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femmespoiled · 9 months

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ID: Video that is a stitch made by @professorneil on tiktok.

The person in the video stitched says: "which is that it seems like quite a lot of people, particularly white liberals, will very often take on all these different queer and neurodivergent labels and feel as if they have to be oppressed by something because…”

And the person stitching said video continues by saying: “so, yes, this is absolutely a thing and not only is it a documented sociological phenomenon, but sociologists have come up with a name for it and it’s called the race to innocence and sometimes also the race to the margins, it’s the same thing. Now when Mary Louis Fellows and Sherene Razack coined this term back in 1998, they were thinking mostly about white feminists within the multiracial feminist movements, so bear that in mind as I read from their article, it is more broadly applicable, absolutely, yes, but that is their focus here.”

The person in the video proceeds by quoting from the article mentioned: “When a woman fails to pursue how she is implicated in other women’s lives and retreats to the position that the system that oppresses her the most is the only one worth fighting and that the other systems (systems in which she is positioned as dominant) are not of her concern, she will fail to undo her own subordination. Attempts to change one system while leaving the others intact leaves in place the structure of domination that is made up of interlocking hierarchies.”

The person in the video continues: “So, Fellows and Razack are implicating and critiquing here that the very second wave feminist, white feminist idea that all women share a common struggle, which it is only possible to suggest if you are ignoring the unique oppressions of queer women, women of color, women in poverty, etc. When faced with that challenge, the people who occupy a position of privilege, so in this example, the straight, middle and upper-class, white women will say “That’s not the issue that we’re talking about here, we’re talking here about being women, we’re talking about patriarchy, misogyny.” They will race to innocence; they will race to their own marginalized identity categories in order to avoid admitting that they have power and privilege and are also the oppressor. And, sometimes, that race to innocence is very calculated (in this part the screen in the video shows text that reads: *and defensive!), it is deliberate, it is strategic. I might be avoiding talking about my male privilege, my white privilege, when I am also discussing being a wave slave because I want to preserve those privileges, while attacking the oppression I feel, but it’s, at least, as often, if not more often, something that we are doing reflexively, uncritically. It is easier to claim solidarity, it is easier to feel empathy, if we are doing it from our own position of marginality, it’s easier to speak credibly from a position of oppression and to do so with authority, if you also possess privileges that allow you to appear unbiased, neutral and to do so safely, if afterward you can retreat to a place of privilege. So, it is certainly possible that, at least in part, this explosion of straight, white, cis men leftists claiming neurodivergence is explained by some sort of desire to claim oppression, to build those alliances, to feel that empathy and to access that credibility, but even if it is sincere, it is still dangerous. Of course, it could be strategic and insincere. When you race to innocence, race to the margins, be mindful of the privileges you’re leaving at the center.”

END ID

- Here is the article mentioned in the video, if you want to check it out (in PDF):

The Race to Innocence: Confronting Hierarchical Relations among Women

#b discusses racism #and other marginalized issues #video #btexts #took me a while and i was supposed to do this yesterday so I'm very sorry but here it is #race to innocence #race to the margins

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abbyromanoff · 1 month

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Can I request Morticia Addams protecting you part 2? Maybe just fluff and how mortician and r raise a child together in a mafia family

ANOTHER?

PAIRINGS: Morticia Addams x reader

WORD COUNT: 885

WARNINGS: angst, fluff, overprotective!Morticia, talks of Mafia, some fear in Morticia, talks of having a baby, not spell checked, think that’s abt it :)

NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO STEAL, COPY, OR REBLOG MY WORK AS THEIR OWN!!

“Morticia, it’s not dangerous, I promise! We’ll never even let him out of our sight.” Your wife shook her head in a disapproving manner, sighing as she bit her lip and continued to chop the carrots. You groaned in petulance, only removing your hands from the tight hold against your chest when you heard your son crying out for you. Morticia instantly set down the knife, rushing behind you to catch an eye on the little boy. Apparently he was still hungry and was also upset that he knocked down her toy.

It was the toy his mama had gotten him and she took pride in knowing it was his absolute favorite toy. You would shoot her playful glares whenever she mentioned it, because the both of you knew deep down that Morticia would definitely be the most liked.

“Oh, Pugsley, you need to be more careful. I know you get your clumsiness from mommy, but I don’t need two of you being this identical.” You chuckled lowly and placed a small kiss to his forehead before allowing him a few animal shaped crackers before dinner.

“The giraffe has always been his favorite, I don’t understand why.”

“Well, they’re cute. And they’re tall, I bet he’ll be a tall little guy soon too.” He pointed out the animal with his small fingers, a smile adorning his face as he giggled and took a bite.

“They’re long-necked freaks, I don’t understand how anyone could like those things. Besides, he’s too little to be eating those, what if he chokes?”

“Baby, his teeth are nearly full grown and they’re the softer versions for babies, he’s going to be okay.” You admired his love for the crackers and came to a sudden realization that had you abstrused; he had never gone to the zoo. He had probably never even seen an animal besides when your bodyguard had brought around a watchdog who he adopted. He instantly fell in love with it, and he cried the moment you had to say goodbye.

“What if we take him to the zoo?” Your wife stopped in her retreat to the dinner she insisted on preparing and placed her arms at her side, glaring at the thought alone.

“Please tell me you are joking, Y/N.” You rolled your eyes and whined lowly, causing her to raise her eyebrows and quirk her lip upwards.

“Darling, do you realize how dangerous the zoo really is? There are hundreds upon thousands of people there every day, none of which we know and can trust. The animals are kept in their enclosures by glass only, what if they try to attack? Hm? What happens when our baby is in danger and we are too focused on those dang animals?”

“It’s not that serious! I get it’s dangerous with your position but he deserves to live, don’t you want our boy to experience the world?” You pleaded with your eyes that you knew she could fall for so instantly. She bit the inside of her cheek and took a small breath through her nose before finally falling out of her trance.

“You need to stop hypnotizing me with those things- you already gave them to our son and now he’s a spoiled little death bug.” She glanced towards him once more, and seeing him play happily with his food made her sigh softly.

“Mhm, and maybe that’s why you should let us take this cutie pie to the zoo.” You stood behind the little boy with pleading eyes and he seemed to follow your act without hesitation.

“Mama, will you please take me and mommy to the zoo? Oh, mama, I really want to go!” You impersonated, and your son's struggling voice came to play. He murmured her title and you knew that was the moment she’d agree. With a long term list that she forced you to listen to, she accepted your pleas and two days later you were holding your body as he giggled at the Lion’s acts.

Morticia had began with stalking your surroundings in order to keep Pugsley and her wife safe, but soon she felt her guard falling as she focused on the happiness you shared. She had never once in her life felt so much peace, she was finally calm. Bodyguards still followed you both for protection, but she felt as if you three were the only ones in the world.

“Where’s the giraffe enclosure?” Your wife asked, causing you to stop in your tracks and Pugsley’s face instantly lit up. You looked at the map and followed the direction instructed, and only a few minutes later did you stand in front of the awaited zone. He watched as the animal moved and admired the noises they made, along with the chewing of the leaves.

“You know, he could feed the lambs over there.” She nodded softly, giving her son a moment before expanding their journey.

“We should have more.”

“You think we can handle that?”

“I think I can handle anything as long as you’re with me.” You turned to face the woman, still keeping your eye on Pugsley as he fed the different breeds.

“Awh, is the grumpy old Morticia getting soft on me?”

“I don’t know how I’m going to handle the two of you.”

“Oh, c’mon!”

#morticia addams #morticia addams x reader #Morticia Addams fluff #Morticia Addams angst #Morticia Addams comfort #Wednesday film #Morticia Addams Wednesday

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villainsandvictimsalliance · 10 months

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Idk what to tell to the people who still don't get that although is okay to teach kids the rules to live in a society (like respect others or don't kill or whatever), Kotaro Shimura, Enji Todoroki and Toga's parents didn't care as much for society rules as they care for the rules that made them feel okay at home.

Which in the end caused the main villain trio to reject authority and society and turn into violence, since they did try to use words as kids and were royally ignored.

Tenko, Touya and Toga tried very hard to be good kids, but in their parents conception it was not enough 'cause they couldn't repress some of their needs: they wanted their dads and moms to accept them as they were, to accept who they wanted to be, to accept the way they expressed love and accept the way they interacted with their surroundings.

In Tenko's case, Kotaro was unable to accept his kid desire to become a hero. His could be the worst case in bnha, given the violence of his tragedy and how misfortune (maybe even something else) played on it ending so badly. Tomura himself said that house rejected his very identity, even tho Hana tried to support him in secret and Nao stood up for him, little too late. For what we saw of him as a child, his only defect as a son was wanting to be a pro-hero, dream that got him beaten up for, grounded in a rather cruelly manner. Kotaro's trauma turned him into an irrational man, his hatred for heroes was both the build up and the catalysis of the tragedy that ended the lives of the people he loved the most.

Tenko didn't become a villain because he was an evil kid. He became a villain because AFO wanting it so and because Kotaro inculcated in him such extreme hatred.

In Touya's case, it's a bit more complicated. I don't believe Enji's obsession was completely evil in nature, although his actions were truly selfish and it became later abusive, when his desperation blinded him to the point he was unable to understand how bad he has turned out to be. Like in Tenko's case, the mother is at fault only in yhe sense that their lack of intervention allowed the situation to escalate 'til they couldn't prevent it anymore. Touya's case differentiates itself in the fact that he was older than Tenko, his behavior declining over the years into extreme violence, unlike the way Tenko exploded in murder glee when Kotaro hit him one last time.

The lack of proper attention from both Enji and Rei allowed Touya's behavior to become a tragedy. Their negligence, Enji's focus on his work and Shouto (as a project not a son) and Rei's role of a caretaker yet not a mother, combined with the incapacity of Natsuo and Fuyumi to understand what Touya was going through (really, only Shouto could, but at that point Touya hated him too much and Shouto was way too young)... Well, it didn't end well for a kid that didn't want help anymore but attention on his own terms. He was tired of adapting, the same way Tenko rebelled in his insistence of acting the hero way.

The same house rule ( YOU CANNOT BE A HERO ) sent them both to AFO's hands, one way or another. They were kids who couldn't act the way their dads wanted, so fuck them I guess.

That part is compatible to Toga's case. Kinda.

Toga's parents are by far the most twisted of the bunch, which is a lot to say considering that Kotaro hit his kids and Enji even hit his wife. Yet, without having to touch a single hair of their little girl, they inflicted damage so deep she preferred to become a runaway criminal than to stay at home one more day.

At least Kotaro and Enji valued at some level Tenko and Touya's existence. Toga's parents didn't care about her at all. She was as good as a broken doll, an imperfect piece of their furniture, something they wish wasn't related to them at all. Enji was at least worry about his son and he loved him at some degree, the same way Kotaro worry over Tenko was born out of his fear of losing his family. Nothing of it excuses what they do and let it be said that Enji and Kotaro did saw Touya and Tenko as monsters at some point (when Touya tried to kill Shouto and on his Dabi era, when Tenko killed his family and turned to Kotaro). Yet it doesn't compare to the way Toga's parents immediately erased her from their lives, even denying any affiliation. They sent her to that therapy like a car needing to be repaired. She was a sign of status, she was an object that they failed to produce, she was an aberration and a freak, she deserved to be put down.

From the three od them, Toga was the one who struggled the most to fit in socially, not to society standards tho. To her parents.

If all these parents had cared for their kids more than they cared for his own stupid rules maybe things would have been different. But that's the core of their problems, they don't need the whole world to accept them, they need to treat the internalized traumas their parents left them with, the self-hatred and the feeling of inadequacy and the need for acceptance (of themselves) and recognition.

That's why Toga, Izuku and Shouto are the key for their recovery. Acting as mirrors, they are meant to provide the closure the villain trio desperately need. It's not just a sibling or a nemesis bond, but a recognition of the self through the other situation.

If they can accept themselves and correct their ways and get free from their parents absurd rules, if they can move past the child need for their parents validation, maybe they can finally exist in a less painful way.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #league of villains #lov #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha leaks #bnha manga spoilers #bnha 392 #dabi #touya todoroki #toya todoroki #himiko toga #tenko shimura #tomura shigaraki

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goodqueenaly · 25 days

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How do you think Melisandre will react when she discovers that Stannis isn't actually Azor Ahai reborn? What about the Queen's Men?

Perhaps the better question to ask - although it might amount to about the same thing - is what Melisandre and the Queen’s men (not to mention Selyse herself, and Shireen) will do as TWOW opens - namely, in light of both the bombshell news (or purported news) from the pink letter that Stannis is (again, supposedly) dead, as well as the assassination of Jon. If, as Ramsay’s letter to Jon so bluntly asserted, Ramsay had slain Stannis after seven days of battle, then the hopes of both Melisandre and the Queen’s men might seem, perhaps to use an apt turn of phrase, snuffed out: Stannis obviously could not be the hero chosen by R’hllor to save the world if he was already dead, and at the hands of so mundane and temporal an enemy as Roose Bolton’s bastard son. That Stannis isn’t in fact dead, as I very much believe is the case, does not really matter; so far as anyone at the Wall knows, the would-be apocalyptic champion of the Lord of Light is currently lying dead in the snows around Winterfell.

Melisandre, in her sole chapter, had already faced the trouble of vague portentous guidance on Stannis as Azor Ahai. More to the point, Melisandre had also already received at least some indication via her fiery visions that the identity of Azor Ahai was indisputably linked to Jon Snow. Consequently, I think she may realize or believe she now understands, as TWOW opens, that she had been focusing on the wrong person as Azor Ahai. Stannis was clearly not “the Lord’s chosen, the warrior of fire”, as she put it to Davos, since the apocalypse was still nigh; clearly, what R’hllor was trying to tell her was that the person to look for was Jon. Now, the fact that Jon had also recently been killed may not seem as big a stumbling block to Melisandre as it might objectively, in terms of the identity of a universal savior; Melisandre may not have ever brought anyone back from the dead (so far as we know), but as Thoros and Moqorro demonstrate, the ability of R’hllor’s priests (and presumably priestesses) to defy even death in the name of their god is a substantial power indeed. I have a feeling Melisandre is going to move quickly to return Jon to the land of the living via her fire magic (with the unconscious bonus, perhaps, of having Jon’s “soul” still be preserved in his wolf in the interim).

As far as the queen’s men go, the death of Stannis may seem more like a political tragedy than a cosmic one. The true devotion of the queen’s men to R’hllor is a mixed bag: some truly converts to the new religion (like young Devan Seaworth), some devoted only for the cruelty the exercise of that religion allows (like Clayton Suggs), and some converts only in name (like the late Alester Florent). However, whether or not any given pro-Stannis aristocrat at the Wall feels a sense of cosmological devastation at the news of Stannis’ (supposed) death, all of them would know that their political prospects were now far from certain. In the patriarchal, misogynistic world of Westerosi politics generally, a preteen girl might have a very hard time asserting herself as queen in her own right; as a result, the queen’s men at the Wall might be pretty uncertain about what to do without the strong male warrior-king figure of Stannis behind whom they could rally.

And of course, that’s without the immediate problems at the Wall overtaking them all as well. Jon’s assassination was the acme of a chaotic day at the Wall: not only had Jon dropped his bombshell news regarding the letter from Ramsay, his planned march on Winterfell, and the planned mission to Hardhome, but Ser Patrek had taken the opportunity to challenge Wun Wun the giant to seize Val - which ended about as much as anyone might have expected. With Jon murdered out in the open, the Wall is going to be, to put it bluntly, a mess: anti-Jon conspirators with his blood quite literally still on their hands, pro-Jon brothers potentially retaliating against those conspirators, queen’s men rushing about to rescue and/or avenge Ser Patrek from Wun Wun, free folk realizing that their pseudo-leader at the Wall is now dead. Any questions of Stannis’ death, and the apparent failure of him to be Azor Ahai, may be subsumed in something like a miniature civil war breaking out at the Wall, and them being caught in it.

#asoiaf meta #speculation #TWOW #melisandre

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dangermousie · 5 months

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Watching Jin in The Last Immortal made me think of Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan in Lost You Forever. More specifically how they are all adult survivors of childhood abandonment for a cause and how it affects them permanently.

Xianxia is such a high fantasy setting and usually deals with such larger than life situations (either world-saving or romantic.) Characters always die for the world or get doomed for love or whatever. And it’s great fun to watch. A xianxia done right is a rare pleasure.

But I love that two very different dramas this year actually take a different tack of sorts - they go, it’s great you saved the world/died for love/averted calamity etc etc but what happens to those left behind especially when said person is a child?

If you think about it, Xiao Yao, Cang Xuan and Jin are all characters who were abandoned by all those who were supposed to love them as children and it wasn’t because their parents/caretakers were bad people. It’s because none of the adults in their lives ever put the children first - they put saving the country (XY’s mom), saving the world (Jin’s dad), or true love (CX’s mom and Jin’s mom) over the children and the dramas go - well that’s great but it fucks the kids up.

If you are devoted to a cause, whether it’s an idea or a person, it makes you a failure to those not encompassed by that cause.

It doesn’t even have to be a cause that doesn’t take the kid into consideration. Xiao Yao’s father abandoned her out of a desire to protect her. But the fact remains is, she was abandoned and as she puts it in one of the dialogues - all the adults in her life, all the ones who loved her, had reasons for abandoning her but it was still abandonment.

I mean, if you look at Xiao Yao, as a result of her abandonment, she really cannot be in a healthy relationship - she can allow Cang Xuan in because he’s family and she cared for him before her world imploded but even with him I think she doesn’t expect him to be around forever. And as to a romantic relationship - she doesn’t even want a codependent one, because codependency implies a degree of reciprocity. What she wants is someone to depend on her while she is not as involved. As she puts it, she wants a man who would put her first and only, over any cause, or any family or anything. If you think about it, she falls for a man who has been disassembled by torture to a completely basic level and rebuilds his desires and his entire identity around her and he ultimately still fails her test by the end of LYF1.

And there is Cang Xuan. Whose father was killed in battle which is traumatic but then whose mother kills herself over his father’s grave, leaving her small child an orphan in a den of wolves with only “when you are an adult, you will understand.” No surprise - no he does not, and grows as fucked up as XY or more. If XY is willing to open to love even if in a dysfunctional format (and eventually she heals enough that she actually does get a happy ending in terms of love though she loses a lot on the way; the ending is a mixed one in terms of sweetness), CX is not at all - he believes he’s unworthy of love and incapable of receiving it properly. The fact that the sole woman he loves is XY, his cousin, also the one person around him who he knew before his life went to hell, and even with her he doesn’t really try to pursue her for a long long time even as she falls in love with someone else or gets engaged to yet another man - is proof of his damage. By trying to live her grand doomed romance and screw anyone else even her own son, his mother ensured her son will never have a proper love of his own.

And how with The Last Immortal we see the same effects with Jin. TLI is a kinder narrative and the ending of the drama is supposed to be happy for him (unlike the novel apparently) and Jin himself is not as closed off as the cousins in LYF, but he is so very clearly damaged by abandonment - his refusal to seek responsibility or come into his power, his deliberate goal of making his life as meaningless as possible are all the results of his dad liking the world more than his family and his mom liking his dad more than anyone and anything else.

All three of these characters are adults and capable ones at that but the damage lingers and lingers. And I find it so fascinating in a high fantasy setting.

These are narratives of those left behind on a grand heroic quest and that is something you rarely see done.

#cdrama #the last immortal #lost you forever

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 6 months

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Holy crap I’m loving your writing! Im especially obsessed with Ken and the ranch owner

I’m wondering if you’d be willing to do an fem human reader x Ken where the reader gets a bit sick, nothing too serious but Ken absolutely freaks out and thinks the reader is dying or sum (he learned about death from Stero Barbie. Also spiders. He’s terrified of both) and the reader thinks it’s a bit funny so she’s like “yeah I’m dying” but then he gives her the most terrified and sad kicked puppy look and she has to explain that it’s just a cold lol

Awh thank you!! Im glad that ppl still love my barbie movie stuff even though barbie summer has come and gone 💔

........

There were only two things that Ken feared after beginning his new life in the Real World:

One is the mortality of humans, as Barbie told him all about how fragile their lives were and the two paths they were given: either growing old and dying peacefully in their beds, or some terrible occurrence cutting it short long before their time on this earth was up.

The second was spiders.

He especially hated the spiders.

You only recently discovered he had that fear after finding one of those 8-legged critters in your house--or more specifically in his room, where he came barreling out from as though he accidentally set something on fire.

At first, you thought he really did start a fire until he dragged you back into there, begging you to get rid of the "strange beast".

You had no clue what he could possibly be referring to....and then he pointed to the corner, where a little cellar spider sat completely unbothered, weaving its web.

In that moment, you realized you may have turned him arachnophobic, considering you did show him one insect-themed horror movie this past Halloween. He kept freaking out over it potentially growing horse-sized or injecting venom into his bloodstream when he was asleep.

But despite you assuring him neither of those things could happen (and insisting that the spider was more afraid of him), Ken refused to go into the room until it was gone.

You find it hard to fathom that this same doll who led an entire revolt, came to terms with his own identity crisis, and bravely made the transition to humanity....was totally inconsolable in the presence of a tiny bug.

Then again, maybe showing him that movie--and allowing Barbie to explain why arachnophobia was among the top fears humans had--was a huge mistake.

Regardless, you made it your mission to get rid of the critter.

Oddly enough Ken insisted that you didn't actually kill it, but you found you it sweet that he valued its life despite it scaring the shit out of him. So you contained it in a cup, putting a napkin underneath it before releasing it outside.

After that, you mentioned how most people usually killed spiders and other pests that invaded their home.

He looked wildly uncomfortable at that fact, before he began talking about some rather... concerning things: like if the spider knew how short its lifespan was, how easily it could have been crushed, if it feared death or if it was even aware of it at all-

Before he could derail and start rambling about death itself too much, you stopped him, asking if he was feeling alright.

And he went quiet for a moment, before smiling and giving you a kiss, reassuring you he felt better.

Yet even as he left the room, he still appeared awful tense.

It was that day where you worried that it's more than just spiders he feared..

.......

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you sick??"

"...unfortunately, but it's nothing serious. Just a stupid cold I caught at work." Sighing tiredly, you sat up in bed, seeing Ken walk into the room.

He looked nothing short of horrified at how drained and exhausted you sounded this morning. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to catch anything, so I'm sorry...but no kisses today."

"Then..what about tomorrow?"

You just rolled your eyes, drinking some tea you made for yourself. "Maybe, but we'll see if I wake up."

Although it was meant to be a little joke, your foggy brain forgot how seriously the blond often took jokes, and he rushed to your bedside, kneeling down.

His eyes were wide as he took your hand. "If you wake up??? Are you dying??"

Putting down your mug, you sighed once more, trying to figure out a way to remedy this situation before you upset him too much. "No....I mean I just feel like I'm dying, but.." You paused, noticing the tears coming to his eyes. "Ken?"

Now that he was a lot closer, you could see the utterly terrified look on his face--as though you kicked a puppy right in front of him.

Yep, it was already much too late. He was upset.

"I-I know tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, but you have to get through this, [y/n]! Please..I can't lose you, too...not when you've done so much to help me." He was extremely close to crying, his lips trembling.

Your heart sunk as you placed a hand ober his own. "Oh honey, I was only kidding around when I say-"

"Why do humans joke about death so much? Don't they know y-you...you can't come back? That they have such short lives?? O-Or sure, some believe you can be reincarnated but that doesn't make it any-"

At this point, he was just blubbering nonsense, so you took him into your arms. And for a moment he fell silent, before burying his face into your chest, trying to calm himself down. "I-I'm sorry.."

"No, no..I'm sorry. You're right..I shouldn't be joking about death around you." Frowning slightly, you stroked his hair. "I promise I'm not dying. Not today, or tomorrow..not for a long, long time. This cold will pass and I'll feel better soon enough."

".....a-are these the irrepressible thoughts of death Barbie had?"

'Oh.'

It finally hit you.

He was going through the same thing she once did.

"Ken.." You had him sit up so you could see his face. Aside from it being a little red and his eyes puffy and watery, there were tear marks trailing down to the stubble that had formed along his jaw and chin. "Why didn't you tell me you were having those thoughts?"

Sniffling, he just shrugged. "I don't know. And... I don't know why I'm thinking them. Barbie could blame it on somebody who was playing with her, but...I can't. Because I'm not a doll anymore, I'm human....a-and...those were my thoughts alone." He shuddered, terrified at that realization. "I guess I just..didn't wanna scare you, b-but obviously it's too late for that..."

A small chuckle came from him, although it dissolved into a small sob as he wiped his eyes. "S-Sorry, I....I want these thoughts to just pass already."

"And they will." You nodded, squeezing his free hand reassuringly. "It looks like you're just experiencing them for the first time, and that's okay. They won't be all you think about. And you don't have to apologize for how you're feeling, as long as you're honest with me."

"Th-Thank you.." He sniffled. "I should be taking care of you, not the other way around. Do you need you anything? More tea? Meds? Anything at all?"

You smiled fondly, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead. "You're all I need right now, sweetheart."

That response seemed to bring Ken's giddy old self back, as he smiled bashfully in return. He melted back into your arms when you wrapped them around him, and he listened to your heartbeat: the only assurance he needed that you were still living.

Eventually...those thoughts of death did pass him by, and he felt okay again.

#clanask #anonymous #barbie x reader #barbie movie x reader #barbie ken x reader #ken x reader #ryan gosling ken #ryan gosling ken x reader #sick reader #hurt/comfort #tw arachnophobia #tw death #female reader

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dickpuncher420 · 1 month

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i'm pretty indifferent towards zukka...but genderbent lesbian zukka is. Intriguing

i was SO WIRED thinking about lesbian zukka last night that i couldnt fall asleep till 6 am

ESSENTIALLY. everything is exactly the same except sokka and zuko are both girls. what does that change for them in their individual character arcs?

if a big part of sokka's arc is unlearning misogyny and embracing his more feminine traits and interests, then reasonably sokka's arc as a girl would be embracing more masculine interests. i think growing up she was always interested in hunting and fighting with the men, but she was never allowed to because, well, she's not a boy. after the mean leave for the war, she teaches herself to hunt and fight and throw a boomerang, telling herself that it's okay because she has to protect her tribe. meeting suki is still a very big turning point for her, because it's her first time encountering girls that are trained to fight, and it basically opens up a bunch of new doors for her that she didn't know existed. later she still falls for yue, has beef with hahn, and is, like katara, very pissed off at the nwt's very gendered practices. (also she still hates jet, but it's also mixed up with jealousy at his attention towards her sister. he's hot, and sokka has eyes, okay!)

as for zuko: a big part of his arc is coming to terms with the fact that he will never live up to his father's expectations. now as a girl, what does that look like? i think, growing up, she's still always compared to azula, but an added aspect in which she continually fails is femininity. after she's banished, she suddenly finds herself free of the rigid confines of court-mandated femininity, and it's...oddly liberating. she gets mistaken for a boy sometimes, and she ends up really leaning into it during her time in the earth kingdom, telling herself that it's safer to pass as a boy on her own. in ba sing se, she has a bit of a thing with jet, but is oddly repulsed when he kisses her. after she returns to the fire nation, she finds herself chafing once again against the demands of femininity, and it's all made even more confusing when she starts having...dreams about her sister's friend mai.

tl;dr: sokka is a bi girl who is learning to embrace her masculine side, and zuko is a baby butch struggling to come to terms with her identity and sexuality

#i started outlining a fic that takes place at the western air temple after zuko joins the gaang #idk when or if i'll ever write it but it's there. digging its claws into my brain #send help #anonymous #ask

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beanghostprincess · 3 months

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Both of usopp's parents were gay they were in a lavender marriage for their own protection. They lived like this until they were unhappy and wanted to be free. Banchina allowed yasopp to leave and live his life openly. He still had a lot of unresolved trauma shit ton of disappointed daddy issues that caused him to struggle with fatherhood.( I honestly believe that he and sanji talked to each other, like actually talked. they would have a lot in common) and a lot internalized homophobia so he's still somewhat in the closet. His crew mates know, he didn't tell them he's never said it out loud like ever but they know.

Banchina tho. She was never a pirate but she was the one set truly free. She cut her hair and started wearing more masc clothing she made a lot of friends. Started a book club with just lesbians, she had a short term partner she was a pirate who would doc in syrup village. They were a thing for a while Ussop was too young to remember her tho. Banchina was never ashamed of her identity even when she was married. She lived her life open and happy until she died.

Usopp didn't really think about it at the time. (Late at night on the sunny He thought about it and it made sense "oh shit my mom a lesbian...") He just liked seeing her happy and he also liked all the nice ladies who would play and give him candy when they were there. Even when she died they stayed around and helped him, cooked for him, cleaned for him and taught him basic needs until he was old enough to do it on his own. At the time usopp was young and still played pirates so they were on his "crew" they played along seeing this was helping him cope a little and it was really cute.

"Oh shit my mom is a lesbian" and he just blurts it out one day and Nami is like "what the fuck are you talking about". It's the funniest concept to me-- Also, this is really cute. I love lavender marriage headcanons and this just makes so much sense somehow.

Usopp: My dad is gay and my mom was a lesbian. That makes me bisexual. Nami: That's not how it works, moron. Usopp: I'm still bisexual, though. Nami: Congrats?? Mm. It's funny because my mom was a lesbian too- Usopp: SEE??? I AM TELLING YOU THAT'S HOW- Nami: THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!

#honestly both yasopp and banchina look gay af #one piece #yasopp #banchina #usopp #cat burglar nami

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lavenoon · 1 year

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AU Glamrocks, here we go! Close-ups, lines, and character descriptions under the cut <3

Freddy: Code Name: Gold (jokingly called “Golden Boy” by his team members)

The oldest of the Glamrocks, and an import. He’s been with Fez from the start, and has come a long way from “Friedrich Fassbär” (changed to a civilian Freddy Fazbear - bear being a literal translation, and “Faz” sounding similar enough - what a harmless suggestion by the Fez higher ups). Originally programmed in German, sometimes he still slips up even after all the updates and upgrades he went through. Of the Glamrocks, past and present, he’s the only one who wasn’t commissioned by Fez for the purpose of agent work. He was young when he met the late head of Fez, and promptly scouted - young enough to leave behind his previous life and move.

He’s proud to be such a cornerstone of Abra Fez, but it also comes with a burden. From the start, he’s watched people not return from missions, taking on more missions himself as if he could protect everyone if he just did all the work. But in the end, his friends - because they are friends, thanks to Fez’ policy of agents being allowed to share their identity with other agents if they so choose - pulled him back from that brink, and reminded him that it’s not his responsibility, that all agents chose this work, and are aware of the risks. Things happen, but he can only do so much.

Then Foxy “died”, and only a few short months later, Bonnie “disappeared” - it broke him. Freddy grew into a workaholic, and his anxiety skyrocketed about losing more friends. He doesn’t take it out on Roxy or Monty, and doesn’t fault them for the roles they fill. He’s grown to befriend both, though Roxy and Monty themselves keep a bit of a distance for their own reasons. Freddy would like to be greedy, he would like to have it all - his old friends, well and alive, and new friends joining them. The reality that that’s impossible hurts him, and so he drowns himself in work. He remains close to Chica, though often their conversations take a dive in the direction of nostalgia and grief, so they don’t seek each other out exclusively a lot, and besides, he barely has the time nowadays, anyway…

An all-rounder in terms of stealth and intelligence collection

Roxy: Code Name: Gaze (or Glare, when she’s angry - but only where she can’t hear)

Foxy’s direct replacement, and while she wasn’t told in as many words, she’s smart enough to figure that out. Many, many inadequacy issues about it - how is she supposed to live up to someone she never even knew? How is she supposed to feel like she earned her spot when she was instantly promoted into the Glamrock rank after completing training? Is she even any good? Overcompensates by putting on a show and acting aloof and at times even seemingly arrogant, very proud of her sight and the advantages it gives her. That part is real - and she knows she's good, with very real talents and tricks up her sleeve. But her "competition" is long dead, and the knowledge that if he hadn't died she would have just become a normal agent eats at her.

When she joined she barely got to know Bonnie before he disappeared, too, and while his loss hit her as well, she wasn’t as affected as Freddy or even Chica. Meaning she watched in detail how her new coworkers were crushed by the news, acting like barely a shell of their former selves for a long while. For a long while she thought about if that was their reaction to losing Foxy, too - not that she'd ever know.

Felt very awkward for the short while it took for Monty to be promoted into the ranks, as the only one not still mourning, wondering if perhaps she’s not affected enough, and if that makes her an even worse person in Freddy’s and Chica’s eyes, because she’s already replacing their friend.

Assumes many things about Freddy’s and Chica’s views on her in general, doing none of them a favor. A few times she tried asking about Foxy, but felt too bad about the sadness it caused, and so he now haunts her. Sometimes she wonders if the voice telling her she’s a failure is his, because she has no image of him to compare against. She pushes all of that away and still befriends the two, with just those lingering anxieties she’s too scared to bring up, because what if they confirm? With Monty she’s a bit more relaxed, though he has his own issues to work through, so it’s not like they’re closer to each other than anyone else.

Highly driven to prove herself and her merit, doing her best to prove (to Fez, to Freddy and Chica, to herself) that she is the best, and to leave the shadow of Foxy she was thrust in behind.

An all-rounder in terms of stealth and intelligence collection

Chica: Code Name: Pepperoni (usually shortened to Pepper, or the occasional Pep)

Oh, she tries so hard. Has always done her best to be fun and energetic, and felt comfortable with her spot in the world. Then half her friends died in a very short time, Fez started pushing for upgrades and changes, and nowadays she looks in the mirror and barely recognizes herself. She barely recognizes Freddy, either, and it’s almost scarier - she knows she’s still the same person, still feels like herself, even if that peppy energy feels harder and harder to keep up. But for Freddy, the only old friend she has left, she doesn’t even know if he’s still the person she knew underneath all that grief.

Her little family has changed irrevocably, and she tries to make it a new one, even with all of them resisting in their own ways. She huffs and puffs fake complaints, she teases and jokes, and she’s loud enough to cover the awkward silence that so often settles around them all.

She feels just a little abandoned, and isn't quite sure by whom. By Foxy, or Bonnie? For dying? By Freddy? For grieving? By Roxy and Monty, for not even trying to get as close as she hoped? By Fez itself, for reminding her that everything is temporary, and that their work is dangerous, and not doing more to protect them all? But no, that last thought is dangerous - the seed of doubt is there, after Foxy and Bonnie both started doubting, and look at what happened… She’s smart, smarter than people may think, and she’s terrified of the thought that the agency she has dedicated most of her life to would kill her or her friends so quickly just for being inconvenient.

Most of the time, she’s glad to have “one of those faces”, and a chipper attitude that makes people want to talk to her, underestimate her, and give her aaallll the information she wants. But when she starts feeling isolated by circumstances, with Freddy’s mind too clouded by grief and guilt, and the newbies remaining distant, there are suddenly many scary realizations just waiting to be had, and she can feel them creep closer with a dreadful finality. All she ever wanted was for her family to be okay, and happy, but it seems so unattainable when she struggles to stop everything from tearing at the seams. She pretends she’s fine just to act as the glue keeping them all together, too scared of losing them, too, even if it’s not the happiness she had before.

Her disposition makes her more inclined to accept missions for intelligence collection

Monty: Code Name: Nine Iron (Chica uses any golf term arbitrarily)

Technically, a little older than Roxy, but worked as a normal agent for a while. He quickly showed potential, despite some anger issues that made him decline many polite and formal undercover missions. Loud and energetic as he is, he sells himself as a dumb brute a lot, but hides a keen mind. He’s just not the most patient person, and he knows it - but when he was recommended for a team-up with a Glamrock he didn’t dare question it either.

And then the mission went sideways, Bonnie disappeared (which Fez seemed all too eager to label as destruction after minimal evidence), and Monty was briefly investigated before being cleared. A little while after, when he was offered to join the Glamrocks, he did end up questioning it - why replace the guy so quickly, and with him of all people, who couldn’t even help Bonnie out? That’s just a bit too good to be true - it’s fishy.

Fez calmly explains the facts, and they don’t look good for Monty. A rising star on his best way to become a great agent, but with violent outbursts that have left the clean up a mess many times before. A Glamrock, meant to mellow him out on a difficult mission, and no witnesses to his destruction, with very little evidence. Monty can shut his mouth and take the job and thus the benefits it comes with, or at any point they can reopen the investigation and he won’t like what they’ll find.

He takes the job. But in turn, he’s very quickly disillusioned with Abra Fez as an agency, and only the threat hanging over him keeps him from spilling it all. Sometimes fights with the others about things Fez wants them to do, which they think is because of his little anger issues, and he lets them believe it. Any suspicion the others may have harbored however he quickly dissolves, simply because of the subdued condolences he shares the first time he joins their ranks. They’re all welcoming, and include him in their off the clock hang outs when those do happen, but his lack of faith in Fez makes him feel like an outsider anyway.

But after years of the other shoe never dropping, he does his best to push it all away and just be a part of the group. If he can’t believe in management, he can believe in the people who stuck out their necks to help him so many times before, and he’ll do the same right back - he couldn’t help Bonnie, and he’s feeling so very guilty for his unknowing complicity in his disappearance, but he can make sure none of his friends suffer the same fate.

(Besides, he’s aware of the fact that he’d be the first Fez would silence)

His disposition makes him more inclined to accept stealth missions, and/ or missions with anticipated enemy contact

But then, enter a little menace:

Gregory: no official code name, but when he declared he wanted one, Roxy offhandedly called him Arsonist. Freddy in the background gasped as if personally offended, which Chica took as a prompt to amend “in Training!” - Freddy’s reaction was to cry out a “No!” much like the “Show me what you have” “A knife!” vine, while Monty started losing his shit. Roxy slipped the kid a lighter while Freddy was busy telling Chica that “in Training” does not make it better. Freddy personally calls him Superstar, after Gregory commented that “Glamrocks” sounds more like a band than a team of secret agents. The kid loves it, soothing even the sourest of moods into quiet grumbles.

Doesn’t talk much about the time before Freddy found him - where his parents are, why he was living on the streets, and why he was so insistent to go with the guy who had just started a fire.

It also wasn’t exactly a matter of being found. Gold was on a mission to destroy a particular batch of evidence and prevent the company in question from making headway, so he figured to kill two birds with one stone and simply set the building in question on fire. Easy job, he thought. Not a residential area, and with extensive research on work schedules, there shouldn’t be any casualties - except someone started throwing rocks at him while yelling, and ruthless as he is he would never hurt a child.

Even though said child turns out extremely feral, and barely stops berating him for burning down the warehouse with the laxest security, where’s a kid supposed to sleep now, huh? His things were in there, asshole!

Gold, close to tears he can’t shed, feels incredibly guilty and apologizes throughout carrying Gregory away from the fast burning crime scene. Lil tot keeps hitting him, though. Gold quickly finds out the kid stonewalls at everything except his own name, won’t even say what was in the warehouse that was so important to him. For a while Gold just stares at the kid, contemplating how to continue - he can’t just leave him there, but he can’t expect Gregory to go with a stranger, and his life is dangerous -

“So, where are you going now?”

Entirely too nonchalant, but when Gold does not react as intended (i.e. with a direct answer), the kid huffs and crosses his arms. Boldly declares he’ll stick with - uhh, what’s his name, actually?

Freddy introduces himself through a slip up, and immediately freezes. Gregory grins the smuggest of grins. So if Freddy doesn’t let him tag along, there’s a lot of information he has that many people would be very interested in - namely the police and the company in question. Kid has been living on the streets for long enough to know a sucker, and Freddy is a big one.

The other Glamrocks were a bit wary of the kid first, but not entirely surprised that a feral stray decided to bully Freddy into adopting him. They’re all unfazed through their circumstances, and so when going through missing child reports does not yield any matches, Gregory gets a new faked identity (though various last names had to be rejected - RIP Gregory Fartmaster, you were never meant to be) and gets officially (but technically, very illegally) adopted by Freddy.

He calls Freddy both by his name and Dad, though he’s a little bashful about the latter. Freddy wants to melt every time. Both end up an emotional mess and don’t address it until the next time it happens. Monty is a very cool uncle, but fumbles a lot - especially when Gregory asks about the unholy amount of bent golf clubs Monty owns. He takes the kid to minigolf just so he’d stop asking, which Gregory promptly starts exploiting. Roxy starts out very aloof - but Gregs is very persistent, and quickly figures out how to get her talking. So she can see through walls? So cool! What’s the weirdest thing she’s seen? The grossest? Can she look through that wall right there? What’s on the other side? Roxy is unfortunately not immune to childlike wonder and admiration, and gives in quickly. Chica doesn’t even need to be convinced! She’s quickly very affectionate (lord knows she’s aware that Freddy needed a win - needed to not feel like he failed someone again), and a little too enabling for Freddy’s taste. A little trip to grab some fast food is always on the table, and she very seriously asks him about fashion advice sometimes, so he can feel included. His advice objectively sucks (for formal events), but once she wore hot wheels earrings for him and he’s been riding that high ever since.

Since Freddy found Gregory and thus, has a little human to take care of, he has lightened up considerably again. The novelty of everything keeps him on his toes, and seeing the positive impact he has on Gregory/ the safe home he can give the kid has helped him heal. He still misses his friends, but he has someone to take care of at home, and so he no longer works himself into the ground. The future is once again looking bright, despite the pain of the past, and he’s eager to explore it.

Roxy gets to bask in the admiration of someone who has never known Foxy, and in whose eyes she’s her own person and that person is great, even if some compliments just lead to sly requests of checking gifts for their content before it’s time to unwrap them.

Chica gets to see her oldest friend become himself again, and feels a lot lighter herself in turn. Gregory has no issue keeping up with her energy, and where their interests don’t match up, their sense for shenanigans does and they both enjoy that immensely.

Monty has little time to ponder the past when there’s a menace making a mess of the present, but he doesn’t find it in himself to complain, even if the kid tests his limited patience a lot. He likes being the fun uncle a lot more than being a fraud, and so he embraces it.

(And so, Gregory is starting to acquire parental units)

He does know that their work is secret, though, and has the official explanation of what to say when people ask what his father does for work memorized. After [REDACTED] on the street, he’s smart enough to keep secrets, and only complains when secrets are kept from him. He likes being in the know, and really, with how involved he is, doesn’t he deserve to know? One day he’ll say the wrong thing to the wrong person, all because no one clued him in…

That would be a tragedy, no? (:

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charkyzombicorn · 1 month

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Well fuck Dragon! Au where he tries that bias bullshit on Crocodile and gets kicked in the dick for it while Crocodile just leaves with their son. Au where Luffy is the prince of Baroque Works and Robin is his bodyguard/best friend

I'm so sorry I lost this in my asks!!!

I saw that SBS that said Croc would spoil his kids rotten and yes definitely absolutely also timeline what timeline anyway

Croc left the RA when Luffy was abt 2 months old, Iva didn't want to directly betray Dragon so they started the half level in impel down and was down there for a while monitoring comings and goings and conveniently missing every letter their vice monarch sent abt Croc being stashed away on Peachy Island - he didn't Need need to but sailing on his own with an infant would be rough especially since most of his contacts were also connected to Dragon (and not completely coincidentally on Dragon's part) so he would be sailing alone. Peachy Island is also where he meets Bon Clay (13-14 at the time) and he becomes something of a son to Croc.

Croc and Luffy spend 3-ish years there before Croc decides he's not in fact done playing with fire and he wants to be a warlord so he can be a pirate with a respected home territory to keep Luffy and also because staying still so long made him Itch. Luffy spending 3 years surrounded by people with a bit more focus on vanity and identity mixed with being raised by Croc does mean that Luffy gets a sense of style! Croc does not allow jorts in his house :( so Croc forms a small crew with Daz (afab went to peachy Island to fight Ivankov for testosterone got a found family is still on the quest for T), Zala (Old Old contact I'm aging her up 20 years because reasons. She knew Croc back when he was still on Whitebeard's ship and is one of the few that doesn't care at all abt the RA), Bon Clay (Croc was hesitant to bring him but he could more than hold his own Croc made sure of that), Drophy (left Amazon Lily because she fell for a man but then she killed him teehee she was on Peachy Island for groceries mostly) and Galdino (his sister's trans and lives on Peachy Island he visits her and her kids sometimes)

They set out, Croc making a massive name for himself mostly by accident (he likes planning things but he can't help being cool) but then the marines strike a deal - if he can remain an active pirate while being targeted by the other warlords for 1 year then they'll give him the warlord title (it was harder to become a warlord back then) so Croc says deal but then secretly gets Garp to pick up his grandson, says in no uncertain terms that if Luffy gets mistreated Garp will never see him again and Garp humors him mostly but still agrees and takes him to Dawn. Meanwhile the hunt begins, the only current warlords are Mihawk, Doflamingo and Moria and Croc manages easily enough by seducing two of them and beating the stuffing out of Moria thrice. He only wanted to keep Luffy away because he didnt trust any of the warlords to not do any research and find his glaring weakness. Also because Garp had been nagging him for years to let him see his grandson (Crocodile doesn't like the seperation, he's very clingy in an Italian way)

So Luffy lands on Dawn, immediately calls Shanks crusty and says he smells like if you soaked a sock in booze, Shanks thinks he's the funniest little guy ever. All the Shanks stuff happens, then Croc comes back for his kid only for Garp to pull a fast one (and by fast one I mean he told Dragon abt Croc and Luffy and Dragon decided to fuck with the groundwork Croc was laying in Alabasta so Garp could hide Luffy better this was not coordinated the Monkey family is just rude) so Croc had to turn right back around to chase Dragon away and Garp threw Luffy up the mountain (Luffy knows his dad's coming back for him but he doesn't know how long it'll take since his dad's only late when something bad happens and he eavesdropped that what his dad was doing was dangerous. Ace asks how Luffy knows his dad isn't dead, Luffy doesn't have an answer)

While Croc is away he finds Robin and takes her in

By the time Croc can get back to Dawn Luffy has 2 brothers and a sister and Croc decides Dragon and Garp keeping him from his kid means he has full rights to take the three new ones also

When he starts Baroque works the kids are called the Wani's (after bananawanis because they're as cute and also as vicious as them to Croc)

#one piece

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borkthemork · 2 years

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Bork, I feel like fore the Sashannarcy dynamic for the finale, it’s the true meaning for “if you love something you got to let it go”. But this term is more subjective, to me, if you love something but it hurts the thing, you have to let it go for them. I feel like the reason Sasharcy is so much closer than they are with Anne (from what’s implied) is because Anne needed time to really think about her identity after amphibia. she sort of relayed on the planters, just a bit. What’s your take?

So the ending to me is very interesting. I have seen a few people discuss the merits of the flash-forward, of the idea of the trio separating, and it gave me a specific memory back in May 2021 over my friend and I's discussion over the trio's aftermath.

And here is my main verdict:

The slow drift of the trio was a very realistic yet optimistic way to go about tackling their aftermath post-Amphibia.

The trio had been friends for a long time. That is for certain. We have seen the trio fight together in an anime reunion, we have seen Anne and Sasha talk in episodes like Sasha's Angels over residue from their friendship. However, from personal experience, the baggage and codependency from the trio's past interactions still need to be taken into consideration.

After all, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy confirmed that only a month had passed since Sasha and Anne had started healing their friendship, and even then ten or so years of codependency is understandable. That's a lot of past interaction to parse through as a growing, coming-of-age teen learning to set boundaries for themself.

If one had been in a codependent relationship where betrayals and forgiveness were encountered and given, there still would be a lot of residue left. And for the girls, they would have to learn how to transition out of it. However, this doesn’t mean that they separated completely from the beginning, or even became fully separated if I wanted to be frank.

From what the flash-forward implied, it seemed that Sasha, Anne, and Marcy did interact a lot in the beginning years, but as different pathways and social groups opened up to them the trio started to deviate. And to be fair, this is a pretty realistic portrayal. You can't really stop a friend from choosing the paths they know are encouraging them to grow — and it doesn't show that Anne put these two at arm's length. It just means that the trio kept up-to-date with one another, but as time went on, as they went through high school, college, and jobs, they began to get busier and busier.

Their texts and communication were probably still there, but not as frequent as they'd like. This is implied by Marcy asking Sasha about her interactions with Anne or about Sasha's psych degree, it doesn't sound like what a close friend would ask unless Anne completely fell off the radar or if all three hadn't been keeping up to date with one another except for a few hangouts or webcomic reads now and then, but I digress.

What is important is that this deviation allows for the girls to naturally grow into their own identities and support systems outside of each other.

They took on piercings, taught themselves about what career paths they wanted, got to do webcomics, helped out kids, bought a car, realize what makes them happy, and everything. They began to dive into different friend circles that fit with them, into what adults wanted to experiment with their newfound awareness, and overall carve their lives out as they go.

They formed into new people from their experiences with Amphibia, naturally taking shape when they got back to Earth, and came back together as a friend group of their own accord rather than through tragedy.

And the thing is that this was all by choice.

They chose to reunite, they chose to hang out again. They chose to catch up on their lives despite the natural separation and distance, and that is the most realistic portrayal of a friendship I could ever describe to you.

#amphibia #amphibia spoilers #amphibia analysis #the calamity trio #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #sasha waybright #asks #Anonymous #bork speaks

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maikingsenseofit · 1 year

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The Problem with Zvtara: Part 2

Continuing off of the last meta, let’s jump into the next analysis. Zuko through the lens of Katara.

The common Zvtara argument here (and I’m paraphrasing, I don’t remember the exact words but they all sound like this) is as follows:

Katara understood and cared about Zuko in a way that nobody else other than Iroh did. The empathy and understanding they display for each other simply cannot be replicated between them and any other character in the series, especially within the Gaang. They can only be themselves with each other and around everyone else they put up a mask or a facade.

Let’s go back to the pivotal Crossroads of Destiny moment. Once again I will emphasize that im not trying to diminish the power of this scene, the moment when two sworn enemies bond over their shared trauma. But just how well did Katara understand Zuko?

Upon seeing his scar, her immediate thought is to use spirit water to heal it. While this is an outstanding demonstration of kindness for someone she is not obliged to show it to, let’s remember that right before this Zuko says:

“It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately... I've realized that I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark.”

This. Right here. It is so important to understand. Zuko’s scar is so much more than a scar. It represents his trauma from his father, the trials and tribulations he faced to earn Ozai’s approval, and is a further reminder that he is the black sheep of the family both figuratively (a son who could never live up to his title, who could never bend like he was supposed to) and literally (the only member of a pristine royal family with an ugly brand on his face).

But his journey with Uncle Iroh in Ba Sing Se allows him to come to terms this trauma, or moreover this scar. It’s a reminder that we cannot escape our past or try to stifle it. We must embrace it and learn to accept it. It is only then that we are fully liberated from the shackles of our trauma and can fully determine our paths forward.

Katara’s offer to get rid of Zuko’s scar represents a regression of Zuko’s hard earned realization. He had just come to terms with his troubled past and accepts the ephemeral mark on his face. He even wears it with pride. He doesn’t try to hide his past or stifle his trauma, not anymore. It is an integral part of who he is. It is what makes Zuko, Zuko.He vocalizes this to Katara immediately before this. Katara however, fails to understand the significance and the journey behind this mark, largely in part because she wasn’t there to witness it. Her attempt to heal his scar falls flat in several ways, but one main reason is because just because something is healed physically, doesn’t mean it’s healed emotionally. But it’s important to consider something else here: Zuko never explicitly asks Katara or verbalizes a desire to get rid of his scar. Based on the earlier conversation, he’s finally gotten around to embracing it and welcoming the significance behind it. What Katara offers is in stark contrast to what he said. He allows her to touch his scar, but it is evident that she would never heal it. Why?

From Belen Edwards, despite the traumatic memories associated with his scar, Zuko never seems particularly ashamed of it. Throughout season 1, his hairstyle ensures that it's completely exposed, showing his identity to the world. In the second season, Zuko tells Katara that he's beginning to accept that he won't be rid of the scar.

And yet despite hearing the last part, Katara still offers a solution to Zuko to get rid of it.

This is where we see that the so called deep understanding and caring that Zuko and Katara held for each other is beginning to crack. Where is Katara’s deep and profound, soul-ular (get it, like cellular?) understanding of Zuko that no one else, other than Iroh, had of him? It begs us to ask if Iroh was in that room, given the journey he embarked on with his nephew both physically and emotionally, would he have encouraged Katara to get rid of this mark? The answer is obviously no. If there is a deep vulnerability and intimacy that they share with each other, and no one else, it does seem pointless given on both ends neither understands the full depth of the other’s situation. This is exemplified by Zuko immediately forgetting his entire interaction with Katara (but not His interaction with Aang interestingly) afterwards and still failing to understand why Katara was mad at him, even AFTER she explicitly tells him. And this is exemplified by Katara not fully acknowledging and understanding Zuko’s acceptance of his scar and offering a surface level solution that will never address the emotional significance and tribulations that come with it. Nothing against either of the characters by the way, and I need to emphasize that in bold font. I am simply observing their interactions and dispelling these “Word of God”-like claims.

Consider Zuko’s interactions with Mai. When he first sees her after years of banishment she gently his scar and touches in it not in an attempt to get rid of it, but because it is a part of Zuko. And when it comes to kissing Zuko, it means touching his scar, touching him in his entirety- including his physical and emotional marks. There’s a deliberate reason why the storyboard artists included Zuko’s scar in the scene. Because she’s known Zuko her whole life and was there when he first received it. Zuko and his scar are not two separate entities for her. They are one and the same.

She is able to reconcile that he not only the prince of the fire nation, tasked with the impossible, but also a broken kid who had a tumultuous background and never received enough love. Which is why after he divulges the root of her pain to her and their friends, she breaks free from her emotional, careless facade , makes herself vulnerable in front of Azula, to emphasize that she cares about him, despite his imperfections.

In a good faith interpretation, I must acquiesce that Mai has known Zuko for her entire life and Katara for far less than that. But to reiterate, this is to dispel the misconception that Katara knew and understood Zuko better than anybody in his life, ever, maybe except for Iroh, and that this was exemplified from their very first interaction as potential allies. And that is why they’re soulmates - because they had that instant connection and innate understanding. That is simply not true.

Now let’s dispel this other claim: that Katara was the only one that Zuko could ever open up to in the Gaang, and unlike his canonical love interest who shut him down. I’ve already went over this argument several times, but in case you need the reminder: Mai did not shut Zuko down when he was divulging the root of his pain and confusion at the Beach. She was genuinely curious and helped Zuko through his tumultuous time with Azula and Ty Lee, and reaffirmed her care for him at the end. She also did not shut Zuko down when he explains to her how the meeting with his father went. She was genuinely curious and provided to be a safe and effective sound board for him. She listens to him fully when he talks about he wasn’t himself, but rather the caricature of the perfect fire nation prince in the meeting. She did not shut him down out of boredom or because she was uncomfortable acknowledging his feelings. This represents character development after her first interaction(s) with Zuko, Azula, and Ty Lee. She gives Zuko the opportunity to open up about his decision to leave her in the boiling rock. She allows him to explain himself - Even if she didn’t completely understand how he wasn’t betraying his country, largely due to the years of indoctrination that the fire nation instills in every citizen. From @thethiefandtheairbender “Although Mai, understandably, disagrees, she still hears him out. She came here, ultimately, for a better explanation because she knows there must be one. She still debates and engages.” It is canonically and undeniably sourced that she allows Zuko to open up to her on multiple occasions, and he does. Yet all I see is Zvtara shippers, not all, use their first interaction to characterize Mai and her relationship with Zuko. Like we see in this very argument.

But outside of Mai, let’s address the claim that Katara was the only one that Zuko could ever open up to in the Gaang and that she had this deep understanding of him that no one else had. They bring up Katara asking Zuko what’s wrong when he’s about to meet Iroh again. What we see here is Katara asking a very simple and sweet question. She offers Zuko a word of encouragement. Both of these are very indicative of normal friendships and shows that on some level, she cares about him as a friend and a human. But there is no deeper or more intimate understanding or vibe to this. What’s she’s showing here is a common courtesy to ask what’s wrong and a standard note of encouragement. She knows, like the rest of the Gaang, that Zuko has tried very hard to redeem himself, that he doesn’t have any evil intentions, and that his uncle, more than anyone, will forgive him when he apologizes.

But isn’t this the exact same thing we see occur with Zuko and Toph? Zuko also opens up to Toph about his turmoil and guilt over betraying his uncle. She, like Katara,understands the depth of Zuko’s angst. And like a good friend and someone who is deeply insightful, she tells Zuko exactly what he needs to hear and makes him feel better. That his uncle is indeed proud of Zuko and he doesn’t have to do much else to earn his forgiveness.

Does this mean that Toph had a more intimate and deeper understanding of Zuko, when in reality in both instances, this is how you show affection and empathy for a friend? Does this make Toph the best romantic match for Zuko?

The last claim: but Katara was the first person to see Zuko’s capacity to change and she saw the good in him!

Actually, that was Aang. Aang was the first person to see the inherent good in Zuko, to understand that maybe his intentions weren’t all that evil and that he was confused, not an innately evil person.

From the Reddit:

And unlike with his interaction with Katara, Zuko actually remembers this one with Aang and even references it later.

And Zuko opens up to Aang completely and quite in depth in the Siege of the North. He talks to him at great length about how everything always came so easily to Azula and how he resents Aang because of this. It is here where Zuko first verbalized how confused, frustrated, and unloved he is. And although we don’t know if Aang heard him, one can assume he knows all this about Zuko by now, because he makes the deliberate decision to save Zuko and bring him along instead of letting him freeze to death (even though Aang wouldn’t let anyone go like that).

There’s this one other claim that Katara and Zuko are the only two characters to have parallel arcs that are marked by the same foundational events (the loss of their mothers) that enable them to have this deep intimate understanding of each other that no one else does. While Zuko’s loss of his mother (although she never dies, he just doesn’t know where she is) is an important part of Zuko’s life it does not define his entire arc. Nor does it for Katara.

Here’s what parallel arcs marked by the same foundational events actually looks like. From the Avatar wiki, this is a long one and complete credits to the author who wrote this!

Despite Aang being the clear protagonist and Zuko initially being the main antagonist, their stories were often paralleled in the narrative structure of the show. Flashbacks of the incidents that changed their respective lives forever, Aang being told that he was the Avatar and subsequently running away, and Zuko's Agni Kai against his father and subsequent scarring and loss of his honor, were shown side-by-side.[5] Their attempts to progress in their bending while impeded by psychological blocks were also shown side-by-side.[30] They were both marked men, with Aang having his arrow tattoos all over his body, while Zuko had a large scar on his left eye given to him by his father.[5] Scenes of Aang struggling to cope with an unexpected betrayal from an Earth Kingdom general morphed smoothly into Zuko facing a similar betrayal from his sister.[7] Aang was shown displaying the same frustration about the loss of his honor as Zuko, echoing the same frustration Zuko had been uttering for the first two seasons, "I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back."[11] Both Zuko and Aang found out about their interconnected fates, with Aang being the reincarnation of Avatar Roku and Zuko being Roku's direct descendant as Roku's granddaughter was Zuko's mother.[32] Both characters, at some point, stated that they were ready to face the Fire Lord. Aang intended to do battle with Ozai, while Zuko was ready to confront his father about his feelings and choices. During that confrontation, he announced his intention to join the Avatar and helped him defeat Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko's confrontation with his father was mirrored by Aang’s battle with Azula.

So there’s the deconstruction of the argument that Katara and Zuko understood each other in a way that nobody else ever did or could, that they could fully be themselves around each other and no one else, and that they had similar arcs defined by the same foundational event that no one else shared with them. In the earlier meta, we saw just how much Zuko really connected with Katara in the catacombs, by immediately forgetting her act of profound trust and never mentioning it again, only to be completely stupefied when she brought it up. He connects the anger she has with him with the loss of her mother, even though they aren’t that related. If it wasn’t for her voicing her displeasure in front of the entire group, he would have never sought to make amends with her personally. He redeemed himself in her eyes out of conditional necessity, not out of a deep care or love for her that people will staunchly claim they saw.

The only thing I can give to Zvtarians is the timeline. With Zuko and Katara, we had a very linear progression from when they were enemies, to allies, to friends - which coincides with the end of the Avatar show. But love, outside of fiction, is not linear. It is marred by disagreements and makeups, kisses and fights, that co-occur, not one after the other. Often times, we make up before all of our issues are resolved in it’s entirety. That’s why I stand behind Bryke’s decisions on the canon ships.

Until next time!

#anti zutara #heavy emphasis on anti cause i’m not about to go through this again #zuko #avatar the last airbender #mai #maiko #atla maiko #katara #aang #kataang

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gleamingtempest · 7 months

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Rose Lacroix & J Rosales - Narrative Foil Trait Compilation #6

How does this series work?

This is my narrative foil disection series for Danganronpa Despair Time based on my post Danganronpa: Depsair Time foils theory. The presented theory is that the CH1 recap shows off all narrative foils in DR:DT based on how the pairings in said recap video are paired. This series will go through all 8(?) of these foil pairings and disect the dichotomy present in them in a more in depth manner. I will do this primarily by comparing and contrasting Backstory, Motive, Flaws & Character Arc. (Credit to Barbieronpa for that compliation of concepts.) All of these posts will contain heavy spoilers and will be updated as the series goes on and more information on the characters is presented. If you are interested in the those updates please return to each of these posts after the end of an episode batch. This will only look at presented content within the series;outside of the foil theory itself it will not take into account theories & speculation.

Backstory

Rose: -> Grew up in a household which was financially unstable enough to encourage crime as a counterbalance -> Was caught for crimes and fined an unpayable amount of money as punishment. This would have put her household in debt forever. -> Was "saved" by Spurling Foundation who agreed to bail her out if she was willing to give over all her artwork past, present and future to the Spurling Foundation -> Now works for the Spurling Foundation and cannot make a piece which is not owned by the foundation -> She has a photographic memory which allows her to perfectly remember anything she's ever seen;it does not apply to spoken words. J: -> Forced to act fem by superstar mother for most of her early life -> Not allowed to explore identity on own terms -> Eventually rebels and starts presents on her own terms -> At some point began working on SFX - probably linked to mothers status as an actress

Compare/Contrast: -> Both have a figure who severely limits their own ability to explore their identity -> J grew up with a large amount of financial privllege whereas Rose grew up with so little she was forced to put herself and her family at risk -> Rose clearly cares about her family enough to work for them for the rest of her life while J has been hurt by a family member (specifically, her mother) enough to actively resent them.

Personality

Rose: -> Lethargic -> Inductive Thinker -> Blunt -> Apathetic J: -> Energetic -> Deductive Thinker -> Roundabout/Insecure -> Emotional

Motive

Rose: -> Rose is motivated to continue living so that her family is not forced to contend with a lifelong debt of her own doing however she has a lack of motive for her own personal endeavors -> She desires the ability to explore her own identity and to express her heart on her own terms but does not believe she will ever be able to do so -> She has largely resigned J: -> J is motivated by a desire to be everything her mother did not want her to be;she is overcorrecting because she wants to be her own person. -> She wants to live her life now in a way she was never allowed to before and resents anything associated with her old life (egocentric people, pink, girly things, etc.) -> She is still very motivated towards achieving this goal and doesn't ever seem to stop working towards it Compare/Contrast: -> Rose is a low energy, passive person who does not believe she can change her fate while J is a high energy, active person who is constantly working towards her goals. -> Rose and J both seek an identity of their own, not defined by anyone else

Flaws

Rose: -> Rose avoids her problems and gives up without much resistance -> She does what she believes will be helpful to others without taking any regard for her own wellbeing into account J: -> J can be somewhat abrasive and judgemental -> She makes quick judgements about others which she seems to stubbornly hold onto, even when it isn't reasonable to do so -> J can somewhat blindly idealize others (Specifically Teruko) even when they aren't the person she might want them to be. This mirrors behavior she deems bad and has ended badly for her so far. Compare/Contrast: -> Rose tries too little while J overcorrects and does much too much in response to her problems -> Both seem to be aware of their problems - J is actively trying to work on them while Rose is constantly watching them occur without taking any action to change them.

Narrative Arc

Rose: -> Rose starts off the story reactively figuring clues out and sharing them with others however she never takes an active pursuit to figure out the truth -> She starts having nightmares of the gruesome scenes she sees in the killing game and paints these nightmares to get them out of her head -> She shares her story with Teruko which prompts Nico to ask Rose to teach them how to paint -> Rose is somewhat shocked by this but accepts and begins teaching Nico how to paint -> Rose believes she is betrayed by Nico after they seem to use her in order to steal turpentine from her and use it on their attempt to murder Ace -> Rose becomes even more closed off after this and refuses to face the crime scene because of her photographic memory. J: -> J starts off the story attaching herself to Teruko and trying to become friends with her in a very roundabout way -> She tries to impress Teruko by attempting to defeat MonoTV is embarassed when this attempt fails -> She accuses Teruko of murder in the trial in spite of prior attempts to befriend her -> Her secret it revealed by Arturo at the start of chapter 2 and she is then harassed by him for the rest of the chapter. -> She attempts to get reprieve from this harassment by puling Teruko into a changing room so that Arturo won't follow and in response Teruko holds a knife to her neck and chastizes her for pulling her into a dark cramped space without asking -> J is clearly very hurt by this and acts somewhat spiteful towards Teruko afterwards -> J becomes even more spiteful during the trial after being able to expose Arturo's secret. She seems to enjoy getting revenge. Compare/Contrast: -> Both Rose and J are hurt by someone who they to some degree trusted and become more closed off afterwards -> Rose seems to be falling deeper and deeper into her escapism while J is becoming more and more spiteful/vengeful.

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt spoilers #rose lacroix #j rosales #narrative foils #drdt foils

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