#it's a pity that the writers didn't make the most of her potential

[isfjmel-phleg]

This is a Serling Roquette appreciation post.

Is sixteen and has a doctorate. But not a driver's license.

Shows up for her first day of work in a leopard-print vest, striped skirt, knee-high pink platform heels, and giant yellow smiley face earrings.

Is at odds with her mom on matters of independence, so she gets a live-in job at a shady cloning institution with such high security that her mom can't follow her there. As one does.

Is EXCITED about SCIENCE. Cadmus is "on the cutting edge of research," so she arrives full of confidence that she'll fit in there.

Interned at a place where all her colleagues were elderly and thus developed a taste for all things retro.

Listens to "garbage" that scandalizes her mom: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Louis Prima, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra!

Unironically uses expressions like "the bee's knees," "the cat's pajamas," and "holy hand grenade!"

Unironically uses "quantum" as an expression of admiration.

Collects Pez dispensers and Seuss memorabilia. When Kon takes her to Hawaii on a visit, she wants a Honolulu snow globe.

Attended only eight grades between kindergarten and grad school.

As a prodigy, has been thrust into adult roles and expectations that are a lot of pressure for someone her age. (Sound familiar?)

Rises to the occasion with performing whatever scientific/medical feat is required of her, but it's repeatedly clear that she's anxious: “All right—think! I’m a child prodigy—I can do it! I need help…”

During the "Sins of Youth" storyline, gets put on the spot to resolve the seemingly uncorrectable problem of Kon's inability to age. If she fails, he could die. If she succeeds, the boy she's developed feelings for will now be too old to be interested in her (but old enough for the ex-girlfriend who has just returned). Very emotionally compromising circumstances, but she still operates--and succeeds.

(The narrative doesn't really highlight how hard this must have been for her on multiple levels, but she deserves credit for it.)

This panel! The parallels! The bonding over comparable traumas!

(for context, this is after he has reencountered Knockout, a woman who groomed and abused him. it's unclear whom Serling is referring to from her own experience--this doesn't sound like Guardian, her initial object of interest at Cadmus, who is too decent to reveal a "darker" level to a minor.)

Continues to develop clarity about herself and her motivations, like realizing that her interest in Guardian was not so much as a crush as an identification of him (a clone of a hero from the 1940s) with the generation of people she grew up around, reminding her of "when I was little, when everything was fun and easy."

Clinging to her youth while still trying to assert an identity as an independent "adult" with an intellectually demanding job is a recurring theme for her. She's pushing the bounds of scientific probability on an apparently daily basis, but at the end of the day she still returns to a room full of her carefully saved childhood possessions and listens to an old transistor radio that belonged to her mom--who never does show up at Cadmus to supervise her daughter.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Have you noted that no one from Azula's family was shown to express love and affection towards her?

That is mostly true. Ozai's affection is clearly conditional (and full on manipulation at worse, like we see in the finale), Ursa canonically favors Zuko to the point that we never see her spending any alone time with Azula like she did with Zuko, and while Iroh gave her a toy like he did to Zuko the toy in question was so OBVIOUSLY wrong for a kid like Azula that it's comical AND show's he did not really know his niece at all.

But there is a constant exception.

Zuko's relationship with Azula is complicated. He clearly admires her strength and power, but he hates how she uses it. She lied to him many times, was seen apparently cheering Ozai on during the Agni Kai, tried to have him imprisoned and even said she'd celebrate being an only child - and then allows him to come home as a hero after Ba Sing Se, even though SHE had the control of the Dai Li and was not yet aware Aang could have survived, meaning she had nothing to gain from it.

And when she lets him know that if he's caught talking to Iroh people might think he is a traitor too, and explicitly says "Believe it or not, I'm actually looking out for you" Zuko drops his innitial suspicion that she wanted something and that's why she was helping him.

On The Beach, he just follows her when she say their old family home is depressing and they shouldn't waste their time there. When she's asking him who she is angry at, she mentions herself and Zuko explicitly says that is not the case.

He doesn't trust her and know she has a tendency to mock or full on lie to him... yet when he wants to know about Fire Lord Sozin he asks her about it, and lets it slide when she mocks him by saying he should make sure the royal painter got his good side - for a character as quick to anger as Zuko, that is a big deal. In Nightmares and Daydreams he also goes to her to find out if he'll be allowed at the war meeting.

More importantly:

1 - Iroh's infamous "She's crazy and needs to go down" line was only said because ZUKO, without anyone putting that idea in his head before, suddenly went "I know what you're going to say. She's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her"

2 - Zuko only jumped into the fight in Ba Sing Se when Azula was being cornered by Aang and Katara.

3 - Zuko looked genuinely shocked and even distressed when she was falling off that cliff. He just sounded so shaken saying "She's... not gonna make it..."

4 - In the writer's own words, Zuko felt no hate but only pity when seeing her breakdown. Katara tried to comfort him because, canonically, even though Zuko and Azula are enemies, this was never what he wanted because he still sees her as family. That's why the Last Agni Kai's music is not the epic you'd expect from a battle, but a tragic one.

5 - Aaron Ehasz, the lead writter for the show, probably the person with the most influence after Bryke, has REPEATEDLY said that he always felt Azula should have gotten a redemption arc, Zuko being an Iroh figure to give her advice and be the only one still by her side when all else was seemingly lost to her forever.

Even the comics (most of which I HATE, mainly because Azula's storyline checks nearly every box for "the mentally ill are inherently evil/less human, so it's fine if literally every other person on the planet mistreats them") didn't fully abandon their complex dynamic.

Zuko is not a perfect sibling, and for a long chunk of the story he seemed too focused on his own issues for Azula to ever be a factor in his mind (aside from the moments in which she was a potential/explict threat), but he DOES still feel a sense of obligation towards her, to the point that it made him do something no one else in their family had done before or since - actually look at Azula. Not the prodigious daughter/perfect weapon, or the problem child that is difficult to handle, or the pontentially deadly enemy that was in the way, but Azula.

His 14-year-old sister that got on his nerves a lot, was far from the kindest person alive, and that he had a ton of issues with, but that he could never fully hate or even be indifferent to. Because she's family. Because he remembers a happier time in which the gap between them didn't seem so big. Because if things had been slightly different he could have been her. Because he went from wanting to be her to seeing just how miserable her life ended up being - especially compared to the one he now had - and feeling deeply sorry for her.

Now if you guys excuse me, I'm gonna go cry in the corner. Have some wholesome/bittersweet fanart if you wanna cry too.

[katyspersonal]

So like... thoughts on Messmer's crew? Not the man himself, just the guys he hired.

I actually found the remaining two Fire Knights just recently! :D I didn't post about it yet, but I assume this is all of them! ...I hope. Shadow's Keep has too many turns. Who knows.

This is sweet how they all are close with Messmer and stood with him no matter what.... Unlike THESE traitors:

(Sorry I forgot to copy the screenshots so have bad phone images fshhds) Like @heraldofcrow said earlier, it is really stupid how they could accept like genocides and whatever but drew the line at him being a snake sdfhfghds Well, Fire Knights definitely didn't!

Queelign was the first one I've met, and apparently in the wrong order since I missed him in Belurat and had to go back there! And I instantly hated that zealot, even before I had the picture of what exactly Fire Knights were!

^ As if Queelign's dialogue was not enough, he also dropped THIS! The reason I will ALWAYS respect Miyazaki no matter what is that he always finds the way to throw a jab at this particular grudge at human race fsdhfdsh

He is still a terrible person, but since then I warmed up to him when I've found some potential in him! He is not only the most fleshed out from the Fire Knights, but also in JUST the right way! He is very passionate and fanatical, but also very genuine and naive with his feelings. And he not only wants to be like Messmer, but also has very strong fixation on Marika! Like I keep joking, she is such a bad mother that even people who aren't her children have mommy issues over her fhhdsf

But he also, interestingly, reflects that weaker, childish part of Messmer that still wants his mom to love him. Whereas Messmer is at least good at repressing it, with Queelign it is completely loose and earnest, and the guy is probably not aware! He IS like a little version of himself in this way.. Not sure whether Messmer dislikes him, or pities him, or maybe at least several times told him to NOT try to be like him! In any case, it is really cool how there is the guy who gives that interesting insight. You could write headcanons essays on the psychology between Queeling and Messmer, or just Queelign. I wrote an essay on what could transpire if Tarnished healed him instead (I believe he dies when we find him, from deadly wounds since we only access his chamber after beating him twice).

Like, you can work with this character, you see what I mean? I never found a similar rambling potential in, say, Alfred or Lautrec. They're religious fanatics too, yet that was exactly ALL I could tell about them. MEANWHILE I've made like FIVE posts about Queelign already and they are all substancial! And, boy, any writer WANTS a strictly cruel, fanatical, irredeemable, negative character to give something to talk about besides just kicking the topic of them being bad. If you are writer, remember to similarly give the topics of discussion to your villains! I agree with what Izunia said earlier:

+ Correction though: Petrus does NOT belong in the list of fanatics xd He has opposite problem! He is a selfish, opportunistic, corrupt, cowardly parasite that benefits from the religious institution and doesn't actually HAVE any beliefs he will kill and die for. He kills for his benefit, like how he killed Reah after her being rescued clearly so she would not rat him out, ie risk his position as elite cleric! There is a good reason why of all cleric/religious/etc characters he is the only one who has no simps!

This guy kicked my ass a couple of times, but if Fire Knights are Messmer's most important people, that makes him second most important person in his army? ...okay third, after his wife Rellana fsdjhdfhssd Really clever how only the captain wears a helmet fashioned after this creature, since he keeps Messmer's military forces in check here

1) I also assume that the "loneliness" Wego experienced was from having outlived the people he held dear as not only being in the military but also elder! Because why else would he be strictly lonely, if he has friends within the covenant? Like look right here, he had a pupil! :p 2) This implies that disagreeing with Messmer was a huge risk.. but not only Messmer spared him, but also actually listened to his request!

So basically, Salza is okay with burning people and their homes, but he draws the line at destruction of like, culture, knowledge and ancient architecture fshfds And not he alone:

It were Fire Knights who asked Messmer to have the Specimen Storehouse, so there is at least historical remains about the species they destroyed! So as funny as the double standard looks, it makes a lot of sense; like it was mentioned earlier, all Fire Knights were nobles at the Erdtree! Of course they have it internalised to preserve culture and knowledge for the future! They all had to be well-educated and well-cultured people, not sympathising with the type of hatred that aims to erase as much as history! And at the same time, being educated didn't help them to consider not participating in the HoLy cRuSaDe to begin with..

And this is so human. It is very realistic. There is a lingering misconception that it is ignorance, poor quality of living, low class, bad past or all at once that makes people prone to crime, but in reality there are criminals in every class and every demographic. We should not attribute the root of all evil, crimes and harmful prejudices only to concrete group, because this is always just a matter of multiple people gathering and deciding to do something. When it is not mistreatment and despair that drives people to evil, it is power and corruption, because people ARE evil by nature.

_______________

So yeah, I really like what they did with this covenant! They did well with giving the sense of each of them being an individual by naming and distinguishing five characters like this! For Soulsborne games, this is rich x) They have some tweaks to their outfits or weapons, they have characterisation that makes them unlike each other, and THIS is what's wild; how so many people that clearly can and always could think for themselves ended up here! Queelign too! I could speculate that Alfred has been indoctrinated and brainwashed since young age, or that Lautrec lost his marbles after some sort of grasp by Fina, but Queelign apparently was no less of a noble that decided to go like his peers, nor he'd be any more embraced by Marika than everyone else with grace! He is Just Like This fshdfhs

They made the covenant very real an interesting. (Also rich for creating OCs if you like writing awful people and want to be close with Messmer 😔)

[imthepunchlord]

So, I think I know why Lila feels like she's all over the place, and it has to do with Chloe. I genuinely think that Lila was created to take over Chloe's role as the mean girl and school/civilian antagonist once Chloe was redeemed. But thanks to Thomas axing Chloe's redemption arc, Chloe got sent back to her old role, and Lila was left redundant. This is probably why she wasn't very present in season 4 since the writers probably had no idea what to do with her. This was probably made worse when Felix got more focus. I genuinely think the only reason Felix was originally brought in was to make Adrien look better by comparison, and either he was so popular or they realized he could help with the sentimonster plotline, but ended up getting more plot focus and roles that probably would have made more sense for Lila.

I mostly agree.

While I acknowledge that the potential of Chloe's redemption is there, I really don't think she was intended to ever have one. I think the agenda was to stress "she's terrible, and will always be terrible". Though, the more you see of ML's development, the clearer it is how messy things were, they even had writers/scriptwriters who didn't fully understand what they were working on to make episodes, which probably added to Chloe's sloppy mess of a role in the show. This is probably why we got the whiplashing episodes of "uwu pity the sad rich girl" to "she's absolutely terrible".

Either way, I did think the same pre s2. That is one way to get a redemption rolling, someone worse comes along, filling the role the prior antagonist/villain had and doing it better (e.g. Vegeta). This has the previous antagonist/villain either stepping in line and becoming a lackey as someone superior is filling their role, or they're role is changed up entirely, working with the heroes as the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

And given that both girls had a big ego and liked attention, it was easy to expect that these girls were going to clash. For there can only be one Queen Bee of the school, and Chloe is the sort to expect to have lackeys, and not be a lackey.

And I was expecting Lila to play a major role in that speculated redemption for Chloe. That, unlike Chloe, she has charisma and cunning, that she would win over most of the school, and that she would turn the school against Chloe. That Lila would inspire everyone to come forward to call Chloe out on her bs, for what she's done to every single one of them. Be a classic popularity vs power, and how the many overtake the one. And how the one thing Chloe had, the power she used to instill fear and control that allowed her to throw her weight around and do as she pleases, that's now broken down. There's not a lot her father could do if the whole school stood up to her, he can't shut it down or have everyone expelled.

It's just Lila bringing forth the consequences of Chloe's actions, and no Miraculous Cure will fix this.

And Chloe is set up to either bow out, bow down, or make that first step to change, as change, and redemption, starts with you. Chloe herself has to want to change. And I am of the belief that change comes with a really hard reality check.

But we didn't get this. And with them set to not change Chloe, then yeah Lila was a useless inclusion. We did not need two mean girls, who play very similar roles, for Marinette to go up against, additionally with both of them interested in Adrien. And then you add Kagami to the mix, who was a somewhat mean girl in certain eps, then yeah it was just redundant.

And it's made worse with the inclusion of Felix and Zoe.

Felix was a better Lila, making her even more obsolete. Between Chloe and Felix, there was nothing unique to Lila. Doesn't help that Lila was a plot device who comes in as the writers need her to, and drag down everyone's IQ. Felix doesn't need people dumbed down to trick them, he has the charisma and deceptive skills to do so. So yeah he was very much the superior Lila.

And then you got Zoe coming in and acts as a fill in for a redeemed Chloe and Lila. As you have two girls filling a very similar role, one needs to change. Typically redemption is a good way to do it, and there are fans who did want that (especially for Chloe), but they didn't want to redeem either, so Zoe comes in to fill that role awkwardly, adding more to this already big cast.

Zoe is a "redeemed" Chloe as she's related to her, played a "mean girl" role, and gets the Bee by default whether it really clicks with her or not. She's a "redeemed" Lila as Zoe is deceptive and a manipulator, but with a golden heart.

So yeah, in hindsight, Lila really is just a pointless inclusion. S6 does have a chance to do something with her now, but eh, I'm not expecting much.

[pruneunfair]

Women who deserve better, both in story and writting. *Spoiler warning*

Isabella de Mare

Shes who I think of when someone asks me which character has the most wasted potential. She's a horrible human being with no other qualities but that was fine because she was set up at first as this conniving mastermind behind it all, her whole monologe about not putting all your faith in men was pretty badass and she even knew Ceasre would fall out of love with her eventually, girl just wanted that power. Unfortunately authors didn't want her to be smarter or even as smart as the FL so they dumbed her down into a spoiled green tea bitch with a low intelligence stat.

Rhyse Sinclair

Honestly she's one of the better green tea women I've seen, I like that instead of her immediately trying to mess with Edith she's trying to be her friend and actually does a good job playing the role of the sweet saint while dropping hints of her new rotten nature. I think she was originally a sweet girl who wanted the best for Edith until the Author started to influence her more and more.

Iris Van Conrad

Correct me if I get something wrong cause i just started reading this one. While Iris is annoying and just the typical punching bag designed for the FL to basically say "I'm not like other girls." I kind of pity her, she's getting humiliated every which way. In the beginning the FL pours wine on her for insulting her dress and a comment said that was classy? That's literally the opposite of how to handle a situation with class, she's not hard to dislike but not hard to like either, I want to hope she'll become a real threat but it's unlikely

Rashta Ishka

Ah, the iconic Rashta and probably one of the most famous green tea bitches. This girl was done dirty by both the story and the writting. She's the anti-sue to Naviers Mary sue. She was a slave sold by her father, was taken advantage of by one of her masters and got pregnant, her child was then taken from her by her master and he gave her a dead baby he claimed was hers and that's only a slice of what she goes through.

Nobody really likes her, she's regarded as a stupid slave who barges in on the empress, Sovieshu happily takes advantage of her to try to make Navier jealous and her only friend is manipulating her into ruin, all while any chance at her being complex is destroyed by the writers who turn her from a smart grey character/Villainess to another wicked punching bag to be used as a stepping stone for Navier and Heinrey.

Aisha

Basically Rashta but even worse. She never succeeds in any of her plans or schemes and is always one step behind the girlboss protagonist Robelia. Aisha exists to be the "other girl" fans can make fun of. The moment the protagonist shows up, the ML (who I'd beg to differ is the sole conflict and not her) ditches her to be with Robelia now that's she's "interesting" leaving Aisha to basically throw childish tantrums as she fails to be better than the FL and worse yet, the writer justifies Alexandros cheating and is viewed as misunderstood while Aisha still a pick me concubine who's only personality is trying and failing to win over Alexandros.

Minthe

The only one who's not from a manhwa. Minthe is proof to me that no one on webtoon really cares if your a mistress just as long as your the protagonist. She is one of the few character in lore olympus written with acknowledged flaws and reasons to be upset, Hades gets in an emotional affair with Persephone and apparently she's evil for not sucking it up and being reasonably upset, she's often a victim of prejudice by the other characters and is literally called "nymph trash". Even the fans would ridicule her for being upset and getting in the way of the creepy ship between Hades and Persephone to the point of bodyshaming her and being overly happy when Persephone turned her into a plant. In the end Minthe gets a half-assed arc and leaves the story forever.

Diane Poitier

One of the other well written women in historical manhwas. She's treated pretty badly by everyone including her brother and the Emperor who she tries desperately to keep by her side and she wrongfully takes it out on the protagonist Adelheid but whats different between her and other concubines in other media, Diane was there before Adelheid so it gave a reason why she was defensive (not an excuse but a reason). Seeing her break down when Adelheid actually cared about her broke my heart and really showed just how little worth outside of the Emperor she really has for herself and makes some pretty nice character development for herself and died realizing she blamed her problems on the wrong person.

[the-dairy-of-a-normal-person]

idk how to start but I am SO confused about that last look of a flabbergasted Francesca when she meets Michaela? WHAT WAS THAT? i haven't read the books so excuse me for that 😭

some thoughts-

+ they are wasting away Benedict. they are wasting his potential and story and what all he could be. he felt so...out of place, confused and useless this season. half of his scenes were of him having sex that was not going ANYWHERE. i love Benny so much but i want shonda to treat this President of Pookie Nation with care and love. I want the story to respect Benedict because his character has so much potential and so much to offer. He hides behind his charming smiles and taunts but his eyes are always sad. As if he is looking for something-this one crucial piece of puzzle and he cannot seem to find it. shonda babes you better sharpen your quill.

+ all the instances that were supposed to be happy for Pen- the marriage, the engagement, the wedding night, ALL OF IT WAS RUINED BECAUSE of that stupid LW secret.

+Kate and Anthony still the best couple i do not make the rules. i don't think even Polin is topping them. tho Kate is certainly topping Anthony tonight.

+ the season was good don't get me wrong but it felt..a bit... rushed and its like the writers are focusing more on the future than savour the present. everything is happening because of the future seasons. idk if that makes sense

+i DID NOT like violet's treatment of kilmartin. i like violet most of the time but she didn't have to act so "unsure", distant and sloppy with kilmartin.

+Francesca gave some slippery vibes as if she is hiding something. or is it just me?

+I don't know why everyone is bashing Eloise so much. I pity her so much. She has kept the sword aside, she stopped fighting but she looks SO LONELY. she is not always the easiest person and she is whiny but i wish i could give her the tightest hug and talk day and night. maybe I see myself in her too much that i am defending her.

+i like they included hyacinth and Gregory this season, they are so precious.

+ i liked cressida's redemption arc but I think Lady Featherington might have won this one. She made peace with Pen in her own tight lipped fashion but i love that for her, i am not going to lie.

+ oh, cressida. i feel too bad for her. i do. but I do not sympathise with her. i actually do not know what to think of her at all.

+mr and Mrs mondrich yassssss slaying as always so cool so suave i love them

+once again, KANTHONY💅🏻🕺🏻✨🥰✨⭐✨💫❤️❤️❤️ ALWAYS AND FOREVER

+ Best acting this entire season- Claudia Jessie. She is just too good.

Honorable mention- Colin and his rage when he finds out the real LW

+ Nicola is so real for baring her boobs we love a relatable queen and SHE MADE SO MANY WOMEN SEEN WHO DO NOT THINK THAT THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST BECAUSE THEY LACK CONVENTIONAL BODY TYPE. THANK YOU, QUEEN FOR MAKING ME FEEL SEEN.

+did I mention KANTHONY?

+LADY DANBURY' storyline was TOO DAMN GOOD. Her pain, the sweet moments between violet and her, how she confronted her brother. She is simply sublime. One of my fav characters. Again, i love my boy Benny but Lady Danbury had a better storyline than whatever the heck his story was trying to achieve.

okay, i ll stop. i am so sorry for making you read all this. i may not be as interesting as Lady WhistleDOWN.

Abt benedict : i'm afraid they are just going to use him off but apparently next season is about him so we'll, but yeah, appart from the sex scenes we had nothing more of him 🥲

Abt LW secret and all : I absolutely hated colin's reaction to pen's power and his stupid jalousy that he has all bc she is more sucsesfull than he will ever be and that she was able to build all of it by herself and her own labour and NO ONE praised her for that exept mme delacroix

Abt kanthony : i loved them sm but why werd they randomly popping on and out. I honestly lost track of them at some point

Abt the season writing : after discussing with a friend, we thought that the season did not have the same pattern as the others, especially part 2 which seemed a bit weird, as if not wrote by the same person

Abt violet : i used to be always like " i could never hate her " but now she just pissed me off. Girl, u can see that your daughter is happy and she found someone she's confortable with so why being such a brat ???

Abt Éloïse : i understand that she felt lonely and all but she is such a bad friend, took cressida for granted, just using her and not even caring for anyone but herself

Abt lady featherington : i had the feeling her "redemption arc " was forced and unatural

And finally, i agree with pretty much everything

Thank you for interacting ❤️

[burst-of-iridescent]

I sent you the last question. and although I'm not going to argue, there are some points I should clarify.

«that you ship kat.aang.»

You're wrong, I don't ship kataang. I agree that this is a good ending to the show if the creators wanted a romantic ending, because kataang is a story, supported by multiple references and symbolism, about two children, two survivors of the genocide who fought for victory shoulder to shoulder and now go forward together as partners to build a new and better world. this is a very beautiful ending, embodying all the main themes of the show. But I am not an active shiper and would quite agree to an ending in which kataang would not be canonically confirmed.

«what a pity that they didn't end the show with a beautiful, strong, intimate friendship that provided the perfect foundation for a romance to develop.»

Yes, just like the show ended with Zuko's beautiful, strong, intimate friendship with Sokka, Toph and Aang. Zuko and Katara ended the show as friends, but there was never anything in their relationship that Zuko didn't have with Sokka, Toph, or Aang. With Aang, in fact, Zuko has much more parallels, symbolism and friendly interaction (apparently, on this basis it should be assumed that zukaang was robbed).

«it is usually good to provide this little thing called evidence when carrying out analysis.»

it would be my plesure:

"Your sister. She hates me! And I don't know why, but I do care what she thinks of me."

"Now that I know he's out there ... now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice."

These are quotes from the show. it would be great if you revisit the show itself from time to time, if you undertake to talk about how poorly the writers understand the characters.

«their choices are made for them by writers whose job is to make those choices make sense within the scope of their own narrative arcs, and fit the themes and messages of the show.»

which is what we are talking about. Kataang developed literally from the first episode, we saw how Katara's feelings for Aang were born and developed.

 s1 ep 14 Katara first starts thinking about Aang as a potential partner.

s2 ep 2 Katara first offers to kiss Aang, is offended when he refuses and then blushes when she later remembers the kiss.

S3 ep2 Katara is jealous and offended when she sees other girls flirting with Aang, and then rejoices when he invites her to dance and looks at him with loving eyes during the dance.

S3 ep10 Katara blushes when Aang kisses her and anxiously watches as he flies away to fight the firelord.

S3 ep17 The whole episode very clearly mocks the idea of zutara. We see how the propaganda of the fire nation mock Katara rasistic way as a brown girl, overly sexualizing her, showing zutara in his performance and forcing «katara» to say that Aang is like a brother to her.

S3 ep21 Katara initiates her and Aang's kiss. It is important that kataang happens on her terms and it is she who initiates the beginning of their relationship.

 You'll just have to throw these pieces out of the show and ignore the feelings and aspects of Katara's personality to claim that it didn't happen. when I say that kataang and maiko are canon, i dont mean at all "bryke and ehaz wanted to make them canonical and did." I mean, "it logically follows from the characters, from the symbolism and themes of the show." The development of the characters is important, not what the writers wanted.

I'm not going to continue this conversation, it would just be cool if you didn't literally throw whole pieces out of the show and ignore the character of Katara to prove that your ship is something more than just a fanon.

sweetie, there is not a thing you’ve shown me in any of our discussions (and i use that term generously, given that all you’ve done is refuse to engage with my arguments, continue spewing the most egregious misinterpretations, and generally be walking proof of what happens when you don’t pay attention in english class) so far that could convince me that you’re worth giving any more of my attention to.

if you are actually interested, i have addressed all of your “points” and more here — but of course, you never came to me looking for a good-faith, intellectual debate in the first place, given that you didn’t even have the guts to stand by your own arguments without hiding behind anon.

i hope someday you’re able to find joy in something other than bothering strangers on the internet just because they like two different fictional people kissing than you do.

have a good day 🥰

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 4

Hello, hello, anyone and everyone willing to give me a chance! On the advice of a friend, I've decided to mix things up a bit by giving my thoughts on this episode now that I've had time to think it over, once the veil of incredible RAGE has passed.

I gotta say, what annoys me the most about this episode, in hindsight, is how... dismissive it is. It reduces basically one of the most potentially crucial and insightful moments for Marinette as a character, a chance to think back on everything she's done over the show, good and bad... and boils it down to the writers having Marinette and everyone around her fixate on her crush, as if it's the deciding point upon which her entire life revolves around. It's just such a waste of a good plot, of Marinette thinking on where she's gone wrong in life. And I'm left feeling depressed and cheated at what could've been. That's not even getting into how this episode in particular... really makes Marinette look like a completely self-centered jerk.

Anyway, with my brief pity party over, onto the review! Warning as always for profanity.

Episode 4: Jubilation 

Alright, we get an introduction with Marinette looking at an ad for the Alliance Rings, and Tikki pointing out that she's still "in love with Adrien." Like, NO DUH!! You don't just "stop being in love, or having a crush" just because you want to, that isn't how emotions WORK!! We also got Marinette blaming what happened with the Miraculouses on her "loving Adrien" and I'm just... NO!! As much as I fucking hate the Love Square, THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!! SERIOUSLY, STOP TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING IN THIS SHOW ABOUT THE FUCKING LOVE SQUARE ALREADY!! This didn't happen because of "love," this happened because of freak coincidence, and while it's not unreasonable for Marinette not to realize that, given that Felix is nowhere to be seen, IT IS STILL IDIOTIC TO JUMP TO THAT CONCLUSION! What HAPPENED had nothing to do with her being "in love," and had EVERYTHING to do with the fact that she has not EVEN ONCE managed to keep her emotions under control when it COMES to Adrien!! Her problem is that she refuses to acknowledge she HAS a problem. Even THIS is just her avoiding the actual issue!! God DAMMIT Astruc, how do you fuck up what should be a fairly straightforward plot about Marinette analyzing herself and learning discipline!? 

Oh great, and here comes everyone's "favorite Principal" playing superhero again. Now, to be blunt, I wouldn't MIND this... even with the last time he showed up in colored undies having him "realize" he should stop playing hero or something to that effect, it's clearly something he's passionate about and he's just honestly trying to help (in his own dumb way)... but this is fucking pathetic. Thomas, what in the world is portraying a man hanging by his clothing after failing to rescue a cat from a high place supposed to show!? It just makes him look sad and pathetic. For a series ABOUT Superheroes, mocking or portraying someone who honestly wants to BE a superhero as a joke is in poor taste in general. 

And just recycling a plot? Seriously!? There wasn't any OTHER way to reuse this guy besides making fun of his passion? It's the height of laziness. And... we get a Ladybug Cosplayer. Who Marinette apparently knows... Oh boy. It's one of THOSE plots. 

Socqueline... a "school friend from last year." Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't a MASSIVE part of the first season's set-up, Origins in particular, about how Marinette apparently didn't have ANY FRIENDS AT ALL!? Now, this... this wouldn't be that big of a problem... if it weren't for what's coming next. 

Pardon me while I go on a rant within a rant: Monster. You had... a high school girl... call Chloe Bourgeois a MONSTER unironically, Thomas. What. The Complete. AND UTTER. FUCK!? No no, none of that, SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THAT NOISE. She is a fucking HUMAN BEING who you have bent over backwards to demonize for either trivially petty bullshit, blatantly hypocritical double-standards, and just plain DENYING CHILD ABUSE EVEN WHEN YOU PORTRAY IT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!!! you do not get to have ANYONE call her a monster. Ever. Shut the fuck up, and don't let the door hit you on the way out. 

And now, to resume my original rant. See, Marinette knew exactly where to FIND Socqueline, without any issue whatsoever. She knew precisely where she would be. And yet, they apparently haven't seen each other in a while. Thomas... How do you portray Marinette THIS FUCKING BADLY AT BEING A FRIEND!? Because when you have it set up that Marinette knows precisely where Socqueline WORKS, then how the fuck has it been that they haven't seen one another in awhile!? Like, the ONLY WAY this really makes sense is if they either A) weren't that close of friends and meeting back up just hadn't occurred to them, or B) somehow BOTH OF THESE IDIOTS never thought to try and reach out and meet back up, even though there's no fucking law that I'm aware of that would've stopped them. Even ignoring the later bullshit, this is completely and utterly idiotic. 

Okay, and it turns out that Socqueline has a crush on Adrien too (although it's more obviously a crush and not a crush dressed up as being "in love with him" like it is with Marinette). They really are just... trying to make Socqueline be on the exact same wavelength as Marinette, aren't they? That's just... you don't need to have people have the same overall personality and interests and living situations to pull of a fucking case of MISTAKEN FUCKING IDENTITY!!! Gaaahhh! This is gonna be annoying, I can just TELL. 

Yeah, she's a fangirl. Ughh... also, if she's a big fan of Adrien as depicted, and she's Marinette's friend... how the FUCK did Marinette not know who Adrien was during Origins!? 

Okay, the dialog just now included a moment of Socqueline stating "I should've stayed back a year." Which... to me... shoots a MASSIVE HOLE in her backstory regarding an upcoming episode. Namely, by implicating that she had a CHOICE in whether to stay or go. 

Honestly? A bit of an aside, but I kinda would've enjoyed seeing standoffish Adrien, what with him being homeschooled for literally his whole life and his only public interactions being press events and model work. 

Marinette... why the FUCK are you running your mouth about Adrien's personal life and secrets to a girl you haven't even TALKED TO IN ROUGHLY A YEAR!? Don't... you do not DO THAT. Like, I GET that this is supposed to be some kind of "can't you see how much she cares for him and understands him!?" moment by implying she's the only one who knows him that well... while ignoring how he tends to keep people at arm's length and she only "knows him so well" by the fact that she apparently is the only one in the class with EYES or who bothers to talk to him when he's visibly upset, not even his best friend Nino. FUCK THIS SHIT. It's crap like THIS that makes me hate the Love Square SO FUCKING MUCH!! It takes what COULD BE a fairly decent execution of realizing one's feelings... and butchers it both by how it shoves it down the viewers throat by people commenting on it basically every episode AND the numerous writing flops in trying to shove them together as a couple. I have seen better romance from kids taking a pair of dolls and smashing their faces together. 

Like, this entire round of dialog is just Marinette rambling about her "feelings" because "OH EM GEE SHE LUVS ADREEAN!!!" Fuck this shit with a rusty spoon. Lemme guess, we're gonna see Socqueline devolve from fangirl (which could've AT LEAST set up something resembling interesting conflict between her and Marinette) into "rabid shipper." Garbage. 

Marinette... on what BASIS DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH ADRIEN!? Beyond being generically nice people who like video games (which can apply to MOST OF YOUR FRIEND GROUP), the ONE THING you two had in common (fashion) turned out to be something Adrien doesn't actually want ANYTHING to do with!! 

And another round of mocking the Principal who loves superheroes. 

Okay, and we got Marinette getting fed up with Socqueline dodging the issue of her impersonating Ladybug and going on a rant of her own about trying to be a superhero "because it's very dangerous without magical powers" and I'm just sitting here like... Marinette, if this wasn't about being a superhero, that would be VERY FUCKING ABLEST SOUNDING. Heck, it's ablest sounding ANYWAY because it's implying that only people with the "right abilities" should be allowed to do a dangerous thing, even though IT IS THEIR OWN FUCKING CHOICE WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES!! Like, Socqueline impersonating Ladybug alone is annoying to me, not because it's wrong of her to want to emulate a hero she admires, but because she's apparently CLAIMING to be her when helping people, which actually IS a valid concern. But when the person delivering that valid concern talks like THIS?! Marinette... god fucking DAMMIT go see a fucking therapist. NOW. And we got a word of Socqueline sharing her "words of wisdom" from her and Marinette's up until now unknown shared past... "you've got to step in if you want to change things in life." Which isn't BAD in the slightest... until you remember that Marinette in Origins was a fucking doormat, so if Socqueline was supposedly such a big influence on her, why didn't she stand up to Chloe more!? They are trying to imply the two know one another so well... and it falls apart when you stare at it hard because of how little thought they put into meshing Socqueline's existence with the show's history! 

Also more of an angry rant by Marinette which is now pretty transparently about how much she hates being a Superhero. Like... Marinette, no one FORCED you to keep being one. It was literally a plot point in Origins that when she doubted herself, it was because she thought she wasn't CAPABLE, not because she hated the idea of it. So this entire angry rant is so much idiocy because it doesn't paint her as stepping up by doing what no one else is able to do, it paints her as someone complaining and being honestly a bit of a fucking control freak in that she's not thinking about what's best for the people she's thinking about what's best for HER by claiming no one can help her. This is almost NARCISSISTIC in how it is basically railroading the people of Paris into stepping back and leaving it all to the heroes, no matter how much of a burden it places on them, and it's all because of Marinette's personal feelings and stress. Okay, it's not LITERALLY that, given that the people of Paris are doing small things to try and keep from getting Akumatized, but for all that is good and decent in the world, WHY IS THIS SUCH A FUCKING BIG DEAL FOR MARINETTE!? It isn't even ABOUT Socqueline at this point, so you can't even claim that this is "anger born of worry." Why in the fucking world is someone who apparently hates being a hero so much and wants to leave it all behind still out in the field!? this is the kind of crap that results in permanent, life-long mental health problems. 

Oh, and now that we've moved on from that, we get a scene that APPARENTLY there's someone in Paris making Dinosaur/Pigeon hybrids. Given a later plot point in the season involving what the superheroes can and can't get involved with, this is gonna get stupid, I just know it. 

This is so idiotic. Just... it's completely idiotic because in this case, she ISN'T putting the safety of the people before her own feelings. If anything, she's doing the opposite, in that she's denying people the right to make their own choices for her own peace of mind. That's like expecting Superman to try and talk Lois Lane out of being a reporter, "because it's not safe for her to go and investigate dangerous criminals and organizations." 

And now we get Damocles getting mopey about whether or not he's an effective hero... and Socqueline, rather than encourage him to try and keep going on, and help because he wants to help, tries to encourage him to "keep being an excellent principal." Which, given that her argument basically involved people having the right to help out however they desire, it just feels like kicking Damocles while he's down (and he's just plain NOT a good Principal honestly). Yeah, we're seeing him get akumatized this episode. 

Marinette accidentally turns on the step tracker in front of Socqueline RIGHT after getting back from a big fight as Ladybug... and Socqueline just dismisses it as a bug. Which, yeah, I honestly buy... and makes a later bit of stupidity coming up more obnoxious to me. 

And here's the stupidity: namely, Gabriel gets an alert on HIS Alliance Ring regarding the superhuman data Marinette ended up inputting in Socqueline's Alliance... I-I gotta ask, why the absolute FUCK is he not questioning why he's only NOW getting word on this!? Or rather, why is he not QUESTIONING why he's only getting this data now!? Like, given he's apparently got those things linked together and is spying on the data they input to search for Ladybug, it shouldn't be too hard for him to check out Socqueline and figure out that she's had her Alliance for longer than just TODAY, so how in the world has he not gotten this info before now!? Because let's face it, Socqueline is the most OBNOXIOUSLY OBVIOUS in-universe red herring you can HAVE for a case of mistaken identity. Has won awards for gymnastics several years running? Check. Takes Tae Kwon Do classes? Check. Used to go to Francois Dupont, where multiple students have been Akumatized? Check. Has her hair in pigtails!? Fucking CHECK. Plus the incredibly "heroic" personality and mindset. It's CRINGE INDUCING how obvious of a suspect they made her... and the fact that she's NOT Ladybug, but won't actually admit as such when cosplaying AS Ladybug IS NOT HELPING. 

Okay... I GET that Dark Owl (or Darker Owl this time I guess) is meant to be a Silver-Age Batman/Adam West Batman Parody, but seriously, FALLING INTO A CAN OF PAINT IS THE BEST THEY COULD COME UP WITH!? This is just... what made Dark Owl effective in the first place was that he was VERY genre savvy regarding Superheroes and much more clever with his plans than he let on. So this?! Yeah, they are making him an absolute JOKE in the worst way possible. It's honestly a bit cruel. 

They aren't just recycling a plot, they are DOWNGRADING the plot. 

And now we move onto the fucking SHARED DREAM. You want to know the dumbest part of this bit?? It's the fact that we are given ZERO CLUE whose dream occupies which parts, or even WHY THEY ARE SHARING THE DREAM IN THE FIRST PLACE. The dream overall is just so ridiculously contrived it's basically running on the same campy Silver Age tones as Dark/er Owl does, and it makes any potential emotions regarding this just... fizzle away because how the FUCK do their respective dreams create a set-up where defeating Monarch is as finding his address, punching him, going to a movie together, and then winding up married... and how in the FUCK do they somehow NEVER NOTICE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE FACT THAT THEY AREN'T DETRANSFORMING!? And... the babies. 

EVERYTHING about the babies is weird, and creepy. HOW DID IT TAKE THEM SO LONG IN THE DREAM TO REALIZE IT'S A DREAM!? WHY DID IT TAKE THEM THAT LONG!? It's... completely and utterly obnoxious. 

And what makes it more annoying is that they are trying to frame this as them losing this idealistic life... that they haven't put ANY EFFORT into making believable or desirable. It's just weird, disjointed, and doesn't seem to have any kind of logic to it at all. Ironically, just like a real dream. 

It's like they were trying to rip-off Alan Moore's Superman run where Supes got put into an idealistic dream, and it just comes off more as a cheap parody of what that run, and adaptations of it, tried so hard to capture. Like, we are given NOTHING to go off of regarding what their "dream lives" are meant to be besides "together, and with four/five super creepy babies that don't age." 

And I GET that "oh, Adrien is just upset at having gotten his dream life and then learning it's all fake," But it runs into the huge fucking problem THAT HE IS DEALING WITH A SUPERVILLAIN BOOSTED WITH A POWER ALL ABOUT GIVING PEOPLE AN IDEALIZED DREAM, and as stated above, the "dream life" was so blatantly fake and low-quality that the reaction he's showing is just... no. He is not sympathetic in this, he is coming off as violently unstable over a cheap, loweffort fake life. And he tried. To Cataclysm. AN INNOCENT MAN OVER THIS. Does Thomas NOT REALIZED HOW UTTERLY FUCKED UP THIS IS!? And this is AFTER he apparently had a fucking breakdown over accidentally cataclysming Monarch BY ACCIDENT. Like, if having his emotions toyed with like that made him less sympathetic towards MONARCH, I would get it... but that is not the case. He is royally pissed off over a cringy fake life that was so transparently nonsensical and taking it out on a fellow victim of the terrorist looming over their heads. No. Get his head out of his ass, this is insane, and not in a good way. 

Okay... so Marinette refused the Alliance Ring because it almost revealed her to Socqueline. That... is completely and utterly stupid because SHE CAN JUST TAKE THE THING OFF IF SHE IS ABOUT TO TRANSFORM!! Even if it is a plot by Monarch, the fact that SHE DOES NOT KNOW THIS means that her reason for refusing it is idiotic and doesn't seem to have any solid basis for it beyond a very weak case of sentimentality or paranoia. I wonder when they'll reveal that Monarch can track people through the stupid things. 

And with that, this episode review is done. 

Wait, just found out that Chat and Ladybug have a discussion about the power of Jubilation... and it's transparently low-effort ship tease. I say "low effort" because it's pretty obvious that they aren't even TRYING to discuss it at all and are just setting it up as "Ladybug isn't honest about her FEELINGS!!" and it makes me cringe. NOW my review for this is done.

[archduchessofnowhere]

What is the most historically accurate film of Sisi you have seen?

Can you rank all of them you have seen from most historically accurate to least?

what one is your favorite?

thank you!

Hello! One of my major goals (?) on this blog is to make an Ultimate Tier List of Sisi Adaptations, but I still haven't been able to. But here is an overview of the media that I've watched so far, ranked for most "accurate" to the least:

Sisi (2009): By far the most historically accurate Sisi portrayal that exists. I've already talked about it a bit the other day, but this mini series covers from Elisabeth's engagement until her coronation as Queen of Hungary, and includes important events such as her daughter's death in 1857, the Italian War of 1859, Elisabeth's illness and departure to Madeira, the abuse her son Rudolf suffered in hands of his tutor and her intervention to stop it, among other things. We even get as a side plot her brother-in-law Maximilian and his ill-fated adventure. It is clear that the writers knew the history they were adapting, and put care in having as much historical moments as posible. Which incidentally is also the series biggest weakness: it's too short for the amount of events it covers. The pacing is too rushed and many of the story lines are not properly developed. It is not entirely accurate either: the writers couldn't (or didn't want to) get away of the romantic myth and put great emphasis in Elisabeth's marriage as a great love story (weirdly this didn't stop them from romanticizing her friendship with Andrássy either). I pity that this wasn't a full series because it had the potential to be a great show.

Elisabeth das musical (1992-): my favorite piece of media about Elisabeth ever. I also already talked about it but for a musical whose argument is that the assassin of Empress Elisabeth is trapped in a loop in the afterlife in which he forever must tell her story while he's judged for his crime this is a surprisingly accurate and nuanced take of her life. While a bit outdated now (the idea that archduchess Sophie was an evil mother-in-law or that Sisi and her father had a close relationship have been disproved for a while, for example), I think this musical actually got her personality, or better, it got that we can't truly know her: she was a complex person, she was full of contradictions, she was human.

Sissi Trilogy (1955-1957): a classic is a classic. A heavily romanticized take on the early life of the empress, these movies are not particularly accurate, but they're fun to watch nonetheless (except the third one. The third one is a bad movie, fight me)

Sisi (2021-): I'm weirdly fond of this show, I'm sorry. Like I know that objectively is a very trashy, poorly written attempt at a historical drama, and yet I can't help but finding it fun to watch. And for all its flaws (which are PLENTY, and I complained a lot about them here), at least it tried to do something different with some of the characters. I vaguely remember someone saying that RTL is like the CW of Germany, so following the comparison I would say that this show is kinda like Reign: a hot mess that you either love to hate, or you learn to love with time.

The Empress (2022-): my deep dislikeness for this show is no secret to my followers. In fact I owe them a review, which I begun but never finished, because every time I enter the doc I'm reminded of how much of a disappointment this series was for me, and I don't want to keep writing (I will eventually I promise it). This series has all the problems of the 2021 Sisi series and none of its redeming qualities. If you go through my livebloging tag you'll find what I disliked, but to put it short: this series is so disconnected of reality that can't be enjoyed as a historical drama, but it is so poorly written that can't be enjoyed as a piece of fiction either. It's just not fun to watch at all.

The King Steps Out (1936): The only time in history that the USA attempted to make a Sisi movie, and yes it ranks even lower than The Empress that's how inaccurate this is. This was an adaptation of an operetta (that would end up being the basis for the first Sissi movie), and other than "emperor is expected to marry his cousin but end ups falling for her sister instead" the story has nothing to do with history. I also just didn't like this movie at all.

Not Sisi Media But Features Sisi As A Character:

Ludwig II (2012): I LOVE Hannah Herzsprung's Elisabeth. She gave us a Sisi we never saw before: the friend. She is Ludwig's friend and wants the best for him but this doesn't stop her from criticizing him; she loves him but also loves her little sister and is FURIOUS when Ludwig dumps Sophie. To me this is one of the most loving takes of her that exists, and for that I adore it.

Ludwig (1973): THE BEST enigmatic and mature Elisabeth, period. Romy is sublime, every one of her scene feels like a master class in acting. I don't rank her over Hannah's Elisabeth because I don't like much the plot they gave her (they turned her friendship with Ludwig into a sort-of-romance and she also mistreats Sophie), but in terms of acting this is by far the best performance.

Mayerling (1936): Elisabeth appears only for one scene played by a woman that looks nothing like her only to give love advice (???) to Mary Vetsera and then leaves. An absolutely boring and forgettable portrayal, I don't know why they even bothered including her (also fyi this movie is bad).

Ludwig II (1955): literally who is this woman. She's Elisabeth in name only, they stripped away everything that made her interesting and turned her into a cardboard cutout romantic interest for Ludwig II (who's straight here LOL). Worst Elisabeth that I've seen so far hands down (btw this movie is also bad minus some scenes).

Special Mention:

L'aigle à deux têtes (1948): This isn't a Sisi movie nor features Sisi at all, but the character of the Queen is clearly inspired in Elisabeth. Here we follow the widow Queen of a fictional kingdom and an anarchist that attempts to kill her but ends up being protected by her. It's the adaptation of a play and it shows: the action happens in closed spaces and it's made up mostly of dialogues. It is a psychological movie (and also an enemies to lovers romance lol), and it may be boring for some since it's mainly just characters talking, but personally I loved it.

[anti-spop]

I barely engage in SPOP fandom stuff anymore for many reasons but I do enjoy your blog from time to time whenever a thought about how poorly written Catra was enters my head. During the show I kept feeling like I was supposed to pity her, empathise with her and root for her but all I felt was increasing disappointment. She’s got so much potential and I don’t dislike her. I love her character design and the odd moment when she does Cat Things. It’s just…there was absolutely nothing about her relationship with Adora that made me hope they’d end up together. Like for sure LGBTQ+ relationships shouldn’t be sanitized and perfect, but there just wasn’t anything….there? resembling love or support from Catra for most of the show.

On the other hand, what I wasn’t expecting was for Hordak of all people to make me begin to consider to leaving my toxic church and abandoning a lot of very harmful self-beliefs. Something about that moment where he realised nothing he could ever do would be good enough for Horde Prime hit home for me. Didn’t expect that but it’s changed my life for the better, which makes it all the more irritating that the show writers didn’t do a better job with Catra.

Yeah, I'm mostly following like, one or two blogs who post more actively about SPOP (and they're both critical of the show). Honestly, most people I follow on Tumblr don't care about SPOP anymore. I think they all dropped it once season 5 ended.

And same! There are some aspects I still like about Catra, like her design and the Cat Things (I am not immune to cute cat noises), save for some sympathetic moments like the ones with Scorpia. She had so much potential but C//A ruined her completely. If Catra wasn't so dependent on Adora then maybe she could've had a more genuine character development, but she's just stuck as being Adora's possessive and petty girlfriend.

I'm glad Hordak helped you realize that! Although he didn't get more screentime, and the cult trauma ended up being used to make us feel more sorry for Catra than Hordak and the other clones (especially since Wrong Hordak is a joke the entire time), I agree that his arc ended up being more compelling than Catra's. I honestly wish Hordak and Horde Prime's dynamic was shown more often, or earlier on. I only remember it being introduced in season 3 and they don't talk about it that much later on (correct me if I'm wrong). But it did give us an insight to Hordak and I thought it was pretty interesting. It's too bad Horde Prime only officially appeared in the season 4 finale, so he's a rather shallow villain.

It's odd because Hordak has, in theory, less development and screentime in comparison to Catra, but in the end she never actually changes. She just changed sides and not for the right reasons. Catra only joined the Rebellion because she had nowhere else to go. She didn't even save Glimmer for the good reasons, she just did it for Adora. You'd think Catra would learn better after season 4... but she only got a haircut that wasn't even her choice and remained an asshole towards Adora and the princesses. It's such a shame.

[curious-shadow-cat]

You know I thought maybe h*zbin h*tel would've ended up being better because I thought there would've been more professional writers...

(There's a lot of other problems but I'm just going to stick with the shows writing so far of the characters we've seen clips of)

but then you listen to Val start talking and....he's meant to be THE main bad guy isn't he?? Well so far it's been Vox that's been taking up the role and Val is just a literal joke...how the fuck are you going to tell/show your fans all these years Val is meant to be the unforgivable main bad guy and then turn him into....that???

Vox was being beaten by Val in the art, had his pet shot (Canon or not you'd think she'd want to show her audience how serious he is) and now all of a sudden Vox is leading the team??? I knew Val was going to be a joke but I didn't think it would be THAT bad. I need to stop expecting V*v's writing to get better when it comes to making characters that should be taken seriously. Look at Adam. Same problem.

You would think that Val would've been the one Alastor was going to hate since he's threatening Charlie and her family and he's the most violent one but NO, we gotta have a petty battle with him and Vox.

I feel like there's missed potential that Val could've been forcing Velvette and Vox to work with him and he could've just taken out Vox with no problem at all and the only reason he stays is to keep Velvette from getting hurt, he probably see's her as his daughter (Why the fuck is Val being the fatherly figure with Velvette, wtf). The whole point was to redeem sinners and get them into heaven since it seemed like there was a place WORSE than where they were currently located. Or they just ended up gone forever. But what is redeemable?? Charlie doesn't even know! And you can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped, Val should be that example. I get the feeling that the three V's are just going to be this...weird...awful version of team rocket (I'm sorry but that's all I can think of when it comes to V*v's writing).

(Alright I'm back)

What did they do to Sir Pentious?? He's even more annoying and miserable than he was in the pilot. He could've been the most mannerly, but strict and greedy, sinner in the hotel yet still have a higher chance of getting into heaven than Angel. NOPE, SPOILER, he ends up working for the three V's....AND THEN CHARLIE FORGIVES HIM FOR IT and sing a sorry song about it....Not good but I'm pretty sure that was the point. But Niffty, whatever her name is, comes in and says "Not a bad boy!", there was nothing bad about him other than him wanting to work for Vox and then cries about not being a part of their team when he gets fired. This is all he does, he cries and puts on a pity me show. And then there's Niffty. Not much to say about her, she just really likes Pentious up until that point so far.

I'm not even going to say anything about Angel dust.

Husk....no idea what to think of him. I like his voice, I didn't have a problem with the other voice though either. Not sure how I feel about his design though.

Charlie, I already don't like her. Vaggie seems like she knows what to do and Charlie's not taking anything seriously, especially when it comes to Angel and that's probably why he's not taking anything seriously either. Vaggie's actually trying to help out Angel by the looks of one of the clips but THEN THERE'S CHARLIE. Standing up for the guy that was secretly helping out Angel's abusers.

I don't know what to say for Alastor, I don't care for him or like his design, the voodoo doesn't fit his character at all, why did she use those symbols?? Does she have any idea what they mean?? From what I remember is that one of them is meant for healing I think. Been a while since I've read about them, but yeah none of the symbols match with his powers, they should've just stuck with like deer skulls or something. He definitely seemed more threatening in the pilot than he does now. What is with the weird tentacles?? Whatever they are? No one going to be talking about that? He's not even going to bother with zombie deer or something? Or use his claws or antlers to attack his enemies? Or radio monsters?? I don't know, I don't get why he's there or in hell, Charlie doesn't need his protection from sinners. She's a princess from hell with her own powers that could take down Alastor. Or she should anyway.

That's all I got to say about these characters for now.

[joethetoonfanandoutcast]

Do you hate MoonLane? Is Buster not "good enough" for Suki?

I don't hate the pairing, but I hate getting my hopes up over something that the animators didn't intend in a future installment, despite its potential. That happened before with Scrat/Scratte and Penelope being in the Tune Squad in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

They don't have enough interaction time compared to WildeHopps, Mr. Wolf and Diane, Po and Tigress, Marlin and Dory or the usual male-female pairs you see in movies. And those pairings are far more popular with execs and audiences alike.

Also, judging by the theme in the Sing films, the tall characters who come from a big successful establishment are always mean to Buster or anyone close to him and are not meant to be liked. So big city girl/small town guy doesn't seem like it'd be for them. I guess that would mean Buster isn't good enough for her if Illumination would rather keep her in character, being picky towards shows and picky towards guys or women. I wanted to believe her taste in who she dates would be different than what shows she watches.

Plus, there's also the matter of "tropes are tools" that Hollywood has to uphold and the matter of Illumination wanting to "not please everybody and be more relevant to the future", so both mean they'll most likely use the "first friend is true love" cliche, where Eddie is Buster's love-interest because the two male best friends since childhood being lovers thing hasn't been done in an animated movie. It doesn't help that he's liked more than her.

Nor do these facts help:

The pairing falls in last place with Johnny (Jash or Jooshy), CrystalMoon (the toxic Foe Yay ship between Buster and Jimmy), or Meena/Alfonso.

The focus of the franchise being on the main cast of unlucky woobies, and Suki is not one of them. A story about a sad past could be given to her with Buster pitying her, but given the filmmakers' feel towards her, why would they do that?

The Sing cast is overstuffed with characters in their films as it is.

There isn't a lot of chemistry nor will the writers make it exist in the third film.

Hollywood doesn't like tall attractive girl/short cartoony guy pairings. Why do you think we get a lack of that?

A main character/sequel plot device pairing is unheard of.

Not to mention many would rather have Suki with Jimmy, some tall handsome guy, or a woman who's like her, especially since everyone's craving for more w/w rep in cartoons. We know Rosita, Norman, Meena, Alfonso, and Clay won't be touched.

So I don't hate MoonLane, but I feel like the pair shouldn't exist in the fandom if it or she is not meant to be liked by the audience.

[thatfraudcassandra]

Over the news of And A Movie, i found myself waxing nostalgic and even contemplating rewatching Community, but there is nothing like revisiting an old Twitter hate thread I made that doused me sober. (I bite Annie's head off a little in a case of internalized misogyny but hopefully it's clear that Dan Harmon is the real evil)

My 2020 hate speech:

WHY I HATE COMMUNITY: A THREAD

In the last month, I started bingeing Community and loved it. It was fresh. Meta. Made recently and so hopefully it was progressive as FRIENDS was 2020-offensive. Also I had already finished B99 and The Good Place and it was the next best thing.

In episode 1 they established Britta as the cool girl: she wouldn't date the hot guy because she's not shallow and let's face it, Jeff doesnt get the redemption arc that Jake did in B99. He didn't get over his assholeness like Jake did. Season 6 ended and Jeff was still shit.

Anyway, Britta is my favorite character. Season 1 saw her protesting causes, being a hypocrite over most of it, but totally relatable because who isn't a hypocrite right? At least she CARES. She empathizes with people. She later shifts to psychology wanting to help people. She often psychoanalyzes her friends which they hate, but she is often dead-on. Jeff and Pierce's dad issue? She called it. Abed's inability to move on after Troy left? She helped him with it. Troy's paralysis over breaking up with her? She helped him come to terms with it.

And yet, over the seasons she has been written as the "worst" character, often regarded as a meme rather than a real person. She's the only one who doesnt get to redeem herself over the seasons. (Jeff didnt redeem himself in my eyes but most would think he didnt need saving). Even Pierce redeemed himself by dying of dehydration after giving his seed away--can be construed as a selfless act. Britta never stands up from it. She is constantly put down by the group, with Annie constantly kneeling down her neck. They make jokes about her, uses her name as a synonym for "wreck" or "make worse". She exists mainly as two things: an antagonist in the Jeff-Annie relationship and a subject for every anti-woke sketch Dan Harmon wants to incorporate in the script.

Britta helped people. Britta cared. She did not compete with others, not even Annie even though Annie never stopped being insecure about Britta. She was best friends with Shirley. And yes, she made stupid decisions--Subway Rick and Honda Rick, Jeff, and Vaughn. But she genuinely cared. Unlike the rest of the group who were manipulative and found ways for the rest to cater to their whims, Britta usually didnt force anyone to do anything for her. Yes, she was vocal about her causes, but they always shot her down and except for the Guatemala bit in S1 I don't remember they ever supported her. Meanwhile, they went through claymation in Abed's breakdown, that whole s4 ending where Jeff had his own, Shirley even got her to man her shop, and Annie, well, I could think of a lot of times where she coerced the group into something. Such a poorly written character with so much potential.

And then Annie. She starts out grating my nerves. She's childish, manipulative, she literally stomps her feet and cries out like a toddler when something doesnt go her way. Dressing her up in slacks didnt make her mature. Over the seasons I went from being slightly annoyed to hating her but by the middle of season6, I just pity this character. Clearly, Dan Harmon fucked her up the way he did Britta. The writers probably didn't know how to write a multidimensional woman. Britta was reduced to a stupid, impressionable woke millennial, and Annie was just the slutty child. She was so oversexualized it didn't matter to me that Jeff stayed away--he clearly wanted to get into Annie's panties anyway. And she liked being viewed as a sex object. In the episode where they film a sci-fi movie for Chang, she shows up in a tight one piece that shows her breasts and Jeff clearly gets mesmerized. Britta calls her out "thats what you chose?" And then when Annie reaches INSIDE HER CLEAVAGE for an improvised laser bomb that Abed didnt write, Britta says "youre making it more difficult for every woman out there". Because it's true. Her loving being reduced to a sex object means it's okay for everyone else to be oversexualized. Annie retorts that she's just improvising, to which Britta says "IMPROVISE POCKETS!" She never made more sense than that moment.

I also hate how self-serving Annie is; remember the bottle episode? How about the one where Chang is cast as Mr. Miyagi? Or the party in the apartment episode. Or the one where they tie Prof Cornwallis up. Or the attack ad episode. Ugh. I hate her so much, but she is still the most well-loved character because SHE HAS BOOBS and she's hot. Innocent and sexy. The fact that so many people like her means there are so many misogynists, so many Dan Harmons in the world. And Britta? No one likes her. She says uncomfortable things. She doesnt dress like she's gonna blurt out "spank me daddy" any second now.

These are two women victimized by a series creator who probably didnt have much luck with women. Dan Harmon consistently shat on his women characters because he didnt understand them outside of his own relationships. Here is a guy who got married probably as a publicity stunt. He divorced her a year later and is now involved with a woman 12 years her junior. 12 years. Now you know why he kept pushing that creepy Jeff-Annie angle. And he's racist and ageist, you already knew that. Chevy Chase left famously because of it. And while Yvette Nicole and Donald didn't say it was the reason, throughout the season Dan poked fun at their race "did you ever 9/11 anyone?", Pierce once asked Abed. It's cringey. The whole thing is.

[seokwoosmole]

I'm so angry at today's episode in terms of what's happening with Youngwoo and Junho. On one note, I'm really happy that this show has saved me a headache by not including a serious 2nd lead character and love triangle (I don't count Suyeon) and that this isn't a slow burn (at least not in the ways that make it seem bothersome) and this is a really healthy pairing. BUT. That means that the problems in their love plot have to come from other people interfering. Which objectively speaking, I think is better writing, but it's more infuriating because other people causing problems in someone else's life is just the most upsetting thing. Throughout this entire episode, you can so clearly see how much Junho and Youngwoo care about each other and how badly they want their relationship to work out. They've spent enough time together to the extent where Youngwoo literally QUIZZES Junho on identifying whales and he's actually doing a good job as if he studied for it!! When Youngwoo gets overwhelmed on the plane, Junho immediately knows to ask her if she wants her headphones and where to retrieve them from when she does need them. And he wanted to introduce her to his sister and brother in law, and Youngwoo probably wanted to try to see dolphins/whales for a longer period of time than they did, but she knew Junho taking her to meet his family was important to him. And despite it being important to him, above all, he wants her to be comfortable, so inquired after what his sister would be serving them, and when he found that there was a lack on kimbap, assured her that they didn't have to eat with them.

But Youngwoo insisted that she would, 1) to make a good impression on Junho's family, and again, 2) she knows that this meeting is important to Junho and doesn't want to be rude by not eating the food prepared. She admits that she doesn't like that she has to eat food that isn't to her liking, but she wants to do it anyway. The two of them again and again make so many conscious efforts to accommodate and compromise with each other and though there are challenges, the show always prioritizes showing us the highlights over the difficulties. Despite the challenges, the writers never make the viewers feel as though Junho and Youngwoo's relationship is shaky. They always portray that yes, they face challenges, but it's okay because they're trying to overcome them and they're happy together and that's what matters most. But during that luncheon with Junho's sister and her husband (and in the imminent aftermath) we see that change drastically for the first time. It doesn't matter that Youngwoo tried her best and that Junho isn't ashamed to be with Youngwoo and doesn't see her having autism as a flaw and that the two of them are happy together. His sister and brother in law were clearly put off by her behavior and is ashamed for Junho and she refuses to understand that Junho is dating Youngwoo with the intention of their relationship being long-term, therefore not only is it silly and wrong, but also illogical for him to simply "not tell his parents" about them dating. Also the audacity and stupidity of his sister??? It's one thing to talk badly about someone behind their back, but to do it knowing that person is still in the vicinity and could potentially hear you?? Especially when the place of that vicinity is your home which you've invited that person into?? Especially when that person is your sibling's significant other??? In the teaser for the next episode, it's heavily implied that Youngwoo and Junho "break up" which breaks my heart but I can't even begin to blame Youngwoo for doing it. She already deals with discrimination and ableism on her own, but now she's experiencing it simply for being with someone. She's been insulted and demeaned by Junho's friends, basically labeled as a pity project; dismissed as a potential love interest for Junho completely by his lovely roommate Minwoo (don't even need to mention his other horrific acts); and now she's been infantilized and shamed by his sister. You can't blame Youngwoo for breaking up with Junho simply because of the way she's been treated, but given how they've set up her character, how the writers have shown how Youngwoo often feels bad thinking that other people are disadvantaged because they're on her side, I don't think that she's doing this 100% for her sake. In each of these scenarios, yes, Youngwoo is clearly the one getting the figurative pain in these punches, but from the aggressors' perspective, their thinking is that Youngwoo is the problem and Junho is the one who will suffer. This of course is bs, but I feel like a part of Youngwoo knows that these ableists think this way and she wants to save Junho from that. Because every time, Junho is so quick to defend Youngwoo, their relationship, and his intentions. And yet, people's minds won't change. UGHH. This was so much longer a post than I thought it was going to be. Just so upset. Like if it's not your relationship and other people aren't badly affected by it and the people are happy, stay out of it.

[miraculousdeservesbetter2024]

Reminders before following MiraculousBeezCentral

The purpose of me creating this blog was completely out of satisfaction and "filling the holes" that the show failed to do for me (and even for others!). I created this blog to explore different kinds of bee heroes, scenarios, create AUs, to celebrate characters that don't get enough love in the show, some ships, memes, and to generally have fun. The purpose of this blog wasn't to bash characters outright, but some criticisms about some characters might come up on this blog every now and then. Basically, no character is safe from criticism on this blog. So expect that.

I'm Chloe Bourgeois/Queen Bee neutral. Look, I can relate to Chloe. I understand why Chloe is the way she is. I love the potential that Chloe can have. I love Chloe's style and I also think that Chloe can change. However, I'm not going to cater to Chloe and justify what she's done IN SHOW to other characters, especially to characters that I like. The way the writers choose to handle Chloe's character and growth is the problem, not the fact that she's written as a bully in general. I pity Chloe, but that does not mean I'm going to give her a free pass to treat everyone that isn't Adrien on her mother like garbage. Her upbringing is a reason, not an excuse. I understand why Chloe grew up to be the she is IN SHOW. It's not entirely her fault. However that does not mean that I agree with the way she handles it. That is that. When it comes to Chloe and her character, it's not going to be black and white with me. It's a grey area. Don't like that? Fine, you are free to unfollow me or block me, but I have the right to my opinion.

I didn’t only created this blog for myself, I created it to make friends and have others enjoy it too.

Constructive criticism and opinions of all kind are allowed. We can talk and you are free to send me anything that you want, but just remember that we should respect each other and not be rude to each other. We are not always going to think the same way and that's okay. We should be civil to each other. If you don’t agree with this, then it’s probably best if you don’t involve yourself with my blog.

Yes, I am a Scarlet Lady fan. No, I don't agree with everything Zoe chooses to do with it. YES, these two things can co exist with each other. AUs are supposed to explore the different possibilities of different universes. It's fun. I don't have to agree with everything that Zoe does to enjoy her content. I can still like Chloe while still liking Scarlet Lady. Yes, she doesn't want Chloe to redeem in her comic, but that's her right. It's her comic and she can do anything that she wants. I don't have the right to tell people what to think or how to feel. Don't like that? You can unfollow me or block me. I'm not going to be bias just so I can defend Chloe and make Chloe fans feel better.

I didn't make this blog only for Chloe content. I made it for all possible bee heroes. YES, that includes Sabrina, and YES, that also includes "Mary-Sue Zoe". Chloe is not the main character nor is she the only character that I’m interested in.

No I do not support Thomas. No I do not like Thomas. And yes I think the show suffers from severe bad writing.

I used to be a Chloe hater in the past, but I'm not anymore. Please notice the difference before going off.

I'm a Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Sabrina fan. I'm NEUTRAL on Chloe. I'm NEUTRAL on Zoe. I'm a ANTI Lila, Gabriel, Natalie fan. I dislike most adults in the show. Don't like that? You are free to unfollow me or block me. But these are my choices and my opinions. Accept it or don't, but I'm not going to be forced to change my opinion just to like or dislike characters in the way that YOU want me to.

I'm sorry guys if I sounded too harsh at all, but I just had to make myself clear. Don't be afraid to talk to me if you want to, but until I say otherwise, I'm Chloe neutral. I hope that your still interested in my blog and content and hope to share a bunch of fun AUs 😄

[lamelinam]

The maid and the Cat, Ren and Akira: some musings

What gloomy love brightened the half-lives of the Sohmas’ most Cursed ones?

I often wonder what the relationship between the former Cat and his attendant would have looked like, twisted and sad as it must have been. Precious little is shown about those two, and only through Kazuma’s pov. We know she took care of and pitied the Cat, to the point that she even slept with him and bore his child. This is not unlike Kureno’s relationship with Akito. She might have treated him with the same kindness and devotion, distant, perhaps harmful, yet selfless.

Selfless? I think another way to extrapolate on the story of Kazuma’s grandparents is with Ren and Akira’s relationship.

Many great meta writers have already pointed out that those who fill in the positions at the extremes of the Sohma hierarchy, the Cat and God, or in this case the Cat and the idolized, deified family head, are foils to each other and are the ones that are dehumanized and isolated the most.

But now I think that you can also compare the way the previous Cat and Akira both chose ("chose" being a relative term in the case of the Cat) a romantic partner.

(Akira wasn’t God, but as the family head, he was worshipped just like Akito. His sickness also contributed to making him stand apart. Not only was he kept inside the compound because of his frailty, the hold that death had on him blessed him with this ephemeral, divine aura. “Was it the sorrow that befell him at such a young age that gave him that otherworldly beauty?»)

Both Kazuma’s grandfather and Akito’s father were doomed, Akira to die an early death, Kazuma’s grandfather to live the life of a living dead. Both were buried alive in the Sohma estate, either at the outskirts or at the center of it.

Both reached out to their progeny. (But Kazuma rejected the offered cake, and will endeavour to atone and honour his grandfather’s memory. Akito clung to every memento she had of her father and will need to learn to let go of him.)

And both the previous Cat and Akira found some measure of comfort in the affections and arms of their female caretakers, Sohma servants who saw their loneliness and expressed their compassion, though not in a particularly healthy way: Kazuma’s grandmother acting out of pity, Ren out of obsessive love.

It’s interesting to me how their respective position was reflected in their partners’ feelings : the imprisoned, despised Cat, Kazuma’s grandmother looked down on. The respected, otherworldly beautiful Akira was adored by Ren.

Kazuma sums up his grandparents’ relationship thusly:

Those correspond to the main "duties" that a wife is traditionally supposed to provide her husband.

The day-to-day caring.

Childbearing.

Attending their husband’s deathbed.

Obviously Ren wished she could have skipped the second one and be there for the last one. (I headcanon that she had prepared her last words years in advance, finding small pleasures and comfort, on the back of the wave of despair anticipating Akira’s death, in rehearsing the declarations of passionate love she would address to the dying man.)

The Cat’s companion attended her partner’s deathbed, seemingly very composed, even cold, as seen in Kazuma’s memories, while Ren, deprived of her husband’s last moments, that she felt were “stolen” from her by Akito (in reality by the maids :@), was mad with grief.

"The only one who can save him"

Those parallels make me wonder whether or not the Cat’s companion might not have developed a saviour complex, like Ren, both believing that they were the only one able to save this lonely, condemned person they were taking care of, and relishing it.

“I love you” vs "I pity you"

On Ren’s side though, it seems that she believes she truly saw Akira, as the person hiding behind that otherworldly aura, filled with sadness and fearful of death. Seeing that Akira agrees with her ("Ren noticed I was lonely"), fought against the Sohma leaders and regretted on his deathbed that he and Ren couldn’t reconcile, I believe this is not a delusion of hers. Her love was genuine and passionate, and she and Akira were happy. Unfortunately, that happiness didn’t survive her pregnancy, for she was also jealous and obsessed.

Kazuma supposes that his grandmother believed that she was doing something good. I wonder at her expression. It is shadowed, enigmatic. Is it a smirk or not, is she sad or not? i wonder whether she was selfless in her pity, like Kureno, or selfish like Kagura, perhaps feeling better by «sacrificing» herself in associating with the Cat for the sake of a miserable soul.

(Whatever you can say or imagine about her, Kazuma doesn’t seem to suffer from the stigma of being the Cat’s grandson, nor does he bear any trace of an abusive upbringing - in fact, he was among those doing the abusing - or even the echoes of the previous generation’s, so my guess is that she was an okay mother and grandmother... which would have made Kazuma’s disappointment and hurt at her words all the sharper... Like Tohru thinking of the zodiacs members she finds so kind and adorable secretly looking down on someone else she realizes she cares about more than she thought.)

There is no way to know how the Cat reacted to a pity-love. But considering Kureno and Akito’s relationship, this might also have been but a superficial balm, and potentially just as hurtful. Then it depends on the interpretation. Kureno’s pity cocooned Akito and kept her from moving forward, but the Cat was condemned anyway to an eternity of imprisonment. Moving forward was forbidden to him. And if his self-worth was already completely destroyed as his role and his treatment are meant to do, he might have just felt grateful towards the attendant. There’s no way to say for sure whether he would have been hurt or not by the truth, and I don’t know which option is the saddest!

... but I know what could be sadder. Because is the maid entirely to blame? We know that in Fruits Basket, love requires a measure of selfishness. The one cursed with the Cat has no self, no existence, no wants and no future, and they accept this fate. They believe they deserve it. (Which is why the Cat's Room doesn't need bars in the manga, nor locks. Rin was under lock and keys because either Akito didn't completely trust her to keep her word or she didn't want someone to discover her.)

It would be very difficult for someone to fall in love with a person who has renounced to everything, perhaps including love. Because who's to say that the Cat loved the maid too?

Recognition vs indifference

How depressingly fitting that we don't even learn the Cat's name, while Akira’s is remembered by all and echoes back and forth in the later part of the story.

Ren marrying the Sohma family head was such a big political deal it provoked a family schism. The Cat’s story with the maid gets completely ignored. It is probably known, just not "officially recognized", says Kazuma. Like everything related to the Cat, it was relegated to the back of the minds, in the dusty closet of the things that are uncomfortable to think about but that you tolerate if it doesn’t upend your little world-view. Ugh, some maid is being inappropriate with that monster! Well, as long as she doesn’t free the loathsome creature, who cares. (And she wouldn’t, because she’s no Tohru.)

In contrast, the maids of the main family thought that Ren was stealing Akira from their grasp. Ren didn’t seem to care for the family, and in a way, her love allowed Akira to also escape from them, "snatched away" by "that woman”, for the old attendant. Unlike the Cat’s attendant, Ren felt like a threat to the Sohma strict hierarchical system. (Fortunately, God will be born to bring back the right order of things, phew! Certainly she he will accomplish what Akira-san was momentarily too misguided to do and rid us of that woman!)

Inheritance.

Both women's profession of their true feelings deeply marked their progeny and the way they view relationship, whether personal or not, romantic or filial.

While her mother affirmed that "a woman only needs one man", Akito leaned on the love of the zodiacs ; Kazuma viewed and loved Kyo as a human and dreaded that his son would find himself in the same situation as his grandfather but also with the same kind of companionship. (His reaction to Kagura speaks of a long-held anxiety). But Ren's hatred for Akito coloured the way Akito interpreted her words, while Kazuma’s grandmother’s declaration shook Kazuma, his personal relationship with his grandmother notwithstanding.

This comparison isn't about good or evil, neither to judge those characters. Furuba isn’t about that. Obviously, they are not blameless. But it is very difficult to say whether or not Kazuma’s grandmother was wrong to act out of pity if it provided a bit of comfort to a prisoner. And is it surprising that Ren developed this saviour’s complex when it seems she was the only one willing to breach Akira’s isolation bubble?

Anyway, Takaya-sensei is really good at making foils. Either because she does it on purpose or because her characters are so deeply intertwined with the themes of the series the parallels appear on their own. But in this case, I don’t think it’s for nothing that the chapters recounting Ren and the Cat’s attendant stories follow each other (chapters 114 and 115).

Of course, this meta is less an analysis and more suppositions and conjectures (frankly, I wonder if I might not as well have written a fanfic). From the little we see, the Cat’s companion and Ren work as distorted yin-yang mirrors, their differences highlighting the similarities of their situations, from the ugly effects of the inner workings of the Sohma cult to the messed up inner workings of the heart. Genuine but obsessed, jealous love... Pity, perhaps self-serving, in the guise of martyred love.... One thing I can say for sure is that these two both gave me chills in their own way.