mourning his late father, or plotting, or preparing for his coronation, or not to show him at all, but they didn’t. This is a characterization choice.

So I know this is controversial but I do believe Ozai chose power over love (the opposite of Aang in The Guru). It’s also hinted at via Zuko’s idyllic memories of his childhood - of their family vacations on Ember Island. At one point, Ozai was willing to devote some effort to being a husband and a father, enough to take his family to his summer house and give Zuko a few happy memories with his father - the memories that he desperately clings to years later.

It could also maybe tie back to “what is wrong with that child?” i.e. Ursa not immediately recognizing that her husband was the problem. Maybe Ursa was unable to see how far he’d fallen because she remembered the person he used to be at the beginning of their marriage, and maybe this is also why she accepted to leave her children in his power and didn’t even warn Zuko about him or anything. The last thing she ever says to Zuko before leaving forever is “no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are” - she might be telling her son not to turn out like his father, if she feels like Ozai forgot who he was. These are all just possibilities though.

So I think that’s about it: what I can infer from the show about Ursa’s relationship with her husband and children. Before I conclude this post though, I also want to talk a little about Ursa’s family before her marriage, because I find this fascinating:

Ursa supports the war effort. I don’t think you can find a joke about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground funny unless you’re fully on-board with the Fire Nation’s imperialism. The writers didn’t have to show us this tidbit - it’s irrelevant to the rest of the episode - but they made a point of including it. It becomes even more interesting after we learn that Ursa descends from Roku and that Zuko didn’t know it. You don’t just forget to mention to your kids that they’re the Avatar’s great-grandchildren - this information was deliberately kept a secret. So there can be several possibilities:

Ursa wasn’t raised by Roku’s family i.e. she was raised by her other parent’s family, or she grew up in an orphanage, or she was adopted by some other folks. In this case, she might not feel any connection to Roku, if she even knows he’s her grandfather (Iroh knew but I don’t think this means we can irrevocably assume Ursa did too).

Ursa was raised by her family to support the war in spite of Roku’s position: this means that either Roku’s entire family basically disowned him and sided with Sozin, at least in appearance, or the family was divided in two with only one part rebelling against the throne.

Ursa was raised to support Roku, but she made up her own mind and decided she didn’t like being taught to hate her nation and Sozin was right, in spite of her family’s opinion.

Whatever the case, Ursa eventually just disappeared and no one seems to have made a fuss. So she either didn’t have any family left at that point, or she did but they were so alienated that they didn’t care, or she did but they were too utterly powerless to even demand an explanation.

#ursa #azula #zuko #ozai #atla #the fire nation royals #azulon #roku #iroh #this is long even for me I think #if anon is reading this: #sorry for not replying to your ask #I felt I had to write down my thoughts on her show appearances first #also i'm late but yk real life #if anyone wants to discuss any of this i'm very open #idk if anyone has the energy to read this #there isn't even a particular point #mp

[linkspooky]

anon who asked abt kaguya-sama! who are your favorite characters and why?

For me, there’s a clear difference between a character I like and a fave. A character I like is a character I enjoy while I’m reading the series. A fave is someone I think about even when I’m not reading the series. I only have one fave for Kaguya-Sama and it’s this loser, Miyuki Shirogane

The entire premise that Kaguya-sama sells itself on is to introduce two characters who are regarded as “geniuses” who are at the top of their class, but are completely dysfunctional as human being. To the point where something so simple as asking each other out is an impossible task for both of them. It goes onto develop further and further on these characters, but for all of them the one that really struck me most is Shirogane. 

Because he’s not actually a genius at all. He’s just a normal person who works their ass off. In fact though I think his plotline makes you question what is regarded as “a genius” and what is regarded as “not a genius.” Especially since as we learn later on, it was his sister who was labeled the kid with potential in his family and not him. 

Miyuki is someone who was dismissed as the “worthless’ one in the family by his mother, and that shows in everything he does. When he’s not good at something right away, he crashes and burns. The only way he knows how to learn things is by studying hard until he breaks. This is something that is played off as a joke at first until we see what his room looks like. 

Usually being a “genius” of hard work is something that is a praiseworthy trait, but in Shirogane we see how unhealthy it is. How much the pressure to show off as a “genius” has completly ruined him. And like, we also later on learn that Shirogane is poor. That the only reason he got the help he needed is because he met that arbitrary label. Shirogane kind of works at how fucked the school system is, dividing kids into those with potential and those without, and unfairly distributing resources. Shirogane lives in perpetual poverty and has to destroy himself over and over again with studying in order to get into a rich kids school. Then there’s the fact that Shirogane could have been easily passed over, there’s the kids who don’t get any help at all. So, even killing himself studying like this, Shirogane is still one of the lucky ones. 

I think he’s just a really deep character that expresses a lot of problems with the education system. Education should be a human right and given equally to all, but not only do they create this arbitrary divide between kids so some kids get way more resources than others, but they usually just let kids with potential like Shirogane starve. Like, Shirogane has it bad but he could have had it way worse.He’s lucky he even got a chance. It’s rare a fictional story will go this deep to reflect such an unfair reality. Shirogane destroying himself studying, is still kind of privileged compared to other kids. However, Shirogane also reflects a basic truth that the education system completely refuses to admit. That kids who get “passed over” have lots of potential too. People would rather blame kids for being “dumb” or “not having potential”, rather than look at the system as a whole, individual responsibility is to blame rather than the whole system being wrong. Well, if they just studied harder they’d get in.

 However, instead of helping kids reach their potential, like Shirogane who wasn’t considered the smart one in his family was shown to be capable of so much when he applied himself, just like most kids are. Instead of trying to help educate these kids and find what they’re good at, most education systems are designed around letting these kids drop out and fall by the wayside to focus on a select chosen few. Then, so the few kids who are uplifted don’t question the system they’re told that they’re special. It’s an uneven distribution of resources when those resources could be used to help those most in need, like how many kids in the world are like Shirogane was? Poor kids that nobody is willing to give a chance? Kids who could be so smart and talented if people just gave them a litte more time to grow. The thing is the system shouldn’t be designed where if you come from a poor background you have a chance if you study your ass off like Shirogane, the people most in need should be getting the help they need. There’s a lot of help you can give to kids with education, it can be an uplifting things, and it’s just not being done. 

Anyway, Shirogane is a reflection of the broken education system as a whole and a really well written one, that shows how much it makes these kids feel “worthless.” Shirogane is just a walking inferiority complex who believes he can never be his real self around anyone, because he’s unworthy of that love unless he breaks himself to earn it. But the thing is even if Shirogane is a total loser, which he is. In order to be a spooky fave you have to be a loser. He still deserves a chance because he’s a kid, and because that’s what the education should do, helping kids instead of putting them down.

#Anonymous #spooky speaks #kgs meta #metasks