#but does have a genuine depth to him that could be taken more seriously but that usually gets ignored

[woolydemon]

for ppl that know my tf fan lore you would think I'd be ryu/kita pilled since I was blur/bee CEO but actually I was driven by my shock/bee instincts to be drawn to ake/kita instead <- none of these words are in the bible

[jess-the-vampire]

I genuinely don't understand the gripes a few people have with how Belos was handled in the finale. "Dont just brush him off as being evil" Well, why the fuck not? Dude wasnt born evil but he purposefully chose destruction and death at every possible opportunity for 400+ years. Nothing about his backstory would have made any impact on the characters affected, because its not an excuse, its not even an explanation! Caleb had the same childhood and he loved the Boiling isles. Eat boots Belos.

Ok, buckle up cause this is gonna be a long one, we gotta have a chat about Belos as a character, because there's been so many takes about this i keep seeing about " he never accepted the isles the way luz did" and "He had 400 years to change and he never took the took the offer", because it just seems like the fandom wants to kinda ignore a lot of the nuance about his situation and why it's not that simple?

and i'm for sure certain it's because the fandom is obviously already pretty biased against him since he's the villain, and what he does to the main characters as well as represents.

And that's fine, obviously he becomes a pretty bad person, no one is obligated to like him and it's ok to feel uncomfortable given the character he is.

But i think a lot of these issues as to why people have such mixed opinions about the finale has a lot to do directly with the fact the show DID keep his backstory as vague as they did, when if they had gone into it i think we would've had less of this discourse.

Now none of this is me excusing him obviously, but the fandom is very adamant to just not allow him to have depth either, when....he's allowed to be irredeemable and have depth at the same time. He's meant to be a very human villain, a character that could happen to anyone under the right circumstances

So not exploring that depth, why it got how it did, and how things like it can be prevented is a flaw within the show and among a lot of fans.

And to be fair, the show does not HAVE to do it, but the show also clearly wrote his character to have a lot of implied depth whether people like it or not, him coming from a very real religious group alone and making him a foil to luz has turned what could of been a very one note villain into one with a lot of layers to his villainy.

And if the show wants to make belos a very one note villian, no depth, they could of very easily done this by just cutting out details like his love and care for his brother, or just make make him want to destroy witches simply because he decided on his own they were worth destroying.

But that's not exactly what they've presented belos as being.

The show thrives in having characters who aren't just simple nor cookie cutter.

Hunter isn't just some cocky sidekick, he's an abused teenager who craves love and affection, and is willing to go high and low to earn it, terrified to be thrown away and replaced and constantly is forced into a mold just to get the affection he craves. He's highly sheltered and isolated just because his father figure doesn't want him to be his own person since that wasn't what he was created for

King isn't just a tiny little brat who craves power, he's a child whose been lied to about his past, and he wanted nothing more then to be taken seriously and feel a sense of belonging. He believes that he wants power, but finds out he really only wanted to be treated like anyone else, and that he's far happier with a family that loves and cares about him rather then being a powerful demon king.

Lilith isn't just a self important antagonist who wants to force eda to do what she wants, she grew up close to her sister and wanting to be by her side well into the future, but felt a sense of inadequacy in comparison to eda. The pressures of the coven system and need to win against her sister made her make a drastic choice she regrets and she wants nothing more then to fix it and make everything the ideal fantasy they grew up wanting to have together. She's also a large nerd, craves the attention of higher figures since her own mother used to put all the attention on eda, and changed her appearance just so people would take her seriously.

And the show does this with most of it's cast, obvi there's the exception like tibbles and even bosha who don't have too much to them, but they're also very minor antagonists and there's still stuff you can pick up on.

Belos however is the main antagonist, everything that happens in the show, happens because of him, his entire backstory is basically why the plot of the show happens.

Not just that, but also caleb and evelyn, if it weren't for the drama between these three, there would be no show.

And people are WELL aware these three aren't the main leads, they aren't going to be the main focus of most episodes and obviously the show was going to end in the favor of the main characters.

But

the story the show tells between these three ties very strongly into the ones with the leads too. We are given at least enough details to notice parallels between stuff that happens with characters like luz, and characters like philip.

We know philip and luz grew up in gravesfield, we know there were outcasts there, and they had one family member they relied on to support them there. They ended up in the demon realm, they both learned magic, and they both are strongly motivated by their beliefs regarding the isles.

So there's a lot they share in common, which makes it really easy to take a look at philip and say "Well it's his fault for not being like luz and accepting the isles like she did".

But, there's a lot of differences here

Luz grew up with fantasy, with magic stories about witches and heroes and demons. Philip grew up in a 1600s puritan village which demonized this stuff, he was a young child growing up being told this stuff was evil and he was taught to fight against it.

Luz felt odd for her interests and out there personality but at worst she felt isolated and misunderstood, she didn't like her mom's efforts to change her to be "Normal". Philip actually conformed to gravesfield, caleb clearly encouraging his brother to do so, just so both of them could fit in with the town. Had they not conformed at best they'd be isolated, but at worst they'd be dead.

Camilia is an adult who eventually opens up and talks to luz about how it was wrong to try and change her to be "Normal", that she herself hid her own interests to do so.

Caleb, was a child, he did not have any open conversations with his younger brother. Caleb hid evelyn and his interests with witches from philip and then on top of this, left philip behind.

You could absolutely say the fact caleb didn't talk to philip is pure speculation, and not confirmed at all. That all of this could be summed up to unreliable narrators.

But we know caleb left for the isles before philip did, we know it took time for philip to find him again (because his beard grew out), we know caleb had a wife who seems to be pregnant, that he was introducing philip to (Implying he not only hasn't seen philip in awhile, but that eve and philip have never met to caleb) and all of that alone feeds into the fact caleb left him behind to start another life. This is all shown in his memories alone, stuff we can't chalk up to unreliable narrators.

So the most logical conclusion to come to is caleb left philip to start a new family, we don't have a lot of details as to if caleb ever planned to return, if caleb had good reasons to do what he did, or much about his mindset.

But we have enough to know Philip loved and looked up to caleb, that he relied on caleb, and caleb lied and left him.

There is again, reason to tie this back to camila and luz.

but this is not a child leaving a parent behind, this is a parental figure leaving a child behind.

This is what i mean by the issue being lack of clear answers, people claim caleb left when philip was an adult, but we actually have no confirmed evidence for this. We have enough of philip's memories to know 2 things, that he was still a teenager when caleb was meeting evelyn, and he was an adult when he arrived.

You could argue philip was an adult by the time caleb left, but it's so vauge you can also argue caleb left when philip was a child and philip didn't figure out his way to the demon realm till adulthood and there's not enough proof to go one way or another.

now titan dad says philip had no genuine reasons for his actions, that he did this all for glory, but as steve put it back in OTWAT, the titan is just a guy.

And given the collector situation, he can make mistakes and screw up just like anyone else.

Titan dad only sees what he can see and make observations based on what he sees. He saw a human come to the isles with a bias already against witches, who ended up killing his brother, who claimed to come here to save others and that's all he's going to see philip as being. Someone who wants to save others but just hurts them instead.

He has no reason to know what philip grew up under, nor does he have reason to know philip and caleb's story before they arrived. There's no denying philip did love caleb, and that they were close, but that caleb leaving him behind for witches drove them apart.

I think the problem ppl even have with what titan dad says is purely because the fans take it at face value, because let's be honest, most fans will believe the objective heroes for what they assume over the villians. And since the show again, leaves philip's story vauge, and never puts it in the main focus, people will just assume what titan dad says must be the truth.

Like yes, you can pick up on these details if you are paying attention, but most people won't do that, so a lot of fans will listen to the god telling them what philip's motivations are coming from rather then put together the sense of betrayal from caleb that hurt philip that most of the evidence is actually pointing to.

philip had no parents, and had no one but caleb as far as we can tell, and then caleb left him too, like he didn't want him anymore.

And he left him in a bigoted town, alone.

the damage this could of done if he was a child is pretty darn bad, and for philip to assume this happened because of a witch means reinforcing everything he's been taught about witches.

Caleb lied about his changes, so when caleb sees him again, caleb seems to be a different person, which does fit with what philip says to luz about the isles "Brainwashing people".

tho you can argue that that's not the truth, that philip knows caleb did it on purpose and killed him for betraying him, cause of how he blames him in episodes like FTF.

But again, this is the result of leaving things vague, because either situation is plausible.

it's plausible philip never intended to kill caleb at all and he died as the result of trying to protect eve because the show says he was trying to target evelyn to save caleb, and it's plausible he died on purpose out of philip's rage for caleb leaving him. Because guess what? That means caleb had the means to go see him and could've seen him but made the choice NOT to, so yeah, that's pretty heartbreaking.

again, this also comes into play regarding Philips's guilt.

People objectively keep saying philip HAS no guilt regarding caleb, but we have evidence for both guilt and non guilt.

Now, sure, his portrait of dead caleb implies philip is not guilty for his death based on his expression after the fact. We also have the fact philip shows distain towards the grimwalkers, that he never outright expresses he feels bad to anyone.

But, we also have caleb's death being treated as one of philip's worst memories in KT that he objectively recalls in horror, he says he "Tried" to save caleb in FTF, which implies he wanted to save him and that he's mad he didn't manage to do so. The grimwalkers and caleb could be seen as ghosts, but also as hallucinations, and if you are seeing them as the latter then it makes sense he'd be seeing them out of some level of guilt towards having them killed.

If the show had these details explained more fully, it would be easy to either deem belos as being a murderous dick with no remorse who thinks killing was the right thing, or as a guilt ridded stubborn murderer who wants to not acknowledge he was wrong and screwed up.

it's why people are split, because you could objectively choose to see him both ways and the ending will affect you differently depending on what you picked up on.

But now let's talk about philip not changing, because people have bashed him for not doing so in the 400 years he's been there and that he had opportunities to do so but didn't.

And i think this is half right, half wrong.

Philip came to the isles with biases, he basically grew up in a cult, he came in thinking he was traveling into hell to go find caleb. Caleb encouraged his hatred, and then his hatred got further pushed when caleb seemed to be kidnapped, and then further pushed when he was surrounded by nothing but bigots.

So this man was already on a bad foot compared to luz, who was here to live out the fantasy books she grew up on, and objectively would have no reason to hate or fear witches nearly as much.

And we do know while the BI can be compassionate, it also has it's issues, even luz faced discrimination for being human herself while on the isles. Being powerless there is well, not great, it's why luz had to figure out her own way to do things alongside everyone else.

And the Bi ARE dangerous, especially for humans, so it's at least understandable philip is not going to just show up and look past the flesh eating plants, the evil weather, and the lack of anything he can even objectively eat.

Now philip could of considered things outside of his bias, and made the effort to try and look at things from a new perspective. But we also have to acknowledge that it's not easy to come out of this long time brainwashing either, and that it takes time and help to do so.

And philip, didn't seem to have that.

Yes, caleb grew up the same way, but not only was he older, which already set him up to question things more. But he had evelyn, he had someone to challenge him and his views and change his mind.

Philp, doesn't have that, there is no confirmation anyone ever really chose to challenge his views or make him realize he was following a lie.

Caleb could of but caleb left.

All we see is philip, isolated, following the beliefs he was taught and being hostile to witches, and witches rightfully being hostile back, which just further is feeding into his bias.

You can assume philip had chances to change but didn't, but there's no real strong evidence of that being offered to him either. That any witch ever tried to make him question anything.

It's pure speculation.

Now Philip is a stubborn ass dude for sure, so yeah, we can claim he just simply didn't want to consider it.

But people are claiming Philip was shown help that he didn't take and that's just not true. We never see anyone asking him to do the right thing or making him question things, at least not compassionately.

no one to our knowledge ever did challenge him, or did reach out to him, not even in the show itself.

Luz is rightfully hostile towards him even when trying to challenge him, hunter does attempt to try and come up with helpful ideas but he would silence himself if his uncle didn't like it (Not to mention the existing fact that he is supposed to be a caleb replacement so his existence comes from philip not wanting him to change or question things philip thinks caleb should not), and well....collector giving him a hug isn't gonna do anything at that point to stop him from thinking the worst of the isles.

This is partially because belos has the power in scenes, that if he hears what he doesn't want to hear he can quickly silence the individual and ignore it.

He's basically put in situations where no one is challenging him and if they are, they're usually doing it with distain and he's responding like a dick right back.

So maybe not much could of been done when belos has become emperor, outside of some rare occurrences where he has no choice but to listen or if he was challenged by someone he respected and would be less willing to hurt. Maybe he's too far gone to back out now and has too much power to even allow himself to consider what anyone had to say, even if they did do it kindly and wouldn't face his wrath.

but he was only emperor for 50 years too.

So ok, what about before that?

Well, yeah, maybe there were chances he could of been, but that's a period of time we only see so much of, and none of it shows one way or the other that Philip was offered the chance to improve.

I think had we gotten a scene of philip being offered a chance to do good, to consider things, that he knew he was wrong and still rejected it, it would back up this whole "Philip made the choice to not get better" thing people claim.

but truth is, it's speculation, we don't know.

A guy who spent his life buying into where he grew up and came in with biases that became a cycle of him being terrible and witches reinforcing what he thought isn't just suddenly going to change his mind and be nice now on a whim unless those biases are challenged in a way he can't deny.

it's on him for not considering looking on things outside of his bias for sure, but people seem to think doing that is simple and easy and it's really not.

Philip had no evelyn, he was left with no one but his bias and stubborn mind.

It's like king said back in hollow mind " People don't want to believe they've been following the wrong person their whole lives", and philip didn't have a luz like hunter did to help him realize how wrong he really was.

Instead it got worse and worse.

This is why philip feels real, because this can happen to people, that they can grow up with hate and never receive the help they needed to pull them out of the mindset. So they get worse, they become worse people.

and we can argue philip didn't deserve the chance to get better, but you'll never know if you don't try and we don't know if anyone did try before he was too far gone.

to think all of this could of been avoided if caleb actually spoke to his brother and gave him the chance to change...

Tying this all back to the beginning-

Philip's story ties into luz, they are foils in a lot of ways, but people need to remember they have differences outside of luz being a good person and philip being a bad person. Those differences make them into the people they are.

That luz was set up to love the isles in a way philip was set up to come in with a bias against it.

That it is not as simple as "Philip should of just got better" given what happened to him and the lack of help he had.

That philip never really is objectively shown to be offered genuine chances to reconsider his views on the show as much as people keep claiming so, and it's mostly all assumption at this point.

That so much of this argument over whether he's one way or the other could of been fixed if the show hadn't kept things vague.

By doing so, it leaves a lot for interpretation about him and therefore means people will have different views on what he thinks and feels and therefore will have different views on how his death should of been handled.

Caleb and philip tie into camila and luz, they tie into the clawthrone sisters, they are the basis for the plot of the series, they tie into hunter and the themes of being understood and being honest about yourself and conformity and it is no wonder people care about them.

It is incredibly valid if anyone expecting this story, that tied into the plot so hard ,as well as the themes, was upset it felt unexplained or dropped in the finale.

Especially since the fandom, with an obvious hatred for belos, responded to it by treating titan dad's word as god and simplifies philip's story completely despite everything i just mentioned here.

It is perfectly fine if you are not someone who cares about belos, but the people who do are perfectly allowed to be bothered that the show itself kept the complexity vague and not addressed and none of it mattered when it came to how his arc ended.

And that the only person who properly gives a personal opinion of what he thinks his motives are, simplifies him to being evil, and the fandom roles with that and the show never tries to do much to prove otherwise despite the evidence.

because this is a fascinating story about how conformity and bigotry can drive two close brothers apart and it feels like a story the show should of at least dedicated more of an episode to.

Especially since there's no clear idea if we'll ever get extra toh content to really tie any of this up.

Again, none of this excuses belos/philip for what he did, does, or tries to do, no amount of his life being screwed over and people treating him bad and not reaching out to him will ever excuse the fact he went so far.

But let's also just, not pretend it was an easy fix either, that someone can just....stop believing what they believe with the drop of a hat.

Especially given how this can reflect real people who are made into people like this.

He is nuanced, and people are attached to this villain for good reasons.

Nothing is simple about him, and it's just a product of how the show has handled his character.

[mhevarujta]

I'm genuinely sorry for fans of Azriel who like him less in the bonus chapter and take Rhys' distortion of his feelings to be canon.

Like, we as readers are meant to know better. Azriel does not see himself as a good person. More than that he sees himself as tainted. Finally pursuing someone that he like to the extend he does Elain, even if it's just for once, a surrender in the moment, is a threshold for his character. He even feels watched only by the Mother. He feels benevolence in having that moment.

And there comes Rhys, not only hindering, but equating the situation to the meaningless sex Azriel has had and speaking of entitlement, which can be misinterpreted into but is not inherent in Azriel's words. Because Azriel questioning whether the cauldron was wrong was not about being entitled. It was about having the depth of emotions that makes him question whether this woman should be his mate, since to the fae, and especially to males this is the strongest bond they can have. This was never about what Azriel feels he deserves, each shimply about the strength of what he feels.

In fact, it's insensitive of Rhys to make this about being 'worthy' when he's speaking to a friend as insecure as Azriel, who COULD say his opinion about Lucien (I love Lucien by the way and not shipping him with Elain for me is not about him being unworthy, but I understand why someone who sees him antangonistically and doesn't really know him would want to think that). He could not say that HE himself is worthy of her though, because he doesn't believe it, and the LAST thing he needed was his worthiness to be questioned by one of his best friends. Certain readers entertaining that Rhys' words are the bible and should be taken at face-value, instead of just the means to instigate romantic and political conflict for the next book, are wrond and are seriously missing out on Azriel's character.

[mixterglacia]

THIS IS THE PART WHERE LOGAN BITCHES ABOUT CARTOONS

WARNING: VIVZIEPOP CRITICAL, STOLITZ CRITICAL

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. I don't like this show, and I don't pretend to. Full transparency, I'm meaner in this then any before now. This is also slightly more disjointed than normal because I was directly reacting to the episode it's self.

"I swore I wouldn't dwell on the divorce." MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE RUSHING THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE HE'S WAITED TWO DAYS. EVEN IF IT'S BEEN MONTHS IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT.

"I'll hear him and not the voice that says I'm not enough" Oh boo hoo bitch. You've seriously done nothing to convince me to feel bad for this stupid fucking asshole. His writing is full of holes and contradictions. It makes him feel like two different people.

"I'll set us free!" Are you quite sure that means what you think it means you stupid fucking ass.

Framed adoption certificate is a nice touch. Very cute.

Blitz is immediately not coming off how they want. I think they're -trying- to imply he has some deeply buried feelings too, but it comes off as "i didn't want this and i still don't want this, why can't it just be normal hookup shit."

"I'll die alone if this goes wrong!!" You have the emotional depth of a teaspoon and are about as interesting as one. Boo fucking hoo. BAD.

NGL this really made their wealth difference hit home. Why the flying fuck is blitz still bordering on abject poverty dude? You should be able to help him advertise send something IDK man, if you really gave a shit, why aren't you trying to actually help him in a genuine way? I'm sure he wouldn't say no if you slipped a hundred bucks or so into the book every so often. I fucking hate it here.

"Would he want me if he was free?" No. Next question. (You've done very little if anything to prove Blitz actually wants strings attached in this.)

"If he's only here as a prisoner what kind of monster does that make me?" Little late to have this realization but I'll take it. Also can we seriously stop downplaying how awful this is for BLITZ to go through? Stolas is severely over represented in Blitz's own fucking show. Why is Blitz so underdeveloped??? Why, dude? The episodes that mainly focus on him are pretty okay, but once Stolas shows up it's all fucking stupid.

If Blitz rejects him (which he should. Look how fucking anxious he is just THINKING about this.) he could lose his entire way of life. No more apartment, probably gonna get Loona taken away. Probably has to resort to prostitution or return to clowning. Stolas just gets to go about his life of luxury.

Why is Blitz's emotional well being such an after thought in this duet? THIS IS NOT STOLAS' SHOW.

"He showed me that I could choose" ...Dude. You have given no weight to swing that line at us. This isn't much of a choice in the grand scheme of things. Stolas and Stella already had the kid. The marriage never had to last. Not from the impression you've given us. He's a toddler deciding he wants chocolate milk instead of regular. We have never been shown he's actually going to lose anything of real value. He's still a prince. He's still got his money. Like are they trying to have him killed, sure but lets be real he's A PRINCE OF HELL. Assassination attempts are like...Tuesday for him.

GOD THIS SONG IS ASS. I will not allow Blitz to be painted as the bad guy here. Fuck Stolas, and fuck the team for trying to make it seem like we should feel bad for him. They both suck. BUT STOLAS IS OBJECTIVELY IN THE WRONG.

Ah yes, The Helluverse special of "let's yeet a stupid ass joke in the middle of plot, completely derailing anything." it has only been a few seconds and it's already going on for too long. Go learn from Bojack or RvB.

...........This cherub bit is throwing your entire lore off. If these idiots are having to do this shit to get by, why are they acting like heaven bound can do whatever they want in Hazbin? If all you meant by that line is the human souls in heaven, you totally screwed up the message there. Your points are murky at best, and you're contradicting yourself at every turn.

...............Are the cherubs mortal now? Like they're flying and glowing but they have to eat???? Huh? I don't think I've ever realized you're showing they eat a lot, but surely you don't actually have to eat as an angel or demon? Surely it's just a choice???? That's genuinely so fucking stupid???? WHY IS THAT EVEN A THING?

WE DON'T NEED FIVE ANTAGONISTS IN A CHARACTER DRIVEN EPISODE YOU FUCKING IDIOT. YOU ARE LITERALLY RUINING YOUR MAIN PUNCH. YOU ARE TAKING AWAY TIME THAT SHOULD BE USED TO ACTUALLY PROVE BLITZ HAS SOME KIND OF FEELINGS FOR STOLAS. BAD.

Honestly the stuff with these five would have been a fun standalone minisode. NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF YOUR SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODES.

Bloody alleyway was a phenomenal cutaway gag. Points.

You really are not making it sound like Blitz likes this at ALL.

"If someone wants to see you less and less? Big red flag." NOT IN A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP, DUH. He's literally a prince of hell in an affair with a """childhood friend""" who was literally PURCHASED for him. The whole thing is a red flag. Not just this!

You are making it exceedingly clear Blitz's just in it because he think's he'll lose the book. I don't give a rats ass about what micro-development you're going for. You take away time needed for showing that Blitz is conflicted on more than one level to do stupid ass tertiary character shit. YOUR CAST IS OVER BLOATED. BAD.

If you wanted me to feel bad for Stolas, maybe don't show that Blitz has an Angel-esque box of sex toys because he thinks he has to impress him. Stolas should have made it very clear AGES ago that he just wants Blitz. If Blitz is this hung up on needing to impress the damned bird, something very VERY wrong is happening in the bedroom.

If you seriously want us to think Blitz has feelings/cares about Stolas (Not that he HAS to), this sex candle shop would have been a perfect place to do it. "Well, he really likes it when I do this-" "This is his favorite colour." "This is his favorite scent." Blitz clearly knows nothing about Stolas, and both of them are to blame. This relationship is never EVER going to work if they know this little about each other when they've been regularly boning for ages. He should know more about what he likes. "What's the mood!?" "I don't know!" Woof. Full stop. This is never going to work in a real scenario. Womp Womp Move on.

HOW DOES BLITZ NOT KNOW HIS MEASUREMENTS. HOW CAN HE NOT JUST HELL-GOOGLE HIS MEASUREMENTS. STOLAS IS A PUBLIC FIGURE IT WOULD BE KNOWN. HE DOESN'T CARE, ERGO WE DON'T CARE. BAD.

Like he seems to MILDLY know what Stolas likes but this should be WAY clearer. Especially if you want us to think Blitz secretly cares too.

Love Fizz's new outfit. Very cute.

Gonna be real, Fizz and Blitz are seriously adorable. Can Ozzie pick him up too and actually show Blitz what being sexually valued is like? Because clearly he pulled it off with Fizz. Because he clearly enjoys sex and it feels like Stolas is just...using him. Not enjoying him. It's gross and SHOULD feel gross, because it FUCKING IS.

This whole bit with the cherubs makes it feel like we aren't supposed to give a damn about the main plot. That it's just a silly background to TERTIARY CHARACTER NONSENSE. BAD.

So far this confrontation is good as far as the pit of dread it opened in my stomach. I still really don't feel bad for Stolas. I feel bad for blitz. Him begging tore my soul out. It's so obvious how bad this power imbalance has gotten. I refuse to entertain these two any longer. This show needs to GROW UP and get over them, leave it here and I will forgive it.

Stolas should have 100% consulted Blitz before OFFICIALLY PUTTING HIM UNDER OZZIE'S JURISDICTION THAT'S NOT OKAY. Even if he leaves him alone, that can absolutely be weaponized.

"Am I not fucking you good enough?" Doesn't come off as him wanting more. Blitz feels like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop. For the love of the gods stop stringing this POORLY WRITTEN. BADLY RETCONNED. PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT A WELL DONE TOXIC RELATIONSHIP ALONG. BAD. MOVE. THE FUCK. ON.

"I care very deeply and have for a long time" You sure as shit never showed it.

To Those in The Back. ONE GRAND GESTURE DOES NOT FIX A TERRIBLE RELATIONSHIP. This is Mr. Peanutbutter with the library thing. This is Not ROMANTIC. This IS EMBARRASSING.

If he really cared, Blitz would not be living in poverty. If he really cared, he'd make an effort to engage beyond sex. IF HE REALLY CARED HE WOULD HAVE DIVORCED HIS WIFE THE PROPER WAY AND NOT TRAUMATIZED HIS FUCKING DAUGHTER OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Stolas is a godsawful woobified piece of shit that doesn't have the decency to acknowledge he's the problem, and when he does, has the fucking AUDACITY to behave like a pathetic child. This I was wrong speech is DOGSHIT and has no punch to it because more than half of the episode was TERTIARY CHARACTER BULLSHIT.

Blitz has EVERY RIGHT to see this as a joke. I immediately burst out laughing because YEAH. WHEN HAVE YOU GIVEN HIM ANY IMPRESSION YOU CARED BEYOND GETTING YOUR FREAK ON?

"Thank you for being here for a little while." Oh boo fucking hoo. Get over yourself. "It's just about sex" BECAUSE YOU NEVER MADE IT ANYTHING ELSE YOU FUCKING BOZO.

I am immediately cheering Blitz on in his retort. He's fucking earned it. You're not going to make me feel bad by making them show up in the room from their childhood. Blitz is completely in the right here.

If Stolas really thought so highly of him, he'd be putting in more of an effort. Stolas treats Blitz the way he treats Octavia. Like they're dolls from his childhood. If he wanted to do right by them, he would. He is FUCKING ROYALTY. There is NO reason he can't put in more effort for the people he supposedly loves. You don't love them. You love the idea of them. You can't accept that they aren't the idea in your head. This isn't love. It's abuse.

Fuck you. Blitz has NOTHING to apologize for.

It's like Stolas doesn't seem to think he's the problem. No shit, of course Blitz isn't going to react the way you thought he would. Why are you just THROWING HIM OUT RATHER THAN TALKING TO HIM? BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO ACTUALLY WORK FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS YOU STUPID ASS OWL. YOU WANT EVERYTHING TO BE HANDED TO YOU ON A PLATE YOU RICH DUMBASS.

Fuck everyone trying to paint Blitz as the bad guy.

FUCK. YOU.

He's just trying to survive! He has a fucking daughter! A found family! EVERYTHING to lose!

Stolas just gets his fucking feelings hurt. He is the architect of his own undoing. Suck my entire ass. This was easily the worst episode bar none.

The tone was ALL OVER the place, and not in an effective way. The plot moved at a halt and go pace and all the fun bits were BOGGED DOWN by the supposed point of the episode! You can't tell me this shit took all that time, unless you were constantly saying "OOOO YOU KNOW WHAT'D BE COOL/FUNNY?" and shooting your production scheduled in the foot!

The rest of the portraiture being covered up is a very nice touch.

I can't believe you've gotten me to defend BLITZO of all people. But here we are. I guess I'm on his team. (He's an abusive dick, but NO ONE deserves this.)

[devils-little-sista]

in reference to what u said in the tags of my latest post. I have not read trials of apollo actually 😭😭 my critique was based on the original series and what I remember of hoo! Cuz in those Hera is very clearly painted in a more directly negative light than Zeus

Oh yeah I’m not saying you’re wrong at all, the way Rick writes her is definitely weird, I totally agree with you on that. Just wanted to point out that Zeus is also demonized almost as much or just as much as Hera

And like 75% of the Zeus bashing happens in ToA with Apollo-a god and Zeus child who has spent millennia being around Zeus-as the narrator we learn how bad Zeus actually is.

I think Rick meant Zeus to be as bad as Apollo said he is back in PJO and HoO too, he just. Didn’t get around to most of it. Zeus is barely even in PJO and HoO. At least not in the point of view of somebody who knows Zeus personally and has been around him for so long. Not in the point of view of Zeus currently being abusive and a tyrant and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in general. Thats mainly in ToA.

In PJO we have Zeus being extremely unreasonable about the master bolt being stolen and blaming a 12 year old who didn’t even know gods existed yet and didn’t know he was a demigod when it was stolen and also Zeus was threatening an all out civil war among the gods that could very well have destroyed the entire world. Also Zeus didn’t do diddly squat to punish Ares for helping Luke steal and traffic the bolt and frame and innocent kid 12 yo for it. This is brushed off with a “oh well gods will be gods. This is normal this is just what gods do”

And in the last Olympian we have Zeus trying to kill Nico and Bianca with a lightning bolt, who were 9-12 at the time, and ended up killing their mother and probably a few other innocent bystanders in that building. Also brushed off with “oh well gods will be gods”

In HoO all we have is that one scene at the end of blood of Olympus where Jason slightly and respectfully questions Zeus’s idea and Zeus gives him a murderous stare. Jason looks genuinely afraid and Percy looked like he was about to spring into a fight with Zeus in Jason’s defense. “Oh well gods will be gods”

In ToA, Apollo regularly calls Zeus and abuser, a war criminal, a narcissist, horrible father/leader/husband, and this series is probably the first time that Zeus’s cruelty is taken seriously and talked about in depth. This series is the first time that “oh well gods will be gods” is finally thrown out the window. Apollo acknowledges that it’s not ok for Zeus or any god to act as a tyrant/abuser/war criminal and to hell with “gods will be gods”.

And there’s more sympathy for Hera in ToA too. Not alot but Apollo does mentions he feels really sorry for her having to be married to Zeus and feels sorry that she gets so much flack when all she tries to do is fix Zeus mistakes).

And I really do wish Rick would have written Hera not so rude and cold and snobby and more caring and helpful and empathetic / sympathetic with the kids when she was trying to fix Zeus’s mistakes.

[welpjesuisla]

Tagged: 10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 Tags

⁄⁠(⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠-⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠)⁠⁄ Thank you for the tag @x-authorship-x 🥰

John Doe (UnOrdinary)

First off, yes, his name really is John Doe LOL. He's not a very popular type of main character - at least in my experience. He's fiercely protective and cunning. And he struggles a lot with figuring himself out. He's the kind of main character that you have to follow around even when you don't agree with his decisions.

Shikamaru Nara (Naruto)

Underrated fr. Like we have so very few braincell holders in Naruto and Shikamaru is a reluctant holder of one. Despite his genius we all are aware of just how human he is. He still is vulnerable to the natural things of life and his own emotions.

Yes i am going to go on living life pretending that the Burrito version of Shikamaru doesn't exist :)

Ochaco Uraraka (Boku No Hero Academia)

The cute girl that could and would fight you and WIN.

She has a special place for me. She could have so easily been left at just the cute best friend girl or the poor girl gag or quirky love interest. But she isn't! And it's refreshing! She takes the path she set out on seriously. She has a kindness about her but she is also determined to do what's right. And she's prepared to take what steps she needs to protect herself and others. If you say her match with Bakugou didn't change your brain chemistry YOU'RE LYING!

Obi (Akagami No Shirayukihime)

The man that he is. Full disclosure, I've read a lot of Shoujo but OBI is truly the first character that I craved more of. Seriously, I want his backstory so bad but I fear we'll never be allowed to have it. He's an assassin turned official knight. He's roguish but just as seamlessly can be a gentleman. He's dangerous but he chooses to be soft and fond. Don't even get me started on the found family dynamics!!

Minhyuk (I Love Yoo)

The best big brother/best friend ever.

Minhyuk is THE BEST. And I accept Nothing Else. He's the pillar needed in crazy situations. Even if he's not physically there. He understands when to push and when to play around. Genuinely the only guy I trust with Shin-ae's literal life (Sorry, Dieter). He has her best interests at heart even when he's not completely in the know about what's going on. Dude is willing to try fighting CEOs to protect her and DID fight her stalkers.

Padme Amidala (Star Wars)

Okay her taste in men is to be taken with a bucket of salt BUT!!

Come on! Queen!! Undercover specialist - posing as her on Lady-in-waiting is such a boss move! Unafraid of active warzones and assassination attempts! Fashion icon!

Loki (Thor MCU)

As you may be seeing: i have a tendency to gravitate to characters that are usually inclined to manipulation and violence complex. I could genuinely go on and on about the beautiful depth of his character but then I'd get sad about what he became in Ragnarok and onwards. But yeah, love Loki - adore him truly!!!

Koushi Sugawara (Haikyuu!!)

Chaotic good at its finest.

THE Morale!! THE Refreshing!! THE Mom!! OUR Vice Captain!! The lovely Suga!! The biggest chaos gremlin of them all! Would literally win in a fight with every single member of the Karasuno team (with merciless cheating lol). I love the diversity in him: he can be the steady senpai, flipping at a switch between happy-go-lucky and excitable aggression, seems like the least threatening member when he loves screwing with the other side mentally. He's great >:)

Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

Literally my favorite rendition of Wonder Woman. She's sheltered but well-intentioned. She's determined and doesn't let things like social norms get in her way. She brought humanity to a setting we constantly forget the humanity of. She's not afraid of being emotional because there's no shame in it. She showed us what some heroes forget to show us, that things aren't always good and bad guys.

Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader Viewpoint)

He's such a mastermind, he's great!! A MENACE UNLEASHED!

Okay so admittedly, i don't think I'll even be able to scratch the surface of the genius that is his character. He's literally Upgraded Coping Mechanism on top of Well-used Coping Mechanism. A Reader given the same detachment from reality that protected them but debilitated them but now it makes them the most powerful and prepared. And he uses it with so much tangible smugness

[ivomartins]

(HS anon, yes me, again. Thought you've seen the last of me)

Allow me to ramble about Plague for a bit. Because the author did her dirty from the beginning. I hated that she was not taken seriously. Oh, she's drunk and gushing over Malbonte. Because of course she is, Malbonte is just so. Cool 🙄.

Plague. Deserved. Better. 👏 She was that bitch who deserved to be a LI. In fact, she deserved it more than Astaroth or whatever his boring ass is called.

I was more than ready to welcome her with open arms and accept her as the fucked up queen she is. But let's be real, imagine if Plague was a LI and people had to accept her as she is. No redemption arc, just bad bitch doing bad shit, throwing sick parties and enjoying it. Bitches can't accept Amen is a sadistic fuck very sexy of him in this house we stan fucked up individuals no justification whatsoever. Imagine if they had to do the same with her when she's a woman. Hell, Austie gets destroyed by fans every time she apears and this sexy mama hasn't done anything besides breathing. Like what did she do, besides the fact that she stood 5 seconds next to Lucifer and Malbonte.

...

Oooooh.

This past update taught me that RC fans aren't ready for a sexy diabolical queen like Plague to be a LI. They don't deserve a bad mommy I do though. In fact, they don't deserve any bad motherfucker as a LI, when they still go pikachu mode when the evil LI does the evil thing. Shocking. I know.

my inbox is your abode anon feel free to talk my ear off always i'm living for your rants (and your taste) 💗

plague deserved so much better you're 👏🏼 goddamn 👏🏼 right 👏🏼 like she had the most potential for depth out of all the horsemen and it was completely wasted when the author chose to just depict her as an angry little girl making the entire world pay for her temper tantrum like. not even her connection with kira was explored or given any attention and in the end she died clearly because alice just didn't know what to do w her anymore smh

i never thought of the idea of her being a LI but you're so right that would have been really good i mean. vicky is out here running into the arms of lucifer/malbonte after they've spent the vast majority of the story emotionally abusing her so the same could have been done with plague ESPECIALLY because she and vicky have the mommy issues in common and they share the same temper and childish antics like pls... it would have worked and worked great especially because it would have balanced the fucked up ratio of LIs a bit by adding another woman besides mimi but this story is just too cookie cutter. i actually like to think that plenty of fans would have enjoyed romancing plague because we only get interesting femme LIs like every once in a blue moon 🙃 but i see your point for sure

don't get me started on the outrage against amen like HDKSHDKE it was so funny to me because ??? wow i guess evthys isn't the only one who needed to see it w her own eyes to know who she's dealing with HDKSJDK that was such a meta moment lol like evthys has spent an entire season and a half being terrified of this guy despite how much she's into him of fucking course there's a reason for that and he's actually as terrible as we all thought

i don't think it takes away at all from the kindness and consideration he's shown towards evthys and his genuine feelings for her because two things can be true at once and no character is ever just this or that. i still have gripes with the writing for him (a rant for another day) but i agree that the outrage was so unwarranted

[wanderer-on-the-steppe]

Has anyone from the Ogniem i mieczem fandom seen this movie?

Let’s say I’ve been having… an interesting evening with it recently ;) Something I’ve always wanted to see or read was a movie/book with a Helena Czaplińska who’s both an alluring spy and a truly tragic character: someone who’s struggling with guilt and conflicting loyalties, and, much like Kmicic, is longing for redemption, but – unlike him – genuinely cannot decide what the right path is and just gets bogged down more and more hopelessly in a dilemma she cannot solve. Because whatever the historical truth might have been – from a fictional point of view, the most fascinating answer to the question: “Has she been spying on Khmelnytsky or did she truly love him?” is certainly: both.

So, when this movie promised to have some of this approach, I didn’t care much for not so enthusiastic reviews – I had to watch it. And then spent a considerable part of the movie wishing I could see the same events with the OiM-Khmelnytsky and another Helena. Or maybe not even another, but one that’s been given more room: more lines of dialogue (or more substantial ones), more glimpses into her past / her state of mind / her thinking, more opportunities to make the audience understand. For even though I got just enough of an impression of her to feel sorry for her in the end (and to believe her when she told Khmelnytsky’s son Tymish that the only person she’d ever loved was his father) I still don’t feel like I know her. And of course, when one doesn’t understand something in a movie, it can be rather difficult to say if it’s really not in there or if one just… didn’t get it – so I’d be very interested in opinions of others who have seen it ;) – but while I’ve seen movies where I had a strong suspicion that I was, indeed, not clever enough, here I felt like something was missing.

It’s not even completely clear to me when her decision to become a spy was made. Already before she married him? The scene at the king’s residence, about there being a spy close to Khmelnytsky that he trusts, suggests so – but that, as far as I can see, would leave her motivation completely in the dark. Whereas if the decision is taken later, one gets at least a few pieces in the puzzle in the form of her worry for her home country and a marriage that turns out much more difficult than she had imagined. But even then I feel like there could have been so much more. Because… she’s surprised (and offended) that he can’t just retire to a life of dancing and amusements in the middle of a war? Seriously?? I mean, even that wouldn’t necessarily make the character implausible – shallowness exists, and has its reasons, and just a hint of Helena trying to hurl herself headlong into it to escape the trauma of her past could turn her into a character that does have depth but desperately tries to ignore it, for fear of the things that are lurking there. The disappointing thing is: there isn’t even a hint. Or at least I can’t see one.

And Khmelnytsky himself? I’ll readily admit I’m very attached to Bohdan Stupka’s interpretation of him, and of course it’s not the movie’s fault that it’s different from that, but… I feel like there’s so much untapped potential. In both of the main characters. For while we do get to know Bohdan better then Helena, I’ve got the impression that, with very few exceptions, they tried so meticulously to avoid all his flaws that the result is not quite believable anymore. The most striking example: the very honourable duel with Czapliński after Khmelnytsky discovered him among the prisoners of war. Not that I’m especially keen on seeing what I think would have happened – in fact, I’m rather glad that I did not have to see it – the thing is: it wasn’t even necessary to turn Khmelnytsky into a stickler for honourable correctness to avoid a potentially disturbing scene. All they would have had to do is to not let him capture the guy. The historical Khmelnytsky never did so anyway. And that’s exactly why it seems like the only reason for this duel is to show how incredibly fair and correct Khmelnytsky is, and… Oh well… let’s just say there’ve been very different stories ;)

It’s not like I don’t understand the patriotic reasons that might be behind some choices in this movie, but – seeing it from the point of view of storytelling – taking away everything objectionable in a character until what remains doesn’t feel like them anymore doesn’t help. Because it’s vivid, believable, fascinating characters that get people interested in the history behind a movie if they aren’t already. And it’s not like the OiM-Khmelnytsky didn’t have his sense of honour too – he did, towards Jan, and I love this aspect of him – but at the same time, there was no doubt that he was goddamn dangerous and that there would be situations when he would not play fair. And I think he needs some of that to be recognisably himself, because you can make a character somewhat more likeable than their historical self and still make it feel believable (which is exactly what they did in OiM) – but only so much. More of it, and it doesn’t become more likeable, it just becomes... flat.

Still, though I can hardly stop myself from rambling about all the things that I wish they’d done differently, I don’t want to make it seem like everything about this movie is bad from beginning to end. It’s not. The reunion in the tent, after Helena left Czapliński? Beautiful scene, both aesthetically and as far as their interaction and Khmelnytsky’s unanswered questions are concerned. Tymish? Understandably furious and mistrustful of her for marrying Czapliński after witnessing what this man did to his brother. And while I personally tend to have a much darker opinion of him, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate an interpretation that shows me how I could be wrong and how he could still arrive at doing what he did. And the one thing I really have to give this movie credit for is the scene where Khmelnytsky realises he’s been betrayed: this incredible rage that’s so violent and still so utterly, undeniably helpless. That feeling of getting news that shatters everything, and being unable to believe it – but having to. This they’ve really done perfectly.

So... anyone here who has seen it?

[langdhon]

*kicks open the door* i've said it before and i'll say it again: your michael is actually stinky and needs a bath in some holy water.

No but seriously, you've taken this rather static character ( i say static loosely simply because of the ahs writers inability to give depth ) and turned him into this dynamic thing that has these different facets in his life. he doesn't treat everyone the same. you highlight certain points of his character that are defining and core elements to his person and you stay consistent with those specific points while still showing his capacity for change ( to a point. he's the antichrist. his end goal doesnt change )

WHICH IS ANOTHER THING. the fact that you explain how that end goal remains his purpose rather than just slapping it down as "well.. he's the antichrist" no. you point out his beliefs and how they align with that goal while also making this conclusion separate from his father. he comes to that decision on his own and you don't shy away from that.

I love the work you've put into michael and how you've really claimed him as your own. <3 I could go on and on about all the things I love about your portrayal because there is SO MUCH but I gotta limit myself or else I'll be writing a ten page thesis on my love for Ava's Michael Langdon

||| beep beep, how's my portrayal?

ANDY PLS I'M GONNA SCREAM— you shower me with so much validation and now another whole wall of text I'm-! All the things you say there, I can't stop nodding while reading because it's all just what I want to put out there. Yes, he is what he is and always will be. No, he's not immutable because he lives and everything that lives, even hecking plants, changes throughout life. While I believe the core stays the same in most of us. Plus, in various scripts the antichrist as a concept has so much range; he's not the pure evil figure who goes around only doing the worst shit. Is why I hc he's on the chaotic neutral side with a chaotic evil tendency as he gets older. He's meant to be relatable to some degree, to lure certain people in on his side while still being an incarnation of chaos and destruction/new creation. The whole point of his existence is to get people to embrace their nature. What I love about the season's writing is how he cries a lot, but you can see that many times it's not genuine. But lots of fans obv. fell for the manipulation.

I want to shine a light on more sides of his person, but never let people forget that he is still That Bitch. Michael did horrible things and he is not sorry for 9/10 because it's his nature and he has the power to act beyond human standards, so he does. He's an asshole but he can be the a super fun guy too. Charming, mean, hilarious, scary, understanding, challenging. Chaos. It makes me so effing happy to read that you just... you GET how I want my portrayal to be perceived !!

And yes, it's important to me that he'll have his own reasoning while accepting his purpose— a first hand motivator behind the purpose which, broken record alert, he could've ditched with all the power at his disposal. But the world is fucked and he has the chance to get it fuckeder [ha, new word] in a way he likes and everything except the VIP lounge has to go. Renovation purposes. I do adhere to canon with his og timeline, yes, but as you said, the writing was lacking. I think it has to do with how they had to focus on Michael finding his path and getting to the whole apocalypse plan, because if they'd focused on his life beside that? It'd have gotten another season lol. Anyway, working with bare bones gives me all the freedom to do with him what I want, development wise. NOW I RAMBLED I'm sorry but everything you said there just hits home for me. I'm incredibly honored you think so. 😭

tl;dr you're correct, he's a stinky who needs to bathe in holy water while every now and then, he has a point

[galacticnova3]

holdon he’s a villain? i thought iru was just token comic relief manwhore

Sound of me falling up the stairs and then down again like I’m a character in a ytp

TL;DR he is definitely a villain but also comic relief somewhat depending on the situation at hand. More in-depth explanation under the cut.

Yes he is a villain. He’s not intended to be taken seriously in a personal sense or have the usual “evil” vibes, but he is very much a villain in all lives but his own and Lon’s. Sure he’s basically an incel, yes he has no sense of style, no he doesn’t exactly behave in ways befitting someone who knows he could very easily take down most who oppose him. The thing about Iru is that he thinks he’s entirely right and that the world is always logical and everything happens for a reason. He rationalizes things by making the world seem like it fits his thoughts, not by changing his thinking to be true to life. If something bad happens to him it’s almost never his fault, while if something good happens to him he simply earned it. In other words he’s very much the hero of his own story, and while those working against him aren’t necessarily villains in his eyes, he’s still the protagonist and always needs to win for the greater good. He finds as many ways to justify his own actions as he needs to.

What happened to him wasn’t a consequence of his actions, everyone else just hated him for no reason. He was guilty until proven innocent, but they never even gave him a trial. If Umbramakers were considered expendable enough to decommission and deconstruct on the government’s whim, there’s nothing wrong with him thinking so as well. So, if he wanted a part more, it was his right to take it, even if it meant doing the removal himself. Since it probably would’ve happened later he’d just be speeding up the cycle a bit. It’s fine that he’s been living entirely at the expense of others even before he became organic, because survival of the fittest is just how the world works! It’s not his fault that he’s the winner in such situations, maybe others should just stop being losers. Sure, murder isn’t great, but someone else’s deadly misfortune could just be his good luck nowadays. If the universe wanted him to starve someone wouldn’t have happened to wander into reach when he was feeling hungry.

Iru can’t deal with the idea that sometimes things aren’t that deep, so he simply doesn’t. It’s not that he just makes up explanations for everything, except that is pretty much exactly what he will do if he needs to “rationalize” something complicated. Jumping to conclusions and grasping at straws and stretching the truth and blurring the lines between right and wrong is all fair if it explains or gives reason to the situation. Well, the situation as he personally views it. Truth is subjective, someone else can think he’s a terrible person just as much as he thinks they’re pathetic and jealous of his successes. And because of that, there’s very few situations where he can’t bullshit his way into doing whatever he wants under the impression that it’s ok. This isn’t something he hides, either, he’s usually a pretty open book and genuine in most of what he does.

That’s part of why he can seem nonthreatening or even kinda pathetic at times. If he’s going to be a threat he will, but if not he won’t. Intimidation is generally pretty intentional on his part, but so is being casual or nonchalant in most other situations. He gets caught up in his own feelings because that’s just how he is; someone bullying him online is something he’d take personally. If he sounds offended or insulted it’s because he is offended or insulted, regardless of how minor the reason is. He’s rarely going to surprise someone(if his goal isn’t to do that in the first place), which leaves a bit less room for suspense that might otherwise make him seem worth taking a bit more seriously. He’s not necessarily predictable, but he is consistent.

In that regard he’s a bit of a foil to Lon, who will do things they know aren’t ok because they don’t care. They could stick to hunting animals and not people, but hunting people is more fun. They couldn’t give less of a shit about what impacts their actions have on strangers. “I felt like it” is a perfectly reasonable explanation for doing something in their mind. They have nobody else’s will to live under but their own, so why make up random or irrelevant limitations for what they can and can’t do? They’re unpredictable because they’re hard to get a read on most of the time. If they seem to feel a certain way about something you can never be entirely sure that’s a reflection of their true emotions. Even when not outright pretending to be someone else entirely, they’re far from open or outgoing, and they don’t readily reveal much about themself. They’re someone to take seriously because underestimating them is exactly what they want people to do. They don’t have much morality to hold them back.

In a way, they’re the lawful chaotic evil to Iru’s chaotic lawful evil: “I can do what I want, but I’m just gonna stick to benefiting myself, and whether or not it’s at the expense of others doesn’t really matter so long as I get what I want” vs “I have a moral code that I follow because I don’t want to do unnecessary harm, but I’ll also rewrite the rules if it would help me, and the rules don’t say anything about not causing harm if there’s enough motivation to do so anyways”.

[joelrodriguezsophomoreart1330c]

10/25 - Painting 2 - Reflection post for three videos about Wayne Thiebaud

CBS Sunday Morning - Wayne Thiebaud

For CBS's dedicated segment to Wayne Thiebaud and his work, Thiebaud explains how he created his own approach at painting food. He makes his paintings of food grab the viewer's attention through the use of texture, which is especially relevant in how he paints pies and cakes. For example, with how he paints a whole lemon meringue pie, he approaches it with lots of texture and attention to realism to make the viewer feel like they could actually touch and eat it. Even though Thiebaud has worked with a variety of subjects, his work primarily focuses on highly detailed studies of sweets and desserts, mainly cakes and pies. Thus, he has been given the title of the "dessert painter" and has expressed that he does not mind the label being put on him. Following up on his work after WW2, he would struggle to find a gallery that would accept his work. He would eventually find an art dealer by the name of Allan Stone and both Thiebaud and Stone would see to it that the work would be set up for a dedicated show at the Allan Stone Gallery in 1962. The show proved to be a near sell-out and even caught the attention of the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)! Thiebaud would then be at the front of the uprising of pop art during the 60's and beyond. In addition, the National Academy of Design around the mid-2000's had honored him and his work with awards and mass recognition amongst artists young and old! Whenever viewers would gaze upon his work, they would get a strong sense of integrity and joy in living and food regardless of their perspectives on it. More importantly, Thiebaud had described that viewers would hopefully find some humor in his work, because in his own words, "If we don't have a sense of humor, we lack a sense of perspective."

2. The Morgan Library and Museum - Wayne Thiebaud, Draftsman

An interview staged with Thiebaud states that he had surprisingly not though about portraying sweets and desserts whenever he started painting. After a conversation with renowned abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning, Thiebaud had realized that finding your purpose in art is to hold onto something that you like or enjoy, with you having a special connection with that one thing you set out to paint. With those words in mind, he would take a year off of teaching art classes for military soldiers and has wanted to go back to very basic shapes. Drawing ovals, cones, triangles, and so on, he would call back to when he worked at local restaurants and serve rows of "American" food. This includes, but is not limited to: lemon meringue pie, burgers, pumpkin pies, ice cream, and slices of cake. He described his process of portraying these objects as almost like a dream, where he was in a sort of flow state and would feel connected to painting these simple but enjoyable treats. He would feel very close to painting these foods, because he had caught interest in painting them amongst many other delectable sweets. At times, he would still go back to reflecting on his work would have made him unable to be taken seriously, yet he would put that aside and still keep painting them because he developed genuine interest in doing so.

3. Christie's Interview: "I Knew This Was Not a Good Career Choice"

As part of another in-depth interview with Thiebaud and auction organization Christie's, Thiebaud goes into detail about how painters would take the concept of painting that is described as still and quiet and breathe new life into it. Moreover, Thiebaud refers to the medium of painting as alternate worlds being created. With painting, you have an unlimited set of tools and techniques to learn and with no limitations on that power, you would feel, as he would say, "omnipotent" as a painter. With all of that power, painters start to give viewers a peek into their own little worlds. With decades of experience teaching and painting, Thiebaud knew well ahead that this career was not a good choice for him. Thiebaud would mention that most of his fellow painters and colleagues would barely be able to survive and had to take other jobs to stay financially afloat. However, he does not believe in the idea of success for painting. He would go as far as to say that whenever he surrenders to the idea of success, he would lose something special. He admits that he was lucky, but he would explain that as a painter or artist, you would not be able to make a living off of it, but you can definitely make a life out of it. Thiebaud sees his paintings as abstractions, with constant measurements through rows of objects each one being angled slightly. Therefore, he makes sure to capture a feeling of reduction or "human touch" with his pieces. He makes the viewers' emotions feel intertwined with the piece by experimenting with various subjects and textures. Although his work is relatively simple, he is glad to find people finding pleasure and humor in his work since it reminds us of joyous foods.

[deuterosapiens]

So, I started this thing on May the eighteenth, and it is now a bit after midnight on the thirtieth. So I'll call it twelve days of very sporadic reading, though I admit I could have had this over and done with in quite a bit less time than that. Either way, Four-hundred and Twenty-eight pages later, The Godfather is finished!

I do not have the strength to talk about this thing in as much depth as others, but there are some obvious things to discuss now that it's done. So the first is that, perhaps sometime in the next week or so, I'll be watching the movies. I won't go over them in as much detail as I've given to the book, but it will be interesting nonetheless for me to look over the differences between the two. Some things simply make more sense in a visual medium, and no film adaptation (with perhaps the exception of Rosemary's Baby, the Roman Polanski film, not the one with Zoë Saldaña) adapts the book perfectly. Anyway, let's go.

This book kind of goes a bit all over the place. It sets all sorts of interesting plot developments up, and resolves them before they can receive any sort of interesting pay-off. Take for example, the Five Families War sub-plot. It's set-up in the narrative to be a major thing, a serious event that you feel like will take up the rest of the novel. You're expecting to see pieces exchanged, gambits played. Death for death. And it's quickly resolved three quarters of the way through, and in a bit of an anticlimactic way. Sure the Don speaks, and demonstrates his extreme diplomatic skills, but it resolves before anything interesting can really come out of it. There's the question of "what will be done to bring Michael home from his exile?" And before you can set yourself up to expect this to be the crux of the climax, it's resolved (a bit haphazardly) and you're then left feeling like there's really not going to be any sort of major climactic resolution to anything.

Let's talk about Michael's time in Italy, because this section seriously bored me. While in Sicily, he gets married, learns the truth about Luca Brasi's scars, and loses his wife in an attempted hit (an ambiguous last-ditch effort to destroy the Corleone family's power, what with Sonny being dead and the Don losing his hold on the Family). I'll say nothing on my opinion on how this entire affair affects Kay Adams, but the fact that the only thing any of this does is give Michael a vendetta to square away during the finale. You could argue that this allows us to delve more into the circumstances that transform him into the Godfather he will later become, but very little of this section is spent building on this theme.

After the Don dies, there's all sorts of confusion regarding what will happen to the Corleone Family. There's betrayal, deals are made. Michael assures everyone to do nothing, everything will be taken care of. And honestly, as much as I found quite a bit of the build-up (or lack of) to this tedious, I genuinely love how this resolution is just bloody and brutal. Death here, death there. All opposing forces are just straight-up murdered.

Carlo Rizzi. I don't think I've said anything about him. Hated the guy. Every scene he's in, I despise. The book however did pull one over on me with this guy, and I found it incredibly delightful. The way everything else has been handled so far, especially with regards to his marriage to Connie, I had a specific expectation that the book would have ignored him completely. Hell, for an entire section, it almost feels like it's setting up him to be promoted to Consigliere. Which would have pissed me off a bit. But no, Michael Corleone is quite conniving here, and bluffs the weasel into a false sense of security before he is garrotted to death.

What's interesting to me, especially regarding this climax, is how it builds on Kay Adams' distrust. This is a woman who watches the man she loves, the man who holds no part in his Family's affairs, transform into a ruthless, plotting Don. Following her is a fascinating thing because her viewpoint would be comparable to like, the best friend of the guy who makes the deal with the Devil. More of that please!

Looking at the work as a whole, I understand why people love the novel. I suppose it's a bit like Crime and Punishment in a number of ways, though discussing all of the parallels there would have to be an entire essay in and of itself. Its core message is lost a bit under fairly unnecessary subplots, and there's a bit to be desired for me in regards to pacing (not to mention the sheer absurdity of some character decisions, due in part to the sheer strength of their belief in familihood as the most unbreakable of bonds), but on the whole it's a worthy read.

I'm torn a bit between The Picture of Dorian Grey and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for my next read. Both are reasonably short and will help me pace myself more before I finish my Jeff VanderMeer collection.

[inquixotic]

RHYS & SEB, NIGHT 26.

with @properbantz.

𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. he almost doesn’t want to say anything to rhys after his little act earlier, winking at seb like that as if he didn’t know he could have had him on his knees if he hadn’t picked bash only the night before. but he has to at  least play nice if he truly wants to get closer to bash, use him like nana had used seb. “hey,” he says, catching his eye with an eyebrow raised. “shouldn’t you be outside?” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. he’s giving him the rizz face? he stops, leaning his weight onto his palms on the back of the couch. “hey.” a smile. he’s not sure what exactly seb wants right now, but he still feels like he’s buzzing a little bit from the recoupling, from bash. “i’m just around. what are you doing?”

𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. he doesn’t trust the smile, and doesn’t give one in return, though he’s not exactly mad dogging him, just neutral. “taking a breather, or however they say it,” he answers lightly, w casually. “where’s bash? thought you’d be with him.”

𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. oh. okay? “yeah no i just, stepped out for a smoke?” he gestures vaguely in the other direction. “you okay?”

𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. he snorts, a little of the disdain seeping through. “l’ange is okay with you smoking?” the way he says angel makes it clear it’s not a compliment. “i guess he can surprise.” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. “what did you call him?” he’s not immediately jumping to straight defense, but he’s sure by tone alone that whatever it was wasn’t nice? he took spanish in school, sorry. 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. “l’ange,” he repeats, slower, raising his eyebrows. purposely not translating for at least a few moments, before finally adding, “angel.” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. that’s only okay when he says it? he’s looking at seb for a moment, expression unreadable. he thought there was an understanding. or at least an idea that what had been going on between them wasn’t serious due to the actual lack of communication. and besides, bash asked him about getting to know each other, he was interested so why wouldn’t he say yes? if seb expected rhys to be wrapped around his finger he’d need to do more than get him off once. “so what do you want?” 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. “from you?” he pushes himself off the couch, moving easily through the room, as if he didn’t have a care at all. “nothing.” his smile is much too peaceful to be taken seriously, pausing only when he is in rhys’s space. thinking through what he thinks will get under rhys’s skin more. “at least, not until he gets bored of you.” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. damn that’s crazy. “oh did you talk to him personally?” didn’t mimi say this about him to dylan? same playbook, my friend. 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. “not yet,” he smiles blithely, his eyes trailing over rhys’s form, half judgmentally. “don’t think i need to, though.” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. he scoffs, genuinely. that was what he wanted to go after him for? he can’t promise you that bash is the fucking pacific but he’d still be a cup compared to seb’s teaspoon when it came to depth. “so what does this say about you then?” 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. he laughs, genuinely amused by rhys turning it back on him. “what does…what say about me?” he returns, tilting his head like he doesn’t understand. 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. he, in turn, tilts his head mimicking seb with a pout. “you must be bored without nana, huh?” a harsher dig is on the tip of his tongue, but he doesn’t say anything else. 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. his eyes narrow, but there is no other indication that the statement gets to him. “and you without mimi, no?” he smiles, all teeth. he almost says more but bites his tongue, willing to wait to hurt him more. 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. bored? no no, seb must have him mistaken. missing mimi is not equivalent to boredom, seeing as he’s kept himself entertained with the likes of the person in front of him. “being bored would imply i don’t have anything to do.” like himself. “what do you talk about other than naomi and josh?“ 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. “and what do you have to do? me?” he snorts, incredulous. pot, kettle black, when all rhys does is follow josh around like a puppy. “you’re one to talk. you think if you follow josh around long enough he’ll suck your dick?” he know that’s not their relationship, doubts that’s what rhys wants from josh at all, but he wants him to think that’s what it looks like to everyone else. 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. “yeah i can’t wait for my turn with the community straight,” the sarcasm drips from his voice. he didn’t like the kiss, or any of the kisses there after but he was fine! it was cool! he’s cool. he’s got bash to get to know, he’s distracted. “do you have a point to any of this or are you still feeling a little like a chihuahua? you know, small and angry?” 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. the sarcasm has him doubting that he cares but he leans in so their faces are barely apart. “why else would you follow him around like a little lapdog?” he tilts rhys’s chin up, rougher than he had been before. “you don’t have to pretend, mon amor, it’s fine,” false sympathy dripping from him. “between mimi getting sent home and your straight man phase coming late, no wonder you’re so high strung all the time.” he clicks his tongue, finally taking a step back. “i am fine, actually,” he smiles, blissfully, anger bubbling just far enough under his skin to not be noticeable in his face. “enjoy your time with l’ange while you have it.” 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞. he leans in and presses a swift kiss to seb’s nose. when he pulls away he’s giving him a large cheshire grin, backing away to go find bash (or anyone really) while giving seb a cute shrug. “i’ll make the most of it thanks to your blessing!” he’s got his hand over his heart now with a little upside down smile before turning and walking out. 𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙮. maybe he does understand why josh would punch a wall.

[shihalyfie]

Would would you say the similarity and differences are between Taichi and Takuya? (Since I've seen a lot of negative comparisons between the Adventure and Frontier cast and I'm curious with your thoughts on that)

One thing I really gripe about when it comes to the way people tend to approach the Frontier characters and compare them to those of other series is that, since Frontier is (unabashedly so) far more of a "conventional" series than the three before it, somehow that makes it and its characters worse or lacking in depth. Not at all! Firstly, there's pretty good reason to do something like this; the Adventure and 02 characters being a bit too unconventional means that you're still getting people who struggle with understanding their behavior patterns and blaming anything that doesn't "seem consistent" (actually "doesn't fall into neat fiction patterns") on "bad character writing", so Frontier being a bit more trope-y is probably just to make it a bit easier to understand the characters' progression. Moreover, even conventional tropes often have some root in reality; sure, Tomoki being a child who gets emotionally overwhelmed and cries more often may definitely seem "too conventional" compared to Takeru or Iori, but, uh...that's also extremely accurate to how a lot of real kids his age would behave. Many different kinds of kids exist! Representing all of them at once is hard!

At first glance, yes, the Frontier characters fall closer into the usual tropes (especially Super Sentai ones), but when we're talking about Digimon under Seki, it's never just been about what the characters look like at first glance but also the little nuances that they don't always put in words. The Frontier characters have a surprising amount of depth if you're willing to sit down and look at the little things, how they behave in different situations, what their motivations are for doing what they do, and while I don't think they go nearly as deep as Adventure or 02 do in this regard, it's not because I think Frontier was inherently lacking in this but because Adventure and 02 were just that level of ridiculous in terms of bias towards character writing (at occasional detriment to other aspects). Kind of unfair to expect everything else to go that far. So if we're talking about characters with this level of depth, I'd put it in between Adventure/02 and Tamers in terms of fleshing characters out this deeply. (No, I don’t actually think the Tamers characters are as "deep" as they're often claimed to be; they're just less subtle. No, that does not mean I think that's an inherently better or worse thing, given how I've always referred to this kind of thing as a double-edged sword.)

Rant aside! (Sorry, it's a bit of a long-standing point of frustration I've had with how Frontier constantly gets treated.) I think Takuya is definitely more "conventional" of a typical shounen protagonist than Taichi is, being more impulsive, hot-headed, and occasionally belligerent; Taichi was "impulsive" in the sense that he was kind of playing things by ear and could sometimes even be too chill, because his focus was often too much on the big picture instead of what was in front of him, whereas Takuya definitely comes off as the type who defaults to more aggressive solutions for the most part. However, one of the first things they point out very, very early is that Takuya's actually an older brother -- he's had to take responsibility for Shinya in the past, and it also reflects in how he handles Tomoki (and how Tomoki immediately senses that into him and latches onto him most as a surrogate older brother). While Takuya, being a bit of a misfit, isn't necessarily perfect in the role, he shares this trait with Taichi, and in fact, much like Taichi, his tendency for sometimes being insensitive or being too aggressive isn't because he's callous or doesn't care about others -- he is empathetic, he does hear others out, and he doesn't fight people for the sheer sake of fighting them but because he simply happens to disagree with others (mostly Kouji) in terms of the best way to approach things.

One thing that's really interesting about Frontier is how it starts off its cast as outright misfits; Adventure and 02's cast was made up of fundamentally selfless people, and Tamers had a cast that kinda got dragged into the whole affair, but Frontier starts off with a cast that practically seems taken out of a detention hall. The kids start off very shallow, self-centered, and not taking the concept of throwing themselves into an adventure seriously; in fact, you get the impression they took it on so easily because of how out-of-place they felt in the real world, and their adventure allows them to understand what they need to change about themselves. Given that, while Takuya didn't seem to be much of an outcast in comparison, you still get the impression he was a bit of a misfit like the others. Interestingly, as of the most recent drama CD, Takuya remains our only currently known Digimon protagonist to seriously pursue soccer beyond hobby purposes, and there's something quite fitting about that; Taichi's position in soccer was mainly meant to indicate his position as a "leader" and "someone who brings people together", and Daisuke wasn't even implied to be particularly exceptional in soccer anyway, with it having more pertinence to his relationships with Taichi and eventually Ken. In the case of Takuya, him actually enjoying the sport enough to take it seriously to the point of a career implies a genuine, unfiltered passion for what he does, that he does enjoy the thrill of climbing ranks (and for a team sport, at that), and...also, that his "aggressiveness" is actually him having a lot of boundless energy and passion that needs some kind of outlet, rather than him actively being belligerent purely for the sake of blowing things up.

[my-writings-and-musings]

henlo, i hope this one makes sense, but how about mtmte drift, rodimus and brainstorm (or at least just drift if thats too many!) with a human s/o (gender neutral pls!) who after hearing a compliment from their bots about them, the s/o's kneejerk reaction to to kinda laugh and say "u dont mean that" bc theyre so unused to genuine compliments? thank u so much!!!

It does make sense and it is extremely relatable so here comes some AFFIRMATIONS

Drift

"I love your eyes, have I told you that?"

You stopped, baffled, as soon the ninja bot's praise registered. Though his expression was certainly lovestruck enough to back up his words, the automatic response within you was starting up before you had broken out into a full blush. Your laugh was mechanical as you playfully waved a hand at his compliment.

"What's there to love about my eyes?"

Drift actually went quiet at your words and tilted his helm, expression going from confused to concerned before he spoke again. There was nothing but sincerity in his voice. "Everything, Y/N. You have the most brilliant and gentle gaze..."

"Oh, I really don't know about that." you replied again, still going on reflex at his kind but baffling words. Praise was not something you knew how to handle, so brushing it off just felt more comfortable. His reaction was a confusing first to this strategy. Why did he seem so worried about your dismissal? Surely he was just playing, words like his were never directed your way seriously. Yet he didn't seem to be at all teasing as he frowned in concern, leaning forward on the desk to be closer to you.

"I don't know how to make this any clearer, but please know I'm trying to convey as much truth as possible in my aura; I adore everything about you, including your eyes. I mean that with every part of my being."

The intensity of his words distracted you so thoroughly you didn't even realize he'd taken your tiny hands into his, gently resting your palms between two careful digits as he looked to you with the earnestness of someone swearing an oath.

"I..." you gasped, unable to find any words. What were you supposed to say to this? No one had ever said anything in such a way to you before, and believing he meant it just... didn't compute? Standing in a kind of broken silence was your only reply.

Understanding as ever, Drift smiled, softly and reassuringly. "You're not used to compliments yet, that's okay."

For some reason you teared up, but more due to some emotional blockage being cleared than anything else. Nodding, you tried not to think on how few memories you had of receiving kind words. There was next to nothing you could recall. Ever the supportive one, Drift placed a tiny kiss on your forehead, whispering as he did so. Warmth filled your heart at the comfort he brought with so simple an action, and for the first time you actually believed what he had to say.

"We'll fix that in time, I promise."

Rodimus

"You have the cutest smile, seriously."

Sitting atop the chest of the lounging captain, your laugh at his joke was cut short by the unexpected praise, and on instinct you worked to steer back to levity. A hand on the back of your neck helped you think through the flustered fog.

"Ha, of course! Whatever you say!" you replied haltingly, adjusting fake problems with your hair to have something else to focus on. Unlike always, the fun loving bot chose that moment to be serious. Frowning softly, he looked down at you as you remained awkwardly seated on his chest, and you couldn't bring yourself not to look at his big blue optics. There was so much concern in those striking blue depths.

"Hey, I know I joke around a lot, but I mean everything I say about loving you." he said softly, a hand looping about your back to keep you sitting up. Blinking in thought, you felt your mind hit a kind of wall. There was just no reconciling what he said with what you knew you be true. There was nothing to love about how you smiled.

"I... I wouldn't know..." you mumbled awkwardly, not knowing what to do and more or less freezing up. Compliments were just... hard. What were you supposed to do with them? How could a bot who'd seen so much think so highly of you? The uncertainty of those thoughts frightened you, and your hands began to knead of their own accord.

"Should I show you?" Rodimus asked suddenly, getting energized in the way he did when he wanted to prove something. There was no time to ask for clarification before you were being pulled in for a kiss. Two hands cupped your back as he smooched your head with overdramatic noises, followed by a number of tiny pecks along your upper forehead. The action was so ridiculous you could only laugh. Rodimus continued until you were snorting at the silliness of it all, and only then did he pull back with a triumphant grin.

"There it is, best smile on the ship..." he said softly, brushing a finger over your squishy cheeks as he did so. The warmth of his physical affection didn't fade this time, and you found yourself holding the digit close as you left a kiss on the tip. He melted in an instant at the contact, taking on a far off dreamy look that made it clear he adored you. There was no denying this mech meant every sweet word he directed your way, and despite a long history of doubting yourself, knowing that made it hard to feel you weren't worth something.

Brainstorm

"I can always count on you for the best feedback!"

Watching the scientist dangle from his rig, you found yourself pausing at his reply to your advice, enough so that you didn't have a response of your own until you saw him coming down. Brainstorm had asked if his new experimental weapon appeared functional from your angle on the bench, and all you'd done was say it looked to be especially curious from below. There was no way he'd actually found that helpful, so obviously he must have been joking.

"Of course, you couldn't do it without me." you said sarcastically, watching as the inventor righted himself and his weapon of still indeterminate use. Two bright optics affixed to you and made it clear a determined but obvious smile was hidden behind his mask.

"I couldn't! Of course it looks curious from the bottom; I didn't design it with zero gravity conditions in mind!" he said emphatically, placing the gun down beside you in order to work on it. His comment absolutely baffled you. Was he being serious? All you'd done was say the first thing that came to mind, and there wasn't much useful in that to a bot that restructured reality when it suited his needs.

"You would have figured that out without me." you said on your own, trying to close up the confusing little predicament. Unfortunately Brainstorm tilted his head at your comment, signaling it wasn't done but at least sounding like he wasn't at all frustrated when he replied.

"I don't think so. I couldn't exactly see myself from below, could I? You have a way of figuring out exactly what I need to hear." he said plainly, optics briefly squishing upwards in another smile as he did so. When you were too baffled to reply, he shifted to an expression of more obvious worry, putting his project aside to face you entirely. "I mean that, Y/N. I really feel like you say just what it takes to get me on track. You inspire me."

At those words your brain briefly turned to static. What was it you could possibly do to inspire him? There was nothing about you especially motivating, yet he looked too serious to be joking, so you had no clue how to reply. For the sake of your sanity you only smiled and waved a hand.

"Just... just doing what I do... Nothing special-"

"Y/N..." he interrupted gently, looking at you with the big tender optics that melted your heart every time. You weren't at all prepared for him to unlatch his mask, removing it from his lower face to reveal his full soft expression. Full lips frowned in concern as he lowered his helm to speak on your level. "I really like having you around. You know that, right?"

For reasons you didn't understand you were near to crying, and couldn't speak without the risk of shedding tears. Your partner gently lifted your chin with a digit, and on reflex you laid a hand on the tip of his finger, squeezing it for reasurance. Why was this so hard? Did most people struggle to accept when nice things were said about themselves?

A tender kiss on the back of your hand helped to clear your mind a bit. Looking back up at the sweet expression looking down at you, the love in his every minute feature as day, you admittedly felt a little better. Perhaps with time you could really believe someone so wonderful when they sang your praises, and by his expression you knew he'd endeavor to do just that.

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Natsume (pt. 26)

Gosh, I'm just so excited for this part.

After months of separation, Natsume has finally found Mikan, thanks to Shiki being a hopeless romantic and not knowing how normal people act.

Speaking of not acting like normal people, these twelve year olds will devote themselves to each other on Christmas, promising eternity and really meaning it.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Four

Shiki lets Natsume find Mikan, who wanted to see him as well, and is standing on the balcony to find him.

The first thing Natsume does is call out for her, maybe because it doesn’t seem real. After so many months of searching and coming up empty, he’s finally found her, probably in a place he’s checked thousands of times. When she calls back down to him, he knows for sure that it’s real. He climbs up to the balcony and in no time he’s reached her. They’re both excited to see and feel each other for the first time in so long. They’re able to hold hands, but they can only reach so far. Shiki can’t allow Natsume to actually break her out of her labyrinth.

The existence of the barrier is kind of a downer for Natsume, who had been looking forward to finding her and saving her all at once. She starts asking lots of questions, but he’s preoccupied, thinking about the thickness of the barrier and how much room he actually has to work with.

Mikan doesn’t stop talking, so he puts his hand on her mouth to shush her. If she’s too loud, they might get caught and then their clandestine reunion would be over and he might not see her again for who knows how long. And then a watchman passes down below, so Natsume is temporarily distracted, intent on not being found out.

When he looks back at her, her eyes are welled up with tears and she’s holding the hand he placed over her mouth with both of hers. He’s surprised, because he never fully processed that she confessed her love to him too. That could’ve been a dream or a fantasy or a projection or wishful thinking or maybe it didn’t mean the same thing to her as it does to him. But she’s so happy to see him that she’s in tears, holding his hand like it’s precious and she doesn’t want him to disappear again.

It’s a confirmation again that his feelings really are requited, that she’s been wanting to see him too. For so long, he’d thought of himself as the last person she’d ever fall in love with. He’d been Team Ruka, because he’d taken himself out of the running. He just wants her to be happy and it really had never occurred to him in all that time that he could be the one to make her happy.

So he comes to close the distance too, leaning his head against hers. They haven’t seen each other in so long, and no doubt there’s a lot left unsaid, but just a moment of quiet affection, to show each other how much they’ve missed the other, is necessary. She says she’s missed him, and it would be redundant for him to say it back. He’s been searching for her tirelessly night and day for months. To say he missed her would be an understatement.

Now that she has his attention, she can ask her earlier question properly: how did he find her, anyway? He answers that she was calling him. The power of her missing him caused this to happen. There’s no other explanation. He’s only half teasing. He’d never imagined she would care for him romantically, so he wants to milk the situation for all it’s worth. It makes him happy to imagine that she can say over and over and in many different ways how much she misses and loves him.

When Mikan protests, he pouts, because he really thought her calling out to him and the power of their feelings for each other had brought them together. When she concedes that there might be some truth to his theory, he smiles. This is a real smile. He’d never imagined this kind of situation, and it’s all somewhat surreal and dreamlike, and it makes him happy that after all this time he actually can get almost everything he wants. The only thing that could make this better is if he could actually break her out of her prison.

He expresses dismay that he’s helpless to get her out of there. She assures him that it’s enough just seeing him, and then panics because she didn’t prepare a present for him even though he got her a storybook. So she asks if there’s anything he wants for a present that she can give right then and there and Natsume asks for a kiss.

Natsume has up to this point always stolen little moments from Mikan, thinking she’d never value them the way he does. Their last kiss, snuggling on New Year’s, his half hug to her in the RPG… It was all affection he had to steal. But if Mikan really does love him, then maybe he doesn’t need to steal anything anymore. He can ask for her to give it of her own volition, and she would do it because maybe she wants to kiss him too. He’s way more honest than he’s ever been, because he doesn’t have anything holding him back anymore. Not only is he no longer the school’s pawn, but he also doesn’t have to hold back with her either, because his feelings are requited. He can be honest about almost everything.

He's just being honest for once, Mikan.

What he wants is a kiss, and since she asked, he’ll tell her.

He pretends to fall a little, in the midst of her freaking out. He makes up a bogus story that he’s not secure on the ledge and will fall soon, so if she’s gonna do it she has to do it quickly. This is another instance of Natsume being selfish. This is one of the few things he wants for himself that has nothing to do with protecting other people. He must think she wants to kiss him too, even if she won’t admit it, because he probably wouldn’t ask if he thought she hated the idea.

He must be onto something, because Mikan does lean in to slowly kiss him, even though her face is red and she’s deeply embarrassed. They kiss for a while, not knowing that Shiki can see them. When they finally part, he asks her to do it again. She protests that it would make her heart explode to do it again, so he surrenders.

Fine. They don’t have to kiss again. But then she should tell him that she loves him. Properly. From her own mouth.

Jeez, he's so needy tonight.

Natsume has confessed two times to her of his own accord and one time on accident when she felt his feelings through telepathy. The only time she did the same was also through telepathy. She should be fully aware of his feelings for her, but he needs to hear it properly. The one time she’d confessed, they were about to be separated forever and it was a heart-wrenching moment for them both. On top of that, he’d never imagined such a thing and needs further confirmation that she really meant it.

When Mikan protests again that she already gave him what he wanted and that he hadn’t really said it properly either, he promises to say it after she does.

Natsume needs confirmation before he can say it right. Almost the entire time that he’s been in love with her, he’s been perpetually giving up. She should give her stone to Ruka, dance with Ruka, be with Ruka, because she obviously prefers him anyway. Natsume’s been particularly selfless about this, and it was easy because he thought she would never love him back. He wasn’t about to genuinely pursue her or obviously pine after her (though it ended up being kind of obvious anyway) because he could never win her over anyway. All the other reasons not to be with her--putting her in danger, not being able to offer her a future--are harder to focus on when she’s actually saying she does love him too. But they still matter, and he won’t confess and give in and finally put all his chips in for the idea of being a couple until she says it properly. Until he knows for sure she feels the same, it’s not worth it to risk everything else.

And she does say it.

Out loud. Properly. With her own mouth.

Natsume's smile can cure illnesses... Just... Not his own, of course.

So Natsume smiles another real genuine smile. Those were words he’d never imagined he’d actually hear from her. Despite all his efforts to distance himself, to make himself into the bad guy to protect her, to be cold and cruel, she still ended up seeing past all of it and loving him anyway.

He’s so excited and happy that he leans in again and wastes no time before confessing right back. This is a promise he can keep: he loves her too.

From now until forever, more than anyone else.

He’s twelve years old but he means it.

The adults at the academy didn’t take his feelings seriously enough. They thought that threats and violence were more powerful than his foolish puppy love. But nothing really is. He gave everything up for her, and will give up even more. He can’t promise forever but he will love her for that long anyway. For the rest of his life and for every second after his death.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Five

They’re kissing again. When they break apart, they’re both happy.

This whole rendezvous seems dream-like and surreal. She has her hair down and they’re both wearing outfits they don’t usually wear. It’s snowing and they’re both standing on the balcony. It would be easy to claim that it all is just a dream, like it’s happening only in the depths of Natsume’s most self-indulgent fantasies. It shouldn’t be possible, is only happening because of Shiki’s whims. It stands out to the reader too, because of all of these elements, and doesn’t blend into the reality of every other chapter or arc. That’s actually effective in making it dream-like for us too. Is this all really happening? Is this just a strong wish that took shape? Is it a dream?

I really don't have anything to say except that this is a really vulnerable question and it's amazing that Natsume has the courage to ask it now.

In any case, Natsume swears he will save Mikan from the tower she’s trapped in, like the prince he’s supposed to be. “Can you wait for me?” he asks, and it’s the reverse of all of Mikan’s earlier questions. “You’re not going anywhere, are you?” she had asked, because she wanted him around. And then later, when it seemed she’d disappear forever with Yuka, there was the unspoken question if he could wait it out, survive long enough to see her again. Now he’s asking her if she can wait for him too, if she can have faith that he won’t abandon her.

This is again almost literally a dream come true. Mikan is saying she loves him back. His feelings are requited. What he wants is to hold onto this with all his might. He will save her and they will be together. She just has to wait long enough for him to get her out. He wants her feelings to last that long, even if he’s not around.

And she smiles and agrees, promising that she will wait as long as it takes, until they can be together properly forever. But she has a caveat: she doesn’t want him to push himself to get her out. She wants him to live, but if he does “whatever it takes” he might die. In fact, there’s a certainty in his demise, and every coming chapter makes that more and more clear. They’re still star-crossed, more than ever actually. They’re not just paralleling Rapunzel here: they are also Romeo and Juliet, confessing their love on a balcony under the light of the moon and promising a forever that is not to be.

He hugs her, but there’s something about his expression and lack of proper response that is off-putting. He doesn’t promise not to push himself. He can’t. He’s made lots of promises that he will break, but he made them because he wanted them to be true. He cannot make this one. Mikan’s safety is more important to him than even their joined happiness. He will do anything for her, and he won’t promise that he won’t.

Just don't die. Why is that so hard for you, Natsume?

Changing the subject, there is now a flicker from under Mikan’s coat, coming from what she reveals to be yet another alice stone on her necklace. She reveals that she made it. He’s impressed with the size, because the one she gave him less than a year ago was a mere pebble.

Natsume is disappointed to only be one of the many inspirations for Mikan’s stone, and it might be more evidence to him that she may love him but he loves her more. He doesn’t voice this insecurity, but we can see it, and it might be even more a reason why he can’t promise not to push himself. She could probably get over him. She could survive without him. He can’t live without her. Thus, his existence can be traded in for her freedom, her happiness, her safety, and it would scar but heal. He loves her more, he thinks. She’s more important. He can and will die for her.

She calls the stone her heart, a result of all the love and care she has for everyone in her life, and entrusts said heart with Natsume. She wants him to have it, a more fitting version of the stone she gave him before. She then rejoices that the alice stone exchange is complete, so they’ll be happy together forever.

Natsume looks shocked again, and I’ll repeat myself by saying that he’s still not used to the idea that she feels so romantically about him as well. She is in love with him and wants to be with him forever, so much so that she wants to do over the alice stone exchange properly with a stone she’s proud of.

He calls her out for proposing to him, which embarrasses her but she admits she did have that intention. But he tells her that he applied the romantic intent first when he gave her his alice stone. Here he’s confessing that his romantic feelings are nothing new. He’s loved her since then, at least, and she’s been a dream of his all along.

If she’s handing over her stone--her heart--to him, then she’s fully reciprocating. She’s not just into him. If she wants her future to be entwined with his, for them to get married and live together forever, than this is no passing fancy for her. Thus, she is now his. He asserts that because he has to hear it. She only wants to be with him, right? Then she is his girl, nobody else’s. He doesn’t tell her that he’s hers because he considers it redundant. He’s hers. He’s been hers since she tackled him in that warehouse so long ago. He will be hers forever. This is the first time he’s considered that she would be his too.

I thought I should pay attention to the word "hate", but I should've focused on "remember". Yikes!

He presses the stone to his lips, ultimately showing her how precious her heart is to him, and tells her that he won’t ever give the stone back, even if she comes to hate him. There’s a lot to unpack in just this one declaration, but let’s get into it.

When I first read this, I thought it was foreshadowing of another kind. I was distraught, actually, because I thought maybe Mikan would come to hate him! That’s silly though. Mikan cannot hate Natsume. Not ever again. It’s not possible. Mikan saw the very worst of Natsume and still fell in love with him. That is true, unconditional love. She sees the beauty in him, sees a future with him, even when he wanted to only show her the darkness. But Natsume doesn’t get that her love is unconditional. He says, “even if you come to hate me”, like it’s even a possibility, but says “I will never give this stone back,” because hating her is not a possibility. Yet again, he’s underestimating her love for him. He loves her more.

In his mind, it’s possible that she could stop loving him. She could turn that affection into disdain. She could completely hate him. But he won’t. Not ever. Even if she hated him, he would love her. Even if she wanted her stone back, he wouldn’t give it to her. Even if she gets over him, he will never give up on her. He will be with her and hold onto that stone forever.

But perhaps he’s saying, “even if you come to hate me” like it is an impossibility. Maybe he realizes that she will never despise him again. Maybe he gets that. In that case, then he’s promising that nothing in the realm of plausible or implausible will cause him to let go of her heart. Because it’s not just a stone! She’s told him herself that it’s her heart, so this isn’t just a declaration of endless loyalty, love, and fidelity, it’s also a promise that he will protect her heart, because it is precious to him.

They're twelve years old. I'd giggle if I didn't take them so seriously. I have no right to laugh... This is part 26 of a very long essay about them. I suck.

Whatever he means exactly, Mikan is touched. She starts stammering, trying to say something but obviously too embarrassed to say it properly. When she finally finds the words, asking if this is all a proposal, he answers. Yes.

The moon is their witness.

Nobody else is there to see this (as they have no idea that Shiki is the one who arranged this and has been observing them all along), and after this ends there will be little evidence that this moment between them passed at all. It’s all so surreal, so unrealistic. But the moon bore witness, and they can rely on that for the rest of their lives.

Because, especially for Natsume, this night is something out of a fantasy, and he’ll need all the evidence he can get to hold onto it as reality.

But the moment doesn’t last forever, because Shiki has to end it at some point. The barrier is reinstated and Natsume falls.

He calls out to her but it’s to no avail. She can’t do anything to hold onto him, and he can’t hold on to her. The only way to make this happen again is to save her.

Shiki and the MSP discuss what he just did, and how Natsume and Mikan probably won’t ever meet again. And for all that fate is concerned, it’s true. They’re not meant to be.

I kinda want to cry now.

Natsume lies in the snow afterward, looking at the moon and gripping Mikan’s heart, holding onto the only proof he has that the moment truly occurred. Otherwise, he could easily be convinced it was just another daydream. It came and went so quickly, he needs the evidence, the witness. Natsume is newly engaged to be married, though when exactly that marriage was supposed to happen is anyone’s guess.

It’s not the world’s shortest engagement for sure, but it sadly won’t last.

They are fated for sure, to meet and fall in love. But he’s fated to die and their love was doomed from the start.

He won’t make it another week.

Conclusion

They're engaged now, their feelings intense. My feelings on their fate has evolved over the past couple parts. I now fully believe that they are soulmates, fated to love each other. I also believe that they were supposed to end in tragedy, that fate didn't want them to last. I'll probably talk way more about that in Mikan's part, but it's made me an even bigger fan of NatsuMikan, if that was even possible.

I have written the entire Natsume POV essay. It's all done. The end is a bit lacking, but that's not my fault. Still, I'm excited to wrap this up. I'll post updates four days a week as usual. I reckon there'll be less than two weeks worth of essay left before I've finished posting. I've talked about this a bit before, but I'm going to take a pretty lengthy break between this essay and Mikan's, because it was a huge project and it really exhausted me. I loved doing it, don't get me wrong, but I do need a break before I can do Mikan's, especially because I think hers will be much longer (I might be wrong about that, but it's the feeling I get). I probably won't touch Mikan's essays 'til January or February. In the meantime, I'll be working on fics again, so if you're interested in that, you're in luck!

Thank you for reading, folks. I hope you have a great day!

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