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a-slut-for-smut · 2 years ago

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Nanamin deserves better than Mei Mei

Don’t forget how creepy she is towards Ui Ui

Ya know, I really wish people were more willing to think critically about the stories they consume vs taking every at face value. Sure, when you see something questionable in a story, question it, but immediately writing off the story/story element as “problematic” just because you don't like it or triggers you is such a disservice not only to the storyteller but also yourself by stunting your own media literacy skills.

As ive addressed why NanaMei pair well in previous asks, i'll focus more on the controversy revolving around Mei Mei because its something i really want to get off my chest. The more i think about the arguments made against her the more i get these puritanical and anti feminist/non-conformist vibes from them and its really concerning to say the least.

She's Greedy/Selfish

Yes, shes money hungry. She shamelessly honest with what she likes and what she wants; she has a personal code/credo and stanchly follows it and its hard not to respect that energy. She's motivated and grounded in a way that seems out of place in the 'sorcerers must protect humans' fantasy world, but in the real world? Of course we'd look out for our own self-interest/preservation- shes as real and relatable as they come. She's logically driven (vs emotionally) and honestly if she was a man i bet the fandom wouldn't blink an eye (and prob would slobber all over him) but as always God forbid women have a strong sense of self and refuse to conform to the patriarchal ideals of what a woman should be.

THAT panel

A lot of the fandom screaming in*cest & p*edophile for this panel and i'll admit not surprised it raised eyebrows but not really reading this as sexual. Yes theres nudity, but body language makes it pretty obvious if nudity is sexual or not and well, its not- and how the first thing fandom thinks is "omg they f*cked" because shes topless or whatever is very telling. It's not a stretch to think she would be comfortable with nudity and a sense of propriety seems out of character with someone as shameless as her. She probably splurges on 1000 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets with all the money she makes, who wouldnt regularly sleep nude on those?

As for UiUi its inferred he used his CT to escape/save their lives directly before, all the more reason he would be tired. Mei Mei even apologies for waking him, implying his CT exerts him and he should rest for the day. Ui UI’s “oh my how shameless!” is said in surprise, indicating he probably blacked out after his CT and woke up fully clothed in bed with her, NOT that he’s tired from having a wild night banging his sister ��

I wonder about the japanese dialogue and if there is any nuance/context lost from the english translation, but I interpreted her "Do you not like me that way" was in reference to the shamelessness of her personality, essentially asking him "do you not like me the way I am?" and not her nude body because the translation used "that way" vs "this way", the latter being suggestive. And the fact that they shared a bed to sleep didnt seem OOC given their close familial dynamic.

Sibling Relationship

Its established in-universe that they are "calculating", so naturally they work very much in tandem as far as motivations go and re-enforced from what we seen in their battle tactics. Clearly Mei Mei is offense and 99% of the time can handle any issue on her own, but for that 1% she cant? Thats where Ui Ui steps in.

Ui Ui would never be in danger if Mei Mei is around, and fandom seems to ignore this fact when they say Mei Mei manipulates him to self-sacrifice himself (and her crows) for her benefit. If Mei Mei is fighting and her life's at risk, yall think Ui Ui (or the crows for that matter) stand a chance?? Maybe if he could teleport away himself which is what his CT suggests, but who really knows, and more importantly would he even consider abandoning his sister from what we seen?

I see it as a failsafe CT, only to be used in emergencies since it drains him considerably as Malaysia scene suggests- which is why he wholeheartedly waits (and binding vow) for permission from her to use it, not as a form of control or abuse or simply to please her, but to know if/when as accordance to the battle strategy mapped out by her. Shes shown as a tactician/extremely logical when it comes to battle and will use whatever is at her disposal to win if it means self-preservation (even if it means abandoning the battlefield altogether). Her loyalty is to herself above all.

And her asking “are you willing to die for me” is literally asking consent- she is asking, 'this could be the end- will you do what’s necessary for me to win this?' To which he resoundingly concurs, seemingly out of devotion but realistically if she dies where would that leave him? It’s as natural a response as one could be- in nature mothers will fight tooth & nail to protect their offspring, but at the cost of her life? What would be the point??? Offspring wouldn’t be able to survive without her, they’d be good as dead.

As far as their dynamic, there is clear affection from both sides- Mei Mei is more playful while Ui Ui is reverent. Ui Ui adores her, not atypical of a much younger sibling, but especially so given how accomplished Mei Mei is. It's stated that she inherited their weak family cursed technique, but rather than be solely defined by it, she trained herself to the maximum physical limit, THEN mastered her so called "weak" technique into one of the strongest out there (probably why she acknowledges Maki as a promising sorcerer, she sees herself in her).

If that isn't admirable than i dont know what is, and if GOJO of all people respects her, then thats saying something. But while he respects her and acknowledges her strength, does he trust her? Probably not, not like he does with Utahime who is supposedly "weak" in comparison. And i personally like that dynamic- despite not trusting her to "do the right thing" and expecting her to be self-serving, Gojo knows/respects her as a person and fellow sorcerer. Gege gives us layered interpersonal relationships between multi-faceted characters and yet so many are quick to reduce them to a single trope and its a little sad honestly.

In conclusion, yall need to relax on the pearl-clutching and have a little more perspective by all means hate on her if you dont like her but at least hate her accurately lol

#mei mei #jjk mei mei #jjk meta #jjk spoilers #jjk analysis #nanamei #nanami x mei mei #mei mei jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk

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cgarttrailsandtails · 11 months ago

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I have realized something about this show. And I’m gonna say it here with no regrets.

I have disliked Nexus from the beginning of his life.

Here’s why.

We have been able to watch Moon grow from being, let’s be honest, an absolute a-hole to everyone including his own brother and to a point himself into a person who realizes that he’s caused so much damage that he can probably never make up for and show that remorse and regret and that he’s truly changing and trying to make it better. Even though he knows he can’t undo what he’s done, he tries to repent for it and we see him repeatedly beat himself up about how bad a brother he was and not really see that he’s doing way better now. We’ve seen him grow and change and strive to be better. That’s why I like him so much. Because he’s not the kind of person that thinks they can do no wrong and is a b*tch about it. He’s the kind of person that acknowledges that he’s been wrong in the past and he actually does something about it!

And then there’s Nexus. From the very start, Nexus was told to be a better version of Moon. And sure, he started out way better, to a point. But his character didn’t grow, because he had nothing of his own to grow from. I always just saw him as a sh*t version of Moon, a lowly replacement. Because he was. His only purpose was to replace someone that had presumably died. And that f*cked with his character. If you think about it, that’s the real reason he went insane. He is his own person, but he was never made to believe that. He was always told all about Moon and his accomplishments and failures and “oh you have to be better than him” and that’s wrong! He isn’t Moon. He thought he was for a while, but he isn’t. No one can replace a person that has died. Not exactly. He may look a lot like Moon. He may be a version of Moon. But he isn’t Moon. And that’s why his character sucked for me. It’s also why I hope that he can be redeemed in some way. Not to spite the others or anything, but because then we can see growth. Then he isn’t just a static character who has all of one reason to exist. Then he’s finally his own person.

Now, neither of them will ever be perfect. No one is. That’s the great thing about life. Moon is still a sarcastic ass, and criticizes literally everything Nexus has ever done (which I don’t like because putting someone down for not being you? Stupid!!) and Nexus probably won’t ever not be at some level of insanity and probably will have other quirks that make him well, him! But as long as a character can change, I will like them. Because in my opinion, that’s what makes a character unique. Every character has their differences. Strengths, weaknesses, and every other trait is bound to be at least a little different. The ability to change is what makes a character so good. A static character grows boring and repetitive. A dynamic character can make their story much more interesting. And so there you have it. That is why I’ve always liked Moon more than Nexus.

And I hope that can change in the future.

But, it doesn’t matter too much, because it is just a silly YouTube show after all, even if it does get really serious at times. Anyways, thanks for reading, bye bye!

#sams #moon sams #nexus sams #my opinions #you yell at me for it I block you #ta da rant sesh over

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cleverhottubmiracle · 4 months ago

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“I’m probably less moody than people think,” Sophie Thatcher tells me. This is the Sophie Thatcher who plays a hardened teenage castaway-turned-cannibal in Yellowjackets, cable’s gnarliest show. The same Thatcher who played a devout missionary caught in a twisted test of fate in last year’s religious horror Heretic. Who survived a bloody cat-and-mouse game in January’s Companion to become sci-fi’s reigning Final Girl.But that’s the Hollywood version of Thatcher. In real life, she’s nothing like what her IMDb page would suggest. I first met Thatcher over a year ago at an admittedly stuffy fashion dinner, where she was my table’s designated brand-dressed celebrity. Instead of retreating into her phone, as many in that role do, Thatcher treated it like a girls night: We giggled over the comically small vegetarian option, shared pictures of our boyfriends, and compared our respective Elliott Smith tattoos. Much to my surprise, she was downright… bubbly?“Bubbly, yeah — people don’t expect that,” she says. “Obviously, I’m attracted to darker things. It feels cathartic going to dark places, because it feels like a release. It almost feels healthy, because you go let it out in your job and then go home and be a normal human being, hopefully.”When we connect again on Zoom, it’s Valentine’s Day and premiere day for Season 3 of Yellowjackets. A storm had briefly knocked the Wi-Fi out of Thatcher’s Los Angeles apartment, pushing our interview back slightly and, more crucially, allowing Thatcher a few extra hours of sleep after the previous night’s launch party. “That was especially fun last night doing glam [when the power went out],” she says. “Half of my hair was curled, so we had to just pin everything up and do it the old-fashioned way. It actually felt very Victorian. And it felt very Yellowjackets.”Colleen Allen top, Ophelia Eve jewelry Yellowjackets was a surprise pandemic hit, a dual-timeline story about a high school girls soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness and their grown-up selves still dealing with the dark secrets of their survival. Thatcher’s Natalie, portrayed as an adult by Juliette Lewis, comes with all the hallmarks of a, well, Juliette Lewis type: wary, smart-mouthed, and brash. And now, nearly six years after booking the role, Thatcher has finally settled into it.“I definitely felt less pressure, but going into Season 2 was pretty brutal,” she says. “I think everyone was just stressed out, because it was getting such good reviews. People really loved it. Recreating that magic in a naturalistic way is almost impossible.”“Doing comedy is the most vulnerable, scary thing, because if you don’t pull it off, then you’re f*cked.”Even the long break between the second and third seasons — a result of the 2023 screenwriters and actors strikes — couldn’t disrupt the cast’s dynamic. “Anytime we all come together, it is an innate feeling of us being a family,” Thatcher says. “I know every ensemble TV show is like ‘We’re a family’ for press reasons, but I do actually strongly believe that.”She was just 19 when she filmed the pilot — the youngest of her costars. “It felt very teenage the first season, where it was just all of us hanging out, getting drunk in the hotel rooms,” she continues. “I give credit to Ella Purnell. She was the ringleader, like her character, in that sense; she brought people together. We would all go to Steven Krueger’s house and just drink a lot of White Claw. I do miss that part. Now we’re three seasons in. It is a job, but I love everybody so dearly, and when you see them, it feels like no time has passed.”McQueen clothing, Ophelia Eve earringsShe’s now eager to establish an identity outside of the show. “I don’t want to just be known for Yellowjackets,” she says. After Heretic and Companion — along with a starring role in 2023’s The Boogeyman and a small part in last year’s MaXXXine — movie fans are hailing her as Hollywood’s new Scream Queen. Thatcher has mixed feelings about it. “It’s a great, iconic title, but I just hate being put in a box,” she says. “I know that people are catching on to me being bothered [by it].”“This is so corny, but I went to an Animal Collective show when I was 16, and I was like, ‘Whoa, music can sound like this?’”The way she sees it, these are all very different movies. “Heretic is about theology, and Companion is actually very human. It’s not just jump scares.” Plus, genre has never been a huge factor in how she picks roles anyway. “I just want to work with directors that I admire, and I want to get as weird as humanly possible in movies, challenge myself, and learn new things about myself that I didn’t think I could do,” she continues. “With Companion, I went in thinking I wasn’t going to be able to do it, and I did it, so I just want to keep chasing that feeling.”Thatcher tells me she’d like to give comedy a try — she loves the “artistic but absurdist” work of Tim Robinson and Nathan Fielder. “Doing comedy is the most vulnerable, scary thing, because there’s always the fear: There’s so much on the line, and if you don’t pull it off, then you’re f*cked,” she says. But choosing a direction feels high stakes: “I’m in a kind of fragile place in my career right now, where I want to be really picky.”Thankfully, she has another creative outlet: music. “I know exactly what I want with music, whereas with acting, I’m still figuring it out and I still don’t have a full say yet,” Thatcher says. Last year, she released Pivot & Scrape, her debut EP of atmospheric alt-rock. (Though there was her teenage Soundcloud era, featuring Radiohead covers and “a picture of me in my bedroom, trying to look like Effy from Skins,” she says. “You might still be able to [find] it.”) Thatcher draws a lot of inspiration from the late-aughts blogosphere. “This is so corny, but I went to an Animal Collective show when I was 16, and I was like, ‘Whoa, music can sound like this?’” she says. “It gave me a new perspective on music. They were the first band to get me into [making] music, because it felt there were no bounds.”“I want to get as weird as humanly possible in movies.”In typical Thatcher fashion, she has some misgivings about how people may perceive this side of her career. “I’m so wary of being [seen as] a singer-songwriter, because that’s not what I am. It’s more of just f*ckery,” she says. “I’ve been asked to do some acoustic sets, and I’m always like, ‘Oh f*ck.’” Like Animal Collective, her other big influences are mostly male artists — Radiohead, Smith, the New Wave bands her mom would play around the house — and she wonders if the comparisons she gets to other women artists, however flattering, have little to do with her songwriting. “Of course, even as an actor, you’re getting constant comparisons, especially as a woman, where it’s like, ‘You look like her,’” she says. “[The EP] was super low-key, and I liked it being that way, because I think if it tries to be something it’s not, or if I try too hard, I’m going to lose the love for it.”Shortly after we speak, she’ll fly to Asheville, North Carolina, to start working on a new record. The songs she’s written so far are a little more electronic than what was on Pivot & Scrape. “I want to write pop music, but I don’t know how,” she says, shrugging. “My taste keeps changing.”Top image credits: Prada clothing and belt, Giuseppe Zanotti shoesPhotographs by Chloe HorsemanStyling by Stephanie SanchezHair: Peter ButlerMakeup: Carolina DaliProduction: Kiara Brown, Danielle SmitAssociate Director, Photo & Bookings: Jackie LadnerTalent Bookings: Special ProjectsVideo: Devin O’NeillEditor in Chief: Lauren McCarthySVP Creative: Karen HibbertShot at Blonde + Co Source link

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norajworld · 4 months ago

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chilimili212 · 4 months ago

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chatxkilluaxnoir · 2 years ago

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"damn i feel like i have to clear my name bc people keep misunderstanding what i said"

I wasn't misunderstanding what you said. U were basically trying to say (in ur other reblog) that the Zoldycks were normal in the HxH world, when they aren't.

"what i meant ab hxh is that like. the zoldycks are crazy. but in the hxh world there are a lot of fucked up people. not that zoldyck family dynamic is normal but comparatively i didn’t find them to be the most intense or brutal characters in the series."

They are still one of the most f#cked up and messed up groups in HxH. They just have standards, because they are pro assassins, and non amateur mass murderers (referencing a line that Killua said when talking about himself and/or his family, and Jonas (might have spelled his name wrong) the Dissector. U know, the guy that Killua ripped their heart out). They are very insane, terrifying family; the bring fear to others. But a lot of people also respect them. Or both. I do agree that they are a lot of messed up people in the HxH world. But the Zoldycks are still amongst the top of messed up people in HxH, and aren't the norm.

"also the morally acceptable to beat kids i was referring mostly to the heavenly arena or whatever its called."

Heavens Arena. And that was a place for bloodsports, basically. I wouldn't really call it that normal of a place. Esp. since u actually need Nen to survive on the top floors. I wouldn't say it was morally acceptable either. Some people just like money, and to see people getting beat up.

"when i said its occasionally even fun i meant like. hisoka. i acknowledge he is not the standard for normality but honestly there are many strange hxh characters"

Hisoka isn’t good example, because he is Hisoka. And yes, there are many strange HxH characters. But there are normal, more normal ones too. And that doesn't mean what certain people or groups do aren't messed up. Like, the Zoldycks and the PT are both still very messed up groups, even in their world.

"would like to add: yes there are normal people living normal lives in the hxh world. is the story about them? not even close"

Yes, exactly, we are focusing on the outliers, the elites. That doesn't mean they are the norm, like u were trying to make them/the HxH out to be. Also, even then, most of the people of Whale World are pretty normal. There are some normal and/or more normal Hunters, like some of the ones in GI. Etc.

"as for assclass. i’m not gonna say everyones well adjusted but i am gonna say no one is as intense or as intimidating as gakuhou throughout the series besides like. the evil scientist guy."

Personal opinion. But yes, the Asanos can be intimidating.

"who died rly quickly anyways so. anyways to me the asanos are outliers in assclass for uhh. dysfunction and also general fuckery"

People like Nagisa's mother still exist. Their the teacher that who was awful to the AssClassroom Class E cast, and wanted to kill Nagisa basically. Kore Sensei was legit a former assassin who destroyed half the moon (Edit: Correction, he didn't actually destroy half the moon. We found out humans actually did. I must have not remembered that part). Their is a AI assassin girl. There is a boy and girl with similar powers to Koroesensi. One sent as an assassin, and one who wanted revenge. There is the poison girl. Etc. Like, there are plenty of weird characters in AssClassroom too. And it is weird, how u are trying to make seem like their isn't, to make out the Asanos to be the outlier. It wouldn't bug me so much, if u weren't also, trying to make out the Zoldycks to be normal or whatever in their verse (which they aren't), because HxH, also has strange characters.

FINAL FIGHT

The Asanos (Assassination Classroom) VS the Zoldycks (Hunter X Hunter)

The Asanos

Members: Gakuhou Asano (father) and Gakushuu Asano (son)

Propaganda:

CW: physical abuse

"Crazy dad whose misguided goal is just to make his son strong (but whose definition of real strength leaves much to be desired), and son who does see the error in his dad's ways but is brainwashed enough to imagine that his "filial duty" under the circumstances is to "take control". No one knows for sure if a mom exists, but she clearly doesn't want to have much to do with these lunatics." "The dad doesn't even consider his son family, just a "student" as he is a principal. Utterly unhumane conditions is where he trains his son in. And worst of all, they compete on who will control the other, leash included. The first time the son even considers calling him father is when he literally abuses him physically."

The Zoldycks

Members: Zeno, Silva, Kikyo, Illumi, Milluki, Killua, Alluka, Kalluto

Propaganda:

CW: murder, torture, isolation

"What ISN'T dysfunctional about them? A family of assassins, they train all their children to be killers, including with literal torture. Killua is the one of the family who's a main character, the heir of the family, and he eventually runs away due to the dysfunctionality. All the kids are isolated, told they don't deserve friendship, and they all have different opinions on family matters but it affects them all! Illumi wants to control Killua to as extreme a degree as he possibly can, and even though Silva lets Killua leave, he fully expects him to return home and join the family business again, and both him and Zeno knew about Illumi's extreme methods of control." Note: edited for length, full submission here

#dysfunctional-family-fight #gelatinous-jellyfish #seriously; i know some of u guys really want the asanos to win.#i also really want the zoldycks to win.#but some of the arguments have just been kind of weird and stuff.#hxh #hunter x hunter

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willel · 2 years ago

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I feel like the series centered Joyce's character around Hopper way too much in these last two seasons, and I've seen other fans also complaining about it. And honestly, I have to say that I tend to agree. Hopper's got himself a whole Russia prison arc, and while Joyce helped him, she was mostly just there to help Hopper's arc take place. I just feel like her character (and Winona's acting) is being wasted. And it honestly is a shame because Winona/Joyce is truly the reason why the serie got so popular in the first place, in S1-S2 her character focus was really great and I wish they did not change it in favor of Hopper's storyline.

It's a complicated problem. I don't think Hopper himself is the problem. Like, we did need a little more substance to him, especially after the mess of season 3. Yes, I'm someone who disliked the season 3 plot with him, it felt like a huge waste of time. (the entirety of season 3 did)

I think the bigger issue is while Joyce and Hopper's time was quite balanced in season 1 and 2, season 3 just completely tipped the scales in Hopper's direction. We started getting less and less of what Joyce was thinking and doing outside of Hopper's shenanigans.

But Joyce is not the only character who suffers from this. Jonathan arguably had it even worse. As each season progressed, more and more of his character was glazed over in favor of Nancy. This is not a knock against Nancy obviously, but you can see how the writers just... can't balance these relationships for some reason.

I'd argue Will also suffers from this. The boy has a lot going on but for two seasons now, it's being boiled down to his conflict with Mike. It's a great way to show how isolated and distant he's become but at the same time, he's got SO much more going on why does it always boil down to their romantic interests?

Mike has this two fold. I've written posts about it before but I have no idea what the hell the writers are doing with his character. I've read a few analysis on what the Duffers are doing with his writing, but it always boils down to, "This is because of El. This is because of Will." I just don't get it.

I know they aren't perfect, but I honestly feel like so far, Lucas and Max has made it out the most unscathed from the writers subpar balancing of character dynamics. They both have their own bad shit going on that culminated into something epic and beautiful. Arguably Lucas still gets a little lost in Max's story line, but I mean... I get WHY. Lucas wasn't about to be mangled beyond recognition with his soul sucked out so I get it.

All that said, I have .01% confidence the writers will fix this for season 5. It could happen. But I'm not getting my hopes up. This issue in the writing runs very deep and affects multiple characters and dynamics. I've been craving Byers platonic content for years, whether it's Joyce focused, Jonathan focused, Will focused, or El focused and my hopes have been dashed time and time again.

I got crumbs in season 4 and that's all I've had to tide me over for a long time. I'm just... so ready for everyone to look at the Byers and be like "Oh shit you guys are f*cked up huh? Lemmie help you." and give them some much needed attention.

I also understand I am completely and utterly biased so nothing I've said is an objective fact. I mean, other than how lopsided the writing has been, that is pretty objective.

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abysscronica · 3 years ago

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Do you think One Piece is a political anime?

I guess it depends what you mean by "political"?

I've always thought there's a curious duality in OP: it definitely portrays a lot of politics, showing many different facets and crafting complex political and social dynamics among various states/ethnicities/races. AND YET it all happens around a main character that just wanna do his own thing and couldn't care less about labelling himself part of any group. Quite the opposite in fact, he wants to be the most free a person can be. His dream is to be a King that rules over nothing and answers to no one. I think it's very poetic.

Granted there's a part of Luffy's dream we don't know yet and Oda chose to keep a secret, so it's possible that may change this image a little bit. For example, if since he was a child Luffy uttered to Ace and Sabo something like "I want to tear down all the barriers of this world", or something to that effect, that would already give him a sort of ideology.

At least this is how I always perceived One Piece, keep in mind politics is not really my forte, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure you can find analyses around from people much more versed than me on the matter.

In the story itself, there's a recurring theme of revolution against a totalitarian power (the Revolutionary Army vs. World Government), and you can draw many parallelisms between situations in OP and the real world. The fascinating thing is that Oda presents this struggle from so many points of view! Even though most of the time it's pretty clear which one is the wrong side, the story as a whole doesn't buy into a simplistic vision of "all the good guys vs. all the bad guys".

Let's take Alabasta for example. When we dock there, it's a kingdom torn apart by a mounting revolution against the current monarchy. And yet in this case Oda doesn't really pick a side between the two, does he? Or better, he leaves the choice to the reader. He draws the struggles of the desperate population turned rebels, the passionate strong princess that tries to avoid the war, a king that (in his weakness) loves his people, the old man that stays behind and chooses to have faith. Sure, Oda gives us an actual bad guy, a culprit to blame, the mastermind that orchestrated the misunderstandings behind the crisis. But I don't think this takes away from the depth of the political overview we're met with in the Alabasta arc (on the contrary, it adds layers, as we're certainly not exempt from manipulation behind the scenes in our world).

And then, AND THEN! Oda goes on and offers Crocodile redemption?! Or, once again, putting it into better words: he leaves you free to choose. He goes like: hey, here's Crocodile again, kind of an interesting guy, I've got a lot of lore on him, maybe he's not all bad, in fact he's going to help Luffy now for a bit, oh but he still has his ambitious goals and schemes of course. What will you do? Do you like him now, despite what he did to Vivi and her people? Does this mean that you forgive him?

Oda does that a lot with former villains, in general. Hachi, Bellamy, Bon Clay, Buggy, Caesar Clown (?), etc... they all did horrible things to people. Katakuri killed his servants in cold blood as they begged for their life, just because they saw him eating, and he's one of the most beloved characters ever.

It seems that I'm straying from the topic, but here I circle back: Oda goes as far as offering a possibility for redemption to the most f*cked up character ever, a Celestial Dragon. I'm talking about Mjosgard, of course.

And Mjosgard only has a chance because of Queen Otohime. Through Otohime, Oda shows us a different ideology, a different path to change a broken society (incrementalism maybe?).

Does it work? Was it worth it? Does Mjosgard even deserve it? Will it serve to anything?

Again, you're free to choose your answer. And if that answer is no, then what about Hody Jones killing Otohime? Does the mean justify the ends?

I won't delve into Fishmen Island here because there is waaay too much to unpack, one could write a doctoral dissertation on all the layers, the different personalities, the background, how the past of individuals and societies shapes futures and ideologies. SO many aspects!

Also, also, the possibility for redemption that was given to Mjosgard was given to Orochi too, through Oden, with diametrically opposite results. Why? Was it the trauma? Did Orochi's past break him beyond redemption?

It's horribly sad if you think about it. This would suggest that it's the environment that shapes you. Mjosgard had a chance because he was privileged since birth, whereas Orochi had to live through extreme trauma in his childhood, so he had no chance.

But then Oda goes ahead and flips the cards again! Is it really just the environment? Does the individual account for nothing? Look at Doflamingo and Corazon then. Born nobles all the same, endured trauma all the same, turned out completely different. They were completely different since birth, Corazon even says Doflamingo was born evil (and yet he may be capable of love as it's suggested he truly cares about the closest members of his adopted family).

On another note, what about the Marines? They're the dogs of the WG, the antagonists of the story, many of them are depicted as horrible. But do you hate them all? Koby, Smoker, Tsuru, Garp? Can you hate the category and spare the individuals? Do you condemn all of their ideals?

I could go on and on, there's SO much more to this story. I didn't even mention slavery and human trafficking, another theme very much present in OP. I barely hinted at the fact that racism is also treated. But this post is already long so I'll stop for now.

I am really not suggesting any answer to the questions above here, you pick your own. After all, Luffy overthrows kings and protects princesses. He beats bullies up and then he forgives them. If Oda lets you free to choose, who am I to sway you?

#one piece #eichiro oda #one piece meta

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hamliet · 3 years ago

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Hi! What are your top 5 qaf characters and why?

Ahhhh so hard to narrow it down!!

Um. Well. I'm going to cheat a tiny bit because there are some ties. :P

5) Ben Bruckner

Is he the deepest character on the show? Not exactly. But I loved his character--how he deals with having HIV, how he's such an idealist who stumbles in practicality. That latter part is fairly relatable to me lol. He seems highly confident, but he's insecure about his health, his writing, and more. Yet he also knows that he deserves to be loved and appreciated as he is, flaws and all, and never wavers from this. This belief in turn makes him the perfect match for Michael, a character who waffles between fantasy and reality.

Ben loves Michael for who he is and understands Brian and Michael's sometimes unhealthy bond precisely because of his ideals: everyone should be loved as they are (a major theme of QaF as a whole). He just doesn't really apply that to himself, which is very, well, human. This results in him messing around with steroids, pushing people away at times, clinging at others, and in the end accepting vulnerability and failure as part of being human.

5) Debbie Novotny

I love Debbie. She's kind of the group's wise and loving mom, the voice of conscience and reason and kindness. She's a good person, and the show really dug into that and explored this aspect of her character to a rewarding degree. See, Debbie being so convinced she needs to be a good person is precisely where she's most flawed and thereby what makes her so interesting. Is she a good sister to Vic and mom to not just Michael, but Brian, Emmett, Justin, Ted, etc.? Yes. But she's also super flawed and unable to see past herself sometimes, and that's why she's great.

Debbie defines herself by her relationships with others and is determined to stick up for her loved ones. Unfortunately, that means she sometimes doesn't realize that--while she often does know best, often isn't always, and she has to let go and allow characters like Michael and Vic to live their own lives. It's easier for her to let go with the other boys, but not so much with Michael or Vic, because they're clearly the closest to her.

Debbie concocts this elaborate fantasy father for Michael because she needs to be a good person who married a hero rather than a scared teen who fooled around with a drag queen who wasn't sure of his own identity . But the thing is, she's a good person as she is, despite growing she still has to do. Her choosing to raise Michael with love and acceptance, to stand by Vic and nurse him through the worst of his illness--she's heroic for those things.

I love that the narrative calls Debbie on her "good person" complex. Firstly, she almost lets it interfere with her finding love with Horvath, when the point is that she has to help Horvath grow--and thereby accept that she herself needs to grow. Secondly, of course, when Vic moves out and she has a terrible fight with him, and he dies before they can reconcile.

4) Hunter Novotny-Bruckner

Hunter's iconic, from the classic "YOU F*CKED A MURDERER?" “What’s the big deal, I used a condom” scene to his comments about ending up in jail for opening Ben's letter. He's also a terrified teenager who's been through far more than he should have had to. His journey--how he pushes buttons with Michael and Ben precisely because he fully expects them to give up on him and wants to see how far he can push them and still be welcome--is so very true to trauma, especially in young kids.

Hunter's also very self-aware in ways Michael and Ben really aren't, which makes him a good fit into the family dynamic.

2-3) Michael Novotny

I wrote a whole meta on Michael so there's not a lot to say that I haven't said there, but I will reiterate that Michael gets an unfairly bad rap from the fandom. Like I've barely been in it and seen a lot of negative takes on him that I think do a real disservice to the story as a whole. Michael is a jerk sometimes, sure, and whiny, but he's an integral part of the story and part of the reason Justin and Brian work so well together (as opposed to the hindrance I've seen a lot of takes posit him to be).

2-3) Justin Taylor

Yeah, he and Michael tie and it varies by day, but for today, Justin's got the edge. I love his arc and his flaws. I do wish more had been done with certain plot lines (like the Pink Posse one, which falls into a category of 'makes sense and could work but doesn't develop organically and isn't fully explored').

Justin's a great character because he's not just a representation of sunshine or innocence like he could have been--what honestly most writers would have written the new young initiate to be. He's young, but he also has all the flaws of youth too. He's thereby a great foil for Brian and Michael in that he doesn't actually treat people much better than either of them do.

The show never glorifies Justin's immaturity, but neither does it patronize him. His wants and goals are taken just as seriously as the older characters, and his choice to love Brian forms the crux of what the show says love is. He's treated like a human being first before being a teenager/inner child, all while his teenager-ness is never denied (99.99% of teenage characters do NOT act like any teenagers I know; Justin absolutely does).

1) Brian Kinney

Is it really surprising to anyone? He's the show's central character and one of my favorite archetypes: the Byronic hero. Mad, bad, dangerous to know, but with the additional element of a heart of gold under all those layers.

What I love about him as a character is how contradictory and human he is. He's really a wounded child who is a hedonist to avoid going after what he wants (love, justification to be alive). The crux of his issues come down to how his father told him that he wished Brian was never born and tried to coerce his mother into having an abortion. Imo, there's a part of Brian that genuinely fears/even at times believes that he should never have existed (hence his constant wrestling with the idea of growing old/dying and yet weird attraction to dying young/quasi ideation like jumping on the edge of a roof in episode 1). Brian's determined to make his existence known as part of an attempt to prove he does deserve to live because he desperately wants to.

Seeing him come to accept love--not just accept being loved and admitting he loved, but knowing that time (always his biggest fear) wouldn't change it--that was a beautiful arc. He's really well written.

Also, shout outs to: Ted, Blake, Emmett, Melanie, and Lindsay. Ted I think is in the top group for well-written characters especially, and Melanie just won a special place in my heart after she screamed “I don’t CARE what men think about their dicks!” In episode 3. Mood Mel mood.

#ask hamliet #qaf #queer as folk #ben bruckner #michael novotny #brian kinney #justin taylor #britin #michael x ben #hunter novotny-bruckner #hunter montgomery #debbie novotny #vic grassi

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ectora · 4 years ago

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REVIEW 313

took me some time to actually get into that review lmao But i really loved the episode. I know some people will probably have complains about it, but as someone who absolutely loves Abigael, I really liked it. And honestly the fact that abigael was finally included in the main story is not even the reason why. I loved the pacing, it actually felt like Charmed. The stakes, the construction, the format, it was all on point. It was genuinely their best episode alongside 307 (two episodes related to the tomb lmao) and one of their best in the show imo.

I've put it in "hidden" cause it ended up being so long I did not expect that im sorry 😭

SCREEN TIME

Maggie: 29m20s

Macy: 27m36s

Mel: 25m39s

Abigael: 20m17s

Jordan: 10m32s

Harry: 47s

Not gonna lie, I did not miss Harry this episode. Maybe it's just cause I don't like the way they have been writing both him and Macy this season, way too focused on the relationship, but his story does not really interest me. And I enjoy watching Macy interact with other characters a lot more. I think we could have had a little bit more of Jordan as well.

What I liked

where do i even start. I genuinely enjoyed so many things in this episode.

As said earlier, I really enjoyed the structure of the episode, to me it finally really felt like charmed. The way the episode was done was beautiful and I LOVED the trial in a general manner. They're terrible lawyers, but still loved it lmao

Ok hear me out, the fact they had abigael and macy say what the fan had been saying but reversing the roles was actually sent me lmao

I really enjoyed that they balanced the rights and wrongs of abigael. I'm part of the people who think that overall, most of what she did was not that deep tbh, but the episode allowed to have nuances and hold her accountable for things she did while also recognising that she did good things.

Abigael finally interacting with the sisters. To me, that's the sign of good characters tbh, how they can interact with different other leads/mains and such relationships being interesting. Abimel, i'll talk about it a bit later cause i have lots to say. But AbiMacy ? I absolutely always love their scenes, one of the reasons being that I genuinely think they're the two best actresses in the show and you can really feel it when they're on screen. They have easy chemistry and whatever they are doing, they just work. They also had one of the best potential of the show in terms of dynamic and I will never forgive the writers for ruining this, especially because it's in part because of a man. Anyway, their scenes were amazing to watch and I need more. I was especially happy because let's be honest, if Macy has valid reasons to dislike Abigael, they often miss-portrayed that in the show and it often came across as being mostly based on the whole love triangle between Macy Abi and Harry. But this time it really was not and Macy was quite fair, even reaching the conclusion Abi doesn't belong in there - she does not- and I liked that they actually were fair on Macy's dislike and distrust. Then there was AbiMaggie. Honestly, it's not a relationship i expected to enjoy that much but oh god i love them. I loved them in episode 207 and I still do. They just have such a funny dynamic, I can't even explain it correctly but it just work. They're throwing remarks at each other sure but it's almost in a sweet funny way. Abigael calling Maggie 'Legally Brunette" was so funny and cute at the same time.

Talking about Maggie, I really liked her this episode. I love how she reacts in situations where they need a cold head. She takes the lead, she does what needs to be done and she reaches the goal. I really enjoy seeing her taking that role a little bit more. Especially because to me Maggie was always the one with the most nuanced view on the world which I really appreciate. I loved her speech at the end and she grew so much since season 1, she's really so great. The more we advance in the show, the more she shines.

I really liked what happened at the end with the sisters recognising that they are themselves not perfect and are even chaotic. I have a point about being chaotic for later but anyway. Yes the sisters are not perfect. Honestly, they have done questionable things in the past themselves and often are the cataclysm of new things happening. I think it just makes them more interesting and better characters. Black and white can only get so long. Nuanced, imperfect, that's where the complexity lies and what is more interesting imo.

The perfecti really are good characters. I mean their logic was completely f*cked, but they are so entertaining to watch, it's actually great. I like also that they continued that idea that logic without emotion is dangerous. But in some ways tbh, the Perfecti are not even logical. They want to think they are, but their own logic is flawed and like Macy said, completely lacks context.

Finally the power of three and FINALLY, the plot goes forward. Maybe that's another reason I really enjoyed the episode, the fact that it actually had a good flow, it felt like one constructed episode and it actually advanced the story which cannot be said about a lot of the episodes. So I'm happy that happened.

And finally Abimel. I mean, no one can be surprised Abigael has feelings for Mel tbh, girl has not been subtle about it lmao But that declaration was actually cute and their scene at the bar ?? paralleling the one in season 2, it was so sweet. I just love them tbh, and I really think they could have been the ship a lot of us were waiting for in the sapphic community especially.

Abigael's past. Like I loved learning more about her past and her mom. Obviously her traumatic past does not exempt her from her own actions but I do believe it give strong grounds for redemption. it also gives us a lot of insights in her character. Her mom was an absolute monster and what she did to her was terrible. There is no surprise in Abigael's absolute lack of self worth and her unhealthy coping mechanism. Like her mom basically spent her life telling her she was deficient and then punished her for something she had no control on whatsoever. She punished Abigael for her own action and her own liaison with a demon. She probably projected her anger about that relationship on the child that came out of it and it's absolutely horrifying. Like no wonder Abigael is not fond of witches and went into the demon side tbh. Like that's not surprising at all. It also explains why she was so against the idea of witch = good that the sisters keep perpetuating because that's simply not what she experienced. Again, it does not excuse everything she did but I do believe it helps understand the character better and that ultimately, it gives space for a redemption. And again, kuddo to both poppy and the actress who played her mom. First that was great casting and it was really well played.

Remarks

To be honest, I don't really have things I genuinely disliked so I'm more gonna do like a section where i could criticise some of the aspect which to me did not necessarily made sense but were often still funny, and who knows maybe done on purpose. It's gonna be a mix of a little bit of everything.

One of the first thing I was kinda confused on was their use of the term chaos. Because, well, chaos doesn't equate evil. But that's the angle they started taking at the beginning which to me was confusing. It didn't make the episode bad, but the more I think about it, the more I'm like the defence they were going with had nothing to do with the charges 😭 Like, the sisters tried to prove that basically Abigael was a good person. But the charges were that she was chaotic. and by the end of the episode we did reach that kind of point where they said everyone was chaotic and everything - which i liked - but also didn't really match the angle they took the entire episode. Because, I personally never saw Abi as evil. But she is 100% chaotic like that girl is the definition of chaotic and I love her for it. But her doing good or bad is not necessarily what makes her chaotic. Good deeds can be as chaotic as bad ones. For example, Abi binding her own power could be considered as good by some people (it's not really but you see what I mean) but by doing so, she would lose the title of overlord and therefore end the treaty. In that case the war would start and that would definitely be chaotic. If she was to stay overlord however, and control the demon world, which can be seen as bad i guess, she is keeping the war from happening and stopping attacks toward witches and innocents, which is the contrary of chaotic. So yeah, the angle they took did not actually make that much sense cause the two are not the same.

Not gonna lie, bringing Godrik up was so weird to me cause like he tried to kill her first and they all know it, yet she was the one said to try to murder him and I was like ? did we all forgot what happened ? 😭

Some of the things brought by the perfecti - such as her killing those humans or demons - seemed weird because like, the sisters did the same in the past 😭 But also that's part of the whole lack of context aspect I guess.

No they really used Francesca as a witness out of all the people in the world like the woman is a whole child abuser who asked help to the elders, which have been established as like, not good people lmao I know it was part of the whole the perfecti are very selective on the information they actually take into account and they use the information as well as twist them to fir their own narrative but still it came across as weird because that woman was the definition of evil. But that's also what ticked the sisters so well.

Why did they not call Harry to testify was also kinda like ... weird. I mean at the same time I can't really complain but still, it was a bit odd. Also the fact they never thought about showing what was abigael actually doing with Jordan lmao I mean it wouldn't go along with the plot but still.

Ok, that take is subject to controversy and I know it but anyway : to me, Abi stealing Macy's power was ... not that deep. Don't get me wrong, the story was bad. The execution was even worse. In the show itself tho, objectively, as an act, it was not that bad. It actually made a lot of sense for Abigael to take it for herself. Macy wanted to get rid of her demon powers, no one was forcing her. And Abigael actually asked her multiples times if she was sure. Macy definitely had her reasons to do so. But at the end of the day, Abi picking them up when they were gonna disappear in thin air is really not that bad. It's logical. Don't get me wrong I'm glad Macy is getting them back, but I also think there has been a lot of mix up between the actual act of stealing the powers and the way it was done/optics ( I still don't understand how anyone wrote that scene and was like, yeah kneeling is a good idea ??? Like what's wrong with you 😭). But like ultimately, the act itself is not bad. questionable ? sure. Evil ? really not. Like let's be honest here. Abigael never hid who she was (past ep3 obviously). She did not pretend to be an angel, nor that she was a good samaritan. At the end of day, the sisters knew who she was and how she worked. They came to her knowing this. At some point, there is a need to acknowledge that, she was no angel, but they knew that and still went to her. She said it herself, she is used to fight for herself, and she'll sting to protect herself first - which i personally don't really hold again a character. If you go in bed with a scorpion, you can't ignore the fact there is a chance you're gonna get stung. Plus, when Abigael "stung" she also actually still gave them what they wanted/needed. I personally never saw self interest negating a good action. I don't really care if she gets something out of helping. Like at the end of the day, why wouldn't she take them ? In some ways however I do understand why Macy would be mad, she asked for help and she didn't realise Abigael stole them and she doesn't like abigael in the first place so why would she be ok with Abi taking them. That's valid too. But objectively, it was more a she was offended and mad that Abi herself had them more than a it's a terrible thing to do kinda feeling. So like it's a bit of a weird situation because Macy being annoyed and mad is valid but at the same time, it's really not that bad in itself. But overall that story should have never existed in the first place. And certainly not happen like this.

Abimel. I loved it but I also have issues with it. Mostly based on the fact we learned Poppy was leaving the show. And not gonna lie, I cant stop myself from feeling like it was almost a bit .. baity if I dare say. They had basically admitting having feelings for Mel and low key hoping it could lead somewhere when honestly, if she's leaving, they did not need to make it romantic. Because honestly, watching this episode not knowing she would leave ? You'd definitely could think it's happening, especially with all the other hints in the past. They could have made it like more about how Mel was the one giving her a real benefit of the doubt and they had a connexion and she wanted to be worthy of that. It would not be romantic. Especially cause she admitted caring about all sisters so it would have worked. Again, don't get me wrong, I want the most Abimel i can get lmao but also it feels a little weird. It's complicated. 😭

Jordan is definitely coming back, I just wonder what are going to be the circumstances. I completely understand why my boy needed a break. Like their time in the tomb was long. We don't exactly know how time works there but remember, in episode 7 when the sisters were stuck, the normal time was like what ? hours ? while in the tomb it was days for Maggie. So there it was days in normal time so in the tomb ? could potentially feel like weeks, months even. So yeah, give him a break and some time to breath. I know they're dragging this whole Joggie thing but because of Covid i also understand and will let it go. I really like them tho.

Abi has some alcohol problems I feel like should maybe be talked about. Like she uses it as an escape, as a way to numb her feelings. There is a reason it was used to symbolise her submitting herself to the tomb. And her first reaction after leaving the tomb was drinking. When she feels unhinged or vulnerable ? She drinks ? When she lost the title of overlord ? She drank. Alcohol is her escape which is a bit worrying.

Not about the episode but I think it needs to be brought up. I've seen people trying to say they brought up the abuse storyline for abigael out of nowhere and like. Listen I completely understand not trying to give more thoughts to a character you dislike, that's fair enough. But saying that storyline is out of nowhere is just a lie. The only new elements we had here were the details of the abuse she went through. They showed the clip again in the episode, where Abigael talks to Mel about her mom. She rejected her, she made her felt, deficient, wrong. All that is emotional abuse. She said her mom tried to fix her which can easily be thought about physical abuse. Like none of these things were new. To be honest, not a single thing they clarified/established for abigael this episode does not follow up with what was in the show in the past. Her feelings for Mel were honestly rather obvious at this point. Her not wanting TCO to get hurt ? There is literally a scene where Godrik tells her it's her head or the sisters and she never really even thought about throwing the sisters under the bus. She even asked who knew and it's easy to think it's because if no one knew she could put it under the rug. Again, it's fair enough for people to dislike her to not try to put more thoughts into her motivations or scenes in a general manner, but then you can't really say things are out of the blue.

And most importantly, I'm sorry, I don't care if you dislike the character, but if you dismiss the abuse just because of the dislike, that's a problem. What a character goes through in her past does not, in any way, have to change your opinion about them. Whatsoever. However when it comes to issues like child abuse, the bare minimum would be to be respectful of the subject and not say "she deserved it", "should have done more" or just say you don't care cause that changes nothing. Again, it doesn't have to change anyone's opinion at all and it does not excuse behaviours, but man, minimal respect is not that hard.

Highlights

This episode genuinely had such funny moments, i loved it.

« Is this a hard time to admit I failed debate in high school ? » and « could the defendant keep her commentary to herself » competing with each other for the funniest part of the episode. The delivery was perfect on both part. And Abi and Macy interactions are always so good and them bantering more or less seriously all the time is sending me. Macy was just so annoyed with her, i loved it.

« Need something legally brunettes » I said it already but I loved that little scene between AbiMaggie and that line particularly.

Abigael went from saying "I could care less about any of you" to "because I deeply care about her" followed by a whole ass declaration AND admitting she does actually care about all of them. My girl got absolutely played and it was genuinely so funny. Like Abigael was so freaking smug about testifying against herself and she got played so hard, she was SO annoyed it was actually hilarious.

"Every battle I fought, I fought alone" like excuse me while I'll go cry in a corner. Again, Poppy has been absolutely killing her role this season.

"Your arguments are illogical" the perfecti have such audacity like girl have you heard yourself ? 😭 no one is being less logical than you right now.

Lmao when Macy said Abigael belonged into the tomb, Mel was not agreeing 😭 And Maggie was having none of the drama either she just wanted out.

The sisters realising they had to be Abi's character witnesses lmao it was hilarious pleas idc.

Theories

With Poppy Drayton leaving, there are two theories I kinda have. Obviously Abigael is either gonna die or leave. Ngl, I can feel the dying one coming more but well, that brings the two theories.

Abigael would sacrifice herself. Which I don't like but honestly let's be honest, there are 95% chances of that happening. I could see her sacrifice herself for Mel or for the sisters in general. But that's where my abimel issues are coming. I love abimel. I want the most abimel i can have until the end. But Abigael admitting have feelings for Mel just in the purpose of having her sacrifice herself for her and to be 'worth it' ? that's not only a byg trope, it's also lazy.

If she just leave, which wouldn't really make sense to be honest cause why would she just leave, would she give up the title of overlord (why even) or would they bound her powers (i would hate that) ? but anyway, if that's the case, I could actually see her learn Waverly is not actually the one rejecting her. Waverly could very possibly not be the one who communicated with Jordan and the sisters. No one ever saw her, the letters are only signed by her name. It's a bit sus tbh, so nothing stops it from being Francesca actually impersonating her daughter to keep her away from Abigael.

I want to know more about the perfecti. We know they killed charmed ones before, and it doesn't seem like charmed ones existed when they were created ? Maybe the charmed ones were created after they went into the tomb ? I still am not sure about them going into the tomb by themselves tbh. But also they don't seem to be evil in the sense they want power or whatever, more in the fact like they consider themselves perfect and that if someone stands in their way, they'll just get rid of them.

#charmed #charmed cw #charmed reboot #charmed 2018 #macy vaughn #mel vera #maggie vera #abigael caine #abigael jameson caine #jordan chase #harry greenwood #abimel #mel x abigael #mel x abby #charmed analysis #charmed review #charmed 313

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smokeybrand · 4 years ago

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This is the Good Life

I read a ton of manga. I find the content coming out of Japan to be far more genuine and creative than the sh*tshow comic industry we have here in the states. I’m not saying there isn’t good content to be found in the massive annals of Marvel and DC, i am in particular love with whatever the f*ck is going on with the X-titles right now, but that is the exception, not the rule. Japan is different. Even the most blatant shill of a cash-in has a unique spin to it. When the moe boom happened and we were inundated with slice of life fodder for a decades, shows like Higurashi, Toradora, Haruhi, Lucky Star, and basically anything out of Kyoto animation, were absolute masterpieces. Each tells a distinct story, adapting that cutesy art style to their respective strengths, and it worked beautifully. The homogeneity of formulaic content here in the US, isn’t really a concern overseas and that is a wonderful thing. It makes for amazing storytelling and a creativity freedom, even when awash in trend or fad. I say all of this to preface the fact that Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is chef kiss levels of shine, even if it is a manga staunchly entrenched in the grating isekai fad.

Now, i say “grating” in the glib sense because i genuinely love the isekai genre. I have for decades, going back to Escaflowne, El Hazard, .Hack, and Rayearth. What i think most people are frustrated with, is the OP protagonist in these stories. You can only identify with some, overwhelming, power fantasy, so many times going into these tales. How do you frame that narrative? how do you keep it compelling? You don’t. Entries like Overlord and Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken do a great job avoiding that stagnation by building out the world around their ridiculously plot-armored mains but that doesn’t work all of the time. If you want a character driven narrative, you have to build great characters. You have to make your principal cast affable, flawed, and fun. I think that’s the strength in Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life. You almost immediately fall in love with the cast you’re going to sped all of your time with and that’s absolutely necessary because this story is as much about the world building as it is about the main cast, themselves.

Slow Life follows Eizo Tanya, who is hit by a truck in the process of saving a cat, who turned out to be an inter-dimensional god or something. Since the Kitty deity f*cked up and was almost “killed’, causing Eizo’s death in turn, it offers to reincarnate him into a brand new world with a mad overpowered cheat skill. Eizo gives it a thought and chooses - blacksmithing! You see, Eizo was a salaryman, bitterly unhappy with his life in the old times. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to work with his hands in the new world so, instead of asking for he power to be a Hero or some vicious Demon Lord, he just wanted the ability to make dope sh*t in the woods. Kitty Deity is a little surprised but grants Eizo his wish and, boom! We have the foundation for a pretty delightful romp. Stuff happens, Eizo gets a tiger wife and a dwarf apprentice. His craftsmanship is the best in the world and his tale toward legendary status begins.

The simplicity of this narrative is one that has a level of accessibility not found in most isekai. The simple desire of a man, overworked and looking to be fulfilled, to find value, in what he does with his life, really resonates with cats like me who have been in the workforce for decades. I left my job a year ago to pursue my dream of crating so i identify with Eizo’s passion to be more than just a cg in a machine. More than that, i love the way he is written. Eizo feels real, like a proper person lost in a world of fantasy and magic. The supporting cast is also amazing and decently developed. I immediately fell in love with tiger waifu, Samia. She is capable, tenacious, curious, and f*cking adorable. There isn’t a ton of groundwork about her past being laid but i have a feeling we’ll definitely get into that as the narrative develops and i can’t wait to see where that leads. Newcomer to the story is the dwarf apprentice, Riku Moritz. We haven’t had a great deal of time with her so far, but she comes across as a studious, knowledgeable, junior who yearns to be the best at her craft. She reminds me of Miles Morales from Into the Spider-Verse, to Eizo’s Peter B. Parker and i adore that type of dynamic. We are only a handful of chapters in, but this story seems like it has legs and i look forward to where it goes in the future. I’d say it’s a slow burn, but it really isn’t.

I was hooked from chapter one and a lot of that, aside from the great writing and developing character work, stems from the artwork. My, goodness, is Slow Life gorgeous! There is a purposeful elegance to how these lines and strokes come together. The line work is clean and precise, granting each panel thjust the right amount of detail hile staying true to the artist's personal vision. It's actually very refreshing to see. The style is very distinct and carries it's own, unique hallmarks, similar to Toriyama or Oda, but slightly more relaistic than those. I am absolutely in love with it. Like, i follow a few trash rags because the art is dope and immediately hooked me. Isekai Meikyuu de Dorei Harem Wo, Gunbured X Sisters, or Kouya Ni Kemono Doukokusu immediately come to mind, all decent in their own right, but it’s very obvious the strength of these entries lies in the art. True to form, it took a while for me to get into their respective narratives and, in all honesty, they’ve gotten pretty good but those first few chapters were a bit rocky. The art kept me coming back and now, these three are some of my favorite titles to read. Slow Life did not have that issue. The art immediately took my breath away. It felt like cracking open Tsugumomo, BLEACH, Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life, Gleipnir, Meikyuu Black Company, or Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure. That’s a lot of titles but i am a slut for great, unique, artwork and these entries hit my sweet spot immediately. I’m just lucky that the narrative accompanying them was enough to do the linework justice because it would have been a shame to abandon these titles over sheer ugliness. Slow life definitely dodged that bullet. It is, without hyperbole, some of the best looking manga I've seen in years.

Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is absolutely amazing. It’s an easy read filled with exceptional art, deft character work, and a world that is both compelling and growing steadily. Eizo is a great protagonist, easily to identify with and none of the edgelord OP, baggage most Isekai protags tend to have. Samia is a delightful love interests who carries a quiet strength and enjoyable naivety, which immediately endears and Riku is just plain hilarious. This laid back narrative of a smith who just wants to make dope sh*t, while being dope to his tiger wife and faithful apprentice is an distinct palate cleanser in a world of power fantasy saturated, isekai, trash. I love this book and feel like more people should have eyes on it so, you know, got put your eyes on it. You won’t be disappointed. Also, all the other titles i specifically mentioned. They’re worth a gander, too, especially Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure and Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life. Them sh*ts is just plain lovable and have two more of these objectively bias essays forthcoming. But that’s for later, for now, go read all of Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life, right now! Is totally worth! Plus, Samia is f*cking adorable, man. Seriously, tiger waifu is best girl!

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ladymdc · 5 years ago

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*author interview*

Tagged by: @laraslandlockedblues, @a-shakespearean-in-paris, & @eeveevie - thank you, you lovely hoomans you ♥️

I’ll tag: @melaena, @ginnyq, @whatsherfacewrites, @laurelsofhighever, @thejeeperswife, @shannaraisles, @briarfox13, @agentkatie, @ellstersmash, @dismalzelenka, & @kauriart -- as always feel free to ignore me.

Name: MC

Fandoms: Dragon Age, Mystic Messenger, Stardew Valley, and now Borderlands are all ones I’ve written for. I will basically consume fic from any fandom that is well written though & I’ve actually jumped into a few because of an excellently written fic.

Where You Post: Ao3. Rarely here.

Most Popular One-Shot: Based on kudos it’s Finding Another Way, which is a 100 word drabble for Cullen x Trevelyan (Dragon age). I’m 100% positive it only has the kudos because of the @kauriart rec for F&F & people wandered through the entire series leaving kudos. Based on hits it’s Tomorrow will be a better day. which is loss of virginity smange for 707|Choi Saeyoung/MC (Mystic Messenger).

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Feathers & Fur which was my first attempt at fic & also the first long fic I’ve ever finished. There are a LOT of things I would do differently plot-wise, but it is what it is. It’s done & that alone makes me happy.

Favorite Story You Wrote: This would be my Cullen x Trevelyan Noir/Dystopian Dragon Age AU Wandering in the Dark. It was the first fic I fully outlined & can say that looking back almost a year later, I am 100% happy with how it turned out.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: Without a doubt this is Ghosts. It’s a BE1 for Ray|Choi Saeran/MC (Mystic Messenger) fic. It has mildly dubious consent & it’s a lot darker than anything I’ve ever written. It’s appropriately tagged & the route itself is really f*cked up, but that didn’t stop me from being worried about any potential backlash. Oddly enough, it’s one of my more popular Mystic Messenger fics... *shrug*

How You Choose Your Titles: It depends on the fandom/fic, but let’s just say there is no rhyme or reason to it. Titling your work is harder than fecking writing it & the only thing worse is coming up with a summary.

Complete: A joint Mystic Messenger smut-fest co-authored with @laraslandlockedblues titled When the RFA is Rocking Don’t Come Knocking which was SUPER FUN to write. My Something More Series containing Feathers & Fur; it has 2 long fics in it. Ghosts. Wandering in the Dark. My modern w/magic Cullen x Trevelyan Series is abandoned, but it you read the entire series you technically have a complete story. Maybe the muse will come back some day, but that’s doubtful.

Incomplete: Not counting abandoned works (2), the count is 6.

Do You Outline? Vaguely. I usually only have the large plot points laid out & how I get from the beginning, to there, then to the end sort of... just does what it wants. Sometimes forcing your characters to do stuff just hangs up the entire fic. With that said, I have reasonably solid outlines for 4 of my incomplete fics. I also actually have a full outline for Negentropy but as I said, that muse died.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: Hopefully nothing. I want to finish 4 specific incomplete works before I jump into another fic. *distant sobbing noises*

Do You Accept Prompts? I haven’t in a long time. I actually considered opening up DRABBLE prompts for any fandom/pairing. (Note: Drabbles are exactly 100 words; ficlets are short fics, ie: anything under 1k). I might do that if there is any interest but like... I’m not a big time author so like meh.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: This is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT The Choices We Made, which is a Rhack/BL3 fic. It’s sort of nice writing something without an OC & just doing a loooong exercise in a character/dynamic study. It got a lot more attention than I expected for something only 4 chapters deep, but for the time being, it’s not affecting me negatively. Once again, it’s a darker fic than I’m used to writing, but with a lot of random humor sprinkled in to attempt to stay true to the Borderlands universe. Needless to say, I’m insanely excited about it & since I have a full outline going & the muse is STRONG, it’s my main focus. Everything else is currently being put on hold.

#my writing #dragon age fanfic #mystic messenger fanfic #borderlands fanfic #cullen x trevelyan #rhack #handsome jack x rhys #707 x mc #ray x mc #shameless self promotion #*shrugs into the void*

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sweetfirebird · 8 years ago

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Sending you love, & letting you know that I would love a story about femme poly fairies who don't get jealous. I'd pay to read it. I'm sick of gay romances that are het in disguise with femme bottoms and alpha tops with possessive behaviour. I love how your stories are an emotional journey, that finding a partner doesn't make your characters complete, perfect or magically no longer f*cked up like the rest of the us... your stories are better than perfect they're real and honest and heartfelt xox

Thank you! (I hope my reply makes sense. Around three this afternoon, my body decided to let me know it’s fighting off a cold or something. So I’m suddenly exhausted for no reason and sort of spacey.)

I absolutely do not mind a femme who likes to bottom with a bossy tough guy who likes to top, in real life or in my fiction. But yeah, the general attitudes toward femmes in real life and in the m/m romance world can be troubling. People have their kinks and their tastes, and that is fine, but there shouldn’t be this vague but ever present sense that only one dynamic is allowed, and then only in a certain way.

I read a fanfic the other day which had a really interesting turn of phrase for things like that. Where no one person just comes out and says they would prefer you not do a thing, or that they think you are wrong, but you nonetheless are fully aware that people think something is wrong with you. “It’s never just one voice.” Which I really liked. It’s lots of little comments, and pauses, and opinions (and in the case of this genre, sales and popular cliques).

Um. What was my point? Sorry.

Anyway. No, finding love does not complete anyone (not even mated werewolves) and it doesn’t cure your problems.

And thank you again. (Please come back to cheer me up again someday after write weird gay space fake dating story and people are like wtf.)

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years ago

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This is the Good Life

#Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life #Manga

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smokeybrandreviews · 5 years ago

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Binary

This started out as a whole thing about Brie Larson. She’s started a YouTube channel and i figured I'd follow it just for kicks. I’m not a huge fan of massive Hollywood stars invading more accessible spaces but, technically, they’re the “You” in YouTube, too. I can’t be too mad at that. Of course Google is going to cater more to their brand, mostly because they bring in the duckets and understand PR so they know ho not to cause an ADpocolypse, but it’s still mad sh*tty. Larson’s first post was just her being goofy, trying to figure out how to even be a YouTuber. You kind of see a side of her that i figured was there, but never really was able to confirm. Brie Larson is the poster child for Millennial geekdom and i find that adorable as f*ck. Which is why i don’t understand the MASSIVE waves of hate she’s getting from the community. Cats are reveling in her perceived failure, it’s actually insane.

Now, before we go any further, i just want to be clear; I am a fan of Brie Larson. I think she is excellent at her craft. Ma is from my hometown and it’s always great to see someone make it out of this cowtown. I believe she has every right to her opinions and the fact that she voices them from such a visible platform, makes her one of the most endearing and real celebrities in an industry maligned by the phony. Brie ain’t quite Russell Brand but she is very vocal about the unjust sh*t she sees and will totally let you know it. That, i think, is why she garners such vitriol. Look, I'm a black dude living in the US. If she gets on TV and says f*ck white dudes, I'm inclined to agree. But she didn’t say that. What she said was there needs to be more voices making film, different perspectives in the arts. White dudes dominate the industry and she’s tired of seeing that movie. I don’t understand how that’s a controversial statement. It’s true. We need more dynamic, more diverse, storytellers making films out in the wild. The thing is, that one statement earned her the ire of every entitled white boy with time and and the internet. These motherf*cker decided to take that personally and we were off to the races.

When Brie Larson was announced as Captain Marvel, i was okay with it. I thought Charlize Theron or Katee Sackhoff would have been a better look but i get it. Larson is young and can portray the character for years to come. Kind of how Florence Pugh is going to take over Black Widow duties from Scarlett Johansson. Pugh can be that character for close to a decade, as can Larson. Once again, however, the interwebs were set asunder with rage and malcontent over the Cap Marvel announcement. It was f*cking ridiculous to me. Sure, she didn’t look the part going into this but neither did Gal Gadot, the latter turned out to be the best thing going in that trainwreck DCEU. Larson grew into the part, put in the work to look the part, and is committed to the role. She did her research, consuming massive amounts of the comics, trying to find Carol’s head space, which was a goddamn feat. Captain Marvel is as controversial as Brie Larson, herself. And it’s just as stupid.

Look, i adore Captain Marvel. She’s my fifth favorite Marvel character after Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Laura Kinney, and Illyana Rasputin. In that order. Captain Marvel grew on me during the whole Mighty Avengers and Disassembled story lines from years ago. I have no love-loss for Bendis but that cat did wonders for building up more obscure characters, Carol being one of them. I also like what he did for Luke Cage, too, but that’s not what this essay is about. I’ve been a fan of this character since the early 00s and have rode this Carol train for years. I jumped on bored when she was rocking her leotard, which i miss terribly, took my time to dig up the back issues where she was in the original red and blue digs and moonlighted as Warbird for a bit. Then, Marvel Now happened and f*cked it all up. Carol went from this attractive, uber-powered, mess of a woman to a cold, manly, aggressively stupid caricature of herself. The Carol Danvers i had grown to love, with all of her faults and trauma, became some sort of butch nightmare and the poster child for why Woke Marvel was failing. I don’t think that’s fair.

Comic Carol was on her way to becoming a real force in the Marvel universe. She had learned there was worth in her strength, one she had to drag out through deep introspection and an understanding of who she really is. No longer was she just a gender-swapped, copyright placeholder that no one knew what to do with. Now she had agency. Now she was a force. Now she was relevant. Now tore all of that away. After Marvel Now, all of that growth and nuance was thrown out of the window. She became the idealized version of what the SJWs thought a “Strong Woman” should be. Marvel gave her a massive push in an effort to cater to this burgeoning Tumblr dynamic and it failed miserably. Marvel wanted that Steven Universe crowd and they tried real hard to get it but that sh*t did not work. The changes to the universe weren’t extreme or feminist or PC enough. Courting a fanbase that had no longevity, Carol was sabotaged and thrown to the wolves. That’s the environment we were saturated in when Disney announced Larson as Carol for the MCU. It was a perfect storm of Nerdrage, one that has not died down in any capacity all these years later for either Brie or Carol.

I don’t think the feminist slant given to the Captain Marvel movie was actually such a big deal. I think the vitriol that flick faces stems from the combined maliciousness both the new version of Carol in the comics and Brie Larson, herself, garnered. It’s kind of crazy the massive tantrum everyone decided to throw over this movie. Cats were looking for this thing to fail as some sort of petulant schadenfreude ignoring the fact that this movie wasn’t made for them. As frustrated as i was with the ludicrous discourse, i knew this movie wasn't for me. his wasn’t my Carol and i was good with that. Unlike Marvel who pandered to the trend of PC nonsense, the MCU had a clear vision in mind for the audience they wanted; Young girls. They wanted a character who was strong enough to hang with Thor, stand equally with Iron Man, and have the respect of Captain America. Captain Marvel was the best option. She would be the tentpole hero of the MCU going forward and i accepted that. I went into the film with that understanding and, on my way out, i saw, firsthand, what this movie meant to the target audience. There was a little girl, about nine or so, gushing abut how cool Captain Marvel was. She as ecstatic to see a girl like her, kicking so much butt. In the face of that, every entitled argument you have against the character falls apart in my eyes. Captain Marvel is to young girls and woman, as Black Panther was to us black folk. It’s the same energy.

Do i think the film could have been better? F*ck yea, i do. I think the script should have had one more revision and the directors definitely felt out of place. They’re good at their jobs, they mostly make A24-esque fare, but a massive, multi-million dollar, space epic connected to the most popular film franchise in history? Nah, these cats were way out of their depth. I think Feige dropped the ball on this one, a rare miss. I think Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins, Lynne Ramsay, Claire Dennis, or Lorene Scafaria would have constructed a much better film, both visually and narrative wise. I think if the movie was better as a whole, a lot of the controversy and vitriol would have been neutered. Carol is written quite wooden and a little pretentious. The interactions between the supporting cast feels forced. The overall narrative is fine but definitely could have been embellished at parts. Captain Marvel is boring and i don’t know how that happened. You have one of the strongest characters in comics, with a distinct, visually appealing powerset, and you make her movie boring? Really? More than anything, though, is the absolute mistreatment of Sam Jackson and Nick Fury.

The writing reduces Nick Fury, the mind behind the entirety of the Avengers Initiative, to lap boy sidekick in an effort to up Carol’s own stature. That sh*t is poor writing and it’s mad frustrating to see. I hate narratives that have to job established characters, in an effort to push new additions. I just wrote a whole goddamn thing about that with Punchline, Joker’s new “partner”. It’s bogus, cheapening the character and opens up an avenue for bad-faith complaints. Rey Palpatine is another great example. Her entire character is built on the slow, methodical, violent, destruction of the Skywalker legacy. Interestingly enough, that character was launched in the same environment as New Carol so i understand why the movie is the way that it is. I don’t agree with it, but i know why. It was an incredibly poor choice to introduce Captain Marvel in this way, however, and she’s never recovered. Brie has never recovered. You want a 90s buddy-cop space opera? Lethal Weapon with Skrulls and starships? You need your Murtaugh and Riggs to stand on equal footing. That was not the case with this flick. Having Nick Fury job to Carol Danvers for two hours was the wrong way to go about all of this and i think a different creative team could have made something truly excellent.

It’s nuts to me that this is even a thing though. Brie’s personal controversy is so f*cking stupid, i choke every time i think about it. How are you mad she stand up for herself, her gender, and everyone else in a position of persecution? Don’t you want though with a platform speaking up about the inequities of our country? I feel like the same people who hate Brie for her vocal advocacy, are the same people who stan “All Lives Matter” when ever someone says Black Lives Matter. That sh*t feels like the same energy to me. I feel like the criticisms launched at comic Carol have real validity, even if most of them are just whiny man-children who miss the leotard. I miss the leotard, too, but come on? We’re passed that now. I do think, when written well, Carol can be a force in the books. Her run as part of the new Ultimates was pretty chill I think she needs that in order to be her true self, until we establish a true self for the character. It’s weird to say but Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel previously, has been around for fifty years, and no one has any idea who she is as a character. I think Captain Marvel in the MCU, both the character and film, are hated for the wrong reasons. The fact that no one has any idea who this character is, makes for a lousy cinematic experience. The team put together in an effort to flesh this character out, didn’t have the creative capacity to do so and we were left with little more than PC tropes and Feminist agenda. The MCU let both Brie and Carol down in that regard.

Brie Larson isn’t a terrible person and she deserves more respect put on her name. She an accomplished actress with a bevy of awards and accolades to her name. She’s been in great films like Room and Scott Pilgrim, never once garnering a controversy. The fact that she speaks her truth, a truth the establishment doesn’t want to hear, should not disqualify her talent or the fact that she seems like a really chill person. Carol Danvers is a dope ass character with an amazing amount of potential. When she’s written well and not traded upon for trends, she can have real staying power. Her abilities open up a plethora of interesting, creatively fertile narratives yet to be written. Disregarding her just because Marvel decided to gamble on the pretentious third-wave feminism wave is shortsighted and makes you look like a childish brat. You’re entitled to feel however you want but let’s be clear; Brie Larson and Carol Danvers deserve so much better.

#Captain Marvel #Carol Danvers #Brie Larson #Marvel

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