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basu-shokikita · 7 months

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Thinking about Toki's character arc in Metalocalypse...

Now that Metalocalypse is officially over, or so it seems, I wanted to go over what Army of the Doomstar means for Toki's growth.

Warnings for spoilers for, well, the entirety of Metalocalypse.

So, over the course of the show, we see Toki repeatedly trying (and failing) to form a meaningful bond with several living beings, people and animals included.

Analysis under the cut ⬇️

Season 1

It starts with a dying little girl called Juliette Sarmangsadandle in Dethkids (S1E16). Toki is upset over being misunderstood aka his public image being associated with kids and vehemently fights the idea by adopting an edgy personality.

When he watches Juliette's video, about being a child that longs for violence, it speaks to him and his childhood. Toki feels seen by this little girl and imagines his child self singing with her.

Sadly, when he goes out to meet her, she's already dead. Here goes Toki's first attempt at connection, utterly butchered.

In the following episode, we're introduced to Rockzo in Dethclown (S1E17). Toki brings his clown friend over and everyone pretty much almost instantly dislikes him. Not to mention Rockzo tries to betray Dethklok for drugs. Still, he sticks around for the remainder of the show as Toki's friend.

Though it's important to mention how much of that friendship involves Rockzo abusing Toki's kindness and generally being a shitty person. He's not exactly someone Toki can rely on.

It is not that significant but I'd also like to give a shout out to Dethwater (S1E02), where Toki is locked in an oxygen chamber and sings to the fishes and creatures in the sea. It's an early episode, but already portrays Toki's friendly nature and colorful life outlook.

Season 2

In season 2, we have Dethlessons (S2E02). After having a disagreement with Skwisgaar's teaching method, Toki meets Dimneld Selftcark. Though initially wanting him as guitar teacher, it's clear Toki doesn't actually intend to perfect his craft and more than anything appreciates his company. Toki even refers to him as 'a father friend'.

However, as luck would have it, Selftcark is ill and dies in Toki's arms after Toki gave his first recital.

Then there's Dethdad (S2E15), where Toki learns that his dad is dying of cancer. Toki is very much visibly affected by his parents' abuse towards him, though he still decides to pay his father a visit. When Toki finally gains the courage to see him and bond one last time, his father requests to see the cottage he was born at before dying.

Unfortunately, Toki steps and slips on his way there, dropping his father into the ice. Toki watches his father die and is unable to do anything about it.

This boy is really just collecting traumas all the way, huh?

Season 3

Dethhealth (S3E03) has Toki adopting a cat he found at a concert. Although he is not the best caretaker of the animal, Toki is very obviously fond of his new pet.

But, of course, the cat was dying, solving the mystery of who was the person dying within Dethklok. Toki is so devastated that he faints and then proceeds to have an elaborate dream sequence for closure.

Fertilityklok comes three episodes later (S3E06) and we find a Toki jaded with casual sex encounters. He decides he wants to meet a partner whom he can have children with. Though initially facing Dethklok's indignation, Toki goes forward with the idea and lands in a dating agency.

They find the perfect partner for Toki but nothing ever goes well with this guy and the lady in question disappoints Toki both in looks and personality. To make things worse, the agency wants to force him in a relationship with her and for Toki to impregnate her, even.

Toki manages to escape the whole charade and decides he's better off with sluts. This one is not so tragic as much as it's just another total failure at forming the connection Toki so desperately craves.

Season 4

Diversityklok (S4E04) and Bookklok (S4E05) feature Toki's interpersonal problems within the band so I figured they were mentioning as well.

In Diversityklok, Toki complains about feeling constantly left out by the band, so he forms a 'special persons invite club' to gain agency over his friends. He still ends up being forgotten by them at the end of the episode.

In Bookklok, Toki has a fallout with Skwisgaar after being denied a solo and writes a book denouncing his behavior towards him. In modern lingo, he essentially cancelled Skwisgaar. He fails to consistently maintain the fans' approval as he flunks the solo he so desperately wanted. His fight with Skwisgaar is not resolved (at least, not on screen).

Finally we get to Dethcamp (S4E07), where Toki's erratic behavior conflates with the mainline plot. In the search for friends, Toki goes to the Rock-a-Rooni Fantasy Camp, where he's almost killed by one of the campers. He's saved by Dethklok's former rhythm guitarist, Magnus Hammersmith and they subsequently become friends.

Good ending? No, Magnus stabs and kidnaps Toki over Roy Cornickleson's funeral, his fate being unknown as the season ends.

Doomstar Requiem

We finally learn how Toki joined the band. He showed up late to Dethklok's auditions and had a guitar duel with Skwisgaar, where he eventually lost. Defeated, he was abandoning the premises when Skwisgaar says that nobody made him play as well as Toki did, inviting him to join the band.

From then on, it's all rainbows and happiness for Toki as his life finally takes a turn for the better. He has found a family and a home. He loves his brothers and his life. Current Toki is on the brink of death and thinking about Dethklok is his only solace.

I might be biased in saying this but the sequence from 'I Believe' feels like the peak of the movie, and I don't think this is incidental.

While Toki is rescued at the end of the movie, we don't get to see a proper reunion.

Army of the Doomstar

Cut to 10 years later, Army of the Doomstar releases and while the plot is much about the end of the world, we get to see post-DSR Toki.

First of all, at the start of AOTD it is stated that Toki (as well as the rest of the band besides Nathan) has forgotten about what happened during Doomstar Requiem. However, his attitude towards the band is very loving, stating he's happy to be back with them.

He's especially fond towards Skwisgaar, attempting to hug him multiple times, worrying and being generally attentive of him. Toki shows both verbal and physical affection towards Skwisgaar over the course of the movie, finalizing in the bridal carry during the before last scene. Compared to the show, it's a huge contrast to their relationship, where Skwisgaar and Toki behaved as rivals, with Toki feeling simultaneously admiration and envy towards Skwisgaar.

But what are you trying to say with all of this, Basu? Well, essentially it's the following:

At some point, Toki started feeling neglected by the band and began seeking love from outside sources. The childhood companion he never had (Juliette), a father figure (Selftcark), his actual father, a pet, a girlfriend and finally...an actual friend he could rely on (Magnus). All of the aforementioned failed, eventually landing him in an even worst situation where he started.

However, being stuck there, wounded, malnourished and dying is what reminded him of the best time of his life. Of the people most important to him. And even if those memories were seemingly gone, the feeling prevailed.

Sure, Dethklok is massively flawed and there's lot of work they have to do with regards to interpersonal relationships, but they're his family and his life. Perhaps the lifestyle or his need for ego/power (Skwisgaar plays a big hand in this) made him forget about it for a second, but he knows it now. He doesn't need to look for love from strangers, he already has it in them. They're everything he's always wanted and he's going to cherish them for the rest of his life.

And if you're wondering why the special emphasis on Skwisgaar, my theory has to do with the age regressing that was confirmed in the movie. While it mostly happened over the Ishnifus funeral, I think Toki has generally gone back to the emotional state he was in when he joined Dethklok. A young, easily impressionable man happy to finally have found a family.

Which means he holds Skwisgaar in special regard, considering he is the guy that accepted him into the band. Not Nathan, Pickles or Murderface, it was Skwisgaar.

You could almost say that Toki might view Skwisgaar as his hero, given that he is the reason Toki has everything he has right now. So I think Toki's gratefulness is expressing in that almost overwhelming affection. Just like Toki's not going to let himself forget his feelings for the band, he's not going to let them forget about his feelings, either. It might not be easy, but Toki's priorities are clear now. His heart is with Dethklok.

In short, even if Army of the Doomstar didn't address Toki's issues the way we would've wanted, it's still a happy outcome for him and I fully believe he'll have more than enough to work on them. Metalocalypse is, at its core, a story about found family. This is specially true for Toki.

So, I really believe that Toki is eventually going to heal and be happy with the band. :)

#metalocalypse #toki wartooth #dethklok #doomstar requiem #army of the doomstar #basu post #analysis #sorry for the corniness at the end fdjhsdjkfdj #sometimes a bitch loves her blorbo too much #ive been wanting to write this for months i finally got my shit together and did it

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crazyplantkid · 7 months

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genre i love: queer sports

examples:

Haikyuu!!

Creator: Haruichi Furudate

Sport: Volleyball

Medium: Manga + Anime

Queer coded to hell and back with no explicit canon. A popular anime that's very engaging. Whenever I watch it I feel like I should get my life together. It's super good, but fanbase can be a lil weird.

Fence

Author: C. S. Pacat

Sport: Fencing

Medium: 5 collated graphic novels + 2 novels

This one changed my life. I discovered it and haven’t been the same since. It’s cute, the two main characters are oblivious wee things, but there is canon representation in the older characters. Almost (if not all) of these characters are Queer As Hell. It’s brilliant. If you like Golden-Retriever-Sunshine-Boy-with-Troubled-Past x Grumpy-Black-Cat-with-Emotionally-Distant-Parents trope, then you’ll love this!

Check, Please!

Author: Ngozi Ukazu

Sport: Ice Hockey

Medium: 2 graphic novels

I saw this in my local public library once, picked it up, and never (emotionally) put it down. These books started my craving for 2D queer sports. This is what put me onto “Fence” in the first place. It’s canon, it’s sweet, the main character is a cutie, what more could you want?

Free!

Creator: Kyoto Animation

Sport: Swimming

Medium: Anime

I’ll be real, I didn’t finish all the seasons of this,,, the first two seasons slay the house down. But I dunno, guess it just didn’t keep my focus. I also don’t think anything gets canonized later,,, so it’s still just hashtag queer coded :( which is not slay.

AFTG

Author: Nora Sacavic

Sport: Exy (??!)

Medium: 3 novels

Now, you might think, “Exy isn’t a real sport” and you would be correct. Nora invented it for the novel. It’s like if the basics of lacrosse met the violence of ice hockey and it was played on a football (soccer) sized field with a balance of genders on the teams. This nonsense altered my brain chemistry, for better or worse, we will never know. However. If you seem intrigued, and want to read, PLEASE google the trigger warnings. Anything you think could possibly be triggering is definitely in this book. If you don’t want to google for fear of spoils, feel free to message me. These books are simultaneously the best and worst things I've ever had the (dis)pleasure of reading. I love them. They’re terribly written. They’re a mastery of metaphors set on a background of college sports with a mafia subplot. It’s like if a crazy fanfic got published. ALSO short king representation. Main man is 5’3, second main man is 5’0. I love this to pieces and I hate it to nothings.

Yuri on ice

Creator: MAAPA

Sport: Ice-skating

Medium: Anime

You know this one. If you don't, it’s not technically canon, but they buy each other (engagement) rings and kiss (sort of) on screen. Slays. Victor Nikiforov has my heart.

SK8 the infinity

Creaotr: Bones

Sport: Skateboarding

Medium: Anime

This one makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside i love it so much. There's angst and love and found family and tragic backstories and funny characters. Not canon though. Hashtag Japan Definitely Doesn’t Have a Homophobia Problem and That’s Definitely Not Why All of The Anime’s on This List Aren’t Canon. Anyways, it’s really cute and I watched t when i was in my own skateboarding era so i loved it so much.

If i remember more, or watch, or read more, I will add them :)

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ravens-two · 10 months

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PICK A CARD reading

What do you need to learn from your shadow?

Pile 1 -> Pile 2

Pile 3 -> Pile 4

Deck used: Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle

TIPS | BOOK A READING WITH ME | PATREON | LINKTREE | SUGGEST A PAC TOPIC

Pile 1

Apples

"To taste, one must swallow it whole, and beneath the satin flame hides drowning waters."

Pile 1, Apples is the card of deception and distrust. Here I will be reading it in two different ways, and it's up to you to understand which one applies to you, it may be one or the other, or even both.

The first interpretation for this card is that you need to learn from your shadow to beware about who you put your trust on. Your shadow is slow to trust because it needs to understand other people's intentions in order to guarantee you're safe from harm. Now, this isn't to make you doubt everyone and everything in your life, but rather to tell you to follow your gut and if something seems off, it might be off. All in all, you shadow wants you to trust it.

The second interpretation is a bit opposite. Your shadow wants you to be more mindful about the way you act and react to other people. It may be that you're lashing out at other people (even without meaning to) and you end up hurting the ones you love. It could also be telling you to trust more in your loved ones, you don't need to constantly doubt their intentions towards you. You are safe and you are loved.

Pile 2

Black Cat

"There's a curious journey into the depths of the unknown, hidden so deep that only the brave will gracefully return with light in their eyes and shadow leading home."

Pile 2, Black Cat is the card of independence, survival and grace. If you picked this pile your shadow wants to tell you that, at this moment, you need to value yourself above everything else. If there are people in your life that constantly overstep your boundaries now is the time to reinforce them. If these people continue to disrespect you and your space, then you might want to consider more drastic measures (like reducing contact or cutting contact altogether).

Most of all your shadow wants you to feel strong, capable and empowered, because you are much stronger than you think. This is also a time of introspection, your shadow would like you to take time to explore yourself, who you are and who you want to be.

Pile 3

Witch

"Grab hold! Allow the dwelling fire within belly awaken all that is. A mere glimpse, a delicate pull at the very roots living in the alchemy of self."

Pile 3, Witch is the card of wisdom and alchemy. This message will only apply to some of you but if you have decided to take up witchcraft and have been feeling doubtful about it, your shadow wants to tell you to go for it. You are a natural witch at heart, it will come easy to you.

With this card, your shadow wants to tell you that you have much more power than you realize. You are in charge of your destiny and you are the only one who has the power to change it. Yes, they're maybe outside forces that are hard to overcome, but ultimately every single choice is up to you (as well as its consequences). Don't be afraid of this power. Also, if that is something you believe in, it's a good time to manifest your wishes and desires.

Your shadow really wants you to believe in yourself, see what a badass you are and to act accordingly.

Pile 4

Transformation

"Like a thousand storms held in hands soft against the winds, there is a change arising from deep within."

Hello dear Pile 4 this is the card of change. Your shadow wants you to know that things have been set in motion and change is coming, no matter your feelings on it. If you are craving change it's great, if you're not you can't really stop it. No matter what, I don't feel like this change is negative, it could be difficult of course, but not something that will make your life worse. In fact, with this being a reading all about your shadow it is likely that most of this transformation will be internal. Maybe you will finally overcome a fear, a trauma or some bad habit that you have been working on.

If you have been doing shadow work I think that it is likely that you will see the results and understand things on a deeper level.

Your shadow is also telling you that this is the right time to change the things that you no longer want in your life. Take some time to reflect and then take action.

#pac reading #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #tarot #tarot reading #shadow work

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prince-liest · 4 months

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Omg, I just wanted to say I ADORE your characterization of Al and Vox! I don't even have the words to express how much I love reading your stuff, especially the Anon responses you post on here. The behind the scenes thoughts are literally my food, lifesource, its so good when people not only write characters IN CHARACTER, but also include stuff about their analysis/understanding of the character too.. I'm literally obsessed with breaking down characters and yk, cracking their chrome domes open to see how they work (which admittedly, I am not the best at <_< but I love reading them). Just wanted to say how much I love your writing. I had maybe 2 questions, please don't feel pressured to answer them :>

What in your mind (in reference to the 66.6 fics) would motivate Alastor to let Val get close to him in the first place? Or was that more you picking these two characters up by the scruff of their necks and plopping them into a hypothetical scenario to explore their character and write some fun intimate thingsTM?

What do you think of the dynamic of Vox and Al vs something like Lucifer and Al? Personally I've noticed that something Alastor craves, behind the mask of his static smiling persona, is attention. He's (at least how I saw it) usually peeved when people don't care about his absence, and seems especially bothered by the King of Hell refusing to really acknowledge him, so he goes out of his way to push Lucifers buttons (like calling himself a father figure to Charlie, IN FRONT OF HER ACTUAL FATHER LOL) whereas with Vox, Vox is literally CONSTANTLY thinking about Alastor. Man literally interrupted his regular TV program to do a segment about how much he totally didn't at ALL care about Alastors dissapearance or the fact that he returned (suree buddy). So Alastor can have more fun with him and annoy him by ignoring and messing with him on purpose.

ty if you do respond to this, sorry if it was hard to understand, sometimes I forget how to put the thoughts in my brain into coherent words!

Ahhhh, thank you very much, anon! I'm especially happy that you're enjoying my commentary on Tumblr, haha - I spent a while on Twitter because that's where all the fandom zines I was in were being hosted, but nothing beats Tumblr for giving me a nigh-unlimited word count and a captive audience for my rambling! >:D <3 I'm back to cocooning myself on the OG hell site.

Thank you for this ask, it really brightened my day! :D

As for your questions:

1. I'm assuming that was a typo and that you mean Vox (but in case you did mean Val: that was just a funny accident of him walking by the room! Alastor wasn't paying enough attention until it was too late), and to that I say:

I think Alastor allows Vox to take a go at him in canon because he finds Vox's obsession with him to be entertaining, but also because Alastor is kind of a narcissist and that same obsession massively feeds his ego, especially in a political climate that otherwise forgot about Alastor. Vox's whole "Who gives a shit about Alastor coming back?! Haha, now let me have a public meltdown and short out power to the whole city about it! Oh, fuck, why is he back, though?? Can we send a spy in to find out??" is exactly the reaction that Alastor wants every time he mentions his mysterious absence and gets brushed off.

At the same time, Alastor doesn't seem to register Vox as a sincere and genuine threat. He's a big enough fish in the Pride Ring pond that his obsession with Alastor is gratifying, but Alastor's self-absorption also doesn't really allow him to treat Vox as a threat tier above "annoying in a funny way, and also television is stupid." (Perhaps this will change in season 2... :eyes: (or perhaps Alastor will get Even Worse) (please god let him get even worse))

So those two things in combination make Vox the perfect candidate for Alastor to experiment with while maintaining his ego and not feeling particularly threatened. Despite Vox's Safeword 101 talk, Alastor would never put stock into that system with Vox unless he was certain that he himself would be able to back up a 'no' with overwhelming force. Him even considering safewords in the Live On Air! series is less for his own sake and more a politesse he offers on Vox's request to warn Vox to slow the fuck down before Alastor tries to put his insides on the outside.

2. And in direct contrast, we have Lucifer...

... Who Alastor obviously actually cares quite a bit about, because he's a whole nother power tier from both Vox and Alastor, and furthermore and possibly even more importantly, a credible threat to Alastor's relationships and standing in the hotel. I think a lot of discussion I see about Alastor prodding Lucifer seems to talk about how quickly he got annoyed about Lucifer's comments, but that misses the fact that he was pissed off before Lucifer even showed up. He got pissy the moment he saw the welcome sign, actually! And I wager that he was narratively absent for the scene where Charlie actually calls Lucifer because he would have done his best to manipulate her out of doing so had be been there.

And given that the two clearly haven't met before (though obviously Alastor knows of Lucifer - and hates that the inverse isn't true, hah), it's not 100% clear exactly why he's immediately so annoyed, but in my personal view of things and barring something like "he's projecting onto Lucifer because his contract is with Lilith," I think that what we know of Alastor's personality points most strongly to "he liked being the hotel's benefactor and sees it as His Project, and doesn't like the idea that Charlie called daddy for something that she thought mysterious, powerful Alastor couldn't handle." He distracts a lot with obviously-goading comments about practically being Charlie's dad in his duet with Lucifer, but underneath that he puts a lot of emphasis on the work he's done for the hotel and the fact that he's been supporting Charlie and the hotel from the start, so why the fuck is this deadbeat asshole suddenly turning up?!

Tl;dr: Charlie missed her insight roll on Alastor's personal investments and he's sooooo offended - and taking it out on Lucifer!

I think one of my favorite things about both Lucifer and Alastor is that they both sooo obviously belong in the Pride Ring, hahaha.

#ask #hazbin hotel #alastor #vox #radiostatic #my writing #anonymous #long post #part of the reason I love Alastor so much is that pride is also definitely my sin of choice #I relate to you #you horrible little narcissistic maniac you #meta #personal

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tizeline · 5 months

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Now that we're entering into 2024, I'm asking some artists and writers that I follow:

1) What is the one piece you're most proud of from this past year?

2) What are some pieces that you would have liked more people to see? If you can include links, I'd love to go check them out!

3) What were your top three favorite pieces (art, comics, fics, etc) that someone else has made this past year?

(As always, no pressure to respond! Feel free to just ignore, or let me know if you'd rather I not send you these kinds of asks in the future.)

Oh this is fun! :D

1) The drawing I'm the most proud of this year is actually one I never ended up posting lmao, so I suppose this is the perfect reason to actually do that

I always feel a bit self-concious about posting non-fanart drawings cuz they don't tend to gain as much attention. Which, I am fully aware that there are more important things than clout! But I am a simple woman, I crave validation 😔 Anyway, I am still very happy about how this one turned out. I very much prefer drawing characters over enviroments, which led to me being way worse at drawing enviroments than characters, so I've been pushing myself for the last couple of years to get better at drawing backgrounds and surroundings. While I still definetily have a lot of room for improvement, this illustration here is the best I've done in drawing enviroments yet.

2) Again, original stuff don't tend to get as much attention (which I fully understand btw, I don't wanna make it seem like I'm complaining too much, I very much appreciate any and all support I get!!!!) but this post with some doodles of my OCs as well as this random drawing of some forest with a big stone head lying in it are a couple of posts I wouldn't mind if more people saw so..... the links are there if ya wanna have a look 👀

3) Oh man, I've seen so many awesome artpieces this year, i can't guarantee that these are my actual top 3 picks, but here are some that I could remember liking (and that I also managed to find lol) (also these are in no particular order

This GIF was the first piece of RotTMNT fanart I ever reblogged and it's still glued to my mind it's just great honestly.

Man I do not like Timothy in the 2012 TMNT series at all but MAN do I love the way pinetreevillain adapted the character for the Rise universe! He's made quite a few comics of Rise!Timothy and he made the character so extremely likable I just hdsjhgjakfga also Pine's artstyle is delicous yummy yum go check out his art now!

I really like those reanimation projects where a bunch of people collaborate and reanimate induvidual segments in their own style, and there was recently one of those released that was a remake of The Clothes Don't Make The Turtle episode from season two of RotTMNT and it's great! Go and watch it here!

#again i love this ask #great idea #tizel talk #tizel art #my art

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dragon-of-the-soutn · 1 year

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I desperately want season 2 of HOTD to be the season of the Greens.

But not in the ‘I want to see Aegon on the throne’ kind of way. More in the ‘I can’t fucking wait to see these people become the worst versions of themselves imaginable’, kind of way.

I want to see Aemond HAUNTED by Luke’s death. I want him to see Luke in every shadow, his voice in every breath of wind, his eyes in every brown eyed boy that walks by. And I want it to drive him batshit. I want to see Aemond losing his mind over the fact that no matter how many people he kills, how much blood he coats his hands in, that not even killing the entirety of House Strong, can remove the guilt and the boy that haunts him. The one act of violence he never meant to commit. I want to see him try so hard to become a monster so he can stop feeling, but even then it’s not enough. Not enough for him to free himself, or to prevent him from sparing the life of the woman with Luke’s face.

I want to see Aegon come to realise that no amount of love will ever be enough. Not the love of his subjects, not his people, not his mother or his siblings. How could it ever be? And so he will crave more and more of it to desperately try and fill the pit of self hatred and guilt and doubt that forever eats away at him. A festering wound. And I want to watch as this need, one not even the Iron Throne can fill, consumes him. To watch as the throne itself consumes him from the inside out and rips what’s left of him apart. I want to see the death of his children break him in a way he never thought it would, and to go from the apathetic boy he was to a man who will match Rhaenyra and Daemon in violence, done for the love he never showed his boys. For him to never let Jaehaera out of his sight again. For this new love and responsibility to crush and consume him.

I want to watch Alicent wallow in a pit of self loathing and hatred. The guilt of what she’s done to her Rhaenyra, to her children and her grandchildren rip her apart. To watch her truly come to hate her father and what he has made her. I want to watch her fight tooth and nail to get to Halaena and her grandchildren as she hears what Blood and Cheese are doing to her family through the locked door. I want it to make her truly vicious. Truly cruel. I want Alicent and Rhaenyra to desperately try and despise one another when the Blacks take Kings Landing and still fail. Even with the bodies of Lucearys and Jaehearys between them. I want Alicent and Rhaenyra to see what one another have become and actively try to fix each other and simultaneously try to make one another so much worse. To desperately recreate parts of there girlhood, expect instead of Rhaenyra gifting Alicent a new book or a cake she gifts her Otto Hightowers head. I want them to NEVER be able to let one another go. For them to hold one another as Rhaenyra’s rule crumbles and they keep losing there babies. For them realise they have only ever had each other.

Halaena’s dreams and predictions will not be enough to save her children or her brothers. Because no one will ever listen. Not even her mother, the woman willing to do battle with Daemon Targaryen himself for what he had done to her and her babies. I want to see Halaena Targaryen go apeshit and as soon as she is brought before Rhaenyra and Daemon and channel her mother, to wake the dragon and attack them with the nearest weapon available. For her sweet Jaehaerys. To kill them for what they have done and for what they will do. She must stop them, can no one see?

And oh sweet Daeron. All he wants is to defend his family. The one who abandoned him in Old Town. And what that love will do to him.

And don’t get me wrong Rhaenyra deserves to become monstrous as well. After everything she’s suffered, after Luke, heads deserve to roll. And personally I can’t wait to see it.

#house of the dragon #hotd #alicent hightower #aemond targaryen #aegon targaryen #helaena targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #alicent x rhaenyra #rhaenicent #aemond x lucerys #aemond x luke #lucemond

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coraniaid · 9 months

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Buffy for the character asks?

General opinion/how much I care about them: What can I say about Buffy Summers? When she was fifteen years old a representative of an ancient mystical order told her that she alone had the power to stop bad things from happening in the world, thereby confirming something she had hitherto only strongly suspected. She had to keep a fundamental part of her life secret from the world for years but she never learned how to tell a convincing lie because she was too busy thinking up puns. She had a 95th percentile SAT score despite mostly studying in between fighting vampires in a cemetery every night and cutting classes to sneak out of school and fight yet more vampires during the day. All her favorite teachers died or never noticed she existed. She is both a quintessential only child and somebody who would fight a god to save her annoying little sister. She blackmailed the management of a fast food chain so that they would let her keep doing a minimum wage job she hated with co-workers whose last names she can’t remember. She burned down her old high school gym and blamed it on mice and blew up her new high school library while she was at her graduation ceremony and she sunk her hometown into a giant hole in the desert and drove away in a school bus. She died twice before she turned twenty-one. She is one of my favorite fictional characters in any medium.

A ship I love: I didn’t really talk about why I love Fuffy in my Faith answer, so let me try now.

Of all of Buffy’s shadow selves, Faith is the one who spends the most time actually in her shadow. She doesn’t get later character development that takes her in a different direction and makes her her own person; she didn’t start out as something else entirely and get reworked later when the plot required it. She doesn’t even get the illusion of a family and moments of happiness, like Drusilla has in Season 2. When Faith’s not hanging out with Buffy she’s sitting alone in her motel room or lying in a coma or counting down the months in jail. She exists to be a version of Buffy who is not Buffy, who is worse than Buffy, who doesn’t have friends or family or any external support. That’s really all she is. And she knows it. And she hates it. How could she not? “You get the Watcher, you get the Mom, you get the little Scooby gang … what do I get?”

Because Faith is Buffy – the part of Buffy who never came back after she ran away from home and got kicked out of school; the part who can admit to craving a little more than low-fat yogurt after a night patrolling; the part that never got to make friends with Xander and Willow in Season 1 and never had a Watcher who cared about her – so on a fundamental level Fuffy is about Buffy accepting those suppressed and hidden angry parts of herself. But it’s also about Faith accepting the forgotten and ignored parts of herself that are present in Buffy: the idea that she can be a hero, that there are people in the world who care about her, that there are people who she can trust. It’s about asking what if all of the Season 3 subtext – Faith’s whole arc this season paralleling Angel’s a year ago, and “what are friends for?” and “It’s kind of a Slayer thing”, and Joyce marching in the Slayer Pride Parade – was text, and what if the show existed in a world where the characters could act on it?

And because of how Season 3 turns out, it’s also about Buffy and Faith forgiving themselves, and each other, for doing almost unforgivable things to each other. Because there were never meant to be two of them, and they’ve never been able to tell each other what they mean, and because “kill me, you become me”, but she tried and it didn’t help. And it’s about crappy presents and knives to the throat and forehead kisses and shared dreams and hopelessly entangled destinies. It’s ”She could be terrified. Maybe [...] she’s sorry and she’s alone” and “You think you matter, you think you’re a part of something, and then you get dumped” and “All my life there was one person who tried to be my friend” and “I tried so hard to help you and you spat on me” and “Willow said you needed me. Didn’t really give it much thought.”

As much as I wish Faith was in Season 7 more, part of me is glad that this is all we got, because I really don’t think the show could ever have done all this justice. And the little we get is enough to make me a bit crazy.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: I already talked about Buffy and Willow, so I will try to subvert expectations a little here and go with Buffy and Giles. Not the fandom version of their relationship I like to complain about where Giles is an uncomplicated Good Dad, but the messy and complicated and heartbreaking version where he just won’t allow himself to be that person.

I mean, I think it’s very clear from the show that Giles really does care about Buffy far beyond the extent he is supposed to as a Watcher (he tries to go and fight the Master in her place! Even though he knows it would kill him! Even though this is Season 1 of the show and we’ve not yet seen Giles fight a single vampire!) but that everything about his training and his past tells him that he shouldn’t. Buffy cares about Giles a lot (“You can’t leave me, I can’t do this alone” / “it’s a little like having Mom back”) and it’s clear that she would really like Giles to be more involved in her life (she wants her Mom to invite him around for Christmas, she goes to his house for Thanksgiving, she tries so hard not to show how hurt she is when she confuses his attempts to be dispassionate with genuine disinterest) but Giles is convinced that he cannot be that sort of parental figure for Buffy and it would only hurt her if he tried, and so – by purposely distancing himself from her and not letting her get close to him– he ends up hurting her in exactly the way he fears.

And the tragedy is that I think Giles really does believe the line he keeps feeding Buffy about how important it is not to be “distracted” by “personal concerns”. When Quentin Travers told him he had “a father’s love” for Buffy, Travers meant it as a rebuke – and that’s exactly how Giles takes it. He thinks getting closer to Buffy would be bad for her! He thinks by leaving her in Season 6 he is helping her become self-reliant and a better Slayer! Of course he is wrong, but that’s what he thinks, and it is consistent with how he’s always thought. It’s not character assassination or some unjust subversion of his previously established personality: it is a natural and predictable and awful thing for him to do. And he does it because he cares about her and doesn’t know what to do about that! He thinks she’s a much better person than he is (“she’s a hero, you see. She’s not like us”) and he doesn’t want to bring her down to his level! “If you care so much about [these people], why didn’t you leave town?” Ethan asked him in The Dark Age, and Giles didn’t have an answer!

The NOTP: Going to cheat a bit here (honestly, mostly because it feels a bit mean to keep picking on Xander at this point), and say that the ship I don’t like isn’t with a specific person but rather with an idea that I see applied to all sorts of ships. Namely the idea – not supported at all by the text – that Buffy’s various romantic interests are Good People who teach Buffy important life lessons and make her a better person or protect her from the dangerous world around her. I mean, sorry, but this is not how it works! This is a boring fantasy you have projected onto the show in place of what it was actually telling you. The feminism of BtVS is paper-thin, but give it some credit!

In canon, Buffy absolutely does not learn from her boyfriends. She does not rely on them for emotional support. They all cause her more problems than they help her. She rescues them. She makes them better. Honestly her boyfriends all kind of suck. Because that’s her type! She likes losers with no friends who are kind of obsessed about Buffy Summers! (Losers just like Faith!)

Buffy textually hates it when Angel talks down to her: we see repeatedly how furious she gets when he treats her “like a kid” or makes important decisions about their relationship on her behalf. She doesn't mind physically upstaging Riley (“I was holding back a little”) and secretly likes it when he gets hurt because, to quote Dawn, “she says you look even cuter when you’re all weak and kitteny”. The iconic twin shots of Spike and Buffy in The Gift and After Life are deliberately staged so that Spike is looking up the stairs at Buffy and she is looking down at him (“you’re beneath me”, as she told him in Fool For Love). And as she says later in Conversations With Dead People: “Their opinions don’t matter. They don’t know. They haven’t been through what I’ve been through [...] I feel like I’m better than them. Superior.”

So, you know, the preferred power balance is pretty explicit here! I don’t think the show is being excessively subtle. And yet people keep insisting that, oh no, Buffy learns a lot from her boyfriends, or that she can’t possibly cope without their support, or writing fanfics where they swoop in to town to rescue Buffy from trouble. But that is not who Buffy is! She is not some unsophisticated naif or damsel in distress. She would hate that so much! Ship Buffy with whoever you want, but let her be Buffy!

… but also, yeah, rewatching the second season really reminded me how awful I’d have found Buffy/Xander and how glad I am that the show stops hinting at that after Becoming. Sorry, Xander. You can take solace in being … well, a loser with friends?

My biggest headcanon about them: Some time after Chosen Buffy definitely goes back to college and gets that English degree she deserves. I don’t want to think about Buffy living in a gloomy castle in Scotland and still being forever isolated from the world or about her becoming a cop with superpowers or whatever other nonsense the comics insist happens to her after the show ends. I want her to be able to have some time off and read some poetry and make Willow jealous academically.

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: One day I will finish my Season 7 rewrite in which Drusilla is the Big Bad and Faith gets broken out of prison earlier and Amy and Willow get to have a proper resolution and Kennedy is another Slayer from the start and Marcie and Ethan come back for cameos and people remember that Jesse and Kendra ever existed and Dawn actually gets something to do. But first I will probably have to start writing it.

Something that makes me think of them: Nothing makes me think of Buffy. I choose to be like this (for some reason).

#btvs #buffy summers #asks #thanks again!

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beevean · 5 months

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We finally watched Nocturne.

... what? No, no endless post this time :P not only because it's just one season. It's just as I expected: it's not as infuriating as its big sibling. (unless you're familiar with the French Revolution coughcough@the-crow-binary)

We only watched the first four episodes so far, and I have already said a lot, so let's go.

The thing I complained the most about, I noticed, was the worldbuilding, mostly how vampires work. The original show "elfified" vampires, only keeping the basic traits "need blood, don't like sunlight or running water, can turn into things like bats and mist". They were portrayed as this ancient rage, one with its own culture (much superior than the dumb humans who forget everything because church bad): they sleep normally, they can eat food if they so wish, apparently they can have sex with zero issues lol, and infamously child vampires are treated as, well, innocent children and not as poor human kids suffering a terrible fate. Trevor even kindly tells us that the reason vampires hate crosses regardless of their faith is because their eyesight is so advanced that they freak out at the sight of geometrical shapes. The only monstruous trait they have is that apparently they have a tendency to go insane and crave power. Honestly, they kind of remind me of Twilight.

And somehow Nocturne manages to get it worse.

Now, yes, vampires in Nocturne bite far more often than in the OG show. I think in that other show we see them doing that... twice? And Carmilla and Lenore lick Hector's blood; then they just drink from their stock of blood à la Drac from SoTN. Anyway, Nocturne is more willing to show them as beasts, so good job. Hell, Sun Thundercat even turns a human!

But in this setting, vampires seem to not even have those few weaknesses they had in the OG show. For a story centered on how Sun Thundercat will bring eternal night to the world because sun is the number 1 obstacle to vampires, it's baffling how easily they can just walk around in plain daylight. Olrox looks out of the window with his face illuminated by the sun. Drolta can literally walk just fine, even without a parasol. @spinningbuster98 kept asking "why don't peasants or slaves just destroy the windows of the places where they know vampires live?" - well clearly they'd be fine!

And special shoutout to Drolta who openly mocks the concept of her being hurt by being in a church. At least in S1, Blue Fangs explained its presence in the Bishop's church by blaming his heinous actions for pushing God away.

Vampires are also shockingly well integrated into society. These extremely pale people, with visible pointy ears and long fangs, can chill around in a nice palace or stroll into a theatre, and no one bats an eye. How? In the OG show, vampires could be in a position of power (see the council of Styria), but they mostly worked from the shadows. Did humans just... accept the presence of these monsters?

(the cross weakness becomes way funnier now. Vampires are weak to the religion they used to believe in, so Annette can ask the help of the Christian God to harm previously Christian vampires. I actually like this. But then this makes that OG "vampires have super freaky eyesight" scene even stupider than it used to be)

Another point for the clumsy worldbuilding. Hey, remember how I complained that N!Hector wearing Hector's CoD outfit makes no sense? Because that's what he could cobble up from his old Devil Forgemaster uniform and it's basically the best he can wear for running through the country and fighting, while N!Hector 1) is still in Drac's service in S2 so you'd expect a more professional uniform from him, like the one worn by N!Isaac, and 2) he very much does not fight, making details like the arm guard and the single glove look redudant. We have a similar issue here: Maria, whose design was taken straight out of DXC, complains in the first episode that her mother is too poor to pay taxes. You can tell that she doesn't look that poor. To make things even worse, in the second episode, Tera is able to offer bread to Annette and Edouard: the French Revolution started, among other reasons, because even bread got ridiculously expensive for common people! So which is it? Is Maria one of the common people, or a well-off young woman who really has no business leading the revolution?

And this... is tied to other problems.

The French Revolution is nothing more than a shallow backdrop for the main plot being the Vampire Messiah being hyped up as the greatest evil to ever evil. You can tell the writers did not care when they cast Vaublanc, a real person who fought against slavery, as a vampire slaveowner. I think. I think you shouldn't do that.

The point is, it becomes increasingly jarring when you see that the main protagonists, the ones who spout the most generic "liberty, equality, fraternity"... are not even French. Maria has Russian origins, and as I've shown she seems to be doing well. Richter is a Romanian who grew up in the US. Annette, who gets to make a super epic speech about freedom, is a runaway from Saint-Domingue. Edouard is a rich opera singer, also from Saint-Domingue.

Oh, Annette.

You know, I want to say something. I'd have much more patience for her abrasive, ungrateful, condescending behavior, I'd justify it as a result of her trauma, if it weren't for how mean-spirited she is and for how no one seems to even react to her.

bruh.

You did that, huh. Richter has been nothing but kind and supportive to you, relating to the loss of your friend and of your mother - this isn't a Trevor situation where you can fall for what the story tells you and believe he's actually rude, no, Richter is on-screen a very nice guy! And you say that? To his face? After he revealed to you that the Belmonts used to do magic but he can't because he lost his mom? Something you should know how devastating it feels? And you THROW THAT TO HIS FACE??

Richter is the one who gasps, by the way. Maria and Tera over there? Nah they're just eating popcorn as this stranger is deliberately hitting Richter where it hurts the most. Thanks girls.

Oh but she's not done!

I know what this is. Look at her, the Stronk former slave who suffered Hardships which inherently makes her more Mature and World Wise, looking down on the two white French people who obviously had it so easy in their lives.

Hey, Ms. Adult. Who's the one who lost control of her powers, leading to Edouard becoming a Night Creature? Richter is too nice to throw that in your face. I'm not :)

Hey, Ms. I Suffered More Than You. Who's the one who only managed to save herself from the plantation only due to magical god-inherited powers? Which is also incredibly insensitive to the real-life slaves who managed to escape with nothing more but human skills and intellect?

Hey, Ms. I'm More Mature Than You Whiteys. Who's the one who needed the help of a rich half-white man to be protected? Not that you even know the concept of being grateful.

Uh, and Tera? You mind chiming in? You mind defending your daughter and your adopted son from this stranger who keeps being rude and disrespectful? No? Okay. She just suggests how to save Edouard, but lets Annette's words slide. You and Lisa can compete for the title of Mom of the Year.

Oh, but this is not a sexism or racism issue. This is literally the same thing as Alucard in S2 being the biggest hypercunt to Trevor, making fun of his traumatic childhood, cruelly mocking his family and his legacy, and treating him like he's nothing more than a failure of a drunkard when the dude has been nothing but a help in fights and gave them access to the vast Belmont Hold... and Sypha always rushed in Alucard's defense because boohoo his depression is an icy well of sadness, he Suffered More Than You!

This is just the writers shitting on the Belmonts, and I am sick of it. Trevor did not deserve this, and Richter doesn't deserve this.

Anyway, characters. I have little to say. Richter is the best one, being reasonably cocky as you would expect from him; not to an insufferable degree, just yeah he comes off as an immature young man who needs to grow up. I like him. Maria is a parody of teens on Twitter talking about seizing the means of production, and I kind of forget she's there. Annette, yeah :) Edouard got retroactively characterized after his death, but I still don't know how to describe his personality beyond "helpful" and "source of infodumps". Tera exists. The abbot is profoundly stupid for allying himself with vampires for the sake of crushing the "Godless" Revolution (there's an N!Hector joke to make here but it's not worth it). Drolta is basically Isaac who slapped a pair of tits on himself and just like that she's a beloved slay queen icon. Templar Agent Stone Mizrak is mere bara bait so far. Olrox... well, so far he's mildly intriguing for being outside of the hero/villain dichotomy. Kind of a tryhard, though, and I still don't know why he didn't just kill Richter.

My last complaint is that it's really boring how they hype up Sun Thundercat as this harbinger of DEATH AND SUFFERING AND PAIN AND TERROR way before we even see her. It reminds me of Alucard exposing how a world without humans would be: just this empty, edgy narration with nothing to show for it. But at least by then we had a taste of Dracula's anger and powers, so this is even worse. You need to try harder to build up an antagonist.

and finally, have the best moment in the whole franchise

youtube

BUT, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

#anti netflixvania #beev watches nocturne #Youtube

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yyumemika · 12 days

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Rainbow After the Rain/ Episode 2

Season: Autumn

Characters: Souma, Izumi, Shu

Souma: …Hm. Delicious

I thought I’d brew some green tea because I’m thirsty, but I feel like I’ve brewed something exceptional now, and I crave the taste

Unfortunately, I have no one to share this with, but it can’t be helped. This time I will enjoy this tea by myself

(Hm…? I was unsure if I should brew a second helping but it seems I have fewer tea leaves)

(It should be time for the next “Kaori” activities soon. Perhaps I should order some more for the “club”

Izumi: Ah, found him. What’s more, he’s even prepared tea, how considerate. Is it okay if we have some too?

Souma: Hm? If it isn’t Sena-dono and Itsuki-dono. It’s unusual for the two of you to be seen together. Are you here to do some kind of work together?

Shu: It’s true that Sena and I have both returned for work, but that’s a separate matter. It’s simply a coincidence that the timing of my return home coincided with his

Souma: Is that so. Thank you both for your hard work. Now, I’d better start brewing more tea♪

Izumi: Much appreciated♪ I honestly praise how willing you are to help your seniors. If I had to complain, I’d say I’d want you to serve the tea before I have to say I want some

Shu: It’s just like you to say such unreasonable things, Sena. Stop bullying your juniors

At any rate, Kanzaki’s conduct is very refined. Do you have experience with tea ceremonies?

Souma: Yes. Tea ceremony, flower arrangements, martial arts, I have experience with anything that requires technique

Shu: I see. Then it’s reasonable that your actions would be beautiful. Your movements are optimized down to the fingertips, as if it were ingrained in them

…Yes. This green tea certainly is delicious. The taste and fragrance, it has so much depth that it comes close to the black tea I brew, it's wonderful

Izumi: In other words, you're saying it’s worse than your own tea? You can’t just say it's good without making unnecessary comments, can you…

Shu: I just don’t want you to hear me say it, Sena

Izumi: That’s because I always say it's tasty if something is tasty

From now on I want Kanzakai to brew tea for me every time I come back home. Is that okay, Kanzaki?

Souma: Haha. I’m happy that you’re enjoying it. However, my work with “Akatsuki” is my main focus.

It may be hard to find opportunities to brew tea every time Sena-dono returns home

Izumi: That’s a shame. Well, it’s natural that you’d favour your job as an idol anyway

It’s fine, I forgive you. But I really do like your tea, so if you have the chance please make me some again

Souma: Yes, I’m honoured to hear you say that. In fact, I’m also happy that I could treat the two of you to some tea

After all, brewing tea is only worthwhile if you have someone to serve it to. Even if you’re able to brew delicious tea, it’ll only result in one’s own satisfaction

Izumi: …Right, now that we've taken a breather, can I get straight to the point?

Souma: Hm, you had an ulterior motive? Speaking of which, when the two of you arrived it sounded like you were looking for me

Shu: The truth is that right now, we have a problem, we were looking for you because you have in-depth knowledge about Japanese culture

Souma: I see. Itsuki-dono wants to buy a souvenir for his friends in “France” who are interested in Japanese culture

Shu: That understanding is generally correct. However, the bar has been raised because I have already brought back remarkable items as souvenirs

Souma: I have no way of knowing what has already been brought back as a souvenir, so I have to ask Itsuki-dono directly to decide…

In fact, I noticed earlier that the tea leaves used by the Kanzaki family were running low, so I was thinking of going to buy some soon

Perhaps I could guide you around my shopping district whilst running that errand, how does that sound?

Izumi: When you say Kanzaki family, you mean your parents' house, right? That doesn’t sound so bad, it seems like an old house that respects tradition. That’s just the image I get when I look at you though

Souma: That’s true. It’s an old house with so much history that you can trace the family tree back to the distant past

If you’re interested, why don’t I tell you the story now♪ First, Iet’s talk about the origin of this sword—

Shu: Non! It’s not that I’m not interested in the background and history of a traditional household, but it seems this conversation will be unnecessarily long so I won’t allow it

However, I do wish for information about the shopping district. As a vendor to a long-established household, surely I will find something my friends in Paris will appreciate there

Souma: Understood. I will also be keeping an eye out out for items that will suit Itsuki-dono’s judgment

Previous | Next

#ensemble stars #enstars #english translation #shu itsuki #souma kanzaki #izumi sena #evening shower's paddle

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drowninginblox · 8 months

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Do you think the Straw Hats get touch-starved?

I’ve been getting into One Piece recently and the thought of getting isikaied into the show has been making its rounds in my head. Thinking of what I would do if allowed onboard has become my newest pastime so ima ramble about it.

Ofc I would do manual work and help out with the ship's cosmetics, maybe take on a little bit of everyone else’s work if they let me, but overall, what would be my role? Then I started thinking about how broken everyone is and I thought- what if I just played support?

And then the angst came rushing in-

So this is how touch-starved the straw hats are (in my POV ofc)

Luffy

I don’t think Luffy is a touch person

I mean yes the dude likes hugs and shit but I don’t think he’d die without them.

To me, Luffy comes off as someone who likes gifts or words of affirmation above everything else

Probably cus I see this guy as an aro/ace icon but that's just me

Usopp

Mans is starving but he wouldn’t realize it until literally the moment he gets crumbs

I think it’s made worse by the fact he’s thinking about Kaya almost as much as he is living in the moment (if that makes any sense)

If I were to offer him a cuddle sesh I think he’d legit think about it for a bit before turning me down out of respect for Kaya

But he be longing for physical affection bro I Mf know it

Sanji

Wants but won’t give in

As of right now, this man is a fucking s l a v e to Nami so I think that the same principle for Usopp would follow to Sanji. The only difference being his reaction would be more vocal and immediate.

“Absolutely not!”

That is to say, he definitely struggles with physical touch. I’m sure of it. There is something deep inside this boy that struggles when it comes to self-worth. I can’t place it yet but I can see it-

Zoro

I think he’d call me a whore? Idk why. But my mind is telling me that this man doesn’t need physical touch. What he needs is physical therapy for over-exerting himself.

Fr tho, if Zoro ever got the notion that he wants some hugs or platonic cuddles, I think it would be a struggle to come to terms with that.

Very much “I haven’t wanted/ needed this before, so why do I crave this now?” From that, I’d think he’d internalize that struggle until it’s something he can’t war over anymore.

He’d eventually get over himself and ask for a hug or putting his head on my lap when no one else is around/ when everyone else is asleep except us.

Nami

Oh Nami, my Nami. You do not trust easy.

You lie to yourself and strive in your own but I know that you will take anything you get girl

She’d only take side hugs if someone asked for a hug.

She doesn’t ask for one unless it’s after a life-or-death situation/something stressful. The same can be said for cuddles

I hope this bitch is pampered by someone she loves just as is not more than berries.

Honestly if it wasn't for the fact that he was a pervert, i'd put my money on Sanji but... i highly doubt that

Koby

He so is.

As soon as I offered, he would have his arms out. Always open for. a hug.

I think he'd make cuddling more than it is though.

But once he gets over it, if the free time presents itself, absolutely.

BONUS!!!

Spoilers for season 2 of OPLA or Alabasta for the new anime watchers/ manga readers!

Robin

No.

Physical touch is not on the menu for her

Not now at least.

One day though

Chopper

An adorable little thing like him is always down for a hug I know it

Will ask for hugs and cuddles not for himself but for the person he's asking them from. Mostly from Nami, Zorro, and Robin

Chopper would prob get the same vibe for me lmao

#opla #one piece #one piece live action #touch starved #headcanon #one piece headcanons #self indulgent

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onglai · 5 months

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On Ali and self-worth

Ali is a character that I never thought I'd relate so much with. On first viewing all those years ago when the show came out, Ejen Ali was nothing more than a superhero cartoon show. While this wouldn't be the first time we've gotten a nuanced and complex characters in Malaysian animation history (Keluang Man, Anak-anak Sidek, Bola Kampung), Ejen Ali surprised me a lot when I went to rewatch it last year.

If you ask 16 year old me what kind of person Ali is, I'd describe him as a kindhearted and heroic kid who'll help anyone in need.

If you ask the current me, those are all still true... but in addition to that what I also see is a troubled kid who needs hugs. Lots of them.

This is going to be long.

Season 1

On the first few episodes, the show establishes Ali as a problem child. Right from the start, he is shown to be disorganized, lazy, and every undesirable quality you could imagine. His dad is distant, his mom is dead, and the only thing holding this miserable gremlin together is his sweet, sweet best and only friend Viktor.

And then comes this magical device that turns his life upside down and he lives happily ever after... not.

You know the phrase money doesn't corrupt but only amplifies what's already in someone's heart? Well, IRIS is the money in this case, and it amplifies Ali's inner insecurity. The first thing this little gremlin does after obtaining IRIS is to use it to get good marks and impress his classmates and teacher.

Being an emotionally neglected child he naturally craves attention, and nothing satisfies him more than when people give him exactly that no matter how. This ultimately reaches its climax when Ali uses his newfound fame during S1E10: Sensasi to farm his fans' adoration. He learns his lesson at the end of the episode, but this won't be the last time he goes out of his way to seek for others' approval.

This is why Rizwan is such an important figure in Ali's life. Regardless of the man's opinion towards him, Ali sees him as someone worth idolizing. The best agent in MATA, Charismatic to boot, the man is everything Ali wishes to be. And good for him, Rizwan is the perfect teacher.

Guy teaches Ali disciplines, doesn't put up with his childish sense of entitlement, and very much treats Ali like he'd do anyone. For the first time in Ali's life, someone actually sees him as his own person and doesn't demean nor overhype him.

Season 2

In this season, Ali meets the junior agents for the first time, and upon learning that they idolized him, he grows a bigger head. He starts pushing Alicia away, the only person who's looking out for his safety (her wanting to meet her dad's expectation is a discussion for another day).

Now, all this time Ali has actually been praised as an agent. He had his bad moments, but for the most part he believes himself to have contributed a lot to the agency, which isn't inaccurate. But this belief is what resulted in him doubling down in his insecurity when the mentors pointed out his flaws during his training with the other agents. He's already a nobody at school, and now comes another realization that he might also be a nobody compared to the other agents if not for IRIS.

This is where things take turn for the worse.

Again, Ali seeks to prove himself by disobeying the mentors and drags his new friends along as well. This turns out to be a bad idea when Ali watches Rizwan betray the agency and in his anguish starts attacking everyone after activating Override Mode. He later tries to deflect the blame towards IRIS which only makes the other agents hate him more.

Coupled with Rizwan's desertion and that he already burned his bridge with Alicia, he didn't have anyone to turn to anymore. In his pursuit for approval, he loses everything. This is the lowest point in his life.

Thankfully, Zain gets through to him and makes him see his worth beyond his skills, that he's helped a lot more people than anyone else has. This is a bandaid to the larger issue at hand, but it rekindles his spirit enough he can stand on two feet again.

On the flip side however, Alicia later choosing to stand by his side is likely the first time he receives (a form of) affection despite not doing anything to earn it. This is something that he'll finally learn later on during the movie.

Regardless, with Alicia's help, Ali began to take accountability for his actions and reformed his friendships with the other agents.

Movie

This movie is what happens when all of Ali issues accumulate to the point of no return.

This movie starts off with Ali realizing that he's no longer worth anything as an agent. Or rather, he's no longer the main character in the grand scheme of things. Feeling himself having been replaced by more experienced agents, this is where Ali adopts a new crutch to lean on... his mom's legacy.

On top of IRIS, a crutch that he's been holding onto to prove his worth, Ali is also burdened with Zain's expectation of him from the previous season. His excuse is that he wants to help people, which may be true to some extent, but it's obvious from the get-go that it's only one manifestation of his insecurity and self-worth issue. After all, if his MATA agent shtick doesn't have a point anymore, why not quit and start over.

Niki, whether she realizes it or not, capitalizes on this and convinces Ali to join her side. It doesn't help that the people from the slum see and appreciate what he's doing for them, which further incentivises him into staying. His growing resentment towards MATA and the likes of Dato' Othman pushes him further towards deserting the agency altogether. Alicia being his friend warned him of MATA's suspicion of him, but it's too late by then.

We've established before that for Ali, love and adoration always has to be earned before. In an ironic fashion, he runs away from Alicia, the one person who's stood by his side in his lowest point, to seek protection from someone he sees as a mother figure... who just so happens to only see him as a useful tool so long as he contributes to the slum. There is also a reverse-elitist undertone with how Niki treats him which is... yikes.

Niki betrays him and this slaps Ali hard in a lot of ways.

I wouldn't say Alicia's pep talk when they're trying to escape later is any better, cause god, ugh. Both of you need therapists. But for what it's worth, she teaches him one very valuable lesson; that he isn't alone. He has her, he has Bakar, he has so many people who care for him despite him being blind towards them.

Remember when Alicia stood by him in season 2? Well, she does it again and shows Ali that yes, love and loyalty doesn't need to be constantly earned. This is the turning point to Ali's worldview where he stops equating his worth to his usefulness.

At the end of the movie, Ali willingly gives up IRIS to make up for his mistake. But at the same time, we can see that he is much more confident in himself. He still has a need to prove himself, but starting from here, he does it in a much healthier way, as we can see in the following season.

Season 3

This is when Ali starts having a purpose. All this time, he's letting everyone else decide his worth, but after the events of the movie, he begins looking inward for acceptance of all that he is.

He knows he's weak, he knows he still has a lot to improve, so he focuses on that with his mother as his goal post.

Throughout the season, we can see Ali stumbling and standing up again. When he's caught in a hitch, he looks for help from others. This isn't something the old whiny Ali would've done. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he picks himself up and strives to be a better version of himself.

From his new maturity, he also manages to resist peer pressure and doesn't antagonize the international agents like his friends do. It's no surprise that he ends up connecting with Sam the most, a direct reflection of his past insecurities. Of course he'd relate to a kindred spirit and help the guy climb out of the hell he's been through himself all his life.

When Ali loses IRIS to Alicia in the end, it is the best outcome anyone could've hoped for. Not because Alicia deserves it which she does, but because it symbolizes the end of Ali's dependency on cool shiny gadgets to make himself look like a somebody. Because he is already a somebody.

Conclusion

Ali's character growth throughout the series is simply phenomenal.

You know the Ali in season 1 and season 3 are the same characters but if you put them side by side you'll see that they're anything but. They're too different.

Ali's journey as a character may have been riddled with hiccups, but it's those exact hiccups that make us appreciate the person he's become.

Is he perfect? No. He's still flawed as any 12 year old is. He'll learn in time and that's okay.

#ejen ali #ali ghazali #character study

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vixxelle · 10 months

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Hah! You thought I dropped the mcsm rewrites your wrong!

This is random but something I wanna do with Season 2 (or Part 3 as I called it) Jessica is to play around with the theme of disconnection and maturity and finding your own path in life.

Up until part 3, Jessica’s whole life was dedicated to going on crazy, wacky hijinks with her found family and trying to prove herself worthy of love and acceptance. Being abandoned by Petra as a child, bullied by the Ocelots, and deemed ‘useless’ and ‘annoying’ by everyone made Jessica desperate for any kind of relationship and praise.

So after the Witherstorm and the Portal arc, Jessica finally has what she wants, she's adored by everyone and seen as a hero! She goes on adventures with her family, leading a town with her brother by her side, she reconnected with her childhood best friend Petra, and is getting the praise she deserves! She's living the dream life!

Until she isn't.

Cuz all of a sudden, her whole family is slowly drifting apart. Olivia and Axel live far away from Beacontown, Lukas is getting more engrossed in his writings, Harper and Ivor are away and working as scientists, and Jessie is getting wrapped up in his duties as mayor and ignoring Jessica.

And worse of all, Jessica is now seen as the ‘useless’ member of the New Order by some and ‘immature’ by most for going on risky adventures and fooling around instead of taking care of Beacontown and settling down.

And it absolutely tears her up from the inside, Jessica has worked so hard to get where she was, sacrificed so much to earn respect, and all for nothing. Her life’s gone full circle and her friends and family aren't there to help. The only people she still feels close with is Radar, Nurm, Jack, and Petra.

Jessica wants to live her old life as an adventurer, she wants to have her family back, but she knows that things are not the same and that everyone had their own life now.

And she feels horrible about it, she knows it's selfish and immature for her to expect everyone to drop everything and go along with her wacky stunts and adventures but she can't help but crave that familiar feeling where everything was alright and sweet and everyone would hang out in the treehouse and go to sleep after telling scary and funny stories.

So as a result, she starts to cling to Petra who is also suffering from abandonment issues. To her, spending time with Petra is a way to ignore her mental issues and relive the childhood she should've had.

A childhood where Jessica, Petra, and the gang could go on adventures, slay monsters, and be a nice happy family where nothing can go wrong.

A childhood that unfortunately can't come true, no matter how much she tries to forget all her problems and make up ‘what ifs’.

Life and people change, and Jessica has to deal with that.

#raye rambles #mcsm jesse #mcsm jessica #minecraft story mode rewrite #minecraft story mode #minecraft story mode au #mcsm rewrite #mcsm #mcsm petra #mcsm olivia #mcsm axel #mcsm ivor #mcsm lukas #mcsm radar #mcsm nurm #mcsm jack

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abigail-pent · 1 year

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so I'm doing a Ted Lasso rewatch now that the finale is out, and there is just so much that I don't understand about these writers' choices.

major issue #1: why in the fuck did they break Roy and Keeley up in the first place? it makes no sense! none! they were going so strong through the end of season 2 and they had barely hit a roadblock of any kind. their biggest relationship problem in season 2 was that they spent too much time together, and then Roy breaks up with Keeley because they don't spend enough time together?? make it make sense!! I don't even think it's one of those things where writers don't know how to write a happy couple, because they just absolutely were writing them as a happy couple through all of season 2. and both characters were growing as people and everything; I don't think their breakup helped either of them like self-actualize or anything. did they really just want to have a subplot where Keeley has a fling with her boss? who then turns out to be a bit of an asshole? like... what even was the point of that. why did this happen. there is no good in-universe answer and I demand a decent out-of-universe explanation.

major issue #2: the whole resolution of Nate. the season 2 rewatch just really hammered home to me that this guy became the worst kind of toxic dude. like. he feels insufficiently masculine and he makes it everyone else's problem. the team jokes with him about the wonder kid thing, which is the kind of roasting they would do to show someone they belong, and Nate can't even see that they're giving him the attention and belonging he so craves. instead he verbally abuses Colin. in his journey to become noticed and taken seriously, he learns all the wrong lessons -- the guy who couldn't get a table at Taste of Athens ends up surprise kissing Keeley and generally acting entitled as fuck. even at the end of season 2, he's telling Ted that he didn't get where he was by chance, but rather because he earned it. my dude you were the kit man. you experienced both luck and skill to become a coach. you didn't build all of that; Ted gave you a chance, and you weren't entitled to that chance. so then in season 3 they let him asshole around for awhile (fair) before... putting him together with Jade? Jade, the hostess from Taste of Athens? Jade, who had no time for you when you were a short brown guy with no class status? Jade, whose insistence on denying you and your family the completely empty window table felt definitely either racist or classist or both? that Jade?? and we're supposed to like her now and think she's "literally perfect"? someone completely replaced this character and like forced her to fall in love with Nate, who has essentially nothing to offer but spanakopita from the restaurant where SHE ALREADY WORKS and the cache of saying she's dating the coach of a premier league football team. but we, the audience, who have not had lobotomies, are expected to believe that Jade is just a lovely non-racist girl who actually does like Nate for Nate, and not because of his sudden and dramatic change in status, and as such we're also supposed to believe she'll stay with him once he quits? SURE JAN. this is preposterous. we have seen Nate slide into deep toxicity, reminiscent of incels tbh, and we're all supposed to believe he's just magically going to de-radicalize himself?? or worse, are we supposed to believe that his incredibly forced relationship made him come back from the dark side? are we seriously arguing that sex with "picky women" can solve toxic masculinity?? get it the fuck together!!!!!

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers

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strandhai · 1 year

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About Blitzø

So I have rewatched Helluva Boss again (and again and again) and there is something I can't get out of my mind. So tumblr has to suffer now or otherwise this won't let me sleep.

Its about S1 Ep 02 Loo Loo Land (and later than in S1 Ep 07)

First of all: this

Blitzø making finger puplets of Milli and Moxxi and then getting started on the "threeway". That one got my off guard because I just saw it in my fifth rewatch.

I think yeah he may be attracted to both of them but I think its more because of the kind of relationship Moxxi and Milli have. Blitzø wants something like they have for himself. He wants to be part in that kind of relationship. Didn't matter if its his own or (in this case) Milli's and Moxxi's. He is fucked up, how fucked up he is we truly see in episode 7 but also before

We have seen before that he is breaking into M&M's apartment and also into their bedroom

"Hey now I have watched thise two pork many times and honestly they make missonary look relativly exciting..." (Blitzø, Ep07)

Later in Ep02, when Stolas is taking Via to the circus we have a short flashback of her when she eas young, with a Clown Blitzø in the background. (Eithe rhe really was there when Via visited or they just merged the flashbacks)

We get a first glimpse at Clown Blitzø. He is still stuck in the circus, there a now white blotches on his body at this time point. He just hates that clown.

And it escaltes quick after Robo Fizzarolli spotted Blitzø. So even if he hates that Robo clown, Blitzø probably wouldn't have done a thing if Robo Fizz hadn't decided to play dirty.

"Oh my is that Blitzø my sensor spotted up there... I guess the kiddis are still running away from you"

"The 'ø' is silent now"

"Ah... just like your audiance always was, when you told your lazy jokes here"

"Bitch I am making more money killing people than you do beeing a cheap-ass robo-rip-off of an overrated sell-out jester"

"Oh.. someone's salty, real or not though people love me... does anyone love you, Blitzø ?"

"No, but I am really good with guns now.."

At this point, at first watch it dosn't make sense. However with the knowledge of the Episode 01 Season 2 "Circus" we get much more background information. So rewatching this now makes much more sense.

We know that Blitzø and Fizzarolli have been best friends in childhood and their teens (I am almost suspecting there was somekind of relationship, I mean look at them..) an dhe has the pictures still on his phone!

So what ever happened it wasn't that Fizzarolley had been the better clown (or not only because of that) but I have a feeling that he left Blitzø behind for what was fame and money (at least from Blitzø's POV). I guess it has something to do with Fizzarollis Robo limbs. So what ever happened to him, happened in his late teens/tweenties and got him to leave Blitzø behind.

Then there is the picture of Blitzø with his Mum and Sister (which is the one that finally makes him cry) his sister left him (if we believe Verosika she is in Rehab) and his Mother left (death or not, she left him one way or another) so all people he ever loved left him behind.

Because he never was good enough for them to stick around. Not worthy of love. He hates himself and I belive he often thinks "no one cares if I am here or not" we see it at the picture-wall in his flat (his own face is crossed out in everyone of it) and we get a glimpse of it while he has his bad drug trip (S1E06).

"Yet you still shove away anyone who gets too close until they resent you for beeing a selfish shit..." (Verosika)

"Are you afraid to love people, Blitzy?" (Stolas)

"I belive your selfconscious is trying to tell you, that you simply can not fathom proper intimacy but also craving as well, it's rather unfortunate, sir, considering its often how you treat those who stand by you such as myself. Are you worried I may have enough of it as well?" (Moxxi)

He is afraid, because everyone he ever had loved had left him behind (for better or worse). And well we don't need to speak about the whole Symolic shit of that trip. Als his greates fear are there (Striker, Verosika, Robbo Fizz,) and then Moxxi and Stolas, the latter one on his throne above Blitzø, the colden chains. The point that he isn't fighting against the chain but just let it happen.

And Stolas whole behavior is playing into it, giving him the impression that the Prince only wants his body, even if we now knew that isn't the case. But also after the what happened in S1E03 Spring break with Verosika I think he covers much behind bodily affections. It's the way he goes with Stolas after the Prince gave away a interesst in it.

I think thats the point. He gives his body becaus sex is probably the only language he can speak, because never was any one interested into more than that. The only thing he is good enough for.

We also knwo about his abusive father (thanks to S2Ep01) who never gave a flying shit about his son. This is just adding up to the pile of shit.

Also: the white blotches. It makes me sick because I just eanna now so badly how the fuck he got them. I think we all agree that they are scars. So what the hell happened and have it soomwthing to do with Fizzarollis missing limbs and his aversion for overeager fans?

Is that the reason Blitzø first decided to become a bodyguard before he founded his hitman buisiness?

And if they had been best friends, why the hate between them? What Fizzarolli did in Ep07 had been more than cruel. So they definetly parted on really bad terms.

Oh god, so many questions and not enough answers....

#helluva boss #blitzo #stolas x blitzo #robo fizz #fizzarolli #verosika mayday #blitzo x verosika #stolas #stolitz #it hurt me bad thinking about Blitzøs past #what the hell did happen to him

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ayo-buck · 7 months

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Trick or treat!! 🎃

Happy Halloween!!! 👻 Thank you for the ask 💜

Here's a snippet from a verrry angsty season 2 canon divergent yr fic that I never ended up finishing where Simon doesn't go after Wille during the Valentine's Ball and Simon ends up going back to Marcus' house instead

(Marcus tw sorry)

Wille’s brow wrinkles, his eyes searching Simon’s face. “Were you…were you with Marcus when you texted me?”

The air grows heavy between them as Simon realizes he gave himself away. If he lies, he wonders if Wille will see right through him. But he can’t say yes, either. He can’t admit that he’d spent the night with Marcus but thinking of Wille, craving his touch so much that it had almost hurt.

Simon can’t admit that he had slept with Marcus as a means to an end, to try and get over Wille, and it hadn’t even worked.

Who does that to another person, especially to someone like Marcus, who was nothing but kind to him?

You don’t want to destroy something this beautiful.

What kind of person does that make Simon, to do such a thing?

Simon shrugs.

“Oh.” Wille swallows. “Was it okay? Are you okay?”

Simon squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m fine, Wille. I wanted to.”

“Right. I’ll leave you alone, then.”

Wille nods, walking towards the door, and Simon’s heart rockets into overdrive, watching him leave again, just like at the Valentine's Day Ball. He can’t lose his second chance to explain himself. Not again.

“Wait!” Simon jumps up, voice catching. “I wanted to be with you. I wanted it to be you.” Wille stands, frozen as Simon crosses the room, erasing the distance between them. “I was just trying to move on. Everything just got so messed up between us.”

He can feel Wille's warmth, his breath against Simon's face as Wille says, “I know.”

Simon squeezes his eyes shut. “And now it’s even worse. Because I can’t hurt Marcus. Not like this.”

#hehehe #ive thought about finishing this but ppl hate marcus so much idk if anyone would read it LOL #it also has sort of complicated themes about s*x and regret that idk if i would explain them well enough #young royals #yr fic #thanks for letting me share!!

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