#and the love interest isn’t useless? she’s so cool I love her

[fumifooms]

This chapter was very interesting, even if it was mostly set-up. Besides learning the new girl’s name and getting confirmation that she just get kicks from playing with people, the most insightful part was definitely seeing Asa and Yoru’s reaction to the fame.

We see that Asa feels happy over the fame, even if she denies it, and even Yoru admits that it feels soothing, like a need being met, fulfilling. This isn’t surprising at all, after all the whole of Yoru’s goal is to become relevant again, for people to fear her once more, to know of her, and she’s insecure over being called dumb and whatnot: she craves recognition, wants power so she can make people see her wether it be through inspiring awe or inflicting suffering and destruction. Asa has struggled a lot with feeling like she was invisible, or worse, being seen and getting negative attention, being bullied and judged and seen as dumb, annoying, ugly, boring, useless, someone who always messes up and can’t do anything right, worthless. She is afraid of the spotlight, but we’ve seen that she wants it as well, notably inside the aquarium, in that blissful moment when everyone was cheering her for having her phone. So of course, getting such widespread attention, praise, validation, when she hadn’t even intended for it, when she was just being herself and doing her own thing, it’s like being accepted for once. Being seen, and being loved, not only from a small group like a class but on a wide scale.

Of course, for both of them, such recognition and fame is only a substitute for meaningful human relationships, and it can’t replace those. I think it’s actually very lucky that Asa and Yoru have each other currently, it’s good to be reminded that for how much Asa is alone and isolated currently, she was so even more before Yoru, and Yoru similarly doesn’t seem like she had anyone, rotting away i alleyways losing strength more and more over time. Asa seems to want to keep a cool head over the fame to be self-righteous, but is it more because she wants to keep a collected appearance or because she truly doesn’t want to be sidetracked and be swept away?

Either way, I think it’s interesting that she recenters herself by reminding themselves that she’s doing it for Chainsaw Man. In a way, her goal then is something like a human relationship like I mentioned. Not that I think she thinks she’d get to get closer to Chainsaw Man or something, but that she’s motivated by something akin to selflessness, for someone that means a lot to her. A lot to Yoru too. Yoru sees Chainsaw Man as the one who took away her recognition, who stole her thunder, by eating atomic bombs out of existence, meanwhile Asa sees Chainsaw Man as one of the first people who saw her, who talked to her at her lowest and looked at her at her filthiest, and decided that she was worth something, worth protecting. I’m getting sidetracked here but ough!! Let’s just hope Asa doesn’t lose sight of that interpersonal relationship that he inspired her to pursue, gave her the courage to do so, because of easy and fickle validation from fame, is what I’m trying to say.

On Denji’s end, things seem to keep getting worse, even as they… Kinda get better? It turns out the woman is an ally and not an enemy, but Denji seems disappointed by their fight being discontinued, losing the rush he’s so acquainted to. He can’t be Chainsaw Man anymore, right, but he could still fight as Denji, except… It’s not necessary, he’s protected and people have it covered. He loses a possible love interest and enemy as she turns out to be something more like a colleague if anything, their relationship becoming professional and distant by nature, himself making a comment about that. She says that she likes/admires him because he’s Chainsaw Man and Denji is stunned, is it because that attention is a crumb of recognition, recognition that he used to be center stage for all the time just not long ago? Or is it because he’s "Chainsaw Man" in her eyes, because even as she speaks to him the crumbs of validation are directed at Chainsaw Man and not Denji, because he lost the opportunity to have a genuine connection as himself. Fame gives and even as it does, it takes away.

It’s very possible that Denji feels jealous of Asa in the posters scene. Not only does she get to fight devils and do what he’s not allowed to do anymore, but she also gets to do it with her name and her face public. While he was told times and times again that he couldn’t have his identity be public for his safety, Asa gets to do it freely wothout repercussion (thus far), she gets to be liked as herself. But moreso, I feel like the scene’s about loss. With Asa rising up in fame, Denji will have to keep hearing about her and her exploits, not only as a reminder of not being able to be Chainsaw Man anymore but also a reminder of the girl he liked that he had to dump. He couldn’t keep Chainsaw Man, and he couldn’t keep Asa either. Things have possibly never been more normal for Denji’s daily life, and yet it is utterly miserable.

[cerise-on-top]

A fluff alphabet for Kate? Also I wish you luck on your test on friday!!!! I failed my drivers test three times so I feet you

Hey! Thank you, it's gonna be rough tomorrow, but I'm gonna pull through! I will get that driver's license! But I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who failed ^^;

Fluff Alphabet for Laswell

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Laswell loves going to museums and stuff like that. Not only does she get to have fun with you, she also gets to learn things that may or may not come in handy eventually. She’d especially love to go to a museum that showcases something you’re interested in as well. Although she may not like how bustling they can be at times, she just loves seeing and hearing about new things. And if you’re enjoying yourself too? Two birds with one stone.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

I think Laswell could admire your wits and your intelligence. You don’t have to know every single little detail about everything, but she loves how your eyes light up when you animatedly talk about something you’re passionate about, how you give her the seemingly most useless fun facts about something she normally couldn’t care less about. She admires how passionate you are about one thing or another. She hasn’t really been into something this much in a long time, which she kind of misses, but she gets to live that passion through you again.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

She’d try to rationalize everything. In her eyes, most things should follow some form of logic, so she’s not a very emotional person either. She knows that doesn’t hold true for emotions, but instead of beating yourself up over something that wasn’t your fault to begin with, why not think about the good things that happened? If you’re experiencing a panic attack she’ll start breathing with you, trying to calm you down. She won’t touch you, though, since that’s likely the last thing you need. Will shoo away any onlookers there may be.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

I think she’d just want to live in a pretty spacious apartment with you. She doesn’t necessarily need a pet either, but she does want a patio. Will want to look after some plants with you, grow some of your own. She wants to have a domestic life with you, one, where she doesn’t need to worry about either of you getting killed because of her job. However, she’s looking forward to retirement, as much as she does love her job. Something about waking up with you next to her just feels right to her.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

She can go either way. Sometimes she’s more dominant, sometimes she’s more passive. If you’re on the passive side, then she’ll take on the dominant role, if you’re on the dominant side then she’ll usually be on the passive one. However, she will be dominant from time to time, making known what she thinks when it counts. But if it’s something like choosing a restaurant to eat at, then you can decide. But if you don’t want to or can’t, then she’ll happily take the burden off your shoulder.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

She knows you usually don’t mean what you say in the heat of the moment, so she forgives you after she’s cooled down a bit. However, you might wanna show a bit of remorse for fighting with her as well. Laswell, when annoyed, becomes a bit snippy, but it’s nothing too bad, she usually has her emotions under control. She doesn’t yell, she doesn’t shout, she just hisses at you from time to time, but that’s about it. Give her some time to calm down and all will be well.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

She’s a pretty grateful woman. She knows that having a partner as great and lovely as you isn’t a given, especially not the fact that you always tend to help her out whenever you can. You lend her an ear, you help her with the house chores, you become a safe anchor for her. She’s truly grateful to have you in her life. Usually she shows it by giving you little gifts since that’s her way of showing love. Small trinkets to jewelry, anything goes.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Yes, there are plenty of things she doesn’t tell you. She’s CIA, so naturally she can’t tell you everything that’s going on. She doesn’t tell you everything about her past either. It’s not that she doesn’t want to, if you ask her to tell you something she will, but she doesn’t deem it that important anymore to herself. The past is the past, and that’s it. There’s nothing more to it and she doesn’t want to dwell on it either, so she just leaves it behind.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Like Nikolai, I think she’s become a pretty solid person on her own by the time you’ve met. However, I could see her changing you for the better. Laswell is a very caring woman, but she can also be a bit fussy when worried. She’ll likely tell you to take better care of herself. You will, because she keeps nagging at you to do so. If you ever need anything to take care of yourself, like meds or any other kind of aid, she’s more than happy to either pay for it or help you pay for it. She’ll likely do what she can to help you become better.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Laswell doesn’t get jealous very easily. She’s a diplomat, if she wants someone to leave then she’ll just talk them into doing so. So, Laswell doesn’t deal with jealousy very often. Besides, if you want to spend time with someone else, make new connections, then she won’t stop you. Having connections is one of the most important things out there, so she’ll actively encourage you to go out and talk to people other than her. But if you want, you can start small and just talk to her friends for now.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Laswell has had a few girlfriends in the past, but nothing that lasted too long, unfortunately. She’s kissed them here and there and was pretty decent at it. She’s not bad at kissing, definitely not as clumsy as, say, Farah. The first kiss with her would be short but sweet. She’d just stargaze with you and ask you if she could kiss you. Again, the kiss wouldn’t last long, but the soft and tender gaze she gave you afterwards was ingrained into your brain forever. She still looks at you like that when she thinks you aren’t looking.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

I think she’d take you on a fancy “date” first. She’d take you to a nice restaurant and then to an aquarium, a planetarium or a museum so you can have fun there together. Afterwards she’d take you to a nice and open field where she’d confess to you. No gifts, but she wants that day to be one you can remember forever. Besides, maybe she could sway you into saying yes by having a nice day with you before confessing.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Yes, Laswell wants to get married. She’d propose during a holiday, like Christmas, or any other holiday you celebrate. And if you don’t celebrate anything then she’ll propose to you on your birthday. She’d get on one knee and pull out the ring in the middle of the restaurant. She does want that free dessert, in all honesty. Marriage with her would be sweet. You’d both have your duties together and work on them together. You’d go on dates fairly often, you’d go on vacation. If you work at something like an amusement park, then she’ll come visit you as well and just chat with you for a while.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Her nicknames aren’t very fancy. They’re the classic ones you’d expect from her. Something along the lines of my love, sweetheart and sweetie. However, if you know at least two languages, or if your native tongue isn’t English, then she’ll call you pet names in those other languages as well. If she knows that language, that’s great, if she doesn’t, then she’ll simply learn it. Either way, you will be loved in every language you know, Laswell stops at nothing to attain that.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It’s not very obvious. She usually keeps her relationships professional and doesn’t get closer to people than she needs to. So she wouldn’t give you any special treatment just because she’s in love with you. If you’re shy, then she’s more inclined to start a conversation with you and invite you for some coffee, but she won’t go out of her way for anything else. If anything, once she realizes she’s in love with you she might avoid you a bit and hope that the feelings will go away on their own.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

No, Laswell doesn’t brag. She doesn’t tell very many people about you either. Not everyone needs to know about you since it will put in you danger, which she doesn’t want. The people close to her know about you, so Nikolai and the TF141 and a select few other people, but no one else. It’s no one’s business that you’re dating. She doesn’t do PDA either. She’s not at all a big fan of it and believes that those kinds of acts of affection should be kept behind closed doors.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

She’s extremely observant, rational and can use her words very well. It’ll be rare for Laswell to offend you, she carefully chooses her words before speaking since the peace of an entire country could depend on that. She knows what kind of effect certain words have on you and will use that to her advantage. Not for evil, mind you, but to make you feel better, more confident, and happied. Laswell loves you too much to be mean to you and use her abilities for evil.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Laswell is rather cliched when it comes to romance. She loves going on walks with you, going to aquariums and just watching awful movies together. She could be creative if she wanted to be, but she thinks a normal romance suffices for her. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, something basic will do just fine. Besides, you likely won’t get hurt while eating at a candlelit dinner. You might get hurt while scuba diving, though.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Yes. Laswell is an older lady, she knows a lot of things about life by now. If you need advice, she’s there for you. If you need her help in any other way then she’ll do what she can to assist you. Just give her the word and she’ll do just about anything for you. She definitely does believe in you and that you can achieve just about anything you set your mind to. As long as your goals aren’t detrimental to your health, she’ll support just about anything you do.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

No, she doesn’t particularly need anything new. She gets the unexpected and new at her job pretty much every day. She loves having a routine with nothing unexpected popping up, it helps her relax. Sure, you can try some unfamiliar food together, or you can drive to a new city and go shopping there, but she doesn’t particularly want something new every day. Having a routing is nice, it means everything is going according to plan for once and she doesn’t need to fear anything.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

She knows you pretty well by the time you’re together. It takes years for Laswell to be in a relationship with someone, so she’ll know you pretty well by then. Besides, she can read people like they’re open books, and that does include you as well. She’s somewhat empathetic, but not a lot. Sure, she can feel the emotions of others if she’s close with them, but she doesn’t feel them as intensely as the other person. 

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Your relationship is pretty important to her. I’d say your relationship is slightly more important to her than her job. Sure, she won’t just quit because you tell her to, but she will take your feelings into consideration as well. She’s well aware you want her to be safe and sound, but she just can’t always guarantee that. Sure, she’ll do her best to come home to you at the end of the day unscathed, but you can’t expect her to quit something that’s so important to her. She will argue with you about that as well, she’s not afraid to speak her mind.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Her favorite animal is the lamb, so you’ve likely gifted her a small keychain with a cuddle little lamb on it. It’s her favorite item. Sure, it’s nothing special, but it means the world to her. She takes it with her wherever she goes. Laswell has given you a matching keychain and plushies of your favorite animal to show her gratitude as well. Life is a constant give and take, she wants you to feel loved and cared for as well. Whatever you do, Laswell will outdo you and do something even greater. It becomes a competition at some point.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

She’s affectionate in her own ways. Does she love giving you gifts and doing something for you? Yes, absolutely. Does she love to kiss and cuddle? Not particularly. Sure, she’ll kiss you in the morning before she leaves for work, and she’ll cuddle you if you really insist on doing so, but she’s not a very cuddly person. Too much physical contact irritates her greatly, so you better respect that or else your relationship won’t work out for too long. Laswell has her boundaries. She respects yours, so she expects you to do the same.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

She has a picture of the both of you sitting at the beach together in her wallet, which she looks at when she misses you. If she can, she will just call you to hear your voice, doesn’t matter if it’s midnight for her at the time. If she wants to hear from you then she will. Besides, calling you eases her nerves as well. Sure, she doesn’t get as anxious about something happening to you, she’s a rather calm person in general, but she will miss you if she’s gone for too long. Keeps in contact with you, if her mission allows it.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Yes, she is. She breaks the law on the regular anyway, but she doesn’t mind doing it for you. She’d torture someone for you if you got kidnapped. It’s not her style to just kill someone like that unless she has good reason to, but she can be very petty if something were to happen to you. She can deprive someone of their freedom very easily and make sure they never see the sunlight again. She’ll have them thrown in the worst jail imaginable, just to make sure you’ll never be hurt again.

[pbear]

Ranking The Black Bulls

I am so high after finishing the Black Clover anime which is why I'm making this. This is definitely a personal list and I just want a way for me to talk about these characters because I do love all of them.

Also, some spoilers.

16. Nacht and his demons

Little screen time and he’s extremely suspicious. Also if you keep going around being condescending to everyone I won’t like you.

I do not know his backstory which could definitely explain things but based on what he gets in the anime, I don’t care for him.

Pros are that he’s a pretty asshole and his tiny demons are cute.

15. Liebe

Lack of screen time gets you closer to the bottom.

That backstory was making me tear up though.

He gained anti-magic but how??? It kind of just happened.

He has a place in the found family whether he likes it or not.

14. Gordon Agrippa

I like that he just wants friends despite everyone thinking he’s creepy and being part of a family that studies curses.

He gets forgotten a lot :(

Actually a character who comes to have a healthy relationship with his family

He is shown to be kind of a stalker though which docks points. There's people being unreasonably scared of you and then there's keeping journals on everyone in the squad and making dolls of each of them.

13. Zora Ideale

Gets almost no character development after his introduction. They have forgotten this man which is a shame because he was introduced as a very interesting and menacing person.

His relationship with his father is very sweet

Sassy

Zora, you will succumb to the found family.

12. Henry Legolant

Him going from a possible ghost to a true member of the Black Bulls is great. I love that the squad finds a way for him to be around them even with his curse

He’s very nice too.

Doesn’t get a lot after the Elven Invasion arc. All you see is him occasionally sitting in a box.

His magic is so epic when it gets used. I love the Raging Black Bull Formation.

11. Vanessa Enoteca

Doesn’t actually get too much to do after the Forest of Witches arc.

I love that she’s basically the squad’s big sister.

Her magic and the red thread of fate are super cool although Rouge kind of becomes her main power.

10. Grey

I really enjoyed the episodes that focused on her a lot and how she wants to overcome her shyness for the rest of the Black Bulls.

Her backstory is fairly basic but the reveal that she met Gauche beforehand and he saved her was so good. I already loved them and now I love them even more.

Also, Grey, Gordon, and Gauche are absolutely a trio. Them defending the base from the Eye of the Midnight Sun was great.

9. Secre Swallowtail

Her plot with Lumiere is very sweet and gets you to like her very quickly.

Lumiere helping her develop her magic that she thinks is useless is something I love too.

I like that she’s an example that your magic is what you make of it. What it becomes is so cool and actually very useful.

The fact that even after her seal is undone, she still chills as a bird on Asta's head.

Also, I think it's interesting that Luck is the one who came up with the name Nero and she agreed to it back in the earlier episodes.

8. Gauche Adlai

This man would be ten times more attractive without his sister complex. Fortunately, his gag isn’t his only character aspect (although it’s a fairly big one).

I actually thought he was going to be super unimportant and then he got his own arc early on which shocked me.

It was nice that he began wanting to protect more people than just Marie. I actually started to enjoy it when he showed up.

His magic is cool and powerful. I think it was one of the first magic types introduced that wasn't more elemental. I want to know how he got the magic item in his eye.

Berates everyone but is literally just as insane as the rest of them.

7. Charmy Pappitson

Slow clap for her magic literally being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Her sheep cooks are cute too.

Obsessed with food (same) and I thought it might be a gag that makes her annoying, but she has other aspects that make her interesting and she’s a side character so I’m not asking that she be incredibly deep.

Her crush on Yuno is funny and I love that her magic is actually super strong when she tries. I never thought one of the crush situations would be Rill -> Charmy -> Yuno

6. Noelle Silva

Seeing her growth from the start of the series is amazing.

Tsundere but manages to not be super annoying with it.

Her spells are awesome and every time she learns a new one you want to cheer for her.

Valkyrie Armor is so pretty.

5. Asta

The fact that he inspires everyone around him is incredible.

I think that he’s the final piece of the Black Bulls that pulls them together and brings them from a band of hooligans to a true found family.

Has a surprising number of girls in love with him. Yet he is only dedicated to Sister Lily which I do find funny.

He does a great job at being a protagonist you want to root for which is important in a show like this. Everyone likes him so how can you not like him?

4. Finral Roulacase

There is something to be said about characters that are still nice even though the world keeps throwing things at them.

Finral’s family was never nice to him yet he still came out a kind person and that’s beautiful. The fact that he still cares for Langris really shows that.

Although he tends to run away from his problems, he works to face them as the series goes on and become stronger to fight alongside his friends.

I love his hairstyle change so much for some reason. He's so cute.

3. Yami Sukehiro

The man who adopted like thirteen kids.

I really enjoyed how his experience as a foreigner led him to create a squad that wouldn’t be bound by status or discrimination.

He literally picks up new members randomly off the street.

Despite being seemingly irresponsible compared to other Captains, he cares for his squad and wants them to be better and surpass their limits. He also knows what they are capable of and what they can handle.

2. Magna Swing

He's one of the most passionate of the Black Bulls and that makes him stand out despite him not being the strongest.

He does have magic but a lot of the time his abilities pale in comparison to the others’.

Even then, he tries to get stronger and I love that about him.

I also really like that his fire magic has a baseball theme. It makes it more unique because fire magic is so common.

I love watching him and Luck be dumbasses with each other.

More attractive with his hair down during the Elven Invasion.

Luck Voltia

Easy favorite. I cannot explain why exactly but he is my favorite.

I eat up any screen time he gets.

Luck: *murders someone in a fight*

Me: I love you so much

He’s crazy in wanting to fight almost everyone that comes his way but it’s shown that he is smart in battle too.

I like how everyone else has a case for their grimoire and he just straps it to his chest.

[yellowocaballero]

GAI!! Unironically one of my favorite naruto characters. The idea of young grumpy Obito having forced interactions with Gai, vs Tobi and Gai who probably get along very well (and Tobi probs makes sure that it ends up everyone elses problem), is a very funny visual and contrast. Also, Kakashi meddling to make them interact is SO good! It makes me wonder at what the dynamics were for team 7 pre kannabi bridge. It seems so fun and interesting!!

Gai and Rock Lee are so fundamental to me. They're everything. Most iconic characters. Straight up legendary. Every shonen manga should have the Rock Lee character. Rock Lee genuinely should have been the protagonist of Naruto. Deku should have taken notes.

Part of what makes this AU so compelling to me is how batshit insane Obito's experience is. He genuinely hated Gai. He was the most uppity, pretentious Uchiha you had ever seen. Gai was everything he was taught to disdain, and Gai had picked him out as the ideal to challenge and topple. Kakashi undoubtedly thought that Obito needed to learn to respect people like Gai. Kakashi, the lazy-ass slacker, probably didn't stand out greatly to Gai.

So there's no better 'best friend' for Tobi's cover. Gai's the sort of fun loving and rambunctious person who fits perfectly with Tobi. Now Obito has to hang out with this guy, pretend he thinks he's great, let him beat him in fights, absolutely humiliate himself in front of somebody who he disdained. Obito's grift requires him to begin looking at the world 'underneath the underneath', and I think once he looks underneath Gai's underneath and sees the most morally upright person in Konoha, he's no longer lying when he acts as Gai's best friend.

Team 7 dynamics...

(Text of the excerpt under the cut)

It was a memory. Kakashi and Rin stood before him, standing on a bridge and waiting for Sensei to remember that he had someplace to be. This was how a man who could teleport was always late. If he was with Kushina-neechan he’d forget anything and everything. 

The sun dappled orange and yellow on the slowly churning water beneath them, and Obito was hungry. He had skipped lunch to train again. Obito could hear his stomach growl, feel the pain in his muscles.

“We might as well make the most of this,” Rin told him. She smiled broadly, clapping her hands. “Why don’t we all train together? Maybe we can surprise Sensei with some new jutsu?”

“Maa, count me out.” Kakashi laced his hands behind his head, staring absently up at the clouds. “I wanna take a nap.”

“Lazybones.” Rin sighed and turned to Obito, her smile turning hopeful. “What about you, Obito-kun? I bet you could teach me a really cool jutsu…and maybe I could teach you something too!”

Obito had snorted, crossing his arms. “What’s the point of that? What could a chuunin learn from two genin? Hard pass.”

They didn’t look frustrated. How could they never look frustrated? How did they take him in with a smile, why did they search so hard for his heart? Obito hadn’t had a heart. He hadn’t stolen it yet. 

“Rin-chan has a combat med-nin certification you don’t have. But what could a med-nin teach a combat specialist, eh?” At some point Kakashi had pulled out one of his idiot mystery novels, flipping it open to a random point and reading it avidly. Obito never understood it. What was the point in rereading a mystery novel? You knew the ending already. But Kakashi always said that the ending of the book changed every time he caught another little clue. Stupid. A book didn’t change just because you’re rereading it. “And of course there’s my wisdom.”

“Yeah?” Obito snorted. “Then teach me your wisdom, oh almighty Bakashi. Does that cloud up there look like a bunny? Did the butler do it?”

“Obito-kun, calling him Bakashi isn’t nice -”

“The butler was a red herring.” Kakashi eye-smiled at him above his book. In Obito’s memory, his smile looked a little mischievous. “A true mystery reader always looks underneath the underneath.”

“That’s useless,” Obito said flatly. “Do you have any wisdom that’s useful for a real ninja?”

“What? Oh, no, not at all. Shush, I’m almost at the ending.”

With the Sharingan, the memory may as well be real. It was a memory that only Obito had ever lived. Tobi didn’t have any memories like that. Tobi didn’t think about these things. Tobi didn’t think about anything, honestly.

[morsesnotes]

I'm kind of amused by Shaun Evans going from befuddled about the Morse/Joan storyline to outright annoyed over the years.

-----

Jace Lacob: You mentioned your love for the fourth episode this season, “Coda.” I’m wondering if there’s a favorite scene that stands out to you from this third season?

Shaun Evans: Yes, and it’s the last scene where Joan leaves.

Shaun: Throughout, we’ve always had little glimpses of them catching each other’s eyes in the mirror, in walking her home, seeing what’s going on, and I’ve always been curious. And each time we have an interaction I always say, “Where are we going with this? Where are we … What are we doing here? Should we be playing that there’s a bit of an attraction here, or should we be … should she just be my boss’s daughter?”

Shaun: I think for something to be engaging, the audience have to root for what the hero wants. Now, if the hero doesn’t know what he wants, it’s difficult for them to root for him, then it just becomes procedural, every week he solves a case. Whereas, if you think of the great sort of stories of like Friends, or like Sex and the City, or any of those stories, you can think, “Will they get together? Won’t they get together?” And it’s that which is engaging.

God I’m going on now aren’t I?

But in conclusion I was pleased because I really felt strongly that there should be some interaction between those guys that we’re really driving towards. But I feel like it really came, the heart of the story, came to fruition in the final scene.

PBS Masterpiece (2016)

-----

Jace: Why doesn’t Endeavour tell Joan that he loves her when he does have the opportunity?

Shaun: Oh, $64,000 question.

Shaun: There were so many back and forths about this, I’ve gotta tell you. And for me, I really … not agonized, but I thought, “Well, why go to all that trouble and not say anything? Why not? Why not just say something?” And we spoke about it constantly with the writer and it was his instinct that he doesn’t say anything, and I thought, “Why? But what’s the- why not just say one thing, not just say … Even call her by her first name?” You know? Why not say something, you know?” So you go with the majority sometimes, in cases like that. But I think it plays … I think it plays beautifully, you know?

Jace: I mean, so much of the show is in the unstated, rather than the stated.

Shaun: Mm-hmm.

PBS Masterpiece (2016)

-----

Q: Morse is pretty useless with women -- does he have more luck this time?

Shaun: Yeah, he ballsed it right up with Nurse Monica, but she was just too nice. He needs someone who's a bit more [thinks] "Grrr". But Monica comes back, so we get to end that in a better way. And things with Joan take a twist, which is quite satisfying. It can be frustrating for me, too. I'm like, "Why isn't Morse saying something? Why isn't he speaking up?" But the writer says, "Please, just trust me on this." And he gets it right.

Heat magazine (2017)

-----

Jace: The dynamic between Morse and Joan Thursday has provided a romantic spine to the series thus far. In the first episode of season six we get a bit of a flashback to the end of “Icarus,” with Morse asking if Joan’s offer of a coffee still stands. What happened between these two after Fancy’s death?

Shaun: This is one thing that we disagree about. I personally think that it would be interesting to have these two people begin a relationship and to have a night of passion and then the next day or a couple of weeks later, they’re like, ‘Oh this isn’t what I thought it would be. This isn’t the answer to all of my prayers at all.’ In a way for me, I think that’s way more heartbreaking, that you can’t be happy with anyone, rather than this, will they won’t they, which I personally think has a shelf life. So we have a disagreement about that, but that’s cool. So nothing happens between them. She’s busy, her life moved on. She hasn’t got time for him any more.

Jace: I do think it would be gutting for him to achieve this sort of idealized romance only to for only to find out that it is not working.

Shaun: Right?

Jace: And that there’s something broken within him.

Shaun: Because that speaks about you. Yeah exactly so, that’s my point exactly, right. That’s my point exactly. I think there’s not a fear, and I hesitate to say fear, but I think that for whatever reason, our writer, who I love and is one of my best mates, likes the idea of this will they won’t they. But I think that it speaks more to a real inability to form a lasting romantic relationship if you do that. So I’m very depressed about that. Someone you’ve lusted after for five years and then she’s like, ‘You know it’s…’

Jace:  ‘Thanks but no thanks.’

Shaun: Yeah, totally, or even if it’s him it’s like, ‘What’s this here?’

PBS Masterpiece (2019)

[fatum679]

Hello, sorry to brother you again, please lmk if u have enough of my rants 🤣. I wanna ask , don't you think it's somewhat crazy that due to this ridiculous a*ysmond vs. helaemond ship war, the character of Helaena Targaryen seems to have more haters among the TG than TB part of the fandom? I legit know several TB supporters/ content creators who claim Helaena deserves better and it will be cool if it turns out she has kids with someone who likes and respects her(=Aemond). Also, even TBs point out if the showrunners want to give Aemond a romantic subplot, helaemond will be a better option, since unlike a*ysmond , this relationship is a consensual one + Aemond's protectiveness and attachment to his sister appear pretty obvious... It's such a pity some Green fans diminish Hel's clairvoyance and claim it's useless and she's far less powerful seer and less interesting character than A*ys. They want A*ys' magic to be explored further, and not Hel's. Which I totally don't understand, since in GOT, we have already seen greenseers, woods witches and even Red Priests, but we still don't know much about dragon dreamers. Imo focusing on Targaryen magic in a Targaryen -centric show would be a far better idea. Also, HOTD's portrayal of Helaena could potentially be a really refeshing and original take on a magical woman. I mean unlike stereotypical sorceresses, usually dark-haired, clad in flowy, dusky gowns and dwelling in fantastic, Gothic manors, Hel looks like a sweet Princess ,but she's still blood of the dragon and a seer. I mean she doesn't need Gothic aesthetics and stuff to be "magical", since she herself is magic!

Hello! I'm glad to see your questions and glad that you are interested in my opinion 😊

The asoiaf fandom has always been toxic, no matter if you discuss books or series, there have always been wars in the fandom. Treat it like a game and don't spend a lot of energy on it.

Yes, there is a war of ships going on now. It's true, alysmond stans is the anti-Helaena and the anti-Helaemond. I don't understand why TG thinks Alys is part of the green party. Alys is not green. She has her own personal interests and goals.

Dance of the dragons is a Targaryen story, Alys is not a Targaryen, she is just a tertiary character (like Mysaria), she will not have more time.

I really want to see more of Helaena as a character, more of her magical abilities, more of her personality, more of her connection to the people of King's Landing, her family, her children, and her dragon. Rhaenyra did more action (in the book she sat on Dragonstone for the entire war), so I'm sure Helaena will have a lot of screen time.

Helaena doesn't have to be a stereotypical and banal goth girl. Comparing her to Alys is a waste of time. Helaena is beautiful, she looks like an elf and a fallen angel to girls from sagas.

Helaegon stans opposes Aemond, and they don't like all the allusions to Helaemond. I'm not anti-Aegon, but I'm anti-helaegon because there was no love between Aegon and Helaena in the show or even in the book. It was a forced marriage. Aegon had a mistress and other children. helaegon is lmao. helaegon is an abusive relationship. Abusive to Helaena. This is the reality and the truth.

“Princess Helaena was breaking her fast with her children when the Kingsguard came to her…but when asked the whereabouts of Prince Aegon, her brother and husband, she said only, “He [Aegon] is not in my bed, you may be sure. Feel free to search beneath the blankets””

“Though the good septon admits Prince Aegon was with a paramour when he was found, he insists the girl was the daughter of a wealthy trader, and well cared for besides”

“We have nothing in common”, “You [Aemond] marry her [Helaena], then”

“She's an idiot”

“I regret the disappointment you [Baela] are soon to suffer. But if you ever wish to kniw what it is to be well satisfied, all you have to do is ask”

“It isn’t so bad. Mostly he just ignores you…except sometimes when he’s drunk”.

“Think of the shame on your wife, on me” [Aegon r*p*d the Dyana who helped Helaena with her babys]

“I will find a ship and sail away, never to be found” [Aegon wanted to run away, abandon Helaena and her children]

I think Aegon always wanted to be on Rhaenyra's side. Perhaps he thought that Viserys would start to notice him and love him if he was closer to his older sister than to his other siblings. Even as a child, he was more interested in spending time with his nephews, and he did not take Alicent's words seriously until Aemond's eye was gouged out (Aemond could have died after such a wound)

“If Rhaenyra come into power you very life could be forfeit. Aemond is as well. She could move to cut off any challenge to her succession”

“Then I won’t challenge”

Aegon has a bad relationship with his mother and siblings ("She's an idiot" "He's a twat"). I think Aegon was more interested in love from Viserys and Rhaenyra than from his real family.

“My sister is the heir, not me,” he says in Eustace’s account. “What sort of brother steals his sister’s birthright?”

“He [Viserys]didn't like me”

Perhaps Aegon liked the idea of marrying Rhaenyra?

Sorry, I got a little off topic.

I agree with you, it would be great if Helaena's children were with the man she loves (Aemond). It is very sad and terrible that Helaena had to endure drunken se**ally har***ment from Aegon 🫣 😱 Poor girl 🥺 😭 I hate Aegon for this! Alicent, why did you let this happen? Helaena could have Aemond! Helaena was scared when Otto and Alicent asked her where Aegon was. She lowered her head - this is a gesture of protection. I don’t understand people who “like” Helaena and support the helaegon ship. They support abusive relationships and domestic vio**nce. It is a fact. This is anti-Helaena relationships.

#We need more Helaena in season 2!

[delta-queerdrant]

useless desires (Persistence of Vision, s2 e8)

I just realized I posted my drafts out of order! And skipped Persistence of Vision!! So sorry, but also what is time, etc.

"Persistence of Vision" could also be titled “kisses no one wanted to see on television.” There are so many of them! Voyager is a show that is fundamentally bad at romantic subplots, and this episode in particular seems determined to deliver awkward makeout scenes that literally no one asked for.

Truthfully I’m inclined to like this episode - it’s gothic, and it's about feelings, and those are both good things! (Season Two as a whole is strong in the area of feelings-forward episodes, even as it struggles with such matters as “plot.”)

We open with Janeway, modern career woman, losing her cool due to the pressures of command. The Doctor orders her to blow off some steam with a holo-novel, so we’re back to Victorian governess cosplay. 

This show’s conception of self-care is so very nineties - Janeway is a leader, but she’s also a woman, which means that an essential layer in her Maslow’s Pyramid is “putting on a corset and getting snogged by a bargain-basement aristocrat.” The problem with the governess holonovel is that it invokes universalized cliches of gendered desire (bodice-ripper tropes) instead of drilling into what this character, specifically, would look for in a holonovel (my money is on lady doctor/cowboy romance, but I will also accept steampunk adventure, or pirates). Some women dig feeling feminine, but they also want to feel like themselves.

Soon Janeway’s repressed lady psyche, pushed to the brink, begins to spill out into ordinary life. When she dares to enjoy a coffee ice cream (instead of one of her inexplicable cups of soup), she begins to hallucinate. Mark shows up!! A ghostly dog barks!!!

I am usually one to try to get behind a canonical love interest - even if my shippy preferences lie elsewhere, canon relationships shed light on character. But man, I hate this jerk. No doubt real!Mark has many pleasant qualities that phantom!Mark lacks, but let's be real, dude has all the charisma of a bin full of pencil shavings.

Mark (and Mollie) have been on Janeway's mind; we know this because she gave their photo a long, plaintive look before trotting off to the holodeck. Now phantom!Mark declares that, quote, SOMEONE ELSE IS IN YOUR THOUGHTS NOW(!!!) As further evidence of her guilt, a hallucinatory Mrs. Templeton appears and jumps her.

Who the heck is someone else?? One is inclined to assume that we're being setting up for a Janeway/Chakotay romance arc - but it’s hard to feel certain this show isn’t fucking with us, making shippy promises it has no intention of keeping. It seems equally possible that Lord Burleigh is someone else and the writers truly believe that Janeway feels guilty for kissing holograms behind her fiance’s back.

At any rate, atmospherically backlit aliens have shown up; the rest of the crew starts hallucinating, seeing loved ones or, in B’Elanna’s case, a torrid romance with Chakotay?? (I am actually okay with these two as fwb, but their relationship is so fundamentally platonic that, again, it feels like the writers are just messing with us.) Mark shows up and kisses Janeway (gosh, two Janeway kisses in one episode, each one profoundly disappointing).

Only Kes is strong enough to resist these bankrupt conjurings of female desire. Her siren is a Tom Paris who needs to be rescued, which is actually a pretty funny and on the nose interpretation of what Kes is into. Overcoming her urge to engage in some hurt/comfort roleplay, Kes rescues the ship, Medusa-like, by using her telepathic powers to return the awkward to sender.

I enjoy this episode because it’s about women’s personal lives, even though the script seems extremely confused about what those personal lives consist of. Janeway and Torres share a very sweet “welp, that was awkward” scene at the end in which they resolve to be a little less repressed in the future.

Of curse, we can't possibly expect either of them to follow through with their vow; when it comes to nineties television, the richest texts are usually those below the surface. 3/5 surreptitious coffee ice creams.

[signanothername]

Headcanon of how the Burn’s family are as patients:

Heatwave: -10/10 horrible patient, almost the reason Blades quit. Doesn’t let you treat him, doesn’t want to go through any recovery procedures. Boulder needs to be in the room to handle him (bonus if this is part of the reason why Blades probably thought him some first aid)

Chase: 3/10 fine at first, but refuses recovery procedures too. Needs someone to keep an eye on him or he’ll be back on the field.

Boulder: 10/10 Very calm patient. Has hobbies to keep him occupied. Will go along with doctors orders

Blades: 5/10 He’ll have you believe that “doctors are horrible patients” isn’t true for the first few days. Would probably go behind whoever checked him to check himself, can be a little paranoid. He’ll enjoy time off but get restless fast.

Charlie: 9/10 He’s a good patient, but he’s a dad and has the only braincell GR had to offer so he might have to get out there even if he doesn’t want to.

Kade: 3/10 Better than Heatwave, that’s not saying much. Would be a model patient in front of doctors, would still be on the field behind them, but not do anything in the firehouse as his recovery

Dani: -5/10 Blades would probably have to lock her in his cockpit to keep her still, and let’s face it, she would find a way to escape.

Graham: 8/10 would say he’s fine, but he’s an engineer, the moment he touches a bed he’ll KO until he’s healed. Doctors find this a little concerning

Cody: 7/10 He’s a kid, a very good kid, but his a kid. Honestly tho, with his luck, high chance Murphy’s law is the real issue and not him. All the bots would 100% be fussing over him.

Bonus:

Blur: Blades called him his 13th reason. He didn’t get the reference

HT: -11/10 he’s a proud veteran and primus help Blades because not even Boulder could make him sit down for an examination.

Quickshadow: 4/10 Only a little better than Chase, she’ll wait until she has her doctors trust to make a run for it.

Salvage: 3/10 Would probably try to treat himself for curiosity only to end up needing a doctor even more than when he started

Anon I love this so much omg

Ok thoughts time >:)

———

Heatwave: YAAASSSS!!! Heatwave is way to stubborn and hotheaded to let Blades treat him, he’d probably say shit like “it’s just a scratch” meanwhile he’s bleeding dhhdhd

Also omg needing Boulder in the room is so true, I feel like Boulder is definitely the only one that can actually handle Heatwave, a hothead like him needs a really calm individual to cool him down

———

Chase: FUCKING CANON

That one episode when he hurts his leg and is insistent on the fact he’s ok, then later refuses stasis entirely

This entire scene man

And it’s kinda interesting to see how he finds Boulder’s help “humiliating” as if tho getting help wounds his pride, not to mention, how his refusal is related to his self worth and his fear of being “useless”, he later on tells Charlie “i feel as if I have let you down” like awww nooooo you haven’t!!! Why would he even think that is beyond me

That’s where my workaholic Chase headcanon originated from tho

working seems to keep his mind at ease

———

Boulder: hell yaaaa! Boulder is honestly the kindst soul you could meet, he tries his best to make everything easier for everyone, and that makes me believe that even if he were to need some sort of treatment he doesn’t like, or is uncomfortable with? You wouldn’t even know he’s uncomfortable with it from how committed he is and how he never causes any trouble

I think Blades would definitely catch wind of Boulder not speaking up when he uncomfortable and would definitely talk to him about it, assure him it’s ok to speak up and that they can find middle ground, a compromise of sorts if you will

Blades and Boulder would definitely have an amazing doctor and patient rapport :D

———

Blades: YOU GOT IT SO RIGHT!! Blades understands the need to be a good patient and I’d imagine he tries his best to be one, but then anxiety kicks in full force and abandonment issues make themselves known

Blades always seems paranoid over the idea of being replaced, and becoming outta commission would get him to think he’s replaceable, and he definitely doesn’t want any backlash so he’d absolutely go behind the team’s back and try to make it seem like he’s ok when he isn’t

I feel like his family would absolutely notice and realize it eventually tho, and man he’d be hearing a full lecture, especially from Heatwave (ironically) and Dani

———

Charlie: wheeze no fr tho

Charlie needs to be there or things would go downhill real fast, Heatwave and Chase can be good stand ins when needed, but depending on when it’s happening, they either can’t actually lead cause they have to act like lifeless machines or even after revealing their truth, Heatwave’s braincell goes bye bye cause of his anger and Chase takes things way too literally and it could end in disaster

Kade is good to an extent but I really don’t think he can keep things running smoothly for long

We literally get an episode in which Charlie gets sick and basically stays in bed and the next thing you know is Evan and Miles mischief, Cody ages up and Kade age regresses, chaos at its finest

So god forbid Charlie actually retires one day hchvvhhv

I feel like Charlie understands actually resting would be better than pretending everything is fine, cause the sooner he rests the sooner he recovers

So yeah Charlie is definitely the type of patient to actually rest but would definitely get back on the field before he recovered completely, he at least has an actual good reason hcvhvhvj

———

Kade: oh my god yesssss

Kade is only slightly better cause he generally doesn’t resist treatment, recovery wise tho? Yeah this man isn’t resting at all

And he would absolutely take advantage of his recovery to escape chores or something like that, probably give Charlie the damsel in distress act

Charlie is wise to his lil acts tho

———

Dani: no literally THIS

You’d think as an EMT she’d actually understand the importance of taking care of herself but nah she’s a lost cause

Dani is a bit hyperactive and she’s pretty productive, sitting down doing nothing is not on her schedule and there’s no room for it, so i feel like the family dreads when she’s sick or injured cause now they have to look out for her

And she always manages to slip away

———

Graham: he definitely is like Boulder in hiw calm and cooperative he is, so I can absolutely see he’s no concern when it comes to recovery

And omg the idea of him KO’ed is so in character it’s so funny, this absolutely happens

I can imagine Charlie feeling a bit of fear of if tho cause dad instincts kick in whenever his kids are sick/hurt

———

Cody: no like this is spot on cucuchch

Especially the Murphy’s law part, poor Cody can’t catch a break, and I honestly find it hilarious how Blades specifically notices and points it out, only for Chase to say he fucking cataloged it

The poor kid is jinxed

Cody does try his best to be a good patient, but as you said, he’s just a kid in the end, meaning he’s hyperactive and can get bored easily, would definitely eventually try to do something for fun

———

Blurr: wheeze

Ok but fr, i’d even say he’s as bad, if not worse than Heatwave, he’d probably be like “relaaax doc” as Blades is literally begging him to sit still at this point

Blurr is very impatient, and Blades himself isn’t the most patient bot, so combining both their impatience just ends in disaster

I feel like Blades ends up asking Heatwave to be with him to get Blurr in order, which works most of the time actually, other times it just ends in Heatwave breaking something hcchch

Heatwave needs Boulder to keep him still, Blurr needs Heatwave to keep him still chchchhc

———

Hightide: literallyyyyyyyy

Hightide is a very old bot who’s seen worse so he’d always downplay his need for medical assistance, “it’s just a scratch” as he bleeds 2.0

I feel like the only way to get Hightide to sit still is either to get OP or to have Servo sit on his lap, he maybe a restless veteran, but he’s also a proud dad to Servo and he’d never dare shoo Servo away to simply stand

It probably took forever for Blades to discover that solution tho chvjvj

———

Quickshadow: too sassy, thinks she’s too good for a rest yet really fucking smart

She absolutely would be strategic in her quest to not have to rest, and she always manges to outsmart everybody, Blades fears her and her big brain

———

Salvage: YAAASSS! Salvage is too curious for his own good at times, and getting hurt? Yeah he’d go for treating himself not only outta curiosity, but he probably also thinks it’s not that much of a big deal

Tho i’d say the positive thing about Salvage is the fact he actually learns from any mistakes he makes, so he’d definitely go for Blades the next time he’s hurt, doesn’t mean his curiosity doesn’t win him over sometimes

———

Ok that was pretty fun, love these asks man keep them coming >:D❤️❤️❤️🌷✨

[basedkikuenjoyer]

A Tale of Two Hannya: Flowers Without Names

Last time we dabbled in this area we made it clear we were just scratching the surface. I have a lot I want to say about how Kiku & Yamato play off of each other and how it plays into manga’s long history of playing with gender. We’ve already brought up the classic series on the right, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and how Yamato sorta falls into some of the same pitfalls of the iconic princely lady. But I don’t think this discussion is complete without acknowledging another very important landmark shoujo that still casts a long shadow today. The Rose of Versailles, an iconic 70s series starring the dashing Lady Oscar. Raised as a man to inherit her father’s spot in the royal guard and her “Anthy,” fitting for a story told with the backdrop of the French Revolution, is none other than Marie Antoinette.

So here’s our thesis. Famously the intent of Rose wasn’t initially Oscar. Antoinette was supposed to be the protagonist but was upstaged by such a novel heroine for the time. Utena was the deconstruction of what spawned in her wake. Wano’s Hannya duo? A wickedly smart evolution that’s actually quite responsive to contemporary social changes.

Oscar really does seem like she ended up being this accidental icon, but for all the glory and passion her story is so often wound up in how she can never really escape being sucked in to “women’s games.” It’s a solid recipe; she’s remarkable as a guard & soldier but situations force her to deal with things as a woman. Contrast between battle and courtroom intrigue. It’s a very old school type of feminist work. Similar tone if a different structure than Kozue in the slightly earlier Attack No.1 and a lot of our Pinkie Violence heroines. Deep down there’s always that “A woman is still a woman” element. That’s fallen out of fashion as more feminist depictions have become normal, but there’s a certain power in that internal dynamic. 

The appeal was just seeing a female lead doing cool shit. And this parallels a lot of world media from the 60s/70s. Still pretty old fashioned gender expectations but seeing women buck them at all was fresh. Thing is...give it twenty years and new issues crop up. By the 90s we have a generation that grew up on things like Rose of Versailles and analogues to the point this action girl tomboy is just a trope. A trope bordering on cliche. A trope that allowed how we write most women to stagnate. Love interests, mothers, etc. didn’t have to get with the times. Just toss in a girl that does cool guy things and you’re golden! Most copycats lacked the balance that made Rose so iconic.  Enter Utena, so far ahead of the curve. I’ve heard her described as revolutionary even.

The titular Utena is a fairy tale character in the real world. She is a perfect lil Mary Sue, but the more the story matures the more it becomes obvious a fairy tale character lacks the sense to pick up on real issues. That’s Utena’s magic; juxtaposing the uber cool main character with the actual scary forces in the world. Leading to an ending that lets seemingly useless, docile Anthy drive the point home. A character like Utena can inspire strength...but most girls are going to have to learn other tactics. “Utena” is the Japanese word for Calyx, the outer part of a flower bud that protects it. Smash the world’s shell...

Revolutionary for the time, ahead of the curve in so many ways. But its 30 years old now. We’re at a point it isn’t rare to see casual critique of leaning on the action girl tomboy as a crutch. Nothing new under the Sun, we’ve been here before. It’ll swing that way until a new generation thinks Peppermint Patty is subversive again. And that’s the landscape One Piece got to have fun with.

Which brings us to our pair of breakout new faces in Wano. One of the biggest changes to stories that play with gender roles in this day and age is the reality we pay more attention to why some people organically feel that way. Yamato’s still playing this trope straight. Very straight actually. Background is totally on par with Oscar and the way you go about it feels very similar...for the most part. Could say the same about Utena, Yams is someone who kept that spark of nobility equivalent well into adulthood. There is definitely not a “woman is still a woman” angle with Yamato. The bath scene is a great example. No, you just don’t have that modesty. 

Kiku has that element though, in spades. Her story runs on it. What was old fashioned becomes forward thinking now by combining two tropes. Let the girly trans woman have that old theme if it isn’t as relevant anymore for most women. Same logic I’d use to say she makes a great quartermaster template. It’d be an eyeroll to make most female crewmates the one swabbing the deck or doing laundry in establishing shots...not so much if it’s Kiku. Which gives a cool edge, what’s stifling for some is liberating for others. 

That said...looking at the two together I can’t unsee the gentle repudiation of the very extreme end “all that matters at all is what you say your are” mindset. We’re not getting into discourse here, I’m just identifying trends that exist regardless of how you may feel about them. One Piece is far, far, far from the only reflection the pendulum is swinging the other way even within the community. Yamato’s treated more on the same tier as like, Bon & Iva. He does feel a little more like a caricature at points. And I do think part of the way they’re used together is making a statement about their relative journeys. How certain aspects can feel like Yamato gets the best of both worlds and Kiku the worst. Yamato doesn’t have to care because at worst you’ll think he’s silly instead of creepy and for meeting that impossible bar of being the perfect lady as good as anyone in Wano...Kiku’s “prize” is having to juggle two sets of lofty expectations.  

I feel like Oda really knew what he was doing here. Knew teenage battle shonen fans would bend over backwards to make excuses for Yamato and aggressively ignore Kiku. If OP Academy’s pulling the same trick this was clearly the intent. Both play with the expectations of that generic Strong Female Character archetype One Piece has generally avoided. Oda’s great at writing women but seems to feel that action girl tomboy is a crutch too. We’ll probably revisit this one down the line. It’s a deep well and one that’s delicate to talk about. But I wanted to end this tour of my drafts page for the last year with a bang.

[tamelee]

your thoughts on Karin? (cuz she's so hated by sakura stans)

Well we know why they dislike her so much :’) 

I don't have many specific thoughts about her tbh. However, I do like team Hebi/Taka because it works. I think that's not so much about whether she's 'useful' or not, but more about Sasuke's ability to lead a team effectively. I wish we had seen more about Karin's goals and inner world beyond ‘Sasuke’. First, because she is an Uzumaki and it’d be great to learn even a tiny bit of background (other than Anime filler and databooks) and secondly because right now I find her dedication, loyalty (according to Suigetsu) and relationship with Orochimaru confusing to say the least. And even more so after Gaiden 🤔 We've seen internal conflicts explored for characters who are considered 'less important' than Karin, but it now seems limited to an obsession with Sasuke.

I'm not criticizing this lack of depth per se because, in most cases, there is room to expand on a character and flesh them out if it serves the story. I understand that it might not be the case for a supporting character (literally) in Sasuke's journey like Karin was and that it may not even have been Kishimoto’s intention to hand out the ability to sympathize with her behavior as her core personality shown in the story isn’t the easiest to like or relate to lol.  

But thirdly... you can’t really tell what truly motivates her as a person (internally), other than this one memory of Sasuke saving her and then crushing on him. I consider characters as a 'person' (internal) different from their 'duties' and motivations as Shinobi (external). Although in some cases these are aligned or become intertwined. So, that memory alone isn't a satisfying guiding principle. Especially not in a complex story like Naruto. It's simply 'something that happened' and it didn't lead her to the point she then was acknowledged as kunochi (when we got introduced to her, the chains are an exception) who could be useful for a team. Ultimately her personal reasons to be strong in the first place didn't put her in a position that made Sasuke consider her for his team. She was useful and then her crush on Sasuke motivated her to join the team which is entirely different.. and having this crush wasn't her driving force as a person the way Sasuke was for Naruto. Sasuke was Naruto's driving force which made him strong which then was useful to the Shinobi world, see how that's the opposite? (There's no right/wrong here, it's just an observation.) Generally, you can't really sense that yearning she has for (Sasuke's) love, because there isn't any emotional layering to it. Nevertheless, her abilities are impressive. So, what brought her to this point in the first place if it wasn't a motivation? It is simply my personal curiosity. And arguing for her motivation being 'Sasuke' makes her abilities in the beginning of part 2 simply an attribution to her Uzumaki heritage (which is the only reason people give for her strength) or Orochimaru's experiments because there's no other explanation than that and thus, such reasoning I find incredibly lacking considering the interesting things she can do. Even using that as an excuse to defend a ship would only do it a disservice tbh. Uchiha can awaken their Sharingan but that strength still depends on the user. Anything handed to you is useless if you don't know how to use it, as we've seen with Naruto as Jinchuriki also. As well as his core reason to become stronger which wasn't ever simply to gain the Hokage title. In that sense, although a bit shallow, Karin becomes just this crazy girl that has a creepy obsession but can do really cool and useful things with her set of skills. Idk what else to say about it.

[childhoodtv-kalimthefairy]

a KOTLC rewrite

I’ve had this idea, where I rewrite KOTLC. No offence, but there is a lot of problems with the books (still love them) like the shit ton of characters, Sophie feeling like the side character compared to Keefe, Biana is low key useless, and the plot twist that didn’t really make sense (Dex’s mom being squall and forkles being a pair of twins to be example and no the jokes don’t count.) So I’ve been thinking of some alternative plot stuff.

Fitz and Biana looking more like the fanart (aka darker skin just cause they look cooler.)

Tam and Linh being part of the Neverseen the defecting (Joined prob of the stigma and there parent issues)

More of foxfire and Exillium (They are cool)

Making Biana the Pyrotechnic (Let’s be honest vanishes are kinda lame.)

Making the Neverseen more prevalent. (Specially in the newer books, it feels like they were kinda wasted over Gisela’s thing.)

Scraping the Forkle thing.

Make Maruca part of the core group.

Make Wylie closer to the group, being kinda like the voice of reason before they run off.

Make Gisela the leader of the Neverseen!!!Then make them do some fucked up shit, not just Keefe.

Make Sophie’s progress in defeating the Neverseen a bit faster! This is more of a gripe but it feels like they get no where.

make Sophie feel more out of place. Give her hetrochromia or something other than brown eyes, I get they all have blue eyes but like it doesn’t feel as interesting cause the majority of the people reading probably have brown eyes. Heterochromia is a lot more rare, it would make a little more sense! Plus they couldn’t make the weird potion thingy to turn eyes brown.

Another thing, the council should be shrunken.

MORE OF ORALIES LOVE INTEREST CAUSE I DID NOT GIVE A SHOT WHEN HE DIED SO HE SHOULD GET MORE SCENES.

Fitz deserves to get doted on, so give him his own love triangle with dex and tam. This is more of a me thing, I like the idea that Fitz is floated and Biana isn’t into anyone, like Athena. To busy to be in love.

Just nuke Amy, she isn’t really important. I feel like the Black Swan as there own human informant.

more fights.

an actual plot thing, I feel like they shouldn’t have introduced Sophia’s parents I think she should’ve had an arc where she understands that she will never really know who they were but she wouldn’t care cause she has a family now. That or just make her human mom her real mom cause how the hell does she have another mom but her human mom gave birth to her.

that’s all but tell me what you think, should I actually write?

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

I think one issue with 2012 TMNT, as well as the writers seemingly being a bit creepy and thus infecting their abilities to write romance (Casey being seen as ~quirky and funneee~ for being a creep makes sense when you see the camera angles surrounding April’s ass). A lot of issues writing wise also crop up from the writers distaste (or at least disinterest) for humans in general.

Like at its DNA it’s why April isn’t really human despite in other incarcerations her importance in being the tmnts first human friend. It kind of misses the point of April. She’s the turtles first personal positive connection to humanity usually.

It’s why 2012 Bishop wasn’t (albeit altered) human despite being the best original villain 2003 TMNT ever created and that being the whole point of him. He was probably representing the paranoid trip america went on during its war on terror we still see influences from today. Bishop is humanity at its worst which I feel was important when you made your shredder an alien in 2003. You still get that human evil in a very cool way.

It’s why 2012 Casey is kind of useless writing wise a lot of the time only used for the (…joy) love triangle. His so called friendship with Raph doesn’t seem really… all there either? They seemed better friends when Casey was an adult in 2003. Casey’s family never shown. Aprils aunt. Never shown. We could get character development or background for April and Casey but nah. (But seriously April and Casey being kids could be interesting but they do nothing with it besides romance!)

It’s why 2012 Irma isn’t human either. Can’t have even April have a real human friend. Also basically kill her off. Who cares.

It’s why Timothy gets mutated and kept that way for daring to get involved as an ordinary human.

Even Karai needs to get mutated because she apparently isn’t interesting enough on her own.

Overall I can sort of see how it happened? It is literally TMNT. Of course a focus on mutants is natural but it’s very… cold. It leaves me cold anyway. Timothy in particular feels like a middle finger to kids who like to imagine being friends with the turtles and like: shitting on eight year olds dreams is not really what I’d call a good time.

Overall the turtles I think at their core can represent a lot of things but they do need a real connection with humanity to also work. They protect humans a lot in their stories in spite of their place in it and if there’s no close human friendships or interesting human villains (2012 Shredder is at his most boring version and Baxter Stockman isn’t at all threatening), it really doesn’t work too well.

Jesus even Mona Lisa isn’t a former human like in 1987. It’s kind of wild.

[paxesoterica]

iahsfliabf;azfzsmf

Thoughts on Episode 11 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury below, there are spoilers, please please please watch it before proceeding (unless of course you don’t care about spoilers, in which case carry on)

SKFGSLIEFSFL!

Why is this show SO amazing

Anyway, some actual coherent thoughts:

-Poor Suletta deals with feelings of rejection about as well as I expected, i.e. overworks herself and assumes she’s useless : (

-Delling and Prospera are no longer in the opening sequence and have been replaced with Sophie Pulone and Norea Du Noc, the titular Witches from Earth; since I’m assuming Prospera isn’t going to die yet, I’m guessing it’s not an omen of her and Delling dying, but Sophie and Norea becoming major antagonists (but who knows for sure at this point)

-So, Delling and Prospera are apparently working together on a project, and she just told him (and the audience) her real name for the first time, and also he knows she’s a witch (in the Gundam sense), and apparently Aerial can reach a permet score of 6 (which is 2 more than what’s previously been shown to kill pilots)...what even *is* Prospera’s plan at this point? Also kinda worried about the name ‘Quiet Zero’, that definitely sounds like something you’d name a superweapon : /

-Maybe *Shaddiq* is going to end up as the main antagonist, what with how he’s trying to kill Delling, Vim, AND Miorine, what a prick

-I’m thinking that theory that Suletta is a cyborg whose enhancements are all subdermal (like that one lady we saw back in the prologue) seems increasingly likely, due to Miorine’s remark about her stamina and the fact Suletta didn’t flinch at any of Miorine’s punches, until she hit the solar plexus (I remain very interested where Witch from Mercury is going with its transhumanism themes)

-...Y’ALL

-No, but seriously, Y’ALL: anybody who watches the scene with Miorine hugging Suletta and crying and telling her to say that she (Suletta) wants Miorine to rely on her and asking Suletta to never lose any duels and to stay by Miorine’s side forever, and can say with a straight face that Mio-Mio is NOT in love with this dork from Mercury should be awarded an Olympic gold medal for mental gymnastics (also, Miorine thinks the keychain isn’t cool at all, but of course she’s keeping it because Suletta gave it to her)

-And because we advanced, we gained two: Suletta and Miorine all but saying “I love you” AND a cliffhanger as Sophie and Norea attack Plant Quetta and threaten the now happier couple’s lives along with everyone else’s! Merry Gundmas I guess!

[aroacegod]

I need to rant so I’m doing it here (kinda long, She-ra spoilers)

She-ra could do so much with a season 6. There were so many things that needed to be worked out in the characters. Catra still had a lot of leftover trauma she never got to properly deal with, like her abandonment issues and the nightmares and flashes she gets because of Horde Prime’s mind control. She also never got to really apologize to Scorpia for everything that happened. It would have been nice to see them work through everything and become genuine friends. I just feel like her redemption arc was too short. Then there’s Adora’s “I have to fix this” mindset. She constantly felt like she had to sacrifice herself for the good of everyone else, and I feel like it was never properly worked through. Throughout the show, she felt like people always needed She-ra, but not Adora. And now that Etheria has been saved, she doesn’t have to be She-ra anymore. She might feel like she’s useless now that nobody “needs” her anymore. A 6th season could show us her trying to overcome her need to be useful to everyone else and realizing that she is deserving of love too.

Season 6 could also show us the Best Friend Squad bringing magic back to all the other planets, since that was mentioned in the very last episode. We could also get some lesbian fluff between Catra and Adora, which is always nice. It’d be great to see their relationship develop and help each other overcome their struggles. Maybe we could see them become friends with Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio again. Maybe some Glimmer and Bow stuff too. I’d also love to see Glimmer and her dad’s relationship grow. After thinking he was dead for so long, it would’ve be awesome to see them get to know each other and form a bond. I also think it’d be funny to watch him get used to living normally again—sleeping in a bed, not eating bugs—and just learning to be a dad. And then there’s Hordak. He defied Horde Prime and returned to Etheria with Entrapta. I’d like to see how he and Catra adjust to life in a world without a constant war against the princesses. It would take a long time for him to fully be accepted by everyone, especially the Princess Alliance. And he also wouldn’t be able to get over his prejudices against the princesses immediately. Sure, Entrapta was his friend, but he was trying for so long to crush the princesses that he might still have some kind of urge to do so. Maybe Entrapta could help him live among them and even find some hobbies to keep him busy. I also want to see more of Double Trouble and Wrong Hordak. They’re both such funny characters. And I just love DT; they’re just here to cause problems and I live for it. We could even see more of the Star siblings. They were interesting characters, and it would be cool to learn more about them.

Something that I’ve been wondering about was what the First Ones were really doing with the Heart of Etheria. Sure, they were using it as a weapon of mass destruction to destroy their enemies, but who were their enemies really? Horde Prime? Were there other enemies? And were there underlying motives for mining the planet’s magic? Who did they want to destroy? I just feel like there’s so much more to the story that we didn’t see. And according to Madame Razz, She-ra was on Etheria long before the First Ones got there. What was She-ra like before the sword was made to control her? Were there settlers of Etheria before the First Ones? If so, who were they? We also didn’t learn much (or anything) about Adora’s background. Since Adora is a First One, there must be some kind of First Ones colony on whatever planet she was from. What planet did she come from? Did Adora have a family before she was brought to Etheria? Are they still alive? Are they looking for her? And what about Queen Angella? She technically isn’t dead; she’s just trapped between dimensions, which means she’s alive and alone. I’m not saying we should bring her back; I’m just curious as to what she’s up to. Can she do anything, or is she just stuck floating between time and space? Regardless, there are so many things that could be covered in another season that would be so great to see. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re ever getting one 😔

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk

[narhinafan]

People keep saying that bsu is forced and bsa isn’t. But have you ever seen Boruto cry for Salad like he did in the novel for Sumire?

Bsa is forced because of who their parents are. That’s (and for power babies) is the only reason people ship them. But now that Kishi has taken over the series again, I highly doubt they’ll end up together.

But it just annoys me when people do fanart of cool nh moments and trace it into bsa or compare them to each other or even post photos of Kushina, Hinata and Salad together.

And people have the nerve to say that she’s the most beautiful, talented, strongest, best waifu, and mc’s love interest.

Like bro, Boruto lost an eye for her and someone even lost their life cause she was useless!

Why couldn’t they have put her under Ada’s spell? It’ll make things way easier. But because she’s unaffected and Sasuke is, everyone’s claiming it’s because of her love for Boruto and that bsa will triumph. But they completely forget that Sumire’s immune too.

Someone even said that Salad’s immune for her love for Boruto and Sumire’s immune for her love for Kawaki.

Sumire is immune thanks to Nue, right? No one knows why Salad’s immune and honestly, no one really cares.

And I thought that she was a chunin but apparently she’s still a genin, which means she could actually be Hokage.

I’m just picturing that whenever the village is in danger, she will stand there being useless while her friends save her.

How can anyone like her? She dresses inappropriately and is useless, then in part 2 she dresses like a hooker. Honestly, she’s kind of grossing me out now.

And people still have the nerve to say she’s the sun to the cold and distant Boruto and in part 1, they were saying how she was the moon to Boruto’s sun.

That’s Mitsuki’s!

bsa is forced the anime moments alone make that clear, but even in the manga Boruto had to lose an eye cause of her. He is never shown crying over Sarada like you said as well.

Yeah bsa shippers are just Sakura fans who want to use the ship to full for their NaruSaku delusions or make it a trophy to make Sakura look better.

But it just annoys me when people do fanart of cool nh moments and trace it into bsa or compare them to each other or even post photos of Kushina, Hinata and Salad together.

I know what you mean its annoying seeing them still and use NaruHina fanart for a ship like that. More so when they try and force the family dynamics when despite knowing the Uzumaki family Sarada isn't close with them at all.

All of those are lies she isn't that beautiful nor that talented. Even strong is hard to say when she is proving herself to be as useless as Sakura.

I agree her falling for Eida's spell would have made sense we don't know any reason why though for her all Sumire. Sasuke is affected by it he just trust Sarada's words.

It won't be her love for Boruto cause if that was the case Shikamaru and many others who found their true love wouldn't affected either.

For Omnipotence my theory is that since Sumire likes Boruto and Eida sees Sarada the same and her wish is to be with Kawaki it didn't affect them cause if Boruto is replaced with Kawaki in their minds they basically become her love rivals. So in order to grant her wish her jutsu leaves them out so the won't compete with her when it comes to Kawaki. The same would apply to her charm since that is branched from Omnipotence.

Sumire doesn't love Kawaki at all she loves Boruto. We don't know why either Sumire or Sarada are unaffected, but if it is cause of love it would only be cause Eida assumed Sarada liked Boruto or saw her as a possible love rivalry for Kawaki.

Yeah the anime and manga teams aren't communicating you can tell the Chunin arc was filler done by them since they are bias towards Sarada.

I know what you mean am not a fan of clothes either and the sun and moon argument is stupid and fits Sumire more then Sarada. Mistuki is the Moon as well, but just like how Sasuke and Naruto were and Hinata was also his moon/sun the same would go for Sumire.

[kindheart525]

Tag yourself! I’m Slowly Dying, Discord Server Mod, and Poor Little Neigh Neigh

[Image Description: Chibi-styled headshots of the Thirdverse cast with the following descriptions under them (character names indicated in parentheses, not part of image):

Homophobic Dog (Celestial Blessing)

Would rather drink a smoothie than go to therapy

“You have depression? Just cheer up”

Gives you a dirty look if you start crying

Constantly judging everyone

Slowly Dying (Bismuth Sun)

Full time student with a job, doesn’t even need it to survive

Three majors and five minors, considering another

Attends every single community event

Somehow has time for online discourse too

Quiet Quitter (Evergreen Blaze)

Does the bare minimum at work

Works with someone for 5 years and never learns their name

His favorite color is “personal information”

Avoids his coworkers at the grocery store

Influencer (Moonray Chill)

Goes on annual trips to Disney, thinks this is normal

Believed in Santa until she was 14

“If you’re homeless, just buy a house!”

No concept of money whatsoever

Common L (Lantern Glow)

Looks at themselves crying in the mirror when they have a breakdown

Has daddy issues or mommy issues if not both

Finds comfort in their childhood interests well past that age

Can’t find a therapist so they have several diaries

iPad Kid (Strawberry Breeze)

Bites people like a rabid dog

Life goal is to scream louder than Krakatoa

Picks her nose and wipes it on the wall

First word was fuck

Better Than You (Earth Day)

Always dresses in style

“I won’t have my son doing makeup like that, his eyeliner is all wrong”

Can convince you that you need something you had no interest in

Joins every single conversation just to be the center of attention

Nepo Baby (Princess Cut)

How much could one banana be? 10 dollars?

Thinks Kim Kardashian is a self-made millionaire

Saves money by cutting out avocado toast and Netflix

Also dad owns a business

Chihuahua In An Itchy Sweater (Sunny Sweet Dreams)

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”

Takes even the slightest teasing personally

Selective in showing affection including to herself

Thinks being school project partners is "too intimate"

Dont Mine At Night (Laffy Taffy)

Curses at you in the Call of Duty lobby

Has a meltdown when the game lags

Fall Out Boy blaring in headphones 24/7

No sleep, bad grades, but defeating the final boss was worth it

Shallow (Galatea Candyheart)

Everyone wants to be her friend

Because she has the cool 24 pack of crayons with the sharpener on the back

She has to check her schedule to plan playdates…in preschool

Calls people she just met her best friend

Oh Worm? (Tiger Lily)

Says I love you to the cashier at McDonalds

Holds the door open for people who didn’t ask

Offers snacks and band-aids to everyone including strangers

Cries harder than you do when you scrape your knee

Discord Server Mod (Daisy Wasp)

The only one with conflict resolution skills

Stays up till 3am to moderate the group discussion

“No venting in the general chat”

Calls herself the friend group babysitter

Poor Little Neigh Neigh (Fairyfly)

Puts all the pressure on himself because his parents won’t do it

Complains about the stress he’s under as if it isn’t self-imposed

Thinks it makes him a better person

“Shut up I’m not short I just hit 4’11”

International Harvester (Blackberry Maple)

Posts travel pics at 12pm on a Tuesday

Accepts every single friend request on Facebook

Knows every stranger’s life story

You only ever see him at Thanksgiving dinner

Living Pinterest Board (Orchard Sunrise)

Does school notes about horrible tragedies in cursive with a pink highlighter

Every outfit is coordinated, even the work clothes

Spends hours in the bathroom doing her makeup

Asks you for help but nitpicks every step of the way

Useless Little Fuck (Fireside Jam)

Quotes distracting vines while his family does dangerous yardwork

Tries to carry the groceries inside but spills the whole bag

Offers to carry one (1) thing and hands it back to mom when it gets too heavy

Parents have to re-do all the chores he did badly

End Description.]