#but there are too many to keep straight imo

[dreaminterlude]

ok im actually on the same page as everyone now because even though he's been protecting his brother yaman is kind of a gigantic pushover coward whereas ateş literally fights any chance he gets and this creates a massive difference between both of them when it comes to loving/protecting faraye. so

[sokkastyles]

I’m so amazed how people can’t see the emotional burden that gets put on Katara throughout the show. I just re-watched “The Deserter” (Book 1, Ep 16) and oml. First, Aang straight up ignores all the wisdom and advice given to him, and pushes too far with fire bending even though he has no control, and burns Katara. And like yes, I get it he is young and naive and impatient. But what really struck me is he burns Katara, she runs off, and learns she can heal herself. (Also really wish they had have her keep the scars, would have been an interesting lesson and more lasting imo) Anywho, then Zhang shows up and she goes to get Aang, and Katara has to end up comforting him because he’s being mopey and self-deprecating saying he’ll never firebend again. My man BURNED this girl and then throws himself a pity party that SHE has to pull him out of and comfort HIM into feeling better. Being healed aside, this makes me so uncomfortable because for a lot of people in unbalanced relationships, this exact scenario plays out all too often. Someone gets hurt, and then it’s their job to make their partner feel better when they get all upset because they’re guilty. Then, after they escape, Katara heals AANG from his battle, and her burns are never mentioned again. I was expecting him to apologize again now that things had slowed down, and nope, nothing! Other than his frantic apologies while she was writhing around in pain, he never says another word about it.

Since she’s healed, it’s all good I guess, right? I’m watching a reaction series of ATLA, and even this guy who’s brand new to the series is calling zutara all the way from halfway into book one. So much about Kataang just feels so icky, and unbalanced, and so much physical and emotional labor on Katara’s part. Forever grateful that there are good fanfics and fandom circles out there to do Zutara justice.

Sorry for the rant, but it just gets to me that some fans seem to have not a lot of media literacy, like how does this inspire thoughts of a happy healthy relationship? Lol but I love your blog sm! Thanks 💛💛

It's actually not that people who ship KA are media illiterate. On the contrary, they are interpreting the show in exactly the way it was meant to be read. It's just that the trope of the Nice Guy stuck in the friend zone who has to prove he's grown up enough for the girl is such a common trope, and appeals to the misogyny that is ingrained in our society. Many people do not recognize the unfair burden put on Katara because it's expected for her to be the one to bear that burden.

And you're right about the situation in the Deserter being manipulative. Aang doesn't do it on purpose, but you're right that in real life, it's a red flag and a hallmark of abusive relationships. It's not framed that way because there is literal magic used to make Katara's pain go away, but it's all part of the narrative of the show choosing to address Aang's feelings about Katara over Katara's actual feelings.

What happens between Katara and Aang is actually very similar to what we see between Azula and Ty Lee in the Beach episode, when Azula makes Ty Lee cry by slut-shaming her, then Azula tells Ty Lee to stop crying and is juuust vulnerable enough to give Ty Lee an excuse for her behavior, and also a reason for Ty Lee to now focus on her: Azula only did that because she was jealous, so now Ty Lee can help by teaching Azula how to pick up boys.

The difference in the way these two scenes are portrayed is that Azula is clearly a villain and Ty Lee has been shown time and time again to put up with things we know she shouldn't. Whereas with Katara and Aang, we're supposed to think Katara bearing the brunt of the emotional labor is fine and normal and not Aang's fault, because the narrative twists to make it not Aang's fault.

I also find the way people mock zutara shippers for imagining Zuko doing the emotional labor to lessen the burden off Katara highly misogynistic. Like, this is so obviously the Nice Guy myth rearing its ugly head again. Women who think they know better about what they need than the Nice Guy does will wind up in an abusive relationship, because no man can actually be better than the Nice Guy. The Nice Guy actually NEEDS to think that no man can be nicer than him, not only because he needs it for his Nice Guy identity, but because it means that he doesn't have to be responsible for any of the labor foisted onto his object of affection.

In contrast, Zutara is threatening precisely because it validates Katara. Zuko's pain is not addressed until he addresses Katara's first, in the caves. His wish for forgiveness is not granted until he helps Katara get closure for her pain. Zuko is forced to do the emotional labor that the show always forces Katara to do. Not just with Aang, but with her brother. That scene where Katara eavesdrops on Sokka talking about how Katara is like a mother to him, with the guiltiest look on her face, is meant to reinforce that Katara should just quietly accept her rile.

Often, enemies to lovers ships are popular because the enemy is the only one that a female character is allowed to express her pain and hurt towards. And boy, does Katara express it towards Zuko. And he takes it in, and listens, and tries to make amends. Zuko actually needs Katara to forgive him in order for the gaang to function. He has to be Aang's firebending teacher. Katara could have just kept on being angry at him, and eventually her anger would have faded the way it does with all the men in her life, and she probably would have quietly internalized it as another part of herself that she needs to repress.

But it's Zuko who chooses not to accept this. Which he also could have done, because lord knows Zuko is used to living with people who hate him. At least Katara won't be actively malicious towards him.

But Zuko actually does what nobody else in the show does. The show makes a point of telling us that nobody else does it, too.

And you know what? Katara still heals her own pain. Zuko makes it possible, but he's pretty passive at the important moments. He watches, and that becomes something really powerful for a character like Katara who is always made to hide her own needs, her pain.

Zuko could have not gone with her on this journey. He could have sat back and waited for Katara to heal herself and reassure him that all was forgiven. But he doesn't. He witnesses. He validates. He lets her rage at him, then accepts her forgiveness when it's time for him to. He knows enough to know that he can't make the decision about what Katara needs, only she can do that.

That's why people write fic where Zuko is sensitive and a good listener and does the cooking and the cleaning and is otherwise the perfect partner. And I think they're so valid for that.

What I said about Azula and Ty Lee is also why Azula x Katara doesn't work as enemies to lovers, because Azula would not be able to do the work that Zuko does to acknowledge Katara's pain. She can't even do it for her friends.

[jewishbarbies]

i think Leftists have always wanted an excuse to be bigoted, its like they were itching for a "reason" to be open about their hatred. When Trump got elected he made being openly bigoted popular, and now these worthless slimeballs can be just like the Right and get away with it. All the while maintaining how they're sooooo different and pulling as many excuses as they can straight from their asses.

they’ve always been bigoted, the only thing keeping them somewhat in check is the social pressure they’ve placed on themselves and others to always appear 100% morally pure. they know what they do to people who don’t meet the standard. there’s been no actual work done in leftist circles, the hierarchy and racism is still there just functioning differently so that they feel better about themselves. bc now it’s “we can’t be bigoted toward poc BUT we can be bigoted toward anyone we don’t like. as a treat.” instead of just not being bigoted at all. the social change imo happened too quickly with too much force and shame to actually allow for people in these spaces to do the work necessary to unpack all that. it’s all about making themselves feel better for the guilt they got when first finding out about slavery, genocide of indigenous americans, etc. as quickly and easily as possible, and not about making the world a better place.

[gothghostiie]

i would love to hear your thoughts on 141 denying readers orgasm/ edging <3

👀👀

Ghost. you just know it by looking at him. he's not full on denial imo, but absolutely adores edging you. nothing sweeter to him than bringing you right to the brink of cumming, just to stop and watch your reaction. chuckling lowly, rubbing your lower belly soothingly as you buck and cry after being denied for god knows how many times. he's chuckling, stroking his own hard cock as he watches, cums all over your aching sex, just to taunt you before letting you finally cum.

Price is more fond of not letting you cum at all. he knows you too well, knows when you want him to fuck the attitude out of you - and he will, trust me. but why would he let you cum while he does? he's doing this because you provoked him, to keep you in line, not to make you feel good. poor thing, now you're sprawled out under Price, ramming his cock into you like there's no tomorrow, only stopping whenever you're close to cumming. it's your own fault darling. should've been good and just asked if you wanted to be fucked.

Soap does it simply to annoy you, to make you squirm. he's a huge tease and (lovingly) mean in general, so why stop there? why not take it to a much more personal level, with you tied to his bed and him eating you out? poor hole, twitching and clenching around nothing as he fully ignores your most sensitive parts, knowing you barely stand a chance to cum like this. he'll go at it for hours on end if he feels like it, making out with your hole and humping the mattress underneath him as you sob and beg him to make you cum until he lets off of you, instead of giving you sweet release he just snuggles up to your tied form.

Gaz isn't much into edging/denial i feel, but he's absolutely down to please you however you want. so you ask him to try it with you, he agrees; much to your regret as it turns out. you thought he won't be so cruel since he's not really into it, but being edged for over an hour straight is making you go insane under his fingers. he's having fun just from seeing you like this, toying with your body while fulfilling your wishes. hands, tongue, even toys come out, just to keep you on edge until you beg him to finally let you cum. he's grinning almost innocently before giving you a mind shattering orgasm that leaves you dizzy.

[manikas-whims]

Hii!! I want to request some headcanons for LADS boies ~~

How about them with a very famous reader!! How will they plan dates and attend any celebration with their partner!!

interesting request! imo, the biggest issue (in canonical sense) that they all will face due to the Reader being famous is protection. if she's always in limelight, it'll become difficult for them to act as they please in order to protect her..

now on to the request! hope you like it! ♡

LADS men dating a famous reader

XAVIER

⭐ He may be able to erase traces of his own history but he's very bad at dealing with the paparazzi. Any time he senses paparazzi spying on you two during your dates, he uses his evol to teleport you both away.

⭐ However, that doesn't always work. And when it doesn't, he walks right up to them and forces them to delete the pics taken.

⭐ He's never had any issues with your fame but what he doesn't enjoy is the attention it brings upon you, and by extension, upon him as well. Once the news of you dating some deepspace hunter breaks out, he starts getting scouted by random entertainment labels. They think his handsome face and skills will prove amazing for action movies.

⭐ Your fans will try spreading conspiracy theories about how he could be the one behind the infamous masked vigilante named Lumiere. There's also fans who seem to like him and have spread rumors about how he saved you from a hoard of wanderers, causing you to immediately fall for him.

⭐ He's very compliant when it comes to anything to do with you. If there's an event significant for the sake of your career, and if it requires his presence, then he'll quietly accompany you.

⭐ Your stylists are quite taken by him. They always insist on doing his makeup and picking out the outfits that suit his sleeper build. And Xavier complies, his only request being that they make sure his clothes are complementary to yours and that you two look like a couple. No matter what image you've crafted for the world, he'll ensure everyone knows that you two belong to each other.

ZAYNE

❄️ He's a nightmare for the paparazzi. They never manage to sneak a single good picture of the two of you when you're out on dates. They always end up looking blurry or Zayne makes sure his tall frame entirely hides your smaller one behind him.

❄️ This one time when they do spot you leaving the Akso Hospital with a tall, dark haired man, none of them manage to take any pictures. Many claim they suddenly felt the temperature around them dropped so low that it felt chilly, and that their hands went numb due to the cold.

❄️ The news about your dating life only breaks out when you and Zayne yourselves decide to make it public. However, not many seem to like Zayne. Many fans claim he's too aloof and wonder if he's even good enough for you (ofc you reassure him that he's the only one ever!)

❄️ Other fans discover some pictures of the two of you from highschool days and come to the conclusion that you two must be highschool sweethearts. And they find it admirable that you two stuck together for so long.

❄️ Due to his profession, he doesn't get much time and its difficult for him to attend your public events. This does lead to some criticism about how he's not a very supportive boyfriend. But he only finds such remarks amusing. Afterall, what the world thinks of him doesn't matter. He only cares about how you feel for him.

❄️ The rare occasions when he does show up at your events, he always keeps a hand on the small of your back, his intimidating figure allowing no room for comments or slander.

RAFAYEL

🌊 Since he himself is pretty well-known, he's quite used to the paparazzi. But that doesn't mean he likes them or tolerates them. He's straight up calling them out because he hates the possibility of his dates with you getting ruined due to so many intruding eyes. And he doesn't want people prying into his and your personal lives.

🌊 When he sees a paparazzi taking pictures, Rafayel is the type who pulls out his own smartphone and starts clicking pictures of them in retaliation.

🌊 You two openly hang-out in public and there is speculation about you two dating. It's just you never confirm it. And ofcourse, you two are questioned during your individual interviews about each other. You never give a direct response to those either. You let the people keep assuming whatever they want to.

🌊 Both yours and Rafayel's fans ship you two together. But there are many of his fangirls who've called you horrible names. One time, you even got attacked by a crazy fan, who was immediately banned by Thomas. And Rafayel personally put out a statement about how he'll not entertain any crazy or violent fans.

🌊 Whenever you're working on a new project, he sends you rare species of flowers for goodluck. He also makes sure to convey his support in the form of sending food trucks and such for the entire staff.

🌊 He doesn't enjoy public attention. You've seen how much he despises having to attend formal events related to his own artistry. Still, he doesn't like the idea of so many strangers openly approaching you, so he makes sure to attend as many of your events as his schedule allows him to. And you do the same for him.

If you sent me a LADS related request, then rest assured, i am working on all your requests slowly..♡

SEND ME REQUESTS FOR LOVE & DEEPSPACE HEADCANONS VIA ASKS.

» MASTERLIST «

[demonslayerunhinged]

Unhinged yap

Monthly reminder that THIS is OFFICIAL ART

The Ufotable staff are basically telling us that Sanemi and Giyuu canonically have a thing for each other. I've never seen official art that's as blatant as this-even from anime franchises that have a lot more queer-baiting, like you don't even need to draw an outline and connect the dots, it's RIGHT THERE.

Shout-out to this absolute Queen, who opened my eyes! May her Ws be many and her bitches abundant 🙌

Call me stupid(no, you're stupid!), call me a delusional fujoshi who likes to 'fetishize' gay people (despite being gay herself).

Side note: The belief that people who hc characters as queer are just straight girls who fetishize gay men doesn't make sense because straight people aren't the only ones who watch anime.

Anime has a lot of queer fans and of course they're going to find characters that they love, identify with and ship. So to discredit queer ships as just 'women being fujoshis' is imo homophobia with extra steps with a sprinkle of your basic misogyny ✨

Anyway, If you headcanon these lads as straight, more power to you! If you genuinely believe they're straight that's okay, but to look at stuff like this and call it reaching is just being disingenuous.

Sanemi straight up said he's not interested in women, Giyuu's feelings and recollection of Sabito reads like a widow who lost her beloved husband, Sanemi being a tsundere with Masachika, and that's not even including how Sanemi and Giyuu's interactions read like two exes who broke up due to miscommunication, repressed feelings, and the inability to properly express themselves, the parallels in their stories, the fact that the last image of them is this

They look like a married couple 😭

If you still don't believe with all this evidence, then that's okay. The aim of this post is to tell sngysn shippers that are feeling uneasy because they think they're being delusional or reading into it too much.

You're not delusional, this ship isn't forced, there's so much evidence that I've collected-that I can provide if you want. I've studied Sanemi's chapter in the light novel with annotations and shit, plus both Sanemi and Giyuu's backstories. I'm reading up on Samurai culture and history, I have studied the blade-literally.

Remember their collab scene. They have matching tsubas (handguards)! Look at the whirly pattern for both, the tsuba on Giyuu's katana is the water version of Sanemi's pinwheel tsuba!

So my fellow SNGYSN brethren, let's put aside our differences and arguments on which dynamic is better(it's gysn obvs), if you're queer or straight and feel so strongly about this ship and can or cannot put your finger on why, hell even if you're a casual fan and just really like the characters lots, or even if you just want to piss off a homophobic animebro. Girlies, I gotchu 🙏

Here's my GiyuuSane masterlist which can also apply to SaneGiyuu as well.

Here's my ever expanding folder of gysn official images where they're always put next to each other or in suggestive poses.

You can also get stuff from my discord(shameless plug 👀), I yap a lot about them on there and share my annotations and drabbles and stuff.

Feel free to use it-with credit of course 😊, for the analysis and the discord stuff, you can use the images without the credit since they're not mine.

Also shout-out to the MasaSane and SabiGiyuu shippers! They're our allies, our backbone, our Rohan shall Answer to our Gondor calls for Aid, our Knights of the Vale to our Battle of the Bastards. We need them!!!!

SaneGiyuuSane, SabiGiyuu and MasaSane shippers when the see each other in the wild be like

The only person who can refute me is Gotouge-sensei herself, and even then Id be skeptical-and coughing up blood. The 'coincidences' are just too much! So yeah that's all I have to say in this post. Yes I'll always make everything about GiyuuSane, they mean everything to me.

And you can try to stop my dancin' feet But I just cannot stand still 'Cause the world keeps spinning 'Round and 'round And my heart's keeping time To the speed of sound I was lost 'til I heard the drums Then I found my way 'Cause you can't stop the beat

Sanemi and Giyuu are gay, they're dumb and they're in love!

Thanks for reading my overly dramatic rambles! 🩷

[starlos-soulmate]

Happy Marriage to Pancake and Starlo!

May these two fine the happiness and laughter in the next chapter of their lives. Through thick and thin, sickness and health, they're gonna stick together. Especially after what they had gone through before this moment.

The whole town arrived. This is the sheriff getting married after all! So many people wasn't expecting him to get married, to Pancake no less! The rivalry was a big part of the town's history, being tied to North Star himself, and seeing them get closer and closer was fun and kinda crazy. The whole town knew, and Pancake is married to Starlo. Feisty Four are also happy that they're married. And a few bets had to be paid.

Now they're off to the next chapter in their lives. And they still stick to each other like velcro.

more stuff under cut, like a lovesick rambling by me.

I have no idea why this guy chose me. Like, at all. I look at him, and that's my husband. I feel so oddly connected to him, and I've said this before, but he is someone I genuinely wanna marry. Starlo is my beloved, my soulmate, I love him so much, its insane that he picked me. Legit, it felt like he picked me all those months ago. Back in January. Does anyone remember when I was so happy with OTCore and the "2024 is the year of the robots?" Yeah, guess what happened XD

Starlo helped me in so many ways, keeping me sane through so much. Originally it was gonna happen on the six month anniversary, but I ended up being too tired. Regardless, I'M SO HAPPY TO DO IT NOW!!

I look at him and I melt. I just, I love him. He loves me. I have never felt this connected to ANY fictional character like this. Spamton came close, really close. But oh well.

This was a DOOZY! Spent like, four straight days working on this. And I'm so happy I did. The colored comic is a reference to this video. It fits so well cuz its something Starlo would say and, well, PANCAKE'S NAME!! And Starlo hasn't dated anyone at ALL, there's no way he was expecting to marry someone.

Also the gif wasn't supposed to be a gif! I was trying to make a more dynamic pose for Pancake, but I already had the other sketch made, so it turned into a gif. Makes it better imo. Also I'm not too happy with Pancake's outfit. The cape is also a poncho of sorts. ah well. im also too lazy to draw the Feisty Four and Clover after all the stuff i've drawn all of this.

but yeah i hope y'all enjoy!!

Comic Transcripts: Starlo: "I, Starlo Sunnyside, do take Pancake to be my waffle-y- lawfully"

Starlo: "and pancake-y" Pancake: Pfft-

Pancake: [Silent laughter]

Starlo: "I've been scared of this m'entire life" Pancake: "BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA-" SECOND COMIC: Ceroba: "Well, congratulations Star. How do you feel getting married?"

Starlo: "Lucky..."

Tagging: @sparkyscissorhands @sparklings-husband @prismatica-the-strange @pinkdinkydoon @simonlynch

@snowpuffclovers @ghost--girlfriend @gibles-lovely-selfships @jocelynships @catships777

@wuffverine @patchw0rk-quilt @mrscage @dudeshusband @aego-philautia

@mandrakebrew @jils-things @gideongrovel @tieflingships @carnival-of-love

@faerie-circle-ships @rexscanonwife @lovelyheartclover @mrs-bluemarine @mephy-doodle-dandy

@kakusboyfriend @mashedpotatosinacup @heartmatic @bunbunsheart2 @cinnamon-phrog

@chalcanthitedreams @literally-just-there @halsinkisser @sheepie-self-ships @moondane-lovers

@bbyshifts @starlo-uty @galaxywolfshipper @signs-of-blossoming @maetheartist

[naranjapetrificada]

No one but me cares, but I have been sitting on this licherally since the premiere of season 2:

I have decided that Ricky being "a minor prince" means that he's half German (meaning his full name is much more likely some variant of Friedrich/Frederick than Richard), and that he inherited his status from his mother. I'm not a historian but here's my understanding and rationale.

With British and (therefore by extension, French) royalty, a prince who wasn't the heir (or spare even) was more likely to be referred to based on where they were born or referred to by one of their landed titles (which is why "John Lackland" was such a good burn). For example, in the Wars of the Roses, relevant people at all levels of the aristocracy are discussed as being Yorkist or Lancastrian, specifically because of ties to those respective dukedoms (titles held by the respective sons of Edward III, who they were descendants of).

In the Holy Roman Empire, however, there were LOADS of "princes" who were once called that because the only ruler above them was the Emperor. Because of this status, rulers with many different titles and amounts of real power could be considered princes and given "princely" airs. Among the princes were dukes, grand dukes, counts palatine, prince-abbots, princess-abbesses, and at different times a handful of kings (ie Bohemia, Hungary) and other titles besides. Some of the princes were Electors, who had extra privileges and duties within the Empire, but no one would have called the Electors "minor" anything.

(Gods help you if you need to keep all the titles straight but blame it on geography and religion.)

For Ricky to be a minor prince (minor enough to make that distinction) he most likely would have ties to one of the smaller or less prominent states. He would technically still be allowed to grant himself princely airs if, say, his family were part of the Imperial Diet but as counts or something. But there were princes and there were Princes.

During his conversation with Zheng, Ricky mentions something about his father having connections to the British treasury, which is the kind of power that the English aristocracy pretty famously had strong feelings about the royal family not having direct access to. So in this case, I've decided that as much as Ricky is any kind of prince, his father was at best literally any British noble. That would mean he had the title of prince based on his mother's status, which wasn't impossible because women could hold certain titles in the Empire in their own right, or could be a "princess" based on their family's status.

To be clear, this is interesting to me because a) if the 'tism hits hard anywhere it's history and b) this makes Ricky clinging to his status as a "minor prince" extra pathetic imo. Among the brits his status as a minor (German) prince would only sort of matter, especially when he clearly didn't hold that status directly as a ruler of any kind (otherwise ties to the British navy would be extremely sus!). At best it's a courtesy title he might technically be entitled to based on a real title held by his mother, but it just as easily could be a half-German brit making way too much of a title his grandfather held (and that he would have no direct claims to unless maybe there was like, no one else). It doesn't matter in the grand (or not so grand) scheme of things, but it certainly is funnier.

*side note: this is one reason why the children of some imperial rulers in central Europe, eastern Europe, and Russia were called grand dukes and grand duchesses instead of princes and princesses, the latter of which would have been lower on the aristocratic ladder than the former.

[barrenclan]

I hope its okay to ask- what motivated you to keep the body count so low? With how often it was reinforced that this was a tragedy, that no one was safe, etc, I'm in an odd spot in which I think, logically, that it makes perfect sense that it happened this way (straight up think its brilliant, actually!! The thematic relevance of Pinepaw accepting the meaninglessness of his life being what stops Deepdark? Poetry, even) but not being able to reconcile that with being somewhat emotionally let down that only two minor characters died aside from Rainhaze (which was a given imo). This isnt a criticism, the more I digest it the more I enjoy it/I realize what a great choice it was - I actually wouldnt want any of it to change- I'm just very very curious about your thought process on this. You already spoke of Asphodel and Rainhaze, but how did you decide who and how many were going to die? Is it more about the *after*, the picking of the pieces after its over? I am so very excited for the picking of the pieces after its over, actually lol.

Real answer: I have far too much I want to explore thematically with nearly all of the characters, and the vast majority of it only happens if a lot of them remain alive.

When I wrote the ending of the comic, I actually struggled to find another character to kill in the attack besides Mallowstar and Rainhaze - like I said when talking about Cypressfoot's death. There were absolutely no more characters beyond her that I was willing to sacrifice, in terms of what they would give me narratively alive versus dead. This was never a story about everything ending in total destruction, anyways - it's a story about learning how to grow after grief and deal with random acts of misery that seem to leave nearly everything unchanged except for the enormous effects they have on you. You often don't get to choose what is going to happen to you and it's up to forces beyond your control if you and your loved ones live or die.

This is a worldview I hold, anyways - the future is entirely fluid and loose, and just as much as terrible things can happen, everything can turn out fine, too. Misery is not the natural state of the world (that's entropy, haha), and the other side of the coin is always possible. But once events happen, they are locked into an unchangeable permanence and you simply have no choice but to try and grapple with how they will affect your unknowable future. You have infinite branching paths, but you'll only follow one once you look behind you... not to get too much into personal philosophy.

Joke answer: SNIFFLE, SNIFFLE, SOB, I DON'T WANNA KILL MY LITTLE GUYS

[autisticlenaluthor]

this is like random but I’m glad the fandom has recognized jackie’s depression and passive suicidal ideation moreso now because a lot of conversation around her death ignores that alongside the role of her being horrified/disgusted at the events of doomcoming. it’s usually to sort of absolve the girls (mostly shauna) potential role in her death blaming it solely on Jackie’s refusal to come inside but I feel like that’s just a cop out and that people tend to overlook that jackie was Also a teenage girl in the wilderness dealing with mental health issues, to once again absolve their fave characters.

this is gonna turn into a rant if I don’t cut myself off but it’s why I largely appreciate jackienat as a ship as well because there’s clear care for jackie as a character whereas some jackieshaunas will ignore the unsavory parts particularly of how shauna impacted jackie’s mental health toward the end, in favor of shauna despite that being important to their relationship and shauna’s guilt (which isn’t just unfounded or survivor’s guilt)

okay so i accidentally went on a tangent and may have lost the plot of your ask - but i think you'll agree with this? idk. i hope so

jackie's suicidal ideation is something that was shown so well. and i almost think it was shown *too* well in that - it's easy to miss it if you don't know what to look for. imo that's part of why it's so overlooked.

jackie often gets passed off by the fandom (and the girls) as being lazy and not adapting. she's grumpy, whiny, and doesn't try the way the others do. but in reality - jackie just doesn't register any chance of survival.

when shauna tries to help her adapt, jackie says "i don't belong here, and i don't know how much longer i can keep doing this."

on the surface level, yes, jackie means the wilderness - but she's speaking in a greater sense. none of the girls belong in the wilderness but jackie also knows she doesn't fit in amongst the other girls

(we see this in the pilot with how she lingers before giving her locker room pep-talk. she has to script out her interactions and even then, is rejected when she says the wrong thing. again, before the party -jackie tries to help shauna by suggesting the red dress and mentioning randy - but shauna shoots her down. in both instances, jackie doesn't know what she's doing wrong, but she knows she's making mistakes. from the get-go, jackie is deeply insecure and doing her best to hide it)

on top of the isolation - jackie was depressed before even getting on the plane (again - we can infer from her reaction to the scene with jeff and the general contrast in her character. she's stoic and withdrawn when we se her alone and masking heavily around her friends) so when it crashed, the only thing keeping her going was shauna.

everything jackie did in the wilderness was motivated by her. she gave up the last of her food when shauna almost fainted. and even when she slut-shamed nat - it wasn't because she hated her or wanted to be a bitch. it was because nat wasn't bringing back food and shauna had almost passed out from hunger.

in jackie's last few episodes, she's withdrawing from the other girls. she's becoming more combative - essentially burning any bridges she has left. she's making it easier to eventually kill herself. she won't feel bad about leaving if nobody around her will miss her.

and like you said - shauna did a lot to hurt jackie's mental health that the fandom ignores. she refused to communicate with her despite jackie constantly trying to start a conversation. she lied to her about jeff. and during doomcoming - she not only terrorized jackie with the rest of the girls, but she never apologized. she straight up saw lottie lock jackie in a closet and did nothing because she was on lottie's side.

jackie's refusal to come inside was so many things and yes, some of it was her being a stubborn teenage girl. but it was more than that. it was a girl who was content with the fact that - either shauna would come get her and everything would be okay again, or she would die out there. it was someone who was actively in the process of trying to starve to death. someone who figured: if death is inevitable, she might as well take it into her own hands.

[weirdcatlive]

So, since making my Lonliness video I've (understandably) had a lot of "hey come hang out with me" requests and I just wanna set the record straight that 99% of the time I have to pass on these

Thing is, if you have any sort of platform you're always gonna get strangers reaching out to you and unfortunately a large portion of em do not have honest intentions. Additionally when someone's a fan yet a stranger to me, there's a power dynamic there regardless of how much you believe you would treat me the same as everyone else

I know I might be missing out on interactions with a lot of cool people right after "complaining" about loneliness in a video but imo it's really important to set those boundaries, for me being a friend of a friend or a fellow creator establishes a level of "trust" that's missing from strangers who watch my stuff (i know it might seem harsh to call you guys strangers but I do wanna stress that regardless of how much you know about me, if I don't know you you are a stranger)

Also, not implying OP is a minor (idk if they are or not) but I also wanna use this opportunity to make it clear that I will never seek out friendships with minors. That's a very important boundary to me in general but especially as a fan + creator is a whole nother level of yikes

Posting this at the risk of coming across hostile/being misinterpreted but I think it's an important discussion to have, I feel like a lot of people misunderstood my video a lil and specifically the reason why I can't accept random friend requests is something I would've expanded on more if I had had more time

Again I don't want this to come across the wrong way (I'm also just using OP's question as a way to address this topic as a whole rather than responding to them directly, hence why I kept em annonymous), but tbh it is a little alarming how many requests I've gotten specifically from minors & people sharing personal info with me and I really wanna encourage you to consider your own safety in these situations too, just like fans can be untrustworthy so can (unfortunately) creators too. While it's nice to wanna help & be friends you gotta keep yourself safe and keep potential power dynamics in mind if you're thinking about reaching out to creators on a personal level

[bakasara]

I have so many gripes with this two-parter, lol. For those who were in the spn trenches-- I'm having bucklemming flashbacks: everything is a one-liner and nothing makes sense from a structure or writing viewpoint.

Let's break it down into the 3 main problems that imo take this Big Event from an amazing, high-stakes premise to a lackluster ass execution. (And yes, for Eddie go to point 3.)

1. Suspension of disbelief is a bell curve, ok?

If you are obsessively concerned with realism, your story is going to miss out on a lot of emotional moments that just cannot be crammed into a 40 minute episode format otherwise. The reverse is also true, though. If you handwave every single realistic thing because you deem it an obstacle to an emotional story, it's going to be harder and harder for people to stay immersed.

The whole team was made to spend two episode acting like they straight up don't care and/or don't understand the level of threat they're dealing with just so that the plot could happen, which is absurd and out of character, for one.

... And it's also counterproductive.

The OoC issue could've easily been solved by shifting the "Rescue the team (118 argument) VS Not rescue the team (government argument)" to "Keep looking for solutions beyond what seems possible (118 argument) VS Be conveniently quick to give up (government argument)".

It's a minor tweak that would show up mostly through changes to the characterization of the military and FBI guy to make them more square and unfeeling, clearly having lost focus of the human aspect and become too quick to pull the trigger. It's one of the more ubiquitous underdog tropes: there is still an element of the 118 playing it less safe, because the red tape is supposedly there for a reason, but what may seem as morally dark grey on the surface because of the risk posed by an outbreak is recontextualized by the fact that there is a bigger and worse guy on the other side – the suits – who's lost track of what he's really supposed to be working at. The actions of the 118 now make sense for the situation and the 118 remain the good/better guys.

TL;DR: We didn't need the 118 consistently acting like they don't understand the severity of a deadly supervirus getting out of containment with no cure. Framing them more starkly as the underdog in the situation and having them go against big government players who've lost sight of their mission to help people is infinitely more compelling, and would have reinforced the real emotional pull to the episode: y'know that quote, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"? They are all mildly insane when it comes to each other, and will look for solutions to the very end even when from the outside it looks like they're going against impossible odds – just continuing to tape and plug up little holes everywhere to keep each other alive, if you will, even where most people may argue the sane thing is to accept defeat.

2. Not trusting your audience to have basic reading abilities never pays back.

Buck being used as an audience proxy to explain to us that Athena wants to go behind the suits' backs? And what an SD card is? FUCKING REALLY?

This may sound like it's just about Buck – which, hey, that would be fair – but it's not. Take the tsunami arc. A major aspect that made it compelling was the way it showed how the lives of complete strangers, who would've never touched otherwise, came to intertwine because of this tragedy that swept over the city. The premise to Sick Day/Lab Rats is kind of the reverse: it's ALL about our team of main characters, most of whom are locked away in a bunker. The episode hinges entirely on the strength of their bonds with each other against the outer world, which outside the lab is embodied by the government and inside the lab is embodied by this larger-than-life virus that completely overpowers them in theory. From a writing standpoint, it's all about how cleverly their affective dynamics with each other are used to stir emotional reactions in the viewer.

Fanfiction writers wrote the playbook on this; when I think of original fiction mastering this I think of something like Bioware for videogames. Troperrific is the name of the game.

So if you pair up Athena and Buck... you'd better fucking show me a fucking action couple. The have their team-slash-family in danger, and none more than them understand what it means to have Bobby trapped inside as a wife and a honorary son. The intention for this to be the force behind their team-up was clearly there. And having Buck be that dumb was the perfect way to ruin it.

I can see a remake of that scene perfectly: Buck panicking initially when he hears Bobby say him and Athena should leave the rest of the 118 to die, because he's Buck and of course he would panic. Bobby switching to talking only to Athena same way he did in the actual scene; Buck catching up now that he's had the time to focus and ultimately agreeing to leave it to the army and the FBI to handle. Cut to Buck and Athena powerwalking outside, side-bumping fists now that they're out of sight and getting each in their own seat of the car without the need to say a single word.

And maybe don't have Buck ask what an SD card is. It's fucking fine. COME ON. Show, don't tell, and all that. Athena Sneakily Grabbed A Plot-Relevant Thingy from a crime scene and Showed It Triumphantly To The Camera, and in two minutes we're going to plug it into Karen's computer and we can mention it's pictures from the crime scene just for extra clarity. I think the viewers may just be able to follow along.

TL;DR: Sorry, I just don't believe Buck is that dumb, he's not. Having Athena explain the plot to Buck like we're all two year olds is insufferable, and more importantly it's taking away from what really matters: if you make your whole two-parter hinge on team dynamics and then pair up Buck and Athena, I had better see the two baddest bitches to ever walk the earth in fucking synced action. They HAVE to be Understanding Each Other Implicitly because the real treasure was their shared love of Bobby all along.

3. Ok. Three three three. You CANNOT. You simply CANNOT. You fool. Leave a main character COMPLETELY FUCKING OUT of a Big Event two-parter that's all about the fucking CORE TEAM GOING TO SUPERMAX FOR EACH OTHER.

Come the fuck on.

Listen, assuming the best faith I can: this could be a case of Real Life having happened. Say, scheduling conflict. It literally doesn't matter. If one of your mains can't be there, you still find a way to mention the character in-story and you bring him into the story like that. I'll do you one better: a really simple way to do it wrote itself within the second ep. When Hen gives Ravi her pep talk about calling your loved ones, that was the planting of an idea into the viewer's mind. There really is no one-size-fits-all answer to that dilemma, which speaks to the emotional complexity of these tragedies.

You then have Chim deciding to talk to Maddie, because this may really be their last chance. (In the good version of this two-parter everyone's phone calls are come-and-go/keep breaking up, btw. Because they're sealed in a secure lab underground and it raises the stakes to have them struggle to communicate with each other. Obviously. Fucking hell). But you have Buck, safe on the outside, wanting to call Eddie and then deciding not to, because he realizes it's more for himself than anything and it's just making Eddie agonize over it 12 hours away where he can't do anything. It's as simple as showing Buck's finger hovering over Eddie's contact on his phone at a moment of distress, then opting not to call. But with different characters deciding to act in different ways based on their circumstances, you're now Exploring A Theme and it's a coherent way to include the character with no better options.

however you do it, it'll never be ideal to have a main missing from these kinds of pivotal episodes, but you HAVE to find a way to tie them into the story in some meaningful way.

That said, if Ryan/Eddie could've been there, and the writing simply didn't include him, then it's SO SO much fucking worse lmaoooo.

First off, it was really important that Eddie be shown to come back to LA because that's where the people who matter to him are, not because of Bobby's fucking funeral. As he (re)learns to choose joy for himself and to stand up to his parents/regrow his confidence in his own parenting instincts, it's crucial that he recognizes LA is where he wants to be because that's where Eddie's family and Chris's life are. The motivation to go back should be internal and advance his emotional arc.

Personally, I have ideas for how I would've tied him in for the most meaningful impact in the least time (considering the constraints of these kinds of episodes!) And these ideas definitely involve a big entrance making up for an early absence. Any team member who happened to be missing could get that same big entrance treatment, just tweaked to fit the character – we're fundamentally talking about the 118 being a family, where the team isn't complete without everyone in it playing their unique role, and the missing piece of the puzzle arriving at a moment of despair will always have you feel like you were just given another fighting chance.

Personally, I'd have had it revealed in 8x15 that when Chris and Eddie left, they actually left for LA, both too eager to go back home and with Eddie willing to make a second trip later to take care of the loose ends (job, house, etc.) in El Paso. They mean to surprise Buck + the team so they let them believe they're still in Texas. Chris finds out about the lab incident through his phone on the way, leaving Eddie conveniently only a short time away from LA and only missing for the initial part of the emergency. When Buck doesn't pick up his phone (via literally ANY excuse for why he'd miss the call), and no-one form the team does either (bad signal, which again should've been a thing), it now makes the most sense that Eddie would call Athena and it's HER who introduces her guy on the inside (or I guess, technically, on the outside) whom the suits don't have on their radar. He pulls up not in a helicopter but, necessarily, in the most unassuming car ever, making it not about showy stunt money but about the idea that Eddie's worth is about who he is (as in how he behaves, tying into his emotional arc) + what counts is showing up and everyone's contributions count (tying into the two-parter themes).

Also great 'cause Buck can be relieved af to finally have His Guy there for support, but there's no time for hugs. Oops! Just casually slipped in some friendly (🤔) yearning while Impeding Outside Events are unfolding! No! Don't use your precious screen time so well!

Anyway, Buck and Eddie are then either NOT paired up (the ideal version imo, we keep this about Buck and Athena as we're centering their connection to Bobby) or they ARE paired up (if you absolutely need to take advantage of the wider themes of the episode to advance any kind of dialogue between them and can't do it next episode). And the rest is pretty much Eddie occupying his rightful place in the episode instead of Tommy. Because. Lol. Lmao even. (I totally think we can still use Tommy, btw! to make Eddie mega jelly. if u even care :) And not during the supervirus whatever whatever where he's the epitome of thematically out of place. But I digress.)

And OF COURSE when everybody is getting their camera shot breaking down over Bobby's death it's. EDDIE. On the outside. Having his quiet breakdown along with the rest of the. Y'know. THE REST OF HIS TEAM. Because he actually knows who Bobby is and cares about him and yeah ok literally what was the point of fucking Tim Tam looking like the 🙁 emoji on my fucking screen while everyone was bawling. I. ... WHAT.

Either way. The point is. They really left Eddie out of the two-parter without mentioning him once say fucking SIKE.

TL;DR: Leaving a main character out of a two-parter Big Event centered around the familial bonds between your main cast is a capital sin punishable by death. There is no version of reality where it's acceptable. If Eddie/Ryan simply could not be there for real life reasons it was imperative to find an emotionally and thematically significant way to mention the character. If Eddie/Ryan could be there, it was imperative he BE there in a meaningful and unique way that contributed to saving the team, much like the other mains all were. There is NO EXCUSE.

There, I said my piece. I hate when I can see how little it would take to fix a poorly executed narrative.

P.S.: I have a personal love of Hozier/Work Song and I think it fit perfectly with Bobby's death but. HOLY SHIT. Do not break the momentum by having a character Make An Observation AFTER you showed Bobby dying ("dying". whatever). Chim can have his survivor complex next episode. OH MY GOD. They had already showed the body bag so we knew he was supposed to be dead-dead. They had that AMAZING shot of Bobby's cap to cut to and then cut to black on the last clap. NO DIALOGUE EXPLAINING HOW CHIM FEELS. PLEASE. THE MOMENTUM. COME ON. SHOT OF THE CAP THEN CUT TO BLACK. TO THE BEAT OF THE SONG. COME ON. HOW DO YOU FUCK UP THE EDITING/WRITING THAT BADLY.

[helloaugustmoon]

·˚ ◌༘͙[Petnames] ! ˊ

- obviously, there are the ones we know from his music; “my girl”, “baby”, etc

- and there are the ones we know for certain he has used affectionately for girls he’s been with, like “little one”

- can absolutely see him calling you “princess”, “sweet girl”, “pretty girl”, “treasure”, “precious”

- loves nothing more than to call you HIS pretty girl, treasure, etc

- and with his love of superheroes I’d put money on him calling you “wonder-girl”, as well as just “wonder”

- it doesn’t matter if your name isn’t Wendy bc he’ll still call you the Wendy to his Peter Pan frfr

- he’d definitely come up with petnames that are so unique to you, too

- considering the lyrical and poetic mastermind he is, he’ll think of the most specific petnames to do with the color of your eyes, hair color, sound of your voice

- he’ll def call you his muse and his songbird

- his little bird in general, actually

- as for petnames he’d like to be called, I honestly think he’d melt over anything you called him

- Mike, Applehead, all the classics

- but his favorite is most definitely when you call him “angel face”

- it still makes him so shy no matter how many times he hears you call him that

- speaks to his insecurities and reminds him of how much you adore him, how attracted you really are to him

·˚ ◌༘͙[Era specific] ! ˊ

now, these are kinda wild cards, but I can imagine him having petnames that he either comes up with for you during certain eras OR if he met you in a specific era these would be his first choices of petnames for you

Off The Wall - his shyest era so he’d be least confident w petnames and would only use them after a WHILE and he’d be so quiet about it too. literally you’d have to be in a completely empty hotel and he’d still only whisper that you’re his girl. more likely to tell you things like “I’ll never love another” than call you by petnames in this era imo, but would ABSOLUTELY call you a treasure when you do something that makes him smile. in fact, he’d outright call you “the smile on my face”.

Thriller - continuing on from previous, at this point he’s more confident in calling you “the only eyes in the crowd” and other poetic things like that. he’ll ask “where’s my smile?” when he’s looking for you backstage and I’m crying.

Bad - he’ll THINK of calling you his bad girl in this era but he’ll be too shy so he keeps that one to himself until later and instead calls you the sweetest things to juxtapose the badassery of the era like his “sweetiepie”, “sweetest girl”, “pretty bird”. in all those leather outfits n he’s calling you that? pls.

Dangerous - in this era, he’s def calling you things like his “one and only”, and straight up just “mine”. no elaboration needed. and we are all sat actually.

Blood On The Dance Floor - kinkiest era Idc, he’ll have felt confident enough by this time to call you “bad girl” and more specifically HIS bad girl with a smirk and I said what I said. he says it like he means you’re his good girl but he sounds flirtier when he says you’re bad and he finds your reaction so cute every time. oh falling into a heap of goo on the floor is cute? thanks beloved x

Invincible - now we all know from this era onwards Michael is feelin some type of way 👀 and for that I think “lover”; he’ll call you his lover with the UTMOST affection FR! after everything he’s gone through by this era, you are his true love, his anchor, his solace, and he would call you all of those things too. whether he meets you in this era or a previous one, by this era he is so devoted to you, there’s not a thing he wouldn’t do in worship of you.

[destiny-smasher]

(Nemona getting totally blown off and stonewalled once again and trying to shrug it off once again, she's so determined! </3)

Since people on the Internet get fussy with this shit, let me state upfront these are my opinions, from the perspective of someone who shares a lot of personality traits in common with Nemona and used to be a lot like her in my younger years. Nemona's lying when she says Scarlet's behavior and needless secrecy doesn't bother her at all. She keeps enduring the neglect (and sometimes straight up abuse), because she thinks that's what Scarlet needs atm. It's hard to say how things will pan out atm imo.

The manga mischaracterizes Nemona in some ways for me -- or I guess it's more proper to say, I do not think the way the manga characterizes Nemona is as positive as the games. The manga so far really makes her out to be less mature, less healthy mentally/emotionally, and kind of a pushover who actively lets others step all over her. I don't prefer it lol

She experiences an 'invisible wall' between herself and everyone else. And Scarlet's behavior so far in PokeSpe would only exacerbate that -- BUT, the two could clearly have a very meaningful bonding if they both stick things through, in a way the game version of Nemona doesn't because the story forces the protag to more just go along with everything.

I want to believe the manga will eventually have Nemona learn to adapt to Scarlet, Scarlet slowly open herself up to Nemona over time, start doing GOOD for her in return, and heaven forbid, maybe even apologize for mistreating Nemona -- though I don't expect the latter for sure.

It can be very exhausting and draining to endure what Nemona is enduring, but if you have that determination and willpower to put up with someone's worse traits because you see the good in them, sometimes it's good to use that to be there for the other person.

Everyone's struggles are unique and people exhibit their flaws in different ways. Nemona is "too much" and Scarlet pushes back in hostile ways. Their personalities are potentially toxic for one another, tbqh, but there's so much value imo in them bridging that gap.

The core of most fictional relationships I genuinely care about and many of my real life ones is the idea of bridging the understanding gap, through communication and gestures and time spent together, where there is mutual growth and reassurance.

Because of how I've been mistreated in the past, it's REALLY difficult for me to look at Nemona/Scarlet even just as friends and not be very worried about them. They're not self-aware yet, much less mature enough to navigate their differences. But they COULD be.

Many of the most edifying and growth-defining relationships of my life were due to stark differences in personality being reconciled with mutual care, assurance, trust, and just plain holding on. I think these two can totally reach that. I just don't know if they WILL here.

Because the fact is, Scarlet's behavior is hurtful. She clearly has reasons she is this way, and sometimes you just gotta get that shit out. And having people strong enough to endure that shit can be valuable, even if you don't realize it at the time. But it's a fine line.

Scarlet seems to be dealing with mental health issues, or at the least neurodivergency -- and Nemona at least has the latter going on, too. That creates a lot of tension. But that also means they can be there for each other in a meaningful way if they can work that shit out.

At the current rate they're going, however, Scarlet's behavior isn't improving so far. It's like she just gets to be a jerk and 'get away with it' and everyone is supposed to be fine with that? Doesn't settle well with me, and Nemona sure doesn't deserve this treatment.

But at the same time, Nemona IS one of those rare people with the willpower and stubborn determination to keep being there for Scarlet in spite of things not going well for a while -- even a long while. She sees the good in Scarlet even if Scarlet doesn't.

The manga has NOT done much at all so far to sell us on Scarlet/Nemona working out even just as friends, but it feels deliberate how their dynamic has been set up. So I want to have hope there, but it does remind me a bit too much of stuff from my past, so I get trepidatious.

In a way, part of Operation Comet Punch (my long fic) entails exploring that very trepidation and (I hope) coming up with at least one 'version' of reconciling things in a healthy, mutually supportive way for everyone involved (and that goes beyond just Nemona and Scarlet).

I hope the manga can figure out ways to do this, too. Because I like the idea of Nemona and Scarlet at least becoming good friends over time. It's just difficult to see right now if you're being pragmatic.

"Desma this is a manga primarily targeting middle school boys wtf are you talking about"

Look, between my own fanfic about these characters and my real life experiences, I can't help but analyze and try to be optimistic on all fronts. I get triggered a bit by 'toxic yuri' and this is reminding me of that, but I want to believe in it EVOLVING beyond that (pun intended). And I know it can.

[stackslip]

like i'm all about critiquing the execution of 03's ending and how sloppy cos is as an actual conclusion bc there's stuff that can be excused (the rushed production and cancelled final season and how little time/money they had and how much stress they were under) and stuff that can't (i love terminarcher objectively but it is deeply silly; winry's arc should have been concluded; imo it could have been executed better as much as i love the themes and ever since i learned of the original plan to finish the show in liore again i have been dying about it; cos is frankly a disaster on the amestrian side and nothing about the way it treats roy and riza makes sense except that the military are fan favourites who HAD to be in the big budget shounen movie)

but you cannot, for the love of everything holy, tell me with a straight face that manga/brotherhood's ending is better, nevermind perfect. like is it all tied up neatly. yes it is and herein lies the issue, again, bc it's so desperate to be a good happy ever after for everyone that it chooses to ignores the most vile implications of many characters' fates and plot threads' endings just so the Designated Good Guys can get domestic married and roy can be a benevolent military dictator. i've even seen people say that bh's ending inherently values winry more because she gets married to ed and settles and has babies with him. and yknow for how fucking messy the ending of 03 is, and how much of a weird mixed bag of a follow-up cos is too, for how out of context it SOUNDS weird but really if you've actually been following the plot and themes it fits perfectly, the ending to 03 is actually thematically coherent with its themes from the very beginning and drives home all its most salient points as hard as it can.

like sure the ending to brotherhood is much simpler and effective but you think about it for more than like five minutes and want to throw up. roy uses the souls of ishbalans to heal his eyes and becomes the fucking führer. ed and al have done nothing wrong ever. all the evil of the amestrian military comes from this Big Alien Bad Guy who Just Felt Powerless and when he's gone amestris is now a benevolent society that just happens to use ishbal as a frontier colony. scar wails and sobs about how evil he was for killing the people who actively participated in the genocide of his people while being scowled by an amestrian soldier. winry gets a domestic het ending. ling is gonna be cool emperor now and i guess mei can just deal with it. did any of the women ever really matter bc i keep being told brotherhood is a feminist masterpiece but what do any of them do besides return to the status quo with their boyfriend/husband/master or get domesticated and then olivier keeps being a fascist girlboss i guess. yay happy ending and don't you dare think about it deep it's not THAT deep, says the same crowd that calls og fma an anti imperialist masterpiece and a perfect series

meanwhile no matter how much 03 stumbles it legitimately feels like it's taking a look at all of these contradictions within the manga and slowly strangles them to death while looking you dead in the eye. THERE IS NO WAR THAT DOES NOT CONCERN US, ALCHEMY AND YOUR VISION OF PROGRESS ARE BASED ON MASS DEATH AND ATROCITIES, YOU CANT SAVE THE WORLD SINGLE HANDEDLY BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT FACING THAT WORLD FOR WHAT IT IS AND STILL CHOOSING TO TRY TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BETTER. and then i have to hear all about how grimdark and supposedly lacking in hope it is when it literally ends on the realization that you cannot separate yourself from the world or ignore its issues you have a duty to it and it is bigger than your dreams or selfishness. anyhow

[elipri]

My maybe unpopular opinion is that Damian and Anyas dynamic shouldn't change in significant ways until Anya actually views Damian as a genuine friend and not a shiny prize. Because at this point her motivation isn't exactly better than all the other girls' and Damian can probably sense that, it's just that he can't figure out her why.

This post is based on a pretty interesting discussion in a DA server I'm in where some fellow fans have criticized Endo's writing, mainly because there wasn't as much impact after the bus arc as people expected (which is ofc valid crit). I just want to share what I wrote:

Late to the whole convo, but I lightly disagree that the da dynamic didn't change *at all*, however it does seem as though there wasn't as much impact from the bus arc as hoped. However, we did get some subtle shifts that should be noteworthy, namely Damian actually getting jealous and shivering at the mere *thought* of Anya getting "stolen" from him. This has never happened prior to the bus arc and is now a recurring development. That and Becky now teasing Damian in addition to cheering on Anya, especially when comparing her very open hostility towards him earlier in the story. Not only is she friendly to him now, it seems like she has seen through his crush too. I don't think that Endo will change the dynamics too much anytime soon, especially because of how little time has passed in the sxf universe. Keep in mind that damian doesn't really have a proper role model who actively helps him unlearn the toxic mindset he quite literally grew up with; the closest he'd get is his mother wishing for him to be friends with Anya too, but that is only something he heard from Jeeves and not Melinda herself. But he definitely was reflecting on that in the cake chapter. I also think that Damian is in his "I'm too grown-up for this kiddie shit" phase, he probably thinks he's better than *everyone else*, not just Anya (like him scoffing at Bill). He really doesn't want to dance with anyone and is just annoyed with all this attention imo. But he's also jealous and doesn't want Anya to dance with anyone else, but ofc won't actually admit that because he's a brat. He's just a kid with many Big Feelings™ going on that he doesn't understand and doesn't even get the privacy to unpack, so ofc he's lashing out and acting even worse than usual. I wouldn't be surprised if he just runs away in the next chapter because he's just so fed up with everything and everyone. I feel like us fans keep forgetting that Damians boundaries are straight up being pushed if not disrespected, he's been saying multiple times that he doesn't want to dance and literally everyone is ignoring him as a person with feelings (except his friends who probs set the competition up in order to reject everyone on his behalf) Nobody but his two best friends actually care about his feelings on this whole matter, he's just a shiny prize to everyone else *including* Anya.

Anyway I think Endo is saving the big dynamic change for something far more significant such as the telepathy reveal 👀