#i could make a proper analysis? yes. but i don't want to so you have this mess

[beanghostprincess]

TW // Suicidal behavior/tendencies

The ASL brothers deal with suicidal tendencies constantly in different ways and I find it so interesting how little the three of them value their lives for completely different reasons.

Ace is obvious from the very beginning. He has been constantly told that he shouldn't have existed. That he should die. That he is not worthy of living. His whole identity was a secret from the rest of the world because if they knew, they would want him dead. But he knows already that people want him dead, so, whatever. He can't take love from others. And it is not he is actively trying to kill himself but he doesn't value his life at all. At least not until he meets Sabo and Luffy. And he still doesn't value his life much, but he realizes there are people who want him alive. And it is hard for him to believe it, but they do. Ace's journey is a tragedy because he keeps asking himself if he should be alive, constantly fighting against it because he genuinely thinks he shouldn't have existed, and then dying in the arms of his little brother and thanking him for loving him. And he dies because he is too proud and stubborn and it was just obvious that his recklessness would end up killing him somehow. It was not a conscious action but-- Ace knew he was dying that day. Which is extremely sad because he realized he wanted to live seconds before he was killed.

Sabo is just too focused on saving the world. He puts the greater good before him constantly because he quite literally has never known any better. He joined the revs with no memories and no purpose and only hatred for the ones with power. He was raised with love and friends there but-- There is only so much you can do in a place where they teach kids specific ideals and what they should do. And Sabo is happy there and more than glad to be of service, but he doesn't value his life at all. He constantly puts himself in danger, ever since he was a kid, to fight for others. And not even others as 'specific people' but just society and his ideals as a whole. Like he would rather die and kill if that spreads the revolution around. He genuinely doesn't care about dying if he is able to help the cause. I mean-- I think it does change when he meets Luffy again (he is canonically still reckless af okay this is self-indulgent) and realizes he can't let his brother lose him again. But still, he keeps on not valuing his life at all and acting without thinking things through.

Luffy is quite obvious, isn't it? It's not that he doesn't value his life, but he values his life around others. He is a person whose core need is to be with people. He was left alone at a very young age. Dragon left him with Garp and Garp, aside from being an awful role model, wasn't even there much and left the kid alone. The only role model he had was Shanks and he was going away constantly too. Uta basically disappeared from his life out of the blue without explanation. So when he finds Sabo and Ace it is normal that he gets heavily attached to them right away. When he is kidnapped and tortured he doesn't say a word about their treasure because he doesn't want to get in between their dream which-- Is another story. He values people's dreams even above his own life too. But there is also this layer of "If I break the promise of not telling people they will not want me" and it is just-- Pretty fucking sad. Like. Luffy's need to be around people and not lose the ones he loves comes from abandonment issues. Plain and crystal clear. He puts his life in danger constantly to not lose people and when he is alone he doesn't see any reason to keep going. He always finds something, of course, but being alone for him is quite obviously worse than death and he has had those types of thoughts/tendencies before. That is why I love the Baron Omatsuri movie so damn much. It is basically this whole thing.

Ace and Sabo are pretty similar when it comes to not valuing their lives and acting recklessly, but Ace is more on the 'I should not be alive' side of suicidal thoughts and Sabo is more on the 'I don't care if I die' side of self-destructive tendencies. While Luffy is on the 'There is no point in living if I am alone' side of abandonment issues.

I don't mean to go anywhere with this, btw. I just find it interesting how the three of them value their lives so little and end up forming a little family together. They found comfort and love in each other and I think their damaging tendencies keep existing because they are not together anymore. Like. Genuinely. In a Modern AU where the three of them are together their mental health would be so much better because of being next to each other. Ace would struggle with his self-worth but would be constantly reminded every day that he is loved, Sabo would overwork himself but they'd keep him from it being actually damaging, and Luffy would just not be alone at all.

[gofancyninjaworld]

Blast is a mediocre hero

Talk about a controversial opinion! Well, I intend to defend it! With thanks to Eldrich_Void, who heard my rantings out.

This is not an opinion I rushed to. However, it has bothered me a lot that Blast seems to have a real track record for fucking things up. Almost all his endeavours seem to end up cursed in some way.

His evil partner, the ninja village horror he set up, and the way he seems intent on protecting the guy. His estranged son. The two heroes he saved both having serious complexes as a result. The monster he couldn't subdue.

Now that we get to see how he saw the situation on the ground, I think that Flashy Flash's accusing him of being unconscionably hesitant is right.

Under the circumstances, if I were Flash, I'd not trust that pressing that button would summon Blast in a manner timely enough to matter to me.

So, shall we see below the cut?

Before...

So, let's wind back all the way to chapter 165, back when Cosmic Garou landed. Remember then? He had time to pose for the benefit of the heroes gathered...

…then to look at himself, look at the heavens, and thank God for this gift of power.

Then Bang crawled up to Garou to try calling him back to his senses.

It took a while for the situation to ripen.

It's only in the next chapter, with Bang continuing to plead futilely with Garou, that Blast showed up.

Looks like he showed up as soon as he could.

So far, so good. It seemed that Blast came as soon as he could, given whatever else he was busy with. In the current timeline, Saitama came back from the future and punched Garou right when the latter looked up to thank God, so we thought, reasonably, that Blast never had a chance to appear. Case closed.

And looks like he didn't have an opportunity to show up.

But now we see more...

Several chapters have come and gone, and now we have a fuller picture of the event. And now we know that Blast was aware and on scene when Garou unleashed his gamma-ray burst:

Oh, so you were here.

We know too that Blast was on scene when Saitama appeared to punch out Cosmic Garou, before Bang even had a chance to crawl to Garou.

And there!

So Blast had had an opportunity to intervene earlier but did not take any action until after everyone was dropping dead and Bang was using the last of his energy to plead with Garou to come to his senses.

Okay, there's a place for observing the scene before you wade in so as not to make matters worse. As Drive Knight points out, rushing into things without proper analysis is a foolish thing. However, there's one thing I can't overlook. Even if Blast did not want to carelessly jump into a fight, the fact that he was able to reroute Garou's cosmic rays away from the heroes on the ground -- but had not done so originally... that is borderline unforgiveable.

Damn, if you could always do that, you should have done it earlier!

Let me be extremely clear. I don't hold Blast wholly responsible for restoring Empty Void. Yes, his rerouting the now free-floating 'God' powers as well as the cosmic rays to another dimension accidentally fed Void. That was careless, but not incomprehensible: thinking that one's evil ex-partner whom you left more dead than alive 15 years ago might be camping his nasty half-starved body on the other side of the dimensional hole you opened up in order to receive God's powers is not at the top of anyone's mind. What I am holding him responsible for is failing in the first duty of a hero: HELP PEOPLE!!

Now, let's go back to the original timeline. Even before he stepped up to support Bang, he could have rerouted those cosmic rays and saved most of the heroes. But he did not. I don't think he thought of it. Not a good hero instinct. But it gets worse.

Once it was clear that Garou had no intention of leaving the planet or ceasing to kill with his very presence, Genos stepped up, risking his life to buy Blast an opening.

Being a hero to the core. When people are in need, he is there.

However, when he was in danger and it was clear that Garou was fixing to kill him, did Blast step up? No. He just stood there, opened his mouth and bleated 'No.' [1]

And it gets worse still. It's not like Garou ripped Genos's head off to kill him instantly. Garou punched Genos through his center of mass. That was really bad: his upper torso is heavily protected for a reason, but that is not what killed him. We find out afterwards that Genos remembers seeing Garou pull his core out. Even that did not kill him: we've seen from back with the Giant Meteor that while losing his core's functionality will stop him being able to move his body, Genos's life support systems run independently of it. No, what killed him was Garou smashing him down so hard that his head and armor shattered and his blood splattered and ran into the ground, some of it being washed into long runnels by the fallout rain. So Blast stood there and watched while Garou not only struck Genos critically, but mutilated and maimed him to death. It was as if Garou was taunting him to try something heroic. And when Saitama finally arrived on the scene, Blast was just standing there. Uselessly.

Blast does not have the instincts of a hero.

Saitama rightly criticised himself for losing sight of what a hero's true duty was. I remember back when Sonic asked him who he was, he defined himself as the person who helps people when they are in trouble. [2] And he knows he fell short.

Blast appears to have totally lost sight of this fact. That's why his work is cursed.

A Hero Is More Than Mere Works

Without any doubt, Blast is strong. He is righteous but he's not looking at situations the way a hero should. He looks at things more as a warrior -- and it's not really helpful. He's forgotten the need to actually *be* a hero.

If I think about it a bit more, Blast was concerned for the health of the heroes on the field. Yet he did not protect them, even though he could have. He did not move them out of the way, even though he could have. He did not call on the rest of his compatriots to help him accomplish these goals, even though he could have and they would have helped.

I don't think that Blast is in danger of being deposed as the number 1 hero any time soon but man, it's as Flashy Flash says, his conduct is disappointing.

It's an insult to the heroes we've seen. I can't begin to imagine how bitterly Tatsumaki would be if she could have seen him. As the narrator said, she puts him on too high a pedestal. When I think of how hard she fought while never forgetting the helpless child, the civilians at risk, the rest of the strike team, and taking care of them even as it reduced her fighting efficiency, it's everything Blast ought to be. We saw so many heroes risk their lives to help others, even when they weren't of any strategic value.

Tatsumaki's determination to throw nobody under the bus, no matter how expedient, is the soul of heroism.

A hero is not merely their works. A hero is also what they symbolise. Amai Mask gets it: that's why he goes on and on about a hero being a beautiful symbol of peace. Saitama gets it: that's a big part of why he refused to out King because he symbolised being a hero so well. Mumen Rider lives it: even though he's not strong (by hero standards), he's greatly respected and people are inspired by him to do better in their lives.

What a hero is: someone who saves from danger, someone who reassures, someone who inspires.

Blast doesn't get it. When he had an opportunity to mitigate Garou's cosmic radiation and save lives, it did not occur to him. When he could have swallowed his pride and called back up to help him subdue Garou and save hero lives, it did not even cross his mind: he only saw a fight.

Since when was justice a matter of who can hit who harder?

And when he didn't prevail, he just stood there. When it was time for him to step up as a hero and actually take on some risk to try saving a life, he stood there, as hapless as any civilian. Even when it was hopeless, we didn't see the likes of Tank Top Master giving up. We didn't see Genos giving up on Tatsumaki, even when they were swarmed by Black Sperm. You don't give up on people.

No wonder his works are cursed.

How might the curse be lifted?

Some thoughts.

Never mind Tatsumaki: it's a rare hero who wouldn't be appalled. They all look up to Blast as the ultimate hero.

Fortunately, the only person who knows is Genos: it takes knowing how else things would have played out if Saitama hadn't arrived in the nick of time. Genos has no interest in trying to run down Blast: what little credibility he's got, he's used to tell Sicchi to ensure that Saitama got called up if Blast came up with anything.

Unfortunately, Sicchi hasn't passed on that message to Blast and Saitama's been allowed to go dawdling away. Even more unfortunately, what Sicchi has told Blast about Genos is that he's a terror who impedes access to Saitama. This may have terrible consequences down the line.

Talk about leaving out the important part. That 'is that so?' gives me chills.

You know how some readers are disappointed that the MA arc did not end with Saitama lecturing Garou about the importance of not compromising one's goals? It seems to me that Blast needs that lecture a lot more badly than Garou ever needed it in any version. He's forgotten that the point of heroism is the people you help *first* before it is about glorious fights. Important as it is to fight, losing sight of the human need in front of you is a hiding to nothing.

Or, if you want to put it differently: Saitama is likely to have a reason to confront Blast in the future.

Someone needs to hear this message and it's not the truculent teenage tearaways.

I am going to be there for it with a giant tub of ice cream!

Asides

[1] What was it that Awakened Garou said back in the WC: 'When facing an imminent threat against a monster, all you do is open your mouth and start babbling. It's an easy kind of job.'? (ch 85). It has applied very brutally to Blast here.

[2] In case you need a reminder:

That's the right thing to be. Saitama's been struggling since he forgot the brief a bit.

[chaikachi]

Treasure is a Rosegarden Song

HEAR ME OUT OKAY. I've known for a while it could be sort of linked back to them, but it felt easier to brush it off as a general whole team reunion song... Until today's new episode.

⚠ SPOILERS AHEAD, YE HAVE BEEN WARNED ⚠

We got a very big win today with the Bees, they even got a whole new song that Casey has confirmed is bmblb part 2 (check her twitter, i'm not linking it lol). Which... really makes you wonder if they'd have that many Bees songs back to back, right? An argument can surely be made for it being a song about Yang and Ruby as that's the first reunion in Ultimatum that we see, but the lyrics don't really imply a sisterly bond. It could be Renora as the other couple that had a hint of a reunion that scene... but they didn't have a proper one. We got it and their confession in the following episode.

Which leaves the only other focused relationship dynamic in that moment: Ruby and Oscar

And why would it be an RG song? Well, they're the only 'pair' that got separated in v8 that didn't end the volume together. The teams were split down the middle with very clear foils:

Yang to Blake Ren to Nora Weiss to Jaune Ruby to Oscar (Also Ruby to Yang but this ain't about them)

But when Atlas fell, Ren and Nora were together in Vacuo. The bees made it to Ever After. Jaune and Weiss did too... but Oscar and Ruby? They're the only ones that are still apart. And this song is one about absence of another and awaiting a reunion. So lets dive into the lyrics proper, shall we?

Night and day, I've waited

For starters, the sun and moon symbolism that's been thrown around for them since their introductions. Yes, the Bees also have a celestial union going on, but again please bare with me.

All alone in crowded rooms I'm incomplete, my life is paused When you're not here

This is the longest portion of the analysis as the line "all alone in crowded rooms" is so heavy.

It gets tricky when we can't see Oscar's state rn (i will come back to him in a minute tho), but we do know Ruby's. We know that she is preoccupied with a lot of things. She's weighed down by Penny's death, by the internalized expectations she has to be just like Summer, this perfect hero from a fairytale, and is alone in her burdens as a leader. Romance is likely the last thing on her mind. But she is feeling loneliness, isolation, and left behind. We can see that in all past volume examples quite literally (like the above photo, the dance, Brunswick farms, her team not wanting to explore Atlas after their first mission, etc.), but it's really being driven home in recent episodes between the Blacksmith (Carpenter?) and Ruby's reaction to the Bees.

"You're doing this all alone?"

Also just... the way they're all positioned in this scene is so intentional. Yang and Blake are together and they are warm by the fire. Weiss is drinking some piping tea and smiling at them. And Ruby is sitting alone at a table with an empty chair, draped in a teal/green cloth, furthest from the fire. Remember the song "Cold" and how it's used as a metaphor for loss, loneliness, and grief throughout the show? Yeahhhh.

Recognizing Ruby is alone in crowded rooms begs the question of who in the cast makes her not feel that way. Well, anyone that's spent any amount of time looking at RG knows their entire dynamic is built on relating to and respecting each other for their similar positions. That out of everyone, Oscar has been the one to see through Ruby's mask and got her to actually open up about her grief. On the opposite side, Ruby helps Oscar in much the same ways he does her. By constantly watching his back, standing up for him, and reassuring him that despite the merge he is his own person... but he is also someone familiar with this feeling.

By virtue of being an Oz, he's already alienated. He joined the party late and doesn't know everyone as well as the others. He's also the youngest of the bunch and that's a lot of pressure that Ruby is familiar with.

So out of every pairing in the cast, these two are the ones that feel the most alone in crowded rooms and, by extension, less alone when they are together.

Though I walk this world I am nowhere to be found Every thought's of you And for now, you're not around

The singer here is saying that they don't feel present or grounded because of the absence of someone else. Their thoughts are with the person they are missing... but the wording about 'walking this world' is so specific when RG is the only pair split between worlds.

If this is from Oscar's POV, then he isn't found on Remnant. He's found in Ever After because that's where Ruby, and therefore his thoughts, are. The reverse POV also works, but in Ruby being very prioritized with the state they left Remnant in and her team consistently trying to pull her back to what's happening right in front of them.

But that's alright I'll be just fine I'm not concerned With sands of time

Sands of time is another very specific wording choice. Hourglass being associated with time is a give-in... but knowing what we know now it could be a lot of things. The Ever After is messy with time; we're seeing that firsthand with Jaune. But with Ruby and Oscar being the only ones still separated, there is an anticipation and a 'waiting' happening.

Beyond sands of time, Oscar - who has clock gears as a constant motif for his character design - is surrounded by sand as far as the eye can see in the deserts of Vacuo.

If forever comes and goes, I won't pay it no mind

Oscar is Oscar, do not misconstrue me here. But who, out of everyone in the cast aside from Salem, is most familiar with the concept of 'forever'? The one currently merging with a man who's lived a thousand lifetimes.

Hour after hour, I spend Dreaming that your voice will wake My slumbering ear Numb and lost I wander with No place to go, just aimless 'til You reappear

This is much like the earlier verse talking about loss and being directionless without their light to guide them. This song has some parallels to a few others, but for now I want to talk about Sky is Falling, which we know is an Oscar song:

Our world, lost without a soul Losing all control, not getting closer Every day is just another dose of torture (Torture) Now we pay the cost, the race is lost This nightmare's our real life

This can easily be linked back to wanting to wake from a bad dream and feeling lost without a (smaller more honest) soul being present. Later in that same song:

Lost all my hopes and dreams

Being numb and lost without hope. Ruby being the embodiment of hope.

Watch my life flash by in scenes And it seems there's no soul on the video screen

I am aggressively reminded of Arkos and Jaune watching Pyrrha's training video on a loop. Would bet actual money Oscar is doing the same of Ruby's broadcast back in Vacuo... because he was the only big name in the cast that wasn't shown watching that video when it went live.

Cold soaked as I'm standin' in rain Feelin' nothin' but pain until I see you again

Once again tying into feeling lost without the other.

Back to Treasure:

'Til you come in view I keep watch with these sore eyes Looking through the tears As the days creep slowly by

Emphasis on seeing each other again which can also be linked to the above stanza from Sky is Falling as well as Until the End with rain and tears being almost synonymous. (Until the End and Treasure have SO many parallels that I can't talk about all of them here without it becoming a whole separate post. Maybe later tho!)

Nothing's gonna shake my faith I know you're coming back real soon to my embrace

The emphasis on embrace when RG was the only pair that didn't get a hug.

Though time goes by so slow I'm never letting go I won't give up, if I spend my life I know

The time motif again followed by "I won't give up" paralleled to Ruby's line in her broadcast where she says "Even if Atlas falls, you can't give up."

"Atlas" also meaning Ruby. "You" being Oscar and the rest of the people still fighting. Oscar, who took up her mantle of leadership in a way through his costume change and actions in v6 after Ruby stepped into Oz's role.

And then lastly, the song's namesake:

'Cause the treasure of my life Is being by your side

Treasure, by definition, has two different meanings.

noun 1. a quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects. verb 1. keep carefully (a valuable or valued item).

The song at face value is talking about treasure as the verb. The act of treasuring or cherishing something precious. But much like some other double meanings in this song, a very strong argument can be made for the noun definition as well.

Ruby, who's first name literally means 'precious red gemstone'. Ruby, who's eyes are Silver and how that has tied into Rosegarden since their very first meeting. Oscar, who's eyes glow Gold with his own magic. Who's first name can also be easily associated with the colour by way of the award show statues of the same name.

If those are symbolisms associated with Oscar and Ruby, while Yang and Blake get a song called bmblb for being the same colour as bees and having a confession in a garden... then I think there is no other duo that the song Treasure can be about.

[chezgender]

Cha cha cha / It's crazy it's party comparison

@tmrwds post and @izpira-se-zlato addition gave me brainworms. @kylla-kylla also saw the connection between ICIP and CCC and I saw their post after I started writing this. So I'm definitely not alone in being insane. Thus here is my own rant about It's Crazy it's Party.

Notes:

ICIP lyrics transcript taken from @koppitules on twt, translation taken from a Käärijä discord

CCC lyrics and translation from lyricstranslate.com

Disclaimer: This analysis is purposefully exaggerated/dramatic in order to highlight contrast. I do think Jere loves his job and career, ICIP is definitely a fun song in which you can find (or not) a deeper meaning, it's up to your interpretation. I just love angst lol please don't come at me I'm sensitive 🤡😭

(ps. sorry to all the people I tagged. You don't have to interact with this, I just wanted to give proper credit)

Let's start. Bear with me being cringe.

First verse

At the beginning of CCC, we see how partying is reserved for the weekend - it's something cathartic after a long week of responsibility and worries, it's an outlet for stress and negativity. The world can't scare him no more, as he mentions later in the song, now that he's having fun.

In ICIP, people have pointed out how the first verse reminds them of CCC, musically wise. This is definitely on purpose, the main difference lies in the lyrics. Here Jere reveals that partying now it's an everyday thing. It's an endless circus of traveling despite everything, he's the cog in a machine bigger than him. The world that seemed so tiny compared to the fun, is now scary - the party is now and tomorrow and 365 days a year, in Finland and even abroad. As if there was no safe place. He can't escape it and it's overwhelming to the point "you'll feel it in your hair and your ass" (honestly, weird phrasing, but it gets the point across I guess?). Either way, this party is almost ineluctable.

Chorus

In the CCC chorus he says he wants to forget about the pains of daily life by getting wasted and drinking with both hands on as many drinks as he can hold, until he won't even be able to get up. Honestly, although this doesn't seem like a healthy coping mechanism (but I'm none to judge), it does look willing and deliberate - he makes the choice of getting drunk on the weekend. He's in control of when the party happens.

In ICIP instead the chorus is shorter, and quite tautological: crazy is crazy, party is party, and life is life, you know? (see @tmrwds for a cultural insight on the "elämä on laiffi" phrase). There's a different feeling in this chorus, the singing is soft and maybe even a bit sexy but the lyrics hold a touch of resignation in between. This party is not a deliberate choice anymore, Jere doesn't get to choose when his life is crazy/party and when he gets to rest.

CCC 2nd verse / ICIP Tommy's verse

Without need for lyrics, also because most people have a hard time understanding what Tommy was singing live, I'll talk about this in brief. I chose to include it because Jere himself sang some parts of it during the live - mostly echoing, but still.

In CCC, Jere parties almost alone. Well, it's implied that there's more people to that party but the song is about him, his own liberation from stress and whatever thing was keeping him bound and off the dancefloor. There are no explicit references to other people.

In ICIP instead, Tommy sings about a club in which they enter and people go crazy. They talk about sex in a rather crass way, probably for kicks, but as mentioned in @tmrwds post, it could definitely hint at the wrong kind of attention Jere is receiving. People in his DMs and probably even in person are making more or less explicit advances on him, surely unsolicited, but it's part of the party.

And Tommy invites Jere to party with him (that modulated voice parodically reminds me of the beginning of Barbie Girl by Aqua). Jere says yes, of course he wants to party with him, right here right now (no matter the day, or his condition, does he really have a say in it?)

Another thing I'd like to point out:

Jere in CCC mentions "it's hard to talk when this different side of me does its part" / Tommy in ICIP mentions how the alcohol makes it hard to think (obviously, but I'm clinically insane and I see intertextuality everywhere) - so, basically, the "side of him" Jere talks about in CCC renders him carefree, maybe happy, definitely free of burdens. In ICIP, this "part of him" seems to have taken complete control to the point Jere can't tell himself from it.

Last part of ICIP

"Let's go party" leads to a countdown - inexorable and short, leaving everyone little time to get ready. The song explodes like a bomb, reminds me of a breakdown in a Korn song. The bass hammers hard and everyone is jumping, hearts bursting, everything is out of control. To quote @izpira-se-zlato , there's an apocalyptic feeling to it. Jere can't do anything but let himself be engrossed without a chance to escape. Which he can't, lest he gives everything up.

Where CCC was party metal with a touch of eurodance, ICIP definitely belongs to an insane rave. It reminds me of Dutch hardstyle, dubstep and a touch of eurodance until the end, which screams industrial/nu metal to me, only adding to the concept of hammering and exhausting work/lifestyle.

We could say that It's Crazy it's Party is the Välikuolema to Cha Cha Cha's Viuliunkieli, in a way.

Jere is a storyteller in most of his songs, and it's clear he likes such narratives to carry on between different tracks (i.e: I think the Viulunkieli/Välikuolema narrative carries on to Morgan), so it's only fair to assume the two songs combined tell a whole story.

Further speculation: Jere has often said he's really tired in this precise moment - the relentless touring throughout summer is obviously taking a toll on him, no matter how much he can love what he does. It would be exhausting for anyone. Plus, the "ghost" of ESC follows him everywhere: sometimes I get the feeling many people perceive him as the CCC-guy rather than the complete artist he is, so maybe he's trying to change this.

As many people already said, the story Mikke posted with the grave being dug could hint at the burial of green-bolero-Käärijä. I don't believe Jere is denying the fame and good things it has brought, but he's probably willing to turn the page and carry on with something new (and probably take a long, well deserved break). Or maybe the MV will just be homoerotic softp-rn featuring a grave, WHO KNOWS. I just know I can't wait to see what's next. I love ESC-Käärija (without CCC I wouldn't even be aware of his existence, so I'm forever grateful) and that love will forever be a part of me, but I also welcome this change with open arms in hopes to see him grow more and more.

Conclusion: the speculation is very real and material and I am very very cringe <33

[emblazons]

a post in defense of (a very much alive) S5 Jonathan Byers

under the cut b/c this is more frustrated commentary than strict analysis, and you shouldn't have to read if you don't want to.

I feel like it must have come from the dry spell between seasons, but I have to say it: all of this “Jonathan is gonna die and that means Stancy could happen” stuff lately is not only giving "I just like angst for its own sake," it's lowkey nonsense if you look at it thematically (in context of the Jon/Nancy/Steve madness yes, but especially in context of the Byers family).

—like? Friends.

Given the Duffer’s track record of refusing to fully kill off major characters even when it could have made sense to (cc: Hopper and Max), I don’t think anyone is actually meeting their end, but let’s be SO serious about who is actually likely to get axed: the boy with a mom, brother, step-sister and girlfriend who have been central to every single moment in this show…or the one they've put into a triangle we all thought was over until S4, who they’ve honestly written into a corner, & whose primary drive in four entire seasons was getting a girlfriend and protecting a bunch of teenagers?

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just talk Jonathan.

The Duffers (Matt especially) have openly gotten upset at even the notion of Mike dying because "that's depressing" AND "that's Nancy's brother" (showing the familial ties are a HUGE part of what would keep them from ending someone), in addition to them saying they've thought through every imaginable scenario" on who might die—

—and you think its Jonathan whose meeting his end? King of championing "not liking what you don't have to" and the outcasts in all areas from music taste to being queer...after all the Byers have been through and knowing The Duffers write toward championing the outcasts and those who embrace their differences?

That, combined with the fact that the only "evidence" I've ever seen for him potentially dying has been that speech he gave to Will in the SBP somehow being connected to (you guessed it) setting up angst for Will...I'm gonna take a hard and wild educated guess based on the entirety of the rest of the show and say that was literally written so Will could catch a goddamn break, not as a death tag.

The fact that Noah confirmed it wasn't in the Duffer's OG script, was written day of filming + was done because "it was important for people to see will wasn't alone" is evidence enough for that.

Even so, the fact that there are still at least 4 unresolved plots Jonathan is part and privy to makes his death even less likely, because it wouldn't make sense for resolving anything for him to die at all, never mind in the episodes before our supposed timeskip.

Jonathan's messy relationship with Nancy, the fact that he's the only one who actually knows Will is gay, and the fact that he's the only other character who saw & understood the ULTIMATE Chekhov's gun in the form of that painting (on top of also having a longstanding relationship with Mike )should make it clear he isn't going anywhere from a narrative perspective...and I'm not even sure where the idea that he would die popped up, other than fandom warping the canon and projecting onto the plot.

The Duffers have always been clear about not doing things solely for the sake of surprise + not liking things that don't make narrative sense...and Jonathan's death would be both of those things, done solely for shock value.

I just. Be so serious right now. if you want to imagine the weight of Jonathan dying SOLELY for fandom angst DO THAT...but don't pretend like his death in the show wouldn't be the most poorly foreshadowed thing in this entire show, on top of not matching a single theme of the ongoing Stranger Things narrative. ☠️

Put some respect on his name lmao

Bonus: If you really want to talk about character's dying (and not just jump into angst for its own sake): they haven’t given Steve a proper love interest EVER outside of Nancy, made Dustin cry over Eddie instead of staying close to Steve S4, and haven’t ONCE referenced that boy’s family properly more than a few times in passing (and only by Steve himself).

He is the only character who craves normalcy despite this show being about championing the outcast, was supposed to die seasons ago but stayed because Joe Keery was so beloved, and has now been written into a corner where every single person who is central to him (esp Dustin and Robin) either have a new love interest or are worried about something else more than him, which...if you want canonical evidence for a possible death, you're looking in the wrong corner of this love triangle.

[sonkitty]

The Pocket Trick - Conclusion

This post was last updated 02/29/2024.

Scale

The Pocket Trick is a giant within the Earthly Objects game. It is huge. I cannot get over how big it is. I cannot get over how much it impacts so much else after I started to recognize how some of its mechanics worked. I am overwhelmed by the monstrosity of this thing.

Mixed Feelings

I cannot make promises about Season 3. I simply cannot. Having attempted to solve the puzzles within The Pocket Trick, I am left with the impression that this part of the game is supposed to be really important despite its astronomical level of difficulty.

That's part of why I've spent so much time trying to solve it.

It also leaves me feeling downright obligated to tell others—and I have, but I feel a little down about that too. I cannot promise people that Season 3 will tell them the game happened.

I just can't.

I feel that it should.

I feel there are hints that it will.

But it's not enough to make that promise. It just isn't.

The most I've been able to do is repeat my confidence in the Threshold Tricks. If Season 3 admits any of Earthly Objects happened, I think it would be the Threshold Tricks. You don't go around sticking half of them in the last half of the last episode so that you can just ignore them later. At least, you shouldn't.

On a happier note, I do like the insights found through not fully solving this thing. I like that I found The Door Catch. I like that I found Crowley trusts Muriel. Sure, I cannot promise those things either, but it's been a good experience to form the theories about them nonetheless.

Help

If you enjoyed these posts, or just found any value in them, and are wondering if I want any help in solving the puzzles, the answer is yes, absolutely. I would be grateful. Even if not grateful, I would be so glad if my own analysis was enough for someone to figure out what I could not. I found a lot, even if I can't quite piece it together for a proper fit.

As of my most recent batch of updates, I feel I have truly hit my limits.

The End.

I have a tendency to update my posts, FYI. While I feel I have hit my limits, I know sometimes realizations eventually sink in. I don't see that happening anytime soon, but I'll acknowledge it might.

...

The Pocket Trick: Basics

[kdramajunkie-101]

Let me preface by saying, I am not trying to justify any of Do Kyung's actions. This is simply an analysis on his character. Yes, he's done bad things and should face the consequences. With that being said, I hate how his mental health is being handled in the drama. Not the way it's written per se but how a few characters handle it.

His Dad

Literally, all of what Do Kyung is facing right now stemmed from how he was brought up. Having to be perfect at everything and putting on a facade for the cameras. His dad showed NO interest in him beyond his "offerings." An example being: "Is he good enough to be my heir?,"is he good enough to commit such a crime?" He has also had to prove himself in his own family, and that can cause a person's psyche to become altered and disrupted. His dad, to me, is also a victim, and I'll expound later in Chairwoman Jo's paragraph.  Him calling Do Kyung a monster is quite ironic as well. Who could've created such a monster, I wonder? Let me guys know if you ever come up with an answer.

His Mom

She's a victim as well. She's very submissive and lacks agency. Her helplessness and naivety are actually quite scary as this makes her a tool that the father can use at any time. Her scene in the prison where she visited Do Kyung actually had me tearing up. That was what led me to even start writing this. Just her one statement, "You disobeyed your dad." That just showed how she herself can't do anything without approval from the dad. I don't even think she realizes the damage she's done to the poor child. Her also just moving on with her life after seeing her son breaking down in front of her just goes again to show how disconnected she really is. And even at the funeral, she looked like she had so much to say, but she just wasn't able to. Her entire marriage, all she's known, is serving her husband and being a "good wife." Of course, nothing else will come before that. Not even her son.

Do Kyung

Do Kyung making such a choice is understandable, to say the least. As someone who has struggled with mental health. Such a method has always been seen as the way out. Notice I didn't say easy. Because such a choice is NEVER easy. Poor guy wasn't even being treated while he was locked up in prison. Everyone putting the blame on him for EVERYTHING was so unnecessary and unfair as well. He was a jerk, evil, and downright nasty, but no one with mental health issues should be placed in such an environment.  Especially without proper medication and care.

This is dedicated to the worst character of the show in MY OPINION.

His Doctor

Ohhhhh I was fuming when he called him a psycho. I was so annoyed. Do Kyung was a patient. He was actively seeking help in an environment that ostracized mental health issues. Yes, he may not have been the nicest or taken his medication all the time, but he was still trying. He was doing the best he could in an environment that wouldn't allow for much growth. And for someone whom he was supposed to trust and tell his entire life to say something like that was just downright nasty. No matter if he was a psycho or not. If the doctor had felt that he was a threat, then he should've reported him to the necessary authorities. Disrespecting a patient is never the right thing to do. I was so elated when Do Kyung beat his a** up. Leapt from my chair in joy.

Final Character

Chairwoman Jo

This is kinda hmmm. Like I think everything that we're seeing and all the characters in the Noh family all have their respective issues due to her. In a flashback, we could see that she treated Suk Min similarly to how he treated Do Kyung. Talk about generational trauma. Of course, Suk Min would've replicated what he was taught. In this specific scene, she was talking about sending Suk Min to prison for a crime he had committed because he had gotten away with "too much." This literally shows that she had been sweeping all of his wrongs under the rug as she wanted someone picture perfect to take over her beloved company. Suk Min was never enough for her, similarly to how Do Kyung wasn't enough for him. She didn't care much for them.

I think that she saw an opportunity to right ALL her wrongs through Do Hee. Do Hee to her was a new slate. All the things she did with Suk Min and Su Ahn could've been "erased" by raising Do Hee in a less restrictive way. As she was able to do all this, she decided to give Do Hee the company. I think that was very wrong. Of course, Suk Min didn't create the company, and it isn't "his" looking from it at a more Western perspective. As Chairwoman Jo built it from the ground up, however, she had Suk Min training ALL his life with only one thought in mind. Him owning the company and carrying on her legacy. And for her to throw such a curve ball, of course, he'd be upset and pissed off. This is not me justifying all the rubbish he's done, though. I'm just saying I would be very upset if I were in his position. As such, I think Chairwoman Jo is kinda the biggest villain in a sense. Because all these "monsters" were created through her training and teachings. Plus, episode 12 ending kinda proved me right in a sense.

So that is that. My little two cents on a few characters and why I think Do Kyung isn't the biggest of villains. Poor kid needed love, and that wasn't given to him. Still, he was disgusting jerk, but he needed love. If he was given that care and affection, maybe he would've been different. If Suk Min, his dad was given more love and care and approval, maybe he would've been different as well.

[tamelee]

Hey tamelee! :) first of all, I LOVE your blog. Your art is amazing and so are your Naruto analysis. Thank you for sharing all of this with us! :)

Now on to my question. I've just read your answer to the ask regarding the ending of Naruto, where you talked about the slow pacing and bad writing of the anime and so on.

What do you think how the manga (or Naruto in general) could have ended if there hadn't been a need to introduce Kaguya and everything that comes with her? Or maybe, what would you have wished for? I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this :)

Hi @shileyn-nea ! 💕

Thankyou so much for your kind words and encouragement!! 🥰 It makes doing what I love even better 🧡! Oh yes, the Anime is something else.. Now, I personally don't know how much truth there is to this but even my friend from Japan acknowledged it and said the fandom talked about it on a forum so take it how you will- After 'Naruto' the story ended Kishimoto wanted one last movie that showed Naruto becoming Hokage and it would've been around the age Minato became Hokage. In our case, that would've been instead of 'the Last; Hinata's Genjutsu Fest'. Again, I don't know if Kishimoto really said this, but it would make perfect sense as... it was Naruto's biggest dream (on the surface, but still) which was never fully realized. But we did get a cold bucket thrown over our heads in some random last chapter and in the end his dream was crushed still because it was visualized as something Naruto never got to celebrate nor was he shown to be excited about becoming Hokage regardless. And lemme tell you.. that says a whole lot of somethings 👀.. It is just terrible overall. But imagine.. 699 Chapters and then having a movie based on a new Chapter 700 where Naruto is a bit older and we get to see him genuinely become Hokage and something changed within the Shinobi system. It doesn't have to be something major, we only need a hint as it will be a lifelong journey anyway. Sasuke is there of course, because nothing keeps him from staying away now, there is actual meaning to their characters, they cooperate freely as we see him finding some answer to his question (or multiple) he still had. (During Vote2.) It is some sort of middle ground between Naruto wanting all the villages working together and Sasuke's revolution, but they do it together. They aren't alone and don't display these insane visuals of their loneliness BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL LONELY TODAY in their current situations. But working together like that? That is a vision they share. And we get an entire movie about it!! I don't think Naruto was ready at all to be Hokage at the end of the story, unlike Gaara who was very young as well but now he was.. what? 30+? Why...? And what did he do in the meantime instead of counting headbands? We never got to see :/ I'm so bitter about it. I don't mind Kaguya's will being a part of the war, but Madara being nerfed like that was lame. We already had the plot twist during Obito, we didn't need it again with Madara... I wish to see all 'Naruto' sequels, fillers and novels gone and forgotten, for Kishimoto to say 'Naruto' is still ongoing, say that Chapter 700 was fake so that he can make a new one and then we get a proper movie. I know he liked the 'Boruto' movie and considered it his own personal project, it was alright, but sacrifices are needed. And then! We could've also had a blank period Gaiden Manga from the man himself. But alas...

[sinkableruby]

on ougi's mentality; spoilers

Let's talk about Ougi. I want to talk about Ougi.

Because the thing about Ougi is that they are so shrouded in mystery for most of the series, and it's because of this that it's easy to miss their interiority that they definitely do have. So I'm writing an analysis post. Yay.

The first thing you have to talk about if you want to talk about Ougi is that Ougi is a little shit. Ougi is a mean asshole who criticizes you and fucks things up for you, and everyone knows it. They know it. It is likely the first thing they knew, from the moment they were born as an oddity. Araragi wanted to be criticized, and so she wanted to criticize him-- her personality became that of someone who would be able to criticize and punish him.

This makes sense, of course. She's his oddity, she's him, of course she would be a reflection of him. But she's also herself. She has substance, according to the light novels. And her experience is different from his. I'm not going to really spend time proving this, because it just doesn't make sense thematically or otherwise for this to not be the case. Oshino Ougi is Oshino Ougi, and they all lived happily ever after.

The thing about Ougi is that they are very self-aware (and to be an oddity of self-criticism, you would have to be!). In Tsukimonogatari, she theorizes about herself, about the reason why she's alive (more on this later).

And so, being self-aware, she's aware that she's an oddity of Araragi's self-criticism. She's aware that she is here to criticize him, and him specifically. If you don't know who she is yet, this seems like foreshadowing for her being the Darkness, but in reality she's only vaguely acting in that role because he wants someone to.

It's not that she doesn't genuinely think the things she does. She does want to make things proper, she is an asshole-- but she also knows exactly why. I'm going somewhere with this, trust me.

"Even if I wasn't able to make your youth better, I was able to make it more right," she says as she's about to die. This was the purpose she was born with, a purpose that she wanted to fulfill, but still the reason for her existence. She was born to fill a certain role, and fill it she did. "Even if" she couldn't make his youth "better." "Even if?" Was making his youth better something she wanted to do? Is it something she would have liked to have been able to do?

The thing that it is certain Ougi wants to do is to fulfill her purpose. The reason she was born: she wants to carry out her criticism of Araragi, make his youth "more right." She cares about this purpose very much, and tells us as much in the light novels. In the anime, she says once she's done this, she wouldn't mind dying. Everything she does is predicated on what Araragi does, everything she does is about him, for him, to the point where she neglects her own basic needs, like having a home, which she looks back on with regret later in Zoku and--

Wait, hold on.

There's something familiar about this.

HEY, WAIT A SECOND! THAT'S JUST THE THING THAT ARARAGI DOES! HE DISREGARDS AND KILLS HIMSELF FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS ALL THE TIME!

You guys. Could it be that... Ougi and Araragi..... are actually (originally, at least) the same person?! And therefore struggle with similar problems!?!!? (Yes.)

The thing about Ougi is that she does not exactly have the highest opinion of herself.

she says with a smile.

Because she was born to be mean, and an asshole, and to hurt. That's why she exists. That's her true identity. Something made of all the rotten bits of Araragi scraped from him, all his self-hatred, his guilt complex, his regrets, all the bad things. Unsightly; ugly. An awful mean malicious little monster.

She was born to be terrible, and terrible she is. She plays the role of Araragi's corrector, and his enemy. Hating yourself isn't good. Thinking you need to be punished isn't good. Those are things you need to overcome, like a final boss. She is those things, she plays the role of bad guy because she was born to.

This is what she says in response to Araragi choosing not to save her life. It's the correct answer, it's the right thing. She's the bad guy, she's the reason why all the bad things are happening, he should "beat" her and move on with his life.

But...

she still doesn't want to die.

She asks him to save her, a few times. Before he summons the Darkness, she does what she describes as "begging for her life," although she does it in her regular chipper attitude. In the light novels, she tells him she looks collected, but she's trembling on the inside. She doesn't want to die.

...but she still thinks she should. She thinks it's "right" for her to die, because she's so terrible, because she only knows how to cause problems. What she thinks "should" happen and what she wants are two very distinct separations. And she prioritizes the former rather than the latter. Even as she begs not to be killed, she doesn't really put up much of a fight. She willingly goes to the place where she knows she's going to die. Basically, she thinks she's terrible and tries to kill herself. This isn't really subtext, it's just text. She herself calls it suicide, because it is.

It's to the point where even after he does save her, she has trouble accepting it.

And I mean, it makes sense. She's an oddity of self-criticism. It's kind of her whole thing. Of course that would extend to herself. And after you are explicitly born (I cannot stress this enough. Ougi's existence was for one specific purpose, and they know it very well) to suck and be awful and dangerous and cause problems in the name of rightness, I can see how that wouldn't really lead you to think well of yourself. In Ougi's mind, by all means, she should just die for the betterment of everyone else. What point is there in letting her live?

(But she still wants to live.)

She only really seems to accept Araragi's saving of her by justifying it with some other purpose. Again, it comes back to purpose. Purpose and meaning and value. Ougi needs these things, because they were born wanting things to be proper. Because they were born with a purpose, because their value was in fulfilling that purpose.

As though there's no value in "keeping her alive" if she can't "be good." As though there's only value to her existence if she's "functioning" for some meaningful cause. "Functioning," as though she's more of a tool than a person, as though her being a person doesn't even come into it.

She puts all these footnotes on her own existence. But she still wants to live. Despite everything, despite not seeing a reason for it, despite thinking she needs a reason for it, she wants to live. Oshino Ougi the person, Oshino Ougi as themself-- wants to live.

You guys, Ougi is really bad at living.

(pauses for slightly too long)

Those lines from Zoku are after she is saved, after she is told she is herself, after she becomes herself, is given her own identity. After we learn, even if we might have already suspected, that she has substance. She doesn't have to justify her own existence; she can just be. But she can't let herself. She was born with a justification for her existence, and doesn't know how to move on from that. She is, as Zoku puts it, tilting at windmills.

Obviously, this is not a very good thing. Which is why I despise the choice in the light novels to have her stuck in the school, being other people forever so much. Because it's one thing for Ougi, the character, to make that choice-- that part is consistent. She thinks she's a problematic existence that needs to be justified and limited. She doesn't know how to live in any other way, because her existence was for a purpose, and so thought she needed to keep having a purpose to justify a continued existence. But it's another thing entirely for the narrative, the series to go, "Yes, Ougi, you're right. You are bad, and bad things do not get to live freely. You do not get to be your own person, you will not be treated as such." It affirms all the stuff it would never affirm about any other character, and that's why I hate it.

It's fine to go the direction of "Ougi is struggling defining their life for themself," but just like. Actually show that! Show that their thinking isn't okay or healthy! Give them people who can help them see that!

she says, with real hurt and pain in her voice.

(How terrible it must be, to have all your efforts thrown away at the last second. To have the purpose you were fighting for be rendered meaningless in an instant. To have failed. To only be able to criticize him more even now, to think he's throwing away his life for someone terrible like that.)

But like. I don't think they're really that terrible. And even if they were, it wouldn't mean they'd need to justify living. But I guess NISIOISIN forgot about that and decided it was to the box with them! Cool.

To cap off this disorganized analysis, here's lines from Kabuki where Ougi is introduced that I got from the Wayback Machine. Teehee.

A few lines later...

Certainly gives her trademark wide smile another meaning.

TLDR; Ougi is very not okay and needs nice things now.

[anxious-ace]

Chronorun Reports notes:

Van Helsing, Jekyll, and Mrs. Frankenstein (Victor's mom) are siblings with Abraham and Henry being twins and Caroline being a few years younger (specific ages will have to wait until my brain decides that doing math is worth it)

(they are all a mix of Dutch, British, and Swiss btw)

(yes this means that Victor is Van Helsing's and Jekyll's nephew)

Van Helsing formed the HOSC to essentially bring light to all of the scientific discoveries that are happening (Jekyll's serum, any supernatural being he encountered, the time machine, Victor's creation, Griffin's invisibility, and more) but not without the house members' consent

Now let's get into the plot- a good amount of people in this universe have powers (almost all of the members of both societies have powers)

They are as follows:

Van Helsing- gains an ability of whatever type of entity he conquers (if he were to slay a vampire he would only get one of the abilities shared within all vamps. Ie teleportation) as well as natural immunity to most (not all) supernatural attacks and anomalistic mastery (or that could just be from his job)

Jekyll- technically he speaks to Hyde through telepathy as well as having telekinesis

Hyde- telepathy like Jekyll (because of course) and the ability to teleport objects and people away from and to him

(Jekyll and Hyde are forced to work together because they are not able to do what the other can as well as the other)

Victor- weather control (I just wanted to reference the movies, I think he would use it to help him animate the creation)

Griffin- now I know you might think that I'm going to make his invisibility his power, but that's not the case. He can however talk to animals, he just doesn't want anyone to know.

Time traveler- let's get the obvious out of the way, he can see any point in time (past present, and future), and it proved very helpful (but overwhelming and contributes to his time blindness)

Sherlock- like the time traveler, he could be obvious (giving him some kind of hyper-intelligence) so I'll give him tactical analysis and the hyper intertellince (or he could not have the ability and just be that smart, I haven't decided yet)

Watson- since he's a physician and royal army surgeon (according to Wikipedia), giving him a healing ability (more so healing others) would be a fair but obvious move. However, I want his medical knowledge to be utilized (meaning he would use actual medical practices instead of relying on powers) so the proper techniques would still have to be used (more so internal and really bad external wounds, broken bones, and deep/wide cuts being examples)

Gwen- now she could be a little difficult (considering the fact she is someone else's oc and I'm a bit scared to ask because it might look like I'm stealing their idea) so I'll move on for now. (she could have enhanced reflexes as it would be really helpful)

Switching gears to more general ideas (I'm looking for a reason to segway into the investigative committee's powers)

Griffin and the time traveler don't use their names for reasons they'd rather not admit (it has something to do with their experiments)

Van Helsing and Jekyll may make it look like they hate Victor (because he's an irresponsible, spoiled, college dropout who can be a bit of a nervous wreck at the most inconvenient times possible) but they're still trying to help him get over everything (and to take some god damn responsibly for once in his life)

Van Helsing and Watson are transcribing past journals, audio logs (the series takes place in the 21st century), and more as a part of the whole "bring light to all of the scientific discoveries that are happening" thing the HOSC does

The HOSC is very queer (not really with each other but you know)

Jekyll is a trans, ace, gay man (maybe Hyde too, he hasn't really thought about it, both he/him though)

Victor is pansexual and nonbinary (he/they)

Griffin is a bi demi-boy (also he/they)

Sherlock seems to be more interested in his work than in relationships (aroace cis man)

Watson is more open to the idea than Sherlock is though, at some point being stated to have said "I think everyone looks nice, does that mean im attracted to everyone? No not everyone, but certain people attract me more than others." (doesn't put a label on gender either but uses he/it/they)

Time Traveler is a theatre kid so he is probably the most open with his sexuality and gender (gay nonbinary dude using they/it)

Again, I have no idea for Gwen as she is not my character (well none of them are, I might have one at some point but thats not what I'm here for) so I either ask the creator or leave her as unlabelled (which might not be a bad idea actually) although the picrew shows her as aroace

Van Helsing might be the only straight one (I say might be because he doesn't know, still uses he/him though)

Now for the Missing person's investigative committee: they are in charge of finding out the who, where, what, why, when, and how of missing person cases

Utterson and Poole started it after Jekyll faked his death, which happened about a week after Van Helsing got back from killing Dracula (so it was like 7 years ago based on Quincey jr's age in the main story)

I'm now imagining a very stressed Van Helsing hearing about his brother supposedly killing himself because his latest experiment went tits up (excuse me while I try not to cry)

Their powers are:

Utterson- since he's a lawyer, giving him something like Holmes' hyper-intelligence (if it's his ability at all) is kinda obvious so some kind of adaptive ability could be fun (body language analysis could be useful)

Poole- super speed to help him with all of his duties (and in case of emergencies)

Mycroft- I kinda want his to be out of the park but still useful in a way, fuck it he can turn off others' abilities either by touching them or snapping his fingers

Walton- some kind of internal GPS for his traveling

Kemp- I tried reading the invisible man wiki to see what kind of doctor he is (he did go to a medical school so that could help) but couldn't really find anything so im going in sorta blind. I'm just going to make him a shapeshifter

Now that that is out of the way, few more things until pride shit

If someone pisses off Mycroft, their powers are just gone for the day (which could be devasting if they piss him off during a very important mission)

Walton being the youngest (younger than Hyde but older than Victor) means he is often the fastest and most agile of the group (until Poole uses his super speed obviously)

He's basically the group's son (at least to most of them, Mycroft might have some warming up to do)

Now, pride:

Utterson- Jekyll's husband (cis bi man, uses he/him)

Poole- unlabeled sexuality (aro he/it user)

Mycroft- like Van Helsing, he might be the only straight one (uses he/him)

Walton- trans, demisexual man (he/them/it)

Kemp- omnisexual nonbinary (they/them)

@mrhyde-mrseek what do you think?

[psychewritesbs]

Question I have BC I love your opinion and I think you have a great understanding of these characters (and jjk as a whole) what do you think about yuji and megumi's relationship and the parallels between them and suguru and gojo?? BC personally I think it's EVIL and hurts me so bad but also just.....idk I'm terrible with words so I can't exactly express why I think it's done so well but i do so just curious on what (if you even do) you think abt it?? I think parallels in jjk are honestly crafted so well in general and gege truly has such a clear idea and understanding of what and where he wants the story to go. Apologies if you've been asked smth like this before there's a very good chance I've missed it but I hope you have a good day and I hope megumi comes home soon bc it's getting pretty dark out 😞😞😞

HOLA anon. Thanks! I appreciate the vote of confidence 🫡

So I feel like your ask needs a thorough re-read of jjk, which I am unable to do at this time.

I also have to admit that I had never paid much attention to "parallels" in general, so that makes it a little harder to look back and pinpoint exact moments for a proper analysis of Megumi/Geto parallels. But I HAVE thought about this in passing before.

So, while I don't think I can do your ask justice, YES! I think aside from parallels, I'd also say that it feels like Geto's story is also meant to be a cautionary tale for Megumi.

Let's taco'bout it under the cut...

I'll start by saying that jjk has been exploring the idea of "intergenerational trauma that is passed down from generation to generation". So there's something that feels extremely cyclical about jjk right now--like a cog.

That said, the Megumi/Geto parallels are most likely meant to underscore how, due to the nature of the work they do, the same tragedy keeps happening time and time again.

If I were to pull a quote by Jung that encapsulates this, its the idea that "until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

Now, jjk has also felt like an exploration of the "corruption and redemption of the self" for some time now. To me, this means that a sorcerer is often confronted with the question of what is aspirational about his human nature and what isn't, but more importantly, the choices they make as a result of being confronted with this question.

In Geto's case, the aspirational values he chose were actually quite twisted. After all, he chose to justify committing genocide with his love for sorcerers. Similarly, Megumi had no qualms killing indiscriminately if it meant protecting Tsumiki.

They have both made a choice where protecting someone (aspirational value) justifies something not aspirational as a necessity (killing others is a turning away from aspirational values). In other words, you could say they have both "sinned" for lack of a better word.

This is where "saving" others who are ready and willing to be saved comes into play. Gojo couldn't save Geto because Geto wasn't asking to be saved; on the other hand, Yuji is trying to save Megumi because Megumi asked to be saved.

Megumi asking to be saved is relevant af because it means Megumi acknowledged something Geto couldn't or didn't acknowledge about himself.

The thing is that Yuji also had to be receptive to the idea of saving Megumi. As of ch143, Yuji had had his sense of self bruised and battered by Sukuna's rampage in Shibuya for which he felt responsible for. And now Megumi is asking him, a mass murderer, to save him.

It's almost like Megumi is absolving Yuji of his sins by asking to be saved. This is Megumi validating Yuji's desire to save others. So, who's saving who, really?

On the other hand, while Geto was descending into a corrupted state, Gojo had his head so far up his ass with the whole "The Strongest" identity, that the best he could do was ask Geto if he had lost weight.

So I feel like this is where the parallels turn into a sort of continuation of what could have been possible if Geto would have come to Gojo and asked for help, and if Gojo was emotionally available to this bid for connection when it could have made a difference.

In retrospect, given the emotional state Megumi was in during the Yorozu reveal and how anxious he appeared to be during his fights inside the colony, I think that in asking to be saved, Megumi was asking for a lifeline from the bottom of his heart. He was asking Yuji for the strength and unwavering conviction that he was missing in himself.

I like to think Megumi knew he would have to kill others, and that he would be willing to do it if it came down to it. This meant Megumi might have been aware that he'd have to set aside his humanity and any aspirational values he might still be hanging onto.

So who better to ask than the one person he knows to have unwavering humanity?

Geto never asked the same of Gojo.

So I am not sure whether Gege is trying to say that because Megumi asked to be saved it is more likely that he can be saved.

But here's the thing...

And I am very much aware that this is my personal preference, but I believe that Megumi (and Geto since we're on the topic of parallels) has to save himself.

While I LOVE the religious symbolism behind the idea of Yuji "saving" Megumi and think it's super bromantic, waiting to be saved absolves Megumi of responsibility for himself. And right now, at the core of Megumi's arc, is the idea that his sense of self was suppressed by Sukuna precisely because there was a hole in Megumi's sense of self that Sukuna could exploit, therefore arresting Megumi's development. To continue that development, Megumi has to choose himself.

So I am curious of where Gege takes it from here.

Now, on the topic of saving others, there's actually REALLY juicy symbolism around the idea of "saving" in chapter 236 and 238 where Sukuna is technically absolving characters in their last moments.

So that's a nice parallel and commentary on the idea of saving others.

Anyways, did this make any sense? lol. I read and re-read this thing several times and I kept making edits so I hope I was able to express my thoughts properly.

Hopefully the tangent made sense.

I think parallels in jjk are honestly crafted so well in general and gege truly has such a clear idea and understanding of what and where he wants the story to go.

Thank you for sharing your jjk-love. Yes, I couldn't agree more that, not only does Gege know where he's taking his story, his attention to detail on how he wants to execute these themes is fantastic.

Thank you for stopping by anon :)

[phyrestartr]

So I'm not very good with analysis or anything so this isn't going to be the paragraphs-long message dissecting Divine Favour that I would love to write (I'm pretty burnt out right now) and it's not gonna be anything more than my surface level thoughts but I just need you to know how much I adored that first chapter.

You have me hooked - I need to know how the reader ended up in that coffin and why Sukuna reacted the way he did.

If Sukuna was the one to 'imprison' the reader then surely he would have reacted differently on seeing the coffin, but he only seemed to care after the coffin was opened. Is the reader even dead? Because by the sounds of it he hasn't rotted away. The fact that you pointed out how the kimono is too big is making me wonder if it's Sukuna's kimono, especially with the reader embroidering his kimonos. If so, that's an adorable detail.

I'm intrigued to know why the reader seems to be revered as some sort of deity, why his coffin was stolen away, and what sort of failsafe he's supposed to be? It seems to imply that the reader is supposed to stop Sukuna. How is the reader supposed to do that, and why do the Jujutsu sorcerers think we could, or would? Leading on from that, why did Gojo seem interested by the idea that Sukuna killed the reader?

The scripture being incomplete is interesting. It's trying to imply that we were 'imprisoned' by the 'disgraced one' (who is more than likely Sukuna) but I don't know how likely that is. He seems to be - perhaps not in love, that's the wrong word for it - very fond of the reader. Sukuna being jealous of the concubine who kissed him, lying down on his futon, and giving him his first proper kiss shows that he obviously does care for the reader, even if he does call him a 'pet' (I personally think he's just emotionally constipated). I adored the detail about the reader embroidering something for Uraume too, they never get enough love <3.

Anyway, as I said it's not really more than surface level thoughts and it's probably more of a ramble than any sort of perceptive analysis which the piece (and you) deserve, but I just had to get it out and tell you how much I already love this piece. I also read on another blog that writers like receiving comments, so I hope this is okay and not annoying you. If so, please feel free to ignore this haha.

Thank you for making my day with this writing, though!

BROOO THIS MADE MY DAY OMFG THANK YOU SO MUCH?? I'm glad all the plot hooks got your attention and had you wondering 👀 Ik I love me some mystery and points of interest in my self-indulgent stories beheheh

OFC I don't want to spoil anything HOWEVER reader's imprisonment is loosely related to canon events and the plan to resurrect Sukuna!! Kind of similar energy to how Uraume is still up and kicking and has been waiting for their homie to return

YES he's definitely emotionally constipated. Not necessarily emotionally stupid, he just is like "nah. that's not right" and his sheer will lets him push aside any feelings he doesn't like LOL

I LOVE URAUME AND THUS READER LOVES URAUME AND IN TURN URAUME IS CHILL AF WITH READER (pun intended)

There will definitely be more explanation as to reader's status coming up in future bits!! They are kind of considered to be Sukuna's "light" as Uraume is considered his "shadow"

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, THIS IS LIKE?? THIS IS INSANE, I AM SO FCKING STOKED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND TO SEE WHAT YOU CAUGHT ONTO WITH THE PLOT HOOKS LIKE ASKJD;FWIOEJ I absolutely LOVE comments (I am just slow to reply lol) so absolutely no bother, I'm humbled you took the time to write an analysis and share your ideas!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN IM CRNHYING

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

I was still pouting about how a show from CN got to have a crossover with Sonic and it wasn't the Powerpuff girls 😤 when suddenly some wonderful marvelous fantastic news popped up!🥳Evil has been defeated! That disgusting PPG live action project is officially CANCELLED 👏🎊🎉THANK GOD😮‍💨 after the gross bullshit garbage vomit 2016 cursed reboot 🤢🤮 I had enough of seeing my girls been tarnished like that, but you know what?

One good thing came of that abomination and that is that our god creator Craig McCracken decided to make a proper reboot by his own professional hands!🥰 A ppg reboot with continuity with begining and ending! You did it so well with kid cosmic so we are putting all our hopes and dreams on you Craig! I'm putting my faith on you don't fail me!😖🙏(If the crossover with sonic happens I'll be very thankful and blessed too🥺🙏 maybe I'm asking too much but if it happened with Ok ko why not?)I'm guessing he saw the 2016 reboot and his heart was broken, his eyes bleed, were set on fire and fell off his face, then he understood that's how all us fans felt and he decided to try heal our souls.

So, to celebrate I'm going to give my analysis of the original Powerpuff girls and my reasons to love them:

BLOSSOM: The nice leather girl: She is like the least favorite in popular polls, but i think she is just really misunderstood, most people don't get the appealing of her character when it comes to her flaws, come on guys be honest do you really want a character perfect without a flaw? NOPE because THEN she would actually be an obnoxious Mary Sue, so let's check those said flaws: she is a proudfull "miss know-it-all perfect", she is smug and arrogant, a tattleteller, bossy, envious, hypocrite, nagging yada yada. Ok first yes, she wants at all costs to be a perfect girl, is a personal achievement and she works hard for it and usually with her good plans, good results and good grades and be praised for being polite she gets her way so she feels pride out of it and that's why she is smug and arrogant and the appeal of this is that she actually is far from being perfect, we saw her fail a lot and not being right all the time, we see her feeling the consequences of being too proud and stubborn refusing to accept she could be wrong, she is bossy but she isn't an indisputable tyrant ruler, her sisters would and will disobey if they disagree with her and she can't stop them, she has been mean but all the sisters had at some point, we all have been mean at some point but it's not a Princess Morebucks kind of character in general she is very nice, she is kind and polite, she wants to do what she thinks is best and right, she means well even when she is wrong and regrets it if she is wrong, she believes in Justice, she likes to learn and that's why she is so smart and a good strategic leader, also even if she is most of the time confident she has lots of insecurities and in her quest of being the perfect girl she wants to be she becomes a drama queen when she fails big and overreacts badly, she can be clumsy, can lie to cover her ass, she is playful and naughty, she makes jokes and pranks, she has no problem showing love (less intense than bubbles and less shy than buttercup), she always looks at bubbles in a fondly way and even if she fights a lot with buttercup they show mutual sisterly love, she is really a very nice girl. Her biggest fear is failure, that's why she is a miss perfect, it's relatable! I remember the special interview when she got sassy because she was called the smart one and she said she didn't like it because the smart one is the "boring" one and then she goes full jealousy over her sisters (i lost it 😂 when she said: "what makes bubbles the cute one?" "I'm cute! Look at this bow!"), Saying she is smart cute and tough the whole package 😂, all three are the whole package but she stands out for being smart.

BUTTERCUP: The jerk with the golden heart, lot of spice our dear childhood tomboy, a girl who liked to show people who is boss💪😎 and could have the roughest attitude while wearing a dress 👊💅, she was an icon for those tomboy girls or girls who had a tomboy phase in childhood, she was a girl who in general liked "boyish" things and sometimes girl things too, she could do both perfectly: a girly giggle and a war battle scream, i can kick your ass wearing a skirt. Often she was mean or even a bully sometimes towards people or her sisters, the one who gets more often in trouble because she is a hot headed impulsive girl, she isn't very polite, misbehaves, is reckless, is stubborn, she could be insensitive, she gets into fights with her sisters easily and gets carried away with the villains, she doesn't consider herself good at school and gets defensive about it but tries hard to prove she could do good as a leader too, she gets angry easily, she can be greedy, selfish... Yeah all that stuff but damn! She is such a really good girl, the contrast of all that with her other side, her vulnerable side... The way she loves just as intensely as her sisters, how despite not liking being a sap she happily let's her dad give her hugs and kisses, she can be brutal but she can feel an intense guilt for her actions and gets sad and frustrated with herself, how much she works hard to look tough and strong that she ends up being too rough and mean... Don't misunderstand my girl, she also learns from her mistakes, she can be extremely friendly, even if she isn't very trusting she gave people second chances, she has a temper but she isn't grumpy all the time, she always tries to have fun with her sisters and friends, is so obvious how much she loves her family and dear she is so shy... Also she is the one who struggles the most with emotions and is on guard with her feelings but she is the one who first got a crush that made her act sweet, shy and dreamy and got her heart broken 💔, the first thing she did? Hug her sisters, yep she is introduced as someone who doesn't like mushy stuff or being affectionate but like I said she has no problem when her dad gives her love and also buttercup herself gives hugs and even kisses when she is happy enough to forget she is suposed to be too tough to be that sweet. How can you not relate with her at some point? How unfair is that she didn't get a special power, at least you could say she is the one with more stamina when it comes to physical strength, i mean the girl likes to punch giant hunks of meat as a hobby, she works out off duty she absolutely deserves the title of the toughest fighter.

BUBBLES: Here she is! My sweet best girl!🥰 Cute and sweet until you cross her! My personal favorite! I can relate to her because when you have a certain personality or tastes sometimes people doesn't takes you seriously, i mean for example people who is energetic and always looks too happy is often misjudged by others as "stupid" or "clueless" as if you could never be serious and they infantilize you (I've been through that) and also because she is the artistic one.

So if Blossom is the brain 🧠 and Buttercup is the muscle 💪 Bubbles is definitely the heart 🩵 of the team, the glue that keeps them together. It's been said that she doesn't deserve her popularity because the show favors her too much or something, like she doesn't get in trouble for her actions, well aside certain episode I'll say that is mostly untrue, she gets reprimanded for her misbehavior as much as her sisters. Then what else? She is a crybaby, she is too naive, oversensitive, too emotional, coward, an airhead, too childish, too loud and also stupid and spoiled WOW, for starters there's nothing wrong with being naive she just want to see the bright side, her sisters have been deceived as well lots of times, even Blossom, she is sensitive and cries a lot but we see her trying and struggling to be strong too, she doesn't hide her emotions and that will make her better at process her feelings than anyone who hides them, also sensitive or emotional she is no pushover, normally she let's someone else defend her because is not in her nature to jump straight into an argument but if there is no one to defend her she will stand up by herself but when it comes to defend others she won't hesitate, she doesn't like when their sisters argue but she doesn't have any problem fighting them if she is provoked, she can be really sassy and her sassiness is hilarious, she likes to tease too and is mischievous, yes Bubbles can be naughty, she is playful and plays cute on purpose to get her way so she isn't stupid (she has her shining moments), she is also a lot more humble than her sisters since she doesn't describe herself as better than them but just AS good as them (or as strong and as mean) anytime when she gets her strength questioned because of her cuteness and whoever underestimated her will soon regret it, she is scared of the dark or bugs or certain monsters, that doesn't make her a coward that makes her brave because she still confronts them regardless and she is really so extra sometimes 😂😂 is so funny! Also she is the most open and affectionate of the trio! She'll hug everyone and she loves so easily (ok on that i can't relate 🙃) she is also energetic, empathetic and positive honestly... Best sweet girl ever!! She really owns the sugar!

See? Characters full of flaws and virtues!! The magic of a three dimensional character well done is just how relatable they are, this three superpowered little girls are just so human. Every reason to love them! And why they deserve respect if you're going to make a reboot of them... So Craig great cartoon Creator we'll leave it in your hands 🙏🥺

[hologramcowboy]

(1) Not really an ask, just a couple observations. You've spoken about Jensen and ad-libbing. I feel that early on in his career he relied heavily on his natural talent, and therefore learned some bad habits. At past cons Jensen has spoken about filming on DOOL where, due to the amount of material covered daily, they would have script pages/lines around the set to refer to and retakes were not done unless the error was egregious. Even after moving onto other projects Jensen may have relied on

What a beautiful question. Thank you for asking. ♥️

Grab a tea or coffee or whatever drink you prefer and get comfy because this is going to be a long answer. ☕😂 I'm going to put it in a Read More link right after this gif. 🤠

As far as Jensen is concerned, I see your point, on soaps they film a loooot of pages in one day, however, soap actors should be even more trained than regular actors and, in fact, ironically, most are. Why is this? Because they have to cry on cue within seconds, switch from bitch fights to tragedies to lovemaking to wedding to etc in one day (scenes aren't necessarily filmed in order), not only that, they have a big disadvantage, often times producers and writers don't let them know what will happen to the character or what the through line is until it's too late for them character and script analysis wise. Meaning, they have no proper information to fully build their character so they have to work ten times as hard. I know people like to mock soap actors but please know most are very well trained and they work in extremely hectic settings. Sorry for going off the subject, let's get back to Jensen.

While I do get that his tendency is to repeat what he did in the past, no actor that wants to grow uses the same methods of the past. There is no such thing as a stagnant actor and those who stagnate experience stagnation booking wise. Because acting is a rapidly evolving craft. Jensen lacks a proper actor's toolbox, he also lack something that is KEY: knowing how to fully analyze a script and a character. He often makes comments that show he does not study, get in touch with or understand the full dynamics of the story he is bringing to life, same goes for his character. He needs to learn to Sherlock Holmes the script to enrich his performances. ( Yes, that's an actual expression and Sherlock Holmesing the Text® was coined by Tim Philips, if you haven't read his book, I highly recommend it) Jensen also needs to understand that he is bringing to life a real human with a particular psychological make up, which means he should never play the idea of who that character is but rather find a way to recreate the character's core psychology. This is where an acting coach could help him with a few or constant private lessons until he learns to break down the script and character psychology on his own.

To give you an example, let's say you are playing a rap* victim, if you've never experienced that how can you live that state? You may have never experienced that but you have at some point experienced terror, deep pain, feeling violated to your core, PTSD and other states that match that experience. Based on that and based on the other elements of analysis you can meticulously organically trigger the psychology of that character and fully step into the role. There's are multiple techniques but they are divided into two types: Ones that center on using past experiences (which even Stanislavsky renounced because he noticed that negatively affecting the actors due to triggering deep traumas) or one that centers on Imagination (which is the safest and you can use the Alpha state, for example, to fully visualize the characters emotional life and experiences and step into all of that).

In order to know these things Jensen needs to do his due research. I have no doubt that he could be a breathtaking, dynamic, puts you on the edge of your seat actor if only he could take time to get in touch with his own craft. He still is in his own way but he could be so much more. So, for Jensen, I would recommend private lesson with an acting coach and, if needed, taking a script analysis class though should mention that most acting coaches have already incorporated script analysis within the techniques they developed so, if he finds a great coach, he most likely won't need to take script analysis class as said coach will walk him through it and give him the tools he needs to perform it on his own.

As for Jared, he does meticulously analyze both the script and his character. He also mentioned that, indeed, he reads the script in different contexts and moods and that's a very smart thing to do because it informs the scene, it also keeps him practicing different levels of his range. Sometimes written word may not immediately click despite script analysis until you try it from different perspectives and find what the writer was really going for so what Jared does is quite smart. I am sure he also switches objectives during rehearsal to see which works best. This is something a trained actor would do. If done right, every moment is lived as new with a different take and based on that he can then find the ideal tone for the scene. It gives him more control over his performance and it enriches the character's layers. That being said, you don't necessarily have to go through all of that to nail the scene dynamic but dedicated actors like to cover all of their bases.

In Jared's case, I think his block might be that he over rehearses precisely out of the need to cover all of his bases and, in doing so, he desensitizes himself and this results, sometimes, in a flat performance. So, for him, I would recommend doing exercises that focus on recreating the emotional make-up of the character and fully stepping into those emotions and riding them. For this he could create some Moment Before that supercharges him with the emotional state he needs for a scene or even an Emotional Diary and then let go and go into the scene riding those emotions. Because he works intelligently from his mind but he has a whole Universe inside and what a joy it would be to see him bring it out.

If he's in a rush then he can go straight to scene objective and a powerful substitution. Those are usually what you can go for if, for example, you have a super quick audition where they give you the sides on the spot and you only have a few minutes to learn them and create the character. Just walk into the scene with your scene objective and the appropriate substitution and fight to get what you want out of that substitution.

Also, there's not one right way to do things, it all depends on what works for each actor and the terms I used vary technique to technique but mostly refer to the very same thing.

I could have just written Jensen needs to learn how to analyze and do research and then connects his powerful emotions while Jared needs to focus on letting go more and riding his emotions fully rather than being to cerebral about things. (He isn't always but just those moments where he is less connected and too rehearsed). But, alas, I wrote an endless post. Forgive me?

P.S.: It's no wonder these two work so well together, when you think about it, they balance each other out. ♥️

Thank you again for the question, I know it's a lot so if anything is unclear please let me know.

[chaostheatre]

your blog has given me a more refined perspective on feelings towards fandom i’ve held for a little while now but haven’t been able to put into words. while i personally still (somewhat) engage in fandom, i do hate the oversimplification and glossing over of characters’ traits, both negative and positive. i wish people had a more analysis-minded approach to medias; that’s not to say i’ve never gone head first into ‘fandomification’. even now i still find myself glossing over characters to just consume silly meme content. i’m forgetting what i originally wanted to say but i’ll end this by saying thank you for the perspective!

no yeah ofc, I honestly haven't been in a lot of fandoms myself, I joined the game late (my first proper fandom experience came along when I was 16 which was... not even three years ago) so I think that really put things into perspective cause up until then my interests were kind of niche and fandomless and having to integrate into fandom culture was... really weird.

fandom itself has been very different and much more negative. I'm not sure how to describe it. besides the fact that people are just very mean and self-centered, I just... don't get anything out of the experience besides getting triggered. there's no honest discussion it's just... discourse. morality contests where no one actually cares about anything but who is more "right". commodifying the suffering of real people to justify useless opinions over media. it grosses me out

and then you're referencing fandom's tendency to kind of dumb down characters into digestible, bite-size caricatures. I hate that too. it happens. CONSTANTLY. especially with characters who are minorities, or women, or fat, or disabled... being reduced to one or two traits just so they can be memed or shipped is sooo eugh. I hate it. I hate shipping culture. I'm aromantic and have never cared for ships that don't involve me (a la projection or selfship). it's so annoying.

people just pick and choose what they want to keep about a characters personality and it's frustrating. no one cares enough to actually think about these characters as people unless it's blatantly spelled out for them. this is another problem I have with the anime, or the fans really: idk why everyone is so shocked that ramona is, in fact, a person. a BAD person. I'm tired of having this conversation because people love the gloss over all the harm and abuse she's done. bryan could light up a giant Neon sign in times Square that says "RAMONA IS A BAD PERSON." and people would STILL not get it.

people would STILL make their little "omg girlboss x malewjfe!! girl queen fem pussy slay who's never done anything wrong x pathetic loser male!! she should date women instead cause umm. Women cant do anything wrong!!!" jokes. I'm tired of it I really am. yes let's dumb down the female lead's character into a bunch of loose vague terms that mean nothing and reduce her to femme fatale jerkoff content!

the term for this specific behavior is "benevolent sexism" by the way. it's aggressively common in fandom. just let women fucking suck jfc

okay anyway. I have a lot to say on this but I'll leave this here for now cause I've written a lot

[danaty-consolation]

Hello, do you truly agree that they're (Ranma, Inuyasha, Akane and Kagome are) the victims of Rumiko Takahashi's bad writing? I truly do.

Ok I am literally so mad because I was writing a full analysis with images of the manga and then Tumblr glitched and I lost 2 hours of work. So I will keep it simple:

I don't agree.

First Ranma:

This boy is rude, arrogant and even an asshole sometimes. The anime softens him up because he is way ruder to Akane verbally in the manga because he was raised by Genma Saotome, one of the worst dads ever and it makes sense that he is like that because he didn't know any better. He is full of himself but that is also a flaw since he thinks his strength and good looks are the only things that make his worth.

He actually begins to be more open and change because of Akane, no matter how many fianceés he has, who make more problems than good for him. He only sees Akane as his true love.

Does he act like a child who likes a girl and is rude to her? Yes, because he isn't good at being honest about his feelings thanks to the person who raised him, but he begins to slowly change in the manga.

It says in the manga that he will get married to Akane when he fixes his problems, and that is realistic.

He is not a completely good person but he is a flawed human in a martial arts gag manga who is quite realistic comparing its genre.

Akane:

Akane was often treated as a boy because she liked martial arts. A upperclasman dared to all the boys in her school to fight her so they could gain the right to date her. Fighting everyday in the mornings for her freedom.

Also her father comitted her to marry a boy who she doesn't know.

I can see why she says that she doesn't like men.

Being the only decent one Doctor Tofu and she fell in love with him, but we know that he is in love with her sister.

Her mother died when she was super young so she doesn't have a proper mother figure. Kasumi can be one but Akane must not want to make it more difficult for her sister who already does more in her house since her mother absence and when she tries to help it always goes wrong.

She can't cook, she is insecure thanks to Ranma and his fianceés (both in romantic and in her martial arts)

She has to get used to Ranma who is quite rude and always fights with him.

But even with all that, she shines because of her kindness and reassurance. She always helps Ranma and is the most open of the two in showing her feelings.

She doesn't manipulate him and she loves him with all his flaws, she isn't perfect and that's understandable because she is in high school.

People change and grow. Having so much chaos in her life and she still tries to help and protect the people she loves, even with her life at cost.

She is a flawed but good character.

Inuyasha:

Inuyasha didn't trust anyone after being faced with racism and discrimination of being a half-breed on both sides. He began to trust one person and "that person attacked him".

With that background is understandable why he is rude and hurtful at first with Kagome, humans hated him and attacked him.

Kagome is the one that shows him true kindness as we have seen in the manga. The level of their trust is amazing since he doesn't antagonize her as he did with kikyo when she attacks him.

One of his flaws is not talking with Kagome about the grief and culpability he feels about Kikyo. He feels guilty about his grief, confusing his feelings towards her and hurting Kagome.

Another one is his jealousness but is understandable since the one guy who actually makes him super protective about her abducted her once and claimed to be his against her will.

He isn't perfect but he tries to be better.

Kagome:

Her kindness and bravery is a things to be told. Did she asked to be the reincarnation of Kikyo? Nop but she still followed her mission to gain all the shards of the Shikon no Tama, trust a person who was rude to her and compare her with her past life.

She is the first to defend the weakest ones and stop Inuyasha from doing something terrible or stupid with the collar.

She is a strong girl that doesn't let Inuyasha get the best of her and fights back. When she acts irrationally she is the first one to see her errors and tries to be better.

Her only flaw is her jealousness and that is Inuyasha's fault for not trusting her and going the first times in secret to meet Kikyo when Kikyo tried to stray up kill her once and to take Inuyasha with her, not caring about anything else.

She has the right to be insecure and even if Inuyasha tells her later about his talks with Kikyo she still distrusts him a bit.

She is a girl that does her best in school and in fighting demons in the Sengoku.

She has flaws, common of a high school girl and that makes her more appealing.