#i see what everybody is doing with thinking about implications. but this is just. dumb and silly. sorry : | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-firebird69 · 6 months

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And Trump is rejoicing and is happy think she's going to get the nomination and he's going to be free to piss all over everybody but with pence out of the election he's not worried about his reputation and he can testify and thinking that he won't testify is a little bit of insanity

Hera

We did think of that too yes but she's smart he is too but there's other implications. And they say thank you we know about some of them but we are willing to listen of course. And that's them and I am saying this you push the little boy out and he's saying it he got really nasty today and yesterday you were saying things and he believed you and he sees you shooting each other in the head and he doesn't want any part of it anymore he said you can take the presidency and become JFK someone will shoot you your pig and he's backing out keeping that in mind you are probably going to be a victim for his plan in the beginning but he can't resist beating you up and you probably won't make it in office and we know that that's most likely the truth if you try to get into office he's going to knock you down and yeah with the information and more and it's going on pretty soon and he can't stand you and as a matter of fact no one can you are 100% loser and your impenetrable in it goes right through you it's been nothing ever stops and you get nailed and you fall apart and people can't stand you they absolutely detest you your own people and we're using you and stuff and we can't stand you but we're going on to a new chapter now this is big news it's all over the world pence was behind in the pools but not by that much and the polls show it he had like 30% and Trump had like 37% and it could have easily overtaken him because of all these court cases he just doesn't want the attention and the job is kind of a waste of time he saw George fall and he knows about it and he's pulling out and he doesn't compare with George but it's a smart thing to do and our son knows it's a dumb thing to do and this guy won't let go of it people are researching why and they found out it's DC and stuff there in New York and it's Trump stuff and other and they're wondering what it is Massachusetts looks like a gun and Florida so people are wondering about that cuz really that's all it could be it would make sense and the guy doesn't know about that and it's going on two people are looking at these shapes there's a few things happening today

-Dan AKA Dave is getting fired from a whole bunch of jobs and he doesn't understand why and our son and daughter say pseudo empire maybe and it's true this song is performance yesterday and today and said get that guy the hell out of here and that one too and this one falls so go after him cuz he's a complete moron and he feels sad in the movie Tommy boy because he helped tear down an empire and he's sitting in this crappy parts place and he's thinking to himself I did nothing at all and here's our son saying crap then he says you have more than I do and a lot of people don't have that and he said I thank you but I can't do anything with it this is the seven hands you s*** you make s*** pie and see you can get up enough and so he said this I certainly see what he's saying so he tried to do businesses and he kept getting turned away and they kept saying no we don't want you doing that he has a place to go and he went there and he started doing stuff and he felt a lot better because he said this isn't s*** and I've got stuff then you feel bad about what he's been doing I knew his dad would come out and it'll be a pain but he said that part of him died that day because he's running around king of La mancha he's really falling apart and doesn't have much this empire has crumbled and people realize it that's what was happening and he did too and he said I f***** up Tommy and that's what it is and he looks at me says no you didn't you put an effort in. Before our son could interrupt Tommy boy said it. Cuz he has no he's going to say it it's important to know and that these guys have impressed everybody for a long time and we mean everybody and we're going to get out of it we have to and now there's some commotion going on all over the world it's over a gold and it's conduits and control stations computer people a little bit our son or what not much her a little bit not much and they're going after Ken to see what she knows it's not much and it also going to be a day when the two meet and he's trying to get her to and it's a sign he says usually it's the other way around and we understand that so it's a different time and she's starting to be happier so few reasons when is your calling and ask her a questions and trying to get ahead of us and she sees this pushing you out of the way and stopping you and she says that's terrific and she's got a project and his school cards go karts and she did too with Ken she was trying go karts and mini bikes and she says she's addicted and she wanted her own dirt bike and you wouldn't get one for her cuz you couldn't afford it they tried to find a cheap one then you're thinking of getting a cheap one and then have yours and she wouldn't even discuss it and then you said your lighter and she goes well so you're trying to think of what to do all sudden she turns around if you don't want to go do it and you're saying I have to find a bike and she says okay and she was upset then she said this will you have to and you're saying I think so I have to come over and take a look so she's over and it'd be nice saying hello and was nothing like what people said and she had fun and it was a miracle for her she felt happy that you weren't as tortured as people said she's saying you should have two bikes since I have two bags now. Also she said so you get it it's a little bit awkward and it's saying something stupid and she smiles and says how do you know that I remember a little that's repressed out of my memory or something I couldn't do it I couldn't get the money then he had to be saying something stupid and then she says this you right about something and they do that anyone else save yourself there it's dangerous out there so you get a car. She got a car to get mad and she suddenly saw how it was she said to leave town and she was not with Chris Houston that's someone else looks like her oh it's this idiot Jason hey crap so he got it and they know that stuff but really there's a lot happening and we're going to get to it now

Thor Freya

This is harsh that was harsh so it's pretty rough like it's always really they're doing bad stuff but father and mother he'll get his stuff and it was a lot of work and we're just saying is it's time to do it again until getting learning and involved a day before it works I'll put that in writing

Hera

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momota-kaiharem · 3 years

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maybe this is just my kinnie speaking but i think a lot about the way that shuichi and maki interact with kaito. let me take an interaction from the talent development plan as an example.

just rewatching this interaction made me pretty mad again FLKJDSLKFJ i love training trio and i freaking love their relationship, but god, the way that maki and shuichi treat kaito here just drives me absolutely crazy, so let’s break it down.

i think maki is the more egregious offender here (because shuichi is a simp with manners) but throughout the interaction she’s very dismissive towards kaito, asking why he brought them out there (when shuichi says it’s something they do a lot) and then saying he was useless when he went with them to the novoselic, and saying he didn’t need to go along at all. but up until here shuichi does defend kaito a bit, even if it’s in a bit of a patronisng way (remarking that kaito “does this a lot” but “isn’t it fun” and remarking that kaito’s use on the novoselic mission was to invite maki).

and then kaito says that when he goes to space, he wants to see if he can see shuichi and maki from up there, which is a really sweet sentiment, albeit unrealistic. maki shuts him down pretty fast saying he couldn’t see them from that far, and shuichi says that he might be able to see the general region, and then kaito says that he’d like to take them up to space, and THIS is the thing that really frustrates me.

kaito loves shuichi and maki. romantically, platonically, however you’d like to describe it, it’s obvious that he cares about them a LOT. i mean, he tries to convince kaede to become an astronaut too in his ftes with her, but you could argue that kaito was trying to convince her to go to space because he really respects her (as indicated by the way kaito was the only one to consistently stand up for kaede through chapter one, and the way he was willing to fight the exisals to keep monokuma from executing her, and the way he was crying after she got executed... also he asks her for hugs a lot and it’s really cute kaito you simp ilu) so again, it shows, kaito says he wants to take people to space because he loves them. space is what kaito has always been most passionate about. it’s his longest standing goal and something he wants to share with the most important people in his life.

obviously he’s being unrealistic here!! but maki and shuichi have been friends with kaito for three years by now, and they should be used to it-- they are used to it, actually, as shown by maki’s response-- but maki’s response is mean!!! it’s mean. kaito shared a sweet sentiment about wanting to share his most treasured thing with them and maki responded by calling him stupid-- which, if you remember, kaito really doesn’t like being called!!! i’d go grab screenshots, but i don’t want to go sit and watch trials until i can find it, but often when kaito is called an idiot he responds by yelling that he’s not, and that he doesn’t like being called that. i know with maki a lot of it is just banter, but still, the utter disregard for kaito’s feelings just because he’s a hahaha positive himbo man hee hee hoo hoo is... ugh. it happens a LOT throughout the game and it’s really upsetting to me.

and then shuichi’s response is what really upsets me. i know it’s just meant as a tease, but let’s think about everything that kaito has done for shuichi and maki for a moment, here. sure, his practical abilities might not be on par with theirs. he’s not a detective and he’s not an assassin, so he can’t solve murders or fight off danger, but his EQ is INCREDIBLY high. he saw maki and shuichi, and he saw that they were struggling, and he decided to take them under his wing and help them to grow. he didn’t have to do that!!! he didn’t owe them anything. maki and shuichi could’ve grown at their own paces, of course, i believe in them, but a large part of their becoming more comfortable with who they are was owed to kaito’s help and love and guidance that he showed them over the years.

so the implication that kaito, an ASTRONAUT, would need them to go to space to save him, is utterly ridiculous. and mean!! it’s really mean. it implies that kaito is useless without them, that he needs them to go up there to save him (like they’re always saving him or whatever, which i find really stupid because there are absolutely no tdp events where they help him even SLIGHTLY) when he’s literally been training to be an astronaut and go to space for the last three years!!! it’s his special interest, and it’s so invalidating, to take kaito wanting to share that with them and imply that he’s useless at it, and that he needs assistance that they’ve never offered him because of it.

and maki’s response is really gross to me too, like kaito doesn’t have any other friends, which is totally stupid. i’m sure kaede would jump to his aid if he needed her, and gonta, and any other members of their class-- i mean, kaito is a nice guy!!! he helps people!!! it was easy to rally everyone in chapter five to save kaito because he was inspiring them!!! kokichi took him because if he didn’t, kaito would be there making everyone want to keep going. maki saying that implies that kaito is so annoying that they’re the only ones who would put up with him, that they’re these two skilled people who are just there because they pity him-- which isn’t true at all, i mean they’re totally talented but ALSO i know for a FACT that maki and shuichi really appreciate kaito, so why don’t they just act like it??

actually, i have thoughts on the reason why they behave that way. it’s something that happens a lot when you get comfortable with people. kaito projects confidence, this really strong, self-satisfied demeanour. it’s clear (or at least it seems to be clear) that he has a lot of self respect. so the teasing, to maki and shuichi, feels harmless, because kaito has high self esteem, he can take it. besides, he clearly has an inflated ego, right? so he needs them to take him down a peg.

except that’s not true, and you can tell that kaito has low self esteem because of what happens in chapter four. all throughout that chapter people rag on kaito, calling him an idiot, saying he’s useless during trials, saying shuichi is the only smart one. kokichi calls him an idiot and antagonises him over and over and over and shuichi NEVER sticks up for him, never once sticks his neck out and says “hey, i really appreciate kaito, and i need you to stop talking bad about him”. instead he just lets kaito fend everyone off alone, and of course maki doesn’t stick up for him either. that’s part of what fuels kaito’s turn on shuichi in chapter five. sure, you could argue that it was about gonta-- but shuichi also turned the tables on kaede, who kaito showed more consistent affection/respect towards, and he didn’t hate shuichi for that. no, the problem was that shuichi was getting all the credit and appreciation from everybody (which was fine!!! he led the trials) and kaito was getting dumped on over and over and over and shuichi was just letting it happen, soaking in all the admiration and letting kaito be called useless.

and i mean, that’d be hard for anyone, being called stupid over and over, getting forcefully logged out of the simulation twice, once by your own sidekick who didn’t even bother asking you permission first, but it’s clear to me that kaito feels inadequate, especially as compared to shuichi, who is so intelligent and composed. kaito projects outwards, he puts on this big grin and calls himself a hero, and that must stem from a place of insecurity. there’s no way that someone who gave himself a dorky title like luminary of the stars is super secure in himself and his relationships.

there’s another reason why maki and shuichi probably treat kaito that way, and that’s because when you respect and appreciate someone that much, and you struggle expressing it, struggle with vulnerability, it becomes... hard to express. maki hasn’t been close to someone like she’s close to kaito for as long as she remembers. she’s never had a freaking nickname before, i mean, her life is really sad. clearly some of the teasing comes from a place of love, of “i respect and admire you so much, you helped me come out of my shell, idk what i would’ve done without you” and not knowing how to express it. i’ve been there. we’ve all been there. when you love a person but don’t know how to say it, sometimes you just end up playfully ragging on them.

and that’s fine, if it’s two-sided. banter has to be mutual, it has to be something that everyone is enjoying and is comfortable with. you choose things that they’re not sensitive about, that they’re fine with you taking the piss out of them over-- that they take the piss out of themself over. but let’s think about kaito for a minute here, and whether this is really banter.

1. does kaito ever jokingly call himself an idiot? does he ever say he’s useless, or he needs people to save him, or he’s dumb? how does he react when other people do it to him? even when maki calls him a dumbass ingame he gets upset about it, but then he brushes it off, because genuinely being hurt over something like that requires vulnerability and kaito doesn’t really DO vulnerability lmao

2. how does kaito respond? does he tease them back? i think if this was a case of healthy banter, kaito would’ve gone with a jab of his own, like, “haha, you two are hilarious, you know you love me” sorta thing, and then moved on to talk about the moon like he does in his next line. he doesn’t, though, and you never really see kaito making fun of those two. he calls maki a coward in chapter three, but he’s just being honest with her, being blunt about her weaknesses to help her grow. kaito doesn’t sugar coat things, doesn’t hold your hand and walk you through your problems. he’s a tough love sort of guy and that doesn’t work for everyone but it does really work for shuichi and maki, to the point where both of them become pretty confident in themselves, owed at least in part to the way that kaito guided them through becoming the people they wanted to be. but he doesn’t really tease them, never calls shuichi out on wearing his hat (he doesn’t even notice it) and never makes fun of maki for being an assassin/having a kill count/whatever stuff they’re insecure about. of course he doesn’t! kaito is a good friend.

i think it’s important to mention here that kaito does respond with lighthearted indignation before he brushes it off, but i just don’t feel like this is healthy, two-sided banter. you see maki and shuichi acting dismissive of kaito a lot, despite everything that he does for them. he puts up with it, but if anything that just shows to me more how everything in the relationship flows one way. all the care, love, and respect goes from kaito to shuichi and maki. he takes care of them, he helps them, he doesn’t mock them. in return they tease him (even if their intentions are good!!!) and don’t ever really push him to open up, nor do they stand up for him when people put him down, nor do they particularly try and get him to be honest with his emotions. take chapter four, for example, after kokichi punches kaito and he doubles over, coughing up blood. maki and shuichi just buy that it’s a cold when kaito says that, they don’t push, even though they’re both clearly skeptical. respecting boundaries is important, but you NEED to push sometimes, you need to make people open up, because in that case kaito was literally dying, and he had to spend the rest of his life putting up a front.

i mean, even when he was dying he was holding back the urge to cough, acting brave and strong, putting on a hero face so that the two of them could go on to defeat the mastermind and focus on things that mattered. not on him.

i love training trio, i think these three work so well together and they can bring out each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but i just think that shuichi and maki do NOT treat kaito well, and unless he opens up and communicates about it, it’s going to lead to building resentments and an increased lowering of kaito’s self esteem. maybe this wasn’t intentional on the part of the game, but if it wasn’t, clearly it just shows that dr is incapable of writing healthy friendships. i’d love to write a character study someday about these guys, where kaito talks about his feelings and maki and shuichi realise they treat him like crap, but until then i guess i’ll just sit here and scream about it.

#kaito momota #shuichi saihara #maki harukawa #momota kaito #saihara shuichi #harukawa maki #training trio #ndrv3 spoilers #saimota #kaimaki #harumota #u know u know #can you tell that i think about this a lot #character analysis #relationship analysis

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tedturneriscrazy · 3 years

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Another Saturday, another episode! Let's take a look at Keeping Up A-fear-ances!

(Good lord I'm starting to make myself sound like some sort of content creator)

Oh, okay, we're just starting at that level of intensity, huh?

Chest gem origins

Gwendolyn not being satisfied with managing the curse and determined to cure it? I'm sure this won't be a real world allegory in the slightest.

Oh, so Eda literally just stumbles upon the portal? I could call that contrived, but honestly it's not dissimilar to how Dipper found Journal 3. For that matter, the entirety of Lord of the Rings is predicated on an accidental discovery like this and nobody gave Tolkien shit about it.

Was the eye on the portal cracked in previous episodes? I don't remember.

Seems like Gwen is the "well-meaning but ultimately misguided" flavor of mom.

As an aside, I am now quite curious about how Eda's first trip to the human realm went. Maybe a future episode will cover it? At any rate, I smell a new favorite fic prompt.

The screaming alarms in the Demon Realm will never not be funny to me.

Also, that is a worrying number of hearts. Eda is straight up murdering these poor creatures.

For some reason the gold fang being removable never occurred to me as a possibility, and now I feel like a kid who's discovered that Santa isn't real.

Oh hey, the new outfit! I'm also impressed how close to symmetrical that tearing was.

I need to get a screencap of Luz sleeping on that stack of books because she is adorable.

Also, staying up all night researching? This season seems determined to completely eradicate the notion of Luz being dumb, and I am here for it.

I have a feeling the Hexside mug will be making its way to The Mystery Shack in the near future.

Lilith's first experience with transformation and she seems understandably horrified.

The curse acting stronger when stressed? That seems...important.

Ah, so the dismemberment is from the curse! A surprisingly useful side effect from what we've seen so far.

Can I just say that I appreciate how Eda's reaction to Lilith's first taste of transformation is immediate remedy, explanation, and reassurance? And doesn't make any snarky comments along the lines of "now you know what it's like?" Whatever happened in that week and a half must have been cathartic as hell.

"Always. Always curious." Luz is the TOH fandom.

(Also, Eda, you know she is, considering how much she went on about your "mysterious past" at the Covention)

"Magic bird tornado?!" Luz has a way with words that's just *chef's kiss*.

"Gwendolyn." Eda is already just fucking done.

"MOM?!?!" Jeez, Lilith, you're just now hearing all this?

I was charmed by how motherly Gwen was acting toward Eda, but then she kinda just...dismissed Lilith, and now I'm somehwat less charmed.

(Sweet flea as a term of endearment is kinda cute, though might have some unfortunate implications depending on how you want to interpret it)

"Who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" OH WE GOING FOR THE ANTI-VAXXERS NOW YESSSS

Luz and Lilith's reaction to that whole exchange is priceless.

Everyone's perspective here makes perfect sense for who they are and what they've been through.

Poor Lilith. Her cursing Eda is beginning to make more sense.

Ah, thus begins the collaboration.

"We'll be consulting someone very special." Why does that seem so...ominous?

Is there anyone who watched this episode for the first time whose bullshit detector didn't go off immediately when Gwen mentioned finding someone who promised a cure?

Heh, Palm Stings.

Nonbelievers will be blinded by the power of the tome? I'm sure they will be, Wartlop.

I must say, as something of a scientist myself (okay that's not true, I'm a QA tech for a food manufacturer, but I do have a chemistry degree), I am 100% here for the swings being taken at faith healing/"miracle" cures/anti-vaxxers in this episode

Oh, we Wile E. Coyote now, huh?

Also, interesting how much apple blood is being played up in this episode.

Lilith please you're projecting your mommy issues on a literal child

OH WE REALLY JUST WILE E. COYOTE HUH?

You're right, Luz, Gwen's bicep game is goals.

(Somewhat disappointed the scars are from questing and not beastkeeping, but eh)

Why do I get the feeling there's gonna be a future episode where everybody stages an intervention for Eda's apple blood problem?

"Those feathers mean we're driving the beast out" Gwen no

Hooty is holding the brain cell? Oh no...

If that ice cream came from the Night Market it would explain why Lilith sounds drunk.

(Side note: I can't be the only one getting flashbacks to Mermista's ice cream binge, right? Different context, but still)

"Abomi-berry" "Franken fruit" "Key slime pie" These are A+ flavor names.

Oh, there's the transformation...

I must say that whole segment kinda rubbed me the wrong way. The way King's opinion on his dad was changed seemed...I don't know how to describe it. I get that they needed a trigger for Lilith's transformation, but honestly if any part of the episode is contrived it's this.

"¡It really is that good!" So that's what an accent slip in written form looks like. (The upside down exclamation point is used in Spanish, in case anyone didn't know)

I keep half expecting Eda to say "Beep! Beep!" at this point.

Luz is finally asking questions. Took long enough.

Ah, the classic "moving the goal posts to extract more money from a desparate family member" technique.

Luz channeling Scorpion, we love to see it.

There is an exquisite irony in Eda's mom being scammed, I must say.

Ah, so that's where the elixirs went. Dammit, Gwen.

Luz is definitely thinking "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

Beast!Lilith is massive.

"Sweet flea?" Gwen just realized she done goofed.

"I can see you still need a little time." God Luz is so fucking smart.

The con revealed.

OH DAMN SCARY MAMA

(Also I am terrified of bees/wasps, so extra scary mama in my book)

The scam is revealed, goblins, getting back into the Wartlop disguise is kinda pointless.

She joined the Beast Keeping coven entirely to cure the curse? That's dedication. A shame you couldn't have spared some of that for Lilith.

Still, I do like badass scary mama Gwen. I'd be down to see more of that.

Owl Beast fight!

I am slayed by the fact that the portraits are now officially a recurring gag 😂

Aw, here's The Moment™️

"My turn to drive" Does this imply cars are a thing on the Boiling Isles after all?

Lilith crying almost immediately💔 She was holding onto a lot of pain.

Yes, King, she was trying to do her best. I mean, road to hell or whatever, but at least Gwen got there in the end.

WHAT?! YOU'RE BREAKING UP LULU AND HOOTCIFER?!?!?!?

Terrace, that's just cruel. (Worthless brownie points for whoever understands that reference)

No, seriously, you can't just give me my favorite inter-character relationship in the series after Lumity and just...take it away like that, come on! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I know I should remark on how Lilith told Gwen about the circumstances of the curse, how Gwen rightfully accepted responsibility for the whole situation, and how Luz finds the big hair aspirational, but...NOOOO DON'T END THE ADVENTURES OF LULU AND HOOTCIFER WHYYYYYYYYY💔😭💔😭💔😭

"BUT I CAN'T HOLD A PEN!"

I will never emotionally recover from this.

Okay, I think I got that out of my system. Anyway...

Not the only human, huh? Cue the "Belos is a human" theorists going into maximum overdrive.

That said, a tantalizing lore dump.

We certainly do have a lot of garbage. Some of it even holds office. HEY-O!

Setting up the next episode, too. Continuity!

Camp's over, huh? That means it's been three months.

Way to misdirect with Camila, guys. That said, we have now seen Camila cry and I HATE it. (In the right way, I think)

WHAT THE FUCK

HOLY SHIT

CREEPY LUZ IS REAL WHAT

OWJEIWHQGIWWOPQ

(It's hard to keysmash on a phone, even with autocorrect off)

That wraps it up! The flaws in this episode seem more pronounced than any others in the season so far, but the good stuff was really good! Overall a solid episode! I know everybody's looking forward to library Lumity in the next one (so am I), but I'm personally eager to see what they do with Gus. His part is the A plot, after all.

Anyway, I'll be back at this next week! Still hard to believe this is a thing, but that's life, I guess.

#the owl house #eda clawthorne #gwendolyn clawthorne #luz noceda #lilith clawthorne #king of demons #toh king #toh s2 spoilers #the owl house s2 spoilers #the owl house season 2 spoilers #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers

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pridewhatpride · 3 years

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omg pls talk more about GX rival shipping once the transfer students come

Dear anon, I love you for asking this of me, but I have to wonder if you want everyone who follows me to start hating me.

Long post coming up? You know it. I apologise to all Johan fans, he's great and I loved him and his deck as a child. Now I'm just salty because he's too perfect. Warning because this is a mess of unrequited feelings and it's an all around bad time if you ship anything in gx. I did mention I do not practice self care in a previous post of mine. Enjoy your pain c:

So here are my bad takes of the day, under the very handy cut!

You see, gx rivalshipping becomes a lot more complicated and angsty when the transfer students arrive. The dynamic changes. If there is a dynamic at all. I mean, imagine yourself in Manjoume's shoes. You've lowkey had a crush on this dumb guy who kind of ruined your life (but actually improved it and freed you from the restraints your family imposed on you), just to watch a handsome scandinavian dude who is a lot more muscular than you are and maybe a little bit nicer, maybe just waltz in and completely captivate said dumb guy's attention. Just when you had managed to admit your own feelings to yourself.

Johan comes in and steals the room, everybody loves him, he's good looking, charismatic, kind and has a magical exclusive shiny sparkling deck at his disposal that he uses as if it was the most natural thing in the world, like he hadn't received approval Pegasus himself on top of the duel spirits. And Judai clearly can't get enough of it, because he's always seeking him out, ever since the duel they had in front of everyone, and Manjoume finds that he's really annoyed by it. He wishes he'd been chosen for the demonstration, deluding himself into believing that if he'd won, Judai would have never started caring so damn much about Johan. But a part of him knows he would have probably lost and that even if he hadn't, Judai would have not cared about the outcome at all. It's nice to think that winning a card game can solve all your problems, but, while Manjoume has only ever experienced how much losing one can mess with your life goals, he isn't stupid enough to think that winning would grant him happiness. Not anymore. No well-thought-out strategy can rid him of his bad temper and his worthless pride.

The thing is, he can't really hate Johan, because nobody can hate Johan. He's just the perfect picture of everything Manjoume isn't and, going by everyone's reaction, the fact that 'everyone is unique in their own way and worthy of love' is absolute bullshit. There clearly is an objective better one of the two and Manjoume is very aware that he isn't it. And he'd probably begrundgingly be cool with it, after all he'd accepted that Jaden was braver than him, that Asuka was emotionally stronger and more resolute, that Daichi was smarter, not to mention how much plain better than him his fomer upperclassmen were. Forget about pros like Edo, whom Judai had stood on equal grounds with. But Judai is clearly playing favourites, too, hell, he hardly even acknowledges Manjoume.

He finds himself forcibly removed from his already shaky position as rival, because now Johan is there to take it up, on top of the titles of 'best friend' and 'emotional support and crutch' and 'maybe something else I'd really rather not know'.

Manjoume just generally hates it all. He might have changed and improved himself, but there is no saving him from the fact that some people were just better. That doesn't stop him from trying. But again he finds himself pitted against Judai, the irony of his fate never giving him a moment to rest. Manipulated and turned into the enemy of those he cares about, again.

A part of him despises how good it feels to learn that Johan has gone missing, but Judai is screaming like his arms have been torn off and while he hates that it's all for Johan, he hates that Judai is in pain even more. Judai had saved him before and it's only right for him to return the favour. So he insists on helping him on his stupidly risky plan to save Johan. And it's all to get the old Judai back.

...The rest, from Manjoume's perspective is a mess. His feelings of anger stem from the hatred he harbours towards himself and the bond between Judai and Johan. He'd been trying to help, he had, he sincerely had, but everything just swirled together and the next thing he knows is that he is shouting at Judai because it suddenly made sense to guilt trip him over the fact that he'd abandoned his friends, he'd abandoned him as soon as someone better had come into the picture. And it was Judai's fault for letting them- him believe that he cared when he didn't, when he couldn't have cared less, because clearly he had one priority only and that was Johan. They had come to help and it still wasn't being appreciated.

Disappearing is a relief, for a moment, but then he finds himself in another hellish place and he can't help but think that it's retribution for being so upset over something that has nothing to do with him. That's right. It's his own fault for making Judai, his only real friend (aside from Fubuki, sorry for breaking the immersion, but I love Fubuki), carry the burden of the stupid hopes that came with his feelings. Judai has no fault. Johan has no fault. It's his own for desiring something that would always be out of reach.

As he is tortured by his own thoughts and regrets in the other dimension, Manjoume silently wishes his words meant nothing to Judai, that he'd be spared the pain of betrayal. He wishes Judai can achieve his goal.

When Shou appears to him, he knows there is no time to waste. If he is alive, the others are, too. Judai would want to know that they are safe. So he asks Shou to carry his message, along with his good luck wish. He hopes it's enough to make up for his mistakes.

Next thing he knows, they are back at DA, Judai is nowhere to be seen. Manjoume mourns the loss of his first and only friend and curses himself for tarnishing that memory. (Judai's return and season 4 would be too much to cover, this was only Manjoume's pov and I might as well just rewrite the entire show at this point.)

So what about Judai?

I personally want to believe that he genuinely does like Manjoume at some point. But as much as it pains me to admit it, season 3 just wrote Manjoume off from the list of main characters and relegated him to 'he's your funny comic relief, nobody really gives a shit about what he thinks or feels, so why should you, the spectator who has grown to love him, care at all? Also here's his sticker that confirms that Judai going after Johan makes him really angry for some reason, make of that what you will c:' (fuck the writing staff, I'm not even sorry).

Judai is so clearly smitten with Johan. It seems to me that his refusal to accept Manjoume's help that one time on the cliff shows that Judai doesn't really understand the way Jun operates. He probably labeled him as just someone else who counted on him to be saved. And sure, Manjoume is saved by Judai in multiple occasions, but he doesn't ever really... ask for it? Or more importantly expect it. He doesn't get himself into situations he can't handle because Judai can save him anyways, the trouble just kind of happens at him and more often than not he's only involved by accident, because he happens to be close to Judai.

The problem still stands, as season 3 starts, Judai is very much burdened by everyone's expectations and Johan is a breath of fresh air and the only one Judai actually considers a friend and an equal. It's heartbreaking that he felt that alone.

They get their gay 'have we met somewhere before moment', they duel gaily, they homoerotically tell eachother how admirable the other is, they shamelessly flirt and whoohoo Judai has an unofficial boyfriend and who can blame him for concentrating on him along with wanting to escape the pressure his former gang unknowingly laid on him.

But yeah, Judai in season 3 has a one track mind and it's hard not to see it as romantic. Does he know it is? Maybe? I honestly don't know. I feel like Johan is the one of the two who is aware of the implications of their interactions. Which also kind of brings me to say... does Johan think that all of Judai's friends are horrible people? Because he never once comments on how Judai distances himself from them once he arrives. He probably thinks they were never good friends in the first place.

Judai probably excuses his attentions towards Johan with the fact that they are alike because they can see spirits, but then he rememebers that so can Manjoume and maybe he feels guilty for a second, but Johan cracks a joke and Judai laughs and thinks to himself that Manjoume is probably happy to have the peace and quiet he so often claimed to want.

Like... I think a part of him would get that tightness in his chest because it's like he's betrayed someone, but he knows he hasn't, because there isn't any actual mutual agreement he's going against. So he lets himself fall deeper into the comfort of Johan's presence. Johan is, to Judai, the ideal person. He is exactly who Judai wants to become. Judai admires him very deeply and strives to be more like him, but he falls gradually into despair as he learns, once Johan is gone, that no, he can't be like him, because Johan is so much better than him, and if he doesn't get him back soon he might even forget what he was like in the first place. Johan can't be erased, can't be forgotten. And Judai feels like he's vanishing already, so he throws himself into a wild interdimensional manhunt to save his hopes for the future.

Turns out that wanting to do good doens't always result in a good outcome. That's what Judai learns when Manjoume lashes out at him just seconds before disappearing. Along with the others, too. Judai doesn't even have the brain power to compute that some people are still there, that he can still save someone, because he realised then that he had focused so much on Johan that he'd completely overlooked the fact that while his friends relied on him a little too much, they hadn't meant any harm. And if he'd just told them, maybe they would have been fine, they could've cooperated- but Manjoume had told him that he was a traitor, that he'd doomed them with his irrational behaviour.

Manjoume's last words to him had been spoken with hatred and Judai realised only then that he had misread him entirely. He lets despair and self hatred take over as he realises that if he had managed to hurt the ones he cared about so easily, discarding them for the new good thing, he could just keep doing that. And it would stop hurting, eventually.

I like to think that Manjoume really does have an impact on the awakening of the Supreme King. Yeah, I know he only turns once Johan's death is mentioned, I know. I just suffer from abandonment issues and can't stand that Manjoume dying in front of him is more impactful to Judai than a guy who literally can't be trusted saying "Joke's on you, the one you're looking for is in another castle already dead."

So yeah. That's the angsty overview.

TL;DR Johan is an Adonis, Judai is smitten and Manjoume is very very heartbroken. But actually so is Judai. Because while being with Johan feels right, there's someone whose absence feels wrong, but he doesn't allow himself to dwell on it and everything goes to shit. All around a bad time for everyone and they'll have a lot of talking to do once they properly reconcile after graduation.

#blame anon not me #i advise you don't read this even if i spent actual hours on this #projection time #ygo #yugioh #ýgo gx #yugioh gx #judai yuki #yuki judai #jaden yuki #manjoume jun #jun manjoume #chazz princeton #gx rivalshipping #mentions of spiritshipping #like it's basically canon in the show no way around it #ulri doesn't like johan and it's time to get cancelled for it #enjoy your pain anon #i'm legit so fucking sorry

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endcant · 2 years

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this is only tangential to the topic of the astroworld thing, but the reason why i go out of my way spend my time defending victims of crowd disasters is bc the victim-blaming of disaster victims (and victim blaming in general tbh) is always linked with a variety of self-exceptionalist biases. people will look at a disaster and go "that would never happen to me because i'm better than them for XYZ reason." some more vague lines of logic are "i'm not dumb enough to end up in that situation" or "i'm stronger and would survive that situation" (both of which are generally ridiculous, as most who have that thought generally contain roughly one human's worth of smarts and strength). however, another common rationale is "the victims mustve been [less privileged group] because only people who are [dumb/trashy/primitive/weak/whatever other stereotype] would end up in that situation or act that way," and then that self-exceptionalist mindset is literally used and manipulated by people with power/authority like police, the government, rich people, big companies, etc. to help those who are actually responsible avoid taking any blame

a non-crowd crush example of this is hurricane katrina. people on the news literally acted like there were roving bands of violent, black looters that deserved to be killed by the police when the reality was much different. in the wake of the hurricane, there were literally roving bands of violent white supremacists wandering around killing anybody they felt like killing, as well as police doing the same thing. however, because so much of the public held that self-exceptionalist bias, the police were able to blame the victims of the tragedy & violence, gain the trust of the public, and have the victim-blaming narrative be viewed as the truth without question by people all around the country

that said, there are plenty of people who already understand that victims of disasters will be screwed over by the police and harassed by bigots. but then when the people who understand all that see a crowd disaster, they frequently revert to the same faulty logic. this is because they don't understand what a crowd disaster is or what conditions lead to a crowd disaster. there is no awareness in our culture about how these things happen. i believe that this lack of awareness is because the truth of what crowd disasters are like and how they're caused has been actively obscured by monetary interests over the years. one major example is walmart, who spins the media against their black friday shoppers anytime there's a black friday casualty. the racial & class implications at play in black friday crowd slander is probably pretty obvious to anybody who's seen these kinds of stories. major corporations are so determined to maintain their PR narrative and refuse to grant any acknowledgement to the truth, walmart literally refused to pay the family for the death of a black friday staff member for years just to avoid publicly acknowledging responsibility. (here's an article from 2013 about that)

this isn't a crowd crush example, but the way that major corporations can spin narratives against their victims so thoroughly can be seen with the McDonald's coffee burn lawsuit situation, where even people who considered themselves politically aware fell for the narrative that the lawsuit was frivolous. this is a very similar situation to the way that companies eschew responsibility for crowd crushes. everybody is primed by the media for the narrative that it's the crowd's fault, and that is by design. as a result, i think it's important to speak up for the victims of situations like this again and again and again, because even people who wouldn't naturally believe they're better than the victims are basically led to believe that the victims are at fault by media and by the authorities.

and with all these cases-- crowd crushes, the McDonalds coffee lawsuit, and natural disasters alike --the victim-blaming narrative is always authoritarian, classist, and racist in nature. the concept of the victims as the mindless and animalistic mob, the writhing crowd of the poor and unwashed, the inhuman masses... this concept is something that is upheld and maintained by people that want us to believe that the individual members of these crowds (and whatever groups they are a part of) can't be trusted to think and act for themselves, and that they must be guided, contained, and violently controlled by the authorities and upper classes of our society: the major corporations, the bosses, the government, the landowners, the rich, and the police who serve the interests of these parties. and people with lesser privileges (but privileges nonetheless) will mentally align themselves with authority because they view themselves as above the crowd, more human than the crowd, due to the self-exceptionalist coping mechanism that people use to comfort themselves and deny that anything that horrendous could ever happen to them.

basically, to me, the concept of the mindless, self-victimizing crowd is a political concept, and the victims of crowd disasters have to be defended because they are seen as the blame for society's ills, on top of having undergone one of the most frightening and traumatizing experiences a person can undergo.

again, here is a link to that new yorker article on the topic of crowd crushes, this time as an archive link bc the new yorker has reading limits or whatever

#crowd crush #crowd collapse #crowd surge #crowd disasters #death tw #disasters #temp #links

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sepublic · 4 years

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I love Eda. I just… LOVE how great of a parent she is, how she always makes it clear to Luz that she doesn’t expect anything of her, like in the Season Finale when she tells Luz that it’s not her fault, that Luz is a kid and she shouldn’t expect herself to rescue Eda; Eda made her own decisions, Luz is a CHILD and she needs to prioritize her own wellbeing! She is perfect and lovable as-is, Luz doesn’t have to do anything to earn Eda’s love…

And then when Luz chickens out of fighting Grom, Eda doesn’t hold it against her! She tells Luz that it’s okay to make mistakes, that it’s fine for her to get in over her head, Luz isn’t a bad person for not living up to her role as a ‘hero’ to take on Grom… She’s just a kid, she shouldn’t have to handle this- And again, it’s not dismissive of Luz, either! When Eda reiterates to Luz that she’s a child, and that it’s best for the adults to be responsible in providing actual support and care towards Luz (and that she is rightfully entitled to that care), she doesn’t patronize Luz! Eda doesn’t remind Luz is a child to dismiss her, she does it to reassure her…

And I really love how Eda is making it clear to Luz that this girl deserves so much, that she’s right to ask for things- She’s not being greedy, and she’s not being a burden! Luz deserves the world and the chance to fully indulge herself and who she is… Eda has no expectations for Luz, she just wants to support Luz in whatever she chooses to come, while occasionally providing protection and support- Because she’s an adult. And Eda wants Luz to understand that adults and parents (surrogate or otherwise) are 100% expected to do the best for kids, and that children shouldn’t hold themselves to any standards or expectations put upon them.

Like the beginning of The First Day! It’s a funny joke, but also so sweet and meaningful, how Eda keeps giving Luz the chance to back out… She’s not actively dissuading Luz from joining Hexside, she’s just making it clear that if Luz ever decides to change her mind, she’s valid! Eda’s not going to hold it over her head, say I Told You So… Eda just wants the best for Luz and she trusts Luz’s judgment on what’s the best for herself. If Luz changes her mind and decides to back out of Hexside, then she’s perfectly valid- Just as she’s valid for going to Hexside in the first place! Luz isn’t a coward, Eda isn’t going to harshly hold her to her word or anything… Luz is allowed to make mistakes, Eda wants Luz to know that she’ll never force her to do something that truly makes her uncomfortable. Eda’s not going to hold it against Luz if she’s ever wrong about anything, all Eda wants is to be a safety net for Luz, so that Luz is free to explore different options as much as she wants without having to worry about being hurt in the process!

Eda isn’t encouraging Luz to be a Quitter… She’s just letting the girl know that this an option, without trying to undermine Luz’s decision to go to Hexside, if she decides to go through with it in the end. Eda makes it clear to Luz that there’s no shame in prioritizing one’s health and safety over proving a point, she’s here to relieve any burdens from Luz… And Luz, this means SO MUCH to her! I don’t think she’s ever had an adult who’s been so unconditionally accepting and supportive before… The closest was her mother Camila, but as a single mom and a nurse, you KNOW Camila’s job is busy enough to create a distance between her and Luz, amidst Camila admittedly not accepting Luz’s ‘quirks’, and lumping them in as the same as her character flaws at the beginning of the show.

I doubt Camila ever thought of it that way, nor did she ever implicate it- But when you’re inscure and lonely like Luz, and you rightfully feel bad for your mother who’s incredibly stressed and constantly working to pay bills and accommodate their child… It can make a kid feel like a burden sometimes, no matter how hard Camila may try not to let Luz feel that way. It’s why the Boiling Isles is amazing for Luz- She definitely had love from Camila, but the Boiling Isles, and the Owl House specifically, provides an environment where Luz can actually feel safe and free to explore herself, without any particular system bearing down on her.

Granted, there IS the Coven System, so Luz didn’t exactly escape that… But for the most part, there’s a certain relief granted to Luz ever since she arrived on the Boiling Isles. And, I think Camila would be incredibly happy to see her daughter so at ease and away from the burdens of their life in the human world, with a surrogate parent who has the time, energy, and wisdom to provide so much for Luz, when Camila otherwise has to focus on putting food on the table.

I just… LOVE Eda, and I want the best for Camila as well, so having her meet Eda would be great! And I just really appreciate how while Eda knows she’s not perfect and that even she has much to learn from life… She’s still clearly learned a lot. She never dismisses Luz and lets her feelings be valid while taking them into account, like when she responds to Luz’s complaints in Adventures in the Elements… Eda doesn’t want to burden Luz and make the girl feel obligated to be her caretaker as the curse gets worse.

She prioritizes Luz so much more than just a means to an end, or a student to show off her teaching prowess- Yeah she made that initial mistake in Covention, but clearly Eda has grown since then! You can really tell that Eda learned and encourages others to be themselves, how she’s grappled with a system with such expectations and rejected it, and how it influences the way she interacts with other characters. She experienced first-hand a conformative system, and Eda decided that nobody else should ever have to feel like how she, or any of her peers, ever did! Eda was so badly hurt and traumatized, but she never got bitter. She never got entitled. Eda didn’t use her pain nor her trauma as an excuse to lash out at others, or as a justification for any flaws and mistakes on her own end.

Eda certainly doesn’t want to project onto people, she wants people to exist completely free of any kind of restraints like that, and she’ll fight even herself to ensure the best for everyone! Because that’s just what Eda wants… the best for everyone, and she’s no doubt SO proud of Luz for managing to make a change that really implements this wish, even if Eda doesn’t hold Luz to keep up with this role. Eda always makes sure to remind Luz, consistently, that she’s free to do pursue whatever path she wants for herself, that Eda isn’t going to be disappointed in her, and that Eda is THERE to provide for Luz and take the burden for her- Because Luz is a kid, so she deserves to just go out, and enjoy herself!

Eda tells Luz that she has a lot to offer the world herself- That Eda WILL listen to her, that Luz is so smart and clever and wise in her own way. Eda makes Luz feel valid and understood by actively listening to her, Eda reassures Luz that she isn’t just some dumb kid- Luz’s ideas have plenty of worth in their own right, Luz can teach Eda a lot herself as well! And it’s all just so… HONEST, refreshing, and validating to see Eda be so upfront and take so much initiative into providing this kind of reassurance, verbally and out loud without any room for doubt, to Luz! Eda isn’t trying to be coy, she’s honest and communicative, genuine, and upfront about who she is, and what she believes in!

In a sense, Eda’s kind of illuminating in her own way, like Luz, showing Luz that she’s not a freak nor a loser or idiot, but a wonderful and creative person! Which fits, because Luz and Eda are two sides of the same coin! It really is refreshing and relieving to see such a mature, kindly, and providing mentor/parental figure. Eda will never blame Luz or try to hold her accountable to someone else’s mistakes, least of all of her own… Luz deserves to be completely unvinvolved and free of that kind of mess.

Eda makes it clear to Luz that it’s not Luz who’s the failure, it’s the adults/system who are at fault for not being good enough… It’s so genuinely selfless, and in a way that still provides plenty of room for Eda to be herself, and to encourage Luz to do the same! Eda really went through a lot of missed-out experiences and decided that everybody else should get them, without forcing these experiences onto people to vicariously live out a missed youth, either! Luz and Eda really feed and play into one another as such a healthy and loving dynamic and relationship… It’s just UTTERLY WHOLESOME, and my heart can’t take it!

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house eda #edalyn clawthorne #the owl house luz #luz noceda #meta

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hello-yue-here · 3 years

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are u a fucking idiot lol do you think queer like used to be a slur and..isnt now? bc everybody reclaimed it or something? if i see you and your friends and go look at that band of queers am i being inclusive❤️

hey anon does it ever get boring being so obsessed with me?? like im sure it doesnt because im so interesting and fun and sexy and queer and popular and amazing and hot and all. like period thank you for sending me anons calling me dumb so you get attention. im happy to give you the attention you so desperately crave but you dont need to hide behind anon and get pissy w me about the word queer and the fact that i literally identify as queer. like you can just ask for attention next time babe.

BUT WHILE WERE HERE

did u even read the full post i reblogged ab this

like did u

because all the questions ur asking me can be answered w that post. the history behind the word queer is there. the letter q in lgbtq+ stands for queer. the fact that terfs use the “queer is a slur” claim as a way to divide the QUEER community. ppl who use queer as a label arent the enemy booboo. the people who divide us are. so quit calling me an idiot and leaving anons on my blog and actually think about what the real issue is here. because it sure as hell aint one lil avatar fanblog who identifies as queer. there are bigger fish to fry and bigger issues in the queer community than the meaning behind the word queer.

for example:

https://harvardcrcl.org/americas-war-on-black-trans-women/

black trans women are being murdered at very disproportionately high rates. but lets talk about how the word queer is such an issue.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akgxm5/bbc-expected-to-quit-stonewalls-lgbtq-diversity-programme

the BBC is expected to end their involvement with an organization that upholds lgbtq+ rights for workers which is very appalling. but go ahead tell me why im the bad guy for thinking that queer isnt a slur. clearly thats the biggest issue here.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/09/17/middleeast/afghanistan-lgbtq-evacuation-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

just look at the headline.

this is just the tip of the iceberg anon. “queer is a slur” is terf rhetoric to divide us and keep us from uniting to fight the real obstacles facing the community. arguing over the word queer is pointless and helps no one.

‼️if anyone has any links to donation pages, paypals, cashapps, etc. to help out queer people who are struggling, please feel free to add them to this post or send them to me so we can signal boost them that would be wonderful.‼️

#NOTE: i am not an expert on queer history #i am a college student and a baby gay #but im always open to learning and trying my best to help #cuz like cmon yall #arguing over a word is pointless when we can be working together to protect our own #tw: transphobia #tw transphobia #tw homophobia #tw homophia mention #tw queerphobia #queer is not a slur #lets stop arguing ab that #im here im queer get used to it #also if u rlly hate that word so much #just block it.#like just block it babe #also general content warning for the articles i added #read at ur own caution cuz there is some stuff in there that is unsettling and can be triggering as well

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damerondala · 3 years

Text

Baby?

Hi everybody this is my first Poe fic wowow!! It’s basically all fluff and no regrets about it. I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think and maybe if you’d like to be on a taglist? I can definitely figure out how to do that!

Pairing: Poe Dameron x afab Reader (no Y/N)

Warnings: like one mention of sex (nothing explicit), female reader, implications of pregnancy, poe being adorable (putting this as a warning bc you may faint at how soft this himbo is), aaaaand I think that's it!

Word count: approx. 1k

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

Poe approached the door of your shared quarters and punched the code into the keypad, sucking in a deep breath that threatened to turn into a yawn. Sudden sleepiness setting in at the thought of snuggling up next to you in your warm bed. But the second the door opened with a soft woosh, he froze.

There, next to the side of your bed was a bassinet…with a baby breathing softly inside. It was quite the sight for the commander’s tired eyes. His baby peacefully lying there in his bed, with an actual baby right next to them. He honestly couldn’t tell if he froze out of terror, confusion, or pure giddiness.

Poe studied the scene for what seemed like a thousand years before cautiously stepping into the room and getting his uncomfortable flight suit off off so he could finally get some sleep. Eyeing the bassinet nearly the entire time, fascinated with what he was seeing. As quiet as he was trying to be to not wake you, the second his side of the bed dipped under his weight, you were rolling over to face him. “Hi handsome,” you greeted with a raspiness to your voice, the air on base not treating your throat with kindness during the cold nights.

“Hey baby,” the cocky pilot returned while pulling you into his chest, immediately following with a gesture to the obvious elephant in the room. “So, uh, what happened while I was gone? You get some action?” The man wasn’t dumb, he just liked being the one to make you smile like that. Soft, sleepy, and happy.

You responded to his sarcasm with a gentle kiss to his scruffy jaw and a soft yawn, “Kiyah had a recon mission,” you swallowed, “asked me to take care of her for the night.” Kiyah was a hell of a pilot that brought honor to Dagger squadron. It was rare for children to be born on base, but Kiyah had an “oops” moment about a year ago that was now neatly swaddled by your bedside, courtesy of you.

“Oh, oh I see. I was worried we weren’t careful enough before I left,” Poe coyly smiled, your own yawn causing his body to mimic yours. You let out a breath through your nose in lieu of a giggle and said, “that’s not how that works but good job for trying.”

The man brushed off your lighthearted teasing as his mind was suddenly flooded with the idea that the next infant in your bedroom would most likely be the product of you both. This caused him to subconsciously squeeze his arm around you tighter, placing a kiss to your head. Breathing in your lovely smell. “You know,” his heart skipped a beat before speaking again, “we could have one, one of our own. Or two. Or three. Or twelve.”

You responded with a scoff that was nowhere near actually upset, “excuse me, who has to carry these twelve little Damerons?” Although the thought of twelve bubbly children with their father’s dark locks and your eyes was enough to make your heart swell. Little did you know that the pilot holding you had the same tight, warm sensation in his own chest upon imagining a family with you.

“I know baby, I’m sorry. We’ll have fun making them though,” from your position, you couldn’t see the suggestive brow being raised, but you could definitely tell it was happening by the way his voice carried. You smiled. You had missed him while he was away. His charming demeanor, his gentle touches, all of it.

“That we will,” you couldn’t deny it, this time looking up into his warm eyes and smiling. The second your big, breathtaking eyes met his, you could have sworn his pupils dilated. He was truly smitten and very glad to be home. “Why don’t we get some sleep? You look tired sweetheart.”

Before he could admit that you were right, he was exhausted, a soft babble made both you and Poe lift your heads and stare at the bassinet. The sleepiness your dashing pilot felt was instantly forgotten and he sat up, eyes still locked onto the baby who was already looking inquisitively at the man with the messy hair.

Poe turned to you with a look of “should I?” Written all over his face, not sure if he was able to handle a baby, despite his snide comments earlier about having an entire platoon’s worth of children with you. You responded to his uneasiness with a gentle push to his shoulder, encouraging him to go take a look. Maker knows that baby kept you up longer than you had wished anyway. There was no denying she had her mother’s spirit, Kiyah was very proud of her feisty and energetic daughter.

Gentle as ever, Poe reached down into the baby’s bassinet and scooped her up into his arms. An easy smile that reached his eyes on his face that you couldn’t help but swoon at. Although most would argue that Poe’s true element was flying, and while that is something he is very talented in, you adored the way he looked right now. Holding a baby in his big, strong arms and looking so…paternal really suited him. He began lowly humming a tune you know was from his home planet, he had mentioned that his mother would to sing him lullabies every night.

The child didn’t cry, not with Poe. And she was back asleep quicker than she had woken up. You smiled at Poe and he returned the warm gesture as he climbed back into bed, pulling you back into his arms. “How long is Kiyah going to be gone?” He asked. “She gets back home tomorrow morning.” You said, knowing that he internally cursed at that. He was hoping he could have more time with the baby, playing house in the middle of a war. He wanted it all. He wanted it with you.

That was the only thing keeping him going most days.

#my writing #poe fic #this isn't the best but considering how long it's been since i've written #i'm kind of proud #poe dameron #poe x reader #poe dameron fanfiction #poe x you

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giantroboticplatypusbutt218 · 3 years

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I finished watching Loonatics Unleashed and I have Some Thoughts. I guess this is like a part 2 to the other post I made about the show so yeah.

I swear I don’t intend for everything I write to be an essay but whatever. It’s all under the cut. No massive story spoilers, but I will talk about episodes and will warn accordingly. (But who actually cares about being spoiled on the plot of Loonatics Unleashed?)

Alright so I finally figured out why Ace has laser vision. ...It’s kinda dumb but it’s because rabbits eat carrots(in cartoons). It’s... a reason at least. Still kinda sucks that it’s his only power when everyone else got 2 and some change. Kickass swords don’t count, even if they are magic. Seriously; Transformation. Duplication. Imitation. Tons of other “ation”s. They could’ve leaned into his trickster side but no. He eats carrots... so he got laser vision. Also he only ate carrots like three times in the show so wtf...

Okay so the pacing... improved somewhat in season 2. Don’t get me wrong there were still problems in some episodes but at least they learned how to build the stakes until the climax. They still sometimes went from zero to eighty after the opening credits, but at least it wasn’t zero to a hundred. Much less whiplash was had is what I’m saying.

I don’t think I really mentioned the villains before but they’re uh... generally not very good. They’ve got cool gimmicks but most of the time they’re just two stereotypes and a cliche in a trench coat. Season 2 brought back classic anthro characters to be villains a few times, and while they still weren’t well written and just referenced old bits half the time... at least they weren’t dehumanized humans.

I also don’t think I mentioned the animation so... it’s fine. It’s got cut corners but all cartoons do. Sometimes fight scenes look cool, sometimes they’re stiff. Sometimes the slapstick is well timed, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the facial expressions match the voice acting, sometimes they don’t. Speaking of voice acting, it’s good. There’s not really anything stand out to perform in the first place but everyone does a good job with what they have.

Okay random note before getting deeper into things... the intro themes were... not good. I swear the first song ended on a note that it wasn’t supposed to. The second song fixed that but added people announcing the characters which... is just worse to me. Not much else to say because I skipped them after the first few times.

(Very mild spoilers for the general plots of episodes past this point.)

Ace and Lexi improved a little in the second season, but I still find them kinda bland. Ace still just feels like zero calorie Bugs Bunny. His wit is confined to being the leader, snarky comebacks, and some decent sleuthing skills... and that’s really it. He doesn’t really play around with the villains the way Bugs would. Ace was also supposed to have an arc learning to use his magic sword which... didn’t really happen. Lexi’s defining trait outside of her powers is still that she’s “the girl” which... sucks... Uh... she upgraded to Gamer Girl in the second season which while neat, amounted to nothing outside that one episode. At the very least she was never kidnapped for more than 5 seconds?(That “honor” goes to Zadavia) They also never really brought up their backstories in a meaningful way again, which sucks.

I still like the rest of the team. Slam got an episode about wrestling that built on his backstory and was fun to watch. Duck discovered that his egg powers work differently in water which was neat and matched him being a waterfowl.(Lexi’s powers work differently in water too but it’s never brought up again). Rev is still Rev and I still love him. He got an episode about his family and struggle to impress them(specifically his parents) despite his career choice which was also neat, but I will be coming back to this episode later. Tech is also still Tech and I also still love him. But uh, every character and also me wanted to see him get out of the lab more, and then he got like a nibble of an episode to get out of the lab, and then the show was over. Oof.

Speaking of Tech, it might be for the best he hardly ever left the lab because his powers are... possibly way too effective against all the robots and machines the team fights. Now, him being “overpowered” could’ve been used as a fun writing challenge. Robot goons aren’t a good option for villains anymore. Fighting against him in a city filled with metal is harder. Villains can’t rely on simply killing him thanks to his regeneration. Fight scenes including Tech would have to be handled in a fun and interesting way. But... no. In a team with two tech guys, the one with super speed and flight comes with while the one who can control metal and literally can’t die stays behind. Oh well. Doubt they could’ve added him into more fights without accidentally dumbing him down anyway.

Oh crap I forgot to talk about Zadavia! Uh... she exists. She’s the team’s boss who sends them out on missions. Uh... I can’t talk too much about her without spoiling what little overarching plot this show has, but just know that she’s neat, but affected by the usual sexism going on in the show’s writing.

(Character and episode spoilers past this point.)

You know, for being The Loonatics the main cast wasn’t very loony. You know who were though? Basically all the villains. Yeah I don’t wanna go there but oops here I go anyway. It’s pretty messed up that all the main characters’ zany traits were dialed down, while the defining feature of practically every villain (besides their stereotypes)is that they’re insane. I mean, if you’re looking for good mental illness rep in The Looney Tunes you’re gonna be disappointed, but at least in the shorts almost every character was a little unhinged and a bit of an asshole, making none of them stand out for those traits specifically.

Also messed up is that a lot of the villains are disfigured and made fun of for it by the main cast. Hot take of the century, but I think making fun of people for having a big head or only one eye is... bad. Oh and if they’re a woman then they’re also judged on how hot they are. Actually all women in the show are subjected to sexist writing. I remember like one episode where women were treated with a sliver of respect for a split second and that was in the obligatory “the cast comes across an island of amazon women” episode. However since most of the time was spent painting them as villains until the “actually sexism is bad” ending, there was hardly a moment of reprieve from the bullshit if a woman was on screen.

I’m not the best person to speak on this but uh... it’s fucked up that since literally every notable human is a villain, all the people of color are bad guys, right? Like, obviously it’s not as bad as some of the shit the old shorts pulled, but that’s like saying getting punched is not as bad as getting stabbed. It’s true... but I’m sure most people would prefer neither.

And here’s where I bring up that Rev episode I mentioned earlier. Rev’s parents are racist against coyotes (cartoons sure love to make carnivores allegories for black people don’t they?) and obviously with Tech E. Coyote being his close friend, that causes trouble. ...Right? Uh, no. They say some racist crap to Tech, and that’s it. There is not even an attempt to correct their behavior from anyone. It’s just treated as some unfortunate quirk. In fact the episode’s conflict actually revolves around Rev’s brother, Rip. Honestly, I doubt that they could’ve handled a decent “racism is bad” episode anyway. But they could’ve also... just not brought up racism if they couldn’t handle it? I’m sure having no racism topic at all would be better than having Tech just take the parents’ racist bull crap lying down and then help Rev impress them with an invention he doesn’t get credit for. Also at one point Rev says if Tech wasn’t a coyote and a guy he’d kiss him, which has two uncomfortable implications, but this section is already too long.

(Spoilers end here.)

Overall... yeah the show’s not very good. Of course it wasn’t. It was always going to be a little garbage. And no not because of the darker style or strange setting or any of that superficial crap. Team dynamic shows are popular and with Teen Titans doing so well WB probably thought they might as well shove out a 2 season Looney Tunes version to grab a little more cash, probably minimizing the budget to squeeze out as much profit as possible. If anyone working on the show was passionate about it, I doubt they had the budget or time to act on most their ideas.

Still, there were things to like. There are some funny jokes throughout the show, a few of which even managed to come out of Ace’s mouth. Danger Duck was literally just Daffy and he’s always great. Ironically, Rev and Tech were the most fun to listen to, and also to watch interacting in general. Slam didn’t do much but was a sweetheart who deserves success. There managed to be some decently twisty twist villains, if only because Disney ruined my brain with their ceaseless and lazy attempts at them, and I wasn’t looking out for them in this show. And, while almost nothing was properly developed, at least the concepts and characters are fun to think about?

I can’t say I’d recommend this show to everybody, but uh... if you’re a Furry with low standards and too much free time like me, maybe you’ll like it? Just go in with low expectations so when nice things happen you’re decently surprised.

#This took me like 5 hours to write what is wrong with me?#Why can't I dedicate this much time to one thing when it comes to finishing my fanfics?#Loonatics Unleashed #Random Thoughts #Now if you excuse me I'm going to obsess over Rev and Tech for who knows how long.

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stomp-that-ho-regard · 3 years

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Needed to get this campaign wrap-up rant off my chest...

This is the specific part that irked me:

MATT: "While he never voiced this in game, Caleb's feelings for Jester have been an important part of his journey. Did he ever come close to confessing? How was playing such a long lasting, one-sided love after our last campaign's bittersweet ending for a Vax and Kiki?"

LIAM: I was never going to do romance of any kind, one-sided or otherwise in this campaign, because I felt like we really explored that pretty heavily campaign one. I think you'll remember Jester drove Caleb nuts at the beginning of the campaign, and so it was nothing that I ever expected at all. And then when they were in, was it Rexxentrum wherever the dance hall was. And I alluded to this earlier, dancing was never anything that I imagined for Caleb, but it was just like, and you were asking him to dance, Jester was asking him to dance. I was like, "Oh, this could be an interesting way to like sort of seed my story, that we're not really around yet." And there was something about, not the dancing, but the way that Jester treated him kindly after the fact like his response was to be like, "I'm going to go fucking vomit in a street, and just be by myself," and she wouldn't let it happen. And that was just like this first little moment where someone was like-- Everyone in the Nein-- I want to answer another question while I'm answering this. I wonder if we had gone that different direction that we talked about earlier where we didn't go crime, and we had gone into Rexxentrum earlier, and if Caleb had started interfacing with his past earlier, I think he would have had a gnarlier, more severe trajectory in this campaign. If he had touched his past sooner, it would have changed what he was, but he spent way too much with the Nein, for when we finally did catch up to them, it was too late, that he'd already been healed enough by the Nein, it didn't matter. And everyone in the Nein had an effect on Caleb, they all had their love like in different ways; Yasha, he could relate to. Caduceus was like a guru that confused but inspired. Fjord, who Caleb thought was real hot at the beginning of the campaign, was a great leader and, like, just I don't know, I feel like he was his closest friend, outside of Nott, early in the campaign. Beau brought tough love. Veth was this ultimate support no matter what happened. But what started to happen with Jester was that she was treating Caleb like the person-- She was treating him as if he was the person he should have been. Like none of it had happened. And he became like-- It just got in him, but he would have never wanted to saddle her with all his shit. And the difference, like-- There was also a point in the campaign where I could see, in Yasha's absence, Beauregard warming up to her, and I already quietly been thinking and going like, "Well, I'll just have this little thing that maybe fans will see," and some did early on, like it was silent. It was all silent. And then I was like, "Well, Travis is never going to do it." Oh, Travis just came online, so the entire side of the table quietly like, "Oh," at Jester for a while. But Caleb knew that Beau and Fjord would've been far better for her, because they would have put aside anything for Jester and made her their number one. And Caleb knew that, as much as she like changed him and helped him in a very specific way, and and he quietly fell in love with her and like a Jane Austen, I'm never going to say it. That he would never have set aside the things that he was trying to do. He would never have set aside trying to either get back to his parents and fix that. He would never set aside trying to undo the Cerberus Assembly if he were strong enough, so, like, that was too all-consuming, and so he would never wanted to saddle her with it, so it was always going to stay inside. And there were multiple times in the campaign where Jester teasingly needled Caleb, and I was terrified that you would say the word "Insight check," multiple times.

LAURA: I think I did it once.

LIAM: Well, you must have rolled really low when you did because I did my best to like pull faces at you, and poo poo it, and do something silly to dodge out of those situations.

LAURA: Are you secretly in love with me?

LIAM: And yeah, you said that, and I went like (blows raspberries) that's fucking ridiculous with my face, and we moved on. (laughter)

LAURA: It's so funny when you joke about the whole table being in love with Jester because Jester had, like, no concept of it at all. Her whole upbringing was everybody being in love with her mother, and her whole, and she knew she's so different from Marion, in her appearance, and the way she presents herself that-- To her, that is what people want, that's what everybody would be in love with. And so there was never-- She would never have thought in a million years that Beau would have been interested, or that Caleb would have been interested, or that Fjord would have been interested. She tried to be Marion and when she was coming on to him in the early campaign, and obviously, it did not work. So she was like, "Okay, then-- Nobody's-- That's not going to happen for me." So it just like turned off in her brain, like nobody will.

TRAVIS: There was a moment where that stopped, too, because like you doing the thing that you thought your mom did and that worked, you know, Fjord's like, "I've never been flirted with before, I don't know what this is. Stop doing it." All that behavior stopped, and you like let the happy Jester fall away. Like, I think it was on the sea, right, like with the jellyfish scene. And then it all happened.

MARISHA: That's when you started crying. There was a few times where there was these moments of Jester smiling, but tears were streaming down her face.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MARISHA: Trying to be the happiest person in the room. And then, yeah. I don't know. Jester always had this, but I think why Jester is so enigmatic, and so easy fall in love with is because she is the purest person in the room, so that it invites this kind of--

LIAM: Which doesn't even mean innocent, it just means the purest person--

MARISHA: Pure, yeah. It's just very endearing and it got in the way-- and this is almost going to sound condescending-- but almost in the way that a child is where if a little girl runs up to you, and they're like, "Look at this card, I think I want to cover the whole thing in glitter." You kind of have no choice, but to be like, "Yeah, that's a great idea."

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Cover the whole thing, and like, even if it's bad. She felt like almost like the perfect exercise for "Yes, and-ing." Like, the concept of "Yes, and-ing," because half of them were terrible ideas, but you were like, "Yeah, brilliant."

LAURA: Also, I feel that people are drawn to somebody who sees the best in them, right? You're drawn to somebody that loves you, and she just has an unconditional love for like everybody--

LIAM: She changes everyone she meets, including a hag in a hut.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Yes.

Laura’s answer here is, for the most part, true. Jester was always pretty oblivious to people being into her. That was a pretty clear character trait. However, that still doesn't explain her roleplaying choices after Beau’s confession. And I wish someone was able to ask her about that and get a direct answer. Why was there a behavior shift? Was it just Laura trolling and teasing Marisha about it, or was Laura actually trying to force Beau to confess directly?

There was a pretty condescending post about this that I found in the discourse tag that said: I know it won't happen cause people never cared about what she says anyway, but Laura confirming again that Jester never knew about Caleb and Beau's feelings for her should be enough to stop the dumb takes like "bj was happening before the hiatus but then they decided to change it" or "Jester was falling in love with Caleb and she changed it" or whatever.

‘Laura confirming again’ Again? What other time has she said this?

‘Jester never knew about Caleb and Beau’s feelings’ Laura said that ‘She would never have thought in a million years that they would be interested’ and included Fjord in that section too, so whatever point this person’s trying to make is moot.

Countering that, I want to say, that nothing in Laura’s answer seemed to give the impression that Jester would have turned down Beau (or, hate to say it, even Caleb) had they actually confessed to her. There’s nothing in her answer to imply that Jester could not have reciprocated those feelings had she known. Nowhere did I get the implication that Jester was only ever interested in men and that Fjord was the only viable choice. (Laura still has not addressed Jester’s sexuality. FJ shippers love to ignore that, and still swear up and down that she’s straight.)

Now when Marisha piped in, she didn’t even focus on Beau’s feelings, and the depth of what she was feeling at the time. Instead, she’s wrote them off. Again. Intentionally minimizing and essentially doubling down on what was said in ep108. That it’s just so easy for anyone to fall for Jester, even going as far as calling her ‘pure’. Basically infantilizing her, by comparing her behavior to that of a child which yes, Marisha, does sound condescending. (You can add that to the list of ‘sparkles’ ‘confetti’ and ‘shiny’.) And that’s it. That’s the extent to which she talks about it.

Also, the fact that the Beaujester stuff was only brought up (very briefly and casually), as a sort of ‘b’ topic to WJ. Liam got to go off on this whole extremely long-winded reminiscing answer because he got a direct question about it. It’s like, “And none for Beaujester!” Once again, Caleb’s feelings being given more weight than Beau’s ever were.

So, another kick in the teeth. Not so much from Laura. But from Marisha. The person who MADE THE CHOICE to inject Beau developing feelings for Jester into the canon narrative. The way Marisha talks about it now, it’s just a complete mind fuck as to why she made the decision to have Beau confess at all. Why even open that door? Even if she felt, at the time, that Beau would feel this way, she could’ve just kept it to herself. And not made waves about it. And not doubled down on it the following week. And not had continued for at least THREE MONTHS after that to roleplay Beau STILL having obvious feelings for Jester. I mean, come the fuck on.

Look at ep93 with the Hag. When Jester was telling the group that she gave the Hag something she had never given anyone before. Beau frowned and said, “Did you kiss her?” Beau had it so bad she got jealous of the Hag. Jealous of a fucking monster. Then ep94. Beau wanted to climb a tree to get a better look at their surroundings. Out of the blue, Jester smacked Beau’s ass to give her Guidance. She shot up the tree like a rocket and Jester was impressed. Marisha had to make it a point to say, “She thinks it’s the Traveler. It’s just ‘cause Jester smacked my ass though. I’m just very invigorated by THAT.” And of course ep99, with the sunburn compliment.

Marisha was definitely keeping this thing going, all the way up until the hiatus.

So why the weird answers? Why the vagueness? Why does she seem so insistent on driving home to the viewers that Beau’s feelings were/are no big deal. Does she think that talking about Beau’s feelings to the fullest and reminiscing (like Liam did) on a few of their moments would be some sort of insult to BY?

I will never stop being baffled.

#op #campaign wrap up bullshit #long post

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the-firebird69 · 6 months

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This is his mom's couch and it was up at Castle and the back was torn off when they got it and the seats were dirty as if Kingsley was left alone and that's what happened and his mom was not there they didn't bother to take the dog as a matter of fact nobody did poor dog was alone and demanded out and he pushed the slider opened and he went to the yard and was stuck there so he went under the fence and kept going in and out for a few days and was tired and hungry finally he tried to turn himself in as her son has had to do at the hospital and we are repulsed by you so therefore his mom was probably around here somewhere and you think they see her walking around and she sounds like Louis then they find out Louis got an accident herself and he says I don't think so cuz her injuries are completely gone and it's true and her body was here the question is where did your brain go and people are going to be disgusted but the cart people out inside someone's lung in the hospital and they're finding that stuff out today it's been happening with these clones who steal stuff. And they murdered a lot of you a lot of you could killed by them. A lot of people of Garth used to say I don't care he's losing to us useless to us now he's not because they're taking a lot of stuff from his Island in this area where they used to take stuff and implicated them and huge amounts of stuff just way more than he could take. And all these people are wise asses and feeling so confident and arrogant are changing there too because people who leave the cities are telling them this is a nightmare that people were just getting zapped and they're taking them out of buildings and the empire is on a rampage after the clones and decided to kill them All and they're going after them very hard and people see why it's because they can find out what they did very quickly. Well others take a while and do stupid things most the time like these two idiots in the apartment near our son three really they're so dumb they're getting shot by the guy and act like they don't care it's deep inside they know about it it's kind of forget sort of you he thinks that they expose him because he's been abusive and they keep coming back and came from one of Terry cheesman's movies and the guy says that's fine he has to pay somehow and he's paying humongous armies are going after his shifts and it's one because of cycle but really because of this they're probably twice as big as they were going to be and he's going to get knocked out he doesn't take off he's going to get buried himself too.

This couch is testimony to how much people should hate these clones his mom was healthy people and was a decent person to a lot of people and they pushed her down and made her ugly later mean and she wasn't at me and she just kept recovering and they got sick of it so our son is fighting for his life and doing well and this is going to be a massive death blow to those idiot clothes Tommy have a shot him or shot at him three times and it bounced off and we don't want to have to go through that again we want this guy gone. He's been shot since but not in the same spot and his clothes say we should shoot him in the same spot and then try and get people to do it and never works my son says let me shoot him I'll get him the right spot. They are laughing I said boy that would push it over the top then he says it doesn't say anything about not shooting him elsewhere.

So the a****** is trying to threaten him is saying screw you and we are going to crush him and the rest of the world is

-right now they are going after the clones and it's everybody and to take them down they are the way of prosperity. They also are in the way of people accessing their ships in the bunkers around it where they say they have factories and don't need stuff and they haven't seen trying to blow things up quite a bit and a sudden and daughter saved by removing this network and give them less reason to be topside. That's true too is only a few things that they have top side that require a lot of people and that's one of them the other rating parties it's going to be good because of separating the two these guys are quimpy and acted and try not to be discovered and they're dying rapidly and their hospital people and they got him into the hospital a few times sex 3 out of five or something a little over half the other was you guys cuz you're so smart so we're going after both more luck

Thor Freya

Olympus

We can't stand you either

Hera Zeus

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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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Why I (Want To) Love Amphibia

Salutations random people on the internet who probably won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. If you've been paying attention to my posts, you would have known that I made a top twenty list of the best-animated series of the 2010s. And if you read my Honorable Mentions list, you would have known that I consider Amphibia one of those shows that, while I like it, I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's one of the best. Don't get me wrong. It's good. But there are issues that I have with Amphibia, and I can't recommend it without being hesitant. I still like it fine, but I doubt some people will be as forgiving as me. So I'm going to explain the quality and faults that the show has, while still being considerate to those who do love it. Because unlike some people who would make a two-hour-long video essay about how much they hate something, I can at least acknowledge that while something doesn't entirely work for me, that doesn't mean it won't work for everyone else. Because there is a reason why this show has such a following...I don't think it's earned, but I won't knock people down when they love something I find passable. And I hope that respect goes both ways as I explain why I (want to) love Amphibia.

Also, this review is going to contain spoilers for the entire series. So if you haven't checked it out yet, I recommend you do it to form your own opinion. Season one is on Disney+, and you're on your own for season two. And I suggest you find a legal way to watch it if you can, because I'm not going to leave a link to a pirating website filled with every animated series and movie you can find. And I'm definitely not going to insert that link into a random letter in this review with the thought that if you have to pirate something, then you might as well work for it. Because that would be crazy.

...

Stop being crazy.

....

Anywho, let's start with:

WHAT I LIKE

The Comedy: Let it be known that this show is funny. Like, really funny. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's funnier than Gravity Falls, which got me chuckling with every episode, but Amphibia definitely hits more than it misses. There are occasions when the jokes aren't really character-oriented and could be said by anybody in the Plantar Family, but if they're still funny, then who am I to complain. Although there is one issue that I have with the comedy. But I'll save that for when I talk about what I don't like. For now, I can assure you that if you're hoping for some laughs, Amphibia has plenty to offer.

Warnings Against Toxic Relationships: But even the best comedies know when to offer some substance. Because I won't lie, when Anne described what is clearly a toxic friendship in the second episode, I was hooked. I love it when kids shows breach topics that can be important for children down the line. And for the most part, I think Amphibia does it well. There are so many instances that the writers' point out the several red flags that a person should avoid when it comes to a friendship and when it's time to either cut that person from your life and stand up for yourself. One of my favorite episodes is "Prison Break," where Sasha explains how she manipulates people and shows zero remorse for it. Then there's the episode "The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers" that shows how a person's influence can affect others and how much it changes perception as Anne and Marcy still believe they need someone like Sasha in their lives...At least I hope that's what the intention is. Because if the writers are trying to say that Anne and Marcy really need someone like Sasha...Well, I'll save that for my dislikes. Because even though it could use a little polishing, warning kids about toxic relationships is what keeps me hooked into seeing what happens next in this series.

It’s Not Afraid to go Dark: On top of breaking borders with morals intended for kids, I just gotta respect a show for playing around with what's considered "too dark." Especially if that show is on the Disney Channel!

The writers are not afraid to imply that death happens in the world of Amphibia, primarily because it is like a swamp ecosystem filled with predators and food chains. And I feel like because the characters are mostly amphibians, the writers can get away with an entire cave filled with the bones of victims as long as they're not humans. But frogs? No one gives a crap about them. There's a reason they're the ones who get dissected in schools.

Plus, a good majority of the monsters that Anne and the Plantars face are pretty horrifying at times. The crew who work on the show do a great job balancing the line of making these creatures look scary, but never go too far that they'll scar kids for life. Except in the Halloween special...How the f**k did they get away with the monsters in the Halloween special? And while they don't ever show what these monsters do, the implications honestly make things much worse, which again, I kind of respect. It's good to have shows like Amphibia that can scare kids a little bit. Getting through something fictitiously dark helps make kids feel braver and prepare them for the real horrors in the world. Especially since most of these creatures are just exaggerated versions of real-life predators...google them.

The Season One Finale: It was "Reunion" that made me realize that Amphibia has the potential to be amazing...it's also the last episode of season one, so let that sink in.

Joking aside, I honestly do love this episode. It's funny, it brings in elements from other episodes, nearly everybody does something useful, and it all ends with a satisfying and equally gut-wrenching climax. A climax, by the way, that is so perfect that I'm going to do a scene breakdown for why it's so good...so, you know, add that to the to-do list (I have so much s**t to make -_-). "Reunion" has so many elements about what makes a season finale so good that I feel like future writers should take notes for their own series that they plan to make. While I wish every episode of Amphibia had this level of quality, the writers know that the last impression is one of the most important. Because I will defend this show if this is the episode people use to trash it.

Marcy: I will also defend this show if someone trashes Marcy. Trust me, the best way to tell that someone is just hating on Amphibia for little to no reason is if they utter the word, "Marcy is a bad character." That is not true. Marcy is a great character, and I'd go so far as to say she's the best character in the series. She's sweet, adorable, and has a story ten times more interesting than Anne's. Anne learns what a sincere relationship is like through the Plantars, where Marcy falls victim to another manipulative relationship through King Andreas. It's her co-dependency that has the chance to get fleshed out more, and I can't wait to see if she has a moment to break out and form her own path.

Also, in the mass expanse of the multiverse, there exists a world where Amphibia is about the adventures that Marcy had in Newtopia as she uses Dungeons and Dragons logic to get by. And I want to see that universe! Because this clumsy nerd is already a blast to watch with the briefest of cameos. Imagine how much fun she would be if she had her own series!

Sprig: I don't know how much love Sprig gets within the fandom, but I got a feeling that it's not enough. He's funny without being annoying (most of the time), there's a whole lot of heart and sincerity to his actions, and above all else, he's the best friend that Anne needed. When Anne explained her very flawed views about friendship in "Best Fronds," it is clear how essential someone like Sprig is as he teaches Anne what friendship really means. It means caring for each other, supporting each other, making equal sacrifices for one another, and just being on the same page as each other. It is genuinely sweet seeing their friendship bloom, and I honestly hope the Amphibia fandom gives Sprig the amount of appreciation he deserves. Sure, he can be annoying sometimes, but for the most part, he's easily up there as one of my favorite characters.

Wally: Same with Wally! Who would have guessed that a character who appears as an dumb source of comic relief has a level of depth and lovability to him? "Wally and Anne" shows that while he is a nonsensical goofball, he doesn't really care what the frogs of Wartwood think of him. What matters is what he thinks of him. And that is just an incredible lesson to teach kids that just makes me love Wally more.

(It also helps that he's probably the funniest character in the show. I know I said that he's dumb, but when he works, he works.)

Kermit the Frog Cameo: ...It's Kermit the Frog, y'all. I physically can't hate him. Especially since this is the perfect show for him to make a cameo in!

WHAT I DON’T LIKE

Anne’s Character: I don't have a problem with Anne. I think she's a serviceable protagonist, and I love the fact that she's Thai, offering a form of Asian representation other than Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. But here's the problem with Anne: After a season and a half, I still don't know what her character is. If you were to ask me to describe a Disney show protagonist within one sentence, I could do it effortlessly. Watch:

Star Butterfly: An adrenaline junky of a warrior princess who slowly learns to be responsible with each passing season.

Luz Noceda: A generous nerd that obsesses about fantasy and fiction, who still understands when to take a step in reality when the moment calls for it.

Scrooge McDuck: An old Scottish miser who has the heart of adventure and is a duck that almost loves his family as he loves his money.

For Anne, I don't know where to start because her personality is so inconsistent. Sometimes she makes friends with others without even trying, and other times, she gets on others' nerves easily. Sometimes she's a thrillseeker with the heart of adventure, and other times, she's a person who prefers to hang back and avoid doing work. And sometimes she's the only sane character with logical advice, and other times she's the most insane character who needs advice. Now, you could argue that these are all character traits that make Anne multidimensional. But if you ask me, it seems like her personality is dependent on what the writers want her to be for the episode. Someone like Luz going back and forth between two traits only works if there is a dominant personality trait that takes over the other. If Luz spends an entire episode being angry and serious, it proves that there's more to her than just a character that's nerdy and optimistic. But it's clear she is still that lovable nerd by having her say a corny line like, "Talk to the glyphs, Witch!" But because Anne has so many personality traits, it's hard to tell which is the norm and what is out of character. Case in point: Having Anne obsess over hang-gliding in one episode and doing a puzzle in the next is off as neither correlates with each other. Nor do they tell me who Anne is, other than the fact that she's clearly a character lacking a singular identity. And seeing how she's the main character, the one audiences are supposed to root for and identify with, it's probably not a good thing.

The Story: For the record, I have no problems with the story itself...the way it's written, however...

First off, there's too much filler. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as filler episodes have the potential to be fun when written well. The problem is that relying on filler instead of telling your story can leave some people (me) uninterested and angry. And the thing is, there is a perfect way to avoid filler that doesn't involve telling the overarching narrative: Introduce personal plotlines. Look at The Owl House, for example. There are several character-oriented narrative threads that get introduced within the first few episodes. Such as Luz learning magic, Eda's curse, her relationship with Lilith, and Amity's redemption. Therefore, The Owl House avoids any filler episodes just as long as it focuses on any of these plotlines and even introduces new ones. Amphibia has the plotlines, but it rarely focuses on them. Especially since the story takes way too long to develop.

Every time I think the show is finally going to start moving forward and we can continue the story, there are like ten more filler episodes where everything comes to a screeching halt. Now, to be fair, there is an explanation why we're forced to wait for the story to move forward, and it's because the characters are forced to wait as well. But, even then, there could have been better ways to pad out that waiting than just adding filler. For example, I may not have been forced into an alternate universe where nearly everything wants to kill me, but if I was, I WOULD SPEND EVERY WAKING MINUTE I HAVE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY BACK! In the first season, how many episodes does Anne spend trying to figure out the mystery of how she got there and how to go home? Two. There are two whole episodes, out of thirty-nine, where Anne tries to figure things out...That is insane to me. But to be fair, season two is doing a much better job at moving things along...but it doesn't change the fact that the writers are kind of bad at telling their own story.

There are two episodes, "Anne Vs. Wild" and "Lost in Newtopia," where the story continues, but it's only in the last few minutes. The problem is that if you take those endings out, the episodes themselves do not change a bit. BUT because those are significant and essential moments for the plot, you can't take them out. Resulting in scenes that, while intriguing, come across as awkward in the long run. So now, my question is why. Why is the story handled so poorly? And I have one theory.

It Feels Like the Writers Can’t Decide What they Want the Show to be: Sometimes it seems like Amphibia is written as a pure slice of life series like Big City Greens. However, there are times when the show seems like it's intended to mix slice of life with fantasy like Gravity Falls. Now here's the problem: Big City Greens and Gravity Falls are two very different shows in terms of storytelling, tone, and character work. Big City Greens is an episodic comedy series where character development is unimportant, and the adventures rarely go beyond just being wacky. As for Gravity Falls, it is a show that is semi-serialized where the character development is constant, and the fantasy-adventures are always prevalent in every episode. And there are several episodes of Amphibia that could be a part of either show. Episodes like "Stakeout," "Lily Pad Thai," and "Little Frog Town" have plots that I can see being in Big City Greens. Then there are episodes like "The Domino Effect," "Toad Tax," and "Marcy at the Gates" that I could see being in Gravity Falls. These two groups of episodes are vastly different from one another that it causes Amphibia to feel disjointed in the process. Usually, I'm a fan when a series mixes different genres together, but do you want to know why something like Gravity Falls does such a great job at mixing slice of life with fantasy-adventure? Because, as I said, fantasy-adventures are always present in every episode. "Dipper vs. Manliness," "Boss Mabel," and "Roadside Attraction" each have the most basic slice of life plots of the show, but there is always a fantasy element or a monster to fight. There are entire episodes of Amphibia where there is no monster, and even when there is, it doesn't have the same amount of tension and weight that the creatures in Gravity Falls have weekly. A show like Big City Greens doesn't have to worry about monsters or evil villains every week because it doesn't need to. It's a show about the wacky adventures of a family of farmers adjusting to city life. Why would they have to worry about a monster every week when they just have to worry about each other. If Amphibia was the same way then there would be no issue. But because if it wants to be a mix of slice of life with fantasy, then it does need to worry about a monster every week. I usually try to defend shows that try to play both sides, but this show has to be the one occasion where I have to say pick one or the other. Because the writers tried hard to be both, and personally, I don't think they did a good job.

Characters Don’t. Stop. SCREAMING!: It's here we move on from what's objectively wrong with Amphibia to the things that just bother me personally...and this is one of those things. I get it. An over-the-top reaction to something minimal can be funny on occasion...but it's never "on occasion" with this show. Nearly every episode has characters screaming to get a laugh, and most of the time, it's more annoying than it is funny. It's Hop Pop who does this the most, and I just feel so bad for Bill Farmer. That voice already seems like it's hard to do, so being forced to scream and yell with it for the sake of comedy can't do him any favors. Other shows, especially ones on the Disney Channel, have characters overreact for the sake of humor, but it's Amphibia that I feel like it relies on this the most. I'm sure some people aren't bothered by this, but I am, and this is my review, so I'm mentioning it.

Poly: Speaking of things that probably don't bother other people...I feel like I'm making some enemies with this one. Because, boy, do I not like Polly. Her voice is annoying, she mostly causes problems for the family, and to me, her entire character seems pointless. No, really. Think about it. Anne is the main character, Sprigs acts as her emotional support, and Hop Pop acts as the voice of reason. What's Polly's purpose? Because all she adds are unnecessary jokes, character traits that could have gone to anybody, and acting more as a plot device than an actual character. The only justification for her that I can think of is that she adds gender balance to the main cast. Which would be more than acceptable if there was a point to her existence. But I think it's pretty evident with her exclusion from the original pilot pitch for the program that Polly's personality is practically pointless...that is most likely the only alliteration I'll ever do for a review, so you have better appreciated it.

If you like Polly, then more power to you. For me, I just don't enjoy her.

Sasha: Oh, nelly. I can already see the hateful messages I'm gonna get from this.

Now, as a character, I actually do like Sasha. I think her personality is interesting enough to dissect, and I think she acts as a perfect antagonist to Anne, the Plantars, and even Marcy if you want to get into it. My problem relies on how much the fanbase is already jumping on the "Forgive Sasha" train. Because, "Aw, she's just like Catra and Amity! So sweet, tortured, shippable with the main character, and--" STOP IT! Stop it right now...and think. With Catra and Amity, you see the environment they grew up in, you feel the abuse they deal with, you understand the reasoning of their actions, and you come to forgive them for who they are...At least for Amity, you can. For Catra, it requires more of an argument. But Sasha? Did we see the same cruel mistreatment to her friends? Did we hear the same coldness in her voice as she describes how to manipulate people? Did we witness the same damage she's done to Anne and Marcy in how they perceive healthy relationships? Apparently not! Because while everyone else is already on the same page that Sasha deserves redemption, I'm sitting here thinking that maybe it's for the best to be a little more hesitant. So far, we have yet to see any way to understand her reasoning and have yet to see how she deserves forgiveness. Sure, Sasha was willing to sacrifice herself for Anne, but did Sasha really earn that? It works as a sudden realization that Anne deserves better, but Sasha has yet to do anything that proves she can be better. Especially since the next time we see her, she's trying to help a fascist ruler get back up on his feet...THINK ABOUT THAT!

But, sure, she's meant to be forgiven. That can work. Because while Sasha shows kids the type of people they should avoid, she can also work as a warning for what kids should avoid becoming. That is a great thing to teach...but it can also be potentially dangerous. Because if incorrectly interpreted, Sasha can show kids that every person who seems toxic just needs a chance to change. And that is the last thing you want to teach, given how very few toxic people actually change. You want to know why The Owl House gets away with an equally dangerous lesson about how not every bully is awful? It's because it shows two sides of the spectrum by proving why someone like Amity did the things she's done while also saying that characters like Boscha and Mattholomule are just a-holes for the sake of being a-holes. Sasha has no one to compare to. Sure, there's King Andreas, but he's a government figure. They're built to be manipulative. Sasha needs someone that's on her level of cruelty to prove that while some people can change and have reason to do so, others don't. And seeing how I don't think she deserves to change, at least not yet, that is an issue. It's the biggest issue out of all the issues I have with this show.

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So, yeah, I think it's pretty evident how I feel about Amphibia when I can write paragraphs about the stuff I don't like while barely being able to talk about the things I do like. Because I do enjoy this show. It's funny, most of the characters are enjoyable, and its discussion on toxic relationships still has me hooked to see what happens next. My issue lies with inconsistency. The main protagonist, storytelling, genre, and thematic purposes are all inconsistent. I'm interested enough to watch more, and who knows, maybe I'll make a final verdict review once the series comes to an end. For now, if you had to ask me what I’m excited to make a return, I don't know if I'll be willing to hop to it by saying Amphibia.

(Also, if you're still looking for that link for that pirating website I mentioned, now would probably be a good time to tell you that I really never did put one in. I told you, that would be crazy...That should teach you to try to break the law.)

#amphibia #what i thought about #why i want to love #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu #sprig plantar #polly plantar

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