#so saying that she was a flawed character for trying to protect her brothers life just ...... aint it idk it makes me :

[yuikomorii]

might be wrong about this but I think the thing that really differentiates Ayato from his brother is that he actually values life in a ''pure way''. Both Subaru and Shu didn't really have the will to life until they met the MC, Reiji's only will was to overcome his father and become better than his brother due to his jealousy, and even if it doesn't seem like it from the surface both Kanato and Laito were too mindbroken due to their trauma to actually enjoy life in a non-twisted way.

Ayato went through a lot of traumatic experiences just like the rest of his brothers but unlike them, he actually had a pure reason to live, that's why he didn't abandon his brothers and was desperately searching for them when they arrived to Rottienburg (I think that's the name) and prioritized them after he got saved by reiji and was willing to go look for them with no plan ahead and he's never changed. Even after they obviously drifted apart he still wanted to save his siblings (like in Lost Eden) even if they didn't want to save him when he got kidnapped by Kino.

Or when he was the only who saved yui in the anime when she got kidnapped by the mukami (Ik it's only fanservice because the anime shows Ayato as the ml). Or when he was the only one worrying about mc in the Olympics cd when the whole thing crushed down. I know mc has had her effects in everyone (because even reiji got worried in the CD drama when he though someone was drowning, turns out it was just Shu being weird) but at the end of the day, Rejet made it very clear that ayato always was different from his brothers even as kids.

Too long? Maybe, I just like rambling a lot about ayato lol

// This franchise is longer than a decade, it’s time for people to stop pretending that Ayato isn’t different from the rest, because it annihilates his purpose like that. Now I’m not saying that everyone else sucks and Ayato is the only cool character there, it’s just that Rejet wrote him in a way that genuinely gives off main character energy. Heck, even other characters have confirmed that he got *something* nobody else does, which is true.

Credit to: dialovers-translations, tournesolia

One thing about Ayato is that he might roast and prank you, but the moment you need help, he’ll be the first to lend you a hand. He’s by no means perfect, of course, he has flaws and makes mistakes too, but his good qualities are just so many that they’re easily able to outshine his bad ones.

Another example is the DF prologue scene. The most normal reaction would have been fighting with the wolf, as Subaru did, but instead of trying to get rid of it, Ayato used himself as shield the moment he saw it, so as to protect Yui. What makes this scene so powerful is that not only they weren’t a couple back then, but in the other Sakamaki routes, he’s still severely injured. He values life, yet he still sacrificed himself for her, no matter if she dates someone else afterwards, and guess what? Even after waking up from the coma in the other routes, he holds no grudge against her for that, but rather is on good terms with Yui. I would also like to talk about how self-sacrificing he is in the Daylight CD, but I feel like everyone listened to that one already, given that it was the most liked of the Daylight series.

While I understand that some people out there prefer more rational and/or introverted characters, I can’t stand those who deny the essence of a character. And, for all people who blame Rejet for “making him more special than the rest”, let me remind you that he’s the Diaboy who got the worst journey ending. Let that sink in. :”)

[ninapi]

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ First Born❜ (Halloween Special)┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Being an older brother once more was beyond exhilarating for Choso, he never expected though to find love by his little brother's side, his pretty and kind childhood friend bringing a softness into his life he didn't know it was possible one Halloween night.

Word Count: 3243

Note: this is a Semi AU, meaning the characters are who they are in the series, yet the timeline doesn’t match the original story.

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Choso has been a big brother since he can remember, that’s his number one trait and the one he is more proud of in general.

Therefore, loosing his two younger brothers continues to sting to this day.

Gaining a ‘new brother’ or finding a ‘lost brother’ which ever you wanna call it, gave him a new sense of purpose, a new reason to live and continue growing as a person.

His number one flaw though, was how unemotional he was. 

To Yuuji, Choso was embarrassing. 

He never gets the jokes, more like he can’t even laugh on his own like if his face muscles were forever stiff, a spoon could get social cues better than him; he says the most embarrassing things at the worst timing too and this brings us to this moment.

Yuuji had been flirting with the girl that worked a part time at the donut shop close by for about a month. He would always stop by and buy even if it was just one donut to munch on his way to school just so he could see her smile for a couple of minutes; he even went as far as to ask for her number last time he was there; though today, Choso tagged along and was currently glaring at said beauty for getting ‘too close’ to his brother. “What is it that you want woman? I won’t let you get your smitten paws over my little brother, you hear me? You won’t ever understand how precious he is, must be protected at all cost.”

“Oh my god…just what do you think you’re doing?? Ruining my life?? Didn’t I tell you to stay outside with Fushiguro??” 

“Itadori-kun, I think your brother is right, I don’t think I can handle such a precious boy….” the girl couldn’t hold her laugh any longer, same thing as her co-workers who witnessed the scene.

“That’s it. I’m never taking you out again. Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get her to even look at me??” Yuuji was so disheartened, he opted to sit down on the sidewalk, contemplating the meaning of life while hating on his new older brother.

“I…I was just trying to-“ 

“I know, I know…just trying to be a good older brother…But have you stopped for a second and think that maybe not everyone wants to hurt me? I’m strong enough to defend myself, a pretty little thing like her wouldn’t even dream of hurting anything but my heart…” he sniffs dramatically, burying his face on his hands.

“You can die immediately if someone hurts your heart, idiot…”

This was the last drop of patience within him, “NOT literally, OK? I don’t mean my internal organ, I mean the feelings side of the heart!!”

“That’s not in your heart but your brain. You can also die if someone hurts you there-“

“Just stop talking!!!” Megumi and Nobara were both laughing their asses off at their banter, truth is Nobara saw the girl flirt with at least four different guys in just a week, she had been trying to warn her friend about her, so it was actually a good thing having dense Choso around to break the spell she had on him; that didn’t make it any less funny though.

“Itadori don’t be so hard on him, he’s pouting again.”

“I am not doing such thing-“

“Yes you are, man…” Megumi let out a deep sigh, walking on the opposite direction wanting nothing to do with the loud display of idiocy in front of him.

“Hey Fushiguro! Where are you going? We still need to discuss our plans for the party!” Yuuji yelled after him a little too loud, causing Megumi to flinch and return just to shut him up. “There’s nothing to discuss…Just be there around 9PM, you have to wear a costume or they won’t let you in, those are the rules.”

“Did you choose one already? I never pegged you for someone who’d like halloween parties~” giggling, Nobara elbowed Yuuji on the ribs wanting him to team up with her to tease their friend.

“I bet he’ll wear something ridiculous, like one of those giant carrot costumes.” bursting out laughing, both held each other from collapsing on the ground imagining carrotgumi.

“For your information, I will go as a vampire…I found dubious objects in a closet in Gojo-sensei’s, I mean back in the house…so I brought them with me for this party. Not like I want to go or anything but Maki-san threaten to shave my head in my sleep if I didn’t go…”

“Bald carrotgumi….” after one more outburst of intense laughter, the team bullying ended for the best. “I need a costume, would you go buy one with me, Kugisaki?”

All this time Choso has been quietly observing the entire thing. He knows his brother literally just said he wouldn’t take him out with him ever again, but he really wanted to prove him he could do better, that he wasn’t an embarrassment and that he was the best older brother there was to have, this was his chance. “Guys…do you think…do you think I can come with you…?” 

“No, never, non, forget about it.”

“B-but…”

“Listen, you just ruined my life! How do you even think I would take you with me again?”

“Poor guy, just let him come, Itadori…he always brings the funniest of conversations out. I like him.” Choso perked up a little at the support he was getting, even if he knew all she wanted was to mock his brother, at least someone wanted him there.

“Oh c’mon….What if he ruins it again?” 

“Just leave (Y/N) in baby sitting duty. She likes lost causes…” shrugging she started making her way to the costume shop, both of them tagging along.

“(Y/N)? I mean yes she does take recycling to an intense level and saves stray cats, but this is…this is something else, Kugisaki…” Choso’s lip was quivering once more, not wanting to face rejection for a third time on the same day by the person he wishes to please the most.

“Ok then how about we do this…” leaning close to Yuuji’s ear she whispers her plan with the most mischievous grin anyone has ever seen in their lives. To this Yuuji laughs for what feels like hours, having to stop in his tracks to wipe his tears away and calm down. “Ok, ok let’s ask him…” going over to his older brother, Yuuji bats his eyelashes prettily up at him, “Nii-chan…you can go…if you go dressed as the carrot Fushiguro isn’t wearing…”

Choso just nodded eagerly, not fully understanding what he was getting himself into. 

“Also, I won’t let you follow me around, I wanna get a girl in my bed by tonight, and you can’t stop me. I’ll ask my best friend to look after you. Understood?” this definitely wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted bonding time with his brother, have a nice time, maybe drink one of those beers he introduced him to the other day, not having to stay behind away from the fun dressed as a commonly disliked vegetable…but it was the chance he was looking for to prove he could behave.

“Is that a yes? Or-?”

“Yes, I will go.” Nobara was on her phone browsing for carrot costumes, not long after running on her way to the shop.

This would be a long night..

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The night was young, every known sorcerer and their friends and family were invited to this party.

Yuuji chose to dress as werewolf, while Nobara went dressed as a sexy nurse.

Choso though…let’s just say the carrot outfit didn’t suit him that well…

Wanting to get rid of him as soon as possible, Yuuji stopped you right at the entrance with a big grin plastered on his face. “(Y/N) my darling! My bestie! The light that shines above us…!”

“What do you want now-“ he was being too obvious, he only acts this way when he wants either money or nasty favors.

“Have you met my brother yet?”

“Your what-? I’ve lived next door my entire life and I’ve never seen a brother of yours-“ covering your mouth almost instantly, he glared at you, trying to get you to play along.

“O-oh…yes your brother! You told me about him the other day. No, I haven’t had the pleasure to meet him yet!” smiling on his direction, you walked over to him, taking both of his hands in yours.

“Hi! I’m (Y/N), it’s nice to finally meet you! By the way, what an adorable outfit you brought today! I wish I knew about them before, then we could have been two carrots instead of just one!” giggling at how good you were handling his worst nightmare, Yuuji sneaks away without you noticing; thing is, not only did you not notice, but neither did Choso, and that had never happen before.

“They also had tomatoes and an eggplant, but that one was too little, it would probably fit you though.” He nodded in thought, unable to figure out why the thought of you dressed like a tiny eggplant sounded so appealing. Was this why his brother wanted him to be a carrot? Did he actually look cute?

“I would have loved to be an eggplant! We could take a bunch of pictures, probably even win the costume contest!” your soft laughter brought a smile to his face, he’s never been treated this nicely before.

“What are you supposed to be though?” he eyed you from head to toe, making you blush. “I’m Godzilla~” you posed, letting out a cute little roar, his heart skipped a beat, cuteness has never been his thing but he could see the appeal of it now.

“I apologize, I do not know what that is, but it’s certainly cuter than an eggplant. They don’t make sounds...” his comment made you giggle giddily, why did Yuuji dislike him this much? He’s such a sweetheart…

“Hmm Godzilla is…a monster…he destroys cities and kicks buildings.” you tried your best to imitate it properly, earning a smile from him once more, making you feel accomplished.

“So like a curse? I’m half curse-” he looked at you with his eyes wide opened in realization.

“Nah, more like a cute big animal lost in a city full of ants.” he nods at this, before pointing to a table by the door. “They had animal shaped cookies in a bowl over there.” he didn’t know why but he felt the need to make you smile some more, to make you feel comfortable in his presence unlike the rest of his brother’s friends and seemed like you liked animals enough to dress like one.

“Do they? I bet they’re adorable. Would you like to eat some with me?” the way your eyes twinkled at this little piece of information made his stomach feel hollow, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, he kind of wanted to feel more of this, so he went over the table and poked all the cookies from the bowl until he was sure he’s gotten at least one of every single animal available in it. 

Megumi, who was sitting at the top of the stairs hiding from a drunk panda who was trying to get him to kiss his cousin, saw the entire scene unfold, and decided to intervene before Itadori ruined his moment if he caught him. “Choso…stop touching all the food just grab a handful she’ll like it anyways, trust me.” to his advice he nodded gratefully, making sure to grab some drinks as well.

“Here, I couldn’t find the elephant, I was sure I saw one when I went by that table earlier, apologies for not getting you the complete set. I got you some melon soda though, I hope you like it.” the back of his neck felt hot, he continued wondering why he wanted to please you this bad, is not like you were his little sister, not like he wanted you to be his sister- he wouldn’t be able to last a day before dying of cuteness overload.

“Don’t worry! I’m sure Mr.elephant found a nice home in someone else’s belly.” chuckling you grabbed a little bear cookie and pressed it to his lips, “Try it! It’s yumyum~” you danced happily at the taste, wanting to share the joy a good high quality cookie can bring to someone’s life.

To this he just gave out a short nod, getting the entire cookie into his mouth. This was all so new to him, was this why his brother kept insisting in taking a girl to his bed?

What would they even do there?

He would like to take you to his and eat elephant shaped cookies, maybe even talk a little, or watch a movie, he’s been really into them since his brother introduced him to horror films.

“Hey (Y/N) would you like to go to my room? It’s a bit far but we could walk there-“ before he could continue his sentence, a shoe came flying straight to his face, Megumi coming to pull him to the side, “I’m borrowing him for just a second (L/N), be right back.” 

He took Choso outside, away from prying eyes, a deep scowl on his face, “What on earth are you doing? You spend too much time with Itadori, he’s rubbing on you…”

“I thought you’re supposed to take nice girls to your bed…”

“I..ugh..WhAT? Who told you that? Never mind don’t answer…” letting out a long sigh he plops down on a bench prompting Choso to the same. “Look, man…it is true I guess, though the order is wrong. Remember how your brother talked to the same girl for months just to get her to like him?” nodding his head he was taking mental notes, Megumi rarely took his time to teach him anything, this must not go to waste.

“When you think a girl is nice or cute, pretty even. When she’s nice to you as well and you feel like you want more of her…” his nodding intensified, it was as if he was reading his mind, describing just how he was feeling that same moment.

“You have to treat her right, make nice things for her, be patient, don’t do anything impulsive. Girls are more delicate, you can’t be rough with them. Got it?”

“I knew it. I should have looked for that elephant cookie some more…” 

A rare smile appeared on Megumi’s face, Choso has been nothing but a pain to them when it doesn’t come to fighting, but he’s never seen this soft side of him, or maybe he had, just that Itadori always shuts him down unlike you.

“Yeah well, maybe next time you can buy her a bag, I’m sure the elephant will be there.” his eyes opened widely, he hadn’t thought about that, fantastic idea.

“You’re a great guy, Fushiguro, I appreciate your advise. I can be your older brother too, if you ever need one...” with a small smile on his face, Megumi walked away back to his room, he'd have enough of this party already.

“Go back to her, before someone steals her away~” running back inside, his heart came back to his body when he saw you patiently waiting for him inside, fidgeting with your fingers.

“I have returned. Fushiguro just told me we can find the elephant cookie if I get you a new pack of cookies. Would you like to go buy one with me?”

“Right now?” that smile of yours will end up causing him heart failure, he was sure of that now.

“Or later, when you have time, if you want that is…we can also go back for the eggplant dress, if you’re tired of being Godzilla.” It was pretty obvious to you by now that he was trying to get you out of this party, you weren’t what others would call a 'party animal’, you only went because your best friend called you over; the same best friend who’s been flirting with every single girl in the room and has not addressed you for the longest time.

“I think they sell them in the supermarket down the street, lets go~!” pulling him by his hand, you both walked in silence as none of you knew what to say.

“So, how is Yuuji as a younger brother? If he’s mean to you tell me, I will kick his ass…” you knew your bestie, he could be really sweet as much as he can be a real ass when he wants to be.

“He’s great. I wish we could get along better though…but it’s hard to know what he wants. I wished everyone would be happy with animal cookies…”

“I think it’s easy getting along with you though. You’re sweet and gentle, funny too.” Choso has never been complimented before, not like this at least…was this what his brother called ‘flirting’?

“I…well I think you are all those things too…nobody has ever treated me this nice before…” his comment managed to sadden you more than anything, stopping you on your tracks to place a hand on his cheek gently.

“Then how about we see each other some more? I need you to see how special you are.” your smile was so bright, so comforting…his chest ached but in a pleasant way, he kind of wanted to rip his own heart out just to see the chemical reaction occurring within his body in this very second, his blood even felt more powerful, he could kill Gojo Satoru right now, he was sure of it. But all he wanted was to count cookies with you while looking at the night sky.

“Can we? See each other again? I mean after the cookies...?”

“Of course! Lets do all sorts of things together! Have you ever been to a theme park? Maybe I can get the eggplant costume and we could both go dressed as vegetables, that’d be fun!” your arm wrapped around his as you walked towards the supermarket.

“I’ve never been to one, no.”

“Then we totally have to go! We could play some video games too! Oh and we definitely need to go to that new crepe place down town, I heard you need a reservation and all!”

“Why do you want to go with me to all those places?” he was honestly confused, he’s been facing so much rejection that this fuzzy feeling in his chest was starting to cause some concern.

“That’s what friends do, right? Besides, I think you’re really cute…maybe…we could…you know…one of those days we go out…only if you’d like of course…we could maybe say it’s a date?” you smiled nervously up at him, he’s never seen such beauty in his entire life, not even the drawing his little brother made for him when they were little was this pretty. “I would like that very much…”

Being the first born of four brothers had its benefits as much as it has its flaws, but tonight he was sure of one thing, he was glad of getting in his little brothers nerves enough to get him to dump him with the cutest girl his eyes had ever lay on.

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Masterlist

[gigigle]

I really hate how ursa is done in the comics idk

Like I'm done with the arranged marriage and her and ikem but I hate the other stuff.

1. Her and azula

I kinda wish they made her and azulas relationship more complex and nuanced instead of it being that ursa loved her all along and never favored zuko

Because I just think that's a little lazy. I feel like if ursa had favored zuko it would've made sense like if we keep the ikem part of all of it then I think it would be interesting that ursa favored zuko because he reminded her of her past and ikem. Also that with zuko she could at least pretend he wasn't ozais.

But with azula she couldn't pretend at all. And then coupled that with the fact that azula had a spark in her eyes that zuko didn't and she saw how ozai reacted to that and how he treated zuko that she would feel like she would need to protect him even more. I think it would be an interesting thing if zuko reminded her of her old life while azula reminded her of her present life.

And that would cause a rift between them. And then we would have azula acting out for her mothers attention and acting more and more similar to ozai which would just further increase the rift. Because ursa would struggle to separate her daughter from her abuser like she can with zuko. Especially since azula would also spend most of her time learning from ozai and listening to him.

Im also not saying she would a horrible mother either. Because I think even with this scenario that she is still nuanced because she got forced into a situation she would have never chosen and is just trying to get through it day by day. I think it would be that like ursa, azula was just a casualty of azulon and especially of ozai. Because had ozai not been there I think she would have been a much better mother.

Like idk I just feel like with how the comics wrote ursa and ozais relationship this would make even more sense than her being just a slightly flawed mother but she was trying her best. Idk I'm not very articulate.

2. The forgetting thing

It sucks. I hate it so much actually. It's just so bad, like I feel like the writer couldn't think of anyway to make it make sense that ursa would never go back to her kids but tbh I can think of some ways.

Like ursa is definitely terrified of ozai and he knows where she went and she would still go back to her hometown.

So maybe ozai knows this and every now and then he sends soldiers around there to just do a bit of patrol maybe even have them raid her parents house as a way of telling ursa that if she does something her parents and ikem are gonna be the price. Which I think would work.

Also I think with azula and zuko that she just kept telling herself that zuko had Iroh and that azula was ozais favorite. She probably just repeated those constantly like how zuko does with azula always lies. And soon after like a year she believed it.

Also I think she wouldn't get any information on them because ozai would make it harder and like we see in canon not that many know of or recognize azula and zuko. Like in the beach episode kids who seem to have noble parents don't even know about them so I think it would make a lot of sense that the royal family is way way way more private esp during ozais reign. Because yk ozai killed his father,stole his brothers birthright, and In ozais opinion had a failure of a first born. And maybe ursa was also too terrified of what shed find out or just to leave hir'a/her hometown.

Also part of me thinks it was lazy writing so that they wouldn't have to have ursa have difficult conversations about why she never went looking for them or just a conversation with azula because we never actually get a real ursa and azula convo.

3. Kiyi

I hate her. Like she just feels like such a a replacement and lazy writing. Like they wanted zuko to have a healthy brother sister dynamic with someone and they didn't know how,didn't think of, or just didn't want to write that with pre established characters, they decided to make a character that was everything azula wasn't and was the perfect little sister and daughter.

Like I think she could be fun but I also think she was just so that zuko could have that dynamic without having to put in the work of writing azula a semi redemption arc or smth.

But also I think maybe they could've given zuko that brother sister dynamic with katara or toph. Like we see zuko jealous of sokka and katara and maybe we get stuff we're zuko and katara will act like sibling or like the relationship he always wanted with azula but then gets reminded that he can't have that.

Also It feels like a way to also give ursa the perfect daughter but I do think rewritten she could work. I think she's a fun concept.

End

Tbh I just wanted to rant because I feel like so much was done that was just kinda boring and lazy.

[welivetodream]

Camilla Macaulay: the twist villain that never was.

(ps: this is just a headcanon and personal opinion, nothing serious!)

Out of all the characters in TSH, Camilla to me seemed the most enigmatic, more than even Henry Winter. There's something about her that I cannot understand. I couldn't trust her when I was reading TSH for the first time, I thought she was going to be the mastermind behind it all.

Why? Isn't Camilla the nicest of all of them? So was Charles, and look at what happened to him. The twins gave me the ick a lot of the times, especially during re-reads where I could see the early hints of the incest reveal and the abuse. It could have been completely believable, if Camilla, behind the scenes was the one causing the drama all along.

1. Richard's rose coloured lens: since the story is told from his point of view, it's understandable if he decided to leave some details, changed the story or was oblivious to some things he didn't want to remember or think about. He had the most bias for Camilla, she was his crush. And we often look at our crushes with rose tinted glasses and often hide their flaws and mistakes. Richard shows bias towards the Greek class even before he was in it and his infatuation with Camilla could be the reason why we don't get any bad details about her throughout the story.

2. Motives: while Bunny did get murdered for blackmailing and trying to betray the Greek class. Only Camilla had other motives to cause distress among the others. Particularly, Charles. We know he was extremely possessive with her and has caused her emotional and physical abuse (there's background info we get at times about the twins having broken objects in the house and other times where Charles is possessive of Camilla). I don't think she truly loves Henry, it's more that being with him gives her the protection and safety she needs. She has shown some kind of liking to Francis, they seem good friends and have kissed two times (I call it gay solidarity). She plays with Richard's heart a lot, kissing him when no one is looking and making him think he has a chance when he clearly doesn't. Camilla is overshadowed by the guys in her friend group; getting the "only girl treatment". Bunny is always trying to get under her nerves and is misogynistic towards her. Charles is controlling and abusive (her own brother). Henry is cold and sociopathic, as well as someone you can't trust ("I call it redistribution of matter"). Richard is a simp. Francis is there.

3. What could have happened: Camilla, tired of the way her life is tied to Charles, Henry and Richard and their feelings towards her forcing her into a corner with no choice of her own. As well as, mentally scared from the murder of the farmer, decides to end all of the misfortunes in her life. Instead of Henry making the plans, it's Camilla in this version of the story that decides to kill Bunny both to get rid of him from her life as well as to hide the first murder. But she does this from the shadows. And the person that discovers her plan is Francis, since they have a relatively good relationship, it's possible he wouldn't spill her plans and stay quiet. She gaslights Henry into believing he ended up killing Bunny (let's say he went through with the poisonous mushrooms but instead Camilla gave Bunny actual posion)

When Charles goes into his villain arc, Camilla uses Henry as a shield to keep him away. And in the final scene, instead of Henry shooting himself, Charles ends up shooting him and Camilla shoots Charles as an act of revenge. She then threatens Richard that if he says a word about this (both Bunny and Charles's murder) then he would die too, she does that to seal her secret; she knows Richard has a big mouth and might betray her and spares Francis, since he already knew and is trustable. Camilla cleans her fingerprints from the gun and puts it in Charles's hand in order to frame it as a murder-suicide. Camilla attends their funerals and gives an alibi in front of the police that her, Richard and Francis were in the country house during the murder-suicide and then testified that Charles and Henry were the ones who were involved in the two murders and were holding them hostage with that information, clearing the three of them from the murders. Then she finally leaves for a better life. (Maybe the epilogue would be about Francis telling Richard about Camilla's behind-the-scenes story, showcasing the aftermath and what they are doing in the present)

4. Character arc: making Camilla crucial to the plot and a twist villain would give so much to her character. Her mysterious nature, absence from the main plot and lack of impact at the start of the story could be explained by her secretly planning their downfalls and her escape. Instead of her being the object of affection for the three guys and being the typical "girl that ruins the friendships between guy friends", she is the hidden mastermind with her own motives, personality and story. She was the only one who didn't change in the second part. But in this version of the story, she is the one who drives it's entire narrative.

Let her be manipulative, a liar, a gaslighter. Let her show the wrath of female rage.

When the twins were introduced in white clothing, looking like angels. Maybe they were wolves in sheep's clothing. Both of the twins. Not just Charles but Camilla too. They were creepy, eerie, and strange. They hid their true personalities behind southern hospitality and beautiful features.

"Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it"

After all, the best characters are the grey ones.

[sepublic]

FOR THE FUTURE!!!

         Luz just wanted to be understood… SHE WANTED TO BE UNDERSTOOD!!!!!!! That’s all she wanted and it’s so SIMPLE, it’s not about a specific life goal or agenda, just something you genuinely want! Everything she did, the antics, her weirdness, was just an attempt to show herself so people could see and UNDERSTAND!

         And Camila! The way she told Luz that life is about mess-ups. A-And she told Luz that she’s also messed up, and messed up when she didn’t stand up for Luz… And LUZ REALIZED!!! I CAN’T THIS WRITING AND ARC IS TOO DAMN GOOD!!!

         Willow my babey girl this was lowkey YOUR episode too, I’d honestly tag her as the deuteragonist of For the Future! The way she tries and carries so much, has an enormous burden on what she can do, about showing weakness, about denial! THE CALLBACKS TO BOSCHA! THE PARALLELS! The way they ended off! Willow’s biggest threat being herself, this was a WILLOW episode! And how she’s allowed to show weakness because yes, her dream of wanting to protect others, and needing to be flawed, are not mutually exclusive!

         And like damn. This episode was about, for Luz and Willow, coming to terms with their flaws. Their mistakes. Their imperfections. And ultimately idealizing and accepting those parts of themselves!

         And Hunter can now teleport… Does he have all magic or just his teleportation? Or does he have other magic and only uses teleportation lol? The way he’s so deadset on trying to get back at Belos…

         IT WAS CONFIRMED THE CLAWTHORNE ARCHWAY AND GRAVESFIELD ONE ARE CONNECTED!!! And Belos… BELOS…

         He’s SO twisted, literally melting and falling apart and OH GOD NOT RAINE WHYYYY!!!! The fact that the crew actually played around with Belos trying to possess a grimwalker, only for it to not be ready… Dear god, that poor kid that could’ve been! Could’ve been a twin brother for Hunter to bond with… AND CALEB AND THE GRIMWALKER GHOSTS!!! The one Golden Guard with BIG poofy hair!

         AND KING!!! AND EDA AND LILITH!!! He saved them, he managed to make it work, he’s so clever! And his character development, the recognition that he and the Collector are the same. The Collector afraid of being judged for what his people did, but King doesn’t! But…

         WHO WAS THE WINGED PERSON IN THE VOID?!?! The Collector’s dad?! The voice we heard when Luz last visited?

         And Belos… GOD, it’s twisted seeing Belos still managing to manipulate, KNOW this kid, recoup and turn his thoughts against himself! I was afraid it’d happen and it did! Say what you will but this man may fail but he TRIES and he’s competent, terrifyingly so! Also dammit was imagining he’d possess Odalia… Imagine Amity just nuking two enemies in one blow! Willow and Amity’s friendship too…

         AND BOSCHA BOSCHA BOSCHA!!! BOSCHA ARC!!! It’s everything I’ve read and wanted, her being so desperate to be back with Amity again, needing people, so obsessed with not showing weakness and being at the top and having control! And in the end, Amity confronts that past version of herself, and also the joke about her wanting a student council but being ‘obsessed’! I loved seeing all these kids and it’s neat that Mary’s name was mentioned in the subtitles! The way they acknowledged the Eyeball girl’s past with Gus too, MWAH! And how he knew about Hunter being a Grimwalker, but wanted to give him space!

         And Hunter AND Luz recognizing the nerdery of Camila, and geeking out over it! Luz realizing her mom DOES understand…

         EDA PLAYING WITH RAINE BECAUSE SHE LIKES TO SEE THEM! God she’s so cheeky, Raine leaves her hanging at the Coven Day Parade but that doesn’t stop Eda from pestering them over Penstagram. She’s so great y’all.

         And the Collector, god I saw it coming. The fact that they’d misunderstand and realize King DID lie to them, and wants to go against them! King realizing they don’t deserve it, the fact they were so CERTAIN and trusting! And they keep being lied to and manipulated, this poor kid… God, and the setup for Belos to possess him! To take his power in a vulnerable moment and kill all witches with it!

         Belos also canonically is haunted by visions of the past… That knife had BLOOD, y’all!

         Willow worrying about her parents, and Odalia… That was surprisingly brief, but I feel that’s gonna come back to play next episode! And Kikimora and ‘Roka’, which is what I’ll call it now lol. So desperate for power she’s lording over literal children and able to hide herself as one, that’s hilarious. And the Mat Tholomule twist… But also ambiguity. And also Matt is canonically into robots.

         AND THE TWINS REUNITING!!! Edric in a full-body cast was hilarious. Also I saw Amelia and Cat and that was very deliberate as part of Boscha’s arc, I’m so happy!!!

         This was… what an AMAZING episode, it felt LONG but right! I love the focus on resolving and bringing back characters! Love Kikimora was remembered and the end credits of Boscha being lonely… She’s so messed up I love her!!! What happened to Kikimora’s dragon Princess, anyhow? At this point I’m genuinely starting to think Terra killed her as punishment for attempted defection. And RIP Terra… lol.

         STILL NO EDA KING LUZ REUNION!!! But we’re getting there, we are!!! Soon…

        Damn. Only one episode left. The LAST episode. I’m… I’m gonna miss this guys. But it’s been one hell of a ride and I don’t regret a second of it! Thanks, and see you for the finale…! Peace out!

[okthatsgreat]

my beautiful rambling essay on adaine and kristen adapting to their shitty households

i think examining the way adaine feels about her parents versus how kristen feels about her parents is such a fascinating look into both their characters and honestly the different types of abuse they had both endured. like its sooooo so good at framing how two teenagers who have undergone very abusive households could be so similar yet react so differently. its a great look into how they had survived and adapted

from the very beginning, adaine has been a character that lives with spite. this is made clear from the get go, as even though freshman adaine is an extremely nervous person that tends to shy away from massive confrontations, especially with those unfamiliar to her, she is a teenager who has adapted to her neglectful environment through growing bitter. she resents her family from the beginning as a means of protecting herself, as she at that point has had no shield in the form of aelwyn or any guidance in the form of jawbone. she is very alone against her household, but adaine had refused to let these people beat her into a shell of a person. in fact, the very first interaction we ever see from adaine is between her and her father, where she very fragrantly disapproves of his tone against her. and despite her being quickly outnumbered at that table, she is still biting and knows to stick up for herself up against her sister, even getting pushed to the point of violence against aelwyn when she attempts to punch her.

adaine abernant knows that lying over and playing dead-- a task that, frankly, her sister has already done in order to escape abuse-- means giving up. so while she is frightened, while she is devastated that her parents think so little of her that they would escape to fallinel without so much as a text, adaine refuses to show weakness around them. but this defensive measure against her parents is just as harmful to herself; in a household where EVERY weakness has been used against her, in a household where her mental illness is considered a deep and debilitating flaw, it is very easy to see why freshman (AND honestly sophomore year as well, as we can see a bit in the nightmare forest) adaine had interpreted her anxiety as life-ruining. it is likely she correlates any mental health flare-up to her parents neglecting and despising her, considering how terrible they treat her and how receptive they are to the "perfect" """mentally stable""" aelwyn. adaine abernant had adapted to her abusive household by holding a deep resentment for the people who had ruined her, while still being acutely aware that she is ruined. this resentment over her parents never relents. she does not forgive her mother when she gives her a small apology in freshman year. she is dismissive/hostile towards them in sophomore year, INCLUDING aelwyn at first. she does not spend spell slots or hit points trying to rescue them from the harvestmen-- in fact, it is kristen applebees who elects to take the hit for adaine's family, after adaine uses her divination roll on kristen's family (but more specifically, her younger brothers).

now kristen is a bit different. she was not raised in a neglectful household (i say this lightly-- those harvest festivals are likely under this umbrella amongst other things), and did not develop a biting exterior as a means of protecting herself. now despite her very clearly having grown up in a cult environment and having been brainwashed and molded into "helio's chosen one", kristen is by no means a completely placated character in freshman year. she is aware of her parent's bigotry and even actively calls her mother out on it, but it is all in the name of helio. in freshman kristen's eyes, helio is a strict but loving god, one that will condemn her if she is sinful but will be content if she continues to spread her interpretation of good to her peers. to freshman kristen, helio is GOOD, and because her parents are so devoted they must also be GOOD despite kristen already knowing that they are flawed people. so while she is opinionated, kristen begins her story believing that she had been raised in a very loving, nurturing household, and while it was strict they did care for her under the eyes of her god. by all means, kristen's upbringing was considered normal to her. she would speak of her trauma extremely casually, almost as if it is her brains way of defending her from truly understanding it at first. she did not fester resentment against her parents in the way adaine did because she had only just begun to process the extent of abuse she had endured upon speaking to new people with different world-views. in any interaction she has with her parents after she begins to learn just who they really are, she holds back. while it is clear kristen is uncomfortable talking to them, as she now understands how little they truly care for her as kristen but rather as helio's chosen one, she doesn't talk back to them in the way that adaine does. she still tries to do "good", and this itself is a defensive mechanism that she had acquired and had unravelled through freshman, sophomore, and now junior year. this idea that she NEEDS to be saintly and good, at the risk of emotional, physical (as seen during the harvest festivals), and even DIVINE punishment.

while she may hold anger towards her parents, it is not as visible in her character as it is with adaine, and this could be attributed to how she had been conditioned into sainthood and respecting those in authority (and also the lack of conversations between her and her parents LOL hoping for more in junior year possibly...). kristen's parents let her leave easily, and they expect her to take their side upon returning to help them fight in family in flames. they are stubborn people who had raised kristen up into what they believe is a perfect, sinless prophet, and then were entirely dismissive upon her downfall when she fell from helio's grace, all because she was no longer the daughter they had practically forced her to be. this complete abandonment from the community and family that had loved her so dearly up until she started to act for herself is more than enough reason for kristen to become uncomfortable with being canonized. EVEN with gods she herself creates. she can not place herself in that position again if it means suffering another loss that huge. even if she understands that her parents were awful, she still GRIEVES them, and she still feels some sort of regret over "abandoning" her brothers in that household, as we see when she drops off a portion of her earnings to them.

adaine was raised to believe that she was a flaw, a stain on the family's name, somebody that would always be wrong and second tier simply by having a mental illness and for not allowing herself to give in to her parents. kristen was raised to believe that she was the saint of a community, a perfect human child whose purpose in life was to remain pure and sinless, somebody that should never give in to "temptation" at the risk of disappointing and losing the only support system she ever had. in a way they had both started out as the very traits their parents saw them for: adaine as the despondent and argumentative child who was "weak", and kristen as the compassionate child of god that would spread the word of helio to as many peers as she could reach. and now both kristen and adaine have to work to unravel that

i'll stop there just because this is already SO long, and honestly i could write a whole seperate essay on the depiction of gods as moldable in the eyes of their followers and how that relates to helio and kristen, but i'll refrain LMFAOO. anyways TLDR adaine and kristen are two characters from dysfunctional and abusive households who have adapted defensive mechanisms against their torment that they are still unraveling to this day. alright have a good one bye :]

[writersstareoutwindows]

Deadlands finale is still consuming my brain so I have to dissect the excellence of Edie's horseman scene. It is absolutely rife with thematic energy and emotion it was truly, truly stunning.

Victoria tells Edie that she has the skills to be Pestilence. Of course Edie is affronted, Edie met Pestilence and was so deeply appalled that she not only dismantled but reversed Ducrow's operation. But Victoria explains in the same breath that she doesn't intend a literal pestilence for Edie, no, what Victoria sees in her is the rotting effect of Edie's own pain. "Your past loss has infected you like a disease."

Edie is possibly the most straightforwardly moral character among the Wildcards. Silas is a close second but he has interesting complications of his own, visible in his flinching reaction to the introduction of M.T. Budreau, a villain who takes justice into his own hands; the judge's flaws hit a little too close to home. Delacy is in it to shoot things, Nate and Garnet are in it for money. Both admirable reasons, but I call Edie "moral" because she pursues her profession relatively altruistically, simply because she believes it will improve the world.

Except it's not that simple. What we witness in that final scene is the truth in Victoria's judgement, that the straightforward altruism of Edie's quest is complicated by the pain and guilt of her brother's death. When Edie sees her brother in Delacy at the World's Fair, she shoots dead the monster that is trying to kill him. This is well within her rights and I'm not criticizing her for it, it was the right move, he was an active danger and you have to protect your own—but, when Famine is dead, her curse recedes and her victims return to normal men. Except of course, the one Edie killed dead.

It's poor literary analysis to suggest evidence that doesn't exist, but this isn't a university essay and I can do what I want. If the series had been a bit longer, if there had been a little more room for character moments—can't you imagine Edie bristling when she learns that Nate is Harrowed? Nate isn't a threat himself, of course, he's an ally and friend and tired old man...but there's a demon and a danger living inside him. Can't you imagine Edie on a mission with Garnet, cutting Garnet out of the plans, putting her own self in harm's way instead of the woman who can burst a sasquatch, holding Garnet at one remove until it ends in them both getting hurt? All because Garnet's magic comes from a devil, and that makes it dangerous?

I can imagine these things because they are what Edie's final scene suggests. She shoots at the monster, because here at last is the opportunity to root out the heart of her pain. She shoots at the monster—and, "Garnet, what's your toughness?"

In striking at the monster, Edie only succeeds at hurting her friend. In attacking the source of her pain, Edie reveals the way in which it has infected her life and relationships. Her single-minded focus, her vehemence for the monstrous, have driven her into a lonely and wandering life, have led her to hold all relationships at one remove. Garnet and Nate have to be held in suspicion because they are devils. As for the likes of Delacy, who strike so close to home...consider the fact that Edie makes her money not from hunting, but from performing affection and flirtation. Even relationships she genuinely cares about have to be kept at a distance, behind a wall of performative kindness. That is not to say that Edie's kindness is insincere, everything you perform becomes in some way a part of you, but it is a way for her to mask deep pain and fury without hurting those around her or bringing them too close. How could she cope, again, with the kind of pain that comes from love and loss?

But when she attacks the monster that killed her brother, the thing she has pursued all her life, believing it to be the cause of her pain, she only hurts those around her. Her past loss has infected her like a disease, and she is spreading it to those who care for her. Pursuing monsters without remorse obliterates the nuance of individual situations and prioritizes vengeance over restoration (see again, the Famine-monster she killed who could have been made human again).

On the whole of it, of course, monster hunting is a noble profession in the dangers of the Deadlands. The Famine-monster was going to kill Delacy! But Edie's pain, held in fists so tight that they ache and no longer know how to let go, causes indelible hurt to herself and the relationships she could have. In killing the monster, she's only killing someone who cares about her.

Because Conquest isn't in the monster; she's in Eddie. The thing with the power to conquer and defeat Edie is the way in which she idealizes her brother. This isn't the boy himself: "It looks to you more like how you remember Eddie than how Eddie really was." Literally, this is because Victoria is using Edie's memories to craft the scene. But thematically...my god.

What exists in Edie's memory is not the living boy, but her idealized memory of him. As Ellen puts it, "a ghost of a memory, misremembered." That is the thing she has to defeat. She has to accept that her brother is gone, and no matter how tightly she holds her grief, he's not coming back. But that grief is what drives her, she operates out of the pain and anger it causes. Killing monsters is less about protecting people than about trying to erase her own guilt for failing to save him.

So, Edie doesn't need to erase of her grief; she needs to accept it. No amount of dead monsters will bring her brother back. Killing the Famine-monster saved Delacy but it can't save Eddie. The past is immutable and the guilt hurts no one but Edie—and the people around her, who could love her.

When Edie shoots the false memory, she's turning from the past toward the present. Her grief no longer walks behind her, a hidden infection, a disease to be cured through violence. It walks beside her. Eddie may be gone, but her love for him isn't. Her love lives into the present, and so do the friends she has now. And acting from this place of love for the brother she knew, rather than vengeance for the brother she lost, Edie shows Conquest what for. There's no easy solution to every bad thing in the world. That's fine. Edie has already dedicated her life to protecting the good that survives, and Victoria McClary sure ain't gonna change her mind.

[tinysnailtales]

Thoughts from reading Yona of the Dawn Ch. 7

Ch.7 in summary: growth for both Hak and Yona as the Wind Tribe is pressured/targeted by the Fire Tribe to push Mundok to accept Soo-Won as king, with Hak stepping up and accepting responsibility as chief and Yona expanding her care for others.

We love competent Hak being good at his job. His adeptness probably enables him to poke fun at others so much (and previously shrug off his duties?), and while I love how reliable he is, he could probably use some more flaws for character exploration.

"I heard my brother was getting paid to protect the princess" "Why else would I do it?" – here perhaps we have his main "flaw": he's a liar who lies and denies and makes light of things to hide deeper parts of himself. Becoming more open and forthright might be part of his journey. But also– I want to see a powerless Hak, what does he do when he can't protect people?

Sorry, can't help it. Hak and Yona (and HakYona) are too nice to look at. I enjoy them being in sync too much.

MUNDOK! Such a beautiful moment. And more of Yona not being as alone as she might have thought.

"The people of the Wind Tribe are like you. They're full of warmth. I feel peaceful here" – more emphasis on the love and care Yona has received from the Wind Tribe (and how it mirrors young Yona recovering from being sick).

She's being exposed to a different way of life and is glowing from it.

"They killed Han-Dae!" "I'm not dead...not quite" –Tell me why this running gag amuses me so much.

"This is a warning from the Fire Tribe...They want Lord Soo-Won to become king...It appears they're trying to put pressure on me since I refused to approve Soo-Won's accession"

"Soo-Won murdered my father...and now he's going to rule our nation?!"

"Acknowledging Lord Soo-Won as king would mean acknowledging the accusation that Hak committed regicide." "They...they think Hak_?!"

This is all a shock back to reality for Yona, an interruption of that "peaceful" feeling she was describing. The visuals help make it clear how it brings her back to the state she was before, at least a bit, indicating that she can't completely escape it. It (and Soo-Won) will follow and hang over her.

She is also getting to see how every day people of the Wind Tribe (and Hak!) are being negatively affected by all the politicking/what has happened.

And here we get an even clearer example of what Hak disliked about nobility and royalty– Tae-Jun treating people as pawns for his personal agenda. This, coupled with the Fire Tribe's actions towards the Wind Tribe, shows the land and people being used as an arena for the whims and goals of those with power. Like a (strategy) game.

The Fire Tribe overall acts for larger goals, but Tae-Jun is also individually motivated to get personal revenge on Hak. For something that happened years ago, no less!

"What's going to happen to these people?" –Yona's care for others, for the people of the kingdom, has been planted. Her priorities are shifting and she's finding something new to care about and live for.

"Young Chief! Why aren't you saying anything?! This isn't like you, Elder Chief!" – both Hak and Mundok have their hands tied considering what is at stake. I think Hak formulates his ultimate plan to leave here.

"The Fire Tribe is being backed by the Sky Tribe– the royal family! If the Wind Tribe resists, they won't get off lightly! No...! I don't want to see anyone else die!" – Yona's care for these people and desire not to see them suffer really solidified here. She also feels she is partially to blame and not only does not want them to suffer, she specifically doesn't want them to die after witnessing the death of her father.

And with that, Hak makes his decision.

"I'll figure out a way to handle this. Trust me. Be patient. Those are the orders of Son Hak...Chief of the Wind Tribe" – Hak is fully stepping up and accepting his role and doing a great job at it! And with that little smile of his, he also seems to be thriving.

"Do you hear that?! The young chief's giving us orders." "Lord Hak never wanted the hassle of being a general! That's amazing, Lord Hak! This is great!" – Exactly, exactly. Hak is accepting the role and responsibility he rejected. GROWTH

But meanwhile, Yona can't join the almost celebratory determination of the Wind Tribe. Though relieved, she feels powerless.

"Hak...um...is there anything I can do...?" – despite feeling useless, Yona wants to help. Her hesitation/awkwardness in asking to help shows this feeling of uselessness but also her determination and desire to be of use. Hak seems slightly taken aback by her initiative and offer but also expresses a soft happiness before settling into typical Hak behavior.

We get teasing/changing the subject/making light of the situation Hak and boooo.

I suppose Hak goes for something he know will distract Yona. He doesn't want her to worry and he knows where her line of thinking will lead...to his plan to leave and take the fall.

"You don't have to do anything. Just live a quiet life...here in Fuuga" – this moment is not just addressing her question but functions as a goodbye! His "you don't have to do anything" functions as a "just be you" and he expresses his greatest desire: for her to be safe and happy.

The joking around to seriousness from Hak also encapsulates their relationship pretty well.

"If you'd been alone...you would've charged into the palace with a single spear. Right?" "Kid...you're one to talk" – Hak takes after Mundok. They have such a sweet relationship.

"Do me a favor, will you? Give Soo-Won your support. Y'see...I'm leaving the Wind Tribe in the morning. I won't carry the name 'Son' anymore. I want you to focus on protecting the tribe. The Fire Tribe won't do anything else if you agree to their demands." – Hak continues to accept responsibility and chooses to sacrifice himself, taking the fall and leaving it all behind to protect his tribe.

I hope he learns he is more than something to be sacrificed for others. It's very big of him to do this for his tribe, but it is also very in character in a way that doesn't push for growth when it comes to valuing himself.

"Are you going to leave her highness behind?"

"She's finally started to smile a little. I'm glad I brought her with me. One more request. Hide her from the palace. Let her live out her life...here in Fuuga...as a member of the Wind Tribe." – Hak has seen how Yona has taken to the Wind Tribe and wants to keep protecting her along with his people. Again–he wants her to continue to be happy and safe, his greatest wish. And he's willing to remove himself from her life, even though he wants to be with her, in order to make it come true.

There is some pain to his expression, all of this affects him more than he tries to show.

"I won't do as my grandson asks...But...I would have to obey an order from the tribe's chief" – AWW Mundok must be very proud of Hak, acknowledging how far he has come, specifically in regards to being chief. Such a tender moment, feels like an expression of respect, regard, and love.

"This is my final order...as Son Hak, chief of the Wind Tribe" – I am eMoTIonal. It was lovely seeing you as chief, Hak. Hopefully this isn't really the end of that path for you.

I just have to shout-out MVP Han-Dae!!! Taking care of Yona and calming everyone and patting Yona's head and all the work he did this chapter for his tribe! Truly a star.

[awesome-normal-heroes]

Defending the Pink Princesses with Grey Mortality:

Some people like to give Princess Bubblegum and Rose Quartz such a hard time.

But why on earth is that?

Sure, they did morally messed up things, but so did the other characters in their shows.

So, why are these pink ladies given the most grief over their mistakes?

I think I know why.

It's because people expect them both to be perfect.

But the sad truth is that nobody is perfect, not even our favorite characters.

But I also understand that learning the characters you like ended up doing messed up things can mess with your own head.

Princess Bubblegum was originally Finn's love interest (even though Finn is 12 and she's 18... why?) and she was a sweet person, despite some of her mad scientist quirks.

But when Finn got a new love interest (Flame Princess), the writers decided to change Bubblegum's personality quite a bit.

They slowly made Bubblegum into a control freak that spies on everyone and she isn't quite as warm as she used to be.

...Yeah, even I didn't like that the writers did to her sometimes.

But to be fair, the fantasy world that they live in is a dangerous place (in even rains swords sometimes) and the candy people are literally at the bottom of the food chain. Most of the candy people are not the brightest people, with only a select few actually being smart (like Peppermint Butler). Also, candy people explode when they get too scared.

It's no wonder she's so viciously overprotective and controlling.

She also had no true parents and basically raised herself and her brother, so she doesn't know better about certain things.

And unlike others shows that would most likely sugarcoat or ignore a main character's flaws and mistakes, some of the other characters are aware of how messed up Bubblegum has become.

Later on, Bubblegum gets called out for her mistakes a few times and she even get punished when she temporarily loses her kingdom.

And when she gets it back, she gets better and less controlling.

You gotta give her credit for that.

She isn't perfect, she makes mistakes, but she's trying to improve herself for all her loved ones.

At the end of the day, she just wants to protect her people and the kingdom that she created, because their world is a silly yet dangerous place and most of her kingdom is dim-witted.

Meanwhile, Rose Quartz aka Pink Diamond was originally seen as Steven's perfect heroic deceased mother that everyone in his family loved.

But like Bubblegum, her flaws and mistakes are slowly revealed to us, showing us that she's not as perfect as her loved ones think she is.

She is smart, but not very wise.

She doesn't think about how certain choices can cause possible consequences in the future.

She also has a tendency to ditch people (Diamonds, Crystal Gems, Spinel) and keep secrets from them.

Steven even begins to kinda resent her.

Especially after the Pink Diamond plot twist.

Which I'm not a big fan of.

But to be fair, she was raised and surrounded by evil gems.

So, it makes sense that she's not the most moral or wisest person sometimes.

I'm just saying that considering her messed-up life before coming to Earth and how she was raised, she could have turned out a lot worse.

At the end of the day, she did save the Earth and wanted to protect the humans.

Plus, she's already technically dead, so there's not much that can be done about her anyway.

And I think that the true reason Rose had Steven at the cost of her life is so that the Crystal Gems can finally have a proper bond with a human being and understand why Rose cares about them.

Because the Crystal Gems didn't have any actual human friendships, before Steven arrived (except maybe Amethyst).

They protected the Earth because that's what Rose wanted.

But Steven helped the Gems finally connect with humanity.

Both pink ladies have done horrible things, but they've also done wonderful things as well... Shouldn't that count for something?

[backjustforberena]

How did you feel about the finale? I will say, the fact that Corlys hasn’t publicly claimed Alyn and Addam yet has me a bit disappointed in him lol. In the book, he brings them to be legitimized pretty soon after Rhaenys dies. And I don’t mean to sound callous about her death but now that she’s gone he has no reason not to. And yeah, with the characterization he has now, Alyn probably wouldn’t accept but I feel like Addam would jump at the chance to be his heir.

I'm a bit of a mixed bag about the finale. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to be getting in the next season opener which feels a little bit odd. Some of the season arcs felt like they concluded in an unsatisfactory way or not at all, and I think that you need some resolution in a series finale. I also felt like this episode had way more humour than the others which, to me, felt like it shouldn't be the case. Not when you want to prioritise tension and emotion and the raising of stakes and draw a line in the sand. Have levity, but don't have comic relief, especially if it's brand new. It undermines what comes before. So, for me, going from Gwayne and Criston (which was a lovely scene, if felt a little unearned at the start) to Tyland mud-wrestling and asked if he ate people was jarring.

But if you want to ask me any more specifics, I'd be happy to offer my thoughts.

As for Alyn and Addam and Corlys legitimising them... yes, in the book there is the suggestion that it plays out differently, with little hesitation on Corlys's part following the passing of Rhaenys. But there are marked differences which mean that I do agree with the choice not to legitimise them or to bring it to anyone's attention that they are his sons in the first place.

Alyn, not Addam is the elder. And both characters are older than in the book. Alyn, certainly, has held a life free and strived to live a life free of his father and who his father is. He has no wish for glory or achievement that he has not earned, he doesn't try and claim a dragon, he is in the role of protecting his brother rather than following and aspiring to his brother. He doesn't have a maternal influence and he hasn't lived a life of security through that. He feels the shame of being a bastard. He's been in proximity to see Corlys shower favour on his trueborn son. The majority of that isn't clear or possible in the book. Alyn also doesn't like Corlys, and the journey that they are on, as it stands, is such that they haven't spoken about it.

Corlys hasn't admitted, out loud, in plain terms, that Alyn and Addam are his sons. It's all obfuscation. Without that leap, how can he possibly jump to offering Alyn his heir? Because, in this timeline, if he had them both legitimised, it would be to make Alyn his heir. That's the route the show is going down and that's also the perspective Addam has: that the Driftwood Throne would go to Alyn, in this fairytale ending. Addam has enough going on with being a dragon-rider. That's his "story" in the series, as it stands.

Corlys has reason not to bring the boys forward, at the moment, even if those reasons are largely emotional. He is still processing. He is still guilty. He is still full of shame. He's still unsure of his path: still testing the waters to make up his mind, see if Alyn wants it. Corlys, in the book, suffered no such crisis. But our Corlys has and that has to be allowed to play out. He has to reconcile the fact that the wife he now wishes to honour would possibly be shamed by this.

And that it would be, as Alyn says to him, admitting his failures, his flaws, and that he's scraping the bottom of the barrel after all his other options are exhausted: and that's not an honourable thing. The way he has acted is not good enough. But in forging this new path, it's admitting that all his efforts were wasted.

It's very similar, to me, to the crisis we saw him undergo when talking to Rhaenys after Laena's death. He's done all this, lost all this, behaved in this way and it' got him nowhere. Bringing those boys out into the open is a shameful act, for all that it might do him good. It's full of contradictions and complications. And Corlys... he sucks at the complex.

To have made an effort to make Alyn heir (as much as it would have been, perhaps, a natural end to the "arc" that this relationship has had) would have been too premature to happen in this episode. They're just not there yet.

[hello-nichya-here]

If Iroh doesn't acknowledge Azula as a victim of abuse, that means he can't relate to her, therefore Iroh either wasn't abused by his family or he was abused in a different way from Azula. Or maybe the truth is he just doesn't want to understand her. I really don't get why he's more sympathetic toward his brother who mutilated his beloved nephew's life. Like, what is he thinking, exactly? Perhaps his reasoning isn't supposed to go side by side with logic, but rather with feelings or sth. Here are my only guesses why Iroh doesn't care about Azula

1) She reminds him of his younger self that he wants to forget (which I don't even think has a point in saying how much is unfair to Azula)

2) She's a "hindrance" to Zuko

Sexism??? Idk. Actually no I don't think Iroh is a sexist based on his interactions with other women we saw so I'm not counting it, but you're welcome to correct me.

Iroh is not dumb enough to not comprehend what kind of situation Azula is in, but he's selfish enough to do zero shit about it. And for the ppl yelling "he was protecting Zuko from her" bitch pls. Azula didn't harass Zuko from the day she was born yet even when she and Zuko were children and their relationship wasn't so fucked up (which Iroh totally could have interfered with after he came back from war and even prior to that) he didn't give a shit. This man never cared about his neice, even before they became enemies. (No, the doll was not him showing her love lmao) Tell me then, if Iroh genuinely wants to guide Zuko on the right path and shield him from misfortune, why has Iroh never tried to pit Zuko against his real abuser, Ozai? Or do you want to tell me that Azula has somehow abused Zuko more than him? Why, throughout Zuko's whole journey, has Iroh never told his nephew that the way he was treated by his father, was wrong? Honestly I wouldn’t bash Iroh sm if he set Zuko against both of them yet here we are. Like really, Iroh? You think if Zuko puts her in her place and murders her, he's not going to lose it and be relieved or vice versa? You think making kids nemeses is going to lead to any good? Wisest character", my ass.

Warning, this is gonna be LOOOOONG and I'm gonna answer to your questions along with this ask I got from @profoundkryptoniteblaze after I pointed out another flaw of Iroh's because there are some points you both brought up that can be combined.

***

"If there was ever any moment in which Iroh could be seen as endangering Zuko, it was that one - hell, Iroh realizing he almost got his "son" killed was probably why he was following him during "The Chase" and tried to reason with him in "Lake Laogai."

Y'know it really gets me thinking if Iroh never learned anything from indoctrinating and sending his own son to death and only realizing the wrong of his actions after having lost him. Iroh let his other son chase after false hope and waste his life, exhausting himself physically and mentally for three years and was never shown trying to pry him away from Ozai or the FN's toxic mentality. Later he helped Zuko chase and almost capture the avatar at the north pole, the latter would've been frozen to death as a result had it not been for Aang's sympathy (honestly not just Iroh and Zuko but the whole world is lucky that he's so patient and compassionate) And then Iroh calls Zuko out for his recklessness in "Lake Laogai". Like what, weren't you the one who-- ah nevermind. I've only scratched the surface about how Iroh failed to guide Zuko and yet neither he, nor Zuko, nor the fandom seem to realize it.

***

To really understand the issues with Iroh, we need to look at the context behind his actions BOTH in universe and in the sense of "He is a fictional character and can be whatever the fuck the writers say he is."

Iroh as a result of issues with the writting

When Bryan and Michael were still toying with ideas to figure out what story they wanted to tell, Iroh was NOT the character we saw in the show. He was originally meant to be a twist villain who was intentionally giving Zuko terrible advice, to make sure he would never capture the Avatar and be able to come home.

That idea was scrapped and replaced with Iroh being a grey character. He was likeable, nice, and even kind, but he was on the wrong side of this conflict. He could be wise, but he could also give Zuko bad advice, the difference being that he didn't mean any harm and genuinely wanted the best for his nephew. He is far from perfect, but there is more than enough evidence that he can redeem himself.

Then, the writers thought of ANOTHER Iroh. One that had already gone through his redemption and is as perfect as a human being can be. This was the Iroh they decided they wanted.

The problem is that they only realized that was what they wanted in book 2, once they had decided that Azula would be both Aang and Zuko's antagonist, meaning the audience had already seen the morally grey Iroh, and thus they couldn't just go back and rewrite the story with that new version of Iroh in mind.

So, they had three options:

1 - Throw their new idea in the garbage can and stick with the one they had already spent over a season developing.

2 - Give Iroh a deep, complicated, time consuming character arc to lead him from point A to point B. This woudly likely force them to have more than jus the three seasons they were planning, and was a bit of a high risk, high reward situation, since it'd be hard to make a grey character naturally become basically perfect, but it could pay off if they did it right.

3 - Retcon the past season, acting like Iroh was ALREADY perfect and thus didn't need that major character development, pretending he had always been working behind the scenes with the White Lotus to end the war and never acknowledging that he spent all of book 1 trying to help Zuko capture Aang.

Bryke chose option three, and when we combine that with the fact, to this day, they don't seem to realize that Azula is an abuse victim and child soldier, makes Iroh's flaws and antagonism towards her a bug instead of a feature, since he is now meant to be perfect instead of a deliberately flawed character, whose opinions should NOT be taken as absolute truth.

Iroh in universe

When it comes to the Fire Nation royals, we need to remember that, on top dealing with the cicle of abuse, they're also fighting two wars - one against the nations they're invading, and other amongst themselves, to see who will be Fire Lord - that made their already fucked up family even worse.

Ozai tried to steal his brother's throne, and to assure her son wouldn't die, Ursa had to help him commit treason by killing the Fire Lord and usurping the throne of the rightful heir (Iroh). And Zuko, even though he loved Iroh, didn't recognize the fact that his father had no right to throne until the series finale. He went so far as once referring to himself as rightful heir to the throne due to being OZAI and Ursa's son - and that was while he was banished and being hunted down by Azula, who is either the Fire Lord's heir or the usurper's heir depending on whose side you're on.

But why would anyone side with Ozai? Simple: the Fire Nation has a noticeable pattern of thinking ANYTHING is fair in the fight for power, which makes sense considering they're imperialists that think the whole world belongs to them just because they said so.

THAT is how Iroh was raised to see things. Sozin, his gradnfather and Fire Lord, decided that he could murder his best friend, kill 1/4 of the world's population, and take over territory that belong to the other nations just because that was what he wanted to do. Azulon followed in his footsteps, and had no problem sending his own son into the battlefield - something Iroh also did, and then paid the price.

Lu Ten's death shook him to his very core - but it did NOT make him change sides. Neither did Ozai stealing his throne, nor him disfiguring and banishing Zuko. He was so passive by that point that Ozai just allowed him to stay in the Fire Nation, and even be a part of war meetings.

In said meetings, no woman was ever present, because the only three female warriors we see are Azula, Mai and Ty Lee (a princess/prodigy and two noble girls who are best friends with said princess). The only other women in see in anything close to a position as part "Fire Nation army" was the female guard that Iroh befriend AND the guard at the boiling rock. We also know that Azula would have been the first female Fire Lord ever, which all but states that, even if Ozai had been the heir and Azula had been his eldest child, the throne would have still been Zuko's, because women don't get to be rulers in the Fire Nation. It is very likely that being married to a ruler and having his heirs is the highest position a woman could have in their society. Royal and important, sure, but always in a supporting role.

This, obviously, affected Iroh too. While he doesn't really seem to think anything of women being warriors (which makes sense considering he spent life attacking other nations, and thus probably fought women sometimes - we saw women fighting in the Southern Water tribe and let's not forget the Kyoshi Warriors), we cannnot forget he did things like take advantage of the fact that June was paralized to show that he CAN be a bit of a dirty old man, and that his idea of a perfect gift for AZULA of all people was a doll.

However, that doll also reveals something important: Iroh DID once view Azula as a child, and as someone he had some sort of obligation to - hence him being "fair" and getting her a gift too since he had gotten one for her brother.

But the main problem when it comes to Iroh and Azula's relationship (or lack there of) is also clearly already there: Iroh has no idea who his niece is as a person, and assumes he can figure that out by just using some concept of what she "should" be like, based on her position in their society.

At that point, she is just a little girl. Little girls like things like pretty clothes, playing with dolls, and talking with their friends. Not something he can relate to, but not something that gives him a reason to hate her. She is also a princess, and thus important, worthy of praise and respect, and to be protected by all - just not as much as she would be is she were a prince.

But as we know, Ozai sees things differently - but that doesn't exactly means he sees Azula for who she is either. She is the second child, like himself, meaning she is not meant to inherit anything, only support her older brother. She is also a prodigy and incredibly smart, which could make one wonder if maybe she wouldn't be a better Fire Lord than the actual heir. Ozai was projecting onto her from the moment she was born, hence him naming her after the Fire Lord - after his abusive father that never gave a damn about him.

And that leads to another thing that makes Iroh not as perfect as the fandom sees him: Ozai's dynamic with his own children mirrors how Azulon raised him and his brother. One was the good for nothing child, the scapegoat, the disgrace of the family. The other was the golden child, the one who was absolutely perfect - because they HAD to be. Let's not forget that Azulon's idea of defending the rights of his favorite son involved making him grief both for his son AND his nephew. He also didn't give a shit about the fact that Ursa, Azula and especially Zuko, the one whose death he was ordering, had nothing to do with this shit. Azulon believed EVERYONE had to pay because ONE person fucked up.

This suggest that, even being the favorite, Iroh likely got screwed over by his father many times, and his continued support of him until his death AND the fact that he NEVER said a single negative word about him suggests Iroh is looking at Ozai's treatment of Zuko and Azula, seeing their own dynamic with Azulon in it, and thinking there's nothing wrong with it. I've said it many times, but he is the classic case of "That's not abuse! My parents did that to me and I turned out fine!" when they're not, in fact, fine.

Either way, due to still being too broken after losing his son, he isn't interested in this proxy-rivalry with his brother. But he did develop a genuine bond with Zuko - the first-born. the "heir", the son his brother looks down on. Which means he is sort of having a "passive" role in this weird dynamic, while Ozai is holding all the cards, and likely believes that Iroh is only "choosing Zuko's side" because he is also a "useless" son who just happened to have the luck of being born first.

For many years, Iroh isn't acting, he is reacting. Ozai wants the throne? Fine, let him have it, it's not like Iroh is in any condition to actually deal with that kind of stress anyways.

Ozai is playing favorites? Not great, but hey, isn't that what ALL fathers/Fire Lords do anyway? Either way is not like he has the authority to tell his brother how to raise his kids. It's too late for him to fight for the throne now.

Zuko needs someone to help him on his doomed mission to capture the Avatar? Fine, Iroh will go with him. He likes the kid.

The Avatar IS alive after all and Zuko is actively hunting him down? Well, those were the Fire Lord's orders, guess they must capture him.

Zuko wants to go capture the Avatar alone, in enemy territory, at the risk of freezing to death if he doesn't find some decent shelter? Well, it is his mission, he calls the shots.

Zuko is upset that his father doesn't love him? Why not tell him that Ozai DOES love him, and that's why he banished him? There's no way this could backfi- WHY WON'T ZUKO LISTEN TO HIM? WHY IS HE BELIEVING AZULA'S OBVIOUS LIE THAT OZAI WANTS HIM HOME?

But then we have the chain of events that make Iroh snap out of it: Zhao tries to kill Zuko, then kills the moon, and, finally, Ozai sends Azula to capture them.

Nearly losing someone he loved again, having his nation do something ungodly dangerous and stupid just to win more power, and then being actively hunted down forces Iroh to wake up and be the Dragon Of The West again.

But he did not heal. He did not change his mentality. He never understood just how horrible of a situation he was put in by his father - and that he is essentially giving into Ozai's game, in which they use Zuko and Azula as a way to hurt each other.

And we have the final piece of this puzzle: Azula is now, officially, his and Zuko's enemy. She is Ozai's heir, is trying to capture them, and her goals are to help the Fire Nation win the war - something Iroh can no longer accept.

He changed sides, but in his mind it is still "Us VS Them", and Azula now happens to be on the side of "Them." She is a soldier of the enemy, and can rival Iroh's chosen heir.

She is in the way, and in a war, people like Iroh are expected to either capture or kill "obstacles" like her. So, he does that, and expects Zuko to do the same, for his own good, because this is war, and if they don't win, they'll be at Ozai's mercy - and we know he doesn't have much of it to offer.

She is also someone who is going against what is "right." She is rebelling against her uncle and true Fire Lord, as well as her older brother and future ruler. They are above her in the Fire Nation's laws and social hierarchy in every way (status, age, gender, etc), and yet she is supporting a traitor who stole the Fire Lord's throne. She needs to be reminded of her place, and she can either accept that or deal with the consequences.

It never occurs to Iroh that it doesn't have to be this way, because this is all he has ever known.

[vigilskeep]

Hi, I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but I'm fascinated with your character Minerva and was wondering why she didn't betray Jowan to Irving?

ah good question thank u for it!!

minerva is a pragmatist about the circle. she's very aware that a certain number of mages die or are made tranquil and she's in the mindset, at that point in her life, where she's been taught to accept this as a necessary evil. which actually ends up meaning she knows more than anyone that if this is true irving will go ahead with it. she has a very realistic idea of who irving is and what he does. but it's been easier to conceptualise all those losses as um a statistic than it is to face the immediate threat to the person closest to her. especially when her way of dealing with it all has been to say that mages who die or are made tranquil didn't try hard enough, didn't study hard enough, didn't fight hard enough on their harrowings. she rationalises it that way because it means if she just tries hard enough and is polite and gifted and perfect as she always is then nothing's going to happen to her. but she knows how hard jowan tries. so it isn't right. it isn't fair!

the other thing is that in my canon, my amell, halliserre amell, was made tranquil a few months before dao starts. minerva had a bit of a fiery relationship with them (i'd like to summarise it as fierce academic rivals with benefits, jhghsfdgsk) and their tranquillity was a huge and sudden recent shock. that definitely affects minerva's decision-making here. though she tries to rationalise by blaming halliserre themself in that case (halliserre chose to submit to tranquillity rather than undergo the harrowing), she knows deep down there's more to it than that. it's a complicated and painful topic to come up again so soon, it makes her just that bit angrier with the templars and irving, and it makes the danger feel very real

but all of that is kind of blurring the main issue which is that jowan is like minerva's brother and she loves him. the above factors are kind of what allows her to actually do something about that, but the motivation is simply that she cares about jowan, he's her closest friend and the only person more important to her than irving, and she very much thinks it's her job to protect him. she's more skilled than he is, more socially capable than he is; it is and always has been her role to protect him from the templars, even if it that only meant helping him with his studies or calling in favours with senior enchanters. being able to do all that is what has made her feel comfortable with how much she's betrayed herself to be the ideal circle student in the first place. it proves keeping your head down to get influence works, that it's not just selfish, that in the long run it means mages are better off. so if she can't even protect him, then what's the point of it all? it's probably worth noting, too, that minerva's fatal flaw is arrogance: if she's always been able to look after jowan before, what's one more time?

i actually have this really fun um super rough dialogue snippet somewhere in my word doc from when she was little, um, talking to karl thekla actually. and she's being disapproving of anders while hes like benafflecksmoking.jpeg because that's the whole dynamic lmao. she's like, why would you spend time with someone like that, he's an escape artist, the templars hate him, he's not going to make it! (this last said in a kid's deadly serious tone where she expects it to be heard as a totally damning accusation.) and karl is like [in the voice of a very tired young academic] minerva what would you say if i told you, i don't know, your friend jowan wasnt going to make it. and she totally freaks out. shes like thats a lie, dont ever say that, hes trying with the spells, hes going to get it! she's only a kid she's nearly in tears over this immediately even though karl's the furthest thing from a threat and he barely meant anything by it. it's always been the one thing that makes her lose her head. she cares so much about keeping up this perfect image except this one thing, right, she's got this perceived weaker nobody mage trailing after her. she's supposed to be able to keep this one person safe and that will make it all worthwhile. and what she has to learn is that even for all her sacrifices and good behaviour, the circle simply does not care. there's nothing it won't take

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

Rose Quartz Propaganda

"We saw her character arc in reverse!! We first saw all the good she did and then learned of her terrible actions in the past. If her story was told the other way around, it would have been a great redemption arc. Yes, she did some terrible things, but she had no choice. She did everything she could to stop the colonization of earth peacefully buy nothing worked. Blue and yellow diamond just didn't listen to her and when they did, THEY were the ones who made the zoo and shit. Rose wanted to free them but couldn't get to them after the war! And with the corruption, there's no way she could have known that'd happen. There's so many things she wanted to do but just couldn't. And with spinel, yes it was shitty to leave her alone for so long, but again, between running her court, running the rebellion, dealing with earth, she likely wasn't a very high priority and like with the zoo, there was no way to get to her after the war since the galaxy warp was destroyed. And don't forget, she was practically a child around this time. You're saying you didn't do any stupid, selfish, or harmful things as a kid? She learned from her experiences and grew, we just saw that growth in reverse, leaving us as viewers with a poor perception of her."

"Rose Quartz is Steven Universe’s dead mom. Initially, she’s set up as sort of an ethereal perfect figure who everyone misses and compares him to. Later we get to see more of her backstory and discover that she’s actually like, a person, with flaws, who has done some bad things, but she did those bad things largely in the course of trying to escape an abusive home life and save the people and planet that she fell in love with. It’s very clear that despite her flaws she was trying to do the right thing and that she deeply cared about others. Unfortunately, a woman who was not a Perfect Martyr was way too much for the Steven Universe fandom to handle. She pretty much set off the wave of SU crit blogs because these people were furious either that she had taken violent measures to solve her problems, that she hadn’t taken violent enough measures to solve her problems, or both somehow. Lots of “Why didn’t she just murder her abusive parental figures?” Lots of “She was evil for having a baby even though she knew she’d die in childbirth!” Lots of “She should’ve been able to protect everyone from a magic nuclear weapon with the power of love somehow.” Lots of “She shouldn’t have rebelled (even though not rebelling would’ve meant the destruction of Earth) because her abusers retaliated and that’s her fault.” LOTS of people drawing her as stick thin even though she was fat in the show. People treated her like she was on the same level or even worse than her abusive parental figures who were also the main villains of the show. It was unbearable to witness."

Shiv Propaganda

"Everyone in Succession is a pretty terrible person, and Shiv plays just as dirty as her brothers when it comes to trying to get their dad to name her the next CEO of fictional fox news. HOWEVER, she was trying to distance herself from the family at one point and worked for a democrat (gasp!) so her being adulterous and power hungry too is actually a fall from grace and the ultimate act of misogyny so the writers all must hate women because they created a morally questionable female character with complex motives."

[sparklingmusicofstars]

From what I know, Catarina has her own romantic tastes, she dreams of a handsome prince from a fairy tale and a brave knight. I found out that after reading her novel over and over again, she also wants romantic actions from her future lover, such as carrying him like a princess, then protect him like a brave knight. remembering that the monkey girl in the past had minimal knowledge about direct romance experiences, so until now I think she is still making assumptions about the figure she adores...

According to my personal assumption, maybe these three heroes are Jeord, Sora, Keith, but it depends on the author in the end...

Hello,

In my opinion, Catarina doesn't necessarily dream of a "prince from a fairy tale".

Maybe in her previous life the physical of her partner wouldn't have matter but I think that now, after being reincarnated in an otome game and surrounded by charming and handsome people, she now wants someone quite handsome. (And it's also th case for most of the girls who play otome games) Though the personnality stays an important criteria for her.

Like Sophia she never fell in love with a real man but had "infatuations" with 2D characters so she doesn't really have an idea of what type of man she loves but she doesn't seem to be into playboys or perfect princes but also seems to love cool, wild guys, tsunderes and gentlemen with a gentle and smart personnality.

She is also okay with her partner having a weak side, flaws or even or trauma since she doesn't necessarily want him to be perfect because she would think he is too good for her. Since she was an average girl (it's only one of the reason) she doesn't mind the status and would completely agree to be with a commoner or someone of lower status.

She doesn't seem to love when Geordo is acting too princely because he doesn't feel human to her and can't help see him as capture target. She prefers when he acts naturally with her because she feels like she can see the "real" him. But she can see him as someone reliable who can protect her. And despite his black hearted personnality she still see him as a very good person and rather than a surhuman she can see Geordo is like anyone, he can pushes himself too hard and have flaws he tries too hide. But she still love him the way he is. But he needs to act more naturally with her and avoiding too agressive romantic advances.

And of course she wants her partner to protect her and to really care about her but there is still a limit. Like with Keith who it WAY too protective so he sounds more like a mother than her boyfriend. It's also why she can't see him as someone who can protect her.

She loves when someone is protective towards her but doesnt't like being scolded all the time (and it's normal) it's why Keith needs to change this bad habit but he has the gentle and gentlemanly personnality Catarina is looking for.

And yes, she likes romantic advances but not too much and not too suddenly. So I would say, at least sometimes agressive and sometimes sweet and gentle. It's why Nicol would be a good match if he is serious about her. So now Catarina still see him as the diligent, siscon, (very handsome) and not talkative big brother of her best friend.

Alan would be a good match because he is the type of wild, cool and tsundere man Catarina loves but he is too childish and Catarina can't see him as someone reliable because she still has his younger haughty immature self in her mind. It's why she can't see him as a serious romantic interest.

Sora is indeed a good match for her because he is the cool and has a wild side. He is very reliable and really care about her, he doesn't really scold her but always warn her to be more cautious in a curt way, reminding her of her second big brother. He is someone she can see as a knight figure and she finds his physical as amazing as his personnality so he would have his chances if he really try since he is also one of the only ones Catarina sees as a man. He also can make romantic advances, agressive and gentle ones.

It's the same for Cezar, he is the wild and cool type. He really care about her but like Sora, he doesn't really scold her but make her realize by herself how dangerous what she did was. She loves his personnality as much as his physical and can completely see him as someone reliable who can protect her and as a knight figure. Cezar also have a lot of experience with women so he can make romantic advances, gentle and agressive ones. (even if he seems more keen of gentle ones)

Raphael also has the gentle and smart personnality Catarina is looking for. He is someone she can really trust and who can protect her but since he doesn't appear often we can't really see if Catarina can see as a romantic interest but I think she can. He is very protective and even if he doesn't scold her often he knows how to make her really understand how dangerous what she did was and how much he was worried. He is very thoughful and really care about her. He is also very sharp and easy to talk to so Catarina is very comfortable around him. So I think that if Raphael was serious he could make gentle romantic advances.

But for the time being the only persons who are more or less serious are indees Sora, Keith and Geordo.

[sankiraizada]

I'm at the diwali track rn in my rewatch.. I just want to hold and shake buaji so bad lol. She represents innumerable Indian elders who turn a blind eye to the actual situation going on and do/say stuff to get what THEY want.

Shashi wasn't chintit reg. his daughter's weddings since he walked into Laxmi Nagar, even if he found a good match, he was broke to make the weddings happen. It was the family's finances he was worried about. Him lacking the health and strength to head the family was his primary concern. And he was proud Khushi stood up for them in a time of need.

And he continuosly shot down his Jiji's attempt to shove Shyam down the family's throats. He said Khushi wasn't old enough, Payal would get married first, Shyam's affection could be fake. He got really upset when the ladies went ahead and got the Kundalis matched without his knowledge.

But what did Buaji conclude from the "Shya.. Shyaa" from her bedridden brother? Not that he might be trying to thank Shyam for "saving" his life. Or that he want him to help with speaking to the hospital staff. Or that he wanted a Sharbat. Nope. She concluded her brother would go against all he said the past few days and green lit the match.

Okay the scorpion-smoocher planted in their minds that the wedding was what Shashi was hinting at. But none of the others were jumping at that prospect right now.

I'm not even mad at her when she brought up Khushi's adoption. She grew close her bhateeji very recently and she doesn't think like Shashi, Garima(yes Garima) and Payal who do not see Khushi as anything but family. She asks Khushi to repay for the good deed her brother had done.. and I just see a (wannabe) good sister(since people get married to please their parents 😒)

Let me take a step back or else I'll sound like a woman hater. You see, Madhumati has a strong personality and she must have lost her husband (and the chance at having kids and a family of her own) at a very young age. She liked Khushi and saw herself in the young girl. And protecting her from the world seemed only possible by marrying her off to a very available and local guy.

But one could say the same for Garima too. She has seen worse actually. She had fallen in love with a guy, possibly in a very similar way how Shyam had weasled into Khushi's life. Got cheated on. Possibly had no support from her parents. Lost her Jiji and Jijaji. Had to marry an older guy to get a roof over her head with a daughter and had Khushi to take responsibility of. She could have pushed Khushi to her perceived safety net of a marriage. But she didn't.

Conclusion : Buaji has control issues and she wanted to have a say in some significant decision so one day she could be like, see that perfect couple together? I hitched them up. And I grudgingly love this flaw and the fact that her character development is not a steady climb up just like Arnav's.

Rant over.

[thestobingirlie]

That one anon really thought they did something. Also calling Robin Steve's property is so weird because 70% of Robin's tag is about Nancy and the majority of r*nance fics are about how Robin benefits Nancy. How Nancy can overcome trauma and be saved from heterosexual relationships.

Like you said Steve wouldn't force Robin to do anything, his entire character is about making sure other characters are happy even if it's on the expense of his own happiness. If you think Robin would be bossed around by Steve you purposefully misunderstand their entire dynamic. It was literally her idea to combine with him because they are platonic soulmates. And again Steve would never tell people what to do (other than in dangerous situations when he tries to keep others save).

Robin will always choose Steve, if you want r*nance to work Steve can't exist in that universe. That or they literally have to break off their friendship because you can't have both. I lost a friend because she dated my ex. We were really close but it's one of those things you can't really get over.

Also tbh personality wise, they just don't match. The fandom also makes Nancy a lot sweeter than she actually is the show, same goes for Steve before people come for me. They overlook her flaws like the show does, so when you point out okay well she actually would behave this way in certain situations according how she behaved in canon, people will jump you and say oh no you just hate her she's actually not bad. This is especially true for stancy, the way people just overlook the fact that she emotionally cheated on Steve for a year and then slept with Jonathan while they were still together. And before people say well Tommy said they broke up, Tommy doesn't speak to Steve or Nancy anymore, he doesn't know their relationship only rumours because they had one fight. And Jonathan's and Nancy both acknowledged Steve as Nancy's boyfriend minutes before they had sex so yeah. Again, if she was a man in that instance, nobody would excuse her actions.

In the end I don't see Nancy hanging out with the people outside the whole UD business. She'll leave the town as soon as it's possible and then nobody will hear from her again. The people I see still hanging out with each other in the future are Steve and Robin because they love each other. And Steve and Dustin because they are brothers. Also Max, Lucas and Dustin will stay in touch definitely.

god, i know. they really saw that we think robin cares about her friends feelings, and equated that to steve owning robin?? and yeah so much i’ve read about r//nance is about nancy. about how robin would help nancy develop and nancy needs to explore her sexuality. like… i hate any ship where one character is forced to play therapist for their partner.

if either of them is bossing around the other, it is robin bossing around steve, he literally drives her to school every day not even knowing she doesn’t have a licence. and yeah, steve is the kind of character who continuously does stuff he doesn’t really want to do to try and protect his friends.

sucks that that happened to you, but yeah, it just isn’t something you can get past. i do think it’s because steve is a guy that they have less empathy for him when it comes to his love life. nancy and he broke up just a little over a year ago. if it was a couple decades down the line it might be different (though i kinda doubt it), but even so, robin will always choose steve. like you said, they’re soulmates. in order for r//nance to work, steve literally needs to not exist (though if steve doesn’t exist, robin and nancy would have literally nothing to talk about.

i totally agree that people try to rewrite nancy to make her mesh better with other characters, honestly the st fandom does it with nearly every single character. babygirl steve, for example. people try to rewrite that he’s bitchy, he lashes out when he feels shoved into a corner (though always apologises), they make him super feminine and weak, when steve is probably one of the most masculine characters on the show. and yes! it’s insane how if you even dare to slightly criticise nancy, you hate her, you’re a misogynist, like please! you can love a character and recognise they have flaws!

i find it so funny when people point to billy and tommy making fun of steve as proof they’d broken up. like tommy is the authority on their relationship? especially because, like you said, half an hour before she has sex with jonathan, she is adamant she is in love with steve. if they’d broken up, why would she do that? but yeah, steve being the guy means people try to excuse everything nancy did wrong in that relationship.

totally agree. like, hawkins is the centre of everything that went wrong in nancy’s life. and it’s like, so many people say steve and nancy could never be together, because he reminds her of her trauma with barb’s death, and if that’s true, then i doubt nancy will want anything to do with any of them. and yeah, the only people not blood related that i really see being engaged in each others lives (other than occasionally reunions and stuff) is steve and robin, and then the party. obviously with steve staying in contact with max, dustin and lucas, specifically (in my dream version of stranger things where hopper and steve have a, like, fatherly relationship, they’d stay in touch, but that’s not canon lol).

also, i kinda see nancy becoming a murray kind of reporter, so she can’t really keep in contact when she’s breaking into government facilities and revealing all their secrets.

anyway, totally agree with all your points, and i’m so tired of getting told i hate nancy because i dare to point out that she isn’t a great girlfriend