#anyway i love david and i WILL give him a redemption arc

[ravensmadreads]

What Love Means

A/N: so remember when I said I wasn't gonna write again? Yea I'm a lying liar who lied.. anyway, this came from me screaming about my unhinged love for David York to @chronically-ghosted , who then once asked me what I thought love meant to David and the thought sent me in a spiral. It's not really so much a fic as it is a stream of my own consciousness. If anyone cares though, there definitely is a whole fic about these two and their backstory.

Warnings: uhhhh bad writing? So David is probably ooc (but this version of him is my comfort character sorry), description of a panic attack, mentions of canon violence, and like the barest hint at smut.

Taglist: @chronically-ghosted (sorry ily) @fuckyeahdindjarin (i know Dave is not really your thing, but it felt wrong not to tag you- feel free to ignore tho no pressure! )

He gasps awake. Panic creeping slowly at the edges of his consciousness until it lunges and swallows him whole. He's not even sure why. The lingering effect of a nightmare he can't remember anymore. Shadowed figures drenched in blood and violence have been a part of him for so long that it's hard to distinguish the memories from the monsters. He bites his lip to stifle a cry. Fists holding tight onto flowered sheets and jaw clenched tight as he tries to remember to breathe. In and out right? It's simple.

His eyes fall shut as he swallows the bile that threatens to choke him. He's well versed in the art of fighting alone. He's been training for years. They've drilled him so hard, for so long, that he can pick an enemy apart in the dark and not make a sound. His fight or flight has been torn down and beaten until the only option he remembers is fight and win. The voices inside him never rest. Never go quiet. The pressure in his chest tightens. Was breathing always this difficult?

And then.

A movement.

He can't make out the sounds, but he knows someone's coming. His heart is pounding. It's inching closer still. Soft, steady footsteps just on the edges of the room. And yet he can't move. Can't open his eyes. Can't breathe. The voice in his head spits venom: Coward. A thud on his nightstand. A dip as the bed shifts and the world tilts a little.

A gasp that he can't hold back; and suddenly his eyes fly open.

Deep laboured breaths. Blurred vision. Every muscle on high alert. There's someone in front of him. He can't move. Fight or flight? A blink. Fight or flight?! Another gasp. Fight, you coward! But he can't move. Fight! He can't breathe. Would it really be so bad if he stopped?

"Dave!"

****

He blinks. There's another voice now. But it's outside the raging in his head. Outside the voices screaming for blood. It's soft. Softer than anything he knows. Anything he deserves. It's you. He can't make out the words but it's enough.

Another gasp.

Another blink.

You.

A lungul of air.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

One more time.

One more time.

One more time.

He's well versed in the art of calming himself down on his own. He doesn't have to though. Not anymore. Not when your arms hold him like he's the most fragile thing in the universe. He'd scoff at the thought if he could breathe.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

He can feel again. The tingling in his skin slowly being replaced by soft warmth. Soft lips on the side of his neck. Gentle hands running through his hair. Fistfuls of cotton fabric in his hands. Strands of your hair on his cheek.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Strawberry scented shampoo. Vanilla bean candles from the corner of the night stand. Something inexplicable that he can never name but that he knows is undeniably you.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Whispered assurances in his ear. The gentle hum of the air con. The rain pattering on the window and the wind that's slowly settling down now.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Metal in his mouth because he bit his tongue trying not to scream. The aftertaste of the last cigarette he had before bed.

Inhale.

He can't open his eyes. What if this is the dream? What if he wakes up alone again? Fingers clutching tighter. Nails digging into skin. You feel solid. Warm. Present.

Hold.

His eyes blink open. Starry glow from the nightlight you've turned on. The pulse pounding steadily in your neck. The birthmark in the hollow of your neck.

Exhale.

Is this what relief feels like? What safety means to him now? Does he even deserve a taste of either after all that he has done?

He blinks, and it's you. It's all you. He's surrounded by you. Your scent, your walls, your colours, your skin, your presence. The one holding his hand. The voice in his head. Talking him out of the terror. Walking him out of the darkness. It's you. But then again, it has been you since the moment he fell off of that cliff. The only fragment of his life that remains. The only thing from before that he can hold on to.

Your hands cup his face, and he smiles. It's a small thing. Twists into a grimace far too quickly. He opens his mouth to apologize. For all that he is, all that he can never be, and all the horrors he darkens your doorstep with. For all his scars and all his pain. Even if he does deserve every single one of the demons wreaking havoc in his head and trying to tear him apart from the inside.

But you know him too well. Know what he's thinking. And you're already shushing him before the words can even form on his tongue. Pressing gentle kisses over his forehead. A warm smile and soft eyes staring back at him. He has never known quite what it is you see in him. Has tried to convince you of the monster that resides within, but you refuse to acknowledge his self flagellation anymore.

He grabs you tighter and starts to lie back down. Your heart beat against his racing one. Your arms around his neck. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Maybe he can pretend. Just for a minute. That he's someone worth saving. That he's someone worth loving? He falls before he can finish the thought.

****

He wakes up in your arms. It startles him. The normalcy. The state of nothing. He's not used to silence. Not the comfortable kind anyway. If ever there's silence with him around, it either beckons death or follows it. And he's been drilled in the art of war for as long as he can remember.

He's not entirely sure what to do now. With hands on soft skin. A quiet mind. Who is he when the sun comes up? In the gentle breeze of dawn? When there's no list of names waiting to be scratched off; and when the sun filtering through the curtains chases away any shadows where monsters like him may lurk. When your breath tickles his neck and he can wake you with gentle hands and small kisses.

"Hey." A hand through his hair. "You okay?"

Trust you to start worrying about him the minute you wake up. He smiles, and it's a genuine one this time. The muscles in his face ache from disuse. He's been smiling more and more now, even if it feels unreal, like a skin he's trying to put on. You've been relentless in chasing them out anyway, and he's still surprised every time he finds a reason to smile.

He doesn't really remember what happiness feels like anymore. Small echoes of it maybe. From a distant past. Of army buddies laughing in the trenches, two little girls giggling around him, a leader that felt like an anchor and a mentor who felt like family- now all gone; too quickly, too violently - he shakes his head. It doesn't matter anymore. You're all the reason he needs now.

****

There's a word on the tip of his tongue. It lingers there. Quiet. Subtle. Just a little bit out of reach. It comes to him in the quiet moments. When your hand is in his hand, your head on his chest. When you listen to music and he pretends that he's not watching the dimple in your cheek. When you sway as you cook a meal and he forgets to remember that he's forgotten how to smile.

It comes to him in other moments. When he's on top of you, surrounding you, clinging to you. When your eyes are on his, your nails leaving delicious marks on his back. When your hands pull his hair and the only word you speak is a quiet and reverent David. He has always hated his name, but he's learning to crave the way you say it when you're overwhelmed by him.

It comes to him in the afterglow. Lingers on the edge of his consciousness. With your hand over his heart, his arms wrapped tight around you and his lips on yours. He's sinking into sleep. The warm embrace doesn't scare him any longer because no monsters in his head could never win against the light in your soul. He reaches out to hold it, that word, the one word he never had, just as his eyes flutter shut. He smiles into the kiss. He'll tell you tomorrow. You'll understand. You probably already know. You're the reason that word exists after all. And he knows you'll keep it for him until the day he dies.

Safe.

[mataglap]

David Cage: this is an Evil Cop. he’s an aggressive, violent, irrational bully. despite flying off the handle at the slightest opportunity he is and remains a detective of the DPD, because I said so. he hates the Good Cop for reasons, and everyone hates him. you should hate him too. what an absolutely despicable awful weasel of a man, am I right?

DBH fandom: hmmmm... yes. childhood abuse. inferiority complex. loneliness. mental health issues. what an excellent opportunity for a redemption arc

David Cage: do I have to make him eat kittens

DBH fandom: oh right, he has a cat. or two cats. of course he has two cats that he loves. a perfect ship for our beloved protagonist. thank you

David Cage: okay how about the Good Cop. he’s at the perfect age to be a surrogate father and it just so happens that he recently lost a son. he only hates androids because he’s depressed and in grief, and besides he doesn’t really hate them anyway. he’s an alcoholic because grief, but he’s very good at his job, and he loves his dog and he’s also endearing and funny, and big, and gives great hugs. what a good adoptive dad he would make, am I right?

DBH fandom: awww big sad bear. good thing our protagonist is an energetic twink with little concept of personal boundaries!

David Cage: I SAID surrogate father

DBH fandom: dADDY

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

I FINISHED HEARTSTOPPER SEASON 2

last two episodes exclusive (mostly anyway) notes:

sahar is still my girlfriend (also her being bi means i have a chance IM KIDDING)

tori kicking david's phone out of his hand is so joyful to me

tao and elle being together makes my bi heart soar like who do i wanna be more ya' know (i've mentioned that already but it's still true)

darcy's mom has been added to the 'worst parent in media' list in my brain (along with terri, lynne, and cash from hsmtmts and donald from lab rats)

i will never forgive people spoiling season 2 plotlines (like aroace isaac, harry's low-key redemption arc, charlie's ed, tao and the outing situation, etc.) under season 1 reaction videos

it really was the best idea to have tao cut his hair cause otherwise i would not take him seriously

im loving tao's mom rooting for him and elle

i still don't like nick's dad and sarah is so right about him not getting a say in david and nick's lives

all of the dresses at prom looked so pretty

^i love pretty dresses so much, if i see a pretty dress, i shortcircuit

"i love your hair" yeah nick, we could tell from you noticing the haircut earlier in s1

i've been informed that ben won't be in the show anymore and im just like-

^GIVE ME THE PRETTY MAN JUST HAVE HIM BE SILENT AND IN THE BACK, AWAY FROM CHARLIE

i can get behind them setting up sahar and imogen

i love tara just casually being on nick's shoulders while decorating

i really enjoyed this show and i will be looking forward to s3

[canonizzyhours]

183 is exactly right and it's something I was worried about all along. I'm a jar guy who loved actual canon Izzy from the start and back during summer 2022 when the Izzy woobification took off I started getting really worried about all the demands for a redemption arc, because I knew the only two possibilities for Izzy were that he'd stay a villain and stick around until the end of the show or he'd get a redemption arc and have to die at the end of it, and I didn't want him to die.

The thing the canyon types thought they were asking for was an arc where Izzy redeemed himself and stayed a happy friendly member of the crew but that was absolutely never on the table as something that could make sense as a follow-up from the story established in season 1. Redeeming Izzy that thoroughly and convincingly would have taken more focus on him than we were ever going to get - honestly, I can't imagine how staying on the ship long-term could possibly even be a good thing FOR IZZY, he'd have needed to get away from Ed in order to find himself, and he wouldn't have done that voluntarily. He couldn't have really fulfilled any narrative role in the show once he became a good guy either, because just like 183 said, season one established no personality traits that he didn't have to discard in order to be fully redeemed - even his "loyalty" wasn't a positive or healthy kind - and after giving him so much focus he was too prominent to just fade into the background as a crew member.

But this just sort of circles back to the reason this blog exists, the reason the canyon thought they wanted Izzy redeemed was because they thought Fanon Izzy - the version of him that was actually a really nice guy who loved the crew all along and sincerely cared about Ed in a healthy positive way and had never really done anything all that bad anyway, and was always destined to be a main character on the same level as Ed & Stede - was a real character in the show. That guy could have had the kind of redemption arc they were imagining. But that guy was never actually in the show, and it would have been a narrative betrayal of what was actually set up in season 1 - and of those of us who actually liked the character Izzy was in season 1 - to suddenly pretend he was.

And it just makes me mad, because I DID love the character Izzy was in season 1, and I didn't want him to die, and I knew if the canyon got what they were asking for it would mean he had to die. And now they did get what they demanded and they're angry about it. It's not David Jenkins' fault that he thought you understood what you were asking for.

#186.

related posts: #183

[buckleydiazmp4]

hey, you were saying that you don't think izzy should've died and that you didn't agree with his character arc for reflected upon reasons. is it okay to ask what those reasons are? you just always have interesting opinions about tv and i'd love to know about this one

oh hi! well i'm happy to share my thoughts since you asked so politely lol i just didn't share them earlier bc when there's discourse ppl act so vile sometimes

anyways. izzy hands huh. multi-faceted, complicated, very intense character. let me begin by saying the fact that david jenkins and con o'neill managed to do a total 180 on izzy in terms of how the audience reacted to him between s1 and s2 without fundamentally ruining his character is astounding!! i think the whole point of izzy has always been the fact that he's a man who tends to hold on too tight to the stuff that gives him a semblance of safety (even though that stuff is usually pretty traumatic lol) and across s2 we see him slowly loosening his grip on blackbeard. the fact that it was precisely blackbeard's brutal return that made izzy realize both him and ed were in too deep really just adds to how awesome the writing was this season.

and now, just to clarify: i didn't say i disagreed with his character arc, but with the way it was executed. as in, i think izzy's journey was perfectly well written and acted out by con (please give that man an award), and up until the finale it was actually very well executed!! it's the last plot device that i disagree with.

killing off izzy was a bold choice, and a very common way in which writers both show redemption and pull poignant reactions from the audience, which is ultimately what any show strives for!! for the audience to feel deeply about certain characters or stories. i think ppl have forgotten that and focused so much on wanting everything to be emotionally "clean" and lacking of controversy. guys!! the whole of fiction isn't supposed to cater to everyone!! that's why it's fiction!! it can be manipulated by creators and audience alike and each individual piece is supposed to be different. if you don't like emotional ups and downs in the media you consume that's understandable, but don't condemn the pieces of media that do have it. simply don't watch if you don't like it. i personally like these feelings, the ugly, and the dirty, and the unfair, and the painful, the human!!! it's part of the experience and they did it well this season.

even with that in mind though, i think death was only one of the many options through which they could've symbolized izzy finally letting go of blackbeard and the toxicity that name represented for all of them. i get how 'i wanna go' as a show of the deliberate decision izzy is making to escape from the emotional turmoil of ruthless piracy is trying to make his death seem like a way for him to rest, but. it's a pretty definitive rest and i think it wouldn't have been necessary, considering that one of the main things izzy learns this season is that you can spend years in a terrible environment but it's still never too late to pursue something softer for yourself and for the people you love. he says it, too: 'it's about belonging'.

as much as it is understandable to have wanted to take the way of the tragic and unexpected, for the sake of impact and to heighten the significance of what izzy has become this season, it would've been nice to see him stare at a long, happy future with the new family he's acquired aboard the revenge. ed let go of blackbeard without it meaning he had to renounce to the rest of his life for it, why couldn't izzy? it would've been wonderful to see all those years of life experience as a pirate reconcile with the reality that they're not dependent on isolating yourself from others. for izzy to have become captain, or even frenchie's first mate, would've been an excellent seal to his story, even leaving a future full of possibility to further explore how his character gets acquainted with his new way of looking at the world.

izzy put it that way: it is about letting go of ego for something larger. and his death can mean many things simultaneously, but it can also mean that without his ego he couldn't live. which. i do disagree with, so.

i don't know!!! i just think about it many different ways!! like in this post specifically i chose to see it under a different light than what i'm currently writing, and neither of those opinions cancel each other out; they can coexist!! that's the fun thing about fictional media interpretation!! it's also why we have devices like fanfiction and fanart and meta!! the fact that something played out in a specific way on screen doesn't mean it's set in stone as something good or bad, there are always shades of grey.

[purplemys]

Clay Puppington and Cameron Campbell vs. Endeavor : Why I Like Their Character Writing and Not The Latter's

Clay from Moral Orel and Campbell from Camp Camp are from opposite ends of my Shitty Person Character spectrum.

My spontaneously-made scale for these characters include Disgusting But Interesting - Sympathetic (The Golden Area of my Morally Gray Characters) - Entertaining Scumbag.

Disgusting But Interesting

Clay is about as realistic as abusers come. He wasn't born evil, he isn't some spawn of hell, but he's definitely portrayed as a monster. The thing with Clay is that he's an abuse victim. His childish act of rebellion caused his mother to have a heart attack and since then his father resented him for what happened. His substitute for love is physical abuse. It's how he grew up, it's how his brain coped. And he knows this. He knows he's fucked up, he said so many times throughout the show, he's very aware of what his issues are and how to stop it.

You would think a character like Clay (sympathetic, realistic, self-aware) is a prime candidate for redemption and reconciliation with his family, esp Orel, his kind and forgiving son, yes? No. The ending, while somewhat rushed gave me such a good feeling. Orel didn't have to keep his father in his life to be "a kind and forgiving" person. Orel got to live happily ever after with Christina and break the long cycle of abuse which neither Clay nor Bloberta (the wife) broke once they got out of their abusive households. Orel honored his parents by keeping their photos in the new house, next to photos of his brothers who were equally abused and went on to be good people.

That's the main point with Clay, the conclusion to his and Orel's relationship, because this father-son dynamic is the main plot of the show. Anyway, back to Clayduring the entire show's run. Season 1 put a bit of a comedic spin on the scenes where Clay was threatening to beat Orel while he was drunk, to reflect how Orel saw the situation and the world in general, his mind wasn't registering the awful shit going around him yet, esp about his father. As the show goes on, the abuse dawns on Orel eventually. But we as the audience were always supposed to take the punishments very seriously, to see the alcohol, the belt and the twisted lectures Clay gave and immediately think "Abuse". None of that "Twisted form of care/love". None of that "It's a mistake". None of that "It's just how he is." The show makes it clear that this is abuse and this is a choice and he knows it.

Which is why he was never redeemed.

Entertaining Scumbag

Cameron Campbell doesn't really have a sad backstory like Clay but he gets to have a chance at a redemption arc in Season 3 and 4. I just find him to be entertaining as a side character. His list of crimes mean little in a show that's full of very violent or selfish characters (most of which are kids). The characters talk trash about him too. Only one of them really gives him a chance to change (Yes, the kindest of characters, my favorite, David). They even make it a point in the episode "Keep the Change", Campbell would never be able to change for the better because he's selfish through and through. Was Max (the protagonist) right about his assumption?

Well you see, Campbell in that episode when repeatedly urged by David to do good, he kept slipping back into his selfish and narcissistic ways. Like wanting to only give to charity for adoration and fame. All that. David rightfully calls him out for that. That's another thing, they repeatedly give him shit for the things he say or do, to make up for the lack of legal consequences for his crimes.

(One day I hope the thing with Jasper gets resolved though. It was an accident but the fact that Campbell was being negligent was another thing. That being said, another kid died in Gwen and David's care too. Talk about off-screen negligence.)

Anyway, "After Hours" shows Campbell for the first time without Gwen or David telling him what to do or how to run his own goddamn camp. The first glimpse of him doing nice things without thinking much about them. The plotline with Campbell ends with this cute scene here.

When David saw them and woke them up, he was likely about to compliment Campbell about how good he handled the situation or whatever, but Campbell cut him off and started complaining about the campers and grumbled about getting some sleep. Good, I don't want to hear another sappy speech about Campbell! It was a nice episode overall. :)

So that's the main point about Campbell. How the characters act around him.

Now about his backstory, as a contrast to Clay's. Campbell is selfish. Greedy. Self-absorbed. An asshole. Campbell used to have friends, a girlfriend, and a stable job. He was so good at his job that he was eligible for a Camp Corporation(?) Magazine at some point. Point is, he had it all and his greediness made him lose all of that. And he definitely wasn't getting any of that back.

The fame went to his old friends, Camp Corp. founders the Campwells, since he was always in hiding because tax evasion and other crimes. He can't have his camp back because he went to jail and his new punishment is to surrender his funds and services to David, who he wasn't respecting before being knocked down a few pegs. Lastly, when he and his girlfriend reunited and he asked if they could "pick up where they left off", she rightfully called him out for that being such a shit thing to ask after 17 years apart. They banged in the end of that episode but the rest was up to interpretation until maybe Season 5 (if ever).

So his redemption is funny and definitely not giving him things easy since it's not like he has the things he always wanted: Fame, Money, and Control.

Endeavor and Why I Just Hate Seeing Him On Screen and Why The Decision to Redeem Him is Ridiculous and If He's Simply "Atoning", then everything else surrounding this plot is Confusing

I think a lot of you already know this by now but I'm Filipino and from an abusive household. Our culture is all about community. The majority over the individual.

Abusers get away scot-free unless... you broadcast it to everyone. The radio, the television, to anywhere and everyone who will pay attention. What Dabi did was the only way to give his abuser some semblence of repercussions since his family surely wasn't going to do it. Because here's the thing, E slur wasn't just some random jackass breadwinner. He is an authority figure, with wealth to top it off. He had everything in his disposal to manipulate things in his favor.

Like bro, even then, even when everyone in the neighborhood knows your situation, no one is still going to step in because the decisions ultimately lie within the family. And they (my family) sure aren't going to do something because "This is just how things are" "This is how the matriarch is" "This is how our family deals with it"

I wouldn't be upset with E slur not getting legal repercussions if it's clear that the entire family straight up hate his guts and not even bother to associate with him in any way. None of this forced family dinners, none of this getting the family to talk to him. None of this Rei and Fuyumi giving him a chance. None of this invasion of space and boundaries (like hugging Natsuo or acquiring Shouto's number from Fuyumi, and if she gave it willingly, I find that uncomfortable).

Sometimes, we just live in resentment and no one here is happy because we simply can't. How can you when your entire existence revolves around a dream your parents never got or a life they never lived? Who can forgive when your very life hinges upon how useful and cooperative you are? That your presence only matters when you're not a burden? Because I sure can't. I can't get over it. She didn't have to tell me but she did. The only reason why I'm even alive rn is because her son didn't amount to anything they wanted and I'm just a safety net. If I don't succeed in life, they'd be very disappointed.

That alone is awful. ^-^

I can't imagine if they were actual authority figures that will double the pressure on you because they have the media monitoring your entire family~

So how about the opposite? What if the family is indeed willing to give the selfish, extremely abusive, egotistical asshole a chance? (Not Natsuo, never him) Then why not have the media absolutely hound him. Have his coworkers scorn him, yes even Hawks who looked up to him and supported him. Have the entire world look at him and his entire posse with distrust, all of them. And the end of all this? Lose his hero license.

He can't have both.

Hell, he doesn't deserve either.

But if the narrative insists, then I'd rather he be a social outcast, esp by his own family.

Now about how he's treated within the story, you have all these characters pointing out how he's better, less of an asshole, "a changed man". Camp Camp did this for ONE episode. Because this is annoying. The man doing the bare minimum is so laughably sad. Especially all this was before the reveal of the abuse. And after the reveal, nothing. Crickets from the people who know of it. Those who do talk help nothing for this plot, like Hawks for example. 😬

It's important to note that Campbell is to David like E slur was to Keigo. Except Campbell and David did meet 14 years ago when he was 10.

The thing is though, that David grows out of this parasocial relationship with Campbell throughout the seasons. Hawks lately is Endeavor-san this Endeavor that, shut up. Jesus Christ. Like I know admiration. I know obsessive. It's not a cute look when you're 23 and supposed to be self-aware it is painful to watch unfold. Because I think a reveal like your idol (not even a friend) being such a scumbag can't have a Denial/Slow Burn Breakdown Reaction. And if the "It may be true but...I'm sure it's not like that anymore." is the final reaction/acknowledgement then 1) I've heard that before from irl 2) How are you SURE? Some random not-even-close-with-any-of-the-victims outsider? 3) Beyond underwhelming.

😬

Back to E slur, they never should have tried to give this man attention of any kind. He doesn't have a sympathetic background (not that I'd want him to) so he doesn't have anything to relate to. Yes, the """"inferiority complex"""" maybe but not everyone has the wealth and power at their disposal to buy a wife and coerce her to make children-

So he's not relatable, he's heinous, we're supposed to take his crimes seriously, so he's not even entertaining what else? He's doing a good job of atoning for his mistakes? He's a massive invasion of boundaries and that is uncomfortable.

1) Him giving Rei her favorite flowers.

My brother gave me a nice gesture once. Made me cry and everything. Wanna know why? Because this is the same dude who used to beat me with a broom stick! :D

Yes, abusers can do nice things omg shocker, do they deserve to get within 10 feet of you and then leave you presents, maybe even at an attempt at asking for forgiveness? Hell no. God that's spine-chlling. Because it could be genuine, and no one deserves to feel like they owe someone that kindness and forgiveness.

2) Him suddenly hugging Natsuo without regard for how Natsuo would react.

This is after years of neglect and subjecting him to domestic violence. This is him touching him just because, what, he was "scared of losing him"? Your child was just as likely to die from getting neglected or sheer stress and you're only worried now? Laughable and quite pathetic! I personally don't like getting grabbed without my consent, esp if it's someone who's hurt me before. Mother may have never hit me but I know what it feels like to be threatened. She gets mad when I get mad at her for suddenly grabbing me every now and then. I explicitly told her I hate getting physical. I'd hate to think how E slur would have reacted if Natsuo had the reaction time to flinch or shake him off. Again, uncomfortable.

3) Getting Shouto's number then bombarding him with messages.

If your kids don't want to talk to you, maybe stop pestering them? Maybe stop being such a nuisance? Maybe stop inserting yourself in their life whenever you can because you feel entitled to a chance? Or maybe get to know your kid first and that being he doesn't talk much to begin with so knock it off.

Again, if they never should have made him try. And if they insist, not like this.

Aight Im tired. Goodnight.

[smallfrogpleasedtomeetyou]

It’s going to be a fic and some of the characters may seem under developed at first it’s because I want to build them and not have them confined to “helpless princess” or whatever lmao

Belle: Astrid

“Beast”: Hiccup

Gaston: Eret son of Eret

LeFou: Gustav

Miss Teapot: Heather

Chip: Dagur

Chadswick: Tuffnut

Cogsworth: Fishlegs

Belle’s Friend: (hear me out) Snotlout

(O/c?) Castle Staff: Ruffnut

Before you ask, yes I can explain them. (And am open to constructive criticism)

———

So the main ship would be hiccstrid and while hiccup isn’t a “beast” per say the difference is,

“the chief had made a horrible mistake. He had tried to cut down a light fury. She was freyja in disguise and cursed all the riders (except Astrid and snot loud tbe later) as kids to be trapped in a castle (where they befriended dragons) until someone could learn to love a dragon AND the chief’s son genuinely…” (not the light fury trying to get hiccup a date lol)

snotlout is the best friend and only friend of Astrid and he likes hearing her tell him stories and they protect each other like siblings! Especially against Eret son of Eret, the self proclaimed “promised child” of berk. Man picked up a sidekick (Gustav) and is trying to get Astrid to marry him lmao

also the relationship between heather and David would be brother and sister, not mother and son.

the second ship would be a bit of a slow burn rufflout that comes to fruition by the song “evermore” or “tale as old as time”

the village plot is to “kill the beasts” they’re after all the dragons in the castle but mainly Hookfang and toothless because of their species…

I chose cogsworth for fish legs for obvious reasons, being very smart and mistrusting of Astrid and her nature at first but eventually warming up to her.

and tiff it as Chadwick…. I mean COME ON! Man is dramatic as shit! Also the whole “be our guest song with him singing it is just… *chef kiss* (ha I’m funny)

oh and valka is kinda x-x

but hey! She can still talk to him! Through a life sized mirror!

I’m also thinking about giving Eref a last minute redemption arc at the very end… when a certain rumblehorn saves his life…

so anyway… that’s my idea lmao

oooo i love that idea actually, the riders just getting trapped in a dragon-infested castle while astrid and snotlout try to figure out what is going on

also my boy eret being a bit of a cocky bastard with gustav running around behind him is so funny to me (I hope u go with the idea of a redemption arc cos he really would need it lol)

this has a lot of interesting ideas to play around with especially for all the character dynamics (ahhhhhh I cant wait for the dynamics (can you tell))

im really excited for this now i cant wait for you to start posting it :)))))

[anders-hawke]

Oh, 100%. And young starry-eyed Scully in love with her professor, while adorable, is EXTRA creepy when you realize she didn't even know he was still married (at least that was GA's intention) and left after she found out. YIKES. And yes about Maggie. And I totally get your point about 30+. I differ slightly (25+ is my range, because the brain is fully formed at 25, etc.); but I don't think all the precautions in the world would have helped the disaster that was the Waterston situation.

I think GA was going for redemption arc and closing up old wounds and insecurities, but needed a two-parter to resolve it all. Or, hot take, I think it would be better to cut out the tea shop lady-- she really only exists to give Scully the moral. I love it more when Scully comes upon the answers in her own agency: her decision for Emily in the Emily arc, letting Emily go in All Souls, not killing Ruiz Cardinale in revenge for her sister, etc. There is usually no handholding for Scully, and it shows her moral strength and practical wisdom in sorting out the threads of her life in ways that she can live with. That's another thing-- Orison ended too soon, not showing Scully's important growth through that episode's conclusion. Or maybe she didn't resolve it yet, and carried that pain through En Ami and into All Things; in which case maybe mention it a little.

BUT, for a first time script? It's really good. So props to GA-- she's got more guts than I would for a first time writer on a highly successful show. AND DIRECTING?? The girl was left w/ all the blame if it plopped or succeeded, and she took that all on her shoulders willingly. You gotta admire that she takes on challenges that could daunt a lesser man.

Oh, yes, for a first time script it’s super good! And, honestly, it’s really rare to have the first draft of any script be all that great, either, haha. It takes a lot of revision and critiques to get it right. I think it would’ve been better to tackle this issue + Mulder and Scully finally getting together in a two-parter just so everything could have the time it needed to really work right. Gillian (and David) writes Mulder and Scully in such a unique and beautiful way and you can definitely see that. I absolutely love the last scene (except for that outdated music). After all those years of pretending that she’s fine in front of him, Scully finally opens up with no qualms and feels so comfortable that she can fall asleep next to him on the couch. That trust and security.

I can’t take “Orison” seriously, honestly, but I think that’s just my personal bias talking. (Damn, I hate Catholicism.) I just don’t think it makes sense for Scully to fall back on her religion and assume that it had to have been the devil because she’s never before shown any indication that she would feel that much guilt for shooting such a terrible person. And it’s like, if he was able to escape once, the prospect of locking him up again doesn’t very well make you feel safe and secure??? Like, if she’d been like, “I think the devil was influencing my actions,” I could’ve accepted that, but the impression I got was that she was saying he fully took control of her in that moment. Idk, I generally just leave it as “blegh, Catholic bs” lol.

Anyways, yes, I think the fact that after all that, we didn’t really see Scully make an active choice between Daniel and Mulder was a disservice. (I also passionately despise the teaser for the episode but I’ll let that sit lol.) Like choosing to trust Mulder and be by his side is a big difference between the choice to have sex with him for the first time. Those are different intimacies. They’re not dependent on each other, you know? I think the teaser would work if we saw them snuggled in bed together. That implies the deliberate and continuous choice to be together—to be intimate in that way.

And, yeah, Gillian Anderson steps up to bat a lot. Very much a role model in that respect.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Alright I have Anon blocked forever now but I'm also incapable of letting things go so let's play with this final ask they sent me. I want to start off with that Calico Jack is the funniest character on television and you're just mad that his phalloplasty surgeon was able to give him a foot long wang and yours wasn't.

But as you said, more importantly, let's talk about your dumb ass Stede dissociation theory. First of all, in terms of David Jenkins confirming it... uhhhh no he fuckin didn't. Second of all you're Jim dissociation paralelling Stede dissociation theory doesn't track because Jim dissociated when they were a small child before they met Olu and so that's not a fucking parallel. Jim was fully cognizant when they ran away from the church after their fight with nana and they were fully cognizant when they told Olu that they were leaving.

Lastly, and most importantly, Stede explicitly chose to abandon Ed. He explicitly thought Ed was better off without him and CHOSE to shove himself back into the closet because he thought that he was ruining Ed. If you actually liked Stede you would argue that that choice, if misguided, proves how much he loved Ed. But you don't actually like Stede so you argue from a perspective that strips him of his agency and refuses to acknowledge his character flaws. You my friend are just as delusional as the Izzy stans who think that Izzy has never done anything wrong in his life and are banking on a redemption arc. You even do the bit where you villify Ed to lift your blorbo up (the amount of times we've had to explain to you that Ed is not an actual demon for brushing off CJ's antagonistic comments is frankly absurd). And I hate to tell you this man... You go off a lot about Izzy being a racist character and CJ being a racist character but um... Stede in episode one made his black crew pretend to be slaves... so. You know. Stede's also got racist tendencies, he is a white man in 1717. The issue we have with Izzy stans isn't that their blorbo is problematic. You can have a problematic Blorbo, they have lots of personality traits that are not the problematic one, and you are not your blorbo so you don't have to pick a perfect one. The issue is that they pretend their blorbo is not problematic and continuously apologize for his behavior to the point of missing the entire point of the show and they don't care what well rounded and interesting characters of color they have to turn into one dimensional savage caricatures in the process. You are also doing some of this with Stede. You're not innocent just because the blorbo you've decided to attach yourself to is a protagonist.

So let me be the chad Calico Jack stan cross the virgin Stede stan for once. Do I like to have fun apologizing for Calico Jack? yes it's a great thought exercise that I will delve into upon request. But I can still acknowledge that the narrative purpose he serves is essentially to drag Ed back into a life that he hates. I acknowledge that virtually every move he makes is the wrong one and I love him very deeply for that. Can you say the same about your dear sweet blorbo? Acknowledge his flaws right now or don't call yourself a Stede enjoyer. Repeat after me "My blorbo hurt Ed very badly, and he did it on purpose. That was not a good move. I love my blorbo anyway because he's a silly little guy."

[dragynkeep]

I saw that you did top 5 best female & male characters in rwby and why, so i was wondering could you do the same but for 5 rwby worst female & male characters you dislike and why.

luke did this ask before along with the best one so i’mma steal this for me.

worst female characters.

robyn hill  —  hands down one of the most annoying additions to the show. she is meant to be robin hood yet fails in the character’s motivations & ideals in every instance, her outfit / general design are clunky & poorly thought out, her personality has the exact desirability of hot garbage juice & she herself is just as appealing. the only slightly fun thing about robyn is her voice actress, the amazing christina vee & the potential she could’ve had that i really enjoy seeing be brought out in fanfics instead. in canon? robyn can go rot.

blake belladonna  —  our resident all lives matter queen who was meant to be a champion for all minorities watching the show, a bisexual icon & a shining example of an abuse survivor ... only to fail on all three. blake’s influence on the racism storyline only makes her come off as a privileged brat who would lecture those who are just trying to survive & blame them for the actions of a terrorist organization she was part of, & it was dropped as soon as her abusive ex was killed. her actions as an abuse survive are nonsensical at times. & blake wasn’t even confirmed to be bisexual representation until eight years into the show & she / her female love interest still aren’t canonically together while the cishet writers hide behind a slow burn excuse that was never applied to their m / f couples.

ruby rose  —  it sounds nonsensical to say this about our main character & i wouldn’t have put her on this before v7 & 8, but her favouritism by the narrative in those two volumes to the point the story would break it’s back to justify her drove me crazy. i was watching this character who we were meant to root for make mistake after mistake after mistake & hide behind her age & inexperience like a coward; like she hadn’t shoved her way into this war & rejected everyone around her who had experience & wanted to help because they didn’t want to do it her way. ruby behaved like a petulant child & i have no doubt that this isn’t going to change.

cinder fall  —  listen she was always a middling type of character for me, i didn’t hate her but i didn’t love her either. cinder was just cinder, a kind of flat antagonist who didn’t go anywhere; until they tried to make her go somewhere & in doing so had her repeat the same character arc like three times. her “backstory” that was just cinderella lazily copy & pasted eight years after people had been asking for it was the final nail in the coffin for me. they waited too long & got too lazy.

nora valkyrie  —  again, not really a character i thought i would’ve put on here after i really started to like her in volume 4 when she & ren finally began to get character development. they were kind of in the background which annoyed me but they weren’t being obnoxious so it was fine. i want to go back to v4 - 6 so bad lmao; nora in these two volumes has been horrendous. not only did she ignore all of ren’s boundaries when he was trying to ask for space, she thought the appropriate action to him asking for that space & struggling to vocalize it was to kiss him without consent. and then, she co opts his entire arc anyways for v8 & now it’s nora who wants the space & ren is being unreasonable, ren is forcing her boundaries, ren is in the wrong. fuck her stupid ass one liner backstory too. nora dropped so far on my shitlist because of her actions the last two volumes smh.

worst male characters.

qrow branwen  —  again much like ruby & nora; i never thought i’d put qrow on here but his behaviour in these last volume especially has just dropped my fondness for him all the way to the grave lmao. he acts so much like ruby, a petulant child who was told no & lost his favourite toy, while acting like he didn’t specifically break that toy. he went from someone who was level headed, if an absolute asshole to a whiny manchild who spent the entire volume crying in a jail cell about how he was gonna kill his dead boyfriend’s boss because he doesn’t wanna admit he got him killed. & then he forgot about that in the last five minutes to cry about his potentially dead nieces, which only left me thinking, where was your concern about them the rest of this volume qrow? so yeah. on the shitty character list you go buddy.

ghira belladonna  —  i would change my mind & make this dumbass number one but he’s always annoyed me so i’m more settled with that emotion whereas qrow is a new development. but ghira is literally worse than annoying, he’s a useless character who takes up space & actively worsens the plot & the character  —  mainly blake  —  that he’s connected to. everything from his useless pacificism to the fact he’s a privileged faunus living in a mansion while his people are in huts to the fact that he’s now retaken the helm at the head of the white fang like?? what about his mentality has changed & how will that prevent another terroristic faction raising up in result of his negligence towards their people in favour of his own comfort driven pacifism?

hazel rainart  —  sir, your motivation is hokey & your hair is dumb & your braid ribs are giving me nightmares. originally i didn’t have as much of an issue with hazel infantilizing his grown twin sister because i thought we were at least going to get some rebuttal to this man using her death to metaphorically & then physically beat on ozpin. but no, he was validated & then had the gall to use her name in order to guilt trip ozpin in the “ no more gretchens ” line  —  like he hadn’t created dozens of gretchens in mistral with tyrian? sir you are a mass murderer  —  & then went out like an ass in one of the laziest redemption arcs i’ve ever seen. bravo, you suck.

adam taurus  —  he’s really not the highest on this list because i recognize that this is more because of milk & kornflake’s white comfort bleeding into their writing of a marginalized man & less of actually him as a character. adam is a bastard but he’s so much of a hate sink that i can’t take him seriously or hate him because of these traits; if mkek told me he killed puppies as a hobby, i wouldn’t hate adam for that, i’d hate them for continually making him edgier & edgier while ignoring their own racism around his writing.

scarlet david  —  this one’s a little bit of a joke one but also, i just hate this catty fay gay. get back in the closet sir because your face annoys me & your attitude stinks. i’m renting the down with cis bus just to run him over. ♥

[poseidonsvodka]

Okay so this seems to be an unpopular opinion but I totally loved Blainofsky. David was so understanding and caring, he helped Blaine find himself again after he and Kurt broke up. Which I think is complete Bullshit, I used to be a hardcore Klaine shipper in the earlier seasons, but the more shit that happens the more I don’t think they should be together. One main point is both Blaine and Kurt keep hurting each other, and it’s a pretty toxic relationship. Blaine is obviously a kind of clingy guy who needs a lot of attention and love from whoever he’s dating and that’s okay. Kurt on the other hand likes a little bit of space which is totally okay too but their communication skills together are just terrible. So it started when Kurt thought him and Blaine weren’t doing that well so he started flirting with a random guy at a music store rather than actually talk to Blaine about how he feels. Then obviously Blaine feels betrayed and Kurt claims Blaine did the same with Sebastian (which isn’t true because you can see that Blaine tried brushing of Sebastian’s flirting multiple times even if they still hung out) And Kurt is totally flirting back with chandler. Anyway Blaine says that Kurt was right (which he wasn’t) and things are okay again even though it’s Blaine who made the effort to fix it while Kurt just fought about it. Fast forward to when Kurt is leaving and he seems to be neglecting thinking about what might happen to him and Blaine, and Blaine is obviously upset about it. I mean Kurt does have a point with all the college stress but he could have at least checked in with Blaine. Anywaay they get through that then Kurt gets a Job at Vogue and all that Jazz, and he seems to only talk about Rachel and His lives rather than asking Blaine anything about how high school is. It carries on to Kurt actively ignoring Blaine’s calls rather than being busy, which is basically Kurt neglecting his boyfriend’s feelings yet again. (Again Blaine obvi needs some serious attention) So Blaine cheats and that is totally on Blaine in no way was it okay for him to cheat but then again THEY SUCK AT COMMUNICATING THEIR EMOTIONS. Because everytime something goes to shit its the same thing Blaine being extra needy and Kurt neglecting him or just neglecting to talk to him. Obviously Blaine should have also tried to communicate his emotions better. But then again as you can see in the scenes when he did try to talk Kurt just cut him off. (I’m not Kurt bashing seriously I think Kurt is an amazing character and an amazing friend but there was something seriously wrong with Klaine). Anyway Fast forward again, Kurt forgives Blaine surprisingly easy in my opinion and they get engaged (the exact thing he told rachel not to do) but anyway he said yes (Yay). Timeskip they’re in NY and Kurt thinks Blaine is suffocating him and they agree that Blaine should move out even though you can see Blaine was devastated, but he understood it was for the better of the relationship, and honestly yeah I kinda agree with Kurt that people need space. BUt he didnt really have to start a fight about it and basically imply that Blaine was not welcome by saying “MY HOME”. Blaine moves out they get better and that’s great, then Blaine starts having body image issues that he so does not communicate well and Kurt starts a fight with him and Calls Blaine annoying. (tbh if anyone i’m dating says i’m annoying I’d cry and tell them to leave immediately). Then there’s that whole debacle with June and Blaine risked everything just to make sure Kurt got to sing along and it was rlly cute. Another Time Skip, Kurt Breaks off their engagement because he needs space...again and then he claims that they are kids and the entire thing again implies that Blaine is a little too clingy for Kurt’s taste which begs the question (WHY ARE THEY DATING WHEN THEY AREN’T COMPATIBLE?) Blaine is heartbroken and he flunks out of NYADA (and honestly even though they broke up I can’t imagine that Kurt would just let that happen he isn’t that kind of guy so I thought that was kinda weird.) Soo Blaine moves back home starts dating Dave who helps him kind of put the pieces of his broken heart back together. And Dave is so sweet and caring with Blaine and he really did help him see the good in Kurt again and he was so understanding and supportive throughout everything. Honestly, I know that a lot of people haven’t forgiven Karofsky but he had an entire redemption arc, and I’m not saying that excuses everything but his character development was great. Anyway I think Blaine should have stayed with Karofsky because they seemed adorable together and Dave seemed to give Blaine all the attention he needed. I think Kurt should have ended up with someone who could understand that he needed his space and his boundaries without that being an issue for them, because that was obviously an issue for Blaine. Anyway throughout this entire post I was bashing on anyone I just genuinely think that early Klaine was cute but the more it progressed the more fucked up it genuinely got. They both deserve to be happy and it’s obvious that they loved each other but that isn’t all it takes, and I don’t think they should have gotten back together. Blaine cheated and honestly I don’t think Kurt should have forgave him for that and Kurt ripped Blaine’s heart out when he ended things between them and I don’t think that’s something that should have been forgiven either because as Blaine said it “i’ll never forgive you for this” SO yes this is one long ass rant but I loved Blainofsky and I want Kurt to be happy but I don’t think Klaine is the way to go. (i’m talking abt the Major Klaine issues obvi they’ve been through a lot of shit together as well but still)

[rist-ix]

Shadow and bone afterthoughts, spoilers for show and books beneath the cut

Ok, first some rambling. I felt a bit disappointed directly after watching the show, with how prettied up Malina was and how underdeveloped Darklina felt, but after rewatching, I really don’t know where I got that feeling from. If anything, it’s the other way round, but all in all I feel pretty good about the show.

I never liked Mal in the books, but show!mal? A sweetheart. Ride or die for Alina. The mutual yearning had me awwing a lot, Archie’s performance is wonderful. I hope he lets his locks grow out next season, he really deserves fancier hair.

I’m still not invested in Malina, but I know I’ll feel much better about their endgame in the show than their ending in the books. I get what the stans see in them. The show is obviously saving some of their more important moments for the next seasons, but more on that later.

Darklina too is very different from the books, and at first I felt a little underwhelmed. It goes hard fast, with less build up than expected, but their intensity is spot on and I love this new version of them. Book!Darkling is more aloof and composed, and whenever Alina makes him lose that composure, he is angry about it. Show!Darkling though? Loves her and has no regrets about it. Cries every time Alina looks at him. So happy to have her. A jealous bitch, and valid. Gets his girl flowers and steals dating advice from his rival.

Ben Barnes is an artist, when he improvised that second kiss in the war room?! I died.

Alina herself takes more action in both relationships than her book counterpart, which I love. She’s DETERMINED, whether it’s about following Mal into the fold or snogging her dark prince. Her soft, tender looks are to die for, I get why Kirigan tears up every time. And, ahem. That look she gave him during her performance at the fete? Hot.

Points I didn’t quite like:

They made Malina a little too ideal, in my opinion. I feel like there’s too little room for development, especially if the next season keeps the course of the second book. I like that they took away some of Mal’s worst moments, like his jealous little fit at the fete and all that, but they glossed over most of his other flaws too. His wariness of the Grisha is dropped pretty quickly, and most of his character now revolves around Alina. They took away the parts where Mal is more promiscuous, and oblivious of Alina, which makes his “but I see you now” line feel undeserved. His tryst with Zoya was given to Kirigan instead, and his popularity and charisma compared to Alina’s mousiness fell a little flat. They’re taking away a lot of possible conflict material, which makes me scared they’ll go stale and stagnant too soon. He also didn’t have any emotional arcs of his own, his side plot is pretty boring save for the final moments. I do like how they are setting up his heritage and skills already, though, and there’s still time for development in the next season.

It’s been a while since I read the book, but I do think Alina and the Darkling communicated more about amplifiers and the stag, back then. The hunt for it was a mutually wanted thing, not something the darkling did behind her back. I liked Alina’s ambition, I don’t want the show to make her all pure and humble. The drama about it felt too sudden and random, but that’s just my personal opinion.

I felt bad about the Darkling’s changes at first, mostly because it seemed the show wanted to nerf Darklina before it got too powerful. Alina’s parents falling to the fold instead of the Tsar’s constant wars screams unnecessary, his lack of the Darkling title and openness with his name disappointed me a little. Then again, this darkling is less of a cold commander and more of a respected leader here; I like how he interacts with his Grisha. It really hammers home how much he cares about them, his interaction with David made me crack up.

The name reveal was too little, too soon, but it’s consistent with Kirigan’s “openness” and I’ll get over it. I talked about the amplifier thing here, so I’m not gonna go into more detail again.

Something makes me wonder though, and it’s his dialed down evilness. The Darkling in the books was cruel and impersonal in battle, and Novokribirsk demonstrated that perfectly. Which is fine! I like the darkling villainous too, but that’s not what we see here.

In the show, Kirigan doesn’t... do all that much evil stuff, actually. He keeps the hunt for the stag from Alina, I guess? I would have liked more emphasis on his exact plans there.

He reads and keeps her letters too, but that’s petty manipulation and not grand-scale evilness. His great sin, the fold, was an accident and later a safeguard for his kind, and his attack on Novokribirsk felt kinda justified in the shows context.

Book Novokribirsk was a starving village full of innocent civilians, and its destruction was a calculated sacrifice to the darkling. I felt bad for their deaths.

In the show, however, it’s an industrialized city and military headquarters of an enemy who tried to kill Alina, and would have tried again if the skiff had docked as planned. That’s just not as tragic, it doesn’t garner as much sympathy.

It’s destruction isn’t just for show and effect, it’s not a needlessly cruel “sacrifice”.

It’s an act of war against a scheming general and his forces. The innocent rest of the city perished too, sure, but the only real connotation the audience has with that city is general Zlatan and his supporters. That waters down the evil-level of it, from a narrative perspective.

The antler thing looks... uncomfortable, but Alina got rid of that pretty soon so there’s not even the lasting reminder of the book!collar. Alina takes Kirigan’s hand and stands up to receive it, giving her a bit more agency too. (Probably wouldn’t have mattered if she had refused, but that’s not what the audience gets to see)

Kirigan doesn’t plan to execute Mal or to make Alina watch; another one of the Darkling’s villain moments. He’s pretty soft actually, compared to his book version.

Which gives me both hope and apprehension.

Either they’re doing that on purpose, in order to divert from the books, which seems unlikely but not impossible. Maybe they’re planning to let him live at the end of the third season, he gets revived in later books anyway.

Or his downward spiral has only just begun, and they’re saving the big things for later.

I hope they decide early on whether to keep the darkling redeemable, by mainstream standards, or to go all out with his evilness, because I don’t want a middle path. If he’s a better man than in the books and still dies, I can’t handle it. If his death is still what they are aiming at, I have to feel like he deserved it and there was no other way.

No more “redemption in death” scenarios please. Either embrace the villainy or give him a happy ending, just be decisive.

My heart can’t handle more tragedy, I’m a crybaby.

[piracytheorist]

thoughts on killian's redemption arc vs regina's redemption arc?

I don’t anymore think it’s fair to compare two different characters’ arcs, especially when we can’t be impartial judges.

Like, I’m super biased towards Killian and his story. I try to be more open-minded, but in general, I like the dude, I connect and sympathize with him, so even though I’m like “Yeah he did some really messed up stuff” I still think he deserves his place in Storybrooke. And we’re talking about a guy who even up to his last scenes was killing people in cold blood (see him running a random guard through in 7x02. Bro what if he had a family?) Bad guys, maybe? But still people.

On the other hand, I never connected much with Regina, and the tumblr crowd didn’t help, cause even now for some fucking reason people are still like “uwu I’m allowed to dislike stuff” and like, while that’s valid, it normalizes spending way too much of your time focusing on stuff you dislike. This is what the anti-Regina (and anti-anyone, pretty much) crowd did, and it reeled me in, and I spent nearly two and a half years obsessing over how I hated Regina instead of enjoying what I loved. Anyway, all that’s to say that I don’t have the most unbiased opinion about Regina either even though I’m way over my hate for her now.

All that said, I still don’t think it’s actually possible to compare the two characters and their redemption arcs - cause by and large, those two characters have different target audiences. There are overlaps like your average Venn diagram, but overall the two characters work differently. They’re two different people, going by their lives on different worldviews, different experiences, and different needs. Of course, there are similarities; hence the overlaps in the two target audiences, and hence people who can connect with both characters at the same time.

And since on that Venn diagram I exist only on the “Killian Jones fan” side, I don’t feel I have the berth to delve into how I see his redemption arc in comparison to Regina’s. And that’s not only because I’m not a fan of Regina, but because of another problem the show had.

The show never allowed us to see the actions of the villains from the viewpoint of the heroes, or the victims. That was especially true from season three onward. The stories focused on how tewwible the villains’ lives were before they turned villains, then they showed them murdering in cold blood, and oh who the fuck cares about this random peasant, we have a problematic fave to romanticize!

Seriously, that was a big issue. I love Hook, but seeing how from s3 on his victims (direct or indirect) weren’t allowed their own stories, and only got closure just so Hook wouldn’t have a burden over his guilt was really weird. Like, think about it. With Neal he was like “LOL remembered when I took care of you” and Neal was like “LOL yeah bro good times” and then he got killed. The real Ariel never heard Killian’s apology. Ursula’s story is introduced and concluded in one episode, never mentioned after. The Apprentice just gave him one stern look and then got killed. Merlin didn’t get justice. Belle threw him an “Oh you changed!” when he never directly apologized to her. Liam II rushed through forgiving him and bonding with him, then he disappeared off the face of the earth. David was barely even mad at him for killing his father. “It was a long time ago” Bruh he killed your father, not your favourite pet frog. And again, the only time he uttered the words “I’m sorry” was to Zelena posing as Ariel*. Those stories existed to give Hook angst and to justify the existence of an ex-villain to the audience, because yeah we know he murdered in cold blood but look how sad he is for that now. The characters and their pain for what Hook caused to them didn’t matter. Hook’s angst and character development did.

* I get that you can feel sorry and not say the words, but actually saying the words is a step towards taking accountability for your actions. Saying the words is actually part of making a good apology. But why did I even think the ouat writers would bother reading some social analyses.

And that was the same with Regina, Rumpelstiltskin, and Zelena. Take any of their victims; they are either forgotten, or forced to forgive them, or sometimes even vilified themselves (see Greg Mendell, Milah - or even Regina herself - and s7!Hansel respectively) because the ex-villains are sad and are trying to do good now! Bro I see that but you don’t need to put a victim down to show that!

In general, from a moral standpoint, ouat was a mess. They made the villains so deeply flawed and then tried to brush their crimes under the carpet by showing them do one (1) good thing then their victims forgiving them because the villains felt bad now most of the time.

I... digressed. A fuck ton. But yeah, I did have a point in all that.

In general, I do feel that Hook’s redemption arc was the only one that was unprompted by someone else, and he only took it because he himself wanted to. The other three had something to “win“; particularly, Henry and Belle all but threatened Regina and Rumpelstiltskin respectively to stop being bad or they’ll go away, and if you can’t see how fucked up that is then I don’t know what else to say. Zelena had kind of a... ready place to fit in once she killed Hades to save Regina. I will admit I cannot judge her completely because I skipped all her scenes in s6 so like, I don’t know.

But Hook had everything to win and nothing to lose by staying a villain; in s2 he could’ve simply fucked off in the end and enjoy the fact that Rumpelstiltskin was dead. Instead he came back with his ship at the end because he wanted to do right by Baelfire’s memory (and because he had realized that his revenge would never bring him the peace he was searching for). In 3b he could’ve simply not cared for anyone else, instead he sold his ship, left his secure pirate life behind to save Emma and her loved ones. All without a promise or demand of someone accepting him in the heroes’ circle. And in a way, that seems very genuine to me and it’s why I rooted for him.

But again, overall, the morality of all the redemption arcs in OUAT is totally fucked. So even though in my own biased opinion, I liked Hook’s redemption the most because it felt the most self-prompted and genuine... the bar is still very low.

[gch1995]

WARNING! Please, stay away from Brigitte Hales upcoming Disney romantic anthology "Epic"

on ABC, which Kitsowitz are the executive producers

The only reasons why Once Upon A Time was such a hit to begin with at all was because Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis had everything that made the show watchable and enjoyable for the first two-and-a-half seasons planned out for them by their mentor Damon Lindlelof, who they worked for as executive producers as when LOST was running, and because they had an amazing cast of actors and actresses with amazing chemistry, particularly those of Robert Carlyle, Lana Parilla, and Emilie De Ravin.

However, that still does not change the fact that the show went straight to shit after they finished off Damon Lindleof's original plans. That still does not That still does not change the fact that Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis are ignorant, overprivileged, ableist, biased, classist, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, mean-spirited, and mocking hacks, who filled their show with consent issues at every corner, who destroyed all of our beloved childhood Disney fairytales with their twists after the first two-and-a-half seasons, and who deliberately sold out and/or ruined everything that originally made it great for their self-insert Captain Fuckboy to take over.

That does not change the fact that they gleefully and deliberately spent roughly three years assassinating their Beauty and the Beast, both individually and as a couple, (Rumbelle: Rumplestiltskin X Belle) out of nowhere, so that they could make Captain Fuckboy (Gaston) into the "hero" after just the first two-and-a-half seasons of the series. Sure, they tacked on a half-assed "happy ending" and "redemption arc" for Rumple and Belle again at the end of the series, but as a very embittered Dearie, Beauty, and Rumbelle fan, I'm never going to forgive Kitsowitz and their team of hacks for ruining Rumple, Belle, Emma, Snow, David, and even Henry on this show for roughly three seasons, so that they could retread their storylines, shoehorn Hookinto the "hero" role by shoehorning him into the role of Emma's original love interest Neal, and so they could shoehorn Rumple into the flanderdized on-and-off-again tragic "big bad" role to make Hook look better by comparison, even after starting Rumple off as the most consistently complex, redemptive, and sympathetic main anti-villain on this show for the first two-and-a-half seasons beforehand, and even though none of it made any fucking sense.

Don't get me started on what they did to Snowing (Snow White and Prince David/Charming). They started out as complex, kindhearted, morally gray, merciful, but essentially well-meaning people and rulers. Then, they sidelined them after the first three seasons, and turned them into cruel, hypocritical, and selfish rulers, who kidnapped and harmed a baby for stupid and wildly ooc selfish reasons that made no sense.

Brigitte Hales is also one of those hacks that Kitsowitz and these writers hired on their team for OUAT, who shares all of their fucked up opinions and views. Keep that in mind!

Let me guess how they are going to write Beauty and the Beast on "Epic..." They will pull a 180 cheaply shocking character assassinating twist out of their asses by suddenly turning the anti heroic/anti-villainous, complex, redemptive, and sympathetic Beast into a wildly ooc one-note cartoon villain, who is now being a cruel, controlling, deceptive, scary, and/or selfish jackass with uncharacteristically unsympathetic and/or vague motives "just because" out of nowhere, so they can make Gaston look like the "hero."

Likewise, they will probably suddenly character assassinate the originally brave, kindhearted, intelligent, morally gray, non-judgmental, and perceptive Belle with strong values into a wildly ooc, cruel, cowardly, judgmental, self-righteous, selfish, stupid, and triggering bitch with annoyingly hypocriticalblack-and-white beliefs in regards to just the Beast, even though she now contradicts those values she imposes on him herself whenever it is convenient for her to hurt and/or vilify the Beast, even though she now let's Gaston and everyone else get away with breaking said values to vilify the Beast, and even though she now mistreats the Beast and/or leaves him herself when he actually is actually trying to be brave, kindhearted, honest, and/or selfless for her, anyway when he’s not convenient for her.

Sure, Brigitte Hales and these writers will probably still give BATB their happy ending in their show Epic because they are owned by ABC/Disney since they are basing them off of the Disney movie version of the fairytale after all, but mark my words, they will do something to deliberately character assassinate Belle and the Beast out of nowhere to make Gaston look like less of a dick and/or even “heroic” because they like romanticizing misogynistic fuckboys and elitist bullies with no truly redeeming qualities by destroying complex and relatable ones.

And they will pull similar disgusting character assassinating twists for other beloved Disney couples in one way or another, too, such as with Eugene and Rapunzel, Aladdin and Jasmine, Hercules and Meg (Megara), Aurora and Prince Philip, Snow White and Prince Charming, Prince Naveen and Tiana, Ariel and Eric, Anna and Kristoff, and so on...

Fuck, they would probably deliberately fuck up Lady and the Tramp for “fun” by making Lady ditch the Tramp for some purebread OC arrogant Cocker Spaniel male dog from a wealthy family like her because the Tramp is a stray mutt dog, and she comes from a relatively wealthy family. Then, they would demonize the Tramp as a dog who suddenly was always just an asshole all along, rather than a jerk with a heart of gold because Kitsowitz and Hales are classist as fuck, and actually prefer to redeem elitist bullies by making those who they bullied that are/were less wealthy and less powerful than them out to be the worst™️, so they can make the elitist bully look better without putting in any sort of effort to make them be better people.

That’s right, Kitsowitz and Hales would deliberately fuck up a romance between two fictional dogs from one of your favorite Disney animated movies with their character destroying “twists” because they just fucking suck that much.

In general, Kitsowitz and their team of hacks idea of “fun” is often going to be deliberately ruining your favorite childhood fairytales with their cheaply shocking, wildly ooc, stupid, and fucked up “twists.” Brigitte Hales is one of those hacks they hired, so I wouldn’t trust her as a show-runner. Sure, they will tack on a “happy ending” and/or “redemption arc” for the Disney version of your favorite childhood fairytales because they are obligated to by the network, but don’t expect for those sentiments to still feel worth it anymore after they deliberately destroy your favorite Disney fairytales in cheaply shocking, painful, and nonsensical ways that will piss you off for “fun.”

[swiss-army-fangirl]

have y’all ever watched ‘unraveled’ by brian david gilbert on youtube? that was how i felt writing this. and i don’t even have a master’s degree in creative writing, i’m an engineering major with nothing else to do.

anyways, i present: ‘vessels’, unraveled 

the order. the Beginning. We’re set up with a futuristic, cinematic vibe right away. Buckle up idiots.

satellite. The introduction of our hero and their beloved, blessed with a connection that transcends distance, obstacles, etc. Also the introduction of the interdependence between the hero and their partner. The hero is dependent on the partner for guidance, but at the same time, the partner is referred to as the hero’s satellite, with the hero’s gravity (down-to-earthness?) keeping them tethered. The first mention of a darkness within the hero, but this darkness is clearly kept in check by his connection with his partner. This is a love song, the only balanced love song on the album, honestly.

frequency. The aforementioned connection in Satellite has been corrupted. There’s a disconnect between the two of them, and initially the hero believes he’s imagining it, but over the course of the song, he realizes it’s real, his partner has been severed their connection, and he feels raw, angry, scared, and most of all: betrayed. He’s never been alone before. He wasn’t meant to be alone. He doesn’t want to be alone.

DIE FOR YOU. This song is the death of me, personally. Fuck. Anyways, this is our hero coming to terms with his partner’s disappearance, in his own way. He acknowledges that they’re gone from his side now, but that he will not stop until they can be reunited again. In a ‘story’ scenario, I’d imagine this as the hero seeing that their partner has Turned, but the hero believes redemption is possible for them, or rather, that losing them is not an option. The hero will be there, waiting for their partner with open arms, no matter what happens between them, even if it means the death of them and what they stand for. Because death is preferable to separation.

Ricochet. A reflection of how the two of them ended up here, the first time we realize that maybe, their separation was fate. There were indications that the partner was bold, sometimes too bold for our hero to follow, but it never occurred that this would be their undoing. And that realization hurts, hurts him to his core. His beloved is beyond his reach, the gap between them self-imposed, but indomitable. We get the sense that this is a blow he will not be able to recover from. STORY MOMENT: the hero realizes that redemption is not possible for their partner, and it is completely, and utterly devastating. The person that was once there is gone, closed off, replaced by something that feels nothing for him.

starlight. Some insight into the bond between our hero and his partner. I’m choosing to interpret this song as from the point of view of them both: a plead from the hero, and maybe a moment of lucidity from the partner wishing he would just let them go, that they can be reunited, but they have to be separated now. The chorus and bridge are imbued with this sense of longing and dogged determination we saw in DIE FOR YOU, but the first verse is so reminiscent of someone consoling another as they slip away (‘the void is calling’/’it’s okay, I promise’). You know those moments in like every fanfiction where someone is possessed and then they break the possession for just a moment to say ‘I love you’ or something? This is that but a song.

into the unknown. HOOO BOY: this is the beginning of the end for our boy. This song is notably more aggressive that any of the above. This is our hero taking matters into his own hands, embracing his loneliness, his anger, all of those negative emotions he’s initially been pushing aside, and things are starting to get dicey. He’s walking the edge of a razor. Whatever it takes, he remembers. Whatever it takes.

gravity of you. Remember that razor’s edge from earlier? We’re about to go over. The loss has turned into an obsession, their love gotten twisted and darkened into something that is fundamentally changing them. The connection we thought was lost in Satellite is back, and this time, it’s Worse. There is a lot of imagery of a craft being pulled into a black hole; a toss-up between being reunited with his partner but to lose himself, or to live a life without them and in effect, lose himself anyways.

back to the earth. the alternate title for this song is ‘consequences’ because holy shit. We’ve gone over the edge, all logic is out the fucking window, we are committed and honestly, this would be the moment of wondering if the wrong decision has been made, because it feels wrong, so painfully wrong, but the question of ‘is this death or rebirth?’ makes one wonder if maybe, there could be a positive ending to this, that this pain might be worth it in the end.

last to fall. More exploration of falling, of going rogue, being the right choice. While Gravity of You had us worried (rightfully so), it’s clear that our hero’s intentions are pure at heart: he won’t abandon his partner, he won’t ignore that their connection is still strong (even if it’s distorted or corrupted), that he’ll put himself through hell for the chance that they’ll be by his side again.

bringing it down. In a story, this would be the moment our hero and their other half are reunited, but God at what cost. It’s finally sinking in that their partner is not the same, they’re something worse. And the worst part? He still cannot bear the thought of leaving them, even though the relationship that was once mutual is starting to become parasitic. The world is falling apart around them. We are nearing a life or death situation, saving yourself, or becoming unrecognizable alongside someone who was once the world to you.

unbecoming. Consequences 2.0. The decision above has been made unknowingly: the hero is being undone by all that he’s put at risk, and when he hopes, desperately, that his partner will be there when he needs them the most, they shun him. They laugh, ask how he could have been so trusting, so stupid? And now, our hero has no choices left. His partner’s knowing betrayal is the final nail in the coffin.

monster. Manipulation is the name of the game. Now that the trust, the love, is gone, all that’s left is a slew of negative emotions that are perfect for becoming an unrecognizable husk of who you once were. I talked about this song earlier, but the first verse being a railing against the partner for abandoning them as a catalyst for their corruption versus the second verse being a series of ‘I’ statements in which our hero realizes that this darkness was always within him, but never acknowledged? I’m just a slut for heroes becoming villains. The opposite of a redemption arc. The hero and his partner are truly together again, in horrible, distrustful love.

telepathic. Dustin fucking knocked it out of the park with this track and I wish we talked about it more. There are several moments of realizing that this love was cursed, but in this moment of clarity, our ‘hero’ realizes how his dependence truly was his undoing. Even before their Fall, his partner was always two steps ahead of him. There’s also a fun role reversal here: moons are referred to as natural satellites. In Satellite, our hero refers to his partner as his satellite, but now, he refers to them as the Sun, and to himself as a moon. There’s been a swap in power, I would even argue a subjugation, after this unraveling. I don’t know what conclusion to draw from that I just think it’s crazy.

everglow. This is still a song of admiration, even monsters have their moments of reprieve. Our hero is still so, so in love. It leads one to wonder if the love is reciprocated, because this song makes it feel one-sided, like we’re still the territory of ‘obsession’. Even after all that has happened, he’s willing to give everything he has to them, even if ‘everything’ is actually nothing at all. I also think it is fucking wild how this song goes from this really heavy vibe, to a final orchestral piece that makes one imagine end credits rolling. Wow.

[radioromantic-moved]

hi june i know i tagged you in this but don’t read it until you’ve seen the episode because i don’t want to spoil things for you. anyway i’m back on my weekly bullshit

-LOOKS AT THE CHARACTER LIST....this is the THIRD TIME i’ve made some guess at what’s going to happen in the future and got it right...hartro redemption arc!! actor trexel!! now enola!! i’m on a roll baby!!

-“perhaps for narrative suspense?” imogen knows what is up

-trexel and enola...mlm wlw hostility (mlm nblw hostility. idk how enola identifies.)

-is david just insisting on the 7 to be annoying? he’s never done it before

-oh suddenly someone cares about a job that needs to be done? oh suddenly someone wants to be the responsible one? trexel’s giving like. an extra five percent this season 

-david’s advice...rebrand your face!

-this episode is so full of VIOLENCE!! the gays are FIGHTING!! 

- “deeeaaal with the systeeemic proooblems endemic to your product or seervice, bleugh bleugh bleugh.”

-“it has come to my attention that you are all your own special kind of idiot!” 

-this is so funny this is so funny this is so funny “well, you’re not--good!” “i always thought i was quite good!!” -UNRESTRAINED SOBBING- “DAVID!! DAVID TAKE HER AWAY SHE’S MEAN SHE’S MEAN TO ME DAVID”

-@loveslick hi don’t read this if you haven’t watched the episode yet but remember how we talked about trexel bursting into gross fake tears while everyone around him goes “what the fuck” it’s canon now you’re very smart

-“the--david.” he sounds so disappointed...like an annoyed parent or something this episode is KILLING ME

 -three way high five

-methinks trexel is a little jealous at the idea of david having Other People all of a sudden. if you weren’t such an asshole maybe this wouldn’t have happened man! maybe you should. and here is just a thought. maybe perhaps you should tell david that you value him! you know. an Idea.

-cartoons still exist cartoons still exist cartoons still exist cartoons still exist

-(cyril: you know, david, what you’re doing reminds me of--there’s these two laboratory mice, right, from this old earth show, and every night they try to--)

-hold on that reminds me of one of my favorite ever pieces of fanart

-so david can flat out say “the board sucks” now and imogen doesn’t even acknowledge it. favoritism detected. security redirected.

-DAVID’S SO ANGRY ABOUT ENOLA WANTING A GARY CLONE...“YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN A DAVID?!?” everyone is so PETTY in this   

-i loved this episode so much they’re so good...david craves violence...again this is up there on my favorite s3 eps