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vidalinav · 3 years

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I don’t know who needs to hear this, but...

y’all need to accept the fact that ALL of these characters are and can be horrible people. This is not anti post, this is a let characters be morally grey post. They’re flawed, accept that already.

I’m tired of seeing posts like but--but Nesta-- But Nesta what? We already know what her flaws are. They’ve been highlighted from day one. They’ve been acknowledged by every character including herself. They have never once been excused, nor empathized with though she needed that severely. She has made friends and no friends by being the way she is. She has made friends who understand her, and has a family who doesn’t understand her. Friends who take into account that she has been through horrible things, and a family who has not. A family who in her own POV has left her behind, because they did. I said this about Feyre, I’ll say this about Nesta, if in a POV someone says someone wronged them THEY DID. But she is not easy, and sometimes not nice. We know this, we accept this. I stan her for this because emotion often is not beautiful, but stop pointing out her flaws like we don’t know. We all know! We also know that she was aggressive for a reason, she was hateful for a reason, she was in a very low place, and she deserved healing and better, unjudgmental treatment by other people which she didn’t get. She helped in a war, she tried to get Feyre back, she talked to the High lord, advocated for the humans, showed she cared for Cassian in ACOWAR, etc, too. We know her perspective is biased and she’s never once been excused for her mistakes, but other character’s are not treated like Nesta is (like Lucien is, Like Eris is, Like Jurian is).

So, let me go through the ways that all of these characters are imperfect and that you just have to accept as a reader. Okay? Okay.

Elain is not going to be you’re pretty little doll that has done nothing wrong, because she has and she should. Elain was not a good character in ACOTAR, just as much as Nesta was not a good character. Elain does sometimes seem a bit oblivious to what is going on around her. Elain may be very nice and pleasant but that is and will not be all she is. She is allowed to make mistakes and she should be held accountable if she does. When she doesn’t do too much (because she doesn’t) or when she is not very helpful (whether by plot or by Feyre/Nesta’s POV-whether that is noted or not), we can be like okay, she’s in a bad way, because she was, she’s healing herself. But don’t be a hypocrite and please don’t make her victim of other people. Her narrative right now is that “Nesta coddles her,” but we already know that blame game. We’ve seen it in Nesta’s own POV. No one is in charge of anyone’s actions but themselves. If she wants to help, she can. Stop saying the IC won’t let her or Nesta won’t let her, if Elain wanted to help she can. She will find a way... or at least put her foot down, which we’ve already seen she can do. If Elain wanted to reject the bond right then with Lucien, she could, but she doesn’t. And, If Nesta says she wasn’t there and she chose Feyre (no matter how skewed that perspective is), and Elain shows in Nesta’s POV that she didn’t show empathy either to Nesta or even love in a way that Nesta could see, or try to understand where she was coming from vocally in the scenes she was featured in regardless of whether she was capable or not of helping Nesta (because she didn’t (i.e scene in library, the treatment spiel, and the “did feyre pay you?”, and also never being around while Nesta was there, but also ACOSF when she took a drink like she couldn’t handle the situation, and then laughed like nothing at all was wrong)) then she wasn’t there for her. She’s a complex character just as everyone else. Let her be a complex character! Flaws are not bad, please stop trying to negate flaws like they shouldn’t exist. She’s great and she stabbed the King of Hybern to protect her sisters, she let the fae into her home, and she chooses to be kind in a world that’s not very kind to people like her, and she’s got a whole lot of story to tell, but she’s a normal character not a disney princess. She’s not close to anyone. Why? That’s not anyone else’s predicament except her own. Neither is her life nor her actions. Okay?

Mor can be loved because she was very supportive to Feyre in Feyre’s POV, understood because she is the first LGBT character in this book and she lives in a world it seems where she has to hide who she is, and we as readers understand that she has been through also horrible things. However, this does not negate the fact that she is a horrible person sometimes, to both her friends and people outside of their little group. She was not good to Nesta on SEVERAL occasions, even when Nesta was not bad to Mor. This weird love-triangle kept happening because she didn’t want to just admit that she didn’t like Azriel romantically, whatever the reason was. She’s a complex character. Hate her/Like her, but acknowledge that no matter what you choose, she has fucking flaws.

I see posts sometimes about how people don’t understand where this Rhysand came from, like “he’s so awful in ACOSF, SJM did this to make Nesta look better.” What? He’s been a dick always. He’s just not a dick to Feyre but that could be argued as well really. We as readers can acknowledge though that he like all the rest have gone through horrible things, and though the horrible things he has done are not excused (i.e. murdering children, killing people, his court still having so many problems and their solution being lets go to Vallahan, putting up an evil front to just keep people in line, not instilling any action to help those who need it or not treating people like subject who depend on him as a ruler regardless of whether he likes them or not (i.e the Hewn City/Illyria)) we acknowledge that he can be understood at the same time that he is also a hypocrite. Generally he’s not bad on an individual basis. but he’s not “good!” He’s morally grey. As they all are, but because he’s a ruler, he should be 10x more responsible for all of these problems and for all of his flaws.

Azriel is a sweetheart and sometimes he’s understanding, and doesn’t seem judgmental. But he’s a psycho! I’m sorry. He’s got a lot of things to work through, I mean. We acknowledge that he has been through HORRIFYING things, but we also should not neglect the fact that he’s a creep and he tortures people on a regular basis. There’s no reason he should have had that insane long infatuation with Mor and now seems to have one with Elain. We understand why he does this, psychologically, but it does not excuse him for making Mor uncomfortable for 500+ years. Take all of him or none of him.

Cassian. I love Cassian, but he does not think before he speaks, he does have his head up the IC’s ass, and he’s does not connect dots very well. He’s sweet and he’s supportive, and I have less of a problem with him than some other characters, but!!!! He’s got flaws and those are not bad. Those do not make him unlovable, but he’s got them and they’re not going away.

Feyre has this same issue. She does what she needs to, she’s loving, she gives people a chance, and yes she was there when people needed her, she has also suffered a good amount, but Feyre’s suffering has been acknowledged by everyone. It has been given voice to, it has been reflected in empathy by every single character even when Feyre herself has not been a great character. She tends to be very one-sided in things, as in her own view is the only one that exists (though that’s everyone of them really as we’ve seen, there’s no nuance there) but she’s also not very emotionally intelligent and she does get into everyone’s business, when she should probably let people do their own thing (this has been her trait forever since ACOMAF I think). But she should also take more of a stance to be a ruler, because unfortunately she has that responsibility, and she should hold Rhys more accountable for the actions he does. It should not be a “let’s have sex and all is well” sort of situation. She’s a very biased perspective, but so are all of them. But she’s not perfect and we should never feel that she is. She is not the light of heaven that has glorified Prythrian, she is just an average human-to-fae girl trying to live. She deserves love, yes, but not more than anyone else and loving her should not mean hating other people, which this fandom and the book have a hard time realizing.

Amren... sigh... I don’t like her too much but for the thread I’ll continue. Amren is probably the only reason anything gets done, realistically, because at least she’s always thinking about the logistics of things. She’s horribly rude, and doesn’t seem to care about anyone’s opinion, but she’s 15000 years old or what not. Emotions probably have to be beneath her at that point, but that doesn’t mean I have to love her, and that doesn’t mean she’s an unflawed characters. She’s very flawed and I think that’s acknowledged but I don’t think any character has really held her accountable for being who she is, they brush it off and are like “Amren’s Amren.” But she’s morally grey for sure, getting to be a darker shade if you ask me (i.e Tyrant Amren). But I acknowledge that even though I hate her, she’s not ALWAYS horrible.

I don’t know what it is, maybe it is the narratives insistence that the IC are good that makes everyone go off their rocker, but my god, I think I would love all of these character’s more if there wasn’t this insistence that they’re the “good guys” and just have them make mistakes, have them eat their mistakes equally, and have them move on, learn to do better, maybe fuck up again. That’s life lol that’s interesting, morally grey characters. But I write this post not to say they’re all horrible, but to say that it is unnecessary to point out the flaws of other characters in defense of another one. They’re all horrible. Acknowledge it, breathe it in, love them or hate them anyway, but know (whispers for dramatic effect) they’re all horrible. And that’s okay, because that is not all they are.

Have a good day.

#nesta archeron #cassian #feyre acheron #elain archeron #rhysand #mor #azriel #amren #acosf #acotar #acofas #acomaf #acowar

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starlightmaker17 · 4 years

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So about Stolitz...

So I have been looking at the relationship on Blitzo and Stolas in Helluva Boss.... and I like to think it is a complex ship that could develop into a great one.

For starters, those who have seen the pilot can somewhat agree that Stolas was pretty creepy with that phone call- not exactly a good first impression (who cares- it’s hell). But upon further examination on Instagram and showings of episodes in progress, I have some things to mention.

Start with Stolas:

It is very clear that Stolas at least cares for the well being of Blitzo. Given, we don’t know of his relations and treatment to everyone else other than with his daughter and wife. But he seems to be in friendly terms with the IMP team and vise versa. He even buys them coffee. The guy can draw, garden, and is shown to be a very devoted father to Octavia (who shows typical teenager behavior- just as loving but also seeming embarrassed). On top of that he has dorky moments, but this could easily be due to loneliness or lack of social skills. It explains why he didn’t have an Instagram account until his daughter convinced him to doing it- he likely has no friends (his wife’s status is yet to be determined). He barely gets along with some Overlords. He is morally grey on some situations- given he is a prince of hell (but Charlie is princess and she is her own case). He really could be just a lonely soul forced into an arranged marriage and didn’t have anyone to talk to- until he came upon Blitzo.

Now, onto Blitzo:

The guy has lots of issues going on with him, down to the point of obsessively intruding his coworkers’ personal lives and overspending their business fundings without thinking of the consequences. The guy’s only true hobby is stalking them or obsessing over his horse, or his business. Based on little background we have, it is implied that Blitzo and his sisters worked in a circus at some point and had a less than supportive dad. There was little to no mention of the mother being involved, so this creates a scenario where if the parents are not involved enough in a child’s life, then that child will look for that attention elsewhere. Hence, the circus. This certainly explains the over-the-top behavior he exhibits in trying to promote his business, even when it is slowing down. Furthermore, because he had little family involvement and memories, he tries to compensate that by comparing his business as his family - it’s all he most likely has, and will do whatever it takes to keep it running. Is it sane? Not at all- but it shows he cares at least about his employees, even if they treat him like garbage or a nuisance at times. He even lets Loona get away with inappropriate behavior and misconduct. So long as he gets the attention, he does not care.

This leads to him meeting Stolas. The guy has the money, a means to keep his business going, and links that could get him A LOT OF ATTENTION. Blitzo already demonstrated no sense of chain in command etiquette, so this probably got Stolas’ attention as he’s most likely treated like a prince all the time. It is unknown how their affair started, but perhaps they made a business deal (considering how little Stolas seems to care how Blitzo uses the grimoire other than getting caught). Literally, Stolas had no reason to give an imp a powerful family heirloom unless there was something in it for him - maybe he was doing it for the sake of the thrill and ease his boredom. He would get into potential trouble with the Royal Family regardless.

Maybe something happened to where Stolas kept getting sincere (if a bit blunt) treatment from Blitzo and Blitzo finally got attention from someone important. This developed a bond that became rocky - Blitzo got his business running, and Stolas has someone interested in talking to him as an equal. Over time, the more the business began to plummet, the more Blitzo went to schmooze Stolas for more investment. This may make Stolas think Blitzo became more interested in him as a person rather than as a business investor, and at some point their affair became more frequent. Soon enough, it gets to point Blitzo becomes uncomfortable at the sudden closeness they develop and tries to keep his distance, and Stolas tries to woo him back. It’s literally a game of tug-o-war: Blitzo goes to him for help but pulls back when he finishes business, and at that point Stolas keeps pursuing someone who seems to care for him as a person and not as a royal. It’s possible that Blitzo may be aware that Stolas is falling for him, and is conflicted of his own feelings since he primarily went to Stolas to save a business he treasured more than anything else. Meanwhile, Stolas tries to keep that bond strong, even instigating more communication despite the imp’s cold shoulder.

It’s not uncommon that a person who wants love is hesitant to accept it - they’ve been hurt/deserted before, so it could happen again. In Blitzo’s mind, he didn’t plan to have an ongoing affair- it most likely just happened on a whim. He has no dating history (that we know of) and came from an emotionally strained childhood so he has no healthy means of knowing how to love properly. It’s even possible he only accepts Stolas’ advances out of guilt or obligation, but that doesn’t mean he is not capable of learning to accept it and possibly returning it.

As for Stolas, he may be too obsessed having that one person finally seeming to understand him on an even level. This can be dangerous and sometimes delusional, as there is a reason why it’s called rose-tinted glasses or the grass-is-greener syndrome. He at least knows boundaries when they are needed, but lacks emotional and social intelligence. But same applies to Blitzo as well- they are being silly dorks.

We know very little of their lifestyles outside of work and business, but it seems they like to hang out together and even enjoy some of their get-togethers. It is also heavily implied that Blitzo does not like being bribed into sex for favors (which is sort of hypocritical, considering that’s what probably started the affair) and rather wants to have a relationship that isn’t too casual, but committed. Despite being married, Stolas seems to agree on this on the emotional concept. He wants to be committed to someone on his own terms, not that out of obligation.

Their needs match each other almost very well. Blitzo wants love, Stolas is willing to give it. Blitzo wants attention, Stolas gives it (more than needed sometimes). Stolas wants honesty, Blitzo gives it. Stolas has real expectations, Blitzo can work on that. Stolas doesn’t like being lonely, Blitzo can relate.

So how would I rate this ship?

8/10.

I can see great potential in it now, but it depends how it flows from here on out. We haven’t really seen them in arguments besides Blitzo being caught so that’s another factor needed. There’s too little details on them still so we’ll need to wait to see what happens.

Regardless, I stand by Vivzie’s decision 100%. This is her world and creation - I only implement my thoughts about it.

#helluva boss #stolas #blitzo #stolitz #helluva boss stolas #helluva boss blitzo #helluva boss stolitz

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greengrungeemo · 3 years

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Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.4 Himatsubushi was a quick finish for me. Very short, but sweet. I enjoyed the pinpoint focus on Rika and Akasaka. Small town maiden versus federal government city boy. The ultimate dynamic in a serious altercation: a utilitarian issue. A dam construction. Should the few thousand and their homes and livelihoods be sacrificed for the greater good of Japan and its energy resource capacity?

Yet, despite her small size and age, Rika may be the best symbol of strength than any character I know.

Why is this? Well, most who have played this chapter may describe how she has immense power and influence in Himanizawa due to the population treating her as a mascot and symbol, a vessel of Oyashiro-sama. Or, others could say that the fact she knows most, if not, can predict all days of her life leading to her end is a great power in of itself.

I personally view both of those as her greatest burden instead. A cross to carry. You can see it in her eyes. All she wants is to live happily with her friends, that’s all. As described by Akasaka and Ooishi, she never had any desire for power or wealth, only a humble lifestyle with the few she loves. Though, like many of us, life doesn’t tend to go our way. She is stuck. Alone with this issue. Trapped with an emotional affliction she struggles to deal with. She knows the exact day she’ll die. Who can she tell without sounding insane? Her friends? Her teacher, Chie? Doctor Irie at the clinic? Law enforcement? Her parents before their untimely demise? No. It’ll all sound crazy, and if she points at the happenings she predicts and says, “LOOK! See? I told you, I was right!” Superstition would be the primary thought process for all. “You did this then? You planned this?” See? It’s not so black and white, and I’m certain she already thought of every possible angle.

So why did she solely tell Akasaka her fate, and the fates of those affected by Oyashiro-sama’s Curse and their exact dates? A cry for help? An attempt to change fate? Trust in him? Perhaps sympathy or conviction to drive her point for him to go back to Tokyo and do exactly as she demands of him? My personal theory is that it could be any of these or a bit of all of them, or... it’s that she’s venting.

Yes, venting. This entire chapter focuses on the adversity that Rika must endure. She is a wearer of many masks. Intelligent (possibly due to these days being a recurring cycle for her? It *is* distinctly clear in her mother’s diary entries... Where could she be learning these skills and talents?), calculated as well. She knows when to act cute and when to drive her point forward. She knows this is all a matter of timing, and to set her pieces up carefully.

Akasaka on the other hand, he’s a good man. Faithful and devoted to his wife and his work. Sincere and strives to uphold the law and protect people. He may have a mission assigned to him, but he most definitely has his set of morals and principles that he strictly abides by. A good man. Yet, that may seem one-dimensional? And so it is proven. For this, he is naïve. Perhaps he’s overworked? Perhaps there’s simply so much information to keep tabs on, or perhaps he’s too focused on keeping his duty as maximum priority? Either way, he fails to absorb imperative information. When him and Rika are alone at the mountain view, she vents to him all of what will happen. She guarantees him the dam project will stop. Why? Because it will. She provides him exact dates and the events that will follow. Why? Because they will happen exactly as stated in verbatim. The stupidity and naivety of man. His perspective and priority was focused on “how Rika’s demeanor and speech changed”, rather than the actual information given. Pathetic, in Rika’s words.

It’s a shame, because he is the kind of man that would go out of his way to individually stop all of those events from happening. He has his morals to abide by, after all, and his emotional breakdown for Rika in the end is clear of that. His regret is clear... He’s a good man and that’s that.

Putting myself in Rika’s shoes, I wonder how this would wear on me psychologically and emotionally? Perhaps there would be moments of apathy or carelessness at the inevitability of it all - a nihilistic approach - or perhaps there may be moments of desperation? Stop it at all costs. No matter what, it feels as though it’s a much more powerful force than a tiny little girl can overcome, and that’s why it must be so hard on her. Despite her pain, the gestures she makes for Akasaka like cutting those phone line wires... brought me to tears. She wanted to provide him even a single night of respite, if it meant his happiness to be preserved a little while longer... That’s angelic to do with her burden. She’s so strong.

Also, her mocking and making fun of Ooishi’s laugh in the post-game extra was the best thing ever.

---

All in all, the lesson and theme this chapter emphasizes is on choice. Cause and effect. Every choice, big or small, shapes our fate. All choices have their own set of consequences, good and bad. Life would be boring if all the choices we made ended up with good results, and indeed it would be torture if every one of them resulted in bad consequences. Rika may not know what choices to make, but it seems apparent that she’s making the most out of the ones she does know to make to extend the fullness of her life and reach that one step closer to her dream. That’s great, and I’m proud of her for it. After some heavy lessons of my own, I’m making sure to be as careful as possible, but also to act when necessary for those I love. Striking that balance to preserve true goodness. If you slip, pick yourself up and make future choices that will prevent similar slips. Rinse and repeat, and build, build, build. Experience builds character, after all. What kind of individual will you choose to be?

#higurashi #higurashi when they cry #visual novel #pc games #rika furude

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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years

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Rhythm of War Review

PART 1

It feels a little separate from the rest of the book to me at the moment because I read it pre-release, but I think it did a good job setting up the rest of the plot. I greatly enjoyed Navani’s perspective and ideas throughout the book, and the first section established her much more firmly as a character than any of the previous books; her couple of chapters in Oathbringer were more focused on politics and her relationship with Dalinar, so it was great yo see much more of her scientific side.

When I first read Part 1 it felt very Kaladin-heavy, but after completing the book I see how it was necessary to establish his burnout in order to set up the rest of the plot. And Chapter 12 (A Way to Help), in addition to being our only chance in the book to see our trio together, did a great job setting up Kaladin’s later work with mentally ill people, both by establishing the need and showing what kind of help was needed. I was nonetheless quite frustrated by Kaladin reacting to Shallan’s DID with “that would be nice...”. She’s having serious problems, Kal! She’s your friend and could use support, not you regarding her issues as a neat way to take a holiday from one’s own brain! Kaladin’s very kind and caring with those he chooses to protect, as we see with Bridge 4 in TWOK and the mentally ill people in Chapter 25, but sometimes I think he’s not a very good friend. I know he was not in a good place, but in Oathbringer when they were in Shadesmar Shallan had just had a complete breakdown and she still went out of her way to emotionally support Kal, so it would be nice to see his friendships become a bit more two-way. (For similar reasons, I liked seeing the moments of Shallan-to-Adolin emotional support in Shadesmar in ROW, because a lot of their relationship in OB was her relying on him; it felt balanced in ROW as both supported each other.)

PART 2

I loved the Shadesmar arc! The emotional arcs for both main characters were very strong - I had been looking forward to seeing Adolin’s reaction to (in-universe) Oathbringer, and it did not disappoint; the conflict between genuinely loving Dalinar and being unable to forgive what he’d done was well-drawn. I was so pissed off at Dalinar in that last conversation! You burned his mom to death, you do not get to take the moral high ground and lecture him. And I do see a difference between killing innocents, as Taravangian does, and killing someone who’s effectively declared war on you and has a history of treason.

I also liked Adolin’s sense of being generally at sea with his purpose in the world. He’s been trained primarily as a warrior and general, and his combat skills have been made virtually obsolete by the Radiants. And at the same time, the reader can see what makes Adolin special, and it’s not combat skills - though those do give him a big heroic moment in a pinch - it’s his care and compassion for others. The way he interacts with Maya and slowly brings her life is absolutely beautiful. Chapter 35 was such a wonderful Shadolin moment (and starspren are amazing!); he really gets her and understands what she needs. Chapter 24 was sweet too, though super cheesy.

I spent the entire Shadesmar arc side-eying Veil and Radiant, especially with Veil’s takeover stunt at the start, but in the end they genuinely were supporting and helping Shallan. So in retrospect I do like scenes like the one with Veil trying to draw Shallan out by drawing Adolin badly.

Spoeking of drawing, I love the spren art, it’s some of the best art so far, and fascianting to see how they all look!

Kaladin finding non-violent ways to protect, culminating in pioneering Rosharan therapy - and Teft insisting on staying to support him - was everything I wanted for him. His arc could have just been that, and I’d have been perfectly happy. Chapter 25 (Devotary of Mercy) is still my favourite in the entire book.

Unfortunately, then Odium’s forces had to show up and SPOIL EVERYTHING. I’m rather appalled by how quickly Urithiru fell - the enemy forces were literally in the pillar room by the time anyone noticed them.

PART 3

Part 3 was a real slog for me, partly because it is a slog and partly because I hit it at the height of my sleep deptivation. (It’s really...not a good thing to be reading on zero sleep at the literal darkest-hour-before-dawn.) Kaladin’s arc in Urithiru is just so exhausting; he’s so clearly worn to the boneand everything feels so hopeless. Kaladin’s had bad times before - Bridge 4 in TWOK, for example - but then the reader could see progress even if Kaladin couldn’t. (Kaladin: I’m getting nowhere and failing at everything! Everyone else: Kaladin, you were literally just miraculously resurrected.) Here, though - well, I genuinely spent the whole book from Part 3 through to the climax thinking that they would lose Urithiru.

Navani’s arc, and Venli’s, I did enjoy.

The other section of Part 3, in Emul, just felt rather disjointed. It had some interesting moments, but it didn’t have a sense of cohesion or of where it was going. I was entertained by Dalinar’s musings on the merits of despositism and the need to free Queen Fen from having - horrors! - a parliament. (I wonder if the Fourth Ideal will be something like “I will recognize that it can sometimes be beneficial to have people oppose my decisions.”)

PART 4

Again, adored the Shadesmar arc. Really strong character arcs for both Adolin and Shallan, combined with excellent plots and a strong sense of momentum. I was pretty sure Maya would be crucial in the trial, but that didn’t make the moment any less powerful (though Sanders probably shouldn’t have tried quite as hard to replicate his “You. Cannot. Have. My. Pain.” moment from Oathbringer). I need to put together a proper post on the theme of choice in Oathbringer, because that moment - combined with Kaladin’s fourth ideal and the conflict with Lirin over the way he’s inspiring the resistance - really crystallized it for me. To treat a person’s choice and sacrifices as something done to them is to devalue their volition, their agency. Maya is put in the horrifying situation of being used as a prop and treated as evidence of a point that she is diametrically opposed to and turned into a weapon against someone she loves, and it’s enough to drive her to regain her voice and speak for herself. I am very curious to know what specifically led the spren to agree to the Recreance!

I did not remotely guess what Shallan’s secret was, even though in retrospect the Cryptic deadeye should have made it incredibly obvious. I think her fear that she’d lose Adolin if it came out was overblown - he already knows she killed both her parents, he’s not going to be fazed by “I was so distraught over having to kill my own mother in self-defence at age ten that I broke my Radiant oaths”. But obviously it’s not something Shalkan would be able to consider duspassionately. Her arc was rather terrifying once I realized that Formless was, well, basically her, but more specifically, Shallan’s idea of the monster that she was, and her breakdown was driving her to “accept who she was” as being that monster. I like Shallan and was never that into Veil - though she was fairly good in this book and went out well - so I’m not sad to see the back of her.

I haven’t managed to work through all the espionage/mole elements. Yes, Pattern used the box to talk to Wit, and Radiant killed Ialai so Shallan wouldn’t, but who’s Mraize’s spy close to Dalinar?

This arc ended too abruptly. I think Sanderson could easily have traded a Kaladin chapter in Part 3 for an extra chapter wrapping up events in Shadesmar; maybe one where Shallan first goes to see Testament.

I enjoyed the Urithiru arc in Part 4 as well. Switching to Bridge 4 points of view other than Kaladin was a good move - we already know he’s worn to ribbons, so we don’t need to be inside his head to see it. “The Dog and the Dragon” was amazing, and the most appropriate story ever for Kaladin. (I get how Wit’s schtick of telling incredibly topical stories and then saying “no, I don’t have a point, what point?” would be really aggravating in person.) It was nice to see him be gentle with Kaladin for a change, the way he is with Shallan - his two previous encounters with Kaladin read as rather baiting, which annoyed me.

Dabbid was - I don’t know quite how to say this, but his inclusion struck an amazing balance in this book. Navani’s arc is all about two amazingly smart people doing science and making incredible breakthroughs, and that is sincerely valued and given importance by the narrative, and then you get chapters like Dabbid’s and one of Taravangian’s emphasizing that a person’s value and ability to contribute is not determined by their intelligence.

Navani’s arc continued to be excellent. All of her research, and the way the story took you through the process, and her complex relationship with Raboniel, was great.

I loved Venli’s character development, and growing willingness to take risks for the sake of others. To me, her arc parallels Dalinar’s in the last book in some ways. If we can love the story of a bloodthirsty conqueror growing to become a good person, why can’t we equally love the story of a coward coming to become a good person? There seems to be a tendency to be more drawn to strength, even in its most terrible forms, than to weakness. To me, Venli’s confession to Rlain and acceptance of his disgust at her was one of the book’s great moments. (And I can’t understand people saying her arc took up two much space. She had 5 chapters in Part 3, and 4 in Part 4. That’s not very many! I’ll grant that the flasbacks packed less punch than some earlier flashback sequences because we already knew the main events - Brandon acknowledged that even before the book came out - but I still liked them well enough, and Venli’s present-day arc was excellent.)

Anyway, the amount of space I’ve spent on this section relative to Part 3 is another strong inducation of the differences in how I feel about them!

PART 5

I should probably start this section with a discussion of Moash. I’ll try to keep it summarized. here - I could, and may, write a short essay on his development through The Stormlight Archive. The first thing that jumps out about Moash’s arc in this book is his reaction to Renarin’s vision in Part 1. I think that vision is showing Moash who he could still be, in a similar way to Shallan’s inspirational drawings of people - both use the Surge of Illumination. So it’s not that Moash is irredeemable; Renarin is specifucally holding out to him the possibility of redemption.

And Moash’s reaction is to run away in terror. Because he desperately wants his decision to be irrevocable. He desperately wants there to only be one possible path forward for him. Because if there are alternative paths, it means he can choose them, and that would mean facing guilt, facing the fact that his past choices were wrong, and his current choices are wrong. And that is exactly what Moash sought to avoid by giving up his pain and sense of guilt to Odium.

Moash is, nonetheless, very much Moash and not Vyre, as evidenced by his continuing obsession with Kaladin. As with his above need to not be wrong, here he needs to feel that he’s right, and the only way he can feel that he’s right is if Kaladin - whom he still deeply admires - makes the same decision as him, and if Moash can convince himself that he’s doing Kaladin a favour in driving him to that point. It’s ironic that he’s given up almost all feeling abd become almost enturely detached, but his worst actions are driven by his attitude towards the one person in the world who he still does have very strong feelings about. By the end of the book, he’s comprehensively broken, to the point that even when his ability to feel is restored he’s unable to even feel genuine remose over the cold-blooded murder of a friend. I don’t know where he’ll go from here - it would be ironic if he was only ever really appealing to Rayse-Odium, and Taravangian-Odium found Moash too much of a flat villain for his purposes and cast him off.

As the plot climaxes go, I thought the ones for Navani and Venli were excellent and very satisfying. I enjoyed Kaladin’s as well and found it cathartic, but it a was moment we all knew had to come, so it didn’t have quite the kick of some of Kaladin’s other big moments. I did love his reconciliation with Lirin. One of the themes of the book was finding common ground despite deeply felt disagreements - with Navani and Raboniel, with Navani and the Sibling, and with humans and singers/Fused more generally - and Kaladin and Lirin’s reconciliation fit well with that. I am far more favourable to Lirin than most people - if you’ve lived as a pacifist in storming Alethkar, which values the lives of its people slightly more than it does crem, you’re going to have been right a solid 95% of the time, where everyone else was wrong. I can make allowances for the other five percent, especially when Lirin’s life lesson from the last five or so years has been “resisting oppression and standing up for what you believe in will destroy everyone you love”.

And on the topic of finding common ground, Leshwi’s reaction to the revelation that Venli was a Radiant was one of the single most beautiful moments of the book, and one of my absolute favourites. It’s gorgeous and moving, and at the same time rather tragic, because - what might have bern different if Venli had revealed herself to Leshwi at the start of the book? How much of the conflict could have been avoided. Singers don’t appear to attract spren as strongly as humans do, which makes Leshwi drawing joyspren particularly powerful. And then the bittersweet note from “My soul is too long owned by someone else”. (Come to think of it, this is another inverted paralell to Moash. This is someone realizing “I was wrong about everything and I’m so glad about that because it means I have a chance to be someone better than I was.”) Oh my goodness, I would love a Leshwi chapter in a later book, just to check in on her and see how she’s doing in her new life with the Singers.

I also loved the climax of Navani’s arc, and was so relieved, because up until that very moment I wasn’t sure if the Sibling would survuve uncorrupted. I know that some people weren’t pleased because the Sibling didn’t even like her, but to me that became a core part of the story, like I said above - people who deeply disagree finding common ground and common cause. That is a key element of being a Bondsmith - the process of bringing people together in spite of their differences - and something that fits Navani so well given the rapport she found with Raboniel. (Though I was conflicted about the latter. On the one hand, she made amazing discoveries that enabled her to save Urithiru. One the other hand, she...kind of collaborated with the enemy and gave them terrible weapons out of intellectual curiosity and a desire to prove herself?) I will grant that it makes the series, and the characters with the most crucial importance to Roshar, rather Kholin-heavy.

For Taravodium, all I can say is - YIPES. I have no idea how to process the implications of that, but I feel like it will be bad. Really really bad. (Taravangian is probably my least favourite character in the entire Stormlight Archive. The attitude of “I am so brave and selfless for doing evil things and look at how wonderful I am for sacrificing my own morality for the benefit of all, you petty selfish people wanting to be good could never make such a grand sacrifice” drives me absolutely nuts. It’s a complete inversion and twisting of morality, and intensely arrogant.)

Dalinar’s encounter with Ishar was fascinating, and I’m very curious to see where this goes. The spren experiments were deeply creepy! And the way Radiant Oaths can temporarily restore a Herald’s sanity was fascinating - I’m very eager to see where this goes in the next book. I suspect that Dalinar may have made a very serious mistake with regards to this trial my combat, and I have no idea how/if they’re going to fit Szeth’s whole arc into the ten days before the duel. I’ve been eagerly anticipating Szeth’s arc ever since The Way of Kings!

#brandon sanderson #the stormlight archive #rhythm of war #row spoilers #kaladin #shallan #adolin #dalinar kholin #navani kholin #leshwi #moash

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shoyouth · 4 years

Note

*falls in* hi :D may i request a reaction (or actually analysis if that works better) with dazai and chuuya and their thoughts/feelings on committment?

chuuya ; it’s not a question of whether chuuya can commit, but rather to who, and to what level of importance.

I wholeheartedly see chuuya as a romantic and a family man, the kind to sprinkle roses on the bed, treat you to fancy dinners, and to take your child to school. I believe it’s realistic to imagine that chuuya does want that (he’s oddly very normal, sometimes), but it’s not a priority in his life at that moment—I mean, he’s in the port mafia and constantly in conflicts, so presently, he’s very focused on himself, his work, and feelings of anger within the same regard.

If given enough time to simply rest, he probably likes to fantasize about romance and spoiling a partner. He probably likes to flirt around the town (not as terribly as dazai did though, of course, make sure to never compare him) but in terms of actually committing, well, that’s an entirely different issue. chuuya would like a relationship, someone to cherish, but he isn’t sure if it makes sense for him, for the time and his lifestyle.

We know chuuya can be caring—he hates dazai, yes, but isn’t he the one who made dazai stop shooting the dead body in their old days? Did he not let himself get bossed around by the sheep because he wanted to look out for them? He’s on the “evil” side but he himself is not without reason, feelings, or morals.

The most crucial point of whether he can commit or not is based on his loyalty to the port mafia. If you were to somehow become involved, you would have to understand that you come second to the port mafia, no matter how much he loved you. After the sheep betrayed him, he committed himself wholely to the port mafia; his workplace is his family, his purpose—it must come first.

But we must remember that chuuya is not the kind of person to half-ass his loyalties; you either receive all of him or none. Therefore the easiest way for him to be willing to commit to someone/feel comfortable being romantic and starting a family, is if you’re already with the port mafia. If not, it would be more complicated.

I don’t see chuuya ever pretending to not be with the port mafia; he is a genuine, direct person and would despise the idea of fooling you, and if he is going to give you all of him, he must show all of himself to you to begin with. You must accept him as he is, and he would only ever dare to do more than flirt if he felt like you were not hiding anything either. And, if you were determined to stand by him, you would have to give up your old life and join the port mafia. If you weren’t willing to accept all of him or, God forbid, beg him to leave the mafia, he would cut off your romance (no matter how long you’d been together/loved each other) and never return.

When mori was out of commission due to the virus, chuuya was the stand in leader. Therefore, with the power he possesses, you would instantly be a target as his lover. You would have to give yourself over to him as he did to you, and you’d have to trust that he’d protect you in the port mafia, whether you worked for them or simply stayed in their headquarters. He would hate to take away your normalcy and freedom, so whatever was in his power he would grant you; chuuya would love to spoil you and make sure you’re safe and comfortable.

So, in essence, chuuya would love to eventually fall in love and protect his partner, but he would only commit if it was an all or nothing for both parties. The bond he would probably have with his lover would be deeper than many other relationships, and I believe a trusting romance would do a lot to make chuuya feel comfortable, stronger, and to heal.

There is a constant reminder of danger though: the port mafia always comes first. And if you were ever kidnapped to get at chuuya, he would do anything in his power to save you, and if he were to fail, he would probably never forgive himself nor would he ever be the same. But if there was nothing he could do and he was forced to choose between either you or the port mafia, well, you knew what his choice would be from the beginning.

dazai ; simple answer, no, he cannot commit. very, very complex answer? yes.

We know dazai is emotionally very complex, even “dead” sometimes, because he is quite morally grey. This is in due part to his traumatic experiences with mori and the mafia, but he joined the port mafia to fill the void in him. Something in dazai is, with lack of better wording, not right, and there is some kind of psychological clog in his emotions and mentality. So to reach him romantically? That would be very difficult.

Possibility, a romance could “fill the void” in him, and though I don’t think he would even want to try that approach, it wouldn’t work for him. dazai wants to find meaning in living for himself, and that can’t be found through proving his worth and protecting others, like it works for atsushi (because even oda told dazai that saving vs killing didn’t matter much to him, but it would be more “beautiful” and more meaningful for dazai, though it’s debatable whether dazai‘s view of the two has changed). If he were to enter a relationship with this broken mentality, the romance would be shallow and only damaging towards both parties.

I would even go so far as to say that dazai has either locked his emotions far below the surface or there’s an actual disconnect. I don’t see dazai as “guarded” so much as “calculated” because it’s obvious that dazai thinks very logically and he is intelligent, almost to the extent of rampo. He predicts many moves of enemies and he seems to always know what to do. Though he may flourish an emotional/dramatic attitude, when left by himself, he is a lot colder and it sends a shiver up your spine. He is, after all, still an ex-mafia member, and he carries those experiences with him, whether locked away or present on his sleeve.

At the very least, dazai has trust issues. He may care for his coworkers, but at arms length. The only true friend dazai had was oda, and I believe that part of dazai died with him. It was only when oda planned to kill that dazai’s calculating and dramatic exteriors dropped and he panicked. dazai most likely never wants to open up to that kind of pain again, for he hates it, doesn’t he? Just like physical pain, romance entails fights, betrayal, jealously, anguish—dazai probably wants a double suicide because he must admire the deep kind of bond lovers have, the idea that you would only want to go out with them by your side—but he wishes to escape all of the pain and skip right to that bond, just like he searches for a painless death.

If you wished to still pursue him, to take him and all his psychological wounds and bandages, it’s like a gamble because of how unpredictable yet perceptive he is. You would most likely have to know who he is inside, who he used to be, who he is consistently hiding to instead be who oda told him to be. but to do so you must be very, very careful. Based on your wording, your circumstances, your body language, you could be perceived as an enemy trying to get at him and he will block himself from you with no entry, even if you prove yourself later. It’s easier to maintain an act on high guard than it is to tear down the barriers and bare himself, to think through his past and actions.

The only people who have really seen that past dazai were the old mafia members: mori, chuuya, akutugawa. I’m sure he doesn’t pretend everything in front of the ada, but similar to chuuya, for him to open up there must be some acceptance of him wholely, that there’s no chance of you running away after so much is exposed; he would only clamp up further, more intent on becoming the “good man” oda told him to be. To take off the bandages, you must be patient and understand that you may never get them all off, that he may never fully open up to you.

I do not see dazai as a very romantic person. Yes, he flirts with many women and always talks about pleasing a woman, but I don’t see him as the type to desire a partner to rely on and love, like chuuya. He is a very private person, and most likely loathes the idea of sharing all of himself with another—even from a logical standpoint, it would only prove as a potential weak spot. He may joke, but he wouldn’t be the type for flings, one night stands, or marriage.

If you were able to enter a romantic relationship somehow, he would perhaps put on a show of physical affection for the ada, holding your hand and boasting about you. If you’re made for him though, you would also know it was exaggerated, and the truest way to know he cares is if he is able to relax that tiny bit with you in private, that he lets you gently unravel his bandages, that he kisses your lips with a slight hesitation. You may never have a relationship with an official title and he may still talk about suicide, but you know you’ve found a place in his heart if he speaks seriously and may question committing the act, even if his uncertainty is brief.

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retvenkos · 3 years

Note

hi! i’d like to request a ship in two of the Star Wars eras (you choose!), and Harry Potter (any era!) i am a bisexual woman, i am 5’10! i am a Hufflepuff and an INFP. i enjoy writing and photography and spending time with my family and friends. i am pretty smart, quiet, and reserved until i get to know someone, which I when I feel much for comfortable to open up to them and to be myself. i love making people around me happy and making them laugh and i notice very easily if something is wrong. i am also very self conscious about my appearance. some things that i dislike are failure and being alone and just generally feeling like i’m not good enough! thank you and congrats on 2.5k!!

Star Wars OG Trilogy:

I ship you with Luke Skywalker!

okay, so the two of you are so sweet together. luke is a sweet farm boi who believes the best of everyone and has an idealistic view of the world, just like you. you both are the optimists™ of the group, and if you go on adventures w/ leia and han, it’s perfect because you two are up against the realists, and very little gets done, if leia doesn’t put her foot down and get everyone to agree on a plan.

luke loves how smart you are, and how you’re a creative thinker, constantly coming up with new ways to look at things. honestly, you have gotten the group out of some pretty bad situations before, with your creative ideas and han’s piloting skills. they probably would have died a couple of times over had it not been for you.

you’re intuition and knack of reading people definitely comes in handy with luke, because he doesn’t always want to let his fears be known, but you are able to see them in him, and you gently coax him into talking.

and luke is so glad he can lean on you - he feels like he doesn’t need to keep secrets from you, and that’s really special.

and both of you are very loyal to your values - you have strong moral codes that you could never break, and so you both would never ask the other to compromise on what you believe. both of you would rather die trying to find a way out than do something you don’t believe in, and that’s good for relationship stability, seeing as you guys are faced with tough problems almost every day.

you both also love your families! you love spending time with friends and family, even if you aren’t doing much else, so you definitely spend a lot of quality time together (that’s probably luke’s love language, ngl).

also, luke is probably the most genuine person in all of star wars, so you know that whenever he gives you compliments he means them, and both of you really value that in the other.

and at the beginning of his journey, luke is funny and loves to laugh, and while he grows into someone more wise and subdued, hils love for jokes never leaves him entirely, and you are able to make him laugh like he used to on tatooine, and that’s very sweet.

you bring out the best in luke, and he brings out the best in you!

the two of you definitely have early morning talks - his hair is still messy and he’s still smiling from being half in a dream, and you give him a hug from behind and lean your chin on his shoulders while you watch the sunrise.

also! while luke tinkers with machinery, you definitely hang out with him, either writing or just watching him work. the two of you like to spend a lot of time in each other’s presence, doing small things.

Star Wars Clone Wars:

I ship you with Ahsoka!

alright, but you would treat ahsoka right. all you want is for her to be happy, and honestly, who doesn't?

something that ahsoka loves about you is how genuine you are - maybe you’re tough to get to know (she’s certainly no stranger to closed off people), but you are a very authentic person once you open up. you never keep secrets or try to be double. you offer a kind of transparency that ahsoka appreciates and really loves.

you are also very passionate in your beliefs, and that’s something you and ahsoka share. when you believe in something, you trust it with your whole heart, and while both of you are easily blindsighted to the evils of what you believe in, you both share that heart that could be disastrous in other relationships. you never blame the other for believing too much. after everything that happened with the jedi, ahsoka is a little more wary of who she puts her trust in, and that’s good for the both of you, since you often make big decisions together.

and that leads me to another point - you being so thoughtful and aware of those around you. this mostly stems from you being a little averse to conflict, but you notice when something is wrong really quickly, and you are not afraid to ask ahsoka what is going on. this is good for ahsoka because it not only prompts her to take a step back and focus on herself for a second, but it also allows ahsoka to be vulnerable, which isn’t something she likes doing.

you are able to comfort her and allow her to show you the part of her that is still hurting, and that’s really special, tbh.

ahsoka also loves how smart you are - she’s glad you can keep up with her and are even smarter than her in many ways. ahsoka needs someone to keep up with her, and while she always has you on your toes, you pleasantly surprise her quite a lot.

and you’re also very emotionally intelligent, which i will remind you, once again, is perfect for ahsoka. she often doesn’t know how to talk about her feelings - she just feels them, and you just somehow know what she’s talking about? and you can sympathize with her? wow. she loves that.

i also think that the two of you were pen pals for a while - she keeps all of your letters and even if she’s not the best at always replying back, she will find the time to send you one, reminding you to keep sending her updates because she really misses you.

oh, and the two of you love to take pictures together. her’s are more funny pictures of the two of you, all of them slightly blurred so they have that suggestion of chaos to them, and all of yours a little more clear and a little more melancholic.

also, ahsoka does wonders for your self esteem. she is constantly telling you how much she appreciates you, and she is big on giving you the look™ that is just so full of love and admiration.

#2.5k celebration!#celebration #lxncelotships #i hope you like them

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kuroopaisen · 3 years

Text

@kacchand (i couldn't tag your main but i wanted to make sure you saw this fdlkjfdlkj)

hello dear! i’m sorry it took me so long to respond to this dflskjfdlkfdj i decided to answer your ask in a text post so i can link my thoughts to yours more easily! also, i know i'm going to Ramble, so i wanted to be able to keep it under a cut sdlkfjd

Hi rowan!! I've just finished the final chapter of aot and I just wanted to ask your opinion on it!

(SPOILERS THAT DEPICT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY'S MEANING AHEAD. READ ONLY IF YOU'VE FINISHED THE CHAPTER)

(FR )

(THERE'S STILL TIME TO BACK OUT)

(DO IT NOW. SPOILER ALERT)

I'd also like to ask a follow up question about it, because it seems that I've come to a different concl. from many of my friends and I'm feeling dumb abt how i feel w it.

first of all (and i say this as sincerely as possible, and if i'm coming off as condesending please let me know hh), please don't feel dumb because you've come to a different conclusion :(

we all read media at different levels (i’ve been told it’s ‘not that deep’ before fdljkfsdlkj) and identify different aspects in it, so the fact that you've had a different experience to some of your friends is absolutely not a reflection on your intelligence. and if anyone's making you feel that way, drop their @. i just want to talk :) furthermore, you’re not wrong for responding to something emotionally, especially if it really... makes you uncomfortable, you know?

i'm from the PH & I've put off determining whether i'm comfy w the manga til the last chap,,,, but is it wrong that I can't shake the feeling that it's a justification of japanese expansionism and genocide? ik this manga has always been in the grey area, and that's what I love abt it! It often shows that no choice they make is absolutely good or bad, and does such a good job at showing you how each complex character came to that understanding (role of environment, etc...) but this last chapter felt too positive abt the rumbling? Like it was justified because paradis was able to advance and there wasn't much choice? idk.

that's totally valid! some of the best think pieces on the show i read mentioned that the concern with the narrative is less "is isayama a nazi sympathiser?" (he most likely isn't), but if he's a imperial japan apologist. and...

well, let's just say that my father is british, and when i was trying to say that colonisation was bad, using british india as an example, he said "well, we gave them railroads." it's... it's uncomfortable and gross and i think it encapsulates how countries with imperial pasts tend to talk about them; even if they don't officially endorse it, there's often a lot of talk about how "well colonialism was good for this country, actually--"

and if the manga felt like it was justifying japanese expansionism, then chances are it had elements that very much did point towards that. i've had a lot of trouble grappling with reiner, annie and bertolt, because they've existed in this grey area of 'victim of oppression' and 'war criminal'; and their existence raises the question of "do people who commit war crimes simply do what needs to be done?" and by victimising them it... it plays into the whole nuremberg defense of "i was just following orders". it's making you feel bad for the people committing said war crimes (and similarly with eren, and all the awful things he's done). but i'll get more into this point later dsfkjfd

i haven't read the last chapter yet (and don't worry about spoilers! i've been approaching aot from a very... specific perspective anyway, so i actually don't mind spoilers -- i read a bunch of analyses of the series before i'd even watched it hh), but... i think if it came off as too positive about, you know... an awful thing that happened, then it absolutely makes sense that you'd feel uncomfortable?

the modernisation narrative in general is one that always skeeves me out. it's one japanese imperialists use to justify the invasion of korea (and even those infamous tweets from the one account purported to be isayama talk about how the population of korea boomed under japanese imperial occupation, which... stop.)

it's also commonly invoked in cases of development. certain members of society (usually the poor), just 'had' to die for the good of the future. who gives a damn if they consent to that? they have to.

similarly, the 'we had no choice' narrative. that's... a concerning one that crops up time and again with history apologists, the argument that "oh if x country hadn't done y, then someone else would've!" or that acts of aggression were done as pre-emptive self-defence, which is so... ugh. i just. i just hate it.

It also feels really weird w the ymir and the whole loving fritz thing. i wish we got to see more of her thought process and what conclusion she came to that led her to destroying the power of the titans.

i... hate this so much. i get that abuse is complicated and victims often have multifaceted feelings towards their abusers, but... most people would focus on that in their story? the story would be about that? but instead, it's just... a thing in the history of the world and that's... icky.

also having the genesis of the titans come from a slave girl in love with her captor... there's many levels of ick to it and i highly doubt it was handled with the appropriate level of grace and sensitivity.

honestly, this might be one of the things that pissed me off the most because of how... contradictory her backstory was with That One Chapter (you know, instead of ymir crying because she wants to be free or because she’s been trapped she........ wants to see mikasa kiss eren’s decapitated head? i guess? what the fuck?)

idk...I just think that context is sometimes everything. and i understand that media can portray incorrect things,,,, and that isayama likely didn't intend for it to become a global sensation, but i guess i'm just uncomfortable w the right wing nazis getting a comfort book ahaha.

i totally get that! even if attack on titan is meant to be anti-fascists, the fact of the matter is... a lot of fascists love it. and relate to it. which is... alarming. especially given just how popular aot is worldwide.

it’s hard because before the ending, attack on titan did feel like it was more grey; i remember saying that i wouldn’t know how to feel about it until the ending because the story was either saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell”, or it was saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell, but it is necessary.”

still sorting out my thoughts, but yeah. I think i'm having a hard time understanding what they really accomplished with the rumbling and how they gave eren a sudden lelouch role and a lot of how they made it out to be a happy thing? perhaps I'm too biased to see it fully but to me it gives a "woah. eren was a hero. he saved us from destruction. those people needed to die for us to achieve this temporary peace and new start". i suppose the rumbling gave them a levelled playing ground?

OH MY GOOOOOD okay. i haven't finished code geass. but i really don't like lelouch. i mean... i think i just don't like characters that sacrifice other people for a purported 'greater good' (i could write an Essay about how much i hate erwin smith looking at him is enough to send me into an unhinged rage), but where i'm up to in the anime, i don't like the direction they're going with eren? i mean, i've never liked eren, but... that whole "martyr for the eldians" is just. ew. especially when you see several eldian characters disagree and resist him.

why does this one guy get to make choices for everyone else? because he’s sPeCiAL? fuck off

sorry for not being coherent. maybe i'm basing this too much on feelings ahaha. trust aot to finish it's scandalous run with a scandalous end.

no omg you're being perfectly coherent :( also, if anyone's making you feel bad or stupid for how you experience media, they’re... definitely not as smart as they think they are fdslskjfdlk.

i'm of that mind that, while media consumption is in part an intellectual exercise, it is inherently very emotional; narrative media tries to make us feel as much as it makes us think. that’s what stories are for, you know? intellectual analysis is well and good but what’s the point of a story if it doesn’t make you feel anything?

that's to say, i don't believe there's such thing as basing your opinion too much on feelings :') especially since it's your personal experience with a piece of media; you don't owe anyone 'objectivity' (which is always a farce when it comes to this sort of thing) or 'logical analysis', because nobody's got any right to criticise you for engaging with media the 'wrong way'.

tl;dr I feel like the mood was too celebratory abt the rumbling, and didn't entail enough on the tragedy so much that it felt like a justification for genocide and expansionism. how do you feel abt it's ending and the message it leaves? is isayama responsible to give a morally correct answer to the cycle of hatred? you're not obligated to answer! and sorry for the rambling.

hhh yeah i guess that’s the thing at the end of the day... is isayama responsible for giving a “morally correct” answer? no, but the way the ending plays out is very telling.

like armin thanking eren? mikasa’s e n t i r e character boiling down to being in love with a mass murderer no matter how poorly he’s treated her? and one could argue that kind of ending is supposed to be unsettling, supposed to hint that the cycle will just continue, but...

framing is everything. and it’s framed like a Good, Emotional Thing, Aren’t We So Grateful Eren Did All Those Awful Things

YI think I would've been fine if we got to see more of Eren's or Yif you have a different perspective on how eren is being portrayed please do share! I just felt really yucky watching armin say "thanks for murdering all those people for us" with love,,, I suppose he was trying to make eren feel better. ach maybe I'm just overreacting. idk. im dumb ahaha . i'll send this in anyway cuz I'd love to hear your take!

HHHHHHH i just hate eren and i never got him. i felt bad for him in the beginning, but he's always been too... violent for me. there was a very short period of time in season 2 where i felt bad for him, but otherwise it’s just been... ugh. the main three have always been the weakest part of the series imo, so it’s really not surprising they’re part of the reason the ending was so. bad.

and... well, that one infamous quote pretty much sums up my issue with armin. he's supposed to be the 'intelligent' one, but he's hopelessly devoted to a homicidal maniac with whom he has a very artificial, unbelievable bond with.

at the end of the day, the "thank you for becoming our monster" thing just makes it seem like attack on titan's core message is "war is horrible, but it is necessary." it feels like it's justifying massacre. and while fiction is fiction, and sometimes it's as simple as that, i think something as politically loaded as attack on titan needs to be looked at with a critical lens when discussing what it’s trying to say or what it means.

do i think it makes someone a Bad Person for liking aot or being attached to it in some way? no, because that’s dumb, and what media someone likes =/= their Moral Goodness TM. ofc trends are a thing and certain pieces of media appeal to certain types of people, but it’s a false equivalency that misses the point.

but by that same breath, nobody is wrong or stupid or has Less Valid Opinions just because what they took away from it makes them uncomfortable.

i’m sorry this is So Long i have so many thoughts about this dskljfslkj

but at the end of the day,

levi sexy

#kacchan 💕#rowan rambles #rowan watches attack on titan #attack on titan spoilers #attack on titan tw

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anemonereadssometimes · 4 years

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Top 15 characters from books I’ve read in 2020

Yes I know it’s only been six months. I’ve read 27 books, which is way more than last year, love me some having graduated college and actually have free time. This list was Not Easy, the order changes by the day, and this year was a lot of rereads but I saw this idea and I thought it looked fun so here I am. Without further ado:

1. Kaladin (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)

I love my too honorable, depressed, protective boy. He tries so hard all the time, and he attaches and loves everyone. He tries to give everything and more of himself to save and it might not be healthy but I relate so hard lmao. I just love him so much. He’s grumpy as hell and takes too much responsibility but goddamit he cares.

2. Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo)

I just.... I love Jesper. His charisma shines through the pages. Jesper is the type of person I want to be, full of life, and sharing that with other people.

3. Inej Ghafa (Six of Crows)

Strongest person ever, I want to be her or I want to marry her, I’m not sure which. Every word she says is thought through, and she is deliberate, and reflective, and physically, emotionally, and mentally strong.

4. Fire (Fire by Kristin Cashore)

My favorite character from a book I’ve loved for ten years. I reread this book probably once a year, and my love for Fire only grows. She’s immensely reflective, strong, and soft at the same time. She gets to be both. I also love the strong woman who is kind and compassionate and loves children, because loving and treating children well and being strong/ having power are not mutually exclusive. She’s just wonderful, and I never get sick of watching her grow confident in herself and grow outside of her shadows, becoming something reforged. Also she’s beautiful.

5. Wylan Van Eck (Six of Crows)

Hhhhhhh okay I am wylan. I know this. I know that’s why I like him. He’s the parts of me I like lmao. He’s smart, confident when in the right situation, and just honestly the sweetest. When it comes to it, he’s brave, but he feels like everyone around him is leagues above him. Also he loves Jesper which like, yeah dude I feel that.

6. Sophie Hatter (Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones)

Sophie is mean as hell and I appreciate that honestly. She’s no nonsense and clever and wonderful. Hella strong character, I love every conversation she has with people. She also has the tendency to fall into repetitive thought patterns which is a mood.

7. Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch (Carry On by Rainbow Rowell)

Ah Baz. Loved this boy for years. We’ve run across another book I reread a lot. Baz is dramatic as hell, has a mean streak, but fiercely protects those in his circle. I am not him, and I sure as hell wouldn’t agree with him on everything, but I respect him as a mage and as a person. Also he makes me cry.

8. Sylphrena (The Stormlight Archive)

God I love Syl. I can’t believe she’s this low on the list tbh but she’s the cheerful counterpart to Kaladin. She’s an honorspren, so not a person exactly, but more of an idea, which is hella cool I wish I was an idea. She’s badass and she cares so much about Kaladin, and about doing what’s right by people. She’s kind and I got to watch her grow her consciousness and intelligence. One minute she is having a philosophical discussion with Kal and the next she’s pretending to be a rock, or sticking people’s shoelaces together. That’s a duality I can relate to and respect.

9. M-bot (Skyward & Starsight by Brandon Sanderson)

M-bot is not a person either, he’s an AI and I love him. M-bot made me cry my eyes out, actually I think every character on this list so far has made me cry except Sophie, and that’s because Howl’s Moving Castle is kind of a light book and I love that. Anyway M-bot is a sarcastic little thing and I love him. His lines are the funniest, but he also cares a lot, and is also runs a spaceship so like that’s awesome.

10. Spensa (Skyward & Starsight)

Spensa is probably my favorite character that I spend the whole book yelling at. Jk, not the whole book, but she does frustrate me. She’s so impulsive, but man she tries so hard and feels so much and I’m a sucker for characters that care. She’s a good egg, go read Skyward.

11. Eric R Bittle (Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu)

Another character that’s made me cry! This one multiple times! I grew up alongside Bitty in a way, going through college at the same time he did, and weirdly coming out around the time he did as well. Feels like he’s been there with me, and I got to watch him mature and beat his own demons. I’m so proud of him and I squeal every time I see him. He’s such a stinking sweetheart.

12. Simon Snow (Carry On)

Ah yes, another idiot whom I love. But he cares so much!!! He loves with his whole self, he doesn’t do anything by halves. He throws himself headlong into everything, and he may be reckless and stupid sometimes but I love him.

13. Howl (Howl’s Moving Castle)

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and I honestly think that cemented my love of Howl. The Howl voice the voice actor does is marvelous, and many of his lines had me cackling in public. He’s brash and grumpy and selfish but I love him anyway. Helps that he’s funny as hell.

14. Nina (Six of Crows)

Ninaaaaaaaaaa another character to get mad at, since she has a tendency to do stupid things, but she always does them for the right reasons. She’s badass, and she gives love to her friends freely. She also doesn’t know how to shut up and I love that. Also have a mentioned she’s badass? And beautiful???

15. Calcifer (Howl’s Moving Castle)

Fuckin’ hilarious. 10/10 jokes, the voice actor’s voice was also very good for calcifer. He loves to pretend he doesn’t car but he does. Also in the second and third books he’s hella badass which is cool.

Honorable mentions in no order:

Kimmalyn (Skyward)-sweetest bby, I love her

Shallan (The Stormlight Archive)- haven’t liked her every step of the way but she’s such and interesting character holy crap

Dalinar (The Stormlight Archive)- army general, has killed lots of ppl :/ but he’s so invested in change and doing good, and he pushes himself so hard. Love the way Brandon Sanderson writes everyone morally gray. Good stuff.

Penny (Carry On)- brash as hell, damn smart, will kick your ass, does not have time for you, kinda unlikeable, wait I’m describing book hermoine wait could it be that I loved hermoine in my formative years and now I love the carry on version of her? Mmm not surprising.

#the stormlight archive #carry on #six of crows #the graceling trilogy #howls moving castle #skyward #check please #my post #kaladin stormblessed #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #lady fire #wylan van eck #sophie hatter #baz #simon snow #calcifer

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uncloseted · 3 years

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i know you like harry potter, right? i recently read an article called The Danger Of Ron & Hermione's Relationship (bustle) and i never thought about it that way... what do you think?

(Sorry in advance if this answer is a little disjointed)

In general, I really dislike when people try to argue that Ron and Hermione are “toxic”. They’re children who are the main (and sometimes only) combatants in a major war. No, their emotional maturity is not at the level of an adult’s, and no, they don’t always make the best decisions with regards to one another, but I think that’s to be expected given the two above facts.

I think the Hermione/Ron and Ginny/Harry ships were clearly set up as endgame from the beginning- even six year old me in 1999 could call that (and JKR says it too- “[the Ron/Hermione relationship had] far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione with Ron.”).

There are a lot of people who hate Ron for who he is in the movies and forget that his book character has a lot more nuance. In the movies, yes, his character is largely characterized by being mean to Hermione. But in the books, he’s all sorts of things- a clever strategist, a loyal, good friend, in awe of Hermione’s intelligence, their guide to the Wizarding World, funny, sensitive, and ambitious, to name a few. There’s actually a whole trope for this vilification of Ron- it’s called “Ron The Death Eater” (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RonTheDeathEater), and as you might expect from the name, it happens to Ron quite a bit.

I don’t think it’s accurate to say that “Ron Weasley spends the majority of time with Hermione being unkind to her”. He spends the majority of time with her being her friend; even when we see their fights, it’s because those fights are unusual for them and because they move the plot along. Ron’s “unkindness” towards Hermione largely comes from jealousy that she’s not interested in him- he’s upset because she went to the ball with someone else, he’s afraid that Hermione will choose Harry over him.

And Hermione, for her part, isn’t a saint, either. Ron can be insensitive when he makes jokes; Hermione is insensitive right back when she makes him feel stupid. She “emotionally tears [Ron] down” just as much as Ron does to her, by tapping into his inferiority complex. She often belittles him for not understanding things that are obvious to her, and is frequently unwilling to try to see things from his point of view. For how smart she is, Hermione is incredibly unself-aware and emotionally inept at the beginning of the series, and that impacts her relationships just as much as Ron’s “emotional range of a teaspoon” does (something Hermione actually said about him to his face). I think there’s also an aspect of that combative relationship that Ron and Hermione like- they’re young, and I think they see it as passionate.

I think the article’s narrative also ignores that we do see a lot of really tender, caring moments between the two of them, especially after they mature and grow out of the “boys are mean because they like you” phase (which is true to life, whether we like it or not). Ron only “gets the girl” once he starts being more emotionally mature and treating her well. Ron can be petty, sure, but to suggest he’s just an abusive husband waiting to happen feels like nonsense to me. He’s someone who’s shown himself to be incredibly kind, supportive, and loyal to Hermione as well.

Then the author of this article brings up Cursed Child to justify their point, which just shouldn’t be considered canon. Everyone in Cursed Child is a weird flanderization of themselves and acts in ways that they wouldn’t in the core series. Cedric Diggory becomes a Death Eater and Voldemort produced a child. Cursed Child is garbage and shouldn’t be taken seriously at all.

To me, it mostly seems like the author of this article is projecting. It seems like she just has a chip on her shoulder about an ex she has who is a “Ron Weasley”, and sees herself as a perfect Hermione character who can do no wrong and has to “apologize for who she is”, “suppress herself” and felt like she needed to “fix her Ron”. To me it seems like she thinks that she deserved better, and that she can blame Harry Potter from preventing her from realizing it earlier (because that’s easier than admitting you made a bad decision).

Look, are Hermione and Ron a perfect couple at age 12, or 15, or 17? No. Of course not. But very few couples are. You have to learn how to grow into and with one another, how to interact with one another in a way that’s healthy, how to honor your partner’s needs even when they’re not what you would need yourself. Relationships don’t just pop into existence being perfect- they require work. And I do think we see Ron and Hermione doing the foundation for that work throughout the series, and especially in book 7. Should JKR have done more to show that Ron’s (and Hermione’s, for that matter) actions in the early books were NOT OKAY and ABUSIVE AND HARASSING? Maybe. But I don’t think it was meant to be that deep. I think it was just a woman who grew up in the 70s writing kids the way they acted when she was a kid herself. Sometimes the ways kids act are “problematic”, but I think it’s better to show that than to have every character be a paragon of morality.

Also, on a side note, the “JKR REGRETS RON AND HERMIONE TOGETHER” thing that the Bustle author cites was, like a lot of the things she says, taken out of context and blown out of proportion to the actual comment. I don’t want to be a JKR apologist here, because I do think she holds some awful views, but I think it’s important to get the whole picture when things she’s said get referenced. In the article, she’s talking about how she doesn’t know if Ron and Hermione could get past the “combative side of [their relationship]” as adults, but then she also says, “oh, maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counseling, you know...they'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical.” She acknowledges that while they both have issues, they can work through them and have a relationship that’s successful.

Edit to add: I do get where the author of that article is coming from. A lot of little girls are told to put up with bullshit from little boys because “he’s being mean because he likes you” or “boys will be boys”. But I don’t think the Harry Potter series, which models all different types of relationships, can be blamed for that. We should be holding the parents, teachers, coaches, etc. who say those things accountable and asking them to think differently instead of blaming media representations of relationships.

#Anonymous #effys-closet #effys closet

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jitterbugperson · 4 years

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Talentswap Au- Character Info

This is a Talentswap au, where the characters from v3 are given the talents of the characters from Trigger Happy Havoc, and are put into the same general plot and setting as the first game. The mastermind, motives, order of people murdered, victims, how they’re murdered, and who murdered them are all completely different from the first game. The personalities of the characters are similar to their canon personalities, but based on their new talents, their personalities were changed as a result of and in order to fit their new roles.

Angie Yonaga [Ultimate Clairvoyant]

She’s strange and mysterious, people don’t know a lot about her because she doesn’t share a lot about herself. Angie claims she can tell the future, and more often than not, she’s right. However, she tends not to share her readings of the future unless prompted to. She’s usually quiet, and she’s almost always smiling. At first her presence can be calming, but after a while she can be unsettling to be around as she tends to watch people without realizing it. Her gaze can be scary, and sometimes when she looks right into someone’s eyes, they feel as though she’s staring into their soul, reading their thoughts and uncovering their secrets.

Kaito Momota [Ultimate Lucky Student]

Although his title is the “Ultimate Lucky Student”, he’s anything but. Kaito has the worst luck of anyone he knows, but despite that, he’s managed to keep his chin up and stay positive. At first, he’d tried to enroll into Hopes Peak as the Ultimate Botanist, since he had a particular love for plants and somehow managed to get every plant in his care to flourish regardless of the plant’s condition beforehand. But, because of his luck, last minute he was denied entree because all of the available spots had been filled. Except for one. He shot his last shot in the Lucky Student drawing, and somehow managed to get picked, against all odds. But that was just another trick from his rather shitty luck, and it only served to get him involved in the Killing Game. Aside from all of that, Kaito is stupidly optimistic, and is constantly trying to see the best in people, no matter the circumstances. He believes that with enough care and nurturing, anyone can flourish into a wonderful person, regardless of their circumstances and past. He has an incredible belief in anyone he considers a friend, and he’s a bit naive, so he considers most people his friend. He’s also a bit of a dumbass, despite having an extensive knowledge of a lot of things. He seems to lack a lot of common sense, while also being a little bit of a nerd when it comes to anything he likes. His mind is an enigma, half of the time he’s incredibly intelligent, and other times he has no idea what he’s doing. The entire AU is also in his point of view, so he’s the protagonist.

Kaede Akamatsu [Ultimate Affluent Progeny]

She’s the nice rich girl at your school. She always wears really nice clothes and is often nice to others, unless certain people are around. She’s sometimes a bully without realizing it because of the people she’s been raised around. She doesn’t exactly have the best role models in her life, so she has some beliefs that aren’t exactly the best. Sometime she doesn’t even realize what she’s saying is rude or hurtful, that’s just how she thinks people should treat each other. Other than that, she’s a generally pleasant person to be around, and is usually nice to people unless they give her a reason not to be. She uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism when she’s feeling threatened, nervous, scared, or anxious, so she isn’t always all buddy buddy, and her sarcasm can be scathing and hurtful if she really wants it to be. Usually however, she’s a pretty outgoing person, and has no problem making friends with her seemingly cheery personality.

Rantaro Amami [Ultimate Gambler]

Another mysterious character that’s constantly smiling, but unlike Angie, his smile isn’t one of happiness, but it seems to be more of a front, like a constant poker face to mask any emotions he may be feeling. It’s a skill he’s honed from years of gambling, and it’s turned over to his personal life, making him guard his emotions constantly without realizing it. He also has incredible luck and intuition, but he’s almost always quite about it. Outwardly, he’s charming and friendly, but underneath that exterior, he’s a little bastard man. He is always silently judging people, and as soon as the killing game is announced, he’s watching out for people who may try to get him, filing their weaknesses into his brain in case he has to face any of them. He acts like he trusts everyone, when really he trusts no one, and is doubting everyone else during every trial, although he has a much quieter way of voicing his opinions. But he’s never going to tell them that.

Gonta Gokuhara [Ultimate Moral Compass]

He’s a very good boy, a big gentle giant with a huge heart. While Kiyotaka was a moral compass through being a part of the disciplinary committee at his school and having good grades, Gonta is the moral compass by being a part of student council, as well as being class president and a part of several extracurricular activities. He doesn’t get the best grades, but he’s naturally charismatic because of his overwhelming compassion for everyone around him. This made it easy for him to gain the positions he’s in, since most people trusts that he wants whats best for everyone. He tries his best to better his school, making fundraisers for clubs and classes getting less of the budget they should, like the arts and drama. He’s the kind of person who you will feel bad if you make him cry, he’s a very sensitive baby and if you hurt his feelings he will cry.

Ryoma Hoshi [Ultimate Biker Gang Leader]

Also very quiet, he prefers to observe everyone from afar rather than through actual human interaction. He’s very untrustworthy of everyone he meets for the first time, just because of how he was raised. Often goes with his gut feelings and intuition, and because of his keen observation skills, he’s right more often than not. He’s done a lot of morally questionable things in his life, and it’s made him experienced in the art of emotional repression. Although, he’s not mean spirited or hot headed in any way, he’s more of a loner type, and likes to be alone. But if someone were to approach him and try to talk, he wouldn’t yell at them or try to leave, he’d just be a bit uncomfortable, but he’d stick it out and talk to them. Underneath his rough exterior, he has a good head, and he wants to change, the environment he grew up in just hasn’t allowed him to be anything but heartless and cold.

Kiibo Iidabashi [Ultimate Programmer]

Programming is his everything, he loves it, he could talk about it for hours if you let him. He’s a huge dork with a big heart, he would have more friends if he was more confident. He’s very sweet, but he has self-esteem and anxiety issues, so that makes it hard for him to talk to people without second-guessing himself or shutting down. He really wants friends, but his naturally timid nature and love for programming often get in the way of that, and he’s definitely been picked on for both of those before. He’s very logic oriented when it comes to life, and he’s a great problem solver, but isn’t the best when it comes to dealing with his or other’s emotions. He’s also rather dense and gullible despite his intelligence, and will often not get jokes or sarcasm unless it’s super clear or is explained to him. He also has a horrible sleep schedule, since he’s often holed up in his room working on programming, he can lose track of time and what day of the week/month it is very easily. He’s also a very sleepy boy when he’s out of his room, because sleep deprivation will make a person constantly tired.

Miu Iruma [Ultimate Fashionista]

She has the ideal body proportions and has no problem flaunting it. She’s very proud of her appearance, and makes a constant effort to keep her clothes and makeup looking their best. She does still make dirty jokes, but less than in canon. Most of her jokes are directed at herself, not exactly self-deprecating, but they hammer in the fact that she sees herself as nothing more than a pretty item. She tries to appear very self confident and like she has her shit together, but she does, in fact, not have her shit together at all. She’s very sensitive, if you insult her she’ll insult you back 10x harder, then cry in her room for 15 minutes straight. She does not take criticism well, and if you insult her she will take it to heart even if it was intended to be a joke. She won’t let it show that it hurt her, and she’ll probably even joke along with it.

Tsumugi Shirogane [Ultimate Swimmer]

She’s a sweet girl with way too many siblings who grew up by the ocean and taught herself how to swim at a very young age. She has a lot of empathy for other people, and finds it easy to make friends because she understands people easily, having spent her life in a household with far more people than it should have housed. She’s very emotional, and very emotionally in tune with those around her, making her a grounding source for people when they’re sad. She’s good at comforting people, and knows what to do when it comes to taking care of others. She’s also a bit loud and sometimes gets carried away, having little control over her volume when she gets excited. She can get a bit possessive over her possessions, and gets a bit snippy if people touch her things or food without asking first. If you do ask, she’ll probably share, albeit, reluctantly.

Himiko Yumeno [Ultimate Pop Sensation]

She’s very small and tiny, but also very flexible and limber. She’s been in the entertainment industry as long as she can remember, and performing has been almost her entire life. She enjoys singing and dancing with her group, and considers the members her family. She has no problem showing her emotions, and she’s very sensitive, so she shows them a lot. She is very outgoing and energetic most of the time, but she she has a very short fuse energy wise and runs out of energy quickly. When she isn’t energetic, she’s tired or napping. Despite her naive first appearance, she’s actually very intuitive from interacting with so many people throughout her lifetime, and it’s not hard for her to tell if someone has good or bad intentions.

Tenko Chabashira [Ultimate Softball Player]

She’s still a huge feminist, but not as much as in canon. She loves softball, she’s incredibly passionate about it, and will say that softball is leagues better than baseball if either subject is back up. She’s very protective over the other girl students, and is especially protective over Himiko, considering they hit it off very early on. She is nice at first, but can be extremely aggressive if provoked, and it doesn’t take a lot to provoke her. She’s muscular, and could easily body check almost anyone else present. She’s emotionally tough and it’s very hard to hurt her feelings, or hurt her in general. She’s easy to get along with, as long as you respect her. If you make her mad, it’s lights out. She’s got a bat on her and she’s not afraid to use it.

Kirumi Tojo [Ultimate Martial Artist]

Kirumi is no nonsense to an extreme degree when it comes to mental and physical health, both her own and others, more so herself. She’s a bit too strict with herself, and she is almost always practicing her Martial Art skills, since Martial Arts is incredibly important to her and her family. She often has trouble talking to other and making friends, socializing is not her forte. She’s rather enjoy other people’s company in silence rather than by talking, preferring a good sparring match over a touching conversation any day. Like Kiibo, she also doesn’t get jokes a lot, but she tries to make an effort to learn more about her peers and their interests, despite not being around them a lot. She’s very observant, so it doesn’t take much to learn a lot about the people around her. She is usually tough emotionally, and it takes quite a bit to make her sad or angry. It is however, very easy to make her flustered, as giving her any form of compliments makes her immediately blush. It’s easy to make her smile if someone knows what they’re doing, and once someone finds out how she works, it’s easy to become friends with her and stay that way.

Korekiyo Shinguiji [Ultimate Writing Prodigy]

Korekiyo is best known for his vivid and terrifying horror stories, which he has an abundance of. Despite horror being his forte, he’s not creepy in the slightest. He’s actually a very nice guy, although he is a bit shy at first. He’s a kind soul and although he can be very jumpy at times, he tries his best to social with others. He’s usually quiet when he speaks, although this is mostly unintentional. He doesn’t like physical contact, but he’s a nice person to be around if someone’s looking to vent or relax. He has a calming presence about him, and he’s able to stay unusually calm during stressful situations. He also has a fun slew of random knowledge solely based on research he’s done for his horror novels, such as where most of the main arteries are located on a human body.

Maki Harukawa [Ultimate ???]

Maki doesn’t remember her talent, although she seems like she may have a suspicion as to what it may be. Maki could be best described as cold, calculating, and observant. She likes to stay in the background, watching other people interact instead of involving herself in friendships. She bottles up almost all of her feelings as a coping mechanism, so she usually comes off as heartless or emotionless at first glance. Really, she’s just horrible at processing emotions, so she just shoves them deep down to avoid confronting them. She also is incredibly distrusting of others and their intentions when people try to talk to her. Like Kirumi and Kiibo, she has problems understanding jokes, although, unlike Kirumi and Kiibo, she makes no effort to understand them, as she doesn’t really care. She’s very factually intelligent, and relies on science and logic to solve most problems. This has nothing to do with her personality, but she often does the leg bouncing/pen clicking stuff, more when she’s nervous, but she does it a lot other times too.

Kokichi Ouma [Ultimate ???]

Kokichi says he doesn’t remember his talent, but it’s implied that he may have a pretty good idea of what it is, he just thinks it’s nobody else’s business. He’s a pessimistic smartass, which immediately puts him at odds with Kaito. He finds the fact that Kaito always tries to see the good in everyone incredibly annoying, because most people just suck and there’s nothing more to it. So, naturally, Kokichi does everything in his power to piss Kaito off, just being a general nuisance. During trials he often shoots a lot of Kaito’s claims and ideas down, and it’s only more infuriating for Kaito because more often than not, Kokichi is actually right. Kokichi is smart and observant, not as much as Maki but almost to the same extent. He’s often passive aggressive towards Kaito, and he doesn’t really spend time with the others unless he’s forced to. Even then, he doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t trust anyone, and he prefers it that way, considering the situation everyone’s in. Despite being an asshole, he’s doesn’t exactly have a temper, and often keeps a level head throughout the madness. He doesn’t expression a lot of emotions, and when he does, it’s usually annoyance or disbelief at the others’ incompetence. He’s rarely truly angry though.

Shuichi Saihara [Ultimate ???]

Shuichi has no idea what his talent is, and despite trying his hardest to figure out what it is, he’s had no luck. Shuichi is a nice boy, and he smiles a lot, usually in an attempt to cheer others up. He’s quiet, but in a reserved sort of way that lets you know he’s listening, he just knows he doesn’t need to give his input in order for it to be a good conversation. He always feels really guilty when he makes someone upset or angry, and apologizes profusely to anyone he thinks he’s wronged. He’s also a bit jumpy, similarly to Korekiyo. He is very much more on the introverted side, and he greatly prefers to be alone in his room rather than mingling with others. This, mixed with the fact that he can’t remember his talent makes other wary of him at first, even though he’s just someone who’s comfortable being alone. He’s not super intelligent, but he is fairly perceptive of his surroundings, and often notices things that others don’t upon first glance.

#dangnaronpa #dr1 trigger happy havoc #trigger happy havoc #danganronpa v3 #danganronpa au #talentswap au #drv3 #dr1

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marveldc-imagines-hub · 5 years

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That’s Not a Real Kiss (Telltale John Doe x Reader)

A/N: Here’s a thing nobody asked for that I’ve had on my mind literally since I created this blog. I love soft John Doe and just want him to be happy because Harley’s abusive and Bruce is a jackass; you’re welcome.

My take on the Telltale Harley Quinn/Joker dynamic is that it’s essentially a switcheroo on the regular representation of the couple, with John Doe being the unstable but more or less well-meaning pushover and Harley being the manipulative, abusive mastermind. With a side of Bruce also being kind of a dumpster fire of a character, in my opinion. I just mention this because I recently realized that this apparently isn’t the most popular take on Telltale’s Joker and a good portion of people still think he’s the main mastermind and has Harley wrapped around his finger. To each their own.

Word count: 1999 (2001 before editing; longer than what I usually write, woo)

Summary: You’ve been close friends with John for a while now, but have grown tired of his blind affections for people didn’t seem to think nearly as highly of him. During another late night of listening to him fawn over Harley and Bruce, you end up deciding to confront him--and corner yourself into confessing your own feelings for him in the process.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse (nothing too graphic), a bit of a cliffhanger? (I might make a sequel if people are interested); I started this months ago and just continued/finished it at three am this morning, so while I did edit it and al that jazz, there may still be the occasional grammar error and choppy writing. That being said, I did also try to write it in a way that felt lengthy and breathless and jumpy? I guess? In hopes of portraying how the reader was feeling and the way their brain was buzzing out of nervousness. Lemme know how I did.

Like what I do? Leave me a tip!

~~~~~

You sat crouched against the wall of John Doe’s scrappy home within the warehouse hideout of the criminal group he’d decided to attach himself to, a scowl etched into your features as you watched him flamboyantly pace around. Seeing him so happy would normally make you happy too, and if he wasn’t talking about the two most manipulative people in his life like they were gods, you would have been. Unfortunately, though, Harley and Bruce were the ones bringing that adorable grin to his face, so you sat unenthusiastically nursing the drink John had provided and stewing in a mental pool of God, I wish that were me.

Then, against your better judgement, you decided to do something about it.

“Hey, Johnny.” You placed your drink down with a hard clink against the concrete floor and glanced up at the man, who had stopped his affectionate rambling with an embarrassed grin; god, you loved that grin. Most people found it unnerving, saying that paired with his paper pale skin it made John look like the living dead--or a clown if they were a crackhead. You, however, found it fitting for him, a strangely cute smile for a strangely cute man. You just wished you were the cause of it more often.

You also wished that what you were going to say wouldn’t result in an argument but you knew it probably would anyway. Shaking aside your butterfly-stirring thoughts and grumbling--partially in case Harley or her criminal buddies were still wandering around the warehouse at this hour, mainly because you’d almost immediately lost all the confidence you had about five seconds ago--you repeated, “Hey, Johnny--”

“Hey, [Y/N/N],” John chirped back, relaxing enough to take a seat on an overturned crate across from you. Curiosity and a bit of confusion sparkled in his green-gray eyes, and his head was tilted slightly to the side. He looked like a puppy; a sweet, dorky, green-haired, white-skinned, horribly lost puppy. One of those pretty soft eyes was still purple-black and partially swollen shut, a punishment from Harley Quinn herself after John had gotten a little too excited and caused a mission earlier today to turn sour. Better than getting a bullet through the eye instead, though that thought didn’t make you feel much better about it.

Still, he smiled, shining like a ray of sun in the dark chaos that was Gotham these days. Still, he fawned over Harley and treated her like a queen.

The idea of it made you want to hurl. You could almost feel the frown lines etching themselves into your skin.

“Why do you like either of them?” you blurted, louder than you had meant to and apparently cutting John off from speaking at the same time; his lips had parted and one of his hands had risen just as words were pouring from your own mouth.

John’s response was a blink, then a chuckle, then that rubbing of the back of his neck that he did when he was flustered. He’d blush if he could, but he couldn’t so he started talking instead. “Well, as I was saying--”

You winced at the slow way he’d said ‘saying,’ like he was annoyed that you’d prevented him from continuing his love-struck rant about a couple of bullies. “You know what I mean, John. I don’t want you to go off on another tangent. We’ve talked about this before.”

It’s true. Despite your unwillingness, this wasn’t the first time you’d gotten enough courage to call John out on his self-destructive bullshit. You’d initially joined The Pact because you had had nowhere else to go at the time, a Gotham newbie with no money but with an attitude and a penchant for eavesdropping and minor pickpocketing--the key was to return the wallet from the person you’d taken it from, acting like they’d dropped it during you bumping into them; everyone in Gotham was too busy to check if anything was missing right then, and you were bland enough in appearance to have basically disappeared and been forgotten by the time they’d noticed. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you might even be mistaken for a homeless ragamuffin and given more money than what you stole from a particularly sympathetic victim.

By the time you’d impressed Harley enough to join her squad of crazy, saving you from sleeping at bus stops and bathing in sinks at gas stations, John Doe was showing up with his friend. His friend Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman--it wasn’t difficult to figure out who the man behind the mask was, if you were really looking; the fact was that no one in Gotham really wanted to ruin the illusion--who you soon realized wasn’t really a friend at all. Like Harley, Bruce used John as pawn at every turn, and you, who had made friends with the lively man pretty easily, couldn’t stand it; you’d quickly learned that John was brilliantly clever, entertaining, had a very intriguing set of gray morals, and was almost completely unaware of the poor treatment he was receiving. After a few weeks of enduring the irritation of watching two mightier-than-thou Gothamites treating your friend like a doormat with the intelligence of a box of rocks, and in some cases saving him from and nursing him back to health after suffering Harley’s wrath, you decided to put on your adult pants and deal with the problem head on: showing John what he was avoiding seeing and hoping to whatever being of high power that he believed you.

At some point among the many high-energy, zany moments you’d experienced with John, but more likely during one of the few gentler, more caring ones, you had caught feelings for the bizarre but lovely man. This realization had you further searching for shooting stars, tossing pennies into fountains, praying, doing whatever else you thought may help every time you every time you considered talking with him about his toxic loved ones. Silently begging that he wouldn’t get so upset with you that he’d decide to completely cut ties with you, or worse--tell Harley what you’d been trying to do, most likely resulting in your corpse being thrown off a Gotham pier.

Now John sat across from you, his long-fingered hands fiddling with each other and his purple-shoed foot tapping and his pale gaze shifting to look anywhere but at you as he considered what to say. You could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out how to explain his love for an abuser and a manipulator without losing the one person who never seemed to grow tired of him.

“[Y/N],” he finally drawled, hesitant, then with a chuckle, “I know you don’t like them but they’re great guys, really; you just need to give them a chance. Harls? She can be real sweet, as long as you stay on her good side and do what she says. And Bruce! Sure, he’s a little grumbly around the edges but--”

“John,” you cried softly, desperately, and rose to your feet. In a few steps you were right in front of him, kneeling and gently pressing a hand to the side of his face that was still bruised. Your face was twisted in pain, none felt for yourself, as you brushed a hand over the surprisingly cool but still puffy skin under his black eye; you looked directly into it, a half moon of silvery green almost hidden by purple flesh, as you continued, “Bruce is a rich boy with a hero complex doing whatever he needs to do and screwing over people he doesn’t think matters in order to finish a mission. Harley Quinn is a menace. She would have smashed your head in if I hadn’t distracted her with new mission plans; that wasn’t even twenty-four hours ago! The bruises from her almost strangling you because you went out to the carnival with me without telling her are just now beginning to fade. I didn’t get a punishment like that, and you know why? Because she thinks I’m useful and she thinks you’re a toy that she can play with and then throw away whenever she wants. She knows you worship the ground she walks on, but I’ve seen you noticing that you don’t deserve the treatment she’s dealing out. People who love you don’t treat you like that, John. Bruce and Harley don’t care about you. They don’t love you. They’re not even your friends.”

Emotionally exhausted and scared that you had crossed a line you shouldn’t have, you ended your speech with a slow breath. You took a moment to look away, shake off the feeling of your eyes burning. You only looked back at John when you felt his cold hand on yours, felt his face lean into your warm palm.

The green-ette who was all limbs and jawline--he looked more like a deer in headlights than a curious puppy now--was watching you, his eyes wide and conflicted. He seemed to be struggling to say something again; you could feel his hands quivering and see him chewing the inside of his cheek in thought. Then he blinked, pressed his cheek more securely into your hand, and asked in the quietest voice you’ve ever heard him use, “Do you?”

You grew more flustered and confused the longer the moment stretched on, and it was your turn to tilt your head slightly. “Do I…?”

“You said they don’t love me,” John clarified, and you felt your mouth go dry. “You said people who love me don’t treat me like that. You’ve never treated me like that.”

Attempting to bring moisture back to your mouth in order to protest, to deny the truths John was claiming, only resulted in what you assumed was pretty unattractive grumble and cough. Not that you thought John would care; you knew he wouldn’t. You did, however, realize that talking was futile, so you took a moment to think of the next best thing. Just as John began to start a new thought again, just as doubt began to blossom in his eyes, you decided to throw all caution to the wind and kiss him.

A small kiss. A very slight brush of the lips. And not on his lips, but right in the center of his forehead.

There was a moment of silence, another excruciatingly long one that briefly made you feel like you were having a heart attack, until you felt the brush of eyelashes on your jaw when John blinked once again.

“That’s not a real kiss.”

You could help bark a short laugh at the pouty tone your friend’s--friend?--voice had. You began to sit back on your heels, apologizing more about the fact that you had kissed John at all than because he’d considered the kiss ‘fake.’ Before you could pull away fully, however, you felt chilly hands make their way from your arm to your shoulder, then to your neck and jaw, pulling you closer. You hadn’t noticed that you had closed your eyes until you opened them again, and then inhaled sharply. You saw the look on John’s face, something new and breathtaking and lacking any of the sadness or doubt that was usually there lately, and smelled a faint cologne all around you--did he always wear that?--and finally felt his breath on your lips when he spoke again.

“It’s okay,” he said, responding to your apology. Pulling you ever closer--you could brush noses and lips now, and even though you felt your eyes flutter shut again but could still see that face behind your lids--he continued, “I’ll do it.”

You weren’t sure, as John’s lips met yours, where this kiss would take you or where the man’s thoughts were at. All you did know was that your doubts of having a chance with John flew right out the window at you leaned into his touch, and that if Harley wanted a fight for him, you’d give her a war.

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smuttymess · 4 years

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bts astro soulmate reading | for mary

sign: cancer sun | pisces moon | virgo rising

lover: min yoongi | soulmate: kim taehyung

This reading is for Mary, a fellow NYC moot and a huge fan of our sunny J-Hope & Taehyung’s general gorgeousness. I had a lot of fun with this one as I am on a huge Taegi kick right now, so I hope you enjoy <3

Still waters run deep for you, sensitive Cancer. With your sun in Cancer, your super power is intuition. Your strength comes in your emotional intelligence, which you are tapped into at all times. This is only intensified by your Pisces moon, which allows you to feel things on a deeper level than most people. Your compassionate, empathetic nature is felt and appreciated by others, who often seek you out for advice or a shoulder to lean on. You have a strong tendency to get swept up in your emotions and impressions, longing to retreat into your fantasy world and away from the harsh realities of daily life. Luckily, you are blessed with a sharp Virgo rising, which you are allows you to harness your emotions and and utilize them to problem-solve and move things forward. Your reserved and stoic Virgo rising is your outward facing persona, protecting the vast tenderness nestled just beneath. In this way, you sort of have the best of both the dreamy, fantastical world of your mind and the sound, earthly realm which you physically live.

More than anything, you want emotional security and stability in your relationships, whether professional, platonic or romantic. Your colleagues know you as the get-things-done team player, which means you are highly valued in the workplace. In your intimate relationships, you find balance in both giving and receiving care, and you are exceptionally good at both. In the past, you may have had a fondness for fuckboys in the past (Aries and Libra - here’s looking at you!) who knew how to fuck you but not treat you well. As you get older you truly seek that healthy balance of all things in your romantic relationships, understanding that your emotional range is a gift to be admired, not taken advantage of. While you are certainly attracted to those brooding artist creative types, typically try to stay away from people who cannot give you that sense of emotional security in the long term.

When you meet Min Yoongi at an intimate listening event, his eyes dark eyes fixed as he sips his whiskey, you initially brush him off as just another work-obsessed idol fuckboy rapper your friends warned you about. Your reluctance quickly disappears after he engages you in conversation, pleasantly surprised by Yoongi’s genuine nature and way with words which are simple and deliberate yet profound. A true Pisces with a moon in Virgo, Yoongi has an air of mystery alongside with a sense of both intensity and calm - an intoxicating combination draws you in. There is no doubting your mutual attraction - he can see right through you to your natural delicate inner world. He is one of the few in the zodiac who can match your emotional intelligence, and in that moment he sees everything that you want. By the end of your conversation, you are buzzing with arousal - and not just because of the drinks. You can practically feel his smirk on your body as you add your number to his contacts before he slinks away backstage.

The relationship you have with Yoongi is, at its core, purely emotional and highly physical. It is not even a full month before the initial hardness of your persona melts away and you’re sneaking out of the office to spend time with him. Spreadsheets and menial work tasks seem dull in comparison to evenings spent in the studio with Yoongi fucking you in his work chair. You tend to be relatively traditional in bed, sticking to what you know works and works well, but Yoongi makes sense an almost spiritual endeavor. Through his unabashed sensuality and love for pleasure he is able to bring out an even deeper, kinkier side of you that you haven’t previously explored. You are not the biggest fan of casual relationships, but with him you feel a sense of trust that allows you to fully let go and access a different side of yourself. Only Yoongi could have you acting out of character and answering 1am texts. I have been thinking about you all day. Come to the studio.

Beyond the physical, you two connect emotionally and fall for the beauty of each others’ minds. The Pisces in him all at once sentimental, artistic and sincere in his approach to life and how he thinks about the world. A broad thinker, he does not shy away from impassioned on social justice, philosophy, and society at large - and in being with him, your entire worldview expands, too. But what hooks you is how this operates in tandem with his Aries in Venus, which makes him direct, purposeful and in-charge. This is reflected in his lyricism and music, which he shares with you during long weekend afternoons and late nights in bed. Though you meet Yoongi at a point in his life where he is more career-focused, he proves to be the ultimate lover during this time: providing the hot sex and deep compatibility you crave from a partner. Despite the relationship fizzling out over time, you are happy to know you can look back on this time as a positive experience.

Months later, in a rush to work, you are more than embarrassed when you clumsily run into a stranger, effectively spilling your entire latte in the process. You are instantly reassured by the strikingly handsome face and warm smile that greets you as you scramble to your feet. There is a moment of pause, a purely magnetic pull between you - almost as if you have both met in another life. Tae is an old soul, with a wisdom way beyond his years, and your intuition signals that this is someone who you want to get to know. A prolonged conversation ensues, leading him to ask to see you again - perhaps when he is not covered in coffee. While he slow and trepidatious when picking romantic partners in the weeks that follow (you date for months before becoming official) by the time you do there has been a deep friendship there that is not easily broken. You grow to adore the complexity of his personality as he does yours. Both highly intelligent and social, you are drawn to Tae’s ability to charm a crowd or play it cool as he chooses to. In your relationship it play and create a fantasy for you to enjoy as easily as it is for him to focus on the little details, making sure your affairs are in order. This type of balance, which you try to achieve in your own life, is ultimately exactly what you need in a partner.

Existing on opposing sides of the zodiac, the term opposites attract aptly applies to your relationship with Taehyung. While he brings spontaneity, whimsy and structure to your world, you help him explore his tenderness and romantic side that exists beneath the surface. As many of his exes could tell you, one could spend a lifetime trying to crack Tae’s emotional code, and it is really only you that is up to the task. Initially, you definitely struggle with the nature of his lifestyle which takes him away from home fairly regularly, and as much as you admire his hustle you can’t help but long for more time with him. With his sun in Capricorn, Taehyung is a caretaker and he values steadfast, hard work. He is relentless in pursuit of his goals, and while he does not expect you to be the same, he does require an understanding of the grueling nature of his profession. This force you to build upon your independence,

You are far from neglected in this relationship, however. As noted, you need stability and that links directly to reassurance. While Tae is not always physically there, you know that he is always just a phone call away - anytime, anywhere. Thanks to his Aries moon and Sagittarius Jupiter, you also have a freak on your hands. While he absolutely wants to care for you and provide, that desire is not limited to the finances. While he is away often he makes sure to let him know you are on his mind. On your lengthy conversations over the phone, Tae can often sense the neediness in your voice, his tone lowering into a seductive growl as he coos into your ear. He adores making you beg for him as he riles you up from his hotel room, knowing exactly how to make you tick. When Tae takes the drivers seat, you are more than welcome to hop on for the ride. You could get off to his voice alone, your focus waning as he talks through all the ways he wishes he could touch and please you. Ah, so you miss me? Show me just how much, baby. I want to see you - all of you. Yes, he has a folder of your very tastefully taken nudes on his phone, and he adores every single one of them.

You enjoy following his pace, loving nothing more than reuniting after his days and weeks away for work. When he is home, you likely don’t leave for days on end - why would you, when you have everything you need right here? Your home, likely off in the countryside or by the sea, serves as safe haven for the two of you to retreat into at the end of a long day, a place where you can truly be yourselves. You and Tae are both homebodies at heart, and the sanctuary you establish together reflects your fondness for simple comforts and little luxuries. Equally kind and loyal with high moral capacities and integrity, your opposing traits overall complement each other in tandem with your shared fundamental characteristics. Together you act as true partners and best friends, the world you create together described as nothing short of magical.

#bts #bts astrology #bangtan #bangtan astrology #bangtan fic #fiction #horoscope #astrology readings #astrology #kim taehyung #min yoongi

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crimsonrevolt · 5 years

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Congratulations Eliza you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Sirius Black

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Sirius Black is a character held very close to my heart, and let me say that when your application came through we were obsessed! You capture him so well, I found myself so drawn in with every new section. From your explanation of him as a character to your headcanons and question responses, it’s obvious to us that you love him as much as we do and will write him beautifully. We’re so excited to see you join us, welcome to the group! *Your faceclaim change to Matthew Daddario has been accepted.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Introduction: I’m Eliza, I’m 22, and my preferred pronouns are she/her.

Activity: I’m currently in my final year of uni, so aside from any sudden tsunami of work (always possible) I’m legit doing nothing except sitting on my laptop trying to figure out how to procrastinate my Commodus essay. So, uh, high.

How did you find us? through the marauders era tag, I think!

Anything else? Nothing that I can think of.

IN CHARACTER

Desired character: Sirius Orion Black – Orion for his father. Sirius is a family name; he’s technically Sirius Black the Third, but that’s not something he likes to shout about.

Birthday / star sign: Sirius was born on November 3rd 1960, which makes him a Scorpio, and if you need anymore proof that astrology is real I don’t know what to tell you.

Occupation:

Bartender. Sirius doesn’t need to work – his Uncle Alphard made sure of that – but he learned the hard way that nothing’s worse for his mental health than sitting around all day, picking at old wounds. He works at a bar just off Diagon Alley, wizarding, except for the occasional lost confused muggle. He’s good at his job; he likes to talk to customers, he enjoys small-talk, and he makes a killer martini – plus, it’s the perfect position to be in to gather information. He’s friendly with his boss, and on the second floor there’s a large room that is the perfect size for meetings of a book club. A very special book club, with no books.

Faceclaim:

I absolutely love Miles, but finding gifs for him is tough – could I use Matthew Daddario instead? (or, if you hate him, Aidan Turner or Harry Styles or Ezra Miller?)

Reason for chosen character:

This is actually the last part of the application I’m filling in – I’ve spent ages trying to figure out how to answer this question. Why did I pick Sirius? I can write him well, that’s true, I have a proper handle on his voice and how I think he’d react in most situations, but it’s more than that. I think that Sirius, in any marauders era rp, has the greatest possibility for plots; he’s extroverted, has a finger in basically every pie, and his future looks pretty bloody dreadful from a canon perspective, which is something I love. Give me all the blood and tears you can and I’m happy. Besides, I like Sirius. I think he’s a good man at heart, but his flaws are so immense that he’s fascinating to write. So I guess I picked him because I’d like to be his friend, but would hate him at the same time, and that’s all you want in a character, really.

In this section you should also describe the character and how you see them.

Inherently, Sirius is a man with many flaws that often overwhelm him. He is trying to be good, but not always succeeding. He enjoys the pain of others too much for comfort; he can switch to cruelty in an instant when threatened. He has much less of a conscience than James does – in fact, many would say that James functions as his conscience, that the two of them are two parts of one whole. When, at sixteen, he finally left the Black family for good, he cut them off in his mind as well as in practice, finding it easier to cope with the pain if he forced the world into black and white instead of shades of grey. It is only as he gets older that he is beginning to see the difficulties of choice facing his cousins – but his pride won’t let him admit such a thing. He was brought up with all the prejudices that came with the Black family name; his parents, though not Death Eaters, were violent people, viciously against muggles and muggleborns. He’s certain that his father at least is a murderer, and knows that they rejoice in the insanity of his cousin Bellatrix and all that brings with it.

The main way Sirius coped with the loss of his family was by demonising the lot of them. That isn’t, in a way, incorrect: the Blacks were and are at the forefront of the Death Eaters, and Sirius was always too compassionate to easily accept that ideology. But equally he refuses to see any good in them. Anyone who is even neutral in the war turns his stomach. He cannot understand the difficulty of choosing between your morals and your family – after all, he did it, didn’t he? He sees fighting as the only moral option, and that puts him in conflict not just with Death Eaters, but with other bystanders too.

Preferred ships // Character sexuality // Gender & Pronouns:

Bisexual | cis male | he/him

Preferred ships: I’m a sucker for wolfstar, but honestly anything with chemistry works for me. If you can come up with a horribly angsty plot, so much the better, because Sirius is not lucky in love.

Details:

Walburga and Orion had a happy marriage, but it was not one that set a good example to their son in terms of love. They never showed affection in public – Sirius never saw them so much as hold hands; when, as he was storming out of Grimmauld Place for the final time when he was sixteen, he saw his father place a hand on Walburga’s shoulder, he knew that he had truly gone too far to turn back. Their affection was based on fierce loyalty, concurrent goals and ideology, and matching intelligence that they both passed down to their eldest son, but they treated each other only with cold respect in front of their children. With no model of domestic harmony to fall back on, Sirius has never been very emotionally capable. Passionate by nature but always unsure of the affection of others, he tended at Hogwarts to fall into a pattern of obsession and then rejection that had him labelled a womaniser.

Sirius’s love for boys – it is a love for boys, he’s long since accepted that; at first he told himself it was just because he liked sex, but that theory’s been scuppered over and over again – is something that he is relatively open about. He is lucky in that his group of friends are quite accepting; even those who don’t understand the sexual revolution that has been happening in the last decade see it as another of his quirks, oh, that’s just Sirius. His self-confidence, as fuelled by the Marauders, has meant that he has rarely struggled with his sexuality – it’s another thing his family would hate him for, and therefore something else to be proud of.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER

Potential plots:

1. James Potter:

James and Sirius are two parts of one whole – Sirius sees him, with typical casual self-deprecation, as the sunlight to his own shadow. Sirius is hardly the sort of person to let anyone take a curse if he’s in the vicinity, but for James Sirius is pretty sure he’d do anything. Not only did James complete the transformation, already begun through his parents’ cruelty, of Sirius from Pureblood supremacist to fully-fledged blood traitor, but also makes him the best person he can be. Around James, all of Sirius’s rough edges are smoothed out; he’s at his funniest, and also at his kindest. They see each other every day, people take the absolute piss, and Sirius loves it.

2. Remus Lupin:

Ah, Remus. Sirius has been in love with a lot of people throughout his life – he can’t help it, he’s a Scorpio – but Remus, well, he lingered. Not that Sirius would say anything, and he spends half his time mocking his friend so thoroughly that no one suspects, and anyway, he’s over it, obviously, times five hundred. But there it is – Remus Lupin, lingering.

They work well together, is all. Remus looks blankly at him every time he makes a bad joke, which is excellent for Sirius’s ego; when Remus wakes up bloodied and furious with himself and the world, Sirius is there, feet up on the bottom of his bed, bottle of water in one hand and cigarette in the other. Remus knows that Sirius secretly likes to read, curled up in his kitchen with a mug of strong coffee, and Sirius knows how Remus likes his gin (strong, expensive). They might not be like James and Sirius, but they can sit in silence for hours, and a lot of the time, that’s all Sirius needs.

3. Regulus Black:

For a long time, Regulus was Sirius’s only friend – something he now says in a tone that’s supposed to be funny, but no one really laughs. A large part of Sirius, larger than he’d like to admit, knows how similar they are, how easily he could have been like Reg, had he not been the heir and subject to more pressure, had he not had James, and for a while he tried to be James to Regulus. But it was fruitless; perhaps it always would have been. Every so often they see each other, and it makes Sirius want to go and drink for five days – usually he then does.

4. Aversio

Sirius was an obvious choice for Aversio recruitment – not only is his cousin Andromeda a member, but he has often vocally and emphatically (and sometimes violently) declared his dissatisfaction with the Order. Weighed down by bureaucracy and occasionally the very prejudices they claim to fight against, Sirius sees the Order as a useless, bloated organisation, too afraid to do anything except wave placards in the air outside the Ministry. He has taken part in several Aversio attacks, but keeps his involvement entirely secret, except from other members. He is suspected, of course, and doesn’t like to openly lie, but there’s no proof; he’s still a member of the Order on the surface. He sees fighting fire with fire as a moral choice – to do anything other than the utmost is to betray the cause, and to be no better than the enemy.

Mini-headcanons:

nicknames padfoot

star sign scorpio

mbti ESFP, the Entertainer

greek mythological counterpart Poseidon, god of the sea, of earthquakes, of storms and horses, protector of seafarers, associated with drowning and madness.

season autumn

deadly sin pride

heavenly virtue liberality

element fire

flower gladiolus. Gladioli symbolise strength of character, faithfulness and honour, as well as remembrance and infatuation, with a bouquet conveying to a recipient that they pierce the giver’s heart with passion.

colour storm-grey

wand elm wood, unicorn hair, 11 inches, excellent for hexes

patronus black dog

early bird or night owl night owl

greatest fear rejection by his found family

secret superstition has a terrible habit of crossing his fingers while he sleeps to ward off bad dreams

small facts

Sirius can ice skate. He can play the piano. He can ballroom dance. He can make a wicked spaghetti bolognese. He likes to read, but can’t write to save his life; his handwriting is something close to incomprehensible. He has an average singing voice, he loves muggle music, and he wishes that he was born a Beatle. When he was fifteen years old he lost his virginity to a distant French cousin of James’s somewhere behind the Potters’ Quidditch pitch. He has been in love, at various points in his school career, with Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, Glenda Chittock, and probably Minerva McGonagall. He hates anything that tastes like nuts, won’t touch sugar quills, and changes his hairstyle every three days. You can tell that he’s unhappy because he retreats inwards, goes quiet, stormy. He likes Quidditch but prefers motorcycles, much to James’s disgust. He thinks marriage is a scam, but secretly wants children desperately. He loves cats, but they hate him. He would die for his friends.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

Do you think it is more important to be feared or loved? Which would you rather be?

SIRIUS: Loved, for sure. Who’d say feared? Being feared is awful; there’s nothing more toxic. It wraps itself around your lungs like a sickness, like clove cigarette smoke, and twists you all up inside until it’s all you lust after, that look in someone’s eyes when they’re afraid of you. No, that’s not for me – I couldn’t trust myself not to want more. Love is good enough.

What is one thing you would never want said about you?

SIRIUS: That I was boring. Can you imagine? You’re sitting there, in your Hufflepuff scarf (you’re definitely a Hufflepuff in this scenario), and you’re eavesdropping on some older, way cooler students (one of them is especially dashing) and they say that they got trapped in conversation with you on Tuesday and couldn’t get away. They wanted to get away from you because you bored them to tears. I think I’d rather die than be in that position. You know what they say – all huff, no puff. Or something. Do they say that? They should.

If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it!

SIRIUS: oh, I’d absolutely invent a cure for lycanthropy. I don’t know if it’d be a charm, or a potion – probably a charm, because Lupin’s the worst at taking potions on time, and he’s the only werewolf I give a fuck about. Wait, did he not say that? Did he forget he was a werewolf? What, and I’m here, slaving over a cauldron, wasting my life away in this dingy basement (obviously I’m brewing this world-changing potion in a basement, by torchlight, also for some weird reason I’m wearing a full-length black robe?) like Nicholas fucking Flamel? I swear to God –

What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

SIRIUS: it’s not necessarily that I find making decisions hard. I make decisions fast, and find it hard to go back on them. It’s more that – well, making the correctdecisions is difficult.

When I was sixteen – and I’m not introducing my age because I think it excuses it; it doesn’t, I’m just trying to set the damn scene – I made a mistake that could have – well, I was going to say it could have destroyed my friendships, but it was more than that. It could have made me a murderer, and Remus too. I’m only telling you this because I am assuming it will never go any further than the two of us. I don’t tell other people’s secrets.

I hated Severus Snape from our first day at Hogwarts. He was arrogant, and he was nasty, and he was clearly in deep with the dark arts, which I don’t hold with. Prongs hated him too, for other reasons that he’ll probably tell you considering he takes any opportunity to go on about Evans. And sixth year was shit. Again, that isn’t an excuse – but that’s what my mindset was, that autumn. My uncle Alphard had just died. I knew that I would never see my brother again, and traitor that he was, he was – is – still my brother. I came back to Hogwarts in September and it felt like a dark cloud had just broken over my head. It wouldn’t go away. I’m going to put this bluntly, because it’s how I do things best – Remus is a werewolf. That’s relevant.

In November, we all knew Snape was sniffing around. Moony had been off at the beginning of the month, and it had been a shit full moon; I wasn’t in a good enough place to control him as well as I should’ve been, and we were all roughed up the next day, Moony the worst. Prongs had a nasty black eye, as I remember; I had a cut up face, Peter was limping. Snape had been watching us. We were all on edge; he’d been close to figuring out Moony’s secret for years, and we knew that if he found proof he’d spread it all around the school. He’d want Remus out – expelled, or worse. As December grew closer, we grew worse. We were snapping at each other, we were getting close to fights every damn evening. Moony was pale and ill the entire month, there wasn’t even the usual grace period between moons. It felt like everything was bad.

The full moon was on December 2nd. That day, James and I had had a catastrophic fight about everything and nothing – we bickered like fucking lovers back then. I bumped into Snape at the bottom of the Astronomy tower, and I – I told him where to find Remus.

God, I regretted it. I regretted it immediately. But even then, even though I knew it was wrong, I hadn’t figured it all out. I’ve always been bad at seeing consequences. When I found James and told him, I was laughing. I thought we’d give Snape a scare – then he’d never bother us again. James has always been a better man than me; he knew immediately what would happen. Remus would kill Snape, or bite him – we weren’t sure which was worse. James went after him. He saved his life. Snape wasn’t grateful, the fucker, but I – well.

Remus forgave me first. He shouldn’t have; I didn’t deserve it. I couldn’t give less of a shit if Snape dies, but Remus would have been affected; I would’ve made a killer out of him. But we could never fight for long; we don’t give each other the silent treatment. I think Remus would forgive me anything. James, on the other hand, took months. Even now, he looks at me different. That’s the sort of decision I’d take back in an instant. That’s the sort of decision I find hard to make.

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

Sirius would be right up there with Amelia and Dirk at the Quidditch match – he fiercely believes that Aversio has the right way forward, and especially after the Order’s apparent dismissal of Edgar Bones’s disappearance (Sirius sees everything other than intense passion as dismissal), he’s feeling even more frustrated and disenfranchised. He would absolutely be helping Marlene and James, though likely getting in the way somewhat, given his tendency to go in all guns blazing (all wands blazing?) when it comes to his family. Fuck Bellatrix is his phrase of the week…well, the month. The year?

I don’t know if Sirius would take direct part in the actual mission to rescue Edgar – it probably makes more sense rp-wise if he didn’t, maybe because the others don’t trust him (though I don’t know if James would leave him behind). Either way, Ed’s return is a positive for two reasons – one, Sirius likes the bloke, and two, he’s hoping he can use Ed’s rescue as a concrete example of Aversio doing better than the Order. Politics, mate.

WRITING SAMPLE

Sirius Black was up a tree.

He didn’t spend a lot of time up trees, as a rule. But it was the first of September, and as such he was avoiding people - and in the Potter household, the only place it was feasible to be alone was in the branches of the huge oak tree in the grounds, out by the Quidditch pitch. He’d climbed it, hands slipping on the wet bark, about an hour previously, and he was starting to shiver.

It was unseasonably cold for September. The wind whistled through the leaves of the trees and caught at his hair, tangling it into messy curls; he huffed and pushed it out of his face and let the rain sweep down in huge sheets. He imagined it washing his features away, leaving him with nothing but a blank canvas which he could paint over, inscribe new eyes, a new nose, a new mouth. Maybe he would make himself a Potter. He closed his eyes and imagined them hazel and bright instead of grey and sharp, and knew he was being fanciful. In the Black household, being fanciful was on a par with dreaming below your station, and Sirius, though naturally imaginative, couldn’t shake that last remnant of his mother’s distaste.

He opened his eyes and watched the water drip off his eyelashes in diamond flashes. He was freezing. Surely, he thought, somewhat bitterly, if this was meant to be a formative moment in his life the world would allow him a few more moments to be at least healthily warm so that he could get his musings into better shape. But it was not to be: he was starting to shake, and even he couldn’t pretend to be fine much longer.

Below him, a figure was struggling through the wind, down the sloping grass from the front door. “Sirius!” the figure howled into the combative weather, the wind tossing his voice away towards the lake. “Oi! Black! Are you completely fucking insane?! Get inside, it’s half-eight! Mum’s made bacon!”

Bacon - now that, at least, jerked Sirius out of his stupid melancholy mood. He slid gracefully down the trunk of the tree and landed with a thump and a squelch of mud in front of his friend, who glared at him through rain-speckled glasses.

“I,” he explained, with dignity, “was having life-changing thoughts.”

“Brilliant,” snapped James, in a manner that suggested it most definitely was not. “But Catchlove’s tits can wait, Black, because I’m starving.”

#accepted app #sirius black

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franchisewars-blog · 6 years

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Why The Force Awakens is better than The Last Jedi (IMO): Character Arcs- Finn.

(Note: This is an entry in a series arguing why one member of the FranchiseWars duo, Hopper, has a serious issue with any and all claims that The Last Jedi is better than The Force Awakens. Other entries will eventually be linked to this article. This article emphatically does *not* reflect the opinions of the other member of the duo, the Condor , who loves the shiznit out of The Last Jedi.)

The Force Awakens *lives* for character arcs. It’s the bread and butter of the film, as every major character undergoes serious character growth or, in the case of Kylo Ren, character breakdown. And the chemistry and conflict between the characters effectively defines the film’s best parts.

And in comparison, the Last Jedi utterly fails at that.

First, to Finn. Finn is, in effect, the de-facto main protagonist of The Force Awakens; he goes through the most character growth, with a character arc that lasts from his first scene until his last. He’s initially the literal personification of a background extra; a nameless, voiceless and faceless Stormtrooper, who’s only maybe recognizable by his short height. But from the first second the camera directs the audience to view him, we witness his character arc begin. He’s the first Stormtrooper we see to ever respond to an injured comrade and try and help him, then he’s the first one on screen to suddenly grasp the horrors of what he and his comrades are doing, with John Boyega doing some amazing acting for a masked character in heavy body armor. And when this Stormtrooper refuses to massacre civilians, and exchanges a frightened and frozen stare with the apparently stoic Kylo Ren, we’ve already gone through more character growth than most other individuals in the saga’s arc. We’ve witnessed a “face turn,” to use wrestling parlance, and one executed perfectly.

And without a single line uttered by the character! And we haven’t even seen his face yet!

From there, the stormtrooper’s changes in character become integral to the film’s plot. After a brief reprimand by Phasma, we see him showcase pragmatic and cunning thinking by forging an alliance with Poe and escaping the First Order with him. And for this, the Stormtrooper FN-2187 gets a name: Finn. He’s almost *literally* baptised by combat into a new identity. And it’s not inaccurate to point out that since the film establishes that Stormtroopers are stolen from their families and raised to e cannon fodder, he’s ditching a *slave name* for a new identity. And when separated from Poe and upon meeting Rey, he adopts a persona as a Resistance fighter partially out of convenience and partially out of a selfish desire to maintain Rey’s admiration. It’s a very human reaction for someone who’s basically been reborn into freedom to pursue something that can give them just a little bit of joy and ease of life…

...Of course, for Finn, it also means that he suddenly has to act the part he’s decided to play, and effectively by going full method actor. While his personal goals are still to merely escape the reach of the First Order, he finds himself picking up Poe’s mission and forging an alliance with Rey to deliver BB-8 to the Resistance. And this introduces the next major component to his character arc: the internal conflict between wanting to run and hide versus helping Rey, BB-8, and ultimately the Galaxy in a dangerous mission. Han Solo’s entrance in the film highlights this conflict; when Han immediately susses out that Finn’s story is a cover, John Boyega gets to give Finn scenes of shame and guilt just by facial acting. He doesn’t just want Rey’s admiration; he wants to be *worthy* of it, and he knows he isn’t.

Which is why I absolutely love the shiznit out of his and Rey’s argument when Finn wants to leave! Finn’s new identity is basically a newborn freedman, and he pours his heart out to her with what he wants and what he feels, and all the things that were impossible to contemplate when just a faceless Stormtrooper. He begs her forgiveness and understanding, and pleads with her to flee danger with him. It’s an emotionally vulnerable scene for the character, and we again see his internal conflict when Rey begs him not to go when he hesitates and seems to genuinely consider staying with her and accomplishing their missions before rejecting it. Again, it’s a very relatable choice he makes, as we understand how he can evaluate his survival above the potential to save the rest of the Galaxy...

...Until he suddenly sees the First Order destroy the Hosnian System. Watch that scene again, and watch Finn. He freezes mid-escape plan, and goes to tell Han what happened… and only *afterwards* asks where Rey is. Finn’s underestimated his own virtues. He saw a need to at least pass on more reliable intelligence, and forsook his escape out of a moral obligation to help Han and Rey understand what they’d just seen. His flight reflex has flipped over to fight. And he takes up arms against the First Order not just for Rey, but also because it’s simply the right thing to do. When he goes to Starkiller Base to rescue Rey, he’s fully on board and obedient to the mission’s priorities of deactivating the shield first, and doesn’t hesitate to follow Han’s lead in staying to compromise the Oscillator’s fortifications. Finn may still care about Rey more than anyone or anything else, but he’s clearly fully on-board with the Resistance's goals. He’s a loyal soldier, just like a Stormtrooper is supposed to be, but he’s a loyal soldier to the right cause and for the right reasons.

Which helps add even more awesome to his confrontation and short duel with Kylo. When they first shared the screen, Finn was in utter, helpless and voiceless terror of Kylo Ren, who only bothered to give him a somewhat bemused stare after Finn had stared at him for several seconds. Now, at the end, Kylo has to draw Finn’s attention *back* to him by screaming and threatening him, when Finn is so focused on helping Rey he’s willing to turn his back on the 6-and-a-half-foot tall patricidal madman. The faceless Stormtrooper has so enraged the self-absorbed Knight of Ren that he whines and cries about how Finn’s denying him what he wants. And even though the power between the two is still heavily in Kylo’s favor, Finn charges against him because damn it, he’s going to defend his friend! And even though Kylo simply toys with and quickly maimes Finn, Finn’s furious, desperate assault buys time for Rey to reawaken and challenge Kylo, and Finn’s single landed blow plays a part in Rey overpowering Klo at the end of their fight.

The Force Awakens took a nameless slave mook, gave him name, and a journey to being a savior of untold billions of lives and herald of the return of the Jedi...

And then The Last Jedi does almost nothing with the character but give him busy-work, when it isn’t mocking him, ignoring his past, or undermining its own message.

You see, Finn’s *supposed* to have a character arc. He’s supposed to struggle between: a desire to flee the Resistance's fleet to seek out Rey (ostensibly because he’s certain the Resistance is doomed and wants her safe from the First Order), and coming to grasp the larger picture and his responsibility to help the Resistance fight the First Order. And he *does* go through this arc…

… For all of about 5 minutes.

Right after Rose has tasered him for his attempt to leave, and while they’re arguing over what he was doing, they stumble into techno-babble about how they might be able to save the Resistance. And from then on, Finn doesn’t express any internal conflict or competing desires like he did in TFA. Instead, we have an almost totally static character here, who doesn’t really experience any growth. (I’m going to argue the same thing is true for Rey and Kylo in future articles.)

And arguably worse than that, the film seems to mostly treat Finn as a comic fool, someone to be laughed at and condescended to. Think about his first scene in the film: Finn has just awoken from the life-threatening, coma-inducing injuries, for which he has received intensive medical care, and which almost certainly have left a permanent scar across his entire back… and the film decides he’s the perfect target for some slapstick humor. “Ha! Look at the addled and injured war hero! Doesn’t he just look so stupid wandering around in that ridiculous suit we put him in? Perfect! Now we don’t have to address his situation in anything resembling a serious manner!”

Not that Finn should be dead-serious; Boyega gave him a humorous charm in TFA. The issue with the comedy in TLJ is not the comedy itself, but the refusal to match it with the gravitas that TFA and the Original Trilogy managed. Finn gets a scarce few times to show Boyega’s dramatic chops, and TLJ works to downplay those scenes, or it undermines them outright. On Canto Bight, Finn receives a short, all-too-brief and simple lecture from Rose about the underpinnings of slave labor that allow the place to operate.

She just told the *child slave soldier* about people suffering a similar blight right in front of him. And he does *nothing.*

What the hell!?! This ignored concept has more dramatic value than anything they give the character in the film! Kind of like how the film *refuses* to tackle how ex-Stormtrooper Finn might have a strong compulsion to free his brothers and sisters upon visiting the Supremacy, or how he and Phasma should have an intense animosity born from her using people like him as cannon fodder but is willing to sell out everyone to save her own hide! (Check out how this might have been the original plan for the character in the Extra Credits at the bottom) Finn should be the unholy offspring of Harriet Tubman and Spartacus! And instead, we’ve got Finn, The Last Jedi’s comic relief minor character stuck in a plot cul-de-sac, going nowhere fast.

Finn and Rose’s journey has barely any impact on the film’s meta-narrative, save for the convoluted and horrible writing of the Space Chase connecting to it to ensure their mission actually makes things *worse* for the Resistance (again, this will be covered in later installments). The most eloquent defense I’ve heard of the film is that the subplot is supposed to reinforce the “failure is the greatest teacher” theme. It’s a good lesson to teach, to be sure. But the lesson is sabotaged by other plots in the film, and since Finn and Rose are ultimately just reinforcing the idea, it renders their entire sequence superfluous and redundant.

And it really doesn’t help that an accurate statement about The Last Jedi would be “The white guys shape the overall narrative, while all the people of color are off in skippable subplots.”

And finally, the film tries to give Finn another lesson to learn, but does so in a laughably incompetent way. When Rose rams Finn out of his charge at the Battering Ram, she justifies her decision (which was already on some pretty shaky physical grounds from her cutting him off when he was at maximum speed) by arguing that “We won’t win this fight by killing what we hate, but by saving what we love.” It’s a sweet thought, but, uh…

WHAT THE HELL DID SHE THINK HE WAS DOING?!?

He was trying to *save* what he loved, and save everybody’s lives, by risking a self-sacrifice to stop the Battering Ram, allowing the Resistance to survive even longer behind their great door! And since the film doesn’t show the Battering Ram firing until after they’ve crashed, and he’s gotten out of his speeder, ran to her, she says what she wanted, and then moves to kiss him… well, it looks like he clearly could have made it to the Battering Ram and saved everyone! The film could have tried to play the scene better, by having the cannon fire right as Rose knocks him out of the way, demonstrating he couldn’t have made it, or by having her not saying that stupid phrase in a situation where it simply doesn’t fit.

But nope. The Last Jedi had to ensure that we knew it treated Finn and his plotline as bantha poodoo.

It’s such a baleful, pathetic continuation of The Force Awakens take on the character, I’d *almost* laugh, if it weren’t so sad.

EXTRA CREDITS: How Rian Johnson kept changing Finn’s plot.

Okay, to be a bit more real here, I don’t think Rian Johnson intended to wall off Finn and Rose into an ultimately pointless pee-break of a story. A lot of his early ideas sound like they clearly included big, fun plans for the character. But it’s also clear that Johnson made serious mistakes while creating the film that slowly ate away at his initial plans, and left us with the disappointment we have.

First off, Finn’s story was supposed to feature him and Poe as the duo going to Canto Bight. Sounds cool, right? Oscar Isaac basically sweats charisma, and he and Boyega have a proven chemistry! Just one problem: Rian Johnson felt he couldn’t differentiate their voices enough.

What?

Asides from being male, these two characters couldn’t be more different. Poe’s a veteran New Republic pilot raised in the Galactic order created by Han, Luke, and Leia. Finn’s a freshly defected rookie soldier hailing from an autocratic regimes slave army. But apparently that was too similar for Johnson as a script writer, so we got Rose.

Now, Kelly Marie Tran is a great actress, and she does a lot of good work that I think TLJ ultimately wasted. Some of that is because of another change that occured in production. You may remember this picture of Finn from a BTS video:

Notice how he’s wearing a Starfortress Bomber uniform? Apparently, Finn’s original entrance in TLJ would have seen him not in his bacta suit, but instead as one of Rose’s sister, Paige Tico’s, fellow gunners. Finn would have been the last survivor of the bomber run on the dreadnaught, and would have cradled a dying Paige, so she could put a bloody handprint over his heart, mimicking the opening of The Force Awakens. Sounds interesting, right? It would certainly add an interesting dimension to Rose and Finn’s relationship, perhaps increasing their friction, as Rose would see Finn’s attempted desertion as a dishonor to her sister, while Finn would be leaving because he refused to re-experience that kind of loss again. It’s great dramatic material!

But Johnson didn’t want to write it.

"If he did know Paige was Rose's sister, there would either have to be a big 'I saw your sister die' scene, which I didn't want to write and the movie would have come to a full stop to do, or he would be an arsehole because he would never tell her. So ultimately it felt really right as a set-up but I realised there was no wood to burn in terms of a pay-off." (Rian Johnson, Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

You’ve got to be kriffin’ kidding me! “No wood to burn in terms of pay-off”?!? It would have been leagues better than the fairly onenote characterization of Rose’s attraction to Finn, and would have added some actual internal drama to the story!

ANYWAYS… originally, Canto Bight was going to be a much longer sequence, which presumably would have done a better job of handling the war profiteering angle, and the recruitment of DJ. Finn and Rose would have been outfitted in some sweet space tuxedos/dresses. Presumably, this would have acted to play up physical attraction between the leads… and get some laughs from Finn wearing his backward.

Finally, We have confirmation of a deleted scene building on Finn and Phasma’s confrontation, and possibly planting seeds for a potential stormtrooper revolt in Episode IX. Here’s the scene from The Star Wars Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjoJqZDjxgI

While it’s a rough scene, I do think it should have remained, if not expanded. Phasma and Finn desperately needed more buildup for their confrontation, and just that little hesitation on the Stormtroopers’ part reminds us that they were just like Finn once. Shame Johnson decided a badly written Space Chase subplot couldn’t be cut entirely to save time for this scene...

To read the next article on Rey: https://franchisewars.tumblr.com/post/171920170140/why-the-force-awakens-is-better-than-the-last-jedi

To read the article on Finn, go here: https://franchisewars.tumblr.com/post/171769864765/why-the-force-awakens-is-better-than-the-last-jedi

To read the article on Luke and Han: https://franchisewars.tumblr.com/post/172012889670/why-the-force-awakens-is-better-than-the-last-jedi

To hear our podcast comparing the two films from the sequel trilogy: https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Ffranchisewars%2Fid1286433288%3Fmt%3D2%23episodeGuid%3DBuzzsprout-675266&t=NDAyNjNkNDk3OTExNTY1MGVjZjE5MzYzZjhmNjhhZTlkM2MwOTcxNyw5YjNidHhxTw%3D%3D&b=t%3AgYAQ8VbQFnxwgeW_XfJRCQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffranchisewars.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172572228305%2Fthe-force-awakens-vs-the-last-jedi-podcast&m=1

#finn #the force awakens #the last jedi #anti tlj #tfa #tlj #anti the last jedi

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luxuriejaded-blog · 6 years

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some preliminary headcanons. i gotta collection of ‘em, though not a whole lot of specificity in them. just some ground works and basic ideas.

-- nick was born to a prominent, well-to-do family out in the midwest. he always specifies chicago, but in truth, the family had lived a little outside of it, in a more quiet and respectable neighborhood. they weren’t fabulously wealthy, but were pretty well-cushioned enough to present nick good opportunities. -- nick was an only child, and spent most of his childhood alone. he was close to his father, a rather reserved and conservative man, but one nick greatly respects to this day. he respects his mother too and loves her dearly, but her signature on his life wasn’t as large as say his father’s. -- nick was often taken to the city and back, as well as having frequently traveled to family events all across the midwest. he spent a good deal of time among other fellow carraways and cousins; his friends were few and far in between, but they were strong in bond. he sends letters and other messages to his boyhood friends even at this day and age. for lack of quantity, he makes up in considerable quality. -- his family’s position in society was high enough to hold dinner parties and attend other affairs often obligated to the monied peoples. due to their frequent attendance of such, nick had learned to quickly get over his boyhood shyness and relax into a sort of quietly-held dignity. his father taught him much in the way of manners and politeness, what’s appropriate to say, to do, to dress. manners had been so compounded into nick’s mind that he tends to treat everyone like they were all delicate china, for fear of saying something that may cause an infernal row. -- nick had always been quiet, always been reserved. he keeps a lot to himself, most of which his parents don’t even know about. unless explicitly asked, nick won’t say much about his thoughts or feelings. his face betrays very little thought. he always seems thoughtful, pensive, attentive. he’s always observing and watching, waiting for cues on what to say, what to do. he doesn’t like going in anywhere or doing anything without some idea of what is to occur or what to expect, and he doesn’t like being emotionally compromised. -- the person to whom he could claim some form of closeness to is his cousin, daisy. she had always been fond of him, and greatly enjoyed doting on him, even when they were young. as a little boy, nick was fascinated by daisy. she did something to the room that no one else could ever really do, and the natural ease with how she spoke and moved made him slightly envious for not being more socially inclined. he could never really understand why daisy always chose to sit next to him and talk to him during large family events - she dragged him EVERYWHERE whenever they were together, as if he was some kind of doll. nick had always been flattered by daisy’s attention, though he doesn’t think himself worth all that much. -- he doesn’t confide in daisy much, but he does choose to divulge certain information that he feels would be beneficial for her to know. daisy, when alone with nick, likes to spill out her own secrets in torrential waves. it wasn’t until after the marriage to tom bucchanan that she started to retreat back into herself and lose her elegant buoy-ancy that fascinated nick during his youth. she still confides in nick, but only divulges information in certain, cryptic phrases. nick is clever enough to figure them out, but he notes that the direct earnestness from girlhood has suddenly disappeared from her being. she has now taken on this mysterious, cool hue so distinctive of high society women that they produce to protect themselves from their high society peers. nick sympathizes with her to a certain degree, and often feels a melancholy of memory when speaking to her at all. -- the specifics of his ability will be uploaded in a separate post, but just know that nick came from a long-line of descendant ability-users. seeing as how nick is so quiet and the ability is so covert, his parents are under the impression that nick has no ability whatsoever; he’s never told them the truth, simply because he never felt it was so important for them to know anyhow. as a child, he was clever enough to figure out what it does and what it foretells. before his career in the phantoms, daisy was the only one who knew about it ( the night that he confided in her his “terrible” secret, daisy made him go around and pinpoint all the lies / half-truths floating about the room, in which she would go up and confront the person, much to their embarrassment. a lot of terrible things have been revealed much to daisy’s and nick’s enjoyment. he tried to be appalled, but he was awfully amused due to not quite understanding its implications. an awful bit of mischief; he looks back at it fondly ). -- nick went to yale and from there had met tom buchanan. at first, he had no interest in befriending the man ( in fact, he was quite intimidated by the hulk of muscle ), but tom seemed to have taken a liking to nick and thought him intelligent enough to discuss modern day yale politics with. nick doesn’t really get football or polo, but he admires tom for his athletic prowess all the same. -- nick came into contact with the phantoms for the first time via tom during his years at yale. noticing nick’s love / taste for observation and the ease with which he can fade away in social situations, tom took nick to a couple of meetings at the on site locations in town, and from there nick’s interests had bloomed. the phantoms accepted nick in whole-heartedly, especially with his natural tendency towards secrecy and observing ( the ability helped as well ). nick sooner or later found out that the phantoms real interests were his family’s connections to the old guild. those connections are severed now, but during that time, having prior connections would make it easier to infiltrate, and nick was glad to help. -- throughout the years - and into nick’s years at the guild - nick had been used as a dumping ground for all sorts of secrets and nasty little whispers. people who hated each other confided in nick both ; terrible affairs were conduited through him only ; he’s mediate duels and fights ; horrible pasts and forgotten histories were given with little to no care ; criminals and crooked souls have all sought refuge under his stolid gaze. all this, and without a single consenting word. nick became the house, the storage room, of all men’s most atrocious lives. all their deeds and every single sin was confessed to nick, and with all the ease as if they were long-time friends. this...he felt was very troublesome, but his natural inclination towards politeness makes it difficult for him to outright say no and refuse, or to rudely cut them all off. it had gotten to the point where people began accusing nick of being politician like, due to seemingly knowing a little bit about everyone’s corrupted soul and never divulging anything of his own. he feels this is an incredibly unfair accusation, as he never asked for people to suddenly confide in him and him alone. all the same, this sort of experience has left nick to being completely indifferent to other people’s moral attitudes. while he preserves within a sort of moral righteousness, he knows it’s pointless to hover that over others. people who confide in him, though he makes his own opinions and harbors his own judgment, will not hear any moral preaching from past his lips lest he cares enough to give them a sort of guidance. in the end, nick holds his tongue, and his thoughts - along with all of mankind’s secrets, will die along with him.

#I don't even know me [ headcanons ]#// long post #// I meant this to be a whole shorter i'm sorry asdfghjkl

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