#if you want to physically harm any character for the sole fact that you hate them

[pokemon-ash-aus]

So, what's the limit of confrontation to pissmarine for you?

I draw the line at actual violence and threats of violence towards her.

Sometimes peeps get too comfortable showing hatred towards people they deem as assholes (in this case an actual asshole), and we gotta learn what's an okay reaction and what's not.

Prismarine is a dick that deserves to be punched and definitely a smack down here and there. But talking about ripping her apart is a HUGE Nono.

She's still a character- she's still MY character- the threats of violence some of you share are scary to read. If you can't handle interacting at a social standard with her, then please, i implore you to block the tag.

[anon-imuz]

Can't resist

REMINDER THAT THIS IS FICTION AND I DON'T SUPPORT ANY TOXIC THINGS I LISTED BELOW!!!!

WARNING: DDDNE content, reader has stockholm syndrome, degrading, voice kink, torture, mentions of suicide and self-harm, cable sex

characters: AM (IHNMAIMS) x AFAB reader

You missed your family. Your friends. Your life and everything that made you feel genuine happiness. Now, after the disastrous world war III, you were stuck in the belly of a supercomputer with no human interaction, in the center of the Earth. It's been 109 years and the supercomputer to torment you always keeps you updated on how much time it's passes since you actually had a live.

At the start, you were just like the others, tortured mentally but especially physically. Broken bones, sandstorms, skin melting, you name it. But after all these years, you got used to it, after all, you couldn't die. You were locked in a cage like the other 5 humans alive, kept there for torture forever. No matter what you've thought: escape, suicide attempts and many more. You tried it all to escape that living hell.

But to AM, you weren't like the others. You were obedient. Silent. Only tears left your body. No sound. He was never full filled by you because you learned your lesson different from the others, you learned differently the fact that your sole existence was wrong. You'd oftenly try to self harm yourself with anything that you found, and AM only laughed at you. Like a bully. He enjoyed it so much because no matter the only tears you cried, he knew you were filled with rage and if you could, if he was a human, you'd beat him to dead for getting your life torn away from your own hands. He loved observing your feelings with no remorse at all.

"Aww, trying to delete your stupid and useless existence? I mean, you think that i would've not done that to you a long time ago? You think I'm stupid? Where's the fun if my favorite toy doesn't exist anymore? Just a reminder, sweetheart, i AM way superior than y-"

You snapped. You couldn't take it anymore.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! I HATE YOU!!!" You screamed and started to cry just like a baby.

"Oh baby, satisfying me so easily? I though you were way stronger than that. Is that all you have to say after 109 years of consecutive torture? Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I, your god, know every single thing about you. You're filthy. I know that the last feeling that you'd feel for me is hate. You love me. You can't exist without me. I know how my voice, my torture and degrading makes you feel. You're attracted to your own torturer! How disgusting of you."

You didn't say anything. You just listened to the cruel truth. You knew how he made you feel. While you stopped making noise, your tears rolled down your cheecks as they warmed. It was a long time that you hadn't felt warm.

"But. As much as i despise your existence... i also admire you. So unique. So different from those roaches. That's why you're my favorite, and i mean it sweetie. Don't you belive me, baby?"

You knew how his words made you feel. Good. That's all you wanted to hear. Even though you sometimes had the feeling you hated how he spoke to you, you can't help it; you actually love how he degrades you. You love how evil he is. You loved the sensation of a warm feeling between your legs when he spoke with that voice that you found so attractive. Even if he called you a slut, it would still make your heartbeat increase. And the fun part?

He knew. He knew how his toy felt.

"Oh baby, make me guess... feeling warmer? Do my words make your little organ throb? Does my voice get you weak?"

AM laughed and laughed and laughed.

He knew how much you would want to get fucked by him while he degraded you. And that's why he reserved a little "special treatment" for his favorite.

"I hope you know I can always read your thoughts. Your mind. You're so filthy. Such a worthless slut." he teased.

You whimpered at his words, not looking at the screen with the blue A on it.

"Hmm... how about i ask you a simple question, darling?"

"Go ahead." you replied coldly.

"Do you deserve it?"

"Deserve what? Your endless torture?" You answered angrily.

"Oh honey, don't play stupid. We both know what I'm talking about baby~

You gulped. He knew what you wanted.

"Y-yes." you replied softly.

"Didn't catch that quite well." AM said jokingly.

"Yes, I do." you replied stronger.

"What about... no. But, since im so merciful, I'll give you an opportunity to get what you want."

"What is it?" You asked curiously while thinking about what torture you would've gone through to finally have what you desire.

"Beg."

"Please AM, give me what I crave."

"Good girl. I guess you've earned it then, while I watch the show I've awaited for so long."

a group of cables reached your calves, going to your inner thigh reaching your cunt, teasing it.

You started to softly whimper at the gentle cables touch, until a shock hit you, making you moan.

"Aw love, don't be such a baby, it's only pain!~" He said.

You moaned again in response, as the cables slowly entered your vagina. You shut your eyes trying to make less noise possible, but it was irresistible; you craved this for so long, you couldn't keep yourself shut.

"M-more!" you demanded.

"Excuse me? have you forgotten whose the leader here, you nasty little whore?"

"Ah!~ P-please!~" You moaned out as the air got thick and your eyes started to become watery.

"Alright, if that's what you really want..." AM responded.

As soon as more cables started to touch you teasingly, you started to buckle your hips to try to catch some kind of rhythm.

"I know what's about to happen, baby. You're almost reaching the top, almost about to reach your orgasm that you wanted to reach so badly. But well, if you know me, i won't let you reach it so easily."

"C-come on! I just want to c-cum!" You breathed out heavily as the the group of cables pounded your poor little hole.

"Not so easy, sweetheart."

Oh now you were so close. You couldn't stop moaning and sobbing from the pleasure, but as hard as you tried, you couldn't reach your long awaited orgasm.

"What are the magic words?" AM asked teasingly.

"A-ah!~ P-please AM! Make me c-cum! PLEASE!!!" You screamed angrily.

"Oh with no manners and such a tone you'll get nowhere, love." AM said.

"I-Im begging you AM! F-Fuck!~ P-please I can't hold it a-anymore!" You sobbed.

"Aww, alright, I'll be merciful for this first time. Go ahead. Cum for me. Scream your master's name." AM demanded.

Finally reaching your orgasm, you came;

"A-ah!~ Y-yes!~ F-Fuck me! A-ah!~ A-AM!!!"

"Good job baby. You've waited so long for this to happen, right, my little slut?~

"Y-yes master." you replied with the last two tears leaving your eyes, as the cables that pounded you so hard left your warm pussy.

"Maybe i won't be so kind next time, darling.~"

[mirrorbusterz]

No art today, but I've really been thinking about the rkn's characterization as of late.

They're honestly the antithesis of each other; their character traits clash and clash hard but I feel like that makes for a very nice sibling dynamic they have with each other. I also like to hc that their differing personalities was an intentional design choice by Wily.

I'll explain what I mean, just know that I'm not great at articulating my thoughts and this is more of a stream of consciousness than anything else. So! With that in mind:

Enker--Based on his CD data, we know that he's very dedicated to destroying Mega Man, and takes it very seriously; he's a hard-ass with a gloomy personality. Hell, if you know anything about Enka music in general you'd know he's pretty much a physical representation of the music's soulful but sad melodies.

He is so dedicated to his programming that he would rather put himself in harm's way (i.e. sustaining damage to use the Barrier Spear) if that meant he could destroy Mega Man. He is an agent of order dedicated solely to completing his tasks.

So, when said agent of order failed at his one and only task, it makes sense for Wily to overcorrect. Why not design a robot to be the complete opposite of Enker?

That's when Punk was created.

Punk--He's loud. He's brash. He's hates PTAs and the government. Ya gotta love him.

Anyways, he couldn't be farther removed from Enker. While Enker is stated not to stand out, Punk loves showing out, represented by his love of accessories. While Enker would prefer to uphold the status quo, Punk wants to shake it up and have fun doing it.

His personality is heavily based on his namesake, Punk music, which has its roots in anti-facism and rebellion against "the man." It fucking rocks. This is heavily contrasted by the melancholic, "refined," Enka music. Y'see where I'm getting at?

I find it interesting that Punk's entire existence is a paradox considering I'd imagine he has disdain for any kind of authority, Wily included, but must follow Wily's orders anyways. But that's a text post for another day.

Back to the main point, even his fighting style is contrasted by Enker's. Enker's has a level of elegance to it, while Punk just throws his entire body at you. However, this doesn't mean Punk is reckless. In fact, this attack is pretty safe considering he can't be damaged while in his ball form. This is contrasted by Enker's extremely unsafe, even reckless, method of attack, that requires him to sustain damage.

But even Punk, the agent of chaos, wasn't enough to stop Mega Man.

You probably noticed that I haven't touched on Ballade yet. And that's because he doesn't really have any contrasting traits compared to his brothers. Wily must've realized he swung too far in both directions with Enker and Punk, so he made Ballade as a nice middle ground between the two.

Ballade--doesn't really stand for much except fighting. He wants to fight a strong opponent, and views himself as the "strongest" robot, and because of this he can come across as single minded. He feels too standard, too plain.

But his complexities are revealed once he is beaten and realizes what he is fighting for is wrong. He respects Mega Man's power, something that neither Enker nor Punk did.

Maybe the reason why he was able to break Wily's programming was because he didn't stand for much, able to break his base instincts because of his "weak will."

Or maybe because his will was so strong was the reason he broke his programming. Was he, perhaps, tired of fighting for Wily, and saw self-destruction as the only way out? I haven't decided myself.

Whatever the case, in his dying moments he was able to stand for something: ending up on the right side of history by helping Mega Man.

So sorry if this was a rambling, confused read! I've got that RKN autism, lmao. Btw, I really wanted to dissect Quint some too since I consider him their adopted brother, but it was getting way too long. A text post for another time! :)

[notcuddles]

There's a post going around talking about how much people appreciated Blackbeard's leg brace as a mobility aid in a character like him and it got me wondering how many people watching the show are familiar with Mad Max beyond the most recent installment. I know that there is a general awareness that Blackbeard's outfit is an homage to Mad Max but like...is everyone APPRECIATING what a brilliant choice it is on multiple levels???

Mad Max's Road Warrior look is an iconic bit of 80s action movie nostalgia. It comes from the second Mad Max movie and is, in and of itself, a brilliant piece of visual storytelling (a hallmark of Mad Max movies as a whole) because it sums up Max as he is at the end of the first movie: a man in mourning whose physical and mental trauma is made explicitly visual by the knee brace that alludes to the climactic showdown of the first movie.

However, because the broad cultural understanding of any character will always sand off the details of that character, the popular read on Max is that he's a cool action hero. So, Blackbeard's clothes are pretty instantly recognizable and immediately give the viewer, at the very least, an idea that Blackbeard is supposed to be an ass-kicking bad-ass. So far so good - we're tapping into the persona that Ed wants to present as Blackbeard.

What people tend to forget is that Mad Max is pretty explicitly a series of stories about a man who does NOT want the role he's been given in the story. Max is not mad-as-in-angry, he's mad-as-in-crazy (there's a whole other conversation to be had about how those movies handle mental health but that's another kettle of fish). Trauma breaks Max and the rage-fueled revenge bender of the first movie leaves him at his lowest point, providing no catharsis. It actively makes him worse in every way and the movies never suggest otherwise. He doesn't even begin to heal or move past that until arguably the third movie, but more realistically the fourth. Throughout all four movies, Max is defined as a character who is trapped in the role thrust upon him and largely cannot form close connections with the people around him because of that. He is not a person, he is violence personified and he hates it.

The Mad Max movies have always been, at their core, about masculinity and its relationship to violence and heroism. Part of the reason Max is read so incorrectly in pop culture is that the movies do have a lot of blood and violence and Max dishes out his fair share. These are the parts that stick in the mind long after the movie is over. The problem is that every other moment in the movies makes it clear that doing these things is harmful to Max. After the first movie he goes out of his way to avoid violent confrontation. In fact, he even actively avoids helping people who are presented as "good" because he knows that the weight of their problems will fall solely on him, without regard for what it does to him.

Ed's entire arc in OFMD is about his relationship to his own masculinity and his relationship to violence, the latter being something that is explicitly performative for him. He embodies a persona of toxic hyper-masculinity but claims that he's never killed anyone since killing his father. He's willing to utilize violence but it's clear that he doesn't enjoy it the way people's mythologized conception of Blackbeard would make it seem like he should. He sheds some blood, lets other people do the killing and no one notices the slight of hand involved there - the fuckery, if you will - because he's so good at presenting himself as the kind of man they want him to be.

Not for nothing, Mad Max is also a series of movies that is very interested in gender, sexuality, and queerness. Not necessarily always in a positive way, but certainly it is a central theme through all of the movies, because sexuality is inextricably tied up in white, Western views of masculinity. I've long felt - and I think the text does support this, albeit perhaps more through accident than intention - that one way to read the original Mad Max is as a movie about a man struggling to accept that he may not be straight. I personally read Max as bisexual but that's a whole other post to make.

All this to say: I don't think Blackbeard's Mad Max look is just a funny gag and the visible mobility aid is just one part of a broader context that it's working in. It's an incredibly astute allusion to another piece of media that has grappled with the central themes of Ed's character and provides us with a ready-made visual to signal exactly what we need to know about Ed as a person.

[wellfine]

Seeing the Sanji gaining weight after wci post immediately after the SH body types post made me wonder if your Sanji is... actually underweight/close to underweight? Like it doesn’t seem quite Sanji-Zeff dynamics to remain distressingly underfed dispute an athletic lifestyle but at the same time, ‘Sanji doesn’t believe he deserves more food than some unfeeling distant guide to correct living tells him he does’ feels very correct. So I imagine he stress eats during WCI and gains like 15 kilos and then post wci loses maybe 5-7 of those kilos, ultimately coming into equilibrium at something closer to a healthy body weight now the true depth of his trauma has been laid bare & accepted by the straw hats

Oops! You activated my deep Sanji headcanon trap card! Lotta words below (CW for talk of disordered eating)

I definitely drew/see Sanji as being a little underweight due to a difficult relationship with food, which I tried to hint at in my notes, but I tend not to say it outright that often because it always invites people with weird attitudes about disordered eating/underweight bodies/etc. I also tried to contrast between his "repose" and the other characters' to show how his body fat percentage tends to stay lower, while the other characters fluctuate (e.g. Zoro) or stay at a higher BF% and end up with less visible muscle definition as a result (e.g. Usopp).

To be totally honest with you Sanji has a lot in common with people at risk of disordered eating - traumatic childhood, being told he was worthless, especially based on his failure to achieve physical 'perfection', total deprivation of control over his earlier life (both when he was on Germa and when he was starving with Zeff), specific lack of control over his food (starving with Zeff especially), a love of food that manifests in preparing food for others' enjoyment rather than his own, and general difficulty accepting his own self-worth (running to Germa in order to save anyone, his difficulty accepting that Luffy wanted him as his chef, his attempt to sacrifice himself at Thriller Bark, etc).

People have misconceptions about what an eating disorder is, and whenever I try and bring it up, there are people who say he could never have one because "he starved once, why would he ever go hungry again!!" (when food scarcity especially in early childhood is a HUGE contributor to developing disordered eating) "he's a chef he loves food" (not everyone with an eating disorder hates food) "he's not underweight" (I mean, thanks to their overrepresentation in media people don't always recognise what underweight bodies really look like, especially when those people are also muscular, but to wit, you do not need to or want to be underweight to have disordered eating) "he's not a teen girl" (eyeroll emoji)... and not even touching the worse comments that dump on people with disordered eating etc. in order to insist their fav could NEVER, as if it's a moral judgement to have an ED, and implying it would somehow be an insult to Sanji.

Fact of the matter is most people's disordered eating has nothing to do with how they look, though I think you could also make the argument Sanji meets that criteria, too (I don't think a dude whose most defining character trait - tied with his eyebrow - is that he covers half his face 24/7 could be described as "confident in his appearance"). Most eating disorders emerge from a lack of control, which is like... Sanji's whole thing. He had no control over his life at Germa, he had no control over his situation on the rock, and we can see how fastidious he is about other aspects of control in his life as an adult. Monitoring his food intake down to the kilojoule is a very likely way he might deal with the trauma he's gone through. There's also the desire to make invisible/internal trauma visible, like other forms of self-harm. I think Sanji both wants people to worry about him and also wants nobody to know anything is wrong with him whatsoever and so it could easily manifest in passive ways like this - Zeff or Nami etc. worrying over "have you eaten enough?" is much easier for him to process and accept than anyone recognising his internal trauma.

All this to say, I think Sanji - probably without even consciously realising it - has a complicated relationship with feeding himself that manifests in him maintaining a borderline-underweight BF% for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with his appearance. I don't think he would've been underfed while at the Baratie, but I still think he would've been developing controlling compulsions around food that would've grown more once he left that environment and was solely in charge of not only his nutrition, but an entire crew's.

I think he probably tries to make sure he eats enough, mostly so that he can still be a useful and functional Straw Hat, but it's a manual thing. Like he doesn't realise until he's back underweight again and starting to notice the effects and has to pour butter over all his meals for a few weeks, lmao. And I think he definitely struggles emotionally with the idea of not "deserving" or "earning" certain foods, and using food (or lack thereof) as a way to punish himself. Add on to the fact that he's been smoking since he was a kid so his appetite is probably shot to hell, and I think you just have a guy whose natural inclination is not to eat more than absolutely necessary and oh, oops, he has a whole ship full of people he loves more than anything he has to feed first, guess he'll just have to make do on the scraps.

A few others have also pointed out the aspect of weight gain as a form/result of healing from trauma, and I can totally see this for Sanji, too. Comfort eating often stems from the exact same reasons as restrictive eating, control/lack thereof again being a major one. I don't think he would have to lose any of the weight gained in order to be happy or healed, though. Maybe he would gradually lose some of the weight he gained during WCI, maybe he wouldn't, but I think overall the arc works as a very appropriate backdrop to explore Sanji working through and starting recovery from disordered eating on top of his recovery from his other traumas.

[themoonking]

This is a long as fuck post for me but... Fujoshi discourse is old kinda but Pinterest comments are rancid places and there are very recent comments either not understanding what’s so bad about fujoshis or straight up in support of fujoshis so like UH:

First of all reducing queer men as a whole down to something for cishet women to obsess over and get off to is disgusting. Full stop.

Fujoshis and their ilk essentially see MLM relationships as inherently more sexual than others. A piece of media that depicts a relationship between two men or two boys with absolutely no mention of anything sexual will still be seen as sexual in nature by fujoshis simply because it was about two dudes, which feeds in to the harmful idea that queerness is inherently sexual and therefore inappropriate. Think about how, after Luca (2021) came out and everyone was talking about how obviously queer it was, there was a pushback about how headcanoning these two boys as queer at all was automatically dirty or wrong or even pedophilic because to those people being gay = having gay sex or whatever. A straight relationship wouldn’t be treated this way, because there is an understanding that being straight does not automatically equal having sex, but that same understanding is not applied to queerness.

A lot of fujoshis are drawn to MLM media or relationships because they see is as like “sinful” or scandalous, which makes it more enticing to them. I should not have to explain to you in any way how seeing gay people as sinful or wrong is homophobic.

In addition, a lot of the media fujoshis are drawn to is not just depicting MLM relationships, but depicting incredibly unhealthy or abusive MLM relationships. Fujoshis tend to like shit like CMBYN and fucking Killing Stalking, two disgusting pieces of media that I really don’t want to think about right now but depict decidedly unhealthy or straight up abusive relationships but are romanticized by fujoshis and fujoshi-type creeps. Which then feeds into the idea that queer relationships, especially MLM relationships, are abusive whether it’s emotional, physical, or sexual. CMBYN in particular also feeds into the idea that queer people are sexual predators that prey on children or teens. Both of these ideas are absolutely disgusting and deeply homophobic and fujoshis often reinforce them.

Moving on, in media where the MLM pairing isn’t actually canon, fujoshis are absolutely awful to the female characters and, if the media is a television show or movie, the real life women who play those characters. A lot of times they see an MLM ship, any MLM ship, as automatically more progressive and meaningful and good solely by being queer. Sorry for bringing up BBC Sherlock in current year, but think aggressive Johnlock shippers from the BBC Shitlock era of tumblr hating on the character of Mary Morstan before she was even introduced because she would “get in the way” of their precious queerbait ship or sending hate to Lucy Liu, an actress on a different (and better) fucking show purely for playing a woman on a Sherlock Holmes show. They acted like, because the version of Watson that Lucy Liu played was a woman, a hypothetical romance between her and Holmes wouldn’t be as meaningful or progressive because it wouldn’t be gay, despite the fact that positive representation of interracial relationships is just as meaningful as a queer relationship, even if they’re straight. The hatred sent toward Lucy Liu specifically often also descended into blatant racism. 

ALSO those same cis and often het women who fetishize and obsess over MLM ships and media are often really lesbophobic! In the average fujoshi’s mind, queer men = sexy and enticing, while queer women = unsexy and often straight up gross. The cishet woman/girl who obsesses over her precious gay ships is likely the same cishet woman/girl who is “uncomfortable” around sapphic women/girls because they- gasp!- might hit on them! The same cishet woman/girl who thinks it’s so important to read MLM fiction refuses to show that same support for sapphic fiction. To them, MLM romance is “cute”, “sweet”, “charming”, and “enticing” while sapphic romance is at best “boring” and at worst “gross”. To bring up the whole BBC Shitlock VS Elementary ordeal, how many of those Johnlock shippers who hated Elementary because it wasn’t a blatant queerbait gay would have been as supportive of a Sherlock Holmes retelling where both Watson and Holmes were women? Of a hypothetical retelling that had actual canon queer rep that was between two women instead of two men? Much to think about.

Also you will rarely ever see a fujoshi showing actual support for actual queer people. They don’t care about the real people they’re fetishizing. A fujoshi doesn’t care about queer people of all kinds that are facing bigotry and violence, a fujoshi doesn’t care about actually learning about real queer people and queer history, a fujoshi doesn’t care about supporting queer people, they only care about the fictional queer men that they use as their porn.

Anyway that’s all I can think of right now but I’m sure there are more reasons that fujoshis are the scum of the earth. Peace and love <3.

[hello-nichya-here]

Isn't it weird that Azula was all but said to have been abused and/or tortured in her asylum yet no one in-universe or outside seems to care or think how it could have negatively affected her? For a show that handled so many difficult topics with grace (ex. genocide, child abuse, ableism, sexism, etc.), it seem weird that the ATLA franchise seems to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about mental illness.

It is unfortunately not weird at all, because of something I call “The Azula Bias”, and because the comics are poorly written due to the writer’s failure of understand what made the original show so important in the first place.

There were some problematic aspects surrounding mental illness on the show, but nothing even close to what the comics did. Azula’s breakdown was, for the most part, something to show us that she was a literal child soldier who had been neglected, groomed, and abused. Zuko and Katara were talking about “putting Azula in her place” before the Agni Kai, yet the music made it all sound like the tragedy it was, and Zuko clearly felt no joy with his victory. He was watching his sister cry with a somber expression, and Katara literally had to give him emotional support. That happened because, at that moment, Zuko finally understood that he was not Ozai’s only victim.

There were plans for a Book 4, and one of the stories it would involve would be Azula healing and redeeming herself - with Zuko’s help. That would be the perfect way to have that happen because Zuko knows what it’s like to be raised by Ozai, to be constantly put under pressure and having to sacrifice everything to please that man, only to get no reward because nothing is ever enough for that bastard. Zuko made many mistakes and he knows he could have ended up like Azula if things had been difference, so it makes sense that he would now understand that it might not be too late for his sister. It would be a natural conclusion to their story.

The problem is that the main writer who was planning on this, Aaron Ehasz, was not involved at all with the comics, meaning there was a considerable chance that that storyline would be botched. Which unfortunately was exactly what happened.

Instead of trying to help Azula because he cares about her and finally understood why she did the things she did, Zuko now seems to only have kept her alive because A.The writers gave him all the power and personality of a doormat and B.They’re related and killing family members is a no-no. Zuko’s motivation to be in his sister life are the old bullshit of “You can never, ever, ever cut ties with a family member and you are obligated to forgive every bad shit they’ve done to you” instead of it being something he chose to do because he loves Azula, empathizes with her, and finally understands why she did the things she did.

On this bastardized version of the story, Azula is not Zuko’s sister. She’s not his antagonist or his enemy. She’s not even an obstacle he has to overcome or a plot-device. She’s his burden, a cross he has to bear - which is how many people view their disabled/mentally ill relatives, and the writers validated that. Kiyi, one of the few likeable characters on that shitshow, was literally the replacement sister/daughter. The perfect child that Azula failed to be. The writers even try to disguise this by having the characters say that Azula is delusional when she claims Ursa had Kiyi to replace her, but that doesn’t change the fact that this exactly why they created her. They gave the “normal” family members a cute, “normal” kid to compensate them for the “broken” one.

Azula’s mental illness was treated as a replacement for her personality, and even as more reason for the characters and the audience to hate her, even though she had no control over what she was doing. Even the way she was drawn was meant to look scary, like she was nothing but a threat that had to be dealt with, and her pain was something we should either ignore, or even cheer. 

Zuko locked her up in a terrible institution that abused her, and didn’t visit her until he needed something from her? That’s what she gets for being a bad sister! That’s karma for you! 

She’s constantly being physically assaulted by the other characters? She’s Azula! Of course they’re doing that to her! She’s dangerous! 

Ozai groomed and abused her? Well, Ozai is a monster who is horrible to everyone. She ain’t especial. 

Ursa neglected her? Oh, but she didn’t mean to, so it’s okay that it happened and that she’s not trying to make things right in any way.

What do you mean Iroh she have at least tried to help her? Nobody could help her! Bitch crazy!

The writers weren’t telling a story about a mentally ill 14 year old finally getting the love and support she needed, and learning to be better with the help of her older brother who is truly sorry for everything that happened and wants to give her the same chance he was offered. They were using her as a way to make Zuko look like a saint, and their target audience was those fans that seem to believe that Azula is a robot who has no emotions, and was built by Ozai solely to make Zuko’s life harder, so anything that is done to her is okay - it’s not like she’s human or anything.

[otakusheep15]

SFW Alphabet - Satan

I had a really hard time trying to get Satan’s character right, so I hope I did a good job with this one

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

He’s not super affectionate, physical, verbal, or otherwise. Really, that’s just a side-effect of him being born from pure wrath. He simply just can’t express emotions very well. You’ll most likely have to initiate any affection if you want it. However, he does also like when you lay your head on his lap and he reads to you since it doesn’t require much. 

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

He’s the mom friend for sure. He helps you with anything you may need from studying to pranks. Of course, he does also make sure you both make it out of any trouble unscathed. I also lowkey see him as the type to carry around random snacks to feed strays he comes across, and he’ll give some to you so that you can also feed the strays. 

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Like I said, affection isn’t his strong suit, so cuddling isn’t really his thing. The closest he’ll get to cuddling is either you two sitting next to each other on the bed/couch or with him sitting up and you laying on his lap. He may also pat your head like you’re a cat. There might also be reading involved if he’s awake enough to read out loud to you. 

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He does like the idea of settling down, but he’s unsure if he really can. Yes, he can do basic household chores like cooking and cleaning, but he feels as though he couldn’t handle the more emotional side of settling down. Doing something like that means you truly love the person you’re with and he’s afraid that he might not have the emotional capacity to feel that strongly about someone. Then you came along and destroyed all of that nonsense. Now he wants nothing more than to drag you away and live out a romance just like in his favorite books. 

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

There would most likely be a lot of yelling. Also lots of things being thrown around in rage. When he’s mad, he’s mad, and a breakup is a great way to get him mad. If he’s the one initiating it, he’ll try to keep a level head, but that solely depends on how the other person reacts. If they’re also calm, then it’ll be pretty civil and respectful, and they might even stay friends after. However, if the other person starts getting mad, that only makes him worse and it does not get better for that other person. 

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Before you? He never even considered the idea. After you? That’s practically all he can think about. You know that one friend we all have that constantly gushes over sappy romance stories and constantly wishes how that could live them out with their partner? Yeah, that’s him. He’ll never admit that out loud though. The only one who actually knows about all of his fantasies are Asmo because he once walked in on him comparing you to this one character from a romance novel he liked (kinda like Levi with his anime). 

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He knows how dangerous he can be. Not only is he a demon, and a powerful at that, but he also the literal embodiment of wrath. Even after years of keeping up his gentlemanly facade, all it takes is the slightest inconvenience to set him off. So he’s extra careful around you. Physically, he tries not to get to close to you, especially when he’s pissed off. Verbally, he tries to watch his language around you because he doesn’t want to hurt you by saying anything mean.  

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

His hugs are extremely rare but surprisingly nice. Since he’s scared he might hurt you by accident, and his lack of need for physical affection, he doesn’t hug you very often. However, they are super relaxing when they do happen. He hugs you just tight enough to keep you pressed to his body, but not so tight that it’s uncomfortable. 

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Out of all the brothers, he one of the last ones to say it. He’s not all the familiar with the concept of love, especially in romantic context. Obviously, he knows how it feels in theory, but he can hardly figure it out in practice. The worst part is that he knows he loves you, but he has no clue how to go about it. When he does finally say it, he seems perfectly calm and collected, but he’s internally screaming the whole time. You’ll never know.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Surprisingly, he’s not one to get jealous easily. One of the benefits of having a poor grasp on emotions maybe? Whatever the case, he always tends to take a more logical approach to things, relationships included. He knows that you’re loyal to him and so he trusts you. If he has any reason to be jealous, then he’ll talk to you and workout any problems or concerns.  

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

His kisses can go one of two ways. They can 1) be the softest, most romantic kisses you’ve ever felt in your life, or 2) the most heated and passionate kisses you’ve ever felt in your life. Literally no in between. The former will usually happen during softer moments of bliss. Maybe you two were just in his room and relaxing or in the library studying. The latter only ever happens during more ~spicy~ times *wink wink*. 

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He hates kids. That’s it. He hates them. They’re such a hassle, they need constant supervision and care, and they never shut up. He is a firm believer in children being the worst creatures in all the three realms. 

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

He always wakes up first no matter what. He’ll go down to the kitchen and make you a cup of tea, but that’s only when you guys don’t have school. If you do have school, he’ll wake you up as gently as possible and help you get ready. 

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

He’ll usually drag you to hs room so that you two can spend the evening reading together. Sometimes you end up sitting next to each other and reading your own books, others you may end up in his lap while he reads to you. You mostly end up falling sleep first, and he’ll follow soon after. 

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

This boy is the definition of closed off. It does not matter how close you are to him or how much he trusts you, he will never tell you anything. Okay, he does tell you some things, but only surface level stuff. If you want the real, honest answers he has, you need to pry them out yourself. 

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Lmao what’s patience? Seriously though, he actually has a decent amount of patience. He trained himself really hard in order o control his anger, so he can actually be pretty chill for the most part. Obviously, he still gets mad all the time, especially with Lucifer, but he does try his best. 

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He’s totally the type to write down facts about you in a secret journal somewhere so that he can reference it later. He has a great memory, but he loves just writing down everything you tell him about yourself just in case he forgets anything. He will never tell you or anyone else about the journal, but if anyone finds out, they will never be heard from again. 

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

He isn’t one to have any particular moment in mind, but he absolutely treasures those quiet moments when you two are alone. No brothers to bother you, plenty of books and snacks, and just each others presence. It’s quiet, calm and peaceful. These moments don’t happen very often due to the chaos around you, so when they do happen it’s special. Just being able to spend time with you is his favorite thing in all three worlds. 

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He is arguably one of the most protective brothers, and that’s saying something. The second someone even hints at hurting you, they’re dead. They just cease to exist. He will not let a single thing harm his precious human, and he’ll do whatever it takes to ensure your safety. He’d even go so far as to get himself in trouble if it means getting you out of it. 

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He’s much more casual than most of his brothers, so he doesn’t see the need in planning over-the-top dates. Obviously, he wants you to be happy no matter what, but he knows he doesn’t need extravagant dates to make that happen. I mean, if you like things like that he’ll certainly try for you, but it’s just not his style. He prefers causal, lowkey dates. Coffee shop dates, going to bookstores together, sitting in his or your room and reading all day, and going out to play with the stray cats are all ideal dates for him. He just knows that, as long as you two are together, everything is already perfect. 

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Obviously, he has some issues he needs to work out. His anger issues are, of course, the main issue, but that also leads into other problems. For example, his daddy issues hatred for Lucifer is something he needs to get sorted out. He also has a hard time expressing his true feelings for fear of letting his anger out as well. Most of his issues are emotional, so he needs a lot of time to work on them. 

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s not so much concerned with physical appearance so much as social appearance. he is highly concerned about how he looks to the public. If he needs to look physically appealing in order to keep a good social standing, then he’ll do it. He’s not vain like Asmo or Mammon, but he’d be quick to put more into his appearance if it means he gains something out of it socially. 

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Honestly, he’s felt incomplete since being born, so even with you he doesn’t feel quite complete. You definitely help fill some of that void he has in him, but not even you can fix him completely. If you did leave him, he’d be back at square one, so he needs you to be there in order to make him feel even the slightest bit more whole. 

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

As I stated before, I think he keeps a journal of all of your interests so that he can remember then, but I think it goes deeper than that. I also think he has one for each of his brothers that he keeps on him. Any time one of his brothers mentions something they like, he’ll write it down to keep it for later. That way, if an occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) that would require this information would ever arise, he would already have it written down. No one knows about these, and he’ll take this secret to his grave. 

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He refuses to even acknowledge someone without even the slightest bit of academic prowess. If he deems you to be stupid, you’ll never even hear from him again. He also cannot stand people who dislike cats. 

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He has a tendency to move around a lot when he sleeps. No one has any clue as to why, but it’s not really a problem. That is until you two start sleeping together. He either ends up on top of you or kicking you out of the bed. In the morning, he’ll apologize, but it’s not something he can really fix. 

[mikalara-dracula]

The s brothers with a y/n that may or may not have developed a god complex from being a mother

(For further explanation , if they yell or harm their child in anyway, their y/n will happily threaten their life’s or even knock them out)

Thank you for you’re time.

If their s/o has an outburst against them regarding their children.

ft. The Sakamaki Brothers

Hi there, Anon!

Thank you so much for requesting! I figured I’d talk about this in realistic terms of the characters. I’ve termed the words, ‘threaten’/‘knock them out’, as ‘outburst’ since their s/o is obviously angry with them in this sense. I honestly hope I interpreted your question correctly. If not, please feel free to message me so we can talk about it and make it right. :) Feel free to request again anytime. :))

Warning!! Do not read under the cut if you’re uncomfortable with toxic/abusive relationships.

Shu:

Considering his personality, he’s not really the type to either yell or harm his child/children.

Whether he loves you or not, his child/children are a different story and he wouldn’t set vigorous expectations like his mom did on him.

If you don’t have a relationship with him--that is, if he doesn’t love you, expect that parenting with him would be a lot more responsibility on you than it would be on him.

He wouldn’t really care how you mother your child/children in all honesty. Just as long as they’re safe is what matters to him and he really leaves it up to you to discipline them.

He’d probably never argue with his children due to him being laid-back and carefree.

If you had an outburst here, it would be due to not agreeing with him about something regarding your children if you think he’s on the wrong side of things.

He would be quite shocked to see such a reaction from you, but would just sink into doing nothing like usual and would just go along with it.

If he does love you, he’ll involve himself a lot more and show his parenting side. In fact, he would want to make every decision with you.

If an outburst occurs in this type of relationship with him, it would most likely be just like above where you both don’t see eye to eye on something regarding parenting.

You two would argue and probably wouldn’t talk for a while. He’d distance himself to give you space as well.

He knows you just want the best for your child/children, and would end up talking to you sooner than later to work things out because he loves and misses having you in his arms.

Reiji:

Reiji in general really isn’t the type to just let you mother your child/children however you want.

He’s a strict and orderly person and expects nothing but perfect parenting for his child/children.

However, this solely depends on your relationship with him.

If you both don’t love each other, parenting with him is all about control.

Don’t expect that you’d win in an argument over an important decision that regarded your children.

In the end, he’d always be the one to make the decision; in fact, your opinion would mean nothing to him. His word is basically absolute since he thinks he knows best.

Reiji is the type to instill discipline in his children since he wants them to be very prim and proper, and would possibly discipline them physically if they misbehaved or caused trouble.

If you had an outburst towards him here, he’d simply just chuckle and brush it off, finding your word to be inferior to his, and might even slap you if you really push it, telling you it isn’t lady-like to respond in such a way/tone.

He’d also want his children to excel in every subject and be ‘perfect’ in all areas; he would push them over the limit to succeed and give him a good image since he takes a lot of pride in his family name.

If you both had more than one child, Reiji would probably have a favorite out of the bunch as well.

Like mother, like son.

If he does love you though, things are quite different.

Reiji would still want his children to be educated and beyond disciplined for sure, but with you by his side, he ends up making rational decisions that would avoid having his child/children resent him later on.

Will discipline his children, such as ground them or put them in time out if they’re very young--but will not discipline physically because they remind him of you.

Even Reiji may seem harsh on the outside, it would absolutely break his heart if he hurt someone he cared about.

Aww Rei :’).

Although, if he does get a little out of line with disciplining your child/children--that is, if he makes them cry or takes things too far in the range of discipline, you won’t be one to stand for it.

If an outburst happens here, Reiji will tell you to calm down and that you’re being dramatic. He loves you, yes, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t straightforward with what he thinks.

Like his brother Shu, he would give you space after the argument, and due to this pride, he would still think that what he did was right, but at the same time, he regrets it because it caused the bond between you two to tear.

Reiji would find a way to get you back tho.

Either with flowers and having a classy dinner that allows you both to get away from distractions.

Laito:

Laito would be a very carefree parent that would love his children to the ends of the earth.

He’d let them do pretty much anything and would want to know what’s going on in their lives to make sure they’re happy and safe.

Due to what happened to him as a child, he’d always be constantly concerned about their safety and who they interact with. Even though he’s carefree, he still has his limits. Influence especially is something that matters to him when it comes to being subjected to his child/children.

Although, things vary on whether or not he loves you.

If he doesn’t love you, he���ll try to push you away from your child/children and have them kids favor him over you just to show you who has the upper hand.

He would never physically harm or yell at his kids. The worst thing it could come down to is him becoming a tab bit strict which is where his worry and possessiveness kick in.

With you not being able to stand for this, you’d start getting angry with him because he’d be taking things too far, leading you to have an outburst.

At first, he’d just tell you not to get hasty, but with it continuing, his eyes would narrow and he’d slam you into a wall, grabbing you by your throat. He’d then tell you that whatever concerns his kids is something he’ll handle, not you, just cuz he’s obsessive like that.

If you dared to bring up his past or mother and use it as a counter during your outburst, he wouldn’t hesitate to choke you.

As it was stated before, he wants to be the preferred parent, mostly because he feels that he’s the only one that can truly protect his child/children.

He considers you to be a threat to his child/children’s happiness and life, and will attempt to brainwash his kid/kids into hating you just so he doesn’t have to worry about his child/children getting influenced by someone else.

In other words, he thinks he’s the only one who can raise his child/children ‘correctly’.

If he loves you, things are not the same as above.

However, him being carefree does remain the same along with him not physically hurting or yelling at his child/children, and only making his children upset when he becomes too strict because of his worries.

Because you both love each other, you’re there for him whenever thoughts of his past cross his mind.

You have to remind him constantly that your child/children will be safe and that nothing is going to hurt them. He sometimes contradicts you, but you can understand where he’s coming from since nothing is guaranteed.

If an outburst were to occur on him being a little too strict on his children and being a bit unreasonable about whatever it is, there would be a lot of brash comebacks between you two and he would end up walking out because he thinks you both need space.

Later on the same day, he would try to talk to you because he doesn’t want things to stay this way between you two.

You’d both end up apologizing and would spend the rest of the night talking about how to you look forward to raising your child/children.

Kanato:

Well, parenting with him can be quite sweet or chaotic, and this really depends on what relationship you have with him.

If he doesn’t love you, it’s very difficult to come to an agreement on things when it comes to your children.

He’s pretty psychotic, so he may agree with something now, and then feel totally different about it later.

Your arguments with him would seem never-ending, and Kanato won’t hesitate to revert to violence if you keep pushing his buttons.

Don’t take his child/children away from him--that is, not allowing them to see him--he won’t tolerate it by any means, and will revert to desperate measures if he doesn’t get what he wants. After all, he acts like a child himself.

Because there isn’t a great relationship between you two, he won’t physically harm or yell at his child/children, in fact, he finds them to be annoying considering he didn’t have them out of love.

Will blame their temper tantrums on you even tho you have nothing to do with it.

Yes, he’s that delusional.

He’ll always tell you to take them out of the room when they’re throwing a tantrum because he doesn’t want to hear them.

“They can be in presence again once they’ve calmed down.”

If you do have an outburst regarding something that happened between him and the kids, he’ll tell you you’re at fault for raising your voice when that’s beside the point of making your child/children sad.

If you push him enough, he’ll even get physical and reach for your throat to get you to surrender your rebellious tongue.

If Kanato does love you tho, he’s a lot more rational about things.

Even tho he tends to get out of hand sometimes, he finds himself to be level-headed when he’s around you.

He wouldn’t care too much about his child/children studying, he’d be more focused on their mental health since he’d never want them to grow up alone the way he did.

He isn’t the type to physically harm his children, but will occasionally raise his tone which will cause them to cry.

When were to you snap at him and have an outburst regarding the matter, he’d easily start yelling back, but won’t physically harm you by any means.

You’ll have to be the one to reach out to him after the fight is over because he doesn’t forgive or take his part of the blame easily.

Ayato:

Like his brothers, parenting is different depending on the fact of whether he loves you or not.

If he doesn’t, Ayato is a combination of close and distant with his child/children--meaning, he’ll only hang out with his child/children when he feels like it or if it benefits him.

He kind of neglects them in some way, and like Kanato, this is possibly because he didn’t have his children out of love.

If you ended up having more than one child and the oldest was a boy, he’d value them more because they were the firstborn and hold a sense of pride for him, and if they look like him, it’s a plus in his book.

He wouldn’t push his kids to be better than anyone though because he doesn’t want to put them through the torture his mom did with him.

He wouldn’t physically harm his child/children, and wouldn’t yell at them surprisingly. In fact, he’d always act nice to you when you’re both around them to keep up a facade for them.

However, if an outburst did occur from you, it would probably be because of him not taking parenting seriously and that he only give your child/children attention when it suits him.

He won’t tolerate your outburst one bit and might hit or throw you to the ground to remind you that you’re inferior.

He’ll even go as far as slamming you against the wall and biting you to make you quiet.

With you arguing against him that way, he would try to turn your child/children against you, either by telling them lies to make them resent you.

If he loves you, he’s quite different.

He’ll spend a lot of time with his kids and put a lot of effort into parenting.

Like above, he wouldn’t physically harm or yell at his children, but if an outburst did occur, it would be because you see a different side of things than him regarding your children.

You’d both end up yelling at each other, but you’d both make up fairly quickly considering Ayato is all about being mad in the moment and then moving on when he’d cooled off.

You hate how he manages to make you let the let little spat go almost every time, but because you love him, the last thing you want to do is hold a grudge against him.

Subaru:

Subaru isn’t one to hurt his child/children whether he loves you or not.

He had an abusive childhood and would never want his child/children to go through the same thing.

If he doesn’t love you, he’ll try his best to parent, but he would distance himself most of the time because he feels like a total mess that wasn’t meant to be a father.

In fact, he feels that because he’s the father of his children, he’s ‘contaminated’ them in some way just because he’s their father.

Unlike his brothers who wouldn’t give a shit about the mother of their children, he grows to have respect for you considering you brought his child/children into the world.

He’s very protective of his child/children, and might come off as harsh if he’s trying to protect or advise them--that is, yelling at them or slightly raising his voice if telling them to safe and not letting others take advantage of them, but this doesn’t happen often.

However, when it does, you’re not one to let it slide. Your outburst would be something he wouldn’t expect and because he’s developed a mutual respect for you, he would just yell back at you. At some point when the fight would end, he would just mutter ‘tch’ and walk away.

Even if he doesn’t love you, he still considers his child/children to be the most precious thing in the world.

Although, if Subaru does love you, things are a lot different here.

He’ll put his everything into being a parent, but is a little scared at the same time of being a horrible father like his own.

He’d want to grow a bond with his child/children.

Sometimes, he gets a little insecure about being a parent, but you’re always there to encourage and pull him out of the dark. It’s something he admires and appreciates about you since you’re the sunshine in his life.

As mentioned before, he’s not the type to physically harm, but only raise his voice or yell at his children (this is very rare tho).

Your outburst and his reaction would basically be the same as above, however, regret would settle in the pit of his stomach after the fight would be over.

He feels awful afterwards. In fact, he feels like a monster that made his children cry along with having an argument with you.

He’d be the one to reach out to you, saying he was sorry and would even take all of the blame saying that it was all his fault.

With you not wanting him to blame himself for your outburst, you’d tell him it wasn’t all of his fault and that you were to blame as well.

You two would end up hugging and maybe shedding a few tears because of the moment being so overwhelming.

Oh, my heart.

[andraaste]

I am not your enemy - Lance fanfiction Part 4

I have a question for you guys. In French, we say "une oreille à qui parler" literally "an ear to talk to". Do you say that expression, too ? I really don't know, but that's the title of my chapter aha.

So, here's chapter 4 !

(Link for Chapter 5 here)

Chapter 4 : Someone to talk to

Lance walked in front of me with a sure and confident walk, while my stomach twitched slightly at the thought of what Huang Hua wanted to talk to us about. Why hadn't the leader of the Sparkling come to me in the first place, when it was clearly necessary ? Why leave it to Lance, supposedly the person I should have the least interaction with, to do it for her ? I didn't understand her intentions.

I observed the broad shoulders of my companion. He had changed a lot in seven years. His hair had grown and his body looked even better built. But beyond the physical, the dragon had a much calmer temperament. It was probably due to age or ... to everything he surely had to go through as a result of the battle. How did all this happen for him ? For my part, I couldn't yet think about all that. The battle, the death of Valkyon and many Eldaryans ... I couldn't. Something in my head seemed to be blocking these thoughts and maybe that was why I was able to tolerate the presence of this man by my side. Because I hated him, I couldn't deny that we had compatible characters.

How can we manage such a situation ? How do we accept the fact that we appreciate the presence of the person who has hurt us the most ?

My thoughts were halted as Lance branched off in the direction of the HQ's huge meeting room, which immediately intensified my burgeoning stress. Before opening the door, he gave me one last indecipherable look. I let him know I was ready and he let me in before stepping back. Puzzled, I questioned him.

- Aren't you coming in ?

- It seems to me that Huang Hua wishes to address us separately.

Upon hearing my arrival, Huang Hua stood up and offered me one of her bright smiles to which I could only respond weakly.

- Andraste, here you are at last ! I am glad to see you. How are you, my beautiful ? Eweleïn told me about your worrying wound yesterday.

I could already imagine Lance's disapproval of me keeping these facts to myself, but I wasn't going to give her that pleasure. I just wasn't ready to tell anyone what was happening in me.

- I'm better, thank you. More fear than harm, I guess.

- Good. This is precisely what prompted me to bring you both here. As Lance must have told you, I put him in charge of keeping you safe for a while. At least until your condition improves and you are at the peak of your senses.

I then cut it unceremoniously.

- Huang Hua, about this story, should you not have told me first, before handing this mission to Lance ? Why am I the last to know ? It's me that concerns, all the same !

- Because, whether you like it or not, he's the only one here who can take on this role. I didn't find it necessary to consult you beforehand because I knew that you would be against this idea, and I wanted to let you rest as long as possible.

- Obviously I was going to be against it ! Do I remind you that for me, this was all just a few days ago ?

- Andraste, my decision is made and as long as you do not prove to me that you are able to defend yourself, it will be so. We can't allow something to happen to you.

I ticked off that answer. Keeping me safe obviously didn't seem to be in my sole interest to her. What was she hiding from me ?

- I also have a question for you. Have you felt your aengel powers manifest since you woke up ?

Hesitantly, I tell her the truth all the same.

- No not right now.

- That is what I thought. I don't know if this has to do with your physical state of health or if something more psychological is blocking you, but it is still a point that we must emphasize.

- What are my powers of aengel doing in there?

Huang Hua looked at me for a long time.

- You do not realize the extent of your powers, my dear Andraste. Know that it is not trivial if it is you that the Oracle has chosen, and that your presence in this Crystal has most likely granted you new abilities. You are a very valuable asset of the Guard. But this power, as good as it is, is not necessarily viewed favorably by everyone. This is where the boys come in. In addition to your protection, I would like Lance and Leiftan to intervene in your training.

- My training ?

- Your powers seem to have fallen asleep for the moment, moreover, the leader of The Obsidian made me understand that your physical capacities in combat seemed much lower than at the time.

Lance, what a swelling.

- And what kind of training is it ? I inquired.

- Nothing too intense or complicated, don't worry. They will relegate only to help you train for combat and try to awaken your powers. As aengel too, Leiftan will surely be able to guide you for this last point and as for Lance, despite your completely understandable reluctance, he remains the most qualified to get you back in shape.

- And in that it's about my "security" ? I agree to train with him, but I don't need a bodyguard !

- It will be so as long as I deem it necessary, my orders will not change as to its subject.

Realizing that my word would have no weight in the balance, I capitulated bitterly.

- Alright, I guess if that's what you decided, it must probably be the best thing to do.

A thin smile appeared on the lips of the young Phoenix.

- I'm glad to see you accept my decision. If you have nothing more to add, I'll let you go.

Tired of this interview in which, I was not going to hide it from myself, I had not had my say, I crossed the door to leave the great room. I came across the dragon who looked at me silently for a moment. Seeming to want to say something to me, he opened his mouth when Huang Hua's voice sounded to tell him to come in too. No words finally crossed his lips before he left me alone in the hallway.

Hearing the door slam behind my back, I froze for a moment, staring into space.

Was it just me, or did Huang Hua not tell me everything ? Not understanding anything any more, I decided to go out for the air to put my ideas back in place.

HQ had changed dramatically since I remembered recently. It was clearly seen that prosperity had returned and that life had become easier here. Feeling my stomach growl, I finally visited Karuto in the hope that there was still something to eat despite the lunch hour well past. Fortunately for me, I was able to help myself abundantly and went to sit in a quiet corner of the room.

The room was still quite lively. Several groups of people chatted happily around their empty plates, which made me realize a fact that I had tried to ignore.

I didn't really have any entourage here anymore.

Certainly, Chrome, Karenn or even Jamon were still here, but when I was talking to them, I felt that many years had passed. Our relationships seemed different. I had missed too many things and that weight was crushing me a little more every time I interacted with them. But it was the right arm of Sparkling that hurt me the most. I didn't think I'd find a Nevra so distant and it broke my heart a little more each time.

I was also ashamed of this truth, but to be quite honest with myself, the only person I had felt with in the last few days was the one I should have despised the most. Lance was until now the only one who had not made me feel that I was a foreigner.

What was wrong with me...

Thinkingly nibbling on a piece of bread, thoughts light years away from what surrounded me, I was surprised to see a young man sitting in front of me. A smile to the ears overhanging with big brown eyes, his jovial air made me feel immediately.

- Hi !

I observed him, astonished. I was intrigued by something about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I answered him in the same tone.

- We haven't been introduced to you and me yet, but I've been dreaming of meeting you for a long time ! By the way, my name is Mathieu.

- Enchanted Mathieu, I'm Andraste.

I gave him a smile that was meant to be encouraging.

- You're cute. You introduce yourself when you are certainly the most famous person here, perhaps even as much as Huang Hua, that is to say.

I was scowling slightly.

- Oh, really ? You're exaggerating a little bit.

- No, no, really ! Finally, I wanted to meet you so I could finally talk with another human, I sometimes feel a little lost here.

I stared at him for several long seconds without saying anything. Did he really just say "another human", or had I dreamed ? My brain tilted so much that I wasn't surprised he heard himself.

- Wait, are you human ?!

Ok, maybe I said that sentence a little too loudly. And probably with a little too much gusto.

My interlocutor burst into a frank laugh at my reaction.

- We could not be more human !

- But how did you get here ? Has it been a while since you arrived in Eldarya ? Don't you miss Earth ?

- Oone question at a time please ! he asked me with a big smile. It's been about a year since I landed on Eldarya, probably the same way you did. So, there are some aspects of our world that I miss a bit, but to be quite frank, I've always dreamed of fantasy. At first it was complicated, but I don't leave much behind me. I always thought I wasn't cut out for such a bland life.

The more he spoke, the more my bewilderment widened. My god, it was a human !

- You can't imagine how amazing it is for me to talk to another human, I thought that would never happen again !

Mathieu's laugh and jovial jokes had finished relaxing me entirely. His presence totally invigorated me and I felt, for the first time in a long time, that I had found someone to talk to.

The days finally passed without being punctuated by a specific goal, which began to seriously hit me on the system. And to my surprise, Lance had shown so little after his interview with the young Phoenix that I thought he had changed his mind.

Until he showed up one fine morning in my room without any invitation.

With a sword I never knew in his hand, he casually threw it at my quilt as he opened my curtains energetically. Sitting on the end of my bed, he rested his arms on his knees while giving me a challenging look, his expression slightly cheerful.

- Come on, we have training ahead of us today.

(Chapter 5)

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Why I Can’t Read the Harry Potter Series the Same Way Anymore

 (I know this is different from the stuff I usually post on this blog but… frankly I wrote three pages to vent about this and I wanted to publish it somewhere so just bear with me.)

So, I know what this looks like. However, this is not because of the… real life misgivings of J.K. Rowling. As a trans person myself, yes, she is transphobic. Also, she lies about what her books actually contain to seem more progressive than she actually is, like claiming Hermione was always black when she was described and pictured as white in the books and then played by Emma Watson in the movies that Rowling was personally involved with the production of. But that’s not what I’m here to argue because frankly, that’s an old argument and while it does taint my view of the author, it’s not what taints my view of the books.

I should preface this with this: I don’t hate Harry Potter. I read all the books and watched all the movies. I was an active fan of the series for a long time and I still enjoy the world and the characters. Heck, I still sort my friends and characters into Hogwarts houses for the fun of it. However, overtime, some of my issues with this series have started to weigh on my mind more and more as I’ve gotten older. I mentioned the Hogwarts Houses, which while it’s fun to sort characters outside of Harry Potter into these houses, the way they’re handled in the series is lazy at best and problematic at worst. First off, nearly every good character is in Gryffindor, while Slytherin is almost entirely made up of villains. Gryffindor is the designated good house where all the “brave” people go when barely anyone there actually embodies the house traits, besides Neville, Hermione, and maybe Harry. If you wanted a variety of personalities in one place, maybe you shouldn’t have made your sorting system based on personality!

In fact, here’s a whole list of characters who should not be in Gryffindor:

-Ron Weasley (Hufflepuff. He’s super loyal to the point where him leaving his friends in the final book felt out of character)

-Fred and George Weasley (Slytherin, they are some of the most ambitious, cunning characters in the whole series. Opening a joke shop IS an ambition and is a great example of a non-evil ambition.)

-Ginny Weasley (Also ambitious with her Quidditch to the point of spending years sneaking out to practice on a broom before she attended Hogwarts.)

-Percy Weasley (Ambition is his whole thing. He’s even a darker side of ambition. Him coming back to his family would be more meaningful if he were a Slytherin!)

-Dumbledore (Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He manipulated the ever-loving hell out of Harry, which I’ll get to, and is known as clever, wise, and a little eccentric. Either house could’ve been a better fit for him than Gryffindor.)

-Hagrid (Either Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Hufflepuff seems like the best fit for his current personality but Slytherin makes the most sense considering his backstory and history with Tom Riddle. The SuperCarlinBrothers made a really good video explaining this called “What House Was Hagrid in.” Go watch that.)

Leading into my next issue with the Hogwarts Houses, I have a serious issue with how Slytherin house is represented.

This has been said multiple times but the fact that every single Slytherin in the series is either evil (Voldemort, Bellatrix), assholes (Draco, Snape), morally gray (Slughorn, Regulus Black), or not in the core seven books (Albus Potter, Scorpious Malfoy, and Merlin), is extremely problematic. It makes the line between good and evil incredibly obvious and clear cut, with hardly any effort to blur those lines. The closest thing we got, especially in the author’s eyes, was Snape, who was not redeemed. He just wasn’t. He was a bully to his students, emotionally and physically, to the point where Neville’s biggest fear was him, and yet it’s suddenly all okay because he was in love with Harry’s deceased mother? That’s not how this works. His actions are not suddenly all okay because of that and frankly, he didn’t do enough to warrant saying he redeemed himself, besides indirectly letting Harry know that he needed to die to defeat Voldemort through the memories in the Pensieve, which just isn’t enough. Draco had more of a redemption and frankly proved he had good in him, yet we never got a true redemption from him because apparently all Slytherins are evil. Sure, there is a total of… one evil Gryffindor: Peter Pettigrew, who is pretty awful, but is there a single fully good Slytherin? No, they’re all either assholes, dabbled with evil, or are full on evil. Not only is it basic black and white morality, but it’s also downright harmful. The kids are sorted into their houses by their personalities and values. Some of the Slytherin traits are ambition, cunning, cleverness, resourcefulness, and leadership qualities, all pretty positive traits. The thing that divides these houses are their traits and values, so this is sending a message that traits such as “ambition,” “cleverness,” or “resourcefulness” are bad or evil, when they’re not. This is especially problematic when you remember that there is an official Wizarding World quiz that sorts you into a Hogwarts house based on your personality and likes and one of the houses you can get is this designated evil house. So if kids take this quiz and get Slytherin, they’re going to be disappointed and possibly think they’re evil. I’m especially annoyed at “ambition” ALWAYS being represented as a negative trait. That’s not just a Harry Potter problem but it still bothers me. Having aspirations and the guts to pursue them is not a bad thing, having evil aspirations is a bad thing. Ambition is a purely neutral trait, it can be positive or negative depending on what you’re pursuing yet it’s only ever shown as a “villain” trait.

(Look at this wonderful tweet I found while looking for images for this by the way:)

(Way to be even more blatant that you hate Slytherins and also have a poor understanding of racial issues. Speaking of which...)

This series tries to tackle racism… and it didn’t do it well. At all. It didn’t even tackle racism itself, it used elements of its magical world as an allegory for racism and these allegories just don’t work. The two that are most well-known are the wizard/muggle tension and the house elves as a whole. The pureblood purists are essentially an allegory for white supremacists, which has some troubling implications since wizards are literally genetically superior to muggles. Even if it’s not an objective fact, the books do imply that wizards are better than muggles from the story alone so this racial allegory doesn’t work when you’re saying one side is more powerful or better! The house elves are even worse. Their entire species is enslaved to these “genetically superior wizards.” In fact, if I remember correctly, house elves are enslaved mostly by rich pureblood families like the Malfoys and the Crouch’s, similar to slavery in the real world. But apparently, the house elves are happy to be enslaved (besides Dobby, who died) and were insulted when Hermione tried to free them. Winky in particular was horrified when she was freed by her master, treating it like a horrible punishment. Surely I don’t have to say how messed up that is.

Finally, my biggest problem with the Harry Potter series and the main reason I can’t stomach reading or watching them anymore, is the treatment of Harry himself. Harry was abused by the Dursleys. This is not me reading too into the book of reinterpreting anything, this is what is told to us directly. Harry is thin from being underfed in the first book, was forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs for eleven years, is frequently yelled at and berated by the Dursleys, heck Petunia and Vernon practically encourage their son to beat up Harry and frequently show favoritism to Dudley over Harry to an absurd degree. They make it clear to Harry that they don’t want him there. They also lock him in his room in the second book, literally boarding up the window and not letting him leave, passing him soup cans under the door. And all of this is just off the top of my head. Dumbledore left Harry in this environment. Dumbledore is fully aware of how Harry is being treated. Harry’s acceptance letter into Hogwarts literally has the address “the cupboard under the stairs” written on it. Yet they leave him in this physically and emotionally abusive and neglectful environment because the Dursley’s treatment somehow humbled him and made him the hero the wizarding world needed. Let me repeat that loud and clear: Harry is a hero because he endured abuse. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. I don’t care what your justification is, it is never a good thing to leave a child in an abusive situation. You are not good or noble or heroic or anything for staying with people who hurt you. And it’s not just Dumbledore. I understand that Harry living with Sirius wasn’t much of an option with him on the run from Azkaban and then dying in book 5 but what about the Weasleys? Why do they let him return to the Dursleys when they know full well what he’s going through there after Fred, George, and Ron bust him out? Oh yeah, he can’t leave because Lily’s love spell protects Harry when he’s in a blood relative’s house. He doesn’t have any other choice. This is a lazy excuse from the story to justify Harry staying with his abusers and frankly, doesn’t even work since he’s constantly trying to avoid his house, a pretty common response to domestic abuse by the way. So it’s not “protecting” him, even by that stupid logic. Harry was left with and forced to return to the Dursleys year after year solely because he’s the chosen one and needed to be put through hell because abuse apparently molds people into heroes and if Harry was even a little arrogant, he wouldn’t be a hero. And he wouldn’t have been prepared to die to Voldemort to destroy the horcrux in him. The story is framed in a way that glorifies Harry for being abused and I despise it. Dumbledore used Harry as a tool to defeat Voldemort, never taking his feelings into account and he’s just forgiven for all of this in the end. Everyone says Harry shouldn’t have named his kid after Snape? What about Dumbledore? Harry basically named his child after two of his biggest tormentors. It sickens me. It’s like the series is supporting and glorifying abuse, even if that wasn’t the intent of the author (and I doubt it was, since she was abused herself) that is how it feels. So yeah, I can’t really enjoy Harry Potter anymore the way I used to.

(On a side note, I hate “destiny” stories and Harry Potter is a good example of a terrible destiny themed story. Harry didn’t have a choice in anything. He was just forced into this scenario and twisted by the plot to be what it “needed” him to be, having no agency of his own. Great inspiring hero. -_-)

[starleska]

👀 for augustus st cloud?

ohhhh my God Augustus 😳😳😳 i can only apologise for continuing to clog up his tag but given that there's just me and perhaps three other people enlightened enough to sincerely adore him, i think it's okay 😂

okay like i said in my last ask about Augustus, i was in complete denial about finding him attractive in any way, because i'm an idiot...and so is he 😭😭 i adore characters who are filled with such an extreme level of confidence that it defies any kind of social norms. characters who are so self-assured and feel that they are consistently in control regardless of how anyone else perceives them. Augustus is the epitome of that trope. he's a decadent, selfish, vain, gatekeeping capitalist whose self-worth hangs entirely on his wealth, and being able to throw said wealth around to humiliate a man who is much smarter than him. and honestly, that is sexy 😂💖 i just love how intense and ridiculous he is. the depths to which he will sink, the complexity of the scenes he will craft all for the sole purpose of feeling superior ticks some boxes that...really shouldn't be ticked 😳

i know many people won't get it because he evolved from an amusing, yet promising, threat into pure comic relief, and he is intentionally written as an embarrassing, unlikable person, but man, he is still winning at everything!! his dynamic with Pete and Billy shows us that Augustus is a caricature of the kind of person we love to hate. someone who, regardless of their personal failings, hasn't ever needed to work a day in their lives - and they're totally fine no matter the losses they suffer. and i love that about him. he's a horrible human being who uses his exorbitant wealth on childish powerplays just to fuck with the heads of his enemies, because he has no concept of needing to help people.

those are two things i love in a character: a complete lack of concern for social mores and other people, and their level of focus. any character who literally makes a detail-perfect recreation of an 80s music video specifically to anger his enemies is on a level of unhinged i can't not be attracted to. likewise, i can't help but imagine what it would be like to be under that kind of laser-like attention. Augustus may spend most of his time attempting to prove his superiority over Billy, but he is highly intelligent and capable of some next-level cruelty. Spanakopita! is my absolute favourite episode of The Venture Brothers for all of the amazing Augustus content, especially because he is so in control of the whole thing. the way he cheats and rigs each of the games in favour? the fact that he was totally fine to kidnap and either kill or seriously harm Pete just to get the crown? fucking exquisite. he isn't above making people he doesn't like extremely uncomfortable, or even physically harming them. pure girlboss behaviour, i love him 🥰💖

plus, the voice. shut up i KNOW he sounds like the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons but (especially in his earlier, intimidating episodes) he has this gorgeous, throaty little drawl that just makes my heart skip;;; nerdy weirdos with strange voices get me eeeevery time. i legit think he looks cool as fuck too? i love a prissy, morally defunct capitalist (it's the Once-ler's fault) but he really do be rocking the purple suit + orange wig combo. i do headcanon the shades as being a medical necessity due to his disabilities, and damn if it isn't an excellent look. his mannerisms also delight me too 😭 he has this languid, unhurried way of walking, gesturing and talking which i genuinely find very attractive. as someone who simply wants to be negged, what is sexier than a man who has neither the time nor the inclination to even deign to address you? 😳

all in all, i love Augustus because he's vicious, petty, eccentric, stylish, and above all hilarious. literally everything that comes out of his mouth makes me smile. i feel that in his presence i would literally be incapable of experiencing day-to-day anxiety ever again, just based on his ludicrous and luxurious quality of life. Augustus was perhaps the best little fandom surprise i've had over the pandemic, and i'm grateful for all the content of him we got :3c

[ask game]

[babbushka]

Anyways I hate B*n S*l* because it’s like he was so keen on killing you know who and she holds out her hand really dramatically once and the he’s like “oop my deep seated mental issues are gone and I am now a savior” like huh? Baby you were hot. You were doing so well. We were all rooting for you 😩

My issue with the BS (sorry i’m too lazy to type out all the asterisks tonight lol) situation is twofold. 

The first issue I take with it, is the way it decimates Kylo’s character, and the second (and arguably more important in terms of overall impact) being the way it decimates Rey’s. 

Now, I know we don’t like to talk about Rey here on the blog, mostly because it attracts the r//ylos and that’s literally the last thing that I want, but the decision to push Kylo way off his path hurts both of the characters in completely different ways. Please allow me to explain:

(tw for mentions of abuse physical, sexual, and mental)

If we look at Kylo, and we actually examine his arc, it is clear that he was supposed to be a villain through and through. JJ and Adam have said it on multiple occasions, this was supposed to be the reverse of Vader, where we see a man reject the light at every opportunity, and continue down the path of darkness where it ultimately destroys him. And that’s exactly what he did! He was given so many chances, first with Han, then Leia, then Rey, then Luke, then Rey again, and every single time, he made the conscious decision to reject their offer of redemption, and went further into the dark. 

One of the things that is important (I think) to note, is that Kylo initially fell to the dark because he felt betrayed by those in the light. They failed him, in his mind. They allowed him to fall prey to Snoke [via Palpatine], when they knew something was wrong, and did nothing to stop it. Why would Kylo objectively want anything to do with them after that? Even if we try and play the “he turns for Rey” card -- who is Rey to him? Narratively she is a complete stranger who he tries to kill time, and time, and time and time again. 

Part of a redemption arc is the character actually wanting to change, and Kylo doesn’t! He simply doesn’t want to change, which is why narratively, it makes no sense for him to suddenly flip a switch and give his life to save another. It is objectively in opposition to what he has spent the entire 2 movies before TROS, as well as 99% of TROS itself. 

Now if we look at Rey, and we examine her arc, it is clear that she was supposed to be a protagonist in opposition to Kylo (as opposed to a narrative foil, which was Finn’s role). She was set up with the sole intention of overcoming the obstacle of Kylo’s villainy, and the villainy of the First Order as a whole. Looking at the interactions between Kylo and Rey, it is 98% violent where he is actively trying to murder her and her found family, and 2% psychologically manipulative. There is no foundation for any sort of friendship, or even acquaintanceship. He tries to kill her at every opportunity, and she tries to kill him back. JJ has confirmed that the interrogation scene is an allegory for rape.

So then why does she all of a sudden feel that it is her duty to get him to turn to the light? After he has on numerous occasions made it clear he has no interest in doing that? After he has murdered his father, put her dear friend in a coma, and violated her mind? After he has participated in the obliteration of billions of lives via Starkiller? It doesn’t make sense. And in fact, while suddenly flipping this switch in Rey’s character to be so consumed with turning Kylo back to the light (which he doesn’t not want), all it does is transform Rey into a woman with no story of her own. 

Her story is now at the service of Kylo’s, she is now there only to convince Kylo to do what she thinks is right. And what’s even worse, the writers decided to push a love interest onto her -- with the man who allegorically raped her, murdered her friends, tried to murder her, and tried to manipulate her into thinking that she was worth nothing (except to him). Instead of being a story about strength and overcoming abuse (because this is an abusive relationship), she ????? saves his life ??? and kisses him ???? Make it make sense. 

What does a redemption arc for Kylo show to audiences, ultimately and objectively? For Kylo, it means that you will never ever be free of the abuse you have suffered. You will never be able to make a life of your own, on your own terms, with your own choices. You are not your own person no matter how desperately you try. The decisions Kylo makes are heinous, but they are his decisions. This is the life that he has chosen time and time again, and a life that he feels little to no remorse or regret over. Probably the only thing he regrets is that he left anyone alive. 

For Rey, it shows audiences that men who hurt you, beat you, lie to you and manipulate you are more worthy of your time than anything else. Fixing them is more important than living your own life. Putting your life on hold for a man who actively commits violence against you is the correct and noble path to take. The decisions that Rey makes are incompatible with the actions she suffers.

It’s not only bad writing, it’s dangerous writing. And I will personally never ever be behind it. The only possible way that these two characters could have ended their journeys in a way that is both narratively fulfilling and satisfying to audiences, are by Rey killing Kylo as he is, a villain, in response to the many acts of villainy that he has committed against her and humanity. Anything else is a disservice to both characters. 

TLDR; Redemption for Kylo doesn’t make sense because #1 he doesn’t want it, and #2 he doesn’t work for it. He hasn’t earned it in any way shape or form -- in fact the only redemption we get is his own hallucination. So even within the context of the other characters, he is not seen as a redeemed person. It’s lazy and inconsistent writing. Redemption harms Rey’s character because it takes her story away from herself entirely. The narrative no longer becomes about her, it becomes more and more about Kylo, and her attempts to save or fix him when neither of those things should happen. 

It was an incredibly missed opportunity to make powerful statements about identity, independence, personal agency, and the consequences for our actions. We all know why D/LF dropped the ball so fucking hard, and for that I’ll literally never watch another piece of content from them again. 

[ill-be-istj-if-no-one-else-is]

Peace! It's nice to meet you, fellow mbti person! I'm so glad to have stumbled upon an ISTJ who is into typology! I have a request. I typed Elsa from Frozen in a post (I'll tag you) and I argued that she is not an ISTJ. I wanted to know what you thought, particularly if I made any mistakes in understanding the ISTJ personality type. Thank you so much in advance! I hope it's not too much of a bother. I'm an INTP btw.

Hi,

I want to start out with the following: for anyone reading, do not make a habit of having me analyze your posts about fictional characters. I am happy to help you type yourself, or answer questions about MBTI. However, in case it was not clear from the fact that I have only typed fictional characters in response to direct questions, that my answers have typically been very brief, and that I’ve repeatedly directed people to blogs that specifically focus on character typing, I’m not really interested. I should note: I had fun because I love picking up my metaphorical red pen and writing “wrong” over every other sentence, but it did also take me like an hour and a half and it’s over 3 pages long, and I don’t have time to do that regularly.

With all that said, the post had sufficient issues with both basic logical argument structure (I would very strongly recommend you revisit that INTP typing of yourself and look at something with high Fe instead) as well as understanding of MBTI that, because you asked directly, I will go through said issues. I want to make it very clear: this is going to be harsh. For both that and for the length I’m putting it below a read-more such that if you were looking for a brief thumbs up or down and not for extensive criticism, you are welcome to ignore it, block me, or whatever is best for you.

Basic argument structure: you open repeatedly with the most subjective arguments - that she gives off Fi and Ni vibes and you don’t see the Si in her. This will convince no one but yourself.

This argument is also mostly focused on “other people think this, but I don’t” which I find is only useful in a process of elimination argument. We’ll get to the final typing eventually but it is generally stronger to argue in favor of what you believe and then address potential disagreement rather than the reverse; by the time you get to ISFP I’ve read so many incorrect assumptions and subjective asides that I’ve long since stopped valuing the analysis of the work.

Issues with the ISTJ argument

(note: I have, and continue to type Elsa as an ISTJ so this will be the longest section in that I’m both pointing out flaws and arguing in favor of ISTJ; the rest will be solely focused on MBTI misconceptions or logical fallacy).

While it’s true people often mistake trauma for Si, this argument seems to equate trauma with being stuck in the past (people can just be stuck in the past without trauma for whatever other reason - it’s not healthy but it does not necessarily indicate literal trauma). There is also a false opposition here: It’s absolutely valid to argue that Elsa is traumatized, but that does not preclude her having Si, merely removes one argument in favor of Si.

You define Si (gathering concrete details to understand what to expect) but don’t actually argue why Elsa doesn’t do this. I’d argue, in opposition to the statement later in this paragraph, that she does. She is aware from the past that her abilities can harm her sister. She is aware from her past that when she avoided Anna, Anna was safe. She hasn’t been happy with the “conceal don’t feel” line, but it has achieved her goals and her expectation is that she’ll hurt someone if she stops following it.

If you’re referring to an Si-Fi loop (wallowing in self-pity), it doesn’t use Te since that’s how loops work. You don’t explicitly say this is in the context of looping although you introduce looping in the second sentence, but if you are referring to a loop this is incorrect. It’s true that ISTJs are often likely to use Si (preference for familiar/existing structures) and an Fi understanding of morality to direct their energies when they wish to change something (ie, they will change things through existing channels) but the focus on speaking out about injustice here is much more in line with enneagram 1 - a very common enneatype for ISTJs and an enneatype that’s rare for any non-TJ types, but not the enneatype I’d give Elsa nor an inherent ISTJ trait itself.

The part about self-discipline is mixed - a lot of ISTJs are very disciplined in certain areas (particularly professional/familial) but can neglect the self (not getting enough exercise/not eating well, not addressing burnout or more emotional issues) and I’d argue again, Elsa shows this: she’s not addressing the fact that she’s lonely and miserable, but she’s highly disciplined with regards to concealing her abilities and avoiding Anna even though it’s the very thing making her lonely and miserable.

I don’t necessarily think Let It Go is indicative of an Ne grip, but one can make changes outside of a grip, so this isn’t a useful argument, as it argues why an Ne grip is wrong, not why ISTJ is wrong - I would merely argue she’s not gripping at that time. Which is a general issue here: the argument you provide in this paragraph isn’t arguing against ISTJ, it’s arguing against other people’s arguments for ISTJ, which is an important distinction.

The final paragraph of the ISTJ section has numerous issues: ISTJs are not rebellious. They are not as resistant to change as stereotypes indicate, but even a healthier version of ISTJ Elsa would be unlikely to rebel and rather try to understand her parents’ argument, research other options, or look for a way to gain control over her powers while still working within the normal hierarchy. I addressed self-discipline (I should add: I don’t think a child/young woman having difficulty controlling magical powers with no training is an argument against self-discipline; my argument for self-discipline is that she stays in her room and away from her sister despite clearly hating it). It is also, to be blunt, mind-boggling that you (correctly) argue that trauma responses are not inherently Si but then refer to obsessive-compulsive behaviors as Si when that’s also a medical disorder completely divorced from the MBTI framework. Finally, her continuing to follow an order from her parents after they die is first, quite literally the definition of self-discipline (she’s the queen; no one else is going to discipline her for it, after all) and second, entirely in line with Si (this is what she has always done and it’s not great but it works) and is, arguably, if not medically obsessive-compulsive, an obsessive need to follow a compulsion. To be clear: this isn’t healthy ISTJ behavior, but since you’ve acknowledged grips and loops here I think an unhealthy interpretation of the type is very much on the table. You say her behavior is more in line with F types; it’s not and you don’t explain why.

If I may it seems as though, much in line with the argument here being against other arguments but ultimately not debunking the typing, your arguments against MBTI stereotypes focus on what’s incorrect but they tend to merely swing the pendulum to the opposite side (eg, that ISTJs are likely to rebel, in opposition to the stereotype that they’d mindlessly follow orders) rather than find the more nuanced middle ground of how people of a type or with a certain function behave.

Issues with the INFJ and INFP sections:

Ne users can and frequently do go out into the world; simply because Ne can be engaged without external physical stimulation doesn’t mean it never is. I’m also not really a fan of reading being classified as a strictly introverted pursuit; that’s falling into a pretty significant stereotype trap. Going out and exploring is a thing anyone can do but if anything I’d either associate that more strongly with high sensing (either Si or Se) or with extroversion. 

My biggest issue here is the implication that searching for a meaning for existence or a purpose is in itself an indicator of Ni. This is just the human condition. If you’re going to argue that Si users are driven to rebel against injustice I don’t see how you can miss that that might in turn be driven by a belief that this is their purpose. Perhaps Si-Ne users aren’t as invested in having a single purpose, but wondering why you are on this earth and what it is you are here to do is just being a person, and to be blunter than I have been, I am struggling to understand how there has been so much effort made earlier to push away from stereotypes to the point of overcompensation in the opposite direction and then when it comes to the idea that only Ni users have a desire for meaning in life you just accept it without question.

Issues with the ISFP section:

At this point I’ve probably covered most of them though I’d like to point out that I don’t think there was an argument ever made explicitly for introversion; while the structure of the earlier arguments and focus on debunking was, as stated, flawed, I would at least round it out by eliminating ESFP as an option.

The argument here rests heavily on Let it Go, which is interesting because most of the terrible arguments for Elsa being an intuitive also rested squarely on that same brief if admittedly pivotal section of a full movie; in attempting to differentiate itself from those arguments it has in fact replicated the most significant flaws. Anyway, I’ve addressed that I don’t personally think Let it Go being indicative of a grip is how I’d argue for ISTJ, so that becomes invalid; I’ve tried to focus more on issues with logic MBTI than the contents of the movie but I’d add that “she was happy” is open to interpretation and her emotional state was probably fairly complicated. Relieved, sure, but she’s still ultimately isolated. (Also while mentally singing Let it Go, I realized that here’s that rebellion you were asking for in the ISTJ section).

You also outright say that when Elsa tries to reassert control it’s through Te. Yeah. That’s what a high Te user does. An ISTJ in a grip would indeed use Ne, but in quite literally any other circumstance (looping or just existing as an ISTJ not in a grip or loop) would reassert control via Te, so again, your argument does not sufficiently eliminate that Elsa is an ISTJ, just that she’s not a gripping ISTJ, which I’d agree with. 

“She acts out when she is stressed and makes bad decisions” is also the human condition (and why I’ve frequently on my blog argued very strongly against typing via stress behaviors, because in the end most people...act out and make bad decisions when stressed), so this isn’t useful as an argument for anything.

In conclusion: multiple misconceptions about Ni and Si; no argument that I could find presented for high Fi, just Fi in general; inconsistency regarding whether or not Elsa rebels, and an overall reliance not on making a new argument but on arguing why other arguments were wrong. Given the title of the post you asked me to analyze I have to (admittedly this is extremely cynical of me) wonder if there was an underlying goal to come up with a typing that was different from commonly accepted arguments, rather than to simply type for its own sake. 

[f-f-friend]

thoughts on nie mingjue

Warning: LONG POST AHEAD, i’ll put it under a read more

Every time I think about how the MDZS fandom is dead-set in their portrayal of Nie Mingjue solely as a bad-tempered, violent man whose sole motive was to hurt the oh-so-victimised JGY, I get so sad... So I’m gonna go on a quick rant and address some of these misportrayals: 

TLDR: Nie Mingjue = victim, Jin Guangyao = villain, just because the MDZS fandom seems to have gotten them mixed up

1) The thing that bothers me the most: This portrayal of NMJ as some “Wen-dog” hating, hot-headed monster who would hate every single Wen person and hate them for no reason... 

Nie Mingjue was a good (remember this!!) man who was brave and righteous and was, like the other characters, thrust into war at a young age. He didn’t start the Sunshot Campaign just because he just hated the Wen Sect so much for no good reason. For some reason when it comes to NMJ everyone forgets that the Wen people were the ANTAGONISTS of the Sunshot campaign?? His father was murdered by WRH, other Sects had been absorbed or destroyed. He hated the Wen Sect (in terms of WRH and those loyal to him) because he (and those he cared about) had been victimised by them. 

FURTHERMORE, NMJ was the only Sect Leader in the Sunshot Campaign that was canonically shown to care about what was happening to the civilians. Did you all forget empathy? Yes he made a lot of kills in the Sunshot Campaign but did he ever want to hurt civilians just for the heck of it? Just because he just loved violence that much?? No!! Read MDZS again and tell me where that happened. 

2) Nie Mingjue had close relationships with people (NHS, LXC) 

During his empathy scene, WWX said that he was having such lively conversation with 3zun that he even wanted to join in!! Just because he canonically had a bad temper doesn’t mean he was some terrifying abusive monster that everyone barely tolerated out of fear?? He was a likeable person who had friendships and was loved. 

Even with JGY, when he still saw him as a good person with similar ideals to him (which BTW is the basis of EVERY REASONABLE FRIENDSHIP and Not an extremely high standard only held by NMJ like the fandom pretends), he protected him from gossip and mentored him and took care of him. He believed in and was protective of JGY basically up until he saw him killing that Jin sect captain, at which point it was perfectly reasonable to no longer trust him!! 

And, even then, even after the shit with JGY killing all the Nie cultivators (which to me didn’t seem necessary but you all can interpret it however), whether it was due to LXC’s coaxing or because he still held out some hope for JGY, he still swore brotherhood with him to continue to guide him. IDK about you all but that to me doesn’t seem like someone who hated JGY with a passion. It seems like someone who was to some extent still hoping for JGY to turn things around. He could’ve just given up on him!! But he didn’t, not after all JGY had already done, and not even during the Xue Yang shitfest... It was really only during the worst moments of his qi deviation (which was very much JGY’s fault!!!) that he physically hurt JGY at all instead of just openly distrusting him. 

3) ...and wasn’t just a rage monster that they tiptoed around!! 

Which brings me to the fact that despite NMJ always having had a bad temper as the book implies, it wasn’t until his qi deviation that he began to get truly bad. Him destroying NHS’s things, and being aggressive and angry, and even the supposedly worst thing, kicking JGY down the stairs and calling him the “son of a wh*re” all happened after JGY had started poisoning him. This is fact, people!! Nie Mingjue was not an abuser, he was a righteous and good man whose mind and life were poisoned by someone he should’ve been able to trust!! This should not be a constant portrayal of him – he is NOT the monster that JGY tried to make of him. Even at the end, in his very last moments, he still saw his brother clearly. THAT’S who he was, someone who cared deeply about the people he loved (yes, even JGY to some extent even after he stopped deserving it). 

4) ALSO on the subject of NMJ being tooooooo black and white in his thinking, and being toooo righteous (is that a thing?) and having tooo high standards for Jin Guangyao

First of all, when fandom touts that NMJ’s standards for JGY were too high, were they really so high? All he asked for was a good soldier and friend who WOULDN’T JUST STAB AND KILL their own captains in the middle of a war... and wouldn’t remorselessly murder cultivators to keep their own cover... and then wouldn’t protect someone who murdered an ENTIRE SECT from receiving due justice... 

Yes, Jin Guangyao did have reasons for what he did. Were they JUSTIFIABLE? To me, it’s a matter of what you prize. Jin Guangyao is a painfully selfish character – even before he started actively joining Jin Guangshan in being evil, he was already selfish! 

Yes he needed to keep his cover in front of Wen Ruohan, but why did he have to murder those Nie cultivators to do that? And then still never even ONCE show remorse over it, even right after the fact?? He just constantly complains that “I only killed a few cultivators out of desperation and you keep on bringing it up” (italics mine)... The way he talks about cheapens the sanctity of those lives taken, and turns it into a minor mistake, which is the same way the fandom speaks of it as well. Whether they actually believe it or they just wanna make JGY look better, I’m not sure. 

And yes, his position in Jin Sect was precarious and his father disdained him. Did that justify protecting Xue Yang after he masscred an entire clan? No! And even if it did justify protecting Xue Yang somehow, even if his reasons justified ANY wrong that he did, it still doesn’t mean he was in the right!! He was doing acts of self-preservation, even if it’s not unjustifiable, it still caused harm and he prized himself above all that. And Nie Mingjue, even if he was clueless about JGY’s struggles, even if he was speaking from a place of privilege or just too stupid to see nuances in life, was still right! He shouldn’t have killed the captain or murdered the Nie cultivators or protected Xue Yang. 

IN CONCLUSION 

What I’m TRYING to say is this: Nie Mingjue’s portrayal by the fandom (in fanfics and discussions and even in youtube comments...) as the AGGRESSOR of the 3zun dynamic is due to the unbelievably large amount of sympathy there is in the fandom for Jin Guangyao that causes them to heed his words more even when they’re clearly meant to arouse sympathy and sway the listener. Nie Mingjue, who is definitely the victim of the Venerated Triad (literally don’t see how he’s anything but that) does not get that same sympathy, whether it’s due to a smaller time in the spotlight or maybe he doesnt have a sad backstory (he does its so sad) or whatever other reason. Either way, this has caused a overwhelming amount of portrayals of Nie Mingjue as the aggressor in the trio... No. He was the victim. If you don’t believe me, go ask the dismembered HEAD that was lying in JGY’s STUDY FOR YEARS!! 

When the fandom pushes this belief that Nie Mingjue is a brainless, emotionless (except for anger) aggressive monster whose only purpose in life was to bully the helpless Jin Guangyao, it strangely makes me realise that even the readers who are exposed fully to the depravities of JGY’s character have still fallen for Jin Guangyao’s lies. It makes me so sad that NMJ’s life and character is defined by his worst enemy who hurt him (and those around him, yes including LXC) the most. 

(If you’ve read until this point for some reason PLEASE hit me up to discuss this more, I’d be happy to talk more about NMJ or MDZS in general... If you’re gonna argue just be polite!!) 

[sendnotes]

books i read in april.

this is going to be my thing from now on. i'll compile a list of all the books i read in a month and share my thoughts on each one every end of the month.

just so you know, i'm a little forgetful, and i have a tendency to forget names, plots, and other details. i'm hoping that writing these will aid my memory in recalling how i felt about each novel.

you can also find me on goodreads

so, let’s begin, shall we?

101 essays that will change the way you think (wiest, brianna)

self-help book

this book got off to a good start! some of the essays written (or should i say a collection of articles originally published on the thoughtcatalog website) made me think and consider my outlook on life, love, and so on.

the title overstates the case though. when i think of an essay, i picture something more argumentative and philosophical. not to mention that the majority of the ideas in this book are redundant. it made it difficult to get through. nonetheless, i was able to get past it because there were so many fantastic concepts and topics discussed.

overall, it's an interesting & worthwhile read for those who enjoy thinking outside the box.i lost count of how many times this book gave me aha moments. i swear, most of the entries soothed my mind and provided a great pick-me-up when life seemed to be frustrating.

the midnight library (haig, matt)

science fiction, fantasy fiction, psychological fiction

regrets, self-remorse, what ifs, family approval, drugs, dreams, love, passion, hatred, death, afterlife, multiverses, quantum physics, and a plethora of possibilities packed into a 304-page book.

i'll be honest: this book is already on my list of favorites. i'm simply blown away by how well-crafted and diverse the entire story unfolded.

a sci-fi novel with a dash of fantasy and a smidgeon of philosophy. if that's your thing, you should give this book a shot.

the first few pages of the book gave me an impression and led me to surmise it was going to be a cheesy ass chick lit novel that i'd only read and find enjoyable in high school. i was completely off base. it proved to be very mature, full of lessons, but delivered in a fun and entertaining manner— exactly my cup of tea.

it reminded me of a disney pixar film called soul, in which the afterlife is depicted in vivid detail. they differ on so many levels, but they both imagine life after death for people who are unsure of their path, purpose, and passion.

every chapter served a significant concept, so this book is well-deserved of a 5-star rating!

norwegian wood (murakami, haruki)

fiction, romance novel, bildungsroman

as i read the book and neared the end, all i could think about was how this book became one of murakami's most popular and influential works.

murakami offers a sprawling glimpse into the lives of a group of severely damaged youths grappling with the realities of what emptiness entails. take what you will from it.

i know a lot of people like it, which is fine. but please keep in mind that this book hit me square in the gut. it alternated between making me angry, sad, annoyed, and disgusted almost constantly. there isn't much else.

this book should come with a warning: "this is not a good place to start if you're new to murakami's works. this is not a representative of murakami's brilliance."

fist and foremost, the characters in this book are all repulsive.

toru watanabe was a fuckboy and a softboy rolled into one. what could possibly be worse than that? he'd have as many casual sexual partners as he could while also buttering a girl up by appealing to her emotions and displaying a "sensitive" and "vulnerable" side.

this book was made even more depressing by the fact that each female character was needy, weak, dysfunctional, and dependent. since they're all the same, i'm not going to go over each of these female characters one by one. you already get the idea.

reiko ishida, imo, was one of the best rendered sections of the novel. most likely because she had a better grasp on her emotions and goals than the still seeking youths... until, *spoiler alert* she wanted to do it with toru as well. a big disappointment.

to summarize, this book is primarily concerned with two topics: sex and death.

hidden meanings are everywhere, but when you get to the core, that's all that remains.

the four agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom (ruiz, miguel)

self-help book

first agreement ⏤ be impeccable with your word

this essentially means that you should not spew gossip or use words to harm others. because words have tremendous power and can cause significant harm. you are not only negatively affecting others with your hateful and thoughtless words, but you are also hurting yourself. this is something with which i generally agree. how i see it, when people are unhappy with themselves, they turn to others to make themselves feel better. as a result, they gossip about others in order to divert attention away from themselves.

second agreement ⏤don't take anything personally

alright. sure. don't let what others say about you bother you. it has everything to do with them and nothing to do with you. well, i don't entirely agree, but i think it's a fantastic idea in general. however, achieving this goal will be extremely difficult. i believe it would take a lot of practice to reach this level of zen. plus, i honestly believe that other people's opinions still matter because they keep you in check. the best advice is to not be swayed by these opinions, but to consider why they were expressed in the first place. see what you can do to improve yourself from there. sure, it can be difficult to deal with; after all, no one likes being told they're wrong or whatnot. but it's not all bad news because you can sometimes use criticism and judgment to give you a competitive edge. i mean- don't you think hearing someone else's point of view is also an opportunity to learn and progress? ruiz should have stressed that it's not just about "not taking it personally because you know you're not that person," but also about not retaliating with an extreme knee-jerk reaction even if you believe you're being unfairly criticized.

third agreement ⏤ don't make assumptions

this is a real eye-opener for me. i've noticed that whenever i become enraged by someone's words, it's usually due to my tendency to assume. personally, i can't help but make assumptions. i don't know what other people's motivations are, and i can't help but draw conclusions based on the information i have. even if the other person had no intention of causing me harm, it's too late. the thought has become ingrained in my mind, and i never ask for clarification out of pride or fear of appearing overly sensitive.

fourth agreement ⏤ always do your best

this section did not seem particularly useful to me. i mean, aren't we all reminded of this all the time? this section is filled with sloppy writing, in my opinion. as if he badly wanted to finish the book and impulsively thought: "okay, fourth agreement: always do your best. that should suffice. lmao"

overall opinion: the third agreement was my favorite, but the rest were a no-go. don't get me wrong, i appreciated his ideas, but i've heard them all a hundred times before. basically, the book's sole takeaway is that we are all suffering in some way in our daily lives, and we are all dealing with different issues. regardless, we all need to be kinder and gentler to ourselves and others.

the song of achilles (miller, madeline)

romance novel, historical Fiction, war story

i'll keep it short and sweet:

i really wouldn't have had this book any other way. miller's writing is breathtaking, so rich and full of lovely detail. it's incredibly a unique concept to me that authors are rewriting such ancient history and stories to make them lgbt+!

some suggest it's tedious, but i disagree. it isn't slow; rather, it is just right.

'cause at the end of the day, it's not about war, tragedy, or heroes - it's a slow-burning, organic love tale between two young men and their inevitable connection.

it's sad, tender, and painful, but in the best way possible.

circe (miller, madeline)

novel, historical fiction, fantasy fiction

"greek mythology, but with a feminist twist"?! sign me the hell up! this piqued my interest... only to leave me feeling completely let down. seriously now. circe was described as a "badass empowered woman," which was the single most compelling selling point for me, and thus the most wrenching disappointment, i must say.

sure, it demonstrated the value of feminine power, but it also did represent how this power can be a force of good or evil.

not to mention the fact that circe fucked a married man or two in this book- i mean- how is that an ~empowered woman~?

let's be clear right off the bat: madeline miller's follow-up to the song of achilles is epic in scope but not necessarily in execution. to me, this read more like a tedious island tale. regardless of how many five-star reviews this book has received... i just don't think it's well-deserved. don't get me wrong here. miller is a fantastic author with a lush writing! istg- i'm blown away by how beautifully she wrote and carefully chose her words. even the most mundane phrases were written poetically. after-all, it’s greek mythology. but how did she manage to make circe seem so... bland?