#but ofc the narrative frames it as a good thing

[lemonhemlock]

i am way too late for any of this, but i felt like ranting a little (a lot) over tma, so here it goes.

i actually really, really liked the dreamlike quality of the S5 statements. i think they're some of jonny's best work. so evocative and just beautifully written, the feeling of horror so prevalent, so delicate, so entrapping. i would listen to them absolutely enthralled. what a submersive experience. so on that front, 100% would recommend.

the problems i have are mainly with the meta-plot. certainly, personal preferences and biases come into play here, bc i despise jonmartin with the fire of a thousand suns and would have loved a jonelias corruption narrative, but, i feel that, in his quest to appease the j-mart shippers, jonny sacrificed a lot of his story's integrity. also, i have no way of verifying this, but it also felt like he inserted his own biases in a way that wasn't necessarily productive.

ultimately, i feel like he disrespected his main antagonists and that essentially translated into a sort of irreverence towards his own story. elias was easily his most dramatic and interesting villain (regardless of what he originally intended for him, it's how he developed throughout the story & i think there is a certain honesty in a writer acknowledging and respecting that), stole every scene he was in, yet after his great villain reveal in S4, he is absolutely absent throughout his entire apocalypse. it creates a lack of catharsis that i find bothersome. his death is way too easy. yet when he finally appears in MAG 193, it is glorious. he is terrifyingly in the throws of religious ecstasy as the eye's pupil. such an interesting idea! so little it was developed though bc jonny for some reason doesn't like elias.

there's this entire commentary about how elias is really just there to be eye's pupil until jon takes over from him, bc it's jon the eye truly desires. as if after faithfully serving the beholding for two centuries and bringing about his ritual, the eye would just disregard elias and actually be interested in the one person who is unwilling to play ball. please be serious. not saying that jon can't be the eye's "special little boy" or whatever, but the nerfing of elias/jonah borderlines on petulant. ofc, jonny is the author and you cannot begrudge a man for writing whatever he wants, but, as a listener, i have to say it feels very unsatisfying whenever authorial biases directly affect the storyline. very deus-ex-machina. very unearned.

i also have a problem with how the eye was ultimately handled and, once again, nerfed. the introduction of this element in relation to the beholding, that it sees but does not understand, felt very trite to me. it was added as a way to de-power the eye and elevate the web. but how could it even be true in the context of the entity conceptualization? the reason scopophobia is a thing is because people fear someone is behind the watching. what they fear is judgment or someone keeping tabs on them and using that information to harm them in some way. that requires intelligence, a capacity to distinguish between the harmless and the incriminatory, a propensity for casting moral judgment, of holding people accountable, of assigning blame, of discovering people's deepest, darkest secrets, of weaponizing shame. no one is afraid of a crow or a cat staring back at them, because, while those are also living beings, they lack the higher intelligence that creates the context necessary for scopophobia. so how can the eye not possess intelligence? apparently it doesn't, because jonny decided he didn't like the eye and the spider was oh-so-cooler instead.

but that only lead to the spider being way too overpowered than it should have been. as the so-called brain of the operation, the web really manifests a lot of faults that could have been exploited, yet the character never do, because the web needs to be true It Girl for some reason. this all feels very childish. the web's motivations do not work in-universe. we are often told it doesn't have a ritual because it is content with playing its games of manipulation within the world as it currently is. and that honestly seemed a rather fair assessment to make, but later proved to be a red herring, because it was the web that was actually behind the eye's own ritual.

i have several gripes with this. 1. if the spider is so smart, why doesn't it/can't it have its own ritual and re-shape the world according to its own preferences? why does it have to piggyback on the eye's grind? 2. the spider's big plan seems to be bringing about the eyepocalypse just to convince the characters to let the fears out into the metaverse so it can start again. because, as it turns out, the eyepocalypse isn't really it's preferred state of being? it was the status-quo after all? the web DID prefer the world as it was, because it allowed it to thrive off manipulation and puppeteering, things it can't really engage in as much as it would like, since now everyone is trapped inside various fear domains. so, why-oh-why, not just leave the world as is? why even bring about an apocalypse in the first place if your intention is to always inhabit a apocalypse-less place?

i felt like this was such a plot-hole of an explanation the way it was presented. the web's greatest flaw was that it loved intricate plots so much there was a real danger of over-complicating its own plans and failing to see the forest from the trees, so to speak. the eye could have been used not to boggle down on meaningless details and ramifications, but to get a better sense of the bigger picture, something the web could very well lose sight of (pun intended). so the web's "plan" could have been ultimately rendered meaningless, because instead of choosing the simplistic, straightforward, occam's razor solution (no apocalypse, just thrive off the world as it is), it chose the overly complicated path that placed it in a situation it didn't thrive in (eyepocalypse) and made it even more complicated to get out of in the first place. it basically surrendered its destiny into the hands of people who had zero reasons to act sympathetic and could have very well chosen to destroy the entire world, fears included. and yet i am supposed to be in awe of the web's great intelligence and buy into the whole dumb eye propaganda?

many things have already been said about the moral dilemma at the end of S5 and my take on that is that jon was right. it was the merciful and just solution to prevent other people from other universes from suffering at the hands of fear entities. but i will be indulgent and account that it is a difficult choice to make for anyone, since human beings are so survivalist in nature and the choice to just make the fears someone else's problem in the hopes of their plans maybe getting foiled more effectively by others is tantalizing. who knows what any of us would have chosen had we been in their situation? perpetuating the horrors on someone else just so you could get reprieve is so cravenly but it's human and i get it. however, by no means is this a happy ending the way it was framed by the narrative. what melanie, georgie, basira and martin did was horrible and evil, but it is never acknowledged in that way. the least jonny could have done is have jon resist martin's selfish decision and have martin genuinely kill him. but, no, martin gets his romantic send-off together with jon, with the open possibility that they get transported to another world where they could start over. melanie, georgie and basira get to start a new life in the entity-less world, after contributing almost nothing. the worst characters get to live & they're validated in their awful behaviour.

however. i do feel like there were other ways to resolve the eyepocalypse without resorting to a horrible sophie's choice in the first place, but that would require a more extensive endgame re-write.

[dontstandmedown]

Just started watching hannibal and i dont see what this guy is doing wrong. as far as i can tell he's just a gay man who loves to cook fancy meals for his friends

[frigidwife]

did i misread the arun/maitre stuff or was that whole thing designed for armand's gratification, not louis'? the "armand was a sex slave ofc he's good in bed" take is crass imo, but also misses the point? louis is the one bartering w desire now for his own (& claudia's) survival. he's the one adopting a fake persona & going through the motions to appease a partner who threatens him. if the sex is mid it's not bc armand lacks "technical skill" or w/e it's bc he doesn't care abt louis' pleasure, agency, or even his waning interest so long as he toes the line. & yes 2 things can be true, sexual chemistry can co-exist w abuse/coercion. but if l0umand's sex was fire the show didn't convey that? in the closest we get to a sex scene (ep6) louis was grimly disengaged & armand was midway through scripting his lynching. i doubt the writers did this by accident?

yeah exactly exactly …people literally do seem to think it was by accident😭 the takes when episode six aired that were like “you guys just aren’t ready to see gay men who are switches in a bdsm relationship” Like woah this isn’t found fucking footage This is a constructed narrative with deliberate framing 😭😭😭 and they reallyyyy wanted that narrative to be l/a romance and it’s simply not . WHICH is why the service-oriented “””””””wife guy””””” fan characterization of armand pisses me off so much like neither armand’s control nor his “submission” are for louis’s benefit and it’s a huge and obvious lie he tells (for the control; i don’t even think Armand pretends the roleplay is for louis’s benefit people just ran with that) that anything he does makes louis happy. Or honestly even the idea that he wants to make louis happy and just doesn’t know how lets armand off the hook . It’s killing me actually we’re literally given a scene w armand w big wet eyes saying it was love about the events leading to louis’s lynching, in the episode after we see him torture louis and then erase it from his memory. and now i have to see 9 million posts like It was love guys it was loveee armand just didn’t knowwwww any better bc he was born in a cardboard box and only knew cults 🥺 No it was strategic from the start his veneer of generosity is so fucking transparent !!

[transmutationisms]

I would love to hear more of your thoughts on House & its relation to the detective genre ! I think that house (completely accidentally and very badly) stumbles into a good critique of how doctors & medical structures view addicts & disabled people, with house being a horrible hegemonic mr malpractice to his patients frequently yet half is series is unironically just about all the injustice/mistreatment he faces because his doctor colleagues can’t see him as a person but only as a problem to be solved/rehabbed/therapized/institutionalized/treated like a child with stolen candy/treated like a criminal. and then it also randomly takes an incredibly pro MAID stance. which isn’t really part of this but I just remembered how batshit insane that show was. and then chase killed a dictator and I feel like the show was squarely on his side for that one. Anyway. Do you have thoughts? I really like house.

ok here's my house md take. like a lot of medical dramas, the show essentially relies for its dramatic appeal on the construal of patients as gross, weird, and stupid—rubes who are too uneducated and self-serving in their petty lies to solve their own bodies, and thus need the intervention of house to fix them. this is standard for the genre, although slightly meaner on house than on some other examples (cf. grey's or even the older and soapier generation of these shows). i don't even think house committing malpractice is all that new; it's relatively common as a plot point that positions the noble rule-breaking doctor as someone who 'does what needs to be done' and skirts the bureaucratic red tape to follow their own superior judgment. what makes house more interesting is that from the get-go, house himself is both a doctor and an unwilling patient. in itself this isn't a tension that's new to the medical soap (injuring a major character is pretty par for the course) but house's particular interactions with the ruling biomedical epistemology are, as you point out, characterised by hostility and resistance, and the show frequently either sides with house, or at least leaves it somewhat up to the viewer to decide whether house is right to resist the pathologisation that cuddy and wilson try to impose on him.

this is kind of a tricky line to walk for 7 seasons or however long the show is. my recollection is there are episodes, for example, where it's very clear that house's pain is physical, and the writers use this to morally justify his vicodin use. this is obviously not a full-throated defence of opioid users, but it is at least pointing to a position on chronic pain that allows for the possibility that for some people, long-term use of drugs with a high addiction potential and side effects is legitimately the best thing. but, this messaging is also undercut by the fact that it's primetime television, they need to make drama, and there are definitely also episodes where house is framed as potentially lying about his pain, or at least mistaking a somatic problem for a physical one, which the writers often (not always, but often) present as evidence that actually, house shouldn't be trusted to make his own decisions about drug use, and ideally should be 'de-toxed' and probably sent to cbt or whatever. of course all of these considerations are also contextualised by the fact that house is, again, not just a patient but a doctor: his right and ability to make these types of calls for himself is, it's suggested, a result of his having attained medical education and credentials. the patients who come to be treated by him are seldom, if ever, given this same level of consideration or presumed to have sufficient self-awareness to make their own medical decisions. this isn't to say they're portrayed entirely unsympathetically, but ultimately the narrative engine of the show relies on house being the smartest guy in the room (though ofc, sometimes tragically 'held back by his addiction').

so, although there are moments on the show that genuinely transgress some of the norms of the med-drama genre, i have never agreed with people who thought that the show as a whole was presenting any sustained critique of the medical system, the treatment of chronic pain/disability, or the power-imbalanced doctor-patient relationship. ultimately all authority on house md is supposed to emanate from the physician, or the physician's superiors (cuddy as a 'check' on house, though sometimes a failed one! again because of the need to generate drama for like 140 episodes), and at its most radical the show is really only capable of presenting house himself as an out-of-control aberration whose existence strains the existing system rather than being produced by it.

this is where i think the comparison to the cop show genre becomes more clarifying. house md never made a secret of being an interpolation of the detective genre, specifically sherlock holmes. however, i'm not sure i've ever really seen writing on the show that analyses what effect this actually has on house. like police, doctors are tasked with maintaining certain social norms; the dichotomy between policing and medicine isn't even a solid line, as criminality is frequently rhetorically construed as a pathology in itself and medical authorities can and do have recourse to carceral systems in order to discipline and confine recalcitrant patients, the 'criminally insane', addicts, and so forth. (policing has historically also been understood in a more expansive sense than how we use the word today; our understanding of the medical/public health system as separate from police authority is arguably more to do with university credentialling than the actual exercise of social and political power).

so, if we want to be serious about the portrayal of medicine in popular culture (i am always serious about this) then we're necessarily talking about broader systems of power, social control, and discipline, and doubly so on a show like house that is explicitly inspired by detective fiction. this is where house md is most ideologically objectionable to me: as with the trope of the cop who breaks all the rules, house is basically positioned in one of two ways throughout the show. either he's a lone genius who alone is willing to achieve noble ends (cure) through distasteful means (breaking into patients' homes, berating them, performing risky interventions on them, &c), or—and this is rarer on house but does happen—he's portrayed as genuinely crossing an ethical line, in which case he's a kind of monstrous aberration from the normal, ethical functioning of the medical system, often represented metonymously by the objections that cuddy, wilson, or house's underlings raise. in both of these cases, as with copaganda, the function is ultimately to reinforce the idea that doctors, though occasionally capable of human error, are prima facie wiser than their patients, looking out for their patients' best interests, and performing noble social roles as healers. house, ofc, is very rarely willing to admit that he has any underlying ethical motivations, though much of the show is driven by the flashes where he is revealed to 'secretly' care about another person (often wilson) and anyway, the construction of an ethical society in which all individual actors are motivated solely by selfish interests is a very established rhetorical move for those interested in defending liberal capitalist societies (cf. charles darwin, thomas malthus, adam smith, &c).

because of television's need to generate profit via audience engagement, house md always relied on a certain level of shock or at least provocation in order to sustain itself. so, there are certain aberrations from the more overtly doctor-valorising medical dramas, like the suggestion (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) that house was better at his job when he was mildly high on opioids. this was, for the reasons outlined above, never a serious entry into political critique, but it was at least refreshing in a certain way as a departure from, eg, the portrayal of addiction and drug use that we see on grey's, which is completely limited to the medicalised AA narrative of 'recovery' as a battle against the malevolent intervention of an external chemical agent. which is to say that although house md is ultimately reactionary in the way we should expect from an american tv show, it did at least dabble in a certain level of caustic iconoclasm that allowed limited departures from the genre conventions. even with what was ultimately a pretty solid vindication of the anti-opioid narrative, the show does stand out in my mind as one of the few very popular presentations of any kind of alternative stance on chronic drug use. that it's usually put in house's own mouth means it is occasionally legitimated by his epistemological authority as a physician, though ofc ultimately this authority is challenged not through a critique of the medical system, but by presenting house as individually and aberrantly licentious, undisciplined, and insane—and his chronic pain/disability are both a justification for this, and a shorthand for conveying it.

[pr1ncessasuke]

hmm. ya know. it physically hurts me that ppl vilify sasuke. but sadly I think it’s representative of the bleak aspects of reality we live in (there r good parts ofc). like. i think most ppl do want to conform and belong, it’s a natural human thing after all. but bc of this most are too afraid to have niche opinions now in fear of being canceled or outcasted. i think collectively we’ve slowly lost (or become reluctant to use) the ability to think critically about information and form our own opinions/challenge the obvious narratives/synthesize opposing themes. I’m not trying to be pretentious. but. things that aren’t framed as the obvious “good”, or diverge from the norm become villainized. and I think sasuke rly represents this oddball thing that ppl are too blinded by conformity to truly try to understand and empathize with. he won’t bend the knee. he rly just doesn’t give a shit abt what’s normal and he wants to change the system and literally everything and I think that rly bothers ppl. esp when the narrative of the series pushes the message of le love and friendship solves everything. so I think. it’s sad but this rly is a microcosm for how frustrated and pained I get about ideological and societal issues irl. and it’s hard to have an honest, respectful, and mutually curious conversation these days

[silviakundera]

"But I have my reasons."

"So does every other sinner in the world."

It's been quite obvious from the drama for a while now that the Princess Royal screenwriter feels pity for Su Rongqing and considers him a tragic figure. I recall being asked early on if I thought the writers are trying to redeem him. And I said no, not exactly. And I still stand by that!

They didn't give him any out or excuse for his hand in the bloody end of their original timeline: the dirty secrets reveal scene does not soften his actions in any way or reduce Li Rong's disgust. Ronghua still rejects his grand-standing words and his refusal to see that the noble class can't continue like this. He gets his chance to tell his perception of past events but Pei Wenxuan also gets a chance to share competing observations. Li Rong and Su Rongqing still get their philosophical face-off in the throne room. No one is completely wrong or right. There were no heroes in the original timeline.

"Let's not deceive ourselves or others anymore. I understand your stubbornness. Your heart is with the light, yet you dwell in darkness. You refuse to acknowledge your identity, so you can only disort the truth."

We see Li Rong and his brother reach out a hand to him many times, telling him he can still turn back. Li Rong was never in love with him romantically but he accompanied her for years during a dark period for both of them; she's not a heartless person (that's the whole point!), so ofc she would take his hand and pull him back from the edge if he was just willing to grab it. She wants to reach him: that's what the whole throne room scene is about. But she cannot. His last moments in the drama have both Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong calling out to him.

He may be a poisonous snake, but he doesn't have to bite the frog when crossing the river.

He is given chances but he doesn't take them. That's why he's tragic: Because he is right about this ONE THING (Li Chuan isn't suited to be emperor), feeling desperately certain about it while it seems no one else understands the stakes and his heroic mission. But he's wrong about everything else.

This is a story about time travel and what if you could re-do your youth: better support a troubled sibling, stand up to toxic family, fix your marriage, widen your perspective... And Su Rongqing misses all his opportunities because he's not taking his chance to better connect with others, not using the wisdom of all those extra years to better understand the populace and the people around him, and handle his life & relationships with more grace. He just narrow-mindly focuses on the mission - he can't reset, can't let go of the past life and the current system.

So many other people in this tale have been shifted: Shangguan Ya, Su Ronghua, Li Chuan, Qin Zhen Zhen, even the fail emperor has a revelation about how crap he is.

His inflexibility and inability to seize the opportunity of a do-over in life and be a new Su Rongqing acts as a contrast to measure how much Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan have been growing & changing. And it shows us why they triumph and why they deserve their happy ending.

Tragic doesn't mean innocent. It doesn't mean he didn't have a hand in his own downfall.

I know not all readers found him compelling in the text, but I did think he was a neat character and tbh I think the novel would be diminished without him. I can see what the screenwriter was trying to do with him - all that dramatic music is his POV. We get glimpses of the good times & his good intentions that contrast with his failure to live up to any of it. He's given narrative importance as their foil and the writers wanted him to be a full fledged 3rd time-traveler character that the audience is interested in (hoping, like Li Rong & his brother do, that he can be saved). The promise is there in the essential character, I can see it in the text. But in the drama they failed to create investment from the audience in the right way.

imo a big misstep is that the framing early on made viewers feel he was intended to be a valid love interest. In the drama, his romantic interest in her is overt while in the novel it was ambiguous for the first 60% of the story. Writers even added a couple moments that felt OOC where we are in his head and it seems like he is actually intending to win her back romantically (which is contradicted by his novel-compliant speeches in ep 34 & 40 about how he knows they can't be together because as her betrayer he doesn't deserve it.)(now I'm curious to rewatch them, I am really wondering if it was intended to be a slight of hand where he is meaning her return/freedom/rise to power/the life he owes her and the audience is intended to misread as him saying he will become her bf again 🤔🤔) Regardless, in a romance narrative, this will make many viewers reflexively dislike him, protectively wanting him away from their otp. He is perceived as a real suitor who has a chance -- which hits different to a shipper.

The execution was flawed. I do think that casting a magnetic actor who can portray bottled up emotion & inner turmoil, such as Zhang Wanyi, would have made a big difference in mitigating the earlier mis-cues. But on the other hand, I'm fairly satisfied with his character handling from ep 30-40. And it wasn't really badly done, ep 22 and onward. The real problem in his handling was the first 50%.

[markantonys]

I'm curious how the show is gonna handle Rand's relationship with the Aiel. It should be very interesting. Bookwise he kinda rejects their culture/seeing himself as Aiel cause of him clinging to his old life. They might just frame it differently, maybe he just doesn't feel a right to it cause he wasn't raised Aiel. Overall it seems like the show might be going in the direction of people in general being more receptive to learning about Aiel culture over them just handwaving them away as weird (like Perrin's interactions with Avi when book Perrin wouldn't have done that). Maybe Rand is more willing to learn cause he wants to learn more about his birth parents

yeah i don't know what to expect in this regard! my only particular annoyance with aiel-culture-related stuff in the books is that the books would introduce something as culturally or thematically important, but then shuffle it aside once it became inconvenient to the plot. i.e:

the aiel are introduced as very anxious to tie rand to them so that he doesn't destroy them. but when later plot prevents rand from having aiel hanging around him, they stop hanging around him and aren't overly concerned about him ignoring them (bar complaints here and there, with little attempt to actually Do Anything to make him stop ignoring them).

avirand's relationship is introduced as a crucial binding cord between rand and the aiel and as significant to general aiel-wetland relations, but this is dropped once later plot prevents them from spending time together, and aviendha is never used as a mediator in rand-aiel conflicts when by all logic she should be since that was one of the main narrative purposes of their relationship upon introduction.

the maidens & wise ones are so concerned about keeping avirand together for binding cord reasons that they chase off any wetlander woman who tries to hit on him, but once RJ decided that a) he wanted min to hook up with rand without being obstructed by the aiel surrounding him and b) there would be no opportunity for her to become first-sisters with aviendha before doing so, then suddenly the maidens & wise ones are all about min and becoming top min/rand shippers and aviendha is saying it's totally fine to make an exception to the first-sister rule for min even though she is very adamant about upholding it for elayne. when by all logic, the maidens & wise ones should NOT be happy about another wetlander woman with no connection to aviendha trying to get with rand (they'd have no reason to think min is any different from isendre, cairhienin nobles, etc in this regard) and aviendha should be much more resistant to making exceptions to rules we've been told are hugely culturally significant to her.

so my one wish for all aiel-culture-related stuff in the show is that if the show introduces something as culturally or thematically important, it should commit to that importance for the rest of the series rather than sweeping it aside once it's no longer convenient to the plot. that doesn't mean rand/wetlander-aiel relations needs to be a major theme or plot point of every single season for the rest of the show, because ofc it should naturally fade more into the background as the story goes on and other things come up, but it's gotta be either a) rand is tied securely enough to the aiel by the time he has to go off and do other stuff that it makes sense they're not concerned about things like him ditching them and getting a new wetlander girlfriend, or b) if he's not tied securely enough, then make the aiel react accordingly and actually try to use aviendha to intervene with him on their behalf.

hopefully this ramble makes sense djkjfg and it didn't even end up having much to do with rand's personal attitudes towards aiel culture, so i got off topic a bit! but for me, i am good with whatever show!rand's personal attitude ends up being as long as things remain emotionally consistent throughout the course of the show.

[yugiohz]

i do agree with you, and i’m still delusionally hoping shigaraki still has something left to help that conclusion even though it’s not looking likely, but do you not think these endings are more “realistic”? like obviously it’s a superhero world and we are already stretching reality in every way possible but do you think it would’ve been too “and they all lived happily ever after and everything was okay yayy” if all the villains just turned out good? (in the most basic way to say that lmfao). i’m not saying that i fully think this because i do agree with you, that this ending is giving bad writing. i think hori had the guts to set up this beautifully complex world with flaws and wrongs and made some amazing villains and anti-heros with valid mindsets and then didn’t have the guts or maybe the artistic ability to fix it all.

so yeah my only “reprieving” thought i guess is the idea of like… i guess that’s real life? like the wronged people are wronged to the end, and bad people are forgiven, and life is unfair. but idk i just think hori is a coward too lol. i will say i’m at least surprised that he had natsu actually cut contact, maybe the best handled part of it all imo (or maybe it just hits home for me lol)

sorry for dumping all this i guess i just have a lot of thoughts too you don’t have to post this dhdhdhd

re: realism: yes i think everyone suffering from irreversible consequences is realistic and that's sth i expected. As i said in my previous ask, I never expected or wanted dabi to magically survive and heal from this by any means, but I think there are better ways to handle a character like him because the narrative frame of bnha allows for that.

re: happily ever after: I don't think that giving one of the biggest victims in a story some sort of good ending is necessarily a corny, wish-fulfillment type of bad writing, especially when the protagonist postulates that the other big villain is worth saving. I also find it fascinating that bakugo can survive an open-heart surgery on the battlefield & that deku's arms get disintegrated and grow back while that level of suspension of disbelief doesn't seem to apply to the villains. bnha has always been kind of corny, so I don't think it would have been weird for shoto to be able to somewhat save his brother when that has been his goal within that dynamic all along. So far, neither deku nor shoto could save their foil, so what's up with that??

happily ever after: while it has always been obvious that bnha is not a radical, anti-establishment story, to me, deku's conflict with grand torino & the vestige has allways been representative the "everyone deserves to be saved, everyone deserved to have their hero who's gonna save them". why set up characters as foils within the context of a hero story with saving as one of its core themes when 2 of these 3 villains won't get saved in the end? why do deku and shoto fail at such a point in the story? "saving" is a very tangible thing in the case of bnha, I think ep. 1 basically sums up the overall narrative paradigm of the good guy indiscriminately saving someone out of a bad situation, so to me, it just feels like there is a glaring narrative incongruence in this final arc & epilogue

re: i guess that's just real life: i think that premise is a bit misplaced here because bnha is not a story that is meant to reflect our reality, like ofc it's all a big allegory that tackles a lot of real issues, but it also is a genre-typical hero comics that is borderline fantastical, so i wouldn't say "that's real life" is a valid premise, like the established diegesis & themes of bnha would have allowed for sb like shigaraki or dabi to be granted a kinder conclusions

i'm not forcing anyone to agree with me and i'm not saying that i dislike this closure because i don't want anyone to die, i just think horikoshi's choices for the villains of his story are rooted in pragmatic reasons; shigaraki & dabi die so he won't have to think too much about how to handle the abjects of society, so he won't have to consolidate that with his decision to cling to the establishment

like i don't think it's too much to expect a victim of abuse to survive in a story that's about a boy who constantly risks his life to save random people, esp victims of grooming & abuse like i don't think it would be corny for dabi to end up in a better state, esp when we've seen deku grow his arms back and bakugo dying and coming back to live and

[fmet]

I understand if you’d prefer not to talk about this bc, like you said, it’s a very emotionally fraught topic, but do you think Fujimoto is handling the topic of SA well in CSM? I ask bc I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions to this chapter in a way I’ve never seen about Makima’s, Himeno’s, and Fumiko’s actions

It’s OK. I’m sorry that the response I’m gonna give is somewhat of a nonanswer, but I think dumbing it down to a simple “yes” or “no” might be worse given the subject of discussion anyway, so whatever.

I think a lot of people are horrified by the chapter, and rightfully so, both because I contest Fujimoto wanted this sort of response and because 167 has gone further than either Makima, Himeno or Fumiko have gone in terms of physical sexual assault. Like, he was actually molested in this chapter. Himeno was drunk and vomited in his mouth, Fumiko felt him up above clothes, Makima groomed him into the mentality that this sort of behavior is permissible, but Yoru went “all the way” for lack of better term. Even if 167 is narratively consistent and unfortunately fulfills what Denji’s chara and Chainsaw Man have been leading up to since part 1, this doesn’t make that any less horrifying. Makima and Fumiko and Himeno’s respective attacks on Denji, while terrible in their own rights, just were not as grossly severe.

NTM that him and Asa’s relationship development was actually framed in a positive light for a while, unlike any of the former, so this happening may seem like a sort of “betrayal” from Fujimoto to people who perceived their hypothetical relationship as a source of catharsis for the both of them.

So I think a lot of people saying it was handled badly are just caught off guard and sensitive to having had to see it, which makes sense, because I was too. There are also a lot of people who have valid criticisms of Fujimoto given that he’s treated sexual assault against men as a joke, as something attractive, etc, before. Even knowing this was an inevitable there can still be criticism made of the way it was delivered.

But going into that realm of subjectivity also opens up the discussion of WHAT depictions of sexual assault should look like to be “accurate” and “respectful” to the survivors experiences. How should a victim be portrayed feeling during the assault? How, if it’s in comic form, should the pages lay out? How explicit should it be? Where should the focus lay? What demographics should the victim and assailant belong to? When you start asking these sorts of questions with the intention of concocting a “well-handled” sa depiction, at least for me, you begin to realize that there aren’t any—barring its large scale framing as negative, ofc. Every victim and every act of assault are different, with different reactions and feelings and circumstances leading to it. Every artist and author has a different style of storytelling that may or may not lean into depicting acts of SA in more socially acceptable ways (e.g., completely expunging it, or fetishistically, or with delicacy and care).

Denji is not the type of victim we most commonly see depicted in fiction at all. He’s a boy, he’s hypersexual, his assailants are all women, he doesn’t display much (TYPICAL) sorrow/pessimism and he actively pursues further sexual contact during and following his abuse. I think looking to more common archetypal depictions as a frame of reference to how Denji’s sexual trauma should be handled is asking to be frustrated and confused as to why his is the way it is, instead of illuminated onto whether it’s quote good or bad unquote.

So, if I’m asked to whether it’s well-handled, I would say that it’s clearly horrifying and uncomfortable and unforgiving enough to be a clear reflection of the kind of person Denji is and how he would react to such a thing happening. I think, given Fujimoto’s goriness and tendency to sexualize his women characters, the chapter is very tame. It only shows what it shows to communicate what happens and trigger your revulsion. 167, in it’s entirety, is about as respectful a depiction of SA as you’re going to get with an author like him. But nobody reading csm has to suddenly conform to Fujimoto’s weird fucked up standards, so if you think it’s badly portrayed, then it is. SA is a widespread issue, but it’s also deeply personal, so you are entitled to your feelings towards the chapter as much as Fujimoto is entitled to representing this atypical character’s trauma in an atypical way.

[hero-israel]

Re: the idea that Palestinian Liberation is important to environmentalism

Generally speaking, settler colonizers kick out natives, who tend to have various rules about treating the environment healthily, and then exploit the land for all its worth and more. Anti-Zionists’ proverbial money is riding on the narrative that Israel is a settler colonial state and Palestinians are its dispossessed natives, so they just have to insist there’s an environmentalist angle on these grounds. It’s also ofc apart of the Anti-Zionist tendency to hijack every other cause under the sun.

I’ll admit I know next to nothing about the environmental policies and actions of Israel/Zionists and Palestinian Arabs in any part of history or the present. I’ll admit industrialization is a more Western trend and it is brought by those who spent time in the West, like Ashkenazi Jews. And maybe pre-Israel Palestine was less industrious/polluting. And I’m not a fan of how capitalist Israel has gotten, and there’s probably some level of pollution coming from that. But again, I’m ignorant to the details. I have heard Israel has made a lot of environmentalist progress with reforestation and such (tho I swear I heard something from anti-Zionists about Israel planting non-indigenous trees like colonizers have historically done but this could be BS) and I’ve heard of organizations that focus on environmentalism and diplomacy together (Avodah I think it’s called).

But here’s a point I really want to make: The idea that Palestine taking all of Israel’s land is all about framing the Palestinian as the Noble Savage. It’s another fantasy made by activists with white guilt and without an understanding of Palestinians as a people who may or may not do good things for the environment in likely equal measure. They’re not nature shamans.

Good timing - I just got another ask also requesting "that post myth busting the idea that Israelis grew a pine tree or something that caused forest fires and desertification." So read this and this and this. Might as well read this and this too.

The entire Middle East has been heavily deforested by various colonial empires as well as being hard-hit by war. Israel has restored itself much better than its neighbors but it certainly doesn't have a perfect record; draining the malarial swamps in the 1940s devastated the indigenous painted frog so badly it was thought extinct for over 50 years. They are certainly industrialized / capitalist, but no worse than anybody else.

When "critics" try to call reforestation bad, they have totally lost the plot; just another example of what it means to be "Progressive Except Palestine."

See the tags for more on Israeli ecosystems :)

[possessionisamyth]

ellooooooo !

if you're open to talk about this, i wanted to bring up Leon's character arc throughout re4make, the change and redemption that he went through but also some other very intentional changes capcom has made for him as a character in comparison to og but also his relationship with other characters eg; Ada, Ashley and Luis mostly -- this might not be surprising at all but i am downright tiiiired of majority of the fandom takes on him and especially when it comes to the shipping reasons because for the life of me, i don't think anyone is capable of looking at things objectively here.

I don't really ship him with anyone so i'll just get this out here, most prominent changes and development of his character to me was his acceptance and reconciliation with his past (and Ada) but also him finding a redemption through Ashley and Luis (in a way). What really really did strike out the most to me was his very different relationship with Ada, in comparison to how everything felt genuine in the OG re2, in the remake things were built off from a manipulation and mistrust, at least that is how i see it.

Anyhow, i'm curious about your perspective, if this is an ask you find worth your time ofc! Do you think remake is changing Leon's outlook on Ada? Was he ever even in love with her to begin with? Was Ada in love with him? It feels very tied up to his desire to move forward but also Ada's betrayal of Wesker and breaking free from both of them in a way while going her separate way. (Sorry if this is all over the place!)

Before I start, I want to let you know I can frame any of these ships as romantic or platonic, but I do enjoy Aeon, AND, Cleon, AND Chreon, AND Serrenedy, AND my special rarepair I'm always writing for Carleon(CarlosxLeon). So I might not be the most objective perspective, but I do know how fandom does the het ships especially I'm too picky about to dive into. (Plus there are kids in there starting wars about it? Idk, I think I'll stay continue to stay off tiktok and RE twitter.)

I don't like doing much re analysis on Leon now that my immediate (several month) haze of him after the remake dropped has passed. Plus, everyone talks about him and no one seems to stop. Maybe you're looking for a perspective that doesn't explicitly shit on Ada and their weird relationship? Idk. I hope you don't mind if this reply is just as all over the place.

Let's bullet point these games.

RE2 Remake:

Ada "dies".

Marvin dies.

Random cop dies.

The shady reporter he fucking left in that cell ON PURPOSE dies in front of him.

Claire handles her own problems.

Sherry is saved by Claire.

Leon leaves alive, but a failure in a town of infected. He couldn't save anyone.

RE4 Remake:

Leon saves Ashley.

Luis dies.

Krauser is killed by him.

Ada handles her own problems.

Leon leaves alive, but is successful in a town of infected. He could save one life.

So like, has he changed? Is he still that cop from Raccoon City? Yes to both. Many of Ada's smaller moments saving Leon's ass from the OG were changed or passed to Luis. Which I think was a good narrative decision to make considering how her DLC now nicely slots into the story. Leon doesn't know if she's helping him or herself when he does see her, so there isn't going to be that lingering of "does she actually care about me?" like the OG sets up. He took aggro off her in Raccoon, so considering how many people come at him with pitchforks when Ashley isn't around, he's smart enough to connect he's still taking aggro off Ada now.

He's also so bitchy to her whenever they chill for a few seconds, it's kinda funny and kinda annoying. Petty guy. Maybe don't get captured by the government~. Sorry. I like him but I also like to shit on him. Nobody's perfect and all that jazz.

Leon gets to save one life. He couldn't save Ada in 98, but he could save Ashley. He couldn't save Marvin, or that random cop, or that shady reporter, but he could give Luis a little more time. He does "save" Ada at the end there, but she did save him and Ashley first from that second to last Saddler encounter. It's not in him to leave someone to die. He's not the kind of guy who can do that if he can change the outcome. That's why he really does try talking Krauser out of the whole cult thing.

I don't think they were in love with each other in RE2 or RE2 Remake. I think the romantic love many people latch onto for their relationship is the wrong tint to color these two with. With the OG, I think they cared about each other's safety deeply and it never quite left. Survivors of extremely traumatic events tend to just form those bonds when they shield each other from danger. Then their kiss got tinted with nostalgia and their relationship went through the hands of too many writers to give us anything solid other than Ada saves Leon and he's into it. With the Remake I think Leon was worried, and Ada misread his confusion and concern as possible chivalry bullshit she could manipulate. They're both young and relying on skills they haven't honed yet with people they don't know, and it bites them both in the ass.

In the RE4 Remake, Leon does know when to shut the fuck up unlike OG RE4. If he didn't care about Ada a little bit, if what she wanted from him didn't matter since she had been staying mostly out of the way up to this point, if he was so hyperfocused on only Ashley, he wouldn't have wasted time or energy talking to Ada. He didn't get really any information with their little spar about her goals, so what was the point of having that weird venting conversation in the boat? Why did he need her to confirm if he'd changed or not when Claire was likely a phone call away? What made Ada's opinion in that moment so valuable? Survivor's guilt? Highly likely! Maybe he's checking to see if he's not alone in that aspect, or if the woman who did need his help in Raccoon was also a farce. Maybe he wanted to know if either of them were worth saving.

And he gets that little nugget of acceptance for a moment. He does save Ashley, and Ada helps him achieve it! Maybe she isn't so bad! He does save Ada afterwards, but oop nope she takes the wrong path. Just like Krauser. Leon knows he doesn't want to do this song and dance with her in the future. Like, he just can't, hence the title drop/ separate ways comment. He's saying she's made her choice and he's making his, but she gives him that little key to safety one more time.

I still think Luis had more of an effect on Ada's final decision to betray Wesker and ditch. My friend will disagree with me due to her OG RE4 bias, but OG Luis wasn't a character. Remake Luis very much IS a developed character, which is why there was a huge boom with shipping him in the fandom. Check the numbers of the Leon/Luis ship on AO3 before and after the remake dropped. There is a reason for this.

Oof, this got rambly and long. My apologies.

TLDR: I don't think Remake Ada and Leon are in love with each other, but I do think their relationship is more complex than what fandom waters it down to. The trauma bonding they gained in '98, which does make them care about each other's safety, but opposing goals career wise is going to cause conflict whenever they meet. Remake Leon can try to cut ties all he wants, but he won't know if they'll end up in the same place until it happens. And if she needs help to survive, he'll help her as much as she'll help him. They won't babysit each other. Far from it! They won't be hunting for, or looking for, or checking on each other in the slightest. Their remake dynamic is best framed as "out of sight, out of mind", so when they are in sight, those are the moments that matter.

I like to think they both have more pressing problems than each other outside of when they run into each other.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Yours Submissively ~ Preparations

Steve Rogers X OFC Isabella Davis

Summary: Five Years after the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers has moved on from avenging and has started his own business, Grant Inc. He has a secret that would turn his world upside down. And he's good at keep that secret. Until he meets the woman with violet eyes that could bring him to his knees. Now his mission is to make her, his. But she is the key that could bring the world into balance... or chaos.

And she has no idea.

Series Warnings: slow burn at the beginning, smut, angst, sexual themes of BDSM, dom/sub dynamics, kidnapping, loss of virginity, (and a bunch of others that will come up)

A/N: the taglist is open!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Conversations

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

Belle felt the tears running down her face. All the worries, the anger, the frustrations that had plagued her… 

They just melted away. 

She starred at Steve’s face.   

The man who annoyed her, frustrated her, cared for her, loved her, who made her feel crazy, protected, wanted, special.  

The face of the man she has loved for the last six months. 

“Yes.”  

Steve broke into a huge smile as he slid a gorgeous ring her finger. The round diamond was set in an antique setting with smaller round diamonds and small oval sapphires on each side, all set in platinum.  “I love you.”  

“I love you.” Belle cupped his face as she pressed a kiss to him. “Oh my god.” Steve lifted her up and swinged her around as she laughed. “We’re getting married!”  

“I’m so happy my love.” He set her down and kissed her deeply.  

“Am I interrupting?”  Bucky came in holding three glasses and a bottle of champagne. He saw the big smiles on the couple.  He put everything down and embraced Belle.  “Congratulations sweetheart!” 

“Thank you, Bucky.”  

Bucky let go and turned to his best friend.  “Congratulations punk.”  

Steve pulled him in for a hug.  “Thanks jerk.”  

Bucky’s expression became solemn. “Seriously, I’m proud of you Stevie. Your ma would be so proud.”  

Belle let out a tiny sob at the emotional moment. “Sweet pea?” 

“I’m sorry, its just, we won’t have our parents there and …” 

“Oh baby, don’t cry.  It will be ok.”  Steve wrapped himself around her as she cried.  “We’ll figure it out.” He held her as Bucky got the champagne ready.  

“A toast! To you, Steve, my brother and best friend and Belle, my future sister-in-law. Congratulations!” 

Arriving back in New York was surreal.  Belle arrives not just as Belle Davis but now the future Mrs. Steven Rogers. All of their friends were excited for the couple, with Tony and Pepper throwing an engagement party for them.  When Belle mentioned not knowing where to start, Pepper and Natasha stepped up to help her navigate the inter-working of the New York social circle and wedding planning.  They got her in touch with a top wedding planner and scheduled a photo shoot.  

“Really? Why?” Belle whined.  

“Hon, Steve is a top executive as well as a former Avenger.  His marriage is top new and its important to set the narrative,” Pepper explained.  “Besides with a three-month time frame for the wedding, we want to stay on top of that.”  

That was the other things that was irritating and led to a long argument.  Belle wanted to wait the traditional year to get married. Steve wanted to be married the next day.  “I love you, sweet pea and I just want to let the world you are mine forever.”  

“And I want a wedding amore.  I mean I don’t have any family to share it with, but I still want to celebrate it.”  Belle looked down at the mention of family.  

“Oh, baby, I didn’t even think.”  Steve took her hands.  “Of course, I want to celebrate my new life with you with our friends.” He kissed her knuckles.  “Three months. Let’s do it in three months.  Just after the holidays.”  

“Really?” 

“Really, my love.”  

“Thank you, Steve.”  

“No thanks needed sweet pea.  I promised to give you the world.  That’s what I’m doing.”  

While Belle and Steve agreed on where, when and what the wedding would be, the only decision that was truly Belle’s was her dress. She poured over magazines, marking them, taking notes, approaching them as if it was an assignment.  Steve found her at her desk one night with notes on post its. “Uh, sweet pea, what are you doing?” 

“Steve! You can’t look!” She screeched.  

He quickly turned around. “Love, what is going on?” 

“I’m doing research.”  

“Research?” 

“For my dress.”  

Steve started to turn around. “Love…”  

“No! You can’t look.  You can’t see what I’m thinking.”  

Steve chuckled at the seriousness she was taking and decided to let her in on a surprise he was planning. “Sweet pea, I made you an appointment at Kleinfelds for Saturday.” Steve clasped his hands behind his back as he waited for her reaction.  

“Really?” 

“Yes. I also reached out to Pepper, Wanda, Nat, MJ and Hope and they will all be joining you.”  

“Oh my… Steve!” She raced over and jumped on his back.  He grunted at the forced but grabbed onto her thighs to hold her. She pressed kisses to his neck and cheek.  “You are the most amazing fiancé!”  

“I could tell you were stressing love. Have fun.  Happy offered to go for security and you have lunch at the Ritz afterwards.”  

“Thank you, amore. I love you.”  

Steve swung her around, so she was around his hips. “You will look amazing in anything so have fun ok?” 

She smiled and then let it slip for a moment.  “How will I pay for this?” 

“Oh.  I have this for you.”  He smiled as he handed her an envelope.  She smiled and opened.  

Darling Belle,    You have grown up so much in the few years I’ve known you. I remember the first day we met.  You, a bright-eyed intern and I, a grumpy CEO.   I know that Steve can provide for you, but I would really like pay for your wedding dress. It would be my honor.   Pepper has all the instructions.  Enjoy your day.    Tony 

“I can’t let him do that.” Belle looked at Steve.  “I have some money…” 

“No, sweet pea, Tony wants to do this for you.  He and I had lunch the other day and I mentioned about family.  The Avengers have always seen each other as family. I mean Bucky and I lost our families in the 40s, Tony’s parents are gone and so on.”  

“I’m an Avenger?” 

Steve chuckled.  “You are an Avenger by marriage, my love.  And we take care of each other.  Tony sees you as an adopted daughter. He wants to do this for you.” He kisses her head. “You have a family, Belle.  We are all your family.”  

Kleinfeld’s is the premier bridal store in New York.  Thousands of designer gowns line the walls of the store.  Belle and her entourage are greeted and escorted to a couch and chairs with champagne. Fashion director Randy comes out to make sure everything goes well.  Because when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers personally call and make sure that this bride get everything she wants, all of the top people are at her disposal.  

“So, tell me beautiful, what do you envision?” Randy asked.  

“I don’t really know.  I don’t know what would look good one me.” Belle wrang her hands together.  

“I think she would look good in a mermaid,” Natasha commented.  

“Oh, maybe a drop waist,” MJ offered.  

“Maybe something sleeker,” Hope said.  

Belle blushed.  “I just know that he is my Prince and I am his Princess.”  

Randy smiled.  “Ok.  Let’s try on the different silhouettes and go from there.  Have no fear, we will find your dress for your wedding in eight weeks.”  

Eight weeks.  Belle shivered at the thought of it being so close.  But if the man could close a business in hours, build another in a day and save the world in a week, he can have a wedding planned in no time.  Belle went to the dressing room with an assistant, Anna, and tried on the first dress, a straight satin sheath dress with a keyhole back and sweetheart neckline.  It looked very sophisticated.  She came out to her group.  

“Well…” 

“I mean…” 

“Guys, this is not it,” she said with a smile.  “Just be honest please.”  

“Ok, it looks beautiful on you but not for your wedding,” MJ replied.  

“Thank you.  That’s all I’m asking for.”  Belle turned around, hiked up the dress to everyone’s amusement and went back to the dressing room. The processed repeated for the mermaid, the trumpet, the fit and flare, and the A-line.  Belle was becoming frustrated until Randy came into her room.  

“Tell me about him.”  

Belle smiled softly. “He’s amazing, he’s gentle, loving, kind.  I feel like he rescued me from everything.  I was just this girl from Brooklyn, trying to make her way in the world when he asked me to dance. A Brooklyn boy just asked me to dance.  He is my Prince.  My Prince Charming.  And I love him.”  

Randy smiled at her.  “I know just the dress. C’mon.”  He took her hand.  

The girls were sitting on the chairs, waiting for Belle to arrive.  “Do you think she will ever pick one?” Wanda asked.  

“You could always influence her,” Nat said with a big smile, wiggling her fingers.  

“Not funny,” Pepper replied.  She heard a rustling of tulle, turned and gasped.  The dress was a ball gown but so much more.  The drop cap sleeves led into a sweetheart neckline, the bodice sitting on a natural waist.  The skirt was covered in fine lace detail. Delicate buttons flowed down the back to a chapel train.  Randy had pulled Belle’s long black hair into a bun with a few tendrils around her face.  He led her up to the podium and faced her friends.  

“So…” 

“Oh my god Belle, its perfect,” Hope gushed.  “Have you seen yourself?” 

“No, not yet.”  

“Let me finish,” Randy said.  He pulled an intricate flower and branch crystal barrette and attached it with a simple veil to the top of her bun.  “Close your eyes beautiful.”  Belle closed her as Randy turned her to face the mirrors.  She could hear the sniffles from behind her. “You ready?” He asked her.  

“Y-yeah, I’m ready.”  Belle’s voice wavered as she waited to see herself.  

“Ok, open them.”  

Belle looked in the mirror and gasped. She didn’t see herself, well, not really.  She saw herself as Steve’s princess, he’s new queen.  “Its, its… uh… oh my god.”  She let a couple of tears fall.  

Pepper instinctively went to Belle stand next to her.  “Are you ok? Is it not it?” 

“No, its perfect.”  

Pepper hugged her. “I think so too.”  

Randy smiled, “A true princess dress for our princess.  It’s called the Cinderella gown and its…” 

“Don’t say the price,” Pepper interrupted.  “Tony and I will be taking care of this and any accessories to go with it.”  

“Pepper, oh, thank you!” Belle squeezed her tight.  Pepper smiled and wiped away the tears.  

Across town, Tony’s phone dinged.  He flipped it over to see a picture of Belle with her back turned to the camera.  Her dress was the only comment and he smiled.  

“Something to share with the class, tinman?” Bucky asked. 

“Not anything I can share while he is in the room,” he replied looking at Steve.  

Steve smiled softly.  “She found a dress?” 

“She did.  And no, you can’t see it,” Tony smirked.  He shook his head.  “Let’s get back to it.”  

“Boss, the note sent to the Stark servers is untraceable,” FRIDAY, the Avengers AI said.  

“FRIDAY, can you read it to me again please.” Steve’s face moved from jovial to sadness. 

“Sure Captain.  To Captain America and Iron Man, you still have what we want.  Our heir needs to take her place.  Release her.  Hail HYDRA.”  

Bucky sighed.  “I haven’t had a hot lead in over a month.”  

“And surveillance for all of the buildings and homes are clean,” Sam added.  “We are chasing a ghost.”  

“So, what is the plan then?  The wedding is in eight weeks. We have the holidays as well.” Tony stood up and paced the room. “Cap?” 

“We have to tell her. About the threat.  We,” he pointed to Bucky and himself, “promised her that we wouldn’t keep it a secret from her.”  

“Have you told her about her family lineage?” Clint asked.  

Steve shook his head, “No, I can’t.  Not while we are getting ready for the wedding. She has been asking what preventive messages she can take.”  

“Rogers,” Tony started but took in the look on his face.  “Ok, I’m setting aside the whole Belle’s family things for now.  We have been working on a set of glasses she can wear that will change her eye color.  Its so distinctive that it would be smart to hide that.”  

“That’s good. Anything else?” Steve asked.  

“Yeah, your honeymoon, we have secured the location and safeguards.” Clint looked at his notes.  “Local authorities are ok with the additional force that will be present.”  

“And, we have increased the invisible security on Belle and you, Steve,” Bucky said.  “You guys won’t even notice, especially Belle.  School will be on break next week and Clint will be spending time with his kids since Belle will be with me at the apartment.”  

Steve nodded. “Ok, I think…” 

“Oh no, you are not getting out of discussing your bachelor party,” Tony said with a mischievous grin.  

“I don’t want nor need a bachelor party,” Steve said crossing his arms.  

“The party is not for you.”  Tony stopped and held up his hand.  “Wait, let me try that again.  The party is to celebrate you but it’s mostly for us.  Don’t deny us the reason to celebrate that you actually are committing to someone, Rogers.”  

“Stark, I don’t think Isabella would like me…” 

“She’s going on her own party,” Clint says quietly interrupting.  

“What?” 

“Well, Nat and Wanda approached me about arranging security for her party about two weeks before the wedding.  It’s supposed to be a surprise for Belle.”  

Steve groaned as Tony clapped in glee. “That settles it.  That same night, gentlemen, will the swan song for the singledom of Steve G. Rogers.”  

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

[daylightaftertherain]

hii 8, 9, 12, 17 for the choose violence ask :] for any fandom ofc

hii hi :D

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

the idea that the scene by the lake in the yr s3 trailer is wilmon breaking up :) there is nothing to support that :) stop it :)

9. worst part of canon

ok switching over to kinnporsche and I would say just the last episode?? and the way porsche joining the family is framed as good even though it's the last thing he wanted

10. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

marcus I guess?? not like as in him as a person and I do still hate on him sometimes, but I think him as a character/foil is interesting and he's genuinely not as bad as some of the takes on him think, and I regard in a generally neutral light overall. I just think sometimes you need to remove yourself from the narrative and personal beliefs when thinking about the marcus and simon dynamic and it makes for a much more interesting conversation than just "he was just a sucky rebound character"

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

nicaise from captive prince ;-; pLEASE give me more character studies and fix its of my child ;-;

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

How did you come up with the idea for Trophy? What made you decide to write it? How do you decide what moments or scenes to include, and what order to place them in?

Any other details you'd like to share? :D

YAYYYYYY, AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT MY BELOVED! THANK YOU!!

The initial idea was directly inspired by a line Zoom said to Joe in the season 2 finale:

“After I beat Barry in the race and prove that I’m the fastest man alive on any Earth, he’s gonna rot in a cage just like the one Jay’s in now.”

That got the whumperflies going and everything just expanded from there. (And this goes along with your second question as well) After the finale where Zoom was absolutely MASSACRED in characterization and power levels— I coped by watching all his scenes in season 2, which led me to that line, so with everything fresh on my mind; a Zoom wins fic seemed fun. So I figured out some key things that would happen:

The multiverse is destroyed

Zoom kills everyone (cept Cisco but that was added a little later)

Barry’s imprisoned by Zoom

and ofc after this I was just like “Well now I HAVE to write this.” We haven’t gotten to the pure self indulgence yet, but this fic has a lot of my favorite whump things.

Ooo good question! Deciding what moments and scenes go in and how to order them is definitely interesting. Tbh I’m still figuring out the details of everything that’s actually going in and when, but I have a kind-of recurring thing in most of the future chapters that works well as a frame for what else should added alongside it. Plus, the progression in this fic is pretty… specific, for lack of a better word, and I have some ideas of important things that need to happen and roughly where they should go— but I have probably over 15k of misc. scenes in my notes app so it’s gonna be a long and difficult process…

But overall, besides what works narratively, the deciding factor in what I decide to show and when; is how much of an emotional punch it will pack :> (especially when it all comes together in the end). Oh, and also what hurts Barry the most ofc

[nightcolorz]

idk where the theory that angel dust will die came from but it annoys the shit of out me bcus like 😭 in what way does that make even a crumb of narrative sense? Isn't the whole message of the show that even if u have done terrible things and made life ruining self destructive choices there is always potential for not only redemption but for growth and the chance of a good life? And angel is very heavily focused on as the central character pushing this thesis? If he died it would be devastating in a wholely self contradictory, unsatisfying, and show ruining way. Also he is viziepop's favorite? 😭 But regardless of all of the reasons why it would be a terrible writing choice, I simply dont think it would happen bcus it's been stated already that the three vs r the central villains of s2, and unless it's some sort of bitter revenge plotline (which doesnt seem in spirit of the show or messaging) a season with the vs as villains NEEDS angel 😭 u have alastor's sort of campy and fun rivalry with vox ofc but angel is the empathetic hook that gives the audience a reason to not only see the vs as antagonistic, but genuinely threatening and stake heavy. Viziepop has spoken currently and in the past about plotlines angel will go on for future seasons. So yeah 😭 angel is not going to die I'm very confident in saying, and if he does I can't imagine a way that it would be well done or a good narrative choice. He says that he is going to die in poison, but I don't think it would be the best move even remotely if the show decided to explicitly frame the lyrics of poison as ultimately correct rather then a victims self hating exercise into despair 😭 that would be a horribly pessimistic route for this show with a very transparent optimistic borderline children's show spirited message to go down🙏

[puredoesnotmeankind]

Ofc I choose to give Gaius a second chance since he's my babygirl but I also think it makes the most sense narrative-wise. There's this reoccurring theme of abuse and violence, being hurt and hurting others, and this becoming a neverending cycle of pain. In BloodBound, anytime a character seeks vengeance, it rings hollow. Killing to end the cycle of violence and abuse is justified, but to even to hurt the one who hurt you, often only manages to perpetuate the cycle. It does not bring the characters peace or satisfication. Such as when MC kills Nicole, it only manages to bring MC more nightmares. It doesn't demonize killing or even vengeance, as it is something that victims deserve if they wish for it, such as showing killing people like Vega or Priya as the right course of action.

When MC and Rheya go on their murder spree, when they kill those who were to some degree, however minute, responsible for their suffering, arguably deserving to die, it's only gives MC and the reader cold, momentary satisfaction.

It's interesting to note that instead of Rheya's death being this glorified moment where the 'Bad Guy' is finally slain and all the heroes are triumphant, it is, instead, a hollow, empty thing. She is on her knees and wallowing in self-hatred and anguish. She very much deserves to die after all her actions, and she promises she will continue her torment, letting her live is not an option. Killing her is ending her reign of torment and hurt, it is necessary and just, bringing the characters relief to know she would never hurt anyone again, but not a happy, victorious moment.

There's also the juxtaposition between Rheya/Xenocrates and Gaius/Kamilah/Adrian. Rheya, Xenocrates and the old Gaius needed to die to finally end the cycle of violence that they had been perpetrating, individually and through each other (Xeno and Gaius being victims of Rheya). Gaius, Kamilah and Adrian once also perpetuated that cycle but when Adrian had turned against Gaius, rejecting the cycle, ending it and refusing to continue it, just like Xenocrates, Kamilah stood by him, unlike Gaius, and both of them henceforth tried to become better, not for the sake of redemption or atonement, because they weren't sure if they could ever truly make up for their past sins, but to do good in the world and stop others from hurting others like they once did. By the end of BB3, Gaius is in the same place they once were. BB doesn't condemn the characters for killing Gaius, as they were his victims, but does encourage letting him live and framing it as the better option (letting Gaius go will lead to him saving the girl while she dies if he was killed).