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mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune · 1 year

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Miraculous Ladybug Fan Headcanon: Audrey Bourgeois Is Utterly The Worst Mother Ever of All Time.

[Note: Do Not Reblog Without Permission]

even if Chloe might not fully see it, but she needs to in order to grow and learn...even if it will only be in the fanon timeline, where fans will try to get Chloe to become a better person, even if her bad side might show at times...

Chloe needs to acknowledge that her Mom, Audrey Bourgeois is never going to love her, and will only show her “love” when she does something that pleases her, I mean Audrey forgets Chloe’s name, and even Zoe’s name as well.

plus even if when Chloe isn’t being aggressive or bullying others, it is shown that half the time, some of her fellow classmates do start it....

I seen some clips, in theory, one of the other reasons for Chloe might act like a bully, might have to do with how people and her parents, have treated her.

her father spoils her rotten, and might not understand that “Money Can’t Buy What We Truly Need” and it “Can’t Buy A Loving Touch”....

if you listen to one of the Sonic Underground songs, and listen to “Money Can’t Buy”, some of you might understand what I’m going with this.

but we know it might be hopeless to try to get those who make a great show like Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir, to change their minds about how they treat Chloe, even when she looks like she is gonna get better, but ends up going back to her old ways, and ending up with that bad influence “Lila”....

and I think that one of the song that would match Chloe, would be “Born Without A Heart” by Faouzia...

Chloe isn’t as worse as Hawkmoth, even if Chloe can be that mean girl, who is just broken on the inside because she was never truly loved by her Mom or given the proper love and guidance from her Dad....

but Hawkmoth has done far worse than Chloe before, and even if I can still like Marinette, it is still partly her fault that Chloe ended up crossing the lines she did when she was told she couldn’t be holder of the Bee Miraculous anymore.

even if some fans might disagree with this, but even if we can still love and admire a character that is our favorite in a show or video game or comic book series, sometimes we need to point out some of their mistakes when they end up hurting someone emotionally and cause some damage and hurt someone past the breaking point, and it is possible that at times, it is something you can’t take back.

Chloe is the way she is, because of the bad parents she has, and possibly because of the other reasons, such as the whole blackmailing with her favorite teddy bear, I had watched a video that talked about the blackmailing with the teddy bear.....and I have to agree, that perhaps if her Butler had thought about something else, and didn’t just show her teddy bear in front of everyone, and got her really mad and embarrassed, she wouldn’t of went off on him like that, and he wouldn’t of placed all the blame on her when he got akumatized.

that is kind of scapegoating, even if some might not agree that it is, but it makes sense if you think about it, he did end up making her both mad and embarrassed, and even if she could of express it better and tried to make him understand in a calming way how she felt, it still ended up like she was the one at fault.

plus there might of been a reason why she turned down Kim, possibly knowing that his feelings for her wasn’t truly genuine, and she possibly could see right through him and the reason why he took a interest in her in the first place.

even if Chloe has done some terrible things, there could be hope for her to change, even if it might not be in the canon, and it will only be in the fanon...

the one bourgeois who has no hope of changing and becoming a better person, would be Chloe’s Mom Audrey Bourgeois.

Audrey is far too gone to be helped, she is a lost cause, and she is half the reason why Chloe is the way she is...

Chloe deserves a better Mother figure than that “witch”....

and she also deserves better friends, who can try to keep her from a bad influence like “Lila” and even being able to see through the meanness of her outer self and see the deeper part of herself that has been unloved and not given the proper love and understanding in a long time.

even if Adrien is or was her friend, and he admits that there is good in her, but he was perhaps clueless and didn’t know how bad it was for Chloe, and one of the reasons why she acts the way she does, is because of how she was treated and brought up.

and it sucks when a hero can’t see that those who have emotionally suffered, are seeing as truly bad...

like Bradford from Ducktales 2017, even if the full blame would be his insensitive Grandmother, and the only good that came out of it, was Webby and her sisters....as well as Lena, if Scrooge hadn’t messed up Magica even more and made her worse, Lena might of not been born.

Louie might of defended his uncle, and he ended up viewed as not guilty, but that doesn’t mean he should not be seen as guilty for not taking feelings of others into reconsideration.

and yeah I think that if anyone could of redeem Cozy, Chrysalis and Tirek...

would of been Sunset Shimmer, who might been able to get to the root of why they are the way they are, and not just solve the problem by turning other creatures to stone.

I can still love those three shows, but at least Steven’s friends and family had acknowledge their own mistake on not seeing how hurt Steven was, and had ended up giving him a hug in one of the last episodes of Steven Universe Future....

which once more, the emotional problems that Steven was showing in Steven Universe Future, didn’t start there, it was just the breaking point, and it all started in some episodes in the past and even the movie, before it got to Steven Universe Future.

I know that not all fans like Steven Universe Future, but myself and others do happen to like it and know that while Greg might have his good side, he didn’t properly take care of Steven like he should of, and I still don’t like it when he is speaking to Steven he uses words like “your a Gem.” instead of “Your Half-Gem.”

Greg has shown some selfish side, like the time he got hurt, and once he was healed, he pretended he was still hurt and it caused Steven some problems with his healing powers.

and it might be possible that while Greg has a good heart, he might of been selfish brat when growing up, and might of not understand the reasons why he had to have curfews and chaperons, was because it was to keep him safe.

and the reason why he couldn’t have everything he wanted, might of been because his parents couldn’t afford it until they saved up, and the reason why he couldn’t have his music up too loud, was possibly because either his Mom or Dad or both of them, would be hurt by the volume.

and if my theory is correct, it would mean that both Greg’s parents or at least one of them, has Hyperacusis.

both Greg and his parents are at fault for their broken family home, if his parents had explained better, like the whole reason why they wanted him to take up wrestling, was so he could protect and defend himself, as well as the other things they done, maybe he wouldn’t of became not so great of a Dad, well more like he is still good, but the other half is still bad....so like in between.

but as bad as Greg is, well half of him, while the other half still being good...

he isn’t as worse as Chloe’s Mom, who doesn’t show any proper love for Chloe or Zoe, and if Zoe finally figured this out, maybe she could try to befriend Chloe and try to make her understand that she knows that deep down she is hurting and that she will be there for her, even if she tries to push her away.

even if Chloe is made to be the most hated by everyone in and outside of Miraculous Ladybug, but there could still be hope to make her better and show her as a good person and who can be redeemed...

and as for those who can’t be redeemed and become better, that would be her Mom who once again is utterly the worst mother ever, and oh yeah, and Lila.

both Audrey Bourgeois and Lila were bad influences on Chloe, and if she was around a much better and good influence, maybe she would try to redeem herself once more and not get involve with those two again.

Chloe could trick her Mom into signing some papers, that would be her disowning Audrey and showing that she is no longer taking any of her orders or going to try to get her to love her and treat her like a daughter or to remember her name.

Chloe’s Mom might not physically abuse her, well unless she is akumatized and we can count what Audrey has done to Chloe when she was akumatized as physical abuse if we view it that way...

but Audrey might verbal abuse Chloe, and might of done this since Chloe was very small and might of been part of the reason why she verbal abuses others, like her friend Sabrina.

even if Sabrina and Adrien were the closes to friends that Chloe could have in her life, that were perhaps the light in the darkness in her life that was caused by her parents and those who like maids and butlers who brought her up the wrong way....

but not even Adrien or Sabrina could really see the damage that is inside of Chloe, and at some point she will reach a breaking point where all that harm that was caused by her parents and everyone else, will in theory will possibly cause her to go into a deep depression.

and if it ended up like anything like my second one, it would perhaps take a lot of months to get fully better and those negative feelings to fully go away, even if there are still people and some things like your favorite video game or book or tv show or movie that makes you feel a little happy, that pain is still there, even if you feel a little happy but at the same time not feel all that great.

I know that not all villains can be redeemed, also as terrible as Gabriel’s actions....he was only doing it so he could bring back the love of his life...

Gabriel is a broken man, who has done some messed up stuff that he can’t excuse himself for, but at times it isn’t just the main villain that can do the most emotional harm, sometimes it will be the heroes.

both he and Audrey weren’t the best of parents, but if I had to choose which parent has caused the most damage to their child, well Audrey would come in first place and Gabriel would come in either second or third place.

we know that it might not be possible to change the mind of those who work on the show, about Chloe and trying to make her a better person, and it’s best not even try to make them try to do that, we fans can try to do right by Chloe in a Fanon Timeline, where she is perhaps given the proper love and guidance that she needs....

as well as maybe some therapy, it might be possible that in theory...

Chloe might need to see a therapist because of all the stuff she’s been through, and maybe even owning up to her own mistakes and how she has hurt others and realizing that her Mom will never change and will never acknowledge her and will only do so, if it somehow involves her in some shape or form...

even if we know that as bad as Chloe has been in the series, and the moments she seems to have been getting better and changing fro the better of herself and others, it ends up being taken away and if Pollen didn’t tell her the rules about the miraculous holder, then it it would be partly Pollen’s fault who should of told Chloe the rules about not revealing your secret identity as well any other rules that had involved the miraculous.

if Chloe could have a Miraculous and Kwami to help her change and become better, it might be a Miraculous and Kwami that has to do with the power of Empathy.

a Kwami who has to do with Empathy, might be able to be one of the few who can see through Chloe and know that she is the way she is, because of those who mistreated her and never understood that the reason why she became a terrible person, is because of how she brought up and the other reasons why she had a relapse back to her old self and even fell in with a bad influence like Lila.

Audrey is stuck up, snobby and self absorbed witch, something that Chloe tries to be like but no matter how much she tries to be like her mother and try to get her mother’s approval and love, it will never be good enough...

Audrey has proven that she is a terrible mother to both Chloe and Zoe, and both of them need to know that Audrey will never love them and will not see them as good enough to be her daughters, and maybe if there is some still hope for Chloe’s Dad to become a better person, the first thing he should do is divorce Audrey and take full custody of Chloe.

if I had to ship Andre with anyone, I would ship him with Caline Bustier.

even if some might believe that Audrey isn’t at fault for the person that Chloe became, and how she treats others....we shouldn’t ignore that one of the problems in Chloe’s life, is Audrey Bourgeois....and in theory, maybe Andre has hope to become a better parent to Chloe and own up to his own part of the mistakes how they brought Chloe up....

so the only parent of Chloe that might be able to go through some form of redemption would be Andre Bourgeois.

Audrey Bourgeois, is still possibly a lost cause who can’t be redeemed.

#miraculous ladybug #chloe burgeois #audrey bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #fan headcanon #terrible parents #verbal abuse #do not reblog without permission

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violetarks · 3 years

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"but now there's me."

anime: tokyo revengers

character: sano 'mikey' manjiro, mitsuya takashi

summary: mikey's come back home, ready to face the mess he left there, but as soon as he sees his ex he knows that everything has changed.

a/n: afab! reader, she/her pronouns used, third person pov, optional part two of "there will only ever be you", just wanted to show a side of y/n i'm sure some people wanted to see after how the first part ended. spoilers for episode 18 onwards, half canon half fanon. masterlist for series here.

Mikey never expected to see himself back here. Where he ruined so many lives. It's been exactly four years since that day he killed Kazutora in a battle between Toman and Valhalla. But he can't find himself to feel remorseful about the murder. More about the events that happened after.

He will never get the image of Y/N announcing her forever dedication of her heart to him, fist against where his own heart would be. Tears still pricking her eyes from him breaking up with her. Standing outside of Mitsuya's house, realising that if he had just looked up to the windows, he could see Chifuyu and Mitsuya watching the whole scene from their bedrooms.

Stares of unforgiveness, only at the time though. Mikey knows his boys will always follow him through thick and thin. They're loyal. They just didn't agree with how Mikey made Y/N feel that day.

On Y/N's side, she walked back into the house to see the two boys standing there in the entrance hall. She laid her eyes upon them, tears forming once again. Mitsuya was the first to walk towards her, just like at the fight that day. He enveloped her in a hug, much like how he did for when his sisters were upset.

"It's alright, Y/N." He told her, feeling her arms go around him and hold on tight, "Mikey just needs some time to figure things out."

"I know." She responds, voice muffled by his jumper, "Mikey's crazy."

Mitsuya can only shrug his shoulders. He suddenly feels another hand tugging the back of his shirt. Turning around, he sees Chifuyu stand there with his own tears in his eyes. Immediately, Mitsuya opens his arms for him, inviting him into the hug.

The three of them stood like that for a while, Chifuyu mumbling out, "I miss Baji."

Mitsuya smiles at the feeling. "Me too, Chifuyu." He sighs, closing his eyes, "I miss them both."

"I'm sorry, Y/N..." The blonde suddenly says, making Y/N pull away from Mitsuya and wipe her eyes, "I... I know he was your brother, but I can't forgive him for what he did."

She didn't blame him for saying that. This was a vulnerable time for them all. "It's okay, Kazu did everything knowing full well what that would do to those around him." She sighed out, the last part hurting her more than every. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I... I'm kind of mad at him too."

Mitsuya watched the small, sad smile appear on her lips.

Y/N wanted to break down, leave town like how Mikey would. She wanted to be free of everything. But she had to listen to what he said. She had to become better, like Mikey. Be stronger from this. Take all the bad and make good out of it. Like Mikey.

Mikey... he did good, didn't he?

He didn't call or text, not contact anyone, for four years. He was a memory.

Now, Mikey at 18-years-old stood in front of Y/N's old house. His eyes traced the 'FOR SALE' sign, all hope draining from his body. Of course she would've left. She had to go back to her parents at some point, he's not surprised that they moved to get away from this place.

He just hoped that wouldn't have been the case.

Y/N said she'd wait for him. Maybe there came the point where she couldn't anymore. She probably realised that even if she waits a century for someone she loved, she never would've truly be together with them again. For one reason or another.

Mikey continues to drive down the street in the same exact bike he used to lead the gang. It was weird though, he had half-expected to see the Toman members still riding around their bikes and causing/fixing mayhem. But he hadn't seen a single glimpse of any of them. Sure, they weren't exactly friends still after ghosting them for four years, but... wouldn't they want to see their former commander?

And then he hears it. The revving of a bike. He perks up a little at the sound, turning towards it and driving as fast as he could.

It doesn't take him long before he arrives at his destination. He sees the scene at the end of the street. Someone on a black bike, stopping in front of a the mechanics. The same one he used to take his bike to fix. He watches with curious eyes. He doesn't recognise the person coming off of the bike, and he couldn't see the driver since they were wearing a helmet.

The girl standing there was wearing a mask to cover her mouth and nose, nodding at the driver. She's handing him a piece of paper before waving him off. Mikey waits for the bike to drive away, hiding around the corner before following after the girl.

In the shop, he sees the girl talking to the owner, walking over to another bike. It was a model that Mikey didn't recognise, meaning it was personalised. He noticed how the girl only spoke through her mask, never pulling it down and showing her face. Although, she's quick to the point, handing the owner the money before taking the bike.

Mikey hides again. He doesn't know why he's drawn to this person, but maybe if he sticks around long enough, he'll find out. As soon as her bike starts, Mikey is loosely following her. He's further enough so that she won't notice. She takes twists and turns, almost losing Mikey.

And at some point, he's already lost her. He was distracted.

"Draken...?" He mumbles to himself, seeing the said guy down the street, talking to the others in the group. He was carrying a bag over his shoulder, telling the others to hurry up. "What is he doing?"

He decides to follow them. Because he knows who the others are. That's Mitsuya, and that's Chifuyu, and the one trailing further behind them is Takemichi. They were wearing their uniforms. So that must mean that the Tokyo Manji Gang were still in full throttle. They were still alive. Mikey could feel a sigh of relief wash over him.

At least they were safe.

The four lead them to Musashi Temple, the meeting place for the gang. And it confuses Mikey, because it dawns on him. Draken must be the leader now.

The meeting commences, Draken at the front with Takemichi and Mitsuya behind him. Mikey is hiding yet again. He seemed to do that a lot. It bloomed from the night of the Valhalla fight. Most definitely.

"The meeting will begin!" Draken shouts, hands behind his back. Mikey blinked at him, a small grin on his lips. Still with the haircut and the loud booming voice. "Everyone, welcome your captain!"

They all bowed. Is this what it looked like to bow to Mikey? The authority looks so small from here. Unreachable. Superior. Is that what Mikey was to them?

He never wanted that.

He never wanted anyone to feel inferior.

He wondered how Y/N felt.

"Good evening, Captain!" The members all shout. Mikey could add to that thought that there were many more members in the gang. Draken must've rounded up as many delinquents as he could.

But he watched as Draken, Takemichi and Mitsuya all parted a way and bowed.

And through the girl from the workshop walked.

"Fuck off..." Mikey mumbled to himself, not believing what he was seeing.

She wore the Toman overcoat and pants, not buttoning up the jacket and leaving it swaying behind her. She had a white tank top underneath, arms through the sleeves of the coat and in the pockets of the pants. The sides of the jacket staying in between the insides of her wrists and her waist. It became a cape behind her, blowing in the air.

"At ease." She calls out, tugging the mask down, making them all stand up tall again.

And Mikey gets a good look at sixteen-year-old (nearly 17, if Mikey remembered correctly) Hanemiya Y/N.

The girl he dated in middle school, who wanted nothing to do with actually fighting but being by his side the whole time, was now running the gang he abandoned.

She looks over them all, at the pedestal they all put her on. Draken stood a few feet behind her, like how he used to for Mikey. "We're discussing something that has been brought to my attention by the Fourth Division Captains." She claims, voice full of confidence.

Everyone turns to the twins before looking back at Y/N.

"I'll put it simply." She says, dipping her chin, "We have a traitor."

Whispers surround her. Then, someone shouts out, "Who would betray Toman?"

That's when Mikey watches as Draken walks towards a certain boy, grabbing him by the collar of his Toman uniform and dragging him to the front. Y/N stood there with an unimpressed expression, hands still in her pockets.

Draken makes the person kneel in front of Y/N, glaring at him before taking his spot behind the captain. Y/N walks down the few steps, stopping in front of the traitor.

"Anything you'd like to say?" She questions, kneeling down in front of him, "Or have you done enough for the enemy gang already?"

The traitor is scared as shit. He's shaking on the floor, hands on his knees as he faces down. He's made a mistake and he knows it.

But he scowls, "You changed Toman in the four years you became Commander. This shit-hole of a gang is nothing." He glares up to Y/N, clenching jaw. "Things were better when Mikey was here. That's why I ratted Toman out. We need a new leader."

Her eye twitched at the mention of her ex.

"Nothing else?" Y/N huffs out, standing back up. She stares at the guy below her. She tilts her head. For a second, Mikey thinks she's going to let Draken handle it.

But Y/N winds up an axe kick, heel landing on the traitor's head.

Nobody is surprised, only looking away as Y/N stands up straight again. Mikey is gawking. No way that was his Y/N. It couldn't be.

The traitor lifts his head up, bloody from getting kicked into the ground. His nose is definitely broken and there's tears in his eyes. Y/N pushes the sole of her feet against the back of his head.

"I don't have time for this. I've got other things to do, this shitty meeting interrupted it." She grunts, walking back to her spot at the front. She glances over to one of her captains. "I trust you'll take care of things?"

The Fifth Division Captain nods his head.

Y/N sighs out, taking her mask out of her pocket, "Good. Draken, Takemichi, Chifuyu, Mitsuya. With me." She turns to the rest of her crew. "If there are no other points to be made, this meeting is dismissed."

Everybody bows at her. "Good evening, Ma'am!" They shout to her.

Y/N waves her hand, allowing the rest of the Divisions to leave, all scowling at the traitor. The Fifth Division stayed behind to deal with him.

Once the Division took the traitor away from their meeting spot, Draken waited for them to be out of sight. Mikey was careful to keep himself hidden. He couldn't face them yet.

"They're all gone, Commander." Draken calls out.

Once a minute of silence passes, Y/N begins to fall, hand reaching out to Mitsuya beside her. As her knees hit the floor, Mitsuya held onto her arms, kneeling beside her.

"Are you alright, Y/N?" He questions, furrowed brows.

"Mhm." She retorts, nodding her head as Takemichi helps her up, "I hate it when they do that."

Chifuyu raises a brow. "Do what?"

"Talk about Mikey." She grunts, standing up straight as she pats her stomach, "That guy only joined a year ago. Doesn't even know him..."

Mitsuya scans her for a second before stating, "We should fix your—"

"At home." She interrupts, looking distracted. Mitsuya nods his head.

Draken walks towards her, pulling out a phone. He hands it to her. "It's been ringing ever since before the meeting." He claims, letting Y/N take it from him, "It's Emma."

"You sure it's not for you?" She jokes, raising a brow at him. Draken rolls his eyes as Y/N takes the call. "Hey, I told you I was having a meeting. What's wrong?"

She stays quiet for a second before widening her eyes. She sighs out, "You have Draken's number, don't you? Oh? He ignored your texts?" Y/N glares over to Draken, who looks away. "Alright, well, I'm sending him for it. Expect him in a few minutes. See you for dinner."

As she hangs up, she turns to the boys. Her eyes land on Draken. "Buy Emma what she texted you. Be at the house within 20 minutes." She said, pointing to his phone. Draken nods his head, already off and telling Mitsuya to see her home.

"Takemichi, Chifuyu." Y/N speaks out, hands in her pockets again, "I'm going to meet with that gang the traitor is from. Come around to mine at 12 tomorrow afternoon." They nod their heads, walking off.

"You be there too." She tells Mitsuya, who has his arms crossed over his chest, "I know Takemichi is getting lessons from Chifuyu, but we'll need a little extra muscle. Can I count on you?"

Mitsuya nods his head, a smile on his lips. "Always. Does Draken know?" He questions, walking a bit behind her as she went to their bikes.

"I'll tell him later." She inputs, making him shake his head. She rub her side before looking over her shoulder to him. "Wanna' get some dinner? I'm already buying for me, Draken and Emma."

Mitsuya shyly smiles at that, shrugging his shoulders. "Ah, not this time." He chuckles out, hopping onto his bike as she did, "Luna and Mana are probably waiting for me to get home with the materials for their projects. I should be getting started on Sunday."

Y/N begins her bike, sitting back and nodding at him. "Ah, alright. Well, you should head off then. I'll tell Draken you dropped me at my doorstep like a good boy." She chuckles, revving her engine, "See you later. Have a good night."

He grins softly and replies, "Goodnight, Y/N."

She drives off first. Mikey, who is pulling the hood over his head and walking to his own bike, doesn't miss the stare Mitsuya gives her. And he can't blame Mitsuya. But he can't accept it.

Because it's the same look Mikey used to give her.

Mikey's following after Y/N as Mitsuya drives the other way.

He doesn't know where she's going, isn't her house for sale? But once he drives down the streets she's taking, he recognises the street.

That's his house she's in the driveway of.

Y/N removes the mask she put on before she drove off, running fingers through her hair as she goes to close the gate. The dinner is set by the door. But looking up from her phone, she lays her eyes on Mikey, standing there with one hand on the open gate at his hips.

He watches her visibly freeze, eyes staring at him with such a look... He doesn't know whether she's frightened or enraged. Her Toman jacket hangs behind her, her tank top moving as she takes a deep breath in. Mikey swallows silently.

"Hello." He says.

She pulls out a pistol.

...

"I..." He begins, standing up more straighter but trying not to let his emotions show, "Is something wrong?"

"Who the Hell are you?" Y/N questions, voice harsh and cold. Unusual towards Mikey. When he doesn't reply, she pushes the end of the pistol against his shoulder. "Answer me."

He can feel her shaky hands holding the pistol against his clothed shoulder. That means she was nervous. Even though she looks calculated and menacing.

Mikey slowly brings his hand up and holds the pistol. "It's me, Y/N." He sighs out, eyes on the gun for a second. He looks back at her.

She's squinting at him, clenching her jaw. A few seconds later, she drops the gun, pulling it out of his hold and putting it back in its holder. "Fuck..." She groans to herself, turning away from him, "Was hoping it wasn't you."

Mikey lets out a sigh of relief. Even with his hair difference, she knows that it's him. He could tell that she recognised him from the moment they met eyes. But the thick venom in her voice makes him furrow his brows.

He walks through the gate as she goes to close the garage door. "What're you doing here?" She questions.

"What are you doing here?" He interrupts, looking around to his house, "Your place is on sale now?"

She furrows her brows, looking over to him and stopping on her tracks. "What the Hell were you doing at my old home?" She questions, irritated by his past actions.

"I wanted to see you." Mikey admits, hands in his pockets, "You said... you'd be waiting for me, and only me."

Y/N stares at him, expression softening at that. Four years ago, she did say that, didn't she? She also said her heart would be his the whole while. But that was the same night Mikey had killed her older brother. She wasn't in the right mindset.

It's a shame it took her months to figure that out.

"You also said to find someone better."

Mikey stops, seeing her unable to meet his gaze. She's clenching her fists at her sides as she glares at the ground.

He takes a step forward. "Did... Did you?" He whispers out.

She doesn't answer as she looks back at him. "What the Hell are you doing back here?" She grunts, turning to him fully. She points an accusing finger at him. "You went and left us for four fucking years, and now you appear out of the blue and try to talk to me like you didn't ruin my whole life years ago. And you—you're worried about if I found someone new?"

She lifts a hand and roughly wipes her face, unable to come to reality with that fact. She sighs, furrowed brows, "Don't you want to know about Toman? About how the people you abandoned are? You didn't even speak to Draken, and he was going out of his mind. You left us all with nothing, our Second in Command didn't know what to do and the Division Captains were struggling to control their Divisions without a leader."

Mikey looks to the ground. He lets out a breath, "But now you're their Commander..."

"Only because I fucking had to be!" She shouted at him, poking her finger into his chest, "You know how much shit you put on me when you left? My parents had Kazu's funeral the day right before my graduation, and I didn't even realise until I got a text from Hina asking if I was ready to go. Not to mention, Toman was crumbling and I had Draken, Chifuyu, Mitsuya and Takemichi on my doorstep everyday, frustrated and almost unwilling to continue."

She was shouting so loud at this point. All the pent up anger from the past four years, all building up the longer he left her there. Emma was probably in her room, listening to music or watching TV on full blast since that's what she usually did.

"You were supposed to take the middle school graduation photo with me." She states, knit brows as she leans away from him, "You were supposed to walk with me to school and back home, to sneak in for a sleepover and take me out on secret dates. You said you'd stay and you said you loved me—"

"I still love you." He tells her.

She shakes her head, closing her eyes. She laughs out at him, "Yeah, you loved me so much that you made me turn out just like you." She pulls out the pistol from behind her, presenting it to her ex. "I got this for my birthday after joining the gang and being appointed their leader by all the captains. For my fucking birthday. I was turning fifteen, Mikey, and I was already you."

She slouches her shoulders. Almost like her legs were giving out, she sat down on the doorstep. She huffs out, hanging her head, "You always said you hated your life, but I never wanted to experience it. Because you know what you are to me now?"

He doesn't say anything. But she answers anyway.

"You're to me what Kazutora was to you." She tells him quietly.

He can feel his heart ache at that. He still hated Kazutora after these years that passed. He replayed the scene of him killing him in his mind every so often. And he still can't say he regretted it.

"They chose me to be their leader because I was the one telling Mitsuya, Draken, Takemichi and Chifuyu what to do. I was their 'acting leader' and Draken just pretended to be." She explains to Mikey, who stands there shivering, "I didn't know how to fight or anything, I just knew everything about rival gangs because you taught me. Luckily for Toman, Mitsuya and Draken became my teachers."

She put the gun back into the holster, looking up to Mikey from her position sitting down. She gives him a sad grin. "I'm not even very good. If I were to fight any of my men one on one, I'd lose in about 10 minutes, even with the gun." Y/N claimed, closing her eyes tiredly. Mikey saw the dark circles. "But it was enough for Toman, so I had to be more."

Mikey didn't like this. How she looked now, how she acted. It reminded him of how Shinichiro appeared to be in front of other gangs. How...

"Look at me now." She says, turning away from him, "I'm just Sano Manjiro, except with a pistol. Exactly the same." She lifts her shoulders, feeling this feeling bubble within her chest. "Is this what you wanted? What you wanted me to become?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me, Mikey. You don't get to anymore."

He gulps, looking to the floor in guilt, "I wanted you to be better."

"Well, look how well that turned out." She spits out, brushing her hair from her face and standing up. She looks him dead in the eye. "I hate myself. You obviously didn't think it through."

He retorts, his own shoulders stiffening up as he takes a slight step forward, "I just wanted you to grow up."

"So you forced me to?"

"You didn't need him." He sternly informs her, "Not like how I needed my brother. Shinichiro was a good guy, he didn't deserve what Kazutora did to him."

Y/N stares at him. Unbelievable. She wants to raise a hand and slap him, as hard as she can. He has it coming, doesn't he? She really wants to do it.

Instead, she scowls, "Who made you God and choose who lives and who dies? You don't get to tell me that I didn't need Kazutora. My brother was the only one who I could count on 'til the end—"

"That's not true." He pushes on.

"Shut up! It is, Kazutora was my older brother and I wish he was here right now! He could've helped me!" She says back to him, feeling her whole body heat up with such rage.

Mikey shakes his head, getting just as frustrated. "No, you don't get it." He says in response, holding out a hand in gesture, "You didn't need Kazutora. He wasn't in the right state of mind and he was hurting you. No one should be doing that. It's manipulative."

"Oh, like you were any better?" She scoffs out, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

Mikey could've snapped at any moment but he decided to do so at that moment. He takes a step forward, almost chest to chest with Y/N. She glares harder, wanting to take a step back but she can't show weakness. She learnt not to.

"Y/N, you hold onto anyone who seems the least bit interested in being at your side and being there for you." Mikey claims, looking as serious as ever, "The brother you know is the guy before he broke into Shinichiro's shop. He's changed. You need to realise that people do that. You can't hang on to something that doesn't exist anymore."

He takes in a deep breath as Y/N's face falls, "You need to learn to let people go that don't do you anymore good. Not everyone is going to stay, and I'd hope you'd realise that by now." He drops his serious act, relaxing into his shoes. "No one's just a good person. There's always something behind it."

She's crying at this point. A familiar scene to him.

But Mikey finishes off, "I love you, for real. So I didn't want him ruining you. I know I have but... that's the price to pay when the person you rely on goes away."

She slaps him. Tears and all.

As Mikey holds his cheek, she pushes him away from her, staring at the ground. Tears trickle down her cheeks as she shakes. "You should've let me mourn." She cries out, looking frightened, "You don't let the person you love experience all the bad shit you did. That's... That's so terrible. You made me think that I had to grow up and figure everything out as quickly as I could. Your trauma doesn't let you fuck up other people."

She brings her hands up and covers her face. "My parents moved out of town as soon as the funeral was finished, they left me here because I said I wanted to continue my education here, but in reality I just felt like I was tied here." She sobs, voice cracking, "Emma let me move in when that happened. I had people coming after her too. Fuck, I took a a drive-by bat hit for her. I'm lucky I saw it coming after visiting Kazu's grave and covered my head."

She looks defeated. "And I know what you're saying is true but... wouldn't you want to keep the best version of your brother in your head?" She murmurs.

"Y/N." Mikey calls out, looking back to her, "You're bleeding."

She holds her breath, opening her eyes and looking down to her tank top. "S—...Shit." She coughs out, covering her mouth, "Mikey, I know you understand everything I'm saying. So please listen to me when I say, that everything in this town used to belong to you."

She wipes the corner of her mouth, facing him.

Y/N grunts, "But now there's me."

Mikey feels all hope drain. He's never heard her so tired, disappointed, irritated.

And to add onto that, two familiar people.

"Y/N!" Two voices shout out, making Y/N and Mikey turn around. There, Mitsuya and Draken drive their bikes into the driveway.

They both get off their bikes as quickly as they can, eyes on different people. Draken goes for Mikey, tackling him to the ground as Mitsuya holds onto Y/N's shoulders.

"Are you alright? You re-opened your wounds... again?" He whispers to her, pulling her away from the other two. Y/N only hums a noise as she watched.

"Who the Hell are you?" Draken growls out, making Mikey now understand where she learnt to speak like that.

Mikey replies, "You don't recognise your best friend?"

Draken suddenly realises who it is, making him stand back up and away from him. "Mikey...?" He mutters, getting a nod of his head in return, "You're back?"

Mitsuya immediately looks back to Y/N, seeing her wiping her tears away. He doesn't say anything, only opening the door.

Y/N sees that Draken is unable to say anything. She looks to the entrance, sighing out, "I brought enough dinner for everyone, Mikey can just have Draken's extra bento. I'm sure you have time to talk to your friend and sister. I got one for you too, Takashi."

There's no room for argument as Y/N walks inside, as if not hurt. Mitsuya picks up the dinner and follows. Draken, sparing a look to Mikey, is next. The ex-leader is soon inside, closing the door behind him. She immediately sees Emma on the couch, watching her show loudly.

"Ah! Y/N!" She shouts, getting off the couch and rushing over to envelope her in a giant hug. Y/N chuckles, using one arm to hug her and the other to cover her stomach with her jacket. "It's so late! I thought that meeting was only meant to be quick!"

Y/N pulls away, shrugging her shoulders. "Kind of got held up with something. Takashi's putting the dinner on the table. Grab yours before the others take it." She says, secretly hiding her opening wound as she makes her way upstairs. Mitsuya quickly puts the dinner down and follows.

Draken and Mikey walk in, making Emma turn around and her eyes land on her brother. She goes quiet. Y/N doesn't know the rest as she closes her bedroom door.

Mitsuya, who was dropping off the things in his sister's room, gives him a quick heads up that Draken's friend is over, and to not disturb them. His sisters would sleep over at this head for a few days when something with the gang was up. It was easier for Mitsuya.

He enters the bedroom to see Y/N hunched over the bathtub in the bathroom, shoulders shaking as she cries. She's pulled her jacket off and it lays on the bed. This was how it usually was.

After a hard day, Mitsuya would come into this room and see that she's crying. Somewhere. She's crying, breaking down after holding herself up. Growing up too fast is a talent that people shouldn't have.

"Alright, let's get it fixed." Mitsuya says, already taking out the bandage wrap from the cupboard, "After this, change into some night clothes. I want you eating dinner and going straight to sleep."

Y/N huffs out her tension, sitting on the sink bench and lifting her tank top a little, just enough to replace the old bandages. Mitsuya gets to work.

"Did you know?" He asks.

"He just showed up." She retorts, moving a little as Mitsuya pulls the wrapping off her waist.

"What did he say?" He hums, opening the bin and throwing the bloodied wrap away.

Y/N leaned against the mirror. "Nothing I didn't expect." She sighs to him, wiping her face. She gathers some water and splashes her eyes and cheeks as well as cleaning the skin around the cut. It was from an ambush a day ago, which is what the traitor was working for. To kill Y/N.

As Mitsuya fixes the bandage around her waist, Y/N leans forward and lets her forehead rest against his shoulder. "I'm tired, Takashi." She grunts, furrowed brows, "I want to stay. I can't keep doing this."

Mitsuya looks at her in the mirror, the way her shoulders tensed. He fixed the wrapping on her back and gently hugged her. "I know, Y/N. We could always let Draken become leader again." He says.

"I'll die if I don't everything I need to." She states, lifting her head.

Mitsuya gives a small grin, reaching out and gently caressing her cheek, "You might die if you do."

Y/N only stands up, walking out of the bathroom and grabbing some clothes. She throws some to Mitsuya. "I can't even help it, no matter how much I want to stop." She grumbles to herself, changing shirts, "I've already become this person. I can't change it."

She stares at her hands. She can sense Mitsuya's gaze on her, filled with concern. She continues to change. "I can blame him all I want, but in the end, I made all those decisions consciously. I just followed." She tells herself. Her anger for Mikey now aimed at herself. And she hated this girl she became even more.

"I've been fucked up real bad, huh, Mitsuya Takashi?"

#sano mikey #sano mikey x reader #sano mikey manjiro #sano mikey manjiro x reader #mikey #mikey x reader #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo rev #tokyo rev x reader #anime #anime x reader

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makeste · 3 years

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I like Bakuguo but his attitude is starting to really piss me off. He's talking about Daku as if he's just ~crazy~ and as if he isn't partly to blame for Deku's toxic self-worth issues. It's infuriating to watch. If Bakuguo doesn’t admit out loud and in front of his friends that his bullying of Deku played a part in Deku's current destructive state and if he doesn’t verbally apologize and reaffirm Deku's worth then I can no longer like Bakuguo's character or Hori's writing.

tbh I don't really know why this is the discourse of choice for people all of a sudden, but this is already the second ask I've gotten about it, so I might as well address it lol.

I think fandom is conflating fanon!Deku and canon!Deku here again. fanon Deku is of course much more sensitive and woobified and has much shakier self-esteem. fanon Deku is the one that turns evil in so many AUs because of Kacchan's bullying. fanon Deku is the one that actually jumps off the roof in so many fics, as opposed to fishing his notebook back out of the pond a few minutes later grumbling about how Kacchan needs to think before he speaks or else he could land himself in serious shit one day if god forbid anyone actually does take his cruel words to heart.

and just to clarify before I get any further, I am not saying this to excuse Kacchan's actions in any way, because what he did was still completely terrible and unacceptable and WAY over the line, and what's more he knew it, too. the bullying was still shitty and horrible and awful, and definitely impacted Deku and made him miserable. I fully acknowledge that, and that Kacchan has a lot of atoning to do for it. this is not a "Kacchan did nothing wrong" post.

but that being said, I don't think canon Deku's reckless self-sacrificing nature actually has anything to do with the bullying. I think they're two completely separate things. canon Deku actually has pretty decent self-esteem in spite of everything Kacchan did to him. canon Deku doesn't think he is useless. canon Deku had a wholeass fight with Kacchan less than 10 chapters into the series in which he explicitly spelled it out for Kacchan that he had a lot of worth, and was going to prove it to him. canon Deku was persistent in wanting to become a hero and hoping and believing that he could find some way in spite of being quirkless. canon Deku never let go of that dream even when no one else supported it. I don't think he would have even given up on it after being told no by All Might, tbh -- we just never got to see how it would have played out because of everything that happened with the sludge monster shortly afterward. but he's not the type to ever give up on something that easily, and we've seen that. canon Deku never thought he was useless, but rather wanted to prove to everyone else that he wasn't.

the drive that Deku has to save and protect others even at the expense of his own safety is something entirely separate from that. he doesn't break his body for others simply because he has no self-esteem and thinks that his own life isn't important. he does it because he can't stand the thought of someone else getting hurt, and knowing that he could have done something to prevent it. it's as simple as that. like, Spider-Man has the whole "with great power comes great responsibility" thing, right? and he doesn't have low self-esteem; he simply believes that if he has the ability to help someone else, then he has a responsibility to help them. it's a personal creed. and Deku is based on Spider-Man. his philosophy is based on that philosophy, which was one of Horikoshi's core influences and is one of the core creeds in superhero fiction.

Deku is self-destructive not because he doesn't value himself, but because he is literally physically incapable of standing back and doing nothing if he knows that he can do something. he's the type of person who sees a car speeding towards someone and leaps in to push them out of the way. NOT because he wants to get himself fucking pancaked by a speeding car, but simply because he can't sit back and watch the other person get hurt without taking action. his body moves before he can think. and that's where the whole "doesn't take himself into account" thing comes in -- the fact that his thought process simply stops at "get them out of the way of the car", and never extends beyond that to "hey, and maybe I should try to find a way to do this that doesn't involve me getting hit in their place." to him, that's simply less important than the first priority, which is getting the other person out of the way.

and regarding that last part, while that may seem like a self-worth issue if he's prioritizing everyone else above himself, I think what it actually is just selflessness taken to extremes. like for instance, when a parent sacrifices themselves to save their child, them placing the child's life above their own isn't necessarily because they don't see themselves as having value. rather, it's that they love the child so much that they place their well-being even above their own. and that's what Deku is like as well. except that in his case he cares about EVERYONE, and so is willing to sacrifice himself for anyone. and that selflessness is his defining character trait, and simultaneously the most admirable and the most terrifying thing about him. it's both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness, which I think is fascinating to explore.

but anyway, so that's also why we never really see anyone thoroughly chewing him out for this behavior either. because the thing is, it is admirable how selfless he is. it's just that there's also a reason why most people are at least a little bit selfish. and that's because too much selflessness will ultimately and inevitably wind up getting you killed. at some point you either have to learn when to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, or else find yourself a loyal group of friends (or classmates) to watch your back, and make sure that mask gets on you when you need it. and maybe help you land the plane too while they're at it.

anyway so that was a lot of rambling, but basically it all boils down to three things:

when Deku berates himself for being useless (for instance at the end of the War arc), he's doing it out of frustration for not being able to push the others out of the way of the metaphorical car. that's the kind of uselessness he can't stand. the sitting-back-and-doing-nothing uselessness.

Kacchan's bullying was terrible, and it might have indeed played a part in Deku's choice of the word "useless" as a way of berating himself in these instances, but he is not the one who gave Deku this mindset of taking himself out of the equation. that's something that was already inherent to Deku from day one. (but that said, Kacchan has a lot of things to apologize to Deku for anyway, so if he wants to add this to the list I certainly won't stop him. he gets mad about Deku's suicidal attitude because it worries him, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't feel responsible for it. people underestimated his feelings of atonement before 284/285, and I think they're still underestimating him now.)

and lastly, one last important note, which is that Deku's current "saving" mindset isn't wrong, just as Kacchan's "winning" mindset was not wrong either. the lesson to be learned here is NOT that being selfless and wanting to save other people is bad. rather, it's the fact that he's trying to do it alone that's got him all fucked up right now. basically when you think about it, selflessness is really just selfishness on someone else's behalf. which means that in order for Deku to be saved, it isn't necessary for him to change his outlook or his selfless attitude, even if it is pretty crazy lol. rather, all he really needs is a good group of friends who are willing to act selfishly on his behalf in return. protecting each other through mutual selflessness lol. teamwork as self-preservation. hence why the U.A. kids are here now.

anyway so yeah, I think that's everything. sorry this got so long and out of control lol. this is just a very specific nuanced thing that's hard for me to express, but which I feel is very important when it comes to Deku's character. Kacchan didn't unleash Depressed Nomad Deku on the world (or at least not in this respect). but that being said, he and the others will hopefully be the ones to nudge him back on the right course again.

#bnha 319 #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #bnha meta #deku meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #anon asks #long post

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grewlikefancyflowers · 3 years

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JC’s deeply rooted resentment of WWX, JFM’s parenting, and the inevitability of the falling out of the ‘Yunmeng bros’.

In discussion of the breakdown of JC and WWX’s relationship, their falling out is often regarded as a mutual failing on both sides to properly communicate and maintain their relationship. I’m making the case here that their falling out was a foregone conclusion from the start, and in no part due to the actions of Wei Wuxian.

This is because YZY has instilled in JC the idea that JFM dislikes him, something he believes before WWX arrives in Lotus Pier, JC already feels inferior, thus as soon as potential competition for JFM’s attention comes along in the form of WWX, JC resents him, believes JFM prefers him, and looks for reasons to justify this.

Summarising their very first interactions - from chapter 71 - WWX arrives at LP, sees JC with his puppies and is so terrified that he refuses to come down from JFM’s arms the entire day. The second day, JFM gives JC’s puppies away.

Now, I would like to think that no one seriously believes that this is an act of favouritism, but I have seen this case being made so I just want to make clear that WWX is obviously traumatised by his previous interactions with dogs. After trying for a whole day to comfort WWX, with no success, JFM does not exactly have any other choice than to give the puppies away, WWX cannot be expected to live in constant terror in the place that is supposed to be his home.

Consequently, ‘This angered Jiang Cheng so much that he threw a big tantrum. No matter how much Jiang FengMian comforted him gently, telling him that they should ‘be good friends’, he refused to talk to Wei WuXian.’

JC’s reaction is fairly understandable for an 8 year old. JFM comforts JC, and does not treat him callously or dismiss him, however it takes several days until JC will even talk to WWX.

When JC does start to warm up to him, JFM thinks it’d be a good idea for them to have a sleepover, JC is on the ‘verge of agreeing’ to this, which JFM is overjoyed by - so much so that he picks WWX up.

This is not an example of favouritism, JFM doesn't repeatedly give affection to WWX and not JC, he holds him twice - the first instance being purely because WWX was too terrified to leave his arms, the second being this one. These are the only two times where JFM is described as being affectionate towards WWX, JC is still in the lead on this count. But JC interprets this as JFM preferring WWX.

This results in the JC shutting WWX out at night.

At that time, Wei WuXian didn’t know what Jiang Cheng was mad about at all. After a pause, he replied, “I didn’t steal anything. It’s Uncle Jiang who told me to sleep with you.”

Hearing that he was still bringing up his father, almost as if he was purposely showing off, Jiang Cheng’s eyes reddened as he yelled, “Go away! If I see you again, I’ll call a bunch of dogs to bite you!”

This is the important part - JC sees WWX in the worst possible light, and rarely thinks of WWX as a person outside of how he directly impacts JC - he concludes that WWX is purposefully antagonising him, this is a trend that continues well into adulthood.

Then, when WWX flees LP after JC threatens him with dogs, JYL tells JC to find people to help search for him. However,

‘If any other disciple or servant learned about this and told Jiang FengMian, after Jiang FengMian knew how he threw Wei WuXian’s sheets out and made him hurt his leg, Jiang FengMian would definitely dislike him even more. This was also why he only dared chase after them alone and didn’t get anyone else.’

JC has obviously behaved wrongly here, and JFM would be right to scold him for it, but JC interprets this as JFM disliking him. We haven’t seen anything to suggest that JFM actually dislikes JC, he always treats him quite gently, actually. But JC is already at the conclusion that JFM dislikes him, and twists events to suit this - if his dad scolds him for misbehaving, it’s because he dislikes him. This pattern repeats after the Xuanwu Cave arc too.

This is because Madam Yu has ingrained into him the idea that JFM dislikes him, because he’s her son. This has nothing to do with WWX - because both her and JC already believe that JFM dislikes JC prior to WWX’s arrival - she only sees him as additional fuel to use.

The only other person who mentions JFM supposedly treating WWX better than JC is JZX. I’m sure it's a coincidence that he’s the son of YZY’s best friend.

‘“Doesn’t he treat you better than treating his own child or something?”’

Note the ‘or something’, - JZX doesn’t seem to know this with certainty - he’s repeating what others have said, despite having visited Lotus Pier several times (as stated in ch.69), JZX hasn’t seen evidence for himself that JFM prefers WWX.

‘“Maybe I should’ve let you hit him, while I stand aside and watch. This way, Uncle Jiang might not need to come. Oh well, I really couldn’t hold back!”’

We know that WWX doesn’t see JFM as favouring him - so what does he mean by this? Well, LQR has had it out for WWX from the moment they met, and has already sent a letter to JFM complaining of his behaviour - at this point WWX doesn’t know that this results in them breaking the JZX/JYL engagement either, so he’s probably purely thinking that LQR summoned JFM to CR to discuss WWX’s repeated offenses. JC hasn’t done anything to invoke LQR’s ire (or rather, he’s gotten away with everything he has done), so WWX thinks that if JC fought JZX, it would not have been treated so seriously, compared to WWX, who has repeatedly misbehaved.

Contrary to fanon interpretation, WWX is not oblivious to other people’s feelings, he’s very empathetic, and additionally understands JC very well. He doesn’t see how JC is feeling here, because JC’s feelings are just so illogical...

‘Although it was only Wei WuXian’s casual words, he held mixed feelings, because he knew that this wasn’t a lie.

Jiang FengMian had never hurried to another sect in one day for anything related to him, no matter if the issue was good or bad, large or small.

Never.’

Once again, JC’s at the conclusion that JFM dislikes him, he twists events to support this. He’s looking at this scenario very strangely - JFM didn’t rush to CR because he likes WWX, he was called there by LQR, to discuss JYL’s engagement with JZX. Secondly, we’re never given any examples of scenarios where JC does anything to warrant JFM rushing over. As far as we know, they never even stay with other sects. Knowing JC’s personality, his dislike of doing anything to rock the boat, it’s extremely unlikely that he’s ever done anything to warrant JFM rushing over like this. Moreover, it’s a bizarre thing to be jealous of, WWX is in trouble, he’s not on the receiving end of positive attention from JFM.

JC’s flawed reasoning is once again illustrated after the Xuanwu Cave arc...

‘Jiang Cheng’s expression was complicated after he had finished listening.’

This is Jiang Cheng’s reaction after WWX credits LWJ with killing the tortoise of slaughter - this is before JFM congratulates him. Before JFM says anything, JC is purely resentful about WWX having done something heroic, more so, resentful that WWX is willingly to let LWJ take most of the credit - he’s annoyed about this, most likely feeling that WWX is rubbing in his face that he doesn’t need the recognition that JC so desperately craves.

‘Jiang FengMian nodded and said, “You did well.”

Killing a giant 400-year-old beast at only 17 was way beyond what one would call ‘doing well.’’

JFM knows about JC’s… issues, he knows how he’ll react to WWX’s receiving recognition, he likely purposefully downplays his praise to avoid upsetting him. (Who’s really being favouritised? Lol)

But, even to this, JC reacts badly, he lashes out at WWX, once more interpreting him in the worst possible way.

‘Jiang Cheng hissed, “Too fucking bad, then. You shouldn’t have been so damn stubborn and you shouldn’t have cared so damn much about such a trivial thing. If you’d never moved in the first place –”’

JC’s response is to basically tell him the entire incident was his fault. Which is objectively not true - WWX only gets involved in the conflict after it has already started, and then he acts deliberately to try to end it, rather than impulsively fighting. He also starts to say that WWX should have left their allies - LWJ and JZX - to die. This is where JFM cuts him off, and tells him it’s not appropriate to say such things - he’s not scolding him harshly, JC is not being unfairly treated here, he’s done wrong, and JFM is trying to teach him why, you know, parenting. But JC, and YZY, take this to mean JFM dislikes JC.

JFM tries to teach JC about the Jiang sect’s motto once more - this is of course, not just about the motto, but about the values that JFM wants to instill in him, as a parent.

This is where Madam Yu arrives.

“Yes, he doesn’t understand, but what does it matter, as long as Wei Ying understands?!”

Of course, what she says is nonsensical, it does matter to JFM that JC understands the motto, that’s why he’s trying to teach him. If he did not care, he would have given in already.

This is further supported...

‘Jiang Cheng’s appearance and temperament all resembled his mother’s. Jiang FengMian guided him from childhood, but no matter how much he tried, he still couldn’t change his son’s nature. As such, it always seemed like he disliked his son.’

JFM has never been dismissive of JC just because he’s YZY’s son, he’s always tried to teach him, but JC always had his mother’s nature - YZY’s nature being harsh, standoffish, foul tempered, with no care for others - Note that is says it ‘seems’ like he dislikes his son, solely because he’s trying to teach him to be a better person. He has good reason for doing so - as a kid, JC never had friends, he doesn’t seem to as an adult either, he only has Jin Ling, whom he pushes away with his foul temper. JFM was just trying to raise JC to being an even-tempered person, capable of functioning in society, which is kind of what parents are supposed to do. But once more, this is taken as dislike.

Note that during JC’s outburst, every single thing JC claims about what JFM thinks of him, he’s parroting what YZY has said, none of these points have any actual evidence.

The next point to consider is how JC blames WWX for the fall of LP, despite it objectively not being his fault - JC knows this too.

‘In his heart, Jiang Cheng knew clearly that back in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter at Dusk-Creek Mountain, even if Wei WuXian hadn’t saved Lan WangJi, the Wen Sect would have found some reason to come over sooner or later’

Even if WWX’s actions did prompt the Wens to act sooner than they otherwise might have - coming sooner or later would have made no difference at all because YZY outright stated she had no intention of preparing for an attack, even after WWX suggests they should, and JFM was still going to the Wens asking for their swords back - they were still uselessly trying to suck up to the Wens, thinking it would save them.

Despite knowing deep down that WWX was not to blame - he still uses it to fuel his resentment of WWX, because the resentment was there from the beginning, the only uncertainty is the means he uses to justify it.

During the ancestral hall confrontation - he uses this excuse again.

‘Jiang Cheng responded contemptuously, “You really are forgetful. What’s called a shameful person? Let me remind you. Just because you decided to be a hero and save this Second Young Master Lan, the entire Lotus Pier including my father and mother was buried. If this wasn’t enough, after the first time, you still want a second time, even wanting to save Wen-dogs and implicating my sister and her husband, how noble of you. Even nobler, you are so magnanimous to bring these two to Lotus Pier. Allowing the Wen-dog to stand at the front of my gates and letting Second Young Master Lan offer joss sticks, purely trying to antagonize me.’

Obviously, WWX did none of these things to antagonise JC, in fact he was going through a complex emotional journey of realising that he has feelings for LWJ, and that LWJ probably has feelings for him too, he doesn’t go to the ancestral shrine to mess around - he’s ‘introducing’ LWJ to JFM, YZY, and JYL, because he’s thinking about marrying him.

The problem is, JC never really sees WWX as a person, WWX has always been more of a concept - someone to compare himself to, the reason his father doesn’t like him, the reason his mother uses to berate him. It doesn’t occur to JC that WWX is a person outside of what he is to JC, and he is therefore incapable of empathising with what WWX might be feeling right now, instead the only possible conclusion is that he’s antagonising JC.

He follows the same line of thinking when WWX defects with the Wens. JC knows what he and WWX owe them, in fact JC owes them, far, far more than what WWX does - it was his parents whose bodies Wen Ning retrieved, and it was him who WN had to rescue from LP. But JC thinks, he can get away with not paying this debt, so why should he? JC is selfish, he doesn’t understand why WWX would want to help others when he doesn’t have to, so JC concludes, this is WWX showing off, ‘playing the hero’.

Because from the moment they met, JC has never tried to know WWX for who he is, whatever WWX does, JC interprets in a negative light - when WWX tries to get LWJ’s attention, (despite it being painstakingly obvious that WWX has a crush on him) JC concludes that WWX is messing around foolishly, without reason (parroting the untrue things YZY says about WWX always seeking trouble). When WWX wants to help people, he’s playing the hero, one upping JC. JC only ever thinks of WWX in relation to himself - when WWX disappears for three months, JC’s immediate complaint is that WWX kept him waiting, that he’s put JC out by making him search for him. You could argue that JC was just worried about WWX, and not able to express it - and on some level that’s true. But there’s a very intentional contrast between how LWJ and JC react to WWX’s return - LWJ is worried about WWX, about how his cultivation method is affecting him, moreover, WWX is very clearly not himself. JC, however, does not care for that - he only sees WWX, and modao, as a tool for killing Wens.

It takes almost nothing for JGS to manipulate JC into turning against WWX in ch.73 - he readily believes every negative thing JGS says about WWX, despite being called out directly for lying by LWJ. JGS talks as if he is a servant who has forgotten his place, unlike JYL, JC does not defend him. He refuses to speak up for him - he claims that no one will - yet LWJ and MianMian did. JC didn’t turn on WWX because it was impossible for him to speak up - he was living proof that WQ and WN did not support the Wen sect in the war, he drops him the moment he can because he’s resented him from the beginning.

Another interesting tidbit about JC just fundamentally not understanding who WWX is as a person, is that he only blames LWJ for the Xuanwu Cave incident - not JZX, despite him behaving no differently to how LWJ does. This is probably because he realises WWX’s fixation on LWJ, and supposes that this is the reason that WWX got involved in the conflict. But of course, WWX would have done something whether it was solely JZX, or just a random person.

Taking all this into account, it seems almost inevitable that WWX and JC would fall out eventually, because JC was, from the start, looking for reasons to dislike WWX, he turns against him at the first opportunity he got. For the ‘Yunmeng bros’ to have a healthy relationship, JC would simply have to fix his entire personality.

JC is unable to see WWX as a person, right up until the very end of the novel - when he recalls how he impulsively put himself at risk in order to save WWX. Finally, for the first time, JC is able to understand why WWX stood up for others in Xuanwu Cave, why he helped the Wens, because JC did the same thing, put himself on the line for WWX, probably the only time JC has ever acted so selflessly. And this is why he lets him go, he lets go of the things he blamed WWX for. For the first time, he is able to empathise with WWX, he understands that WWX was never ‘playing the hero’, seeking praise or recognition, he understands that WWX helps people purely because he feels in the moment that it’s the right thing to do. This is what enables him to finally let go of WWX.

I’m always a bit baffled when people claim mxtx never gave JC a happy ending, because this is his happy ending - him being able to realise that WWX never wronged him - when he finally lets go of this, he can live freely.

#mdzs #jc wank #mdzs meta #jiang cheng

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percabethfeelsfandom · 3 years

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How I’d rate the Gods/Goddesses(riordanverse)

This is my rating based off the way Rick Riordan portrayed them in the Riordanverse. The traditional myths have been taken into account but do not make up my entire opinion.

Hestia:

10/10 would give my life for this goddess. In all aspects of the word, this goddess is a goddess. I want a novella of her watching over the hearth and watching out for her family and the heroes. I imagine her being a very comforting presence and warm like a hug, and maybe this is me projecting my mummy issues but I just want her to hug me.

Dionysus:

A solid 7.35/10 for Mr D. Naturally he was a bit annoying, but we were never under the pretence that he he was meant to be anything more than what he provided and I respect that. Him caring about his kids at camp, and staying relatively loyal to his wife is always a plus. And I like his relatively humble beginnings being a hero and becoming a god and then not causing that much trouble in the series. Unlike some other pieces of shit.

Hermes:

4/10. Mans had no right blaming Luke’s thirst for mass genocide on 16 year old Annabeth. Not cool man. Not cool. He gets the points he got because he did genuinely care about Maia, and Luke, but he lost the rest of them by having a blatant favourite (who literally caused so much destruction). However I do still like his line about family in sea of monsters and never giving up on them. Nice meaning. But he was still a shitty father and only intervened out of self interest most of the time.

Aphrodite:

2/10. I hate how low I have to rank her. But my god did Rick do her dirty in his depiction. Just the misogyny, the lack of depth, and the untouched potential she has as a character, as a goddess, THE OLDEST GOD/GODDESS and Rick really made her throw rose petals around the battle fields on one of (what was meant to be) the biggest fights of the riordanverse. Absolute robbery. If I’m not mistaken as well, she was a huge contributor to the issues and obstacles percabeth went through and we do not Stan. HOWEVER, I love her as a goddess normally, and what she could represent if she’s written properly.

Hephaestus:

8/10. I have no qualms with this man. I too prefer the company of inanimate objects to people and get stressed about social interaction. And I too have mummy issues. So me and Hephaestus are on the same page. Let this man tinker away in his little bunker. He never went out of his way to make things harder for demigods, and was helpful when they came to him for help which I can also respect. (Point deduction because it was on his land that Bianca died…if I’m not mistaken).

Ares:

-12/10. This man was introduced as a bully, and gives off the vibes of every phobic, known to humanity. I do not vibe. I do not agree. I do not stan. ALSO his motorbike seat is apparently made from "Caucasian human skin”!!!!!!???? We as children never questioned this? We just went sure aight move on?! Please this man has the biggest small dick energy if I ever saw it and I despite him so much. Mans was also never helpful. Ever. I don’t think. I think Mars was better than him though so I’ll give him that.

Artemis:

9.99/10 all hail queen of the lesbians. Mad respect to this woman. In what she stands for, who she protects and in her actions. She’s what I embody when I stand up for myself in fights and when I speak to have my voice heard. I like Rick’s depiction of her and I love seeing her and her hunters pop up in his books. Would love a couple books on the hunters and their adventures. Also I love archery. And I’m biased to the moon because I love the night so she gets extra points for all of that too.

Apollo:

Prior to Trials of Apollo 7/10, after TOA 9.90/10. Yes it’s a big jump but my god did Lester grow on me. Prior to TOA he was pretty average. He was funny, always provided a good laugh to the plot and was always helping the demigods which I loved. But I know he’s an asshole full of himself so I can’t give him any higher than that until he had some character development, which we got in TOA (specifically after Burning Maze). And I really like who he is now and the type of character Rick shaped him out to be. In the myths he’s a big creep, and I still stand by that idea, hence why he doesn’t get a full 10.

Athena:

3.5/10…ughhh I hate to say this. But part of it is the same reasoning I gave about Aphrodite. I just have so many issues with the way she’s portrayed and it’s not accurate to what I believe in my heart she should represent. And as a child of Athena, I feel like Rick then did her entire legacy dirty. She has her moments, but since I can’t even fully recall one right now, it just proves my point. As a goddess as a whole though, what she represents is everything I aspire to be in life. She’s my entire aesthetic of hard work, creativity, and strength and grit, without taking away of being a powerful female. Zeus’ lead strategist like shit, Rick could have done so much. But he did not. And I am thus sad about it.

Demeter:

6/10. I have no issues with Demeter. Kinda boring. I think that’s what most of the fandom thinks as well. She just didn’t get enough screen time or development. I have no attachment to her. I think the powers that she has, and has passed on to her kids is cool though so there’s that. But in the series as well she doesn’t do much. She also (initially) doesn’t fight in the battle of Manhattan so maybe I’m slightly bitter there. But yeah, i’m indifferent.

Hades:

8.99/10 Okay so hear me out I know this man gets so much bad rep in the myths and that’s part of why he doesn’t get a full 9. But I really really love the way he’s depicted in the riordanverse, especially with his entire arc with his kids/specially with Nico. Like literally one of my favourite quotes In the entire series is “my children are so rarely happy, I would like to see you be the exception.” Out of the gods listed here (and excluding Dionysus), he acts like a genuine parent to his kids and tries. And like there’s issues, sure, but he works on them. And since so much of the first series is about how the gods are neglectful, seeing him change and seeing him fight for Nico is my everything.

Poseidon:

7.1/10. Honestly this feels too high considering mans was nearly If not just as bad as Zeus in keeping it in his dam pants. His points come from treating Sally like the queen she is, and trying with Percy (albeit too little too late but I can see the minimal effort). That being said, he’s really shitty in the myths so I can’t really give him anything higher than this. He’s barely a dad, and sees Percy more as an ally than an actual son or human being that needs attention. I like him more in Fanon and the way that I write him lmao because I humanise him. But I won’t lie he’s dilf material, and I still like rick’s depiction of him.

Hera:

3/10 I’m surprising myself with this rating because tbh I might even push her to 4.5 just because she’s so consistent in her own goals and agenda, and that perseverance is very admirable even if it was at the cost of some of my favourite characters. She was very much two faced though and fucked around stuff that she should have stayed out of. Her hatred for literal children though is a bit problematic. I have no attachment to her but I admire how much she just wants a family. However she just really needs to assess how she approaches that since it’s a bit messed up.

Zeus:

-5/10 I really don’t Zeus, his character, him in the myths, everything about him. He gives off the vibes of a man who abuses the power that he was given. And I don’t like that. It makes me uncomfortable and I don’t like him at all. His treatment of his children, of the demigods, and the way he governs Olympus. Not a fan. I could rule Olympus better and I’m a mentally unstable, serotonin deficient 20 year old with a hyper fixation on greek mythology and Minecraft. However despite not liking his character, I think Rick does a great job at depicting him accurately to how he was in the myths.

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stxleslyds · 2 years

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NIGHTWING ANNUAL - MY THOUGHTS.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but the all the bad Robin Jason Todd takes were visible and so is the new and washed down Red Hood.

It is a real shame to see this happen. To see DC once again push the worst narratives in Jason’s way. It isn’t just Tom Taylor, every writer seems to be told by DC to tell us again and again that Jason was too reckless as Robin, I am quite tired of it, but this time it seems that Taylor decided to show the other side of the coin, with Jason’s recklessness, Batman’s neglect and lack of parenting/mentorship were shown in ways that DC has refused to show in quite some time.

And alongside the acknowledgment of Batman/Bruce’s terrible parenting skills we were also shown something that I have desperately wanted to see, Dick being there for Jason.

But that was given to me in a way that is questionable. Because Tom Taylor is the fandom’s favourite writer and that can be seen in his horrendous Nightwing run and in this issue too. Taylor decided that Dick wasn’t the one that wanted to have a good relationship with Jason, Dick was put in that situation because Alfred “tricked” him, yeah, I know that butters some of your buns but it seems lazy and kinda bad because Taylor writes Dick as the kinda guy that sees Jason, at the beginning, like his REPLACEMENT.

And as a Jason Todd stan I cannot describe how much I hate that word and how much I hate the fact that fanon has held on to it so much that now it is part of canon. Just like Jason didn’t think that Tim was his replacement, Dick had never seen Jason as his replacement. Dick was never mad at Jason for existing in Bruce’s life, he was mad at Bruce.

So, as you can probably see, having Dick and Jason interact in the past was a very bittersweet moment because DC and the writers seem to not be able to set themselves apart from fanon.

If I am completely honest the whole book felt bittersweet and like everything Tom Taylor has written it seems conveniently fitted for the “fandom”.

Maybe that statement makes you wonder “what does that mean Tati?”

Well, it means that everything Tom Taylor writes seems to be a recollection of fanfics that he once read. He is filling all the boxes for fanon tropes and/or things we would like to see and just like everything else he writes; it still lacks essence. There seemed to be an attempt at making this something emotional but Taylor had two major problems to make those attempts work, one, he is not a good writer for actually canon stuff and second, DC is giving him all the wrong material.

The Red Hood that DC wants us to have right now shouldn’t be involved in a story that revolved around his mother’s overdose/murder. This Red Hood doesn’t kill anymore or “is finding better/newer ways to make it work”. So, having this new take on his mother’s passing and it not ending with Jason putting a bullet between that man’s eyes is just dumb, boring and an insult to the character that Jason once was.

It didn’t feel like Jason got justice and it didn’t feel like a part of Jason’s story that needed to be modified. This new player didn’t need to be brought up BUT DC really needed to solidify the fact that this new Jason Todd/Red Hood is just as bland as Batman. He is one of Batman’s followers and nobody in Gotham seems to work differently than him. No guns, no killing, no autonomy.

It is just bland.

In a way I can understand Dick being the “voice of reason” and being THE detective but why would Jason just go to a warehouse and do nothing when someone is out there using his face while killing people. If Jason cared that much about his “no killing rule” or new reputation, why would he not put on his Sherlock outfit on and get some detective-ing going? Like shouldn’t he have tried to do something about it? Or did he leave his locator on because he knew that Barbara or someone else could be paying attention? Does Taylor know that Jason is also a detective? He was trained by Batman and apparently, he also learned stuff from Dick so… Yeah, I don’t understand that but okay, I guess.

This issue wasn’t as horrendous as I thought it would be, I was thinking this would be pure hell, you know? Fields of Punishment level of Hades but all I feel with it is that I am stranded in the Fields of Asphodel, nothing is of essence and everything is bland, static and not connected to the main timeline.

Because where does this story land? Before Task Force Z? It should be! And if it is, will we be seeing Dick in the future being worried about Jason’s whereabouts? Was this encounter the reason as to why the FBI was looking for Jason in Detective Comics #1041? Were those guys really FBI then?

Also, what was the point of the team-up if Jason is till believed a criminal by the FBI? Were both Dick and Jason proving the other that Jason wasn’t the one that killed those FBI people? What was the point of that?

Anyway, my final thoughts on this are that this shouldn’t have been made. I would have liked to see a story like this being written but not in an Annual or one-shot format, this could have been a mini and most importantly, this should not have been written by Tom Taylor. So, there you go, a bland review for a bland issue.

#jason todd #red hood #dick grayson #nightwing #nightwing annual #dc comics

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owl-house-lover · 4 years

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I've wanted to talk about the relationship between Willow & Boscha for awhile now.

Long post is long (accidentally posted it too early. My bad!)

Boscha the Bully

According to the Inner Willow, Boscha (along with the other popular girls) picked on Willow for years.

We don't find out why tho.

Compared to when Amity would insult her, Willow didn't seem to have much of a reaction to Boscha's bullying.

Which could mean Willow possibly didn't see Boscha as much of a problem until Wing It Like Witches.

Boscha's bullying only got worse when Willow (unknowingly) became more popular than her.

- Note: Boscha's fully aware of how great Willow (as well as Luz & Gus) can be. She must really want Willow to not be aware of her greatest just satisfy her own ego.

How long has this been going on? On to the next part.

Are Willow's Dads aware of this?/Willow's history with Boscha

Willow's fathers love her very much & could be quite protective of her (I headcanon that they put her in the abomination track cause she got mad & hurt herself with plant magic by accident).

How do you think they'd react to their daughter coming home crying about the mean girls that hurt her? They wouldn't be happy about it.

Don't think her dads would like Boscha very much...

On the subject of them as kids, I think the nickname "Half-a-Witch" came from Boscha (noticed how no one calls her that anymore tho?).

Now we're getting into these two as people.

Willow's only getting better

At her first appearance, Willow had no confidence, but look at her now!

She's also a lot happier with her friends and is actually well liked at school (even by Boscha's friends).

She's now even aware that she's stronger and smarter than Boscha too!

She's taking a stand for herself and others in need. Which is what I really like to see & I wanna see more of it in later seasons.

Boscha could have problems of her own

It's clear to anyone that watches this show that Boscha's not a good person.

She's egotistical, sadistic, a brat to her mother, rebellious to the point it's harmful to others, & really petty for pretty much no reason.

We know she was a mean kid (thanks to Understanding Willow), but why is this?

How she thinks she's better than others & how she thinks she needs to be feared to get her way (as will as be good at sports), I think she has both a superiority and a inferiority complex.

Now to the other people in Willow's life that clearly wanna protect her from Boscha.

The Willow Protection Squad

- Amity: Willow's childhood friend who stopped being her friend to protect from her parents. Never really liked Boscha to begin with. So she has no problems standing up for Willow against her.

- Augustus (Gus): Willow's genuine friend that cares for her so much, he's willing to stand up to kids older than him to help her out (including Boscha).

- Luz: Willow's new friend that would absolutely become a human shield for her if Willow asked (which she obviously won't do of course).

Why did I bring them into this? Because all of them wouldn't hesitate to wipe the floor with Boscha, but Willow won't let that happen because...

Willow's so nice (even to Boscha)

Willow could've ended Boscha's popularity at Hexside anytime after she became more confident in herself (& her magic skills), but she didn't.

Even at the end of WilW (after Boscha ruined her whole day), Willow showed her mercy when Boscha never thought of doing the same to her.

Maybe this'll cause a change in Boscha (a "Maybe I don't have to be worse to be better..." type of deal)?

Or Boscha could double down on her awful ways & want to get revenge on Willow?

Either way, I want these two to interact more in Season 2.

And now, something I've wanted to talk about regarding these two for awhile.

Willow and Boscha from a shipping POV

The ship between Willow & Boscha is quite popular in this Fandom & I get it!

- The want for Boscha to get a Redemption Arc (she doesn't seem as bad as Belos, it may be possible?).

- The want for Willow to be a big part in said Redemption Arc (although this would be a good idea, I don't want Boscha to dump all her problems onto Willow nor do I want Boscha to be Willow's responsibility).

My favorite fanon dynamic with these two is Boscha thinking Willow would say yes to dating her (cause of her ego), only to get rejected (Willow looks so done with Boscha's BS in the fanart, it's hilarious).

- Also Willow would kindly reject Boscha (baby girl's just too nice).

- But if Boscha is too pushy, Willow will have to hurt her a little (The Willow Way is a strong way).

- Also Willow's (clearly protective) dads should be in more Boschlow fan pieces. Just shocked & angry that Boscha's at their door, demanding to speak with Willow (I don't think it'll go well for her...).

I wouldn't be surprised if these two did become a thing in canon.

In conclusion

Do I ship Boschlow? Mixed feelings about it to be honest.

Do I get why people ship it? Yeah.

Do I think Boscha's good enough for Willow? Now, of course not!

Do I think she can be? Maybe... It all depends on what the writers want (the show has great writing as it is).

Tell me what you guys think!

#The Owl House #TOH #Willow Park #Boscha #Willow x Boscha #Boschlow #Luz Noceda #Augustus Porter #Gus Porter #Mr and Mr Park #Amity Blight #Long post is REALLY long!

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sugarcubetikki · 3 years

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The Ladynoir Fight Scene

I’m going to talk about the Ladynoir fight scene in the NY special and consequences of that because that was the biggest conflict in that episode. And a lot of the fandom have mixed opinions about it, I hear different opinions all the time. I’ve heard things from it’s all Ladybug’s fault to Chat Noir isn’t fit to be a superhero. I want to present some of my own opinions and analyze through the entire situation.

Firstly, I’d say the actual situation was caused due to a chain of events. Honestly, Adrien had quite a solid plan and it would’ve worked if he wasn’t trapped in the room with Marinette (basically if Aeon and Jess weren’t scheming). They were put in the worst case scenario and a lot of events led up to it: Marinette convincing Gabriel to let Adrien come, Gabriel’s own desire to go to NY for “villainous” reasons and wanting to leave Adrien out of it, Plagg wanting Adrien to have more freedom, Adrien being afraid of disappointing Ladybug, Aeon and Jess’s plan.

A chain of events adding together to lead to the worst situation as possible. Obviously, this was necessary to create conflict and evolve the characters.

Even if a chain of events did lead up to this, the characters did make mistakes.

Adrien

Let me clarify that his mistake wasn’t coming to New York but it was rather not informing Ladybug.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to New York?”

I do understand his situation, it was the first time he was entrusted with a responsibility, and he was so afraid to blow it and disappoint Ladybug.

It’s important to note that he thought he was obliged to stay in Paris. He thought she would be mad if he went to New York because he wasn’t able to carry out his responsibility. He didn’t understand that she wouldn’t be upset for telling her that he wasn’t going to stay in Paris. He was only given the responsibility because he was able to do it due to being in Paris. But if he couldn’t stay in Paris, that wasn’t his fault, and Ladybug would’ve understood that. If he informed her, she simply would’ve found another solution. No anger involved.

This also says a lot about Adrien. He feels obliged to do things and if he can’t do them, he’s expecting disappointment and anger. Wonder were that mentality came from? I’m looking at you, Gabriel.

With that mentality, he felt that informing Ladybug would anger her, because he doesn’t know what freedom tastes like. He’s allowed to have emotions, and he’s not always obliged to do things. As long as he communicates he’s fine. The result of his mistake comes from once again...his sheltered life and trashy parent (not to mention listening to Plagg).

Also, for people saying he doesn’t deserve to be Chat Noir for making a mistake, let me remind you that the whole point of the show is for the characters to learn from their mistakes. If they don’t make mistakes, there’s no development or conflict, and if you’re going to say he didn’t learn enough from his mistake, I’ll say accepting that you’ve made a mistake enough that you feel like you’re unworthy and punish yourself by taking away the one thing that makes you happy is more than enough.

Plagg

People say Plagg should know better. I agree. He should.

But he’s not Tikki. He’s more laidback (cue theories of Plagg having bad owners in the past).

And it’s important that he’s with Adrien because his influence on Adrien encourages him to get out of his shell, have more freedom. That doesn’t always go the right way though.

Like this time. I mean, there was no reason for Plagg to tell Adrien not to inform Ladybug, unless he also expects anger due to being abused by bad owners in the past which also makes him somewhat poor socially. I wonder if he sees a bit of his past self in Adrien. Coming back to track anyhow (save this topic for another time).

Plagg’s laidback nature and yearning for Adrien to have more freedom naturally pushes him to encourage Adrien because he cares.

And for Plagg, he actually gives some pretty useful tips for a backup plan. I mean, he’s a free spirit, I can’t expect him to be all strict and responsible like Tikki. But in all honesty, he seriously needs to take kwami tutoring classes if they exist. Tikki would be willing to offer lol.

Marinette

This one is going to be long. Because I’ve heard a lot of unreasonable claims against Marinette (as usual unfortunately).

Firstly, people think it’s hypocritical of Marinette to tell Chat to take care of Paris, and then blame him for coming, when she shouldn’t have been in New York herself. Like I said, she wasn’t mad at him for coming to New York, she was upset because he came without informing her. And she wanted him to take care of Paris, because he was her partner, and she thought he was going to be there anyways. He could alert her if it came to the worst case scenario, what if she wasn’t able to access her phone, or issues such as time zone differences. It’s obvious that she’d have to travel back whenever there’s an attack as she’s the only one who can purify the akuma and use the cure to fix everything. And saying she shouldn’t have gone in the first place? How else would they have the special? Also, she’s not obliged to stay stuck in Paris either, they can use their space powers or the horse miraculous to travel back anyways.

Second of all, people blame her for being mad at Chat. Saying that she shouldn’t have been mad in the first place. Since Chat is all supporting of her and all...

Well, I say she had every right to be mad.

In her point of view, she does have every right to be mad.

And comparing this situation to Chat being supportive of her when she makes mistakes isn’t fair. Those situations are different.

The most common comparison used is Miracle Queen and it’s not a fair comparison.

The mistakes she made didn’t involve anything that could make him angry. She was honestly torn up about it and communicated.

Over here, Chat didn’t communicate, and she was in a position where she could be angry, because the consequences of his mistake are also her own responsibility.

If he did communicate beforehand (I’ve said this too many times), he would’ve been upset about it, but she wouldn’t have been, she would’ve assured him that he needn’t be upset and she’d think of another backup plan instead.

But he didn’t. In her eyes, he could’ve and didn’t. And she doesn’t know if he would’ve told her. If there wasn’t an attack, she might’ve never found out. How is she supposed to feel about that?

His explanation doesn’t make sense in her eyes. It makes sense to us, the audience, because we know of his sheltered life, we know that he struggles with these kind of things. But she doesn’t. She knows nothing about his background. She doesn’t know his life behind the mask And it’s not her fault. She can only rely on their bond and partnership.

Ladybug: Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?! Cat Noir: I was afraid you'd get angry!

Look at Ladybug’s perspective for a minute, forget about Adrien’s poor social skills, and really think if his answer was valid.

It doesn’t make sense why he would think she would get angry for telling her. It kinda sounds like he lacks faith in her (which we know is not the case). He hasn’t made a mistake this big before. And the way he reacts about it is that instead of confiding in his partner, he chooses not to tell her and makes decisions without her knowledge behind her back, I mean, how could she not get angry for that? Because they’re both the heroes of Paris. They’re meant to confide each other in things like this, If there’s a problem, they’re meant to communicate so things won’t go wrong.

Ladybug could’ve easily left Paris without telling Chat either. But she didn’t. She told him because he was her partner, and they work together as a team. She expected him to cover for her, and alert her, so she could make her way back to defend the team. But when he comes face-to-face with a problem? One that directly links with him not being able to stay in the city to defend it, he didn’t tell her. Instead, he leaves without her knowledge, and she didn’t know that Paris was left defenseless. Both of them our heroes. It’s both their responsibilities. When she confided in him, he didn’t do the same. And when asked why? All he says is that he was afraid she would get mad at him. That reasoning doesn’t even make sense, and it’s not something she can accept for not confiding in her. It runs deeper than just not informing her, it makes her feel like he’s not reciprocal in their partnership, that he lacks some sort of faith in her, that he thinks she would get mad that easily, and use that as an excuse. Remember, this is the same person who asked him:

“You don’t think I’m as evil as your nightmare, do you?”

Him not confiding in her is a scar to their bond. Not only does it endanger Paris. But it also makes her feel like he doesn’t have faith in her. He didn’t have enough faith in her to tell her that he was leaving. That he could use her getting angry as an excuse.

We know that due to his poor social skills and bad parent, he feels obliged to do things and expects disappointment when he can’t. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in her, more that he expects anger and disappointment when he can’t do something, and he was never taught to communicate when he comes across such a situation. And the fact that this was the first time he was given such a huge responsibility by her, and faces a problem, he doesn’t know how she’ll react, so he’ll expect she’ll react in the same way such as “someone we know” because he doesn’t know any better. Since he was never taught that communication is valid in a situation like this, he didn’t understand.

But she doesn’t all that about him. You’re all mixing fanon with canon. She knows barely anything about his personal life. How on earth is she supposed to know that he’s lived most of his life alone and his little experience with people? If she knew that, she probably would’ve reacted differently. But she didn’t. She assumed the first thing that came to mind.

So, maybe the line “I can’t trust you anymore, can I?” was more out of spite than anything else. She was just hurt.

Moreover, after he did accidently cataclysm Aeon, it wasn’t like she was jerky about it. She didn’t blame him after that at all. She said nothing to him. Because she does trust him. She does know that he didn’t mean to do it, and she probably guessed he was feeling guilty. Because unlike his poor social life, he does know that him enough that he’d feel guilty for doing that. I mean, anyone would, honestly. And even when Paris was destroyed, she said nothing to him after that, because she was considerate enough to not push the line, and not add even more to his guilt to what he was feeling. And she definitely felt bad about the whole situation herself.

In a overall, that whole argument was miscommunication and it really shows how troublesome their secret identities can be at times. That it limits what they know about each other and can cause misunderstandings. Since there was so much miscommunication and tension between them, they weren’t able to work together as a team, which lead to them being distracted, and causing the disaster.

This is why it is so important for them to trust and confide in each other. It makes them stronger as a team. And the New York Special definitely made them even more stronger after going through that conflict.

#sugar analyses #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #miraculous new york #ml new york #ml new york spoilers #miraculous analysis #ml analysis #ladynoir #ml ladynoir #a 2000 word essay about why communication is important #geesh #very long post #but that's not unusual for me

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senadimell · 3 years

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Boromir for the character ask?

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them: Honestly? His focus. He's a problem-solver. He focuses on whatever task is in front of him, and while he's the golden child, I honestly don't know if he'd be the best fit for Steward because he seems to be at his best when he's thinking about concrete solutions to discrete problems.

Oh! The other thing is that he evaluates the advice given to him for what it is, not based on the authority of the advisor. He’s not going to accept bad advice just because it comes from a trustworthy source, and he’s going to be honest about his thoughts. So he’ll trust and respect the advice of the council of Elrond, but not to the point where he doesn’t ask questions or question things that don’t make sense (I’m thinking about Caradhras here) It’s a good skill to have as the de-facto heir to Gondor, and it makes sense that he’s not in awe of elves or Gandalf and acts among them as a guest but also as an equal at least in political status, though his experience is vastly more limited.

At the same time, he’s not arrogant or haughty. He's a team player. He’s supportive of decisions for the most part, though where the ring is concerned, things get skewy. He’s not the kind of person to rub mistakes back in your face. He’s compassionate and understanding (which we see even in the way he treats Frodo as he strives for the Ring).

least favorite thing about them: Honestly Boromir doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I suppose his positive traits are also double-edged swords. Focusing more on the advice than the giver sort of has Feanor vibes? And you can see where his focus leads him when he talks to Frodo about why he wants the ring and how he would use it. He can see his corner of the world (Gondor) and his place in saving it (political, but primarily military leadership), and it’s his practicality, drive, and focus that the Ring exploits. He’s too busy thinking about what he must do to save the day that he misses the grander scheme (yet he’s doing it because he cares! he cares!).

brOTP: Um, Faramir, I guess. Though I guess it’d be kinda sweet if he’s got a brotherly relationship with Bergil. I can easily imagine Bergil hero-worshipping Boromir, and so I think it’d be sweet if Boromir did acknowledge him and know him by name.

OTP: none? look, I rarely ship and even more rarely out of canon.

nOTP: also none? Shelob? The Ring?

random headcanon: I dunno...

unpopular opinion: boromir has dark hair Sean Bean is an actor he’s not the only face

So I feel like there’s a bit of a structural problem with the LotR fandom. Characters are often written in pairs or as foils, and inevitably the comparison starts to turn towards “who’s better?” Then, if you don’t ship them, there’s a tendency to aggrandize one character’s virtues and minimize their flaws (which tends to happen everywhere), but then the comparison game starts. Because they have a paired character, the natural next step is to lionize your favorite by de-emphasizing the other character’s strengths and virtues (and sometimes also highlighting their flaws). (I’m not immune to this by far, btw, and am possibly about to engage in it.)

This happen the most with Frodo and Sam, but I think you also see it in Boromir and Faramir. Because obviously, in the books, Faramir is the golden child. Not in his father’s eyes, of course, but narratively speaking. And I have mad respect for him.

Most people don’t try and diss Faramir (because frankly. it’s hard. like, what are you going to say?), but there’s a tendency to downplay the fact that Boromir is his culture’s golden child, and Faramir...isn’t. Which isn’t to say Faramir isn’t beloved by those who know him, but his strengths are not valued in the same way that Boromir’s are. Faramir knows this. And given Boromir’s attitudes discussed above (how confidently he assumes his position in the world), I can’t believe he’s the 100% supportive, loving, sensitive, protective brother that fanon depicts him as. I don’t see how he can be.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe the brothers love each other deeply. But growing up with siblings has taught me that it’s possible to love someone and yet be deeply wounded by them due to the casual and inescapable intimacy of your relationship? You can share more inside jokes and weird stories than anyone, yet you can never get away from how deeply they know you--not your thoughts, but who you are at home and who you were when you were seven and how you acted when someone broke up with you or what you did when your parents were furious.

You also know exactly how you match up against them, because you will always exist as a unit. And because your relationship is as natural as the lens in your eye (you can’t imagine viewing the world without it), you forget about the other as a person and just say something and don’t think about how it hurts them. You can joke about this one thing and your sibling can carry around the hurt for years and you didn’t even know. And maybe the hurt isn’t even your fault--maybe they were just sensitive and you had no way of knowing, but the hurt doesn’t go away for the lack of malice. And even best-friend siblings are capable of malice towards each other at times.

So Boromir is good at things that Faramir isn’t, and Boromir knows it. He’s probably ribbed his brother in what he thinks is a playful way about when you’re going to shape up, or do X, or do Y, or why do you do that, anyways, or do you realize that’s a little unbecoming? maybe you should stop that. You know Father’s going to think that you’re... And he doesn’t realize how those slights can add up over the years. I do think he’s said things to his peers about his brother that have ended up hurting him. No matter how pure and nice he is, that sort of thing is unavoidable, and due to his cultural upbringing I don’t actually think he’d question the appropriateness of his attitude/acceptance and glorification of martial prowess at the expense of those who don’t have it in the same degree.

I think this passage is really telling:

For on the eve of the sudden assault a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me. 'In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying: Seek for the Sword that was broken: In Imladris it dwells; There shall be counsels taken Stronger than Morgul-spells. There shall be shown a token That Doom is near at hand, For Isildur's Bane shall waken, And the Halfling forth shall stand. Of these words we could understand little, and we spoke to our father, Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith, wise in the lore of Gondor. This only would he say, that Imladris was of old the name among the Elves of a far northern dale, where Elrond the Halfelven dwelt, greatest of lore-masters. Therefore my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.'

There’s so much you can read into this. Faramir has this dream, and he has it many times. We know he’s a lover of lore and no less devoted to his kingdom than Boromir, though his love is expressed differently. He is “eager” to heed the dream. So would I if I was having prophecy dreams all the time.

But is Faramir a member of the fellowship? No. Why? Because Boromir “took it upon himself.” He wanted to do it, he thought himself the better candidate (and Faramir the worse), and he argued his way into doing it against his father’s wishes. Coupled with Denethor’s later attitude towards Boromir, I’m inclined to believe Boromir was uniquely able to obtain this quest for himself because Denethor has a soft spot for him.

I find myself inclined to disregard Boromir’s account of Faramir’s motive (”how desparate was our need”), because it sounds like he’s justifying the appropriateness of his actions. If it’s just about the great need of the kingdom, it’s nothing personal that one brother goes and the other stays. That view implies that Faramir’s interest in this mission is primarily utilitarian in purpose, with a little academic curiosity--that is, it’s nothing personal. Doesn’t matter who goes! Not as long as we protect the kingdom! Which...just doesn’t square with his description of Faramir having repeatedly cryptic dreams that he wants to understand. I can almost guarantee that Faramir wants to know what those dreams meant more than Boromir.

It’s a bit tragic, because ultimately Faramir was more suited for the quest than Boromir (tramping about in the wilderness doesn’t seem to be a problem, he’s also a team player, and he’s much more willing to accept the power of the Ring/not downplay its personal danger, and would be able to see it in a bigger picture beyond just Gondor). Ultimately, though, if Boromir was the one to catch Frodo in Ithillien, the story would have a veeeeeeery different ending. (Gollum would likely be dead, and I can’t imagine he’d be inclined to just. let Frodo and Sam go free.)

I kind of view their relationship as a much less antagonistic version of Agravain and Gwalchmai from Gillian Bradshaw. (Agravain is more of a jerk than I can ever imagine Boromir being, and has a wicked temper).

Also none of this is to say that I don’t think he’s not protective of his brother.

So a lot of words to say: I don’t think the Boromir and Faramir relationship is as uwu cinnamon roll as it seems in fandom. I think they loved each other, but I think Boromir did have a tendency to take what he wanted when he thought he deserved it and not give it a second thought, even when it was at the expense of his brother. Sure, he’d defend his brother night and day, but I expect him to be a bit of a jerk, be unaware of the extent of his behavior, and also see little wrong with it (the ring quest seems to have crossed a line, by the way he justifies it).

Still, they do love each other deeply and genuinely. It’s just a little more conflicted.

song i associate with them: Requiem, from Dear Evan Hanson. Not a particularly creative association (and I don’t associate him with Connor at all), but his death comes as such a shock at the beginning of TTT and brings with it so many mixed feelings due to both their relationship and the circumstances of his death. Nobody’s mourning is straightforward: not Frodo, or Denethor, or Faramir, or Aragorn, or Merry, or Pippin. His absense is woven throughout TTT and even RotK, in plot and in emotion and in theme.

favorite picture of them:

Don’t really have a favorite, but this one is nice.

The Sean Bean runners-up: one, two

#asks #answers #boromir #did not think i had this many thoughts about boromir!#thank you so much for the ask!

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mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune · 3 years

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Alphys Being Transgender Needs To Be Canon

(Spoilers For Chapter 2 in this, so don’t read if you haven’t beaten the game in the Pacifist Route)

if you look up the development of Alphys,

you will find out that she wasn’t originally a female character

and she was originally suppose to be male, but was changed into female.

I think that Undyne would still love Alphys and know she was just following her heart and soul and being true to herself.

so yeah I believe that both versions of Alphys in Undertale and Deltarune,

are technically Transgender and it should be made canon and be revealed in a future chapter of Deltarune.

also I want to mention I had a weird dream where I saw a lot of changelings from MLPFIM, but I think I said I wouldn’t be able to feed them.

guess it’s like me knowing I wouldn’t have enough love and I think I might of had thoughts before....

well if you think about it, the Changelings from MLPFIM might be technically

Fairy-Ponies, well maybe....we know there are other types of equine besides the earth-pony, unicorn and pegasi.

like the “Sirens” that Stygian met, could of been Kelpie who took the forms of Siren-Ponies corrupted forms.

and those Kelpie had corrupted the Sirens they had copied the forms of,

and they end up as their scapegoats and banished to the human world.

the negative magic energy is what transforms the Siren-Ponies into their corrupted forms.

so yeah I believe as soon as Stygian got back with help,

the Sirens were made the scapegoats for the Kelpies.

but anyway back to Alphys, I think it be a good idea that Alphys being a Transwoman is made canon.

and by the looks of Chapter 2, the canon of the ship between Undyne and Alphys is strong.

if it turns out that Susie doesn’t have parents, and it is just her and her unknown sister....and maybe other siblings.

then Undyne and Alphys can become Susie and her siblings new Moms.

well if Susie only has one sibling, then those two would just end up being the adoptive mothers of just Susie and her younger sister or older sister.

it be cute if Susie accidentally calls Alphys Mom in class.

Noelle might find it really sweet, Kris might well....

I think they might give a thumbs up.

and Berdly might go call “My Teacher Is Going To Be My Mother-In-Law” Panic.

I hope just like the whole Pie turning out to be canon, it turns out Susie will do that in the future.......I can only hope.

Susie finding a family in Undyne and Alphys is my O.T.F.F.

which stands for One True Family Found.

it be nice if Susie becoming Alphys’s adoptive daughter becomes canon in a future chapter, that would be awesome.

or if she already is, then maybe it will be revealed in the future.

oh and yes, Berdly having a crush on Susie is the spoiler....

of course he didn’t get the crush until he found out a bit about Susie being a Gamer, that being in Dark World.

and it is pretty obvious he still has a crush on her when they got back to the Light World....

I wouldn’t be surprise if Snowy and Berdly get into a fight in the future

because Snowy is bad mouthing Susie.

wouldn’t be surprised if that happen, I mean Berdly has fallen for Susie and even has made Yandere Noelle mad....

who would of thought that Yandere Noelle would be canon....O_O

well at least in the pacifist route she only choked him.

Susie is now in a Love Triangle....

and well it is possible Berdly wont get into a fight with Snowy, and will try to play off his feelings for Susie as just a crazy dream.

that is until he finds out in the real world she really does play video games.

Susie is still in a Love Triangle though....

I wouldn’t be surprised if she is going to have a Omni-Harem.

Omni-Harem is what I started to call those who have both males, female and even nonbinary who are in love with the main protagonist.

I have the DVD of the first season of my life as a villainess,

and well I can’t help but think of it as a Omni-Harem type.

it isn’t really a Reverse Harem, plus it just seems more of a Omni-Harem.

if there was a Anime I would love to get Alphys hooked on, it would be that one.

it is really good, well I think it is....

I also think I will need to clean my glasses, I will clean them after this post.

I hope that some of you can agree that Alphys being Transgender needs to be canon, cause she was originally going to be male but was changed to female.

and if it turns out it can’t be canon, I guess it can just be Fanon instead.

but here’s hoping just like the Pie and Yandere-Noelle, it turns out to be canon.

Noelle: Stop Calling Me Yandere!

Kris: Berdly is kissing a picture of Susie behind a dumpster.

Noelle: *turns around slowly to Kris with a very creepy smile*.....which dumpster....?

even if Noelle is sweet and can scare easy, it is best not to make her mad when it involves Susie.

but now that I think about it, I think the Love Triangle might be a Love Diamond.

because I think Catti (which I pronounce as Katie, so not to confuse with her older sister Catty’s name.)

might have a crush on Noelle, but it is just a theory.

but if it turns out that Catti does have a crush on Noelle,

and with Noelle having a crush on Susie, and Berdly having a crush on Susie.

the Love Triangle might really be a Love Diamond.

the way Catti talks about Noelle makes me think she might have secret feelings for her, and that is one of the reasons why she doesn’t like Susie.

I don’t think Alphys has feelings for King Fluffybuns in Deltarune.

I think their relationship might be 100% platonic and friend zoned.

it be funny if King Dice called Devil “Fluffybuns”

Best Day Ever If that happen.

and even if the rumors about Cuphead having a crush on King Dice were true.

it would be clear that King Dice wouldn’t return the feelings,

and it be one sided and only Semi-Canon.

then again it would just be rumors that might not even be true.

I heard about the crush thing over on Youtube.

plus if it turns out to be true, and Devil finds out,

we the fans would have to give Cuphead the advice to save his life....

“Run.”

even if Alphys might only have platonic feelings for Asgore in Deltarune.

she might still end up with Undyne, and it if turns out that Alphys is transgendered then I think that Undyne would still love her.

but there is a fact that it might not become canon or show in future chapters of Deltarune, the whole Alphys being transgender, not the whole Undyne x Alphys.

I think Chapter 2 has shown that there is hints of that ship in that game.

it would be interesting if you could play match maker and those who match will end up together at the end of the game.

like Susie with Berdly, and Noelle with Catti.

or Susie with Noelle, and Catti with Berdly.

it is clear that Alphys in Deltarune is different from the one from Undertale.

because the Alphys from Deltarune is a fan of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2.

which might not be a bad thing, from what we read in her review.

wouldn’t be surprised if those two Alphys met and they fight over which is better, and then a third Alphys says she likes both.

well even if I do like the Powerpuff Girls Reboot too, I can still find some problems with it and if it was allowed to continue maybe they could of fix it.

one of the parts I loved in that show, is the friendship between Blossom and Princess, and Bliss the Older Sister of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.

that show can be seen as taking place in a different timeline, where the girls are a few years older than their past selves and share the same past like their counterparts but their futures ending up differently.

PPGD is my number one favorite though, I mean I still love PPG

but Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi (or just Powerpuff Girls D)

was out way before Powerpuff Girls Z,

and it has been running way longer than the canon and semi-canon series of the Powerpuff Girls.

it is also a Crossover series, and even if Buttercup has a crush on Sensei Jack...(who is Samurai Jack.)

I think he might be from a timeline where his true love Ashi died.

but in the timeline he ends up in, his counterpart and Ashi had descendants.

and one of the descendants happens to be Professor Utonium,

and if one of the ingredients for Utonium’s chemical X

happens to be some of Utonium’s blood which has traces of Aku,

then that would mean that Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup have traces of Aku in them as well.

it be interesting if Alphys agreed on this theory lol.

but yeah after discovering that Samurai Jack might be the Ancestor of the PPG (which that would include Ashi as their Ancestress.)

it might be for the best that Buttercup’s crush goes from the puppy-love crush

to just fondness and platonic feelings, because Sensei Jack possibly being a alternate timeline counterpart of her ancestor.

but that might not be added to the PPGD,

but one can only look out for when it does.

#alphys undertale #alphys deltarune #Headcanon #transgender #make it canon #undyne x alphys #susie x berdly #spoliers #yandere noelle is canon #love triangle #noelle x catti

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spacetwiga · 3 years

Text

leave c!phil out of bullshit 2k21 -- a not so tiny post by a new enthusiast

As someone who finds both common fanon and actual canon to be quite fun, I really think the general DSMP fandom would benefit greatly from a few things in general: the greatest, in my opinion, is learning to accept that popular fanon won’t usually be the canon you receive. Another, of course, is that POVs are golden, but with these two things being flimsy in being accepted, they are the major flaws that cause about 90% of the absolute messy takes that gain traction, oftentimes poisoning a canon character's ability to exist in the story.

My biggest beef regarding this comes from how y’all treat c!Phil, so here I am, being annoying on main side!

TL;DR... Just because someone acted like like a guidance to others, doesn’t always mean that they'll want to be the father figure role for everyone that breathes. Similarly, pinning down a character on a single trope is wack, so don't be surprised if they grow away from it.

Baby’s first little dsmp rambling below!

(Warning: it's long as hell)

The Dream SMP plotline is not written out like most popular media. With so many moving parts in the form of daily streams and the wonderful tool of live improvisation, it makes perfect sense that such a giant cast would not always be on the same page. Adding onto that, it also makes more sense that a vast majority of the cast will be placed into supporting roles, as the story needs to have characters that serve as narrative anchors and others that function as the links in a chain, all weathering the storm that is the plot.

Screentime, of course, plays a major factor into canon exposure -- in terms of the Dream SMP, POV matters equally, if not more, too.

It’s a pretty neat way of showing things, but in the end, the fanbase has a lovely (read: godawful /lh) way of analysing characters, particularly when it relates to how they interact with others from their fave character’s POV. The tendency to analyse things from a single character's POV is fine, but not when attempting to critique the greater whole of a conflict. Both sides, no matter how wrong they may seem to be, matter.

Adding onto the fact that everything is live, there are things that will spiral out of control, casual words being skewed and thus having the potential of a single line seemingly contradicting the entire ‘story’ that the fanbase has made. If it directly affects a fave's POV in particular, one is more likely to take offense, as bias immediately bars one from trying to see the other person's side of things.

POV is important.

Which brings me to c!Phil, and how critics tend to ignore his perspective to prop up another character, or justify the tearing down of another.

Improvisation is both a blessing and a curse; the fanbase, however, loves to test out the latter. With it, the fanbase starts crafting tales to justify it...And so begins the mess that is c!Phil discourse.

Say it with me, folks: c!Phil is not supposed to be your fave’s fluffy father figure... unless you’re c!Wilbur!!!

😃☝🏾Dadza is good...👉🏾😎👉🏾 But fandom wants the excessive, idealized version.

-- birb 2k21

Family dynamics are generally loved for their potential for comfort, particularly those of a found family nature. Fandom in general tends to lean into them wholeheartedly, with most major bases having at least one prominent group present; SBI, of course, is no different. From fanart to popular fanfiction, it's arguably the biggest group dynamic alongside the Dream Team, and for that, a precedence was set.

c!Phil, if he ever joined, would fix everything! All of the ‘kids’ would turn to their new mentor and everything would turn out fine! This all knowing, morally just character will chuckle at their antics and wacky hijinks will follow! Fun times, right? /s

The hope for it, however, has long since been shattered, and frankly, good for him!

To go a little ooc, cc!Phil has stated multiple times that, while he was friendly with a lot of the cast as c!Phil, his only paternal link (at least biologically) lies with c!Wilbur. Simple, right? It should be -- there are multiple clips of him saying this -- but fans choose to ignore it in their critiques, generally citing favouritism or downright neglect for the character’s flaws. From 'favoring' Techno (who, in canon, holds the highest link in friendship outside of c!Wilbur's familal link) to 'neglecting' to visit Tommy (who he barely knew, and also assumed, like many others, that he was fine), these critiques weigh heavily on the scale that judges Phil’s so called father figure trope.

The story, however, has only leaned into (and persisted with) that for c!Wilbur alone, and adding onto it, there is an established acknowledgement from both ccs. That confirmation should hold the most weight, especially since both Phil and Wilbur seem alright with it. Even so, that familial has yet to be explored much for both characters, particularly regarding c!Phil, who has his debut (at least narratively) in a scene that feels opposite to the classic fatherly role.

c!Wilbur denounced accepting that helping hand to fall entirely into his explosive end, setting a precedence unlike most fatherly types arriving to save their kid. Usually, fandom narrative would love a close save, father and son uniting to heal and build up what was broken, but c!Phil’s entrance inks his story in failure. Angsty, right? We love angst!

And yet, as the story ticks on, the bad takes pile up.

Why? Well, I’l used to think that it is a “funny haha” type thing; a way to grieve for a character that was lost, as Alivebur was genuinely a great character. However, with the plot slowly progressing c!Phil’s story to evolve away from the ‘mentor the kids’ trope , I should have seen a storm on the horizon.

It should have been seen from the moment he stabbed c!Wilbur in the chest, but optimism is one hell of a smokescreen.

Built up fanon, however, is probably the greatest fog to ever exist.

There are lines before the button room confrontation that paint a picture of Wilbur seeking out the approval of his father (who seemed distant, at least from his POV), as well as hints to the SBI dynamic, but with the countless dismissals/retcons from CCs involved, as well as little to no consistent canon acknowledgement of this team dad role...Why base an entire hate piece of c!Phil just because popular fanon isn’t real?

Why, for the sake of building up a well rounded character, would one place the title of a communal parental figure on a grieving father who has little attachment to the community involved, especially when most of them are too busy delving into their own issues?

Furthermore, why go for Mr. Philza Minecraft: Angel of Death, CEO of KEKW, Functioning Immortal????

It’s madness, luv, and frankly, antis cannot let c!Phil process any of his grief (or flesh out his character) without his contributions being fatherly. His role has been idealized to the point where he is not a character on his own, but an accessory to the happiness of other characters. That is not how the world works, and in a conflict riddled server like the dsmp, arguing that it should be like that is counterproductive.

c!Phil had his own shit to deal with, and as he slowly uncovers how fucked up the server actually was, he merely adapts to it. He learns to play the game by his own rules, and people become mad that he’s succeeding in his own way. It's as simple as that, particularly when referencing his initial exposure to the world he now inhabits.

c!Phil is a man who used to hear of his son’s success from the letters he received, words spinning tales of won revolutions and newfound friendships. To a father, those letters are more than enough to assume that all is well, and with it, he had no reason to check on his son, who was already old enough to be carving his path alone. For him to arrive and see just how broken his son actually was, and then, in front of faces he only vaguely knows, kill said son... There's a lot to take in.

He shouldn't have had to care about L'Manberg in those moments, not when he had his son in his arms, dead by his own goddamn weapon; his son who, to his knowledge, was doing pretty well up until he caught wind of his plot. Yet, he does.

He gives them the benefIt of the doubt, even ignoring the one person he has shown to have deep history with (c!Techno) to assist the nation in defeating the withers and rebuilding what was lost.

c!Phil stays in a nation that has seemingly brought his son right into his demise, holding in that grief to help people who he assumes have the chance to rebuild, to reform. For a moment, he trusts that the system can turn into something positive, offering to hunker down and do what he can to help. That’s the start of a fatherly type role for most -- with many expectations rising from fans to ‘fix’ all these traumatized characters.

In another plot, perhaps critics could have gotten the tropes they want from c!Phil, but to blame the character for reacting negatively to a world he barely knew, right after seeing it ruin his son and target a friend...Maybe the need for a "father figure" only stems from making their faves happy.

Characters that don't directly support your fave are not inherently awful characters. Critique based on that alone is...flimsy, really, but honestly, you can use to to show how they process things.

Which brings me to the events leading up to Doomsday, and with it, the steady rise of c!Phil’s defining traits.

Say it with me, folks: c!Phil is one of the most loyal members on the server, but loyalty doesn’t mean he's blindly following along!

😃☝🏾Butcher Army take this L👉🏾😎👉🏾 Found it in the L’Mancrater

-- birb 2k21

The butcher army arc, while nestled among the mainline story of Tommy’s exile (which I will not even mention, because those dadza takes about visiting may deserve a post on their own), allows for c!Phil to see into the minds of those who had once been with (or even against) his son’s plans. Sure, he may be witnessing them after the eve of their newfound traumas, but this is an important observation to make when comparing how easy it was to denounce his affiliation to them and side with c!Technoblade.

Unlike the new Administration, slowly dipping deeper and deeper into their own form of power hunger, c!Technoblade’s base desires had never wavered. His trust in others, however, had, still nursing the sting of a betrayal, but with no conflict in sight. He is reforming, finding comfort in his solitude, and still maintaining contact with those he trusts.

Techno's Compass, for one, is a major example of their mutual trust. Despite being on opposing territories, they are civil enough to trust each other, just like old friends.

Thus, when you take two old friends who are more than used to conflict -- one grieving and one betrayed, but both seeking neutrality -- it shouldn’t have surprised the antis that c!Phil would place c!Techno’s whereabouts (and life, mind you) over some government he barely knew.

And yet, above all else, c!Phil starts off as a neutral party for everyone's sake, forgoing potential conquest for peace.

To c!Phil and c!Techno, it’s like fighting back to back, knowing that one can always trust the other to fend off those just waiting to take advantage of your blindspot, while also quelling the need to imagine your partner turning around and doing the same. That sort of friendship is forged through many, many hardships.

They betray what little trust he had built in them. That’s on them.

c!Phil is aware how untrusting c!Techno is, and while c!Techno feels safe enough to give his all for c!Phil, he never exploits it to get ahead, which is something L'Manbergians felt okay with doing.

They take a book out of the playbook used on c!Techno, for c!Techno.

They went after yet another person who was close to him, using their power and influence to hold an execution under the guise of seeking justice. If c!Wilbur, at least pre-corruption arc, sent letters to his father, one would at least expect some of his old ideals of freedom and fairness to leak through into his friends, right? To see those c!Phil assumed would hold similar ideals immediately skew towards a darker, brutal side, particularly in threatening others to get what they wanted...Well, shit hit the fan.

c!Phil does not have that strong relationship with any former L’Manbergians, and despite there being potential for such, it didn't work out that way; instead, however, those characters manage to mistake his kindness for weakness. They take his preferred neutrality as a way to exploit him, to gain in such a way that he lost agency...

No more Mister Nice Dadza, and honestly, he’s justified in that notion.

They’ve lost his trust, time too short to have gained that strong link like c!Techno’s or c!Wilbur’s, and with it, came the inevitable association with Doomsday.

c!Phil knew c!Techno’s intentions from the beginning -- which had only wavered into dormancy because he had grown tired of fighting, understanding that the cycle he wishes to break is not worth his efforts -- so the agreement in participating is effortless.

c!Dream was there too, of course, but in their mutual quest for eradication, it’s made canon that c!Techno and c!Phil hid away most of their arsenal, despite seeming overprepared. They have no loyalty to c!Dream; they’re smart enough to play along, however. He was a means to an end.

There’s no lies present in their relationship; c!Phil needed someone who didn’t try and pull wool over his eyes, and c!Techno let him see.

c!Techno needed someone who wouldn't stab him in the back, and c!Phil stayed true as his hidden sword.

Which is why, as the two joined forces, ideals aligning and power synergized, they didn’t think twice about nuking the nation to bedrock. Mutually agreeing that the system needs to die, they did what they could, and they succeeded.

How cool of them, tbh LMAO.

New L’Manberg tugged too hard at the sleeping tiger’s tail; they shouldn’t have expected it to roll over.

Their openness to each other was known.

There was no need for underhanded plays, for hidden betrayals, for undisclosed words.

Their loyalties were strong.

They were in sync.

In conclusion (maybe, maybe not...this shit is long holy heck)

😃☝🏾 I may hate this analysis in 30 minutes👉🏾😎👉🏾 Or I may make a part 2. Fuck it!

-- birb 2k21

And that’s what makes c!Phil an interesting character: He tends to be critiqued in reference to chatacters who have very well wronged him, have no affiliation to him or get associated to him through popular fanon. There's a lot to cover that I haven't (from Ghostbur to the whole Tommy 'dilemna') but overall I'm digging what I have now and if I ever get more energy, I'll continue!

c!Phil enthusiasts, I hope I did you proud LMAO. It's my first forray into this side of tumblr 👉🏾👈🏾 I'm a lurker.

c!Phil antis, you can either act respectful or go argue with a wall. I got experience dealing with antis on Tumblr; I am immune to BS.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Signing off!

- BIRB.

#dream smp #dsmp #philza #ph1lza #this one's for the c!phil enthusiasts hello hi ily all #I have spent the entire afternoon writing this while the power is out lmaoo #fandom leave my mans philza minecraft alone challenge #god i don't even know how long this is I'm so sorry #i let a little bit of my c!techno enthusiasm shine through too

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lais-a-ramos · 4 years

Text

On Lovecraft Country and the way the narrative presents queerness

"No masters or kings when the ritual begins

There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene

Only then I am human

Only then I am clean"

Hozier, Take Me to Church

oh, boy...

i knew some of these deaths could happen in the finale, but i definetely wasn't prepared for any of this, wow.

i guess that, with the events of the finale, including atticus' death, there really is no point in getting the show renewed for a season 2, as as i hoped and wished before, because all of the conflicts that were set up were resolved. i mean, there's always the possibility of using time-travel to do a retcon and bring all the dead characters back, or, at least, two of the protagonists and the villain, but, maybe it would take too many alterations in the narrative, because it seems like the whole thing was planned for a mini-series.

so, now, all we have left is to do a breakdown of what worked and what didn't in lovecraft country's limited series run.

i think that, overall, the message of black ppl taking back the power of ancestry that was stripped from them by white supremacy and structural racism was well-done, and the symbolism was very well-crafted in the final takedown of the season's main villain, which was a representation of how the racism based on indifference born out of white privilege is almost as bad as the racism based on pure hate and despise, which is a valid message, considering the former is a bystander to the abuses and rise to power of the latter.

although i still find the timing was poorly chosen because, well, as of now, all over the world, it's not white ppl who dub themselves "liberal" or "progressive" and claim themselves to not be racist but refuse to act anti-racist that present an actual threat to our human rights, but literal, actual fascists and neo nazis...there are bigger fish to fry now...

but i digress...

on the final score, i guess that when it comes to queer/LGBTQ+ representation, the show fell actually felt real short for a product that crafted so well the race issues, proving that there is still a lot to go before we get to see intersecting identities being portrayed in media the same compex way they exist in the real world.

no, lovecraft country is not guilty of queerbaiting, unlike some of the same ppl in fandom that are the firsts to either erase the half of a couple that is a BIPOC or to deny a canon cis het biracial ship to hype up a fanon white wlw ship and other problematic stuff plenty of times in LGBTQ+ fandom spaces might say.

but that doesn't mean that the treatment of LGBTQ+ issues was satisfying or can be considered good rep, and it actually repeats some of the same tired tropes about queerness and blackness.

while we can say that the show did a relatively good job with montrose as an individual, the same can't be said of the other characters and the final messages.

like, for example, introducing a trans/non-binary indigenous, the Arawak two-spirt Yahima, only to kill them on the next episode was insensitive, to say the least.

while it's true that misha green apologized for the mistake, and said she and the writers tried to make a point that even oppressed groups are capable of oppression, the final score was that a trans/non-binary character was introduced as a plot-device and brutally murdered before having even a chance to properly develop.

in other words, used as a prop.

in a world in which trans ppl are brutally murdered at alarming rates, and most of the victims are BIPOC trans ppl, that is something that we can't let it slide just because the general message of the show was good for cis het black ppl.

the same can be said on the treatment of sammy in the narrative.

while it's true that montrose being aggressive and acting the way he did, pushing ppl he cared about away and shunning every chance of vulnerability due to internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity and misogyny, as this very interesting critique by amani marie hamed of nerdist pointed out, his characterization nonetheless falls into the same old stereotype in american culture of accusing black ppl of falling behind when it comes to queer acceptance and associating black masculinity with homophobia.

also, the author of the article says it better, but, overall, sammy's existence ends up being just another plot device, serving to say to the audience that the producers and writers know that queer ppl existed in the 50's, but, at the same time, repeating some of the same tropes as usual, like associating being queer with being clandestine and deviant instead of showing it as a natural thing that was perceived as deviant at the time, as we can see by that scene of sammy having a sexual encounter in the alley behind his bar.

the author even mentions that queer ppl overall had houses, and most of the encounters actually happened there, and that scene reinforces the idea that queerness is inherently animalistic.

the article also points out how sammy is mostly there just to be shutted out, first by montrose and latter even atticus, and, ends up being another prop to lift montrose to deuteragonist status, being rejected and abused by montrose solely to highlight tic's father journey with his personal issues that apparently he simply wrapped up in a span of 2 episodes.

the fact that sammy was a also a more feminine gay man, even participating in ball culture as a drag queen, and yet most of his appearences involved him being degraded or shut out or overall mistreated by montrose, even tic, and that scene in which atticus forgives montrose after he revealed he never acted on his homosexuality and cheated on tic's mom, even though it's implied she did cheat on him with his brother george, just reinforces the idea it's ok for black and brown men to be gay, as long as they are not THAT GAY™️.

the introduction of thomas in episode 1x09 only to be murdered in the riots is another example of how queerness seem to come with a price in this show if you act on it.

once again, a gay character was introduced in the narrative to further montrose's pain and trauma.

and his introduction was absolutely not necessary, because being a survivor of a massacre like the tulsa riots and a survivor of parental physical abuse is already was already enough for making tic and the audience begin to emphatize with montrose's pain, there was no need to kill another queer character just for that.

not to say we should agree with everything the nerdist article says, of course.

at times, it felt like the author was saying that addressing these issues in the black community is a problem on itself, and that is definetely not the solution.

but, when we consider the setting of a limited series with a plot-driven approach to the scripts, the way the topic is addressed ends up being superficial and rushed, and what could have been a delicate approach to a complicated man discovering his sexuality if the show was an on-going series, ends up being just a narrative built to put montrose in the spotlight in an attempt of getting a few emmy nominations for outstanding performances, and that's about it.

now, what really serves to cement the LGBTQ+/queer representation in lovecrat country as a disservice is the treatment of ruby, christina and their relationship.

i did a few metas explaining christina's and ruby's characterizations, including one i posted before the finale started explaining why ruby was so important to queer black and feminine-aligned nbs being a dark-skinned fat black queer woman discovering her sexuality and figuring out there was more to life than the social roles that were pushed into her, and how the parallels between her and christina, two different women separated by race and class but with the common feeling of being interrupted by social restraints that binded them, were a way for a character like ruby to be treated by the narrative the same way white women get to be treated in fantasy stories, as someone worthy of being courted and romanced as a light-skinned and thin black woman like her sister leti.

but with that finale, and the way the whole thing played out, with not only christina and ruby dead, but also with christina killing ruby, felt, ironically, like the very same trope that's been the norm for queer characters for a long time.

if we consider the tropes of the genre the show and the source material draw inspiration from, pulp fiction magazines, a medium that was very popular until the rise of the cinema and TV in the 50's and 60's that also served as an inspiration for them, then we know that in this medium some of the harmful tropes about queerness that exist until this day were particularly prevalent, including that of the queercoded villains.

to talk about this, i'm going to refer to this amazing article by tricia ennis on the history of queercoding for syfy wire.

first, a definition:

"queer coding, much as the name suggests, refers to a process by which characters in a piece of fictional media seem — or code — queer. this is usually determined by a series of characteristics that are traditionally associated with queerness, such as more effeminate presentations by male characters or more masculine ones from female characters. these characters seem somehow less than straight, and so we associate those characters with queerness — even if their sexual orientation is never a part of their story."

between the hays code in cinema going from 1934 to 1968, the comics code authority in the comics industry from 1954 to the early 21st century (with dc comics and archie comics being the last to break with it in 2011, mind you), the code of practices for television broadcasting from 1952 to 1983 and its predecessor for radio NAB code of ethics, the authors all over mass media couldn't approach the topic of queerness and portray openly and proud queer characters under the risk of being persecuted by the censors, and so, begin to hide queer chracters under the disguise of subtext.

and given the content creators couldn't show any form of positive queer/LGBTQ+ representation under the risk of being punished by the censors, the alternative they found was to portray the queer characters as the villains or antagonists or degenerates, and punish them with death.

the syfy wire article says it better than i ever could:

"even dangerous LGBTQ tropes rose out of this time period, as the depictions of pulp noir femme fatales and other deadly women rose in popularity. these women were usually written as promiscuous and sexually devious, both with men and sometimes with women. they were also evil and usually met their end as a result of their sins. While depictions of LGBTQ characters were frowned upon, depictions of them in this specifically negative light were not. you were not endorsing an “alternative lifestyle” if your gay characters always met an untimely demise. Instead, they were merely paying for their poor choices. this trope would eventually give way to what we now refer to as 'Bury Your Gays.' "

and the thing is, all those censorship laws are over by now, but the tropes/clichés that arised on that era are still prevalent in pop culture 'till this day, consumed by the audiences and reproduced by content creators, in the industry or in fan spaces, whether they are aware of said trope/clichés or not.

now, that is where ruby, christina and their affair on the show enter.

to explain how problematic and harmful the way these characters have been portrayed is, and what kind of message it sends about black queerness, i first have to explain christina's function on the story.

christina, as a character, was basically the texbook pulp noir femme-fatale, checking most of the boxes of the tv tropes description of the trope, from the "red equals evil and sin" imagery to being a wild card, that character who changes sides according to their own desires and individualistic goals.

in her specific case, helping the white supremacists and the black heroes alike in her pursue for unlimited power to protect herself from the oppression that comes with being a white woman, particularly a wealthy one, in which the very same presumption of innocence that gives them privilege over BIPOC is used to infantilize them and strip them from their agency, putting their bodies and choices under the tutelage of cis het white men.

so, her function on the show was basically to manipulate the characters on the two sides alike.

and that is where the problems in queer representation come in, because, to manipulate them, she acts as a sensual seductress.

and what does the script uses to highlight that this is a character willing to go to the most immoral places to achieve her goals? it makes christina a sexually fluid and gender fluid character.

that is basically playing a move straight from the hays code era.

not only does the show plays christina's sexual and gender fluidity as her being "freaky" and a proof of her deviant nature, but it makes her seduction of ruby as a central part of the scheme that positions her as the main villain of the show.

this portrayal of christina as a textbook femme-fatale with a touch of white feminism is already very problematic on its own, especially when we consider her death and how brutal it was, because, yes, while it's true she is privileged because she is white and wealthy, she is still a woman and a queer one at that, and giving her the same traditional treatment for femme-fatales in pulp fiction ends up reinforcing harmful stereotypes about gender and sexuality.

but, when we consider what it means for ruby as a character, it gets WAY worse.

ruby is a character that's been shown to feel very frustrated about the ways in which societal structures of power interfere in her life, not only on a professional level, but even on a personal level as well, making her feel "interrupted".

dealing with the same issues that all black women and feminine-aligned nbs who don't fit into the eurocentric standards of femininity and of beauty do, and not matching the criteria for being hypersexualized by society as the black women considered conventionally pretty -- with thin bodies like the white women or hourglass body frames, being light-skinned and so on --, ruby has her humanity stripped from her because everyone expects her to be stronger than it's humanly possible.

everyone seems to expect something of her at home, her younger sister took advantage of her money for years, and not only all of her goals in the professional realm seem to be frustrated by social structures of oppression, but even her relationship goals as well, given that most of the men that she gets involved with, whether they are black or white, seem to believe they have the right to abandon her and treat her like trash because she doesn't feel a thing and is "strong" enough.

ruby feels frustrated and tired, and she has every single right to do so, because, as what happens to most black women and feminine-aligned nbs, she is disrespected and disregarded by everyone, white and black alike.

so, when christina comes in with an offer of improving ruby's life with magic, of course she takes the opportunity.

and it seemed like the show was willing to deal with the moral complexities of christina's shapeshifting potion and validating ruby's feelings, or at least, sort of validating.

but, by killing her at the end, it just played out as if ruby's feelings meant she was merely a traitor to the race, and not a woman who was tired of feeling frustrated with all of these impossible obstacles society sets for black women and feminine-aligned nbs, especially dark-skinned and fat ones like her, and justified in her anger and frustration.

she did everything right and accomplished nothing, and, when she finally decided to rebel and focus on herself for a change, she met her demise.

but that is just the tip of iceberg, really.

what makes this situation with ruby so frustrating is the fact that, when the show presented christina's queerness as another sign she was "on the wrong side of the tracks" and a villian that should be defeated by the black heroes, which consist in a family, the narrative is implying that a person has to choose between their queerness, on one side, and their blackness and community on the other.

of course, one might argue that the fact montrose was turned into a gay man himself in the adaptation prevents this from happening. but, when we consider montrose was forgiven by tic only after reinforcing he never did cheated on dora and acted on his queerness and lived his gayness, when he really had every single right to do so, especially because it's implied dora slept with his brother george and the three of them knew she was just montrose's beard, then we have the message that it's ok to be queer as long as you don't act on your queerness at all.

there is a part in the review for nerdist that i mentioned above, in which the author says that one of the book's best qualities was that "the source material also illustrates the importance of family and community ties between Black protagonists", and that the TV show ruins it when it "introduces abuse, alcoholism, and family dysfunction, and strips Black characters of their own magic."

that is a part of the article, published in october 14 2020, that now no longer makes sense after the finale, because that message is there.

but, the actual problem is that the ideas of family and community shouldn't be taken for granted bc they are always under political dispute, and are oftenly used to reinforce backward messages when it comes to gender and sexuality, serving as a tool for the control of the bodies and authonomy of ppl of various marginalized groups and intersecctions, including women, BIPOC and queer ppl alike.

while these things are not inherently good or bad, and they are also part of the culture and identity for plenty of BIPOC ethnical identities, the concepts of family and community are usually weaponized by conservatives and used to justify things like queerphobia and the restrictions over reproductive rights.

queer ppl in all walks of life and skin colors all over the world have to deal with plenty of conflicts about coming out because, by deciding to live their own truth, they can never know for sure whether coming out will put them at odds with their families and community until they dare to do so.

so, ruby's dillemma for not knowing what to choose, her family or a life with christina, plays out as the type of experience queer ppl have to deal on a daily basis, and when we consider the intersection with race/ethnicity, it gets even more cruel because our gender identities and sexual/romantic/aesthetic orientations, that are natural parts of us, make us being invisibilized and silenced in our own cultures and feel like we have to give up on our own communities in order to be able to live our queerness.

there are few things more gut-wrenching than that feeling of fear that you might be disowned by your family and relatives and your community -- whether is it a neighbourhood, a village, a small town etc -- because a part of yourself is considered at odds with your heritage.

and when we consider all the christian imagery in the show, the final result is a really troubling one.

while it's true that being christian and believing in god doesn't authomatically makes anyone a bigot (i actually still retain some of the beliefs i was raised into as a catholic latin-american), it's also true that now, more than ever, we can't ignore science, including history.

the entire way in which they referred to magic as a devil's work was very troubling and evocates the same discriminative rethoric that white european colonizers used to justify the destruction of the ancient old religions and beliefs of BIPOC in their own homeland, the ancient culture of our ancestors, and also the oppression of peasant women in europe.

while we can't generalize, given each culture had its own particularities, there's an agreement in the scientific community that, overall, the cultures of the first nations and indigenous folks from the american continent, the african continent, the asian continent and oceania/pacific islands were far more accepting of different manifestations of queerness.

that means that queerphobia was part of the colonial project, once the traditional family values of christianity were used as a tool for the white colonizers to regulate the bodies and sexuality of the colonized and keep them under control.

and that is why the association of these ideals of family and community as inherent to blackness ends up being problematic, because we can't discuss racism without discussing colonization, and we can't discuss colonization without considering the ways in which queerphobia and religion were used as tools of colonial oppression.

the worst part is that, when it comes to ruby, the producers and writers really didn't need to do kill her at all.

and while the show did right in not showing how christina killed ruby, sparing the audience from watching another black body being brutalized, it's also true they didn't have to kill the character to get her out of the way from the final confrontation between christina and tic's family.

they literally went and changed her background from her book counterpart and made the woman a musician, and a blueswoman at that.

all they needed was to have her share a goodbye scene with christina the same way she had with leti, saying that she wanted to be with christina but couldn't fight her family and friends like that, grab a copy from the safe travel negro guide and set off in a bus to travel all over the U.S., singing very sad blues songs about falling in love with a white devil once.

that's all the producers and writers needed, to use the "sent in a bus" trope.

but the choice was to portray ruby as a character facing the consequences of following her desires , which ends up feeling like a punishment for a dark-skinned and fat queer black woman for daring to question the position society has placed her because of who she is.

this is in no way an attempt to "cancel" the producers or the writers, because a) their work is still important as a team of mostly black creators and b) canceling doesn't seem to have significant consequences, and seems to lead only to more social media wars than anything else.

but now that it finally seems diversity is getting more space in media, this type of discussion gets more important.

there is a slow increase on more representation of queer/LGBTQ+ characters in media and more productions involving queer/LGBTQ+ creatives, but, most of the time, the characters and are white, or, when there are biracial couples, the characters of color are just token minorities, and the same happens with the creatives involved in the production.

there is a slow increase in BIPOC characters representation in media and more productions involving BIPOC as creatives, but, most of the time, the characters are cis heterosexual, and the same happens with the creatives involved in the production.

but, for pop culture and media to be truly diverse, there has to be more space for the narratives of ppl that exist and belong to the two groups to raise our voices and be heard, whether is it in the entertainment industry, society at large or even in fandom spaces.

because she shouldn't be forced to pick between one identity over the other.

our existences shouldn't be interrupted just because society doesn't know how to deal with them.

and if that make us sinners, then so be it.

#lovecraft country #ruby baptiste #christina braithwhite #ruby x christina #rubtina #rutina #montrose freeman #lgbtqiap+#lgbtq representation #queer representation #poc representation #woc representation #moc representation #black women representation #representation in media #representation in fiction #tv representation #it's ok for non-BIPOC queer folks to reblog #and it's ok for non-queer BIPOC folks to reblog

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