#if it means i won't have to sit through THIS and narratives about how stupid portland was to let go of two generational talents

[allpromarlo]

we wouldn't win more than 40 games with this i'm so deadass

[sillypiratelife]

You need to read the live action, the manga and the anime as different canons. It's healthier to the fandom's brains AND it's also better for analyzing properly what is going on.

One Piece is the type of story that relies heavily on the medium it is presented on. Hm actually, let me correct myself: One Piece is the type of story that celebrates and understands and was born to be told in that specific medium. The form and the content don't exist as separate entities, but are rather intertwined to elevate the narrative. That the characters are soooo cartoonish is not a mere style choice— it holds meaning, it complements what the author is trying to transmit.

One of the first things that I learned in college while studying storytelling was that there's a max point for tension in any story. There's a top to how tense you can keep the audience. If you reach that point, you won't be able to intensify the emotions; that's it, you need to introduce a breather or you'd end up with a stagnant narrative.

In manga/comics and cartoons/anime it's easier to walk that line. The power to make some silly joke or have the characters acting stupid is in the hands of the mangaka. I bet any manga reader or anime watcher can think of a moment in their fav series when the characters were in the middle of a seriously important moment, just to be involved in something ridiculous that breaks the tension.

It's fantastic. Mangas and animes love to make fun of their mediums, introducing satire to allow the audience some laughs. It's not until later when the reader/watcher sits and realizes how fucked up the whole situation was. A delayed punch to the gut, something to keep the mind working and thinking of their series until they wait for the next chapter/episode.

How to make the audience feel the impact of a character? Well, you can allow the audience to empathize with the character by explaining their reasons or backstories, you can show the world through their eyes. You can also show them all goofy and happy, so when the hammer strikes the readers/watchers will be nostalgic for the good times, mourning the fact they will not get more of that and becoming nostalgic. There are so many ways to keep a character haunting a story...

Oda is aware of all the manga medium can and cannot do. For people like him, the limitations are actually just more tools to play with. If you want to double check what I'm saying, go reread the panels where Luffy awakened Gear 5. Only manga could offer what went down in those panels; when the very nature of Luffy's powers are revealed to the audience and the characters, the manga gets self-aware and voices it out: "hey, this is the type of thing that only happens in comics, right?"

The anime allows a different range of tropes and shapes the story, correctly translating it. It's true that the best translations mind the public and the medium, adapting the jokes and references. It's also true that every translation is a little betrayal to the original, a unique creation in its own right. A good example of that is the way that the fillers shape the perspective of the watchers when it comes to the characters' dynamics. If the anime has a filler arc where the fight, a new tension will be present in the next manga canon arc. If the anime shows a filler where characters are close friends, it's gonna be weird when they start acting all distance back at the manga canon events. Not all fillers are meant to be considered part of the main storyline, of course. You have OVAs and you have movies and fillers and all types of media that are considered separated.

On the other hand, you have the visual changes: imagine that the anime changes the angle of a scene where two characters used to stand close and put more distance between them. What the manga could mean as a subtle implication that those characters cared about each other could turn into cold tolerance of the other's presence. Even the best of animes have those changes!!!!

In One Piece's case, turning the story into a live action series must change almost everything. It'd be impossible to maintain the cartoonist aspects of the story (unless they decided to go full Looney Tunes in that movie with Brendan Fraser lol). The choice was the following: we can try to keep the original elements even when they translate poorly to the new medium so we can please the original fans that are used to the story —OR we can try to translate the essence of the story and change all that needs to be changed, so that we keep the storyline and storytelling coherent and cohesive, at the cost of creating something not necessarily alien, but still new.

Violence in OPLA is way more serious.

You know how in the manga/anime characters would get fatally wounded and come back like it was just a minor injury? Or how they'd heal with no major medical intervention? That's a liberty of the medium. Your brain doesn't process the same way when you see a drawing wounded and when you see a real life person wounded. In OPLA, the suspension of disbelief is harder to achieve. Even and because the story was already introducing Luffy's powers and other fantastic elements, they needed to be careful to not overdo it. One option was to make people actually die— to know that in the live action not everything is so silly? It raises the stakes. OPLA discards some elements that are natural of a manga and in consequence, the story turns out to be darker. You have no fillers or little stripes of silly drawings or author comments or openings and endings. You'll have to do with what you do have and tell a story worthy of being told in that new medium.

That's a good translation right there, made by someone who understands that you cannot copy and paste things recklessly. That's the formula that made so many live actions fail, in fact.

You'll see many fans complaining because they don't understand any of what I just explained. For them it's easier to justify their opinions by saying that "they did this bad and that's why I don't like it" than admit that "they did this correctly but it's not my thing anyway".

One big example? Fanservice cannot be carried out from manga/anime to a live action. It's not the same to exaggerate the proportions of a body in a drawing (we can discuss the morals of this later) than ask of it from a human person. It's not the same to use some sexual traits in fiction as a way to appeal to the audience than to carry out those implications to a live action (again, I'm not saying it's good or bad because that's a discussion for another time).

Actors are humans. They will never have the same characteristics as an animation or a drawing, no matter how advanced technology is. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you appreciate art for what it is in its medium.

So really, what's the healthiest option? It'd be to approach each version as exactly that, a version of the story. As foreign as it can sound to some fandoms, the audience doesn't have to justify their opinions on something. Opinions are not professional reviews or art analysis. You can be as subjective as you want! To perceive each version as its own little world is easier: you can say "I like this better" without invalidating the opinion of anyone else. There's also the fun in exploring the different implications (they look like friends in this version but like lovers in this other) and playing with the divergences. Fans do that all the time in their art (literature, visual art, music, etc)

You can also analyze different versions of what is going on and contrast them. Do the differences change the form and content of the story or just one of those things? How does this new element change the dynamic between these characters? Are the characters written well but get thrown into a new setting? Is the setting the same but the characters feels more like ocs than the characters from the original story?

Knowing how much One Piece values symbolism, it'd be interesting to see how they could translate the constant influx of symbols in the manga or in the anime to the live action. The live action might show just the most important parts, cutting all the rest for lack of both space, time and budget. What does the author consider to be vital to the story and what can be cut down?

To have three parallel Luffy's in different stages of the story is fascinating to me, more so than the idea of trying to mix three formats that won't even match, mind you.

[shopcat]

hehe re: your tags, what about yue/katara?

omg hi i'm sleepies so i probably won't get too much into it character-wise probably. i will simply say before anything else☝️i know ppl mostly hold the belief that katara is straight and that there some uncomfortable pitfalls people can find themselves in when (esp white) lgbt people paint indigenous characters lgbt in order to be able to "relate to them" and dismiss the character's worth and indigeneity through what is i suppose fandom pinkwashing + dismissing the sexuality of indigenous/native/first nations women, which i do try to be aware of and avoid entirely, bc i think by and large this happens when ppl apply these headcanons without any sort of actual nuance or thought and treat every hc as the same sort of formula to follow (like, character is x so i like them "now", etc). katara has as much worth and depth as a character let alone as an indigenous woman when she's straight as she would if she wasn't which is something people tend to struggle with and handle badly or ignorantly. (and yes, on the other hand, lgbt indigenous representation is just as important to uplift, but i mean when it's done with ignorant intention!).

with katara in particular i DO think she is probably straight and (FOX FACT) she was one of my first crushes when i was little as in like 8-9 and was Also a girl and did NOT know how to handle that and she was also just my favourite character in general so her being some flavour of lgbt+ is very fun for me in particular, but regardless of that i do think her being bi or something would be relatively sweet if handled normally. (also funnily bc of this i also hated sokka when i was little bc i thought he was mean to her LOL .. 😭)

secondly stealing your brother's girl before he even got to date her is HILARIOUS ❗️❗️but in all seriousness 🤓☝️ i think the situation of yue being, you know, sokka's first love who tragically died deserves to sort of like, keep that... gravitas? and as a significant part of sokka's narrative at the time is to do with handling her death in particular, specifically because, Obviously, he loved her, i think respecting that is first and foremost for me as much as i joked about how they barely dated so it's not as comparable as katara dating suki for example, lol (though i do think it's different just bc of like, how it's actually different, e.g. yue is dead, suki was his long term girlfriend).

BUT none of this means it's entirely impossible either bc obviously like i said i've thought about it and i do find it cute ^_^ and i think their dynamic would honestly be really fun, more so on YUE'S side for reasons i shall elaborate on in a second. obviously in this world in order for ANY of them to still have a relationship of any kind, yue would either somehow still be alive, have never have died in the first place, or it's a different world entirely and their initial meeting was different from the beginning. (this of course changes the inherent tragedy of her and sokka's relationship, and makes it less of a potentially weird or at least incredibly dramatic scenario, as well). each of these have their own merits and to be honest i am obsessed with canon divergent different first meetings that change the outcome of the later story i eat that up every time and am honestly constantly thinking about ways things could change from something small like say... katara sitting by yue instead of sokka. heh...

to me yue and katara are i wouldn't necessarily say foils of one another, but i do think putting them side by side draws a lot of significance to the surface. i will NOTTT ever be someone to be like the NWT/water tribes in general are HORRIFICALLY SEXIST because i think that is well, fundamentally stupid, and racist, but for the purposes of what i'm talking about i do think the different aspects of misogyny relevant to both of their characters and story at the time of their meeting is important and interesting to compare. i think yue being able to sort of catch glimpses of what it is to be a normal teenage girl with sokka and slip the responsibility on her shoulders for a short while clearly meant a lot with her and helped her forge her bond with him in the first place, someone who i think like with suki not only say, BALANCED their different personalities out, but was able to bring a more joyful authenticity out of her if not just some basic fun and shenanigans. i think it's important that they meet in book 1 even if it's on the tail end of it, relatively early in the gaang's journey and respective narrative arcs and therefore sokka's as well, bc it shows he ISN'T quite the same person he is in say, book 3, when the gang are missing the lightness and fun he brings to their interactions and he's still learning this himself and they're in a way drawing it out of each other.

anyway. i think it's fair to say yue is maybe not a buttoned-up person, but fairly serious at times or at least keeps her cards close to her chest. i think katara being someone who speaks her mind freely and proves herself to be tenacious and stubborn and LOUD and like, kind of annoying, above all generally awesome, and FULLY a Teenage Girl, would be a really fun mesh with her at this time for the same reasons sokka was, if not even more so tbh. honestly yue is again one of my favourite characters, behind sokka and zuko she is a solid and unchanging number 3 for me. i think yue is someone who values duty (a common theme in these characters, lol) and responsibility, and while katara is someone who DOES, technically, admire/share in this (obviously, as someone who has been responsible in part for her tribe and family for years, and particularly now while they've only got each other), she is also someone who sees someone doing what they Think they should be doing and she personally sees as unfair or wrong and blows her fucking lid. i would honestly just love in general to see a yue/katara friendship let alone a relationship of some kind, but like w/anything friends -> in love isn't a leap for me lol so it can be both truly... i think they'd bring out a lot of good in each other!!

i also do occasionally ponder how yue is a nonbender, yet a princess, as well as being not only spirit touched but by the spirit who... is the very source of waterbending. while i think this is actually very cool thematically i do often think about how strange it is logistically, and also think about how bending is in part to do with a willingness to do so, and the concept that yue COULD be a bender and just not realise. katara kidnapping a princess and teaching her to bend would be SO GOOD. to me. i also once had an au i scrounged up where yue was a bender and obviously just learned healing, but due to being again blessed by the spirit of WATERBENDING and having that connection w/the spirit world at all, her healing is quite literally insane and she essentially becomes an atlaverse necromancer. because i think that's awesome. other than that, yue learning to fight in general would be very cool and i think katara would fall over backwards trying to help even if she also knows basically nothing about nonbending fighting lol. they would fall on their asses Together <3.

i do also suppose the conflict and tension point of sokka clearly having feelings for yue could be something to be rattled around if u were into that. personally i do enjoy conflict but not soul crushing drama and ultimately in My world which is a beautiful world sokka has either already come to terms with it/moved on long ago bc it's been a while or i suppose just one of those au's where he never did feel that way in the first place. but tbf it's not like katara (or yue) would necessarily know that so it could still be a something or other.

ultimately yeah i just think yue being this dutiful princess figure who loves her people but does clearly yearn for more and is a person willing to make huge sacrifices for people and katara coming in and being someone who openly and authentically goes for what she wants even if she's being held back by certain factors that yue would be intimate with is well mwah. i enjoy it. a big draw for most atla pairings of any kind to me is them having the ability to just Be Young together and i think these two definitely deserve this, katara in particular! she is a very silly sweet character and i love whenever she tries to joke around, and i think her particular brand of being sarcastic or catty would make yue go >:0 and she would love it. ohhhhh they would eviscerate people together...

yue being a relatively sheltered figure who yearns in some way for a sense of freedom from it and therefore struggles with respecting and committing to the connection to her tribe and the responsibility she has for her people as their princess, and katara coming in as someone from their far-away, lost contact sister tribe, a relative important political figure in her own right to boot, representing not only this chance to grab at freedom and what you feel is right but the added layer of them both being women could have been a really cool angle for the narrative to contort to! also sokka AND katara pulling a prince and a princess of two different nations would be well funny as fuck.

[goongiveusnothing]

there were moments he was definitely very into her. i can see him getting caught up and doing it. how are so many people overestimating harry and not assuming he's dumber than a box of rocks and would tattoo a gf's name next to his dick?

Don't know about him he's shitty with all his gfs even though he preaches kindness and is a proud feminist but she was definitely into him not was just into him she was so loyal and in love with him i mean who would leave their lovely family for a known womaniser. And he cheated on her every chance he got but still she stayed and traveled around the world for him yes I know she was benefitting from that relationship I'm not making her a saint or anything but at least she didn't make him stupid or fool in front of anyone like he tried to do with her. During viff I actually felt sorry for her even though I don't have to she did this all to herself both of them are equally problematic and attention seeker so we can't say whose better but harry can bring fame to people who associates themselves to him so those who wants to enjoy their 15 mins fame all they have to do is to praise him and also if he has a partner then he can do whatever he wants behind it even during Coachella cheating rumours his fans were defending him saying these tumors made up larries like why would they do that that's against their narrative as well . We can actually see the admiration on her face when she looks at him even when he was acting cute/stupid in front of the media during the press meet she was just sitting there and looking at him in awe nor did he even glance at her once he couldn't even stand next to her. I've heard some people saying maybe he's probably a very supportive bf in private I mean what's the point of that when your one single word can stop the harassment your girlfriend receiving from your own fans and show what kind and nice bf or perfect person you are but no mr styles would only think about himself and had also threw her under the bus every chance he got. So I don't think he was into her maybe he enjoyed sex but for that they both can take equal blame . His fans (majority Harries) believes he's a hoe but they can't accept the fact he might have slept with her during filming and got caught then ruined a family . He couldn't even say her name out of his mouth so I don't think he'll tattoo it on him. I don't think he's that stupid get her name tattooed like don't give him that much credits he didn't even attend a dinner party honouring her when he was in the same place. But if he did then he stupid than I thought he was who would tattoo names like that . My bff always told me if you're planning to get a name tattooed then it should be either your fam/siblings or someone dead. So we won't regret it later .

Some of his fans are saying that it's Oliver Mitch and Sarah's son's name ( if you know please confirm ) . And he does have the name of his god children's name tattooed ( again idk anyone who knows please confirm) . So maybe it's the kids name but I find it weird why he would tattoo a child's name there . Idk i find it weird he's a weirdo but that's creepy maybe we'll see a hq pic and then confirm.

i definitely think he was in love with her at various points, even though none of his fans or even other people seem to want to accept it now. you don't go through all that crap if you don't like someone. the fact nobody seems to want to accept he even likes her seems like projection. a lot of people dislike olivia, there's a cultural fandom environment which hates her, and obviously his actions now makes them feel emboldened to act like he always hated her, but that's based on their own feelings.

but he's very selfish and manipulative and his behaviour with her shows that. his priority in every relationship will always be himself.

if this is a child's name i think the QAnon's should go to town on him because that is outright fucked up behaviour. that tattoo can only be seen if you almost show your dick in someone's face. how did he show that to a child? get it on your arm or chest or back. why on earth would anyone want a child's name in a place that can only be viewed if you pull your underpants up/down to the point you're almost exposing yourself?

[northwest-cryptid]

I think being born when I was sort of made me immune to the "oh god it's HOMESTUCK" vibe.

Like I get it, the fandom is a whole mess, the comic is long running and has had huge cultural impact on the internet and thus the world at large for my generation and the following generation given our connection with the internet.

I won't deny that I "get it" when people make HS out to be some big thing, to say "there will never be another web comic like Homestuck" isn't a false statement at all, as even long after it's ending the remnants of it continue to crop up in things like Undertale allowing it a natural passage into modern relevance. I mean it sounds absurd to say that the fucking Pope has heard a song that originates from Homestuck yet that's the world we're living in.

However at the end of the day Homestuck has always just been "a web comic" to me. I've picked it up before, read a few arcs into it and got bored; put it down and watched plot summaries. I've listened to the OST (yea it has one of those which sounds weird but, yea it's pretty good.) I've heard all the memes. I can identify the big ones, Dave Strider, Vriska, ... That weird frog thing at the very end that like makes a universe or is a universe or something?

But I have never really "got" two big things. One of those being the hype around it in the sense of like "oh no it's HOMESTUCK! Oh god oh no oh fuck we are all doomed, the unspeakable evil is upon us!" And trust me this is after I accidentally introduced a friend of mine to a couple of people in troll cosplay because I was like "you could use some friends, oh hey there's some goths you like goths let's go say hi!" My one attempt at helping a friend make some friends resulted in said cosplayers being like "hey man you want some hard drugs?" Which kind of snowballed. SO LIKE YEA I understand why people might find the loud majority of the fandom to be a bit odd, but couldn't you say that about literally any fandom? I'm being real here, I've been a part of a ton of fandoms and by and large the loud majority are typically cringe and annoying to even the people who DO like the thing.

The second thing I never got was the hype for the actual web comic. Every time I try to read it I get bored. I understand the concept, I understand the general plot, I don't even think the concept is bad or anything. But ironically my reason for reading it is to better understand the world building and the characters and the plot and when it tries to explain those things I sit there like "when do we get to [big pop culture thing] I was warned about the [big pop culture thing]." Which may just be my ADHD acting up but I never found the narrative or characters or anything about it to necessarily be super gripping to me.

Whenever I say I'm considering trying to read it again I typically get one of those two kinds of hype from people in response. People who think it's the bane of existence and I should "remain pure and innocent" as if I didn't grow up during the PEAK of its popularity and don't already know about it, the things that inspired it, and literally lived through going to conventions with HS meetups. Or I get people who are so excited that I'm finally going to bear witness to the holy experience that is HS, and then they get super let down when I get bored because I'm like "this dudes stuck in his home, is that it? Is that why it's called that?"

Maybe I'm weird or boring or whatever, like maybe it's all one big joke and I'm just not playing along because I don't get it and I'm being super lame like that time I went around on April fool's spoiling all the pranks because I thought it was stupid to randomly pretend to have an asthma attack since someone could actually have an asthma attack and the teachers wouldn't know because some asshole who doesn't even have asthma thought that was a good prank, which it wasn't but like I didn't need to be a narc about it I was just a dumb kid. So I guess that's sorta how I feel now towards HS, like it's a joke made by my generation for my generation and somehow I don't "get it" and more often than not, that lack of knowledge has lead to me being confused by HS jokes that never made it into the pop culture.

Like yea I've osmosis'd a lot of it, I know about shit like "I warned you about the stairs bro" and such, but the second someone mentions a character by name who isn't either Dave, Vriska, or I think there's some dude named Karkat? Like I'm totally in the dark.

I assure you if you think the jokes and humor of homestuck is so bad it will do irreversible damage to my psyche you gotta understand that the internet was just sorta, like that? Back when I was growing up and the result is that if there was any damage to be done it's already done.

I don't know man maybe I'm just not one of the "cool kids" of my generation or something.

[beyblaiddyd]

Quarry spoilers below, do not pass go if you havent finished the game

Something I find really interesting about the transformations is how they kind of... amplify modes of aggression, or the worst parts of a character's self. To a certain extent it draws on generic aggression/anger, but there are specific features to each character we see in depth's behavior.

Nick is the primo example because we sit with him the longest and he doesn't know what's happening and neither do we.

(A little aside here to say that even though it can read a little tasteless in context, I actually like how they handle the scene where he starts going south. He says the "I want to taste you" line and you're obviously meant to read it in a sexual way, but Nick means it literally. Before she pushes him away you can see him open his mouth, like he is About to bite her. It's something you don't notice on the first playthrough bc you're thinking "wtaf is wrong with him oh god I fucked up so bad".)

But it's very clear that Nick's primary mode of aggression is Insecurity. He's a very insecure person and that's how his erratic behavior starts. It starts off with light questions about how Abi feels about him, or him starting to get more bitter options like "I'm pouring my heart out here."

Then it becomes more paranoid, insistent, as he gets closer to that animal transformation he becomes more and more compelled by the narrative that people (specifically Abi because she's the only one that talks to him) hate him, and that's what drives his anger. One of his core fears/frustrations/motivators is this idea that people won't like him.

It's not really out of nowhere, we see it earlier in the game quite a bit. He falls into line whenever Dylan or Jacob do something, he wants to be chill and to be liked by them. He's insecure that he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life and he feels pushed along by nothing, and he's amazed that Abi knows her talents and knows what she wants until the infection sets in and the bitterness leaks through the cracks and he starts to tear her down instead of building her up (as we know he prefers to do when given the cognitive opportunity).

To me the werewolf transformations are like... imagine all the worst thoughts in your head. All the impulsive first thoughts, the self hate, the fear, all spilling out uninhibited because you don't know what's happening and don't know how to stop it. He clearly fights it for a while until he can't. It's very chilling in the context of his and Abi's conversation about fate and how not being in control of your actions is a "convenient excuse" because 1) even if he's not in control of himself this is still some deep primordial part of him and 2) he is going to blame himself for what he said during it forever. Fun stuff to rotate in my head.

We see more of this idea with Jacob and Max.

Starting with Jacob, he actually has really similar core drives to Nick. He is just more openly emotional. He wants to be wanted, he wants to be loved, and he throws aside his concern for others in the pursuit of it. When he transforms he says, "stupid boy, summer is over, she doesn't want you, nobody does." It's this self-hatred he's pitting inwards, but I think it's also easy to imagine what he might have said if he ran into Emma (especially because we know what awful stuff he can say if you have them meet up after Emma is freed from her curse). The self-hating statements going outwards, I did this for you but summer is over, you don't want me, you hate me, etc.

Max is an interesting one because he's a very reserved character and what moves him to anger is protecting Laura. He gets most agitated when he 1) needs to keep her safe or 2) isn't being listened to. In his transformation scene he obviously has the benefit of knowing it's coming. He knows what he is, he knows that he's dangerous, he knows that what he's feeling "isn't him." But if Laura tells him to get closer despite his protests he can't stop himself from getting up and screaming at her. (She's not listening, she's putting herself in danger).

Laura is a fun one because she's very impulsive, her aggression tends to come with playfulness, rude barbs, but also Extreme Aggression/Bloodlust. She's motivated primarily by again, protecting Max, but also by revenge to a certain extent and that comes across in her actions. In the scenes preceding her transformation she can kill two people (and fuck Constance and Jedidiah, but still interesting from a character perspective! Her specific kind of violence can come with a body count well before her transformation)

I wish we got to have more time with the other characters when infected I know the game didn't have the time to do that but it's disappointing how hasty it is. I know by design they had to do the most build and the most fucked up stuff with Nick because once it's happened once we won't be as surprised when it happens again (and that's a mechanical, meta reason it was so much more intense than the other character transformations) but I like the character detail it adds. :(

[yikesharringrove]

Oooh spin the usual narrative around and maybe Steve got some really cool tattoos on his back after high school and Billy is just being all sweet on him later and notices them and LOVES them and is all like "ride me and show me" and won't let Steve finish until he describes all his tatts on his back

Smut

-

Billy hadn’t been in Hawkins, Indiana for about three years.

He had fled pretty much as soon as he got that diploma, had packed up his car the night before, tossed his stupid cap and gown in the trunk, and just fucking left.

But here he was, ready to watch Max and the rest of her brats graduate.

He was standing, feeling weird in his best shirt, sweating under the Hawkins sun.

And there was Steve Harrington. Of course he would come for his kids, was probably gonna tear up as they made their way across the stage. He could see Steve’s big hair sitting close to the front, with Henderson’s mom, looking just the same.

He spent the entire ceremony glaring holes in the back of Steve’s head, only looked up when Maxine Elizabeth Mayfield stomped across the stage, rolling her eyes as Susan and Neil made a big to-do somewhere in the crowd.

Then went right back to staring at Harrington.

He looked good.

Like, still looked as hot as he did in high school, but he looked,

he looked like a man.

He had shot stubble along his jaw, and he looked a little more filled out.

He was waiting for Max, standing with her mother off to the side when Steve turned, and noticed Billy.

His eyes went wide, and he began making his way over.

“Jesus, Hargrove. Long time no see.” He pulled Billy into a hug, a tight, sweet good-smelling hug. “You look good, man.” He smiled brightly at Billy.

“Yeah, Harrington. You too.” And he did.

“Hey, uh, all the kids are having a little shindig at The Byers’, I’d love to catch up with you.” He rubbed down Billy’s arm, made him so much fucking hotter than the bright sun.

-

The kids’ party was a nice barbecue in the Byers’ backyard.

They were all running around, getting in food fights and being stupid idiots.

Billy can respect that, the last summer before leaving all your friends.

Billy didn’t really have friends to leave, though. Just kinda, left, one day.

He kept his eyes on Steve the whole time, watched the way he smiled and laughed with the kids, the way his eyes kept flicking back to Billy.

The sun was beginning to set when Steve came over to the stairs Billy was perched on, two beers in hand.

He gave Billy one, settling right next to him.

“So, what have you been up to? Been, what three years?” Billy had left the day he graduated, hopped in his car and didn’t stop ‘till he saw the ocean.

“Moved back home. I’m working at a garage, now.” Steve gave him another nice smile. “Saving up to maybe go to school, or get a house or something.” He shrugged, taking a swig of his beer. “What about you? Got a girlfriend?”

“Ha! No. Not really, dating right now.” A slow grin spread over Billy’s face.

“Just fuckin’?” Steve’s cheeks went red, but he didn’t deny anything. “Yeah, me too, Harrington.”

Steve laughed, pushing at his rolled up shirt sleeve.

It was just under his elbow, and Billy zeroes in on dark black ink winding down to an elegant curl on the side of his elbow.

“Any good stories?” Billy licked over his teeth.

He had stopped pretending in California, didn’t really want to here either.

“Well, I mean, there was this one guy, just absolute maniac. He had this thing about getting caught, so we’d go out to shitty bars, see how long it took before we got kicked out. We got away with a lot at most of ‘em, though.”

He watched Steve carefully, didn’t even see a twitch.

And then,

“Oh, I was kinda seeing a guy like that.” Billy’s brain shorted out. “There’s a gay bar down the block from my place in Chicago, and he’d take me out on the dance floor, and this one night, we just about fucked before someone noticed what we were doin’. It was kinda fun.”

Billy’s mind was racing, pictured pulling Steve onto a crowded dance floor, pushing his hands down his pants, fingering him, letting him rut against his thigh until he cums in his pants.

“So you, you’re gay?”

“Bi, actually. Figured that one out right away after movin’.”

“Yeah? Let your queer little flag fly?”

“It’s been fun.” Steve shrugged. Billy licked his lips, had an idea.

“Y’know, you coulda been havin’ fun way before you moved.” He leaned into Steve’s space, looking at him through his lashes.

Steve’s cheeks went red.

“It’s not too late, is it?” Billy stood up, tugging his keys out of his jeans pocket.

“I got a shitty motel room bed with your name on it, Pretty Boy.” Steve scrambled behind him, tossing himself into the passenger seat of his car.

He grinned at Billy.

-

Billy drove like a bat outta Hell, getting Steve to his motel room as fast as possible.

He led him inside, slamming Steve against the door the minute they got in.

He kissed Steve roughly, licking inside his mouth.

Steve moaned into his mouth, fumbling with the buttons on Billy’s shirt.

Billy pulled him, shoving him onto the bed, taking Steve’s shirt off in turn.

And there was the ink.

It curled down both of Steve’s arms, leading from his back.

“Holy shit.” Billy traced on of the curling tendrils. “Never begged you for a tattoo type.” Steve shrugged, his eyes flicking down to trail over Billy’s body.

“I like it.”

“Can I see?” Steve pushed on him gently, but then he got an idea. “Wait,” he grinned at Steve. “Ride me and let me see them.” Steve smiled devilishly back up at him.

He pushed Billy, swapped their positions.

He was straddling his waist, could feel how hard Billy was underneath him.

“Only if you get me all ready.”

Billy undid Steve’s belt, tearing his khakis open.

Steve sat up, awkwardly wiggling out of them to sit back down, completely naked on Billy’s lap. He took Billy’s hand, kept direct eye contact as he sucked on Billy’s fingers.

He was like a fucking pornstar, his eyes going all dark and sultry as he licked over Billy’s fingers, sucked them into his mouth.

“Jesus, Stevie. You’re so fuckin’ hot.” Steve smirked at him, pulling his fingers out of his mouth with a pop, guiding Billy’s hand around his hips, leaning forward over Billy.

“Go ahead.” Billy jostled him a little closer, rubbing his spit slick fingers over his hole.

He pushed one inside.

Steve’s eyes fluttered closed, and he moaned, so loud and pretty.

“God, wished we had done this years ago.” Billy was now pumping his finger in and out of Steve.

“I was pretty repressed back then. Don’t know if I would’ve done this.” Billy eased in another finger. Steve took him so well.

“Then, glad I got here just in time.”

“Welcome to my slutty phase.” He grinned at Billy, grinding his hips back and forth on his fingers.

Billy spread his fingers, scissoring them open and closed, getting him open. Steve squirmed a little.

“Just like,” he took Billy’s wrist, shoving his fingers in deeper. Billy curled his fingers. “Oh, yeah.” He started tossing his ass back, fucking himself on Billy’s fingers. “Fuck.”

He collapsed forward, burying his face in Billy’s neck.

Billy tried to get a look at the dark ink covering him from neck to upper ass cheek.

“I’m I’m ready.” Steve bat Billy’s hand away, turning around.

He lined up Billy’s cock, sinking down on it.

Billy’s eyes fluttered closed.

“Jesus Christ,” Billy groaned. Steve felt like Heaven.

He looked over his shoulder, tossing him a wry smile. Billy clung to his hips.

“Like what you see?”

The tattoo was beautiful.

It was an intricate monster, tall and skeletal, a face like a flower, opened up with rows and rows of horrible teeth. There appeared to be black smoke coming from behind the monster, delicate furls of something, maybe vines? They climber up Steve’s shoulders, wrapped around his arms.

It shouldn’t have been sexy, staring at this thing while Steve bounced on his cock, but it was Steve bouncing on his cock, tossing his head back and moaning.

“What do you think?”

“I think, you don’t get to cum until I tell you all my thoughts on this art.” Steve moaned loudly. “This fuckin’, fuckin’ monster. Black ink looks real pretty on you, Baby.”

Steve turned again to look over his shoulder.

“Tell me about it.”

“I mean, I shouldn’t be turned on, lookin’ at this thing. It’s like, it’s like it’s screaming at me.” Steve shuddered. Billy didn’t know if it was a good shudder or a bad one. “I can, I can see the saliva in it’s mouth.”

And then Steve stopped, panting heavily.

He pulled off of Billy, turning to face him again.

“Sorry, that’s just, you know, not the best dirty talk material.” Billy grinned at him.

In one swift motion he rolled on top of Steve, slamming his way back inside of him.

“You want good material? You want me to tell you about how often I jerked off to you in high school? Pictured how pretty your lips would look around my cock? Thought about how tight your little hole would be?”

That was apparently the stuff.

Steve’s eyes were wide, his hair wild on the pillow behind him. He was panting shallowly, just accepting what Billy was giving him.

“Thought about taking you all kindsa ways. Thought about bendin’ you over in the showers after P.E. and just fucking you right there, in front of everyone.”

Steve’s back arched beautifully, and his thighs trembled against Billy’s sides as he came, thick white spunk sticking their stomachs together.

“Yeah? That get you going? The idea of people watching, of being made my bitch?”

“Jesus, Billy, I already finished.” His cock gave a flimsy little kick as if proving his point.

“Yeah, now I’m getting myself off.” Steve laughed at him, shifting his hips to let Billy drive in deeper.

“That what get you there? Pining me down? Making me your bitch?” Billy moved a little faster, a little rougher. “Now’s your chance, Tiger. Gimme your cum, ruin me.”

Billy bit down on Steve’s neck, made him yelp as he bucked his hips, cumming inside of him.

He breathed for a minute, rolling off of Steve.

Steve stretched like a cat, wincing slightly.

“Lemme see your art again. Was a little distracted with the sight of my dick in your ass.” Steve laughed, rolling over onto his stomach.

Billy traced the monster’s mouth with light fingers.

“It’s cool.”

“Will Byers drew it. Kind of reminds me to, you know, put the past behind me. I know it’s cheesy but,” he shrugged, trailing off.

“Sometimes cheesy works.” Steve’s cheek was smushed against the pillow as he studied Billy.

“What’s it like being back in Hawkins? Must be weird coming back after being gone.”

“Nah. Nothing’s really changed. Weirder coming in blind that first time.” He traced one of the black vines. “I thought you were in Chicago?”

“I am. Only moved out there about six months ago. Didn’t get into college or anything, so I’ve been working shitty jobs, saving up some money. Thinking about running away some more. Get further away.”

“You’re always welcome in California. I got a pull out couch.” He licked over his teeth. “Or you could share my bed.”

“Are you asking me to give you sex in exchange for a place to stay?”

“You did say you’re in your slutty phase.” Steve laughed, burying his face in the pillow.

“We’ll see if I get desperate enough to get outta here to take you up on that offer.”

“You could drive back with me. Stay for awhile, fly back. See if you like it.”

High school Billy would be creaming in his pants right about now, asking Steve Harrington to run away to California with him.

Steve looked at him, his face unreadable.

“I could go for a little adventure.”

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LV

It was a love story from the very beginning.

The Monster At Your Door

(10x04/10x09/10x10/10x11)

Hello my dear fandom! This is another meta from my Destiel Chronicles.

I want to say thank you to my friend @agusvedder , she made the gifs for this analysis, thank you girl!

And thanks to @destielle for editing this! 

This season doesn't have a lot of Destiel in it and was mostly Dean-centric.

So you will see me talking about how our hunter perceives himself as a monster.

Brothers and Sisters

In episode 10x04 ‘Paper Moon’ we saw Kate and her sister, two female werewolves, as mirrors of Sam and Dean.

Kate, the one who was trying to save her sister (Sam), and the little one Tasha, becoming a real monster (Dean).

After getting to know about Tasha and Kate's story, and Kate trying desperately to get her sister back, the Winchesters decide to help her. But there was a little piece of dialogue  between Sam and Dean that caught my attention…

SAM: Right, but how can you possibly blame Kate for fighting for her sister? We do it all the time.

DEAN: Well, yeah, and that's worked wonders for us.

The ultimate effort to save Dean Winchester at the end of the season will cause a huge cosmic consequence we all know: Amara. So, this quote here that could be read as very Winchester like is kind of a premonition of what is about to come next season.

And then, this scene… it points us at how Dean is really feeling inside.

KATE: But she can be saved!

DEAN: [blunt, but in despair] No. Tasha's in too deep. You don't ever come back from that, not ever.

How disturbingly painful it must be for Sam knowing his brother is losing faith in winning his battle against the mark.

There’s another interesting dialogue, now between the two sisters, where we can dissect the foreshadowing of Sam trying to get through to Dean in the last episode of this season.

KATE [pleading] T., I can help you get better.

TASHA [sneering evilly] Oh, I am better. And smarter and stronger… and awesome. I'm a freakin' superhero.

KATE Who kills innocent people? No, that's not you. You were a good kid.

So, Sam will try to save the innocent and good side of his brother, with all his power.

Because even if Dean perceives himself as a monster that can't be saved, Sam will always try to convince him otherwise. Just like Castiel…

You are a role model

Episode 10x09 ‘The Things We Left Behind’ is a beautiful episode that talks about GUILT. Not just Dean's guilt (we all know about that one, right?) But also Castiel's GUILT and his REGRETS.

Castiel visits Claire Novak, because he knows he hurt her a lot by possessing her father. So he tries to help her. But, because his PEOPLE TALKING SKILLS are ‘rusty’, he’s not able to communicate it the right way. So he helps her to escape instead.

In the middle of this episode we have this cute scene:

Dean watching TV, reflecting that innocent side I was talking about first, and Sam staring at him with sadness in his eyes, being worried about the mark. This situation points out their priorities.

Back to Castiel and Claire. There’s a very meaningful scene in which Cas talks about his experience as a human and what he has learned in that time…

CLAIRE: You’ve changed. The Castiel I met? He was crappy. Like super stuck-up and a dick and you just wanted to punch him in his stupid angel face.

CASTIEL: I don’t think I was THAT bad.

CLAIRE: You totally were. And now you’re just … I don’t know. Nicer. And kind of a doof. No offense.

CASTIEL: Yes, well, um… Before, I was very self-assured. I was convinced I was on this righteous path. Now I realize that there is no righteous path. It’s just people trying to do their best in a world where it’s far too easy to do your worst.

This is amazing because Castiel is shouting out the important insights he has gained from being a human. This is character development at it’s best. Cas is not the same Castiel that possessed Claire's dad. She says he is nicer. Castiel has changed, for good. But the guilt of taking her family away from this girl is eating him up inside.

And it’s the same thing that eats Dean up inside as well.

Dean sees an opportunity to stay alone with Castiel on kind of a date with him. Both of them sitting in front of their burgers. We know Cas doesn't have to eat. So the scene is very cute and comfy.

The question whether or not ketchup is a vegetable and Dean answering Hell yes is demonstrating that Claire and the hunter are very alike.

This date is also a chance to put back the dot on the I again. Because… remember Cas and his ‘female in the car’? Well… our hunter needed to reinforce his ownership over the angel. 

But mostly… the guilt needs to be put on the table:

DEAN: (...) All right, so spill. What’s with the family reunion?

CASTIEL: I don’t know. I’ve just been … thinking about people.

[Dean glances around, then switches their plates, taking Cas’ burger and setting his empty plate in front of Cas.]

Okay, pause here, sorry but this is extremely cute… and Dean looking around like an innocent kid, it’s such a beautiful scene that I adore.

CASTIEL: No problem. I’ve helped some, but I’ve … I’ve hurt some.

DEAN: So you’re having a midlife crisis.

CASTIEL: Well, I’m extremely old. I think I’m entitled.

It’s so amazing each time Castiel reminds us he is an ancient creature that decided to spend his days with us…

DEAN: Cas, listen to me. There’s some stuff you just got to let go. Okay? The people you let down, the ones you can’t save … You got to forget about them. For your own good.

CASTIEL: Is that what you do?

Okay, here Dean is sensing Cas is feeling guilty, a territory he knows very well, so he tries to help him and give him advice, an advice Dean doesn't follow himself. And Castiel knows that too well. Because he can read Dean Winchester like a book. And we all know he won't let go Charlie's death.

And then… this jewel…

Dean is not used to receiving compliments. But Castiel is always calling him nice things. Because Cas sees the good in him, he knows DEAN IS SPECIAL. So Dean, Cas’ TFW teacher, is a role model for him. Of course he is. 

Look at Dean's flustered face, he has to avoid Castiel's tender gaze because he is feeling awkward. It looks like a don't say things like that to me on our date, bro- face.

One of my fave scenes ever.

Let's go with another one…

As I said, Castiel reads Dean like a book. So he knows when Dean is lying. He just knows Dean is not feeling well. And again, Dean is… enraptured by this. By how well Cas knows him. Look at his face… if I was telepath, which I'm not (yet) I would say, Dean ponders whether kissing him or not in that moment. It’s like… stop flirting with me or I will kiss you, bro. He even checks out Cas and stares at his lips. Gah!

Then, coming back to reality… Dean needs to know if Cas will kill him bc he is terrified of becoming a monster again:

DEAN: If I do go dark side, you got to take me out.

CASTIEL: What do you mean?

DEAN: Knife me. Smite me. Throw me into the freakin’ sun, whatever. And don’t let Sam get in the way, because he’ll try. I can’t go down that road again, man. I can’t be that thing again.

Dean is asking something impossible for Cas to do. As we will find out in one of the last episodes from this season. Castiel would never hurt Dean, even if he goes dark side.

Two Faces

After Dean is losing control, turning into the monster he was so afraid of becoming, killing Randy and those gangsters… nothing will be the same anymore. This bloody scene is a premonition of the end of this season, when Dean will eliminate the whole Stein family.

Episode 10x10 starts with this image:

Cracks in the mirror which are reflecting how Dean is feeling inside: broken.

This is an episode where light and shadow play a big role in the visual narrative, we can see Dean's face divide in one half lit and the other half drowned in shadows. Those halfs represent his two faces, his inner fight between ‘our’ Dean and the monster brought by the mark.

This episode was directed by Misha, so when we see Cas telling Dean he’ll be sending emojis… that wasn't OOC, that was just Misha 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

Now, the important part of this episode is Claire trying to convince Dean to come by saying: ‘Castiel seemed to trust you, a lot’.

That was the signal for Dean. You drop Cas’ name, count Dean in!

But now let's jump to episode 10x11 because the game of the two faces is represented here again in the form of two Charlies, a good and an evil one. They are a metaphor for the way Dean feels inside, in fact the whole episode is a mirror of it.

The parallel between Dark!Charlie and Dean is blatant, because Dark!Charlie is seeking for revenge, just like Dean will after Charlie's death.

Charlie had to release her darkness to win a war, the same thing will happen to Dean. In order to win the war against a whole family (Stein) he will have to release the monster inside of him. At the end of the episode Dean and Dark!Charlie are having a fight, a fight between good friends as a foreshadowing of the Destiel fight in episode 10x22.

To conclude:

The monster inside Dean is on the threshold of being released. The episodes we were talking about showed us a lot of examples, mirrors of and parallels to that.

The symbolisms of two faces and broken mirrors were very interesting.

The synergy of light and darkness is also a foreshadowing for the next season with the appearance of God (light) and Amara (darkness).

The Destiel burger date was too cute, and Dean not knowing how to react to Castiel's compliments was even cuter. To Cas Dean will always be special and a role model, that's why he will be incapable of harming Dean in any way.

Hope you like this chronicle, see you in the next one!

Tagging @metafest @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @foxyroxe-art @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @wildligia @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-is--endgame @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @tenshilover20 @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha @imjustkipping

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas From season 10, these are the links...

LI, LII, LIII and LIV

Buenos Aires March 31 2020 10:03 PM

[functioningcog]

The Craftsman’s Linyvky

 These are Ukrainian Pysanky eggs. An ancient tradition of the Ukrainian people kept and preserved for centuries. The tradition of painting eggs in various styles or colors exists in other cultures, but Pysanky eggs are uniquely Ukrainian. Pysanky means "to write" in old Ukrainian. The eggs are "written".  

 There are many legends and stories surrounding their origin and purpose. For example, the Hutsuls of the Carpathian Mountains believe that the eggs guard the world against an evil serpent, kept imprisoned on a cliff. Should the eggs one day no longer be written, the serpent will break his chains and wreak havoc on the world. Chaos and anarchy would rule the world. But as long as the eggs are written and the traditions passed down, the serpent is held at bay and order is maintained; chaos kept in control.  

 After the rise of Christianity and its spread through the Slavic regions, some of the old stories were adapted to fit new narratives. Mother Mary giving eggs to the soldiers at the Cross. Mary Magdalene carrying eggs to the tomb. The Pysanky were always associated with good people and good deeds. But despite the drastic culture shift, the traditions employed in writing these eggs remained. Pysanky can be adapted and applied to new generations, but their importance and power are not easily disrupted.  

 The writing of these beautiful eggs is painstaking and meticulous. The colors are applied by hot wax and fine tools, starting with a base layer that holds the egg together and placing the colors on layer by layer. The more intricate the designs, the more powerful the supposed shield against demonic forces. The finished piece is often breathtaking in its complexity and intricacies, all stemming from a simple idea created through often rudimentary tools. A properly written Pysanky egg is a beautiful thing, and according to the Hutsuls, means all is right with the world.

 Now imagine a certain craftsman. A craftsman of little skill and worse intent. He only cares for his own glory and prosperity, and not that of the world around him. He has no regard or reverence for the rich traditions and skills of those who preceded him. He doesn't understand the details or symbolism inherent in Pysanky eggs, and he certainly doesn't know or care about that old serpent. And yet, he's obsessed with making his own. The best that's ever been. All will look to his Pysanky and kneel in awe, for they did not understand as he does. Their eggs, however beautiful or legendary once thought, will be but shadows and vague memories after his timeless writing is complete. In short, this craftsman is out of his mind. Totally delusional and quite narcissistic. The worst kind of person to write a Pysanky. 

 Our hypothetical craftsman eagerly sets out to reorder the world of artistic eggs in his own image. But as I mentioned, he doesn't know the proper method. He may not base his elaborate color scheme on that solid wax foothold, and the colors begin to run. This egg would be called not Pysanky, but Linyvky meaning "lazy". A gross attempt to pass off poor painting, plastic, or paper as a Pysanky. A travesty that is meaningless in the battle against chaos. 

The Serpent stirs.  

The craftsman accidentally misses a crack in the shell that will begin to smell as the egg decays. The smell begins to seep throughout his decadent workspace and out onto the streets. People turn up their noses. What is that horrid stench? 

 The Serpent smells the rotten egg amongst those well written and senses a weakness in the shield against him. Is this his time? 

 The craftsman may later drop his crudely written egg, enlarging the cracks or breaking the shell in a myriad of shards. Shards of that which once could have held the serpent in check through it's order and attention to detail, had its author cared at all for any semblance of order. Shards which make it clear for all to see that this is no Pysanky egg but rather a simpletons poor attempt to pass off garbage as art. 

 The Serpent's chains are loosening. His minions are scouting the world for weak spots. Cracks in the dam. Loopholes in the system. Methods by which to sow dissent and discourage any remaining adherence to tradition. They report back good tidings to their master. The world is barreling towards his cliff, having largely forgotten why they wrote those old eggs at all. The craftsman is one of many it turns out who have forgotten their past and care not to learn. Some of them seek to follow him on his errant path.  

 Our "hypothetical" craftsman, cares not what the townsfolk and elders have to say of his eggs. "You're living in the past" he says. "We don't need those old eggs anymore. Pysanky?! How pretentious! I have created a new art form. Perfect and beautiful eggs which will need a new name. Something catchy and simple. Who needs all that complexity anyway? And all those stupid rules. We should make the eggs look however we want! Huh? What smell? I don't smell anything at all. In fact, the air has never felt better since I made that egg in there. It's the greatest egg ever painted in history!" 

 Night falls on the our craftsman's village. The Serpent peers over the cliffside. His time is near. Come morning his chains will be ready to break and he shall tear through this village and all other villages, destroying all the Pysanky and any memory of their existence. This stupid craftsman has served him well. He might just let him keep making his "new eggs". They may serve a purpose. They may fool the masses into giving up on old ideas entirely. Just do whatever the craftsman says. He's always right, and he knows all! Yes, the Serpent likes this idea. Not long now . . .  

 The dawn has arrived. The Serpent is ready. but then he sees something that strikes fear into his heart. The townspeople have gathered and they're marching towards our craftsman's workshop. They're carrying chains and look quite determined. This isn't how it's supposed to go! It was to be the Serpent's time at last! He strains to break free with every fiber of his being. His minions rally around the workshop, spewing lies and half-truths about the craftsman's new and wonderous eggs. Some townspeople stop to listen, but many steel themselves and press on through the door.  

 There is a brief silence. Then a pitiful whining voice as the people drag the craftsman from his shop and back through the streets towards a distant hut. The charade is over. The shop's Linyvky discarded. The tradition of the Pysanky will endure, and the Serpent's chains give him a sharp yank back to his abyssal prison. He snarls in fury as the village fades from view. So it wasn't his time just yet. But one day . . .  

 The townspeople drag the craftsman into the hut and toss him on the floor. Sitting across from him is a wizened elder of the village. A babushka who has seen his kind before. She is the master of Pysanky in their village, and the keeper of the old methods and stories. She leans down to him and speaks slowly but without wavering. "So, you thought you had it all figured out did you? You thought these traditions were a waste of everyone's time and we should all forget them and blindly follow YOU? Follow and admire your "beautiful, perfect eggs". Well son, some of us still remember why we have those old eggs in the first place, and why they're written a certain way. And we will not sit by and let you throw it all away. You can paint however you like and even smash your eggs and call it art. But at the end of the day, eggs are fragile things. And Pysanky eggs in particular, have rules. You might even think of them as laws. Laws which exist for a reason, and which I'll fight for until my dying day.  

 Now you're free to leave this village and live your life as you wish. But we won't be following or listening to your ramblings any longer. And you'd best remember that Pysanky, like our little village, have rules."

[ofekma]

2 opinions:

1. Adrien has major flaws that needs to be addressed by the show and he needs to learn lessons and improve himself. Chat flirting and teasing Ladybug has stopped being funny a long time ago. Adrien being passive about bullies hurting people but then calling out Marinette for getting mad at them is wrong. I can go on but many posts did that way better than I can.

2. The Fandom got really carried away with criticizing Adrien.

Saying he doesn't deserve his miraculous anymore, saying he won't support Marinette in the future against Lila (he didn't know Lila treathened her, remember? He doesn't know how bad things are right now),

saying he expected praise by his guardians for helping an old man in the street, one of them never talks and the other is always 100% professional with him, both are mad at him for sneaking out. It makes zero sense he expected praise from them.

Twisting every nice thing he did to make him somehow look bad,

blaming him for saying Marinette is "just a friend" to Kagami (a girl he just met), On one hand you blame Adrien for not considering Marinette as a romantic option (there are so many "just a friend" jokes and angry rants ><) but on the other hand you are mad at Chat for not accepting that Ladybug doesn't like him this way. Yes, Adrien has not officially rejected Marinette like Ladybug did and Marinette was willing to try to move on when Adrien showed interest in another girl (or at least before animaestro...) but people seems to be so mad at Adrien for "leading Marinette on".

No, complimenting her a lot is *not* leading her on, no, saving her from the butterflies on heros day is *not* leading her on, no, checking up on her after she runs away to the bathroom during his date with Kagami because he saw she was clearly distressed is *not* leading her on, it's being a good friend!

OK so Adrien is obvious and doesn't know Marinette likes him this way and needs to be told directly by Marinette that she likes him romantically to know that but that doesn't make him somehow the bad guy. Blame the narrative for making it impossible for Marinette.

Adrien threatening to quit in Siren shouldn't be taken as seriously as I saw a few people take it. Yes, it was stupid and selfish but to think that he wouldn't join back immediately when see that he's needed and can help is misunderstanding his character. Adrien wanted to enjoy his birthday party in the bubbler but when he saw how misarble everyone were he got over himself and did the right thing, Adrien wanted to know Ladybug's identity in Lady wifi but instead respected her wishes and looked away, Adrien was so close to get into school but then saw the old man in the street struggling to reach his stick and went to help him, Adrien sacrificing himself for ladybug every time (even if some of them were unnecessary if he would have thought things through) because he knows she's the only one who can purify the Akuma.

Yes, Adrien convincing Marinette to not reveal Lila because he believes it will only lead her to do worse things is a flawed philosophy but that doesn't mean Adrien will abound Marinette completely against Lila! Lila has just joined their class and the damage she's doing isn't as clear to him as it is to us, the audience, who saw Marinette almost getting akumatized because of her and saw Lila grabbing the Akuma willingly and the changing sits thjng lasted less than one day before being reversed. Give him some time, Adrien will figure out that Lila isnt going to change her ways and the damage she's doing will be seen more clearly and Adrien WILL step up to stop her.

About Chloe.... Well I have nothing to say for Adrien's behalf besides that he stood up to her a few times in season one and tried to make her change once in season 2. Besides that he really didn't do anything to make her to stop bulling to the point it start to seems like he doesn't care. And him taking her side and defending her multiple times and the show paints it as if he's in the right for this is just wrong.

Same for him with Ladybug, which I won't expand on because like I mentioned people already said it better before me.

But despite his (major and untreated) flaws people seems to forget that in the end of the day, Adrien is a good guy. Adrien is kind and understanding and supportive and brave, he's trusting and willing to give people a second chance. He's not perfect as the show may try to present him as but he's definitely not terrible. He just needs to learn some lessons too, and I hope he will one day.