#agree to disagree without being disagreeable

[ckret2]

I just realised there are two different Akus in Samurai Jack and now cannot un-realise it. Aku 1 is an "evil sorcerer" - most notably called such by Jack's father in the first episode ("sorcerer" implies he was a normal human once), who appears for most of Season 1 and is a humorless narcissistic sadist. Aku 2 premiers in "Aku's fairy tales" episode and stays with us for the rest of the series. This Aku is a bored and lonely God who copes with his ennui by playing a bombastic uber-hammy trickster 24/7 (sometimes even when he's alone in the room) and clearly had never been human before.

naah, i wouldn't say that. I do agree that fairy tales is a turning point for how aku's written, but I'd hardly call it a different aku altogether.

terms like "wizard" (i had to look up the scene lmao, it was wizard) only imply he was a normal human if you assume only a human can be a wizard (or sorcerer). I expect the writers used "wizard" because they hadn't decided his back story yet but knew he did magic; or because the only other common term that seems to fit him is "demon" and they wanted to emphasize his magic skills instead.

(Because they are skills, not just inborn abilities. several times we see him (try to) use magical tools—magic windows, a sack of holding, Neptune Jewel—or doing magic he had to study and learn—the ritual to resurrect Cronus, and we don't know how he made those zombies or skeleton minions but usually necromancy is something you have to study. That's wizard shit, not demon shit—and it continues throughout the show.)

and we see the hammy trickster well before Aku's Fairy Tales.

i mean c'mon.

I don't read Aku as lonely and bored—I get the impression that he's alone by choice and tbh wishes Jack would let him be more bored—but if you want to read him as lonely and bored? it's hard to top a guy who disguises himself as a cute chick to follow his nemesis around for several days/weeks.

we've got bombast in season 1:

"So fate has arrived. Many years have gone since that day. And now, my formidable foe, you will pay for my pain in the past… with your pain in the future." "

"For you see, little samurai, the world is mine. My eyes and ears are everywhere. Nothing you do will go unseen. Quest as you may, but we will meet again when I see fit in a time and place of my choosing. And it is I who shall put an end to the war started in that age long passed, Samurai Jack."

He's so self-important.

"What information can be considered great for the immortal Aku?" "What can you possibIy have that the aImighty Aku cannot attain?" c'mon.

how about him getting all hammy when he's by himself?

Just about the only point that Aku's "humorless" is the 3 pilot episodes (and even at that, I get the impression Aku thinks he's so funny for "There IS no future for you, Aku!" "I disagree 😏" *yeets Jack into the future*) I'm leery of chucking around the word "narcissistic" without a full fictional character psych eval—I'm not saying it's necessarily wrong, just that I don't care to see it used as an insult rather than a diagnosis—but whatever symptoms he may have displayed in season 1, he sure still displays them in seasons 2 and on. And he's certainly still sadistic throughout the show.

And I'd say, if anything, he seems more human after season 1 than before. Take his body language and behavior as the hermit.

More humanity in that goofy background shot than in Ikra's entire performance.

Fairy Tales is a turning point, but there isn't a huge shift in how Aku's being written. It's just a very little shift that has a huge impact: Fairy Tales is the first time the show allows Aku to be a loser.

I don't mean it's the first time he loses. You can lose and still be cool and badass. Aku's badass when Jack beats him in episode 1, he's menacing when he makes his exit in Warrior Woman and Under the Sea, we don't see his reaction to Mad Jack failing, and we see him defeated but not goofy-looking in Gangsters. Every time Aku's on screen, the show takes him seriously.

Fairy Tales finally treats Aku like a joke.

This is an important moment. It's impossible for a badass character to ALWAYS be badass. If you try to keep the scary serious character always scary and always serious, then 1) it keeps the character one-dimensional, because they can't branch out in messy realistic ways, and 2) it eventually starts to feel a little silly and over-the-top—except it's the writers who end up looking silly. The character's so badass it makes them boring.

If you have a no-nonsense killer who always marches around like he's crushing skulls under his steel-toed boots, then to keep him interesting and dynamic, eventually he has to step on a banana peel. Aku's floundering attempt to entertain some children is his banana peel.

But his characterization doesn't make a significant change. In Ultra-Robots, Demongo, Birth of Evil, Samurai vs Ninja, Flying Prince and Princess... he's still deadly serious, just like in season 1. But now sometimes the show can make jokes with him. He's startled that Jack can fly jump good. He catches a cold. He helps a pug make a phone call. Etc.

Is there any real difference between these two emotions? They're both Aku coming to a shocked realization.

But one's taken seriously and the other's framed like a joke. That's what changes.

[imitationgame77]

Interesting post.

About a year ago, I struggled with the concept of aromanticism, as I had not heard of it before. (Asexual, I had heard of)

I think you can have your own interpretation of the characters and their relationship, and if people disagree with that idea, I'd say you can just agree to disagree. Personally, I don't think people are invalidating your identity by saying Murderbot is aromantic. (They may feel invalidated by others saying Murderbot is asexual/alloromantic, etc.)

My biggest misunderstanding was to think that being aromantic meant these people didn't want / were incapable of / were repulsed by a close relationship. That they were repulsed by intimacy.

Part of my misunderstanding was due to some differences in the interpretation of "romantic" which has a lot broader meaning in my culture, but that's another story that I have posted about before.

The important thing I've learned was that you can have a profound and intimate relationship with someone without that being a romantic relationship. The person can be your partner, soulmate, a love of your life, and still not be your romantic partner. It is up to the people involved in the relationship. The observing outsiders have no right to say that "What you have is romantic" because it is after all very subjective experience. Other people's comments can be harmful...

I liked that MW said she'd thought that "ART was probably the love of Murderbot's life", and I think it could be so without them thinking of each other in a romantic way. (That's probably too human, anyway)

One of the things I have issue with fandom is that they tend to kind of package aro/ace together and as someone who is in the ace spectrum and definitely not aromantic, I find it baffling that people who read the Murderbot books say so confidently that Murderbot is aromantic. To the point that if I (as someone who relates to it immensely) imply that I think it has romantic feelings, people are acting like I am invalidating its identity?

The books explicitly state that Murderbot is ace. It never explicitly states it as aro. You are free to read its romantic orientation as you wish. If it feels aro to you, yeah sure. But it's equally (and I think more) likely that it does have romantic feelings! Just because it doesn't like any kind of physical intimacy (non-sexual included), it doesn't mean that Murderbot is aromantic. Romantic intimacy can be more than physical. It's not the neat little categorization of "if you don't like sex you are ace and if you don't like cuddles you are aro".

I just feel like we don't have nearly enough alloromantic ace people in media and when people insist on Murderbot being aromantic, I feel like people are invalidating my identity based on strict definitions of what they think being aromantic is and then come to me and get angry at me as if I am being delusional or being acephobic somehow? I just feel so frustrated with that!

Also!

Spoilers for books under the cut

Marta Wells herself calls ART the love of Murderbot's life in one of her interviews! Also I think it is in love with Mensah too. Not the way it is with ART but in a different way. Because love can take many forms and it's something you share with people! I have never fallen in love with someone the way I fell in love with another person. Every person is unique and so the way that the puzzle pieces of you and them coming together will make a unique picture. In a book where there are many poly couples and constructs who have varying levels of sexual/romantic urges (so they aren't necessarily aroace by default), how is it that difficult to imagine a. multiple romantic relationships and b. non-physical romantic intimacy. I am just baffled.

Murderbot is just too new to everything to have names for stuff like that and it is not experiencing its emotions in a way that is recognizable from media and its interactions with people! And it doesn't like labeling stuff with human terms because it is not a human! It has its own unique feelings and experiences! I honestly relate to that so much because everyone try to dictate how I should feel too...

Again, if you are aroace and thinking Murderbot as one resonates with you, I respect that! But let me have my alloromantic ace bot too. Thank you.

[ptej1980]

PSA: Be Kind…

I take my Lukola safe space quite literally. If you are a Lukola / Polin Stan and you agree with endgame and BN then this is a space where you can come enjoy content, enjoy engaging with like minded individuals without fear of being judged.

Each blogger enjoys expressing their own thoughts and theories, and the good thing is that if you don’t like it you can scroll on by, you don’t have to engage with it, and if you disagree with it that much you can always block.

We all have the same end goal, and want the same thing. Through out these whole 6 years we have analysed our two faves posts. Likes, follows, movements every thing. Fandom is supposed to be fun, if we sometimes look to deep oh well, that is the fun!! Right ☺️

What I am trying to get at is….no matter what be kind. We get enough hate from trolls, Lukola need to stick together. ☺️💛

Endgame is near

[tsukasalover]

it’s kinda stupid to call rui “sassy” or say he was acting “mean” for simply doing what any person would do realistically after tsukasa humiliated nene in the main story. i swear this fandom has gone over this a thousand times and yet for some reason it’s still so hard for people to accept that tsukasa was being a self centered asshole. that’s not even exaggerating anything that’s just the truth.

btw (if im wrong correct me) but rui has never gotten angry at someone unreasonably he’s actually quite mature and doesn’t just?? explode over things so i dont know why him refusing to work with tsukasa even after nene forgave him is seen as a “mean” thing… let’s not forget he still believed tsukasa hadnt changed at all and only wanted to be in shows for selfish purposes. it’s not bad to admit that tsukasa is egotistical and has acted much more mean in unacceptable ways than rui + has had to own up to this and work hard to grow as a person over time

[wormeats]

some stuff i want to say, bc it seems a lot of the time mostly only Jewish people speak up about antisemitism

it is antisemitic to claim zionism is across the board evil and fucked up and to wish violence on zionists. Israel exists and people live there and there has been a devastating war that has caused humanitarian crises in Gaza, but Israel is not evil, it has a right to exist and didnt just steal a bunch of land and start wars out of nowhere, the history is actually more complicated than "colonization", and while war is fucked up and horrifying, truly horrific, it is not the same as genocide. genocide is the systematic eradication of a group of people, and while civilian casualities have been horrific, that is why war is so fucking terrible and traumatizing.

Hamas also has contributed a lot to civilian casualties in the way they operated. celebrating and supporting Hamas is fucking horrendous. there can be reasons young people become so radicalized and violent, but that is Not something to cheer on as some sort of resistance movement when it causes so much devastation for people in Gaza and wishes for the destruction of Israel and Jewish people.

Wishing harm on hostages taken on October 7th or celebrating October 7th in any way is also fucking horrendous. These are human beings, random civilians, real people. they have families and loved ones and communities who are terrified for them and grieving them and it is beyond insensitive to cheer on the suffering from your place of immense privilege in this situation and shows a big lack of humanity/seeing people as human beings. i can't believe i see that shit sometimes (but i also can bc the state of things is dire). I can't know how it feels to see people mocking my loved ones who have been tortured for a year and could be killed at any moment or already dead, that must feel so awful, and to know that even if you dont have a connection to the hostages, it could be you or your family as someone who is Jewish or has loved ones in Israel. living in Israel is not a crime or moral failing, living in any country is not a moral failing what the hell. if you can understand people are not their governments for many other countries, why is Israel so hard to see that way for so many people? (antisemitism)

I'm really glad for this ceasefire and wish the best for Gaza/Palestine and its people and have a lot of hope for them to rebuild and recover from all this devastation (scared of shit trump has been saying though, what the fuck. thats a whole other thing tho, i am grieving the election still and scared and trying my best)

it has been so horrible to see antisemitism grow from this and to see such concentrated hatred for anyone who associates with Jewishness in the "wrong" way. the way antizionism has grown so much and into a "fuck all zionism" mentality is horrible. zionism has been warped to mean genocide supporter, and that is fucking horrible bc Judaism has references to it and intercommunity discussions around it, it is in some ways an inextricable part of Jewish culture to some and many people just see it as Israel is doing genocide and shouldn't exist

idk i just dont want anyone to be hurt, war is always horrible and the crisis in Gaza is horrifying, and ive also seen a huge rise in antisemitism in different forms and i hate it and wanted to say some stuff to make my positions clear so that's what im doing now

you can criticize the Israeli government and its actions without being antisemitic ofc, but this is referring to all the hamas support and wishing violence on Israel and thinking all zionists want genocide.

anyone feel free to talk to me about this if it is concerning or upsetting to you somehow, but if you arent a friend or mutual or follower and some random person who disagrees, i can also talk to you but im not a voice with any kind of authority on this stuff, i just have been kinda horrified when i see hamas support or people celebrating Israeli deaths and thinking the hostages deserve the horrible traumas that have happened or should die etc etc etc. horrible. why are you dehumanizing an entire country. (antisemitism is why.) horrible horrible horrible.

[chaos-in-one]

Reminding y'all AGAIN not to call traumagenic systems who aren't anti endo, endogenic, because apparently the message did not get through the first time

When you do that, you are fakeclaiming the systems trauma. You are letting them know you do not believe that their trauma actually caused them to be a system.

Fucking. Stop it.

[sukifoof]

i think im just gonna start blocking people that engage in flowey age discourse <3 im not in the fandom for petty drama about nothing im here for analysis and art and its really irritating to be looking for art and all there is is arguments. i love uty dearly but the sudden uptick in pointless arguments regarding floweys character is infuriating. why can't we talk about how well hes written and that hes an extremely good example of ptsd why must we argue. if u disagree with something block and move on dont act like children

[ur-local-kiwi]

genuinely HATE that because of some stupid internalized mental health bullshit i have to limit my intake of sunao fuchi. bc thats like 90% of the fanbase anymore

[racc00ning]

normalize being empathetic but remaining critical towards characters

[spiritedstars]

this fandom is so funny sometimes lol. looking a lot like two sides of the same coin there.

[thatweirdtranny]

lmao that person is still talking about me

[arolesbianism]

Everyday I see another youtube video or whatever say smth along the lines of "this character is badly written because they're unlikable/annoying/insert negative description here" and everyday I end up massively disappointed because I came here for analysis on the actual writing of a character not just a description of the feelings they made you experience

[movedtonewblogcheckpinnedpost]

Fandom culture is so much better when you don't have someone disagreeing with you on every single post and turning every innocent and harmless comment into a long-ass discussion

[0rb0t]

I really don't understand why it's so hard to stand with civilians. Killing civilians is always terrible. It's wrong. People are not their governments. Genocide is wrong. These are both ideas that can be held at the same time. Any time civilians are being murdered, that is horrific.

[khihi]

joker out balkan kpop men anon: it is 100% affectionate (former kpop fan!). here is a very long explanation. sorry for the essay outline and i hope it kinda makes sense:

- image - it reminds me a little of some of the older kpop boy groups that are established enough that they can have visible tattoos, drink on camera, etc without some kind of fuss. it’s the kind of public image that’s fun and thoughtful and also youthful without being cutesy or squeaky clean. yknow? but also the close relationships within the group that the fans know of and have their own relationships with (a thought for another day but:)

- the closeness to fans (this might just be bc i’m used to bands who don’t interact on social media lol. to a degree i’m thinking specifically about a new group zb1, where the members would reply to fans comments on a specific platform, and fan memes on twitter have percolated into group videos- maybe this specific group is apples vs pineapples but idk! when people talk about nace online and they sound quite a bit like how people talked about baekho from nuest, just time adjusted, it gets that pattern recognition)

- fandom behavior (for better and for worse, although this might just be on account of JO fans on social media generally skewing younger and in spaces where some share what other music they listen to, there’s quite a bit of kpop) - in a sense, the way JO fans sound on twitter uses almost the exact same tones as kpop boy group fans. but even if you adjust (favorites of the girls and gays!) hockey fans, bird and bug people, plant people - in most cases, they don’t use the same language unless they’re also kpop fans.

anyways i hope this isn’t too much of a bother to read and that you have a lovely day. heart hands @ u

thank u for returning with your analysis and enlightening me on the kpop lore, i'm taking notes! i'm not on twitter and i barely touch tiktok so i don't tend to see what the JO fandom is like outside of tumblr (though sometimes one of you comes back with the most ominously vague complaint about what it's like over there...)

and yeah i agree with your other ask:

i think woobifying grown men is just gonna happen in fandom spaces lol, it can be funny as long as it's to a reasonable degree

🫶🫶🫶 back at you!!

[a9saga]

I can't believe the entire cast of big brother agrees not to use slurs while in the house and in the first week of the show this absolute quack drops the n word in front of a black houseguest after talking about a different black houseguest and gets ejected before the first eviction