#he's got and will develop insecurities and issues and trauma for sure but he's also got a bombass support system

[flockrest]

thinks about tu.lin and all the healthy influences in his life that have helped shape, nurture, and strengthen his drive and confidence for all of two seconds before just. blubbering

[quietmonologues]

I think the reason why I don't care for reading an Azriel book, is because he feels like a "settled" character. To me, he isn't positioned to gain anything profound or substantial (other than love) because he already has things that characters normally gain when they go on their character journeys.

I'll use ACOSF as an example. Maybe unpopular opinion but I see that book as Nesta's story instead of Nesta and Cassian's story because I didn't learn anything new about Cassian or see further character development. Instead, his focus throughout the story is on Nesta and the impeding threats surrounding Prythian. I don't see him recovering from a traumatic event because the story doesn't show us an event he's traumatized from. If he is traumatized, it's from the past and off screen. I honestly don't know if it has bearing on his present (correct me if I'm wrong, i don't remember much). He doesn't need to learn about his powers, he already knows what they are. He's honed his combat skills over the centuries. He knows his history, his purpose, his role, his sense of self. He has established dynamics with his found family, he doesn't need to search for a new one. He has a home and a sense of freedom. He had all of these things when we met him. Is there anything else to see from Cassian as his own character? I'm sure there is, but I don't think we got that far yet. It's similar with Azriel. He has his issues with Mor, his thing with Gwyn, dealing with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. But what else of him? He has some growing to do yes, but he seems tethered and grounded in so many other ways.

I personally want to read about someone who is untethered in a plethora of ways. Someone who isn't settled, who isn't "rooted" in place yet. The Archeron sisters are a given. Their stories involve learning about their new bodies and powers, understanding their sense of self and purpose, dealing with their recent and past trauma, finding a home and a family in Prythian, and so forth. And then...I think about Lucien Vanserra who is practically the poster boy for "untethered". He has so many unfinished stories left in him. He lost his home in Autumn and Spring, he sort of has one in Night but then he's also living in the human lands, so where is his true home? Beron wants to take over Prythian, will he be sucked back into the court that caused him pain and suffering? The man he thought was his father isn't, how will he deal with that? Does he need to learn more about his Day Court powers? What will he do to help Vassa and her curse? Will he ever reconcile with his brothers and mother? Will he ever reconcile with Tamlin? What's his dynamic with the Band of Exiles like? They're a pretty new friendship group after all. And this isn't even touching on his bond with Elain or his past with Jesminda!

This isn't about hitting rock bottom or who's better than who. To me Azriel doesn't have the meat to carry a story or journey I would enjoy reading about (emphasis on "I" because it might work for others though). So yes, I'm rooting for Elucien to get the next book as I think that book will be really dynamic.

[bubbipond]

The distance between Phum and Peem is so interesting because logically they are the most developed coupling in the show. FangTan got together almost immediately, QToey still getting it together, and they just do the third coupling dirty lol. But, PhumPeem is a lovely couple because neither really seems to know how to close the distance between them. They have comfort in the arrangement they have.

They are also polarising characters: Peem is extroverted and overly friendly while Phum is far more introverted and reclusive, only being friends with his brother & teen friends. That being said, Peem outwardly asks questions and we have seen he isn't one to lie to himself. He knows he has a thing for Phum but that feeling is overwhelming.

While Phum is more of a person who does not reveal much unless asked by someone closest to him. Even then, he still wouldn't admit to his friends or brother he likes Peem until Beer. Despite being quite the introverted person, he isn't necessarily shy, just deals with immense abandonment issues.

So when a third party comes forward, we have Peem, who is just his normal friendly self, and Phum, his insecure self. Peem doesn't understand the extent of Phum's loneliness and Phum doesn't quite understand being so friendly.

But now, they are, in a way, switching roles. Phum is being the overly affectionate and open one. Outwardly admitting he is going through the motions and needs time but also making sure he shows his feelings. While Peem is quietly sitting in the fact that he likes Phum, but never admits it.

To work they need to understand each other, especially Phum's abandonment issues. Because if Phum pulls back, and Peem can't bring himself to move forward (without their ridiculous deal), they won't go anywhere. And Phum needs to work on his feelings because, it is very obvious that Peem treats him differently, not as a friend. But his trauma stops him from seeing that.

Thankfully though, Pond doesn't accept roles where he isn't violently like, "bffr you want me, I want you, let's keep it pushin'"

[commsroom]

hera has met maybe a dozen people in her entire life, most of them have intended to harm her in some way, and she's always lived in high stress, isolated environments, where she's had no choice but to live and work alongside them, in spite of that. i like to joke about her getting into internet fights, and she would! she's petty, vindictive, takes things very personally, digs her heels in, and really doesn't like to admit when she's wrong. but i think there's also a genuine concern that she doesn't know how to emotionally handle being surrounded by so many people with hurtful (or even just dissenting) opinions, all the time. she's not really used to interactions that are unpleasant but ultimately not a threat to her, and i think it's going to take her a while to adjust to a social environment where she isn't required to respond to anyone, and she can ignore them. or even just leave.

... though, i think she might develop the opposite problem for a while: when she does realize she can just leave, it'll be difficult to convince her to tolerate any discomfort at all. i think it's important that hera makes friends on earth, not least because she's going to have a lot of insecurity about her current friends having lives and histories on earth when she doesn't, and things going on that she's not a part of, but it's not going to come easily. she's got a lot of (understandable) trust issues, and when is she supposed to tell someone she's an AI? does she need to? is that something that will change how people interact with her? if she doesn't tell them, will she worry they would treat her differently if they knew? it's not a common thing in the world of wolf 359, and i'm sure people have their own biases; the question of "disclosure" is socially and emotionally complicated.

and then, of course, there's the issue that she only exists in that digital space. she can't really "log off." she can't meet people physically. i think a lot about the opening of memoria; knowing that hera canonically feels physically "somewhere else" contextualizes a lot of who she is - how she perceives herself, and how she wants to interact with the world. i want hera to be able to have a body post-canon, but even if she can, there will be a period of time where she is bound to one location and watching the others freely leave it. and that's not even getting into the fact she's used to being able to monitor everyone she knows at all times; post-canon hera is making eiffel stay on the phone with her while he goes one block away to the gas station because otherwise she perceives him as being out of range of her scans and starts catastrophizing that he's probably dead. there's no real conclusion to this; i'm just thinking about trauma and how difficult it is to adapt to a "safe" environment where the mechanisms you've been using to survive no longer serve you, and even in many ways leave you feeling like you're still trapped.

[the-facets-of-man]

Meet The Facets: Jonathan Crane

A poor soul if you ask others, Jonathan Crane is the representation of Jon's past and trauma. From birth to college is his domain, and an unfortunate one at that. Memories of beatings from his father, bullying from his peers, and a serious drug problem all plague his every waking moment. One of these things still persists in the present day, and it isn't the first two. Jonathan didn't believe the split was the truth at first, and sometimes he still wonders about it even if he knows it's fact. In spite of his issues, Jonathan is one of the more affable of the Facets. Maybe a coping mechanism, maybe a tactic, maybe it's just how he is. He's easy to make conversation with, even if those conversations can be full self-deprecation and dark humor. But most can still manage to find him charming and want to have a few more conversations just for the fun of it.

Jonathan manages to be horribly hedonistic alongside his own insecurities. His favorite methods of pleasure-seeking are also self-destructive beyond belief. It didn't take very long for him to engage in drug use to alleviate the anger from his first argument with Nygma, and the same goes for alcohol and smoking. The effects on his health are undeniable, even if he'd really like to deny them.

Jonathan is a slipfast man outside of his social nature. While able to navigate conversations and interactions with ease, the wish to be able to just disappear is one he'll always have. He'd love to understand and absorb what happens with others without them doing the same for him, but it's just part of his being that he'll always catch people's attention whether he wants to or not. Likes Dogs - Aside from crows, dogs are by far his favorite animal. He likes all animals, don't get him wrong. He grew up with many and he loved them all no matter how unique or strange that may seem to others. But dogs are pretty much hardwired to love people the way that Jon's crows love him, though that took much more work. Jonathan likes being strong enough to pick bigger dogs up and cradle them like babies.

Waffle House - He's a southern man to his core, and he'll always love Waffle House. He doesn't care if the food is "trashy" in the eyes of some(he means Ed), it'll always be good enough for him. He was already upset when he realized Jon had moved to New Jersey, and the lack of Waffle House only made it worse.

Parties - Tying in with being such a social butterfly and being a fan of drugs and drinking, parties are an area where Jonathan can really shine. He's got an arsenal of party tricks he'll show off and when he's done with those, it isn't hard for him to pick up a "friend" for the night if he wants to. Dislikes Rehab - Jonathan is sure any other addict would say the same. He remembers what rehab was like back when Jon was going through his addiction, and it absolutely sucked. The memories blend together after a while, since Jon very quickly learned how to avoid being admitted, but Jonathan remembers always feeling empty and tired and sobriety only lasting for a few weeks. He doesn't think he'll break that cycle with his second chance.

Scarcity - As a child, Jon was deprived of a lot. Friends, pets, good parents, love, care, food, water. Now that he's a grown man and far past those days, he's developed a distaste for being deprived of anything at all, even if it hurts him. Scarcity makes him nervous if it lasts too long and he's left wondering how long it'll last for.

Worry - Jonathan knows good and well what does and doesn't help him, he isn't stupid. Which is why he's always annoyed when someone tries to express any worry for him. It almost always ends with them offering help and solutions and saying he needs to stop doing something and he's sick of it. If he wanted to do any of it, he'd have done it. [Edward Nygma] [The Riddler] [Eddie Nashton] [Doctor Crane] [The Scarecrow] You can find The Facets of Man here!

[autumn0689]

You can have your own opinion on the Trolls movies (whether you love it or hate it) but something that I adore about them is how they handle Branch’s trauma and how it affects his relationships with others.

Sure, he is in a WAY better mental state now, but he still struggles. It’s mostly shown in the TV shows because shows have more time to develop things, but also in the movies he is still struggling.

In the first holiday special, he struggles with learning how to smile (and he truly doesn’t have a good smile until he is being genuine) and is shown to follow Poppy’s lead and when he tries to give his opinion and she says something else he just gives into her. I love how they also address his lack of social cues, especially when instead of telling Poppy that she ignored Bridget’s feelings, he treated Poppy how she treated Bridget.

Now, In the second movie, he doesn’t trust others easily and is always on the defense. He has a backup plan for everything and is shown to struggle with admitting his emotions (involving his crush on Poppy and mostly following her around and being there for her even if he doesn’t agree and it results in him and her having a fight) he sings and dances and all but he is still learning how to adjust to being a happy Troll again.

In the second Holiday special when he gets Poppy he freaks out because he doesn’t want to disappoint her (abandonment issues, anyone?) and, again, his lack of social cues, ESPECIALLY when he goes to measure Poppy’s hair and how seeing Poppy’s gift for him got him spiraling, which resulted in him thinking that he had to go BIGGER for Poppy, and when it ended up backfiring and making a scrapbook, he thought it was ‘lame’, which caused Poppy to calm him down, and while he was panicking about the clouds snowing, Poppy decided that they should both go on a balloon ride with no multitasking, making him happy. I love how Poppy knows how to calm him down and that while he’s struggling, she’s always there to help him.

Now onto the third movie *cracks knuckles* here we go!

Now, let’s get to the ‘Abandonment Issues’ Elephant In The Room. His bitterness about his brothers leaving him is something that he makes obvious, but mostly puts it away until his brothers say that they will be going their separate ways. Throughout the movie he slowly allows himself to enjoy being with them, but when that revelation comes up, everything comes flooding back, his resentment and anger and bitterness that he has had for the past twenty years. He then leaves them, telling them that he doesn’t need them, and when Poppy follows him, he lets his insecurities get the best of him, telling Poppy that she will leave him eventually, that everyone else does.

Poppy, being the best girlfriend that she is, reassures him that they have been by each others sides and that she isn’t going anywhere. He apologizes, but she doesn’t hold it against him. I love how much Poppy has changed, especially when in the second movie she made his doubts about Hickory about herself, and seeing how hurt he is, she comforts him and doesn’t excuse his brothers actions, agreeing to help him save Floyd.

I love how at the end of the movie, when he is surrounded by everyone that he loves, he is at his most happy, in my opinion. Now, I can imagine him still struggling, but he’s in a much better place, and while I’m positive he will still struggle in the future movies (after all, twenty years of not having any help for his trauma is something that won’t go away anytime soon) he has his brothers and his girlfriend.

I love how they still address his issues, they address the fact that not everything will get resolved immediately, and that while in the first movie he gains his True Colors™️ again, his colors fluctuate between being more gray to being more blue. For a movie for kids, I love how they ACTUALLY show Branch healing! Showing him having doubts, and how the movies show that while he has those to help him, it also shows how strong he is by continuously improving himself.

Of course, there’s still some issues (mostly in the TV Shows) in which they could delve more into it, but compared to other children’s media, the fact that they are showing Branch being happy while also showing that he is still recovering is something that I love about the Trolls franchise.

TL;DR I’m so glad that movies and shows for kids are discussing more serious topics, and I love how the Trolls franchise show the effects of trauma and that while Branch is still struggling, they show that with people to help you, you can end up in a better place. Of course he isn’t going to be immediately okay, but he’s slowly getting there, and that’s such a beautiful thing to see, especially in a movie like Trolls, where Trolls fart glitter and hug every hour and with the Pop Trolls being so happy almost all the time! I love how much care they put into characterizing Branch!

[hikaaa-bi]

one thing that i love about infinity train is how REAL the characters are, despite being in a fantasy setting, and the narrative of how experiences shape individuals. the way they speak and act are so realistic, their choices are understandable and their arcs are so well-written. all of the characters have glaring flaws they need to work on, but it's also clear that these flaws are the results of some kind of trauma or the way they were treated.

tulip was disillusioned with the world, angry and distant. and this is a direct reaction to her parents' divorce and her inability to cope with it. which is sympathetic, of course, it's a hard thing to go through as a child. the show also reveals that tulip blames herself for her parents' divorce, which can hit close to home for many people.

lake was similarly angry and defiant, even outright hostile in certain situations. again, this comes as a response to the way she was treated in the train, the way she was never granted her freedom and individuality, and how she was trapped in a role she didn't want to play. it's no wonder that many queer people identify so much with lake, because the rules of the train mirrors real life.

jesse has people-pleasing tendencies that reach the point where it actually hurts people. we've all seen protagonists who are people pleasers or eager to appear likeable to people, but usually it only hurts themselves. jesse's case is the prime example of "a friend to all is a friend to none". you can't please everyone, there are people you should oppose or ignore. otherwise, you end up hurting people who actually matters in your life.

simon and grace are straight-up villains, or anti-villains at the very best. grace is manipulative and cunning, playing on people's feelings and insecurities to serve herself. simon is controlling and somewhat egotistic, refusing to change his mindset, regardless of what happens. again, both these characters are shown to have reasons for why they became what they are, even if it doesn't justify their actions. grace grew up in an environment where she was neglected and felt lonely, and found out that her only sure way of making any sort of connection is to manipulate people. simon is implied to have dealt with someone's death before he got on the train, since he seems to have an idea of what funerals are like. that, paired with samantha the cat accidentally leaving him behind in a crucial and dangerous situation, he develops some very intense abandonment issues. again, both these issues can be very relatable to a lot of people, even if we aren't as bad as either of these characters.

min-gi was shown to be insecure and uncertain, but at the same time, arrogant and condescending. the pressure he recieved from his parents has fueled his gifted child syndrome while simultaneously making him depressed and burned out. ryan is probably the closest we have to a "conventional main character", hyperactive and quirky. but he is also not exactly perfect in all other aspects, as he wants to push things forward and refuses to give min-gi some time to think and make a decision. as a child who grew up with lots of other siblings, ryan struggles to prove himself to his family, since they don't seem to pay him much attention. both these scenarios are especially relatable to asians, but of course, anyone who may have trouble pleasing their parents and living up to expectations.

i just gave a character analysis of each protagonist, but my point is that while other cartoon protagonists tend to lean more on the heroic side, the characters in this show doesn't. in most other animated shows i've watched, the flaws a protagonist is allowed to have are either "heroic" flaws such as being too forgiving or being self-sacrificing, or shallow flaws such as clumsiness or being kind of an idiot.

but not in infinity train. the protagonists in this show aren't heroes, they are normal people. they don't have a magical destiny, they don't have to fight for the good of the world, they aren't the "chosen ones". their ultimate goal is to get out of the train (or in simon and grace's case, to be superior to everyone else, to "win").

so it really feels good when one of the characters does choose to do something nice. when tulip chooses to empathize with and help amelia, when lake bonds with alan dracula and jesse. when grace chooses to change for the better and face the consequences of her actions. when ryan chooses to stay with min-go despite getting a door, and when min-gi does the same later on.

i watched this show about a year ago, and it's still one of the best animated shows i've watched. it's so uncomfortably real sometimes, you stop and go "am i like that?" when a character does something wrong, you know that the show addresses it and their actions have consequences. the show doesn't hand out redemption arcs to everyone or sweep things under the rug like some shows *cough* steven universe and she-ra *cough*

there's a reason why a lot of people seem to relate more to villains than heroes, because villains are allowed to be flawed while also being sympathetic. infinity train managed to create a cast of protagonists who are exactly like that. they are more than heroes, they are people.

[buntress]

HEHEHEHHEE YES OKAY OKAY SO

danny canonically (well, canon enough, it was a remark from the developers) has npd right. and I have hpd and bpd and they share a lot of symptoms, being cluster b personality disorders and all. so I can proudly say

that man has awful identity issues. he spent so long pretending to be other people for praise, attention and safety that he has no idea who "Danny Johnson" is at all. sometimes he isn't even sure he's actually human. he likely dissociates a lot. he only really thought about it a while after he got taken by the entity, seeing there isnt anything to do outside of trials hes likely been in his own mind most of the time.

he may act buddy-buddy with them as a sort of second nature but he's really insecure with himself and so manifests it as hatred for other killers. (it may also be the 'canon' reason ghostface players tend to be very chill with survivors, despite him being a misanthrope. he feels safer with them because he has the cloak of superiority and being a threat with them which he doesnt have with the killers ykyk) after all he's just an average guy with a knife and knowledge on stalking, hes not overly strong without the entity's help, or tall, or supernatural in any way. to him his "backstory" isnt even bad as any of the other killers, to him at least. (it definitely was, man was literally groomed to be a murderer by his dad. but your trauma never looks as bad as the other people's you know)

also hes FTM and was 3 years on T up until he got taken by the entity (his body time kinda paused after that so he didnt revert to being feminine dw). he still has a set of tits and a coochie because in his words "surgery recovery is a waste of time, it will get suspicious if ghostface goes silent for 6 whole months" :3 he's happy with his body though... mostly. anyway thats the reason he's always hunching during trials. cant wear a binder during a chase thatd be inconvenient (please imagine a ghostface coughing and wheezing and begging the survivors to wait for him now. thank you)

he's still silly, a little clumsy but its one of the things he's less insecure about tbh. an all serious ghostface is not fun and not what wes craven would want.

anyway I need him to get a therapist so bad. bbygirl dw you wont lose your spark the spark in question is you dissociating for hours at a time on your apartment bed having a barbie movie moment like "what was I made for..." therapy will help you babygirl I promi-

THESE ARE ALL SUCH FUCKING GOOD HEADCANONS OKOKOK SO

to share my own while i am at it Teehee (i love him so much)

I def agree on the dissociation and fucked up sense of identity, mans is a messed up lil fuck and def needs to go see an entity ordered therapist. I personally def put Danny on the aro spectrum (i dont think ace personally, aroallo moment imo) though i think more on the demi or greyaro side, and if any of the survivors are ever like, flirty he just stares at them and slowly shakes his head because oh no babygirl one thats a bad idea to try and do and two you are not the person my brain has made an exception for thats for fucking sure

(I'm demiromantic myself so I describe it like that bc im basically aromantic until my brain makes an Exception(tm))

Alsoalsoalso very down for him not being friends with the other killers bc hatred and lowkey jealousy but I think he looks at the legion kids and is like "Cool, I'm your uncle now." because they're the only ones like him at all, just normal dudes even smaller than he is because theyre basically just fucked up teenagers so he feels a slight kinship and he definitely doesn't play favorites at all (this is a lie Suzy is his perfect little baby and he goes full cool uncle mode with her 100% all the time)

Also Also because self shipping noises when/if a survivor or killer (im using survivor mostly bc that's where I see myself self insert wise) does catch his interest in a romantic he genuinely just fucking panics and doesn't know what the fuck to do about it. He fumbles with them a lot and suddenly most of his smooth and cool dude exterior? Gone. Vanished. Fumbling even more than usual and it makes him SO MAD so he just.......threatens them a lot and hooks them a lot because fuck you stop making me feel things i hate you but also please just like hold my hand or something what the fuck

When finally the survivor is like DUDE WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR DAMAGE and blows up on his ass he's like IDK MAN YOU GIVE ME BIG FEELINGS AND I DON'T LIKE IT COULD YOU STOP MAYBE????

anyways when that shits sorted I imagine it being a mutual (healthy) obsession thing where Danny treats his partner like they're the entity incarnate and partner does similar for him and everyone is disgusted by it but at least everytime partner is around in trials he's nice to them so like they can't complain.

If it was a killer though they would become absolute terrors and no one would be safe ever. Skip through the moldy corn fields holding hands kinda shit. Absolute fucking idiots.

(Also at one point he tries to give partner a bouquet of flowers except it was like 4 dandelions and a leaf and he ate one of the dandelions)

Anyways I love Danny Johnson I am kissing him on the mouth

[lastavenged]

it's the hour of the day where i still and think about how greer could have had some very impactful plots/stories and character developments that never went anywhere and/or got magic'd away or solved in one issue.

under the read more rant about it

like the first time that she "went feral" it actually was saying something, and it was impactful, and you show it affected her relationships, almost hurt her team, and then she had a whole arc of meeting the cat people in "hell" / the land within, and had to fight for her soul literally, and reclaimed and showed that her strength came from herself already and she could have control, and had like a whole battle and fight

andd then the next time it happens. it could have been something that expanded on her further transmutation into tigra. but instead theey just had hank shrink her down, literally bottle her away to remove her from being part of the broader WCA plot, and then just had literal agatha harkness magic fix her away. andd it was terriblee.

nd then they had her join team bobbi in WCA and have her going feral and then nothing really comes of that.

and then her relationship with Hank, thre's so much mor that could have gone into; and you don't even have Greer ever really talk about the whole trauma of /Skrull Hank/

andd then they do have an issue where ON HER first session with Trauma immediately resolves all her fears regarding hr pregnancy, and just her whole pregnancy plot line is so poorly done, and again thy literally have trauma magic away the trauma of heer pregnancy.

and then you know its not really acknowledged like the wholee Norman Osborn involvement in that. and then like

Her Red Hood asssault plot line and it carrying over into Academy, was okay. like they did go into like the emotinos and rage she felt about what happened to her, but like you don't really get a lot of moments of seeing her really grappling or what helpss her like actually get through and cope with it. and then Acadmy writer having the gall to hae the studeents DISCOUNT HER TRAUMA as well at least she was r* worded. LIKEE LIKEE THE FUCK. and then her saysing "oh yeah im healed from it i got help" and its like WHERE? WHEN? all we got was FIRSt/ONE therpay session with trauma, whre he showed her her worst fear, and then suddenly she was btter with the pregnancy. but nothing on like HER TALKING about lik what the Red Hood did to her.

anyways. once again. Greer still struggles with control issuees, she's a lot more powerful than her canon part, cause she's grown and gaind control and powere, and she's went throguh a lot to heal, and just she has a merged soul; tigra an greer merged, instead of greer soul only. but it's no longer two souls battle. but just

I AM HAVING THOUGHTS AGAIN.

okay but like.... on some of the good things. when Greer first appears in Aveenger, and it's so CLEAR she clearly doesn't know what sshe's doing and doesn't know how to fit in and be a big time hero, and tries, cauase like HER TRANSMATION IS SO FRESH. she was only The Cat vigilante for such a small time. this is all big and near to her, and hr Tigra transformation at that tieme as also 2 sousl in one person battling for ach other,

but lik her first appearance with the Aveners. 216. iss greeat. and just SHE IS SO INSECURE.

and then like even early WCA you see that. she's not sure if she's Big League hero or strong eenough, and then like YEAH. and that's good. and then her in th original Spiderwoman run, like that's good greer/tigra conteent and just. UGH

I LOVE HER

and she gets shafted with her plot lines. or like half of her truama plots get magic cured and i hate it.

[autumnworld19]

Autumn’s Note ~ This is also my third time writing something like this, so please be nice. I’m also up to criticism, anything that’s going to make me a better writer. Please enjoy. Trigger Warning: death of parents, orphan at young age, childhood trauma having no social life as a kid, mention of emotional abusive uncle, mention of some what traumatic aunt, reader reading romance books as a kid, reader indulging in voyeurism (in her 20s), implied to have been watched some what the entire time without the reader knowing.

PSA ~ If you come across my work it would it really mean the world to me if you took the initiative to not only like but also reblog.

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After the death of your parents in a unfortunate car accident, you were sent to live with your mother’s sister out in the countryside. Being the weird city kid has costed you to make and have no friends, their parents swaying them to steer clear of your “oddness”. Boy’s only reasons for interacting with you was either for “help” with their school work or to engage in sexual activities with you. Which, unfortunately for you, left you with your self conscious, people pleaser of an aunt. Who’s way of protecting you, was a form of unconsciously projecting her insecurities and fears onto you. Paired with your good for nothing uncle. Who used you as his personal emotional punching bag. You walking into a room was queue for him to dish out any if not every insult in the book. Who would have thought sending a traumatized nine year old to live with her strict, religious overbearing aunt and uncle, combine with a vacant social life would cause and leave negative impacts on her, that would stay with her all her life? Naturally, the young child turned to create and discover coping mechanisms to completely deattach herself from the depressing and painfully life, that would be her reality. Her discovery of romance books would forever change her life. Romance to the young girl was a mysterious endeavor that only adults got the natural rights to experience. She found herself completely immersed in the books, paying no mind to her surrounds as she laid her bottom on the ridged, patterned carpet floor in the young adult section, in the small town’s public library. She had developed a fondness for books who’s storylines ran with a dominant, bad boy and a reluctant good girl. Who’s main premise was the good girl knew it was wrong but couldn’t help but fall in love with the bad boy’s rough, but yet soft edges. Even though at times he was teasing and perverted, when she wanted to “leave” him he was hot on her trail, he always came to her aid when she needed a rescue and fought multiple guys for her, all because they bad mouthed her. He protected her, he chased after her and he desired her, all wrap up in one man. She wanted this, she needed this. She desired to be desired, extending just sexual reasons. In her early 20s now, with her uncle’s assertive push for her to meet a man to only “finally get the hell out of his house” paired her recently voyeuristic routine of revealing parts of her body when waking past areas where many men conjugate, such as construction sites. Had created a horny woman with emotional dependent issues. How it would play out is everyday after finishing your previous destination at your part-time job at the public library, you would have to pass by the construction site on your way home. It wasn’t until your ears were presented of the sound of grunting men, that you arrived at the construction site. Making sure you looked appropriate, popping a few bottoms with a slight reveal of cleavage and hiking up your dress. Any other person wouldn’t think much of how you looked, but you? You who was raised to act and dress modestly with an iron fist, this was extending your comfort zone. And that’s what made it exhilarating. It was also fun. It was fun knowing that as the resident weird girl people are prone to have their attentions anywhere, but on you. You were the only person who noticed. However, unbeknownst to you, a certain young man, after working a continuous tireless shift of swinging sledgehammers and carrying bricks. He who was eating his pathetic excuse of turkey sandwich, with just a slice tomato, behind a unfinished two story house that he would wish his younger brothers would get the chance to live in, would be inspired enough to get him through the rest of his shift after seeing you walk pass him once again.

[thestobingirlie]

Maybe we just need to talk more Steve crit. So they stop thinking it's just bias. I can't think of anything that hasn't been said a lot already though.

yeah, the thing with steve crit is that it is absolutely done to the death. but if it’ll get people to stop calling me a misogynist, let’s dive in:

so, obviously steve is insecure, almost insanely insecure. now, this does have a negative affect on other people. first and foremost, steve admits he would go along with tommy, not hang out with certain people etc. because he thought no one would accept him for him.

i’m not a big believer in steve just ruthlessly bullying people, but he doesn’t seem to stop tommy and carol from badmouthing people, and it’s likely they did that a lot within earshot of the people they were badmouthing.

and then there’s the alley way scene.

this scene is both the result of steve’s insecurity, and his relationship with his parents/cheating. he jumps so quickly to believing nancy cheated because he doesn’t really believe that nancy could love him. so he makes sure everyone thinks she’s a slut. now that hurts nancy, but not jonathan, and so he turns his rage towards him. he does this both because he wants to hit jonathan/be hit by jonathan, but also because he wants jonathan to feel as shit as he does.

and so… steve’s next bad trait. he’s got some anger issues. when he’s angry/hurt/feeling insecure, he lashes out. the key scene with this is the alley way, but we do still see it in steve in s4 when he lashes out at dustin to get dustin to stop talking about nancy. this is, however, clearly something that steve’s working on, because he immediately recognised he’d gone too far and apologised. (i also think we see this trait in s1 when tommy and carol keep badmouthing nancy and steve snaps and tells carol to shut her mouth. steve’s feeling like shit, and he knows saying that will make carol feel the shit too)

however, while steve can lash out, a lot of his worst traits mostly effect him: his self-sacrificial tendencies, his refusal to really open up about trauma, and as a result bottling up his emotions, etc.

other characters, however, tend to have bad traits that do negatively affect others, and so people don’t want to bring them up as much, because they’ll be forced to accept that their fave has hurt people.

another thing is that a lot of steve’s worst traits are things that are actively seen as bad within the show. they’re traits he’s worked to try and fix, and developed from, and sadly other characters just aren’t given that opportunity!

with steve crit, i think a lot of people don’t see it as crit because they’re accepted as just facets of his personality. it’s expected to be explored in fics that focus on steve’s mental state. the same can’t be said for another characters.

but yeah! steve’s character does get criticised, a lot, within the fandom, but he also gets criticised within the show. other character don’t, and so when they get criticised within the fandom, fans of that character are more likely to get over protective, because they’re just not used to acknowledging the bad things their fave has done.

[rebellionbeach]

SIHJR Crack Ships

Inspired by @nutton-of-tata​

- Kisa x Ritsu - 7/10 they’re work buddies and having an workplace relationship is not cool!  No, but they both like dorayaki and that scene where Kisa was grabbing him at the onsen is cute and Takano honestly getting jealous means he’s insecure and afraid that Kisa will steal his man.  Cute relationship, I know this one has a lot of fans.

- Akihiko x Hiroki - 5/10 this one is hard and even isn’t really a crackship at all but if Junjou Romantica was a shounen ai series released in the 70s and Akihiko and Hiroki were at an all-boys boarding school in the countryside of France and the story revolved around Hiroki helping a young Akihiko resolve his past trauma then it’s a 10/10.  Right now though, I don’t think they’re necessarily good together, the beginnings of Egoist and Minimum really hit home how much Hiroki loved Akihiko and that’s really sweet but I am an ardent Romantica fan + Akihiko doesn’t see him that way so in the end I just can’t really see it.  I know some people really love this one too though and I can definitely see the appeal.

- Ijuuin x Akihiko - 8/10 so this one would have been a 2 or a 3 had it not been for a certain fanfic and even though Akihiko ends up dumping Ijuuin in that story I still kinda get the appeal.  There’s also REALLY nice fanart of these two together and I’m always inclined to ship two rivals together since that tension makes for a very interesting dynamic.  Not only that but having two artists share the dilemma and toll of making art together would be cute and they both live together in their hoarder apartment, their editors screaming at them to finish their manuscripts, cute!

- Ijuuin x Misaki - 4/10 I really think that the only reason this pairing has any points from me is because the toxic-ness is kinda appealing.  I cannot see ANY situation where these two would have a loving and caring relationship but the idea of Ijuuin and Misaki being a toxic presence in each other’s lives and slowly eating away at their ability to love other humans is kinda interesting.  Yes, I know it’s toxic and I’m not romanticizing it, I’m sexualizing it :/

- Haruhiko x Misaki - 8/10 this is cute and I could definitely see a very interesting dynamic between these two.  This pairing definitely divulges into two routes in my mind, either the loving and caring one where they heal each other’s broken family issues and become a stable pair or Haruhiko becomes Misaki’s sugar daddy and either way sign me up.  On a more serious note, since both have a parent dead (or parents rip misaki) it would definitely be a cool way to develop each character’s trauma in being able to confide in that sorrow in one another.  The idea of Misaki making Haruhiko pancakes because he knows it reminds him of his late mother is also a tear-jerker...

- Tsumori x Hiroki - 3/10 it’s kind of boring.  The blame is on me on not being the biggest Egoist fan and Tsumori is supposed to be almost of Sumi-senpai like character (scoff) but he just isn’t as big as him.  He shows up a lot for sure and he definitely does things to mess with Hiroki and I think the idea there was that he did like Hiroki a bit but he also wanted to make sure Nowaki was taken care of properly but it’s like, I really don’t care about Tsumori.  Idk enemies to lovers or something more confusing but the character had gotta have depth.

- Nowaki x Misaki - 1/10 this is the definition of bland.  I’m sorry but if these two got together I’d pack my bags and leave to nostalgia land cause holy shit I can’t.  Really, no hate to people who do like these two but sometimes I feel the only reason why people pair these two is because they think the regular pairings are too problematic and they need a “unproblematic” pair.  Vanilla just doesn’t appeal to me, at all, and these two are as vanilla as you can get.

- Akihiko x Takahiro - 3/10 I can’t see it, at all.  Not to mention I honestly think when it comes to romance that Takahiro would be a very boring character.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Takahiro and I think he’s one of the most important characters in JR, but he’s important because he’s Misaki’s family and he shines in that role, if JR were about Manami and Takahiro’s relationship then I don’t know if it would be that interesting.  Also their dynamic was very much a one-sided thing where Akihiko treated Takahiro like a gem and just went along with whatever he wanted, I don’t necessarily think that’s a great thing for a relationship.  I don’t know, I know this pairing has it’s fans and all the fanart and fanfics you guys make are awesome but I just don’t personally see it.

- Takano x Yokozawa - 1/10 again this is like Akihiko x Hiroki but much worse.  It didn’t seem like Nakamura really fleshed out the relationship these two as much and what we did get really was just Yokozawa taking care of Takano during university.  Hiroki did somewhat of a similar thing, but there was definitely to me a more established bond between the two.  I really enjoy the scene between the two of them in Yokozawa’s movie and it really fleshes out Takano’s character quite a bit but as a romantic pair these two would probably end up in a domestic violence episode.

- Yuu x Chiaki - 5/10 I don’t really mind who Chiaki ends up with.  I mean, obviously he only like Hatori that way, but the relationship between Yuu and Chiaki is cute and they share many similar hobbies.  That scene where Yuu comes to help Chiaki despite their argument and Chiaki’s idea that he wouldn’t come is sweet.  You can tell Yuu cares deeply for him and I’m not too sure about Chiaki, but I’m pretty sure he cares for him a bit as well.  

- Hatori x Yuu - 6/10 one point higher only cause I really like the idea of rivals ditching the main person and just getting together.  I don’t really like Hatori, but having these two together would definitely be a somewhat fun dynamic and I think they really respect each other professionally so maybe that could blossom into something more 0//0

- Tanaka x Fuyuhiko - 7/10 I’m honestly worried that this isn’t going to be a crackship soon.  I’m sorry but the latest chapter just gave me the feeling.  I feel bad for Tanaka in this situation BUT having Fuyuhiko confide in Tanaka and trusting him more than anyone is kinda cute ngl.  This trope is somewhat common in stories where there’s a very rich family and having two old men be in love with each other would be great since we don’t see a lot of it in BL.  Just the way that Tanaka laid it on Fuyuhiko straight gives me the feeling that they’re somewhat closer than expected.  Would Tanaka also love Fuyuhiko back?  Probably, in a loyal sense I suppose.  It’s kinda twisted because he’s obviously the butler, but it also makes it more interesting.  Maybe Tanaka knows how much of a fuck-up Fuyuhiko is but still feels a sense of loyalty to him, seeing him go through everything and being by his side the entire time.  We’ll see, I put the decision in your hands Nakamura.

- Miyagi x Hiroki - 6/10 I don’t hate it and a relationship like this seems something straight out of a slice-of-life comedy manga.  Two classical Japanese professors dating each other I mean, that’s hilarious.  Plus Miyagi loves to tease at Hiroki cause with his type of personality he finds it easy to play around with them.  But honestly, I want a character that challenges Miyagi’s view cause if he doesn’t have that then I don’t think that he can truly love since he’s all strung up over his past love still.  That’s the whole point of Shinobu’s characterization I think, but if they could find a hurdle around it then these two would be cute.

- Shinobu x Hiroki - 8/10 It’s really cute ngl.  I’ve thought about these two a little bit and I could definitely see an almost similar situation with how Shinobu became so fascinated with Miyagi.  It would be like Shinobu trying to get with Hiroki and Hiroki getting more and more annoyed only to see that this kid can match his level and he’s like oh shit.  They’re both kind of hot-headed so it might be a bit volatile but if Hiroki had someone who loved him unconditionally (which I mean he does) then it would definitely be a cute way for him to get over Akihiko.  Plus I think he would admire the intelligence Shinobu has and would tell him to foster it properly so he can be successful too.  A cute dynamic, I love when the rivals become lovers (even though they weren’t really rivals)

- Ritsu x Yokozawa - 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10 I feel very passionately about this relationship and I’ve thought about it A LOT.  I’m sure you can tell by now I love rivals to lovers, but especially in this case because Takano had such an effect of both of their lives and maybe not the most positive as well (I’m sorry I think Takano is a neat character).  It seems almost as if they were supposed to be together (but that’s just me deluding myself) since it would make such a nice way to fully develop Ritsu and Yokozawa’s characters in how they realize that Takano wasn’t actually what they needed.  They both let his presence hold them back emotionally and only until they can see a mirror of themselves can they realize that and maybe heal through each other and fall in the love somewhere in that process.  Yokozawa is probably my favorite SIH character just because of how caring he is and I think if Ritsu had someone like that in his life it would be beneficial.  I mean, obviously his life is kinda of a mess but he also needs a stable emotional support because man is not really getting it.  His family puts pressure on him and An is only around sometimes to encourage and honestly so far with Takano it’s sort of up and down.  Yokozawa too would realize to move the past behind that dragged him on and that’s basically what Trifecta is and it sucks that Hiyori wouldn’t be a part of his life but idk they could adopt a kid.  100/100 one of my favorite crackships and would make such an incredible story.

- Yukina x Yokozawa - 8/10 I know they only have like 4 interactions but I mean that’s the whole idea of a crack ship right?  Yes, okay, I like the exicted x grumpy dynamic and I’m not ashamed of it.  What’s good about these two is that they’re more than just that (at least Yokozawa is).  I’m pretty sure it was shown that they’re went out to drink together at least once so I’m pretty they’ve hooked up at least.  Yukina x Yokozawa would just be like erotica except with a grumpy salaryman.  Maybe Yukina would fall in love with how dedicated Yokozawa is or how caring he is to people he likes.  Or maybe he would have noticed how much he’s still pining over Takano and becomes the person to pull him out of it.  Kinda of manic pixie dream girl-esq but we make due with what we can.  Yokozawa would take care of Yukina and maybe encourage him towards his art career and become his muse and honestly it would all be cute.  I love the idea of Yukina rejecting girls and being like “sorry I already have a sweetheart <3″ and Yokozawa is just next to him.

- Kirishima x Takano - 10/10 it almost seems too good to be true.  I mean, you got a man who has no family and a man who had a family missing one member, can I make it any more obvious?  On the same vein with Ritsuzawa, after seeing those two get together Takano would probably be in a TERRIBLE place and Kirishima would want to help him cause he’s just that type of person.  In the actual movie I remember Kirishima saying how Takano had a lot of problems and I think he sees him as not so easy to toy with as Yokozawa, but dealing with the loss of Ritsu would put him over the edge of Kirishima would see this and maybe feel a bit of resonance of when he lost his own wife (though it’s a little different) and want to help.  I think the best part about this dynamic is that Takano would become a dad.  Takano has no family and it’s really tragic how his parents really just left him behind so being with Kirishima and Hiyori, he would finally feel that void in his heart.  I’m not saying that people can’t live by themselves, but to really not have anyone is super hard and I think Takano would feel strongly for Hiyori, not wanting her to go through anything he had to go through.  Seeing this fondness he has for her, I think Kirishima would also fall a little bit in love cause he realizes that maybe he had also been holding on to his lost love and has let it hold him back as well.  Something like “I don’t want Hiyori to go through the same thing as I did,” and Kirishima is like “Okay wanna get married then?”  The more and more I write about them, my score slowly increased from an 8.5 to 10 so yeah, great relationship I would pay for Nakamura to write something like that.

- Misaki x Hiroki - 9/10 this is really hot, idk.                                                           I’m kidding, but I’m not.  I mean, it’s not the only reason I like this pairing, but it a certain dynamic that I am once again romanticizing :/.......but I mean think about it.  Lost student Misaki, not wanting to get hit by Kamijou again actually goes up to ask him and Hiroki realizes that he’s actually a hard-working student but just needs a certain push in the right direction.  Once they start working together, Misaki realizes that Hiroki actually isn’t a demon professor and just feels very strongly (violently) about classic Japanese literature.  Not only that, but his pining for Akihiko almost mirrors the pining that Akihiko had for Takahiro so it’s almost similar to Romantica’s plot in that Misaki feels for Hiroki and how his feelings will never return.  Maybe Misaki even forms a love for classic Japanese literature and they can share that between each other.  I just see a lot of opportunities and the actual interactions that they have in the manga while limited are pretty sweet.  They both care deeply for Akihiko so why couldn’t they care deeply for each other?

- Misaki x Shinobu - 8.5/10 okay so any ship with Misaki besides Nowaki kinda works.  This one though, I mean I’ve already seen a few fanfics and they’re great.  I love Shinobu, he really is such a fun character.  I also find him somewhat relatable (don’t worry I’m not in a relationship with a classic Japanese literature professor who is 15 years older than me).  Instead, he says that he’s gone by life without a passion in the world until he met Miyagi.  This is cliche and done so many times, but it still resonates to that certain dullness of everyday life that seems to creep up every now and again.  His passion for Miyagi stems from his passion for life itself, he is that catalyst I believe.  So basically, Misaki is the one he’s passionate about this time.  Shinobu is a very sporatic person imo so I feel like this is the only way he’d fall in love.  I think Misaki dealing with Shinobu’s antics would also be funny.  It’s just an overall fun dynamic with two characters who are some of my favs.

- Misaki x Miyagi - 7/10 and that’s the final character from the main three couples shipped with Misaki.  Miyagi and Misaki seem a little strange at first, but I’d imagine that Misaki, being too scared to ask Kamijou for help, goes to the other professor instead and they slowly get acquainted from there.  The most appealing aspect of this relationship to me is the shared bond they have from losing very important people in their lives.  It’s obvious that Miyagi still hasn’t moved on and while Misaki has fared better I’m sure the incident still haunts him so I think it would be very cute to see these deal with their issues together.  Mostly Miyagi though, I think Misaki would really help him deal with the loss as he’s dealt with himself and Miyagi slowly realizes that he’s in love with this person.  Bottom line is that I love the Romantica and Terrorist couples and I think they should just become one big couple.

- Akihiko x Shinobu - 6.5/10 it’s continuing on and this is a pairing I’ve discussed with some people before and I think that it would probably be the fastest couple to get together ever.  Shinobu being Shinobu would fall in love with this gorgeous millionaire author and still shoot his shot because he’s that guy and Akihiko would be like “why not?”.  Okay probably not but it would be easier to imagine Akihiko after Takahiro’s whole engagement is a severe mess and Shinobu finally comes into his life after stalking him a bit and confesses to him.  It would take some time but I think Akihiko would very much appreciate a presence like that in his life, I mean someone to love him that much openly, it would definitely be a pda relationship.

- Nowaki x Akihiko - 6/10 this is another case of rivals getting together cause obviously Nowaki is somewhat hesitant about Akihiko’s presence in Hiroki’s life.  What I think is interesting is that Akihiko doesn’t really feel the same way to Nowaki, if anything he uses him as material in his BL novels.  He’s just always somewhat surprised when Nowaki is there and idk maybe he’s just attracted to the tall muscular doctor.  I could definitely see these two being a very dysfunctional relationship, maybe Nowaki not liking Akihiko at first, but then slowly coming around to him and maybe they can even bond from their somewhat troubled upbringings.  

- Todo x Misaki - 2/10 I really don’t see the appeal.  I’m sorry, I also know this one has a lot of fans but they don’t give off any romantic vibes at all.  They both like Za Kan and Todo is more proactive when it comes to his life decisions while Misaki is better at taking care of others, but together they just don’t really pose an interesting dynamic for me.  Throw in Sumi though then we’ve got something.

- Sumi x Misaki - ∞/10 so this is my crack ship.  I think it’s obvious but I’m a Romantica fan at heart and that hasn’t changed, it’s only widened to include Sumi in the mix.  I honestly think that a relationship between Akihiko, Misaki and Sumi would be viable....no I don’t.  However, it definitely would be an interesting thing to read about.  Sumi is just my guy, he’s manipulative, he’s toxic, he has long hair, terrible sense of humor, he’s perfect.  And with Misaki, the ever pure-hearted boy that can’t do no wrong, they’d be perfect together.  Again, this a pair that can go two ways for me, either Misaki and Sumi form a natural relationship throughout college and Sumi is able to get over Akihiko and Misaki is able to get over his fear of being selfish or Sumi can take advantage of Misaki and be a parasite.  Again, either way sign me up.  I do really think though that even at the start, Sumi was a good character.  It seems to me that Nakamura was almost unsure of what to do with him and saw that Akihiko needed a rival and just put him in that role.  But the way she sets him up just seems to me that he’s supposed to be so much more.  He’s a rival in the sense that he tried to steal Akihiko once and after that was never seen again.  It’s just strange because he had such a large presence before that and to see his role be so small and then disappear seems like unfinished characterization to me.  Well, you know what they say, if it isn’t finished then do it yourself.  Bottom line, I think that Sumi and Misaki have a lot of chemistry and I know that it’s just me so just leave me be in my Sumi corner alone thank you.

- Sumi x Akihiko - 7/10 is this a crackship?  Maybe not, they were about to get in on, with Misaki under the same roof no less, do they have no shame!  No, they really don’t.  Obviously, these two shouldn’t be together, it would be a parasocial fan’s dream.  It’s just the idea of Sumi and Akihiko together is an interesting idea only in the drama that it creates.  It would be potentially the most toxic couple ever, I know, even more than Romantica, so please stop reading if this is getting too much for you.  However, it would just be an interesting story to read.  You have Sumi, the parasocial fan who has read everything that Usami Akihiko has written and Akihiko, the lonely author who has no one to love him.  If they got together without Misaki in the situation I could maybe see a yandere thing going on which might be some people’s thing.  I could personally see a relationship where Sumi puts down all that Akihiko writes and Akihiko stays with him only because it reminds him of the harsh words his mother used to say to him therefore a familiar habitat.  You know, all that mushy stuff, but would probably make for a pretty dark BL.  If Misaki was in the picture it would definitely be a little different, I mean what if Misaki really wasn’t in love with Akihiko (and I guess that’s the truth since everyone thinks he’s got stockholm syndrome so) and he’s unable to stop those two.  What a mess, sign me up.

- Onodera x Misaki - 8/10 the main characters of each series meet each other at last, the purest, number 1 first romance if you will.  Half the reason why I think these two would be cute together is that train scene in SIH.  Yeah, that one where Onodera decides to sit on the only seat where a certain somebody is sleeping.  A little creepy but maybe he just has a crush.  If you think about it though, I really think these two would be good for each other.  Both have a lot of issues they struggle with, but I think they compliment each other well, fill in the missing gaps that they lack in each other.  Misaki, with his homemaking expertise, would make sure Onodera lived a proper and healthy life and Onodera would help Misaki on his independence.  I mean, it’s not perfect but it’s cute.  Onodera obviously feels that his accomplishments aren’t worth anything, but I think having an outside party look at him and what he’s doing would help in him understanding just how hard-working he is.  Ritsu would also see how selfless Misaki is and help him in understanding that he shouldn’t be afraid to be selfish sometimes and maybe get settled into the working world having experience of his own.  Also the illustration between the two of their chibis is cute, the most recent Emerald one not so much.

- Akihiko x Takano - 7/10 now lets pair together the other main characters!  Personally, I don’t find it as appealing as Onodera x Misaki however there are definitely certain characteristic to be of note here.  First, Takano has read Akihiko’s novels and maybe in a certain way the loneliness that ponders those works maybe resonate to his own sense of isolation.  So basically this is the most emo couple on this list.  I could see a very melodramatic, but beautiful, story between these two and how they slowly fall in love through each other’s understanding of what they’ve each been through.  While not completely the same, there are very much similar aspects that they share such as a bad relationship with family (or no relationship) and romantic troubles.  Honestly, they might be pretty good at understanding each other and sorting out each other’s problems to become better people.  Also lead shoujo manga editor x best-selling author of the publishing company, now that’s a power couple.

- Takano x Misaki - 3/10 no.  Well, it’s more complicated then that and I’ll try not to let my biases get in the way, but the only depiction I’ve read of these two getting together was definitely...disturbing.  What’s interesting is that they both don’t really have parents, but Misaki does have Takahiro which makes a world of a difference when compared to Takano who practically has no one.  The fact that they’ve lost their parents in one way or another though would make for a compelling narrative of how they each heal through each other’s loss.  I feel though that Misaki would be more encouraging to get Takano to reunite with his living parents.  I’m not really sure, but I just don’t really see these two having any other relationship besides that.  They have completely different personalities and hobbies and I don’t think they’d necessarily mesh well but who knows, maybe there are some fans out there who can say otherwise.

- Akihiko x Onodera - 5/10 this is the rich boy drama that I wanted.  Is this even a crackship?  Yes, it is because Onodera was only his editors despite what some people may think.  Then again, maybe they did hook up, but I’m not sure whether Nakamura would write that in her stories.  What is interesting about them is of course a sort of similar background of having been born in a really well-off family that owns a company of some sorts that they are being pressured to inherit.  It didn’t seem so in Onodera’s case, but with the newest chapters it really seems that’s the narrative Nakamura is going towards, so there is definitely some tension there.  These two have more potential than TakaMisa imo because they almost seem to be foils of each other’s characters.  Akihiko doesn’t seem to have any confidence issues on how his family name has brought him success and knows what he wants to do with his life without his family’s interference.  Onodera however, well, he definitely has more issues with that and I could see how Akihiko could help him overcome that with his own experience.  They also both struggle with loving people so it would be a story of learning how to be your own person and love again, in a private boarding school in England.

- Onodera x Isaka - 6/10 more rich boy drama.  This is the nanahikari-doushi couple that I think works better than Akihiko and Onodera only because this time the situation is basically the same, but just approached radically different.  I mean think about it, Isaka and Onodera both of sons of the leads of big publishing companies and are set to inherit that top position.  I’m not sure of the age gap between the two, but maybe if they met when they were younger and slowly grew up together (idk rip Asahina), then Isaka could help Onodera with his whole issue with feeling inadequate.  It would seem like Isaka would be the best person to help him, seeing as he just worked his way to the top of Marukawa without worrying what other people thought.  I think that Onodera is just more overall sensitive when compared to Isaka so it would be interesting seeing those two get along, either way dating the CEO of the company you’re working for, that’s gotta be an OSHA violation.

- Haruhiko x Sumi - 4/10 not as big of a fan as I thought I would be honestly.  There are definitely some works out there involving these two, mostly because people just wanted to pair together the rejected rivals (better Sentiment) but it’s just not the same...  Haruhiko and Sumi don’t really have anything in common, and I really can’t see a scenario where Haruhiko would be attracted to him.  The only common thing they really share is that they were both rejected by the people they wanted.  I mean, even Sentiment had more than that.  But I do like Haruhiko and Sumi’s characters individually and a story where Sumi just gets with Haruhiko to mess with Romantica sounds funny so yeah, not terrible.

- Haruhiko x Todo - 3/10 I don’t know, I just don’t find Todo that interesting.  I know that this one is pretty popular, shout out to the Junjou Acceptance fans, but I feel like if Nakamura actually does this it would just be too much.  Todo really doesn’t have that much of a developed character as many other characters and pairing him up with Haruhiko really just seems like forcing someone to get with Haruhiko for the sake of him not being alone.  However, the idea of Todo and Misaki becoming brother-in-laws is sort of amusing so it’s not all bad I suppose.

- Aikawa x An - 5/10 I don’t think Aikawa isn’t given as much characterization as many other characters.  It’s strange since she’s such a staple of the JR cast, but I also don’t think Nakamura ever intended her to be a deeper character unfortunately.  An on the otherhand definitely has more going on, but even then I’m not sure how far you can go with these two.  I think if anything it would almost be like erotica with a stressed out Aikawa and more relaxed An telling her to take it easy.  She might even go over and kick Akihiko in the balls for always turning in his manuscripts late and stressing out her girlfriend.  Points for that, so overall a pretty cute relationship.

- An x Kaoruko - 7/10 now this is the shoujo power couple I need.  An and Kaoruko definitely share a lot of similarities in being rejected by the person they like and being from more wealthy backgrounds.  Kaoruko probably struggles more with the fact that her family is so pushy on her since it really isn’t stated with An whether or not that’s the case, however I think these two would be cute together.  Two women trying to carve out a future from themselves away from the pressures of their overbearing households, I mean it’s kinda giving Tamaki and Benio vibes.

- Shizukuishi x Misaki - 7/10 Shizukuishi basically disappeared, but for the 3 moments that he appeared in the manga, he really made an impression.  There’s some tension on how much Ijuuin dotes on him, but they both respect each other’s passion for Za Kan and I just think that he’s a more interesting character than Todo.  I mean, he’s an overworked little guy that needs a break, what’s not to love.  Plus, their personalities are a little more contrasting which is a bit appealing, love a good serious x sunshine trope.  Not bad, I wish there were more than 4 panels of him though.

That’s about all I can think of right now.  Anyway if there’s anything to take away from this, it’s that crackships are the backbone of JRSIH and draw Sumi x Misaki fanart!!!!!

[mariemariemaria]

OH MAN DONT GET ME STARTED ON NATE AND REDEMPTION. i so badly want nate to be redeemed!!! i was all for jamie being redeemed. all of season 1 i was wondering when and how it was going to happen. and then in the last ep of season 1 when he makes the extra pass for the win against richmond it was such a bittersweet moment because like HE IS CHANGING BUT RICHMOND LOST. but it gives you hope! and then jamie finally got that redemption in season 2 and i was so happy for it. and all through season 2 watching nate just getting lower and meaner and angrier was so rough but in the time between season 2 and season 3 i have been anticipating a nate redemption. and once season 3 trailers came out and more people started talking about predictions i heard so many people say shit about how much they hate nate and how they DONT WANT a redemption for him?? like i started feeling like i was the only one REALLY HOPING for nate’s redemption. which SHOCKED me because isn’t this whole show about kindness??? and forgiveness and all those warm fuzzy feelings? we got a rebecca redemption and a jamie redemption and so WHY would we not get a nate redemption?? it makes no sense to me and it frustrates me to no end. part of what made his descent so painful to watch was because he was so endearing in season 1. and i want to see him become a better person! i want all of them to become better people!! SO DOES TED. once again, isn’t that like. part of the point of the show. it’s not about soccer and the winning and losing (except when it sometimes is) it’s about the characters and their relationships and lives and overcoming hardship and trauma and getting better? anyway thanks for letting me take over your inbox for all that. i just saw your post and had to agree and RANT.

I agree with you about EVERYTHING. Watching Jamie be redeemed (though I do think he still needs to apologise to Nate) was brilliant and it was so emotional to watch that process, especially as it was revealed that his behaviour was largely due to his abusive father. Him working through that toxic relationship and getting support from team members like Roy, Higgins and Ted was so imporant to his development, and I am sure that this season we will also see Nate stand up to his father and start defining himself outside of what other people think of him.

I am honestly still shocked when I see people hating on Nate so much, and saying that he is beyond redemption. I have no idea how someone could watch the show and think that, because to me it's very obvious that there will be a Nate redemption arc. I mean, series 1 ended with Rebecca being forgiven so quickly by Ted that it pleasantly surprised me; Higgins was forgiven by Rebecca; Keeley forgave Rebecca (and Nate); as you said Jamie has been improving throughout both seasons, as have the other members of the team. Though I think we need to remember that while it's great that Jamie, Colin, Isaac and everyone else have been evolving as people, they still bullied Nate and never apologised. And the other players watched and let it happen; Roy only intervened when Ted "manipulated" him into it, and he was the Team Captain! I'm not hating on them here, I like them all, but this all contributed to Nate's insecurities and subsequent actions. I mean, can you imagine working with people like that for God knows how many years, making a hell of a lot less money than them, and then seeing them all go on their own ~personal journeys~ and not apologising to you once??

Nate has so many unresolved issues, to do with his father, with the players, and the misunderstanding around the picture he gifted to Ted. I understand not liking him, because betraying Ted like that was nasty, but that doesn't mean he is beyond redemption. I mean, Trent Crimm didn't have to write that article just because he was given the power to, but he did face the consequences of his actions and seems to have been forgiven. Ted definitely wants to talk to Nate, and wants to forgive him, and I don't think Nate really understands that. I think he wants to feel powerful, and to make people know how much power he has over them, because he was so belittled and disempowered for so long. He's going to be a very unpopular coach at West Ham, even if they are successful in the League (which they may not be, seeing as loyalty and compassion are important in teambuilding, and Nate also doesn't explain to players what they did wrong, instead just calling them stupid).

Also I'm lowkey nervous for him. If West Ham don't do well Rupert will turn on him so fast. Perhaps Rebecca will play an important role here, seeing as she clearly still hasn't fully recovered from her relationship with Rupert? (I wonder if Rebecca will forgive Rubert this season, not because he deserves it or is seeking forgiveness, but in order to allow herself to truly move on and be happy?) I also think/hope Jamie will be integral to Nate's redemption, seeing as he's partly responsible for his fall in the first place.

So yeah you are most definitely not alone in your Nate appreciation. There's a a good few people who like him as a character and believe he will be redeemed. That's what the show is all about.

[aiyexayen]

The ChengXian/WangXian parallel gifsets about the sad boat rides with Wen Ning made me think, once again, about how Wei Ying was worried about being the Jiang Cheng in his relationship with Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying just had so few models of relationship, and only two real models of a serious relationship involving himself--Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. He saw himself as a caretaker in each of them.

Even Jiang Yanli, ultimately, though there was certainly more give and take there. He only accepted a very specific kind of caretaking from her, though, and we see how fraught that was in the way Yu-furen shamed Jiang Yanli for it.

But Jiang Cheng was the most complicated. He and Wei Ying were the Yunmeng Shuangjie. Twin Heroes. Both of them strong male cultivators. Their relationship was such a carefully orchestrated imbalance. Wei Ying had to take care of Jiang Cheng even to the point of making sure Jiang Cheng didn’t feel taken care of. He was stronger, but he had to make sure Jiang Cheng didn’t feel weaker.

And at the same time, he had to be able to have his best friend and brother and navigate the lines of teasing and boasting that came with those dynamics and also with his natural brash and outgoing and free-spirited personality. It’s not something that weighed particularly heavy on him until later on, of course; it’s just How Things Were.

But Lan Zhan being Wei Ying's true equal was a heady taste of something new, something he was desperate for.

Someone he didn’t have to take care of in all those tricky, sticky ways. Someone who could understand him from the outside. That equality between them--of swords and strength and wit--formed so much of their early relationship. The ways Wei Ying and Lan Zhan excelled differently weren’t seen as anything but surface-level differences, cultivation styles. They could choose to take care of each other on their own (like in the Xuanwu cave) but there were no expectations except that which they set for themselves.

The best cohesive example I can think of is the situation at Dafan Mountain. Jiang Cheng has taken off after Wei Ying, to come and find his troublemaking brother and bring him home, ostensibly being the one to wrangle and care for his brother and best friend and someday-second. But as soon as he finds them, Wei Ying is clearly the one in charge. Jiang Cheng gets locked into a shield barrier, given a verbal half-teasing pat on the head, and left behind. Wei Ying goes off with Lan Zhan to find the source of the problems and their new level of partnership is beautifully put on display through their fight (other things happen in that fight, too, but that’s another post).

Jiang Cheng was never allowed to truly take care of Wei Ying. His parents never let him. Wei Ying never let him. He tried, all the time, most of all when he gave himself up to the Wen soldiers. But even that was immediately undone, turned back around on him.

Wei Ying never figured out how to attain any semblance of true equilibrium in his relationship with Jiang Cheng, even after everything at Lotus Pier, especially after everything at Lotus Pier, either before or after the core transfer. Maybe if he had, things would have been different. Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have sacrificed his core to begin with.

It’s debatable how much Wei Ying expected to keep living after his core was gone. It’s even more debatable how much he really thought about anything past his own desperation in the moment, about all the promises broken with that single act, about how that would affect his relationship with anyone else. That doesn’t seem like a very Wei Ying thing to sit and think about.

Regardless, once the core was gone, he and Lan Zhan weren't equals. It messed up his relationship with Jiang Cheng, too, of course. The resentful energy was its own kind of strength but it couldn’t make up the difference in any way that counted. It just complicated everything by a thousand times and added in all kinds of new problems.

Even though Jiang Cheng had his core and Wei Ying had nothing but the tortured screams of the lost and vengeful echoing in his head, Wei Ying was still the caretaker there.

Don’t let Jiang Cheng find out the secret. Don’t let Lan Zhan become embroiled in it or expose the secret. Make sure Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli and Lotus Pier are okay. Lift Jiang Cheng up as a leader. Win the war. Apparently still be alive welp didn’t see that coming. Protect them all. Even if it means leaving.

But as much as he scrambled for strengths and leaned on his demonic cultivation he was still weak. Able to wipe out entire outposts of Wen agents yet repeatedly brought to a point where Lan Zhan could kill him easily and we know that the only way he could hope to match him would be to use this dangerous thing that's eating his soul, so shit could really get out of hand. Which wasn't really winning in the end. Demonic cultivation for him in general wasn’t strength so much as carefully-applied weakness.

Not to mention his reputation. They got so far off-balance where reputation and social standing was concerned.

Wei Ying’s merits had been contentious throughout his life--on the one hand, they're all he had to elevate himself beyond the need for the Jiangs' charity, or anyone's charity, as his status as family was so fraught and inconsistent. Being the best made all of that a moot point as much as it could be. And it also made him able to take care of said family, fulfilling all manner of "repay debt" vibes and "I'm obsessed with justice and protection" vibes.

On the other hand, they were definitely part of what made things so difficult with Jiang Cheng. Wei Ying’s reputation outclassing Jiang Cheng’s as a prodigy, a swordsman, a hero, even as he balanced it out by getting a simultaneous reputation for goofing off and being irresponsible. He did his best to make them complementary even though they were never really allowed to be.

But Jiang Cheng said it himself when he visited Wei Ying at the Burial Mounds--as soon as he started walking a different path, all of his merits and his skills and his reputation were turned upside down and used to make him a more effective villain.

So suddenly he didn’t even have any good social standing. He was mistrusted and then hated and reviled. On a number of levels, he could handle that, because it was more important to him that everyone who wasn’t him was okay. But it put him at complete odds with the great Hanguang-Jun, which was definitely something he made a point of noting more than once so we know it really, really mattered to him.

And that knowledge crept further and further in, between the war ending, things going back to some semblance of normal when he...couldn’t, and eventually him ending up in the Burial Mounds.

It was inevitable. He was the weaker one between himself and Lan Zhan, in every possible way. He knew of only one way that could go down.

It's a fear that got tangled up along with the rest of his paranoias, insecurities, traumas, resolutions, and twisted certainties pre-timeskip. On top of that, he lost a central piece of his identity and had no idea how to replace it.

If he isn't himself, who else can he be? Who else might he turn into? Someone who needs to be taken care of? Someone who might have his agency circumvented by a stronger person who thinks he knows better?

He sure did that to Jiang Cheng, and he never really had to own up to that piece of it. He never really regretted it either but he also sure didn't want to be on the other end of it.

Aside from that, Wei Ying just didn't know how to not be the strongest person. Being equal is the closest he’d ever come. He's never been allowed to be weak and taken care of unless he's play-acting and isn't that fucking heartbreaking? Fuck.

So who is he without that?

He still fought with the strengths he had and pretended to have the rest of them. And in one last great act of being the protector and caretaker, ran off to the Burial Mounds.

We do get to see Wei Ying and Lan Zhan working in tandem to bring back Wen Ning, and even though Wei Ying stumbles at the end (for the first time ever, I think, into Lan Zhan’s arms?), he does it successfully. They’re still able to work together, in spite of everything that’s happened, especially when Wei Ying is leaning into his actual talents. Even if Wei Ying’s weakness is still looming over his shoulder, as we see later.

Being with the Wens, living a simple life, leaning into his strengths, being part of a community and family, taking time to work on his scholarly/inventor hobbies, all this served to calm a lot of those fears and also conveniently take Wei Ying out of the scenarios and away from the relationships that caused them. It offered him tentative new pieces of identity to grab.

But then, of course, he lost that, too.

Post-timeskip, Wei Ying is thrust right back into a world where he has to finally face those issues. Whether you take it as he still has no core, or he has Mo Xuanyu’s really weak core, he’s not doing so great where that’s concerned.

He still has strengths. We’re not actually shown any indications that this man is weak at any point, not truly. He has a better grasp on the situation at Mo Manor than all of those precious Lan babies put together.

But we are shown that he uses a bunch of hands-on crafty tricks, talismans and spells and such. And, interestingly, in counterpoint we’re shown Lan Zhan descending from the heavens with his qin. Wei Ying doesn’t use a dizi here yet (let alone sword), and Lan Zhan doesn’t use Bichen. I do think that’s lovely.

However, Lan Zhan is still incredibly strong, in more ways than just physically: his reputation is strong, his presence is strong, his confidence is high, his mastery of the qin is unparalleled, he’s had sixteen more years to grow up and develop his golden core.

From the framing, and Wei Ying’s reactions, and the Lan juniors’ reactions, it’s pretty clear that’s the impression Wei Ying has. There’s an imbalance between them (along with alllll the other reasons he might have to want to stay away from/keep Lan Zhan out of things). He doesn’t see them as complementary, just as not-the-same.

He meets Jiang Cheng next and, hey, Jiang Cheng is actually really strong now, too (also he always was but meh). Again, Wei Ying uses his tricks to outwit and outmaneuver the situation at hand. Again, he’s struck by the impressive image of someone entering the scene like a badass.

And what a deliciously awful carousel of conflicting feelings. Pride? Despair? Longing? Love? Annoyance? Delight? Relief? Pain? Fear?

But as far as strength goes, clearly Jiang Cheng has it in buckets, now. Which means even if they still had a relationship, Jiang Cheng surely wouldn't even be the Jiang Cheng in it anymore. What a horrible realisation.

It can’t be helped much by the fact that Wei Ying almost lets himself get run through and Lan Zhan enters the scene to fucking save him. Even if it’s from the kid we know he just bested.

And that’s the back and forth we see at first. Wei Ying proving his strength and his character but the framing and his reactions proving that he’s still caught in the idea that Lan Zhan is stronger and better than him.

Lan Zhan is beloved. Lan Zhan is strong. Lan Zhan would never accidentally murder people he loved more than life itself. (OKay I won’t get into that but tell me he didn’t think that at any point I dare you)

He accepts it and plays it off as not a big deal, but it clearly is. In his rare serious moments, we see that.

So post-timeskip, Wei Ying has to figure out who he is and then how he can be said person. A significant part of the character and relationship development post-timeskip is about that.

He once again finds himself exploring uncharted territory of building relationship dynamics he’s never experienced with Lan Zhan. It started because he realised they were equals. It can’t develop further until he acknowledges that they still are.

He figures out how to be weak with Lan Zhan first, that it's safe and allowed and okay. There’s nothing wrong with being taken care of. It doesn’t have to define him and it doesn’t have to be about agency or about all the twisty psychological junk that was all wrapped up in his familial relationships at all.

Then he figures out that he still has the capacity to take care of someone like Lan Zhan back, that he’s still able to be needed, and not just someone to follow around and protect.

Wei Ying has strengths, strengths that were always there and always part of him as well as new ways he's grown and changed. He’s an inventor, he’s a genius, he’s a prodigy, he has his talismans and his music and his people skills and his teaching ability and his empathy and his heart.

All this definitely comes to a head on the steps of Jinlintai, by which point it feels like one of the only remaining imbalances that Wei Ying feels so keenly is their status, which of course Lan Zhan snuffs out utterly romantically.

It’s even more poignant that that moment comes right after Wei Ying gets Suibian back. And he's not nearly as good with it--Lan Zhan has to protect him multiple times in that fight and then of course he gets stabbed. But the point is still made, that he was still able to fight, and even his failures with the sword just drive home that this isn't who he is now. And that's okay.

By the time they're at the Burial Mounds again, Wei Ying has accepted the way they work as a team and that they can be complementary. And they fight flawlessly.

I love that growth for him.

He absolutely ends up being the Jiang Cheng, in a number of ways. He runs after Lan Zhan when he’s drunk to keep him out of trouble. He ends up left behind to take care of defenseless people while Lan Zhan runs off and has an epic sword fight in an evil fog bank.

He has to be taken from Lotus Pier, unconscious, in a boat, and is held so preciously in Lan Zhan’s arms.

But. Turns out it’s not so bad when the person you’re being Jiang Cheng for isn’t Wei Ying.

I swear this is not throwing shade at Wei Ying.

But he figures out, slowly, how to actually have a relationship built on even ground, as equals, in spite of being unequal in all the ways he used to think mattered. And he only manages it with someone once he’s on the weaker side of it.

I just think that’s super interesting.

And I think it sets a precedent for Wei Ying to understand the flaws in his old dynamic with Jiang Cheng. Especially once there aren’t secrets between them.

Everything has to change, anyway. Everything has already changed, almost two decades ago, and it isn’t going back. It can’t ever go back. Everything they were to each other was bound up in Jiang Yanli’s presence, in promises long broken, in dreams long dead, in a future that has already proved to not be real. In the old Lotus Pier, a lot of it, since they never really moved on from that, either, even back then.

Jiang Cheng has grown up. He’s raised a kid. He’s raised and trained disciples. He’s been a sect leader for over a decade and a half. He’s been to other people what he never could be to Wei Ying.

He’s also proven that he still wants his brother to fix things, still expects him to be able to. Still wants to fight, still knows how to cry. Still acknowledges fragmented pieces of their lost dynamic. Probably more of the healthy ones than Wei Ying ever has, too.

Jiang Cheng still, even in the wake of learning about the golden core, even after everything he’s built and has become, acknowledges Wei Ying as a strong person. As someone as strong as he is, if not stronger in many ways. As having the capacity of an older brother.

But then, Jiang Cheng was always able to conceptualise a world where he and Wei Ying were equals, complementary if not evenly matched, just as much as Lan Zhan was.

It wasn’t a fantasy that Wei Ying indulged him in. It was a reality that Wei Ying himself didn’t know how to accept and kept at a distance, carefully juggling too many separate parts of a whole he couldn’t allow to come together until they all crashed down.

But he’s been on the other side of it now and maybe it’s enough. Maybe he can take what he’s learned in building/rebuilding his relationship with Lan Zhan and apply it to other people. Especially Jiang Cheng.

And maybe Jiang Cheng has been a sect leader and an uncle long enough to not let Wei Ying get away with shit.

[criminalmutantsins]

My Version of the Hamato Family

Hi everyone! Thank you for reading and liking part one. It made my day!

So, this is where I shine in writing. I love creating characters and their backstory; it’s so fun. I think it is more important to focus on characters than the plot since a character can create the storyline- well at least for me.

I’m excited to share! Hope you enjoy!

Comment your thoughts! It would be cool to read them! 😁

……………………..

 Leonardo:

We’re starting with the usual leader-in-blue!

Although I adore Leo, his “perfect” personality can get a little boring. His versions usually have flaws, though they are the kind that makes you sympathize with him rather than feeling indifferent like with Raph’s anger issues.

Season 1 Leo would be a toned-down Rise Leo. He can be cocky when he succeeds over his brothers and would jokingly comment how he is Splinter’s favorite. However, it doesn’t come without hard work. Leo trains the most out of his brothers and spends most of his time studying fighting techniques. He is not naturally talented in ninjitsu like the past incarnations. Also, Leo’s motivations for training very hard and wanting to be leader is more for himself than anything.

Compared to his brothers, Leo was relatively average. Donnie was extremely smart, Mikey had his kind and joyful soul, and Raph was naturally a great fighter. Leo felt left out and decided that training to be a hero would be his way of standing out. He also believed that being special like his brothers was the only way to get Splinter’s attention; and it kind of worked. With all the progress Leo made, Splinter praised him, and they had a way to connect.

Around the beginning of S1(maybe ep. 5), Leo became the leader though how was different. Instead of Splinter deciding, the brothers did; the explanation was the turtles were a team and should make a consensus as one. This news made Leo ecstatic; he was finally living his dreams. Even so, he didn’t realize the baggage and responsibility a leader had to shoulder. Over the course of the story Leo grows as a great leader and fighter.

The Karai/Leo subplot will follow the 2003 version. He is convinced that Karai is a good person and tries to have her switch sides. There will be romantic feelings but its not the main motivation for both of their actions. I can’t say too much since this plot revolves around Karai more.

   Donatello:

Donnie is a blend of 2003/12 versions. He is intelligent with an extremely high IQ and was a gifted child. However, his intelligence came with a cost; making connections with his brothers and father was really tough for him because of their different interests. This left him withdrawing from everyone and focusing on his inventions. His social skills evolve once the turtles visit the city and meet April. The increasing danger of the Kraang further builds his relationships since communication is important in teamwork, and Donnie’s talent in inventing grew more in the spotlight.

Because of her fascination with Donnie’s smarts and inventions, April and Donnie become good friends as the story continues. Donnie also gets close with April’s best friend, Irma since they are science lovers. At first, Casey irritates him as they have clearly different personality; Casey’s impulsive and extroverted attitude conflicting with Donnie’s plan-based mindset.

Donnie’s love for his family is showcased after witnessing a terrifying, apocalyptic future where his family suffers. Paranoia sets in. His work to calculate the cause of this terrible, and its solution leads Donnie to rarely take care of his needs. He has to learn to trust in others instead of doing things alone.

 Raphael:

Unlike Leo, Raph is instantly gifted in fighting. He has more physical strength than his brothers and would constantly beat them in practice. Since childhood, Raph was Splinter’s “favorite” in the dojo and that definitely got into the red-banded turtle’s head. He would brag to his brothers and jokingly poke fun at their techniques. It wouldn’t affect anyone. Except for Leo.

Raphael’s ego started taking hits once Leo caught up to him and beating him in practice once in a while. It turned into anger after noticing Master Splinter praising Leo more. The tension soured their brotherhood. Unlike most versions, Raph’s anger is fueled by insecurity. He believes that fighting is the only thing he is good at and will get territorial if his spotlight is threatened.

Throughout the story, he learns to move on from his demons and realize his worth.

Family is important to Raph. He can be hard on his brothers yet will do anything to keep them safe, especially Mikey- his positivity must be protected. Casey and Raph become best friends for their similarities and love for fighting- they are impulsive bros.

 Michelangelo:

Mikey’s role is to be the positive and glue of the team. He loves to make people happy and would always do something goofy or kind to do that. His family have nothing bad to say about their youngest member and are very protective of him. The youngest brother doesn’t take ninjitsu as seriously as skateboarding, dancing, or just general fun. Though, he will be serious when the situation calls for it, such as the fate of his family and the world.

Although being an open ear to anyone, Mikey is not open to expressing his negative emotions due to his fear of damaging the family dynamic. It is noticeable when he is upset because he jokes more often and not focus. A lesson he must learn is to accept the good and the bad. Mikey can be reckless, mostly when his brothers rarely let him participate in missions. He wants to prove to his family that he is strong enough to protect himself and others. Reading people is his best skill and takes great pride in it, usually taking on the role of a therapist.

 Splinter/Hamato Yoshi:

I really wanted to take Splinter’s role in the Shredder’s descent to evil in the grayer area. He is usually the victim/innocent party of the story, which can get boring after a while.

Hamato Yoshi was born as the heir to Hamato Clan and childhood best friend of Oroku Saki. The Hamato and Foot clan were allies for centuries and would usually fight by each other’s side. Matters changed when the Foot’s beliefs grew more sinister. This left the Hamato Clan to eradicate their former ally. Splinter saved Saki before he could be killed, though, it came with consequences. Oroku Saki vowed to exact revenge for his fallen home. Growing up, Splinter became one of the strongest martial artists in Japan and married a woman named Tang Shen, later becoming a father to a girl. His world ended once he saw his clan destroyed and his family killed by the renewed Foot Clan.

Yoshi decided to move to New York and forget his old life. Years later, the martial artist noticed strange people caging defenseless animals. He would fight them long enough to protect four humanoid turtles, deciding to keep them after a moment of compassion. Splinter would continuously fight the strange men until a strange liquid turned him into a rat. This turning point banished Splinter and the turtles to the sewers for protection.

Splinter equally loves his sons. He would always make sure to give them equal amounts of love to avoid lasting issues. Though, he has made some mistakes. Emotions were rarely discussed because of Splinter’s unintentionally withdrawn attitude. The rat master wouldn’t instantly notice problems between his sons, and usually didn’t know how to resolve them. No matter what, Splinter is proud of his children and would do anything to keep them safe; sometimes not realizing that it could hurt them.

Hamato Yoshi’s guilt and trauma over the terrible moments in his life would be the main focus of his development.

[tomatograter]

Do you think it was intentional to have dirk and jake never actually talk to each other in hs proper (always AR, brain ghost dirk, trickster mode etc) to highlight that a big issue with them is communication?

"Intentional" is a charged word when talking about a comic which is by concept and admission improvisational, though that atmosphere of missed connection was definitely intended. The intermissions and lack of contextual material to fill in the HUGE gaps the alpha session has are also because their session is void-y in nature. No growth can happen, when it happens its almost by mistake. A lot of people do not count baby jake + dirk's 30ish page conversation as a true dirkjake log, since it is set in the past and being rehashed by brain ghost dirk, and they're half right.

But look at it this way: not only is that conversation only faithfully happening beat by beat because jake committed it (and DIRK) to memory, the one thing that interrupts the flow and tips him that this is not real is that... he remembered the compliments the real dirk paid to him, years in the past.

It's kind of ridiculous in retrospect. Even the set up to it - the gay jokes, the teasing, jake being 90% sure dirk was going to confess to him then being lampshaded into a much more brolike subject that is Safe To Discuss and not personally compromising at all, the ribbing and rapport of two thirteen year olds, this is like a little snapshot that perfectly encompasses their dynamic before the game throws a wrench into their relationship and amps their insecurity. I like it a lot.

It also perfectly exemplifies how willing dirk is to not be open about his feelings, even when he has a chance to be, and will dutifully spin the situation into an intensive hours long discussion of hyperimportant worldly subjects whose mere mental mass completely eclipse anything else in his life. It's got everything, including jake's performative lies and deeply buried grandma trauma.

But aside from that conversation, we (WE the audience) are not privy to any other tender moment between current dirk or current jake. The plot throws said developments so far down the backseat we can only see the consequences of their poor choices. The 'camera' purposefully focuses on jake's most unflattering and pathetic angles, as is his narrative burden, and dirk is caught in a loop of destructive self-discourse. This helps build tension for the alphas in the sparse moments we're seeing them, and effectively show us How their session went wrong without spending as many pages repeatedly rehashing SBURB mechanics. Jake complains often about how he's swamped in fake dirks but never with the "real" - the implication is that compared to that 13 year old dirk, the one from before Hal or any other Dirk was a thing (which is dense with implications by itself) their communication is now too caught up in misdirections to count as the Real Deal.

But they do remember how it used to be. They're just too deep into this game of chicken.