#is this analysis or is this just salt? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-cryptographer · 1 month

Text

Fenris's anger towards Danarius in act 1 is so deceptive. Not that it doesn't exist - it definitely exists, is very real and all-consuming. And Fenris definitely creates a very logically sound argument for why it exists and why Danarius deserves to die and why it would be incredibly insulting to just pay Danarius for his own freedom - ie. the institution of slavery is evil! after everything he's taken from me, why does he also deserve my money?! (Absolutely a fair point. But nevermind that Fenris knows perfectly well that Danarius is already extremely wealthy, and already expending a far greater amount of money having him tracked and hunted and brought back alive than Fenris could ever hope to match.) And I think it all distracts from the fact that Fenris is just not a very ideological person and isn't actually motivated by ideological ideals. Which is what makes him a sensible and reasonable and pragmatic person (unlike Anders who is 100% fuelled by outrage against injustice in the face of every practical impossibility to his plans, and is thus insane (i say this affectionately, please keep your Anders hate/salt off my post)).

There's just a very practical reason that Fenris is so angry in Act 1 and I think it's that his anger is one of a very few things that's keeping him from going back to his abuser. Like, Danarius has gone out of his way to make as sure as possible that Fenris's time as a man free is as miserable and uncomfortable as being his slave, if not more. When you meet Fenris, he's being chased across the filthy backwaters of Southern Thedas by bounty hunters, hounded and paranoid and unsafe at every turn, without access to adequate food or housing or medical care, incredibly lonely and entirely without allies (and who would want to ally with him, when it comes with the strife of becoming a target of those bounty hunters too??). He is living a miserable grimy existence, and he knows that the easiest way to make it stop is to give in. To go back to Danarius - let Danarius be the solution to the problem that Danarius created in the first place, entirely with the intention of bringing Fenris back under his control. And the only thing stopping Fenris from doing that is him reminding himself at every inconvinient moment that he's furious with Danarius and the guy made his life hell and deserves to die miserably. And you think so too, right, Hawke?! Tell him you think so too!

So that anger is important, but the things that Fenris said in it also can't really be taken as a literal understanding of his thought process or his actual desires imho. It's just pretty obvious by the time you reach acts 2 and 3, when Fenris has far more in the way of resources and allies and security, that all his conviction and outrage in act 1 about how he'd go and hunt down Danarius and kill the man himself was an extremely empty bit of hot air. His grand plan for dealing with Danarius in act 3 is 'hope that guy has moved on and forgotten about me so I can meet my sister in peace'. Frankly, he doesn't want to kill Danarius - doesn't want to have to. Much in the same way he didn't want to have to kill Hadriana. He doesn't give a shit about revenge or whether or not they deserve it for their magical crimes. It's just that none of these fuckers will leave him the fuck alone to move on with his life.

#Fenris #idk just have to let the fenris salt and analysis out every once in a while #also have no idea how they'll write him in da4 and frankly do not give a shit about da4 to start with #lork dragon age opinions

179 notes · View notes

blueberry-bubbles130 · 8 months

Text

The disappointment of the characterisation of the Bourgeois family in Miraculous Ladybug.

This essay/post will be talking about my feelings regarding the characterisation of Bourgeois family, as I'm doing a rewrite fanfiction of Miraculous and the Bourgeois family plays an extremely important part in my rewrite.

Trigger Warnings include:

TW: Child abuse

Child neglect

Verbal abuse

Emotional abuse

Domestic Violence

If I have forgotten to add any trigger warnings in the post please comment and I'll add them as soon as I can.

Getting this out of the way with now because I don't want to focus on her in this post, and because she won't be in my rewrite at all, I don't like Zoe. In the canon of the show all she serves as is a replacement for Chloe and a wielder of the Bee Miraculous. Unfortunately in the canon show, she is tied to the miraculous and Chloe in such a way that she cannot be talked about with bringing Chloe salt/bashing into the discussion, and has no true character of her own out of just being nice. There are others in the show who already could've filled the role much better. Zoe is far better written in fanon and fanfiction. But I don't want to be beating a long dead horse so there are other posts you can read to see Zoe's poor implementation in the show, and absolutely great fanfictions you can read that gives her a developed character if you like her. With that being said lets get onto the main essay.

Who are the Bourgeois family?

In the show the Bourgeois family are an upper class family that are said to hold a lot of influence. The family consists of Andre Bourgeois; the patriarch of the family who owns a hotel, and is also the mayor of Paris. Audrey Bourgeois; the matriarch of the family and a famous fashion critic. And Chloe Bourgeois; the child of the family and the temporary bee miraculous holder. The Bourgeois family can be considered a large secondary example of Miraculous's wasted potential, and it's inability to truly give a satisfying conclusion to any concept they've tried to execute during it's run. And some will say this is just the end of an arc and season 6 will continue and deliver. But it won't, especially considering Miraculous' record with delivering on expected plotlines it isn't promising in the slightest and I do not hold hope for season 6. Despite this, I'm rather interested in the Bourgeois family, and they are my favourite part of Miraculous making it even more disappointing to see the outcome of the plotline involving them.

Audrey Bourgeois-

I'm doing Audrey Bourgeois first because despite having a lot to say about all the family members, I have the least to say about Audrey.

Audrey is characterised as a harsh fashion critic who has nothing kind to say about anyone around her. Her kind words are only reserved for someone who can truly impress her, examples being Marinette and Gabriel. Marinette being shown to the audience and Gabriel being told to the audience. She is responsible for launching Gabriel into fame as a fashion designer. Audrey isn't even remotely nice to her own family. She abandons them mostly and seems to return only when work arises in Paris. And even then she belittles both her husband and Chloe constantly.

Something I find interesting in fanfiction for Miraculous Ladybug is that before we got any glimpse of who Audrey is. Everyone assumed she'd died and they either called her Simone or Julia, Julie or Juliette. And this gave depth to both Chloe, and Andre. This will be discussed again later.

Audrey's character has at least stayed consistent throughout Miraculous' ever-increasing run, which is a miracle considering Miraculous issues with characterisation, among other issues. However at the same time it's quite odd considering unlike Andre who got more developed regarding his past and what he wants, Audrey remains quite flat character-wise with only glimpses of there possibly something else to her. I think that Audrey despite staying consistent and explaining a lot about Chloe and Andre, she's still wasted potential. In one of the episodes characters such as Gabriel, Natalie and and I think maybe Tomoe are shown watching important story information on a tv. This would seemingly hint that Audrey had something to do with Gabriel. Which is believable considering Audrey's personality and previous appearances with Gabriel. However as of season 5 this has not been expanded upon in anyway whatsoever and like I keep saying I doubt it will be in season 6 or future seasons if they get anymore. This makes me believe that Audrey should've been expanded upon as a villain, she could've stolen a miraculous and possibly became a main villain. She's close to Gabriel, she's got the perfect personality for it; the only thing she needed to be a good villain was a decent motivation and I easily could've believed her becoming a villain if she'd been given decent motivation. She's already controlling and demanding, so Zoe could've never been introduced and you could've had it so she wants ultimate control over Andre and Chloe while placing herself as some sort of evil Queen. And that's all I really have to say about Audrey. Hell! I've already seen a few posts where people state that Audrey should've taken over as mayor after Andre, which makes a hell of a lot more sense then Chloe doing it. It's not exactly the same because she's the stepmother, but something I think Audrey should've been a bit like but far more toned down for the child audience is like Julia Cotton from Hellraiser. She's just so perfect as a example of someone willing to go to extremes in order to achieve their desires. Hell it's already there in her akuma, Style Queen! Just make her an evil queen, it wouldn't have been that hard and then we wouldn't have to deal with that mess we got with them attempting to make Gabriel sympathetic but then being shown him horribly abusing his son with glee at every opportunity he gets. You could keep Gabriel and Natalie sympathetic and make Audrey even more despicable than she is.

Also Audrey is clearly abusive, and in 2023 we should not need to have debates over whether she is because some people say she's just cruel. No she's abusive, it's clearly abuse.

Chloe Bourgeois-

Chloe is definitely my favourite character out of the Bourgeois family and Miraculous as a whole, and while her characterisation post season 3 does sadden and disappoint me, it doesn't anger me like what the writers did with Andre.

Chloe starts the series as nothing more than an obnoxious bully who torments her classmates. When we get to season 2 we get to see Chloe receive more depth as a character and see how her parents helped her in becoming the person she is today. Then season 3 happened and we see Miracle Queen. Now I don't think Miracle Queen is completely horrid, It makes sense that Chloe may begin to regress or backslide into her unhealthy habits. And I've even seen people still redeem her with miracle queen being in their stories. What pisses me off about Miracle Queen, especially when people online talk about it, is that they just seem to forget about Gabriel akumatising Audrey and Andre to use as blackmail against Chloe. Like yes at the end of the day, Chloe still makes the decision to become Miracle Queen and do what she did. But you cannot deny that a fully grown man who should know better, put the two people she presumably cared about the most at this point in danger in order to blackmail her. He cornered her on the balcony and essentially railroaded her into making that decision. Like what was she going to do if she said no, she can't fight Hawkmoth without a miraculous and even if she'd tried he might've legitimately hurt her or her parents to win. Here again we see fanfics just knock the show out of the water, with many people deciding to make Chloe trick Hawkmoth into giving her the miraculous and then she just runs away to get help. Also Marinette shouldn't have gotten involved in Chloe's family drama, like why did she think it was a good idea to do what she did in Queen wasp. Just why?

Something else regarding Chloe's character arc that just genuinely confuses me is that during season 2 it's obvious in episodes like Zombizou, Style Queen, Queen Wasp and Malediktator is that they're written by other writers who have differing opinions on Chloe to Thomas Astruc. And now I think Thomas was busy on a different project while this was was being written, which is fine. But what confuses me is that surely Thomas could've looked over the episode script and maybe said to change it. Instead of just letting a character he clearly does not like get development he also didn't like and then arguing with Chloe fans and Miraculous fans who may not like Chloe but understand her character arc was butchered as well as others, on twitter over it.

As well as this is season 5, I think it's revealed season 1-5 of Miraculous takes place over 1 school year. In France the average school year is about 10 months long lasting from September to late June early July. This means each season could technically take place over about 2 months. This gives Chloe 2-4 months at most to redeem herself. Which is just too much to expect of her to try and completely redeem herself and undo a lifetime of unhealthy behaviours in that short of a timespan. No wonder Miracle Queen happened, she hasn't had the proper support to try and unlearn those behaviours or redeem herself. And it makes Andre giving her over to her mother even more saddening/rage enducing, because Zoe has been around for the same time Chloe was given to try and unlearn her healthy behaviours. So Andre has abandoned his daughter who's he risen for her entire 13-14 year life for some child he's known for about 3 months at best.

Then season 4 and 5 begin the endless parade of Chloe Salt/Bashing in order to prop up Zoe. As well as the butchering of other characters, to continue hammering in that point, such as Andre, but we'll get to him later. Now I'm not saying I'm completely against the idea of evil Chloe, there are some brilliant fanfics out there with Chloe just either hamming it up as an evil villain or treated as a tragic villain, who's fall from grace is a pure tradegy. And I love it both because it treats Chloe with the seriousness she deserves, the majority of fanfics treat the abuse she's suffered with seriousness and not as some joke like the serious does. You want a absolutely brilliant Chloe Bourgeois fanfic read "Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee" on ao3 it's just so good and I can't recommend it enough.

Also on the topic of redemptions Sabrina, Felix, Natalie and especially Gabriel shouldn't gotten redemptions. Gabriel, Sabrina and Felix don't show any remorse for their actions, in fact they all show glee in their actions apart from Natalie. But even then none of them truly face any punishments for their actions and sure Gabriel doesn't get to enjoy Emilie being back alive, but he still gets away with his numerous crimes.

As a final note on Chloe's development, it's been said by some people before it's quite harmful that Chloe doesn't get treated with the seriousness that she deserves and is one of the only villains not given a redemption as well as not being what is considered a "perfect" or "idealised" victim of abuse like Adrien is. And as someone who has lashed out at others due to issues with authoritive figures in the past (not to the extent Chloe has thought, especially with the bullying and wealth, I'm also not French) I do relate to Chloe in a small way. And this makes it harder for me personally, and it really is just harmful because it might give kids who have lashed out like her due to similar or the same issues the same idea that they don't deserve love or a guardian who can actually care for them in the way they need, as children.

I'm not saying give Chloe a redemption, she just should've been treat with the seriousness she needed.

Gettting back on track lets talk about the final member of the Bourgeois family.

Andre Bourgeois-

Oh Andre, where do I begin with him, in canon.

For seasons 1 to 3 he's mainly Chloe's nervous father and enabler. Then we get a bit of depth in season 4 and 5 about him wanting to be a director but not getting to due to Audrey and politics. Then in season 5 he lets Audrey take Chloe.

A deleted part of the script was revealed in which originally he gave Chloe to Audrey which in itself is horrific because he knows how Audrey is. Not only has she subjected Chloe to verbal abuse but him as well. This would be changed in the series to him just letting Audrey take Chloe, which is just as worse. These are just as bad because either way he's trying to absolve himself of any responsibility of what happened with Chloe which he is equally responsible for as he is Chloe's main enabler. And you know I actually had some hope for him in canon that he'd realise it was time to as someone else brilliantly put it "ditch the bitch" and forge a better relationship with Chloe, but that never happened. I guess that's what I get for having hope for Miraculous's canon.

It legitimately pisses me off so fucking much than in canon he gets to wash his hands clean of the whole problem with Chloe.

Now fanon Andre is so much better than his Canon counterpart and thinking about it now, Fanon Andre has always been better than his canon counterpart.

Bringing back up the whole thing about fanfics that pre-date Audrey is that it gives not only Chloe but Andre more depth. These fanfics typically paint the picture that Andre is a man that closed off not only by politics but the death of his wife and because he's not in tune with his own emotions, he can't help Chloe so instead of ignoring her grief like her father, Chloe is lashing out instead.

Even fanon versions of Andre that are more far more closed off, corrupt, and evil are much more enjoyable to read about than canon Andre, and have more depth. Something about Canon Andre just makes him even more loathsome and detestable then his many often better fanon versions. And when he does get redeemed in fanon it's just so good, because the people writing him, understand what makes his character have actual depth to him and make him realise his faults in a satisfying way that gives him a good redemption.

Maybe it was just me projecting the fanon versions of Andre onto the Canon version that made my disappointment and anger so much worse. But either way his overall canon characterisation is disappointing.

Again if you want to a fanfic that has Andre be a good antagonist, read "Chloe and the Bee" by @anxresi it isn't complete but what is there is just brilliant. And If you'd prefer to read a fanfiction where Andre is trying his best to be a good parent to Chloe read "Float like a Butterfly....Sting like a Bee" by Bookmonkey on ao3. They're both such amazing fanfics.

Conclusion-

Overall the characterisation of the Bourgeois family within the canon of the actual show is just a neatly packaged example of Miraculous' many issues such as bad writing, poor pacing, inconsistent characterisation and either attempting to poorly redeem abusers who should know better or just letting them get away without any consequences whatsoever.

I'd like to say thank you for listening to my long feral rambles about the Bourgeois family.

#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #audrey bourgeois #andre bourgeois #zoe lee #ml salt #miraculous salt #ml critical #ml analysis #mlb chloe #andré bourgeois #marinette salt #ml fandom salt #this just has a little fandom salt though not a lot

130 notes · View notes

thesockghost · 2 months

Text

Astral body lore that I have gathered from vague things that Castor and Pollux have said. First created on 2/15/2024

1. If Castor or Pollux dies, then the other dies as well.

From what Pollux said in the episode ‘Castor CONFRONTS Stitchwraith?! in VRCHAT’, and I quote: “cuz if you die then I die, and I don’t want to die.”. This brings in the question of whether or not if one of them just gets hurt, does that mean that the pain/injury gets translated to the other twin as well? Or does it just transfer over when the other twin dies?

2. If an astral body dies, then they do not truly die, they just respawn.

From what (Castor? Gemini? Idk) said in the episode ‘Lunar is FLUSTERED around Gemini in VRChat’. Some of the astral body’s have died. But that brings in the question of why Pollux is so scared of dying if they just respawn? I asked this question in the comments and someone pointed out that they might lose their memories if they die (thx for that btw if your reading this :), but there’s also the possibility that it’s just extremely painful for them to regenerate.

3. If Castor and Pollux are separated from each other for a long period of time, they will die.

From both the episodes ‘Earth Learns LUNAR'S DARK SECRET?!? IN VRCHAT’ [the episode of which the Gemini twins first appeared] and ‘Lunar Needs Castors HELP in VRCHAT’. This is very self explanatory, the only question or note I have on this part is how long does it take for them to start dying? Like a day or 2 I’m guessing? Idk man I just work here.

4. The astral body’s like things to be on schedule/Pisces and sagittarius are more kind than the other astral’s (?)

In the episode ‘Castor and Pollux's PLAN for LUNAR?! in VRCHAT’ Castor and Pollux said this: “everyone’s getting angry! I mean- they like things to be punctual! They like things on their own timetable.” “Those two are very awful about it.” (Note: in this scene the twins are complaining about how the other astrals are rushing them on find out if lunar’s a threat or not, and their complaining about Leo and taurus in particular.) *sigh* “Pisces and Sagittarius are likely doing their own thing.”. I looked up what the personalities of Pisces and Sagittarius, and they generally seem like they’d probably be more nice (if google is correct), and I might be jumping to conclusions on this one, but I think that they might be friends, due to the way that castor mentioned them together, and google says that they have a very high friendship potential.

5. The really fucking weird system of how Gemini works.

In the episode ‘Earth Learns LUNAR'S DARK SECRET?!? IN VRCHAT’, apparently the original plan that Castor and Pollux had for wandering around earth, was to turn into Gemini so they would look slightly less strange because their Gemini form looks more human. And during that part of their conversation, Pollux says: “when we have to do work, you can take over!”, and in the episode ‘Lunar DATES Gemini in VRCHAT’ castor decides to take a nap while Pollux and lunar hang out. But in a previous episode (I forget which lol) Castor said that they don’t sleep??? Does that mean that Castor just doesn’t like to usually sleep??? Whatever, that part at least makes more sense than what I’m about to say next, since it seems like at least they kinda have what sun and moon had when they shared the same body. But in the latest episode ‘Earth and Monty's SURPRISE DOUBLE DATE with Lunar and Gemini!’ They say something along the lines of “when we’re Gemini, we are one. Whatever one likes, the other one likes as well.”. SO UHHH, I kinda remember Castor mentioned at one point when they were talking about their Gemini form “when we’re like that I want to do my job less…” so like- how does the personality bleed system work???? Because whenever they’re Gemini, it seems like Pollux is just the exact same as she usually is. SO IS IT ONLY CASTOR WHO GETS A PERSONALTY???? I mean I guess we wouldn’t really know the difference since we never really get any info on his likes and dislikes in the show, BUT POLLUX IS JUST NORMAL!!! HOW DOES THIS WORK????

Side notes: it’s also been demonstrated that in the episode ‘Lunar is FLUSTERED around Gemini in VRChat’, they share a headspace, and actively have conversations in their head when they’re Gemini. Also it’s kinda confusing because sometimes it seems like they slip into one person for a second, but then go back to being two different people. So is Gemini (the person) real??? Or am I just verbally hallucinating???? Also I’m not going to go into this in detail, but…..wtf is Gemini’s gender??? Because castor takes on a more masculine form and uses he/they and Pollux takes on a feminine form and uses she/they, So what’s up with Gemini??? I mean they obviously use they/them because they’re literally 2 fucking people, but flag wise, what is their gender??? Nonbinary? Trans? Gender-fluid? Bigender??? WHAT IS IT SHEEPOLE????

Update: 2/18/2024

6. Taurus, Leo, and Libra, destroy planets.

Once again this section pretty much explains itself. Mentioned in the current latest episode of S.A.M.S ‘ECLIPSE is CONFRONTED in VRCHAT’, my assumption of why this is, is because the astrals (from what we know) are all about protecting the laws of the universe, and because all things must eventually come to an end. So my theory is that some of the astrals must destroy planets to keep the balance of life and death, and kill old planets to make way for new ones (sorry that this section is poorly worded, I just don’t know how else to explain it lol.)

7. The antimatter is sentient (?)

Once again mentioned in the episode ‘ECLIPSE is CONFRONTED in VRCHAT’, castor mentioned how there are “anti constellations” (which the way castor said it makes sounds like the beginning of the plot of a really shitty marvel movie, but that’s besides the point), aka the antimatter and also not are not his kin. And also mentioned how the wither storms are like demented children of the antimatter. And I quote “did you think when you made negative star power, there’s no such thing as a negative constellation? One that draws on that power? One that wants to bring the end?” “I thought that was the damn storm?!?” “It is. The storm is…sort of like its child. It chooses to foster.” Which the way castor explained it didn’t make them sound like an unstoppable force, more like an unstoppable person (if that makes sense).

Update: 04-23-2024

As of writing this, the lovely Gemini twins have made a brief appearance in the current latest episode ‘Gemini SENDS A MESSAGE in VRChat’ and have brought a small bit of new lore with them :)

8. The astrals have their own unique culture and manners

Mentioned in the current latest episode as of writing this: ‘Gemini SENDS A MESSAGE in VRChat’, Gemini mentions that the stars have their own etiquette, but never really gave any context beyond that since they thought if they told lunar, then it would break his mind, WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNFAIR. BESTIE I DO NOT CARE IF IT MAKES ME INSANE, IN CASE YOU COULDNT TELL FROM ME WRITING THIS ENTIRE ESSY, THE ADDED INFORMATION WILL ONLY MAKE MY HYPERFIXATION STRONGER. *cough cough* so anyways yeah this section is basically just a place holder till we get more info on their culture.

Honorable mentions that I think are too small of facts/too obvious to get their own sections:

Since the astral body’s are made out of light (mentioned multiple times throughout the show, but I think the first mention is in ‘EARTH and POLLUX Become BEST FRIENDS?! In VRCHAT’) they can move through walls and most physical structures and surfaces.

(Updated 03-11-2024. got a bit distracted so this update is 2 weeks late from when the episode with this info was first released.) The astrals can for some reason not be seen by colorblind creatures??? Mentioned in the episode ’Lunar Is FRIEND ZONED! in VRChat’, because there was a deer standing near lunar and Gemini said “it must be comfortable in your presence” and when lunar asked why they didn’t care about Gemini, with which they responded with “no we are more or less invisible to them. See?” Then they started to run around the deer. And when asked why by lunar they replied with “most animals on your planet are colorblind. We are light. If light can’t reflect the way it’s meant to, then we kinda just come off as invisible.” WHICH MAKES NO F*CKING SENSE AT ALL!!! Cuz like yes. they wouldn’t be able to see them in their full glory, but if an animal were to look at them they’d at least see a glowing figure towering above them!!! So yea, it was probably just a bit to explain why a deer would be standing so close to them, but it still makes no sense.

Castor and Pollux take on the left brain and right brain atriabuts of a human being. Castor taking the left, while Pollux takes the right.

The astral body’s can naturally produce star power without creating any anti matter. (Mentioned in the episode ‘Moon is THREATENED by GEMINI?! in VRCHAT’ I think.)

The astral body’s are actively fighting the anti matter (somehow).

I’m a bit unsure about this part, but there might be an actual space court where lunar’s trial is currently taking place. once again mentioned in the episode ‘Gemini SENDS A MESSAGE in VRChat’……… what-

And lastly, and probably the most obvious of all, the astral body’s do not need to eat or sleep, since the astral body’s are made of light.

Will update if any new information pops up! Please tell me if I missed anything!

#and before y’all come after me for saying that the Gemini twins use he/they and she/they pronouns #they are eldridge shapeshifting (essentially) gods.#I don’t think it’s too bold of an assumption that they don’t have a very stable gender identity.#also literally the only times that I’ve ever heard anyone in the series use anything but they/them pronouns for them #is when the twins themselves call each other brother and sister.#but then again I’m just some kid in a ghost costume with socks who is insane enough to pay close attention to ever little thing that #2 fictional characters have said for more then 50 episodes of a fucking VRchat rolplaying show #so take whatever I have to say with a grain of salt.#sun and moon show lunar #sun and moon show spoilers #sun and moon show #lunar and earth show lunar #lunar and earth show pollux #lunar and earth show #lunar and earth show castor #lore analysis #Update: 04-23-2024 y’all’s favorite batshit crazy grandpa has figured out how to link all of the mentioned episodes :)#wow I know I’m so tec savvy

22 notes · View notes

itspileofgoodthings · 4 months

Text

also I had a breakthrough today that I had in fact overthought a Specific Problem to Death and that I had created a monster in my own mind and that’s why it felt like I was being eaten alive every time I tried to solve it.

#not to put too fine a point on it but that’s what happened with the whole is Maria going to become a nun question tbh #and I needed a counselor to say to me objectively and yet also crucially without any knowledge of me or my past:#you have overthought this and now you’re terrified of it #anyway it’s so obvious but it came home to me today. slowly.#like it was just like. Oh. You did it again #you’re terrified of this because you have thought of every possibility and every outcome and every twist and turn and shadow—-#until it has become a bloated demon in your mind that is totally separated from reality #while made up of real facts and details! and tbh I know it’s a common problem #but the anxiety chokehold I can put myself in is something that is so impressive and so disturbing #I can render myself absolutely helpless through the meanderings of my own thoughts #and what makes it worse—immeasurably worse—is that I get OUT of problems through careful thought and analysis #I’m programmed that way #so I can’t escape it by the usual means. I have to back away from the monster and see it and NAME it and then it can die away.#and only THEN can I apply my usual ways of going about things. I don’t know it just all clicked today #these past few days have just been bringing it all to a fever pitch for me #anyway I guess it’s also important to me that I still be allowed to be analytical about it!!! I have to use my brain!!!!!!!#in my desperation I have tried to shut it off to feel only with my heart. To try to catch the whisper of God’s voice in the wind #but tbh I am meant to use the gifts I have! But only in the right context #and that’s only after the demon has been killed or more accurately —deflated #my counselor has been so good about this tbh. she’s so matter of fact and blunt and salt of the earth and also she sees how my mind works #and wants me to be able to use it!!#so I’m just going to tell her that I did the bad thing with this other problem and can she help me find a way forward #ANYWAY THE MONSTERS TURNED OUT TO BE JUST TREES

25 notes · View notes

uniiiquehecrt · 7 months

Note

Why is it a cosmic problem that the Asgardian bloodline will end with Thor? Asgard is no more - what we have is a nonmagical place on Earth where Asgardians live. When Asgard doesn't exist, who cares that there will be no heirs. The current ruler is someone to whom King Thor just gave the rulership. That's how every ruler will be made now - anyone the current ruler gives it to. Or maybe they start holding elections. Make it democratic.

They don't need heirs now. And Thor will die alone in a ditch. It doesn't matter anymore. Taika has made it so that everything in Thor's world is insignificant now. But this is a happy ending.

I... genuinely can't entirely tell if you're being sarcastic, nonny, or if this is a genuine question that perhaps I may be misreading... (and if I have, do feel free to send a follow up and correct me)

but there's quite a many problem with the royal bloodline ending with Thor from an in-universe standpoint, just as well as the trajectory of Asgard's fate from Ragnarok and Endgame onward is an insult to the worldbuilding of Earth-199999's Asgard and the Nine Realms.

There's a couple of different ways you could slice my statement and I would still argue that what I've said can be seen as true. But I'll go through the wide range of elements in your ask to best illustrate the broader strokes of my point.

but TL;DR:

Ultimately you answered your own question, and that's the best way to boil down the travesty of it all:

Q: Why is it a cosmic problem that the Asgardian bloodline will end with Thor? A: Taika has made it so that everything in Thor's world is insignificant now.

Not only this, but Thor is the lastoline of the royal family. Before which, there only existed himself, and his father, Odin. He is the last of a subspecies of alien on par with other massively powerful aliens like Titans and I would wager, potentially even more mortal Celestials like Ego. He's a being who can generate storms just because he's miffed. Once Thor is dead and gone, there will NEVER be an Asgardian who is more than just your usual 'super-strength, super-speed, super-endurance' humanoid looking alien. There will NEVER be an Asgardian with the ability to summons storms and have lightning flow through his veins.

Hela had dominion over life and death, Thor is effectively a living, breathing, walking, talking tempest, Odin can be inferred to have some kind of 'order' seeking affinity. Who knows about MCU Bor and Buri. They are INCREDIBLY ancient, and powerful beings. If MCU Asgardians are to MCU humans what D&D elves are to D&D humans, then Thor is to Asgardians what an eladrin elf is to normal elves.

And we are watching – have already watched, even, — that incredibly powerful, incredible RARE sub-species of asgardian effectively be driven to extinction.

Just think about that for a second.

(the rest has been put under a cut because this answer got long, and for that I apologize ... mostly.)

Asgard is no more - what we have is a nonmagical place on Earth where Asgardians live.

Yes. This. This is quite actually the crux of the problem of this choice. The most beautiful and compelling aspect of the MCU in Phase 1 in particular is the prospect of an alternative universe out there where, to quote Jane Foster, "magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet". A world where superheroes truly can exist and aren't cartoonishly corny as superhoes used to be depicted... I'll say pre!Raimi Spider-Man era. (Though.. the Goblin's costume is still pretty goofy.)

What made Thor stand out as an individual hero within the Avengers (both the team, and the 2012 feature), and what made him so compelling to quite a many fans new, old, or casual, was that Thor is magical. He comes from a place where magic and science are the same thing. His whole world is ethereal and timeless, it's vast and expansive, and because it's inspired by real world norse mythology — of which is itself a rich and fascinating study in and of itself — there are a thousand different directions he could be taken.

I may be speaking partly for myself, but he also further ropes in a fantasy-centric audience such as myself who largely enjoy high-fantasy, medieval inspirations, tales of chivalry, hope, love, adventure, magic, timeless knights and princes — Dark World in particular has him acting quite a bit like your typical idea of a chivalrious, regal, stately prince or honorable knight who is virtuous and kind, and who protects those who can't protect themselves.

And that's just a single aspect of what made him so unique. What made him so unbelievably lovely. Thor is lovely, and Thor is magical. His family, friends, world, and people are magical.

But as of RAGNAROK, the realm he hails from was destroyed before our eyes before we got to truly know anything about it.

As of ENDGAME and LOVE AND THUNDER, the people and culture of asgard that remain has been so watered down that they dared to make New Asgard a tourist attraction in some rinky-dink nowhere backwater coastal town no different than Puente Antiguo, New Mexico where Thor first crash-landed in the first film.

Asgard used to be on par with, if not even more intriguing and full of mystery, than Wakanda, the earthen monarchy. Now it's a tourist trap that ... for some reason has "infinity gauntlet" ice cream in the heart of the town of a people devastated by Thanos twice.

The current ruler is someone to whom King Thor just gave the rulership. That's how every ruler will be made now [...] They don't need heirs now.

Potentially unpopular opinion (?) but I have so many issues with the decision to give Lady Valkyrie Thor's birthright that it could take an entire 10 paragraph essay for me to fully delve into all of the issues.

In short:

To say Valkyrie had a character beyond "traumatized alcoholic with a chip on her shoulder" is ... generous at best. That's not a diss, that is entirely factual. I could not tell you what her Want vs. Need is, or her character goal, or her motivations, or why she bothered to suddenly help Thor (re: lack of motivations) because she never took any action with any real agency in RAGNAROK that wasn't spurred on by Loki. ....Off screen.

I also don't think that the woman who had spent over 1,500 years MINIMUM running away from her home and her people, festering bitterness, spite and hatred towards the royal line, and who never actually respected Thor in the first place because of who his father is should have been honored the title of King. She did not deserve that. Both in general, and as a character who frankly just did not get enough screentime to really be SHOWN caring for her people, atoning for her absence and otherwise supporting, caring for, and working alongside Thor. Had she actually been shown doing any of the above in a substantial amount of screentime, perhaps then I might have felt differently, as if she earned the position more than Thor who has spent 2 solo movies (not counting RAGNAROK) earning his place as a future leader. This is likewise not entirely counting his O.S. actions of maintaining peace under his authority between Avengers and Dark World, and his personal search for the Infinity Stones post!Age of Ultron.

Valkyrie is powerful, yes, but she is ultimately still NOT an Asgardian Royal. And to your point about "this is how every ruler will be made now" — Heimdal aside, NO OTHER ASGARDIANS have special powers. It is EXCLUSIVE to Odin's bloodline. (Frigga is a practicing witch and these are two incredibly different things, since Loki was taught his magic, not born with it.) This is a GLARING worldbuilding issue further highlighted down below, but the tl;dr of it is: the only reason why Earth has been largely untouched and the Nine Realms kept safe in isolation despite the constant going-ons of the other galaxies in the universe is BECAUSE of the royal line. Odin isn't kidding around when he says he (and his bloodline) are protectors of the Nine Realms. Valkyrie is most certainly able to try, but at the end of the day she's NEVER going to be able to get through very many galactic battles without ultimately calling on Thor for assistance at the end of the day. And when her time is up? Or when Thor is finally dead and gone? There goes your ace in the hole.

But more than that, thinking about it semi-realistically from a worldbuilding perspective:

It's quite literally a cosmic problem in that there is now a galactic power imbalance. MCU!Thor comes from a version of Marvel's world where the there aren't literal gods, but there are aliens. Tons of aliens. All with varying powers and proportions and what-have-you-not. More specifically: power humanoid aliens from a realm called Asgard, that in Earth-199999 inspired the entirety of the Norse mythos of the viking age.

These aliens, governed by the ruling monarch of the realm eternal, also govern over 8 additional realms— which for all we know could range from a territory that is a singular planet (vanaheim, asgard), to potentially an entire solar system (earth and its solar system). BOTH options nine times over marks an absolutely incredible empire for a singular species of alien to claim complete control and territory over.

But they were not only able to obtain this territory but continue to safeguard it under Asgardian protection because the royal family is gifted incredible power (Thor, for instance, can change the atmosphere out of sheer mindless emotion not to mention conscious thought), and have secured and/or subdued multiple infinity stones throughout the millenia (the aether/reality stone, the tesseract/mind stone, thor has also personally endured a power stone directly to the temple, for instance), and have maintained peace for a MINIMUM of a thousand years beneath Odin's reign as All-Father, Protector of the Nine Realms.

So, if the royal family governs its own pocket dimension planet, AND maintains peace and prosperity by personally safeguarding the territories itself and of eight additional realms, all with a variety of other alien species, ecosystems, solar systems, galactic quadrants, etc. ...Who are also KNOWN to be fierce and proud warriors who have likewise safeguarded ancient and powerful alien relics the likes of the tesseract/mind stone for hundreds if not thousands of years — and you take this long-lived warrior race out of their own equation...?

We're talking potential outbreaks of a new age of war the likes of those talked about in Thor (2011), in-fighting amongst the Nine Realms, invasions from outside realms of conquesting species, so on and so forth. Without Asgard and specifically a Royal Asgardian at the seat of power to maintain the balance of what has been built, (and i specify a ROYAL asgardian, aka Thor's line, because his bloodline is the only asgardian bloodline with the raw power to maintain and preserve everything long-term), well, you've effectively started a cosmic power vacuum — even if the MCU likely will never bother to explore the consequences of it.

Slight sidebar (albeit still mostly related), but:

Quite frankly one of the funniest aspects of Thor's relationships with Nick Fury and the humans that are equally as worked up about aliens existing, pointing their fingers at Thor as an example of their right to be wary (and eventually Loki and the Chutari, though those are more earned) is that they are effectively minimum-wage fast-food employees bad-mouthing he who is essentially the up-and-coming Chairman of the metaphorical "Yggdrasil's Nine Realms Fast Food Chain" without realizing who he actually is.

(Which, viewing through that lens makes the Avengers Nick Fury scene and the Tony Stark Age of Ultron scene even more hilarious despite the eventual coming of Thanos, because Thor, bless him, doesn't take ...much... offense to it until the bad-blood becomes over-bloated and geared towards the violent. RE: "My people want nothing but peace with your planet." / "Your work with the tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war.")

For all of the drama of MCU Phases 1-3, realistically speaking, Midgard is low enough on the hierarchy of Asgard's protected territories that not only would it not be targeted first by Asgard's enemies (or other conquesting alien species), but even if it WAS to be targeted, or if Asgard was in its own fit of warfare ... Earth wouldn't even know it in the first place because THAT is how good at their jobs the Asgardians are. Earth, despite being SURROUNDED by alien activity and having even been in possession of multiple infinity stones at a time throughout history, not ONCE realized that (other) aliens existed out there... during the entirety of the 1,000-some years of peace that Odin so often talked about.

30 notes · View notes

trash-can-sam · 6 months

Text

What if they were birds. Did anyone ever think of that.

Reasons I made them the birds I did (any discussion on symbolism is done with very surface level research, if I got something wrong I apologize):

Daniil: Fish Crow- I knew I wanted him to be some type of Corvid (because smart and cunning yk) but I settled specifically on fish crow because they’re smaller than the American crow and a lot smaller than a Raven. They also look really funny when upset.

Crows also tend to symbolize death and misfortune while at the same time symbolizing intelligence and loyalty, being good and bad omens, and I feel like that describes Daniils place pretty well yk. I did give him a bag just because I thought it would be funny and suitably pretentious like of course he’d do something no other bird is doing by carrying around a small bag everywhere like ofc he’d do that. Im not sure if any birds will use separate carrying containers but to my knowledge they don’t.

Artemy: Broad Winged Hawk- I’m going to be completely honest and say I just wanted artemy to be a big bird who’s also pretty threatening and cool, so I looked at a bunch of hawks and the broad winged hawk just fit his vibe the best. From what I gather, Hawks also have strong spiritual significance in multiple cultures and often symbolize determination, fitting for artemy. Also there is nothing cooler than seeing a hawk just sitting somewhere, always kind of like they’re looking over the land if you get what I mean, to which Artemy has a similar sort of purpose.

Clara- Black billed Magpie- Magpies have pretty positive connotations in many cultures, representing luck and fortune as well as mischief. In Ancient Rome, they represented magic and fortune telling. However, because of Christianity, it also became a bad omen, associated with thievery and death, and referring to someone as a magpie typically carries a negative connotation. This sort of strong meaning in both positive and negative as well as the association with magic is very Clara I feel. As juveniles, (which I drew Clara as for obvious reasons) their feathers don’t have the blue-green type sheen of an adult and their eyes are less dark, showing up as blue, grey, or violet, I also thought this would be a pretty cool, kind of mystical type of thing. I wanted to give her a beanie so bad but there was 0 way I could rationalize it because it would definetly just fall off so I just stuck to a scarf type thing.

#pathologic #pathologic 2 #daniil dankovsky #artemy burakh #clara pathologic #full disclosure I am only halfway through daniils route so #take any character analysis with a grain of salt #BUT IM DOING MY BEST HERE #and I wanted them to be birds #I just like drawing birds #burakovsky #a little.#or should I say birdakovsky #also I think it’s mildly funny the first time I’ve drawn artemy and Clara have been as birds

45 notes · View notes

flickerintwilights · 7 months

Text

let me preface this by saying that I’m sure someone will come around with a better take or a much better way of saying a similar one, because as I write this I’m mainly running on frustration and spite, and even though I’ve cooled down significantly since the initial watch (believe me lmao) there’s always a chance someone will explain it in a new way that paints the ending in a much better light. but for now I want to get out my salty take on this.

(this is, specifically, about the ending. the finale episode as a whole I’m not salting about.)

the ending is, to start, unresolved. I know people are probably countering this kind of statement by saying that Ahsoka is likely going to get a season 2, so it’s Fine actually, but that isn’t my problem. I’m not really concerned with whether it gets a season 2 or not in regards to this, because my issue is with how the ending is presented, and how in and of itself it doesn’t seem to think it needs a season 2.

we’re saying “of course it does”, because it is unresolved! we know it is! Ahsoka and Sabine are still on Peridea, any arc for Baylan and Shin fell off of a cliff and they end the series/season just being vaguely There also on Peridea, Thrawn has obviously returned but I’m not entirely certain that won’t be resolved in a movie, and Ezra came back but we haven’t seen a true resolution/aftermath for that (yet). There are loose ends. but the finale ends on a hopeful note, on what it clearly wants us to feel is a happy ending.

Ezra is back, but Ahsoka and Sabine are stuck on Peridea in the far-off galaxy, in a reversal of their places in the beginning of the show. Huyang too. Hera doesn’t mention them when Ezra gets back. there’s not even a hanging “Where are they?”. nothing. it is all presented as good, fitting; both Ahsoka and Sabine are apparently satisfied with where they are.

AHSOKA: Ezra is where he needs to be. And so are we. It’s time to move on.

and they smile and walk down to the happy village, while Anakin looks on with a smile on his face. cut to black.

but why are they happy about this? why is Anakin happy about this? just… why. it’s all so fucking inconsistent, downright backtracking on the development from previous episodes, specifically 4 and 5.

parallel to start off:

[Ahsoka takes her lightsaber hilt from her hip, and Baylan responds by doing the same.] BAYLAN: How inevitable. […] BAYLAN: It didn’t need to come to this. But you know no other way. (ep. 4) THRAWN: There’ll be no negotiating with the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker. (ep. 8)

already in ep. 8, Thrawn is making statements so similar to Baylan’s that it has to be an intentional choice, since both are fundamentally ramming the same thing in:

BAYLAN: Your legacy, like your master’s, is one of death and destruction. (ep. 4) AHSOKA: But my part of that legacy is one of death and war. ANAKIN: But you’re more than that. Because I’m more than that. (ep. 5)

death and destruction. Ahsoka’s fear and misbelief that she’s not more than that — that her past defines her, just as Anakin’s mistakes do. that Baylan is right. this fear is what’s holding her back, and the truth — that she is more — is what Anakin is trying to show her in episode 5. and if we go by “I choose to live” and Ahsoka the White etc, he succeeds.

so she’s developed! she’s realized that she isn’t just death and destruction, she’s more! Anakin agrees with this! great, wonderful. episode 8 seems to be taking this up again by having Thrawn tell her very similar things to Baylan, cool, hmm.

THRAWN: I know you because I knew your master. I concluded your strategies would be similar. One wonders just how similar you might become. Perhaps this is where a ronin such as you belongs. (ep. 8)

and then nothing changes. he says his line, meanwhile Ahsoka looks angry and tense but we aren’t actually Told anything specific about how she’s feeling or how she might potentially resolve this new conflict. it’s him trying to dig into her fears, but we never see her get to refute his statement, not to him or Sabine or even Huyang, and not to herself.

no. instead, Thrawn leaves, and Ahsoka and Sabine and Huyang are the ones left behind — but aside from a brief moment of shock, they’re fine. great, even. “perhaps this is where a ronin such as you belongs”, Thrawn says menacingly, and from what the show is telling us — yep. he’s right. hopeful music is playing, she’s smiling, this is apparently meant to be some kind of happy ending for her. therefore: she does, in fact, ‘belong’ here, and there is no need for her (and Sabine, and Huyang) to be brought back to their own galaxy.

and if Thrawn — the antagonist, in the show named for her — is right about that, is he also right that she’s “a ronin”? that she’s just like her master, so much so that he doesn’t even need to know her so long as he knows him? that all the ways she’d been shown to have learned and grown, they all meant nothing, because he’s stating the same shit that she was afraid of and no one says any different? that she will never be more than her past?

the ‘happy ending’ certainly doesn’t say no.

#ahsoka #ahsoka tano #ahsoka spoilers #it’s been several hours now i kind of just feel. tired at this point. idk.#but i did write it and i was Frustrated so. might be worth it to just post even if i end up regretting it #yeah alright #behold salt #ramblings #analysis #parallels #rant #star wars #ahsoka critical #star wars negativity

20 notes · View notes

sparkles-and-trash · 2 years

Text

The double standard in the fandom with blaming all sorts of shit on All Might and praising Aizawa for being the «best teacher ever» never falls to astound me.

How is being super apathetic, using manipulation tactics and lies on students, and being generally very uninterested in them so much better than All Might?

He doesn’t want the kids in the war any more than Aizawa does, and still all I see is «Aizawa never wanted the kids to fight and now he’d watching them die waaah» and «All Might really sent these kids to war huh???» from the same people like what

All Might spends a lot of time on Izuku ofc, but how is that different than what Aizawa does for Shinsou?

All Might is great at cheering on all the kids. He took the time to really see and understand Bakugo.

He tries to be there for Shouto with the family issues.

Your little fanon version of secretly supersoft Aizawa isn’t real, and neither is All Might the Terrible.

They’re both flawed characters who’s doing their best, but one of them is a stereotypical hot tired man, so nobody bats an eye at him.

also, don’t get me fucking started on the fact that Aizawa never seemed to notice anything is off about Shouto.

People always includes it in fics, but he never ever mentions it.

As a teacher, it should be pretty obvious that something was wrong, and even if he obviously couldn’t take Shouto out of Endevours house, he could have done SOMETHING.

Talked to him. Anything.

And I know he is traumatized. I get it. But so is All Might. And Present Mic. And Midnight.

Everyone handles trauma differently, but if your refusal to deal with it affects your ability to be compassionate and ignore your own prejudice (like how he treated Izuku vs Shinsou based on his own experience when he had no idea how hard Izuku worked or what he had been trough) maybe you should’t be a teacher.

Again, the fact that he didn’t react to how Izuku clearly had very little control over his quirk and how he kept hurting himself???

I just think he is a very flawed character, and not half as great a teacher as the fandom wants him to be.

169 notes · View notes

noperopesaredope · 1 year

Text

I think that house-elves could have worked in a way, but the framing and execution made it confusing and off-putting. So I thought of 3 different ways (not all at once, instead just three different routes) that house-elves could have been written that wouldn’t have been as unsettling.

1) Actually depicted the slavery thing as bad.

Hermione was basically made fun of for advocating for house-elves’ freedom, and multiple house-elves (besides Dobby) actually WANTED to stay enslaved. This was pretty icky, and whether or not they are based off of the Transatlantic Slave Trade or not, it had bad historical connotations. Perhaps it should be actually portrayed as bad.

In this version, only rich purebloods tend to have house elves (Hogwarts would simply hire them), and other characters like Ron and Harry would agree with Hermione, she would simply be the most passionate about it.

That’s basically it for that. Just portray it correctly.

2) Connect them to their origin folklore.

House-elves are based off of Brownies, a creature in Scottish folklore, and they are actually pretty interesting. Apparently, Brownies aren’t really slaves, they are just really dedicated to their house. They have a connection to it, and are actually quite picky. They also might change houses if the home owner annoys them. Giving them clothes is basically evicting them.

Maybe just show it like that, but Dobby was cursed in some way, and can’t leave unless he gets kicked out like that. That way, his story line can still work and some characters will make more sense, like the house-elf in the Black’s house. He doesn’t give a crap about the people, he just cares about his house.

Also, get rid of the Hermione thing entirely.

3) House-elves intentionally (and magically) swear loyalty to people

So I made up some of my own lore that would keep most things in the books the same (even the Hermione thing), but make it much less gross whilst explaining certain things. Basically, in my version, house-elves aren’t exactly slaves. Instead, house-elves are simply very loyal, and have an intense desire to help others.

They often need a “master” or leader of some sort, basically a boss. So if they find a family that they deem worthy of their loyalty, they may ask to swear loyalty to said family. The will make some sort of magical oath type thing that will bind them to the family and they will follow that family’s orders. It really is more of a follower type thing then a slave thing, but the house-elves choose to be binded to a family. You know how Dobby was extremely dedicated to protecting Harry and basically wanted to serve him? It’s like that, but also using a spell that declares that house-elf a “servant” of that person or family.

Unfortunately, Dobby choose a bad family by mistake, thinking that they were trustworthy. But they abused that trust and his loyalty. He eventually wanted to leave, but his oath prevents him from doing so. The only way to break the oath is through the clothes thing.

So the theme of that would be more about loyalty and trust, how people can use it against you, and how sometimes doing the right thing can be most important.

Also, get rid of the Hermione thing in this version.

~~~~

So those are potential routes you could take house-elves.

Now, I would say that this is all just small suggestions and I think JKR is still a good writer (other than this and like, a lot of other stuff), but I kinda hate her, so actually this is made of hate and malice.

Anyways, hope you think this is interesting, and I’d love to hear other people’s ideas.

99 notes · View notes

granny-griffin · 1 year

Text

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

text paraphrased from this podcast at [1:18:45–1:19:00]

#bnha #midoriya izuku #chizome akaguro #salt and light #bnha fanart #bnha art #my fanworks #cw blood #this podcast episode is scrambling my insides #its the end of a seven part series #i listened to seven hours thinking I could be normal #and then I got destroyed in the last twenty minutes #I couldn’t even finish it in a sitting #i had to turn it off I was losing the ability to use language #anyway not to be misleading its like a bible analysis podcast its not about bnha #i kind of just threw colors at my phone screen maybe I’ll clean this up later

66 notes · View notes

new-kit-on-the-block · 1 year

Text

I’ve seen some people say “Well, Ms. Bustier’s class has met a lot of famous people, even some of their classmates are celebrities, so the things that Lila said wouldn’t really seem like too much of a stretch.” and you know what? Fair enough.

When you take into account everything that these kids have seen and all of the celebrities that they’ve met, it’s not entirely unbelievable that Lila would’ve too.

However, even if you do get past the absurd idea that they would all believe every single thing she says. Even to the extent of believing her word over everyone else’s, including Marinette’s, who is arguably the most well meaning student in the entire class despite her own issues. That still leaves one problem:

If they really are just kind of used to it by now, to the point where they believe these things without question. Then why are they so enthralled by everything Lila says?

Yeah it’s still cool, but they’re all constantly surrounding her and hanging on to her every word as though the very concept of someone knowing this many famous people is just absolutely mind blowing to them.

Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter and I’m just getting upset over something that happened a long time ago. But I just wanted to get this off my chest.

This show is going to be the death of me.

Anyway, happy 4 year anniversary of Chameleon being released.

#honestly I don't even hate lila anymore #I'm just mad that anything interesting they could've done with her was ruined by all the bullshit they had to pull to get her to this point #lila rossi #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml #ml salt #lila salt #chameleon salt #ml chameleon #miraculous season 3 #ml spoilers #miraculous spoilers #miraculous season 3 spoilers #chameleon salt train #media analysis #cartoon analysis

101 notes · View notes

gameguy20100 · 11 months

Text

Out of all the characters in Miraculous. Sabrina is by far the most confusing.

She's Chloe’s right-hand woman. Her beta bitch. The Starscream to her Megatron.

The problem is I have no idea if the show wants me to sympathise with her or not

Sympathetic traits.

Chloe uses her as a punching bag.

Chloe treats her like a slave.

Sabrina has her moments of genuine kindness.

Unsympathetic traits.

Sabrina seems to actually enjoy it when Chloe bullies others.

It's not even a case of Sabrina going along with it but feeling guilty. More often than not, Sabrina actually encourages Chloe or helps her bully people when she could have easily done nothing.

Sabrina could end her friendship with Chloe at anytime, but doesn't.

Marinette even tried to reach out to Sabrina and make her stand up for herself. But she refused.

So, Sabrina is a confusing and frustrating character. I want to feel sorry for the fact that Chloe abuses her. But the fact she is a bully too, as well as there being no reason why she stays Chloe’s friend, makes me think she's beyond help.

#miraculous ladybug #ml analysis #sabrina raincomprix #sabrina salt #just in case

52 notes · View notes

frost-felon · 4 months

Text

On Takaba VS. Kenjaku:

Very fun fight, creative reality-warping based on thoughts and feelings of the participants. A complete breath of fresh air compared to earlier fights, like Gojo VS. Sukuna, Yuki & Choso VS. Kenjaku, and Megumi VS. Reggie Star. Although I didn't like the actual fight of Hakari VS. Kashimo, this chapter definitely harkened back to what Hakari VS. Kashimo did right with characterization and tone, except this proved to be way funnier and more entertaining, whilst exploring both characters' philosophies (more akin to Hakari VS. Charles, in that sense). I really enjoyed seeing Kenjaku be more open with themselves (such as revealing how much they knew about comedy over the past few decades), as well as their variety in expressions. One of my biggest problems with a lot of Kenjaku's fights had been the flat 'range'¹ of 'bored', 'analytical', and 'smug', and this fight gave Kenjaku way more room to show their other traits, such as the humor/comedic sensibilities they'd not often expressed.

Takaba's introspection was also quite nice. I tend to be more a fan of subtler character arcs, but the to-the-point nature of Takaba's grappling with his desires and self-affirmation/place in the world was very welcome and effective. Honestly, I consider the way Takaba was handled here to be some of Gege's best character work. Short bursts like this seem to be favored by Gege, whereas resolutions tend to be a weaker point in the overall narrative and in character arcs, specifically. So, speaking of...

Where things fall apart is that ending. Note, I am speaking from only having read properly to the end of Chapter 243--if my thoughts change, I'll amend the post with a reblog.

So, I think that the entire fight being a diversion tactic is a good idea! It makes sense that the cast would put together an idea like this, and allows for diversification of their tactics, which makes the characters more believable and gives the audience more to chew on. It also makes sense that they'd specifically send Yuta, and that Kenjaku had such a fun time with Takaba that they'd subconsciously ignored Yuta's arrival.

However. This was really poorly-foreshadowed. The plan wasn't indicated to the readers, outside of the discussion to send Takaba as the assassin, but without Angel's explanation for why. Yuta was there for the discussion, but his involvement in the final plan was not on-screen or otherwise indicated, as far as I could tell. The following panel is about the only evidence of foreshadowing that I can think of:

In a way, it cheapens Yuta's involvement. This should be a really cool moment for Yuta, and satisfying for the readers, but it's just...out of nowhere. Yuta is easily replaceable, despite his desire to kill Kenjaku for his beloved and respected teacher. This should be a bigger moment for Yuta, and certainly for Kenjaku, if this is how he dies and exits the story. Due to the lack of sufficient foreshadowing, it instead comes off as jarring.

Additionally, Kenjaku's ending dialogue doesn't fit with the motives established in 239, which fit with how Kenjaku had been characterized up to that point.

Kenjaku acknowledges Yuta's confirmation that Takaba was sent as a distraction (and may be implying that Takaba was not aware that Kenjaku would be killed, though this is dubious due to the nature of the conflict with Kenjaku). They then say,

"I see...I hate to leave so much undone..." Which is fine, as Kenjaku is established as wanting to create chaos to experience interesting fluxes in life's equilibrium. Specifically in 239, they phrase it as, "...want[ing] to see what you haven't seen..." and "want[ing] confirmation that what you think is interesting is actually interesting." But then they continue with,

"...But...my will shall be carried on."

Huh? Kenjaku wants to experience wonders they can't even dream of. What use does their will being carried on have to them, if they can no longer experience it?

The only way I can think of this being in-line with how they've been characterized is if they manage to cheat death again, even if only partially, but I'm getting the impression that Kenjaku is not coming back from this, in any way. Perhaps they messed with Tengen's sense of self and included a piece of themselves in Tengen, or there is some weirdness going on with Yuji, or the Kamo Clan. But regardless, it doesn't really work with Kenjaku's characterization immediately and long before this point. It's just odd. Any thoughts? I should hopefully be reading 244 not long after this, so hopefully that will clear things up. I wanted to get this off my chest, though.

¹One of my problems with post-Shibuya Sukuna, and especially after Satoru's unsealing, is that Sukuna also tends to fall in a similar 'range'. Even in his fight with Yorozu, he tends to just bounce between 'analytical', 'unenthused', and 'smug'.

#Jujutsu Kaisen #JJK #JJK 243 #Spoilers #Jujutsu Kaisen Spoilers #JJK Spoilers #JJK Manga Spoilers #Okkotsu Yuta #Yuta Okkotsu #Not salt or critical. Bro got robbed by a lack of set-up. As did Kenjaku.#JJK Kenjaku #Analysis #Meta #JJK Analysis #JJK Meta #A bit too much to just be a vent post. Lmao.

14 notes · View notes

athousandbyeol · 10 months

Text

discussion #2 (only friends): topmew as each other's reflection (analysing their clothing choice + identical colours)

the only friends series hashtag on twitter has been continuously bombarded with new updates. photos upon photos of the drama's bts are popping everywhere, arousing excitement and speculations. everyone is excited to see where the story goes and just what on earth p'jojo and p'nine have in store for us.

in this post, i want to address a trend i've been observing between mew and top's clothing styles, as well as the colour choices. it's riveting to discuss the similarity between top and mew as we see more pictures of them together. i personally think the attire and colours are very pertinent to their relationship, character traits and dynamics.

(warning: a very long [and messy] discussion ahead.)

let's look at mew and top's clothing styles as individuals beforehand.

their individuality

mew

so, this is the first picture of mew (from q4). from this introduction photo, he's wearing something particularly simple— bland. a white sweatshirt/knitted shirt, slacks, possibly a pair of sneakers and his glasses. the most prominent colours we see in this photo are white and black. very basic. resembles the fundamental understanding of the world, humans, the law, etc. white (the good) and black (the evil). mew is a mix of both. but as the white shirt is on top (no pun intended, hehe), it's safe to say mew is dominantly white than black, meaning he's good > evil.

side note: another thing i notice about mew's clothing style is he's always wearing two layers of clothing. an undershirt and a bright-coloured shirt. it signifies the complexity of his character, as well as his reservedness and timid personality that's very different from top. i think his initial styling choice is important because he'll revolve once everything falls apart.

yet, this picture also hides mew's evil side really well, and that's his glasses. mew isn't entirely smiling. he's smirking. behind those glasses, is the mew no one knows. perhaps, he's not as good as we think he is.

for now, what we see is an angelic side of mew that bewitched top into his knees. he's white and he's untainted. this is before top comes into his life.

top

top is very interesting to me because this is also the first picture we see of him, and he's wearing a white sleeveless shirt. as i've mentioned, white often personifies kindness, purity and innocence. it's intriguing to see this colour on top when the trailer shows top is everything but kind (at least to the dictionary description of the word. i believe kindness can be very subjective and depends on the situation/environment too).

but later, we're seeing more of top and the colours he's often associated with, mostly dark colours like black or blue.

this infers to top being more on the dark spectrum. i'm not saying he's entirely evil or innocent, but judging from the trailer, top is a fuck boy and he knows that. the colours he's assigned to portray his possible characteristics very well: cunning, manipulative, selfish, apathetic.

he's also wearing only a layer of clothing. nothing too fancy. a stylish shirt with slacks or jeans. very simplistic. illustrates his personality as someone who takes everything without much thought (i don't know if this can be proof but when he says to boston, "you introduced me to him. why are you mad? are you jealous?" it gives me an inkling that top never sees himself as the problem. it's always other people. not him. he guilt trips to his benefit. it's not impossible that he does this to mew too.)

side note: however, i do believe top has his own demons to fight, thus, resulting in him being a heartbreaker. it's either he's a (pathetic) narcissist, or he's very lonely. i'm inclined to he's a loner and a rich spoiled brat that gets everything he wants and never gets a no from anyone. also from the trailer, we see him consuming an alarming dose of medications/drugs. he's either suffering from a mental illness or dealing with substance abuse. that would be so intriguing and gives a clearer explanation of his actions, thought process and character traits.

different colours: top and mew (slowly) merging into one

so, one day, boston comes up with an idea that will change everyone's lives: he introduces top to mew. prior to this, we know mew and boston are (best?) friends while top and boston are fuck buddies.

in their first encounter, their clothing style and colours are very different. mew in his usual bright-coloured clothing while top in his darker/earthier colour.

they are completely from two different worlds. they are on opposite sides of the universe. but as the famous saying goes, opposites attract, top is attracted to mew as mew is to top. and if this is like any other romantic story, it will be so cute and i'll be cheering for them. it's not the case for them, though.

many speculate that this scene;

leads to this scene;

because they're seen at the club in the same attire;

they're wearing completely different colours and styles. but the kiss breaks that wall of individuality and we can see them slowly morphing into each other/becoming each other's reflection after that fateful encounter. it's more evident after this as they begin mirroring one another in terms of their style and colour choices.

matching colours signify unity and love

firstly, mew and top are both wearing shades of blue. as always, top wears a darker hue while mew wears something lighter. but there's harmony between them because they're tuning into each other— the same colour— blue. this is the result of their reciprocal love.

i want to believe at any point in their relationship, top does like mew too. as equally, as maddeningly, and as head over heels as mew is. and the colour of their clothes is proof (to mew). i speculated mew has a very traditional and conventional understanding of love/relationship. mew asking top, "can you wait? i think we can be more than a one-night stand," convinces me that mew doesn't want top to only be his bed friend. he wants something serious with top. something sturdy. an established relationship.

colours are one of the biggest forms of symbolism. every colour has its own meaning. choosing a colour for every character/situation/ambience is very significant because it speaks so much of the character and storyline. therefore, mew and top wearing identical colours signify their love for each other. they are equal at this point— their feelings are.

the impact of their love: analogous clothing choice and colours

it's so mindboggling to me that top is so much like mew now.

i've said this before but top is (maybe) a simple-minded person. a self-centred guy. he wears one layer of clothing and that's it, while mew will always wear two sets of clothing.

but what has happened to top?

he's wearing something very mew-coded here.

he's becoming like mew in the sense that he's (without realising) being tugged and entrapped in mew's aura/power. there's a study that shows you'll slowly adapt your loved ones' likes/style/way of speaking, etc. it's happening to top. he might not realise the impact mew has on him (yet), but at some point, he will. sadly, when that time comes, i think it's already too late.

i'm unsure of its relevance, but for now, i stand by the fact top is adding more layers to him as his feelings for mew heightens. it also symbolises top's openness to embrace his truest self and face the demons within. mew changes top; mew's love and kindness and empathy have touched top's cold heart.

while many think top is in control of their relationship, i believe mew is the true mastermind.

from these photos, i see less of the cunning top, but more of the lonely and desperate-for-true-love top.

and they're wearing similar colours in these photos too.

(top looks like he's in love and my heart is breaking.)

this is very cute and i really want to believe this is forcebook and not topmew. but it's topmew. and how wonderful. they're wearing similar stripey shirts too.

the impact of their love: mew's transformation

mew went from wearing something like this;

to this

(taken from lookjun's ig story)

mew is wearing the opposite of top's first photo we saw; a black singlet and a necklace. fascinating.

mew will never wear this combo. he's never the fleshy type. never the one to show skin. but i think this is the start of mew's rebellion and possible revenge.

i don't know if i can call mew's intentions an act of revenge, but he must've been so broken to know top and boston's affair even after they dated. the narrative navigates us to believe mew will undergo some life-altering experience after the (possible) break-up. so, this photo is like mew rebelling against top. the way to take down top is to be top.

he may or may not wear something else (since this is just a random video taken bts, after all). but still it's cool to know mew's discarding one layer of himself; symbolising he has lost a part of his soul— top.

sidetrack: the current topboston, the never-colliding worlds

this photo in particular catches my interest because it's top and boston on the lift (probably to a hotel room). however, top's expression surprises me because he doesn't look happy at all. it must have something to do with mew or boston said something top hates or they're discussing their relationship (?) like in the mock trailer.

but what makes me ballsy is top is wearing something very bright— very mew— while he meets boston.

i find it weird at first. but then i realised— this should be the moment we know top's feelings for mew are very strong and he won't let mew go.

it's very different from this picture of top and boston practically eye-fucking while mew is innocently wishing to be with top forever. (top, seriously, if you're a bastard we all think you are, i'm going to resent you.)

there's still this lingering connection between top and boston. but i do notice their colours never really complement each other. it's meant to be that way because this is a very one-sided relationship— never a symbiotic connection— more like a prey-predator or parasitic affinity.

conclusion

colours and clothing styles are important in understanding the depth of topmew's relationship. i see many writers associating specific colours with their characters because it adds a deeper 'flavour' to their craft (for example; p'aof's last twilight. the colours he uses in the trailer are insane).

essentially, when creating a character, making a character profile is the first (and the most important) step. hence, assigning the character to wear a certain colour or put on a certain style has so much to do with the story and the dynamic between the character and their surrounding.

i'm excited to keep an eye on topmew to see if my theory fits the intention/narrative the directors/scriptwriters have. they can't just ask these characters, not only topmew, to wear something without having any significance, yes?

(or i'm just over-analysing everything because my literature brain is forcing me to look deeper and deeper into this)

whatever it is, topmew will hurt me and make me smile and i'm scared to wait for that day to finally come.

[1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (i) | 4 (ii) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12]

45 notes · View notes