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robbyykeene · 2 years

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Long rant about season 4, Johnny Lawrence, and the deterioration of the writing below so feel free to ignore this, but I just feel like I haven’t actually coherently expressed my main gripe with season 4 here.

In season 1 johnny is introduced and he’s racist, misogynistic, bullies kids based on their physical appearance, etc. etc. etc. And these are clearly his Bad Traits that are explicitly condemned by the narrative. When not portrayed as something that has explicit negative consequences (ie basically causing Hawk to go full incel), at the very least the story mocks and pokes fun at him for having such backwards ideals. And as the character grows through the story, so do his values. The show explicitly shows him moving past his racism in regards to Miguel, his sexism in regards to Aisha and then Tory. The story clearly articulates that these are all things Johnny learned from Kreese, and as he distances himself more from Kreese and his teachings, he learns and grows and leaves a lot of that ignorance behind.

And then season 4 comes along, and all of that just…goes away. And I don’t mean to say that Johnny necessarily regresses. But the way the narrative depicts him has completely changed. Johnny goes to Piper talking about how Karate can empower women, but it just turns into a joke about how he “learned feminism for this.” This is not meant to poke fun at Johnny, but to poke fun at feminism. The entire joke is as basic as “haha, of course Johnny’s not a feminist! Why would he be?” Later on, he makes a gendered statement to Sam and apologizes and corrects himself. But then the narrative literally undoes that by having Sam validate him! Tells him it’s fine, she understood what he meant and he didn’t need to change. Later this season we are even explicitly told that we should just accept Johnny as he is. Johnny’s ignorance has gone from being something explicitly condemned by the narrative to something they want us to love and accept him for.

And you know what? I don’t. Because Johnny Lawrence is not a real person. He’s a character in a story. I don’t have to accept the negative parts of him, because as an individual I don’t care about him at all. And that’s not to criticize him for being a flawed character, a flawed protagonist is fine—it’s great, actually! But when the show itself goes from criticizing those flaws to treating them as anything but, that’s where I take issue. Because I really don’t care about any of these characters as individuals. I care about the story that’s being told, a story I used to love about toxic masculinity and radicalization and cycles of abuse and how they all interplay with each other. A story that actually seemed like it was trying to say something important. But season 4 watered it all down so much to the point where I can’t even find a coherent central theme in the show anymore. At least not one the writers seem to have a solid stance on.

#so yeah theres a bunch of shit i didnt like season #but this is my main gripe bc it all ties back into this #the story has now decided it wants us to acfept johnny for who he is #and thats why characters felt so off and made decisions that seemed insane #because the central theme of the season may have been that johnny and daniel need to find a middle ground #but the actual narrative didnt even back up that perspective #whatever #this is why i wont watch season 5 #also you’re allowed to disagree w me obviously but this isnt smth i feel like debating bc these are just my thoughts and if you feel #differently thats fine but i dont care enough anymore to listen to other peoples perspectives on this #bc thats all ive been doing since s4 came out and ive really tried hard to see what some of yall are seeing #and i just dont see it #so lets agree to disagree and keep the commentary off this please #which is why im not tagging it as anything either #except #ck negativity #just to be safe #im just sick of getting messages everytime i post or rb smth critical of the show accusing me of hating johnny or daniel or robby or miguel #etc. etc. etc.#bc it literally isnt about that #I’m annoyed by all of those characters stroylines this season sure #but at the end of the day they’re characters. not people. i dont dislike the characters i dislike the writing #and how its all become so warped this season

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wolfmoonblues · 1 year

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i wrote this on halloween at 4 in the a.m.

fans of my ocs rejoice for cringe fanfic and art i'll never render be upon ye. sketchy illustrations included <3

al/lupa pt ???

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Lupa marches after Al on an empty bridge. The night’s cold, and cloudy, and Al is stopping at the railing with her arms crossed, and the wind buffets her words far apart when she speaks.

"No, I can’t let you follow me. Not again. Not after what happened."

"Al, there’s no way in hell we’re letting you do this alone." Lupa’s cheeks are flushed raw. With her camouflage of bruises and bandages, half-shifted and barefoot, she figures she must look ridiculous; she could care less.

On the other hand, as far away as she stands and wearing a top of only gauze and angel glue, Al radiates a soothing, magnetic warmth. The imprint of her wings markings pulse gold over her back—self-healing.

"Yes the hell there is. Are you hearing me?" Her words snap Lupa back to attention. "You got hurt because of me. I’m doing this by myself."

Lupa snorts. "Whoa, so we’re just uninvited to saving the world from a crazed god? And you somehow have the final say on this? Look at that—you haven’t changed a bit. You’re just as fucking precious about your moral high ground as always."

"It ain’t about that."

"Yes it is." Lupa growls, and continues, "You always have to be the one that takes it that far. You always have to be the hero. Hell, if I hadn’t stopped you just then, you would’ve died a third time! Do you know how insane that is? Al, look at me."

"What?" Al grits her teeth. Lupa knows she’s supposed to care about what she’s saying, and she does, but her words come out petulant and bitter.

"I’m asking you—do you know what it would mean if you died again. No do-overs, no "divine intervention", definitely none of god’s favor. You’ve run out of chances, and where does that leave us, huh? Where does that leave me Al?"

Al holds her hands over her neck, and stares into the ocean below them. Her brows furrow and her lips scrunch and her words come out with barely yoked patience.

"Lupa…look. I was so close. So close, and without me having to worry about y’all—and without you pulling that dumbass stunt—I could’ve probably gotten him to give in. And I wish you’d just given me the chance to finish it, because now we don’t know where he went, and we have to start all over."

"Giving you that chance would mean you’d be dead for good."

Al groans. "Or he would!"

"Or you both would."

"So what. Because Auris dies for good. I’m one person, Lupa, and there’s nearly six billion more out there."

"Isn’t that worth it?"

"I know my answer. It sounds like a self crucifixion." The bitterness seeps back in, then. "We’ve been with you every step of the way. And now, suddenly, we’re just another one in six billion?"

"No!" And Al snaps now, finally raising her voice, enough for it to crack, "No, you four are everything to me. And I almost saw what it was like to lose you, and I can’t cope with that. I can’t worry about you and Auris at the same time. So I gotta do this alone."

She throws her hands out to the horizon. "Who do you think I’m really doing this for?"

"Bullshit.” Lupa says. “You have at least two other friends. And—and if the world explodes there can’t be anymore Star Trek either."

"Lupa—"

"And you care too much about every stupid person that exists anyways, Doc, you just said so, so don’t pull the best friend discount on us either. I know you. I know who you are. You’d save the world if it was just you and some dipshit you didn’t know from Adam, and you’re the only one of us nice enough to do that. So that’s why we’re going. We want to make sure you’re the one who makes it there."

A long pause, and then, finally, a sigh.

"Lord, you make it so hard to think sometimes. I hate when you do this."

"Do what? Make sense? Care about you? You’re a real fucking nutcase, you know that, right?"

Al stares at Lupa with a gaze so incomprehensible it makes her take a step back. It almost reads as pity, or maybe an apology. The angel leans closer to her, tilts her head.

"You’re bleeding again."

"Aw, shit—" Lupa brings her fingers up to her lips and finds the gash opened and trickling warm. "I thought you patched me up."

"My magic gets weaker the closer I am to him. He drained me a lot." She fishes a band-aid out from her pocket. "Stay still."

Lupa winces when Al’s thumb brushes at her chin, smearing the red away from the wound. "Ouch. Ouch."

"Sorry." Al mutters, absently. Lupa cranes her head back, let’s her eyes roll.

"You know I always hated doctors, right?"

"I know you hate me right now."

The sting of antiseptic—and the comment—hurt more than the wound does.

"Al, I didn’t mean that. And I don’t."

"I don’t understand why you wouldn’t. It’s like I’m taking you all to your graves." Al mumbles. "I wish you could just let me go, Lupa. Let me do this alone.”

She tends to her, but her voice falters to shambles and Lupa can feel her fingers tremble over her jaw. She reaches up to stop her working hand from applying more pressure and stares until Al stares back.

"I’m sorry." And Lupa feels the heat of a stupid confession storm up her throat and temples, steamroll out her mouth before she can stop it. "But if I had to fight him every day for the rest of my life to stop him from hurting you, I would. I would rip into him with my bare hands if I needed to. And if that means I hate you, then I hate you more than anyone else in the whole fucking world right now. I swear it."

And she realizes she’s crying hot and terrible and stupid tears. Al is looking at her like her heart’s been broken into a million pieces. Her thumb still lingers on the corner of her mouth, then, and as if remembering it’s there, she pulls Lupa’s face to hers and kisses her, and for a second every single combative word she very truly planned on saying disappears.

It’s a short kiss—blink, and you miss it, really. Lupa barely lets herself fall into the weight of it, finds the warmth and softness leave her mouth far too soon for her taste. Before she can even close her eyes fully, Al’s leaning back.

"Wait—" Lupa breathes, searches the space between them to find purchase again, but Al’s hand lifts her chin up and tilts it to the side. Lupa doesn’t dignify her with the whine gritting between her teeth. Al’s mouth is smeared now with Lupa’s blood. The gash near the werewolf’s lip is healed—she knows, because Al’s tracing her fingers over it, and it’s smooth. The touch makes her head swim.

"You did not just kiss me to heal a stupid cut."

"Maybe." Al’s eyes flick to hers, and Lupa scowls at the amusement in them.

"Don’t mess with me like that." And she sees a flash of anxiety in the angel’s eyes. "Please, Al. There’s already so much going on as it is."

“Sometimes I wonder how they screwed your head on when you were born.”

"Excuse me?"

"Of course I didn’t kiss you to heal the cut." Al crosses her arms and huffs, "I didn’t…know I could do that." The genuine embarrassment in her expression breaks Lupa down like sugar into coffee, and all the pent-up, angry fear melts into a laugh.

"You’re serious?"

"...Yes."

"Alma, wait,—“ Lupa wheezes, light from the stupid giddy prank of it all. "C’mere. Stop looking like a kicked dog."

Al bows her head and Lupa picks it back up with her hands, and for the first time in a long minute, she smiles wide. “I’m not that mad at you, you know that?”

A moment, and then. "I do. I think."

"Well, I’m not."

Al winces.

"I’m sorry." She says. "I know you don’t hate me. That was a dumb thing to say."

And Lupa realizes suddenly that Al is tired, not only physically, not just from sharp words and tempers, but with an exhaustion in the blood and bones and soul. A burden that makes itself visible only in its weight, and the way it draws cracks of stress into its carriers, in how all the shiny bits that lived in the angel seemed dull, now.

“Don’t worry, it’s not even the dumbest thing you’ve said today today.” She finds herself cajoling now, soft like one is with fragile things. "No, that was when you really thought I wasn’t going to follow you wherever you go."

"I can’t hear you." Al tries to muffle her face into Lupa’s shoulder, but Lupa butts her head to Al’s and holds her gaze.

"Hell or heaven, baby. You can’t get rid of me that easy," she grins, "and you should know better."

For a moment it’s just the sea below then and the throb of the city in the distance and the wind cutting between their faces. Al’s breath rattles, and she lets her eyes close tight. "I’m scared."

"I know."

"Not of Auris."

"No, I know that too."

"Don’t promise me shit, Lupa. Don’t you promise me you’ll be okay. Don’t be stupid. Just stay alive."

"Okay."

"No, don’t promise me."

Lupa laughs, and says, "Yes ma’am."

Al glares at her with a fake annoyance and a very real love and pinpricks of golden tears at the corners of her eyes. She sniffs, and hiccups, in a small voice, "Sorry I kissed you."

The werewolf remembers, and blushes to her ears. "Oh. Right. Well, payback, or whatever. I kissed you last time."

"And it can’t happen again, right?"

"We also said that last time."

"Hm."

"Yeah."

"Maybe if you don’t die."

"I can’t promise you shit, remember?" Al gives her a look, but Lupa continues, merry now. "It’s in God’s hands now, Jinkies."

"I bet you feel real Catholic right about now."

"I think every saint is super jealous of my exact situation."

um the end okay byeeeeee

#its okay to rb this btw if you all pinky promise to be nice to me #oc writing #oc art #um idk what the fuck to tag this #hurt/comfort #???#uh #wlw #writerblr #please dont actually read it writerblr people i have no clue what yall do and i dont want to embarrass myself i just dont know how to tag #this #i will say if i were to animate/script this for tv it would be so much less dialogue #this is to kind of explore all their feelings in this moment #so im not going to mark it as canon so much as just for Fun #nocturnal city #if i know you in real life and you're reading this please respect my privacy and either become my yes man right now or forget you know me

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