#i don't feel like it's in a MPDG type way

[bhaalsdeepbat]

i literally walked into this space knowing NO ONE, sat off to the side and told them, "I'm sorry, I'm like a cat. I have to just watch for a second, then I'll socialize more." and like. the entire group was just like YEAH MAKES SENSE. no one took it wrong. they just let me observe until i was ready to mesh in more. and now almost two years later I am now burrowed so deeply into this troupe that i wouldn't have the friends or opportunities i have without it.

[natalyarose]

Is it just me, or is the manic pixie dream girl trope so solar Nakshatra women-coded?! They bring a fresh breath of air into relationships with their radiant energy, inspire and motivate others, and value their independence and freedom. Most of the actresses in these roles have Sun Nakshatra influence in Vault of the Heavens.

hey! 💕 yeah I definitely see that, for suree, that makes sense a lot of them are Sun dominant! Tbh I don't know many movies and actresses but I think from what I know Zooey Deschanel kinda fits the vibe and she's Uttarashadha? Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen sort of fits the trope at times in the show (she's not got Solar Nakshatras, but she's Purvaphalguni + Magha so Sidereal Leo)

I also feel like I can see many different energetic expressions of that vibe too. I think it's a trope that's harder than others to pin down to one planetary influence since the basis of the trope has a lot to do with the way the respective man/other people in general are stereotyping the girl if that makes sense?? Like it's not so much about the girl herself, it's about the whimsy and energy she brings to others around her. I can definitely see this being a Solar thing too though; Solar women do have this effortless luminosity and energy that intrigues people. 🌞

The thing is that the 'manic pixie dream girl' can be anywhere from a more edgy, abrasive, pink hair, wild-child type of girl (I see Jupiterian, nodal, Martian and sometimes even Solar women with this kinda archetype) to a more gentle, whimsical, childlike, 'quaint', sweet but spontaneous personality that forces people to think differently (possibly lunar, mercurial, etc). It's like, the manic-pixie-dream-girl concept isn't about the nature of the girl herself though there are qualities associated with it; it's got more to do with the fact that she IS that character in relation to some guy if you know what I mean?

Maybe it'd also be interesting to look at what planetary type in men is prone to perceiving girls as mpdgs' 🤔

That being said, you're definitely onto something with Solar women; I think it'd be cool for you or anyone who's interested to study the trope and do a lil astrological survey :P 🌼

[delivish]

haha your recent tumblr Stutters piece finally let me connect the dots on what was vaguely familiar about the pairing that was bugging me because I couldn’t remember the name for it 💡😮 ❤️❤️ so thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

The phrase was “manic pixie dream girl” 🤔 just cause to me Stan/Butters pairing gives off major MPDG energy or I guess in this specific case boy/girl/bigender?Genderfluid? depending how people write Margarine/Butters. My interpretation of the pairing is a quirky, bubbly sunshine that revitalizes a sad sack by emotionally supporting them and showing them life still has joy and meaning. 😂 Which despite feminist critique is still fun to read 😝. Though this is entirely based off fics I have read where he is a depressed alcoholic all the time, since I have no frame of reference since I don’t follow the show. Though not necessary I think there is potential for trope subversion as well. Curious what your interpretation is on how they fit together?

oooooo!! hmmm, see, while I could certainly see Stutters falling into a lot of the manic pixie dream girl tropes, I don't necessarily see it for them (and I'm not the most, like. eloquent person? so forgive me if this is all word vomit that doesn't make a ton of sense, but I will do my best!!)

namely because in a lot of MPDG tropes, the pixie is meant to be this quirky, lovable character with no real flaws whose only function to is to provide emotional support to their love interest, or to teach him important life lessons, all while receiving very little in return. and, despite the pixie's love interest being objectively the saddest, wettest beast you can imagine, somehow he still gets his girl because. idk, pity I guess?? lmao

but Butters is a significantly flawed person. they BOTH are. Butters is a gossip, he's a follower, he's naive, he's a people-pleaser who can be easily coerced; he's the type of person who won't stand very firmly on his convictions, especially if it means people might like him more or he has a chance to feel powerful and be a part of the in-crowd. BUT. he's also a hard worker, and a bright, selfless and genuinely kind person who loves life and loves making other people happy!!

and Stan is an absolute sweetheart, but i also think he can also be a sad sack who takes himself much too seriously and a cynic and someone who cares a lot about his image but conversely can be very, very insecure. his tenderness and sensitivity are assets, but i also think he's someone whose feelings can be hurt very easily and doesn't always think or even consider the ways in which his own behavior contributes to some of his grief because he kinda romanticizes it in a way! i can see him being the type of person you could come to with very real concerns, and somehow end up comforting anyway even though you did nothing wrong, lmao

(which, as an aside, is why i think Style really, really works as a pairing because Kyle is someone who absolutely refuses to coddle Stan, but we're not talking about them!!!!)

i think they would both get on each other's nerves at first. i think Stan, while genuinely liking Butters, would find him kind of weak and annoying, whereas Butters would think Stan is cool but also an impossible wet blanket at times. and because Butters can be an easy target, and Stan cares a lot about his image, I think the thought of being with Butters seriously would embarrass him a little because seriously?? him??

these two aren't the most obvious match and I love them anyway because I find all the ways they would butt heads and still fall for each other really fun. because i do think they would be good for each other, but they'd have to work at it, and that's just!!!!!!! Idk, so much more interesting to me!!! because they DO see each others' faults, and for all the ways each one annoys the other, I think they are both really, really kind people who would treat the other very tenderly, and be very intentional about it (I also think they'd have the most INSANE unexpected physical chemistry hehee)

anyway ramble over the only other thing I'll say is if you like South Park, you should definitely watch the show, all of it!! not only is it goddamn hilarious, but it is very difficult to build solid fanon interpretations if you don't engage with canon <3

[robinreflects]

Hi, I want to ask you what are your thoughts on the "mentor/mother figure" tropes that surround Eda and how the show handled them, because to me it fell flat. Sure, Eda does count as a mother figure to Luz and King, and my disinterest in this found family, could be writen off as just that - me being disinterested in them.

I have a small gripe with how the show calls the tropes Eda has in the story itself by the characters naming them, that I get the feeling the writers are telling me how to view Eda and to love her character.

And this more fandom related, but am I the only one who doesn't get the whole "Eda is a Mama Bird" thing? Because outside of Luz and King, the only child she has this mentor/parental dynamic with would be Edred.

She doesn't have many moments with Willow and Gus, even back in season 1. I would say, Willow and Gus have more of that "parent/child" dynamic with Camila.

Eda and Amity do go on a dventure together for the Titans Blood, but nothing about their dynamic screamed "parent & child". The same goes for Hunter, but I will acknowledge that their lack of interactions is because of the cut on season 3.

I know my criticism mostly stems from me not clicking with Eda's character like many fans of the show do, so my view on Eda will differ from theirs.

First off, I totally get not clicking with Eda as a character, even if I liked her. I also know most of my liking of the character actually comes from Wendie Malick's performance, I think she did a splendid job, especially in the more emotional scenes (like the fight scenes in s1 with Lilith). I also knew her as Beatrice Horseman before I watched The Owl House, so seeing her play a good mother figure was very engaging to me. 

THAT BEING SAID, the moment when Luz and Eda’s relationship didn't feel as special to me was when the show was trying to portray Eda in a motherly way with any other kid. I don’t mean just the main team, I mean, if there was a child character, they’d find a way for Eda to mother them. I think this started in season 2 when the show already had a decent-sized fanbase and was making their own interpretations and headcanons for Eda. Mainly the one you mentioned, her being a “mama bird”. Multiple (even background) characters call her “Mama Eda”, which seemed like excessive fan service. Many things like that were done in excess or amped up because the show's fans were responding to it well and a lot of those amped-up/excessive moments felt out of character for Eda. She didn’t even want to take care of Luz in the beginning, that alone would be enough for me to believe she wouldn’t be willing to adopt everything that lives and breathes. 

Willow and Gus definitely have more of a "parent-child" dynamic with Camila, which I think was very nicely done, same with Hunter. I see him having more of a "mother-son" dynamic with Camilla than Eda. The season 3 being cut short is an argument I see a lot, however, if they managed to create this dynamic between Willow/Gus/Hunter and Camilla within the first episode of season 3, I don't see how them not doing that with Eda can be attributed to the shortening, precisely because they had either 2 or 1 season (Hunter I believe met Eda in season 2) to write this dynamic, unlike with Camilla who only became an interactable character with the main cast in season 3, while Eda was there from the beginning.

The "self-aware", breaking the fourth wall-esque humor you mentioned, is one of my biggest pet peeves with the show. Pointing out tropes in the most fandom way imaginable will never fail to make me cringe. Show, don't tell is one of the most basic, easiest ways to make a story interesting, and somehow, for the sake of "incorrect quotes" type of humor, they keep failing at it. A few quotes that instantly come to mind are the "cool aunt vibe" from Collector and "What are those stupid kids doing? Wait, those are MY stupid kids" said Eda herself. Most of the characters are written very quirky, almost falling into the MPDG territory. Often reducing them to one character trait for the sake of, as I said before cheap jokes.

I also have an issue with Luz and Eda’s narratives, in that the writers can’t seem to decide if Eda is the character Luz relates to or Camila is. Camila’s speech about understanding Luz in season 3 felt very haphazard because we’ve spent 2 seasons of Eda and Luz’s narratives paralleling each other in the points Camilla is bringing up. Being unaccepted, feeling isolated, having no one understand them, being seen as dangerous at times, messing up all the time, and not liking conventionality. These points are a big part of Luz and Eda’s characters and are parallels to each other. Camila’s speech would’ve been so impactful, if it was Eda instead, not only because of the fact their stories parallel each other (and this scene was exactly what their storyline was going towards) but also because of the fact that we know Luz looks up to Eda, seeing her as weirdly perfect, exonerating her at times even. Luz, not seeing Eda for who she really is, realizes they are much more alike after the speech, and that Eda understands her.

Thank you so much for the ask! I love talking about this! So if you want to hear my thoughts on anything else, just shoot me an ask! <3 I also just woke up so this might be a little over the place and I apologize for that.

[rahleeyah]

I have so much to say but I will stick to 3 things:

1. Someone on Twitter had the audacity to say that OC is turning Liv into the "manic pixie dream girl" trope but without the quirkiness. If I had rolled my eyes any harder...

2. If every interaction between EO, I feel like we are getting closer to a kiss. I think it may happen some time this season.

3. I know many fans want a drag out fight between EO concerning how he left but I don't think it will happen that way. It will be emotional but I don't see them just yelling at each other.

1. I think they do not know what that means. like. she is not that trope at all? she's relegated to a support role on that show but that is not what a mpdg is. like. not only can you not remove the quirkiness from the mpdg - what do they think the manic pixie part means??? - but that girl is not a steady, stable, home type force

2. I desperately hope that you're right manifest it bestie

3. you know I think you may be right. I like the idea of the knock down drag out in theory, in fic, but for the actual show I think you're right. I think we're looking at something emotional, looking at tears, but not necessarily screaming, and I think that's ok. I think that's good. I think that's healthy and would show how they have both grown and how badly they both want this.