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ladyluscinia · 1 year

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Not going to put this directly on the long discussion chain that prompted it because it's somewhat topic adjacent at best and I have no intention of derailing a discussion of fandom racism, but - while reading some of the "Izzy critical" responses that @bromelads got - I did see mention of one thing that I have both passionate feelings about and a near constant desire to elaborate some oft ignored context for. So.

One of the things mentioned as a source of discomfort in fandom for "Izzy critical" poc was posts rejecting that Edward was growing or healing in 1x09 and 1x10, suggesting that it mostly serves to empathize with Izzy over Ed and to make Izzy's actions look better at the expense of Ed's character / softness. The same person who gave this example later agreed that there's some truth in the idea that Izzy crits' misinterpretation of Izzy fan meta has something to do with the (very baffling) perception that we all don't like Ed or think he's the simplified villain of Izzy's story or something, which I just want to a) appreciate for a second because I do actually adore Edward so much, and b) mention specifically because I think the whole Ed healing debate is a great example of that.

I'm not going to argue why I am staunchly in the "Ed wasn't healing" / "Kraken was inevitable" camp because I've done it before, but I do want to point out some related thoughts around that argument that I've picked up on each time it loops back around.

I feel like a lot of the people who strongly disagree with or get mad about that take frame it as though we are minimizing or rejecting the existence of Edward's softness entirely. It's like... Ok, so there is a distinct sequence of moments where Edward is displaying emotional vulnerability or a draw toward fine things that fans noticed, and then they interpreted the pink robe Ed's "healing" as all that starting to pay off in his character development (before being interrupted by an external obstacle: Izzy). A very straightforward A -> B. Only when I push back against B and say "hold on I don't see any healing in 1x10," then I feel like people hear me rejecting that all the moments of A meant anything at all. If I see the shadow of the Kraken as an internally motivated obstacle being built in earlier episodes, then I must think that's the dark and violent payoff, and the evidence of softness was a diversion or manipulation or just not going anywhere significant in character terms.

Which is very frustrating to me because Edward is a romcom protagonist.

Yes, this is very obvious to everyone. But it matters in this debate because protagonist status comes with very significant guarantees - namely, Edward is going to grow / heal / get his happy ending, etc. We've even got Stede's S1 arc (which remember is still unfinished too) as a good example of structure and focus on internalized character flaws framed by plot hurdles. There is no version of this story arc where Edward ends as the Kraken, and I have never seen anybody suggest he's not currently on a character arc toward growth and healing and a circle of true companions in Stede's crew who love him for who he is.

So when I or anyone else says he's not there yet, it's almost exclusively because we are arguing about where he is on this character arc in 1x10. Of course the appreciation for fancy clothes and slow mornings with overly sugared tea is going to pay off! Of course he's going to become friends with the crew (I'm rooting for Frenchie S2 bonding)! Of course he's going to get to beat back that self loathing he's carried since his dad! But people get defensive and angry like you are personally targeting them and declaring their blorbo an irredeemable asshole because you suggest character development major enough to drive a character driven show probably takes more than a few weeks of easygoing vacation to reach final form. That's not what I'm saying at all!

Interpretations upsetting or offending people even when written with a complete lack of malice is nothing new, but it really seems like making up a whole army of guys to get mad at for takes is happening more and more. (And I'll admit I'm probably getting more and more guilty of this myself as my understanding of what exactly people are arguing in different fandom city states gets more and more fractured. Meta builds off of meta, and if you randomly see one post by one blog you already disagree with, you might be missing a lot of context to clarify what they actually mean vs "of course that's the awful take you would have".)

#our flag means death #also since i am addressing a very specific style of accusation let me tack on a disclaimer #there are a lot of lists / vagues / rebuttal metas / etc. floating around by izzy crits that attribute izzy fans' 'problematic' takes #to not unpacking their racism / homophobia or whatever. all of which come up every time this discussion does #and plenty of those takes (like maybe this one?) izzy fans read and go 'are you kidding me? agree with my dumb take or you're racist???'#and then that can lead to annoyed 'well actually *your* interpretation has a bunch of racist / homophobic implications???'#(see the entire 'woobifying ed is racist' vs 'making ed violent is racist' debate)#so just for the record: fandom has problems but i *don't* think accusing wide swaths of meta of being driven by unconscious bigots helps #obviously no take is immune from criticism but unfortunate implications happen and all poc aren't a hive mind to pass judgement #i'm far more likely to assume an izzy crit's takes suck because they are boring and have bad taste than i am to figure racism into it #ofmd harassment #< technically #ofmd meta #blackbeard ofmd #edward teach #ofmd 1x10 #ladyluscinia

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ineffable-suffering · 5 months

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Good Omens hive mind, I have had an idea. But I need some help executing it. another lovely person already had it too!

The idea goes went as follows:

Don't ask how long I spent making this, thank you.

Initially, the point of this post was: Over the course of the last 100+ days, I have read a truly mind-boggling amount of incredible, clever, baffling and wonderful Good Omens posts, metas, theories and analyses. (And also written quite a few myself, though I really am very new to the whole meta business and just trying to have a silly ol' time on here.) And I wanted to collect them all in a, that's right, Suggestion Box.

But! Of course, as always, there‘s many-a more dedicated and brilliant minds at work that kindly beat me to it. :> Hit post a bit too quickly before doing my research! Mea culpa. @kayleefansposts has already done the enormous work of creating a collaborative Google Doc with the exact intentions I had.

Not that it needs me promoting it, but do go check it out if you find the time (it‘s on AO3 as well)!

I sure am excited to do so myself.

Love this fandom! Toodaloo!

#good omens #good omens season 2 #gos2 #good omens 2 #go2 #good omens meta #crowley #aziraphale #suggestion box #the nice and inaccurate suggestion box #i just love metas so damn much #and also im a freak for an organised google doc #please send me all your stuff!

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imthebadguyyy · 2 months

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Arms

pairing : sirius black x reader

fandom : marauders/hp

synopsis : sirius realizes there's no place that feels more like home than your arms.

warnings : self depreciating thoughts, insecurity

a/n : felt like wandering into the realm of the marauders! do let me know if you want more :) inspired mildly by francesca by Hozier

sirius sat with james, while remus and peter sat across from them, both pouring liberal amounts of gravy onto their plates. james was also digging into an obnoxiously large amount of roast potatoes and chicken, barely pausing for a breath as he scarfed down the food.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

the great hall was not buzzing with the sound of students chattering as it usually did, and the sound remained at the decibel of a small hive of bees, while the professors murmured softly at the grand table, the munch of the many treats laid on the table for the christmas eve dinner.

sirius himself didn't feel that hungry, fork half heartedly poking at the beans on his plate. his eyes roamed around the hall, taking in the tiny mass of people at the other tables, and at dumbledore pulling mice out of his purple witches hat - his christmas special.

that very morning, his owl had dropped off a rather nasty howler from his darling mother, once again choosing to call him a colourful variety of insults and ending with her usual "disgrace and traitor to the black boodline" bullshit, followed by a chorus of "mixing with mudbloods and muggles" that had him clenching his fists in frustration.

then, his father orion had also decided to grace him with a scathing letter he burned the moment he received, but not before catching the words "shame to my bloodline", which once again had him sighing and rubbing the sore spot on his temples.

he had ignored it initially, focusing instead on the beautiful hand knitted scarf, golden watch and basket of sweets and treats he had received from euphemia and fleamont, with a small engraved gryffindor lion at the back of the watch.

he had also received a leather jacket from you, and homemade strawberry pies that you had made with help from the elves in the kitchen, and a set of silver rings to go with his pre existing ones.

remus had gifted him a muggle record called rumors from a band called Fleetwood Mac, that you had freaked out over and told him you'd listen to together because they were your favourite band ever and you'd be damned if he discovered your favourites on the album without you.

james himself had bought him bundles full off tricks and games from hogsmeade, and a framed picture of the marauders, along with a small replica of his own quidditch jersey because, "everyone has to know you're my number one fan pads!"

even marlene had gifted him a bunch of chocolate frogs, and mary had got him a postcard from venezuela and chocolate because her parents were visiting. lily had sent him muggle posters of his favorite bands as well.

but despite the merriment, the niggling insecurity of not being enough played on his mind the whole time, creeping like a shadow, insecurity slithering through the corridors of his mind, casting doubts where there once was light.

his mind was spiralling, as he looked at his plate, gulping as a sudden lump appeared in his throat. james was reading a letter from his mum to remus and peter, telling him about their travels in egypt, and peters mum had sent sweets for them to share at dinner.

oh how he longed for a mom who would write him sweet letters and send him sugary treats instead of venom coated words and flame bursting letters, a father who would teach him how to tie his tie properly for class, or tell him tales of his childhood.

sirius longed for a family to love and hold him always. and the closest he had to that was you and james.

as his thoughts turned to you, he was distracted by a sudden crash as the doors were flung open, as you rushed in, followed by the two friends with whom you sang as part of the hogwarts band, your red robes flaring as you rushed to find your spot beside him at the table.

with a pant, you flung yourself down, taking heaving breaths to calm your racing heart.

"well hello little miss" james said through a mouthful of peas, making you scrunch your nose in disapproval. "where were ya?" remus asked, piling on food onto your plate before it changed course.

"i was at band practice! we just lost track of time and then had to rush because we were so hungry!" you exclaimed, while your hands reached for sirius' under the table, taking his cold palm in yours, squeezing it tenderly to get the blood flow back in them, bringing it up for a quick peck to the knuckles before interlacing his fingers with yours.

sirius felt his heart physically slow down as he watched you, laughing a joke remus made, poking fun at james and messing around with peter. he watched as you cut the roasted potatoes into smaller chunks, dipping them in extra butter as you popped them into your mouth, and the way your eyes sparkled when you smiled.

he watched the way your hair fell, little strands framing your face as you brushed them off impatiently, all while leaning forward for a slice of a chocolate tart and icecream that had just appeared.

he watched as you put a slice of apple pie on his plate, topping it with a healthy dollop of cream, and passing it to him with a saccharine sweet smile and a murmur of "your favourite siri!" and he felt his heart flutter again.

what he didn't note was the crease in your eyebrow as you looked at your friend, the darl circles under his eyes, the slight stoop to his posture, the way his smile came out forced, lips pressed tight together with none of his gorgeous smile lines appearing around his eyes and lips.

he failed to note the way you drew a sharp breath when you felt the rough skin of his palms, coarse from all the times he dug his nails into the delicate skin to control the rage and hurt he felt at his family. the way your eyes softened as you looked at him, the way his lack of obnoxiously lewd jokes and quick wit made him look so vulnerable that it shattered your heart into a million pieces.

after the crackers were pulled and you had packed up a "grow your own warts" kit and many a butterbeer flavoured candy and a few white mice, he squeezed your hand again, gesturing towards the gryffindor common room, leaving the boys chatting with a few members of the ravenclaw quidditch team who had stayed back for christmas as well.

murmuring the password to the fat lady, you stumbled into the common room with sirius, who had his arm wrapped tightly around your waist. you sunk into your favourite armchair, and giggled when sirius fell into you with a muffled "thump"

even though you were 'just friends', you knew him better than anyone else and he knew it as well as you did.

the cozy red armchair with its plush cushioning looked as inviting as ever as he settled into it, legs haphazardly tossed over yours. affection was a major part of your relationship with sirius, having become fast friends since the first year at hogwarts.

ever since you were joint at the hip, bonding over a shared love of music, shared comfort in silence, shared trauma and a love for leather. you were as much a part of the marauders as any of the other boys, and sirius couldn't quite point to the time when you had become such fast friends.

he buried his head into the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply, absorbing the lilting notes of vanilla and shea, and fiddling with the loose strands of hair at the base of your neck. you hummed softly, some melody that had been playing on your mind, hands gently running through his dark locks, nails scratching softly at his scalp.

"you okay?" you asked, noting the tenseness of his shoulder muscles, and the still present frown between his eyebrows.

a non commital shrug was the only response.

worry began to seep into your mind, surprised at how your usually bubbly bestfriend was decidedly unbubbly.

"you don't seem okay babe" you stated, lifting his chin so he was looking at you.

his stormy gray eyes reflected doubt and insecurity dancing like lightning, casting shadows of uncertainty that loomed deep in his mind.

to your surprise, tears welled up in his eyes, mirroring raindrops, poignant with a tempest of emotions swirling within, creating a tumultuous scene of vulnerability and insecurity.

"oh sweetheart.." you cooed softly, shuffling so he was engulfed in your arms. you felt him bury his face deeper into your neck, clinging to you desperately as if he was worried you'd disappear into thin air.

"talk to me honey" you whispered, trying to coax him out of his hiding place.

just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the common room swung open and remus james and peter trooped in, followed by a few other gryffindors.

they stopped short, taking in the scene before them, their best mate in tears in the arms of the girl he loved who happened to be his best friend.

"mate are you-" james began, only to be cut off by a glare from remus.

"who don't you go up to our dorm y/n? I'll make sure no one goes up" remus said, staring at your pointedly, offering a soft smile to you when you nodded.

"i think we'll take you up on the offer, is that okay with you siri?" you asked, still softly stroking his hair.

he nodded against you, and followed you silently as you took his hand in yours and draped an arm around his torso, pressing a kiss to his temple as you led him up the winding staircase to the boys dormitory.

as soon as you were inside, you led him over to his bed, gently pushing him down so he was sitting, eyes looking unseeingly at the posters and polaroids that graced his headboard.

with worried eyes, you watched his gaze flicker back and forth, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.

"talk to me siri, im right here" you cooed, kneeling down in front of him, hands resting on his knees, drawing tiny circles with your pinky over the material of his robes.

"are you here with me love?" you asked, watching the black in his pupils darken as he spaced out. you watched as he jolted a little, looking at you almost alarmed, before the tears began to drip down his cheeks.

the first drop had you sprinting into his arms, wrapping your own tightly around him, kicking your shoes off as you squeezed him tight, knees resting in between his own, as he sobbed into your chest.

you'd seen him cry before, but never like this. broken sobs spilled from his salty lips, dampening the material of your robes, and small choked sounds escaped his lips, along with deep strangled breaths as he gripped your waist to keep himself grounded.

he cried for what seemed like hours while you whispered sweet reassurances to him, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his forehead and his hands, placing his hand on your chest to feel the steady beating of your heart.

"m' right here darling, let it all go, I've got you, i promise, I'll be right here to hold you honey" you whispered to him, rocking him back and forth like a child.

sirius gripped you even tighter, clinging to you as if you were his lifeline.

eventually, his sobs slowed,and he pulled back, eyes red and swollen and face glistening with tears. even when his hair was messy and he looked like a wreck, he looked ethereal.

"oh my beautiful boy" you said, kissing the top of his head. "tell me what you need" you said, interlacing your hands.

"you, just need you" he said, and the way his broke on the word 'you' shattered your heart into a million pieces.

"just give me one second darling, okay?" you said, walking into their bathroom and taking out a clean handkerchief from your pocket. you soaked it in some water, bringing it back to him, gently wiping his eyes and then his face with it, leaving kisses on every spot you cleaned for him, before taking a comb from his nightstand and slowly untangling the mess that his hair was.

sirius watched as you combed his hair, eyebrows furrowed in attention, and he swore his heart fell even more for you.

"d'ya think you can tell me what's wrong sugar?" you asked, biting you lip when he flashed you a smile at the nickname.

"yeah" he nodded, tugging you down so you were cuddled into his side. "oh wait!" you exclaimed, fishing some chocolate out your pocket and offering a piece.

he took it with a smile, letting it melt on his tongue as he looked at you.

you were now snuggled into his shoulder, your ankle intertwined with his as you lay across from him, hand gently holding his, as his other hand traced patterns on your hip.

"darling mother of mine sent me a howler this morning for a christmas present" he said with a dry chuckle.

"did she now?" you said, anger simmering deep in your bones. "yeah, and then sperm donator sent me a lovely letter as well" he said, chuckling a little at his own nickname for his father.

"mmhmm" you said, tracing his thumb.

"yeah, jus' caught me off guard" he mumbled

"you do know that whatever they say is not true, right?" you asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"yeah but- fuck, darling, it gets hard sometimes. sometimes I feel like I am a traitor and failure. sometimes i feel like I'm not worthy of being a human, I'm not worthy of being a friend, I'm not worthy of being loved i-" he broke off, looking at the ceiling.

"you are more than just a name, sirius. you are worthy of being loved. you are worthy of being human, and you are worthy enough to have friends who care about you" you said firmly, forcing him to look back at you.

"it just hurts me sometimes" he admitted

"i know sweetheart" you cooed again. you felt like no words you said were enough when it came to this topic.

"am i really worthy of being loved?" he asked suddenly, turning his face to look at you.

"of course" you said. the silence got louder for a moment. "siri?" you asked, voice lighter than honeycomb.

"theres something Ive been wanting to tell you" he got out in a rush. "ever since we met on the train on our way here, from the tender age of eleven, my heart silently declared its allegiance to you. each passing day has been a testament to a love that started as a whisper and has grown into a resounding echo in my soul. darling, with every sunrise and every moonlit night, my affection for you deepens, as if there's an infinite well within me, filling with the boundless affection i hold for you. you are the constant melody in the symphony of my existence, and i fall harder for you with each beat of my heart" he said, turning to look at you.

you felt tears welling in your own eyes, and it only felt right when you leaned forward, pressing your soft lips to his slightly chapped ones.

to him, you tasted of strawberries and cocoa, warm and sweet and oh so extravagant, a taste so luxurious he couldn't get enough of it.

to you, he tasted of cigarette smoke, mint and cocoa, an intoxicating taste you couldn't get enough of

his lips pressed deeper against yours, hand grasping your waist tightly, pulling you flush against him, as he poured all his love and passion out for you.

time stopped, the world slowed and your heartbeat dropped to the lowest of lows. relaxed. calm. loved.

finally, when your lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, you drew away, chests heaving as you looked at each other.

a slight flush lay on his cheeks, tinges of red littering his cheekbones. you could feel a heat thrumming in your own cheeks, and your heart felt like it was racing a million miles an hour.

"i don't know how long I've waited to say that to you" he breathed out, nuzzling his nose to yours.

"since our shared days at eleven, my heart has been a clandestine haven for the enchantment you brought into my life. you don't know how happy you made me with this. in the quiet dance of our days, my affection for you has blossomed into a resplendent garden, and with every sunrise, I find myself immersed deeper in the captivating allure of our love. you are the symphony that resonates in my heart, and i cherish you always" you told him, pressing a kiss to the swell of his cheekbone.

sirius felt his cheeks burn a deep red, and he tilted your lips up to press a searing kiss to them again.

"i love you" he gasped against your lips, drawing you closer to him.

"i love you too" you murmured against his lips moulding your body to him.

and as sirius lay there in your arms, pressing kisses as sweer and delicate as spun sugar against every part of your body but especially your lips, he realised there was no other place that felt more like home than your arms.

you.

you were his home.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n : I've missed writing so much!! i really hope you enjoy this, and as always likes reblogs comments opinions etc are appreciated!! sending u all love and happiness and remember, my inbox is always open and i love making new friends!! marauders is a new field for me but if u have any reqs/ideas please do send in asks! happy reading ☺️♥️

TAGS

general : @roslastyles420 @hopeful in love @bluesongbird

TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST SEND ME AN ASK OR A DM SPECIFYING WHICH FANDOM ❤️

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inkblackorchid · 1 month

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What the hell happened with Crow: an autopsy (Part 3)

Trying my absolute damnedest to finish this one and part four sooner now that I've finally covered the Pearson backstory. *Ehem* Hello again! I hope you're ready for more yelling about a certain spiky-haired Blackbird aficionado, because I sure am.

To get some things out of the way first, though, here come the usual disclaimers:

This is part three of a series of posts about hpw Crow's character was handled during 5Ds' whole run. You can find part one here and part two here. Reading them technically isn't required, but things sure will make a whole lot more sense if you do. (Bring snacks, they're long.)

This post isn't meant as a Crow hate post, nor is it meant to convince people who didn't vibe with his character to change their mind. This is my very long winded-attempt to analyse the writing decisions surrounding his character as best I can, without too much bias. That said, full disclosure, I do personally like Crow, so there's a good chance that will shine through whether I want it to or not. But also, I'm trying to have fun here, so please cut me some slack.

In case you haven't read my previous Crow posts (no shade there) and/or still believe the many, many production rumours that have been haunting the 5Ds fandom since the show's original run, please let me burst your bubble(s) with some insanely comprehensive research by someone over on Reddit (thanks again to @mbg159, who's also here on tumblr): No, Crow was not meant to be a dark signer, or the final boss of season 1, and his spike in screentime has nothing to do with his cards. And also, No, Aki didn't get less presence in the narrative because her VA got pregnant. What if you don't have the time to read either of those long posts? In that case, please take away this simple, very easy rebuttal of why the above theories are bullshit: Their would-be "key points" don't line up with the 5Ds production timeline. At all. Not even vaguely. So please, ditch them, let them die, seeing them still talked about makes me feel like I'm gonna break out in hives. And for the love of god, don't use this post or in fact anything else I post to pit Aki and Crow against each other. Both characters have their strengths and their reasons to love them. I am not the least bit interested in starting any character discourse. So please, spare my sanity. Ok? Thank you.

And now, we can get to the good part at last. In my previous post in this series, I stopped my analysis at episode 95, a.k.a. part two of the Pearson backstory. In this post, I will thus be picking up right after, at the very start of the WRGP—with the Team Unicorn match. The goal for this post is to analyse Crow's part in this particular arc, then provide some food for thought/ideas on how things that rubbed some people the wrong way could have been improved.

More below the readmore, and I give you not just my usual warning, but an extra warning, too: The universe will not let me write short things, so tread with caution, stay hydrated, and expect a veritable dissertation below, because this post feels long even to me, who has long since lost her sense of length when it comes to text. (But I'm well aware this is the result of me refusing to split the WRGP part into two separate posts, so I take full responsibility for that.)

Since we left off right after I chewed through all the issues with Crow's rather belated backstory and especially Black-Winged Dragon last time, we jump right into the thick of things now, with episodes 96 and 97, which serve as the preamble to Team 5Ds' first WRGP duel against Team Unicorn. Crow only gets two major things to do during this short stretch of episodes, the first being that he's Team Unicorn's gateway into roping Yusei into a duel during practice, which helps them set up a ruse that baits the 5Ds gang into sending Jack as their first wheeler because they think Jack's deck is best suited to countering Andre's—which, as it later turns out, it is not.

(Arguably the screenshot where Crow gives off the strongest Youngest Sibling Vibes during the entire show. Look at him, all chastised.)

Crow's second role is an odd one that I argue only he out of the main three guys could fulfill at this point: He's the one to get injured right before the Team Unicorn match, rendering him unable to compete, which leads to Aki offering to take his place for that particular match.

(Pictured: Bird Boy regretting all his life choices up until that point simultaneously.)

Here's the first moment I have to talk about in greater detail. See, the thing is, I don't know what the fandom consensus on Crow getting injured here is, but I argue that this moment was a (rare) strategic decision made by the writers at this point. Crow's injury accomplished several things: 1. It sets up the mystery of why his back wheel locked up out of nowhere, which is later paid off through Team Catastrophe's shenanigans. 2. It organically allows Aki to take his spot without introducing any argument about which of them is "worthier" of having that third spot. 3. Through this, it also allows him to actually bounce off Aki for once (a point I will come back to below, during the Team Catastrophe section). And 4. It allows the show to (TECHNICALLY) pay off the setup they did in letting Aki get her turbo duelling license and train with the boys. (Generally, Crow's and Aki's character writing intersects a bit during the pre-Diablo incident WRGP section, something I'll touch on below.)

Moreover, I think this is also the only match where they could have done something like this, and the reason for it is very simple: Team Unicorn are one-off opponents whose presence in the narrative is only relevant as far as it concerns the WRGP, and they are also one of the first teams the 5Ds gang faces. If we think about the opponents Team 5Ds has after this, it becomes very obvious why Crow could only be injured during this duel: If they had tried pulling this stunt later, it would have forced the writers to pull Aki centre stage during a much more plot-relevant duel than this one (which they were apparently allergic to, but let's not go there), not to speak of the fact that it would have forced them to sideline someone they were definitely trying to sell as the third portion of their protagonist trifecta, which would have probably been awkward. (If not for the fact that they literally did this to Crow later in the show, but I'll get there. Yes, I know there's a lot already that I'll still be "getting to".)

The thing is, whether or not it feels like an awkward writing choice to make so early in the big tournament of this arc (you be the judge of that), Crow's injury finally allows him to have a few interesting character moments for once. For one, there is his immediate disappointment about being forced to stay on the sidelines. Aside from the fact that this is a human and relatable reaction to his injury, it stings even more for the character than it does for us as the audience, because Crow got a moment where the Satellite orphans he previously took care of cheer him on for the tournament literally within the same two Team Unicorn preamble episodes.

(Say what you will, this is just stupid cute.)

So when Aki eventually offers to take his place during the match, he's understandably apprehensive—and again, this is human. It may seem mean in the moment, but from a character writing standpoint, it's a natural response. Plus, it's certainly more interesting to watch the group have a bit of conflict among themselves, rather than everyone immediately jumping straight to acceptance. It introduces tension, and, for however brief a moment, raises the question of whether Crow might refuse to let Aki take his spot. This is also the point where Aki and Crow's character writing officially intertwines, at least for the stretch of episodes between the Team Unicorn duel and the Team Catastrophe duel. And you know what? Say what you will, but I think it does a world of good for both of them. The 5Ds cast, as lovely as it is, doesn't get a lot of room to bounce off one another where it concerns personal matters anymore, once the WRGP starts. Arguably, they get little time to bounce off one another outside of plot-related discussions at all once this portion of the show comes around. The characters are treated as "fully developed", and thus, the writing largely doesn't take the time to show us how the group naturally interacts with one another anymore, especially not with how many side characters (chiefly Bruno and Sherry), antagonists, and duels the show now has to juggle. So Aki and Crow getting even a smidgen of personal conflict here is honestly a breath of fresh air. The interaction kicked off by Crow's injury isn't completely plot-irrelevant, like most character interactions during the pre-WRGP were, but it's not something that feels like it's only there to explain the machinations of the antagonists to the audience, either.

Let me go through this in a little more detail to illustrate my point.

So, episode 97. Crow storms off after Aki offers to take his spot, while Aki heads out to prepare her runner, intent on helping her team. The personal motivations here are already very nice and reflective of these characters as we've gotten to know them up until this point: Crow's angry and disappointed (mostly at himself, which is noteworthy!) because he can't compete. And specifically, he's angry because not being able to compete in the first match means he can't show the kids his duelling like he wanted to. Then there's Aki, whose offer to take Crow's place is every bit as much of a strategic suggestion as it is a bid for acceptance from her. Acceptance, which is the thing she's been all about ever since she was introduced, basically. So she pleads with her friends to accept her, see her as an equal, and allow her to duel for the team, which they do. And Crow initially throws a fit, but then...

(Listen. You have no idea how much Crow and Aki getting to actually be friends means to me.)

He comes around to the idea and not only gives Aki his express permission to take his spot, he even coaches her a bit right before the match. Moreover, as his text states above, he literally entrusts her with the kids' hopes, as well as his own. This quickly brings both of them full circle: Crow, who already has a theme of legacy attached to him, passes the torch to Aki for this match, and in so doing, offers her the acceptance she asked her teammates for. (Frankly, stuff like this makes me wonder why on earth people were so eager to pit these two against each other, when their shared moments are actually some of the best-written during the often rocky WRGP arc.) So, though this injury pulls Crow out of the duel, it, funnily enough, ties him better into the story and to the other characters.

From there, we then dive into the Team Unicorn match proper. And well, being injured as he is, Crow doesn't exactly get a whole lot to do there. However, since we're in the portion where his and Aki's writing overlaps a bit, I do need to go on a quick tangent about what Aki's portion of this duel means for Crow.

(Sigh. Okay, buckle up for a quick and rough detour.)

First, something I need to get out of the way and off my chest: I have made no secret out of the fact that I hate Aki's portion of this duel, save for the moment where she summons Stardust. Hell, this duel segment is pretty much universally hated by anone who has even a smidgen of sympathy for Aki. It's regarded by many as the very moment the writers axed Aki's character, and for good reason: After all the buildup surrounding her getting her turbo duelling license, the supposed "payoff" of it all is that she gets to duel against Andre for a depressing four turns before being defeated immediately, which leads into Yusei's frustrating portion of this duel, which, to my knowledge, isn't regarded any more kindly by fans than Aki's segment. It's a massive let-down, simply put. But the thing is, it's not just a let-down for Aki. After all, the brief character conflict she had with Crow about taking his spot here can and should be regarded as part of the setup for this moment, and as such, it can also be considered to be wasted the second Aki leaves the track after barely making an impact whatsoever.

However, I do need to mention that I have a theory on why this segment was handled the way it was, mostly because I feel like Crow's later interaction with Aki, shortly after she's out of the duel, underlines it (mind that this is just my personal theory, though, after having watched the show perhaps more times than can be considered sane): I think there is a cultural aspect to this duel. See, the word ganbaru, which anime subtitles often like to translate with "do your best" or something along the lines, has a greater significance than the translation implies. Though it's not inaccurate per se, there's more than just the idea of doing your best behind ganbaru, because it's something like an umbrella term not just for doing your best and succeeding, it's also the idea that you have to keep trying, even if you don't succeed. It's related to tenacity, to persistence, even in the face of terrible odds. And make no mistake, I don't mean the Japanese equivalent of "if at first you don't succeed, try again" here. I genuinely do mean "you have to keep trying, even if you fail". There is no guarantee of success here. And for that reason, the idea behind ganbaru is also that it's not simply the success that has value, but the effort made in the attempt to attain it, regardless of the result. (Side note: I tried to scrounge up a resource I could link to that nicely explains this concept, but unfortunately, all the promising articles were paywalled and the ones I learned it from require institutional access to lecture materials.) And this is where I will posit the tentative theory that this is exactly what the 5Ds writers were going for with Aki's segment of the duel—it was very much meant to be the payoff for her turbo duelling license setup and her plea to take Crow's place, but it wasn't so much her success that was meant to be valued, as the effort she (and by extension, Crow) made for and during this duel. And this is where Crow's little pep-talk with Aki after she's out of the duel comes in, because it feels like it supports exactly this interpretation:

(This is essentially the whole sequence. Note how Crow, despite so fervently entrusting Aki with his and his kids' hopes prior, doesn't admonish her for making a bad showing in the slightest.)

I don't think it gets any clearer than it is here. During this sequence, Aki is painfully aware of how poor her performance was against Andre, especially after she was so insistent on duelling at first, and despite having been entrusted with Stardust by Yusei, to boot. Yet, Crow doesn't have a single word of criticism to offer her. Instead, he even tells her she did well and that nobody's perfect. It very much reads as valuing Aki's effort over the result she achieved to me, and thus seems perfectly in line with the idea behind ganbaru.

However, if we assume I'm correct about the intentions behind this writing choice, we come back to why Aki's segment of the duel is so hotly debated and why it may have arguably been a disservice not just to her, but to Crow, too, character-wise. Because the majority of non-Japanese watchers of the show culturally don't have a 1:1 applicable concept like ganbaru, this writing choice was more likely to fall flat for them, because to someone who wasn't raised to understand the idea behind it, Aki's portion of the duel doesn't register as a payoff; it registers as a massive disappointment, because it feels like the writers, who had so much setup already done for her, let her fail on purpose, just to later let Yusei attain his arguably dumbest victory of the entire show. Thus, they also essentially waste the conflict she had with Crow about whether she would be allowed to take his spot in the first place, because with how little she achieved during the duel, she may as well not have gotten on the track. (Figuratively speaking. Please Do Not take this to mean I would prefer a version where Aki hadn't duelled at all. That would be worse. It would be infinitely worse.)

(Also, side note: If this post reaches anyone who's actually Japanese and still remembers this duel, I would genuinely love your input on whether my interpretation is feasible or just wishful thinking. Did you interpret Aki's part of the duel the way I did here? Or did it fall flat for you, too? If what I'm saying here feels like an absolute reach, please tell me. I'm honestly just trying my best to make things make sense here and remembered this concept from some classes I took in Japanese studies at uni.)

With all that in mind, it doesn't come as a surprise that some people were just as frustrated with the way Crow was barred from duelling here as they were with Aki's segment or Yusei's later victory. But it is what it is—the Unicorn duel concludes the way we all know it to, and with that, the show begins setting up the following duel with Team Catastrophe.

The only other, non duel-related, noteworthy thing that happens between the Unicorn and the Catastrophe match is a brief appearance at the Poppo Time by Sherry, who admonishes the signers for celebrating their victory early and warns them about Iliaster. Why do I bring this up? Because it's one of less than five times that Crow is in the same room with Sherry. Remember, Sherry. The girl he later, during the finale, talks out of working for the big bad evil guy because he suddenly seems to have such a deep understanding of her motivations and character that he can accurately deduce what argument will make her understand that working with Z-ONE won't give her what she's looking for. So, does Crow get a meaningful interaction with her during this scene, then? Nope. Not even in the slightest. Crow says exactly one sentence that is aimed at Sherry during her appearance, and that sentence is this:

(What a meaningful conversation!)

And yes, I will come back to Crow and Sherry's dynamic in particular. But we'll save that for the Ark Cradle arc post. For now, just keep it in mind as we move along to the other WRGP duels.

So. Team Catasrophe.

During the duel against this team, which was previously only hinted at ominously, the writing for Crow and Aki overlaps again, and this starts with the writers essentially doing a complete switcheroo of what came before: Instead of Crow getting injured and being unable to compete, it's Aki who crashes, ends up in the hospital, and is thus forced to give up her spot during the duel. (This also goes hand in hand with her suddenly losing her powers, which we are given absolutely zero explanation for, but let's not talk about that clusterfuck here. If you're interested in my opinions about that particular trainwreck, I have a rant for you.) Additionally, it's during this stretch of episodes (103-105, which is a whopping four episodes less than Team Unicorn got) that we find out that not only Aki's crash, but Crow's previous one, too, were both sabotage, caused by the rather unscrupulous Team Catastrophe by way of a special card that can cause real damage even when there is no psychic duellist present. (A card we also find out was given to them by Placido/Primo, but this is irrelevant for both Aki and Crow.) Crow's reaction to this piece of information, particularly once Aki gets injured due to the same thing, is where things get interesting for him again, because he gets pissed, to say the least.

(A moment I imagine firebirdshippers must have been positively delighted about.)

Here, I have to reiterate an earlier point: Think what you will of Team Catastrophe, of Aki's crash, and of the sequence where her powers suddenly don't work, but this moment here, where Crow gets angry on her behalf and swears to duel Team Catastrophe into submission—not because he wants his kids to cheer for him, or because he wants to prove himself, but as revenge for his friend—is one of sadly only a handful of moments the writers use to show the strengthened relationships between the individual members of Team 5Ds after the dark signers arc. It's one of the precious few scenes that actually shows, rather than tells us or lets us search for scraps in the subtext, that the signers, and the members of Team 5Ds as a whole, care for each other outside of revolving around Yusei like planets around the sun. Even if it's laughably small, it's at least a hint that there are individual friendships between the other signers, too, that they all stick around one another for reasons beyond gravitating towards Yusei for one reason or another. And for that alone, I'm grateful that they put this here, even if Team Catastrophe was otherwise so ridiculous and made such a bad showing at their actual match that they could barely be taken seriously as antagonists at all.

Speaking of which. The actual meat of the matter. The Team Catastrophe match. What does Crow do here? Well, he duels! Even though he wasn't supposed to, for injury-related reasons. What both his participation as well as the actual duel accomplish, though, are that they not only showcase previously established character traits of Crow's again, but they also make a (possibly unintended) callback to a previous, major duel Crow took part in: His dark signer duel against Bommer/Greiger. Where and how? Let's see.

Firstly, Crow's participation. The reactions of the other characters to this make it very evident that Team 5Ds did not plan for this, with Yusei and Jack even going as far as to say they "had no choice" but to let Crow duel, because he insisted. This is perfectly in line with the stubbornness we already know from him at this point—a stubbornness that was also a major reason for why he took Bommer on and later continued his duel with said man, despite Yusei showing up and telling him he shouldn't be duelling a dark signer.

Secondly, there's the manoeuvring thing, and here's where I can call attention to a fun tidbit: The WRGP isn't what introduces the concept of manual mode during turbo duels to the audience. It's Crow. During his duel with Bommer. Being crafty and a bit shrewd as he is, Crow, during said duel in the DS arc, purposefully switches to manual mode when he duels Bommer, because he figures that attacks that can deal real damage can probably be evaded if you actually have control over your runner and aren't stuck in autopilot.

(Don't believe me? Here it is. And frankly, it is somewhat hilarious, yet also very fitting that Crow is the only one who thinks to do this during a duel with a dark signer.)

The reason this particular bit is relevant during the Team Catastrophe duel is because Crow essentially repeats this trick here. Of course, it's a bit less impactful now, given that manual mode is standard for WRGP duels, but still: Due to Hook, the Hidden Knight, Crow is forced to pay attention to the track and manually evade the monster's attempts to make his back wheel lock up during the duel, mirroring how he thought to manually evade Bommer's attacks during the DS arc.

Thirdly, there's the revenge angle, and this one is a particularly juicy callback. Remember, Crow's major reason for taking on Team Catastrophe, despite being injured, is that he wants to get revenge for Aki. This directly parallels how his major reason for duelling Bommer during the DS arc was that he wanted revenge for his kids, whom he believed to be dead at that point in time. (It also, interestingly, establishes a bit of a connection to his deck, which boasts a fair amount of revenge effects, but I'll not get into that here, seeing as I've talked about Crow's cards a bit before.)

Keep in mind, despite all the things listed above that this duel accomplishes, it's also by far the shortest WRGP duel. It lasts a whole six turns, total, which is ludicrous compared to the likes of 27-turn Team Unicorn, 26-turn Team Taiyou, or 25-turn Team Ragnarok. And I don't think it's controversial to say that the Catastrophe guys are probably the most forgettable WRGP Team, too. Yet, somehow, despite all its shortcomings in terms of memorable antagonists and plot relevance, this is one of the best duels of the WRGP where Crow's character writing is concerned. Now, I'll be perfectly candid: Coming into this post, I did not expect the Team Catastrophe duel, of all things, to end up being as good at actually showcasing Crow's character and his ties to other characters (who aren't Yusei) as it was, but here we are. And we had better hold on to the good the Team Unicorn - Catastrophe segment did for Crow, because the next thing that's coming up is a harsh break from the WRGP, starting with the sudden appearance of Placido's home-engineered army of killer duel robots. And what does Crow get to do during this part?

Uh. Well.

(Pictured: Bird Boy being demoted to benchwarmer while the city's being ransacked by murder duel robots.)

Nothing. A whole lot of nothing, is what.

During the duel robot invasion, we only ever flash back to Crow to ascertain that he is, in fact, useless during this part of the show, something he shares in common with Ruka, Rua, and Aki here, because all of them get pretty much nothing to do while Yusei finally gets the hang of accel synchro. Granted, Aki gets to save a little girl at the hospital, but in comparison to Yusei's lengthy, plot-heavy duel with Placido, this feels like a consolation prize. And for once, Jack is only marginally better off, too, because sure, he gets to beat up a couple of robots, but that's it, really.

Where Crow is concerned, his plot relevance doesn't actually resume once the Placido duel finishes, though. (And neither does Rua's, Ruka's, or Aki's, while we're at it.) Because wouldn't you know it, the next big thing directly after the duel robot invasion are the Red Nova episodes, where three out of five signers (Crow, Aki, and Ruka, unsurprisingly) are removed from the screen almost in their entirety again while Jack gets his much-needed dragon upgrade so he can keep up with Yusei, in order to uphold his status as a classic, almost-evenly-matched yugioh rival.

Speaking of upgrades and dragons, let's make a quick detour while our protag and rival duo take their express vacation to the Nazca plains. It is, of course, no secret that no signer outside of Yusei and Jack ever got a dragon upgrade within the anime. (No, I'm not forgetting about Life Stream Dragon. But that one, unlike Shooting Star Dragon and Red Nova Dragon, was a.) teased all the way back in the DS arc and b.) didn't have a unique summoning method or some other gimmick that made it an "elevated" synchro. So I'm discounting Life Stream as a "proper" dragon upgrade on purpose.) Is this the point where I start arguing that Crow should have gotten one, then? Well, not quite. Not with the writing the show canonically gave us, at least—after all, with how late Black-Winged Dragon was introduced, it would have been bonkers to upgrade him here already, if even at all. However, I do argue that the way the show hands only Yusei and Jack upgrades seems a bit... off. Now, I know why only those two get upgrades, or at least I think I do. After all, they're the central protag/rival duo, and within the framework of the character archetypes the larger yugioh canon has created for itself, this would have always made them the first, if not the only candidates for dragon upgrades. What feels a bit off to me, though, is that specifically the 5Ds cast feels like it... chafes a bit against those character archetypes, for lack of a better word. The problem is this: The signers, as far as the first two arcs are concerned, are sold to us as equals who all have very powerful ace monsters. Yes, Jack and Yusei are still undoubtedly the best duellists among them, but not on account of having uber-powerful extra special monsters that were acquired through supernatural means that are categorically inaccessible to the other signers. However, with the appearance of Shooting Star and Red Nova, this changes. While Yusei and Jack were previously and would have always been the two guys who had a Special dynamic with a capital "S" on account of their character archetypes, their acquisition of the dragon upgrades—and even more so, the lack of upgrades their fellow signers receive—now decidedly puts them in a different power bracket and skews the balance between previous, supposedly "equal" characters. (Which, unfortunately, is yet another thing that makes everyone else easier to sideline.)

Why do I bring all this up in a post dedicated to Crow? Because this new power imbalance arguably impacts him more than the other signers—because he's Team 5Ds' second wheeler and doesn't miss another WRGP match from here on out. Thus, that power imbalance is felt in the upcoming duels, where Yusei and Jack bust out Shooting Star and Red Nova like it's nothing, while Crow is left manoeuvring with the somewhat underpowered Black-Winged Dragon and whatever else he can come up with. This is also why I claimed that the show did sideline Crow in some aspects further above. Because while some parts of his writing go to great pains to establish him as part of a protagonist trifecta that is now supposed to take centre stage before the other characters, he also permanently lives in Jack and Yusei's shadow, ultimately barred not just from reaching equal status as a signer (due to his late and rocky introduction and dragon acquisition), but also barred from becoming the equal of his foster brothers as a duellist. Frankly, I'm surprised the show didn't make this a plot point, because the first thing my mind jumps to when I think about this is whether Crow felt left behind after his brothers acquired such immensely powerful, special cards. But more on my personal writing ideas later. For now, let's just put a pin in the power-imbalance thing.

So, when is Crow back on screen in any meaningful role, then? (Note that I mean this as literally as possible. As per my discussion about "screentime" and my gripes about it in part two, I gloss over the parts where Crow is on screen, but could be traded for any other signer or even a lamppost without affecting the scene at all.)

Well, the next thing Crow gets to do isn't exactly glorious, but it sure is funny.

(I want you all to remember that he has to wear this costume and play this part in Team 5Ds' absurd plan to capture Yaeger/Lazar because he lost at rock-paper-scissors. This will never not be funny to me.)

Ignoring the hilarious outfit and Crow playing the bait at a fabricated cup ramen promo event meant to lure Yaeger in, bird boy does actually get something that's not just for funsies to do during the two episodes where Team 5Ds is trying to get more information about Iliaster: He gets to have a duel revanche against Yaeger, who, if we remember the DS arc, ditched him the last time they squared off. Much like the Team Catastrophe duel, this one, too, calls back to previous duels Crow has had: For one, it's the obvious conclusion to his unfinished, first duel with Yaeger. And for two, Crow repeats a "trick" (for lack of a better term) here that is also unique to him: losing on purpose, which we remember from his duel with Lyndon.

(Identical-looking clown family jumpscare be upon ye.)

And again, much like getting injured for the Team Unicorn duel, I argue that this story beat here is something that could also only have been accomplished with Crow. Because he's the only one who has previously duelled Yaeger, firstly, because not wanting to make a child cry by beating their dad in a duel makes sense for him as a character due to him being a family-oriented person who loves children, secondly, and because losing on purpose in this scenario is a tactic that would seem out of character from anyone else, thirdly. (We recall, the only times Jack and Yusei, respectively, ever consider/offer to lose on purpose is when the lives of people close to them are on the line, in the shape of Carly/Rally. As for the others, aside from not being present, Aki, Rua, and Ruka are so heavily sidelined at this point that they would have never been an option for this. And if his writing is anything to go by, Bruno is mostly purposefully forbidden from accomplishing Plot Things, especially through duels, while he's Bruno.) But hey, due to the way this episode is set up, losing on purpose works out for Crow, because it convinces Yaeger to stop hiding and actually share his knowledge about Iliaster. This, by the way, is the second scene where Crow gets to be in a room with Sherry for a longer stretch of time. And look, him joking that Sherry might kill Yaeger if he doesn't spill the beans about Iliaster soon is fun and all, but in light of the Ark Cradle duel later, I have to point out that he, again, doesn't get to have so much as a shred of a meaningful conversation with Sherry here. Again. But moving on. The scene with Yaeger at the Poppo Time then leads us first to the small sequence in the arcade where the gang has to win a simulated duel to get Yaeger's encoded intel, then to episode 116—the Moment Express episode, where, due to this being a Yusei, Sherry, and Bruno-focussed episode, Crow gets nothing to do again. (And also doesn't get to interact with Sherry again.)

Congrats! We've survived the WRGP break. This leaves us with three more WRGP duels before shit hits the fan and the Ark Cradle arc commences. And full disclosure, I'll be doing a bit of a quick-fire round of those three duels. Why? Because despite them all having their merits in their own rights (they're the better liked duels of the WRGP for a reason), there honestly isn't that much focus on Crow during them. He duels, yes, and I've seen people point this out over and over again as the supposed smoking gun that shows how Crow had so much more relevance and screentime than Aki and yadda, yadda. We've been there. And it's not that I can't see where this argument is coming from—I'll be the first to tell you that it's a travesty that Aki never got to duel in the WRGP again outside of the Unicorn match. But I want to use the final three matches to dig into how the way these matches—and especially the opponents to go with them—were set up made it nearly impossible for Aki to replace Crow again during any point of the WRGP finals.

First, episode 118. This is the only preamble episode we get for the first two WRGP finals teams, and here, our group is split in two: Yusei, Bruno, and Rua introduce us to Team Taiyou, while Jack, Aki, and Crow introduce us to Team Ragnarok. There isn't much to say here, because the only thing this episode does for Crow is a shallow repeat of what the Team Catastrophe duel did: By putting him in a group with Aki and Jack, and letting them decide among themselves, independently, to check out the exhibition match, it implies that he voluntarily spends time with signers who aren't Yusei. Thumbs up. Gold star. You made an effort (I guess). Then, the real fun starts.

Round one. Team Taiyou.

(Pictured: The sweetest country bumpkins to ever grace this earth. Yes, I'm biased.)

So here's the deal with Team Taiyou, from a narrative standpoint, as best as I can grasp it: They are a callback to Team 5Ds' roots. Specifically, to the boys' Satellite roots. The Taiyou boys come from humble origins, have only one, mostly home-engineered duel runner, and play using old cards that are widely considered shitty, as 5Ds canon tells us. They are essentially the non-signer, countryside version of what Jack, Crow, and Yusei once were, which is why this is the first duel where the duellist constellation on Team 5Ds' end couldn't possibly have been altered. Team Taiyou is there to remind us where our boys started, so it has to be our boys duelling them. This also goes for Crow, even though this duel otherwise doesn't accomplish much for him, character-wise. Instead, it's more of a narrative wink at the audience, as well as providing a breather between otherwise extremely tense, plot-focussed duels. But yeah, Crow's part in this match isn't much to write home about; he doesn't get any verbal interactions that are very meaningful to his character, can't get so much as a scratch in on Zushin, even with Black-Winged Dragon, and is defeated so Yusei can take out the legendary giant.

Round two. Team Ragnarok.

(Behold the pizzazz of at least two contenders for Haircuts With The Most Spikes in the show.)

Though this duel is framed as being even more so aimed towards bolstering Jack's character writing than Crow's, given the inclusion of Dragan's personal history with Jack, Team Ragnarok gets significantly more interesting for Crow again than Team Taiyou did. This is, of course, mainly because of Brave/Broder. Where Team Taiyou were a callback to the 5Ds boys' roots, Team Ragnarok are their narrative foils. Dragan is the duellist who lost his pride to contrast Jack, who's brimming with pride at all times, and Harald/Halldor is essentially the rich, "destiny isn't bullshit, actually" version of Yusei. Meanwhile, unlike the first two, who highlight our 5Ds boys' characteristics by contrasting them, Brave acts as Crow's mirror. Through Team Ragnarok's flashbacks, we see that he gets almost exactly the same, lovable-rogue-type backstory that Crow did during the DS arc, just in a different setting. The only, major difference between them is that while Crow is more down-to-earth, Brave likes to be pretty flashy.

(Keep in mind that he's doing this on a runner. Is there such a thing as courses on how to do acrobatics on your runner? Like there are courses for vaulting on horseback irl? I'm overthinking this again.)

Unsurprisingly, the duel thus ends up addressing the similarities between Crow and Brave, mostly through two things: One, the duel essentially becomes a contest of who can out-trickster who, culminating in the famous, ridiculous-in-the-good-way sequence where Crow activates a trap from his graveyard, to the shock of pretty much everyone present. And two, despite being on opposite sides, the two bond over their concern for the children they took care of and their concern for children in general, which is expressed most clearly in the scene where Crow's kids, in an attempt to hold the poster they made for him higher, very nearly fall over the barricade in the WRGP stands. Despite the hefty length of the full duel, these are pretty much the only things actually related to Crow's character that come up, though. They're good, don't get me wrong, but in a duel that is otherwise this dense with plot, Aesir shenanigans, and Iliaster foreshadowing, it's no surprise that the duel doesn't add that much to Crow's character, outside of giving him someone he can bounce off very well and relate to. Again, though, we are faced with the same situation as with Team Taiyou: Due to the way the members of Team Ragnarok are written, meant to contrast/parallel one male duellist each from Team 5Ds, nobody other than Crow could have taken the third spot here, either. It would have felt awkward from a narrative standpoint (as much as I would have loved to see Aki duel more).

Now, finally. Round three. Team New World.

(Welp. Here come the robots.)

I had to check to make sure I wasn't misremembering this, but due to the way this duel was set up so José/Jakob could bust out Meklord Emperor Granel with a ridiculous amount of attack points, Crow gets a resounding four turns total in this duel. (Gee, I wonder which other character got this treatment during a WRGP duel.) During those four turns, there are only two things he accomplishes: One, leaving behind two combo pieces Yusei later uses, and two, showcasing the shrewd tactics that earned him the label of "trickster" during the Ragnarok duel by bringing out a non-synchro monster that can take advantage of a synchro monster's attack points and effects—Aurora the Northern Lights. And arguably, this is a very smart play, moreover, it's the only time anyone in the show has the bright idea to not use synchro monsters against the known and feared synchro-killer Meklords. Unfortunately, as smart as it is, the narrative doesn't reward Crow for this play—José all but shrugs what could have been a turning point in the duel off, then proceeds to steamroll Crow the next turn, leaving Yusei to score the win, as usual. To get back to the "Crow got so much more screentime than Aki during the WRGP" thing for a second, of all the duels in the WRGP finals, this is arguably the one where Aki could still most easily have taken Crow's spot again, because here, it doesn't matter whether it's him or someone else, as this duel isn't tied to his character in any way. Unfortunately, due to the Granel-steamroller-strategy, this is also the duel where letting Aki take his spot again would have been the biggest shot in the foot, because unless they had changed Team New World's strategy, Aki would have gotten brutally guillotined here, same as Crow—something I can't imagine anyone, not even people who hate Crow, being happy about.

With that, though, we've finally made it through the WRGP. So, what's the bottom line here? Frankly, speaking from my own interpretation, Crow occupies an... odd spot during this tournament, to say the least. Though he does get to duel the majority of the time, few of the duels actually cater to his character in any way. Moreover, he only gets to be the star of the show in a WRGP duel once, during the by far most forgettable match against Team Catastrophe. And mind that I use the term "star of the show" very loosely here, because the problem the WRGP arc as a whole has, in my opinion, is that the rather lame Team Catastrophe duel is the only one in the whole tournament that isn't won by Yusei, which categorically means that any of the other character's big moments are usually undermined by the fact that they ultimately still need him to save the day. Thus, moments like Aki summoning Stardust Dragon and Crow using an anti-synchro-killer strategy that for once actually forgoes synchros are somewhat cheapened by the fact that they're not actually the turning-point moments they're initially painted as, because ultimately, Yusei always has to be the one to save the day. What's worse is that this almost feels like a bit of a non-issue that could have easily been fixed—given that the show tells us that teams can shuffle around their line-up for a match any time. But unfortunately, the writing never interacts with this as a possible strategic element, nor does it ever seem to consider letting Yusei lose, or forcing him to give up his spot for a match. I feel the need to say that I don't put the blame at Yusei's feet here, though: This strongly feels like an oversight by the writers, and perhaps a disproportionate need to have a nigh-infallible protagonist (on the duelling side of things) that their audience would never run the risk of calling "lame". For Crow, though, this chiefly means one thing: In any duel other than the Catastrophe one, it was always clear that even if he partook, he would never finish the match. And yes, this is technically an issue Jack has, too. But this is where the character writing outside of the duels comes into play, too.

Unlike Jack, who actually gets to do something during the Diablo invasion (albeit very little), who gets his very own dragon upgrade and who gets a very personal, pre-duel plot with Dragan, the show's writing doesn't bother giving Crow a lot of plot- or character-relevant things to do, once the WRGP starts. This is also why I was so surprised at how much the Unicorn and Catastrophe duels embrace his interactions with Aki—compared to the later duels in the finals, this portion still makes Crow feel genuinely relevant and interwoven with the other characters. Meanwhile, out of the three final duels, only the Ragnarok one actually tries to establish a connection to his characterisation, through Brave. The Taiyou duel only sets itself up in such a way that Aki partaking instead of him would have been awkward. Meanwhile, the New World duel just has him being treated like a floormat in a sad parallel to Aki during the Unicorn duel, seeing as they both get a nice moment where it looks like they might turn the duel around (Aki summoning Stardust Dragon and Black Rose Dragon onto the field at the same time; Crow summoning Aurora the Northern Lights, which couldn't be absorbed by the Meklords), only to have their hopes dashed as they're mercilessly cleared off the track. Outside of the duels, many scenes sadly give the impression that they may as well not have included Crow, though—he often gets so little to contribute to a moment or even to say at all that substituting him with a cardboard box seems like it would not have impacted the scene in any way. And that's without addressing his non-existent connection to Sherry, which feels extra glaring, given his later interactions with her on the Ark Cradle.

All in all, the WRGP feels like a very mixed bag, where Crow's character writing is concerned. His belated backstory, which I talked about in part two, is front-loaded and asks as many questions as it answers. Then the tournament commences, gives him some actually decent character interplay with Aki for once (at the cost of letting her succeed in the tournament, it seems), only for him to be basically irrelevant during the WRGP pause again. And once the whole thing resumes, it becomes this hot-and-cold thing where some duel aspects seem tailored to him, while others treat him as completely expendable. The end result is an arc where I'm left wondering why exactly the writers felt the need to make it seem like Crow made up one portion of a protagonist trifecta, if they never actually bothered treating him as equal to the other two. (The answer, I believe, lies somewhere between the fumbled setup they did for him during the Fortune Cup and DS arc, and the way yugioh in general treats its character archetypes. But that's just speculation on my part.) The one, saving grace the WRGP (outside of the Pearson backstory) has for Crow is that it at least doesn't introduce any new character- and/or timeline inconsistencies. In fact, his character stays remarkably true to form once the tournament begins.

Okay, onto the final bit, then. As I've done in both previous posts, let me delve into completely subjective territory and offer some ideas on how this arc could have been handled to make it seem a little less all over the place with Crow. And since his writing here canonically intersects with Aki's several times, let me try to do it while offering the best of both worlds to both characters, if I can.

As far as Crow's backstory is concerned, I've already offered my solutions to that in part two. Now, to stay consistent with my own suggestions, I'll try to branch off what I wrote in the last post. This means that, as per my previous two analyses, we're dealing with two scenarios again: One, Crow stays a signer and we try to touch canon as little as possible. Two, Crow isn't a signer and we adjust canon in whatever way we need to to make him feel interesting and necessary despite/because of that.

First, though, let's get two adjustments I personally would have made in both versions out of the way:

The way the WRGP is structured puts every character that isn't Yusei at a massive disadvantage, where character moments in duels are concerned. Thus, I propose an overhaul. Among the changes I think could have benefitted the characters (yes, all of them) are: One - Aki actually getting to accomplish something during the Unicorn duel (she can and should still have her moments with Crow, but maybe let her portion of the duel end in her thanking him for coaching her, creating a more upbeat scene that strengthens their friendship, which could double as good setup for their later double-duel against Sherry). Two - letting the Team Catastrophe duel actually play out properly (as in, they become more meaningful as opponents by having a better strategy, for example, and Crow could stick it out longer against them, in order to make this more so his win than Jack's. Also, why not let Aki actually see him get back at Team Catastrophe for her?). Three - giving Crow an actual character moment during the Taiyou duel (what if one of the country boys had played a card or two of the ones he learned to read from? It could have helped drive the parallel between the two teams home.) Four - letting Crow's anti-Meklord strategy get at least a little payoff, if only for two turns (show us at least proof of concept, damn it!). Yes, the Ragnarok duel is the only one I wouldn't rewrite (unless special circumstances are introduced, see below). Additionally, let Team 5Ds alter their line-up more than once, damn it. Let them actually strategise about the duels, let them take into consideration who should go first when and whose deck might be better suited to which scenario. Also, remove Yusei from at least one duel. Doesn't matter how, just let him not partake once. Perfect setup to let Aki duel again, and would also allow for spicy character interactions. (Arguably the best duels where this could have been done would have been any of the final duels, though it would have also required rewriting the antagonists somewhat in any case.)

For the love of god, give Sherry and Crow some setup. Let them actually interact, let them introduce their philosophies to one another, just do something, anything to make Crow understanding and talking sense into her during the finale seem earned. A few chance meetings, or maybe even a tiny side-plot could have done so much here. And if you can't let them interact outright, at least let Aki and Crow talk about Sherry! Double whammy! The two characters who end up duelling against her are made to seem even more like a team, and Crow actually gets to find out what Sherry's deal is on-screen. Just. Set. it. up. I beg you.

There we go. Now, onto the two branches.

Option A: Crow stays a signer and obtained Black-Winged Dragon.

Seeing as Crow's signer status, funnily enough, isn't all that relevant during the tournament itself (save for two notable exceptions), there aren't that many fixes to be made here. Crow can still get injured, miss out on the Unicorn duel and be the star of the Catastrophe duel. But giving him something to do during the duel robot invasion that isn't standing around and hoping Yusei will fix everything would also be nice. It's fine if he can't drive out there and duel, but why not let him do something else? He's a crafty guy, why not let him find, say, a way to fry the Diablos' runners, taking a few of them out even from a semi-stationary position without duelling them? He could at least get as much of a consolation prize scene as Aki got with her saving that child. Then there's Team Taiyou, which, save for what I proposed above, is a duel that doesn't feel like it needs changes. Crow does his thing here. That's it. The same goes for Team Ragnarok, especially given that they're specifically written to oppose an all-signers Team 5Ds. Finally, there's Team New World, which, if I'm being completely candid, I would personally overhaul to change the cyborgs' strategy entirely in order to actually let all three members of Team 5Ds shine. But this is the version where I touch canon as little as possible, so... Aside from what I wrote above, no changes needed. Just make Crow seem a little more relevant, make his strategy have at least a little payoff, even if Granel's back out and menacing literally two turns later.

Option B: Crow, as per my previous posts, isn't a signer and doesn't have Black-Winged Dragon.

This is the version that would categorically require heavier changes, though they honestly don't arrive until the break in the tournament. Unicorn and Catastrophe stay the same, I would still propose that Crow gets to be a little more useful during the Diablo invasion. But! In this version, seeing as he never acquired BWD, the break in the WRGP would be an excellent spot to let Crow acquire an upgrade for his beefy Blackwing ace monster of choice. Give him a little side-plot, too, something to do, something where he proves himself. Maybe let him run into Iliaster here, or maybe call back to Pearson again and introduce the new Blackwing upgrade as a treasure Pearson stashed away before he died (maybe this could have even been the card Bolger was actually after; the world is our oyster here). Then he's beefed up, too, and actually feels a little more on the same level as Jack and Yusei. The tournament recommences and again, the Taiyou duel could stay mostly the same, I think. Ragnarok and New World are where it gets really interesting, though. The way I see it, Ragnarok could go two ways with Crow not being a signer: Either he partakes as he did in canon and his non-signer status is called out as a peculiarity by our Swedish boys who happen to be obsessed with fate (which would make his performance against Brave seem all the more impressive), or, due to this being a duel all about destiny and celestial pissing contests, Crow's spot is given to Aki again for this duel due to her signer status (this would, obviously, require rewriting Brave, perhaps even switching him out for a Ragnarok lady instead). As for Team New World, this duel would honestly be a lot more juicy with a non-signer Crow, because much like he was for the dark signers, a non-signer Crow would essentially be an unknown in their plan for the cyborgs. He would be the guy who's Not Supposed To Be Here. Granted, he would still be beaten, but he could still get an excellent moment where his out-of-left-field anti-Meklord strategy genuinely seems to turn the tables for a bit, angering José and providing even stronger setup for Yusei to win later.

Aaaaand that's that. Somehow, I get the feeling the WRGP had the least things that needed fixing because it also had the least actual character writing. But that might just be me. It's late and I have been writing for A While. But hey, I got out part three faster than part two! I consider that an achievement.

Now, while I get my talking points in order for part four, I hope you'll have fun chewing on this one. See you in the grand finale to my Bird Boy dissertation.

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brendaonao3 · 1 year

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Hi~ do you have any Superbat fics and blog recs? I’m usually a more comics or animated verse rather than live action person, but superbat are lovely in all their variants~ Thanks!

Sorry I'm SO late with this, but here goes (I'll warn you now, it's a LOT)

I mean, obviously, I'll say, read my Superbat fics, because I'm biased :D, but in no particular order, read everything Superbat by the following authors, because they are all consistently great:

Susiecarter Liodain Mithen Linndechir KathrynShadow

And if you read NO other fic in the Superbat fandom, read this one:

Suadade (it's one of the best fics - period - I've ever read in any fandom)

As for the rest, here goes (again, in no order):

What I Need

Unexpected Scoops

The Whole Truth

Slow Down The Days

Situational Awareness

See Something You Like

Prussian Blue

Muddy Shoes

I'm Struggling To Exist With You (And Without You)

Hive Mind

Happy To Help

Gone Too Far This Time

Ten Things That Go Boom

The Closer I Am To Finding God (You're A Miracle To Me)

The Moon And Its Eclipse

Someone Call For A Ride?

Take One Last Look At This Sacred Heart

In A Life To Come

The Long Hangover

Silenced By The Night

Clarkia Amoena

Failsafe

Snowed In

Punctuated Equilibrium (Series)

Looking At You

Nor The Rain

Fame Is The Bait (And The Switch Is Your Desolate Smile)

How To Date A Superhero (Series)

Five Times Batman Got It Wrong (And One Time Brucie Didn't)

Dark Knight, Bright Son (Series)

Teachable Moments

It's A Shot In The Dark (Waiting For You To Open Your Heart To Me)

Little Things

Before Dawn (Series)

A Uniform Intermittent Rotary Motion

A Spoonful Of Sun

Take It

Convergent Evolution

Asking Out

Someone To Talk To, And A Little Of That Human Touch

The Farthest Shore

Small Things

The Curve Of Your Neck (Like An Invitation)

Twenty Questions

A Pleasant Diversion

Serendipity

Coffee Scented Kisses

Holiday In The Sun

Comfortably Numb

The Salmon Incident

Night Is Young (And We're Living)

Some Things To Get Used To

Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang

Enjoy and happy reading!!!!!!!!!! <3

#brenda recs things #superbat #brucexclark #bruce x clark #dceu #dcu #dc comics #fic recs

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shares-a-vest · 1 year

Text

A little Clarkson ficlet for @unclewaynemunson's birthday. Happy Birthday! 💖💖💖 The little Clarkson hive is absolutely one of my favourite things in the ST fandom. Just a quick exchange where Scott and Wayne flirt excitedly talk about Hawkins mysteries like they are about to go become a ghost-hunting duo.

Scott chuckles, "Y'know, those boys have asked me some very strange questions over the years."

Wayne almost spits out his coffee, slurping at the rim of his mug. Today he'd chosen his California mugs (which he has a matching pair of), perfect to share with Scott on a warm and sunny Spring day.

"Who, Eddie?" he scoffs, incredulous.

"Eddie was a perfectly fine student, though a bit of a handful for a new teacher," Scott remarks, giving the same overly enthusiastic (and not at all true) academic appraisal of Wayne's nephew he always takes the time to give.

Scott raises his mug to his lips to cover a smirk.

Wayne shakes his head, looking over to the grassed area in the middle of the trailer park where Eddie is sitting very close to Steve ("leave me alone, Old Man, he's not my boyfriend") Harrington. The poor boy looks bored stiff, practically falling asleep on his nephew's shoulder as he excitedly debates Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair over god knows what.

"The others," Scott clarifies. "Not Steve, I think he spent most of his time at the back of my science class talking to girls. No, the boys have asked me so many questions over the years - that I'm happy to answer, of course. But it seems interesting to me that bombarding me out of class time, even coming to my home over the summer, coincided with all sorts of things."

"Scott," Wayne can’t help his warning tone.

Scott shifts on the park bench, his feathers thoroughly ruffled at the thought of not being able to talk about something. Wayne sighs and gestures for him to continue.

"What?" he says, excited as he leans in. "Don't you read the Weekly World News? Or any of the reporting about the 'earthquake'," he uses air-quotations just like Eddie does, "I mean, those letters in the paper…"

He bumps his shoulder and wiggles his eyebrows. Since last Spring, the remaining residents in Hawkins have relentlessly questioned the state of the town and the supposed earthquake that nearly destroyed it. Though Wayne grumbles, thinking about the sprinkling of letters directed at Eddie.

"I thought you were a man of science?" he asks, cocking his head, egging him on.

"I am," Scott starts, cautious. "But I can also correlate evidence together to posit a theory that at least holds enough merit to warrant a discussion."

Wayne smiles, "That copy of the Weekly World News isn't mine, y'know."

They exchange a look and laugh. Wayne catches Eddie talking loudly about Bilbo Baggins so he settles in, resting his chin on his hand. This conversation is going to go on for a while yet - not that he minds, of course.

Scott glares with a teasing glint in his eye.

"Fine," Wayne admits. "I might glance at it occasionally. But I still think Elvis is well and truly dead."

"Sure," Scott nods. "Want to join me in a little research session in the library archives?"

"I'd better go find my library card," he enthuses, fishing in his flannel pocket for his glasses.

#wayne likes his nerd boyfriend being a nerd thanks for coming to my tedtalk #i hc that scott totally taught eddie and steve when he was fresh out of teacher's college (or whatever the mid-70s equivalant is)#clarkson #scott clarke #wayne munson #clarkson ficlet #lilys ficlets #clarkson ☕

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supernaturalkickparty · 9 months

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

🥰🥰🥰🥰 I'm really self conscious about my writing but I'm glad I was sent this. Maybe this will help me get back into writing again.

Starting Over Verse- this will always be a favorite because it was the first fic/verse I've ever done. It's a J2 fic that I never would have written if @j2-are-eternal hadn't been my hyped man through it all.

This one starts off in the early 2000s when J2 first meet and goes on until current ish times. I don't wanna give too much away but this one has the right amount of fluff angst and everything.

From here on out we're getting into what I call bestie fic lol I wrote these as gifts for the bestie @fandom-hoarder because we are hive minded and she's extremely amazing and i love her.

What a father wouldn't do- this one is a pre series fic, do heed the warnings on this one and the others if you or anyone scrolls through them.

This one is pre series, it's got teenchesters, weirdchesters, Sam whump, protective Dean, protective/bamf John. I love it.

Bruised and Broken- READ THE WARNINGS ON THIS ONE!!! It's wincest. It's underage Sam whump, bamf John, hurt Dean, hurt family and it's so Sammy feels. Idk if that makes sense but it does to me lol

Sam and His Techicolor Fingernails- this one is so cute and totally gen. It's pre series Sammy and Dean, it's got supportive big brother Dean, baby brother Sammy who is into nail polish and being his true self. It's cute as hell and one of my favorites.

And last but not least is a samjess fic that was something different because I've never written samjess but me and bestie had thoughts and feelings about Stanford era Sam and this was the end product for her birthday🖤

Anything But Ordinary- Stanford era Sam, samjess. All the away from home adjusting feels, Sam knowing how he doesn't fit in, domestic fluff, lots of feels and I had so much fun writing samjess.

#anon asks #j2 fics #j2 au fan fic #wincest #wincest fics #gencest fics #weirdchesters fics #fandom lore

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dogydayz · 1 year

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Something I really really love specifically about Shadow, as a character, is his entire.... like. Thing. Who he is. Who he becomes. Like, ignoring more recent incarnations of him, he's such a fucking cool and inspiring character.

Hear me out. His whole story is insanely fucking tragic, every part of what he was meant to be, why he was created, etc., has been tugged back and forth between people and groups. Some want him as a weapon, when he wasn't designed to be like that, and his original purpose is now seemingly long gone to him as the one he was supposed to protect was killed just to try to save him. It was his for him to be made that an ancient and devastating hive mind of aliens tried to take over the fucking planet. It was because of events tied to him that the sweet man who made him went fucking insane in the end. His entire existence has caused, either in his own eyes or according to others, pain and destruction for the world he wishes to protect because of a promise he made to the one he believes he'd "failed".

Nearly all of the endings to Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) besides the true ending have something to do with him succumbing to those ideas and snapping, or succumbing to those ideas and being so depressed that in some of them he LITERALLY KILLS HIMSELF. Because he thinks it would be what would truly help others...

That many endings with that sort of theme really show just how much this shit affects him mentally, how much he suffers from it...

But what ACTUALLY happens? What does he ACTUALLY end up doing?

Well.

He essentially says "fuck you I'm NOT giving up, I don't fucking care if the world is against, I'm not giving up on it and I'm GOING to make a life for myself goddamn it!!!"

He's been hit and abused so many times, he's been thrown around by others, he's been used for others' benefits, he's been considered nothing more than a super-weapon... And yet he doesn't fucking stop. He doesn't let that crush him in the end, he doesn't let that destroy him. He gives a shit about people, a big shit about them. He loves so much that it's seemingly what gives him his ability to be so strong. He's chooses, instead of falling into a spiral of rage or self-loathing, to not only accept himself but EMBRACE himself, he loves the world and he loves life and he loves people and he REFUSES to give up on others. He isn't just doing it because of that promise anymore, it's not out of spite for those who hated him either, he genuinely fucking wants to help people, he is his own person yet he never tries to write off his past. He accepts it as part of what makes him himself, while still choosing his own life.

I don't know if my incoherent ramblings make much sense tbh, but I love him so fucking much because he's the goddamn type of inspiration that a LOT of people absolutely need to see. He's overcome his trauma, he's learned to be his own person, and not only that, but he's come to ACCEPT who he is because he's confident in himself, he KNOWS himself, and he believes in himself.

He's genuinely such a cool fucking character and I really really hope that more people see this side of him when they enter into the fandom, because even I had absolutely not known of any of this prior to me falling into it all.

I adore him with all of my heart.

#sonic #sth #text post #long post #rant #sonic rant #headcanons #kinda?#hardly headcanons #more like analysis #but basic analysis #character analysis #comfort character #shadow #shadow the hedgehog

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competitivedust · 1 year

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Hello ✌✌

I know I'm kind of a bit late, I just found out anti tags are actually a thing. I just wanted to say that I love Fitz but at the same time I don't (for obvious reasons) and I wish his stans would actually stop using him being sick as an excuse. Like sure that was bad and he really needs professional help but given their situation at that moment they couldn't, and I'm pretty sure his stans are forgetting that he said he doesn't regret doing it and to mention, he wasn't having a psychotic break when he said that.

And also I'm sick and tired of people siding with Fitz when he said "do you want me to recall all the times that you did?" Like, the times where Daisy "turned her back against them" was because she was manipulated and swayed and she "left them" because maybe she thought that was safer for them. (Don't forget she was having suicidal thoughts and was having withdrawal from Hive)

Like sir??? Turn her back against them??? What about all the times when you ALMOST GOT DAISY KILLED??? (When Fitz jumped into the monolith for an example)

Also I'm kinda pissed that no one went on to comfort Daisy, hell not even Jemma. She only cares if Fitzsimmons are still together or not

I still love the Bus Kids but I deserve the fitzdaisy closure. They could make a whole episode about fitzsimmons in s6 but couldn't for fitzdaisy.

Sorry if this is long 😬😔

Hey nonnie! See I used to love Fitz too. But it was with the assumption that he isn't perfect and lately his behaviour with the team has been getting problematic and that most fans realise that.

Finding out they don't was an experience.

I actually came across a thread on reddit a while back where they were hailing the "do you want me to recall all the times that you did" as such a gotcha against Daisy. And then listing all the times that "she turned her back on them". Which consisted of her trying to help Miles in season 1 (the guy she obviously knew longer and she didn't owe them anything at that point, moreover she turned against him when she realised what he'd done), her siding with Jiaying (completely ignoring the fact that her mom who she had been looking for forever manipulated and lied to her and that SHIELD themselves blindsided her by sending Gonzalez when they were actually expecting Coulson, and still she saw through it all and chose to fight her mother), that time she was under Hive's sway (I don't think I need to elaborate on this), that time she went rogue in s04 (once again not caring that she was grieving Lincoln's death and was freshly free of mind control, lost and suicidal and needed help, not a yelling).

And not to mention that not once did she do anything remotely similar to ambushing a member of the team, strapping them to a table and cutting into them. False equivalencies much?

For a show that's all about empowered women, they not only let a white man get away with violating an Asian woman, but also let him flip the story, discredit her as a victim. These tactics are what domestic abusers use. They make their victim feel as if what happened to them was their own fault. So guess Fitz is a classic abuser now. Good luck with that Jemma.

But hey the fans have decided that Fitz can do no wrong, and the show creators have a huge part to play in that. So really at this point I am not even sure who pisses me off more, the fandom or Whedon and Maurissa.

But honestly I wish I had interacted with fans like you instead of the raging a-holes who were bitching about Daisy being a hardass to Fitz. So thank you for the ask, and for giving me your very nuanced take on the whole thing.

#agents of shield #daisy johnson #anti fitzsimmons #anti leopold fitz #aos critical #anon ask #probably my first #but I really liked it turns out

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kataraslove · 7 months

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not the same anon but i am a zutara fan who is also a kataang fan. imo, i found it much easier to navigate kataang spaces as a zuko fan. yes there is some bitterness and bad takes (as is all fans) but the kataang fandom from what ive experienced majority doesn't seem to have a problem with zutara as an actual ship, its the shippers. so when i interact most people are fine with me enjoying zutara because im not being nasty about it. however the zutara fandom is very much a.. hive mind, to put it one way. a lot of fans can't bare the fact that the ship is fanon, and as most of us know kataang and aang especially is n1. enemy. I've been kicked out of discords for saying i don't think aang is an incel, and a lot of people have the belief that aang deserves better than kataang too whilst simultaneously arguing that he was extremely toxic and self centered. the fandom is very toxicly centred on katara and zuko, although have a very narrow view of katara that only exists within shipping lenses but if you point it out they call you sexist. to put it nicely: being a kataang and aang fan in the zutara fandom is hellish, because someone will always come at you. the amount of people who say im not even a zutara fan, or am probably a zukka fan trying to stir trouble. most people who are multishippers (ship katara & zuko with other characters that aren't zutara approved) tend to stick to their own little circles to avoid harassment

i just want to state that while i do think the kataang fandom has a problem with zuko and katara romantically, we’ve never really had a problem with their friendship. we just don’t think it’s one of the defining relationships of the show that a lot of people make it out to be. if you had to ask me, the most prominent relationships in atla are katara and aang, zuko and aang, zuko and iroh, zuko and azula, & katara and sokka.

it’s ridiculous that you were kicked out of a whole discord simply for stating that aang isn’t an incel. when a shipping fandom continues to sprout this type of nonsense towards the main character, a character that is beloved to many people, of course people are going to take issue on it and turn against the fandom.

the hate towards aang (disguised in the form of “critique” often) is quite disengenuine many times because i doubt that they would despise him as much if he had ended up with someone else. if aang is this horrible, awful predator that they make him out to be - why ship him with toph, a blind girl? manipulative and abusive men (things that I’ve seen aang called) do not change their behaviours and attitudes towards women based on whom they date. toph or anyone else won’t be able to “fix” aang. if you genuinely believe aang to be a predator and ship him with someone else, you are stating that you are completely fine if this other character is subjected to the horrible things that you believe he is capable of doing. so, either you don’t genuinely believe that aang is a predator, or you have to admit that your willing to put aside your fandom feminism so long as he doesn’t end up with the person that you think zuko deserves.

“very narrow view of katara that exists through shipping lens” is the best way to describe it. the view that katara was a victim by aang and the gaang - that she had no agency, or free thought, and had to be rescued by zuko - is not understanding katara! i’ve never seen a fandom so insistent on viewing katara as a helpless victim at the hands of the gaang, someone who performs all the emotional labour (fandom buzzword), and proclaiming that the writers/creators did her a huge disservice… whilst replicating that dynamic in their fics. except this time, zuko - excuse me, dadko - helps her out with the chores, defends her, protects her, until she ultimately can get her agency back from the gaang and start standing up for herself after realizing her worth.

sorry, but how am i supposed to believe that this is the fandom that understands and cares for katara the best? this isn’t canon katara - this is a version of katara that you have projected your own interests and desires and issues onto. canon katara has no problem telling people where to shove it if you stand in her way. and the gaang agrees with her, has done so in many of her episodes. the southern raiders is a special case, but even then, neither aang nor sokka actively try to stop her from confronting her mother’s killer. they advise that revenge isn’t the best option — and for the love of god, that opinion does not mean that they are demonizing her. the southern raiders is a tale about katara confronting her mother’s killer, of seeking justice, of seeking retribution - but it’s also a journey of forgiveness; katara learns not just how to forgive zuko for his betrayal, but also learns to forgive herself for the survivor’s guilt that she experiences from her mother’s death.

the criticism towards post-canon is that katara’s entire character revolves around aang. and i agree to an extent - especially in those awful gene luen yang comics barring north and south. but why is the solution in fanon then to attribute everything about katara towards zuko and the fire nation? katara is the southern water tribe ambassador to the fire nation, katara experiences liberation from her friends and family because of zuko, firelady katara, etc, are all popular tropes or perspectives emphasizing katara’s role and connection towards zuko and to the fire nation. you can’t tell me that katara was done so horribly in post-canon, then insist that firelady (a connection defined by her worth to her husband and his nation) is the best possible outcome for her and the feminist ending that she deserved. oh, and that everyone (no matter if they ship kataang or zutara) who doesn’t see it this way are all sexist.

“shipping katara and zuko with characters that are zutara approved” i wonder what characters those are. for katara, is it yue? suki? jiang? for zuko, is it jet? a lot of people in the kataang fandom also ship katara with other women (myself included). the kataang to sapphic katara pipeline exists for a reason.

I’m sorry about your experiences in the zutara fandom, anon. but i’m glad you’ve had more positive experiences in the kataang fandom to make up for all the awful shit you’ve had to deal with! hoping you know that there’s always a safe space here ❤️

#my asks

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dailyspnpolls · 1 year

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Hello Tumblr SPN Family...

When I started this blog, I had a lot of ideas for polls that would be fun to do, and hopefully get some thoughts from the wider Supernatural family.

This fandom can feel very divided sometimes and it can make the angles we consider this show from feel very segmented; by ship or by character or by story arc. Obviously, creating polls which pit those things against each other is not the solution to unifying us into one holistic hive mind. However, when we find ourselves wondering "what really is the deal with Chuck?" and we pose such a question to our own individual echo chamber, what kind of answers are we getting back?

The idea here was to break free from our silos, and ask questions which would reach members of the SPN family on Tumblr who we may not usually interact with, and perhaps receive back a less biased view than we would see on our own blogs. Sometimes, an opinion is only controversial because of who it's presented to. I am just one anonymous Supernatural fan trying to gather those more "controversial" thoughts and see how controversial they actually are.

My aim has always been to put out a new poll every day (just before noon UTC), and so far this has been working well. I still have ideas, but some of them are taking a little longer to pull together than I'd originally anticipated. I have loved seeing all your responses so far, even when I don't agree, and I would love to keep this blog going, but I could really use your help.

If you have any ideas, no matter how vague, please send them to me via ask, submission or dm. I'd really appreciate the assistance. Most of you can probably create your own polls now, and some of you are probably even feeling some poll fatigue, but I hope there are a few of you who are finding this blog interesting.

TL;DR - If you like this blog, help a Supernatural cousin out?

Remember: Currently posting one poll tagged #daily spn polls just before noon UTC daily. Each poll is open for a week. Finished polls get reblogged with their final results using #dsp results.

#pollmaster posts #spn polls #supernatural #spn

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teddywesworl · 9 months

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For the ask game, I would love to ask T but that seems like the shit stirring question so I'll resist! Instead, I'm fascinated by creative people's precesses, so, G and L? And for kicks, M?

T: Any fandom tropes you can't stand?

HAHA okay well I will say, because I've been kind of on it today, that it bugs the shit out of me when an AU version of Eddie is in a position of inherited/institutional power or generational wealth. That's like. The opposite of the point of him. (These AU Eddies are always wildly OOC, without exception.)

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Almost exclusively start to finish, though I will sometimes skip and come back to the interstitial tissue between scenes if I'm really struggling.

L: How many times to do usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Twice-ish. I do a read-through for continuity and other functional/structural issues and then a line read for phrasing, grammar, etc.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you'd care to share?

Hehe. Hive mind Hawkins fic, time travel fix it longfic (which I cannot actually write until I know some things about s5), and ⛺

hive mind Hawkins fic in brief is a post s4 Kas!Eddie concept in which everyone who stays in Hawkins to fight gets infected by spores from the upside down and sort of connected to the hive mind but also, crucially, to each other. Think the Thorian from Mass Effect, if that helps.

time travel fix it longfic is a time reset Eddie pov where everyone who died before the end of s4 portals ripped open has partial memories of canonverse

⛺ is a slice of life sequel to 🪑

#fic ask game

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emptypassicn · 3 months

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@angelicgentleman sent ;;

“ 1. the character everyone gets wrong + 7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? from 🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥 ”

From ;; 🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥 // Currently Accepting

1. the character everyone gets wrong

Is all of them an option? /j

In all seriousness I've chattered about this a lot and mostly using the same few characters so I fear if I go too much into detail about this I'll sound like a broken record. But any character is one a fandom likely gets wrong a lot. I've noticed, at least for the fandoms I'm in, every character is "the character everyone gets wrong" because the fandom majority will always act as almost a hive mind. They'll agree with one another and spread headcanons that are incredibly incorrect to the character.

Anyways, everyone is always wrong about Herbert (SP) and Mole (SP). /j

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

I wouldn't say I've ever hated a character but I do have some characters I tend to be more automatically hostile to than others. Those being: Damien (SP), Gregory (SP), Lena (DT17), and Quackerjack (DWD).

Already chattered about the SP two enough in the past so I'll chatter about the DT17 and DWD ones.

Lena just tends to get on my nerves because the fandom, back when I was in a few years ago, she was treated like the best character ever. If you didn't like Lena then you were weird. If you didn't ship Lena and Webby then it was like a crime. She was treated like this character you weren't allowed to be negative towards in the spaces I was in and it just made me really dislike her. It also didn't help most Lena roleplayers I met made her edgy and brooding, also half the time also took Magica in the roleplay just to have Magica treat Lena terribly for "angst".

Quackerjack might actually sound weird to be on that list considering he was the first DWD muse I used on tumblr but I really tend to dislike how the fandom treats him and it made me really dislike his character for a little while. I've seen him treated like some sort of baby a weird amount?? People acting like this grown fucking man who's probably in his 40s doesn't know what the dreaded "sex" is or what a swear word is all because he's silly and childish acting as well as a toy themed villain. The fandom also tends to act like you have to ship him with Megavolt which ??? No ??? You're free to like Quackervolt but I despise how often it's a forced ship in the fandom because people can't fathom shipping DWD characters with anyone besides their immediate counterpart. Maybe it's different now but that's how the circles I was in a few years ago tended to treat him.

#angelicgentleman #ɪɴǫᴜɪʀʏ.;; [ answered ask ]#ᴄʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. ;; [ out of character ]

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berrycontrary · 4 months

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🌈Welcome to the Hive!

Berry/Clo . She/they/he . 20 . Autistic

Hi, hello! Welcome to my blog!

I'm an autistic multifandom artist! I never stick to one specific fandom, so please don't follow me for specific fandom art!!

My main special interests are:

• Pinocchio & Puppets in general

• Amnesia the Dark Descent & Horror games

• Crash Bandicoot

• Gargoyles (the statues not the show)

• Character design

When talking to me it would be helpful if you used tone indicators!!

My ask box is always open so feel free to ask me anything!! I'm just here to post my art and ramble about what ever crosses my mind <33

I'm a SFW blog but I may reblog suggestive memes or art! I'd prefer if anyone UNDER 16+ didn't follow me.

Keep in mind I do swear and sometimes use queer slurs in my posts. I'm of the belief that we're all gay, we can reclaim slurs. Me using a slur is not the same as a straight person using it in a derogatory way. I will tag my posts accordingly however.

Other places you can find me & other blogs!

BerryContrary on Toyhouse!

BerryContrary on Bluesky!

@berryshipbasket my Selfship blog! (fruity shit happens)

@berrykins my kin blog!

@berryblogofhorrors my horror blog (18+ only. Look at your own risk! I reblog and post stuff on there that might be scary to others)

@muppetofapuppet my puppet blog! I reblog and post all kinds of puppetry here!

DNI if you are any of these below!

Proship/Comship

MAP/Nomap/Zoo/Necro

Ableist

LGBTphobic of any kinda. That includes neos and mspec exclusionists.

Racist

And just in general if you say have something bad to say, don't bring it to my blog.

[credit @sweetpeauserboxes & @burntoutuserboxes]

[Divider credits @bunnysrph]

#BerryContrary #intro post

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a-mag-a-day · 1 year

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MAG 32 - quite a bunch of the next few episodes (stretching into S2) I all listened to while again… apple cutting! It took me a bit to realize, that I could use other activities as well to listen to podcasts.

When I heard that this is Jane Prentiss' statement, I was pretty excited as my sister had told me several times that this is one of her favorite statements! Spoiler alert, listening to this the first time I didn't understand anything of what's going on XD Now I also think it's one of the coolest episodes. Having a statement so early on about the nature of why someone is on the path to become an Avatar and also featuring all 14 Fears as foreshadowing that they can't be separated is really something.

Oliver is one hell of a character. He makes appearances without us realizing until S4.

"I have touched something now, though, that all my talk of ley lines and mother goddesses could never have prepared me for. It is not a god. Or if it is then it is a dead god, decayed and clammy corpse-flesh brimming with writhing graveworms." - this is so Cthulhu-esque to me. Having come in contact with an old one and completely losing one's mind.

11:39 "Did I hear the song then?", at "hear" thumpthump - it is so funny to me how I never heard those in any of my runs but now I always sit with the transcript, listening veeery closely.

12:40 "…than a warm, wet habitat for the billion crawling things…", at "habitat" another thump!

13:06 "I remember shouting", ok is it just me or is there again a thump at "shouting"?

"I do remember that they called me “toxic”. I don’t think I really knew what that meant, except that it was the reason I was so very painfully lonely." That does remember me of a now distant friend. They act very narcissistic and it drains all my energy. It seems like they have this hierarchy in their head, being super friendly when meeting someone and getting to know then until they thought they surpassed them in prestige and then they get… difficult. They pretty much removed themselves from our friend circle one by one, every one of us having had the same experiences in completely disconnected instances. But they still want to be a part of our group, want to be loved by us and everyone, but they feel that we all got very reluctant to doing things with them. I can imagine that this may have been a similar situation to which this description refers to.

17:01 "but she was already showing signs of the… infestation", thump at "infestation", wow, that episode really got them. -"They quickly burrowed through the soft tissue of the medical personnel – eyes, tongue, et cetera" - ok, is this the reason why Martin was so paranoid of having worms infesting his tongue?? -"It’s not, though. I know it’s not natural. Somehow I… I feel it." - Ooooh, and the music starts kicking in! He's starting to Know things… And right after Prentiss' statement of all things.

I love how this statement deals not just with the infestation and creepy crawlers but also the deeper meaning of the Corruption of toxic love. I once read understanding this particular description in a way of a toxic relationship to fandoms. Of having this… need to satisfy and appease your fanbase and it's destroying you.

This one really helps put into perspective Jon's conversation with Martin in episode 39

Ah yes- a fandom is a hive mind that screams love, sometimes in the worst ways possible

#a mag a day #tma #the magnus archives #episode asks #mod ashes #tma spoilers #mag 32 #lycanlovingvampyre

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