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ashenburst · 5 months

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A Not So Brief Analysis Of Dracule Mihawk

Wondering if Mihawk's distrust of others correlates with the fact he is basically a one-man crew. Wondering just how self-reliable he must've become in order to be self-sufficient. Wondering what is the cause behind it all.

I wonder if, similarly, he has trouble being vulnerable around others. There is an undeniably stoic attribute to his character, but there is a common pitfall practitioners of stoicism (or those who lean towards it) are susceptible to: emotional disregard under the guise of control of emotions, or even worse, reprimanding empathy.

Therefore, could it be the case Mihawk is emotionally detached? It would be easy to draw such a conclusion with what little we’ve been shown of him. While an individualist, he accepts those who come to/at him (Zoro and Perona), and he reaches out to others (Shanks); it might be true that he’d lost interest in Shanks after his injury, but he still committed the sweet act of showing him Luffy’s bounty and apologizing to him upon testing Luffy. There’s also the moment where he tells Perona to take care, upon her departure. So, while aloof, Mihawk is not reserved to the point of stoic cold. He wouldn’t sacrifice company in order to be alone (even if in the case of his pact with Crocodile, there was an utilitarian aspect to the choice; in keeping Perona and Zoro, and in visiting Shanks, there was none other than being nice). One could attribute these acts to an emotional attachment because it does take a drive to complete these very active feats. For Shanks, it could be respect, too. I don’t believe the detached attitude Mihawk possesses would let him take care of those two for two years, especially since he values peace so much; something had to override this desire for peace. I say, the reason could be empathetic in its roots.

Perhaps his self-reliance is misread as distrust? To distrust someone would imply that one is uncertain of their motivations/actions. Mihawk, as someone with Observation Haki, someone who views his enemies with curiosity, who allies himself with whoever is willing to offer him the most peaceful residence… would he be so distrusting? In the little glimpses of his internal monologue we get, there is no distrust and no hesitation. In general, he is confident in his judgement.

But on a more personal level, does he fear his more delicate feelings would be betrayed, if shown too much? There is a possibility for that. We haven’t seen him in such state, as he does rely on himself only. Perhaps Crocodile knows of it. On the flipside, this would imply that Mihawk has a deep, unburied emotional core, one he nurtures and protects – and perhaps one that was taken advantage of. Observation Haki can’t save him from heartbreak, can it? It can sense the emotions of others. It can’t predict his own.

In either case, there very likely is a softer core to the world’s strongest swordsman. Establishing that he isn’t emotionally exempt, but knowing that there’s still a strong individualist quality to him, I wish to look at more of Mihawk’s internal processing.

For an arguably isolated character, he isn't close-minded at all. He possesses curiosity towards his foes; he asks, and he indulges, and he encourages. Think of the entirety of his fight with Zoro.

Then, later on, he is more than anything amused at Zoro’s request. But he obliges. Have the rare panel where he laughs.

When he assesses the strengths of his opponents, he doesn’t do so with any negativity in his mind. Oddly, he goes great lengths to assess them (thinking of his encounter with Luffy). Imagine, it was worth disturbing his peace! Linked here are several reasons why he might’ve done so.

One thing all of these cases have in common is ease. One could argue that it stems from absolute confidence that he is unbeatable, therefore he acts out of boredom, but then again… he trains Zoro because he recognizes valiant traits in him, not because he has nothing better to do. While, yes, there might be some boredom in his life...

Could boredom be Mihawk’s internal motivator? Can we classify his actions as so random/pointless that they serve a sort of entertainment to his otherwise dull living? Personally, I don’t gravitate towards that take. He actively works to preserve his ‘boring’ way of life. For a man so unimpressed, he isn’t trying to change himself at all – nor his routine, not much – in order to appease any need for excitement. The only time he expresses he feels excitement is when trouble heads his way. He does not seek it. Therefore, I presume he is content with the way things are. Quiet.

How does one pinpoint and rationalize these very complex stances? It could be summarized as the opposite of what Mihawk told Zoro.

Could it be that the world’s strongest swordsman became one for he hasn’t developed himself merely in swordsmanship, but in wisdom of living as well? For his domain extends beyond the puddle. There’s an excellent post on Reddit that details the reference this entire phrase comes from, related to Zen.

In addition, I like that during training, Mihawk hasn’t pushed any ideologies or mantras on Zoro, beyond that of basic swordsmanship honor and shame. As far as we know, of course, but I argue such a lesson would be explicitly stated due to its importance. Anyway, these two do not have that moment. Mihawk gets closest to it with his ‘frog’ comment.

It could be assumed that, in not pushing any creed on Zoro (but that to expand his views), Mihawk is leaving room for Zoro to know himself beyond swordsmanship, while also respecting his dream.

Taking into account this ideological emptiness, the ‘frog’ comment, and Mihawk’s general disposition: confidence, ease, peace, I argue that they all stem from the fact Mihawk has found his place in life and has achieved his dream, doing it his way. Now, his current goal of sorts is to be outbested in terms of swordsmanship, a goal he is willing to help Zoro with.

And there is such honor and beauty to it! To sacrifice the goal of his life to help another person achieve theirs. Just how much at peace with themself would one have to be, to be able to give away so much of themself? It's mindblowing. Being able to dynamically balance so many internal and external factors (achieving a dream certainly isn't enough to teach or in any way emulate that; it takes vast wisdom to do so) to finally reach that stage of contentment: to let another have it, at the cost of your own, on a basis entirely factual and wholly fulfilling. It's once again reminiscent of stoicism, and its postulate that a life well-lived is one lived in accordance to nature. One lived in moderation. Now, Mihawk doesn't seem to be very emotionally expressive, does he?

In the aggressive tug-of-war that is the One Piece world, he remains steady, firm on his feet. He knows where he stands, and he’s where he wants to be.

Deeply in tune with himself like that, it could be interpreted that Mihawk has reached a state akin to ataraxia (Greek, meaning freedom of trouble or anxiety; tranquility of mind dependent on the mind), a viable path to one’s happiness as regarded in stoicism. Related, I find it very enjoyable that he is a character who has achieved his dream. Because one must ask: what comes after the dream is achieved? For Mihawk, there is simple contentment. Nothing ‘great’ after he’s reached his grand dream. Farming, napping, cooking, drinking wine, reading? How humble! Not much to indulge in, but he is fulfilled.

And so, his trail continues, he is aware of that, but he doesn’t chase happiness down it. And even if it gets rough and he has to deviate a little, he is on the right path. He knows it, and feels it. That's all that matters.

As Seneca said, “It is not that virtue is chosen because it pleases, but that, if chosen, it also pleases.” Mihawk delved into the wisdom of living, then chose his spot back in his own puddle, still occasionally gazing beyond it.

How exactly did Mihawk come to this mindset? Now that is mental work I reckon he deserves rest from.

#I am not too confident because I’ve known him for little over a week now #I’m also under the influence of alcohol a tad #so excuse my possibly wrong takes #I simply needed to yell about this man…#if I get him right #and if I get Shanks right one day #maybe I’ll write mishanks someday HAHA #dracule mihawk #mihawk #one piece #op #one piece live action #opla #zoro #dracule mihawk analysis #mihawk analysis

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aceredshirt13 · 6 months

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Bertram “Bertie” Wooster, writing stories about Jeeves: My man is a genius. The most brilliant chap I’ve ever known. I would probably die without him. We have our little spats, and he’s got a rummy sort of schadenfreude in the soul, if that is the word I want, but my life with him is so pleasant that it’s all worthwhile. I am also passionately in love with him

James “Corky” Corcoran, writing stories about Ukridge: My best friend is literally the most annoying person alive. Can’t stand his dumb ass. Every problem I have ever had in my life is his fault. There is no interaction I come out of with Ukridge in which my wallet, my belongings, and my pride are intact. It is usually all three. I am also passionately in love with him

#red randomness #jeeves and wooster #ukridge #bertie wooster #reginald jeeves #stanley featherstonehaugh ukridge #james corky corcoran #jooster #wooves #corkridge #truly the duality of wode #I love how different his two longest-running narrators are #corky is so judgemental that I don’t know if he and Bertie would get along #but it would be really funny if they were friends #Bertie DOES habitually befriend a lot of artists and writers #and Corky’s snarky internal monologue does not seem to prevent him from caring for those he snarks about #Jeeves on the other hand would hate Ukridge with the fire of a thousand suns #someday I’ll write a crossover maybe

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sonofthedunes · 14 days

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got real depressing on that last post, so have something nice instead: luke and andrie’s first kiss, a few hours after the medal ceremony at the end of anh :3 if you’d like to make characters kiss too, here’s the link!

#andrie #luke skywalker #luke skywalker x oc #picrew #maybe i’ll actually write about this someday

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jerreeeeeee · 2 months

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there's nothing inherently wrong or unhealthy with a platonic relationship being the most intimate and important in someone's life (whether that person is also in a romantic relationship or not). this has been said before but people still treat it like its true. ESPECIALLY that a prioritized platonic relationship belies “codependency” even though no one would bat an eye at the exact same dynamic if it were romantic, because of the idea that a prioritized platonic relationship is somehow immature/unhealthy and something to grow out of/move on from.

the idea that the twins just go, well, you've been the person i felt safest loving and trusting in my entire life, our souls have been bound by fate and magic and our love for one another is one of the strongest bonds in the multiverse, transcending death and unimaginable loss, the motivation behind everything we’ve ever done, but since we're both in romantic relationships now and the story is over, the reasonable and in-character thing to do would be to split up and have separate nuclear families because that's the "healthy thing" (read: expected thing). there's no other form of a domestic happy ending than a marriage and typical nuclear family. you're everything to me, my entire world, my heart, see you later.

ok this got too long i'm putting it under a readmore.

(also why i don't really like the idea that taako adopts angus. "parent" is not the only important, loving role an adult can play in a child's life but people feel that need to shove everything into a nuclear family. also taako has too much going on to be the good parent that angus needs anyway. and magnus and lucretia are right there. but this is another post <- this is actually a fan fiction i’m writing, kind of)

i just find that frankly silly. i truly believe that the twins live together for the rest of their lives and are always each others' most important person (before anyone kills me i do think barry is there too. they also both love him so much. capacity for love INCREASES there’s no need for a replacement or a “moving on” it’s an addition). there's not any reason they wouldn't live together other than that it’s not “normal?” but why would they give a shit about that. their prioritization of one another isn't the unhealthy thing about their relationship. they do have other stuff going on that's actually codependent, but i think they eventually work past it and come to have a healthier (yet no less close) relationship. actually this post was originally just supposed to be about those codependent tendencies but i felt like i needed to compensate by clarifying that there are only a very specific few things abt their dynamic i find unhealthy and that by and large they’re fine, actually.

the main thing is, as is so succinctly put in this post—they aren't able to communicate about big, important decisions. not to say they never communicate about anything, i think they actually do communicate effectively about a lot of things—warning i’m going into a complete tangent here—i see a lot an idea that they’re not siblings who hug or really verbalize affection at all which is crazy to me (<- personal opinion alert) like they’re closed off and distrusting (taako more than lup, but she’s certainly not exempt from their trauma) to other people and the world at large but they have always always been each other’s exception, each other’s utmost safe place, the one person they could be absolutely comfortable around, who they never have to be afraid of. that’s one of the things i find so compelling about them, that they trust each other with their entire selves. they have no reason to ever feel defensive around each other. oh to be known so entirely and intimately and never feel ashamed or afraid of judgement or abandonment. augh. so i do think they hug.

also—i don't think they're unhealthily codependent in the sense that they "don't know how to be a person without each other" like that's certainly not true for lup and i don't really think it's true for taako either. they have their own distinct personalities and identities they just also both inform each others’ lives. they're an integral part of each other's identity the way your family or best friend or partner or most important person in your life is but again i think that's fine.

but back to the topic at hand anyway they DO hide their misgivings from each other when it comes to huge shit with world-changing, life-threatening consequences lol. when it comes to, like, turning herself into a lich, or leaving to recover her dangerous magical artifact, lup feels like she needs to be entirely decisive and confident for taako, and when it comes to his sister turning herself into a lich, or proposing a dangerous magical artifact plan, taako feels like he needs to be unflinchingly supportive and loyal for lup. and those both backfire obviously. because they trust each other so completely that they don't trust each other enough to not trust each other. weird paradox.

but really its not a lack of trust in each other its their own insecurities projected onto each other. lup second guesses herself but feels like she can’t express that uncertainty so she’s alone with her doubts which increases the pressure and stress and creates a feedback loop that only makes her more insecure. and taako feels like he doesn’t have anything to bring to the table other than backing up lup and is afraid doubting her would hurt her which means he never has an opportunity to find out he does actually have good ideas and that lup would listen to him constructively. but it manifests in lup “not trusting taako” to have her back even if she doubts herself and taako “not trusting lup” to take criticism even if his idea is good.

and honestly i think the solution to this codependency just comes with… not being in those lifethreatening situations anymore. the universe was saved and they have normal (magical fantasy world) lives. so now when they’re hiding things from each other the stakes are a lot lower. and when the stakes are lower they’re able to express uncertainty because they don’t feel that extreme and terrifying pressure anymore. lup doesn’t have to make impossible decisions and stick to them despite any doubt because she doesn’t have the survival of entire worlds on her back anymore. taako doesn’t have to always agree with lup and uncritically support her every choice because he’s not the only thing holding her together from oblivion anymore. so they're able to express doubts and nothing falls apart and they're actually stronger for it. and they’re already doing so much work on fixing their relationship just from being separated and kinda grieving for a decade too, so they eventually work past that.

and also because they have to face those insecurities and their consequences. lup got trapped in umbrella limbo for a decade and taako had his life destroyed. if lup had been able to overcome her need to put everything on her shoulders and expressed uncertainty, if taako had been able to overcome his blind loyalty and expressed doubt, would they have gone through with the relics? would they have even gone through with the lich plan? they realize only afterward that they should’ve talked about it, and so they learn from their mistakes.

another tangent—isn’t it so crazy how, by any standard, lup should be the strongwilled, passionate, heroic protagonist and taako her cynical, pragmatic, yet loyal sidekick? and yet he’s the protagonist and she the supporting character in the actual narrative? so subversive and intriguing. i cant believe this was all masterfully and purposefully written. anyway. (<- in the in-universe metanarrative version of the story, lup [and honestly, probably davenport] is the tragic ghost who haunts the narrative and lucretia & barry are the morally gray protagonist foils, and tres horny boys are supporting characters/comic relief who go on to have their own semi-important b-plot arcs that ultimately serve to further the protagonists’ arcs. btw.)

back to the twins. i also think they don't only grow post-canon, i think they grow a LOT during the century, because in the beginning, they're coming from a life where they have been not only the most important people in each other's lives, but the ONLY people in each other's lives. and now they're suddenly faced with more people, which they handle fine individually, more or less—lup is faster to warm up to the others, but even though taako's attitude is very much that he only cares about him and his, he is capable of expanding the people who are "his" (eventually). but they've never had to bring other people into their dynamic with each other before.

i don't think either of them are possessive, their relationship is built on deepest mutual respect and love and trust and "possessiveness" is kinda antithetical to that, but they can both be jealous on occasion. although there is a difference—lup is the only one who will outwardly display jealousy (and maybe a better word than jealousy would be insecurity), again because of the dynamic earlier: taako must always support whatever decisions lup makes without question. so when taako dies one cycle and all of a sudden merle and magnus and everyone else grieve him too, lup feels a sense of ownership over grief (not over taako himself, but over loving taako, just because no one else ever really has before, and she’s never had to think about the possibility that he might love other people too) that she initially may not challenge but does eventually let go of, because it's actually a good thing that other people love him now, and bringing new people into their family doesn’t make their love for each other any less. and taako has a similar experience but tbh i think its a little easier for him bc, like, who wouldn’t love lup, and lup loves other people way more freely than taako does (still not super freely, its a low bar). not that lup thinks taako is unloveable OBVIOUSLY (taako does think he’s unloveable tho) i just think they have different attitudes abt it, like they both have the moments of “but you don’t love them as much as i do!!” which is true, no one loves them as much as they do, but taako’s more willing to let that shit go bc he just doesn’t care as much what the others do as long as they don’t fuckin bother him about it. like lup sees the others equate (as she sees it, but oc they’re not actually grieving At Her) their (comparatively shallow) grief to her world-shattering loss of her best friend, only family, soulmate, silly rabbit, and she gets angry about it, but taako’s reaction is more like, “ok they’re stupid. who cares.” meanwhile and more importantly, all of a sudden lup is falling in love with barry, but taako's not one to throw a fit or demand that he's the only one who can love lup nor the only one lup can love. she’s made her decision. he just gives barry advice and lets it quietly hurt and draws distant, because he has a deep seated fear of abandonment that is now, for the first time, clashing with his unshakable trust in lup. and their relationship irrevocably changes but maybe not for the worse, because taako has, for the first time, doubted lup, a disruption to their typical (codependent) dynamic. but, of course, in the end his fears are unfounded and lup pulls him back in, because their capacity for love increases—of course lup still loves him just as much and yknow what, so does barry, and so does the rest of the crew. so he doubts and fears and is proven wrong. and so they grow and change, and their world increases from two to seven.

but that doubt doesn’t really go away for a long time, exacerbated and strained the more lup keeps secrets (especially with barry) until it reaches a head when lup finally doubts taako and does truly abandon him. but again, of course, never on purpose and never forever, they find their way back to each other despite everything and, again, come away stronger for it. the idea that the twins’ relationship is never as close again after story and song is so fucking tragic and heartrending but really i just think its unrealistic. because the rift between them is what caused their pain in the first place, of course they wouldn’t just shrug and move on. they would do anything for each other, including a lot of difficult emotional work and healing. for a little while they do have to deal with the reality that they’re not as close as they were. but they can be again. it just takes time and effort.

but anyway just to drive my point home—we mostly see taako's side of it since he is the protagonist in the real world narrative, but lup is always, always positioned within that narrative as his most important person. (and even then, lup says as much for taako! she loves barry of course but she loves taako so much he’s her heart!!) when thb see their lives after the hunger in paloma's prophecy, taako sees himself cooking with lup. she's textually representative of healing and joy in his future, and she's the main character present in his epilogue too. she's his greatest loss and his greatest love, positioned in exactly the same place as julia and merle's kids. there are a myriad of love stories going on in balance and a myriad of love stories involving taako that are all beautiful and significant in their own right but i really do think the main one in his life is lup!!

well all that to say they’re my favorite little critters ever and i’m studying them under a microscope forever. how do you end posts

#whateverrrrr i’m just going to post this even though its rambling #anyway. promise im still writing my fan fictions. i just have been having too many thoughts been unable to condense them #writing this shit into an actual fic is much more satisfying and rewarding but its also sooo hard #bc i have to employ ‘subtlety’ and ‘nuance’ and ‘thoughtful writing’ instead of train of consciousness word vomit. sad!#i’ll never not be insane about them btw #taz taako #taz lup #taz #taz balance #taaco twins #lup #taako #mine #the twins #analysis #also um i know i mentioned barry and not kravitz. and thats because. well. i’m not sure what to do with him.#i think its chapter 12 of solace? thats literally just about him its already written its like 6k words and it resolves absolutely nothing #i’ll figure out how i think he fits in someday maybe

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annualwreckage · 5 months

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wlw steddie vampire au…

eddie moves to hawkins, seeking an escape from the big city, and people are stand offish but polite for the most part. she moves into a kind of shorty apartment and it’s fine. well, it’s more than fine actually, because eddie’s neighbor across the hall is the prettiest girl she’s ever seen and has an affinity for dropping off baked goods. the day after she moved in, stevie dropped off a tray of muffins eddie devours. they smile at each other in the hall, even in public the one time eddie saw her at the post office, and it’s embarrassing how quickly eddie starts to nurse a crush on her pretty, kind neighbor.

a week after she settles in, a cow turns up dead in its field, drained of blood. eddie hears about it at the grocery store, the woman at the register seems to be telling everyone who will listen about how this isn’t the first time it’s happened, that it happens every few years, that everyone should start putting wreaths of hawthorn above their door and never invite someone in unless you’re sure you trust them. eddie, assuming this is small town superstition, offers the cashier a tight lipped smile as thanks for the advice and leaves with her groceries.

a few days after that, the first body shows up. it’s a man, about eddie’s age, with his throat ripped out and mostly bloodless. he’s found in an alley behind a bar, one eddie hasn’t had a chance to visit yet. eddie is probably less spooked than she should be. sure, she double checks her door is locked before she goes to bed but otherwise doesn’t mind it. after the second body found the same way, eddie is nervous. but, also, intrigued. it was another man, same age and general appearance. what really makes eddie concerned thought is how people start looking at her from the corner of their eye when she’s out in public. hawkins, not used to outsiders and thoroughly suspicious, seems to have its eyes on eddie.

over weeks, bodies pile up—always men, always drained of blood—and eddie has cops stop by her house to ask questions about her whereabouts. she was at work, with security cameras to prove it, but that does little to assuage the public opinion of her which is turning wickedly hostile. the only person who seems to still like eddie at all is stevie, who still drops off cookies and even a pie for eddie.

as she’s walking home from work one night, taking a shortcut through town, it’s stevie she finds hunched over a body, her mouth pressed to the skin of his neck. eddie let’s put a startled shout and stevie looks up, her eyes wide with surprise and fangs dripping with blood.

#everyone blames eddie but hawkins golden girl stevie harrington is munching on shitty men #steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson #wlw steddie #vampire au #wlw steddie vampire au #maybe someday i’ll write something for realsies about this

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boydykedevo · 2 months

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I think stolen century Magnus was like “omg Taako’s so cool and pretty and awesome and he’s my best friend and I think I’m in love with him a little bit” and Taako was like “he’s so FUCKING hot it makes me so FUCKING mad I hate him so FUCKING much. He is my best friend in the whole world.”

#icarus is talking #taagnus #this is mostly a goofy post but I do think Magnus was Taako’s first serious friend besides Lup.#he’d never been so close with someone who wasn’t her before #so he was very. hot and cold about their friendship. which Magnus was hurt by initially #but pretty soon he realized ohhhh okay that’s just how Taako is alright :) and tried to give him space when he needed it #i have a lot of thoughts. on their relationship. maybe I’ll write the fic someday.

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anonymous-ace72 · 4 months

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I’ve been having thoughts.

So like, with Triumvirate Holdings, I just wanna know how the thought process for it even began.

Nero talks about living on the brink of fading away, until the renaissance came along and revived a lot of interest in Roman stuff.

I mean, they all died decades apart from each other, I’m pretty sure Nero died 27 years after Caligula, and Commodus died well over 100 years after both of them, so I can imagine there was probably a period of time where they were wandering around in this half-life like state, completely separately, and then when they inevitably ran into each other posthumously it was like:

How long after “dying” did they figure out they were in fact not, dead.

All I’m saying it I wanna see some fanfics regarding what the actual fuck they were doing up until the point they decided to start collaborating for world domination.

#toa #trials of apollo #toa nero #toa commodus #toa caligula #maybe I’ll write it myself someday #idk #but I just kinda thought this to myself and I think i would be interesting #and maybe a little funny #how long inbetween each of them dying before they started to collaborate #and how long ago did this collaboration even begin #thousands of years ago obviously #which is the impression I’m getting since they’ve been at this for awhile #but like #it’s interesting to think about

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kohakhearts · 6 months

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hey that pokemon 2000 gifset + your jn dub analysis made me think about the pokemon 2000 dub - I've only seen it subbed once (compared to the hundred times I watched it dubbed as a child) so I could be misremembering, but didn't the dub completely change the themes of the movie with the chosen one ash thing?

i actually haven’t watched the sub nearly as many as times as the dub either :p but i have read extensively about this topic bc it’s personally my favourite pokemon movie and yes! the first and second pokemon movies are both victim to this (like mewtwo’s epic speech we all love so much at the end of the first movie…being a complete fabrication by the dub team :p you gotta give those writers credit - they were VERY good at what they did), largely i’m guessing due to cultural values and expectations. since they were trying to sell the anime to an american audience, not a japanese one.

tangentially, i will say i also think that’s the root of this like…subtle distinction some people have between the characters “ash” and “satoshi.” i don’t differentiate them in any big way myself because fundamentally they still are very much the same, but it is true that in japanese, ash has somewhat different mannerisms and responds differently to events at times, especially in the early anime when it was so much easier to get away with making big changes for…a big assortment of reasons haha.

in THIS movie in particular, some of those things are like…well. the prophecy is probably the most obvious change. the dub team rewrote it to include the chosen one reference, which works great because of the word play on ash’s name. in japanese, it just says “an exceptional trainer will appear to help calm the wrath of the gods.” ash’s response to this is more mild trepidation than outright fear. he doesn’t hesitate like he does in the dub. and tbh? both reactions make perfect sense for his character in my opinion.

in japanese, his concern is more "do you really think i can fit that role?" this...tracks pretty well with his character development by this point. like yeah he said he could win the indigo league, but he's also thinking about dropping out after gary loses; it's that little grain of insecurity he has, which he's normally good at covering up with arrogance (a lot of which is also very genuine, don't get me wrong). but he sees the opportunity to help and he takes it. that's just...what ash does.

in english, though, the prophecy is pretty clearly about him. there's no one else it could be. it has to be him. and he...doesn't like that? that scares him. which, fair. anyone would be terrified by being singled out like that. it's also so much...not ash's thing, even at this point in the series. his character development is about embracing having to work hard to do well. to keep trying until you get it right, no matter how many times you get it wrong. the idea of being a "chosen one" completely robs him of his ability to be so single-minded about what he wants his destiny to be that it manifests as pre-determined; it just...pre-determines it for him, if that makes sense. lol.

the thesis of the japanese version of the film is that no one person or pokemon can stand on their own. everyone needs help. it's about harmonizing with each other and with nature. about letting others help you, and helping them in turn. the english version rewrites that into a story about power and destiny. the title alone says it all, right? it's called "the power of one" - no reference to lugia, no reference to the birds. in japan, the title is about the revelation (or "birth") of lugia.

westerners love a good chosen one story, so this was a really good choice by the dub team in that respect. i mean, it's a narrative that's stuck really well. fandom loves chosen one ash! in general, western fanbases are really into this narrative. it's everywhere. and there's a lot that goes into that, culturally, and especially religiously, historically, etc. so at the end of the day, i don't think the change is so much about conflicting ideas about collectivism and individualism. it's more about goals and ideals, on a personal level.

let me say again for the 273456784th time, i love that they resolved ash's story by having him realize that the goal he's really been striving for all this time is to meet and befriend pokemon. to learn from them. to earn their trust. it's like...he did the thing that everyone else thought represented his goal, maybe even himself included, only to realize that his dream was never about the end of it anyway. it was about everything he learnt and everyone he met along the way. (i also suspect nobody writing in 1997 knew that that would be the ultimate resolution, either. but it makes sense in the entire context. it's kind of a nice irony, even. to only figure it out after writing the story :p)

and i think this little distinction is important to that goal! it's his whole character! which is why even though i too love chosen one characters, i don't necessarily think of ash as one. because even if he is, his whole Thing is that he wants to try. a lot of the chosen one narrative is about characters being reluctant to be used for a "greater good," or about them collapsing under that pressure. ash doesn't really have that. he does what he thinks is right because he...thinks it's right. sometimes, sure, others have to push him into it a bit, but usually they're actually pushing the other way - it's too dangerous, you're going to get hurt, etc. and to me, i don't know - thinking of times he's died, or nearly died, and some legendary or mythical pokemon has saved him at the last minute...i don't think that has to mean he's special in a cosmic sort of way. i think it just means he's special to them. that he did something for them, or for someone else they had come to care for (thinking manaphy responding to may's emotions, not just to the fact that ash was drowning, or in mpm ash convincing latios to trust him because of their mutual desire to save latias, etc.), and so they want to help him. which is completely opposite to the typical chosen one narrative, i think? because he doesn't do those things out of obligation...he does them because he thinks he can become a better trainer by doing them, and he wants to do that. and well. he did do that.

anyway my tl;dr here is YES they changed the theme a lot haha, but i find it fun that they also changed the characters’ responses to that theme. funnily that’s…kind of also what fanfiction writers do all the time, lmao, but that’s a whole other conversation.

#answered #im sure id have something more insightful to say if id watched the original recently but i havent Dx #*meta #i guess #also re: the chosen one narrative being very religious #its more to the idea specifically of a character who does selfless things for the sake of being selfless and it often ends with the #character martyring themself somehow. which i dont think it’s necessarily WRONG to say is what ash does. self-sacrificial is not a Bad way #to describe him. i think its a reasonable and compelling read on his character. its just not mine i guess because as much as i also love #chosen one characters what i love most about it isnt the fact that they are a chosen one #so much as what the consequences of that have been because what they really want deep down is to just…not have to save the world #but ash isnt really like that. saving the world is more of a byproduct of what hes actually trying to do. which is to help others #rather than being forced to save the world to help the ones he cares for. its kinda opposite. idk. maybe i’ll write a post about this #properly someday bc rn my brain is mush and i can only think of three major western franchises that even have chosen ones lol

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audhdnight · 8 days

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Okay friends gather round because I’m here to talk about porn (this will be a long post).

Specifically, why it needs to be safer instead of banned, why it’s not inherently harmful, and how a lot of the harm associated with it is straight up prejudice.

I recently got drawn into an argument about this (i know, I should know better, but I guess this time I didn’t). People love to talk about how the porn industry is harmful because it’s “addictive” which makes it dangerous, or because it makes men do bad things.

I want to say first that this is just feeding into the “all men are inherently bad and violent” shit which I do NOT support because it is not true. A lot of men in patriarchal society are violent, yes, but only because that society tells those men they can have whatever they want, they can take it if we won’t give it to them, and there are no consequences for this behavior. This apathy is conditioned. If you never hold a man accountable for his actions and the ways in which he exploits others, OF COURSE he’s going to hurt people. This issue exist less with women because societally, women are conditioned to give of themselves to the point of burnout, to always place other people’s (most often specifically men’s) wants and needs and preferences over their own. Not because women are biologically less violent or selfish.

Now, there is something to be said about the ways in which certain kinds of pornography portray sexual relationships. In heterosexual male-centered porn, the woman is, more often than not, merely a vessel for his pleasure. She does what he wants, in the positions he wants, because he is the focus. This kind of porn is often characterized by a POV that makes it look as if you’re watching through the male actor’s eyes.

This kind of porn, especially if it is a man or boy’s introduction to sexual relationships/pleasure, can encourage them to see all women this way. If you teach a boy that women are meant to serve his whims because that’s just what women are for, of course he’s going to continue seeking out this kind of media. This is an example of societal prejudice and how it influences everything we do. It does not mean that pornography makes men misogynists.

The second point I want to discuss involves why I say we need reform and laws that keep people safe from exploitation, not a ban on pornography as a whole.

When I told the people I was arguing with that this is what I personally advocate for, they tried to say that I was admitting porn is bad, “because it hurts people.” One man said that I couldn’t possibly dismiss the experiences of real people hurt by the porn industry by saying porn isn’t harmful.

I want to make it exceptionally clear that I am absolutely not dismissing anyone’s experiences. I am well aware that many people are hurt by the modern pornography industry and have been for as long as sex work has existed. But I also want to make it clear that this is not because sex work is bad. It is because people get trafficked, and people often feel like they have no other options because of economic and life circumstances. Some people who entered the industry willingly, who even enjoy their work (crazy concept, I know) end up leaving because they were pressured into certain acts that they weren’t comfortable with. Some people get recorded without their consent. Some people have to leave because of harassment (and yes, sexual harassment IS a thing, even for sex workers). Some people feel like it is a path they will enjoy, but discover it’s not a kind of work they want to do. Some people find it incredibly draining. Some people’s coworkers make for an unpleasant or even unsafe work environment.

There are hundred of reasons someone might leave sex work or be harmed by the people they work with. This doesn’t mean that the work itself is morally wrong. Which is why I say that we need laws in place that protect sex workers from exploitation, and we need people in place to actually enforce those laws (rather than the slew of pedophiles and rapists we have in office right now, or the police officers who let traffickers off the hook for bribery - the financial kind and the human kind).

My third point involves the lack of any scientific backing for the claims that pornography is inherently harmful. While anecdotal evidence absolutely has a place in the discussion, and we should never dismiss someone who was hurt in their time in the industry, this is not scientific. Neither are sermons, unfortunately for most of the people I talk to about this. Usually when I ask for a study backing their claims - just one single peer reviewed study - I am offered this:

The very first thing I want to point out about this paper is that it is not a study. It is essentially a personal interest essay. Just because a work references other works does not make it credible. The man who wrote this paper is a religious fanatic, first of all, and while his Phd does actually appear to be real (oftentimes I get referenced to people with fake doctorates) that does not automatically make any words he writes factual. Several of the footnotes include links that look pretty legit but actually lead nowhere. A couple are just surveys where they asked religious families if their children struggled with mental health consequences from pornography, which is again anecdotal evidence at best, and definitely not a peer reviewed, credible source.

Secondly, if you read this paper you may notice that in a few places Fagan claims part of the mental toll pornography takes on teens is the shame and guilt it creates. Gee, can anyone guess why a sexually repressed teenager in a conservative Christian purity culture home might feel ashamed of indulging in sexual pleasure?? My personal “porn addiction” guilt went away when I realized that I wasn’t hurting anyone by watching it, and my sexual pleasure was not sinful or dirty. What fixed my mental turmoil was letting go of the shame, not letting go of the thing that made me happy.

All of this is to say that the shame and guilt around teens watching porn does not come from the pornography itself, but from the adults around us who tell us we are dirty rotten sinners who are going to burn in hell for wanting to feel good.

Fagan also talks about the consequences of pornography on children, without ever addressing the fact that this is harmful because usually if a child is viewing porn, it is in the context of grooming. I’m not advocating for showing your young child pornography obviously (please don’t do that) but it feels incredibly irresponsible to say that we need to ban porn because “if a child is groomed with it that hurts the child”. In his list of reasons why pornography is harmful to children, Fagan also includes things like it can be upsetting for a child to overhear their parent engaging in “phone sex”. Surely I’m not the only one wondering what that actually has to do with porn…?

Now, I’m not saying that no one is ever engaging with pornography to a point of harm. But this is still an issue of misattributed blame. If someone is watching porn in excess, using it as a coping mechanism of some kind, that is a problem that has very little to do with the porn they’re watching. People fill holes of emotional and physical needs in all sorts of different ways. My cousin ended up on crutches because she went through a rough breakup and dealt with it by running. She overdid it too many times and injured herself, but no one would ever say that means we have to ban running.

My main point is that safe, consensual sex work is not harmful. If consenting adults wish to have sex, play sexual games, record themselves, watch a recording of another consenting adult, or do literally any other kind of sexual activity - that is perfectly okay. We don’t need to shame them or condemn them for wanting to feel pleasure or for working a job in which they bring other people pleasure. This is purity culture bullshit.

And on the subject of teens - it is literally the most natural thing in the word for a teenager to feel curious about their bodies and desires and to want to explore that. Again, I’m not advocating for showing your teenager pornography, but If they find it themselves that’s a wonderful opportunity to have discussions with them about safe sex, boundaries, consent, and all the things. You can even talk to them about it before they seek out the porn. You can teach them about masturbation, and let them know that these desires are not shameful or bad or dirty.

I’m also really tired of certain people insisting that porn is “addictive” because it produces dopamine in the brain. Wanting to feel good is not a crime for fuck’s sake.

#as you can tell #i have a lot of thoughts #I’m very passionate about this #maybe I’ll write a book someday #one that references real studies lmao #cw sex work #sex is beautiful #sex work is real work #sex workers are people #long post #text post

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dawn-moths · 9 months

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me and my mom were talking about something tonight and she looked at me and said “do you ever think about starting a blog?” and in my mind it was suddenly that meme of that guy standing in the corner at a party being like ‘they don’t know that i…’ and i was just thinking like “she doesn’t know that i write anime erotica and post it online for people to read” lol

#like sorry mom but your sweet baby girl writes about getting railed by fictional men #sometimes I’ll be working on a fic like sitting on the couch with her (laptop screen faced AWAY)#and she’ll be like ‘oh what are you working on?’ and I’ll always just say it’s one of my original projects #like by now she probably thinks I’ve written a multi-book series but…#maybe someday but not today lol #today is sex with anime men #kodi rambles

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aceredshirt13 · 2 years

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everybody out here with their vampire Barok AUs. listen. I like vampires as much as the rest of y’all. but having the huge spooky guy with the pale skin and goth clothes and bat friends and endless supply of red wine be a vampire is just too on the nose. too obvious. too passé.

my pitch: vampire AU where Barok is just a regular human guy who is Like That.

Albert is the vampire.

(more excessive details under the cut)

Albert wasn’t a vampire yet when they met in college. In fact, their whole college experience and Barok’s entire traumatic post-college experience is identical to canon. But Albert got bitten while in Germany, and when he comes back to London and sees Barok’s new look he’s like “wow! I guess my old friend has ALSO become a vampire! what a spectacular coincidence!” Unaware that these are just Barok’s vibes now that his brother is dead and he’s lost faith in humanity.

No one’s figured it out because Albert has never had many friends, and his class load as a professor was never high in the first place, so what would be strange about him only teaching night classes all of a sudden? Or only venturing out of his research lab after dark? The man is so exuberant and so thoroughly unintimidating that no one would ever suspect him of such a thing. In fact, Albert looks exactly the same as he does in the game, but if you look closely, you’ll see he’s got little fangs when he smiles. The only thing that clues in Barok is when he’s taking Albert to Dover after the trial - that he seems extraordinarily wary of sunlight, and that he always seems hungry no matter how much food Barok buys for the pair of them, and that when Albert hugs him goodbye, he’s terribly cold to the touch.

So how is Albert taking this transformation? Well, truthfully, he’s fascinated, and adds his own nature to his long list of scientific subjects to study; but he despises having to hurt people to feed himself, and keeps trying to invent viable blood substitutes that always end up being rather poor in the departments of both nutrition and taste - just enough to keep him alive. (Theoretically, he could buy blood from the butcher shop, but much like trying to give a newborn baby the milk of another animal, animal blood isn’t great for vampires - and buying large quantities of animal blood is both a strain on the wallet and tends to draw the suspicion of the butcher.). It’s really just a more dramatic version of how he behaves in canon - how much he puts his work and his studies above his own health and well-being.

Of course, once Albert realizes Barok is just a regular human, he doesn’t want to tell him because of the (admittedly rather warranted) stigma against his kind, especially with Barok being from a powerful family that undoubtedly has ties with the Church of England - and Christianity does not exactly have a great relationship with creatures seen as demonic. But of course, Barok ends up discovering the truth anyway - and though it is obviously rather a shock, the man’s fondness for his old friend is far more important to him than the fact that he now survives upon drinking the blood of the living. Afterwards, whenever they go out, Barok holds his cape over Albert when the sun is bright enough to risk burning him - and though Albert has been a vampire for long enough to avoid garlic in his meals (vampires can eat human food, but it’s all of the enjoyment with none of the nutritional value, so they can’t survive on it), Barok always insists on double-checking for him, just to make sure. (And by virtue of Barok looking and dressing the way he does, when they’re together, any suspicion of Albert’s vampirism is very quickly deflected onto Barok. Quite literally everyone thinks Barok is the vampire. They just think Albert only comes out at night because he’s weird.)

As for, er, my less than platonic leanings toward the relationship between these two… well. If Albert’s trying to survive solely on a combination of animal blood and these bad blood substitutes to avoid hurting people, then I imagine he’s not always doing very well - he might have trouble functioning, or sleeping, or feeling faint/having low energy even when he’s excited about something. Barok, worrywart that he is, is incredibly concerned about him, but also knows he can hardly force Albert to start accosting people on the street for their blood just for his own health. So, Barok offers an alternative; he slowly lowers the collar of his shirt, revealing his neck.

Albert protests at first, naturally being even less willing to hurt his dearest friend than a stranger, but Barok insists it’s all right - and a combination of his friend’s visible concern and his own stomach growling manages to convince him at least to try. Frantically, he assures him that it’ll only hurt for a moment - after all, he says, when applied carefully, vampire venom has a numbing agent more advanced than that of mosquitoes or fleas, with none of the itchy after-effects! - before biting him, very, very gently.

It does hurt, for a moment, but that fades fast, and soon it’s replaced by a rather pleasant feeling - for Albert, that of being able to enjoy something he’d always thought monstrous; for Barok, the intimate physical contact he’d forgotten and missed. After Albert is done, having made sure not to take too much, they end up in each other’s arms, just… lying there, for quite a while, and then spend the next week and a half trying to convince themselves that was a very normal and heterosexual thing to do between a vampire and his human bestie. (And then, of course, they do it all over again.)

For the record, Albert figures out his feelings for Barok first, but tries to push them down - until another vampire he meets points out that, well, he’s already a vampire. A creature viewed as demonic. So what if he loves another man? At best, it doesn’t matter anyway, and at worst, what’ll he be, more damned?

#red randomness #ace attorney #the great ace attorney #barok van zieks #albert harebrayne #benbaro #this was a bit long oops but it’s been playing on my mind #can’t get over the mental image of Albert’s lil fangs #and I don’t know if I’ll ever be dedicated enough to write a fic of this #so I figured I’d at least share the concept for anyone interested lol #also I just think this AU’s dynamic would be funny. and very sweet. as all Benbaro is wont to be.#two other AUs for Benbaro bouncing around in the ol’ brain that I’ll maybe talk about someday lmao #the great ace attorney spoilers #my absolute idiot ass mixed up Britain and America. apologies that has been fixed

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