#good take but the source material was in fact sad enough

[tzilatza]

NATLA Review - spoilers

Woke up today still feeling annoyed after finished the Netflix ATLA remake last night, and I think I've figured out the core reason.

It's the fact that: If they had held truer to the original source material, we could have had a truly great show. I disagree with those calling it a complete disaster. The acting was good, great in some cases. The effects were very well done, the bending looked about as good as it can in a live action media. The scenery was lovely.

But what happened in the writer's room?! The way they just reveal all the back stories up front EVERY TIME is honestly insulting to the audience. It's like they're so terrified that smartphone culture has made the public so accustomed to instant gratification that they have no faith we will stick around and keep watching if they make us wait for anything.

They're also clearly terrified of complexity. One of my biggest gripes with this remake is Jet's story. They completely took out his plans to murder a whole town of innocents in order to get a few enemy soldiers. Now, Jet isn't my favorite character, but his story is so important. Because it is real. The world is full of people who have been so brought down by injustice that they lose their sense of right and wrong, and we need to see that on screen. If Jet is too complex for them, how will they handle Ba Sing Se in the second season.

This goes along the same lines as removing Sokka's sexist moments. They felt they had to do it to make him more 'likable.' Yet the writers themselves went full sexist on Katara's character. They've taken out so much of her spark, her righteous and justified anger, and they've done it because even in 2024, people expect women to be more passive to be palatable. Enough people have already commented on them removing Aang's choice to run away. Heaven forbid the main character not be an absolute paragon. Did y'all notice that they even made Hahn likable? Hahn?! What reason do you have for making Hahn likable Netflix?! His role in the narrative is to be an example of toxic masculinity that is clearly the bad choice compared to Sokka who has learned and grown out of his own.

Don't even get me started with what they're doing with the fire nation family, I'm not ready to tackle that. In general, I have no problem with Azula getting a little more backstory and humanizing, but why season 1? Throwing in all these extra scenes just sacrifices screen-time where they could've actually fleshed out the real season one plots instead of rushing through things at breakneck pace. (ex: Aang escaping Zuko's ship in about 2 minutes flat)

At the end of the day, the scenes I most enjoyed were those that held true to the original like the Blue Spirit sequences. They could've easily done more of this, held onto the important plot points and even more important character complexity, while maturing it for an adult audience. I'm not disagreeing with every change they made. Go ahead and take out the silly Nickelodeon gags, add cussing and more realistic violence to get your mainstream viewers. Go ahead. They could've easily made a darker more mature version of the show and still held onto all the old fans in my opinion. But claiming that you're making a 'more mature' version and then removing the complexity and subtlety because they didn't think viewers could handle it...

What makes me most sad is that there are a lot of people who will experience ATLA for the first time through this show. There are a lot of adults who are not willing to watch original ATLA because they refuse to acknowledge an animated series can be anything other than a kid's show. Those people will watch this and think it's the real deal, and that just makes me sad.

If you've read this far, a very sincere thank you for listening to my rant. If you're an OG fan who enjoyed it, I have no problem with you. It was a fun watch, I was just hoping for more. If you are a new viewer who has never seen ATLA before, I sincerely want to hear your opinions. Is it a great show to someone who isn't holding it against the context of the original? And do you plan to watch the original now?

[mitraoki]

Hello! I've had this idea for a while now with Kaveh and the quote "An architect's dream is an engineer's nightmare". Can you perhaps make a fic where Kaveh's work is reader's nightmare? Knowing how much effort and thought Kaveh may put on his work. Because of that they have small banters because of it, and it would be pretty funny if they're in a relationship and they have a lover's quarrel about it.

I'm sorry if this is confusing, take your time with this and I hope you have a great day ahead! (I'm not fluent with english so I hope you can understand-)

pillar (kaveh x gn! reader)

note; HELLO ANON!! thank you sm for requesting!!🥺❤️ i really like this idea too, though i do apologize for taking a while. i think it became a little too sad in between OOPS but it gets better i promise. (i also got carried away uhhh) thank you so much and i hope you have a great day/night too! <33

cw; slight angst, kaveh gets drunk, the rest is fluff i promise

masterlist.

'a kshahrewar student's maintenance in reputation is nearly enough for them upon building a strong foundation. putting their vast knowledge to use, they have been entrusted throughout the years with a promise to uphold the safety, security and the comfort of the people residing in sumeru.'

those were the words you remember reading in one of alhaitham's books (which you surprisingly got your hands on), and you remember making annotations for future references. (of course, they had to be done on a separate paper.)

that was the book you remember excitedly clutching, further arguing with your friend that you needed every source, every material alive that revolved around the man you fell head over heels with. you remembered the butterflies in your stomach whenever you were reminded of the days of young kaveh - before his cheekbones became more defined, his shoulders a tad bit broader, and a face well cared for. the hard work of yours must have paid off; his feelings were mutual.

.....but it only took a while to realize that maybe you've always paid more attention to the good side of things. after all, who would ever want to ever digest the worst-case scenarios?

it hurt you when he was hurting, but his reality was far too inevitable than you think. with the countless debts that he'd carry over his shoulders, it was like the ground would eventually swallow him whole. but kaveh doesn't give in. he doesn't want to - so he receives projects time and time again. one thing was for sure, he would not think of the payment whatsoever. sometimes his clients would have to question him. it was his morals that got in the way that may leave him empty handed at times.

it didn't hurt him.

what would hurt him was when you offered to provide him with some funds to pay off any concerning debt from your savings. no, it wasn't arrogance or ignorance. kaveh loved the fact that you were independent, and that was exactly what he would feel guilty of. it was your hard-earned mora, why would you have to use it to settle his problems when you could use it instead to treat yourself? once again - his morals come into play. 

of course, that didn't stop you from helping him out. often you were greeted with a confused kaveh, scratching his head and thinking about how his debts were greatly reducing. he was also gullible, so that came to good use whenever he asked you if you had anything to do with this.

day and night, you were always on his mind. the gift shops or cafe owners recognized his face almost immediately - due to the fame, primarily - and also because he needed to get you something to cheer you up with. kaveh was indebted to you. meeting you from day one till the moment he found out about your involvement with his settled debts. and he was going to do anything in his willpower to treat you like royalty.

the guilt spiraled in him because he knows just how engrossed he was in his work, which at times meant he was neglecting you. every now and then he grumbled on to you about how you should not pay off anything he owed. you returned his stance with your concerns about his work, how much it's taking him away from the real world. how you two are constantly bickering about the same thing all over again. how much it was interfering with the relationship.

sometimes kaveh wonders if he's not done enough. sometimes you wonder if you've done too much.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

it was a moonless night in the city of sumeru. stars painted the sky instead - and as kaveh looked up, his heart momentarily swelled with joy, wondering if he could ever call you out for stargazing some other time. the smile slowly faded away when he was reminded of the recent confrontation. 

'not for now, that's for sure,' he said aloud, sighing. worry began to wash over him even more as he wondered if you already had plans of sending him away. sure, he could always crash in at alhaitham's, but what if this time he was to permanently move away from his lover?

clutching mehrak tighter, kaveh held back his tears which were threatening to roll down his cheeks. work today was stressful too - the owner of the project was a pain in the ass. nobody was listening to his ideas, and he spent around 30 minutes trying to find a blueprint of his that he had worked on overnight, right after you slammed the door of your shared room (he found it because he noticed the tear stains at the corner of his work).

he felt a spark of solace when he noticed the well-lit lambad's tavern to his right. the liveliness of the tavern was self-explanatory, it was peak hours. weird. kaveh doesn't really acknowledge this place on most nights, so why was it today that he was yearning to go? he could always drink at the comfort of his home, but something was pulling him away from you.

maybe he didn't want his appearance to scream that he was in dire need of your love, your touch, even. maybe he was embarrassed. maybe he was worried you might ask him to sleep on the couch that night. he was worried he would see his things, packed up in bags.

would it really be a problem if he could take a shot? maybe two? would you scold him?  he was taking a step forward, then backward. he walked in circles, sat on the bench, and checked the time once again. every time he became extremely drunk was when his roommate was around. now that he was alone, can he handle it?

'just this once. and then i'm heading home.'

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

'he's not here, y/n. he didn't tell you anything?' alhaitham stood in front of his door, which in a way told you that he had just reached home. 

'ah. we had a little.... argument. usually he would be back home, but today i assumed that he would stay here for a night.'

'right,' he nodded slowly. 'the only thing that kaveh has been doing is visiting my home - during my work hours - leaving treats. hasn't been sleeping here, though.'

you sigh, feeling the sinking feeling starting to pool in. maybe you weren't able to process the places kaveh usually heads to, because you were sure you checked every corner. you were certain of the time he would return home, and even told some of your friends to inform you if you ever saw him around, because they were so used to seeing him purchasing goods for you. so where in archon's name was he now?

'you didn't tell him to... you know. move out-,'

'no!' you answered almost immediately. 'no. i would never.'

'i know. just crossing out possibilities. now, your boyfriend should be in a tavern. if he's not, come back to me and we'll think of some solutions.'

when you busted the tavern doors wide open, you were welcomed with a warm breeze. the mixed scents of sumeru's delicacies with a faint mix of alcohol flared your nostrils. when your burning eyes finally set on the figure you had been searching for hours, you noticed your vision slowly blurring out.

poor kaveh was slumped on one of the tavern's stools, still holding onto one of the cups he had taken a huge swig of his drink from. he looked small from where you were standing, curled up while his other arm hung lazily around something you couldn't make out from afar.

you inched closer and noticed it was mehrak that he was hugging. his hairpins were holding on for dear life, and his messed-up braids were already contributing to the mess on his hair. you noticed his cheekbones being glossy, which was painfully obvious that he had been crying. his white clothing was stained with the alcohol, and you knew that he would never be that messy when he drinks. then again, his alcohol tolerance was low, and he made sure to remind you that he could only drink at least half a glass (maybe one) in parties or gatherings. 

kaveh has probably had one of the worst days yet.

your ears seemed to filter out the noises around the tavern, because all you could hear was his steady breathing, accompanied by the little noises he was making. you wiped away your tears with the edge of your palms before stroking your knuckles against his cheek. 

'come on, my love. it's time to go home.'

it was no difficult task for you to get him home. despite being almost blackout drunk, he managed to cooperate with you the whole walk back. neither of you said a word. you felt like if you were to utter a word, you might burst into tears. him on the other hand.... he already knew who was guiding him.

and he already felt more embarrassed. 

you sat him down on your shared bed, and began stripping him off his accessories and shirt. he didn't argue, did not push you away. a lovely shade of red tinted his cheeks, and he stole glances of you every few seconds. telling him to wait, you prepared a basin of warm water along with a cloth to wipe his body with. 

but when you returned, he landed with a plop! on the mattress. it made you smile a little - it was like you were seeing little kaveh once again.

you managed to force him to sit up while you worked your way from his face, to his arms, and his chest. you could hear him let out a soft snicker. maybe it tickled, but he still did not say anything the entire time.

and after a long silence -

'are you going to leave me?'

'hey....kaveh, darling. why would i ever leave you?' your hand trailed up to his cheek. being this close to him, you could really tell he immersed himself while drinking today - the alcohol was overpowering his sweet-smelling perfume.

'after what we talked about and everything. y/n, i'm trying everyday but it's so tough. i'm sorry, sweetheart. it's so, so tough. i- today was the worst, and the last thing i wanted was for you to go and- and...,' he trailed off, his fingers wrapping around your wrist. 

'okay, okay. first things first, breathe with me. come on,' you inhaled, signaling him to match his breathing pace with yours. his tense shoulders began to relax. his figure was sinking into your touch after what felt like an eternity.

'i'm not leaving you, kaveh. keep that in mind. good or bad day, don't you ever think of that, okay? even if you do, i will be here to reassure you. nothing in any way, shape or form can ever take me away from you.'

his softened ruby red eyes lazily looked up to yours. 'really?'

'mhm. cross my heart. i didn't mean anything i said the night before. i'm sorry too - i know you're going through all kinds of things right now, but i will be here. and when i tell you that i would do anything to help you out, i will. let me help, kaveh. i promise you, you do not owe me anything.'

'when was the last time you treated yourself, y/n. it's your money. you do whatever you want with it.'

'and helping you is part of it. say whatever you want, but i know what i'm doing. and i know that i'm doing the right thing.' you closed your eyes. 

'.......i'm gonna spoil you when i get rich,' he slurred, kissing your cheek.

'aren't you spoiling me everyday already, my love?' you giggled. 'always getting me gifts when you get the chance.'

'anything for you. anything.'

all created content belongs to mitraoki. reposts/remakes are not allowed.

[virgo-dream]

Glitter Glue and Butterfly Stickers 🦋✨

general audiences / dreamling / domestic fluff / retired dream / 1052 words

a gift to my beloved @littledreamling. as I’ve told you before, you are the hope to my sadness. thank you for never losing sight of me when I feel lost. inspired by this post. read here or on ao3

Sometimes, it was impossible for Hob not to marvel at how lucky he truly was. He and Dream had been married for about 10 years, after Dream had decided to step down from his role as lord of the Dreaming for good. Retirement suited his husband quite well too. Dream was making quite the name for himself as a painter and sculptor, and took great joy in taking part of the small tasks of their everyday life. They’d moved to a nice house away from the city, big enough for a nice office for Hob and a large studio for Dream, along with a library they both shared. The move had been great for other reasons too: Dream tended to get overwhelmed in the city, and the both of them could enjoy a lot more privacy too.

When they decided to adopt a child, a bigger house had also been ideal.

Hob had been sitting on his desk for what felt like an eternity, but had in fact been about 8 hours. He was hunched over his computer, eyes already stinging from the strain of looking at the screen for so long. He’d written quite a lot that day, and read even more from the pile of printed out articles, papers and books, research material for his new thesis that he much preferred reading the physical copies of. His main source of comfort while he worked was a single mug of warm tea that filled itself back up every time he reached for it, courtesy of his above god-kind of a husband. Hob reached for the mug, taking a sip of tea that could only be described as “childhood memory” flavored, let out a soft sigh and leaned back on his chair, allowing his mind to wander for a moment.

A soft knock on the door brought him right back to reality.

“Dearest, may I come in?” Dream’s voice was soft, almost like he was afraid he might interrupt Hob while he worked. Hob found it endearing, how much Dream respected and honoured his work hours.

Hob got up, stretching his arms and back quickly, before walking over to the door to open it, smiling as he was greeted by the face of the person he loved most in the entire universe. “You know you don’t have to knock, love. It’s never a bad time for you.”

Dream allowed a private and gentle smile, eyes filled with a fondness that Hob was perpetually greedy for. “I prefer to not interrupt your writing process. I have learned that an interrupted flow of ideas is preferred by scholars and artists alike.”

“And I am thankful for it dove, I really am.” Hob leaned in to press a chaste kiss to Dream’s lips, letting his hands rest on his husband’s hips. “But as you well know, I can always use a visit or 10 from you while I work.”

“You would not get any work done if I indulged you.” Dream’s tone was humorous, as if his smile was evident even in his voice.

“But I’d get to do you, and that would be even more rewarding.” said Hob, winking at the end to get his point across. It earned him a soft flush on Dream’s cheeks, so even if he wasn’t particularly satisfied with what he’d done so far, his day had already been won.

“You are impossible, Hob Gadling.”

“So are you, Morpheus Gadling.” 10 years into their marriage and Hob still felt the need to say Dream’s name out loud to believe it had even happened. “But I have a feeling you didn’t come here just to praise me.”

“You would be correct.” Dream reached into the back pocket of his jeans, producing a bubblegum pink envelope filled with glittery butterfly stickers. “Lucy requested I deliver this to you. She said it was of the utmost importance that you read it before dinner.”

Hob took the small envelope from Dream’s hand, his smile growing larger by the second as he read his name written in the handwriting of his 7 year old daughter. “From Princess Lucy to Doctor Gadling” he read out loud, looking at Dream as if his heart would not be able to make it through reading the contents of the letter.

“Ah, yes. Princess Lucy of the Dream Kingdom. I find it very appropriate, don’t you?” Hob had never seen anything like the look of pride that currently resided in Dream’s eyes.

“Of course, I should have known.” Hob let out a soft chuckle, carefully opening the envelope as not to damage any of the many stickers Lucy had used to glue it shut. He then unfolded the letter, written in flower themed stationary with an array of different coloured pencils.

“Dear Doctor Gadling (Dad),

Dad Morpheus read me an article you wrote. I was amazed by it! ^u^ It surprised me that took you 4 months to write it! :O I’m sure it took a lot of work. I found out a lot of things about medieval times! I also liked learning about the things you teach. A lot of things made me say “awesome”! :D I want to read what you write next!

A+!

Princess Lucy of The Dream Kingdom (your daughter)”

Hob tried to read it aloud, but his voice got shaky midway through, and he was glad when Dream pulled him into his embrace and finished reading it for him. “Dream, I—“

“I know.” Dream pressed a soft kiss to Hob’s temple, wiping his tears away gently with his thumbs. “She is very proud of you, Hob. As am I. It was her idea to write the letter; she wanted to give you encouragement in writing your thesis.”

“I don’t think I’ll be doing any more writing today after this.” Hob’s eyes were filled with tears, but he couldn’t be happier. How he’d landed this life was beyond him.

“Thus my hesitance in interrupting you.” Dream pressed a kiss to Hob’s lips, then brushing a strand of hair that had escaped Hob’s bun away from his eyes. “I shall get dinner ready. Perhaps you could play with Lucy while I cook. I have heard she’s in need of a knight.”

“Ah, of course. Can’t keep the princess of the Dream Kingdom waiting now, can I?”

[jojosito]

2, 9, 17, 23, and 42 for izou and nagayoshi each < 3

Finally getting time to ramble about my idiots yay <3

2-. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

For Izou it'd be the idea that he's naturally very observant. Like, if he can replicate sword techniques just by seeing them, then he has to be really good at picking up on the little details when something or someone catches his attention. He doesn't do it on purpose, but just by watching he'd start noticing stuff that most wouldn't.

Something canon that will haunt me forever is this line from his materials profile

Originally he’s unsophisticated with a chivalrous spirit and has a kind personality, but since he was used as others pleased and abandoned in the end he is twisted.

That kindness it's still there, no matter how much he tries to push people away, it'll always be a part of him 🥺

Now Naga.... I think a lot of the oddities of his personality are simply how he's learned to survive on his environment prior to being a servant. His reactions seem unreasonable a lot of the time, but if you see them through the lens of warlord born in a era where strength was the only way to earn respect, then you can see where he's coming from. The extremity to which he takes it feels kinda childish in a way, like if you asked a kid to come up with the baddest, most feared samurai they can think of. Considering how young he was when he took on a position of authority, I can see how violence and unrestraint became core parts of his personality. That's not all he is, though, I'm sure he soon realized that sometimes strength wont be enough to survive, and there's where the more nuance aspects of his character come from.

For something canon, this dialogue from the last scenes of gudaguda 5 in particular has stuck with me.

Well, you know, in your time, you can't just go around killing people for looking at you funny, right? I don't think I'd fit in. I'm too used to pulling out my spear soon as something pisses me off. Hell, even my allies were practically dancing in the streets when I finally kicked the bucket. So just go back home where you belong and don't worry about me.

He's just... Completely ready to let the chance of joining Chaldea go, because he thinks that's what'll be best for them. It's so sad that he believes himself more trouble than what it's worth :( also the fact that he would decide on that kind of thing without discussing it with Ritsuka first speaks a lot about his character. You can also see it on his valentine scene. When he thinks something it's the best for the people he cares for he would just decide on it by himself. It's equally endearing and troublesome, but he's also willing to be corrected if you tell him his assumptions are wrong.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

The thing with my love for them it's that it was born out of things outside of the source material. I liked them superficially before, but only once a friend of mine said that they should be a ship it's when I started looking more into them. So yeah, there's wasn't a particular single scene that made me go "wow, I love them" but the sum of reading how they are in fgo and the historical figures they represent.

But I'll talk about two scenes I like instead cus they're cool (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

This of Izou vs Taira no Kagekiyo fight. I love the visuals for his skill of replicating other's swordplay. He can be so scary in battle... Also love him not backing down even if he's going against people stronger than him. Hard not to fall in love with him <3

Naga's latest fight in Redline Just... The raw power he holds. He's like a fire. Powerful, unrelenting, terrifying. And yet, you can't help being drawn to the beauty of those savage flames. He burns violent and beautiful.

I love a maaaaaaaaaan.

17-. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

This is my ultimate Izou song. Romantic implications of the lyrics aside, it perfectly describes his whole deal with Takechi and the tosa kinnoto. The beat its also very Izo.

I didn't had a Naga song in mind before this ask cus I find his vibe pretty specific and hard to replicate, but I went on to search, deciding that first of all it should be fun to listen to, like something you'd put on while driving fast with your frieds. After a while searching I remembered this one and... The lyrics fit him soo good it's eerie sjhhjshjsk. The ultimate Naga song, to me.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

I said it before, Izou's candle would be cigarettes, blood, sake and a hint of seaside under all that. Very stinky candle shjsjkhsjkhs

Naga's would of course smell like matcha tea, something metallic, either from blood or his armor, and uhhhh... Something warm. Like wooden floors that have been hit be the sunlight coming throught the window. I guess that's more a vibe than a smell shgshgshgj.

42. 3 comfort items

For Izou I guess cigarettes would be one, I can see him reaching for them whenever he's feeling anxious or wants to relax. There's also the pipe he pulls out with his fancy outfit. I think he would smoke it from time to time to chill by himself.

Speaking of outfits, he strikes me as the kind that would get himself a new one when he's feeling down. The "I deserve it" kind of deal sgjhsgjhs.

He doesn't mentions it in fgo I think, but historically his katana belonged to the Sakamoto clan before somehow ending up in his hands, so yeah, back in the day I can see him being really fond of it. As a servant it probably brings more pain than comfort tho.

Naga I think would definitely find comfort on his yari, it's an heirloom from the Mori clan, so I think he would feel connected to his dad and older brother throught it. I like to think the same applies to the white armor he wears in his third ascension. It's not said if it belonged to his father or if he got it made for himself, but yeah, I hc that it was passed down to him too.

I think he would love having a traveler's notebook to pull out whenever inspiration strikes him. I can see him all covered in blood after a fight, standing in the middle of the battlefield and writing a few lines or doodling a cool kanji with a brush pen.

Also, both of them would really treasure anything thst's been gifted to them 😌

Thanks for the ask! I enjoyed it a lot 💖

[murcielagatito]

so i watched blue beetle yesterday and i wanted to review it with the article about latino representation in media in mind but honestly i just want to talk about the background specifically the reyes family home

jaime reyes is a mexican that lives in el paso, texas. at least according to his source material. in the film however, they invented up an imaginary city for him and his family to live in and it was disappointing to see. im a texas born puerto rican whom has lived in el paso and puerto rico amongst many other places and it was kinda like….. it felt wrong the way this imaginary city was depicted. el paso is a desert and they translated that to literally them just living on a street named el paso. el paso is a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture and we were robbed of seeing that in favor of taking puerto rico and its architecture and being labeled once again a fantasy. like no! we were robbed of two different representations at once!

jaime’s home in the very real city of el paso, texas is completely ignored in favor of a tropical landscape. and while it brought pride to my heart seeing mi isla on the big screen, it made me sad as well that people would see our land (once again) yet not even realize we are not in fact a fantasy but a real actual place where people really actually live. 

puerto rico’s architecture is built with very specific things in mind: one, because we live on an island, the materials we use are primarily concretes and metals to ensure longevity of our buildings in extremely moist climates. two, our homes are essentially (but not all) barricaded for extra safety (a sad but real reality) with gorgeously crafted fencing around porches. three, WE LOVE COLORS our homes are painted extremely colorfully! while in contrast, el paso’s color palate revolves favoring the earth tones seen in the city's desert landscape. it just felt like the gorgeous landscape of el paso wasnt good enough to the producers to be depicted on the big screen.

not only that we were robbed of the real issues that puerto rico is facing right now. we see a sign at the beginning of the neighborhood the reyes family lives in with several things graffitid onto it and one of the phrases is “gringos go home” this is a huge movement in puerto rico and has been for many years now as more rich white people have been gentrifying our island and kicking native puerto ricans out of their own homes. homes they have lived in their entire lives. the phrase itself can be seen as funny and im sure some people laughed about it but it felt like a slap in the face to see especially because that specific neighborhood is literally filmed in puerto rico.

the movie presents this issue of rich white people taking over this imaginary city in somewhere california when these issues are actually happening on the island as you read this. and its something they talk about in the movie but not in relation to puerto rico! like its a big issue! the reyes are literally losing their home! and theyve already lost their business because of the rising rent that they simply cannot afford. except the land the gringos are gentrifying isnt real because the city doesnt fucking exist and therefore viewers can choose to look at it as this grand fantasy issue as if the current colonization of puerto rico isnt something to be concerned about. how can yall tell us to go back to our country then take away our homes? where are we supposed to go?

[sokkastyles]

The topic of the book came up in my last ask, and then I found this post about the Zuko and Katara scene in the caves. The novels aren't that great lol. Where was any of the compassion Katara showed Zuko hinted at to be about Jet in the actual show? There are plenty of retcons and inconsistencies in those books compared to the show about the characters and their thought processes, so imho it's fair enough to disregard them as meaningful analyses of the character motivations. Either way, I just thought that it was a bad enough take that you might be interested.

Yeah, once again, if you have to point to the novelization and not the source material to make your point, then it's not that strong of a point to begin with. And agree about the novels being poorly written. I do think that part of the reason Katara wanted to save Zuko is because she couldn't save Jet, and given the parallels and foils between Jet and Zuko and their relationship with Katara, I think that's an important point, but it's hardly the only reason, and the novelizations reduce this to "oooh Katara was so mean to Jet" in a way that's rather reductive and feels pretty misogynistic, tbh.

I also think Zuko thinking that he's "as much a victim of the war" as Katara is is out of character. Not because I expect him at this moment to have a particularly strong insight about his complicity in imperialism - his defensiveness is in character because at this point in his journey, he's not yet ready to face the truth - but it's out of character because Zuko also isn't ready to face the fact that he WAS a victim of the war. In the show, the choice to side with Azula feels ina lot of ways like a misguided attempt on Zuko's part to take back his agency after coming so close to realizing the terrible truth of how he was abused by his own family, how his nation took his mother away from him and how similar he is to someone who has suffered greatly because of his people's war. Of course, in actuality, he's losing agency rather than taking it back, but it's difficult for him to admit that he was a victim, especially since Katara doesn't get to follow through on her healing. Choosing Azula is very much a "the devil you know" choice. That's why he throws it back in Katara's face when she says she thought he had changed.

But the scene where Zuko says they have their mother's loss in common in the show never comes across as a justification. It also gets across a range of complex emotions from Zuko: defensiveness, yes, but also guilt, and anger, and pain, and a tiny bit of hope that someone might actually understand, but also fear because he's not ready to be that vulnerable, and sadness and empathy for Katara. The fact that they do that without giving us Zuko's internal monologue is a sign of good writing, and it's the reason why the novelizations, even though they do provide us with an internal monologue, feel flat in comparison. Oftentimes, good writing renders the need for an internal monologue unnecessary.

Also, Aang was taunting him. Zuko deserved it, but Aang was absolutely taunting.

[bronzewool]

The marketing surrounding Ever Crisis is starting to concern me.

"We still don't know Sephiroth"

Good. Despite what remake thinks, I don't need to know every tiny detail about these characters.

That was my main complaint with Traces of Two Pasts. It was just a cheap cash grab to sell a book about Tifa and Aerith's backstories, where there was nothing in the pages that changed our perspective of the two as characters or altered our experience playing the game on a second playthrough.

The fact that game begins after the Wutai War was a deliberate move by the creators. As a kid Cloud fantasies about becoming a hero just like Sephiroth but by the time he's old enough to join Shinra, the war is already over and the world doesn't need heroes right now. We never see the war through flashbacks but we hear enough from second-hand accounts and how history is already being written by the winners.

Shinra now controls all corners of Gaia and is presented as a force of good towards the stubborn Wutai who couldn't see reason by just giving up their land so they could make more mako reactors and free clean energy for everyone :D

The planet is dying and Wutai was the final sprint to ensure Shinra's monopoly on a now desolate planet where flowers can't grow.

Wutai is so scarred by this loss it becomes a tourist attraction and gets it's own sideplot in the form of Yuffie who joins Cloud's party in hopes of returning her homeland to it's former glory.

There is so much left unsaid about the Wutai War but the aftermath is felt throughout the game, which is why I'm not interested in a prequel where Sephirith feels sad for conquering said territory and murdering its people, or possibly changing the circumstances in order to rid him of any responsibility.

Because the original game did an amazing job highlighting Sephirith's best and worst qualities. He is a powerful warrior and skilled tactician who can lead his troops to victory but does not question the destruction he brings in his wake. He was even given the name "The Demon of Wutai" for his role in single handling conquering it and had his face plastered on every poster to sell this false image of him to further Shinra's own agenda (which worked because Cloud, Zack, Genesis and Angeal all recruited to become just like Sephiroth).

We know very little about Sephiroth but he is complex enough to get the point across. He cares for his men and puts the wellbeing of others first, but he is still a tool of Shinra and if ordered to do something then he will do it most efficiently with the least amount of bloodshed.

I don't want this to be a Crisis Core situation, where we take all these well-established scenes and ruin them by shoving more characters who don't need to be there, or pull an Anakin Skywalker where we muddy Sephiroth's character by over-explaining everything to the point it destroys the reputation of the original source material.

[matan4il]

Hi, so I am more and more convinced that Buddie won't become canon which breaks my heart. Any advice on how to love this pairing despite the writers setting up something so brilliantly to not follow through? Fanfics, fanart, gifs and videos are beautiful and help a lot, but I feel kind of hopeless because of where we are at and heading, and would really like to resurrect my love for the Buddie ship.

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for this ask.

If that’s what you believe, that is totally legit. I’m not there yet, I might be one day, but I can certainly understand the people who are and this blog is a fully accepting environment for everyone, no matter where you happen to be.

I don’t really have advice other than to say that I really believe fandom should make us happy. Life is hard enough. Genuinely, life is the ultimate struggle, and to me fandom is the happy bubble that’s meant to revitalize and strengthen us by giving us an injection of joy. Fandom shouldn’t be a chore, and it shouldn’t make us sad. So that’s the primary goal in my book, to take care of yourself and make sure you’re doing good.

If fandom does make us sad, I guess there are a couple of things we can try and do, that I can think of off the top of my head:

One is to maybe decide to leave a specific fandom if the source material makes us that unhappy and we don’t believe that might change at some point. That’s legit, and it’s a form of self care.

Another option is to find an additional fandom, get our joy from that one, making what the former fandom couldn’t give us into something that takes us less space in our fandom experience. This is probably for when we’re not happy, but we think there might be a chance for things to get better, or when there’s enough good in this specific fandom that we don’t wanna walk away from it completely.

And then a third option is figure out if there is a way for us to be content even if the source material doesn’t give us what we wanted from it, ever. I think that’s where I personally am at whenever I consider the possibility that Buddie might not become canon. I focus on the fact that I love the show overall. Henren, Madney, Bathena, they make me happy as well, as does the Buckley-Diaz family even in its semi-canon-no-romance form. I don’t wanna throw all that good away even if I never get the canon Buddie that I think we (and Buddifer) deserve. So I focus on what I love, and I also personally have come to realize that in my head, Buddie will always come together, even if it doesn’t happen on our screen. It’ll just happen in a “fill in the blanks” kind of way. ‘Coz I just can’t believe Buck and Eddie wouldn’t eventually get together. It’s not just fic and fanart. It’s just their truth in my mind. It’s the natural progression to what canon has shown us of them, so... it is canon to me, no matter what.

I hope this helps and that you find your joy, whichever option you go for! Sending hugs! As always, here’s my ask tag. xoxox

[draconicsparkle]

Smol! Smol!! Smol!!!

You know, I genuinely can’t decide if I like big snek or small snek better than the other. They are both just so good.

Sapphire really got lots of good ideas. Thank ya for all the great suggestions!

There were so many benefits to living with a human. So many. In fact, Nagito couldn’t fathom going back to live in the wild now that he had experienced these benefits.

And it was made all the more better with the human himself. He was just simply perfect. There was no other way to describe him. So caring. So devoted. So attentive.

And at the current moment, so warm.

It was the beginning of the winter season and it was starting to get colder. So naturally, he sought out sources of warmth. His favorite being under the human’s shirt when he was laying down. The most ideal place, really. And that’s where he placed himself overnight while Hajime had been sleeping. He knew that the human wouldn’t move in his sleep. So all he had to do was climb up the nightstand and slither onto the pillow nearby. Then, he could curl up anywhere he wanted on the human.

Hajime hadn’t stirred when he did this. So he was able to fall asleep quite fast once in position. He was only roused when the blinding morning light suddenly appeared due to the shirt collar being lifted.

“Again? You know you have a heat lamp,” Hajime said with slight exasperation. He covered his yawn with the back of his other hand, staring at the naga on him.

Nagito, in response, sleepily smiled. “It’s getting colder. You’re warm. Makes sense.” He then laid his head back down, intending to go back to sleep.

Sadly, his attempt was unsuccessful. “Sorry, Nagi. I have to get up now. I have a test for a class this morning.” A hand reached in and gently pinched the area where skin met scales. He felt himself be lifted and transported out into the colder air.

“Noooooo… my warm spot,” he whined, hanging limp as he was carried away. He must have looked sad enough to warrant Hajime placing him on his neck. Instinctually, he coiled around the source of warmth, squeezing tight to ensure he couldn’t be removed easily.

“Again, I’m sorry. I wish we could stay in bed. But I do have to leave soon. You can stay there while I get ready. Okay?” Hajime asked, rubbing his hair with a pointer finger.

Nagito didn’t verbally reply, too sleepy to do so. He began dozing off, eyes closing and relaxing. Hajime must have understood what was happening because he didn’t ask again. The naga could feel Hajime begin his morning tasks. Changing clothes, preparing and consuming food, and gathering his required materials. Too soon, it was time for the human to leave.

“Come on, Nagito. Let’s put you back under your lamp,” he said as his hands reached for the green tail.

But Nagito tightened in response. “No. I’ll stay with you. You’re warmer.”

Hajime sighed. “I know. But I have to go to class. This test is really important.”

“Take me with you! I’ll be your good luck charm!” the naga cried out, trying his hardest to be convincing. “I won’t move or speak! I won’t be distracting! Please?”

He deployed his puppy dog eyes, looking as cute as he could possibly be. He didn’t do this very often, as he knew how effective it was on the human. He was well aware of Hajime’s level of immunity to this.

Which was pretty much zero.

“Fine. If you promise to not make any noise during class, you can come with. I’ll wear a scarf to cover you. Happy?”

Nagito squealed and hugged the hand near him. “Thank you! I’ll be completely silent for you. And with me there, you will have no trouble on this test! I shall give you all my luck!”

The other hand stroked his tail gently. “If you say so. I could really use it right now.” The hands pulled away, much to Nagito’s disappointment. They had busied themselves with grabbing the thick scarf and carefully winding it around the human’s neck. Soon, the naga was snuggly wrapped up in a cozy enclosed space. “You comfortable? Can you stay like this for the whole time?”

Nagito tightened his coil a tiny bit. “It’s perfect. So warm. Cozy…” He began trailing off as the drowsiness returned. He barely heard the human reply, but the words didn’t register. He was already dozing again.

He was grateful that Hajime was extremely smooth in his walking, as he was not jostled at all when they were moving. The miniscule chill he could feel from the outdoors was soon replaced with the heating from the building. He felt Hajime sigh in relief from the temperature change. But the scarf remained on. Most likely to not draw attention to him and to keep him warm. He again thanked his lucky stars for the existence of this human. No one else would ever begin to compare.

Hajime sat down somewhere and briefly touched the snake tail underneath the scarf. He was checking in on his passenger, it seemed. Nagito squeezed in response, knowing that Hajime liked it when he did this. It apparently was comforting and soothing, helping to keep him grounded and calm.

That gave him an idea just then. Maybe he would do it periodically while Hajime was taking his test! He could be helpful!

And so he did. While relaxing under the scarf, he would keep up his occasional squeezes throughout the next hour. Whenever he felt the human starting to tense or stress, his squeeze would calm him right back down. It made the naga feel nice and warm inside. He was helping and doing something good. Making a difference in this stressful time.

The hour passed. Soon, Hajime was putting his pen down and sighing in relief. “It’s over. All done,” he muttered, standing up to turn his paper in.

“Good job,” Nagito told him, leaning his human half against the larger creature’s neck. “How are you feeling about it?”

“Better than I originally thought. And it’s thanks to you. I need to bring you with me to all my tests now,” he said, the smirk very evident in his voice.

Nagito felt elation. “Oh, yes! I would love to accompany you during such stressful times! Please allow me to assist!” he exclaimed.

“Not exactly what I thought you would say… but yeah. You can come with me when I have another test.” Hajime began walking again, out of the classroom and into the rest of the building. “Here, you can peek out now,” the brunette said as he used a finger to pull down a bit of the scarf.

Nagito had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. But he was so glad when he did. The building they were in was so different from Hajime’s apartment. A variety of display cases with different plant and animal species in them. Giant models of what Hajime had said were DNA strands. And lots of students walking around.

“This is so amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this!” Nagito remarked, wonder in his tone.

“There’s a chair over there. Want me to sit so you can look a little more?” Hajime asked, keeping his voice low to not attract attention.

Nagito nodded rapidly. So to the chair they went, Hajime sitting down and unwrapping the scarf from around his neck. He placed it and the naga down in his lap. From here, they were able to see beautiful murals of nature painted on the wall. The naga loved it all.

After some time, he still was in awe. Everything was still so amazing. He wanted to stay here for a little longer if he could.

That was what he told Hajime when asked. “Gotcha. We can stay here for a little longer. I might go grab a snack from the vending machine. I can leave you with my stuff so you can continue looking. I won’t take too long.”

Nagito nodded. “Okay! I’ll watch over your things!”

Hajime nodded back, carefully lifting the scarf and naga pile and placing them down on his chair along with his bag. “I’ll be right back. I’ll just be around the corner. Yell if you need anything.”

With a wave, he disappeared to grab his snack. Nagito waved back, even after he lost sight of him. But his attention swiftly turned back to the sights around him. It really was so fascinating. So many types of creatures that he had never seen before, and so many interesting plants. Life really was diverse. Such variety. And this was only a tiny fraction of what the world had to offer. Maybe he could convince Hajime to take him to a zoo sometime.

His attention had been so thoroughly stolen by these thoughts and sights. So much so that he failed to sense the large mass approaching him.

He suddenly felt something pinch his body. But he instantly knew it wasn’t Hajime. His arms were pinned to his ribs, almost painfully. He was lifted up and out of the scarf, up towards an unfamiliar face.

“A naga! Here in the biology building! How peculiar!”

Nagito instantly began wiggling as best he could. But his attempts were not very successful. Gravity was pulling at his tail like several weights and the grip he was in prevented him from being able to lean over enough to bite. He was trapped.

“Release me!” he shouted, glaring at the one holding him. “Put me down!”

But his shouts went unheard. Large digits began poking and prodding him, not gentle whatsoever. “Nagas are so rarely seen. They are really interesting creatures. I am so fortunate to have found this specimen.” The face lit up, as he got an idea. “The lab is still open. I can go run some tests on it. I think there are some animal carriers there too.”

That made Nagito’s blood turn to ice. Was this human… planning to experiment on him? So many terrible mental images ran through his head, fear replacing his previous anger. He was defenseless when pinned like this. He couldn’t fight back. His words were useless to this human. He couldn’t do anything.

Grinning, the human turned to begin heading to his intended location. But his progress was halted by another human.

A very angry Hajime.

“What are you doing with him?” he demanded in an icy tone. In a single quick movement, his own hand grabbed onto the other’s wrist. “Listen very carefully. You are going to release him and give him to me. And I will not take no for an answer. Understand?”

Uttering only a single tiny squeak of fear, the other human did as Hajime said. The fingers pinching his arms together released and let him fall onto Hajime’s outstretched hand. He instantly curled his tail around the wrist, hugging the digits under him. He was safe again. In the hands of one he knew he could trust.

“Nagito? Are you hurt?” Hajime asked, lifting his hand up to his eyes to better see him. He met the concerned hazel eyes and shook his head. Thankfully, he was completely fine and unharmed. He made it in time.

“I… I didn’t realize it was yours. I apologize. Where did you get it? I would love to study one for a project in biology,” the other human asked, curiosity overpowering the fear for just a few moments.

Only those few moments, as Hajime turned to glare at him again. “First of all, Nagito is a ‘he’, not an ‘it’. He has thoughts and feelings like us. He’s incredibly intelligent and can fully comprehend all we are saying. And second, I didn’t ‘get’ him from anywhere. We are living together as roommates. As equals. So change your thinking on the naga species. And respect them as you would another human.” He let go of the other’s hand, turning to gather his bag and scarf. Only to see several students around them staring. “Uh… I didn’t expect an audience for this.”

Nagito, having regained all of his composure, smiled and raised himself to lay against the human cheek. “They are simply gazing in wonder at your heroic deeds. How you are my savior. Don’t worry, for I am doing it as well.”

He smirked as he could see and feel the embarrassed flush rising on the skin in front of him. “Nagito! What did we discuss about this kind of thing?” he almost hissed.

But the naga simply laughed in response. “Ah, yes. My apologies. It slipped my mind.”

“You and I both know that’s untrue,” the brunette muttered as he hurriedly gathered his things, ready to leave.

But he was stopped before he could go. The student stood before them, but with a different expression from before. “Wait. I wanted to apologize. I was so caught up in excitement that I failed to recognize what I was doing. I’m so sorry. I will be more careful from now on.”

Nagito made eye contact with the human, staring hard into the large eyes. “Yes, you should be careful if you ever come across one of my kind. Not all of us have a protector.” He returned his attention back to Hajime, smiling and expression soft. “Shall we go home now? We have had quite a day, wouldn’t you agree?”

The brunette couldn’t help but smile back. “Correct you are. Let’s go relax for the rest of the day.”

Placing the naga back on his neck, he wound the scarf back around him and set off, ignoring the crowd that was watching him leave. Nagito paid no mind to them either, too pleased with his current location.

The warmth and the fading adrenaline started making him drowsy again. Squeezing one final time in appreciation, he soon fell asleep. Looking forward to their future snuggle session.

Masterpost

[peccatula]

politely requesting any and all of your thoughts about heathcliff ^w^

THANK YOU FOR SENDING THIS IN IM DOING THIS ONE NOW theres like 20 before it but idc

THIS IS KINDA LONG SO ITS UNDER A CUT. i have a lot of thoughts because holyyyy shit this guy is me. they put me in limbus company

warning for discussion of self harm and self destructive tendencies but its not too in depth

heathcliff is transmasc genderfluid bisexual because i am and im projecting. he's gotten top surgery but it wasnt by the best doctor so it looks a bit odd but hes got enough scars all over that it doesnt rly matter. and hes on testosterone, how he managed to secure it living on the backstreets i dont CARE im not here to figure that out

genderfluid not in the male female nonbinary way but in the I dont fucking know sometimes im a guy sometimes im something else but usually a guy kinda way

he has borderline personality disorder, not even just me projecting here though thats a part of it

he's impulsive as hell, does self destructive things because ^^^^^^^ bpd. this is exacerbated by the fact that he can just Come Back To Life so he doesnt need to be careful anymore. he doesnt like pain but he also doesnt like himself and feels like he deserves pain + he just doesnt care to be careful and not self destruct because Oh i can come back so its fine

sneaking suspicion some of his scars are not entirely inflicted by other people. even if he doesnt like. Do it himself he throws himself into dangerous situations as a way to self harm

he's got all that bpd shit goin on including dissociation/emptiness, mood swings, he struggles with his sense of self and identity and worth and hes fucking terrified of abandonment to the point he will sabotage his own relationships because it hurts less to do that than to be left behind or hurt

he's also autistic! i havent done as much thinking on this its mostly just projection here honestly

i dont wanna go too heavily into speculation for his chapter because i hate the idea of being wrong about it but i think he and cathy had a really turbulent relationship that was not great on both sides. i havent read the source material but i think its like that in the book as well. i dont think its gonna be a relationship that you would want to root for

he gets angry a lot because like, he takes things very personally and has very bad self esteem so anything you say to him he will not take well and instead of getting sad about it his brain defaults to anger because Can't show weakness in front of others. he's competitive as a result because he wants to prove to others and himself that he's not a trash heap of a human being and actually has some worth

not a headcanon but hes not fucking stupid can the fandom stop calling him stupid f or one second and read the goddamn dialogue. he's highly observant and street smart and when he's not being impulsive he has good ideas and thinks things through

[thebreakfastgenie]

Ok i regularly see the “Trap is better for Hawkeye’s mental health” argument and I’m consistently baffled how anyone has come to that conclusion on source material alone. Hawkeye’s mental health - or his grasp on it - is simply just… better in seasons 1-3. He has some obvious episodes but in truth Trapper (and Henry) went very much for a ‘plug the leak’ technique rather than any serious help? Hawkeye actually saying “you let me lean on you”, which frankly I take to mean more generally anyway, isn’t really enough for me to judge. I’d want to see this in action, which we barely do. As far as I can see people just say “Trapper would do better” based on vibes and personal preference alone.. which is fine but… i see this presented as more fact than headcanon.

So when I talk about this I pretty regularly say I have no idea how well Trapper would handle later seasons Hawkeye when he starts doing much worse. It’s one of the big questions I have that will never be answered by canon. When I say Trapper is better at handling Hawkeye’s mental health I mean he’s better at handling what he got. It’s not an equal comparison.

It is mostly based on vibes and headcanons but “you let me lean on you” actually doesn’t come into the equation! Trapper just always seems like he’s paying attention. I don’t put Henry and Trapper on the same level because I don’t think Henry paid as much attention. But Trapper seems really aware of what’s going on with Hawkeye. At the end of Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde, Henry asks “McIntyre, what makes him do these things?” which in my headcanon implies this isn’t the first incident like this. Trapper is just doing his best to manage it. Sedating him was also a very solution-oriented move. Whatever the underlying issue it was definitely medically necessary at that point. Adam’s Rib also feels a lot of the time like Trapper is sort of trying to manage Hawkeye.

It is somewhat a plug and leak approach, but I think at that point that was appropriate. Their options for serious help are severely limited. At that point the army might not even think psychiatric treatment was warranted, and if they did that’s a whole can of worms. The psychiatrists we see before Sidney are not trustworthy or people Hawkeye would be safe with. Sidney doesn’t start taking on that role until his third appearance, in season 3. He would have benefited from more help in seasons 1-3 but what he needed wasn’t available in the army in the 1950s. Trapper knew that and was just doing the best he could.

Even later on the lack of appropriate care is an issue. There’s a reason they don’t get Hawkeye any official mental healthcare until they literally have no other choice. I think there are probably times they needed to do more but I’m way more critical of Potter on this front than BJ. Potter is repeatedly shown to be aware of Hawkeye’s fragile mental health. He’s almost more of a parallel to Trapper that way than BJ is.

I think BJ handles The Late Captain Pierce as well as he could and honestly Trapper probably would have done the same thing. But I do think BJ is less aware than Trapper, which again is based on vibes. It’s also based on when we meet them. When we meet Hawkeye and Trapper they’ve known each other for a while, so naturally Trapper is already aware. When we meet BJ, he meets Hawkeye. Part of the story for BJ is him realizing just how bad his new friend’s mental health is which is fascinating and sad. I BJ has a bit of a learning curve with it. In Hawk’s Nightmare I honestly think he’s trying to help but he comes across as a little dismissive like he’s minimizing the problem because he genuinely doesn’t understand how bad it is. By Bless You, Hawkeye he’s doing pretty well, or at least as well as everyone else. I think it’s easy to go to far with “BJ isn’t good at handling Hawkeye’s mental health” because a big part of it is just that there isn’t much he can do.

But then there’s GFA and that complicates things. Everyone has a general level of awkwardness and not knowing what to do, but BJ has that visit at the hospital and I genuinely do not understand his behavior there. That probably affects my read of BJ and how he handles Hawkeye in general.

Basically I think Trapper is more aware of what’s going on with Hawkeye and this is based on vibes and some throwaway lines. I don’t think I’ve seen people treating that like it’s canon but it does feel like a bit more than a random headcanon to me, but with the caveat always that Trapper got a very different era of Hawkeye to deal with. I think Trapper would have handled Hawkeye getting worse better than BJ did just because he already had some experience with him but “handling it better” is functionally pretty marginal because again there isn’t much anyone can do, and this is all speculation.

[batmanego]

how're you finding the boys show?

uhhh… hoo boy. that’s a complicated question. short answer? it’s… mediocre.

long answer?

i want to approach the tv show as objectively as possible, but that’s really difficult when i’ve read the source material and have a list of how many slurs were said in it. so i might be a bit biased, but still, i’m trying to see the merits in it.

the good things about this show: they change a lot of the comics. that’s good. they cut down on the abuse annie endures and is willing to endure in the future. they don’t make the seven do 9/11 again. also, some of the filmmaking decisions they make are remarkably competent, my favorite so far being this interaction between homelander and the deep (taken from my notes):

“in the show, we see the deep manipulating annie and using his power as leverage for sexual favors from her. then, in the next episode, we see a reverse of this situation: homelander manipulates the deep and uses his power as leverage to get the deep to be quiet about something. in this sense, the deep manipulates/abuses, and in turn is manipulated/abused himself. it's furthered by the fact that this is the most direct shot of this: homelander's hand around the deep's neck draws attention to his throat, mirroring the exact type of sexual abuse that the deep inflicted on annie, and the deep's eyeline guides us to homelander's crotch, solidifying the pseudo-sexual dynamics of this scene.”

also, they gave the female a name. bare fucking minimum, but they did it!

but, uh. unfortunately that’s kind of where my compliments end. and. that sucks? i don’t like that! i want to enjoy the boys! but.

the problem is that the boys doesn’t try hard enough to address the problems of the source material. yes, they did what they could to change things, but the fundamental problems of the universe the boys exists in are still there:

superheroes are, at best, immoral because they participate in an immoral system, no matter how hard they try to be good. at worst, they are fundamentally and unchangeably evil.

enjoying superheroes (even in our real world) is still a moral failing, because if you were REALLY a good person, you’d defend YOURSELF.

superheroes are still treated in this weird nightmarish way where they are simultaneously politicians, actors, and businesspeople.

but, ultimately, the boys fails on a very fundamental level because of how it was made. it is clearly desperately trying to take the original concepts of the book, concepts that aren’t entirely terrible on their own, and make them into something better. but it doesn’t try hard enough, and it trips over itself when trying to take a “middle ground”, and, most importantly:

the boys is a tv show about capitalism and businesses and what happens when you let businesses run politics. but that message is completely undercut by the fact that the boys is a fucking AMAZON PRIME ORIGINAL.

i’m sorry, but you simply can’t critique the dangers of capitalism (in a lukewarm way, but still) and be produced by fucking amazon. you simply can’t!

other things bother me about the show, like how long the episodes are, and the blue-green-zack-snyder-esque filter they use for the whole thing, and how the dialogue can be stilted, and how, like the comics, i find most of the bureaucratic bullshit to be mind numbingly boring, and how the marketing flipped after the first season to be like THIS IS THE CRAZIEST THING EVER when doom patrol has been doing it better and weirder since 2019, but. that’s really all secondary to the fact that the boys just… misses the mark.

it’s painfully mediocre, and it’s sad, because i know they could do better: but like i say in my notes, “you can paint the walls all you want, but the house is still built on a shitty foundation”.

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.20--Episodes 20-21

I have watched through S2E21; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—Nailed it! Lo and behold, there is drama about the beans.

—Snow White telling a random stranger *wink wink* about how Regina saved her as a kid is terribly sad. I despise Regina for making that lovely woman so unhappy.

—Has Snow been vibing with Robin Hood? I hope we get to see some of that eventually. Maybe Marion and Snow were friends.

—The Maleficent beast is disgusting. I hate it *truly hateful* *horrified* *screaming in the corner*

—The teardrop potion! Gosh that’s freaky.

—Wendy is a fink. She promised Bae she wouldn’t open the window, and then what did she do? SHE OPENED THE FRICKIN WINDOW!

—This is possibly the most appropriate level of malevolence ever attributed to Peter Pan. He’s creepy. He steals children. He uses them as child soldiers to fight pirates. Also, I’m pretty sure he kills Lost Boys every now and then (but don’t quote me on that one, because I don’t know if it’s from the source material or from an adaptation). Either way, Peter Pan is one of the most disturbing mothertruckers to ever exist in a fairy tale.

—Lol they put an army hat on the dog :)

—I hate both Tamara and Owen. I’m supposed to; I’m supposed to see them as fanatics, and I do. They must be among the most boring, soulless people walking the planet, because for many of us the idea of magic is a beautiful thing. Now, granted, I don’t know what I would actually do with a world of magic, but it’s not like humans never do evil things with the world as it is. Magic is the escapist fantasy of many. It’s an idea that brings a spark of otherworldly joy into our lives. Magical or fantasy worlds have brought me a lot of comfort and inspiration over the years. I can’t even comprehend despising the idea of magic so much that I would be willing to snuff out every single piece of it that showed up.

—Also, that’s another thing. Keeping magic out of our world at the gate would be one thing. Wiping it out when it already exists is a different one entirely. Especially considering this means killing a whole town’s worth of people. No matter your opinion on magic, what Tamara and Owen are doing just isn’t right.

—Lacey is so trashy. She disgusts me.

—But I think I understand now why Mr. Gold is with her. He can’t have Belle, but he can have the woman who looks exactly like her. And, I’d like to believe, he’s still holding out a tiny bit of hope that she could be Belle again someday. His turn back to darkness is both displaced anger about his situation with Belle/Lacey, and the fact that this is the last guy who needs an enabler. Darkness is frankly easier, and Mr. Gold is still afraid of the hard work it would take to be a good person again. He does alright when he has loved ones to keep him on the right track (although he still has the occasional slip-up) but with an enabler, with someone who actively encourages him to be his worst self, of course he’s not going to choose good. Not to mention, he’s so desperate for any remnant of Belle, he wouldn’t risk losing Lacey by trying to be good, even if he wanted to.

—I’m also pretty sure Rumbelle can’t be endgame at this point. Even if Belle does get her memories back, she’s going to be appalled with herself and disappointed in Mr. Gold. Or maybe, just maybe, her getting memories back will involved Mr. Gold doing something genuinely heroic, and that would make them a bit more plausible as a couple. Either way, they’re gonna have a lot of work to do.

—On the bright side, this lil romantic misadventure has given me proof that Mr. Gold is factually the kind of man to help his lady put a necklace on. That is quality boyfriending right there.

—I refuse to believe that Bae is dead. It just can’t go down like that.

—At least he and Emma finally got honest about their feelings. It took them bloody long enough.

—Emma still isn’t being honest with Henry though. I get that it’s a complicated situation, but she promised him a couple of episodes that she wasn’t going to keep him in the dark anymore, and now she’s trying to do exactly that.

—Charming is being a great father/husband right now. He’s there for Emma in her heartbreak, and he’s there to support Snow in her troubles with/about Regina.

—I think I may have to apply the rule of “hoes mad” to anyone who’s still acting like what Snow did was cold-blooded murder. Looking at you, Regina. Cora was ready to kill Emma, Charming, Mr. Gold, Snow, or Bae. Several of those people had swords pointed directly at Cora at varying times. It was a very twisted form of self-defense.

—I appreciate how hard Snow is trying to fix her heart. Maybe saving Regina will help…but then where would the drama be?

—Regina is getting worse. Trying to kill everyone and abduct Henry to the fairytale world is intense even for her. Although, maybe she’ll do better now. At the end of episode 21, she seemed a little more tame.

—You know what, I don’t think it would even surprise me if Lacey stabbed Mr. Gold with the *magic dagger*. And now I get to panic about that for a while. YAY!

[radellama]

Magus and/or Flea

Magus

First impression

Ohhhh big cape evil dude with one of the coolest boss themes I've ever heard!?

Impression now

Favorite moment

Sighhhhh there's so many... When you really look at him he has such nuance and everything is linked and I LOVE thinking about him (been almost 15 years lol...) It's really hard to just pick one. For now, let's just say his iconic line

Idea for a story

Men of Mystics

For real tho, I've wanted to do a cool horror/creepy pasta type story about Magus in relation to the black wind. I just don't know how to get the really good feeling out into words or art so it's been a few years in the back of my mind. Just something about being so young and losing your mum to the black winds, and watching your sister slowly succumb to the same thing, all before you start to hear it yourself... Yeah, I wish I had in inspiration to pull it off how I want

Unpopular opinion

A vast majority of the fandom reduce him to a gross and/or incorrect flanderization of self. That, or glossing over him entirely, when he adds so much to the narrative of ct as a whole. I still see fucking terrible takes on him as recently as 2022 lol and it makes me a bit sad. I know my interpretations won't be to everyone's liking but I've put effort into looking into him (and most the ct cast as a whole) and picking up the subtle things that are laid out right there in the source material. Looking only at him (or anyone for that matter) PURELY through a fandom lens gets tiring for me to see sometimes...

Favorite relationship

HARLAND

FOR REAL THO, ALL THESE YEARS LATER AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SCHALA IS STILL SO NICE.... EVEN THO most of that relationship is his one sided view on it, he still dedicated most of his life working to try and avenge/save her. It's strong enough that it prevailed through to both sequels (to varying degrees and missed opportunities 🙄) because he just cared that much. Even when he's a grown man, he's still that little kid who's sad cause he misses his sister!!!!

Favorite headcanon

That the use of magic changes your appearance. I had a whole theory about hair colour and magical affinity, which explains why Magus has such a beautiful icy blue colour. It also explains why his ears got pointy, and I like to further that by imagining that he overall looks very sharp and angular, as much as a human can. I try to express that with most art I make of him, I know he's really hot and even if it's so subtle most will miss it, I try to keep him looking sharp.

///

Flea

First impression

WOAH WE'RE FIGHTING IN THE STARS!!!

(fun fact, flea was one of my very first glimpses of ct, before my very own playthrough I used to sit with my dad in his office and watch him play, and he was going through Magus' castle one of the first time I watched him!)

Impression now

EPIC NB TRANS MASC KING!!!

Favorite moment

Idea for a story

Hmm... Honestly, a lot of the stuff I wanted to explore for him (+the other generals) is gong into men of mystics. I've always just wanted to kinda explore the behind the scenes lives of everyone leading up to the war in 600ad, and that's exactly what men of mystics is - all that boring stuff, but harland is there :p

Unpopular opinion

Flea is not trans fem. Let trans mascs have this one, he literally says 'hey, I'm a guy'

I'm not saying this as a dig at trans fems, if they see something in him and connect with him that way I love to see it - I'm saying as a trans masc myself who often feels like people hear the word 'trans' and think it only means 'trans woman,' let us have this one and respect the masc despite appearing androgynous/feminine, I talked about it a little while ago here

Favorite relationship

Honestly? With slash and ozzie. I'm soooo interested in how the dynamic between the three of them plays out, I love thinking about the antics they'd get up to while they were rising to general status

Favorite headcanon

Honestly not so much a hc but more trying to bring back the aspects of Flea that were lost through translation. Mainly the amazing pun on his name making him talk real flirty. I wish there was a way we could have all the little nuances brought over to eng, I could talk about them all day....

[schtrawberry]

[2] personal astrology observations

[!] this is mostly an introspective view into my chart; in no way, shape, or form am i saying that any of this is fact or set in stone, nor am i saying that i am a professional astrologer. these are just presences that exist within my chart that i've felt manifest themselves in real life. simply put, take what resonates and leave what doesn't :)

— moon negatively aspecting venus may indicate a turbulent relationship with the mother. venus-related things such as physical appearance, love and relationships, along with material possessions may be a source of contention between one and their mother.

[in my personal experience, as someone w my venus squaring my moon, it manifests itself in my mother often bullying/making fun of my physical appearance; i.e. always making jabs at my skin color, pressuring me to stay a certain weight, and making fun of my non-eurocentric facial features... and all unprovoked too???]

═ moon in 12th house natives may experience muddled emotions and an inability to show these emotions effectively. bystanders may also have a difficult time identifying these emotions as these natives have the ability, whether consciously or unconsciously, to keep them hidden— perhaps due to their lack of ability to understand them themselves.

☰ aquarius lilith conjunct uranus 🤝🏽 having very unconventional kinks— like unconventional to the point of there being little to no available horny media bc of how niche their tastes are 💀

☱ cancer ascendant can be just a material girl as a venusian! in ancient indian astrology, the water was used to symbolize life. and while the crab dwells in water, it also comes out of it in order to dig holes; therefore concerning itself in more earthly matters. it is through this connection that it can be seen why cancer is definitely the most grounded out of the water signs as well. but this earthly energy also affects their appreciation for the material goods that they reach out of the water to experience.

the level of materialism, however, is greatly affected by the environment in which the ascendant exists. after all, water is only reflective of its surroundings.

☲ tw: slightly dark observation, suicide i don't think we talk enough abt how likely it is for a cancer ascendant to be suicidal. aside from the innate nature of the crab to bury itself away from the earth— saturn, the planet of constrictions, resides in the 7th and/or 8th houses (houses of sex and death) of this ascendant, enhancing that already gloomy, brooding energy.

it is said, however, that with enlightened detachment, this individual can focus this energy on the more positive aspects of saturn which encourage a life of renunciation, dedication and altruism.

[being a cancer ascendant myself, i have been suicidal in the past and feel like i can be very gloomy by default, which often makes my feelings of despair only worse. i feel like ppl talk abt how soft cancers are, but not enough abt how much that softness can lead to a greater, often deeper, sadness.]

☴ sun conjunct mercury individuals may constantly receive compliments or even formal recognition for their speaking voice and/or way of speaking!

[as someone w my taurus sun conjunct my taurus mercury, i feel like i'm always recognized for my speaking voice! i received the oral language award at school for like 8 yrs in a row, always get chosen by teachers when they want stuff read, and constantly get told by my classmates that they just like the way i talk bc i apparently have such a distinct way of saying things— coincidence? i think not.]

[`] film: オーディション audition (1999) dir. takashi miike

last / next

[bedknees]

Okay so I'm gonna preface this by saying that I am literally one Viktor's biggest dick-riders. My blog header "Viktor Apologist" isn't there for no reason. In both League and Arcane canons, I completely understand and empathize with him as a character and how the circumstances of his life led him to where he is. His intentions are ultimately for the betterment of society, no matter how misguided he is. Viktor believes he is doing the utmost good. He is unarguably wrong and shouldn't be blindly agreed with for any reason, but you can at least acknowledge that he isn't here to be malevolent and he is trying to make the world a better place in his own way.

But I am kind of sick of seeing complete absolution of his wrongdoings. For this, I'm focusing on Arcane canon only, because by and large that's my main point of concern regarding this line of thought that "Viktor did nothing wrong. It was the Hexcore's fault/it was Jayce's fault/It was his illness' fault that he did what he did."

So let's explore what's wrong with that general statement.

Viktor is viewed, incorrectly, as someone who had no choice. As someone who needed to take the risks he did. And that is so wrong!! Because the real tragedy of his character is that he did have a choice. He had the choice of seeking out his sociopathic mentor and acquiring an illegal drug for unethical experimentation on himself. He had the choice to, oh I don't know, fucking wait for the blockade to lift so he could get more Shimmer--which he proved worked in his experiment. Instead, he consciously chooses to say "fuck it, I'm carving runes into my body and going for it." He knew the risks and took them anyways. And it led to an innocent woman dying. (An aside, but it's clearly established in Act 1 that his reckless tendency to leap before he looks is a fixed facet of his character and not born out of his terminal illness or the Hexcore's influence. It's merely exaggerated due to the circumstances, but it was always there.)

Now, there is nuance there. There's, once again, the fact he was dying and the clock was decidedly against him. There's the fact that the Hexcore seems to have a degree of influence over him. That's the thing, though. For the first point, yeah he was dying and it's sad and his desperation is not hard to understand. But, he chose to be impulsive. He chose to seek out a questionable man that he ran from in fear as a child. He chose to be shortsighted and not properly consider the true risk to what he was doing.

As for the Hexcore, I loathe the idea that it's somehow controlling his actions. Aside from it preventing him from destroying it, it doesn't seem to have enough of an influence for him to have no control over what he does. And the show outright illustrates this! It's a way better take to equate the Hexcore to some form of mental illness. Having something like, say, generalized anxiety can make you predisposed to panicking and catastrophizing. But in the end, it has no real control there. You can consciously choose to stop, take a deep breath, and work through it. At any point, Viktor could have stopped and really thought about the implications and gravity of what he was doing. He didn't do that, though. Viktor made the choice to follow whatever influence it has. And, low and behold, he actively makes the choice to stop what he's doing and cease operations. If he was truly being controlled, he wouldn't have been able to do that.

Once again, there is nuance there. Viktor is at perhaps the most bleak and vulnerable point in his life. His mental state and desperation certainly played a part in making more reckless decisions and letting whatever the Hexcore holds over him take shape. But the idea he had no conscious choice whatsoever to stop what he was doing at any point is so unequivably wrong and contradicted by the source material.

In the end, Viktor is just a stronger and more compelling character if he possesses those key flaws. He has a good heart and wants to make people's lives better. He is impulsive and gets dangerous tunnel vision. He is empathetic and feels deeply. He recklessly pursued his goals without considering who it might hurt outside of himself. These things can and should coexist. He is far more interesting, far more fascinating to explore, when he has that complexity to his character. He has fucked up bad, will continue to make further fuck ups in different ways, but it doesn't take away from what he is at his core.

And if these faults and the realization that those were indeed his conscious choices can't be acknowledged, y'all are in for a horrible ride to be honest! You can simultaneously empathize with a character while also not agreeing with their actions. Remember that going into Season 2.