#but it's like I kind of can't unsee this dynamic it happens a lot in television and film

[halalgirlmeg]

I'm very weary of narratives and dynamics that paint people of color as like bullies, or intolerant/bigoted, or anything of the sort against white characters cause it's not that we're infallible either within specific communities or as a collective but like...idk like I feel like we're usually in these roles more often than not (its ESP Black women and girls, and Dark skin women and girls even moreso) like, esp when shows tout themselves as progressive cause knowing how Fandoms roll esp in regards to bleeding into actors off screen I just know there are people like going the hell in, because even when they're not bad people at all or just like a fleshed out human beings let them do one thing wrong, or do something fans don't like, people never shut the fuck up about it (look at Meredith and Amelia from Grey's vs Maggie and Bailey, esp in like the second half of the Grey's run) meanwhile white characters can never do anything wrong ever even when they're very much in the wrong which hmmm does that not also sound like real life?

[sage-nebula]

Finally watched the first ep of The Strongest Mega Evolution, it's so cool to see Alan and Sycamore! Can't unsee the dad-son dynamic.

Eee, I’m glad both that you liked what you saw, and that you agree that Sycamore and Alan really and truly do have a father-son dynamic, because they do! They really, really do! I didn’t just pull this out of nowhere, it’s right there in the show, it’s impossible not to notice! (And yessss, baby!Lizardon running up to cuddle against Alan’s leg, and then how Alan pets him and scoops down to pick him up . . . ♥)

And haha, yep! That’s exactly why I wrote To Devour the Sun’s first chapter the way I did. Stalking people like that is very in-character for Manon (as is continuing to push in spite of consent being revoked or not given in the first place, unfortunately---this isn’t the last time you’ll see that in TSME). And the fact that Alan has a lot of experience with this particular flaw of hers is why he’s just so Done™ in TDtS when he realizes this is what happened:

“You didn’t come back when you said you would, so we got worried,” the teenager—Alan, Gladion supposed his name was—said. The girl’s smile became a bit more sheepish. “Manon, what is going on here?”

The girl—Manon—laughed sheepishly again, and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, Hari-san and I were exploring the forest like we said we would, and then we saw that guy training a really weird pokémon, so—”

“So you stalked him,” Alan said in a deadpan voice.

Manon puffed her cheeks. “I did not! I just wanted to ask him a few questions—”

“And did he say you could?”

“Well—no, but he left the training area before I could ask, and then he walked too fast so it was hard to catch up—but it was perfectly innocent, I swear!” she said, waving her hands defensively in front of her. Alan crossed his arms. “I was going to leave if he said no, but he didn’t really give me a chance to—”

“I did say no,” Gladion said loudly, and both of them turned back to look up at him. It was about time, considering Alan’s damn charizard was still dangling him from the mountain.

Manon glared up at him. “Yeah, and you were really unnecessarily rude about it. You didn’t even let me finish my question, and you accused me of a bunch of mean things—”

“I didn’t have to let you finish your question!” Gladion snapped. “You shouldn’t’ve been asking it in the first place!”

“There’s nothing wrong with asking questions!” Manon said hotly.

“There is when you’re treating someone else’s pokémon like a damn zoo exhibi—!”

Gladion clapped his hands over his ears as the charizard holding him loosed a sharp, sudden roar, and after he shot an irate glare above him, Gladion looked down to see Alan’s lips quirked in a little smile.

What a bastard.

“Thank you, Lizardon,” Alan said. Gladion glared at him, seething. Oh yes, thank the freaking monster that had just about burst his eardrums. Yeah, that was a super thing to do. Alan turned back to Manon. “Manon, don’t follow people without their permission. You know better than that by now.”

Manon scowled at the grass, her cheeks puffed, her chespin matching her expression. “I was going to stop if he said so, or if he hadn’t followed it up with all of that—”

“Manon,” Alan said. He didn’t raise his voice or make his tone sharp at all, but she still sighed.

“Right, right, okay, okay. I won’t anymore, I promise.” Alan continued to stare at her, and her expression became a little indignant. “I said I promise! What’s that look for?!”

Alan grinned a little, teasing, and said, “Nothing.”

It’s something she’s working on (kind of), but it’s still a very big part of her behavior, haha.

Anyway, I’m glad you like it! Feel free to send me more thoughts and things. :)