#when the series is further in/over and see if my opinions or thoughts change at all

[aloesarchives]

Jujutsu Kaisen Lore Headcanons for "Toji Lives/Megumi Cock Blocks Toji" AU

Warning: Female/Afab! Reader, Author(me) being a really fucking annoying narrator, Swearing, Inaccuracy to the anime and manga, Things that don't make sense but are trying to, Switching between reader and you, Mentions of OCs but reader is not one, Reader is highkey a marysue/OP

!!Disclaimer!!: These are my PERSONAL headcanons, thoughts, and opinions on how Toji would be like if he was alive and would act after the Hidden Inventory arc. Or how the events of Jujutsu Kaisen would be different b/c of reader and Toji being alive. These headcanons also explain Reader’s role and place in this AU how her presence changes many things.

Series: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Toji x Mama!/Fem!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 5.5k words

Summary: Headcanons for the “Toji lives”/”Megumi cock blocks Toji” AU, and Mom!Reader being a part of and affects each timeline.

(A/N: I will have a separate post that will further explain the Shibuya arc and post Shibuya onwards with the “Toji lives” AU very soon! I know I said I'll have some posts ready after my lastest one but I was having fun and enjoying myself with the holidays that I kinda forgot about them. I promise I'll upload those posts within January! I apologize for my inconsistency!) [!!Unedited and not proof-read as of December 31 2023 12:05am!!]

General Reader Headcanons:

Reader is roughly around 33-34 during the Plasma Star Vessel arc(Year: 2006). Reader is also around her mid 40s (45-46) in present day Jujutsu Kaisen. Toji is roughly around the same age.

Reader’s technique is exclusive towards her, but the only time someone shared a technique like hers was during the Heian Era/Time Period where one of her ancestors is said to have the exact technique like hers but with personal different methods.

Reader hates the Jujutsu elders and higher ups for the schemes they have brewed. One which ultimately caused the Japanese faction of her clan to dwindle in size when she was around 8 years old. Reader is a certified hater of the elders and higher ups of Jujutsu Society, it runs in the family.

Reader's sorcerer grade is officially recognized to be around Semi-grade 1 to Grade 1 sorcerer. But in actuality, Reader is classified as a Special Grade sorcerer b/c of the rarity, nature, power, and versatility of the technique itself.

Reader is a mentor/motherly figure to Satoru. You are the closest thing Satoru has to a parent/guardian so Satoru favors you over many adults/older people.

Reader is considered a part-time sorcerer as she holds down a full time job in the real world after graduating. This is mostly due to her not wanting to be at the beck and call of the higher ups and Jujutsu Elders doing their bidding, but occasionally does help and do favors for certain people like Yaga. She only became a part-time Jujutsu High teacher shortly before the Hidden Inventory Arc.

Reader met Toji around her early 20s when he freshly exiled himself from the Zen’in clan. She ran into him during a favor she was doing for Yaga. She was on a retrieval mission to get a curse tool for Jujutsu High’s inventory. On her way to the location, she was ambushed by a curse. Before she could exorcize it, the curse sputtered and coughed up its blood as a blade pierced its chest and it dropped dead. With no curse energy, Reader was prepared to fight only to see a strongly built man with a small scar on his lips. She meets Toji, and funny enough he had the curse weapon she was looking for. She was trying to negotiate with him to get the weapon. She didn’t have to for long as Toji just straight up gave it to her and said, “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? I’ll give it to you because you’re cute. Until I see you again, Ms. Sorcerer~.”

Then Reader randomly runs into Toji both on assignments and in real life. It was at random but in a consistent way. Eventually, Toji starts living with Reader because he is lowkey homeless. Reader first fell for Toji but Toji fell HARD for Reader. Always accompanying her when she has to run errands. Always watching out for her and in the shadows. Hell, he started asking Shui for information on certain people to make sure you’re not getting yourself into trouble. He also starts asking Shui for better paying jobs that he could do in a day then take a few days to complete.

Toji falls hard because of Reader’s understanding and compassion towards him and his past, which she was more than understanding of his feelings towards the Zen’in clan for their god awful mistreatment and ostracized Toji from Jujutsu Society. Yet he couldn’t understand why you had tears in your eyes when you pulled him in for a hug, saying that you’ll be his family now and he can rely on you. Thus, that’s when Toji said, “I need to fucking marry this woman or I swear to God I will assassinate every sorcerer in the world.”

After a few years, Reader and Toji get married and Toji takes Reader’s two last names: (L/N) Fushiguro. Fushiguro wasn’t originally a part of Reader’s last name, but decided to take it up as an alias when Reader briefly left Jujutsu society to live among non-sorcerers. The last name came from a distant relative a few generations back that was married into the family.

After around 29, Toji and Reader had Tsumiki. Then a year later, they had Megumi at 30. 

Though your place is small, it was homey and cozy for your little family. Life was good until the year where Tsumiki turns 4 and Megumi turns 3. Toji started having missions where he was coming home less and less frequently. It was starting to bother you because he was starting to miss out on Tsumiki and Megumi growing up. More so, it was devastating to you when Megumi told you he could barely remember anything of Toji, he even faintly describes Toji’s looks but it is starting to get foggy. 

It was becoming hard to support your daughter and son on your own, so when Toji came home one night you told him your thoughts. Then an argument happened, not a loud one to wake up the kids, but you were putting Toji in his place. Toji was trying to justify that it was his work and they have been demanding him recently, that it was the good of your family as they were paying him more money to do them. This was when you started questioning Toji’s occupation and what he does. Toji gets irritated about you questioning his line of work and tries to repeat again that it was for the sake of your family and nothing more. 

However, Reader is unaware that Toji made a deal with the Zen’in clan to sell off Megumi when he’s around 5-6. He couldn’t tell you this because he knew how you would react so he was going to keep it a secret for the time being. However, he would never tell after the argument the two of you had.

The next thing you know, Toji drops an envelope on the kitchen table and grabs his packed duffle bag as he heads towards the door. You tried to stop him but he says that he needs to leave for a while but he promises he will be back. Kisses reader on the lips and forehead before leaving their apartment. 

Reader is hurt and confused until she opens the envelope to see a check that’s already signed. It has $5000 dollars in it. It would last you at most 5 weeks for you and your children. Yet, that was the only check received from Toji as he went completely off the grid. No amount of resources would amount in a helpful way to finding what happened to your husband. 

That was when reader was assigned an important mission for the first time in years. Where you and another teacher, Maho(JJK OC) would act as guardians/chaperones to Gojo and Geto. Your jobs were to oversee and supervise the two students and report anything about the mission.

“Toji lives”/ “Megumi cockblocks Toji” AU:

So basically in this AU, not only does Toji live. But mostly everyone else does live, or somewhere along the lines of dead and alive. Well, minus Junpei and Mai. But that’s just me being blissfully ignorant of the canon timeline and canceling most of the events out and just changing them. 

So everything in the Plasma Star Vessel arc happens but the only thing that changes is Riko and Kuroi being alive. The way that it happens is you were sent ahead to do some investigating of the Jujutsu High area to see if it’s safe. Then out of nowhere, you were asked to speak to Tengen themself. Unbeknownst to you, you were unaware that Toji, your estranged husband, had attacked Gojo which forced Geto, Riko, Kuroi, and Maho(JJK OC) to run and leave Gojo to fight him.

You were basically told by Tengen to respect the last wishes of Riko Amanai before they merged. But they popped that statement out, you responded with, “what if her last wish is to continue on living and not merge?” At first, Tengen opposed you for your question. Saying it would throw off the balance of their stabilization and balance of Jujutsu Society. However, you countered by saying it’s respecting Riko’s wish and the girl's wish to keep on living. Meaning that technically you’re honoring her wish and you believed that she deserved to live her life.

Plus you argued that there are few Plasma Star Vessels out there, like Yuki Tsukumo, who didn’t merge with Tengen are completely fine. And Tengen didn’t suffer from not merging with her or the other vessels. So after some thought, Tengen briefly allowed Riko to live and not merge with her. However, in exchange, you would have to find a substitute host in place of Riko. While it wouldn’t be the same, Tengen said it would be easier to merge with another host that had curse energy or was a Jujutsu Sorcerer. 

Meanwhile, Geto, Kuroi, and Maho escort Riko in front of Tengen’s chamber. For a bit, Geto offers Riko a choice to leave with Maho and him. To not merge and live her life out. Riko expresses this but before she could allow Geto to take her hand, Maho gets shot in the throat. The bullet was meant for Riko but Maho’s change in positioning took the hit for her instead unintentionally. Toji reveals himself from the shadows and says he’ll take Riko dead or alive. Geto tells Riko and Kuroi to run while Geto fights Toji with Maho supporting him the best that she can after learning Toji killed Satoru.

Suguru and Maho get defeated while Kuroi is knocked out by Toji and takes Riko to the Time Vessel association. You come out of the chamber to only find Geto and Maho bleeding out, you take them to the infirmary and have Shoko heal them. Suguru tells you that a man with no curse energy ambushed them, killed Satoru, and took Riko.  ‘Wait, a curseless man? But. . . that can’t be’ You snapped out of it and left Suguru to find Gojo’s body to take back. You found where you assumed you would find his body but all you would find was a large blood smear on the pavement. So you went to find Riko in the association. What you didn’t know is that Gojo beat you to it. You snuck in and when they were about to kill Riko, you snatched her away and brought her back to Jujutsu High. However, you asked Riko about Gojo’s whereabouts. She said she last saw him fight a tall man with a small scar on his right lip. Your blood runs cold as you continue to drag her towards the school. She didn’t understand why you stopped talking, but the look of fear on your face told her something.

As Gojo and Toji duke it out for the second time, it was Suguru that caused Satoru to misfire his Hollow Purple at Toji and narrowly missed him. Toji knew that he lost the fight because he would’ve died if he got hit. Let alone, get defeated one-way or another. Since Suguru told Gojo that Riko’s retrieval was a success, Toji knew he wouldn’t get paid for the job and just gave up. He, surprisingly, surrendered himself to the two and was taken to an underground bunker where Toji was heavily sealed and chained up. Doesn’t even bother fighting back at all. Though the mission was a technical success, Tengen didn’t merge with the chosen vessel and there was a sorcerer killer on the premises of the school.

Since you were in charge of the mission and the only one uninjured, you were held accountable and take full responsibility for what has happened. The Higher-ups and Elders were not happy, to say the least, with the results. But specifically that you allowed the rest to get hurt and let Tengen’s vessel free, ceasing the merging. However, they weren’t on Reader’s ass for the first two. They were mostly on her ass because they discovered the identity of the sorcerer killer is Toji. And somehow figured out Reader’s marriage with him. Because of this, they were going to execute Toji and put Reader on trial.

This was also the moment reader’s suspicions were right with Toji doing all of this. She was going through the ringer of emotions when revealed the information in the same room with the very people she despised. So she kept to herself and remained calm. She proposed a deal to them that she knew they would consider. In exchange for Toji’s life and freedom, the reader gave these conditions:

Toji’s weapons would be heavily sealed and hidden away where no one can obtain them. Their whereabouts will be unknown and Reader and a select few would know about the location. 

Toji cannot enter Jujutsu Society/High without Reader. For at least a year, Toji can’t be near any sorcerer or enter any Jujutsu building. Reader is essentially Toji’s handler and responsibility. Toji has to be with Reader at all times when on Jujutsu Premises.

If Toji acts out of line, he will be immediately executed. Reader will also be executed or exiled from Jujutsu Society. However, if Reader dies, Toji will be executed. If Toji somehow dies, Reader would be somewhat safe. But if Reader dies, Toji will die with her. Reader’s life is in the hands of Toji’s behavior and actions. While Reader’s entire life and existence is the reason why Toji lives and her dying means he dies too.

These conditions were simple enough but the higher ups were still doubtful. But Reader also adds that after a year, Toji could go on missions if it involved a reward. Mentioning that Toji would be a vital asset to them and keeping him on house arrest wouldn’t be ideal. Reader tells the higher ups that Toji was exiled from the Zen’in clan years ago and would only listen to her. She implies that Toji could wreak havoc on Jujutsu society if it wasn’t for her.

With reluctance, the higher ups agreed to Reader’s terms but warned she would be on a watchlist. Reader just waves it off. Yet after she leaves the room and goes outside, the weight of her emotions get the best of her and she cracks under it all. This was a lot of process and bear but she was the only one to do this. 

Strangely enough, a distant relative of reader’s contacted her about moving into an old home of theirs. No prices or charges, they just needed to give the house to her since they were moving back into the clan’s main residence. Reader was like okay, thanks for the free house. Since there wasn’t much at the old apartment, they didn’t need to pack much.

Once Satoru and Suguru were healed up, Reader tasked the two of them to bring Megumi and Tsumiki to the dorms temporarily until the house was ready and Reader dealt with Toji. Satoru may or may not have slipped about Megumi’s true heritage, causing Suguru to bonk him on the head. Megumi doesn’t want to go with the two men but after telling him and his sister that Raeder sent for them, he and his sister followed them.

Reader basically was taken to where her husband was held. She only had less than an hour to talk to him so she had to speedrun their talk and leave some things out. It was strange to her to see her husband, the notorious sorcerer killer, chained up and not fighting his restraints. It looked like he hadn’t eaten in days and the color in his eyes was dulled out. But when you entered the chamber and made your presence known, he perked up because he recognized your footsteps.

As much you wanted to comfort and coddle him, you were furious and beyond disappointed with him. Toji admits his faults and was okay with dying. During which he reluctantly revealed to Reader that he sold Megumi to the Zen’in clan for his technique. With this newfound information, Reader is heartbroken and slaps Toji square in the face. Though she didn’t want to, he did deserve it. So Reader explains the conditions she made to grant Toji his freedom and life back, if he so chooses. Or he can get executed, the choice is his.

Toji doesn’t deserve a second chance but Reader offered one to him. While putting herself and life at risk for a bum who ended up abandoning his family. Reader said he can clean himself up, to step up as a husband and father. The only term she was willing to give Toji if he chooses to come back. In a way, Reader was giving signals to Toji that she still needs him and doesn’t want him to die. Toji thinks about it. He would be restricted to being at home and the outside world, while being on a leash by Reader when entering Jujutsu Society which he doesn’t mind the thought of.

Toji makes his decision by agreeing to the conditions while also promising to pull himself up. Although it made you smile, it disappeared when you remember how your children would react to seeing their absent father again and trying to adjust to his constant presence. Toji said he’ll try his best, but he wouldn’t guarantee Megumi and Tsumiki’s approval. But it didn’t matter to him because his family needs him and he would damn to waste his second chance knowing many don’t get any.

So it was settled. Toji is freed because of Reader with the somewhat of an approval from the Higher-ups, the house was ready to move with the kiddos, and everything was starting to set in motion. It was a hard adjustment for the kids in this new chapter of their life. Moving into a new, nicer, and bigger home than the previous smaller apartment was a big change. Another big change was seeing their father for the first time in almost months. Tsumiki was a little happy to see Toji back at home with them but Megumi was different. In fact, he was indifferent about Toji’s return and tried to completely ignore him. You and Toji completely understand Megumi’s feelings about his dad suddenly popping up again out of nowhere after months of not coming home. You reassured your son that Toji’s staying for good and that it’s okay for him to not accept his dad's presence right away or force himself to.

It wasn’t what it used to be but Reader didn’t mind it. Since Toji was on house arrest in the meantime, he was on house-husband duty. Since you were now working as a full-time Jujutsu teacher(2nd-3rd year teacher) and Sorcerer, you were away from home a lot during the morning and afternoons. Toji struggled in the beginning but he really managed and became good at it. He was an excellent cook, cleaner, errand runner, and even handyman. You still handled the money but Toji never asked you for more than what was needed. He started picking up Megumi and Tsumiki from school, making the other parents drool over him. He honestly likes the domestic aspect of this part of his life, something he never imagined when he was younger.

You knew it was bad but you asked Satoru a big favor. Since Megumi’s sale to the Zen’in clan was still up, you asked Satoru to postpone it or intervene in a way. Reader would have the power but her clan faction isn’t what it used to be and the Zen’in clan hates her guts for marrying Toji. Satoru agrees to help but it would mean that he would have partial guardianship over Megumi. That was fine with you but explaining this to your young son would be hard, considering he will be training and spending some of his time with one of his mother’s student.

Satoru and Suguru become older brother figures to the kids and Shoko being a big sister. They would come to your house to visit just to see the kids. It was challenging at the start since Toji was there and a constant reminder of their weakness. But you talked with them about it, saying that they don’t have to care for your husband and hate him all they want. But never hate the children. This was helpful to Suguru since Riko and Kuroi were living on Jujutsu Tech grounds as a safety precaution since there were still hits on Riko. You also noticed Suguru's depression while soul-searching. You always told him that you considered him family and let him know to come to you for help when he needs it.

Reader is the sole reason Suguru hasn’t fallen to the dark-side and became a curse user. However, he and Satoru almost became one a year later. 

A year after the Hidden Inventory incident, Nanami and Haibara were sent on a mission to exorcize a grade 2 curse. You accompanied them because you knew the area better and felt the need to watch the students. However, the information was completely wrong as the curse they were facing was a grade 1 curse that manipulated the earth and surroundings. While Nanami and Haibara had minimal to mild injuries, you were badly injured and bleeding everywhere. While you were able to exorcize the curse, you were hanging on by a thread because your main priority was the safety of the two students. Though you were healed, you did have a faint scar and you were out from doing missions for about a couple of months. Highkey traumatized the two students because their teacher was about to be murdered and they couldn’t do anything about it.

What they didn’t know was that the mission was a ploy to have Reader be assassinated while carelessly adding kids to the mix. All done by the Higher-ups and encouragement of the Zen’in clan. The only reason this information was spilled out was Toji was visiting you in the infirmary and his super hearing heard a low grade Zen’in sorcerer spill it out. He, along with Satoru and Suguru, forced the sorcerer to spill anything they knew. The sorcerer revealed that Reader had been on a watchlist and knew she was dangerous to them so they tried making her death a tragic accident. Surprisingly, Toji and Satoru had this moment of truce between each other. It was interesting to Suguru because both of the two men hate each other’s guts but decided to work together if it involved you. They would’ve stormed in and decimated the Higher-ups and Zen’in clan, which Suguru didn’t mind. 

It was Shoko that retrieved them, saying that you were awake and wanted to talk to them. The three begrudgingly made their way to your room. Reader essentially argues that going on a killing spree would make them curse users, they are just tools for the higher-ups and would turn on them at any given chance. She reminds them that if Toji kills in Jujutsu Society, she would die or be completely exiled and Toji would be immediately executed. Leaving her children all alone with both parents gone and possibly dead. Reader admits she wants to change Jujutsu society and take down the current higher-ups and dismantle the old system. But she doesn’t want to drag Tsumiki and Megumi into the mix, especially since Megumi possesses a technique that has been sought after for centuries.

This weighed on the four of them as Reader continued to talk. It doesn’t help that if they do succeed in killing the higher-ups, not many people would follow behind them, like the big three families. She advises that they need to wait, which she is aware that time won’t change anything. But something needs to happen in order for the change to happen and work in their favor. Suguru understands but doesn’t really agree because keeping them around for longer will just continue what’s happening. Reader points out that if they kill the current higher-ups now, possibly the worst people would take their place. A greater evil replacing a mild evil, pick your poison.

The men don’t go through with the killing but are on legit bad terms with the higher-ups. Toji couldn’t give two fucks about them and the Zen’in clan, but he loves you so he’ll abide to your rules. Similar to Toji, Satoru is the same. He does have the power to do all of this, he knows it would put many people at risk. Suguru was the only one who was conflicted about it, they could do it now so why wait for later? But Suguru is only doing this for his friend and you, not for Jujutsu Society.

Reader is aware of Suguru’s breaking point with what’s been going on. She tries to help but knows Suguru has to make that choice to reach out for help as well. He has been sent on mission after mission, breaking him down even more. One night when you were still on mission leave, there was a knock on the door. Opening it revealed Suguru holding two twin girls in his arms. After dragging him inside, giving the girls Tsumiki’s old clothes, patching him up, and making him tea, you asked what on Earth happened? Anxiety gnawing away as you assumed the worst. Then Suguru explained the situation, his latest mission in a village where he found the mistreated twins by the villagers. He didn’t kill them, to your relief, but he was mad and angry how non-sorcerer people could be more cruel than them. These are the people they were supposed to protect and save but they pull off the most heinous crimes, putting a hit on Riko then torturing these innocent girls. 

You didn’t deny Suguru was right, why protect non-sorcerers when they have the ability to be as cruel as the curse spirits they fight? But it was not about being the better person and letting them get away with it, no. It was about would it be worth it in the end for Suguru to kill off random humans who they’ll never see again? The village was remote as it is. So for torturing the girls, Jujutsu tech and other Jujutsu sorcerers weren’t allowed to do assignments for the village. Leaving the villagers vulnerable to curse attacks and incidents. While it still was a bad decision to leave them to fend for themselves, you couldn’t let Suguru go on a killing spree. 

So Reader helps Suguru take care of the twins along with Satoru and Shoko. The twins had a hard time adjusting but got used to living with Suguru as their guardian/dad. The Twins grow up with Tsumiki and Megumi as they would have play dates and hangout with each other whenever they were at Reader’s home or Reader brings Megumi and Tsumiki to Jujutsu Tech. 

With that, Suguru and Gojo become teachers at Jujutsu High. Shoko became a doctor, Yaga became the principal of the school, Haibara is a full-time sorcerer while Nanami left the Jujutsu World after he graduated but eventually returned a couple years later. You still teach at the school but more of a substitute teacher and only going on retrieval and investigating missions. 

During this time, you tried your best with your children to mend their relationship with Toji. While Megumi took a little longer than Tsumiki, they recognized that their father was staying and not leaving anytime soon. The household was a lot healthier because of that, putting Tsumiki and Megumi in a better mental state. With Megumi having developed his curse technique, Satoru trains him and spends time with him after school to help him better understand his technique. Though you do help your son, it seems like Satoru had teachings that stick with him more. Megumi recognizes Satoru’s presence, though annoyed for the most part, and sees him as an older brother figure but he’ll never admit it. Toji is more involved with his kids' lives as they get older, making up for their earlier years. They have good figures in their lives, making their lives better. While Megumi still has that surface-level brooding antisocial personality, it’s credited to him being an introvert and picking up bits of Toji’s personality.

Though Toji and Megumi’s relationship got better over the years, they have their little banter moments here and there. It was more for annoyance and teasing between the two. You allow it to happen only if it’s meant to be a joke and not a cruel insult disguised as a joke. Sometimes Tsumiki intervenes but you tell her that’s how Megumi and Toji show their love for each other. Especially when Megumi gets older and doesn’t show his vulnerability as much compared to when he was younger. Megumi grew to appreciate his dad more and Toji values from what his two children have taught him.

With the events of JJK 0, since Geto is alive and a non-curse user, let’s just say that the villain who attacked Jujutsu High was Kenjaku but in a different body of a powerful person. So Reader meets Yuta and the other first years and is shocked to see a Zen’in with no technique. She makes personal note of this while also helping Satoru and Suguru teach them. Reader was also there for the attack that took place on Christmas Eve, which pissed her off because she was supposed to be at home with her family but some powerful bozo wanted to conquer and see the whole world in shambles. Nanami and Haibara were serving on the battlefield. Gojo was literally giving hands to Miguel while Suguru was helping in exorcizing and stockpiling curses. 

Kenjaku gets heavily injured and flees the scene, proclaiming that this wouldn’t be the last time they would see him. So after convincing forcing Miguel to come to your side, Reader and Satoru sent Yuta with him to Africa in hopes of finding more of the curse rope Miguel’s clan makes.

Meanwhile sometime later, Megumi was of age to go to Jujutsu Tech. He had a lot of resistance from you to not go there, let alone be a sorcerer. But Gojo talked with you and convinced you that Megumi would become a better sorcerer if he went. Yet it meant dorming at the school and Reader was reluctant about it. But when Megumi showed interest and talked to you about it, you agreed to it but it meant that Satoru would be responsible for his well-being during school hours. Toji also was on Megumi’s side, saying the boy needs to spread his wings and kick ass. Plus Tsumiki will be home too. He’s becoming a young man and you hate to admit it but your husband has a point.

Also in this AU, Tsumiki doesn’t get cursed and goes into a coma. Long story short, you had a gut feeling that something bad was gonna happen. But it wasn't like the air shifted or felt different. Nah, you had this impending doom and you felt so sick that Toji was concerned for you. When Tsumiki left for the bridge, Toji secretly followed after her and saved her just in time. However, one of her friends ended up getting cursed instead. Tsumiki feels guilty but Toji explained about your concern for her safety which is why he went.

Everything still happens as per usual. Megumi meets Yuji, Yuji eats Sukuna’s fingers, Yuuji becomes Sukuna’s vessel, Megumi, Nobara, and Yuuji become a team, etc.

Megumi never really mentions Reader/You, his dad, or sister to Yuji and Nobara because they never asked him. But also, he still is a well-reserved person and doesn’t let information like that slip, especially what he knows about Reader’s status in the Jujutsu Society.

Yuji and Nobara don’t meet Reader/you until after the Kyoto exchange event because Reader/You were in Hokkaido for a bit. But let’s say Reader/You were not pleased with the treatment of Yuji and the Jujutsu Tech students from Kyoto. Todo gets a pass but he’s the only one, Miwa does but she’s a different story.

Reader brings up Maki to Toji and Toji seems interested to see another person that’s very similar to him. Reader brings Toji to school and this is one of the times he is actually well-behaved and watches from afar as he sees the second-years train. He observes Maki quietly as you await his response. Toji just stands up, saying there’s another foil to the Zen’in clan’s plans before leaving the school grounds with you.

Toji does go on missions for Jujutsu Tech but he’s not considered a sorcerer. He’s very similar to Mei Mei in terms of only doing a job if it bleeds money. Due to his Celestial Restriction, he is sent on more dangerous missions. But he doesn’t mind because the paycheck he gets is a fat one that could provide for a year for your household.

Now with the Shibuya Arc, it will be completely different with Toji being alive and an ally. Though tragedy and destruction will occur in Shibuya and afterwards, Toji’s being alive does change the tides against Kenjaku and his evil plan. This is also where Reader starts doing her own thing and pulls some strings that’ll help the main cast. Even if it’s not on legal terms.

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[sunnybyler]

i’ve been sitting on my thoughts for so long but i just have to get this off my chest. i don’t like to yuck ppls yum so if you like e/riel pls scroll away nd keep having your fun it’s not my problem. however some of y’all can get mean as HELL and as an elucien i have to get this off my chest. (also warning for gwynriels i’m with y’all i defend y’all here however i do go in a bit on az in this so fair warning). i truly have no idea why e/riels cling so hard to the azriel bonus chapter in acosf because that chapter, more than literally anything else in the series, proved to me that e/riel is absolutely NOT going to be endgame. let me explain:

1. it is explicitly stated that azriel did not think of his relationship with elain outside of a sexual nature. i think some ppl get kinda annoyingly puritanical when trying to make this point when it’s like 100% certain lucien had sexual thoughts of elain too. the point isn’t the thoughts themselves. the difference here is the explicit mention that he didn’t consider anything with her outside of that.

2. the point above ^ is further exacerbated by the fact that az did not give a flying fuck if he killed elain’s MATE. even if elain hasn’t accepted the bond, it would still be extremely painful for her based on what we’ve seen with rhys, feyre, and even rhys’s parents (who weren’t good for each other, yet we saw how rhys’s dad lost it when she died). now of course us lucien lovers know damn well he would never in a million years call a blood duel to try to claim elain (and fuck u rhys for saying that, i usually have your back but come ON you are not the only male who can respect their mate’s autonomy). but az doesn’t know that!? in fact seems to agree with rhys that he could. ppl argue on who would win that fight — my opinion hinges 100% on if powers are fully unleashed but that’s not the point at all. no matter WHO wins, elain is going to feel responsible for someone’s death. of course it wouldn’t be her fault if men decided to be fucking stupid, but with the little we know about elain shows that she would feel so guilty if that happened. but azriel doesn’t seem to give af that anyone fighting to the death over her is the last thing she would ever want. not only did az not think of elain outside his fantasies and therefore not fully care for her, but he doesn’t seem to even KNOW elain in this chapter. now, i could go in on this in acosf as a whole. but i’m keeping it to this chapter alone.

3. and further on THAT point, az doesn’t really give any reasoning on his interest in elain outside of this insane “three brothers/three sisters” thing he fully pulled out of his ass. tbh i almost thing this is sjm’s way of addressing the fan theories on that. now i get it to some extent from az’s pov — seeing his brothers happy with these sisters must fuck with your head after you’d all been bachelors together for 500 years. especially considering how he’s felt unworthy of love his whole life and this seems to support that insecurity of his. i get that it makes him feel ostracized from them, and that he’s now an outlier not being with an archeron. i get that. i do. i sympathize with him here. however that does not change the fact that he isn’t speaking of elain like she’s her own individual here — hell he fully calls her “the other”. i think part of this conversation was him being frazzled, i give him a bit more grace than some do (tho he pissed me off BAD in this scene), but we were fully in this man’s head. did he give us a full reason why he liked elain besides his brother’s mates and his sexual thoughts?? they would’ve at least crossed his mind when rhys was grilling them if sjm was trying to set up her next romance here. as it is, we have literally nothing to imply azriel actually likes elain herself and not the idea of being closer with his brothers.

4. az has kinda a habit of ignoring the reality of the women he’s attracted to in some way. he has his own version of them in his head that he puts on a pedestal. now i could do a whole psych eval on this man and how he thinks he’s unworthy of love and therefore only allows himself to have feelings for women he knows/thinks he can’t have. but to focus on this chapter alone, my points above ^ about how he doesn’t really think of elain outside his fantasies/bringing him closer to his brothers and not really understanding her pretty much wraps it up there. i mean he even talks about how he thinks his scarred hands don’t belong on her because she’s so perfect in his eyes. that’s not love, that’s obsession and it’s unhealthy. he clearly thinks himself below elain and ignores that she has her own flaws too.

5. aaaand i saved the biggest for (almost) last….. GWYN. this is a genuine GENUINE question. why in the fucking hell. would sjm make half the chapter focusing on az & gwyn if she was teasing e/riel. like that makes no sense. not to be annoying and mention chekhov's gun but that idea applies to relationships too. i’m sorry but she couldn’t be more explicit about her future romances. you could argue “oh well it’s because there’s gonna be a love triangle”. y’all. elain has. elain has a mate. there already IS a love triangle. there was absolutely no reason for her to bring gwyn into this chapter other than her preparing us for a future relationship, literally none. especially with all the romantic subtext (hell not even subtext, just TEXT). gwyn getting him to talk about himself so easily when he’s so quiet usually, him taking the idea of making her happy and he “buried the image down deep, where it GLOWED QUIETLY” (which SCREAMS mating bond to me but even if it’s not it’s clearly something he cherishes deeply), the SHADOWSINGERS SHADOWS SANG FOR HER!?

6. the fucking necklace regifting. oh it’s bad. OHHH ITS BAD. when the girls realize it’s gonna be SO messy but im hoping sjm doesn’t go the stupid cat fight route bc neither of them did anything wrong. az did. i’m sorry i’m dunking on him so much in this post i rlly don’t hate him i just think he needs like decades of therapy (which tbf don’t we all) which i unfortunately don’t think sjm is going to give him before giving him his romance. but even the biggest azriel lovers have to admit that this was insanity. a few points on it here. first, if it’s so easily regiftable then it couldn’t have been that well thought out in regards to elain. say what you will about lucien’s gifts, even argue that he gave her jewelry too. but elain was actually shown wearing pearls. az’s gift seemed shallow to me — it was something pretty, and elain’s pretty, and it had a flower, and elain gardens. it’s clear lucien put SO much more thought into his gifts, whether he succeeded or not (which i need to remind y’all — we still don’t know. maybe she liked the gifts maybe she didn’t, but regardless she acted the way she did bc of her feelings about the bond, not the gift). and azriel has spent so much more time with elain than lucien has. if that necklace really felt like elain to him, he could’ve kept it or returned it. but nope. buddy gave it to a whole other girl bc he could easily associate it with someone else. he clearly felt some special pull towards gwyn too, going out of his way to give it to her. he had ONE meaningful conversation with her. i already discussed the quote earlier that makes me think mating bond personally. but no matter what, him giving her the same gift he gave someone he was pursuing romantically is a clear sign of what’s to come (and probably a setup for some sort of drama that i don’t think im mentally ready for).

so there we have it! why i think that the bonus chapter thoroughly proves that e/riel is not going to be endgame. i honestly think it’s possible they might be a thing for a minute (tho i could also see this being the closing of that chapter), but i don’t think it’s going to last. sjm just gave us too many blatant hints that elain and az would NOT work together long term, and that azriel in particular is more suited for someone else. i might’ve missed some points bc there is SO much that goes down in this tiny chapter so lmk if there’s other stuff you picked up on!

#elucien #gwynriel #acotar #acosf #acosf bonus chapter #elain archeron #pro elucien #pro gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #azriel #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #gwyn x azriel

[fromthedragonsdesk]

On Visual Novels and Catharsis

I never had a high opinion of Visual Novels. In my mind, they always seemed to boil down to the most basic wish fulfillment tripe that we'd collectively assign to the isekai genre these days, I'd wager. To me it was a waste of time or energy trying to interact with them (as an aside, I'm well aware that the Phoenix Wright series is arguably a visual novel, but I missed that boat by not having DS-era device). Even today, with a glance over most of games tagged 'visual novel' on Steam, you'll see what could be generously described as fetish pornography. So, seeing all this, I reinforced my belief that visual novels were for people who wanted some plot with their porn, and never thought much of it.

To my surprise, Steam insisted on recommending visual novels to me. I usually just tossed them aside from the recommendation queue, until I got two recommended almost back-to-back: Mice Tea and Changeling Tale.

Mice Tea had generally positive reviews, and many of them cited that the game's writing and characterization were generally humorous and appealing. So, given that it was on sale during the Steam Winter Sale, I figured it was worth a shot. Then, after basically binging on the game for 20 hours, I walked away thinking that I might have misjudged the genre on some levels.

I wouldn't say I was entirely surprised by Mice Tea - the reviews did it justice in terms of you, as the reader, wanting to root for the main cast to succeed. Most of the conflict didn't necessarily arise from an outside force, but rather internalized conflicts and the struggle to essentially be honest with yourself and those around you, risking vulnerability, essentially. At its core, I still felt like it was wish fulfillment to a significant degree, but the implausibilities were generally smoothed over enough to allow for suspension of disbelief to ride along with the story. And yeah, there... was a fair amount of catering to various fetishes and such worked in, but all in a fairly world-consistent sort-of perspective? At its core, the story was light, cheerful with moments of self-reflection and introspection, and wrapped up in a generally nice bow all in the end.

But what Mice Tea ended up doing for me, personally, was allowing me to lower my defenses during a particularly stressful point in my life, staying present in my mind when I then read over the reviews and such for Changeling Tale. I brushed off the emotion reviews, thinking that they were likely being dramatic.

I could not have been more wrong.

While set in a backdrop of old Scottish fantasy, I continually found myself impressed at how grounded Changeling Tale managed to make itself felt. I believe this is because the main character / player character of Changeling Tale (hereafter referred to as "Malcolm") is primarily reacting to the supernatural events occurring around him, rather than necessarily driving them by his own volition. Malcolm is thrust into a world that he already feels disconnected from due to his service in the military, and it cracks further open as fae magic begins seeping into the world around him.

That said, no one in the backwater town in which Malcolm has returned to handles the public appearance of fae magic particularly well, much less the three parallel storylines available to the reader between Jessie, Marion, and Grace. If anything, the most unreasonable reactions come from the player themselves, in how flippant or otherwise easygoing they handle changes happening to the people around them. That said, many decisions have a snowballing / weighted effect that can change plot directions far later on than one might expect, leading to fallings-out with friends and family, or worse.

But then something strange happened to me, as a reader, while working my way through these split storylines. Core messages seemed to stick out to me, interwoven among the stories. But they cut me straight to the core as a person; after finishing all 3 major storylines I was left shaking and bleary-eyed, wishing events could have turned out differently, desperately trying to reject the messages that had been suggested despite knowing deep-down that they were right.

"Be the best you that you can be."

"Encourage people to chase their dreams, but make sure you're pursuing your dream too."

"Sometimes peoples' dreams are irreconcilable with one another. That doesn't mean the love is gone, it just means that it isn't fair to either person."

"The size of the dream does not diminish its value; the holder of the dream determines its value."

(I intentionally omitted the storyline associations I would make)

When I held all of these thoughts together, an emotional dam burst in my heart. For years I never considered myself as having dreams or goals. For years I felt kind of confused and wondering if what I was doing mattered, or had worth. But somehow, a visual novel about fae shenanigans that dances alongside a transformation kink broadsides me with the realization that I AM where I want to be, doing what I am doing. I have a family who l love and loves me back. I am not pursuing a dream; rather, I am cultivating and maintaining a dream I have already attained. I am doing what is important to me and my family, and even if I'm not changing the world around me and leaving a name in the history books, I know that I am here and directly affecting the lives of those around me, and I'm not sure what more I could want for at this very moment.

And for the first time in quite a while, I feel content and satisfied.

#visual novel #changeling tale #catharsis #mice tea #scalie #furry #visual novel review

[edenhasfeelings]

The Death of Media Literacy, Religion, Misogyny, and Cognitive Dissonance

Spoilers for Dune Part 1 and 2 and the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I'll admit, I have not read the Dune books yet, but I am a huge fan of the Dune movies. Not only did Denis Villeneuve just make two incredible, epic movies with a lot of nuance, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible score by Hans Zimmer, but the story itself is really compelling for a lot of reasons. My mother had tried to get me into Dune when I was younger, but at the time it wasn't my thing. I really liked Part 1, but Part 2 was something else entirely. I was gripping my seat the whole time, genuinely enthralled by everything happening. But I came out of the theatre with one definite conclusion: Paul Atredies is not a hero. I shared my thoughts in the car, and while my boyfriend agreed with me and my father had no opinion, my mother adamantly refused. She read the first book in college, and loved the 1984 version of the film (watching that, in my opinion, was like slow cooking your eyeballs over a campfire, but it was cool for the time period I guess). She was insistent he was the hero, and then tried to say that they changed the story to make him seem more like a villain, but he wasn't in the first book.

No hate to my mom, it's been a long while since she read the first book, and me and her are going to actually read the whole series soon. From my understanding and the research I've done, Frank Herbert wrote Dune as a cautionary tale against white saviorism and a commentary about America stealing oil from Middle Eastern countries and their subsequent colonization. I've also heard it was meant to be a standalone originally, but because people were portraying Paul Atredies to be the hero so much, he then wrote Dune Messiah to further drive home the point he was originally trying to make. But even without the knowledge of the books, it was apparent to me that he was not meant to be a hero in the movies. Of course, it isn't spelled out for you, and Timothée Chalamet does have some really epic, badass moments. But one of the biggest clue that you can have to what's going on is Chani, and how she reacts. She loves Paul, and she supports him, but she doesn't support him becoming a religious figure that leads her people because she feels as though that level of fervent religion is dangerous and not right; she says that a born and raised Fremen should be the one to free their people. You also see a huge shift from how Paul acts in the first movie and the first part of the second movie to how he acts after he drinks the Water of Life. In the first movie and first part of the second, he refuses to fulfill any prophecy, and tells them that he is not the one they are looking for. He is only wanting one thing: to avenge his father and his house. He even gets into an argument with his mother, Jessica, and he tells her that the Bene Gesserit were the ones to perpetuate this prophecy for their own gain. He knows it isn't real, and that it isn't divine, and that he was raised by Jessica to fit the qualifications for this prophecy for her own gain and the gain of her order. He knows what will happen if he takes up the mantle of Lisan al-Gaib: holy war spreading across the galaxy in his name. But when he feels like he has no other choice but to drink the Water to rally the Fremen to fight the Harkonnens, things instantly change. He becomes arrogant and demanding and self-confident, completely uncaring of how Chani feels and becoming solely focused on becoming Emperor. The line "lead them to paradise" felt really, really gross upon delivery, partly due to Hans Zimmer's masterful score. It feels damning.

While looking like a white savior story at very simplistic face value, Dune: Part Two is in fact a critique of it, even without the addition of Dune Messiah. The other big thing that the movie critiques is religion, especially blind faith at the cost of your critical thinking skills, religious fanaticism and idolization, and how religion is taken advantage of by people in power or people who want to be in power. Now I've seen a lot of tone deaf critiques of Dune, and a lot of ignorant comments made, usually in regards to the racial and political elements of the story. I have also seen a lot of people who get it and were able to help me expand my reasoning for the feeling of wrongness I got from people thinking Paul is a hero. But nothing compares to the TikTok I saw today. Someone blended the audio of Timothée Chalamet's Wonka character introducing himself, with the scene after Paul drinks the Water and goes to rally the Fremen to fight for his cause. The first image in the slideshow was an image of Wonka with the caption "Being raised in a religious household and calling yourself 'a Christian'." The second slide shows Paul in the midst of his religious fanaticism in the movie, with the caption "After being born again and having your entire worldview change." Absolutely no hate to this creator if you know who I'm talking about, but this video quite honestly had me gagged, for lack of a better term. I was absolutely shocked at not just the usual lack of media literacy that revolves around this movie and so many others, but the fact that they were so far gone from the point of the movie and Paul's character entirely that they thought it was a good idea to post that online in reference to their own faith. Paul Atredies took advantage of a prophecy that he knew was engineered to control the Fremen to do exactly what the Harkonnens wanted to do, just in a different font. His intentions might have been good to start, but ultimately, because of Jessica and the Bene Gesserit (specifically the Reverend Mother, as she talks to him in his visions and pushes him forward), who he realizes he is being manipulated by, he ends up where he is: a religious idol who (Spoiler for Dune Messiah) leads 61 billion souls "to paradise" and causes irreparable damage to the galaxy.

As someone who was raised Christian, I can tell you without a doubt that religion in general, but especially Christianity, can heavily damage your critical thinking skills and media literacy. When you look at everything from the lens of, "Ok but how does this piece of media validate my feelings and beliefs regardless of intention, subtext, or true meaning?" you end up falling into some really dangerous territory. Paul is not meant to be venerated in any way, shape, or form. He's a badass character and Timothée Chalamet did an excellent job portraying him, but you should not be comparing yourself to him, especially in the context of your religious journey. That is incredibly dangerous as you then shut your eyes to the true message of the story: white saviorism is bad, colonialism is bad, exploiting entire peoples for resources of any kind is bad, and spreading and using religion to control people is bad. Of course if you phrased bluntly any of these things to religious people they would (probably) agree that those are bad things. But when you put it into the context of film/literature/music/etc, and then you have no one spelling things out for you like you're used to people doing for you in your religion, and you've already tossed your critical thinking skills out the window in order to avoid doubting your faith, you end up supporting and turning a blind eye to the bad things that you would otherwise disagree with if it was made simple for you. Even if you have no ill intention, even though it was just a silly TikTok, the ease in which people delude themselves by refusing to look any deeper into media causes such mass amounts of complacency and allows history to repeat itself. It is repeating itself right now. When we learn about the Holocaust in school, everyone would say that if they were Germans living in Germany, they would have opposed the genocide of the Jewish, Romani, and queer people during WWII. But here we are, watching the genocide of the Palestinian people live on our phones, and yet people are still sitting in denial and complacency, and often using the Bible and religion as an excuse for why its' ok.

Steering away from the topic of religion, another clear example of media illiteracy recently was The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I both read the book and saw the movie (full book review posted on my book review blog @385bookreviews). While in the book you get Coriolanus' raw thoughts and it is made more obvious that he is not a good person even without the influence of Dr. Gaul, the movie still does a really good job of showing his decline into the person we see in The Hunger Games trilogy. And yet somehow, even with the context of the first three Hunger Games books (and the four movies), somehow people were still painting Coriolanus as the misunderstood good guy of the story. The latent misogyny that came out of so many people, especially women and girls who claim to be feminists, by saying Lucy Gray was manipulative and everything was her fault, was honestly appalling to watch. There is always room for personal interpretation of media, however that is widely different from purposefully ignoring canon information and editing the text to adhere to your own cognitive dissonance. This can once again come back to religion, as I believe people of every organized religion also practice this habit of picking and choosing whatever they want from their holy texts and then conveniently excusing the rest of it. Media illiteracy is shown in another way with the Hunger Games series fans as well. A lot of people can go to the movies or read the books and root for the rebelling protagonist and recognize perfectly the plot of the story: government bad, so good people rebel and fight for their freedom, and those are our heroes. And yet these same people will then turn around and ignore genocide because "the oppressed people attacked first, they should have stayed peaceful".

While not all media reflects real life, or is meant to be taken as seriously, The Hunger Games and Dune are definitely not two of those series. By ignoring the context and subtext and purely engaging with things as fiction, and then ignoring the real life applications and implications of the work, we are being purposefully and consensually blinded and allowing ourselves to become mindless cogs in a capitalist machine. We all need to learn to think for ourselves, now more than ever, and that starts with our media consumption.

#dune #dune movie #dune part 1 #dune part 2 #dune part one #dune part two #media literacy #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #deconstructing christianity #exvangelical #cognitive dissonance #pro palestine #free palestine #free gaza

[anoray]

Okay, not to be obsessed with the final episodes of The Bad Batch, but there are some thoughts that keep nagging at my brain about the debate over "who is CX-2" and I must spew them forth.

I totally get why some people don't like it when SW characters come back from the dead and I agree it should never be done frivolously. That said, I'm scratching my head about the opinion that Tech should not be CX-2 and he should stay dead because his character arc was perfectly wrapped up with his sacrifice to save his Batch family. To this I say: Really? How so?

I could understand and agree with this take if Tech had always held back in dangerous situations and he never wanted to risk himself until he finally stepped up in that moment to save the others--but I recently rewatched all the TBB episodes (as well as the initial arc from TCW), and this has never, ever been the case. Tech is almost always the one literally out there with his ass hanging in the wind or directly in the line of fire while his mind and fingers race to bring the power online, or download the vital data, etc., so the others can move forward. Notable examples include the Zillo beast episode in which Tech went all by himself to get the power online even when they all knew something horrible had killed the former crew, and in the mining episode, Tech dove in immediately to help Omega when she fell into the abyss. In other words, Tech has always been the opposite of a coward or one to step back to save himself.

So I really don't get what in the heck it supposedly changed or wrapped up for Tech's character arc when he executed Plan 99 to save his squad. I see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Just like his sacrifice did absolutely nothing to save Omega from the Empire in the end. Is that really a worthy death for one of the Batch? Not in my book.

So what would be an impactful and meaningful character arc for Tech? Well, I'm 99.9% sure that what would be hardest for him to be subjected to (and hopefully endure in the end) is losing what makes him feel unique and special: aka his BRILLIANT MIND. And what more horrible, awful way for Tech to be tested and grow as a character than to have his beautiful mind hijacked by the Empire to further their own tyranny even as they pit him against his loved ones and everything they stand for.

I'm not saying Tech has to be revealed as CX-2, but so far it makes the most emotional and narrative sense based on all the breadcrumbs the writers are tossing at us along the way. Of course, CX-2 could be Cody and Tech is still in a vat on Tantiss while Hemlock experiments on taking over his mind to turn him into a CX as well. But the TBB series is about, well, the Batch, not Rex and Cody. Ergo, a Cody reveal wouldn't gut the Batch to their emotional core the way a Tech reveal would, so right now my money is still on Tech. It could be that Cody is being saved for something else up Filoni's sleeve.

Either way, if Tech's gifted mind has been sabotaged by the Empire, this seems like an actual character arc rather than having him die via a sacrifice that he would have made without hesitation going all the way back to Season 1. To quote Chopper: BLAH BLAH BLAH. In contrast, not only is a hijacked Tech deeply affected, it also generates significant emotional collateral damage to the Batch. Tech and all of his family/squad would have to struggle to deal with the consequences, such as whether or not he can even be saved and how much of the damage to his mind is permanent.

If Tech is alive and the Empire has done something like this to him, it is certainly possible the remaining episodes will not fully answer whether or not Tech is salvageable. After all, the SW writers had no problems with having Ezra Bridger and Thrawn vanish for years before we found out what happened, but I very much hope they won't leave us with this kind of cliffhanger again!

Anyway, my whole point is that the possibility that Tech is alive does not necessarily equate "ugh here we go again, no one in SW stays dead." A narrative choice by the writers to bring Tech back does not automatically erase deep and lasting consequences for either Tech or the rest of the Batch. Death is not the only way for characters to grow, and it seems to be used way more than it should be for this purpose in my humble opinion. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the story concludes in the finale and whether the onscreen hints about Tech's possible not-dead state were simply red herrings.

As far as other character arcs go for the finale, all Omega has ever wanted from the very first show is to be part of her Batch brothers, to belong. So the most difficult test for her would be that the squad is finally reunited, but now she must leave them. It seems quite possible that her interactions with the Force sensitive children on Tantiss will make it clear that none of them will ever be remotely safe unless they find the few Jedi who are helping such children in the aftermath of the Purge. No doubt Ventriss would come back into play if this is the ending for Omega. In a happier ending, the Batch would go with Omega to continue to help rescue Force sensitive kids from the likes of Cad Bane, while Rex and Echo most likely continue helping clones.

I think Hunter will definitely have to choose to confront the Empire head on in a way he has always resisted to protect his squad. After all, Echo left the Batch to join Rex because he got tired of waiting for Hunter to come around to doing more to fight for their clone brothers, as well as others being hurt by the Empire. I only hope this doesn't cost Hunter his life, but if it does, THIS would be a sacrificial death that completes the character's arc.

Meanwhile, Crosshair's redemption arc is well under way and he continues to be one of the most interesting characters in the series. The best part of Season 3 for me has been Crosshair rejoining the Batch and I very much hope his curmudgeonly efforts to be a better person won't be the cause of his demise.

As for Wrecker, he has grown as a character over the series and no longer is just Mr. Boom Boom. He's showed a lot of street smarts dealing with the likes of Fennec in that Space Florida episode and he seems to look more before he leaps into the fray with his fists and weapons...although I do like the fact that Wrecker still enjoys opening up a can of whoop ass more than anything :)

Okay, so 3 more episodes to go and we'll see how much of what actually happens blows my essay today about Tech and the finale out of the water.

#the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #tech #yes more theories and speculations #please don't kill off another blorbo star wars #was a new hope just a blip on the sw timeline

[thatgirl4815]

OF Favorites Rankings

I did this once before the series aired, but I thought it’d be fun to rank the core characters in OF in the middle of the series’ run and once more at the end.

I’m gonna tag some of my active OF moots here (and some new OF friends as well!) if any of you want to play too—no pressure at all! And of course, even if you aren’t tagged, please feel free to play along! I’m super curious to see how opinions have changed from the beginning to the middle to the end. :)

@abstractelysium @nihilisticcondensedmilk @just-gm @firstkanaphans @prapaiwife @dreamedofyou @sandrayy @fanfictionroxs @khaopybara @tiedankelstotheocean @thegalwhorants @autisticbokutoenthusiast @itsmelb @way-too-indecisive @k-white @waitmyturtles

1. Sand

Of course it was going to be Sand in first place (get it…First place?)

He might be morally dubious in Ep6, but if anything, that makes him more endearing to me (don't ask me how). If they all play dirty, he can play dirty too. Plus, he's just got the vibe. The t-shirts, the jackets, the boots, the independence. The superior music taste? Mans has it all except for money. Though tbh, the moment that solidified Sand as my favorite was when he ran after Ray at the end of Ep6--he was just dealt a personal attack by Ray in front of everyone, but he doesn't even hesitate to go after him. And that is the marker of a ✨ favorite character ✨

2. Ray

Naturally, both Sand and Ray have taken the top spots (pun intended), and it's because I have a special place in my heart for "woobified" characters (did I use that right @waitmyturtles? 😂)...and Khaotung executes his layers so beautifully. Ray did go in for a nonconsensual kiss (which he later apologized for, but I digress) and he did hash out some pretty brutal insults last episode. Irrespective of his feelings for Sand, it's indisputable that he has used him in some aspect to distract himself from Mew. So for all that, Ray is also morally dubious--but I'll use the term realistic instead.

I just want to give him a hug and tell him that he matters. Because clearly that is something he's heard only a few times in his life. And maybe if he heard it more often, we could avoid situations like the one at the end of Ep6.

3. Nick

I’m having a bit of an inner battle with myself over this one because Nick came out of the gate with some very immoral behavior, and yet I’m still putting him above Mew, because something about him is just so…pitiful. Admittedly, I've been growing more and more frustrated with him as the series goes on and he still fights for Boston's affection when Boston has proven time and time again that he just doesn't care. Boston keeps him on a rope, and in some ways I sympathize with Nick's struggles, because it isn't easy to turn the feelings off once they've already been cemented. But alas. He's digging himself further and further into this hole.

4. Mew

A lot of my gripes with Mew have been in respect to his treatment of Ray, but I go back and forth because I do understand the mental toll it must take on him. Regardless of whether or not he's responsible for helping Ray through his mental issues, as his closest friend, I think it should've been him running after Ray at the end of Ep6. Yeah, Ray said some shitty things about everybody, but Ray has only ever wanted what is best for Mew. And Mew was going to watch him run off and potentially get himself killed, even after Ray admitted what Top had done. Something about that just doesn't sit right with me.

Despite all of this, Mew does appear to be the most level-headed of the group (alongside Sand, though that was put to the test last ep). And the moment he played TopBoston’s sex audio right in Top’s ear? Phenomenal. He nailed that execution. I will laugh when he's on his revenge kick next week.

5. Cheum

Cheum is this low firstly because she doesn't get a lot of screen time, and secondly because she's made some comments that are a little questionable too. I can't remember who said it, but someone pointed out just how often she references how lucky Mew is to be with Top--which is a little strange, looking at him like he's some big prize. Also, not to bring everything back to Ray but...she contributes to the "burden" discussion quite a few times.

I do really enjoy the small snippets we've gotten of her with April. I like that they finally gave their relationship a little bit more context in Ep6. They do seem to have some pretty solid communication (at least compared to the others) so I'm pleased with that.

6. Top

I know a lot of people have felt sorry for Top. And I understand that completely. I struggle to given that he not only cheated but lied about the cheating--and likely would never have admitted to it. For Mew, someone who values communication and honesty so strongly, it's like a punch to the face. I hope Top gets what's coming to him. (Also, stealing Sand's boyfriend? Wtf dude.)

7. Boston

Not much to explain about this one--I can understand why he is some peoples' favorite for the sole reason that he is the one creating all the conflict in the first place. But he's so twisted, manipulative, and careless that I just want Mew to kick him into that pool a hundred times over. I don't expect him to rise from last place by the end, but if he does, it'll be a miracle.

#only friends #only friends the series #ofts #only friends favorites game #sandray #raysand #topmew #bostonnick #only friends episode 6 #firstkhaotung #forcebook #neomark #only friends series

[integra1127grimmreaper]

His Warrior Princess - Part fourteen

Warning: violent thoughts

Series Masterlist

Part 13

Rhaenyra and you stood at the food table; snacking (she seemed for interested in the food, whilst you were watching your father and uncle as they chatted along with Alicent.)

“It is good to see that they are on good terms again” you grin in remark.

“Hmmm...?” Rhaenyra turns her attention toward you.

“Father and Uncle” you sigh out in response.

Taking a look at them, Rhaenyra smiles dreamingly then.

“He looks rather well, does he not?”

Knowing exactly what she was referring to; you silently side-eye her. (She and Daemon had a different kind of closeness than you and him. It did not bother you at all, Targaryen’s had been marrying blood relatives for years. Their affections for one another might not seem weird to you, but to the rest of the court, it might.)

Shrugging that thought off, you turn to a much more important matter then.

“Have you decided on a groom yet?”

“Urgh...” Rhaenyra groans in frustration, glaring at you then.

“Not you too, starting with this nonsense as well?”

“It is a reasonable question” you scowl at her reaction.

“No, I have not” Rhaenyra nonchalantly responds.

“Rhaenyra...” you scoff.

“What...?” she sheepishly shrugs you.

“They are all either too young, too old or too boring.”

You physically cringe at her words.

“Was it that terrible?”

“Excruciatingly” she sighs out.

“My apologies for bringing the matter up then.”

“No bother” Rhaenyra shrugs it off, changing the topic then with a head tilt.

“Shall we join them?”

“You go” you shake your head.

“Suit yourself” your sister replies, heading off toward them.

“All seems to be quite jolly” Harwin remarks once stood next to you.

“Quite so” you broadly smile up at him.

“Have you spoken to her?” an eager seeming Harwin enquires then.

“She has not chosen a groom and does not seem to be bothered one bit about the matter” you sigh in response.

Harwin lets out a frustrated sigh of his own.

“So, we must wait even longer.”

You rest your head against his shoulder, entwining your fingers with his.

“I will speak to her later tonight. Mayhaps, I can convince her to see reason in finally making a decision.”

“I pray to the Seven, you can...” Harwin exhales with a soft groan, gently squeezing your hand.

“I am not sure how much longer I can holdout on claiming you.”

“You are the one that insists on waiting till we are married” you snarkily remark.

“Do not remind me” Harwin grumbles in response.

“It seems the tides have changed” you utter out, frowning at the look of displeasure your father was giving your sister.

Your frown deepens to a full-on scowl when seeing the disheartened look on your sister’s face when walking away from the group.

“Do you think it has to do with her not having made a decision yet?” Harwin comments.

“Most possibly” you reply.

“You should go to her” Harwin encourages you.

You silently watch as Alicent looks toward Rhaenyra, then decides to go to her.

“Someone else seems to be already on that path.”

“You disapprove?” Harwin remarks.

“Nay” you shake your head in response.

“It would do good in them mending their differences. They were once best friends after all.”

“Shall we join the festivities then?” Harwin suggests.

“I believe, it is required...” you drawl out, and the two of you make your way to join the rest.

You sat silently, listening to the small council as they discussed the outcome from Daemon’s victory at the Stepstones and what it all intitled.

Of how they now needed to fear, Lord Corlys’ control over the sea lanes and of possible alliances he would make to further strengthen those claims.

Even going as far as saying it was being done for revenge after the King had spurned Lord Coryls’ daughter to marry Alicent instead.

None of it truly bothered you and neither did it your sister, that was though till Otto ‘the Weasel’ voiced his opinion on your sister’s marital status.

That the pressure for her to wed being even more dire now than ever to ensure the crowns dominance.

Not being able to voice your distain at the Leech, you send him a daggered glare instead. Your features dropping to one of sympathy for your sister when seeing the stoic look of dread on her face.

As much as you wished for her to marry, so that you and Harwin could finally wed as well, you also wanted her to be happy.

It was quite late in the evening as you sat under the weirwood heart tree, gazing up at the stars (Harwin was out on patrol, and you were quite bored by yourself.)

Deciding that it had been sufficient time for Rhaenyra to have mull over the small council meeting, you retreat from your station to go and see her.

Reaching your sister’s chambers, you were greeted by Ser Criston.

“Is my sister in?” you enquire.

“She has just retired for the night, Princess” Criston replies with a head bow as you pass him.

“Rhae...?” you announce yourself entering her chambers but there was no response.

You frown whilst scanning the empty chamber.

Where in the Seven Hells could she have gone to? Not as if she could have disappeared in thin air.

You accidently kick something lying on the floor whilst searching her room, looking at your feet; there laid a piece of rolled up parchment.

Picking it up and opening it, you found what looked to be a diagram of Rhaenyra’s chambers; indicating that there was a secret doorway that led from her bed chamber into a secret stairway.

There was only one person that could have left this note.

“What in the Seven Hells are you two up to now?” you utter out into the vacant room.

Going to the chamber door, you open it a bit.

“I shall be staying the remainder of the night with my sister in her chambers if anyone should look for me” you inform Ser Criston.

“As you wish, Princess” Criston bows.

Hastily taking the path of the map, you reach the exit of the Red Keep too late as you watched your sister and uncle slip into the streets of King’s Landing.

You knew Rhaenyra would be safe with Daemon, yet something compelled you to follow.

Thank the Seven, you were still dressed in your training garments and the hooded black cloak from being outside earlier.

Swiftly pulling the hood up to cover your hair and face, you followed the two from a distance; eye’s silently scrutinizing everything around you, with a hand grip tightly around the hilt of The Dragon’s Eye hidden under your cloak.

You did your best to catch up with them, yet the crowd kept getting in the way of reaching them. Finally, you spot them standing and watching a street play of some sort. As you were about to confront the two, you stopped in your tracks when the realization; that the subject of the play was revolved around your family.

From the disapproving sound of the crowd at the mention of your sister being the heir to the Iron Throne, you decide to hold your station as not to reveal neither of your identities.

You silently stood seething in a corner as they mocked your sister.

Insolent fools!!! If you had still been part of the City Watch, then the entire stage would have been destroyed, along with the mummers by now!

You had heard quite enough of their shitty show by then, yet the next words that were spoken were what truly awoke the full force of your anger.

“So which heir might that chair bear? Who would it be? The brother? The daughter? Or the little princeling of three?

You found yourself seeing red as they continued to mock your sister and uncle. Someone suddenly yells from the crowd, snapping you from your murderous thoughts then.

“What of the other Princess?!”

“Oh, let us not speak of that one!” the mummer remarks in pretend fright as the crowd chuckled.

“The legacy of her name alone should put fear in us all at the outcome if she ever sat on the throne!”

You could not contain the arched brow of interest you had then as the crowd softly mutter out in feared agreement amongst themselves.

As it should! I would burn this entire city to the ground, with you all in it!

You were snapped back to reality when Rhaenyra and Daemon moved away from the crowd.

They seemed to be behaving themselves and you knew she would be safe with Daemon by her side.

With that thought in mind, you decide to head back to the Keep, but your plans were instantly foiled by the cry of protest from a street vendor and the sight of Rhaenyra running away from him into the crowd, a much more laxed Daemon hot on her heels.

Rhaenyra... you silently shake your head, following after them as best you could.

They both took a turn at the first corner as you attempt to catch up to them, just as you were about to take the turn yourself; you ran face first into solid armored chest.

A large hand quickly grabs your arm.

“And where might you be going...?” a very familiar voice speaks up.

“Harwin...?” you respond, slightly lifting the hood of your cloak to take a better look at his face.

“Vi...?” a surprised Harwin tips his head down to look at your face. Pulling your hood back down over your face, he hastily scans around to see if anyone had noticed you. Satisfied that no one had, he hastily drags you into the alley that he had come out of.

“What in the Seven are you doing here?” Harwin scowls at you in disbelief.

“Rhaenyra snuck out; I was following her” you explain to him.

“I ran into her and your uncle a moment ago” Harwin remarks with a nod.

“What are you doing out here on your own though? It is dangerous. What if someone had recognized you?”

“I am well disguised...” you roll your eyes at him in response, parting your cloak to show your weapon strapped to your waist.

“And I have The Dragon’s Eye with me as always.”

“That is irrelevant” a displeased Harwin glares down at you.

“It is dangerous for a woman to be out here late at night be herself, let alone a princess.”

“I am no ordinary princess!” you scoff in response.

“It does not matter!” Harwin growls out, his grip on you tightening in frustration.

“What if someone else besides me had caught you?!”

“I am quite capable of protecting myself” you drawl out in annoyance.

“Regardless, you are still mine to protect!” Harwin pulls you flushed against his chest with growl.

You were about to open your mouth in retort when someone was heard coming down the alley. Harwin hastily pushes you behind him, doing his best to conceal your presence.

“What are you hiding behind your back, soldier?” a very familiar voice calls out to Harwin.

“Nothing” Harwin calmly responds.

“I find it hard in believing that” the person replies, stepping closer toward him.

Saving Harwin from possible discipline from his superior; you step out from behind, slightly lifting your hood to show your face.

“Pleasure to see you again, Captain...”

“Princess...?” the captain stares at you wide-eyed.

“It has been a long time since we last saw one another, has it not?” you smile in response.

“It has, Princess” he nods smiling at you.

“Although might I ask; what are you doing here by yourself?”

“I was in the mood for a midnight stroll” you cheeringly remark, hooking your arm into Harwin’s then.

“Ser Harwin here, had offered to escort me...”

“Well then, I shall not keep you any longer then, Princess...” the captain smiles, satisfied that you were well protected. Nodding to Harwin then in approval.

“As you were, Strong.”

“Aye, Ser” Harwin nods in agreement.

“Mayhaps, you would like to join us later at the tavern after patrol, Princess?” the captain suggests to you before walking away.

“For old times' sake? It would be wonderful to chat about the good days when you and your uncle were in command.”

“That be wonderful...” you smile broadly at his suggestion, and he nods in agreement; leaving you and Harwin to continue. 

Part 15

Tag:  @missusnora@alexandra-001@green-lxght@stitchattacks@evyiione@squidscottjeans

#ser harwin strong #ser harwin x reader #ser harwin x targaryen reader #harwin strong #harwin strong x reader #harwin x reader #house of the dragon #fire and blood #harwin breakbones

[the-shinysnorlax]

Why I think Miguel O’Hara is autistic

(Posted by me, a autistic person and Miguel O’Hara fan)

Before anyone attacks me for this post, keep in mind that this is MY OPINION and you do not have to agree with everything I say.

I will be mostly using the 90s comics, Dark Tomorrow, and ATSV as an example because I think that’s where it shows the most.

Ok without further ado time to send the evidence.

1. Miguel is absolutely horrible with communication

There have been multiple times where Miguel just fucks up communication unintentionally. This is definitely the most prevalent in the book Dark Tomorrow (Which is a banger read, even if it’s meant for young teens) where him and Arañas relationship is very strained in the beginning, mostly because of Miguel’s fuck-ups.

There’s also evidence in the 90s comics too, like in issue 2 where Miguel freaks out over saying something menacing to Venture and just goes “Hi” like the dumb guy he is (But he’s my loser love him so)

Also he’s much better communicating with Lyla about things than a actual human being. Like he rarely shows negative emotions or talks about his feelings to anyone, not even his own brother or fiancé. Only time we see his negative feelings is when he’s by himself or in thought bubbles. That’s it.

(Miguel honey pls get a therapist I BEG)

2. He has no spatial awareness and is oblivious to his surroundings.

This isn’t really as obvious as some of the other ones but yeah. He has like- no spatial awareness. None at all.

Again we can really see this in the 90s comics, specifically issue 2 of the series. Miguel looks down at his hands and just- doesn’t see he’s grown talons. The comics explain it as his vision was blurry but I still think he would’ve at least noticed something was off. Idk. Maybe I’m thinking too much about this 😭😭😭

3. He hates change

Oh boy this is (Probably) going to be lengthy.

If you read his comics, you know he does not like having powers. Even when he’s gotten used to them and control his powers he still doesn’t like that he got them and regrets having them. Hell, even in Dark Tomorrow, which takes place 6 years after Miguel got his powers, we still see him having regret of getting them. Regret of becoming a hero.

And yes, I know in most comics when heroes do get powers they’re almost always like “Well I never wanted these in the first place!” But they learn to accept this new responsibility of theirs and overtime embrace their superpowers. Miguel isn’t like that. He never fully accepts his powers. He does get used to them sure, but it’s such a big change for him that he can’t ever accept them outright.

Another piece of evidence comes from Spiderverse. When Miles doesn’t do what he’s told it pisses Miguel off. Miguel in the movie doesn’t like going off the plan. He’s very straightforward. He’s not the type of guy to improvise on the spot. He takes time to plan. And when things goes off course, he doesn’t like that.

4. Miguel is overly sarcastic.

Autistic people are either overly sarcastic, don’t understand sarcasm at all, or are a mixture of both. For me, I think Miguel is a mixture.

One of Miguel’s defining character traits is that he is extremely sarcastic. To the point where he could be telling the truth and nobody believes him (Like Gabe in issue 2 where Miguel just outright tells him he’s grown fangs). This can also tie into the fucking up communication part, because his overly sarcastic tone could come off as unintentionally offensive or rude (Except to Tyler Stone, where he’s just mean to him because he’s a asshole)

Miguel also has trouble picking up sarcasm too, though it doesn’t happen nearly as often. For example, in Shattered Dimensions Miguel is fighting a Hobgoblin clone when Miguel asks where he got nanofiber. Hobgoblin responds in a sarcastic tone, to which Miguel responds with “Yeah that’s why I asked”

5. Sensory issues

This is definitely more of a side effect of Miguel’s powers than actual autistic traits in him, but I still wanna talk about it.

Miguel’s powers include enhanced eyesight, which means he’s more sensitive to light as well. Which is why he wears his sunglasses. It’s not just to hide his red eyes, they help him with his light sensitivity.

Miguels fangs could also be an obstacle for eating too. Since they produce venom, he has to be careful what he eats and also how he eats because one wrong bite and he could be a dose of yucky venom in his mouth. So it’s possible he has sensory issues with food too. Maybe even touch if his talons effect how he can touch things.

6. He has trouble showing emotion

This is really shown in Spiderverse where he mostly just keeps a resting bitch face the entire time. I don’t think he doesn’t want to show emotion, he just has trouble showing it. We can see that he does show emotion, but it’s only under extreme circumstances. For the most part he just looks emotionless.

That’s about it from me! Miguel is a really complex character and as a autistic person he’s a character I relate to a lot, especially now since I’m also undergoing a major change in life (Going to college). He’s just a really special character to me and I will gladly infodump about him whenever I get the chance to.

Oh and also

Bonus: He does this

(This is from Dark Tomorrow)

He just walked out of the conversation like dude why did you do that 💀💀💀

#this is mostly me either projecting or infodumping lol #I really like this character ok #miguel o'hara #spiderman 2099 #marvel comics #snorlax rambles

[lady-phasma]

I have many unpopular opinions but this one came up recently and I was encouraged to explain my views so here goes. Disclaimer: film studies and art history have many schools of thought and I can apply most of them; however, I was trained in contextual formalism. If you want to know more about how that impacts my film analysis don't hesitate to ask. If I were to use a different lens this opinion could change but I am a contextual formalist so there you have it.

Daemon's deleted scenes from House of the Dragon furthered the divide among fans. If you follow my blog you'll know that I am a Daemon fan but I am not, nor will I ever be, an apologist. I think that the show runners did themselves a major disservice by releasing the stills from these scenes (see below).

Firstly, his tender moment with his children after Laena's death.

My experience is that most fans wish this scene had not been cut. However, unlike most deleted scenes included in special editions/director's cuts, this scene would not have added anything to the character as he is portrayed in the final version. It seems that many viewers crave likable, gentle, touching aspects to their HotD characters. The show runners did not intend this to be a part of the final character development of Daemon or it would have remained in the series. Is he a nice person? Is he gentle and kind? Is he caring and selfless? No. I love him as he is presented in the final version, the version that was intended.

Editing film is a difficult task when only a few people are involved in the process (e.g. independent film) but in a major studio series of 8-12 episodes (e.g. Netflix or HBO) there are so many individuals working on the story and the characters that viewers will never know how much is "lost" in editing. Because the human mind prioritizes visual over text in many cases, especially when processing moving images, we often forget that parts of the script for any project were cut and never shot. Would those "deleted scenes" change our interpretation of the story? Sure. Is that precisely why they were cut? Absolutely.

Daemon hugs his daughters and comforts them, informing the audience of a depth of character they may not have previously suspected. However, we are given this image wholly out of context. There is no music, no editing, no dialogue or voiceover. The audience should never have seen this.

Which leads me to the interaction with the servant.

Viewers have been trained to suspend disbelief, to "pretend", and therefore one mustn't fill in the blanks with one's own personal story. When suspending disbelief we are able to immerse ourselves into the narrative and, with skilled creators at the helm, we don't need more information than we are given on screen. (Film studies, unfortunately, teaches you to suspend that disbelief and you never get it back, not fully, and it's something that a lot of us miss.)

I would personally love to have been given a Daemon who is sexually fluid and as uncaring of others' opinions as this Daemon appears to be in the stills. However, that is not the Daemon that was presented. Again, the show runners should not have released these if the imges did not further or expand their final character's growth.

Daemon's moral compass is flawed, skewed, misaligned with that of a citizen of Earth in 2022. Daemon isn't perfect, makes choices he thinks are acceptable but at which viewers are encouraged to cringe and feel alienated from. He is a great example (and not the only one in HotD) of a character that serves as a contrast to those characters that perform as mirrors for the viewer. He doesn't provide comfort to viewers that his story arc will end well (regardless of their knowledge of the book). He allows viewers to feel superior ("I would never do that") because they, as a rule, have a 21st century Earth-based moral compass.

Lastly, representation. Yes, it would be nice to see him flirt with a man. I know how wonderful I felt when I finally saw my sexuality represented accurately on tv about 5 years ago (I was 34). However, if the show runners intended Daemon to have sex with anyone other than women why did they leave this scene on the cutting room floor? Just like in real life it is okay to be het. I am not but perhaps Daemon is.

Think for a moment of the ramifications of either or both of these scenes staying in the final release. First, we can't know what the editing and score would be, we can't even guess. Sweeping, manipulative, emotional score with Baela and Rhaena, emphasizing Daemon's caring nature? A slight zoom toward the embrace? Or a slow pan away from the characters? Would there have been a juxtaposition of images contrasting his interaction with the servant with a close shot on the face of an observer? Which character (Rhaenyra, Otto, Viserys)? How would that inform/transform that relationship (his hair and clothing suggest it would have been his relationship with Laena)? How would that change the onlooker? Would the music have been uplifting or foreboding? Would this scene have forshadowed a future conflict that was ultimately never shot?

If you've read this far I want to congratulate you on your fortitude! I also want to point out that so much intention goes into creating film that viewers cannot know with certainty the "why" of any choice. Film studies is the bastard child of literary criticism. As such it is imperfect and I, along with many others, combine it with art history (which has been done since the 1960s). It is a visual medium but it is also a text and music and costuming and set design. If a still image is released about a real-world person one could find more context, more information, but a handful of stills about a character that were cut during the final drafting of this text are not enough to persuade me that they contribute to Daemon's character and would ultimately detract from his character as it has been developed in the series.

A final note about the book vs. film Daemon and these stills: readers often want characters to be as complex in a film/series as they are in the original text. Rarely is this possible. When character development is measured in literal minutes on camera and there are more than a dozen pivotal characters in a total of less than 600 minutes, aspects of characters will get lost in translation. Backstory for one character, for example, will get screen time that cuts into the development of another.

Note about contextual formalism: budget, filming schedules, and "real world" concerns and limitations are not part of this critical theory. As participants in media consumption we know that notes from a producer or studio executive will have power over the final creative process but that would be information used by other critical theories. Contextual formalism concerns itself with the art as object situated in historical and social context.

#unpopular opinion #hotd #house of the dragon #deleted scene #deleted scenes #film studies nerd #film studies #thank you for coming to my ted talk

[itsnothingofinterest]

With hindsight how do you feel about my hero? If things keep the course and this is the final arc and everything wraps up after the heroes win how has your view and opinion of past chapters changed?

Personally the story is very different from where I thought it'd be when I first started watching the anime. The villains didn't end up being what I hoped they'd be and the ones I'd hoped would get more time and action ended up falling off, same with some of the students. The biggest change for me has to be the pros, originally I didn't think much of them and figured they'd only be cool background pieces while we focus on the students. But now I actually enjoy the pros as characters and my favorite character arc isn't one of the kids or villains but an adult hero.

Hmm, that's a question to get the introspection flowing. How fun.

For one thing; I definitely didn’t expect the villains to be as major players, or such favourites of mine, as they ended up being when I started the series. I mean I always knew in my heart Shigaraki was gonna be the major villain player, more successful and with more to him than Overhaul or AFO. (Man, remember when people hoped Overhaul would take over as main villain from Shigaraki? Wild, right? I think they said the same of Stain too back then.) But that he reached near deuteragonist status surprised me.

My opinions on the pros as a whole have definitely lessened, but thinking about it, most opinions on individuals haven't really changed; main exceptions where my opinions dropped being Hawks and Jeanist. Maybe Mic too, after he nearly blasted Korokumo. But All Might, Wash, or Kamui Woods I feel about the same as ever for. And Endeavor I always hated since his intro, and though I may hate him more now, it’s not really to a significant degree (like, we always suspected Rei didn't consent to all her children, so 301 confirming that could only do so much). But as the other heroes lifted him up and defended him, it dragged them all down. As did realizing how much they were complicit in; Tartarus, the Commissions’ corruptions, and other such red flags waving atop hero society as a whole which the pros seek to uncritically defend.

And more recently, I'm afraid I’ve given up on Deku and the next generation fixing their predecessors' failings (without outside influence anyway). He never really got around to the idea of “surpassing All Might” in anything but quirk ability. That Shoji proposed a passive non-solution to the prejudice that inspired tons of villains while Shinsou started using the red flag battle tactics of using prisoners as weapons against villains is also not helping my perception of the next generation of heroes.

It's a big reason why I keep putting all my hopes, if this is the end, into Deku realizing Shigaraki’s points on the failings of hero society are right and convincing him to work together to find non-violent solutions to those points (instead of the alternative I’m most worried about, Deku insisting he’s just brainwashed by AFO and all his critiques should be ignored). My hope is that this way, Tomura's development could sorta fill in for the development Deku didn't get by never thinking about these things. I'll admit it's kind of a rushed easy-out; but if this is the final arc then it’s either that or this setting is doomed. And despite my critiques I actually do like Deku, and I don’t want him to see hero society rot further under his watch because he’ll be the hero who fails the next Shigaraki(s). So I’m praying for a last minute course correction away from that possibility.

#ask & reply #bnha #shigaraki tomura #league of villains #lov #paranormal liberation front #PLF #anti endeavor #anti hawks #anti best jeanist #pro heroes #midoriya izuku #mezo shoji #hitoshi shinsou #class 1a #overhaul #bnha stain #all for one

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Mod Talks #1: The Progression of Toko Fukawa.

//So, as you all no doubt have noticed, for these last few days, we’ve been having very in depth discussions about Danganronpa 3, and certain writing choices in the series that we agree with or disagree with, and it got me thinking about a new idea for a short side-series I could do on this blog.

//Introducing Mod Talks. Which basically involves me doing two things.

Me giving a comprehensive analysis and opinionated discussion on certain characters, story points or writing decisions from the main series.

Explaining my thought process on how I carried that over to Danganronpa Survivor.

//What I aim to achieve with this is that I want to hear more people’s thoughts and opinions on the topics that I carry over. I’m not necessarily looking for feedback on how I write Kodaka’s characters, or necessarily looking for comparisons. I really just want to have more in-depth discussions with the followers like we’ve been having recently.

//You might have thought that I would start this series off with an analysis on Kuripa, since I did already mention I would be making a long post exploring his backstory (or what is known of it) and my thought process behind his character and his goals. But I decided I actually wanted to start on a different note and get to Kuripa eventually later down the line.

//The main reason being that he plays a significant role in this arc, and lots of things related to his character happen in this part of the story, so I want to wait until we get to that point to discuss it further. For now though, as you can see by the title, I’ll be putting my attention on the protagonist who seems to have the last amount of time in the limelight for now: Toko Fukawa.

//And Genocide Jack as well of course.

//Because if I’m being perfectly honest, Toko losing the first weekly poll kind of made me sad. It’s not that I don’t get it, but I’m actually proud of how I’ve done Toko of all characters in this series, and I want to talk about my thoughts and feelings.

//This discussion will be going over her history, and how she has changed as a person from when she was a lonely young kid, and now in Survivor as an adult mother.

//I also want to hear yours, so don’t hesitate to give feedback. Like I said, the main purpose is to discuss thoughts, feelings and opinions with you guys, because I’ve come to find that I really enjoy it.

//Let’s get started.

Toko in THH.

//The first question I think people would like to know with my discussion is what my opinion of Toko is in the canon games. So I’ll start with Danganronpa 1, when she’s first introduced, and I’ll just be straight up with everyone...

//I didn’t like her AT ALL.

//Frankly, Toko was my second least favourite character in that game, and one of the worst in the series for me for a long while. 

//To me, the only thing in Danganronpa 1 that Toko was involved with in any significant way was the Genocide Jack twist in Case 2. Everything else she did in this first game was pointless and annoying. And not even having Genocide Jack as an additional character in the roster saved her.

//Talking about them both individually, Toko on her own had a lot of things wrong with her. She had multiple negative personality traits that to me made her extremely unlikeable, the main one’s being that she lashes out at anyone regardless of what they say to her, she’s generally rude and nasty to people for little to no reason, and she’s also insanely dirty minded and her words make me really fucking uncomfortable.

//On top of this, her whole thing about falling in love with Byakuya and dedicating herself to him got really old, really fast, and I was not about it. Following Chapter 2, to make things worse, it basically became her whole character: Byakuya’s sole follower, who he treated like shit. And aside from that, there really wasn’t much else.

//Genocide Jack on the other hand is a bit more fleshed out, since she’s got much more personality than Toko. However, she suffers from the complete reverse problem, since she has TOO MUCH of it.

//Those who read the blog’s story might notice that the amount of times that Genocide Jack appears in the main story over Toko is severely minimal, and I’ll say right now the reason for that is because I don’t really know what to DO with her. There’s so much to unpack, and since GJ is just pure craziness, it’s really hard to fit her into any sort of social situation. 

//On top of that, Toko is also incredibly hypocritical, and not in the good kind of way. She explains at intervals in DR1 that she does honestly want to make friends. However, every time anyone (Hina being our prime example) tries to compliment her or be genuinely nice, she pushes them away and shoves words in their mouth. All the while feeling sorry for herself.

//I know that this is probably the point and she’s written this way for a reason, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. And I most certainly DON’T. It’s not like I don’t think self-deprecating characters in media and games shouldn’t exist, but this is an inhuman level of self-loathing. 

//Given her backstory, it’s clear Toko had a major fear or rejection, which explains why she acts the way it does. What it DOESN’T explain, is why she continues to pursue Byakuya for a LONG TIME even after DR1 ends; who as a reminder, rejects her CONSTANTLY.

//I don’t attribute my dislike for Toko to being poor character writing however. There are few holes in her overall backstory and it’s not like her attitude goes unexplained. However, even explaining it, while it does make it more well-rounded, doesn’t make her a character that I can sympathize with.

//With that in mind though, I’d like to start talking about my thinking process when it comes to Toko’s backstory, and a lot of elements that happen within it.

Toko’s Backstory and the Existence of Genocide Jack. 

//One of the interesting things about Toko’s backstory compared to every other DR backstory we know of is that her’s actually can be traced back to the moment she was born.

//I’ll try and lay it all out as best as I can, but right from the get go, I’ll say that Toko’s past and the life she’s lived before she first met Makoto and the others in DR1 was just as unstable and messy as she is herself.

//When Toko was born, she was born at the same time as another child in the hospital. This other child was born with a severe medical incapacity, that ended up taking it’s life the very same day. 

//This kind of situation isn’t necessarily uncommon in the real world, however, another aspect was discovered about the situation, being that the two women who gave birth to the two girls had both slept with Toko’s father. And due to a mix up with the hospital involving this, the professional’s were not able to figure out which mother was the one that gave birth to Toko, and which one gave birth to her late half-sister. 

//When Toko explains this to Komaru in UDG, Komaru points out that a blood test may have been able to resolve the issue. While this is correct, Toko affirms that both mother’s declined the exam. As a result of this decision, Toko ended up living with a father and two mothers.

//The normal expected decision to not taking the blood test would usually be to not live with the guilt that your child could have died. This however, is not the case, and Toko very quickly came to realize this; in reality, both mother’s WANTED their child to be the one that died, not the reverse.

//It’s never explicitly stated why, but the obvious conclusion to reach, and the one that I go for with Survivor, is to do with Toko’s father. Neither of Toko’s mother’s were aware at the time that their two girls had the same father, until the day of the birth. Thereby, the child that they were carrying had the DNA of a man who had cheated on them. 

//However, based on the way that Toko talks about her parents, and her specific phrasing when she explains her childhood to Komaru, I don’t think that’s really the case. I came to think about this from Weeby Newz’s character analysis of Toko, hence why I used the screenshot above, so let me reiterate her point.

//For one thing, Toko explicitly states that her father wasn’t married, or even in a real relationship, with either of the two women. At least not to her knowledge. It’s also important to note that Toko’s specific words about the supposed “affair” are “They also discovered that both women had slept with the same man”

//“Slept” i.e. not SLEEPING with. In my eyes, the more likely scenario was that Toko’s father had a one-time fling with both women, and accidently got them both pregnant.

//And as much as that sounds like a reach, it’s also important to note that the conversation in that exact same scene starts like this:

Toko: It’s my mothers fault that she was born inside me. I never thought of them as my real mother’s, not even once. Komaru: Wait, “them” as your “mothers?” Don’t you mean your mother and father? Toko: I’m a novelist, I wouldn’t misspeak like that. I said “them” and I meant it.

//And it’s important to keep this in mind, because it explains my writing process for Toko’s father.

//For those who might have missed it, one of the chapters of “The Life and Lies of Akeru Yozora” Toko opens up to Komaru, Leon, Sayaka and Makoto about how her life with her parents really was, and why it’s making her determined to rescue Akeru from the same childhood.

//In said chapter, it shows the birth of Genocide Jack, at the hands of Toko’s mothers constant abuse. In said chapter, when Genocide Jack is finally born, both of Toko’s mothers succumb to the serial killer, being her first victims and only FEMALE victims.

//Toko’s father on the other hand, is not only spared, but after Toko runs away from home, he decides to take the fall for her. This is my way of saying that Toko’s dad is not the piece of shit that Toko’s mother’s were. He’s still a bad parent for not sticking up for his daughter, but it’s also important to note that he didn’t want the situation he was in just as much as Toko or the mother’s did.

//In context, the only reason why Toko was even living with two mother’s in the first place is for legal reasons. And if the scenario of them both accidently getting pregnant is true, it also explains why they were such awful mothers, since it implies they were both, for lack of better words, hussies, who’s lifestyle’s would be severely interrupted by the burden of a child.

//Putting more focus on Toko’s mother’s however, this same line, Toko practically confirms that it’s because of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother’s is what gave her second personality life. Hence the existence of the chapter where Toko opens up to her friends and classmates.

//If someone is not born with Dissociative Identity Disorder like Toko has, usually an alter would be created as a coping mechanism to abuse and trauma. And from my perspective, this is the exact cast for Genocide Jack. It’s already pretty clear from Toko’s personality alone that she’s had to put up with a lot of emotional abuse and bullying, but to have a split personality, the trauma has to be EXTREMELY severe. Undergoing something like this causes your brain to form barriers that allow a distinct identity to develop and the individual to cope with the trauma by repressing the more distressing details of it.

//And as stated multiple times already, it’s very clear that neither of Toko’s mothers were kind to her even slightly. One of the things she mentions in UDG is that she was once locked in a closet for three days, without any food or water, which developed in her a severe fear of the dark. Going by that same logic, I also attributed Toko’s fear and dislike of taking baths back to the abuse of her mothers, and came up with the idea (which again is mentioned directly in the chapter where she exposes her past to her friends) that her mother’s would scald her arms with hot showers. 

//However, Toko’s life with her parents wasn’t the only issue. Her life outside of home was equally as bad since, as I mentioned, she had to deal with a lot of bullying and abuse from other people too. For example, the time she was framed for a theft she didn’t commit, and as punishment, was tied to a jungle gym with a garden hose. 

//Hence why throughout all of it, Toko’s most valued companion and the one that was taken hostage in UDG was her pet stinkbug Kameko. Since Toko figured the bug didn’t judge her for being herself, like everyone else did. 

//The next important part of Toko’s backstory is the story with her first love. It’s important because it explains, at the same time, how both Toko and Genocide Jack got their Ultimate Talents. 

//The full story is that Toko met and fell in love with a boy in elementary school, who was the only person she ever felt comfortable talking to. When she finds out that he and his family are moving away to a different part of Japan out of her reach, she gives him a sendoff by sending him a love letter confessing her feelings. 

//The result of this was said boy revealing that he actually hated how much Toko used to talk to him, and that he was ridiculed for it often, deciding to get back at Toko by pinning her love letter to the bulletin board to shame her, giving her even MORE emotional trauma to deal with.

//When this happened, one of Toko’s teacher who had read Toko’s love letter reassured her by telling her that she had a real talent for writing. This teacher’s words are what prompted Toko to pursue a career as a writer. 

//At the same time, once learning of Toko’s rejection, Genocide Jack chased the boy all the way to his knew home, and murdered him, thus marking the beginning of Genocide Jack’s killing spree, murdering any boy she came across that she thought was attractive. She confirms this in her own FTE’s.

//There’s a lot to unpack with each aspect of her full backstory, and this isn’t even all of it. Even after Genocide Jack’s birth leading up to becoming an Ultimate, there’s so much more emotional abuse and trauma that this girl went through and was forced to overcome.

//In a later section of this analysis, I will explain a little bit more about how all of this ties into Toko’s character for Survivor, namely her role as a parent herself, but now I want to move onto the most integral part of the discussion, where Toko was arguably at her pinnacle.

The Unspoken Theme of Ultra Despair Girls.

//One of the things about Danganronpa that is consistent throughout the series is that each game has a different main theme. Usually along the lines of “Ideal A VS Ideal B” And I’ll quickly walk through them.

//Danganronpa 1 obviously has the sole theme of Hope VS Despair. And that theme has become a staple of the entire Danganronpa series, arguably being the series most important.

//Hope and Despair are two sides of the same coin, in many senses. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire about a result and despair is defined as the lack of hope, or lack of such a feeling of expectation and desire about a result.

//If hope is associated with an expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, when we hope we are essentially concentrating on a result. If that result doesn’t occur, then we may fall into despair, which is the lack of the expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. We cannot have hope without despair. They go together. If you can feel hope, then it is equally possible to feel despair.

//This is best represented in the dynamic between Trigger Happy Havoc’s main protagonist and main antagonist -  Makoto Naegi and Junko Enoshima. A boy who believes his one redeeming quality is his overwhelming optimism, and a girl who’s a natural genius talent with many redeeming qualities, but applies it to literally watching the world burn.

//Danganronpa 2 also plays with the idea of Hope and Despair, but it also has another theme that plays very well on the game, especially at the finale. A Terrible Past VS a Better Future.

//It ties into DR1′s theme of the battle between Hope and Despair by elaborating on what comes after it. The moment that defines this is Hajime’s final decision to abandon his past actions and face it’s consequences, while fighting to redeem himself and live a better future for him and his friends.

//Given their past actions as Junko’s terrorist cohorts that were wiped from their memories, this is how they choose to deal with it.

//V3 is a lot more complicated, because there are actually two running themes across the whole game, all of which are different from the typical Hope Vs Despair dynamic: Truth against Lies, and Logic VS Belief.

//The first idea is best represented through the main protagonist, Shuichi Saihara, and his arch-rival, Kokichi Ouma. Kokichi being a consistent liar and Shuichi being a detective who fights for the truth. The penultimate conclusion to this theme is that Truth VS Lies does NOT constitute to Good VS Evil. Sometimes a lie can be a white lie designed to protect people, while finding the truth can lead to a terrible outcome (i.e. Shuichi’s backstory exposing a man for a crime done to avenge his family.) Shuichi even states in the game “Some lies can lead the world to hope...Some truths can lead the world to despair...So I don't think anyone can really say which is more right in the end.”

//Logic VS Belief meanwhile. is best represented in characters like V3′s deuteragonist, Kaito Momota, who doesn’t base his assumptions off anything other than his own assurance and faith in the people around him. While this is narrow-minded at a glance, Kaito repeatedly proves that his assumptions and belief are well-placed. Not always of course, but often enough that Shuichi considers his belief’s when it comes to his accusations. On the other hand, there are characters like Angie Yonaga and again, Kokichi Ouma, who’s assumptions are grounded more in logic and facts, sometimes making them overlook the bigger picture at hand, but also the only sure basis for a grounded conclusion.

//It’s never explicitly stated, but the way I see things with the spinoff game, and what ties it back to Toko, is that Ultra Despair Girls has it’s own secondary theme to the typical Hope VS Despair 

//And that is...Companionship VS Solitude.

//And going further with that, Trust VS Betrayal.

//Elaborating on both for a moment, here’s how I see it. Both Toko and Komaru at the start of Ultra Despair Girls are both in a poor position, and neither really know how to cope. Toko has barely changed from the horrible person she was in DR1, while Komaru starts off as a weak-willed, vulnerable girl.

//By the end of the game, Toko’s attitude has drastically changed, and she opens up to Komaru in a way she never did to Makoto or anyone else before her, and Komaru becomes a much stronger person, both physically and mentally, going from being the one receiving the rousing speeches to the one giving them (like she does for the adults in the secret encampment.)

//And the obvious conclusion to reach is that the development of both these characters can be attributed to one another. Komaru is made a more responsible and down to earth person, taking matters into her own hands and resolving the problem in her own way thanks to Toko’s influence on her. At the same time, Toko, an extremely pessimistic person with little faith in her fellow human, is made to become the voice of reason for Komaru, simply because she NEEDS it.

//And despite their bumps along the way, and how they don’t start off as friends and work together more as allies than anything, the companionship between these two girls is the one and only reason they were even able to Survive the demon hunting game.

//The PARALLEL to this, is Monaca and the Warriors of Hope. Who if you think about it, have the EXACT REVERSE DYNAMIC.

//When UDG starts off, you see as the game progresses just how close these kids are to one another right from the get go, having been through a similar experience to the girls in working together to overcome a shitty situation that they all have been through.

//And for most of the game, their friendship seems strong and genuine, but then you get to the conclusion of the first boss fight against Masaru. Where his defeat against the girls results in him being pulled under and out of sight by the masked Monokuma kids; a scene that obviously reminds Toko of an execution.

//And as the game progresses, this continues happening, and when it does, the other kids really hardly bat an eye, and try to move on. But the more it happens, the more concerned they begin to grow, Nagisa especially who even tries to resolve the situation, strongly desiring to protect the dream he and the other kids share.

//At least that’s what he believes, only to find out that Monaca has been playing him and the other Warriors from the start, never truly intending to be their friend, or helping them create the paradise she promised she would.

//In comparison to Komaru and Toko’s strengthening bond, the Warrior’s who seem to have a strong bond at the start, weaken as a result of Monaca’s secret betrayal. Something I believe goes overlooked often by most people.

//Another thing that people can see from this, is that by the end of the game, Toko has gained every trait she needs to pass as a true Danganronpa deuteragonist, fitting the same traits and actions as the others before her (and no, slapping Komaru to knock some sense back into her doesn’t count as part of it). Doing what all of them did at some point, and rescuing the main character from a truly awful situation.

//Who was it that not only rescued Makoto from the garbage heap, but also kept his spirits raised when things started to look bleak? Kyoko.

//Who was it that restored formality to the group and saved Hajime from falling in Despair forever in DR2? Chiaki.

//Who were the one’s who rescued Shuichi when he gave in and tried to hide from facing the truth? Kaede and Kaito.

//And who was it that saved Komaru from the burden placed on her that she didn’t deserve? Toko.

//Before this point, Toko would not have ever been able to fit that role, but by the end of Ultra Despair Girls, she’s become attuned to being by this girls side, and being the moral compass she needs. And she is GOOD at it. And it’s only BECAUSE she’s grown to care for Komaru, putting herself on the line for her sake, that she is able to do this.

//Toko has lived a life of abuse, bullying, betrayal, doubt, sadness, and unjustness. But none of that matters when someone who truly cares about her is falling into Despair. Meeting Komaru, while she wouldn’t openly admit it even after the fact, was the best thing that could have ever happened to Toko.

//And meeting Toko was the best thing that ever happened to Komaru as well.

Toko in Survivor. How has she changed?

//Now we’ll actually get into my own personal thought process for Toko in this blog. How much she has developed PAST the last time we saw her in Ultra Despair Girls and DR3. And there are three main things to focus in on here:

Her progressing relationship with Komaru.

Her role as a mother.

Her change in lifestyle.

//Keeping in mind what I said about Komaru and Toko having changed and developed one another plays a big role in their characters from the start of Survivor, and how much they’ve changed in the 8 year timegap.

//On Komaru’s side, she’s obviously become a much more confident and eager person. Someone who screamed and cried while fighting for her life back in Towa City, now greets fights with open arms and ready trigger finger. She’s no longer afraid of the threats she faces, and now with Toko by her side, is actively ready to stand against them.

//Toko’s changes are obviously a lot more integral. She doesn’t stutter her words or needlessly blame others anymore, always thinking about the situation at hand before she starts putting words in each other’s mouths. And while she still cares for Byakuya, she no longer idolizes him in the way she did, nor does she have any dreams of pursuing a life with him, instead sticking with Komaru and trying to sort herself out. Even Byakuya admits by this point in time, Toko has become a woman worthy of his attention. Which is why it was so nice to write that one segment of Into the Ocean where they teamed up together, just the two of them.

//I also believe that Toko and Komaru would have started to develop feelings for each other during the timegap. Most people would think it a little odd that they decide to get married almost immediately after confessing to one another, but to me, it’s not that strange.

//They would have had a lot of time to spend together, and they would clearly recognize their love for each other. After all, if you think about it, Toko and Komaru’s dynamic is basically the EXACT SAME as Makoto and Kyoko’s. The Naegi siblings have a lot in common, as you might expect, with both of them being strong-willed people at the core, as well as one’s who have the power to inspire hope in others, but also each having a fair share of inferiority complexes. Toko and Kyoko on the other hand, are more down to earth and logical, and balance their respective partners out.

//And if one of them can grow to care for each other beyond a point that canonically is implied to be more than a friendship, why can’t the other?

//Toko hasn’t completely changed of course. There’s still a lot about her that remains relatively the same from the canon games, mainly that she’s still quick to frustrate, and still isn’t immediately trusting of anyone she meets, however being more willing to give them a chance to prove her wrong.

//But the primary way in which Komaru has influenced Toko is simply by being a genuine friend, partner and companion, teaching Toko how to be more confident in herself, as well as overcoming all of her past trauma’s, slowly but surely. This in turn, would have led to Toko living a much healthier lifestyle than the one she had before, and as of Into the Ocean, it certainly shows.

//Toko’s redesign as of Into the Ocean sports her signature purple, but also a much brighter and happier blue in contrast to her previous designs where her clothes and outfit are much darker all around. She’s also discarded her glasses for contact lenses, and started wearing shorter skirts and leggings, showing her change in attitude and character, and how she’s a lot more self-assured, and confident in herself.

//This is the face of a woman who’s been through a lot of trauma, and through the power of love and companionship, has overcome it. That’s all it ever took.

//And then of course, there’s not only Komaru as her wife, but the newest addition to their family - Akeru. Who the girls decide to adopt as their own daughter.

//Upon finding out her true backstory, Toko gravitates almost immediately towards Akeru when she finds out just how similar the two of them are. Having both been raised by abusive mothers, and having murdered them as a result of the trauma.

//Even after her mothers died, Toko’s life did not get better. If anything, it only became worse. So when Akeru was finally saved from the clutches of Narumi Osone, Toko endeavored to make it so that Akeru didn’t go down the same path...By giving her a family and a new life that she could learn to love.

//Toko has been through some shit, but thanks to this natural progression and strength she has found, she’s able to become the exact authority figure that a young girl needs. Though she lacks in real experience, Toko goes out of her way to do whatever it takes to make sure that her girl grows up happy and healthy in the way she never could, without deflecting her own childhood trauma on this equally damaged girl.

//In a way, she’s doing for Akeru exactly what she did to Komaru. Hence why the chapter of her exposing her past to her friends is so important. Simply to emphasize just how much the girl’s suffering means to her.

Where are we now?

//To end this, I need to make a quick observation of the blog’s current events, and analyse where every main protagonist, the one’s that carry this story, are standing right now.

//First of all, most obviously, Makoto and Kuripa are both HOT MESSES right now. Not just in the wake of the death of Mukuro, but with every bad thing after bad thing that’s been thrown their way, they’ve been severely wittled down to the point where both of them are barely hanging onto sanity. 

//Kuripa obviously isn’t new to this attitude or feeling, but when Makoto is at a point where he’s not only lashing out at the people who love him, but is physically assaulting the wrongdoers; something usually out of character for him, you know he’s going through some shit.

//Hajime is not much better. Obviously he’s currently in an indefinite coma while Izuru takes control of his body, but even before that he was clearly suffering at the hands of a situation out of his control, that he still wholeheartedly blames himself for. 

//The actions of both Ayumu Fujimori and Nagito Komaeda he attributes back to his own incompetence, and believes that most, if not all of what the Future Foundation is currently going through, is his own fault.

//Shuichi and Kaede seem relatively fine, but it’s clear they’re both struggling with their own issues. Shuichi’s will be elaborated on, but Kaede is so severely traumatized by her past, it makes her act out stupidly, and she’s beginning to have severe doubts about herself.

//And Shuichi feels like a fish out of water, having a branch to lead but not quite sure how to take charge when it counts.

//Even Komaru isn’t quite sure what to do, and has made her own handful of stupid decisions. On top of not being there for her brother and being blissfully unaware of the Future Foundation’s fall in wake of her own family’s interests, she also gets so desperate, that she takes matters into her own hands and makes a fucking mess of things.

//I.e. blaming the entire mess on Kuripa with little to know grounds on such an action, and kidnapping and trapping Makoto for “his own safety.”

//And the amazing thing throughout all of this, is that looking at all of these protagonists and comparing to Toko...She is the ONLY ONE who has remained relatively sane throughout the entire pandemic of Despair.

//In Into the Ocean, she comes through as a mediator and protector for Komaru, Akeru and Byakuya on multiple occasions, comforting them when they’re in a difficult situation (very physically in Komaru’s case ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) and having their back, even when they try to go solo on dangerous missions.

//And in The Monster in Me, she’s the first member of the Future Foundation who defects from Komaru, her own wife’s, authoritarian methods to stop Kuripa and Katagiri, simply because she remains in her right mind and realizes that something is not right, and Kuripa isn’t the sole person to blame.

//This is the same woman who always jumped to conclusions and put words in others mouths out of her own self-loathing whenever anyone tried to have a basic conversation with her. But now she’s thinking more rationally than any of the “heroes” and seeing things for what they are, taking it on herself to sort things out and help them just as she did to Komaru back during Ultra Despair Girls.

//Toko Fukawa over the course of her life has gone from being one of the weakest-willed and traumatized heroes in Danganronpa...to easily one of it’s most confident, rational, and strongest.

#mod talks #mod #danganronpa 1 #dr1 #danganronpa ultra despair girls #drae #toko fukawa

[scienter]

Do you think J.Plec ever intended to write Defan differently?She tried to sell this powerful brotherbond and yet not even 1% of the said brotherly love was reciprocated by Damon.Defan was always written in favour of Damon and Delena.The only way they could have achieved any character growth was if Damon had stopped centering his actions & choices around Elena ,stopped being selfish,vindictive and actually taken some real responsibility.Instead we had Damon I-met-a-girl-&-she-made-good going around in circles and then maybe 2 seconds of epiphany where he would realise he should have been there for his brother and then next thing you know he'd be back at square one.As for Stefan instead of ever learning how to draw a healthy boundary,how to live in moderation(barring the beginning of s8,maybe),he centered his entire existence around -I need my brother-drama & the thought of disappointing/losing him quite literally multiplied his need for the said brother.Plec, in my honest opinion, knew if she focussed on this then she wouldn't have to give narrative importance to Bonnie and Caroline who not only deserved it but were quite capable of carrying the show especially after Nina left and yet they were shafted in the most non-consensual, gross storylines with irrelevant plot props, where zero effort was made, simply for plot convenience that did nothing to further either of their characters.How did we even think Belvafore could save this show?This was never gonna happen.Julie never let go of her obsession with that triangle of doom and catered to the whims and fancies of a giant part of the fandom who sincerely believed(probably still does) that being a a certain Petrova held precedence over everything and everyone.Having stepped away from all the fandom chaos and with the hyperfixation gone,it helps see things in perspective.No wonder Plec wrote the series finale like that.It was to reestablish that triangle that, in her mind, never really ended (don't honestly blame KW.He was nothing but consistent with his D-J/S-E fandom wank) which is precisely why there was so much disconnect between that one episode and the rest of the season.She couldn't care less about the story and was more into giving "closure" to that triangle that, in reality ,had perished in s3!!! *sigh* I could go on and on with my ranting.Anyway! Happy New Year :)

Happy New Year, anon!

I think Plec and the rest of the TVD writing staff wrote Defan exactly the way they wanted to write it. The story didn’t write itself. The writers did that. And they seemed to think that it worked and Defan arc wasn’t bad storytelling*.

I think that Defan was hit or miss. Defan worked when it explored Stefan and Damon supporting and resenting each other (e.g., the flashbacks). Defan didn’t work when it forced Stefan and/or Damon to regress because of the plot or Delena/love triangle (e.g., Damon's regression in season 4).

I 100% blame the TVD’s lame ending on Kevin Williamson because he stated that it was HIS IDEA. Julie Plec/TVD Writers originally wrote a different ending (Damon dies and Stefan lives), but KW changed it because he was salty that he wasn’t going to get his preferred Stelena ending.

*The only time I ever read Plec regretting a plotline or admitting that a certain character arc didn’t work was Enzo’s story in season 6.  It’s rare for TV writers to admit when their writing sucked or a storyline didn’t work so that tells you how awful Enzo's season 6 storyline was. Just saying.

#reply for ts #anon for ts #anon #reply #defan for ts #just to be safe #tvd

[blog-of-hubris]

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 202: The Plot Thickens; Kenjaku starts the next phase.

Conversation Over Tea

There is so much to unpack in this chapter, starting with the insane conversation between Yuki and Granny Tengen aka the Thumb. I have to say, the biggest piece of information that shook me was finding out that Riko was a star plasma vessel with the most potential and Yuki being a star plasma vessel herself. This information changes a lot of what I understood about the Star Plasma Vessels and so I’ll need to see what else Gege adds to that lore to really grasp the concept. 

Other than that, I enjoyed the moment a lot due to seeing Tengen explain themself for not trying to get another vessel to merge. Finding out that they felt like they were delaying the inevitable and instead wanted to embrace the evolution while trying to keep consciousness using barrier techniques is fascinating. I can’t help but agree with Tengen’s choice.. and since there can be multiple Star Plasma vessels (and apparently you can stop being one) makes me feel like Tengen evolving is a necessary part of something bigger. However, I have to agree with Yuki too. Using children to further handle things for him was extremely irresponsible, people forget that even though Geto and Gojo were two special grades they were still teenagers. They weren’t grown adults and they had such an important task on their hands, and were even going to betray the sorcerers to keep Riko alive if thats what she wanted. It adds so much more angst and grief to the Hidden Inventory arc which is why I loved her comment so much. 

(Also, this should let everyone who keeps saying Yuki is going to kidnap Maki know that she most likely wouldn't do that. Would she ask Maki for help, absolutely. But to say she would take her is crazy and im sure Maki would make it very hard for her to do so. Just saying.)

What's even crazier is that Yuki can apparently hear the voices of the previous star plasma vessels. Thats a very layered reveal in my opinion, because it implies to me that the previous vessels aren’t actually dead. It makes me wonder what happened to their souls. And also, I love how Yuki says she won't tell him what the vessels are saying because she knows Tengen will try to justify their actions by trying to use wisdom. I love that Tengen is showing an emotional side to a degree, they want to know what they are saying for some type of personal relief but Yuki doesn't want to give them that satisfaction. She’s such a fantastic character and I really love the way Akutami is fleshing out her character development, showing us what she cares about and how she feels. She’s probably the character I relate to the second most in the series based on what we’ve seen so far. Their conversation ends with Tengen saying they hoped they could speak with Yuki longer but they sense Kenjaku coming into the barrier with Choso waiting. It was a really beautiful transition and I'm wondering if anything else will be shared before Yuki clashes with Kenjaku. 

The Prelude is over

With Kenjaku entering the barrier (like he just knows he about to win), it is clear to me that things are about to get really bad. The first part of the Culling Game ended with the reveal of Kenjaku’s “bomb” (or part of it) which was the implementation of American (and maybe other) troops entering the Culling Game to hunt Jujutsu Sorcerers. If what Kenjaku wants is truly to have everyone merge with Tengen so that he can see if cursed energy evolves then I believe that he will succeed and what will happen is that Tengen becoming a full curse could lead to the whole world being more in tune with cursed energy, and it not be something that affects Japan the most (more in another section). 

So Kenjaku changes the barrier to a movie theatre where he can show off what a possible ending to all of this would be. He explains that the Culling game was a verification of people being sorcerers. He even mentions feeling “happy” that Yuki thought like him when she mentioned the sorcerers being used an energy source, which makes me feel like Kenjaku is like a mad scientist that never had anyone to relate to him. The way he is going about these experiments starting with the cursed wombs is even more proof to that theory, but speaking on the science of cursed energy he impresses me with his honesty. Letting Choso know that he wants to see what form the cursed spirit would take once Tengen absorbs all the non sorcerers is and that it simply fascinates him makes me love Kenjaku very much. I love someone who is “evil” because they are truly intrigued by the path of it, instead of getting an explanation on their world view or what they think the world should be. Kenjaku just wants to push the limits of CE, and he will do whatever he feels is necessary to do so. 

Choso asked Kenjaku “Why are you doing this?” and his response was “it just SOUNDS fun”.. meaning he isn't sure if it is or not. He literally says that he won't know if its fun until he sees the end result. That is a textbook mad scientist response, and it elevated him to one of my all time favorite shonen villains. It really pissed off Choso too, because we went straight into a piercing blood to end the chapter. 

As Kenjaku said the Prelude is over and now the real performance begins. What he has in store for the concert I have no clue but thats what makes him such a fun character. We know the American army is touching down in Shibuya, so will Kenjaku use Tengen to take them too or will he wait until after some sorcerers are taken, or maybe he has no intention of that all and is just using this to create more negative energy to be used for the merger and it has to be done in Japan because that is where Tengen set up home base and there is a deeper spiritual connection which is a secret within the Tomb of the Star? These are the questions I am wondering and formulating theories around if the information presents itself.

New Form of Cursed Energy

Kenjaku mentions to Choso that he is going after the new form of cursed energy. The path to this (he believes) is by having non sorcerers merge with Tengen to create a new level of cursed spirits. Pretty much it sounds like Kenjaku is trying to create a “Gojo effect”, where the birth of this creature will spike the levels of cursed energy creating something brand new that exceeds his own potential. I am wondering what his new form of cursed energy could be but also where does positive energy come into play here? We know positive energy exists due to reverse cursed technique but also general mahoraga’s blade of extermination. So what happens to positive energy if Cursed Energy evolves? 

I think that even Kenjaku doesn't fully understand what he is getting himself into which is why he is having so much fun doing it. He was probably really bored when he started thinking of how to make this all happen. I’m saying all this not because I have a theory but just because I think it should be on everyone's radar. In terms of loose personal theories, I think that Kenjaku will end up giving birth to some type of cursed deities or the heavens will smite the world for the decisions he made. I am still very convinced that Gege is hiding deeper supernatural lore and aspects of the story, especially since we have got 0 lore on Heavenly Restrictions and why they are called that. For people to treat heavenly restrictions as negatives, why give it such a name? I have a theory meta written on it posted here, so check it out if you are interested. I hope I can add more to it as more information drops. 

As I mentioned in the previous section, I think that Tengen becoming a giant curse might not be what actually happens and instead he turns into something that passes cursed energy throughout the entire world. I don't have a comprehensive or well laid out theory yet but based on what Tengen was doing when they first got to Japan (teaching buddhism and jujutsu) I think that whatever his evolved version becomes will make cursed energy spread through the world and may use the energy form those consumed to do so. It may even be that only non-sorcerers can be absorbed at that point, making their cursed energy spread, or he may even become a curse spirit factory; pumping out curses using the cursed energy of absorbed non-sorcerers. 

I had once mentioned I think Tengen might have been sent down from the heavens to be the main “curse” that spreads cursed energy. Why else would he have a cursed technique that turns them into a “monster” with no sense of self. Even the strongest of cursed spirits have a conscious and know who they are and what they believe in (mahito, jogo, hanami, Dagon) but a curse as potent as Tengen has no sense of self? Just doesn't add up to me. I mean even Naoya a vengeful spirit had all of his memories of his original life and his sense of self. I might be reading too deep into it but it just doesnt make sense that if all Tengen is doing is becoming a cursed spirit as he evolves then why lose their sense of self? Thats why I'm convinced there is more to what Tengen is than anyone knows. 

Otherwise, I actually want to see what happens if Kenjaku does get Tengen, because I want to see what the new cursed energy would be and I’m sure this a higher power involved that won't like what happens but I could be entirely wrong. I also want to know what Sukuna and Yuji have to do with all this. With Uraume being willing to assist Kenjaku but clearly being most loyal to Sukuna, what role does the king of curses play here? I have no idea and I like that I don’t, however I am sure I can finalize a couple of cooking theories in a few more chapters.

Conclusion

There is so much I would like to say that won't come out coherent until I get a few more chapters of information but I am ready to see this fight between Choso and Kenjaku and hopefully Yuki vs Kenjaku. I want to see a top notch battle between 2 special grades. Other than that, I am just sitting at the edge of my seat waiting to see what else Kenjaku is willing to reveal to us so I can finalize some things I been thinking! 

I think we are all ready for Chapter 203 and onward!!

#dh🍵 #jujutsu kaisen meta #jjk202 #jjk202 meta #jujutsu kaisen manga

[where-dreamers-go]

So I read those asks from a while ago where the reader and eragon get walked in on while making out, and I wondered if there was one where Murtagh, Orik or Nasuada walk in on them? They are beyond amusing! You're maybe the only blog that still does this for the eragon series and I'm truly grateful for that!

Hi there. No, there is not one with Murtagh, Orik, or Nasuada, but I can make one. Assuming this is a request. Pretty sure. Also: my twin sister (@ivorydragoness44) writes for Murtagh and Alagaësia content and others to! :D

(A/N: Here we are again with embarrassing Eragon. Warnings: Mentions of heavy kissing. Word Count: 660 words)

(Murtagh)

The place was impressive, Murtagh could think that much about the new dragon rider home. He had arrived with Thorn less than a week ago and there were still areas to familiarize himself with. There was no set decision of how long he would be staying, but he liked it so far. Being one of the eldest dragon riders, he thought it right to at least offer his half-brother some assistance. He didn’t like the idea of simply sitting around.

Having asked another dragon of Eragon’s whereabouts, Murtagh made his way to Eragon’s quarters.

He hoped they could share some ideas.

Upon knocking, Murtagh wasn’t sure what his brother was up to.

Taking a break, he supposed.

When a muffled crash was heard from the other side of the door, the dragon rider swung open the door.

Alert for danger or a health issue was at the forefront of his mind. That was not what he saw.

A toppled over trunk laid beside Eragon on the floor. That alone would make Murtagh question the man, however it was you atop of his brother that made him stop.

Kissing.You and Eragon were kissing on the floor.

How you both managed to get there before or after the trunk was none of Murtagh’s business. He didn’t want to see such a sight.

The second after Eragon’s eyes met Murtagh’s, Murtagh left the room and closed the door behind him.

He walked away. Quick strides took him further and further until he was outside. Then he kept going. Any change in scenery to get the image out of his mind. To never mention it.

“Was that your brother?” You asked, hands on Eragon’s chest.

“Unfortunately,” he grumbled and rubbed a hand over his forehead. “I forgot to lock the door.”

(Orik)

It was a joyous time. Celebrations were in order as Orik came to visit his brother and see what he and others had accomplished. Beautifully done stone architecture included.

Orik had not seen the busy dragon rider in hours. He hoped Eragon wasn’t overworking himself again. The dwarf had warned him about that and his eating habits.

Another conversation might be in order.

Finding the door to Eragon’s study open, Orik peered inside.

What the dwarf saw was everything better than seeing the dragon rider passed out over scrolls. One hundred times better in his opinion.

Wrapped in a tight embrace, you and Eragon were locked in a long kiss. A sight not many there could imagine happening, however it brought a grin to Orik’s face.

Entering the room with his hands clapping, Orik approached the startled couple.

“I knew it!” Orik said as he clasped onto their hands. “From the way Eragon looked at you. Ahaha! This is wonderful.”

You glanced at Eragon for guidance, however all you received was his flushed face and an awkward chuckle.

(Nasuada)

No matter where she traveled, there was a schedule to keep and a to-do list to complete. Social obligations, no matter the level of friendliness, had to be upheld.

Nasuada did not have time for many pleasantries that day. Conversations had been put off long enough.

Promptly, Nasuada entered a room she was told Eragon would be in. It was quiet.

She chose to walk further in.

Laughter caught her attention and she followed it around a corner.

“…caught you, dragon rider.” Your voice reached Nasuada’s ears before she caught a glimpse of your situation.

Eragon had his back to a wall and hands sliding down your back as you kissed one another.

“Ahem.” Nasuada held herself tall. It took an effort not to roll her eyes.

You pulled yourself away from Eragon upon realizing who had interrupted your time alone.

“I would like to speak with you, Eragon.” Nasuada stated.

“Ah,” Eragon’s eyes glanced at you.

“Please excuse me,” you ducked out of the room quickly. Anywhere to leave.

The dragon rider swallowed and pulled at his clothes uneasily. He was mortified.

#Eragon reaction #eragon reaction #where dreamers go #eragon shadeslayer #murtagh morzansson #Nasuada #Orik #Erica answers #the Orik one is my favorite

[waheelawhisperer]

Okay gonna go ahead and watch the entirety of Volume 9 now that the whole thing's been released. I'll share my impressions of each episode. Half this post is out of date because I originally started writing it when the premier came out and then decided I didn't care enough about RWBY to either continue watching it or continue writing about it midway through, so it will probably be a little disjointed. Further episode reviews will probably be a bit more coherent.

Gonna put everything under the cut because honestly I was not impressed with this episode at all. While there were some things I liked, the tone of this post is going to be very critical in general, so I'm putting that warning out there right now so the people who want nothing to do with that can skip over this post and go on with their day.

Before we begin, I'd like to make it explicitly clear that these are my initial impressions based on my first viewing and that I'm well aware that later episodes might reveal information that changes how I feel about choices made earlier on in the Volume. Given the typical pattern that occurs when I watch RWBY, I fully expect that when I rewatch episodes or watch later episodes or see someone else's takes on the show, I will make connections that I didn't before or find that specific writing choices bother me more or less than they did in the initial moment, so I'm not going to waste time saying "maybe seeing what they do with this later will make it feel better to me" every single time I express a negative opinion. Just assume that I'm doing my best to keep an open mind and remain cognizant of the possibility that things I don't like at first can be recontextualized based on subsequent information.

I should also note that there will be several other factors coloring my analysis. I have listed them below:

Volume 8 sucked ass and did likely-irreparable damage to my opinion of the series

It's been two years since the last Volume released, which means we've had time to build up hopes and expectations. There are things that frustrate me now that may well play better if I watch the prior Volumes and then watch Volume 9 in its entirety immediately after.

Between Volumes 8 and 9, we learned that Rooster Teeth hadn't actually improved like they promised and instead did things like not pay their workers, fire their animation department, and call employees coded slurs on camera. On top of that, I personally learned about some of the stuff Miles Luna has said in the past that is just... ugh, so I don't have a lot of faith that a show controlled and written by this awful fucking company founded on dudebro humor will be a) good and b) willing to tackle any kind of sensitive topic with the tact and seriousness it deserves.

I'm working long hours right now, which means I'm stressed, exhausted, and overall not in a good headspace. My temper is frayed, my memory's slipping, and I'm having trouble gathering and expressing my thoughts. Things that bother me are bothering me more than they normally would, and things that normally make me happy are not making me happy right now. This is unlikely to change prior to the end of Volume 9.

All of this together means I'm much less willing to give Volume 9 the benefit of the doubt than I would've been a few years ago, or even six months ago. That's something to keep in mind as I progress through this post.

That said, I actually really like the opening. The first-person perspective was an interesting change compared to what we usually get, and I really like the way it showed how damn fast Yang went over the edge. I've talked about it before, but the way they chose to portray Yang's fall in slow motion, while suitably dramatic, definitely didn't make it clear that the characters had very little time to react. I think we needed to see Yang get knocked off the ledge in real time and then see Blake fail to save her in dramatic slow motion (side note: Blake was booking it when she saw Yang fall)

I also gotta say I love how Neo was totally willing to throw hands with a teenager in midair. Like, she's just been betrayed by her employer and is possibly falling to her death and the first thing in her head is that she's gonna get her revenge if it's the last thing she does. It's so gloriously self-destructive. I think this is a good character moment for Neo.

After a start that I personally felt was pretty strong, the quality... kinda dips a little. I don't like what happens once we start focusing on Ruby. Her initial response feels very dull to me, and it raises a lot of questions. The first is, like... why isn't she freaking out? Why didn't she vocalize any thoughts? Why is the first thing she actually does vocalize frustration, but specifically frustration played for comedy? Why doesn't she go through the basic wilderness survival checklist a Huntress would presumably have learned (if her schooling didn't teach her, I imagine Qrow would've, and it would've been a nice little callback to the way he mentored her if she had remembered receiving that sort of advice and then acted on it)? Why does she not care that her weapon is missing? Why does she just walk off into the woods like she doesn't give a fuck about anything, including her teammates? Is there a reasonable explanation for her behavior? Is she in shock or something? Is it a good decision on the part of the writers if the answer to the previous two questions is yes (i.e. would it have been better to make Ruby react in some other way)?

I don't like the way we just see Ruby get mad that she's perpetually looping through the forest vs. really grappling with all the events of Volume 8. My guess is that she's doing her usual "crush it all down and put up a front and just never acknowledge any fear or insecurity" thing she likes to do, but it feels to me like it would've been a better choice to get something more out of her, even if it's just a little bit of concern about her teammates. I think they're trying for a slow buildup toward Ruby's breakdown, but we've been waiting for two years and I don't feel like this episode gave us much in general. I'm thinking this might be one of those things where I'd feel better about it if I watched all the relevant episodes in a short timeframe, but it is definitely frustrating now.

This is gonna be a complaint about the episode in general, but I really do not like the decision to go for such a comedic tone. After the tragedy of Volume 8, it just feels jarring. I developed a theory or two about why the writers made this choice as I watched the episode, but neither of them makes it a good one. RWBY should not be trying to be funny right now. A Kingdom fell. Penny died. The girls were traumatized. Why is the first thing we get a bird mocking Ruby and a one-mouse comedy show? This is the wrong choice of tone, and unless the show does something truly phenomenal with it (it won't), I am prepared to die on this hill.

Little's conception of name as purpose is interesting. I have a feeling that identity and purpose and self-perception are going to be prevalent themes throughout this Volume, and I think there's a lot of interesting exploration of those ideas that can be done with all four of our mains, especially Ruby.

WHY DID WE MISS THE BLAKE/WEISS REUNION????? It feels like this episode tries to speedrun the reunification of Team RWBY and there’s no tension to it. That said, I'm glad someone finally acknowledged that weapons other than Crescent Rose have names. That feels like a big part of RWBY's identity and a major element of its themes of self-expression that's really gone underutilized throughout the show's run.

The dialogue here feels a little stilted honestly, would've been nice to see a hug or something (kind of like it would've been nice to see the actual reunion). Really wish that there was more of a sense of urgency when they decide they should try to find the others. Blake was losing her shit when she thought Yang died, I kind of figured she'd be desperate to make sure Yang's okay (and that Weiss, who fought Cinder to the last with her teammate's weapon in her hands and tears running down her cheeks, would have some sort of overt interest in finding anyone that goes beyond "maybe we should look for them, idk").

I like the way Weiss doesn't want to talk about the battle. Feels like it's actually emotionally affected her.

And of course she goes straight from that to comic relief. At least the choice of tone is consistently bad.

We find Gambol Shroud almost immediately. Once again there is no tension or urgency to the search. It's starting to feel like this episode is just speedrunning the Team RWBY reunion so the show can get to whatever the hell it actually wants to do this Volume.

This whole vine trap sequence just annoys me. Why the hell is Weiss cheerleading like Blake is a high school quarterback about to throw a touchdown pass? Why the hell is this show trying to be funny in-universe moments after a Kingdom fell and all four of our mains nearly died? Why the hell are these fucking vines even an obstacle? Blake, you can literally double-jump. I have literally seen you jump higher than this and wall run like a fucking Naruto character without explicitly using your powers. Just pull some Jackie Chan shit and get your weapon back. Pretend, for once, that you are useful in a situation that does not involve either looking cute or pining over Yang. Weiss, you can also literally double-jump. You can help other people double-jump. Stop trying out for the cheerleading squad and do something useful. You could literally make Blake a ladder if you wanted to. For fuck's sake.

When I first watched the episode, I was thinking that maybe the Ever After prevented Semblance use or something, or maybe that it dulled the mental processes of "intruders" like Team RWBY and that was why the characters suddenly had zero brain cells, but after everything else I've learned about this Volume, I'm pretty sure the writers are just incompetent.

There's no tension to them being captured either. Blake, you have a Semblance. Why are these fucking vines even an impediment to you? This episode has thus far failed to set any kind of stakes or establish any kind of threat at all. I don't feel scared for Monochrome here because their captors are a bunch of fucking mice. Blake could free herself with a thought and literally stomp the mice like cockroaches.

Not that it would matter if I did feel anything but annoyance about this scene anyway because Ruby arrives to solve the problem immediately, thus ruining any chance of the show managing to establish any kind of stakes here. Little starts off by... sleeping. What does this character do? Very useful.

The mice, all of them, are fucking annoying. I don't know why they set this trap to begin with or how they knew to bait it with Gambol Shroud and I don't really care. Maybe this'll be one of those things the Volume expands upon later, idk, but right now I'm just waiting for Monochrome to be freed so we can go somewhere else and do something interesting.

Blake, why are you okay with being referred to as a cat? Isn't your whole arc about how Faunus aren't animals and shouldn't be treated as such? Or did you forget that when you also forgot how to fight? Really not doing a great job defending yourself against the years-long accusations of character regression, hon (most of those accusations are stupid but the fact that she did fuck-all besides stare longingly at Yang and wait to be rescued during the Atlas arc lends them some credence, and this is still not a great look regardless).

Interesting that Blake describes Yang as not scary. Very interesting.

Also interesting that Weiss says Yang could be scary if she wanted to. You're not beating the bottom/sub allegations anytime soon, girlie.

Okay, we finally get our first hint that Ruby has an actual plan instead of aimless wandering. Would've been nice if this was indicated in any way earlier, but at least it's something, and that's more than I expect from this episode at this point.

Eat the mouse, Blake. You know you want to. If you're not going to defend yourself against the catgirl profiling, at least live up to it and make this episode more tolerable. I don't know how I feel about her freaking out about Little climbing on her. I think the show is trying too hard to be funny again.

So glad no one gives a fuck about reuniting with Ruby either. Very moving, very emotional. What a close-knit band of friends, what a wonderful found family. RWBY's always had a problem selling the idea that the characters care about each other and are close to each other in the way the narrative wants us to believe they are (because the show doesn't have enough runtime to build those relationships properly and organically and refuses to adjust its scope to fit its resources) and it's getting noticeably worse this episode.

Little fell asleep again. "I can be your trusty guide" -> immediately fails to do anything useful. I don't like this character.

Blake finally shows some urgency. This should've come several minutes ago, but better late than never, I guess. Would be nice if anyone else showed concern for Yang, but I'm not convinced the writers realize there's a spectrum of goal alignment between "unified hivemind" and "only one character is allowed to want or care about any given thing". I still feel no tension around the search for Yang in the slightest. There is nothing in this world to indicate that she won't be totally fine unless she got caught in another stupid vine trap and eaten by mice.

Nice to see Ruby showing interest in the situation. Finally. Also nice to see someone besides Blake showing concern for Yang, muted as it may be. I like the way Weiss is clearly uncomfortable talking about what happened on Rainbow Road. I hope they actually do something with this, but I don't expect it. I don't have enough faith in RWBY's writing for that at this point.

The Jabberwalker is cool. Really freaky. Unfortunately, my torrent didn't have subtitles, so I have no idea what it's saying, which is really annoying.

The mouse goes from useless to active liability. Love it.

Ruby realizes, apparently for the first time, that she doesn't have her weapon. I want to assume that finding it will be a priority, but none of our current main three seem to have any actual priorities at this point, or at least none they care about enough to show any urgency about fulfilling.

Yang, unsurprisingly, is the best part of the episode, not that this is a difficult achievement in the slightest. She demonstrates her absurd (and sexy) physical strength by carrying a rock, this episode, and the weight of her massive balls all at once despite having one arm. You go, girlboss.

Paying attention during the flanking scene, there's a very visible gap in the formation where Ruby's supposed to go. I bet that not being able to participate in combat is not exactly doing great things to her mental state.

The Jabberwalker runs away pretty quick. It feels more like a warning system, or maybe a white blood cell, than a major threat (or maybe trained and Aura/Semblance-empowered Huntresses are just super powerful in comparison to the Ever After). I bet it'll be a recurring problem in this Volume, maybe getting stronger or smarter with every encounter.

I liked that Ruby was running up to Yang and getting ready to greet her until Yang reacted negatively, and I really like that Yang wasn't happy to see Ruby and her other teammates. First Yang thought she died, then she saw Ruby and the others and thought she'd died for nothing. It makes perfect sense that she's not happy right now.

(Side note: I think the Yang Curse Count is up to 3? all under extreme emotional duress. Still not on board with fanworks that portray her as swearing like a sailor. She'd be a better example for her little sister, I guarantee it)

"If you thought we wouldn't come for you, then you must have forgotten who raised me" Ruby what the fuck are you talking about? Were you just going to yeet yourself into the void if you'd won the battle? There was no possible reason for them to think Yang is even alive. They don't know they're the protagonists of a web cartoon. They don't know they have plot armor. To them, Yang was fucking dead. What could following her on purpose even have accomplished besides introducing them to whatever's at the bottom of the abyss at terminal velocity?

That said, I do like the acknowledgement that Yang raised Ruby. That's very important to both characters and I'm really glad someone finally said it out loud. Maybe this'll finally put the "Yang is a bad sister" allegations to rest (jk the people who believe that could be confronted with all the evidence in the world and it wouldn't change a thing).

The Bumbleby reunion feels kinda weird, I was expecting a bit more than a tackle-hug, but it's sweet overall and I at least dislike it less than the rest of the episode. I took a screenshot here for the sake of making a stupid meme but I don't like this show enough to post it anymore.

Would be real nice to know how Yang got from where she started to where she is now and I think we’ll see some of that, but given how rushed the reunion feels, I’m not confident.

Love the way Yang thinks she’s dead and is still ready to throw hands, really shows us who she is and that she can’t be broken. Truly the Woman Of All Time.

Would be interesting to explore the ramifications of this but I honestly doubt we will.

Weiss is still the one most visibly affected by the battle on Rainbow Road, I like the way this has been very consistently a point of emotional turmoil for her over the course of this episode. Would love to see that continue throughout the rest of the Volume.

Ruby's fainting is interesting. It's nice to see her have an actual emotional response now and just kind of shut down. I've seen debate about whether her team cared for her properly. Some people say that the team did what they should have and put her in the recovery position, but I think they're missing the point a bit. Even assuming I trust the writers to know what should be done for someone who faints (which I don't), that isn't knowledge the general audience can reasonably be assumed to have, so they needed to find a more obvious way to convey that WBY were concerned about Ruby and took steps to make her safe and comfortable. Either have a scene somewhere earlier in the show (maybe back at Beacon, or somewhere in Volume 7) where the team learns first aid or convey the fact that they're taking care of Ruby more effectively.

Notably, it’s Yang who’s right next to her and who shows concern - she immediately asks if Ruby's all right once Ruby starts speaking. Bad sister tho amirite?

Doesn't really help that they start discussing the situation before Ruby wakes up. I can see why people say WBY don't care about her or her input here, but I think this is just clunky pacing more than anything. The fact that the conversation continues while Ruby’s asleep means we don’t see how anyone else reacts to Penny’s death or the events in the liminal zone, which is kind of annoying. This is starting to feel like another "only one character gets to react to things" event like we had with Pyrrha's death almost exclusively affecting Jaune.

Still hate Penny’s death but it seems the narrative wants us to believe that Penny made the right choice and there was no better option.

Like how Blake takes charge, this is a huge bit of development for her, though I worry that seeing Blake essentially usurp her role is going to hurt Ruby when she's already fragile. NGL when I saw that sunbeam hit Blake I thought they'd fucked up the lighting lol.

Blake saying she thinks we’re in a fairy tale would hit better if the Ever After wasn’t based on an Earth fairy tale and also if we knew more about Remnant’s fairy tales. Yes, the spinoff thing exists, but I don’t want to have to do fucking homework to understand a fundamental aspect of the show.

(I've actually heard that this fairy tale isn't even in the fucking spinoff, which means it got introduced last Volume with like 1 fucking conversation that told us nothing useful. This isn't setup, MKEK. Build this element into the story properly if you want to use it, especially if this Volume was supposedly "planned from the beginning" or whatever the fuck.)

OP is mediocre by RWBY standards which means it's decent but not particularly good by other standards. Say what you will about this series, but the music always slaps.

Overall this episode kind of sucks and in fact made me not want to watch the rest of the Volume until I got fed up with seeing spoilers I had no context for on my dash. This is the first time I can remember that I've watched a RWBY season premiere and not wanted more. That's how bad it was. Can't believe we waited two years for this.

Overall rating: ASS/10

#rwby

[tiffanylamps]

🌊😂❤️👀 for yours asks 🥰

Hey!!! psst, send me pics of your sculpture (if you've updated it) 👀 Thank you for sending me this! [My Beyond Evil Emoji Ask List]

🌊 What moment makes you want to walk into the ocean? I've already given an answer to this question here. But here is another moment that I am crazy over: Ji Hoon going to work the day they find out Min Jeong has gone missing/died.

It's pretty clear that Ji Hoon has feelings for Min Jeong. We never find out the true extent of those feelings, but the fact that he has a nervous breakdown (of sorts) at her funeral, and Dong Sik is worried for Ji Hoon's mental health in episode 5 (hinting that Ji Hoon suffers from depression and agoraphobia) shows whatever he felt for her was a deep emotion. Yet, he still goes to work and answers the phones (I can't imagine the number of phone calls he had from people panicking and wanting to know information about Min Jeong's disappearance, just further rubbing salt in a fresh wound😭). He's fucking crying at the front desk! But he still does his job, despite the shock, the trauma, the grief!!! I... 😭

😂 What’s your favourite Han Joo Won quirk? Already answered here, here, here. I really like Joo Won, which I know is pretty obvious at this point and I think it's interesting (and honestly, really lovely) that people want to know my opinions of him! He's definitely the character I get asked about the most. Anyway, one thing that I really love about Joo Won is that he needs time to process information. For me, this is a part of his neurodivergent coding (I know we've discussed this already) and is something I really relate to. It's kind of rare (from what I've seen, at least) to see a pov character that gets easily overwhelmed by a bombardment of information and has to take time to let the information sit with them before coming to a conclusion.

It's one of the reasons his arguments with Dong Sik don't go his way; Dong Sik is able to recite a myriad of points off the top of his head but once he's said them, he kind of forgets (which is very normal for most people). When Joo Won is on the receiving end of this, he tends to shut down, and needs time to collect himself. But he still takes the information in and remembers it, which leads to numerous occasions where he recites something Dong Sik has said back to him, word for word.

I love that! I think it's such an interesting personality trait and it works so well against Dong Sik's personality. They process information in different ways, and their differences complement one another.

❤️ What’s your favourite Dong Sik smile? I answered a fuckton here. I don't have an outright favourite, so I'll give a few more that I didn't include-

(👀)

(lol. he thinks jw is hot. loser)

👀 What would you like to see if they did a season 2? Okay, I have thoughts on this. I think that there is room for a season 2 but I don't think it's necessary to do.

I will prefix this by saying that I may be forgetting a big bit of information that will prevent this point from becoming reality. I don't have the best memory, so I admit that I could be forgetting something. I personally believe that Han Ki Hwan has very good grounds for appeal (just on Yu Yeon's murder. The other crimes?? There's probably a long paper trail, and Lee Chang Jin and Do Hae Won's testimonies that would put him away for a long time), as there isn't any physical evidence of the hit and run. Other than Lee Chang Jin and Do Hae Won, the only piece of damning evidence (that I can remember) is his confession... which was obtained legally, therefore, we can presume his legal team will have it dismissed from the trial.

So, his appeal process could be something they focus on. However, I don't really want to watch that, as there's not a lot of story there.

What I would want is a mini-series, or perhaps, a movie of sorts where we get an update on the characters' lives. It doesn't really matter to me how far into the future it is, I just want to see Dong Sik heal and move on, Joo Won get closure and finally find a family that loves and accepts him, Jae Yi finding a life outside of her mother's butcher shop, Ji Hwa getting the respect she deserves, Ji Hoon growing into himself, Joo Won and Hyuk working on their relationship, Jung Je and Dong Sik m a y b e working on their relationship, and of course, jwds.... being an actual couple.

It would be so sweet to see them slowly becoming a part of each other's lives, getting to know one another outside of the death and trauma, and just having that same intensity but the tension can't be disguised and dismissed as "it's the situation", y'know?

I want to see jwds sitting together on a sofa after having dinner, trying to figure out what their new dynamic is going to be. Them stumbling their way through the healing process together, learning together, understanding that it's okay to want and how to be quiet and to just b r e a t h e.

I want to see Manyang in the summer. I want BBQs at the lake house. Christmas jumpers. Busan weekends. Manyang nights. I want New Years' Eve kisses and hugs and drunken laughter. I want misunderstandings and mistakes and grief and showcasing that the process of healing is a fucking long one and looks different for everyone. I want Joo Won's grief to manifest in odd ways (sweet and sad ways). I want to see Dong Sik feel comfortable with being honest. But most importantly, I want all of them happy. (minus the obvious handful) (But I don't think we'll ever get that. The story is so complete without it, and I don't think they'll be able to tell the next steps without addressing the queerness👀 so, yeahhhhhh)

Anyway, yes, thank you again! I sure did ramble on for a long time, so I'm going to shut up and let you get on with your night/day 😂

#tiffanylamps: beyond evil ask lists #beyond evil #ask answered #ask game #thank you <3