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lovely-oh-so-lovelyyui · 5 months

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Reiji - House of Chanel

Inherently, I think this went well especially with Chanel being such a traditional fashion house but also with its very feminine undertones. In comparison to some of the others, calling Chanel Reiji’s brand was more symbolic than realistic but I’ll explain.

Chanel in all its years since 1910’s has the same iconic look, the tweed structured suits, and the armoured corset dresses with delicate but impactful embellishments. It makes sense for Reji, he has this blunt yet sophisticated personality which physically manifests in his clothes; always well put together, tailored and steamed.

His suits may change but they maintain the same composition and colour palette, to the untrained eye they don’t look different but if you look closely he pays a lot of attention to what he wears.

He’s aware even as a vampire he still has the face of an 18 year old boy, there’s still that youthfulness present in his face, he makes up for it by wearing glasses he doesn’t really need but they highlight the aristocratic cutting of his face - with his sharp upturned nose, and bright red eyes.

He doesn't have his mother’s curls or his father’s pin straight hair but rather a wavy touch to his locks, he knows how it makes him look when it’s down, younger, softer …gentle and that’s just despicable! So he carefully styles his hair with mousse slicking it back, making him look more stern.

Reiji is also a lot more sensitive ( he’s a fussy, whiny little rich brat), so he can’t stand pungent smells ( blood, guts, drugs), that doesn’t mean he makes excuses to lose his composer so he has this strong cologne that is like sandalwood and kind of fruity? Like winter berries and tea leaves or something no one expected it to smell so good but he makes it work. Not to mention his hygiene is always top tier, so he has this freshly washed cotton and minty undertone.

So that's his main style right? So I was in between Dior and Chanel - and Chanel won of course

Mainly I mentioned before Chanel has more feminine undertones which I think expands well with Reiji’s complex relation with his brothers; whilst the misogynistic response to his trauma is still present he almost takes on a maternal role towards his family as much of the fandom has noticed - the reasons as why he does this is quite ironic actually. In his entirety, the persona of someone being capable is important for him, if he cannot be successful in maintaining - not only his family's name and reputation through the dictatorship of his brothers - how he holds himself in public how does he expect to be King?

Yet, all the care and attention to detail he gives is almost seen as motherly. The sheer unseriousness of it is not lost on me, even with all the rampant comments on the inferiority of women within the Sakamaki Home, the most well-adjusted and competent man is seen as feminine.

In other readings of Reiji though his feminine undertones are more purposeful, they come from the fact that him and Shu are perpendicular to one another because of Shu’s immense strength being seen as this "laid back protector archetype" as intrinsically masculine so Reiji’s more mentally vulnerable, cunning, shrewd approach is seen as more feminine ;dissect that how you will. My favourite though is Reiji picking up on etiquette by copying his mother who was a figurehead for women in the vampiric society.

Also reflected in Coco Chanel who is like, not a nice woman but she did have her moments - a cause for much scandal was her pioneering for trousers and women's athletic wear believe it or not, she was a big equestrian ( is that not the most Reiji sport ever?) and encouraged women to wear equestrian kits.

I think this also goes really well with his character in terms of politics, the synonymous nature of being a traditionalist yet paving the way is a part of Reji. He very strongly believes in the House of Sakamaki and what it stands for but he also like his father wishes to further vampiric society from it’s barbarism; in some ways he is a cultural snob but in others he’s quite attentive to the the silver lining that maintains modernism and the old ways.

The House of Channel also does this; it has always had its roots cemented in the old ways of aristocratic luxury items, but unlike many other fashion houses it does try to adapt to the changing times sometimes successfully, others not so successfully.

On a less serious note, in general I think it suits his aesthetic as well; as I’ve mentioned the iconic Chanel suits, but also the Corsets? Like Reiji is a big corset man I don’t care what anyone says, the timeless figure of archive Chanel pieces, the monotone colour scheme of darker colours. Moreover, even the chic pieces take inspiration from old money outfits: the arranged tulle of the Victorian era, the heavy contrast, the heavy gold pieces and brooches.

In comparison to Reiji’s fashion, with his fitted suits and tiny waist with the chain of his watch fob, as well as heavy contrast colours: blacks, reds, whites and navy’s.

Also the chunky jewellery makes sense in my head, it’s like masterfully placed so it doesn’t overwhelm him but I think the jewellery Reiji has includes: obviously the different chains for his antique watch, but also chunky rings seem more his thing than thin ones especially ones with carefully placed family jewels (rubies, emerald's, obsidians - as I said: snob) , this would do for more traditional attire too.

His outfits in the demon world definitely include brooches, and chains and pendants to embellish his outfit, eye makeup isn’t a big thing for him because it’s so fussy but he would definitely do darker eye makeup to bring out his eyes. He’s quite theatrical, and definitely plays into the ashy white vampire skin ( this is the skin of a killer Bella).

Overall, I refuse to believe he does casual clothing- like Reiji in sweats ( esp the juicy couture ones ) is a horrendous image. So yeah Reiji is a Chanel girl!

Also I can’t believe I completely forgot this but in the beginning Coco Chanel was overlooked by the media, in terms of her designs in the beginning of career because of a little brand called Polo…owned by Ralph Lauren that was also making athletic wear but also quite good friends with Coco Chanel

It’s almost like A certain someone who I said represented Ralph Lauren (Shu) overshadowing Chanel at first before she split off to make her own name.

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stagefoureddiediaz · 1 year

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Costume meta 6x12

Thank you wardrobe team - for giving me half a chance with the costumes this week 😂 After the insane costume levels last week, it was nice to have fewer costumes to talk about this week! Have to admit I did go off on a bit of a side quest while writing this - shout out to fridge and beer theory 😳😂🤓

I'm not going to go character by character this week because they did something really interesting with the colour palette this episode. So I'm going to break things down colour by colour and it means I'll be talking about Wendell, Tamara and Connor as well!

Firstly there were 3 main colour in use in 6x12 - red blue and grey, with a couple of secondary colours also in play - the army drab green, white and pink. There were also some very interesting parallels at play in the costuming as well - not only in relation to the text, but specifically to the shooting - we see a lot of costume references to that arc as a whole and I'll go into those as we get to them.

as always the rest is below the cut to save your dash!

Red

So in 6x12 we see red/maroon used 4 times and on all 4 occasions its being worn by someone in the role of advisor and or parent/carer.

First up we have Athena (her in a rare denim wearing occurrence!!) in a wine red turtle neck - she is filling the role of advisor for Bobby here - providing him with information pertaining to the investigation into Wendell's death. she is displaying her care for Bobby and his wellbeing - pursuing a seemingly impossible task to help him get answers - she fully understands Bobbys need to pursue the case - the potential for it to impact on Bobbys sobriety if he's unable to get answers. I've spoken before about red being an energetic and powerful colour, we see both those aspects at play in this costume - Athena has powerful information that reenergises the case for Bobby. This is Athena in supportive spouse mode.

Next up we have Maddie - very intentionally in her dispatcher uniform and this putting her in maroon/burgundy. The use of her uniform is an indicator of Maddie managing things - putting up a sort of boundary. She is managing Buck in the same way she would manage one of her calls at dispatch. I need to mention the fact that Buck is in navy blue here - that he is wearing a tee that matches his own uniform and we barely see the grey joggers because he is standing behind the kitchen island. It is important to recognise that both of them are hiding behind being 'in uniform' and we see that fact effectively erecting barriers between them - it is only when the are both out of those colours that they are able to talk and understand (I'll talk more on that later on!).

Wendell's costume here is such a choice!!! Even if we hadn't been told in the previous flashback that Wendell was ex military, we would have been able to reach that conclusion ourselves because of this costume. does it remind you o the way they've styled anyone else on the show? perhaps a certain someone with their own military background?? thats right - this costume is straight out of the Eddie Diaz costume book! long sleeve maroon henley, olive drab combat style trousers and smartish leather boots. they've given Wendell his own twist - with the metal watch and the necklaces, but the look is deliberately meant to look similar to Eddie. The general audience will subconsciously draw the association.

For me this costume and its use in this particular scene is super fascinating - a conversation about 'getting back out there' and dating around a bit and the concept of impulsivity compared with Bobby knowing that Athena makes him feel like he's on solid ground. the costume is very much helping to foreshadow Eddies story here - he's going to take the road that Wendell suggests here - date around a bit - before figuring out what Bobby already has - that he wants and already has someone who makes him feel like he's on solid ground. the show has been paralleling Bathena and Buddie for a long time now, this is just another example of them doing this, especially because Bobby and Buck have been costume paralleled a lot, as have Athena and Eddie. The fact that the show has chosen to use this scene as part of this episode where those costume parallels are especially loud is really telling, clever and shows they're having fun with the build up of this slow burn!

Eddie - Like I've said above this is some very intentional costume paralleling going on in terms of foreshadowing for Eddie in the rest of season 6. But there is also the parallel to Athena and Maddie (we can pull Maddie into the paralleling because they chose to put Chimney in blue when Maddie get's home from work). the maroon is in the red part of the colour wheel and shares many of the same attributes - mostly relating to power, passion and confidence, but also its brown undertones hint at stability and comfort as well as protection.

These are all things we see from Eddie in the two scenes - the comfort and protection Eddie offers Buck in the first scene that allows Buck to fall asleep on the couch, with those same traits combining with stability, power and confidence in the kitchen scene. Eddie is the epitome of stability from bucks perspective - the Diaz house is a stable and supportive place and Eddie is at the centre of that for Buck. The power and confidence come from Eddies knowledge of Buck, giving him the space he needs and knowing when to push, but also from Eddie himself knowing where the line is - know ing that Buck won't benefit from Eddies full honesty at this point in time.

All of that is not the only thing that shirt is hinting at. I've spoken a lot about the use of maroon on male characters specifically as a symbol of fatherhood and parental responsibility and here is no different - Eddie making Christophers lunch in the kitchen scene (is this kitchen scene .3 or .4 ?) was a very deliberate choice for the simple reason that it connects to the shooting visually - right down to the choice of putting Eddie in dark trousers - mirroring Buck when he tells Christopher about his dad being shot. The Christopher of the equation remains relevant even now - as they actually talk about the shooting for the first time - he is not directly a part of the conversation, but he is still there in the background (in much the way the will still lingers in the background).

Blue

So fun overarching fact about the use of blue in this episode - it gets progressively lighter as the episode progresses! This is something the show has been playing with a bit this season - especially in connection with Buck. It's so informative as to the journeys of Bobby and Buck in this episode.

We do also see Chimney and Tamara in blue in this episode, but only once. Chimneys is in balance to the Red of Maddie - its playing into the colour trope of couples that we've seen the show use over and over to both draw parallels between the actual couples on the show as well as draw parallels with those couples and Buddie.

Here we Have Chimney in a shade of blue he wears a lot, I think this jumper is the same on we see him in when Maddie's kitchen floods, but the lighting is very different in the two scenes and that makes it hard to be sure. it is important to note that this blue doesn't sit in the same colour spectrum of the other blues in this episode - its much more of a green blue - having peacock or turquoise undertones. this is a deliberate choice - it still allows chimney to sit in the colour blocking of blue and red that we see in this episode and in the show more widely, but it also others him - he doesn't fit into the journey towards healing that we see the others go on.

Bobby goes through a spectrum of blue like I said. this first polo is really hard to define - its under a heavy filter which gives everything a greyish yellow tone - which the show uses in most of its flashback scenes. we can see its blue, but as to the specifics of shade, its hard to tell - it is definitely towards a navy colour, but not as dark.

This is a moment when Bobby is vulnerable, but is accepting of help - a darker navy wouldn't be the right choice here - bobby is in the darkness that navy hints at, but he is also accepting the help he asked for and this lighter slightly greener tone the filter gives the shirt shows us that - the greener tone suggesting growth.

Then we move on to the shirt we see Bobby in for most of the episode. The lighter navy with a bluish grey check pattern. The Check foreshadows (as always) the problems Bobby is going to face in his hunt for the truth of what happened to Wendell.

I loved the fact that they put Bobby and Tamara in similar shades of blue for this scene. its a brighter blue - much more of an azure or ultramarine blue - much more hopeful supportive and accepting. its meant to show us that they are in the same place emotionally, but also it ties the help they received from Wendell to the two of them - pointing out that because of him they are both on the right path .

Bobby then wears full dark navy blue when the Walshes are arrested (the picture of this is down in the other colours section of this post) with the same green jacket as the one he wears when he meets up with Tamara

Then we get this grey blue shirt when we see Bobby in full sponsor mode.

As you can see the blue gets progressively lighter as Bobby progresses through the episode and we end up with him a colour that matches the check from the first shirt. I think this is intentional - that we're supposed to read it as Bobby breaking out of things that have been holding him back up to now. The other thing about this blue/grey shirt is that it's almost the same colour as the knit polo that Buck is wearing . This is telling me two things - we are supposed to make the connection between where Bobby is at and where Buck is at respectively - that they are at similar points in their respective healing journeys - something made more obvious by the two costumes being worn at the same time in their respective scenes. The other thing it's doing is reinforcing the father son aspect of Bobby and Bucks relationship - visually connecting the two of them at the same time as the script.

Buck in navy - like I said above - this is very much about reflecting Bucks LAFD uniform - especially in relation to Maddie, Josh and to a point Hen. we get to see the grey sweatpants much more when it comes to Hen, because this is the person Buck has been most honest with up to this point and then Connor - once Buck establishes he's not part of Maddies schedule!

The navy is also an outward manifestation of Bucks internal struggles with the whole dying part of his reality post lightning strike. navy is often associated with depression and with avoiding confrontation (one of the reasons its used as a uniform colour so often) and attention. Here we have a Buck who is trying to do both - avoid causing confrontation and trying to deflect attention away from himself (the script also shows us this by is his leaving a note and running to Eddies) ad well as making it obvious that Buck is struggling with his mental health and over facing up to the reality that he died.

The final costume we see Buck in is this very light blue knit polo - which has grey undertones and connects in with crash and learn and the locker room conversation Buck has with Hen - about the secret to happiness. Having seen Buck in blue or grey for all of the episode, this bluish grey merges the two colours together and implies that the two different versions of Buck - the closed off navy blue one and the honest vulnerable grey ones have merged - erring more towards the grey version of Buck than the navy one. this is a clear choice - it shows Buck accepting and embracing that more vulnerable version of himself and we see that in action when he talks to Maddie about her over the top schedule.

The other thing with this pale blue is that it ties into a series of moments we've seen from Buck since 5x18. The blue suit of Hen and Karens wedding - representing the freeing himself of Taylor, the blue shirt from the locker room conversation with Hen when we see Buck really start to think about what it is that he wants/needs to be happy and when we find out that Kameron is pregnant, and now this one. All of these are moments when Buck is making progress in figuring out what he wants and how he can find his happiness - in some ways they are like the use of Bucks white shoes - where as those are a more general representation of his journey - the smaller steps as it were, these blue outfits are bigger strides forward.

Grey

I have so many thoughts about the grey of it all in this episode!! We only see Buck and Athena in grey.

Athena wears this grey turtleneck and waterfall front cardigan combo. Grey is a neutral colour, but it is also a colour of compromise and here we see Athena essentially compromising with bobby and giving him the information he needs to get in contact with Tamara.

The ribbed grey jumper that Buck wears to Eddies house along with the lighter grey sweats is such a choice. First thing to point out- this jumper has been put on over the navy blue tee - we can see a slither of the tee in the picture below - between the jumper and the sweats (costume department for the win on little details like these!)

Grey is like I said above a neutral colour, but it is also somewhat ambiguous - because of its place between black and white on the colour chart. it is also associated with wisdom and maturity. here we have a Buck who is being mature in his recovery - being wise

The fact that the ribbing gives the jumper an air of chainmail is also an interesting thing, it hints at the idea of protection - its not the full on protection of plate armour, but it is non the less a protective layer - in this instance it is Buck both protecting himself from Maddie's overbearing (but well meant) schedule, but it also serves as a barrier for the kitchen conversation - that in between stage we've spoken of, where Buck and Eddie aren't fully ready to talk about the full implications of the shooting. Eddie reads it and doesn't go into the full truth of what he remembers - the grey jumper is the visual representation of the fact Buck is still not fully ready to talk about it (even if Eddie is).

The use of ribbing also means this jumper fits into a theory i've been keeping an eye on since 6x01 with regards to Buck and vertical stripes - you can read it at the end of the 6x01 meta if you haven't already read it. Essentially though - Buck seems to wear vertical stripes when he is emotionally imprisoned or trapped in some way. this jumper is maybe stretching the metaphor a bit, but the theory works for this scenario - Buck is struggling - reckoning with death and the emotional trauma that has brought him. Its going to be interesting to see if this continues to play out in the rest of 6b!

The final thing to point out about this jumper is the long sleeves - and this ties into the costumes of all the other characters as well - when around Buck. If Buck is wearing short sleeves everyone else is wearing long sleeves and if Buck is wearing long sleeves, then the characters he interacts with (only Eddie) are wearing short sleeves. This is significant - Buck is his most open and honest about where he is at with his recovery etc when he's wearing long sleeves and his opposite is wearing short. Eddie wearing short sleeves appears to be concealing things from Buck - much like Buck has been doing with everyone else in this episode - not being completely honest with them. its a play on the idea of Buck being good at hiding his true feelings from others - in physical form and only making himself vulnerable when he has protections in place and he's with one of the few people who can understand his trauma (Chimney is the other one but we don't see them interact in this episode!).

Other colours

Hens costume is very much carrying on her costume theme from 6x11 - which is perfect - the orange brown and green place her in the same context as we saw her last week - its a form of continuity - she is still the representation of emotional strength and optimism through the orange, the brown is still the representation of stability and the green (which has gotten brighter) is still a reference to growth and security and health. The green being more obvious this epsiode is showing us the improvement in Bucks health - Hen is the most skilled medic on the show - her being in green is a show of that in connection with other characters when the scene is not about her directly - in this case - Buck and his health post death and resurrection.

Connor is an interesting one this week, the tan/beige jacket combined with the baby pink and blue pinstripe shirt is telling me a lot of things! Firstly the beige - beige is considered a 'boring' colour and as such it is often used to mask other things - its a colour that 'blends in with the crowd' and it being worn as an outer here is very much playing into that as a concept - outwardly Connor is deflecting attention away from himself - from his own internal struggles

The pink and blue pinstripe shirt however is saying a whole lot, firstly the use of pale pink and blue - colours that often have 'baby' placed in front of them as a denotation or the specific shades - baby pink and baby blue. This automatically and subconsciously encourages the brain to think about babies - the central theme of Connors arc on the show - pregnancy, babies/children and fatherhood or pending fatherhood.

Pink has lots of meanings attached to it, but pale or baby pinks are generally considered to represent immaturity and or naivety and I think that is what its use is trying to suggest here - it is foreshadowing and hinting at Connors actual feelings around Kameron's pregnancy.Its telling us that Connor hasn't actually thought through (not necessarily intentionally) the full reality of being/becoming a father when the child is not genetically his - its hinting that that is his journey (and Bucks) for the remainder of the season and pregnancy.

Again there are lots of meanings that can be attached to blue and it comes in a myriad of shades (probably the most wide range of shades of any colour to be honest) which also impacts its meaning. The blue pinstripes here are very much of the baby blue variety there are a couple of things that I think the use of blue here is trying to tell us - firstly blue at the lighter end of the spectrum tends to be positive, it also tends to be responsible and reliable. the fact that the blue stripes 'run through' the pink - the implication being that it runs through that naivety that I spoke about a moment ago - thats essentially a good thing - its telling us that the outcomes of this arc will be positive - I'm guessing that Connor will get his head around being a dad - learning and understanding that genetics don't necessarily make a father.

The other thing we need to talk about with regards to Connor - that I spotted and I think hints at things to come is his wedding band. in the above picture he is wearing it on his right hand rather than his left - as he has done all the way up to this point. THis can only be an intentional choice - in America the most common finger to wear a wedding band on is the left ring finger (its not something that would get missed or that would be put on the wrong hand by accident). Connors wedding band changing hands is pretty telling.

Interestingly there are a few things about wearing a wedding band on the right hand instead of the left - it is common in many countries - including Peru (👀) but it is also symbolic - before gay marriage was legal, it was (and still is) common for same sex couples to wear rings on their right hands as a show of commitment. The other (and possibly more relevant reason here) is that it is a fairly common thing for people cheating on their partner to do - it can be a signal of availability. Now I'm not saying Connor is out and out cheating on Kameron, what I am saying is that his wedding ring changing hands may be a visual signal that he is struggling with his relationship and is emotionally not al in it at the moment - that he is perhaps not feeling connected to his marriage because of his struggles with the baby and not being able to emotionally invest in that aspect of his relationship at this moment.

Its going to be very interesting and telling the next time we see Connor and Kameron on screen together if the ring changes back - and if we see it on the right hand again!

Maddie in black and pink when Buck and her have an honest conversation about their individual trauma and the way its interconnected is an interesting choice the black and pink has similar vibes to the maroon and black of Maddie's uniform, except its dressed down, its more flow-y and as a result more inviting of Bucks honesty and Maddie's own admissions. The pink is representing Maddie's nurturing tendencies, but also her unconditional love for her brother. I've said before that black is a colour of power and sophistication - here those traits are showing the power of growth and sophistication is both Maddie and Buck developing and understanding the complexities of their traumas and developing better ways of dealingwih them.

I've included the picture of the shooting below at this point because I want to highlight a couple of things. I've used this picture because its the only time we can see all of what Buck is wearing - White high-tops, black socks, grey trousers and the infamous white shirt with grey pinstripes.

Tamara is the first costume hint at the shooting arc we get in the episode. the white pinstripe shirt and the white high-tops are very much a direct reference to Bucks outfit. If we look at the bigger picture here and look at both the arc and the characters as a whole then we can see clear similarities between this arc and the shooting arc.

We have an 'overdose' as the catalyst in both arcs. Charlie both being dosed by his mother and his act of overdosing her, which leads to Eddie being shot as he tries to help. Then we have Tamara - in the same position as Charlie - she's being controlled in a similar way by the Walshes through her previous drug use etc. Wendell fills the role of Eddie in this arc - he is the one that goes in to help Tamara and ends up 'shot' (read shooting up as a metaphor for being shot!) as he tries to help. Only unlike Eddie, Wendell does actually die. Tamara also fits into the same roll as Buck - she is there when Wendell dies - in the same way Buck is there when Eddie gets shot.

Bobby and Athena placed in essentially the same roles (more on Athena in a moment) as in the shooting - a bit more of a lean into Bobby solving things where as Athena was more filling that role in the shooting arc, but the outcome is the same.

The arrest of the Walshes shows Athena back in her usual colour ways of black olive drab and white, which is an important touchstone for us as viewers (especially after we spent so much time in a coma world last week), but it also plays into the shooting arc throwbacks with her costume - the leather jacket is not identical, but its almost the same as the one she wears for most of the investigation into the shooter in the season 4 arc.

Finally we get Athena in this amazing purple jacket - dark purple being a colour of magic, spirituality enlightenment and wisdom. this jacket is in its own way connected to the shooting arc - the fact that Bobby didn't let Athena in that time - when he was trying to sponsor the drunk driver from blindsided (4x09). It shows us just how far they have both come since that moment.

Finally I have to talk about Bucks white high-tops because they were very prominent in this episode. I've had the theory for a while that they represent his journey towards happiness (there is a post on my pinned post all about it if you haven't read it or want a refresher!).

He wears them all the time he's not at the loft in this episode - their most prominent appearance is on Eddies Coffee table (buck I love you but you're a heathen!!) - literally the only time you should put your feet up on the coffee table is when you are at home - never at someone elses house - this plays into the whole 'this is Eddies house, I'm not really a guest' of it all. the fact that he does so in his white high-tops is actually really important - we've never seen those shoes anywhere except the floor up to now - Buck putting his feet up while wearing them is a symbol of both him being at home/ coming home, as well as a symbol - its foreshadowing that Buck's journey to find happiness ends here - at home in the Diaz house and as a part of the Diaz family!

we also see him wearing them at the park when he is contemplating the fire that lead to him being hit by lightnin after his appointment with Dr Salazar - again this is Buck very much on his journey - he is contemplative and making progress!

And there we have it 6x12 costume meta done!! Thank you as always for reading - it really does mean the world to me that you're interested in the costuming of our wee woo show!!

As always tagged people below - if anyone wants to be added to (or removed from) the list please let me know in the comments and I'll add you to the next one! Same goes if your url has changed and the tag is no longer working 😎

Until the next episode! 💜💜💜

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @buckscurls @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @callanee @calyssmarviss @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @spotsandsocks @livingwherethesidewalkends @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @dickley-buddie @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @ktinastrikesback @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @talespinner230 @pop-kam @swiftiebuckleys @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @butchjerry @mandzuking17 @yelenascowboys @copyninjabuckley @name-code-black-widow @rogerzsteven @bi-moonlight @wandiinha

#kym costume meta #911 costume meta #6x12 costume meta #911 costumes #911 on fox #911 fox #911onfox #evan buckley #bobby nash #athena grant #maddie buckley #eddie diaz #hen wilson #chimney han #911 meta #911 season 6

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theresattrpgforthat · 10 months

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Help! My fiance won't stop not killing people! Do you know of an rpg that plays well with one DM and one PC that still has the aesthetics of DnD or classic fantasy, but where violence is more of a last resort than the primary way to resolve conflicts? One where you can actually feel like a good guy.

THEME: Non-Combat, Heroic Fantasy

Hello there, so I’m going to include games in this recommendation that may not be explicitly for two players, but can be conceivably be run with one player and one GM. This is because a number of duet games are built to provide roles for the players that don’t slot easily into the “GM” and “Player” role. I hope you find something that fits both of your goals!

GROK?!, by Lester Burton.

GROK?! is an adventure role-playing game where you assume the role of an adventurer in a gonzo world of boundless plausibility and use your ingenuity and resourcefulness to overcome strange and perilous threats.

Planet Grok was once a haven for trans-dimensional migrants and a bastion of advanced technomancy, until a cataclysm rendered it a desolate hollow planet. Now, feral monstrosities haunt its chasms, cities float among the clouds, and a derelict space station encapsulates the planet and bathes the world in perpetual phosphorescent radiation. Yet, a new era of enlightenment is dawning. Civilizations grow from the ashes, relics of immense power await those who would learn their lost secrets, and threats of caste warfare loom as leaders vie for power. All the while, a creeping black nothingness peers up through the hollow of the world.

This is a game heavily inspired by a lot of heavyweight games that exist in the ttrpg scene, such as Cortex Prime, Savage Worlds, Numenera… the list goes on. The creator describes a “universal resolution” system that is also “fail forward.” This means that you use the same resolution mechanic for every action your character takes, and instances where you fail still move the story forward. I won’t say that it prioritizes other methods before combat, but it certainly looks like you can play it that way. Aesthetically it’s a bit more science-fantasy, but the digital copy is only a dollar, and the Quickstart is free to download on the Itch.io page, so it might be worth checking out.

A One In A Million Chance At Adventure, by Jocher Symbolic Systems.

This is a game where you play the roles of, often unwilling, sometimes zealous, pawns in the cosmic octarine coloured narrative. Your character is not necessarily a "hero" per se, instead one could possibly see it as being important to the story. Characters like yourself do have a knack for not dying as often as a common mortal (or undead if that has been your unfortune). With this follows that you'll naturally have a higher chance of actually, possibly, doing some heroic deeds, just by sheer mathematical logic. Unless, of course, you are the type of adventurer who'd prefer a cup of hot tea and soft slippers and a reliable day job. That does severely reduce the odds of let's say beheading a mythical beast of ill repute or befriending the immodest wood nymphs of Howondaland.

This is a game designed for two or more players, one picking up a GM role and the rest acting as players. It’s a loving tribute to the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, and is therefore free! It is a setting that provides a tongue-in-cheeck reference to classic fantasy, and uses a 2d10 system to follow your character’s humorous attempts at becoming an adventure, and all of the one-in-a-million outcomes that make their stories interesting.

I like that this game uses narrative points to give your character a chance to do something really cool in situations where they don’t have a realistic chance of success. I also appreciate the de-centring of violence in that there are no health points or systems in place to keep track of physical harm. This doesn’t mean that conflict is impossible - it just means that it has to be figured out collaboratively between the players and the GM. What there is a great deal of focus on, is magic, with some really interesting effects that could pop up whenever you cast a spell.

This game is cheeky and knows exactly what it’s trying to emulate, and if you’re familiar in any way with Discworld, I think you should check it out.

Mausritter, by Losing Games.

Take up the sword and don the whiskers of a brave mouse adventurer in Mausritter, the rules-light fantasy adventure roleplaying game.

It’s a huge and dangerous world out there, and it does not look kindly on a small mouse. But if you are very brave and very clever and just a bit lucky, you might be able to survive. And if you survive long enough, you might even become a hero amongst mice.

Mausritter is, at its heart, an OSR game, and while many OSR games are pretty dark in tone, one thing that they excel at is providing characters with situations in which violence can’t be the answer. The costs of trying to fight something as a mouse are just too high - cats and owls and other large creatures are dangerous endeavours that only large large groups of mice have a chance at defeating. So for a two-player game, you’re going to understand narratively the necessity of using your wits. This game gives you a setting that makes it possible to have a game that mirrors more closely some themes in epic fantasy as well, including a magic system with spells that can give characters an even bigger toolbox when it comes to solving problems.

The Weaver’s Observatory, by Gem Room Games.

The Weaver’s Observatory is a two player dramatic fantasy adventure about an explorer seeking to change their destiny by asking a boon of Fate herself. Set in an ancient tower outside time, the Climber shares memories of their life as they cross a moat of living dye, ascend through the threads of discarded fates, and navigate the mechanisms that construct the fate of all living things without knowing if their request is even possible.

While this game doesn’t explicitly call the two roles within it GM and PC, it was designed for Tunnel Goons, which does use those sorts of roles. In The Weaver’s Observatory, one person is a solitary explorer, climbing a tower to request a boon from Fate. The other is Fate itself, representing the tower and the few inhabitants that reside within. The solitary Climber will encounter puzzles, hazards and guards that they will have to solve, avoid, and reason with - so I don’t see much of combat set within either the style of gameplay or the structure of the adventure.

This is a game that can be played as a one-shot, or can be set within a larger campaign. The entire game uses weaving metaphors and iconography, to set a tone for the overall narrative. If you like a tone that is intentional and purposeful, and want to tell a story that has great consequences for the person involved (and possible for a larger world), then this game is definitely worth checking out.

#dnd #game recommendations #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #asks #fantasy #non-violent

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mikhailwrites · 7 months

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All fun and games / Ghost x Soap

Kinktober #12 - Costumes

Why the hell did he agree to this? Oh, right, because Soap promised to give him the best head of his life if he joined him for a LARP. The things Ghost would do for good sex, right? Well, it was more about what he’d do to make Johnny grin the same way he did when he watched one of his expertly designed fireworks go off.

“Remember, you’re dark elf going by Ghost, you’re a rogue, so… no stealth, cloak and dagger, maybe a crossbow or something like that. It’s right up your alley!” Soap rambles, clearly excited, while he affixes fake pointy ears on Ghost. Ghost, who looks very unimpressed by the whole getup. The clothes Soap made him wear are vaguely historical but more in that eye-candy pop culture way. There’s a lot of leather, useless trinkets, and gratuitous lace-ups. He looks beyond ridiculous. Especially since the daggers are made of foam, and the crossbow looks like a toy. It probably is.

The exasperated sigh cannot fully belay the level of Ghost’s embarrassment as Soap clasps a cape on him. Nobody can ever catch a whiff of this, or he would never live it down.

“There you go, fucking brilliant LT!” Soap whistles as he looks Ghost up and down.

“So, if I’m an… elf…,” Ghost says but is interrupted.

“Dark elf! It’s important!” Soap corrects him.

“Whatever. What are you?”

Soap puffs with pride, and Ghost immediately regrets he’s asked. He knows this look. It’s the “prepare for a fucking nerd-out” look.” Soap smiles wide, smoothing his own clothes that look much more normal than Ghost’s. Just a linen shirt with a lace-up, of course, and what looks like some very old-school type of kilt. It’s simple, but it suits him. That’s perhaps the only reason why Ghost didn’t pull off a Houdini already. The sight of Johnny and the prospect of Ghost bending him over by the end of the night, tucking the kilt up and fucking him senseless. He can imagine it so vividly that it takes Soap to jab him in the ribs to get his attention. “Yer not even listenin’!”

“Sorry,” Ghost says, even though he’s not.

“’S fine, just remember, whatever you do, you gotta stay in character.”

“Like undercover?”

“Aye! Exactly! Ye ken… just… let’s say this is a mission. The objective is to find a certain item. We dinnae ken what is it, where it is, or who knows aboot it. The only way to get it is to pretend we’re someone else.”

“I understand,” Ghost nods, suddenly much more at ease with the whole thing.

They walk out of the tent and are greeted by a large group of… individuals. The costumes range from extravagant and colourful to clearly repurposed items from granny’s closet. There are a few people in armour, too. Ghost feels somehow comfortable in his role. It’s not that different to what he usually does for a living, after all, and thankfully, Johnny does most of the talking as a charming charlatan and a gifted alchemist.

Some good negotiation and pointed intimidation later, they’re much closer to their objective. Ghost has to admit that he’s having a bit of fun. Especially once another group of players attempts to steal Soap’s notes containing all the clues they’ve gathered so far. The skirmish ends before it even begins in earnest. Ghost is holding back a lot, obviously, but he still outmanoeuvres and overpowers their opponents easily, while Soap stands back, looking almost bored. He has made Ghost his bodyguard of sorts, not that Ghost really minds.

Once they go through the loot, they’re rewarded with a vital piece of information they’ve been missing. It’s time to get their prize.

The powerful artefact they’re after is well-hidden and well-secured. Which means it’s booby-trapped to high-heaven. Ghost disarms the tripwires and pressure plate, and just as he’s about to make another step, Soap stops him. “Don’t move!”

Ghost freezes instantly; it’s the same deeply ingrained reaction he’d have in the field. Soap comes up to him, inspecting the area just in front of them. Unclasping a pouch with some alchemical ingredients from his belt, he pours a bit of bright orange sand into his palm and throws it into the air, revealing a few laser beams. “Well, looks like a magic trap. Let me deal with that.”

Soap looks right in his element as he takes out various trinkets, including a small mirror. With some clever refraction, they manage to pass, only to be met with another test. They can already see the chest, but there’s a letter lock on it. There’s also a piece of creatively half-burned paper with an overly ornate and somehow ominous message. Johnny reads it out loud: “Only those with the heart of Gold deserve to see the power I hold. Well, that’s a riddle. The key to the lock is a word, five letters.”

Ghost fiddles with the lock. “I could force it open.”

“That would be boring. Give me a second.” Johnny hums, thinking hard. Then… “It can’t be that easy… can it?” With a doubtful look, he slides the dials until it spells “Aurum”—the lock clicks.

As soon as Johnny takes the obscenely large and obviously fake ruby out of the chest, Ghost grabs him from behind and presses him against his chest just as he pretends to stab him in the back with the fake dagger.

“Ghost! What the… oh no…,” Johnny trails off as the realisation dawns on him. “You traitorous shit!” Soap does a bit of a show of going down, slowly bucking his knees and sliding from Ghost’s grasp. Ghost tries for semi-convincing acting, kneeling next to Soap as he gently pries the artefact from his hands.

“I’m sorry, darling, but you know what they say: never turn your back to a dark elf,” Ghost lowers his head and kisses him goodbye.

Once Ghost claims his prize and after a short but grand ceremony of naming him the ruler of the land – until the next year - they return to the small lodge and their rented room. Johnny is silent the whole way back, but once the door closes and they’re alone, he speaks up. “Ye bastard! Ye eejit! I brought ye with me so ye would help me win!”

“What can I say, Johnny? There can only be one,” Simon deadpans as he holds up the sceptre, marking him a king. He will return it to someone from the organisation team tomorrow.

Soap stares at him with a bloody murder in his eyes as he points an accusing finger at him. “Was that… did ye just… did ye quote a bloody Highlander, Ghost? Oh, that is low even for ye.”

Ghost’s smile is disgustingly smug as he sits down on the edge of the bed. “What’re you going to do about it, Johnny?”

He barely finishes the sentence before Soap is on him, straddling his lap, tilting his head and kissing him like a savage. It’s all teeth and tongue. “You’re lucky you look so good in all that leather.”

Ghost smirks, sliding his hands up Johnny’s bare thighs under the kilt. “I was wondering…” his hand slides higher, feeling nothing but warm skin.

“Of course, you were,” Soap chuckles. “Could feel you staring at my arse for the better part of the day. But with the shit you’ve pulled, I think I’ll revoke your rights to it. Your majesty.”

“You know, with all the magical power I now have, I guess I could resurrect you, make you my prince consort or whatever,” Ghost suggests, caressing the soft skin but making no further move.

“Bargaining now, Ghost?” Soap cocks an eyebrow, pretending to think hard about it. “But…” he trails a finger along the laces of Ghost’s trousers, “I’m feeling generous tonight.” It goes without saying that he’s also horny.

Ghost lets himself be pushed down to the mattress, lets Johnny kiss him, and opens up to his tongue. He’s still holding him, kneading the muscles on Soap’s thighs, enjoying the fact that he doesn’t have to hassle with trousers to get what he wants. As an added bonus, his cock twitches every time he reminds himself that Johnny spent the whole day walking around commando.

Johnny’s mouth moves to Ghost’s jawline, to his neck, on which he sucks dutifully. One of the perks of Ghost’s renown is that he can parade around with love bites, and nobody dares say a thing. Soap would never admit to it, but he enjoys the privilege more than he probably should.

Ghost groans and smacks the back of Johnny’s thighs. “Give it a rest, you vampire.”

Johnny laughs, sits back and tucks Ghost’s shirt up, dragging his blunt nails across the scars all the way from his chest to the waistline of his trousers. Soap licks his lips, deliberate with the gesture so Ghost would notice. He does, and he’s had quite enough of the foreplay.

Johnny laughs as Ghost manhandles him to switch their position. Now it’s Johnny’s turn to lay on his back with Ghost looming over him, brown eyes dark and hungry. Soap bends one knee, feeling the thick tartan slide down, revealing a lot of skin. He can also feel the leather, warmed by Ghost’s body heat, and it makes him buckle his hips, seeking at least a little bit of friction. Honestly, he’s so hard it almost hurts.

Simon, to his credit, possibly feels at least a little bit bad about betraying Johnny earlier because he doesn’t tease him like he normally would. Instead, he sneaks a hand under Johnny’s kilt, brushing against his prick.

Simon chuckles at Johnny’s sharp intake of breath. “Well, this is convenient.”

The smugness leaves him as soon as Johnny retaliates; the lace-up is much easier and faster to undo than buttons and a zipper. Simon presses into Johnny’s palm as soon as it slips into his trousers. Soon enough, it’s not enough for either of them. Johnny slides Ghost’s trousers and underwear lower, and Simon lowers himself to slot their cocks together before closing his hand around them. The hold is loose at first but tightens after a few languid thrusts. Soap moans, enjoying the fact that they’re not on the base and he can be louder than usual.

Simon hums appreciatively as he kisses Johnny on the neck, worrying the sensitive skin between his teeth. Soap sighs, holding Simon close and rolling his hips in time with Simon’s lazy strokes. Soap tries to urge Simon on, but the only reaction is a muffled laugh and a thumb flicking over his cock-head, making him gasp.

What started as luxurious soon turned into torturous. The need to move and chase the pleasure is overwhelming, but Simon seems dead-set on making Johnny suffer in the most delicious way possible, ignoring the whimpers and jolts as Johnny squirms, trying to get what he wants. “Come on, Simon!”

“Patience, Johnny,” Simon smiles against his quickened pulse, licking along his ear. “Or do you want us to ruin your kilt?”

Johnny’s breath hitches as he’s momentarily thrown off by Simon’s words. He recovers quickly. “Fuck yes.”

“Alright then,” Simon finally concedes, loosening his grip a fraction to allow Johnny to fuck into his hand and against his prick. The slide is smooth, eased by the pre-cum. Simon raises his head, looking at Johnny, who looks at him in turn. Stormy-blue of his eyes dark, brows knit together, and mouth slightly agape in a mixture of desperation and pleasure. He could see this a thousand times and never tire of it.

A moan escapes Simon, a rare occurrence, but he lets it slide. They’re well away from the base, safe from the regulations. The way Johnny’s cock slides against his own, hard, hot and wet, drives him nuts. Without even realising it, he starts to match Soap’s pace.

Despite the pace, the tension in both of them rises gradually. There’s no stress, unlike their quick shags in the storage rooms around the base. No risk of being discovered and punished. Instead of focusing on keeping quiet and stilling every time there are footsteps approaching, they can focus on each other and the sensations.

Ghost’s hips stutter as he loses himself in the feeling of Johnny under him, the sound of his moans, his heavy breathing, and the feeling of his nails digging into Simon’s back. Ghost tightens his grip around both of them as he comes, powerful pulses wrecking his body, making him skip a breath as he spills over his hand and Soap’s cock and soils the precious kilt in the process.

Johnny is quick to follow, spurred by the feeling of Ghost’s release. He manages a few more thrusts, making Simon gasp as he ruts against his oversensitive cock, before he arches into Simon, generously contributing to the mess between them. He feels light, which is a bit absurd, considering Simon is still lying on top of him like a dead weight. Soap doesn’t mind; somehow, it’s soothing and grounding him in the moment.

“Do you think I could convince Price to let you wear leather while we’re on the base?” Johnny asks after a few minutes of silence.

“No, but I want to see you try,” Ghost smirks. “You know, I might take a look if it’s permitted to wear a kilt while on duty.”

“It is,” Soap replies without hesitation. “Not in the field; not officially, but otherwise, it’s permitted.”

Ghost hums, a clear idea forming in his head.

#call of duty #ghost mw2 #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #ghost x soap #ghostsoap #soap mw2 #soapghost #ghoap #kinktober 2023 #kinktober

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invincibleweasel · 11 months

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You know, we talk a lot about how often characters of colour are frequently villainised, pushed to the background or killed off in RWBY, and that’s all perfectly valid and true. But something I haven’t seen much of, is how often characters of colour only ever gain importance or redemption when they are particularly useful to the predominantly white protagonists. Ilia is used as a way of removing the threat of Adam bombing Haven but beyond that, is thrown aside into irrelevancy even as the team moves into Atlas—a place of significant importance to Ilia and her trauma. The Atlas arc should’ve been Ilia’s chance to shine, she is one of if not the most impacted living character by the Atlas elite. Ilia should’ve taken on Nora’s role as the primary criticiser of James’ treatment of Mantle. She lived there. A fact that was pre-established years before. It would’ve made sense. Unfortunately, such logic doesn’t seem to matter to the writers. They would rather send Ilia into offscreen-land once she’s done being useful to the protagonists and instead give her most logical direction of character development to the white Nora. Emerald is another character who plays an integral role in the downfall of a primary antagonist’s machinations. Or rather, her semblance does. Through the use of Emerald’s semblance the group is able to successfully ambush and defeat James. In a similar circumstance during the same time, Marrow uses his semblance to stop the other Ace Ops from apprehending Qrow and Robyn. The entire plan to stop James hinges entirely on these character’s semblances. Emerald and Marrow had to redeem themselves for this plan to work. It makes their redemptions seem forced, convenient and something that needs to be over and done with so they can help and be useful in defeating James and his allies. Instead of something that was earned. These characters aren’t redeemed out of a genuine want to do some good and be better. They’re redeemed because the writers wrote themselves into a corner and needed an easy way out. The last two characters I’d like to talk about are Terra and Alyx. These two are different in a sense that they required little to no redemption but were still narratively used to benefit the white protagonists. Terra is a minor character in Volume 6 who helps the protagonists in their attempt to bypass Cordovin in their mission to reach Atlas. Once again, Terra has a skill that is a crucial part of making sure the protagonists’ plan works. In this case, her knowledge on the communications tower. Ultimately, it’s a small and insignificant moment but is something that tends to add up when it’s a consistent and recurring theme. Alyx. A character that was done dirty by the narratively completely. First introduced as the moral of the Ever After - an endlessly cruel, selfish and deceitful child who made things for the Afterans so much worse. An idea that isn’t challenged until the very end, wherein she becomes useful to Jaune. Not only bringing him back to the fight against the Curious Cat but also in reverting Jaune’s aging through her dagger. Beyond this, her story begins as a cautionary tale and ends being violently murdered and turned into a tool for the white protagonists’ success. A key piece of information to note, is the fact that in all five scenarios. The plans were initiated by white characters to make use of their non-white allies skills and abilities. Blake is the one who brings Ilia to the ‘light’ and acts as the leader in leading the Menagerie militia in foiling Haven’s destruction. Jaune is the one who comes up with the plan to steal the Atlas airship, and the one who benefits from Alyx’s death. Weiss and Winter are the ones who specifically collaborated in coming up with a plan that used Emerald and Marrow’s semblances to their advantage. These characters of colour are being written as tools to be used by the white protagonists until they are no longer useful and are then subsequently written out of the show or pushed into the background, never to be seen again. It’s a disturbing pattern and one I fully expect to continue as we move into Vacuo.

#rwby #rwde #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #qrow branwen #james ironwood #winter schnee #robyn hill #marrow amin #terra cotta arc #emerald sustrai #rwby alyx #the curious cat

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ericeffiorg · 1 year

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it’s taken me 3 seasons to realise this but the only people on ted lasso that are allowed genuinely complicated stories are the white characters and it’s been the case the whole time, this third season just kind of confirmed it.

as nice as sam’s story felt, it was really nothing more than surface level and just felt like a replica of what we’ve already seen in the media. portraying real stories is what can makes television really compelling, but when the televised story is basically a cut and paste of a news article or a documentary without giving the characters depth and long-term storytelling, then what is the point? it was a surface level story to get the clicks and the viral moments that can capture the heart of people who watch a random clip on tiktok or twitter and don’t need any more context, because there isn’t really much else needed. unlike the build up of jamie and roy’s hug, ted’s panic attack, keeley’s first kiss with a woman, or ted being betrayed by nate, sam’s story can literally be chopped up into a single clip at a time and no more context is needed to get what’s going on because it really wasn’t given any detailed aspects. and to be honest that’s what sam’s character has been this entire time.

the notion of the show is to fight evil with kindness and that works when your friend is being mean to you or your mentee betrays you like it is with ted’s stories. but it doesn’t work that way with someone like sam. his role in the show since the beginning has been “the good immigrant” that fights violence with kindness, despite being confronted with more violence than anyone on the show. he was told to stop speaking about his people by the prime minister and his restaurant was vandalised, yet it only made up to no more than a 1/3 of the episode. other much less important moments had more screentime in an episode that depicted a very real scenario that we literally saw happen a year ago. and even then, ted got to interrupt his moment with his dad and steal the shine, and then it was made about the entire team coming together rather than the deadly discrimination against immigrants and violent racism.

the people of colour on this show are only really used for quick gags and to show that men can be silly and goofy too and to have a big middle finger to toxic masculinity - which in turn is kind of just repeats the same toxic masculinity points because other than jamie and roy, the other men’s “anti toxic masculinity” messages are just covered in humour and never taken seriously. isaac’s journey to becoming the captain of richmond was all about roy and we never really saw his point of view other than a few scenes. and then it felt rushed. dani is just like sam, except the only time he ever speaks is to have a funny moment where his kindness is the butt of the joke. and even though he’s not a person of colour, colin’s coming out story has been so incredibly surface level that i don’t even know why they bothered to do it. nothing new was given, it was just a white man in the closet who has a boyfriend and gets caught. you can describe his story to a stranger and they could probably find it done on riverdale but with more screentime.

and nate’s redemption arc is about a white woman finally seeing him as a human despite the fact that he was never actually mean to her and just wanted to please his parents in a place he never really felt welcome. he was horrible to ted and richmond, but that jade lady was horrible to him from the get-go and we’re now supposed to see this as very sweet and sentimental.

the show is written for white audiences and doesn’t do anything daring, and i feel like it never actually did. maybe it was because it premiered during such a dark time and it was nice to see grown men in typically toxic environments be the opposite, but i don’t think the show is nearly as clever or as groundbreaking as it has gotten the credit for.

#anyway #will see how the rest of the season pans out but it's been terrible so far #sam is the glitter on the shitter of a season and even then #just not good #ted lasso #sam obisanya #dani rojas #isaac mcadoo #colin hughes #ted lasso s3 #tv thoughts

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luna-rainbow · 1 year

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What draws you to a character? Is it moral conflict or cardboard good people ??

Oooh thanks for the interesting question but why do I get the vague sense this is bait 😅

Very few people with an ounce of writing experience or critical analysis skills likes “cardboard people” regardless of whether they’re good, bad, or anything in between. A cardboard person has not been written into a character. They’re just a collection of traits to serve a certain role in a story. Depending on the genre and their importance, that is not necessarily a writing flaw. When you have a 100 minute movie you cannot possibly develop every character. However, if your main character is a cardboard person that means the writer hasn't done their job and by gods other writers pick up on that. Nat, for example, was not a character in IM2, she was a cardboard femme fatale, because she had no inner world and no inner conflict to speak of.

On the converse, a well-written character will always have conflict , regardless of whether they’re good, bad, or anything in between! And a good conflict, one that has complexity - both ethical and emotional - will reveal layers about a character's value systems and psyche and make them a whole person, and that's what I like.

As I've always said, the first character I liked in the MCU was Tony, because here is a guy who was introduced to us self-centered and has it all, then you realise how little he has in term of human relationships (partly due to his own doing), and in the end he lets go of some of his material possessions and earns human connections. The second character I loved was Loki, because he's not a bad guy by nature, and he's perpetually torn between genuine love for his adoptive family, and anger at the lies they built around him and the identity they took away from him. The third character I loved was T'Challa, who through a fairly small role in Civil War was able to go through an entire conflict around grief, loss, compassion and forgiveness.

I came to like Steve and Bucky after I've gotten some context about 1930s America that the movies didn't give us. Steve's entire existence is a conflict with the world. He starts off the direct opposite of the eugenics ideal (I want to say 'save for the colour of his skin' but eugenicists scoffed at the Irish, so his colour didn't give him an advantage there) then through the serum became the Aryan ideal. He himself continually questions and disobeys the system that has tried to make him into an avatar for their agendas. He yearns of moving forward but the only way he seems to do that is after he finds the piece of his past that he had let slip through his fingers in the alps. And Bucky has a similar arc, how does he marry the identity that was forced upon him to who he once was and who he now wants to be? He is also trying to move forward, but can only do that by reconnecting with the past that was forcefully taken from him. Speaking without the shipping angle, Bucky is Steve's narrative mirror, and very similar conflicts drive their stories (which is why Endgame did the equivalent of narrative suicide by making Steve just...abandon all his conflicts and leaving Bucky to continue on with the same conflicts without his mirror) and there's something delicious in exploring that.

Conflict doesn't have to be just the character choosing between right and wrong, although that is a common conflict. You can have a pure good character forced to be in conflict with people around them and that can still be an interesting conflict (when well-written), and it doesn't mean that the character is "cardboard good".

If this ask is about Peggy -- I might enjoy her character if the story had the self-awareness to recognise the moral conflicts in her character. But it doesn't. It writes her as a series of contradictions and presents her as the perfect model of goodness. She fails at even being a cardboard character.

#writing #anti endgame #bucky barnes #steve rogers #anti peggy carter #asks

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bestjeanistmonster · 1 year

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Hey, remember me? Haha, I am once again here to bombard you with some questions about your Oz AU, because I simply couldn't resist! Oh and before that thx for answering my previous questions! It was sure interesting to read your responses to them.

1) So to start up, you said that Tails is the Wizard of Oz, right? And if I remember correctly, I think I read in one of your responses to questions that Sonic wants to make him watch the city of Oz getting burnt right in front of his eyes? Or at least I think, if it isn't, then I am sorry, you can forget that part.

Anyways, the point is, do Sonic and Tails view one another as enemies? Since Sonic is causing havoc and Tails has to make sure that the teon is protected? But most importantly, do they even know each other to begin with? I would be sure up to it to know!

2) When I first saw Sonic's design before he'd transformed into the Witch of the West, I instantly fell in love with it! He is simply too stylish and his hat is a chef kiss! It suits him pretty good. Ah, and red! His whole attire was red! Does this have to do anything with the slippers, since they are the same colour as his previous outfit? You said that they held in the past some value for the blue hedgehog. Maybe they were his as a present form a friend?

3) Shadow's universe has its own Sonic. Does that mean that there would be a high chance that some other characters in the storybook are as well in the ebony hedgehog's world, but Shadow doesn't know that until later on, when he'd gotten out of the book? In addition does Shadow on the very beginning have a counterpart in the storybook, but doesn't appear until the end of the story? As to keep the balance to the world?

Hopefully I phrase everything correctly, can't wait for your reply!

Ooh hi again!! Bring on the questions!!

1) you remembered correct! Sonic wants Tails to see all worked to build and perfect crumble to ash and embers.

Sonic definitely views Tails as an enemy and as a no good, dirty, liar. He hates, HATES him so much and will literally kill him on sight if he so much as sees him and dislikes all outlanders by default because of him.

Tails doesn’t want sonic to be an enemy, that’s the last thing he wants Sonic to be but he has a duty to protect the emerald city. If anything he views Sonic as an unfortunate victim of circumstance and carries a lot of guilt about it.

Sonic was the first person Tails ever met when first came to Oz, and the first real friend he ever had.

A lot of convoluted circumstances and misunderstandings happened that then led Sonic into becoming the wicked witch of the west. A few of these convoluted circumstances and misunderstandings were Tails’s fault

I’ll talk about what they are in a different post but it was a mess

Have a Sonic!

2) thanks!! I really enjoyed designing that outfit for him but he actually didn’t wear those shoes a lot apart from on special occasions cuz their magic shoes. They were a gift from his uncle Chuck, celebrating the day he got to become a witch apprentice when he was 6 and they were the last thing he ever got from him before he died.

Those shoes are not only powerful but they’re also really important to him, he wore them all the time as the wicked witch cuz it gave him a power boost.

so when Eggman stole them from him he was livid.

And so when he saw Shadow, an outlander like Tails, take the one thing he still cares about and refuse to give them back he was feeling a bit murderous.

If the guy wasn’t so entertaining Sonic would have straight up killed him outright.

3) definitely, everyone that exists in Oz is in Shadow’s universe, even peeps he doesn’t know are in his universe.

And I think there probably is a shadow counterpart that appears after all is said and done. Not in the role of Dorothy but maybe somewhere else

#art #drawing #doodles #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth #sonic fandom #sonic fanart #jeanist answers #oz au #wizard of oz au

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badpostureart · 1 year

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It Could Only Ever be Rinharu

Author’s Entry Angle

As of May of 2023, the Makoharu v. Rinharu debate is alive and well, albeit on a much smaller scale than in years prior. I’ve been on team Rinharu for almost a decade now. The earliest I expressed (purely personal) written support for them was back in late October 2014 and my first fanart of them (never shared publicly) was finished in early November of that year. Since then, my writing and art have improved dramatically, but my feelings about Rin and Haru have largely remained the same. Equally, the debate hasn’t changed that much either—at least from those outspoken about their dislike of the other side. Indeed, some variation of the word “toxic” has at one point or another been used to describe both pairings, with fans caricaturing the other side as being overly emotional and/or delusional when faced with content of the pairing they don’t like. It’s honestly quite funny to read!

For me, shipping has been a cheeky exercise in empathy and introspection about relationships more broadly. Rinharu is kind of like a first love. Not only were they the first coupling I would defend with my dying breath, but they were invaluable in contouring my understanding of romantic love in all its absurdities. Undoubtedly, my own experiences (limited as they are) and personality colour my preference, and I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to articulate what I love about these goobers so damn much. What does being a Rinharu truther say about me, if anything at all? I would like to explain my Rinharu-or-bust rationale precisely because this has been such a polarizing debate in the fandom. What is obvious to me is not obvious to others—there would be no debate if that were the case. After all this time, I don’t hate people who ship Makoharu. They have poor taste, of course, but that isn’t worth hating someone over. Heh, just kidding! I’m being an ass on purpose because it’s just so easy!

Being that Free! has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, I understand that people have had a long time to formulate their opinions and dig their heels in either way. I don’t believe engaging in debate will change people’s minds, and that isn’t what I’m trying to do here anyway. This is purely for fun! Additionally, while I’m still relatively new to posting on social media, I’m pretty sure it’s too late to respond directly to some of the points I mention below. Moreover, I don’t want to impose myself onto other people’s conversations—even though they’re public and some are overtly anti-Rinharu and antagonistic towards its supporters. These folks are ultimately entitled to their wrong opinions.

If you decide to indulge me and give my thoughts a read, I offer these disclaimers: I fully appreciate Makoto’s role in the Free! series more broadly and recognize that he is an important person in Haru’s life. Although I’ve never been a fan of Makoharu, I can appreciate where their supporters are coming from. I’m not writing in bad faith and do not wish to antagonize anyone. Equally, if I say anything you agree with, feel I’ve missed something, or think I’m completely out of line, please don’t be shy in letting me know! I’ve long wanted to engage in this conversation, but largely felt too shy to do so!

On Makoto Being “Boring”

Recently, I read a thread on Twitter where someone expressed indignation at the prospect of someone disliking Makoto for being “too nice.” Even after hearing at some point that people who aren’t his biggest fan find him boring, another commentator concluded that it’s “definitely something else.” What that “something else” could be…I’m not sure either! But I can certainly elaborate on the sentiment that Makoto is a boring character.

I, for one, don’t find him incredibly interesting. It isn’t that he’s “too nice,” but more so that his kindness is among the only characteristics I can think of to describe him. Frankly, I don’t know much about Makoto other than he’s kind, considerate, and supportive of others. His biggest flaws, if you could even call them that, are that he has a hard time being assertive and can be cowardly. He’s a nice guy, and how can you hate a nice guy without looking like a complete monster? By the same token, while I can’t hate him, I don’t feel particularly strong enough to like him that much either. I appreciated how Nao asks Makoto in Starting Days whether he likes swimming or simply that it’s something he can do with Haru because it addressed the problem I, (and likely others), had with Makoto’s character: Who is Makoto if Haru isn’t there? Aside from Haru, what does he like? What does he want to do purely for himself? By the movie’s end, I didn’t learn anything new about Makoto. He at least made peace with confirming that although he does like swimming in and of itself, he likes it better when it’s something he can do with his best friend. While completely unoffensive, it’s nothing to get excited about either.

On “Codependency” and “Toxicity”

Based on what we’ve covered so far, is it fair to say Makoto is overly dependent on Haru? Perhaps in some ways, but not to the degree of a complex. Growing up is hard, and being apart from someone you’ve spent virtually your whole life with is quite the adjustment to make. A better example of codependency would be Hiyori and Ikuya, with the former isolating the latter in order to hoard him privately to himself. (But that’s a story for another day).

On the flip side, Rinharu has been called toxic, presumably because they fight and have said hurtful things to each other. Oftentimes, these instances are the result of miscommunications, and while I wish they would be more honest with each other from the outset, they deserve grace too. Being vulnerable is not an easy thing to do—especially concerning someone one has strong feelings for. It may seem easier to push someone away or refuse to let them in to preserve a sense of pride or to protect oneself from the possibility of being hurt all over again. But for all the fighting Rin and Haru do, they have always reconciled and been able to express what having the other in their life means to them. They wouldn’t be able to affect each other as much as they have if they didn’t really care about each other, hm?

On Canonical Material

With translations of the FS Fanbook underway, some folks have suggested that being an “irreplaceable existence” is more significant than “destined to swim together,” but this depends entirely on how each statement is interpreted. Being that Makoto and Haru have known each other for basically their entire lives, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who could possibly know either of them better. They were firsthand witnesses to how the other grew up over the years because they did it together. Indeed, this relationship should in no way be underestimated or thought of as dispensable. Still, being a “destined pair” suggests to me that Rin and Haru’s connection is bigger than either one of them. Put another way, it is as if the universe itself declared that the two were on a crash course to meet and would ultimately share a future together. Now, depending on whether you see swimming as just a sport/shared interest or whether you believe, (like I do), that it’s an intrinsic part of who they are and how they express themselves and love toward others, then the implications of the statement “destined to swim together” are decidedly quite different.

I’ve never felt like Makoto and Haru were anything more than best friends. Between running the same “drop the chan already” routine and essentially being able to read each other’s minds, their relationship has settled into something undoubtedly solid. It’s clear that they understand each other very well and have an unspoken agreement to always support each other. If romantic love were a matter of practicality, Makoto would perhaps be the most reasonable candidate for Haru. It’s a safe choice. But the laws of attraction don’t adhere to whatever is most rational—it isn’t a matter of who knows you the best, has known you the longest, or fights with you the least. It’s about who moves you and makes you feel something. I don’t wish for Haru to make choices just because they’re familiar and easy or out of fear of possibility.

Likewise, Rin is special to Haru in a way different from any of his other friends—something that is acknowledged and talked about by other characters throughout the series. Nagisa remarks in season one that “Haru-chan says he doesn’t care about his times or winning races, but he’s motivated when he’s racing Rin-chan.” Why is that? What is it about Rin in particular that motivates Haru in a way no one else does? Even when they first met, Haru knew immediately that the other boy was going to be a prominent character in his life whether he wanted him to be or not. He tries to get ahead of it, even run away from it, but he decides instead to be brave and open up enough to let Rin, in all his fleeting glory, nestle inside his bones. We’re treated to Haru’s entire emotional range where Rin is concerned. (Frankly, he was the first person I think Haru allowed himself to be vulnerable with by agreeing to join the medley in elementary school). Despite only being in the same class for a couple of months, Rin left a deep and lasting impression on Haru to the point where he thinks about the other boy well into high school. Hell, feeling as though he hurt Rin caused Haru to quit (and later come back to) the sport he loves most. For someone who goes out of their way to avoid participating in, well, life, Rin sure does a hell of a job in moving Haru to actively engage with what goes on around him. In season two, Nagisa knowingly asks Makoto why he wanted to compete against Haru in the prefecturals. Makoto can’t give a definite answer, but says, “Maybe I was jealous of Rin.” If the audience were to understand Rin simply as Haru’s swimming rival and nothing more, Makoto’s words are incomprehensible. It isn’t just a rivalry with Haru that Rin has, but a mutual, intimate connection over the sport. In other words, Makoto’s feelings towards Haru are not reciprocated—and he knows it.

Indeed, while Makoto feels swimming is meaningless without Haru, Haru finds the greatest purpose in swimming with Rin. With Rin missing from his life, Haru was prepared to resign to being ordinary. In being able to swim together, he wants to be and experience more. And this isn’t necessarily to say that Makoto and Haru would have an unhappy life together, just that Rin offers Haru something no one else can—namely beautiful sights to be shared. Whereas Makoto has expressed the desire to be a part of Haru’s life no matter what he decides to do, Rin proposes to Haru that they share a life and a dream together. Haru can always be certain that Makoto will be there for him, but seeing all he and Rin can be is realized only if they move forward together. I think it goes without saying how much Rin adores Haru, what with him talking virtually everyone else’s ears off about him. Kisumi didn’t even swim, but he knew who Haru was because Rin (apparently) told all of his buddies at Sano about the guy with the “cool attitude and eyes clear as water.” The guy thinks of Haru in prose for god’s sake!

Rin and Haru’s relationship has undoubtedly gone through growing pains, but they’re getting better at communicating and being completely honest with each other (and, frankly, themselves). I admire their relationship because it’s so god damn dynamic—it’s playful, adorable, rife with tension, beautiful, devastating, frustrating, complicated, and innate all at once. Perhaps precisely because Makoto lacks dynamism I find the prospect of a romantic relationship between him and Haru to be, well…boring. It's not that their connection is non-existent or some flavour of the word toxic—they have a wonderful friendship—but I don’t get the sense that it will change much, let alone develop into anything more in the future. From my perspective, as soon as Rin entered the picture any chance for a romance between Makoto and Haru was soundly squashed. There was simply no going back to the ordinary time before Rin Matsuoka “coincidentally” ended up at Iwatobi Elementary School.

#rinharu #free iwatobi swim club #rin matsuoka #haruka nanase #makoto tachibana #why i ship rinharu #badposture tumbles

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whynothdif · 2 months

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Can I just ask why people see the need to view the Uchiha as a completely different race to the rest of Konoha? Like, comparing them to poc and saying that it's the same situation???

Uh I think tf not.Bc obviously, the Uchiha were marginalized and seen as feral. (Yeah thx Danzo, fuck you).

And don't get me wrong, I personally think the Uchiha are rly cool and Def should've been treated better, but the thing is, they also did some dumb shit to get themselves penalized. (Am I using that correctly???)

Like.. The Uchiha police force was confirmed and said to have been corrupted. (if u wanna play the Uchiha as POC, then maybe look at the fact that they're also police who r corrupted, like actual police who r corrupted, obv not all but u get my point right?)

I can't remember who said this, (if ur the one who made this point originally, pls comment on this post so I can properly give credit pls and ty) but the Uchiha and Senju were clans that are essentially the same, the main difference being appearance and also the fact that Uchihas have the Sharingan while the Senju and other clans don't.

For eg: The Uchiha have a more homogenized black hair, pale skin, and dark coloured eyes, while Senju appearances have more varieties (from what I can tell)Indra and Ashura Otsutsuki were BROTHERS.

They're not different races. If you asked me, I'd probably say that a good chunk of currently active shinobi clans are probably indirect descendants of Ashura or Indra. (Most likely Ashura since the it would give other clans a chance to develop their own signature jutsu)

Also, it's really insulting to compare an anime situation where the author just kinda bs and brought in characters who's only role was to move the plot forward, to real life problems that POC experience. (I am not a person of colour, but I am someone who has been made fun of being Asian, [that's not important rn])

Well anywho imma end it here. Im writing this at like 11:20pm. I was originally gonna write this as just a question and call it a night, but then it progressed into this.

Haha hmu if u wanna ramble more abt this w me or smth lmaoo.

Also lmk if u think I should make my own hc of what the senju and uchiha clans would be like separately.

#uchiha clan #senju clan #I'm like actually so tired lol

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oldtvandcomics · 10 days

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The Lone Ranger Origin Story is So Good Though (essay)

As far as origin stories go, the one of the Lone Ranger goes HARD. I'm going to base this on the first episode of the TV show, because the first of the radio show doesn't seem to exist any more (?), but I do assume it's close to being the same. Interlaced with some stuff from later adaptations.

So the first thing we see, is this:

"Six Texas Rangers ride across a western landscape, all courageous, straight-shooting men." Their leader, as we learn, is Dan Reid, a Very Brave Texas Ranger About To Do Very Brave Texas Ranger Things™.

.... and now he's dead.

This kind of bait and switch is something that we are used to in our story telling, but at the time, it wasn't exactly something you expected. The massacre of the Texas Rangers is shocking, even if you know that it's coming. So anyway, the guy you expected to be your Traditionally Masculine Protagonist™ is dead, and the only survivor is...

.... his younger brother, who manages to drag himself to a nearby cave where he finds some shelter and water.

So from the get-go, we have:

A traditionally masculine figure, who is presented to us in a way that we 100% expect him to be a "normal" Western protagonist.

Said masculine man getting killed unceremoniously, and replaced by his younger, therefore "lesser" brother.

Who then vanishes into a cave, which is a very traditional symbol of death/rebirth/transformation.

Also we never see his face, a creative decision that this show was very famous for.

(It's also something that later adaptations mess up, by introducing John much earlier. The whole point is that he was a Nobody before his brother got killed and him catapulted into a completely different genre.)

Then The Other arrives.

Said Other being of course our second hero, Tonto. And look, this is a story from the 1950s, based on the original from the 1930s. It has some issues with racism. But also, Tonto IS an Other, in that he is from a completely different culture than the (white) characters we've so far been introduced to. (And an outsider even to his own culture, but that is never really addressed.)

So anyway, he recognizes John BY THE RING HE GAVE HIM WHEN THEY WERE CHILDREN, a thing I'm VERY NORMAL about, and this kind of makes him stay to take care of him - which he definitely would have anyway, given the way he acts in every single story. (Homoerotic cave scene from 1981 my beloved. The only good part of that movie.)

Tonto's motivation in the entire story can be pretty well summed up with "either it's hella gay, or the writers were just racist and kind of forgot to give their character of colour a motivation beyond caring about the white hero".

Anyway. Moving on.

John recovers, and him and Tonto construct him a persona in the very fun way that he just goes with every single of Tonto's suggestions, even if said suggestions are nothing more than a throwaway line. One of said suggestions is The Mask, which Tonto very helpfully makes him from his brother's vest. The Mask doesn't really make too much sense in-universe (at least not past this first story), but narratively speaking, it fulfills the very important role of marking John too as An Other.

So.

Normal man walks (crawls) into a cave, comes out visibly marked as an Other,

He symbolically carries with him the Traditionally Masculine Hero in the form of said hero's clothes,

Which he LITERALLY wears as a mask.

Then they complete his metaphorical death/rebirth by digging a fake grave.

The rest of the story is spent chasing down the criminals who killed the Texas Rangers, but, like. This whole transformation the protagonist goes through, from a minor but traditionally masculine hero archetype to being his own (still masculine) hero who is visibly marked as An Other, is just, really nicely done. In my opinion.

#this was fun!#also leaves me kind of thinking (again) about how great the Lone Ranger would fit as a queer hero #like the symbolism is pretty much already there #meta #character analysis #The Lone Ranger

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a-humble-bagel · 1 year

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So a while ago i made this post about how Morticia and Gomez would 100% accept Enid’s aesthetic, and in that post i briefly talked about how Enid could be considered a foil to Amanda, and I’ve decided to come back to that idea and just compare Enid and Amanda to show how Enid is a wonderful person, and Amanda is not.

(Warning, this is kinda long)

The definition of a foil is a character who contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, to highlight that character’s traits.

An example of a foil would be Holmes and Watson, as Watson’s compassion and the fact that his deductive abilities aren’t as good as Holmes’ highlight Holmes’ intellect and focus on logic. Therefore, my previous statement was wrong, and Amanda is not a foil to Enid because they aren’t in the same form of media. What they are instead is two (sub)versions of the “blonde popular girl trope”.

Blonde girl tropes have taken several forms in media in the last 100 years, with the two main ones being the “dumb blonde” trope and the “mean popular blonde” trope.

While the origins of the dumb blonde trope can be traced to 1700s France, when most people think of a “dumb blonde” they think of Marilyn Monroe.

Monroe’s iconic role as Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), is the epitome of a “dumb blonde”. The character was a beautiful blonde woman who considered a man’s money to be the most important thing about him, and she relied on her looks instead of her intelligence to achieve her goals. Despite the facts that the character Lorelei actually has quite a few clever moments, that the famous song Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend is actually about how men only value women for their looks, so women need to get money in order to survive when they’re older, and that Monroe herself was actually a very intelligent person, both the character and Monroe are considered to be the most famous “dumb blonde”.

A “dumb blonde” has several key qualities, she’s: pretty (and uses this to her advantage), scatter-brained and doesn’t know many basic facts (often in an endearing way), and is usually innocent. In contrast to her, is the newer trope of an equally pretty and popular blonde woman, the “mean popular blonde”.

This trope was really big in the 80s with characters like Heather Chandler from Heathers (1988). These blonde girls are different, they’re snobbish, superior, scheming, and ruthless queen bees who rule high school with an iron first. We can’t talk about the “mean popular blonde” without one of the most famous examples in modern media: Regina George.

The 2004 movie Mean Girls gives us an example of both of these blonde girl tropes. Regina George is the epitome of a “mean popular blonde”. She’s rich, a queen bee, and ruthlessly schemes against anyone who even indirectly dares to challenge her.

On the other hand, Karen Smith is the “dumb blonde”. She’s pretty, stupid, generally well-meaning, and usually says whatever she’s thinking with no filter (which is what leads to a lot of her ‘dumb’ moments). Karen usually just follows what Regina is doing, and doesn’t come up with any schemes of her own.

So, what does any of this have to do with Amanda and Enid.

Well, when we meet both Amanda and Enid in their respective movie and tv show, it seems pretty obvious that they’re supposed to be the blonde popular girl. Amanda seems like the catty mean girl, and Enid seems like she’s endearing but slightly dumb. This isn’t to say that Enid isn’t framed as a popular girl, but even in her first scene she doesn’t seem to be mean, just a little bit gullible.

Enid is colourful, blonde, and takes Wednesday completely seriously when Wednesday describes her gory allergic reaction to colour. (I assume that Wednesday was embellishing to scare Enid because she never actually has an allergic reaction to colour throughout the series) Enid seems a bit squeamish, and very excited and in your face. These are the audience’s first perceptions of her, but before we get into her actual character, lets go over to Amanda.

At first glance, Amanda’s character also seems very obvious. She seems like the rude, judgy, prissy mean girl with a gaggle of cronies to back her up, and the audience can take a guess at how this will play out, and it seems like Amanda will scheme against Wednesday to humiliate her and make her time at camp even worse.

However, neither of these first impressions are accurate to what the characters are actually like (Enid more so than Amanda but just let me explain).

Yes Enid is bubbly, and excited, and popular, but she’s also kind, emotionally intelligent, pragmatic, and just a genuinely supportive and wonderful person who tries to see the best in people. While some of Wednesday’s habits annoy her, and Wednesday’s enthusiasm into diving into the gory parts of the case may unsettle her, Enid never shames her for it. She’s more than a “dumb blonde”, she’s a realistic character that subverts this stereotype of blondes by going deeper into it, which subverts the audience’s expectations.

On the other hand, Amanda subverts expectations by not actively scheming against Wednesday. Yes, she’s a rude, catty, and horrible person, but Wednesday is never humiliated because of her. What Amanda does, and what she represents, is upholding the status quo. It may be Amanda who’s very vocal about her dislike of Wednesday, but it’s also the two camp counsellors that single out and humiliate the “weird” kids. Amanda never actively tries to make things difficult for Wednesday because she doesn’t have to, the society of the camp does that for her.

Amanda may be a spoiled brat, but she never has to try to make others dislike Wednesday, she’s just a satirical representation of the flaws in the the idea of the “ideal American nuclear family”, and her power comes from the fact that the rest of the camp is on her side. On the surface level, she seems like the “mean popular blonde”, and she is, to a point, but she’s missing the key aspect of that trope: scheming. In fact, the entire summer camp is a satirical outlook that explores discrimination and the flaws in the “American dream” (which is what i think i’ll write my next long essay post about, but i’m getting off topic)

Another interesting thing to look at is what Amanda and Enid’s bright colour scheme show about them as characters. Amanda’s aesthetic shows her conformity. If you look at her next to her parents, they all fit together into a nice, neat nuclear family unit. It shows how “normal” she is, and how much she and her family fit society’s standards.

On the other hand, Enid’s colour scheme shows her individuality and rebellion against her parents. While Amanda looks like a younger version of her parents, Enid looks starkly different from hers. Her love of colour sets her apart from her parents’ darker, more “normal” colour schemes. Their difference shows the tension between them and how Enid isn’t quite the person her mother wants her to be. Her aesthetic makes her unique.

In any given scene she’s in, Enid is always the most pastel person there. Unlike Amanda who’s just as pastel as all of the other “normal” people, Enid’s style makes her stand out. It’s clearly how Enid wants to express herself: her room decorations, hair, clothing, makeup, and nail polish all involve a far wider variety of colour than we see on anyone else in the series.

At first glance, it can seem as though she’s meant to represent the “normal” side of things, but as the series progresses, it’s obvious that Enid’s love of colour is just a form of self expression. It sets her apart from others and what’s considered “normal”. In this regard, Enid’s colour scheme is similar to Wednesday’s in the sense that they are both expressions of individuality and rebellion against the norms being pushed on them.

If we compare similar interactions that Amanda and Enid have with their respective Wednesday’s then the differences between them and their roles in the narrative just become more obvious. Take the scenes where they meet their respective Wednesdays.

On the surface level, they seem pretty similar: the popular blonde girl walks up and introduces herself/gets introduced to Wednesday and then promptly asks a question related to Wednesday’s appearance.

However, this is where important things like tone and body language come into play. Amanda’s tone is condescending. When she asks “why are you dressed like that?” what she really means is “why do you look weird? why don’t you look like a normal person?” When she drops her false smile for a look of disgust, it only becomes clearer that Amanda’s kind cheeriness is all fake. She acts like that because it’s what she’s supposed to do, and her cheeriness immediately drops when she’s confronted with something (or someone) that deviates from the status quo.

(I couldn’t find a video subtitles for this scene, but the dialogue from Enid is: Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.)

In contrast to Amanda, Enid’s question to Wednesday seems to be genuine. She’s not wrinkling her nose and looking down at Wednesday as she asks, she’s leaning towards Wednesday, and appears to genuinely care. When she gets an answer to her question, Enid doesn’t say “omg that’s so weird and gross”, she just moves on, respects Wednesday for who she is, and does her best to help her new roommate feel welcome.

I would keep going, but I think this post is getting a bit too long so I think I’ll wrap it up now.

At first glance, Amanda and Enid seem like very similar characters, and even appear to be the same trope. They do have some things in common (being blonde and popular), but their deepest similarity is their role in the narrative in relation to Wednesday. I said at the start that they aren’t foils to each other, and I still believe that, but instead they’re both foils to their respective Wednesdays.

Enid’s overenthusiasm and use of colour as self expression highlights Wednesday’s lack of emotion, lack of colour, and generally highlights her logic. (kind of like Holmes and Watson)

Amanda’s false kindness, the way she looks like everyone else, and her firm belief in sticking to the status quo highlight Wednesday’s individuality, her belief in challenging the status quo, and her honesty.

tldr: Enid and Amanda are very different people. Despite the fact that they seem to be a dumb blonde and mean popular blonde respectively, both of these tropes are undermined, and the characters are taken in completely opposite directions. They’re both opposites/foils to Wednesday, and that, aside from surface level perceptions, is the only thing they actually have in common

(also sorry about the really bad quality of some of the pictures)

#wednesday netflix #wednesday addams #the addams family values #enid sinclair #wednesday 2022 #amanda buckman #the addams family #addams family #wednesday #enid wednesday #analysis

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legendofzoodles · 2 years

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LU Character Design Analysis 1

The incredible designs for each of the heroes was the first thing that sold me on this story and concept. I love analysing things in stories and character design is something I haven’t talked about yet. I got this idea from watching character design analysis videos on youtube, and those creators sometimes put the designs into a tier list. So I thought I’d do that with the LU designs.

I’m going to rank them based off of aesthetic, (i.e. how good the character looks and how well the colours and textures go together), how well the represent the character and how practical the garb would be for the kind of travel and environments in LU- which will be mostly my opinion so take each placement with a side of salt. I’m not an expert on this stuff, but I’ve seen a few videos on colour theory and stuff like that, so I’m going to try my best at applying that here.

Onto the list! Starting with...

9th place: Wild

I’m sorry but there has to be a last place, and for me that goes to Wild. There’s a lot you could do with a redesign of his character, although it’s impossible to mix in every aspect. That being the polished knight aesthetic, the wild survivalist thing he’s always had going on and ancient Sheikah aesthetic- maybe some Zora and Zonai stuff too.

Pros: I love the long ponytail, aesthetically it looks great and it gives the impression that he is somewhat of a rebel, which would reflect his unpopular opinion of the Master Sword and King of Hyrule. Long hair can also act as a shield that symbolizes a lack of maturity or toughness. Wild is as tough as old boots- he is a survivalist after all, but as shown numerous times in the comic he does lack maturity, often acting childish and impulsive.

I will point out that while it is a bit of a shame that the hair is so long because the shorter hair made a similar silhouette to the one the pointed cap made, at the same time it makes sense. The cap is part of the hero’s garbs right? But Wild feels like a screw up, he doesn’t believe himself worthy and therefore still feels like he needs to redeem himself more before he can proudly carry that title.

I love that he’s still wearing the champion’s tunic. I feel like it would hold a lot of importance to him, as it’s a tether to his past self, so he’d worry about making sure it doesn’t get damaged. I feel like in BoTW he wouldn’t have worn it much only when speaking to leaders or those who knew him 100 years ago. He’d wear it all the time around Zelda, as a sort of visual representation of his duty but also to help show that he’s still the same person deep down.

I also really like that he’s wearing the amber earrings, not only because they’re my personal favourite but also it’s a nice nod to the colours of the ancient Sheikah who’s technology played a large role in BoTW.

The guardian scars are well placed too, having them be primarily on one side makes them easy to keep track of. Plus they’re bold and distinct, one of the first things someone’s gonna notice when they see him. The fact that they stand out so much and can’t easily be hidden reflects how Wild can’t hide from his past and has to constantly pick up the scattered pieces of his lost identity. His body is broken and torn like his sense of self, and while those cracks will never quite be the same they can be healed with time.

Cons: Gonna be honest, the dark and light blues of his tunic aren’t really doing it for me. It doesn’t show me that he’s an accomplished knight travelling with the princess, because to me it looks a little like he’s the court jester who happens to train with a sword.

From a character standpoint it could symbolize how much he relies on others (especially Zelda who’s royal dress is that same dark blue) to validate his identity, hence creating a mismatched and stitched together sort of self image- like a mosaic of different people’s expectations and opinions. But to me the two-toned colour scheme doesn’t look very good visually and it doesn’t look very ‘put together’, which I assume is how Wild wants to present himself. Besides, I think the scars do a great job of representing all that on their own.

I do like the style though, the flared sleeves and tunic make him look a little more androgynous, which is I think is one of the best parts about his look from BoTW.

Keeping the hooded cape was a great design choice. Although keeping it short would’ve been much more practical and shown that he still has to do some learning and growing as a person.

I’m a little conflicted by the fact that he’s not wearing any armour or chainmail. On one hand it keeps the essence of his original design from the game and helps him stand out amongst those in the chain wearing chainmail, but at the same time I feel like he would.

He’s been through many near death experiences, if he wouldn’t slap on a bit of chainmail or some metal arm guards for himself, he’d surely do it to put the mind’s of the people he cares about at ease.

...but maybe it would be better to keep his armour as just tough leather which would help him look like a survivalist, but at the same time I like the thought of it being polished metal, but at the same same time I kinda want it to be modified ancient Sheikah material. Like I said, I’m conflicted.

Wishlist: There’s no such thing as the perfect design, but if I could add anything I’d give him a little more of an ancient Sheikah motif. The orange flaps on his boots don’t look right to me. I get that they’re there to balance out the orange in his earrings and arm guards, but I’d like it if it were maybe on the very bottom, or as laces or as little stellar constellation patterns like the ones in the shrines. Those patterns could also maybe be on his quiver or painted on a shield.

I don’t like that the trousers and undershirt are the same colour. I get that they have to be light coloured as too not blend in with the hooded cape, but if it were shorter, his trousers could be a darker.

Ok so, I once saw AoC Link fanart where the artist put the champion’s tunic over the Zora armour, and other than making me gush about how sweet it was, it also made me realise that a dark blue undershirt would go great with the tunic. Since Mipha is dead in BoTW, it wouldn’t really make sense for Wild to have any Zora motifs in his design (unless you ship him with Sidon I suppose)- but that undershirt could also have some ancient Sheikah inspired patterns on it. That could maybe be echoed on his trousers too. Also, instead of having ancient Sheikah armour- which is bulky and can look strange- have it be metallic knight’s armour/or leather and keep the Sheikah elements strictly on the clothes and colour placement.

Last minute thought here but hear me out: what if Wild wore turquoise? A mix of the traditional hero colour and the colour of the Champions. Just putting it out there. Maybe he can wear a turquoise tunic, or cloak or scarf once he fully grows up into a competent and confident adult at peace with both duties.

Btw, all that being said I do like this design for what it is.

Score:

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 4 Character representation score (/5): 3 Practicality score (/5): 3 Total (/20): 10

I didn’t mean to score him low, I had to set a precedent for the others to follow. But this doesn’t mean I think his design is bad, it’s good, I just think it’s the weakest compared to the others.

Sorry I had to give 8th place it’s own post, cuz this was too long:

See 8th place here

7th place

6th place

5th place

4th place

3rd place

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Thanks for reading! What modifications would you make to their designs? And do you agree with me or not? I’d love to know :)

Masterlist

Relevant character analysis/rant posts:

Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors

#linked universe #loz #legend of zelda #lu wild #lu sky #sky linked universe #linked universe wild #linkeduniverse #character design analysis #i love analysing outfits #ive spent too long thinking about this #lu tier list #lu rants

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