#absolutely adore my girl god what a bar raiser

[charmspoint]

Mamika is a brilliant character

I just adore the fact that Mamika, a main character of a magical girl show aimed at preschoolers, is introduced as an antagonist. It’s something that catches you off guard because cmon she’s a magical girl the most pure hero trope possible if you aren’t doing subversion, but it makes so much sense. Because Mamika isn’t from a subverted magical show, she’s a pure blood kiddy Saturday morning special magical girl, she’s on cereal! And the thing with kid shows is that they have a very simple, black and white morality system. Good guys and bad guys are clearly coded and good guys always defeat bad guys in the end. When Altair approaches her and gives her the rundown of the situation, to Mamika it’s very clear who the bad guys are. The creators create worlds where there is fighting and pain and suffering so obviously they are the bad guys and they must be stopped. Black and white.

This is directly contrasted by Selesia and Meteora who come from much more mature narratives with more developed and nuanced morality systems. They hear what Altair has to say and they go ‘You know what I’m gonna check this out for myself before I make a decision’ because they are much more used to the type of character Altair is, the type that is all good words and bad actions so they don’t take her words at their surface level like Mamika does. For them there is a lot of gray areas and they will explore those gray areas and decide themselves are creators bad unlike Mamika who is just ‘They do this thing that is bad -> they are bad’ because again, that’s how it works in her universe. 

But then comes the fight with Selesia.

This doesn’t happen in her world.

In her world, her powers don’t cause pain like this, they don’t make people bleed. They sparkle and they flash and the villain is okay after it, they aren’t hurt seriously, there is no collateral damage. In her world, her powers are cute and relatively harmless. In this world they are bombs. Mamika has JUST been introduced this episode and already she’s getting slapped in the face with the realization: This isn’t like your world, same rules do not apply.

And it’s horrifying to her because she never hurt anyone like this, this simply doesn’t happen in her world, it’s overwhelming and incomprehensible, she doesn’t know what to do or how to react to this situation that literally ripped her understanding of the world to shreds.

She tries to go back to the script, to get Selesia on her side by talking to her, but Selesia sets her straight.

You can’t wave force around and hurt people and then demand they go along with the friendly ‘lets talk it out’ script. You have to make up your mind, you can’t threaten force and expect people to comply. This isn’t how this world works. This is a complicated world with complicated decisions. Your enemies won’t just agree to do as you say when you bonk them on the head with your magical wand. This is a world where people aren’t simple, understanding and ready to commodify you because you are the protagonist. This is a world where people are complex, they will challenge your thoughts and decisions and you need to decide how will you respond to them. Will you continue using force or will you yourself walk down the pacifism path first.

Mamika still doesn’t understand this because her morality is simple. In her show you defeat a villain and then they agree to do better aka they agree to do what you want them to do because you are the protagonist and you are always in the right. She literally isn’t equipped to handle a situation like this, she’s falling apart at the seems, she’s crying, she doesn’t know what to do so she resorts to her usual script and attacks Selesia again.

This is still in the heat of the moment, she’s mostly reacting, overwhelmed by new information that so strongly clashes with everything she knows with no chance to properly process it. This is all her introduction and god what and A+ introduction of such a fascinating character, she has an arc to go through and you can already see where it leads.

[regrettablewritings]

hey id like to request dewey finn for the character ship meme? preferably 3, 7, and 29? thanks!!

🤘 🤘 We love a short king 🤘 🤘 Stuff’s under the cut!

3. Who is the most romantic?: You are, at least in the more traditional sense. You know of the ins and outs of bouquets and traditionally romantic candle-lit dinners and all that jazz. Dewey is, too, but he’s far less capable of actually pulling it off. The times he does, there’s always a hint of Dewey in them -- for better for for worse.

He runs a bath for you? Adds a little too much bubble mix and then there’s a whole thing about cleaning it up. He cooks dinner? It comes out a bit burnt. Add candles into that mix and the fire department has to have a talk with y’all about fire safety. Really, his safest bets were to stick to buying bouquets, chocolates, and stuffed animals. But after a point, you started to run out of vases and pots to put the flowers in, resorting to using old Burger King cups; and the bed was just barely big enough to hold both you and Dewey at once, never mind the assortment of plush puppies, teddy bears, and the cheaply-stuffed jumbo snake he’d miraculously won at Coney Island a while back.

The good news is, you’d honestly much prefer Dewey’s idea of romance because it’s more personal to you.

For Dewey, it’s romantic to teach you how to play an instrument. Not in the cheesy, “Come sit on my lap because I can guide you a lot easier that way” kind of way, mind you. Don’t take it the wrong way, he could also do just that if you insisted such. But he does so as though you were truly his student -- and you absolutely are. And that’s what makes it sweet: He’s sharing with you his biggest passion in life, and he takes it seriously enough to get really into it and want to sincerely pass it on to you. Dewey is an excitable man, it’s difficult to catch him in a moment where he’s particularly still; even rarer when he’s doing so and in an actually good mood.

And when he’s teaching you one of the very few things in life he knows absolutely best, he’s definitely in a good mood. Even if his expression may not directly suggest so, with his eyes completely focused on your positioning and occasional correction of your finger placement. But the moment you pull off a successful set of chords, that adorable smile of his comes shining through and beaming with absolute pride! It is, for lack of better word, a bonding experience. And that’s what makes it romantic in your humble opinion.

That, and at least Dewey’s idea of romantic can mean a nice night in where you can relax and just flop on the couch to watch crap TV instead of putting on “stiff fancy clothes” and having to leave the apartment. In your minds, very little can beat a comfy evening full of marathoning Let’s Plays in your makeshift pajamas and scarfing down food bought from the bodega two blocks down, especially after a rough week. And especially when one or the other plays with each other’s hair . . .

7. What do they get up to on a night out?: That being said, you’re still dating Dewey Finn: Eventually, you do need to go out and “taste fresh air” as Dewey dramatically puts it.

You two are gluttons for entertainment. You tried the whole gig of just going out for dinner at a fine dining establishment, followed by a bit of a walk (but not too long, this is still New York after dark after all). You both tried to enjoy it, too, but it honestly just wasn’t your scene. Besides, the portions were way too small for something costing upwards of $25 per plate.

The good news about having a boyfriend like Dewey is that he always has his fingers on the pulse of the city. If we’re going with my headcanon that everyone lives on Staten Island, then there’s no shortage of venues or events to explore! The limits are only set by the limits of your wallets! . . . Suffice to say, it’s not just a personal choice that you two usually just go to bar and grills that hold band nights.

But once every blue moon, after saving up, you both go crazy and head over to Manhattan to catch a show. You’re admittedly more into musicals than Dewey is (especially ones written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber), but there has been the occasional show that Dewey didn’t mind watching, and even found himself mutter-singing the lyrics to. Granted, because a night like this can be pretty pricey (especially on an extracurricular teacher’s salary mixed with your own), these sorts of nights don’t tend to happen too often.

And sometimes the urge to go out is accompanied by that grossly exhausted feeling where it’s like all your meats are essentially weighing down on your bones. But you haven’t done anything fun all week, you just gotta get out the house and get Out There! . . . To the 24hr pizzeria next door, because that’s about as far as the two of you can get.

Apparently at some point after you turn 21, just going out after 8pm can make you feel like a hell-raiser. And that’s good enough for y’all.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?: You bring out what the other wants and needs.

When you were growing up, you were quite quiet. Being looked at by a bunch of people always made you anxious, you were constantly afraid to make sudden moves, lest there may be some backlash. You’ve gotten better since then, but even still, you struggle with being as open and forthcoming as you would like to be.

And that’s where Dewey comes in: With Dewey, you always feel like you can stand a little taller, be a little louder. There’s something about him that encourages people to break out of their shell (at the very least peek out of it) and make them want to just seize the day. As his significant other, you are absolutely no exception. Watching him confidently approach nearly every task with a can-do attitude makes you consider that maybe you can do the same thing. If you want to civilly but firmly tell somebody off, Dewey’s there to support you. If you need to ask for help with something but are too afraid to, Dewey’s got your back.

Of course, he sometimes oversteps and just does it for you himself, with him seeing any slight against you as a complete injustice that he needs to defend your honor over. In which case, you’re usually thankful, but gently tell him that you need to do this on your own. And he will respect this because it makes him remember that this is your journey towards gaining more confidence in yourself. You’re so very special to him, and far be it from him to keep you from accepting that more and more. So when he invigorates you and makes you want to be and do better, you can’t help but want to always be with him: That way, you can be better for him, yourself, and also your future together.

As for Dewey, it’s whenever you ground him and help him grow as a person and listen to him. Dewey’s never been that popular -- and he knows it. Sure, he may seem completely invincible, but the truth actually is that deep down he’s got some insecurities about himself. His brashness got him kicked out of his own band, his immaturity nearly lost him a friend and got him into legal trouble, girls have never been particularly drawn to him, and it’s quite easy to assume that he’s an imbecile because of his one-track mind with regards to music.

As a result, he’s used his dream of becoming a rock god as a means to promote himself and that swagger he gives off so much. Which then creates a cycle of him making more mistakes after overestimating his competency. The problem is that even though people may tell him to stop, they haven’t always offered him help with how to do exactly that. The truth of the matter is, yelling at somebody doesn’t exactly help the situation; maybe it brings a person to realizations over what needs to be done, but rarely does it actually offer the tools necessary to get beyond that.

The irony here is that for as chaotic as Dewey can be, he’s a surprisingly good listener to those whom he sees insecurities in, especially kids. After discovering he has a knack for it, he’s become more than willing to sit somebody down and try to help them realize their potential, even if it isn’t always intentional on his part. And that’s where you come in.

You’re more patient than he is, so your impulsivity or lack thereof is a great counter to his, making sure that he remembers that sometimes things need to be planned out. Steps need to be taken in order to follow through with certain projects or goals, we can’t always just jump to it. With you, Dewey’s become more orderly with things. Not extremely, mind you, as that would destroy the man’s personality as we know and love it. But just enough to where he’s not as risky as he used to be.

In addition to this, you’re willing to listen to him and his thoughts on things, from his obsession with music to the anxieties he usually tries to keep tucked away deep down. It doesn’t necessarily borderline being therapy, but it’s enough to where airing things out help him feel more stable. Besides, not everyone is as taken to music as he is: It’s nice to be heard, even when it’s just over one’s special interest. Finally, like you with him, Dewey likes to observe you. It’s not always obvious, given that his hyperactivity sometimes distracts him or just appears to. After all, it’s hard to imagine the guy who dances when he’s excited actually paying attention to you when you’re just sitting on the couch, sketching.

But he is. Because watching you being able to keep still and let yourself breathe makes him want to do the same. He’s spent so much of his life thinking he needs to live fast that he never considered maybe slowing down a bit might be good. But now he has. And he wants to. He wants to slow down and grow up for you -- no, with you. And ever since he realized that this was something he wanted, he couldn’t help but love you a little more every time he found that familiar, warm feeling in his chest, making goosebumps rise to his skin.

Thanks for asking and for being patient!!